The Structure of Noun Phrases Essay Example

The Structure of Noun Phrases Essay Univerzitet Novi Pazar Odeljenje: Beograd Fakultet humanistickih nauka Odsek: filoloski Smer: Engleski jezik i knjizevnost Predmet: Sintaksa Engleskog jezika Student: Nikola Vukasovic Beograd, 01. 06. 2011 1. Introduction Among the five different types of phrases in English namely noun phrases, verb phrases, adjective phrases, adverb phrases and prepositional phrases, noun phrases are the most common playing various syntactic functions in the sentence and clause structure: subject, object and complement (of various kinds), apposition and attribute. They are used to refer to things that people want to talk about: people, objects, concepts, processes and all kind of entities. 2. Basic Noun Phrases Structurally speaking, in the first place, basic noun phrases consist of pronouns, numerals or nouns with articles (indefinite, definite or zero) or nouns with other closed-system items that occur before the noun head including pre-determiners (pre-det), determiners (det. ) and post-determiners (post-det. ). The underlined parts of the following sentences are good examples of basic noun phrases: |   |I |stayed at |home |during |all |the |last few |days |   | |   |pronoun |   |zero article + noun|   |pre-de |+ det |+ post-det |+ noun |   | |   |Some people |dislike |‘13’ |   |   |   |   |   |   | |   |det. + noun |   |numeral | | | | | | | 2. Pronouns and Numerals Actually, pronouns are a special class of noun. As their names imply, they ‘replace’ nouns or rather whole noun phrases, since they cannot generally occur with determiners. For example, personal pronouns have two sets of case forms: subjective and objective: ‘I’/ ‘me’, ‘we’/ ‘us’, ‘he’/ ‘him’, ‘she’/ ‘her’, ‘they’/ ‘them’; ‘you’ and ‘it’ are exceptional in showing no distinction. Subjective personal pronouns function as subject and sometimes as subject complement while objective personal pronouns as object, prepositional complement and sometimes as subject complement. We will write a custom essay sample on The Structure of Noun Phrases specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Structure of Noun Phrases specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Structure of Noun Phrases specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer These can be illustrated by: He is happy. I   saw him at the station. Like personal pronouns, other types of pronouns including reflexive, possessive, relative, demonstrative, interrogative, universal, assertive, non-assertive and negative pronouns are all basic noun phrases. Reflexive pronouns include ‘myself’, ‘yourself’, ‘himself’, ‘herself’, ‘itself’, ‘ourselves’, ‘yourselves’ and ‘themselves’. He hurt himself yesterday. Possessive pronouns are ‘mine’, ‘ours’, ‘yours’, etc. This book is mine Relative pronouns: ‘who’, ‘whom’, ‘that’, ‘which’, etc. The book, which is on the table, is mine. Demonstrative pronouns fall in two groups. One is â€Å"near† reference with ‘this’ and ‘these’; and the other â€Å"distant† reference with ‘that’ and ‘those’. This is my friend. Interrogative pronouns: ‘who’, ‘whom’, ‘what’, etc. Who did you go with? Universal pronouns: ‘each’, ‘all’, and ‘every’ series: ‘everyone’, ‘everything’, etc. Everyone has his own ambitions. Partitive pronouns, parallel to the universal ones, consist of assertive pronouns including the ‘some’ group (‘some’, ‘someone’, ‘something’, etc. ; non-assertive with the ‘any’ series (‘any’, ‘anyone’, ‘anything’, etc. ); and negative with the ‘no’ series (‘none’, ‘no-oneâ€⠄¢, ‘nothing’, etc. ) Nobody has come yet. Apart from pronouns, numerals including cardinal numbers (‘one’, ‘two’, etc. ) and ordinal numbers (‘first’, ‘second’, etc. ) can form basic noun phrases, as in: Two is better than one. 2. 2 Basic Noun Phrases with Determiners Not only can basic noun phrases consist of pronouns or numerals, but they can also comprise a head noun with determiners or determiners modified by pre-determiners and/or post-determiners. The head noun of a noun phrase is the central element and decisive factor in performing the syntactic functions of the whole noun phrase. It can be singular count noun such as ‘book’, plural noun ‘books’ or mass noun like ‘ink’. Determiners can be indefinite article ‘a’ and ‘an’; definite article ‘the’; or zero article as in the noun phrase ‘books’. The use of articles is not the only possibility for determining nouns, but we can use such words as ‘no’, ‘what’, ‘this’, ‘some’, ‘every’, ‘each’ and ‘either’ before the head noun like ‘book’. These words, also called determiners, forming a set of closed-system, are mutually exclusive with each other, i. e. there cannot be more than one occurring before the head. Both ‘a the book’ and ‘a some book’ are ungrammatical. Determiners are in a â€Å"choice relation†, that is they occur one instead of another. In this respect, they are unlike ‘all’, ‘many’, ‘nice’, which are in a â€Å"chain relation†, occurring one after another as in: All the many nice pictures are collected. The articles are central to the class of determiners in that they have no function independent of the noun they precede. Other determiners like ‘some’ are also independent pronouns: A: I want the money. B: Here is the. (ungrammatical) B: Here is some. (grammatical) With regard to the co-occurrence of determiners with the noun classes singular count (‘book’), plural count (‘books’), and mass noun (‘ink’), there are six classes of determiners: (1) |The Possessive (‘my’, ‘your’, his’, etc. ) |+ |book | |Genitive (‘my father’s’, ‘Anne’s’, etc. | |books | |No | |ink | |Whose | | | |Which (ever) | | | |What (ever) | | | |Some (stressed) | | | |Any (stressed) | | | (2) Zero article |+ |books | |Some (unstressed) | |ink | |Any (unstressed) | | | |enough | | | (3) |This |+ |book | |that | |ink | (4) |These |+ |books | |Those | | | (5) A (n) |+ |book | |every | | | |each | | | |either | | | |neither | | | (6) |much |+ |ink | In addition to the determiners mentioned before, there are a large number of other closed-system items that occur before the head of noun phrases. These items, referred to as closed-system pre-modified, form three classes (pre-determiners, ordinals and quantifiers) which have been set up on the basis of the positions that they can have in relation to determiners and to each other. The first class of the closed-system pre-modifiers, pre-determiners, is unique in occurring before the determiners. They are: (1) ‘all’, ‘both’ and ‘half’; (2) the multipliers ‘double’, ‘twice’, ‘three times’, etc. and fractions ‘one-third’, ‘two-fifths’, etc. and (3) ‘such’ and ‘what’ (exclamative). Like determiners, pre-determiners are mutually exclusive. Therefore, ‘all’, ‘both’ and ‘half’ have restriction on their co-occurrence with determiners and head nouns. The illustrations are as follows: †¢ All |All |+ |The, my, etc. |+ |singular count noun | |All |+ |The, my, etc. |+ |plural noun | | | |These, those | | | | | |Zero article | | | |All |+ |The, my, etc. + |mass noun | | | |This, that | | | | | |Zero article | | | All my life All the books All this paper †¢ Both |Both |+ |The, my, etc. |+ |plural noun | | | |These, those | | | | | |Zero article   | | | Both these books †¢ Half Half |+ |The, my, etc. |+ |singular count noun | | | |A, this, that | | | |Half |+ |The, my, etc. |+ |plural noun | | | |These, those | | | |Half |+ |The, my, etc. |+ |mass noun | | | |This, that | | | Half an hour These pre-determiners can occur only before articles or demonstratives, but none of them can occur with such quantitative determiners as ‘every’, ‘either’, ‘each’, ‘some’, ‘any’, ‘no’ and ‘enough’. However, ‘all’, ‘both’ and ‘half’ have ‘of’-construction which are optional with nouns and obligatory with personal pronouns: All (of) the students   = All of them All (of) my time   = All of it With a quantifier following, the ‘of’-construction is preferred All of the ten students All of the many girls ‘All’, ‘both’ and ‘half’ can be basic noun phrases: All/Both/ Half were allowed to go out. Apart from ‘all’, ‘both’ and ‘half’, the multipliers such as ‘double’, ‘twice’, ‘three times’, etc. can occur before determiner s to denote a number, an amount, etc. : Double their papers Twice his strength Three times this amount ‘Once’, ‘twice’, etc. an occur with determiners ‘a’, ‘every’, ‘each’, and ‘per’ (less commonly) to form â€Å"distributive† expressions with a temporal noun as head: |Once |a |  day | |Twice |every | | |Three times |each | | | |per | | Preceding the determiners can also be the fractions ‘one-third’, ‘two-fourths’, etc. which can have the alternative ‘of’-construction, e. g. : One-third the time One-third of the time ‘Such’ and exclamation ‘what’ can occur only with indefinite articles and zero one, e. g. : What/Such a nuisance. What/Such fine singing. The second class of closed-system pre-modifiers is ordinals which include the ordinal numbers (‘first’, ‘second’, etc. ) as well as ‘(an) other’, ‘next’, and ‘last’. These words are post-determiners, that is they must follow determiners in the noun phrase structure, but they precede quantifiers and adjectives as modifier.    |The |first |(cold) |months |   | |   |determiner |post-determiner (ordinal) |modifier |noun |   | Cardinal numbers and quantifiers belong to the third class of closed-system pre-modifiers. They are mutually exclusive, following determiners but preceding adjectives as modifier. Cardinal numbers are ‘one’ (with singular count nouns) and ‘two’, ‘three’, etc. (with plural nouns), e. g. : One good reason All (of) the three brothers Closed-system quantifiers are ‘many’ (with the comparatives ‘more’ and ‘most’), ‘few’ (‘fewer’, ‘fewest’),   ‘little’ (‘less’, ‘least’) and ‘several’ as in: Several interesting b ooks All her many good ideas A basic noun phrase may contain various determiners, more concretely, pre-determiners, determiners and post-determiners which are in a fixed order: |pre-determiners |determiners |post-determiner |Head noun | |   |   |ordinal |cardinal/quantifier |   | |Half |my |first |   |salary | |All |the | |   |books | |All |her | |many |questions | 3 Complex Noun Phrases Complex noun phrases contain three components: pre-modification, head noun and post-modification. 3. 1 Head Noun Like in the basic noun phrase, the head noun, first of all, is the central element and core component of the complex noun phrase. It may be count or mass noun which dictates concord and (for the most part) other kinds of congruence with the rest of the sentence outside the noun phrase. This is exemplified in: The only girl in this class is hardworking. All of the beautiful girls in my class are kind. Also, when the genitive is as pre-modification, the head nouns can be omitted: We met at the dentist’s last week. 3. 2 Pre-modification The second component of a complex noun phrase is pre-modification, also called pre-modifiers, including modifiers that stand before the head noun. Pre-modifiers can be closed-system and/or open-class items. Closed-system pre-modifiers are discussed in the structure of the basic noun phrases above. These items are optional in the complex noun phrases. Meanwhile, open-class pre-modifiers come after the closed-system ones and precede the head noun as in: |   |All these |young beautiful |girls |   | |   |determiner |adjective as pre-modifier |head |   | Pre-modifying adjectives can be those denoting general description (‘beautiful’, intelligent’, ‘good’, etc. ; age (‘young’, ‘old’, etc. ); size (‘big’, ‘small’, etc. ); shape (‘square’, ‘round’, etc. ); colour (‘red’, ‘blue’, etc. ); material (‘silk’, ‘metal’, etc. ); resemblance to a material (‘silken’ in silken hair, ‘cat-like’, etc. ); and provenance or style (‘British’, â €˜Parisian’, etc. ). These adjectives can be both attribute and complement. In addition, pre-modifying adjectives can be intensifying ones which have a heightening effect on the noun they modify or the reverse, a lowering effect, e. g. : ‘real’ (a real hero), ‘definite’ (a definite loss), ‘complete’ (a complete fool) and ‘close’ (a close friend). These adjectives are generally attributive only. Restrictive adjectives, another class of pre-modifying adjectives, restrict the reference of the noun exclusively, particularly or chiefly, e. g. : ‘certain’ (a certain person), ‘exact’ (the exact answer), ‘only’ (the only occasion) and ‘very’ (the very man). Like intensifying adjectives, the restrictive ones are attributive only. However, there are a number of adjectives which cannot pre-modify the head, but can be predicative such as: ‘faint’, ‘ill’, ‘well’, ‘able’, ‘afraid’, etc. Not only are the head nouns pre-modified but pre-modifying adjectives can also be, especially when they are the first items after the determiner. In this case, it can be pre-modified in the same way as it can be in the predicative position. This is illustrated by: |   |His really quite unbelievably happy |family |   | |   |   |Head |   | With indefinite determiners, some intensifiers such as ‘so’ are differently used. ‘So’ is replaced by ‘such’, which precedes the determiner or else ‘so’ plus adjective would be placed before the determiner, e. g. : Such a beautiful girl So beautiful a girl Apart from pre-modifying adjectives, the head nouns of the complex noun phrases can be pre-modified by particles, either present or past, e. g. : an approaching man (present participle), the badly injured dog (past participle), etc. The head noun can also be pre-modified by genitives, e. g. these qualified doctors’ salaries,these doctors’ high salaries, etc. group genitives as in the teacher of English’s salary, an hour and a half’s discussion, etc. ; or other nouns as in the city council, a love story, etc. Another class of pre-modifiers is the type of denomical adjective often meaning â€Å"consisting of†, â€Å"involving†, or â€Å"relating to†. These items must come next before the head and can be preceded by a wide range of pre-modifying items, e. g. :   the pleasant social life, a city political problem, etc. Finally there are various classes of pre-modification, both closed-system and open-class. Therefore, when the complex noun phrases consist of different classes of pre-modifiers, they may be placed in a relevant order. The acceptable order of pre-modifiers in a complex noun phrase is as follows: |1 |2 |3 |4 |5 | |(1) |a |book |with yellow covers (prepositional phrase) |   | |(2) |the |man |who told you the secret (finite clause) |   | |(3) |the |girl |speaking English fluently (nonfinite clause) |   | |(4) |a |shelf |full of books (adjective phrase) |   | |(5) |the |opera |Carmen (noun phrase) |   | |(6) |the |road |back (adverbial phrase) |   | In the example (1) ‘with yellow covers’ is a prepositional phrase post-modifying the head ‘book’. Apart from ‘with’, there is a wide range of prepositions that can be used, e. g. :   the road to London, the house beyond the church, a child of   five, etc. , including the complex prepositions, e. g. house on the top of the hill, action in case of emergency, etc. and those having participle forms as in problems concerning the environment. The commonest preposition in the noun phrase post-modification â₠¬Ëœof’ has a close correspondence to ‘have’ sentences: The ship has a funnel. the funnel of the ship The table has four legs. the four legs of the table However, some are relatable to ‘be’ sentences: London is a city. the city of London The news was the team’s victory the news of the team’s victory Also, the ‘of’ phrase can be used to express the subject or object relation: The bus arrived the arrival of the bus Someone imprisoned the murderer the imprisonment of the murderer In the example (2), the post-modifier is a relative or finite clause which can be restrictive or non-restrictive. There are a number of relative clauses beginning with relative pronouns: ‘who’, ‘whom’, ‘whose’, ‘that’ (personal); ‘which’, ‘that’, ‘what’ (non-personal); ‘when’, a preposition plus ‘which’ (time); ‘where’, a preposition plus ‘which’ (place); and ‘why’, ‘for which’ (reason). While restrictive relative clauses help to define the head noun, the non-restrictive ones give additional information to it, as exemplified in: |   |The woman |who is standing outside |is my neighbour.    | |   |   |restrictive |   |   | |   |That is my neighbour, |who is standing outside. |   |   | |   |   |Non-restrictive |   |   | The exampl e (3) illustrates the post-modifier as a non-finite clause, present participle clause. The non-finite can be past participle clauses. |   |The only car |serviced in the garage |is mine. |   | |   |   |past participle clause |   |   | In addition, post-modifiers can be to-infinitive clauses: |   |The next flight |to arrive |was from London. |   | |   |The place |to stay for summer holidays |should be pleasant. |   | As is seen in the example (4), adjective phrases can be post-modifiers of the head noun in the complex noun phrases. The adjective phrases can usually be regarded as a reduced relative clause. Complex indefinite pronouns ending in –body, -one, -thing, and –where can be modified only post-positively, e. g. : Anyone (who is) intelligent can do it. The men (who were) present were his supporters. In the example (5), the phrase explicitly encodes the information that â€Å"Carmen is an opera†. For this reason, ‘ Carmen’ is traditionally said to be in apposition to ‘the opera’. Another minor type of post-modification illustrated in the example (6) is adverbial modification. Similarly, in the following examples, the adverbial phrases post-modify the head noun: the way ahead, the direction back, the hall downstairs, etc. Unlike pre-modifiers, their no grammatical limit to the number of post-modifiers occurring in a noun phrase, considerations of style and comprehensibility will normally keep them to one or two. Where we have more than one, the relative order tends to depend on the related properties of length and class, with shorter modifiers preceding longer ones, prepositional phrases preceding clauses: |   |A man |from Britain |who I was talking about last night |   | |   |   |prepositional phrase |relative clause | | 4 Conclusion In conclusion, noun phrases, either basic or complex are potentially very complicated. Most simply, basic noun phrases consist of just one overt element, pronouns of different types or numerals. Basic noun phrases, more complicatedly, comprise pre-determiners, determiners, post-determiners and the head nouns, the order of which is fixed. Complex noun phrases, as their names imply, are the most difficult of all. They consist of pre-modification, head noun and post-modification. Pre-modification includes closed-system and open-class items which are in the given order. Post-modification can be finite or non-finite clauses and adjective, noun, prepositional and adverbial phrases. SOURCES Aarts, B. ( 2001 ) English Syntax and Argumentation Brown, E. K. and J. E. Miller ( 1991 ) Syntax : A linguistic Introduction to Sentence Structure examples and tables internet

Homeostasis Is a Central Theme In Animal Physiology Essays

Homeostasis Is a Central Theme In Animal Physiology Essays Homeostasis Is a Central Theme In Animal Physiology Essay Homeostasis Is a Central Theme In Animal Physiology Essay Homeostasis is the name given to the process that allows optimum conditions to be regulated in the body. This regulation of the internal environment must be independent of external environmental constraints. In humans this process is controlled by almost all of the bodily systems but mainly by the endocrine, respiratory and renal systems. Homeostasis therefore allows an organism to live in habitats that are not ideally suited to the internal environment, because, only in favourable conditions will the organism thrive. This allows the organism to in an environment not best suited to its internal functioning but in conditions which may be favourable for foraging etc. a prime example are fish, a fresh water fish lives in an environment which in definition is more dilute than within its internal environment, sea water fish on the other hand live in a environment where its surroundings are more alkali than its internal environment. The need for homeostasis can be traced to the cellular level, as cells interact with their immediate environment (either via cellular communication, signal proteins, expulsion of ion, and uptake of ions). It is this communication, which ultimately leads to a change in the external environment. Right to the organ level or tissue organisation were for example the expulsion of urea changes the blood pH and osmolarity. These internal changes are countered by the excretion of hormones etc, (these substances share 4 main structural forms. Amines, steroids, prostaglandin and peptides) which start a chain reaction to nullify the change these hormones are either secreted via ducts (exocrine system) or directly into the blood stream, (endocrine system). Homeostasis therefore is controlled by many systems, and although complex, many multi organ physiological mechanisms help regulate in many ways. However the theory of an internal environment wasnt recognised until a French physiologist Claude Bernard in 1872 put forward the idea of a constant internal environment stating, 1Constancy of the internal environment is the condition of free life. It is however important to remember that the regulation of an internal environment does not only concern body temperature but also such things as blood pH [H+], Blood glucose concentration, osmotic potential etc. All of these systems must be regulated in some how to maintain this internal environment, this regulatory system relies on a feedback system, which can be illustrated in a simple diagram (figure 1. 1). Figure 1. 1 clearly shows the system of negative feedback this is where in essence an off signal (in one of the structural forms mentioned). Is sent from the hypothalamus to stop the process and therefore retain a homeostatic condition. This feedback system allows homeostasis to be regulated almost automatically. This negative feedback however can sometimes go wrong. A prime and well-documented case of this is diabetes. When blood glucose levels increase above a threshold limit the endocrine system (stimulated via the hypothalamus) activates the pancreas, this then secretes a hormone called insulin which this accelerates the uptake of blood glucose into storage molecules of glycogen (especially in the liver) and fat molecules. However if this uptake of sugar is not regulated enough then absorption of sugar will continue and the blood glucose level drops the result is glaucoma and ultimately death. This leads to the conclusion that glaucoma is the result of a breakdown in the homeostatic system and therefore a breakdown of blood glucose regulation. Homeostasis however is not only controlled by the hypothalamus, hormones which are produced by the hypothalamus to regulate homeostasis, are regulated by neurohormones, which are secreted by specialised nerve cells called neurosecretory cells. These cells which are found in the hypothalamus. These regulate the secretion of various glandular hormones from the non-neural anterior pituitary gland. These neurohormones are different to the hormones secreted by the hypothalamus as they target direct tissues (with relation to hormone structure and function). These specific neurosecretory cells are located in the anterior hypothalamus, these also demonstrate the diversity found within an organ, which allows this process to be self regulated. But homeostasis is not only regulated by internal bodily systems but also external structural/environmental conditions, an example environmental control is that of heat transference, As all metabolic reactions produce heat sometimes this heat would build up in the body, this would have devastating consequences on bodily functions such as the functioning of enzymes as after a certain temperature these become permanently de natured and unable to function, So when the body over heats, the hypothalamus sends a signal to the sweat glands which are located in the epidermal layer of the skin to produce sweat. This sweat then evaporates taking the heat energy with it. Therefore reducing the body temperature and maintaining homeostasis, the skeletal structure is an example of a structural way of controlling homeostasis. This is mainly due to the composition of skeletal bone. As skeletal bone is comprised mainly of calcium this can act as a calcium reserve. there are times in the homeostatic cycle when this calcium needs to be metabolised from bone tissue for use by other systems, e. . Calcium is very important for normal muscle functioning, therefore calcium ion concentration must be kept at a correct level in the surrounding blood and tissue fluids, the consequences of a breakdown in this regulation would lead to changes in the calcium ion concentration leading to a compromise in muscle activity, it is in this way that the skeletal system helps regulate homeostasis. The conclusion of this is that homeostasis is essential to a living organism and is in essence self regulated by a complex system of feedback loops regulated by many organ systems however these regulatory systems sometimes go wrong and need external assistance be this injecting hormones, taking advantage of environmental conditions, i. e. basking in the sun (lizards), panting (dogs, etc).

Gym Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Gym - Assignment Example As a function of this level of similarity, the following analysis will be concentric upon discussing and analyzing what uniformity of social constructs and/or identity formation is able to take place within these respective spaces. Is the further hope of this author that through such analysis the reader will come to a more informed and profound understanding with respect to the way in which identity formation and social constructs are encouraged and denoted within the average local gym. As such, the analysis will be concentric upon how features are responsible for shaping the social or hierarchical nature of this space, the subtle, implicit, and explicit means through which this social dynamic is encouraged, and the uniformity as compared to the utilitarian purpose that the gym necessarily espouses. Firstly, before delving into the unique dynamics of any particular gym, it must be understood and denoted that individuals utilize a gym for one of two unique reasons. The first reason an d rationale that an individual takes use of their local gym is with regards to the fact that this space is a means to an end as a function of increasing vitality, improving overall well-being, and generally seeking to provide a level of fitness and exercise to the body. Secondary group that integrates with the gym is one that can be categorized as utilizing this particular space for the sole purpose of aspect improvement. Whereas aesthetic improvement can most certainly be seen as a tangential benefit for the first group, the prime focus of the second group is to engage with this space as a function of drawing attention to their own bodies and maximizing certain features that they had targeted for improvement. The subtle differentiation between these two groups, although somewhat mundane, is ineffective measurement of how each and every gym is ultimately set up. The underlying rationale for this has to do with the purpose for which both of these groups engage with the service that t he gym provides. As such, prior to delving into the way in which a gym is able to speak to the needs of all of its participants, understanding the way in which these two dynamic groups exists in a contemporary setting is pivotal in understanding the manner through which social hierarchy, identity, and understanding of self is evidenced within this particular space. From such an understanding, the first aspect of social hierarchy that can be determined is concentric upon the way in which those individuals within the first group integrate with one another and with other gym goers. As such, even a cursory analysis into any generic gym will revealed the fact that those individuals who utilize the gym as a means of aerobic enhancement, self betterment, and vitality improvement, are most always place in positions throughout the gym in which they do not face one another. This lack of contact with fellow gym goers allows these individuals to focus specifically on the goal of betterment that they have without the pressure of others judging them, staring at them, or analyzing their progress. As such, machines such as stair steppers, treadmills, rowing devices, crossfit machines, and a litany of other machines are spaced strategically in rows that face the wall, a set of televisions, or

Political Science Chinese Nationalism as topdownbottomup phenomenon Essay

Political Science Chinese Nationalism as topdownbottomup phenomenon - Essay Example There are waves of nationalism that move from the grass-roots to political leadership, and waves that move in the opposite direction. One of the major challenges for the twenty-first century will be finding ways to channel the energies of the world's most populous nation into positive directions. There are many perspectives on the potential motivations, and possible outcomes, of Chinese nationalism. There are some that see this movement as a "reckless movement driven by China's traditional Sino-centrism and contemporary aspirations for great-power status" (Zhao, p. 131). Bernstein and Munro conclude, for example, that China is "[d]riven by nationalist sentiment, a yearning to redeem the humiliations of the past, and the simple urge for international power" (Bernstein and Munro, p. 19). This has led the Chinese to demonstrate with particular urgency against the United States, whom it wishes to replace as the dominant power in Asia. One example of this would be the massive demonstrations in front of the U.S. diplomatic missions in China after the mistaken bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade by NATO forces under the command of the U.S. Western diplomats were shocked to find that the Chinese assumed that the bombing had been intentional (Zhao, p. 132). After a U.S. Navy s urveillance plane collided with a Chinese fighter jet over the South China Sea in April 2001, similar demonstrations broke out, with the Chinese pilot, Wang Wei, honored as a "martyr of the revolution" (Pomfret, p. A1). James Lilley's 2004 article in Public Affairs and Maria Hsia Chang's book Return of the Dragon: China's Wounded Nationalism are two examples of anxious observations of the fervent nationalism that has arisen at the end of the twentieth century, which was seen by many Chinese as one of humiliation. However, it would be short-sighted to describe the new Chinese nationalism as nothing more than emotionalism running rampant in the streets and squares of China. After all, the Chinese government has shown considerable skill in managing the public outbursts of its citizens. The idea that Suisheng Zhao has termed "pragmatic nationalism" refers to the ways in which the Chinese government actually organizes the shows of patriotism. This nationalism, according to Zhao, is a force used to "hold the country together during its period of rapid and turbulent transformation into a post-Communist society" (Zhao, p. 132). However, the leaders of China want peace and development, and they realize that if Chinese nationalism is perceived as being out of control, the ideals of political stability and economic development would be threatened, as other countries would tend to distance themselves from what they saw as an unstable situation. Nationalism is a relatively new phenomenon in Chinese culture, particularly given the ancient times in which the Chinese Empire began. The Opium War with Great Britain (1840-1842), however, was a disaster. China was occupied and incorporated into Western empires, and it was only at this point in time that

Global Warming Cause and Effect Essay

Global Warming Cause and Effect Essay Global Warming Cause and Effect Essay It is believed peoples careless use of fossil fuels are responsible for causing Global warming. Environmentalists say people do not realize the serious effects of their own actions. They continue to waste resources and pollute the air despite all the evidence pointing to the effects of such behavior. There are numerous, well known things we do that perpetuate Global Warming. Who would have known that the invention of the car/automobile would eventually contribute to the leading cause of global warming? For years society have been driving cars emitting fossil fuels, using coal powered electricity or heating homes with natural gas and oil. This has caused carbon dioxide and other harmful gasses to be released into Earths atmosphere and environment. Our tree population, for example, has decreased tremendously throughout the years because of increased tree cutting. Has also contributed to more polluted air due to lack of oxygen convertors. (http://environment.about.com/od/faqglobalwarming/f/globalwarming.htm) Peoples lack of concern for conserving its resources will only make Global warming worse. In 2007, scientists met and determined that society has â€Å"very likely† been the main cause of global warming since the 1950s. (http://environment.about.com/od/globalwarming/a/ipcc_report.htm) According to EnvironmentalGraffti.com in 2007 it was determined that the spread of diseases, warming waters resulting in more hurricanes, the probability of increase heat waves,drought, economic consequences, and polar ice caps melting are the top â€Å"5 Deadliest Effects of Global Warming†. (http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/sciencetech/5-deadliest-effects-of-global-warming/276) Rising sea levels will cause millions who live in coastal regions to lose their homes. Insects are migrating to more warming climates and carrying diseases. It is believed that Malaria still exists in some countries as a direct cause of global warming. In addition, with the continually rising temperature of the ocean there is a threat of an increased chance of more powerful and frequent hurricanes. We all remember hurricane Katrina and the devastation it brought to New Orleans as well as to several other towns and cities throughout the Southeast. With Katrinas aftermath came many economical struggles. People were trying to rebuild their homes, relocate and even find work as many businesses were destroyed. Unfortunately, people are still struggling to rebuild their lives today.Why not try to make changes in our daily lives to prevent devastation such as Katrina? Just as important, the droughts and heat waves that are occurring as a result of global warming are phenomenal. Even here in Arizona, during the monsoon season, we have experienced drought. Though I do not think our drought is as severe as places such as Africa, where they already are experiencing dangerously low water supplies and extreme heat waves. As a result, some speculate that this could cause people to start fighting for water- a necessary resource many take advantage of and assume will be available forever. Half way around the world, however, Sea levels are rising with the increased melting of polar ice caps. When fresh water ice caps melt into the ocean these changes dillute the salty waters. Of course this then affects the ocean and acquatic life which cannot survive without a homeostatic balance of salt content of the ocean. You are probably thinking that losing a little ocean life is no big deal, right? Did you know that the increased global temperature is because the su n can no longer reflect off the tops of the ice caps? When the sun reflects off the ice caps it projects into space. And why is that important? It helps to decrease the temperature in the earths atmosphere which in turn keeps us cooler. So what can we do to help slow down the process of losing our planet? First we need to start by caring. I see people everyday that could walk the 4 blocks to school or work. They choose not to, however. Imagine how much vehicle pollution we could eliminate if everyone were to ask 20 people they know if they could walk instead of driving. If they cant walk them maybe we can use technology wisely and find ways to create vehicles that are environmentally friendly. Another step is to increase recycling. Next time you go to throw that soda can or paper away, remember it is recyclable (and make money from recycling cans). What about disposable diapers? I know they are convenient, but why not give cloths a try? It may take a little extra work and many places around the country have diaper laundry services(but would also provides work and business for others.) Finally, when your kids ask to watch television or play a video game why not limit the amount of time of their use? This will cut bac k on electricity use and theyll benefit doing other, healthier activities. Encourage them to read a book or play outside like we or our parents did. In conclusion, evidence shows that peoples choices in everyday life and their use of technology and resources has undoubtedly increased global warming. We can slow down the negative effects of such choices if everyone does their part. It does not matter how small or big the effort every little bit helps in helping reverse the potential, devastating effects of global warming. Think of the earth as a team and our team wants to win. Help to slow Global warming! Go Green! Works Cited: http://environment.about.com/od/faqglobalwarming/f/globalwarming.htm http://environment.about.com/od/globalwarming/a/ipcc_report.htm http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/sciencetech/5-deadliest-effects-of-global-warming/276

Market Research Essay

The management process through which goods and services move from concept to the customer. As a practice, it consists in coordination of four elements called 4P’s: (1) identification, selection, and development of a product, (2) determination of its price, (3) selection of a distribution channel to reach the customer’s place, and (4) development and implementation of a promotional strategy. As a philosophy, marketing is based on thinking about the business in terms of customer needs and their satisfaction. Marketing differs from selling because (in the words of Harvard Business School’s emeritus professor of marketing Theodore C. Levitt) â€Å"Selling concerns itself with the tricks and techniques of getting people to exchange their cash for your product. It is not concerned with the values that the exchange is all about. And it does not, as marketing invariably does, view the entire business process as consisting of a tightly integrated effort to discover, create, arouse, and satisfy customer needs.† Read more: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/marketing.html#ixzz25h1HF3mw Marketing, Advertising and Sales – a definition Marketing is not advertising. Marketing is finding out what people want, why they want it and how much they’ll spend. Don’t confuse marketing with advertising. Advertising is the promotion of a service or product or company. It features a strong call to action and promotes the benefits of that being advertised. . Product/Service †¢ What does the customer want from the product/service? What needs does it satisfy? †¢What features does it have to meet these needs? †¢Are there any features you’ve missed out? †¢Are you including costly features that the customer won’t actually use? †¢How and where will the customer use it? †¢What does it look like? How will customers experience it? †¢What size(s), color(s), and so on, should it be? †¢What is it to be called? †¢How is it branded? †¢How is it differentiated versus your competitors? †¢What is the most it can cost to provide, and still be sold sufficiently profitably? (See also Price, below). Place †¢ Where do buyers look for your product or service? †¢If they look in a store, what kind? A specialist boutique or in a supermarket, or both? Or online? Or direct, via a catalogue? †¢How can you access the right distribution channels? †¢Do you need to use a sales force? Or attend trade fairs? Or make online submissions? Or send samples to catalogue companies? †¢What do you competitors do, and how can you learn from that and/or differentiate? Price †¢ What is the value of the product or service to the buyer? †¢Are there established price points for products or services in this area? †¢Is the customer price sensitive? Will a small decrease in price gain you extra market share? Or will a small increase be indiscernible, and so gain you extra profit margin? †¢What discounts should be offered to trade customers, or to other specific segments of your market? †¢How will your price compare with your competitors? Promotion †¢ Where and when can you get across your marketing messages to your target market? †¢Will you reach your audience by advertising in the press, or on TV, or radio, or on billboards? By using direct marketing mailshot? Through PR? On the Internet? †¢When is the best time to promote? Is there seasonality in the market? Are there any wider environmental issues that suggest or dictate the timing of your market launch, or the timing of subsequent promotions? †¢How do your competitors do their promotions? And how does that influence your choice of promotional activity? The 4Ps model is just one of many marketing mix lists that have been developed over the years. And, whilst the questions we have listed above are key, they are just a subset of the detailed probing that may be required to optimize your marketing mix. Amongst the other marketing mix models have been developed over the years is Boom and Bitner’s 7Ps, sometimes called the extended marketing mix, which include the first 4 Ps, plus people, processes and physical layout decisions.

Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Essay

Many companies are trying to expand economically in the market by doing business with an individual or another company in foreign countries. These businesses are engaging in into using improper ways of payments that are leading to secret bribes to the foreign public officials. Foreign countries are not always in compliance with the laws and they tend not to follow them. Having these problems with the US and all the millions of dollars that have been passed they wanted to take a more affirmative approach and be able to correct the problem. That is when congress decided to introduce the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act to prosecute foreign companies for corrupt payments within the United States. The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act is a federal law that was amended in 1977. This law â€Å"prohibits the United States from bribing foreign officials to secure advantageous contracts†(1). A foreign official is defined as any officer or employee of the foreign government or any department, agency, public international organization, or any person acting in an official for or behalf any such government or department, agency, or public international organization (2). The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act was implemented for companies from the United States that are managing business in foreign countries to do so without any unethical business practices (3). This federal law consists of two provisions, the anti-bribery and the accounting/book and record provision. The first provision consists of the anti-bribery provision in which contracts with enforcing the Department of Justice. The DOJ is one of the enforcements for Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) in which prosecutes the issuers and their officers, employees, agents, and domestic concern all in which are acting in the US (4). The anti-bribery of FCPA prohibits anything that deals with payments or an authorization of any payment that obtains or retains with business. There are three types of improper violations for the anti-bribery provision and they include: the issuer, domestic concern, the foreign national and businesses. The issuers are the ones that are registered in the US or are required to file Security and Exchange Commission. Domestic concern is any person or business that have their place of business in the US or are under the US law. Lastly, the foreign nationals and business in which deals with corrupt payments that are made in the United States (3). There are also the Third parties and agents that are as well included and have the same conditions apply to them as they do to the issuer, domestic concern, and the foreign national and businesses. The second provision that is involved with the FCPA is the Accounting provision and that consist of contracts enforcing Securities and Exchange Commission. The SEC enforces the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) by bringing the civil actions against the issuers and their officers, directors, employees, and agents (4). FCPA has two accounting requirements that are recordkeeping and internal controls. The recordkeeping is there to ensure that the books, records, and accounts are held at the standards of what the company should be at. This is designed to cover business transactions and accounting control and maintain accuracy with the corporations and their records so that they are limited in violating the FCPA anti-bribery provisions. The other requirement is the internal control and that deals with the assurance of transactions are in accordance with the management authorization, the transactions are recorded and prepared for financial statements and are maintained accountability for assets, the access is only limited to the managements authorization, and the record accountability for the assets is compared with the existing assets at the regular intervals (4). There are certain things that gives the FCPA red flags and they consist of a history of corruption in the country, any family relationship between participants and government officials, an unusual pattern in financial arrangements, high commissions, decrease in transparency in expenses and accounting records, lack of qualifications on the agents part for performing services, and misrepresentation in connection with a proposed transaction (8). Each of these jurisdictions works together to keep aspects of FCPA from being violated. This law is not always prohibiting all payments to the foreign officials. The FCPA has an exception for anti-bribery prohibitions and that is called â€Å" routine government action. † This exception is also given the names â€Å"facilitating† or â€Å" grease payment. † The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act defines this â€Å"routine government action† as for a foreign official to perform in obtaining permits, licenses, or other official documents that enable then to do business in that country, processing government papers such as visa and work orders, protection services and conducting inspections, and anything that has similar nature (6). The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) has two affirmative defenses and they consist of assertion that payment in question was lawful under the laws of the foreign country, and the assertion that the payment was valued a bona fide expenditure (6). This affirmative defense is aimed to be for the issuer, domestic concern, or other person. In this affirmative defense there must be some type of written law authorizing or supporting the payment. The penalties for violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act are different from the provision that they fall under. For an individual and it is from the anti bribery provision that penalty for civil can be up to $10,000, the criminal fine is up to $250,000 or imprisonment for up to five years, the Fines Act can also increase twice the gross financial gain or loss from the corrupt payment, and the criminal fine for the individual cannot be paid directly or indirectly from the company whose behalf the person acted on. The entities a penalty for the anti-bribery provision consist of civil up to $10,000, for criminal fine up to 2 million, and for the Alternative Fine Act is can also increase twice the gain or lose from the corrupt payment. Penalties for the accounting provisions for an individual are civil penalty up to $100,000, criminal fine up to $5 million or tice the gain or loss caused by the violation or imprisonment for up to twenty years. The last penalty is for entities in the accounting provisions for civil up to $5000,000, criminal fine up to $25 million or twice the gain or loss caused by the violation (5). Statute of limitation and penalties violations is worth to be a five-year for both the criminal and the civil. As for the criminal it takes affect when the statute runs from the date the potential offense was committed (7). This can also be suspended for up to three years due to court rules and evidence of an offense in a foreign country (7). In my perspective on FCPA I feel that they have had an impact on the US Commerce. This is so due to the fact of how well they have been enforcing their actions with also the actions for the individuals as well. This also has an affect on the cost of companies that are subject to the Act. Such things as programs for compliance and conducting internal investigations, the cost of diligence, the subtle cost the companies are having to overcome due to the burdens of their competitors that they don’t have to deal with, and the opportunity for businesses overseas. This law gives the companies a way of economic benefits. When it comes to the international level FCPA can be a disadvantage because it keeps the company from engaging certain businesses that could give an advantage to the other company. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act has given the international something similar to the FCPA, and that is called the Anti-Bribery Convention (OECD). This convention is against bribery in international transactions in today’s international business environment. The OECD Convention contains an agreement or books and records provision that prohibits the off the books accounts and making inadequate transactions. This also has legal assistance for extradition on bribery offenses. Since other countries have seen the affects that this law has had on companies they to have also tried to instill their own legislation and enforcement actions. One of them would be the Bribery Act from the United Kingdom. This act is similar to the FCPA and with the anti-bribery regulation (9). The difference between the two is that the Bribery Act does not show enough affirmative defenses and the FCPA allows facilitating payments in which gives more of a open interpretation (9). The FCPA has a come up with general guidance of the compliance program to try to design and implement a reduction in the violations of the bribery laws. They want the business to implement this so that they can operate effectively and promote value in their organization. This law is set to progress and enforce the businesses to make the right choice and to try to stay away from foreign countries that try to make bribery choices. Over the years FCPA will eventually keep growing into other countries and it will make it harder for the violations to occur.