Ethical Dilemma Faced in Combat Essay Example for Free

Ethical Dilemma Faced in Combat Essay When two primary values are conflicting there should be a good ethics code to serve as an arbiter. Ethical dilemma is therefore said to arise when there are two primary values conflicting in an individual for example a solider is supposed to be with his family but at the same time he is required to protect the government from enemies and enforce laws. During work he must choose between killing the enemy to protect the state or have mercy on the enemy at the expense of state security. The solider now is having a series of conflicting principles should he be at home with his family or not, if he is on duty should he attack and kill the enemy or should he leave his nation to be conquered? Ethical dilemma is therefore defined as the conflict between two important ethical values or perspectives, for example conflict between ones professional values and personal values, or it may be the conflict between the values held by different people (Cohen 2007). Ethical dilemma involving two people with different perspectives is typical between a doctor and a patient where the patient feels he is having the right not to take medication but the doctor feels that professionally he is entitled to prevent his patient from making this decision that may harm his life. For the US combats it is the professional value conflicting the personal value for example should they kill or not and if so what are the possible consequences. Further on the soldiers are supposed to be with their families but they cannot because they are somewhere in Iraq, Sudan, Israel and other parts of the world keeping peace or protecting the state from possible enemies like the alqueda terrorist group. Combats are the military personnel that are trained by the US military defense section to provide both physical and ideological services needed to fight any enemy of the state. With continued increase in global insecurity these combats are trained to deal with the enemy in the most brutal way possible even if it means killing the enemy. This kind of training makes the solders to develop poor ethical relations with other people more so anybody thought to be an enemy of the federal government will not be treated with any dignity by the combats. These people are always prone to great violations of human bioethical values because many a times they are killed mercilessly in cold blood. The US military ethics and standards of conduct, gives guidelines to military personnel including the combats on the codes of conduct and military ethics to be followed to the letter by any personnel. Violation of the US punitive military provision by any personnel may result to the prosecution of the offender under â€Å" The Uniform Cord of Military justice†. The US combats together with other service groups are supposed to direct their service and support to engage the US’s enemy in fight and offer state security at all costs. They are always organized to operate as a single unit under a one commander who is entitled to give orders on how to combat the enemy as well as how to protect the state at the same time. Within this unit there are the military doctors who are responsible for the wounded or sick combats but within the military medical ethics. The ethical values to be upheld by the combats are honesty, integrity, accountability, fairness, loyalty, respect, caring and promise keeping to the state fellow combats and the citizens. This applies to all the combats from the commander to juniors including the military medical officer. However studies have revealed that â€Å"Mixed Agency† and â€Å"conflicting loyalty† is as common in combats as it is in civilians with malicious combats justifying their acts to protection of the state leaving the straight forward ones in ethical dilemmas since they have to be loyal to the state, they have to kill (Beam 2005). The ethical dilemmas facing the combats include conflict in military ethics and health ethics, bioethics, human psychological ethics as well as military medical ethics. Therefore the combats are left in huge dilemmas on how to address each specific value with respect to their professional ethics that is the military ethics. One of the commanders in Iraq was reported to have accepted that actually in the battlefield they were at dilemma not with the bioethical value of the enemy or the civilians but also amongst the combats themselves. He said that it is actually it was not a simple matter to kill or to be killed, however the soldiers have to think about their fellow soldiers, their country and the reason why they have gone for war. If the leave the enemy to kill their fellow soldiers because they sympathize with the enemy, the soldiers are considered compromising the military ethics. If they kill the enemy they are considered war criminals before the law concerned with international human rights. The soldier are then expected to protect the interests of their fellow soldier and their nation but without compromising the interest of the civilians in war torn nations or the interest of the war lords they fight with for example the taliban group in Iraq. However those feeling the pinch of the dilemma here are the commanders, they have to put soldiers to battle knowing very well that deaths will occur but there is nothing they can do because they will do everything within their powers to save the lives of the soldiers the can not accomplish the mission. Continued war all over the world sees the combats being sent to various destinations this has by far added greater dimensions to the combat’s ethical dilemmas. With increased injuries and deaths the soldiers do not know where to start and end because the dilemma now is actually seen in their lives versus the profession. The US military ethics does not offer any guideline on whether to withhold treatment from soldiers with severe brain injuries or not, the military doctors are the in turn faced with a very complicated moral and ethical dilemma. Here the doctor must choose between treating the worst and disturbing wounds he has ever seen or to let his fellow soldier to die in the battlefields like Iraq. In these situations the military doctor are obsessed with keeping the wounded soldiers alive even if the wound is so serious something they would not have done in US. The military ethics back in US calls for immediate termination of life in such cases or an amputation if any of the limbs is involved, but in the war tone Iraq the military doctors are doing exactly the opposite of what is expected of them. Recently heated debates were witnessed across the states to discuss the position of women in US combat many people were against the view that females should be part of the team while others were supporting it by citing the great roles played by German women to fight the Nazi wars in the post war Germany. However the main ethical dilemma facing the women is to choose between going to war to protect their nation from enemies or to remain at home to care for the family. But if they go to war will they be safe in regard to their male counter pats in issues regarding sexual harassments and equality. To avoid these dilemmas there should be a well-defined ethics code to guard everybody getting involved with the soldiers for example there should be a specific line to differentiate military ethics and Bioethics or military ethics and medical ethics. The soldiers should adopt military role specific ethic which only favor military interest exclusively and the medical ethics should also be exclusive to patients. No mixing up agency should occur in the different values. When it comes to killing for example its a military ethics that a soldier whom is expected to be injured to recover should be shot dead, a soldier who betrays the federal government should also face the same but what of bioethics, is really right to kill? The soldiers should therefore be vigilant not to act inhumanly, they should learn to be flexible in their actions not to be influenced by fellow soldiers or even the state but should consider the values of the people they meet in war. The combats should also develop the skills of listening and learning from the mistakes made in the past by them or colleagues to avoid making any further errors. They should also learn to make their own decisions regardless of the unexpected situations they encounter in the battlefields and act accordingly with regard to military ethics and other moral ethics.

The Vietnam War On The Americans Reputation History Essay

The Vietnam War On The Americans Reputation History Essay War is an inevitable concept within American history. A nation that in some way or form has risen as an ally to many, and gained a reputation for being amongst, if not, the most powerful nation in the world, based on a series of victories both internally and externally, significantly as a key figure throughout the Cold War (1947-1989). The loss of the Vietnam War (1956-1973) is a black mark on Americas reputation and indeed history. There are a series of contributing factors to Americas downfall which include implemented strategies and tactics from both opposing sides, political and economic factors, the TET offensive and of course the American anti-war movement. Each factor inevitably played a role and adds to the list of reasons as to why America lost the Vietnam War. The effective strategies and tactics implemented by the communist forces namely the NVA (North Vietnamese Army) and Vietcong can be seen as a significant factor to the communist victory in 1975 Vietnam. These tactics and strategies employed by the South Vietnamese and US forces ultimately impacted strongly on the civilians in Vietnam and lead to the rise of anti-war movements in the USA. Mao Zedongs Golden Rules seemingly formed the basis for communist attacks by the Vietnamese. It entitled that The enemy advances, we retreat; the enemy camps, we harass; the enemy tires, we attack; the enemy retreats, we pursue (FOOTNOTE). This made communist forces a very strong and able fighting force, as they were both militarily and politically strong. Politically they were able to persuade civilians through nationalism and the promise of land reforms. Guerrilla warfare was the main tactics employed by the communist forces to achieve their main aims. It proved very successfully prior to 1960 in defeating both the French and Japanese as they adopted guerrilla warfare to textbook perfection (FOOTNOTE). Similarly guerrilla warfare favoured communist forces namely the Vietcong and the NLF (National Liberation Front) as the jungle like terrain of Vietnam was much suited to guerrilla warfare and they had the support from majority of the peasantry who were essentially the eyes and ears (FOOTNOTE) of the communist forces. Guerrilla warfare was also adopted in response to the military might and the sophisticated weaponry of the US and ARVN (Army of The republic of Vietnam). Tactics implored to combat this included a 300 kilometre intricate network of underground tunnels built by the Viet Cong and the NLF which housed food and weapon supplies, hospitals and protection from American artillery barrages and air strikes (FOOTNOTE). General Giap believed the way to victory was by gradually wearing down the enemy the way to win is by small defeats, one after the other until the coup de grace (FOOTNOTE). The result of guerrilla warfare was very successful, particularly in demoralising the enemy, as there was a constant threat of an ambush or stumbling upon the many mines and traps planted by the communist forces which accounted for 10% of American casualties (FOOTNOTE). Essentially it was the view that one guerrilla killed is equal to two main force killed. (FOOTNOTE) In comparison to the Vietcong, the US and ARVN had no effective strategies implemented to combat the communist forces guerrilla tactics, and in comparison to the American infantry, communist forces namely the Viet Cong were well trained in political indoctrination for the villages and gaining their support, as civilian support would ultimately prove essential for victory (FOOTNOTE). Another contributing factor as to why the Americans lost in Vietnam can be seen in contrast to the communist forces. Both the USA and the South Vietnamese forces implemented ineffective tactics and strategies which consequently contributed to the communist victory. Many historians such as David Chandler believed that the United States could have never won as French President Charles de Gaulle in 1962 predicted, step by step, is sucked into a bottomless military and political quagmire (FOOTNOTE). The escalation of advisors from 1962-1964 to 100,000, and after the Gulf of Tonkin incident in August 1964 American troops numbers increased and where engaged in military operation (FOOTNOTE). This gradual build of troops historian Stanley Karnow believed is another reason for the communist victory, as they should of began with a full-scale commitment as a gradual build up allowed the North to expand and the South to deteriorate (FOOTNOTE). The American and South Vietnamese forces relied heavily on their advance weaponry and conventional military tactics instead through political and social means as historian High Higgins states Americans sought to achieve liberation by means of destruction.(FOOTNOTE) Tactics employed include Search and Destroy which aimed at surrounding and attacking suspected villages which had potential for harbouring Vietcong (FOOTNOTE). Many of the villages were attacked even without Vietcong infiltration, leading to the increasing peasant support for the communist forces. Other tactics employed include many bombing operations including Barrel Roll and Rolling Thunder, with use of napalm, defoliants and herbicides such as Agent Orange were used in the belief of removing significant amounts of jungle to make the Vietcong easier to spot, these operations destroyed over 1/3 of the Vietnamese jungles (FOOTNOTE). These many tactics used by the US and South Vietnamese led to many civilian casualties thus increasing support for the communist forces. There was an alleged 1.3 million civilian casualties as a result from both US forces as well as communist forces with many of these casualties due to the ineffective US strategies including the bombing operations having much effect on peaceful villages (FOOTNOTE). It is the massacre at My Lai highlights in which 450 men, women and children were killed, which highlights the low morale and frustration of the American soldiers resulting in a media and anti war movement backlash (FOOTNOTE). The ineffectiveness led to greater civilian support for the communist forces, which was vital for a communist victory. The US and South Vietnamese forces failed to develop a democratic and reformed government in the south in opposition to the North. America backing the Diem regime during the escalation of the war, a dictatorship that features oppression, repression, censoring, corruption and nepotism created much dissent from the civilians and boosted support for the communist forces. The Strategic Hamlet programme (1962) which removed peasants from their lands and was militarily enforced, created resentment towards the US and South Vietnamese governments (FOOTNOTE). There were also easily infiltrated by the Viet Cong, thus creating more support for the communist forces. Under Nixons introduction to the policy of Vietnamisation in 1969 began the start of US troop withdrawal and leaving the responsibility of the war to the South Vietnamese ARVN, which highlights another ineffective tactic amounting to the victory of the communist forces. The US still provided financial and military support, but the ARVN were much dependant on the US forces and without them were unable to defend South Vietnam. They were poorly trained and lacked military logistics and intelligence. Vietnamisation left an inadequate South Vietnam to defend itself against the North, leading to the inevitable Communist victory on April 30, 1975. TET is the Buddhist New Year and an informal recognised truce was usually held (FOOTNOTE). Beginning 1968, January 31st, North Vietnams military leader Vo Nguyen Giaps plan was to simultaneously attack all targets, but this had failed. But it did not diminish intensity of a campaign that nearly defeated South Vietnam. Six major cities in South Vietnam were attacked, for nearly a week Saigon was in flames and the US embassy was temporarily occupied by the Vietcong. The TET offensive was a military victory for the US/ARVN forces. All battles won by US and the casualty rates were in favour of the US at this point after massive US bombing missions decimated North Vietnamese positions. The primary focus of the news in the US was the heroic struggle of the American soldiers to defeat communist menace in the south; the US population was led to believe they were winning the war. The US continued to claim their forces were pushing back the NVA into Laos and Cambodia. But as the conflict intensified, many news reporters clashed with military authorities in Saigon. The idea of US success was crushed by TET Offensive in 1968, the world saw Saigon in flames and the US embassy occupied (FOOTNOTE). Viewers began to question war effort. Hanois military losses converted into a media victory as anti-war demonstrations accelerated in US. Hanoi lost the TET offensive because it was not a quick victory, troops were overextended and under supplied, the South Vietnamese stood their ground and didnt retreat, the US air power provided crucial support and no uprise of the people took place. Even though the North lost the battle during the TET Offensive, it was effective in diminishing the will of the US, which was another significant contributing factor. The origins of anti-war movements in the USA can be traced to the commencement of President Johnsons massive bombing campaign (Operation Rolling Thunder 1965-68) on North Vietnam and the introduction of conscription (FOOTNOTE). On university campuses groups like Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and the War Resisters League began to spring up, questioning why their peers were fighting without a cause and being killed on the other side of the world. They refused to fight, and avoided the draft by changing their name or moving to Canada. 13 000 young men were convicted for draft avoidance and fined up to $10 000 or sentenced to 12 months hard labour (FOOTNOTE). Others who were conscripted showed their dissatisfaction with the war by wearing peace symbols and refusing to obey orders. The media coverage of the war once more instrumental in communicating the horrors of the conflict to a public who had been consuming optimistic propaganda they received from the government. Protest activities included rallies, marches, draft-card burning, teach-ins, and speeches to name a few. By 1967 there was a bitter change in Americas attitude to the war. In New York 100 000 anti-war protesters congregated and many more did the same in San Francisco, while urban riots occurred in Detroit (FOOTNOTE). An anti-military backlash meant that soldiers returning from war were considered baby-killers, not heroes like their fathers had been in WWII. Vietnam Veterans Against the War was formed. It was inevitable that the US and RoV were to be defeated in the Second Indochina war. What attributed to this defeat were not only the strengths of the Norths strategy of guerrilla warfare and the vital success of the Ho Chi Minh Trail in supplying the troops. The strategy of the US and the South was hopeless in all senses for this type of war. Their use of conventional techniques and Pacification programs in the end pushed the people to believe they are in fact the enemy. The fact that the North has an emotional cause appealing to the whole of the people and the all-round inappropriate strategy of the south and US it was inevitable from the stat that the South would be defeated.

Research methodology, different types of philosophical

Research methodology, different types of philosophical Fischer (2004) states that research methodology is the study which raises all types of philosophical questions for the researchers to know and check the availability of their knowledge. Saunders et al. (2007) states that, the research design will be the general plan of how to answer the research questions and it should contain: Clear objectives derived from the research questions It should specify sources from which data is collected Consider the constraints that the researcher will have access to data, location time and money Discussing ethical issues Cooper and Schindler (2008) mentions that the research task is a sequential process involving clearly defined steps. They also state that despite the variation in steps involved, the idea of sequence is useful in developing a research and maintaining an order as the research progresses. According to Teresa and William (1997), research methodology provides a systematic, planned approach to a research project and ensures that all aspects of the project are consistent with one another. The method that has been used for this research is based on the research process onion as described by Saunders et al. (2007). The research goes through different layers of the research onion. The various layers are philosophies, approaches, strategies, choices, time horizons and techniques and procedures. This chapter is divided into three sections. The first section deals with the research methods that have been used for this dissertation. The second part deals with data collection methods. The last section deals with population and sampling. Research Onion- Adapted from Saunders et al. (2007) Research philosophy: Saunders et al. (2007) mentions that research philosophy depends on the way you think about the development of knowledge. It is the first layer in the research onion proposed by them. According to them, there are three approaches to research philosophy. They are epistemology, ontology and axiology. Epistemology constitutes with the acceptable knowledge in the field of study; ontology is concerned with nature of reality where as axiology studies about the researchers value in all stage of research process. They argue that the choice of philosophy depends on the research question posed and the researcher feels that the approach that has to be used is Epistemology. Jancowickz (2000) mentioned epistemology as personal theory of knowing and what researcher feels as knowledge, what he counts as evidence and proof and what he does not. Saunders et al. (2007) mentioned that there are three epistemological positions namely, positivism, interpretivism, and realism. Positivism: Saunders et al. (2007) mentions that if research philosophy reflects the principles of positivism, then we will probably adopt the philosophical stance of a natural scientist. According to Bryman Bell (2007) positivism is an epistemological position that advocates the application of methods of natural sciences to study of social reality and beyond. Reilly (2006) defined positivism as a belief that only true knowledge is scientific in character, describing interrelationships between real and observable phenomena. Interpretivism: This is a philosophy where researcher be critical of positivism and argue that rich insights, into complex world are lost if such complexity is reduced entirely to a series of law like generations. It also emphasises on the difference between conducting a research among people rather than tangible objects. Realism: This is a philosophical approach which is based on that a reality exists that is independent of human thoughts and beliefs. It holds many thoughts from positivism and it scientifically questions what is regarded as acceptable knowledge. In realism, the approach assumes a scientific approach to the development of data and underpins the collection of data and understanding of those data. (Saunders et al., 2007, p105). There are two types of realism namely critical realism and direct realism. Direct realism is what the researcher experience through his senses represents the world accurately. In critical realism, what the researcher experiences are sensations and images of the things in the real world, but not the real thing. Research philosophy for this research: Saunders et al. (2007) argues that usually a combination of positivism and interpretivism are generally used in the management of business research. However, the research philosophy varies according to research question. This research focuses on impact of sales promotions on impulse purchases. Various authors have discussed the phenomenon that happens and the researcher is trying to explore the consumer behaviour on impulse purchase. The philosophy that is used in this research is realism. For this the researcher uses acceptable knowledge in the field of impulse purchase and consumer behaviour to understand the impact of sales promotion on impulse purchase and consumer loyalty. The researcher collects and analyses data using acceptable knowledge for the purpose of answering the research question, so the research is more inclined towards realism. Research Approach: Saunders et al. (2007) states that all research work involves theories and suggests the clarity of researchers theory at the beginning of the research could inform the research the approach taken in designing the research. They, suggest two types of research approach of reasoning. They are Inductive approach and Deductive approach. Inductive Approach: In inductive approach, the researcher would collect the data and develop and theory with the result of data analysis. According to Saunders et al. (2007), the following are the features of inductive approach. Gaining an understanding of meanings human attach to events A close understanding of research context A collection of qualitative data A more flexible structure to permit changes of research emphasis as research progresses A realisation that the researcher is part of the research process Less concern with need to generalise Deductive approach: Deductive approach method is the way of testing a theory. The researcher will develop a theory and suitable hypothesis. The research strategy is the developed to test the hypothesis that is developed. Roboson (2002) suggests a five-stage model through which the deductive stage will progress: Deduct a hypothesis from the theory Express the hypothesis in operational terms Test the hypothesis Examine outcome of the inquiry Modify theory in light of results Research Approach for this research: The researcher has chosen the deductive approach over the inductive approach for this research. In deductive approach for this research, an initial stage presents a general hypothesis. This initial stage contains secondary data mentioned by various authors. This hypothesis is then tested using the data collection methods to answer the objectives. Research Strategy: According to Saunders et al. (2007), seven different strategies can be used for a research. They are: Experiment Survey Case study Action research Grounded theory Ethnography Archival research The strategy that has to be used can be chosen depending on research questions and objectives, research time and other resources that are available. (Saunders et al., 2007) The most feasible solution for this dissertation is the survey method. The survey method is associated with deductive approach. It allows the collection of a large amount of data from sizeable population in highly economical way. Utilising the questionnaire, data can be standardised allowing easy compilation. It is also a cheap option for the researcher. The survey strategy also allows collecting quantitative data, which can be analysed using descriptive tactics. The survey strategy utilises the designing and piloting of data collection method to ensure a good response rate. In the case of this dissertation, the researcher plans to distribute questionnaire among the customers and thus do the survey for this dissertation. This will be handed out by the researcher himself which adds to the cheapness of the survey. The researcher is also planning to do two mini focus group interviews among the customers. Looking at all these options, the researcher feels that conducting a survey will be the best way to collect data for this research. Research choice: According to Saunders et al. (2007), the two main methods of data collection are quantitative data collection and qualitative data collection. Qualitative data that is used in research would be usually a non-numerical data. It has open-ended information. Example: Pictures or video clips. Quantitative data that is used in data would be numerical data consisting of graphs or statistics. It includes close-ended information such as attitude, behaviour of performance instruments. (John and Vicki, 2007). Saunders et al. (2007, p 146) Saunders et al. (2007) mentions that the researcher can use used both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods. This is known as mixed method of data collection. Both these could be done at the same time or one after the other, but the methods cannot be combined. John and Vicki (2007) argue that the weakness of both quantitative and qualitative methods can be overcome by using both the methods. If we use mixed methods, different methods like interview and questionnaire can be used for the study. They also state that mixed method research provides more comprehensive evidence for studying a research question than using just one method of data analysis. This was also mentioned as the most practical method since the researcher is free to use all the methods to address the problem. In the context of this research, the researcher used a combination of both quantitative and qualitative data techniques to find the data. The quantitative data is analysed with the help of questionnaires and the qualitative data is analysed with the help of interviews. The attitudes and impulse buying behaviour and perception of customers can be studied using the questionnaire surveys. For the qualitative data analysis, two mini focus groups consisting of three members each will be conducted by the researcher. The researcher will use the respondents observation and researchers observation to conclude his findings. In short, the researcher uses mixed method of data analysis to generalise the findings. Time Horizon: According to Saunders et al. (2007), time horizons are needed for the research design independent of the research methodology used. There are two types of time horizons namely Longitudinal and Cross-sectional. Longitudinal studies are repeated over an extended period. Cross sectional studies are limited to a specific time frame. This research is also limited to a specific time frame and hence the cross sectional time horizon is used. Data Collection Methods: There are two types of data involved with this research. The first one is primary data and the second type is secondary data. The secondary data contains the literature review, which is the view by various authors about the topic. The primary data which is collected to prove the hypothesis presented which is collected using secondary data. According to Saunders et al. (2007), the secondary data may not match the needs of new research; aggregations and definitions may also be unsuitable, there for to resolve this primary data has been employed to answer the nature of the problem and test the hypothesis. In other words, the secondary data is the data that is collected for some other purpose while the primary data is collected specifically for this research. Secondary data: According to Saunders et al. (2007), the secondary data consists of both quantitative and qualitative data. It contains both raw data and published data. Bryman and Bell (2007) stated that it could provide an answer to the research question. They also mentioned about the benefits of collecting secondary data. It helps us structuring ideas, developing new concepts, widen new directions to data, sketch population and organise appropriate approach to the research. Saunders et al. (2007) also mentions that the secondary data should be viewed with the same caution that we view the primary data. The researcher needs to make sure that it will be able to answer the research question and meet his objectives. For this research, the researcher gathered the secondary data from journal articles and textbooks. The journals were electronically collected from the Emerald Insight (http://www. emeraldnisight.com) and Business source complete. The researcher also referred many books and magazines. Books provided the foundation for the topic and for the research methods. The journals helped to get an insight from various authors that discussed about this topic. Magazines helped to find the current situations related to the topic. Primary data: Primary data is collected for the completion of this research. It is the data collected from the survey and we do not have any previous results for this data. There are two categories of data collection available. One of them is quantitative data collection and the second is the qualitative data collection. Qualitative data: The data that is non-numerical and that cannot be quantified is known as qualitative data. Saunders et al. (2007) mentions that the use of interviews can help the researcher to gather valid and reliable data that are relevant to his/her research. There interviews are mainly categorised into two namely standardised and Non-standardised interviews. Standardised interviews will have interview-administered questions where as the other one does not have that. Under non-standardised interviews, there are two categories. They are one-to-one and one-to-many. The one-to-one is further categorised into face-to-face, telephone and internet/intranet based interviews. The one-to-many interviews are of two kinds; group interviews and internet/intranet based group interviews. This kind of group interviews come under a category called focus group interviews. (Saunders et al. (2007) p 313) This research will be using the aid of focus group interviews. The focus group method is a form of group interview in which there are several participants, there is an emphasis on questioning on a tightly defined topic and the accent is upon interaction within the group and the joint construction of meaning. (Bryman and Bell, 2007) The main characteristic of this interview is, it involves more than one interviewee and typically contains four to twelve members. According to Cooper and Schindler (2001), the two advantages of using focus group interview are to get a depth understanding and it is a chance to observe reactions to the research question in an open-ended group setting. For this research, the researcher conducts two mini focus group interviews. These interviews are used to increase the credibly of the research and to form a background for the questionnaire design. The critical analysis of the focus group interviews helped the researcher to critically analyse the sales promotion and its impact on impulse purchasing behaviour of the participants. The researcher was able to find two groups of respondents who were willing to give the focus group interview. These groups contained both male and female participants, with the age group between 15 and 30. The interviewees were asked questions about the sales promotional activities in the store. They were also asked about the factors that affect them to buy things impulsively and if price promotions affect the impulse purchase. The mini focus interviews helped the researcher in questionnaire design by exploring the responses of sample population to analytically test the hypothesis using quantitative data. The response from the interviewees pulled out the conclusions that sales promotions play an important role in impulse buying behaviour of consumers. Quantitative data: The quantitative data is analysed using survey method. For this research, the researcher uses, questionnaire for the survey method. Saunders et al. (2007) mentions that a questionnaire includes all techniques of data collection in which each person is asked to respond to the same set of questions in a predetermined order. They also mention that it is one of the most widely used data collection within the survey strategy. The questionnaires are used in the research as it permits prompt and honest responses from a respondent than interviews. This sort of response is required for extracting information such as personal information. The biasness that is likely to occur by the difference in phrasing questions to different respondents is also eliminated by using questionnaire. The convenience, availability of resources in terms of time and cost and ease of automating data entry makes questionnaire the best choice for quantitative data analysis. According to Saunders et al. (2007), various factors affect choosing the questionnaire for a research. They are The characteristics of the respondents to whom the researcher wish to collect the information. Importance of reaching a particular person as respondent Size of the sample required by the researcher for the analysis Importance of the responders answers not being contaminated or distorted The type of question that the researcher needs to collect the data The number of questions that the researcher needs to ask to collect the data There are two types of questionnaires namely self-administered questionnaire and interview administered questionnaire. Self-administered questionnaire is used in this research because of its advantage that it can be completed without the presence of the researcher. This is supported by Brace (2004) that the absence of the researcher makes the respondent to be honest and the respondent gets enough time to answer the questions. One important thing that needs to be noted is the language used in the questionnaire. A simple language is usually preferred than using technical jargons. Bruce (2004) mentions that double barrelled questions and jargon must be avoided in order to reduce confusion among both parties Bryman and Bell (2007) mentions that piloting a questionnaire should be an integral part of the process. Piloting is the process by which the questionnaire is revised and tested until the researcher and clients are happy. It helps the researcher to improve the quality of questionnaire and its efficiency in assembling data. A pilot test was conducted among five MBA International students to validate the questionnaire. Based on their feedback, necessary amendments were made to the questions. Table 2: Questionnaire description: Sl. no Characteristics Questions 1 Collects the demographic information from respondents Q1,Q2,Q3 2 Identifies the shopping details like frequency and average spending Q4, Q5 3. Identifies the sales promotional activities in the store Q6,Q7, 4 Identifies consumers impulse buying behaviour and factors Q9,Q10,11 5. Identifies if price promotion affects impulse purchase Q12,Q13,Q14,Q15 The researcher distributed the questionnaires in Tesco retail store, Parnell Street, Dublin-Ireland. The researcher ensured that the consumers got enough time to complete the questionnaire. This researcher did not give any hints to answer the questions and this helped the respondent to honestly answer the questions. The researcher used an online tool called Surveymonkey for the data analysis (www.surveymonkey.com). The response and the scales used are mentioned in the data analysis chapter Population and Sampling: According to Cooper and Schindler (2008), a population is the total collection of elements about which we wish to make some inferences. They also mentioned that to draw the conclusion about the entire population, some of the elements of the population are to be selected and this process is called sampling. Saunders et al. (2007) mentions sampling technique provides a range of methods that enable to reduce the amount of data that is needed for consideration. They further mention that this is an alternative to the census method. They provide alternative when; It would be impractical for the researcher to survey the entire population The budget constraints prevent researcher from surveying the entire population The time constraints prevents the researcher from surveying the entire population Results are needed quickly Mayolor and Blackmon (2005), mentions that sampling frame facilitates, conclusion making about the social units that have been selecting units that are representative of the population. Saunders et al. (2007) classifies the sampling techniques into probability sampling Non-probability sampling. In probability sampling, the probability of each case being selected from the population is the same for all cases, where as in non-probability sampling, the probability of case being selected is being unknown. Cooper and Schindler (2008), argues that, if the non-probability sampling is feasible, if the total population for the study is unknown. In this case, the population are the customers of Tesco, Parnell Street, Dublin. Non-probability sampling is further divided into five types: Quota Sampling Purposive sampling Snowball sampling Self selection sampling Convenience sampling This research focuses on impact of sales promotion on impulse purchase and consumer loyalty. In this research, the quota sampling is found to be more appropriate for the sampling. Saunders et al., (2007) confirms that with the help of quota sampling, population could be divided into specific groups. This helps in calculating a quota for each group based on appropriate and obtainable data. According to Barnett (1991), cited by Saunders et al. (2007), quota sampling is entirely non-random and is normally used for interview surveys. It is based on the premise that the sample will represent the population, as the variability in the sample for various quota variables is the same as that of the population. For this research, the population is categorises into specific groups. Appropriate estimate from each group is prepared to distinguish the quota based on reliable data. Each interviewer will be analysed and the data will be collected from each quota. The data that is collected are then united to obtain a full sample. The researcher selected the quotas according to the age group and gender. The customers were selected by the respondent randomly first. The researcher then checked the respondents criteria of the age group and selected the people he wanted. Sampling Frame: The frame elements in the population are called the sampling frame. Saunders et al. (2007) states that the larger the samples size, the lower the likely error in generalising to the population. Hence, suitable sample should be governed by: The confidence required in the data Margin of error that can be tolerated Types of analysis that needs to be undertaken Size of the total population The sampling frame in this research includes the customers in the grocery section in Tesco, Parnell Street. The sampling size, frame and population are defined as follows: Sampling Size: 100 Elements: Customers of Tesco, Parnell Street Units: Grocery section in Tesco Parnell Street Extents: Dublin, Ireland Sampling Technique: Non-probability sampling (quota sampling) Sampling Error: 5% Time: May 2010-Aug-2010 The quotas and total sample size are given below:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   AGE GROUP   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   MALE   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   FEMALE   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   15-30   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   25   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   25   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   31-50   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   15   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   15   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   51 and above   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   10   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   10   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   TOTAL POPULATION = 100 Time constraint was the main reason for the researcher to select a small population. The researcher ensured that the researcher were ensured ample time to complete the questionnaire. The researcher made sure that the questionnaire had a simple design with no technical jargons used which would have confused people otherwise. The researcher plans to distribute the questions to 100 people and expects a sampling error of 5%. Since it is a self-administered questionnaire, the researcher expects good response from the respondents.

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Group: All-Stars Equity Theory Process theory is a commonly used form of scientific research study in which events or occurrences are said to be the result of certain input states leading to a certain outcome stat, following a set process. Process theory holds that of an outcome is to be duplicated, so too must the process which originally created it, and that there are certain constant necessary conditions for the outcomes to be reached. When the phrase is used in connection with human motivation, process theory attempts to explain the mechanism by which human needs changes. Equity theory falls into the process theory. John Stacey Adams, workplace and behavioral psychologist, put forward his Equity Theory on job motivation in 1963. There are similarities with Charles Handy's extension and interpretation of previous simpler theories of Maslow, Herzberg and other pioneers of workplace psychology, in that the theory acknowledges that subtle and variable factors affect each individual's assessment and perception of their relationship with their work, and thereby their employer. Awareness and cognizance feature more strongly than in earlier models, as does the influence of colleagues and friends, etc, in forming cognizance, and in this particular model, ‘a sense of what is fair and reasonable’. Equity or inequity is a psychological state residing within an individual. It creates a feeling of dissonance that the individual attempts to resolve in some manner. The notion of "equity" is associated with justice and fairness. The individual fundamentally believes that they are being treated fairly in comparison to what they see others receiving. Equity is a social comparison process, resulting when individuals compare their pay to the pay of others. There is no "rational" or single "equitable pay rate" for any given job or individual. Equity is a subjective evaluation, not an objective one. Based on the comparison that individuals use, each individual is likely to develop different perceptions of equity. The comparisons individuals use tend to fall into five classes of comparison: 1. Job Equity- Individuals compare their pay to the pay of other individuals in the same position they hold within their organization. 2. Company Equity- Individuals compare their pay to the pay of other individuals holding the different positions within their organization. 3. Occupational (Market) Equity- Individuals compare their pay to the pay of other individuals holding the same position in other 4. Cohort Equity- Individuals compare their pay to the pay of others in similar cohort groups, generally age and education.

Importance of Early American Women Writers Essay -- Anne Bradstreet, P

  Ã‚   What could be said to early American women's writers except, thank you? The first American women's writers opened doors and laid the foundation for future women's writers and readers. Today's women raise children, supervise households, and work outside the home with every modern convenience available, and as you would expect do not find the time to write, except for a grocery list. Early American women raised children and supervised households without the modern conveniences of today and in some way made time to write the first poetry of the "New World." For example, Everette Emerson gives a picture of Anne Bradstreet a housewife who stole hours from sleep for writing gave women American writers their start (4). Different styles of writing emerged from various early American women writers in each century, there by setting a precedent for those that followed. Anne Bradstreet, Phillis Wheatley, Abigail Adams, Hannah Foster, Susanna Rowson, and Louisa May Alcott established new forms of literary styles like poetry, letters, fiction, and novels in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. Anne Bradstreet established domestic tradition in American poetry in the 17th century. Anne Bradstreet (1612-1672) first book of poetry was "The Tenth Muse", with the assistance of her brother-in-law it was published in 1650. "Anne was a Puritan woman of deep spiritual faith, but her highly intelligent and well-educated mind was capable of questioning and even rebellion" (Piercy 17). During the Puritan era of Anne Bradstreet, the idea was one of community and God. According to Katherine M. Rogers, "In her "Prologue," Bradstreet acknowledged that many of her contemporaries thought a needle fitted her hand better than a pen" (Meridian 11.5.2). She rea... ... could be said to early American women's writers except, thank you? Bibliography Elbert, Sarah, ed. Louisa May Alcott on Race, Sex, and Slavery. Boston: Northeastern University Press, 1997. Emerson, Everett. Major Writers of Early American Literature. London: The University of Wisconsin Press, Ltd., 1972. The Heath Anthology of American Literature, Third Edition, Volume 1. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1998. Linda Wagner-Martin and Cathy N. Davidson. The Oxford Book of Women's Writing in the United States. New York: Oxford University Press, 1995. Mason Jr., Julian D. The Poems of Phillis Wheatley. The University of North Carolina Press, 1966. Piercy, Josephine K. Anne Bradstreet. New York, Twayne Publishers, 1965. Rogers, Katherine M., ed. The Meridian Anthology of Early American Women Writers. New York: Meridian, 1991.   

Osmosis in Potato Tissue

Biology Aim: My objective is to plan and conduct an  experiment from which I should be able to draw a firm conclusion that  will either prove or disprove any predictions I make. This essay aims to assess and investigate the effect of various solution concentrations on the activity of osmosis in plant tissue. Background scientific theory: Plants exchange gases (CO2 and O2) in maintaining vital respiratory processes and in carrying out photosynthesis; they absorb certain minerals and sugars so to use as a source of energy and eradicate wastes in order to maintain specific requirements for survival.Large amounts of water are absorbed by root hairs and are then distributed across the cells of plants by the process of osmosis; water being essential to life, assists cells in executing crucial chemical processes. Molecules travel by two means; active transport or passive transport. Active transport is the movement of a substance from a low to high concentration against the norm concentr ation gradient. Hence, the process requires expenditure of energy, and the support of a carrier protein. Passive transport, however, does not require energy but occurs spontaneously instead.It is a form of transport by which molecules move along a concentration gradient, from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration. Passive transport includes osmosis and facilitates diffusion. Osmosis is a special case of diffusion; it describes the passage of a solvent from a weaker solution, where there is higher water potential, to that of a more concentrated solution that has a lower water potential through a partially permeable membrane in order to achieve the state of equilibrium. A partially permeable membrane acts as a barrier to some substances but allows others to penetrate through freely.Within any plant cell the cytoplasm and cell sap within the vacuoles are of a variety of substances such as salt, sugars and proteins. In theory, water will diffuse into the cell by osmosis if the solution surrounding the cell is weaker but when enclosed by a stronger more concentrated solution than its contents than water is drawn from it by the same process. As a result it becomes flaccid; the turgor pressure falls, the vacuole collapses and the cytoplasm shrink away from the cell wall. This may result in its wilting or death. Plant cells have a cell wall as well as a plasma membrane.The cell wall is a strong and rigid structure that is used by the cell to create osmotic pressure within the cell. This pressure can build because of the rigidity of the cell wall. The cells within a plant that contain high water pressure act as the plant supportive structure, helping to give it its shape. When gaining, the vacuole will expand and press outwards on the cytoplasm and cell wall but since this cannot be over stretched there is a resistance on the inflow of water by the un-stretchable cell wall. This resistance results in turgor pressure exerted by the vacuole on the cell walls.When the vast majority of the cells within the leaves and stem of plant are turgid, its stem will be firm and upright and the leaves straight therefore providing mechanical strength. Similarly a flaccid celled leaf will be limp and the stem will droop; such plants are thought to be wilting. Factors that affect the rate of osmosis (potential variables) The rate of osmosis is much dependent upon a number of factors; the temperature, the nature of the solute, the difference in concentration of solute on either side of the membrane, and any external pressure applied against the direction of flow.Concentration: – The  concentration  of a chemical  solution  refers to the amount of solute  that is dissolved in a  solvent. The concentration of any solution or plan tissue is directly linked to its water potential; the higher the concentration the lower it water potential. Water potential is a measure of the potential of water to enter or leave. Within a di lute solution there is a higher proportion of free water molecules hence water will flow from the dilute to concentrated solution; it is said to have a higher water potential.The maximum water potential is nil; an example of which is within pure water hence water molecules will flow from it to any other aqueous solution regardless of how dilute it may be. There are three possible concentrations of solution. The first, a hypertonic solution, has a higher solute concentration than that of the cell and as a result the water will leave the cell resulting in collapsed vacuoles in plant cells. A hypotonic solution, however, has a lower solute concentration than the solute concentration inside the cell and hence the net movement of water inside the cell is at its maximum.Whilst an isotonic solution is when the concentration of solutes is the same inside the cell as it is outside of the cell; in such as case the cell would not lose nor gain any water. This state is otherwise recognized as d ynamic Equilibrium where the molecules are randomly distributed despite there still being a rapid net movement of water across the cell membrane in both directions; water movement in opposing directions occur at the same rate and thereby ‘cancel’ each other out.Larger differences between the concentrations or water potential of the solutions results in a steeper concentration gradient, meaning a faster rate of osmosis. In effect the concentration outside of any cell is proportional to osmosis rates and therefore the higher the concentration of the solution the higher the net movement of water. Concentration is the factor which is to be assessed in the following experiment; it can be altered by diluting the solution with distilled water whilst keeping the volume constant, (i. e. a 0. 8 molar sucrose solution would consist of 2cm? f distilled water with 8cm? of sucrose solution equivalent to 10cm? of a mixture. ) Temperature: – The rate of Osmosis is also reliant u pon the kinetic energy of the particles being diffused. Since energy is directly related to heat, temperature governs the amount of kinetic energy the particles have. The general temperature of the room in which the experiment takes place will influence measurements of mass of the potato; hence it is important that we ensure that it remains ambient throughout our experiment in order to increase the reliability of our measurements.Ultimately as temperature increases or decreases, the rate of osmosis should also increase or decrease in relative, causing the potato chips to lose/gain mass at a faster/ slower rate. Temperature is therefore directly proportional to the rate of osmosis. Surface area to volume ratio- Additionally the surface area of the plant tissue or in this case the potato will also influence osmosis; the larger the surface area, the more cells are directly exposed to the liquid solution; therefore more water can transfer through the membranes of the cells at any one ti me resulting in a more massive net movement of water by osmosis.Size of Potato;- A large sized potato is likely to contain more  substances. Therefore it is likely to contain more water, which can  affect osmosis as there will be an increasing concentration of water,  which, as the potato's size increases affecting the overall movement  of water depending on the concentration of solution that the potato is  kept in. All potato chips shall be approximately at the same mass initially (1. 6g ± 0. 2g) Plant Tissue:-Where the potato was sourced from will also greatly affect the osmosis rates that are observed by its change in mass also whilst some may be old others may be fresh. In theory osmosis rates will be considerably more efficient in newer than older potato strips for the reason that in older ones its cells may be more damaged or be on the verge of decay. Hence the permeability of the potato can too be determined by its age; its age and permeability to the larger exten t are in inverse proportion therefore.Type of solution:- Different solution types ( i. e. sucrose, glucose, potassium chloride and sodium chloride) will differ from one another in that the size of the molecules of the solute may be larger in one that the other. this will affect osmosis rates within the plant tissue in that smaller molecules will be able to penetrate through the partially permeable membrane with far more ease than larger ones ; hence the smaller the molecules of the solute the faster the rate of osmosis. Time; –The time given in which the plant tissue was immersed within the solution would also affect the experiment, as we would expect that with a longer duration, there would be more time for osmosis to occur. Pressure; – The pressure on one side of the membrane can increase or decrease the rate of osmosis by pushing the solution against the membrane. Selecting a factor â€Å"An independent variable is that which is presumed to affect or determine a de pendent variable[1]†. It can be changed as required, and its values do not represent a problem requiring explanation in an analysis, but are taken simply as given.More generally, the independent variable is what someone actively changes; while the dependent variable is what changes as a result. The constant variable or otherwise known as controlled variable, however, is never changed during an experiment as it remains ‘constant’. During my experiment I shall be measuring the change in mass of the potato chips as the dependant variable in order to investigate the effect of different concentration of sucrose solution (independent variable) on osmosis.Other factors such as the room temperature, type and volume of solution, form and size of plant tissue shall remain ambient through out my investigation as controlled variables or otherwise ‘constants’. Qualitative, Quantitative and Testable Hypothesis Osmosis is defined as being the net movement of water f rom a region of high concentration to that of a low concentration. This  movement must take place across a partially permeable membrane such as  a cell wall, which allows only explicit molecules to penetrate through but obstructs the pathway of others.Diffusion will continue until the area in which the molecules are found  reaches a state of equilibrium where molecules are  randomly distributed throughout solution. By my scientific background knowledge I can make a number of predications; I hypothesize that the rate of osmosis will differ in all test tubes depending on the concentration of solution, resulting in some either gaining mass in becoming turgid, others remaining the same whilst the rest lose mass and being flaccid after being immersed in solution subsequent to a fixed period of time.I hypothesize that plant tissue immersed in solution of higher concentration than that within the cell itself (hypertonic solution) will loose mass because there will be a net movement of water through the partially permeable membrane outside the cell where there is a considerably lower water potential. The plant cell becomes flaccid and as a result of the ell membrane shrinking and pulling away from its cells walls, it said to have been plasmolysed. Likewise, I predict that if the plant cell is placed in a hypotonic solution where the concentration of solution is lower than that of the cell than water is absorbed by osmosis.The plant cell swells and shall become turgid to the extent that the pressure within the cell matches the internal or turgor pressure. The turgor pressure shall prevent further uptake of Water preventing it from rupturing. More generally the concentration of the sucrose solution in the flasks is inversely proportional with the plant tissues change in mass; as you increase the concentration of the solution, both the mass and the length of the potato chip will decrease.This I shall prove by measuring the mass of the plant tissue before it being and subsequent to being submerged in solution. Data collected shall be handled and substituted into the following equation . . . . Final mass (g) – initial mass (g) X 100 = Percentage Change Initial mass (g) A negative percentage change will signify that water has been lost by its net movement through the partially permeable membrane whilst a positive one will suggest that there has been a gain. I predict that my findings when transferred onto a graph will have a similar trend as in the one shown below.Preliminary The main objective of carrying out four preliminary experiments was to inform me as to which instruments would be most efficient in its use, gain first hand practice and recognize suitable methods in order to conclude specified measures which I will be using in ensuring that my final investigation is of highest standards in its reliability. |Concentration (Mole)|Mass(g) |Percentage change of | | | |mass (% to 1 d. ) | | |Before |After |Change | | |1. 000 |2. 32 |1. 97 |0. 35 |15. 0 | |0. 500 |2. 30 |2. 24 |0. 06 |2. 60 | |0. 250 |2. 28 |2. 23 |0. 05 |2. 20 | |0. 125 |2. 32 |2. 59 |-0. 27 |-11. 60 | Preliminary experiment 1 – Equipment: ? cork bores (5mm) potato ? glucose solution ? ruler ? tissue ? distilled water ? scalpel ? pipette ? test tubes x4 ? measuring cylinder ? scales Key: outlier Experiment 1 varied the concentration of the glucose solution; from the readings observed a clear correlation can be identified as a result of measurements being wide ranging- as the concentration of the glucose solution reduced by half each time the mass of the potatoes reduced too and hence there is a proportional correlation between the independent and dependant variable.Such readings are scientifically explanatory and correspond with my initial prediction produced in the previously discussed section of the hypothesis. One major setback of this investigation was that I used too few solutions with varying concentrations and hence the readings ava ilable in giving evidence of any judgments on my findings or when proving/disproving my initial predictions are limited.Hence, if I were to further develop this investigation as my final one I intend on using 5 different concentrated solutions that range from 0. 2 to 1 molar with increments of 0. 2moles. In this investigation we failed to use distilled water but instead opted for tap water because we had forgotten; this is much likely to have reduced the reliability of my results because any dissolved substances within the water will have affected the rate of osmosis by changing the solutions proposed concentration.In the final experiment we shall therefore use distilled water. However, I believe that my readings from the first preliminary experiment are reasonably fair and reliable because no outliers which contradict the key identified trend can be found and the mass of the potatoes previous to and subsequent to the experiment was accurate to 0. 01 of a decimal place. The potato w ith which we worked with was . . . . . . Preliminary Experiment 2 Equipment: cork bores (5mm) ? Swede ? sucrose solution ? ruler |Temperature (C °) |Length (mm) |Percentage change in | | | |length (% to 1d. p ) | | |Before |After |change | | |45 |3. 5 |3. 3 |0. 2 |5. 7 | |0 |3. 5 |3. |-0. 2 |-5. 7 | |25 |3. 5 |3. 5 |0. 0 |0. 0 | ? tissue ? distilled water ? scalpel ? pipette ? test tubes x3 ? measuring cylinder Key: outlier The second of my preliminary experiments was to see the effect of change in temperature on the rate of osmosis; the cell membrane remained at constant as Swede which was immersed in a 10ml sucrose solution at 1 mole.It is different from other preliminary experiments by the fact the Swede cylinders were 40 mm in length; however as suggested by the data there is no significant change in my measurements. The measurements that were collected were few; by 45, 0 and 25 degrees acting thereby as a disadvantage because we are restricted in the amount of data available in proving the trend. It is suggested that the higher the temperature the higher the osmosis rates; our observations are fully explainable, expected and scientifically conventional.It is known that temperature has a direct relationship to the movement of particles across a membrane; therefore as temperature increases, the rate at which particles move across the membrane should increase too as its molecules will be more excited in having more kinetic energy. Nonetheless if the temperature were to rise too high the selective permeability of the membrane can be damaged due to becoming denatured hence permanently collapsing the process of osmosis; this could be investigated by experimenting with temperature at or over 60 degrees.If I were to further develop this investigation with temperature being the independent variable I would take 4 measurements with increments of 20 degrees with minimum values of -20 to 60 degrees. My results here are less accurate by my use of only an average the rmometer as it is corrected to the nearest centigrade measured; consequently if I were to develop this experiment I would prefer to use a data logger which will give me values that have been rounded to the nearest decimal place with a considerably smaller error tolerance.In all of our preliminary investigation there was a reaction time of 30 minutes given; this however in my opinion is unreasonably low because the process of osmosis may have not yet reached its maximum capacity or equilibrium; hence in the final experiment there will be 45 minutes given for each set of vegetable cylinders. We did not use a stop watch or any other means of measuring and setting the reaction time other than the classroom clock and our best estimates; this may have hindered the reliability of our measurements so I shall use an stop watch in the final experiment which is accurate to

Perspective Essay

Everyone can view perspectives differently and sometimes it is hard to understand another person’s perspective. Many people do the things they do because they feel that their perspective is the right one. Personally I believe that sometimes people do not want to look at the others personal perspective because they know that they are wrong with their own. In other words, some people know what they are doing is wrong and do not want to do anything to fix it. In my perspective of being angry with my friend, I was angered that my friend who had been living with me for a week during the summer was not picking up after himself. I had to clean up all of his messes and had to make sure that our living area was not in complete disarray. It angered me because I had to clean up after him as well as myself. I feel that he should have contributed at least a little bit to our situation. We were both away from our homes and were both in the same situation and he just relied on me to be his personal â€Å"maid.† My response to this situation that I was dealing with was that I was very short tempered, and I did not want to communicate with my friend as much. He got the hint that something was wrong, but he did not have any idea about what was wrong. I tried to just blow off the situation and see if he was going to eventually start helping out, but nothing changed. Finally, I opened my mouth and told him that he needed to start helping around the place. He got super offensive and he stated, â€Å"I thought that room service was cleaning our room.† Some people expect things in life, and my friend was one of these people. My perspective changed after I looked at how this kid grew up. He had his parents and his grandma do everything for him. From doing the dishes to taking out the trash, this kid had never done a chore in his life. Sometimes you just have to look at the other person’s personal background and look at how they were raised. Of course it was not the right way to being raised, but I couldn’t control what he was used to. Problems occur in perspective taking all the time because not everyone is raised the same. Many people come from different backgrounds and different societies. We all view things differently and based on the way we were raised. Sometimes your own perspective may not be the agreeable one, and that is the hardest thing to change, especially if you grew up with it.