Darwins theory of evolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Darwins theory of evolution - Essay Example versity in life comes from natural selection, essentially meaning that those organisms of a species that are best suited to their environment are more likely to succeed in reproduction. Due to this, the traits of those individuals that ensure that they are best suited to their environment become more frequent in the population and can eventually become the norm for that species. Darwin came up with this theory with no knowledge of genetics. It is interesting to see this theory be put to work, as although genetics and genome theory have altered and adapted Darwins theory, the basic principles are the same. In the recent National Geographic article, for example, an article about the domestication of the silver Siberian fox. Nine generations ago, the relatives of the silver foxes at this farm were wild, but now they crave human attention like a Labrador. The researchers here have been selectively breeding the foxes with the traits most desirable in a pet – friendliness, loyalty and companionship. The speed at which they have become similar to standard domestic dogs has shocked the researchers. This is exactly what Darwin found and expressed in his book The Variation of Animals and Plants Under Domestication, showing that Darwin recognized this capability when developing his theory of

Conventional gun control Essay Example for Free

Conventional gun control Essay Conventional gun control and punishment policies have done nothing to make American schools safer or American students more secure. Quite the contrary, such policies have been attended by increasingly violent school environments, students living in fear, and no means for protection. This essay will argue that a new research-based approach is needed. More specifically, because the available research clearly demonstrates that right-to carry laws lead to decreases in crime and cause criminal offenders to alter their criminal behavior, it is time for school districts across the country to begin issuing legal permits for guns to students. Costs of Gun Violence: Students and Society As a preliminary matter, in order to demonstrate why a new approach to school violence is necessary, it is important to understand the true costs associated with gun violence, schools, and students. The most common perception is that guns are responsible for physical injuries and deaths. To be sure, this is true. Such a perception, however, is too narrow and ignores the much broader spectrum of costs associated with gun violence and students. This analytical mistake, focusing too narrowly, has unfortunately crept into the public consciousness and made discussions too narrow in scope. As has been stated by a leading scholar in the field Victimization statistics indicate that gun violence is highly concentrated within a narrow sociodemographic slice of the population. Yet a consideration of economic costs suggests that the burden of gun violence is shared much more broadly across society, affecting taxes, residential choice, fear, and freedom of movement. (Cook Ludwig, 2002) What can be seen is a problem that is much more pervasive, and much broader in scope, then what has traditionally been defined as a threat to individual physical safety. This issue implicates a variety of social and economic issues as well as issues of personal safety and individual well-being. Where gun control policies, whether in school specifically or in society more generally, have failed to attain the desired results an extraordinarily broad spectrum of society has suffered. Society has suffered in the form of higher taxes in order to fund police staffing, judicial proceedings, and school as well as community programs to deal with violence in school. Society and individuals have also suffered because residential choice and freedom of movement has been constrained by fears of gun violence in certain communities or school districts. In short, the costs associated with gun violence in or near schools are much more severe than previously thought. More troubling, despite huge expenditures of money and effort, conventional approaches to the problem have failed miserably. Gun Control and Punishment: No Solution The most conventional approaches have proceeded as different types of gun control and punishment philosophies. These conventional approaches have been based on certain assumptions. First, with respect to gun control, those advocating gun control policies proceed upon the assumption that legal limitations and restrictions will necessarily result in less gun violence. Implicit in this assumption is the notion that gun control approaches will decrease access to guns by irresponsible students or individuals. A close examination of the relevant research, however, demonstrates quite clearly the falsity of such assumptions. In one comprehensive study, relying upon data submitted by the states, it was found that the statistical analysis of the 1999 state data provides no evidence that gun control reduces crime rates. Nor is there any evidence that lax gun laws in neighboring states contribute to higher crime rates. (Moorhouse Wanner, 2006) These conclusions are startling; they are startling because policymakers continue to advocate and implement a tremendous variety of gun control laws despite the empirical evidence that strongly suggests such laws are ineffectual. In addition to the emphasis on strong gun control laws, the aforementioned conventional approaches to gun violence in schools also tend rather uniformly to emphasize punishment as a penalty rather than more preventative approaches. Such punishment components of larger gun control laws and policies have manifested themselves in terms of no tolerance policies, the elimination of constitutional protections against otherwise illegal searches of students at school, and incarceration rather than education or counseling. In Colorado, for instance, the state legislator noting that Newspapers in the state reported almost daily on hand-gun-related incidents involving young people (Pipho, 1993) decided simply to follow the conventional approach without reviewing the aforementioned research data. The problems remain. What is needed is a departure from conventional gun control and punishment philosophies that have proven to be unsuccessful all across the country. American children, students who should be safe and secure at school, deserve more than political posturing that places them at continued risk of harm. A Novel Proposal: Legal Permits at Schools Ironically enough, the best way to safeguard students at school, and to eradicate the extraordinary costs associated with gun violence among and between students, may be to grant legal permits allowing students to carry concealed handguns to and from as well as at school. Such a proposal is ironic because conventional theories have always presupposed that more guns equals more violence. Again, however, the research demonstrates that this is clearly not the case. Conceal and carry laws, for example, have actually led to decreases in crime, both generally and with respect to violent crime, in places where such laws have been implemented. In fact, the available research has found that right-to-carry laws reduce violent crime rates, the reductions are greater in counties with proportionally higher urban populations, and the laws afford relatively greater protection to minorities and women. The latter groups are precisely those that are disproportionately victimized by violent crimes. Furthermore, Lott and Mustard find that criminals substitute nonconfrontational crimes such as burglary, auto theft, and larceny for robbery and assault. (Moorhouse Wanner, 2006) These findings are remarkable. Not only have right-to- carry laws, whether implemented through legal permits or otherwise, reduced violent crime rates but they have compelled criminals to alter their criminal behavior. Such findings support the main thesis of this paper; more specifically, because conventional gun control and punishment approaches have proven abysmal failures, a new approach is necessary. This new approach must incorporate certain realities. These realities are that different types of right-to-carry laws do, in fact, result in lower crime rates and in less violent types of crime being committed. The fear needs to be reversed. School districts, operating through local law enforcement and legislative officials, have a moral duty to consider these research findings and implement legal permit procedures to allow good students to carry guns for their protection. To be sure, such an approach would require careful planning, special gun safety education for students, and diligent monitoring. The fact that a new approach may be difficult to implement is no reason for clinging to unsuccessful conventional theories. In addition, because Federal and state laws also prohibit persons of any age from carrying guns without a permit and bringing a gun onto school property (Brezina Wright, 2000, p. 82), both state and federal agencies will have to work together to make such a new approach possible. Conclusion In the final analysis, the research is clear on several points. First, the costs associated with gun violence at schools are staggering and pervasive. Second, conventional gun control and punishment approaches to the problem have failed miserably. Third, because right-to-carry approaches have proven successful in reducing crime rates generally, it is time to incorporate such laws in American schools. References Brezina, T. , Wright, J. D. (2000). Going Armed in the School Zone. Forum for Applied Research and Public Policy, 15(4), 82. Retrieved April 8, 2009, from Questia database: http://www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=od=5001177255

Mixer and Nozzle Process Description :: essays research papers

Mixer   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The hot air that is forced out of the combustor and through the turbine continues to exit the engine at the rearward. Before exiting however, this air must be mixed with the cooler bypass air that did not go through the compressor and combustor. These two airstreams are mixed in order to quiet the engine.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To understand how air can create noise, first consider the way water splashes and makes noise when a wave crashes. In the same way, when two different air streams traveling at extremely high speeds and at different temperatures collide with one another, noise is produced. In addition to the air streams colliding, the air also collides with the components of the engine and nacelle. Another example of air making noise is when wind hits a house. Even in a wind storm with small wind speeds, wind makes rushing and a grumbling noise against the outside walls of a house.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In order to mix the two air streams, the mixer directs the air escaping from the combustor and turbine blades outward towards the stream of bypass air. This is accomplished by stators, or channels that direct the air flow. There are stators in several other places in the engine, but their function is to stop the rotational momentum of the air and force it to fly straighter. After having turned the turbine blades, the air is given a spiraling motion which decreases its velocity. The stators correct this by channeling the air towards the nozzle so that it can be expelled as exhaust.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The mixer must withstand temperatures of more than 3000 degrees Fahrenheit. It is made of nickel alloys which are engineered to withstand heat. Without this heat resistance, the mixer would either melt or suffer distortions and permanent damage. Although the mixer helps to reduce jet engine noise, it does not eliminate it entirely. The low grumbling sound of a jet is the result of the air mixing inside the engine and being expelled toward the rear of the aircraft. The air streams coming out of the rear of the engine also slap against the air outside the aircraft and even against parts of the aircraft itself. Nozzle   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The main function of the nozzle is to create thrust. As the hot gases are expelled out the nozzle, they exert a force on the plane and propel it forward. Gas turbine engines operate according to Newton’s Third Law of Physics which states that for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction.

Effect of violent video games Essay

There are millions of people who play highly controversial games like Grand Theft Auto and other violence video games, realize that it is a game and do not do things they do in the game in real life. If people believe that video games cause behavior problems, they are underlying issues with the gamer himself, and not with the software, but according to American Psychological Association, almost ninety percent of kids between the ages eight and sixteen are addicted to video game especially the violent one. The average girls spends almost six to eight hour week’s playing video games which does not sound bad comparing to boys who spends an average of thirteen hours a week. Some parents reported that video games only describe virtual reality, and should not translate into real world problem. However, children are more likely to imitate the actions of a character with which they classify themselves with. In all violent video games, players are often required to take point of view of the shooter or perpetrator, which show a change of their behavior. Study shows that repetition increases learning and video games required repetition in order to master control characters movement. If the game is violent, then the effect is a behavioral practice for a violent activity. These children who are involve in playing violent video games are more aggressive than who are not involve with these game, which at some point of their life, they will get heart or might die because of their action. Recently, parents become unaware with their kids behavior in real life. Some of them let their kids do whatever they like to do like playing violent video games for long hours or watching brutal shows on television. Report by American Psychological Association â€Å"disagree that violent video games cause behavior problems, because the choices people make cause violent behavior. Video games, even the violent once, can be good experience. † But parents need to teach their kids those video games need to be separate from reality. The choices they make in their daily life have absolutely nothing to do with video games. In fact they may be able to take out any aggressions that they have on a video game, rather than go out and beat someone up, that what their parents believe, but what they do not know is playing video game frequently for long hours has a huge negative on kids because it feed their brain with aggression, violence, and fighting which creates problems such as poor social skills from kids to their parents and the outside world. Sociology studies shows that boys by the age of twenty-one had spend more than 10000 hours or more just by playing video games American Psychological Association wrote â€Å"97% between the age 12 to 17 in the US played video game†¦ top 10 out of 20 were violent. † USA today made study twenty years ago about sixty percent of American family had sat down as family dinners, same study last year the number drop down to twenty percent. Because kids are spending their times on video game, it creates huge problems such as poor social skills, poor grade in school, and live in hostile environment. Psychologist concludes, that video game is nature requirement activities, because it based on reward system and as human we try to be satisfied and achieved all requirements. For example, in video game Mafia 2, the character is required to rob bank which is the basic objective. But if the player kills all securities without triggering the alarm, the player will receive bounce. Since all players love to achieve more, they will do the mission, after completing the mission they will play it again in order to get the bounces. If parents are worried that their children are addicted to violent video game and spending so much time playing it, they should set limits, like playing video game for an hour after completing their homework, also try to encourage their children to play outside, and do other activity. Parents must check the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) to learn about the video game’s content and what age range it belongs to. Parents should strongly monitor their children about video games that they are buying, and from online games. Violent video games have been blamed for increase bullying, assaulting women, and school shooting, because violent games teach children that violence is way to solve problems and it is acceptable in this world. Studied showed that sixty percent of middle school children who played at least one video game that rated mature has hit, beat, and assault other students. Also it shows that students who committed this violence act were enjoying inflected pain and become less forgiving. For example, in Bully the character have to fight with teacher and other student in order to be popular in school. In other word, this video game encourages kids to be disrespectful to the elder and to the other student. Female in violent video games are mostly present as explore to sexual contact, like being rape, get killed, and thrown behind the bushes. What make it ironic is the player is rewarded by getting some extra feature. For example, in LA Noire the character is homicide, in one of his chapter the player must solve several of cases that women been rape, nude, murder, and thrown in dumpster or tree. In 1998 study shows that thirty percent of violent video games involve women been attacked and rape. Another example, in Grand Theft Auto, which considers one of the best seller games in 2008, player must gain money to be able to buy armor or guns so the player will target female for two reasons. First, they carry more cash, and second they weak. Schools shooting have been connected to shooting video games. Students who have been exposed to violent video games held more violent attitudes, had more hostile personalities, were less forgiveness, and believed that being sadistic with other is normal. Seung-Hui Cho the student who opened fire at Virginia Tech incident. He was addicted to shooting game called Counter Strike, the objective of that game is to kill the other team where character are allowed to buy guns, armor, and grenade. Every time the character kill member of the other team he rewarded with money. If parents and schools are affected by kids who play violent video games for long hours, it means media and society are affected too. Societies are concern with violence and media including the internet have extend worlds of video game, especially the violent one, such as the Hitman series, Grand Theft Auto, Mortal Kombat, and more. The character in video games may get away when he committed crime or brutal events. As adults they know the different between real life and fiction one, but kids do not know that. Kids might steal money or attack other kids believing they will get away. For example, in Grand Theft Auto player can steal car, run over pedestrian, and hit another car. With kind action the police well attempt to arrest you character. However, if the character were able to drive fast or hide inside building for couple of minutes police will ignore you and let you free.

Angel and Demons Book Report Essay

ANGELS AND DEMONS Angels and demons is a heart pounding adventure written by the author Dan Brown and published in 2000. Dan Brown is also famous for his bestselling novel The Davinci code (published 2003); both these novels feature the fictional college professor Robert Langdon as the main character or â€Å"hero† in the story. Both of these stories revolve around the delicate subject of religion as he incorporates religious fact into fantasy. First off, our characters include Robert Langdon who is a professor of symbology at Harvard University. He is flown to a Swedish nuclear research facility known as CERN (Which really does exist) by the director of CERN Maximilian Kohler to investigate the murder of esteemed scientist Leonardo Verta. Leonardo Verta was the head scientist of a research group working on an antimatter energy source until he was killed, and the anti-matter stolen. Robert leaves CERN with Leonardos daughter Vittoria Vetra to Rome in search of the stolen anti-matter. Robert leaves CERN with a new counterpart and one clue to solve the unraveling mystery of who stole the anti-matter and killed Leonardo Verta; the ambigram branded into the scientist chest saying Illuminati. Soon after arriving in Rome Robert and Vittoria are rushed to Vatican City by commander of the Swiss guard Commander Olivetti, as the situation grows more dire after four high ranking cardinals are kidnapped by the illuminati assassin, with one clue, one will each be slaughtered on the alters of science along the path of illumination. When the threat comes in that if they don’t stop the assassin by eight o’clock the Vatican will be destroyed, as they race against the clock to stop the destruction of the Vatican new problems will rise and betrayal is around every corner. This book is strongly recommended for readers who enjoy large scale mysteries and people who enjoy stories involving conspiracies. This is because this story involves a race against time and a struggle to stop a secret society that controls half of the government itself. This tale is a mind bending race against time and an enemy who seems to be everyone and control everything.

Families U.S Overview Essay

Families U.S Overview Essay Families: U.S Overview Essay There is a family crisis all over the world. Family is not valuable for a lot of people. Some amount of people start their families being practically a teenagers. Another ones may find themselves being about 45 and understand that all they’ve ever tried was to achieve and accomplish is the top of their career and they don't have any kind of desire to start a family now because in terms of starting a family of your own the best age to do it is between 23 and 30. So even though they might feel really alone they just don't even try to start a family. The percentage of divorces increased and now it's over 70% out of all marriages. The annual breakups and split families that affects on children reaches a million a year. People either want to get married because they think it's very important to create one more unit of society or they'd rather not even think about it. Those types of people don't see any use in making one more couple because number of divorces is increasing along with breakups so why would they want to put themselves under that kind of risk. 50% to 65% of first marriages end within the first 15 years. American Families In speaking about American families, it is important to stress the tremendous amount of diversity that exists, in terms of people's race, ethnicity, religion, class or income level, education, region of the country, urban or rural residence, and so on. The American family structure is considered a traditional family support system involving two married individuals providing care and stability for their biological offspring. However, this two-parent, nuclear family has become less prevalent, and alternative family forms have become more common. The family is created at birth and establishes ties across generations. Those generations, the extended family of aunts, uncles, grandparents, and cousins, can hold significant emotional and economic roles for the nuclear family. Over time, the traditional structure has had to adapt to very influential changes, including divorce and the introduction of single-parent families, teenage pregnancy and unwed mothers, same-sex marriages, and increased interest in adoption. Social movements such as the feminist movement and the stay-at-home dad have contributed to the creation of alternative family forms, generating new versions of the American family. Rigid, average American type of family firstly was a traditional type. Breadwinning father, husband married to an isolated, socially dependent mother and wife. Nowadays 3 out of 5 families like

Rome continuation of Greek civ essays

Rome continuation of Greek civ essays To what extent was Rome simply a continuation of Greek civilization? To what extent did Rome innovate in Mediterranean civilization? The classical civilization of Greece contributed in the rise of the second largest Mediterranean city: Rome. The role of the past Greek civilization influenced Rome greatly, providing a knowingly functional set of essential and core ideas which could be expanded and built on by the Romans. Such essential and core ideas between Greece and Rome remained the same throughout Romes expansion; ideas, simultaneously, stemmed from familiarities, while expanding and focusing on completely different aspects. Art and philosophy of the Greeks serve as and represent its most lasting classical civilization attribute. Later Romans derived much from Greek art and philosophy, while keeping and modifying particular aspects. Greek and Roman religion-with similarity of gods, differing mainly in their names-contributed to artistic disputes within Roman upper-class life concerning Roman values. Authors and sculptors of Rome often times copied Greek work by modifying characters in stories and heroic statues. Science also expanded with few Roman additions, differing greatly from the additions of their architectual advances leading to powerful and detailed structures such as public baths, large stadiums and water aqueducts. Differences in Greek emphasis of science and philosophy and Roman emphasis of engineering and law led to the formation of Romes principles of politics. Laws were generally based on common sense and protection of the family and private property. This law expanded as the Romans did, demanding compliance and citizenship (idea Greeks opposed) among conquered groups allowing them to be preserved(p159), ultimately contributing to the greater preservation of Greco-Roman beliefs. Social structures of Greece influenced Romans. Aristocrats, merchants, peasants, and proper...

Free sample - Participative Leadership. translation missing

Participative Leadership. Participative LeadershipParticipative Leadership The purpose of this paragraph is to analyze Rok’s article â€Å"People and skills Ethical context of the participative leadership model: taking people into account† (2009). In this article, Rok states that participative leadership is a leadership that involves employees across levels of the hierarchy in decision-making. Participatory systems allow employees and external strategy, protects organizational responsiveness, and holds the managers accountable. Rok also states that it is possible for employees to participate, and when they do participate they see the whole system as one with equal opportunities for all, as a system that is more fair (2009, p. 468). Spreitzer claims that Participative Leaders expect from their subordinates to create and implement various decisions. They might seek from employees to participate in making important decisions and to evaluate others’ ideas or points of view. They might show more tolerant behavior to their employees when it comes to differences in the organization, because they know those differences can upgrade and bring better quality to making decisions. (2007, p. 1090). Bainbridge supports Speitzer, claiming that Participative Management style is a style that requires involvement of employees by â€Å"creating formal mechanisms through which employee voices can be heard† (1996, p. 25) by the managers that make decisions and, sometimes, by letting employees to state their opinion in the making of decisions. Participatory style might lead to greater job satisfaction, which, combined with the flexible work rules, results in a greater intensity of effort from that workers are willing to invest when dealing with tasks (1996, p. 25). Kahai also claims that a participative leader would encourage his followers to contribute when the problem-solving situation occur, without instructing any directions on how to approach the task that needs to be solved (et al. 2004, p. 72). Participative Leadership encourages involvement and participation of employees in making decisions related to the work of an organisation. They are more tolerant to opinion-differences and can provide employees with greater job satisfaction. Directive Leadership The purpose of this paragraph is to analyze Kahai’s article â€Å"Effects of Participative and Directive Leadership in Electronic Groups† (2004). In this article, Kahai states that the directive leaders present themselves as the ones in charge during solving problems and provided, and gave the directions to participants. Directive leadership improves performance by supporting participants to focus on relevant aspects of a problem (2004. p. 94). The structure that directive leader provided was relevant for keeping participants focused on relevant aspects of the tasks when the task was less structured (2004, p. 96). Andrews has also suggested that directive leaders make decisions, they allocate resources and direct action of their employees in order for them to complete the task (1998, p. 131). This type of leader can be related to traditional notions of a transactional leader (1998, p. 133). Pearce have stated that this type of leadership relies on power of the position (legitimate power). Directive leaders often use directions, give commands and use intimidation as main mechanisms to control subordinate behavior (2003, p. 275). He has, also, claimed that directive leaders initiated activities within the group, organized their activity, defined how the work has to be done, established clear and precise communication, supports achievement of a goal, assigned tasks to employees, suggested some views to the problems, and coordinated activities of subordinates (2003, p. 277). Directive Leadership excludes employees from decision-making process and determines how the work has to be done. This type of leadership should be preferred when tasks are less structured and when participants need to focus on relevant aspects of a problem. Entrepreneurial Leadership The purpose of this paragraph is to analyze Fl?istad’s article â€Å"Entrepreneurial Leadership† (1991). In this article, Fl?istad states that the entrepreneurial culture is a creative culture, which care about their employees, and this culture recognizes and supports employee's individual capabilities and talents. Instead of deciding what others must do, the task in this less pyramidal, organisation is under the influence of circumstances. Organisation supports employees' active participation in creative processes, and it allows employees to demonstrate and achieve their maximum (1991, p. 30). The group presents itself with several alternative ideas and solutions between which to decide (1991, p. 31). Prabhu suggests entrepreneurial leaders might have a mission that is the social change and development of their client group. These leaders are considered to have high levels of emotional energy, which can be seen in the persistence shown by them. They are capable of withstanding social censure, they are sensitive to feelings of others, can develop clear organisational vision, can develop confidence in employees, can think creatively, and they can work for long periods (1999, p. 142,143).   Peters have stated that entrepreneurial leader has an influence on the way employees evaluate job as finally only they are responsible to motivate employees (2005, p. 576). Ng and Thorpe stated that Entrepreneurial Leadership might be helpful to some organizations to grow and survive under family control (2010, p. 457). Entrepreneurial Leadership is committed welfare of their employees. It recognizes and supports employee's individual capabilities and talents, supports employees' active participation in process of decision-making and encourages employees’ creativity when dealing with tasks. References Andrews, J.P., Field, R.H.G. (1998). Regrounding the concept of leadership. Leadership Organization Development Journal 19/3, pp. 128–136 Bainbridge, S. M. (1996). Participatory Management within a Theory of the Firm. Available at SSRN: Fl?istad, G. (1991). Entrepreneurial Leadership. Leadership Organization Development Journal, Vol. 12 No. 7, 1991, pp. 28-31, Gretchen Spreitzer (2007). â€Å"Participative Organizational Leadership, Empowerment, and Sustainable Peace†, Journal of Organizational Behavior, Volume 28, Issue 8, pages 1077-1095 Kahai,   S.S., Sosik, J.J., Avolio, B.J. (2004). Effects of Participative and Directive Leadership in Electronic Groups. Group Organization Management   29: 67 Ng, W., Thorpe, R. (2010).Not another study of great leaders Entrepreneurial leadership in a mid-sized family firm for its further growth and development. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour Research Vol. 16 No. 5, pp. 457-476 Pearce, C.L., Sims Jr, H.P., Cox, J.F., Ball, B., Schnell, E., Smith, K.A., Trevino, L. (2003). Transactors, transformers and beyond A multi-method development of a theoretical typology of leadership. Journal of Management Development Vol. 22 No. 4, pp. 273-307 Peters, M. (2005). Entrepreneurial skills in leadership and human resource management evaluated by apprentices in small tourism businesses. Education à ¾ Training Vol. 47 No. 8/9, 2005 pp. 575-591 Prabhu, G.N. (1999). Social entrepreneurial leadership. Career Development International 4/3, 140–145 Rok, B. (2009). People and skills Ethical context of the participative leadership model: taking people into account. Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Vol. 9 No. 4 2009, pp. 461-47

MSc in Civil Engineering and Construction Management Assignment

MSc in Civil Engineering and Construction Management - Assignment Example Our client will have an accurate and appraised value for money (VfM). The second part deals on value engineering approach and processes which involve imaginative and creative efforts, and methods and means to provide substitute materials, tools and processes which can give a valuing ‘map’ for the project. SBE Innovations will have a chance to study and approve the recommendations through their representatives, the project manager, and project committee. The team will determine how the functions of the construction can be simplified without sacrificing quality. Value management is the first step and activity that should be applied at the early stage of the project. This is a step-by-step analysis, employing scientific methods, discussions, brainstorming, and all possible logical means to arrive at a low-cost with high value for the client’s project. Value management utilizes a workshop to study on the different functions of the project, the purpose of which is to maximize usage or functionality of the facilities, and to minimize unnecessary costs; in other words, a maximization and utilization of the different parts of the project at a minimum cost. The functions and the stages, including the brands or materials to be installed, will be examined thoroughly so that unnecessary costs can be minimized. If there are other brands available in the market which are cheaper but can provide the same quality, we will provide the recommendations. Our company provides services to clients through value management and value engineering initiatives such as functional analysis which seeks to provide a valuing process to an existing project. Our study will deal with the possible problems and barriers and the possible reduction of costs on the different functional stages of the project. We will provide a detailed scope study.

Advertisings Fifteen Basic Appeals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Advertisings Fifteen Basic Appeals - Essay Example Like most Advertisements aiming to persuade us into buying a certain product or service the advertisement employs a degree of persuasion to the tune of tapping into our emotional financial and sub-rational (Fowles) perspectives and subconsciousness. The aim of any advertisement then in Fowles observation is to permeate the inner layer of the subconsciousness to play with our securities and insecurities. Now coming to this advertisement under analysis it is as mentioned before about a financial services company, from the renowned Toyota Group. The Advertisement claims to be able to help college students in particular with funds and finances to be able to afford a car during their rocky college years when they have no stable source of income. The question here that springs to the mind can be very colloquially put as â€Å"So what’s the catch?†.The catch is what lies in the small print at the bottom of the page which will be discussed later. The first thing of utmost importance here is whether Fowles's psychological analysis that advertisers will try to sell anything to us in a box by packing it to get around the need for rational thinking and critical reflection. The advertisement is all set in white with what seems to be a college freshman displaying all signs of frustration due to some unknown matter in the first instance. Curiosity demands that the reason for this frustration should be traced. The problem here is that in the first instance the Advertisement seems to remind us of old Advertisements for Intel computers or maybe some software. Then it states â€Å"sociology term paper due at 9 am† and then it states that the computer of what is the screaming college freshman has crashed somewhere 45 minutes before the date of submission. At this point the consumer is confused.

Information Technology Revolution Impact on the Third World Countries Research Paper

Information Technology Revolution Impact on the Third World Countries - Research Paper Example As the paper declares information technology advancement seems to lack in terms of its progress specifically, in the third world countries. It is necessary to note that some of the third world countries are allowing room for this new way of development. Indulging in new technologies of information also introduces skillful ways of living. This is for individuals that mostly seem to be open to the idea of computer skills plus other associated technological ways. This improved way of life seems not to be common among everybody. This symbolizes luck of harmony in the world. This imbalance of information advancement also brings up disparity especially in sovereignty matters. This can be seen between the first world and the third world countries. First world countries fall under the likes of North American countries, European countries plus the eastern part of Asia. Third world countries lay mostly in the African continent and the middle of Asia. The beginning of the information advancemen t has made individuals review their positive passion concerning the technological world. This essay stresses that the information technology revolution in the third world countries, similar to all revolutions, comes along with it a newer and more vital gap between social groups and nations. The problem that third world countries faces is the ability to introduce a computer plus other newer technological equipments, the skill to reach the world of Internet, the ability to recognize its complex courses, the knowledge of understanding its data and coming up with the appropriate queries. This brings out with clarity, the proof of the digital information gap. Therefore, individuals should begin to see that getting into information technology revolution acts as a way of closing the gap that exists between social classes among individuals. The two pointers of the information technology gap include â€Å"technical advancement† and â€Å"network awareness†. It aims to inform people that the technological gap between countries is raising. For instance, the percentage of Internet users in the African world recently fell above 10% (Jambi 80). Objectives This paper will propose the advantages that come with information technology revolution in the third world states. Its main goal is to encourage third world countries to set up information technology advancement. This will in turn influence their development. People cannot reject that the sense of the worldwide set-up of the new technologies does not recognize the presence of borders between countries, traditions and society. This comes about because these technologies all try their best to chew at the nations' dominion over their cognitive and information freedom. This gives them favor over the worldwide marketplace (Jambi 80). Despite the struggle of the third world to advance in information technology, the current technological revolution will eventually affect their side of the world

Project management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 13

Project management - Essay Example The owner (occasionally also known as the client, if construction is being undertaken by a third party) tend to spend most of their time on stewarding to the managers. This means that the owners may not be focusing on quality nearly as it is expected of them (Othman, 2013). The second area that is challenging to the project managers is the cost of the project. In some cases, projects are commenced out with misrepresentation. The costs estimates for the project would be lower than the costs that can be used to bring to a completion the project (Couto, 2008). Last but not least, the contracting of work for a particular project can also present its own unique challenges. In an environment of limited labor and capitals, absence of competition in the contract bidding in the construction industry can upsurge the costs of the project (Othman, 2013). This absence of a modest bidding atmosphere can also be translated to mean that a parent company is not automatically getting the finest construction contractor for the project. The parent company would have no option but to settle for a mediocre contractor who may not perform their duties according to the laid down standards. This would potentially affect the quality of the final project. It is also of importance to note that contracts that are potentially reimbursable offer little or no incentive for the contractor concerned to undertake the work. This is due to job insecurity issues that would be involved with such kind of contracts. There are various management tools and methods that can be used to address these challenges. The plus, minus and interesting technique can be applied (Couto, 2008). This is a management tool whereby the pros and cons of a decision to construct a $ 60-million patient tower are appropriately considered before the decision can be made. Under this method, three columns are drawn which take into account the positive and negative points of a project as well as the uncertainties that may arise.

Exam answer3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Exam answer3 - Essay Example e the following: local resource munificence, current and future competition for scarce resources, sectoral trends, social, legal and political conditions. Government regulation and taxation, interest rates and exchange rates are also examples of external forces that influence the growth of the firm. The stage models of development provide the best theories explaining the growth of the business and perhaps that’s why it is preferred by most practitioners. However, the stage models have a number of limitations which at times make discourage its use. Firstly, the model is too general, making its applicability a challenge to firm owners. For instance, it is difficult to determine what, how and why states change from one to another. Further, it is difficult to determine how the answers to the above questions are modified by a range of contextual variables. Research on external factors like demand and competition is done during the first stage of development, which is the existence stage. It does not provide answers as to what can be done if for example consumers change taste. For this reason, I can recommend the industrial organization model, which uses the game theory extensively. In this case, the industrial organization model focuses on competition in the market and variou s ways of countering firms that pause completion. The other setback for developmental model is that it depicts a linear pathway and it doesn’t consider branching away from this pathway. This means that the firm may not make changes to the model in the process of its growth should there be changes both in the internal and external environment. The company may as well become extinct at a given stage of development. This is unlike the organizational ecology theory, which emphasizes on understanding the conditions under which a company emerges, grows and dies (Tushman and Romanelli 2008, p.174). The theory focuses on various factors that may lead to organizational mortality, and thus the

Project management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 13

Project management - Essay Example The owner (occasionally also known as the client, if construction is being undertaken by a third party) tend to spend most of their time on stewarding to the managers. This means that the owners may not be focusing on quality nearly as it is expected of them (Othman, 2013). The second area that is challenging to the project managers is the cost of the project. In some cases, projects are commenced out with misrepresentation. The costs estimates for the project would be lower than the costs that can be used to bring to a completion the project (Couto, 2008). Last but not least, the contracting of work for a particular project can also present its own unique challenges. In an environment of limited labor and capitals, absence of competition in the contract bidding in the construction industry can upsurge the costs of the project (Othman, 2013). This absence of a modest bidding atmosphere can also be translated to mean that a parent company is not automatically getting the finest construction contractor for the project. The parent company would have no option but to settle for a mediocre contractor who may not perform their duties according to the laid down standards. This would potentially affect the quality of the final project. It is also of importance to note that contracts that are potentially reimbursable offer little or no incentive for the contractor concerned to undertake the work. This is due to job insecurity issues that would be involved with such kind of contracts. There are various management tools and methods that can be used to address these challenges. The plus, minus and interesting technique can be applied (Couto, 2008). This is a management tool whereby the pros and cons of a decision to construct a $ 60-million patient tower are appropriately considered before the decision can be made. Under this method, three columns are drawn which take into account the positive and negative points of a project as well as the uncertainties that may arise.

Helping Behaviour And Human Rights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Helping Behaviour And Human Rights - Essay Example In a study of social science students, they were reported to have strong "just world" beliefs, and that these values were directly impacting on their motivations to help elderly persons with socio-economic and health care needs (Maclean & Chown, 1988). A cross-cultural study using British and Canadian participants, it was found that they tended to dismiss the needs and expectations of elderly clients as a ay to better service the greater need of the community. The proposed study aims to provide a qualitative perspective of helping professional attitudes among undergraduate psychology students in the UK. Using a focus group, the primary investigator aims to extend current understandings of the beliefs, values and attitudes of helping profession students who will be interacting with the elderly in their future careers. Eight undergraduate psychology students from the University of will be recruited using snowball sampling (i.e., by word of mouth). The sample will be stratified across gender and ethnicity to reflect the diversity present in the wider population of psychology students. Informed consent will be obtained to enable participation. No incentives will be given for participation. A tape recorder, with spare batteries and notepaper and pens will be required by the prima

Hydrochloric acid and calcium carbonate Essay Example for Free

Hydrochloric acid and calcium carbonate Essay Resistance is measured in ohms. A light bulb has resistance. The filament resists the flow of electricity, and glows white hot in doing so. The resistance causes the bulb to only allow a portion of the current available in the wall socket, to flow out. A 100-watt light bulb uses more electricity from the wall than a 60-watt light bulb because the filament in a 100-watt bulb has less resistance to it. This lower resistance allows more current to flow through the bulb, consuming more power, producing more work and making more light. This work, by the way, is called Wattage. If you multiply the voltage times the current answer is in watts. Prediction for length I predict that when the length of the conductor, in this case constantan, is increased, the electrical resistance will subsequently increase. This means that the resistance is directly proportional to the length. For example, when the length is doubled, the resistance is doubled, and when the length is tripled, the resistance is tripled. Therefore, by taking 3 lengths of 10cm wire and putting them in series, one by one, the resistance of the circuit should, at first, double, and then triple. Total Resistance = Resistance1 + Resistance2 + Resistance3 Total Resistance = 3 x Resistance This shows that the resistance is directly proportional to the length. This may happen because; a conductor is made up of a lattice of atoms surrounded by a sea of free electrons (found in the outer shell of the constantan atoms. ) The free electrons jump from atom to atom and form the net flow of electrons around a circuit. Before a power supply is switched on, the free electrons are simply bouncing around inside the conductor. However, once the power supply is switched on, the free electrons are pulled through the circuit towards the positive terminal, and pushed away from the negative terminal, therefore creating the net flow of electrons. This ensures that there is always the same amount of electrons in the conductor, in this case constantan, at any given time. However, constantan is made up of atoms, which are very tightly packed together, only moving in tiny vibrations. To flow around the circuit, the electrons must use a lot of energy to get through these atoms. They crash and collide into the atoms causing them to vibrate a lot more rapidly and vigorously. This vibrating causes a change in energy from kinetic energy to heat energy, or friction. As the atoms movement increases and the metal becomes hotter, the electrons find it harder to flow. The friction is the cause of the resistance in the circuit. Therefore, using this theory, by increasing the length of the constantan, the resistance should increase, as more collisions of the electrons and the atoms will take place. Equation Electric energy Kinetic energy Heat energy Prediction for Thickness Electricity in a wire is due to the flow of free electrons. The more of these that flow every second, then the greater the current. A resistance controls the current. The bigger the resistance then the smaller the current. In a previous experiment that I did, I found out that when two 10 ohme resistors are put parallel then the resistance is halved, this is because the resistance is inversely proportional to the thickness. I am basing my prediction on an analogy that I have been told. If you were at a football game and you were queuing up to get in at the turnstiles and there was only one turnstile open. It would take a long time to get through, but if you were to open another turnstile then it would take half the time to get in because some of the people have moved to the other turnstile. Picture of turnstiles So I am going to predict that when the thickness is increased then the resistance is halved. Fair Test To make this experiment a fair test, I did the following;   Made sure the circuit was in proper working order by putting a resistor in the circuit that I new the resistance of. I made sure the wire was cut exactly to the length required. I used the same wire, Constantan.   I changed the power, so I could take two readings in order to take an average. Results Length(cm) V1(volts) A1(amps) V1/A1(ohms) V2(volts) A2(amps) V2/A2(ohms) Average V/A(Ohms Length(cm) 170 150 130 110 90 70 50 30 Average V/A 37. 25 31. 405 27. 73 24. 98 19. 98 15. 53 11. 7 7. 29 Thickness(mm) V1(volts) A1(amps) V1/A1(ohms) V2(volts) A2(amps) V2/A2(ohms) Average V/A(Ohms 0Thickness(mm). 1/Thickness 5Conclusion for Length In the experiment for length, How does the Length of a wire affect the resistance, I found that my results show that the longer the wire is in length then the higher the resistance. Length graph Conclusion from Graph In my prediction, I stated that:   When the length of the conductor was increased, the electrical resistance will increase. The resistance was directly proportional to the length e. g. When the length is doubled, the resistance is doubled, and when the length is tripled, the resistance is tripled. These points are proven by this graph because it is a straight line which means that the resistance is directly proportional to length. Conclusion for Thickness In the experiment How does the thickness of a wire affect the resistance of a wire, I found that my results showed me that the resistance is affected by the thickness of a wire, when the wire has a bigger diameter then the resistance is much lower. Thickness graph Conclusion from Graph There was an unexpected result on this graph. I expected it to be a straight line so that the resistance was directly proportional to one divided by thickness. But as you can see it has come out as a curved line. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Electricity and Magnetism section.

The Importance Of Strategic Marketing Plan For Nestle Marketing Essay

The Importance Of Strategic Marketing Plan For Nestle Marketing Essay The definition of FMCG is Fast Moving Consumer Goods which is alternative for CPG (consumer packaged goods) inclusive of production, marketing and distribution. FMCG are durables that are consumed regularly. The industry involves selling, supply chain management, production, financing, activities that generate an income on sales due to fast turnover. The purchase cycle of some of these items is small in comparison to other durables. 1.1 FMCG industry economy FMCG is wide industry with many competitors. The number of manufacturers is growing. The investment in this industry is also growing. 1.2 Common FMCG products Some of the examples of FMCG products are: * Coffee, * Tea, * Dry cells, * Greeting cards, * Gifts, * Detergents, * Tobacco and cigarettes, * Watches, * Soaps, * Plastic goods, * Paper products, * Batteries, * Bulbs, * Cosmetics Some common FMCG product categories include: * Food and dairy products, * Glassware, * Paper products, * Pharmaceuticals, * Consumer electronics, * packaged food products, * Printing and stationery, * Household products, * Photography, * Drinks One of the leading companies in Sri Lanka that is well known for FMCG is Nestles. 2.0 Introduction Nestle Lanka PLC deals in the manufacturing of food and beverages in Sri Lanka .The food items are mainly dairy products. The company produces noodles and coconut milk powder products too. The brand names used by Nestle Lanka PLC are, NESTOMALT, MAGGI, NESPRAY, MILO, and CERELAC. This company in globally situated with the Head office in Sri Lanka. 3.0 Areas looked into in the strategic plan Introduction SWOT Analysis STPD Analysis BGC Matrix Michael Porters Five Forces Model Brand Recall Value Future Trends Marketing Strategy Marketing Targets from the financial year 2010-2011 The 4 Ps-Products, Promotion, Price, Place Marketing Research Marketing Budget Implementation Controls 3.1 The Noodle Market Basically made of flour under modern production facilities. Each production requires a good for consumption certification. Other than bread noodles in Sri Lanka has a quite a large demand. Noodles differ according to the raw material used. It also differentiated according to the size of the noodle. Some of the popular noodles are Rice vermicelli in Sri Lanka, Beehoon in Malaysia, Mee fun in China, Bifun in Japan, and the list goes on. But the largest consumption is by China and Japan. 3.1.1 Maggi Noodles Maggi is very popular among Sri Lankan as the 2 minutes noodle. This is an instant product. Although this was popular among busy women in the urban areas, the semi urban women who made it a point to cook each day, was extremely concerned of the nutrition value of the food that their children had turned a blind eye to this product. Although there was a lot of money spent on advertising, Maggi sales were slow. Months of research showed Nestles that there target market was wrong. They needed to target the children for they were the ones who enjoyed the flavour. Maggi moved from being a convenient product to fun product. The slogan went on to say Fast to cook, good to eat. Maggi was aggressively promoted by sponsoring childrens events, giving free samples, media advertising showing a 2 minute preparation to feed hungry children after play. The sole purpose being communicated of the benefits and convenience of this 2 minutes meal.5.JPG It was in late 2000 that the instant soupy noodles were introduced. The ad will bring a smile in many as you hear the words Appi podi sellamak karamu, Ammi kiyana kota kanna, bonna In addition Nestles offered other Maggi products like sauces, ketchups, seasonings, etc., but the noodles was the most popular of them all. There was a decline in the market with Prima put out an instant noodle that was palatable to Sri Lankans called Prima Kottu Mee. But Nestles was quick to counter act with spice flavoured Maggi noodles, which helped win back the lost market share. There after Maggi had very little competition, till early 2008 when information spread on the unhealthiness of the substance in the sachet. 4.0 SWOT Analysis SWOT analyses Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats of the business. SWOT looks in-depth into internal and external factors that affect the objective of Nestles noodles. Strengths Market leader, Brand loyalty, Distribution channels, Advertising strategy Weaknesses Heavily dependent on One flavour ,Minor distribution problems, Health related issues Opportunities Unexploited rural markets, Increasing number of working youth, Innovative flavours for Sri Lankan taste buds Threats Strong presence of regional competitors, Competitive pricing (Prima), Affinity of Sri Lankan to Chinese food 5.0 STPD Analysis of Maggi Noodles Segmentation: Based on lifestyle and habits of urban families Targeting: Kids, Office goers Positioning: With statements such as 2 minute noodles and Easy to cook, good to eat Differentiation: Taste, Flavours, Packaging 6.0 BCG matrix The BCG matrix is known in many names. (Aka B.C.G. analysis, B.C.G.-matrix, Boston Box, Boston Consulting Group analysis) The creator is Bruce Henderson for the Boston Consulting Group in 1970. Helps businesses to use analytical tools to allocate resources in strategic management. bcg.bmp 6.1 Michael Porters Five Forces Model Porters five forces were developed by Michael E. Porter in 1980. This is an analysis of competitors and their strategies. This is an important tool when structuring a strategic process Porter identifies forces affect all markets and sectors and their profitability within the industry. With the information acquired from the Porters five the Nestles will be able to decide ways to manipulate the industry. Rivalry among Competing Firms Rivalry among competitors is very fierce. There are scarce customers because the industry is highly saturated and the competitors try to snatch their share of market. Market Players use all sorts of tactics and activities from intensive advertisement campaigns to promotional stuff and price wars etc. Hence the intensity of rivalry is very high Bargaining Power of Consumers Bargaining power of consumers is also very high. This is because switching costs of most of the goods is very low and there is no threat of buying one product over other. Customers are never reluctant to buy or try new things off the shelf. Potential Development of Substitute Products There are complex and never ending consumer needs and no firm can satisfy all sorts of needs alone. There are plenty of substitute goods available in the market that can be re-placed if consumers are not satisfied with one. The wide range of choices and needs give a sufficient room for new product development that can replace existing goods. This leads to higher consumers expectation. Potential Entry of New Competitors Does not have any measures which can control the entry of new firms. The resistance is very low and the structure of the industry is so complex that new firms can easily enter and also offer tough competition due to cost effectiveness. Hence potential entry of new firms is highly viable. Bargaining Power of Suppliers The bargaining power of suppliers of raw materials and intermediate goods is not very high. There is ample number of substitute suppliers available and the raw materials are also readily available and most of the raw materials are homogeneous. There is no monopoly situation in the supplier side because the suppliers are also competing among themselves. 7.0 Marketing Strategies 7.1 Financial objective To increase profit by 15% from the profit declared as at Dec 2010. The budget for the marketing promotion is Rs. 2,000,000/- Budgeted Profit Loss Account 2011-2012 Rupees in Millions11.gif Sales 25 Cost Of Goods sold 5 Gross Sales 6.jpg 20 Administrative Expenses 1 Marketing Expenses 2 R D 0.5 Promotion 1 Distribution 0.5 Marketing Research 1 Miscellaneous 0.5 7.2 The 4 Ps Product: Introduction of a healthier noodle. A red rice flour to be introduced. Increase the fibre contents. Add artificial nutrients. Make the product cheaper for the rural fork. 100 grams, 200grams, 400 grams packets to be introduced. Price: Healthier noodles to attract health conscious clientele. A family pack to be introduced at a discount of 5%. The packet that goes at Rs 40 to be sold at Rs.35.9.jpg Place: Large distribution network. Distribution to small shop lets. Have a mobile van distributing samples at a Sunday fair. Get a renowned chef famous among the rural fork e.g.: Mr.Pubilis Silva to demonstrate certain dishes with the use of Maggi noodles. Promotion: Communicate to the public the health aspects in consuming Maggi noodles. Advertise using rural children running through paddy fields to capture the hearts of semi urban. Use young public figures, icons; brand ambassadors may it be sports like Tehani Guruge for Squash, Charith Rajapaksha for Cricket under 17.or child actors and actresses. Promote in schools. 7.3 Time line 7.4 Future trends 7.4.1 Objectives 8.jpg Introduction of characters that attract the attention of kids. Organizing of programs and competitions for kids at Vihara Maha Devi Park or children schools. Cooking demonstrations with the use of Maggi- awards and hampers for innovative recipes. 8.0 Research methodology Target Area: Small towns Customers: Kids, House wives Shop sample: Minimum 25 Customer Sample Size: Minimum 75 8.1 Implementation Controls Monitoring, review and control will be done by the Director Marketing at Nestles. Monthly review with Director Finance and CEO of Nestles. 8.1.1 Areas of monitoring Implementation of marketing plan Actual to targeted goals. Gap of analysis Corrective action Redo marketing plan after review 9.0 Conclusion 9.1 Re-launch of Maggi Till 2008 Maggi was a core brand for Nestles. It was at the beginning 2011that Nestles decided to go healthy with new tastes and added nutrition.http://www.google.lk/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcToIkd3Q-v9CuxtPAD15wZFf4IAgSx-xGqb2D46M3x6eTCEjqFd4bzSFA 17.jpg 9.2 Maggi takes the Health Route In May 2011, Nestles introduced Maggi Rathu Kakulu.

The Scarlet Letter Essay -- Literary Analysis, Nathaniel Hawthorne

Sin. The word itself is synonymous with evil, shame, and a host of other negative connotations. Everyone sins. Still, each individual copes with his or her sin uniquely. Do they burrow their ignominy inside or do they confess their wrongdoing? Which one is more preferable over the other? Author Nathaniel Hawthorne takes a stab at answering some of these profound life questions in The Scarlet Letter. Through the events that occur in the lives of the characters Roger Chillingworth, Arthur Dimmesdale and Hester Prynn, Hawthorne conveys his opinion that confessing and repenting sin is better than hiding sin. Roger Chillingworth’s character serves to represent the detrimental side effects that are conceived in a life as a result of continuing in sin without confessing. Chillingworth realizes what he has become due to his sinful vengeance when he says, â€Å"No life had been more peaceful and innocent than mine; few lives so rich with benefits conferred. Dost thou remember me? Was I not, though you might deem me cold, nevertheless a man thoughtful for others, craving little for himself, -kind, true, just, and of constant, if not warm affections? And what am I now? I have already told thee what I am! A fiend!† (Hawthorne 118). Roger is enslaved by his desire for revenge towards Dimmesdale, and in doing so, transforms himself from a wise, peaceful man, into a revenge-driven monster. In fact Hawthorne writes that, â€Å"This unhappy man had made the very principle of his life to consist in the pursuit and systematic exercise of revenge†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (177). During Arthu r’s death scene Roger has, â€Å"†¦a blank, dull, countenance, out of which life seemed to have departed† (Hawthorne 175). He also explains that, â€Å"†¦old Roger Chillingworth’s deceas... ...nt as each of the men feel in their own hearts. While Dimmesdale’s extreme depression most likely causes his fatal disease, Chillingworth’s vengeful attitude towards Arthur mutates him into a gargoyle whose sole purpose is to frighten away any joy that may exist in Dimmesdale’s life. On the other hand, Hester emerges victorious in the denouement of the tale, counseling countless other hurting women and successfully raising a daughter, Pearl. There is no doubt that Hawthorne utilizes the incidences in the lives of Arthur, Hester and Roger to illustrate that keeping your sin from the rest of the world is not the way to go, and that, to receive the most from life, like Hester, you must confess your sin. In the words of Nathaniel Hawthorne-â€Å"Be true! Be true! Be true! Show freely to the world, if not your worst, yet some trait whereby the worst may be inferred!† (177).

Erin Healy: A Designer Profile

Erin Healy from Florida is the new Queen in the Fashion Industry. She is the champion of the highly coveted â€Å"Top-International-Upcoming-Designer† award. This happened in her latest showcase of designs known as by her name. The designs are stylish and have magnificent accomplishments. They are sparkling, classic and worn easily which explains the reason of their preference by most celebrities. A good example of celebrity clientele is Whitney Thompson America’s Top Model winner. The fact that Erin has three kids does not deter her from pursuing her lifetime dream.She is indeed a rising star and a new amazing talent of style. Her pieces are lustrous and modish which explains their popularity. Her latest collection is composed of cool flirty minuscule dresses decorated by fine hairs and fasten flowers. Healy also integrated elegant tops without straps and camisoles corresponding with shorts as well as coats. She really borrowed from nature by using colors of natural fe atures, a bunch of foreign silk featuring animal stamps and textures. The above illustrations are an assortment of a few of Erin Healy Designs in a showcase.Her designs have gained popularity after she scooped the award. According to the upcoming designer, fashion is the gorgeous art that expresses a character and vigor of a person through dressing. She described Miami’s fashion as thrilling. It is full of style, a fit for everyone and it is fashion frontward. She discovered her talent in fashion design while she was still in secondary school. She started by designing own dresses and for friends. Her style descends from a lady with a passion of refined and stylish look.Her favorite models that she enjoys working with locally include; Jordan Healy her daughter and Erin’s friend Lauren Rossi both in Jacksonville. In Miami is Jesika Marcano. Responding to a question on design process, Erin says that is no distinct process. It usually advances from a simple idea that comes to the designer in strange ways like dreams. Immediately an idea comes, she sketches out before she even explores the fabric option. In other cases the type of fabric generates the design.Her favorite designers include; ad Ghandour, L. A. M. B, Coco Chanel and Eduardo de las Casas. Her designs are available at a private showroom Gallery in the Artistree and to her what matters most the confidence on the women that wear her design. The choice of Miami to showcase her design is out of love and passion for the place. She loves the residents, the culture and style. That is why she participated in the Miami International Fashion Week emerging winner challenge and made it to the three top finalists.Miami has helped her to develop her career in a very special way for it is here that her designs came to the limelight. The preparation of a fashion show according to the top designer involves some simple steps. First, develop the story, choose a photographer and settle on the location. Second ly, decide on the make up designers and hair style experts, and prepare a procession of models as well as casting. Thirdly, she will plan a decent and collaborate with other experts to accomplish the glance.Finally is to toil with a renowned DJ and fashion show expert to prepare a fun filled and memorable event full of classy and elegant features. Works Cited Gelhar, Mary. The Fashion Designer Survival Guide. New York: Kaplan Publishing, 2008. Henry, Christine. Emerging Designer: Erin Heasley. Miami Fashion. Retrieved on July 23, 2010 from < http://www. examiner. com/x-6350-Miami-Fashion-Trends-Examiners~y2010m4d5- Emerging-Designer-Erin-Heasley-winner-of-the-Best-International-Emerging-Designer- of-the-Year

The Structure of Myth and the Structure of Western Film

? The Structure of Myth and the Structure of Western Film Based on Saussure (1974), structuralism is a theoretical method derived from his theoritical work. He divides language into two component parts which together produce a third (signifier, signified and meaning). According to him, meaning is produced through a process of combination and selection. As Saussure insists, â€Å"In language, there are only differences without positive terms†¦ language has neither ideas not sounds that existed before the linguistic system, but only conceptual and phonic differences that have issued for the system. (1974: 120) Saussure divides language into langue and parole. Langue refers to system of language, the rules and conventions which organized it. Parole refers to individual utterance, the individual use of language. Structuralism takes two basic ideas from Saussure’s work. First, a concern with the underlying relations of cultural text and practices – the grammar which ma kes meaning possible. Second, the view that meaning is always the result of the interplay of relationship of selection and combination made possible by the underlying structure. According to Levi – Strauss, the myths are structured in terms of binary opositions. All myths also have similar social culture function within society. Their purpose is to make the world explicable, to magically resolveits problems and contradictions. In sixguns and society, Will Wright (1975) use both methodologies to analyze the Hollywood Western as myth. According to Wright, the western has evolved through three stages: classic, transition theme and professional. He also identifies a basic set of structuring opositions: inside society >< outside society, good >< bad, strong >< wilderness (49). In order to fully understand the social meaning of a myth, it is necessary to analyze not only its binary structure but also its narrative structure – the progression of event and the resolution of conflicts. The classic western is divided into sixteen narrative functions. Those are: 1. The hero enters a social group. 2. The hero is unknown to the society. 3. The hero is revealed to have an exceptional ability. 4. The society recognizes a difference between themselves and the hero; the hero is given a special status. 5. The society does not completely accept the hero. . There is a conflict of interests between the villains and the society. 7. The villains are stronger than the society; the society is weak. 8. There is a strong friendship or respect between the hero and a villain. 9. The villains threaten the society. 10. The hero avoids involvement in the conflict. 11. The villains endanger a friend of the hero. 12. The hero fights the villains. 13. The hero defeats the villai ns. 14. The society is safe. 15. The society accepts the hero. 16. The hero loses or gives up his special status. (48-9) Poststructuralism and popular movie Poststructuralists reject the idea of an underlying structure ultimately determining the meaning of a cultural text or practice. For poststructuralists, meaning is always process, a momentary stop in a continuous flow of possibilities. Jacques Derida (1973) has invented a new word to describe the divided nature of the sign: meaning both to defer and to differ. The sign is made meaningful for Saussure by being different. Derrida adds to this notion that meaning is also always deferred, never fully present, always both absent and present. Jacques Lacans poststructuralist account of the development of the subject has had an enormous influence on both cultural studies and film studies. Lacan takes Freud’s developmental structure and rearticulates it through a critical reading of structuralism to produce a poststructuralist psychoanalysis. According to Lacan, we make a journey through three determinate stages of development. Those three determinate stages are: 1. mirror phase 2. the fort-da game 3. Oedipus complex Laura Mulvey’s (1975) work is in part an attempt to appropriate the poststructuralist psychoanalysis on Lacan for a feminist film criticism. Using Lacan, she constructs an analysis of how popular cinema produces and reproduces what she calls the male gaze. The inscription of the image of women inthis system is twofold: she is the object of a male desire, and she is the signifier of the threat of castration. A particular problem for cultural studies is Mulvey’s account of the audience as purely textual- a homogenous and passive production of the text. There is no room in Mulvey’s theory for social, historical subjects who arrive at the cinema with a range of competing and contradictory discourses, which confront and negotiate with the discourse of the film.

The Golden Ages

In about the 2nd century AD. Rome had its golden age. Also, around 500 to 300 BC was the Greek golden age. They both had many achievements during they’re golden ages, and many of them have affected us today. In Rome’s golden age they made concrete and roads. This helps us today because concrete is used in many different ways. Concrete makes up most of the building structure on this earth. Before even the use of concrete for roads, it was used to make simple things, such as pots to cook in, new types of housing etc. nce buildings came into affect, jobs then formed, business started, then grew and so on. They also constructed roads. Something as simple as a roadway opened up new civilization to the early Romans. Places they never could have known about, or gotten to by foot or horse and carriage. Concrete really had the biggest impact on our infrastructure. Concrete today is still in high demand, and is still a source of employment for many people. In Greece’s golden age they made mathematics, and architecture. By them making math, it affects us today because without math, a lot of things wouldn’t be able to get done. For example bills being paid, buildings and cars being made, and even having some jobs. Mathematics started early by drawing a line each time the sun rose or set. Counting turning into simple math has changed the course of our world. Math in this era is totally different even than just 20 years ago when our parents were young. Mathematicians can even calculate weather, due to the eventual discovery of physics, they have found that math is even at the basics and almost every level of medicine and how the physiology of the body works. Archetecture started back when they used natural beautiful material to construct buildings. We have moved on to use less expensive and less beautiful materials, but have changed our architectural design. Those are some of the achievements of the Roman and Greek golden ages. Romans made concrete and roads that helped us have buildings and to get places. The Greek’s came up with mathematics, and architecture.

Mrketing Strtegy of Ford Compny Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Mrketing Strtegy of Ford Compny - Case Study Example "Tht's some good news in the mix of our business," Ford's sles nlyst George Pips sid yesterdy. Ford Motor is the second lrgest utomotive compny in the world nd the most trnsntionl of ll uto mkers. It hs opertions in more thn 200 countries nd territories, employing bout 350,000 workers (Schnpp, Cssettri, 2004) Historiclly, Ford sought to compete ginst the industry's leder, Generl Motors, by incresing its presence in foreign mrkets. Ford's Interntionl utomotive Opertions co-ordintes ctivities in twenty-six countries grouped in three principl regions (Europe, Ltin meric, nd si Pcific). In the lte 1970s, Ford produced outside the United Sttes hlf of its worldwide vehicle production - compred with GM's one-fourth. The Ford Motor Co. hs lso been leder in introducing or rpidly dopting technologicl innovtions in the industry. Henry Ford, the founder nd president of the compny, is considered the fther of mss production. In the difficult decde of the 1980s, Ford showed its cpbility to rpidly dopt the Jpnese system of production nd to move fster thn ny other uto mker in seeking the integrtion of its opertions on globl bsis. The compny ws lso pioneer in the interntionliztion of production, s it ws the first to open n ssembly plnt in Cnd (1904), in Mexico (1925), nd in mny other countries. Historicll y, the compny hs hd leding role in developing n utomotive cpbility in those countries, nd its strtegies hve been chrcterized by its responsiveness to locl government demnds nd its reltively high levels of export ctivity. 2. Politicl fctors to consider in building Mrketing strtegy of Ford Motor Politicl fctors such s US government policies of intermittent intervention in the industry help to undermine the extent of competition in the US utomobile industry. The dversril reltionship between government nd business in the United Sttes tht emerged in the mid-1960s ws founded on the underlying tension which existed between the neo-clssicl model or ideology tht shped US government policies towrd the utomobile industry nd the system of mngeril cpitlism bsed on lrge, oligopolistic corportions. In the 1960s, nd responding to growing public wreness on sfety nd fuel emissions, the US government incresed nd modified its forms of intervention in the utomobile industry. Before the 1960s, US government intervention in the utomobile industry ws "intermittent nd inconstnt, " s "periods of mild support nd benign neglect hve lternted with periods of fierce scrutiny nd shrp intervention" (Dyer et l. 2001:45). Most government policies ffecting the industry re not shped by the underlying ideology of lissez-fire, which justified government intervention only when there were strong demnds by powerful economic or socil ctors to do so, or when it ws justified to correct mrket filure (Gilpin

Horseradish peroxidase assay Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Horseradish peroxidase assay - Lab Report Example For each enzyme there is a small of range of pH within which it works optimally. Enzymes have  active sites in their structures. The active site is the part of the enzyme that has the correct shape and the functional groups required to bind to the substrate (Dunford, 1999). Enzyme activity can be measured in any one of these two ways: observing the rate at which the substrate disappears during a reaction or measuring the rate at which the product is formed. Enzyme assays are used in such measurements. There are two methods that have been developed for use in measuring the amount of substrates or products in a chemical reaction: continuous and fixed-timed assays. Continuous assay make use of a spectrophotometer to measure the rates at which the substrate disappears and products form in real-time (Leskovac, 2003). To measure the peroxidase activity a change in the amount of product formed will be evaluated over time. For the breakdown of peroxide by peroxidase, the simplest molecule that can be measured is O2 gas, the product of the decomposition of peroxide. To accomplish this the real volume of O2 gas produced is measured by use of an indicator. For this experiment an indicator (pyrogallol) that shows the presence of O2 gas will be used (Dunford, 2010). 2.50 cm3, 0.35 cm3, 0.10 cm3, and 0.35 cm3 of deionized water, buffer solution (at a pH of 6.0), hydrogen peroxide, and pyrogallol respectively were pipetted into two separate cuvettes labelled Cuvette 1 and Cuvette 2. The contents of the cuvettes were then mixed well using a small glass rod. The spectrophotometer was set to 420 nm after which Cuvette 1 was placed into it. 0.1 ml of the buffer solution was added to the cuvette and then stirred using a small glass rod. The readings of the spectrophotometer were recorded every 10 seconds for 5 minutes. Cuvette 2 (blank) was placed into the spectrophotometer. 0.1 ml of

Read instructions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 5

Read instructions - Essay Example Teachers emerge from a variety of corners in the school day experience. They are solely accountable to the whole fraternity concerning the content of their evaluations. The evaluation tenets consider a continuum of shared language vision in the technique. The basic standards that are critical in the evaluation process are as follows. The first standard revolves around the content knowledge. This standard demands the teacher to possess an in-depth understanding of the subject matter. They must attempt to eke a correlation between the content and life experiences. The second standard touches on teaching and classroom learning. This focuses on the classroom organization, taking care to provide relevant age appropriations and relevant assessment criteria to the learners. The next phase borders on the literacy acknowledgements in the instruction. The instructor must aim to fulfill both oral and written communication to advance their rote technique. The fourth measures the diversity of the classroom fraternity. The curriculum and teaching resources must be sensitive of the varied cultures and racial affiliations of the learners. The last phase touches on the teacher professionalism akin to the appropriate delivery in the class. This tenet also emphasizes the ethical implications of the teacher. Lastly, the evaluation process has different connotations. The teacher can perform an administrative driven self-assessment. A dialogue is also relevant, between the teacher and the assessor. Additionally, observation in the class also takes place twice during the school year. It is impromptu and often, the results form the basis of teacher proficiency determination. Evaluation completion results in step raises for the teachers depending on years of

Managerial Organization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Managerial Organization - Essay Example The paper would discuss the myriad aspects of Enron that led to its failure. Brief summary of the case Enron Enron was a major American firm in the areas of energy and related products that had a global presence. Enron was founded in 1985 through merger of Houston Natural Gas and Internorth, the two major natural gas pipeline companies. In 2000, it was named ‘America’s Most Innovative Company’ by Fortune magazine (Fox, 2004). But in 2001, it was found that institutionalized fraud was behind the projected financial condition that was escalated to deceive public through imaginary transactions. The manipulated accounts and audit reports gave it market credibility which was exploited by the corporate to borrow capital from financial institutes. Its stock plummeted to nearly zero and it emerged as the major financial scam that shook foundation of corporate America. Situation analysis Enron was a high revenue gas pipeline company that had a niche market in America. The deregulation in the gas prices allowed Enron to be more flexible in its arrangement with producers and pipelines. It was allowed it to pursue its diversification strategy and entered into other areas like electricity power, fiber optics, coal, steel, paper and pulp. Its foray into international market was offset by undertaking projects in construction and management of energy facilities across the globe. Indeed, its exponential growth was very impressive that influenced the capital market. It exploited its expertise in physical logistics to evolve a complex network of risky trading business. The volatile market, deregulated gas prices and transport infrastructure to deliver the gas were vital risk areas that required huge funding, government alliances, expertise in areas that were virgin to it. The political risks in developing economies like India and China also emerged as critical issue that could jeopardize its projected success rate in developing effective energy capacity. Most importantly, the wide network of complex system of gas trading provided it with huge leeway to maneuver accounts. The long term contracts required future prediction of prices and short term contracts allowed it to manipulate prices. Both were risks that were managed by accounting systems through contrived earnings and balance sheet that was inflated and designed to influence the capital market (Healy and Palepu, 2003). There was lack of transparency and control which facilitated massive corporate fraud and corrupt practices in the higher hierarchy leading to its failure. Another crucial issue was its strategic decisions that were based on high ambitions of exploiting opportunities in emerging economies without analyzing its internal strengths, vis-a-vis expertise in different areas where it had diversified and the accounting system that required complex transactions of long term contracts in volatile market. Analysis of factors leading to its failure Organizational culture is a vita l factor that promotes defined code of behaviour amongst the workers to inculcate sense of stability and desired motivation for improved outcome. Mullins (2007) believes that it emphasizes behavioural regularities, which is distinct in its language, custom and traditions and the way workforce reacts to the situations. Enron’s higher hierarchy in human resource not only lacked leadership initiatives but was also unethical in

Common Core State Standards Of Political Debate Research Paper

Common Core State Standards Of Political Debate - Research Paper Example It is recommended here that the information is used by allotting transparency measures. The government can place their respective reporting of the use of information regarding insider trading laws. Analysis: Voters ID Opponent Supporter Voter ID does not allow the poor people to be a part of the election because not everyone can afford to have federal passports as they are costly. There is another issue regarding voter seat in a different city which requires them to show the affidavit before voting. This is a lengthy process. It is the best way to make sure that there are no frauds in the election process. This will also bring uniformity in the election where all citizens can enjoy same rights and levels of service. Technologically advanced countries should have such services for its citizens (Spakovsky). Application: Voter IDs can be made online for each citizen because nowadays almost everyone has an access to computers. People who cannot afford to access online can take help from the social services and welfare departments to create voter ID. Government bailouts of corporations with the taxpayers money GE, Solyndra, Sun Power, GM etc., Opponent Supporter The money that could be used in order to initiate better programs for employment should never be used for bailing out the private corporations from getting bankrupt. Once these companies have already failed to meet their goals, it is predicted that they will fail yet again (MacDonald). In order to make sure that people continue working at the organizations and to maintain the overall GDP rate, the government can play its respective goal of helping corporations going towards bankruptcy by baling them out. Application: Government can keep a minimum amount of money that could be used for bailing out. Excessive money should not be paid to help the corporations. It is rather recommended that some of the assets of the corporation are put on legal auctions.

Civil engineering Essay Example for Free

Civil engineering Essay In modern usage, civil engineering is a broad field of engineering that deals with the planning, construction, and maintenance of fixed structures, or public works, as they are related to earth, water, or civilization and their processes. See also: Earth Climate Geochemistry Environmental Science Geology Matter Energy Civil Engineering Engineering Engineering and Construction Most civil engineering today deals with power plants, bridges, roads, railways, structures, water supply, irrigation, environmental, sewer, flood control, transportation, telecommunications and traffic. In essence, civil engineering may be regarded as the profession that makes the world a more agreeable place in which to live. Engineering has developed from observations of the ways natural and constructed systems react and from the development of empirical equations that provide bases for design. Civil engineering is the broadest of the engineering fields, partly because it is the oldest of all engineering fields. In fact, engineering was once divided into only two fields, military and civil. Civil engineering is still an umbrella term, comprised of many related specialities. For more information about the topic Civil engineering, read the full article at Wikipedia.org, or see the following related articles: Traffic engineering (transportation) — Traffic engineering is a branch of civil engineering that uses engineering techniques to achieve the safe and efficient movement of people and goods. .. Related Stories Researchers Building Lightweight Bridge For The 21st Century (January 28, 1999) — The bridge of the 21st century wont be made of concrete and steel, but of strong, lightweight materials equipped with electronic and optical sensors that warn engineers of any potential read more Wireless Nano Sensors Could Save Bridges, Buildings (April 12, 2010) — Could inexpensive  wireless sensors based on nanotechnology be used to alert engineers to problematic cracks and damage to buildings, bridges, and other structures before they become critical? A read more NSF Funds First Phase Of Earthquake Network (September 7, 2000) — The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded $300,000 to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to design a national online network that will transform earthquake engineering read more Wind Expert Cites Poor Building Practices In Connection With Storm Deaths And Destruction (March 4, 1998) — National wind expert Dr. Peter Sparks, a professor of civil engineering and engineering mechanics at Clemson University, cites poor practices in connection with last weeks tornado-related death read more Quicky Assembled Bamboo Bridge, Strong Enough For Trucks, Opens In China (December 18, 2007) — In China, bamboo is used for furniture, artwork, building scaffolding, panels for concrete casting and now, truck bridges. The sustainable design is the first of its kind: the 10-meter span in Hunan read more

Importance of Expanding Knowledge Throughout Nursing Career

Importance of Expanding Knowledge Throughout Nursing Career Professional development Continuing Professional development is where health care professionals maintain and develop a range of learning activities throughout their career to ensure competency and ability to practice safely, effectively and legally within their field of practice (Health and Care Professions Council 2014a). This essay will discuss a range of ethical, cultural, legal, managerial topics and their theory basis, highlighting the importance of expanding knowledge and experience throughout my career, in order to continually develop as a professional. Demonstrate moral reasoning and the application of legal frameworks in the discussion of ethical issues in healthcare practice Ethics are the collective belief and value system of communities, social and professional groups (Reeves and Orford 2003). Such ethical values can determine a healthcare professional’s behaviour through internally motivated standards for example goals of nursing can be based on a moral goal, value of seeking good and doing right (Raines 1994). Similarly, moral reasoning is when an individual uses moral goals and values to inform their decisions, attitudes and behaviour. Nevertheless, legal frameworks are also in place to protect the public when the moral reasoning of healthcare professionals produces poor care or harm (Wheeler 2012). During our PD2 (Professional development 2) Problem based learning (PBL) we saw an example of how health professionals’: morals, ethics, beliefs and values, have negatively affected patient care (See Appendix 1) due to the ethical principles of autonomy, benefice, non-maleficence and justice Beauchamp and Childress being breached (2001). The physiotherapist who refused to treat the patient, the head of rehabilitation and, the clinical manager who chose not to act on the physiotherapists’ decision, caused maleficence to the patient as they didn’t receive the care required. Justice and autonomy were also overlooked as the patient was treated unfairly, having their freedom and rights taken away. Subsequently, under the Human Rights Act 1998, the patient is permitted to have recourse to the UK courts; as authority have not respected their rights. Furthermore the Equality Act 2010, describes those diagnosed with HIV as disabled, thus they’re entitled to protect ion against discrimination; which the patient experienced in this situation (UK Gov 2014). Furthermore, it is the Nursing and Midwifery Code (NMC) and the Health Care Professionals Councils’ (HCPC) responsibility to protect the public, thereby determining the professional standards which nurses and physiotherapists must work to (Wheeler 2012). However, in this situation the healthcare professionals have not adhered to the codes, for example the HCPC code of conduct, performance and ethics states that ` You must act in the best interests of service users` (HCPC 2014b) where instead, the healthcare professionals have adapted a judgemental and biased attitude as a result of their own morals and beliefs. The NMC (2014) states that, `you are personally accountable for actions and omissions in your practice and must always be able to justify your decisions` therefore as health professionals they can be held accountable by the law, endangering their fitness to practice and professional registration (Reeves and Orford 2003). The breaches of UK legislation and nursing conduct means the health professionals involved would have no place in the law courts, with the Bolam test also in place to recognise the medical negligence. Furthermore the philosophical concept of rule utilitarianism means that the law courts would focus on the codes of practice which have been prescribed as the optimum set of rules within healthcare practice, further highlighting the misconduct of the healthcare professionals. Utilitarianism within other situations however could be criticised as rule utilitarianism is willing to cause more suffering than happiness to avoid violating a generalised rule (Mason and Whitehead 2005). This situation highlights the importance of selectiveness of personal, moral and, ethical values when in practice. Furthermore, it also highlights the negative and positive impact of moral reasoning, where the act of whistleblowing has a positive impact on patient care. I feel that as a developing health professional I should increase my knowledge of the law and continue to abide strictly to my code of professional conduct, to ensure I practice in a reasonable, responsible and rational manner when ethical issues arise. Discuss factors of cultural competence and ethnicity and identify your particular learning needs to enable you to help a named minority group of your choice overcome inequalities in healthcare. Cultural competence is the understanding of; values, beliefs, traditions and customs of diverse groups. Ethnicity is defined as; a social group of people who identify with each other based on common experiences, such as cultural heritage, language and religion (Ingram 2011). Diverse multi-ethnic groups require diverse healthcare needs, challenging health professionals to be culturally competent in order to provide appropriate care (Patel et. al 2007). During our PD2 PBL a scenario (See Appendix 2) highlighted the importance of being culturally competent in order to meet the healthcare needs of a culturally diverse community. Josepha Camphina-Bacote, 1998 developed;’ The Process of Cultural Competence in the Delivery of Healthcare Services model’, which views cultural competence as an ongoing process through Health Professional Development striving to effectively work with the cultural context of the client by seeing themselves as ‘becoming’, rather than ‘being’ culturally competent. The model focuses on the constructs of; cultural awareness, knowledge, skill, encounters, and desire which can be applied to the PD2 situation when discussing improvements in cultural competence of the health professionals involved (Camphina-Bacote 2002). A number of inner-cities throughout Britain are experiencing a growing population of multi-ethnic groups, in 2011, 3.9% of Sparkhill were classed as having a multiple ethnicity, compared to 2.3% of Englands’ Population. 21.7% of Sparkhills’ population had no member of their household with the first language being English compared to 4.4% of the population of England. These statistics highlight the importance of cultural competency for healthcare professionals working within Sparkhill due to the various values, beliefs, and languages they will encounter. In order to be culturally competent, Camphina-Bacote (2002) recognises that healthcare professionals need to gain cultural knowledge on health-related beliefs, values and traditions so they will be able to recognise how patients interpret and understand their illness (Lavizzo-Mourey 1996), determining the required actions for the patient to receive appropriate care. For example Muslims have Salat; obligatory Muslim prayers performed five times each day, healthcare professionals working in Sparkhill need cultural knowledge on this practice to avoid arranging clinics or appointments during these times which would result in patient absence, thus absence of patient care. Furthermore Camphina-Bacote (2002) recognises the need for cultural awareness; the act of reflecting and exploring personal cultural and professional background involving recognition of prejudices, stereotypes and assumptions which could affect the care delivered to patients. When reflecting on my own cultural competence I feel that I know little about the values and traditions of other cultures, as highlighted by an incident on placement; a lady refused to remove her religious attire when asked to put on a theatre gown. I was unaware of the patients’ culture and the importance of the dress to her. Additionally the trust holds its own policy on religious attire; I was unsure how to handle the situation and stepped back. On my reflection ability of clinical situations I feel that I should increase my cultural knowledge and awareness on trust policies in order to make sure patients in my care do not receive unfair, discriminatory treatment based on their culture to further devel op as a professional. Identify a particular theory of change, outline briefly and discuss it critically showing how it may be useful/helpful to bring about service improvement in your work as nurse or physio Healthcare revolves around increasingly ambiguous and turbulent times, where culture innovation of change is essential in order to meet the changing healthcare needs of the population and the advancements in research and technology (Broome 1990). In our PD2 PBL groups we looked at a scenario (See Appendix 3) which suggested a need for change in the way care was delivered on the ward. These changes could be implemented through using models of change such as the Plan Do Study Act (PDSA) four stage model. The first stage `plan’, highlighting the change to be implemented, `Do’ stage is the action of carrying out the change, `study’ stage, collecting the data before and after the change and reflection upon it. The final stage `Act’ is the full implementation of the change or the plan of additional changes (National Health Service 2008). The PDSA model can be applied to any healthcare setting and allows multidisciplinary involvement. The model allows the use of measurable goals so that the effectiveness of quality improvement can be reviewed throughout (Nakayama et al 2010). Wonderlich (2007) recognises how the model uses a simple `bottom up’ approach to change with the ongoing PDSA cycle or repetition of the PDSA process allowing continuous small scale improvement. Testing on a small scale; for example, implementing change on the stroke ward within the scenario and learning from it before advancement to service improvement on a broader scale within the trust reduces risk making it a highly effective, recommended model which is used frequently. The model however requires leadership from a professional with adequate stature; clinical director, to ensure tasks are communicated across teams. These tasks also take priority in order to be completed; meaning without effective leadership some healthcare professionals may not be committed (Nakayama et al 2010). An alternative model is Lewins three stage theory of change; `unfreeze, moving and refreeze’. Although, Lewins model previously dominated change theory, as a core basis for many models due to its history, it is now often overlooked by modernised approaches such as the PDSA cycle or the NHS change model (NHS Change Model 2013). Further criticism of Lewins model is that it takes a top-down, management-driven approach to change, in scenarios such as the one looked at in our PBL groups where frontline health care staff such as staff nurses will be the agents of change upon the ward meaning Lewins approach to change would be inappropriate (Burnes 2004). As I develop as a professional I feel it is important that I continue to increase my knowledge on the process of change, service improvement and the models which can support this. Through my role as a Student Nurse I am part of the healthcare system and therefore, in the position to bring about change. What do the concepts of group and group dynamics mean to you? Using your theoretical understanding of the notions of groups and group dynamics, critically discuss your own contribution and that of your peers in problem based learning. Groups are defined as a number of people who share objectives, identity and a frame of reference. The way the group acts and responds to changing situations is defined by group dynamics. Within the PD2 model we were separated into sets of fifteen people, each set forming a group due to our shared purpose and goal of being developing health professionals who wish to complete the module (Forsyth 2010). Group establishments such as these can be outlined by Tuckman whi developed a model in 1965 explaining his theory of group development through 4 stages. `Forming’ , the first stage; a team make contact, develop trust and agree on similarities or common goals. Second stage; `Storming’, differences in opinion are expressed meaning power, control and resource issues are identified and communication skills developed. In the `Norming’ stage, decisions are made through negotiation, group roles and problem solving processes which are agreed. Finally the group works collaboratively producing effective results; ‘Performing’ stage. Although one of the most commonly used models for group development, it consists of a number of criticisms; not all groups will follow these stages so clear cut, theorists also argue that groups often repeat stages throughout their time rather than completing each cycle once as Tuckman suggests. It could also be argued that the stages should not stop at ‘Performing’ and should consider the stages of evaluation and reflection (Tuckman 1965)(Forsyth 2010)(Elwyn and Greenhalgh et al. 2001). This evaluation and reflection process was used within our PD2 groups including evaluating our own contribution. Within our group there was minimal interaction between members, with evident subgroups; all nursing students sat together, separated from physiotherapy students. Subgroups often occur due to previously established connections in social and emotional bonds and can affect the group dynamics; for example a physio may dismiss a comment from a student nurse due to the isolation caused by the subgroups. However our group facilitator evaluated the dynamics of the group throughout the sessions emphasising the possibility of the Hawthorne Effect (Forsyth 2010) as participants knew they were being evaluated, so may not have taken on their natural role. On reflection I feel that if I was involved in another group I would encourage a mix of group members who have no established connection in order to create cohesion, improve team work, the group dynamics and group outcomes. I would also recommend that the group are kept unaware of the facilitator’s evaluation to prevent the Hawthorne effect and encourage members to take on a natural role in the group. Moreover, researcher Belbin (1981) recognises nine different roles within groups which can be adapted by the members; bringing skills and expertise to the group and affecting the groups’ dynamics as roles are influenced by personality and self-perception. However Belbins roles include criticisms that they’re limited to management groups, although, the identified weaknesses and positive qualities of the roles are transferrable to other groups such as those within healthcare (Belbin, 1981). In order to reflect on our contributions within the PBL groups we carried out Belbins’ self-perception inventory which allowed me to recognise my roles; `The company worker’ and ‘The complete-Finisher’. Before I was unsure as to what my role was within the team, but I agree with the self-perception inventory findings and feel that I can now build on my suited roles when participating in future groups allowing for professional development.