Motivation and Texas Roadhouse Essay

Ajor challenges are: Retaining a positive working environment, Recognition, and Work performance evaluation. One of the major challenges a manager faces in motivating her employees today as opposed to 50 years ago is retaining a positive working environment. Today, the success of any business is for a manager to provide a positive working environment. This require manager having the abilities, tools, and knowledge to help her understand her employees’ retention needs and be able to implement a retention plan intended to increase employee engagement in the organization. In Noe, Holllenbeck, Gerhart, & Wright (2011), an article written by Texas Roadhouse Resturant states, â€Å"We wanted to provide a place that the whole family could enjoy.† This statement suggests that Texas Roadhouse is a place where the whole family can enjoy great nourishment, in a fun-filled, enthusiastic atmosphere at a reasonable price. In this example, the practice on the culture of Texas Roadhouse involved putting their employees first and this is a key component in their formula for success. Employees who love their working environment tend to give customers better services. On the other hand, if a manager refuse to look after her employees, employees might depict negative work related performances; tardiness or unpunctuality, bad customer service, and even high turnover. Yet, in the cases of Texas Roadhouse Resturant, their technique of motivating employees can be used in other businesses and organizations. For instance, let’s take another look at another statement made by Texas Roadhouse: â€Å"We wanted to provide a place that the whole family could enjoy†¦ we take good care of our employees, they will take care of our customers.† This announcement is part of Texas Roadhouse belief or value. Texas Roadhouse believes in participating with their employees; they understanding their employees’ retention need, requests and values; and they get to know their employees as individuals. If other businesses and organizations follow Texas Roadhouse belief or value (putting their employees first and retaining a positive working environment), then they too will have the tools to motivate their employees, obtain increased job satisfaction and productivity within their organization, and even low turnover. A second major challenge a manger faces in motivating her employees today as opposed to 50 years ago is Recognition. Individuals have a straightforward human need to feel appreciated and proud of their work. Recognition is an alternative method that could be used to motivate workers and make them feel respected and proud of their work. According to Drennan & Richey (2012), when employees achieve a specific task within an organization, they feel that they have accomplished something, and they feel unappreciated when the manager don’t recognize their achievement. In this case, a manager must be clever another to recognize his employees’ achievement. When a manager acknowledges her employees’ achievement, it is highly recommended that the manager congratulate his employees by giving them a round hand of applause for their specific achievement (Strickler, 2006). A manager could also congratulate his employees for their achievement by holding a meeting or company-spon sored social gatherings, or a luncheon to present plaques, trophies or a certificate for their achievement, hard work, and dedication to a job well done. A Third major challenge a manger faces in motivating her employees today as opposed to 50 years ago is work performance evaluation. Manager must consider certain facts about her employees before conducting a work performance evaluation. These facts or facets must include the growing difficulty of finding trained employees; younger employees with different approaches or attitudes about work; diverse groups; and older employees heading toward retirement. If a manager have regular conversations with employees, then, work performance evaluation may not be entirely required (Strickler, 2006). Regular conversation eliminates negative feedback from a performance evaluation which could cause negative responses from the employee. Once again, sometime, performance evaluation is perhaps pointless if a manager have regular conversations with employees. For example, employees will begin to know where they stand when manager create several direct-line of communication with them. Employees become dedicated to their supervisor or manager when the manager began to interact with his employees (Walumbwa & Hartnell, 2011). This interaction could be based on the manager participation in a casual conversation with his employees in the dine room, in the work place, in weekly meeting, or a manager could have a one-to-one conversation with individuals in regards to their work performance In Noe, Holllenbeck, Gerhart, & Wright (2011), an experiment manager knows that when employees have self-assurance in their ability to perform a certain task, they incline to work better, and they feel safe within the organization. This simple means that productivity will increase and employees will have no fear of losing their job because they know where they stand. When the manager has gained the trust and respect of his employees, he can construct a good basic conversation with his employees and talk about their work performance and simply tell them how to maintain the company goals (Walumbwa & Hartnell, 2011). Respect is of the ultimate importance when motivating a person. A person feels unhappy if he is not respected and recognized for his achievements. In other words, motivation shrinks if an important achievement goes undetected.

Dialogue Between Plato and Aristotle Essay

Pluto: No, listen. What I am saying is that the environment or form that we live in is full of unevenness, imperfection and impurity this due to the fact that this form is merely a copy of the ideal world that one would understand once they rise above our physical environment and grasp it intellectually. Aristotle: I understand you just fine but I disagree with you. I agree that our world is an imperfect world but I object to the notion that it is not real or that there is another invisible form out there from which it is cloned. I find that preposterous, everything is right here on earth, physically. Pluto: No. What we see on earth ‘physically’ as you say are just mimics or artificial replicas of the real thing only with a lot of imperfections. This is just an illusion of the real thing. Aristotle: How can that be when our natural world is real and physical? Let me explain it to you clearly, our world, this world is made up of many forms. Sure, they may not be ideal, pure or perfect but our senses identify with them. Pluto: Well, our senses identify with them because they are copies of the perfect form and we have knowledge of them. Let me explain it to you. Knowledge must have as its object that which is openly real as juxtaposed with that which is an appearance only, that which is fully real must be fixed, permanent and unchanging- in the realm of being as opposed to that which is in the realm of physical. That is why you call these world ‘physical’ when it is just a perception from the true ideal form. Aristotle: That is absurd! If experience has shown us anything is that individual substances exist and are real, being predicated of the substance and that an individual is not produced by some idea or model the actually exist! Pluto: Now you have joined people inexperienced in the theory of forms. Captives in a cave, bound to the wall with no likelihood of turning your heads. With fire burning behind you, you can only see the wall of the cave and the shadows of the puppets placed between you and the fire. You are incapable to fathom that the shadows you see and the echoes you hear are a reflection of real objects, behind you. This world that is available to our senses exists only as a reflection of the real world. Aristotle: Here is where I differ to you completely! !An individual is not formed from the perception of another’s  mind but from an individual who through germ or seed was able to reproduce another one hence, the seed in the individual would be in potency form because of its capacity to become an individual in future. Every individual is a compound of matter and form, not a mirror or perception of another from another form. Pluto: That is just how easy it is to mistake appearance for reality, just like the captives in the cave experience, they easily refer to the shadows using the names of the real objects that the shadows reflect. This just shows that knowledge is only a reflection of the real ideas in our minds. What is seen on the earth is an imitation of the real thing. The captives, by looking at the shadows may learn what an item is but this does not enable them to claim that it refers to an object, which they have seen. Likewise, we need the physical objects in order to enable us acquire concepts. Aristotle: So your idea is that we live in an imagined world and that is copied from an ideal world and that the physical items and entities we encounter on our day to day activities and with which our senses identify with are merely there for us to acquire concepts? Pluto: Yes. Exactly! Aristotle: You are not serious! You do realize that the possibility of error forces the mind to determine the truth validity of a given statement. Meaning the intellect must have adequate reasons, which can ensure the proposed judgment conforms to reality. These are the foundation of perfect knowledge, knowledge through causes. Not that we originate from some made up form that we cannot access, but that we originate from an individual. Matter is the indeterminate element, which is unchanging, and form is the force and power shaping and developing the individual. That is a structure of two statements leading to correct reasoning. Pluto: So you object to my whole idea? Aristotle: Completely! It lacks a foundation and crumbles upon itself. Your own argument argues that there is need for physical objects to enable us acquire concepts but your idea is based on an unseen form that cannot be confirmed physically. Pluto: We could argue about it for hours. It’s a stalemate. Aristotle: Seems we have found an impasse, but I win!

Novelist Charles Dickens Essay

What impression does Dickens give of Miss Havisham and Estella in Chapter 8 of â€Å"Great Expectation† and how does he achieve this? The story is set in the Victorian times. It is written by a novelist called Charles Dickens. It is about an orphan called â€Å"Pip†, who is reminiscing on his past. The novel is written in a 1st person narrative perspective. Chapter 8 fits into the rest of the novel because it is about how Pip learns the way of life and the road to being a gentleman. Pip gets into debt and receives money from a childhood acquaintance – Magwitch, an escaped convict. During the novel we not only see Pip’s life we also follow the life of his love, Estella. After falling into debt and running away from the consequences of his reckless actions, Pip realizes that he can no longer be a real gentleman. The first meeting Pip has with Miss Havisham and Estella has a big impact on Pip because it changes his life by showing him exactly how much of a lower class person he is compared to Miss Havisham and Estella. Dickens makes Miss Havisham seem rich, but poor, and scary by the way he describes the outside of her house. He uses irony to describe Miss Havisham’s house, saying that the house â€Å"was of old bricks, dismal and had a great many iron bars to it. † This makes Miss Havisham look scary and the house look broken because the phrase â€Å"had a great many iron bars to it† suggests that whatever is in there, has been locked up and is not allowed out of there. The use of â€Å"old bricks† suggests that the house it tatty and hasn’t been refurbished in a long time. It also suggests that Miss Havisham is poor because if she were rich, she would have gotten the houses bricks fixed. The word â€Å"Dismal† suggests that the house is gloomy and of poor quality. The phrase â€Å"had a great many iron bars to it† could also mean that Miss Havisham doesn’t want to be disturbed and doesn’t want to be involved with the outside world. Dickens also uses Miss Havisham’s room to show the reader that Miss Havisham is of a higher class citizen than Pip. He does this by using phrases like â€Å"all clocks and watches stopped at twenty to nine† and â€Å"dresses lying around† and also â€Å"no glimpse of daylight could be seen†. The phrase â€Å"all clocks and watches stopped at twenty to nine† shows the reader that Miss Havisham might be mentally disturbed because normally people would make sure at least one clock works, but in this case none of the clocks work and all of them happen to have stopped exactly twenty minutes to nine. However, the phrase â€Å"dresses lying around† could suggest that Miss Havisham doesn’t know how to clean and could also suggest that there was once a lot of people there but not anymore. â€Å"No glimpse of daylight could be seen† indicates to the reader that the house is very dark inside and it is abandoned. It could also mean that whatever lives there has been trapped. This is a perfect use of irony because normally a rich person would have a house that didn’t have iron bars on the front and also they would have a tidy, clean and under control house, but although Miss Havisham is rich her house is nothing like what you would expect from a rich and upper class person. Dickens uses the characters to give an impression of Miss Havisham and Estella. He uses sentences like â€Å"Dressed in rich materials† and â€Å"satins, and lace and silks – all of white†, â€Å"Bright jewels sparkled on her neck and on her hands† and â€Å"I had been taken to see some ghastly waxwork†. The phase â€Å"rich materials† implies to the reader Miss Havisham is rich and she can afford the materials that are in her dresses. Also the use of â€Å"satins, and lace and silks – all of white† suggests to the reader that Miss Havisham is a ghostly and spiritless character with no human emotions. The phrase â€Å"Bright jewels sparkled on her neck and on her hands† could also suggest that Miss Havisham is rich because they â€Å"sparkle† and she likes to show off by wearing the jewels on her neck and her hands. However, â€Å"ghastly waxwork† shows the reader that Miss Havisham’s body has not moved for ages and therefore is rotting and therefore it has turned into a waxwork. The word ghastly implies to the reader that Miss Havisham body is informal and unpleasant. The irony is that you wouldn’t expect someone as rich as Miss Havisham to look informal or unpleasant when they have guests. On the other hand the word ghastly could mean that Miss Havisham is ill and can’t afford medical care. One way Dickens makes Miss Havisham look rich but poor at the same time is by the things he says she does. He says she sits in the dark â€Å"corpse like† and that she â€Å"watches Pip and Estella play†. The use of corpse indicates that Miss Havisham is dead. The phrase â€Å"watches Pip and Estella play† suggests that Miss Havisham enjoys watching the children play and that even though she is rich, and therefore should have a nanny for the children, she still doesn’t mind watching the children even if it might affect her social status. However the phrase corpse like could suggest that Miss Havisham isn’t dead but wants to be dead. Dickens also shows the reader that Miss Havisham is of a higher social status than Pip by the way she says things. For example instead of calling him Pip, Miss Havisham calls him â€Å"boy† Also, she says â€Å"Who is it†¦ Pip? † as if she didn’t know it was him that came even though she asked for him to come. The use of â€Å"boy† suggests to the reader that Miss Havisham is of a higher social status than Pip because in the Victorian times a person who is of a higher social status usually didn’t call a person who is of a lower social status by their name. Also, the way Miss Havisham doesn’t recognize Pip even though she asked for him suggests that she doesn’t remember much. However, the use of â€Å"boy† could also suggest that Miss Havisham doesn’t have the decency to call Pip by his name because he is a guest at her house and guests should be treated with respect. Dickens gives the impression that Estella is a good-looking girl and that Pip likes her. He does this by using phrases like â€Å"young lady, who was very pretty† and â€Å"her light came along the dark passage like a star†. â€Å"Young lady, who was very pretty† emphasizes the point that Estella is an attractive girl because the word â€Å"pretty† means pleasing to look at and that is exactly what Pip thinks when he looks at her for the first time. However the use of â€Å"her light came along the dark passage like a star† could suggest that Estella is attractive to look at but is also blinding in a bad way because a star is pretty but if you were close to it or stared at it for a long time it could make you go blind. Dickens gives us the impression that Estella is evil because she â€Å"stands in the dark passageway until called repeatedly† and she â€Å"chucked food at me as if I were a dog† The phrase â€Å"stands in the dark passageway until called repeatedly† indicates that she likes the dark because she is evil and she doesn’t come as soon as she is called, she comes after being called â€Å"repeatedly†. Also, the phrase â€Å"chucked food at me as if I were a dog† suggests that Estella is evil because you would expect a normal person to give food to another person with respect and into their hands but Estella â€Å"chucks† the food at Pip as if he were a â€Å"dog†. Dickens shows us how the upper class liked to insult or find the fault in everything a lower class person does. Estella insults and intimidates Pip as shown by â€Å"I misdealt, as way only natural when I knew she way lying in wait for me to do wrong† and â€Å"she denounced me for a stupid, clumsy labouringly boy†. This shows the reader how Estella had been trained to look for the fault in people and to be cruel. However the use of â€Å"I misdealt, as way only natural when I knew she was lying in wait for me to do wrong† could suggest to the reader that Estella is impatient and can’t be bothered to play with someone who is of a lower social status than her. Dickens describes many feelings of Pip’s which change throughout the visit. This is shown by â€Å"I think she is very pretty† and â€Å"I think she is very insulting†. This is what Pip whispers into Miss Havisham’s ear about Estella. This also shows that he has mixed feelings for Estella. Dickens further describes Pip’s feelings about the visit â€Å"as if I were a dog in disgrace. I was so humiliated, hurt, spurned, offended, angry, sorry – I cannot hit upon the right name for the smart – God knows what its name was – that the tears started to my eyes† and â€Å"as I cried, I kicked the wall, and took a name, that needed counteraction†. This clearly highlights Pip’s feeling to the reader. He feels a huge amount of rage that he cannot even describe it himself. He has never felt in such a way before as he has been insulted and offended about it his natural social state and at the same time has mixed feelings about what he feels for Estella.

Energy saver Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Energy saver - Research Paper Example Literature Review During the 2008 presidential election campaign green energy became an important issue as never before in presidential elections. Both the candidates strongly supported an economy which gave strong support for green energy over fossil energy. The difference lay in that John McCain favored the use of market-based approaches towards this objective Obama emphasized the use of governmental initiatives. (2). Thus progress towards greater use of green energy under the Obama administration would depend on the governmental initiatives put in place and the support levels and success of these initiatives. On Inauguration Day the keenness of the Obama administration can be seen in these words of the White House, â€Å"the energy challenges our country faces are seve3re and have gone unaddressed for a long time. Our addiction to foreign oil doesn’t just undermine our national security and wreak havoc on our environment – it cripples our economy and strains the bud gets of working families all across America. President Obama and Vice President Biden have a comprehensive plan to invest in alternative and renewable energy, and end our addiction to foreign oil, address the global climate crisis and create millions of new jobs. (3, p.64). Words were translated into action by the Obama administration. ... (4). Towards this end the EPA was asked to look into California’s long standing request to set strict tailpipe emissions to restrict the greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, the Department of Transport to develop the regulations to enable the implementation of a 2007 law that required elevated fuel efficiency benchmarks for automobiles and light commercial vehicles by the year 2020. (3). Within the first month of assuming office the Obama administration got the economic stimulus bill passed by Congress. The bill though targeting the severe recession faced by the country, contained several important provisions towards the green energy and environment initiatives. $45 billion within the historic $787 billion bill was meant for energy efficiency, alternate energy programs ad tax breaks towards the use of green energy. $20 billion was set aside for the development of renewable energy power, while $18 billion was meant for environmental projects, and $2 billion towards R&D for ca rbon capture and storage. Tax cuts of up to $7,500 were also provided for those purchasing plug-in hybrid cars. (3). While these initial successes may point to the Obama administration succeeding in its drive towards growing dependence on green energy and lowering dependence on imported oil, the going has become tough, because of the bi-partisan politics involved in it. The Republican party as demonstrated by the John McCain is more oriented to market corrections to lead the way in energy dependence (2). This means that there will hardly any support from the party towards the policy and actions of the Obama administration for increasing use of green energy through government action. This will

A business report about the company called friend Essay

A business report about the company called friend - Essay Example I (David) took the responsibility of finding out solutions to their problems. Therefore a business report is compiled, which itemises each department and issue so that every problem can be studied. After discussion with the owners and then studying their marketing approach, it appears that they have no such plan at all. They believe in advertising through their customers; however it is evident that the customer base is not at all increasing. Their customers might be loyal, but are not good at advertising them. Similarly there is no customer base in the two cafà ©-bars too. Most people only come there by chance. The cafà ©-bars again are not advertised. The saloons and bar both sell different products. It can be established that the products need to be suited for the targeted audience. The saloons can sell Aveda products directly to their customers, to get extra income. The bars too can cut their menu to more focused foods. No advertising is used at all. Publicity to increase sales is missing as well. The fact that local music events are organized at the bars makes it easier to introduce new products. This opportunity needs to be utilized in order to publicise the saloons without any additional cost. Understanding the customer better allows designing appropriate products. The Friends have to understand that they can no longer survive with their current customer base. For example, in the cafà ©-bars the food sure has variety, but no focus. This makes customer less likely to come to the bars. After inquiring for some customers it was noticed that the environment at the saloons was not customer friendly. The services given by the staff aren’t satisfactory, thought the haircuts were good. The overall processes of the business are run on ad-hoc basis, with no planning at all. Processes need to be streamlined and a clear guideline has to be established. Friends can utilise their personal relationship to promote themselves, they can easily make promotional

Federalist paper declaration of independence Essay

Federalist paper declaration of independence - Essay Example s not secured against the violence of the stronger; and as, in the latter state, even the stronger individuals are prompted, by the uncertainty of their condition, to submit to a government which may protect the weak as well as themselves; so, in the former state†. Madison is expressing in this last paragraph the dilemma between majority and minority protection. Too much majority protection, and the society is like an anarchy: The strong form coalitions and rule by force, using the state as a narrowly-concealed bludgeon. But with too much protection for the weak, it is inevitable that â€Å"hereditary or self-appointed authority† take over, and a â€Å"will... independent of society itself† characterized by a social elite will dominate, which is even worse than the majority tyranny leading to the odious state of anarchy. Madison then argues that Rhode Island, without reform in the manner prescribed by the Federalist Papers and the eventual Constitution, is an example of this risk of majority tyranny. â€Å"[I]f the State of Rhode Island was separated from the Confederacy and left to itself, the insecurity of rights under the popular form of government within such narrow limits would be displayed by such reiterated oppressions of factious majorities that some power altogether independent of the people would soon be called for by the voice of the very factions whose misrule had proved the necessity of it†. Thus, Madison is proposing that Rhode Islands governmental form be used as an example to stray away from, lest the Constitution lead to the same risk of anarchy or majority tyranny. The â€Å"will independent of society†, of course, is the risk of going too far away from the pole of majority power, represented by Rhode Island, and towards a regime more like an authoritarian or monarchic one. The whole objective of the Federalist Papers was to craft another solution, a different way of going between the horns of the dilemma: â€Å"[B]y comprehending in the society so

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

Asignment 5 - Essay Example Formatting the proposal letter would also include including final remarks and salutations at the end. For instance, I would conclude the letter by writing ‘yours in service’ followed by restating my position within Artifice and signature. In addition, I would conclude the letter by restating the topic and emphasizing on ethical advantages of joining corporate responsibility officer association. The aforementioned essentials are imperious in maintaining professionalism and avoidance of questions regarding potential mistakes (Anderson 625). I would also ensure that I always restate theme of the proposal letter throughout the essay. Repetition of fundamental points in a proposal letter is essential in reminding readers and audience of its intent. In addition, restating subject of the letter would help sustain patience and provoke readers’ meditation over topic in question. It would also be imperious to employ emotional and present tense language besides using general pronouns. Emotionally persuasive language would entail reminding listeners and readers that they remain fundamental decision makers to whether Artifice would join corporate responsibility officer association. For instance, I would start the initial sentence by writing that ‘I am writing to propose that we as loyal and committed members of Artifice Incorporation join CROA’. It would also be essential to correct grammatical mistakes within the letter for example change Artifice Incorporated to Artifice

Overview of a Luxury Fashion Brand Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Overview of a Luxury Fashion Brand - Essay Example This paper "Overview of a Luxury Fashion Brand" looks at one Burberry as a luxury brand that has been successful despite the challenges that have existed in the fashion market. In this paper an overview of Burberry is given based on its success in the industry. The brand has been outstanding and is defined by the Britishness, independent luxury positioning and heritage as well as history. Compared to other brands in the fashion industry such as Prada, Zara and Ralph Lauren, the brand has been doing fairly well. Burberry is a distinctive global luxury brand that was founded in 1856. The group has a British background. Over the years the company has built a strong and outstanding reputation for innovation, design, and craftsmanship. The group has much focus on outwear, best known for its trench coats. The company designs, produces as well as sell products under the Burberry brand. The company based in London sources its raw materials from UK and other external suppliers it forms networ k with. The content of marketing as well as marketing programs; analogue and digital, are internally designed to promote the brand and product features to the consumers. Being that its products are sold globally through proprietary retail shops as well as third party wholesale customers, the brand needs a strong fashion marketing strategy to counter the competition in the fashion world. Marketing is in fact one of the core corporate functions that keeps the brand at par. The brand has also embraced digital marketing.

Should cigarette smoking be banned Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Should cigarette smoking be banned - Essay Example He gives six reasons for the statement. One of the reasons is that cigarette smoking is harmful and it kills 6million people annually. The inhalable smoke that comes from the tobacco goes into the lungs and it is more dangerous than normal smoking. Cigarette smoking also brings financial burden to the consumers and the treasury. Other hidden costs are the costs of treating people with illnesses that stem from smoking. The tobacco industry has disrupted science. It has eroded human civilization and popular media. Most media houses do not publish a lot of articles about the harmful effects of cigarettes, but they get revenue from advertisements. Cigarette smoking causes air pollution. The last reason is that smoking is not a drug that people should take for fun because it is addictive and it affects people’s decisions. Although the doctor has outlined these reasons in his research, he also points out that prohibition is not effective. The issue of whether to ban cigarette smoking is an enigma. There is still an issue of how effective the ban will be. Some people claim that smoking has some positive aspects like relaxing people and making them feel better. However, the negative effects outweigh the positive

Alternative-Fuel Vehicles Essay Example for Free

Alternative-Fuel Vehicles Essay Atmospheric pollution is a major problem nowadays. So it is important that we should immediately find alternative fuel sources for petroleum and reduce the emission of harmful gases in the atmosphere. This has been the dream of many scientists because this will significantly reduce the emission of carbon dioxide, a green house gas, to the atmosphere. Most of these fuels can be manufactured domestically so I cut the costs of importing from other countries. Some are even derived from renewable sources. Electric cars are now being manufactured globally. Unknown to many, electricity-powered cars came into the automotive scene before its diesel and petroleum counterpart. But due to the limitations of the technology in the past, its development was stopped and diesel cars became the standard car. Most of the problems electric cars faced points to the battery. Batteries were heavy and required recharging. But there are new developments in this technology. A battery now has longer life and comes in much lighter forms. The main drawback of this car is the distance it can travel before the batteries run out. If there are enough recharging stops, like gas stations, the electric car will prove itself as a fuel-efficient and environment-friendly car. Natural gas cars are also gaining popularity. The promise of being able to fuel the car at one’s own home is hard to deny. Honda calls it a personalized solution to the fact that gasoline stations don’t sell natural gas. The Honda model Civic GX is coined as the cleanest internal combustion engine-powered vehicle ever tested by Environmental Protection Agency. However, natural gas is not renewable. A potential advantage of Hydrogen cars is that it can be used over and over again by the process of electrolysis. Although the supply hydrogen is not limited as fossil-fuels, production of such cars doesn’t come at a cheap price. Hydrogen has many advantages if used to fuel cars, but currently it is very expensive. Some car companies offer to convert diesel cars into hydrogen cars, but most of the time the price of conversion is much more expensive than the original price of the car. Also, hydrogen in normal temperature is gas and to be used as fuel it should be squeezed in high pressures so it is somewhat difficult to contain. Fuel cell cars are definitely a technology to watch for. It has the potential to minimize the use of energy while reducing harmful emissions at the same time. What sets it above the others is that it can make its own energy through certain chemical processes. Also, fuel cell cars don’t emit pollutants. But the price is almost the same for hydrogen cars, if not higher. The developments in fuel cells is rather young, it is not yet tested as compared to other alternative fuels, so it would be a risk if we utilize this technology right away. Among these alternative sources of energy, I choose natural gas. The other alternatives may score a higher grade in terms of energy advantage and minimal emission, but they are too expensive. The economy will suffer as we save the environment using Hydrogen, Electric, and Fuel Cell cars. Natural gas is widely distributed around the world. New natural gas reserves are discovered as time pass, it is just waiting for us to harness fuel from it. Most countries will be able to tap their own resources and strengthen one’s economy. The production of cars and fuel supply for natural gas cars is also very feasible compared to the other alternatives. Atmospheric pollution is increasing during each day. And since natural gas is the cheapest, we can immediately put it to use. This is the realistic approach concern the threat of global warming. We put into use something that works and will be a benefit for both the economy and environment. And after we became successful in harnessing natural gas, and the economic condition permits it, it is the time to upgrade to hydrogen or fuel cells and completely eliminate harmful emissions from vehicles.

Clinical Outcome after DMT Discontinuation

Clinical Outcome after DMT Discontinuation Background: Stable disease course may prompt consideration of disease-modifying treatment (DMT) discontinuation in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Objective: To investigate the clinical outcome after DMT discontinuation and to identify predictive factors supporting decision-making. Methods: We included 221 RRMS patients, who discontinued DMT after à ¢Ã‚ ©Ã‚ ¾12months and had documented follow-up à ¢Ã‚ ©Ã‚ ¾2years after discontinuation. Hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) regarding relapse and disability progression after DMT discontinuation were calculated from Cox regression models. Results: Age >45 years at discontinuation (HR=0.47, CI=0.23-0.95, p=0.038), absence of relapses for à ¢Ã‚ ©Ã‚ ¾4years on DMT before discontinuation (HR=0.29, CI=0.10-0.82, p=0.020) and absence of contrast enhancing lesions (HR=0.46, CI=0.28-0.78, p=0.004) were independent predictors of absence of relapse after discontinuation. Age >45years and absence of relapses à ¢Ã‚ ©Ã‚ ¾4years on DMT combined had an HR of 0.06 (CI=0.01-0.44, p45 years and longer disease duration were significantly associated with disability progression after discontinuation. Conclusion: While freedom from further disease activity is generally unpredictable, there is a subset of patients (age à ¢Ã‚ ©Ã‚ ¾45years, DMT intake à ¢Ã‚ ©Ã‚ ¾4years without evidence of clinical or radiological disease activity) having a high likelihood of remaining relapse-free after DMT discontinuation. However, close clinical monitoring for recurrent disease activity is mandatory after discontinuing treatment. MS is an autoimmune, demyelinating, inflammatory neurological disease that develops from a complex interplay of both genetic and environmental factors. The mechanism of demyelination in multiple sclerosis may be activation of myelin-reactive T cells in the periphery. T cells are activated following antigen presentation by antigen-presenting cells such as macrophages and microglia, or B cells. These T cells then express adhesion molecules, allowing their entry through the blood-brain barrier (BBB). These invasive perivascular T cells can secrete proinflammatory cytokines, including interferon gamma and tumor necrosis factor alpha which contribute to the inflammatory processes in the central nervous system. Furthermore, antibodies against myelin also may be generated in the periphery or intrathecally by activated B cells. Ongoing inflammation leads to epitope spread and recruitment of other inflammatory cells (ie, bystander activation). Activated microglia may release free radicals, ni tric oxide, and proteases that may contribute to tissue damage. In summary, MS has 3 characteristic features; Inflammation leading to the infiltration of Perivascular lymphocytes into the central nervous system, demyelination of neurons and the subsequent formation of Central Nervous System lesions (Plaques) The CNS lesions mainly affect the white matter and they are both disseminated in time (DIT) and in space (DIS). White matter help transmit information between regions of grey matter, where the processing occurs. Therefore symptoms of MS are highly dependent on the location of the lesion in the CNS. In 1996, 4 main types of MS were defined, be the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, according to the clinical course of the disorder; Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS) Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (SPMS) Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (PPMS) Progressive Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis (PRMS) The treatments for MS are split into 3 main types that target 3 different aspects of the disease, namely treatments for MS exacerbations/attacks, treatments for specific MS symptoms and treatments to prevent relapses and disease progression. The last group of treatments are the focus of this study. Despite having no cure for MS there are treatments that significantly reduce both the frequency and severity of relapses in some patients and slow the progress of neurological deficits in MS. These are called Disease Modifying Therapies(DMT). The goal of these therapies is to decrease the extent of damage and scarring to the myelin sheath associated with relapse and in doing so prevent the progression of disease and are especially useful for patients with RRMS. This study focuses on the first line injectable treatments, Beta interferons and Galatiramer Acetate. Interferon beta balances the expression of pro- and anti-inflammatory agents in the brain, and reduces the number of inflammatory cells that cross the blood brain barrier therefore it also improves nerve regeneration. Galatiramer acetate resemles myelin basic protein, thus acting as a decoy for the immune system to target and in doing so protects the myelin surrounding axons in the CNS. Despite their usefulness, DMTs are not suitable for all MS patients due to their side effects. Thus they are only prescribed to patients with RRMS or SPMS who meet certain criteria. Specifically, Beta interferon give rise to headache, chills, fever and pain and redness at injection site while, Glatiramer acetate results in redness and hardening of skin at injection site and rarely palpitations or flushing after injection. Due to these many side effects many patients who experience few or no relapses over a long period of time and have a stable disease course frequently enquire if they can discontinue their DMT without the risk of relapses coming back and the disease and disability progression of MS getting worse. Therefore this study was designed as an observational cohort study that aimed to understand the effects of discontinuation of DMTs on the primary and secondary endpoints; occurrences of relapses after discontinuation of DMTs and disability progression after discontinuation o f DMTs respectively and thus and thus provide predictive criteria that may help clinicians and patients make the decision to discontinue DMTs 0-What is the research question? What is the Primary Outcome? The primary outcome of the study is understanding the effects of discontinuation of DMTs on the primary and secondary endpoints; occurrences of relapses after discontinuation of DMTs and disability progression after discontinuation of DMTs respectively. What are the Secondary outcomes? The secondary outcome of the study was to use and analyse the findings derived from outcome one to discern any factors that would minimize the adverse effect of discontinuation of DMTs and thus provide predictive criteria that may help clinicians and patients make the decision to discontinue DMTs. Is the research question clear and properly addressed? Yes it is as the paper aims to answer the question of whether discontinuation of DMTs in patients with RRMS would largely affect the clinical outcomes in any adverse manner and through that discern any predictive factors that may help clinicians and patients make the decision to discontinue DMTs. 1 Are the methods valid? 1a Details of Assignment of patients Are the inclusion and exclusion criteria clear? Patients for the study were selected form the Innsbruck MS database (IMSD), which contained 1708 patients, through a careful screening process. The exclusion criteria included patients with PPMS or SPMS, patients who received DMT for less than 12 months, patients who discontinued DMT for less than 6 months, patients with less than 2 years of follow up available and patients with a documented pregnancy during the follow-up period. After all these exclusion criteria were applied, the patients who still remained were included in the study, thus 221 patients were included in the study Was randomisation done properly? Randomising before the aforementioned selection process selection process could have influenced the decisions about eligibility and introduced a source of bias and if a large number of randomly selected patients turned out to be ineligible it would have led to a very small sample size and thus significantly lowered the power of the study. Randomisation after the aforementioned selection process was not carried out for this study since this study was designed as an observational cohort study and all the patients in the inclusion list were discontinuing DMTs due to one of 3 reasons indicated in the study; namely adverse events, patients decision (including desire of pregnancy) or (3) stable disease course (subjectively defined by the treating physician and/or patient). Randomisation would have been more essential in a case control study that compared the effects of DMT discontinuation in one group against a matched control group of MS patients who continued taking DMTs. This is explored further in the future works section as a possible continuation from and improvement on this study. Was assignment concealed from Drs? (at the assignment stage) Due to the fact that the study was designed as an observational cohort study and the highly specific inclusion criteria the assignment was not concealed from Drs. Was the sample size big enough? The sample size for this study comprised all the 221 patients in the inclusion list. This was a relatively small sample size for a cohort study. However considering the large numbers of exclusion criteria and the fact that the study focused on a specific subset of MS patients; namely patients with RRMS who were being treated with either Interferon Beta or Galactemer Acetate for more than 12 months, who are not pregnant and had a greater than 2 year follow up, the study does have a high predictive power. For this subset of MS patients the studys results provide a good predictive power yet this does not extend to any MS patients outside this subset. The usefulness of this study is further undermined by the fact that just a month before this was published a similar study was done by the MSBase Registry with a case control design looking at 426 DMT stoppers, which is almost double the sample size in this study thus providing a far larger power. 1b Accounting for patients entered into the trial How complete was the follow up? The median follow up period was 3.8 years with maximum follow up period being 26.9 years and minimum follow up being 2 years. How were patients lost to follow up dealt with? As part of the exclusion criteria, patients who were lost to follow up either due to discontinuation of DMT for less than 6 months or because patients had less than 2 years of follow up available or because patients had a documented pregnancy during the follow-up period were excluded from the study and thus also excluded from the calculation on the results of the study. How were patients not receiving assigned treatment (non-compliers) dealt with ? During the follow up period 69 of the 221 patients restarted DMTs after the 6 month cutoff imposed in the exclusion criteria. If DMT was restarted during this observation period, the primary endpoint was considered to be reached at the time point of reinitiation of DMT and thus the patients were still used for calculating the final results. Is there likely to be residual bias because of any of the above? Since data for the study was collected retrospectively at the first visit this does introduce a potential source of bias due to the lack of data completeness for some variables. Moreover, since this study was not conducted in a case control manner there is a possibility that important unmeasured variables could have had a confounding effect on the observed results. However, since data was collected prospectively from then on it serves to minimize any sources of residual bias by attempting to correct for any confounders. The fact that all the patients were selected from the Innsbruck MS database, which mainly represents the demographics of western Austria and its geographical catchment areas and the fact that there was no randomization carried out also introduces a potential source of selection bias and restricts the predictive power and usefulness of this study 1c Blinding How far was it carried out for patients, doctors, other study personnel? In this study blinding was not carried out as all eligible patients in the inclusion list underwent the same intervention which was the discontinuation of DMT. Furthermore, the fact that this study was designed as an observational cohort study meant that blinding was not entirely necessary 1e Apart from experimental intervention were the groups treated equally? Apart from the discontinuation of DMTs all the other decisions about the patients care was left up to their respective doctors and any MS specific interventions or healthcare concerns, such as pregnancies, were noted in the regular follow ups. 2. What are the results? 2a Were outcomes measured in a standard valid reliable way ? The primary and secondary endpoints of this study were the occurrences of relapses after discontinuation of DMTs and disability progression after discontinuation of DMTs respectively. A relapse was defined as patient-reported symptoms or objectively observed signs typical of an acute central nervous system (CNS) inflammatory demyelinating event, current or prior to the visit, with duration of at least 24 hours in the absence of fever or infection, separated from the last relapse by at least 30 days.27 Disability progression was defined as a confirmed EDSS increase in 0.5 sustained for 6months. MRI was only included in analysis if performed within a maximum of 6months prior to discontinuation of DMT (MRI at discontinuation) and if there was another MRI available for comparison performed 1-24months prior to MRI at discontinuation (MRI before discontinuation). MRI parameters obtained were increase in T2 lesion load and presence of gadolinium-enhancing lesions. Increase in T2 lesion load was defined as à ¢Ã‚ ©Ã‚ ¾1 either new or size-enlarged T2 lesion in MRI at discontinuation compared to MRI before discontinuation. 2b Are results comparable at different sites ? These crietria for measurement and reporting of data helped standardize the measurement of the outcomes among the multiple study sites. 2c How large was the treatment effect ? Relapses Primary Outcome: Bivariate testing showed a correlation between absence of relapses after DMT discontinuation and younger age at discontinuation (r=à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢0.352, p There was no association with disease duration (p=0.327). Secondary Outcome: ROC analyses indicated best possible cutoff values of 45 years for age at discontinuation (sensitivity: 65%, specificity: 85%) and 4 years for duration of DMT intake without a relapse (sensitivity: 60%, specificity: 81%) 14/56 (25%) patients aged à ¢Ã‚ ©Ã‚ ¾45 years at discontinuation suffered a relapse after discontinuation of DMT compared to 84/165 (50.9%) of patients Age >45 years and absence of gadolinium-enhancing lesion before discontinuation of DMT were found to be independent predictors of absence of relapse after discontinuation of DMT, each about cutting the risk for future relapse in half. Absence of relapses for a period of 4 years or longer on DMT reduced the risk of future relapse to under a third. Sex and EDSS at discontinuation did not have any significant impact. Patients aged >45 years with absence of relapses for a period of 4years on DMT had a cumulative hazard ratio (HR) of 0.06 (CI=0.01-0.44, p Disability Progression Primary Outcome: Bivariate analysis exhibited a statistically significant correlation between disability progression and EDSS at discontinuation (r = 0.212, p = 0.002), disease duration (r = 0.172, p = 0.004) and age at discontinuation (r = 0.123, p = 0.042), but not for duration of DMT, occurrence of relapses on DMT and presence of gadolinium-enhancing lesions. Secondary Outcome: After inclusion of these variables in a multivariate cox regression model, higher EDSS at discontinuation, age >45 years at discontinuation and longer disease duration were the only significant independent predictors of disability progression after discontinuation. Patients aged à ¢Ã‚ ©Ã‚ ¾45 years with absence of relapses for a period of 4 years on DMT did not have a significant reduction in their risk for disability progression How precisely is it measured (95% CIs)? Categorical variables were expressed in frequencies and percentages, parametric continuous variables as mean and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) and nonparametric variables as median and range. Comparisons regarding primary and secondary endpoints were made by bivariate correlations (Kendalls tau) and Fishers exact or chi-square tests as appropriate. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses were conducted to define the best possible cut-off values of continuous variables for prediction of the primary endpoint. Survival analyses were performed using cox regression models for comparison of prognostic factors over time and assessment of possible confounders. A two-tailed p-value 2d What is the clinical significance of the results and how precisely is it measured?  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   The secondary outcome of this study has a higher clinical significance than the primary outcome. The results show that 3.   Are the results applicable to your patient(s)? 3a Are your patients similar to the study patients? 3b Were all the outcomes that are of interest to your patients considered in the trial? 3c Are the benefits worth the potential harms and costs? In the future a different study design can be used to tackle the same research question. A further case control study, like the one done by the MSBase Registry, that compared the effects of DMT discontinuation in one group against a matched control group of MS patients who continued taking DMTs could be carried out to minimize any effects of confounders and biases that may have affected the results of the cohort study. A future cohort study could include a larger sample size that would be more representative of a larger proportion of the patients with MS. Choosing from a more diverse patient demographic would also provide a greater amount of predictive power over the cultural diverse population of MS patients that are found in the local London boroughs. A similar study could be repeated with a fully prospective design so as to eliminate any selection biases that may have arisen due the retrospective nature of initial data collection. Furthermore, the retrospective nature of this study also led to only 168 of the 221 selected patients having MRI data available within 6 months before discontinuation of DMT thus reducing the predictive and representative power of many conclusions derived from MRI comparison data. Thus, more detailed and complete analysis using MRI data could have been obtained if the study was designed to be entirely prospectively conducted without the retrospective data collection. Focus on newer DMTs Since this study only focused on the first line DMTs which only account for a portion of the RRMS patients receiving DMT future work can focus on the other available newer DMTs. The data on the post-injectable DMT disease course may not be generalisable to the newer agents thus it is essential to conduct DMT discontinuation studies on other oral or intravenous DMTs available to patients which have a larger range of side effects and arguably have more severe side effects. Furthermore even though this study provides some predictive criteria that may help clinicians and patients make the decision to discontinue DMTs, To definitively answer the question about safety of DMT discontinuation in this patient subset, a randomised trial is required. The first randomised DMT discontinuation trial in MS is was scheduled to start recruitment in 2016 and its findings should provide more conclusive evidence about the safety and viability of DMT discontinuation in the patient subsets identified in this study both in terms of number of relapses and disability progression.

Essay --

As children play in the dirt, run through the grass, climb trees, build cars and castles, scribble on paper, or sing songs they are developing learning skills that many are unaware. Many people mistake play as uselessness but through Piaget’s developmental stage theory he shines light on such activities and how each stage enhances children’s learning outcomes throughout life. In this paper I want to look at Piaget’s stage theory definition, identify and describe the developmental characteristics of the preoperational stage, his ideal of how a four year old classroom should be set up for activities that will enhance children’s developmental learning and explore one activity for each developmental domain. Jean Piaget was a developmental psychologist that studied how children flourish and the process of how they learn. Throughout his study he followed many children and performed many test trying to provide facts and proof on how children learn best. Through many trial and errors Piaget came up with the stages of cognitive development which he broke down into four sub-stages. These stages are: 1. Sensorimotor stage that ranges from age birth to two where the baby begins learning through his senses and body control. 2. Preoperational stage starts around age two through seven when the child enters pre-school level, begins talking in two word sentences and is beginning to experience â€Å"a more complete understanding of object permanence where the child's image-based thinking improves and develops with a capacity called representation and de-centration in which the child advances from centration to a more objective way of perceiving the world.†(para.1) 3. Concrete operational stage is from age seven till eleven which expends on the pre-oper... ... sticks. When the activity is done it leaves a hardened textured surface and you can see bits of yellow showing through. During this activity you can discuss the different shapes of the moon, where the moon light comes from and what the moon is made of. Throughout Piaget’s studies he focuses on how children develop intellectually as well as perceive the world around them. His ultimate goal was to shed light on young children’s development in which he grouped into stages to help encourage developmentally appropriate activities. Piaget’s wanted to make sure that as educators each child was being taught within their realm of knowledge and environmental appropriate settings. Through his teaching young children are being taught by hands on experiences that includes regulated time of structured teaching, self-selected activities, physical activities and proper rest time.

A Weird Experiece :: Personal Narratives Violence Crime Essays

A Weird Experience We were a threesome that late winter. Friday afternoons when Thomas got home at a decent hour he called on the intercom and I went down the hall to their apartment for drinks. Sometimes when he was late Krystal knocked on my door and asked me to come on down and keep her company. Later we might go out to dinner. Or we skipped dinner and just talked and listened to music. Sometimes on Saturdays he took his car and we drove down the Jersey shore or up the Hudson Valley or to Connecticut. Once we went out to The Hamptons where they were looking for a vacation house. Our friendship lasted exactly three months. A lucky number, Krystal said of the three of us. The perfect number. Thomas Milton was an investment banker. After getting his Masters from Harvard Business School, he'd returned to New York to a major firm and at 32 years old had already made $100 million, or close to it. Thomas was tall, handsome, charming—and Jamaican. His beautiful photo model wife, Krystal, was Dominican and rich in her own right. The Miltons had just bought and were remodeling a penthouse in a nearby Central Park West apartment building and would soon be moving from the cooperative. :: Inevitably we ended up talking about what I was calling in those days the great American divider—the color line. Not that Thomas and Krystal initiated our discussions; they said race didn't matter. No, it was I, the white liberal for whom race does matter, who turned an everyday conversation into a social study. I think they were embarrassed at my endless talk about such an immutable situation—they were black and basta, as Thomas once said soon after we met. And in general, he said, people are racists. That's just the way things are. Yet with each racial affront encountered, with each new racist attack reported on TV, with each new case of police humiliation, I returned to the attack. Relentless, I forced them to participate. How long, I asked piously, this chasm between whites and blacks? Why the fears? Why the silence? I often asked that winter why race had to change our relationship? Change everything? And deprive me of what I above all needed—their respect. One evening after a number of cocktails in the sprawling salon of their big 10th floor apartment I asked them point blank what it was like being black here in the city.

Disagreement with Sigmond Freuds The Future of an Illiusion Essay

To a certain extent I can agree with Freud’s views on natural instinct. Without manmade laws and â€Å"coercion† or rules that are presented by God, civilization would not survive or even have been born. Yet, as is the case with many other people, I disagree with his views on religion. I do not believe that religion was created by man, but by a higher being. It is impossible for me to believe that science will destroy religion because for every question science answers many more questions arise. The more science reveals about nature the more apparent it is to me that only a higher being could have created everything. As Freud states I am one of the unpersuadable. Civilization is not only made by technological development but also by a set of rules. The rules remove man’s foul instincts such as â€Å"killing, incest, and cannibalism†, which are the elements that work to destroy civilization. Without guidelines or laws our actions would be the same as those of wild animals. Freud says that these laws and doctrines were established so that we could unite and band against the our enemy nature. Imposing laws upon people is a necessary element, yet it causes people to resent this coercion away from their natural instincts. After being forced against their will these people begin to hate civilization but at the same time they continue to love it because it provides them with their necessities to live. Freud calls the people the â€Å"masses† because they are the majority of civilization. He says that they are ignorant and lazy, because of this, it easy for them to lapse back to instinctual behavior and into the chaos of nature. "Name" 2 Freud says civilization is founded on religion. For example, T... ...Union of Soviet Socialist Republics is a good example of Freud’s envisioned civilization. Instead relying on a higher being, the state "name" 4 was to meet all of the people’s needs. When the country failed economically, there were generations of atheists with no belief system to guide them. This country collapsed because of many reasons but one of them could be the lack of religion. After reading The Future of an Illusion I wondered why Freud was so strongly set against God. Instead of basing his beliefs on faith, he invested himself in the scientific method. Since he could not conduct experiments that led him to the answer, he concluded that it was impossible for a God to exist. Maybe science will one day explain the phenomenona of today, but there will always be unanswered questions. A discovery will only lead to more questions.

The natural underground space

Caves and CavernsA cave or cavern is the natural resistance infinite which is large plenty for human to come in. Most people suggest the term cave ought to use merely in pits with some parts non having the daytime, though in the usual use, the term involves smaller infinites such as stone shelters, sea caves and grottos ( John 20 ) . Speleology is the scientific discipline of survey and geographic expedition of the full facets of caves and its environment which encompasses the caves. Researching cave for scientific discipline or diversion can be referred to us potholing, undermining or caving in Canada and United States. Formation and development of caves is referred to us speleogenesis. Caves are formed by several geologic procedures which may include combination of chemical procedures, tectonic forces, and eroding from H2O, force per unit area, micro-organisms, atmospheric force per unit area and sometimes delving. Many caves are formed in limestone through disintegration. Solutional caves occur often and organize in stone that is soluble like limestone though it can besides organize in other stones which involve dolomite, chalk, salt, marble and gypsum ( George et al. 9 ) . The stone is dissolved by natural acid in the belowground H2O which seeps through the bedding-planes, articulations and mistakes. Over geological clefts of epochs enlarge to organize caves or cave systems. The biggest and most plentiful solutional caves are available in limestone. The limestone dissolves due to action of groundwater and rainwater charged with the carbonaceous acid ( H2CO3 ) and of course happening organic acids. The procedure of disintegration signifiers a typical landform called karst, characterized by belowground drainage and swallow holes ( John 29 ) . The limestone caves are normally adorned with formations of Ca carbonate produced through gradual precipitation. These involve stalactites, flowstones, stalagmites, sodium carbonate straws, helictites and columns. The secondary mineral mopess in caves are referred to us speleothems. The parts of solutional cave which are beneath the H2O tabular array or local degree of groundwater gets flooded. The most stunningly decorated cave in the universe are considered to be the Lechuguilla Cave in New Mexico†¦ ( George et al. 26 ) . Primary cave is the name given to caves which form the same clip with environing stone. The Lava tubings are occur through volcanic activity are form the most common primary caves. Lava flows downhill before the surface cools and so solidifies†¦ ( John 32 ) . As the hotter lava returns to run under crust, amongst most liquid lava beneath the crust, the hollow tubing stays therefore organizing a pit. Examples of those caves are found on Hawaii, Canary Islands and assorted other topographic points. Lava caves Lava caves include though non limited to lava tubings. There are other caves which occur through volcanic activity and affect the lava cast caves, rift caves, inflationary caves, and unfastened perpendicular volcanic conduits. Sea caves or littoral cave are found along the seashores in the universe. A particular instance is the littoral caves, which are formed through wave action in failing zones in sea drops. Normally these failings are mistakes though they can be butchs or bedding-plane contacts ( George et al. 34 ) . A figure of the wave-cut caves are presently above the sea degree due to the ulterior upheaval. Corrasional or erosional caves are formed entirely by eroding through fluxing watercourses taking off stones and other deposits. They form in all types of stones including the difficult stones lie the granite. There is normally some failing zones steering H2O like articulations or mistakes†¦ ( John 2009 ) . While glacier caves form in ice and under glaciers and signifier through runing. They are besides influenced via the flow of ice, which tend to cover up the caves once more ( George et al. 34 ) .Plants CitedJohn Burcham. Learning about caves ; how the caves are formed. Journey into the astonishing Caves project belowground. hypertext transfer protocol: //www.amazingcaves.com/learn_formed.html. Retrieved September 8, 2009. Biospeleology ; the Biology of Caves, Karst, and Groundwater, by Texas Natural Science Center, the University of Texas at Austin and the Missouri Department of Conservation. Lynn Poole, Gray Johnson Poole. Deep in caves and caverns. Dodd, Mead, 1962. Original from The University of CaliforniaDigitized7 Nov 2007, Length158 pages. Ron Schultz, Nick Gadbois, Peter Aschwanden. Looking inside caves and caverns. Nick Gadbois, Peter Aschwanden. John Muir Publications, 1993 George William Moore, Gerardus Nicholas Sullivan, National Speleological Society. Speleology: the survey of caves. Speleologia ( Zephyrus Press ) . Zephyrus Press, 1978, Original from the University of CaliforniaDigitized8 May 2009. The narrative of caves. Doubleday, 1956, Original from the University of Michigan Digitized 11 Oct 2006

Why Do Ads Target Children?

Why do Ads Target Children? Have you ever been in an isle of a store and heard, but mom I really want this I saw it on television? This is a product of advertising. Since the late 1980’s children have emerged as a key demographic to marketers. Advertisements selling everything from the latest video game to the newest automobile are now targeted to the youth of our world. Children have buying power that sways their parents’ purchases, and they are the future consumer. Marketing to children is creating the children’s ability to nag a parent into purchases. Nagging or â€Å"Pester Power† is the most used strategy in the market today. The theory behind this is rather than going straight to the parent, give the child the buying power. Children are much more persuasive in the middle of a shopping trip than that commercial the parent heard two hours ago. Children often get their â€Å"wants† based on their persistence of needing a product. If someone asks you whether you want a Coke or Pepsi, you immediately know you're being asked about a carbonated cola beverage — with distinct yet subtle differences between the two. Which ever brand you choose, Coke or Pepsi shows that somewhere along the line you developed a preference for that product. In Advertising it is called product loyalty. Marketers use Repetition of products children have no current use for such as a Ford Truck to build brand recognition in hopes that as an adult they will buy that Ford verses the Chevrolet. It also works with things such as Cake mixes. A child watches the Betty Crocker cake mix ad, nags the parent into buying and using the product. Then in turn buys the product as an adult based on their experience as a child. The Market has seen a new angle to encourage children to buy brand X over the competitor’s product. Many schools have lost funding due to our economic downfall. So advertisers such as Campbell’s soup have come up with campaigns such as â€Å"Labels for Education†. Basically you buy their product. Send in the label and earn stuff for your school. This gives both children and parents a creditable reason for buying the product. Corporations are also gaining access to advertise in public schools in exchange for materials. Frito Lay will sponsor events in schools in exchange for tagging their logo n flyers advertising the event. Children are easily influenced by things they see. Nine times out of ten a child will pick the cereal with Hannah Montana on the box over the box that she’s not on. Since the days of radio children have been introduced to the idea that if I want to be a star I should eat the same cereals that the stars’ eats. The use of role mode ls and celebrities to influence children is used everywhere. If it is meant for the use or consumption of a child you will most likely find a celebrity attached to it. On average there are three televisions and one computer in every home. So it is no wonder how advertising can reach so many children. Just a child sitting down to do some school researches can be inundated with hundreds of advertisements in an hour’s time. A half hour television special contains at the least 10 minutes of commercials. Just about everywhere you look someone is trying to sell something. Although, children have no direct income of their own we often overlook their buying power. In today’s busy world parents have tendency to buy more to satisfy their children. From candy bars to flat screens never underestimate the buying power of a whining child.

Critical Essay †“By any other name” by John Lavin Essay

In the short story â€Å"By any other name† written by John Lavin, the theme of relationships is developed throughout the story by Lavin’s choice of language and descriptive writing. By looking at Lavin’s chosen setting and characterisation in the story, I will examine the theme of relationships. The story is set in the slums of Glasgow around the 1930’s is about a boy called Peter and his fight for survival with his parents in very poor conditions. To examine the theme of relationships it is important to examine the setting of the story. The setting Lavin created and how they get on with each other affect the characters. Due to a rapid growth in urbanisation, overcrowding and poor living conditions were very common. â€Å"Disease and death and want stalked through the sunless hovels† The use of personification here offers the reader an insight into the terrible conditions that many had to endure this period of time. It also shows how poor the family were. â€Å"Smell of cats and sickness and primitive drainage† This creates a very filthy image of the area they lived in. It also gives the reader the shock factor. I also feel that it puts a very hard strain of the family has they have to live in such horrible conditions. Peter does not get on very well with his father and they don’t have a very good relationship with each other. â€Å"He was always drunk just as I was always hungry† This shows that Peter’s father spent all the family’s money on drink and since they had no money they could not afford to put no food on the table. I also feel this shows that Peter had no respect for his father and also resented that his dad spent all the money. â€Å"I still fell pity I had for him, the only emotion he ever stirred in me† This gives the me the reader an insight into the feelings Peter had for his father. Peter I think felt sorry but had no real admiration for him, as he was always drunk and never really cared for him. â€Å"A mangled thing† Here Peter is talking about his father. This is a very impersonal thing to say about your father but this was true in Peter’s case. I also feel this shows that Peter lack any sort of emotion. Peter had a very good relationship with his mother. â€Å"My mother had the loveliest hair I ever saw† I feel this shows that Peter shows a lot of affection for his mother and that he loves her dearly. He also I think admires her for putting up with his father and the terrible living conditions that they had to endure. â€Å"Grey autumn day† I feel that his sets the tone for his mother’s death as she died from TB. I also think that his conveys very well how Peter feels, as he is now all alone as he does not get on with his father. Peter’s parents did not have a very good relationship. â€Å"They seldom spoke† They did not have any real conversations. The short sentence I feel sums up and emphasize how poor their relationship was. I think John Lavin has done a great job of convey the theme of relationships between family members.   

Every Text Has Its Use By Date Essay

I think the idea of every text having a use by date is incorrect and I will therefore argue against the topic. There are a few things which can help to keep texts from ever having their use by date and as a result proving my argument. For example, texts, such as Macbeth, can always be changed slightly and interpreted differently to make them interesting time and time again, for old and new audiences. Also, just because a text was written a long period of time ago doesn’t mean that it still won’t be interesting, as the events and themes in it can still be relevant to the current time and its happenings. One of the main reasons that proves that texts don’t have a use by date is the fact that an older text can involve events or ideas that are relevant to modern audiences’ daily lives. Some of the ideas explored in Macbeth are ambition, guilt, greed, cruelty, hostilities between good and evil, the rule of leader, the purpose of human existence and supernatural happenings. These all tie in with peoples every day life. For example, ambition was a major factor in Macbeth and plays an important role in practically everyone’s daily life. In Macbeth it was ambition that drove Macbeth to commit the acts that he did and in modern times business is becoming more and more competitive in today’s society so as a result ambition, and its destructive nature, becomes more of an issue. Also, the idea of hostilities between good and evil, order and disorder and the rule of a leader, which are major components of Macbeth, are relevant to the military action in the Iraq War which has affected a lot of the world. These and other ideas interest people from all time periods as some, if not all, of these ideas will affect them. Another main reason that shows a text doesn’t have a use by date is the fact that they can always be appropriated. Appropriation is when something old is turned into something new. In this case it would be taking an old text and changing it to suit a modern audience, usually by making a film version. For example, in one instance the Shakespearean text â€Å"Romeo and Juliet† was turned into a movie that used only the plot of the original text and used the settings of modern life and a modern script which allowed the audience to relate to more to the film. This is a perfect example of the fact that a text which is hundreds of years old can still be entertaining. When a movie is appropriated it can appeal to a wider audience, as not everyone likes or understands the style of writing used to write the original text. If texts are appropriated in this way they will continue to entertain audiences and as a result, never end up having a use by date. A film version of an older text, especially a Shakespearean one, can be very effective in delivering the original to text to a wider audience. A film version makes the text easier for the audience to understand as it provides visual images to help them realize what’s actually going on and what the characters are saying, as a lot of people wouldn’t fully understand what was being said when the old English style of writing, that Shakespeare uses, is used. New interpretations also help to keep texts and their film versions interesting to new audiences and audiences that have seen it before. In Polanski’s version of Macbeth Polanski decided to add a scene, which wasn’t in the original text, into the movie. He also changed the way things happened in some of the scenes, for example, when Macbeth returns to the witches, instead of the apparitions appearing he sees completely different visions that give him warnings and predictions. Another reason to further show that texts don’t have a use by date is the point that just because a text is old doesn’t mean it’s not entertaining or interesting to modern readers. Texts such as Macbeth and many other of Shakespeare’s plays are still regarded as some of the best plays ever written even though they were written hundreds of years ago. In some cases, audiences may find these texts interesting and entertaining because they’re written in an old style of English which is no longer used. When this is the case it clearly shows that the idea of texts having a use by date as incorrect. In conclusion, I think that the points presented sufficiently prove that well written texts do not have a use by date. If a text is well written it will continue to be valued no matter how old it is. Especially due to the fact that, just because a text is old doesn’t mean it’s no longer interesting to modern audiences.

Labor Relations and employee relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Labor Relations and employee relations - Essay Example After defining the two terms unions and labor it's easier to understand what type of relationship exists between the two. A union tries to combine the problems of the labor force and present it in front of the management to increase the weight age of the problem as a whole. The unions and labor should go along incase mutual benefits are expected. If members of the labor force does not collaborate with each other than a union is useless. If unions need to succeed they need to have large memberships. Labor unions can make organizations accept their demands by negotiating and if that doesn't work out then the strength of the unions determines whether a strict action like going on a strike or abandoning work can be taken. Labor unions also try to make the organization help labor in their bad times for example if a labor worker has a family member suffering from a disease that is expensive to cure than the organization can help that person financially if the labor union puts pressure on t he management. Effects of labor union relationship can be diverse for an organization. Collective bargaining has seen a decline in the US workplace lately. In the beginning when unions started to operate studies proved that they have no effects on financial improvements of an organization in fact they proved to be negatively affecting an organizations performance. These results were denied later as newer studies showed opposite results even though collective bargaining was on a decline. Hence effects of labor unions can be different for different organizations depending upon the situation and atmosphere of the organization. Ans. B The effects of employee relations' strategy, policies and practices have been huge on organizational performance but here we will highlight the most relevant and important ones. Employee relations' strategy is basically created and implied to make the work environment friendlier and to make the employees collaborate with each other and work as a team when needed. The effects of employee relations' strategies, policies and practices should obviously be positive on the organizational performance. The previous sentence states a fact but situation and atmosphere of an organization can alter this fact. Other factors that can change this fact include the type of strategies, policies and practices that are being implied. For example if the organization favors group work and has employee relations strategies, policies and practices based on these concepts than organizational performance can improve if team work or group work is given more opportunities in the daily operations, but in the sam e way if groups and teams are not made properly or the groups or team members are unable to co-operate which each other due to some reasons than the organizational performance can decline. In the same way if an organization follows the individualistic approach in its workplace and strategies that are based on this concept are implied then a worker would find it difficult to work effectively if teams or groups are made hence the organizational performance would decline and if he is made to do work alone and given proper incentives individually then his performance would improve resulting in the improvement of organizational performance. In the same way if the employee relations strategies, policies and practices are changed then a quick adoption is impossible hence it does affect organizational performance and usually it's in a negative manner. Changing employee

Causes of Failures of Construction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Causes of Failures of Construction - Essay Example As the paper discusses  the difference between procedural failures and technical failures is that the former happen because of human errors while the latter occur because of physical proximate causes. In a vast majority of cases, technical failures are an outcome of the procedural failures. Procedural failures include but are not limited to the problems of communication between the parties involved in the project, and lack of resources. On the other hand, technical failures include such circumstances as settlement of the structure because of inadequate soil compaction.   This paper discusses the administrative causes of failure in the construction projects. Administrative causes of failure of a construction project are fundamentally controlled by the project management. Management’s ability to cope with both the internal and external factors of risk for a certain construction project plays a decisive role in determining the success of a project. Causes of failure of construction projects discussed in this paper include human and organizational aspects and change management with referral to certain case studies.  Canyon Views Project is a project of construction of villas in DHA Phase II Extension, Islamabad, Pakistan. Bridgestone Construction Company has served as the general contractor on this project.  One reason for the delay of accomplishment of milestones is the frequency of change of project managers of the general contractor.  ... Management’s ability to cope with both the internal and external factors of risk for a certain construction project plays a decisive role in determining the success of a project. Causes of failure of construction projects discussed in this paper include human and organizational aspects and change management with referral to certain case studies. Case Study: Canyon Views Project Canyon Views Project is a project of construction of villas in DHA Phase II Extension, Islamabad, Pakistan. Bridgestone Construction Company has served as the general contractor on this project. Although the project is in progress and cannot be considered as a failure altogether, yet the individual milestones in the way of execution of the project were not timely accomplished due to which the customers of villas had to wait for considerable time to enter their villas after making the payment. One reason for the delay of accomplishment of milestones is the frequency of change of project managers of the g eneral contractor. Bridgestone Construction Company saw many changes of project manager. Within just the first two years of the start of project’s execution, at least three project managers had been changed. Some left the company on their own after working in it for some while while the others were terminated b the general manager (GM). The reason project managers could not stay for long on the project was not quite hidden from the workforce. The GM had had so much influence and control on the project, that he would not let the project managers exercise their rights as a project manager on the construction site. Any decision taken by the project managers seeked approval of GM before

Pharmacy school personal statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Pharmacy school - Personal Statement Example Not only that, I suffered from ill health upon my return for quite a while. Both these factors took their toll on my studies; I did not do as well in my classes as I would have otherwise done. However, throughout all this, I held on to my interest in pharmacy; I got a part-time job as a pharmacy assistant in my neighborhood pharmacy. This enabled me to interact with pharmacists who taught me a lot by relating their experiences to me, thus causing me to learn a lot about not just the field of pharmacy, but also how to go about studying in pharmacy classes. Moreover, they helped me develop the work ethic necessary for success in pharmacy. Their mentoring did not end there; they took me to pharmacy association meetings where I was introduced to other pharmacists by them, which helped me in not only building my interpersonal and communicational skills but also in enlarging my network. My zeal for pharmacy is something that I value both personally and professionally, and I want to pursue and get ahead in this field, therefore, I would be grateful if I am given the opportunity of attending (enter the course here) at your institute. It would be remiss not to add that my love for this field would enable me to serve the community as well, which I would do with the work ethic and professionalism that I have learned through my experiences, both at home with my grandmother, and at work in my neighborhood

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

Management of Change - Essay Example Since 1937, the company has grown significantly and brought changes in how food is packaged even before the consumers ever thought of those changes (Leonhardt, 2012). However, with time, many things have dented the image of the corporation and undermined the reputation the owners have worked hard to build. Areas of Change The company needs change in three identifiable and key areas of its operations in order to salvage its reputation and rejuvenate to a brand that is adored by many when it comes to having a meal. First is the area of food processing. The company needs to move more towards healthy foods and abandon its niche of dominant junk food. The company has been associated with food products that are â€Å"unhealthy† to the consumer at the time where health issues such as obesity and heart diseases are emerging to be great challenges to the world population. The second area that needs change is the lead time of supply. There should be change in the procedure of sourcing f or supply so that the time taken to deliver and, therefore, make it readily available is reduced. The third issue is that of the billing system in terms of its efficiency to eliminate complaints on overcharge in credit cards and how they respond to such concerns. These three issues are among other concerns in the organization that need to be subjected to change so that the organization remains a giant in the industry. Need for Change For every organization, the need for change is a constant requirement rather than a rare once in a year thing. An organization in the highly competitive and sensitive industry, such as Mc Donald, therefore, needs to embrace change through effective change management structures. Companies that engage themselves in all efforts of creating change have benefited a lot financially and in terms of growth. They are likely to be more competitive and even more adapted to external changes in the corporate world (Beer and Nohria, 2000). This, in essence, points th e need for the organization to initiate change in the areas mentioned above. This can also be clearly illustrated through the various models of change management. Models of Change Management The two models of change likely to help in going around the change barrier include that of the change curve and Lewin's Change Management Model. The change curve explains the different stages that an organization goes through before an effected change is fully accepted. It helps in making the change implementation to be expedited, thereby increasing its likelihood of success. The change curve proposes that change is approached through people because when they adapt to change fast, the organization also changes rapidly (Mind Tools, 2012). Lewin’s Change Management Model proposes a three pronged process that involves unfreezing, changing and refreezing. The first stage involves anchoring change acceptance through creating an enabling environment. The second change subsequently involves intr oduction of the change and finally synchronizing the changes in the organization’s structures in the final phase (Mind Tools, 2012). These models show the ease at which various organizations including the one on focus can learn to integrate change in its operations in a more effective and timely manner. They are a good reminder of the need for chan

3 Assignments Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

3 Assignments - Assignment Example Tolentino-DelosReyes, F. A., Ruppert, D. S., & Pamela, K. S. (2007). Evidence-based practice: Use of the ventilator bundle to prevent ventilator associated pneumonia. American Journal of Critical Care, 3 (4), 12-13. In this article, the effect of educational program on nurses’ is studied and performance in the CCU and SICU is observed. Here, it is shown that compliance of the program improved knowledge, and helped in reducing VAP incidences. It was showed that a 30 minute education session improved both the nurses’ knowledge and clinical performance. The relation of aspiration factor which contributes to VAP is studied. It was revealed that the pneumonia rate increase from 24% in day one to 48% in day 4 was caused by high secretions level. The clinical education project that was used to asses nurses’ knowledge on the use of VAP bundle supported the proposed change (Zaydfudim et al., 2009). Here, the implementation of VAP dashboard system to measure and record compliance of VAP bundles is described. Statistical information is given, showing that VAP accounts for about 60% of deaths among patients with hospital-acquired pneumonia. VAP prolongs the hospital stay by about 4 to 9days while considerably rising hospitalization costs (Hawe et al., 2009). Compliance with the VAP bundle improved from 39% to 89% for the period of August 2007 to July 2008, after the implementation of electronic VAP dashboard system, while the incidence of VAP reduced from a mean standard deviation of 15.2 to 9.3. Here, the study findings supported the proposed change through the implementation of VAP bundle dashboard system to measure and record compliance of VAP bundles (Hawe et al., 2009). By giving examples of VAP incidence, the article provided morbidity and mortality rate in ICU, which was measured at a rate 40/1,000 patient days in 2004 and 15.9/1,000 ventilator days towards the end of 2005. By offering staff education and overall changes in the organization in order

Online Privacy Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Online Privacy - Coursework Example Most people using the social websites fear that their personal information can be retrieved by cookie companies that monitor how one uses the internet. Another issue concerning online privacy is for those who use clouds to store their personal and business data and fear intrusion of the cloud by hackers and above all through cyber security. Therefore, online privacy is fundamental due even to the introduction of e-commerce where billions of dollars are transacted every day. Furthermore, it is upon every individual to make sure all passwords are secure and always log off from websites, emails, social media accounts before closing the browser to maintain efficient online privacy (Independent.co.uk, 2014). On the contrary, companies like Google and Facebook have access to personal information and data. Google is renowned globally and is the most used search engines on the internet. Google collects all available private information and conveniently places it at a researcher’s fingertips. This information is in the form of address, telephone numbers, pictures, and all history of work. On the other hand, Facebook is another popular website used by people to obtain private information. Intruders and researchers can obtain information pertaining the pictures uploaded and posted, family/friends information and even the place of work. These companies get personal information and data when people create accounts with them because it is mandatory to fill in all data pertaining to an individual, group or corporations. Furthermore, Google accounts such as Gmail get access to personal information through the phishing of private data (Baxter, 2013). The Snowden’s case has led to the emergence of many things revolving online privacy. This is because he worked for the United States of America government in the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the National Security Agency (NSA) but he leaked surveillance intelligence data and

Q & A Essay MGMT_Organization Behavior Class Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Q & A MGMT_Organization Behavior Class - Essay Example Instead, he erred due to the external attribution or outside factors such as, luck, poor team given to him or any other factor that might have influenced this project other than Marc’s expertise or aptitude for the project. Looking at Marc’s consistency and his past records, Elaine should infer that the project failed due to external attribution and not due to any internal attribution. There would be some errors that would be involved in the decision making process that takes into account the attribution forces. Elaine might overestimate or give more importance to the internal causes if in her opinion Marc hasn’t given his 100% for the project. In this case she would ignore other factors such as proper team was not given to him or any other factors such as bad working environment of the firm that might have contribute to the failure of the project. Similarly, another very natural reaction for her would be to say that Marc was solely responsible for the error and would taker herself out of the blame, whereas if the project would have been successful, she might have credited the entire organization not just Marc for the success. These are some of the attribution errors that Elaine would have to be wary of. For example, If a supervisor has seen or encountered a employee who is lazy and abhors work, he may think that all employees are lazy and hate work. This would lead to a judgment error and could lead to other organizational problems. For example, the CEO may contrast the managers of two departments on the basis of their performance and decide which one is better. However, this could lead to perception error because one manager might be better than other but low on profitability because he may be operating a branch in the area, where market share is low, demand for the product is low or it may be because he may be working with a team which is not as efficient as the other manager’s team. Biases:

Hawthorne effect Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Hawthorne effect - Essay Example n at Hawthorne, I would define the Hawthorne Effect as the confounding that occurs if experimenters fail to realize how the consequences of subjects performance affect what subjects do". In a Design industry environment consisting of around 150 draftsmen as workforce it was found that the productivity dropped suddenly in the recent six months’ time. Although the workers were given good wages and incentive packages, the productivity didn’t increase. In spite of repeated meetings and re-fixing of targets, there was no improvement in the productivity. The management was confused and tried to study the cause of the situation. After much thought, the Hawthorne studies were taken for experimenting with the situation. The entire workforce was working on a 5 day week, on a general shift of 8Â ½ hours a day, i.e. between 09:00 to 17:30 hours, including 30 minutes break for lunch. Each worker in the entire workforce of 150 draftsmen currently designed 5 AutoCAD drawings per day. The workforce was grouped into two – the formal group and the informal group. At first, both the groups were put on specific targets of 6 AutoCAD drawings per worker per day over a period of 12 weeks. The formal group was made to work on the existing timing. The informal group was given a rest break of 10 minutes twice in the day over a period of 4 weeks. Observations showed that the output of informal group went up. As the next step, the rest breaks for the informal group were lengthened to four 10 minutes rest breaks. The workers complained that the pace of their work was getting disturbed. As a result, their productivity decreased. Then, the rest breaks of informal group were returned to the two rest breaks, the first one with a supply of tea by the Company free of cost. As a result, the productivity increased. Then as the next step, the week was extended to six day working week for the informal group over a period of 4 weeks. The productivity decreased. Finally, the rest breaks