A Strong Business Leader

Many of us have the perception that a leader is an all- knowing being, who stands and commands his subordinates at all cost; but this perception is archaic.In the 21st century world, where things are more global, and nothing huge gets done without some kind of complicated system, relying on traditional business leadership practices may stunt growth as a successful leader business. Successful business leaders in 21st century are defined and evidenced by some questions. Are you courageous enough? Great business leaders dare to be different. They do not just talk about risk-taking, they actually do it.A business leader should be able to build the emotional stamina to withstand conflict. During my years in high school, I became very passionate about recycling and met a few people who shared the same. We decided to introduce a recycling club called the cleaning committee. Despite the challenges from the students and doubts from the authorities of the school, we still managed to overcome it all and if this doesn't spell out courage I don't know what else would. Where are you looking to create the next change? Is the change relating to your life and environment? Great leaders are not head-down. They see in between problems and shape the future rather than just reacting to it. The cleaning committee was responsible for ensuring cleanliness and recycling of items. This club also went to the extent of providing finance to the boarding school, since we usually sold our recyclable items to companies for money. This little organization brought about a lot of change, providing people some form of responsibility as well as invoking creativity in these students. What is the diversity of your network? A successful business leader should be able to develop relationships with different people. The difference could be in terms of culture or politics. Business leaders should understand that having a more diverse network is a source of pattern identification, because it involves working with different people from different cultures. This experience, as the head of the cleaning committee, helped me get out of my comfort zone. I also got the opportunity to work with different people hence helping me to make long lasting networks, this also motivated my colleagues and I to be more risk averse. In a few years, I see myself becoming a network architect. I will be responsible for designing computer networks and also dealing with network layout. I will also be responsible for developing systems that suit individual company needs. In conclusion, Hult is more than a business university, because it provides a global network for its students to reside in, I believe this will help me establish a more diverse network by participating in rotation programs, hence studying at different parts of the world.Hult gives its students the opportunity to put the theory in to practice. This will allow me to give solutions to some real-life problems, hence allowing me to have a first-hand experience as a network architect.

Personality Development Analysis Essay

Personality development is among the important aspects of life that we have to go through to ensure a complete and healthy life mentally, physically and emotionally. In this paper the three major theories of personality development are going to be used to analyse an individual that has already been chosen. Erickson’s theory of psychosocial development, Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, and Freud’s theory of psychosexual development are going to explain the various traits of our character in an effort to try and further understand the human personality development. The character has been chosen from the television series ‘Scrubs’; he is Dr John Michael Dorian also known as ‘JD’. JD is a 32 year old medical doctor; currently he is the residency director at St Vincent’s hospital, a position he recently acquired. He can be classified as a genuinely good doctor; this is shown by his concern for his patients while he was working at Sacred Heart Hospital. His best friend is Dr Chris Turk who is the Chief Surgeon at Sacred Heart hospital. The two of them have been together for most of their adult life; it has been frequently been confused that they are homosexual because of the closeness of their relationship. JD has a son called Sam who he adores. He has a girl friend called Elliot also a doctor in private practice. His mentor is Dr. Perry Cox who is the current chief of medicine at Sacred Heart hospital. All of them have worked together for over 8 years; they all have various close relationships depending on their line of work, perceptions e. t. c. Lastly JD has been portrayed as a needy human being; this is shown by his sensitivity and neediness. He has been described as the neediest person in the hospital. According to Erickson’s Psychosocial Development theory, JD is in the Intimacy vs. Isolation stage. At this stage the main virtue is love and understanding. It is at this stage that one dares to experience relationships with other people. These relationships are therefore key aspects in ones life at this stage in life (Feldman 2005). When we look at JD, we see that he has a network of relationships that actually determine how well he works as a doctor. His relationship with Dr. Turk is of more importance. The call each other using pet names; brown bear and vanilla bear, this shows that they are both comfortable with each other. This relationship is also characterised with a lot of child like games and competitions. The two can therefore be considered as inseparable no matter what the circumstances (Dacey & Travers 2002). They depend on each other through thick and thin. There is also a lot of focus on JD career. He has been described as the residency director at St Vincent’s Hospital a position that he accepted because he would like to live near his son; he wants to spend more time with his on Sam. That is another relationship that dominates his life, in fact since both JD and Turk have children, when ever they get free time they spend it together with their children. This shows that the relationship between the parents and the children is healthy and will be healthy in the future, another characteristic that JD is in the Intimacy vs. Isolation stage. Unfortunately, JD has had a series of bad relationships with the opposite sex; this attributed to the fact that he is not emotionally healthy at that level, very small things with the opposite sex tends to bring out the worst in him. This is not for lack of trying but because as he defines it he self sabotages all his romantic relationships, a trend that can be seen also in his social life though with varying degrees. That is why he is mostly lonely (Dacey & Travers 2002). According to the Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, JD as a rational adult is in the Formal Operational stage. He is able to think rationally and therefore reach rational conclusions. He can speak eloquently and therefore an effective communicator. He knows the difference between right and wrong; it is part of the reason as to why he is a good doctors. According to JD patients need the extra attention so that they can heal even faster. This he reached despite constant ridiculing by his friends and at time even the doctor. But he still feels that it is right to spend sometime to know ones patient. Some of the skills that one acquires when at this stage have also been demonstrated; JD uses his deductive skills to diagnose his patients (Leifer & Hartston 2004). This also enables him to spend more quality time with his patients. It is the same reason as to why he is very much attached to the same patients. He is able to make rational decisions; seen when he decides to take another job so that he can spend more time with his son. This is particularly a hard decision because it means moving away from his best friend Turk. It means spending less and less time with Turk; many still don’t believe JD could make such a decision, but he does. This shows that he understands that in life one has to learn how to make rational decisions that will further enhance our lives and the lives of our loved ones. Being selfish is therefore a sign that all is not well. Life sacrifices have to be made so as to ensure that we are with those that we love and cherish. Such sacrifices come out of making rational decisions and although some may be sad, one has to look at the bigger picture. On the other hand JD is know for making the wrong decision despite knowing what the consequences are; he has an inner monologue that is constantly telling him what he should do but he always ignores this advice only to suffer the consequences latter (Leifer & Hartston 2004). According to Freud’s theory of Psychosexual Development, JD has successfully gone through the required stages that one has to go through to ensure that he is ready and complete for life. He is an adult and has therefore managed to go through all the processes as described by Freud; he is therefore at the genital stage. At this point in life JD is struggling to establish a balance between a lot of things going on in his life. He therefore reaches a decision that favours him moving a way from what he is used to so as to be with his son. He also makes a decision that involves him living with Elliot his girlfriend and eventually his wife. At this stage one tends to focus on the needs of others rather than their own needs and this explains why JD made such a selfless decision so that he can be with his wife and further enhance his career as a residency director. At his point in life one also tends to be attracted to the members of the opposite sex; the decisions at this point could be self serving or simply just wrong but a relationship borne out of such a decision in this stage rarely lasts as one discovered that they were only attracted to the person because of one thing, their sexuality (Feldman 2005). In an analysis of all the theories, then it is safe to conclude that JD is in fact a normal healthy human being compared to any standards. Despite a few flaws here and there, he is emotional stable and mentally sound. He is a hard working member of the community and in no way a perfect person. A balance is therefore necessary; a balance of all the elements of personality development. This balance means that one is tolerable and consequently of sound abilities. JD has friends and family around him who love him and appreciate him; his childish nature has been described as a very normally way to avoid getting overwhelmed since he is in a demanding career. The fact that he is father means that he is a man who will do everything to ensure that his son never lacks anything and hopefully. In conclusion the theories of personality are meant to try and establish criteria through which a human being develops; they try and explain why human personalities are different and at times we all happen to go through the same things in life. Psychosocial characteristics are meant to establish how and why a person relates to others the way they do. It explains person’s social characteristic within the social context. Cognitive development explains tries to understand how humans acquire knowledge and therefore deduces a person’s personality through this process of learning. In the end we have the psychosocial development that is mainly focused on the sexual drive in human beings and how people’s personalities develop as a result of undergoing these urges; a balance and control of these urges at different stages in life means that one will end up with a good personality. But in the end a balance of almost all elements remains desirable; depending on the theories a balance of all these attributes means that one is of good nature and therefore a good human being to be with. References: Dacey John S & Travers John F. (2002). Human Development across the Lifespan. Boston: McGraw-Hill. Feldman Robert S. (2005). Development across the life Span, Upper Saddle River, N. J: Prentice Hall. Leifer G & Hartston H. (2004). Growth and Development across the Lifespan: A health Promotion Focus. St. Louis, Mo: Saunders.

An Examining Of The Great Commission Religion Essay

An Examining Of The Great Commission Religion Essay â€Å"God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day, right up to the end of the age.† (Matt 28:18-20 The Message) â€Å"18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:   20Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. â€Å"(Matt 28:18-20 KJV) Introduction The Gospel of Matthew ends Jesus meeting with His apostles in Galilee. This was a special meeting and would change the course of world history in many ways. The meeting was foretold by Jesus in Matthew 26:31-32 : â€Å"31 Then Jesus said to them, â€Å"You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ 32 But after I am raised up, hI will go before you to Galilee.† This meeting was announced both by an angel (Matt 28:78) and Jesus Himself (Matt28:10). It was a meeting filled with mixed emotions. Some had run away and others had denied Him before His death. Now He stood before them, alive. Their reaction was to bow down in worship (Matt 28:16-17) I was a meeting in which Jesus gave His disciples a command that we now refer to a the great commission. Someone once said that this was seen by many Christians as the great suggestion, but it is a command that lies at the heart of the Church and from which she operates. The command ends with the beautiful promise that He would always be with them. This is not something to be ignored, but to be a constant part of the C hurch’s functioning as well as that of every believer. I will be looking at what makes this commission so GREAT. I Great in its Authority To Jesus was given all authority. As the creator, He is the One who has the original right to do all things: â€Å"For by1 him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-all things were created through him and for him. And is before all things, and in him all things hold together.† (Colossians 1:16-1) What higher authority than the creator Himself to issue such a command. As our Redeemer, this authority is even more pronounced: â€Å"who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has hig hly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.†(Philippians2:6-11)

Heroes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Heroes - Essay Example Nicholus (pp. 347-348) believes that the word Hero has been overused and actually abused in the American public. Klinkenborg (Para 1) also looks at the issue of heroism in America and also points to the fact that it has been used. He looks at the issue of the American soldiers who have greatly suffered in the war and wonders whether the cause for which they suffered was worthy. Nicholus (pp. 347-348) points to the fact that people have become so obsessed with the idea of heroism that they use it wherever and whenever they can. He also argues that this overuse and misuse of heroism is not good because it has caused an illusion in the understanding of heroism and what it should mean as well as the purpose it serves. He points out to the fact that heroism has been used to refer to people who have faithfully served in their duty such as those who faithfully served in the September 11 incidence. He points to the fact that victims have been referred to as heroes and thus losing the mea ning of the term hero because heroes are supposed to be role models, something a victim cannot be. Klinkenborg (Para 2) also seems to have the same sentiments about heroism. He addresses the issue of American soldiers who have served and suffered in the Middle East war and shows how they have really suffered while serving. However, his big question is whether the purpose for which they suffered was worthy and therefore if that makes them heroes. Nicholus engages his audience in this topic by using evidence-based argument. For instance, he refers to the etymology of the word hero and looks at what the word hero originally meant in the Greek language. He even gives examples of some Greek heroes and the deeds they did in order to acquire their status as heroes. Most importantly, Nicholas looks at the conditions which are necessary for a hero status to be assigned to an individual. He lists a number of four conditions which an individual should meet in order to be called a hero and thes e include ingenuity, courage, a noble purpose and finally, success. This final condition, he argues that it is crucial in determining whether a person is a hero or not since even in cases where the individual has the first three conditions, failing to succeed robs him or her the status of a hero. At the same time he argues that assigning hero status to those who have failed or in particular victims of heinous acts such as the September 11th attack makes heroism look bad and make heroes to be diminished in their purpose. Nicholus (pp. 347-348) also tried to distinguish a hero from an ordinary person doing their job. However, he seemed to have noticed that he was tackling a sensitive matter in regard to the status of the people who suffered in the September 11th attacks and first addresses this issue by clearing the fact the he acknowledges that these people need to not only be appreciated but also that they should be grieved accordingly. Klinkenborg (Para 1), also seems to have the s ame concerns about heroism in the American public. Like Nicholus, he also points to the September 11th attack and how it led to the American people going into a frenzy of heroism. Just like Nicholus also, he realises the sensitive nature of the topic and therefore treads carefully around the issue. In the second paragraph for instance, he says that no one should have the right to argue that

The stock Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

The stock - Case Study Example Nigel has to establish that the shop owner cannot rely on the exemption clause in the standard terms of the contract. An exemption clause in a contract purports to exclude liability of one of the parties to the contract, under certain circumstances. The Statute sets out that no contract term can exclude or limit liability in any way for negligently causing death or injury1. Furthermore, if there is other loss or damage, liability for negligence cannot be excluded or restricted if the term of notice is unreasonable. Finally, if a contract term or notice makes efforts to exclude or restrict liability for negligence, agreement to or awareness of this is not of itself to be taken as indicative of the voluntary acceptance of any risk2. Nigel was misled by the shop owner in respect of the usage of the rowing machine, in as much as the shop owner asked him to ignore the back pain that had afflicted Nigel after using the rowing machine. Hence, this incident can be classified under misrepresentation of facts, which renders the shop keeper liable for the injuries caused by the defective and unsuitable rowing machine. It is of paramount importance to determine whether the purchaser is a consumer or not. 'Consumer means any natural person who, in contracts covered by these Regulations, is acting for purposes which are outside his trade, business or profession'3. This expressly limits the definition of a consumer to a natural person and not companies. Adhesion contracts or standard form contracts, which present little or no choice to the party who has not drawn up the document, can be used to impose an exclusion clause. As Downes has pointed out, "The imposition of such exemption clauses may be particularly harmful in consumer contracts, where the disequilibrium between the bargaining positions of the parties may be substantial."4 This constitutes the reason for the existence of statutory controls on exclusion clauses, like the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 (UCTA) and the Unfair Terms of the Consumer Contract Regulations 1999 (UTCCR). The UCTA applies to the contract for the purchase of the rowing machine by virtue of section 1(3) which states that the Act applies to business liability which is defined as "liability for breach of obligations or duties arising from things done or to be done in the course of a business". The contract entered by Nigel is included by virtue of section 3 which covers consumer contracts and section 12 which states that a person deals as a consumer if he neither makes the contract in the course of a business nor holds himself out as doing so and the shop owner makes the contract in the course of business. Since, Nigel had purchased the Rowing machine for personal use at his residence the shop owner can not exclude liability for the breach of implied terms5. Reasonableness in respect of contract terms is clarified in section 11, which states that this tests if the clause is fair and reasonable "having regard to the circumstances which were, or ought reasonably to have been, known to or in the contemplation of the parties when the

Pop Art and Photorealism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Pop Art and Photorealism - Essay Example Photorealism, although a product of the much larger pop art movement during the 60s, had another aim during creation. The artists first took photographs of a place or event and then back in their studio the artist replicated the photo onto canvas. The paintings coming from photos were highly realistic and appealing. These artists differed from traditional pop artists in that they did not use already published material and superimpose it to a painting. Instead, the painter was intimately familiar with the location as the painter was also usually the photographer. Photo realism was not about the mockery of life, but more the enjoyment and wonderment of the ordinary. Anything could be ordinary, but when looked upon a different way, it became something new. While pop artists were able to use relatively any media for their paintings, photo realists had a specific set of rules on what constituted a photorealism painting. These five guidelines set about what it meant to be an originator of the movement. Due to these rules, only a select few could be considered founders of the movement. Artistic movements evolve and die out as new methods present themselves. Pop art, while extremely popular during the 1960s, has faded from popularity. Photo realism, on the other hand, gained popularity with its lifelike paintings and representations of life. Many remember Andy Warhol, while there are not that many photo realists that are household names. This is due to the fact that what pop artists did caused people to remember for days.

Female Entrepreneurship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Female Entrepreneurship - Essay Example And, they have succeeded properly to show the world that they can be equality powerful and wise to run an organization as an entrepreneur. From the family run business and small business to the multinational companies the existence of the females in the powerful positions are clearly visible in the present time. From the grass root these females are nourishing themselves with great education. In the present time it has been seen that in most of the business schools the involvement of the male and female are almost same. This paper will focus on the general discussion about the female entrepreneurs. The leadership qualities and the present scenario in which these ladies are performing astonishingly are also mentioned accordingly. Introduction: In this modern society the men and women share the same respects. However, the females used to be taken as the weak gender for several years in the history of the human civilization. According to the mythical stories men and women are evolved fr om the same living organism. However, the behavioral approach and the communication pattern are totally different among these two living organism. John Gray’s book â€Å"men are from mars women are from Venus† became one of the most successful book in the last few decades for the behavioral study of these two living gender in the earth. It has been observed at a high intensity that the most important resource for an organization’s overall development remains to be its people and the customers whom it is serving to. It is by far the vital component in prospective decision making processes. (Heller, 2005). The policies and the practices within the organizational framework depend highly on its ability to adapt itself within an intensified competitive environment. (Dragun, n.d) Business environment: Men and women are different in their approaches and may be that is the reason the difference is seen in the decision making process of the females in the business enviro nment. It has been approved that the board of the companies have understood the potentials of the women CEOs and they have understood the impact of the positive impact of the new generation women CEOs in the field of brand building and building the new business empires (Price, 2007). There are many factors are important for the female CEOs to be successful in the men dominated world. Due to diverse range of participation, implementation of policies and variety of individual perception over execution of equal employment policies for females, the field of international business has become so diverse. Scholars like Toyne are of different opinion, as they have provided special emphasis on individual business organizations as participating units in the operation of international business and they also have pointed out the main reason behind disparity is actual consensus that more emphasis is provided on the entire business situation; rather than the organization â€Å"as unit if analysi s† (Vaghefi, Paulson and Tomlinson, 1991). Thus, the entire field of international business highly diversified and encompasses within its scope diverse range of strategic applications that are actually aimed at ensuring survival of an organization in an extremely competitive market. The strategic application regarding investment in international bus

Employee Involvement, Employee Programs in Organization Performance Case Study

Employee Involvement, Employee Programs in Organization Performance - Case Study Example As such, Gual and Ricart point out that employee involvement should be a platform where employer and employee are anticipated play roles that are designed to improve the organization performance at all levels. In the study conducted by Podsakoff et al., the actual ideas in employee involvement revolves around getting individuals to contribute in most aspects of work decisions and planning since when involved, they feel emotionally attached to the organisation. As a result, when employee increases mental ownership and commitment, the employer is able to retain the handpicked performing employees and there is fostered environment where people prefer being motivated and contributing. Apparently, an investigation carried out by Dunlop and Lee illustrates the concept of employee involvement as one comprising of three sub concepts necessary in mending gaps that might exist between employee involvement and organization performance. These aspects comprise of employee commitment, employment satisfaction, and organizational citizen behavior. Firstly, it is worth noting that employment satisfaction is mostly influenced by what people expect from their work places such as pay, prestige, security and performance. In this regard, it is the employer’s mandate to guarantee that the employee receives both intrinsic and extrinsic employment satisfaction. Secondly, there should be employee commitment particularly in the work they have been assigned.

How to achive sustainable concrete Dissertation

How to achive sustainable concrete - Dissertation Example Therefore, all human activities should be sustainable such that they ensure correct use of the resources available (without waste) as well as ensuring that the environment is conserved. One such activity that should be sustainable in nature is the production and use of concrete. Concrete has been one of the most important materials in the construction and infrastructure industry for more than 2000 years now (Cement Association of Canada 2004). It has also been considered as an environmental friendly material (Cement Association of Canada 2004). In addition, structures made of concrete are normally durable, dependable and their performance in terms of are usually superior (Cement Association of Canada 2004). The question that now arises is how sustainable concrete is. As compared to steel and aluminium, concrete structures are flexible in design, affordability and environmental friendliness (Cement Association of Canada 2004). ... The research also aims at identifying how certain components of concrete such as cement and aggregate are not sustainable and suggesting ways of making them sustainable. The research will also discuss how these components of concentrate can be made sustainable. 3. PROBLEM STATEMENT Just as earlier mentioned, concrete has been used for construction material since time in memorial, and is considered as one of the most sustainable construction raw materials. It is however, noted that even though it is sustainable some of its aspects such as production of one of its major components, cement, is questionable. Therefore, what is a sustanaible development or product? 3.1 Sustainability In general, sustainability can be taken to mean supporting or keeping a process going. Therefore, the main aim of ensuring that projects, products and processes sustainable is to ensure that all the lives in our plat earth are sustained for a future that is foreseeable. Sustainability is consists of three com ponents; society, environment and economy. Therefore, a sustainable project, process or product must ensure that all the three components of sustainability (society, environment and economy) are maintained balanced and healthy at all times (both now and in future). 3.1.1 Evironmental sustainability It is the destruction of the environment that is driving the world towards adoption of sustainable ways of doing things. Our environment has been deteriorated countless times by countless causes such that the quality of life in the planet both now and in future is questionable. For example, environmental degradation has been blamed for poor health of planet earth and the constant decline of biodiversity. This is

Palestinian Islamic Jihad Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Palestinian Islamic Jihad - Research Paper Example †¢Ã‚  August 1987: The PIJ announced that a commander of Israeli military police has been shot dead in Gaza strip by them. On March 1996, inside a shopping mall in Tel-Aviv, there was a blast that killed twenty people and injured seventy-five  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Ã‚  On July 1989, near the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv Highway, Attack of Egged bus 405, minimum 14 people died along with one American and two Canadians, leaving numerous injured. It was an intentional suicidal attempt but the invader stayed alive  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Ã‚  On April 1995: a suicide bomber killed eight people in Netzarim and Kfar-Darom and over thirty injured in the first attack, and the second one was in a car that wounded twelve  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Ã‚  On March 1996: inside a shopping mall in Tel-Aviv there was a bomb blast that killed twenty people and injured seventy-five  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Ã‚  On   March 2002: seven people were killed in a bus from Tel Aviv to Nazareth, injured about thirty people in a suicidal attack. On   July 2002: a suic idal attack followed by another one killed five people in Tel Aviv and injured forty  On May 2003, there was an attack in a mall in Afula by the suicidal bomber that killed three and left eighty-three injured. In August 2003: Twenty-one people were killed by a suicidal attack on a bus in Jerusalem that injured more than hundred people  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Ã‚  On January 2007, Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and the PIJ together take accountability for  Ã‚   the suicidal   attack   at Eliat bakery that killed three

Development system Essay Example for Free

Development system Essay Over much of the twentieth century, the foremost edges of economic development and growth were mainly identifiable with sectors distinguished by varying degrees of mass production, as expressed in large-scale machine systems and an unrelenting drive to product standardization and cost cutting. all through the mass-production era, the dominant sectors evolved through a progression of technological and organizational changes focused above all on process routinization and the exploration for internal economies of scale. These features are not particularly conducive to the injection of high levels of aesthetic and semiotic content into final products. Certainly, in the 1930s and 1940s many commentators with supporters of the Frankfurt School (Adorno, 1991; Horkheimer, 1947) being among the most vocal expressed grave misgivings concerning the steady incursion of industrial methods into the globe of the cultural economy and the concomitant tendency for multifarious social and emotive content to be evacuated from forms of popular cultural production. These doubts were by no means out of place in a framework where much of commercial culture was focused on an enormously narrow approach to entertainment and disruption, and in which the powerful forces of the nation-state and nationalism were bend in considerable ways on creating mass proletarian societies. The specific problems raised by the Frankfurt School in regard to popular commercial culture have in definite respects lost some of their urgency as the economic and political bases of mass production have given way before the changes guided in over the late 1970s and early 1980s, when the new economy started its ascent. This is not to say that the modern cultural economy is not associated with a number of staid social and political predicaments. Although it is also the case that as commercial cultural production and consumption have developed in the major capitalist societies over the last few decades, so our aesthetic and ideological judgments concerning their underlying meanings have lean to shift. The rise of post-modern social and cultural theory is one significant expression of this development. Creative Industries Policy and the Reason of Shift in Terminology â€Å"The idea that cultural or creative industries might be regenerative was the result of changes in the cultural-industries landscape that were themselves in part the product of cultural policy shifts – when cultural policy is understood in the wider sense, to include media and communications† . One other key aspect also goes unnoticed in Hesmondhalghs book, which is that the sector itself, the ostensible object of both academic and policy discourse does not distinguish itself in the term cultural industries at least not instantly. Some are simply unaware of how their activities relay to a range of disparate occupations and businesses. Some are clear in their refusal of the terminology and the company with which they are thus grouped. Certainly, one of the key arguments of the policy advocates is that this sector lacks a essential voice, it needs to convey its demands, needs to become self-conscious as a sector, needs to present itself with the consistency of other economic groups, needs, therefore, to co-operate in its own building as policy object (OConnor, 1999a). If an necessary part of this discursive operation is the dismantling of fixed oppositions between economics as well as culture then this has to be about the self-perception, individuality (and identification) of cultural producers the inculcation or adoption of a new kind of what Nigel Thrift calls embodied performative knowledge but can as well be seen as a form of habitus (OConnor, 1999a, 2000b). â€Å"The notion of culture is constructed through a number of intersecting discourses providing particular means of mobilising the notion and defining its object. These discourses are selectively emphasized to frame cultural (industries) policies† . The cultural industries discourse then is not just policy making but is part of a wider shift in governance, and needs a new set of self-understandings as part of the key skills in a new cultural economy (OConnor, 2000b). In this sense those apprehensive to advocate cultural industry strategies could be seen as a species of cultural intermediaries.

Defining A Therapeutic Relationship Between Patient And Nurse Nursing Essay

Defining A Therapeutic Relationship Between Patient And Nurse Nursing Essay In this assignment the author is going to explore what is a therapeutic relationship, by defining it and describing what elements and skills are necessary to uphold an efficient therapeutic relationship with a patient. The assignment shall explore how Multi disciplinary teams contribute to achieving a therapeutic relationship. It further will explore what governs a therapeutic relationship according to the code of practice set by the nursing governing body, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), putting into consideration what is expected from nurses as health professionals. Being Self aware is a crucial attribute in order to maintain a therapeutic relationship, so the writer shall give a brief definition of what self awareness is ,and explain the significance of being self aware within a therapeutic relations and relate it to an incident that happened in practice that made them more self aware. The therapeutic relationship is fundamental to the care of a patient and was described in the 1950s by famous psychotherapist Carl Rodgers .Rogers defines it as a helping relationship, A relationship in which one of the participants intends that there should come about, in one or both parties, more appreciation of, more expression of, more functional use of the latent inner resources of the individual (Rodgers 1961). Other authors have come up with various definitions but they are all closely linked to that of Rodgers, Jane Stein-Parbury (2000) suggests it is unilateral because the nurse maintains most control and it is usually short or average duration, with the patient facing a non threatening situation. However (Stuart 2001) defined a therapeutic relationship As a mutual learning experience and a corrective, emotional experience for the patient (cited in Cutliffe and Mckenna 2005.P.304) For a therapeutic relationship to work effectively, certain elements need to be upheld and followed, such as showing warmth towards your patient, being respectful by showing the patient that they are individual and a unique being. Dignity of the patient puts the patient at ease and they feel more valued and may in turn open up more to the nurse which aids their treatment. Demonstrating professionalism assures the patient that they are in capable hands and will effectively build trust about your capabilities. Carl Rodgers highlighted that the three core components of a therapeutic relationship are empathy, which is defined as: a continuing process whereby the counsellor lay aside her own way of experiencing and perceiving reality, preferring to sense and respond to the experience and perceptions of her client. (Mearns and Thorne, 2005, p.41) Where there is lack of empathy expression, patients may be left with a sense of isolation, which have an effect on their treatment plan. The sec ond crucial element that was highlighted by Rodgers as being essential is having unconditional positive regard towards patients or client which is a label given to the fundamental attitude of the person-centred counsellor towards her client. The counsellor who holds this attitude provides care for the individual irrespective of what beliefs and values the individual (patient) may hold. (Mearns and Thorne,2005 p 64). In other words unconditional positive regards is being non judgmental towards a patient regardless of what the care provider believes or values themselves. Unconditional positive regard should ideally commence on the onset the relationship between patient and nurse. Other elements that constitute a therapeutic relationship include, maintaining confidentiality, and treating people as individuals at all time, good record keeping (NMC 2008). For Therapeutic relationships to be successfully applied and implemented, nurses have to acquire certain skills to achieve this. To instate a strong therapeutic relationship a practitioner should consider their interpersonal communication skills with the patient. There are two forms of interpersonal communication skills, which are non-verbal and verbal communication. Non-verbal communication skills are a very effective way to convey a message, empathy and active listening. Egan formulated a communication tool which aids to effective non-verbal communication skill, the skills are summarized by the acronym SOLER, meaning sitting squarely with an open posture, leaning forward to show your interest maintaining eye contact at all times showing that you are relaxed, not fidgeting nervously. Argyle (1994) suggested the main forms of non-verbal communication as, facial expression, gaze, body movement, gesture, partial behaviour, clothing and behaviour. (Cited by Rana, Upton, 2009, ). Verbal skills are too, an essential part of interpersonal communication, these include techniques such as paraphrasing; this is where by a nurse rephrases what has been stated by the patient into their own words, i.e. by saying in other words. (Jane Stein -Parbury). Other methods of active listening are to parrot what the patient has said; this shows you have clearly heard what they have said. Practitioners should also be able to know when to use open and closed questions in the appropriate manner and time, for this skill can easily perceived as uncaring and unprofessional when not adopted carefully. In conclusion to what has been talked about, nurse and patient should reflect on what they said. Heron (2001) stated that a there are six tools of a clients needs. Herons model has two basic categories, authoritative and facilitative. These two categories further breakdown into a total six categories to describe how people intervene when helping. Authoritative Interventions are Prescriptive, which is giving advice, Informative where you provide information to guide the other person, Confronting- you challenge the other persons behaviour in an unaggressive attitude. Facilitative Interventions include: Cathartic-you help the other person to express and overcome thoughts or emotions that they have not previously confronted. Catalytic- You help the other person reflect, and they become more self-directed in making decisions. Supportive- You build up the confidence of the other person by focusing on their competences, qualities and achievements. A multi disciplinary team (MDTs) is important in the care of a patient. A multi disciplinary team is a group of professionals from different disciplines, who have a role in contributing to an assessment of an individuals needs. This should include two health professionals, i.e. nurse, clinician or therapist, as well as a representative from social care services, i.e. a social worker (NHS 2010). Chan (2004) argued that the main mechanism is to ensure truly holistic care for patients and a seamless service for patients throughout their disease trajectory and across the boundaries of primary, secondary and tertiary care. Multi disciplinary teams ensure a continuum in patients care and can be 24 hours. Different professions bring different type of care to the patient. MDTs can however come to conflict, if they demonstrate allegiance to their profession. Junor, Hole Gillis (1994) states that multidisciplinary team working is known to maximise clinical effectiveness, Multi disciplinary teams have enabled health professionals to adopt the clinical care pathways where different teams within the organization outline anticipated care, place an appropriate timeframe, to help a patient with a specific condition or set of symptoms move progressively through a clinical experience to positive outcomes. In a multi disciplinary team within a healthcare setting, one may expect to work with doctors, social workers, psychologists, occupational therapists, health care assistants (HCAs) and other related professions. A therapeutic relationship within nursing follows the code of professional code of practice which was set by Nursing and Midwifery Council [NMC], which acts as the governing body for nurses and midwives in the United Kingdom which was formed in 2002 by parliament. Its main objective is to safeguard the health and wellbeing of the public,(NMC 2008).The NMC outlines that Nurses should always uphold the patients respect at all times, it states that nurses should always treat people as individuals and respect their dignity. Nurses should respect patient confidentiality, and uphold it at all times, breach of confidentiality can lead to serious consequences for health professionals (NMC 2008) including disciplinary actions such as suspension or being struck off the NMC register. Consent is very important in patient care; its the opening avenue for any care that follows. NMC states the every adult must be presumed to have the mental capacity to consent or refuse treatment. Patient care is a lways going through different multi disciplinary teams therefore accurately record keeping is crucial, it should be factual ,not falsified, and clearly legible (NMC 2010), these are some of the factors that insure accurate information is passed on to different care givers to maximise effective care for the patient. Nurses endure different feelings and emotions when interacting or treating patients, which calls for them to be more self aware, Duval and Wuckland defines self awareness as a state in which one is aware of oneself as an object, much as one might be aware of a tree or another person (cited by Rana and Upton 2009. p142).For a nurse to be self aware they need to treat each patient as individuals and present themselves appropriately. Patients have a plethora of beliefs and values, which always come into play in any given care setting. Beliefs can be associated with patients religion and culture, such as that of Muslims, to only eat halaal meat, a nurse has to be aware of this dietary requirement and honour it. Equally beliefs also play a vital role in the treatment of a patient, so a provision to fulfil this should be met at all time, i.e. providing a chapel in the hospital. Values of a patient are crucial when in care. Downie, R. S. 1990 stated that values are preferences based on beliefs about objects, persons, or situations and are accompanied by feelings of approval or disapproval. Patients of a different culture will most certainly have different values based on what they were brought up on. On any given care setting, the way in which nurses present themselves to patients is of utmost importance, their body posture is a critical aid to supplement being self aware, and nurses can use SOLER (Egan 2001) to ensure they achieve this. In practice, the author recalls an incident when a 92 year old lady was referred to their practice for assessment on every Wednesday of the week. On arrival the lady would engage in social activities with fellow patients. The staff provide the lady with a menu relevant to her culture of West Indian background, The staff fulfilled their role in being self aware on her values and diversity, During the meal, staff began to talk about a holiday abroad and how the food made their bowel move rapidly, and how they really found the food disgusting. The lady did initially try to express her frustration of the conversations the staff were having whilst she was trying to enjoy. She eventually stopped having her meal as she found it not appetizing anymore, staff recorded that the patient had poor dietary at dinner time, and they were not self aware that they were the catalyst for the poor intake of her food. Had the staff been more self aware of their presentations, they would have considered that different cultures have different table manners. In conclusion an effective therapeutic relationship is accomplished by good verbal and non verbal communication. Respecting individuality, beliefs, values, this promotes good recovery and openness between nurse and patient. A therapeutic relationship is not just between a patients and nurse but can, and often extends to other multi disciplinary teams. The therapeutic relationship can never be stated as fully complete, but can be made more effective, because different patients have different opinions i.e. different experiences in previous care, and different values and beliefs.

Gaussian Mixture Model

Gaussian Mixture Model Many computer related vision technology, it is critical to identify moving objects from a sequence of videos frames. In order to achieve this, background subtraction is applied which mainly identifies moving objects from each portion of video frames. Background subtraction or segmentation is a widely used technique in video surveillance, target recognitions and banks. By using the Gaussian Mixture Model background model, frame pixels are deleted from the required video to achieve the desired results. The application of background subtraction involves various factors which involve developing an algorithm which is able to detect the required object robustly, it should also be able to react to various changes like illumination, starting and stopping of moving objects. Surveillance is the monitoring of the behaviour, activities or other changing information usually of people and often ina surreptitiousmanner. Video surveillance is commonly used for event detection and human identification. But it is not easy as think to detect the event or tracking the object. There are many techniques and papers introduced by many scientists for the backend process in the video surveillance. Different automated softwares are used for the analysis of the video footage. It tracks large body movements and objects. In this report we discuss the application of mixture of Gaussian (M.O.G) which is used as a background subtraction model in order to achieve object/target recognition; this method involves calculation the mean and standard deviation of each pixel frame which will be discussed more in detailed as the report progresses. 2. Background Subtraction (Literature Review) Figure 1 Background subtraction Flow Diagram [1] According to [1], the above figure shows the basic flow diagram on how background subtraction algorithm is based. The four important steps described by [1] and which play an important role in background subtraction are described below and include: 2.1 Preprocessing Temporal or spatial smoothing is used in the early pre processing stage to eliminate device noise which can be a factor under different light intensity. Smoothing technique also includes removing various other elements like environment such as rain and snow.   In real-time systems, frame size and frame rate are commonly adopted to reduce the data processing rate. Another key factor in preprocessing technique is the data format used by the background subtraction model. Most algorithms can handle luminance intensity which is one scalar value per each pixel.   As shown in the examples below [2]: Figure 2 Image on the left shows snowing and image on the right is a resultant of smoothing effect In the figure 2, shown are two images which shows snow on the left and whereas with the application of spatial and temporal smoothing on right image results in the elimination of snow producing an more clear and effective image for background subtraction. 2.2 Background Modeling This step uses the new video frame in order to calculate and update the background model. The main aim of developing a background model is that it should be robust against environmental changes in the background, but sensitive enough to identify all moving objects of interest. 2.3 Foreground Detection In this step, it identifies the pixels in the frame. Foreground detection compares the video frame with the background model, and identify candidate foreground pixels from the frame. Commonly- used approach for foreground detection is to check whether the pixel is significantly different from the corresponding background estimate as show below: A different foreground detection scheme is normalised threshold based statistics as shown below: Where,  µd and are the mean and standard deviation of the for all spatial locations (x,y). 2.4 Data Validation Finally, this step eliminated any pixels which are not connected to the image. It involves the process of improving the foreground mask based on the information obtained from the outside background model. Most background models lack three main points: 1. Ignoring any correlation between neighbouring pixels 2. The rate of adaption may not match the moving speed of the foreground object. 3. Non-stationary pixels, from moving leavers or shadow cast by moving objects are at times mistaken for true foreground objects. 3. Background Reading There are different types of background modelling which are as follows: 3.1 Simple Frame Difference Frame difference is considered the simplest form of background subtraction. The method involves the subtraction of previous pixel frame with current pixel frame and if the value obtained from this greater than a set threshold then it is considered as the foreground. Advantages: Less complex The method can easily and quickly adapt to changes Able to distinguish the background from foreground much affectively. Disadvantages: Not Robust, object has to continuously move. Only applicable when with fixed camera. Fails to handle illumination changes. 3.2 Moving Average Filtering Referring from [3], Moving Average filtering is a method in which an estimate value of a particular background pixel value is weighted as average of the previous values. Pixels in the far part are weighted at Zero and the weights increase smoothly.  Ã‚   3.3 Online Gaussian Model In this method, we assume the background as a Gaussian distribution rather than a single value. To calculate Gaussian for 1-D is as follows[4]: Where, x is the current pixel value,  µ is the mean of each pixel and sigma is the standard deviation of the pixel. Finally, the following equations are used in online updated of Gaussian mean and variance: In the above equations[4]:  µ(t) is the mean for each pixel where ÃŽÂ ± is the learning rate, t is the time of the previous pixel and x is the current pixel value. à Ã†â€™2(t) is the standard deviation of the each pixels. The foreground decision rule applied here is when the distance between each pixel value and Gaussian model is larger than a certain threshold, it is considered as the Foreground. 3.3 GMM Gaussian Mixture Model In order to use GMM the following equations are considered: In the above equations [4]:  µ(t) is the mean for each pixel where ÃŽÂ ± is the learning rate, t is the time of the previous pixel and x is the current pixel value. à Ã†â€™2(t) is the standard deviation of the each pixels. The description and implementation of GMM model will be discussed more in detail in the later part of the report 3.4 Codebook based Technique It is a method where a quantized and clustering technique is motivated by Kohonen to construct the background model from long observation sequences, without making any parameter assumptions. For each pixels, a codebook contains one or more codewords and mixed backgrounds can be modelled by using multiple codewords. Samples at each pixel are clustered into the set of codewords based on a color distortion metric together with a brightness ratio. [4] 4.0 Gaussian Mixture Model In this report we implement the Gaussian Mixture Model for background subtraction. This background subtraction model is more robust than other models discussed in previous section. Most importantly it can handle multi-modal situations e.g. trees and sky which is more effectively filtered by the GMM model. Each pixel value is modelled by a mixture of Gaussian rather than a particular type of distribution. Based on the variance of each of the Gaussian of the mixture, we determine which Gaussians may correspond to background colors. Pixel values that do not fix the background distributions are considered foreground until there is a Gaussian that includes them with sufficient consistent evidence supporting it [5]. This method is very adaptable with lighting changes, repetitive motions and slow moving objects. This method contains 2 main significant parameters -Alpha, the learning constant and T, the proportion of the data that should be accounted for by the background The Gaussian mixture components for a pixel have normalized weights calculated from the past observations. The likelihood that a pixel has a value of Xt is assumed to be:    [5] The parameters of the mixture components are updates with the new frames. A retrieved pixel value is compared with all the components of the mixture assigned to that pixel to find out if there is a match. A match is said to happen when the retrieved pixel value is within 2.5 times standard deviation of a mixture component. The update procedure is different for the matching component and other components. The mean values and the covariance matrices are updated for only the matching component. The value formulas for the matching components are: And the weights are updated with given formula    [6] In case there is not a match between the current pixel value and the mixture components related to that pixel .the component having the smallest likelihood with respect to the current pixel value is discarded. A new Gaussian component is created in place of the discarded one, having a mean value equal to the current pixel value, and a variance equal to a predetermined constant. To retrieve the foreground the following equation is used. Where, T is the threshold value for the sum of the weights.[6] 5.0 Algorithm In order to give a better understanding of the algorithm used for background subtraction the following steps were adopted to achieve the desired results: Firstly, we compare each input pixels to the mean mu of the associated components. If the value of a pixel is close enough to a chosen components mean, then that component is considered as the matched component. In order to be a matched component, the difference between the pixel and mean must be less than compared to the components standard deviation scaled by factor D in the algorithm. Secondly, update the Gaussian weight, mean and standard deviation (variance) to reflect the new obtained pixel value. In relation to non-matched components the weights w decreases whereas the mean and standard deviation stay the same. It is dependent upon the learning component p in relation to how fast they change. Thirdly, here we identify which components are parts of the background model. To do this a threshold value is applied to the component weights w. Fourthly, in the final step we determine the foreground pixels. Here the pixels that are identified as foreground dont match with any components determined to be the background. 6.0 Experimental Results For better results, median filter was used where the main purpose was to filter out unconnected pixels from the large connected pixels (e.g. people, vehicles) so that it was easy to distinguish between the background and foreground. With median filter the value of the output pixel is determined by the median of the neighboring pixels instead of the mean. Median has a much smaller insensitivity compared with mean to extreme values. The function used was medfilt2(A,[m n]). Figure 3 GMM Background Subtraction with high light intensity In the above image, the picture on the right shows the output of background subtraction using the GMM model. There is still false negative foreground detection which produces the disturbances in the image. Although it still shows the objects moving hence, making it suitable for object tracking. The reason for these disturbances can be narrowed down to illumination changes. Figure 4 GMM Background Subtraction with Low light intensity For the above, a short 30 second video was recorded where light intensity was moderate and the camera was still. It can be observed that the hand is visible and false negative detection is low which suggests that the model works robustly in low light intensities. From the above results, we can say that there are still improvements to be made in the algorithm mostly to work with illumination which increases the false negative background subtraction. 7.0 Further Improvements The GMM model used in this paper could be further tweaked to provide better results in terms of zero disturbances/noises. The use of morphological filters could be implemented into the algorithm to reduce these unconnected pixels which were seen in the figures above and make it more robust in object tracking. The algorithm has the capabilities of further improvements to run large size videos and importantly the ability to process more frames per seconds using larger number of Gaussians in the mixture model. Apart from the above improvements, we further plan to research the model using PTZ (Pan Tilt Zoom) technique to study the processing rate of frame/second and observe the robustness of the algorithm in terms of disturbances/noise. There are possibilities of false positive results where background could be recognised as foreground. 8.0 Conclusions In this project we implemented a very strong and widely used background subtraction method according to the paper Adaptive background mixture models for real-time tracking. This method is very adaptable for lighting changes and shadow removals. Also it finds the repetitive actions as well with the use of mixture of Gaussians. Alpha and T are the key parameters in this paper. The values of these parameters changes with the different cameras and different environment. So it is very important to get the best values for them to work with for different videos. Also we tried to improve the output quality by using some filtration methods like median filter. The guassain model is not perfect with the result since there are some disturbances after the modelling also. But there are many good post processing techniques are introduced and we referenced two of them. A new region Gaussian background model for video surveillance by Xun Cai and Long Jiang, and Improved Post-Processing for GMM based Adaptive Background Modeling by Deniz Turdu,Hakan Erdogan. But the 1st paper doesnt give any clear information about the techniques failed to explain the equations as well. Second paper introduces a very good technique and we couldnt able to get the result properly. But this assignment was very challenging for us and helped us to get a very good knowledge about different background subtraction methods used in Video surveillance. 9.0 References [1] Robust techniques for background subtraction in urban traffic video Sen-Ching S. Cheung and Chandrika Kamath, 2006/07 [2] Background Subtractions of Moving Objects https://computation.llnl.gov/casc/sapphire/background/background.html [3] Page444, Computer vision A modern approach, David A. Forsyth [4] Dr J. Zhang, CSC7006 Lecture 2 Slides, Queens University Belfast. [5] Adaptive background mixture models for real-time tracking, Chris Stafer, W.E.L Grimson [6] Improved Post processing for GMM based adaptive background modelling by Deniz Turdu, Hakan Erdogan

To what extent is Lord of the flies a pessimistic book? Essay -- Engli

To what extent is Lord of the flies a pessimistic book? Lord of the Flies highlights the flaws in human nature and shows how they affect the societies we create. Lord of the flies has a pessimistic atmosphere throughout. Although to begin with the book seems to be quite positive, (the boys have fun and are optimistic about being rescued) the atmosphere is slowly transformed into one of savagery, fear and betrayal. The ending of the book leaves the reader feeling pessimistic about human nature and sorry for Ralph. The first time the boys meet together there is a positive atmosphere, the boys are excited and their progress towards constructing a civilized society makes us hopeful. They vote for a leader and Ralph is chosen,' This toy of voting was almost as pleasing as the conch.' The way both the conch and voting are expressed as 'Toys' reminds us that these are small children. They need toys to keep them busy. It is almost as if they are playing a game and this is Golding; first ominous hint that there is trouble ahead- the language suggests that the boys do not see the seriousness of the situation. In chapter 1 Ralph Jack and Simon search the island. It seems beautiful, 'every coign of the mountain held up trees-flowers and trees'. This optimistic atmosphere is increased by the description of the island and the mood of the boys, 'this time Ralph expressed the intensity of his emotion by pretending to knock down Simon; and soon they were a happy, heaving pile in the under-dusk.' However this is a great contrast to later in the book, the violence becomes real rather than playful when, 'Roger sharpened the stick at both ends.' The last time this had been done was to stick a pig's head, which Jack and h... ...ere is evil within man. I think Golding's point is quite a realistic one, society around us is shaped on the natures of the people with in it and how easily they are swayed or how manipulative they are. If they can manipulate many people they can do what they want and take control, however if a person is easily swayed they would make a weak leader. I found this book very interesting as it put forward many interesting views and questions. I found it quite pessimistic. I think this is because Golding concentrated on the flaws in mans nature rather that the positive aspects. Maybe this is because Golding thought that it is easier for man to do wrong than to do right and that the brutality within can come out with less effort then it takes to do good. Ralph certainly reflects my feelings when he 'wept for the end of innocence and the darkness of man's heart.'

Essay examples --

INTRODUCTION In an electronic commerce environment, trust is difficult relation to build and even more critical for business success than in traditional commerce. The electronic commerce is not an ordinary business environment where we can trust the vendors. In order for electronic business to prosper, consumers must not be concerned that they will be manipulated, have their credit card numbers stolen, or receive poor quality goods or service. In response to the electronic business needs created by electronic transactions and with the increasing need for third-party assurance to guarantee the trustworthiness of the whole transaction, web seal assurance services have emerged. These web trust assurance services were developed to reduce consumers' concerns. To help consumers determine whether the website is secure, and decide to do online shopping, the AICPA (American Institute of Certified Public Accountants) and the CICA (Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants) have jointly developed the Web Trust Seal to help business entities in maintaining an effective privacy program that addresses their privacy risks and business opportunities.. The seal allows consumers to make purchases online with certainty that vendors have met high standards of business practices disclosure, transaction integrity, and information protection. This paper will focus on defining what the AICPA Web Trust Seal, its development background, what the principles are for obtaining the seal, who is responsible for issuing it, its process, cost, and finally the advantages and disadvantages of obtaining the Web Trust Seal. WEB SEAL DEFINED Web Trust is an international electronic commerce seal of approval designed to improve the confidence and security of co... ...ng doing business online. For those firms seeking the highest standards of assurance, the web seal provided by the AICPA is the most appreciated but also the most expensive among the other seals offered as it is evaluated based on the AICPA attestation standard basis. The web seal is considered to improve the customers' perceptions about the online shopping but business firms need to make sure that their customers are well- educated about the seal. The web seal service has several advantages such as ensuring the vendor's credibility, increasing the trustworthiness of the website, improving the company's internal controls, moreover, web seal assurance may lead to higher sales and better brand recognition. On the other side, it is an expensive service, and requires customers to be well informed about it in order for the mentioned advantages to be fulfilled.

A comparison of Kern County and Sierra Nevadas Essay -- essays researc

Of Oak Stumps and Oil Pumps   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Great Sierra Nevadas and Kern County are two strikingly different faces of California. The Sierra Nevadas, a natural refuge for a sizeable number of California’s wildlife, houses opportunities for harvesting lumber, a spiritual place to camp or hike on, and simply as an aesthetic marvel in contrast to LA’s bustling city streets. Kern County’s industrial benefits come from Black Gold, oil. The Kern River discovery started an oil boom, and a forest of wooden derricks sprang up overnight. Kern County resembles a dry rocky land. A noticeable lack of movement except for a thousand oil pumps bowing incessantly like Buddhist monks in a trance of prayer. These two places are similar in that they are resource-full and beauties to behold, but, The foothills of the Sierra Nevadas outweighs Kern County through its natural majesty, its beauty; Kern County on the other hand, has more financial worth because of its rich oil deposits which give it its ind ustrial feel.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The inhabitants of the Sierra Nevadas are inspired to live in a nature filled environment, away from busy city streets and bright neon lights. The Great Sierra’s geography outlines its beauty by being surrounded with a dry, hardwood conifer forest, drought-resistant shrubs and bushes in the canyons; as is described by Gary Snyder in â€Å"Cultivating Wilderness† (Snyder 256). This place brings a feeling of growth and provides agricultural ...

Considerations for Funny Thing Happened

1. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum is a musical written by Stephen Sondheim, Burt Shevelove, and Larry Gelbart. The three collaborated on the work, which had a Broadway debut on May 8, 1962. It ran for a total of 964 performances and closed on August 29, 1964. 2. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum is the title of this work. This leads us to believe the play will be a comedy and that many â€Å"funny things† will occur. As one will soon notice, the play parodies many aspects of Plautus’ work Pseudolus. 3. The cast list is enclosed with the play. . The play takes two hundred years before the Christian era, on a day in spring. The action occurs on a street in Rome, in front of the houses of Erronius, Senex, and Lycus and is continuous, with only one intermission. The theatregoer knows that the work will be a comedy; also, provided one has knowledge with Plautus’ play, he may have a general idea as of the plot of this parody. 5. The major c onflict is Pseudolus vs. Miles Gloriosus. Pseudolus, trying to gain his freedom from Hero, tries to thwart Miles’ purchase of Hero’s love interest, Philia.The inciting incident is when Hero informs Pseudolus that he can be free if he arranges them together. Without this happening, the rest of the events of the play would never have happened. Some complications arise when our protagonists learn of Philia’s impending sale to Miles. Also, Senex sees the opportunity for an affair with Philia because she thinks he is Miles; he thinks she is a maid. The climactic scene occurs when the watcher discovers that Philia and Miles are the long lost children of Erronius. Thus, Miles voids his purchase arrangement for Philia; Philia can marry Hero and Pseudolus gains his freedom. 6.The overall situation in this work is the fact that Hero wants to marry a beautiful virginal woman. If he did not have this desire, Pseudolous would not have managed to concoct such a great tale, an d win his freedom. The point-of-attack is rather early in the play as the conflict begins right away. 7. a. Pseudolus: He is a Roman slave, owned by Hero who wants to win his freedom by gaining the heart of Philia. Pseudolus is very witty and clever, although this wit just gets him into a deeper and deeper hole each time. b. Hero: He is in love with Philia and does not play an overly major role in the story; he is also Senex’s son. c.Philia: She is a virgin in the house of Marcus Lycus and is the object of Hero’s affection. She is very beautiful, but perhaps dimwitted, as she believes Senex is her owner. Her name means love in Greek. d. Miles Gloriosus- A captain in the Roman army, Miles has purchased Philia from Marcus and returns to Rome to pick her up. He soon is lead on a literal wild goose chase before he realizes she is actually his sister. e. Hysterium: The very name implies someone who is extremely anxious and over emotional. He is the chief slave to Senex and Domina, Hero’s parents. He pretends to be Philia when Pseudolus says she died from the plague. . The major theme is that everything is not always what it seems and that sometimes interventions happen for a reason. No one knew that Miles and Philia were related or that Erronius actually played an integral part to the story. At least when I read it, I cast Erronius aside as the crazy character who really had no role. If it would have not been for Pseudolus’ shenanigans their connection would never have been realized. 9. The mood of this play is definitely comic. The audience should come away from watching this play laughing and in improved spirits. The play ends happily and well, as all conflict has been resolved.

Online vs Classroom Education Essay

Online vs. Classroom, which format is better for you? Well that all depends on you as a student and what fits your lifestyle. They say that college students between the ages of 18-21, benefit more from attending a traditional college. They have more of a need for the social atmosphere, plus this means freedom from living at home. Students who are older most likely already have jobs and family to support. Therefore, they find that going to an online university or college fits their lifestyle better. In the following pages, I am going to discuss the differences between online and on-campus classes and how internet classes compare to face-to-face classroom settings. Being in the classroom provides an interactive setting. Having students all in the same classroom has the benefit of allowing students to exchange ideas and have discussions with the teacher included in the exchange without any communication barrier. I just recently graduated from a Summit Career College and there’s no way I would have gotten through learning all the Microsoft Office Applications if I wouldn’t have taken it in class and had fellow student’s, plus my teacher there in class to help me. Therefore, you need to think about what kind of student you are and what kind of education program you will need to get through the subjects you are taking. Online learning provides a different level of conversation between students and with their teacher. They interact through class discussion boards, e-mail, and student chat rooms. Student chat rooms make it easier for professors to be more readily available to students. In addition, you have the opportunity to meet people from other parts of the world. For instance, I have had fellow classmates that are over in Iraq taking the same classes. Which I have found to be amazing on their part and informative. Since I have started at Ashford University, I look forward to the discussion boards and getting feedback from my classmates through that of communicating. Classrooms tend to group students together in large numbers, which makes it easier for students with learning deficiencies to get lost in the shuffle. In addition, for students who are shy or reserved to speak up in class and taking part in class. I have experienced that first hand at my last college. I found that most of the students in class did not respond to the teacher’s questions for fear of getting it wrong and feeling embarrassed when they did. Online classes have more of a one on one perspective from the teacher’s standpoint. Because most of the teacher to student communication is through e-mail, discussion boards or student chat rooms. Therefore, for some students, that is less intimidating and they do not have to worry about the teacher calling on them. . With online classes, students that are shy or reserved are not afraid to speak up or taking part in discussions. Online education requires discipline, focus, dedication, and motivation as does on-campus. There are so many distractions when you are at home then when you are in class. When you are at home, you can pick the place and time that is best for you to do your study time. In addition, if you have a full time job to go to everyday, online classes make it easier for you to get your education that way. In class, you have a teacher in front of you to keep you focused and to help you pay attention. Online you have to keep yourself focused, you are responsible f or getting your assignments, and making sure, they are turned in on time. In class, you have more reminders around you for getting your assignments in on time and there is more structure. In conclusion, there are many advantages and disadvantages to either type of learning environment. It is to your advantage to use something from each method to its fullest. The combination of both online and classroom education might be what is best for some students. However, for some students having a consistent school schedule prohibits some students from furthering their education. It is up to the student to figure out which is better overall for them. So, do your research on which schools have and which format is right for you. I did about a month of research on online schools before I picked Ashford University. I would recommend you do your homework before you select a school for yourself.

Family and Old Woman

Once upon time in one small village, lived an old farmer with 3 sons. The first one was strong, and the second one was fast, and the third one was clever. They were always arguing about who is the best son and never help each other. One day the farmer became sick so they called a doctor. Father and Doctor Father: hi my friend. How are you? Doctor: Hi my friend, I am fine. I haven’t seen you long time. How are you my sick friend? Father: how do know that I’m sick? Doctor: I’m a doctor, why would you call me then? Father: I’m not sick but I just want to show my sons that they must stay together and help each other.Please tell them that I’m sick and I need medicine so they must go to witches highland together to find that medicine. Doctor: So you just pretend that you are sick, I don’t like to lie but since you are my old friend I will do it for you. I hope your sons will understand that they must help each other. Doctor really wants to help his friend so he goes to talk with farmers sons†¦ Doctor and the three sons Doctor: Hi, lucky that I met all of you here, your father is sick and he needs the medicine. Clever son: where is that medicine? Doctor: it’s far away in the witches highlands.Fast son: how far is that place? Strong son: how hard is the way? Doctor: The way is very long and difficult so you must go together as soon as possible. I will look after him while you will have a journey so don’t worry and leave†¦ Fight for who is going to get the medicine Strong son: I’m stronger the both of you and better then you I will go get the medicine alone I don’t need your help. Fast son: I’m fastest one, I will go and comeback faster than you and we don’t have enough time. Clever son: let him go he is really stupid, I’m sure that he will comeback without the medicine.So after long discussing and fighting, they decided that the strong son will go first to this journey to find the medicine. On the way he met an old woman that looks very strange. Strong son _old woman dialog Strong son: I look for a way to a â€Å"witch’s highland† do you know how can I go there? Old woman: why you want to go there, it is very far and dangerous place, no one come back from there. Strong son: my father is sick and I need a medicine that can be finding only there. Old woman: if you want to go there I will show you the way but you have something to do for me. Strong son: what should I do?Old woman: there is a tree that is 10 meters high. From here till the tree is more than 10 days way, but you have to go there less than 2 hours. He couldn’t do this so he had to return home without any medicine. Three sons Clever son and fast son: Laughing to strong brother. Clever son: I knew that you will comeback without the medicine. Fast son: now it’s my turn to go to get the medicine. After that the fast son went to find the medicine . He also met the same old woman on his way. Fast son and old woman Fast son: hey, grandma’ do you know how can I get to the â€Å"witches highland†?Old woman: I’m not your grandma’ and why do you want to go there? Fast son: I want to get a medicine for my sick father. Old woman: Before you come here someone came asking for the same place, and if you want to go there you have to answer my question first then I will show you the way. How many hairs on your head? He try to count a long time but he can’t answer to her question, he also couldn’t pass the river, so he a returned to home without the medicine. Clever son: Laughs on his fast brother when he came back without the medicine.Clever son: I will get the medicine that the both off you couldn’t get. Then the last boy went to find the medicine. He met the same old women again. Clever son old woman Clever son: hi I came here to find a medicine for my sick father before I come here both of my brothers c ame looking for it and they couldn’t get it. Old woman: Yes, I met them before you, but I will you want to go there and find the medicine you must do something to for me. Clever son: what should I do for you? Old woman: nothing special only I want you to pass the river and get for me that laptop there.Because I want to check my face book I didn’t check it for a long time. He couldn’t do it too, so he returned home. When he come back to home doctor call them and ask what happened. Doctor: You see you don’t listen to me and didn’t go together, you just waste all of your time to argue who is better and still haven’t got the medicine that your father needs. Tell me why you all return without it? Clever son: I met the strange old woman and she told me to pass the river but I couldn’t because it’s it was hard, so I come back†¦ Strong son: I can pass the river but she told me to go somewhere very fast.Fast son: I can go anywhere very fast but she asked me a difficult question that I couldn’t answer. Clever son: I can answer to any question. Doctor: So you must go together and do all her tasks . Who is better is not important you must help your sick father. Help each other and get the medicine I’ll be waiting for you†¦ Finally they went together to find the medicine. They met the old woman again. 3 Sons_ old woman _dialog Old woman: why you come to me again when you can’t do everything that I want? Clever son: now, we are together so we can do everything that you want.Strong son: just say anything that you want we will do it. Fast son: what is the question? Where is the river? How we can arrive to tree? Old woman: at fist you have to answer me, how many hairs on my head? Clever son: as much as users of facebook. Old woman: You must pass that big river and bring me the laptop from other side; also you should bring me an apple from the big tree. Acting. Fast son run and bring the appl e, strong son bring the laptop. The strong and fast sons bring the laptop and an apple to old woman and she gives them a medicine.They took the medicine from old woman and return to home. Doctor and 3 sons’ scene: Doctor: I am glad that you come back, finally you understand that you must help each other and stick together. Don’t worry your father is not sick, you are all together now as he hopes, so go tell him about your adventure and leave him. Help him and each other and everything will be alright. Three sons never argue or fight again with each other, they do everything together and they live happily with their father. The end

Review of Anxiety Scales for Children and Adults Essay

Abstract   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Psychology testing is very abstract form of testing.   It needs to be based on good research and solid evidence in order to be considered effective.   This review goes in depth to examine the use of this test and how valid it is at proving the existence and level of anxiety in children and adults.   There are many items and aspects of the test reviewed herein, including, the normative sample group, the construction of the test and the overall effectiveness of the test to come to a plausible conclusion and diagnosis.  Ã‚  Ã‚   This review should serve as a good guide in how to best use this test and what aspects may need to be revised in order to provide a more efficient and useful test. Test Name: Anxiety Scales for Children and Adults. Author: Battle, James Publication Date: 1993 Publisher Information: PRO-ED, Inc., 8700 Shoal Creek Blvd., Austin, TX 78758-6897 Prices as of 1994: $84 per complete kit including examiner’s manual, 50 Forms Q, 50 Forms M, scoring acetate, and administration audiocassette $31 per examiner’s manual $19 per 50 Forms Q or 50 Forms M $6 per scoring acetate $14 per administration audiocassette. Online Availability:   This test is only available in written form or a tape recorded form. The test, ‘Anxiety Scales for Children and Adults’, is intended to show if a person has anxiety and, if so, at what level they have anxiety.   It seeks to show the presence and level of anxiety through a series of questions that relate to symptoms of anxiety.   The test is only arranged based upon age with one group for grade nine and under and the second group being grade 10 and above.   There is a different test form for each group.  Ã‚   However, the test does not separate out by gender or using any other factors except the two age groups.   The test could be described as being both unidimensional and multidimensional.   This is based upon the fact that the only differential is the basic age group. â€Å"No factor analyses, internal consistency coefficients, or empirical-criterion keying (item scores for anxious versus non-anxious persons or treatment effects studies) are reported. No controls for faking are indicated. Although developmental differences between elementary (second through sixth grades) and junior high (seventh through ninth grades) students were reported, no other age changes are indicated. Particularly important would be an examination of high school students versus adults and age changes through each elementary grade. A face/content examination indicates the majority of items relate to generalized anxiety and physiological symptoms, with some attention to setting and stimulus triggers. up. â€Å" (Oehler-Stinnett,2007)   There are no distinguishing points made for gender, race or even specific age, as mentioned in this quote from the Oehler-Stinnett review of the test.   As far as theoretical and empirical foundations, this test is very limited.   The test development was not sufficiently reported to allow for any hypothesis to be made.   Additionally, the lack of sub-scales and any rationale support for the procedure is a great default for deciding if the test has any clinical application. There is also a problem with the actual use of information in the test.   The questions are not properly defined as to what, if anything, makes them an anxiety trigger and worthy of being used to determine if a person suffers from anxiety.   Ã‚  It is only stated that they are symptoms commonly reported by people with anxiety.   As this analysis of the test reports, this leads to questions about the validity of the test:   Ã¢â‚¬Å"The specific sources of the item pools from which the author selected the items are unknown. It is merely stated the items represent symptoms typically reported by individuals experiencing anxiety. The final items that appear on the scales apparently have never been subjected to item analysis, internal consistency analysis, and factor analysis, all of which are standard scale construction procedures.† (Merenda,2007) The test manual does not caution nor imply that such limitations exist and the catalog actually reports erroneous information as to the size of the sample group.   The test is intended to be used for the diagnosis, treatment and research of anxiety.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The test is in two different formats.   The children’s, Form Q, and the adult’s, Form M are both designed to reach the same outcome, however, they are designed to be easy to complete for the different age groups.   Form Q is a simple yes or no choice test and has 25 questions.   Form M is a rating system test where individuals will choose from one to five, with one being always and five being never, and is comprised of 40 questions. There are no subscales to this test.   The only scale for the test was constructed without analysis of item, internal consistency and factor.   Each test has its own scale.   The scales are both pretty basic with the only outcome being if the individual has anxiety and if so, the intensity of the anxiety.   There is no allowance for faking or the possibility of conditions of a similar nature, such as depression.   The total testing time is ten to fifteen minutes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The administration procedure is straightforward in nature with instructions for Form Q to be answered with a yes or no answer and Form M is to be based upon the 5 point scale given.   The tests are in written, paper and pencil format with the questions to be read by the individual taking the test.   There is an allowance for oral administration and other modifications, if necessary to assist the administration of the test.   The test can be given individually or in a group setting.  Ã‚   The test administrator is expected to have knowledge and familiarity with psychometrics and understand the standards of good test evaluation and use.    The manual specifically points out that the administrator should have knowledge of the American Psychological Association’s published standards of good test development and use from 1954.   There is no reference to special circumstance or any special considerations that should be made in the test administration.   There is the recommendation that the test interpretation should be conducted under the supervision and assistance of a psychologist or other professionally trained individual. The type of scoring for Form Q is based upon the amount of yes or no answers.   Form M scoring is based upon the rating given to each question.   The raw scores are totaled and used to determine the level of anxiety based upon a classification table that goes from very low to very high.     There are tables to help convert the percentile ranks and T-scores. The actual instructions for interpretation of the raw score, classification, percentile rank and T-score is very limited.   In fact, the conversion tables for each type of score are not in complete agreement with each other.   This insinuates that only one type of score should be used to score the test, not a combination of the different scoring options.   There is also a question as the reliability of the scoring system used for this test. â€Å"†¦ for the scale to be acceptable as a measure of treatment effects, all coefficients should be in the .90s. As noted, no internal consistency coefficients (alpha) were reported; therefore consistency of the scales in measuring the construct of anxiety cannot be examined. Standard error of measurement was also not reported in the reliability, scoring, or interpretation sections.† (Oehler-Stinnett,2007) The tables and scoring instructions are included in the manual. The technical evaluation of this test reveals numerous flaws.   The manual does not give a full explanation of the normative sample.   The description is rather simplified and gives the overview that the normative groups and reliability/validity groups overlap.   The data was collected in 1987 or 1988 and consisted of 247 adults for Form M, ages 15 to 63, and for Form Q it was based on 365 children of elementary school age and 433 children of junior high school age.   Both groups were from the Midwest. The children group was equal in the ratio of males to females.   The adult group had about twice the number of females as males.   There is no information given as to the demographics of the groups in terms of minorities and no representation of SES levels, clinical populations or the exact ages of participants.   There was distinction given for gender.   The limited information makes it difficult to fully evaluate the sample groups effectiveness in standardizing this test. The reliability of the test is based upon two testing, the original test and then a 2 week retest.  Ã‚  Ã‚   The retest rate was at .84 for elementary age, .86 for junior high age and .96 for adults, which are all acceptable rates.   The short retest period, however, does not allow for sufficient confirmation of a hypothesis and does not meet standards that are acceptable for the measuring of treatment effectiveness.   Additionally, there is not enough consistency in the scales to allow for an accurate measurement of anxiety levels between the original test and retest. The validity of the test, Form Q, is given based upon comparison to the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children and the Nervous Systems subtest of the California Test of Personality.  Ã‚   The scale, however, is compared to the North American Depression Inventory for Children and the Culture-Free Self-Esteem Inventory.   Form M is compared to the Taylor Anxiety Scale for Adults and the Nervous Symptoms subscale of the California Test of Personality.   Constructs were as high or higher in correlation.   However, this is not discussed in detail in the manual.   The validity coefficients according to gender showed similar patterns. The T-tests showed no major difference in the scores of Form Q, according to gender. For M showed a higher score for females than males, but there must be consideration for the fact that there were twice as many females as males taking this test.   When looking at the mean, the difference was not major.   The lack of validity evidence can not be overlooked.   There are no studies that indicate the scale can accurately prove the difference between someone who is experiencing anxiety and someone who is not.   Additionally, there is a lack of supporting evidence for the use of this test in diagnosis and treatment of anxiety. A practical evaluation of this test shows no major indications of a problem.   The use of two separate forms for different age groups allows for the test to be easy to use and understand for each group.   Additionally, the availability of oral administration ensures those with limited reading abilities will be able to take the test and understand it.   The actual image of the test is rather plain and simple. It is presented in a straight forward, non-confusing manner. Form Q is presented in a yes or no format and Form M gives a scale that allows a rating from one to five with one clearly labeled as always and five as never.   There is nothing that stands out about the appearance of the test.   It is acceptable in terms that it is easy to use and understand for the participant. The straightforward nature of the test makes it easy to comprehend.   Form Q is a choice of two answers, which is well suited for the intended age group.   Form M gives a scale that allows for a more descriptive analysis of answers.   The test is intended to be taken by the participant reading and answering on their own, but the availability of oral administration allows for the test to be easy to take for all levels of comprehension.   The administration directions are quite clear and leave no room for question as to how it is to be done.   The test is to be given in a ten to fifteen minute time period.   It is manually administered, taken and scored.   Scoring is based upon the scales given in the manual.   It is advised that scoring be done under the supervision of a professional trained in psychology. This test has many weaknesses.   It is not fully backed by research and is not completely validated.   It lacks major aspects of an acceptable test, including the fact that scoring results are often inconsistent.   The scoring scales are not consistent with each other and there are no sub-tests to give an in depth look into the results.   Additionally, the lack of a reliable normative sample group is very concerning to a professional who is in need of a test that is reliable and valid.   The major strengths of the test is the actual make up of the test.   It is easy to understand and easy to score. This test would be best used for a general idea of a person state of anxiety.   It should be used in combination with other diagnostic measures and not as a sole source of diagnosis.   In order to make this test more effective and useful to a professional, it should be updated with more normative sample group tests, a better scoring system and more definition as to the age levels for each test.   Additionally, it would be helpful to include more differentiating information based upon specific age and race.   If updated, it should also be closely examined to fit into standards for tests of this nature. Reference Merenda, Peter F. (2004). Review of the anxiety scales for children and adults. University of Rhode Island. Oehler-Stinnett, Judy. (2004). Review of the anxiety scales for children and adults. Oklahoma State University. Wood, Richard J. and Zalaquett, Carlos P.(ED). (1998). Evaluating Stress: A book of resources, Volume I. Scarecrow Press.