Challenges of quantitative research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Challenges of quantitative - Research Paper Example There are two kinds of research styles which are qualitative and quantitative researches. The values and norms of these researches are completely different (Thompson, 68-70). The application of methods which are used for applying these researches requires development of specific understanding. There have been negating views which supplement the importance of both the researches. Quantitative research methods are used by the researchers when they wish to make statements of situations which might take place in a population. This research style is based on probabilistic measures which form the basis of the theory. In this form of study the researcher has access to the data set of the population. Based on this data of the population samples are taken for pursuing the research. The concepts of data collection which form essential components of quantitative researches include sampling error method, random sampling and sampling bias method of data collection (Thompson, 68-70). Quantitative method of research is used specifically when the researchers base their studies on chance (or probability). In this report a discussion will be presented on challenges of conducting quantitative research. Specific application of research strategy based on IT education and its application for conducting a quantitative research will also be discussed. ... The analysis aids in measuring the ways in which a large population of people behave in various different situations (Bernard et al., 175-198). The quantitative data is formed on the basis of research techniques and gathering of quantitative data (Mahoney and Goertz, 227-249). The results of this data are measured as expressed in the form of percentages or either it is represented numerically, for example when the companies wish to calculate the overall brand awareness of the customers they use the quantitative style of research. The answer to this question which is a major purpose of this research will give numeric representation let’s say 15% of the respondents are familiar with the brand and its presence in the markets. The advantages of quantitative researches are that all the variable used which includes dependent and independent variables and the associated results of those variables can be analyzed independently. With the use of quantitative researches hypothesis can be tested very effectively (Smith, 6-13). The major drawback of using quantitative method of analysis is that huge sets of data are required for calculation. The collection of such huge sets of data requires a lot of work (Cohen, 155-159). CHALLENGES OF CONDUCTING QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH The challenges which the researchers most commonly have to face while conducting the researches are availability and lack of details, missing variables, relative sampling of large data and methodological limitation (Firestone, 16-21). 1. Availability And Lack Of Details Quantitative researches are criticized for lack of details as the researchers face difficulty in collecting the data. The quantitative research methods require finding public opinion with the use of

Globalization and Production Chain Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Globalization and Production Chain - Essay Example Globalization refers to the increasing universal connectivity and economic integration of cross-border activities in the corporate sector through removals of barriers of free trade and capital mobility. It has major impacts on the world in the financial, communal, cultural, political, environmental and technological areas. Globalization is a comprehensive term and it has a number of key concepts and theories concealed within it. The idea can perchance be better portrayed as an idle process built upon a number of sub-processes such as virtual corporations across physical borders, progress in information technology, elimination of cultural and physical barriers etc. that are increasingly shrinking the humanity into a global system constituting of a universal society. The best example of globalization is the internet revolution. Despite the level of importance acquired by the subject a standard definition is yet to evolve and a number of varied opinions dominated by the perceived merits of the concept are used to describe the all important the driving engine of the 21st Century. Globalization has been defined been defined with respect to various aspects of life some view it as the homogenization of cultures, norms, values and attitudes across transnational borders. While others consider it as the standardization of procedures, experiences and knowledge which may not only be limited to the corporate sector but even to other areas that impact an individual's life in current globally influenced society. On the other hand from an economics point of view globalization is considered to be the meeting of prices, products, wages, rates of interest and profits towards the developed country's standards. Notwithstanding the varying opinions the following attributes have been universally accepted to be associated with the impacts of globalization and whatever leads to any of the following results would be an aspect of the Globalization. People around the world are integrated and connected to each other while the physical distances have shrunken. This trend has been evident in the aftermath of the evolution of information technology. A convenient flow of information and capital throughout the globe. Goods and services manufactured in one country being easily accessible by the people living in other countries. The role of Multinational Corporations (MNC's) has been evident in this case. Communication and journey across the borders becomes a routine activity. All the above states characteristics can be easily identified in the current environment we live in. To maintain a Mercedes, wear a French perfume, to talk to friend in Australia, to be able transfer money from New York to London in a split second or to be roaming on the streets of Delhi within a couple of days are realities that have traveled through the dark roads of idealism and have blessed us by the virtue of globalization. A question then arises is globalization a feature of the 20th Century or its existence can be traced back further. The answer to this is that globalization has been a phenomenon that is as old as the human existence. Man has always tried to break down the shackles of physical frontiers and explore new horizons. From the time when human being first involved into barter trade till the undertaking of organizational activities through

Chocolate Milk As A Sports Recovery Drink Physical Education Essay

Chocolate Milk As A Sports Recovery Drink Physical Education Essay Sports drinks are a highly lucrative business with many athletes believing they significantly improve performance. However recent research analysing the potential of low-fat milk as a post-exercise recovery aid has shown that highly commercialised carbohydrate-based sports drinks may be less beneficial. I have witnessed the rebranding of drinks such as Mars Refuel being packaged in sports bottles and using athlete endorsement and am interested in its effectiveness in intermittent sports. As a badminton player, I am keen to see whether low-fat milk can be used to aid recovery in varying-intensity intermittent sports. Also, there is currently a new campaign, Milk it for all its Worth, run by the Dairy Council following funding by the EU aiming to promote the health benefits of milk in young people (Dairy Council, 2010). Therefore, it is a good time to be conducting research in this area. Title Is post-exercise consumption of chocolate milk a suitable recovery drink following glycogen-depleting exercise in male badminton players? Literature Review Roy (2008) reviewed the current research on milk and its potential as a sports drink. He recognised that the limited research in this field has been conducted into the recovery from resistance training and endurance sports. The available research suggests milk favourably alters protein metabolism and is more nutrient dense than commercial sports drinks. This review also recognises the need for further research into the possible applications and efficacy of milk as a recovery drink. Recent research has shown that milk consumption immediately and one hour after exercise, is effective for strength and resistance training athletes to increase muscle mass, encourage type II muscle fibre hypertrophy and promote loss of fat mass leading to leaner mass and favourable change in body composition, (Hartman et al. 2007 and Josse et al. 2010). This is topical as young women in particular avoid dairy products believing them to be fattening (Josse et al. 2010). Hartman et al. (2007) tested whether consuming fat-free milk post resistance exercise would promote greater lean mass accretion compared to consumption of soy or an isoenergetic carbohydrate drink in young novice weightlifters. They used a relatively large sample size, increasing reliability. Josse et al. (2010) conducted an equivalent experiment in female athletes producing similar results, verifying Hartman et al.s method. Josse et al. (2010) also theorised milk consumption may have led to increased bone health; howe ver more research is needed for verification. Cockburn et al. (2010) investigated the most effective timing for consumption of a milk recovery drink. They investigated consumption before muscle damaging exercise, immediately after and 24 hours later. The study produced the recommendation that athletes consume milk immediately post-exercise, which would allow the athlete to perform at closer to optimal levels 48 hours later. This corresponds with recommendations from Pritchett et al. (2009). Precise recommendations have been given as 50-75g of carbohydrate consumed 30-45 minutes post-exercise and 1.0-1.5g of carbohydrate.kg-1.h-1 for next few hours (Ivy et al. 2002). Research has also been conducted into the effectiveness of milk for rehydration. Shirreffs et al. (2007) found milk an effective recovery aid following mild exercise-induced dehydration. They compared low-fat milk, low-fat milk with added sodium chloride, a sports drink and water at restoring fluid balance post-exercise. A volume equal to 150% of the volume of body mass lost during exercise was consumed 20 minutes post-exercise to ensure sufficient rehydration. All four drinks initially hydrated participants. However, the gastric emptying rate of milk is much slower than for sports drinks and water. This gave a greater percentage of drink retention with the milk drinks and the subjects remained in a net positive fluid balance and euhydrated at the end of the recovery period (Shirreffs et al. 2007). Conversely, the sports drink and water increased urine output resulting in a net negative fluid balance. There was no difference between the two milk drinks possibly because low-fat milk a lready contains a moderate quantity of sodium, higher than most commercial sports drinks. Research is needed to compare milk and sports drinks containing the same electrolyte content to confirm whether it is the haemodilution effect of sports drinks that led to a negative fluid balance. Low-fat chocolate milk contains the same nutritional benefits as low-fat milk but has been found to be more palatable than popular carbohydrate replacement drinks (Pritchett et al. 2009). Karp et al. (2006) found chocolate milk an effective recovery aid between two exhausting exercise bouts. Their study on endurance-trained cyclists involved glycogen-depleting exercise, a recovery period in which test drinks were consumed and a test to exhaustion. The research showed that both the time to exhaustion and the total work performed was significantly greater following the consumption of chocolate milk compared to a carbohydrate replacement drink with subjects cycling for 49% longer (Karp et al. 2006). However the chocolate milk had no significant difference compared with the fluid replacement drink. The carbohydrate content of the three different drinks in this research were equal, which had not been addressed in previous studies and produced contrasting results showing no significant difference in performance between the different drinks. However the types of carbohydrates and calorie content of the drinks were unequal. Both the chocolate milk and fluid replacement drinks contained a mixture of monosaccharides and disaccharides compared to the complex carbohydrates present in the carbohydrate replacement drink. This may account for the results as the complex carbohydrates may not have completely digested in the 4 hour recovery period. Also the greater number of calories in the chocolate milk may have accounted for the improved performance. Thomas et al. (2009) addressed this problem with a study comparing isocaloric chocolate milk and carbohydrate replacement drinks with an isovolumetric fluid. The protocol was also a submaximal (70% VO2max) endurance exercise cycle in a glycogen-depleted state. Participants cycled for 51% longer and 43% longer with post-exercise chocolate milk consumption compared to consumption of carbohydrate replacement and fluid replacement drinks respectively (Thomas et al. 2009). This further supports the usage of chocolate milk as an effective post-exercise recovery drink, following prolonged endurance exercise. This research focuses on endurance athletes and the test to exhaustion is at a moderate intensity suggesting fat may be the predominant fuel source. The increased fat content of chocolate milk and subsequent increased concentrations in free fatty acids circulating in the plasma could account for the increased time to exhaustion, suggesting carbohydrate replacement drinks may be a more b eneficial recovery aid when working at higher intensities. Therefore, this research shows chocolate milk to only be a good recovery aid for moderate endurance exercise. Furthermore, this research was partially funded by Mars U.K. Ltd. which could be a potential source for bias. More recent research has studied this area, finding chocolate milk to be an effective recovery aid for cyclists after intense exercise. (Pritchett et al. 2009). The ratio of carbohydrate to protein in chocolate milk is similar to that in carbohydrate recovery drinks and therefore may help attenuate muscle damage post-exercise. Pritchett et al. (2009) compared chocolate milk and a carbohydrate replacement drink as recovery aids. They investigated the time to exhaustion working at 85% VO2max following intermittent high-intensity training and a 15-18 hour recovery period. Their study showed chocolate milk and carbohydrate replacement drinks are equally effective in attenuating muscle soreness. Time to exhaustion was not significantly different between the two drinks. The study by Pritchett et al. (2009) used drinks that were isocaloric and had equal carbohydrate content. The recovery period was 15-18 hours to allow complex carbohydrates to be broken down and participants worked at 85% VO2max during the test to exhaustion to ensure a greater reliance on carbohydrates as the main fuel source. Despite all this, the participants used to test milk as a recovery aid for high-intensity training were endurance trained cyclists. Therefore this is unrepresentative of athletes who participate in high-intensity intermittent sports. There has been only one recent study into the effects of milk consumption in team sports (Gilson et al. 2010). Training programmes for competitive sports containing varying-intensity intermittent exercise such as football have been shown to deplete muscle glycogen stores. Such programmes should produce similar results in badminton players. Gilson et al. (2010) found that post-exercise chocolate milk compared to carbohydrate consumption had no preferential effect on short-duration, high-intensity exercise. The exercise regime in this study may not have been of an adequate intensity to impair muscle recovery which could explain the results as increases in training volumes were relatively modest. The above evidence shows low-fat milk based drinks to be suitable for rehydration and recovery from endurance and strength training. However, it fails to reach a firm conclusion on whether they are more effective than carbohydrate drinks and lacks analysis on physiological reasons behind the findings. For example, none of these studies directly measures the efficacy of milk to promote muscle glycogen recovery following endurance exercise; only performance is analysed. Admittedly this is harder to achieve. The lack of research into the efficiency of milk as a post-exercise recovery drink to varying-intensity intermittent exercise sports, despite the large market for recovery drinks in this field of sport, has prompted my research. The aim is to find through similar testing as in the studies reviewed whether chocolate milk can be an effective aid for those who participate in varying-intensity intermittent sport, focusing on badminton players. Research problem There will be no significant difference in the time to exhaustion from high-intensity intermittent shuttle running following the consumption of chocolate milk and an isocaloric carbohydrate-based drink during a recovery period post glycogen-depleting exercise. Method Sampling County-level, healthy, male badminton players between the ages of 18-30 will be used (n=14). Other studies have used a sample size of 9 so whilst being realistic the increase should provide more reliable results. Well-trained athletes will be used to avoid mood or learning impacting performance. The standard will be defined as a minimum of 6 hours training per week, playing for their county and minimum of 3 years playing badminton. The Leicestershire Badminton Association (LBA) will be contacted to provide the participants needed. Snowball sampling may be used to gain participants or random sampling to reduce numbers if necessary. Lactose intolerance volunteers will be excluded. Procedure The procedure will be based on the Thomas et al. (2009) study, but will focus on intermittent exercise. This will be a crossover and fully counter-balanced study. Each participant will complete glycogen-depleting exercise to exhaustion, followed by a recovery period and an experimental trial on three occasions. Participants will be asked to arrive in a fully rested, hydrated state and to have refrained from strenuous exercise for 24 hours. They will be required to complete a 3 day food diary prior to each trial. They will be asked to arrive at the same time of day for each trial to minimise diurnal variation and this will be in the morning following an overnight fast. Participants will come for a familiarisation trial where they will be fully informed of all the risks and basic measurements such as height, mass, age and frequency of participation will be recorded. They will then be required to do a VO2max test, see Ramsbottom et al. (1988) for method, from which the running speeds for 55% and 95% will be calculated. They will also have a trial at the Loughborough Intermittent Shuttle Test (LIST) (see Nicholas et al. (2000) for method) to familiarise themselves. During this they will be able to consume water ad libitum. In the following experimental trials they will be encouraged to consume an equal amount. Experimental Sessions Following a warm-up, participants will complete the LIST (Nicholas et al. 2000). Heart rate monitors will be fitted and record heart rate every 15 seconds during exercise using short-range radio telemetry. Rate of perceived exertion using Borgs 6-20 scale will be recorded every 15 minutes. Sprint times in one direction over 15 metres using two infrared photo-electric cells and computer software will also be recorded throughout the test. Following completion of the LIST they will be given one of the two experimental drinks; Mars Refuel Chocolate Milk (CM) or carbohydrate replacement drink; Endurox R4 Chocolate (CR). The volume of CR will be calculated to provide 1 g carbohydrate.kg-1 body mass. The volume of CM will be calculated to give an isocaloric amount. The drinks will be placed into opaque bottles by a laboratory assistant not directly involved in the test. Recovery drinks will be assigned to the participants by a coin-toss. Once half the sample has been assigned to one drink t he remaining participants will be given the other for the first experimental trial. Participants will be given the alternative drink during the second trial. An equal total amount of carbohydrate will be given to the participants immediately post-exercise and 2 hours into the recovery period. Although the LIST does not replicate the situation of a badminton match, it does include the correct type of exercise used in training and often during tournaments players have long waiting periods. A total recovery time of 4 hours will be given representing this waiting period. During this time water may be consumed ad libitum in the first trial. This will be recorded and they will be encouraged to consume the same amount in trial 2. After the recovery period participants will be required to complete the LIST again. The time to exhaustion and variables previously measured will be recorded. Participants will then be asked to return one week later in the same state as previously described, replicating their diet 24 hours before the trial. The experimental procedure for trial 2 will be the same, however participants will be given the opposite recovery drink. A placebo is not being used as it has already been shown in many studies that post-exercise consumption of carbohydrate improves recovery. If at any point during the trials the participant wishes to stop or their health and safety becomes compromised the experiment will be stopped. Statistical Analysis Statistical analysis will be used on the collected data using SPSS (version 17). The time to exhaustion, sprint times and heart rates following consumption of the two drinks will be compared as will the results for the initial LIST and post-recovery LIST. The significance level for tests will be P

Abuse of the Innocent :: essays papers

Abuse of the Innocent Is it right to force a mouse to live it's live in a laboratory cage to test anti-cancer drug? How would you like to be squeezed in a cage with many other animals, not being able to touch the grass, run around and play,smell the flowers, or go for a walk in the warmth of the sunshine? Animal cruelty is wrong because we are hurting the Innocent. Animals experience and feel pain, fear , anxiety, stress, depression, boredom, joy and happiness. Animals are very intelligent, some ever learn our own language. Most people experience their first bond with an animal. Not only do they bring a companion and a friend into our lives, but also unconditional love and comfort. Pet shops and puppy mills mass produce, kennels are overcrowded and dirty, with very little nutrition. Cats/dogs are held in metal cages and lead miserable lives breeding continuously. Animals suffer and are neglected, some are sold to research laboratories. A large number of animals are raised for slaughter each year. A cow "has a natural life span of twenty- five to thirty years, but only survives for an average of five".1 An estimated "seventeen million raccoons, beavers, bobcats, lynx, coyotes, muskrats, nutria, and other animals are trapped each year in the United States for fur".2 They suffer from unbearable pain for several hours before their lives are ended by the trapper's club. Is the price of live worth the price of fur? Psalm 104, 27-30. All creatures depend on you to feed them throughout the year: you provide the food they eat, with generous hands you satisfy their hunger. You turn your face away, they suffer. You stop their breath, they die and revert to dust. You give breath, fresh life begins, you keep renewing the world. Disections have been practiced in biology classes for many years. Critics accuse some teachers of killing and argue that disection teaches nothing but cruelty. Nothing is learned by cutting up an animal that cannot be learned from photographs or drawings. Children do not learn about the human body by killing and disecting a person, they learn from diagrams and textbooks. Vivisection means "cutting alive". It is a worldwide practice involving millions of animals. Scientists say that vivisections may not necessarily be painful. Every living being with a brain, spinal column, and central nervous system feels pain. Animals were not created for entertainment. What do zoos really teach children? Abuse of the Innocent :: essays papers Abuse of the Innocent Is it right to force a mouse to live it's live in a laboratory cage to test anti-cancer drug? How would you like to be squeezed in a cage with many other animals, not being able to touch the grass, run around and play,smell the flowers, or go for a walk in the warmth of the sunshine? Animal cruelty is wrong because we are hurting the Innocent. Animals experience and feel pain, fear , anxiety, stress, depression, boredom, joy and happiness. Animals are very intelligent, some ever learn our own language. Most people experience their first bond with an animal. Not only do they bring a companion and a friend into our lives, but also unconditional love and comfort. Pet shops and puppy mills mass produce, kennels are overcrowded and dirty, with very little nutrition. Cats/dogs are held in metal cages and lead miserable lives breeding continuously. Animals suffer and are neglected, some are sold to research laboratories. A large number of animals are raised for slaughter each year. A cow "has a natural life span of twenty- five to thirty years, but only survives for an average of five".1 An estimated "seventeen million raccoons, beavers, bobcats, lynx, coyotes, muskrats, nutria, and other animals are trapped each year in the United States for fur".2 They suffer from unbearable pain for several hours before their lives are ended by the trapper's club. Is the price of live worth the price of fur? Psalm 104, 27-30. All creatures depend on you to feed them throughout the year: you provide the food they eat, with generous hands you satisfy their hunger. You turn your face away, they suffer. You stop their breath, they die and revert to dust. You give breath, fresh life begins, you keep renewing the world. Disections have been practiced in biology classes for many years. Critics accuse some teachers of killing and argue that disection teaches nothing but cruelty. Nothing is learned by cutting up an animal that cannot be learned from photographs or drawings. Children do not learn about the human body by killing and disecting a person, they learn from diagrams and textbooks. Vivisection means "cutting alive". It is a worldwide practice involving millions of animals. Scientists say that vivisections may not necessarily be painful. Every living being with a brain, spinal column, and central nervous system feels pain. Animals were not created for entertainment. What do zoos really teach children?

Love in the Western World

This paper will trace in general the different views on love as expressed by the different speakers in Plato’s Symposium and explore in detail the theories of Eros, Philia, Storge and Agape and the bearing it has on the notions of erotic love, filial love, sacrificial love and spiritual love. Another area that will be drawn into focus is the theory of â€Å"platonic love† based on Plato’s hypothesis. The context of the symposium is a get-together of the students of Socrates who get to talking and decide to take turns and speak in praise of Eros, the God of Love. Of the speakers Phaedrus speaks first and talks about the virtuosity Eros promotes in those who experience love. He talks about the awareness that true love can inspire in humans so that man becomes conscious of the noble qualities of honor, loyalty, courage and fidelity. Pausanius is the next to speak and dwells on the different kinds of love, from the common banal love to the higher, spiritual kind of love. The earthy love is not as noble as the intellectual love which is more faithful and elevates the mind and is completely devoid of desire. According to him the pursuit of higher knowledge and wisdom is the more honorable and the wantonness of physical love is shameful. Eryximachus talks about the concept of good love that helps man to be judicious and methodical. Eryximachus is a doctor and philosopher and talks about love beyond relationships, about intellectualism, the love of ideas, concepts and the fine arts like music. He speaks of the advantages love brings to humans, the most important being the ability to discern between honor and dishonor. He believes that there are opposing kinds of loves in every living being including animals and plants. However, true love is achieved through a synthesis of these opposing elements and that it can be the fountain and source of power, friendship and happiness (Plato’s Symposium). Aristophanes, the jester and humorist came up with the concept of love as man in search of his soul mate and partner in order to feel one complete whole. He talks about man being split into half by Zeus for threatening to over run the Gods. Later Zeus modified his terrible act and allowed the two halves to marry as man and woman. It is said that ever since the two halves have been in search of the other. Socrates himself speaks last of all and talks of love as being the human desire for knowledge, wisdom and beauty. Love is the desire for what is beautiful and may not necessarily mean beauty in itself. According to Socrates love is the mere interface between what he desires and the object of his desire. When man has achieved real love he will be able to create beauty, conceptualize perfection and become wise and virtuous. In Greek mythology Eros is one of the three oldest Gods along with Cronos and Chaos and stands for love. The word ‘erotic’ is derived from the God of love, Eros, who encourages and endorses all those who seek him to perform acts of virtue and merit. As has been mentioned before, all those present at the party or symposium have laid down their postulates and have spoken about different kinds of love and what it does for man. To further explore the concept of the various kinds of love let us consider the broad definition of these categories: Agape, Storge, Philia and Eros. Agape stands for spiritual love, the kind of love God has for his creatures and the love man strives to return. This kind of love transcends physical boundaries and is a higher form of love which finds fulfillment in just being there. It kindles spirituality and is perfection itself. Nothing can tarnish this kind of love and to most mortals seems almost impossible to attain. We can find examples of this kind of love in Christianity. In literature, I have found this kind of love being depicted in certain kinds of love lyrics that belong to the Renaissance age. In Petrarch’s poetry for instance, the poet’s object of desire, the enigmatic Laura, is continually shown as someone unreachable. Laura’s eyes are compared to stars; her face is often described as being so radiant as to make looking at her impossible. This imagery often ties up with how the apprehension of God is described in Christianity. Here, the conflict between Eros and Agape is continually present. The poet often feels helplessly tied between the demands of the earthier, physical Eros and the spiritual, the allegedly purer kind of Agape (Houston). Storge is synonymous with love that engenders sacrifice and purity. This is the kind of love parents feel for their children. This kind of love does not wait for reciprocity to grow and is there notwithstanding. The story of Abraham and Isaac is an interesting biblical instance of these two kinds of love where Storge is compelled to be sacrificed for the greater Agape. In order to prove the full extent of his Agape, his total devotion to God, Abraham is asked to sacrifice the thing he loves most. This happens to be Abraham’s son Isaac, the person for who he feels the greatest Storge. In the biblical context, Agape is undeniably higher than Storge. Abraham is therefore first made to prove the full extent of his Agape before God relents and lets him keep the object of his Storge. Other instances of pronounced Storge in literature include the love Cordelia feels for her father, King Lear in Shakespeare’s play. In this case however the Storge is made to complete its sacrifice in a sense because both the king’s beloved daughter and the king himself die in the end. Philia, or brotherly love, exists between friends, brothers and neighbors. This kind of love helps people to bond closely without being passionate or amorous. This kind of love prompts the feeling of camaraderie and brotherhood. A good example at hand would be the kind of love soldiers have amongst each other, where they bond intimately and share their joys and sorrows together without a hint of any physical attraction or manifestations. In Greek history, I have noticed the love depicted in the story of Damon and Pythias to be of this form. In the legend Damon and Pythias both survive Dionysus’ wrath because of their intense love for each other. But in another tale from the bible, the ending is not nearly as fortunate. Cain and Abel, sons of Adam and Eve, at first loved each other in the truest sense of Philia. However, with the preference God showed for Abel’s sacrifice of animals over Cain’s agricultural offerings, Cain’s love turns to intense jealousy and he ends up killing Abel. This is possibly the best known example of Philia getting overturned. Eros is passionate love, which can in most cases be closely linked to physical attraction and sexual love. Eros is often closely associated with the animal kingdom and therefore classically considered to be a lower form. Eros can often contend with Agape as we have seen earlier. And a popular example of this is in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The love that the two young nobles feel for each other is no doubt arising from a certain attraction, or Eros. And yet the manner in which they express their love for each other in a language that is similar to that of Agape. Romeo and Juliet address each other in abject terms, making it a love not of equals but of one subservient to the other. This of course is one of the most common features of Agape. Although classically Eros is considered to be a lower form than Agape, as we have seen discussed in the Symposium, I personally feel this is not entirely fair. It is true that people often consider it nobler to love a person without wanting to possess him or her in a physical or earthly way. By implication this means that a person loves someone for more than their physicality, that is to say a love founded on something deeper than superficial beauty. This is true in theory, but not always in practice. We often find that the Agape is more often than not directed towards someone of higher social standing, or towards a woman who is unreachable, like a noblewoman or even the queen. This amounts to nothing short of sycophancy sometimes. Is it then less hypocritical than loving someone for their appearance? Eros is also equated with the animal kingdom and is therefore considered â€Å"lower. † But why should something, that takes place in the natural world, be considered lower? If animals love each other erotically, does it not make it a more natural, or even a â€Å"higher† love? After all this kind of love is based on the truth of the body’s responses to the beloved; if someone is beautiful and attractive physically, why should it be wrong to feel attraction or love for this person? Even if it is based only on appearances, Eros is more genuine. There is no verbal intrusion that allows lovers to lie to each other or praise each other in hollow terms. Philia too I think is often under-rated in the present generation. Friends can often feel a lot of love between them without it being the Erotic or even the Agape type of love. We have been brainwashed by popular movies and books into always expecting friendships to turn into love as that fits in with the perfect happy ending of the plot. But why should this be? Why is simple, platonic love that expects nothing physical or romantic in return be less of a love than any other kind? After all, is it not nobler for two friends to love each other in spite of the fact that they have nothing physical or romantic to gain from each other? Storge also is often under-appreciated in popular culture. Love that exists within families has become such a rare instance in the days of divorce and estrangement that perhaps more of art needs to depict it now, more than ever. People seem to forget that our families are what we are born into. We carry our parents’ genes and share them with our siblings and nothing or no one else can ever change that. It is true that we are often unfortunate in this regard and there are many children brought into this world in an unloving family, but even so the love that exists between members of the family is something that precedes life itself. Just to think about what a pregnant mother endures for nine months and so many years following the birth, is enough to prove the argument. In conclusion, I think it is fruitless to spend hours debating on which form of love is higher than the others because each kind of love, whether borne out of devotion, lust, filial ties or friendship, is a distinct kind of love. A sort of love that is unique to itself and therefore deserving of special attention. Instead of trying to compare them it is perhaps best to be grateful to know that they all exist.

Causes of the boom years in the 1920s Essay

Causes of the boom years Employers were working fewer hours however were being paid more. This therefore meant industrial goods produced were also increasing. American’s had more time for leisure and more money so electrical labour-saving devices were being introduced becoming affordable by many people. Motor cars eased travel to and from work as well as for leisure pursuits. It was the golden age for cinema and sport attracted vast crowds. Reasons for prosperity: government policies Calvin Coolidge stated ‘the chief business of the American people is business.’ This was his government policy to let business operate as far as possible, free of regulation. Andrew Mellon and him believed wealth filtered down naturally to all classes and to ensure increased living standards for all was to allow the rich to continue make money to invest in industrial development which therefore meant more job opportunities, more wage earners, more consumption etc. this policy was laissez-faire but the government intervened to support business in 4 ways: High tariffs: Fordney-McCumber Act 1922 à ¯ raised tariffs to cover difference between domestic and foreign production costs Cheaper to buy goods from USA than abroad Tariff level à ¯ foreign goods more expensive than USA even though produced cheaper in USA Foreign trade reduced = domestic demand for goods high Tax reductions: Government reduced federal taxes – 1924, 1926 and 1928 (benefited wealthy) Mellon à ¯ handed out tax reductions Coolidge à ¯ operated on surplus Aim à ¯ reduced national debt, federal tax cuts = meant little to poor as not able to pay taxes Fewer regulations: Federal Trade Commission à ¯ unable and unwilling to operate effectively causing businesses unhindered Foreign policies: Coolidge à ¯ avoided involvement in foreign affairs due to budget cutting an recognition that Americans didn’t want to see troops getting caught up in foreign disputes. This meant that investors would favour profit ever over ethical concerns Technical advances: Technical advances in industrial production made increases in quantity and variety of products Motor vehicle industry: This industry grew dramatically in the 1920s. It was the largest for commodities. Previously cars had only been for the wealthy but Ford wanted the ordinary to be able to afford one Effects of growth in car ownership: Ford thought this would strengthen traditional American values but it led to: Road deaths à ¯ 20,000 per year By 1929, motor industry employed 7% of all workers and paid them 9% of all wages Closure of Ford à ¯ factor to recession of 1927 Loss of business by companies providing components to Ford real problems in economy Road building: Breaking of laissez-faire à ¯ federal government expend on road building in 1920s Federal Highway Act 1921 à ¯ responsibility for road building to central government and highways. Construction = 10,000 miles per year by 1929 Chief Designer in Bureau of Public Roads 1936 à ¯ roads built unfit for use because of amount of traffic Motor vehicles à ¯ new service industries e.g. garages, petrol stations etc. Improved transportation = new opportunities for industry Electrical consumer goods: New technology = large scale development of labour saving devices as cheaper to produce Serious over production = problems in economy New business methods: Growth of huge corporations Large corporations manufacturing business = could invest in and exploit raw materials of USA on vast scale Large corporations could dominate industry by: Operating cartel (group of companies agreeing to fix output and prices to reduce competition and maximise profits). Although illegal, government accepted which involved exploitation of raw materials, retail outlets etc. Some organisations were able to adapt to holding companies which resulted in firms competing against each other Management science: Increased size of businesses à ¯ complex to manage = different management roles by different people in administration Growth of business schools Management science, occupation for upper class = indication harder to start own company Increased production Advertising and salesmanship: Cinema Millions of cinema-goers to copy lifestyle of stars meant potential for advertising was enormous Radio: Began with KDKA station which announced results in 1920 elections Radio’s controlled by 2 companies with a vast audience Constant need to create demand: Growth in industrial production needed a continuous market in order to fuel the boom as people needed to be convinced to buy things frequently. An aspect of a campaign needed to be bought in which would differentiate between one’s product and that of the competitors to promote unique selling point. Advertising techniques worked for many consumers. Easy credit: Massive consumer boom was financed largely by easy credit facilities 1929 à ¯ $7 billion goods were sold on credit – 75% of cars and half of major household appliances Availability of credit meant borrowers took on debts which they could not repay Influence in foreign countries: High tariffs were used to protect US markets however the government also encouraged businessmen to develop extensive interests abroad in terms of raw materials that fuelled technological developments. US exported vast amounts of manufactured products. In the 1920s with almost full employment, low inflation, high tariffs keeping foreign goods out of USA, benevolent government policies and a consumer boom the prosperity would go on forever.