Big Five Factor Model :: Psychology, Human Personality, Extraversion

Big Five Factor Model A model developed for using factor analysis to try to determine the key traits in human personality. Although trait theories were well established by the 1960s, there was no consensus concerning the number or nature of the traits that make up personality. Since then, further research has confirmed a basic five factor model of personality or ‘Big Five’ (Tomas 2007). This five factor structure has been replicated by Norma (1963), Borgatta (1964) and Digman and Takemoto-Chock (1981) in list derived from Cattle’s 35 variables (Lawrence &Oliver 2000). These scales are commonly alternatively represented by the OCEAN acronym Openness to experience, Conscientiousness, Extraversion/Introversion, Agreeableness and Neuroticism. The Big Five structure captures, at a broad level of abstraction, commonalities among most of the existing systems of personality description, and provides an integrative descriptive model for personality research. (Oliver& Sanjay 1999) Economists are not alone in their interest in the description, prediction, and explanation of human behavior. Psychologists, too, have approached these challenges. Economists can profitably leverage research from psychology on the measurement, prediction, and malleability of personality traits organized in the widely accepted Big Five taxonomy. (Lex, Angela, James & Bas 2008) Extraversion Extraversion is marked by pronounced engagement with the external world. Extraverts enjoy eing with people, are full of energy, and often experience positive emotions. They tend to be enthusiastic, action-oriented, individuals who are likely to say "Yes!" or "Let's go!" to opportunities for excitement. In groups they like to talk, assert themselves, and draw attention to themselves. (Beaumont 2003) Openness to experience Openness to experience is a measure of depth, breadth and variability in a person's imagination And urge for experiences. The factor relates to intellect, openness to new ideas, cultural interests, educational aptitude and creativity as well as an interest in varied sensory and cognitive experiences. People with a high openness to experience have broad interests, are liberal and like novelty. The preservers with low openness to experience are conventional, conservative and prefer familiarity (Howard & Howard, 1995). Agreeableness The agreeableness linked to altruism, nurturance, caring and emotional support versus competitiveness, hostility, indifference, self-centeredness, spitefulness and jealousy (Howard & Howard, 1995). Conscientiousness Conscientiousness is a measure of goal-directed behavior and amount of control over impulses. Conscientiousness has been linked to educational achievement and particularly to the will to achieve. The focused person concentrates on a limited number of goals but strives hard to reach them, while the flexible person is more impulsive and easier to persuade from one task to another Heinstrà ¶m (2003).

Internal combustion engine Essay

There is a big debate about the future of the auto industry. The new big topic is electric cars. Ads emphasize how much less pollution these cars put out, but the truth is that many people do not realize the downside of these cars. For instance, did you know that average battery cost for electric cars is between $18,000 and $20,000? Also, these cars produce significant more amounts of sulfur dioxide compared to traditional internal combustion engines, and what about the factories that burn billions of tons of coal everyday to produce electricity to charge these cars? Yes, these cars do produce little carbon dioxide directly, but the main source of pollution comes indirectly from the power plants that power these cars. Electric cars are not the best environmental solution in the long run because they still cause pollution while charging and producing them, there is no safe place to dispose of the batteries, and they are extremely expensive (Hogan). The first major issue with electric cars is that the process of manufacturing and charging these cars produces billions of tons of carbon dioxide emissions. The EPA’s research shows that for an average size car, electricity’s emissions are about three times higher than the emissions of gasoline (Inside Climate Staff). Electric cars do not produce much pollution directly. Instead the pollution is rather created at the source of the energy, power plants. Pollution is caused when manufacturing and producing these cars too. In addition, large amounts of pollution are produced while mining for the metals found in the new types of batteries. All of the mining machines and vehicles are powered from fossil fuels such as coal, gasoline, and diesel fuels. A great amount of energy is lost in the process of transmitting the electricity from the power source to your car. Also, electric cars emit significantly higher amounts of sulfur dioxide into the air compared to internal-combustion engines. Sulfur dioxide is the main component that causes acid rain. Acid rain can cause damage to lakes, streams, forests, car paints, copper, stone, and other building materials. Acid rain soaks into the soil and roots of plants, and causes slowed growth, and loss of leaves or needles. In the Great Smoky Mountains, acid rain has actually killed one-hundred or more of the Frazier Fir and Red Spruce trees (U. S. Environmental Protection Agency). Furthermore, in the Northeastern United States. , such as in the Kesterson Reservoir in the San Joaquin Valley, acid rain caused hundreds of fish populations to vanish from lakes (Davis). Acid rain can contaminate our own drinking water without us even knowing it; it tastes, and looks like regular water! When sulfur dioxide is inhaled, it can cause damage to your heart and lungs, causing disorders such as bronchitis and asthma (National Parks Service). Additionally, battery disposal is a key issue. The average life of this new type of batteries is twenty-five to thirty thousand miles before they will have to be replaced. If electric cars are going to be a thing of the future, there will become an excess of batteries in landfills and other disposal sites. Presently, landfills are not designed to handle the millions of batteries that would need to be disposed of if millions of people were driving electric cars. If these batteries are not properly disposed of, toxic chemicals could leak into the environment. Also, recycling these lithium-ion batteries doesn’t appear to be in the future anywhere soon. The cost of collecting, organizing, and shipping these metals to a recycler far outweighs the value of the scrapped material, so for the time being, most of these metals will be thrown away in landfills and junkyards (Mitchell). Another obstacle with these materials being tossed in landfills is the possibility of corrosive chemicals leaking into streams, rivers, and lakes. The process of refining metals for these batteries also releases pollutants into the environment. Once the refiner gets what metal they need from the ore, they discard the other materials into the nearby ecosystems. When this happens, our drinking water could be contaminated, and it could also damage, or kill the wildlife in that area (Bacher). Lastly, these cars are extremely expensive. Because the batteries only last for about a hundred miles, this means you would have to charge them about three times for every full tank of gas that you would normally buy. Also, with this low charge capacity, it would be virtually impossible to take long trips. You would have to stop frequently to charge the battery, which takes about nine hours to completely charge. This would turn a normal two-hundred mile, four hour drive into at least a thirteen hour trip, assuming that you could find an open charging station! Another reason that these cars are so expensive is that you have to replace the battery in your car about every twenty-five to thirty thousand miles. This is a very costly expense, especially since each new battery is about eighteen to twenty thousand dollars! This is $80,000 for batteries alone if you drive 100,000 miles in your car! The price of charging an electric car is less than what a full tank of gas would cost you, but you end up paying for it in the long run when you have to replace the battery. Electric cars are expensive from the start. The average retail price of most electric cars is in the thirty to forty thousand dollar range. Most middle class individuals cannot afford to pay this price for this new technology, which is why this will not be the best economical solution in the long run. These cost projections assume that both the car and the battery work correctly for the duration of their lives, but what if the battery breaks, or stops working, forcing you to replace it? The technology is new and underdeveloped, which means that there might still be some problems or â€Å"bugs† that the designers haven’t had a chance to fix. That’s $20,000 right there that you would have to pay in addition to the purchase price. That’s close to half of what you originally paid for the car! Since these cars are less, there are fewer mechanics that are qualified to work or operate on them, so the price of operation will be very high. Electric cars were released around 2010, which means there hasn’t even been enough time for a mechanic to get a four-year degree in operating on electric cars (Hogan). The problem with automobile pollution definitely needs to be addressed and solved, but fully-electric cars are not the best solution. They are made out to be better than they actually are, and they definitely have major disadvantages. First of all, they will have to become a lot cheaper for people to be able to afford them. The general public cannot afford to pay $20,000 for a new battery every 30,000 miles. Designers also need to find a way to lengthen the range of these cars. With only a 100 mile range, it is just not practical for most people. In addition, these cars still produce pollution, just not directly. All of the pollution is created indirectly, at coal-burning electricity power plants. Another unaddressed issue is that these cars emit large amounts of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere, which is what combines with water to become acid rain. Lastly, there is no good place to dispose of batteries. If millions of people are going to be driving these cars, there will be tons of toxic batteries in landfills and disposal sites, which can cause harm to the wildlife, and the surrounding environment. If you accidentally miscalculate the charge left in your car, you will be stuck. Unlike a gas-powered vehicle, you cannot simply fill up your car with a gas can. With electric cars, there is no way to replenish the energy in your car on the side of the road. The fully-electric car was a good idea, but in the long run, it is not the best answer. The automobile companies need to continue to improve internal combustion engines to decrease their carbon dioxide emissions. Works Cited Cultrona, R. L. Pros and Cons of Electric Cars. 1999-2012. 18 March 2012. . Davis, Jay. Marine Bio. 1998-2012. 18 March 2012. . Hogan, Micheal C. The Encyclopedia of Earth. 21 February 2012. 18 March 2012. . Mitchell, Robert L. Computer World. 22 August 2006. 18 March 2012. . National Parks Service. 28 October 2010. 18 March 2012 . Staff, Solve Climate. Inside Climate News. 1 April 2010. 18 March 2012. . U. S. Environmental Protection Agency. 8 June 2007. 18 March 2012. .

Indigenous Peoples Essay

The peak of the globalization is mostly felt when every culture around the world is integrated into a centrally focused ideal that encapsulates each unique cultural set-up practiced around the world. When all these cultures are somehow connected in something that both caters to each need of the various cultures of people and introduces an open understanding and tolerance to all the available sub-cultures within a particular state or nation, there is no question that globalization has taken its effect to its most fundamentally successful level. Such is the case after reading the book A Global History of Indigenous Peoples by Ken S. Coates that, according to some reviews, â€Å"examines the history of the indigenous/tribal peoples of the world and the work spans of the period from the pivotal migrations which saw the peopling of the world, and further examines the processes by which tribal peoples established themselves as separate from surplus-based and more material societies (Barnes and Noble). † The book is also a successful introduction to how the impact of the differing policies of global struggles of cultural domination takes place in the world and how the colonization of these changes has impacted the indigenous cultures. As a form of analysis in the chapter of the book entitled Continuing the Struggle: Indigenous Protests, Legal Agendas, and Aboriginal Internationalism, it would be great to highlight how the impact of globalization made the integration of the different indigenous cultures in some leading countries successful. In this aspect, no country is better to analyze and cite as an example than the great cultural history of the indigenous rights movement in Canada. Moreover, the analysis in this given area should focus both on how the indigenous rights movement in Canada has been integrated into the globalization integration of cultures and to how this degree has been made manifest in the uniqueness of the indigenous rights culture of the particular state. Secondly, an analysis on how this uniqueness has been able to relate to the international scenario of protests and processes that are forming the cultural integration of all the major cultures practiced in our time, is also very important. Degree of the Indigenous rights Movement in Canada When we discuss the indigenous rights movement in Canada, the most immediate things we can think about and can connect to the book of Ken S. Coates are the aboriginal nature of Canadians to value the basic human right of living, the practice of democracy in their lifestyle and the value of the self-respect and integrity among their people. In the first indigenous rights movement, the main concern is essentially concentrated on the discrimination shown by the non-indigenous people to the basic rights of living of the indigenous ones. This is mostly felt by the Canadians in the aspect of their housing plans and the way they construct and develop the indigenous livelihood and community. With this problem, the degree of the indigenous rights movement in Canada is in a level so widespread, that it has already caught the attention of the United Nations. In this aspect alone, it could be said that the indigenous rights movement in Canada has been made unique because of its unrelenting value for the preservation of the rights of indigenous living. The second indigenous rights movement that is unique to Canadians is mostly concerned with the practice of democracy in the lifestyle of the indigenous people. The Amnesty International Canada article report laying out the legislative proposals for the respect of the rights of the Indigenous rights of Canadians is one of the great examples on how this movement is unique to the Canadians living an indigenous lifestyle. (Amnesty International Website) The third indigenous rights movement that has created a certain level of high degree of respect and practice among the indigenous Canada is the respect for the rights of women and the condemning of any type of human abuse. This indigenous rights movement is one of those unique Canadian struggles that have been recognized so greatly by the world, the U. N. even made sure that these new requests by the indigenous people would become part of the new legislation addressing indigenous rights across the globe. Connection to broader international protests and processes In a great general approach, it would be safe to say that these unique indigenous rights movement have been so great and effective in attempting to universalize all the other international protests on human rights, that many of the breakthrough movements across the world have already used these ideas as an ideal platform for all future proposals of addressing indigenous rights. One of the many examples we can cite for this connection is the creation of the Indigenous people’s legislation concerning the ratification of ILO Convention 169 (the Indigenous and Tribal peoples) of the United Nations. This, along with the many global movements in addressing the global challenge of integrating indigenous cultures across the globe, is a significant international political process that, among many other things, gives light to the many demands of universalizing the indigenous rights of people in different nations. Secondly, it would also be great to highlight that many of the legislation found in the proposals advancing the rights of ownership, the respect for the rights of women and the anti-discrimination act of Canadian indigenous communities have also become great tools in understanding the great resolution of the differing conflicts between the different religions globally that have been caused by the great misunderstanding of cultures. These are the clear international process that have been caused by the Canadian indigenous rights movement.

A youth subculture Essay

A youth subculture is a youth-based subculture with distinct styles, behaviors, and interests. Youth subcultures offer participants an identity outside of that ascribed by social institutions such as family, work, home and school. Youth subcultures that show a systematic hostility to the dominant culture are sometimes described as countercultures The punk subculture, which centres on punk rock music, includes a diverse array of ideologies, fashions and forms of expression, including visual art, dance, literature and film. The subculture is largely characterized by anti-establishment views and the promotion of individual freedom. The punk subculture emerged in the United Kingdom, Australia, and the United States in the mid-1970s A rave (from the verb: to rave) is a large party or festival featuring performances by disc jockeys (colloquially called DJs) and occasionally live performers playing electronic music, particularly electronic dance music (EDM). Music played at raves include house, trance, techno, drum and bass, hardcore and other forms of electronic dance music with the accompaniment of laser light shows, projected images, visual effects and smoke machines. The rave scene is know mostly worldwide for its use of club drugs, such as MDMA, LSD, and psychedelic mushrooms. Rave culture originated mostly from acid house music parties in the mid-to-late 1980s in the Chicago area in the United States.[1] After Chicago house artists began experiencing overseas success, it quickly spread to the United Kingdom, Central Europe, Australia and the rest of the United States.[2][3] The goth subculture is a contemporary subculture found in many countries. It began in England during the early 1980s in the gothic rock scene, an offshoot of the post-punk genre. The goth subculture has survived much longer than others of the same era, and has continued to diversify. Its imagery and cultural proclivities indicate influences from the 19th century Gothic literature along with horror films.[1][2][ In sociology, anthropology and cultural studies, a subculture is a set of  people with a distinct sets of behavior and beliefs that differentiate them from a larger culture of which they are a part. The subculture may be distinctive because of the age of its members, or by their race, ethnicity, class and/or gender, and the qualities that determine a subculture as distinct may be aesthetic, religious, occupational, political, sexual or a combination of these factors. It may be difficult to identify subcultures because their style (particularly clothing and music) may often be adopted by mass culture for commercial purposes, as businesses will often seek to capitalise on the subversive allure of the subculture in search of cool, which remains valuable in selling any product. This process of cultural appropriation may often result in the death or evolution of the subculture, as its members adopt new styles which are alien to the mainstream. A common example is the punk subculture of the United Kingdom, whose distinctive (and initially shocking) style of clothing was swiftly adopted by mass-market fashion companies once the subculture became a media interest. In this sense, many subcultures can be seen to be constantly evolving, as their members attempt to remain one step ahead of the dominant culture. In turn, this process provides a constant stream of styles which may be commercially adopted. Many people would consider that the most visible examples of subcultures are youth groups which identify themselves through distinctive styles of dress, activity and music. However, there is a certain difficulty in supplying examples, in that the process by which subcultural style is incorporated by the dominant culture provokes a state of constant evolution in many subcultures. Musical subcultures are particularly vulnerable to this process, and so what may be considered a subculture at one stage in its history (jazz, punk, hip-hop, rave culture) may represent mainstream taste within a short period of time. However, many subcultures also reject or modify the importance of style, stressing membership through the adoption of an ideology which may be much more resistant to commercial exploitation. Indeed, the resistance to commercial exploitation may often represent a key part of this ideology. Perhaps the best example would be the punk subculture, which has progressed through several cycles of revival and commercial appropriation in its history. Members of the punk subculture can often be identified by their distinctive clothing, hair, jewellery and tattoos. In contrast to its commercialised variant, many punks consider that the subculture also possesses a distinctive punk ideology which rejects commercialism and conformity. A similar philosophy may be found in underground hip hop culture, which has also faced mass-market commercialisation and dilution of its ideals.

Manufacturing Industry Evaluation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Manufacturing Industry Evaluation - Essay Example As a result, the larger firms keep acquiring other small firms as they continue dominating in the markets, effectively reducing competition in this industry (Lynn, 2002). The Envelope industry is such other industry of the US that has low competition. The larger firms control most of the US markets for this industry. Oligopoly refers to a market condition, where the market has many buyers and very few sellers. In an oligopolistic market, just a few firms, mostly the larger ones, dominate the market (Elmer, 1999). Since there are few sellers in such a market, every firm operating in that market has the chances of knowing the moves and the trends that the other firms are making in order to achieve a competitive advantage in the market. Consequently, the firms operating in an oligopolistic market conditions are most likely going to make their decisions based on those decisions made by other firms. Thus, in an oligopolistic market, the decision made by one firm affects the other firms and vice versa (Case, Fair, and Oster, 2009). The characteristic oligopoly market involves the firms producing and selling their products at the quantities and prices they feel are suitable to grant them the profit margin they require. Thus, oligopolies set the market prices for their products, other than selling their products at the existing market prices (Elmer, 1999). In the US, the Envelopes and the Fluid Milk industries qualify as oligopolies. The Fluid milk industry in the US is an example of an oligopolistic market condition, where the market in the industry is dominated by few firms. The dairy cooperative of the country called the Dairy Farmers of America have effectively established close alliances with the other players in the industry, notably the Dairy Market services, which has on its side collaborated with the US major milk manufacturers (Lynn, 2002). This

Imagine you are a small business owner Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Imagine you are a small business owner - Essay Example Net margin can be calculated dividing net income by total sales. The managers of small businesses must pay close attention to the profitability of the business as well as its cash flow position. The current ratio is a good ratio to analyze small businesses because it measures the liquidity of a company. It measures the ability of the company to pay off its short term debt. A current ratio is positive if is above 1.0. The inventory turnover ratio measures how many times a company sold its inventory during a year. The desired outcome is to have a high inventory turnover rate. Three ratios that are suitable to evaluate the financial performance of a large enterprise are return on assets (ROA), return on equity (ROE), and debt to equity ratio. Return on asset measures how well assets were employed by management, while return on equity measures the extent to which financial leverage is working for or against common stockholders (Garrison & Noreen, 2003). The debt to equity ratio is calcul ated dividing total liabilities by stockholder’s equity. B) Explain the advantages and disadvantages of debt financing and why an organization would choose to issue stocks rather than bonds to generate funds. Debt financing has become an extremely popular financing tool in today’s global economy. ... â€Å"Another advantage of debt financing is that interest paid on debt reduces tax burden of the business† (Kido, 2012). Despite the advantages of debt financing it also has cons. A drawback of debt financing is that in cases of business failure lenders have first option at the liquidating assets of a firm. A second drawback of using debt financing is the obligation to pay interest to the lenders. Sometimes interest expenses of debt instrument can be very high. A third con of debt financing is that if it is excessively used it can negatively impact the credit rating of the company (Simplyfinance, 2007). C) Discuss how financial returns are related to risk. Financial returns and risk are two factors that are positively related. This means that to obtain higher rewards managers must assume greater risk. In the stock market companies that have higher risk have a greater chance of equity appreciation. Risk adverse people try to stay away from risk. Being risk conservative can hel p a company minimize the risk of financial loss. â€Å"Financial risk is the loss probability arising from adverse price fluctuations in financial markets or business partner defaults† (Codjia, 2012). When companies get too greedy they often make bad business decisions by incurring in too much risk. Firms that have higher risk tend to have higher cost of capital. When the cost of capital is high the profitability of the company is adversely affected. D) Describe the concept of beta and how it is used. The beta coefficient is a measure of an asset’s risk in relation to the market or to an alternative benchmark or factor (Thefreedictionary, 2012). The average beta coefficient of the stock market is 1.0. When the beta coefficient of a company is higher than 1.0 the stock has