Select one article from our text book, or one document from the Assignment

Select one article from our text book, or one document from the Internet, and evaluate what you feel are it's strengths and weaknesses - Assignment Example Most organizations face this issue. As there is a change of reality, they do not address moves in their competitive environment and thus find it hard to sustain their competitive advantage. According to the article, the main issues of theory of businesses revolve around connecting the three key parts together. These parts are reality, organizational competency and business focus. The following points are to be kept in mind to keep the theory of business relevant presently and in future. One is that reality is defined by the market place and moves to where it wants. For an organization to be successful, it has to study the changes taking place in the market and know that the key to success is their capacity to determine what the customer is willing to pay for at the moment and in the future. Another factor is that an organization attains focus when it aligns itself with reality. Thus, if it wishes to be successful, it concentrates on the moves in the market place and adjusts its business programs to cater for those needs. After an organization is aware of the changes needed, it has to identify and develop skills and competencies needed to prosper in the long term. The author recommends that organizations ought to review their theory of business continually as there is no business that is static. There are also times that organizations ought to be cautions like in the startup stage, times of fast transformation, unforeseen failures or success and when the organization is about to attain its present goals and objectives. The objective of the article is to address business theory. It is to address where organizations go wrong so that they do not achieve success and the solutions that they ought to embrace and apply. The author of the article accomplishes this objective by addressing where the problem comes in. At the end of the article, solutions are offered. The author states that,

The Development of Ballads Essay Example for Free

The Development of Ballads Essay Ballads have been in evidence since the seventh century and have been popular ever since. They travelled around the globe as people emigrated, picking up stories of historical significance on the way. Their main purpose is to entertain, being sung or recited, often accompanied by music. Their distinctive poetic form told appealing tales of heroism, hardship and adventure often in dramatic terms. They were also a means of spreading news, to a largely illiterate population in an easily understood narrative way. Ballads follow a distinctive recipe, elements of which can be seen in all ballads. They use quatrains, which are four line stanzas. An example of this can be seen in the ballad, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner: The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew, The furrow followd free We were the first that ever burst Into that silent sea In this verse you can see a regular A B C B rhyming scheme, which means that lines two and four rhyme with a bouncy rhythm. Ballads told simple stories to entertain audiences such as in The Twa Corbies where two ravens having a conversation. The ballads would build up to a climax where the main event of the story would happen. In the ballad Sir Patrick Spens we read lines like: Drinking the blood red wine And When the sky grew dark, the wind blew loud, And angry grew the sea This automatically suggests to the reader that there is a going to be a murder as it is setting the scene for one. It was vital that the balladeer maintained the interest of his audience by using dramatic yet simple imagery. He had to paint the scene in words to engage the imagination of the audience. The symbolic use of colour is used to create atmosphere. Red often symbolises blood or royalty, for example, the ballad Sir Patrick Spens reads: Drinking the blood red wine which creates tension and a thick atmosphere. White symbolises good so black obviously symbolises evil. In Johnie Armstrong it reads Goodly steeds were all milky white this tells us that all Johnie Armstrongs men rode white horses which helps to portray him and his men as the good guys. The audience would have recognised the inference of what the colours meant. Ballads told tales with simple themes, for example Johnie Armstrong tells a Robin Hood style story of an honest outlaw who is betrayed by a treacherous Scottish king. Other themes explored in ballads capture lives of adventure and hardship. Keeping things simple was important, as most of the listeners would have been peasants living in small communities often impoverished and with little way of escaping hard lives. Hearing tales of larger than life characters at least temporally diverted them from their own circumstances. Sometimes audience participation was encouraged for example in the Twa Corbies where the narrative breaks from third person to first person: The tane unto the tither did say, Whar sall we gang and dine the day? I imagine the scenario either where two or three balladeers working together took roles within a spoken or sung ballad or where one balladeer hopped between storyteller and actor. In either the audience may have been invited to supply lines making the ballads more of a lively improvised story. This would have been great fun moving the action from performer to the audience and back again. The characters depicted were bold but shallow leaving the audience with a two dimensional representation which told of what the characters did but not of how they felt. There was little attempt to flesh out any subtleties of characterisation. Action and events moved the story line not any depth in the characters. In the beginning of the border ballad Johnie Armstrong he is described as being a bold outlaw. We are told that he came from Westmerland, on the Scottish border. He came from poverty, had neither land or rent coming in and alot about what he possessed in terms of men, horses and weapon, but not much about him as a man. The ballad of Johnie Armstrong is a good example of a border ballad. A border ballad focused on the conflict between the Scottish and the English. The ballad is clearly written from an English viewpoint, describing Johnie as proud, brave and heroic. The words faire Westmerland are the first indication that this is written from an English perspective. The band own white horses (white symbolising good) and are described as being a goodly sight for to see. On the other hand, the Scottish king is portrayed as being deceitful and double crossing tricking Johnie and his men to their deaths. Another type of ballad is the broadside ballad. These were an early form of newspaper recording local events and news told in narrative form. What distinguished them was the fact that for the first time they were fixed in print and sold at fairs for a penny, becoming the earliest written ballads. Two examples of these are Mary Cummings and Charlotte Dymand, these poem were not really in the right period but in the right style. The ballad of Mary Cummings is the story of a crime of passion. It a sensational tale of love, abandonment, revenge and violent murder eventually finishing with the hanging of an unrepented jilted bride. It depicts a tragic heroine with the themes of love and death dramatically portrayed. The language is graphic: The mother slithered to the ground, The fathers eyes went white We are given the picture of the hopeful girl in her bridal gown on a spring morning that becomes the murderess cursing the groom and his parents. The line the pain in Marys Mind gives a clue that she is becoming deranged. The images are all of things fading: The sun that glittered down, the sun slid out of sight. The audience would have been able to grasp the cruel irony that the bridal gown is to become the shroud of death. Instead of a husband she is to meet the dark lover i. e. devil; she has renounced her religion. The whole ballad evokes a sense of the eagerness for marriage being replaced by an eagerness for death. As people travelled from place to place they took the basic ballad recipe with them as well as the ballads. Ballads can be found all over the word: Sir Patrick Spens is a traditional Scottish ballad; Young Hunting is an eighteenth centaury ballad, perhaps with earlier Danish parallels and Ballad of Sixty-Five is a traditional Jamaican ballad. This proves that ballads have travelled all over the globe, appealing to worldwide audiences for many centauries. The Ballad of Sixty-Five tells a story of historical significance to many Jamaicans; a group of slaves in Jamaica march to their governors house demanding there right and are eventually hanged to make a public spectacle. It had the opposite reaction making other slaves believe that they could stand up for themselves: Paul Boyle died but his spirit talked, Anywhere in Jamaica that freedom walks. The poem has examples of patois, which is native Jamaican dialect. You can wuk like a mule but de crop still bad It also has an A A B B rhyming scheme to it and a Calypso rhythum, which shows how the basic ballad recipe can be varied as it travelled. Ballads are an ancient form of communication; they have been around for centauries keeping almost the same recipe throughout. They told tales of historical importance as well as stories just to entertain. They have been popular ever since they begun and although they are not still in there original form we can see element derived from ballads in modern day song.

Charles Dickens :: GCSE English Literature Coursework

Charles Dickens Did you know that Charles Dickens thought that Americans were distasteful? There is a reason for this and you will find out if you read my essay. This will be a discussion on the famous author Charles Dickens and his life. The great author Charles Dickens was born on February 7, 1812, he was the son of John and Elizabeth Dickens. Charles Dickens father, John Dickens, was a clerk in a Navy pay office. John was very bad with finances so he was put in jail because of his debt. Charles' whole family joined his father in jail and Charles was stuck working for Warrens Blacking Factory. After his father was let out of prison he rescued his son from his horrible labor fate. From 1824 to 1827 he became a student at a school in London. Little did his family know that his stay at the Blacking Factory would haunt him for the rest of his life. The only 2 people he told about this horrible event in his life would be his wife, and his best friend John Foster which he will meet later in life. He uses this period in his life in one of his books it is called Great Expectations and also uses this in the book DavidCopperfield. In 1829 he was a reporter for the Doctor's Commoner's Courts. In 1832 he ,was a reporter on the Parliamentary debates in the House of Commons, and he became a reporter for a newspaper. In 1834 he adopted his famous pseudonym " Boz." Soon his father was put in jail for another count of debt and he came to his aid time. During his lifetime Charles' family would always be on his back for money. 		In 1836 the first series of the "Sketches of Boz" was released , also during this year he was hired to be a short writer to go along with his humorous sport illustrations by Robert Seymour. Robert committed suicide after the second set was completed so Charles changed the conception of the "PickWick Paper's" which afterwards would become a novel. The PickWick Papers was a huge success through November 1837. In 1836 he became editor of Bentley's Miscellany then he published a second series of the famous "Sketches of Boz", and met John Forster who later would become his greatest friend. 	After the huge success with the PickWick Papers he became a full time novelist,		

Quantitative Analysis Assignment Essay

Problem 1-14 Gina Fox has started her own company, Foxy Shirts, which manufactures imprinted shirts for special occasions. Since she has just begun this operation, she rents the equipment from a local printing shop when necessary. The cost of using the equipment is $350. The materials used in one shirt cost $8, and Gina can sell these for $15 each. †¨(a) If Gina sells 20 shirts, what will her total revenue be? What will her total variable cost be? (F) Fixed Cost= $350.00 (V) Variable Cost= $8.00 (S) Selling Price= $15.00 (X) Number of Units Sold= 20 Revenues = (S)(X) = (15)(20) = $300.00 Total Variable Cost = (V)(X) = (8)(20) = $160.00 If Gina sells 20 shirts her total revenue will be $300.00 and her total variable cost will be $160.00. (b) How many shirts must Gina sell to break even? †¨What is the total revenue for this? (F) Fixed Cost= $350.00 (V) Variable Cost= $8.00 (S) Selling Price= $15.00 (X) Number of Units Sold= ? BEP=> 0=sX-f-vX X= X= X= 50 Total Revenue = (S)(X) = (15)(20) = $750.00 Gina must sell 50 shirts to break even and she would have total revenue of $750.00. Problem 1-17 Katherine D’ Ann is planning to finance her college education by selling programs at the football games for State University. There is a fixed cost of $400 for printing these programs, and the variable cost is $3. There is also a $1,000 fee that is paid to the university for the right to sell these programs. If Katherine was able to sell programs for $5 each, how many would she have to sell in order to break even? (F) Fixed Cost= $1,400.00 (V) Variable Cost= $3.00 (S) Selling Price= $5.00 (X) Number of Units Sold= ? BEP=> X= X= X= 700 In order to break even selling each program for $5, Katherine would have to sell 700 programs. Problem 1-20 Mysti Farris (see Problem 1-19) is considering raising the selling price of  each cue to $50 instead of $40. If this is done while the costs remain the same, what would the new break-even point be? What would the total revenue be at this break-even point? BEP=> 0=sX-f-vX X= X= X= 96 Total Revenue = (S)(X) = (50)(96) = $4,800.00 By raising the selling price of the cue from $40 to $50 the break-even point would be 96 and the total revenue at this break-even point would be $4,800.00. Problem 1-22 Golden Age Retirement Planners specializes in pro- viding financial advice for people planning for a comfortable retirement. The company offers seminars on the important topic of retirement planning. For a typical seminar, the room rental at a hotel is $1,000, and the cost of advertising and other incidentals is about $10,000 per seminar. The cost of the materials and special gifts for each attendee is $60 per person attending the seminar. The company charges $250 per person to attend the seminar as this seems to be competitive with other companies in the same business. How many people must attend each seminar for Golden Age to break even? (F) Fixed Cost= $11,00.00 (V) Variable Cost= $60.00 (S) Selling Price= $250.00 (X) Number of Units Sold= ? BEP=> 0=sX-f-vX X= X= X= 57.89 To reach break-even the Golden Age seminar must have an attendance of 58 people. Problem 1-23 A couple of entrepreneurial business students at State University decided to put their education into practice by developing a tutoring company for business students. While private tutoring was offered, it was determined that group tutoring before tests in the large statistics classes would be most beneficial. The students rented a room close to campus for $300 for 3 hours. They developed handouts based on past tests, and these handouts (including color graphs) cost $5 each. The tutor was paid $25 per hour, for a total of $75 for each tutoring session. (a) If students are charged $20 to attend the session, how many students must enroll for the company to break even? (F) Fixed Cost= $375.00 (V) Variable Cost= $5.00 (S) Selling Price= $20 (X) Number of Units Sold= ? BEP=> 0=sX-f-vX X= X= X= 25 If students are charged $20 for attending the session, 25 students must enroll for the company to break-even. (b) A somewhat smaller room is available for $200 for 3 hours. The company is considering this possibility.  How would this affect the break-even point? (F) Fixed Cost= $275.00 (V) Variable Cost= $5.00 (S) Selling Price= $20.00 (X) Number of Units Sold= ? BEP=> 0=sX-f-vX X= X= X= 18.33 If a smaller room that charges 200 for 3 hours and students are charged $20 for attending the session, 18 students must enroll for the company to break-even.

Environmental Scan Paper Essay

A business environment is made up of both internal and external factors. The environment of a business must be scanned to be able to determine what factors the company can use to determine the development and forecasts that will help in the success of the business. The definition of Environmental Scanning, as per managementstudyguide.com, is the â€Å"possession and utilization of information about occasions, patterns, trends, and relationships within an organization’s internal and external environment†. Scanning is used to identify the threats and opportunities that exist in the business environment. Some of the internal environment factors that a company must observe include; employee interaction with each other, with management, manager interaction with other managers, and manager interaction with shareholders, brand awareness, organizational structure and the main staff (managementstudyguide.com, 2012). The company may use other resources to gain this information as in group discussions, surveys and interviews. This information than may be used to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the company. External environment plays an important role as a company starts to become more competitive and changes start to occur. As these changes start to occur, it becomes essential for the company to identify what their competitors are doing. These changes may also affect the internal environment, so it is important that the company update its core competencies as per the external environment. Because external environments are always changing, the company should be ready at all times to be able to accept and adjust to the environmental changes. External monitoring could include the original forecasts of raw materials, which may affect the credibility of the original source. This will force the company to be more focused on scanning, forecasting and analysis to create a more trustworthy prediction and the input costs (managementstudyguide.com, 2012). The external environment scan should include three areas; immediate/industry environment, national environment, and the broader socio-economic environment/macro-environment. Companies The two companies that will be used in this paper will be Apple and Target. Both of these companies have survived a tough economy over the years by having to adjust to many external and internal environmental factors. Apple, as most of us know, is a successful producer of computer hardware and software. Target, is one of the largest retail companies, right behind Wal-Mart, in the U.S. The environmental scan is used to evaluate the threats, opportunities, strengths and weakness of both Apple and Target. This will help identify external and internal areas that may need help and the areas that have been successful. Strengths There are many strengths that have made Apple a success. Apple is known to offer superior products such as the iPhone, iPad, iPod and many others. They control both the manufacturing of its products as well as its operating system (http://www.slideshare.net/edbiy/swot-analysis-for-apple, 2012). Apple also produces its own internal components for the core of their products. They also set a high standard for the quality of their products to make sure that the customer is extremely satisfied. Apple is always evolving and creating new and updated products. Apple has a very loyal customer base that will buy the new and updated product regardless of what it costs. The company stock is also the highest in their personal history. Target is a monster of a company as well. As of 2011, the diversification of its store chain was at 1,750 stores. The stores are big; anywhere between 95,000 to 135,000 square feet is size. As of 2011, Target has a presence in all states except Vermont. Due to the competition with Wal-Mart to keep their product prices low, Target has seen increases in revenue year after year, with their 2011 revenue equaling $67 billion. Target has adapted to their specific demographic locations and offer three different types of stores; Target Green Lands, Super Target, and their urban stores. And most important, Target offers a wide variety of goods; clothing, electronics, beauty, and home furnishings to just name a few. Weaknesses As being the leader in the electronic industry, Apple is faced with having to ensure their product is consistent and quality is number one. Not all of Apple’s products are without flaws. With their competitors making similar devices, Apple must continue to invest in research and development, to make sure any flaws don’t hamper future success. With Apple being a financial stable company, any lack of debt could be seen as a weakness for their infrastructure as it may pose a risk for stock acquisition by other companies (http://www.slideshare.net/edbiy/swot-analysis-for-apple, 2012). As for Target, their lack of an internal presence is a weakness. Though their products are considered low cost, the quality of their product is better than Wal-Mart, which makes Target’s products a higher price than their competitor. Employee wages have also been considered low, forcing some employees to look for work elsewhere. Threats With Apple products saturating the market, Microsoft has still be able to hold a consistent share of the market as well. Within the industry, there are many competitors that appeal to the economic conscience. Companies such as HP and Dell are offering low-budget computers that are appealing to customers that cannot afford the Apple product. Apple must be able to produce their products and set a financial standard so they do not lose out on a certain market of people. Target has their threats as well. Kmart and Wal-Mart both offer similar products but at a lower cost. With today’s economy, customers may sacrifice the quality of a product to get a lower price. Target may have to restructure their product base to keep from losing out to the competition. Opportunity With Apple being a technological leader, they are known for their originality and innovative thinking. iLife is a new product that allows users to link up multiple programs through one central application. Apple has found a way to simplify a person’s â€Å"life†, by consolidating what that person needs into one little package. That is innovation at its finest. Apple will continue to develop new opportunities through innovation and breaking new ground in different markets. Target introduced that the company will expand into Canada, this being the first step into the international market. The company will focus on reducing operational cost and increasing their revenue ratio. Target will continue to push the private labled products to customers, to focus on low cost products. These companies are creating value by offering a product that is made up of tangible and intangible attributes that the customer values. These companies are able to obtain money for the costs which then generates benefits that it values. Apple and Target create products that offer many solutions for their customer. This creates a competitive advantage for these companies. Creative advantage is the â€Å"advantage that a company has over its competitors, allowing it to generate greater sales or margins and/or retains more customers than its competition† (Investopedia.com, 2012). Both companies have shown that they offer a product that has been superior to their competition, which in turn has generated greater sales for these companies. The mission statement of a company is a way to evaluate how a company may measure their effectiveness. Apple states, â€Å"Apple computer is committed to protecting the environment, health and safety of our employees, customers and the global communities where we operate. We recognize that by integrating sound environmental, health and safety management practices into all aspects of our business, we can offer technologically innovative products and services while conserving and enhancing resources for future generations. Apple strives for continuous improvement in our environmental, health and safety management systems and in the environmental quality of our products, processes and services†. Target states, â€Å"Our mission is to make Target your preferred shopping destination in all channels by delivering outstanding value, continuous innovation and exceptional guest experiences by consistently fulfilling our Expect More. Pay Less. ® brand promise†. Both Apple and Target have shown continued success, both following their mission to create a better experience for their customers. References Answers, W. (2012). Answers. Retrieved October 08, 2012, from WikiAnswers.com: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_mission_statement_of_apple_inc Investopedia. (2012). Competitive Advantage. Retrieved October 08, 2012, from Investopedia.com: http://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/competitive_advantage.asp#axzz28k4ujJ6x Managementstudyguide.com. (2008-2012). Environmental Scanning-Internal & External Analysis of Environment. Retrieved October 08, 2012, from Managementstudyguide.com: http://www.managementstudyguide.com/environmental-scanning.htm Mixx, M. (2012). Targer SWOT Analysis. Retrieved October 08, 2012, from MarketMixx.com: http://marketingmixx.com/marketing-basics/swot-analysis-marketing-basics/177-target-corporation-swot-analysis.html Target Brands, I. (2012). Mission & Values. Retrieved October 08, 2012, from Target.com: http://corporate.target.com/about/mission-values Unknown. (2012). Slideshare.net. Retrieved October 08, 2012, from SWOT Analysis for Apple: http://www.slideshare.net/edbiy/swot-analysis-for-apple

The Crucible Essays (923 words) - Salem Witch Trials, The Crucible

The Crucible Essays (923 words) - Salem Witch Trials, The Crucible The Crucible The Crucible written by Arthur Miller is a play that takes place in the sixteen nineties during the famous but tragic witch trials. The entire community is in pandemonium yet certain characters are also fighting internal conflicts of their own. Miller uses three characters who manifest this internal battle ever so clearly. Such as Mary Warren who whole personality turns upside down, John Proctor who contemplates between the importance of his family and his own name and Reverend Hale who battles with himself wether to carry out his job requirements or do what he knows is right. Mary Warren is a girl who is forced with this inner turmoil throughout this play. At the outset of the play she is perceived to be a very shy girl who will never speak her mind as shown when Proctor sends her home and she responds with " I'm just going home" (21). As the play continues and as she is influenced by Abigail, Mary begins to break this self induced mold and does what she wants. Mary Warren, along with many other girls gets caught up in the hype of getting all the attention and exercising power via initiating and adamantly continuing these "witch trials". Finally John Proctor, the rationalist, shows that when people like Rebecca Nurse and Elizabeth Proctor who are the saintliest of people are accused of being witches, something must be wrong. Mary Warren has a difficult decision to make. She has realized that her whole way of life has been based on injustice. However, how can she extricate herself from Abigail and her friends, not to mention her new feelings of confidence. Mary decides to speak out against Abigail and the others for their false accusations and said that she " tried to kill me numerous times"(57). Yet as she does this heroic act of overcoming her old reality, Abigail pretends that Mary is also a witch using the poppets against her(73). Mary is now faced with yet another grueling internal conflict: to do what she knows is right and probably die for it, or to return to her old ways. Mary succumbs to Abigails "hypnosis " and accuses John Proctor of forcing her to lie. Clearly the battle which Mary faced from the very beginning was enormous. John Proctor a farmer and village commoner similarly is faced with an inner turmoil. He has committed adultery and had absolutely no intentions of joining in the witch trials unless hi pregnant wife were to also get involved. After his wife got involved and eventually was set free due to the fact that she was pregnant feels that he can't accept this. Proctor is a good and noble man and because of this he believes at first he can't be hanged and die a martyr when he has this sin blooming over him every waking moment . John later says to Elizabeth that " My honesty is broke, Elizabeth; I am no good man. Nothing's spoiled by giving them this lie that were not rotten long before"(136) and rather confess then die for something he flat out didn't do. However, as John confesses, he can not allow Danforth to make it officially documented. As Danforth asks him why John answers with a cry " because it is my name. Because I cannot have another in my life . . . How may I live without my name? Have given you my soul; leave me my name(143). John feels strongly about having a good name and not dying with a bad one. Proctor weighs both sides of his internal conflict and realizes that he must not make another mistake. He therefore, prescribes himself to death, not for his own sake, but rather for the sake of the others. As John dies Liz weeps saying " He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it away"(145). Another internal conflict is evident in Reverend Hale who initiates these problems. At first Reverend Hale is sure about his belief that there are witches and feels that he is carrying out the desires of G-D himself. Yet as the play moves on and Hale sees all these honest and good people being sentenced and executed he

Claes Oldenburg essays

Claes Oldenburg essays Claes Oldenburg is a arist that has tested the modern art scene with his huge art sites like his giant bow and arrow in San Francisco. Claes Oldenburg is a modern artist and he makes art showing normal everyday things as sculptures they are either small or big most of his work is of a large scale he uses mixed medium like metal wood or some sort of fabric. Claes Oldenburg is considered a pop artist and he was part of the Pop art movement. He often uses an huge scale for his artwork. He puts small things like a spoon across a lake as a bridge a spoon is a small thing not meant to be big. He is famous for many of his designs in England as well as the United States. He hit the scene in the late 80s and has been making art ever sense. He makes landscapes that fit the enviorment around him. Claes Oldenburg has changed the way we see normal every day objects like a garden hose or spoon and now we see that these objects can be used for inspiration in some of the more creative minds Claes Oldenburg inspires me to look at the normal and find something to make out of it and to change your overall view of a normal object to see something more creative and different something that you wouldnt have seen before if your mind was not open and looking for something. You have to look to find what your looking for even if its in the most normal and obvious places. There is always something more to be found in places weve seen we just have to open ourselves and look. ...

How To Calculate the Variance and Standard Deviation

How To Calculate the Variance and Standard Deviation Variance and standard deviation are two closely related measures of variation that you will hear about a lot in studies, journals, or statistics class. They are two basic and fundamental concepts in statistics that must be understood in order to understand most other statistical concepts or procedures. Below, we’ll review what they are and how to find the variance and standard deviation. Key Takeaways: Variance and Standard Deviation The variance and standard deviation show us how much the scores in a distribution vary from the average.The standard deviation is the square root of the variance.For small data sets, the variance can be calculated by hand, but statistical programs can be used for larger data sets. Definition By definition, variance and standard deviation are both measures of variation for interval-ratio variables. They describe how much variation or diversity there is in a distribution. Both the variance and standard deviation increase or decrease based on how closely the scores cluster around the mean. Variance is defined as the average of the squared deviations from the mean. To calculate the variance, you first subtract the mean from each number and then square the results to find the squared differences. You then find the average of those squared differences. The result is the variance. The standard deviation is a measure of how spread out the numbers in a distribution are. It indicates how much, on average, each of the values in the distribution deviates from the mean, or center, of the distribution. It is calculated by taking the square root of the variance. A Conceptual Example The variance and standard deviation are important because they tell us things about the data set that we can’t learn just by looking at the mean, or average. As an example, imagine that you have three younger siblings: one sibling who is 13, and twins who are 10. In this case, the average age of your siblings would be 11. Now imagine that you have three siblings, ages 17, 12, and 4. In this case, the average age of your siblings would still be 11, but the variance and standard deviation would be larger. A Quantitative Example Let’s say we want to find the variance and standard deviation of the age among your group of 5 close friends. The ages of you and your friends are 25, 26, 27, 30, and 32. First, we must find the mean age: (25 26 27 30 32) / 5 28. Then, we need to calculate the differences from the mean for each of the 5 friends. 25 – 28 -326 – 28 -227 – 28 -130 – 28 232 – 28 4 Next, to calculate the variance, we take each difference from the mean, square it, then average the result. Variance ( (-3)2 (-2)2 (-1)2 22 42)/ 5 (9 4 1 4 16 ) / 5 6.8 So, the variance is 6.8. And the standard deviation is the square root of the variance, which is 2.61. What this means is that, on average, you and your friends are 2.61 years apart in age. Although it’s possible to calculate the variance by hand for smaller data sets such as this one, statistical software programs can also be used to calculate the variance and standard deviation. Sample Versus Population When conducting statistical tests, it’s important to be aware of the difference between a population and a sample. To calculate the standard deviation (or variance) of a population, you would need to collect measurements for everyone in the group you’re studying; for a sample, you would only collect measurements from a subset of the population. In the example above, we assumed that the group of five friends was a population; if we had treated it as a sample instead, calculating the sample standard deviation and sample variance would be slightly different (instead of dividing by the sample size to find the variance, we would have first subtracted one from the sample size and then divided by this smaller number). Importance of the Variance and Standard Deviation The variance and standard deviation are important in statistics, because they serve as the basis for other types of statistical calculations. For example, the standard deviation is necessary for converting test scores into Z-scores. The variance and standard deviation also play an important role when conducting statistical tests such as t-tests. References Frankfort-Nachmias, C. Leon-Guerrero, A. (2006). Social Statistics for a Diverse Society. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press.

Assessment of The Economic Climate in Britain, Pertaining to Starting Essay

Assessment of The Economic Climate in Britain, Pertaining to Starting up a New Business - Essay Example ntinue pumping money in economic condition, the year (2012) closing with triple dip recession alarm with industrial production dropped by 9.8% as compared to 2011 and highest decline in 20 years (Elliot, 2012), results in imposing negative pressure on the business start ups as it seems difficult to reap considerable profits in this economic condition. On the other hand the positive signals such as growth forecast to remain 0.9% in contrast to -0.1% in 2012 and the UK job hiring pick-up (Murray, 2013), encourage the entrepreneurs to establish their own business set up as there are growth chances. Year 2013 gives mixed signals of growth such as reports of further decline in industrial production in 2013 while on the other hand, February 2013 reported permanent job hiring increased for four consecutive months in January 2013’ anticipating growth of almost 0.7% for 2013 (Murray, 2013). The decrease in the industrial production impose risk on the start up of a new venture as it ref lects decrease in the supply of products and hence increase in inflation. On the other hand the growth in the employment rate is beneficial for the start up businesses as it signals more consumption on the part of the individuals. Mixed signals despite consistent efforts traces trend mainly from triple dip recession due to deepened Euro-Zone crises and increased inflation curtailing consumer demand (Elliot, 2012). Ranking of UK on Doing Business chart developed by World Bank has improved from 8th positions in 2012 to 7th position in 2013 (World Bank, 2013; Schwab, 2012). This improvement is based on the factors assessing ease of doing business; therefore, self refers that ease has been increased in order to encourage investors to initiate business and gear up economic activity. Moreover, these... This essay aims to identify the impact of economic risks on the state of business environment of UK. It is being considered in the essay, that doing business in UK carry greater risk than ever. Despite consistent efforts the weak performance of UK economy is still creating greater uncertainty for the people who are interested in starting their own business venture. For instance, negative signals such as UK to borrow much higher in 2012-13 as compared to previous year with almost public sector job cuts reaching 1.2 million and further 2.7 million by 2018 Still, The UK conditions where unemployment has not been as high as expected, austerity plans of government stuck and jobs being created (though in slow pace) are all dampening recovery of economy as well as local demand. Conversely the stimulus is positive from external demand. Increase in the local and external demand results in providing the new start up businesses with better operating environment leading to rise in the overall profits and returns. Therefore, it can be stated the conditions to do business are much better for concerns intend to capitalise on this increasing demand. Ranking of UK on Doing Business chart developed by World Bank has improved from 8 positions in 2012 to 7 position in 2013. This improvement is based on the factors assessing ease of doing business. The ease has been increased in order to encourage investors to initiate business and gear up economic activity. Moreover, these positive factors are also reflecting acceptance in the financial market.

Why Did Romans Fear Rule By Monarchy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Why Did Romans Fear Rule By Monarchy - Essay Example However, with Tarquinius Priscus, it was said that royal inheritance flowed from the female relations of the deceased monarch. The Roman kings were therefore chosen primarily on their virtues and not royal lineage. The powers wielded by the king are difficult to determine since some historians attribute them with those possessed by later Republican leaders, mainly the Consuls. Modern historians believe that Rome's kings were the chief executive for the senate and the people, and that real power was exercised by the people. Other historians believe that the king had the supreme power and the senate and people only had checks upon his power. The king had the sole right to auspice in behalf of Rome as its chief augur. No public business could be undertaken without consent of the gods whose will were made known through the auspices. Thus, the king is treated with reverence as he is considered the mediator between the gods and the people. The king is therefore the head of the national religion and the is its foremost religious executive. He had the power to control the Roman calendar. He also conducted all religious ceremonies, created lower religious officers, and appointed their officials. Aside from his religious authority, the king also held supreme military and judicial authority by virtue of the Imperium. It was his for life and was protected and gave him immunity from being tried for his actions. This allowed him to exercise vast military powers that could not be checked, for he was commander of all Roman legions. The kings wielded enormous power since there was also an absence of laws which protected citizens from the abuses of officials possessing the Imperium. The Imperium also allowed the king to make legal judgments since he also acts as the chief justice of Rome. He had overall jurisdiction over cases brought before him, whether they are civil or criminal, although he could also assign pontiffs to function as minor judges. The powers vested upon him by the Imperium made the king supreme in both peace and war. Although a council advices the king during trials, it has no power over the king and cannot control his decisions. Some historians believe that the king's decision was final and cannot be appealed. Others say that an appeal can be made by a patrician or member of the elite, during meetings of the Curiate Assembly, which elected magistrates and exercised judicial and legislative powers. The king also had the power to nominate or appoint all officials to offices. He appoints a Tribunus Celerum who is similar to the Praetorian Prefect, and served as the commander of the king's bodyguard. The king appointed the Tribune upon entering office and the Tribune was required to eave his office upon the death of the king. The Tribune was second in rank to the king and possessed the authority to convene the Curiate Assembly. The king also appointed the Praefectus Urbanus who performed the duties of warden of the city. The prefect assumed all the king's powers and abilities when the monarch is absent from the city. He assumed the king's power that he was also bestowed the Imperium while inside the city. There came a point in time when the king also acquired the sole right to appoint patricians to the senate. The Senate and the Curiate Assembly had very little power and authority under the Roman kings. They were not independent bodies that could meet and discuss affairs of state. They could only be convened by the king and their discussions are limited to matters which are presented before them by the monarch. The Curiate Assembly had the power to pas laws presented before

THE ROLE OF RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION STRATEGY IN SUPPORTING EMPLOYEE Essay - 2

THE ROLE OF RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION STRATEGY IN SUPPORTING EMPLOYEE RETENTION WITHIN A COMPLEX INTERNATIONAL LABOUR MARKET - Essay Example This is more perplexing when we consider the generous remuneration packages enjoyed by the expatriates. Similarly some of the vocations are curtailed by employees in spite of the rigorous recruitment procedures undertaken to harness the right candidates. So where are the recruiters going wrong in the hiring process? The effectiveness of the recruitment exercise has also come under intense scrutiny due to the relatively high cost of replacing absconding staff. Workman (2008) cites adapting to the host or foreign culture as the main reason individuals resign from the lucrative international assignments. Many married employees usually desire to educate their children in their home country rather than in the host country. This is evident even when they are in more developed cultures than their own domestic country. In developing countries like the Middle East oil producing nations, expatriates schools are provided for the foreign nationals complete with international curriculum for their children. However most of the families are reluctant to bring up their children in this environment. Other privileges are provided whenever cultural norms clash with those of the host country nevertheless; the turnover is still high despite the efforts of the international companies to retain them. Adaptability to foreign cultures is therefore a major challenge for international assignment. Curry (2004) however decries lack of an intensive recruitment screening exercise as the main reason to having a high employee turnover in both national and international organizations. Just as individuals carefully screen their spouses before marriage, Curry asserts that companies should similarly thoroughly vet their employees prior to hiring them to minimize the losses incurred in recruiting, employing and training fresh employees. McNamara (2008) conversely cites the lack

Capital Investment Process Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Capital Investment Process - Essay Example Therefore, it was always implied that despite techniques used to make the future more clear, capital investment decision requires a manager to use intuition. This study of a Boston Mayflower - a residential social landlord with about 5,000 houses - indicates that more accent must be put on qualitative appraisal techniques. The essay begins with building a theoretical base to get the reader familiar with some basic concepts of capital investment appraisal theory. The second part of the essay is devoted to a step-by-step analysis of the investment project of Boston Mayflower. This part of the essay is devoted to the description of methods used in the analysis of capital investment. Developed theoretical frameworks include several different techniques of analysis varying mainly in measures of investments. In other words, it is clear that the ultimate goal of every investment is maximisation of owner's wealth; however specific characteristics of every project oblige management to choose carefully and with correspondence to the most vital needs of the business. The most typical example is the choice between long-term investment project with high return value and short-term project but with lesser return. Although the first development plan will lead to better profits in the end, sometimes a company chooses the second one. That means the time factor is more important for owners than greater profits in the illustrated case. Generally, capital investment decisions are always connected to the following list of specific features: a significant outlay of cash; long-term involvement with greater risks and uncertainty because forecasts of the future are less reliable; irreversibility of some projects due to their specialised nature, for example, plant which having been bought with a specific project in mind may have little or no scrap value; a significant time lag between commitment of resources and the receipt of benefits; management's ability is often stretched with some projects demanding an awareness of all relevant diverse factors; limited resources require priorities on capital expenditure; project completion time requires adequate continuous control information as costs can be exceeded by a significant amount. (McGrath, 1998) These characteristics make the managerial decision even more important, as it must be connected with the strategy of a company. Simply, a manager should choose not the most profit-making project, but the most suitable one for the business strategy of his/her company. This statement leads to a careful choice of the evaluation technique used to determine, which investment plan complements best the chosen strategy. There several factors, which should be taken into consideration during evaluation of investment opportunities: initial cost of the project; phasing of the expenditure; estimated life of the investment; amount and timing of the

Evolution of Corporate Social Responisbility Essay

Evolution of Corporate Social Responisbility - Essay Example Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has grown as a part of management and corporate governance during the last two decades. However, it is hard to imagine that this concept, corporate social responsibility, only started in the Western world in the end of the 18th century. Discussion includes the evolution of CSR and how this concept has come to life during the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. But what is noticeable through this regurgitation of history remains the hard battle that common people had to fight in order to have a humane society to live in; hence the crucial foundation of corporate social responsibility. The actual term came to light in the beginning of the 20th century, in which this ideology was concerned with a series of corporate scandals in the United States. According to a variety of sources CSR was accepted in different companies and corporations as a part of corporate management in different periods of the 20th century. In recent times, one can clarify four main opinions about CSR and corporate social investing habits in CSR: classical and modern view, cost and beneficial view of such investing in long-term run (Quazi and O'Brien, 2000). This paper examines the evolution of CSR, in terms of the development and integration of this social responsibility into corporate behaviour. ... Section three discusses the Second Industrial Revolution, time in which the world was stricken by different corporate scandals, and in response, the on-set of firms announcing CSR as a part of management and private organisations. Section four highlights the basic changes, which were brought by World War II. These changes were critical in defining the development of CSR. Modern times and establishing CSR in different companies and countries, particularly in Japan, are described in sections five and six, respectively. 2. First Industrial Revolution (1760-1830) This section will discuss the transformation of job structures, capitalism and suffering people for the First Industrial Revolution. Our discussion of the evolution of CSR begins with the First Industrial Revolution because it was an important step in economic transformation. 2.1 Transformation of job structure: New Technologies The First Industrial Revolution was a great step in economic transformation. Its birth is attributed to the introduction of new technologies of production. There was rapid growth in productivity and living standards. The First Industrial Revolution originated in Great Britain around 1760. It was marked (Chandler, 1977) by the adoption of three new technologies: the steam engine, relying on the energy of the fossil fuel, coal; machines for spinning thread and weaving cloth; furnaces- to make iron ore into finished metal by using coal. During the period of the First Industrial Revolution, 1760 till 1830, the transformation of societies took place. It was a marked change from agricultural and rural society to industrialize and urbanize. Before those processes all of the factory's employment was domestic labour, or the so-called cottage

Aviation Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Aviation - Case Study Example Most people avoid the airport if they have urgent business. The reason for these delays has been blamed on the capacity of the airport visa vie the growing demand. Possible revenue has been lost by the airport due to the delay. The problem has been identified and, therefore, measures to curb the problem should be developed. The airport has a potential market and, therefore, investment for redesigning of the terminal and ground access (runway) will be recouped faster. Expansion of the terminal will enhance the speed of security check and other services requisite for the passenger. Ground access give the chance for planes to land and take-off, and this delays plane from landing and departing, extra runways should be constructed for take-off and landing off planes. If the two elements are taken into account ALICE Spring Airport will be more efficient and more passengers will be lured into the airport. Passengers are always time conscious and will choose an airport where processes will be

Evolution of Corporate Social Responisbility Essay

Evolution of Corporate Social Responisbility - Essay Example Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has grown as a part of management and corporate governance during the last two decades. However, it is hard to imagine that this concept, corporate social responsibility, only started in the Western world in the end of the 18th century. Discussion includes the evolution of CSR and how this concept has come to life during the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. But what is noticeable through this regurgitation of history remains the hard battle that common people had to fight in order to have a humane society to live in; hence the crucial foundation of corporate social responsibility. The actual term came to light in the beginning of the 20th century, in which this ideology was concerned with a series of corporate scandals in the United States. According to a variety of sources CSR was accepted in different companies and corporations as a part of corporate management in different periods of the 20th century. In recent times, one can clarify four main opinions about CSR and corporate social investing habits in CSR: classical and modern view, cost and beneficial view of such investing in long-term run (Quazi and O'Brien, 2000). This paper examines the evolution of CSR, in terms of the development and integration of this social responsibility into corporate behaviour. ... Section three discusses the Second Industrial Revolution, time in which the world was stricken by different corporate scandals, and in response, the on-set of firms announcing CSR as a part of management and private organisations. Section four highlights the basic changes, which were brought by World War II. These changes were critical in defining the development of CSR. Modern times and establishing CSR in different companies and countries, particularly in Japan, are described in sections five and six, respectively. 2. First Industrial Revolution (1760-1830) This section will discuss the transformation of job structures, capitalism and suffering people for the First Industrial Revolution. Our discussion of the evolution of CSR begins with the First Industrial Revolution because it was an important step in economic transformation. 2.1 Transformation of job structure: New Technologies The First Industrial Revolution was a great step in economic transformation. Its birth is attributed to the introduction of new technologies of production. There was rapid growth in productivity and living standards. The First Industrial Revolution originated in Great Britain around 1760. It was marked (Chandler, 1977) by the adoption of three new technologies: the steam engine, relying on the energy of the fossil fuel, coal; machines for spinning thread and weaving cloth; furnaces- to make iron ore into finished metal by using coal. During the period of the First Industrial Revolution, 1760 till 1830, the transformation of societies took place. It was a marked change from agricultural and rural society to industrialize and urbanize. Before those processes all of the factory's employment was domestic labour, or the so-called cottage

Community Health Nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Community Health Nursing - Essay Example In the past, those applying for health insurance had to have restrictions included in their medical insurance offering if they had additional medical conditions. In South Carolina, individuals who are eligible for HIPAA can choose to acquire individual medical insurance from the state’s High Risk Pool which is required to proffer individual medical insurance to all persons, including those with medical conditions. There are also organizations such as Medicaid to cover individuals who live on a limited income and have fulfilled the requirements of the South Carolina’s Medicaid eligibility panel. Mini-Med, or Guaranteed Health Insurance, is another option for individuals that are not able to meet the requirements for personal major medical insurance. These options are attainable for most people as those who have problems with income have the option of purchasing an insurance plan which has lower premiums and a high deductible that will cover them for accidents or even major illnesses. Such individuals could also opt for temporary health insurance in order to obtain stopgap coverage when unemployed. My definition of health is influenced by a combination of factors. My education stipulates that physical health is achieved when the body is not affected by illnesses and has elements from the major food groups to oversee its continuation. However, my culture also emphasizes on the importance of spiritual as well as mental health if a human being is to be completely healthy. I live in a multicultural society, and so my definition of health is also affected by the beliefs of different cultures in my community. For instance, there are people who feel that it is very important for family connections to remain close if all members of the family are to remain in optimum health. This is because this particular community beliefs that bad relationships in the family, or strained ties, interfere with the positive energy within families which is

World Without Public Schools Essay Example for Free

World Without Public Schools Essay Should America have public schools, or would we do better without them? Nothing is more important to this country than the transformation of children into educated American citizens. Thats what public schools are for, and no institutions are better suited to the rolein principle. They used to fill it with distinction. But theres no reason we must have public schools. Granted, the public has a strong interest in educating Americas children, at a cost thats divided equitably among all taxpayers and not borne by the parents of school-age children alone. But these requirements dont imply any need for public schools. We need an Air Force, and the Air Force needs planes. Taxpayers pay for the force and the planes. But the pilots are supplied directly by the government, the airplanes by private companies (with government oversight and assistance). Schooling might be furnished on either model: mainly by public or mainly by private organizations. We know that private schools are perfectly capable of supplying first-class educations. So the question stands: Why have public schools? How should we decide whether to have them or not? Vouchers have been a popular and promising (and controversial) idea for years. Under voucher plans, the public pays part or all of the bill when a child attends private school. But here I am talking about the whole hog, not just the tail and a couple of trotters. If sending some children to private school at public expense is worth discussing, why not sending all children to private school? Why not liberate all the vast resources we spend on public schools to be re-channeled to private schools chosen by the nations parents? Any public school offering an education that parents will actually pay for (of their own free will) would presumably be replaced by a private school offering essentially the same thing. But a vast array of new private schools would germinate also. And a vast number of failed public schools would disappear. I n the system I am picturing, education would continue to be free and accessible to every child, and all taxpayers would continue to pay for it. Parents would be guaranteed access to reasonable schools that cost them nothing beyond what they pay in taxes. It would all be just like todayexcept that public schools would have vanished. Would private organizations be capable of providing enough new schools to replace our gigantic public schools establishment? Private enterprise is alleged to be smarter and more resourceful in America than anywhere else in the world. So lets suppose that private schools can indeed meet the needs of nearly all parents. Do we actually need and want our public schools, or do we keep them around out of fear of the teachers unionsand habit, like a broken childs toy we are too sentimental to throw away? The basic law of public schools Many sources agree that, on the whole, American public schools are rotten. In 2000, a whopping 12 percent of graduating seniors were rated proficient in science, and international surveys rank our graduating seniors 19th overall out of 21 nations. In 2002, the Washington Post summarized a different survey: Nearly six in 10 of the nations high school seniors lack even a basic knowledge of U. S. history. And so on. Our public schools are widely agreed to be in bad shape. But these are only problems of incompetence. Others cut deeper. The basic law of public schools is this: Public schools are first and foremost agents of the public. They exist to transform children into educated citizens as the public understands this termin other words, as a public consensus defines it. Of course the United States is a large country; standards have always differed from state to state. So each state has its own public schools, charged with satisfying the consensus definition of educated citizen in that state. In 1898, Nicholas Murray Butler (soon to be president of Columbia University) described universities in terms that make explicit this connection, one that is almost forgotten today. In order to become greatindeed, in order to exist at all, he wrote, a university [or public school! ] must represent the national life and minister to it. When the universities of any country cease to be in close touch with the social life and institutions of the people, and fail to yield to the efforts of those who would readjust them, their days of influence are numbered. The same is true of any system of educational organization. Public schools even more than universities must represent the national life and minister to it. They must minister to the consensus definition of an educated citizen. And what is a consensus? Unanimity or general agreement on matters of opinion, according to Websters; solid agreement by a large majority. And in states where there is no public consensus or general agreement on the meaning of educated citizen, public schools are in an impossible position. They cant act for the public if the public cant decide how they should act. This is true without regard to whether the schools are working well or badly. Today there are few states or none where a public consensus or general agreement exists on what educated citizen means. Schools exist not only to teach skills but to mold character. (Although many object to this old-fashioned language, few Americans disagree that schools must teach an approach to life, a worldview, a moral framework. ) The culture war that has been underway since the late 60s is precisely a war over approaches to life and worldviews and moral frameworks. Our politics mirror that divide. In the 2004 presidential election, Kerry and Bush differed on politics, but stood also for two different worldviews in the larger senseKerry the globalizing man-of-the-world with his European experience versus the plainspoken, ranch-living, Bible-quoting Bush. In simplest terms, Kerry stood for globalism, Bush for Americanism. As between these divergent visions, the country split down the middle. Its pretty clear that no consensus or general agreement on the nature of education is likely to exist in a country thats so divided. Which suggests in turn that, for now, the age of the American public school is over. Obviously we shouldnt make such judgments on the basis of short-term disagreements or divisions. But Americas culture war has been underway for a generation at least. You might argue that the solution is to have two varieties of public school, roughly moderate left and moderate right, each with its own curriculum, textbooks, and standards, and its own version of a worldview or moral framework to teach children. Every neighborhood or local region would vote on left versus right local schools. In many areas such elections would be extraordinarily hard-fought and bitteryet the solution might work, except that the school establishments bias is so consistently left (and not moderate left either) that it seems unlikely we could trust it to operate moderate right schoolsor even neutral schools, if there were such a thing. (The public schools bias often shows itself in exactly the form of neutrality, as Ill discuss. If you declare yourself neutral as between America and her enemies, or normal sexuality and homosexuality, your neutrality in itself is bias. ) Of course this whole analysis might be wrong. Maybe I misunderstand the point of public schools. Was there ever a consensus in this country on what an educated citizen should be? Maybe we always have been content for the schools to speak for just one section of American society, never the whole. What would the nation look like without public schools? Nearly all existing public school buildings would be leased to private schools. All the private schools in any town or district would discuss programs and fees among themselves (which would not count as illegal price-fixing), and with the public too, via local government or town meetings. Any public school whose staff believes in it would be allowed to keep its building and reorganize on a new basis. Some large public schools, especially high schools, would reorganize as confederacies of separate schools sharing one building: a science and math school, humanities school, arts school, sports school. Many students could attend more than one simultaneously. The Internets most important role might be to help coordinate such complicated arrangements. (Though its also true that a well-designed Internet school might attract students from all over the country. ) One final question: Is there any chance that Abolition will be acted on, or even discussed? Dont hold your breath. Yet it would take just one prominent (even medium-prominent) politician or public figure to get America talking. We desperately need this national discussion. And what could be healthier for Americas public schools than to learn that they might not be immortal after all?

Analysis of Norman Rockwell’s Painting The Catch Essay -- Norman Rockw

What does one need to be happy? Is it a nice car? Maybe it's a new pair of shoes? What about success? What defines success and what does one need to be successful? The truth is, it depends on one's definition. Success can be defined in different ways. Success could be defined as being financially stable, or it could be something as simple as feeling accomplished with achieved goals. Norman Rockwell’s painting â€Å"The Catch† offers refreshing ideas on what it means to be happy and what one needs to be successful. At first glance, Rockwell’s painting illustrates a successful day of fishing for three young friends, all of whom have their catch for the day strung in one hand and their fishing gear in the other. Out of the three boys in the picture, there is a well-dressed boy in the center, and two boys standing on either side of him. The two boys standing on either side are dressed in rags, and are only using measly twigs for fishing poles. The boy who is positioned in the center of the frame is well-dressed and fitted in elegant clothing, but stands with his shoulders shrugged and with a sullen look on his face. Surprisingly, the two boys in tattered clothes appear ecstatic with bubbly expressions painted ear to ear. The details of the boys’ emotions in Rockwell’s painting raise questions about the relationship between money and happiness. Theories regarding the ties between money and happiness have been thought about for centuries. Shakespeare expressed his theory on the matter when he wrote â€Å"Poor and content is rich, and rich enough† (Shakespeare, 3.3.177). Shakespeare’s words can be translated to the idea that even if a person does not have a lot of money, if that person is content, they are rich enough by means other than mon... ...to be happy and what it means to be successful. Being happy is not the same as being rich, and money is not a necessity for being happy or successful. Money can be facilitative in accomplishing tasks, but money cannot buy success. Works Cited Mihaly Csikszentmihaly. â€Å"Flow, the Secret to Happiness.† TED. February 2004. Guest lecture. Rand, Ayn. Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights. Web. 11 June 2015. http://www.aynrand.org/ Rockwell, Norman. The Catch. 1919. Norman Rockwell Museum, Stockbridge. Norman Rockwell Museum. Oil on canvas. November 12, 2013. Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Othello: The Moor of Venice. Ed. Tucker Brooke and Lawrence Mason. New Haven: Yale UP, 1947. Print. Venzia, Mike. Norman Rockwell. Danbury: Grolier, 2000. Print. Wattles, Wallace D. The Science of Getting Rich. Blacksburg: Thrifty Books, 2009. Print.

The Psychology of The Gambler Essay -- Fyodor Dostoyevsky The Gambler

The Psychology of The Gambler    In Fyodor Dostoyevsky's The Gambler, we are presented with a novel whose protagonist is what we would call today a problem gambler.   The gambling mania of the story's hero, Alexei Ivanovitch, is a mirror of Dostoyevsky's own gambling compulsion.   The heroine, Polina Alexandrovna, represents a woman Dostoyevsky had as a real lover.   Polina is the stepdaughter of the General, who Alexei works for as a servant.   The General shows paranoia over gambling from the outset of the story.   He censures Alexei with respect to his care of the children, "I suppose you would like to take them to the Casino to play roulette?   Well, excuse my speaking so plainly, but I know how addicted you are to gambling.   Though I am not your mentor, nor wish to be, at least I have a right to require that you shall not actually compromise me" (Dostoyevsky 1-2).   The theme of gambling and its psychological impact on the characters pervades The Gambler.   Because of his own gambling addicti on and his intimate knowledge of the class-conscious casino society of his era, Dostoyevsky does an excellent job of showing the psychology that compels the problem gambler. BODY Using diary entries as his literary vehicle, Dostoyevsky takes us inside the minds of his characters in a way that makes us voyeurs because of his realistic portrayal and honest disclosure of human emotion and sentiments.   The story revolves around Roulettenberg, a German spa town where the rich gamble.   We get the inner life of Alexei as it is portrayed in his diaries.   He is poor but educated, and he is very aware of his class in society.   He is conflicted, however, because he both covets and ridicules the lifestyle of the aristocracy with all its pretensi... ...ostoyevsky 70).   Thus, Dostoyevsky does an excellent job at showing how individual consciousness and the environment in which it develops both lead to problem gambling. WORKS   CITED Anonymous.   Easy come, easy go...Maybe.   The Wager.   Vol. 5, No. 43, Harvard Medical School, Nov 1, 2000: 1-3. Dostoyevsky, F.   The Gambler, (1866).   Trans. By C. J. Hogarth.   Project Gutenberg.   Jun 30, 2000: 1-101. McKay, C.   The Gambler, (Review).   eGambling.   Available: http://www.camh.net/egambling/issue6/review, 1-5. Note:   All numbers, symbols, letters, etc. found within parenthesis are actual page numbers from the hard copy of the source.   Numbers following are the electronic page numbers from that source as it prints from the World Wide Web (WWW)   If there are no page numbers in parenthesis then only electronic page numbers are available at the Internet site.

Punjabi language Essay

Methodology I. Statement of the problem The Internet has become the most extensively used information source the empowers the average person to get in roaming with the latest information. Today’s users can no longer depend on conventional information sources to cope with the latest developments in their respective fields. The Internet has emerged as a powerful education tool with the increasing impact of information and communication technologies on higher education, the ever-increasing number of people accessing Internet coupled with recent explosion of information resources on the Internet; may have considerable implications for teaching, learning and research. Teachers and students are depending more and more on the Internet for their various educational purposes. The present study deals with the Internet in the library of Bhai Kahan Singh, Nabha library (Punjabi University Patiala) & A. C Joshi Library (Panjab University Chandigarh). It is entitled â€Å"Internet and its role in Punjabi University Patiala and Panjab University Chandigarh Libraries: a comparative study. † II. Research Methods After selection and statement of the problem major task for the researcher is to decide about the method, procedure and techniques to be used for collection, analysis and interpretation of data. It is essential that proper methodology is adopted and appropriate techniques are applied so as to achieve the objectives laid down for the investigation present study adopted the survey method. Survey suggests gathering of information relating to the current problem. III. Methodology will be used in the study Students, teachers, Research scholar and library staff in the Panjab University and in the Punjabi University represented the target population for this study. The questionnaire method will be implemented to collect the data for the present study and to select the sample population random sampling method will be used. The sample will be random in the sense that the sample for the present study consisted of as teachers, 25 students, 25 research scholars and 25 library staff selected randomly from Punjabi University and Panjab University, 25 teachers, 25 students, 25 research scholars and 25 library staff selected randomly from Punjabi University and Panjab University under study. Accordingly 15 questionnaires will be distributed among the students, teachers, research scholars and library staff of the Punjabi university and Punjab University. IV. Objective of the study. The present study is an attempt to find out the pattern of using the Internet by the students and teachers of Panjab and Punjabi University. The study will be conducted with the following objectives: * To study the use of the Internet by the teachers, students and research scholars in Panjab and Punjabi university. * To study the various Internet sources and services used by the respondents on the Internet for various activities of teaching, learning and research. * To identify the different purposes for which teacher’s students and research scholars use the Internet. * To examine the impact of Internet on the various activities like teaching, learning and research. * To find out the problems faced by the respondents while using the Internet. V. Scope of the study The scope of the present study is limited to two universities only. The study includes the use of Internet in Punjabi and Panjab university libraries. This study not only includes only one section of library, but it includes the use of Internet in all the sections of the library i. e. , reader’s services and house keeping services. VI. Significance of the study The existence of Internet is a major factor that has changed the way information is produced, published, stored transmitted and used. The Internet is an enabling factor for libraries to establish networks and share their resources. The ever-increasing number of people accessing Internet coupled with recent explosion of information resources on the Internet may have considerable implications for teaching, learning and research. Teachers and students are depending more and more on the Internet for their various educational purposes. The present survey is, therefore, an attempt to assess the effectiveness of Internet as an educational tool, and what role it actually plays in the educational system with special reference to the Punjabi University Patiala and Panjab University Chandigarh. VII. Hypothesis The following null Hypotheses will be framed. 1. The two libraries will be following almost same practices (procedures) which regard to the services yet there growth differ due to certain extraneous factors. 2. There will be a significant difference between the number of users of these two libraries. 3. Rich collection of library supported by adequate staff and liberal rules attract more users. 4. There will be no significant difference in the use of internet conditions of the staff in the two libraries. 5. The use of internet in terms of common parameters are not uniform in different types of university libraries. 6. The university library expenditure in relation to share of university expenditure does not satisfy minimum norms suggested by various committees and commissions. 7. Distribution of fund is not done on equity basis to university libraries. VIII. Sources of Data collection Present study will be an effort to find use of Internet in Panjab University library and Punjabi University library. Universities chosen for selection of the subject will be comparable in terms of use of internet in Punjabi University library and Punjab University Library. This will be done in order to have a homogeneous sample with regard to parameters chosen for the study. IX. Data collection instrument Questionnaire method of research has been adopted in this survey. Keeping in view the objectives of the study, the investigator has used. Primary data will be collected from various categories of staff members and users by informed semi-structured interviews. Various visits to the different sections of the two libraries will be made so as to collect sufficient data through personal observations official documents. Files and statistics records will be scanned to know the number of books issued daily, total number of registered members total number of books purchased, library budget and other related information. X. Components Questionnaire counted 15 questions. According to their content, 15 questions can be divided into various types: personal information, satisfactions etc. XI. Scoring Questionnaire will be administered to the 50 student, 50 teachers, 50 research scholars, 50 library staff of Punjabi University library and Panjab University library. After the initial approval of the university librarian had been obtained survey will be distributed personally to all the professional staff members by the investigator and completed questionnaires will be collected. Afterwards a sincere effort will be made to secure the cooperation of the subjects and to establish a report with the subjects in order to elicit reliable information from them. The subjects will be apprised of the purpose of the investigation as being scientific and academic. They will be told in person that questionnaires will be anonymous and contained a reassurance that no attempt to identify respondents would be made and that they will be free not to answer a question if did not want to data processing will be done through computer. The entries will be coded by university and by designation. XII. Statistical methods Will be used for analysis in order to arrive at objective findings and dependable conclusions the score measures will be subjected to the following statistical treatment. Raw data will be processed to obtain frequency distributions of all variables included in the study. For further processing of the information contained in frequency distribution to a single number per frequency distribution, percentage etc used. XIII. Interpretation and presentation of Data Simple statistical methods like average, % etc ever will be used to interpret the data. Data will be presented in the form of tables, graphs, charts, pie charts, column charts, 100% column charts etc.

Differences in Competencies between ADN vs. BSN Essay

According to the society of Human Resources Management, competency means the knowledge and skills required to perform a job, which all contributes a positive outcome. Even though the competency among ADN and BSN are almost similar, there are slight variations based on the departments where the nurse work, such as management level of care and neonatal department. Good start of an introduction. Consider a topic sentence here that states: this paper will describe†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. An Associate Degree Nurse is one who completed the 2 year program or 3 year diploma this is not true, these 2 are different course by a school of nursing, community, or junior college. They demonstrate competencies in various aspect of patient care. ADNs are competent to perform assessment by collection of patient’s health history, including past medical and surgical history. They perform the physical assessment by gathering information, such as height and weight, vital signs, and head to foot assessment, including all body system. They are also competent to perform cognitive, psychosocial, spiritual, and functional level assessment. After assessing the patient, they find out the nursing diagnosis using their knowledge, skills, and experience. The ADN analyzes the patient’s condition using their age, cultural diversity, and risk factor. He/she then formulates and plans the care by prioritizing the patient’s need based on Maslow’s hierarchy needs, in which patient’s safety is the first importance. They formulate the plan of care by critical thinking, reflection, and problem solving skills. Before they implement the treatment regimen, they let the patient make health care choices by providing accurate and reliable information. The ADN are competent to delegate the patient care to other authorized health care personnel by giving relevant instructions and supervisions. They implement the treatment within his/her accepted professional nursing practice in a different clinical setting. They also make sure to give teaching about the treatment, which includes the effects and side effects of drugs and expected outcome. These all help the patient to alleviate their anxiety about the health status. Finally, they evaluate the outcome and effectiveness by reassessing and continuous monitoring. Moreover, ADNs provide physical competencies like gross and motor skills, strength, and mobility by moving and positioning the patient by using proper body mechanism. Their sensory perception provides a safe environment. They are competent in life saving practices, such as cardiac monitoring and airway management. They provide patient care by giving I.V, oral medications, blood transfusions and wound care. They demonstrate care and respectful behavior towards the patient, family, and other co-workers. Need to reference data within the text Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing is a 4 year bachelor program accredited by a college or university. A BSN has the same medicalbedside nursing skills of an ADN. He/she provides the same patient care by assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation. They also have physical competencies and sensory perception. Apart from that, they do their clinical judgment by using their critical and analytic thinking, which they earned through researches and evidence based practices. They have sufficient emotional stability to be responsible and accountable during a highly stressful event. They know how to deal with unexpected and changing environment. They show interpersonal skills and communication skills by interacting positively with patient, family, and large communities both in verbal and written form. Their logical and analytic thinking in patient management will help them to acquire higher education. Moreover, they creatively respond to continuously changing health system. Good review of BSN competencies. Again, need to reference within the text. An ADN acquired knowledge and skills from years of experience in clinical practice. They work with patients in a relatively short time. However, a BSN has knowledge and skills based on their researches, evidence based practice, leadership, and management. Their skills help them to provide a better patient care in a short time period. For an ADN, the nursing is a job and have little commitment to the work. Without considering the long term results, they move from one job to another. However, BSN is a career, which is a life time dedication that requires development and on-going learning. They can function at high intellectual levels and carry a strong professional identity and follow code of ethics. They are more accountable, independent, and responsible. Nursing care and approaches to decision-making are different based upon the educational preparations. For example, we had a 50 year old patient in our floor that came with left hip fracture. The patient underwent an open reduction and internal fixation of left hip. After 4 hours of post anesthesia care, the patient came to the floor. The ADN, who is the primary care nurse, assesses the patient and carried out all post-op orders. The patient was drowsy and was on morphine PCA. After 2 hours, the patient suddenly woke-up with pain in the left hip. The ADN gave more pain medicine and monitored the respiratory status. All of a sudden patient complained of shortness of breath. The nurse found the patient’s oxygen saturation dropped to 82 percent. She stopped the PCA pump and put the patient on 2 liters of oxygen yet the patient was complaining about severe pain in her hip. Apparently, the patient continued to complained of chest pain and her oxygen level continued the same. The RN called the charge nurse, who is a BSN. She assessed the patient and went through the patient history. Suddenly, she called the rapid response team; meanwhile, she ordered a stat chest x-ray by thinking that patient had a pulmonary embolism and transferred the patient to ICU. Later, we came to know the patient had pulmonary embolism. In this situation, the RN gave the basic treatments according to the knowledge from her experience. On the other hand, the BSN treated the patient from her critical thinking and high level of knowledge, which saved the patient’s life. Good patient care scenario The ADN can handle the critical patient situation very minimally by using her basic knowledge, skills, and experience with the help of other person. However, the BSN can handle the same situation independently with his/her critical thinking. Different level nurses have different roles in a hospital, even though they have same preliminary education about providing forthe patient care. The job expectations, patient interactions and contact are different in perspective of the RN’s and BSN’s duty. Good conclusion . . References Catalano, J.T. (2003).Nursing now: Today’s issues, tomorrow’s trends. Philadelphia: F.A. Davis. Need to put title into italics Competencies and Performance Standards Essential for Nursing Practice.( 2011) St Louis University. Retrieved from http://www.slu.edu/x19905.xml Hollis, Forster, RN (2011) ADN vs. BSN Retrieved from need to include date of retrieval http://nursinglink.monster.com/education/articles/3842-adn-vs-bsn

Following a structured approach Essay

How might following a structured approach to creating sound and strong arguments impact your life? Coercing others to agree with your argument requires sound premises. In life, you come across opportunities to apply this skill. These opportunities may be a promotion at work, a kitchen design your spouse does not agree with, or a plea for mercy from a police officer after you are caught speeding and running a red light in order to get home to meet your children at the bus. How have you begun to use logic as a tool for improving your everyday life? This class was perfect timing for my end of year review at work. We are asked to create a self-review that our supervisors can use to evaluate our performance. A portion of the self-review requires fact based scores attained throughout the year; the remainder is how you performed tasks. In the past, my reviews summed up to a plea for promotion and more money. I was able to apply critical thinking and create premises that are fact based. Above average scores received throughout the year shows my ability to perform my job with excellence. Experience with systems provided an opportunity to train and coach other instructional designers. A company approved pay scale calculated with performance (based on scores) and experience provides evidence for a pay raise. What are your future goals for changing your critical thinking and reasoning skills as a result of what you have learned in this course? I tend to jump into an argument with little to no thought. In this class, I have learned to take time to analyze the information and the opposing argument in order to make my argument deductive, sound, and strong. Jumping the gun leads to false premises with unsupported conclusions. Critical thinking removes clouded premises, attached by emotion that inevitably ends in a weak argu ment.

Would implementing groupware in our organization be more trouble than Case Study

Would implementing groupware in our organization be more trouble than it would be worth - Case Study Example The complexity of data collection, reporting, and analysis can be averted by the effective implementation of Groupware. Although groupware is intended for individuals to access common data and to empower effective communication, there are certain troubles the implementation of groupware can cause. Groupware is supported by the modern computer network technology which includes email, electronic calendar, chat, electronic meeting systems, video conferencing, and web publishing (Nominal Group Technique). The initial challenge is associated with groupware designing because it is more complex than installing a single user system. Most of the organizations confront with problems related to a proper system design and acquisition. It is an area where entrepreneurs need to hire the assistance of some professionals and vendor experts. In addition, the groupware project manager should have up-to-date technical and professional knowledge because system development and implementation are the significant stages where specialized understanding is needed. Conflicts of interests and employee resistance usually occur when the new system is implemented in a conventional form of organization. For instance, as found in a case study, when two innovations were introduced simultaneously, peer review and groupware, individuals became skeptical of the systems (O’Connor 1999, p. 15). To deal with such situations, organization should make an assessment about the acceptability attitude of the managers, staff and other employees prior to the design and development of the project. Management should keep well designed strategies to educate members on the effective usage of the system for attaining common objectives. However, it is assumed that management will often confront with ‘issues of how to reward a given individual for team outcomes’ (O’Connor 1999, p. 16). Another challenge is

Describe and discuss the extent of racism and racial discrimination in Essay

Describe and discuss the extent of racism and racial discrimination in Britain - Essay Example In this context, the development of racial discrimination in Britain is continued; however, the fact that efforts for the control of the phenomenon are also in progress is quite encouraging, proving that the signs for the limitation of racism in Britain are positive, no matter if their results are made visible in the short or the long term. 2. Racism and racial discrimination in Britain background and extent 2.1 Overview of racism and racial discrimination in Britain Immigrants represent an important part of the British population. More specifically, it has been estimated that immigrants across Britain are 4.6 million – in a total population of 60 million (Morris et al. 2007). The research on the living conditions and the daily challenges of these people, revealed that many of them are likely to become ‘victim of a racially motivated crime’ (Easton 2006); in fact, it has been revealed that in 2004, 87,000 immigrants in Britain have faced such problem (Easton 2006) . The above number shows increasing trends; in 2005 the prosecutions for racially motivated offences showed an increase of 28% - compared to 2005 (Easton, 2006). It should be noted at this point that immigrants in Britain have a key influence on the country’s politics, being an important electoral body (McAllister 1984); however, it seems that they are not able of using their power – as described above – in order to secure their rights – reference is made primarily to health, employment and education. In order to identify and understand the extent of racial discrimination in Britain it would be necessary to refer primarily to the framework of discrimination, as developed in the particular country. The elements of discrimination in Britain are made clear through the definition provided by Blackstone et al. (1998). In accordance with the above definition ‘direct discrimination is defined as treating a person less favourably than others on racial groun ds’ (Blackstone et al. 1998, p.37). There is also the case of indirect discrimination which is described as an activity of setting a requirement to which the persons belonging in a particular race are most likely to be able to respond – compared to people belonging to a different race (Blackstone et al. 1998, p.37). The above descriptions, which have been presented by Blackstone as they are included in the Race Relations Act 1976, are particularly important in order to understand the level at which racial discrimination has been developed across Britain. In any case, it should be noted that the issue of racial discrimination in Britain is active for many years – having been started approximately at 1940s – with the pressure then for ‘the settlement of black people in the particular country’ (Rich 1990, p.142). 2.2 Racial discrimination in education, employment and housing Racial discrimination in Britain has many different aspects; it can be identified in the education, the housing and the employment of immigrants, as members of the population. Regarding the relationship between education and immigration, the following issues need to be highlighted: the existence of racism in certain social settings, as for example,

Censorship of pornography Speech or Presentation

Censorship of pornography - Speech or Presentation Example In 1973, the Supreme Court tried to define what could be considered as obscene in the case of Miller v. California. It was held in the said case that pornography is obscene if applying community standards and viewing such material as a whole, (1) the "dominant theme taken as a whole appeals to the prurient interest" (2) that it depicts or describes sexual conduct in a patently offensive way; and (3) that it lacks serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value (Miller v. California 1976). Community standards may have evolved, as more people are becoming more liberated and open-minded. But the average person as a whole still defines what is proper. Pornography injures not just the community but also, the self-respect lost by its subjects. The abuse that it contemplates is not limited to what could be shocking to the conscience of men, but what is proper to humanity. Obscenity is never a matter of individual belief or perception, it is not how one can be impressed or satisfie d by such material, rather, it is the perception of the community as a whole which is genuinely taken. In our modern time where media and the Internet are accessible to every person, even to a child, the State must act upon its authority to provide the sanctity and safety of every individual through regulation.

Marxist Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Marxist Analysis - Essay Example There is Lewis Anderson, an experienced negotiator from the global parent union. Anderson warns the workers to call off the strike since in his opinion, they will not win. Anderson is right; when the employees refuse to compromise, the corporation simply provides their job to replacement employees. The situation was almost identical in the recent Caterpillar strike. American Dream provides a catastrophic picture of a State in which the philosophy of unionism of employees standing by other employees is dying off. The Marxist theories on capitalism comprise the following; a falling rate of profit, a reserve army of the unemployed, business crises, increasing despair of the proletariat, and escalating concentration of industry into few firms. In the Marxian model, the capitalist is the main player in the economic process. The capitalist search for earnings and response to adjusting rates of profits largely explains the dynamics of the capitalist system. In the Marxist model, capitalists rationally and intentionally pursue their economic benefits and implant seeds of their own destruction. According to Marx, capitalism generates undesirable social outcomes, for example, the events depicted in the movie (Marx 762). In the Marxian model, augmented capital accumulation will raise the labor demand. Increase in demand for labor raises the wage rates. Increasing wage rates lead to diminishing surplus value and profits. Marx explains this scenario using the concept of the reserve army of the unemployed. In Marxist view, there is continuously an excess labor supply in the market, which has the influence of lowering wages and maintaining the profits and surplus value positive. In search of profits, capitalists introduce new machines in the production process. Direct unemployment in the reserve army occurs as a result of replacement of employees with new technology (Marx

Cultural issues facing Starbucks Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cultural issues facing Starbucks - Essay Example The socio religious paradigms are important factors that compel the businesses to adapt to new value system of the country of operation. Cyprus is emerging economy and UK is a developed economy that is significant in its increasing changing pattern of multicultural societies with gender equality as major facilitator. The Starbucks outlets in these countries cater to the public in similar manner irrespective of gender, religion, culture or nationality. But in Saudi Arabia, the company’s outlets are divided into separate segment that are designed to cater separately to single males and family units. This is primarily because Saudi Arabia is prominent country of the South East Asia with Islamic culture where single males are not allowed to mix with single women. Thus, separate family unit section in Starbucks allows women to come alone or with friends and family to enjoy coffee. Indeed gender inequality is major difference for changes in format for Starbucks outlet in Saudi Arabi a and other non Islamic countries. Another very important aspect that one experiences is that there are no natives working in Starbucks outlet in Saudi Arabia. In Cyprus and UK, the Starbucks is conscious about diversity and ensures that it employs people from across race, gender, culture and nations.