Nur405 Friedman Family Assessment - 1469 Words

Friedman Family Assessment The Friedman Family Assessment is a tool used to assess the â€Å"family as a whole, as part of the whole of society, and as an interaction system† (Lancaster Stanhope, 2008, p. 569). The Friedman Family Assessment has certain assumptions for the families that are assessed with this tool. These assumptions include the families are â€Å"a social system with functional requirements, a small group possessing certain generic features common to all small groups, as a social system accomplishes functions that serve the individual and society, and individuals act in accordance with a set of internalized norms and values that are learned primarily in the family through socialization† (Lancaster Stanhope, 2008, p. 569). The†¦show more content†¦D and V were both born in the United States. Environmental Data The Pedroza family lives in a single family home with two bedrooms and one bathroom. The house has a formal living room, a dining room, a kitchen, and a family room. The house has a large backyard. There is a back house on the property with a small living room, a bedroom, and recreation room upstairs. The parents of D live in the back house. The city in which they live in, Temple City, has more than 35,000 people. V has worked for a neighboring school district of San Gabriel for the last five years as a behavioral specialist. D works as a certified electrician and his job locations vary from city to city, depending on the location of the next job. The Pedroza family is very active in their city. Their children play baseball and softball at the local park and actively participate in coaching and volunteering their time in the activity. Family Structure Communication pattern among the family varies, depending on the situation. There are times when communication is clear and concise and there are times when emotions are heightened and tense, especially between D and V. V is the primary caregiver and primary keeper of the home. V and D do consult each other on issues that concern the children but V is the one who delivers the decision or message to the children. V and D both work and contribute financially to the family and household. D’s

The Life You Save May Be Your Own Short Story Analysis

The True Meaning of Life What brings you true joy? Is it family and friends, a religion, or some material item? In the short story, â€Å"The Life You Save May Be Your Own,† Flannery O’Connor gives examples of what can bring Tom Shiftlet joy, but what he chooses instead. A tramp, Shiftlet, wonders to the Crater house in search of a job. Mrs. Crater knows she needs her farm fixed up, so she allows Shiftlet to sleep in the car and will feed him if he fixes things at the house. Mrs. Crater tries to pawn her daughter, Lucynell, off on Shiftlet. Shiftlet is offered the car he fixed, a place to live, and $17.50 just to marry Lucynell. Shiftlet finally agrees and accepts the bribe. On their honeymoon, Shiftlet leaves Lucynell at a diner and moves†¦show more content†¦The car that Shiftlet voluntarily fixes is also a symbol for freedom, the moving spirit, but also how material objects can block mankind from God’s grace. Shiftlet first notices the beat up old ca r and offers to fix things up car when he says he can just sleep in the car like, â€Å"the monks of old slept in their coffins!† (O’Connor 678). Shiftlet not only does not care to sleep in the house with human company, but he also compares the car to a coffin. The car is a symbol of much more than freedom, like Shiftlet says when he compares a man’s spirit to an automobile, but also as a symbol of death. When discussing symbolism, Tom Deignan discusses how â€Å"Shiftlet responds, eerily linking the car to a symbol of death. Mrs. Crater then says ‘They wasn’t as advanced as we are.’ But Mrs. Crater’s response be ironic. By inserting the image of stoic, noble monks, O’Connor seems to be contrasting their lives of devotion with these two lives of greedy pursuit. The monks, within O’Connor’s value system, are perhaps more ‘advanced.’ Furthermore, Shiftlet’s desire for the car just might lead him to some sort of death† (Deignan 133). Because the theme is about finding what truly matters in life, O’Connor uses symbols to show the reader what does not matter and what does matter. She compares Shiftlet to Jesus Christ, but then at the end of the story sacrifices someone else for his own gain instead ofShow MoreRelatedThe Life You Save May Be Your Own1122 Words   |  5 PagesWhat if you were given a chance to start over and do things differently? To make up for your mistakes, right your wrongs? This idea is featured as a theme in Flannery O’Connor’s short story â€Å"The Life You Save May Be Your Own†, published in the 1953 Spring issue of The Kenyon Review (Kenyon College). The story is about a homeless man by the name of â€Å"Shiftlet† who approaches an isolated, run-down farm where â€Å"Mrs.Crater† and her mentally retarded daughter â€Å"Lucynell† lives. Crater offers Shiftlet a homeRead MoreThe Life You Save May Be Your Own1506 Words   |  7 PagesEvery writer has their own story and because of said story, it has an impact on who they are and how they think. In turn, this leads the writer into unraveling their writing style and, in an artistic way, write out their feelings in the form of a poem or story. We see this in the case of almost every writer, but as of now we re only going to look at Mary Flannery O - Connor. A major theme that reoccurs in much of Flannery O Connors work is her strong dis- like for the worlds current state, asRead MoreAnalysis Of The Life You Save May Be Your Own 1331 Words   |  6 PagesThe Evil of Two, the Demise of One: An analysis of â€Å"The Life You Save May Be Your Own† Authors often depict their characters in a story through direct and indirect characterization. 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WhatRead MoreMy Ambition In Life Essay To Become A C1082 Words   |  5 PagesMy ambition in life essay to become a collector Free Essays on My Ambition In Life To Become A Collector for students. Use our papers to help you with yours. My Ambition Become a Collector: exaggeration of your dream and thoughts of how you want to be in your life. My ambition is to become an IAS officer. Though I. My ambition in life is to become a teacher. There are a number of reasons for my choice. First, about 35 per cent of the people in India are illiterate. They are. Plan essay thirsha WebsitesRead MoreDna Fingerprinting Is Not All The Title1533 Words   |  7 PagesWhat if you knew your own body has the potential to send you to jail? You would probably be more careful when going out in public and would probably start overanalyzing every aspect of your everyday behavior. However, this question is not a matter of your physical body having the potential to send you to jail through your actions. It is a matter of biological aspects of your body and how they can reveal secretive information about you. You may have heard the phrase â€Å"No two fingerprints are alike†Read MoreCom/155 Appendix C Rhetorical Modes Essay1750 Words   |  7 Pagesused. |method works best with each rhetorical mode. |each rhetorical mode. | |Narration |The purpose of narration is to |Narrative methods represent a form of inquiry|1. Clarity. Complex words and | | |tell a story or narrate an event|that has promise for integrating evaluation |syntax are a hindrance to | | |or series of events. This |and organization development. Narrative |clarity and should be avoided.| | Read MoreAltruism And It s Causes1581 Words   |  7 Pagesrelation to a story of a bus driver who risked her own life to save the children she was transporting. To achieve this goal I will: define the necessary concepts (part I), provide examples demonstrating the differing causes of altruism and how they relate to the event in question (part II), and refer to conducted research which supports and further describes the actions taken in my chosen event (part III). While there are many persons who acted altruistically in the following story, I have decidedRead MoreSt. Jude Charity Speech Essay1162 Words   |  5 Pagespersuade to donating. INTRODUCTION ATTENDTION GETTER/ RELEVANCE; Think back to a time when you were younger, maybe the time when you played dress up using mommy’s make up. Maybe it was a time when you when you pretended that you were a power ranger, to tell you the truth I wanted to be the pink ranger! Think of when you said you want to grow up to be just like mom or dad! And maybe pictured how your wedding would be like when were older or if you’re really going to be a police officer or evenRead MoreThe Bean Trees Taylor Character Analysis1146 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿The Bean Trees: Character Analysis Taylor Greer is the primary protagonist of the adventurous tale taking place throughout multiple states in America, The Bean Trees. Taylor is girl from a town of simpletons, and she wants to escape that and live freely somewhere else. The Bean Trees is written by Barbra Kingsolver, an acclaimed author, and the story is about Taylor and her life after leaving a small town in Kentucky to find happiness. Taylor is a very complex person with a number of defining

Fears in The Most Dangerous Game Most Dangerous Ga Essay Example For Students

Fears in The Most Dangerous Game Most Dangerous Ga Essay me Essays Fears in The Most Dangerous Game ADM1 All around it was quiet. ADM2The birds were chirping and the leaves were blowing. Suddenly, a man fled from the brush, holding only a knife in his right hand. After the fleeing man had ran some distance, another man came out of the brush holding a revolver. This man walked calmly after the fleeing man not worried that the he would escape. The old, erect man stopped, and loaded his revolver. He then took aim, shot a round and hit the fleeing man just as he turned around. The man dropped as he died instantly. The old man then walked over to the game he had just killed, grabbed the body by the shirt, and dragged the body into the brush. Richard Connells The Most Dangerous Game is a story based on a man who thrives for hunting humansADM3. The way Connell wrote this short story reveals some characteristics about him. The Most Dangerous Game is a psychological story about the author facing and overcoming fear. ADM4 The generals eyes had left the ground and were traveling inch by inch up the tree. Rainsford froze there, every muscle tensed for a spring. But the sharp eyes of the hunter stopped before they reached the limb where Rainsford lay; a smile spread over his brown face. This story is filled with the same type of fear Connell experienced in his life. Perhaps he felt hunted at one point in his life and decided he had to run away from all the pain and anger. For instance, his father may have been abusive to him, so he decided to run away from the fear of being emotionally as well as physically hurtADM5. Rainsford slid down the tree and struck off again into the woods Following the trail with the sureness of a bloodhound came General Zaroff. Connell ran and ran and ran, but no matter how far he ran, his fears were always behind him. Connell would soon figure out what to do. ADM6 Connell also showed the ability to overcome his fears. At the end of the story, Rainsford confronts Zaroff in Zaroffs own bedroom. Zaroff offers a truce, but Rainsford does not accept and they fight until the death. Rainsford had successfully faced Zaroff, his fear.ADM7 Connell is showing that he overcame the fears he had in his life by facing them with confidence. If he had run away, he would have run forever, and would have eventually gotten tired of running and would have been caught by his fearsADM8. He knew he could not run any longer and had to face his hardships in life. The ending result ADM9would end up in victory. Connell expressed how he overcame and conquered his fears in The Most Dangerous Game. He started to run and hide, but knowing he would never escape;ADM10 he decided to stare at them directly in the face. The hunted man fled from the brush, hiding behind a tree as he watched the hunter fall directly into his trap. Although the hunter was wounded, he was not killed. The hunter escaped to his castle to where the hunted followed. He waited for the hunter to come out once again so he could face him and defeat him once and for all. The hunter came out and the two of them dueled.ADM11 ADM1 Good title! ADM2I still love your introductions this one is good too. But, try some other types as well. Let me know if you need suggestions. .u3a06f43b52e98c1e4845d4aa30cf49e5 , .u3a06f43b52e98c1e4845d4aa30cf49e5 .postImageUrl , .u3a06f43b52e98c1e4845d4aa30cf49e5 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u3a06f43b52e98c1e4845d4aa30cf49e5 , .u3a06f43b52e98c1e4845d4aa30cf49e5:hover , .u3a06f43b52e98c1e4845d4aa30cf49e5:visited , .u3a06f43b52e98c1e4845d4aa30cf49e5:active { border:0!important; } .u3a06f43b52e98c1e4845d4aa30cf49e5 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u3a06f43b52e98c1e4845d4aa30cf49e5 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u3a06f43b52e98c1e4845d4aa30cf49e5:active , .u3a06f43b52e98c1e4845d4aa30cf49e5:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u3a06f43b52e98c1e4845d4aa30cf49e5 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u3a06f43b52e98c1e4845d4aa30cf49e5 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u3a06f43b52e98c1e4845d4aa30cf49e5 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u3a06f43b52e98c1e4845d4aa30cf49e5 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u3a06f43b52e98c1e4845d4aa30cf49e5:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u3a06f43b52e98c1e4845d4aa30cf49e5 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u3a06f43b52e98c1e4845d4aa30cf49e5 .u3a06f43b52e98c1e4845d4aa30cf49e5-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u3a06f43b52e98c1e4845d4aa30cf49e5:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Flowers for Algernon: Charlie's Psychological Trau EssayADM3Pretty good transitional phrase. Good instincts. ADM4Strong thesis for a Freudian approach. ADM5Excellent! Not only are you exploring the concept of fear in his life, you are even making specific guesses as to what it could literally have been. Even better, you are being psychological in relating it to his parental figure. Freud would approve! ADM6Its good that you are creating a transitional passage to the next paragraph. However, you really dont need this quotation to do it. Just go with your sentence and save the quotations for building your analysis. ADM7Nice! ADM8Because you said at .

Work Stress Essays - Stress, Occupational Stress,

Work Stress 1.0 Introduction Throughout the eighties and into the nineties, work stress have continued to rise dramatically in organizations across North America. The eighties saw employees stressing out from working in a rapidly growing economy. During the nineties, beginning from the recession of 1992 till present day, employees are stressed by their own job insecurities in the face of massive downsizing and restructuring of organizations in order to be competitive on the global stage. Work stress is a very extensive topic ranging from research on the sources of stress, the effects of stress, to ways on managing and reducing stress. This report will focus first on the evidence for the harmful effects of stress at work, both mentally and physically. The last section will briefly explain why management should be concerned with rising employee stress and will describe some actions management can take to alleviate work stress. 2.0 Harmful Effects of Stress Most research studies indicate a high correlation between stress and illness. According to authorities in the United States and Great Britain, as much as 70% of patients that are treated by general practitioners are suffering from symptoms originating from stress . Everyone experiences stress, however, each person responds to stress very differently. Their response is dependent on how each person reacts to stress emotionally, mentally, and physically. There are, however, common effects of stress for most people on the physical and mental body. 2.1 Physical Effects The researcher Blyth in 1973 identified a list of diseases which have a fairly high causal relationships with stress. His evidence was obtained through interviews with medical experts, review of reports by the World Health Organization and consultations with the J.R. Geigy Pharmaceutical Company. The following is a list of some of the illnesses Blyth had identified : 1. Hypertension2. Coronary thrombosis3. Hay fever and other allergies4. Migraine headaches5. Intense itching6. Asthma7. Peptic ulcers8. Constipation 9. Rheumatoid arthritis10. Colitis11. Menstrual difficulties12. Nervous dyspepsia 13. Overactive thyroid gland14. Skin disorders15. Diabetes mellitus16. Tuberculosis Research conducted by Woolfolk and Richardson in 1978 further confirmed Blyths list that hypertension, coronary disease, infections, and ulcers are highly related to the amount of prolonged stress an employee is subjected to. Evidence for a causal relationship between hypertension and stress was seen in a study of air traffic controllers. The work stress is enormous for this occupation due to the high responsibility for the safety of others that people is this field must bear. This study noted that air traffic controllers experiences a hypertension rate approximately 5 times greater than other comparable occupational groups . Only in recent studies was stress linked to coronary disease. As the majority of heart attacks are caused by fatty substances adhering to the artery walls (arteriosclerosis), stress is a causal factor in that, at high levels, the amounts of the two fatty substances, cholesterol and triglycerides, in the blood steam are elevated. This is evidenced in one study of tax accountants. As the deadline for the annual tax filing drew nearer, cholesterol levels rose without decreasing until 2 months later. The situation here shows that cholesterol in the blood rises gradually with constant exposure to stress. There is also strong evidence for the causal relationship between stress and infectious disease. Woolfolk was able to show that employees that are very fatigue (a symptom of stress) were more susceptible to infections. In his study conducted upon 24 woman during the flu season, every woman was administered a certain amount of flu virus into their blood stream. Woman in the group who were fatigued were administered a smaller dose than those who were not. Woolfolk found that the women who had just gone through very stressful experiences were more susceptible to the infection despite a very small dosage of the flu virus. The other women who were not tired did not get infected even though they had considerably high dosages of flu virus in them . Lastly, evidence that ulcers are associated with high stress levels have been conclusively proven by Woolfolk. Ulcers occur when digestive juices burn a hole in the stomach lining. A person under stress or anxiety would stimulate the rapid secretion of digestive juices into the stomach. Thus, when a person is subjected to constant tension and frustration,

Equation for Reaction Between Baking Soda and Vinegar

Equation for Reaction Between Baking Soda and Vinegar The reaction between baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and vinegar (dilute acetic acid) generates carbon dioxide gas, which is used in chemical volcanoes and other projects. Here is a look at the reaction between baking soda and vinegar and the equation for the reaction. How the Reaction Works The reaction between baking soda and vinegar actually occurs in two steps, but the overall process can be summarized by the following word equation: baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) plus vinegar (acetic acid) yields carbon dioxide plus water plus sodium ion plus acetate ion The chemical equation for the overall reaction is: NaHCO3(s) CH3COOH(l) → CO2(g) H2O(l) Na(aq) CH3COO-(aq) with s solid, l liquid, g gas, aq aqueous or in water solution Another common way to write this reaction is: NaHCO3 HC2H3O2 → NaC2H3O2 H2O CO2 The above reaction, while technically correct, does not account for the dissociation of the sodium acetate in water. The chemical reaction actually occurs in two steps. First, there is a double displacement reaction in which acetic acid in the vinegar reacts with sodium bicarbonate to form sodium acetate and carbonic acid: NaHCO3 HC2H3O2 → NaC2H3O2 H2CO3 Carbonic acid is unstable and undergoes a decomposition reaction to produce the carbon dioxide gas: H2CO3 → H2O CO2 The carbon dioxide escapes the solution as bubbles. The bubbles are heavier than air, so the carbon dioxide collects at the surface of the container or overflows it. In a baking soda volcano, detergent usually is added to collect the gas and form bubbles that flow somewhat like lava down the side of the volcano. A dilute sodium acetate solution remains after the reaction. If the water is boiled off of this solution, a supersaturated solution of sodium acetate forms. This hot ice will spontaneously crystallize, releasing heat and forming a solid that resembles water ice. The carbon dioxide released by the baking soda and vinegar reaction has other uses besides making a chemical volcano. It can be collected and used as a simple chemical fire extinguisher. Because carbon dioxide is heavier than air, it displaces it. This starves a fire of the oxygen needed for combustion.

10 Tips on How to Write the Perfect Blog Post

10 Tips on How to Write the Perfect Blog Post 10 Tips on How to Write the Perfect Blog Post 10 Tips on How to Write the Perfect Blog Post By Guest Author You have a story that everybody wants to hear, but how do you get people to your blog? The perfect blog post is about more than just great content. In fact, the way you format your post is almost paramount to the actual content itself. Readers may not even realize that they like these formatting nuances, but a well organized and designed post can help keep them reading and sharing. Here are ten things you can do to turn your content into the perfect blog post: 1. Pick the Perfect Title Coming up with a direct but enticing title is the most important part of your blog post. You want readers to find your article easily with a simple search. Picking a title that will accurately match what the reader is searching for is obviously important in this age when nearly every Internet experience begins with Google. The tricky part is striking the perfect balance between a relevant title and an exciting one. The perfect blog post title will be fun, funny, ironic or controversial while still keeping the core point of the article clear and present. 2. Make the Main Point Clear The perfect blog post will let readers know what they are about to enjoy right away. Unlike a novel or movie, you don’t want the crux of the blog post to develop slowly. Internet readers have notoriously short attention spans, so make sure you open with an intro paragraph that lays out the post and lets the reader know he or she has come to the right place. 3. Make a List One easy formatting trick is to organize your post as a list. Make your different arguments into numbered or bulleted points, or include bolded subheadings. Top-ten lists and rankings are interesting to readers and give the post a clear reason to be read to the end. It also makes the post organized and clearly shows the reader what the key points will be. 4. Linkbait The perfect blog post will have content that other bloggers want to link to. Posts with â€Å"How to†¦Ã¢â‚¬  or â€Å"Top 10† in the title tend to get a lot of blogosphere attention. A great blog post also needs to have a large number of outbound links in the body. This is will help other bloggers notice your work and give you a return link, and will also give readers a feeling that you have done your research before writing your post. 5. Make It Attractive Making your post look nice is a quick and easy way to make readers happy. Before making a post public, take time to go back and format it to your liking. Make keywords bold, form organized or bulleted paragraphs, cut out unnecessary content to shorten up the post, enlarge titles and subject lines, and so on. A perfect post will be a pretty post. 6. Include Multimedia Even if your writing is the richest on the Internet, adding images or videos is crucial to breaking up the text and keeping things interesting. If you are writing a travel post, include attractive images of the destination. If you are writing an editorial piece, embed a fun video clip that helps illustrate your point. Multimedia livens up a post and is a critical part of the perfect blog post. 7. Stick to the Point For a blog post to be perfect, it needs to be concise and it needs to stay on topic. As stated before, blog readers have a short attention span. When they search for a specific subject, they want the post to deal with that subject and not meander between several topics. Unless your post is about a Hollywood star or political scandal, mentioning such an event will only draw readers who are really looking for a post on a different topic. 8. Use Keywords The perfect blog post will be constructed with keywords in mind. A simple search using Google AdWords on a subject will let you know which related keywords are most commonly searched. Keeping those words in your title and throughout the body will make it easy for your audience to find your post and will make it clear to them that they have come to the right place. 9. Keep Length in Mind Though it depends on the nature of your blog, keeping your post to an appropriate length is crucial. There is no optimal post length, but if it is too long, you risk readers getting impatient and leaving before they are done. In general, keeping a post under 1,000 words is a good rule of thumb. Keeping it between 500-800 words is ideal. 10. Be Original Make your post unique! Don’t simply say what everybody else is saying. Add your mark by mixing it up and making your post stand out in some way. The perfect blog post will make your audience stop and think. It will conjure some sort of emotion and make readers talk amongst themselves. A good indication that you have done your job is a post with a lot of engagement. If a post has readers commenting or arguing, you know you have given your audience something valuable to talk about. While the perfect blog post starts with compelling content, there is clearly much more to the formula. Use these ten tips when you write your next post and sit back and enjoy the results! About the Author: Sarah Fudin currently works in community relations for the University of Southern Californias Masters in Teaching program, which prepares teachers to earn their teaching credential. Follow her on twitter @USCTeacher. Outside of work Sarah enjoys running, reading and Pinkberry frozen yogurt. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Business Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Dialogue Dos and Don'ts3 Types of HeadingsParataxis and Hypotaxis

Consumer behavior Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Consumer behavior - Essay Example There is a contrary perspective as well, which is, organization can straight way come up with marketing strategies, and then influence the consumer behaviour. That is, if the organization makes an all out ‘attack’ on the customers’ sense organs of eyes, ears and even nose, they can influence or tune the consumer’s behaviour and their buying habits. Either way, it is of paramount importance to focus on consumers’ behaviour and come up with marketing strategies, so the organization’s product or service can be made an enticing one as well as an optimally selling and successful one. In that direction, the focus will be on the British product or brand of BMW’s MINI or MINI Hatch, explaining how its marketing mix elements driven by psychological and sociological drivers has been working together to influence consumer buying behaviour, and thereby aiding it to become one of the most successful consumer products of the world. Background Mini (b randed initially as MINI, MINI Cooper and now as MINI Hatch) was originally a British automotive brand, but is now currently owned and manufactured by the German auto major, BMW Group. Due to its unique design and performance, Mini, since its launch in 1950s, became one of the most likeable and popular cars in Britain as well as throughout the world. It came under BMW’s control in 1994, when BMW purchased Minis’ then owner, Rover. However, with Rover facing massive losses at the turn of the millennium, BMW decided to sell Rover and thereby stop treating â€Å"'The English Patient†, as the struggling Rover subsidiary was nicknamed by the British Press. Even while selling off the Rover, BMW understanding the significance and potential of Mini as a brand made up its mind to hold it. They allowed Rover to sell out all the manufactured models, and when the last one was sold, the brand name 'Mini' got reverted to BMW. Under that brand name, BMW started manufacturing o f its version at Oxford plant in Cowley, United Kingdom, thereby launching what came to be one of the most successful brand plus iconic products out of UK. BMW’s MINI as an optimal PRODUCT With BMW reworking and re-branding an already successful product of Mini, it had in its hand an optimal PRODUCT, when it launched it in 2000 at the Paris Motor Show. During the launch, BMW modified the brand name as MINI Cooper, with the letters of ‘Mini’ capitalized, along the addition of the name Cooper. Both these changes were done to give it a makeover and importantly to differentiate it from the Mini was produced by Rover. This fresh avatar of MINI was unrelated to the old Mini in the technical and configuration sense, but still retained certain key, successful and iconic features like the transverse 4 cylinders, along with front-wheel-drive configuration and importantly the iconic as well as the unique "bulldog" touch. Although, they incorporated certain old features, the new MINI was an advancement or forward evolution of the old car, as many technologically advanced aspects starting from the high powered engine to various technical and non-technical aspects were featured. BMW MINI’s designer Frank Stephenson had this to say, â€Å"The MINI Cooper is not a retro design car, but an evolution of the original. It has the genes and many of the characteristics of its

Study Topic 5 Valuing your customers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Study Topic 5 Valuing your customers - Essay Example ies need to provide services that correspond to the needs of their customers by getting rid of the gaps between what the customers receives and what they expect (Rhys, Oakley, Power, & Sinka 2008). Hence, the most essential concept in valuation of customers is the organization’s capacity to measure, predict, and influence the business value of their customers (Soman & N-Marandi 2010). This paper is a discussion of how Halo Leisure, manages sport and fitness facilities for the county of Herefordshire in England. They value their customers and this gives them an advantage over other fitness and sport organizations in the country. Furthermore, the paper outlines the measures that could be taken to improve the satisfaction of members in a sports club. The customer care issues addressed in the paper include market research and feedback, the customers’ expectations and experiences, the staffing issues, customer satisfaction, and retention. Market research is used by organizations to inform them of the most appropriate methods or ways to accomplish their aims by offering their services according to the expectations of the customers. According to Bolton & Tarasi (n.d), improved customer care in organizations is aimed at increasing the revenues, the value of the shareholders, and profit margins using certain marketing activities, such as marketing research. Therefore, the organizations need to, critically, understand the value of their customers, which the organizations derives from them and that which the organizations presents to them (Njenga 2010). Therefore, Halo Leisure uses the market research and feedback to attract more customers by delivering services that meet their expectations. For instance, Jon Arget, CEO Halo Leisure, states that the considerable increase in growth and development of an organization is attributed to the changes implemented in the organization according to the needs and wants of customers in certain customer care elements. He affirms

Psychological Disorder Analysis Essay Example for Free

Psychological Disorder Analysis Essay Psychological Disorder Analysis Iris Sally July 19, 2010 PSY/270 Joan Rachmel Many people suffer from psychological disorders. Psychological disorders interfere with an individuals ability to function normally in society. Marla is a 42-year-old Hispanic female who comes to the mental health clinic complaining of trouble sleeping, feeling jumpy all of the time, and an inability to concentrate. These symptoms are causing problems for her at work, where she is an accountant. Based on the background information that Marla provided, Marla appears to be suffering from adult ADHD. ADHD, usually occurs in begins in childhood, but some children who suffer from ADHD have symptoms that persist into adulthood. People who suffer from ADHD are characterized as having great difficulty attending to tasks or [they] behave over actively and impulsively, or both (Comer, 2007, p. 428). Marlas feelings of being jumpy all the time is a major symptom of ADHD, which characterizes her as being overactive and impulsive. She also has trouble concentrating because of constant movement and an inability to pay attention. In arriving at a diagnosis, I considered the following questions: 1. Please tell me about yourself including your social environment and any other important aspects of your life? While Marla’s social environment is unknown, many adults who suffer from ADHD have friends and family. Marla has trouble coping with daily life because her ADHD has been hindering her ability to focus, and therefore interrupting the things that are important in her life. 2. What prompted you to seek therapy? Marla, like many individuals who decide to seek therapy, decide to seek therapy because of their inability to concentrate and the impulsivity/hyperactivity is affecting their work life. Also, Marla has difficulty sleeping, sometimes a symptom of ADHD, which may be caused by her hyperactivity or impulsivity. It is difficult for many individuals with ADHD to lie still and get comfortable enough to fall asleep and stay asleep, because of the incessant urge to constantly move around or fidget excessively, a common symptom of ADHD. 3. How would you describe yourself growing up? As a child, Marla may have suffered from many of the same symptoms she is currently battling in adulthood because ADHD usually begins in childhood and progresses to adolescence and in Marlas case, into adulthood. For the diagnosis to be given to an adult, the individual must have symptoms which began in childhood and are ongoing up to the present (Martin, 2007). Therefore, all adults who suffer from ADHD developed the symptoms in childhood. As an individual like Marla grows into adolescence and even further into adulthood, the symptoms of over activity and impulsivity become less apparent. The decrease of intensity in the ADHD symptoms may make the symptoms easier for individuals like Marla to handle, but they still affect the persons life. . What are your expectations of therapy? Marla is probably hoping that therapy will help her to overcome the issues she is currently facing because she can learn new techniques that will help her feel less jumpy and be able to concentrate more when she is at work. Techniques taught in behavioral therapies can help Marla gain more control over her actions, so that she can better deal with her hyperactivity or impulsivity. 5. Can you think of any one event t hat precipitated this onslaught? Marlas current state of mind can reveal several things including that she may be stressed with some of the events that are occurring in her life. Even though the onset of ADHD is in childhood, high levels of stress have been cited as one of the major contributing factors of ADHD, along with biological causes (abnormalities in certain regions of the brain have been implicated most often) and family dysfunction (Comer, 2007, p. 429). Certain events may have occurred in Marlas personal or professional life that has made her abnormal behavior more apparent to her. 6. What made you anxious today, yesterday? Since ADHD is often times brought on by stress, something dramatic and stress inducing such as daily life hassles, including working, dealing with her family, and taking care of herself, could all have raised Marlas stress levels. 7. Does anyone else in your family suffer from feelings such as you are experiencing? More and more adults are starting to realize that the symptoms of ADHD they see in their children are behaviors theyve been living with since their own childhood. ADHD can run in families. Some studies indicate that 25% of close relatives of kids with ADHD also have this neurological disorder. For parents, that number is even higher: In children with ADHD, more than 50% of the time at least one parent has ADHD, too. 8. Do you think badly of yourself for being this way? Children with ADHD often feel badly about themselves. They might think theyre stupid, naughty, bad or a failure. Not surprisingly, their self-esteem takes a battering and they find it hard to think anything positive or good about him or her self. Most people who discover they have ADHD, whether children or adults, have suffered a great deal of pain. The emotional experience of ADHD is filled with embarrassment, humiliation, and self-castigation. By the time the diagnosis is made, many adults with ADHD have lost confidence in themselves. 9. Is there anyone in your life that you confide in, or have opened up to in the past? Educating your loved ones about ADD/ADHD and the ways in which it affects your social skills and interpersonal behaviors can help alleviate a lot of conflict and blame. If you are working hard at your end to learn strategies to improve your social skills, your friends and family may be more willing to give you a little extra wiggle room if they know what you’re dealing with. 0. Please tell me about your upbringing. Did you think you were â€Å"popular† growing up? People like Marla, who suffer from adult ADHD usually reports feelings of isolation in childhood because they had few friends. Their hyperactivity and their inability to focus for long periods at a time on a given task made it difficult to form lasting friendships. These individuals like Marla, also felt disconnected from their peers as they were ridiculed and were often scolded by their teachers for being difficult pupils. Children with ADHD do not sit down for long periods at a time in the classroom and their constant movements make them disruptive in class. Often, these children are reported by their teachers to their mothers. Also, they feel like they are not smart in school because they may have gotten bad grades because of their disruptive behavior and their inability to focus on schoolwork. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a disorder that interferes with an individuals ability to focus, to be quiet or sit still, and to be calm. Children or adults who have ADHD are constantly on the move and they are unable to sit quietly or relax. Research suggests that 3-7% of children suffer from ADHD (Faces of Abnormal Psychology Interaction, 2007). Most of the children that suffer from ADHD are males. A diagnosis of ADHD requires that the symptoms of the disorder are interfering with a persons ability to be productive or effective in their life. There are three subcategories of ADHD that include: predominantly hyperactive-impulsive type, predominantly inattentive type, and the combined type. Individuals who suffer from the predominantly hyperactive-impulsive type of ADHD are overactive, spontaneous, speak and move excessively, and have difficulties following instructions. Individuals who suffer from the predominantly inattentive kind of ADHD have difficulties concentrating, focusing on tasks, and avoiding distractions. With the combined type of ADHD, individuals display both the impulsive-hyperactive symptoms and the inattention symptoms. ADHD makes it difficult for children and adults to have solid social lives. Sufferers of the disorder often report that they have few friends and that they are harassed at school. Research shows that ADHD is excessively diagnosed in the U. SA, which may lead to children and even adults being over-medicated. The use of Ritalin, the main drug used to treat ADHD, has risen tremendously since the early nineties. To combat problems of over-diagnosis, it is recommended that children are well observed by medical and mental health professionals. The use of other therapy procedures involves teaching both the parents of ADHD children and the children themselves how to cope with ADHD. For instance, behavioral therapy procedures are teaching parents how to use good and bad reward techniques to train their children how to behave appropriately. For instance, when children sit and behave themselves, they will be receive good rewards from their parents and when they are overactive and disruptive, they will not be rewarded because of their display of bad behavior. The most effective drugs used to treat ADHD are stimulants, which include Ritalin and other stimulant drugs, like Aderall and Concerta. Ritalin is the most popular drug used to treat ADHD. Ritalin has a calming effect in children and adults, making it easier for them to complete certain tasks and decreasing hyperactivity or impulsivity. However, there is a lot of controversy surrounding Ritalin with many clinicians arguing that it is over prescribed because of its effectiveness against ADHD. Marla, who suffers from adult ADHD, which is very similar to childhood ADHD, would also be prescribed a stimulant, like Strattera, a newer drug used to treat ADHD, which would decrease her over activity and help lessen her insomnia. ADHD is a difficult disorder to live with. Anyone who suffers from this disorder may have difficulty in their social life and is unable to complete simple tasks because they cannot focus, or even sit still long enough to focus. However, modern drug therapies, like Ritalin are available to help and give young children and adults the ability to gain some control of their life. Also, therapies combined with prescription drugs are an even more effective treatment method to combat the problems of impulsivity, over activity, and inattention. References

Side Effects of Antidepressants Essay -- Medical Depression Psychology

Side Effects of Antidepressants Side effects have played a significant role in the development of SSRI’s. The first drug, iproniazid, was developed to fight tuberculosis in the early 1950's, and had a noticeable side effect on mood elevation. Soon it was known as a "happy drug". This drug immediately gained attention from physicians and depression researchers. At that time the only drug on the market for depression was opium, which was a highly addictive substance (Turkington 49-50). Ten years of specific drug research to identify different models of nerve transmissions and tailoring chemicals to affect these processes resulted in the development of Prozac (Turkington,61). "Eli Lilly and Co.'s (Prozac's manufacturer) official product information acknowledges that tremors alone occur in 10% of patients on Prozac. Any side effect occurring in 1% or more of patients is acknowledged as "frequent" by the pharmaceutical industry (Glenmullen). Some of these side effects that have been reported are feelings of jitteriness, sleep problems "tardive dyskinesia," and "sexual dysfunction". Other side effects from Prozac include weight gain, tiredness, increased appetite, feeling weak, sore throat, and trouble with concentration (Smith). Side effects of antidepressants fall in three different categories: sedation; dry mouth, blurry vision, constipation, urinary problems, increased heart rate, and memory problems; and dizziness on standing up, orthostatic hypotension. Those that interfere with dopamine, such as Effexor and Asendin, may produce movement disorders and endocrine system changes. Blocking serotonin may create stomach problems, insomnia, and anxiety. The newer drug... ...r, and it's been great." References Boyles, S. (2005). Mixed results on antidepressants and suicide. Web MD. News Feb, 18. Janicak, P. G.,& Davis, J.M. (2001). Principles and practice of psychopharmacotherapy (3rd ed.). New York: Lippincott, Williams, & Wilkins. Glenmullen, J. (2000). Prozac: pro and Con,WebMD Feature June,2. Mason, S. E. (2002). Prozac and crime: Who is the victim? American Journal of Orthopsychiatry,72(3)445-455. Rivas-Vazquez, R. A., & Blais, M.A. (2000). Sexual dysfunction associated with antidepressant treatment. Professional Psychology: Research and practice,31(6)641-651. Smith, M. (2003). Medication for bipolar depression. Approved WebMD Medical News December, 29. Turkington, C.A., & Kaplan, E.F. (1994). Making the prozac decision: Your guide to antidepressants. Los Angeles: Lowell House.

Hopes and Dreams

Humans are born with the ability to dream and hope for something better. It is what we do afterwards that determines the outcome. A dream without action is just fantasy. The action is the means to achieve those hopes and dreams. For some people, the belief in our dreams and hopes gets lost through the years. So how do we get back on track and accomplish at least a few of those dreams? The first step is to realize that our dreams are still within reach. It starts with a clear understanding of the difference between what is achievable and what is not.The pathway that leads to our success is filled with small goals that, once accomplished, build our confidence to complete the next one. We possess the ability to establish achievable goals as steppingstones to reach what we hope for. A dream and a goal are two different terms that help in our task. The dream is the final destination and the goal is the path leading to it. One dream can have many goals or directions and strategies that hel p us accomplish it. Each goal is a small step toward the finalization of the dream. We all have dreams. Some are for tomorrow, some are for next week, and some are for years from now.It is within our ability to realize all of them by listening to the heart and completing all the necessary steps. Reality today was a dream or hope sometime in the past. Keep a journal of those things you hope for. Write down the steps or goals needed along to way to achieve each one. Then, every week or every month, review each one to assure that you stay on the correct path to accomplishment. Each review period allows you to make minor adjustments in the goals as life events dictate. We sometimes grow up with preconceived notions that many of these dreams are not considered worthy of any effort to realize them.If a dream is conceived but never believed, it is considered merely a fantasy. Often our lives are restricted to these fleeting fantasies because we don’t have the courage to treat them a s achievable dreams. Change the thought processes in your head so that you are not restricted by perceived impossibilities. Focus instead on the dream and its goals. Give fantasies the chance to turn into a dream by making them an important part of your life. Set the goals needed to fulfill the dream. Dreams are then given attention and can be fully manifested by setting goals.Maintain your focus on the dream instead of the short-term goals to enable fulfillment and satisfaction. While achieving goals offers a sense of satisfaction, this doesn’t provide ongoing motivation. The real power of each goal comes from its connection to the appropriate dream. And, yes, you can have many dreams that are in process all the time. Each of the short-term goals will lead to your objective. Setting smaller, more attainable goals will develop a sense of accomplishment that will ultimately keep you focused on the dream itself. The acronym SMART helps in setting the goals.Simple, Measurable, A chievable, Realistic, Timely. Dreams and hopes live in the heart. They are uniquely you and have the potential to result in who you are gifted to become. Without taking steps to realize those dreams, they are useless. Those people who dream and then set goals to achieve them will experience joy and satisfaction in their lives and a sense of peace in their twilight years. Truly successful people have taken their dreams out of the fantasy and converted them into eventual reality. They have done this by setting realistic goals and constantly reviewing the process to stay on track.

Film Reflection- Race the Power of an Illusion

The informative film, Race The Power of an Illusion, Part 2 focused mainly gun point about Race, A category/ an idea. Assigning meaning based on how we look, different morals, values, beliefs and intellectual abilities. The social construct is mainly created by the society which occurred in the past and still to this day plays a roll in a humans everyday life. This film made me feel overwhelmed by the actions and behaviors because of ones race. It also made very good meaning full connections which have stuck in my head throughout the week.I am able to connect this film in couple ways to my life because where I live at home consists of the majority of dark skin and it kills me to see an individual judge when on the inside everyone is the same. Just like the example the professor gave in class, if you have a brown egg and a white egg, when they are both cracked and sitting in a bowl, there would be no absolute way to tell the difference. The thing which baffles myself is that the film started on by looking at the Declaration and having it show that men are created equal with freedom and equality.I personally am confused because with all the racial happenings occurring then, how could one call that â€Å"freedom’ and â€Å"equality. † Today as we live life, freedom comes up in the dictionary as â€Å"The power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint. † (dictionary. com) From what I do understand, that is not what it resembled back when the differences of one caused converse. I really enjoyed this film, it left an impact on my life and it was a film that was entertaining with all of the interesting points and comments made.

Family and Easter Essay

Family and Easter Essay Family and Easter Essay Private 1 Private Dr. Private English Private 11 September 2014 E.B. White â€Å"Once more to the lake† is a common summertime escape from the city by E.B. White, 1941. White’s autobiography is about his family pattern vacation to a lake every summer. This small lake is were white created lots of great memory’s with his father. White remembered â€Å"the early mornings, when the lake was cool and motionless, remembered how the bedroom smelled of the lumber it was made of and the wet woods whose scent entered through the screen† (White 432). As he remembers past memory’s with his father. White now has a child and brings him to the same lake for a summertime vacation. But white is not enjoying his vacation because he’s confused about his past childhood memories and the present with his kid at the lake. He struggles identifying who he is as a father in the new setting with his kid. However, white’s confusion is normal, he’s not alone. Lots of people have childhood memories that change in ti me, for example people like me. My childhood memory was every year my relatives would get together to celebrate the Easter holiday. On this holiday our family goes to my grandma’s house in La every year for Easter. We would go to La the day before Easter to decorate eggs, prepare food for our big family dinner, and go to church early in the morning on Easter da Private 2 Easter day was the best as a child because I decorated eggs with all my relatives in the family. All my relatives would get together on the day before Easter to make eggs to decorate. We would decorate eggs to crack on each other’s heads on Easter day. We would make these eggs by first taking out all the yoke inside of them. Then painting them from the outside putting faces, names, numbers anything we wanted on them. After we would let our eggs dry under sun we would put confetti into them. I remembered some of my cousins would always joke about my eggs not being artistic as there’s. What I wo uld do with some of my eggs was put paint inside of them to crack on my cousins making jokes about my art, it was twice as funny seeing them dripping paint on Easter day. But as every year I did this they started to notice how I put paint inside of them without it coming out. My cousins began putting paint into theirs it became more extreme every year. However on the same day we decorated the eggs, our relatives would prepare the massive dinner for Easter Day. This massive dinner isn’t any ordinary dinner, it’s a Mexican dinner and would always be hosted by my grandma. Things I remembered about my grandmas cooking on Easter day was her chicken enchiladas with a special salsa on top, her pozole that head a spicy flavor to it and her tamales with cheese inside of them. This Mexican dinner had a receipt and was passed down from generations to generations leading to my grandma, because back in the day they didn’t have cook books. They had family or friends and if u were lucky enough they would teach you the recipe. My grandma would always be in the kitchen with her daughters and me also trying to learn her recipes but never happened. She would always put me to be the cleaning man in the kitchen, I would clean her dirty dishes and cooking area. Being the Private 3 cleaning person was the closest you can ever get to the food, I was honored because she would always give me samples of her food while she was

How to Write a Resume that Beats the Computers

How to Write a Resume that Beats the Computers Your Resume:   Humans vs. Computers When I give webinars on writing resumes, one of the topics I cover is how to make your resume visually appealing.   I often get this question: Why would I want to spend so much time and money making my resume pretty if it’s just going to confuse the computers? My answer is that yes, the computers are important, and that you ALSO need to have a resume that’s designed to be read by human beings.   We all know that you are most likely to find your job through networking or the â€Å"hidden job market.† When you send materials to someone in your network or to a decision-maker in the hidden job market, you want to include a professional-looking resume.   And when it’s time for an interview, it’s also advisable to have a nicely formatted resume to hand across the table. For those of you who are hoping to get those interviews by applying online, the question still remains: How can I write a resume that makes it past the computers?   In other words:   How can I raise my odds above 2%? Keep reading. There are two issues with submitting online resumes.   One is the format of the resume; the second is the keywords it contains. Formatting for Robots: ATS (Applicant Tracking System) software is not the smartest software in the world.   It gets confused by bullets, non-traditional headings, graphs, tables, and text boxes.   So you need to have a version of your resume that is stripped down and organized just for the computers. We call this your â€Å"text-based† resume. Your text-based resume should follow these guidelines: Create it in (or copy it into) a text editor such as Notepad, SimpleText or TextEdit. Use easily understandable headings like â€Å"Summary of Qualifications,† â€Å"Professional Experience† and â€Å"Education.† Don’t get fancy or creative with your headings, and don’t put two categories together in one section.   Do NOT, for instance, use the heading â€Å"Education Certifications† or â€Å"Skills Interests.† Use dashes or asterisks instead of bullets. List your address in standard â€Å"tombstone† style, one line on top of the next. Put spaces between sections. Here’s what your text-based resume might look like (beautiful, isnt it?): How will you know what keywords to use in your resume? Just because the computers can read your resume doesn’t mean you will have the right keywords to make it past their screening systems. Perhaps counter-intuitively, the keywords that truly make a difference with computer scanners are the ones you have on your resume that not everyone else includes. I have no doubt that you have great experience that qualifies you for many positions. If the computer can understand and rank it properly, it will help you immensely.

Group Decisions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Group Decisions - Essay Example esses develop the group essence in methods that are efficient in psychological ways, based on social reality that group members experience, and posses the ability of social impact in the society. Formal decision making processes are applied in the workplace; for instance, consensus decision making and voting based decision making. Consensus decision making strives at avoiding losers or winners (Janis, 2002). Consensus illustrate that majority group members approve a specific decision, but the majority should accept to adhere to the decision. Voting based decision making provides each group member with a score. The decision approach with the highest allocated score is chosen. Decision making is at times viewed individually as process and also outcome. Processes entail group members’ interactions; for example, coalitions of participants, influence or persuasion. A method of this decision approach is the subcommittee. Subcommittee entails giving responsibility of analyzing a decision, to the sub set of the bigger group. Subcommittees are mostly common in big governance groups, like the legislature (Janis, 2002). Decisions Support Systems (DSS) are information technology systems that assist group members in coming up with appropriate decisions. These systems greatly minimize human errors in the decision making process. DSS is significant during decision making on large projects like; technological innovation, complex engineering, and foreign market entry (Janis, 2002). Groups which very cohesive experience high influence of members in the decision are making process. Group cohesion illustrates a thorough study of how groups affect decision making capabilities of their members. The high influence in cohesive groups is because members need the belonging effect; hence. They own decisions

Can Blockbuster Stand up to Netflix Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Can Blockbuster Stand up to Netflix - Article Example These forces have mostly come from the competition provided by illegal downloads of movies in local markets and the pirated copies of films available in foreign markets but most importantly Blockbuster faces competition from a company called Netflix. Instead of using local distribution channels, Netflix uses an online storefront which means that they have reduced their distribution costs to a great extent. Netflix has used a technological solution to give itself the first mover advantage forcing Blockbuster to play the catch-up game (Epstein, 2006). Â  As the latest information available from Blockbuster, the company is venturing into online rentals for films and allowing the distribution of media material from online sources such as websites and even in-store kiosks to locate older films (Blockbuster, 2006). However, this may be a case of too little too late since Netflix is already offering their clients the same services. Blockbuster tried to compete with Netflix on price but the running costs of having stores across America and the human resource cost of maintaining those stores means that Blockbuster will always find it difficult to compete solely on the price model. Â  It does not seem that Blockbuster has a good future since analysts from both the business world and the Hollywood entertainment industry consider it to be little more than a zombie about to be killed by modern distribution methods (Epstein, 2006). However, Blockbuster does have an established name in the rental business and it is still a place where individuals can see the choices they have rather than to scroll through the choices.

Final Exam on the Politics of the Developing Worlds Essay

Final Exam on the Politics of the Developing Worlds - Essay Example For example, South Africa is a country that has spent years paying the debts that had been borrowed to maintain the apartheid regime (Beaudet, Paul, and Jessica, 84). Another factor that has caused the Third World Debt Crisis is the mismanaged lending of the 1970s, where the oil-exporting countries had a lot of money during this period and they decided to bank such money in the western banks (Bairoch, 127). The Western countries in turn lend the money to the Third World countries for use in implementing major projects, but the loans were prone to increases in interest rates followed by the global recession that was experienced in the 1980s causing low commodity prices for the Third World countries. This in turn affected their ability to service the debts, thus the increased Third World Debt Crisis (Shah, n.p.). ... s, which forms the major exports for the Third World countries, where the export prices of the primary commodities increased by between 20-40% (Bairoch, 123). This meant a good trade period for the Third World countries, since they could manage to balance the imports with the exports, and in turn be left with some more funds which they could apply towards the repayment of the debts owed to the developed countries. However, in the period after the second world war, the terms of trade for the primary goods deteriorated, which meant that the export prices for the primary goods produced by the Third World countries dropped substantially, thus causing the costs of imports for those countries to be higher than the cost of their exports (Bairoch, 126). The consequence is that the balance of trade deficit increased for the countries, since they could not manage to cover the costs of the imports through the exports they made, and thus they had to seek for alternative ways of servicing the def icit, which eventually forced them to turn into borrowing. This has served to aggravate the debt crisis for the Third World countries even further (Shah, n.p.). The oil price rises of 1973 to 1979 had a devastating effect on the economies of the Third World countries. The oil-exporting countries hiked the prices of the oil they exported to other countries in 1973 (Bairoch, 133). The increased prices of the oil had two major effects on the development of the Third World countries, and the consequent increased debt crisis for the countries. First, when the oil prices for the oil were increased, it meant that the Third World countries had to pay more for importing the oil. This meant that the Third World countries would incur more debts, since they could not manage to cover the costs of the

Causes of the Zika Virus Spread

Causes of the Zika Virus Spread A worldwide epidemic of the Zika virus has plagued the Pacific Islands, the Americas, and some African and Southeast Asiatic countries. Currently, Brazil holds the highest record of Zika virus-positive cases in Latin America which have devasted and terrified the nation. The World Health Organization (WHO), an organization of the United Nations (UN), has announced Zika virus infection as a newly arising disease to be managed and also a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)(Gulland, 2016). In general, Zika virus is a single-stranded RNA virus of the genus Flavivirus which is also related to other flaviviruses such as dengue virus, yellow fever virus, West Nile virus and St. Louis encephalitis virus (Lanciotti RS, 2008; Scaramozzino, Crance, Jouan, DeBriel, Stoll, Garin, (2001)). Clinical complications namely, the Guillain-Barre syndrome, congenital syndromes, miscarriages, and even death have been correlated with Zika virus infections. Zika virus is not a new virus. In fact, it has been discovered and documented more than 50 years ago. Only recently, it has gained unparalleled attention and has created such global alarm by the global health community.   The first human illness caused by Zika virus infection was first recorded in 1953 in Nigeria (MacNamara, 1954). By September 2015, investigators in Brazil saw an increase in the number of infants born with microcephaly which is one of the clinical complications linked with Zika virus infections. By mid-February 2016, over 4300 cases of microcephaly had been recorded (Victora, Schuler-Faccini, Matijasevich, Ribeiro, Pessoa, Barros, (2016)). The question that now reflects in peoples mind would be, what are the causes of the spread of Zika virus mosquitoes? There are many causes of the rapid dissemination of this virus, but the more major reasons are the carriers of the disease, the abundance of breeding ground, and climate change. Firstly, the main reason for the spread of this virus would most evidently be the mosquitoes infected with the Zika virus. Not all mosquitoes act as carriers but the predominant vector responsible for the spread is the yellow fever mosquito or in scientific terms, the Aedes aegypti mosquito which is also a primary vector for the transmission of dengue throughout the globe. According to Dasti, before the outbreak of Zika virus in Brazil, distribution of Aedes aegypti has been predicted across different continents. Based on the entomological data available, it is shown that high concentration of this species in Brazil might be the main contributor to the outbreak and also the rapid dissemination of Zika virus infection across the country (Kraemer, Sinka, Duda, Mylne, Shearer, Barker, Hendrickx (2015)). Fortunately, the Aedes aegypti mosquito does not tolerate colder climates and is currently limited to tropical and subtropical regions of the globe (Brown, Evans, Zheng, Obas, Barreraà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ Martinez, Egizi, Powell, (2014)). There are also other potential species of Aedes mosquitoes which can also transmit the virus such as Aedes furcifer, Aedes metallicus, Aedes africanus, and Aedes hensillican. Another cause of the outbreak is the abundance of breeding grounds which plays a significant role in the reproduction and spread of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes which are the primary carrier of the Zika virus. In the past 50 years, there was an explosion in the number of plastic containers which have created an abundance of ideal larval habitat for the Aedes aegypti mosquito. Residents in countries that has little awareness and education about the importance of hygiene and sanitation have taken their cities and towns for granted and have caused their community to be a perfect breeding ground for Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Troncoso has identified several containers such as bottles, bottle caps, buckets, basins, empty tin cans, puddles, pots, barrels with water, containers on the roof to collect rainwater, tanker, used tires, and other artificial containers that can hold water (p. 522). Troncoso has also discovered common city areas with high concentrations of people such as bus stations, p arks, and schools are potential sites for mosquito breeding (p. 522). Breeding sites for Aedes mosquitoes can be found all around the house also. Female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes lay eggs in water stored containers, which creates the opportunity for breeding. Furthermore, according to Alcides, cemeteries can also be considered as an excellent location for breeding of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Results of over 30 studies from the last decade related to mosquitoes in cemeteries have been published. In general, cemeteries are very suitable habitats for mosquitoes that thrive in artificial containers given the broad availability of sources they need. It is recommended that getting rid of unused containers and daily change water trough for animals and vases can reduce the risk of Zika infection (Ayorinde, Oboh, Otubanjo, Alimba, Odeigah, 2014). Any stagnant water could be a breeding ground for mosquitoes and majority of them are caused by man (Kilpatrick Randolph, 2012; Vasilakis, Cardos a, Hanley, Holmes, Weaver, 2011). Besides that, climate change is a crucial factor that can worsen the spread of the Zika virus. The Zika epidemic further proves that climate change is beginning to affect human health. According to the United Nations (UN), the rise in temperatures enhances the breeding and transmission of the Zika virus. The worsening climate increases the frequency of natural disasters all around the world which can be more devasting to countries with a poorer infrastructure (Troncoso, 2016, p. 521). According to Troncoso, the transmission of infectious diseases such as dengue or Zika is sensitive to climatic situations (p. 521). The ever changing climatic environment which includes temperature, humidity, rainfall, and soil humidity can affect the viruses that are transferred by insects (Brady, Golding, Pigott, Kraemer, Messina, Reiner Jr, Hay, 2014). Warming of tropical and sub-tropical climates has improved the condition for Zika carrying Aedes aegypti mosquitoes to breed. Climate change has ampl ified the health risks of the poorest people, who are vulnerable and in jeopardy from the significant increase in disease by the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Human activities such as massive deforestation and dam construction have caused the extinction of natural predators and changed the biodiversity which has increased the risk of exposure to mosquitoes. Residents of countries which have tropical or sub-tropical climates and have difficult access to health care will suffer the most severe consequences (p. 522) of this disease (Johansson, M. A., Dominici, F., Glass, 2009). Consequently, as Troncoso (2016) confirms, climate changes is a potentially very important factor. that can bring new epidemics of Zika and even the risk of a pandemic worldwide (p. 521). In conclusion, evidence has shown that the outbreak of the Zika virus is the consequence and mistakes of our improper handling in the past, also with the current environmental factors. Unfortunately, the current generation has to suffer the adverse effects of the spread of this disease. Zika virus is a major global health problem that has already spread to different regions on Earth and is anticipated to spread more rapidly given the fact that the virus can be transmitted sexually and by mosquito bites. The global health community has a responsibility to research and develop a solution to solve this problem as we have little knowledge about the virus. For the meantime, people should take extreme precaution when traveling to countries which have significant cases of Zika virus infection. Carrying the disease back home would be the last thing you want to do.

Leadership and Discrimination in Croft Foods Essay -- Business Managem

Leadership and Discrimination in Croft Foods From my understanding Croft Foods have certainly demonstrated clear leadership in rather abstract terms. They have tried to reduce their production costs to an absolute minimum whilst attempting to produce and market as many products as possible. Klaus made effective communications with the employees and established the need to purchase new machinery which may have allowed the factory to work more efficiently and generate more profit. Leadership here was demonstrated by upper management conversing, with the factory floor directly, and making relevant employees aware of future developments, for example the fact that â€Å"further machinery is due to be installed later this year†. By recognizing a need with-in the market to remain competitive, and also delivery through spent time with employees. â€Å"Effective purchasing management and professional buying works better when a good strategic framework exists. Commonly, relationships between suppliers and customers are driven by personalities, or the needs of the moment, whereas relationships and purchasing strategy should ideally be based on a combination of factors reflecting the nature of each purchasing area, including: risk, complexity, value, the market and basic matters of supply and demand† 1 This theory suggests there is a vast array of issues which need to addressed whilst purchasing. There was obviously a need to work more efficiently, create more gross income, and allow employees to work to their optimum. In addition to satisfying the above, employees also felt listened too. Also by remaining distanced at suitable times from the factory floor at times they have been able to concentrate and free up time for other issues that may arise such as possible redundancies. Although the basic concept of these decisions may have necessary; it has all the hall marks of a ‘knee jerk reaction’. The decision to install new machinery without additional training was inevitably going to cause a skills gap and evidently cause a low working morale to sink further. Advice from the machinery supplier could have been sought after to perhaps provide guidance on the new machinery and thus offer advice on employee training. This would have leaded to a more structured and organised approach to productivity as well as improve factory morale... ... and Limitations All employees can expect a fair performance related pay which works on the basis of company loyalty and productivity. Performance related pay will reflect the level of success or decline, which ever is relevant. Employees are expected to speak to the nominated 'team leader' regarding any problems which it would like to be addressed to management in connection with ideas. Management whom are responsible to Managerial Director; must remain diligent to the concerns and welfare of fellow employees never abusing their positions. Stakeholder shares in Croft foods will be awarded on performance and loyalty basis. Senior Management will have their company shares capped. Training Training for all employees will be mandatory. Review These policies will be reviewed on a regular basis in keeping with the interests of every employee at Croft Foods. Bibliography Management and Organizational Behaviour, Prentice Hall, Seventh Edition 2005 by Laurie J. Mullins2 www.businessballs.com/buyingtechniques.htm1 www.womenandequalqualityunit.gov.uk/legislation/equal_pay_act.htm3 www.bized.ac.uk/compfact/mcdonalds/mc15.htm4 www.mcdonalds.com5

Outline and Evaluate Research Essay

Many eyewitnesses are called to testify because they have witnessed a crime, accident or incident. The anxiety if this may cause an affect on the reliability of their EWT. There are two main issues in this question: firstly the prediction of the Yerkes Dodson Law that as arousal increases, then so does performance weather spotting, stage performance, or memory encoding, up to an individual optimum level. However, after this optimum level it is suggested that the performance of the individual will decline, this could be triggered by terror. This theory was supported by Deffenbacher et al’s research. The second issue is the â€Å"weapons focus effect†; In Easterbrook’s research he predicted that attention will narrow to the source of the threat e.g the knife the man is holding therefore peripheral detail is lost e.g the details of the perpertrator’s face. This was supported by Loftus’s laboratory studies in an artificial environment using film and sli des, using independent groups design, where a control conditions showed the participants a similar scene without weapons. In the first group they had a scene which they believed to be a real life violent crime involving a weapon, results showed that the participants remembered the knife in great detail but no other features, such as the perpetrator’s face clothing etc. However the participants in the control conditions witnessed the same person but only in a peaceful situation and the participants were able to recognise the man when given 50 photos. When we examine real life eye witness testimony recall however, there is excellent recall of detail, and the weapons-focus effect was not supported. Yullie and Cutshall (1986) conducted a natural experiment on 13 out of 21 bystanders who had witnessed a violent shooting 4-5 months previously. There recall was detailed and accurate and they were resistant to leading questions months after the event. Therefore, this suggest that bystanders had reached the optimum level ( Yerkes Dodson Law) when they they witnessed the death of the robber who had previously wounded the owner in Vancouver gun shop before the owner killed him. Weapon focus did not influence witness recall. Therefore we need to examine witnesses to the violent crime who faced a weapon rather than a bystander to confirm the effect of weapon focus shown by Loftus. The natural experiment conducted by Christanson and Hubinette (1993) in Sweden re-interviewed 58 witnesses (customers and bank tellers) to bank robberies that occurred around Stockholm in one year. Those witnesses who faced the weapon (bank  tellers) they had better recall and accuracy of the event after a period of time rather than the bystanders. Optimum arousal is suggested but weapon focus is challenged. The ecological validity of this evidence is high although the participants cannot be randomly assigned to the experiment and there is no control condition as there would be in a laboratory experiment. However, Laboratory experiments lack the intense arousal of a real crime so the supposed weapons effect may be the effect of distinct and unexpected events distracting participants to the unusual element in the familiar. A strong point of Loftus’s field experiment and supports the weapon focus effect; is that it has ecological validity and comparison to the control condition provide strong support. A criticism is the inability of researchers fro randomly allocate participants in this study to experimental and control conditions to control individual differences.

NVQ and Competence †Essay Essay

In this supporting paper to the presentation, the purpose, the nature and the advantages and disadvantages of NVQ will be stated and analysed; finishing with a conclusion as to whether to follow a NVQ or not. The definition of an NVQ is â€Å"A statement of competence clearly relevant to work and intended to facilitate entry into, or progression in, employment and further learning, issued to an individual by a recognized awarding body†. A national vocational qualification (NVQ) is a collection of vocational qualifications (previously unstructured), which have been integrated into a single assessment standard. This has been done in order to have a nationally recognised level of academic achievement which enables employees to have a clearer level of each job applicant’s respective competency. Competency can be defined as:- ‘An underlying characteristic of a person which results in effective and/or superior performance in a job’ (Boyatis 1982, p21) Due to the heavy promotion by the Learning Skills Councils, (LSC’s) and the Department for Education and Employment; the majority of vocational qualifications are either part of the NVQ scheme, and in the rare occasion that it isn’t, most commonly when the qualification is of different nature of those offered by the NVQ syllabus, the qualification will have its equivalence identified to its respective, specific, level of the NVQ system in order for those nationwide (familiar with the NVQs) can have more clarity as to where such candidates stand on the level of competency. NVQs have been developed to suit all occupational areas, with each occupational area there are eight levels with the NVQ system to complete to attain ‘full competency’. This is structured in such a way that level one is the most basic and level eight, the most advanced level of NVQ. The ideal situation of training for competence is done by the manifestation of the development of candidates’ abilities to perform the specific tasks which coincide directly with the nature of the job in its respective department, in terms of performance results (grading), with specific indicators. NVQs have originally been developed with the purpose to serve as a reaction to the ‘confetti-scattering’ style of training which is sometimes carried out by some establishments e.g. a company which sends their staff on off-the-job training with just the objective to learn one particular skill. This training style results in the candidates becoming one-dimensional, due to  having a limited knowledge of skills. NVQs have, in fact been developed in order to give these candidates a more rounded knowledge, thus enabling them to be more versatile, efficient in their respective job positions. The design of NVQ has been structured in such a way that in each of the eight levels, there are mandatory and optional roles (or modules); these are comprised of a collection of several units, those of which are to be completed to be able to progress onto the succeeding level. The table beneath can be used in aid to understand the structural layout of each level in NVQ. There are several advantageous principles adopted by the NVQ system. These include:- 1.The NVQ qualifications are open access in the sense that no prior professional attainment or experience, nor qualifications are required, each candidate will be categorised level (1-8) after a means of analysis (be it a test or a review of current skills/ experience currently obtained). 2.The focus-based learning format of the NVQs. Progression from one level to next is based on when the criteria to advance has been met, this can be as quick or long as the individual will take to learn, opposed to other assessment standards where the timescale restricts the learner to learn in its set time. An example of this is that it is impossible to complete a Master’s Degree quicker than in a year. 3.Flexibility is a key aspect of NVQs, as they are not generally attendance based – in conjunction with the focus based learning aspect of the qualification where the learner can take as long/short as they want. This also enables candidates to continue with their respective business demands of their external employment, in conjunction with following NVQs. 4.School Integration is available to the NVQs (GNVQs), this enables candidates to have early access to the hands on approach, which runs alongside other assessment standards (e.g. An alternative run in the same centres as A –levels etc.), thus showing equivalence in value and progression routes, thus giving more viable options to the candidates). 5.Portfolio based work proves to prospective employees that a track record is available showing day to day skills being learnt, thus proving the levels of understanding and competence of each candidate. 6.Prior Accreditation being put into consideration as to which level they will be categorised, enables the candidate to use their  qualifications/experience regardless of where from, as long as relevant (i.e. A-levels, training at work etc., enabling an individual to start in a more advance d level). NVQs also have a few disadvantageous aspects when following their assessment standards, these include. 1.Labour intensive nature of assessment there is a lot of practical work undergone in the NVQs 2.More focus in gaining evidence than actual learning, lack of cognitive learning amongst candidates. As most of the proof (to validate competency level) is done via the production of a portfolio and the presenting of a track-record , this can easily turn into a ‘paper-chase’ rather than the actual focus on the learning processes of the qualification. The also, ‘going through the motion’ nature of the NVQ can also enable the candidate to not be able to reason, simply performing tasks without having true understanding. 3.Quality of assessment can, due to the large numbers of assessors, have a large variance as the marking of each individual can differ. Especially with the different interpretations of some of the jargon developed by the NVQs assessment grading schem es 4.Partial Competence due to selection of optional modules/ reduced definitions and details, as each candidate can choose their modules in the option roles category and each module having different aspects and natures, the candidate may be subject to effectively not gaining an entire knowledge in their respective occupational fields. An example of this would be (referring to table above) where each module has a code which labels the nature of the unit. Take ‘C5’, With C symbolising say, ‘Managing Self and Personal Skills’, one opting out of such a unit, could prove to give them less than the complete set of skills an NVQ could offer, thus lowering competence. To conclude, NVQs are a system devised by the government to help those in various situations, both academically and professionally in order to make them more competent in their respective field in a nationally recognised manner to potential employers. There are a range of advantages and disadvantages to the candidates as well as the employers, such as not having to follow a timescale in learning and also in not receiving a full knowledge due to optional module selection, but as to whether one should be followed  or not, according to the studies that have been carried, out should go hand in hand in the individuals situation.. For instance, one that is currently employed may not be able to dedicate a lot of time to their qualification course, would suit an NVQ whereas, an individual wishing to say, be a medical doctor, a career where having extensive knowledge of their occupational area is vital, would not suit following an NVQ course, where modules are optional and perhaps having re duced knowledge. Bibliography 1.Armstrong,M(2012)Armstrong’s Handbook Of Human Resource Management Practice, 11th edition, Philadelphia: Kogan Page Limited. 2.Hall,L. Taylor,S. Torrington, D. (2008) â€Å"Human Resource Management†, 7th Edition. Pp. 399-407 3.Blosi,W.(2007)An Introduction To Human Resource Management, London: McGraw-Hill Education 4.Marchington,M. Wilkinson, A. (2005) Human Resource Management At Work People and development, London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development 5.Lundy,O. Cowling, AG, (1996)Strategic Human Resource Management, London: Routledge