Essay about Diversity - 985 Words

Diversity America’s workforce is continuously changing. Businesses today hire and retain culturally diverse employees to compete in the globalize market. Companies are developing ways to tap into and capitalize upon the talents of their workforces. They are discovering how to value the diversity of their workforces and the potential that diversity brings in flexibility, ingenuity and problem solving are helping them achieve their goals. Diversity can be differences in age, gender, ethnicity, and religion. Having such a diverse workforce can be very challenging. (1) Today’s workforce is very diverse in respect to age. Before, corporate America consisted of workers ranging from twenty one up to late thirties to early forties. Now,†¦show more content†¦A hostile environment with respect to sexual harassment occurs when such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s work. In addition, a hostile environment occurs when unwelcome sexually harassing conduct is so severe, persistent, or pervasive that it affects a person’s ability to participate in or benefit from employment activity, or creates an intimidating, threatening or abusive environment. The second type of sexual harassment is â€Å"quid pro quo†. Quid pro quo includes unwanted sexual statements, unwanted personal attention, and unwanted physical or sexual advances. Unwanted sexual statements could include jokes that were sexual in nature. Unwanted personal attention could include letters, phone calls, or emails. While unwanted physical advances could include hugging, kissing, or touching. Since most women in the workforce are mothers, some companies now have their own day care centers to accommodate mothers who occasionally bring their children to work. Companies’ also now offer maternity leave to pregnant women. Some mothers, thanks to technology, are working from home to b with their family. They connect to their corporate network via modem or high speed connection, e.g., cable or DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) using VPN (Virtual Private Network). But having women in the workforce especially in marketing andShow MoreRelatedDiversity And Diversity For A Company873 Words   |  4 PagesDiversity is a key contributor in today’s workforce. Many factors effect diversity and there are guidelines a company can follow to ensure it is diverse. Diversity and inclusion can be tools to create a competitive advantage for a company and can help solve issues by looking at problems from different perspectives. It also contributes to the employees by allowing for work with many types of people. 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E-Commerce and Marketing Online Security Breaches

Question: Discuss the issues of online security breaches that take place while e-commerce marketing and the strategies to resolve it? Answer: Executive Summary This assignment throws a light in the online security breaches that take place while e-commerce marketing and the strategies to resolve it. There are many issues which are faced by the business entities as well as the customers during online transactions and so data protection in very much necessary (Dong, Li and Guo, 2011). A customer relies on the online business portals and provide many informations which should not been done without knowledge. They should always get a firsthand knowledge about the sites and the authenticity of the same. There are many threats which affect a business and hamper its image thus ruining it among the consumers. Thus a business entity should know the strategies well enough to protect their network systems as well as protect the customer information (FASLI, 2007). Introduction Before getting into the detailed study of E-commerce and the security system in the online business, we will first see the meaning of e-commerce means (Javaid, n.d.). It refers to the trading of goods and services via internet (Javaid, n.d.). Major retail stores and many other brands do not have big presence in the market. This also applies to the B2B transactions which means between two distributors, suppliers or manufacturers. Usually the presence of web has kept separate from the presence of bricks and mortar, so the transactions are restricted to buying online and supply goods and services (Kannan, Rees and Sridhar, 2007). Online presence is very vital for searching a product which a customer may purchase later in stores. The system of e-commerce is also pertinent to the services industry. But the main issue with e-commerce marketing is security (Kshetri, 2013). Weakest link in the sequence describes the systems security. The assignment throws a light on the probable security att acks in the e-commerce marketing and the preventive methods to resolve it including the features that one may implement. There are three main components of security such as confidentiality, availability and integrity. Confidentiality is the main factor in the online business which allows only the parties authorized to read the information (Kwangmyung Woo and HYUN SOOK CHO, 2011). Findings And Analysis In this technology oriented world, input and output both are very critical and so the management of information security is of prominent priority. On the contrary, internet which has now become the hub of carrying out e-business is by nature an open and non-secure forum. In view of the fact that internet was not meant for commercial reasons, it is by way not designed to tackle transactions. There are innumerable ways that can attack an e-business setup. The common attacks include cracking, hacking, spoofing, eavesdropping, masquerading, Trojan horses, viruses, bombs, etc (Mayayise and Olusegun Osunmakinde, 2014). Thus a business entity and as well as the customers should identify positively and confirm the parties identity with whom they are dealing with. Internet is the medium which is affordable and an effective zone to conduct business, to promote and sell the goods and services. But with this it also provides fraudulent opportunities and unauthorized access to the client data as well as the business. Both privacy and security are the major issues that both e-commerce consumers and shopping sites want (Rhrig and Knorr, 2004). Consumers will not visit or purchase from the sites if these two factors are not present. Similarly the shopping sites will not effectively function without these. The common problem of the recent e-business security execution is that the components of the infrastructure of e-business are likely looked at separately and individually for the security reasons (Palmer, 2010). Currently, the common one is security policy which is executed by most of the e-business entity. Threats to the e-business which is explained in the following: Lost device: Customers data should be protected when transmitting anywhere in a movable device by encryption of data that is in it. This encodes the data making it unreadable for the outsiders until any encryption key or a password (Study on LBS Driven Mobile E-commerce: Key Issues and Technological Architecture, 2012). Malicious code: Businesses lose millions of data due to software bombs which destroys codes and programs. Eventually due to these problems companies are compelled to lay off workers. So anti-virus programs, firewalls, anti-spyware on every computer in business. It should also be ensured that the software is up to date. Unsecured wireless internet network: It has been seen that hackers hack several retail chains to manipulate the financial information of the customers. They do this by cracking the wireless network which is secured to the lowest encryption which is available with the company (Warkentin and Vaughn, 2006). A security breach like this costs the company so much that their market share comes down. The businesses should set up a wireless network in which the password is changed and the wireless network is encrypted with WPA. Carrying out DoS: These attacks discontinue the access to the authorized users of the company website which in return forces the site to give a decreased level of service and may also stop the operation totally. The access should only be limited to the users who are authorized to the website. Access to data: Sometimes data like, catalogues, price lists and intellectual property is accessed by the hackers and they copy it or destroy it. Website alteration: The hackers many a time direct the customers of a particular website to another shopping website to ruin the image. The customers are unaware that they are being routed to a different website when they try to open the website they want to log in. This ruins the image and has a significant impact on the business. There are financial losses due to litigation or fraud, consequent losses due to undesirable publicity, criminal charges are also faced by the business if it is found that breach of data has been made and finally market share is lost with reduced level of customer base because the confidence of the customers is changed by the attack of DoS. Strategies to solve the problem: Protecting business, protecting customers: The confidence of the customers are affected with these kinds of frauds and attacks in online transactions so to maintain and regain the customers trust the business must exceed their plans for security and privacy. They can be ahead of threat with the help of ISS (Internet Security System) a business can avoid negative effects on their brand too thus protecting the customers along with its business. Data Security: The company must ensure that the security of the customers data because it is critically important. Undesirable publicity results in revenue lost thereby lost in the trust of the customers. There should be development in information, security, and employee training so that they are trained to protect the interests of the customers as well as the business (Kwangmyung Woo and HYUN SOOK CHO, 2011). PCI Standard: Payment Card Industry standard is required by the organizations so that they follow particular rules to protect the consumer data. There may be severe consequences if these guidelines are not followed exactly. Cost-effective Security: The companies should avail cost-effective security to give priority to risks and analyzing which in turn reduces the operational cost by optimally utilizing security investments and IT (Rhrig and Knorr, 2004). Along with the retail chain in e-commerce the consumers are the first to get attacked by the online security threats because they are required to provide great amount of information to the shopping websites, thus putting themselves in greater risks. The business organizations should understand the consumers privacy so that it can develop in the e-commerce business. The online transactions are easy, convenient and fast so it is important to ensure the privacy of the parties involved in the transactions. Below mentioned are some of the guiding principle on the security threats that a consumer should keep in mind: Research of the website: A consumer should be well aware of the website from which they are shopping or transacting. They should be aware and familiar with the company and its brands so that dont get tricked by just seeing the website which sometimes portrays a rosy picture. Privacy rules and security policy: The consumers should always read the company rules on privacy along with the security policies given on the companys website. A company may sell its customer data to other company in case of bankruptcy, in this case the customer has to be aware of the information they are providing in the website. It depends on the customers to decide which information is sensible and which is not. Aware on behavioral marketing and cookies: It often happens that the online business merchants keep a track on the customers shopping priorities through cookies as their way of tracking the customers to see that which sites they visit the more. Online traders use these cookies to determine the customers and speed up their shopping process. The customers are unaware that what data is being compiled about them and advertise goods and services and channelize it to sale of the same to the them which is known as behavioral marketing (Kshetri, 2013). Payment procedure: Many consumers have no idea that the credit card is the safest way to shop. If anything goes wrong than it is protected under some transaction act. The consumers have the right to dispute the charge and the payments can be withheld while the investigation is proceeding. The online sites make the customers weak and prone to bank frauds. Social Security Number: The consumers should not give the social security numbers to the online sites because firstly there is no use of the number online and secondly the business merchants does not need while the customers transact. Providing the SSN may result to theft in the customers identity. Phishing messages: The customers should not fall into the prey of phishing messages which comes in their mails. The hackers send bulk mail to multiple people telling them to update their profile and information about their bank accounts, passwords, payment services, etc. Legitimate businesses dont ask this kind of information so the consumers should make themselves aware of this (Mayayise and Olusegun Osunmakinde, 2014). eBay is recently been the victim of the cyber attack which has led to many inactive accounts which was the affected by this breach. The company has told its users to update their passwords so that they can make it safe. This happened around the month of February where it was seen that the hackers have used the internal corporate account of the company so as to spy on the mail addresses, usernames, phone numbers, physical addresses and active passwords but all these were in an encrypted form and so it was able to compromise. It was investigated that the core issue was the users use the same passwords in many other portals which makes the passwords inactive. The bug has revealed much sensitive information of the accounts such as credit card number which was undetected. The company suggested good password management so that these kinds of losses are not repeated. More recently it was seen that computer hackers have targeted the systems which was made by General Electric for the energy and water companies. The disclosure of information has inherited risks of the public utilities to Internet so as to ensure it is moir efficient. The hackers want to target control systems of the industry because they can steal more money from the data stolen. This security breach has hit the software system of GE which gives a user interface and controls the systems of the industry in the power and manufacturing plants. This lapse in security which protected the Software of GE has prevented some of its customers from using the products of the company and manages their transactions. Conclusion Online shopping sites are being accessed on a daily basis by multiple people. As technology has advanced people have become lethargic to go to the shop and purchase. E-commerce marketing has come as a boon to the masses but with it came the security issues and threats to the customers. Anybody can fall prey of these security issues. A consumer must be aware of the sites and the extent of information they are providing on this sites. Same goes for the business entity, they should protect the information of the customer and keep it private because the consumers rely on these sites while shopping and put their utmost faith on these online traders. The above mentioned threats are to be looked into and the given solutions should be kept in mind (Warkentin and Vaughn, 2006). References Dong, Y., Li, W. and Guo, X. (2011). A Study on the Security Issues and Solution of Electronic Commerce. AMR, 219-220, pp.1301-1304. FASLI, M. (2007). On agent technology for e-commerce: trust, security and legal issues. Knowl. Eng. Rev., 22(01), p.3. Javaid, M. (n.d.). Cyber Security: Issues and Solutions. SSRN Journal. Kannan, K., Rees, J. and Sridhar, S. (2007). Market Reactions to Information Security Breach Announcements: An Empirical Analysis. International Journal of Electronic Commerce, 12(1), pp.69-91. Kshetri, N. (2013). Cybercrime and cyber-security issues associated with China: some economic and institutional considerations. Electron Commer Res, 13(1), pp.41-69. Kwangmyung Woo, and HYUN SOOK CHO, (2011). Legal Issues and Proposed Solutions of Electronic Agents in Electronic Commerce. International Commerce and Information Review, 13(1), pp.197-216. Mayayise, T. and Olusegun Osunmakinde, I. (2014). E-commerce assurance models and trustworthiness issues: an empirical study. Information Management Computer Security, 22(1), pp.76-96. Palmer, D. (2010). Ethical issues in e-business. Hershey, Pa.: IGI Global (701 E. Chocolate Avenue, Hershey, Pennsylvania, 17033, USA). Rhrig, S. and Knorr, K. (2004). Security Analysis of Electronic Business Processes. Electronic Commerce Research, 4(1/2), pp.59-81. Study on LBS Driven Mobile E-commerce: Key Issues and Technological Architecture. (2012). JDCTA, 6(13), pp.460-469. Warkentin, M. and Vaughn, R. (2006). Enterprise information systems assurance and system security. Hershey: Idea Group Pub.  , and Jaewook Lim, (2012). Impacts of Social Commerce in E-commerce : In perspective of Social Commerce Analysis Model. International Commerce and Information Review, 14(1), pp.389-410.

Romanesque and Gothic Architecture

Architecture history is an interesting subject in which we how art has evolved over centuries from Neolithic architecture of 10000 BC to the contemporary architectural designs. The existence of this history shows the gradual evolvement of the art to what the world has today. Each of the architectural designs has its own outstanding and unique features that make them stand as original.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Romanesque and Gothic Architecture specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In this history, we can take note of the Romanesque architecture of the Medieval Europe between sixth and 10th century. Two centuries later, it evolved into Gothic architecture that lasted for four centuries to 16th century (Bony, 1983, p. 13). Apart from these being history, there have specific architectural elements that are of use and can help us appreciate these pieces of art for what they are- pure architecture (Tatton-b rown John, 2002, p.35). The aim of writing this paper is to outline specific outstanding features of these two giants in the history of architecture in view of borrowing some of those elements and incorporating them in the contemporary architecture. Romanesque Architecture According to the oxford dictionary, the word â€Å"Romanesque† means â€Å"descended from Roman† and used to denote the roman languages. In architecture, the term first described architectural designs in west Europe from the fifth to the thirteenth centuries. The term is used to describe a style that was identifiably of medieval origin and prefigured in the Gothic, but still maintained the rounded Roman arch that made it appear to be a continuation of the traditional building style of the Romans (Hall, 1983, 154). In the contemporary society, the term ‘Romanesque Architecture’ refers to the works of art that were prevalent between the 10th and 12th century. Specific elements of Romanesq ue Architecture Two periods usually classify the Romanesque architecture. These are â€Å"first Romanesque† style and â€Å"Romanesque† style. The major distinction between the two is the level of expertise in which the structures are constructed (Crossley, 1962, p. 65). The First Romanesque used features like rubble walls, smaller windows and unvaulted roofs while the second Romanesque is marked by greater refinement, together with the more use of the vault and dressed stone.Advertising Looking for research paper on architecture? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Generally, the utilization of all the design aspects of Romanesque architecture not only results in an impressive piece of work but also reflect the solidity of art. The outstanding difference between the preceding roman and the later Gothic is that the Romanesque architecture relies on its wall or part of its walls called piers for strength. Walls The ma jor aspects that are characteristic of the walls constructed for buildings based on Romanesque architectural designs are their small openings as well as their thickness. They are made of double shells whose main constituent is rubble. Different regions of the world have different building materials. This depends on the nature of the locally available stones as well the traditions that govern buildings’ designs in any given locality. The stone ranges from brick, limestone, and granite to flint. The style involves small irregular stones bedded in thick mortar (Fletcher, 2001, p.56). Smooth ashlars’ masonry is not commonly used. It only occurred mainly in areas where people used easily workable limestone. Buttresses These are not an outstanding feature because of the massive-size walls of the architectural design. A flat square profile is one of the major characteristics of the buttresses among other aspects that are specific to the design of the wall(s) (Holmes, 1992, p. 122). Some of the elements that architects employ in the construction of buttresses include barrel vaults, which can be either full or half depending on the design of the buttresses in question. This mostly applies in the construction of aisles in churches-the vaulted ones. Arches and openings The other feature that is outstanding in the Romanesque is the use of semi- circular arches for all openings such as doors, windows, for arcades and for vaults. Wide doorways are in most cases surmounted by a semi-circular arch, however, exceptions exist in cases where doors with lintels are set into large arched recess and surmounted by semi-circular â€Å"lunettes† with decorative carvings (Holmes, 1992, p. 126). In other places like Italy and Germany, Ocular windows are common.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Romanesque and Gothic Architecture specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Arcades According to Fletch er, arcades mainly comprise of rows of arches (2001, p. 65). To enhance the stability of the arches, architects employ columns or piers. They form an integral part of the interior parts of large buildings besides occurring in cloisters and atriums. Their major role is to separate the nave from the aisle especially in church buildings. Traditionally the arcade of cloister is of a single stage, while the arcade that divides the aisles and nave is traditionally of two stages, and a third stage of windows (clerestory) rising above them (Holmes, 1992, p. 130). Traditionally, the purpose of arcading is to fulfill structural purpose but it is also use for decorative purpose both internally and externally. Piers In Romanesque architectural designs, architects employ piers to offer support to the other components of a building especially the arches. Though they are typically of rectangular shape, piers can take forms that are more complex with half-segments of large hollow-core columns on th e inner surface that supports the arch, or clusters of smaller shafts that lead into the arch ‘mouldings’ (Fletcher, 2001, p.67). Piers occur in different shapes depending on their usage. For instance, they assume a cruciform shape when the architects use them to join two significantly large arches. Columns Columns form an integral part of Romanesque architectural designs in buildings. Crossley argues that, to enhance their aesthetic value, most architects incorporate not only attached shafts but also colonnets in the structure in question (1962, p. 76). Other columns used in this architectural design are salvaged columns, drum columns and hollow core columns (Fletcher, 2001, p.70). Each of these columns designs gives them strength because they carry the massive weight of the upper walls. Some of them like the hollow core columns can be ornamented with incised decorations. Vaults and roofs Wood plays a pivotal role in the construction of roofs and vaults as far as Roman esque architecture is concerned. Harvey noted that, vaults and roofs can take the form of a king post, simple truss or even a tie beam (1950, p. 22). The lining in such cases comprise of a wooden ceiling. Vaults of stone or brick take on different forms. There are several types of vaults, which include barrel vault, groin vault, arched vault and ribbed vault.Advertising Looking for research paper on architecture? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Unlike the arched and ribbed vaults, the groin and barrel vaults are relatively easy to construct. Most architects argue that the easiest type of a vault to construct is the barrel (Crossley, 1962, p. 80). For the construction of such barrels, there need to be strong walls, which may or may not have small holes to enhance the support of such vaults. A groin vault is similar to the barrel that only that it requires the use of two barrels. Decoration Decoration in Romanesque architecture is yet another outstanding element of the style with arcading being its most significant aspect. Arcades are used to a great effect both internally and externally. Another decorative feature is architectural sculpture, which can be geometric. Figurative sculpture decorated buildings with fine curving engrossed on the wall surface. Other decorative features of used in Romanesque architecture are the use of murals and stained glass. Gothic architecture This architectural design succeeded the Romanesque in the 16th century. Historians argue that in the ancient times, many people used the term ‘Gothic Architecture’ as a way of describing the architectural culture that was primitive and unacceptable in many regions. The style got its influence from Romanesque and possibly from the east. Some of the elements of these pieces of architecture are as follows. Plan Most gothic buildings are of the Latin cross, with a long nave making the better part of the church, a transverse arm (transept) and, after it, an extension called the presbytery, chancel or choir (Harvey, 1950, p. 26). A prominent feature of the buildings that were constructed based on gothic architecture is the Hallenkirche. Hallenkirche comprises of two major components-naves and aisles. However, they could also take a different form. For instance, in the South of France, architects only used a singlewide nave and no aisles. Structure: The ogival arch Historians argue that the first people to use the ogival arch in architectural designs were Islamists that lived in the East. They form a major party of the architectural history among the Muslims. This style evolved from the Romanesque without a clean break and for most part, it has borrowed from the Romanesque. This makes it a significant aspect in gothic architectural designs. Functions Unlike the features of Romanesque art, gothic architecture has many applications not only in the ancient times but also in the contemporary society. For instance, gothic semi-circular vaults are used not only ion the roofing of roofs that have a regular shape but also those that have irregular shapes e.g. trapezoids. Another structural advantage is that its pointed arch channels the weight onto the piers or columns that bear it at a steep angle thus enabling the architects to raise vaults much higher than those in Romanesque architecture (Bony, 1983, p.17). This gave the building not only a very new physical appearance but also a new impression of verticalit y toward heaven. The application of the pointed arch in gothic architecture is for both decorative and structural purposes. It is therefore useful in every location where the vaulted shape is of need. Height The usual proportion for most buildings constructed using gothic architectural design especially churches is 2:1. However, depending on the overall size of a building, especially that of many storey buildings, this proportion can be as high as 3:6:1 to ensure the stability of the gothic building. The two major aspects that form the external features of gothic buildings as far as the height is concerned are spires and towers. Vertical Emphasis The pointed arch suggests height with this appearance being enhanced more by both the decoration of the building and the architectural features. From the outside, the architects lay more emphasis on verticality in a way by the spires and towers and in a more diminishing way by projecting strongly the vertical buttresses; by attached shafts that often pass through the storeys of the building; by long and narrow openings, vertical mouldings around doors and figurative sculpture that emphasizes the vertical. A pinnacle terminates the roofline, buttresses, gable ends and other parts ((Warren, 1991, p.59). From within the church, attached shafts often join unbroken from floor to ceiling where they meet the ribs of the vault. During the treatment of the wall surfaces and windows, the architects apply a general repetition of the verticals. Light The largely expanded area of the windows as at and the very large size of many individual windows is yet another distinguishing characteristic of the gothic architecture. The difference in size in gothic compare to its predecessor is because of the use of the ribbed vault- more precisely, the pointed ribbed vault, which in this structural design, channeled the weight to a holding shaft with less outward thrust compared to a semicircular vault. As a result, walls do not have to be so strong (Warren, 1991, p.61). In gothic buildings, the design of the windows plays a pivotal role in the lighting. They not only contain a pointed arch but also some other forms of decorative structural designs. To enhance more beauty to the lighting systems of the gothic buildings, the windows incorporate several patterns of stained glass. The architects blend the colors such windows so as to much the other components of the building such as the interiors and the lighting system(s). Symbolism and ornamentation Each architectural concept in the gothic cathedral, including the loftiness and huge dimensions of the structure, were designed to convey a theological message about the glory and greatness of God (Warren, 1991, p.62). The overall structure of the gothic building reflects the universe. The aspects that contribute in such a reflection are not only the geometrical but also the mathematical features that are characteristic of gothic architectural designs. Architects employ such f eatures in stained glasses, statutes as well as sculptural decorations. In the traditional Germanic churches as well in some church buildings in the contemporary society, such aspects depict the sacred aspect of Christian faith. In conclusion, the Romanesque and the gothic architectural designs share the same basic principles. Notwithstanding, the gothic design gains superiority since it is an improvement of the latter and it incorporates structural designs from other traditions especially form the east. Both Romanesque and gothic architecture comprise of aspects that reflect on the evolution of architecture despite the fact that the two may differ significantly. Incorporating these principles- both structural and decorative in the construction industry today can invoke historical structures in our contemporary world given the technology state and the current engineering knowledge and innovation. This will also be very instrumental in the preservation of certain aspects of architect ure in the contemporary society. References Bony, J. (1983). French Gothic Architecture of the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries. Berkeley: University of California press. Crossley, F.H. (1962).The English Abbey. UK : Batsford publishers. Fletcher, B. (2001). A History of Architecture on the Comparative method. USA: Elsevier Science Technology. Hall, J. (1983). A History of Ideas and Images in Italian Art. London: John Murray Publishers. Harvey, J. (1961). English Cathedrals. UK: Batsford publishers. Tatton-Brown, T., Crook, J. (2002). The English Cathedral. New Holland: New Holland Publishers. Warren, J. (1991). Creswell’s Use of the Theory of Dating by the Acuteness of the  Pointed Arches in Early Muslim Architecture. Muqarnas. California: University of California press. This research paper on Romanesque and Gothic Architecture was written and submitted by user DannyRand to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Omo Kibish (Ethiopia) - Oldest Known Early Modern Human

Omo Kibish (Ethiopia) - Oldest Known Early Modern Human Omo Kibish is the name of an archaeological site in Ethiopia, where was found the earliest examples of our own hominin species, about 195,000 years old. Omo is one of several sites found within the ancient rock formation called Kibish, itself along the Lower Omo River at the base of the Nkalabong Range in southern Ethiopia. Two hundred thousand years ago, the habitat of the lower Omo River basin was similar to what it is today, although moister and less arid away from the river. Vegetation was dense and a regular supply of water created a mix of grassland and woodland vegetation. Omo I Skeleton Omo Kibish I, or simply Omo I, is the partial skeleton found from Kamoya’s Hominid Site (KHS), named after the Kenyan archaeologist who discovered Omo I, Kamoya Kimeu. The human fossils recovered in the 1960s and in the early 21st century include a skull, several pieces from the upper limbs and shoulder bones, several bones of the right hand, the lower end of the right leg, a piece of the left pelvis, fragments of both lower legs and the right foot, and some rib and vertebrae fragments. The body mass for the hominin has been estimated at approximately 70 kilograms (150 pounds), and although it is not certain, most evidence indicates Omo was female. The hominin stood somewhere between 162-182 centimeters (64-72 inches) tallthe leg bones are not sufficiently intact enough to give a closer estimate. The bones suggest Omo was a young adult at the time of her death. Omo is currently classified as anatomically modern human. Artifacts with Omo I Stone and bone artifacts were found in association with Omo I. They included a variety of vertebrate fossils, dominated by birds and bovids. Nearly 300 pieces of flaked stone were found in the vicinity, predominantly fine-grained crypto-crystalline silicate rocks, such as jasper, chalcedony, and chert. The most common artifacts are debris (44%) and flakes and flake fragments (43%). A total of 24 cores was found; half the cores are Levallois cores. Primary stone tool making methods used at KHS produced Levallois flakes, blades, core-trimming elements, and pseudo-Levallois points. There are 20 retouched artifacts, including an ovate handaxe, two basalt hammerstones, sidescrapers, and backed knives. Over the area a total of 27 artifact refits have been found, suggesting a potential slope wash or north-trending sediment slump before the sites burial or some purposeful stone knapping/tool discard behaviors. Excavation History Excavations in the Kibish formation were first conducted by the International Palaeontological Research Expedition to the Omo Valley in the 1960s led by Richard Leakey. They found several ancient anatomically modern human remains, one of them the Omo Kibish skeleton. In the early 21st century, a new international team of researchers returned to Omo and found additional bone fragments, including a femur fragment which conjoined with a piece collected in 1967. This team also conducted Argon isotope dating and modern geological studies that identified the age of the Omo I fossils as 195,000 /- 5,000 years old. The Lower Valley of the Omo was inscribed to the World Heritage List in 1980. Dating Omo The earliest dates on the Omo I skeleton were quite controversialthey were uranium-series age estimates on Etheria freshwater mollusk shells that provided a date of 130,000 years ago, which in the 1960s was deemed too early for Homo sapiens. Serious questions arose in the latter half of the 20th century about the reliability of any dates on mollusks; but in the early 21st century Argon dates on the strata in which Omo lay returned ages between 172,000 and 195,000, with the most likely date nearer 195,000 years ago. A possibility then arose that Omo I had been an intrusive burial into an older layer. Omo I was finally direct-dated by laser ablation elemental Uranium, Thorium, and Uranium-series isotope analysis (Aubert et al. 2012), and that date confirms its age as 195,000/- 5000. In addition, a correlation of the makeup of the KHS volcanic  tuff to the Kulkuletti Tuff in the Ethiopian Rift Valley indicates the skeleton is likely aged 183,000 or older: even that is 20,000 years older than the next oldest AMH representative in the Herto formation also in Ethiopia (154,000-160,000). Sources This definition is part of the About.com Guide to the Middle Paleolithic. Assefa Z, Yirga S, and Reed KE. 2008. The large-mammal fauna from the Kibish Formation. Journal of Human Evolution 55(3):501-512.Aubert M, Pike AWG, Stringer C, Bartsiokas A, Kinsley L, Eggins S, Day M, and Grà ¼n R. 2012. Confirmation of a late middle Pleistocene age for the Omo Kibish 1 cranium by direct uranium-series dating. Journal of Human Evolution 63(5):704-710.Brown FH, McDougall I, and Fleagle JG. 2012. Correlation of the KHS Tuff of the Kibish Formation to volcanic ash layers at other sites, and the age of early Homo sapiens (Omo I and Omo II). Journal of Human Evolution 63(4):577-585.de la Torre I. 2004. Omo Revisited: Evaluating the Technological Skills of Pliocene Hominids. Current Anthropology 45(4):439-466.McDougall I, Brown FH, and Fleagle JG. 2005. Stratigraphic placement and age of modern humans from Kibish, Ethiopia. Nature 433:733-736.McDougall I, Brown FH, and Fleagle JG. 2008. Sapropels and the age of hominins Omo I and II, Kibish, Ethiopia. Journal of Human E volution 55(3):409-420. Pearson OM, Royer DF, Grine FE, and Fleagle JG. 2008. A description of the Omo I postcranial skeleton, including newly discovered fossils. Journal of Human Evolution 55(3):421-437.Rightmire GP. 2008. Homo in the Middle Pleistocene: Hypodigms, variation, and species recognition. Evolutionary Anthropology 17(1):8-21.Shea JJ. 2008. The Middle Stone Age archaeology of the Lower Omo Valley Kibish Formation: excavations, lithic assemblages, and inferred patterns of early Homo sapiens behavior. Journal of Human Evolution 55(3):448-485.Sisk ML, and Shea JJ. 2008. Intrasite spatial variation of the Omo Kibish Middle Stone Age assemblages: Artifact refitting and distribution patterns. Journal of Human Evolution 55(3):486-500.

Bernard Matthews Farms

Bernard Matthews farms Bernard Matthews farms is the largest turkey producer in the UK. The business has grown substantially since its relatively humble origins in 1950, when entrepreneur Bernard Matthews bought 20 turkey eggs and a second-hand incubator. Twelve turkeys successfully hatched from this initial batch and, before long, the young entrepreneur was able to give up his insurance job and concentrate full-time on rearing turkeys. Today, Bernard Matthews farms rears over seven million turkeys every year. Thirteen million UK households buy a Bernard Matthews farms branded product each year. Despite the size of its operations, the company remains close to its roots in East Anglia, with its farms located across Norfolk, Suffolk and Lincolnshire. Bernard Matthews’ vision is ‘to make turkey the preferred choice of protein for every day and every occasion’. The company’s product line featured affordable, tasty and convenient food choices. Bernard Matthews farms operates in a competitive and fast-changing environment. Consumers are faced with a huge choice of foods to suit different lifestyles, diets, and tastes. However, in recent years, buying patterns have changed as consumers have become more concerned about healthy eating, food safety, and animal welfare. Chance events can have a significant impact on a food business. For example, celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s high-profile campaign in 2005 to improve the quality of school meals identified foods such as Bernard Matthews farms’ Turkey Twizzlers as being unhealthy. In 2007, there was an outbreak of bird flu at a Bernard Matthews farm in Suffolk. At that time, the media also discovered that the company imported some of its turkey from abroad. The press published stories suggesting that the imports could have been directly related to the outbreak, a theory that was never proven. Initially, Bernard Matthews farms did not speak up and defend its product range against Oliver’s accusations. This resulted in adverse press coverage and the company lost credibility with the media. When bird flu hit, relations with the media were at an all-time low. The companys immediate reaction to the crisis was to focus on eliminating the disease, which it did successfully. Communications came low on the list of priorities. This meant that the resulting information vacuum was soon filled with damaging and often inaccurate news reports. Another issue surfaced during this time period. Two of the company’s workers were convicted of animal cruelty in 2006, having been secretly filmed hitting turkeys with a pole. Others had been filmed playing ‘catch’ with turkeys. Bernard Matthews farms’ spokesperson initially gave â€Å"no comment†, saying he hadn’t seen the video, although he had been shown pictures of the abuse. The company nonetheless claimed it was ‘committed to the â€Å"highest standards† of animal welfare’. The employees defended themselves by saying that they were influenced by the â€Å"culture† at the plant. Yet, in June 2007, employees were again caught and filmed in acts of animal cruelty – this time kicking turkeys. When the company realized the extent of the damage and finally opened up to the press it was too little, too late, as all trust had been lost. As a result, Bernard Matthews farms’ sales in the UK fell by 35% and the company went into a loss position for the first time.

Can global governance avert economic crises Term Paper

Can global governance avert economic crises - Term Paper Example terized by prolonged periods of increased unemployment and inflation, reduced international trade and investment, a loss of foreign reserves and recession. Various types of crises can arise in the global economy. An example of the crises is the financial crisis that is usually observed globally. A Financial crisis according to Portes (1998) is a situation where the financial markets are disturbed in such a manner that the markets fail to allocate the capital. As a result, the investment and the financial intermediation are gravely affected. A ‘financial crisis is’ a term that is usually broadly used for many types of crises. According to Portes (1998) a financial crisis is used to refer to exchange rate problems, bankruptcy, and debt defaults. Some of the examples of the financial crises are explained below. According to Jahjah (2000), defaults refer to a situation where any individual or a country fails to comply with the terms and conditions of an agreement and also is not able to pay the required debts at the already proposed time. An example of a default crisis would be the sub prime crisis that occurred in the US in 2008 where the borrowers were provided with the loans that could not be sold in the prime market according to Whalen (2008). The term ‘sub prime’ was used for the ‘sub prime’ crisis because it actually defines the status of the borrower. This means that during the crises that borrowers who had poor credit history were granted loans. As mentioned above, these loans could not be sold out to anyone in the prime markets. There was a sub prime crisis because the borrowers and lenders both were at risk. The reasons were that the sub prime lending according to Whalen (2008) meant that the borrowers and the lenders had to face markets with higher interest rates, a high rate of default and poor credit history. In the US according to Shankar (2008), the sub prime lending increased from 9% in 1996 to 21% in 2004. Some analysts argue that the

Summary Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Summary - Assignment Example The authors work with Elizabeth Brainerd is based on two hypotheses. Firstly, competitive industries do not have discrimination, so in case of an exogenous shock (increased trade) the effect of discrimination is negligible. Secondly, in less competitive industries, scope of discrimination is more, so in case of the same exogenous shock narrowing the gender wage gap would be considerable. Since theoretically, the wage differential in competitive industries is nil, by providing for increased trade, the authors could compute the gender wage gap in concentrated industries. The survey covering the period 1977-94 used data from Current Population Survey. The population comprised of individuals aged 18 to 64 and working as full time. First log wage of all individuals was regressed on education, age, agesqaured and nonwhite dummy variable. Then the residual gender wage gap was computed from difference in average residual wages for male and female at industry level. The industry level results were matched to trade level results, with trade measured as import shares. The findings show that an increase in import share leads to reduction in gender wage gap in concentrated industries. However overall increase in trade have a negative impact on relative wages of women. These results can also be factored on decline in unionization and not discrimination impact.