Discuss the historical, cultural and philosophical context of a 20th Research Paper

Discuss the historical, cultural and philosophical context of a 20th or 21st century art - Research Paper Example with songs inspired by the current events of their time and the experimentation with the singing brought out by the psychedelic drugs and, of course, their own ever increasing talents. This was the band’s eight album that was released in 1967. By that time, the group had become quite frustrated with all that they did and all that was expected from them. According to McCartney, they â€Å"were fed up with being the Beatles† (Frontani 127). Despite their talent and newfound experience, they were still thought of as boys instead of men. Not being taken seriously annoyed them, they were â€Å"artists rather than just performers† and being asked to repeat the same type of performances in every concert was also not conducive for the learning of more skills (Frontani 127). It is because of this that Paul McCartney brought forward a proposal on which Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band is based on. The idea was for the four men to invent fake identities, think of themselves as someone else and then write and sing songs as that fake individual. It is this work of theirs that has known to have sparked off the idea of a concept album even though there are still mixed views whether it is actually one or not. A concept album is basically one which has songs that follow a certain theme, there is a connection between them all, a telling of a story. According to Bill Martin, â€Å"Sergeant Pepper’s do not qualify according to this criterion (†¦) only a relative handful can truly be considered concept albums in the thematic sense† (Martin Jr. 41). However, it is also said that it â€Å"has been recognized almost universally as the first concept album† with â€Å"music, words, and visual art (†¦) all combined to convey a specific concept or program† (Letts 9 - 10) . Either way, it was this album that introduced the idea of a concept album into the minds of the people which continues to be followed by some of the singers today. A random thought that occurred during a flight led

Main Cause Hinder Implementation of Enterprise Essay Example for Free

Main Cause Hinder Implementation of Enterprise Essay 1. Background: Thirty years ago, companies started to develop software to automate their business functions. Enterprise Resourcing planning (ERP) evolved from  Material Requirement Planning (MRP) systems which were created to support inventory functions. MRP system later expanded to support manufacturing tasks, then merged with accounting systems to become ERP software (Jutras, 2011). 2. Definition: Enterprise Resourcing planning ERP is software package to integrate internal and external company’s business functions such as accounting, supply chain and human resources (Wong, Scarbrough, Chau, Davison, 2005). (Typical functionality is summarised in Figure 3. 1). [pic] Figure 3.1: Module Functionality Overview of an ERP System, Source: Adam Sammon (2003). The implementation of ERP consists of all tasks needed to achieve the ERP, start from getting the software and hardware until working properly on that software. ERP implementation goes through interconnecting phases. Those phases start from gathering all information about the current business process and applying that on the software, then testing phase to ensure the software is working accurately. Furthermore, ERP phases like any project may be execute sequentially such as business analysis should come before business setup or may be overlapped with each other such as user training can start at same time with business analysis (Wong, Scarbrough, Chau, Davison, 2005). ERP software is installed in a centralised database to be available to all company’s departments which all information can be accessible at anytime from anywhere. Moreover, consolidate data in one single installation can increase data integrity, avoid data redundancy because the main function for the software that to prevent the duplication. ERP has built based on standard business process which can improve internal business functions for the companies apply the ERP software (Zhang, 2005). 3. Research Methodology 1. Primary research: The primary data for this project was collected using the questionnaire. The questions focused on the implementation cost as a main factor involved in the ERP implementation. In addition the questions tracked other factors can hinder implementing the ERP software such as business analysis, management, technologies and training. The questionnaire sent via emails to over than 140 respondents from different companies providing ERP implementation services, 82 respondents answered the questionnaire. Moreover, the sample selected to represent various regions over the world such as the US, the UK, the Middle East and India. Also respondents were chosen in random from many levels such as project managers, business analysts and pre-sales specialists to collect different ideas from different positions. 2. Secondary research: The main source for secondary data collected which studies conducted in the same subject. Those research contain data about most recent reasons can fail ERP as well as case studies in many companies such as Hershey Foods Corporation. Also secondary data collected from: A. Internet: Sites of all ERP provider where can find updated information about the ERP products such Oracle and SAP sites. Also some sites include articles about ERP failure reasons. B. Books: which contain basics information about ERP software and implementation methods. C. Newspapers and business journals. 4. Findings 1. Findings from the secondary research: Companies spend the money for implementing the ERP software to automating their business which can accelerate the process time. In addition the main target of ERP software that to integrating business functions such as supply chain functions with accounting functions (Mehta, 2010, Davenport, 1998). Moreover after the supplier delivers items to inventory department the next step is to collect the money from the accounting department. Therefore, all information about quantities delivered and accepted inside the store should be shared and secured to the accounting department before pay the money (J.Umble, Haft, M.Umble, 2003). Although, ERP provides a significant improvement, there are frequent studies indicating that companies stopped using the ERP or cancelled implementation task due critical problems faced during the business analysis, training and testing process (Hawari, Heeks, 2010). Consequently, from 50% to 75% of the ERP projects are ended (Hawari, Heeks, 2010). Contrary to expectation in current study hypothesis that the cost is the main cause hindering implementation of the ERP software, this study found there were other significant factors than the cost. The first and substantial factor which can prevent the ERP implementation is the business analysis phase. Because of company’s business process unclearly, the implementation of business functions on the ERP software becomes different than the original needs. The second factor can fail the ERP implementation is the management in consultancy companies who lead the project as well as the companies who apply the ERP software. The former are hiring poor project managers which can underestimate the scope, size and complexity of the project and the later have top management which not committed to applying the ERP software (J.Umble, Haft, M.Umble, 2003). Also, turnover of project personnel such as project managers, consultants and employees in the customer site after the project started which lose key staff experienced with the project and may be the new staff can request more changings (Markus, Axline, Petrie, Tanis, 2000). The third factor is inadequate  training due users did not get enough practice on the new software which affects the operation of the ERP (Ligus, 2007). The cost of ERP implementation comes lately as a factor might fail the ERP implementation (Ligus, 2007). According to Aberdeen group (Jutras, 2008) the average total cost for ERP implementation is $366.583 for company size under $50 million and 35 average users, which including software licenses cost, implementation services cost and maintenance cost. The last factor can hinder the ERP implementation is the hardware and software technology. Moreover, technologies have been changing rapidly which means that the current hardware and software should sustain the upgrades and need new installations. As a result, more upgrades can reflect miss integration with other systems or data loss as well. 2. Findings from the primary research: Firstly, the participants were asked about the cost elements can fail the ERP implementation, 55% of respondents agreed that the software costs are too high, followed by strongly agree, disagree, 33% and 12% respectively. Moreover, the second element is the hardware cost, 51% respondents agreed that the hardware cost is too expensive. While, 34% thought the cost is not expensive. In addition, for the third element, it appears the respondents were distributed equality which 49% agreed that the upgrade costs too high and other 49% disagreed with that element. Also, for the training, 59% of participants disagreed that training cost is too high. However, 33% agreed that the cost is too high. The last element is the cost of skilled employees, by combining answers of strongly agree and agree, the result show that 81% of the sample believed that companies need to hire skilled employees with high salary. Regarding to the next question, about 91% respondents opposed that the software is difficult. In addition, 72% thought that unskilled employees might fail the ERP implementation. As far as the third question whether the ERP implementation influenced by the technologies, answers almost distributed between agree and disagree  for all elements that software updates, hardware Obsolescence, software Incompatibility and integration fails with other third party applications. In terms of question number four, this finding was unexpected and suggests that the business analysis factor is substantial for the ERP implementation failure where 80% of respondents answered that customers do not deliver enough or wrong information about their business process. Also, 92% thought that business processes are not clear in the company which reflects wrong implementation and 90% of the sample concerned that more changes during implementation time could effect on the ERP implementation. Another important finding was that largest set of significant respondents agreed with the management is the most important factor could hinder the ERP implementation where 97% of respondents said the lack of top management commitment had negative consequence on the ERP implementation and 98% believe that inefficient project controlling could prevent the ERP implementation. 5. Discussion 1. Discussion explanation: Based on results indicated from the primary and secondary research, there are five common factors failing the ERP implementation. Moreover, this research reveals that inefficient management is the first and most critical factor. Because of companies assign the project to staff members do not have enough information about current ERP characteristics or without defining company requirements. As a result, poor ERP package will be selected (Ligus, 2007). In addition, 97% of respondents agreed that the lack of top management commitments have an effect on the ERP projects, owing to the fact that, the top management delegates the controlling to the lower level, consequently, conflict of communication between the company and consultants can be happened. Another important factor is the business analysis phase. Due to business processes are unclear, more changes during the implementation process will be required. Apart from the business analysis  factor, consultancy companies are not providing experienced consultants or the turnover during the project because the salary of experienced consultant is too high or they want to reduce the project cost. Based on the result collected from the primary research, the cost factor came as a third reason has an effect on the ERP implementation. Whereas, the finding from the secondary research indicated that the cost factors is the last reason might prevent the ERP projects. Because of companies can pay to get more benefits of the ERP software that can improve their business processes and services. This means that the cost. The next factor might fail the ERP implementation is the training, 91% of respondent disagree that the software is difficult and the reason might affect the ERP implementation that companies hire unskilled employees. Consequently, they cannot use or understand the software. Also, (Ligus, 2007) believes that companies attempt to save dollars by hire inadequate resources or working on overtime basis. As far as the technology factor, results collected from the primary research spread equally between agree and disagree. Due to the fact that companies do not upgrade the ERP software frequently, they did not face problems with the software updates and the hardware. 2. Limitation on research: †¢ Number of samples did not represent all countries fairly. †¢ The questions did not mention company’s business size, which could effect on answers. †¢ Questionnaire did not deliver to all specialists’ equally. †¢ No more information about the ERP implementation costs for all products available which can compare between them. †¢ No more studies about ERP products and technologies for last two years in comparison to two years earlier, which can measure weather the software and hardware improved. 6. Conclusion 1. Conclusion explanation: The aim of this study to examine whether the cost is a major problem can hinder implementing the ERP software. Findings show that there are other critical factors can prevent the ERP implementation which can be summarised from the most critical to less critical factor as poor management, unclear business process then the cost factor came as a third reason can hinder the ERP implementation then inadequate training and the last factor is hardware and software technologies. But with more analysis for the output which can explore chain of factors can affect each other. Owing to poor management, unskilled managers will defect the ERP project and companies should pay more salaries to hire skilled managers. As a result, poor ERP will be selected. Moreover, the problem started from the cost of hiring skilled managers. In addition, Due to consultancy companies want to deliver the implementation services with low cost to compete with other companies, they hiring inexpert consultants because of the salary. In conclusion that, the cost is the major factor can hinder implementing the ERP software but with indirect consequence. 2. Recommendations: Companies only installing a hardware with ERP software, but are in fact, changing the culture of management and improve the business process are essential before implement the ERP software (Davenport, 2000). Regarding to the primary research, there are some points need to mention in the future: †¢ Number of samples should represented many countries based on some factors such as number of software usage, area and business volume. Namely, the US should represented by at least 520 respondents, 52 states*10 samples. †¢ Business size should be indicated in the questionnaire. The need of software varies from small, medium and large business. In addition,  employee skills are difference referring to the business size. Also, medium and large business size can pay more for the ERP software than the small business size. †¢ Questionnaire should be targeted the specialization. Information available to the sales specialists is about prices and they do not have more information about the business or management problems which can be collected from the project managers and consultants. 7. References and bibliography Adam, F. Sammon, D. (2003),The Enterprise Resource Planning Decade: Lessons Learned and Issues for the Future. Idea Group Publishing: Hershey. Ada,W., Harry, S., Patrick, K., Robert D., (2005). Critical Failure Factors in ERP Implementation. Ligus, G., (2007), 12 Cardinal Sins of ERP Implementation. Rockford Consulting Group LTD. IL.US Jutras, C. (2011), An ERP history. Retrieved from (http://www.mbtmag.com/articles/2011/08/erp-history-lesson)(23 Aug, 2012). Markus, L., Axline, S., Petrie, D. Tanis, C. (2000). Learning from Adopters Experience with ERP Problems Encountered and Success Achieved. Journal of Information Technology. 15(2). PP 245-265. Mehta, A. (2010), A Study on Critical Success Factors for Successful ERP Implementation at Indian SMEs. Dissertation for Master of Philosophy in Management. Muscatello, J. Parente, D. (2006), Enterprise resource planning (ERP): a post implementation cross-case analysis, Information Resources Management Journal, Vol. 19 No. 3, pp. 61-80. Parr, A. Shanks, G. (2000), A model of ERP project implementation. Journal of Information Technology 15(2). PP 289-303. Shanks, G., Seddon, B., Leslie, P. Willcocks (2003), Second-Wave Enterprise Resource Planning Systems Implementing for Effectiveness.

Richard II Essay: The Characters of Bolingbroke and Richard II

The Characters of Bolingbroke and Richard II "What tongue speaks my right drawn sword may prove" is the sentence which concludes a short speech delivered by Henry Bolingbroke to King Richard II (1.1.6). These words are but the first demonstration of the marked difference between the above-mentioned characters in The Tragedy of Richard II. The line presents a man intent on action, a foil to the title character, a man of words. When Bolingbroke first appears in the play, he is accusing Thomas Mowbray of treason and then states that he is ready to act upon his accusations, to draw his sword against Mowbray. He declares, "Besides I say and will in battle prove . . ." (1.1.92, emphasis mine). Richard yields to the request of trial by combat. It is a ruling on which he later reneges, pronouncing banishment on the two parties rather than allowing their confrontation. This is a prime example of Richard using his authority by way of rulings and pronouncements rather than action, even to the point of disallowing an action. Bolingbroke, on the other hand, is quite ready to do battle no matter what the consequences. Moments before Richard puts a stop to the proceedings, Bolingbroke says, ". . . let no noble eye profane a tear / For me, if I be gorged with Mowbray's spear" (1.3.58-59). Here is a man who is resolved in his intent. To be sure, even in the ensuing banishment, Bolingbroke is not hindered. When he learns of the seizure of the estate of his dead father, John of Gaunt, by Richard, he comes back to England despite the ... ...essing anyone who was around or even just addressing himself. However, Bolingbroke is not a man of many words; he feels the need to physically atone for his part in the murder, "To wash this blood off [his] guilty hand" (5.6.50). Nevertheless, as a man of action, Bolingbroke has achieved for himself the goal of retrieving his father Gaunt's estates and much more. He, in the end, is king, King Henry IV. And though Richard as king was full of pomp and ceremony, those things were no match for ambition carried to its fullest. His strong words belied incompetence as a ruler, and he could not hold his position. It seems that it was inevitable that Bolingbroke would be the victor at last. Richard should have taken more note of his usurper, before he was such, this man he called "[Gaunt's] bold son" (1.1.3).

Creation Stories :: African Creation Tales Essays

Creation Stories Hegemonic myths are integral to understanding not only where a culture came from but also where it is going. The norms, ethics, and mores of a society are imbedded in its oral and written tradition so that it can subtly be relayed from generation to generation. The myths themselves are not consciously constructed with this intention. Rather the messages are subtextual – hidden in the creative story lines and characters. Since they were such good teaching tools, every culture has some kind of creation story to relay its early beginnings and important lessons. Although each society has its own version there are similarities and differences among the different cultures. For example, within West Africa there are comparable and contrasting creation stories, and then between West Africa and Egypt there are additional points of comparison. There are a variety of categories upon which the different creation stories correspond that it is difficult to find an overall theme. However, it can be said that each culture truly believed that its society was the center of the universe and its story was unequivocally right. I cannot help but be reminded of a scene from the Rogers and Hammerstein musical, The King and I. When Misses Anna shows the emperor’s children the map of the world, they are astounded that Siam is so small and not the center of the world. Additionally, they do not believe the world rotates on an axis. Rather, it is carried on the back of a giant turtle. Although it may seem rather comical, this is another creation story that, like those from West Africa and Egypt, affirms that the society holds their cultural myths as fact. In addition to the ethnocentric view that each story purveys, there is an inherent need to explain the unknown. This was probably their intended purpose, in addition to providing entertainment. The stories were necessary for people to understand the world around them and their place in it. The elements, the origin of man and his vices and natural occurrences, such as the cycles of the sun and moon, are topics that each myth addresses. It is interesting to note the circumstances under which humans were created. In both the Egyptian and West African Mande myths, man upset the equilibrium that existed between him and the Gods.

The Main Reason for the Increase in the Divorce Rate Is Changes to Divorce Laws

According to the item the proportion of marriages ending in divorce has increased from 27,000 to almost 55,000 between 1961 and 1969. Although the changes in law might have an impact on the divorce rate of couples, I think that other factors are just as important or maybe even more important than changes to the law. The divorce reform act was introduced in 1969 and so couples were able to get a divorce without needing to prove adultery, cruelty or desertion. But to decrease the divorce rates, the government only accepted divorce requests from partners that have been living separate for at least 2 years.This law only increased the divorce rate as the item suggests that from 1969 to 1973 divorce rates doubled again. Another factor that could have an impact on change in divorce years is changes in position of women. From 1959 to 2005 the proportion of working women increased from 45% to 70%. This shows that women are now more independent due to changes in their economic position so it i s correct to say that availability of welfare benefits means women no longer have to be financially supported by their husband.Feminists rightly argue that the more independency of women creates a new source of conflict between couples, leading to more divorces. This argument is logical, because women tend to get divorced because they know that they can earn money and live independently in society. Also, Decline in stigma and changing attitudes could be causing divorce rates to increase. According to Since 1960s stigma has declined and divorce has become more socially accepted. Wilson (1966) argues that this reduction in stigma is a result of secularisation, the decline of religion in modern society. less than half of today's marriages involve religious ceremonies.He also believes that the attitudes towards the effect of divorce on children might have been shifted. In conclusion, although changes in law, decline in stigma and changing attitudes are reasons for the increase in the di vorce rate, I think that the change in position of women has the most impact on the increase of divorce rates because in the last decade women have gained many new rights in terms of the vote, employment and education, and the rise in divorce may reflect this shift in their position within society and make them less willing to accept marriages that do not fulfil their personal needs.

Harry Potter Character Analysis Essay

Harry Potter Character Analysis Essay Harry Potter Character Analysis Essay Example Harry Potter Character Analysis Essay Example Joanne Katheline Rowling is the writer of Harry Potter fantasy series, one of the best selling series all over the world. The main character being Harry – a young boy who is the main protagonist. In this paper we look at Joanne Katheline Rowling’s stand on the heroes and monsters. According to Rowling, the heroes infringe canons and have weaknesses; they go hand in hand to rescue people’s lives. On the other hand, the monsters violate rules and commit evil for their own interest. Harry Potter: Good and Bad Monsters have weaknesses. In Harry Potter series, there is monster, Draco Luis Malfoy, who is a Slytherin student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft And Wizardry. Lord Voldermort is a monster, too. He is the devil in the series. He greatly opposes Harry Potter. In addition, he is said to posses the might to conquer the Dark Lord. Malfoy and Voldermort is the major adversaries throughout the series. The monsters have weaknesses, too. Their worst fear is darkness – they only come out when there is light. Draco is a good example. When Draco joins Hogwarts School of Witchcraft And Wizardry, his bed is near the window. He has chosen this place so as to get a glimpse of twilights. He wants to see when the sun is rising and when it is setting. Draco wants to be noticed all the time whenever he is with friends. He often seeks attention from Harry to escape rejection. Harry is renowned as the ‘chosen one’. This title creates animosity and jealousy towards Harry by Draco Malf oy. In school Harry engages in quidditch – a game in which players use broomsticks with the aim of getting the ball. It is similar to hockey. Draco’s jealousy heightens when Harry becomes the kingpin of the game despite being the youngest. Consequently, Malfoy joins the Slytherin team so as to compete with Harry’s Gryffindor team. Whenever the two teams meet there is chaos caused by Malfoy and his friends. When Decora, the new girl, arrives at Hogwarts, she encounters Malfoy who leads her to the hall. As they walk, Harry passes by and Decora shifts attention to Harry. She likes Harry’s eyes; this makes Malfoy jealous. On the other hand, Lord Voldermort tries to retaliate by killing Harry. He does so because Lily, Harry’s mother, sacrificed her life instead of Harry’s. Harry’s parents were believed to be foretelling about the killing of Voldermort. Harry Potter is the main protagonist in this series. He is the only child of James and Lily Potter. He is said to be partially possessing magic. When Harry was born his parents believed he would destroy Voldermort the monster. On the contrary, Voldermort kills the Potters. This happened as a result of the parents protecting their beloved son from the monster. During his early years Harry is a young orphan who is taken care of by Pertunia Dursley. Harry portrays the heroes who are out to commit evil with the aim of rescuing people’s live. At the beginning we meet Harry, a young boy, who is feeble, poor and neglected by the guardian. In the Chamber of Secrets we are introduced to Harry’s friends, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. Hermione is a female protagonist, close to Ron and Harry. She was born with abilities of being a witch and she boasts about her status. Besides saving Ron and Harry whenever they are in trouble, she also fought for rights of the other muggle-born – like Neville Longbottom. She goes on saving those who had similar features with the monsters – like Hagrid. As for Ron, he is a young boy and classmate of Harry. In the Chamber of Secrets he is seen as timid and kind-hearted boy. He helps Harry to flee from the uncle Vernom’s house. Harry had been locked in the room so as not to go back to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Ron comes to rescue him with a flying car and takes him home. Ron, Harry and Hermione are the leading characters in the series. They are the heroes throughout all the series. Harry is a young boy who is constantly opposed by Malfoy. As we know, no one is born perfect. Abilities are perfected as one grows. J. K. Rowling in her works shows us Harry’s weaknesses. He is full of fury and under certain circumstances he is haughty. There was the moment when he manages to rescue Ginny Weasley who shed blood by piercing Lord Voldermort’s diary which he had found in the bathroom. In the event of unveiling the person who opened the Chamber of Secrets at Hogwarts, Harry finds a diary belonging to Tom Riddle (Rowling 15). He later finds out that Riddle is indeed Lord Voldermort who is responsible for killing of his parents. This acknowledgement makes him feel bitter because of the love he had towards his parents. The three heroes go to the forbidden forest in order to get the hidden truth. At the Chamber cave in the forest they find Ginny who has been said that he had been taken to the forest. Harry finds Ginny who has fainted and looks half dead. Voldermort appears to accuse Ginny who was the one who had opene d the chamber (Rowling 25). As a result, Harry learns that Riddle is the monster. Due to his fury he pierces the diary and Ginny comes back to life. Although he is skinny he is strong and is a real fighter. With the description given about Harry we could never expect him to do so. In Hogwarts School of Witchcraft And Wizardry, the rules are to protect a student’s right. Due to differences among the students, they violate the rules with different reasons. The major similarity between heroes and monsters is that they do not obey stipulated rules. The difference is that heroes break rules so as to save lives, while monsters break rules for their personal interests. For instance, Voldermort kills Harry’s parents so as to gain the fame of witchcraft. Voldermort goes on by targeting Harry. He has greed for power. As for Draco Malfoy, while at Hogwarts, he goes to an extent of forming a gang that insults, bullies and undermines Harry. It is not allowed to bully students in Hogwarts. Malfoy does this so as to draw attention away from the friends. On the other hand, Harry is a selfless person. He has a character that is admired by all. Harry he is a go-getter. He believes in action that benefits all. When in Hogwarts, Harry flies to Malfoy so as to get Ne ville’s Remembrall. This happens during Madam Hooch’s flying lesson. We see that he disrespects Madam Hooch, but he does it out of the goodness of his heart to assist Neville in locating the gift that had been given to him by his grandmother (Rowling 22). The heroes believe that disobedience benefits the entire school. When Harry disobeys the uncle and comes back to Hogwarts, he helps the school remain open from the fact that he makes the school access the students to teach them. Ron also returns to school for his second year. The three heroes really believe in themselves. Although the protagonists, Harry, Ron and Hermione break the rules, they do so to assist to rescue the muggles and pure blood. They use their magical powers, such as flying cars, to rescue people. On the other hand, the monsters have different reasons. They break rules so as to gain fame or to get attention from the rest. This difference is brought by the greed for power between the antagonists and protagonists. What Is Harry Potter Trying to Teach Us? This question is of particular importance in a view of the fact that a brave hero has gained popularity among a tremendous amount of people, both children and adults. A lot of people love this hero as everyone can find something similar that is close to him/her. The character of Harry Potter is truly a â€Å"storehouse† of valuable personal qualities that can be rarely seen in the modern world. Harry Potter is a bright and good personage. It is difficult to overestimate his importance for modern people, regardless of their age, sex, or national origin. In this paper, the significance of Harry Potter as a teacher of life values and principles for the modern reader will be analyzed. Moreover, attention will also be given to his psychological qualities that formed the basis of life position and ideas. Harry Potters Character In the first book (Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone) the reader learns about him very important things, namely, that he is special and unlike everyone else. He lives with his aunt and her family who do not treat him well. He has lost his parents at an early age and now he is a burden on the shoulders of his aunt. However as he grows older, he realizes that he is not an ordinary boy who, for example, can speak with a snake at the zoo. At school, he reveals himself as a very brave and selfless boy who is always ready to help. He finds out who killed his parents and the reason of this act. He is not afraid to call out the name of the murderer, though, other magicians avoid this name because of their fear. Harry wants to find this wizard and destroy him. Harry makes one feat after another. With each victory, he comes closer to his main goal to defeat the villain, who is terrible and treacherous. This battle ends with a victory not by chance, since Harry Potters spiritual qualities a re the key to his success. Let us denote them. Like his mother Lily, Harry Potter loves people and believes in them. Stingy in the external manifestations of emotions, the boy is very sentimental and at the same time noble, courageous, and brave. He does not allow himself to put his feelings on display. The life with his callous relatives, who did not give due care to an orphan who needed their support, played its role in the development of Harry’s character. Harry is able to see the best in people, desperately opposing himself to his relatives, who have never had â€Å"human† qualities. Harry cannot abstract from his own emotions and rely only on the facts. He follows his intuition and often acts based on his first impressions. Consequently, he often attracts runs into trouble. Harry has a very weak point. Once he finds out about the way his parents were killed, he starts to blame himself for the fact that all his family, relatives, and friends die, giving their lives for the sake of him. Like the Himalayan heights, Harry cannot get rid of this terrible and loneliness. Harry follows his principles, but he also accepts tips from the adults whom he likes. What Harry can Teach a Reader As we can see, uneasy life allowed Harry to develop valuable personal qualities which not all people can boast of. While reading the entire series of Harry Potter books, it is possible to talk about the special importance of the hero for the modern reader. First, it should be said about the notion of friendship. Harry teaches that friendship is never given easily as it must be earned. Therefore, despite the importance of grades in school, friendship is the most important (Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone). At the same time, one should remember that friendship is always self-perfection, so it is important to hear others and appreciate friends. A true friend will always be close, despite the fact that the whole world might turn against them. Friendship requires loyalty and willingness to help a friend. Harry Potter is such a good friend that he values these qualities in his friends. For example, in the second part (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets), all the schools students thought that Harry was the heir of Slytherin. However, his true friends supported him and did not betray in a tough moment. Moreover, a true friend can even sacrifice his/her own live for a friend. Friendship is also associated with the ability to take responsibility. As noted by Joyce Pines (2011), â€Å"we learn that while you have to take responsibility for your own actions, you also need support and friends you can trust. Harry has great friends in Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, but they dont always get along. There are miscommunications and hurt feelings, just like real life. But in the end, they stick together.† The second thing, which Harry teaches his reader, is love. Though â€Å"life is fettered with darkness – death, pain, and, yes, even scars– but that love isn’t extinguished by this darkness because it is a universal truth† (â€Å"What Harry Potter Teaches Us About True Love†). People cannot live without love, as well as without friendship. At the same time, people should not shout everywhere about love. It must be confirmed by people’s own actions. A person is ready for many things for love, including death. The story of Harry Potter also reveals the concept of fame and glory, which unfortunately are not permanent. One needs to remember that friendship and love cannot be bought with money or gained with the help of fame. Moreover, Harry Potter draws the viewers attention to the problem of life mistakes. The emphasis is not on the idea that we should not make mistakes, but on the fact that all of us must learn to recognize own mistakes and try to correct them. The topic of forgiveness, including self-forgiveness, occupies one of the central places in the book. It is very difficult to forgive, but it is a necessary thing to do. However, one must clearly understand when to use it. One should make his or her own choice whether to forgive such actions as a betrayal, murder, and deceit. Moreover, Harry Potter teaches us that we should not believe everything which is attractive and seems to be nice. The most important is to see the essence of a thing or event, especially when it comes to human relations. Not always people that seem to be good and noble are good and noble in reality, and vice versa. The familiarity with Harry Potter’s character also provides with an opportunity to answer the question about death, which is of primary concern to many people. Regarding the death, Harry Potter indicates that it is a natural process, which usually occurs unexpectedly. It is very scary to watch and suffer when some of the loved ones dies. Harry also suffers the death of loved ones. However, he teaches that we should continue to live, no matter what happens. Harry believes that life consists of both happy and sad moments, and nobody should forget about it. He makes us understand that one needs to take life as it is. The story of Harry Potter is not only a story of the struggle between external good and evil, but also a story of the struggle between good and evil within oneself. Each of us has both bad and good sides, and the main task is to fight against the inside evil inside. To fight and to win. Harry Potter is an example of optimism and faith not only in himself, but also in his friends. This young man combines the goodness of heart, sensitivity, and responsiveness. At the same time, the fearlessness of his soul directs his life and actions in the fight for just a cause. Harry Potter is not a simple wizard whose main task is to perform magic actions. I think that this hero can be called a modern Socrates. Despite his youth, Harry is able to amaze a reader with the power of his spirit, steadfastness of his faith, and devotion to his life ideals and principles. As we know, these qualities glorified an ancient philosopher Socrates. Like no one else, Harry knows how to make friends, love, and show care and attention. He is capable of compassion and understanding others. Harry teaches the reader to show independence of personal choice, responsibility for own actions, and willingness to pay the penalty if one is guilty. This hero is an embodiment of the most precious values in life. Therefore, his importance for the modern reader can hardly be overestimated. Harry Potter is a great teacher not only for children, but also for adults. It is no wonder that people of all ages cannot but fall in love with the image of Harry Potter. Harry Potter deserves being imitated in his most positive attributes as he is a heroic and dignified person. The story of Harry Potter is not a usual fairy tale, but a guide that helps us to understand the complexity of life and at the same time it offers options for its dignified passing.

Free Essays on Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution was an improvement to our nation. The revolution begins with small farms in the 1700’s that began to be wealthy landowners. They turned the land into factories to produce items faster. During the revolution people started growing their crops differently so they grew faster. The textile industry was the main part of the revolution. The revolution gave today many advantages to society. It increased the economy for at the time and it introduced the time period for new ideas. The Industrial Revolution set standards for the economy, provided people with new jobs and inventions, and spread the industry and cultures. The revolution made many changes occur throughout several countries. There were economy changes during the whole revolution. It changed from communism to capitalism. There were union and non-union companies. They began new corporations in order make a better profit. In these corporations the employee’s would invest in stock. The mass production of things also helped the economy. It helped make a lot of the corporation’s money. The Industrial Revolution helped people find jobs. Since people had to move off of their farms, they moved to cities. They found many jobs in the factories. The work and conditions where hard but they made money. This was an up rise for the middle class. During the Industrial Revolution many inventions were created. The inventions increased the economy and helped out on lifestyles of today. Crop rotation was one way of helping out agriculture. The inventions where a big help to agriculture and textiles. Robert Fulton invented the steamboat out of a steam engine. Hartwick made the Spinning Jenny. Eli Whitney created the cotton gin. In 1814, George Stephenson made the first steam engine. All of these inventions increased the amount of products, which also helped out the economy. The Industrial Revolution still effects today because without it, the numerous small inventi... Free Essays on Industrial Revolution Free Essays on Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution was an improvement to our nation. The revolution begins with small farms in the 1700’s that began to be wealthy landowners. They turned the land into factories to produce items faster. During the revolution people started growing their crops differently so they grew faster. The textile industry was the main part of the revolution. The revolution gave today many advantages to society. It increased the economy for at the time and it introduced the time period for new ideas. The Industrial Revolution set standards for the economy, provided people with new jobs and inventions, and spread the industry and cultures. The revolution made many changes occur throughout several countries. There were economy changes during the whole revolution. It changed from communism to capitalism. There were union and non-union companies. They began new corporations in order make a better profit. In these corporations the employee’s would invest in stock. The mass production of things also helped the economy. It helped make a lot of the corporation’s money. The Industrial Revolution helped people find jobs. Since people had to move off of their farms, they moved to cities. They found many jobs in the factories. The work and conditions where hard but they made money. This was an up rise for the middle class. During the Industrial Revolution many inventions were created. The inventions increased the economy and helped out on lifestyles of today. Crop rotation was one way of helping out agriculture. The inventions where a big help to agriculture and textiles. Robert Fulton invented the steamboat out of a steam engine. Hartwick made the Spinning Jenny. Eli Whitney created the cotton gin. In 1814, George Stephenson made the first steam engine. All of these inventions increased the amount of products, which also helped out the economy. The Industrial Revolution still effects today because without it, the numerous small inventi...

Advertising may be described as the science of arresting the human intelligence Essay Example

Advertising may be described as the science of arresting the human intelligence Essay Example Advertising may be described as the science of arresting the human intelligence Essay Advertising may be described as the science of arresting the human intelligence Essay Advertising may be described as the science of arresting the human intelligence long enough to get money from it. Stephen Butler Leacock Advertising may be described as the science of striking the human acumen for a period to get money from it. It is used in many different ways for all diverse principles. Ads are used to get the word out to the consumers whether its for selling a product or to promote a special occasion. Advertisements are found in various place such as on TV, newspapers, billboards, internet, pop-ups, banners, cars and through people. Its pros and cons and word of mouth is probably the best form of advertising, as where TV advertising isnt as big as it used to be because of newer technology and most people change the channel or tune out. Advertising is the paid promotion of goods, services, companies and ideas by an identified sponsor. Marketers see advertising as part of an overall promotional strategy. Other components of the promotional mix include publicity, public relations, personal selling and sales promotion1. It must be seen or heard by potential buyers. Basically with ads its the most important aspects of any business to selling their products or service. Without sale, no business can succeed very long. The bottom line in any ad is quite simple: To make the reader buy the product or service2. A lot of companies spent extravagantly large amounts of money to make campaigns for their products to get the most from their patrons. One way they do this is by undergoing advertising techniques. Companies appeal to consumers in many different ways to persuade them to buy their products3. Advertisements are written according to a straightforward master formula which consists of four steps. 1 Advertising Wikipedia (2004) [online] at http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Advertising 2 Cyberganda Advertising Jeanell Bertels (2005) [online] at community. k12. mo. us/webquest/bertels/quest. htm 3 Media Awareness. They are, attract the ATTENTON of your prospect; INTEREST your prospect in the product; cause your prospect to DESIRE the product and finally demand ACTION from the prospect4. There are also numerous advertising techniques used to grab the human intelligence and to guide them into paying for a product or service. Avant garde is a technique suggesting that using this product puts the user ahead of times e. g. a toy manufacturer encourages kids to be the first on their block to have the new toy. Bandwagon suggests that everybody in using the product and that you should too in order to be part of the group e. g. a credit card company quotes the number of millions of people who use their card. Another technique is by using facts and figures in their advertisements. Statistic and objective factual information is used to prove the superiority of the product e. g. a car manufacturer quotes the amount of time it takes their car to get from 0 to 100 km/h. An alternative method used is through patriotism where it advocates purchasing this product show your love of your company e.  g. a company boasts about its products being made in Australia and employing Australian workers, Plain folks suggests that he product is a practical item of good value for ordinary people where it shows an ordinary family sitting down at a table for breakfast and enjoying their product the other is the Snob appeal where it shows the product being used by an elite group of customers with a luxurious and glamorous lifestyle e. g. a coffee manufacturer shows people dressed in formal clothing drinking their brand at an art gallery. Testimonials are another great way to sell items for consumption and a famous personality is used to endorse the product e. g. a famous NBA player recommends a particular brand of shoes. Last but not least is the technique through wit and humor. Customers are attracted to products that divert the audience by giving viewers a reason to laugh or to be entertained by cleaver use of visuals or language. The approach to take them extra dollars from the consumer pockets is on an all time high. With the fast food industries there has been a lot of controversy about the freshness and the health issue. 4 Advertising Campaign About. com (2004) [online] at http://advertising. about. com/od/smallbusinesscampaigns/a/youradcampaign. htm The fast food outlets came up with a new strategy to get rid of the negative stereotypes surrounding their companies. To overcome these problems, fast food outlets such as McDonalds came up with a new fresh and healthy menu for their customers. McDonalds issued out a campaign to start a Deli Choice menu for their consumers (see appendix 1). This was therefore due to the number of obesity levels and the criticism surrounding McDonalds through the film Supersize Me. McDonalds then introduced this to get a message to the public that their food isnt all fattening and unhealthy. They also started to put the nutrition details on every burger meal for their customers. The Salads Plus was also inserted into the menu to make the image give the impression of being healthy. Weve developed the range by adding new items and making improvements to some of the existing ones to ensure the Salads Plus menu range will leave you feeling great (see appendix 2). Through this manner, McDonalds are trying to make a statement to say that their products are healthy and that they have made a change from the past. McDonalds uses the technique of patriotism where they also tell their customer that their meat is all 100% Australian and that its endured to be of the highest quality5. With the fast food competition, McDonalds and Subway always were big rivals. They both used adverting techniques to make the other opponent look ghastly. With all the debate about the health issues, communication is a big part in it all. Without the communication, no one in the public will know the truth about all the good and bad things that happen in any class of advertisement. Advertising is used to grab out emotion in whichever sort of way and it will make us rethink about what we need to satisfy our needs. Ads can make us come back to something be decided to leave but through different viewpoint each time.

The Criminology of Terrorism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Criminology of Terrorism - Essay Example A soft target, according to terrorist conscious thinking, is an unarmed person or places, whose activities are predictable and thus easy to control and influence (Edwards, 2015). On the contrary, a hard target is a fully armed person or a heavily guarded place, and thus unpredictable because it is prepared to face any challenge brought along by intruders. Terrorist seems to have abandoned such hard targets, which include military bases, and governmental premises because they seem not to convey their intentions and makes it easy for their enemies to study and master their weapon technology and predict their moves. With soft targets, anyone and everyone is a victim. After a series of bombings and killings in megastructures, military bases, governmental buildings, and other highly rated places, people took refuge in hotels, shopping malls, and other social events. Little did they know that it could soon be an easy target? A good example is the Al-Shaabab, which attacked the Westgate Shopping Mall in Kenya last year and a local University this year, killing more than 200 people (Cruickshank, 2013). The latest issue of an Al Qaeda magazine in the Arabian Peninsula advocates the use of soft targets, because they are easy to attack, cause lot damage, and leave without being noticed (Goldstein, 2007). In their suggestion, they urged Jihadists to randomly shoot people in restaurants in Washington DC. Intensity o security by most governments on terrorist hard targets has forced them to change their strategies so that they can accomplish their mission amidst such difficulties. This has seen hotels, restaurants, shopping malls, social events; churches and mosques become easy targets because their acts happen swiftly. In return, they get the attention, while at the same time causing massive havoc in society.

Quentin Tarantino Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Quentin Tarantino - Essay Example His critically-acclaimed films have contributed much to the enrichment of the movie industry and to the American pop culture in general. In this paper, readers would be able to know more about this brilliant artist. Considered as a stylish auteur, Tarantino gained popularity in the 1990s with the release of Reservoir Dogs that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 1992. With this Tarantino, who was then unheard of, became a small-time sensation specifically to the cult film industry in the United States and United Kingdom ("Quentin Tarantino - The Film Maker," 2004). At that time, Tarantino presented a fresh outlook on film with his bold use of non-linear storylines, unforgettable dialogue and gory violence that brought new life to traditional American film archetypes ("Wikipedia," 2005). Inspired by the success of his first film, Tarantino made other movies and with Pulp Fiction he has left a permanent mark in the film industry. This movie won the Best Original Screenplay at the Academy Awards and the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1994. Given the myriad honors bestowed upon his films by prominent award-giving bodies, Tarantino became the center of attention in the film circle ("Quentin Tarantino - The Film Maker," 2004). ... What creative elements does he employ in his film-making When asked about his core strength as a film-maker, Tarantino asserted that his expertise lies in his manner of story-telling. He attributed this strength from his intuitive understanding of what the audience desire (Suellentrop, 2003). Truly, the way he creatively makes the story unfold sets his films apart. His movies are renowned for their insightful dialogue, splintered chronology and pop culture obsessions ("Wikipedia," 2005). Apart from this, Tarantino also incorporated violence extensively in his films as one of the creative elements he employs. This element is clearly evident in his key films such as Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, and Kill Bill, where there are profuse blood spattered and flowing in various scenes ("Wikipedia," 2005). It should be highlighted though that what actually affects the audience is not directly the violence but rather the casualness by which the major characters go about the violent scenes. At times, this effect is achieved by applying morbid humor to such tension-filled and gritty scenes. In this regard, Tarantino is described as a master storyteller who has a weird and artistic manner of creating completely unnaturalistic dialogue in a way that appears casual and improvised ("Quentin Tarantino - The Film Maker," 2004). He often uses unconventional storytelling devices in his films, namely retrospective (Reservoir of Dogs), non-linear (Pulp Fiction) and chapter format (Kill Bill and Four Rooms). ("Wikipedia," 2005) In terms of cinematography, Tarantino popularized the trunk shot, which he employed in most of his movies. As such, this became his signature camera angle albeit this is not his original

Court Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Court Paper - Essay Example During the day of the court hearing, I had the opportunity to encounter various events and activities, as well as actions, which were vital in understanding the direction of the case. I arrived at the venue 30 minutes before the session or trial. I had the opportunity to accompany other people I met at the entrance to the public lounge within the courtroom. Every person was all seated until nine in the morning when the judge made an entrance. During this time, everyone was up on his or her feet as a show of respect to the position of the judge. The judge gave the permission for everyone to have a seat prior to the introduction of the case and provision of permission to the prosecutor to continue with the case. Another critical action, which was essential during this encounter, was the tendency by the prosecutor to call witnesses one by one with the intention of submitting evidence to establish or refute the offense. The prosecutor had the ability and potentiality, as well as the righ t to first question each witness prior to cross-examination by the defense. These events are essential in describing or illustration of the trial as one of the litigation processes of the course. During this court visit, I was able to see the paralegals in association with the case. The existing paralegals in the case were in the form of lawyers representing the defendant and victim during this civil case. The paralegals focused on working or providing legal services in relation to the legal work under an attorney and subsequent law firms.

Mona Lisa Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Mona Lisa - Essay Example There is a general consensus among historians that the Mona Lisa was done between 1503 and 1519. The painting was requested by Francesco Del Giocondo, the subject’s husband and a rich silk merchant. Lisa Gherardin, who was Giocondo’s wife, came from a prominent family. The Mona Lisa is thought to have been painted to celebrate the completion of the couple’s house in 1503 and to mark the birth of Andrea, the couple’s second son, in 1502.The identity of the portrait had been a subject of speculations but in 2005, its real identity was discovered(Earls 113). The Mona Lisa is a half length portrait of a beautiful lady. The lady’s hair is covered by a delicate dark cloak. During renaissance period, a dark veil was considered a mourning veil and may have been representing the subject’s mourning of her daughter who died in 1549.Her clothing is simple. The scarp that is wrapped around her shoulders, the pleated gown and the yellow sleeve do not show any signs of nobility. The Mona Lisa was painted basing on a realistic scale. The portrait is half length and the woman is presented from the head to the waist. She is sitting in an arm chair while her left arm is resting on the chair’s arm. The arm of the chair is situated in front of loggia, which is characterized by two fragmentary pillars that form the frame of the figure and form a window that faces the background. The aesthetic nature of this artwork highlights the influence of Lombard and Florentine art of the late 15th century and early 16th century. Aspects of artwork such as the architectural settings, hands put together in the forefront, and the view of the portrait against the landscape were common in Flemish portraits of the late 15th century. However, Leornardo managed to introduce several unique and special features in The Mona Lisa. The new features are the sheer equilibrium of the painting, the monumentality, and the atmospheric illusionism exhibited by the M ona Lisa (Kemp 79). The Mona Lisa is a unique oil painting whose surface consists of cotton wood panel unlike most of the paintings that were done by other artists during Leonardo’s period, which were commonly commissioned as oil on canvas. Actually, the use of cotton wood panel as the surface of the Mona Lisa is one of the factors that have been attributed to its fame. In addition, the cotton wood panel medium has contributed to its durability. The Mona Lisa has survived for six centuries without any alteration or repair, a factor that makes it different from other artworks. Although most of renaissance period artworks denoted biblical themes, the Mona Lisa did not portray any religious theme but was created to mark Giocondo’s achievements (Earls 114).The painting shows Leornardo’s mastery of using identifiable marks when presenting his artwork. The use of shadowing technique at the corners of the eyes and lips gives the portrait a look of a delight and lifelik e appearance. Leornado also developed a background that had attractive scenery and an aerial view. The technique used by Leornado when painting did not leave

Management Final Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Management Final Report - Essay Example This report focuses on the presentation of all stages related with the organization of a musical event in Albert park (Australia). In order for the promoters of this project to have a clear view on the processes, the cost, the time frame and the resources required for the realization of this project it is required that a thorough analysis of all parts of this project is presented to them. In this context, specific elements (parts) of this project are particularly analyzed taking into account their importance for the development and the success of the project. Apart from that, general issues related with the music industry are also presented in order to explain the sequence of issues throughout the paper. Generally, it is suggested that the specific musical event is expected to have a significant success not only because of the region and the time chosen for its realization but mostly because no other similar event has been organized in the specific region for quite a long. On the oth er hand, specific efforts (as analyzed in the report below) have been made in order to keep the price of the tickets at low levels offering the chance to people of all financial status to participate in the event. Appropriate solutions are also offered for the effective handling of specific problems (like the quality of the programme, the monitoring of the event and the resolution of potential disputes throughout the particular event). One of the most challenging tasks for the people that organize these events is to arrange the appropriate distribution of resources available (for the realization of the relevant project) referring to supply chain management for all the stages of a particular musical event. Focusing on the necessity of supply chain management in modern business activities, Krishnan et al. (2001, 259) noticed that ‘supply chain management has become an important part of strategic planning in both large and

Mona Lisa Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Mona Lisa - Essay Example There is a general consensus among historians that the Mona Lisa was done between 1503 and 1519. The painting was requested by Francesco Del Giocondo, the subject’s husband and a rich silk merchant. Lisa Gherardin, who was Giocondo’s wife, came from a prominent family. The Mona Lisa is thought to have been painted to celebrate the completion of the couple’s house in 1503 and to mark the birth of Andrea, the couple’s second son, in 1502.The identity of the portrait had been a subject of speculations but in 2005, its real identity was discovered(Earls 113). The Mona Lisa is a half length portrait of a beautiful lady. The lady’s hair is covered by a delicate dark cloak. During renaissance period, a dark veil was considered a mourning veil and may have been representing the subject’s mourning of her daughter who died in 1549.Her clothing is simple. The scarp that is wrapped around her shoulders, the pleated gown and the yellow sleeve do not show any signs of nobility. The Mona Lisa was painted basing on a realistic scale. The portrait is half length and the woman is presented from the head to the waist. She is sitting in an arm chair while her left arm is resting on the chair’s arm. The arm of the chair is situated in front of loggia, which is characterized by two fragmentary pillars that form the frame of the figure and form a window that faces the background. The aesthetic nature of this artwork highlights the influence of Lombard and Florentine art of the late 15th century and early 16th century. Aspects of artwork such as the architectural settings, hands put together in the forefront, and the view of the portrait against the landscape were common in Flemish portraits of the late 15th century. However, Leornardo managed to introduce several unique and special features in The Mona Lisa. The new features are the sheer equilibrium of the painting, the monumentality, and the atmospheric illusionism exhibited by the M ona Lisa (Kemp 79). The Mona Lisa is a unique oil painting whose surface consists of cotton wood panel unlike most of the paintings that were done by other artists during Leonardo’s period, which were commonly commissioned as oil on canvas. Actually, the use of cotton wood panel as the surface of the Mona Lisa is one of the factors that have been attributed to its fame. In addition, the cotton wood panel medium has contributed to its durability. The Mona Lisa has survived for six centuries without any alteration or repair, a factor that makes it different from other artworks. Although most of renaissance period artworks denoted biblical themes, the Mona Lisa did not portray any religious theme but was created to mark Giocondo’s achievements (Earls 114).The painting shows Leornardo’s mastery of using identifiable marks when presenting his artwork. The use of shadowing technique at the corners of the eyes and lips gives the portrait a look of a delight and lifelik e appearance. Leornado also developed a background that had attractive scenery and an aerial view. The technique used by Leornado when painting did not leave

Family Gathering as a Time for Joy and Celebration Essay

Family Gathering as a Time for Joy and Celebration - Essay Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that as both of the author's and his friend's families gather together at Thanksgiving, and, really, no other time except maybe Christmas Eve, Thanksgiving will be the example that will be used to illustrate what the author means. First, there are similarities that must be pointed out. Both of them have large extended families, and both of them see the members of the extended family on Thanksgiving. The food at these gatherings is traditional. Turkey, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, stuffing, pumpkin pie, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, and gravy. With her family, there is pot-luck, where guests bring a dish, and typically the dishes are of the dessert variety. So, one year the gathering had carrot cake and fruit salad to go along with the other offerings, while somebody else brought a small casserole to serve. The author’s family is much the same, although his mother makes all the main courses. There is another difference, and that is that the author’s family buys the processed and canned stuff, whereas her family does not. So, instead of real potatoes being used in the mashed potatoes, their mashed potatoes are from a box. Her mashed potatoes are actual potatoes which are put into a food processor with butter and sour cream to whip them up. The author’s gravy is from a jar; her gravy is made from scratch, from animal drippings, wine, and flour. The author’s sweet potatoes are from a can; hers are made from actual sweet potatoes which are roasted and put through a food processor. The author’s cranberry sauce is from a can; hers are real cranberries, boiled and sweetened. The author’s pumpkin pie is made from canned pumpkin pie filling; hers is made from actual pumpkins. The author used to think that her mother was Martha Stewart, but her mother insists that it is just as easy to make food homemade then to buy it from a can. At any rate, the author spent one Thanksgiving with her, and he has to say, the difference in the two meals is amazing. The author wishes that his mother had as much energy as hers when it comes to preparing meals. While the menus are the same, except that her family’s menu is made from scratch and theirs isn’t, there is a large difference in the atmosphere. The main reason for this is because the author’s family typically gets drunk at Thanksgiving. And by family, he means everybody, from age 14 to age 90, partakes in the festivities. One year, a guest brought a large bottle of Petron Tequila, and everybody did shots. The author didn’t do shots because he doesn’t like tequila, but he was the exception. The author doesn’t remember a family gathering where people did not end up throwing up, dancing manically, and screaming at each other for little or no reason. Because hard alcohol is a staple at these gatherings, things get pretty loose. By the end of the evening, the music is blaring, and people are dancing around the living room while others are passed out on various couches. Some people are hanging on everybody, telling them how much they love them, while others are crying. People start skinny-dipping in the hot tub. If it weren’t for the tension that inevitably marks these gatherings, these gatherings would be pretty fun. On the other hand, her gatherings are much more subdued, although not boring.   Wine and beer are served to the guests, but no hard alcohol.   This makes for much less blatant drunkenness, yet people still have a good time.  

Human Homeostasis Essay Example for Free

Human Homeostasis Essay What was the highest air temperature you had to deal with? 35degrees Celcius H. How did you respond to this temperature? Removed clothing, stopped exercising, and increased sweating. I. What was the lowest air temperature in the simulation? -10 degrees Celcius J. How did you maintain a constant body temperature at this time? Increased exercising, stopped sweating, added all clothing K. 8. Think and discuss: Other than the options available in the Human Homeostasis Gizmo, what other methods are used to maintain body temperature? Try to think of both voluntary and involuntary responses. Panting to release energy and reduce heat.

Benefits of Leisure on the Individual

Benefits of Leisure on the Individual Introduction / Summary In previous contributions, there should have been wide discussions to draw the limits of leisure. I would like to get assistance one that you have read those chapters, in order to write some introductory paragraph that lets the reader know if my contribution is particularly related to some other one. In this contribution, I will analyze it by using the subjective well-being approach. I will use the leisure experience dimension (as described bellow), and I will study the determinants of subjective well-being. There will be plenty of conceptual discussion, some regularities will be reported, an empirical exercise will be performed results analyzed, and some insights for future research will be presented. In this paper, we will study leisure and its beneficial aspects over individual welfare by using a quite new approach: the subjective well-being or happiness approach to measure individual welfare. Along the discussion, we will present two main points. First, we will discuss on the dimensions of leisure in order to justify that by using subjective well-being procedures, we can get a comprehensive approximation to the, somehow difficult to measure, leisure concept. Second, to determine which are the personal and environmental factors that are needed so an individual can produce and consume enjoyable leisure experiences. In this chapter, we are not going to consider that leisure is just free time, i.e. time that is not dedicated to market work, nor to household maintenance activities. We are not even going to consider that leisure is discretionary time (Goodin, et al. 2005). What we state is that leisure is a universal human need that has to be fulfilled by the production in the household and the personal consumption of what we may call leisure experiences. Each experience is a commodity that enters directly in the individuals utility function. This means that leisure is one of the arguments of the utility function of the individual, one of the instances from which she will get welfare. By doing this, we will adopt from the beginning a beckerian approach (Becker, 1965, and 1990). Other arguments are (Gronau and Hamermesh, 2006). From that list of commodities, we can agree that leisure is the most time intensive one. Individuals have this particular basic need, leisure, to be fulfilled using the most suitable combination of personal resources. As always, we are living in a scarce world where every input has some alternative use, so people have to make allocation choices about the best way to fulfill this leisure need as well as others such as food, shelter, and so on. However, we will introduce into our analysis a basic feature of leisure: the presence of enjoyable others. Only recently has this aspect been introduced in the economic analysis of leisure (Osberg, 2009). In this paper, we address the question of how personal inputs are optimally combined to satisfy the leisure need in a social context. By means the analysis of the leisure domain satisfaction, we will be able to asses how personal free time transforms into leisure and how this outcome contributes to individual welfare. Each person would define the boundaries of leisure on the basis of her tastes, on different resource availability to fulfill her needs, and may value the final outcome in many different ways depending on the social norms, her personal aspirations, social interactions and past experiences. Since using a personal definition of leisure would make any analysis impossible, we will present the main three different constructions of leisure, as proposed by Kelly (1982). The first approach of leisure is the most basic one that defines leisure as quantifiable leisure time, either residual or discretional, based on the freedom to choose. The second one defines leisure as the activity that is chosen at a given time and place so that it is the quality of the activity which defines it as leisure. The third one defines leisure as a subjective condition on the grounds of a freely chosen experience based on intrinsic motivation. The integrative approach proposed by Kelly is the one that we follow in this research, where Leisure is an action that takes place at a given time, develops an identifiable activity and is perceived as a pleasant experience by the actor. In what follows, we would refer to this last integrative approach either as leisure or leisure experience. Actually, it fits very well with the following definition of leisure satisfaction by Beard and Ragheb (1980). For them, leisure satisfaction is the positive perceptions or feelings that an individual forms, elicits, or gains as a result of engaging in leisure activities and choices. It is the degree to which one is presently content or pleased with her general leisure experiences and situations. This positive feeling of pleasure results from the satisfaction of felt or unfelt needs of the individual. Traditional economic theory studies human behavior by means of individual’s observed choices. In such a spirit, observed time allocation can be an outcome of interest recorded on time-use surveys. Actually, as we will discuss in the concluding section, time-use registers are a very valuable source of information, and many of the questions that we are going to address could be complementarily studied by testing those hypotheses with that type of data. However, even if some authors consider that time is the ultimate source of utility, time by itself provides no utility to individuals, since the mere passing of time does not fulfill any human need (possibly except from sleeping time). Moreover, since we have no means of observing the final leisure output, we have to rely on the subjective assessment of how satisfied people feel with the leisure that they enjoy. At the end of the day, the main challenge is to determine how an unobservable, such as leisure, can contribute to individual welfare. In this case, we are considering a double black-box. First, not everyone defines leisure in the same way and not everyone produces leisure experiences by using the same technology or the same inputs. For some people, the presence of others will be much more needed that for some other people. Some people could be much more materialistic than others. Some people could be much more efficient in the production of pleasurable experiences because of their higher education. Second, as indicated before, we know that leisure contributed to enhance the quality of life of people, but the valuation of those experiences is determined by societal norms and arrangements and by personal aspirations, past experiences and comparison effects. Next section will present the happiness or subjective well-being approach. We will introduce a brief discussion of the rationale for using this approach for economic research and for leisure research. To do so, we will present the domain approach; in this setting, leisure satisfaction will be considered a mediator between individual leisure experience and overall satisfaction or happiness. In section 3, we will discuss the relationship between leisure time and well-being. Other crucial aspects will be discussed in section 4, where we review a series of social and economic factors that are said to influence leisure enjoyment, so leisure has a high quality and contributes to a better quality of life. Particularly, we will report previous findings on the social dimension of leisure, one of the attributes that determine high quality leisure experiences. In that same section, some determinants of overall satisfaction, or of particular domain satisfaction will be discussed. Last, sections 5 and 6 will present, respectively, some conclusions and a brief overview of needed research to better understand the contribution of leisure to a better quality of life. Subjective well-being approach Traditional research on quality of life relied heavily on objective and materialistic indicators of living conditions. Actually, Gross Domestic Product has been the â€Å"champion† indicator when studying the evolution of living standards and when comparing economies (Mankiw, 2007). Under the realm of objective indicators, nearly all non market activities and many aspects of human development, such as leisure, are neglected. New studies have highlighted the superiority of including the subjective approach to the investigation of quality of life in developed and developing societies, and happiness research has become quite of a fashionable and popular topic (Layard, 2006). There is a growing interest on using the subjective well-being approach to analyze living conditions and there has been an emerging literature on social sciences. Among other reasons for that flourishing, we can highlight the following: (i) this approach offers richer insight about the quality of life, and considers other indicators of development apart from the traditional indicators; (ii) nowadays there is more information available about living conditions, opinions and perceptions of people and societies, and; (iii) with this approach it is possible to identify the major needs and problems of the population, which is useful for governments and policy makers (Frey and Stutzer, JEL 2002). Economists and other social scientists broadly define `happiness and `life satisfaction as subjective well-being. Following Diener and Seligman (2004, pp. 4) life satisfaction is defined as a global judgment of well-being based on information the person believes is relevant, while well-being includes all of the evaluations, both cognitive and affective, that people make of their lives and components of their lives. While according to some authors, the terms happiness, subjective wellbeing, well-being, satisfaction and quality of life are somewhat different and each have their own specific meaning, responses in different surveys are highly correlated (Fordyce, 1988; Frey and Stutzer, 2002b), and many analyses use them indiscriminately. In this current study these terms are used with the understanding that they have a similar connotation. The present study will use a bottom-up approach to the analysis of subjective well-being. This approach considers that overall life satisfaction is determined by what is called domain satisfaction; the evaluation of own personal situation on different dimensions of life such as: financial situation, housing conditions, health, leisure, job or education, among other dimensions. Some authors signal the mediator role of those domain satisfactions to determine overall happiness (Cummins, 1996; van Praag et al., 2003; Easterlin and Sawangfa, 2007). In what follows, we will consider that leisure satisfaction has leisure experiences as the main input; higher leisure satisfaction will contribute, in turn, to higher overall satisfaction or happiness. In order to assess the size of different influences upon happiness and satisfaction with life in general, psychologists have been using surveys since long ago, while only recently economists have recognized that there is useful information in a subjective well-being answer as an empirical approximation for the theoretical concept of utility. With the exception of the seminal work of Easterlin (1974), most research has taken place during the last two decades. The existing state of research suggests that, for many purposes, happiness or reported subjective well-being is a satisfactory empirical proxy of individual utility. From the information about the determinants of individual happiness, different situations of economic and social policies inside a country or a region can be analyzed . Frey and Stutzer (2002b) give some important reasons for economists to consider happiness research. First, happiness research can help to evaluate net effects, in terms of individual utilities, for different economic policies. Understanding the determinants of subjective well-being can thus usefully inform economic policy decisions. Second, this research also has relevance to economists because of the effect of institutional conditions such as the quality of governance and the size of social capital on individual well-being. It may also help to solve empirical puzzles that conventional economic theories find difficult to explain. For instance, using this approach it is possible to understand why for several countries since World War ll although they have raised their real income drastically, the self-reported subjective well-being of the population has not increased or has even slightly fallen. Data about happiness are collected through direct questioning via interviews or self-administered questionnaires in which individuals self-rate their happiness on a single item or on a multi-item scale. These scales offer a list of options, which are ranked according to the levels of happiness . Most studies of subjective well-being are based on some variation on the question How satisfied (or happy) are you with your life? The range of possible responses is defined over a scale that varies between datasets (one to four, one to seven, or one to ten), the lowest grades indicating a poor level of life satisfaction. The main use of happiness measures is not to compare levels in an absolute sense but rather to seek to identify the determinants of happiness. The strategy is to use the answers that people give when asked questions about how happy they feel with life. Similar questions are posed with respect to job satisfaction, health satisfaction, housing satisfaction, satisfaction with marital relation, etc. †¦, and leisure satisfaction or satisfaction with leisure time. This study of the different aspects of life is called domain satisfaction. Although this approach could have limitations, as was said by Oswald (1997, p. 1816) if the aim is to learn about what makes people tick, listening to what they say seems likely to be a natural first step. The domains-of-life literature states that life can be approached as a general construct of many specific domains, and that life satisfaction can be understood as a result from satisfaction in these domains of life (Cummins, 1996; van Praag et.al, 2003; Easterlin and Sawangfa, 2007; Rojas, 2006a, 2006b). It is evident that different domains may be distinguished. In many studies, the domains to be analyzed are determined by data availability. For instance, in the British Household Panel Survey leisure satisfaction is split up into two sub-dimensions; namely, the amount of leisure and use of the leisure time (Van Praag and Ferrer-i-Carbonell, 2007); the European Community Household Panel considers only satisfaction with leisure time , and the Latinobarà ³metro only includes satisfaction with the amount of leisure (Rojas, XXXX). Rojas (2007) affirms that the enumeration and demarcation of the domains of life are arbitrary. In addition to this, there are many possible partitions of a human life, and the selected partition depends on the researchs objectives and the available information. For example, Cummins (1996) has argued for a seven-domain partition: material well-being, health, productivity intimacy, safety, community and emotional well-being; van Praag et al. (2003) study the relationship of satisfaction in different domains of life (health, financial situation, job, housing, leisure and environment) and satisfaction with life as a whole. Rojas (2006b and 2007), on the basis of factor analysis, identified seven domains of life: health, economic, job, family, friendship, personal and community. Using information from Mexico , he showed that satisfaction in the family domain is crucial for life satisfaction. Family satisfaction includes aspects of satisfaction with ones spouse, children and with the rest of the family. Rojas also showed that the satisfaction in the health, job and personal domains is also very important for a persons happiness. Satisfaction in areas such as housing and living conditions, financial solvency and income are relatively less important for life satisfaction. Rojas (2007) found that income is an explanatory variable of relevancy for economic and labor satisfaction, but not for family satisfaction or leisure satisfaction. For that reason, it is possible to find situations where a person is satisfied with his/her life while he/she is unsatisfied economically, or where a person is unsatisfied wit h his/her life and, at the same time, his/her economic satisfaction is high (Rojas, 2008b). Empirical research has focused on different factors associated with subjective well-being and satisfaction. In agreement with psychological and sociological studies (Argyle, 1999), economic research has identified a set of personal and social characteristics associated with life satisfaction. Most studies using data from North America and European countries have found the level of reported life satisfaction to be high among those who are married (Blanchflower and Oswald, 2004b; Easterlin, 2003; Carroll, 2007; Clark et al., 2005; Ferrer-i-Carbonell and Frijters, 2004), women (Oswald, 1997; Clark, 1997), whites (Oswald, 1997; Alesina et al., 2004), the well-educated (Blanchflower and Oswald, 2004a; Frey and Stutzer, 2003; Borooah, 2005), the self-employed (Blanchflower, 2000; Blanchflower, 2004; Frey and Benz, 2003; Alesina et al., 2004), the retired (Di Tella et al., 2003), and those occupied with home duties (Di Tella et al., 2003; Borooah, 2005). The relation between an individuals age and happiness seems to be a bit more complex. Many people believe that the quality of life deteriorates with age and that old people should be unhappier than young people since the old tend to have a worse health, less income, and few are married. Nevertheless, many studies have surprisingly thought that old people report levels of happiness comparatively higher than young people, though this effect tends to be small. Frey and Stutzer (2001) have indicated four reasons that can explain this positive relationship between age and happiness: (i) the old have lower expectations and aspirations. For example, an elderly person waits to remain without work and possibly widower, so the effects of the loss will be lower on the old than on the young. (ii) They have little disparity between goals and achievements, since the eldelrlys goals are fixed closer to what reasonably they can reach. (iii) Older individuals have had more time to adjust to their life conditions, and (iv) old people have learned how to reduce the negative events of the life and how to regulate the negative affects. Besides, economists have identified a U-shape in the relationship between age and happiness (e.g. Oswald, 1997; Blanchflower and Oswald, 2004a). This implies a convex shape in the relationship of life satisfaction with age. Life satisfaction decreases with age until it reaches a minimum, increasing afterwards. For North America and European countries this minimum typically occurs in the forties (43 in Frey and Stutzer (2001) and Ferrer-i-Carbonell (2005); 46 in Peiro (2007)). Aspirations and comparisons effects also are important in relation with income and other factors affecting subjective well-being. The individuals reported subjective well-being in the present is based on a norm of what is `bad, `sufficient or `good. Such norms not only depend on the present situation, but also on what the individual has experienced in the past, on what he/she expects to experience in the future and on what other people think and do (van Praag and Ferrer-i-Carbonell, 2004). In relation with income, individual well-being does not only depend on income in absolute terms but also on the subjective perception of whether ones income is adequate to satisfy ones needs. In addition, individual income perception is subject to the individuals own situation, past and present, as well as to the income of other people. The latter reflects the importance of the relative position of individuals in society for their satisfaction with life. This is often referred to as the comparison income or relative utility effect. It is often argued that individuals adapt to new situations by changing their expectations (Easterlin, 2005; Clark et al., 2008). This implies that higher incomes are accompanied by rising expectations that lead to what is known as the hedonic treadmill (Brickman and Campbell, 1971) or hedonic adaptation (Frederick and Loewenstein, 1999). Thus, individuals strive for high incomes even if these lead only to a temporary or small increase in well-being. This ability to adapt would appear to be a ubiquitous feature of the human condition, some recent examples of adaptation in nonmonetary spheres are Lucas et al. (2003) and Lucas (2005) with respect to marriage and divorce, Wu (2001) and Oswald and Powdthavee (2006) for adaptation to illness or disability, and Lucas et al. (2004) regarding unemployment. The comparisons with different social reference groups are also an important factor that has been widely present in the analysis of two dimensions; namely, the analysis of the effect of relative income on financial satisfaction and/or satisfaction with life as a whole (McBride, 2001; Stutzer, 2004; Luttmer, 2005; Clark, Frijters and Shields, 2008) and the influence of unemployment on subjective well-being. A standard result in happiness literature is that the unemployed report significantly lower levels of subjective well-being than other labor force groups (Winkelman and Winkelman, 1998; Frey and Stutzer, 2002). Indeed, the pecuniary and the non-pecuniary costs of the unemployment are that high that adaptation is non-existent (Lucas et al., 2004) or only very moderate (Clark, 2002). Clark (2003) uses seven waves of the British Household Panel Survey to test for social norms in labor market status. In his analysis, he found that the well-being of the unemployed is the higher, the hig her the unemployment rate in a reference group (at the regional, partner, or household level). It seems that, the more unemployment becomes the norm, the less individuals are affected by it (Winkelman, 2006). Lalive and Stutzer (2004), using a different strategy, obtain the same results for information from Sweden. Social interactions could be either a negative or a positive factor. As previously mentioned, an individuals happiness depends on that individuals own relative (or positional) situation or status, and comparison with others, what would expose that individual to negative externalities in terms of peer-effects (Luttmer, 2005) in utility and/or consumption. Alpizar, Carlsson and Johansson-Stenman (2005) show that positionality matters far more for commodities as houses and cars than for vacation and insurance, but also that both absolute and relative consumption matter for each category, these are positional goods. The positive influence of social interactions may come from social relationships and other relational goods or social capital factors. For instance, Rojas (2007), Winkelman (2006), Argyle (1999), among other social scientists have found that social relationships are a major source of well-being. Although marriage is the relationship that has the most influence on happiness, there are other relationships that affect happiness, as well as health and mental health, by providing social support. Argyle (1999 p. 361) refers some studies where it was found that if all kinds of social support are combined, a social support factor is found to have a strong correlation of 0.50 with happiness. Social scientists in many countries have observed that social support or social networks (and the associated norms of reciprocity and trust (Helliwell and Putnam, 2004)) have powerful effects on the level and efficiency of production and well-being, broadly defined, and they have used the term social capital to refer to these effects (Coleman, 1988; Putnam, 2000; Woolcock and Narayan, 2000). Lately, some cross-sectional studies from both sociology and economics have shown the importance of key aspects of social capital such as trust, social contacts and membership in voluntary associations over individual well-being (Inglehart 1999; Putnam 2000; Helliwell 2003 and 2006b; Powdthavee, 2008). In Bowling Alone, Putnam (2000) suggested that people prosper in neighborhoods and societies where social capital is high, that is, where people trust one another and are mutually helpful. Putnam reviewed evidence showing that communities with high rates of volunteer activity, club membership, church membership, and social entertaining (all thought to be indirect manifestations of social capital) all had higher well-being than communities that were impoverish these characteristics. Many studies that use cross-sectional data have shown that individuals with rich networks of active social relationships, that do not include people living in the same household, tend to be happier with th eir lives (Phillips 1967; Burt 1987). Helliwell (2003) reported that well-being is high and suicide rates are low where trust in others is high, and he also found that well-being is high where memberships in organizations outside of work are at high levels. Thus, there is evidence that individuals are more likely to experience high well-being when they live in nations with high social capital than when they live in nations with low social capital, a finding that dovetails with the results of studies on individuals social interactions. Helliwell and Putnam (2004) and Powdthavee (2008) are comprehensive reviews about the importance of social capital factor over subjective well-being. Health status is a factor that can be expected to be an important determinant of life satisfaction. In the 1950s the use of concepts such as welfare, adjustment and mental health had much in common with the traditional concept about happiness (Argyle, 1991). Research on the health-related quality of life was developed in the mid 1970s by health scientists and psychologists in order to track peoples perception of their health status (Gough et al., 2007). This was mainly in response to the need for more sensitive measures to compare treatments for chronic illness and to identify the most cost-effective treatments . Good health is considered an important factor included in the capabilities and the necessary functionalities in order for an individual to face life (Deaton, 2007; Sen, 1999). Since the 1980s the state of health has been identified as an important determinant of life satisfaction, as happy people are healthier, both physically and mentally (Veenhoven, 1991; Argyle, 1999). Co nsequently, poor health, which limits an individuals ability to carry out their daily activities, reduces overall satisfaction. The literature about subjective well-being in Latin American countries is few and very recent. Graham and Pettinato (2001) were some of the first to analyze Latin American countries. Using the Latinobarà ³metro 2000, they found that Latin America is not all that different from the advanced industrial economies in relation to some of the determinants of happiness. Similar to the OECD countries, happiness has a quadratic relationship with age, initially decreasing and then increasing monotonically after 49 years of age. As in the industrial countries, being married had positive and significant effects. In contrast to the advanced economies, a significant gender effect was no found in Latin America. Also, as in the industrial countries, the coefficients for level of wealth were strong, positive, and significant in happiness. When wealth was included in the regressions, the coefficient for education level became insignificant or weakly significant, depending on the regression used. Bein g self-employed or unemployed both had significant and negative effects on happiness. When they included country-fixed effects, the coefficient on self-employment became insignificant. While being unemployed also has negative effects on happiness in the advanced industrial economies, being self-employed has positive effects. The most credible explanation is intuitive and it was given by the authors: most self-employed people in the latter are self-employed by choice, while in developing economies, many are self-employed due to the absence of more secure employment opportunities and live a precarious existence in the informal sector. Other analyses by countries have been conducted in Latin America. Among the most important, Rojas (2006b and 2007), using the domains-of-life approach in Mexico, found that people are on average, more satisfied in the family domain, while they are less satisfied in the consumption, personal and job domains. Rojas (2007) found that income is an explanatory variable of relevancy for the economic and labor satisfaction, but not for either family or leisure satisfaction. Due to that, he found a weak relationship between income and life satisfaction Gerstenbluth et al. (2007) studied the relationship between happiness and health in Argentina and Uruguay using the Latinobarà ³metro 2004. Cruz and Torres (2006), using the Encuesta de Calidad de Vida 2003, tested various happiness hypotheses among Colombians and Cid et al. (2008), using the survey called Salud, Bienestar y Envejecimiento en Amà ©rica Latina y el Caribe (SABE), explored the correlation between happiness and income in the el derly in Uruguay. To our knowledge, the previous studies conducted about Latin America have not included the effect of social capital on subjective well-being, and they have analyzed the self-employment as a homogeneous labor market status. However, when considering the specificity of the leisure domain, we should take into account that while satisfaction with other realms of life may lie upon the valuation of objective situations (such as one’s financial situation, health or housing conditions), satisfaction with leisure brings in an additional challenge as individual’s boundaries of leisure are defined by her perception of what is pleasant (Ateca-Amestoy et al., 2008). Conceptual discussion on the nature of leisure time in contemporary societies Time allocation decisions within the family: economic approaches and models. We will attach to the economic approach to human behavior by Becker (moreover, bring arguments such as those contained in a theory of social interactions). Temporal autonomy is a matter of having discretionary control over your time. Discretionary Time. A New Measure of Freedom (Goodin et al., 2005) Other approaches: we have found these relevant arguments: Veblens theory The omnivore Bourdieus distinction Putnams social capital 3.1. What is Social Capital? There is a traditional consensus that there exists three distincs traditions that conceptualize and analyze social capital. All three would be relevant for our reasoning. Pierre Bourdieu bourdieu2: who conceptualised social capital as the `actual or potential resources that an individual has at his/her disposal as a result of `a durable network of more or less institutionalised relationships of mutual acquaintance and recognition, i.e. membership in a group. Some authors point out that this definition must be viewed as part of his broader concern with developing the different types of capital in order to explain the means by which the social stratification system is preserved and the dominant class-reproduction strategy is legitimised. J.S. Coleman coleman defines it as the set of resources that inhere in family relations and in community social organisations and that are useful for the cognitive or social development of a child or young person. Social relations were viewed by Coleman to make up important `capital resources for individuals by means of processes such as setting `obligations, expectations and trustworthiness, creating channels for information, and setting norms backed by efficient sanctions. These resources may be influenced by factors such as generalised trustworthiness which ensures that obligations are met, the extent to which a person is in Benefits of Leisure on the Individual Benefits of Leisure on the Individual Introduction / Summary In previous contributions, there should have been wide discussions to draw the limits of leisure. I would like to get assistance one that you have read those chapters, in order to write some introductory paragraph that lets the reader know if my contribution is particularly related to some other one. In this contribution, I will analyze it by using the subjective well-being approach. I will use the leisure experience dimension (as described bellow), and I will study the determinants of subjective well-being. There will be plenty of conceptual discussion, some regularities will be reported, an empirical exercise will be performed results analyzed, and some insights for future research will be presented. In this paper, we will study leisure and its beneficial aspects over individual welfare by using a quite new approach: the subjective well-being or happiness approach to measure individual welfare. Along the discussion, we will present two main points. First, we will discuss on the dimensions of leisure in order to justify that by using subjective well-being procedures, we can get a comprehensive approximation to the, somehow difficult to measure, leisure concept. Second, to determine which are the personal and environmental factors that are needed so an individual can produce and consume enjoyable leisure experiences. In this chapter, we are not going to consider that leisure is just free time, i.e. time that is not dedicated to market work, nor to household maintenance activities. We are not even going to consider that leisure is discretionary time (Goodin, et al. 2005). What we state is that leisure is a universal human need that has to be fulfilled by the production in the household and the personal consumption of what we may call leisure experiences. Each experience is a commodity that enters directly in the individuals utility function. This means that leisure is one of the arguments of the utility function of the individual, one of the instances from which she will get welfare. By doing this, we will adopt from the beginning a beckerian approach (Becker, 1965, and 1990). Other arguments are (Gronau and Hamermesh, 2006). From that list of commodities, we can agree that leisure is the most time intensive one. Individuals have this particular basic need, leisure, to be fulfilled using the most suitable combination of personal resources. As always, we are living in a scarce world where every input has some alternative use, so people have to make allocation choices about the best way to fulfill this leisure need as well as others such as food, shelter, and so on. However, we will introduce into our analysis a basic feature of leisure: the presence of enjoyable others. Only recently has this aspect been introduced in the economic analysis of leisure (Osberg, 2009). In this paper, we address the question of how personal inputs are optimally combined to satisfy the leisure need in a social context. By means the analysis of the leisure domain satisfaction, we will be able to asses how personal free time transforms into leisure and how this outcome contributes to individual welfare. Each person would define the boundaries of leisure on the basis of her tastes, on different resource availability to fulfill her needs, and may value the final outcome in many different ways depending on the social norms, her personal aspirations, social interactions and past experiences. Since using a personal definition of leisure would make any analysis impossible, we will present the main three different constructions of leisure, as proposed by Kelly (1982). The first approach of leisure is the most basic one that defines leisure as quantifiable leisure time, either residual or discretional, based on the freedom to choose. The second one defines leisure as the activity that is chosen at a given time and place so that it is the quality of the activity which defines it as leisure. The third one defines leisure as a subjective condition on the grounds of a freely chosen experience based on intrinsic motivation. The integrative approach proposed by Kelly is the one that we follow in this research, where Leisure is an action that takes place at a given time, develops an identifiable activity and is perceived as a pleasant experience by the actor. In what follows, we would refer to this last integrative approach either as leisure or leisure experience. Actually, it fits very well with the following definition of leisure satisfaction by Beard and Ragheb (1980). For them, leisure satisfaction is the positive perceptions or feelings that an individual forms, elicits, or gains as a result of engaging in leisure activities and choices. It is the degree to which one is presently content or pleased with her general leisure experiences and situations. This positive feeling of pleasure results from the satisfaction of felt or unfelt needs of the individual. Traditional economic theory studies human behavior by means of individual’s observed choices. In such a spirit, observed time allocation can be an outcome of interest recorded on time-use surveys. Actually, as we will discuss in the concluding section, time-use registers are a very valuable source of information, and many of the questions that we are going to address could be complementarily studied by testing those hypotheses with that type of data. However, even if some authors consider that time is the ultimate source of utility, time by itself provides no utility to individuals, since the mere passing of time does not fulfill any human need (possibly except from sleeping time). Moreover, since we have no means of observing the final leisure output, we have to rely on the subjective assessment of how satisfied people feel with the leisure that they enjoy. At the end of the day, the main challenge is to determine how an unobservable, such as leisure, can contribute to individual welfare. In this case, we are considering a double black-box. First, not everyone defines leisure in the same way and not everyone produces leisure experiences by using the same technology or the same inputs. For some people, the presence of others will be much more needed that for some other people. Some people could be much more materialistic than others. Some people could be much more efficient in the production of pleasurable experiences because of their higher education. Second, as indicated before, we know that leisure contributed to enhance the quality of life of people, but the valuation of those experiences is determined by societal norms and arrangements and by personal aspirations, past experiences and comparison effects. Next section will present the happiness or subjective well-being approach. We will introduce a brief discussion of the rationale for using this approach for economic research and for leisure research. To do so, we will present the domain approach; in this setting, leisure satisfaction will be considered a mediator between individual leisure experience and overall satisfaction or happiness. In section 3, we will discuss the relationship between leisure time and well-being. Other crucial aspects will be discussed in section 4, where we review a series of social and economic factors that are said to influence leisure enjoyment, so leisure has a high quality and contributes to a better quality of life. Particularly, we will report previous findings on the social dimension of leisure, one of the attributes that determine high quality leisure experiences. In that same section, some determinants of overall satisfaction, or of particular domain satisfaction will be discussed. Last, sections 5 and 6 will present, respectively, some conclusions and a brief overview of needed research to better understand the contribution of leisure to a better quality of life. Subjective well-being approach Traditional research on quality of life relied heavily on objective and materialistic indicators of living conditions. Actually, Gross Domestic Product has been the â€Å"champion† indicator when studying the evolution of living standards and when comparing economies (Mankiw, 2007). Under the realm of objective indicators, nearly all non market activities and many aspects of human development, such as leisure, are neglected. New studies have highlighted the superiority of including the subjective approach to the investigation of quality of life in developed and developing societies, and happiness research has become quite of a fashionable and popular topic (Layard, 2006). There is a growing interest on using the subjective well-being approach to analyze living conditions and there has been an emerging literature on social sciences. Among other reasons for that flourishing, we can highlight the following: (i) this approach offers richer insight about the quality of life, and considers other indicators of development apart from the traditional indicators; (ii) nowadays there is more information available about living conditions, opinions and perceptions of people and societies, and; (iii) with this approach it is possible to identify the major needs and problems of the population, which is useful for governments and policy makers (Frey and Stutzer, JEL 2002). Economists and other social scientists broadly define `happiness and `life satisfaction as subjective well-being. Following Diener and Seligman (2004, pp. 4) life satisfaction is defined as a global judgment of well-being based on information the person believes is relevant, while well-being includes all of the evaluations, both cognitive and affective, that people make of their lives and components of their lives. While according to some authors, the terms happiness, subjective wellbeing, well-being, satisfaction and quality of life are somewhat different and each have their own specific meaning, responses in different surveys are highly correlated (Fordyce, 1988; Frey and Stutzer, 2002b), and many analyses use them indiscriminately. In this current study these terms are used with the understanding that they have a similar connotation. The present study will use a bottom-up approach to the analysis of subjective well-being. This approach considers that overall life satisfaction is determined by what is called domain satisfaction; the evaluation of own personal situation on different dimensions of life such as: financial situation, housing conditions, health, leisure, job or education, among other dimensions. Some authors signal the mediator role of those domain satisfactions to determine overall happiness (Cummins, 1996; van Praag et al., 2003; Easterlin and Sawangfa, 2007). In what follows, we will consider that leisure satisfaction has leisure experiences as the main input; higher leisure satisfaction will contribute, in turn, to higher overall satisfaction or happiness. In order to assess the size of different influences upon happiness and satisfaction with life in general, psychologists have been using surveys since long ago, while only recently economists have recognized that there is useful information in a subjective well-being answer as an empirical approximation for the theoretical concept of utility. With the exception of the seminal work of Easterlin (1974), most research has taken place during the last two decades. The existing state of research suggests that, for many purposes, happiness or reported subjective well-being is a satisfactory empirical proxy of individual utility. From the information about the determinants of individual happiness, different situations of economic and social policies inside a country or a region can be analyzed . Frey and Stutzer (2002b) give some important reasons for economists to consider happiness research. First, happiness research can help to evaluate net effects, in terms of individual utilities, for different economic policies. Understanding the determinants of subjective well-being can thus usefully inform economic policy decisions. Second, this research also has relevance to economists because of the effect of institutional conditions such as the quality of governance and the size of social capital on individual well-being. It may also help to solve empirical puzzles that conventional economic theories find difficult to explain. For instance, using this approach it is possible to understand why for several countries since World War ll although they have raised their real income drastically, the self-reported subjective well-being of the population has not increased or has even slightly fallen. Data about happiness are collected through direct questioning via interviews or self-administered questionnaires in which individuals self-rate their happiness on a single item or on a multi-item scale. These scales offer a list of options, which are ranked according to the levels of happiness . Most studies of subjective well-being are based on some variation on the question How satisfied (or happy) are you with your life? The range of possible responses is defined over a scale that varies between datasets (one to four, one to seven, or one to ten), the lowest grades indicating a poor level of life satisfaction. The main use of happiness measures is not to compare levels in an absolute sense but rather to seek to identify the determinants of happiness. The strategy is to use the answers that people give when asked questions about how happy they feel with life. Similar questions are posed with respect to job satisfaction, health satisfaction, housing satisfaction, satisfaction with marital relation, etc. †¦, and leisure satisfaction or satisfaction with leisure time. This study of the different aspects of life is called domain satisfaction. Although this approach could have limitations, as was said by Oswald (1997, p. 1816) if the aim is to learn about what makes people tick, listening to what they say seems likely to be a natural first step. The domains-of-life literature states that life can be approached as a general construct of many specific domains, and that life satisfaction can be understood as a result from satisfaction in these domains of life (Cummins, 1996; van Praag et.al, 2003; Easterlin and Sawangfa, 2007; Rojas, 2006a, 2006b). It is evident that different domains may be distinguished. In many studies, the domains to be analyzed are determined by data availability. For instance, in the British Household Panel Survey leisure satisfaction is split up into two sub-dimensions; namely, the amount of leisure and use of the leisure time (Van Praag and Ferrer-i-Carbonell, 2007); the European Community Household Panel considers only satisfaction with leisure time , and the Latinobarà ³metro only includes satisfaction with the amount of leisure (Rojas, XXXX). Rojas (2007) affirms that the enumeration and demarcation of the domains of life are arbitrary. In addition to this, there are many possible partitions of a human life, and the selected partition depends on the researchs objectives and the available information. For example, Cummins (1996) has argued for a seven-domain partition: material well-being, health, productivity intimacy, safety, community and emotional well-being; van Praag et al. (2003) study the relationship of satisfaction in different domains of life (health, financial situation, job, housing, leisure and environment) and satisfaction with life as a whole. Rojas (2006b and 2007), on the basis of factor analysis, identified seven domains of life: health, economic, job, family, friendship, personal and community. Using information from Mexico , he showed that satisfaction in the family domain is crucial for life satisfaction. Family satisfaction includes aspects of satisfaction with ones spouse, children and with the rest of the family. Rojas also showed that the satisfaction in the health, job and personal domains is also very important for a persons happiness. Satisfaction in areas such as housing and living conditions, financial solvency and income are relatively less important for life satisfaction. Rojas (2007) found that income is an explanatory variable of relevancy for economic and labor satisfaction, but not for family satisfaction or leisure satisfaction. For that reason, it is possible to find situations where a person is satisfied with his/her life while he/she is unsatisfied economically, or where a person is unsatisfied wit h his/her life and, at the same time, his/her economic satisfaction is high (Rojas, 2008b). Empirical research has focused on different factors associated with subjective well-being and satisfaction. In agreement with psychological and sociological studies (Argyle, 1999), economic research has identified a set of personal and social characteristics associated with life satisfaction. Most studies using data from North America and European countries have found the level of reported life satisfaction to be high among those who are married (Blanchflower and Oswald, 2004b; Easterlin, 2003; Carroll, 2007; Clark et al., 2005; Ferrer-i-Carbonell and Frijters, 2004), women (Oswald, 1997; Clark, 1997), whites (Oswald, 1997; Alesina et al., 2004), the well-educated (Blanchflower and Oswald, 2004a; Frey and Stutzer, 2003; Borooah, 2005), the self-employed (Blanchflower, 2000; Blanchflower, 2004; Frey and Benz, 2003; Alesina et al., 2004), the retired (Di Tella et al., 2003), and those occupied with home duties (Di Tella et al., 2003; Borooah, 2005). The relation between an individuals age and happiness seems to be a bit more complex. Many people believe that the quality of life deteriorates with age and that old people should be unhappier than young people since the old tend to have a worse health, less income, and few are married. Nevertheless, many studies have surprisingly thought that old people report levels of happiness comparatively higher than young people, though this effect tends to be small. Frey and Stutzer (2001) have indicated four reasons that can explain this positive relationship between age and happiness: (i) the old have lower expectations and aspirations. For example, an elderly person waits to remain without work and possibly widower, so the effects of the loss will be lower on the old than on the young. (ii) They have little disparity between goals and achievements, since the eldelrlys goals are fixed closer to what reasonably they can reach. (iii) Older individuals have had more time to adjust to their life conditions, and (iv) old people have learned how to reduce the negative events of the life and how to regulate the negative affects. Besides, economists have identified a U-shape in the relationship between age and happiness (e.g. Oswald, 1997; Blanchflower and Oswald, 2004a). This implies a convex shape in the relationship of life satisfaction with age. Life satisfaction decreases with age until it reaches a minimum, increasing afterwards. For North America and European countries this minimum typically occurs in the forties (43 in Frey and Stutzer (2001) and Ferrer-i-Carbonell (2005); 46 in Peiro (2007)). Aspirations and comparisons effects also are important in relation with income and other factors affecting subjective well-being. The individuals reported subjective well-being in the present is based on a norm of what is `bad, `sufficient or `good. Such norms not only depend on the present situation, but also on what the individual has experienced in the past, on what he/she expects to experience in the future and on what other people think and do (van Praag and Ferrer-i-Carbonell, 2004). In relation with income, individual well-being does not only depend on income in absolute terms but also on the subjective perception of whether ones income is adequate to satisfy ones needs. In addition, individual income perception is subject to the individuals own situation, past and present, as well as to the income of other people. The latter reflects the importance of the relative position of individuals in society for their satisfaction with life. This is often referred to as the comparison income or relative utility effect. It is often argued that individuals adapt to new situations by changing their expectations (Easterlin, 2005; Clark et al., 2008). This implies that higher incomes are accompanied by rising expectations that lead to what is known as the hedonic treadmill (Brickman and Campbell, 1971) or hedonic adaptation (Frederick and Loewenstein, 1999). Thus, individuals strive for high incomes even if these lead only to a temporary or small increase in well-being. This ability to adapt would appear to be a ubiquitous feature of the human condition, some recent examples of adaptation in nonmonetary spheres are Lucas et al. (2003) and Lucas (2005) with respect to marriage and divorce, Wu (2001) and Oswald and Powdthavee (2006) for adaptation to illness or disability, and Lucas et al. (2004) regarding unemployment. The comparisons with different social reference groups are also an important factor that has been widely present in the analysis of two dimensions; namely, the analysis of the effect of relative income on financial satisfaction and/or satisfaction with life as a whole (McBride, 2001; Stutzer, 2004; Luttmer, 2005; Clark, Frijters and Shields, 2008) and the influence of unemployment on subjective well-being. A standard result in happiness literature is that the unemployed report significantly lower levels of subjective well-being than other labor force groups (Winkelman and Winkelman, 1998; Frey and Stutzer, 2002). Indeed, the pecuniary and the non-pecuniary costs of the unemployment are that high that adaptation is non-existent (Lucas et al., 2004) or only very moderate (Clark, 2002). Clark (2003) uses seven waves of the British Household Panel Survey to test for social norms in labor market status. In his analysis, he found that the well-being of the unemployed is the higher, the hig her the unemployment rate in a reference group (at the regional, partner, or household level). It seems that, the more unemployment becomes the norm, the less individuals are affected by it (Winkelman, 2006). Lalive and Stutzer (2004), using a different strategy, obtain the same results for information from Sweden. Social interactions could be either a negative or a positive factor. As previously mentioned, an individuals happiness depends on that individuals own relative (or positional) situation or status, and comparison with others, what would expose that individual to negative externalities in terms of peer-effects (Luttmer, 2005) in utility and/or consumption. Alpizar, Carlsson and Johansson-Stenman (2005) show that positionality matters far more for commodities as houses and cars than for vacation and insurance, but also that both absolute and relative consumption matter for each category, these are positional goods. The positive influence of social interactions may come from social relationships and other relational goods or social capital factors. For instance, Rojas (2007), Winkelman (2006), Argyle (1999), among other social scientists have found that social relationships are a major source of well-being. Although marriage is the relationship that has the most influence on happiness, there are other relationships that affect happiness, as well as health and mental health, by providing social support. Argyle (1999 p. 361) refers some studies where it was found that if all kinds of social support are combined, a social support factor is found to have a strong correlation of 0.50 with happiness. Social scientists in many countries have observed that social support or social networks (and the associated norms of reciprocity and trust (Helliwell and Putnam, 2004)) have powerful effects on the level and efficiency of production and well-being, broadly defined, and they have used the term social capital to refer to these effects (Coleman, 1988; Putnam, 2000; Woolcock and Narayan, 2000). Lately, some cross-sectional studies from both sociology and economics have shown the importance of key aspects of social capital such as trust, social contacts and membership in voluntary associations over individual well-being (Inglehart 1999; Putnam 2000; Helliwell 2003 and 2006b; Powdthavee, 2008). In Bowling Alone, Putnam (2000) suggested that people prosper in neighborhoods and societies where social capital is high, that is, where people trust one another and are mutually helpful. Putnam reviewed evidence showing that communities with high rates of volunteer activity, club membership, church membership, and social entertaining (all thought to be indirect manifestations of social capital) all had higher well-being than communities that were impoverish these characteristics. Many studies that use cross-sectional data have shown that individuals with rich networks of active social relationships, that do not include people living in the same household, tend to be happier with th eir lives (Phillips 1967; Burt 1987). Helliwell (2003) reported that well-being is high and suicide rates are low where trust in others is high, and he also found that well-being is high where memberships in organizations outside of work are at high levels. Thus, there is evidence that individuals are more likely to experience high well-being when they live in nations with high social capital than when they live in nations with low social capital, a finding that dovetails with the results of studies on individuals social interactions. Helliwell and Putnam (2004) and Powdthavee (2008) are comprehensive reviews about the importance of social capital factor over subjective well-being. Health status is a factor that can be expected to be an important determinant of life satisfaction. In the 1950s the use of concepts such as welfare, adjustment and mental health had much in common with the traditional concept about happiness (Argyle, 1991). Research on the health-related quality of life was developed in the mid 1970s by health scientists and psychologists in order to track peoples perception of their health status (Gough et al., 2007). This was mainly in response to the need for more sensitive measures to compare treatments for chronic illness and to identify the most cost-effective treatments . Good health is considered an important factor included in the capabilities and the necessary functionalities in order for an individual to face life (Deaton, 2007; Sen, 1999). Since the 1980s the state of health has been identified as an important determinant of life satisfaction, as happy people are healthier, both physically and mentally (Veenhoven, 1991; Argyle, 1999). Co nsequently, poor health, which limits an individuals ability to carry out their daily activities, reduces overall satisfaction. The literature about subjective well-being in Latin American countries is few and very recent. Graham and Pettinato (2001) were some of the first to analyze Latin American countries. Using the Latinobarà ³metro 2000, they found that Latin America is not all that different from the advanced industrial economies in relation to some of the determinants of happiness. Similar to the OECD countries, happiness has a quadratic relationship with age, initially decreasing and then increasing monotonically after 49 years of age. As in the industrial countries, being married had positive and significant effects. In contrast to the advanced economies, a significant gender effect was no found in Latin America. Also, as in the industrial countries, the coefficients for level of wealth were strong, positive, and significant in happiness. When wealth was included in the regressions, the coefficient for education level became insignificant or weakly significant, depending on the regression used. Bein g self-employed or unemployed both had significant and negative effects on happiness. When they included country-fixed effects, the coefficient on self-employment became insignificant. While being unemployed also has negative effects on happiness in the advanced industrial economies, being self-employed has positive effects. The most credible explanation is intuitive and it was given by the authors: most self-employed people in the latter are self-employed by choice, while in developing economies, many are self-employed due to the absence of more secure employment opportunities and live a precarious existence in the informal sector. Other analyses by countries have been conducted in Latin America. Among the most important, Rojas (2006b and 2007), using the domains-of-life approach in Mexico, found that people are on average, more satisfied in the family domain, while they are less satisfied in the consumption, personal and job domains. Rojas (2007) found that income is an explanatory variable of relevancy for the economic and labor satisfaction, but not for either family or leisure satisfaction. Due to that, he found a weak relationship between income and life satisfaction Gerstenbluth et al. (2007) studied the relationship between happiness and health in Argentina and Uruguay using the Latinobarà ³metro 2004. Cruz and Torres (2006), using the Encuesta de Calidad de Vida 2003, tested various happiness hypotheses among Colombians and Cid et al. (2008), using the survey called Salud, Bienestar y Envejecimiento en Amà ©rica Latina y el Caribe (SABE), explored the correlation between happiness and income in the el derly in Uruguay. To our knowledge, the previous studies conducted about Latin America have not included the effect of social capital on subjective well-being, and they have analyzed the self-employment as a homogeneous labor market status. However, when considering the specificity of the leisure domain, we should take into account that while satisfaction with other realms of life may lie upon the valuation of objective situations (such as one’s financial situation, health or housing conditions), satisfaction with leisure brings in an additional challenge as individual’s boundaries of leisure are defined by her perception of what is pleasant (Ateca-Amestoy et al., 2008). Conceptual discussion on the nature of leisure time in contemporary societies Time allocation decisions within the family: economic approaches and models. We will attach to the economic approach to human behavior by Becker (moreover, bring arguments such as those contained in a theory of social interactions). Temporal autonomy is a matter of having discretionary control over your time. Discretionary Time. A New Measure of Freedom (Goodin et al., 2005) Other approaches: we have found these relevant arguments: Veblens theory The omnivore Bourdieus distinction Putnams social capital 3.1. What is Social Capital? There is a traditional consensus that there exists three distincs traditions that conceptualize and analyze social capital. All three would be relevant for our reasoning. Pierre Bourdieu bourdieu2: who conceptualised social capital as the `actual or potential resources that an individual has at his/her disposal as a result of `a durable network of more or less institutionalised relationships of mutual acquaintance and recognition, i.e. membership in a group. Some authors point out that this definition must be viewed as part of his broader concern with developing the different types of capital in order to explain the means by which the social stratification system is preserved and the dominant class-reproduction strategy is legitimised. J.S. Coleman coleman defines it as the set of resources that inhere in family relations and in community social organisations and that are useful for the cognitive or social development of a child or young person. Social relations were viewed by Coleman to make up important `capital resources for individuals by means of processes such as setting `obligations, expectations and trustworthiness, creating channels for information, and setting norms backed by efficient sanctions. These resources may be influenced by factors such as generalised trustworthiness which ensures that obligations are met, the extent to which a person is in