Technology, Literacy, Authentic Assessment Article

Technology, Literacy, Authentic Assessment - Article Example The Shanahans drew their population from grade, middle, and high school students (Timothy and Cynthia, 2012). The article deduced that teaching disciplinary literacy would offer learning benefits middle and high school students. The article provides keywords expected to be found by readers throughout the article, which is positive because it prepares them. The keywords are terms that the Shanahans consider important for understanding disciplinary literacy. I found it also helpful that the article does not contained any other unexplained terminology or complex diction, which makes it simpler for the average reader to understand it. The only downside I witnessed with the article is the authors’ professional-amateur contrast wherein they gathered open information. Here, the authors do not succeed in linking experts’ â€Å"illiteracy† in disciplinary literacy to teachers’ tools or solutions for teaching their classes today. The article could have used a quantitative approach for this particular section to establish a thorough demonstration of responsibility for disciplinary illiteracy amongst schools today. Researchers William R. Watson, Christopher J. Mong, and Constance A. Harris conducted the study at a remote high school in a small town in the Midwestern United States. The study was aimed at exploring the situation of a second-years high school class. Watson, Mong, and Harris used a population of four classes by a specific teacher with each an estimated count of 25 students (Watson, Mong, and Harris, 2011). The study was conducted by analyzing a video game made for academic purposes pertaining to the Second World War called Making History. Watson, Mong, and Harris collected observational data, focus group and questionnaire fillings, and record reviews. The study found out that using video games to teach in classrooms leads to a change from a conventional teacher-focused learning

Japanese Spirit, Western Things Essay Example for Free

Japanese Spirit, Western Things Essay a) How did Japan modernize their economy without embracing Western Culture? Japan has proven that economic modernization is possible without embracing economic culture. Rather, Japanese philosophy of decolonization (Suzuki, 1996) and isolation were imposed because the government wanted the country to become independent and sustainable without the help of other nations. Although Japan attempted to include Western science (Kasulis, 1995) and absorbed Chinese tradition and culture including technology, philosophy, and literature a couple of decades and a half, Japan decided to close its doors to external influences like the prohibition of Christianity and overseas travel or immigration, in the nineteenth century. However, Japan eventually accepted western technology when the Americans arrived in 1853 for the motive of becoming stronger in terms economic growth. b) Has this modernization been successful? Modernization in Japan was not an easy process since some, like anti-liberal Japanese leaders, wanted to preserve the Japanese culture, preventing others, called power-breakers, to reflect a true western tradition and imitate western technology. The later group used talk of local culture in order to keep them from becoming politically and economically at risk. c) What could be some unforeseen events occurring in a company’s environment that might affect further cooperation between Japan and America? Companies are likely to face the prolonged tension between Japanese culture and western technology. Japanese companies might experience the difficulty of replacing Japanese with culture with western ideas, increased competition, political structure, and the different strategies for auditing and corporate governance. On the other hand, western companies might continue to suffer from regional economic barriers. Cultural diversity would remain a significant barrier for multinational companies due to Japan’s internal colonization in the past and the preservation of Japanese culture (Suzuki, 1996). Therefore, companies must be able to deal with and overcome the challenges of globalization and competitive market by becoming aware of their responsibilities, understanding legal policies, resolving conflicts through open communication, and reassessing corporate social responsibility. References â€Å"Japanese Spirit, Western Things† (2003) The Economist Newspaper, Ltd. (July 10). The Economist. Kasulis, T. P. (1995) â€Å"Sushi, Science, and Spirituality: Modern Japanese Philosophy and Its Views of Western Science. † Philosophy East West, 45(2), 227. Suzuki, T. M. (1996) â€Å"Japan: Beyond the Lessons of Growth. † Social Justice 23(1-2), 275.

Sigitek Case Essay -- Business Management Sigitek Essays

Sigitek Case Barriers and Drivers to change facing Smithers: Smithers has in his favor experience in reengineering business processes from when he was an engineering service manager. His style of personal management aided him in instituting corporate culture changes in a manor that was well received by Sigtek employees. This experience was needed given the long-standing organizational differences that Smithers faced between Sigtek's engineering and manufacturing divisions. Another challenge faced by Smithers was the different management style of his counterpart, Richard Patricof, who was vice president of operations. Patricof's focus was not on results or productive feedback from employees. He felt that style and a tolatarian approach to personnel management was best suited for this total quality (TQ) training program. Other barriers Smithers faced was the possibility that employee expectations on the success of this new program may be too high given previous attempts to change Sigtek?s differing engineering and manufacturing corporate culture. It would be difficult to unite these two internal organizations. The major drivers to the success of the TQ program was that Sigtek was in desperate need of a change in its processes or face the risk of going out of business. This rift between operations and engineering would drive the company into the ground given the weak leadership of the President, Charles Bradley. How efficiently was change introduced?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The team at Sigtek established a set of goals for the implementation of the TQ program. An outline of the training process was created and presented to senior management. The response was non-plus, which instilled a great amount of concern to Smithers. The cold response from senior management clearly indicated that their support in the implementation o this new program was questionable. Sigtek?s approach to change involved choosing one manager from the engineering and operations sector respectively to be trained as site instructors for TQM. They in turn would train other employees to implement TQM. There was already a history of discontinuity between Smithers and Murphy. There was no unified team effort between these to key players.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Signs of failure also came when Patricof handpicked a cross-functional group of managers to form a site Quality Improvement Team, which was to coordi... .... Today's change initiatives are primarily based on a problem-solving view of organizations and change. Despite the potential positive outcomes, changes are often resisted at organizational level. Resistance to change appears to be a common phenomenon, it can take many forms and it may be difficult to identify the exact reason for the opposition. Although organizations have to adapt to their environment, they may set up defenses against changes and they prefer to concentrate on the routine things they perform well. Involving senior corporate management in the development of functional tactics improves their understanding of what must be done to achieve long- term objectives of the organization. It also helps ensure that functional tactics reflect the reality of the day-to-day operating situation. Most importantly it can increase the commitment of corporate management to the strategies developed. Crucial to the implementation of cultural change is senior management?s ability to use leadership and provide a shared vision of the future. In a chaotic, dynamic world of change we must be able to come up with new ideas and inventions in order to compete in the global market.

Wedding Speech Delivered by the Groom -- Wedding Toasts Roasts Speeche

Wedding Speech Delivered by the Groom Well , what can I say, Thankyou for those kind words Alan and I hope $20 was enough. I recently read somewhere that a survey had been conducted of things that people fear most, and top of the list above things like spiders and heights, was the fear of standing up and making a speech in public. I'm no different, suffice to say that this isn't the first time today I've risen from a warm seat with a piece of paper in my hand. MANY PEOPLE Many people thought this day would never come. That I'd be standing here making the speech of a Newly Married man, myself included. Many people have also told me how lucky I am to be marrying Jo, including Jo in fact. But I would like everybody here, especially my new bride, to know how lucky and proud I am to be standing here speaking to you as her husband. WIFE & I And so, for the very first time, I'd like to say, 'On behalf of my Wife and I' I would like to thank you all for coming today and sharing Our special day. I know this is meant to be our day, but of course it wouldn't be as special a day if it wasn't for our family and friends being here with us, and I'm sure you'll all agree that we found the ideal setting for this memorable occasion. We would also like to thank you all for your cards, kind thoughts and wonderful gifts. TRADITION Tradition dictates that I now tell you an amusing stor... ...would like to thank our little Bridesmaids, Charlotte and Lucy for doing such a great job today. I'm sure you'll all agree they look beautiful, especially in their bridesmaids dresses, which once again Daphne was kind enough to make. Gift Now, ladies and gentlemen please be upstanding and raise your glasses in a toast to Charlotte and Lucy 'The Bridesmaids' Finish Before I sit down I'd like to finish by reading a quotation I came across a couple of days ago, that I found very apt. "Happy marriages begin when we marry the one we love, And they blossom when we love the one we married" With that thought in mind, I look forward to a wonderful married life together. Thankyou!!!

Aggressive Skating

My favourite hobby is Aggressive Skating. When people think of skating they perhaps think of people skating along Brighton Pier. Aggressive Skating is totally different. If you have never heard of it or tried it you are in for a treat. Aggressive skating is expensive to start if you are new to the sport. Specialist shops sell everything you need, they are Roller Snakes, SS20, Transition, Skater's Paradise, H.P.S (Half Pipe Sports), UK Skates, Blue Room etc. There are lots more shops that I could name but those are the better ones. The costs of the skates vary from à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½120 to à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½230. There are two different types of skates; hard boot and soft boot. The main difference is hard boot is made all out of plastic, soft boot is made from material and fabric and plastic inner boot. You can buy extras for your skates like frames and wheels. Unlike skateboarding there is not a set clothes style as such. You can buy some shirts and jumpers with some sponsors or brands on them but not a lot. The style that most skaters wear is long shirts and baggy jeans. They wear baggy jeans because they last much longer than other clothes. The basics of aggressive skating are learning to go up ramps and how to jump. The skate is much heavier than shoes so when you can jump with them on you are ready to try some tricks. There are many different styles of skating such as ‘Street'. Street is very different to other aspects of skating it is when you skate around looking for flat ledges and handrails. They can be small, tall long or even fat rails. My motto is â€Å"as long as you can reach it you can skate it†. To skate Street is illegal because you are skating on other people's property without their permission. Street skating is unsafe because the structures are untested. Street is very hard to do there is no safe way to skate street. The best you can do is wear shin guards. You should not street skate alone. It is safer to skate with friends because if you have an accident they will be there to call for help. You go out try it and find more and more sites to skate. Another style of skating is ‘Park'. Park is not illegal to skate at because it is purpose built. The one rule is that when in a skate park all injuries are your fault and the park does not accept responsibility for any injuries. There are some places to skate such as Playstation in London, Wandle Park in Croydon, Skaterham in Caterham and others. Park is safer to skate because it is structured to last a long time. You can go to Skate Parks at any time and usually they will have some low rails to practice on for beginners. Park has different ramps such as, Half-Pipes, Spine, Volcano, Mini Street course, Death Box. Competition skating is for those who are sponsored or want to be sponsored. The prize money is quite good but the extras are better. If you skate competition then you may get spotted and you could get sponsored. When you get sponsored you get free merchandise such as skates, wheels, clothes, frames, bags anything to do with skating. They want you to advertise their gear so others buy them whilst you get it all free. The social aspect of skating is basically all about friends. I started skating a year ago and I only knew three people but now I know 47 people who are my friends. Whenever the weather is good we arrange to meet each other at a particular park and we skate all day! Sometimes parents get angry because we are missing all day. Time flies when you are having fun. I remember when my friend was supposed to go home but he stayed at the park for an extra two hours and his mother came to get him. His street credibility was washed down the drain, because he was embarrassed and we never let him forget it. Each skater has a move that no one else can do. My trick is a 360 over the Volcano. This trick needs speed, height, spin and a good landing. It is very hard to do and I am the only one to land it. If you want to socialise with the best you must prove yourself worthy. If you socialise with people that are a bit better than you are then it pushes you to try harder and do more difficult tricks. There are some games that we play like trick for trick. This is when someone does a trick and you have to do the same one. Slam is another game it is when someone sets a trick or combination of tricks then you get three tries at it and if you don't do it you get a letter if you get all four letters you are out. There are three main different trick types the first one is spins. Spins are very fast and hard to land. There are different types of spins, such as late spins where you get air wait then spin near the end of your jump. Flat spin, this is when you approach the ramp at an angle and you spin at a horizontal angle then come back down and land vertical. This trick is hard to do. The most spins a skater has done is 1260. The spins I have achieved is a 720. For me this is hard but my little brother who is 13 can do a 900 and land it. The second trick type is Air this is where all the back flips and grabs come in. I can do lots of grabs but I cant back flip or front flip. Some of my friends can do somersaults. One day soon I will try a back and front flip then get into the complex stuff. The third trick is grinds and there are many different grinds I can do all the basic grinds and I can do some hard ones too. I can True Spin, Full Cab, Unnatural, Topside, Zero Spin and Ally OOP. These are different ways and types of grinds. In skating you must be safe, you should be prepared for anything. The type of protection you can buy will help you not to get injured badly but you will still get hurt. There is a very high danger level and injuries can be as minor as grazes to broken bones, but it is an adrenaline rush and you must try it.

Fall Of Russian Communism Essays - Free Essays, Term Papers

Fall Of Russian Communism Essays - Free Essays, Term Papers Fall Of Russian Communism The Reasons for the fall of Socialism/Communism and the Troubles of Starting the New Democratic System in the Russian Federation Let's not talk about Communism. Communism was just an idea, just pie in the sky. Boris Yeltsin (b. 1931), Russian politician, president. Remark during a visit to the U.S. Quoted in: Independent (London, 13 Sept. 1989). The fall of the Communist regime in the Soviet Union was more than a political event. The powerful bond between economics and politics that was the integral characteristic of the state socialist system created a situation that was unique for the successor states of the Soviet Union. The Communist regime was so ingrain in every aspect of Soviet life that the Russian people were left with little democratic tradition. Russia faces the seemingly impracticable task of economic liberalization and democratization. This is combined with the fact that the new administration must address human rights issues, such as living conditions and the supply of staple goods in this new form of administration makes the prospect of a full democratic switch seemingly impossible. To fully understand the scope of the transference of governing power in the Russian Federation, one must first look at the old Socialist/Communist regime, to see the circumstances under which it fell gives a good view of why this transference is almost impossible. In the beginning Communism seemed to the people of Russia as a utopian ideal. The promise of the elimination of classes, of guaranteed employment , The creation of a comprehensive social security and welfare system for all citizens that would end the misery of workers once and for all. Lenin's own interpretation of the Marxian critique was that to achieve Communism there would first have to be a socialist dictatorship to first suppress any dissent or protest. Through coercive tactics this new government seized power and in 1917 Lenin came to power. Under his rule the Soviet Union underwent radical changes in it's economic doctrines adopting a mixed economy which was termed the New Economic Policy also referred to as NEP, this economy called for some private ownership of the means of production, but the majority of industry was made property of the people, which meant the majority of the means of production was controlled by the government. Lenin's government made many achievements. It ended a long civil war against the remnants of the old Czarist military system and established institutions in government. During this period, and in fact throughout the majority of the Communist rule, censorship and the subordination of interest groups such as trade unions was imposed to stop dissension and increase conformity to the new governments policies. Lenin died in 1924, and was quickly followed by Joseph Stalin as head of the Soviet Communist Party, the oppressive reforms started by Lenin were continued and at length became completely totalitarian. Stalin became the most powerful man in Russia. He controlled to bulk of all the political power and with that he started a ruthless campaign of removing all opposition to the Communist rule. During this period called the Great Purge Stalin systemically executed anyone who stood in his path. Millions of people were arrested and either harassed or killed. The economic status of the Soviet Union was yet again changed and the entire system became controlled by the government. All private ownership ended. A mass program of industrialization was commenced, and the strength of the Soviet Military was substantially increased. The citizens during this period endured great hardship. Agricultural production output diminished resulting in food shortages, these shortages were enha! nce by the mass exportation of food, this was done to pay for industrial imports. Stalin also put the production of what he called production goods such as manufacturing machinery over basic consumer goods such as clothes and other staples. During this period the Second World War broke out and drained most of what was left of the already impoverished state. Yet after the war national unity was strengthened as well is the Soviet military machine. The Soviet Union became a super power, the U.S. being the only country more powerful than it. After the death of Stalin in 1953 Nikita Khrushchev became First Secretary of the Communist party. Stalin's death marked

How Meteors Form and What They Are

How Meteors Form and What They Are Experienced stargazers are familiar with meteors. They can fall any time of the day or night, but these bright flashes of light are much easier to see in dim light or darkness. While they are often referred to as falling or shooting stars, these bits of fiery rock actually have nothing to do with stars. Key Takeaways: Meteors Meteors are flashes of light made when bits of space rock speed through our atmosphere and burst into flames.Meteors may be created by comets and asteroids but are not themselves comets and asteroids.A meteorite is a space rock that survives the trip through the atmosphere and lands on the surface of a planet.Meteors can be detected by the sounds they give off as they pass through the atmosphere. Defining Meteors Technically, meteors are flashes of light that occur when a small bit of space debris called a speeds through Earths atmosphere. Meteors may be only about the size of a grain of sand or a pea, although some are small pebbles. The largest can be giant boulders the size of mountains. Most, however, result from tiny bits of space rock that happen to stray across Earth during its orbit.   Looking at an incoming meteor descend through Earths atmosphere, as seen from the International Space Station. NASA How Do Meteors Form? When meteors hurtle through the layer of air surrounding Earth, friction caused by the molecules of gas that make up our planets atmosphere heats them up, and the meteors surface begins warm up and glow. Eventually, the heat and high speed combine to vaporize the meteor usually high above Earths surface.  Larger chunks of debris break apart, showering many pieces down through the sky. Most of those vaporize, too. When that happens, observers can see different colors in the flare surrounding the meteor. The colors are due to the gases in the atmosphere being heated up along with the meteor, as well as from materials inside the debris itself.  Some larger pieces create very large flares in the sky, and are often referred to as bolides. Meteorite Impacts Larger meteors that survive the trip through the atmosphere and and land on the Earths surface, or in bodies of water, are known as meteorites. Meteorites are often very dark, smooth rocks, usually containing iron or a combination of stone and iron. Many pieces of space rock that make it to the ground and are found by meteorite hunters are fairly small and incapable of doing much damage. Only the larger meteoroids will create a crater when they land. Nor are they smoking hot- another common misconception. Meteorite Hunters. NASA Johnson Space Center The piece of space rock that made Meteor Crater in Arizona, was about 160 feet (50 meters) across. The Chelyabinsk impactor that landed in Russia in 2013 was about 66 feet (20 meters) long and caused shock waves that shattered windows across a wide distance. Today, these kinds of large impacts are relatively rare on Earth, but billions of years ago when the Earth was formed, our planet was bombarded by incoming space rocks of all sizes. The fireball created as a superbolide flared over Chelyabinsk, Russia, on February 15, 2013. This was shot with a dashcam. Wikimedia Commons, CC-BY. Meteor Impact and the Death of the Dinosaurs One of the largest and most recent impact events occurred nearly 65,000 years ago when a piece of space rock about 6 to 9 miles (10 to 15 kilometers) across smashed into Earths surface near where the Mexicos Yucatan Peninsula is today. The region is called Chicxulub (pronounced Cheesh-uh-loob) and wasnt discovered until the 1970s. The impact, which may actually have been caused by multiple incoming rocks, had a drastic impact on Earth, including earthquakes, tidal waves, and sudden and extended climate change caused by debris suspended in the atmosphere. The Chicxulub impactor dug out a crater some 93 miles (150 km) in diameter and is widely associated with a huge extinction of life that likely included most dinosaur species.   Fortunately, those kinds of meteoroid impacts are fairly rare on our planet. They still occur on other worlds in the solar system. From those events, planetary scientists get a good idea of how cratering works on solid rock and ice surfaces, as well as in the upper atmospheres of the gas- and ice-giant planets.   Is an Asteroid a Meteor? Though they can be sources of meteors, asteroids are not meteors. They are separate, small bodies in the solar system. Asteroids supply meteor material through collisions, which scatter bits of their rock throughout space. Comets can also generate meteors, by spreading trails of rock and dust as they orbit the Sun. When Earths orbit intersects the orbits of comet trails or asteroid debris, those bits of space material can get swept up. Thats when they start the fiery trip through our atmosphere, vaporizing as they go. If anything survives to reach the ground, thats when they become meteorites.  Ã‚   Asteroid Vesta has supplied some meteorites that landed on Earth. NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA Meteor Showers There are a number of chances for Earth to plow trails of debris left behind by asteroid breakups and cometary orbits. When Earth does encounter a track of space debris, the resulting meteor events are called meteor showers. They can result in anywhere from a few tens of meteors in the sky per hour each night up to nearly a hundred. It all depends on how thick the trail is and how many meteoroids make the final trip through our atmosphere.   A sample of what a meteor shower provides in the night sky. The meteors of the Orionid Meteor shower appear to radiate from the direction of the constellation Orion. They are, in reality, bits of dust from a comet vaporizing in Earths upper atmosphere. Carolyn Collins Petersen

Simple Dessiner (to Draw) Verb Conjugations in French

Simple Dessiner (to Draw) Verb Conjugations in French How would you say to draw in French? If you answered with the verb  dessiner, then you would be correct. When you want to change this to the past tense drew or the present tense drawing, then the verb needs to be conjugated. The good news is that this one is relatively straightforward. Conjugations of the French Verb  Dessiner Dessiner  is a  regular -ER verb  and it follows the most common verb conjugation pattern in the French language. You can use the same infinitive endings you learn in this lesson and apply them to countless other words, including  demander  (to ask) and  diner  (to have dinner). Before any conjugation, we must identify the verb stem and for  dessiner, that is  dessin-. To this, we can add a variety of endings according to the subject pronoun to help our sentences make sense. As an example, adding a simple -e  creates the present tense  je  form so I am drawing becomes je dessine. Similarly, we will draw becomes nous desinerons. Subject Present Future Imperfect je dessine dessinerai dessinais tu dessines dessineras dessinais il dessine dessinera dessinait nous dessinons dessinerons dessinions vous dessinez dessinerez dessiniez ils dessinent dessineront dessinaient The Present Participle of  Dessiner A  quick change to an -ant  ending and  dessiner  is transformed into the  present participle  dessinant. This is a verb, of course, though you might also find it useful as an adjective, gerund, or noun at times. The Past Participle and Passà © Composà © For the past tense drew, the options are the imperfect form or the  passà © composà ©. To form the latter, begin by conjugating the  auxiliary verb  avoir  to the subject pronoun, then add the  past participle  dessinà ©. The passà © composà © comes together quickly: I drew is jai dessinà © and we drew is nous avons dessinà ©. More Simple  Dessiner  Conjugations to Learn As your French improves, you will find uses for other simple forms of  dessiner  as well. For instance, when the action is uncertain, the subjunctive verb mood is used. In similar fashion, if the drawing requires that something else also happens, you can turn to the conditional verb form. The passà © simple is primarily found in literature, as is the imperfect subjunctive. While you may not use these personally, familiarizing yourself with them will aid your reading comprehension. Subject Subjunctive Conditional Pass Simple Imperfect Subjunctive je dessine dessinerais dessinai dessinasse tu dessines dessinerais dessinas dessinasses il dessine dessinerait dessina dessint nous dessinions dessinerions dessinmes dessinassions vous dessiniez dessineriez dessintes dessinassiez ils dessinent dessineraient dessinrent dessinassent To use  dessiner  in short, direct statements, the imperative form is used. In this conjugation, keep things short and sweet and forget about including the subject pronoun: use dessine rather than tu dessine. Imperative (tu) dessine (nous) dessinons (vous) dessinez

Financial accounting theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Financial accounting theory - Essay Example Hitherto GAAP have been developed for all type of entities, be those smaller or larger and public or private. Development of alternative accounting standards on the basis of size of the entity is like preparing students at earlier stages to cope with burden of higher studies. But in business the smaller entities some time carry more accounting complications than larger entities as generally less or reduced number of regulatory compliances create a habit of carelessness and thus allowing smaller problems growing into complexities. Before analyzing the needs of smaller entities for alternative GAAP, it is pertinent to ascertain the present international scenario. In United States private companies are not even required to issue financial statements, what to talk to issuing compliances in the shape of standards. Private entities can assess the cost and benefit before following the reporting standards out of the three alternatives available to them. First is to follow the US GAAP in full; the second alternative is reporting under GAAP but such entities can depart from one or two alternatives; and the third alternative is to adopt OCBOA (other comprehensive basis of accounting). UK presents an altogether different approach towards smaller entities. Financial Reporting Standards for Smaller Entities (FRSSE) were developed in 1997 and those were made applicable to smaller and private entities defined and distinguished on the basis of specifies thresholds in sales, assets, and number of employees. With the advent of International accounting standards and their convergence with local standards, the issue of separate standards for smaller entities have again been taken to the fore, mainly because smaller is larger in numbers and they do not need to waste resources comparing the benefits they would receive. Convergences with IFRS are progressing but the issue has remained the same when FRSSE were required on establishment of FRSs.

Teenage Suicide Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Teenage Suicide - Essay Example Suicide is the third leading cause of death for youth and adolescents ages 15-24 years old, indicating that all youth are at great risk for suicide (American Association of Suicidology 1). Suicide is now the fourth leading cause of death for youth between the ages of 10-14 (Crosby 2). Suicide can affect all youth regardless of ethnicity or socioeconomic status; however, there have been rapid increases within specific ethnic groups. In order to address this issue among our high school age students, it is important to analyze who is at greatest risk, to identify risk factors, and to identify potential protective factors. Additionally, suicide prevention and early intervention programs implemented in schools should be assessed regarding their effectiveness. What is not effective should be modified accordingly. Ethnic Differences European American, African American, Hispanic, and Native American youth are all affected by suicide. Suicide among our youth is most prevalent for white males (Crosby, 5). According to the Centers for Disease Control, 73% of all suicides involving adults are white males. However, in the last two decades, among African American male youth ages 10-14, suicide rates have tripled and for ages 15-19 the suicide rate has doubled (Capuzzi 38). Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control has- identified that the Hispanic youth suicide rate is increasing. Furthermore, their rates of suicide ideation and attempts are increasing at staggering numbers (O'Donnell et al., 39-40). Native American youth also have history of a high rate of suicide attempts (Capuzzi, 38). Although the European American population has always represented the highest proportion of suicides among all ethnic groups, it is important to view all of our youth, regardless of ethnicity, as at-risk, considering the recent changes in suicide statistics in the last decade. Different factors contribute to the reasons for suicide attempts for each ethnic group. This needs to be conside red when creating an effective youth suicide prevention and early intervention program. Currently, European American youth are the primary recipients of crisis intervention dealing with suicide in contrast with their Hispanic peers who are least likely to receive interventions (Kataoka, Stein, Leiberman, & Wong, 1444). This may be influencing the increases in suicide attempts and completions among this demographic group. Risk Factors for Suicide There has not been a specific profile created to early identify all youth at risk for suicide ideation or suicide attempts. The literature does suggest, however, that there are some common identifying characteristics to consider, although alone they are not indicators. Some common characteristics of youth may warrant the attention of adults to better evaluate these students for suicide ideation. Since suicide is the third leading cause of death for adolescents in the United States, it is key to train the community to identify those at risk. Stressors youth are dealing with may be the trigger for suicide attempts, which are often impulsive responses by youth to escape their problems (Crosby 2). The impulsivity of the act further indicates the need for early intervention among youth dealing with dramatic or life-impacting circumstances. Research has noted some behaviors that may be exhibited by a youth who has suicide ideation. These behaviors include, but are not limited to, the lack of concern for personal welfare, social changes, decline in school performance, including attendance patterns, change in eating and sleeping habits, a new preoccupation with violence and death, increased sexually promiscuity, and other risky behaviors, including substance use (Capuzzi, 40; Guo & Harstall, 11-15). Not all

Public health law. (summary topic about marijuana legalization ) for Scholarship Essay

Public health law. (summary topic about marijuana legalization ) for scholarly paper. not full scholarly paper but only one page summary topic - Scholarship Essay Example In addition, it is also argued that decriminalizing the use and sale of marijuana would reduce the processing and enforcement tasks for criminal justice agencies that are associated with marijuana use. Thirdly, proponents for decriminalization of marijuana contend that a direct correlation exist between the number of cases or arrests that the criminal justice system processes for marijuana sale and use and the funds used by criminal justice agencies (Brownstein, 2013). Finally, there is an argument that elimination or reduction of events related to marijuana would portend a proportionate decline in the expenses for criminal justice agencies. However, opponents of this argument claim that the increased use of marijuana that will result from legalization (Pacula & Kilmer, 2013), which may result in additional crime and a subsequent increase in costs for non-criminal justice agencies like mental health facilities. In addition, it is also claimed that legalizing marijuana could result in lower worker productivity due to the depressant-effects of marijuana. Finally, statistics show that a high proportion of those in adult correctional facilities have an ongoing marijuana habit and, therefore, legalizing marijuana would result in increased rates of crime (Hoobler & Hoobler, 2012). In conclusion, it seems that the decriminalization or legalization of marijuana may only portend marginal effects on costs to the criminal justice system. However, it could allow the criminal justice system to focus on public safety issues of more

Media journal and analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Media journal and analysis - Essay Example The film is directed by British filmmaker Justin Chadwick. The film reveals Mandela’s resistance and leadership within African National Congress (ANC) in South Africa. The story continues with Mandela’s life in prison as part of struggle during apartheid, and long-awaited election during which he becomes first black president of South Africa. His election characterizes the close of apartheid rule in South Africa. The film uses different scenes to capture extensive amount of action involved during apartheid struggle (Abrahams). Who are the characters? The characters in the movie include; Ideris Elba as Mandela, Naomie Harris as Winnie Mandela, Mark Elderkin as Sophia town Policeman, Robert Hobbs as Chief Warden, Tony Kgoroge as Walter Sisulu, Riaad Moosa as Ahmed Kathrada, Jamie Bartlett as James Gregory, Lindiwe Matshikiza as Zindzi Mandela, Terry Pheto as Evelyn and Deon Lotz as Kobie Coetzee. Who/What is missing from the text? The producers of the movie â€Å"Mandela : Long Walk to Freedom† tries to deduce Mandela as a martyr, despite refusal by the judge to grant Mandela such opportunity. The movie tries to reduce Mandela’s ideas to what is known as impassioned sloganeering. Consequently, these ideas results into unmoving montage sequences, whereby Mandela’s 27-year of imprisonment is considered as foundation of his credibility. The scene creates a captivating proof of Idris Elba’s struggling character. The makers of the film are portrayed as having good intentions within the scenes but not capable of effectively dramatizing necessary qualities making their subject great. Deep Analysis of the ideological implications of the patterns found in the text Mandela’s life in the film is punctuated and defined by sense of optimism. Mandela started the struggle as a young lawyer, where he petitions for equality from the ruling authority which by then practiced some form of favoritism. However, the situation is changed a fter brutal torture of a man found drunk and lacked proper documentation. The event, though happened in a flush, imposes profound effect on Mandela leading him and other like minded individuals to form African National Congress (ANC). The formation ANC is followed by crowd protests as a result of euphoric rallies and powerful speeches by Mandela. The main character in the film is treated as hallowed figure especially after Mandela’s trial and imprisonment. However, the film makers attempts to portray Mandela as human figure. The idea of portraying Mandela’s promiscuity only assists in adding pathos to his entire life story, despite this; the film displays Mandela s a romantic icon. The various scenes by ANC protesters are portrayed as context-free awe (Abrahams). There is a raw synergy within the film and history especially on the description of South Africa and Africans. The first representation focused so much on the negative aspects of South Africans, portraying the m as the most violent race in the world. This is purely from a Racists perspective. The elaborate representation of black freedom and power struggles across political spectrum leaves everything on self-focused consumerism. The black-focused films from the white-man perspective as depicted are marred with violence while African focus on black films presents the rich history of the continent from cultural to economic aspects. The perspective from the second argument disputed the fact that post-colonialism is all about the relationship between Africa and their

The novel The Awakening by Kate Chopin Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The novel The Awakening by Kate Chopin - Essay Example The novel "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin Thus, in the novel, the author portrays the character of Edna who suffers from gender inequality, isolation, suppressed sexuality, racial discrimination, marital problems, motherhood and social customs. The reader can analyze various topics such as gender crises between Edna and her husband, Edna’s attitude towards motherhood, suppressed sexuality in Edna’s character, marital problems between Edna and her husband, social systems and racial issues that are depicted in the story in a structured way from a feminist perspective. Literary critics have often remarked that Kate Chopin’s novels have inspired the readers to find the glimpses of early feminism in 19th century American society. The whole novel describes the survival of Edna in a male dominating society that never admits women as equal to men. Feminist ideologies and theories always argue for female existence and survival. As Brown comments; â€Å"Some feminist argue that the sociology learnt today is socio logy of men stating men point of view and therefore the theories and ideas given are biased with the absence of women based theories and ideas† (Brown, 2011). Kate Chopin’s The Awakening provides some elements of feminism through the afflictions and awakening of the protagonist Edna. The story is based on the Pontellier family who come vacationing on Grand isle near Gulf Mexico. The Pontellier family includes Leonce Pontellier, a businessman, his wife Edna and their two sons. Considering the identity crises faced by Edna in the novel The Awakening one can clearly identify the underlying elements of feminism and feminist perspectives in the novel. Edna’s cry for independence and her fight towards male dominating society for existence always inspire the reader to create a feminist perspective. The protagonist Edna Pontellier is struggling to reconcile her ongoing unorthodox concepts on femininity and motherhood with the background of prevailing social attitudes. Th e problem of gender in equality is visible in Kate Chopin’snovel. Gender and awakening sexuality have shown their importance as underlying themes in the novel The Awakening. In Launce’s opinion women have no independence, no personal self realization, and she must live only for men. He complains that Edna is not well in her womanly duties and act as an irresponsible mother. Here the man shows extreme male chauvinism in its zenith. His never ending frustration and anger against Edna reveals his intolerance. During the time of 1800s, American society had believed that there was a definite disparity between the sexes. In this historical perspective one can see that man is considered as active, dominant, assertive and materialistic than women. Expected to act their personal duties and responsibilities for the health and happiness of their family members, the women in 18th and 19th century American society were blocked from searching the satisfaction of their own personal n eeds and desires. The eighteenth century American society, on the other hand, attributed its willingness to consider women as individuals who have some domestic duties and responsibilities. In Kate Chopin’s novel reader can find a shift in Edna’s character and attitudes; however, the society often fails to admit her new status. Edna creates an image in her mind about her freedom. Analyzing her conversation between Edna and Mademoiselle Reisz reveals this idea. Mademoiselle Reis

Media journal and analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Media journal and analysis - Essay Example The film is directed by British filmmaker Justin Chadwick. The film reveals Mandela’s resistance and leadership within African National Congress (ANC) in South Africa. The story continues with Mandela’s life in prison as part of struggle during apartheid, and long-awaited election during which he becomes first black president of South Africa. His election characterizes the close of apartheid rule in South Africa. The film uses different scenes to capture extensive amount of action involved during apartheid struggle (Abrahams). Who are the characters? The characters in the movie include; Ideris Elba as Mandela, Naomie Harris as Winnie Mandela, Mark Elderkin as Sophia town Policeman, Robert Hobbs as Chief Warden, Tony Kgoroge as Walter Sisulu, Riaad Moosa as Ahmed Kathrada, Jamie Bartlett as James Gregory, Lindiwe Matshikiza as Zindzi Mandela, Terry Pheto as Evelyn and Deon Lotz as Kobie Coetzee. Who/What is missing from the text? The producers of the movie â€Å"Mandela : Long Walk to Freedom† tries to deduce Mandela as a martyr, despite refusal by the judge to grant Mandela such opportunity. The movie tries to reduce Mandela’s ideas to what is known as impassioned sloganeering. Consequently, these ideas results into unmoving montage sequences, whereby Mandela’s 27-year of imprisonment is considered as foundation of his credibility. The scene creates a captivating proof of Idris Elba’s struggling character. The makers of the film are portrayed as having good intentions within the scenes but not capable of effectively dramatizing necessary qualities making their subject great. Deep Analysis of the ideological implications of the patterns found in the text Mandela’s life in the film is punctuated and defined by sense of optimism. Mandela started the struggle as a young lawyer, where he petitions for equality from the ruling authority which by then practiced some form of favoritism. However, the situation is changed a fter brutal torture of a man found drunk and lacked proper documentation. The event, though happened in a flush, imposes profound effect on Mandela leading him and other like minded individuals to form African National Congress (ANC). The formation ANC is followed by crowd protests as a result of euphoric rallies and powerful speeches by Mandela. The main character in the film is treated as hallowed figure especially after Mandela’s trial and imprisonment. However, the film makers attempts to portray Mandela as human figure. The idea of portraying Mandela’s promiscuity only assists in adding pathos to his entire life story, despite this; the film displays Mandela s a romantic icon. The various scenes by ANC protesters are portrayed as context-free awe (Abrahams). There is a raw synergy within the film and history especially on the description of South Africa and Africans. The first representation focused so much on the negative aspects of South Africans, portraying the m as the most violent race in the world. This is purely from a Racists perspective. The elaborate representation of black freedom and power struggles across political spectrum leaves everything on self-focused consumerism. The black-focused films from the white-man perspective as depicted are marred with violence while African focus on black films presents the rich history of the continent from cultural to economic aspects. The perspective from the second argument disputed the fact that post-colonialism is all about the relationship between Africa and their

A Brief Discussion and Analysis into the Definition and Importance of Term Paper

A Brief Discussion and Analysis into the Definition and Importance of such a Concept within the World of Operational Management - Term Paper Example Whereas asset management is necessarily one of the primal duties that any manager must necessarily engage in, asset management cannot and should not be understood as something of a monolithic term. Accordingly, both long and short term assets exist. Oftentimes, within the realm of asset management, the reader or individual is led to the belief that nearly all asset management must necessarily be long-term However, the fact of the matter is that short-term asset management is a process that requires a far higher percentage of the manager’s time than does long-term asset management. Although the planning and implementation stage of long-term management is something that necessitates careful analysis, short-term asset management is a process that must be engaged with each and every day and at almost every juncture of the business process.. In such a way, in order to understand this continual process of short-term asset management, the preceding analysis will review, define, and p roject the ways in which short-term management of assets takes place within a typical firm and the means by which its comes to be of extreme importance. Through such an analysis, it is the hope of this author that the reader will gain a more definitive understanding of what short-term asset management means and the way in which they can have both a positive and detrimental impact upon the level to which a given firm/entity/organization can hope to compete within the current market. Within its most basic definition, a short term asset is an asset that is to be sold and converted into liquid currency within the space of one year’s time. Although there are exceptions to this â€Å"one year† rule, the broad majority of industry and business ascribes to this calendar year definition as a means of delineating short term assets from long term assets. As can be seen by such a broad definition, the level of asset management that must necessarily be engaged with as a means of dr awing a degree of profitability from such a practice is necessarily of dire importance. Moreover, whereas the long term asset management process entails a high degree of planning and forethought, short term asset management must be concentric upon key timing and a perennial awareness of how financial actions and decisions will ultimately affect the bottom line of the firm (Hay & Lourie, 1996). Within this particular understanding, the analyst/reader is able to come to the conclusion that short term asset management encompasses a very large part of the day to day financial decision making structure that defines the way in which a manager or firm integrates with the outside world and the business process/resources at her/her disposal. Whereas all assets facilitate the financial structure and process of a business in one way or another, the reality of the matter is that the day to day liquidation and management of short term assets is one of the most effective means by which liabilitie s and debts can be managed by incremental decisions made to leverage the way in which short term assets are handled and applied. Within such a scope of understanding, short term assets can be defined as cash, inventory, prepaid expenses, accounts receivable, marketable securities, and a variety of other items. As can be seen from the shear scope of the list, the level to which effective management of each of these tools is of vital importance with regards to deciding whether or not a firm or entity will be viable. From an even broader perspective, it can be noted with regards to business management that many times an entity succeeds or fails not based upon its overall level of profitability, as a percentage of overall investment, but as a function of the fact that effective budgeting, tracking of income and outflow is not managed correctly. As such, short term management necessarily lends the reader to understand a certain level of the importance of cash flow as a means of keeping a ny business or entity viable (Mouritsen, 2011). Although the preceding list is helpful in understanding

Activity theory Essay Example for Free

Activity theory Essay Cognitive changes: There are several changes that occur with aging, one of which is cognitive slowing. The slowing that occurs in all cognitive tasks where speed of response is a component is considered the most pervasive cognitive change in developmental aging. The probable locus of slowing is in the central nervous system (Bob McCallum, 1998). Pigment lipofuscin builds up in the brain during old age and it gradually results in brain degeneration. The aged brain weighs less, the lateral ventricles tend to be dilated, and the ribbon of cortical tissue is narrowed (Hurlock, 1986). Such degeneration is held accountable for a decline in the brain’s capacity to function. But the average person’s intelligence is not likely to be seriously impaired before age 70 or 75 (Peterson, 1989). With good physical and mental health, adequate educational levels, and intellectual stimulation, it appears that there is not as a great decline in intellectual abilities with age as previously thought, especially in the 60 to 75 age group. Emotional changes: Emotional changes over the adult life span are a topic of considerable importance for psychotherapists working with older adults. At the psychological level, the older adults are more difficult to arouse but also have more difficulty returning to a state of calm once aroused (Woodruff, 1985). The accumulation of experiences leads to more complex and less extreme emotional experiences in later life. A review of research, using the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory with older adults, noted that older adults were lower on scales associated with anger, impulsivity, and confusion and argued that people may become less impulsive with maturity (Gynther, 1979, in Bob McCallum, 1998). It was concluded that as a whole, emotionality in older adults may be both more complex and subtler than that of younger adults. Theories on Aging Attempts to understand and explain the lives and activities of those who appear to age successfully have led to the different formation of theories on aging. There are fourmain theories: (a) Disengagement theory: It is based on the notion that as people age they progressively withdraw from social, physical, and emotional interaction with the world. As they gradually disengage themselves, the society too withdraws from its engagement with the aging person (b) Activity theory: It stresses that older people should remain active as long as they possibly can. When certain activities and associations must be given up (for example, employment), substitutes should be found because life satisfaction is highly dependent upon continued social, emotional, and physical involvement. In a positive environment older people generally moved toward activity and informal contacts, rather than disengagement (Butler, Lewis Sunderland, 1998). (c) Socioenvironmental theory: This approach is based on the understanding that people respond to the social meaning of events. Two factors that affect the meaning old people place on events-and thus their interaction patterns-are the physical proximity of other persons and the age homogeneity of an environment (Gubrium, 1973, 1975, cited in Butler et al. , 1973). (d) Developmental theory: Erickson (1963) and Peck (1997) present a theory that describes human development in terms of progression through a series of stages. Old age is a stage of life in which the individual must try to balance the search for ego integrity with a sense of despair. Out of this conflict emerges wisdom the human virtue most commonly associated with old age. The negative emotions associated with this stage, are in part a result of the limitations of a person’s physical and psychological energy (Butler, Lewis, Sunderland, 1991). (e) Biological or medical perspective. Moberg (2002) further elaborates this physical and psychological decline and it’s effect on the elderly. Highlighting aging from the biological/medical perspective of physical decline along with losses of friends, employment, mobility, income, and so forth, has contributed to a pervasive negativism among biosocial scientists that is evident in their different way of talking to (hardly with) elderly persons, avoidance of touching seniors, and other indications of ageism. Opportunities for service are withdrawn from many who are retired, even in churches that use the Bible with its high value for elders, so ‘disengagement theory’ becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Time spent in solitude and meditation can be wholesome, contrary to assumptions of ‘Activity theory’ that lonely outer activities are worthwhile, for being alone is not the same as being lonely!

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Internet Banking Information Technology Essay

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Internet Banking Information Technology Essay Internet banking is a fact of life for many individuals today with a busy lifestyle. Some individuals will have a brick and mortar bank that offers Internet banking in addition to going to the brick and mortar location. Other banks exist only on the Internet that do not have a physical location. Benefits Internet bankings major benefit to account holders is convenience. It allows an account holder to monitor usage of his account and perform basic transactions online for his banking account. Considerations If an individual opens an account at an online-only bank such as ING Direct, access is limited to their account. If the bank account owner can not find a location with Internet access, she will be unable to perform transactions on her banking account. Disadvantages When using an Internet banking account, the account owner may have no face to face interaction with a bank employee if the bank does not have a brick and mortar location. This can make resolving disputes more difficult as the account holder will have to make a phone call and possibly wait on hold, or be forced to send an email. Bonuses There are some Internet banking companies such as ING Direct that will allow a customer to receive a monetary bonus for opening an account with them. The bonus varies based on the promotion the Internet banking company is running at the time. Warning  · Conducting your banking over the Internet can be you at a significant risk of scams and fraud. Make sure when using your internet banking account you are accessing it through a secured network, and never provide your account password to anyone. Online banking versus brick and  mortar Posted on April 9, 2008. Filed under: Banking,Investing and Saving | Online banking is something that no one could have predicted. Now you are able to access your accounts at any time, make payments and see your statements from home without going to the local banking branch. Online-only banks have also sprung up with no actual branches, just a virtual account that promises higher savings rates and a slew of conveniences. For the average person, it would be perfectly acceptable to have both an online banking account and a brick and mortar bank. Online banks generally have the best rates as they strive to cut costs by hiring a limited amount of workers (no tellers needed) and avoiding the costs of buildings, atms etc. The downside is a limited access to money and the inability to go to the bank and talk to a person if you need to. Most online banks will allow you to pay bills online, however, they do not offer easy withdrawals like the thousands of offline brick and mortar banks. Brick and mortar banks are best for people who demand customer service. From the availability of many banking options, fee-free ATMs open 24/7 and the candy at the corner of the banking desk; brick and mortars have it all. They also have many costs that cut into savings rates, and make their lines of credit and loans more expensive. Brick and mortars offer a high level of comfort to customers, ensuring them that their money is right around the corner when they need it, rather than just a digital number on a computer screen. For long term savings, an online bank is the winner hands down. Savings rates at online banks are much higher and the fees are much lower. An online bank is perfect for an emergency fund, or other savings that you do not need on a day to day basis. A brick and mortar savings account will never become obsolete, it is far too convenient, even though the rates are traditionally much lower. Keep just enough in a brick and mortar account to utilize it conveniently, and keep the substantial savings at an online bank to earn more in interest. For most people, two accounts is now the necessity. Traditional Banking Vs Online  Banking Internet banking works in a similar manner to traditional banking, the major difference being the way one is making payments, accessing his account and personal details, and reconciling statements. Rather than visiting the local branch of his bank, the customer uses his computer to complete transactions. Internet and traditional banking have their pros and cons to consider. The choice of online vs. brick-and-mortar banking is often based on ones lifestyle and priorities. As a major advantage of internet banking, the customer can accomplish multiple tasks in the comfort of his home. Efficiency is what makes online banking attractive to customers: they can pay bills, move money between different accounts, check multiple accounts, and much more. Banking is fast and saves customers valuable time. Transactions are completed in seconds and one can print out the receipts for his personal records. The customer may access his account at any given part of the day, even during weekends and holidays. Moreover, the online account may be accessed from any place around the world, provided that internet connection is available. Online bank accounts make banking expedient, convenient, and inexpensive. Many banks charge fewer fees for the online banking services they offer. Furthermore, banks have higher interest rates on savings accounts and certificates of deposit, and offer more financial services and products. Customers dont need to buy envelopes and stamps, run to the post office at the last minute, and risk being late on their payments. Monthly bank statements and bills can be accessed electronically. Finally, online banking employs sophisticated tools that help manage ones money and accounts with ease. Despite increased security measures and the availability of anti-virus and anti-spyware programs, identity theft is still a concern. Other threats associated with online banking include phishing and hacking of online accounts. Time is among the precious commodities, especially for multi-taskers. On the other hand, some people prefer to visit their local bank and interact with the teller in person. Customers can turn to the banks special account representative or even to the bank manager. Clients are physically present when cash is handed over to them and when they place valuable items in their safety deposit boxes. When customers hold their money in banks, they expect to have them available when required. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation offers coverage of up to $100.000 if banks cannot cover their clients accounts. Most banks have increased the level of security by installing more surveillance cameras and hiring a larger number of security guards. With traditional banking, customers are better protected against identity theft. However, security is still a concern with traditional banking. While criminals cannot hold a gun to ones personal computer, they can rob a bank the traditional way. Inconvenient locations, fixed schedules, and more limited financial services are some of the disadvantages associated with traditional banking. In contrast to internet banking, customers opting for traditional banking services need to draw money before using it. The FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation) pays up to $100,000 of coverage, in case that a bank cannot cover its accounts (both online and traditional). However, protection from identity theft is an aspect of banking that traditional banks take better care of. Disclaimer: This article is provided for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered a substitute for professional and/or financial advice. The information found in this article is provided AS IS, and all warranties, express or implied, are disclaimed by the author. Top 5 Reasons to Use Online  Banking In recent years online banking has become increasingly popular, and many consumers have benefited from being able to conduct all of their banking transactions online without having to resort to queuing in the local bank or spending time trying to get through automated switchboard in order to speak to someone on the phone. Online banking allows you to run your day to day finances, and manage your bank account, with ease and convenience, and with this method of banking you are always in control. With online banking you get to enjoy convenience, ease, speed, and increased control, which is why so many people now decide to conduct their banking transactions online rather than at a branch. The main reasons many people opt to use online banking are: 1. The ultimate in convenience: When you use online banking you can conduct your transactions from the comfort and privacy of your own home, so you wont have to worry about going out to your local branch, spending time queuing up, and trying to fit your banking commitments into your busy day, which can be particularly difficult for those that work full time. 2. No time constraints: With regular banking you are restricted in terms of when you can contact or call in to the bank in order to conduct transactions, and this can prove difficult for those with busy lifestyles and full time jobs. However, when you opt for online banking you can conduct transactions at any time of the day or night, which means that you can effectively manage your account around the clock. 3. Do everything you need to online: You will find that you are able to conduct pretty much any banking transaction that you can perform by phone or visit to your branch by going online, other than withdrawing and depositing cash. This means that you can effectively control your finances from the privacy of your own home. 4. Increased security: Banks now use very secure software to ensure the safety and security of customers, making it safer than ever to bank online. Just remember never to link to your bank account from an email link, as this could be a false link, and do not save your banking passwords and security details on a shared computer that could give others access. 5. 24 hour access to your account: With online banking you can access your account 24 hours a day, conducting transactions such as making bill payments, checking your balance and statements, setting up or cancelling direct debits and standing orders, and more. Gone are the days when you could only gain access to you bank between the hours of 9.30am and 3.30pm. How brick Mortar Banking Model will become a thing of past- Robin Trehan The reason is that maintaining bank locations is extremely expensive and hurts the bottom line. Each physical branch generates a laundry list of expenses, including rent, insurance, real estate taxes, utilities and employees. ; Attachment FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PRLog (Press Release) Sep 01, 2009 How brick    Mortar Banking Model will become a thing of past- Robin Trehan A penny saved is a penny earned. That is why the banking industry needs to continue to shift to an online model for business banking. There is no longer any need for a bank to have several brick and mortar locations in every city. The reason is that maintaining bank locations is extremely expensive and hurts the bottom line. Each physical branch generates a laundry list of expenses, including rent, insurance, real estate taxes, utilities and employees. If the branch is located in a major metropolitan area such as New York, Chicago or Paris, operating it is even more costly. It makes much more sense for the bank to provide only ATMs in metropolitan area and locate its main center of operations in a suburb. Customers can easily and quickly handle their banking business online, at an ATM or even over a mobile phone at any time of the day or night. The technology keeps getting more sophisticated even checks can now be deposited using a picture taken by a cell phone. Even if they are out of the country, customers who bank online can access their accounts at any time with ease. The savings realized by eliminating unnecessary branch locations can be passed on to the banks customers in the form of a higher interest rate. However, there can be some challenges when it comes to moving business banking out of the building and into cyberspace. Like many new ideas and ways of doing business, it will take some time for people to get used to. Banks need to make sure that all their business customers understand how online banking works and why it is a safe option. It can be helpful to point out that online banking is actually in many ways more secure than the traditional model. For example, customers can be quickly notified via email or text if there is unusual account activity or if an account is close to being overdrawn. They can then take appropriate action (a balance transfer, for instance) immediately rather than having to wait to visit a branch. Online banking is truly an idea whose time has come. The internet has come a long way since Tim Berners Lee discovered it under two decades ago. There have been remarkable progress to create value added services from the internet, among them online banking. The capacity to use internet to deliver online banking services is yet to attract due attention from scholars on the impact of online banking on the efficient delivery of services by the bank (Harnando, Nietoa, 2006). The most obvious contribution online banking has brought to the banking industry is the reduction of overheads that would have otherwise been incurred particularly in relation to the staff and advertising and others services like information technology as no special software is needed (wikipedia 2007[online]). The reductions in costs in those areas have undoubtedly added positively to a bank bottom-line. The emerging consensus on the future role of online banking is that it can be used to add value to overall banking services as appertaining service delivery, but onlin e banking has failed to marshal potent force to dislodge physical banks branches. The reason why online banking is yet to dislodge the brick and mortar traditional branches is because risk management on online banking applications have not walked with tandem with other advances in information technology. The imperfections of technology sometimes mean that online banking may not be a perfect substitution for a bank branch, and some functions (such as depositing cash) might still require the need to have physical branches for some foreseeable future.   There are three major ways in which financial institutions exploit the internet (Ramakhrishnan, 2001), or basically online banking means these three things. They can do it for information purposes whereby the bank can disseminate information about its products over the internet. Secondly, online banking can be about communication with a certain identifiable set of people (in this case a customer) about matters of interest to them such as account information. Thirdly and at the highest level, online banking can be transactional, whereby a customer may give the bank a certain mandate to operate the account in a certain way, like to make payments to a third party. This would happen without the customer stepping into the banks hall. Numerous risks abound in online banking, and it is impossible to discuss here them all (Comptroller, 1999). But the main ones are, Credit risk Interest rate risks Foreign exchange risks, Transaction risks, Compliance risks, Reputation risks. Risks arise from events, foreseen and unforeseen, that may have an unfavourable effect on the banks earnings or capital. The risks are not particularly peculiar to online banking, but they become more potentially threatening in online banking. Bank management for online banking system may be ill advised to leave these risks to the IT department to handle. Many of them require the management careful considered exercise of discretion. This may involve the establishment of effective management controls over the online banking risks, for instance accountability and appropriate policy directives for containment of these risks. New online banking projects that have a risk factor should be reviewed by the management and they should ensure that adequate technical expertise is available at all times. For securities risk management strategy, the banks should have in place adequate identification (authentication) of online banking customers before a transaction is carried out. Measures should also be in place to ensure that such customer cannot deny he transacted over the internet. Measures should also be in place before embarking on an online banking project to protect customers privacy and Know Your Customer rules for online banking customers should be stricter than usual (Basel, 2001).

gatdream Blurry Dreams in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby :: Great Gatsby Essays

Blurry Dreams in The Great Gatsby The American Dream is a path people set out upon in order to achieve a goal, usually pertaining to the acquirement of stability and security. The dreams of these people were followed through with strong hope and perseverance. Yet, during the period of the 1920's, this dream was obstructed by the need for materialistic power. Scott Fitzgerald portrays this destruction of the American Dream through the main character, Jay Gatsby, in his novel The Great Gatsby. Gatsby longs to rekindle a past romance with his love Daisy Buchanan, but this dream is obliterated by his greed of wanting more of something he never could have. Jay Gatsby destroys the chance of living a normal, healthy life when he decides that he must reach an unattainable goal, having Daisy as his wife. Yet, Gatsby hadn't always lived his life as a man in search of an abundance of what was presented to him. This is made apparent in the end of the novel at his own funeral, when Gatsby's father, Mr.Gatz, presents Nick Carraway, the narrator of the novel with a keepsake from Gatsby's childhood. The object is a journal of resolves that Gatsby had listed for himself to accomplish. Most of these goals were in reach of accomplishment, making it very capable of Gatsby to achieve his aspirations without fail. Mr. Gatz, marveling at the ambition Gatsby held for himself, "read each item aloud and then look[ed] eagerly at me. I think he rather expected me to copy down the list for my own use" (182). This statement shows how Mr. Gatz does believe in his son's old dreams of trying to better himself as a person. This goal, with work, see med attainable and most likely to happen, but a stronger outside force of money pushed Gatsby in another direction. Gatsby's early goals of manner and such seemed picayune in a society run by wealth and materialistic power. Therefore, in order to survive in this society, he changed himself from a man born under the poor family name James Gatz, to the falsely commended Jay Gatsby. His drive to succeed in the world was so strong that Gatsby went through illegal measures of bootlegging.

Comprehensive Plan Part II: Implementing Chnage Essay

The hard work is done, the decision has been made which software vendor that is going to be used, now you’re ready to take the plunge in the world of electronic medical record. Most electronic medical record implementation will proceed on time with involvement of their participants and able to achieve their goals, others will find it a struggle, only obtaining partial success or in extreme cases no success at all. Many implementations issues are common in small and large organizations alike. With larger organizations due to their complexity, are more likely to have team issues and small organizations due to their limited resources and experience, will falter especially with technology issues. Everyone within the organization will play a part in the success and failure of the electronic medical record implementation, some will play a bigger part than others, but they will need to ne acknowledged and clearly understood from the beginning. Electronic medical record project will definitely need good management, but will need a vast involvement of stakeholders, a motivated team and having excellent communication plan in place. EMR’s are very complex and you will need to understand the capabilities and determine how it can be used to improve current paper based office processes. Expectations and Goals Setting measurable and specific goals that you want to accomplish will help assist in what constitutes failure or success. â€Å"Establishing goals that are ambitious, but achievable, can be motivating. Yet it’s important to understand your user’s needs and to make sure they understand and share the stated goals. Otherwise they might not play along, destroying your implementation plans†. Kenneth G. Adler, (2007). It is  always best to monitor and communicate progress or terms of achieving those goals. Having an implementation team composed of key stakeholders that can design and monitor the implementation process, a project manager should be able to direct the actual implementation and should be able to collaborate, rather than being a dictator. Tactics It can’t be said enough how important it is to plan for the eventual outcome of your EMR implementation. Write the plan down, use all resources that are available to ensure the success of the plan, a key factor of planning is to have a workflow redesign. The electronic medical record implementation will allow the opportunity to improve some of the less efficient processes through automation and with fewer steps. This will also allow to determine if the process can be improved by comparing it to a workflow diagram that was created of the EMR process that will accomplish the same thing. Roles in Change The ultimate goal in change management will be to engage employees and encourage them to adopt the new way of doing their jobs. Whether it be job role, organizational structure change, systems or all of the above, successful change will be greatly depended upon its employees are willing to change their daily workflow and behavior. This is the essence of change necessary for an initiative to be successful and deliver value to the organization. The deployment of electronic medical record really doesn’t concern technology but more about equipping the organization in order to attain its goal and objectives through providing employees, and patients with the technical capabilities that will promote the use of new inventions. Implementing the electronic medical record involves engaging everyone to the change process. Implementing electronic medical record into the organization will mean making Relationship Between the System, Process, Professional, and Personal Roles, and the Effect to the Project Change The main goal in change management is to involve employees, encourage, and to support them as they adjust to the new way of doing their job. The  change will only be successful when the organizational systems, processes, organizational structure, and job roles and other essential aspects has been considered. This simply means that all employees must change their workflow and behavior. This is very crucial of change management to be able to initiate and mobilize the needed changes for the success if the organization in obtaining their objectives and goals. Management will be responsible for enabling and managing change for everyone so that they can move together and in unison in order to obtain the goals of the project. Management should the process of change within the organization which will be affected by various forces such as technical and scientific knowledge, the roles of the professionals, changing technology, and changing demographic trends in the organization. â€Å"Organizational changes requires change in the status quo and the need to implement new paradigms. Every element in the organization has to be redesign and examined to ensure that they fit the intended purpose and to deliver results. The elements which compromise an organization are the tools, people, work processes and the structure. Structure is the traditional boundaries of decision making and authority and it identifies the vital personnel who are responsible in driving the business forward†. Organization Change Plan, (2012). Employees are the ones who will need a set of skills within the organization. The work processes will determine how the work is done at every level and department. The tools needed to determine the resources needed in supporting the change process will be the necessary equipment and physical facilities ranging from managing and reporting stem. Written documents of policies, hardware and software tools, manuals, procedures and tools of compensation. Communication Techniques Communication is a very important factor in the change process. Having frequent verbal and written messages will help the organization to describe the desired goals. It is up to the senior management team to inform employees why the introduction of the electronic medical record has to be achieved and what could happen if this change is not made. Management must also convey to employees a clear and concise expectation from the beginning and to explain how they will support and prepare them for the success to  come. Effective communication will require the use of new methods and efforts to improve performance in the organization. Management should be able to plan, motivate, solve conflicts, negotiate and to apply a style of leadership which is participative, and be able to create and provide an agreeable work climate through integrating and coordinating the internal communication. Every stage of the electronic medical record implementation require the need of effective communication techniques. Communication face to face with every employee of the organization would be very electronic medical record. This will help clear up any misconceptions and myths which employees would have concerning the change process. This will also help employees in the organization to have confidence in the process and to clear any doubts such as losing their job among many other misconceptions they may have. The primary goal of communication techniques is essential to reinforcing the process of change. The goal of electronic medical record is to gain and fulfil enthusiasm throughout the entire organization which will involve each employee and the setting up realistic approach of managing the project. Conclusion The strength and opportunities should be a positive influence that should exploit to efficiently implement the project. Threats and weaknesses can hinder, harm or destroy the electronic medical record implementation. Monitoring is a key factor at the implementation phase this is to ensure that the project implemented is on schedule. â€Å"Monitoring is also important to ensure that activities are implemented as planned. This  helps the implementers to measure how well they are achieving their targets. This is   based on the understanding that the process through which a project implemented has  a lot of effect on its use, operations and maintenance†. Phil Bartle, PhD,  (2014). When a project implementation is not on point, there will be a need for project managers to ask themselves this question, what is the best way to get there? There is however a very close and mutually supportive relationship between monitoring, implementation, and planning. None of these can be isolated from the other two, upon doing any of three the implementation and planning have to cater to the other two. It is essential that you remember all the tools needed in order to get to the goals and objectives of the organization References Adler, K.A., MD, MMM, (2007). How to Successfully Navigate Your EMR ImplementationRetrieved from www.aafp.org Bartle, P., PhD, (2014). Monitoring, Planning and Implementation. Retrieved from www.cec.bc.ca/cmp/module/mm-imp.htm Organization Change Plan, (2012). Retrieved from www.customwritingtips.com

7 Principle of Supply Chain Management Essay

1. Introduction Before we are to analysis this article, first let us clarify something before we start .In this article, it states the 7 principles of supply chain management and its importance in practical ,many of us must have a question, what is a supply chain management and why is it important for a company today ? See more: Satirical elements in the adventure of Huckleberry Finn essay Supply chain management (SCM) is the process that is used by a company to ensure that its supply chain is efficient and cost effective. They are aiming at provide the highest degree of customer satisfaction at the lowest possible cost through management of material and information flow in the supply chain .It requires the commitment of supply chain partners to work closely to coordinate order generation, order taking, and order fulfillment. Supply chain management consists of three flows: product flow, information flow and finance flow. Product flow is the physical movement of raw materials, work-in-process and finished product from supplier to manufacturer to the wholesaler and on to the consumer. Information flow is the shared information within the supply chain garnered from the various systems such as the transport planning systems, warehouse management systems, customer record management, order fulfillment systems and more. The third flow is the flow of money. This would be billing, the giving of credit, the transfer of money from manufacturer to supplier or from the consumer to the manufacturer or reversed. Any documentation with regards to money will be managed as part of this flow. Benefits of integrated supply chain management: There are countless benefits that supply chain management can bring to companies. Not only does it make for shorter lead-times to a customer and improved planning and forecasting capabilities for all partners of the supply chain, it also leads to cost savings and efficiency optimization. Time advantage is created when one of the business processes is faster than the other in achieving the same result. It is created through eliminate those processes that don’t add value but only add lead time. It becomes a competitive advantage when the firm develops processes that will enable it to quickly introduce new products in the market and portray the company as a pioneer. Cost advantage is created when the superior business process is cheaper to operate than the inferior other. It arises from better manufacturing process, cheaper inputs, or higher levels of automation that increase efficiency. Efficiency advantage is created when the superior business processes provide higher throughput, better asset utilization which include people, machine, technology and those can provide useful function in the business process .It normally results in more favourable cost structure and supports a cost-based business strategy. 2. Analyzing 7 principles Principle 1: Segment customers based on the service needs of distinct groups and adapt the supply chain to serve these segments profitably. Customer Segmentation is the subdivision of a market into discrete customer groups that share similar characteristics. Companies try to boost profitability by tailoring their supply chain strategy to each customer and product in their portfolio through segmentation. It help companies to gain competition by identify those underserved segments and then developing unique appealing products and services. By understanding the profit profiles of their customers and products, companies can develop marketing campaigns and pricing strategies to get maximum value and thus increase the overall profitability of their portfolios. However in today’s real market, there still existing â€Å"one size fits all† supply chain processes and policies, some companies use this method to serve their customers .The result is obvious, some customers are over serving and undeserving others, the more deeper influences are result a significant profitability from the over serving customers and cash-flow leakages and potentially lost sales from the undeserving customers. Segmentation can help address some problems in the supply chain processes .First is demand variability, properly structured segmentation policies for customers and products can significantly reduce the impact of demand variability. So what is variability? Variability is basically the difference between what we expect from something and what actually happens. It is the statistical distribution of outcomes one can expect from a process. Another is to simultaneously provide high levels of responsiveness and efficiency. In order to maximize sales and profits, companies may choose to use different methods to serve customers .Some products within a portfolio could be served through an efficient supply chain while others are served through a responsive supply chain. For example, a chip company manufacturing two different types of chips which are normal one and high-tech chips .company may deliver their normal chips through efficiency supply chain and deliver their high-tech chips through highly responsive supply chain. This is what we can understand as segment products through its features .One segment is for normal products which are predictable and another for high-tech products which is unpredictable .Company can through monitor the different segments to set different forecasting and stocking policies. In the 1990s Dell revolutionized both the computer industry and supply chain management with its direct-to-consumer business model. For the past several years, however, the company has been transforming its supply chain into a multichannel, segmented model, with different policies for serving consumers, corporate customers, distributors, and retailers. Through this transformation, Dell has saved US $1.5 billion in operational costs1 and has moved to the number two spot on Gartner’s â€Å"Top 25 Supply Chains† list. Dell is one of a number of enterprises that are benefiting from supply chain segmentation, a process by which companies can create profitable one-to-one relationships between their customers and their supply chains. Under this model, different customers associated with different channels and different products are served through different supply chain processes, policies, and operational modes. The goal is to find the best supply chain processes and policies to serve each customer and each product at a given point in time while also maximizing both customer service and company profitability. Principle 2: Customize the logistics network to the service requirements and profitability of customer segments. Logistics networks configuration is such kind of problems concerning with the number and site of warehouses and manufacturing plants, allocation of customer demand, distribution of warehouses to production plants along the whole process of material flow .Ideally, the best configuration must be able to deliver the goods to the customers within the shortest period of time meanwhile at the lowest cost. The objective of design or reconfiguration of the logistics network is to minimize annual system wide cost subject to a variety of service level requirements. In today’s environment of global economy, companies must be figured out some special ways that can utilize worldwide resources to keep the advantages of competition .They need to concern variety of problems such as where the most appropriate manufacturing facility should be that available for source products ,how to keep the balance between inventory ,transportation and manufacturing costs ,how to meet the demand uncertainty ,especially for those multinational companies because they have large scale of production and the cost definitely will be complicated than those small companies .All the successful companies have a well developed and realizable logistics system .High efficient logistics system will benefit companies from cost controlling ,high level customer service satisfaction and reach a business successfully . Now let’s take a look at Audi, one of the most successful car manufacturer in the world and how does the logistics network help them stand in the world. Audi outsource its logistics function to third-party logistics firms, so their manufacturing companies can focus their efforts on their core competencies and 3PL only needs to be efficient and effective to meet customers’ demands. In Audi Company, there are three new models for logistics network design with special focus on the perspective of 3PL companies. The objective of these new models is to increase the effectiveness of the resulting network design and the utilization of facilities in the network. 3 models of logistics network: †¢ Logistics network design with differentiated delivery lead time, †¢ Logistics network design with price discount, and †¢ Consolidated logistics network design using consolidation hubs. This shows that designing network with differentiated delivery lead time can reduce the network cost, while the other shows price discount can result in a network design with higher net profits, adding consolidation hubs at suitable locations near to the suppliers, it can leverage on concave Audi’s cost to reduce the overall network cost. This reflect that how does a good logistics network can help a company to be more productive. Principle 3: Listen to market signals and align demand planning accordingly across the supply chain, ensuring consistent forecasts and optimal resource allocation. This principle teaches us the importance of a good sales and operations planning to a company. Sales and operations planning is a process where executive level management regularly meets and reviews projections for demand, supply and the resulting financial impact. S&OP is a decision making process that makes certain that tactical plans in every business area are in line with the overall view of the company’s business plan. Each year, companies always have to spend a large amount of money on out of stock, excess inventory and excessive discounting due to imbalance between supply and demand .In addition ,promotions, new product introductions, packaging changes and changing demand patterns can all wreak havoc on the demand and supply planning process. But if companies implement sales and operations planning, it will help them gain the visibility and agility to improve product management and promotional planning, better understanding those necessary and unnecessary build-ups of inventory. S&OP is effective because it comprehensive and take everything into consideration .It develops a well coordinated operating plan in support of customer demand, business plan as well as companies strategy .It describe a complete picture of forecast demand ,supply capacity and financial information . Principle 4: Differentiate product closer to the customer and speed conversion across the supply chain. This principle focus on two factors, one is product differentiation and the other is speed conversion across the supply chain .Product differentiation is the process of distinguishing a product or offering from others, to make it more attractive to a particular target market. In economics, successful product differentiation leads to monopolistic competition and is inconsistent with the conditions for perfect competition, which include the requirement that the products of competing firms should be perfect substitutes. The purpose of product differentiation is to develop a position that customer see could be seen as unique ,as the product become more different, categorization becomes more difficult and hence draws fewer comparisons with its competition. If a company does very in product differentiation, it will divert people’s eyes from price factors to non-price factors such as product characteristics, promotional variables. After companies have differentiated their product ,they should think about some ways that can deliver it into customers hands which require them to speed conversion and compress the lead time .It has been consistently argued that time is the competitive weapon in the market .Lead time compression will have a greater effect on supply chain effectiveness .In the increasingly global marketplace most companies are competing with similar machines ,technologies and expertise ,the one who can launch product faster or speedup marketplace responsiveness will win market opportunities .This is the point they should catch up . Principle 5: Manage sources of supply strategically to reduce the total cost of owning materials and services. The relationship between buyer and supplier have been attracting a lot of people’s attention, a company maintain a good long tern buyer-supplier relationships will benefits both parties .No only company can keep its competitiveness in the marketplace meanwhile secure the access to external resources ,but also supplier can reach to a high profit for the sake of long term relationship .In other words which means the more close their relationship are ,the more benefits both parties will receive such as lowered costs and improve profits .Referring to this principle ,a company only with a good resource management system, knowing when to order, when to replenishment ,analyze the whole inventory system ,minimize the delivery time from supplier ,with all those factors implemented can make the company save money even make a profit . Principle 6: Develop a supply chain-wide technology strategy that supports multiple levels of decision making and gives a clear view of the flow of products, services, and information. The purpose of supply chain exists is to satisfy what the customers’ require .So in this case in order to meet customer requirement on time ,the information must be made available to those who need to plan and execute the operations of the supply chain. Thus a information technology should be implemented in the supply chain to ensure that information available when needed .We need communications technology to distribute information, storage technology to maintain databases, and processing technology to process the data into meaningful information. Under the technology strategies implement, efficiency and effectiveness of supply chain could be greatly enhanced based on the use of information technologies. New technological solutions have provided companies with completely new ways for information sharing in support of coordination and on the other hand, for handling of transactions with less friction Technology also plays an important role in the success of supply chain management, the biggest benefits technology has given to supply chain is the ability for companies to collaborate. For example, a supplier may build a connection with their distributors through internet, so when there is a shortage appears distributors can realize it and an order for the shortage could be placed automatically. This kind of collaboration can better use of existing resources and achieve a large profit margin. Principle 7: Adopt channel-spanning performance measures to gauge collective success in reaching the end-user effectively and efficiently. In order to make the supply chain becomes more effectively ,we need to measure the supply chain performance not only focusing on cost measurement but also need to consider other metrics including service ,financial and innovation .This principle refers to the inadequate of traditional accounting systems, it points out some factors that traditional accounting system do not take into consideration .Traditional cost accounting allocates the costs to the list of overhead and supporting those activities that company needs to do .There are different volumes of activities so that higher volume activities absorb a higher share of costs .However ,not all the activities costs vary directly with volume ,there are other factors may cause them such as the number of new customers, production line set ups and different parts to manage .If a company wants to achieve true profitability, they need to better manage those cost relationships correctly . 3. Conclusion Supply chain management typically begins with the acquisition of raw resources and ends with the delivery of the final goods to customers.It encompasses the planning and management of all activities involved in sourcing and procurement, conversion, and all logistics management activities. Importantly, it also includes coordination and collaboration with channel partners, which can be suppliers, intermediaries, third party service providers, and customers. In essence, supply chain management integrates supply and demand management within and across companies. The 7 principles described in this article is just give us guide line in which if we want to make a successful supply chain .Keep learning from others and finding the shortcomings if we want the supply chain to be more effectively and efficiently, Improving a process as complex as the supply chain can be daunting, as companies are challenged with finding ways to meet ever-rising customer expectations at a manageable cost. To do so, businesses must identify which parts of their supply chain process are not competitive, understand which customer needs are not being met, establish improvement goals, and rapidly implement necessary improvements.