Basic Principles of Curriculum & Instruction Essay

Basic Principles of Curriculum & Instruction - Essay Example The book consists of 5 chapters. Chapter 1 carries the title - What educational purposes should the school seeks to attain?. The chapter deals with defining appropriate learning objectives. Tyler’s book was in 1949 and yet it was forward looking as he as was able to things at present times in the light of was happening back then. In the book, he argued that learning could take place through the actions of the student. He thus said â€Å"It is what he does that he learns, not what the teacher does† (Tyler p. 63). This statement is still powerfully true up to time. Tyler therefore posited that the main player in learning is the student who wants to learn. He was in effect stating that the design of curriculum should be based on what the students does, his experience in the school and in the community. Chapter 2 is entitled â€Å"How can learning experiences be selected which are likely to be useful in attaining these objectives?† This chapter deals with introducing useful learning experiences that would enhance learning. This proceeds from the premise that what had happened in the student in the process of learning is useful in developing further learning. If we equate it with modern times, it may amount to what the present curriculum requirement for reflective learning. These are observed in many curriculums until today which implies that the work of Tyler still finds application. Chapter 3 is entitled: â€Å"How can learning experiences be organized for effective instruction?† The chapter deals with organizing experiences to maximize their effect on instruction. In this chapter, Tyler agreed with the wisdom of having to present experiences in a relevant and logical manner for understanding of the effective purpose of what were designed as educational objectives.

How Are Dreams Proved to Be Futile in of Mice and Men Essay Example for Free

How Are Dreams Proved to Be Futile in of Mice and Men Essay Dreams in â€Å"Of Mice and Men† is influenced under the poem â€Å"To A Mouse† by Robert Burns and the relationship between the poem and the novel is seen through the build-up to the characters hopes and dreams at the time of the great inflation and how they struggled to keep up with their ambitions. The context in both texts clearly portrays the death of the future plans the working class keep to at that time and the writers do this to illustrate the chances of normal people succeeding and how being born into a hierarchy means that you’re destined to a class in society. In Of Mice and Men, Lennie is introduced with a â€Å"shapeless face† and animal imagery is used to signify his strength, â€Å"bear drags his paws†, this portrayal of Lennie sets him apart from George in the hierarchy. As the story develops the readers understanding of George’s and Lennie’s relationship does to, the reader realises that the theme that keeps both the key protagonists motivated is the dream. This is further developed when Steinbeck introduces the dream for the first time, â€Å"I remember about the rabbits, George†, it is clear to the readers that Lennie is academically weak and in order for him to remember about the dream indicated how much it means to him and it’s possibly the thing that matters to him most. However early in the novel Steinbeck uses animal imagery to foreshadow the death of Lennie and the death of the dream, â€Å"shoot you for a coyote†, the author highlights his vulnerability and his death in the future to suggest that his weakness academically is what possibly lead him to his death. In the beginning of the novel George gets into a quarrel with Lennie about ketchup, â€Å"we ain’t got any†, during George’s rant he clearly emphasizes on what he sees as the American dream in comparison to what they both see. George leads on to imply that Lenny is a road block to his dream and this is partially true as it is what Lennie did towards the end of the novel that killed the chances of the dream. George’s dream can be considered as a typical working class dream as it isn’t very promising and has no future outlook. The death of the dream in Of Mice and Men seems to be blames on a certain individual, the death of George and Lennie’s dream is blamed on Lennie and later in the novel we learn that the death of Curley’s wife’s is because of her â€Å"ol lady†. In the novel Curley’s wife is portrayed as a social outcast alongside the â€Å"nigga† but this time because of her gender as they lived in a sexist society. However beneath her make up her interior reveals her dreams and how they were crushed as well, the reader also finds out that her sexual weapon is to grab the attention of the ranch workers as no one gave her the recognition she wanted. Curley’s wife’s dream is fully revealed towards the end of the novel with her explain it to Lennie, she clearly illustrates her very independent dream however it is also clear that she is very dependent on men when it comes to making the dream a reality. This maybe the reason why her dream was locked away and only brought out when she needed it to emotionally look back at it; considering that she lived in a men’s society it means that women are held back from what they wanted to do and were expected become a housewife. This is the main road block that Curley’s wife comes across making her dream futile. Throughout the novel the reader realises that the characters that we’re too eager for their dream (Lennie and Curley’s wife) reaches their destiny, quite dramatically, with their death. It seems that both characters had something in common – lack of power, the protagonists had a lack of power meaning that they were vulnerable to society however Curley’s wife attempted to cover it by putting on a lot of makeup but it is clear that your weakness will eventually go against you. Furthermore both characters dream was clearly futile from the beginning of the novel as both characters seemed to depend on another person in order for their dreams to succeed. In Lennie’s case it was George and Curley’s wife needed a man. Steinbeck reinforces the themes of Power and powerlessness with links to the dream to suggest that there is some sort of bond with making the dream and having the power to make it. This portrayal in Of Mice and Men illustrated not only the fact that succeeding during the Great Depression was very limited but the fact that without power or status, which both characters lacked in, the chances of making the dream was nil.

How Seamus Heaneys Childhood Affected His Poetry Essay -- Seamus Hean

How Seamus Heaney's Childhood Affected His Poetry Seamus Heaney was born in the North of Ireland in 1939 on a farm with his mother and father and nine other siblings. Generally Heaney's poems are influenced by animals through his childhood experience, specifically within 'The Early Purges' and 'An Advancement of Learning'. Heaney grew up near Belfast, during the time of 'The Troubles', the Irish civil war. Although Heaney left at the height of the war, it is obvious his work reflects his experiences of that time. For an example 'The Early Purges' illustrates this. "Where they consider death unnatural". Growing into an environment where Heaney will appreciate that death does exist, the extract interprets killing to be artificial. Many of Heaney's early poems dealt with experiences of childhood and a frequent theme is how these experiences affect us. One poem that deals with a childhood experience is "The Early Purges". The title immediately suggests that the poem is about getting rid of undesirables. It is about a particular incident and how we lose innocence, describing the effects of Heaney witnessing the killing of "frail" and "tiny" kittens. The words, "Soft paws scraping like mad" suggests how helpless and vulnerable the kittens are; they are so small that they are unable to climb out of the bucket. The word, "soft" indicates a feeling of guilt about destroying the helpless kittens. The kittens are made to seem innocent and vulnerable through the language used. The words, "frail metal sound" and "tiny din" imply that the kittens don't make enough noise to be significant. They are only small and powerless. Metal cannot be described as frail but the kittens illustrate this. Also din cannot be express... ...ut how we lose innocence. It is ambiguous and ironic - poet appears to endorse the view that "sentiments" displaced by "living" are "false", but ends with an unconvincing clichà ©: "Pests have to be kept down", and a cheap jeer at townies. In fact the young Heaney's reaction is the one the poet really approves. The Poem recalls a particular incident (the "first" time Heaney, as a boy, witnessed the farmhand killing kittens) and how he (the poet) became used to this in time. Now, he writes, he has a similar indifference to the death of animals. Dan Taggart justifies action by suggesting the kitten have no values "scraggy wee shits" and adult Heaney does the same, even swearing like Dan Taggart "bloody pups". We see older person try to deceive child to protect him from his compassion ("Sure isn't it better for them now?" - but the child is not convinced).

Learning Agreement Essay

Instructions: * There are 4 parts to a Learning Agreement. You must remember to complete every section since marks will be awarded for each section. Sections in a Learning Agreement Remarks Marks Allocated Objective(s) This is where you determine ‘What’ you want to learn from a particular department 15% Strategies The ‘Strategies’ is where you determine ‘How’ you are going to achieve your objective(s) or ‘where’ you are going to get the information required to fulfill your learning. 15% Assessor Comments You will have to submit this to your Manager(s) for their comments and signature & company stamp. (When submitting this to your manager(s), you need not show them the Students Reflections, just your objectives and strategies) 5% Student Reflections This is where you develop a report on your objective(s) – this is where you can also develop the learning outcomes. 65% * No part of this report may be reproduced, in any form or by any means. Work submitted based on any of the examples may be awarded no marks. AN EXAMPLE OF A LEARNING AGREEMENT Student Name : X Placement : Human Resource Department Assessor : Ms A Subject Area : Health and Safety Objective To learn and observe the health and safety regulation used in R Company for its employees Strategies for achieving the objective * Discuss with the Human Resource Manager regarding the safety procedures provided by R Company * Tour around the office to observe any hazardous condition and safety procedures implemented in R Company * Discuss with the staff on their opinion about safety in R Company Target date of completion : Y Verification by Assessor and Comments [This is where you get your Manager/Assessor to comment about your performance in the area identified above and get him/her to sign (& stamped).] Signature & Stamp _________________________________________________________ Student’s Reflections [This is where you write in detail about your objectives.] It is important that any company to provide a safe workplace for its employees. For many companies, safety is considered to be a very minor issue, but if one were to look at it closely, it plays a very important role to ensure a safe working environment. This is because a minor negligence in safety could lead to a major disaster. R Company being a company dealing with both local and foreign customers has to always take the effort to ensure that they provide safe and secure services to its customers. It is also necessary to provide enough safety for the employees working there. In my observation on the working condition in R Company, the safety here is awfully neglected. From my personally experience, I had injured my toe more than twice during my 5 months there. This is because all the files are allocated on the floor and due to the small walking space, it is easy for anyone to kick the files and causing injury. The first reason why the files are placed on the floor is because lack of space in the file cabinets. The second reason is because of the staff themselves, they place the files that they need on the floor around the desk. A condition such as this is hazardous to the employees because it will reduce that maneuverability in the company. The staff will have difficulty walking around and might injure themselves because of the files being placed on the floor. If in any case where there is fire, the employees will tend to rush out of the office. With the files placed on the floor, someone might trip and fall. Due to the rushing of all the employees, the victim might suffer major injuries and probably death. It is always important to keep all walk space clear of any obstacle and is wide enough for people to walk safely. This is to ensure that nobody would get trip and injure themselves while working or in an emergency case. The other thing that I observed in both branches of R Company in M City and N City is that they do not have a fire exit. The fire exit of N City branch is locked and blocked with boxes of old documents and brochures. I also noticed that they do not even have any fire extinguisher placed in the office. This shows that there are no proper safety procedures for the staff when there is an emergency situation. Fire escape routes are also not set and displayed in the office. Without these safety items in the office, it can be hazardous when there is a fire situation. The employees there do not know how to react during a fire, how to vacate the building during a fire and the knowledge of any fire fighting equipment placed in the premises. When I interviewed the Human Resource Manager regarding the practice of safety for the employees, I was shocked when he told me that this issue was never discussed. This is very disappointing because I believe many companies fail to see the importance to practice a safe workplace and concern about the welfare of its employees. Even though an emergency situation is unlikely to happen in a commercial office, it is very important that the staff know what to do when an emergency situation occurs. Firstly, it is important that the staff know how to react during a fire situation. This is because a fire accident could happen anytime without warning, therefore it is better to be prepared when it does happen. To be prepared for this, the fire escape route must be cleared. The management of the company should set up and display the emergency escape route all over the office. With this information displayed, the staff would know where to go during an emergency situation. The fire escape routes should also be cleared of any obstacles. This is to ensure an easy escape path and there are no difficulties using it. The office should also be equipped with fire extinguishers to combat any fire situations. This is because in most cases, a fire disaster can be avoided if it is dealt with immediately. With fire extinguishers placed around the office, a minor fire can be attended to before it gets out of hand. I noticed that in R Company there is no fire alarm system. It is important to install a fire alarm system to alert the staff in case of a fire situation because it could take just a few minutes for any fire to consume the whole building. Therefore it is best that all the employees are notified immediately by the fire alarm and able to vacate the premises as soon as possible. When all the facilities and procedures installed to combat a fire situation, it is also necessary to educate the employees on how to use them. A safety committee should be set up to continuously educate the employees on safety and how to react during an emergency situation. The committee is responsible to provide education to the employees on how to use the fire extinguisher, identify the different types of fire extinguishers available and which one is best to use in each type of fire cause. The committee can also conduct frequent audit of the workplace to ensure that all fire escape routes are not blocked and all fire extinguishers are easily accessible. By conducting audits, it is also possible to identify any fire hazard in the company and action could be taken before it turns into a disaster. R Company should also hold a fire drill twice a year to make sure that all employees know what to do if the fire alarm goes off. This is to avoid a panic situation which could cost lives. When the staff are educated with fire drills, they would know the correct procedure on how to vacate the building in an organized manner. The company should also provide training for a certain number of staff in First Aid. This is because if there is any accident that occurs in the workplace, the victim could be attended to immediately while waiting for the arrival of the ambulance. This is vital because in many cases, lives were lost because no immediate attention was given to them. This committee should also work closely with the fire department to learn any latest information regarding safety. They should also encourage frequent checking of the electrical wiring in the company because wires tend to wear off over the years. Even though the Tourism industry usually deals with tourists and giving them the best services available, it is also important to ensure that safety of the tourist. To do so it is best to start with the company. This is because without the concern of safety in the office, how it is expected that the safety of the customers can be guaranteed. Often many people overlooked the issue of safety in their working environment because it rarely happens, but bear in mind that accidents happen without a warning and it is always better to be prepared for it.

What Is Your Understanding of the Following Concepts; Present Value, Present Value of an Annuity, Future Value, and Future Value of an Annuity. (Please Describe Any Formulas Related to Each.)

Present Value is the current worth of a future sum of money or stream of cash flows given a specified rate of return. Future cash flows are discounted at the discount rate, and the higher the discount rate, the lower the present value of the future cash flows. Determining the appropriate discount rate is the key to properly valuing future cash flows, whether they be earnings or obligations. Present Value of annuity is a series of equal payments or receipts that occur at evenly spaced intervals. Leases and rental payments are examples. The payments or receipts occur at the end of each period for an ordinary annuity while they occur at the beginning of each period; For an annuity due. PVoa = PMT [(1 – (1 / (1 + i)n)) / i] Future Value is the value of an asset or cash at a specified date in the future that is equivalent in value to a specified sum today. There are two ways to calculate FV: For an asset with simple annual interest: = Original Investment x (1+ interest rate *number of years)) 2) For an asset with interest compounded annually: = Original Investment x ((1+interest rate)^number of years) Future value of annuity is the value of a group of payments at a specified date in the future. These payments are known as an annuity, or set of cash flows. The future value of an annuity measures how much you would have in the future given a specified rate of return or discount rate. The future cash flows of the annuity grow at the discount rate and the higher the discount rate, the higher the future value of the annuity. The current value of a set of cash flows in the future, given a specified rate of return or discount rate. The future cash flows of the annuity are discounted at the discount rate, and the higher the discount rate, the lower the present value of the annuity.

Ethicals Ethics and Company Essays

Ethicals Ethics and Company Essays Ethicals: Ethics and Company Essays Here is a summary of the consequences of your decision to modify spot 'A': Director of Product Management:Your boss says, "I asked you to reach 15,000+ units a week. Your decision put us at 14,616 at the end of last week. While it's not what I asked for, it's in the ball park. You had better hope unit sales increase to meet projections in the coming weeks." Unit Sales:Medium increase, 2,616 units, potential for future increases looks good. HA advertising is losing out on the Sunday 3:00 - 4:00 market. Brand awareness increased 10 points among parents. Sales Team:The sales team is disappointed in your decision. They had hoped you would have gone with an option that would have increased their commissions more. Advertising to children is the act of marketing or advertising products or services to children. According to the characteristics of children , who are easy to be influenced and imitate, the advertising should be more carefully and strict. therefore, I think it will be a problem that advertising to children. A good and educational ad may guide children to the correct direction, but a bad one may misguide them both on mentally and behaviors. Turning Gears should try to alter its approach to limit concerns about negative impacts on kids. The influence of the advertisement to children is profound. thus, it is important for the company to discuss this problem. It is not necessary for the company to stop advertising to kids, but must change the way to advertising to children with positive impacts. What's more, it can also consult from parents, and make efforts about the problem together. Uncertainty touches most aspects of life, especially when we make decisions that have consequences that we cannot predict. It is natural that we can weigh up the possible results and their risks and benefits. Hence we should change the uncertainty into certainty though further research. The uncertainty will become a problem or a significant issue when you ignore it, or you insist on your own benefits as you find it out. We should accepting and realizing this principal uncertainty is a conceptual challenge, and it is within this framework that we must make decisions of a moral nature. Therefore, decision-making and the handling of uncertainties have important ethical dimensions. According to my opinion, adding labels would be the best way to resolve the problems of current situation. Before we make the decision, we should carefully take consideration about the consequence of insisting selling toys without any changes. It is an unethical behavior that make kids in an uncertainty dangerous situation. We also cannot solve the problem though replacing the material of toys because it is great harmful to company's benefits. therefore, it is the best way for the company to add labels on the toys to remind people to be careful about making choice. What should be put into consideration at first is the safety of customers, so it is the best way comparing with any other options. A company should response to pressure of shareholders groups when the resources related to 1) Company's mission statement. A company's mission statement is a constant reminder to its employees of why the company exists and what the founders envisioned when they put their fame and fortune at risk to breathe life into their dreams. So it's significant to response. 2) The consequence of issue harm. A company should also consider about the issue harm as it may result in kinds of serious consequence 3) Company's perspective. You cannot just consider about your own benefits but also the stakeholders benefits. otherwise, you don't need to response if it is not relevant to the things above. The main argument is whether child labor should be accepted. Based on the point of view of employers, it can be accepted because they think the manufactory has been provided higher payment and good quality of life for the children, and it also be accepted by the

Future of E-Commerce essays

Future of E-Commerce essays Electronic commerce is changing the way to do business. Nowadays a lot of transactions are made through the Internet. Another important issue that will be discussed is the way mobile Internet can change the way we communicate and do business. Each countrys law control the transactions made through the Internet, besides there are international treaties policies that not allow some products to be commercialize. For instance, in Mexico, politicians are making a new Electronic Commerce law, because there was not regulations about it. The article also says that the culture will be diversified depending on nationality, ethnicity and religion. There are heaps of WebPages in Mexico that diversify the market. Some examples are: Talking about PCs and internet access US is the most advance country, therefore B-C has become popular because more peoples has computers and they have access to different sites, besides there are more internet education because it was the first country to have a rapid expansion. There are many obstacles in order to materialize e-Commerce. Many people do not trust in e-Commerce because they are afraid of frauds to their credit cards, cyber terrorist or viruses that can get into their computer. Besides, there is not Intellectual Property Right. Just a few Months ago Napster, a program to share mp3 music files went to court because the music companies sue napster because of the issues of copyright and Intellectual Property. There are plans in different governments to do legal transactions and buys without affecting a third part, but depends of every country. The US is experimenting all kind of problems because is the most advance nation in this aspect. If the countries want to meet these goals they require too much Research ...

Research Paper Thesis

Research Paper Thesis Research Paper Thesis Research Paper ThesisProbably, there is no a student who manage to create a research paper thesis at the first try. Indeed, formulating a research paper thesis is not easy, as it requires precision of logic and appropriate selecting of necessary words to express your idea. So, if you have difficulties with formulating your research paper thesis, this article is a real finding for you. Read it up to the end and take into consideration the information presented here. If you are writing research paper and need some help with research paper topic ideas , do not hesitate to contact us for professional assistance with writing! Before you making an attempt to formulate a research paper thesis, you should understand what this term means. That is why some definitions of a research paper thesis is right in time for you. A research paper thesis is a sentence or a couple of sentences that clearly explains your position on the problem under consideration. Thus, a research paper thesis does not introduce a subject but rather takes a stand.A research paper thesis is not a title of your work. It should disclose an idea fully. That is why it looks like a completed sentence. A research paper thesis is not a vague and broad idea. It should be focused and specific.Now everything seems to be utterly comprehensive, but how to create such a strong research paper thesis? In order to do it successfully, follow the steps presented below.Learn carefully what the greatest researchers say about the problem for discussion. Whose position is more or less close to your personal vision of the problem? Think over the idea yo u would like to develop in your paper.Formulate your main idea. Try to formulate it in one or maximum two sentences. Write it down somewhere on a sheet of paper. Do not worry if it turned out to be a bit clumsy. You will come back to it later to edit. Conduct research. While reading and analyzing the relevant material found, make notes. They may help you make certain improvements into your research paper thesis while editing it. Come back to your research paper thesis and think what can be changed. If a thesis remains flexible until the paper is completed, it will not cause you much difficulty to rewrite it. So, turn back to it and think how to improve it. Take into consideration the information presented above, and you will manage to create a good research paper thesis without any difficulties. While thesis writing may appear challenging to you, we know how to write a thesis of high academic quality!

The Vost Inspirational leader in the Coca-Cola Company Assignment

The Vost Inspirational leader in the Coca-Cola Company - Assignment Example This research tells that the most inspirational leader in the Coca-Cola Company is the human resources manager. The most important inspirational characteristics of a leader that he demonstrates are several, many of which are based on ethics. He demonstrates responsibility in making sure that moral standards and ethical conducts of the company are adhered to. His leadership becomes more inspirational because he strives for competence in following the company’s rules as well as striving at positively transforming people as well. He is honest and transparent in all his dealings and also seeks to correct those who are under his leadership whenever they seem to be moving away from the desired goals. This makes most of his team members, from all the other company branches to consult with him before taking any major decisions. His honesty in all his undertakings makes us all feel inspired to act like him. In as much as he is goal-oriented, he is people-oriented as well. He also never uses his power as a human resource manager to serve his own interests, but for the good of others and the company at large. Authenticity is an attribute that the Human Resources Manager in my place of work that he demonstrates without compromise. He is genuine, which makes the employees want to believe and trust in him. According to different answers from â€Å"the development of a new transformational leadership questionnaire’’, when leaders break promises or fail to honor commitments, they reveal themselves as being inauthentic thereby losing credibility. The Human Resources Manager has won my trust as an inspirational leader because he undoubtedly understands that trust rests upon a foundation of authenticity, whereby to gain trust he must consistently align words and deeds while showing a degree of transparency.

Organization and planning assumptions for the Community Disaster Essay

Organization and planning assumptions for the Community Disaster Relief Plan.M1S - Essay Example Some trade goes on, as does logging in the expansive forest, lying in its outskirts. The people in Chloe-land live mainly off the logging and the timber factories, with lumberjacks being the town’s most treasured people. Many residents have no formal employment and work in the timber industry, and it is a very religious town. There are two major disasters that these people are most vulnerable to, wild fires in the forests and massive landslides for those who live on the hill-slopes (David & Cleland, 2006). The plan is to allow one to modify effects of the disaster. Therefore, it is imperative to use social units in an effort aimed at disaster reduction. How successful these efforts are will rely on the level of understanding of the social structure of Chloe-land (David & Cleland, 2006). Social assumptions are important, especially three underlying ones. Presuppositions that steady emergency planning contemporarily, the issues that relate to institutionalizing of measures against forest fires in Chloe-land and the evacuation and temporary settlement of the inhabitants of Chloe-land as a way of reducing future risk ((Dewar, 2002). The community organization structure would include the local police department, the local pastor and priest as well as the head of the lumberjack umbrella body. The captain of the local baseball team, a well-respected young man, would be a help with the younger generation. This would support the CDRP well enough until the authorities come in to join

Change Management and Motivating People to the Change Dissertation

Change Management and Motivating People to the Change - Dissertation Example Organizations are every other day putting efforts to bring a positive alteration in their organization to survive in this competitive corporate world (Ventris, pp. 11-19, 2004). In addition, as there have been huge numbers of advancements in the field of information and technology, organizations are now feeling greater pressure in midst of globalization that has inclined organizations to introduce new methodologies, take innovative approaches, and inspire new perspectives in their workforce. In this process of constant change, experts have indicated that managers, especially HR managers play the most crucial role in ensuring success in the process of change in organization. At the same time, besides ensuring success, managers have to fulfill the greater responsibility of avoiding any adverse effects of the process, and simultaneously, ensure motivation of the employees. Unfortunately, huge numbers of organizations seem to fail in this process of ensuring success, and at the same time, continued motivation of employees that has been resulting in lower productivity, adverse performance, and subsequently, failure of the organizations. From this understanding, one can see only two ways of ensuring survival in this harsh competitive business world. Firstly, organization can become an initiator of the change and become a leader. On the other hand, one can act as a follower and carry out alterations depending on the approaches of market leaders. (Kossmann, pp. 39-44, 2006). In particular, there is no other way of bringing a change, and thus, realization of such notion is essential along with understanding of different factors that play the role in the process. Research Statement In this regard, the researcher focused on the following research statement to acquire the aims and objectives of the research: â€Å"To identify and analyze barriers to change and motivation process causing failure in the organizational management, particularly, in context of Middle Eastern organization† Aims & Objectives From this understanding of process of change, the researcher has identified a few aims and objectives that will enab le a critical, clear, and comprehensive understanding of the change process. In particular, the main aims and objectives of this research are to: Recognize and analyze various physical, sociological, and physiological barriers that exist and affect in the process of change in the organisation Scrutinize the level of impact of identified barriers on employees’ performance and their level of motivation Assess the impact of identified barriers in employees’ decision-making processes that play a crucial role in the success or failure of an organization Evaluate the role of managers in recognizing barriers, and in reducing the chances of failure in the organizational management Identify approaches and solutions that can ensure effective change and motivation processes in the organizatio

Case Study Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Case Study - Research Paper Example Much of the revenues are derived from advertising thus AdSense and AdWords are clearly designed to display advertisements which are relevant to the content included in each web page. Google has utilized an innovative advertising strategy by placing advertisements on the websites which contain the related advertisements. Current strategy of the Google Corporation Introduction The company registered $ 10.6 billion in revenues in the financial year ending 2011 which was a 24 percent increase from the previous year. AdSense sales rose by 20 percent while the number of pay per clicks increased by 39 percent. Google + product registered 130 million users while the earnings before taxes were $ 3. 4 billion. The earnings per share also increased by $ 1.71 to $ 8.75 which was 24 percent growth while the taxation costs reduced by mere 6 percent. The company has high growth potential but needs to diversify revenue streams like the pending acquisition of Motorola at $ 12.5 billion (Hill & Jones, 2012). Current Google business strategy Google success can also be attributed to its superior search technology and e-mail service which contains massive storage space that has attracted many customers from Yahoo and Hotmail. The company which started as just a smart algorithm has developed an unique business model with winning applications such as Google video, Google maps, Gmail, and Google Earth which have challenged previous market leaders such as Yahoo, Excite, and Microsoft. At inception, the mission of Google was to organize the world’s information and make it universally acceptable and useful. The company is no doubt one of the fastest growing technology companies in the world. The company has gained success by providing relevant search results and also related advertisements on each webpage (Hill & Jones, 2012). Google IS supports the business strategic activities through innovations and allowing the customers to download and edit their software. Google has differen tiated its search engine by utilizing a patented PageRank system. The company consistently restructures its PageRank algorithm in order to meet the changing customer needs. Google AdWords product is specialized for the advertisers who want to reach out to a certain market segment in an efficient manner. The advertisers have the opportunity of managing volumes of online advertising accounts which an upfront payment. Google emphasizes on creativity of employees whereby employees devote a certain percentage of their time in new and innovative projects. The company has partnered with Open Handset Alliance in the development of Android mobile software which many mobile device firms use to create applications. Google Chrome OS is also another open source software and Web browser which runs in several platforms like Windows, Linux and Mac (Hill & Jones, 2012). Google has also pursued a market niche targeting strategy. The company has segmented its market in to either middle sized businesse s and large corporations. The company has diversified in to the mobile device industry by establishing alliances and partnerships with other companies to develop mobile device applications that increase customer traffic to its web pages (Hill & Jones, 2012). Another current generic strategy which Google is currently utilizing is

The Living Theatre- Julian Beck and Judith Malina Term Paper

The Living Theatre- Julian Beck and Judith Malina - Term Paper Example Malina, unlike Piscator, was committed to nonviolence and anarchism. Malina met her husband, Beck, in 1943 when he was a student at Yale University. Beck, a painter, came to share her interest in political theatre and in 1947 the couple founded The Living Theatre. Malina appeared occasionally in films, beginning in 1975. In 2008 she was honored with an annual Artistic Achievement Award from the New York Innovative Theatre Awards (Ruth et al, 15-17). In 2009, she was honored with the Edwin Booth Award from the Doctoral Theatre Students Association of the City University of New York. Other awards include an honorary doctorate from Lehman College among others. Julian Beck, an American actor, director, poet and painter, was born in New York City in 1925 and died in 1985. He briefly attended Yale University, but dropped out to pursue writing and art (Ruth et al, 41-42). He was an Abstract Expressionist painter in the 1940s, but his career turned upon meeting his future wife. He met her in 1943 and quickly came to share her passion for theatre; they founded The Living Theatre in 1947. Beck’s philosophy of theatre carried over into his life. He once said, â€Å"We insisted on experimentation that was an image for a changing society. If one can experiment in theatre, one can experiment in life.† He was indicted a dozen times on three continents for charges such as disorderly conduct, indecent exposure, possession of narcotics, and failing to participate in a civil defense drill (Takis 44). Besides his theatre work, Beck published several volumes of poetry reflecting his anarchist beliefs, two nonfiction books and had several film appearances. He was diagnosed with cancer in 1983 and died two years later. The Living Theatre has staged nearly a hundred productions performed in eight languages in 28 countries on five continents. This is a unique body of work that has influenced theatre all over the

Case Study Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Case Study - Research Paper Example Much of the revenues are derived from advertising thus AdSense and AdWords are clearly designed to display advertisements which are relevant to the content included in each web page. Google has utilized an innovative advertising strategy by placing advertisements on the websites which contain the related advertisements. Current strategy of the Google Corporation Introduction The company registered $ 10.6 billion in revenues in the financial year ending 2011 which was a 24 percent increase from the previous year. AdSense sales rose by 20 percent while the number of pay per clicks increased by 39 percent. Google + product registered 130 million users while the earnings before taxes were $ 3. 4 billion. The earnings per share also increased by $ 1.71 to $ 8.75 which was 24 percent growth while the taxation costs reduced by mere 6 percent. The company has high growth potential but needs to diversify revenue streams like the pending acquisition of Motorola at $ 12.5 billion (Hill & Jones, 2012). Current Google business strategy Google success can also be attributed to its superior search technology and e-mail service which contains massive storage space that has attracted many customers from Yahoo and Hotmail. The company which started as just a smart algorithm has developed an unique business model with winning applications such as Google video, Google maps, Gmail, and Google Earth which have challenged previous market leaders such as Yahoo, Excite, and Microsoft. At inception, the mission of Google was to organize the world’s information and make it universally acceptable and useful. The company is no doubt one of the fastest growing technology companies in the world. The company has gained success by providing relevant search results and also related advertisements on each webpage (Hill & Jones, 2012). Google IS supports the business strategic activities through innovations and allowing the customers to download and edit their software. Google has differen tiated its search engine by utilizing a patented PageRank system. The company consistently restructures its PageRank algorithm in order to meet the changing customer needs. Google AdWords product is specialized for the advertisers who want to reach out to a certain market segment in an efficient manner. The advertisers have the opportunity of managing volumes of online advertising accounts which an upfront payment. Google emphasizes on creativity of employees whereby employees devote a certain percentage of their time in new and innovative projects. The company has partnered with Open Handset Alliance in the development of Android mobile software which many mobile device firms use to create applications. Google Chrome OS is also another open source software and Web browser which runs in several platforms like Windows, Linux and Mac (Hill & Jones, 2012). Google has also pursued a market niche targeting strategy. The company has segmented its market in to either middle sized businesse s and large corporations. The company has diversified in to the mobile device industry by establishing alliances and partnerships with other companies to develop mobile device applications that increase customer traffic to its web pages (Hill & Jones, 2012). Another current generic strategy which Google is currently utilizing is

Undergraduate Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Undergraduate - Research Proposal Example While looking at evolution of mammals, keen focus will be set on the GSD, (Genetic Sex Determination). The purpose of this research is to dig deeper into the behavior of the conserved sex determination genes in mammals. By investigating on this, findings could be used to develop an evolution pathway. This way, analysis on patterns of the mammal and birds gene development can be determined. I have decided to use an approach that investigates every sex-determination gene in the different species. Comparisons and behavior relations are observed to determine where each gene differs from each other (Haag & Doty, 3). The project will first proceed by gene collection. Types of the collected genes will go further into the different sex determination genes. For instance, while studying the genes involved in the sex determination process, the somatics will be studied different from the germ-line, focusing on the behavior of each under its classification. Study of these genes will be conducted for mammals and birds and chosen vertebrates of interest. For the vertebrates, the master genes for the sex determinants must be identified. In most of the mammals these genes are indicated in the Y-chromosomes. Alongside this, the NM accession number is to be determined and the knowledge of the longest transcript. This way a sex determining loci can be observed. A complete nucleotide has significant impact on the study of evolutionary impact of sequential pathways. DNA sequences tend to have information about the background of a certain species’ gene. Study on the rate of variations in genomes and relation to environment and population helps to draw a conclusion on the relation between the gene sequences and their evolution. So as to effectively analyze the sequence alignments for quality control, analysis of the palms would be conducted. This type of analysis enables one to determine the protein

Enabling Learning and Assessment Essay Example for Free

Enabling Learning and Assessment Essay 1. The purposes of assessment Assessment is the process of evaluating an individual’s learning. It involves generating and collecting evidence of a learner’s attainment of knowledge and skills and judging that evidence against defined standards. Tummons suggested that: ‘With assessment we can: * Find out if learning has taken place; * Diagnose learners needs; * Provide public acknowledgment and certification of learning * Allow processes of selection to be carried out; * Provide way to evaluate learning programmes; * Motivate and encourage learners.’ Tummons (2009:5) Written justification of assessment methods I have chosen to do Holding and aiming in the prone position, I would do this by getting the SUT in the tramline formation. This is where they will number off in pairs, so all the No.1’s on one side of the room whilst all the No.2’s are on the other side of the room. I will get the No.1’s to conduct the drill when I give the word of command. The No.1’s will be ensuring they adopt the prone position correctly, going through the 9 key point check list and taking aim on the target. Whilst this is happening the No.2’s will be observing throughout looking for any mistakes. Once the No.1’s have completed the drill I will go down the line asking the No.2’s if they observed any mistakes. By doing this I am getting the SUT to give out peer assessment on the progress of his/hers drill on the weapon system as this can develop and motivate student. The student will also have their own self assessment; this is where the students are assessing their own progress  throughout the lesson. These methods encourage the SUT to make decisions about what has been learnt so far, and to reflect on aspects for further development. Once the No.1’s have completed the drill, the same process will happen with the No.2’s and the No.1’s looking and observing for any mistakes. Whilst all this is going on I will be looking for any mistakes as I watch from one end of the tramline formation, this is called tutor assessment and can help give feedback to the student to guide them on their strength and areas of development. This is also known as formative assessment so it can provide for me a continuous source of information about the students’ progress, improvement and problems encountered in the learning process, so I together we can develop their confidence and competence on the weapon system. 2. Practical assessment a) Aim The aim of a practical assessment in a classroom environment is to ensure that when handling a weapon system that the necessary measures and safety precaution is carried out correctly and sufficiently. It is my aim to make sure that the SUT carry out the drills correctly, if however people are struggling to adapt to the new drills then it’s up to me the instructor to change my approach to the individual learning style. b) Reason for selecting practical learning assessment We use practical assessment in the army especially when teaching a particular subject like Skill at Arms to help us as a teacher to confirm that the SUT have understood the correct handling of the weapon. It’s not only a confirmation for the teacher but a confirmation for the individual that he/she has took on board the new skill and knowledge they have been taught in the lesson. During the lesson, when I have demonstrated a new drill, the SUT are required to imitate the drill whilst I explain and demonstrate it, taking it step by step. Once I am happy that the SUT have grasped the new drill, a confirmation is done to ensure that the SUT understands the new  weapon drill. This will be done when I give the word of command and the SUT carrying out the drill without any help or guidance as I watch and observes for any mistakes that the SUT may do. In order for the SUT to use blank or live ammunition on exercise or on the ranges, they are required to pass a Weapon Handling Test (WHT) which is a critical practical assessment as it is part of their summative test and needs to be done twice a year. I will give a number of instructions which the SUT must complete correctly and confidently in order to pass. There is no time limit and they are allowed one mistake on each stage of the test. This assessment is to show that he/she has the knowledge and skill to handle the weapon with blank or live ammunition with confidence. For assessment of practical activities, the potential barriers should be considered and reasonable adjustments developed that meet the needs of the individual learner. Many of the adjustments for a practical assessment are similar to those of a written assessment. We must however be aware of the learners/individual learning styles as this will vary across each lesson we teach. If we look at Fleming understanding of learning styles which he used the terminology of VARK, he stated that people can be grouped into four styles of learning: * Visual – Seeing. * Aural – Listening and talking. * Read/Write – Reading and writing. * Kinaesthetic – Doing. (Gravells 2012:40) The SUT will come under one or more of these learning styles and as I have seen it in the past whilst teaching, I have to adapt as a teacher to accommodate to their preferred learning style which means I have to plan and break down my lesson to ensure all SUT get the full benefit of what is being taught to them. Sue Crowley of the IFL stated: Often new teachers teach as they were taught, then perhaps as they would like  to have been taught, and finally they realise different ways and a wider spectrum of teaching and learning approaches are needed and available. (Gravells 2012:40) A statement in which I agree upon as my thought process was similar but when teaching SUT it’s taught me to adapt my teaching skills to benefit the individuals so they can get the best outcome during the lesson. c) Conduct of the practical assessment The SUT will be assessed throughout the lesson and this can be done in many ways as it is classroom based, this will be an informal assessment. As the SUT reacts to the word of command for example; ‘For inspection port arms’ they are to carry out the necessary drill in which I will observe for mistakes. Observation is a good way to assess the skills, knowledge and attitudes of the SUT. When observing, it enables me to see how well the SUT are doing, letting them make mistakes as long as it is safe, especially when dealing with a weapon so they can learn from their own mistakes. Once the drill is complete I can ask each individual if they made any mistakes and give them self assessment, otherwise I can give negative or positive feedback to the SUT. Observation is good within our training establishment as it assess the SUT competence, skills and attitudes when dealing with a weapon and the observation can follow on with a question to check the knowledge and understanding. SUT training can be assessed in two other ways and they are called peer assessment and self assessment. For the instructor to see this happen, the students will pair up and work as a team. Whilst one SUT does the drill on the weapon whilst the other partner watches for mistakes, this is called peer assessment, but at the same time SUT who is carrying out the drill can self assess as he/she goes along. If the student was to carry out the Load, Ready, Unload drill, their partner can look in for any mistakes and as the instructor asks the observer from each team if there were any mistakes, this can be useful to develop and motivate the SUT. Peer assessments can be affective as SUT feedback is given skilfully, but other students may think more about what their peers have said than about what the instructor have said. 3. Question assessment a) Aim The aim of a question assessment is for the instructor to see if the SUT can demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the subject being taught to them. It also helps when asking a question to the SUT that they have to think about their answer. b) Conduct of a Question assessment During each lesson throughout the army, as an instructor we will always ask the SUT questions of the particular topic that we have been learning about before moving on to the next topic or next stage of the lesson. This is formal or informal assessment and is used to assess cognitive ability which can be used whenever the instructor wants to assess the knowledge and understanding of SUT. When giving a lesson on Skill at Arms, ‘Different combat position.’ The instructor will always give an explanation of why we do it and when to incorporate the positions for example, on the ranges or when we are on operational tour, followed by a demonstration. As the instructor has given the explanation and demonstration, we will go through the demonstration again whilst the SUT imitate you as you take them through step by step. Whilst doing this process we normally ask the SUT questions on the next stage of the movement, pausing for a second and then state the name of the learner who can answer. This way, all SUT is thinking about the answer as soon as you have posed the question, and is ready to speak if their name is asked. This assessment not only help the instructor to confirm that the individual or group know the answer but helps their peers to understand it as well. We also do oral written assessment, as this is part  of the minimum core, for example before I start the lesson I would ask the SUT to take out their note books and pens. I will ask them a number of questions in which they will write their answers in their note books which will be marked before the lesson take place. If for some reason some of the SUT get a few questions wrong I will ensure that I make a plan in the evening to go through the questions or drill in which they got incorrect so that they are at the same stage as all the other SUT. Asking questions to the SUT and for them responding in giving the answers back to the instructor is self assessment and peers assessment so that the SUT know what areas they are good at and what areas they need to work on. However it’s good for the tutor assessment to understand how the SUT progress is going by conducting these assessments. C)  Advantages| Disadvantages| Problems can be solved| SUT don’t know the answer| Question being answered| SUT can be put on the spot| Understanding people’s views and opinions| | Gives people a voice| | 4. Reflecting on how feedback has informed your learners’ progress and achievement Feedback is a vital part of the learners’ training at the army foundation college as it informs the SUT on their progress and achievement. To make sure it is effective it is important that we develop rapport, mutual respect and trust between the instructor and the SUT. During a Skill at Arms lesson it is important to give effective feedback as this informs the SUT on how well they are doing or on what areas they might need to work on. I try to give out the best feedback as I can to the SUT or the individual as I know this will help reassure, boost confidence, encourage, motivate and develop their knowledge, skills. It can help the SUT to maximize their potential and professional development at different stages of training, raise their awareness of strengths and areas for improvement, and identify actions to be  taken to improve their performance. 5. Reflecting on how feedback from others has informed your own professional practice On the 1st November 2012, I conducted a lesson on pain relief (Morphine) which was observed by an assessor. I felt that the lesson was well structured, planned and I got the key learning points across to the SUT. Once the lesson ended I sat down with my assessor and was given feedback on my lesson. The written feedback said this: The session had a clear and important content to communicate. This was achieved and checked by the test. A stronger introduction would set the scene and provide guidance to learners of what they had to do during the lesson. Focus on the test/know the purpose of the test. The conclusion could tell learners what to do with the test papers and how this will be an aide memoire. Test was very well created, covering all key learning and checking recall, understanding and application. It could be improved with clear guidance i.e. working individually without referring to their notes. As this was ‘assessment for learning’ as well as ‘assessment of learning’ learners could work individually, with a partner and finally as a whole group to get the answers/self assessment and check learning. You could get feedback on results from the test by asking those who got 100% to stand up – an energiser, positive motivation and a simple measure for you. This feedback has opened my eyes a lot clearer as I was more channelled to delivering a simple but constructed lesson. Just by delivering a stronger introduction can make the learner motivated to learn, which I didn’t realise until someone made it aware to me. It was a good motivation and energiser to hear from the assessor that the test paper was well created which gave me that sense of pride. However when it came to handing out the test paper, giving the SUT a certain amount of time to do it in and once they had completed it they would mark their own paper as I went along with the answers. Just from what the assessor has written in the feedback it can give  the learner self assessment and check their learning, so in future I will take more time on how I construct the test and how to mark it as this will give me a feedback on the progress of the SUT. 6. Reference List: * http://www.open.ac.uk/inclusiveteaching/pages/inclusive-teaching/barriers-to-learning.php Date accessed 8.11.12 * Tummons J – (2009) Assessing learning in the lifelong learning sector. Exeter: Learning Matters * Gravells A (2012) Preparing to teach in the lifelong learning sector. London: Learning Matters * www.faculty.londondeanery.ac.uk

Effects Of Deprivation on Child Development

Effects Of Deprivation on Child Development Deprivation, including neglect, is damaging to children largely through the absence of an optimal environment and a lack of opportunities for development, rather than through the active perpetration of abuse by caregivers. Nevertheless, the effects can be long lasting and have important implications for the opportunities that these children have in later life, and the lives of their children. It is therefore of utmost importance that social work involves an understanding of what is meant by deprivation and what the possible effects might be, in order that professionals may seek to counteract negative possible outcomes with positive actions. While deprivation can take many different forms, this essay will attempt to focus on three broad areas of deprivation in order to illustrate how childhood development may be adversely affected. The first area focuses mainly on how an impoverished and under-stimulating environment, including poor opportunities for play, can lead to a lack of cognit ive and intellectual development in children and babies. The second area will look at how a paucity of social interactions with others can lead to less developed social skills, including the development of empathy and Theory of Mind (ToM). The final section will deal with the effect on childrens emotional development of poor or inconsistent caregiving, including emotional neglect, and especially with a focus on attachment styles and behaviours. It is however very important to note that while these different sections make distinctions between various types of childhood development, in fact all these areas are interconnected, and the distinctions here are made for the purposes of the essay alone. Finally, the essay will look at how social work practices can be adjusted to more effectively serve clients at risk of the adverse effects of deprivation. This section will focus on the effects of environmental under stimulation on childhood development. Deprivation can refer to lack of time (and their own skills) given by caregivers to expand children cognitively or lack of resources, such as books, play blocks etc for children to use, Or both. Children go through stages of intellectual development, as well as the development of skills. Without opportunities to practice and to succeed, children cant do this. They struggle to master skills, and they also find it more difficult to develop satisfactorily through the stages of social development. In order to illustrate this, this essay will start by looking at the cognitive developmental theory of Piaget. Piaget is often the first call of response in any debate surrounding educational development, which is perhaps surprising as he was not (in the traditional sense) a psychologist, but rather a genetic epistemologist (someone with an interest in the biological explanation of knowledge.) (Bancroftcarr 1995). Despite this, Piagets comprehensive studies have become part of the basis of developmental psychology, and are particularly relevant to discussions on the implications of cognitive deprivation. Piagets theory states that there are four main stages to development; the sensorimotor stage, the preoperational stage, the concrete operational stage, and the formal operational stage. These four stages cover not only intellectual development, but also the development of skills. If one or more of these stages are missed, the skills may never develop. Genie for example, the girl who was kept in a room with no contact or interaction until she was fourteen, missed out on every single stage of development. Although she was eventually taught to walk, she was, for example, never was able to speak grammatically and although her fine motor coordination was close to normal, she had extremely weak gross motor skills. She was also unable to focus on anything more than 13 feet away there was suggestion of an inability to unite touch and sight. (Curtiss, Susan (1977) Of course Genie is an extreme example; for most cases of cognitive deprivation it is a simple case of care-givers not having the resources or the inclination to stimulate their children cognitively, leading to gaps in their childs development. For example, a child who is under stimulated, left in a cot or a familiar environment without new experiences and toys are more likely to try and create their own stimulation, eg by misbehaving, being destructive, and even harming themselves through actions such as hair pulling. A stimulating babyhood is also perceived as being integral for the creation of the parent-child relationship, and the development of self-soothing and self-regulatory abilities later in childhood (Thompson, 2001) The stilted development of children who are exposed to sensory deprivation during infancy, eg in an orphanage or deprived home, have indicated that stimulating experience are integral for not only development but also survival (Robinson, M, (2011)) Erikson also conducted extensive research on the effects of cognitive deprivation, but focused on the development of the ego. This theory is typically referred to as mastery; the basic idea is that if a child masters a skill, this will create a sense of self confidence. If a child does not master a skill, eg learning to read or to communicate socially, they will have a low confidence in their ability to develop and learn and therefore they will do so at a slowed pace. Erikson believed a healthy ego propels the child in to the next stage of development. (R.Green 1999) As stipulated, deprivation does not only refer to a lack of cognitive stimulation, but can also refer to the lack of social input into a child, where caregivers do not interact sufficiently, nor explore personal and social aspects of living effectively. This is often done through play, but also through modeling behaviour of caregivers encouraging children to care for teddies and dolls may help children develop an empathic response to others. Children who do not have many opportunities for play with other children can also struggle. They find it difficult to understand the point of view of others and do not learn to modify their behaviour to fit in with others. Also important is the concept of containment and good enough parenting. Without this, children find it hard to cope with their own distress, or perhaps their frustration that everything is not done just the way they want it done. There are many possible effects of this deprivation which include a temporary or permanent delay in cognitive development, heightened aggression, emotional or social detachment, and an increase in the likelihood of depression in adulthood. (Myers, D. (2008) Exploring psycology) The other key thing to explore here is Theory of mind. Theory of mind is the ability to attribute mental states beliefs, intents, desires, pretending, knowledge, etc.-to oneself and others and to understand that others have beliefs, desires, and intentions that are different from ones own . (Premack, D.G; Woordruff, G. (1978).)Children who are deprived in this area may well develop Theory of Mind and other social skills later in life, but the damage is done because their early lack of skills means that they lack friends, they lack confidence, and this can have a snowball effect, with lack of opportunities continuing in life because they are lacking in social skills and are often aggressive and detached. The effect on childhood development of emotional deprivation can be dramatic. Spitz and Wolf, in the 1940s studies of US orphanages, found that children who had no significant personal interaction at all could suffer from anaclitic depression, and that morbidity was extremely high, even where nutrition and medical guidelines were adhered to.( L. Cytryn, D.McKnew; 1996) This is deprivation at its extreme. However, less extreme levels of deprivation can also result in poor developmental prospects for children. An obvious area to discuss here is attachment. Children who are not securely attached find it difficult to have the confidence to explore their environments they are spending too much time in protective measures fearful children do not explore and do not therefore learn or develop . Mary Ainsworth developed a way to test childrens attachment to their caregivers called the strange situation, whereby children were left by, and then re-united with their caregiver. Children who were distressed upon parting but easily comforted at the reunion are described as having secure attatchment (B. Inge 1992). Children with insecure attachment, who would be unable to be comforted or entirely unphased by the whole situation, often find it difficult later to make attachments to others, or are sometimes indiscriminate about attaching themselves to adults, and so are more at risk, for instance by being more vulnerable to abuse. The effect of emotional deprivation on development seems thoroughly studied, especially among institutionalized children who have had their emotional needs severly neglected through a lack of resources, time and inclination. All psychologists are well aware of the sometimes tempestuous desires and attitudes of those who felt neglected and rejected in childhood. However, recently, psychologically unavailable mothering has been identified as a real form of abuse. Another area to explore, connected to attachment, is the effect of relationship breakdown, lack of parenting through death or divorce. This is obviously to do with loss and bereavement as well, but can also be linked to deprivation and neglect, as Rutter in the Isle of Wight study has shown that acrimonious separations between par ents are much worse for children than when it is not acrimonious (E.Mash, R.A.Berkley) therefore it is more than just the loss itself which is the issue. When parents are not focusing on the wellbeing of children, they suffer: academically they do less well in school, they are more likely to have early pregnancies, they are more likely to be unemployed and to get divorced themselves so the effect of deprivation really lasts into the next generations. All the effects of the deprivation this essay have discussed are likely to be perpetuated into the next generations. Parents who do not know how to play or empathise or communicate effectively without aggression or contain their emotions effectively, because of a deprivation in these areas when they were children, are less likely to enable their own children to have these skills as well. All of these forms of deprivation have massive implications for Social Work practice, and there are many places that social workers can intervene with this intergenerational transmission of deprivation. One example of this is Sure Start, which is currently under threat of being cut by the government. Sure Start is a multi disciplinary approach, including social workers, which is designed to help parents and babies/young children in deprived areas overcome the effects of early deprivation. Considering the devastating effects of deprivation, Social workers and other professionals need to have a heightened awareness of its existence and implications; There have been studies showing that children who suffer from deprivation have more long term problems developmentally than children who suffer from physical abuse. There has also been a heightened Involvement of social workers in CAMHS (child and adolescent mental health teams) another multi disciplinary team, which deals with the mental health of young people and the reasons for their conditions. It has long been apparent that psychological health is directly linked to childhood deprivation, but only recently have social workers been seen to be working with other professionals to try and integrate more preventative measures against the psychological effects of deprivation, rather than simply working to address the effects. Working alongside mental health professionals in order to pinpoint and prevent the causes and effects of deprivation is a new phenomenon, and one which has seriously changed the direction of modern social work practice. Links with community midwives, G.Ps, nurseries and primary schools, in order to identify those at risk early on, have become more and more important in Social work. Community midwives and GPs have to check on childrens weight and development and their relationship with their care-givers. More involvement and communication between the professionals around infants and children are integral tools in identifying the early signs of deprivation and its effect on development. Greater focus on and help for children leaving care is another step that the social work sector should be taking. These people will be the ones having children early, and the ones who are likely to continue the cycle of neglect and deprivation. They are also typically poorer, and economic deprivation can be a massive contributor to neglect and deprivation in all its forms. In conclusion, there are many different strains of deprivation, all of them with devastating effects on childhood development, and all with relevant implications for social work. It would be prudent to point out at this point that all of the strains of deprivation are interrelated and to an extent interdependent, and often children who are exposed to one are almost undoubtedly exposed to another. For Social workers, the main focus should be on the importance of stopping the intergenerational transmission of the effects of deprivation. Early intervention is paramount in preventing these transmissions, and today more and more of the focus has been directed into prevention and rehabilitation, so Social workers are involved in more of a rehabilitating role, which will work to change the face of social work practice.

Essay --

Throughout history, many different types of economic models and theories have been developed. These different philosophies of business often were an important and integral part of a government’s basic structure. For example communist countries like China and the Soviet Union practiced a type of socialism. While, democratic nations like the United States and Canada practice forms of capitalism. Also within these economic models exists different theories as well such as Keynsian economics and laissez faire economics. To understand how these types of economies work in the world today, it is important to study and define a variety of economic systems. Researching such economic systems as capitalism and socialism, and also looking at the ideas of laissez faire and the Keynsian economics, a person will start to have a better understanding of how business works in the world today. One of the most common major types of economic systems in the world today is capitalism. In its simplest terms, capitalism can be defined as an economic system in which a country’s trade and industry are run by private organizations for profit. So within capitalism major industries such as manufacturing, energy, banks, transportation, medicine and more are not run by the government. The earliest forms of capitalism can be traced to the 17th century English Puritans who possessed a strong work ethic that focused an importance on productive labor. Modern capitalism is said to have started in the mid-18th century with the birth of factories. Factory owners were able to maximize wealth by making goods that were in-demand and also by streamlining labor. For capitalism to work. supply and demand is typically unregulated by government. It is based on the f... ...omy. For example, China is considered a communist government. However for their economy to exist in the world market, some private ownership and factories have been allowed to exist with government oversight. And the United States while considered a capitalistic society has such institutions as public schools, energy, medicare, and services which all share in and benefit from equally. All economic systems also have their pros and cons. For example, Capitalism has been accused of ignoring the individual in pursuit of profit. While socialism does not reward the entrepreneur with wealth, but often punishes the rich with crushing taxes. In the end, the best way to understand how economies work in the world today is to research each ones basic history and definition. In this way a person can make an informed decision on what economic system they believe works best

Snake Venom

Venom Venom Types Methods of Production Methods of Delivery Offense or Defense? Lethal injection or False alarm? Mysteries Warnings To most people venom and snakes go hand in hand. It is commonly believed that all snakes are venomous, but this is an erroneous belief. Of the 2. 700 known species of snake only 300 are venomous. So what is venom, how did snakes get it and why do they have it? These are questions that have interested herpetologists and other scientists alike. Venom itself is a poison secreted by animals for either defensive or offensive purposes.Venom originated from digestive enzymes that were originally located in the stomach. Throughout the millions of years it has progressed quite a lot and in some animals has become quite different from it's origin. The type of venom depends on the type of animal. In spiders venom is kept rather simple. It is pretty much just digestive enzymes. Spiders use their venom to turn their hard shelled insect meals into nice and nutritious goo. So in a sense one can think of this type of venom as a form of starting the digestive process before you even start to eat the meal.In insects venom is used predominantly as a defensive weapon. Wasps, bees and ants use formic acid in their stings to cause a painful burning sensation that will either kill or injure their enemy enough to make them think twice about attacking them again. Amphibians all use their venom for defense. In amphibians the venom is secreted through glands in the skin to make the animals unpalatable. So as we can see venom is a predominantly defensive adaptation. An adaptation that has found it's way into every class of vertebrates except one. The birds; the only class to forego any venom.In mammals we have platypi with venomous claws, then there are the fish which comprise too many venomous species to count and finally we have the reptiles. All venomous reptiles are squamates and of them snakes make up the bulk. There are only two species of venomous squa mates that are not snakes, the lizards of the genus: Heloderma. These lizards use their venom for defense as well and can deliver powerful and painful bites. In snakes venom has found a new use, for offense. Since snake prey generally has the advantage of speed (not to say that snakes can't be speedy. A black mamba traveling at 17 mph is nothing to sneeze at. snakes had to find a new way to take down their prey without running the risk of losing them or getting too hurt in the process. Enter venom, a fast and effective mode of subdueing prey items with minimal risk to the snake. Venom types Snake venom can be divided into two broad (yet fuzzy) categories. That of hemotoxicity and neurotoxicity. Hemotoxic venom effects the blood and organs, causing a breakdown or inflammation in the body. Hemotoxic bites are the most painful as breathing hurts and tissues start to die. Neurotoxic venom, as the name suggests, effect the nervous system, leading to everything from siezures to death.Neur otoxic bites are the most deadly. Although we have these two wonderful different categories, no snake fits completely in each. Many snakes incorporate both neurotoxic and hemotoxic venom in their bites so when telling them apart one goes by which type is more predominant. For instance Ophiophagous hannah (King Cobra) has predominantly neurotoxic venom while Crotalus adamanteus (Eastern diamondback rattlesnake) has predominantly hemotoxic venom. Methods of production While getting bitten by a snake might strike fear in people, the fangs are not where the venom comes from, they are mearly methods of transfer.The place where the venom is made is in special glands located on the head of the animal. The venom glands differentiate into false and true venom glands. False venom glands (a misleading name no doubt) are made up either from mucus producing supralabial glands that run on either side of the head extending as a continuous strip from near the snout to below and well behind the eye. These then lead to several ducts that lead to the bases of many maxillary teeth. Alethinophidians are known to have this type of arrangement. Most colubrids have a different arrangement.Rather than use those modified salivary glands they use a larger gland known as the Duvernoy's gland. This gland is situated right under the skin, above and near the angle of the jaw. These glands open from a duct at the base of one or more posterior usually enlarged fangs that may or may not be grooved. These glands do not have a lumen (central storage chamber) so the snakes must give off a continous stream of venom into their prey which means that they must continue to hold on to the animal to ensure envenomation. True venom glands are made uf thick connective tissue.They contain a lumen, a separate compressor muscle and a duct connecting them to a single fang on each side of the jaw. These glands dominate all elapids and viperids (along with some atractaspidids) Methods of Delivery Their are four main types of teeth in snakes with which venom is transferred from gland to prey. While these forms seem to indicate a continual progression towards more complexity, they are misleading as it doesn't take into account the morphological variation in snake dentitions making for a paraphyletic occurence (that is they all thought up different ways to accomplish the same goal).Aglyphous snakes Aglyphous (grooveless) snakes lack any groove in their teeth for venom to run down. Instead the venom drips down the teeth from any available opening essentially saturating the maxillae. In order for envenomation to occur the snake must chew on it's prey which is time consuming. Aglyphous snakes include blind snakes and some colubrids. Opisthoglyphous snakes Opisthoglyphous (rear grooved) snakes have elongate fangs located on the top of the back of their mouths. These fangs have a groove running on the lateral side of the fang which helps direct venom into the prey.Since the fangs are located post eriorly the snake must make a point of taking a big bite into it's prey in order to assure envenomation. Colubrids make up the bulk of this group. Proteroglyphs Proteroglyphs (front groove) snakes are pretty much all elapids with an occasional actractaspidid like Homoroselaps (Harlequin snakes). In proteroglyphs the groove has run so deep that both sides of the groove overlap eachother forming a channel for the venom to flow. A lumen is located at the base of the tooth where venom eagerly awaits ejection while a discharge orifice lay on one side near the tip.An adductor (jaw closing) muscle is attached to the glands so that when the snake bites down the glands get squeezed and a stream of venom flows into the prey. These snakes are â€Å"fixed fanged. † That is to say they are unable to fold up their fangs when not in use so the fangs must be kept short enough so as not to puncture the lower jaw. Interestingly enough fixed fanged elapids are known to hold onto their prey afte r biting. This would seem to present a potential hazard for the snake, but the predominantly neurotoxic venom works so fast that the prey doesn't have enough time to struggle, thus ensuring the snake it's meal.Some cobra types such as the rinkhals (Hemachatus haemachatus) and many species of Afro-Asian cobras (Naja sp. ) have the ability to spit their venom at predators. Their fang tips have beveled, circular (sometimes pear shaped) apertures on the anterior surface just above the tip where the venom is ejected. African spitters go one stepped further. They have spiral grooves in their fangs that (like the riflings of a gun barrel) force a spin on the venom allowing for greater accuracy. This is only used in defense and is amazing effective as these snakes are adepth marksmen.By expending venom in these little droplets, the snake is guaranteed the maximum use of it's (normally offensive) venom when battling a predator. How often can these snakes spit before running out. Well one bla ck necked spitting cobra (Naja nigricollis) emptied it's venom glands by spitting fifty seven times in only twenty minutes. Truly a force to be reckoned with. Solenoglyphous snakes Solenoglyphous (pipe grooved) snakes make up the viperidae and show some of the most specialized teeth for the job.Viperid fangs have the groove so deep now that the outside of the teeth completely cover it forming a pipe for venom to enter. The two fangs are attached to a short highly movable maxillary bone. This bone allows the snakes to fold their fangs up in their mouths. This ability to fold up the fangs allows for greater fang length. How much greater? Well compare a 3. 83-m Ophiophagous hannah's 11mm fangs to a 1. 8-m Bitis gabonica (Gaboon viper) with fangs measuring 29mm. Impressive no? Viperids have predominantly hemotoxic venom and as such, their bites take longer to take effect.Since the effect is longer, the snake can't risk holding onto the struggling prey for it would surely get hurt, but w ith their potent venom, quick strikes and hyperextendable fangs, these snakes are able to get in and out extremely fast. Not only can the fangs hyperextend (up to 1800) but with the separately jointed maxillae the fangs can move individually as well. So a viper can decide whether or not to move one fang or two. Inject one side or two. The amount of venom control in vipers is astounding as well as their venom reservoirs. The bulk of Bitis gabonica's head is it's venom glands. Shocking!Offense or Defense As stated before, snakes predominantly use their venom to capture prey, but when push comes to shove, venom can mean the difference between life and death. Snake defense is rather limited when one thinks about it. They can't outrun their predators, a lack of limbs means that gaining the leverage for tail whipping is rather impossible (pointless anyway seeing as how most snakes have rather small tails). Some snakes can secrete nasty substances that make them unwanted to be around. Othe rs feign their own deaths, but in general the best area of defense for snakes lies in their jaws.For a venomous snake, biting a predator means wasting precious venom; a commodity that doesn't come without it's price. Venom costs energy to make and takes a while to refill when empty. A snake would much rather save that venom for something worth it like food, so it takes quite a bit of pressing to get a venomous snake to actually bite. In fact it is for these reasons that venomous snakes have adopted so many warning strategies. From warning colors, to hoods, to rattles, venomous snakes do everything in their power to avoid biting the enemy. In contrast a boid or other constrictor will readily bite in defense.While they lack venom, recurved teeth can be just as bad and since constrictors don't have to worry about wasting venom they can feel free to bite all they want. Lethal injection or False alarm? Along with warning well in advance, another common thing found in venomous snakes (esp ecially viperids) is giving what is known as a â€Å"dry bite. † Dry bites occur when a snake like a rattler is cornered and forced to bite in defense. While the snake might be in last resort mode, it still has one more trick up it's sleeve. Venomous snakes (true venomous snakes) have the ability to choose whether or not they want to inject venom into something.So if a rattlesnake bites a dog, it has the choice of either envenomating or bluffing the animal. In nature bluffs work much of the time and are the safest way for an animal to avoid a fight. By giving off a dry bite, venomous snakes need not waste their venom supplies. In fact over half of all rattlesnake bites are dry ones. A very comforting thought. Mysteries of Venomous Snakes One of the strangest things about elapids and viperids is that they seem to have evolved venom that is too potent for their own good. For instance, a Western rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis) injects it's prey (a mouse) with 300 times more venom than is necessary.Or the Inland Taipan (Oxyuranus microlepidotus) which injects enough venom in one bite to kill two hundred thousand mice. Why the excess? No one knows for sure. Perhaps the mechanisms that produced the venom never had any buffers for how powerful it got. Since the evolution of new traits involves the constantly ascending path (new traits are only kept if beneficial to the organism) the fact that ever potent venom would always guarantee the quick death of the prey means that it would always be selected for and will be until something comes to counter it.While this is a nice theory and all, there is an underlying problem with it. Venomous snakes (of at least the elapid and viperid families) are able to meter out how much venom they intend to inject into their prey. So that Crotalus viridis is quite aware of the amount it is pumping into that mouse. Plus since venom replenishment is not the fastest thing (averaging between 4 days and three weeks) injecting so much ve nom seems wasteful. Another theory proposed was that it the venom helps to begin the digestion process. Surely this seems reasonable especially considered how venom effects tissue along with it's origins.Yet that too does not give a perfect explanation for Brown tree snakes (Boiga irregularis) which inject three to eight times more venom than necessary, end up with half of that venom lodged in the skin. So for now, the reasons behind the excess venom delivery by venomous snakes are still unknown. Warnings about venom While no person should actively go out and try to capture a venomous snake (without good reason) in the even that one finds said snake, the best precautions are to examine the encounter. If you're far enough away to leave then feel free to do so, you need not worry about the snake following you.If you're practically stepping on the snake things could be worse. At that point though one usually finds that one has been bitten. If bitten make sure to ID the snake. Remember as much as possible about it. For an idea of the type of venom that might have been injected in you consider the area that you are at and how the snake looked. Vipers, due to their large venom glands, have heart shaped heads. Elapids have nice thin heads. Colubrids are harder to tell apart from elapids, but a venomous elapid will give warning or have some type of forewarning available.Colubrid bites normally don't kill and are more a pain than anything else. Viper bites can be deadly and normally are very painful. Elapid bites are extremely lethal and antivenin treatment is a must if bitten. Although all this seems scary, it's best to remember that no venomous snake will attack without severe provocation. Look for the warning signs and watch where you step and you should be fine. Also remember many bites given are dry, so just because you were bitten doesn't mean you were envenomated. A good rule of thumb when dealing with a scared or cornered snake is that the last thing it's going to want to do is bite.Venom Venom Types Methods of Production Methods of Delivery Offense or Defense? Lethal injection or False alarm? Mysteries Warnings To most people venom and snakes go hand in hand. It is commonly believed that all snakes are venomous, but this is an erroneous belief. Of the 2. 700 known species of snake only 300 are venomous. So what is venom, how did snakes get it and why do they have it? These are questions that have interested herpetologists and other scientists alike. Venom itself is a poison secreted by animals for either defensive or offensive purposes.Venom originated from digestive enzymes that were originally located in the stomach. Throughout the millions of years it has progressed quite a lot and in some animals has become quite different from it's origin. The type of venom depends on the type of animal. In spiders venom is kept rather simple. It is pretty much just digestive enzymes. Spiders use their venom to turn their hard shelled insect meals i nto nice and nutritious goo. So in a sense one can think of this type of venom as a form of starting the digestive process before you even start to eat the meal.In insects venom is used predominantly as a defensive weapon. Wasps, bees and ants use formic acid in their stings to cause a painful burning sensation that will either kill or injure their enemy enough to make them think twice about attacking them again. Amphibians all use their venom for defense. In amphibians the venom is secreted through glands in the skin to make the animals unpalatable. So as we can see venom is a predominantly defensive adaptation. An adaptation that has found it's way into every class of vertebrates except one. The birds; the only class to forego any venom.In mammals we have platypi with venomous claws, then there are the fish which comprise too many venomous species to count and finally we have the reptiles. All venomous reptiles are squamates and of them snakes make up the bulk. There are only two species of venomous squamates that are not snakes, the lizards of the genus: Heloderma. These lizards use their venom for defense as well and can deliver powerful and painful bites. In snakes venom has found a new use, for offense. Since snake prey generally has the advantage of speed (not to say that snakes can't be speedy. A black mamba traveling at 17 mph is nothing to sneeze at. snakes had to find a new way to take down their prey without running the risk of losing them or getting too hurt in the process. Enter venom, a fast and effective mode of subdueing prey items with minimal risk to the snake. Venom types Snake venom can be divided into two broad (yet fuzzy) categories. That of hemotoxicity and neurotoxicity. Hemotoxic venom effects the blood and organs, causing a breakdown or inflammation in the body. Hemotoxic bites are the most painful as breathing hurts and tissues start to die. Neurotoxic venom, as the name suggests, effect the nervous system, leading to everything fro m siezures to death.Neurotoxic bites are the most deadly. Although we have these two wonderful different categories, no snake fits completely in each. Many snakes incorporate both neurotoxic and hemotoxic venom in their bites so when telling them apart one goes by which type is more predominant. For instance Ophiophagous hannah (King Cobra) has predominantly neurotoxic venom while Crotalus adamanteus (Eastern diamondback rattlesnake) has predominantly hemotoxic venom. Methods of production While getting bitten by a snake might strike fear in people, the fangs are not where the venom comes from, they are mearly methods of transfer.The place where the venom is made is in special glands located on the head of the animal. The venom glands differentiate into false and true venom glands. False venom glands (a misleading name no doubt) are made up either from mucus producing supralabial glands that run on either side of the head extending as a continuous strip from near the snout to below and well behind the eye. These then lead to several ducts that lead to the bases of many maxillary teeth. Alethinophidians are known to have this type of arrangement. Most colubrids have a different arrangement.Rather than use those modified salivary glands they use a larger gland known as the Duvernoy's gland. This gland is situated right under the skin, above and near the angle of the jaw. These glands open from a duct at the base of one or more posterior usually enlarged fangs that may or may not be grooved. These glands do not have a lumen (central storage chamber) so the snakes must give off a continous stream of venom into their prey which means that they must continue to hold on to the animal to ensure envenomation. True venom glands are made uf thick connective tissue.They contain a lumen, a separate compressor muscle and a duct connecting them to a single fang on each side of the jaw. These glands dominate all elapids and viperids (along with some atractaspidids) Methods of Delivery Their are four main types of teeth in snakes with which venom is transferred from gland to prey. While these forms seem to indicate a continual progression towards more complexity, they are misleading as it doesn't take into account the morphological variation in snake dentitions making for a paraphyletic occurence (that is they all thought up different ways to accomplish the same goal).Aglyphous snakes Aglyphous (grooveless) snakes lack any groove in their teeth for venom to run down. Instead the venom drips down the teeth from any available opening essentially saturating the maxillae. In order for envenomation to occur the snake must chew on it's prey which is time consuming. Aglyphous snakes include blind snakes and some colubrids. Opisthoglyphous snakes Opisthoglyphous (rear grooved) snakes have elongate fangs located on the top of the back of their mouths. These fangs have a groove running on the lateral side of the fang which helps direct venom into the prey.Since th e fangs are located posteriorly the snake must make a point of taking a big bite into it's prey in order to assure envenomation. Colubrids make up the bulk of this group. Proteroglyphs Proteroglyphs (front groove) snakes are pretty much all elapids with an occasional actractaspidid like Homoroselaps (Harlequin snakes). In proteroglyphs the groove has run so deep that both sides of the groove overlap eachother forming a channel for the venom to flow. A lumen is located at the base of the tooth where venom eagerly awaits ejection while a discharge orifice lay on one side near the tip.An adductor (jaw closing) muscle is attached to the glands so that when the snake bites down the glands get squeezed and a stream of venom flows into the prey. These snakes are â€Å"fixed fanged. † That is to say they are unable to fold up their fangs when not in use so the fangs must be kept short enough so as not to puncture the lower jaw. Interestingly enough fixed fanged elapids are known to h old onto their prey after biting. This would seem to present a potential hazard for the snake, but the predominantly neurotoxic venom works so fast that the prey doesn't have enough time to struggle, thus ensuring the snake it's meal.Some cobra types such as the rinkhals (Hemachatus haemachatus) and many species of Afro-Asian cobras (Naja sp. ) have the ability to spit their venom at predators. Their fang tips have beveled, circular (sometimes pear shaped) apertures on the anterior surface just above the tip where the venom is ejected. African spitters go one stepped further. They have spiral grooves in their fangs that (like the riflings of a gun barrel) force a spin on the venom allowing for greater accuracy. This is only used in defense and is amazing effective as these snakes are adepth marksmen.By expending venom in these little droplets, the snake is guaranteed the maximum use of it's (normally offensive) venom when battling a predator. How often can these snakes spit before r unning out. Well one black necked spitting cobra (Naja nigricollis) emptied it's venom glands by spitting fifty seven times in only twenty minutes. Truly a force to be reckoned with. Solenoglyphous snakes Solenoglyphous (pipe grooved) snakes make up the viperidae and show some of the most specialized teeth for the job.Viperid fangs have the groove so deep now that the outside of the teeth completely cover it forming a pipe for venom to enter. The two fangs are attached to a short highly movable maxillary bone. This bone allows the snakes to fold their fangs up in their mouths. This ability to fold up the fangs allows for greater fang length. How much greater? Well compare a 3. 83-m Ophiophagous hannah's 11mm fangs to a 1. 8-m Bitis gabonica (Gaboon viper) with fangs measuring 29mm. Impressive no? Viperids have predominantly hemotoxic venom and as such, their bites take longer to take effect.Since the effect is longer, the snake can't risk holding onto the struggling prey for it woul d surely get hurt, but with their potent venom, quick strikes and hyperextendable fangs, these snakes are able to get in and out extremely fast. Not only can the fangs hyperextend (up to 1800) but with the separately jointed maxillae the fangs can move individually as well. So a viper can decide whether or not to move one fang or two. Inject one side or two. The amount of venom control in vipers is astounding as well as their venom reservoirs. The bulk of Bitis gabonica's head is it's venom glands. Shocking!Offense or Defense As stated before, snakes predominantly use their venom to capture prey, but when push comes to shove, venom can mean the difference between life and death. Snake defense is rather limited when one thinks about it. They can't outrun their predators, a lack of limbs means that gaining the leverage for tail whipping is rather impossible (pointless anyway seeing as how most snakes have rather small tails). Some snakes can secrete nasty substances that make them unw anted to be around. Others feign their own deaths, but in general the best area of defense for snakes lies in their jaws.For a venomous snake, biting a predator means wasting precious venom; a commodity that doesn't come without it's price. Venom costs energy to make and takes a while to refill when empty. A snake would much rather save that venom for something worth it like food, so it takes quite a bit of pressing to get a venomous snake to actually bite. In fact it is for these reasons that venomous snakes have adopted so many warning strategies. From warning colors, to hoods, to rattles, venomous snakes do everything in their power to avoid biting the enemy. In contrast a boid or other constrictor will readily bite in defense.While they lack venom, recurved teeth can be just as bad and since constrictors don't have to worry about wasting venom they can feel free to bite all they want. Lethal injection or False alarm? Along with warning well in advance, another common thing found in venomous snakes (especially viperids) is giving what is known as a â€Å"dry bite. † Dry bites occur when a snake like a rattler is cornered and forced to bite in defense. While the snake might be in last resort mode, it still has one more trick up it's sleeve. Venomous snakes (true venomous snakes) have the ability to choose whether or not they want to inject venom into something.So if a rattlesnake bites a dog, it has the choice of either envenomating or bluffing the animal. In nature bluffs work much of the time and are the safest way for an animal to avoid a fight. By giving off a dry bite, venomous snakes need not waste their venom supplies. In fact over half of all rattlesnake bites are dry ones. A very comforting thought. Mysteries of Venomous Snakes One of the strangest things about elapids and viperids is that they seem to have evolved venom that is too potent for their own good. For instance, a Western rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis) injects it's prey (a mouse) w ith 300 times more venom than is necessary.Or the Inland Taipan (Oxyuranus microlepidotus) which injects enough venom in one bite to kill two hundred thousand mice. Why the excess? No one knows for sure. Perhaps the mechanisms that produced the venom never had any buffers for how powerful it got. Since the evolution of new traits involves the constantly ascending path (new traits are only kept if beneficial to the organism) the fact that ever potent venom would always guarantee the quick death of the prey means that it would always be selected for and will be until something comes to counter it.While this is a nice theory and all, there is an underlying problem with it. Venomous snakes (of at least the elapid and viperid families) are able to meter out how much venom they intend to inject into their prey. So that Crotalus viridis is quite aware of the amount it is pumping into that mouse. Plus since venom replenishment is not the fastest thing (averaging between 4 days and three wee ks) injecting so much venom seems wasteful. Another theory proposed was that it the venom helps to begin the digestion process. Surely this seems reasonable especially considered how venom effects tissue along with it's origins.Yet that too does not give a perfect explanation for Brown tree snakes (Boiga irregularis) which inject three to eight times more venom than necessary, end up with half of that venom lodged in the skin. So for now, the reasons behind the excess venom delivery by venomous snakes are still unknown. Warnings about venom While no person should actively go out and try to capture a venomous snake (without good reason) in the even that one finds said snake, the best precautions are to examine the encounter. If you're far enough away to leave then feel free to do so, you need not worry about the snake following you.If you're practically stepping on the snake things could be worse. At that point though one usually finds that one has been bitten. If bitten make sure to ID the snake. Remember as much as possible about it. For an idea of the type of venom that might have been injected in you consider the area that you are at and how the snake looked. Vipers, due to their large venom glands, have heart shaped heads. Elapids have nice thin heads. Colubrids are harder to tell apart from elapids, but a venomous elapid will give warning or have some type of forewarning available.Colubrid bites normally don't kill and are more a pain than anything else. Viper bites can be deadly and normally are very painful. Elapid bites are extremely lethal and antivenin treatment is a must if bitten. Although all this seems scary, it's best to remember that no venomous snake will attack without severe provocation. Look for the warning signs and watch where you step and you should be fine. Also remember many bites given are dry, so just because you were bitten doesn't mean you were envenomated. A good rule of thumb when dealing with a scared or cornered snake is that t he last thing it's going to want to do is bite.