Neo

Introduction The total number of hours that an individual is capable and willfully supplies at a standard wage rate is called the labor supply. Thus supply of labor involves individuals seeking to be employed for a given an agreed amount of wage. But the neoclassical theory of individual labor supply terms income and leisure as the major source of individual utility.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Neo-Classical Supply of Labour specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Income that is generated by the individual from work is spent for the leisure activities, depending on the individual’s own preference. However, the changes in the market wage rate impacts the individual in two ways; an increase or decrease in the income and a shift from one activity to the other. In the longer term, the extreme increases and decreases in the wage rate may decline to unacceptable levels forcing individuals to exit the labor market, a situation known as voluntary unemployment (Burda Wyplosz 2009). Therefore, the neoclassical theory of individual labor supply is based on two assumptions. First, an individual has two likely ways of spending time; for labor and/or leisure, and secondly, the individual equitably distributed the time spent for leisure and labor in order to derive maximum satisfaction. Because individuals alternate between working and leisure, foregoing an hour of leisure equals to the wage rate. Thus, if the value of leisure time is higher than the market wage rate, individuals would prefer not to work. In both cases, the opportunity cost of foregoing an activity equals to the value derived in the other activity. As such changes in the wage rate results in either a substitution effect or an income effect (Veblen 2010, p. 373). Effects of wage rise The graph below shows the supply curve resulting from changes in real wage rates and their effects on the quantity of labor supplied. For instance, real wages increased from W1 to W2 the individual would benefit from an increase in income, and increase in utility. Consequently, the individual would willingly increase their working hours from L1 to L2; represented on the graph as income effect being less than the substitution effect. The positive price change results from the comparison of a greater substitution effect against the income effect. According to Gupta Dutta (2010, p. 923) the resultant increase in wage rate results in to a significant climb in the opportunity cost of leisure time. The resultant costly leisure time is due to the increase in wage rate. Instead of spending more time for leisure, that is already expensive, individuals would instead prefer going to work more to increase their income. This is termed as the substitution effect result from a higher wage rate. On the contrary, Hazan Maoz believe that the income effect results from further increase in wage rate. From the graph, increase in wage rate from W2 to W 3 would cause the labor hours to decrease from L2 to L3. According to Veblen (2010, p. 397), the wage rate increase results in a higher income effect than the substitution effect, such that an individual derives higher utility from an hour spent on leisure than from an hour spent working.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The backward bend in the supply curve results from the increase of wage rate beyond W2. Beyond W2 the individuals earns enough income to sustain their lifestyle, thus do not need to work for extra hours. Hence individuals prefer to increase leisure time and reduce the hours spent at work (2010, p. 2126). On the basis of an indifference curve-like platform, Ransom Sims suggest that an individual’s utility function is composed of real income (Y) and leisure (L). It is represented mathematically as utility is a function of Y and L, U = U(Y,L). Since an individual would be prompted to sacrifice some leisure time to receive additional income, an indifference curve is downward sloping, with points above the indifference cure offering higher utility than points on or below it (2010, p. 331). In order for individuals to attain the highest achievable level of utility, alternative levels of Y and L, with the limiting goods and time constraints, the full-income constraint is represented as wT = pY + wL. The equation can be in the form Y = -(w/p)L + (w/p)T, referred to as individual’s constraint. Graphically, From the above graph, the intercept of the budget constraint on the Y (income) axis is wT/p; giving the full income point. The budget constraint has a slope of –w/p. hence the downward slope. At the point of tangency (point A) between the indifference curve and the budget constraint, giving certain optimal levels of Y and L or Y and T, maximizes the utility (Caliendo, Gambaro Haan 2009, p. 877).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Neo-Classical Supply of Labour specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Neoclassical theory and wage differentials According to Aspromourgos (1986, p. 265), differences in wages exist and according to the neoclassical theory of the labor market, they should be equal. This decision was based on the assumptions of maximizing profit, perfect competition and homogeneity of workers. Nevertheless, there are three neoclassical trajectories elaborating the workers’ wage differentials; human capital theory, theory of equalizing differences, and efficiency wage theory. According to the theory of equalizing differences, identified differences that associated with inherent traits of a specific job require wage compensations with non-monetary positive traits. In order for effective compensation, the should exist, consistency of work, agreeableness of the job, ease of learning the employment, probability of success an d degree of responsibility (Caliendo, Gambaro Haan 2009, p. 877). The second theory, the human capital theory, attempts to explain differences in wages as resulting from an individual’s marginal capital productivity caused by differing human capital stocks such as aptitudes, training, knowledge, education and skills of an individual group are characterized. The productivity differentials are contributory to the wage differentials as the neoclassical labor market dispenses its wages depending on the marginal product of labor. Because, human capital differences are exhibited in the varying productivity, different wages will be paid. Evidence has shown that workers possessing high education earn comparatively higher wages. Individuals that sacrifice their leisure time and finances to acquire more skills and experiences add to their human skills which translate to increased productivity (Casares 2010, p. 233). Thirdly, the efficiency wage theory, while explaining the existence o f above equilibrium wages seeks to understand why these rates result into unemployment. Because firms paid above equilibrium wages to employees in developing countries during the 1950s, the theory was coined to understand the trends. The theory concluded that equilibrium wages were not enough to cater for the workers’ basic health. Thus paying them above the equilibrium rates ensures that their improved health would contribute to increased productivity. The employers according to the theory aimed at reducing turnover, discourage shirking and attract superior employees. Disutility of labor and working hours In contrast to the associated increased utility resulting to the individuals increasing their work hours, Van der Hulst, M 2003, pp. 171) postulates that certain disutility effects arise from work at the margin areas. On the basis of the standard economic theory, there are positive non-monetary effects of being employed.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Thus a relationship exists between individual well-being and working hours; whereby studies have been conducted. For instance, an increase in the individual’s working hours automatically generated an improvement on the individual’s life utility, even with a constant amount of wage/income. As such, work is considered a positive generator of utility for an individual, hence life’s utility increases with employment and working time. According to Hazan, M Maoz (2010, p. 2134), substantial improvement of the living standard results from a change in status from unemployed to employed, irrespective of the few hours spent working. According to the study, it was further evidenced that increasing labour hours benefits men due to the non-pecuniary utility, thereof. Beyond the optimal labor supply of seven hours known to maximize well-being, the level of happiness is reduced. Although women just like men benefit from the non-monetary utility of additional working hors, the ir optimal labour time per day is four hours and any extension beyond that leads to utter discomfort. According to the neoclassical assumption of marginal labor disutility, for both sexes, the happiness maximizing labour time should be less than the average real working time. The theory is supported because at the margin the disutility is caused by labor for the employed individuals. However, according to the happiness literature, the total utility of work for most employees is positive and not negative. Therefore, the well-being research empirical findings concur with the theory assumptions (Clark 2003a, p. 323). A similar picture is evidenced in the evaluation of the external changes of working time that resulted into under- or over-employment. Just as noted above, the positive utility of working hours are impacted by the strong decrease in well-being resulting from external deviations from the desirable labor time. Especially, work extended beyond the utility maximizing level has a significant diminishing impact. According to Kaufman work in addition to generating disposable income for individuals, also provides non-pecuniary utility effects. In the happiness economics, the debate point of contention is whether greater focus should be directed more on leisure than on work. Too much leisure is known to negatively impact life satisfaction, while individuals should not be forced to work long hours, because labor improves well-being. The consequences of excessive labor time and too much leisure, such as negatively impacting the workers, eventually, affect the organization’s performance. Primarily, the major perspective should be reduction in the levels of unemployment through policy. The policy has a two-fold impact on the well-being; increase in the disposable income, and increase in the non-monetary utility of work (2008, p. 285). If the policy regulatory measures on working hours are externally determined they will negatively impact welfare because in most cases they would conflict with the individually desired labor time. However, if internally determined, the policies are likely to match or accommodate the individual preference of the employees, hence positively impacting welfare. Due to the external policies, the feeling of under- or over-employment will contribute to decline in individuals’ well-being. On the contrary, Mutari, Figart Power, believe that improvement in workers welfare and happiness is associated with less restrictions and flexible working time. The benefit can accrue to companies that provide a favorable working environment and flexible working hours. Through the non-monetary utility, companies can opt to substitute the favorable working conditions and flexible working hours for a discounted wage for their employees compared to the competitors (2001, p. 23). Voluntary unemployment and income replacement programs The above graph shows the point A representing an individual’s combination of H hou rs and L hours of leisure at a wage rate of w. Income equals to Y. According to the neoclassical theory of labour supply, it is assumed that the only type of unemployment is voluntary in the long-run because the market is assumed to sort itself. Specifically, the movements in the market wage rate will in the long-rum reach unacceptable levels that individual would prefer not to work; instead opt out of employment (Vroman Brusentsev 2005). In the event that an individual becomes unemployed, and all lost income is replaced, the individual moves from point A to point B, as shown below The shift from A to B represents an increase in utility from Uo to U1 possible in the complete incomplete unemployment when an individual becomes unemployed. Income replacement programs in the US include disability insurance, whereby an individual disabled while in employment receives income equal to the initial wage, while increased leisure hours are provided, their level of utility would increase. The assumption includes full compensation for â€Å"pain and suffering† and medical expenses (Nakamura Murayama 2010, p. 665). Effective insurance for the disabled workers requires approved medical physicians assigned to conduct medical examinations aimed at curtailing on fraudulent disability claims by employees. However, partial disability from a work-related injury discounts the wage that the affected worker will be paid. Retrospectively, the income and substitution effects resulting from the wage reduction affects the quantity of labour and time spent in the working place. Because it is only the income effect that results from a loss in utility, the partially disabled employee can be compensated with a replacement scheme large enough to cancel out the income effect caused by the reduced wage. This applies when the desire is to adequately compensate the partially disabled employee (Van der Hulst 2003, p. 171). Conclusion Based on the neoclassical theory of individual labor s upply individuals use of time for both work and leisure. This indifference in an attempt to attain utmost utility of time, and changes in the wage rate greatly impacts the level of utility attained. Neoclassical theory of labor explains the variations in the wages paid to workers through theory of equalizing differences, human capital theory and efficiency wage theory. Consequently, an increase in the wage rate results causes an income effect and substitution effect. However, disutility in the working hours and working time exists in situations whereby excessive time is spent either in work or on leisure. Companies that provide favorable working conditions and flexible working hours have the option of paying a satisfied workforce less-than market wage rate. Furthermore, the change in the market wage rate determines the level upon which individuals prefer leisure for working; a situation called voluntary unemployment. List of References Aspromourgos, T 1986, â€Å"On the origins of the term ‘neoclassical’,† Cambridge Journal of Economics, vol. 10, no. 3, pp. 265 -270. Burda, M Wyplosz, C 2009, Macroeconomics: A European Text, 5th edn, Oxford, Oxford University Press. Caliendo, M, Gambaro, L Haan, P 2009, The impact of income taxation on the ratio between reservation and market wages and the incentives for labour supply, Applied Economics Letters. London, vol. 16, no. 9, p. 877. Casares, M 2010, â€Å"Unemployment as excess supply of labor: Implications for wage and price inflation†, Journal of Monetary Economics, vol. 57, no. 2, p. 233. Clark, A 2003a, â€Å"Unemployment as a Social Norm: Psychological Evidence from Panel Data†, Journal of Labor Economics, vol. 21, no. 2, pp. 323-351. Clark, A 2003b, â€Å"Unemployment as a Social Norm: Psychological Evidence from Panel Data†, Journal of Labor Economics, vol. 21, no. 2, pp. 289-322. Colander, D, Holt, R Rosser, B 2004, â€Å"The changing face of mainstream economics, † Review of Political Economy, Taylor and Francis Journals, vol. 16, no. 4, pp. 485-499. Gupta, MR Dutta, PB 2010, Skilled-unskilled wage inequality, nontraded good and endogenous supply of skilled labour: A theoretical analysis, Economic Modelling, vol. 27, no. 5, p. 923. Hazan, M Maoz, YD 2010, â€Å"Women’s lifetime labor supply and labor market experience†, Journal of Economic Dynamics Control, vol.34, no. 10, pp. 2126-2134. Kaufman, B 2008, â€Å"The Non-Existence of the Labor Demand/Supply Diagram, and other Theorems of Institutional Economics,† Journal of Labor Research, vol. 29, no. 3, pp. 285-299. Mutari, E, Figart, DM Power, M 2001, â€Å"Implicit Wage Theories In Equal Pay Debates In The United States,† Feminist Economics, Taylor and Francis Journals, vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 23-52. Nakamura, T Murayama, Y 2010, â€Å"A Complete Characterization Of The Inverted S-Shaped Labor Supply Curve†, Metroeconomica, vol. 61, no. 4, p. 665. Ra nsom, MR Sims, DP 2010, â€Å"Estimating the Firm’s Labor Supply Curve in a â€Å"New Monopsony† Framework: Schoolteachers in Missouri†, Journal of Labor Economics, vol. 28, no. 2, p. 331. Van der Hulst, M 2003, â€Å"Long work hours and health†, Scandinavian Journal of Work and Environmental Health, vol. 29, pp. 171-188. Veblen, T 2010, â€Å"Why is Economics not an Evolutionary Science? Quarterly Journal of Economics, vol. 12, no. 4, pp. 373-397. Vroman, W Brusentsev, V 2005, Unemployment compensation throughout the world: a comparative analysis, Michigan, W.E. Upjohn Institute. This essay on Neo-Classical Supply of Labour was written and submitted by user Leah Salas to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Why Is It Better to Buy a Powerpoint

Why Is It Better to Buy a Powerpoint If its difficult for you to make a Powerpoint presentation here is a solution to your problem. 5 Reasons to Buy a Powerpoint Going to  college  is a lot of work. You have a lot of material that you have to  study  in a short amount of time. The workload increases with the number of classes you are taking in school. Oftentimes, many  students  find themselves getting overwhelmed with trying to keep up with everything. One of the more common assignments in school is to make a PowerPoint presentation. To do so, you have to take  notes  on all of the important aspects you want to cover in your presentation. You then need to be able to back up your slides with strong content, visuals, and examples. Your audience needs to understand the message you are trying to convey. Read more:  Best Note-Taking Strategies While this might be easy for some, others find themselves struggling to be able to get even the first slide down. They sit there staring at the screen in the hopes that something is going to click and it is going to start flowing. Unfortunately, it never happens. They end up sitting there procrastinating and dont get it done on time. Next thing they know they have a bad grade in the class all because they didnt take the necessary actions to prevent it from happening.  Dont let the process intimidate you when there are people you can turn to for help and guidance. Thats when they turn to the help of an online service to buy a PowerPoint presentation for their  college  class. Check out some of the following benefits to going online and placing an order for a PowerPoint presentation today. 1. References are taken from current sources you can trust Since you often need to provide sources for your PowerPoint presentation, you want to make sure those sources are as current as possible. While some people have no problem finding reliable sources, others cant seem to find even one. When you order a PowerPoint presentation online, you dont have to worry about a thing. These individuals know right where to look to find the information that you need for your presentation. You can rest assured that your presentation is going to have only the most trusted and reliable sources. 2. All professionals are native English speakers One of the things that many people worry about when it comes time to buy a PowerPoint presentation is the language and grammar used. They want to make sure that everything is spelled properly, grammatically correct and all punctuation is in order. When you trust in a team of leading experts, that wont be a problem. You receive quality work written by English speaking professionals, so you can trust it is done correctly. 3. Presentations are made by degreed professionals When you buy a PowerPoint presentation online, you arent going to get some other  college  student  trying to make a few bucks working on your project. You are going to get someone who has already completed their  college  degree and knows what it takes to make a presentation that is going to awe the teacher and get you the  grade  that you want. 4. Everything is checked for plagiarism When you pay for a presentation from a leading company, you can trust that all work is original and free from plagiarism. These individuals didnt go out there and copy and paste the information into your presentation and call it a day. They researched the topic thoroughly and made sure you got original content on each and every slide. 5. You get free revisions In the event you need something changed on your presentation, you can take advantage of the revision process without ever having to pay anything more out of your pocket. This guarantees that you are going to get the results you want at a price that works for you. Instead of stressing yourself out over how you are going to get your presentation done in time, head online and  place an order  for a PowerPoint presentation  to save yourself a lot of hassles and headaches. While someone else does the work for you, you can focus on other things more important in school and your personal life.

Analyzing an Aspect of Nursing Care Based on a Provided Profile of a Essay

Analyzing an Aspect of Nursing Care Based on a Provided Profile of a Patient - Essay Example Although, the patient has multiple system involvement, given the recent history of myocardial infarction and resulting LVF, heart failure is likely to be the leading cause of hospital readmission in this case. LVF, when coexisting with COPD, makes pharmacological treatment challenging (Padeletti, Jelic and LeJemtel, 2008). This disease is likely to impact and overshadow the management and prognosis of all other associated conditions. Limitation of functional capacity due to LVF is a serious hindrance for the patient to seek treatment for other associated conditions and participate in a rehabilitation program for stroke, peripheral vascular disease and COPD. Acute decompensation of LVF can occur because of treatment non-compliance, infection or poor nutritional status and can be fatal. Thus, nurses play an important role in preventing acute decompensation and rehospitalisation. Heart failure patients generally have a poor prognosis and a reduced quality of life (Gould, 2002). However, because of advances in treatment and dedicated heart failure programs, the prognosis of the condition has improved with the 6 month mortality rate declining from 26% in 1995 to 14% in 2005(Mehta, et al., 2009). Concurrently, hospitalization rates are increasing. An elderly patient with multiple comorbidities, multiple medications and reduced quality of life is the typical profile of a patient with heart failure. In this patient, MI, LVF, COPD, peripheral vascular disease as well as duodenal ulcer have common risk factors of age, smoking and atherosclerosis. Pathophysiology of left ventricular failure Left ventricular failure may be defined as the inability of left side of the heart to pump enough blood to meet the metabolic needs of the body. Coronary artery disease leading to myocardial infarction is the most common cause of left sided heart failure (NICE, 2010, Gould 2002). MI impairs myocardial contraction and hence, reduces its efficiency to pump blood. Severity of the infarcti on is proportional to the severity of LVF. Other common causes of left ventricular failure include hypertension, cardiomyopathy and valvular heart disease. Positive history of smoking, peripheral vascular disease and age, point towards atherosclerosis and resulting MI as the cause of LVF in this patient. COPD also causes heart failure which is mainly right sided. However, it can also precipitate LVF (Paudel, et al., 2008). LVF, in turn, can cause right heart failure by increasing pulmonary vascular resistance (pulmonary hypertension). Signs and symptoms As the ability of the left ventricle to pump blood in the forward direction is impaired, symptoms result from pulmonary vascular congestion and inadequate cardiac output. Pulmonary congestion affects gas exchange in the alveoli and causes dyspnea, orthopnoea, cough, dizziness, confusion, syncope, fatigue, and decreased functional capacity and exercise tolerance (Buckler, 2009). New York Heart Association (NYHA) grading is a useful to ol for grading the severity of LVF that should be used. Physical examination reveals tachypnea, gallop rhythm and features of pulmonary oedema, such as crepitations over lung fields, predominantly at the base. Respiratory distress and production of pink frothy sputum is present in decompensated cases,

Ombine the processes of consultancy and project management with people Essay

Ombine the processes of consultancy and project management with people management - Essay Example In order to understand the financial as well as human resource aspects, work breakdown structure will be drawn and budget will be analyzed for the overall project. Time constraint is the most important factor for the success of the project. Failure to deliver the project in time may have an adverse affect on the expected benefit of the project. Hence, the project has taken into consideration the time schedule and network diagram has been developed so as to analyze it. It is also important to determine the risk of the project as risk management is the significant consideration of the project. Therefore, the project will also throw light onto the risk that is associated with the project. Emperor Capital Group Limited was established in the year 1993 and is a Hong Kong based investment holding company. It has been providing various ranges of financial services to the customers. It has been facilitating the brokerage services for various products like securities, future, options, bonds that are traded on the exchanges in Hong Kong, Japan and in the US (Emperor Group, 2010). The company also provides Margin and IPO financing, as well as it has been pioneer in providing loans and other related services to its clients. It is to be noted that the brokerage business of the company has been running since last 12 years along with stable business development. In the year 1994, headquarter was moved to a newly made Emperor Group Center that was located in Wanchai, Hong Kong. Emperor Futures Limited was also established in the same year that provided investors the financial services like securities and future trading. The year 2007 was marked as the most remarkable year as Emperor Capital Group Limited got listed on the main board under the stock exchanges of Hong Kong (Corporate Information, 2010). The company maintains corporate governance and is also committed for effective accountability mechanism in every part of

Effects of an Ice Age on the Oceans Essay Example for Free

Effects of an Ice Age on the Oceans Essay The Earth, the third planet from the Sun capable of sustaining life, has several components on its surface. More than 70% of the Earth is covered by water and most of them is concentrated on the oceans. These oceans serve not only as huge bodies of water in between the land masses but also a large habitat for most of the marine life on the planet. Furthermore, it is in the oceans that some of the most important phenomena that keep the atmospheric conditions stable occur. Indeed, oceans are the lifeblood of the planet. What effects does an Ice Age have on these bodies of water? Ice ages are usually known as a period of gradual reduction in the temperature of the planetary climate which causes massive expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and mountain glaciers. In glaciological terms, an ice age means that ice sheets are present in the northern and southern hemispheres (which means technically we are still in an ice age, given the ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctic (Imbrie and Imbrie, 1986). A study of ice sheets and other sources reveal that the Earth’s climate is characterized by a cycle between warm periods or interglacial conditions and glacial conditions. Many theories have emerged to explain the occurrence of these ice ages. One well-known theory was devised by Milutin Milankovitch in 1938. It predicts that the shifts from glacial to interglacial and vice versa are affected by the changes in the tilt of the Earth’s rotational axis every 41,000 years, differences in the orientation of the planet’s elliptical orbit around the Sun known as the precession of the equinoxes occurring every 23,000 years and changes in the shape of the orbit happening almost every 100,000 years (Joyce and Keigwin, 2007). Another theory that explains the origins of the ice ages is the changes in the planetary atmosphere. The rise and fall of greenhouse gases have been linked to the retreat and advance of the ice sheets. It is possible that the changes in the greenhouse gases may have been caused by other factors contributing to the start of the ice age such as continent motion and volcanism. One hypothesis, known as the â€Å"Snowball Earth† hypothesis, claims that the late Proterozoic era saw a severe ice age that began with a reduction of carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere and ended with an increase of these levels in the atmosphere. The early anthropocene hypothesis of William Ruddiman claims that during this era where human activities started to cause a significant global impact on the climate and ecosystems more than 8,000 years ago, atmospheric gas levels began to not follow the pattern of the Milankovitch cycles (Macdougall, 2004). Geological events confirm that the position of continents may cause ice ages if they block or decrease the flow of warm water to the poles allowing the formation of ice sheets. These ice sheets will then cause the increase in the Earth’s reflectivity decreasing the absorption of solar radiation which leads to atmospheric cooling. This starts a positive feedback loop allowing more ice sheets to form as the temperature cools. Some of these configurations include a continent sitting on top of a pole, a polar sea that is land-locked and a super continent that covers most of the equatorial area (Aber, 2003). Another big factor in the end of an ice age is sudden global warming that could theoretically be caused by the eruption of large undersea volcanoes. These volcanoes and flood basalts could release huge amounts of methane that contribute to a large and rapid increase in the greenhouse effect (Macdougall, 2004). There are five known periods of glaciation: Huronian (2400 Ma – 2100 Ma), Cryogenian (850 Ma – 635 Ma), Andean-Saharan (450 Ma – 420 Ma), Karoo (360 Ma – 260 Ma) and Cenozoic (30 Ma – Present). Oceans are very important in maintaining the stability of climate. The balancing of excess heating at the equator and cooling at the poles is accomplished transporting heat via atmospheric and oceanic currents from low to high altitudes. The warm surface waters that arrive at the higher latitudes are cooled and the heat is released to the atmosphere and later on radiated away to space. This mechanism bridges the gap between equator and pole temperatures. Warm ocean temperatures also cause an excess of evaporation against precipitation in the atmosphere. The water vapor is then transported to the poles through atmospheric currents and there it cools causing an excess of precipitation against evaporation. These two components together with the salinity-dependent mixing of the cold waters returning from the poles with the warm waters at the equator allows the continuity of the great ocean conveyor belt that allows for climate stability (Joyce and Keigwin, 2007). An ice age will could also begin if the balance is disrupted on this belt. Scientists now speculate that we are heading for another ice age given the current configurations of the continents and other factors. One possible scenario is that as the Earth continues to experience global warming, ice sheets will soon begin to melt. The Arctic sea has 15% less ice compared to levels 40 years ago. Cold fresh water from melted glaciers and ice sheets will flow into the north Atlantic which could weaken the Gulf stream and the great ocean conveyor belt since it would change salinity levels important for mixing and the temperatures of the waters. This would cause a cold climate change for Europe with temperatures reaching up to 10oC for during the summer. This could also usher in the next ice age since at the height of the last one, the strength of the Gulf stream was only two-thirds that of today. Global warming will slow down the Gulf stream by up to 30% and may cut off Europe completely in the future (McGuire, 2002). Given this possibility of an ice age occurring, it is important to look into the possible effects of an ice age. The most obvious effect of an ice age on the oceans is the decrease of actual flowing water given that the ice sheets would be formed from waters of both in-land sources and the oceans. Since glaciers are formed from freshwater, this means that the freezing up of oceanic waters could increase the salinity of the remaining flowing water. Scientists at the Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory found that ocean circulation changes did not cause but was rather the effect of climate changes at the start and end of the last ice age. Ice sheet volume and global carbon budget had changed even before the ocean currents were affected. The possible scenario drawn is that the ice age had been driven by discrepancies with the amount of heat from the sun arriving at the poles. The changes in the carbon cycle were caused by the decline of plant life because of cooler temperatures and glacial advance. This caused an initial change in the great ocean conveyor belt by amplifying the effect of heat at the higher latitudes. Ocean circulation changes that were caused by the beginnings of the ice age further amplified the climate trends that cause the continental ice sheet expansion and also the retreat of the ice sheets later on (LDEO, 2005). The implication of this research is that this shows a possible effect of an impending ice age on the oceans. It expresses the possibility that once a change in climate is set-off, the great ocean conveyor belt adapts to the new conditions further aggravating the new changes in climate. Thus, a new ice age could bring a change in the current ocean currents prevalent today. Since the oceans are host to an unknown number of species of living organisms, the effects on marine life is also important to consider. Although terrestrial organisms would rather prefer the current warm climate, evidence shows that aquatic organisms did not share the same preference. A team of scientists from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada found that ice age oceans some 20,000 years ago had increased concentrations of nitrate, an important nutrient for plankton that producers for the marine food chain. These concentrations could have supported plankton life in waters that are now nutrient deprived. They measured nitrate levels of two nitrogen isotopes – N-15 and N-14 in sediments found at the coast of Mazatlan, Mexico. This is one of three â€Å"nitrate sinks† in the ocean where bacteria cause denitrification. Although the data gathered from two sites coincided with the hypothesis, it is insufficient to definitively conclude that global nitrate levels were as high as those at the sites. However, it is possible and this could mean that more marine life was present given the abundance of plankton. This could also have contributed more to the ice age since more plants could absorb more carbon dioxide reducing even more the greenhouse effect (Monastersky, 1995). All these effects are but glimpses of what truly happens during an ice age. We can never truly know exactly what all of them are unless we experience it ourselves. But for sure, given the immensity of the world’s oceans and how reliant stable climate is to them, these effects would affect not only the oceans themselves but the entire planet. Bibliography: Imbrie, J. Imbrie, K. P. (1986). Ice ages: Solving the Mystery. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. Joyce, T. Keigwin, L. (2007). Are we on the brink of a ‘New Little Ice Age’? Retrieved 11 May 2007 from http://www. whoi. edu/page. do? pid=12455tid=282cid=10046.

Why Is Religion Important? :: Why Study Religion?

Religion has always been with us. Throughout history, it has expressed the deepest questions human beings can ask, and it has taken a central place in the lives of virtually all civilizations and cultures. As we think all the way back to the dawn of human consciousness, we find religion everywhere we turn. This may be true of the past, but what about the present—and the future? In recent times, critics have suggested that religion is on the way out. Technology and science have changed our view of the world radically, leading some to say that we've entered a new stage of human existence, without religion. Soon, they argue, it will truly be a thing of the past. In our day and age, rumors of religion's demise seem very premature—and perhaps there's no grain of truth in them at all. Religion persists and is often on the rise, even as scientific and non-religious perspectives have become prominent. We still find religion everywhere, on television, in film, in popular music, in our towns and neighborhoods. We discover religion at the center of global issues and cultural conflict. We see religion in the lives of the people we know and love, and in ourselves, as we live out and wrestle with our own religious faith. Why does religion continue to thrive? There are many reasons, but one thing is certain: religious traditions are adaptable in important ways. For many, contemporary religion even has room for skepticism, science, and the secular, which allows it to keep going strong in our rapidly changing world.

Canada’s Recreational Parks

â€Å"The capacity to use leisure rightly is the basis of a man's whole life.† This observation by Aristotle clearly proves the significance that it holds in our time. Previously, when the struggle for food and shelter took most of a man's time, the ability to use leisure rightly had less significance. Over time there has been a vast change in thinking with regards to the usefulness of leisure, especially pertaining to issues concerned with land use and outdoor recreation resources. Hence, this essay will present a case study on Algonquin Provincial Park, which will draw on aspects of the workings of leisure and/or tourism and how various theories such as Distance Decay, the ‘Ellis Curve', the theories of Valene Smith and Doxey, give an insightful meaning to the planning and management of sustainable ecosystems. In Canada, the emergence of parks, especially national and provincial parks, plays an integral role in our consideration of outdoor recreation resources. Public awareness with regards to this importance has enabled the public to â€Å"recognize more clearly a collective responsibility for the management of our environment and preservation of its values.† Also, with the technology that has become increasingly available to use, our abilities to alter the landscape have left very little lands to preserve in their natural beauty. Therefore, the conservation or preservation of resource-based parks should be implemented before all opportunities disappear permanently. As well, providing leisure opportunities enables us to fulfill our objectives of the best possible standard of living for every individual. In relation to this point there is a growing acceptance the â€Å"nature sanctuaries of solitude and repose where people can find re-creation of body and spirit are essential to provide a change from the pace and demands of modern civilization.† Thus, the provision of suitable land for outdoor living should deserve consideration in competing land uses. It is already agreed upon the notion that we must provision land for outdoor recreation as a necessary public service; but the question now remains how to maintain the demand for such services when faced with a dwindling supply (available land) and an increasing demand (rising population, rising income/quality of life = increasing discretionary income = availability of more leisure time). This leads us to the objectives of the necessity and objectives of our (Ontario) provincial park system. The basic reasons for establishing provincial parks have remained essentially fluid over time. â€Å"Protection, recreation, heritage appreciation, and tourism are the objectives of the current provincial park system.† These were the same reasons evoked in the late 1800's for setting aside the first provincial parks in Ontario. As a general description, in Ontario, the parks tend to be fragmented and multilayered. This means that at the provincial level of parks and outdoor recreation there are â€Å"at least 15 provincial departments, agencies, or commissions are actively engaged in parks and open space programs.† The parks are essentially used by many groups and individuals to satisfy a great number of recreational needs. Therefore, a given park may be multi layered(administered at several governmental levels) and multi purpose in nature. Recently, with respect to the objectives of provincial parks, the policy has taken an economic outlook towards its managements. For instance, according to the official mandate of Ontario Parks is â€Å"to protect, plan, develop, and manage Ontario's system of provincial parks while improving their self reliance.† Thus, the objective of creating and managing these parks is to â€Å"improve services to increase revenues, and, inturn, to sustain other parks.† This shows a marked difference in the nature of recreation perceived by park developers. By this we mean that the nature of the park itself has changed from one that was once for conservation and recreation to that of financial stability. For example, from excerpts from the Ontario Parks Objectives, the business objectives include the objective of â€Å"operating more like a business and improving customer service and market our products and services†¦Ã¢â‚¬  as goals. Their business plan includes, among others, objectives to create â€Å"a special purpose account for retaining and managing park revenues (fees, licences, permits, rentals) to be developed. It will improve customer service, maximize revenues and make park operations more efficient and accountable.† As this shows, the very basic existence of Ontario Parks has changed from one that provided outdoor recreation opportunities to every man, woman and child, to that of a corporate enterprise, trying to maximize profit in a monopolized marketplace. This is how recreation has changed over the time frame of the development of the parks to the present day policies and initiatives undertaken by the province which manages these parks. Algonquin Park is Ontario's first Provincial Park and is located in the region of ‘Near North' in Ontario. The essence of Algonquin is its vast Interior of maple hills, rocky ridges, spruce bogs, and thousands of lakes, ponds and streams. More than 250 bird species have been recorded in the park. Many southern and overseas birders make special trips to Algonquin just to see northern specialties such as the Gray Jay and the Spruce Grouse, not to mention the rich variety of warblers or Algonquin's most famous bird of all – the Common Loon, found nesting on just about every lake. Hence, a practical casestudy to examine, is that of Algonquin Park. Algonquin Park was established in 1893 due to the growing concerns at the time. These issues revolved around the wood supply and climate that were being threatened by massive clearing of forests. The person responsible for the parks first lands reserves was Robert Phipps, who was strongly influenced by the public and senior civil servants of Ontario. Phipps believed that it was imperative to stop settlement and land clearing activities in this part of Ontario. He stated that â€Å"when covered with extensive woods the principal heights of land forms reservoirs which supply the sources of numerous rivers, give moisture to the numerous small lakes and watercourses†¦below them, and preserve throughout the whole country a fertility, invariably much impaired when the forests are removed.† Robert Phipps enlisted the help of Alexander Kirkwood, who advised a commission that the objectives of establishing the first provincial park should be to â€Å"1)preserve the headwaters of the park river systems, 2) to preserve the native forests, 3) to protect birds, fish, game and fur bearing animals, 4) to provide an area for forest experimentation, 5) to serve as a ‘health resort and pleasure ground for the benefit, advantage and enjoyment of the people of the province.† As well, the chairman of the Royal Commission on Game and Fish, that the provincial government had been forced to set up, by the public, was convinced that Ontario's fish and wildlife were in the process of being eliminated. Therefore it was recommended the â€Å"formation of a provincial game park as the best means of restocking the province† with wildlife should be created. These powerful influences ensured that the park would be created and maintained. Therefore, by establishing the park in 1893, it not only tended to stop logging but to establish a wildlife sanctuary, and by excluding agriculture, â€Å"to protect the headwaters of the five major rivers which flow from the park.† The original name was â€Å"Algonquin National Park†, but it was in fact always under Ontario's jurisdiction. The name was officially changed to Algonquin Provincial Park in 1913. It was named to honour the Algonquin-speaking first nation people and to date covers more than 7725 square kilometres of forest, lakes, and rivers. As the park has changed and evolved since its creation, so to have the policies concerning Algonquin. The construction of the railroad across Algonquin after the park was created, was used primarily for logging purposes. It was constructed between the years 1894 and 1896. However, the completion of the railway had a great effect on the recreational use of the new park, for it was now accessible for the first time to everyone. For the next 40 years, the people using the park for purposes like lodges, youth camp, could only be accessed by train. Some predicted that the multi purpose uses for the park (logging, recreation) would soon run into complications. After the construction of Highway 60 from 1933 to 1936, an alternative to the railroad provided even greater access to the park's facilities. More than 3600 automobiles entered the park's gate during the highway's first full year of operation, and soon campgrounds had been established at popular sites. At the same time, this more convenient means of access to Algonquin made the demise of the railroad just a question of time. The increasing conflict between logging and recreation finally came true – the late 1960s were a time of great public controversy and debate about the role of logging in Algonquin. Most believed that the logging was unacceptable with the wilderness park they wanted. This lead to the Algonquin Park Committee designed to present and implement official policy guidelines with regards to the management of Algonquin provincial park. The report created was called the Algonquin Master Plan. It addressed the contemporary issues/problems that were facing the park and the solutions recommended by park planners to rectify the situation. The Algonquin Park Master Plan was released by the Ontario government in 1974. It was also decided to review the effectiveness of this plan's policy every five years and to suggest better ways to improve the park during these times. These periodic public reviews and modifications would not take away the main focus of the plan. As stated earlier, the plan was prepared by the Ontario government in an attempt to resolve the many â€Å"conflicting demands being placed on the Park, and to set out rational guidelines for Algonquin's future use and development in the face of pressures that can only become stronger in the years to come.† The Master Plan's official goal for Algonquin is to â€Å"provided continuing opportunities for a diversity of low intensity recreational experiences, within the constraint of the contribution of the Park to the economic life of the region.† What this essentially implied is that logging would continue to operate within the park's boundaries, but that it would be managed in such a way that the â€Å"feel† of wilderness is not destroyed by either logging or recreational activities. The main features from the Master Plan remain unchanged. Some of the highlights from the Master Plan include that the park is divided into zones each with different allowed uses. Logging, for example, is permitted only in the recreation-utilization, or about 57% of the park's total area. Other zones include wilderness zones, development zones, nature reserve zones, and historical zones. Another feature of the Plan was the cancellation of the existing timber licences held by some twenty logging companies, and the creation of a Crown agency called the Algonquin Forestry Authority. It now carries out all logging and forest management in the park in accordance with comprehensive regulations administered by the Ministry of Natural Resources. The Authority sells the wood to the mills which were formerly supplied by the private companies. In another attempt to control the logging practices of the forest, the provincial government has created a planning process called Lands for Life which states that â€Å"logging companies will manage our public land and will have rights to it for up to 100 years at a time. Logging companies have openly stated that they do not want any new protected areas to come out of Lands for Life and they want to log in existing parks like Algonquin.† The third area where the Plan introduced far-reaching changes was that of recreation in the park interior. In an effort to preserve those qualitites shown by studies and questionnaires to be sought after by the vast majority of interior users, the Plan called for regulations such as banned motor boats from most lakes, limiting the number of canoeists, limiting the size of interior camping parties, and banning disposable cans and bottles in the park interior. Another area under intense scrutiny was that of the park's perimeter. The committee recommended the provision of additional intensive recreation facilities outside the boundaries of Algonquin park. Basically, the committee had in mind the establishment of additional facilities in order to takes some of the pressure off Algonquin. The park, in their terms, had reached its carrying capacity due to overuse. The natural solution is to establish satellite parks. Another issue relates to that of concessions and the committee commented on this by stating that the â€Å"proposed expansion of the park facilities to meet the anticipated demand is going to be expensive from capital cost and from operating and research expenses. It is appropriate that the park users should pay a fair share of the costs through users' fees such as entrance and camping fees. The balance of the costs could properly be borne by the general revenues of the province.† Many of these provisions continue to be refined and modified particularly in response to periodic public reviews of the Master Plan. Thus new issues that deal with human interaction through outdoor recreation and the stability of the park are continuously brought up. The decisions by the park planners with respect to the issues facing the park could not have all been foreseen. They believe that the park, though growing and facing new changes with respect to its needs for outdoor recreation, serves â€Å"its original purpose as well as many of the interests currently are being expressed by the various elements within society today.† Taking into consideration the objectives and aims of the Ontario Provincial Government to ensure the protection and future developmental process of the Algonquin Park, one can apply certain theories. A theory which applies to the Algonquin Provincial Park is the issue of Distance Decay. Distance Decay states the further away a place is from a community, there will be a significantly lower the number of visitors. With reference to the Distance Function Graph, the percentage of users of the Algonquin Provincial Park before infrastructure improvements the slope of the curve had a steady outward decrease. However, with the improvements of the infrastructure such as the establishment of Highway 60, the slope of the curve has changed. The inferred increase in the slope of the curve means that the park has become more accessible and hence an increase in the number of visitors. In 1997, more than 8.5 million people enjoyed provincial parks and as many as 2,400 people attended public wolf howling sessions in Algonquin in a day. And with the further improvements of the park, these numbers are expected to increase. The expected increase of users is a concern of Ontario Parks hence a limitation of visitors was established. The Distance Decay function, however, is tied to the theory of Valene Smith, Hosts and Guests, 1977. Smith classifies the type of tourist and their adaptations to local norms. In the past the Algonquin Park has mainly attracted the ‘Explorer' type of tourist, limited in numbers but who accepts fully the environment. However, an argument can be put forward that the type of tourist to Algonquin has shifted to the ‘Incipient Mass' type tourist. Reasoning for this classification is because there is now a steady flow of tourist to the park, but mainly because the tourists now seek Western amenities. These amenities are the presence of newly established restaurants, lodging and designated walking trails. The Algonquin Park, in some sense, is moving towards a McDonalization of Tourism, in which vacations are controlled as to the number of people allowed into the park and predictable with respect to the areas visitors are allowed to visit. The natural concept of going to Algonquin to experience nature first hand, is therefore somewhat lost by the adding of museums and the creation of a tourism bubble. There is nothing real anymore. Like Disney theme parks, fakes ( ‘simulacra') are more real than ‘the real'. The tourism experience becomes one of ‘tourism consumerism', a concept of Post-Tourism. Therefore, there is no ‘authentic' tourist experience because the post-tourist realize that they are play a game. The experience of going to Algonquin to watch the birds or to see the wolves is in a controlled atmosphere – it is not the ‘real thing' – but rather an assimilation of what the tourists expect to see when visiting Algonquin. In conclusion, the ‘Ellis Curve' helps to visually summarize the concepts and effects of tourism on Algonquin Provincial Park. Before Algonquin Provincial Park was established in 1893, the placement of Algonquin along the ‘Ellis Curve' can be arguably placed in the ‘A' quadrant. The reasoning for this placement is because, the tourism effects were more favourable to the environment – more Explorer type tourist- and to the economy, wherein there was the presence of private logging companies. After 1893, the placement of Algonquin was now closer towards the â€Å"B† quadrant. The tourism effect became less favourable towards the environment and more favourable for the economy. The improved infrastructure created an increase in users, a shift in the type of tourist – Incipient Mass – and an increase presence of logging companies, all of which placed concerns about the carrying capacity of Algonquin Park. However, through the new objectives of the Provincial Government in levying user fees of campgrounds, the consolidation of logging under Crown supervision to deal with the issue of the carrying capacity, the placement of Algonquin could be placed back in Quadrant ‘A'. Striking a balance between the recreational aspect of the park and the economic functions of logging has been the primary focus of Ontario Parks. The step towards the concept of McDonaldization of Tourism can be seen as a form of alternative tourism in which monetary concerns to fund educational programs and the preservation of the ecosystem by limiting human impact, is seen as the better of the two evils. Finally, with drawn reference to the work of Doxey, The Irritation Index of Tourism, my personal opinion is that the present environmental policies in place have established a level of apathy, wherein the attitude of tourist (the public) and host (park operators) is a moderate acceptance and support of tourism and is a positive step towards fulfilling â€Å"the capacity to use leisure rightly as the basis of man's whole life.†