Gender /Sex Discrimination in the Work Place Essay

Thirty five years after civil rights act of 1964 was passed, female workers amounting to 80% are still doing the ‘women work. ’ Some as secretaries, others are sales clerks while others are support workers in the administrations. In the year 1993, only 19 women found themselves among the directors in the country and more than 500 boards had no female members. In 1999, the New York Times conducted a poll and found out that the biggest problem women were facing in America at that time was job discrimination. In the same year, working women were so much concerned about the wage gap between them and their male counterparts. Although the law came to prohibit these discriminations they continued even after (Mayor, 2010). This essay seeks to find out what the law is all about and who are covered in the law. It also seeks to differentiate between sexual and gender identity discriminations and sexual harassment based on some case studies. The federal law title VII, criminalizes any harassment or discrimination in the work place. It encompasses or covers all the employers in the private sector, state and local governments including education institutions which employ 15 workers and above (HR Hero, nd). Other groups that are covered by the law include; government agencies, political sub divisions, labor unions, associations, corporations, companies among others (US Equal Opportunity Commission, nd). The term employee as used in the act refers to a person who is involved in industrial activities that affect the commerce of the county and has more than 15 workers under him. It also refers to corporations that belong to the government or the Indian tribes and any department in the District of Columbia. The word also includes clubs that have private membership which do not pay tax as provided by the law. The term employment agency as used in the act refers to those persons who are involved in searching for employees on behalf of the employers either with or without compensation. Another group that is covered in the law is the labor organization. This refers to all those labor organizations which are affecting commerce in one way or another. This may also include the agents of these labor organizations and also committees that represent employees. Those groups which are involved or deal with grievances of the workers are also covered in the law (US Equal Opportunity Commission, nd). Apart from prohibiting discrimination in the work place based on sex, race, color, religion basis and national origin, it goes further to prohibit discriminations based on pregnancies, sexual stereotypes and sexual harassment against the employees. Currently, the law does not include discriminations based on sexual orientations but under the employment non –discrimination act, that kind of discrimination is covered. Many states have implemented this law and they have included more classes to be covered for example, marital status (HR Hero, nd). Civil rights act of 1964 has so many provisions in regards to employers and employees in the work place. Under section 2000e-2, the law declares that, it is unlawful for the employer to discriminate against any individual in regards to terms of payment, compensation package or privileges that the employment offers based on his /her race, gender, country of origin, color and religion. The law continues to say that any employer, who will be found imposing limitations to his workers, preventing them from accessing employment opportunities based on the above mentioned discrimination grounds, will be criminalized (Find US Law, 2008). Both employment agencies and labor organizations have also been put on notice by the law in that, when they fail to employ a person based on race, sex color among other factors, then they will also face the law. The term ‘based on sex’ here, refers to, based on pregnancy or medical conditions that are related to it and child birth. In the act, the law requires that all women affected by the above mentioned conditions, should be treated equally just like their male counter parts in regards to work related issues. This also applies to the benefits that they are supposed to be given. The condition that they are in should not limit them to enjoy their benefits just like other workers who are not in their condition. These provisions are included in section 2000e-2(h). This section does not allow the employer to pay for abortion benefits unless the life of the mother is in danger (US Equal Opportunity Commission, nd). Moreover, under this section it is considered unlawful when an employer comes up with standards of compensation or privileges and earning measuring system with an intention of discriminating employees based on the earlier mentioned factors. They are also forbidden to come up with ability tests whose results are intended to discriminate individuals. An employer is also not supposed to be biased when it comes to determining the amount of money he is going to pay his workers especially when based on sex. This can only be allowed when it has been provided for in the section 206(d) of the labor standard act of 1938, title 29 as amended (US Equal Opportunity Commission, nd). This law makes the employers responsible to prevent sexual harassment cases among their employees. They are supposed to take caution in regards to sexual harassment and correct any instance of it in the work place (Equal Rights Advocates, 2010). Differences between sexual discrimination, sexual harassment and gender identity discrimination Sexual Discrimination Sexual discrimination is mostly associated with the employers but if can also be committed by other employees. When this happens, the employer would be held responsible. There are two types of sexual discrimination; direct and indirect. The former refers to those situations where women at work place are treated with less favor than their male counter parts because of either their gender or marital status. Direct discrimination also comes in when treating a woman less favorably because she is pregnant or has gone for a maternity leave and this can extend even to pregnancy related illnesses. This mostly happens for example when a woman has gone for an interview and the interviewer only concentrates on the domestic circumstances of the interviewee (Thomson’s Solicitors, 2010). Another instance of discrimination based on gender comes in when a man who is less qualified than a woman is employed instead of her or when a man who is less experienced in the work place is promoted. Sometimes they are given excuses that those jobs are dirty ones and that there are no good toilet facilities for them. Sometimes, employers can be so cruel to the extent that, they can demote a woman because of her pregnancy or just immediately after maternity leave. In addition, sex discrimination comes in when a woman employee is not allowed to see clients or meet them for that matter and sometimes she cannot be invited to social events and instead a male colleague is chosen over her (Thomson’s Solicitors, 2010). Indirect discrimination refers to the adoption of some policies or practices in the places of work by employers. These policies are in one way or another disadvantageous to one gender than the other, even though they may appear on the surface to treat them equally. For example, an employer may require his employees to work full time and this disadvantages most women by barring them to take such a job. Some examples of this kind of discrimination include; some employers imposing age bars to their workers which can affect women negatively because most of them take time out to go to bring up children and thus these age bars will mean that, they will acquire their qualifications later than men (Thomson’s Solicitors, 2010). Some employers may also give their workers some benefits as a result of working for long in an institution and this will definitely not favor women who have decided to take time out to go and bring up children. Clauses related to mobility are also out to work against women in that, they may have difficulties when it comes to relocation because of their families and sometimes because of relying on their husbands as primary earners in the house. Some employers also go to the extent of requiring their workers to provide weight and height measurements and this will favor male workers more than their female counter parts. Lastly, those employers who require their employees to work in those hours which are unsocial may disadvantage women who have family commitments especially those who have children to care for (Thomson’s Solicitors, 2010). A case study related to this kind of discrimination involves a woman who had worked for a water transport business for some time but in her case, she was working in an office. Later, she decided to apply for a job in the same company but as a deck hand. In the process of application, she expressed her desire to acquire a captain’s license. She later complained that her male colleagues made her feel not welcome because they started to make such comments like how the job would be too dirty and heavy for her (Anti-Discrimination Commission, 2004). A time came when the business was facing some financial crisis and the company decided to do away with a particular service and this led to work hours for deck –hands to be reduced. As a result, the company shortened her water –time and this made her lose hours and opportunities in training and career. Her complaints to the company over the issue on how male counter parts were being favored in regards to time were futile. She sued them and as a result, she won the case and a compensation of $12,000. The company’s administration was directed to carry out anti-discrimination training among its workers (Anti-Discrimination Commission, 2004). This case study applies to discrimination among the workers themselves. Some companies also discriminate when it comes to offering services. In a case study, a woman wanted to be served by a certain company and in the process, she sought an appointment with the management for an in-home quote. The company’s representatives told her that it would be better if her husband was present for the quote. In her astonishment, she asked if the same procedures would apply on both of them regardless of who was present but they ignored her. The company gave some excuses regarding the matter stating that singles or widows were allowed to be accompanied by friends. The company was directed by a court to provide written apology to her and also to develop an anti-discrimination policy in the work place (Anti-Discrimination Commission, 2004). Sexual harassment When it comes to sexual harassment, it is perceived as a form of sexual discrimination. It can be defined legally as any unwelcome behavior or conduct that is of sexual nature and can be expressed through the word of mouth, physical means or even through the eyes; the conduct having severe consequences affecting the working environment in a negative way, making it be hostile. This means that any conduct that is welcome is not sexual harassment. Sexual harassment can be committed verbally or written by commenting on how somebody has dressed, on his or her behavior, somebody’s body structure, making jokes that are based on sex, asking somebody for sexual favors or for outings repeatedly. This may also include threatening a person or even spreading rumors about a person’s sexual life and also sexual innuendos (Equal Rights Advocates, 2010). Physical sexual harassment includes; assaulting a person, trying to block somebody’s movement, touching somebody inappropriately which may include kissing, patting, stroking and even hugging. One can harass an individual non- verbally by looking at a person’s body from up downwards, using derogative gestures towards a person, or even employing facial expressions that are of sexual nature (Equal Rights Advocates, 2010). Following a person comes under non -verbal sexual harassment. Visually, it can happen through drawings, pictures, emails, screen savers and posters that are of sexual nature. Some people may be harassed because they are females not males or the vice versa. This can also be considered as sexual harassment of non- sexual conduct. For example, if a lady carpenter works among male colleagues and she always finds her tools hidden, this can be considered a sexual harassment. The only condition that must exist for a conduct to be considered a sexual harassment is when the conduct is severe or pervasive (Equal Rights Advocates, 2010). If one is fired, demoted or the employer refuses to promote one because of rejecting sexual advances, that is automatically becomes sexual harassment. Even if it may not lead to injury or job status changing, so long as it interferes with ones performance at work place or even creating a hostile environment; that can be considered as a sexual harassment (Equal Rights Advocates, 2010). A case referred to as Meritor Savings Bank V. Vinson is one of the best cases on sexual harassment. The Supreme Court held that if a relationship is not welcome, it is considered to be ‘involuntary. ’ A plaintiff who was a lady sued her supervisor. During her first year working in the bank, she entered a relationship with him unwillingly because she feared losing her job (TWC Home, nd). She knew that she would face it rough the moment she refuses the advances. So she continued with the relationship for two years. The man would fondle her in the sight of other workers, sometimes follow her to the rest room and even go to the extent of exposing himself to her. For her, she did not expose his conduct to the management due to insecurity. The plaintiff proved that the relationship was unwelcome and it created a working environment which was abusive. The Supreme Court heard this and ruled in favor of her. The accused had to pay for the damages to the plaintiff (TWC Home, nd). Gender Identity Discrimination Gender identity refers to a situation of self identification either as a female or a male regardless of the anatomical sex at the time of birth. In normal circumstances, gender identity goes hand in hand with anatomical sex. A person identifies with females because she has physical features of females and a male does the same because he has male physical features. However, this does not apply to all human beings because for some, their identity does not match with their physical feature and this applies mostly to transsexual people (Work Place Fairness, 2009). A female may have the stronger side of males and a male may have stronger characteristics of females. Society may view the situation very differently. For example a man who identifies himself as a woman can be said to be feminine and a woman who identifies herself as a male is considered masculine. ‘Transgender’ is used to refer to a person whose stereotypes of gender identity do not apply. This term refers to cross dressers; both male and female, impersonators from both genders, individuals who are inter sexed, transsexuals, males who are feminine and females who are considered masculine (Work Place Fairness, 2009). These people usually face a lot of discrimination especially at work place. Mostly, they are usually fired the moment the management learns of their plans to undergo surgery on sexual reassignment. Some of them live in fear of being fired especially those who engage in cross dressing outside their work places. Those who try to wear appropriate clothes that match their gender identity are usually punished or fired all together for not conforming to the company’s policy of dress code. This happens especially in those companies that do not recognize individuals who are trans-gendered. Some employers even go to an extent of prohibiting these trans-gendered people to visit the rest rooms and are sometimes harassed by co workers on that basis (Work Place Fairness, 2009). This discrimination is not prohibited by the law particularly the federal one. How ever, efforts are being made to pass a law that will make this kind of discrimination illegal. Some have argued that, it can be covered with the law that bans all kinds of discrimination in the work place. Supreme Court has allowed these discrimination cases to be treated as harassment but is not clear how a court should handle such a case (Work place fairness, 2009). In conclusion, many people do not differentiate between the three kinds of discrimination making it hard to press charges regarding the matter. Some may have been discriminated without their knowledge and thus it is high time, companies adopt anti discrimination policies to make every one aware of his or her rights at the work place. References Anti-Discrimination Commission of Queensland. (2004). Sex discrimination case studies. Retrieved from http://www. adcq. qld. gov. au/Cases/Sex. htm Equal right advocates. (2010). Know your rights: Sexual harassment at work. Retrieved from http://www. equalrights. org/publications/kyr/shwork. asp Fine US Law. (2008). Civil rights act of 1964-cra-title vii-equal employment opportunities 42 US code chapter 21. Retrieved from http://finduslaw. com/civil_rights_act_of_1964_cra_title_vii_equal_employment_opportunities_42_us_code_chapter_21 HR Hero. (nd). Title VII of the civil rights of 1964-title VII. Retrieved from http://www. hrhero. com/topics/title7. html Thomson’s solicitors. (2010). Summary of the law on sex discrimination. Retrieved from http://www. thompsons. law. co. uk/ltext/l0840001. htm TWC Home. (nd). Case studies on sexual harassment. Retrieved from http://www. twc. state. tx. us/news/efte/case_studies_in_sexual_harassment. html US Equal Opportunity Commission. (nd). Title VII of the civil rights of 1964. Retrieved from http://www. eeoc. gov/laws/statutes/titlevii. cfm Work Place Fairness. (2009). Gender Identity discrimination. Retrieved from http://www. workplacefairness. org/genderid? agree=yes#1

Geology Questions

1. )A mastodon was found in Lafayette after being in the ground for how long? A. )30-35 million B. )30-35 billion C. )100 thousand D. )13. 7 billion 2. )What is placing geological events in a sequential order as determined from their position in the geological record? A. )geologic time B. )Relative dating C. )Radiocarbon D. )tree-ring dating 3. )Which of the following methods can be used to demonstrate age equivalency of rock units? A. )Lateral tracing B. )Radiometric Dating C. )Guide fossils D. )Position in sequence E. )All of the above 1.The first form of horses had how many toes on each foot? a. three b. seven c. four d. five 2. Is evolution Darwin's theory? a. yes b. no c. I wasn't paying attention d. who cares 3. â€Å"Survival of the fiitest† was whose idea? a. Sir Charles Lyell b. Louis Agassiz c. Charles Darwin d. Robert T. Bakker 4. Darwin was a a. math professor b. famous cartoon character c. singer d. gradualist 1. Who is the  author of a  book  that detailedà ‚  the ideas of evolution and proposed a mechanism whereby evolution could take place? a) Gary Kinsland b) Charles Robert Darwin c) Alfred Russel Wallace d) Michael Jackson . Darwin and Wallace reading Malthus's essay came to the same conclusion and both presenting this conclusion to the Linnaean Society in London. The conclusion is called a) natural selection b) the big bang theory c) genetics d) all of the above 3. What is Jean Baptiste de Lemark's theory that new traits arise in organisms according to need somehow being passed onto their descendants? a) natural selection b) artificial selection c) inheritance of acquired characteristics d) all of the above 1. fossils are mainly found in what aspect? a. forests b. oceans c. land d. mountains 2. hat was Charles Drawin known for? a. His good looks b. his ideas about life c. the theory of evoloution 3. about how long ago was earth known to be formed? a. 200 thousand years ago b. one million years ago c. 4. 6 billion years ago d. no o ne really knows 1. Fossils are best preserved in the ____________. a. rocks b. ocean c. lava d. space 2. A single celled organism that grew and produced oxygen and its structures still remain. a. stramatalites b. algae c. coral reef d. plants 3. Which species is the best geologic record of evolution? a. pig b. passenger pigeon c. whooping crane d. horse ) What period does the Cenozoic era cover? a) 65. 5 Mya to present b) 250 million years ago to about 65 million years ago c) 542 to 251 million years ago d) None of the above 2) What is something Charles Darwin is known for? a) He created the theory of evolution b) He gave us the idea that species evolved in order to better suit their environment c) A and B d) None of the above 3) What kind of fossils are more informative a) Big Fossils, because they catch our imagination b) Microfossils, because they give us more details about the environment and the climate c) Fossils of small insects and plants ) B and C 1. Fossils that are easily identified are geographically widespread, and existed for a rather short interval of geologic time are particularly useful? A. fossils B. historical fossils C. guide fossils D. new fossils E. old fossils 2. Fundamental Principles of Relative Dating include all of the following except: A. Principle of the earth’s make-up B. Principle of superposition C. Principle of cross-cutting relationships D. Principle of lateral continuity E. Principle of original horizontality 3. It is the decay rate of _________ that geologists measure to determine the absolute ages of the rocks.A. atoms B. unstable isotopes C. elements D. fossils E. rocks 1. The  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   illustrates the interactions between Earth's internal and external processes and how the three rock groups are interrelated. A. Rock Cycle B. Lithospere C. Seafloor Spreading D. Oceanic chart 2. Geology is divided into two broad areas: Physical Geology and  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã ‚   A. Historical Geology B. Cultural Geology C. Statistical Geology D. Researched Geology 3. The theory that the seafloor moves away from spreading ridges and is eventually consumed at subduction zones is: A. Seafloor Spreading B. Pangaea C. Evolution D.Cross-cutting 1) How long ago was the earth formed? a) 5. 6 billion years b) 250 million years c) 4. 6 billion years d) 1. 2 billion years 2) Which time period precedes the triassic? a) Jurassic b) Permian c) Silurian d) Pre-Cambrian 3) What kind of unconformity is characterized by a change in the slope of the strata? a) Angular unconformity b) Paraconformity c) Disconformity d) Nonconformity 1. What era did the dinosaurs rome the earth? a. the Triassic Period b. Jurrasic Period c. Paleolithic period d. Neolithic Period 2. What is fossil succession? a. When fossils are lined up next to each other . When different animals are fossiled together c. The idea that he kinds of animals and plants found as fossils changed through time. 3. W hat is a Light year? a. A term made up by star wars b. a mile in space c. It is the distance that light can travel in one year. 1. ) James Hutton is know for A. Being the founder of modern geology B. Discovering radioactivity C. Creating the principle of cross-cutting relationships D. Both A. and C. 2. ) The first hard-shelled creatures evolved approximately A. 900 million years ago B. 2 million years ago C. 200 million years ago D. It is unknown 3. Carbon 14 is a radioactive ______ of carbon. A. Ion B. Isotope C. Particle D. Element In what direction does the Dekota Ridge run from the mountain it is connected to? A. Horizontal B. Vertical C. Perpendicular D. Parallel What animal was the first horse comparison to in size? A. Fish B. Bird C. Cat D. Dog What percentage of known species of life has disappeared? A. 73 B. 46 C. 90 D. 65 1. The first horses were no larger than what animal? a. Cats b. Cows c. Dogs d. Rabbits 2. Who first discussed the idea that species change to better sur vive their surroundings? a. Sir Isaac Newton b. Charles Darwin c.Albert Einstein d. Charles Manson 3. The first horses had how many toes? a. 3 b. 0 c. 5 d. 4 _________ is an informal term that encompasses all geologic time from 4. 6 to 4. 0 billion years ago. A. Archean B. siderian C. Hadean D. Stenian E. neoarchean The cratons are the foundations of continents, and along their margins more continental crust was added, a process called ________. A. Continental accretion B. shield C. Precambrian D. Canadian shield E. protocontinents Any change in the genetic makeup of species is called ______. A. Macroevolution B. convergence C. Evolution D. Cladistics E. microevolution 1.How many toes did the first horses have? a. 4 b. 3 c. 6 d. none 2. Who said that species gradually change to suit there natural habitat? a. Chuck Norris b. Charles Darwin c. Jesus d. both a and c 3. Darwin gave us the _________ of evolution. a. theory b. phone number c. dictionary d. method What percentage of known species of life have disappeared? A. 70 B. 69 C. 90 D. 45 1. ) What do Paleontologists call the â€Å"missing links† that connect the descendants with ancestors when providing evidence for evolution with fossils? A. Trace Fossils B. Body Fossils C. Dino Bones D. Transitional Fossils E. Vestigial Structures 2. What is the type of structure that may be superficially similar and serve the same function, as in the wings of insects and birds, but they are dissimilar in structure and development? A. Constructed Structure B. Analogous Structure C. Twin Structure D. Homologous Structure E. Classification Structure 3. ) What principle, articulated by Charles Lyell, became the guiding principle of geology, which holds that the laws of nature have been constant through time and that the same process operating today have operated in the past, although not necessarily at the same rates? A. Uniformitarianism B. Diesm C. Conformism D.Baptism E. Cannibalism 1) The universe is approximately _ ______ times older than the Earth. a. Two b. Three c. Four d. Six 2. ) Fossils are best preserved a. in Oceans b. in Mountains c. on Land d. in Outer Space 3. Earth is ________ years old. a. 3. 7 billion b. 13. 7 billion c. 4. 6 billion d. 4. 6 million e. None of the above 1. How long can Carbon14 be used? A. 55,000 years B. 75,000 years C. 10,000 years D. 1,000,000 years E. Unknown 2. Who founded radioactivity? A. Madame Marie Cury B. James Hudton C. Gary Kinsland D. James Newton E. It is unknown 3. Which time period marked the 1st period of shelled organisms?A. Cambrian B. Jurassic C. Paleozoic D. Mesozoic E. Both A and C 4. The parent-daughter ratio is usually determined by what? A. atomic mass number B. alpha decay C. mass spectrometer D. track dating E. none of the above 5. The process of demonstrating the time equivalency of rock unit in different areas is: A. relative dating B. correlation C. radioactive decay D. Both A and C E. None of the above 6. Who is credited with formu lating the principle of cross-cutting relationships? A. Nicolas Steno B. James Hutton C. Lord Kelvin D. Madame Cury E. None of the above 1) What is Absolute Dating? )When male and female rocks form together to make another rock b)a common method of obtaining absolute ages c)When Powell led a second expedition down the Colorado River in 1871 d)Specific dates for rock units or events expressed in years before the present 2) Who is the Father of Modern Geology? a)Albert Einstein b)James Usher c)James Hutton d) Alexander the Great 3) What is a secondary way to determine relative ages of rocks, other than by of heat? a)Principle of Fossil Succession b)Principle of Fossil Assemblages c)Principle of Inclusions d)Superposition 1) Which of the following is not a type of strata unconformities? A. Disconformity B.Lateral Unconformity C. Angular Unconformity D. Nonconformity 2) How do scientists correlate rock units over a large area? A. Principle of Superposition B. Principle of Inclusions C. Principle of Fossil Succession D. Contact Metamorphism 3) Radioactive decay occurs at a ______ rate. Therefore, a graph of the decay rate produces a ______. A. linear / straight line B. geometric / curve C. linear / curve D. geometric / straight line 1. ________ reproduction hinders evolution. a. Sexual b. Asexual c. Pansexual d. Infrequent 2. Earth's atmospheric shift from a mainly carbon dioxide atmosphere to a mainly oxygen atmosphere was caused by _______. . life on Earth b. the recycling of igneous rocks c. the earth cooling down d. every being on earth holding its breath at the same time 3. The â€Å"Cambrian Explosion† features life forms that have _______ for the very first time. a. extremities b. fur c. hard shells d. beaks 4. Rocks are to â€Å"Orientals† just as rocks are to _______. a. â€Å"Occidentals† b. Asians c. Blacks d. people from Oregon 1. What is an outcrop? a. a place where rocks come out to the surface b. a 1960's hair-cut c. inserts of y ounger rock in existing older rock d. the head of vegetables in a field 2. what is the most common mineral in the Earth? a. silicon b. feldspar . sediment d. rocks 3. which carbon type is radio-active? a. carbon X b. carbon 18 c. carbon Z3 d. carbon 14 1. Fossilization is a very unusual process, even in the ocean because of A. people tampering with the process B. scavengers C. the amount of water it's under D. natural disasters that occur 2. Why is an anoxic environment the best way for an fossil to become preserved? A. It stops the scavengers from living B. People aren't able to survive in that type of environment C. It speeds up the process D. None of the above 3. What type of organisms are more likely to become fossilized? A. One with bones B. any type C. One with a shellD. both A and C 1. When the oldest layers are on bottom? (Class notes) A) Original Continuity B) Superposition C) Original Horizontality D) Radio Activity 2. When were plants and animals abundant on land accordin g to video #1's geologic time calendar year? A) Early March B) Late March C) Late July D) Late November 3. How were fossils formed? (Video #2) A) Molds of an organism B) Crystallized casts C) Fossil tracks and burrows D) All of the above .)  Ã‚  Ã‚   Preservation from fossils are best a. In oceans b. On land c. In mountains d. grass 2. )  Ã‚  Ã‚   What are the most common types of fossils? a)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Molded b)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Cast c)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Imprint )  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Whole animal 3. )  Ã‚  Ã‚   Where is the best place to bury yourself if you would like to be preserved? a)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Great plains b)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Rocky mountains c)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Gulf of Mexico d)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Nevada 1. Which is the oldest of the geologic time scale_____? a. cambrian b. permian c. jurassic d. mississippian 2. Which is the oldest of the geologic time scale_____? a. cambrian b. permian c. jurassic d. mississippian 3. What is educa tion______? a. learning b. going to school c. learning while going to school d. the process of becoming disabused of your preconsumed notions 1. Early Earth's atmosphere was largely made up of what? A. Oxygen B. Nitrogen C.Carbon-Dioxide D. Carbon-Monoxide 2. The arrival of hard shell organisms was in which period? A. Siluvian B. Cambrian C. Permian D. There from the beginning 3. What is the most common kind of fossil? A. Molds B. Tracks C. Bones D. Shells Professor Kinsland mainly supports what other University (other than ULL)? A) LSU B)University of Oregon C)UNO D)University of Texas Algae is A) one of the simplest life forms B) a complicated living being C) a mineral D) a fossil About how many miles of compacted fossils, minerals, etc. are buried beneath our feet from the past million years? A) 10 miles B) 2000 miles C) 8 miles D) none; they disenegrate

Social Science

SOCIAL SCIENCE THEORY ESSAY Most of the things we know about human? s behaviour has come out because of the different psychological theories. We may question why there are so many different psychological perspectives, which one is right and which one is wrong. Most Psychologists nowadays would say that none of the theories are correct. However, in the early days, the Psychologists would agree that all the theories were the only truly scientific one. Psychology is a science dedicated to the study of our mind and behaviour. There are different ways of understanding the human mind and behaviour, those ways are called perspectives.A perspective is basically a point of view or a way of considering how some things are linked together and their importance. Sigmund Freud known as the father of psychoanalysis was a famous physiologist, medical doctor and an influential thinker of the early twenties. Freud was the one who created a new method to understand the human personality. He had one of the most provocative minds of the last century. Freud was the one that improved the theory of psychodynamic psychology and the famous treatment known as psychoanalysis.Freud was one of the most brilliant thinkers in the last century, he brought public attention by his ideas of we usually are not conscious of the aspects of ourselves. He believed that what people are conscious of is symbolized in our minds, memories and feelings. Freud believed that the things we experienced in the past are part of our mind that he called the unconscious. However, we are not able to access the contents in our unconscious, they often appear in our dreams. Freud described the unconscious mind has an iceberg where only a very small part of it is accessible to awareness.The part of the unconscious that he believed it can be accessed very easily he named the pre-conscious. The importance of an early experience is evidently illustrated by Freud’s development theory of psychosexual development. He de scribed that each stage of our life concentrates on a part of the body that is relevant at that stage. If the needs of the individual are achieved on that stage, the he or she was ready to go into the next stage. However, if the individual struggles to achieve that stage then he or she becomes stuck in this stage.Freud believed that these results are the ones that we carry through into the adulthood and it can possibly explain our behaviours later in life. Stretch and Whitehouse (2010) The early stage of an individual is called the oral stage. The focus on this stage is on the mouth and activities like, sucking, licking and biting. Freud believes that there could be two reasons for fixation. If the infant was discouraged two early, It could make the infant feels unsatisfied and the infant could become a negative, sarcastic person.If, in the other hand, the infant was over-gratified, the infant could develop a gullible personality, easily trusting in others and with a tendency of swa llow anything. The early stage lasts from birth to approximately 18 months. Stretch and Whitehouse (2010) If the infant gets through the stage with no problems, the next stage is called the anal stage, where the infant focuses on aspects to do with potty training. If there is a fight between the parents and the child during the potty training or if the child does not feel comfortable while potty training, they may rebel by retaining their faeces.This type of fixation is called anally retentive. The child is not given the opportunity to enjoy potty training so the child can become a very disorganised person. During the ages of four and five, the child passes through the phallic stage. Freud believed that this stage is associated with nervousness and guilt feelings about sex and fear of castration for males. If this stage is not passes successfully, this theory suggests that a boy could become homosexual and a girl could become a lesbian. Freud thought these were abnormal fixations bu t nowadays most people would not view them in the way Freud did.When the child reaches the age of five until the age of seven, the child gets into the latency stage where he or she focuses on the social environment and the development of friendships. The final psychosexual stage is the genital stage in which the puberty begins. Freud believed that the less fixated the individual has become during the earlier stages, the more easily this stage will be negotiated, resulting in the ability to form strongest heterosexual relationships with an ability to be warm and loving as well as to receive love in a new, mature fashion.Overall, Psychoanalysis is usually used to cure depression and any type of mental illness. Psychologists also believed that their therapy would release repressed emotions, it would make the unconscious conscious. Functionalism is known as a sociological aspect that sees the society working in peace and harmony with each other, making an enormous contribution to the sm ooth running of the society. The society works together using social methods to control and deal with deviant members of groups, to make sure the society functions smoothly.Talcott Parsons was an American sociologist who helped in the development of functionalism and sociological aspects. He believed that society was a system made of interrelated institutions and for that reason, the society would run smooth. He also believed that the main role of an institution was to socialise individuals and make sure they were able to understand the values of the society and behave in an acceptable way. Functionalism says that everything and everyone in the society serves a purpose, no matter how strange it may seem. For example, crime is viewed universally as trouble.Functionalists, however says that crime serves several purposes. They believed that crime is needed for the employment of criminal investigators, police officers and other people related fields to work. If at any moment crime disap pear from the planet, thousands of jobs related with crime would no longer be necessary. Stretch and Whitehouse (2010) Functionalism received some criticism for forgetting the negative aspects in events such as divorce. Critics also declare that the perspective of functionalism justifies the statues of quo and complacency on the part of society members.Functionalism does not persuade people to try to change their social environment, even if those changes could benefit them. Functionalism is also criticised for its lack of testability. Functionalism is described as the most generalized and unproductive of the sociological schools. It is not logically sync with variability between cultures and it does not explain the changes in the society. Marxism was first developed by a German Philosopher called Karl Marx. He considered that individual behaviour was shaped by society but he believed that the economic system defined society and people? place within it. Marx held the views that the i ndustrial society of his time there were two social classes: The bourgeoisie or capitalist that were described as a small powerful group who owned all the factors, offices and the other places of employment and the Proletariat that were a much larger and poorer group that were employed by the capitalists. Stretch and Whitehouse (2010) Marx’s view was that those two social groups would always get into conflict as the capitalists were the ones that owned the offices and they would want higher profits.In the other side the employees, the ones on the proletariat group, would ask for higher salaries. That is the reason that Marxism is usually called the conflict model. Marx believed that those conflicts between the capitalists and the proletariat could cause a revolution. Feminism is often seen as an example of a conflict model. Abbot and Claire Wallace (1990) were two women who argued about the male domination in the society. They said the society did not pay enough attention to the issues of the women and their place in the society.There are three different types of feminism: Marxism feminism, Radical feminism and Liberal feminism Marxism Feminists see women as a working-class. They believed that women meet the social, emotional and physical needs of their children and they are ready to work for their family and children on the future. Women know how to maintain their husbands or partners, they are good at cooking meals and they take care of their children properly without being paid. Stretch and Whitehouse (2010) Radical feminism believes that it is not the capitalism or social life that dominates women, but men.They say that women are housewives and mothers. They believe there is not equality between the sexes and women are only needed to take care of the children and do house work Liberal Feminism agree that the changes happening now and the one that will probably happen in the future such as the changes of attitudes, equal pay and sex discrimination br ought more equality between the two sexes. Marxism claims that the health problems people have are closely related to the unhealthy and stressful work environments.Marx believed that health problems are not the result of individual weakness, but the unequal social structure and class disadvantages that are reproduced under capitalism. Marx believed that the patterns of mortality and illness are probably related to occupation, especially in the case of industrial working class. Marxism argues that medicine is not an independent discipline, but a sector of economic production which respond to the political needs of the capitalist system as a whole. Some Marxists argue that the NHS benefits the bourgeoisie by ensuring that their workers remain well enough to work.Most of those workers understood their inequality but believed that the system was fair. Marxism discussed that the free health service was a victory for the proletariat, the working class, as the bourgeoisie used to get the b est care first. Marxism received some critics for not paying attention to the dynamics of the medical process, the experience of illness and the state of being a patient. Turner (1987) believed that the Marxist political economy of health needed to address how the diversity of capitalist societies was related to medicine, health and illness.The knowledge of the medical practitioners plays a very important role in providing health care. However, the primary purpose is to regulate the working classes and the popular masses. Navarro (1986) Emile Durkheim was a French sociologist who focused on different types of suicides. Durkheim believed that there is not any society in which suicide does not exist. Durkheim’s theory of suicide adds a lot for the understanding of the phenomenon. However, he has laid too much stress on one factor which is suicide. He has undermined other factors.Durkheim believed that suicide is not something individual or private, it happens because of somethi ng powerful that stays over and above the individual. Durkheim viewed that: â€Å"all classes of deaths resulting directly or indirectly from the positive or negative acts of the victim itself who knows the result they produce†. Nowadays loads of doctors and psychologists believe that the majority of people who commit suicide are in a pathological state. However Durkheim believed that people take their own life because of social reasons.Emile Durkheim categorized different types of suicides basing on the different relationships between the individual and the society. Egoistic Suicide is when an individual isolate himself from the society. The individual usually feels that there is no place for him or her in the society. In many cases the individual has lack of altruistic feelings. Altruistic suicide happens to people who are too close and intimidate to the society group. This type of suicide often results from the over incorporation of the individual into social proof.Accordi ng to Durkheim Anomic suicide happens when there is a breakdown of social equilibrium. For example if someone is really rich and goes bankrupt. Fatalistic suicide happens when there is an overregulation in the society. For example if a slave commits suicide, it is called a fatalistic suicide. Conclusion To conclude my essay is clear that Marx, Freud and Durkheim had a big impact in our society. I believe that without their theories our society would not be the way it is now. References â€Å"Health and social care level 3, M. Stretch and M. Whitehouse, First published 2010†

Philosophy - video response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Philosophy - video response - Essay Example It has also reduced abilities to empathize with different situations boring marginalized institutions in societies reducing  corporation  and the ability to deal with global issues. According to Martha  Nussbaum, there is a distinct difference between the current and earlier education systems. Mainly development oriented focus on technological business, and self development through critical thinking respectively. Through this change, the nature of society has changed. It has become  more  engrossed  on economics and greed arising the many challenges facing societies today such as crime. The world was a much safer place in the  past  educational system where  society  cared more for others than the current one. Hence her vie that  liberal  education be re-embraced through more  focus  on liberal arts and humanities such as  philosophical  studies. Martha  Nussbaum  is of the view that the educational sector has changed into less involving and  character  oriented syllabuses. This I agree to and follow in the fact that the education sector and curriculum needs to be reinvented to include liberal arts and real situations. This would  generate  a population of  smart  and critically thinking  independent  people able

The role and importance of creativity and innovation in generating Essay

The role and importance of creativity and innovation in generating competitive advantage - Essay Example Porter has emphasized that the motivation behind the formulation and adoption of any strategy is the achievement of competitive advantage. To achieve competitive advantage a business organization is required to build a steadfast choice about the form of competitive advantage it wants to accomplish and the range of resources within which it would strive to achieve that level. Competitive advantage sought by firms can be classified into two basic types; low cost and differentiation (IFM, n.d.). On the basis of these two competitive advantages Porter has come up with three generic strategies (Porter, 2008, p. 12) namely, cost leadership, differentiation, and focus. The last strategy has two sub categories, â€Å"cost focus and differentiation focus† (IFM, n.d.). These strategies help the firm deliver a better than average performance. Cost leadership Any firm that follows the strategy of cost leadership, targets at becoming the only producer in the entire industry whose cost of p roduction would be lower than all its competitors. The producer seeks to exploit economies of scale and follow competitive pricing (Richardson and Dennis, 2003). Cost leadership strategy is a key to success for several successful companies; one among them is Walmart (Baroto, Abdullah and Wan, 2012). Differentiation Under this strategy the firm concentrates on becoming unique in the products it offers. It does this by identifying certain product dimensions that consumers value the most. The firm develops its production and marketing strategies in such a way that it can satisfy the customers’ demand for those attributes and hence receives premium price for that uniqueness. For example, Apple Computers makes â€Å"differentiation by technology† (Baroto, Abdullah and Wan, 2012, p. 120) to preserve its competitive advantage. Focus The firm selects either a group of segments or a single segment from the industry in which it belongs and optimizes its strategies to serve these segments so well, as to gain competitive advantage over all its competitors. A firm can pursue this by either creating cost advantage in a targeted segment (cost focus) or by developing a differentiation in a targeted segment (differentiation). Tesco follows the focus strategy to blend elements of both differentiation and low cost (Baroto, Abdullah and Wan, 2012). Total Quality Management Total quality management (TQM) is â€Å"an art of management† (Singh, Qureshi and Butt, 2007) that became popular with business organizations in 1980s. Clark (1996) has explained that this management strategy focuses on maintaining quality of in all processes running in an organization; manufacturing, human resource, financial procurements, R&D and administration. Implementation of total quality management provides a framework that guides the organization to select competitive advantages in the face of uncertainty. These competitive advantages become the foundation on which operational deci sions are made regarding the marketplace (Tseng and Lin, 2008). Quality management is an approach that many firms consider the basis for making differentiation from competing firms (Singh, Qureshi and Butt, 2007). The role played by TQM in a firm is that of creating a demanding work environment and also lay down ways to fulfil the demands through team spirit, mutual trust, honesty, open communication and fun. In this framework, changes are appreciated, fear is defeated and resistance towards change is

How does college experience affect future experiences Essay - 1

How does college experience affect future experiences - Essay Example ikely to be exposed to several benefits such as making different friends as well as business connections, in addition to meeting a potential mate or spouse. These are all very important aspects of one’s future life which is very much dependent on these vital early college interactions. More so, college experiences gives one access to various people, allowing an individual to learn more regarding various religions, personalities, as well as cultures, which one may not had prior exposure to in their places of origins, something that widens an individual’s perspective and knowledge(Murphy & Eddy,1998). College life also equips one with critical interpersonal values and skills such as the chance to interact with fellow students and faculty by joining student clubs and organizations, as well as participating in debates and discussions. Through such organizations one develops positive values such as entrepreneurship, critical thinking, exploring of various other career options and provision of networking value. This makes college graduates to be not only more productive in life, have happier lives but also live longer. In addition, college graduates embrace positive values in life such as having health insurance together with retirement plans, thus enabling them to live full and well planned lives (Siegel, 2010). However college experience has got its own consequences such as stress which may result in health issues as well as other related negative consequences due to the need to perform well, AIDS fear, grade competition, career choices as well as several aspects of college environment. Lastly, college debt forces students to delay their financial freedom, marriage as well as other milestones in adult

Gender Portrayals in Modern Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Gender Portrayals in Modern Art - Essay Example The essay "Gender Portrayals in Modern Art" investigates gender portrayals in the modern art. This essay is based on the gender concept and the issues that have had an immense influence on the way gender in modern art is perceived and portrayed. To begin with, one needs to differentiate between modern, post modern and contemporary in order to understand the journey charted by gender portrayal in art over the ages. The modern portrayals of art depend to a great extent on the stereotypical depictions of features within art, while post modern depends on the vertical rather than the horizontal, which is a case of portraying a traditional feature in a new light. The contemporary period can be considered to possess a number of artists that can be considered of substance and grace in the corresponding field. This particular era in history was marked by the upsringing of various trends in arts and the foray of women and other unlikely sections of the society into the world of art. Mary Kelly is one of the artists of the contemporary period. She is known to be a feminist and fighting an important advocacy through her works. Femminism became a strong benchmark for the society in that particular period, which can be seen through the various art forms and literature created at that time. Unlike the modern times, feminism was not reflected in policy changes as yet and was still confined to mere forms of expression. This was one of the key features of Mary Kelly’s life as has been discussed below. ... After her undergraduate course in Arts, she studied her Masters in Arts in the European Region (Felsen, 2008). There are different works that are considered as significant in her career. One is the exhibit presented in the Rosamund Felsen Gallery which can be considered as a recent work. Kelly is known to present underlying messages in her work specifically pointing out to her topics of inclination such as cultural principles specifically pertaining to femininity. Art and Mass Media by Betty Ann Brown is a volume that chronicles the rise of western culture in context of its influence on art. This has been studied from the perspective of various art forms, ancient, medieval and modern so as to demonstrate how cultures are capable of affecting art forms and rendering finer detail to the structure in terms of gender portrayal as well as sexuality in art. (Brown, 2005; P 2 - 4). The volume has conceptualised the way art has been seen and used since 1985 with the advent of mass media and especially the Internet. This conceptualisation has reached a phase where the influx of ideas related with the use of technology and mass media has grown to such heights where it accommodates a whole new dimension of art in terms of gender portrayals. It is said that the way something is built has a large bearing on how it is perceived. In the case of art, the use of mass media has accentuated the play of technology and the portrayal of genders to the extent that the very way that an art form is conceptualised depends on the factors that are a part of the culture surrounding it. Since 1985, the play of mass media has begun on a note that has created the scope to create gender in art beyond what has been seen in the conventional sense. The rise

Content Analysis (cartoon) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Content Analysis (cartoon) - Essay Example To summarize, 1 scene of verbal aggression by non-adult character will be viewed by audience every 10 minutes. The results also show that there is no significant difference in the number of aggressive scenes depicted by non-adult versus adult characters, except in verbal aggression. These three cartoons’ stories frequently revolve around family issues, with one or more non-adult characters, like Bart in The Simpson, Stewie in Family Guy, and Stan in South Park. Despite producers’ assertion that these shows are for adults, they attract children during prime time viewing hours, due to young age of characters, family-based story lines and animation. As my sample size s relatively small, I cannot conclude that other prime-time cartoons contain similar levels of aggressive scenes, as in the sample. However, for further research, I will view as many samples as possible and extend my research to include Prime Time Drama, to determine whether a specific genre contains more scenes of aggression than

Planning for Learning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Planning for Learning - Essay Example Hence it is important to build a homework structure for them and that should find place in middle and high school. The important aspect to be observed is that the planning for learning should consider improvement but not perfection. The planning should consider recording, having the books necessary for learning, reviewing of the student's books, agreeing with the student to participate in the learning program, making them to follow assignments and study hours, keeping them honest in doing work, developing sustenance of attention to follow the planning, making the student to use a calendar to track long term assignments and periodically work on them instead of leaving them for the last minute. Another important aspect in planning a learning program is to assess the learner's needs and behavioural problems. The planning of programs for learning should be according to the assessment. The learning programs as part of the planning should follow inclusive teaching and learning strategies. The teacher should concentrate on managing the process as well as environment as the success of planning in case of ADHD students depends even on environment. At the end of the program it is necessary to assess the outcomes of learning programs. After that it is necessary for a teacher to reflect his/her performance for future practice (Arthur Robin, 2009). 2 Assessing Learners Needs Assessment can serve different purposes as it can grade the attainment of learners. In assessment teacher should consider emotional and practical needs of the student and plan accordingly. The communication that has occurred between teacher and the student helps in assessing his needs practically as well as emotionally. The important aspect in assessing is verbal questions by teacher to students and in the course trying to fulfil their emotional needs. By questioning, teacher can understand the lapses in understanding the problem by the student and that helps in developing a plan for learning for the students having behavioural problems like ADHD as they have attention deficit and, which results in lack of understanding. In addition to that practitioners found that the questioning involves the students and develops communication with teachers thus enabling them to know the points where the student lacks attention. One assessment a teacher can make by questioning is the difference bet ween the students who know and who can understand. If a teacher can find the students who just only know, he/she can plan a program that helps them in understanding the aspect and the concept of the lesson. According to David Edward Gray et al (2000), FENTO Standards for teaching recognise the importance of professional assessment of students that underpins learning as well as achievement. The assessment needs the verification of key elements like vocational curriculum, competencies, underlying knowledge and key skills. The authors of book 'Training to Teach in Further and Adult Education' state that assessment is a process by which evidence of student achievement is obtained as well as judged. It requires evidence and a scale of standards. The assessment includes the capability of the student, performance relative to his/her group and his

House of Mirth by Edith Wharton Essay Example for Free

House of Mirth by Edith Wharton Essay The House of Mirth is separated into two books of approximately equal length, with Book I having at least thirty more pages than the other. In the commencement of Book I, the central character, who goes by the name of Lily Bart is twenty-nine years old and gets acquainted with the fact that she is on the threshold of losing her influence to hang about in society by the desirable quality of her looks and charisma alone. She believes that getting married is her only way out. The itinerary of Book I describe Lily’s tribulations in accomplishing this goal. By the end, Lily has continued to exist after an attempted rape which nonetheless hurts her repute and causes her to be unable to find the high regard of Lawrence Selden and is desperately in liability. Book II, commences in Monte Carlo with additional and given up for lost scandal, moves to New York and additional debt. It ends in deficiency, lonesomeness, and an unintentional death that could without difficulty be called a suicide. Similarities The story presented by Edith Wharton is rather tragic. It is about a beautiful, high-spirited woman who is in dire need of getting over the manipulations of others and the extremely stern society around her. The only assets that the central character Lily has are her beauty and charisma. She is well-acquainted with the rules of the upper class New York society of 1905. Lily tells Lawrence that, a girl must [get married] and a man if he chooses†. (Wharton, p. 165) Lily basically is totally dependant on her aunt for her financial expenses and believes that she should get married to a wealthy man as soon as possible. But, as she confesses, she always does the right thing at the wrong time. She is nearly married to about three different men who are pretty wealthy but she is not able to go ahead with it. She is in love with Lawrence, but considering the fact that he is not rich and has to work to make both ends meet, she does not even let herself imagine that she should marry him. She comprehends the susceptibility of her position she does not have any fortune of her own, and for that reason her reputation must be impeccable. The people that she is surrounded by have minds like moral flypaper they can forgive a woman anything but the loss of her good name. Unfortunately, Lilys inherent honesty makes it impossible for her to realize the treachery and desperation around her. She makes some foolish choices: We resist the great temptations, but it is the little ones that eventually pull us down. (The House of Mirth, p. 1). In both the movie and the book, perhaps her only mistake is that she ends up trusting all the wrong people. Because of this we can see in the movie and the novel that her reputation is looked down upon and she ends up owing a great deal of money to a man who misused her trust and made attempts to ruin her reputation. As is said, we witness in the movie that â€Å"by the time she is willing to accept the proposal of businessman Sim Rosedale (Anthony LaPaglia), he is no longer willing to offer her the position of wife, only mistress. Rosedale has a kind heart, and he likes Lily. But he is a businessman with ambitions of being fully accepted into society, and he can see that Lily is damaged goods. Perhaps her very willingness to accept him makes her less appealing† (The House of Mirth, p. 1). Lily realizes the sensitivity of her position in the society and she realizes that nothing she does would be right for her after she has been betrayed by nearly everyone and is shunned aside by her society. She now makes attempts in both the movie and the novel to support herself first as secretary/companion to a vulgar social-climber, then as an internee in a millinery shop. She makes one last exaggerated plea for help from her cousin, and also comprehends a drastic attempt at blackmail, but that is a great temptation she is able to resist. The movie definitely is a great adaptation of the novel written by the author with first-rate performances and extravagant details of that period. Edith Whartons 1905 The House of Mirth, apparently is a novel about early-20th century New York upper classes, and is really an outer-space story, and instinctively at least, the director Terence Davies seems to know it. In order to Whartons book to the display, Davies takes care to get all the accouterments right: the depressively sparkling balls and social gatherings of turn-of-the-century Manhattan society life, the faux-rustic lavishness of the nation state homes of the rich, the odd rules and regulations and subtexts prowling behind the way a woman might trip her delicately gloved hand into that of a man. In Whartons view, and in Davies, it is an ambiance that is hospitable on the exterior but fastened with fatal gas, an accurate arrangement of molecules that looks for and finds and strangles the life out of foreign creatures, like Whartons great conqueror Lily Bart, who need air and brightness and love. It takes one beautiful alien to play Bart. Davies The House of Mirth is not anything like a science-fiction movie, for sure, apart from the way it uses ambiance to communicate a sneaking pastiness of claustrophobia and even danger. What is evident from the first frame, just like it is evident in the beginning of the novel by Wharton, is that Lily is a human being who just does not fit in this world. What is worst is that she herself believes and is convinced with this fact. The deception of the story, nevertheless, is that we are not in actuality sure about the origin of Lily; Whartons wrapping up is that there are no definable monetary, communities or devout divisions that are moderately right for her, and Davies movie, with all its miserable sophistication, incarcerates the real meaning of that peripatetic restiveness. A gorgeously beautiful but spinster woman of twenty-nine with deteriorating prediction, Lily has been raised to accept as true that luxury is exactly what she deserves. Hence, Lily lives further than her means, relying for the most part on the resentful contributions of her elderly aunt, Mrs. Peniston. All the lacking that Lily suffers because she does not have money, she makes up for in behavior of verbal communication and coquetry: she has the ability as well as the charm to turn any encounter into an enticing meeting. Nevertheless her game playing, as Wharton has written and as Anderson plays it, is not entrenched in heartlessness. It is more a particular kind of non-interventionist resourcefulness, such that her possible love interest and a little bit retribution Lawrence Selden are overwhelmed by it. I always like to see what youre doing, he tells her only half-teasingly. Youre such a wonderful spectacle. (Wharton, p. 35) To keep herself buoyant economically, Lily is desperately in need of a husband, but she is disastrous in finding one due to the fact that, deep down, she knows she does not want one. She is most involved with Selden, a legal representative of self-effacing means who lives for books and fine art and a warm fire. But not even Selden is a sanctuary for her considering that he proves himself competent of devastating coldness. And after Lily unsuspectingly puts herself in a negotiative position with a married friend, Gus Trenor, she comes to realize that she will have to make her own money to support herself. The movie presents to us that Whartons book is not an assembling cry for womens expressive and financial self-government. It is far more understated, and a lot less joyful, than that. But the narrative repetitively affirms the worth of that self-determination, exclusively by showing us how tantalizingly it is kept out of poor Lilys reach. The movie incarcerates something of Whartons reticent tenderness and attractive rhythms in the way it sets Lily revolving on her unhurried spiral to calamity. The movie takes a few emancipations with the story, concentrating, for example, two of Whartons innovative characters into one. The movie House of Mirth is a dignified movie, sometimes too much so, moving with the momentum and sprightliness of a dowager aunt and the channel of communication, much of it taken straight from the novel is from time to time stiff and discomfited. But the movie does an unimpeachable job of screening to us, in the first half of the movie, both the mesmerizing comforts and the tediousness of the life Lily desires to, with its seamless drawing rooms and unnaturally effervescent parties. The second half is shadowy and more visually solemn, as Lily thrashes about to keep her existence together. But that pessimism makes it obvious that this less-glamorous continuation is not right for Lily, either. She can be considered an exotic bird, in poor condition for the filth and dirt of the everyday world but far too unexpected to be serving tea to rich, unintelligent gentlepeople. Lily, too contemporary, too fundamental and too beautiful, fits nowhere, in no detailed society, time or place (Zacharek, p. 1). Edith Wharton plots The House of Mirth on a sequence of meetings set in vibrantly distinct social settings. The first communal setting is Lawrence Selden’s residence at the Benedict and the convention is between him and Lily Bart. The second is the Trenors’ country house throughout a week-long party. In the pinnacle, Wharton shows with great power the sexual operation at the heart of the financial dependence of women. In the increasing action, Wharton sets up the rudiments of Lily Bart’s personality by showing her in stroke in a social situation which restrains her choices. In the lessening action, when Lily Bart has been evicted from the society that has prearranged her values, Wharton shows that Lily Bart is not ready to become accustomed to a dissimilar way of life. Lily Bart becomes a disastrous figure; trying with her imperfect moral possessions to live up to her intellect of what is right, even when it means facing impoverishment (Wharton, p. 25). Conclusion In the light of the above discussion we can hereby culminate that the movie and the novel namely The House of Mirth written by Edith Wharton has much in common.

Evaluating Supply Chain Management in the Volkswagon Brazil resende

Evaluating Supply Chain Management in the Volkswagon Brazil resende The RESENDE factory of Volkswagen company in BRAZIL brought revolution in the automobile industry around the globe the factory has totally unique supply chain model and was first of its kind. The resend plant was also known as the rebirth of Volkswagen company as after the Auto Latina was ended between Volkswagen and ford as Volkswagen company has no factory to manufacture its trucks and buses so resend was built in Brazil in 1995. The Volkswagen has around 400 suppliers who use to supply different spare parts for the manufacturing of trucks and buses the Brazilian market was famous for Volkswagen trucks and buses, Volkswagen company cut their suppliers to 8 and then had contracts with them, the whole theme of Resende factory was a Modular consortium, the eight suppliers would be coming in with the supplies and then fixing that is assembling it up, it was like a mini shops they own inside the factory that is they were the producer and as well as the assembling was done by them, this model was very new to supply chain that was implemented there, no worker of Volkswagen company was there except the quality control as it is one of the important factor to check. The supply chain model helped them to cut their labor cost and give them advantage to sell their buses n trucks at lower price that how they made their customers and the competitors were not able to lower their prices as they were manufacturing the parts as well as assembling them the good thing about Volkswagen Resende plant was that they were hiring labor at cheap costs which helped them to cut their cost. Just as the factory started operating the most important person was forced to leave the organization as the Jos Ignacio Lpez de Arriorta was working with gm and left gm joined Volkswagen. As when they started with the resend factory the claim did by Volkswagen was lawfully accepted ant Volkswagen paid a good amount for it as gm had did the claim that lopes left gm with some important documents missing a nd data as they said he spy us and the resend factory was more like their idea which Jos Ignacio Lpez de Arriorta started their so just at the beginning the big question mark was with this factory, more over Jos Ignacio Lpez de Arriorta was forced to resign and had left the company leaving the post of operation management which was a loss to the factory and have the big importance to the resend factory. VWs supply chain strategy according to Michael Porters strategic framework: The Resende factory of Volkswagen company known as the rebirth of Volkswagen company established in Brazil known as modular consortium was very unique in sense of supply chain as totally new frame work was being applied to it as it was a junction where all suppliers of different companies come and make up the whole product (trucks and buses) that is they work in a way that there were different suppliers who were bringing up the parts of trucks and assembling them up that is suppliers were also the labors and was responsible for the production as well as assembling the trucks and buses they come and work in the factory. Discussing about supply chain model used by Volkswagen company in their Resende factory was a totally new supply chain strategy and if we talk about it in the light of Michale Porter ¿Ã‚ ½s strategic frame work it would be as follows: The threat of the entry of new competitors: The Resende factory of Volkswagen company was the first one in entire automobile industry having this kind of supply chain model that is a modular consortium model. The main point of attraction to the automobile world was the management of operations in the plant as the plant was first of its type more over one can take it as an experiment so at that point of time the threat of a new competitor to enter was up to 0%. As the concept has bring revolution in the traditional supply chain strategies in automobile industry so at the beginning the competitor was not at all the threat but the execution of the supply chain model could create threats as just at the beginning the company ¿Ã‚ ½s operation manger left so the competitors are always looking for something which they can use as an advantage to its competitor. The intensity of competitive rivalry: The intensity of competitive rivalry was there in the form of General Motor for Volkswagen Company because of their lawsuit. the operation manger Jos ¿Ã‚ ½ Ignacio L ¿Ã‚ ½pez de Arriort ¿Ã‚ ½a left so at that time things become difficult for them but Volkswagen mange it efficiently moreover the suppliers which was the main theme of this Resende factory the modular consortium was all about the supplier which was cut down to eight from four hundred they have to be a good and strong bonding with them as if any one of them left the trucks and buses would be hard to finish as the company has no plant to produce the products after their joint venture with ford ended so the suppliers were very important to Volkswagen. The another competitive advantage competitors of Volkswagen had was that the suppliers with Volkswagen was due to the relationship of Jos ¿Ã‚ ½ Ignacio L ¿Ã‚ ½pez de Arriort ¿Ã‚ ½a as in general motor he was the director of Latin America state so he use his referen ce in Volkswagen company so he was forced to resign from the company the suppliers can also leave but fortunately this never happened and the Resende factory known as rebirth to Volkswagen give a new life to Volkswagen company indeed. The threat of substitute products or services: The threat of substitute was there in Brazil as it was the largest market of all and Volkswagen company ¿Ã‚ ½s the Resende factory was a totally new thing in the industry of automobile industry more over the supply chain strategy they used was the first to be used in any factory the unique idea they applied worked for them as they didn ¿Ã‚ ½t had any employee of Volkswagen company to work in the plant it was totally outsourced plant as the suppliers was also the labor not only responsible for supplying the parts more over fixing them up as it was a solely new strategy of supply chain implemented by the Volkswagen company. The only people by Volkswagen company were the quality control departments they were responsible to give the perfect quality so that their trucks and buses be the strength to the company not the strength of the competitor this model of supply chain worked and helped Volkswagen to cut its labor cost which help them to lower their prices compared to its competitor s so the threat of a substitute was around 0% as the competitors were manufacturing their trucks and they cannot lower their prices so Volkswagen company was going good. The bargaining power of customers (buyers): The Resende factory of the Volkswagen company was a revolutionary factory for the world the plant was using a supply chain strategy that really help them in generating revenue as they cut their suppliers from 400 to 8 and they were the suppliers as well as the assemblers for the trucks and buses and if any part for not perfectly fitted or had a problem the loss would be barred by the supplier the Volkswagen company were generating revenues out of the supply chain strategy they have implemented in the plant moreover if we talk about the barging power of the customers we can say that the factory was saving a lot to Volkswagen company as their cost have lower down a lot so they can give the trucks and buses at lower cost which was the thing that its competitors cannot compete as they were making up the product by themselves and buyers were getting advantage for it they don ¿Ã‚ ½t need to bargain as the trucks and buses were already at lower costs. The customer were getting at good adv antage on buying Volkswagen trucks and buses so the bargaining power of the buyer didn ¿Ã‚ ½t affect much on the Volkswagen company. The bargaining power of suppliers: As they cut down their suppliers from four hundred to eight the suppliers working with them in the Resende factory would be having good relations with the Volkswagen company and more over they would be having some advantages to be the part of the Resende factory as they were suppose to produce the parts and assemble them up for Volkswagen company so there would be some interest of their also as they were the part of the Resende factory and making up the trucks and buses for Volkswagen company and that was giving a benefit on cost to the Volkswagen so their trucks and buses were less in cost compared to other companies in the Brazilian market, Volkswagen company had planned about it, as they were dealing with a good number of suppliers and above all they don ¿Ã‚ ½t own any plant for making the parts of the truck as they were totally out sourcing them and the operations as well as the assembling were done by the suppliers, they have been critises by one of the worker on just outsourc ing everything, therefore they have to be very good at it and have to implement the supply chain strategy very well more over there were no employee of Volkswagen company working there, so everyone working there under one roof would be wearing same uniform having same salary packages and more over they don ¿Ã‚ ½t want any labor union to be made up as they were catering the whole of brazil and the trucks were very famous around brazil. Analyze the ways in which VW could employ technology across the different supply chain processes. As the Resende factory of Volkswagen was something really innovative and more unique was the supply chain model implemented on the factory which was assembling of the trucks as well as the production was the duty of the suppliers, Jos ¿Ã‚ ½ Ignacio L ¿Ã‚ ½pez de Arriort ¿Ã‚ ½a designed it in such a way that no labor cost was to be incurred from Volkswagen company as there were no Volkswagen workers involved in the factory except the quality control supervisors as the suppliers were bounded for putting up the parts of trucks and buses the factory is producing the technology they used or we can say that the supply chain strategy they implies in this factory was really working for them as they have cut their cost in sense of labor cost more over the assembling was no more there issue as now it was the problem of the suppliers. The Volkswagen company c use to hire the labor through lowest bidder and the new technology was working so good that they planned to apply this strategy of supply chain to their other factories in different parts of world and the benefit from this supply chain strategy is for the developing countries as they can use the idea the modular consortium as it is the game of suppliers who are producing as well as assembling the trucks and busses for them and Volkswagen company is decreasing its labor cost at good. The main idea was like the contractors which were suppliers was totally responsible for making up the part which is required and fixing it perfectly as if the part fitted or purchased not sit right than the company which was responsible for putting the part bare the loss the Volkswagen company were really generating revenues with the factory, in the factory there were around eight suppliers who were operating there mini shops in the factory the company was able to get supplies in low rates so they can sell the busses and trucks at low price and attract the customers towards them and the other competitors of Volkswagen company was no t able to compete as they were producing everything by them self which was hard for them to cut the costs and therefore cant lower the prices and that helped Volkswagen company to generate their revenues, and this supply chain strategy was a success for Volkswagen. Evaluate current global supply chain challenges to this VW supply chain model. Global Supply Chain Challenges: At the Resende plant of Volkswagen totally new model of supply chain was implemented which was a risk because the Resende factory was first in nature to its own moreover it was more important to Volkswagen as it was a rebirth to the Volkswagen company as their Auto Latina was ended so their factory at Brazil that is Resende was the only hope as they did not had any factory to produce trucks and buses, the supply chain model was a totally new idea in the industry of auto mobile  ¿Ã‚ ½Modular consortium ¿Ã‚ ½ just at the starting it faced a challenge to its survival in the form of its operation manger Jos ¿Ã‚ ½ Ignacio L ¿Ã‚ ½pez de Arriort ¿Ã‚ ½a left because of some lawsuit between Volkswagen and General Motors. Just in time inventory. various supply chain strategies can help a business minimize their costs and focus on their main business that is there core competencies and more over it cut the time waste on waiting for the suppliers and sometimes not perfect supplies can make company suffers a lot and bear losses moreover they can take away your customers from you, can give the competitive advantage to the other company that is your competitor. There are several strategies for supply chain practiced by many organizations. More over there are several global supply chain challenges. The first challenge to the resend factory was to stand having totally new model of supply chain as the modular consortium was about the suppliers would be working as the labor in the factory no Volkswagen employee would be there and they were suppose to perform the activity of suppliers as well as labor for the company this method reduce the cost of labor to the Volkswagen company moreover manufacturing all the parts were more costly than to just buy them up. As the world is moving so rapidly technology is changing with respect to time so as the new threats are there supply chain has a good growth in coming future as many industries working around the world is not making up all its products there are things they supply and get supplies to make up their end product which plays an important role in the companies having their branches all around world have to look for suppliers and the supplies they would be getting should not increase their cost or reduce their core competence as the competition is very tough so therefore the supply cost should not exceed as your revenue decrease. As the VW supply chain model was based on suppliers as if they lose any of the supplier their truck was impossible to construct as they them self was not producing to that scale as it was just like a junction where different suppliers were bringing up the part they manufacture and assembling them which helped VW to cut their cost more over to sell their trucks and buses at low rates as compared to its competitors VW was facing some supply chain challenges as they were supplying all the parts and the suppliers were responsible for fixing them moreover in case of damage they have to bear it if any there were no blue collar worker of VW at the factory except quality control as it was a point at which its competitor can have advantage so the whole idea was a supply chain game. Economic challenges was their more over in case of natural disaster they were the one who have to faced it all as the factory was not producing anything so it was a challenge to maintain a good relations with their suppliers so they don ¿Ã‚ ½t stand against them. CONCLUSION: the supply chain model faced difficulties in the starting as the main operation manager Jos ¿Ã‚ ½ Ignacio L ¿Ã‚ ½pez de Arriort ¿Ã‚ ½a was forced to leave the company because General Motor claims that Jos ¿Ã‚ ½ Ignacio L ¿Ã‚ ½pez de Arriort ¿Ã‚ ½a has left the organization with some very important documents more over the resend factory was somewhat similar to a new project general motor was working so Jos ¿Ã‚ ½ Ignacio L ¿Ã‚ ½pez de Arriort ¿Ã‚ ½a was forced to leave the company, just at the beginning the Resende factory faced a loss but the supply chain model fits right and Volkswagen generated good revenue out of it and give out its trucks and buses at low cost compared to other automobile companies in brazil as the model helped them to cut their labor cost out of all the conflicts and issues the Resende faced it was a success at the end and the rebirth of Volkswagen succeeded.

Environmental Protection In India

Environmental Protection In India Over the years, together with a spreading of environmental consciousness, there has been a change in the traditionally-held perception that there is a trade-off between environmental quality and economic growth as people have come to believe that the two are necessarily complementary. The current focus on environment is not new-environmental considerations have been an integral part of the Indian culture. The need for conservation and sustainable use of natural resources has been expressed in Indian scriptures, more than three thousand years old and is reflected in the constitutional, legislative and policy framework as also in the international commitments of the country. Section 1: Legislations for environmental protection in India, Section 2: Indigenous Peoples, Section 3: Indigenous Peoples and Scientific Legislations Legislations for environmental protection in India Even before Indias independence in 1947, several environmental legislation existed but the real impetus for bringing about a well-developed framework came only after the UN Conference on the Human Environment (Stockholm, 1972). Under the influence of this declaration, the National Council for Environmental Policy and Planning within the Department of Science and Technology was set up in 1972. This Council later evolved into a full-fledged Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) in 1985 which today is the apex administrative body in the country for regulating and ensuring environmental protection. After the Stockholm Conference, in 1976, constitutional sanction was given to environmental concerns through the 42nd Amendment, which incorporated them into the Directive Principles of State Policy and Fundamental Rights and Duties. Since the 1970s an extensive network of environmental legislation has grown in the country. The MoEF and the pollution control boards (CPCB i.e. Central Pollution Control Board and SPCBs i.e. State Pollution Control Boards) together form the regulatory and administrative core of the sector. A policy framework has also been developed to complement the legislative provisions. The Policy Statement for Abatement of Pollution and the National Conservation Strategy and Policy Statement on Environment and Development were brought out by the MoEF in 1992, to develop and promote initiatives for the protection and improvement of the environment. The EAP (Environmental Action Programme) was formulated in 1993 with the objective of improving environmental services and integrating environmental considerations in to development programmes. Other measures have also been taken by the government to protect and preserve the environment. Several sector-specific policies have evolved, which are discussed at length in the concerned chapters. This chapter attempts to highlight only legislative initiatives towards the protection of the environment. Forests and wildlife The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, Amendment 1991 The WPA (Wildlife Protection Act), 1972, provides for protection to listed species of flora and fauna and establishes a network of ecologically-important protected areas. The WPA empowers the central and state governments to declare any area a wildlife sanctuary, national park or closed area. There is a blanket ban on carrying out any industrial activity inside these protected areas. It provides for authorities to administer and implement the Act; regulate the hunting of wild animals; protect specified plants, sanctuaries, national parks and closed areas; restrict trade or commerce in wild animals or animal articles; and miscellaneous matters. The Act prohibits hunting of animals except with permission of authorized officer when an animal has become dangerous to human life or property or so disabled or diseased as to be beyond recovery (WWF-India, 1999). The near-total prohibition on hunting was made more effective by the Amendment Act of 1991. The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 This Act was adopted to protect and conserve forests. The Act restricts the powers of the state in respect of de-reservation of forests and use of forestland for non-forest purposes (the term non-forest purpose includes clearing any forestland for cultivation of cash crops, plantation crops, horticulture or any purpose other than re-afforestation). Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 (EPA) This Act is an umbrella legislation designed to provide a framework for the co-ordination of central and state authorities established under the Water (Prevention and Control) Act, 1974 and Air (Prevention and Control) Act, 1981. Under this Act, the central government is empowered to take measures necessary to protect and improve the quality of the environment by setting standards for emissions and discharges; regulating the location of industries; management of hazardous wastes, and protection of public health and welfare. From time to time the central government issues notifications under the EPA for the protection of ecologically-sensitive areas or issues guidelines for matters under the EPA. The Environment (Protection) Rules, 1986 These rules lay down the procedures for setting standards of emission or discharge of environmental pollutants. The Rules prescribe the parameters for the Central Government, under which it can issue orders of prohibition and restrictions on the location and operation of industries in different areas. The Rules lay down the procedure for taking samples, serving notice, submitting samples for analysis and laboratory reports. The functions of the laboratories are also described under the Rules along with the qualifications of the concerned analysts. The National Environment Appellate Authority Act, 1997 This Act provided for the establishment of a National Environment Appellate Authority to hear appeals with respect to restriction of areas in which any industry operation or process or class of industries, operations or processes could not carry out or would be allowed to carry out subject to certain safeguards under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. International agreements on environmental issues India has signed several multilateral environment agreements (MEA) and conventions, such as: Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of wild fauna and flora (CITES), 1973, to regulate and inhibit international commercial trade of endangered species or derivative products. Its aims to counter the economic incentives of poaching endangered species and destroying their habitat by closing off the international market. India became a party to the CITES in 1976. International trade in all wild flora and fauna in general and species covered under CITES is regulated jointly through the provisions of The Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, the Import/Export policy of Government of India and the Customs Act 1962 (Bajaj, 1996). Convention on Biological Diversity, 1992 is a legally binding treaty. It deals with conservation of biodiversity, sustainable use of biological resources and equitable sharing of benefits arising from their sustainable use. It addresses several concerns such as including habitat preservation, intellectual property rights, and indigenous peoples rights. Indias initiatives under the Convention include the promulgation of the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972, amended in 1991; and participation in several international conventions such as CITES. An assessment of the legal and regulatory framework for environmental protection in India The extent of the environmental legislation network is evident from the above discussion but the enforcement of the laws has been a matter of concern. One commonly cited reason is the prevailing command and control nature of the environmental regime. Coupled with this is the prevalence of the all-or-nothing approach of the law; they do not consider the extent of violation. Fines are levied on a flat basis and in addition, there are no incentives to lower the discharges below prescribed levels. In 1995, the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) constituted a task force which strongly advocated the use of market-based instruments for the control of environmental pollution. Various economic incentives have been used to supplement the command-and-control policies. Depreciation allowances, exemptions from excise or customs duty payment, and arrangement of soft loans for the adoption of clean technologies are instances of such incentives. Another aspect that is evident is the shift in the focus from end-of-pipe treatment of pollution to treatment at source. The role of remote sensing and geographical information systems in natural resource management and environmental protection has also gained importance over time. An important recent development is the rise of judicial activism in the enforcement of environmental legislation. This is reflected in the growth of environment-related public litigation cases that have led the courts to take major steps such as ordering the shut-down of polluting factories. Agenda 21 highlights the need for integration of environmental concerns at all stages of policy, planning and decision-making processes including the use of an effective legal and regulatory framework, economic instruments and other incentives. These very principles were fundamental to guiding environmental protection in the country well before Rio and will be reinforced, drawing on Indias own experiences and those of other countries. The Indigenous Peoples In India, the indigenous peoples are predominantly composed of the large and diverse tribal populations scattered across several states. Anthropological literature suggests that the tribal designation arose as a colonial construct, in which all those living on the margins of mainstream agrarian society but within the structure of the Hindu caste system were delineated as primitive and tribal. In Indian languages, there is no exact equivalent for the word tribal, but close synonyms are vanavasis (forest dwellers) or adivasi (original inhabitants). The 1891 Census Report arranged different castes according to their traditional occupations, and forest tribes were assigned a separate category from that of agricultural and pastoral castes. Thus, both etymologically as well as spatially, the lives and livelihoods of tribal communities in India are intrinsically linked with forests. It has been argued that the definition of indigenous peoples as original settlers is problematic in the Indian context. Sociologists like Dube (1977) and Beteille (1998) have pointed out that tribal traditions themselves make re ­peated mention of migration of their ancestors. There is considerable evidence to suggest that several groups were pushed out of the areas that they were first settled and had to seek shelter elsewhere. Today more than 50 million of tribal people live in and around forests. There is a clear overlap between the forest and the tribal maps of the country, as well as an overlap with poverty (Poffenberger and McGean 1996) At present, about 95% of the total forest area belongs to the govern ­ment, and the tribal population of India has been divested of much of its legal communal rights. This is a major practical concern, because the rural economy of India is largely biomass-based. People are directly depen ­dent on forests and common lands for a variety of non-commercial-timber forest products for food and fuel, small timber for housing, and herbs and medicinal plants for meeting their subsistence livelihood needs. In the absence of alternative sources of livelihoods or an ability to eke out sustenance from marginal landholdings, there is a continued high level of dependence on forests for survival. The widely used state right of eminent domain allows the state to acquire private and common property for public purposes. The eminent domain right has remained supreme, overriding all other policies, laws, and regulations. It is under the right of eminent domain that the state acquires land to build infrastructure, mines, dams, and other projects. With an estimated $30 billion proposed as investment in mining-related projects in the next decade, communal land will continue to be a site of intense conflict between tribal people and the state. The encroachment of the state on forests and customary tenure rights of tribal forest-dwelling communities did not go unchallenged during the colonial and postcolonial periods. Undeterred by the provisions of the Indian Forest Act of 1927, many tribal groups have mounted a sustained challenge to the continued denial of their communal rights over forests. The example of the van panchayats (forest councils) demonstrates this point. In response to agita ­tions, the colonial government gradually recognized the existence of some local community rights over forests and their resources, and these were incorporated in the Indian Forest Act of 1927. The act provides for consti ­tuting village forests to meet local needs, and this led to the creation of forest councils in Uttar Pradesh through a new state law passed in 1931. All the de-reserved marginal reserved forests were reclassified into Class 1 forests and placed under the jurisdiction of the van panchayats, in which local tribal communities play a key role in forest administration. More than 4,000 van panchayats were created, although the area under their control did not exceed 8% of the total forest area of India. Nonetheless, they represent an example of a forest tenure system in which communal ten ­ure is recognized by law (Sarin 2003). Indigenous people and their communities represent a significant percentage of global population. They have developed over many generations, a holistic traditional scientific knowledge of their lands, natural resources and environment à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦In view of the inter ­relationship between the natural environment and its sustainable development and the cultural, social, economic and physical well-being of indigenous people, national and international efforts to implement environmentally sound and sustainable development should recognise, accommodate, promote and strengthen the role of indigenous people and their communities. The above extract from Agenda 21 (UNCED, 1992), aptly captures the need for increased recognition of indigenous people and their knowledge of natural resource management and its use in sustainable development. Integration of indigenous people and scientific forest management Indigenous forest management activities may originate in specific areas in response to specific pressures, but this does not prevent them from adopting and transforming appropriate components of scientific forest management systems through interaction and shared experience. Indeed there is a need to promote equity of forest management systems between indigenous communities and formal forestry scientists around the world (Agarwal, 1995). This process of integrating two forest management systems is essential to achieving sustainable forest management. There is no fixed method of addressing the bottlenecks in integration of indigenous and scientific knowledge, instead the methods chosen will vary according to what is appropriate and feasible within the institutional, ecological, and social environments in which they operate. The Indian Forest Policy of 1988 (MoEF, 1988) and the subsequent Government resolution on participatory forest management (MoEF, 1990) emphasise the need for peoples participation in forest management. The policy document asserts that local people should be actively involved in protection, conservation and management of forests. Hence the policy envisages a process of joint management of forests by the state government (professional foresters) and the local people. So far, out of 25 state governments, 23 states have adopted Joint Forest Management (JFM). As on the 1st January 2000, 10.24 million ha of forestlands were managed under the JFM programme through 36 075 forest protection committees (MoEF, 2000). Evidence of long standing local forest management practices can be found in various parts of India particularly in eastern and north-eastern regions. Despite increasing pressures with the increased population, regulations regarding resource use and harvest assist in managing forests in a sustainable way. As the JFM programme has evolved, there are clear indications that the programme has had considerable impact on local ecology, economics, and the people (Yadav et al., 1997). Initially the relationship between the local people and forest department was strained and lacked trust. Regular interaction and participatory learning and planning activities has facilitated an open dialogue and removed mutual distrust between officials of forest department and local people. Viewed in the light of the adaptive learning model, it was found that exchange and interaction of scientific and indigenous aspects of forest management within the context of JFM have resulted in ecological improvement and increase in average household income after four-five years of strong JFM activities. ETFRN Publication Series Local people as well as foresters identify with the JFM programme. They take pride in being part of the programme and are recognising its benefits. Based on the successful experience of JFM, irrigation, health, and agriculture sectors are also now placing an emphasis on integration of indigenous and scientific knowledge through peoples participation in resource management. However real integration of scientific and indigenous management systems is still rarely achieved, and in presenting the model I aim to make more explicit the opportunities for doing so, and highlight ways forward for the continuous process of adaptive learning. Conclusion There is a need to strengthen indigenous community institutions to allow them to function effectively and interact with outside actors. Appropriate policy reforms are required to include these institutions in government programs and schemes, and provide support for capacity building to enable them to function in a democratic and transparent manner, ensuring social and gender equity. It is necessary to identify common parameters among different indigenous community institutions and develop guiding principles, processes, and mechanisms that allow better interface between the institutions, local government, and technical agencies. To encourage sustainably productive forest management by communities, there is a need to eliminate harvesting and transport permit requirements where possible and create free forest trade zones for community enterprises in upland areas of the Northeast. Community networks should be established or strengthened to self-monitor environmental impacts of small-scale forestry enterprises. As a result of carrying colonial baggage, the Indian Forest Act and the environmental law in general still caters to the British policies with respect to Indian forests . This law is ideal tool for furthering the cause of revenue generation.Conservation and involving the people in the management of forests were not the British approach. Newer legislations such as the Forest (Conservation) Act, Wildlife Protoection Act, The Biological Diversity Act, and most recently the Scheduled Tribes Bill have made attempts to bridge this gap, with ample support from the Courts. It is time though to take up all the laws and combine them to come up with a composite and comprehensive Environmental Law that reflects the change in approach towards the environment and the indigenous people who live most integrated with it.