Family Systems Theory

Family Systems Theory: Family Cohesion When growing up families are and have been considered systems because they are made up of interrelated elements or objectives. Families are examples to show that they have regular behaviors, they have regular interactions, and they are interdependent on one another. It is believed the family can be defined as a set of interacting individuals who are related by blood, marriage, cohabitation, or adoption.Although they are numerous in number some functions of the family include values and practices placed on theories that are used to explain patterns of living among the individuals who make up the family systems. In system theory, behaviors and family members responses influence the regulation of the family pattern and the family life pattern. Meanings and values are vital components of the family system and provide motivation and energy. Every family has a unique culture, value, structure, and history. We can choose our friends and sometimes even the people we choose to work with, but we cannot in any way choose who our family members are.We are stuck with them for better or for worse and we are bound together forever; fortunately or unfortunately. As individuals, we are each are unique in more ways than can we can even begin to list Because of this, family members don’t always get along and disagreements can be expected. Family cohesion is important. Families who have healthy levels of cohesion emotionally interact with one another and find the unspoken balance that supports us when we want our very own individual independence and in the same hand we can continue to maintain our family togetherness.Healthy family cohesion is not only strength, but a resource for families that will assist them in facing the daily challenges of family life. This system helps with assisting in maintaining a healthy marriage, and in providing a nurturing environment for all the children if present within the family. Family members from c ohesive family environments feel included and emotionally connected with the family. Low  family cohesion  indicates a  weak  emotional bond among family members. It is important to do all things possible to maintain a high family cohesion; this will keep the family system strong.

Degree of Operating Leverage

Operating Leverage:Operating Leverage is the term that describes the impact on operating income of a change in the level of output. Brigham says that â€Å"If a high percentage of a firm’s costs are fixed, and hence do not decline when demand decreases, this increases he company’s business risk. This factor is called operating leverage. If a high percentage of a firm’s total costs are fixed, the firm is said to have a high degree of operating leverage. The degree of operating leverage (DOL) is defined as the percentage change in operating income (or EBIT) that results from a given percentage change in sales†¦.In effect, the DOL is an index number which measures the effect of a change in sales [number of units] on operating income, or EBIT.†Autron:Generally, the higher the operating leverage, the more a company's income is affected by fluctuation in sales volume. The higher income vs. sales ratio results from a smaller portion of variable costs, which means the Company does not have to pay as much additional money for each unit produced or sold. The more significant the volume of sales, the more beneficial the investment in fixed costs becomes. Applying this principle the operating leverage of Autron is in a good position and any change in sales volume will not violently affect the income of this company.Ambertech:The position of this company with respect to the Operating Leverage is not advantageous to the company as the ratio is high. It signifies that the fixed costs are at a higher level. This means that any small change in sales volume will adversely affect the profitability of the company.Degree of Financial LeverageCompanyDegree of Financial LeverageFinancial Leverage:‘Financial leverage’ is the term used to describe the impact on returns of a change to the extent to which the firm’s assets are financed with borrowed money. In their 1997 article Buccino and Mckinley define operating leverage as the impa ct of a change in revenue on profit or cash flow. It arises, they say, whenever a firm can increase its revenues without a proportionate increase in operating expenses. Cash allocated to increasing revenue, such as marketing and business development expenditures, are quickly â€Å"consumed by high fixed expenses.†Autron:The degree to which a business is utilizing borrowed money. Companies that are highly leveraged may be at risk of bankruptcy if they are unable to make payments on their debt; they may also be unable to find new lenders in the future. Financial leverage is not always bad, however; it can increase the shareholders return on their investment and often there are tax advantages associated with borrowing. Applying this basic principle, with a low financial leverage, this company is utlising very lower level of borrowed funds. The interest burden on the company will naturally be less and the company is financing its operations from its own sources.Ambertech:As again st the company Autron, this company has high financial leverage which implies that the borrowings are more for this company and the company is running the risk of higher interest payments and meeting their debt commitments on dates.Combined Leverage:A leverage ratio that summarizes the combined effect the degree of operating leverage (DOL), and the degree of financial leverage has on earnings per share (EPS), given a particular change in sales. This ratio can be used to help determine the most optimal level of financial and operating leverage to use in any firm. This ratio can be very useful, as it summarizes the effects of combining both financial and operating leverage, and what effect this combination, or variations of this combination, has on the corporation's earningsAutron:It should be noted that a firm with a relatively high level of combined leverage is seen as  riskier than a firm with less combined leverage, as the  high leverage means more fixed costs to the firm. On the basis of the combined leverage ratio, it can be stated that the company Auton is less riskier as the leverage ratio of – 4.296 is highly advantageous to the firm signifying a lower level of fixed costs and better profitability. As we have seen in the Operating Leverage for this Company, any change in sales volume will result in more profits.Ambertech:In contrast to the company Autron, this company has a higher operating and financial leverage which has resulted in a higher combined leverage. This situation implies that the company’s fixed costs are very high leading to lower profitability. Any change in sales volume will adversely affect the earnings of the company.References:1. Brigham, Eugene F., Fundamentals of Financial Management (1995).2. Buccino, Gerald P. and Kraig S. McKinley, â€Å"The Importance of Operating Leverage in a Turnaround,† Secured Lender (Sept./Oct. 1997), p. 64-68.

Gender Differences in Advertisements Essay

It has been evident for the past decades that advertisers still use stereotyped images of men and women in their advertisements. This can say that the pursuit for equality is still not grasped by the society. The images we see in magazines, in televisions, in billboards portray a very old perception of gender, especially the inferiority and submissive nature of women, with their bodies used as mere sexual objects, if not, still used as household caretakers. Women are also deemed to be beautiful if they have slim bodies, fair complexion and long shiny hair. Men, on the other hand, are portrayed to be strong, dominant and successful in their careers. For this essay, I will be showing two examples of images, which reveals the still existing gender inequality. I will be referring to some themes and issues to support my arguments. Also, for my basic analysis of advertisements, I will be using Katherine Frith’s [1998] approach in â€Å"Undressing the Ad: Reading Culture in Advertising† [Lukas, 2002]. It includes a surface meaning, the advertiser’s intended meaning, and the cultural or ideological meaning. For the semiotic level, which connotes the social themes in advertisements, I will be applying Erving Goffman’s [1979] approach in â€Å"Gender Advertisements. † For the first example, I will use the Gucci Magazine advertisement as shown in Figure 1 in the appendix. Just by looking at the picture, you can already see that there is gender inequality. Before dwelling into that, I will first apply a basic analysis of the ad. 1. The Surface Meaning It can be seen that there are two subjects in the picture. It is very evident that one is female, while the other one can be assumed to be male. It is because of its masculine features, as seen in the upper body though the face was not explicitly shown. The female is down on the floor, touching the shoes of the male. She is wearing a sexy gold dress. The male is standing, wearing only khaki pants. Both clothing are assumed to be under the brand, Gucci. The setting is in the desert and the overall appeal of the image is very earthy. There are no words or taglines in the ad, just â€Å"Gucci†. 2. Advertiser’s Intended Meaning The advertiser might be showcasing the earthy tones and summer styles of Gucci, as seen in the very comfortable and breezy clothes the subjects are wearing. There is still a certain class in the style, whether you put them in the dessert or just wherever. 3. Cultural or Ideological Meaning The picture obviously depicts the dominance of males over females. To be more detailed, we use Goffman’s approach by taking into consideration the social themes being depicted here. The positioning of the subject explicitly exposes gender bias. The man is standing while woman is down on floor. It just shows that men are in control and have power over women. The woman is way below under his legs, at his feet to be exact. She is even touching his shoes. It reminds me of a servant, wiping the dirt of his master in the desert. The woman here really looked inferior and if we extend the picture upward, exposing the face of the man, it can be that he is looking down on her, seeing the contraction of his abdomen in the picture. Moreover, such display of abs connotes a very masculine and strong appeal. We know that men who have well developed abs are the ones who are the most physically fit. The woman on one hand is thin and sexy, with her body parts, especially the legs and the cleavage, generally exposed. Reexamining the â€Å"Nature/Culture† Paradigm, we are reminded of the â€Å"vertical† perspective, which organizes the relationships of male and female [Tilleuil, 2002]. The woman is labeled as the dominated and the man is labeled as the dominant. According to the sociologist, Claude Herne, â€Å"†In the advertising image, in order to make the woman feel inferior, signs multiply and underline the weakness, the lack of self-confidence, fragility, hesitation, dissimulation, submission, childishness and infantilization, too. † [Tilleuil, 2002]. This signs are very well depicted in this ad. The woman looks fragile, and she displays a look of submission in her eyes, like a slave. This leads us to another example of an advertisement, which now depicts heavy violence to women. The ad to be examined here is figure 2 of the appendix. It is an ad from Dolce and Gabbana. 1. The Surface Meaning In the ad, there are six subjects. There are five males and one female. It looks like they are in a rooftop of some resort/hotel. Some men are wearing fitted Polos, while others are half naked. Their skins are very shiny. It looks like there’s oil or sweat in them. One man is on top of the woman, while others are watching intently to the scene in the middle. The woman is lying down on the floor, wearing a sexy black dress and high heels. 2. Advertiser’s Intended Meaning The advertiser here is showcasing the sexy formal styles of Dolce and Gabbana, with their breezy polos, classy dresses. It looks like the clothing is part of their summer collection. 3. Cultural or Ideological Meaning/Goffman’s approach It is very evident in the picture that the scene is depicting a â€Å"gang rape†. This is extreme sexual violence right at your eyes. Such violence is even portrayed in classy way, with the clothing of Dolce and Gabbana at display. We look back to the inferiority and submissiveness of the woman here. The woman is again down on the floor, but this time, she is lying down, about to be raped by the first guy on top of her. But we also see here that they are being watched by other men. One of them is already topless, while, one is semi-buttoned, with his chest exposed. There is also one who is only wearing a sleeveless undershirt, while the last guy is still fully dressed up. They all have this sultry look to the woman. The woman here is about to give herself to the man, with her hips going upward. Yet, you can see that the man is locking her arms in the floor, and it looks like she cannot get away with his grasp. The woman has been the subject of sexual pleasure. Violence here is part of the pleasure package. As we have been exposed in the media, we can recall about the whipping, the slapping of women, their being tied up to different places, exposing a lot of skin, with their bodies being molded to different erotic positions. In most cases women are victims of such violence, since men being tied up would not be a delightful sight for them. Overall, as seen in most advertisements, women are always the weaker player, being taken advantaged of men, who are more superior. Women are still being depicted as mere objects of sexual desire [Sharabi, n. d. ]. Women are seen only as domestic providers, who do not have their own decision making powers. According to the blog of â€Å"Daughter of Liberty† [2007], she said that the following are some important points to take note in advertisements: 1. Canting It can be seen through the body language that women are submissive and they have low self-confidence. For our examples, it is explicitly shown with the woman on the floor, with no control. 2. Clowning It can be seen that women are usually posed like an innocent child in the ads, which connotes ignorance (stupidity perhaps) and practically it tells us that women are easily dominated. 3. Dependence Women are seen to be very dependent to men, which can be particularly found in the first advertisement, where the woman is touching the shoes of the man. 4. Dismemberment Dismemberment is described as focusing on a particular body part. However, for our first example, it was the man who was dismembered. 5. Dominance/violence This is evidently seen in both of our examples, especially in the Dolce and Gabbana ad, which depicts a gang rape. I think ads these days have become more violent and more associated to sex than ever before, due to change of perception of our society. Sex and violence is not a taboo anymore, and we can just openly discuss those issues in a coffee table. However, being a more open society must teach us to be less discriminating and degrading. Women and men were created equally. More ads should focus on empowering women, like what is happening in Dove. We must not let ourselves, especially our children to be exposed to such violence because images convey very powerful images and it can impact one’s behavior.

International Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 10

International Business - Essay Example French government started paying much attention to the issue. For example, the president Jacque Chirac as well as prime minister Lionel Jospin always emphasized the necessity to introduce more effective methods directed at market regulation in the conditions of globalization. Jospin allowed foreign organizations to buy the parts of the French companies, which were owned by the state. Thus, the company Air France was partially sold in 1998. This testifies about many changes, which were happened to France. The government of France considers cultural diversity to be a positive phenomenon that should be supported, but in general the politics of the country is directed at slowing down the globalization. France is very much concerned about the influence the globalization imposes and is looking for various ways to regulate this influence (Globalization). The protest against globalization is so active in France that not only the government but also plain people take part in this protest. A perfect example is breaking a McDonald’s symbol by a sheep farmer Jose Bove in defense of French traditions. In the survey on the issue 45% of respondent approved his actions and only 4% were against (Gordon & Meunier, 2001). It is essential to mention that French citizens do not see any difference in â€Å"globalization† and â€Å"Americanization†. Really the phenomenon under consideration is associated with â€Å"Americanization† because of the influence the international English language, high economic development, liberal policies and the influence the development of American politics, economy, technology and values impose on other countries. It is possible to state that though France is fighting against globalization, at the same time it is adjusting to its influence and moreover, takes all possible benefits from it . Economic domain is a

Social Responsibility of McDonald's Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Social Responsibility of McDonald's - Case Study Example Developments in science and technology that enable the creation of new food products and the diminishing consumer involvement in preparing food products on their own are two prominent factors. These two factors need to be handled by the food industry with sensitivity to society for the business enterprises in this sector of industry to live up to the ethical expectations in the manner in which they do business (Early 2002).  McDonald's has recognized the need for providing organizational leadership to act responsibly in the perspective of society. This is reflected in the words of Jack M. Greenberg Chairman and Chief Executive of McDonald's. â€Å"  "Social responsibility is not a project or a program. Acting responsibly is the way McDonald's does business†. Thus organizational leadership for the manner in which McDonald’s attempts to do business in a socially responsible manner begins with top management and percolates to all segments of the organization. This has seen environmental and market place initiatives come into place. In partnership with the Centre for Environmental Leadership in Business McDonald has targeted sustainable agriculture and conservation practices and standards within the McDonalds supply chain. This is one of the environmental initiatives. On the marketing initiative front, McDonald’s has formed a consultative body to ensure humane treatment of animals and birds in the farms associated with the supply. Food safety is an issue of serious concern for McDonald's and maintains a high degree of â€Å"professional responsibility† and â€Å"deep commitment† to food safety requirements.  

Operations manager at John lewis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Operations manager at John lewis - Essay Example The researcher resorted to the review of several management principles such as Kotter’s 8 step change management model, Mintzberg’s management theory and Black Mouton managerial grid. The theories served as a strong foundation thereby enabling the researcher to identify the extent to which the managers in John Lewis effectively emulated the management principles in order to establish a better work environment which enables them to focus on both the welfare of the employees and the productivity of the organization. The management of John Lewis believes in a simple principle and that is any development within the employees will have a direct or indirect contribution to the development of the business. That is why the managers introduced a management development programme in order to ensure that the employees perform at their peak. The training program is designed to provide employees with ample scope for personal development. This will help the employees to identify their areas of strengths and work accordingly to achieve personal as well as organizational goals. The managers of John Lewis focus more on the development of personal and technical skills (John Lewis Partnership, 2015a). They follow a training and development plan based on three pillars depicted in figure 1. The managers emphasize on training the employees in three dimensions: experience (characterized by on the job training), exposure and exchange (characterised by knowledge, information and skill sharing between employees at workplace) and education (training based on theoretical learning). The training and development programme in John Lewis is designed to impart skills to employees belonging from all departments. The management framework in the company is identical to the Mintzbergs Management Roles theory. While conducting the training and development program the managers play an instrumental role in managing the new recruits. They have to change their roles

Employment Law Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Employment Law Assessment - Essay Example In this analysis, steps that BSG Company can take to prevent legal action from Tony against the company because of the events that occurred have been recommended. This case involves HR issues, as well as, legal issues. First, it should be noted that both employers and employees have a shared responsibility to ensure that everything is alright in working practices and working conditions, as well as, other areas of working life. These areas include grievances, health and safety at the workplace. Employers owe a legal duty of care to their employees (Gennard & Judge, 2005, p, 378). It is expressive that Tony has an injury to mental health because he has not been reporting to work for four weeks due to stress associated with the ridicule he has been going through at work, after he was nicknamed the ‘BSG Smurf†. Therefore, the legal issue in relation to this situation is that BSG Limited has failed to fulfil its duty, as an employer, of ensuring health and safety at the workpl ace for Tony, as one of the company’s employees. Instead, Tony has been subjected to harassment from fellow employees, and the company has not taken any reasonable steps to stop this behaviour, in spite of the fact that this has been going on for a period of four weeks. It is imperative to note that harassment is prohibited both in criminal and civil law (Groenendijk, Guild, & Minderhoud, 2003, p, 181). Employers should guarantee a healthy and safe working environment for their employees is healthy and safe, as outlined in the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (ACAS, 2012, p, 3). Therefore, employers should ensure that there is a code of practice enforcing discipline, which employees should follow. The BSG HR has failed to ensure that discipline is observed by all employees to prevent unacceptable behaviour towards other employees, which may cause harm. As a result of Mickey’s behaviour and other employees at the Guildford BSG garage, Tony is suffering from stress. Fu rthermore, according to the Law of Tort, individuals have a duty not to act in ways that may cause physical or mental harm to others. Tort of Negligence in employment law requires or places a duty on employers to ensure the safety of employees (Mothersole & Ridley, 1999, p, 512). According to Gennard & Judge (2005, p, 378), stress levels that are allowed in the place of work is not regulated or controlled by specific statute. As a result, general doctrines that apply in addressing personal injury claims are used to address issues of work related stress. In law, mental health injury such as stress is treated just like physical health injury (Gennard & Judge, 2005, p, 378). Employers are generally responsible in the law for the acts of their employees, unless the employers can show that they took reasonably practical steps to prevent the employee carrying out the harassment from doing so (Davies, 2010, p, 68). It a high test for employers to show that indeed they took steps, which wer e practically reasonable to stop harassment. Employers are responsible for the unacceptable, harassment activities of their employees, if the victim proves that there was a course of two or more occasions of harassment that caused harm, and the perpetrator must have known or ought to have known the conduct amounted to harassment, as per the provisions of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 (Davies, 2010, p,

Poverty in politics Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Poverty in politics - Research Paper Example Empirical research evidence indicates that the united state political system had played a significant role of escalating cases of poverty and hunger across the entire economy. Whereby, instead of establishing measures that can help to address the issue of hunger and poverty. The United States political system tends too busy in executing policies that are jeopardizing the standards of living. For example, the government spends substantial amount of financial resources in Military rather than using this funds to execute programs that can improve both social and economic welfare of its citizens (World Hunger Information Service, paras1-2). Some of the methods used in carrying out this research include the application of case study research design whereby, the united state was selected out of 10 most economically powerful states, like China, Japan, Japan, Spain, Canada, Germany, Italy, United States, France and Russia. The united state was selected out of the above mention states using S imple random sampling techniques. Simple random sampling was utilized because it gives each element equal chances of inclusion into the study. Secondary research was, utilized in carrying out research on how poor politics in the United States led to escalating levels of poverty. ... d quantitatively (Sreenivasan and Jyotsna,pp.76-89) Therefore, the study of this topic is important because it helps to gain an insight on the aspects of poverty in the United States as well as measures that can be put in place to address this problem. Additionally, the study of this topic is important because it indicates ways in which government officials, agencies, and policies affect poverty /have led to an increase in poverty levels. The topic had had further explained the impact of poverty in the United Stated as well as measures that can be put in place to address poverty problems. In addition, the study of this is important because it provides fundamental basis for further research. Literature Review Aspect of the politics of poverty in the United States Poor political and economic policies have been highly attributed to be the main cause of an increase in the levels of poverty among the United States citizens. Some of the main aspects of politics of poverty include: The unit ed state has loosely organized political system that fails to address social and economic problems facing the U.S citizens. For example, the united state has only two political parties that are not well structure. This means that there are no enough watchdogs to scrutinize how the government is spending public resources and hence, the federal government tends to spend public financial resources in activities that bring fewer benefits to its citizens. In above connection, the united state political system had failed to address the issues facing its people but instead the federal government has been reported to make the situation even worse (Rector and Rachel,P.1-3) Empirical research evidence indicates that half of the United States budget tends to be allotted to ministry of security and

Global Marketplace Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Global Marketplace - Dissertation Example As of the year 2012, the nations of India and China are the largest producers of graduates all around the world (Coughlan, 2012). This oversupply of qualified human talent is lowering the competition for talent in the markets of India and China and as a result leading to lowering of job costs in these specific markets. Additionally, in analysing the scenario from the financial as well as strategic perspective, the currency difference that exists between the Western and Eastern nations of the globe are further generating lucrative options for organizations of the West who can get the desired jobs done at much lower costs from the low cost talent base available in the market of the East. The influence of the macro economics and market dynamics of the various nations also has to be taken into consideration while trying to gauge the factors that are fuelling outsourcing. The stress in the economic growth of the global nations is directly creating pressures on the manpower costs that can be handled by the organizations. The organization management trends reveal that companies are opting for lean staffing and high employee productivity. Routine restructuring of the work force by organizations are leading to discharging of skilled employees who are again opting forward to cover their own lifestyle expenses by working in a freelancing mode. This is indirectly triggering the demand for freelancing in an indirect manner (Pattison, 2009). To leverage the advantage emerging out of low cost skilled talent available in the global markets, especially from the nations of the East, the organizations of the global markets are turning to outsourcing of jobs of certain levels. Also, the factors of... This paper stresses that talking in regards to role conflict, it can be said that this factor might emerge in virtual teams as the various employees who are working for an organization as a part of the virtual team are spread in different geographical location. The lack of face to face interaction among the team member automatically leads to the lack of coordination within the team. This might automatically trigger a potential conflict in regards to the roles that are supposed to be performed by the various remotely operating members of the virtual teams. As a process of resolving these issues, the HR department of the organization dealing with international HRM issues should focus on clear role definition for the employees working as a part of the virtual team of an organization This essay makes a conclusion that in discussing about the interpersonal relationships and work relationships, it is important to consider that since the members of the virtual team are operating in a remote manner, there is a tremendous lack of interaction among the team members of both formal as well as informal nature. From the point of group dynamics, it needs to be stated that for smooth operating of any team, it is important to promote mutual interaction within the team members. For the process of promoting interaction among the team members working in a virtual team, the HR department of the organization needs to encourage the team leader responsible for supervising the virtual team to promote mutual interaction among the team members of both formal and informal manner.

What is IR Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

What is IR Theory - Essay Example International Relation theory raises fundamentally empirical issues which can only be settled by analyzing the facts. Professor Martin Wight, in the 1960 April issue of international Relations, published a paper titled â€Å"Why Is There No International Theory?† The Professor believes that the sovereign state has, since the Reformation, been the focal point of Western political thought and experience (Morgenthau 63). The international theory is true to diplomatic experience, and is augmented when belief in progress is prevalent. According to this school of thought, if things remain as they were in the past, man would become desperate. This theory he referred to as â€Å"the argument from desperation†. International relations is widely involves recurrence and repetition as international reality and international theory collide. International theory becomes a sort of philosophy of history as it involves the ultimate experience of national existence and national extinction. For national existence, every individual requires the protection of the state that represents them in the international community (Wight 38). This view considers a sovereign State to be the end of a political experience and activity. This juristic expression considers international politics to be an untidy extension of domestic politics. It is a systematic and continued balance of power between different players. International Relations is a transient subject with the modern society being in a state of transition. The past occurrences in one state relating with other states influences the future interactions that are likely to occur. Therefore, the theorizing of international relations is likened to a system of abstract propositions with a predictive function. In the view of this system, nations become stereotyped participators in stereotyped symmetric or asymmetric relations (Morgenthau 65). The modern society has emerged from a medieval society and is

Research Project Assignment Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Project Assignment - Research Paper Example In most of the lower class of the society, the systems such as schools and the law enforcement are one of the major reasons why the people under such settings cannot prosper in their education and the job opportunities. In the lower class society, most of the families prefer taking their children to lower standard schools, which they can afford paying the tuition. A lower standard school signifies that the education offered is of a lower standard education, this compared to schools that the middleclass people and the upper class people are exposed to. In a high standard society, the institutions that are in most situations availed are such that have qualified teachers who offer quality education at standard levels. On the other hand, in most cases, a low standard learning institution tends to have less qualified teachers who lack the standard quality education. Lack of proper education values is one of the major problems that is faced in a lower class society. Education is fundamental in the aspect that when a person is exposed to good education, he or she has a higher chance to secure a job in the future and earn some money to take care of him or herself. In a lower class society most of the teachers and the school administration are underpaid by their various institutions, for this reason there tend to be laxity in offering proper education. The impact of the lack of the proper education in the society then is that when most of the students finish the school curricula, they lack the qualifications to secure good jobs and ends up working for the underpaying companies as well (Lee). In most lower class schools, the rates at which the teachers are changed in a learning institution is extremely low compared to the schools of the upper class society. The relevance in changing teachers in a institution has been attached to the ability of the students to

Critical synopsis Essay Example for Free

Critical synopsis Essay A book that scrutinizes the increasing competition between China, India, and Japan and how it affects the global financial system, Bill Emmott’s ‘Rivals: How the Power Struggle Between China, India, and Japan Will Shape Our Next Decade‘ dwells further on the issues that extend these three nations. Obviously, he recognize the fundamental evolving power rivals in Asia as such region still does not have the merging foundation that have facilitate Europe to its issues. He highlighted the importance of China, India and Japan to encompass a strong influence in the intercontinental associations to boost up their economies without clashing each other’s head. For me, the true essence of the book lies with his ability in molding the readers to understand the issues that these countries have with each other as well as with the US and other key nations without augmenting into alarmism. With the global economic turmoil that started in the US mid July-August 2008, reading the book really sharpens once mind to the reality that Asia, despite it’s own economic meltdown would always have a say in society as it generates a very strong influential power that could either make or break them and the whole world at large. Yes, China’s rapid economic leap is may be in conflict with it’s political reform; India’s economy might be in conflict with it’s key policy and Japan’s old age population issues might yield a very poor economic shrinkage but with the continued boost especially in the Business Process Outsourcing sector (which China and India are the leading provider), all three countries could safeguard their economic stability of course, providing that no chaos arises, which is only possible if all three countries could work harmoniously had in hand and eliminate any possible dilemma that would arise especially as we face the saga of recession.

Theoretical Perspectives On A Family

Theoretical Perspectives On A Family Theories have been useful as a tool for creating explanations for patterns of behaviour in families (Doherty et al:, 1993). Functionalism gives an extremely optimistic view of family life. Langs evidence on child abuse, violence against women and divorce statistics indicates that functionalists neglect the dysfunctional aspects of the nuclear family. Functionalism focused excessively on the nuclear family form and insufficiently on other family forms. Marxist and Functionalist theories of the family tend to assume that the nuclear family is the dominant family form and therefore neglect diversity. Both structural approaches to the family Marxism and Functionalism can be deterministic, and this can make their analyses inaccurate and maybe over-generalised. Feminists, interactionists and the radical psychiatrists of the 1960s (Laing, Leach and Cooper) have all helped to correct these weaknesses.  Postmodernism has helpfully emphasised diversity, but it can be argued that it goes too far, ignoring the evidence of structural trends and dominant norms in our society(Doherty et al:, 1993). Functionalist approach presents the most positive view of theory. Types of Family The nuclear family is traditionally known to be made of the parents and their siblings and this is the most basic family arrangement. While the nuclear family is made- up father, mother and their offspring, extended family refers to aunts, grandparents, cousins and uncles. I would like to think that most societies have a concept of extended family. The relative structure, functions and importance vary according to the particular culture. Traditionally, extended family is referred to as kinship network of economics and social ties made-up of the nuclear family plus other relatives. The economic and social importance of extended family can most readily be seen when family members are living together. Even when extended families do not live together, nuclear families may rely on extended kin to help with basic day to day activities and may also co-dependent on extender family for economically and emotionally support. Contemporary family is ..In any particular time and place, families have always been more varied than the prevailing image of what the ideal family should be. Although family types are even more diverse than in the past, most contemporary families are still variations on the traditional nuclear family pattern. Family structure Lone parent Single parent can be caused by death of a spouse, divorce, and separation. This may lead to single parents being overwhelmed with their loss and the responsibilities. Most single parents are women, who may face somewhat lower income and will often rely on child support and government subsides. When parents divorce or are widowed children often experience loss and a disruption of routine. Children may also need a lot of attention, affection, and reassurance (Meyerhoff, 2010). Reconstituted family As we tend to think of families consists of a mother, father and their children, the reality is that there is a lot of divorces and remarriages occurring in our society such that a large number of families are actually stepfamilies. In remarried families, parenting is shared among different sets of parents and different household. Children will tend to visit in and out of households for visitations. Issues with children not accepting parenting from their stepparents can be an issue and this can be hard on children as well as the parents. Strong sense of loss can recur in remarried families due to the families not feeling intact, which may sometimes cause emotional scars, conflicting loyalties. Remarried families can be complex. Each additional member of the family system allows for another relationship or another with every other member of the family. The family is made up of biological parents, grandparents, siblings, stepparents, stepsiblings, half siblings and step-grandparents (M eyerhoff, 2010). With this many relationships between so many people there is potential for stress, but there is equally an increased potential for a large support network if everyone cooperates and communicates well. Hence reward can be tremendous. Adoption family Adoption family structure is complex but potentially rewarding . Changes in family structure Family structure has changed significantly in recent years, with increasing divorce rates and single-parent households (Field, 2003). Evolving definitions of family include people who may not be kin, but who act as family for some individuals, Rothausen (1999). Bogan (1991) uses the term wider families to refer to the concept and opines that such families result from individuals lifestyles and may not involve the sharing of a household. This concept of family describes a group of people who are invested in one another due to bonds of dependence, obligation or duty, love caring or cooperation (Rothausen, 1999). In the same way Weeks, Heapy and Donovan (2001) refer to same -sex families which are founded on bonds of individual choice, as families of choice. There is also a great deal of cultural variability in how the term family is defined. Changes to the family structure is also happening through ethnic difference which is also influenced by religion within the society In many Asian countries, a normal family may include three or more generations living in one household (Rothausen, Kanye, 2005). And as life expectancy continues to rise the number of multigenerational families may increase (Levade et al, 2000). The dynamics of family have changed, with couples having children later on following economic stability and careers. A lot of women are pursuing careers thereby starting family in the late 30s. Families might only have one child, this could lead to the child being spoiled (through parents trying to over compensate) and lonely. With new legalisation allowing same-sex couples to adopt families in place, the traditional family structure has changed to contemporary. Discussion Family friendly government policies are helping families by providing childcare, pre and after school care benefits (tax credit), vouchers, extended maternity and paternity leave, flexible work / life balance, Finn (2010). This is allowing families to spend more time together there by forming strong bonds, which is essential for a better relationship between family members. The stronger the relationship the more family became a haven in this heartless world. The family is a social institution. Due to diversity, different cultures have different concepts of family values. Same families can be oppressive (oppress individual development), restrictive, inhibitive and repressive. This can lead to families masking undercurrents and patterns of abuse, violence and potentially exploitation. Finn (2010) states that majority of abuse is within family unit and close relatives. Hence for the abused people family might not be a haven. An example of abuse by family is baby P incident (whereby a little boy lost his life through abuse by family members and extended family members). Baby Ps abuse occurrence and pattern was masked by the same family members who abused him, therefore family was not a haven for baby P. More often abused people sometimes become anti-social because of their lake of trust and also often became withdrawn such that they are un-productive. Abused people may often confide in people outside the family unit and are most like to beco me estranged to their biological family and they will forge relationship with people who they will consider as family. They often get support from outside the family unit. The will make family of choice based on friendship and this family of choice might be their haven in the heartless world, Lasch (1977). Support from family members differ between same -sex and opposite sex couple. The research by Kurdeck (2001) found that gays and lesbians received very little support from their families of origin as compared to the heterosexual couples, Bravewoman et al (1998). For the gays and lesbians who do not have support from their family of origin family is not a haven of. They might face the pressure from society and family to conform to what is traditional. This can lead to unrest, but family is a haven for the gays and lesbians who have strong family ties. Lawrence Stone (1977) argued that, the new family ideal prescribed domestic privacy and strong emotional attachments between spouses and between parents and children. Todays life style has lead to longevity, meaning parent and child relationship can last fifty years or more. Family remains a central attachment in most peoples lives, thereby family acting as a haven in this heartless world. Summary The change in the perception of family in recent times is through people choosing a family life in whatever shape or form and that people still desire a family life and family is still a required lifestyle option for the majority of people, Finn (2010). Therefore there will always be a variation in family units. Families will come in different shape and sizes and such differentiation is expected. So family will vary from time to time and place to place. For the majority of people the family is a haven in this heartless world, for family is a source of great joy and warmth. Whatever your particular family situation it will have tremendous influence upon your childrens happiness, development and future. A strong relationship with extended families can be just as rewarding as close ties inside the nuclear family. However building those bonds inside the extended family can be a little more difficult because, obviously everyone does not live under the same roof. For young children, living in a big family can be a lot of fun. The traditional family will continue to exist along other alternative family and everyone has a right to choose which family they belong too and the one that suit their situation and circumstances. Hence family life in whatever chosen shape is still the desired and required lifestyle option for the majority of people.

Microbiology for Environmental Engineering

Microbiology for Environmental Engineering By Georgios Tzelepis Microorganisms play a major role in controlling water and waste quality and every biological process is based on the action of microorganisms. Bacteria constitute an important group of microorganisms which are directly related to Environmental Engineering because of their crucial role in wastewater treatment. They are single celled prokaryotic organisms with a structurally and functionally simple form and various shapes, such as spherical, rod-shaped or spiral. One main characteristic of the bacterial cell is the lack of unit membrane system with exception the cytoplasmic membrane. The identification of bacteria is based on a number of different criteria including their morphological (shape, size), physiological and genetic characteristics. Their reproduction is based on the binary split with formation time of about 20 minutes. Bacteria are sensitive to pH changes and they survive under neutral conditions, although some of them can survive in a highly acidic environment. Regarding th eir survival temperature, they are divided into psychrophilic, mesophilic and thermophilic. Bacteria are very sensitive to temperature changes and they have an optimum growth temperature. (Darakas, 2016) Bacteria have the capacity to degrade the organic substances (pollutants) and this is the reason why they are the most important group of organisms in terms of the public health engineering, since biological waste water treatment processes are based on their activities. The assimilation of pollutants is mainly achieved by the biological self-cleaning of the water thanks to microorganisms and specifically bacteria. The main three points of interest in the wastewater treatment is the microorganisms (bacteria), the included organic matter which constitutes food for microorganisms and the oxygen which is necessary for the energy and survival of microorganisms.    Generally, the metabolic diversity of organisms, and more specifically of bacteria, firstly depends on the energy source. Energy is important for the chemical reactions and is obtained from environmental sources. When the sources are chemicals, the species are called chemotrophs, while when the energy is derived from the light they are called phototrophic species. However, some bacteria have the ability to use both energy sources based on conditions. Second classification is based on the carbon source. When they are organic compounds they are called chemoheterotrophs or photoheterotrophs respectively. Otherwise when inorganic compounds are used, bacteria are called chemoautotrophs or photoautotrophs. Finally, chemotroph bacteria which metabolise organic chemicals for energy are called chemoorganotrophs. Contrariwise, those that use inorganic chemicals are called chemolithotrophs. There are two basic types of metabolism for chemoorganotrophs; fermentation, in which the metabolism of the substrate is without external oxidizing agent, and respiration, in which there is an external oxidizing agent. Both types of metabolism can convert a primary source of energy to one which can be used by the cells. 2.1.1 Carbon source Bacteria that use carbon dioxide for the majority (or all) of their carbon requirements are called autotrophs. The obligate autotrophs that are able to use only CO2 as a source of carbon use simple energy substrates and they are either chemolithotrophs or photolithotrophs. (Singleton, 2005) In autotroph bacteria carbon dioxide from the environment is used to form complex compounds, but also there is the situation that carbon dioxide is incorporated in these compounds and called fixed. There are two common pathways for this fixation, the Calvin cycle and the reductive TCA cycle. Autotrophs are able to thrive in very harsh environments, such as deep sea vents, due to their lack of dependence on outside sources of carbon other than carbon dioxide. (Yates et al., 2016) On the other hand, most of the known species of bacteria are heterotrophic, both aerobic and anaerobic. They use as a main source of carbon complex carbon compounds derived from other organisms, with the most significant the glucose, alcohol, and organic acids. However, there are specialised heterotrophic bacteria capable also of decomposing cellulose (actinomycetes), keratin, hydrocarbons, and other substances. Heterotrophs are only able to thrive in environments that are capable of sustaining other forms of life due to their dependence on these organisms for carbon sources. (Lester Birkett, 1999) 2.2 Energy source Microorganisms, and more specifically bacteria, require food to obtain energy. Phototrophic bacteria are mostly aquatic organisms and obtain energy using radiant energy (light), usually via photosynthesis. This happens through specialized pigments that they contain in order to form energy molecules. Generally, photosynthetic bacteria can be divided in two categories, these who accomplish the photosynthesis with production of oxygen (aerobically) and those without (unaerobically). (Singleton, 2005) Chemotrophs are organisms that obtain their energy by metabolisng chemicals from the environment, through the oxidation of inorganic molecules, such as iron and magnesium. They are divided in two different categories, chemoautotrophs and chemoheterotrophs, with their difference already been described. (Boundless, 2016) Carbon source of heterotrophic bacteria can be either soluble and colloidal organics of untreated waste (BOD) or endogenous carbon microorganisms, i.e. the carbon putrescent dead cells or methanol (CH3OH), which is the best organic substrate to the denitrification. (Darakas, 2016) 2.3 Electron acceptor As mentioned, all the bacterial cells have to convert a primary source of energy into forms that can be used. Some cells can convert a primary energy source to an electrochemical form which consists of a gradient of ions between the two surfaces of cytoplasmic membrane. Chemotroph and phototroph bacteria form high-energy compounds from a primary energy source using different techniques. (Singleton, 2005) Respiration is a type of metabolism in which a substrate is metabolized with the help of an external oxidizing agent. Oxygen can work as the exogenous oxidizing agent having aerobic respiration, or organic oxidizing agents can be used instead in an anaerobic respiration. Despite the fact that the oxidizing agent can be inorganic or organic, in chemoorganotrophs, the substrate is always an organic compound. (Singleton, 2005) Oxygen is the final electron acceptor for the aerobic respiration. The sugar is completely broken down to carbon dioxide and water, yielding a maximum of 38 molecules of ATP per molecule of glucose. Electrons are transferred to oxygen using the electron transport chain (ETC), a system of enzymes and cofactors located in the cytoplasmic membrane and arranged so that the passage of electrons down the chain is coupled with the movement of protons (hydrogen ions) across the membrane and out of the cell. ETC induces the movement of positively charged hydrogen ions to the outside of the cell and negatively charged ions to its interior. This ion gradient results in the acidification of the external medium and an energized plasma membrane with an electrical charge of 150 to 200 millivolts. The generation of ion gradients is a common aspect of energy generation and storage in all living organisms. The gradient of protons is used directly by the cell for many processes, including the active tr ansport of nutrients and the rotation of flagella. The protons also can move from the exterior of the cell into the cytoplasm by passing through a membrane enzyme called the F1F0-proton-translocating ATPase, which couples this proton movement to ATP synthesis. (Kadner Rogers, 2015) Bacteria that are able to use respiration produce far more energy per sugar molecule than do fermentative cells, because the complete oxidation of the energy source allows complete extraction of all of the energy available. (Kadner Rogers, 2015) Respiration can also occur under anaerobic conditions. Anaerobic respiration uses external oxidizing agents such as nitrate (NO3), nitrite (NO2), sulfate (SO42), or fumarate in place of oxygen. Depending on the different types or conditions, the electron donor (substrate) used by chemoorganotrophs in anaerobic respiration is of various organic compounds. The energy yields available to the cell using these acceptors are lower than in respiration with oxygen, but they are still substantially higher than the energy yields available from fermentation. The utilization of CO2as a terminal electron acceptor is limited to a group of bacteria called methanogens and this process requires a strongly reduced environment. This procedure produces methane (CH4) which can be a problem in some instances like landfill sites. (Maier, 1999) All the bacteria have an optimum growth temperature where their growth is faster, while they also have a specific range of temperature into which they can only grow. Most of the bacteria are mesophilic and they grow in temperatures between 15 and 45 degrees of Celsius. Thermophilic are bacteria with growth temperature over 45 degrees of Celsius, while psychrophilic are the bacteria with growth temperature under 15 degrees. 3.1 Low temperature It is well known that bacteria as well as various other forms of life survive and thrive optimally in moderate conditions of temperature, pressure, pH and other environmental parameters. However, there is also evidence of bacteria life in extreme environments. For example bacteria were found to exist in the very acidic river Rio Tino while also bacteria were detected in subzero environments like in Lake Vostok even in depth of 3600 meters, below the surface ice. (Chattopadhyay Sengupta, 2013) At low temperature, bacteria are challenged with a number of difficulties due to decrease in the rate of biochemical reactions that sustain the life. Bacteria taken from low temperature environments were found with increased branched chain, short chain, anteiso and unsaturated fatty acids. They were also found to synthesize more cis fatty acids in preference to trans fatty acids. All these factors are contributing in the increase of membrane fluidity. Moreover, in order to adjust with the low enthalpy and the reduced atomic and molecular motions at low temperature, they achieve flexibility through reduction in strength and number of non-covalent interactions. Finally a high level of post-transcriptional modification of t-RNA by dihydrouridine also has a major role in psychrophiles. Dihydrouridine unsettles the stacking that stabilizes the RNA. (Chattopadhyay Sengupta, 2013) 3.2 High temperature Thermophilic bacteria are common in soil and volcanic habitats and have a limited species configuration. Examination of metabolic pathways and regulatory mechanisms in thermophiles proves that thermophilic bacteria have almost the same properties commonly found in mesophilic bacteria, with the main difference being specific molecular mechanisms, important in high temperature biological stability and activity. As a consequence of growth at high temperature and unique macromolecular properties, thermophilic bacteria can possess high metabolic rates, physically and chemically stable enzymes than similar mesophilic species. Thermophilic processes appear more stable, rapid and facilitate reactant activity and product recovery. Analysis of important biomolecules in thermophilic bacteria has revealed subtle structural differences in proteins, nucleic acids and lipids. Some of these differences have not been observed in mesophilic bacteria. For instance the membrane lipids of extreme thermop hiles contain more saturated and straight chain fatty acids than mesophiles. This allows thermophilic bacteria to grow at higher temperatures by providing the correct degree of fluidity required for membrane function. Finally the explanation for high temperature stability of tRNA in Thermus species is that Thermus transfer RNA contains more guanine plus cytosine bases in the specific base-paired region, which provides greater hydrogen bonding and increased thermal stability. Also, the base-paired region in tRNAs from Thermus contains more thiolated thymidine which provides a stronger stacking force inside the molecule. (Zeikus, 1979) The restoration, maintenance and protection of the environment with the help of biological agents in general and bacteria more specifically are significantly important in terms of sustainability in the environment. Hence, in many cases, bacteria and environmental engineering go hand in hand and both are interdependent on each other. Their main connection is the removal and treatment of the wastes, solid or liquid, from various sources like the industrial, domestic and other. There are many examples of the use of bacteria especially in waste and wastewater treatment, where some useful characteristics of bacteria are used.   Ã‚   4.1 Wastewater treatment Biological treatment is one of the most widely used removal methods as well as for partial or complete stabilization of biologically degradable substances in wastewaters. General characteristics of wastewaters are measured in terms of Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), and Volatile Suspended Solids (VSS). Bacteria provide the largest component of the microbial community in all biological wastewater treatment processes, and numbers in excess of 106 bacteria/ml of wastewater are frequently encountered. 4.1.1 Activation Sludge Activated sludge is a process that has been adopted worldwide as a secondary biological treatment for domestic wastewaters. In the activated sludge process the incoming wastewater is mixed and aerated with existing biological sludge (microorganisms). Organics in the wastewater come into contact with the microorganisms and are utilized as food and oxidized to CO2, and H2O. The microorganisms using the organics as food they reproduce, grow, and die. While the microorganisms grow, are mixed together by the movement of air so individual organisms join an active mass of microbes called activated sludge. The wastewater flows continuously into an aeration tank where air is injected to mix the activated sludge with the wastewater and to supply oxygen needed for microbes to breakdown the organic materials. This mixture of activated sludge and wastewater in the aeration tank is called mixed liquor suspended solids and mixed liquor volatile suspended solids. The mixed liquor is sent to the slud ge handling disposal (second part of activation sludge method). A part of this mass precipitates while the rest flows back to the aeration tank in order to maintain sufficient microbial population levels. This is the called activated sludge. The microorganisms in activated sludge generally are composed of 70 to 90% organic and 10 to 30% inorganic matter. The microorganisms generally found in activated sludge consist of bacteria (mostly), fungi and protozoa. 4.1.2 Nitrogen and Phosphorus removal Nitrogen and phosphorus are two essential elements in terms of the waste treatment. The nitrogen compounds and the phosphates existing in wastewaters are very important for the survival of the bacteria although they should be removed in order to avoid problems of deoxygenation and eutrophication in the final recipient. (Bitton, 2010) Nitrification The principal organisms involved in nitrification processes belong into two categories, Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter. These bacteria are considered to be strictly autotrophs since they derive energy for growth and synthesis from the oxidation of inorganic nitrogen and carbon (CO2) compounds. Nitrosomonas catalyse oxidation of ammonia to nitrite using molecular oxygen, while Nictobacter further oxidize nitrite to nitrate using oxygen derived from the water molecule. It should be mentioned that some some soluble forms of c-BOD can inhibit the activity of nitrifying bacteria since they are able to enter the cells of nitrifying bacteria and inactivate their enzyme systems. (Horan, 1989) Denitrification Denitrification is a process by which certain species of bacteria under anoxic conditions reduce nitrate nitrogen to the gaseous end-products of N2, NO, or N2O which can then escape from solution to the atmosphere. Unlike other nitrogen compounds, the gaseous forms of nitrogen have no significant effect on environmental quality. The presence of oxidized nitrogen and organic carbon are essential properties for denitrification to proceed. Denitrifying bacteria are composed of heterotrophic organisms. The most common denitrifying bacteria are Bacillus denitrijicans, Micrococcus denitrijicans and more. (Horan, 1989) Phosphorus removal The anaerobic-oxic process (most commonly used), consists of a modified activated sludge system that includes an anaerobic upstream of the conventional aeration tank. During the anaerobic phase, inorganic phosphorus is released from the cells as a result of polyphosphate hydrolysis. The energy liberated is used for the uptake of BOD from wastewater. (Bitton, 2010)Removal efficiency is high when the BOD/phosphorus ratio exceeds 10. During the aerobic phase, soluble phosphorus is taken up by bacteria that synthesize polyphosphates using the energy released from BOD oxidation. The anaerobic-oxic process results in BOD removal and produces sludge which is rich in phosphorus. The key features of this process are the relatively low solid retention time and high organic loading rates. (Cheremisinoff, 1997) 4.1.3 Anaerobic Digestion Major applications of anaerobic digestion are the stabilization of concentrated sludges produced from the treatment of especially industrial wastes. The digestion is a complex biochemical process in which several groups of anaerobic and facultative organisms again simultaneously absorb and break down organic matter and can be described as a two-phase process. In the first phase, acid-forming organisms convert the complex organic substrate to simple organic acids. Little change occurs in the total amount of organic material in the system, with decrease in ph . Second phase involves conversion of the organic acids to principally methane and carbon dioxide. The anaerobic process is essentially controlled by the methane producing bacteria. Methane formers are very sensitive to pH, substrate composition, and temperature. If the pH drops below 6,methane formation stops, and there is no decrease in organic content of the sludge. One characteristic of the methane bacteria is that they are hi ghly active in the mesophilic and thermophilic ranges. (Cheremisinoff, 1997) 4.2 Solid Waste Treatment 4.2.1 Composting Composting is the biological decomposition and stabilization of organic substrates. Each gram of decaying compost contains millions of beneficial microorganisms that work to break down organic matter. Of the microorganisms present, 80 to 90 percent are bacteria, including actinomycetes and aerobic bacteria. Aerobic are separated in three different varieties, each of which is active at different phases of the decomposition process. Psychrophilic bacteria (during winter) work on the initial organic matter, at temperatures around 12 degrees Celsius. These bacteria raise the temperature to 20 C, at which time, the mesophilic bacteria take over. These bacteria work at moderate to warm temperatures between 20 and 38 C. At 38 C, the thermophilic bacteria take over, raising the temperature to 70 C. Once this happens, the process starts over again with the addition of new materials. Actinomycete bacteria appear during the late stages of composting to clean up remaining materials that are diff icult for aerobic bacteria to break down. They are responsible for breaking down cellulose, proteins, lignin and starches. References Bitton G., (2010), Activated Sludge Process, in Wastewater Microbiology, 4th Edition, Hoboken, NJ, USA, John Wiley Sons, Inc. Boundless, (2016), Chemoautotrophs and Chemoheterotrophs, Boundless Microbiology, Available from: https://www.boundless.com/microbiology/textbooks/boundless-microbiology-textbook/microbial-metabolism-5/types-of-metabolism-41/chemoautotrophs-and-chemoheterotrophs-285-6153/, [Accessed: 13 January 2017] Chattopadhyay M. and Sengupta D., (2013), Metabolism in bacteria at low temperature: A recent study report., Biosciences, 31, 2, 157-165. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/236674848_Metabolism_in_bacteria_at_low_temperature_A_recent_report , [Accessed: 10 January 2017] Cheremisinoff N. P., (1997), Biotechnology for Industrial and municipal wastes, in Biotechnology for Waste and Wastewater Treatment, 1-36 Darakas E., (2016), Environmental Engineering: Process of water and wastewater treatment, Thessaloniki, Sofia Publisher. Horan N., (1989), Biological Wastewater Treatment Systems: Theory and Operation., Chichester, England, Wiley Blackwell. Hurst, C.J. et al., (2002), Manual of Environmental Microbiology, 2nd Edition, Washington, ASM Press. Kadner R. J. and Rogers K., (2015), Bacteria. Available from: https://www.britannica.com/science/bacteria/Salt-and-water. [Accessed: 23 December 2017] Lester, J.N. Birkett, J.W., (1999), Microbiology and Chemistry for Environmental Engineers, London, E. F.N. Spon. Maier, E.M. et al, (1999), Environnemental Microbiology, Academic Press Singleton P., (2005), Bacteria in Biology, Biotechnology and Medicine, 6th Edition, Wiley Smith S. R., (2016), Bacteria, Lecture Slides for the course of Microbiology for Environmental Engineering; MSc of Environmental Engineering, London, Imperial College London. Traumann N. and Olynciw E., (1996), Compost Microorganisms, Cornell Waste Management Institue, New York, Available from: http://compost.css.cornell.edu/microorg.html, [Accessed: 10 January 2017]. Yates V. M., Nakatsu C. H., Miller R. V., Pillai S. D., (2016), Manual of Environmental Microbiology, 4th Edition, ASM Press Zeikus, J.G., (1979), Thermophilic bacteria: ecology, physiology and technology., Enzyme and Microbial Technology, 1, 4, 243-252. Available from: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0141022979900437?via%3Dihub, [Accessed: 27 December 2016]

Rutherfurds Estates Essay -- Character Analysis, Lady St. James, Mere

In Edward Rutherfurd’s London, characters from all three estates are introduced and throughout each chapter their ideals and personality traits are developed. Some characters tend to be better off than others economically, but each of these more unfortunate characters uses his intellect to get ahead. The powerful characters are divided into two categories, because some are politically powerful and others are powerful in their community by making tough decisions and having important leadership qualities. Whatever the circumstance may be, throughout the book each estate has an extensive collection of characters with very different traits. Characters in each estate have characteristics such as wealth, power, and intellect that widely vary from one another and can range from poor, simpleminded people with no power to cunning, powerful people that have more money than they need. The 1st estate, the nobility, is comprised of people who tend to be more powerful and a great deal wealthier than those of the other estates. However, in London, a few characters from the 1st estate possess quite a bit of intelligence, and use it to their advantage. Lady St. James from the chapter â€Å"Gin Lane† uses her intellect to get revenge on her abusive husband. After she is humiliated by Lord St. James, she devises a plan that she intends to carry out with the help of Jack Meredith. Her plan is very carefully thought out, and in the end is foolproof. The plan is to have Meredith claim that he is her lover so Lord St. James will challenge him to a duel. Then, when St. James comes home to prepare for the duel, she will â€Å"make amends† with him and convince him not to kill Meredith. She writes to Meredith and tells him that St. James is going to try to kill hi... ...e puts stress on characters in the 3rd estate. However, some characters like Gilbert Bull, are very wealthy. As Rutherfurd writes, â€Å"With money and family connections he soon prospered† (432). Family connections were very important to the 3rd estate, because otherwise they were simply commoners. Some became merchants, doctors, lawyers, and other occupations that paid a fairly decent salary. London does a great job of illustrating the different social and moral situations of people in assorted estates. Many of the characters got over their low social and economical standing by using their intellect. Some characters lost their respect and their power by making mistakes and terrible decisions. Every estate has characters that are poor or wealthy, intellectual or ignorant, and powerful or weak. Every character is different, just like every estate is different.

Misconceptions and Different Forms of Plagiarism :: Ethical Issues, Copyright Law, Writing

Misconceptions about Plagiarism Cheating and stealing are two of the many words describing plagiarism. Plagiarism is a common misconception because people do not understand all the meanings of it, do not know the techniques to avoid it, and have not come to realize that it undermines academic integrity. This misconception involves the widespread variety of definitions on the topic plagiarism. Plagiarism is a word with many meanings. One definition means to use another’s production without crediting the source. Another definition is to steal and pass off the ideas or words of another as one’s own. Plagiarism ranges from failing to put a quotation in quotation marks to stealing a passing off work. â€Å"Minimal amount of plagiarism is very common in the educational sector where person do plagiarism by substituting the synonyms and editing the original text† (Kumar 1). Terms like â€Å"copying† and borrowing† can disguise the seriousness of plagiarism. People often get confused about plagiarizing because the meanings can also get them mixed up and frustrated. â€Å"In sum, plagiarism can be a very serious form of ethical misconduct† (ORI 1). That is how plagiarism’s definitions can change one’s perspective about it. This misconception often occurs because people do not understand the styles of writing to avoid it. Most cases of plagiarism can be avoided though. â€Å"Plagiarism can vary in its extent based on the amount of plagiarism† (Kumar 1). The different styles of writing are very helpful to avoiding plagiarism. The certain style of writing techniques a person uses to avoid plagiarism reveals the writer’s own voice. It also pertains to the type of audience it would relate to. Some styles of writing include how the person uses their sentence formation. Some examples are the loose sentence, the periodic sentence, or the balanced sentence. Other styles of writing include diction. Diction pertains to the writer’s style and mode of their writing. The styles of writing can be humorous, general, metaphorical, philosophical, abstract, or concrete. Punctuation is a big part of a writer’s style because it expresses the writer’s mood or action. â€Å"Although plagiarism can take many forms there are two major types in scholarly writing: plagiarism of ideas and plagiarism of text† (ORI 1). That is how using different styles of writing can influence you to avoid plagiarism. Plagiarism occurs when people do not understand the emphasis on the originality of the work. Misconceptions and Different Forms of Plagiarism :: Ethical Issues, Copyright Law, Writing Misconceptions about Plagiarism Cheating and stealing are two of the many words describing plagiarism. Plagiarism is a common misconception because people do not understand all the meanings of it, do not know the techniques to avoid it, and have not come to realize that it undermines academic integrity. This misconception involves the widespread variety of definitions on the topic plagiarism. Plagiarism is a word with many meanings. One definition means to use another’s production without crediting the source. Another definition is to steal and pass off the ideas or words of another as one’s own. Plagiarism ranges from failing to put a quotation in quotation marks to stealing a passing off work. â€Å"Minimal amount of plagiarism is very common in the educational sector where person do plagiarism by substituting the synonyms and editing the original text† (Kumar 1). Terms like â€Å"copying† and borrowing† can disguise the seriousness of plagiarism. People often get confused about plagiarizing because the meanings can also get them mixed up and frustrated. â€Å"In sum, plagiarism can be a very serious form of ethical misconduct† (ORI 1). That is how plagiarism’s definitions can change one’s perspective about it. This misconception often occurs because people do not understand the styles of writing to avoid it. Most cases of plagiarism can be avoided though. â€Å"Plagiarism can vary in its extent based on the amount of plagiarism† (Kumar 1). The different styles of writing are very helpful to avoiding plagiarism. The certain style of writing techniques a person uses to avoid plagiarism reveals the writer’s own voice. It also pertains to the type of audience it would relate to. Some styles of writing include how the person uses their sentence formation. Some examples are the loose sentence, the periodic sentence, or the balanced sentence. Other styles of writing include diction. Diction pertains to the writer’s style and mode of their writing. The styles of writing can be humorous, general, metaphorical, philosophical, abstract, or concrete. Punctuation is a big part of a writer’s style because it expresses the writer’s mood or action. â€Å"Although plagiarism can take many forms there are two major types in scholarly writing: plagiarism of ideas and plagiarism of text† (ORI 1). That is how using different styles of writing can influence you to avoid plagiarism. Plagiarism occurs when people do not understand the emphasis on the originality of the work.

China as a Member of the TRIPs Agreement: on the Path of Implementation Essay

The multilateral trading system in the world has been governed by the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) for more than 50 years . The GATT was commenced in 1947 . Its implementation became a powerful spur to advancement of world market due to promotion of free trade which contributes greatly to world economic growth and sustainable development. The World Trade Organization (WTO) became the successor of the GATT being established by the Uruguay Round – the last trade round launched more than fifteen years ago. It was â€Å"the most ambitious thus far, and some of its agreements are still being implemented†. Tariffs reduction had encompassed much more world economy sectors than during the previous rounds. The documents adopted by the Uruguay Round established that quantitative restrictions would be actually eliminated by 2005. The round has developed regulations of the international trade applying to areas being earlier outside of the adequate control or coped by week rules. Especially it concerns the trade–related intellectual property rights (TRIPs). In the course of the Uruguay round developing countries played a more active role than in previous rounds and adopted the same WTO agreements as other members â€Å"as part of the round’s single undertaking – nothing is agreed until everything is agreed†. To date the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs Agreement) seems to be the most universal international covenant on intellectual property rights (IPRs) regulation. It was â€Å"an integral part of the Agreement establishing the WTO, comprising Annexe 1C to that Agreement† and replenished the basic World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Conventions with essential liabilities in the framework of WTO subjects . This agreement implemented new rules presupposing both advantages and expenses for the participants of international markets. Its implementation undoubtedly constitutes a task far from being easy, especially for less developed countries. The TRIPs Agreement imposes certain obligations upon the latter to adopt legislation that protects patents for inventions. As one of the multilateral trade agreements, it is binding on all members and hence also a condition of membership for countries which have not yet joined the WTO. Such a condition is a significant one for countries seeking to join the WTO such as the People’s Republic of China. Here we will explore this country’s involvement into the process of adjusting its laws to conform to TRIPs, especially in the field of patents’ protection, evaluate its successes and faults on this path, consider the impact of those changes and make the conclusions concerning possible ways of acceleration and optimization of implementation process. The Obligations of the TRIPs Agreement Members The TRIPs Agreement came into effect in 1995. It entailed standards â€Å"concerning the availability, scope and use† of IPRs in all categories of intellectual property, namely copyright and related rights, trademarks, geographical indications, industrial designs, patents, layout-designs of integrated circuits, protection of undisclosed information . Article 27 (Part II Section 5) of the TRIPs deals with patentable subject matter, stating the spheres of patents’ availability in member countries (hereinafter referred to as a member): Patents shall be available for any inventions, whether products or processes, in all fields of technology, provided that they are new, involve an inventive step and are capable of industrial application. [†¦] Patents shall be available and patent rights enjoyable without discrimination as to the place of invention, the field of technology and whether products are imported or locally produced. The next article determines the exclusive rights which should be granted upon the patents issued in a member. It imposes on the member the obligation to forestall third parties from using neither the patented product nor the patented process anyhow without its owner’s permission. For his turn, the owner has the right to assign or transfer the patent. What is an important aspect for the developing countries, the member has to inquire the patent applicant about the information as to the applicant’s corresponding foreign applications and grants to prevent patents duplication. Exemption from such obligation in regards to cross–border use cover only very specified cases as for example those of â€Å"a national emergency or other circumstances of extreme urgency or [†¦] of public non-commercial use† (Article 31 (b)) subject to prompt informing of the right holder. The competent authority of the member should have power to consider applying such exemption to certain cases and possible duration of the above mentioned circumstances. Officially permitted legitimacy of any decision relating to the permission of such use should be subject to judicial review or other independent review by the competent authority of the member. In cases when the permission to utilize the patent is obtained, the member is to provide the following prerequisites: (i) the invention claimed in the second patent shall involve an important technical advance of considerable economic significance in relation to the invention claimed in the first patent; (ii) the owner of the first patent shall be entitled to a cross-license on reasonable terms to use the invention claimed in the second patent; and (iii) the use authorized in respect of the first patent shall be non-assignable except with the assignment of the second patent (Article 31 (l)). Upon Article 32 the member has the obligation to make available the opportunity for legal review of any decision made on recalling or forfeiting the patent. In the TRIPS agreement there is a very accurate definition of duration of the patent’s protection – twenty years from the date of registration (Article 33).   In the cases of infringement of the patent owner’s rights as regards to patents for processes leading to generation of the product the agreement calls for the members to empower the corresponding legal authority to require the proved information about the difference between such process and those for manufacturing the identical product (Article 34). For the realization of the above concerned obligations the TRIPS agreement anticipates specified enforcement procedures which should be available in the members to strive against infringements of IPRs. Those include â€Å"expeditious remedies to prevent infringements and remedies which constitute a deterrent to further infringements† which are to be applied by means excluding â€Å"the creation of barriers to legitimate trade and to provide for safeguards against their abuse (Article 41.1)†. The Developing Countries Advantages upon the TRIPs Agreement The main motives behind the move of the governments of many nations, and in particular, of developing countries, to enter the TRIPs Agreement had been, firstly, the fact of steady raising in developing countries’ exports of industrial goods into markets where earlier only developed countries were present which, in turn, made the latter to â€Å"rely more heavily on their comparative advantage in the production of intellectual property†; and, secondly, rather high expenditures involved by high–tech companies in different countries for research, innovation and development of know–how spurred them to try to find â€Å"international protection of intellectual property rights†. In general, the WTO agreements apply several instruments to make available some advantages to developing countries. Among them there are distinguishing of their interests without imposing any officially authorized obligations upon them; reducing their liabilities on some agreements in comparison with those of developed countries (which let them to protect their domestic markets more effectively). Some of the WTO agreements permit them longer implementation periods for certain obligations. In many WTO disciplines there are agreements encompassing provisions for technical assistance from developed countries to developing countries. All those are aimed at facilitation of transitional processes in the latter and giving them a chance to overtake the former. Like other parts of the WTO agreement, the TRIPs agreement grants the substantial preference to developing countries – they had four years for implementation of the agreement provisions (until the beginning of 2000), moreover this term became subject to prolongation to ten years (until 1 January 2005) for technology sectors where no previous IP protection accorded. The preferences for developing countries look adequate enough, and it is obvious that developing countries would derive benefit from implementation of efficient IPRs protection stipulated by the TRIPs agreement. Obtaining higher levels of intellectual property protection should lead to larger innovation globally from which all gain. It will stimulate attraction of more foreign direct investment (FDI) and technology transfer in view of increasing foreigners’ confidence in the products made in developing countries. But the process of implementation is costly too. The necessary costs of course vary depending on the member’s phase of development as well as its industry and technology basis. Where much innovation is informal, there are potential problems of access to, and affordability of, patent applications. Patent systems may be disproportionately expensive to set up and maintain. China’s Involvement into the TRIPs Agreement China is a unique country. It combines the features of both developed and developing countries. Evan Medeiros and Taylor Fravel emphasize that in this country evidence of the change abounds. They affirm â€Å"Chinese foreign policy has become [in the last ten years] far more nimble and engaging than at any time in history of the People’s Republic†. As for other developing countries the main concerns for China were limited coverage for products and processes, short terms of patents protection, wide scope for obligatory licensing, and inefficient enforcement in the cases of IPRs infringements. But last decades this country has been made giant steps to the progress. Few nations have changed as fast – or as dramatically – as China has since the 1970s. The world’s most populous nation has radically liberalized its economy and gone from producing low–quality and simple exports to sophisticated high–technology goods, while nurturing a vibrant private sector and attracting nearly $500 billion in foreign direct investment. After the death of Mao, Deng Xiaoping came to power in the People’s Republic of China. Since that time fundamental changes launched in the country – an â€Å"open door† policy was proclaimed re-opening Chinese markets and allowing citizens to own limited private property. Further rush development was unbelievable. In 1979 China entered into the Agreement on Trade Relations with the USA which required both parties to provide each other’s nationals with a corresponding level of IPRs. In accordance with this agreement the country became a member of the WIPO in 1980 and acceded to the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property in 1984. China also enacted a Trademark Law in 1982 and a Patent Law in 1984. Upon these regulations China provided authors and inventors with limited IPRs protection. As a final accord of this movement in 1995 China entered into the TRIPs Agreement with the USA. People’s Republic has committed itself, pursuant to this agreement, to raising the standards of intellectual property protection by means of implementation of enforcement measures and development of legal enforcement structure. The agreement envisaged expansion of US goods access to Chinese market and vice versa as well as certain changes in the IPRs protection legislation of China aimed to make it more transparent . Furthermore the country has patterned its IPR laws on international treaties: the Berne Convention and the World Trade Organization’s 1995 TRIPs Agreement. China acceded to the WTO on 11 December 2001. In order to ensure its accession to this organization, China preliminary ratified international intellectual property treaties and conventions and amended its laws. The Course of Implementation Despite of objective difficulties in implementation of IPRs legislation in China, the government succeeded greatly in the struggle against infringements of IPRs. Many laws adopted in 1980–1990s reinforced the system of these rights protection in all the categories: copyright, patent, trade secrets and trademark. For instance, as regards to patents protection, in 1993 China â€Å"extended coverage from fifteen to twenty years and also created the China Patent Management System (CPMS), a computerized system designed to handle patent applications more efficiently†. Besides China expanded patent envelopment to pharmaceutical industry that was excluded before. For instance, in 1997 CPMS â€Å"accepted 114,208 patent applications, including 24,137 from foreigners† . For many years before China became a WTO member, the state authority bodies such as police force and legal agencies had been vigorously striving against IPRs infringements especially piracy .   Beginning at 1982 China adopted many laws covering the field of IPRs protection, â€Å"such as the Trademark Law, Patent Law, Technology Contract Law, Copyright Law, Anti-Unfair Competition Law, and Regulations on Protection for Computer Software† . Notwithstanding the fact that China lacks long tradition for respect and protection of intellectual property , the progress of the country is doubtless. The Chinese government has recognized that to encourage technology transfer, there must be protection for technology. Such attitude resulted in adopting series of documents dealing with IPRs issues. Also the great importance of these issues led to the necessity to have qualified staff in patent law. Thus, now several of China’s top universities, including Tsinghua University in Beijing, have patent departments. Among the regulations adopted and amended last years there were documents regarding patents and licensing. On 28 December 2002, the State Council of China issued the Decree No. 368, modifying Article 101 and 108 of the Implementing Rules of the Patent Law of the People’s Republic of China. Modifications only involved new provisions concerning the implementation of the patent cooperation treaty, i.e. that the time-limit for international applications entering into the phase for individual country consideration should be unified as 30 months upon the priority date. On 13 June 2003, the State Intellectual Property Office of the People’s Republic of China (SIPO) issued the Methods of Compulsory Licensing for the Implementation of Patents, which came into effect on 15 July 2003. Patent Law of China was adopted much earlier – at the 4th Session of the Standing Committee of the Sixth National People’s Congress on March 12, 1984, and further amended by the Decision Regarding the Revision of the Patent Law of China, adopted at the 27th Session of the Standing Committee on September 4, 1992. Recently the Patent Law was revised in August 2003. The Implementing Rules of the Patent Law of the People’s Republic of China has been revised in June 2001 and December 2002. Such revisions have brought these laws and regulations into full conformity with the TRIPS Agreement. Wang Jingchuan, Commissioner of the SIPO, in his message said:   The creation, occupation and utilization of knowledge and intelligence resources, and quantity and quality in possession of intellectual property have become the key elements to the economic development of a country and the important foundation for countries’ participation into the competition of economic globalization and be in harmony of the world economy system. He stated that the IPRs system in China has been established and further improved last years. But much work has to be done in this field. He emphasized especially the importance of ensuring protection to interests of foreign patent applicants. In general, the main targets for the national patent work were defined by ‘Tenth Five–year Plan’. It anticipates further perfection of patent laws and regulations and patent protection scheme, further adaptation of patent procedure and maintenance system to the growth of international economy and socialist market economy, creation of environment favorable for patent protected goods and inventions as well as for technology innovation, raising the level of patent professionals’ skills and knowledge, upgrading of the patent protection level in enterprises and institutions, involvement of patented technologies to contribute to the economic growth, continuous increase of the number and quality of patent applications, updating of the patent information, acceleration and enhancement of the patent examination and granting. For achieving these targets it’s planned to facilitate the utilization of patent information resource, create and acquire more patent rights with authorization, create products and businesses with self-dependent intellectual property; pay much attention to patent work by SMEs while encouraging also corporations and business groups to acquire and transfer know–how. The task to speed up the industrialization of patent technology seems to be one of the most costly. For the purpose to enhance the patent work system the Plan anticipates supporting patent intermediate service agencies, implementing efficient examination and granting system and qualifying system for patent assets evaluation agencies and patent consultation service institutions etc. To create effective patent system China poses an assignment to complete the revision of rules and regulations including those for the implementation of the Chinese Patent Law and then make efforts to implement the revised patent law. Practical measures to facilitate patent examination include the increase of the number of the patent examiners, organization of supporting examiners group, intensification of professional training, and extension of the examiner’s inspection spheres, full involvement of information technology into patent procedures, strengthening of the examination of patent agencies and training of patent agents. The Plan stipulates reinforcement of the role of information systems and patent information resources in patent proceedings. For this purpose it’s scheduled to provide well-organized computer search system, examination supporting system, flow management system, e-filing system and e-publication system for the patent examination and granting work, realizing the paperless, electronic and network system of patent application, publication and examination procedures; to create China patent full text coded database using resources both from the country itself and abroad . Finally, the Plan anticipates reinforcement of the research on strategy, tactics and policy by means of establishment of intellectual property development research institutions, development of in-depth research on major patent issues, strengthening of the research on the patent protection of new technologies, such as computer software, nano–technology, gene engineering, biomedicine, biochips, biology engineering etc. Here also the importance of patent statistics analysis and prediction work is emphasizes . It is obvious that the government concentrates its efforts â€Å"on the implementation and enforcement of IPRs protection laws despite the difficulties faced by the Chinese authorities in a demographic, historical and cultural sense†. Now the reform and enforcement of law in the concerned field are more and more progressing. Groombridge ascertains that amplification of IPRs protection in China is for the most part the outcome of â€Å"indigenous social, economic, and political factors at work† in the country. He argues the pressure of â€Å"economic sanctions, such as those embodied in the trade laws of the United States† had no wholesome influence, and China has strived for more effective arrangements of IPRs due to â€Å"the changing perception of self-interest held by its Communist Party leaders and its citizenry† . In the course to fulfill the provisions of the TRIPs Agreement China has rebuilt its structure of legislative bodies responsible for regulation in the field of IPRs protection. The country set up a number of corresponding regulatory agencies: â€Å"the State Press and Publication Administration, the National Copyright Administration, the China Patent Office, and the State Administration of Industry and Commerce, in which the Trademark Office is located†. Also in 1998 the State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) was established – the structure affiliated and directly subordinated to the State Council . A mission of all these bodies is to strengthen historically weak Chinese infrastructure of regulation, control and maintenance in IPRs compliance. Implementation of the TRIPs Agreement by the People’s Republic of China promises to become again the topic to analysis by the international community in 2008 in connection with the next Olympic Games which will be held in Beijing. Liu forecasts that owing to vast distribution of Olympic goods, audio– and video products â€Å"owners of IPRs will be seeking to protect their works from illegal reproduction and distribution by infringers†. He expresses belief that if the efforts undertaken by China â€Å"to reform and enforce its intellectual property laws [†¦] [will be] successful†, it would attract foreign investors to the country and promote know–how distribution here, which consequently should assist to go ahead to further economic development on the path to take leading positions in the world markets . Conclusions Experts note that having bolstered market power, TRIPs proves very weak especially on international regulation of the restrictive practices of the transnational corporations. It is true to say that the costs and benefits of IPRs are not so neatly distributed today. All the same, if the WTO is asking all countries to provide protection, it may still have to give something more in return. No doubt, China will increasingly regard itself as a great power and expect more defenses from other countries. In a speech two years ago President of the USA George Bush assured of his sympathy to the countries â€Å"that believe in the power of economic engagement to help solve the problems ranging from human rights to security matters†. China for sure is one of such countries demonstrating its aspiration for integration into the global economy . Nowadays we are witnessing the economic boom in this developing country. It is deserved outcome by the People’s Republic of China, as on its way to progress, in contrast to almost every other developing country, China has managed to eliminate the worst forms of social misery, and while denying the spirit, it displays spiritual values: in that underlies the paradox of Mao’s China. Having entered into the TRIPs agreement China pushed its trade policies behind the borders of the country, opened up its markets, and although experiencing certain difficulties in this agreement implementation, stays on the path of development. There is no doubt this immense country will proceed along this path successfully. There are no two ways about it. Bibliography â€Å"Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights†. The World Trade Organization. 1 October 2004. http://www.wto.org/english/docs_e/legal_e/27-trips.doc Arup, Christopher. The New World Trade Organization Agreements: Globalizing Law through Services and Intellectual Property. Cambridge etc.: Cambridge University Press, 2000. â€Å"China and the WTO†. The World Trade Organization. 3 October 2004. http://www.wto.int/english/thewto_e/countries_e/china_e.htm Groombridge, Mark. â€Å"The Political Economy of Intellectual Property Rights Protection in the People’s Republic of China†. In Intellectual Property Rights in Emerging Markets, edited by Clarisa Long. Washington: American Enterprise Institute, 2000. 11–46. Hale, David, and Hale, Lyric. â€Å"China Takes Off†. Foreign Affairs Magazine 82.6 (November–December 2003): 36–53. Irwin, Douglas. â€Å"The GATT in Historical Perspective†. American Economic Review 85.2 (1995): 323–28. Jingchuan, Wang. â€Å"Commissioner’s Message†. State Intellectual Property Office of the People’s Republic of China Web Site. 28 April 2002. 3 October 2004. http://www.sipo.gov.cn/ sipo_English/gysipo_e/jzzc/t20020428_33891.htm Liu, Vincent. â€Å"Copyright and Software Protection: Is It Working in China?†, The Computers and Law Journal 51 (March 2003). 2 October 2004. http://www.nswscl.org.au/ journal/51/Vincent_Liu.html â€Å"Main Targets and Tasks of the ‘Tenth Five-year Plan’ for National Patent Work†. State Intellectual Property Office of the People’s Republic of China Web Site. 3 October 2004.http://www.sipo.gov.cn/SIPO/English2004/gysipo_e/fzgh/t20020430_33893.htm McGuirk, Anne. â€Å"The Doha Development Agenda†. Finance and Development Magazine 39 (September 2002): 5–9. Medeiros, Evan, and Fravel, Taylor, â€Å"China’s New Diplomacy†. Foreign Affairs Magazine 82.6 (November–December 2003): 23–35. Paglee, Charles D. Chinalaw Web – PRC Patent Law (1 May 1998). 3 October 2004. http:/ /www.qis.net/chinalaw/prclaw107.htm Roche, Douglas. What development is all about: China, Indonesia, Bangladesh. Toronto: NC Press Ltd., 1979. Rosen, Jeremy. â€Å"China, Emerging Economies, and the World Trade Order†, Duke Law Journal 46.6 (1997): 1519–64, 3 October 2004. http://www.law.duke.edu/journals/dlj/articles/ dlj46p1519.htm#H2N3 Shulin, Wu. â€Å"The Conditions of the Juridical and Administrative Protection of Copyright in China†. Duke Journal of Comparative and International Law 9.1 (1998): 241–247. State Intellectual Property Office of the People’s Republic of China Web Site. 1 October 2004. http://www.sipo.gov.cn/sipo_English/flfg/default.htm Su, Evelyn. â€Å"The Winners and the Losers: The Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights and Its Effects on Developing Countries†. Houston Journal of International Law 23.1 (2000): 169–76. â€Å"The Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects Of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS)†. Legal Information Institute (USA) Web Site. 2 October 2004. http://www.law.cornell.edu/copyright/cases/ wipo_trips.htm â€Å"The WTO in Brief†. The World Trade Organization. 1 October 2004. http://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/whatis_e/inbrief_e/inbr01_e.htm â€Å"Transitional Review Mechanism of China – Communication from China†. Council for Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights. The World Trade Organization Online Database. 4 October 2004. http://docsonline.wto.org/gen_search.asp Tsinghua University Web Site. 4 October 2004. http://www.tsinghua.edu.cn/eng/ resources/index.htm. Yong-Shun, Cheng. â€Å"Juridical Protection of Intellectual Property in China†. Duke Journal of Comparative and International Law 9.1 (1998): 267–272. Yu, P. â€Å"From Pirates to Partners: Protecting Intellectual Property in China in the Twenty-First Century†. American University Law Review 50 (2003): 148-152. Yu, P. â€Å"Piracy, Prejudice, and Perspectives: An attempt to Use Shakespeare to Reconfigure the US-China Intellectual Property Debate†. Boston University Law Journal 19.1 (January 2001): 1-87.