Fractals and the Cantor Set :: Fractal Cantor Essays

Fractals and the Cantor Set Fractals are remarkable designs noted for their infinite self-similarity. This means that small parts of the fractal contain all of the information of the entire fractal, no matter how small the viewing window on the fractal is. This contrasts for example, with most functions, which tend to look like straight lines when examined closely. The Cantor Set is an intriguing example of a fractal. The Cantor set is formed by removing the middle third of a line segment. Then the middle third of the new line segments are removed. This is repeated an infinite number of times. In the end, we are left with a set of scattered points. These points have some very curious properties. First, there are an infinite number of them. In fact, there are so many points that no matter what list we create or what rule we apply, not all of the points will appear, even if our list is infinite. In other words, the set belongs to aleph-one. This is demonstrated through diagonalization. Here’s how—first one endpoint of the original line segment is labeled zero. The other endpoint becomes one. All the points in between are assigned fractional values. We can calculate more easily if we assign the values in tertiary, the base-three system. Unlike the common decimal system, the natural numbers are labeled 1, 2, 10, 11, 12, 20, 21, 22, 100, and so forth. Notice that the places of the digits represent the powers of three rather than the powers of ten. The â€Å"decimal places† represent 1/3, 1/9, 1/27, and so forth. The first removal takes out all points between .1 and .2. The second removal takes out all points between .01 and .02 as well as the values from .21 and .22. By continuing these specifications, all numbers that contain a â€Å"1† are removed, (except numbers ending in a one, such as .220021) and number containing merely twos and zeros are kept. The numbers ending in 1 are re-written by replacing the final 1 with 02222222222222†¦. because this is equal to 1 in tertiary. Suppose that we could somehow count all Cantor Set elements in one list. Then we could write out that list in order, one above the other. However, if we took the first decimal of the

Are there differences in the forms of Christianity and Judaism that are dominant in both the East and the West?

I would like to disagree with the statement that there are differences in the forms of Christianity and Judaism that are dominant in both the East and the West. Religion is a ritualistic institution. The rules, belief systems and also the goals of each specific religion are agreed upon and standardized across the globe. Whatever differences are seen between each are simply variations that come as a result of culture. There are cultural differences inherent between every nation. The difference is not a result of religion changing forms but of people having different ethnic traditions and cultural backgrounds.These alter religion only in the fringes, in the aspects where the most basic and core functions of the said religion are not applicable. For example, languages used in different Christian churches are different. This can result in a slightly different message but in the end there is only one core message: Jesus Christ is the Lord and Savior. Judaism, a stricter religious form tha n Christianity, is much the same in the West and in the East. Again, the difference lies only in the cultural difference and the developmental changes that occur as a result of being in different places.However, the skeleton, the framework, of the religion still holds true and thus I believe that there are no specific differences between Eastern and Western versions of religion except for cultural factors which cannot be helped and which do not affect the basic essence of religion Comment on James Otis’ response: I agree that the underlying values and traditions of teachings of religions like Christianity are essentially the same across the West and the East. The presentation of Otis’ ideas, however, seems to be confusing in that they try to tie up the different religions with one another.The problem is not the differences between religions but rather the difference between the practice of these religions in the West and in the East. I also disagree with the fact that slavery, self-preservation, and becoming a free nation are reasons for watered down versions of morality in the West. There are many nations in the East that were colonized by Western powers. Being colonies, most of the natives in these countries were subjected to statuses much like slaves in the East and were also at the receiving end of a strife for self-preservation and freedom.Following the logic of slavery, self preservation and free nationhood in the West, morals in the East should also have been watered down. This reasoning, therefore, does not hold and there is no reason to believe that these are the reasons for the differences of practice in Western and Eastern versions of Christianity and Judaism. It is a matter of culture and tradition and not of issues of nationhood and the like. QUESTION # 2 Response: I don’t think it’s fair that there should be a comparison of importance of people’s lives. However, in my opinion, Alexander the Great was able to con tribute the most to the development of Asia.Although he was a conqueror and although he subjugated different nations of Asia, he was also what I would consider to be the first instrument of globalization. He did not only encourage the interaction of cultures but he also established a unifying language as well as a unifying currency between the lands he conquered. Alexander the great encouraged the mingling of cultures between the West and the East. Debates still continue today to on whether Alexander wanted to better the world or whether he simply wanted to rule it. Either way, his legacy in Asia is indubitable.He was able to found at least 70 cities in both Asia and Africa. Alexander also established many trade routes in order to establish better economic flows between East and West which enriched both sides. Of the three men, I also believe that Marco Polo was able to affect the development of Asia the least. This is because all he was really known to have done was to travel and d ocument his travel along the Silk Road to China. I am not undermining the efforts of Marco Polo but in comparison with Alexander the Great and Genghis Khan’s contributions to Asia, he can easily be said to have contributed the least to the history of Asia.I believe that if it hadn’t been Marco Polo, someone traveling along the Silk Road would have eventually documented it too and it would have been their book that would have increased curiosity and interest in Asia. Marco Polo was by no means the first traveler along the Silk Road. However, he was the author of the most well-known book about travel to China. As a result, he has held a position of esteem in history. However, the efforts of Alexander the Great and of Genghis Khan in developing Asia far outstrip that of Marco Polo’s thus my belief that he has the least important role in the development and progress of Asia.Comment on Patrick Carter’s response: Genghis Khan was not only a conqueror bent on im proving military skills and on expanding the territory of his kingdom. Many negative impressions of Genghis Khan and his Mongolian Horde persist until today. However, it’s also true that he left many positive legacies for Asia. For one, he was responsible for the cohesion of the Silk Road. This allowed for the creation of better lines of communication and trade between the West and the East. Also, he was much like Alexander in that he tolerated different religions. This would explain why the religions of China persisted even after the Mongols ruled there.Genghis Khan was a strong leader who passed on his belief systems and passion to the Mongol rulers who came after him. Although Carter is right in saying that Marco Polo’s travels and writings increased knowledge about the East, this knowledge was only highly significant to those in the West. Development of Asia was not dependent on having the Western society learn more about Eastern customs and practices. Thus althoug h Genghis Khan was a military man with violent tendencies, I still believe that he was more able to enhance the growth of Asia as opposed to Marco Polo. QUESTION # 3 Response:The Mughal Dynasty was the ruling power over India around 1526-1720 while the Ming Dynasty ruled China during 1368-1644. The two dynasties overlapped chronologically and in terms of their contributions to both India and China, there have also been many similarities. Some of the major architectural works in both countries were created during these periods. The Taj Mahal and the Forbidden City are two of the most popular, although definitely not the only, structures from the Mughal and Ming Dynasty. Both dynasties showed a flourishing of the arts. Literature, music, and language grew and developed during both dynasties.Trade and economy also developed during both dynasties. In the Mughal dynasty, but not in the Ming dynasty, religion also flourished as the Mughal emperors were tolerant of different religious syst ems. With regards to economics, development was also different in form. In the Mughal dynasty, trade flourished thanks to the trade routes established to the Arabic and Turkish lands. In the Ming dynasty, on the other hand, economy flourished as a result of an imposition of higher taxes on richer individuals and redistribution of wealth and land to the poorer citizens.The Mughal dynasty was also able to adapt a new form of government, one that was centralized. This was not previously practiced in India. The Ming dynasty, on the other hand, simply adopted the form of government taken by the past dynasty, the Yuan Dynasty. In my opinion, both dynasties were able to contribute much to their respective countries. However, I also believe that the Mughal Dynasty contributed more to the present day life of India as opposed to the Ming Dynasty.Centralized government, tolerance for religion and the architectural works created during the Mughal Dynasty continue to permeate the lifestyle of th e citizens of India today. Also, the legacy of the Mughal Dynasty were unique to them. No dynasty before them were able to inspire such radical and important changes in India. The Ming Dynasty, on the other hand, was not the only dynasty to encourage the flourishing of arts in China. Its economic reforms were also not radically astounding that they changed the way of life of the Chinese up to this day. This is not to say that the legacy of the Ming Dynasty is irrelevant.It is simply an argument that it was not a greater cause of change in China as compared to the Mughal Dynasty’s effects on India. The Forbidden City, one of the greatest architectural works during that time, also had counterparts in past dynasties such as the Great Wall and the Great Canal. Visuals and literary works were also equally distributed across dynasties. It is my belief, therefore, that the Mughal Dynasty was able to contribute more to India. Comment on Shane Coursey’s response: Simply enumera ting the different aspects of both dynasties does not serve the purpose the response was supposed to have.It is not clear from this response in what ways both dynasties are similar and in what ways they are different. Yes, both dynasties are great in their own right but there is still a point of comparison with regards to which was able to contribute more to their respective countries. A dynasty, being a ruling power in a given country, is unique to that country and will therefore have striking differences from other dynasties within the same country and across dynasties of different countries. This should be the main thrust of the response.An analysis of which of the two dynasties was able to give more to either India or China. It is not a discussion of what these dynasties brought but rather, it is a discussion of how one fared in comparison to the other. In my opinion, India’s Mughal Dynasty fared better than China’s Ming Dynasty. This is seen when one dissects the aspects of both dynasties. There are clear differences both in economy and style of government. In terms of art and literature, both flourished but when placed in the context of the past Chinese dynasties, the Ming dynasty was not unique in this flourishing of the arts.Thus the Mughal Dynasty was able to contribute more to present-day India and its culture as opposed to the Ming Dynasty and present-day China. QUESTION # 4 Response: China, Korea, and Japan are thre Asian countries that are inextricably linked in terms of cultural roots. There are those that claim that all three nations are derived from an early form of Mongolian ancestry as the Mongols were very much scattered across Asia in the earlier parts of history. However, all three nations would also claim to have religious origins, believing themselves to have descended from gods, thus rejecting what common ancestor they might all have had.In terms of culture, however, it is very clear that both Japan and Korea have Chinese roots. Japan’s link with China may be explained by the fact that it was once colonized by mainland China during its early history. As a result, Japanese today are seen to utilize Chinese characters in their Japanese alphabet. Some games in Japan have Chinese origins. An example would be the Japanese game called Go which was actually derived from the Chinese board game Wei Ch’i. Korea, on the other hand, may be linked to China due to its proximity. The colonization of Korea by Japan may have also been a bridge for cultural transfer.There have also been numerous Chinese immigrants to Korea over time which may also explain the Chinese roots that Korea has today. Evidence of Korea’s link to China is the meditative practice of Son which was derived from the Chinese meditation of Chan. On another note, this also has a version in Japan which is called Zen. Despite similarities between the three countries, the differences between them remain clear. Because of Japan†™s isolation from the outside world, they were able to develop a unique culture separate from China and Korea. China’s long uninterrupted history has also assured it a unique identity.Korea, on the other hand presents a unique mixture of Chinese, Japanese and Mongolian culture based on the unique history of Korea, itself. Today, all three countries are on tenuous grounds with regard to their relationships. However, South Korea and China would seem to be more aligned as agreements between the two countries are under discussion. Japan and China, however, are finding it hard to look eye to eye in many issues as they have numerous controversies regarding economics, politics, and even technology. Comment on Nhia Francis’ response: The response failed to address the link between Korea and China.Although the relationship of China and Japan is clearer, there are links between Korea and China. How did the exchange in cultures occur? What mechanisms brought about the belief th at Japan and Korea have Chinese roots? Is it in terms of ancestry or is it simply because of the closeness of the cultures they exhibit? I agree that many of the cultural practices of Japan have derivations from China. However, does this indicate that Japan has Chinese roots? Or does it simply mean that their cultures are similar? Also, the relationship of the three countries today should be analyzed.

Bsbmkg502b †establish and adjust the marketing mix Essay

Assessment Task 1 – Work Based Knowledge Test 1. What are the characteristics of the products and/or services in your business? Ans. I am working in . We are selling burgers as well as fries and soft drinks. But recently we start selling frozen coke and ice cream, which Mc d was selling and now we are making good money. 2. How do these products and/or services relate to the market they are in, and to the immediate competitors? Ans. We have many competitors in market but Mc d is our biggest competitors because they are selling same product what we are selling. 3. How would you determine the effect of pricing variables on demand? Ans. It is depend on main four factor place, price, product and promotions. 4. What promotional Methods and channels of distribution would you use to obtain the marketing outcomes established in your business? Ans. At the movement we are using electronic media more than paper media. Customers can use our iphone app and they will get something free. 5. Describe the channels of distribution that you would use to ensure greater market penetration? Explain how you would develop a pricing strategy for these products/services Ans. For greater market penetration, I shall not only market through the advertisement I will also take help from marketing agencies who can promote my business on a larger scale. 6. Explain how you would develop a pricing strategy for these products/services If product is sold at the lowest price regarding all my competitors, we practice competitive pricing. Sometimes, competitive pricing is essential. For instance, when the products are basically the same, we use this strategy The success of competitive pricing strategy depends on achieving high volume and low costs. If prices are lower than costs, we are going straight to bankruptcy! To avoid such a mistake, we take notice of the break even ratio. -Cost-plus-profit: It means that add the profit need to cost. It is also called cost-orientated strategy and is mainly used by the  big contractor of public works. The authority may have access to the costing data and should like to check if the profit added to the cost is not too high. In fact, this strategy is only good for a business who’s the customers is public collectivities or government agencies. -Value pricing: It means that base the prices on the value we deliver to customers. For example, when a new technology has a very large success, you can charge high prices to the customer. This practice is also called skimming. It is easy when you are in the introductory phase of the product life cycle. Value pricing is also common in luxury items. Sometimes, the higher the price, the more you sell. 7. Identify and analyse the level of customer service that you would pursue relevant to the products/services associated with your business. Ans. First of all, personal presentation, although not necessarily a key factor of customer service, is however critical. It is imperative that one is open and honest with the customers. It is therefore imperative that employees employed to promote the product are not paid on commission but rather at an hourly rate. This ensures more honesty and less pushiness, and less aggressive sales ‘tactics’. 8. Describe your target market in terms of demographic, psychographic, and behavioural variables. Ans. Psychographic / Behavioral variables– Psychographic variables refer to any attribute relating to personality, lifestyle, values, interests or attitudes. These factors consider various influences on a person’s buying behavior. Different lifestyle choices like parenting, exercise decisions, religion, marriage or health can greatly affect a person’s requirements or preferences for certain products or service. People have different lifestyle patterns and behavior could change as people pass through different stages in life. On the other hand, a consumer’s opinions, interests or hobbies will have a huge impact on the products or services they will choose to buy. Demographic – are the statistical characteristics of a population As the prices of our store products are comparable with other convenience stores, it is not a good idea to open a deli store in may lands. So from my point of view it would be  great to open a store near to bays water as there is no shop near to that place 9. Describe how each component of the marketing mix interrelates to the target market? Ans. Marketing mix is a mixture of 4 variables; product, price, place and promotion. These variables make up the core marketing strategy as they help to define the marketing environment in which they operate. Product: Focusing on meeting the customer’s needs. A good product makes its marketing by itself because it gives benefits to the customer. Design, packaging and the safety and the green a friendly product to environment gets an advantage among some segments. Price  The price should not be above or below the price of other retailers, as this would not suit the needs of the target market. Promotion Promotion strategies will be focused to the target market segment. Given the importance of word-of-mouth/referrals among the areas resident. We shall strive to service all our customers to gain their business regularly, which is the recipe for our long-term success. We shall focus on direct resident marketing, publicity, trial food demonstrations, and advertising as proposed. Place Channels of distribution include †¢ Distributing Pamphlets †¢ Build up stalls in big mall or outside of it †¢ Adding advertisement on local newspaper or channels †¢ Use of social sites (internet as well) 10. What environmental factors will affect the marketing mix in your business Ans. Environmental factors that can affect the marketing mix in any business include cultural factors, technological factors, demographic factors, government factors and economic factors. 11. How do customer priorities, needs, and preferences impact on your marketing mix components? Ans. The Target Market in which our store aims to sell to, is everyone The customer’s needs, priorities and preferences influence the marketing mix compentants such that price should not be more or less than the recommended retail price. Channels of distribution include stores such as word of mouth, Advertisement and also pamphlets and internet as well. Design what you consider is the most appropriate marketing mix to satisfy the target market and meets the marketing objectives? For appropriate marketing we need to consider four keys Product, promotion, price and place Product:- It is a tangible good or an intangible service that is mass produced or manufactured on a large scale with a specific volume of units. Promotion: – represents all of the communications that a marketer may use in the marketplace. Promotion has four distinct elements: advertising, public relations, personal selling and sales promotion. Price: – The price is the amount a customer pays for the product. The business may increase or decrease the price of product if other stores have the same product. Place: –  Represents the location where a product can be purchased. It is often referred to as the distribution channel. It can include any physical store as well as virtual stores on the Internet   12. What do you consider is the most appropriate marketing mix to satisfy the target markets and meets the marketing objectives? Ans. Convenience stores are currently in the planning stage resources are limited. Currently we have received a $10000 grant from the government to get started. To ensure the marketing mix decisions meet the company’s strategic and operational objectives, I shall ensure the scarce resources are allocated as follows; Website Design $1500 Web- hosting $45.00 Other Web Costs $150.00 Stock including some Samples $20000 Business Cards $99 Shop Leasing Start-up Costs (Rent and Bond) $1150 13. Explain how you would monitor the marketing mix against marketing performance and isolate components for testing. Ans. As the marketing mix is comprised of 4 components, that is, price, promotion, place and product, to isolate each of these components for testing, that is, to test each component and its marketing particular performance, one must do simply that; isolate each component for testing. To isolate each component for testing, and monitor the marketing mix, for marketing performance, I should first establish or seek to research some benchmarks for sales. It would be easy to test the effectiveness of place, of product and of promotion, but to test price would be somewhat difficult if it were not for industry benchmarks that establish the sales benchmarks. 14. How would you evaluate the implication of altering one or more components of your marketing mix in relation to marketing factors and consumer response Ans. I evaluate that altering one or more component of the marketing mix in relation to factors or consumer response would be effective; however, I do feel that only the price component would need to be altered in response to consumers. I do feel that I have a solid marketing strategy. 15. Describe the process you would use to adjust the components of the marketing mix in response to test results and evaluation of market response. Ans. The process I would use, to adjust the components of the marketing mix, in response to test results and in response to the market response is as follows I would adjust the price to below recommended retail price and only in such a way as to reach sales benchmarks of my competitors and meet the prices of my competitors, as after all the majority of the profit is donated to worthy causes. 16. Explain how you would ensure that the adjusted marketing mix would meet budgetary requirements. Ans. If I were to adjust my price to meet the benchmarks and prices of my competitors I would like to assume there would  also be an increase in the number of sales. I am however aware this is merely an assumption. 17. What procedures would you use to ensure that the adjusted marketing mix continued to meet organisational, strategic and operational marketing objectives, and desired positioning? Ans. Procedures I would you use to ensure the adjusted marketing mix continued to meet organisational, strategic and operational marketing objectives, and desired positioning include; Adjusted price – I would need to continuously monitor sales and profit benchmarks and speak to an accountant in order to ensure that my business is still an effective profitable business.

Misunderstandings and Gender Differences Essay

In the movie â€Å"The Bachelor† released in theaters in 1999, Jimmy (Chris O’Donnell) makes his wedding proposal to Anne (Renee Zellweger) by saying â€Å"You win! † as he offers her an engagement ring. Anne muses with utmost disappointment and surprise. When she gets hold of her breath, she then accuses Jimmy of ruining everything – the hotel restaurant’s romantic ambience, the view, and the music. Jimmy argues that what he did was just to propose. For him, his statement was just a simple expression of his intention to marry Anne as he felt that he was compelled to do so. In Anne’s point of view however, Jimmy’s marriage proposal was offending – it is as if he was not really ready to be married. As a result, she walks out on him. Such conversation is a common example of the misunderstandings that stem from differences in gender. This is in line with what Deborah Tannen proposes in her book, â€Å"You Just Don’t Understand! †. According to Tannen, men and women have different conversational styles. Since people from different genders have different points of views and conversational styles, misunderstandings happen. Such claim is much agreeable and very noticeable in day to day conversations, not just in America, but also in other parts of the globe. In this paper, the researcher will affirm this argument of Tannen by citing supporting details such as the genderlect theory of Tannen, arguments between â€Å"rapport† and â€Å"report† talk, and their varying interpretations of interruptions in conversations. The researcher will also provide examples which can be readily observable in day to day interactions. In Tannen’s Genderlect theory, she notes that the two sexes have different styles of communication which is pretty much comparable to the interaction between two people coming from different cultures. To a certain extent, she has equated gender with culture. In her book, Tannen claims that â€Å"Boys and girls grow up in what are essentially different cultures, so talk between women and men is cross-cultural communication. † (Tannen, 1990, p. 18). Basically, she argues that men and women grow up in different worlds – where â€Å"worlds† here refer to psycholinguistic situations. For example, it can be noted that when girls are growing up, they tend to interact best through the establishment of friendships with other women. They pattern their communication styles through the intimacy that they get from their mothers and their best friends. Technically, they communicate well with people whom they can best identify with. A girl’s prime motivation to communicate is to form relationships and establish closeness and confidence. On the other hand, boys grow up and learn to socially communicate in groups where they are nurtured to become tough and strong – seemingly relieving themselves of intimacy and focusing their conversations on status maintenance. They play in groups where they can compete and boast. Boys are more inclined to initiate conversations with people they have just met in order to establish their sense of status and compete for diversity. Such gender differences in learning and growing up are best demonstrated in the toys and role plays that boys and girls adapt as they grow up. Most of the time, girls would like to play with dolls and play houses where they can assume the role of a mommy and then pretend that they are caring for their baby. They then establish intimacy by actually practicing it through role playing. As for most boys, they would rather play with toys – remote controlled cars or bicycles that they can use to race against each other, and/or engage in activities where they can show their superiority through physical built, strength, or skills i. e. basketball, baseball, etc. They establish their craving for supremacy through competition and rivalry and hierarchical roles within a group depending on the outcome of the contest. As such, by growing up in two different scenarios, boys and girls develop different cultures. Thus, gender interaction becomes a cross-cultural interaction. And, like any form of interaction between people across two different cultures, most men and women are finding it difficult to adapt to each others differences in order to enhance their sensitivity and improve communication and intimacy. As noted by Tannen, men see the world as a venue where â€Å"a hierarchical social order in which they are either one-up or one-down† exists. For them, there is always â€Å"a question of gaining the upper hand. † As for women, they see the world as â€Å"a network of connections† where the â€Å"conversations are negotiations for closeness and people try to seek and give confirmation and support, and to reach consensus† (Tannen, 1990, p. 25). Another factor that contributes to the emergence of misunderstandings between men and women is their differences in conversational styles – primarily the tendency of women to engage in â€Å"rapport talk† as men diverge into â€Å"report talk†. Basically, rapport talk refers to conversations that are designed to improve and build relationships. This type of conversations results to statements which are polite and friendly – even appeasing and pacifying. When women talk, it is more likely that they are asking for someone’s approval or more so, advice. On the other hand, the report talk refers to the communication style where the main intent of the person is just to deliver information and accomplish tasks at hand. Such type of statements demonstrates dominion and authority because they often sound like commands and orders. Tannen further explains that women use rapport talk as they often engage in â€Å"private speaking†. Such is best shown in what is dubbed as a ‘girl talk’ where women share stories so they can match experiences, explore similarities and differences, and create a special bond with each other. Only when two women have engaged in a serious ‘girl talk’ about their personal lives can they usually regard each other ‘friends’. As they share more about themselves through more rapport talks, they develop a â€Å"common world† (Tannen, 1990, p. 76-77). As for men, they use report talk for â€Å"public speaking†. Tannen notes that they favor public discourse and challenging arguments. In most cases, what they want to do is to get some attention and establish themselves as dominant by proving that they are right or knowledgeable (Tannen, 1990, p. 76-77). This characteristic of men can be observed in small talks between groups of males where their topics of discussion are often wide ranging – from simple mechanic tools to basketball players. As they swerve from one topic to another, a man shows dominance through his ability to carry on with the shifts and showing that he is well versed in a variety of subjects. Technically, because women find men’s report talks offending and men regard rapport talks as irrelevant; this gives rise to many situations where women and men in relationships grow apart. Misunderstanding happens because women would love to engage in intimate talks of relationship building which men neglect; and because men talk in ways that women mistakenly identify as intimidating and offending even when the opposite gender means good. Based on Tannen’s book, another factor that demonstrates how gender differences can cause misunderstandings is the fact that men and women differ in the way they interpret interruption. This is very important because as the author explains, â€Å"Interrupting carries a load of meta messages – that a partner doesn’t care enough, doesn’t listen, and isn’t interested. † (Tannen, 1990, p. 189) In most cases, Tannen argues that men will probably not welcome interruptions because they will equate it to a struggle for dominance. For them, an interruption would indicate that one is trying to lead the conversation and thus, overpowering them. For a woman however, interruptions are regarded as an ordinary part of a rapport talk. Women would welcome interruptions because it shows healthy participation and interaction which can contribute to the formation of an agreement. It also signals that the person might be listening to the conversation. In this regard, it may be important to note that silence would probably harbor a reverse effect on both sexes. In the case of men, they might regard silence as a sign of submission – where they are offered with the total independence that they need: free from instructions, requests, and nags. In the case of women however, silence may be equated to an act of disregard and disrespect. If a wife talks to his husband and his husband refuses to talk or respond to what she is saying, then she would probably imply that her husband takes no notice of her. Following this point of view on interruption and silence, it can be noted that perhaps misunderstandings happen because while men want silence, women demand for interaction. As claimed by Tannen, â€Å"Women and men feel interrupted by each other because of the differences in what they are trying to accomplish with talk† (Tannen, 1990, p. 215). When the growing and contrasting demands of each other finally meet, then divisions or gaps between men and women occur. In conclusion, one can note that misunderstandings among the two genders mostly occur because their directions, motives, and needs in conversations greatly vary. It seems that while men argue for competence, women struggle to maintain harmony. As women demand for interaction and intimacy, men reject them as they search for silence and independence. Thus, in order to establish connections between opposite genders, people should be more sensitive to the differences in communication preferences and styles and try to adapt and accept the existence of such differences. A thorough understanding of these differences can definitely propel effective communication techniques which can result to healthy relationships in the long run. Work Cited Tannen, Deborah. â€Å"You Just Don’t Understand. † William Morrow and Company, 1990

Functionalist perspective of family Essay

Functionalists believe that society is based on a set of shared values and norms; this is known as a value consensus. These norms and values socialize its members, which enables them to cooperate with each other so society’s needs are met, this creates social order. It offers a structural and macro view of the family which is top down. Functionalists see society as being similar to a biological organism for example the human body. This is called the organic analogy. The human body is made up of various different parts that function together, each part is necessary for the normal functioning of the whole body. Society is made up of various institutions (for example education or family), Functionalists believe that these institutions rely on each other each other which helps maintain social order. If one institution is quickly modified or fails to work with other institutions, society would be dysfunctional and would end up in anarchy. Functionalists compare this with the human body because if one component is unable to work, this often affects other components in the body, which could result in death. Functionalists believe that a family is a vital institution, which contributes to maintaining social order because it meets the needs of other institutions such as the education system, which enables society to functio n in a unified manner. Functionalists believes that the nuclear family fits society’s needs, however several alternative theories such as Feminism contradict Functionalist ideology. Murdock believes that the nuclear family performs four essential functions for society and its members however he acknowledges that other institutions can perform these functions. He claims that he found evidence of a nuclear family in 250 different societies so he argues that a nuclear family is universal as it fulfills societies needs. The first function is sexual, Murdock believes that sexual intercourse with the same marital partner can prevent social disruption and can strengthen the tie between husband and wife. The second function is reproduction; this allows new members of society to be born which is essential for society because if reproduction did not continue then society would cease to exist. The third function is  economical so the family can provide for its members e.g food and shelter. The final function is the education system, this enables the young to be socialized and educated into society’s norms and values, and this suggests the family is a positive feat ure of society. However Murdock’s research is limited because he ignores diversity. His research is based on a nuclear family, yet in modern society there are many different family types, for example homosexual couples/lone parents. The postmodernist view believes that the nuclear family is no longer the norm and therefore the functionalist theory is not relevant to today’s society. Another criticism would be that Functionalists do not consider the validity of other family structures such as the Nayar or the Kibbutz who can also perform the four functions. On the other hand, a strength of Murdock’s work is it provides an insight of the families’ importance to society, because they examine how a family functions in society. Another positive to Murdock’s interpretations of family life would be that Murdock could generalize his research because he has studied 250 different societies, which demonstrates how a nuclear family can fit societal needs around the world. Another Functionalists explanation of the family comes from Parsons who believes that the functions a family has to perform, will affect its ‘shape’ or ‘structure’. Parson’s identifies two types of family structure: the nuclear family, which fits the needs of modern industrial society and the extended family, which fits the needs of pre-industrial society. Parson’s argues that the extended family was multi-functional so it was a unit of consumption and production whilst the nuclear family fits the key needs of modern industrial society: geographically mobile workforce and the socially mobile workforce. The geographical mobility industries often required people to move to where the jobs were, Parson’s argued that a nuclear family (two generations) would find it more straightforward to move than an extended family (three generations) so the nuclear family is better fitted to the needs of modern industrial society. The social mobile workforce implied that modern society is constantly changing with technology and science also individual status is often achieved (using their own  efforts) rather than ascribed (fixed from birth) e.g. the son may ascribe their own status and move away from home and create their own nuclear family in which they are structurally isolated from other members so Parson’s argues that the nuclear family is better equipped that than the extended family to meet societies needs. Parson’s argues that the nuclear family ‘fits’ (fit thesis) modern society yet he also notices that the changing functions of the family are socially advanced so the family have to fulfill fewer functions for its members, Parson’s argues that the nuclear family specializes in two functions: the primary socialization of children which educates the next generation with basic skills and society’s values. The stabilization of adult personalities is the second function, this enables adults to release tensions so they can return to their place of work and perform their roles efficiently. Parson’s identifies segregated conjugal roles between a husband and wife. The husband has the instrumental role so he is expected to provide for his family whilst the wife has the expressive role and is expected to nurture her children. There are many negatives with Parson’s ideology for instance he idealizes the nuclear family and ignores diversity, as there is more than just the nuclear and extended family in modern society. Another criticism would be that Peter Laslett studied the pre-industrial society and concluded that in this society, the common family was nuclear and not extended as Parson claimed. This was because many families decided to have their children when they were older and short life expectancy conveyed that grandparents were not alive when their first grandchild was born. . However there are some positives about Parson’s research, the first would be that Parson’s identifies how families change in society, another reason would be that Parson’s research shows how families can adapt to meet societies needs so a more stable society is created and he argues that family life ‘fits’ and benefits society e.g. reproduction allows new members of society to be create d so society’s norms and values are passed on to the next generation, which helps create a stable society and social order. More broadly, some feminists such as Oakley argues that Murdock and other functionalists neglects conflict and exploitation in a family (e.g. domestic violence), many feminists also believe that within the family, women are serving the needs of men and they are oppressed, this suggest the family is not functional for women as argued by the functionalists. Marxist’s have a similar conflict point of view as they believe that Murdock ignore the negatives in a family life, as Murdock has an extremely positive view on family life. Marxists ( Engels and Zaretsky)however argue that the family meets the needs of capitalism and not those of family members or society in general, which conflicts with Murdock’s ideology. Furthermore The radical psychiatrists such as Laing argues that the family is dysfunctional as it damages the individual and can lead to mental illness, they argue that the nuclear family is not productive to its members. The New right however supports the functionalist’s view of the nuclear family and suggests they help society to function, however they are an extreme view and have themselves been criticized. To conclude, Functionalists all agree that the nuclear family is the best to fit societies needs, it offers a positive consensus view, however it ignores women’s positions and ignore how the family feeds capitalism, they also ignore family diversity. To understand the family unit, one must look at all theoretical views as functionalism on its own is too limited a view.

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