Financial analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Financial analysis - Essay Example The succeeding years thereafter showed an optimistic trend implying an adjustment in the operating system. It can be noted that it was in late 2003 that Verizon innovation were observed immediately the year after as seen on the total net income of 2004. Assets over the five-year period remain at almost the same level while the total liabilities are decreasing, with a slight increase in 2005, suggesting a good overall trend. ratio by 2002 shows that the company has begun acquiring better investments and a considerable increase in earnings. Return on investment shows a positive trend over a five-year period with the same noted decrease in 2003 because of the transition in Verizon’s marketing strategy. 2005 was constant and remain within the normal range of 0.5 to 2.0 (reuters.com). The low and steady current ratio proves a standard cash payment system since the company is service-oriented, with the consumers paying on a monthly basis (Rosenbush 58). Total debt/equity and long-term debt/capital ratios show that the company’s financial resources are stable and strong enough to pay both the short and long-term debts that it has incurred. The gradual decrease in both debt ratios also suggests that Verizon is able to manage the payment of its debts properly over the years, implying a steady growth in earnings during this period. Sprint Nextel Corp. and AT&T Inc. are some of Verizon’s competitors in the telecommunications industry (Rosenbush 58). Figure 2 presents a comparison of the profitability of Verizon against its competitors from 2001 to 2005. This shows that over a five-year period, Verizon has been competing with AT&T for the market shares. Sprint Nextel Corp. has negligible effect in terms of competitiveness with the other two companies. The graph suggests that Verizon was only able to out-run AT&T beginning on 2004. This

Immigration Issues in the United States of America Essay Example for Free

Immigration Issues in the United States of America Essay The United States of America (U.S.A) is a country that was founded on immigration. If a surplus of European immigrants would not have made the transatlantic voyage to America, the U.S.A. would more than likely be nonexistent. For centuries foreigners have been flocking to American soil, in search of a fresh start in a safe location. With so much turmoil and hostility going on in varied countries around the world, more foreigners are attempting to immigrate onto American soil. Now that the total population is rising significantly due to immigrants, a plethora of United States citizens are becoming outraged. If only American citizens would open their eyes to reality, they would discover that immigrants are actually benefiting the United States. Once they immigrate, a large percentage of foreigners do everything they can to be successful. Immigrants benefit the country by starting businesses, working jobs the typical American refuses to work, and bringing cultural diversity to the country. Some skeptics believe that foreigners are taking their jobs and raising the crime rate, but they those are wrong allegations. Immigration of foreigners into the U.S.A positively benefits the country in countless ways, instead of negatively affecting it. The economy of the United States of America has had its ups and downs over the course of its existence as a country. Innumerable amounts of people across the globe dream about someday moving to the United States and living out the â€Å"American Dream.† For the lucky foreigners that actually succeed in immigrating to the United States(U.S.)., many of them wish to start up their own businesses. â€Å"In 2008, immigrants represented about 17 percent of all new business owners in the U.S., according to The Washington Post. By 2011, immigrants were creating 28 percent of all new businesses, CNN reports†(Immigration Helps US City Economies and Labor Markets, SP Says.). When immigrants come into the U.S., they search for whatever jobs they can get, so that they may support themselves or their families. Many of the jobs available to these immigrants are low-wage jobs, and with such a low income, it becomes hard to support a whole family. That is why a decent percentage of immigrants are starting their own businesses. Once the immigrant decides to be an entrepreneur, their potential profitability sky rockets, because the success of their business could be exponential. Who would choose a minimum wage job over a high paying business venture? Sure there is a chance that the new business could fail, but that is a chance that these hard working individuals are willing to take. These immigrants came to the United States to have a better life, and they will stop at nothing to make sure all their efforts will not be thwarted. â€Å"And as of 2008, immigrant-owned businesses were generating about $67 billion of the countrys annual $577 billion in business income†( Immigration Helps US City Economies and Labor Markets, SP Says.). As far as statistics go, it looks as if these foreign entrepreneurs are succeeding. Other areas of the United States economy rely on immigrants. The agricultural economy of the U.S. relies on immigrants to harvest their crops. If not enough foreigners are allowed into the country, farmers will lose vast sums of money, because their crops will not be harvested in time. â€Å"With the harvest season in full bloom, stringent immigration laws have forced waves of undocumented immigrants to flee certain states for more-hospitable areas. In their wake, thousands of acres of crops have been left to rot in the fields, as farmers have struggled to compensate for labor shortages with domestic help†( Bitter Harvest: U.S. Farmers Blame Billion-Dollar Losses on Immigration Laws). Recently with increased border security, fewer immigrants are being let in to the United States, and it has been taking a toll on the agricultural community. Farmers are desperate to get as many migrant workers that they can every harvest season. Now that there significantly less immigrants being allowed into the country, farmers crops are dying before the y can harvest them. Immigration is essential to the success of American farmers, because the common American is not willing to do the difficult labor that the migrant workers perform for the farmers. Immigrants are coming into the U.S. and are actually helping American citizens receive more capital for the jobs they are performing. Some Americans believe that immigrants are a nuisance to the country, and that they do nothing but hurt it. They are very wrong to assume this, because immigrants are actually enabling Americans to profit more for the jobs they are performing. â€Å"This implies that total immigration to the United States from 1990 to 2007 was associated with a 6.6% to 9.9% increase in real income per worker. That equals an increase of about $5,100 in the yearly income of the average U.S. worker in constant 2005 dollars†( FRBSF Economic Letter: The Effect of Immigrants on U.S. Employment and Productivity). This statistic is astounding. Not enough U.S. citizens believe that immigrants are essential to the prosperity of the United States. Immigrants are not only opening up more job opportunities for the American public, but they are also helping them to earn a reasonable increase of income. Without these immigrants, the minimum wage would more than likely take longer to increase over time. The demand for consumer goods is always fluctuating. The American public loves to spend the money they earn. With recent problems in the economy, such as the recession, people are spending less money on consumer goods. Immigrants are essential to the purchasing of consumer goods, because they make up a large portion of the United States population now. â€Å"The Immigration Policy Center estimates that the purchasing power of Latinos and Asians, many of whom are immigrants, alone will reach $1.5 trillion and $775 billion, respectively, by 2015†( The White House Blog). With the amount of immigrants increasing as such a rate, they have now become some of the top buyers of consumer goods in the country. The money that they earn working hard at their differing jobs, they go out and spend on American goods. This in turn helps the economy in the country exponentially, because without them, the population in the U.S. would be significantly less; therefore there would be a substantial loss in the profitability of consumer goods. Also, the immigrants coming into the country help support local buying of goods. No longer can they buy the goods that they once did in their home countries, so they are now supporting the economy of the United States more than ever before. A common misconception of foreigners is that they are taking jobs from American citizens when they immigrate into the country. â€Å"Illegal aliens come to the United States to take jobs that offer them greater opportunity, and they are often welcomed by U.S. employers who are able to hire them for wages lower than they would have to pay to hire U.S. workers†(Passel). The individuals who believe this fallacy could not be more wrong. The truth is, immigrants are benefiting the U.S. economy more than ever. â€Å"Meanwhile, the research has found that immigrants – including the poor, uneducated ones coming from south of the border — have a big positive impact on the economy over the long run, bolstering the profitability of American firms, reducing the prices of some products and services by providing employers with a new labor source and creating more opportunities for investment and jobs†( Immigration and American Jobs). These immigrants came to the U.S. to escape the rough cultures in which they grew up. They only hoped to start a better life in the United States, and do better for themselves. Not only are they now making more money than they would have in their country of origin, but they are also helping to stimulate the nation’s economy considerably. The immigrant work force has benefited the citizens of the U.S. to a degree that has never happened before. While some Americans despise the fact that a plethora of new foreigners are â€Å"taking over† their county, countless others are extremely thankful for all that the immigrants have done for the U.S. Foreigners are skilled in a wide variety of talents. Technology is key in the prosperity of a countries economy. With a surplus of new foreigners in the Unites States, more and more inventions are being constructed by these individuals. â€Å"According to a survey by the National Foundation for American Policy, immigrants have started nearly half of the top 50 venture-funded companies. Software, semiconductors, and biotechnology are the most common venture-backed startup firms started by immigrants†( Nowrasteh). Many of the immigrants that come to the United States of America, are coming from China and the Middle east. These populations of people grew up on the principle of working very hard and staying focused. Now that these foreigners are able to use more advanced technology, they are able to use their talents to their full abilities. Where they once did not have access to the most advanced technology available to mankind, they are now coming to the U.S. and experiencing all that a technologically savvy country has to offer. Crime has become quite the hot topic when it comes to immigrants. American citizens believe that the surplus of immigrants into the country has caused the crime rate to noticeably increase, but this is just another myth. â€Å"In El Paso, Texas violent crime down 36 percent it sits right across from Juarez, Mexico, one of the deadliest cities on earth. In Phoenix major crime has dropped 10 percent from 2000 to 2009†( Does Illegal Immigration Lead to More Crime?). Just because many immigrants do not have the money, at first, to move into wealthy American communities, people in the U.S. believe that they are criminals. How many people get nervous when they drive through a rough part of town? Well these â€Å"rough† parts of town are where most of these immigrants live when they first come to the country, because they previously spent most of the money they had on moving to America. Crime and immigration are two terms that do not go hand in hand. A very large percentage o f the immigrants coming to America are doing nothing but trying to prosper and live the life that they always wanted to have. Immigration is something that will benefit the Unites States of America in the long run, because it helps to create a very diverse nation. â€Å"The fact that people want to come to the US enhances its appeal. Likewise, because the presence of many cultures creates avenues of connection with other countries, it helps to broaden Americans attitudes and views of the world in an era of globalization†( Immigrants Will Strengthen US Power). Once these immigrants come to the United States, they usually have family back in their home country, or connections with businesses. Now that they live in the U.S. they are able to make long lasting connections between their current businesses and their previous businesses. Not only are these immigrants connecting ties back to their home countries, but they are making the United States a more culturally diverse nation. Since the founding of the United States of America, people have been trying to move onto its soil to have a better life, and no w they finally can live it. The United States of America has been profiting from immigration since its founding day. Now that there are a wide variety of foreigners in the U.S., the possibilities for economic growth are endless. Immigrants are so essential to the prosperity of the country. Even though there are a plethora of misconceptions of foreigners, they are doing everything they can to prosper in this nation. They start businesses, raise the income for American citizens, and do countless other things to better the nation. Immigration is the future. Works Cited Bitter Harvest: U.S. Farmers Blame Billion-Dollar Losses on Immigration Laws. Business Money Bitter Harvest US Farmers Blame BillionDollar Losses on Immigration Laws Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2012. Does Illegal Immigration Lead to More Crime? CBSNews. CBS Interactive, 23 July 2010. Web. 13 Dec. 2012. FRBSF Economic Letter: The Effect of Immigrants on U.S. Employment and Productivity (2010-26, 8/30/2010). FRBSF Economic Letter: The Effect of Immigrants on U.S. Employment and Productivity (2010-26, 8/30/2010). N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2012. Immigrants Will Strengthen US Power. South China Morning Post. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2012. Immigration and American Jobs. Economix Immigration and American Jobs Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2012. Immigration Helps US City Economies and Labor Markets, SP Says. Fox News Latino. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2012. Nowrasteh, Alex. Immigrants Help Fuel Tech Growth. The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 19 Jan. 2012. Web. 13 Dec. 2012. Pass el, Jeffery S., and Cohn DVera. Illegal Aliens Taking U.S Jobs (2011). Fedoration For American Immigration Reform. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2012. The White House Blog. Ten Ways Immigrants Help Build and Strengthen Our Economy. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2012.

Essay --

By giving restrictions on how to create knowledge from the arts and natural sciences we limit the knowledge available that is attainable. Ethical judgment is when we determine whether an action is morally permissive or acceptable. This can vary across time periods and certain cultures. Therefore, we limit our acquisition of knowledge by closing ourselves off to knowledge that some societies might be more accepting of. This pertains to natural sciences and the arts due to the fact that there will be different perceptions with what is morally acceptable towards what should be produced or not. This leads to the knowledge issue: to what extent do ethical considerations limit natural science experimentation and research and the way the arts are created? In the arts, there is rarely a universal agreement with what should be considered ethical or not. However, in natural sciences, there are more universal agreements that limit the methods that carry out the production of knowledge. Considering that the arts can limit our acquisition of knowledge when it is censored due to the possible negative outcomes it has, is it possible for a piece of art to be immoral? Artwork itself cannot be considered moral or immoral. It is a person’s sense perception of what is presented before him/her that impacts their reaction and makes them decide whether the artwork is immoral or not. The spectator will see the art differently than the artist. Maybe the piece was not vulgar to the artist because he/she views it differently and creates a representation of what they were picturing. Either way, everyone has different interpretations and impose their judgments on the artwork, which leads to them limiting the knowledge they could be accumulating. For example... ...ictly seen when we limit the way we produce it. Our way of leading us to the answer of an experiment, or fabricating an artwork, has many restrictions that we need to think through before putting it out there. We also are hurt from acquiring a better understanding of a work by letting ourselves be influenced by others’ moral judgments. We keep ourselves from advancing and discovering valuable information because the stigma around it states that it is unethical. Art could be more valuable or enlightening if everyone kept an open mind and attempted to understand what it represented. Certain scientific experiments could have already solved life-threatening diseases if no one focused on the means of how it was obtained. All these ethical judgments have been limiting us on how to generate more knowledge that would benefit our future or help us better understand our past.

Models of cultural differences Essay

There are several different theories and models of cultural differences. Let us detect key dimensions that characterise different cultures. The work of Hall, Hofstede, Trompenaars and many others who study national cross-cultural differences has been invaluable in the area of cross-cultural studies. Edward Hall is a prominent cultural anthropologist. His theoretical framework includes a concept known as the context of culture or communication. Basically Hall argued that there is a continuum extending from a low to high degree of intense socialization within cultural groups. Hall introduces five dimensions as follows: 1. Space: Different cultures have different attitudes towards space. Social distance varies by culture. He revealed that there are different spatial zones that cultures will use for communication. For example among those of Anglo-Saxon heritage, in the United States, there is an intimate zone that extends from 0 to 18 inches from a person. Only close relations will communicate this closely. However, some cultures prefer much closer contact. For example, in many Arab cultures contact is so close that individuals frequently can smell the breaths and odours. 2. Material Goods: Such goods are used for power and status. 3. Friendship: Interpersonal relationships vary considerably across cultures. 4. Time: Linear time cultures take time and deadlines very seriously, in a very rationalist sense. Time is structured, sequential and linear. Hall distinguished between monochronic and polychronic time. Monochronic people and cultures prefer focusing on a single task at a time, and completing one task before beginning another. Polychronic cultures have the ability to focus on multiple priorities simultaneously. 5. Agreement: Expressing agreement and disagreement varies by culture. In some cultures the detailed written contract is essential to agreement, while in others a handshake is sufficient. An interesting study highlighting cultural orientations toward time was completed by Trompenaars. The point of that study was to determine time orientation of different cultures. This national study on time orientation revealed that countries such as Germany and the United States were primarily present and future oriented. Conversely, France was found to be much more focused on the past. Trompenaars develops his parameters of national cultures in such pair oppositions: 1. Universalism – Particularism: The universalist approach means that what is good and right applies everywhere, while the particularist emphasises the obligations of relationships. 2. Collectivism – Individualism: that indicates the relative closeness of the relationship between social group members. 3. Neutral – Emotional: Some cultures are affective in that they show emotions while others are neutral, control and subdue their emotions. 4. Specific – Diffuse: In specific oriented cultures the manager separates the work relationships with subordinates from other dealings with them. 5. Status: While some cultures give status on the basis of achievement, others ascribe it on the basis of age, class, gender, education, etc. 6. Sequential – Synchronic: In the former cultures time is treated as a sequence of events while on later cultures a number of events are juggled at the same time. 7. Inner-Directed – Outer-Directed: The former cultures believe that they can and should control nature while the later go along with nature. Hofstede (1991) defines culture as mental programming or the software of the mind. Hofstede identifies five national culture dimensions as follows (Hofstede, 1980), (Hofstede, 1991): 1. Power Distance that is the extent to which the less powerful members of institutions and organisations within a country expect and accept that power is distributed unequally. 2. Individualism-Collectivism that indicates the relative closeness of the relationship between team members. 3. Masculinity-Femininity that identifies the sexuality of roles in society and the degree to which a society allows overlap between the roles of men and women. 4. Uncertainty Avoidance that is the extent to which the members of a culture feel threatened by uncertain or unknown situations. 5. Long-term Orientation that is based on values of Confucianism showing to what degree do people value the future versus the past or present. The advantages of Hofstede’s dimensions include the fact that they are founded on outstanding psychological and sociological theories within the American and European traditions that are over 100 years old; they are empirically derived; they allow us to rank order nations on each dimension; and they are readily understandable by managers and students. While Hofstede’s dimensions provide an effective general approach for comparing the cultures of nations, they are not grounded to specific nations. His dimensions are designed to be culture-general rather than culture-specific. Moreover, Hofstede results are often hard to remember and difficult to use in daily cultural interactions. All of the above models are quite useful and have several strengths. However there are also some points of concern; some weakness that should be identified with respect to each model separately. Hall’s model is built on qualitative insights rather than quantitative data and does not rank different countries. Hofstede’s work has such main problems like it assumes that national territory corresponds to culture limits, omitting existing cultural non-uniformity in various countries included in the survey, or some of the dimensions effects overlap such as the small power distance characteristics with the feminine ones. For Trompenaars’ model the main problem is that the pool of informants is vaguely defined and lacks homogeneity, therefore the comparisons that are made between cultures are imprecise. References: Hall, E. T. & Hall, M. R. 1990 Understanding Cultural Differences, Intercultural Press. Hofstede, G. 1980 Cultures Consequences, Sage. Hofstede, G. 1991 Cultures and Organisations, McGraw-Hill. Trompenaars, F. 1993 Riding the Waves of Culture, Nicholas Brealey.

Buying Happiness: The Depressing Reality of Materialism, written by Peter Dobson

In the article â€Å" Buying Happiness: The Depressing Reality of Materialism, written by Peter Dobson, he analyses the causes of depression as well as the potential cure. Dodson makes clear what he believes to be the root of depression for people in society. Dodson’s arguments are clear throughout his article and with the statistical data used, it seems to be the best possible to strengthen. His article is not specific to any one group of people but actually to everyone who is a consumer. Dodson is very persuasive in his argument and he is successful at dong so because of his supporting evidence. It is made easy for the readers to understand and relate to his arguments. Dodson’s argues that one of the major reasons many are depressed is due to the many activities people participate in that actually does not result in much emotional, physical or mental benefit. Dobson was persuasive in this argument because many can relate to the experience of feeling empty even after participating in a number if activities. This is because there are always new things to buy, new sites to surf which can only hold out attention for so long and keep us excited or happy for even less. Those who consume themselves in these activities frequently tend to be more materialistic, who replace the void of happiness with many useless things. Dodson is quite persuasive when he analyses this because he references the feelings that a person may encounter as well as the effect it has on the relationships with others around them and the world they now feel secluded in. Dodson makes his readers think about their own experiences, which many will be able to relate to his arguments. Dodson gets in to the minds of his reader’s by analyzing what people do compared to what they should be doing. He is successfully persuasive in how he presents his arguments because the reader’s may already know that with lack of interaction and socialization comes the feeling of depression. Dodson observes trends in Canadians and uses statistical data published by the Washington post in 2006 to help argue that Americans spend less time with their families and more time at work. Dodson’s argument is persuasive once again. He makes a strong correlation between working and the time spent with family. Less time with family equals more time eating along and less human contact, which is needed for the growth of humans and maintaining mental health. Less time with family can leas to depression because more time is taken consumed in work you would rather not do. Dodson is persuasive because he takes a sensitive topic such as family and he breaks it down to show how family is one of the strongest and significant structure needed in anyone’s life. He proves that without much of a family structure or the necessary time spent with family, people tend to feel more isolated and less supported. Dobson makes clear that without one another, especially those who mean a lot to you then we don’t have much to build happiness from. With all the trends and repetitive behavior Dodson put into perspective, the readers are easily persuaded to believe that we as people and as a society are moving down a path with a dead end. We tend to assume that those with high standards of living should automatically be happy. Dodson makes clear with facts that material goods can only allow people to live comfortably but in no way does this guarantee happiness. Dodson is persuasive because he states facts that are easily agreed with. People in society can understand what it takes to be happy and understand that having wealth and material things can possibly harm us rather than do us any good because it simply doesn’t fulfill our deepest desires. It actually suppresses it causing more of a void and desire to be happy. Having to buy the latest fashion and keep up with trends while losing more sleep can all lead to stress. The thought alone is tiresome. This is what Dodson tries to get his readers to understand and relate to. He paints a picture to his readers about how easy it is for these activities to lead to lowered self esteem and reduced sense of well being, which is nothing close to rewarding. This alone is a huge trigger for depression. Dodson uses his own analysis and it is successfully used to persuade his readers that there is a certain lifestyle to be lived by for regular people. He makes clear on what leads to depression and what we should be doing to cure this illness. The supporting evidence used helps the readers to understand the point of view and put themselves in relatable situations. Dodson persuades his readers that we are not on the correct path and are actually steered away from what the true meaning of happiness is. Dodson Summary In the article â€Å"Buying Happiness: The Depressing Reality Of Materialism†, by Peter Dodson, he analyses the causes of depression in society as well as potential cures. He argues that society is on a dead path to happiness and that levels of depression are actually at all time high. Money buys happiness† is one of the notions our society abides by which is actually hindering and the leading cause of depression. We are nowhere near happiness because we are misguided by what we believe true happiness to be. The author addresses the issues and correlation between money and material goods. He addresses the assumption that people who have high standards of living are believed to be happy, which is fal se. Money and material goods only provide a comfortable lifestyle but in no way does it guarantee happiness. Studies have actually shown that in addiction to this, intense pursuit of wealth and material goods can actually lead a person to become ill. Dodson argues that people are more prone to depression when they embrace materialism. Materialistic people tend to participate in activities, which actually provide them with no physical, mental or emotional benefits. They are only provided with short-term satisfaction but nothing to truly fulfill their deepest desires. Engaging in these activities also leads to lack of social interaction and doing things that are better for their well being. Dodson also addresses the fact that more people are working more thus leading to less time spent with family, which is an important part of growth. We require interaction with others and the less this is being done the more depressed people become. More time is spent doing activities alone such as: eating, watching tv and none to discuss personal problems with. With the many different trends Dodson proves how we are moving in the wrong direction and need to change a lot of our activities and mindset in order to move away from depression and towards happiness.

The forgotten group memeber case Essay Example

The forgotten group memeber case Essay Example The forgotten group memeber case Essay The forgotten group memeber case Essay Essay Topic: Sociology The facilitator, Christine, is assumed to embrace the same roles and adhere to the equivalent theories defined for a leader. Also, it is believed that the principles taught within Professor Rasmussens Organizational Behaviour class are consistent with those discussed by Dr. Keeping. The outcomes associated with the alternative solutions are based upon the likelihood of their interpretations within the group meeting corresponding with our interpretations of the theories utilized and are not explicitly applied with certainty. Statement of the Problem Due to lack of: clearly defined team roles, demonstrated leadership qualities, effort by all members and acknowledgment of communication barriers, conflict was imminent within the group. Immediate problems to be addressed by all members of the group include Janets feelings of exclusion from the group and Christines lack of insight into the apparent causes of Janets loss of motivation to be a group member. Professor Rasmussen must decide whether to resolve the feelings of inequality between the group members and if delegating a further assignment to Janet is appropriate. Analysis of the Problem As stated in the course outline received by all students at the commencement of the term, group work is considered to be the primary medium through which applying the theories learned in class is to be implemented. Causes of animosity within the group may be attributed to group dynamics, norm formation, leadership inefficiencies, perceptions, conscientiousness and communication barriers. As explained by Professor Rasmussen during the second class, all groups undergo four stages of interaction: forming, norming, storming and performing1. These four phases are also referred to as mutual acceptance, communication and decision making, motivation and productivity and control and organization. Interaction amongst those who have had no previous relations together is facilitated through the first stage; where personal preferences and work schedules are exchanged, strengths and weaknesses made apparent and expectations clarified2. The first group meeting held was used to recognize these necessities. The second stage, where norms, goals and performance ideals are mutually established through discussion, should not occur without careful consideration and input by all members. The formation of the group failed to fully complete this stage however, allowing the ambiguous actions of members to be perceived incongruently. Norms are behaviours that social groups deem proper when interacting, so that actions may be consistent and activities made predictable3. To be effective, all must clearly understand and adhere to these expectations for there to be cohesiveness. At the commencement of the semester, Professor Rasmussen defined his norms for the groups and required all students to sign a contract, indicating that all expectations have been acknowledged. Unfortunately, within Christines group, not all members abided by the norms. One member in particular, Janet, failed to fulfill the contract to its fullest extent, however, one should not fault the lack of cohesiveness strictly to Janet. The group accepted the norms delivered by Professor Rasmussen but did not redefine or set out norms to be suitable for them selves. Nor was the contract or its contents reviewed during the group meetings. Therefore, it may be inferred that the group failed to establish strict rules or guidelines, causing the situation they are presently in. Christine, as facilitator, should have ensured that the norms were set as they are a vital aspect of a successful group4. Christines style of leadership throughout this situation may be described using the theory of Leader-Member Exchange. This theory focuses upon the unique relations between a leader and their subordinates. Greater personality similarities contribute to closer relations, allowing for stronger bonds to be forged5. These strong personality connections cause the subordinate to be designated a member of the ingroup. The ingroup consists of those who receive special preferences such as inclusion within social activities that occur outside of the organization. Those subordinates who do not receive this special treatment are considered the outgroup members. As facilitator, Christine did not form a strong inter-personal relationship with Janet, her subordinate. As sole member of the outgroup, Janet did not satisfy the need to relate to her colleagues as defined by ERG; a theory first proposed by Clayton Alderfer that defines the needs of existence, relatedness and growth as essential to human motivation. The need of relatedness is the ability to identify with ones peers and establishing a sense of belongingness6. Janet was not able to experience the cohesiveness established through the extracurricular social interactions. The rest of the members were able to receive these benefits and become highly cohesive due to their designated statuses as members of the ingroup. Because Janet was excluded from the ingroup and was allocated to the outgroup, she was lead to encompass unmotivated behaviours. She was lead to feel unmotivated, as she was a victim of the fundamental attribution error principle. This theory states that one may have their preferences and ideals seen as the primary cause of their actions although situational attributions may be the proper cause7. Janet experienced this bias by the members of her group, as she chose to help her boyfriend with his project instead of meeting with the group at the designated time, as she previously agreed to. From her perspective, she did not intentionally choose to spend the allotted time with her boyfriend, however the group feels that her actions were a blatant attempt to avoid contributing further. This principle was also used by Janet, as she attributed Christines lack of social inclusion to the general dislike of her personality. Due to the diverse personality composition of the group, it is imperative that the leader manages the situation with care to ensure that conflicting ideals do not affect the groups cohesiveness. Stereotypes attributed amongst the members of the group lead to distrust as well as communication problems. A leader must recognize these issues and allocate the required time towards helping the group unify8. When Christine first met with her group, she made stereotypical assumptions about each individual based upon her first impressions and the brief biographies supplied to her. One may describe representativeness heuristics as a method in which a person evaluates others based on characteristics or previous occurrences9. Christine utilizes this principle when she assumes that Janet is unmotivated and uninterested with the group project; as she was late to the first meeting and mentioned all her free time was spent with her boyfriend. This causes the group to feel as though Janet does not want to work with them, which leads her to feel unwelcome. Although Janet has contributed her allotted portion of the assignment, Christine still holds negative feelings due to selective perception10; the ability to omit information, which does not correspond to, established beliefs. Despite the fact that Janet was a fully contributing member, the group continued to hold a negative bias due to her lack of social activity. Also, Mike had the tendency to put forth less effort than other group members, which is looked upon as free riding. A free rider is one who tries to maximize their outputs while minimizing their level of inputs11. Due to his lack of focus and recurring need to bring humour to all situations, Mike is seen as a fully contributing member because of his constant presence. Christines lack of leadership contributed to the differing ways in which each individual was treated, causing the group to have a lack of respect for her position. A persons conscientiousness defines the range of tasks they wish to sustain and the variety of activities in which they chose to involve themselves. A person who appears to focus on effectively completing a small number of goals is viewed as displaying high-conscientiousness. They value the characteristics being responsible, organized and self-disciplined. Anchored at the opposing end of the continuum are those whom are regarded as exhibiting low-conscientiousness. They apply themselves to a large number of responsibilities that often cause them to become overwhelmed by the volume and incapable of applying the effort required. People within this category tend to be careless, irresponsible and lack self-sufficiency12. In applying this theory to the case, it is apparent that Janet tends demonstrate characteristics consistent with a less-conscientious person. She is studying at a university, maintaining two jobs and is fully committed to a serious relationship. Therefore, Janets time is greatly consumed with a larger variety of activities than others within her peer group. This detracts from her performance in the group-case study. Communication is an essential element for coordinating efforts and sharing information within any interpersonal atmosphere13. Barriers to communication arose concerning Mikes free- riding tendencies and Janets failure to attend group meetings regularly due to Christines failure to fulfill the role of facilitator. Instead of avoiding the conflict, Christine should have resolved the issues as they became apparent, for they caused stronger concentration upon Janets individualized status.

The like of shakespeare essays

The like of shakespeare essays His father, John, trained as a glove-maker and married Mary Arden, the daughter of Robert Arden, a farmer from the nearby village of Wilmcote. John and Mary moved to Henley Street, Stratford, the house now known as Shakespeare's Birthplace. John Shakespeare was a good citizen, he was on the town council for many years and he became Bailiff, or Mayor, in 1568. Besides being a glover, he traded as a wool dealer and was also involved in money-lending. John and Mary lost two children before William was born. They had five more children,but another one died young. Because William was the son of a leading townsman, it was very likely he went to Stratford's 'petty' or junior school before moving on, maybe at the age of seven, to the Grammar School, which is still around today. The grammar school taught Latin, both written and spoken. In November 1582 he married Anne Hathaway, the daughter of Richard Hathaway, a local farmer. Her home, now known as Anne Hathaway's Cottage, still stands in the village of Shottery, a mile from Stratford. At the time of their marriage William was eighteen and Anne was twenty-six. Their first-born child, Susanna, was baptised on 26 May 1583. Two years later twins followed, Hamlet and Judith. Shakespeare's reputation was established in London by 1592. Shakespeare's earliest plays included the three parts of Henry VI, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, and Titus Andronicus. Shakespeare's first printed works were two long poems, Venus and Adonis (1593) and The Rape of Lucrece (1594). These were both dedicated to the Earl of Southampton. Most of the Sonnets were probably written about this time, too, although they were not published until 1609. 1n 1594, Shakespeare joined others in forming a new theatre company, with Richard Burbage as its leading actor. For almost twenty years Shakespeare was its regular dramatist, producing on average two plays a year. Burbage played roles such as Richard III, Hamlet, Oth...

Prehistoric Life During the Pliocene Epoch

Prehistoric Life During the Pliocene Epoch By the standards of deep time, the Pliocene epoch was relatively recent, commencing only five million years or so before the start of the modern historical record, 10,000 years ago. During the Pliocene, prehistoric life around the globe continued to adapt to the prevailing climatic cooling trend, with some notable local extinctions and disappearances. The Pliocene was the second epoch of the Neogene Period (23-2.6 million years ago), the first being the Miocene (23-5 million years ago); all of these periods and epochs were themselves part of the Cenozoic Era (65 million years ago to the present). Climate and Geography During the Pliocene epoch, the earth continued its cooling trend from previous epochs, with tropical conditions holding at the equator (as they do today) and more pronounced seasonal changes at higher and lower latitudes; still, average global temperatures were 7 or 8 degrees (Fahrenheit) higher than they are today. The major geographic developments were the reappearance of the Alaskan land bridge between Eurasia and North America, after millions of years of submersion, and the formation of the Central American Isthmus joining North and South America. Not only did these developments allow an interchange of fauna between three of the earths continents, but they had a profound effect on ocean currents, as the relatively cool Atlantic ocean was cut off from the much warmer Pacific. Terrestrial Life During the Pliocene Epoch Mammals. During large chunks of the Pliocene epoch, Eurasia, North America, and South America were all connected by narrow land bridges- and it wasnt all that difficult for animals to migrate between Africa and Eurasia, either. This wreaked havoc on mammalian ecosystems, which were invaded by migrating species, resulting in increased competition, displacement, and even outright extinction. For example, ancestral camels (like the huge Titanotylopus) migrated from North America to Asia, while the fossils of giant prehistoric bears like Agriotherium have been discovered in Eurasia, North America, and Africa. Apes and hominids were mostly restricted to Africa (where they originated), though there were scattered communities in Eurasia and North America. The most dramatic evolutionary event of the Pliocene epoch was the appearance of a land bridge between North and South America. Previously, South America had been much like modern Australia, a giant, isolated continent populated by a variety of strange mammals, including giant marsupials. Confusingly, some animals had already succeeded in traversing these two continents, before the Pliocene epoch, by the arduously slow process of accidental  island-hopping; thats how Megalonyx, the Giant Ground Sloth, wound up in North America. The ultimate winners in this Great American Interchange were the mammals of North America, which either wiped out or greatly diminished their southern relatives. The late Pliocene epoch was also when some familiar megafauna mammals appeared on the scene, including the Woolly Mammoth in Eurasia and North America, Smilodon (the Saber-Toothed Tiger) in North and South America, and Megatherium (the Giant Sloth) and Glyptodon (a gigantic, armored armadillo) in South America. These plus-sized beasts persisted into the ensuing Pleistocene epoch, when they went extinct due to climate change and competition with (combined with hunting by) modern humans. Birds. The Pliocene epoch marked the swan song of the phorusrhacids, or terror birds, as well as the other large, flightless, predatory birds of South America, which resembled meat-eating dinosaurs that had gone extinct tens of millions of years earlier (and count as an example of convergent evolution.) One of the last surviving terror birds, the 300-pound Titanis, actually managed to traverse the Central American isthmus and populate southeastern North America; however, this didnt save it from going extinct by the start of the Pleistocene epoch. Reptiles. Crocodiles, snakes, lizards, and turtles all occupied an evolutionary backseat during the Pliocene epoch (as they did during much of the Cenozoic Era). The most important developments were the disappearance of alligators and crocodiles from Europe (which had now become much too cool to support these reptiles  cold-blooded lifestyles), and the appearance of some truly gigantic turtles, such as the aptly named Stupendemys of South America. Marine Life During the Pliocene Epoch As during the preceding Miocene, the seas of the Pliocene epoch were dominated by the biggest shark that ever lived,  the 50-ton Megalodon. Whales continued their evolutionary progress, approximating the forms familiar in modern times, and pinnipeds (seals, walruses, and sea otters) flourished in various parts of the globe. An interesting side note: the marine reptiles of the Mesozoic Era known as  pliosaurs  were once thought to date from the Pliocene epoch, hence their misleading name, Greek for Pliocene lizards. Plant Life During the Pliocene Epoch There werent any wild bursts of innovation in Pliocene plant life; rather, this epoch continued the trends seen during the preceding Oligocene and Miocene epochs: the gradual confinement of jungles and rain forests to equatorial regions, while vast deciduous forests and grasslands dominated higher northern latitudes, especially in North America and Eurasia.

Satan's fall from Heaven Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Satan's fall from Heaven - Research Paper Example Main views/theories on Satan's fall from Heaven The exact time of Satan's fall from Heaven is still clouded and leads to a number of different views and theories on the same. Some of the views/theories are pointed out here. Satan’s fall: between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2 This view/theory is generally known as ‘gap theory’. The chief exponents of this theory believe that the wide time interval between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2 is enough to the Satan’s fall from heaven. Hodge (2011), states that â€Å"Gap theorists try to make the case that the Hebrew in Genesis 1:2 should be translated as â€Å"And the earth became without form, and void† and this is subsequent to Satan’s fall† (p.24). Besides, this theory can be connected to the theory of evolution and the extinction of dinosaurs. When the gap is that of millions of years, there exists high possibility for Satan’s fall from heaven within this time interval. In addition, this theory tries to connect Genesis 1:1 with scientific division of ages. For instance, Genesis 1:1can be evaluated scientifically as the time interval of creation of the whole world by the God. Moreover, Genesis 1:2 can be evaluated as the time interval in which the God judged the whole wor ld. In short, the ‘gap theory’ tries to explain that Satan’s fall from the heaven is in between Genesis 1:1and 1:2. Satan’s fall: between chapters 1 and 2 (Genesis)... Satan’s fall: between chapters 1 and 2 (Genesis) The people who believe in this view/theory do not accept the fact that the earth’s age consists of millions of years. When this view is connected to the God’s creation of the world within six days, the time interval for the creation is limited to an extent. For instance, when the God created the whole world within six days, the age of the earth will be limited to thousands of years. Russell (1987), states that â€Å"The Devil fall from grace because he envied God, wishing to be adored like his maker, and even more because he envied humanity† (p.81). The exponents of this view/theory argue that Satan was created by the God on the first day of creation. Those who believe in this view/theory are of the opinion that Satan’s fall is in between the chapters 1 and 2 (Genesis). To be specific, the Satan in the chapter 3 of genesis is portrayed as a fallen angel. So, there exists high possibility for Satanâ₠¬â„¢s fall between his creation (chapter 1) and portrayal as fallen (chapter 3). So, the exponents of this view/theory argue that Satan’s fall is in between the chapters 1 and 2 (Genesis). Satan’s fall: before chapter 1 (Genesis) This view/theory is based upon the belief that Satan’s fall is not between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2, and chapters 1 and 2 (Genesis), but before chapter 1 (Genesis). This view/theory suggests that Satan was banished from the heaven long before Adam and Eve’s creation. Troyer (2007), states that â€Å" Some people believe Lucifer was kicked out of heaven long before the Garden of Eden was made or before God created the heaven and the earth† (p.116). The main argument is that chapter 1 (Genesis) makes clear that

Australia's Economy Over The Last Two Years Essay

Australia's Economy Over The Last Two Years - Essay Example In Australia, the Australian government and the Reserve Bank of Australia play a major role in the country’s economics, as these determine the macroeconomic policies in the country. According to the International Labour Organization (2013), a microeconomic policy that is aimed at achieving economic stability in a country, is a paramount condition for the achievement and sustenance of high levels of development tin a country. Nonetheless, this part of the essay explores the main macroeconomic policies used by the Australian Government and the Reserve Bank of Australia over the last two years. There are two core macroeconomic policies, which a country can use, and these include the monetary and the fiscal policy. Nonetheless, the Australian government and the Reserve Bank of Australia have in the past two years, used these to control the economy. Fiscal policy in Australia includes the level and composition of government revenues and outlays, methods of financing a budget defici t or using a budget surplus, the operation of automatic and discretionary stabilizers, and the provision of incentives to increase aggregate supply. According to Parkinson (2012), a major function of Australia’s fiscal policy is to ensure the maintenance of fiscal sustainability from a medium-term perspective. Parkinson (2012) also notes that monetary policy in Australia has the main purpose of maintaining inflation between 2 and 3 percent. The monetary policy in Australia has to do with the Reserve Bank of Australia interest rate, as well as the exchange rate policies, and transmission mechanisms. This serves to anchor inflation expectations, and has the responsibility of managing demand. This is with the aim of ensuring that the country’s economy remains on a stable path of growth, and maintains a low rate of inflation. Therefore, monetary policy and fiscal policy, as well as exchange rate, are three core aspects of Australia’s macroeconomic framework, which h ave been extremely important for the past two years, as these have provided a great level of flexibility for the country to deal with economic shocks that it experiences from time to time. Parkinson (2012) notes that the Australian macroeconomic policy framework is an asset and an endowment to the country, as it forms a core part of the country’s productive base. Nonetheless, for the past two years, these have been effective in ensuring that Australia addresses its economic problems, and the Australian government achieves its economic objectives. The Reserve Bank of Australia deals with all the issues pertaining the monetary policy. Nonetheless, a major aspect of the monetary policy, which the Reserve Bank of Australia utilizes is the interest rate. This interest rate influences differently other interest rates in the economy, so that the borrowers and lenders in the money markets come under the influence of the monetary policy. The Reserve Bank of Australia controls the inte rest rates in a manner that will ensure that the objectives of the Reserve Bank Act 1959 are attained. These include, and are not limited to ensuring a stable currency of the country, preventing unemployment, boosting living standards of citizens, and ensuring economic empowerment of the people (Reserve Bank of Australia 2013). In order to ease or loosen bonds, the Reserve Bank of Australia would buy bonds in order to create excess liquidity, putting downward pressure on interest rates, allowing increased consumer and investment spending, and finally lower the rate of unemployment. Similarly, when there is a possibility of the rate of inflation to increase, the Reserve Bank

Discuss the events of one cardiac cycle (electrical and mechenical Essay

Discuss the events of one cardiac cycle (electrical and mechenical events) - Essay Example Cardiac muscles are myogenic, which means that their contractions are started by the muscle itself, the action beginning from the sino-atriol node. The first stage of the cardiac cycle is known as the ventricular filling, which involves the flow of blood from the atria to the ventricles. The other stages include the movement of blood from the right ventricle through the pulmonary artery and the left ventricle through the aorta (Guyton and Hall, 2006). The contraction of the heart muscles on the left and right atria, which contract at the same time, is known as the atria systole (Klabunde, 2012). The events begin with the electrical current, which stimulates the myocardium contracts the heart chambers. This is then followed by the mechanical events. The electrical currents of the heart begin at the Sino atria node where action potential is generated (Williams, 2001). In the Sino-atria node, there is a rich supply of cells, capillaries and nervous supply, and the electrical current travels across the right and left atria. The atria are separated from the ventricles by a non-conducting band of connective tissues. Between the cardiac muscles are disc called gap junctions that provide electrical resistance at a low rate. The stimulation of each muscle fiber causes an electrical current to pass over the whole heart hence no external stimulus is required. The wave reaches the atrio-ventricular nodes in the lower right atrium, where it delays for a short period of time before conduction to the ventricles through the bundles up the purkinje fibers (Klabunde, 2004). Delaying at the atrio-ventricular node allows enough time for blood in the atria to get into the right ventricles. The atrio-ventricular node may act as a pace maker, which makes the action potential slow and unstable, depolarization occurs constantly due to the fall of calcium and potassium ions and this effect on the resting potential affects the heart rate. The mechanical

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

Management Consulting - Essay Example To put the above question into perspective it is important to examine what qualifies these assertions in the following two broad ways: Consulting as a Method which is Fashionable Consulting involves a scientific methodology of solving problems or providing a theoretical framework of solving or creating a model of solving a particular problem according to Kubr (2000). In terms of methodology, any new framework is normally created by the process of induction i.e. through making generalizations and doing comparative analysis based on studies that were previously done. The approach is thus pegged on product consulting as a ‘fashion’ that tailors on theoretical framework which is based on expert based knowledge. Tuomi and Naarmala (2010) state that when making generalizations about a theory, it is important to do so from a position of theoretical propositions in the form of concepts. Consulting as a Product which is Fashionable The process of developing new consulting product s makes avenues for string concepts and models that define goods and services which customers enjoy and which are accessible to them. In a sense this ensures that products which would otherwise not be ‘seen’ get to be noticed and the positive sanctions as well as incentives about it are illuminated by way of service so that buying them becomes faster and convenient (Brotheridge and Power, 2007). This assertion authoritatively is what consulting is all about. Literally, consulting is ‘a situation in which one person has a problem or difficulty and seeks help from someone with special skills’’ (Kipping and Engwall, 2002; Greiner and Poulfelt, 2009). However, consultants do not always decide for their customers the way forward. Instead, they provide advice without necessarily asserting themselves to a formal authority situation where they necessarily insist that their clients choose a particular way. Consulting has also been defined as ‘activity, recommending appropriate action and helping to implement those recommendations’ (Tuomi & Naarmala, 2010). In the end, this is important since it provides an avenue for development of new and probable systems that justify changes to be made in an organization or a business entity as well as offering training for managers and other employees. It also in a significant way addresses issues regarding problem identification and recognition and ultimately its assessment and solutions (Biswas and Twitchell, 2002). Further consulting within the prism of methodology also creates the ground for an outsider to offer both competent, non-partisan discussion about the problem. Further, consulting culminating to a fashion ushers in more resources in respect to developing a product or a project and does more in providing information and availing opportunities for social networking. Indeed, scholars and experts have often suggested that the use of consulting in a problematic situation enhances the number of possible solutions to look into and thus increases the holistic view and approach to management. The products thus become, in a sense, a fashion out of a scientifically oriented approach. Thommen and Richter (2004) state that in the work place the issue is increasingly examinable in two ways: One is that the employment of consultative way of working in various departments in any organization is

Compare the NIMBYism Between China Three Gorges Dam and India Delhi Essay

Compare the NIMBYism Between China Three Gorges Dam and India Delhi Dam. (Research Project) - Essay Example While the authoritarian government in China hardly allows people to give own opinions, people in India have the power to complain and provide personal opinions. Due to this difference, transnational movements have great influence over the Indian people than the Chinese people. India enjoys these privileges because the country endures a democratic regime. The other key factor discussed in the paper that also creates the difference is the history of each dam project. The Indian project is much older and has resulted to more damages as compared to the Chinese dam project. People in India would more likely to perceive future disasters than the Chinese people making their case more complicated. This implies that political structure is the most important as analyzed in the paper. Dr. Yat-Sen first proposed Chinese Three Gorges dam project with the main objective being to control the flooding of Yangtze River and generation of electricity. However, according to a public opinion survey by Chetham, the local population felt that the extra energy generated by the project would not benefit them as the project was aimed at producing energy not intended to the local consumers. The dam spans River Yangtze by the Sandouping town. The dam is the largest power station in the world with respect to its installation capacity of 22,500 MW. The Three Gorges Dam became fully functional in early July 2012, but the dam itself was completed in the year 2006. At this time, the main turbines within the underground plant started production of hydroelectric power. Every main turbine is known to yield a power capacity of up to 700MW. In total, the project has 32 main turbines, which together with other smaller generators, 22,500MW of electric power is generated. On the other hand, the Delhi Dam project started with an embankment dam specifically on River Maquoketa. It was situated about two and half

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

Management Consulting - Essay Example To put the above question into perspective it is important to examine what qualifies these assertions in the following two broad ways: Consulting as a Method which is Fashionable Consulting involves a scientific methodology of solving problems or providing a theoretical framework of solving or creating a model of solving a particular problem according to Kubr (2000). In terms of methodology, any new framework is normally created by the process of induction i.e. through making generalizations and doing comparative analysis based on studies that were previously done. The approach is thus pegged on product consulting as a ‘fashion’ that tailors on theoretical framework which is based on expert based knowledge. Tuomi and Naarmala (2010) state that when making generalizations about a theory, it is important to do so from a position of theoretical propositions in the form of concepts. Consulting as a Product which is Fashionable The process of developing new consulting product s makes avenues for string concepts and models that define goods and services which customers enjoy and which are accessible to them. In a sense this ensures that products which would otherwise not be ‘seen’ get to be noticed and the positive sanctions as well as incentives about it are illuminated by way of service so that buying them becomes faster and convenient (Brotheridge and Power, 2007). This assertion authoritatively is what consulting is all about. Literally, consulting is ‘a situation in which one person has a problem or difficulty and seeks help from someone with special skills’’ (Kipping and Engwall, 2002; Greiner and Poulfelt, 2009). However, consultants do not always decide for their customers the way forward. Instead, they provide advice without necessarily asserting themselves to a formal authority situation where they necessarily insist that their clients choose a particular way. Consulting has also been defined as ‘activity, recommending appropriate action and helping to implement those recommendations’ (Tuomi & Naarmala, 2010). In the end, this is important since it provides an avenue for development of new and probable systems that justify changes to be made in an organization or a business entity as well as offering training for managers and other employees. It also in a significant way addresses issues regarding problem identification and recognition and ultimately its assessment and solutions (Biswas and Twitchell, 2002). Further consulting within the prism of methodology also creates the ground for an outsider to offer both competent, non-partisan discussion about the problem. Further, consulting culminating to a fashion ushers in more resources in respect to developing a product or a project and does more in providing information and availing opportunities for social networking. Indeed, scholars and experts have often suggested that the use of consulting in a problematic situation enhances the number of possible solutions to look into and thus increases the holistic view and approach to management. The products thus become, in a sense, a fashion out of a scientifically oriented approach. Thommen and Richter (2004) state that in the work place the issue is increasingly examinable in two ways: One is that the employment of consultative way of working in various departments in any organization is

United States Probation Officer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

United States Probation Officer - Essay Example Further, serving as a witness in criminal court proceedings shows my commitment to justice and offenders’ behaviour modulation. I have also been able to engage in security circulation activities amongst clients and colleagues, acquiring vital verbal and written communication skills in the process. These skills will be paramount in successful execution of my duties as a probation officer. I will be highly honored to use learnt skills, to serve the community, as a probation officer with the United States Probation Department in New York. I am up to the challenge of serving as a proficient social worker capable of handling the wide array of offenders, together with their families whether in court, prisons or even in mainstream community. I will fulfil my duties with diligence, to foster the department’s success in rehabilitating offenders and preventing them from reengaging in criminal activity. I intend to achieve this by challenging offenders’ behavior, and helping them reform their attitude and demeanor, thus protecting the general public from possibly of multiple offenses. I have also committed myself to learning people and their behaviour, as part of my passion for law enforcement and due to recognizing the fact that a probation officer deals with diverse personalities and duties. Even though a career in law enforcement is bound to be challenging, I am confident that being a federal probation officer will give me a unique opportunity to optimally utilize my analytical, academic and immense work experience. I recognize that a principal part of my job will entail extensive interaction with law enforcement agencies and justice establishments like courts of law. For instance, in order to ensure that offenders abide by the law I will need court orders and decrees to set offenders in the right path toward correction. Further, in the course of administering my duties to the community, I will need to advise individuals to seek justice from the courts

The Negative Consequences of Genetically Modified Food Essay Example for Free

The Negative Consequences of Genetically Modified Food Essay Genetically modified foods (GM foods, or biotech foods) are hazardous to your health. These foods are derived from genetically modified organisms (GMOs), specifically, genetically modified crops. GMOs have had specific changes introduced into their DNA by genetic engineering techniques. Genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, are created when a gene from one species is transferred to another, creating something that would not be found in nature. GMOs are present in almost sixty percent of all processed foods including vegetable oil, Soya flour, lecithin, and Soya proteins. GMO maize products make up approximately fifty percent of processed foods including corn, cornstarch, and corn syrups. Beets, sugar, dairy products, and soybeans are also produced through genetic engineering. The six major GMO crops are Soy, Corn, Canola, Cotton, sugar beets and alfalfa. Have you ever wondered what may be causing the food allergies you or your children have? It is most likely due to GMOs. By drawing out proteins from foods and modifying other foods with them, there is a much greater chance of cross contamination of allergens. Without proper identification, this could be devastating if not deadly for those with serious food allergies. For example, a person that is allergic to peanuts (common allergen) may be also allergic to tomatoes that have had the peanut protein injected into them. Without knowing, the person may eat the tomato and have an allergic reaction to it not realizing that the tomato was genetically modified. So now, there will be more people that can develop allergies to tomatoes. Children, especially under the age of two, are more prone to develop allergies to GMO foods because they have the greatest number of reactions to new allergens in foods. They are particularly vulnerable to GM corn, which contains an allergen not found in natural varieties. Over the last several years, the greatest rise in food allergies was to soy products. In fact, â€Å"Soy allergies skyrocketed by 50% in the UK, soon after GM soy was introduced†. (1) Eating a diet with non-GMOs will also help to keep you healthy. GMOs have been linked to existing diseases and new diseases. In particular, genetically engineered corn and soy can wreak havoc on your health by promoting obesity and contributing to diseases. According to an article featured on a health website by Dr. Mercola, a well-known American physician: â€Å"The results show a positive link between GE corn and obesity. Animals fed a GE corn diet got fatter quicker and retained the weight compared to animals fed a non-GE grain diet. The studies were performed on rats, mice, pigs and salmon, achieving the same results. † â€Å"This not only may relate to a rise in obesity, but to increases in many modern diseases. These diseases include diabetes, digestive disorders, inflammatory bowel disease, colitis, autism spectrum disorders (ASD) (ADD), autoimmune diseases, sexual dysfunction, sterility, asthma, COPD and many more. (2) If you are concerned about the plight of starving people in the world, GMOs are not the answer for global food security or for reducing world hunger. Although biotech companies have argued that GM crops grow bigger and produce more food, which can help curb the poverty issue in the world, that is actually not the case. Genetically engineered crops have shown no increase in yield. In many cases other farm technology has proven much more successful, and even Monsanto, the world’s largest GM seed company, agrees that its genetically engineered crops yield less than conventional farming. In fact, when Monsanto attempted to introduce GM hybrid wheat to Europe for its cereal market, it revealed that the growth in hybrid wheat had failed to materialise. Our lack of success in hybrids means this is no longer a good strategic fit for Monsanto. (3). If you do not want to worry about the relationship between GMOs and food allergies and if you are concerned about the health risks associated with consuming GM foods, avoid purchasing GM foods. Here are some tips to help you to avoid purchasing and consuming GM foods. Look for 100% organic products, which means that all ingredients in the product are organic. Look for â€Å"non-GMO† or â€Å"Made without genetically modified ingredients† labels. Avoid at risk ingredients like soy, corn, cottonseed, canola, sugar beets, and alfalfa. In addition, consumers can change the GMO practices of food manufacturers. You can get together with your local community and start a petition to demand that GMOs be eliminated from the food supply. These two methods will help to ensure that all people can stay healthy. SOURCES CITED Audet, M. (2013). Genetically Modified Food and Risks to Human Health. Retrieved from http://organic. lovetoknow. com/natural-organic-food/genetically-modified-food-risks-human-health Smith, J. M. (2003). Genetically Engineered Foods Pose Health Risk to Children. Retrieved from http://www. saynotogmos. org/uoct03a. htm (1) Smith, J. M. (2007). Spilling the Beans. Newsletter. Retrieved from http://www. responsibletechnology. org/gmo-dangers/health-risks/articles-aboutrisks-by-jeffrey-smith/Genetically-Engineered-Foods-May-Cause-Rising-Food-Allergies-Genetically-Engineered-Soybeans-May- (2)Mercola, Dr. (2012). Decade-Long Feeding Study Reveals Significant HealthHazards of Genetically Engineered Foods. Retrieved fromhttp://articles. mercola. com/sites/articles/archive/2012/08/07/genetically-engineered-foods-hazards. aspx (3) Brown, P. and Oliver, M. (2003). Monsanto to Quit Europe. Retrieved from http://www. saynotogmos. org/uoct03b. htm#mquits.

Management of a Care Facility

Management of a Care Facility Introduction Managers are tasked to create their organisation’s vision in such a way that it will aide in assuring future stability. This academic paper will discuss how an organisation’s vision is created, communicated and implemented and how this vision will pave the way for conceptualizing its strategic direction in a chosen residential home. The residential home care that was discussed in this paper is a home care that provides older adult services to about 60-70 residents with various geriatric needs. The residential home care is divided into units depending on the needs assessments made on each resident during their admission. There are about four nearby residential home cares providing the same services. The home care is the newest of the four and is gradually gaining recognition within the serviceable area. In its everyday operations, bulk of the employees consists of nurses and health care aides. Major problems faced by the organisation are the shortage of nursing staff along with the need to expand the business due to increase influx of clients being admitted. The vision and its stakeholders An organisational vision is a statement of what the organisation wants to do and hopes to become in the future (Nagelkerk, 2005). In creating a vision, it must first be congruent with mission and philosophy of the organisation and anchored on shared values and beliefs (Polifko-Harris, 2005). At the same time, the vision must be dynamic and motivational to its stakeholders because the vision is said to be meaningful only to those who are involved in its creation (Roussel, 2011; Thamm, 2011; Allen, 2007) A stakeholder is a person or a group that takes strong interest on organisation (Kelly and Tazbir, 2013). In health care industries such as the residential home care, the stakeholders include the patients or clients, nurses, medical practitioners, insurers, administrators, and accrediting bodies (Kelly and Tazbir, 2013). In vision planning, consideration of the stakeholders and fostering a good relationship with them are very crucial as their involvement and engagement in the organisation can bring the vision into reality (Kelly and Tazbir, 2013; Malloch and Porter-O’Grady, 2010). They must be adequately represented as they are expected to support management initiatives and perform certain roles for fulfilling organisational success (Gantz, 2010; Harris et al, 2010). As Sare and Ogilvie (2010) say, nursing is a people-centered profession and thrives in involvement. The more we get to involve people to share in the organisational vision, there is higher likelihood that the visi on will be put to reality. Oftentimes, it is heard that only those in the middle and upper management make decisions and policies for the organisation. However, it is not only them who must be involved in creating the vision. In the chosen health care setting, the stakeholders include the elderly residents and their families, the nursing personnel and other employees, unit managers and supervisors and the board of directors. Feedbacks and perceptions of service users are crucial in service improvements. Thus, satisfaction of the elderly residents and their families must be solicited from them. Moreover, the people working for the company especially the nursing staff who provide direct nursing care must be considered. Nurse leaders need to make the employees committed to the organisation and gain ownership of its goals and objectives so that the vision can be brought to reality (McIntyre and McDonald, 2013). Nurses who are motivated and satisfied in their work are more likely to perform better that contribute t o better patient outcomes (Potter et al, 2014). As mentioned, the home care is now facing a shortage of nursing staff which can affect their level of dedication and work quality (McGilton et al, 2013; Peng et al, 2013). This should be one of the things that must be considered if the management would want to make the nursing staff form a sense of ownership of the vision. Factors that may impact the organisational vision Aside from the stakeholders, there are influential factors that must be paid attention to if the organisation is to create a feasible vision. Intrinsic and extrinsic factors can be assessed using SWOT analysis (Kelly and Tazbir, 2013). These factors that need consideration include the areas of operation, finances, competition, changing needs of clients, technological advances, changing political climate, market conditions, economy, competition, current trends and issues in healthcare (Nagelkerk, 2005). Organisational vision and strategic decision In consideration of the characteristics of the residential home care, its stakeholders and other environmental factors, the created vision is written below: â€Å"Our vision is to be the foremost residential home care for older adults in the community that promotes independence and higher quality of life through excellent and safe nursing care. The next step would be to create the strategic direction for the organisation. In the strategic management process, the strategic direction is the long term goals and objectives of the organisation that outlines the purposes of the organisation and its operational scope (Enz, 2009). It must be anchored on the organisation’s mission and vision statements (Enz, 2009). In consideration of the strategic direction, the organisational competencies will be assessed together with surrounding environmental factors (Wilson, 2005). In developing the strategic direction, answers to the following questions will be sought with the help of the management and key stakeholders: 1) What are the expertise of the home care?; 2) What kind of home care will it be in three or five years?; 3) What type of population will we be serving?; 4) What additional functions or services are we going to provide given the evolving market?; 5) What are the technology requirements given the evolving market?; and 6 ) What changes are taking place in the internal and external market that will affect the home care? (Paley, 1999). Communicating the vision One of the qualities of a highly effective leader is the ability to make the people involved in the organisation understand and remain committed to the vision (Gill, 2011). Continuous and sustainable communication of the vision enables members to be clearly informed of the current status of the organisation and its future directions (Gill, 2011). When properly communicated, shared vision prospers and stakeholders will most likely understand their roles and responsibilities in realising the vision inspite of uncertainties and problems along the way (Papp, 2001). The created vision will be communicated by: 1) finding key persons who will motivate others to listen and be engaged in the vision; 2) setting-up a formal communication team who will disseminate the new vision through advertisements and staff education; 3) including the vision in marketing ads of the home care; 4) place posters containing the vision in strategic locations within the organisation; 5) spark conversations among p eople around about the new vision; 6) create activities such as contests that are themed based on the vision; 7) get other’s feedback and perception of the new vision through personal interviews and group discussions; and 8) use social media and other information-dissemination technology that will keep others informed and reminded of the vision (Center for Creative Leadership, Cartwright and Baldwin, 2011). Right leadership for vision sharing For the organisation to see the fulfillment of its vision, everyone with vested interest in it must work collectively through appropriate leadership and management behaviours. Making everybody feel that they own and share a common vision is a major focus of transformational leadership. According to Bass and Riggio (2006), leaders must appeal to the followers’ sense of self-worth to ensure their commitment and involvement in the entire efforts and activities of the organisation. Transformational leaders motivate their followers to always put their best in what they do, empower them by making them involved in crucial organisational activities, and allow them to expand their potentials and abilities (Bass and Riggio, 2006). Followers are able also to develop a strong sense of identification with the organisation that moves them to working and thinking not just to suffice their self-interests (Hutchinson and Jackson, 2012).In nursing, transformational leadership has been seen as a model of leadership that is enabling, empowering and suitable for nurses to remain committed to excellent and safe care practises (Lievens and Vlerick, 2014; Ross et al, 2014; Schwartz et al, 2011). To embed the vision to the followers, the leaders must employ the four components of transformational leadership. These are idealised influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation and individual consideration (Doody and Doody, 2012; Schwartz et al, 2011). In idealised influence, the leader must be seen by the followers as a role model (Doody and Doody, 2012). The manager of the home care must set an example by ensuring that all personal actions are in accordance with the vision. They must be the frontline communicator of the vision to the staff and be the first person to act when everyone is having difficulty fulfilling the vision (Doody and Doody, 2012). Inspirational motivation must also be applied by encouraging followers to always work to achieve organisational goals and objectives while at the same time achieving their own goals (Bally, 2007). Allowing members to participate in decision and policy-making exemplifies intellectual stimulation (Schwartz et al, 2011) . For example, the nursing staff can be involved in projects and programmes that will be launched to achieve the vision and strategic direction of the home care. Lastly, leaders in the home care must be open to the individual needs of the followers by supporting them in their actions, giving them recognition for their efforts and allowing them to achieve professional growth (Schwartz et al, 2011). Rewards and incentives can be given to those staff who exceptionally performed to achieve the goals set by the home care. They may also be given opportunities for further trainings and in-service education to make them more competent. In turn, these activities can bring about better services and improved patient outcomes. Organisational objectives Organisational objectives are the prescribed actions that will be used to achieve and evaluate organisational goals (Kelly, 2011). Based on the vision, the following are the organisational objectives: Our residential home care aims to: Deliver client-centered and holistic care to our residents Create a therapeutic environment for our clients Provide compassionate, ethical, safe, caring and dependable nursing services Commit ourselves to quality improvement and safety standards Increase the services we provide based on our clients’ changing needs Put the organisation and clients’ needs first before our own interests Respect, value and empower people within the organisation Support individual growth and opportunities Increase stakeholders’ satisfaction Move for organisational stability and viability Strategic planning process Strategic planning is the process of setting the future direction of the organisation through alignment of its mission and vision with its actions to achieve the desired outcomes (Feldman and Alexander, 2012). The strategic planning process that will be done follows Odiorne’s recommendations (as cited in Swansburg, 1996): Gap analysis. This involves identification of the problems of the organisation in order to determine what the organisation wants to do about it in the future. Examining extrinsic factors. Assess outside influences that contribute to the problems identified. Enumerate the critical issues. From a pool of problems identified, select the most pressing issues and those which more likely create a high-impact on the organisation. Ranking the important. Plan according to the most important issues for the organisation. Decide. Decide on the issues by involving all key stakeholders. Time and resource planning. Construct a time frame as to when the objectives should be met. This will also include identifying who will be responsible and the resources that will be needed. Summary and Conclusion Managing an organisation is never an easy task. It gets more difficult as the organisation becomes more complex and the needs of stakeholders continue to rise. Nurse managers and leaders must be able to consider all factors inside and outside of the organisation and every individual who has an interest to it. Leaders and managers must craft a well-defined and shared vision to make everyone involved in the organisation to remain committed and motivated towards fulfilling it. Such work will entail the need to adopt transformational leadership through idealised influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation and individual consideration. With the new vision, it is likewise necessary to craft the strategic direction and objectives of the organisation. In doing so, leader-managers must be able to align these to the vision, mission, philosophy, and values of the organisation. When all of these are in place, the organisation can now move to making a strategic plan for the entire organisation.

Anarchy vs. Liberalism Essay -- Politics Political Ideologies

Contemporary liberal and anarchist philosophy are both two very different ways of trying to see what would be the best way to run society. While discussing these two ideologies I will try to show how both, in their purist sense, are not able work in today's society effectively. Contemporary liberals are involved in every day politics but through over regulation and dependence on government they loose their chances of running a reliable democracy. Anarchist have very good ideas of how a natural society could function without government or modern institutions but the biggest problem they have is how to get to that point. Both theories look good on paper but once they hit the real world they change due to alternating conceptions and individual influences. The root of the word anarchism comes from the Greek word anarchos, which means without ruler. The main philosophy behind anarchism is that people can reside in an unregulated community with no real authority and maintain a sustainable life. Anarchists see government and capitalism as an institution that creates liberty for the rich and enslavement of the masses. Emma Goldman best describes anarchism as: The philosophy of a new social order based on liberty unrestricted by man-made law; the theory that all forms of government rest on violence and are therefore wrong and harmful, as well as unnecessary. With anarchism there is a belief that once all government is abolished by the people that everyone will come together in a community of mutual aid and understanding without laws or authority to direct. Their philosophy can be considered opposite of most other ideologies, especially that of contemporary liberalism. Contemporary liberalism strives to hold on to the classic liberal's ideals pertaining to political, economic, and social liberties but it tends to look at democratic government as a tool rather than a hindrance. John Stuart Mill, John Dewey, and Franklin D. Roosevelt are established ideologues of contemporary liberalism. Just opposite of anarchism, modern liberalism puts its' faith in government to change and adapt to the failures of capitalism. The emergence of this political philosophy started around the end of the nineteenth century with John Stuart Mill's ideas in his book Principles of Political Economy. The philosophy became an ideology in the twentieth century with the main points of enh... ...Anarchy in theory seems like a very good idea. I would love to live in a society where you just did what was good for you and helped others while they helped you. I don't know why anyone wouldn't want to live in a society like that. The only problem is that to get to this utopian society the whole world would have to spontaneously decide they wanted it and I can guarantee there are many politicians and CEOs that would not like that. Contemporary liberals are right in wanting to reform institutions of today but I can't see how over regulation of government in all areas is going to help fix things. I do see the need for some government action towards the eradication of poverty, equal rights, and unemployment. Bibliography Citations "What is anarchism," An Anarchist FAQWebpage,www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/1931/, Internet Explorer, 5/4/98. Schumaker Paul, Dwight C. Kiel, Thomas Heilke, Great Ideas/Grand Schemes: Political Ideologies in the 19th and 20th Centuries, New York, The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc., 1996. Schumaker Paul, Dwight C. Kiel, Thomas W. Heilke, Ideological Voices: An Anthology in Modern Political Ideas, New York, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 1997.

Expansion Opportunities Abroad Essay

With the proposed expansion of CPI in other countries like Brazil and the some European states, we need to consider three things: 1) the market share of giant corporations in the same business, 2) the company’s capital size, and 3) the price elasticity of the products to be sold (in those countries). While all these factors are of salience in the company’s operations, it is assumed that the relative complexity of the market is an avenue of uncertainty. Other factors like political stability may influence considerably the company’s operations as much as the presence of giant corporations in the business. The presence of giant corporations in the same business can be staved-off by setting commercial offices in places that are without the presence of these corporations. For example, if giant corporations are well concentrated in a particular city, the company should establish subsidiaries in semi-urban areas. This would stave off competition as well as maximizing the limited consumer base (semi-urban areas have a considerable consumer size). The company’s capital size should also be considered. Capital provides a firm the working materials to produce goods and services to the public. Capital and labor make up the so-called â€Å"inputs of production† of a firm. Therefore, if the company is going to expand overseas, it must first negotiate on the volume of capital that is needed for expansion (and of course, the associated risk). In this case, 5 to 20 % of the company’s capital will be used for expansion. This is a fair evaluation of risks involved in the venture as well as the proposed distribution of capital in â€Å"host† countries. The real problem though lies in determining the price elasticities of products to be sold in the market. Although the company fared well by concentrating its sale to regional places, this would not be the same when it goes international. Price elasticities generally become stable and somewhat inflexible once prices also become inflexible. The implication: those companies with large capital bases will tend to survive; those with small capital bases will either merge to survive or exit in the market. Even if the company set-up subsidiaries in semi-urban places to prevent competition, there is no assurance of success. Below we shall discuss nature and definition of price elasticities. There are two primary types of elasticities: price elasticity of demand and price elasticity of supply. Here we are concerned only with the former since the company’s expansion abroad depends on the sensitivity of consumer demand to price changes. Price elasticity is defined as â€Å"the measure of responsiveness of a factor or variable to another factor or variable† (Buchholz, 1996). Price elasticity of demand is defined as â€Å"the measure of responsiveness of quantity demanded to a change in price, all other things held constant (ceteris paribus)† (Price Elasticity of Demand, 2007). General relations of price elasticity of demand: †¢ If PED > 1 then Demand is Price Elastic †¢ If PED = 1 then Demand is Unit Elastic (equal response) †¢ If PED < 1 then Demand is Price Inelastic In the case of products manufactured by CPI, specifically Super Clean, it generally experiences the third relation. If Super Clean raises the prices of its product by 5%, percentage change in quantity demanded would be less. The implication: by setting subsidiaries in places where there is the minimal presence of giant corporations, Super Clean would be able to control minimally the prices of its product due perhaps to the relative inflexibility of consumer demand. This would maximize profit. Even if giant corporations enter, revenues would tend to be stable because consumer demand is stable. This would generally reduce the overall risk of the company.

Skeletal, Muscular & Articular Systems

|Skeletal, Articular and Muscular Systems | |Human Anatomy & Physiology Assignment 6 | |A short study of the human bodies skeletal, muscular and joint types. | Contents Task 12 Task 23 Task 3a8 Task 3b0 Task 4a10 Task 5a10 Task 6a11 Task 6b14 References16 Pictures/Figures16 Task 1 Task 1A A patient with a bone mineral density T-score of -2. 7 would be suffering from osteoporosis. †¢ Normal BMD, T-score -1 SD> †¢ Osteopenia, T-score between -1 & -2. 5 SD>< †¢ Osteoporosis, T-score -2. SD< †¢ Severe Osteoporosis, T-score -2. 5 SD< with associated fractures. [1] Task 1B Key hormones associated with bone formation in men/women are PTH (parathyroid hormone) produced by the parathyroid glands, and Calcitonin produced by C-cells. In children, HGH is important and is most involved in epiphyseal plate activity; in adolescents the sex hormones testosterone and oestrogen play an important role in bone growth, growth hormone (HGH) is modulated by the activity of the thyroid h ormones, ensuring that the skeleton has proper proportions as it is growing.Later in adolescence, the sex hormones testosterone and oestrogen induce epiphyseal plate closure in the long bones; an excess of growth hormone during this development phase can lead to gigantism, while a deficiency of HGH and/or the thyroid hormones would produce dwarfism. Low blood levels of ionic calcium will stimulate the release of PTH; in turn stimulating osteoclasts to resorb bone and thus releasing more calcium to the blood. Osteoclasts will break down both old and new bone matrices, osteoid escapes assimilation due to its lack of calcium salts. Read Renal System Physiology PhysioexRising levels of blood calcium will end the stimulus of PTH, declining levels of PTH will reverse these effects; causing the level of blood Ca2+ to fall, calcitonin only has a negligible effect on calcium homeostasis in humans. (Marieb & Hoehn, 2010, pp. 185-86) Task 1C The major supplements used to help sufferers of osteoporosis are calcium and vitamin D, aim for at least 700mg of calcium from food/drink intake; when using calcium and vitamin D to help osteoporosis then a formulation prescribed by a doctor should be sought.Most over the counter calcium/vitamin D supplements do not contain the correct amount and ratio of calcium/vitamin D, to help treat osteoporosis a formulation containing 1. 2g of calcium and 800iu of vitamin D[2] should be taken. (NHS , 2011) Other good dietary sources of calcium are small fish (with bones – sardines/pilchards), low-fat dairy products and dark green leafy vegetables (broccoli/cabbage/okra) as are tofu (s oya) and nuts. (NHS, 2011) Good dietary sources of vitamin D include all oily fish, eggs; fortified spreads and liver.It is also important to get the appropriate amount of sunlight, as the UVB rays penetrate skin where they are converted into pre-vitamin D3 by cutaneous 7-dehydrocholesterol. Aim for at least 5-30 minutes per day of UVB during the hours of 10am to 3pm, to the legs; face; back and arms for sufficient vitamin D production; cloud cover and darker skin tones will reduce the available UVB. (USA. Gov, 2011) Task 1D High impact sports, such as running; weight training; walking; aerobic exercise and squash are all good for increasing BMD, low impact sports such as swimming and cycling have no positive effect on BMD.Exercise regimes should be undertaken at least twice per week, preferably three times p/w of 30 minutes or more, and of course should be supervised by a qualified individual. The level of intensity should be low at the start of the regimen, increasing the number o f repetitions and/or weight over time. Any BMD gains achieved would be lost if the exercise regime is stopped, and thus regular face-to-face contact is important to help foster a positive mental attitude. (Todd & Robinson, 2003)Individuals suffering from osteoporosis should be careful when undertaking vigorous high impact exercise, due to the weakness of the skeletal system; most importantly, an active lifestyle coupled with regular exercise should be followed to help combat osteoporosis in advancing years. Task 2 Task 2A – Axial Skeleton Eighty bones separated to form three regions (skull, vertebral column & thoracic cage) make up the structure of the axial skeleton. The parts of the axial skeleton form the longitudinal axis of the body, protect the brain/spinal cord and support the neck/head/trunk.The skull formed of the cranial and facial bones is an exceptionally complex bony structure; the skull serves as a compound for the frail brain, and has connection positions for t he head/neck muscles. The vertebral column comprises of 26 asymmetrical bones connected to form a curved flexible structure that supports the trunk; extending from the skull to the pelvis the vertebral column transmits weight to the lower limbs. Providing attachment points for the muscles of the neck/back and for the ribs, it also acts as protection for the spinal column.The thorax, more commonly known as the chest consists of thoracic vertebrae; ribs; sternum and costal cartilages that secure the ribs onto the sternum. Forming a protective cage around vital organs, the thorax has a rough cone shape that is quite broad; the thorax also supports the shoulder girdles; upper limbs and provides the muscles of the back/neck/shoulders and chest with connection points. (Marieb & Hoehn, 2010, pp. 199,216) Task 2A – Appendicular Skeleton The appendicular skeleton is made up of the limbs and their girdles, the appendicular skeleton is appended to the axial skeleton; hence the name appe ndicular.The upper limbs attached via a yoke like girdle (pectoral) to the trunk of the body; and the lower limbs secured by the pelvic girdle. The bones of the upper/lower limbs have different functionalities and mobility, but still have the same essential plane; that the limbs are constituted of three key divisions linked via alterable joints. The appendicular skeletal structure allows us movement such as taking a step, picking up a cup or kicking a ball. The pectoral girdle is comprised of an anterior clavicle and a posterior scapula; the shoulders formed from the associated muscles and the paired pectoral girdles.Attaching the upper limbs to the axial skeleton, the pectoral girdles also present points of attachment for muscles that are responsible for moving the upper limbs; mobility is high as these girdles are very light. The upper limbs form from 30 bones, each bone described locally as a bone of the hand, arm or forearm; the arm is considered in an anatomical sense to be the upper limb between the shoulder and elbow. The lower limbs attach to the axial skeleton via the pelvic girdle and diffuse the weight of the upper body to the lower limbs, and provide support for the pelvic visceral organs.Some of the strongest ligaments in the body attach the pelvic girdle to the axial skeleton, the pelvic girdle is very stable but lacks the mobility of the pectoral girdle; carrying the weight of the body the lower limbs are subject to astonishing forces. Compared to the bones of the upper limbs, the bones of the lower limbs are much thicker and stronger. (Marieb & Hoehn, 2010, pp. 223,233,237) Task 2b – Axial/Appendicular Attachments The thoracic cage is thinly attached to the pectoral girdle, not like the pelvic girdle that is affixed to the axial skeleton by some incredible strong ligaments, some of the strongest in the body.The sockets of the pelvic girdle are deep and cuplike, the femur head is secured firmly in place in these sockets, the pectoral gird le is far more moveable but the pelvic girdle is much more table. The shoulders are formed from the paired pectoral girdles and their associated muscles, a girdle usually refers to a belt like structure that encircles the body, however in the case of the pectoral girdles this does not satisfy the said description. The medial end of each clavicle is joined anteriorly to the sternum and the distal ends encounter the scapulae laterally.The scapulae do not perfect the girdle posteriorly, as their medial rims fail to join to each other or to the axial skeleton, however the scapulae attach to the thorax and the vertebral column via muscles that garb their exteriors. The upper limbs are attached to the axial skeleton via the pectoral girdles and also provide connection points for the upper limb muscles. The girdles are light and this allows a freedom of movement that is not accomplished elsewhere in the body, as only the clavicle fastens to the axial skeleton, this allows the scapulae to m ove easily across the thorax.The hip joint being a ball and socket joint has a good range of motion; however, the shoulder has a wider range of motion. The joints strong ligaments limit movements, but do occur in all planes. Formed from the articulation of the femurs spherical head and the greatly cupped acetabulum of the hipbone is the hip joint. A circular lip of fibrocartilage (Acetabulor labrum) enhances the depth of the acetabulum; the diameter of the labrum is smaller than the head of the femur making for a snug fit of these articular surfaces; dislocations of the hip are a rare incident.Extending from the brim of the acetabulum up to the stem of the femur, the heavy articular casing wholly surrounds the joint; there are several robust ligaments that reinforce the hip joint capsule. These ligaments include the iliofemoral ligament, an anteriorly placed v-shaped ligament, and the pubofemoral, which is a triangular condensing of the lesser fragment of the capsule, and the ischio femoral ligament that is a coiling posterior ligament. On either side of the pelvic girdle, the iliolumbar ligament connects the pelvis and vertebral columns. (Marieb & Hoehn, 2010, pp. 225-226,233,267) Ligaments of the pelvic girdle: Iliolumbar ligament ? Anterior Sacroiliac ligament ? Sacrospinus ligament ? Sacrotuberous ligament ? Pubofemoral ligament ? Iliofemoral ligament ? Ischiofemoral ligament ? Sacroiliac ligament ? Ischiofemoral ligament ? Ligamentum teres Ligaments of the thoracic girdle: ? Capsular ligament ? Coracoclavicular ligament ? Costoclavicular ligament ? Coracohumeral ligament ? Glenohumeral ligament Task 2c – Lordosis, Kyphosis, Scoliosis Cervical and lumbar secondary curvatures being convex anteriorly, are associated with a Childs development, this is a result of reshaping of the intervertebral discs and not from modification of the vertebrae.The cervical curvature being present at birth does not become distinct until 3 months when the baby will start t o raise its head, whereas the lumbar curvature will develop when the baby begins to walk. During the early childhood years the vertebral problems of scoliosis or lordosis may appear as rapid growth of the long bones stretches muscles, lordosis is most often present during preschool years but is more often than not remedied when the abdominal muscle strengthen. This firming up tilts forward the pelvis and the thorax widens, thus developing the military posture in adolescence.At the onset of old-age many parts of the skeleton are affected, principally the spine; the discs thin and loose elasticity and hydration resulting in a probable rise in disc herniation, at 55 years old it’s not uncommon to have a loss of up to several centimetres in stature. Osteoporosis can produce further shortening of the spine as can kyphosis, in the elderly this is referred to as a dowager’s hump, with age the thorax develops rigidity due to ossification of the costal cartilage, thus resulting in shallow breathing from a loss of rib cage elasticity.Abnormal spine curvatures, of which some are congenital and some resulting from muscle weakness, disease and bad posture. In the thoracic region of the spine, an abnormal lateral curvature is referred to as scoliosis (twisted disease) most often presenting during adolescence and more common in girls. Scoliosis can also be a result of muscle paralysis, unequal lower limbs (length) or severe abnormal vertebra structure, non-functioning muscles on one side of the spine will cause the muscles of the opposite side to exert an unopposed pull; forcing the spine into a misaligned position.Body braces and/or surgery are used to treat scoliosis during childhood and thus preventing a permanent deformity. Scoliosis can also cause breathing difficulties, due to the nature of the disease a compressed lung in not unusual. Kyphosis, often referred to as hunchback, is a thoracic curvature that is dorsally exaggerated; very common due to osteop orosis in elderly people and can also reflect rickets, osteomalacia or tuberculosis of the spine.An accentuated curvature of the lumbar vertebrae is called Lordosis (swayback), this too can be caused by spinal tuberculosis or osteomalacia. Lordosis can also be caused in a temporary form by carrying a heavy frontal load, a pregnant woman being one example. These individuals will usually pushback their shoulders in order to preserve their centre of gravity, this of course emphasises the lumbar arch. (Marieb & Hoehn, 2010, pp. 217,243-244) Task 3a Structural Class |Structural |Types |Type of Mobility | | |Characteristics | | | |Fibrous[3] |Articulating bones joined by |Sutures (Short Fibres) |Child/Limited | | |fibrous connective tissue. |Adult/Synarthrosis | | | |Syndesmosis (Longer Fibres) | | | | | |Amphiarthrosis/Immobile | | | |Gomphosis (Periodontal Ligament) |Immobile | |Cartilaginous[4] | |Synchondrosis (Hyaline Cartilage) |Immobile | | |Articulating bones joined by | | | | |fi brocartilage or hyaline | | | | |cartilage. | | | | | |Symphysis (Fibrocartilage) |Slight Movement | |Synovial[5] |Joint capsule containing synovial |Plane |Nonaxial | | |membrane and synovial fluid. | | | | |Hinge |Uniaxial | | | |Pivot |Atlantoaxial | | | |Condyloid |Biaxial | | | |Saddle |Biaxial | | | |Ball & Socket |Multiaxial | Task 4a |Characteristic |Skeletal |Cardiac |Smooth | | |Attached to bones, facial muscle & skin. |Walls of the heart. Single unit muscle in walls of hollow | |Location | | |visceral organs (other than the heart) & | | | | |multiunit muscle in intrinsic eye muscles, | | | | |airways & large arteries. | | |Single, very long, cylindrical, |Branching chains of cells; uni-|Single, fusiform, uninucleate; no | |Shape and appearance |multinucleate cells with obvious |or binucleate; striations. |striations. | | |striations. | | | | |Epimysium, perimysium and endomysium. |Endomysium attached to fibrous |Endomysium. |Connective Tissue components | |skeleton of hea rt. | | | |Voluntary via axon terminals of the |Involuntary, intrinsic system |Involuntary; autonomic nerves; hormones, | |Regulation of contraction |somatic nervous system. |regulation; also autonomic |local chemicals; stretch. | | | |nervous system controls; | | | | |hormones; stretch. | | | Slow to fast |Slow |Very slow | |Speed of contraction | | | | | |No |Yes |Yes, in single unit muscle | |Rhythmic contraction | | | | Task 5a The classification of muscles falls into four purposeful groups: prime movers (agonists), antagonists, synergists and fixators.A prime mover or agonist is a muscle that has the chief responsibility of producing an explicit undertaking, for instance the biceps brachii is the fleshy muscle of the anterior arm that is the agonist of elbow flexion. An antagonist is a muscle that opposes the movements of agonists, an active agonist will result in a stretched or relaxed antagonist; however, antagonists usually help to regulate movement of the agonist with a sli ght tightening to provide resistance to slow or stop movement as not to overshoot the mark. Agonists and antagonists are located opposite each other on the joint of which they act, antagonists can also work as agonists and one example of this is the biceps brachii causing flexion of the forearm that is antagonised by the triceps brachii, the agonist for forearm extension.In supplement to the agonists and antagonists, the majority of muscle movements also involve synergists, synergists work alongside agonists to add extra force to movements or they work to reduce detrimental movements that can arise when the agonists move. (Marieb & Hoehn, 2010, p. 321) Task 5b |Elbow Flexion |Elbow Extension |Pronation |Supination | |Biceps brachii (Prime mover) |Triceps brachii (Prime mover) |Pronator teres |Biceps brachii | |Brachialis (Prime mover) |Anconeus |Pronator quadratus (Prime mover) |Supinator | |Pronator teres (Weak) | Brachioradialis | Task 5c Biceps brachii, Brachialis, Brachioradiali s Task 5d Triceps brachii, Anconeus Task 5e Triceps brachii, Anconeus Task 5f Biceps brachii, Brachialis, Brachioradialis Task 6a Contraction refers to the activation of myosin cross bridges, these bridges are the force generating sites; when the tension is generated then contracting occurs through the cross bridges of the thin filaments, this force must surpass forces opposed to shortening; this then pulls filaments toward the m-line. When tension declines and the cross bridges inactivate, then contraction ends thus inducing relaxation in the muscle fibre.In the sliding filament model of contraction, thin filaments will slide past thick filaments, and as a result, the actin[6] and myosin[7] strands will overlap to a larger gradation. Relaxed muscle fibres only have thick and thin fibres overlapping at the tips of the a-bonds, stimulation of the muscles fibres by the nervous system activates the myosin heads of the thick filaments to clasp onto the myosin fastening position on the a ctin of the thin filaments, and this process begins sliding. [8] In the course of contraction, these cross bridge connections are forced/broken numerous times, the attachments act like miniscule ratchets in order to create pressure and thus impel the thin filaments further toward the sarcomeres centre.This contraction event occurs concurrently throughout all sarcomeres in a cell shortening the muscle cell, it should be noted as the thin filaments slide towards the centre; the z-disc to which they are attached to will be pulled toward the m-line. [9] In an overall look at contraction, the muscle cell contracts as do the i-bonds and the distance between consecutive z-discs is reduced and the h-zones vanish, moving the contiguous a-bonds closer together; however, they do not change in length. (Marieb & Hoehn, 2010, p. 284) Task 6b Direct Phosphorylation The demand for ATP rises as we begin vigorous exercise, within a few contractions stored ATP is consumed, creatine phosphate is then u sed to egenerate ATP and this process is ongoing while the metabolic pathways acclimatize to the bodies demand for increased ATP. Pairing CP with ADP results in an almost instantaneous energy transfer, and a phosphate group to form ATP from the CP to ADP. Two to three times as much CP as ATP is stored in muscle cells, the CP-ADP feedback is incredibly efficient and the volume of ATP in muscle cells does not change by much during the preliminary contraction phase. Maximum muscle power can be provided for 14-16 seconds using stored CP and ATP, this is roughly long enough to invigorate muscle for a 100-metre surge; this reaction is reversible and CP resources are refilled during rest periods. [10] (Marieb & Hoehn, 2010, pp. 298-99) Anaerobic PathwayMore ATP is engendered by catabolism as stored ATP and CP are expended; this catabolism of glucose is through the blood or from glycogen stored in muscle, glycolysis is the opening phase of glucose breakdown, glycolysis occurs in both the pr esence and absence of oxygen; however, it does not use oxygen and is therefore anaerobic. Glucose is destroyed to form two pyruvates during glycolysis, this releases enough energy to form some ATP (two ATP per glucose); usually, pyruvate manufactured would then enter the mitochondria and reacting with oxygen would provide even more ATP using the aerobic pathway. Vigorous muscle contraction at about 70% causes the bulging muscles to compress blood vessels, thus impairing blood flow and oxygen delivery.During these anaerobic conditions, the majority of pyruvate produced is transformed into lactic acid, this process is referred to anaerobic glycolysis. Anaerobic glycolysis yields around 5% of the ATP produced via the aerobic pathway from each glucose molecule, however it produces ATP about 2. 5 times faster than the aerobic pathway. [11] (Marieb & Hoehn, 2010, pp. 298-99) Aerobic Pathway Ninety-five percent of ATP used for muscle activity during moderate exercise and rest is produced v ia the aerobic respiration pathway. Occurring in the mitochondria, aerobic respiration requires oxygen and encompasses a series of chemical reactions. During these reactions, the links of fuel molecules are destroyed liberating energy for ATP production.Glucose is broken down utterly to yield water, CO2 and great quantities of ATP, diffusing out of muscle tissue into the blood; the lungs remove CO2. With the onset of exercise, glycogen stored in the muscles provides a large amount of the fuel, briefly, after this circulating glucose, pyruvate and free fatty acids are the main source of fuel, roughly 30 minutes after this fatty acids will be the main energy source. Aerobic glycolysis provides a great deal of ATP (32), but is slow due to its numerous steps; it also requires a constant supply of oxygen and nutrients to continue. [12] (Marieb & Hoehn, 2010, pp. 298-99) [pic] References Marieb, E. N. & Hoehn, K. , 2010. Bones and Skeletal Tissue. In A. Wagner, ed.Human Anatomy & Physiolo gy. 8th ed. San Francisco: Pearson International Ltd. pp. 185-86. Marieb, E. N. & Hoehn, K. , 2010. Bones and Skeletal tissue. In A. Wagner, ed. Human Anatomy & Physiology. 8th ed. San Francisco: Pearson International Ltd. pp. 199,216. Marieb, E. N. & Hoehn, K. , 2010. Bones and Skeletal Tissue. In A. Wagner, ed. Human Anatomy & Physiology. 8th ed. San Francisco: Pearson International Ltd. pp. 223,233,237. Marieb, E. N. & Hoehn, K. , 2010. Covering, Support and Movement of the Body. In A. Wagner, ed. Human Anatomy and Physiology. 8th ed. San Francisco: Pearson International Ltd. p. 284. Marieb, E. N. & Hoehn, K. , 2010.Covering, Support and Movement of the Body. In A. Wagner, ed. Human Anatomy & Physiology. 8th ed. San Francisco: Pearson International Ltd. pp. 225-226,233,267. Marieb, E. N. & Hoehn, K. , 2010. Muscles and Muscle Tissue. In A. Wagner, ed. Human Anatomy and Physiology. 8th ed. San Francisco: Pearson International Ltd. pp. 298-99. Marieb, E. N. & Hoehn, K. , 2010. The Muscular System. In A. Wagner, ed. Human Anatomy & Physiology. 8th ed. San Francisco: Pearson International Ltd. p. 321. Marieb, E. N. & Hoehn, K. , 2010. The Vertebral Column. In A. Wagner, ed. Human Anatomy & Physiology. 8th ed. San Francisco: Pearson International. pp. 217, 243-244. NHS , 2011.Osteoporosis – Treatment. [Online] Available at: HYPERLINK â€Å"http://www. nhs. uk/Conditions/Osteoporosis/Pages/Treatment. aspx† http://www. nhs. uk/Conditions/Osteoporosis/Pages/Treatment. aspx [Accessed 13 May 2011]. NHS, 2011. Vitamins and Minerals – Calcium. [Online] Available at: HYPERLINK â€Å"http://www. nhs. uk/Conditions/vitamins-minerals/Pages/Calcium. aspx† http://www. nhs. uk/Conditions/vitamins-minerals/Pages/Calcium. aspx [Accessed 13 May 2011]. Todd, J. A. & Robinson, R. J. , 2003. Osteoporosis and Exercise. Postgrad Medical Journal, 4(79), pp. 320-23. USA. Gov, 2011. Vitamin D. [Online] Available at: HYPERLINK â€Å"http://ods. od. nih. ov/fa ctsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/† http://ods. od. nih. gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/ [Accessed 13 May 2011]. Pictures/Figures http://samedical. blogspot. com/2010/07/contraction-of-skeletal-muscle. html (Figure 6. 1/6. 2/6. 3/6. 4/6. 5) http://i. acdn. us/image/A2868/286833/300_286833. jpg (Figure 7. 1) http://www. mindfiesta. com/images/article/Respiration_clip_image001. gif (Figure 7. 2) ———————– [1] http://www. gpnotebook. co. uk/simplepage. cfm? ID=-1979318262&linkID=32590&cook=no [2] Per day of both supplements. [3] See figure 3. 1, pictures A & B [4] See figure 3. 1, pictures C & D [5] See figure 3. 1, pictures E, I & F 6] See figure 6. 3 (Page 13) [7] See figure 6. 2 (Page 13) [8] See figure 6. 1 (Page 12) [9] See figure 6. 1 [10] See figure 7. 1 [11] See figure 7. 2 [12] See figure 7. 2 ———————– Monday, 22 April 2013 Figure 3. 1 Task 3b A. Skull (Fibrous) B. Ankle – Tibiofibular/Distal (Synovial/Fibrous) C. First rib/Sternum (Cartilaginous) Hyaline Cartilage D. Vertebrae (Cartilaginous) Fibrocartilage E. Pubis (Cartilaginous) Fibrocartilage F. Scapula/Humerus (Synovial) G. Humerus/Ulna Radius (Synovial) Hyaline cartilage H. Intercarpal (Cartilaginous) Plane joint/Nonaxial A C F G D E H B Figure 6. 1 Figure 6. 3 Figure 6. 2 Figure 7. 2 Figure 7. 1