Saturday, August 31, 2019

Ethics Position Paper

Ethics Position Paper Q575 – Dr. Elliot June 7, 2010 University of Phoenix Introduction Today, people can make decisions that can have a profoundly positive or negative effect on their family, their employer, coworkers, a nation, and even on the entire world. The life we lead whether professional or personal reflects the strength of a single trait: our personal character. Ethics are different for each person both on a professional and personal level. For the most part, people want to be known as a good person, someone who can be trusted, and that he or she is concerned about his or her relationships and personal reputations. I therefore conclude that professional ethics are indeed influenced by personal ethics and values. Although professional ethics guidelines are provided by our government (federal and local), employer and education, personal values and ethics are also considered at the same time. What are Ethics? Let’s begin with the definition of ethics. Ethics can be defined with more than one meaning based upon the context and subject it is being used. In philosophy, ethics is the study and evaluation of human conduct in the light of moral principles. Moral principles may be viewed either as the standard of conduct that individuals have constructed for themselves or as the body of obligations and duties that a particular society requires of its members. A second definition or meaning of ethics is motivation-based on ideas of right and wrong. Portman defines ethics as â€Å"standards of conduct, standards that indicate how one should behave based on moral duties and virtues, which themselves are derived from principles of right and wrong. In order to apply this definition to practical decision making it is necessary to specify the nature of the moral obligations considered intrinsic to ethical behavior† (http://sun. menloschool. org/~sportman/ethics/definition. html). I agree with this definition in fact I believe that ethics are different for every person due to personal values and experiences. There are general ethics that most people adhere to because of the societal mores and morals we all have been exposed to and abide by. There are also other morals and mores that are picked up along the way that vary between people because of cultures, communities, families, heredity etc. I feel that I may not look at the same situation or case the same as another person and we may never agree upon the same methods to go about resolving an issue. This occurs because we all have differences of opinions and value systems. For example, I have nothing against people who are gay I just do not encourage nor discourage the behavior; I allow others to live their lives according to what is best for them. The same goes with ethics. Although my job may say I must intervene in a situation but my own personal ethics prevent me from acting professionally because I feel people should be allowed to live and learn. Overall, ethics and ethical positions will vary from researcher to researcher because they do not have all of the same goals nor do they see things in the â€Å"same light†. Ethics in Educational Research Although I think that ethics vary between individuals I believe that professional ethics are important in protecting those participants of research. I do not think that research should be based on the personal interests of the researcher but I think every person has a level of discernment that should be used especially when other lives are involved. General ethics play a huge role in education because first education is where ethics are taught. After learning about ethics students can then analyze the ethics they can identify and it soon becomes apparent that ethics are involved in most life situations. As future teacher honesty would be my biggest ethical commitment. I choose honesty because with today’s technology and increased use of online educational institutions, people can copy and paste whatever they need in order to be successful. Student’s academic honesty will help me to give them the accurate grade they deserve and not have to punish students who are caught cheating/plagiarizing information. Ethics also keep researchers from publishing false information and also prevent them from being lazy about the research. Mainly it protects the participants of research and also protects the researcher from being accused of unethical practice if they indeed follow those practices. Ethics and Today I recently heard a report on the news that the World Health Organization is being accused of over exaggerating the Swine flu pandemic. When I first heard about Swine flu I believed that is was a scare tactic in order to get people to get those shots. WHO performed unethically in my opinion however they believe that many people died from this disease and the swine flu should not be minimized. Ethics today are still very important especially when other people’s lives are involved. While some people find it easy to break ethical standards others follow the guidelines and remain neutral. The swine flu pandemic created worried people and families going in masses to get the vaccine. Today we still need ethics because not every has the best interest of others when conducting research. Federal standards require research to abide by ethical standards. It is up to each individual to utilize those standards and incorporate them into personal values that may influence society later. Conclusion Ethics vary from person to person due to the differences in values and cultural backgrounds and even education. We do not all interpret information the same way and therefore will not be able to apply the same amount or ethics in any given situation. Furthermore professional and personal ethics affect each other depending upon the specific situation being researched. Also every subject will yield a different set of ethics and values. Therefore ethics are not only subjective in content but objective in nature. References McMillan, J. , & Schmacher, S. (2006). Ch. 6 Ethical and Legal Considerations. Research in Education: Evidence-Based Inquiry, Sixth Edition, Pearson Education, Inc. McMillan, J. , & Schmacher, S. (2006). Ch. 12 Research Ethics: Roles and Reciprocity. Research in Education: Evidence-Based Inquiry, Sixth Edition, Pearson Education, Inc. Portman, S. (unknown). What are ethics? Retrieved from http://sun. menloschool. org/~sportman/ethics/definition. html

Intercultural Relations Essay

Question: There is no need to study intercultural relation. Discuss Communication occurs between individuals who have varying degree of intimacy within each other. Intercultural relations capability is the degree to which people effectively adapt his/her nonverbal and verbal messages to the appropriate cultural context (Kiss 2008). Intercultural relations can be taken place when individuals influenced by different cultural societies exchange shared meanings in communication. Yet, intercultural relations can be formed of different nationalities, different ethnic and even different religion, as well as communication among individuals of different sexual orientation. However, communicating and exchanging values within different culture of individuals is complex as communication process is apparently complicated involving cognitive process, cultural background, individual’s linguistic capability and even biological process. Stienfatt and Roger 1999, claims that one of the most illuminating aspects of intercultural communication is that it opens our minds to the interplay of varied influenced. The world these days is facing great challenges of an increasingly diverse in cultures. Interaction and exchanging values between individuals from different cultures can lead to a whole host of benefits, for instance establishing good relationships within society and healthier communities. Yet, culture allows individuals to connect in small communities to larger communities through exchanged experiences and values (Lull 1995). Intercultural relations assist students step back from their characteristic point of view of seeing the world and demonstrates the influences that have constructed the ways of viewing this world. Cited in Stienfatt and Roger 1999, Gitlin 1995 indicated the concept of people thinking that human think within the intellectual and cultural currents that surround them. Back into the last decade, invasion; colonialization; and warfare brought individuals among countries with divergent cultures into face-to-face contact. An improvement of technologies in communication and rapidly evolving the transportation has changed the way individuals interact and communicate with each other in terms of intercultural relations and communication. However, people from different cultures are usually representative of divergent norms and psychological elements. The crusade explored that communication through various cultures occurred among individuals by human nature. Jerusalem is one of great examples cities in Middle East where people in different cultures and religions; Muslims; Christian; and Jews living together in relative peacefulness and harmoniousness. After the fall of the Roman Empire, Jerusalem indicated that communication effectiveness among divergent cultures and religions are not relying on the study of intercultural relations. Nevertheless, cited in Yinyan 2013, Y. Y. Kim (1988) argued that person who wishes to accomplish an effective intercultural interaction in terms of intercultural relations must be equipped with skills and abilities to be capable and deal with dynamics of cultural diversity. Yet, cite in Sydney morning herald article, Munro (2009) had explored the experiences of an Australian diplomat who worked in Jakarta decided to resign from her workplace due to the strict rules of international diplomacy. The purpose of this essay is demonstrated the necessity of intercultural relations for human being and discuss the terms of intercultural. People are socialized in their own culture and also different in cultures are different norms. An effectiveness communication in intercultural relations can occur by human being in every generation as indicated in our predecessors in Crusades which is people should be culturally sensitive.

Friday, August 30, 2019

To Tax or Not to Tax

To Tax or Not to Tax: The Problem of America Money, like a cookie, is something everybody wants, and when it is gone a person blames everybody else for its absence; realizing later they were the one to consume it in the first place. Taxes, since the beginning of an organized economy, have been argued over for centuries. At the end of 2012 after surviving the â€Å"end of the world,† tax payers were faced with another apocalyptic situation, the Fiscal Cliff.It had the potential to raise taxes to outrageous rates, and despite the dismissal of the Cliff, the issue had just been pushed onto the back burner of the economy and will be readdressed later this year. On one hand, by keeping low taxes the state is unable to create a sufficient amount of money to pay off its debt. Instead, many people argue that by raising taxes the increased prices of items will actually harm the nation’s economic recovery (Russell).Taxes should be increased because facing the national debt is ine vitable and the country is will be unable to recover from the mounting debt until it’s citizens help bring it back from its economic grave. Taxes are directly connected to the economy of a nation, and due to this many people argue that the government needs to cut spending on government programs that are causing the debt to increase. Yet, it was revealed that automatic budget cuts were part of the Fiscal Cliff, and would have saved $109 billion in federal spending on defense and non-defense programs alike. â€Å"President To Make Argument For Fiscal Cliff  Plans†). Ironically, people argued that the government needs to cut, but as it was revealed that is exactly what the cliff was aiming to do. The Fiscal Cliff could have cut unnecessary costs causing the debt to lessen, and in turn reduced swollen deficits (Dixon). This reduction can decrease the debt but even with the removal of these programs the large debt the nation has would be unable to be quickly and efficient ly taken care of at current tax rates.This proves that cutting costs can not solely help the economic situation. Despite this, the resulting chain reaction caused by cutting certain budgets benefits the United States overall because it organizes the spending of the nation and can prevent unnecessary costs. By going over the Cliff, one possibility is that the nation could fall into a recession. Yet, the government discussed the possibility of raising taxes on the rich to make up for taxes that could be placed on the middle class.Economists, who have analyzed the possible effects of going over this â€Å"cliff,† argue that this would result in preventing the economy from completely going over (Cohen). Although, taxes will have to be raised on everybody anyways due to newly enacted health care programs. This tax raise is justifiable because these new programs are meant to help citizens but it is unlikely for things to come without a price, â€Å"though the people support the go vernment; the government should not support the people,† (Cleveland).This plan to raise taxes by 39% is actually an advantage for tax payers because it will be made permanent meaning that after families adjust to the new income amount they will receive, after taxes have been removed from the overall amount, they will not have to worry about being faced with another scramble to extend tax policies in the future (Ohlemacher). The certainty this can provide families with a regular tax plan they can adjust to without major changes in the future. The economic world can be both a clam sea and a brewing storm, although with a consistent tax plan tax payers will be able to comfortably sail this reliable ocean.Often, before acting, one looks to the examples of others for guidance; for the mistakes of others will not be theirs. Britain has remained the main nation America looks at when discussing politics and this was proven no different when discussing economics. Conceders have argued that raising taxes would not fix anything, as proven by the British example. In 2010 Cameron took office, axing the government’s budget, a potential plan in the Fiscal Cliff, yet the gross domestic product is below the level it had been at when Cameron had started (Brown).This comparison proves inaccurate because governments are individualistic and many factors, such as the executives chosen in the government and the differing economies or markets in each country, could affect the result of certain decisions. Britain’s ailment is specifically due to a lack of demand not of supply, Adam Posen, a specialist in British economics, argued, and the U. S. cannot be properly compared to the parliamentary government of Britain (Brown). If the government was to raise taxes it is not guaranteed that it would result negatively on the economy as a whole.Actually, by raising taxes the nation is being given a chance to reform the tax code and broaden the base in the future (Cohen). A trip to the drawing board of economics combined with an on the dot tax plan could revolutionize the economy of America instead of resulting in disaster as many people against the raise in taxes have argued. To tax or not to tax; that is the problem. Despite arguments for a decrease in taxes it is clear that if the government ignores the demand for money to appease the increasing debt then the economy will fall into a harsh depression that will become harder to fix.Citizens put their safety in the hands of the government, they put their children’s safety in the hands of the government, they put their education in the hands of the government, and they put their money in the hands of the government. Why then can they not put their trust? Taxes should be raises so that the deficit does not increase to a larger rate. It is time to start refilling the empty bank of American. Works Cited Brown, Abram. â€Å"The Argument Against Fiscal Cliff Austerity: Just Look At Britain's Mess. â€Å"Forbes.Forbes Magazine, 24 Dec. 2012. Web. 24 Jan. 2013. Cleveland, Grover. Quote – Though the People Support the Government; the Government Should Not Support the People†¦ on Quotations Book. N. p. , n. d. Web. 16 Feb. 2013. Cohen, Tom. â€Å"Fiscal Cliff: What Isn't Said Tells More than Actual Words. †Ã‚  CNN. Cable News Network, 07 Dec. 2012. Web. 24 Jan. 2013. Dixon, Kim. â€Å"Analysis: â€Å"Fiscal Cliff' Deal Called a Dud on Deficit Front. †Ã‚  Chicago Tribune. Chicago Tribune, 01 Jan. 2013. Web. 24 Jan. 2013. Dubay, Curtis S. â€Å"Send This Report to a Friend.   The Heritage Foundation. The Heritage Foundation, 9 Jan. 2013. Web. 24 Jan. 2013. Ohlemacher, Stephen. â€Å"Fiscal Cliff Deal Will Raise Taxes On 77 Percent Of Americans: Tax Policy Center Analysis. †Ã‚  The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost. com, 02Jan. 2013. Web. 24 Jan. 2013. â€Å"President To Make Argument For Fiscal Cliff  Plans. †Ã‚  Breaking News for Bla ck America. News One, 27 Nov. 2012. Web. 24 Jan. 2013. Russell, Don. â€Å"A Clear Concise Look at the ‘Fiscal Cliff' Controversy. †Ã‚  Examiner. com. Examiner, 4 Dec. 2012. Web. 24 Jan. 2013.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Has the growth of the internet created more risk in terms of criminal Essay

Has the growth of the internet created more risk in terms of criminal activities - Essay Example Having these much people in the internet is a major factor that offers a platform for criminal activities taking place in the internet. It is important to analyze whether the growth of the internet has brought in more risks with regard to activities deemed criminal over the internet. Cybercrime is a concept that has grown vastly over time. A major way to determine this is the number of pending court cases with issues revolving around cybercrime. Many young children have an internet connection in their homes. This is what has led to increased cybercrime. Over time, people have always shown interest in young innocent kids. This had led them to preying on them where they attempt to extort the children the least said. Many sexual predators pose as innocent and probably age appropriate people on the internet nowadays. However, these people are very old and are out there to commit several crimes on these children. Some of these people operate to an extent of setting up meetings with these children pretending to be age-mates. When they meet with these children, they have the audacity to kidnap them. Many are the times that they get to inflict physical harm on these innocent kids. There are many variables that are applied in this case. One of the variables that are employed in this case involves the approach that involves uses and gratifications. The uses and gratifications approach defines the topic of study and relates personality to internet choice and usage very elaborately. It clearly states that the day to day requirements of an average human being are usually able to relate with the individual or communal characteristics. Another factor that can be found to explain the question is by the use of the five-factor personality model. It is known that character is a factor that can be used to portray certain hidden or undiscovered needs in a person. The model is used as a means of breaking down and understanding human characteristics in relation to

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Soil machines Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Soil machines - Essay Example The terrain of the ground can be described as flat since there was no any steepness was observed. On the east side of the site, walkway was present while buildings were not within the vicinity of the site as shown on the map. Before the excavation of trial pit the top soil was removed. The next step was to place all the layers of soil according to their extraction order. This was very important as the characteristics of the soil at different depth would be established. Tests such as Moisture Probe test, the Mackintosh test, shear vane test and the permeability test were conducted to establish the properties of various strata. The results of these tests revealed that; This test is aimed at measuring the ability of the soil to sustain structural load. This test is essence for the purpose of putting up a building in the site. The test first measure the un-drained shear strength by planting a shear vane into the ground and measures the level of pressure at the point where the soil shears as shown on table 3. We settled for the mackintosh probe because it is portable due to the fact that it is hand operated in addition it produces vivid and reliable results. The test used a 5Kg hammer to drive a number of connected 120cm-long steel rods into the ground at intervals of 100mm. The depth of the result was as in table 4. Reading from the table, it can be inferred that there is a distinct intensification in the quantity of blows between 400 and 500mm. The result affirm that the soil gets denser as the ones penetrates to the ground. Permeability (k) is the ease with which water passes through the soil. It is measured in ms-1.cylinders of 100mm in diameter and 150mm in height are planted into the ground and filled with water. Measurements are then taken every minute of the water level as it decreases with time (flow rate). On the matters of reliability the test is questionable as there might be some

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

How the media influeces society Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

How the media influeces society - Research Paper Example A possible way that can directly measure how exactly the media affect people is through an unethical experiment where the person is exposed to only media and not other sources of possible influence, such as family, religion, education, and other institutions. Despite constraints on determining causal relationships between mass media and social effects, several empirical attempts have been made to understand how media can influence society. Mass media affects society through providing a model for learning behaviors, setting agenda that can affect people’s prioritization of and response to social issues, and framing information that can impact how people understand and react to events and schemas. Mass media influences society by offering models for learning behaviors. Albert Bandura’s Social Learning Theory can help explain how mass media shapes behaviors. Social Learning Theory states that people learn attitudes and behaviors by â€Å"observing and modeling† othe rs (â€Å"Social Learning Theory†). Learning is not the same as imitating because learning means that people are not only imitating something, but has absorbed the underlying knowledge and/or skills, as well as values and norms (when present). Mass media can then have positive or negative effects on people by shaping their attitudes and/or behaviors through the social modeling mechanism of learning. One of the most studied and controversial mass media effects is violence, specifically youth violence. Craig Anderson and colleagues surveyed a wide literature of media effects on violence. They stress that, based on their findings, numerous studies with different sampling, methods, and media genres prove that violence in mass media can increase the possibility of aggressive behaviors for the youth in the short-run and/or long run through different ways. Craig et al. state that observational learning can result to children learning â€Å"aggressive attitudes and behaviors† from mass media, such as â€Å"television and video games† (94). The studies of Bjorkqvist in 1985 on 5 to 6-year olds Finnish kids and Josephson in 1987 on 7 to 9-year old boys provide some evidence that, for their cross-sectional studies with control groups, those who â€Å"watched violent films† acted more violently against other children afterwards than those who did not watch violent films (qtd. in Craig et al. 85). Mass media can be argued as affecting these children by providing negative models of violent behaviors, which affected their actions too, at least in the short run. A longitudinal study from Eron et al. show that boys who watched violent TV shows since the age of 8 showed â€Å"more violent attitudes† later on in life (qtd. in Craig et al. 87). Mass media can have, based on this study, lasting effects on people’s behaviors too, provided that it is a prevalent and significant presence in a child’s life. These studies indicate that m ass media can affect society by teaching harmful models of behaviors. Not all mass media effects on society are negative, nevertheless, because mass media can be programmed to teach pro-social behaviors too, where it can affect society through modeling positive attitudes and behaviors for the youth. Many television and CD/DVD shows, for instance, are geared to teaching children positive social behaviors and new knowledge and skills. Dimitri A. Christakis et al. wanted to know if exposing children to TV shows that teach

Monday, August 26, 2019

Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Psychology - Essay Example The people of age range from 25 to 55 years will be the units of analysis for the present study. The questionnaires should be delivered to the respondents through mail and e-mail, along with instruction page for filling the questionnaire. The research instrument will comprise of six questions, and the respondents would be requested to return the same after replying to all the questions. After the gathering of data, it would be compiled in tabular form in order to interpret the results and compile the findings, on the basis of which the suggestions would be made. Introduction Myths and misconceptions maintain imperative significance in the discipline of psychology. It has aptly been observed that people just believe in a statement provided it has been supported with the so called notion. Similarly, since majority of the individuals sticks to traditions, customs and conventions, they view it hard to refute the theory has been in vogue for the last many years. Consequently, the same not ion is accepted to be true without making any investigation of the source from where it has been extracted or cited. For instance, Freud’s Oedipus complex theory, presented in the background of Sophocles’ play Oedipus the King, has been taken as a reality that the children have sexual attraction towards the parent of his/her opposite gender. Somehow, Kohut believes that the story’s most significant genetic feature is that Oedipus was a rejected child and a replacement is needed for the Oedipus myth. (Leaming et al., 2009) Moreover, it is a universally accepted perception that women appear to be more emotional and sentimental than men, and always prefer their feelings to intellect while making decisions in life. However, the experiences of real life counteract the very myth by nullifying it through researches, which state that observing of intellect or feelings has no strong association with the gender of the observer. Similarly, it is an extensively established myth, in the light of the theory articulated by 20th century American psychologist William James, that an overwhelming proportion of the individuals use up to 10% of his brain power throughout his life. Thus, 90% of the brain power remains unconsumed altogether. Somehow, no scientific research method or tool is available to endorse the same notion on humans. Consequently, myth has obtained the status of a proved theory, which is vehemently believed by the people without discrimination. Similarly, the people see eye to eye with the myth that expressing one’s anger through words is extremely supportive in mitigating the annoyance and thus turn the person cool and calm subsequently. It is therefore the therapists and counselors used to suggest the use of some object to be kicked and battered for releasing one’s anger. As Psychology Today (1983) asked, "If you could secretly push a button and thereby eliminate any person with no repercussions to yourself, would you press t hat button?" 69% of responding males said yes, 56% of women. However, in real life, people seldom take killing the other into serious consideration, and their anger calm down within moments or minutes. It is therefore the same myth has been counteracted with the latest theory that anger is sure to perish

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Globalization, Locality and National Advantage as the Key Determinants Research Paper

Globalization, Locality and National Advantage as the Key Determinants of Competitiveness - Research Paper Example The British climate is too cold to grow coffee trees, and Jamaica has no petroleum. But large resources of petroleum exist in the North Sea and coffee trees can easily be grown in Jamaica. Britons and Jamaicans could clearly benefit from exchanging oil for coffee. Smith's theory of absolute advantage - or absolute productivity differences - remains useful in explaining present-day trade between similar countries such as France and Germany. The average cost of employing a worker in Germany is about the same as it is in France, and capital moves freely between the two countries; and so returns roughly equal. Therefore, to compete successfully with a cost advantage in the French market, any particular German export must use absolutely less labour and capital when produced in Germany than if the identical item were produced in France. Trade between similar countries can occur so long as the tastes and incomes of individuals within each country differ and so long as there are absolute cost differences in producing various goods. Thus, people in France and Germany who have modest incomes and require basic transportation, and whose hearts are not set on a high-powered sports car, might purchase Citroens made in France. Wealthy individuals in both countries with an appreciation of high-performance automobiles might purchase Porsches made in Germany. The taste and income differences among individuals within each country interact with specific absolute cost advantages across countries and provide a mutually advantageous basis for international trade. Clearly, if all Frenchmen wanted only to drive Citroens, and if all Germans desired Porsches and had the means to buy them, the scope for trade would be restricted.

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Water Quality And Waste Water Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Water Quality And Waste Water Management - Essay Example As a result these people become sick, develop serious illnesses, and die from water borne diseases(Drinking Water and Quality,2001).Inadequate water leads to poor sanitation and hygiene and malnutrition posing a major threat to humans; causing millions of deaths - particularly of children less than 5 years of age. Water crisis often forces people to use stagnant water for drinking and washing themselves who then fall victim to many different kind of diseases. 2. Water quality and quantity of concern In the United States most of the drinking water comes from surface or ground water sources. Researches show surface water from sources like rivers, streams, lakes is under environmental contamination of algal growth, geologic formations, waste water plant treatment discharges, agricultural discharges etc.The major concern with ground water resources is chemical contamination from arsenic and radon due to natural hydrology, contamination of soil from hazardous waste dumps and leaky undergr ound storage tanks . Water quality concerns in the developing countries are not limited to public health. Contamination of water by poisonous metals such as arsenic and mercury in mining activities are hazardous to the forest ecosystems and their bio-diversity. The United States is relatively water sufficient at 8,830 m3/person per yr.But a recent report generated by Tetra Tech for Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) shows that in the coming decades one out of three countries will face greater risk of water shortages due to global warming and climate change and may hamper economic development and agricultural production. In contrast water scarcity had been a matter of concern since decades in developing countries. Shortage of water often leads to water washed diseases as people cannot wash themselves, their homes or clothes regularly. These include eye infections like trachoma and skin diseases such as scabies. Over 200 million people are infected due to ingestion of worm eggs or larvae and the diseases causes 20,000 deaths a year. . In many developing nations women and young girls may take the responsibility to draw and carry the family’s water over miles. In long term carrying such heavy weights may damage their neck, head and spine and lead to problems in pregnancy and child birth (Pruss-Ustun and Bos, 2008). 3. Description of water quality and quantity issues Recent studies have shown that world population had increased 300% in 20th century and water demand 700%.In addition, 2 million tons of human waste is dumped annually into the rivers and streams around the globe. Ownership of water rights is complicated and not always clear. For example, water resources like well may belong to ‘X’ but the water rights may belong to ‘Y’. ‘Y’ may lease the water for use on land owned by ’Z’ (Goff L, 2004). Current capital investment is insufficient to maintain and renew existing facilities for public alrea dy having water supply and sanitation coverage. For example, an estimated US$ 52 billion (Bartram and Hutton, 2009) is needed annually and only around 25% of that ?nance is available. Studies have shown that the water supply targets are justified for all regions around the globe, but the sanitation targets are only unambiguously justified for the Americas. This is attributed to two factors: the costs of sanitation connections are about three times those of water supply and the benefits per connection are somewhat lower. It is reported that the costs of achieving the sanitation targets by 2015 exceed the benefits for many of the developing regions in Africa and Asia. The majority of

Friday, August 23, 2019

Quality and Environmental Management Systems Report Essay

Quality and Environmental Management Systems Report - Essay Example 241), and both in turn will enhance customer loyalty. Studies prove that quality is the most vital element to gain customer loyalty (Dora et al 2013). From an organisational perceptive, QMS ensures the effective utilization of available resources so that it can deliver the product/service at optimum price. The term, ‘resources’ in this regard refers to raw-materials, human resources, technology, information etc. It is advisable for Timmerhus UK Ltd to set up a comprehensive system that involves Quality Management System (QMS) and Environmental Management System (EMS) in order to address the current business issues. Studies indicate that ISOÂ  certified companies have already improved their project performance (Din et al 2011), (Olaru et al 2010). It is clear from the case study that the firm has been facing problems with delivery, product quality, supply chain, income management, and many more. This indicates that the firm has not been utilising any of its resources in a proper way. Continuous improvement is the basic element of quality management. ... It begins with identifying an opportunity and plan for change (plan), and in the second phase, the plan is implemented on a small scale (Do). Then the result of the program is assessed to determine if it brought a positive difference (Check). Finally, the plan is implemented on a wider scale if the result was satisfactory (Act). Other methods include Six Sigma, Taguchi Methods, Statistical Process Control, Lean Method etc. However, in the given case, the firm does not currently have any quality management system, and it is only a mid-size growing firm. The Lean System of quality management, which involves Just-in-time (JIT) management, Supply chain and process considerations, and the Kanban System seems relevant to the context. Toyota Production System (TPS) is one of the trendiest Lean Manufacturing Systems which is mainly based on four principles. They are; 1) all works including sequence, timing, and outcome must be completely specified, 2) every customer-supplier connection must be direct, 3) pathway for every service and product must be simple and direct, and 4) any improvement to the system must be made in accordance with the scientific method, under the guidance of a teacher, at the lowest possible organisational level (Slide: Lean System). Timmerhus must follow (TPS) system of management in order to meet its objectives in the long run. The firm’s current business involves projects, engineering customer-specific products, delivering finished products or spare parts, and providing industrial services. Hence, following a Lean System is more applicable, for ‘Lean’ is a combination of lightness and liveliness, and it offers several alternative control methods at the

Desmond Morris reaction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Desmond Morris reaction - Essay Example The territorial space was most interesting to me because I have noticed that people make a fairly wide combination of affiliations depending upon the circumstances. For instance, not everyone in my group of flats has the same political affiliations, but we are all neighbors and form a solid group whenever anything unfamiliar enters the neighborhood. At the same time that we identify ourselves as residents at this place, we also identify ourselves as students at the same school, workers at the same place, ‘workers’ or ‘students’, members of particular political parties and members of different and usually much smaller social groups and clubs. When our group of flats gets together for community events, we present a solid group to the outside, but inside, we are organized and divided according to some of these other affiliations. While I had always assumed this affiliation process was a natural process of sorting according to individual personality types, I had n’t considered how we established these associations so quickly within the group setting. Morris’ explanation into the various visual clues we provide in our daily interactions as he came down to the familial level began to make this clear. For example, I suddenly realized that no matter which door in the complex I come to, I can usually tell which resident lives there by the way they have customized their entrance area, which is otherwise identical to everyone else’s entrance area.

Thursday, August 22, 2019

A family ritual to strengthen family bonds Essay Example for Free

A family ritual to strengthen family bonds Essay As I was answering the Family rituals questionnaire, I felt good as i was somewhat compelled to reminisce the activities which I shared with my family when I was a child. It feels good to see that our family got a high score in the questionnaire. In only proves that we have been quite close as a family. I was only mesmerized as I recalled those moments when we simultaneously scan our old pictures and laugh at the way all of us looked in the past. I also enjoyed recalling the fond memories of our excursions when I was still a child. Personally, I do not want to change that kind of relationship which I had with my family in the past. I would like us to maintain this close relationship we have right now. For me, this is how families are supposed to be. Families are supposed to spend most of the time together so they can be updated with the events happening to one another. In this sense, they will always be available to succor when one among the family members is having some dilemma. In addition to that, the intimacy between them will not be lost; and instead, will only be kindled. That feeling of intimacy will make them more comfortable and more expressive with one another. The ritual that I would like to apply to my family is a unique Islamic tradition called Eid al-Fitr. Eid al-Fitr is being done some time after Ramadan. It is basically a tradition celebrating the success of the recently done Ramadan which is a whole month of blessings and joy. Moreover, Eid al-Fitr is also the extension of these blessings and joy to those who happen to be less fortunate. Every Muslim family must offer some donation of any kind to those who are in need. They do this so the needy can participate in the celebration as well. This is done before the end of the Eid so all the people can be prepared for the jubilation. When the day of the Eid comes, all of the participants will gather outdoors – in mosques – to perform a prayer that is especially for the Eid. Afterwards, the participants will begin to disperse and mingle with one another. They will meet up with their families, friends and other acquaintances to give presents and express their cordial greetings. If they have relatives who are not present and cannot go to the event, they can call them on the hoping and likewise extend their wishes. This event usually lasts for three days to allow the Muslims make the most out of the celebration. The meaning of this ritual is that it can manifest the unity and comradeship among its participants. By extending their warm wishes to other people and giving donations to those who are in need, the participants learn to take care aside from their selves and value other people as well. The act of giving donations can be symbolically interpreted as an act of offering something that sincerely comes from the self. The act is like transcending the self and its own interests in order to extend one’s hands to other people. By applying this ritual with my family, I aim that my family will have a sense of responsibility and learn how to work as a group. Moreover, I can also reinforce family planning. My family will learn that they also have responsibility over other people –their fellowmen – and that all of us must unite for a singular cause. By promoting the behavior of giving donations to the poor and mingling with the family members, the unity of a singular cause is reinforced. As we harbor in mind the need to achieve a singular purpose, we will learn how to work as a group. In the latter process, we will develop a more cohesive bond among ourselves. The part of mingling with other people can only encourage us to commune more deeply with one another and be aware of one another’s experiences. As the ritual will be repetitious, all of its objectives will be recurrently addressed. In addition to that, by mingling with the family members in the course of the ritual, we will realize the importance of family planning. In our family, there are more than ten of us who are siblings and it will surely be harder for us to greet one another while doing the ritual. Lastly, I think that the ritual need not to change as the members of the family grow older. We must only adapt with one another and our family embers – and our oscillating temperaments, tastes and yearnings. The touchstone of the ritual is that we feel the warm company of our family members as we do and enjoy doing things together. In that sense, my two goals can be achieved. We learn that we are responsible for the welfare of our family members and we learn to work collectively in making all of us grow individually as persons and the family as a whole.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Development of Dental Adhesive

Development of Dental Adhesive Dr. Muhammad Zakir, PhD Student Faculty of Dentistry Introduction Dental adhesive are considered as an important products in dentistry not only to provide a good adhesion between dental materials and the tooth structure but also for a good bonding between dental prosthesis and resin cements. The presence of a good dental adhesive between the two dissimilar surface not only increases the longevity of the material but also enhances the mechanical property of the prosthesis. Dental adhesives have been used widely in clinical restorative dentistry resulting in the bonding between the prosthesis and resin materials. Dental materials like zirconia, titanium, Cobalt-chromium alloys, other metal alloys and glass fibres are used as prosthesis and bonded to the tooth structure via resin composites. Many researchers have studied the effect of coupling agents or the adhesive agents used in industries in the dental field, giving good results of bonding between the substrate and resin cement. But, still the main problem remains i.e., that these adhesives are considered hydrolitically unstable when they are subjected to the conditions mimicing the oral cavity. The reason behind the development of novel coupling agents are to somehow increase the longevity of adhesion between the dental materials for the patient. There has been an evolution of the coupling agnets in dentistry as different types of coupling agents are now being used like for e.g., silane coupling agents, zirconia coupling agents, phosphate based coupling agents. Researchers and scientists have been thoroughly working on the enhancement of bonding by modifications of these dental adhesives. Literature Reivew Silanes in dentistry are used as primers for increasing the adhesion between various dental materials and prosthetic substrates. Silanes are also very biocompatible and cost-effective. Different studies have been conducted which have used different silanes for the adhesion of zirconia to resin cements, titanium, to resin cements and glass fibers to resin cements. But still not a single perfect material has been obtained. Some have hydrophilicity problems, some have the problem of reduced bond strength with aging and some have inferior adhesion properties when subjected to the oral conditions. A study done by Matinlinna et al. showed that the bond strength of four experimental silane systems between zirconia and resin cement the 3-acryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane(ACPS), 3-styrylethyltrimethoxysilane(STYRX), 3-isocyanatopropyltriethoxysilane(ICS), 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GPS) with a cross linking silane monomer bis-1-2-(triethoxysilyl)ethane (BTSE) was higher than the pre-activated dental silane product RelyX ceramic primer [1]. Similarly, another study by Matinlinna et al. stated that the by using some less usual functional monomers as experimental primers can enhance the bonding of resin to zirconia as the study proves by stating that 3-Acryloxypropyltrimehoxysilane, 3-glycidoxyproplytrimethoxysilane and styrylethyltrimethoxysilane increase the bonding of resin to zirconia when compared to the pre-activated dental silane product RelyX ceramic primer [2]. Zirconia is a very biocompatible material which has a high wear resistance due to it being dense. The zirconia which is used in dentistry has good mechanical and chemical properties making it a material of choice for many dental applications as it fulfills the functional requirements [3]. In dentistry Zirconia is used mainly as endodontic posts, implant abutments, crowns, bridges and implants. But the bonding of zirconia to resin is weak due to zirconia being an inert material. Thus, to promote the adhesion of zirconia to resins surface conditioning of zirconia is done mainly sandblasting with silica coated alumina particles followed by silanization with a silane coupling agent [4]. Titanium and its alloys are vastly used in the field of dentistry not only due to their biocompatibility but also due to their corrosion resistance and good mechanical properties. In dentistry titanium and its alloys are used to make prothesis appliances like metal frameworks for fixed and romovable partial dentures, full crowns, bridges, endodontic posts and dental implants [5,6]. Titanium is cemented after surface treatment by tribochemical silica a type of sandblasting treatment and and then silanized to give good bonding as it is a non-silica based material [7]. One main problem related to this titanium is it’s weak bond to the resin cements. Thus, to cover these problems many methods have been proposed and tested mechanical retention, chemical retention or a combination of both [8]. Problem Statement Although there are quite a few adhesives which promote the bonding of different dental materials to the resin cements but most of them do not have a long term durability and with the passage of time the bond strength decreases leading to the failure of the prostheses due to the harsh oral environment. Therefore, there is a need for such an adhesive/bonding agent which not only has good bond strength but also is hydrolytically stable for a long time and being a long term solution for the patient. Aims and Objectives The aims of these studies will be to enhance the bonding/adhesion between zirconia-resin composite and Titanium – resin composite hydrolytically stable bonding systems: Studying the adhesive properties of a novel silane systems between Ti alloys – resin composites. Studying the adhesive properties of a novel silane systems between Zr alloys – resin composites. References Matinlinna JP, Choi AH, Tsoi JK-H. Bonding promotion of resin composite to silica-coated zirconia implant surface using a novel silane system. Clin. Oral Impl. Res. 24, 2013, 290-296. Matinlinna JP and Lassila LV. Enhanced resin-composite bonding to zirconia framework after pretreatment with selected silane monomers. Dental Materials 27 (2011) 273-280. Matinlinna JP and Mittal KL. Adhesion aspects in dentistry, VSP/Brill, Leiden; 2009. Kaminski HD and Easton AD. Dental Materials Research, Nova Science, New York; 2009; 1-21. Matinlinna JP, Tsoi JK-H, de Vries J. Busscher HJ. Characterization of novel silane coating on titanium implant surfaces. Clin. Oral Impl. Res. 24, 2013, 688-697. Lin J, Shinya A, Gomi H, Matinlinna JP, Shinya A. In vitro evaluation of bonding durability of self-adhesive resin cement to titanium using highly accelerated life test. Dental materials journal 2011, 30 (6): 837-844. Lung CYK and Matinlinna JP. Silanes for adhesion promotion and surface modification. Silane: Chemistry, application and performance, ISBN 978-1-62257-432-2; chapter 3; pages 87-109. Almilhatti HJ, Neppelenbroek KH, Vergani CE, Machado AL, Pavarina AC, Giampolo AC. Adhesive bonding of resin composite to various titanium surfaces using different metal conditioners and surface modification systems. J Appl Oral Sci. 2013;21 (6): 590-596.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

HP Companys Outstanding Organizational Culture Business Essay

HP Companys Outstanding Organizational Culture Business Essay Organizational Culture this term first appeared on an academic literature of United States in 1979 by Pettigrew published in Administrative Science Quarterly On Studying Organizational Culture. After that, a batch of based on the organizational culture perspective to explore the source of enterprise competitive advantage popular management literature become popular books management scholars in Europe and America. The very famous Japanese American scholars William G. Ouchi (born 1943) the (Theory Z, 1981), Deal and Kennedys(Corporate Culture, 1982), as well as Peters and Waterman, the (In Search of Excellence, 1983), etc. In this literature review based on the theory the strategy management of resource school (RBV) to discuss organization culture and the relationship between sustainable competitive advantage, and organizational culture how to further affect organizational performance. And from the Angle of organizational culture the seek business diversification condition organization synergistic effect, and the formation of core competence. A) Composition enterprise competitive advantage source conditions Resources can be generally divided into three categories: tangible assets, intangible assets and organization skills. Tangible assets assessment of the most easily, it can be reflected on the balance sheet the only resource. A tangible asset generally includes real estate, production facilities, raw materials and other. Although tangible assets and enterprise strategy must, but because they itself is standardization attribute, make it very easy to imitate, so seldom become the sources of competitive advantage. Intangible assets include enterprise reputation, brand, technology knowledge, patent, trademark and culture, and long-term accumulated knowledge and experience. The intangible assets are usually in the competitive advantage (or disadvantage) and company value plays an important role. At the same time, the intangible assets will not in use was loss, on the contrary, will continue to get accumulation and growth. Based on this reason, the intangible assets can be for enterprises m ultiplication expansion to provide a foundation of core competence value. According to the view of Barneys (1991), to become the enterprise sustainable competitive advantage of the resources of an organization has the following several aspects: (1) the value of resources . That is to say, resources can help enterprise to create value and lower cost than their competitors do well. A kind of valuable resources must be able to customers are willing to pay the price to meet the demand of customers. (2) the resource scarcity. If the supply of resources is very full, so each organization will have to use this kind of resources of the same ability, they also could not be organization the sources of competitive advantage. In some value sex resources for a large number of organization of market conditions, may have a certain organization thus obtain competitive advantage. (3) resources hard to imitativeness. Imitate the disorder has two kinds, one is physical obstacles, including legal or policy limitation, get into the elements of the superior way, close to the cu stomers superior way, market capacity and scale economy, etc.; Secondly, intangible obstacles, including causal fuzzy, path dependence and social complexity. The resources of an organization hard to imitativeness from above one or more imitation barriers. (4) the irreplaceable resources. Although the resources of an organization is difficult to imitate, due to its special natural attribute, often by the threat of alternatives. If competitors to find the scarcity and difficult to imitate resources substitute, then the organizations sustainable competitive advantage or not be maintained, although have, also be short-term phenomenon. B) The organization culture and sustainable competitive advantage Excellent enterprise culture can form the enterprise sustainable competitive advantage. Peters and Waterman, the (In Search of Excellence(1982), they demonstrated the excellent enterprise organizational culture characteristics, and established a controversial outstanding theory. Kanter, 1983) in an organizational change research, discusses enterprise in the human resource management practice of advanced practice on organizational performance of positive influence. Denison(1984) to the organization culture based on the way of investigation measure that perceived organization member participation and input to the current organization and future financial performance. In addition, Gordon (1985) demonstrates the banking and public undertakings in the different performance enterprises different cultural characteristics. Kravetz(1988) to Kanter previous research further amplification, demonstrates the management practice is able to nurture the members of the participation, autonomy and creativity, and those characteristics is with the objective of organization performance indicators closely related. Hansen and Wernerfelt (1989) is an organization effect and market position of the influence of the performance. Their study found that the organization of internal factors than market position more influential, and almost no correlation between the two. After that, Kotter and Heskett(1992) of strong culture and adaptive culture and the relationship between the organizational performance is analysed. Gordon and DiTomaso( 1992) in the insurance industry, further provide the cultural power and values approval and organizational performance relation of empirical research. In addition, the theory also making progress. Barney(1986), from the perspective of economics of organizational culture are discussed, and define the organizational culture affect organizational performance condition. In the article Organizational Culture: Can It Be a Source of Sustained Competitive Advantage(1986), Barney puts forward Culture becomes the Source of sustainable Competitive Advantage must satisfy three conditions, namely has value, scarcity and inimitable. Organization first must be able to increase sales, reduce cost and expand the profit, and other ways to improve organization value. The requirements of scarcity of culture reflects the needs of competition, if each organization with a similar culture, in a similar manner to participate in competition, so there wont be organization can obtain competitive advantage. On this basis, Barney put the organizational culture of not imitativeness as sustainable competitive advantage of the most effective and the strongest barr iers. He quoted three reasons. First, the individual is difficult to observe and describe organizational culture worth. Secondly, is difficult to carries on the strict description and detection between this highly subjective structure characteristics and organization competitive advantage, value and scarcity of organizational culture is often difficult to oral expression, difficult to perception of organizational consensus, this comes from organization unique history and heritage. Finally, even if the organization culture can be described, it is still difficult to success imitation, it originated in organizational culture refused to change inert. Therefore, look from another Angle, organization powerless to understanding and copy their own culture, perhaps is the competitive advantage of the best protection, it better than any other system security . Of course, imitation of organization culture also make the organization become fragile, organization leader lack of foresight vigorous action is very easy to make the organization damaged. C) in the business diversification for based on the organizational culture of the coordination effect According to the view of Barney, value, scarcity and inimitable established organization culture as organization for an important source of competitive advantage. And in business diversification of organization, culture of inherent characteristics and can bring synergy effect, thus eventually become diversified management organization of the possibility of sustained competitive advantage source. Hiroyuki Itami In the Mobilizing Invisible Assets(1987) Hiroyuki Itami make organise resources subdivide into complementary effect and synergy effect in strategy implementation of the whole combination effect , he mentioned complementary effect almost always based on the full use of resources to achieve we can often through the Shared the same physical Assets or financial Assets, make two not relevant strategic elements exist at the same time. And this is the fundamentality of complementary effect. In contrast, Hiroyuki Itami thinks multiple effect of synergistic effect popular, synergy is hi tch-hike. When a part from the company accumulated resources can be at the same time and nothing local applied in other parts of the company, synergistic effect happens. Hiroyuki Itami and further emphasizes the obtain complementary effect resources mainly include physical assets and financial asset tangible assets, and exert synergy effect resources mainly is the intangible assets. He realized that most of the tangible assets cannot provide hitch-hike or provide opportunities to be used at the same time. With a plants two different local production respectively two different products, there is no cooperative. Financial assets also is such, cannot be in two different parts used at the same time. If a product input increased, so can be used for other products will reduce the investment. Different with tangible assets, including technology, goodwill, information, knowledge and culture of the intangible assets can be also used in two or more areas, and its value of existence a bit will not be affected. Intangible assets which is including the organizational culture , this can be in the same organization business diversification, and no cost are being used, the intangible assets play a synergistic effect also reflects the value of organizational resources, can often provide competitive advantage for organization. One can use product reputation, sales channels and invisible assets to create synergy effect company, is always better than no this kind of asset companies more advantage. Hiroyuki Itami further analysis make use of synergistic effect achieve competitive advantage has both substantive, also has the persistent invisible assets can not buy, it only by the company through the long-term effort created. This makes the company more than new to enter the market competition has the obvious advantage, because the latter must go through a long time to have a similar assets. If the synergistic effect be apt to is added use, strategists will be able to use this time competitive advanta ge to do more things. Intangible assets this cannot buy scarcity and needs long time exploring hard to imitativeness become diversified management through the synergistic effect to realize the source of sustainable competitive advantage. In contrast, tangible assets although may bring complementary effect, but as a result of complementary effect easy to easily all competitors to realize, so this kind of competition advantage nature also wont be lasting. D) Conclusion A number of studies show that HP companys outstanding organizational culture in its business diversification in bring the synergistic effect of competitive advantage (Barney, 1986; Kotter and Hesketts( 1992); Collins and Boras, 1994). Hewlett-Packard company valuable, rare and difficult to imitate the organization culture build its core competence strategy. In a study of Hewlett-Packard company of empirical research of HP way: application prudent and emergency enterprise culture analysis strategic competition advantage, Kowalczyk and Giusti using questionnaire and statistics analysis method to Hewlett-Packard company subordinates different geographical location, different product line, different industry needs four branches were studied. Statistical results show that in each branch exist in the same single prudent organizational culture, namely middle management staff commitment to the dissemination of culture, and by comparison, found that the prudent culture and company executives advocated planning enterprise culture are basically the same. On the other hand, the company allows each branch development different emergency organization culture, it is each branch in different industry environment and industry coordinated result, accord with Kotter and Hesketts in the enterprise culture and business performance, in which, he put forward enterprise culture adaptive principle. The study again, at least in part, is based on the organizational culture in every branch of synergistic effect, and cooperation with all branches in the development of the industry adaptive culture, Hewlett-Packard company to maintain long-term outstanding economic performance. In the business diversification conditions, as intangible assets organization culture as a result of can be at the same time and nothing local applied in other parts of the company, thus can realize synergistic effect for the organization, and to realize the strategic income; At the same time, organization culture may be some value sex, scarcity and difficult to imitativeness characteristics, also make the organization in business diversification conditions possible to obtain sustainable competitive advantage. Therefore, the organizational culture to cultivate should become diversified enterprise strategic basis points, and extend to all aspects of the enterprise and business areas, in order to get strategic synergy effect, constructing the core competitive force of the enterprise. References ¼Ã… ¡ 1 ¼Ã… ½Barney ¼Ã…’J ¼Ã… ½B ¼Ã… ½Ã‚ ¼Ã‹â€ 1986 ¼Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¼Ã… ½Organizational culture ¼Ã… ¡can it be a source of sustained competitive advantage? ¼Ã… ½Academy of Management Review ¼Ã…’11 ¼Ã…’3 ¼Ã…’656-665 ¼Ã… ½ à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬2 ¼Ã… ½Pettigrew ¼Ã…’A ¼Ã… ½M ¼Ã… ½Ã‚ ¼Ã‹â€ 1979 ¼Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¼Ã… ½On Studying Organizational Culture ¼Ã… ½Administrative Science Quarterly ¼Ã…’24 ¼Ã…’570-581 ¼Ã… ½

Monday, August 19, 2019

Insincerity is a Lie :: Communication Emotions Essays

Insincerity is a Lie â€Å"Aaargghhhh!! Ughh†¦. Daggonit†¦ That freakin hurts†¦. Etc, etc, etc†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Leesa the lovely roommate exclaimed. â€Å"Are you alright?† I chimed in a slow, mechanical, absolutely unfeeling response from my bedroom. You see, Leesa always has a gripe and complain. She seemed to think that her experience of putting in a nose ring qualified as yet another reason to distract the entire apartment from homework, and simply our own peaceful lives at the moment, and engage us in sympathies for her all-important life. Leesa now receives the attention of insincere roommates as to not drain us of our sanity and energies that should not be interrupted every two minutes to help her with things, and to ask her to elaborate upon her frequent gripes and complains about life. Granted, the girl has had a rough life, but the constant request for attention wears on us! The insincerity of the response in this situation arose from the fact that the situation was predictable and allowed for a mechanical reaction. The â€Å"caring† reply to Leesa’s distress cries came from someone that did not care. In this way, insincerity is a blatant lie. I did not really want to hear her elaborate upon the situation—to tell me that she was not alright and why. I knew Leesa was complaining about another of her perceived life crisis. I knew what she would say in response to â€Å"Are you alright?†. She would tell me that indeed, as she had just been yelling, something that she did to herself, perhaps bumped her knee or hit her head, hurt. The insincerity backing my words to Leesa allowed for her to do what she wanted to do. Insincere responses serve purposes well when the goal of the person eliciting the response is accomplished in the process. Leesa only wanted to speak out loud to express her importance and let her existence be known to everyone in the apartment. It let Leesa know where everyone in the apartment was located ( Laura, bedroom, Jenny, kitchen!) and perhaps what they were doing while she was putting her nose ring in. It gave Leesa control because a response would center all action in the apartment on her.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Epilepsy And The Blood Type Diet :: Biology Essays Research Papers

Epilepsy And The Blood Type Diet Are people with certain blood types more susceptible to chronic seizures than others? Can a simple diet reverse this medical condition? And why didn't anybody think of this before? There's a myriad of fad diets out these days: Atkins, the fruit juice diet, Russian Air Force diet, and the Zone to name a few. However, the most recent craze is, "The Blood Type Diet", based on the book, Eat Right 4 Your Type by Doctor Peter D'Adamo. The diet focuses on an individual's genetic makeup (blood type) in determining which foods are best digested. D'Adamo heads up the Institute for Human Individuality (IfHi), which "seeks to foster research in the expanding area of human nutrigenomics. The science of nutrigenomics (naturopathic medicine) seeks to provide a molecular understanding for how common dietary chemicals affect health by altering the expression or structure of an individual's genetic makeup" (1). On the website, the "five basic tenets of nutrigenomics" are listed as: 1. Improper diets are risk factors for disease. 2. Dietary chemicals alter gene expression and/or change genome structure. 3. The degree to which diet influences the balance between healthy and disease states may depend on an individual's genetic makeup. 4. Some diet-regulated genes (and their normal, common variants) are likely to play a role in the onset, incidence, progression, and/or severity of chronic diseases. 5. "Intelligent nutrition" - that is, diets based upon genetics, nutritional requirements and status - prevents and mitigates chronic diseases. (1). The Blood Type Diet is founded upon the microscopic observation of how ABO types break down different foods, suggesting that one person's nourishment may be another's poison. The book examines the demographic distributions of different blood types, and proposes that "the variations, strengths and weaknesses of each blood group can be seen as part of humanity's continual process of acclimating to different environmental challenges" (2). D'Adamo asserts that blood groups "evolved as migratory mutations," with type O being the most "ancient" of the ABO group, and housing the largest population (40-45%), second to type A (35-40%), dwindling in B (4-11%), with the rarest being AB (0-2%). People with type O blood (hunter-gatherers) are encouraged to be carnivores, while type A's can survive solely as vegetarians. Explaining the origin and spread of blood type B, D'Adamo states, "Two basic blood group B population patterns emerged out of the Neolithic revolution in Asia: an agrarian, relati vely sedentary population located in the south and east, and the wandering nomadic societies of the north and west" (2).

Saturday, August 17, 2019

In Field Flow Lines Of Oil Fields Environmental Sciences Essay

As oil Fieldss mature, smaller â€Å" in-field † flow-lines used alternatively of big diameter bole pipes. The little diameter grapevines normally installed by reel-lay techniques. In this technique the grapevine to be laid is manufactured in a uninterrupted length on board of the pipelaying vas and so spooled onto a big reel. During the pipelaying procedure the grapevine is normally straightened and passed over an inclined incline. Tensioners and/or clinchs are used for keeping the antecedently launched ( Joop Rodenburg et Al. Patent application rubric: Marine Pipelaying System and Method for Installing an Offshore Pipeline That Includes One or More Accessories ) . This method normally used in little diameter but requires thicker walled pipe to avoid local buckling during bending and unbending procedure ( M.F. Bransby et a l. ) . Offshore grapevines are buried beneath the ocean floor for protection against angling activity icebergs scouring and to supply on bottom stableness and bettering thermic insularity of the grapevine system. There is extended usage of little diameter, stiff steel grapevines within the seaward oil and gas industries to transport trade goods from their point of recovery to the shore ( or to other installings ) . Burial of these grapevines beneath the ocean floor is necessary for safety, operational and environmental concerns, e.g. bar of harm from angling vass, iceberg protection, on bottom stableness and betterment of the thermic belongingss of the grapevine system. Since grapevines are laid in remote and potentially hostile environments, frequently at great H2O deepness, the cost of puting and keeping the grapevine can be highly high, in footings of the existent work required, equipment mobilisation times and costs, and reduced end product. Therefore, offshore inhumed grapevines must be constructed as rapidly and expeditiously as possible, whilst keeping the highest degree of certainty against failure for the continuance of their usage. To accomplish high flow rates in grapevines, the gas or oil must be kept at high temperature and force per unit area. Normally, these grapevines are laid with close zero axial tonss, at the ambient temperature. On warming, the grapevine will see important axial strain, which is resisted by seabed clash so that compressive forces addition in the pipe. These compressive forces are on occasion big plenty to bring on perpendicular upheaval ( upheaval buckling ) of trenched lines, with the pipe emerging from the dirt or going significantly distorted, so that its ability to defy farther burden is compromised. Upheaval clasping may go on on start-up or as a progressive turbulence clasping during operation. These phenomena are due to cyclic conditions brought approximately by chilling and heating due to line breaks, which bit by bit ‘ratchet ‘ the pipe upwards, or from initial ballad imperfectness ( or a combination of the two ) . The dirt above the grapevine and the floaty weigh t provide opposition to this uplift force and the embedment deepness must be sufficient to forestall the perpendicular pipe motion from happening ( see Figure 1 ) . Among legion reported instances of upheaval buckling, the 17 kilometer long â€Å" Rolf A † to â€Å" Gorm E † grapevine in North Sea could be mentioned which has been reported ab initio in July 1986 one-year study and subsequently in September 1986 as a comprehensive out of straightness study ( M.F. Bransby et a l. ) . Impinging and burial is typically achieved by specialized H2O jetting, plowing and cutting equipment. Knowledge of the in situ mechanical belongingss ( before and following impinging operation ) of these dirts is highly of import for the design of inhumed grapevine systems ; burial techniques can bring forth considerable perturbation to the construction of seabed deposits, taking to alterations in their behavior. Perturbation of the ocean floor in the locality of the trench depends on the dirt type and province, and the manner of operation of the trencher. Ploughed soft and stiff clay backfill is lumpy in nature with big balls of integral clay, making the heterogenous construction supplying a macro construction. Stiff clay is believed to be hydraulicly fractured and really soft or silty clay is liquefied. The exact behaviour between these two extremes is non clear yet. Homogeneity of the subsequent backfill will besides be a map of clip to commissioning of the grapevine ( Cathie et al.2005 â€Å" Frontiers in Offshore Geotechnics: ISFOG 2005 – Gourvenec & A ; Cassidy ( explosive detection systems ) A © 2005 Taylor & A ; Francis Group, London, ISBN 0 415 39063 Ten † ) . The surfaces of the clay balls will be remoulded and soften due to exposure to free H2O during plowing. The nothingnesss between the balls will be filled with H2O, slurry and sand fractions if present. This double porousness stuff will consolidate much faster than a homogenous stuff consisting of purely integral stuff and a suited theoretical account for carry oning analysis of the consolidation procedure is that proposed by Yang and Tan ( 2005 ) and Wilson et al.1982. ( Yang, L.-A. , Tang. S.-A. & A ; Leung, C.-F. ( 2002 ) . Geotechnicque 52, No. 10, 713-725 ) ( R.K. Wilson and E.C. Aifantis, On the theory of consolidation with dual porousness – II, Int J Eng Sci 20 ( 1982 ) , pp. 1009-10035. ) Of peculiar concern to industry are trenches that have been H2O jetted in soft powdered silt and clay dirts, due to the potency for important alterations in construction and the associated uncertainness of the trench backfill belongingss around the grapevine. A remotely operated tracked ‘trencher ‘ is driven over the ocean floor. The trencher has a series of noses mounted in frontward confronting jet-legs, which penetrate the ocean floor below. Water is pumped out of these jets at high force per unit area to destruct the construction of the clay, so the grapevine will drop into it. During jetting, the construction of the seabed dirt is likely to be broken down and may liquefy wholly, particularly where the initial undrained shear strength is less than 10 kPa or where there is a important per centum of silt. Hence undrained analyses are more appropriate in this instance. It is besides possible that some integral balls of clay could stay ( although these may be capable to some remoulding ) and these can increase the strength of the ensuing backfill. Determining the grade of liquefaction or hydraulic break and the conditions under which these phenomena occur is an country of ongoing research. In peculiar, the province of the backfill and strength addition will lend well as to whether drained or undrained conditions occur during upheaval clasping events due to the different drainage features of slurried and ‘lumpy ‘ backfill ( ref ***is it Cathie et al. , 2005? ) . Likewise, the resulting clip dependant backfill behaviour following jetting will be different ; both soil provinces will consolidate and derive strength bit by bit, but this will happen much faster in the ‘lumpy ‘ backfill ( ref *** is it Cathie et al. , 2005? ) . This is peculiarly important in dirts with a high per centum of clay where the consolidation procedure can take many months, particularly after full liquefaction. Due to recent involvement in the country of upheaval buckling, a figure of analytical and numerical theoretical accounts have been developed to foretell the perpendicular opposition to shriek motion provided by the dirt and grapevine system. These theoretical accounts incorporate assorted false failure mechanisms for the behavior of the soil-pipeline system during upwards gesture through the trench backfill. The theoretical accounts are preponderantly flat strain ( 2D ) representations that assume dirt distortion and failure surfaces that either extend to the seabed surface ( shallow ) or are to the full contained within the backfill stuff ( deep ) . The uplift capacity of the soil-pipeline system will depend on the geometry of this deforming system, the mobilised shear strengths and organic structure weights, the comparative rate of burden and the potency for withdrawal of the dirt to happen behind the pipe during upheaval.Scope of the thesisDespite the aforesaid organic structure o f research bing in the literature, much confusion still exists as to the appropriate design parametric quantities and failure mechanisms involved for different instances. Existing design attacks assumes that deep failure does non happen for the trench deepnesss and grapevine geometries that are found in the field, nevertheless jumping malleability solutions based on the upheaval of strip ground tackles suggest that this may non needfully be the instance ( Merifield et al, 2001 ) .This research presents both numerical finite component survey and experimental survey that examines the opposition of slurried clayey dirts against upheaval buckling of inhumed grapevines. It has been conducted to measure the current state-of-the-art, to supply counsel for the design of inhumed grapevines for backfill dirts in this province and to clear up some of the facets of uncertainness in this subject.

How Government Intervention Affects People and the Economy

New Deal When Franklin Delano Roosevelt was inaugurated president, he promised a â€Å"†New Deal†Ã¢â‚¬  for the American people who had been suffering under the Great Depression. â€Å"It is common sense,† Roosevelt said, â€Å"to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another, but above all, try something. † The relief, recovery, and reform programs of the â€Å"New Deal† were Roosevelt’s attempt to try something. Some of the programs were unsuccessful, but others are still in place today.Examining the â€Å"New Deal† programs can help one understand how government intervention affects people and the economy. Franklin Delano Roosevelt has tons of ideas that he thought would benefit everyone and possibly take us out of the depression. Not everyone agreed with his ideas and supported him but his ideas did help extremely. Roosevelt made the federal deposit insurance corporation and civil works administration for the first new deal and then the social security act and the Fair labor standards act in the second new deal that was later to come.Although there were many more acts and things that he did to get American back to normal, these four I believe made a huge change and are still used today in our everyday life. The federal deposit insurance corporation was basically insurance for banks up to 100,000 dollars! During the depression banks were starting to close down because they were loaning money out before the depression that they did really have, so when everything went wrong and everyone decided to get their money out of the bank the banks didn’t have all the money that the people believed was rightfully theirs!Roosevelt made sure that wouldn’t happen again by giving the banks insurance. Another part of the new deal was the civil works administration, which employed thousands of public workers. Now that the depression was happening tons of people didn’t have jobs, n o one had money and no one knew what to do next. Roosevelt decided to give these people jobs not only to benefit those people it can also benefit the community! That was only part one of the new deal. The social security act was thought about and passed and is still used today!Basically gave funds to disabled workers, elderly, widows and children. Which helped out a lot for the people that just didn’t have it. Last but not lease there was and the Fair labor standards act. Which set minimum wage at 40 cents an hour and a minimum amount of work hours, which was 40 hours a week, also banned child labor. All of these deals helped American a ton and still do today. Everything started to get on track after a little. Without Roosevelt’s ideas America would be a total different place today! He made changes that we needed and still do.

Friday, August 16, 2019

A Worn Path Short Story Research Paper Essay

Many obstacles can be taken when one desired the most is at risk. Phoenix Jackson is an old woman who has the right intentions, but meets many conflicts on the way. In the short story, â€Å"A Worn Path†, Eudora Welty predicts that one never knows where a path will end up leading them through conflict and symbolism. Phoenix Jackson warns that one never knows where a path will end up leading to. In the short story â€Å"a Worn Path†, Phoenix Jackson goes through many obstacles on the path to find medicine for her â€Å"grandson† (Welty). Phoenix is on a mission to retrieve treatment for her grandson. She is willing to face anything that gets in the way of her path leading to her destination. As Phoenix faces her journey she will reach conflicts beyond the way. While on the path to complete her mission phoenix stumbles upon many conflicts. In the short story â€Å"a Worn Path†, Phoenix comes encounter with intimidation of a â€Å"young hunter† in the woods (Heller). The hunter tests the old lady of weakness as he boasts of himself throughout the scavenged woods. Although the hunter has a gun with any possible chance to use it on Phoenix, she resembles courage upon the conflict for going about her business and continuing about her quest. In the short story â€Å"a Worn Path†, old woman Phoenix struggled up a hill â€Å"extricate[ed] herself from a thorn bush†, and crossed a log over a creek (Piwinski). As the woman struggles to get out of the bush she chooses to not give up and continue forward her path. The woods may have brought conflict and obstacles to Phoenix, but that won’t stop her from reaching the end of her journey.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Taybeh Brewing Company

†¢Joint venture with Jordan †¢Sales promotion such as T- shirts, pens, caps †¢Beer festival †¢Sponsor a local team †¢Organize camps for people. TBC can make a joint venture with a company in Jordan, as that would bring down the import tax considerably. This way it can enter the Jordan market with lower prices and higher profits. To improve the sales within Palestine, it can market its product by distributing sales promotion items such as bottle openers, t- shirts, caps, pens and so. This marketing skill would not cost a lot to the company but is very effective. The beer festival â€Å" oktoberfest† is celebrated in Palestine by TBC. This should be continued for a lot of years ahead and all the local people and tourists should be given free beer. This way it will become a tradition in few years and TBC will have a lasting impression in everyone’s mind TBC can also be the sponsor for a local sports team. As for me in UK all I know about Aon is only through MANU. A lot of people get attracted towards sporting events and thereby this should help the company in a good way if they have their name up on one of the local teams. Palestine is a developing country and lot of riots have been happening in the country from few years. If the camps are organised for the needy people where basic requirements such as food and shelter are provided then it would help build public relations.

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Li and Fung: Growth for a Supply Chain Specialist Essay

The case study for this paper is on a Hong Kong-Based Li and Fung Limited â€Å"Li and Fung†. This paper will try to answer the question of â€Å"What would Li and Fung do to safeguard the growth of its business? How could it achieve its target turnover of US$20 billion between 2008 and 2010?† Increase the efficiencies in its global value chain process and to ensure continued growth in net income. One of the primary strategies which set the stage for strong robust growth was the implementation of intranet and extranet information technologies. The internet technology standardized systems across the organization and linked the company’s offices and manufacturing sites throughout the world, encouraging easy tracking of orders and improved quality. The extranet technology linked the company directly to the customer and enabled it to meet and sometimes even exceed customer satisfaction requirements. The strong history of the company and the implementation of information systems and technologies enabled Li & Fung to orchestrate the whole value chain process in a virtual manufacturing environment. Lifung.com, studiodirect.com, ‘electronic stock offer’ and other systems and business processes were implemented to enable the firm to further penetrate into new buyer markets and also to discover opportunities in the supplier markets. This case analyzes the effectiveness of these information and technology systems and recommends steps that could be taken by Li & Fung to draw upon its traditional strengths and explore new opportunities for future growth.

Tuesday, August 13, 2019

Business strategy of US Airways Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Business strategy of US Airways - Case Study Example US Airways initiated a merger with American Airways which was completed in 2013. The merger is a cost leadership strategy in addition to boosting profits and strategically positioning themselves for stiff competition with other industry leaders. According to analyst (Staff, 2013), the company can benefit from $600 million cost reduction under the new deal. US Airways employed a no-frills strategy to lure cost sensitive customers. Though its West Coast flights are within the United States, it operates a full slate of European flights from its East Coast hubs. US Airways has also employed differentiation strategies in a bid to attract a certain segment of the market. US Airways has considerably few international flights but is concentrated in Charlotte, N.C., Phoenix and Philadelphia. Unlike American Airlines, US Airways has little presence in Los Angeles with only a strong presence in outlying airports such as Ontario, Burbank and Long Beach. The merger is a strategy that will make US. Airways presence in Los Angeles significantly felt hence a boost on its performance. Under the new merger, the Group president Scott Kirby indicates that they anticipate targeting corporate customers as they can spend thrice as much as leisure clients, qualifying them as a lucrative segment on the airline market (Staff,

Monday, August 12, 2019

The traditional model of public administration Essay

The traditional model of public administration - Essay Example The characteristics of this bureaucratic state were set out most clearly by the German sociologist Max Weber in 1920, with strong echoes of earlier writings by the American Woodrow Wilson (Hughes, 1998): Further refinement of the traditional model of public administration came through the application of private sector based ideas of 'scientific management', which introduced efficient operational methods based on standardization of tasks, 'one best way' of fitting workers to tasks, and systematic control of tasks, processes, and workers (Hughes, 1998,33-34). These principles were easily adapted to bureaucratic structures. A final addition to the traditional model was the application of the insights of social psychology, in a 'human relations' approach which is often contrasted with the scientific management approach, but in practice sought to achieve greater efficiency of performance too, though by paying attention to the need to motivate workers rather than merely control and direct them (Hughes, 1998, 35-6). Unfortunately,Unfortunately, the ideal bureaucracy model had never happened in the real life. The critique of the traditional model is based in a comparison of the 'ideal' model of bureaucracy with what happens in real systems of public administration. The following differences can be identified: i. In many systems there is no clear separation between policy and administration, either in terms of decision-making processes or the respective roles of administrators and politicians, which are often fused together. ii. Decision-making processes do not, in any case, conform to the rules of technical and economic rationality, but are affected and shaped by processes of conflict, negotiation and exchange between interests both internal and external to the state bureaucracy iii. Hierarchy and centralization combine with a formal, sometimes slavish adherence to rules and procedures to produce defects (or bureaucratic

Project management week4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Project management week4 - Essay Example Perhaps the most important element of a communication plan is the audience, which receives and responds effectively to the message conveyed (Pritchard, 2014).   According to Taylor and Dow (2013), some critical audiences must be involved in effective communications plan in order for the message to gain wide acceptance. Pritchard (2014) states that the audiences vary greatly and they may include the project sponsor who is the main audience, professional groups, opinion leaders, employees, media, local community, and government. All the audiences differ greatly in opinion and they may respond variedly depending on their mood and the nature of the message in the communication plan (Ramsing, 2009). Essentially, the project sponsor, media, and the local community are the major stakeholders that will especially receive the full communication (Taylor & Dow, 2013). When it comes to the information that the audience will receive the project sponsor is entitled to full information including the confidential information while the local community ought to receive partially classified information (Tennyson & Ray, 2005). On the other hand, the media must only receive the general information to protect the project secrets. Concerning all the information, the communication plan will consist of verbal, written, and audio-visual information (Pritchard, 2014). It will apply to all the three groups of audiences, as comprehensively understand the info being communicated (Pritchard, 2014). The frequency with which the information will be shared will depend on the prevailing circumstances, as it will not be possible to gather all the stakeholders at once. Therefore, the project sponsor will receive the full copy of the communication plan while the public and the media will be kept updated daily (Ramsing, 2009). If the audiences do not receive the message effectively, then they will be separated into groups so that each group receives more attention

Sunday, August 11, 2019

Buddhism Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Buddhism - Research Paper Example Gautama Buddha also introduced the concept of Nirvana, which stated that after doing all the good deeds possible, a person would achieve the highest level of eternal happiness. Buddhism can be categorized into Theravada and Mahayana and is spread over the countries including Sri Lanka, Thailand, China, Japan and other eastern nations in the Asian continent. The branch of Vajrayana is mainly practiced in Tibet and Mongolia, making Buddhism the most practiced religion in the region of Asia. â€Å"Estimates of Buddhists worldwide vary significantly depending on the way Buddhist adherence is defined. Lower estimates are between 350–500 million† (Lopez). The fundamentals of Buddhist customs, cultures and practices are ritually based on the Three Gems, the Buddha, the teachings and the society. â€Å"Taking refuge  in the triple gem has traditionally been a declaration and commitment to being on the Buddhist path and in general distinguishes a Buddhist from a non-Buddhistà ¢â‚¬  (Padmasambhava, Kontrul and Kunsang). There are other different practices in the religion of Buddhism too. These particularly include moral principles, support of society and the community, putting aside the luxurious manner of life and adapting to the type of the life that Gautama Buddha lived. It also promotes the personal development through the development of the mind and meditating whenever required. Furthermore, there is preferment of achieving a higher level of wisdom and intelligence by gaining of the worldly and the divine knowledge, especially, the teachings of Gautama Buddha, conducting a thorough study of the manuscripts and devoting one’s self to the cause of the welfare of others. With these Gautama Buddha had aspired for an ideal society, for he believed that practicing his beliefs would not only lead to a peaceful and a harmonious society, but also ensure that there are no violations of human rights. If the history of the religion of Buddhism is brought under philosophical analysis, it would become evident that Buddhism had its roots embedded in the religious status quo of India, at that time, which is believed to be a few years before the birth of Christ. During this period, the Indian regions as well as other countries of Asia were mired by the social differences. There also existed tumult on the end of the religion, since India was divided into the caste system, which was a major result of social divide in the country.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"It was challenged by numerous new  ascetic  religious and philosophical groups and teachings that broke with the Brahmanic tradition and rejected the authority of the  Vedasand the  Brahmans† (Warder).   Looking at the inspiration from where the religion of Buddhism commenced, it is obvious that Gautama Buddha too gave up his life in order to achieve the aforementioned eternal peace and happiness, which he termed as Nirvana. After seeing the cruelty and injustice in the society, â€Å"G autama was determined to complete his spiritual quest. At the age of 35, he famously sat inmeditation  under a  sacred fig  tree — known as the  Bodhi tree  Ã¢â‚¬â€ in the town of  Bodh Gaya, India, and vowed not to rise before achieving  enlightenment. After many days, he finally destroyed the  fetters  of his mind, thereby  liberating himself  from the  cycle of suffering and rebirth, and arose as a  fully enlightened being. Soon thereafter, he attracted a band of followers and instituted a  monastic order. Now, as the Buddha, he spent the rest of his life teaching

Saturday, August 10, 2019

Career plans Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Career plans - Essay Example I have garnered invaluable knowledge with my stint in both the lower and upper echelons of the organizational structure. My exposure to this dynamic organization and interaction with my highly diverse and brilliant colleagues and subordinates have stimulated my interest in finance and impelled me to pursue further studies along this line. With the advent of myriad challenges in today's world, I reckon that this is the most opportune time for me to accelerate and make my career move. Given the rapid advancements in the field of business coupled with the fast-paced technological changes, I deem that it would be gainful for me to embark on the necessary steps to sharpen my business acumen and enhance my finance and management skills needed to become a good, if not an exceptional CFO. In this regard, I would like to gain admission to this prestigious academic institution. I fervently believe that undertaking the comprehensive graduate program offered by the school would adequately equip me for this new position I am aiming to fulfill. Its curriculum would be instrumental for my practical training in light of the modern financial breakthroughs. Moreover, it is in my best interest to improve my skills under the tutelage of the school's premium faculty, which is comprised of highly competent teachers who possess

Friday, August 9, 2019

Psycological study of sleep depravation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Psycological study of sleep depravation - Essay Example These include restoration of physiological function, energy conservation and facilitation of the healing process (Dotto, 1996). Adequate sleep is thus required for all these purposes. Moreover, studies have elucidated that in addition to adequacy of sleep, the quality of sleep acquired also has major bearing on one's functioning. This fact is emphasized by Dr. Carlyle Smith, professor of psychology at Trent University in the following words: "Whether you're studying for university exams, memorizing the script of a play, learning to drive a car or training intensively for an athletic competition, your performance can be affected not only by how much sleep you have had, but also by what type of sleep you got and when you got it (Dotto, 1996)." Sleep disturbances are fairly common in today's society and with the pressing demands of work, education, etc and the ever-increasing time constraints, sleep deprivation is inevitable and studies have shown a 20% sleep reduction amongst Americans over the past century (Colten & Altevogt, 2006). Sleep deprivation and sleep related problems have been found in an alarmingly high number of people and some studies suggest figures as high as 50 to 70 million amongst Americans (Colten & Altevogt, 2006). ... The degree of sleep deprivation has been shown to vary according to different factors such as one's age, occupation, lifestyle, etc. Sleep related issues are most common amongst teenagers, women and adults who are aged greater than fifty years (Virginia Mason Medical Center, 2009). Almost one third of the young adults have been found to be insomniac (Bonnet & Arand, 1995) and almost 58million Americans have been shown to suffer from symptoms of excessive sleepiness throughout the day which impairs their social and functional capacities (Virginia Mason Medical Center, 2009). These figures reflect the gravity of the situation from a public health perspective. The magnitude of the burden of this disorder can also be judged from the exorbitant medical costs, both direct and indirect, which can be attributed to this disorder. Some studies report the costs associated with sleep deprivation and its hazardous consequences to be as high as 56 billion dollars per year (Bonnet & Arand, 1995). The duration of sleep varies within and amongst populations and hence it is difficult to determine the level of sleep which can be defined as adequate. Various studies have concluded that individuals require a minimum of eight hours of sleep per day (Bonnet & Arand, 1995) and recent estimates show that amongst adults, the average number of hours spent sleeping is six hours and 57 minutes which considerably less than that termed as adequate (Virginia Mason Medical Center, 2009). However, these values vary from individual to individual. Thus it becomes relevant to assess the sleep need on an individual basis. This is achieved by letting the individual go to bed in