Monday, September 30, 2019

Over 50% of the world lives in poverty, isn’t this devastating?

There are many meanings to the word â€Å"poverty.† Many of us relate it to the thought of homeless people living on streets or to people living in harsh conditions without money of food. We all have our own opinions, but what really is poverty? Is it what the majority of us think of? Or is it just simply the state of being poor? The word â€Å"poverty† has many meanings and definitions. Many believe that this word can mean â€Å"not having an education† or â€Å"living in the state of hunger† or â€Å"abuse† or living without shelter, or even just being â€Å"lonely.† Some of the reasons for someone to be living in the state of poverty could link to â€Å"war† â€Å"famine† or even because â€Å"parents or members of family have passed away.† Statistics clearly prove that â€Å"one out of 120 people have had to leave their homes due to war† Isn't this appalling? Poverty can be seen, and also not seen. For example, in some parts of the world you can clearly see people suffering in poverty, some people may be homeless; some might even be suffering from illness that can not be cured due to lack of money. However, some types of poverty can not be seen. For example, pensioners like Mrs Pankania have to make a decisions between buying enough to eat to being warm in the winter. This is because some pensioners have a low pension and can't enjoy luxuries like us. How would you feel if you had to make a decision between warmth and food? What can you do to Help? As you are probably aware, living in the state of poverty would probably be very harsh. Here are some tips for you to try and help these unfortunate people and make their lives a better place. Uzairs Top Tips 1.) If you are walking down the street, with a handful of unwanted change, and you know the your not really going to take care of it keep it until you come across a charity box. 2.) Make your own charity box. Find an old jar that's NOT being used and write in bold words- CHARITY! Tell your friends and family to put old change into to it and you shall slowly notice that the amount in the jar show slowly increase. 3.) As said in tip 2, make a charity box, but this time give one to a brother or sister and have a race to see who can fill their charity box the quickest. â€Å"Hopefully these tips will help those in poverty- and make their lives a better place†

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Paper on Tech Mahindra

A STUDY ON STRATEGIC ANALYSIS OF TECH MAHINDRA PROJECT DONE AS PART OF THE â€Å"STRATEGY FORMULATION AND IMPLEMENTATION† COURSE Submitted to : Brig (Dr) Rajkumar Programme Director and senior professor SMS, JNTUK. Submitted by D. Subba Raju Roll No: 11021E0118 Sl. No| Particulars| Page No| 1. | About industry| 3| 2. | Company details| 3| 3. | Vision| 5| 4. | Mission| 5| 5. | Objectives| 5| 6. | Products| 5| 7. | Competitors| 6| 8. | Core competency| 6| 9. | Michael porters 5 force model| 7| 10. | Swot analysis| 7| 11. | Conclusion| 8| 12. | Bibliography| 9| Table of contents: About industry:The  Information technology  industry in  India  has gained a  brand identity  as a  knowledge economy  due to its IT and ITES sector. The IT–ITES industry has two major components:  IT Services and  business process outsourcing  (BPO). The growth in the  service sector  in India has been led by the IT–ITES sector, contributing substantially to incre ase in  GDP, employment, and exports. The sector has increased its contribution to India's GDP from 1. 2% in FY1998 to 7. 5% in FY2012. According to  NASSCOM, the IT–BPO sector in India aggregated revenues of  US$100 billion in FY2012, where export and domestic revenue stood at  US$69. billion and  US$31. 7 billion respectively, growing by over 9%. The major cities that account for about nearly 90% of this sectors exports are  Bangalore,  Chennai,  Delhi,  Mumbai,  Hyderabad,  Pune,  Kolkata  and  Coimbatore. Export dominate the IT–ITES industry, and constitute about 77% of the total industry revenue. Though the IT–ITES sector is export driven, the domestic market is also significant with a robust revenue growth. [1]  The industry’s share of total Indian exports (merchandise plus services) increased from less than 4% in FY1998 to about 25% in FY2012.According to  Gartner, the â€Å"Top Five Indian IT Services Providersâ₠¬  are  Tata Consultancy Services,  Infosys,  Cognizant,  Wipro  and  HCL Company details: Tech Mahindra Limited (BSE:  532755, NSE:  TECHM) is an Indian provider of networking technology solutions and business process outsourcing (BPO) services to the global telecommunications industry. Headquartered at Pune, India. It is a joint venture between the Mahindra Group and BT Group plc, UK with M;M (Mahindra and Mahindra) holding 44% and BT holding 39% of the equity.On 23 May 2012, Tech Mahindra reported a 3% increase in its revenue for the year ended March 31, to $1. 15 Billion . Its activities spread across a broad spectrum, including Business Support Systems (BSS), Operations Support Systems (OSS), Network Design ; Engineering, Next Generation Networks, Mobility Solutions, Security consulting and Testing. The â€Å"solutions portfolio† includes Consulting, Application Development ; Management, Network Services, Solution Integration, Product Engineering, Infras tructure Managed Services, Remote Infrastructure Management and BSG (comprises BPO, Services and Consulting).Tech Mahindra is ranked #6 in India's software services firms behind Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro, Infosys, HCL Technologies and Satyam Computer Services and overall #161 in Fortune India 500 list for 2011. Tech Mahindra has implemented more than 15 Greenfield Operations globally and has over 128 active customer engagements mostly in the Telecom sector. The company has been involved in about 8 transformation programs of incumbent telecom operators. With an array of service offerings for TSPs, TEMs and ISVs, Tech Mahindra serves: Key Executives: S. No| Name| Designation| | 1| Anand G Mahindra| Chairman| | | | | | | 2| CP Gurnani| Managing Director| | | | | | | | 3| Anil Khatri| Company Secretary| | | | | | | | 4| Bharat N Doshi| Non Executive Director| | | | | | | | 5| Ulhas N Yargop| Non Executive Director| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Milestones * 1986 – Incorporation in India * 1987 – Commencement of Business * 1993 – Incorporation of MBT International Inc. , the first overseas subsidiary * 1994 – Awarded the ISO 9009 certification by BVQI * 1995 – Established the UK branch office 2001 – Incorporated MBT GmbH, Germany incorporated. Re-certified to ISO 9001:1994 by BVQI * 2002 – Assessed at Level 2 of SEI CMM by KPMG. Incorporated MBT Software Technologies Pte. Limited, Singapore * 2005 – Merged MBT with Axes Technologies (India) Private Limited, including its US and Singapore subsidiaries. Assessed at Level 3 of SEI CMMI by KPMG * 2006 – Name changed to Tech Mahindra Limited. Assessed at Level 4 of SEI People-CMM (P-CMM) by QAI India. Raised Rs46. 5 million ($1 million) from a hugely successful IPO to build a new facility in Pune, to house about 9,000 staff .Formed a JV with Motorola Inc. under the name CanvasM. * 2007 – Acquired iPolicy Networks Private Limited. Launched the Tech M Foundation to address the needs of the underprivileged in our society. * 2009 – Tech M wins bid for fraud-hit Satyam Computer Services at Rs 58. 90 per share outdoing Larsen & Toubro, the other player in the fray, which bid at Rs 45. 90. Rebrands the company to Mahindra Satyam. * 2010 – Tech Mahindra expands footprint in Latin America Awards * It was  Asia’s Best Performing Companies 2008 at Business Week award. Tech Mahindra received Growth Excellence Award 2008 by Frost & Sullivan. * It was acknowledged as 6th largest Software Services Company in  India  by NASSCOM in 2008. * The company is recognized as winner of the 2011 Microsoft Communications Sector Partner of the Year Award. * The company is declared as winner of 2010 and 2011 AT&T Supplier Award for outstanding performance & service to AT&T and its affiliates Tech Mahindra Offices Tech Mahindra has offices in more than 30 countries. India: Kolkata, Pune, Noida, Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai, Gurgaon, Chandigarh, Hyderabad.Tech Mahindra has its BPO presence in Kolkata, Chennai, Chandigarh, Pune, and Noida. It also has overseas office locations in Belfast and Newcastle. Tech Mahindra has operations in more than 30 countries with 17 sales offices and 13 delivery centers. Assessed at SEI CMMi Level 5, Tech Mahindra employs over 42,000 workers. Acquisition of Satyam Computer Services Ltd. After the Satyam scandal of 2008-09, Tech Mahindra bid for Satyam Computer Services, and emerged as a top bidder with an offer of Rs 59 a share for a 31 per cent stake in the company, beating a strong rival Larsen & Toubro.After evaluating the bids, the government-appointed board of Satyam Computer announced on 13 April 2009: â€Å"its Board of Directors has selected Venturbay Consultants Private Limited, a subsidiary controlled by Tech Mahindra Limited as the high est bidder to acquire a controlling stake in the Company, subject to the approval of the Hon'ble Company Law Board. † Through a subsidiary, it has emerged victorious in Satyam sell-off, a company probably two times its size in number of people. Merger with Mahindra Satyam Tech Mahindra will be merged with Mahindra Satyam in next half of 2012 to build a 2. -billion $ IT Company in India. Tech Mahindra announced its merger with Mahindra Satyam on March 21,2012,after the board of two companies gave the approval. The two firms have received the go-ahead for merger from the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange. Vision: To be the leading global software solutions provider to the telecom industry. Mission: To be the global leader in outsourcing services to the telecom industry, building on our technologies, competencies and customer interests, and creating value for our shareholders and customers. Objectives: Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery * Business centu ry assessment services * Business Continuity Assessment Services * Business Continuity Lifecycle Consulting and Implementation * Business Environment Analysis * Business Recovery Strategy Design and Plan Development * IT Disaster Recovery Training, Failover Testing and Exercising * Business Continuity Plan Training, Testing and Exercising * IT Disaster Recovery Strategy Design and Plan Development * IT Environment Analysis * IT Disaster Recovery Strategy Design and Plan Development | | | Products: * Telecom Equipment Manufacturers, Independent Software Vendors, * Communications Service Providers Competitors: TCS, Infosys,Wipro,HCL Tech, Mahindra Satyam, etc. , | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Core competency: * Managed Services * Application Management Services. * Infrastructure Management Services * Revenue Management Services * Mobile Virtual Network Enabler Services Shift from high to lowMedium Very High Low Threats of substitutes: Other offshore locations such as eastern Europe, the Philippines and china, are emerging and are posing threat to Infosys because of their cost-advantage. * Price quoted for projects is a major differentiator, the quality of products being same. Bargaining power of supplier: * Du e to slowdown, the job-cuts, the layoffs and bleak IT outlook. * Availability of vast talent pool – fresher and experienced. Bargaining power of customers: * Large number of IT companies vying for IT projects. * Huge decline in IT expenditure. Barriers to entry * Low capital requirements. * Large value chain * MNCs are ramping up capacity and employee strength.Rivalry among Firms: * Commoditized offerings * Low-cost, little differentiation positioning. * High industry growth Michael porters 5 force model: Swot analysis: Strengths: †¢ Tech Mahindra, while not the first name in the TVS arena, claims an impressive roster of telecom operator customers and Tech Mahindra’s integration with sister company, Mahindra Satyam, matches Tech Mahindra’s telecom industry expertise with Satyam’s established enterprise IT expertise serving vertical industries in BSS and BPO †¢ Tech Mahindra boasts a full range of telecom network optimization service †¢ It h as been assessed and awarded a CMMI Level 5 (v1. ) and System Security processes SSECMM Level 3 rating. †¢ Tech Mahindra is a large, global operation and the ? fth largest software exporter in India. Weaknesses: †¢ Despite Tech Mahindra’s ability to serve customers from an â€Å"art to part† perspective †¢ Whereas rival IT giants, such as IBM, HP, etc. , often partner alongside network equipment providers in services engagements, Tech Mahindra is less of a partner with equipment vendors and more of a direct competitor and threat in areas such as network optimizations, and increasingly software design and integrations. While the lines of competition between Tech Mahindra and traditional telecom network vendors are still relatively distinct, this line will continue to blur over time as concepts such as OSS/BSS integrations, network optimizations, and BPOs within vertical markets take on an increasing importance †¢ Despite Tech Mahindra’s overt focus on the telecom industry, it is not the only market that the company deals with. Going forward, as it is integrated with Mahindra Satyam, the telecom focus runs the risk of being obscured within a larger set of businesses. While Tech Mahindra’s revenue stream seems well balanced based upon the geographic distribution of 50% Europe, 30% North America and 20% ROW, its revenue based upon clients tells a different story Opportunities: †¢ Tech Mahindra needs to consider being more vocal about its success with telecom operator engagements. †¢ Further on the traction demonstration front, Tech Mahindra should detail any and all success that it is having with telecom network optimization projects – particularly on an end–to-end basis. Tech Mahindra should take care to highlight instances where it cooperates with traditional network infrastructure players – in outsourced R&D for example †¢ As soon as possible, Tech Mahindra should publicize inst ances of how its integration with Mahindra Satyam has resulted in a broadening of telecom-focused engagements in vertical markets. †¢ Tech Mahindra should make it a strategic imperative to broaden the key customer base to reduce the revenue reliance on these key customers. Threats: IBM should play up its informal partnership with Asia/Info to send the message that while it has broad and deep †¢ Smaller, yet still important, pure plays like WiPro need to respond to Mahindra’s integration of its telecom and enterprise practice so as to let the market know where they stand with respect to Mahindra’s new value proposition. †¢ Network integrators such as Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson and NSN need to provide as much evidence as possible that will demonstrate their strengths in areas such as OSS integration and business transformation services. Network equipment vendors such as Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, NSN, etc. need to also play up the value that developing teleco m products brings to the professional services arena. †¢ Telecom network vendors need to be careful when tackling vertical market network opportunities. Share Value of Tech Mahindra at NSE Conclusion: Through the analysis, Tech Mahindra is a global leading company in IT sector. It has been maintaining certain strategies to be leader in the IT industry. Its revenue in 2011 is at INR 1,261. 5 crore Bibliography: Techmahindra. com

Saturday, September 28, 2019

BHS 400 STRESS MANAGEMENT (Module 2-CBT) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

BHS 400 STRESS MANAGEMENT (Module 2-CBT) - Essay Example Stress can affect both personal and professional life. Jeanne Segal, PhD, in his article ‘Raising Emotional Intelligence’ says that â€Å"people lose their confidence and become irritated or withdrawn when they feel overwhelmed making them less productive and effective in their work†. ( ¶ 5) Though cost cutting strategies are essential in the current competitive world, as a chief financial officer, I would like to bring the board’s attention to the benefits of educating the stress management techniques to our employees. A person under stress, either from the family or from the work place can never concentrate on his works and hence his productivity will be considerably reduced. Moreover working under the control of a stressful mind, can create lot of accidents at the work place which can create damages to the company and other workers as well. Creativity of a worker will be lost if he is under the control of any sort of stress. â€Å"A healthy workplace provides mutual benefits for employers and employees within a common belief that good health practices by both will lead to individual and organizational self-fulfillment and productivity. Health promotion is the process of enabling employees to increase control over and to improve their physical, emotional and social health†. (Work-Life stress management) In my opinion a little spending on training of employees for managing their work place stress can contribute immensely to the overall gain of the company. Moreover such training will educate the employees in how to manage their stress in an effective manner which will make them capable of managing their stress both at home and work place. As per Clarity Seminars  (located at Silicon Valley and San Francisco Bay Area), after a stress management training course the employees will be able to;†Understand and communicate more effectively with difficult co-workers, Manage challenging work situations with

Friday, September 27, 2019

The concept of natural laws vs. human laws in the Decameron Essay - 1

The concept of natural laws vs. human laws in the Decameron - Essay Example The stories are concerned with a lot of things but it is the everyman hero which comes out on top rather than a Christian knight or a great king. Topics such as love, practical jokes, the hypocrisy and corruption of the clergy are all covered and often the hero of a tale comes from the mercantile class which was coming up at the time (Barolini, 1983). Since the audience itself was largely composed of individuals from this class, their notion of natural law being more important than human laws is certainly reflected in how the tales take shape. For example, in the very first tale a sinner is canonized as a saint which not only shows the fallacy of human law created by clergymen but also the power of natural law as the man who did wrong in his life was not appreciated by anyone expect the foolish priest who came to see him. In the same series of tales of the first day (sixth and ninth tales), we see examples of how disputes can be better resolved by words amongst individuals rather than resorting to the proper application of the law which might have resulted in the detriment of all concerned parties. It must be noted that Boccaccio does not seek to eradicate laws or even consider them bad since many laws are good for protecting the people. However, laws which make no sense to him or those which he considers archaic traditions are ridiculed extensively. As a replacement of those laws, Boccaccio shows us that natural laws are not only their equal but perhaps an improvement since they result in more equitable answers. The tales of the second day directly connect with this since they all deal with an individual losing his fortune and then through the workings of natural law is restored to his fortune while winning out over those who oppose him. In fact, to take it a step further, it can be said that the relationship between natural law and human law in the

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Computer Sciences and Information Technology Coursework

Computer Sciences and Information Technology - Coursework Example Outsourcing aids in mitigation of risks, through pieces of training to employees by professionals, outsourced on subjects as catastrophes, hazards and prevention methods, and hence there are minimal injuries. Due to competition amongst companies, research on new products and services is very crucial, this entails introduction of new processing lines, improvement in service delivery, analysis and testing of the new products among others, All these requires the input of a third party and it will involve outsourcing as the introduction of the new techniques requires professionals (Belohlavek, 2007). Insourcing is a business model in which a company awards a contract or give a certain task to its’ own employees and hence work that would have been done by a third party is done in-house. Through the use of its’ employees in carrying out functions, there is the creation of a team of skilled personnel who understands the system better, this ultimately improves the efficiency and tasks are done well and at the right time. Insourcing also aids in the reduction of the cost of labor as insourcing requires the input of permanent personnel employed by the firm (Belohlavek, 2007). I.T portfolio management system entails the use of scoring model systems in rating projects whereby a list of criteria is developed whereby projects are rated on each criterion to yield attractiveness scores for each project and hence projects can be rated in relation to the attractiveness scores. There are different kinds of scoring systems; Celanese scoring model, Dupont scoring model, Exfo model and computer-based scoring model. Scoring models are very important and they are a source of data which is utilized in meetings whereby project attractiveness is compared to cut off criterion, thereby in portfolio review stage the outputs used in ranking the projects.Lack of physical evidence when testifying jeopardise the computer crime cases, relying on second hand information or hearsay may bring forth doubts on the evidence presented. If an expert use difficult technical terms that are difficult to understand to the jury or attorney when testifying, understanding of the evidence presented may be difficult. Use of unqualified experts in testifying a computer crime case is a great challenge as the expert lacks the understanding of the subject matter and may end up presenting substandard evidence moreover he/she may be emotional if provocative questions are posed, moreover they hav e no knowledge on the legal process (Belohlavek, 2007).

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Tesla Motor Company Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Tesla Motor Company - Research Paper Example The current business environment is characterized by stiffening competition levels. Hooley, Piercy and Nicoulaud (2011) contend that business environments have experienced new global competitors who are entering the market due to falling trade barriers and costs of transactions through globalization. Despite this, Tesla Company dominates most of the electric car markets in the United States. Competitive pressure has made Tesla to focus on the dimensions of total quality management in terms of product quality, portfolios, pricing and global success to outdo automotive producers of Germany, Japan and Korea. The Japanese competitors include Nissan, Honda and Toyota, which are more fuel efficient and comparatively affordable cars that were preferred especially during oil crises periods. Germany’s Daimler and BMW are classic and produced for high-end consumers. Regardless of the cutthroat competition, Tesla Company maintains its competitive advantage through customer focused techno logy, outstanding fuel economy, and excellent management styles. The United Arab Emirates is one of the vast growing markets that Tesla Company can consider in its globalization endeavors. Tesla Motors Inc. was incorporated on July 1, 2003 (Hamilton, 2011). The company designs, develops, manufactures, and sells electric automobiles and powertrain components. Tesla concentrates on commercial production of federally-compliant electric vehicles such as the Tesla Roadster and Tesla Model S. Additionally, the company designs, develops and manufactures lithium-ion battery packs, gearboxes and electric motor vehicles. Tesla is credited for having provided services and components for the development of electric powertrain to companies such as Daimler AG for its Amrt Fortwo and A-class electric vehicles (Hamilton, 2011). The company carries out its activities from the electric powertrain facility in Palo Alto, Tesla factory in California. Tesla needs to partially invest in

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Legal Aspects of Health Administration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Legal Aspects of Health Administration - Essay Example Health care fraud deals with stating falsehoods related to health care to someone who can offer financial benefit. There are false and fraudulent claims to medicinal billing, vehicle expenditure, construction expenditure and much more (Jesilow, et.al, 1995). The health care fraud can be seen at various places associated to the health care division and in all those places, there are chances of health care fraud. The various categories of health care fraud are associated to the health care places as there are hospital frauds, pharmaceutical frauds, nursing home frauds, medical equipment frauds, ambulance services frauds, frauds in terms of provision of not provided services and many more (Jesilow, et.al, 1995). Health care fraud is categorized as misstating the factual data, stroppy amounts for services, needless health treatment, addition of amounts for private usage and inducement (Jesilow, et.al, 1995). It has been reported in ‘The Punishment of "Health Care Fraud"’ by Mastin that AHM (American Healthcare Management) submitted false claims regarding billing related to health care division for which, they paid charges of 1.25 million dollars to resolve the issue (McGuire and Schneider, 2007). It was reported that in spite of taking funds for wrong information related to the health care needs such as improvement of quality of health care, betterment of cleaning and bathing facilities and buying of medicines and other health related things (McGuire and Schneider, 2007). As a punishment, AHM was fined to pay an amount of 1.25 million dollars to the government. The punishment also included the exclusion of nearly three nursing homes and the proprietor has to suffer an exclusion of twenty years because of the fraudulent activity concerning finance (McGuire and Schneider, 2007). Another example related to fraudulent act done by some persons on behalf of health care is related to recreational motor vehicle that used to hang

Monday, September 23, 2019

Organizational Misbehavior Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Organizational Misbehavior - Essay Example Nowadays organizations are clearly conscious that, "organizational ethical behavior will necessitate serious thought, at the board and executive level." (Armbrste 5) Prevalent organizational misbehavior and illegal activity have made the formation of an official ethics strategy an elevated priority for all enterprises, regardless of their size or structure. Many larger organizations have established a position for an Ethics Officer, and smaller organizations turn to consultants that specialize in ethical consultation. Such individuals provide the frontline of defense against moral decay in corporate America. Organisations are made up of individuals: This is because collectively a group can achieve far more than the equivalent number of individuals. Misbehaviour in organizations can be tricky for management to spot and correct, and as an end result, the cost to organizations can be high. ... The current research examines the causes of different types of misbehaviour, and makes suggestions for remedies and managerial practices that can help to reduce its occurrence and impact. The members of an organisation have their zones of comfort and agendas. The organisation has a specific mission; the management task is to ensure that these individual endeavors are aligned towards their organisation's purpose. Therefore an understanding of how individuals fit in to organisations, and the way in which organisations work is fundamental to the ability to manage. "Provided the recent misbehaviors in organizations that are all over the headlines, - - ImClone, Enron, WorldCom, and Tyco." (Aronwitz 13) The misbehaviour debate refuses to lie down or quietly fade into obscurity. It raises fundamental questions about the nature of social reality, the manner in which it is conceptualized and the theoretical means most appropriate in explaining the relationship between its constituent elements. In raising unavoidable, and difficult, questions about the nature of and link between "human activity and its social contexts" (Bacon & Story 2) , the misbehaviour debate forces students and members of organisation alike to confront a set of issues that defines irrevocably the constitution of the subject matter and the analytical and methodological terms. In general, this paper is rather optimistic about the nature of men and the possibilities to organize conforming and dutiful behaviour of employees. This undoubtedly is a reflection of our prosperous times and business successes, which marked the beginning of the new millennium. "Perhaps conforming to a certain political correctness" (Ball & Wilson 5), academics in organization studies, in addition, like to

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Dante's Inferno Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Dante's Inferno - Essay Example In his journey, he met three animals – leopard, lion and wolf. At a glance, it just seemed that these animals were plain predators that would cause harm to the narrator. However, these animals are symbols of the forms of sin. The leopard symbolizes sins of self-indulgence or lust. This form of sin is the easiest to commit. Naturally, humans seek pleasure, extravagant and sometimes greedy which are often sins of youth. The sin of bestial violence is represented by the lion. These are sins of adulthood, one of which is pride. The wolf represents malicious sins or the sins of age (Davis 2006). The poem illustrated the different levels of hell which corresponds to a particular sin. Beginning in Canto IV, the first circle is the Limbo where sighs were mostly heard is described as peaceful, yet sad. The souls in this were those people who are good but were not baptized. In the Catholic religion, one has yet to be baptized for the original sin (sin of Adam and Eve) to be forgiven. I am truly torn about this particular punishment because I also believe that if one is not baptized, one is not a part of the Christian world. In this case, since God has three entities – the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost- God is Christ and if you are not a Christian, there is no place for you in heaven or in paradise. On the other hand, logic tells me that there are non-Christians who are more deserving than Christians, and in this perspective it is not fair. The second circle is where the lustful are tortured; but the punishment is still considered as mild because lust is closely assoc iated with love and therefore is viewed with compassion. The third circle of hell was smaller, filled with cold and heavy with dirty rain. This circle is surrounded by new suffering with souls unhappily lain in the filthy mud, tormented by the three-headed doglike demon Cerberus. These were the

Saturday, September 21, 2019

The Disadvantages of Full Day Schools Essay Example for Free

The Disadvantages of Full Day Schools Essay Full day schooling refers to a longer day at preschool where they not only learn but are also given time for play. (Lamphere, 2009) Full day preschools run for five hours or longer for five days a week. Half day preschools run for approximately 3 hours for five days a week. (Rosamilia, 2008) Researchers have constantly compared these two types of schooling and most studies came to a conclusion that full day schools are better than half day schools. There are a few example of studies conducted to show this. Some examples include: A study conducted by Cryan et al.in 1992 in two phases on the effects of half-day and all-day kindergarten programs on childrens academic and behavioral success in school and another study by Hough and Bryde in 1996 which looked at the student achievement data of children enrolled in half day and full day schools. Both studies showed that full day kindergartens benefit children in terms of academic successes, attendance and there are also fewer cases of retention for them. (Clark, 2013) Even though full day schools has its benefits, it also has its disadvantages. This literature review would be focusing on the disadvantages of full day school, be it long term or short term and it would also look into the benefits of other schooling programmes such as half day programs. This review is important it would give a better idea to parents and teacher as to why they should carefully consider other options other than just focusing on full day schools. Due to the limited resources on full day schools and case studies on full day schools, the countries this literature review would be focusing on would be US and Canada. Disadvantages of Full Day Kindergarten According to research, there are a number of disadvantages for Full Day kindergarten. Firstly, there is a lack of spaces for children. According to an article, in Canada, there is a lack of space to accommodate the rising number of children if they change their program to full-day kindergartens. In Calgary, Canada, it is believed that 50 out of 137 elementary schools would not be able to accommodate more than their current half-day school and the implementation of full-day programs would force some grades to be reshuffled to other schools. (Cuthbertson Herald, 2012) In some other articles, in United States, there has been lack of space to set up full-day kindergarten. (Martinez, Stuber, and Snider, 2006; Haglund, n. d. ) Thus, there have been talks going on as to whether they should set up full-day kindergartens in that district. (Placek, 2012) Another disadvantage would be the high cost for full-day programs. This includes the expenses for equipment, staff and space. In the article regarding the changing to the full day program in Canada, they mentioned that the cost of funding it for a year would be around $200 million. Another article stated that it would cost $2 million annually after an initial startup cost of $505,600. And, it would have required another $7 million from the districts reserves to pay for construction of additional classrooms and multipurpose rooms. (Placek, 2012) Another article by a graduate from East Stroudsburg University also states that the amount of money spent on the teachers’ salaries are also high because they now have to hire more teachers for full-day kindergartens. An average teacher in the US would earn about $33,000 a year. Thus, in the case that the kindergarten hires more teachers, they would have to spend about $132,000 to $165,000 per annum just on salaries. This would increase the burden on the taxpayers. (Morse, 2008) This point is also further supported by research conducted previously. (Martinez, Stuber, and Snider, 2006; Hugland, N. A. ; Guilderland Central School District Early Childhood Advisory Committee, 2008) The third disadvantage of full-day kindergarten is that it requires more staff and staff aides. Many articles stating the disadvantages of full day support this point. For example, in one article, it states that when there are half day sessions, one teacher can teach two sessions: one in the morning and one in the afternoon. However, if it is a full-day session, it requires more teachers to teach. They would also need more teacher aides. In the case where the kindergarten does not want to hire more teachers, they would expand each class and add in more teacher aides to balance the teacher-child ratio. In a study conducted at the Guilderland central school district, it also states that they would require more teachers to teach and balance the teacher-child ratio. (Early Childhood Advisory Committee, 2008). Besides these, there are a few more disadvantages to full day kindergartens. They include having more time at school and less time for ‘kids to be kids’. (Circele, 2009; Brower, 2013). It also includes teaching children academic and skills before they are ready for it. (Haglund, N. A. ; Morse, 2008) One of the articles found went on to explain that the kindergarten may teach too advanced skills for children instead of teaching them minor skills which are important. In summary, even though full-day seems like a good option for everyone, it does have its disadvantages. Benefits of Half Day Kindergartens Likewise, half-day school has its benefits. Firstly, half day kindergarten programs are less stressful. According to Walsh (2013), children would feel relaxed while trying to adjust to the structured classroom environment. Furthermore, they are able to make good transitions from kindergarten to first grade. Another source states that half-day programs are viewed as providing continuity and systematic experience with less probability of stress than full-day programs. (Rothenberg, 2009) Secondly, the children also receive the same quality of education as those in full day preschools or kindergartens. (Ast, 2010;Rothernberg, 2009) The children go through similar experiences but just that one is longer and the other is shorter. These show that there are other programs besides full day kindergartens which young chidren can benefit from. Conclusion In the context of Singapore, there isn’t much of an issue about half day versus full day kindergarten. This is because Singapore has mainly focused on half day kindergartens. Some of the reasons as to why that might be the case is similar to the disadvantages stated above. Just like in some parts of Canada and US, Singapore has limited space to set up full-day kindergarten and it requires more sources, equipment and etc. Singapore’s space is already limited in space and it requires more space for other more important things thus, it can’t be used just for kindergartens. Statistics have shown that 15% of Singapore’s land has been located for housing, 17% for recreational and community needs. The rest of the land is used for commerce, industry, infrastructure, utilities and transport and reservoirs, defense facilities and cemetery and undeveloped land. (Yearbook of Statistics Singapore, department of Statistics Singapore[online], 2012) This shows that there isn’t sufficient space to build more kindergartens or expand it. If Singapore was to expand or make kindergartens full day, it would require more teachers or teacher aides. There is also a lack in kindergarten teachers now. Recently, along the roads, many jobs offers for preschool teachers were noticed. This is also supported by a Strait Times article on 20 July 2012. It stated that there is already a shortage of teachers. (Vadaketh, 2012)Thus, if full day kindergartens were established, there would not be enough teachers. Depending on these reasons, I believe that full day kindergarten programs are not applicable really in Singapore. However, if you look at Singapore’s context carefully, full day kindergarten programs are somewhat similar to childcare programmes in Singapore. In this context, Singaporeans can choose what kind of schooling programs they want to send their child to. The kindergarten programmes are standardized by the Ministry of Education (MOE) to be 3 hours per session. (MOE,2013) As for Childcare, it is a full day program and is also available for half day on Saturdays. The two main factors determining which programme they would send their child to would be whether they are working and the cost of the programme. Parents of children these days are usually working adults. They do not have time to take care of their children because they are working. Thus, they would rather send them to childcares because it is more convenient and safe. If they were working and they send their child to half day kindergartens, they have to make other arrangements for their child so that the child would not be left alone. While full day kindergartens may be more convenient for working adults, half day schools (kindergartens) are cheaper. According to the list of kindergartens found on the Investmentfriend. com forum, the pricing ranges from as low as $80 to $500. However, the costs of childcare centres are about $700 and above, depending on the childcare. Thus, some parents might not be able to afford childcare and would send their child to half day kindergartens. Thus, all in all I believe that the choice of schooling depends on each family and individual if childcare was seen as an full day kindergarten program. References Clark, P. (2013). Recent research on all-day kindergarten | education. com. Retrieved from http://www. education. com/reference/article/Ref_Recent_Research_All/? Lamphere, M. (2009). Full day kindergarten. Retrieved from http://www. slideshare. net/lamph1ml/full-day-kindergarten Haglund, J. (n. d. ). Full-day kindergarten advantages disadvantages | early childhood. Retrieved from http://ec. dpi. wi. gov/ec_ecadflpg Morse, J. (2008). The disadvantages of all-day kindergarten yahoo! voices voice. yahoo. com. Retrieved from http://voices. yahoo. com/the-disadvantages-all-day-kindergarten-1337569. html? cat=25 Placek,C. (2012). No full daykindergarten for all in dist. 203 dailyherald. com. Retrieved from http://www. dailyherald. com/article/20121105/news/711059666/ Cuthbertson , R. , Herald, C. (2012). School promise under threat. Retrieved from http://www2. canada. com/calgaryherald/news/story. html? id=c1b76975-1366-45e4-9bc2d33d7a3ab1b6p=1 Brower, C. (2013). The cons of full-day kindergarten | ehow. com. Retrieved from http://www. ehow. com/info_8660784_cons-full-day-kindergarten-programs. html Guilderland Central School District Early Childhood Advisory Committee. (2009). Report on full-day kindergarten. Retrieved from http://www. guilderlandschools. org/district/boe/PDFs/reports/FDKPPT110508. pdf Ast, A. (2010). Half day vs full day kindergarten: Is there really a difference? yahoo! voices voices. yahoo. com. Retrieved from http://voices. yahoo. com/half-day-vs-full-day-kindergarten-there-really-6839874. html? cat=25 Walsh, K. (2013). Pros cons of half day kindergarten | ehow. com. Retrieved from http://www. ehow. com/info_8502607_pros-cons-halfday-kindergarten. html Kindergarten fees list. (2011). Retrieved from http://investmentfriend. com/forum/showthread. php/25-Kindergarten-Fees-List Vadaketh, S. T. (2012). Tackling preschool challenges in Singapore. The StraitTimes. Retrieved from http://ifonlysingaporeans. blogspot. sg/2012/07/tackling-preschool-challenges-in. html MOE. (2013). Ministry of education, Singapore education system: Pre-school Education. Retrieved from http://www. moe. gov. sg/education/preschool/.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Health Risks of Coronary Heart Disease: Literature Review

Health Risks of Coronary Heart Disease: Literature Review Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) is the main cause of death and disability in the United Kingdom (UK) and the sole most frequent cause of early death. In spite of a drop in CHD mortality in recent years, there are approximately 120,000 deaths per year in the UK making the quotient amongst the uppermost compared to the rest of the world (British Heart Foundation (BHF), 2003). Additionally, more than 1.5 million people in the UK are living with angina and 500,000 have heart failure (Department of Health (DH), 2004) commonly, although not wholly, caused by CHD. The World Health Organization (WHO) has forecast that by 2020, CHD will be the principle cause of death and morbidity throughout the world (Tunstall-Pedoe, 1999). However, not only does CHD affect the increasing rates of early deatjh, it can also cause individuals to experience â€Å"long-term chronic health problems†. There are numerous different kinds of cardiac illnesses that include: â€Å"congenital abnormalities, heart rhythm disturbances, valvular disease, acute coronary syndromes and heart failure† (Jones, 2003). It is important to note that the latter two conditions are more likely to affect older people and are the most prevalent among those with CHD (Rawlings-Anderson and Johnson, 2003). This essay will critically analyse the literature pertaining to the one of the most relevant health risks of CHD, that of chronic heart failure. The literature to be reviewed will analyse the issues that affect self-care in heart failure. To enable this review a comprehensive search of relevant databases such as CINAHL and the British Nursing Index was undertaken. Similarly, a thorough search of relevant nursing journals such as Nursing Standard, Nursing Times, British Journal of Cardiac Nursing, and British Journal of Nursing was also carried out. Also a general internet search using the keywords CHD, BHF, long-term chronic health problems, acute coronary syndromes, chronic heart failure, prevalence and associated factors was also employed. The rationale for choosing heart failure is that every year 63 000 new cases are reported in the UK and it is increasing in prevalence and incidence affecting more than 900 000 people per annum (Petersen et al, 2002). Heart failure presents a major predicament with regard to its effect on the individual sufferers, their significant others and also on healthcare measures and supply. People with heart failure by and large suffer from recurrent episodes of acute exacerbation of their symptoms. As a consequence, admission to hospital is great and accounts for approximately 5 percent of all admissions to general medical or elderly care hospital beds within the UK. Readmission rates are as high as 50 percent in the six months following the original stay in hospital (Nicholson, 2007). It is posited that experience of illness and grim clinical outcomes are fundamentally as a result of uncontrolled symptoms through non-adherence to suggested medication and lifestyle modifications (DH, 2000a). There are various current Governmental guidelines that expound the virtues of self-care of long-term conditions. However, The Department of Health’s (DOH, 2006) Supporting people with long-term conditions to self-care: A guide to developing local strategies and practices guide proposes that self-care is any actions or behaviours that help individuals to cope with the effects that their long-term condition has on their activities of daily living. These actions or behavioural changes hope to empower sufferers to deal with the emotional aspects, adhere to treatment routines and maintain the important aspects of life such as work and socialising. A thorough research of the literature surrounding self-care for long-term conditions such as heart failure has shown that several factors are in existence that influence self-care in heart failure. These include: socio-economics, condition-related, treatment related and patient related factors (Sabate, 2003, Leventhal et al, 2005). Socio-economic standing, degree of education, monetary restrictions and social support have all been emphasised as effecting self-care in patients with heart failure. Low socio-economic status and lack of education have been established to be significant factors relating to non-adherence and inadequate self-care (Gary, 2006; Van der Wal et al, 2006). Wu et al (2007) found that those on minimal incomes were regarded as high risk for non-adherence to medication. While a superior level of education was also found to be a major predictor of adherence in research papers by Evangelista and Dracup (2000) and Rockwell and Riegel (2001). Financial restraints connected to the price of medication have been acknowledged as a hindrance to adherence (Evangelista et al, 2003; Horowitz et al 2004; Wu et al, 2008). However, these reports have been performed in the United States (US) and in the main correlate to lack of medical insurance under a Medicaid scheme. It is therefore suggested that additional research is required to ascertain whether the price of medication notably impacts on adherence in the National Health Service (NHS). A number of studies have observed that social support is an important issue in influencing self-care (Ni et al, 1999; Artininan et al, 2002; Scotto, 2005; Schnell et al, 2006; Wu et al, 2008). Ortega-Gutierrez et al (2006) found a significant contrary relationship between perceived level of social support and level of self-care. Similarly, Chung et al (2006a) examined the bearing of marital status on medication adherence and found that married patients had considerably enhanced adherence to medication than those living by themselves. Patients with a partner took more doses, were aware of the importance of taking medications on time and were more knowledgeable about names and doses. By contrast however, Evangelista et al (2001) found no association between social support and adherence to medication and lifestyle behaviours, although the authors suggest this may be due to the high levels of social support reported in this sample. The method of social support has been illustrated in numerous qualitative studies. Stromberg et al (1999) explained the important role spouses performed in medication management such as giving their partners their tablets at prescribed times. Wu et al (2007) found that a supportive family helped with medication adherence by collecting medications from the pharmacy and filling dosage boxes. These authors deduced that those devoid of the effective commitment of relatives in self-care, some patients would have trouble sticking to their drug routine. The high intensity of social support was also shown to be a feature of patients considered to be knowledgeable in self-care (Riegel et al, 2007a). A number of factors relating to specific aspects of the condition have been described in the literature. These include the nature and severity of symptoms, functional ability, prior experience, the presence of comorbidities and cognitive functioning. Severity of symptoms and functional ability are important indicators of behaviour. Symptom severity was an independent predictor of self-care in a study by Rockwell and Riegel (2001). Wu et al (2007) found that patients with poor functional ability as measured by the New York Heart Association functional classification (NYHA) had poorer self-care. However, prior experience of hospitalisation may also affect self-care with patients having prior hospitalization episodes more likely to carry out self-care effectively. It is suggested that this may be due to a high level of motivation to stay well and avoid hospitalization. Level of experience or time since diagnosis may also be important factors in determining self-care ability (Carlson et al, 2001). Although the precise mechanism is unclear, it may be related to an enhanced ability to recognise changing symptoms and the use of tried and tested strategies in response to symptoms. The presence of comorbidities, especially if symptoms are similar to those of heart failure, makes the recognition and subsequent management of symptoms difficult. Chriss et al (2004) found the number of comorbidities to be a significant predictor of self-care, those with few comorbidities having enhanced self-care. Self-management requires patients to make decisions and take actions in response to recognition of symptoms. However, cognitive deficits in heart failure have been well documented (Ekman, 1998 and Bennett, 2003). It is estimated that between 30 percent and 50 percent of heart failure patients have cognitive impairment (Leventhal et al, 2005). Wolfe et al (2005) found specific cognitive deficits of memory, attention and executive functioning, which were not related to illness severity. These deficits may impair the perception and interpretation of early symptoms and reasoning ability required for self-management. This is supported by Dickson et al (2007b) who found a correlation between impaired cognition and individuals inconsistently demonstrating effective self-care behaviour. Paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnoea, common in heart failure, also deprives the body of sleep and has consequences for cognitive functioning and decision-making (Trupp and Corwin, 2008). Perhaps as a result, sleepi ness during the day has also been linked to poor self-care (Riegel et al, 2007b). Adherence to medication and lifestyle guidance has been linked to treatment-related factors such as the effects of medication or treatments, the intricacy of regimes and numerous changes in treatment. Riegel and Carlson (2002) and Van Der Wal et al (2006) found that adherence to a low sodium diet was hindered by the foul-tasting low salt food and problems when eating out in a restaurant. Limiting fluid intake was also controlled by thirst. Bennett et al (2005) found that the taking of diuretics disrupted sleep and this was a significant factor in non-adherence. Concerns about medication side effects are also of major concern to patients (Stromberg et al, 1999; Riegel and Carlson, 2002). The complexity of the treatment regime as indicated by a high number of administration times, for example, has been shown to decrease medication adherence (Riegel and Carlson, 2002; George et al, 2007; Van der Wal et al, 2007). It is suggested that individual patient characteristics have a major part in self-care behaviour. Age and gender may have some bearing on behaviour although there is relatively limited evidence. The presence of depression also had a negative impact on self-care ability. Chung et al (2006b) examined gender differences in adherence to a low salt diet in patients with heart failure. They found that adherence was higher in women. Women were also further capable of making nutritional decisions. This is in contrast to Gary (2006) who researched the self-care routine of women with heart failure and established that a only a small number of women in this sample abided by the suggested low salt diet, exercised or weighed themselves daily. The only behaviour that was practiced without fail was taking medication. Hardly any women recognised symptoms of heart failure or checked and monitored their symptoms on a regular basis. Chriss et al (2004) found that males and increasing age were separate, significant predictors of self-care. However, the relationship between age and self-care behaviour continues to be ambiguous. Evangelista et al (2003) found that elderly patients with heart failure had better adherence to medication, diet and exercise guidance than younger patients. Notably, depression influences the capacity to perform self-care behaviours successfully. There appears to be a preponderance of people who have heart failure who are also depressed. Approximately, 11 percent of out-patients and over 50 percent of hospitalised patients with heart failure are depressed (Leventhal et al, 2005). Depression has been revealed to be an important aspect predicting self-care (Dickson et al, 2006; Lesman-Leegte et al, 2006; Riegel et al, 2007b). DiMatteo et al (2000) declares that non-adherence is three times higher in depressed patients compared with those who are not depressed. The coexistence of depression i n patients with heart failure makes them vulnerable to inadequate self-care. CHD is a major cause of death and disability in the UK and is also the main cause of premature death. CHD also causes its sufferers to have long-term chronic comorbidities. One of those comorbitities is heart failure. Heart failure is increasing in prevalence and incidence every year in the UK. It not only affects the patient but also their family. Similarly, the incidences of heart failure have a massive impact on health care provision and resources. This is a consequence of the frequent acute exacerbations of the patient’s symptoms. Self-care of long-term conditions such as heart failure appear to be the Government’s current preoccupation and guidelines exist that offer strategies to those with long-term conditions that may help sufferers cope with the impact that their illness has on their everyday lives. However, evidence exists that show that there are certain factors that act as barriers and influence self-care in heart failure. These factors include lack of educa tion, financial constraints and social support. Cognitive ability, modification of life-styles, relationships, gender, age and mental illness have all been found to have an impact on the self-care of heart failure particularly with regards to medication adherence. There appears to be a dearth of research undertaken in the UK on the issues influencing self-care in heart failure. Therefore, it is recommended that further research is undertaken in the UK, as the health care and welfare provision is vastly different from that in the US. This may result in very dissimilar research outcomes. References Artinian NT, Magnan M, Sloan M, Lange MP (2002) Self-care behaviours among patients with heart failure, Heart Lung The Journal of Acute and Critical Care, 31, 3, 161-72 Bennett SJ, Sauve MJ (2003) Cognitive deficits in patients with heart failure: A review of the literature, Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, 18, 3, 219-42 Bennett SJ, Lane KA, Welch J, Perkins SM, Brater DC, Murray MD (2005) Medication and dietary compliance beliefs in heart failure, Western Journal of Nursing Research, 27, 8, 977-93 British Heart Foundation (2003) Coronary Heart Disease Statistics, London, BHF Carlson B, Riegel B, Moser DK (2001) Self-care abilities of patients with heart failure, Heart Lung The Journal of Acute and Critical Care, 30 5, 351-9 Chriss PM, Sheposh J, Carlson B, Riegel B (2004) Predictors of successful heart failure self-care maintenance in the first three months after hospitalisation, Heart Lung The Journal of Acute and Critical Care, 33, 6, 345-53 Chung ML, Moser DK, Lennie TA, Riegel BJ (2006a) Presence of a spouse improves adherence to medication in patients with heart failure, Journal of Cardiac Failure, 12, 6, S1-S100 Chung ML, Moser DK, Lennie TA, Worrall-Carter L, Bentley B, Trupp R, Armentano DS (2006b) Gender differences in adherence to the sodium-restricted diet in patients with heart failure, Journal of Cardiac Failure, 12, 8, 628-34 Department of Health (2006) Supporting people with long-term conditions to self-care: A guide to developing local strategies and practices, London, The Stationery Office Dickson VV, Deatrick JA, Goldberg LR, Riegel B (2006) A mixed methods study exploring the factors that facilitate and impede heart failure self-care, Journal of Cardiac Failure, 12, 6, S124-5 Dickson VV, Tkacs N, Riegel B (2007b) Cognitive influences on self-care decision making in persons with heart failure, American Heart Journal, 154, 424-31 DiMatteo MR, Lepper HS, Croghan TW (2000) Depression is a risk factor for non-compliance with medical treatment, Archives of Internal Medicine, 160, 14, 2101-7 Department of Health (2000a) National Service Framework for Coronary Heart Disease: Modern Standards and Service Models, London, The Stationery Office Department of Health (2004) NHS Improvement Plan: Putting People at the Heart of Public Services, London, The Stationery Office Ekman I, Andersson B, Ehnfors M, Matejka G, Persson B, Fagerberg B (1998) Feasibility of a nurse-monitored, outpatient-care programme for elderly patients with moderate-to-severe chronic heart failure, European Heart Journal, 19, 1254-60 Evangelista LS and Dracup K (2000) A closer look at compliance research in heart failure patients in the last decade, Progress in Cardiovascular Nursing, 15, 3, 97-103 Evangelista LS, Berg J and Dracup K (2001) Relationship between psychosocial variables and compliance in patients with heart failure, Heart Lung The Journal of Acute and Critical Care, 30, 4, 294-301 Evangelista LS, Doering LV, Dracup K, Westlake C, Hamilton M, Fonarow GC (2003) Compliance behaviours of elderly patients with advanced heart failure, Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, 18, 3, 197-208 Gary R (2006) Self-care practices in women with diastolic heart failure, Heart Lung The Journal of Acute and Critical Care, 35, 1, 9-19 George J, Shalansky SJ (2007) Predictors of refill non-adherence in patients with heart failure, British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 63, 4, 488-93 Horowitz CR, Rein SB, Leventhal H (2004) A story of maladies, misconceptions and mishaps: effective management of heart failure, Social Science Medicine, 58, 3, 631-43 Jones I (2003) Acute coronary syndromes: identification and patient care, Professional Nursing, 18, 5, 289-92 Lesman-Leegte I, Jaarsma T, Sanderson R, Van Veldhuisen DJ (2006) Depressive symptoms are prevalent amongst elderly hospitalised heart failure patients, European Journal of Heart Failure, 8, 634-40 Leventhal MJE, Riegel B, Carlson B, De Geest S (2005) Negotiating compliance in heart failure: remaining issues and questions, European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, 4, 298-307 Ni H, Nauman D, Burgess D, Wise K, Crispell K, Hershberger RE (1999) Factors influencing knowledge of and adherence to self-care among patients with heart failure, Archives of Internal Medicine, 159, 1613-9 Ortega-Gutierrez A, Comin-Colit J, Quinones S (2006) Influence of perceived psychosocial support on self-care behaviour of patients with heart failure managed in nurse-led heart failure clinics, Progress in Cardiovascular Nursing, Spring: 160 Nicholson C (2007) Heart failure: A clinical nursing handbook, Chichester, John Wiley and Sons Petersen S, Rayner M, Wolstenholme J (2002) Coronary heart disease statistics: heart failure supplement, London, British Heart Foundation Riegel B, Carlson B (2002) Facilitators and barriers to heart failure self-care, Patient Education and Counselling, 46, 287-95 Riegel B, Dickson VV, Goldberg LR, Deatrik J (2007a) Factors associated with the development of expertise in heart failure self-care, Nursing Research, 56, 4, 235-43 Riegel B, Dickson VV, Goldberg LR (2007b) Social support predicts success in self-care in heart failure patients with excessive daytime sleepiness, Journal of Cardiac Failure, 13, S183-4 Rockwell JM, Riegel B (2001) Predictors of self-care in persons with heart failure, Heart Lung The Journal of Acute and Critical Care, 30, 18-25 Sabate E. (2003) Adherence to long-term therapies: Evidence for action, Geneva, WHO Schnell KN, Naimark BJ, McClement SE (2006) Influential factors for self-care in ambulatory care heart failure patients: A qualitative perspective, Canadian Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, 16, 1, 13-19 Scotto CJ (2005) The lived experience of adherence for patients with heart failure, Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation, 25, 3, 158-63 Stromberg A, Bromstrom A, Dahlstrom U, Fridlund B (1999) Factors influencing patient compliance with therapeutic regimens in chronic heart failure: A critical incident technique, Heart Lung The Journal of Acute and Critical Care, 28, 334-41 Trupp R, Corwin EJ (2008) Sleep-disordered breathing, cognitive functioning and adherence in heart failure: Linked through pathology? Progress in Cardiovascular Nursing, 23, 1, 32-6 Van der Wal MHL, Jaarsma T, Moser DK, Veeger NJGM, Van Gilst WH, Van Veldhuisen DJ (2006) Compliance in heart failure patients: the importance of knowledge and beliefs, European Heart Journal, 27, 4, 434-40 Wolfe R, Worrall-Carter L, Foister K, Keks N, Howe V (2005) Assessment of cognitive function in heart failure patients, European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, 5, 158-64 Wu J, Lennie TA, Moser DK (2007) Predictors of medication adherence using a multidimensional adherence model in patients with heart failure, Journal of Cardiac Failure, 13, 6, S75 Wu J, Moser DK, Lennie TA, Peden AR, Chen Y, Heo S (2008) Factors influencing medication adherence in patients with heart failure, Heart Lung The Journal of Acute and Critical Care, 37, 8-16 Tunstall-Pedoe H (1999) Contributions of trends in survival and coronary-event rates to changes in coronary heart disease mortality: 10-year results from 37 WHO MONICA project populations: Monitoring trends and determinants in cardiovascular disease, Lancet, 353, 9164, 1547-1557 Rawlings-Anderson K, Johnson K (2003) Myocardial infarction and older people, Nursing Older People, 15, 6, 29-34

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Feminist Bashing of Tennessee Williams and A Streetcar Named Desire :: Feminism Feminist Women Criticism

A Streetcar Named Desire and the Gay Roots of Feminist Straight Bashing  Ã‚     Ã‚   Tennessee William's A Streetcar Named Desire is widely considered the highest achievement of 20th Century American theatre. Stanley Kowalski is a symbol of the heterosexual male. Significantly this male icon is portrayed as a rapist. In 1947, Tennessee Williams (through Blanche DuBois) also describes Stanley as "sub human," a term that would inspire outrage if it had been used against Jews, blacks, women or gays. The play is a good example of how Williams, a homosexual, contributed to the "modern malaise" by undermining the legitimacy of heterosexual males, females and the family. Williams' complex motives may explain the motivation of feminists today. Homosexuals have suffered persecution. This doesn't automatically elevate them morally nor immunize them from political criticism. Personally, I believe in live-and-let-live. That's why I wasn't prepared to discover that homosexuals, in particular, lesbian feminists, are not so tolerant of heterosexuals like myself. They are conducting a vicious attack on heterosexual institutions that society no longer can afford to ignore. Currently the attack comes from the feminist movement, which is led by lesbians. In "The New Victorians"(1996), Rene Denfeld documents how feminists are no longer concerned with equal opportunity, but are dedicated to transforming heterosexual society. Heterosexuality is regarded as the root of all oppression and homosexuality is seen as the remedy. "For many of today's feminists, lesbianism is far more than a sexual orientation, or even a preference. It is, as students in many colleges learn, an ideological, political and philosophical means of liberation of all women from heterosexual tyranny†¦" In their ruthless quest for power, feminists behave like Marxist zealots, quietly infiltrating the education and legal systems, government bureaucracy and media. They institute quotas that give women preference in education and employment regardless of merit, regardless that women may already be over represented. They display a cult-like, totalitarian attitude to dissent, refusing to debate, suppressing free speech and slandering people who hold opposing views. It may seem absurd that gays and lesbians who represent about four per cent of the population should attempt to transform society. Of these only a minority is promoting these goals. But these activists have used specious guilt tactics to capture the moral high ground. With the complicity of the media and politicians, they wield power way out of proportion to their numbers.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Success in Willa Cathers My Antonia :: Cather My Antonia Essays

Success in Willa Cather's My Antonia The American college dictionary defines success as 1. The favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors, 2. The gaining of wealth, possessions, or the like. This has been the general seances for the past hundred years or more. But in more modern days the prospective of success has changed slightly. It has shifted to having a good education, going to collage, getting a carrier getting married & having children. Having your own home and eventually dying and passing it all on to a child or children. Success is no longer satisfaction or personal goals. It has been supplemented by the goals society has preset for the populous that have been drilled into the minds of the young from the very beginning. To a man named Santiago in The Old Man and The Sea by: Earnest Hemingway, success was to conquer the Marlin Santiago had fought for so long. But as a cruel twist of fate his success is taken away in an instant when the prize he had fought so hard for was eaten by sharks, leaving Santiago with no spoils left to show for his hard fight. He was even so crushed by of the loss of the Marlin that he cried out to the sea "I am beaten.....hear stands a broken man" (234). Santiago still experienced success in the fashion that when he returned to port the little boy named Manolin that he had taught how to fish earlier in the novel was allowed to come back to fish with him. This was the ultimate form of success that was perceived for Santiago by Hemingway. To Jean Valjean in Les Misreables By: Victor Hugo , Valjean's success was represented in the form of going from convict to loving father of a daughter. The little girl named Cosette may not have been his true daughter, but after he had had dinner with a bishop that had seen the possibility of good in he started the transformation of his life. he met Cosettes mother and vowed to save her daughter from the place where she was being kept. The success Valjean experienced was what made hi s character the man that he was. But to Willa Cather in My

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Suspense in Steven Spielbergs Movie Jaws Essay example -- Movie Film

Suspense in Steven Spielberg's Movie Jaws Steven Spielberg, the creator of Jaws, uses many different techniques to draw in the suspense of viewers and to capture their imagination. These techniques include special effects – to create tension, different camera angles – to show facial expressions and group shots. The classic Jaws music, known by millions of people, also helps build up tension, to let us know when the shark is approaching. He uses colours, so that we can associate signs and symbols to forthcoming events, e.g. the colour red is associated with danger. We will be using all of the above devices to help analyse different parts of the film.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As soon as the film starts, from the title sequence, these techniques are being used. The music begins very quietly and slowly. In my opinion, I get the impression that danger is on its way, and, also, it is dark, which builds up the suspense. The opening credits are written a sharp pointy writing, which is perhaps suggesting the teeth of the shark, and its capabilities.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As the scene changes, the suspense and anxiety increases, because we are now watching the film from the sharks point of view but, as the shark is swimming through the water, there is a lot of weeds in his way, which makes the audience very agitated, and the speed of the shark may suggest that he is anxious to get somewhere.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The music then starts to build up, by getting louder and faster. This starts to get the audience thinking, and wondering what will happen next. It builds up a lot of tension and suspense, and you seem, to know that danger is getting closer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After this event, the atmosphere changes dramatically. It becomes livelier, and there is an old-fashioned feeling, as there is a mouth organ being played in the background. Everybody seems to be having fun, which does make them seem quite a lot more vulnerable, as they are unaware of the danger.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There is also a large bonfire on the beach, which gives the audience a sense of safety, but also, fire means danger, so it makes you unsure. The large amount of people also gives you a sense of safety, but again this is dampened by the fact that they are in the dark, making them seem vulnerable, also this makes their vision very scarce, as it is the dark, and they can’t see very far.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The third shot reminds us of the danger, as you have pushed the... ...n see that Brody does not feel safe, and it makes Brody look really vulnerable.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When you first see the shark leaving the docks, you watch them leave through a pair of shark jaws. When I saw this, I immediately thought that Brody, Hooper and Quinn would encounter the shark, and that it wasn’t going to be an easy trip. Seeing the shark jaws also builds up tension.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My fifth advice is when Quinn lies on the radio. He tells people on shore that everything is fine, and they have nothing to worry about, but at this point in the film, they are actually â€Å"battling† the shark. This leads the viewers to false pretences, as you can see what is happening, and I got the impression that Quinn did not want the people on the other end of the radio to know the real capabilities of the shark. I also got the impression that Quinn did not want any help, as if it would degrade him, he had to do it all on his own.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My last device is where the music changes, and becomes a more happy song. This happens when the first barrel is attached to the shark, and this leads the viewers to believe that Quinn, Hooper and Brody have virtually beaten the shark, but in fact they are no where near.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Merits and Demerits of Police Identification

?Discuss any four types of police identification parade emphasizing on their respective merits and short comings. Police identification parade can be referred to as a situation whereby suspects believed to have committed a crime are presented or lined-up for witnesses to identify if indeed the one or group of persons who committed the crime is amongst the line-up. This method is used inorder to help the police confirm if indeed suspect did commit the crime. There are several ways in which police identification parades can be conducted.Depending on the type of situation and resources available for use; be it human or technological will most preferably assist the police on what methods to put in (type of identification parade). When police forces are carrying out their functions, they also have a duty to have regard to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and to take steps to foster good relations. The main focus of my study is to address only fou r of these identification parades and analyze into detail their main objectives and discuss their merits and where they fall short.Some of the identification parades we know of may weigh in different levels with regards to effectiveness. Others are judged to be more effective whiles some others are least effective. In this code, identification by an eye-witness arises when a witness who has seen the offender committing the crime and is given an opportunity to identify a person suspected of involvement in the offence in a video identification or similar procedure. From a legal point of view the question that an identification parade attempts to answer is whether the suspect is in fact the culprit.First of all, I would like to discuss about the ‘video identification’. With this method, suspects are kept in a confined area or room under a surveillance camera. A ‘video identification’ is when the witness is shown moving images of a known suspect, together with similar images of others who resemble the suspect. Sometimes in absence of the videos photographs of assumed suspects are shown to the witness to help identify the culprit. Even though it is sometimes useful, it is not the best since it shows still-life images which shows only one sided angle on the view of things and thereby makes it difficult for identification.The video is more advantageous in suspect identification because since there are moving images and gives different angles on the view of things. Examples are; the different kinds of expressions and mood swings exhibited by, the witness can easily identify the suspect if indeed he o she is part. These eye-witness identification procedures are designed to test an eye witness’ ability to identify suspects and to provide safeguards against mistaken identity. Secondly, the identification parade that will be considered here is the ‘line-up’.With this procedure, suspects are arranged or lined up for witnesses t o view and see which of them are or is the culprit. Here, the police officer in charge instructs the suspects to turn to whichever direction the witness asks. The witness is therefore asked to point out to the real culprit(s) who indeed committed the crime. Since this is an open parade, things could get complicated and physical in the sense that, if the witness pin points the suspect, and tempers are not calm, the suspect might step forward and harass the witness physically.In some cases, witnesses might be forced to give false data when they stare directly into faces of the suspects. Some suspects make facial expressions which are very threatening to witnesses and therefore conclude that the witness is not part of the parade for fear for their life. In other cases too, the witness might point to the wrong person who also has an appearance like that of a criminal (shabbily dressed, muscular, bony face, black lips) . Also depending on the type of question the witness is asked, he or she might give false information.Example: if the police asks; â€Å"which of them attacked you or committed the offence? † the witness is implied to just chose a suspect even if, the real culprit is not among the parade. Such questions are imperatives which do not really ask a direct question but instead expects you to comply or conform. Apart from this method shortcoming, there is no doubt that it’s sometimes reliable. Thirdly, identifications can be carried out by using a one-way mirror which is a better procedure as compared to that of the open line-ups.With this method, suspects are lined up in a room which is much secured with glass windows from which the witness can have a clear view of all the suspects present. The windows here are made of glass which are tinted, so suspects do not see whatever that goes on outside but the witness who is outside the room sees all that goes on inside. Identification of culprit(s) becomes difficult for the witness if suspects are dressed in almost the same way and there is the chance that, there exist some similarities between any of the suspects, especially when the culprit is involved.Also not all eye witness’ have very good memeory when it comes to facial recognition. Furthermore, there is the sort of identification which has to do with verbal recognition. Here, different set of audio recordings of different suspects are selected and then played for the witness to identify the culprit. This method is only used in critical situations where the witness did not see the suspect but heard the person speak. This could be difficult for the witness to identify especially when the tapes been played are similar.Sometimes too, the suspect is kept in a confined room with a recording device and is asked by the police to mention specific words suggested by the witness. These words are sometimes the ones the witness heard the suspect say at the time of the incident. In conclusion to the above procedures, the poli ce force can put in severe measures that could enhance or yield positive and effective results to make their work much easier and simpler. There are also instances whereby two or more procedures of identification are incorporated into one to help solve cases which are very delicate and special.

Hydrological Ecosystem Services Modelling

Hydrologic theoretical accounts are necessary to interpret climatic forcing ( rainfall and temperature ) to lake rainfall, vaporization, and watershed influx. It is defined by Maidment ( 2000 ) as â€Å"a mathematical representation of the flow of H2O and its constituents on some portion of the land surface or subsurface environment† . There are different tools for Water Resource Management characterised as: a ) Hydrologic Models ( physical procedures ) that simulate river basin hydrologic processes ( H2O balance, rainfall-runoff, lake simulation, watercourse H2O quality theoretical accounts, etc. ) and b ) Water Resource Models ( physical and direction ) that simulate current and future supply/demand of system, runing regulations and policies, environmental impacts, hydroelectric production and Decision Support Systems ( DSS ) for policy interaction. Hydrological theoretical accounts are usually designed for stationary conditions, but they are used under conditions of alterat ion in clime alteration surveies ( Xu et al. , 2005 ) . To measure the variableness of surface H2O and groundwater resources over selected Iberian river basins several different plans can be used. Modelling is now a common tool in the field of hydrological research, and a rapid development of computational power, the ability to pattern the natural H2O rhythm has progressed tremendously over the recent decennaries. Considerable attempt has been expended on developing improved catchment hydrological theoretical accounts for gauging the effects of clime alteration ( Arnell and Liu, 2001 ) . Many new techniques and methodological analysiss have been raised to ease the river basin research. For illustration, the usage of GIS, remote feeling techniques, rainfall-runoff modeling, assorted patterning appraisals, H2O quality appraisals, river basin hydrology and so on. A quantitative analysis of river discharge is the base for all other fluxes researches like foods or H2O eroding modeling. However, the methodological analysis of quantitative analy sis or discharge modeling is really different from part to part. Although the construct of the hydrologic rhythm is simple, the phenomena are tremendously complex and intricate. The hydrological theoretical accounts are developed to analyze the future impacts of clime and socio-economic alterations on catchment hydrology and hence, the standardization and proof of the preexisting regionalised attacks demands to be carried over a sufficiently broad scope of catchment conditions such that the attack stays within or shut to the standardization scope. Water flat fluctuations during extremum flow season and H2O deficit or dry periods creates more informations uncertainness. Of major concern is the decrease in low flows and lowered groundwater degrees, which might take to H2O deficits, particularly during summer periods ( Arnell and Liu, 2001 ) . Normally low flow rivers are ignored by the establishments to enter river flow and put in adequate gauging Stationss in the water parting. However in the absence of perfect cognition, they may be represented in a simplified manner by agencies of the systems construct. Water allotment modeling has received considerable attending in the recent yesteryear by the scientific community for the analysis of H2O utilizations by all viing sectors. For illustration, an economic theoretical account is developed by Bielsa and Duarte ( 2001 ) for apportioning H2O between two viing sectors, irrigation and hydropower in NE Spain. Babel et al. , ( 2005 ) developed a simple synergistic incorporate H2O allotment theoretical account ( IWAM ) , which can help the contrivers and determination shapers in optimum allotment of limited H2O from a storage reservoir to different user sectors, sing socio-economic, environmental and proficient aspects.Water allotment mold is sort of a river basin direction determination support system ( DSS ) designed as a computer-aided tool for developing improved basin broad planning. Analysis is carried out for H2O balance of the river basins under different degrees of H2O users and determines the H2O allotment in the basin. 2.3 Ecosystem services patterning Hydrological procedures have been identified as presenting ecosystem services that are cardinal to both human wellbeing and the care of biodiversity. However, patterning the connexions between landscape alterations and hydrologic procedures is non simple. Sophisticated theoretical accounts of these connexions and associated procedures ( such as the WEAP theoretical account ) are resource and informations intensive and require significant expertness. Freshwater ecosystems provide society with the indispensable services of H2O supply for its nutriment, economic activity, and diversion, every bit good as home ground for its fresh water piscary. The WaterGAP theoretical account, used by Alcamo et Al. ( 2003a, 2003b ) to quantify freshwater-related ecosystem services, computes H2O handiness on a grid and river basin graduated table by taking into history precipitation/snowmelt, vaporization, groundwater storage and overflow. The theoretical account estimates future H2O backdowns harmonizing to alterations in income, population, and electricity demand. Other similar tools include Advanced Terrestrial Ecosystem Analysis and Modelling ( ATEAM ) , ( Schroter et al. , 2005 ) , Artificial Intelligence for Ecosystem Services ( ARIES ) ( Bagstad et al. , 2011 ; Villa et al. , 2011 ) , EcoAIM, Eco Metrix, Ecosystem Services Review ( ESR ) , LUCI ( Jackson et al. , 2013 ) , ES Value, and Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs ( InVEST ) . Ecosystem services theoretical account, Integrated Valuation of Environmental Services and Tradeoffs ( InVEST ) developed by Natural Capital Project, theoretical accounts for quantifying, function, and valuing the benefits provided by tellurian, fresh water and marine systems. InVEST is designed to inform determinations about natural resource direction. Decision-makers, from authoritiess to non-profits to corporations, frequently manage lands and Waterss for multiple utilizations and necessarily must measure tradeoffs among these utilizations ; InVEST’s multi-service, modular design provides an effectual tool for measuring these tradeoffs ( InVEST user guide, 2.4.4, 2012 ) . Models are needed to expect ecosystem prostrations so that policies can be developed to avoid or accommodate to these prostrations. The MA’s Conditions and Trends Report ( 2005 ) besides points out the demand for â€Å"both conceptual and quantitative theoretical accounts that can get down to give both scientific and policy communities advance warning of when the capacity of systems is get downing to be eroded, or thresholds likely to be reached.† Soil eroding is one of the biggest jobs in connexion with agricultural patterns in many parts of the universe. It is required to develop a streamlined procedure in which dirt loss appraisal and the measure of transported deposit are calculated to place possible bad countries of dirt eroding. Erosion and deposit are natural procedures that contribute to healthy ecosystems, but excessively much may hold terrible effects. The magnitude of sediment conveyance in a water parting is determined by several factors. Natural fluctuation in dirt belongingss, precipitation forms, and incline create forms of eroding and deposit overflow. Vegetation holds dirt in topographic point and gaining controls sediment traveling overland. The Sediment Retention theoretical account provides the user with a tool for ciphering the mean one-year dirt loss from each package of land, finding how much of that dirt may get at a peculiar point of involvement, gauging the ability of each package to retain deposit, a nd measuring the cost of taking the accrued deposit. 2.4 Decision devising tools Decision Support Systems ( DSS ) are considered the best tool for nearing an incorporate analysis of H2O direction. Such systems apply ground similar to that of a human being, who is the expert in the topic ( Stevens, 1984 ) . These systems are provided with informations from many diverse beginnings of information, including experimental consequences, field study informations, and even those obtained from traditional theoretical accounts. Current tools range from simple dispersed sheet theoretical account to complex package bundles. If they are flexible plenty for usage in diverse determination contexts and can be affordably applied, they could moderately be incorporated into public and private-sector environmental determination doing on a everyday footing ( Bagstad et al. , 2013 ) . However, the development of decision-support tools that integrate ecology, economic sciences, and geographics to back up determination devising is a more recent phenomenon ( Ruhl et al. , 2007 ; Daily et al. , 2009 ) . Furthermore, there are besides several commercial package bundles, specifically designed for each type of DSS. DSSs can be either stochastic or deterministic, depending on whether or non they deal with procedures incorporating a grade of uncertainness. Stakeholders’ penchants could bring forth utile information in prioritizing and developing better H2O resource direction programs and besides avoid maximal struggles. The Analytic Hierarchy Process ( AHP ) is a process for depicting elements of a job hierarchically. AHP was used to work out the multi-criteria decision-making job of alternate H2O supply for Francoli river basin. The job is divided into smaller parts and the process guides determination shapers through a series of pair-wise comparing that gives the comparative importance of the elements in the hierarchy. Decision support systems are non merely of import but besides rather complex and is in demand of systems that facilitate more consistent and effectual strategic determinations.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Portfolio Unit 1: Article Critique Essay

User interfaces and consumer perceptions of online stores: The role of telepresence KIL-SOO SUH and SUNHYE CHANG School of Business, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea Office of General Affairs, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea Behaviour & Information Technology, Vol. 25, No. 2, March-April 2006 pages 99 – 113 1. Overview of Article The article written by Kil-Soo Suh and Sunhye Chang are well laid out, and easy to read. I feel that they have made the article interesting enough to keep people interested right from the start and reading further. I think that the writers choice to use many facts from the start is a good choice as it helps to keep readers intrigued. The title for the article may not be the best choice, but is indeed very direct with what they are trying to provide readers with. The writers continue, with a brief introduction, theoretical background and hypotheses with useful information as well as useful references in there work. The writers have used research to provide references to there work which is vastly positive and gives readers further information on the subject. The article was written in the year 2006 and is about the consumers’ perceptions about online stores and shopping online. Over time consumers have become more and more accustomed to using the internet and shopping online and this article explains what general consumers once feared about using such a tool to make everyday transactions. The articles gives readers examples of questions and also the results to them. This can help readers into a better understanding about the subject of user interfaces and consumer perceptions of online stores. The writers have chosen to use quantitative as well as qualitative methods to show there use of questionnaires and results. The articles descriptions about certain information such as ‘user interface and telepresence’ are well described with references, examples and also diagrams which are clear and easy to follow. 2. Strengths and Weaknesses 2.1 Weaknesses a. Although the article starts off well, introducing the reader into the subject, it does start to become rather repetitive half way through. b. Whereas the research seems to be done well, the ‘theoretical background and hypotheses’ have come up a little short on information. c. With evidence to the questionnaires and data tables of results, the methodology for the overall article seemed to be based on both quantitative and qualitative methods. However, I found that the quantitative information given was not sufficient enough for the reader. d. The literature used may not be as appealing to e.g a younger audience who may want to read shorter paragraphs and less overall. e. The article may seem to be now a little outdated for readers even though it has useful information. 2.2 Strengths a. The research has been done well and is also appropriately referenced, making it easy for readers to follow and research on there own if they wish to with the research information provided. b. Towards the end of the article the writers have a heading ‘Future research directions’. With the information provided in this short ‘to be continued’ styled paragraph will help encourage any readers that are enjoying the article to read further, and maybe to even research the subject further themselves. c. Although the article is to some extent outdated at the time of my self reading it, I think that it still provides the reader with relevant and precise information. 3. Recommendations a. By keeping the article short could mean appealing to a wider audience b. I feel that if the aims where set out clearer at the start of the article, it would be even easier for the reader to get into it. c. Producing better research methods as well as a better background on the subject will also have been better suited to this particular article. d. Changing the literature to better suit a younger more open audience. I feel that the article should be better suited to the reader than the writer. e. Although there is quantitative and qualitative data within the article itself, I feel that the writers could have made better use of the information by applying more time to the qualitative data rather than focusing more on quantitative data.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Okonkwo: a Life Story of a Tragic Hero

Esha Moore Honors English II- Hyatt May 23, 2012 Things Fall Apart Final Literally Analysis Essay Okonkwo: A Life Story of a Tragic Hero What makes up a hero in today’s society? Young children today imagine a hero with superpowers and a cape, but little do they know heroes come in many different forms. In his novel, Things Fall Apart, the Nigerian author Chinua Achebe illustrates the making of modern hero. Even though Okonkwo does not act like a regular hero, he still has a noble structure, makes mistakes throughout life, and experiences a great downfall.Elijah Wood once said â€Å"There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow men. True nobility lies in being superior to your former self. † Growing up, the Umuofia clan did not consider Okonkwo noble because of his impecunious father, Unoka: â€Å"Unoka was, of course, a debtor, and he owed every neighbor some money, from a few cowries to quite substantial amount† (Achebe 5). When Unoka died ten years ag o he has taken no title at all and left Okonkwo in debt. Greatly ashamed of his father, he based many of his beliefs about how life should be lived by doing the exact opposite of his father.Okonkwo’s nobility all begins about twenty years ago, when his clan announces him the best wrestler. This all happened when Amalinze the Cat- seven year champion- who fights Okonkwo; however, Okonkwo throws the Cat and won the match. Meanwhile, a war was going on in Mbaino, so in the nine villages of Umuofia, all the men must be present tomorrow morning. Umuofia needed a young man and a virgin: â€Å"He was a man of action, a man of war† (10). Okonkwo leaves for Mbaino knowing not to suspect upon his arrival. Okonkwo suffers various hamartia or mistakes that he truly regrets.Okonkwo starts out being his town hero; however, his biggest flaw was having uncontrollable anger, which eventually leads to his violent behavior. Okonkwo violent behavior starts before the Week of Peace. He com es home expecting Ojiungo and dinner she usually prepares for him. Okonkwo realizes her lack of absence; he then starts freaking out because she went to her friend’s house to plait her hair. Since she was not at the house, he came back to the hut and waits upon her arrival, which lead to Ojiungo beating.Ezeani, the priest of the earth goddess comes to the hut to discuss Okonkwo’s actions and how he could ruin the clan. While getting ready for The Feast of the New Yam, he makes another mistake by shooting at Ekwefi-his second wife- she mocks her husband's poor hunting ability, making a remark about guns that never shoot: â€Å"He pressed the trigger and there was a loud report accompanied by the wail of his wives and children† (39). Okonkwo tends not to think and he acts impulsively and inconsiderately.Okonkwo tries instilling his personal views on how to live as a man to Nwoye and according to Okonkwo, showing emotions are signs of acting womanly. The Oracle of the Hills and the Caves pronounce Ikemefuna should be killed, and the oldest member of the clan informs Okonkwo of this. Okonkwo has an obsessive fear of anything that can be associated with the image of his weak, lazy and gentle father whom he always considered a failure. As an ambitious man who became a successful, respectable warrior of the clan, he wants to take part in the killing of the boy; however, the older clan member forbids him to do so.Forced to march in a procession, Ikemefuna stricken by one of the clan members, when he tries to seek Okonkwo's protection, Okonkwo so as not appear weak performs: â€Å"Dazed with fear, Okonkwo drew his machete and cut him down† (61). His irascible behavior leads to besmirching his reputation. Ikemefuna's death generates a series of events, which lead to Okonkwo's downfall. Okonkwo's son, Nwoye and Ikemefuna have grown close like brothers and even Okonkwo has grown fond of Ikemefuna.While attending Ezeudu’s funeral another disaster befalls him: â€Å"Okonkwo’s gun had exploded and a piece of iron had pierced the boy’s heart† (124). The death of Ezeudu's son went against the Earth Goddess, so he was forced into exile for seven years to his mother's village. During the time of exile, white missionaries appeared on their bicycles. The Oracle warns the clan about death and destruction in the future. They ask for land to build a church and they are given the Evil Forest, with hope the cursed land will lead to their demise; instead, their church flourishes and gains more and more converts each day.When Okonkwo finds out about Nwoye’s conversion, he beats him so severely. Upset by his father’s action Nwoye runs away and never comes back; he joins the missionaries as a teacher. He sees himself and his fathers’ crowding around their ancestral shrine waiting in vain for worship and sacrifice and finding nothing but ashes of bygone days, and his children the while prayin g to the white man's god. After seven years he returns to his village, hoping to regain his position of importance, but much has changed with the invasion.Resistance to the white men was agreed upon because of fear of killing their own clansman. While the meeting was taking place, a group of messengers from the white men arrive and orders them to stop: â€Å"In a flash Okonkwo drew his machete. The messenger crouched to avoid the blow. It was useless. Okonkwo’s machete descended twice and the man’s head lay beside his uniformed body† (204). From this action, Okonkwo knows that his clan will not go to war. He has lost his respect and authority he once had from his family and his Umuofia clan.He then commits suicide by hanging himself. Okonkwo starts out being his town hero but later sees himself in situations he regrets. Okonkwo’s inflexibility to accept causes his downfall because he became so obsessed with being everything his dad was not. This causes Ok onkwo’s to no longer care whether things were wrong or right. Although Okonkwo demonstrations fear and anger actions much consideration should be taken to make sure his personal flaws in society do not interfere with one’s judgment.Work Cited Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. Anchor Books: New York: 1994.