Discussion "Keystone Species, Shrinking Red Knots, and Biomes"
Our focus this Part is on ecology. Ecology is the study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their physical environments. For your primary post, respond to one of the following three topics. Also, reply to at least one fellow student on any topic.
Topic 1 [video]: Keystone Species. Watch the video entitled "Some animals are more equal than others..." (1)* Then completely describe the concept of a keystone species, giving specific examples from the video.
Topic 2 [articles]: Shrinking Red Knots. Read two of the following three articles about shrinking Red Knots (2)*, (3)*, (4)*, or research additional information on your own. Then, address the following issues:
(a) Explain how the lifecycle of the Red Knot depends on hatchlings emerging at the same time as the insects hatch.
(b) What are the long-term ramifications of having a mismatch between the bird hatch and the insect hatch?
(c) Of the two articles you read, which of them do you feel was most informative? Why?
Topic 3 [research]: Biomes. The term "biome" is described in the textbook. For this topic, describe the biome where you grew up (or where you currently live). Identify your location, the biome of the region, and describe the major characteristics of that biome. Add enough detail and commentary from your own experience. If you're really ambitious, you could consider looking up the EPA "ecoregion," which will give additional details about your region.
*References (in Strayer Writing Standards format).
1. HHMI Biointeractive, May 3, 2016, Some animals are more equal than others: keystone species and trophic cascades. (Youtube Video)
2. Briggs, H. (2016, May 12). Shrinking bird pays the bill for Arctic warming.
3. Dussault, J. (2016, May 12). Climate change chould be shrinking these arctic birds. The Christian Science Monitor.
4. Zimmer, C. (2016, May 12). Climate change and the case of the shrinking red knots,. The New York Times.
Part 1: "Course conclusion and Reflection"
Reflecting on the work that you have done and the articles that you have read and watched, what do you think is the most interesting or useful topic that you explored? Which topic do you wish wasn't included in the course?
If you could change this course in any way you wanted, what would you like to see?
Part 2
Today, there are several options for people who want to pursue a legal claim. This includes filing a lawsuit in court, but also includes alternative forms of dispute resolution (referred to as ADR) such as mediation and arbitration. In both mediation and arbitration, the dispute is resolved outside of court, with the main difference being that mediation requires the parties to voluntarily agree to a resolution, while arbitration requires the parties to abide by the decision of a private arbitrator.
For this discussion, choose one of the disputes listed below and explain whether you think the best way to resolve it is through a lawsuit, mediation, or arbitration.
• A woman is passed over for promotion and instead the job is award to a man with less experience. She believes that this is a case of sex discrimination.
• A truck driver is hit by a motorist who ran a stop sign and will be in the hospital for several months and does not have any savings or disability benefits.
• A child is injured when a very popular folding high-chair collapses, and it appears that the high-chair was improperly designed and unable to reliably support the weight of the average infant.
Part 3
This Part, we'll be examining how our legal system protects persons who are injured by the purposeful act of another. These types of injuries are called intentional torts. The legal claims of assault, battery, false imprisonment, invasion of privacy and defamation are examples of intentional torts.
For this discussion, choose one of the scenarios listed below and determine the intentional tort that you think applies. Make sure to explain your answer, including the elements of the claim, why you think those elements are or are not present, and what other information you would need to make this determination.
• A group of people protesting a company's employment practices in the lobby of a building is surrounded by private security guards hired by the company.
• A teenager sends a joking message to his best friend telling him that there is a bomb in his basement.
• You accidently leave your personal journal at the local coffee shop. Another customer finds it and shares your innermost secrets on his blog, but never identifies you as being the writer of the journal.
• At a family reunion at your parents' home, you see Dave, a second cousin, place a very expensive bottle of wine in a duffle bag and quickly walk out of the backdoor. You quickly go to your father and tell him that Dave stole wine from the family wine cellar and your father calls the police. In reality, your mother told Dave to pick any bottle of wine as a belated birthday present.
Part 4
The responsibility of the directors of a corporation is to provide a return to shareholders on their financial investment in the corporation . . . in other words, shareholders expect to make money on their investment. Corporations such as Facebook, Google, and Apple are financed through the sale of billions and billions of dollars in shares purchased by investors. Sometimes, however, the duty to maximize profits runs contrary to legal, but still questionable, business opportunities.
Assume that you're the director of one of the corporations listed below and have been presented with the business opportunity described in the scenario. Would you advise the corporation to accept the opportunity? Make sure to fully explain your answer, considering both the financial return expected and any related ethical concerns.
• ToyCo has just been informed that it's wooden trains produced in China contain lead paint and can no longer be sold in the United States. However, a distributor offers to negotiate a deal with a foreign company to sell the trains in a South American country that has no laws addressing the presence of lead paint in children's toys.
• BabyHealth is seeing decreasing sales of its powdered infant formula in the United States due to more and more mothers choosing to breastfeed their babies. In an effort to offset these losses, BabyHealth chooses to sell their formula in third world countries. However, it is widely known that the water sources in these countries is often contaminated and not boiled prior to use.
• After producing 10 million versions of its new smartphone, PhoneLand discovers that due to a manufacturing oversight, 5 of the phones may catch fire if left in a car on a hot day. While the worst case financial impact from the phones catching fire is 10 million dollars in damages, recalling and repairing the phones will bankrupt the company.
Part 5
Consumer protection is an important issue, but how much responsibility should the government have in protecting consumer? There are many products that pose a health hazard yet are legal. Choose one of the following examples and explain whether or not you think that the government should ban the product.
• Cigarettes
• Beer, wine or liquor
• Fast food
Part 6
The goal of intellectual property law is to encourage innovation. Individuals and companies will be far less likely to create new or improved products, services, and works such as movies and albums if others can readily copy and profit from their efforts.
Choose one of the scenarios below and determine which type of intellectual property law applies and whether it would, in fact, provide any remedy. Remember to identify and explain the elements necessary to claim protection as intellectual property, why you think those elements are or are not present, and what other information you would need to make this determination.
• William Writer has developed a great idea for a novel. It will feature a young magician named Henry Pryor who attends a special high school for magicians. Henry has many interesting friends and even searches for the Philosopher's Rock.
• Karen Kitchens is a fantastic cook. Her best dish is fried chicken. Her fried chicken is so good that her friends suggest she start a restaurant. After some thought Karen agrees. She plans to open Kitchen's Fried Chicken, but because the name is a bit long she decided to shorten it to KFC. Her sign will be red and white and feature an image of Karen's father, a white-haired old man with a goatee.
• Sandy Secretary works for a huge cola company. The company is famous for its secret formula that it has used for over 100 years. One day while looking for something in the boss's office, Sandy finds a piece of paper that lists the secret formula. Sandy secretly makes a copy of the secret formula and offers to sell it to a competitor.
Part 7
Law is always evolving. It slowly changes over time in response to its environment. In business, new types of products, services and practices drive the development of law as it is forced to adapt to situations we can't even think about today. A great example is the "gig" economy created by companies such as Uber and Lyft and their "do it yourself" ride service.
What new developments do you think will present the need to rethink and re-evaluate how business law concepts apply today or in the future?
The response should include a reference list. Double-space, using Times New Roman 12 pnt font, one-inch margins, and APA style of writing and citations.