Thursday, December 26, 2019

Internet Research Assignment High Teen Pregnancy Rate

Internet Research Assignment The first article came from the Dallas Observer and is titled, â€Å"Here’s How to Fix Texas’ Sky-High Teen Pregnancy Rate† (http://www.dallasobserver.com/news/heres-how-to-fix-texas-sky-high-teen-pregnancy-rate-7626551). The author of the article, Eric Nicholson, is extremely critical of Texas’ sexual education program and voices his criticism with heavy use of sarcasm. This September 28, 2015 article was prompted by Texas’ recent decision to provide low-income teenagers with access to free birth control. The author praises the decision and is hopeful it will help reduce Texas’ high birthrate which â€Å"puts Texas in the company of such bastions of progressive public-health policy as Mississippi, Arkansas and Oklahoma.† Mr. Nicholson also notes that five Dallas ZIP codes recently received a loan from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to help combat teen pregnancy. While he is optimistic that these changes will reduce t he teen pregnancy rate, he also points out that â€Å"expanding access to contraception and improving education †¦ are hardly groundbreaking techniques in the fight against unintended pregnancy.† For Mr. Nicholson, these are nothing but first steps which should have been taken long ago. He then proceeds to discuss five ways in which Texas can do even more to combat the high teen pregnancy rates in Texas. He first suggests that rather than deferring to parents on matters of sex and HIV education which inevitably means manyShow MoreRelatedHealth And Social Service Programs1235 Words   |  5 PagesBackground: Adolescent pregnancy, primarily occurring in ages 13-18 years, has a negative impact on the physical, psychological, educational, and economic area of the pregnant girls. Objective: To evaluate some health and social service programs that can reduce American adolescent Pregnancy from Ages 13- 18 and improve their quality of life. Methods: Review two research articles and to assess the overall quality of the data from the studies. Results: After the assessment of the two research articles, itRead MoreTeenage Pregnancy And Parenthood As A Social Problem1466 Words   |  6 PagesTeenage pregnancy and parenthood as a social problem Question – To what extent should we regard the efforts of recent governments to reduce teenage pregnancy and early parenthood as successful? * Source 1 Williams-Wheeler, D. (2004). The unplanned pregnancy book for teens and college students, Virginia Beach, VA: Sparkledoll Productions. The information gathered from this source is definitely devoted to the topic of teenage pregnancy because it is a helpful guide to those handling unplanned pregnanciesRead MoreThe Political Party At The Democratic Party1264 Words   |  6 PagesInternet Assignment Political Party Research: 1. I am attracted to the Democratic Party. I took the political party quiz and answered the questions as honestly as I could. I found the questions to be very interesting and versatile. After viewing my results I looked into The Green Party some more. I am basically an environmentalist and believe taxes are affecting the lower classes and something needs to be done about it. I agreed with all of these issues. 2. The top 5 issues are jobs, families, healthRead MoreA Society Where Everything is More Important than Education Essay examples2009 Words   |  9 Pagestwitter status and chatting with friends more important than their grades. Simply looking around a high school classroom, over half of the students will probably be sleeping, on their phones, doodling, or just not paying any attention. While statistically it may appear that test scores are improving, the reality is that America is slipping further behind in the world’s education rankings. With teens becoming more independent by procuring licenses and spending more time with their friends than familyRead MoreThe Effects Of Drinking On Underage Drinking3458 Words   |  14 Pages Effects Drinking has on Underaged Drinkers Underage drinking is the most abused substance in the U.S, and accounts for over 4,300 deaths yearly. Drinking, is not only unhealthy but even worse for developing teens. The human brain doesn’t stop developing until 25. It impairs judgment, causes brain damage, and most importantly lifestyles. Nineteen percent of underage people 16 to 20 got in the car with intoxicated drivers. This caused $68 billion dollars in medical bills. When an underage drinkerRead MoreFilipino Adolescents in Changing Times*10342 Words   |  42 Pagesundertaken, primarily national and sector-specific surveys. However, qualitative data are lacking, especially on the subject of adolescent sexuality, to explain the behavioral patterns and social trends that have emerged from the surveys. Feminist research approaches now more popular in the Philippines generate new knowledge and provide a situation that privileges the perspective, feelings and worldview of intended beneficiaries. Assessments of the effectiveness of studies showed the importance ofRead MoreCommunication Research9167 Words   |  37 PagesCommunication Research Chapter Checklist After reading this chapter, you should be able to: 1. Identify instances in which you could use or conduct communication research as a student, use or conduct communication research as a professional, and use the results of communication research in your personal life. 2. Explain the goals of research. 3. Explain the relationship of research and theory. 4. Explain communication research as a social science. 5. Describe how communication research from a socialRead MoreImpact of Print Media on Society10439 Words   |  42 Pagesposttest; and Group 4 received the pretest, treatment and posttest. The treatment consisted of the Dove Evolution film, a viral video introduced in 2006 by Dove as part of its Campaign for Real Beauty. The film has received 19 million views on the Internet in 2.5 years. A modified version of the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire (SATAQ-3) was administered as a pretest and posttest, measuring four variables such as awareness and internaliz ation of the media ideal, pressure toRead MorePsy Evaluation Essay11057 Words   |  45 Pagesin empirical research for effectiveness? A. self-control and social skills training B. use of educational tapes, lectures, and films C. motivational enhancement strategies D. cognitive therapy ANS:B PG39 18. According to the NIAAA (National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism), about how many previously diagnosable alcoholics matured out of their dependence? A. none B. only a fraction C. one third D. most ANS:C PG39 19. According to Hester and Miller’s empirical research, the highest treatmentRead MoreUnderstanding Truancy Problem from Various Perspectives5703 Words   |  23 PagesTABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0: Statement of the Problem 2 2.0: Motives and Goals 6 3.0: Research Question and Objectives 6 4.0: Literature Review 7 5.0: Research Strategies 10 6.0: Concepts 11 7.0: Data Sources, Types, and Forms 13 8.0: Selection of Data Sources 13 9.0: Data Collection and Timing 14 10.0: Data Reduction and Analysis 14 11.0: Problems and Limitation 19 12.0: Conclusion 20 13.0: References 25 14.0: Interview Question 27 UNDERSTANDING TRUANCY PROBLEM FROM VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES. A CASE

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Specific Aim 2 To Determine If Gleevec Is Effective In

Specific Aim 2: To determine if Gleevec is effective in inhibiting in vivo cell proliferation in TNBC cells with overexpressed Arg A recombinant plasmid containing a viral promoter driving Arg expression will be inserted into TNBC cells. Another empty recombinant plasmid will be inserted into different TNBC cells. Another plasmid containing a promoter driving Arg expression will be inserted into another group of TNBC cells. Soon after, an immunoblot will be run using these three different TNBC groups’ cells to ensure the proper transfer of plasmid. The proteins we will test for include Arg, Abl, actin, and Ras-MAPK. Actin is again serving as a positive control, while the expression of Ras-MAPK proteins can act as a quantitative†¦show more content†¦Abl is known to mutate its kinase domain so that Gleevec cannot effectively inhibit it and cellular proliferation (Lovera et al., 2015). A western blot will be run to determine the extent this mutation will affect our exper iment at the beginning and 4 months into our experiment. Some tumors from all three cell lines will have their cells lysed and run through the gel, which will test for both Abl and Abl-Gleevec compound, as well as a major substrate for Arg-Abl, ArgBP2. Results- The western blot containing the three different cell lines expressed an equal amount of actin expressed in all three lanes. This served as a control to ensure the plasmids were inserted correctly and there was no interference of any other gene. The lane with cells from mice group 1 showed darker bands on lines corresponding to the proteins Arg as opposed to the lane with mice group 2 cells. The bands corresponding to the protein Abl appeared to be the same on both lanes, demonstrating that Abl was not being accidentally overexpressed as well. These pieces of information elucidated to us that the Arg gene was being successfully overexpressed in line 1. The bands corresponding to Ras-MAPK were darker for mice group 1 than for group 2, demonstrating that this signal transduction pathway for cell proliferation has been downregulated with the overexpression Arg.Show MoreRelatedBrand Building Blocks96400 Words   |  386 Pagescan inhibit the brand builder. To be able to develop effectiv e brand strategies, it is useful to understand these pressures and barriers Different factors that make it difficult to build brands are shown in the figure above. The first, pressure to compete on price, directly affects the motivation to build brands. The second reason, the proliferation of competitors, reduces the positioning options available and makes implementation less effective. The third and fourth reasons, the fragmentation inRead MorePharmaceutical Price Controls in the Oecd Countries47662 Words   |  191 Pageselectronic reprint from the National Technical Information Service, 5285 Port Royal Road, Springfield, VA 22161; www.ntis.gov. ii U.S. Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration Contents Executive Summary vii 1 Introduction 1 2 Drug Price Regulations in Selected OECD Countries—An Overview of the Issues 3 3 Price And Revenue Effects 10 4 Impact of Deregulating Prices on Research and Development, Innovation, and Consumers 25 Appendix A: Technical Methodology 35 Appendix B: DrugRead MoreAnnotated Bibliography: Plagiarism39529 Words   |  158 Pageslike BJET. It is essential that we distinguish between the work that has been carried out by others and the work and the writing that is due to our original efforts. Most research projects will start with a comprehensive study of the literature to determine what has been found in the past, and it is that foundation that will inform the subsequent work. It is quite likely that, in order to make the argument for the paper, you will need to quote from the work of others. However, you must make it quite

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Biz Ethics Essay Research Paper Business Ethics free essay sample

Biz Ethics Essay, Research Paper : Business Ethical motives at Work Writer: Elizabeth Vallance Publisher: Cambridge University Press Date Published: January 1990 This book is a practical usher to a topic straight relevant to modern-day behavior for pupils of concern and management.It offers a determination theoretical account to assist in the devising of ethical picks, and bases its ethical model steadfastly on the nature of concern itself. Title: Current Issues in Business Ethical motives Writer: Peter W. Davies Publisher: Routledge Date Published: September 1997 In this aggregation of essays, current issues in concern moralss are explored and discussed by taking governments in the field. Title: Defining Moments: When Directors Must Choose between Right and Right Writer: Joseph L. Badaracco Publisher: Harvard Business School Publishing Date Published: August 1997 Explores the inquiry of whether one can regulate innocently in a concern universe where personal moralss may interfere with the demands of the organisation. The writer draws on three director instance surveies, literature, and moral philosophers such as Machiavelli, Nietzsche, and Marcus Aurelius to discourse ways in which directors can believe about ethical quandary in their work life. : Business Ethical motives at Work Writer: Elizabeth Vallance Publisher: Cambridge University Press Date Published: January 1990 This book is a practical usher to a topic straight relevant to modern-day behavior for pupils of concern and management.It offers a determination theoretical account to assist in the devising of ethical picks, and bases its ethical model steadfastly on the nature of concern itself. Title: Current Issues in Business Ethical motives Writer: Peter W. Davies Publisher: Routledge Date Published: September 1997 In this aggregation of essays, current issues in concern moralss are explored and discussed by taking governments in the field. Title: Defining Moments: When Directors Must Choose between Right and Right Writer: Joseph L. Badaracco Publisher: Harvard Business School Publishing Date Published: August 1997 Explores the inquiry of whether one can regulate innocently in a concern universe where personal moralss may interfere with the demands of the organisation. The writer draws on three director instance surveies, literature, and moral philosophers such as Machiavelli, Nietzsche, and Marcus Aurelius to discourse ways in which directors can believe about ethical quandary in their work life.

Monday, December 2, 2019

Who Is God Gerard Hopkins Explores Essays -

Who Is God? Gerard Hopkins Explores Who is God? A theme that Gerard Hopkins seems to have spent his life exploring and attempting to answer through his poetry. By exploring nature around him, Hopkins adds insight to God's relationship with and essential role to man-- that of creator and redeemer. In his poem ?Windhover? we see a prayer to God as the all-powerful being in which we attempt to give ourselves fully over to-- and through the observance of a falcon we see Christ's descent from heaven to save mankind. The images in ?God's Grandeur ?further Hopkins exploration by following man's sinful nature, oblivion to grace and hope of salvation through Christ. Suggesting that the Almighty's grandeur comes from redemption of the unworthy. By harmonizing these poems the reader can begin to uncover Hopkin's understanding of the greatness of God and mankind's relationship with Him through salvation and grace. Throughout the octave of his sonnet, ?God's Grandeur?, Hopkins uses the natural imagery to explore the Biblical acts of creation, fall of man, Christ's sacrifice, and his disgust of man's continuance in sin and destruction of nature to show just how unworthy of God's grace man is. Through the act of creation Hopkins establishes that God's power is absolute and eternal. ?The world is charged with the grandeur of God.? This speaks to the spark that started creation-- the charge that brought man and the diversity of nature into being. The spark is also like electricity, which produces light: ?And God said, let their be light. And their was light.? (Gen. 1:3,KJV) Adam's fall that set for the sinful nature of man: ?Generations have trod, have trod, have trod,? also resulted in God foreordained master plan of salvation for his lost creations ? Christ the redeemer. In the Bible, Christ was compared to the light of the world, and later the Holy Spirit would be like tongues of fire ?flames ou t/like shining from shook foil.? This redeemer shed His blood for the fallen man of which Hopkins is writing, it oozed out of his body when crushed ?like the ooze of oil.? When oil was used as part of the symbolic ritual of atonement during Biblical times, it was actually a type or symbol for Christ's blood. In His sacrifice Christ atoned for mankind's sin. The writer's distressed tone emphasizes his disbelief that even in the face of this greatness men still do not respect and fear God, ?Why do men then now not reck his rod.? Hopkins ends the octave on a note of disgust that even after this great sacrifice mankind could still be more interested in material wealth and destruction of creation for profit than having a spiritual nature: ?all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil.? Hopkin's uses images of a destroyed nature to not only paint a bleak picture of sin, but also to symbolically speak to the barren spiritual state of man. ?And wears man's smudge and shares man's sm ell: The soil/is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.? Man cannot feel a connection with God, through nature, because his feet are shod. In biblical times, shoes were removed on holy ground in reverence -- man is defiling the holy ground that God created. The sestet seeks to explain God's magnificence by contrasting the dark scene of the octave to the constancy of God's grace and continued relationship with man. I believe Hopkins is saying that the grandeur of God is that, despite our blatant disregard for His creation and sacrifice, He does not abandon us. ?And all for this, nature is never spent.? Nature can not only be seen as God rejuvenating His creation despite our mistreatment, but can also allude to God's nature restoring grace and mercy on mankind through Christ. Through the writer's amazement we see a longsuffering Creator that continues to bring new life into a fallen world: ?There lives the dearest freshness deep down things.? Hopkins also takes comfort in that, despite man's shortcomings God has continued to work, through the Holy Ghost that ?over the bent/world broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.? Meaning that God, through the Holy Spirit, protects His people like a mother bird who

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Determination of the vitamin D status of adults living in the UK and identification of factors influencing the efficacy of dietary intervention The WritePass Journal

Determination of the vitamin D status of adults living in the UK and identification of factors influencing the efficacy of dietary intervention Introduction Determination of the vitamin D status of adults living in the UK and identification of factors influencing the efficacy of dietary intervention . Women recorded a similarly high increase during the same period from 16.4 percent to 25.1 percent. Linking this data to relationship between obesity and vitamin D deficiency, it prudent to highlight that vitamin D deficiency prevalence is a point researchers should note with keenness it deserves. The extent to which vitamin D deficiency is a public health problem in Britain is believed to have increased for several reasons ranging from lifestyle to weather patterns. On lifestyle as a factor, Hypponen and Power (2007) states that the sedentary lifestyle in the western world, including Great Britain,   leads to vitamin D deficiency, which is exacerbated by a number of other factors including working indoors during daylight hours, high latitude and a mostly cloudy climate in regions such as Manchester.   Statistics also indicate that vitamin D dietary intake is much lower in Great Britain compared to other western nations including United States and Canada (Calvo et al, 2005, p.31 4). The variance in dietary intake of vitamin D between Britain, on the one hand, and United States and Canada, on the other, may be due to the mandatory fortification of both milk and margarine in the USA and Canada. Some of the most common food sources rich in vitamin are fish, liver, fortified margarine and fortified cereals. However, clinical nutritional assessments of natural food items suggest that with the exception of fish and cod liver oil, most natural food stuff contains minimal vitamin D, if any (Brough et al., 2010). Significantly, it is important to note that insufficient natural sources for vitamin D is a risk factor in itself, and should be taken into consideration when plans are put into place to tackle the problem. Moreover, vitamin D supplements’ availability cannot be described as reliable since demand always exceeds supply (Brough et al., 2010). Studies have revealed that there are high rates of vitamin D deficiency all over Great Britain, particularly in the cloudy regions like Manchester and Scotland (Pal et al., 2003). Obesity is a well-known risk factor for vitamin D deficiency, and its high prevalence in Great Britain is likely to affect vitamin D status in the population of high-risk regions such as Greater Manchester. In another nationwide study conducted to investigate the demographic characteristics of white population and possibility of supplements use, it emerged that women and non-obese participants were more likely to use vitamin D supplements (Gaddipati et al, 2010). Similarly, residents of Northern England were found to consume less oily fish, an important source of vitamin D, compared to their Southern counterparts. The study concurs with reports that people living on the Northern England and Scotland have higher risk of hypovitaminosis D (Roy et al., 2007; Holick, 2004). In fact, those who are obese and also live in high-risk regions have a likelihood of having vitamin D deficiency twice as high as other obese peopl e living in other areas of Great Britain. Vitamin D deficiency has also been reported to be prevalent among minority communities living in Great Britain (de Roos et al, 2012). Some ethnic minorities living in Great Britain are more susceptible to vitamin D deficiency than other groups. According to Brough et al. (2010), minority ethnic communities, particularly those who trace their roots to Indian subcontinent and Africa as they tend to suffer from rise in skin pigmentation. They are also found to increase their susceptibility to vitamin D deficiency by wearing clothes that tend to cover their entire bodies and staying indoors longer hours during the day (de Roos et al, 2012; Brough et al., 2010). Other researchers recognise the need to increase vitamin D supplement intake among the minority population, amid report that there are no consistent or routine supply of vitamin D; neither are there recognised screening programs targeting this group (Dealberto, 2006). A study looking at population demographics in the North West has revealed that the region has increasing number older people (North West Regional Assembly Report, 2000). As stated earlier, elderly people are at high-risk of vitamin D deficiency. Clinical studies have investigated age-related decline in vitamin D intake, including rate of skin absorption and response to targeted methods of increasing vitamin D through dietary interventions (Shaw and Pal, 2002). Several other studies have also linked low vitamin D status with people living in low economic status (Dealberto, 2006.). In many of these linkages, the authors cite issues such as poor nutrition, poor lifestyle and inability to afford supplements. For instance, poor nutrition intake is prevalent in regions with high poverty rate, mostly affecting middle aged women of child-bearing age (Brough et al., 2010). According to Brough et al. (2010) a socially deprived population cannot afford some of the basic nutrients essential for normal metabolic function such as vitamin D and thus resort to ‘shortcuts of life’ while exposing their immune system to chronic diseases. Poverty report released by the Greater Manchester Poverty Commission in 2002 identified Manchester as one of the regions with the highest cases of extreme poverty, with 25 percent of its population living in abject poverty (GMPC, 2012). The report further reveal that poor families cannot protect themselves from winter temperature, which makes them stay indoors longer than other UK residence with average annual income. This can only mean that they have higher risk from vitamin D deficiency. OECD report (2014) suggests that the first step in ensuring low income community members in the United Kingdom are protected from lifestyle related diseases is through social interventions. Tests have revealed that modest rise in vitamin D intake of up to 20  µg per day for this group can significantly reduce the rate of bone fracture (Hyppà ¶nen and Power, 2007). The findings have raised focus by agencies and researchers, who have recommended that vitamin D intake for the elderly should raised from the current 5 µg per day to between 10-20 µg per day in order to maintain the normal hydroxy vitamin D of 25 (de Roos, 2012, p.6). Considering the need to increase vitamin D intake among the population at risk of vitamin D deficiency, the UK Committee on Medical Aspects of Food Policy (COMA) recommended that people eat at least 280 g of fish per week, with preference to oily fish (de Roos, Sneddon and Macdonald, 2012, p.6). The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) endorsed the COMA recommendation, emphasising that this is the bare minimum fish consumption recommended for the average population goal to achieve the desired vitamin D status. However, they acknowledged that this recommendation does not represent the level of fish consumption required for optimal nutritional benefits. The campaign to encourage more UK population, particularly those living in North Western region, should be directed at increasing oily fish intake by at least 280  µg per week as statistics indicate that majority of them do not consume enough fish (de Roos, 2012; Holick, 2011; Hyppà ¶nen and Power, 2007). Although studies (de Roos, 2012; Holick, 2004) have dwelt on the need for multiple interventions ranging from dietary to medical, of more significant for the efficacy of dietary intervention is the need for education among the population on the importance of adopting healthy diet and lifestyle. This is mostly recommended for the high-risk persons including the low-income population, those living in marginally wet and cloudy regions including Manchester, obese, and young women of child bearing age group. References Brough. L., Rees, G., Crawford, M.A. Morton. R.H. and Dorman, E.K. 2010. Effect of multiple- micronutrient supplement on maternal nutrient status, infant birth weight and gestational age at birth in a low-income, multi-ethnic population. British Journal of Nutrition, 104 (3): 437- 445. Calvo, M.S., Whiting, S.J. and Barton, C.N. 2005. Vitamin D intake: a global perspective of current status. J Nutr 135: 310–6. de Roos, B. Sneddon, A. and Macdonald, H. 2012. Fish as a dietary source of healthy long chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC n-3 PUFA) and vitamin D: A review of current literature. Food Health Innovation Service, available at abdn.ac.uk/rowett/documents/fish_final_june_2012.pdf. Dealberto, M.J. 2006. Why immigrants at increased risk for psychosis? Vitamin D insuffiency, epigenetic mechanisms, or both? Medical Hypothesis, Vol. 68, pp. 259- 267. Esteghamati, A., Aryan, Z. and Nakhjavani, M. 2004. Differences in vitamin D concentration between metabolically healthy and unhealthy obese adults: Association with inflammatory and cardiometabolic markers in 4391 subjects. Diabetes Metabolism, 5 May 2014, Available online at sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1262363614000469 Gaddipati, V.C., Kuriacose, R. and Copeland R., et al. 2010. Vitamin D deficiency: an increasing concern in peripheral arterial disease. J Am Med Dir Assoc. 11(5): 308-11. Greater Manchester Poverty Commission (GMPC). 2012. Research Report . The Centre for Local Economic Strategies. Holick, M.F. 2011. Vitamin D: a d-lightful solution for health. J Investig Med. 59(6):872-80. Holick MF. 2004. Sunlight and vitamin D for bone health and prevention of autoimmune diseases, cancers, and cardiovascular disease. Am J Clin Nutr 80 (suppl):1678S–88S. HSCIC. 2014. Statistics on Obesity, physical Activity and Diet. Health Social Care Information Centre, England 26 February 2014. Hyppà ¶nen, E. and Power, C. 2007. Hypovitaminosis D in British adults at age 45 y: nationwide cohort study of dietary and lifestyle predictors. Am J Clin Nutr, 85(3): 860-868. North West Regional Assembly, 2000. An Aging Population: Impact for the North West. North West Regional Laboratory. Lancaster University. Available at www.northest-england.org.uk. OECD Report. (2014). Society at a Glance 2014 Highlights: United Kingdom OECD Social Indicators. Last accessed on 19 May 2014 at oecd.org/unitedkingdom/OECD-SocietyAtaGlance2014-Highlights-UnitedKingdom.pdf Pal , B.R., Marshall ,T. and James, C. 2003. Shaw NJ. Distribution analysis of vitamin D highlights differences in population subgroups: preliminary observations from a pilot study in UK adults. J Endocrinol. 179:119–29. Pearce, S.H. and Cheetham, T.D. January, 2010. Diagnosis and management of Vitamin D deficiency. BMJ, 11: 340. Roy D.K, Berry J.L., Pye, SR et al. 2007. Vitamin D status and bone mass in UK South Asia women. Bone 40(1): 200-4. Epub 2006 Sep 6. Shaw, N.J and Pal, B.R. 2002. Vitamin D deficiency in UK Asian families: activating a new concern. Arch Dis Child, 86: 147-149, Available at http://adc.bmj.com/content/86/3/147.full Zittermann A, Schleithoff SS, Koerfer R. 2005. Putting cardiovascular disease and vitamin D insufficiency into perspective. Br J Nutr   94: 483–92.

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Psychological Type and the MyersBriggs Type Indicator essays

Psychological Type and the MyersBriggs Type Indicator essays Running Head: MYERS-BRIGGS TYPE INDICATOR Psychological Type and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Northwestern State University of Louisiana Psychological Type and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator One of the most enduring typological classifications was devised by Jung and has served as the foundation for the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (Anastasi, 1997). The Myers-Briggs (MBTI) designates one's personality type, based upon a classification scheme, which consists of four basic scales and two types within each scale. Thus, there are sixteen possible Myers-Briggs personality types. The scheme is based upon the intuitions of Carl Jung, whose gifted insight revealed that all people at all times are best understood in terms of extroversion/introversion, sensation/intuition, and objective/subjective. The latter category has since been subdivided into two classes by revisionists: feeling/thinking, and perceiving/judging. Classifying people did not originate with Jung. In the middle of the fifth century B.C.E., Hippocrates explained the four temperaments in terms of dominant humors in the body: melancholic, sanguine, phlegmatic, or choleric. The melancholic, he claimed, was dominated by yellow bile in the kidneys, the sanguine by humors in the blood, the phlegmatic by phlegm, and the choleric by the black bile of the liver. Hippocrates was simply adding to the ancient Greek insight that all things reduce to earth, air, water and fire. Each of the four elements had its dualities: hot/cold and dry/moist. A persons physical, psychological, and moral qualities could easily be understood by his temperament, his dominant humors, the four basic elements, or whether he was hot and wet or cold and dry. The ancient personality type indicator worked for over one thousand years. Today, most of us have abandoned Hippocrates' personality scheme because we do not find it to have any meaningful use. In the early 1940s, Isabel Briggs My...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

The Hurricane Katrina Catastrophe Research Paper

The Hurricane Katrina Catastrophe - Research Paper Example This paper aims to discuss the statistical facts of the storm and then goes on to analyze it in terms of mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery measures. The hurricane Katrina catastrophe remains a somber reminder of the massive destructive force of nature, and the way the American nation confronted its position ‘in the eye of the storm’. â€Å"Hurricane Katrina formed over the southeastern Bahamas on August 23, 2005. The storm moved towards Florida made  landfall  between  Hallandale Beach  and  Aventura  on the morning of August 25. From there it moved on to the Gulf of Mexico, growing from a Category  3 hurricane to a Category  5 hurricane in a matter of mere hours. On Saturday, August 27, the storm reached Category  3 intensity on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale becoming the third  major hurricane  of the season. It gained strength and reached Category  5 status on the morning of August 28. Katrina made two more landfalls in the region before finally confronting absorption by the frontal boundary on August 31† (Knabb et al., 2005). In particular, Katrina was one of the five horrifying hurricanes of USA that resulted in deaths of approximately 1,836 people (Knabb et al., 2005). In addition, about 700 missing people were not included in the death count. Hundreds of thousands of local residents were left homeless and unemployed. It was the most expensive hurricane in U.S history, with physical damages worth about seventy-five billion dollars. This estimate does not include the damages to the economy caused by a disruption in oil supply and export of commodities as well as disruption to the sugar and tourism industry in the affected states. â€Å"It is estimation that the total economical effect in Louisiana and Mississippi may exceed $150 billion† (Burton & Hicks, 2005). The destruction caused by such a large hurricane is inevitable. It resulted in an impact on a region of approximately 90,000 squ are miles (DHS, 2008). However, the amount of damage caused could have been reduced had there been proper preparations for such a natural disaster. The biggest tragedy occurred in New Orleans due to the failure of the levee system. This resulted in heavy flooding and as much as 80% of the city became submerged under water (DHS, 2008). Experts indicated that this failure was due to design flaws in the system along with inadequate maintenance. The blame for the failure of the levee system was assigned to â€Å"the US Army Corps of Engineers  (USACE), the designers and builders of the levee system† (U.S. House of Representatives, 2006), and a lawsuit was filed against them for failing to pay sufficient attention to public safety. In addition, certain flood gates were not closed, this carelessness resulted in further flooding. Beachfront towns suffered worse property damage where 90% of the residential areas were flooded due to lack of proper preventative methods (DHS, 2008). T he failure of the levee system is responsible for many deaths in the state of Louisiana. Max Mayfield, director of the National Hurricane Research Center stated, "I do not think anyone can tell you with confidence right now whether the levees will be topped or not, but that is obviously a very, very great concern† (Blanco, 2006). This in effect marks on of the most fundamental planning failures of the government. In the case of a typical hurricane, the plan was for the disaster relief forces to reach the affected areas by land. However, in case the

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

The key factors that contribute to leadership and evaluate critically Essay

The key factors that contribute to leadership and evaluate critically the extent to which leadership is linked to organizational - Essay Example Leader is an individual that assists and motivates his or her followers or employees to work for a common goal. Not only this, a leader might inspire the employees or followers to improve their level of performance so as to enhance the level of productivity or reputation of the organization. Therefore, it might be stated that a leader is the most influential person within the organization, who includes high judgment power to evaluate the changing needs and demands of the customers and the situations as a whole. So, a leader is extremely essential for an organization (Stacey, 2012, pp. 54-62). Critical evaluation of the article (Ogbonna & Harris, 2000) A leader is an individual, who works with highly confident outlook and optimistic viewpoint in order to cope up with the challenges of this competitive age. Other than this, a leader might comprise of the power to motivate and stimulate the inner morale and interest of the followers or employees so as to enhance the performance of the o rganization (Tushman & Anderson, 2004, pp. 35-39). As a result, it might prove effective for the organization to improve its image and equity in the market among other rival players. ... This might prove effective for the organization to reduce varied types of conflicts and misunderstandings thereby enhancing consistency and uniqueness. The leader might also be extremely tactful with high thinking ability and determination so that, he might become able to take perfect decisions at accurate time. Therefore due to presence of such types of qualities, a leader might help an organization to enhance the net income and profitability among other rival players (McInerney, 2011, pp. 56-69). In this age of tough competition, an organization needs to have a leader with high controlling and tackling power so as to enhance the competitiveness of the organization in future era. Such types of qualities are viewed within the bureaucratic leaders that help in stimulating the confidence of the employees or followers in order to achieve the goals or targets of the organization (Ogbonna & Harris, 2000, pp.767-770). Only then, the brand equity and popularity of the organization might get enhanced thereby amplifying the profitability and productivity in the market among other rival players. Apart from this, a leader with extreme determination and thinking ability is also equally essential in order to tackle the situational changes (Sadler, 2003, pp. 178-190). Such types of qualities are present within the autocratic or authoritarian style or situational leadership style. As a result of which, the organization might undergo vivid planning and scheduling activities so as to mitigate the threats or challenges in an effective way. This might prove effective for the organization to retain its prosperity and values in the market in-spite of extreme situational distress. As a result, the rate of reliability and trust of the customers over this

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Culture and Diversity in Decision Making Essay Example for Free

Culture and Diversity in Decision Making Essay The definition of the mission and goals of the enterprise is the foundation for any business. Mission is the answer to the question, what is the activity of the company is and what it intends to do. Procter Gamble has a pretty clear statement: We are there to improve your life After the mission, the organization needs to define the purpose. In this case, the goal to produce goods and services of the highest quality and customer value that improve the lives of todays and future generations around the world. Consumers help to take a leading position in terms of sales, to ensure the prosperity of the business that contributes to the well-being of employees and shareholders, as well as those areas where employees live and work. The goal unites workers for the common cause of the growth strategy. It has great potential due to a simple idea to improve on daily lives of consumers around the world. It is this setting allows P ; G to achieve maximum full growth. So, from the above we can highlight the important goals of the company: A. Providing quality products, customer focus; B. Creating a stable, growing company. 3. About the P;G company’s culture signs. The company provides a certain amount of self – dependence divisional governance structure that provides greater flexibility and faster response to changes in the business environment compared to the linear and linear- staff. Managerial responsibility for the activities of the company both in the domestic and foreign market is shared between them. This type of structure combines centralized coordination and control of centrally managed. Key figures in the management of an organization with a divisional structure not heads of functional units, and the managers in charge of the production department, the so-called divisions. The company groups are formed by categories, each of which includes experts in marketing, sales and advertising. These narrow specialists provide each its part under the direct control of the manager category. The level of the manager is very high. 4. Factors that caused the organization to embody this particular culture. P;G company has been working toward keeping its reputation and standards in all field. Since it was established, P;G has built rich heritage of touching consumers’ lives with brands that make life a little better every day. Here is to motto says â€Å"Do the Right Thing – For each other† The culture of the company is based on the basic moral and ethical values leadership, striving for the victory, the hosts respect, honesty and trust. These values are not something abstract they define the actions of the company. 5. What type of leader would be the best? In my opinion there are many reasons that this leader structure will be effective. First, as part of a huge company it managed to create an environment where every employee is interesting to work with. The responsibility of each employee, including the manager is the main driving force effectiveness. And this is the result of the constructed system of management, whose main task is to create conditions for the moral and material interests of each employee. Second, the complexity of management and collective management style in this company is proposed to use a single control method. The management system is structured in a complex of  functional subsystems. That is, they include highlights key subsystems within each of which formed goals, measurable indicators are introduced, developed a system for calculating them are formalized standards, business processes and organizational procedures. Disconnected from the management of the business functions of the companys managers are moving to a collective system of integrated management of business functions. 6. Imagine that there is a decline in the demand of products. What the change in culture would be need to be in response to this situation. I think company’s CEO should work with the sale’s department. Look up their regular planning and control of the department and its employees, hiring, selection and adaptation of staff; employee motivation, training, exchange of experience, the general debriefing, evaluation of the department, the calculation of cost of sales, cost of sales regulation, evaluation of individual performance of employees. In one word they have to find out their mistake and fix it, because without a reason demand not decreasing itself. References CNBC television channel – Documentary film about Procter ; Gamble company. Retrieved from http://www.hulu.com/watch/286095 Charan, R. (2008, August 26). P;G’s innovation culture: How we built the world-class organic growth engine by investing in people. Retrieved from http://www.strategy-business.com/article/08304?pg=all Procter and Gamble. (2013). Our worldwide business conduct manual. Retrieved from http://www.pg.com/en_US/downloads/company/governance/Policy_Worldwide_Business Conduct_Manual.pdf Schermerhorn, J. R. (2012). Organizational behavior (12th ed.). Danvers, MA: John Wiley ; Sons, Inc

Friday, November 15, 2019

Comparison between Tony Kytes and The Seduction :: English Literature

Comparison between Tony Kytes and The Seduction =============================================== Both Tony Kytes and The Seduction deal with relationships between young men and girls. Both tell of the ways in which the men manipulate the girls, gaining what they want at the girls' expenses. They both detail the insensitive treatment of the girls and explore the attitudes towards sex, marriage and the opposite sex from both the male and female point of views. Tony Kytes is a humorous account of a young man called Tony and his encounter with three prospective young women whilst driving his cart back from the nearby market. The first is sly and worms her way into Tony's affections. However his fiance Milly appears and Tony requests Unity to hide under the tarpaulin in the back of the cart to avoid a difficult confrontation. Milly arrives and climbs aboard the cart, yet they have not travelled far before Tony spies another pretty girl, namely Hannah Jolliver. This time he persuades Milly to hide in the back of the cart and she too consents. Hannah requests a lift and openly flirts with him, making Tony wonder about who he really wants to marry. He notices his Father, who offers some good advice - that he should marry the one girl who didn't ask for a lift (Milly), Tony immediately disregards it. Meanwhile the horse has run off, tipping the cart over and revealing all three girls, forcing Tony to make a quick decision. He asks Hannah, who refuses him due to her father's presence. Unity is asked next, but she refuses him, as she was only second choice. Tony then requests Milly's hand in marriage, she accepts; they get married shortly afterwards. The Seduction is a rather different account of yet another encounter between a young man; this time only one female is involved. Set in Tyneside in 1980's it describes a meeting between a young man and a young girl at a party, and the ensuing aftermath. At the party the girl is plied with alcohol, which makes her more and more relaxed, till finally the man takes her to a favourite spot of his by the river where he takes advantage of her alcohol-fuelled state. When the girl realises she is three months pregnant she is devastated. She realises that she can no longer be the innocent girl she was and can no longer look forward to carefree summers with her friends. She recognises that she will not get to experience teenage life in the same way again and is mortified by this. Tony Kytes is set in the 1800's in a rural Wessex farming community. We know it is a farming community due to the references of " the

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

City X’s investigative plan Essay

As the Police Chief, I have noted with concern the rising number of daylight robberies within the precincts of the city. Over the past couple of days I have gathered and analyzed various reports from both the police and investigation department on the same. Armed with intelligence, my team and I have come up with robust and feasible strategies not only to curb this type of crime but to nail those who are accountable for it. It is absolutely true that those who engage in these robberies are living among us; our relatives, friends and neighbors. I would like the public to volunteer any helpful information to help us carry out duties more effectively. Besides that, the following are some of the actions that we are going to make use of to tackle the problem. First, we are going to amplify the use of intelligence in assembling and acting on useful information about imminent robberies. That is, we are to engage in a policing type which is guided by analyzed information and data. From the studies we have made, the most useful information comes from the undercover police, the public, through top secret informants as well as from those suspects we have in custody. With such information, we will scientifically analyze it, determine and predict when such incidents are likely to happen. From then, we will act swiftly (Palmiotto, 2004). Secondly, we will map out some entities, felony groups and systems which offenders use to cause mayhem. In this case, our work will be to focus on specific people who are well known, their ilk and the connections they use. This is a critical group that will make our investigation procedures easy. Thirdly, we are going to classify and deal with places which report most incidences. These areas are well known to us and therefore, an increase of our undercover personnel will be the next logical step. Fourthly, from now onwards the police will thoroughly categorize and examine the crime cycles from the records that are in their possession. This will help us to be acquainted with the patterns of robberies common in our city. Fifthly, we will implement a variety of precautionary guiding principles which may include revamping the police administration as well as establish a unit dedicated to robberies. This means that a re-structuring of the administration may be in the offing. In addition to that, we will re-engage the community to, alongside our personnel, keep watch over itself. In essence, we will equip the community with the know-how to effectively collect information on likely robberies and notify the police. Local observatory groups ought to be formed to that effect. Furthermore, with the help of the city council, we will be increasing the number of closed circuit television cameras in our streets and residential areas. Undercover, cameras will be discreetly installed in particular places. Similarly, our tour of duty operations will be more objective and directed towards the areas with widespread robberies. The police therefore will be resourced with more patrol cars, special clothing and guns to handle the most violent locations. On top of that, the police will be watching closely monitoring released convicts and repeat offenders in order to thwart them from. Besides that imprisoned robbers will be a vital source of information to our investigations. This because they are relatively knowledgeable on how the friends outside operate, how they are connected to them and the times they pounce on businesses and homes (Palmiotto, 2004). Computer based software for crime analysis is being installed in our stations and experts have already been hired to start working on the available data. What they will provide us with is premises which will inform our decisions regarding robbery and other types of crime. In this regard we would like to appeal for more funding from the federal government and the city council to enable the police division to procure the state-of-the-art communication equipments and systems. This will facilitate our forces to be more effective in their lines of duty. We are in the process of drafting proposals to other organizations pursuant to the same effect. Thank you.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Experts need to slow down the rate of global warming

Experts around the world have been warning about this for decades and have been urging governments to do more to slow down the rate of global warming. They warn that there is a 75% risk that global temperatures will rise a further two to three degrees in the next 50 years. The consequence of this would be dramatic. In fact a rise of just one degree would melt the Greenland ice sheet and drown the Maldives, but a three degree increase would kill the Amazon rainforest, wipe out nearly half of all species facing extinction and wreak havoc with crop yields due to weather changes. Whilst the global climate goes through hot and cold cycles, what is worrying about the current phase is the pace of change that could send us head first into a final spin. Although we have certainly benefited from technological advancements that have given us plastics, air travel and cheap food – what is important is to maintain a balance so that excessive consumerism does not ride roughshod over nature's harmony. In Islam man is given the role of trusteeship over the earth, which is a huge responsibility. In the past, man had to be careful how he treated his local environment since excessive grazing or agriculture could bring ruin to his livelihood. His knowledge was also limited but in the event of a disaster either through ignorance or abuse at least he could resort to moving elsewhere and start again. Now we should have no excuse for ignorance and we should have learnt from our past to avoid misuse. But what is worrying is that the impacts of our behaviour are not just local anymore, they are global. If we fail to act in a responsible manner then we cannot simply relocate because there will be nowhere to go. It is therefore vital that as producers, manufacturers and consumers, we ensure that we give due consideration to the impact of our actions. Such a responsibility is not just that of the east or the west but a responsibility for all of us. Islam teaches us that God has continued and will continue to provide us with ample resources for all time. But through man's misuse, this balance may change. It is this personal greed of man that makes them squander these resources and deprive others who may need those resources. The Holy Quran warns mankind in Chapter 7, verse 32 â€Å"O children of Adam!†¦ eat and drink but exceed not the bounds; surely He does not love those who exceed the bounds† The overall message of Islam is that it promotes harmony by advising moderation. It accepts that we need to use resources for our progress but this should be done wisely and in a sustainable manner, so that a satisfactory medium is found. The Holy Quran relates in Chapter 25, verse 68 â€Å"those who, when they spend are neither extravagant nor niggardly but moderate between the two. So as individuals we should act on the Quranic injunction that promotes balance and avoids excess and Nations need to be more willing to share knowledge for the sake of the planet rather than for profit and take collective action in line with their collective responsibility. By doing so we will be able to win the pleasure of God and honour our trusteeship of the earth for the present and future generations

Friday, November 8, 2019

Operation Performance for the Cheesecake Factory

Operation Performance for the Cheesecake Factory Cheesecake Company has formulated strategies that have enabled the company to effectively carry out production and distribution of its products. Cheesecake restaurants have different segments; the casual dining segment deals with food production, creation of food recipes, distinctive layouts and customer attractions. The factory has increased its production by offering a diverse, attractive and modernized menu for its products. Wide varieties are offered including, pasta, pizza, burgers, salads, sandwiches, seafood and appetizers.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Operation Performance for the Cheesecake Factory specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The restaurants update their menu twice per year following consumer’s tastes and preferences; this ensures their menus remain competitive. Cheesecake bakeries have facilities capable to produce more than sixty varieties of cheese cakes. The factory produces high quality p roducts that are prepared using high quality ingredients as per the recipe. These products are prepared in the factory’s premises on dairy basis using high quality raw materials. The factory offers an excellent value for its products; it relies on its restaurants to offer outstanding service to complement the value for the products. Cheesecake restaurants offer food at reasonable prices; the company is committed to offering admirable and competitive services. The objective of the company is to reach for each customer’s expectation and satisfaction. The company believes in their employees who are well trained and qualified. The company has programs that attracts employees who are qualified, and motivates them to work at its restaurants. The restaurants reward committed employees by providing them with extensive training to improve their output. The programs they provide have helped their employees to fully commit to company’s core values. The restaurants are desi gned with modern equipments and operating systems build with modern technology to improve the efficiency in their kitchens. Flexibility in kitchen allow for thriving food preparation and deliveries to multiple locations where their customers are located. Cheesecake factory restaurants have unique designs and decorations for customer attraction. The restaurants are designed in a way that provides comfort and expansion. An outdoor patio seating is designed in these restaurants to provide extra space to cater for extra capacity needs. Cheesecake restaurants are located at strategic locations with high profiles. These locations are highly populated areas, with diverse businesses and residences. Unlike other theme restaurants, Cheesecake restaurants do not over rely on tourists who are occasional visitors.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More They accommodate the needs of lo yal customers who visit their restaurants from urban and suburban areas. They mostly depend on the customers who reside and work at nearby areas where their restaurants are located. The company owns 165 outlets in 35 states of US; of late, it has extended its locations outside the U.S including the Middle East. Cheesecake Factory’s Bakery Cafà © department has explored and succeeded internationally. Cheesecake restaurants experience significant competitions; there are a large number of restaurants that compete with these restaurants both directly and indirectly. Some of these restaurants have a high financial standing in terms of revenues and economies of scale. The biggest challenge that faces the restaurant in the line of competition is the change of tastes of their products by customers, making them opt for their competitors’ products. Competition power among Cheesecake restaurants and other restaurants is also affected by the trends in population, availability of raw materials and labor. Nevertheless, Cheesecake Company remains very competitive among its rivals, since the company embraces innovation, creativity and diversity.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

How to Use Direct Object Pronouns in the Past Tense

How to Use Direct Object Pronouns in the Past Tense Pronouns, while they can be tricky when learning Italian, are such an essential part of sounding fluid and natural in conversation. Who wants to say â€Å"glasses† a hundred times in a situation like, â€Å"Where are the glasses? Oh, I found the glasses. Let’s put the glasses on the table†. You start to sound like a robot, which, let’s be honest, makes it a bit more difficult to make friends. To avoid this, you can use direct object pronouns, which you may know are mi, ti, lo, la, ci, vi, li, and le. Me (m) - Me Ci - Us Ti (t) - You (informal) Vi - You (all) Lo (l) - Him, it Li - Them (masculine) La (l) - Her, it Le - Them (feminine) La (L) - Him/her (formal) Li, Le - You (formal) (masculine feminine) Using Direct Object Pronouns in the Present In the present tense, using direct object pronouns is easier. For example, â€Å"I see it†, when â€Å"it† refers to a â€Å"un libro - book†, would be, â€Å"Lo vedo†. But what about when you want to express something in the past tense, like â€Å"I saw it†, with â€Å"it† still being â€Å"un libro - a book†? It would be, â€Å"L’ho visto†. So what is going on, and how can you use direct object pronouns in the past tense? How to Use Direct Object Pronouns in the Past Tense There are four moving parts to using direct object pronouns in the past tense. Is the noun you’re talking about masculine or feminine?Is the noun you’re talking about singular or plural?What conjugation must you use from the verb â€Å"avere† or essere?What is the past participle of the main verb? Once you’ve answered these questions, which trust me, will happen automatically after enough practice, you’ll be able to put together past tense sentences with direct object pronouns with ease. Let’s take a look at some examples and break down what’s happening. Abbiamo visto Teresa. - We saw Theresa. We want to say, We saw her. Is â€Å"Teresa† masculine or feminine? FEMININE.Is â€Å"Teresa† singular or plural? SINGULAR.What conjugation must I use from the verb â€Å"avere†? ABBIAMOWhat is the past participle of the main verb â€Å"vedere†? VISTO/VEDUTO So, â€Å"We saw her† would be, â€Å"Labbiamo vista.†    Why does â€Å"visto† end in an -a? That’s because the ending of the past participle, in this case â€Å"visto†, must agree in gender and number with the noun, which is â€Å"Teresa†. Notice how the pronoun â€Å"la† is shortened and combined with the verb â€Å"abbiamo†. This is because â€Å"abbiamo† begins with a vowel. Ho comprato i pantaloni. - I bought the pants.   We want to say, I bought them. Is the noun â€Å"i pantaloni† masculine or feminine? MASCULINE.Is the noun â€Å"i pantaloni† singular or plural? PLURAL.What conjugation must you use from the verb â€Å"avere†? HOWhat is the past participle of the main verb â€Å"comprare†? COMPRATO So the sentence, â€Å"I bought them† would be, â€Å"Li ho comprati†. Notice here how the last letter of the past participle â€Å"comprato† changes from an -o to an -i. This is because the ending of the past participle MUST agree in gender and number with the noun. Here’s another example. Ha ricevuto le lettere. - He received the letters. We want to say instead, â€Å"He received them†. Is the noun â€Å"le lettere† masculine or feminine? FEMININE.Is the noun â€Å"le lettere† singular or plural? PLURAL.What conjugation must you use from the verb â€Å"avere†? HAWhat is the past participle of the main verb â€Å"ricevere†? RICEVUTO So, the sentence would become, â€Å"Le ha ricevute.  - He received them†. TIP: When you have a singular pronoun, like â€Å"lo† or â€Å"la†, it will almost always combine with the verb, like â€Å"L’ho letto. - I read it.† Let’s do one more. Sono andati a trovare il nonno. - They visited their grandfather. We want to say, They visited him. Is the noun â€Å"nonno† masculine or feminine? MASCULINE.Is the noun â€Å"nonno† singular or plural? SINGULAR.What conjugation must you use from the verb â€Å"essere†? SONOWhat is the past participle of the main verb â€Å"andare†? ANDATI So if we wanted to change the sentence to â€Å"they visited him†, it would be: Sono andati a trovarlo. - They visited him. Notice that the pronoun â€Å"lo† is not at the beginning of the sentence like in the past three examples. You’re able to attach it to the end of the full verb, â€Å"trovare†, by just removing the -e. This is possible when there are two verbs (like â€Å"andare† and â€Å"trovare†) in the phrase. Also, when the auxiliary verb is essere, the verb must agree with the subject.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Analysis essay about parental expectations Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Analysis about parental expectations - Essay Example wise, as parental expectations play an essentially vital role in the performance of a child, ridiculously high expectations can result in their failure while low expectations can lead to under confidence. Maintaining too high expectations can also result in social anxiety, stress, depression and many other forms of mental illnesses. Every child has a different learning pace; it could be fast for some while it comes slower to others. Some children may be self sufficient while others could need help guidance and tutoring. It is an accepted fact that every child has a unique learning pace which can be molded and improved with encouragement. This suggests that the same amount expectations cannot be held with every child. That said, parental involvement does make for overall better performance in children than in the case of those whose parents are less involved. Although there are many sides to parenting, studies show that the greatest influence is cast by a single aspect, parental expectations, according to the Harvard Family Research Project (Harvard 2014). In order to provide a child with a healthy home environment, it is essential to love him unconditionally, irrespective of whether or not he is the brightest of the lot. Now the thing that gets in the way of this unconditional love is our sky high expectations (Hudson 2014). An explanation for why parental expectations are so affective on children is that they see themselves, for most of their childhood and even beyond, through their parents’ eyes. Consequently, if a parent believes his child can be a top-dog, that’s what his child will perceive himself to be. On the other hand, if a child has been exposed to derogatory aura at home, he is most likely to accept failure without really trying at all. Similarly, having far greater expectations from your child than his obvious abilities is like expecting a chicken to swim or a cat to fly. The key here is for parents to analyze the situation their child is in

Friday, November 1, 2019

Disscusion 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Disscusion 1 - Essay Example This negativity is what leads to cohabitation effect (which is an association between cohabitation and poor marital outcome) and what discourages some people (such as the staunch Christians, the aged or those who have had previous experience) from cohabiting. Commitment theory is used to explain and make people understand how cohabitation leads to divorce or even distress. The theory is divided into two commitments: the dedication and constraint commitments. Dedication commitment explains how couples who stay together have dreams and plans about their long term future and is also characterized by putting the needs of the other partner first. In cases of cohabitation, dedication is minimal and hence partners end up leaving each other. The constraint commitment on the other hand explains how there are forces in a relationship that facilitate people leaving or having unhappy relationships including values, children’s welfare and even social pressure. Premarital and marital counseling according to Hawkins (1991) insists on ensuring strong healthy relationship that is based on a long term commitment to a partner. It is the lack of this long term commitment (brought about by cohabiting which is not a long term commitment) that leads to break up of couples relationship and an increase in divorce cases. Premarital counseling advocates for communication when couples are in a relationship. This communication leads to deeper intimacy, love, understanding and having tolerance to each other and to the relationship issues in general. People in a cohabitation type of relationship do not feel committed and hence do not bother with issues of thinking and planning about the future let alone dedicate themselves to open communication. This sets up a bad example to others cohabiting or wanting to cohabit and hence the negative attitude towards this form of relationship. The negative

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Management of Information System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Management of Information System - Essay Example The customer care department of the company is not helpful to the customer when assisting with online orders for the cellular phone. As a result, the customer is not able to receive the order according to their request. It is because of these problems that the customer decides to send a letter to the CEO so that the company’s management would understand how serious the customer care problem is within the company. The complaint of the customer causes events within the company with the goal of finding the most appropriate solution for the problem. The events, activities and gateway within the service delivery department of Cellular Inc. are presented in the BPMN model in Figure 1 below. Figure 1: BPMN model for the problem at Cellular Inc. Question 2 There is poor communication between the company and its clients. This situation is demonstrated by the events the customer goes through in trying to place the order in an effective way. For example, the use of the company’s w ebsite by the customer reveals that the information which is expected to be at the site is missing. Additionally, the customer later realizes that the promotion had expired even though there was no information on the website to inform the clients when the promotion was supposed to end. The company also has a problem with the transaction system. This is evident by the problems the customer encounters while trying to make payments. The problem with the online transaction system is the duplication of the shipping address field which does not cater to those who would like the delivery to be made to a different location. After a long process of trying to credit the customer’s card, Robbie says that it was not possible because of the cancellation of the transaction by the client earlier on. These illustrations reveal that the company has a serious problem with its online transaction system which it needs to be addressed urgently. This is important because poor transaction processes and the inefficiency related to this are likely to make the customers lose their confidence in the company. How the customer care department functions is also a problem which needs to be addressed. This is apparent when the customer is directed to numerous customer support personnel who do not understand the actual problem with the transactions. The representatives of the company to whom the customer is directed do not seem to settle the customer’s problem. Moreover, there are delays in finding a solution because the customer is put on hold most of the time. Due to these issues it can be said that the customer care functionality of Cellular Inc. does not attend to the needs of the clients in the most efficient and effective manner. As a result, there was a lot of disappointment on the part of the customer which could lead to a loss of loyalty to the company. Question 3 The company must ensure that its website provides adequate details. For example, the prices of various prod ucts must be displayed on the website, including promotions for each product. The credit that the company’s customers are to be given should also be provided on the site. This is to ensure that the customers get adequate information on a product before they make an order. Company websites must provide their clients with timely and sufficient information before the online transa

Monday, October 28, 2019

Strategic Planning and External Analysis Tools Essay Example for Free

Strategic Planning and External Analysis Tools Essay Summary of key concepts and ideas from the lectures, tutorials and readings (500 words) Strategy is a roadmap designed to route the direction of the organization towards achieving its goals. Through an understanding of the organization’s vision and mission and the matching of resources and skills to the environment, the company can formulate and implement strategic plans to achieve long-term sustainable competitive advantage, meet the needs of consumers and satisfy stakeholder’s expectations (Johnson, Scholes and Whittington 2004). Before formulating a strategy, an organization has to gauge its current position in the market using strategic analysis. This involves the use of internal and external analysis tools to gain both an inside view of an organization and the macro environment. Internal analysis tools are used to identify and evaluate an organization’s strengths and weaknesses in terms of its resources, operational capabilities and core competencies. This gives the organization a picture of what strengths to exploit and develop further, and what weaknesses should be corrected to reduce market liability (Hill and Jones 2012). External analysis tools such as Porter’s five forces gives a view of the immediate competitive environment to reveal market opportunities and threats. It allows the organization to identify the market forces, which they have little to no control over, in order to develop contingencies into their strategic plans (Porter 1980). Dynamic capabilities such as SWOT analysis, is a combination of internal and external analysis to reflect an organization’s ability to adapt to volatile markets (Teece 2009). The strategic analysis process would provide a comprehensive overview of an organization’s competency, which then provides the basis for strategic formulation. A suitable approach to strategy formulation would strongly depend on the size and nature of the organization. One method that can be applied across different industries as well as organizations sizes is Porter’s generic strategy. It involves three different strategy classification; low cost leadership, product differentiation and target market focus (Porter 1980). Another method is Miles and Snow’s (1978) typology. It suggests that competing organizations are characterized based on their individual view of the competitive environment and how they allocate resources accordingly. The four basic categories are defender, prospector, analyzer, and reactor. Formulated strategies are not always acted upon, but may serve as a learning process towards more efficient strategy formulation. Allio (2005) states â€Å"immediately following the formal ratification of the firm’s vision and set of strategies, implementation can begin in earnest†. However, implementation of a strategy is considered the greatest challenge due to the risk of setbacks such as the lack of communication throughout the organization, unclear planning as well as poor monitoring and controls. Lastly, a key performance index is used to measure the current or future success of a strategy. It should be closely monitored as it measures performance aspects, which are critical towards the success of the organization (Paramenter 2007). Plans never always work out as anticipated, and contingency plans should be established to better prepare for unforeseen events (Steiner 1979). Therefore, strategy management should be treated with the utmost importance, as it differentiates between the success and failure of the firm. Section 2: Application of key concepts and ideas to the current business news (600 words) Griffin and Kucera (2012) article talks about PayPal’s tie up with Discover to achieve a competitive edge and strengthen its market position. By applying Porter’s five forces (1980) to access their strategic position, majority of forces are posing a challenge for PayPal and Discover. There is high competitive rivalry amongst major credit card companies with Discover  trailing after Visa, MasterCard and American Express (Barr 2012). Forecasted to surpass $171. 5 billion in 2012, up from a value of $105. 9 billion in 2011 (Gartner 2012), the burgeoning mobile payment market has attracted a high number of new entrants. Many major companies are creating their own individual systems to compete for a share of the market. One example is the Isis system by the major telecommunication companies (Johnson 2012). Finally, there is a high threat of substitute as consumers might find it more convenient to simply use cash or swipe their plastic card as compared to the new mobile payment method (Passy 2012). However, one market grabbing force is the low bargaining power of suppliers as the merchants supplying the service would be subjected to lower transaction costs under the PayPal system as compared to their counterparts (Hamblen 2012). Nevertheless, the bargaining power of customers in conjunction to new entrants and substitutes remains high, as there are just too many choices to choose from. Therefore, PayPal and Discover are in an unfavorable position. Welch’s (2012) article talks about how Campbell is innovating its soup products to meet the taste of a new generation. Through the use of the SWOT analysis (Andrews 1971), majority of factors prove positive. With the threat of a declining domestic soup market and difference in preference of a younger generation, it presents Campbell with an opportunity to innovate and differentiate its products in order to achieve market growth (Schultz 2012). Relying on its strengths to introduce new and innovative products fast, Campbell was able to generate a line of new products to address the needs of the new generation. However, Campbell’s weakness lies in the high selling price of its new line of products, three times the price of a can of normal soup. This along with the threat of cheaper alternatives by their competitors, such as Healthy Choice, may prove detrimental to Campbell’s success. Nevertheless, Campbell has had previous successes with higher priced products due to their strength to innovate their products towards the needs of the consumers. They also invest millions in target marketing and merchandising to extend its reach to consumers (Todd 2012). Therefore, it is a good strategy. Edwards (2012) article talks about GameStop’s shifted efforts into the refurbishing of Apple products to counter a declining market. Using the Boston Consulting Group’s Growth Share Matrix (Phadtare 2011), this strategy shows high return potential. With the decline of the gaming industry, sales fell by 25% from last year (Tassi 2012), GameStop’s former ‘Star’ which is the sale of new and used gaming hardware and software, has shifted into a ‘Cash Cow’ due to the decline of market growth. This shift presents an investment opportunity for ‘Question Mark’ to become a ‘Star’, through the conversion from a console game supplier, into the repair and resale of  Apple gadgets. However, with the dwindling interest of consumer to purchase overpriced resale items (Munarriz 2012), GameStop’s ‘Cash Cow’ would eventually shift to a ‘Dog’, providing difficulty in profit generation. There is also a risk that their ‘Question Mark’ would not become a ‘Star’ and just cost large efforts with little return. Nevertheless, Apple products still presents the biggest opportunity due to its large consumer base of over 230 million apple devices. Just by reselling 5 percent of the market, GameStop stands to gain $1 billion of new revenue over the next few years.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Sex and Relationship Education (SRE) Essays -- human sexuality and sex

Sex and relationship education (SRE) is supporting children through their moral, physical and psychological aspects of growing up to be an adult, and making sure they have knowledge on relationships, sex, human sexuality and sexual health (Sex Education Forum, 2010). There are three main elements in SRE, the first element is attitudes and values, which is about developing positive values and be able to consider moral issues before they make their decisions on having intercourse (Kirby, 2007). The second element is personal and social skills, which is about teaching children to have the confidence to value themselves and others to become respectful for individual conscience and the skills to judge the kind of relationship they want; the third element is about accessing the knowledge and understanding of human sexuality, reproduction, sexual health, emotions and relationships (Kirby, 2007). The potential effect of SRE should be seen in these three areas, which includes reduction in tee nager pregnancy, and the chances of getting sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and being sexually assault, etc. As SRE can either be given at home to the child by parents, in school by teachers, or in youth organizations, alternative educational institutions, or youth offending organizations by Shine staffs or trained peer educators and volunteers (Levy 1992). This essay is mainly going to focus on the teacher-led SRE given in school and discuss whether it is beneficial or not, with the support of the positive outcome of children having SRE in relation of STDs, pregnancy and peer violence, and also the actual fact of SRE being not useful, supported with the data of teenagers not receiving the knowledge they should have been taught in SRE, and high te... ...ax S(1997) Impact of HIV and Sexual Health Education on the Sexual Behaviour of Young People: a Review Update Godson, S. (2001) Boys+sex–education=crisis. Available online at: http://educationguardian.co.uk/Print/0.3858.4311559.00.html (accessed 4 December 2001). Holland, J., Ramazanoglu, C., Sharpe, S. & Thomson, R. (1998) The male in the head—young people, heterosexuality and power ,London, The Tufnell Press Kirby D. (2001) Emerging Answers: Research Findings on Programs to Reduce Teen Pregnancy. Washington, DC: National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, 2001. Kohler et al. (2008)â€Å"Abstinence-only and Comprehensive Sex Education and the Initiation of Sexual Activity and Teen Pregnancy.† Journal of Adolescent Health, 42(4): 344-351. Kirby D. (2007) â€Å"Sex and HIV Programs: Their Impact on Sexual Behaviors of Young People Throughout the World.† Journal of Adol Sex and Relationship Education (SRE) Essays -- human sexuality and sex Sex and relationship education (SRE) is supporting children through their moral, physical and psychological aspects of growing up to be an adult, and making sure they have knowledge on relationships, sex, human sexuality and sexual health (Sex Education Forum, 2010). There are three main elements in SRE, the first element is attitudes and values, which is about developing positive values and be able to consider moral issues before they make their decisions on having intercourse (Kirby, 2007). The second element is personal and social skills, which is about teaching children to have the confidence to value themselves and others to become respectful for individual conscience and the skills to judge the kind of relationship they want; the third element is about accessing the knowledge and understanding of human sexuality, reproduction, sexual health, emotions and relationships (Kirby, 2007). The potential effect of SRE should be seen in these three areas, which includes reduction in tee nager pregnancy, and the chances of getting sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and being sexually assault, etc. As SRE can either be given at home to the child by parents, in school by teachers, or in youth organizations, alternative educational institutions, or youth offending organizations by Shine staffs or trained peer educators and volunteers (Levy 1992). This essay is mainly going to focus on the teacher-led SRE given in school and discuss whether it is beneficial or not, with the support of the positive outcome of children having SRE in relation of STDs, pregnancy and peer violence, and also the actual fact of SRE being not useful, supported with the data of teenagers not receiving the knowledge they should have been taught in SRE, and high te... ...ax S(1997) Impact of HIV and Sexual Health Education on the Sexual Behaviour of Young People: a Review Update Godson, S. (2001) Boys+sex–education=crisis. Available online at: http://educationguardian.co.uk/Print/0.3858.4311559.00.html (accessed 4 December 2001). Holland, J., Ramazanoglu, C., Sharpe, S. & Thomson, R. (1998) The male in the head—young people, heterosexuality and power ,London, The Tufnell Press Kirby D. (2001) Emerging Answers: Research Findings on Programs to Reduce Teen Pregnancy. Washington, DC: National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, 2001. Kohler et al. (2008)â€Å"Abstinence-only and Comprehensive Sex Education and the Initiation of Sexual Activity and Teen Pregnancy.† Journal of Adolescent Health, 42(4): 344-351. Kirby D. (2007) â€Å"Sex and HIV Programs: Their Impact on Sexual Behaviors of Young People Throughout the World.† Journal of Adol

Thursday, October 24, 2019

My Interview to My Very First Patient as a Nursing Student

My reflection for 1st PCP visit Recently, I have completed the very first visit for the Patient Care (Feel Link) Project (PCP). The story of Mr Yung, the patient whom I visited, does reveal a less familiar side of the lives of chronic health patients. Giving is receiving. The visit not only provides me with a precious opportunity to care for the people in need, but it is also very enlightening and deepens my understanding about the profession. I am assigned to work with a MBBS year 1 student for the whole project. We visited Mr. Yung at Ruttonjee Hospital on 23rd February, 2011.He is a patient who suffers from chronic asthma, GI impairment and allergic rhinitis. He has also undergone several major operations and these operations bring him numerous long-term defects, ranging from failing to have normal solid food intake to receiving long-term drug treatments. Not difficult is it to imagine he leads an inconvenient life because of his chronic illness. I do feel greatly compassionated a nd empathetic towards his pain. This visit is a precious experience that I can have never come across during lectures, so I cherish this visit much. Throughout the whole visit, Mr.Yung emphasized that he was extremely impoverished and begged us to help him seek help from social workers to ease his financial difficulties. I believe he does not receive sufficient help form the health care professionals, and so he has no choice but to ask us to refer his financial need to the social workers. He told us he was extremely depressed because his senior allowance was not enough to support his vast medical expenses. It is expectable that Mr. Yung could have received more effective treatments and medications with a considerable financial ability. Melancholy and depression achieve nothing but only contribute to deteriorating Mr.Yung’s chronic illness. Social workers shall spare no endeavors to take care of chronic patients like Mr. Yung as they ‘assist people to adjust to the chang es brought by the illness’ (Daly, Speedy & Jackson, 2006, p. 188). It is believed that social workers are of paramount importance to promote social well-being of the patients. As a result, rehabilitation of patients can be facilitated and boosted. The shortage of social workers may be the core problem behind Mr. Yung’s story, and this requires government long-term strategic planning to solve it ultimately.It is expected that an increased number of social workers can provide a more holistic counseling for patients, so their needs are better looked after and catered. Mr. Yung also once expressed his reluctance of transferring to Tung Wah East Hospital because he was deeply disappointed with the terrible service quality of the doctors there. On the one hand, it is understandable that the frontline health care professionals are facing much pressure because of heavy workload and exceedingly long working hours. On the other hand, it is inappropriate and undesirable for them to displace their negative emotions on their patients.It succeeds in nothing but only threatens patients’ trust and obedience to health care professionals. An article suggests ameliorating the quality of health care by adopting the healthy psychology approach, which encourages ‘doctor-patient communication and patient cooperation with treatment’ (Friedman, 2002, p. 72). It is foreseeable that adopting the healthy psychology approach can cultivate the relationship between the health care professionals and patients, so they would be able to develop a better understanding of each other. Eventually, Mr.Yung’s story and the stories of many other suffering patients would cease to exist. I treasure this invaluable patient-visiting opportunity a lot because I know little about hospital setting and patients’ need. This visit does guide me understand the psychological need of patients. As discussed by Friedman (2002), health care should never be limited to me dical aspect, but widened to psychological and social aspects because these three aspects are closely related. The Biopsychosocial Health Psychology Model of Health takes more comprehensive and all-rounded care of patients.In the case of my first visit, better services shall be provided by doctors and social workers under this model. In short, unconditional positive regard is the best means to bring patients love and warmth and it also enhances patients’ rehabilitation and restoration from illness. Health care professionals shall put much heeds on psychosocial aspect, instead of medical only, when delivering their cares to patients. This first visit also gives me a chance to learn collaborating and cooperating with others in work.I am deeply pleased to work with my MBBS partner. Interdisciplinary cooperation between us is trained, sharpened and polished through the visit. I was able to have effective division of labour with my partner, and so productivity and efficiency can b e enhanced. The visit allows me to apply the cooperation skills that I have acquired in lectures. Therefore, I now have a better understanding for my future role as a nurse. Indeed, nurses and doctors are very significant members in the multidisciplinary health care teams.This visit gives me a rough idea that multidisciplinary parties achieve much more than single teams in terms of health care. My partner takes the initiative to provide comprehensive medical knowledge and contribute a lot to the quality of the visit. I come to realize how important collaboration and multidisciplinary are after the visit. All in all, I enjoy every moment of the first PCP visit. It widens my horizons and presents me a more complete picture of my future career role as a nurse. This visit redefines my conception of health care provision.After the visit, I come to understand, apart from medical services, psychological and social elements are crucial integral parts of an all-rounded heath care system. Als o, I find the visit extremely inspirational as I become more aware of collaborating with counterparts when administering health care to patients. Well cooperation can bring better health care services and satisfaction to patients. With concerted effort, it is expected that an inclusive health care provision system would be maturely developed in the foreseeable future.Word count: 998 words References Friedman, H. S. (2002). The Social and Cultural Basis of Health and Illness. In H. S. Friedman (Ed. ), Health Psychology (2nd Ed). (pp. 50-74). NJ: Prentice Hall. Friedman, H. S. (2002). Adaptation to Chronic Illness. In H. S. Friedman (Ed. ), Health Psychology (2nd Ed). (pp. 183-213). NJ: Prentice Hall. Griffiths, R. , & Crookers, P. (2006) Multidusciplinary teams. In J. Daly, S. Speedy & D. Jackson (Eds. ), Contexts of nursing an introduction (2nd Ed). (pp. 184-198). Australia: Elsevier

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

John Fitzgerald Kennedy

John Fitzgerald Kennedy was one of the most influential and beloved President’s of United States history.   However, his death is shrouded in mystery.   When all is said and done, conspiracy theorists have left virtually no stone unturned in an attempt to explain the tragedy of November 22, 1963.   Clearly Lee Harvey Oswald was present and did shoot a gun.   But did his bullet kill JFK?   Did he act alone?   Many people have their own ideas of what really happened that day.One common theory is that the Cuban government ordered a hit on the President.   The President had attempted to invade Cuba, and though the plan failed, Castro knew that further plans were in the works.   Likewise, Kennedy had made several unsuccessful attempts on Castro’s life.  Ã‚   Getting rid of Kennedy would certainly enable Castro to keep control of Cuba (Anders 1993).A similar theory is that anti-Castro Cubans killed Kennedy.   Perhaps they were hoping that if the suspicion were focused on Castro, America would demand retaliation.   Later, evidence seemed to surface from a former Castro operative that Oswald was actually hired by the Cuban government (Anders 1993, McAdams 2004).   With Oswald’s death, the facts of these reports could not be verified, though Castro staunchly denies this report.Similarly, Russia, the US cold war opponent, was bothered by JFK’s youth and erratic nature.   He would be capable of elevating the cold war to a full blown World War III.   With the introduction of nuclear technology, the fear of a US strike on Russia was also a concern.   Therefore, the Russians planned the assassination.   In a related theory, this order came from Nikita Khrushchev himself (Anders 1993).Another popular theory is that the mafia ordered a hit on Kennedy.   Initially, some big name crime bosses such as Sam Giancana worked with Jimmy Hoffa and the teamsters to get President Kennedy elected, particularly through votes in Ohio ( Unfortunately, President Kennedy and his brother Robert Kennedy, the US Attorney General, had later stepped up prosecutions of mafia members to an unprecedented high (Odoni 2005; McAdams 2004) J. Edgar Hoover, who was not friendly with President Kennedy, was due to be forced into retirement from his position of the Director of the FBI.Hoover had a history of neglecting to prosecute mafia members.   His retirement would mean mean the end of these favors, especially if JFK appointed his brother Robert to that position. After Kennedy’s death, Hoover remained as the head of the FBI for ten more years. During that time, mafia prosecutions fell dramatically. James Files, a mafia hit man, actually confessed to the murder, indicating that Giancana had ordered the hit.   Oswald’s killer, Jack Ruby, was a small time gangster with a few major mafia connections.   He could have killed Oswald to silence him (Odoni 2005).Two equally argued theories that are more alarmin g are those that implicate the United States itself.   Many suspect Vice-President Lyndon B. Johnson.   He gained the Presidency after Kennedy’s death, though he was not liked by the public; Kennedy was planning to drop Johnson from his ticket in 1964.   He was involved in four major criminal investigations involving bribery, money laundering, contract violations and misappropriation of funds, at the time of Kennedy’s death.In fact, Kennedy often complained that he had been manipulated into appointing Johnson by the FBI and that Johnson acted as a spy for J. Edgar Hoover.   After he became President, Johnson’s criminal investigations were dropped (Ayton no date). Another US based theory is that the CIA itself had killed the President to cover up or redirect attention from its new practice of assassinating foreign leaders.   The Church Committee was formed to look into this possible scandal but concluded that while the CIA was increasing in national and international power, it was not responsible for the death of the President (Ayton no date).The Warren Commission heard testimony from 552 witnesses and 10 federal agencies over the span of 10 months as it investigated the assassination and all the related conspiracy theories.   Published in October of 1964, it concluded that, basically, Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone, shooting three bullets from the sixth floor window of the Texas School Book Depository (McAdams 2004).The single bullet that wounded Connally and killed JFK hit him from behind as the motorcade passed by the Depository. However, the issue has not been laid to rest.   Four of the seven members of the investigatory team seemed to indicate skepticism about the Commissions findings (McAdams 2004).   Several individual pieces of the Commission's findings also have been called into question since its completion.Kennedy was struck by two bullets.   One hit him in the back, and one hit him in the head.   The second h it killed the President.   The single bullet theory was born because Oswald’s gun would not have been able to fire fast enough to hit both Kennedy and Connally with separate shots (McAdams 2004).However, the idea that a single bullet traveled through Kennedy’s back, exited his throat, passed through the seat of a car, entered Connally’s back, exited his chest, passed through his wrist and entered his thigh has been seriously questioned by evidence from eye witnesses, including passenger Nellie Connally, and forensic evidence (McAdams 2004) Now this theory is known as the magic bullet theory.   The bullet which had such an incredible journey ended up on a hospital stretcher in near pristine condition (McAdams 2004).Medical examinations and missing x-rays and autopsy pictures also add to the mystery.   Kennedy was taken first to Dallas’ Parkland Hospital where 44 doctors and medical staffers claimed that the exit wound was at the back of JFK’s head.   This would have been impossible if the shot came from the Depository and lended itself to the grassy knoll theory (Odoni 2005).However, two doctors at Bethesda Medical Center, the second hospital Kennedy was taken to, reported that the exit would was at the front of the head (McAdams, 2004).   Why then did over 44 doctors and medical staffers claim that the wound was at the rear of the head?   X-rays that a Parkland Hospital technician claims to have taken have never been found.   Pictures of the autopsy that emerged up to four years after the assassination are suspicious and do not match accounts given by witnesses.All in all, the Warren Commission seemed to ignore 44 doctors and 20 eye-witnesses at the murder scene.   Other evidence was destroyed.   Governor Connally’s shirt from the day of the shooting was dry cleaned at Johnson’s request within 24 hours (McAdams 2004).   The car carrying the Kennedys and the Connallys was immediately cleaned a nd refurbished instead of being thoroughly examined for ballistic evidence.   This was also ordered by Lyndon B. Johnson (McAdams 2004). Any forensic evidence that may have been provided by these items was lost.Nobody will ever really know what happened that day in 1964.   However, it seems that the â€Å"facts† are clearly not what they seem and that the Warren Commission did not delve into the discrepancies too   deeply.   The theories mentioned here are all viable theories that were not examined closely, if at all, by the authorities. The idea of a â€Å"magic† bullet is preposterous.  Ã‚   It seems that something is being covered up. But what?ReferencesAnders, P. (1993). An Introduction to JFK Conspiracy Theories. Stay Free 4. Available from:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.stayfreemagazine.org/4/jfk.htm [accessed 10 August 2006]Ayton, M. (no date).   Questions of Conspiracy. Spartacus UK. Available from: [accessed 10 August 2006 ]McAdams, J. (2004). The Kennedy Assassination. Available from: http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/home.htm [accessed 10 August 2006]Odoni, Martin. (2005). Who Killed JFK?   Current Affairs. Available from:     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://havetstorm.tripod.com/currentaffairs/id7.html   [accessed 10 August 2006]

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

The Logic of Collective Action by Mancur Olson

The Logic of Collective Action by Mancur Olson There are a lot of government policies, like airline bailouts, that from an economic perspective dont make any sense at all. Politicians have an incentive to keep the economy strong as incumbents are reelected at a much higher rate during booms than busts. So why do so many government policies make such little economic sense? The best answer to this question comes from a book that is almost 40 years old: The Logic of Collective Action by Mancur Olson explains why some groups are able to have a larger influence on government policy than others. In this brief outline, the results of The Logic of Collective Action are used to explain economic policy decisions. Any page references come from the 1971 edition. It has a very useful appendix not found in the 1965 edition. You would expect that if a group of people has a common interest that theyll naturally get together and fight for the common goal. Olson states, however, that this is generally not the case: But it is not in fact true that the idea that groups will act in their self-interest follows logically from the premise of rational and self-interested behavior. It does not follow, because all of the individuals in a group would gain if they achieved their group objective, that they would act to achieve that objective, even if they were all rational and self-interested. Indeed unless the number of individuals in a group is quite small, or unless there is coercion or some other special device to make individuals act in their common interest, rational, self-interested individuals will not act to achieve their common or group interests.(pg. 2) We can see why this is if we look at the classic example of perfect competition. Under perfect competition, there is a very large number of producers of an identical good. Since the goods are identical, all firms end up charging the same price, a price that leads to a zero economic profit. If the firms could collude and decide to cut their output and charge a price higher than the one that prevails under perfect competition all firms would make a profit. Although every firm in the industry would gain if they could make such an agreement, Olson explains why this does not happen: Since a uniform price must prevail in such a market, a firm cannot expect a higher price for itself unless all of the other firms in the industry have this higher price. But a firm in a competitive market also has an interest in selling as much as it can, until the cost of producing another unit exceeds the price of that unit. In this there is no common interest; each firms interest is directly opposed to that of every other firm, for the more the firms sell, the lower the price and income for any given firm. In short, while all firms have a common interest in a higher price, they have antagonistic interests where output is concerned.(pg. 9) The logical solution around this problem would be to lobby congress to put in place a price floor, stating that producers of this good cannot charge a price lower than some price X. Another way around the problem would be to have congress pass a law stating that there was a limit to how much each business could produce and that new businesses could not enter the market. Well see on the next page that The Logic of Collective Action explains why this will not work either. The Logic of Collective Action explains why if a group of firms cannot reach a collusive agreement in the marketplace, they will be unable to form a group and lobby the government for help: Consider a hypothetical, competitive industry, and suppose that most of the producers in that industry desire a tariff, a price-support program, or some other government intervention to increase the price for their product. To obtain any such assistance from the government, the producers in this industry will presumably have to organize a lobbying organization... The campaign will take the time of some of the producers in the industry, as well as their money. Just as it was not rational for a particular producer to restrict his output in order that there might be a higher price for the product of his industry, so it would not be rational for him to sacrifice his time and money to support a lobbying organization to obtain government assistance for the industry. In neither case would it be in the interest of the individual producer to assume any of the costs himself. [...] This would be true even if everyone in the industry were absolutely convinced that the proposed program was in their interest.(pg. 11) In both instances, groups will not be formed  because the groups cannot exclude people from benefiting if they do not join the cartel or lobbying organization. In a perfect competitive marketplace, the level of production of any one producer has a negligible impact of the market price of that good. A cartel will not be formed because every agent within the cartel has an incentive to drop out of the cartel and produce as much as she possibly can, as her production will not cause the price to drop at all. Similarly, each producer of the good has an incentive not to pay dues to the lobbying organization, as the loss of one dues paying member will not influence the success or failure of that organization. One extra member in a lobbying organization representing a very large group will not determine whether or not that group will get a piece of legislation enacted that will help the industry. Since the benefits of that legislation cannot be limited to those firms in the lobbying group, there is no reason for that firm to join. Olson indicates that this is the norm for very large groups: Migrant farm laborers are a significant group with urgent common interests, and they have no lobby to voice their needs. The white-collar workers are a large group with common interests, but they have no organization to care for their interests. The taxpayers are a vast group with an obvious common interest, but in an important sense they have yet to obtain representation. The consumers are at least as numerous as any other group in the society, but they have no organization to countervail the power of organized monopolistic producers. There are multitudes with an interest in peace, but they have no lobby to match those of the special interests that may on occasion have an interest in war. There are vast numbers who have a common interest in preventing inflation and depression, but they have no organization to express that interest. (pg. 165) In a smaller group, one person makes up a larger percentage of the resources of that group, so the addition or subtraction of a single member to that organization can determine the success of the group. There are also social pressures which work much better on the small than on the large. Olson gives two reasons why large groups are inherently unsuccessful in their attempts to organize: In general, social pressure and social incentives operate only in groups of smaller size, in the groups so small that the members can have face-to-face contact with one another. Though in an oligopolic industry with only a handful of firms there may be strong resentment against the chiseler who cuts prices to increase his own sales at the expense of the group, in a perfectly competitive industry there is usually no such resentment; indeed the man who succeeds in increasing his sales and output in a perfectly competitive industry is usually admired and set up as a good example by his competitors. There are perhaps two reasons for this difference in the attitudes of large and small groups. First, in the large, latent group, each member, by definition, is so small in relation to the total that his actions will not matter much one way or another; so it would seem pointless for one perfect competitor to snub or abuse another for a selfish, antigroup action, because the recalcitrants action would not be decisive in any event. Second, in any large group everyone cannot possibly know everyone else, and the group will ipso facto not be a friendship group; so a person will ordinarily not be affected socially if he fails to make sacrifices on behalf of his groups goals.(pg. 62) Because smaller groups can exert these social (as well as economic) pressures, they are much more able to get around this problem. This leads to the result that smaller groups (or what some would call Special Interest Groups) are able to have policies enacted that hurt the country as a whole. In the sharing of the costs of efforts to achieve a common goal in small groups, there is however a surprising tendency for the exploitation of the great by the small.(pg. 3). Now that we know that smaller groups will generally be more successful than large ones, we understand why the government enacts many of the policies it does. To illustrate how this works, well use a made-up example of such a policy. Its a very drastic over-simplification, but its not that far out. Suppose there are four major airlines in the United States, each of whom is near bankruptcy. The CEO of one of the airlines realizes that they can get out of bankruptcy by lobbying the government for support. He can convince the 3 other airlines to go along with the plan, as they realize that theyll be more successful if they band together and if one of the airlines does not participate a number of lobbying resources will be greatly diminished along with the credibility of their argument. The airlines pool their resources and hire a high-priced lobbying firm along with a handful of unprincipled economists. The airlines explain to the government that without a $400 million dollar package they will not be able to survive. If they do not survive, there will be terrible consequences for the economy, so its in the best interest of the government to give them the money. The congresswoman listening to the argument finds it compelling, but she also recognizes a self-serving argument when she hears one. So shed like to hear from groups opposing the move. However, its obvious that such a group will not form, for the following reason: The $400 million dollars represents around $1.50 for each person living in America. Now obviously many of those individuals do not pay taxes, so well assume that it represents $4 for each tax-paying American (this assumes everyone pays the same amount in taxes which again is an over-simplification). Its obvious to see that its not worth the time and effort for any American to educate themselves about the issue, solicit donations for their cause and lobby to congress if theyd only gain a few dollars. So other than a few academic economists and think tanks, nobody opposes the measure, and it is enacted by congress. By this, we see that a small group is inherently at an advantage against a larger group. Although in total the amount at stake is the same for each group, the individual members of the small group have much more at stake than the individual members of the large group, so they have an incentive to spend more time and energy trying to change government policy. If these transfers just caused one group to gain at the others expense, it wouldnt hurt the economy at all. It wouldnt be any different than someone just handing you $10; youve gained $10 and that person lost $10, and the economy as a whole has the same value it had before. However, it does cause a decline in the economy for two reasons: The cost of lobbying. Lobbying is inherently a non-productive activity for the economy. The resources spent on lobbying are resources that are not being spent on creating wealth, so the economy is poorer as a whole. The money spent on lobbying could have been spent buying a new 747, so the economy as a whole is one 747 poorer.The deadweight loss caused by taxation. In the article The Effect of Taxes on the Economy, its illustrated that higher taxes causes productivity to decline and the economy to be worse off. Here the government was taking $4 from each taxpayer, which is not a significant amount. However, the government enacts hundreds of these policies so in total the sum becomes quite significant. These handouts to small groups cause a decline in economic growth because they change the actions of taxpayers.