New York v. Burger Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

New York v. Burger - Research Paper Example The respondent in this case is the owner of a junkyard and his business includes dismantling of automobiles and selling the parts. The junk yard is an open lot without buildings and is surrounded by a metal fence. On the day the search was conducted police officers from the Auto Crimes division entered the respondents junk yard and conducted an inspection pursuant to Section 415-a5 of the New York vehicle and Traffic law. The officers from the division conduct similar searches on 5 to 10 vehicle dismantlers on a given day. When the officers entered the respondent’s yard, they asked to see his license and a police book he was required to keep. The respondent told the officers that he didn’t have either the license or the police book and the officers declared their intentions to conduct a search under section 415-a5. The respondent did not object and the officers took some Vehicle Identification Numbers from the parts in the yard and compared them against the police compu ter. Upon comparison of the VIN the officers determined that some of the parts were stolen and consequently arrested the respondent for being in possession of stolen items and operating a vehicle dismantling business without the required license (Bierman, 1995). The respondent sought to suppress the evidence obtained from the inspection on the ground that section 415-a5, which authorized the search was unconstitutional. The court in denying the motion to suppress the evidence observed that motor vehicle dismantling business is a pervasively regulated business and warrantless administrative inspection was appropriate. Additionally, the court observed that the statute was appropriately limited in time, place and scoop and that where the officers had a reasonable reason to believe that some of the parts in the yard were stolen, they could arrest the respondent and seize the property without the need of a warrant. The appellate Division also

Effects Research Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Effects Research Paper - Essay Example Arnas (2006) used children in the age 3-8 years bracket with a total of 347 respondents. The study included the parents as well since some respondents were still young to comprehend the questions. Arnas found out that about 50% of the ads viewed by children during their TV exposure are food related. Because of this 40% of the respondents requested their parents to buy the foods shown in the ads and about 9% of them are even insistent. Arnas' concern is that most of these foods are high in fats and sugar which are associated with obesity, diabetes, and other health problems. Hitchings and Moynihan (1998) in the other hand used children within the 9-11 age brackets but used limited number of respondents. A total of 44 children across varying social class were involved. Their findings show that a relationship exist (r=0.58) between the type of ads observed by children from TV to the type of foods they eat. The more alarming fact is that most of these foods contain high sugar, fats, salt , and preservatives like crisps, softdrinks, and savoury snacks. The results of the two studies mention... But the result is enough to prove that eating habit of children between 9-11 is related to TV food ads they saw and recalled.. More intensive study with greater number of respondents could have shown higher positive relationship. This effect may not only be associated with food advertisements but also with other products as well. It has shown that the television medium is a good way to educate the viewers and a good means to present new ideas and programs to the target client. These findings can be a good start for private individuals, groups, or government institutions planning to launch programs, projects, or products. Opinion about the implications of the research for parents and society. In the context of parents and the society as a whole, the results of these studies can be both viewed as promising and alarming. They have both advantages and disadvantages. The findings are alarming in the sense that food manufacturers and food marketing firms are aware that the television medium is a good tool to push their products and that they are taking advantage of this potential in order that their products be recognized by their target sector. The worst thing is that several manufacturers are less concerned about the health effects of their product. In all cases, obviously, these ads do not mention negative aspects about consuming their products. Their primary concerns are the increase in sales the ads would bring the company. Since most ads do not include warning on over-consumption, children may think it is fine to eat them as they like thereby jeopardizing their health. The results' implication can be promising if government

Qantas Case Study Essay Example for Free

Qantas Case Study Essay It is the world’s second oldest airline, and has a successful history to uphold. Over the next 5 years Qantas aims to hedge fuel prices and use more efficient aircraft to limit further fuel costs improve employee/employer relationships by reducing the number of employment relations disputes and retain corporate market share by enhancing facilities and lounges to appeal to corporate travellers. Change management is viewed by   Alan Joyce as a critical component Reasons for current business planning What were the critical factors that led to Qantas’ decision to move some of their operations off shore? 3 2. What then happened once the decision was made4 – What change management processes needed to have taken place? 4 Were the change management processes well managed? 4 What could they have done better to counteract the disgruntled union and workers? 4 3. Where is Qantas now in its competitive positioning both locally and internationally?

Dairy Farming In India Marketing Essay

Dairy Farming In India Marketing Essay This Applied Research Project is requirement for the researchers studies in MBA in Community Economic Development Program at Cape Breton University. This ARP is the final assessment and must for the completion of this MBA Program. This Applied Research Project is mainly focused on discussing about effectiveness of co-operative model for dairy farming in Tamil Nadu, India. About Dairy Farming: Milk is defined as the lacteal secretion obtained by the complete milking of one or more mammalian animals. Dairy farming is a part of agriculture, practiced to produce milk which is generally from dairy cows, and also from sheep, camel, and goat. Dairy industry is a highly important component of food industry, which buys raw milk refrigerated for farmers to normalize by transforming and distributing it (Moran H. , 2005). Usually, the milk is processed in a dairy factory or on the dairy farm itself. From hand milking the cows to machine milking, milk production has developed immensely with latest technologies. Dairy farming has been done all over the world, but most of the countries which produce milk consume internally. New Zealand is one of leading countries which export dairy products, whereas India is the largest milk producing country in the world. Indian dairy sector contributes a major share towards the total gross revenue from livestock sector and holds an enormous potential to bring about rapid economic growth, particularly for the benefit of the weaker sections and the rural poor. Livestock production has been, and will remain for many decades, one of the most important economic and social activities of human culture in developing countries where hundreds of millions of people depend either directly or indirectly on livestock-based activities (Preston and Murugueitio 1992). Dairy Farming in India In 2010, dairy industry is the second largest food industry in India in terms of revenue behind meat industry. In 2010, the largest dairy company operating within the country in terms of annual global sales is Nestle with $ 18.6 billion revenue. Dairy farmers produce largest staple food in the world i.e. Milk. The quality and safety of milk and its derivatives are directly related to conditions of hygiene and environment. Good hygiene practices help to improve the quality and value of the product and fundamentally determine the success or failure of a dairy farm. At present, the protection of health and animal welfare are provided by a comprehensive program of udder hygiene and processes in livestock bio-security program. These programs help dairy farmers to: Optimize milk yield, quality and price of milk Improve operating profits Decrease the infection pressure on the dairy herd Maintain a high level of animal welfare The function of cooperatives in dairy farming is studied along with the impact of the cooperatives in dairy farming. Milk production is one of the most important elements of agriculture in India. During the past 5 years, farms in India increased their total production by 86%. The level of milk production in 2011 increased by 5.4 tons and was 136.4 thousand tons (104.1% compared to last year). Average yield in the region is 2,717 kg per cow, which is 272 kg more than previous year. At the same time dairy farming area in contrast to the poultry industry is the sector in which the performance is far from self-sufficient (Ruricola, 2009). Milk production per capita in the region is 200 kg per year. Dairy farming is growing and modernizing in India. Beginning in 2006, 34 major farms were built in India pursuing new and remodeled milk production of 20.4 thousand with loose housing of cattle and milking parlor. It also included newly constructed 10 dairy complexes with a capacity of 10.8 thousand cows. In addition, the modernization of livestock buildings has been replacing milking equipment (Berentsen, Kovacs, Asseldonk, 2012). As a result, compared to the year 2011 level of comprehensive mechanization of dairy farming has increased in the region from 36% to 60%. Technical and technological modernization of the industry continues. Dairy Farming at International Level and Genomics: Dairy farming at international level has also been receiving increasing attention. In June 2009, among the first countries in the world, France began publish its first official genomic index for dairy cattle. German dairy sector has decoded and located some of the tens of thousands of genes of an animal and use this information to genetic selection. Today, the genetic value can be estimated directly from a simple blood from the birth of the calf in several countries of the world. This method is very interesting for the strategy selection of each farmer in particular for functional traits and breeding qualities. Since 2009, seed bulls whose genetic value is obtained from their genotypes are available in catalogs selections have been developed in Eastern Europe. In addition, genomic selection can be much more efficient in selection on functional traits, poorly considered by the selection of offspring by providing breeders specific genetic values à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹for males as for females. In a classic selection scheme progeny, the cost of evaluating a bull was about 40,000. Therefore, use in large numbers of seeds per bull led to a sharp increase in the risk of inbreeding level in the French and international dairy herd. Genomics can increase the diversity of available bulls. In addition, the bulls are replaced by younger much faster pace, which is also favorable to the maintenance of genetic variability. Literature Review: The Concept of Dairy Cooperatives A dairy cooperative is a business owned by milk producers and co-partners who must meet their economic, professional and training needs. A dairy cooperative is a collective enterprise where milk producers have pooled their investments to take control of their business because they are convinced that we can succeed better together than individually. A dairy cooperative is a business built on solidarity, responsibility, fairness and transparency. The cooperative and their associates reach solidarity as they form a community of people sharing the same project and the same interests. They also share the profits and risks. The cooperative has the mission to promote the best possible milk co-associates, who in turn, are financially responsible for their cooperative. All partners are co-treated with fairness, according to the same rules and with the same rights described in the constitution and bylaws of the cooperative. The Board of Directors of the cooperative is elected by the general meeting of cooperative partners and provides the associated elements for co-decide in open and transparent relationships. A dairy cooperative is a business that secures its associated producers through an indivisible collective ownership of all its members-cooperators. It does not belong to each individual in proportion to its shareholding. A cooperative dairy farm is an extension of his associates-cooperators. Its mandatory activities are related to milk his co-partners, collecting the milk, processing it into products and marketing these products. A dairy cooperative aims to maximize the value of its associated activities and therefore co-add the most value to the milk produced on their farms. Like any business, is a dairy cooperative in competitive markets with other companies. It is therefore required to be competitive. A dairy cooperative may be the size of a multinational listed among the world leaders in the sector or the size of a SME-VSE with local or regional activities. She may have a dozen or several thousand-associated cooperators. Cooperative status is neither an advantage nor a handicap t o growth and abroad. Cooperative Principles The Cooperatives throughout the world function with same core principles. They are 1) Cooperation among Cooperatives The Cooperative movement is strengthened by functioning collectively all the way through local, national, international structures to serve their members most effectively. 2) Voluntary and Open Membership Cooperatives are voluntary groups, where everyone can utilize its services and should be willing to accept membership responsibilities. 3) Autonomy and Independence Cooperatives are self -governing, autonomous organizations guarded by their members. The cooperatives autonomy is surpassed when a co-op enters into agreement with other groups or raises funds with outside resource. 4) Concern for Community The Cooperatives work for sustainable growth of communities through procedures and programs acknowledged by members. 5) Education, Training and Information Cooperatives offer education and training to its members, representatives and employees to successfully contribute the growth of particular cooperatives. Also, the members educate the nature and benefits of these cooperatives to the general public in the community. 6) Members Economic Participation All the members in the cooperative contribute evenly to democratically manage, the funds in the organization. This creates equality among the members rather than creating unevenness in the cooperative. 7) Democratic Member Control Cooperatives are independent organizations controlled by their members. They are the ones, who purchase the commodities and utilize the service from the cooperative. Also, these members vigorously contribute in creating policies and making decisions. Dairy Cooperatives International Context Dairy cooperatives collect more than half of the milk in France. Dairy cooperation model is very predominant in other countries that are major producers of milk, such as Germany, New Zealand, the Netherlands and Denmark. In the international context, it represents a specific framework in terms of rights, obligations and governance. A dairy cooperative has made a contract of joint obligations associated with each cooperator. The partner-cooperator agrees to give its milk to the cooperative for a fixed term and renewable. Cooperative undertakes, in return, to collect all the milk which is provided to enhance the milk and the associated pay-cooperator. Only the partner-cooperator has the option to terminate the contract in each case. The cooperative does not have that option, unless serious reasons justifying exclusion. A dairy cooperative is legally binding and is a tax paying entity. In several countries of the world, it lies in the category of partnerships because it is the extension of holdings of its associates. Partnerships are distinct from limited liability companies such as SAS or SA. A dairy cooperative is a business that must be consistent with the statutes model statutes approved by the Ministry of Agriculture. They must also be approved by the High Council for Agricultural Cooperation. A dairy cooperative is a company whose directors are partners, co-workers, elected by their peers in general meeting. In emerging economies of the world like Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, a dairy cooperative is a community of men and women whose activities maintain or develop, direct and indirect, in rural areas: Employment, trade, social ties, in short the vitality Farms, cultures, landscapes, biodiversity short Terroirs, crafts, traditions, milk and cheese, short identities. Dairy cooperatives have accelerated the concentration in the milk sector in European countries. Two cooperatives West Eurial and Agrial, announced Friday the approximation of their dairy operations by 2014. The new entity, called Eurial, will be the second in France after dairy cooperative Sodiaal and the sixth player in the sector, dominated by private groups. Eurial collect 2 billion liters of milk from producers 5200 members realize a turnover of à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 2 billion and employ 3600 employees combined. No redundancies are planned. This strategic alliance is designed to face the prospect of the end of milk quotas, scheduled for 2015. It encourages the French to find growth opportunities internationally and to prepare such a strong demand from China milk powder. Some major players in the sector are weakened. Sodiaal in trouble on his milk Candia, announced the elimination of 300 jobs, or 20% of the workforce. For the future, the cooperative is associated with the Chinese group Synutra, with whom she has invested in Britain to create a milk drying plant Problems in Indian Dairy Farming and the Need for Cooperatives: It is noteworthy that in view of all the disadvantages in smallholders, especially the small-scale. It is important to create a class of family farmers through cooperatives to improve their competitiveness (Ven Keulen, 2007). This is possible only if the number of dairy cows is more than 30 per each family member. In todays form of family farms operating as cooperatives, productivity can be improved through these measures. On such farms on average per employee per day is 40-60 liters of marketable milk that goes to implementation. These farms are very sensitive to the rising cost of diesel fuel and electricity. Since, costs of milk production can be brought down by seeking cooperative behavior. Farmers drive their cows to pasture and seek to maintain low cost operations. In winter, these farms produce milk around 300 liters and in the summer production range at 1-8 tons. In Indian dairy farm sector, the production is very low-tech (Singh, 2001). For lack of flash cooling capacity, automation and disinfection winter, farms produce milk of grade I-II. A small proportion of these farms are equipped with coolers of milk. Most of these farms are already engaged in preparation of feed and have adopted appropriate technique (James, 2010). Majority of these farms employs a lot of manual labor, and the quality of the milk produced is stable and meets class I. The main problem of Indian farms is low productivity even though farmers on these farms work seven days a week. Farm economy and mortgage framework does not allow for increased production. The fourth type of dairy farms in India is the modern industrial farms. As a rule, these farms are built in the open field (Singh, 2001). The possibility in these farms is of dilution and spoilage of milk. During the last five years, productivity of milkmaids has increased. During the agrarian crisis in India, a slowdown in the growth of agriculture created a vicious circle of falling productivity of land and livestock, which lowered product quality, increased complexity, formed multiple lag wages and even deteriorated social development of rural regions. Presence of a cooperative in such situations would have helped in arresting the downward spiral. This is evidenced by international experience, because a similar pattern was shown in the 70s and early 80s in the US and in other periods in other countries. Thus, the agricultural organizations of rural India would help to improve the standard of living in the region. That is a decrease of agricultural labor substitution industry, reduces the level of mechanization of labor. Thus, the translation process is constrained by the industry on an industrial basis. When dairy farming is organized, savings of total labor costs in dairy farming becomes particularly important due to stabilization and further increases in productivity are not possible without a significant reduction in production costs. The most active and transformative impact on the entire system of factors of productivity in the industry provides scientific and technical progress. In particular, the shift from labor-saving technologies to resource aimed primarily at saving energy and raw materials is important. Thus, cooperatives in Indian dairy farming can help in improving the material and technical base of agriculture, materializing scientific achievements in high-performance means of production, creating new opportunities for forward movement of labor productivity growth and contributing to the emergence of new reserves to reduce the total cost of labor in the production of milk. Thus, the greatest influence of formation of cooperatives in Indian dairy farming sector can be on the productivity of labor, material interest of workers in the industry, the level of livestock feeding, reproduction, herd concentration of milk production and the introduction of comprehensive mechanization of the main production processes on the farms. Calculations show that if after the formation of cooperative, dairy farms achieve an average level of utilization of productive resources, the labor cost savings would amount to 407.4 thousand man-hours, or 10.2% of the labor costs of production. One of the important organizational and economic factors for increasing productivity is to control production costs. Although in farm planning tools focus on the immediate direct producers. In the establishment of farm market special attention should be given to flexibility in planning and adapting to the changing economic conditions. This requires dairy farm owners to create common technical approaches for the development of standards of production costs on the articles and items for different levels of animal productivity. This allows, firstly, more efficient use of labor and material resources, identification of the available reserves of labor productivity growth, labor used in the optimal level of labor intensity, and to determine scientifically the complexity and cost of production, productivity growth and the need for in the labor force in the industry for the future. The use of modern information technologies in their calculation significantly reduces the amount of computation al work carried out; simplify billing system, which ultimately reduces the period of their development. Economically feasible rations for animals are the basis of effective management. Since the nutritional diet consists of a different set of feeds, one needs to select the best feeding option, that is, one that would meet the biological needs for nutrients and have a minimum cost. Cooperative in Indian dairy farm sector may support in this regard. Regulations on feed consumption of cattle head should be supported at different levels of animal productivity in physical and value terms. Such standards should be developed by the dairy cooperative because it also serves a watch-dog industry. The main benefit of cooperative dairy farming is consulting and educational services in the field of dairy farming. It is believed that the effective management of production must keep pace with the times. Therefore, all efforts are focused on enterprise development through the use of modern technologies and adapting them to Indian conditions. Based on collective experience, cooperatives have made the success achieved as a result of those enterprises, specialists who are constantly improving their skills working with animals. Many of cooperatives learn best from their mistakes. But in the dairy business, it may be too expensive. Using the services of professional experts, cooperatives will save both time and money required to achieve farming goals. Experience working with dairy farms, especially those who are beginning to work on new technologies, shows that very often skilled enough of the knowledge that they already have, for professional work with animals. In operation, there are various issues related to housing, feeding and reproduction of dairy cows, etc. Sometimes it is better to get an answer to a question in order to understand a specialist in the right direction it is moving. One of the main problems in the Indian dairy industry is feeding. In particular, the correct calculation of rations on the basis of the farm feed. Cooperatives expert nutritionists can balance rations for the cows, based on the availability of feed and regional characteristics. Social Experiment: In a day-to- day basis, farmers are facing several challenges and these challenges can be rectified through applying and following Community Economic Development concepts. I am going to explain my own experience about milk production in my community and how CED concepts guided the farmers in a sustainable position. Milk production is one of the most common farming methods in Tamil Nadu region. This dairy cooperative is located in a village called Ponnapuram in Pollachi, Tamil Nadu. Few years ago, farmers have to go to private dairy farms or directly to people house to sell their milk products. Through this, farmers were not getting good amount of profit as prices were fixed by those private dairy farms and there was interference of the middleman. Farmers had no other choice in those days than selling for the price fixed by a middleman. Farmers faced a huge challenge to get reasonable profit and also to take care of their animals. As many other villages in Tamil Nadu, farmers in my community are more dependent on a milk production. Few years ago, one of the community activists in Ponnapuram who is also a farmer, involved in milk production for more than 20 years gathered all milk producing farmers for a meeting. He discussed about the situation of farmers in the community and motivated them to work towards a common goal, which is the economic development of all farmers and the community. He gave an idea of community owned cooperative, where it operates as a trading center for farmers to sell their milk products. Everyone in the community agreed to this program and they stopped supplying milk to private dairy farms directly. He collected a small amount of money from each farmer which is affordable and formed an office like community owned cooperative. He created certain policies which will benefit the farmers as well as the community are as follows. i) Created membership for all milk producing farmers in the co mmunity, ii) Farmers meet once in a month to discuss about the price and they will set an mutually agreed price for the products, iii) Farmers should not sell their products to any other third parties and everything should go through the community cooperative. This community owned cooperative directly or indirectly follows certain core principles of cooperatives in their group. Voluntary and Open Membership This dairy cooperative is open to all members of the community without any discrimination of gender, religion and financial status. Autonomy and Independence This dairy cooperative is totally autonomous and members in the community are very much aware of what agreements with other organizations will affect the functions and purpose of this cooperative. Education, Training and Information Senior members of the cooperative educate and demonstrate the techniques of dairy farming to the new and young people who involve in dairy farming. Also, Veterinary camps are being held every 3 months to create awareness for maintaining the Cattles. So now, all the private dairy farms in the community have to come to the cooperative for milk and they cant have any rights in fixing the price for the milk products. Initially, it was difficult for the farmers to make this program successful, but in few months farmers benefited through the cooperative. Cooperative will have a small amount of profit from that milk products which they sell to dairy farms and farmers decided to spend that money for maintenance of cattles. Ponnapuram Community has nearly 300 families involved in this dairy farming and all those people doing dairy farming are members of this cooperative. For more than 2 years now, this community owned cooperative has been successfully benefiting the farmers and enhancing their living standards through Community Economic Development. This is a great example for every other community and farmers who are facing several challenges in a day-to-day basis.

Physics of Music Essay example -- physics music sound

Fluid Behaviors of Sound Waves Sound is capable of being produced only if a medium is present. By this, I mean that, for there to be sound, there must be air. For a sound wave to be emitted by an instrument and be received by a listener, the instrument must excite the air around it and propagate its energy through the air, in the form of compression/longitudinal waves. When received by the listener, the waves pulse the eardrums with the same varying frequencies as they were emitted. An instrument shakes to produce its tone In instruments, air is excited and set into oscillation by vibrations. Instruments use such mechanisms as strings (violin and guitar), bars or rods (marimba and chimes and reeds), membranes (drum heads), plates or shells (cymbals or gongs), air in tubes (woodwinds and brass), or volumes of air enclosed in vessels (drum and string bodies) to produce vibrations. Sound oscillations are created as the oscillating instrument vibrates a column of air and â€Å"bumps† the air that is within immediate proximity. This bump sends out a compression, also called longitudinal, waves in all directions. The tone of a brass instrument is produced as a player contracts their embouchure and expels a jet of air in order to vibrate their lips, and thereby vibrate the air in the tubing of their horn. The tone of reed instruments (single or double) is produced by holding a reed rigid and forcing air over, or through. When this happens, the reed vibrates, creating an oscillation. The tone of flute instruments is produced when air blown over the mouthpiece hole excites surrounding particles. When the vibrations of these surrounding particles match the natural frequency of the instrument, the column of air inside the ins... ...requency higher and into a higher row of harmonics. How Does Any of this Relate to Music? Okay, so I just spent the last several pages expressing fluid, energy, and math properties of how sound is put through air. But this essay is dedicated to the physics of music! Simply, none of the attributes of sound, as I have described them in the other pages in terms of physics, are not in any way musical. Music and physics really only have one point of connection, that music is made by manipulating the mechanics of air oscillations--how the signals are emitted by the instruments and received by the listeners. Music itself, however, is made by how the listener interprets or experiences those signals. As stated in Levarie and Levy's, Tone, A study in Musical Acoustics, "Music is not 'something that happens in the air.' It is something that happens in the soul."

The Role of Sugar and Insulin in Weight Gain Essay -- Health Nutrition

The Role of Sugar and Insulin in Weight Gain The Atkin’s diet is one of the most popular diets that emphasizes weight lose in a short amount of time without the need for exercise. Patients under the diet need to consume foods that are high in fat and protein such as cheeses, hamburgers, bacon and heavy creams. Foods that are high in starches and sugar are not to be consumed within the diet because they will affect the two main causes of weight gain within the body. The two main causes of weight gain are high concentration levels of sugar and insulin within the body. To decide which cause can increase weight gain can difficult decision to decipher. As one of the main external causes of obesity and overweight, the level of sugar within the body is based on the amount of sugar concentration within the body’s bloodstream. Sugar concentration found within the body is usually attained from the consumption of food, such as sweets, fruits, bread, pasta and grain. The sugar from the food consumption is broken down by the body in order to give energy for the body which allows it to function. The energy broken down from the sugar is used to help the body to carry on with daily functions such as moving or thinking. In comparison to the sugar level, insulin is an internal cause of weight gain. Insulin is a hormonal substance that is produced and dispersed within the body in order to regulate the flow of blood sugar through the conversion of sugar molecules into energy. The energy converted from the sugar molecules are either needed immediately for the body or fat cells. Fat cells are sugar molecules stored within the body for use at a time when the body needs more energy to function. Fat cell... ...d 1. S. Warshaw, H. (2004, July). The Diabetes Food Pyramid: Starches. Retrieved November 7, 2004 from http://www.diabetes.org/nutrition-and-recipes/nutrition/starches.jsp 2. Mehta, P., & Mehta, P. (n.d.). Blood Sugar, Low Blood Sugar or High Blood Sugar. Retrieved November 14, 2004. http://www.fatfreekitchen.com/blood-sugar.html 3. R. Hertzler, S. & Kim, Y. (2003). Glycemic and Insulin responses to different types of energy bars. Glycemic and insulinemic responses to energy bars of differeing macronutrient composition in healthy adults, 9(2). Retrieved November 17, 2004, from http://www.MedSciMonit.com/pub/vol_9/no_2/3230.pdf 4. Berland, T. & Consumer Guide. (1974). Rating the Diets. Chicago: Rand McNally & Company 5. R. Eades, M. & D. Eades, M. (1996). Protein Power. New York: Bantam Books

Equity Theory and Social exchange theory Essay

In this essay I aim to describe two theories (Equity Theory and Social exchange theory) of relationships and to consider how they might influence the therapist engaged in couples counseling, noting their similarities and differences. Equity theory is a theory about fairness. Its application to close relationships has been primarily advanced by Elaine Hatfield (previously known as Elaine Walster) and her colleagues in the book Equity: Theory and Research (Walster, Walster, and Berscheid 1978). The book outlines four interlocking propositions of equity theory and discusses the application of equity theory to different types of relationships, including intimate ones. The propositions are: 1. Individuals will try to maximize their outcomes (where outcomes equal rewards minus costs). 2a. Groups can maximize collective reward by evolving accepted systems for equitably apportioning resources among members. Thus, groups will evolve such systems of equity, and will attempt to induce members to accept and adhere to these systems. 2b.  Groups will generally reward members who treat others equitably, and generally punish (increase the costs for) members who treat others inequitably. 3. When individuals find themselves participating in inequitable relationships, they become distressed. The more inequitable the relationship, the more distressed the individuals feel. 4. Individuals who discover they are in an inequitable relationship attempt to eliminate their distress by restoring equity. The greater the inequity that exists, the more distress they feel, and the harder they try to restore equity. Equity theory rests on the assumption that people are self-interested and will try to maximize their personal gains. It has sometimes been questioned by researchers who believe that the nature of close relationships differs from other types of relationships. They argue that close relationships should not be based on individual calculations of costs and rewards and a self-interested focus on maintaining relationships solely for the personal profit they may provide. Instead, they argue that relationships should be based on a mutual concern for each others’ welfare or needs (Clark and Chrisman 1994; Clark and Mills 1979). Three primary ways of dealing with challenges to this assumption exist. One is to consider that individuals may vary in â€Å"exchange orientation† or the importance they give to monitoring equity in their relationships (Murstein, Cerreto, and Mac-Donald 1977). For example, some individuals may be high in exchange orientation, constantly keeping track of how much they and their partners put into or get out of a relationship. Other individuals may be low in exchange orientation, not paying attention to inputs, outputs, costs, and rewards of their relationships at all. Measuring exchange orientation may be a way of measuring self-interest in relationships. Research by Susan Sprecher (1998) has supported this notion. Her findings suggest that different motivations for â€Å"keeping score† of costs and benefits in a relationship have different effects on relationship quality. People who keep track of inputs and outputs to make sure they are not under benefited by the relationship seem to be less satisfied by their relationship whereas people who keep track of inputs and outputs to make sure they are not over-benefited by the relationship seem to be more satisfied by it. Another way to account for differences in philosophies regarding self-interest in relationships is to include relational-level outcomes such as mutuality, sharing, and respect as types of benefits that individuals can receive from relationships. Relational partners may see themselves as a unit, with both of them maximally benefiting from the relationship. In this type of relationship, where identities of the individual partners have merged, what benefits one partner will also benefit the other. Relational-level outcomes have not regularly been considered in equity research, although similar concepts arise during discussions of entitlement processes (Desmarais and Lerner 1994) and fairness rules (Clark and Chrisman 1994) in close relationships. Equity in a relationship may be seen as its own reward. This idea is suggested by proposition 2 that attempts to account for the development of rules, or norms, that limit self-interest behavior. If individuals were to continually strive for the most resources, anarchy and violence would dominate society as each member tried to gain more. However, proposition 2 asserts that societies, groups, and couples will develop rules that foster fairness to each member in order to prevent such a condition. People who follow the rules of fairness will be rewarded, and people who do not will be punished. Thus, behaving equitably becomes a means to maximize one’s outcomes, and fairness, more so than self-interest, becomes the norm. Proposition 3 that focus on the outcomes of inequitable relationships by asserting that individuals in inequitable relationships will become distressed. Researchers exploring the area of equitable outcomes in marital relationships often measure outcomes through reports or observations of behaviors rather than perceptions. This is because individuals’ perceptions of their relationships can become skewed through gender-based valuing of relational inputs, because an incongruence often exists between perception of one’s behavior and the actual behavior itself, and because people in low-power positions often feel entitled to less that leads them to perceive an unfair situation as fair. According to this, people do still report perceived inequity in their relationships, and it has been associated with negative outcomes, including less sexual intimacy, less sexual satisfaction, less commitment to the relationship, decreased happiness and satisfaction with the relationship, and relationship breakup (Sprecher 1995). And proposition 4 states people involved in inequitable relationships will try to restore equity. Hatfield (Walster) and her colleagues (1978) provide two ways that a person can restore equity to a relationship: by restoring actual equity or by restoring psychological equity (the perception that equity actually exists when it does not). Researchers who use behavior to measure relational equity instead of perceptions may do so because they believe partners in an inequitable relationship do not see the inequity. This assumption is congruent with the concept of restoring psychological equity. Understanding the concept of fairness is essential to understanding equity theory. Elaine Hatfield (Walster) and her colleagues (Walster, Walster, and Berscheid 1978) argue that fairness rules are culturally bound, indicating that generally one of three rules of fairness can apply: proportionality, equality, or need. Rules based upon proportionality mean that individuals receive â€Å"equal relative gains from the relationship†. In other words, each person should get out of the relationship gains that are in proportion to what they have put into the relationship. The equality rule, on the other hand, means that regardless of how much each person has put into the relationship, they should each reap equal rewards. Finally, the need-based rule indicates that need should be the determining factor in what partners get from a relationship, regardless of their individual contributions to it. Social exchange theory has always been an important component of cognitive-behavioral treatment for families. Most empirically based couple therapies have their foundations in behavioral couple therapy, which focuses on directly changing behavior by maximizing positive changes and minimizing positive exchanges. This concept particularly important in as much as most unhappy couples report higher daily frequencies of negative events than of positive events (Johnson & O’Leary, 1996). Social exchange theory centers on the costs and benefits associated with relationships. It emphasizes that there is technically a downside to particular social conditions, such as being married or single, and there are moments when a downside may predominate in the mind of an individual, causing him or her to view the social condition with regret. Social exchange theory was first conceived by Homens (1961) and later elaborated on by Thibaut and Kelly (1959). Thibaut and Kelly applied the concept of social exchange to the dynamics of intimate relationships, in which they identified patterns of interdepency. Social exchange theory is based on economic theories and views couple interaction through the lens of the exchange of costs and rewards. Simply stated, costs are reasons why a relationship would be considered undesirable, whereas rewards pertain to reasons that partners would remain in a relationship. If we think about our own spousal relationships, we may discover many costs and rewards. Some costs may be our spouse’s bad habits, such as excessive spending of money or his or her temperament. However, these costs may be strongly outweighed by the rewards, which may consist of the spouse’s kindness, sensitivity, and his or her constant loyalty and support. It is balance of costs and rewards that often helps couples to determine whether or not they are satisfied in a relationship. A main concept of social exchange theory is the tendency of individuals to compare the rewards they are receiving with the perceived alternatives. Equity theory is related to social exchange theory, given their unifying basic premise that outcomes should be evaluated in a relative sense within some frame of reference. Equity theory focuses upon outcome evaluations that result from relationships characterized by economic productivity objectives. Equity theory postulates that parties in exchange relationships compare their ratios of exchange inputs to outcomes. Inequity is said to exist when the perceived inputs and /or outcomes in an exchange relationship are psychologically inconsistent with the perceived inputs and/or outcomes of the referent. Since parties sometimes need to evaluate each other before engaging in an exchange, role expectations play a crucial role in determining the equity level of a potential exchange relationship. Each party to the exchange has certain expectations about their own role as well as that of the other party. According to role theory, each exchange partner has learned a set of behaviors that is appropriate in an exchange context – this will increase the probability of goal attainment by each partner. Role stress can affect long-term relationships if role expectations are unclear or if actual behaviors deviate from expectations. Believed inequities lead exchange parties to feel under-rewarded or over-rewarded, angry, or resentful, and will affect behaviors in subsequent periods by encouraging these parties to change their inputs into the relationship, and thus result in suspicion and mistrust of the exchange partner. The closer the exchange relationship, the more likely it is that relationship participants will perceive inequity. If equity prevails, the ratio of inequity, the ratio of one person’s outcomes to inputs is assumed to be constant across exchange partners, which results in the satisfaction of exchange partners with their outcomes. Equitable outcomes stimulate confidence that parties do not take the advantage of each other and those them are concerned about each others’ welfare. Parties in a relationship can compare their own ratio to that of their exchange partner, to those of others who interact with their exchange partner at the same level, and to that of their best alternative exchange partner. The social exchange theory is useful for couples counseling; it focuses on what each partner gives and receives from the other. It allows for therapist and clients to analyze their positive and negative behaviors which need to be changed. Members of relationship need not achieve total equality in the ratios of positives and negatives they exchange in order to be happy. The key is to find a balance of exchange over time that each person finds acceptable. Equity theory is based on couples counseling as everything in a relationship has to be equal otherwise it is gone be lots of problems in a relationship. Therapist can use it in a couples counseling. The members of the relationship who discover the inequity in their relationship feels distressed and it makes harder to restore the equity in their relationship. Therapist can get members of relationship to focus on the value of their relationship than the more material things they are getting from it. Also different motivations have different effects on relationship quality. So it would be another thing for therapist to look at during the couples counseling session.