Monday, September 30, 2019

Dark Romanticism in “The Devil and Tom Walker” Essay

During the nineteen century in America, Dark Romanticism was very popular. Dark Romanticism is a literary subgenre that emerges from Transcendentalism. Transcendentalism believed that to discover truth people must see beyond the physical world, also believed that people can find God directly on nature. Dark romanticism explores the conflict between good and evil and the psychological effect of sin and guilt in the human mind. One of the famous Dark romantic writers is Washington Irving. He is well known for his short stories and his unrealistic characters and his detailed description of nature. Irving develops the characteristic themes of dark romanticism through symbolism in â€Å"The Devil and Tom Walker†. Many Dark romantics writer thought that nature had a spiritual influence over people, as a mysterious being. One of the main themes of the Dark Romanticism is nature. Irving describes with detail the nature setting around the characters. In this story Irving says â€Å"The swamp was thickly grown with great gloomy pines and hemlocks, some of them ninety feet high, which made it dark at noonday and a retreat for all the owls of the neighborhood†. In this sentence he is describing the setting described as dark, decaying and mystifying. Another theme presented in this story is the presence of the devil. Irving gives the devil human qualities and describes him as a â€Å"great black man†, â€Å"neither Negro nor Indian†, with a â€Å"pair of great red eyes† and with an ax in his shoulder. The devil is said to have various names among the countries and he claims to have witness great battles and conflicts in America. Dark Romantics used images of evil in form of vampires, devils, ghosts and other human-characterized figures. In this case Irving uses the devil as a symbol of evil. Dark Romantics presents human beings as susceptible to sin. The author presents different sins in this story for exa mple, avarice. This sin was present in Tom Walker and also in his wife. In the story it said that the â€Å"husband was continually prying about to detect her secret hoards† and there were conflicts about what â€Å"ought to have been common property†. This says that the woman hid things to her husband, in order to save it from herself. Dark Romantics explore the conflict between good and evil. In this case the devil wanted to make an agreement with Walker. At first Walker refused because he knew that when devil granted favors, there was one condition: he had to be at his service. The wanted him to become a slave trader, but he refused his proposal because he was against slavery. He instead became a usurer. When Tom Walker committed sins, he went to church to feel better about it. These visits to church are a symbol used to present guilt. He tried to focus in reading the Bible, but he kept censuring his neighbors and scamming his clients. He thought that every sin his neighbors committed became a credit in his own sins. Also, Walker tried to hide his guilt in his ostentation by building a great and incomplete house, just as Captain Kidd hid his treasure between the big trees in the forest. Washington Irving uses many symbols in this story to present the themes of Dark Romanticism. The forest is a symbol of the nature, and the devil is representative of the evil influence over the human being. Walker’s house represents a place to hide guilt and Walker’s wife is a symbol of greed. â€Å"The Devil and Tom Walker† describes very well the themes of Dark Romanticism.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Plato-Machiavelli Comparison

Danielle Butler October 16, 2011 English 101/ O. C #2-Machiavelli Though often presented as two ideological opposites, personally I find there to be a lot more similarities between Plato and Machiavelli than usually acknowledged. Obviously there are some sharp contrasts. If one examines the excerpts from Machiavelli’s â€Å"The Prince† and Plato’s â€Å"The Republic†, it’s easy to conclude that Plato believed it to be essential for a government leader to be just, good, and free from corruption. Whereas Machiavelli’s ideal ruler is less concerned about morality, and more about shrewdness, awareness, and pragmatism.. That being said, ultimately both men arrive to the same conclusion all be it through different means; that a ruler’s primary objective is to create and maintain a unified, orderly, and controlled state, with a content population. When it comes to humanity, Machiavelli is considered pessimistic, due to his less than glowing expectations for the nature of man, as he clearly states â€Å" For one can generally say this about men: that they are ungrateful, fickle, simulators and deceivers, avoiders of danger, greedy for gain.. † (46). While Machiavelli’s opinion of men in general leaves little to be questioned, I find Plato’s generalized idealism to be far more dubious. In the Republic, it appears that Plato’s optimisms about human nature, and capability does not extend to everyone, asserting that many people are better off being ruled by â€Å"better men†. In book 9 Socrate’s states to Glaucon â€Å"Tharsymacus did in the case of subjects, that the slave should be governed by his own harm, but on the ground that it is better to be governed by the divine and the intelligent preferably indwelling and his own, but in default of that imposed from without, in order that we all so far as possible may be akin and friendly because our governance and guidance are the same? † (Plat. Rep. 9. 590d) Both Machiavelli and Plato also recognize that generally, most people of the populace are easily manipulated by their senses. Plato illustrates that in his â€Å"allegory of the cave†. Machiavelli makes it clear that he feels this shortcoming to be advantageous for the â€Å"prince†, and it should be exploited when need be, as he states â€Å" he (the prince) should appear, upon seeing him and hearing him, to be all mercy, all faithfulness , all integrity, all kindness, all religion. And there is nothing more necessary than to seem to possess this last quality. And men in general judge more by their eyes than their hands; for everyone can see but few can feel. † (49). While many may chide Machiavelli’s approach as disingenuous and manipulative, which it plainly is, how much does this tactic differ from Plato’s suggestions? In the Republic, Plato suggests that society must be persuaded by a â€Å"noble lie† to unify the citizens and deepen their allegiance to their community as Socrates states â€Å"How, then, said I, â€Å"might we contrive  one of those opportune falsehoods  of which we were just now speaking, â€Å"so as by one noble lie to persuade if possible the rulers themselves, but failing that the rest of the city? â€Å"What kind of a fiction do you mean? † said he. â€Å"Nothing unprecedented,† said I, â€Å"but a sort of Phoenician tale,something that has happened ere now in many parts of the world, as the poets aver and have induced men to believe, but that has not happened and perhaps would not be likely to happen in our day  and demanding no little persuasion to make it believable. †

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Petit and fernando

There were two young souls with a dedicated passion in the novel † Let The Great World Spin† by Colum McCann expressed themselves through different inspiration. Philippe Petit, the French acrobat who in 1974 walked across a tightrope between the Twin Towers. Petit a man with out a fear, well that's what you would say if you would watch him pursue what he felt like was destiny. He had a passion most would call crazy, insane, or even fatal. Fernando Yunque Marcano was Just young Hispanic fourteen year old boy still experiencing life, and adventure through a camera in the treets of New York.Fernando was blown away by the creativity that these artists would express and how they would show their thoughts through art. Philippe and Fernando are two different people in two different settings living in their own journey. Petit was passionate about â€Å"walking on wire. † He didn't want to think of the consequences he could face while performing such walk. He was a calm per son Just focused on his dream to walk further and higher, to call it history I suppose. His motivation was the rush he received.He puts himself to the test and it was even said that â€Å"His favorite moment was running along the wire without a balancing pole- it was the purest bodyflow he could get† (McCann 158). When he finally arrived to walk on the wire and went through the rush â€Å"he felt for a moment uncreated. Another kind of awake† (McCann164). A person feels like it was a different of kind of living says a lot on how he felt for this passion someone would call insane, he felt alive. He felt something he couldn't compare it to. Petit had a talent that humanity could not deny.Fernando Yunque Marcano was a humble quiet boy with not much money. He is an adolescent but definitely knew where his passion lied. He hid his face through a camera. Fanatical in his work, the only image that he had in his mine was captivating the moment through photography. Fernando wou ld surf the trains of New York putting himself in danger one hand on his camera trying to take pictures of what he saw such beauty in, tags â€Å"loves the way the letters curl, the arcs, the swerves, the flames, their clouds. (McCann 168), it shows that he saw creativity and enjoyment to omething that we see everyday and probably show not much interest in. His talent to express himself in photographs is another way of speech. Philippe Petite was a man with an obsession of the wire. Fernando Yunque Marcano had an obsession of the camera. They were two legendry men in their own unique way. No matter their motive or their reason they did what they loved to do. Their dedication to what they felt was their purpose overcame their â€Å"fear† to reality. There dedication to there obsession is another world for his passion.

Friday, September 27, 2019

See intructions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

See intructions - Essay Example The person or group of persons is what Hobbes calls sovereign (Lloyd-Hughes 151). The sovereign enters into a covenant with the people to provide them with peace and defense in return for surrendering their rights. However, he or she is guided by laws and in case the sovereign fails to protect the subjects, they can remove him from power. The citizens thus accept such a sovereign in order to ensure peace and protection. In state of nature, men are competitive and need someone to safeguard their property. Q2: Hobbes: State of Nature In the state of nature according to Hobbes, the life of man is â€Å"solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short† (Lloyd-Hughes 149). Men in this state are equal in body and minds thus become enemies often. Moreover they are primitive thus have â€Å"no industry, culture, cannot account for time, have no arts and no society† (149). As s result, these men quarrel most of the time as they compete with each other. They become brutish and nasty and solitary as they live in continued fear and danger of death. Furthermore, they are not aware of what is right or wrong thus engage in war against each other all the time. They are also poor and do not have accommodation or own property. It is the sovereign who apportions them land and proscribes rules of ownership after a government is formed. Q3: Liberty According to natural laws all men have the natural right of liberty and as such, use such liberty to preserve his life. Even though the renounce this right for greater gain to the sovereign, they never lose the right to life and liberty (Lloyd-Hughes 150). However, there are boundaries to these liberties. An individual cannot use this liberty to inflict harm on himself or others as consequences follow as set out in the laws of the land. Liberty is to be used only to do what is profitable to them. Liberty is also limited to the particular commonwealth as each jurisdiction has its own laws what is acceptable by one nation may not be acceptable by another. Subjects also have a right to sue against subjects for violating their rights. Q4: Machiavelli: Skill (virtu) and Fortune (Fortuna) Nicollo Machiavelli in the Prince did differentiate between skill and fortune. He referred to fortune as the ability to become a prince through luck or opportunities. For example the Theseus succeeded to conquer Athenians because Athenians were dispersed (Lloyd-Hughes 91-92). That is sheer luck and wise kinds should not rely on it as fortunes can change any time. Many princes inherited dynasties but could not keep them due to lack of skills; for example, the king of Naples. Great princes are those who have the skills and ability to control fortunes such as ruthlessness, bravery and pride. This is due to the fact that â€Å"fortune rules half of our actions†¦.the other half is determined by skill and ability† (91). He says that God sends us floods but men can change future events by taking actions that can control the f loods in future. Q5: Is It Better for Ruler to be Loved or Feared? For Machiavelli, most people would like to be loved and feared at the same time but it is much better to be feared than loved. This is because in their nature, men are â€Å"ungrateful, fickle, false, and cowardly† (Lloyd-Hughes 97). As such, these men give promises to the ruler only to retreat when things get worse. They do everything for their own interest and betray you at any time. He also claims that men love on their own will

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Comparing Media Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Comparing Media Systems - Essay Example With objective strategies aimed at making Facebook one of the most competitive social media, the management led by Mark Zuckerberg (founder), has been able to reduce the cost of operation. Currently, it is estimated that this media system has been spending about $536 million to meet its cost of operation. This amount is too low compared to the revenue generated explaining why Facebook continue to dominate the social media industry. Facebook has played a significant role in connecting people from different parts of the world. It is one of the cheapest means of communication that allows friends, and family members to connect and express their emotions. Currently, groups with common interests can are allowed to create a ‘group page’ which they can use to communicate without necessarily having to meet physically. With tight schedules that many people have, meeting physically continues to become a big challenge. Keeping people in touch has some psychological impact. Unlike ot her transitional media systems such as CNN, Facebook allows individuals to express their emotions through communication. This according to psychologists is imperative in stress alleviation. Facebook is also a source of information that has made it possible for people to know what is happening in different parts of the world. Just like other electronic and print media systems, Facebook can allow individuals know, and even contribute to difference social phenomena happening in different parts of the world. Politicians, businessmen, artists, and other influential forces have taken advantage of the Facebook to target their clients. In 2008 presidential debate in the United States, Facebook was one of the main communication tool that was used to allow target voters to follow events live and make their contributions. With the help of ABC in collaboration with Alselm College, a Facebook App that would make it possible for communication in this kind of setting was developed. This therefore makes facebook one of the unprecedented transnational media systems, which allow people to have a say in political and other social issues. Businesspersons have also taken advantage facebook to market their products, target and retain customers. They keep target customers informed about what they produce, where they can find them, and the price. Facebook has therefore made a positive impact in e-commerce, a phenomenon that has taken shape in the business world. Through this process, many companies have been able to increase their customer base, which consequently leads to more sales and profits. 2. Social impact of facebook While facebook has made a lot of impact on the society, this paper shall focus on the social impact. The latter will seek to analyze how facebook has transformed the lives of the people globally. In dealing with the issue of social impact of Facebook, the following questions shall be addressed: How has facebook enhanced social bonds, and communication? How does f acebook enhance information dissemination? How has facebook fostered relationship between clients and businesspersons? What are some of the criticisms of social impact of facebook? 1. Facebook and social bonds The media system theory of dependency is imperative inn explaining the kind of media that people choose. It also explains why people prefer certain

Chemotherapy Lounge Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Chemotherapy Lounge - Assignment Example Nursing as caring by Anne Boykin and Savina Schoenhofer is the most appropriate theory. The theory explains that caring is an innate virtue arising from the humanness of a person. It further explains that people live their live caring at every moment with each moment being unique. The patient in the case requires simple recognitions some of which arises from the humanness of the nurses. He wants the nurse to care for his unique needs at every moment. As such, the theory offers the best description of a nurse that would enhance his holistic healing. Jean Watson’s theory of human caring offers relational caring both for self and for others. The theory explains that one must always cultivate his or her spiritual practice beyond the ego. This requires a form of mind body and spirit type of wholesomeness in order for one to work as a nurse (Watson, 2008). Such an individual practices a form of loving kindness and equanimity that can help the patient in the

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Knowledge of Human Cognitive Abilities and How it Can Help People to Coursework

Knowledge of Human Cognitive Abilities and How it Can Help People to Learn Computer Systems - Coursework Example And cognitive abilities are the processing skills of a brain to carry on a particular task. As Per (Michelone) â€Å"Cog ­ni ­tive abil ­i ­ties are the brain-based skills we need to carry out any task from the sim ­plest to the most com ­plex. They have more to do with the mech ­a ­nisms of how we learn, remem ­ber, problem-solve, and pay atten ­tion rather than with any actual knowl ­edge†. Generally speaking, cognitive abilities are the mechanism by which our brain operates to accomplish different tasks of our daily life. An in- depth study of cognitive skill greatly help a person to improve his learning capacity and task performing ability. Any learning or activity task can be segregated according to cognitive functioning and process can be made simpler and convenient accordingly. Everyone today knows that our world is operating extensively with the support of computers .And obviously, learning and performing computers tasks requires ample amount of c ognitive abilities and skills. So, if a person could enhance his cognitive abilities he can very well upgrade his level of understanding about the working system of computers. It not only essential for him to perceive thing systematically but also should be able to clearly differentiate every functions to make the learning process easy and less complicated. Learning computer is not a very easy task; it needs extensive use of memory, logic and cognitive skills. In computer learning there are different stages in which the learner pass through to achieve successful learning. Mainly the basics of computer learning may not require intense cognitive skills or capabilities. But as one cross the basic level and enters in to more complex learning session, the knowledge of cognitive skills becomes necessary and helpful. In advanced level of computer learning, like software development and data processing, high scale of information processing skills and decision making ability is required. Acc ording to (Singley,24) â€Å"When students are gives tasks beyond their skill level, the variability among students decreases. The better students are able to span the gap; the worst students are not†. Learning of programming and applying reasoning ability in the decision making process requires a great deal of memory, logic and brain processing. If a learner has knowledge about his cognitive abilities and have deeper understanding about the way in which brain operates, then he can learn things faster and easier. Decision making skill and problem solving skills are important in computer learning and if a learner understands his cognitive abilities he can gain much confidence in his learning process. Most Psychological theories consider that cognitive skills are multi faceted and are correlated with other abilities of an individual. It is usually seen that some people understand, grasp and solve things more quickly, while others require more time and energy. The understanding of personal cognitive ability is very essential for a person to develop his ability in learning process of computer systems. One should understand how the brain perceive things, process information and store information in short term and long term memory. The stability, diversity and growth of our personal mental processing and use and transformation of our external and internal information to think, learn and communicate are highly related. If we understand well the mental processing and brain mechanism then the learning of computer systems can be made simpler and less time consuming. It is very essential to understand the cognitive abiliti

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Business Start Up Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business Start Up - Assignment Example The person can also choose when to work and not to work when he is not highly motivated. This will give the person t produce high quality output. Working alone and being self-employed means being in control of all the decisions that has to make. The person gets to decide on his own business plan, his own quality assurance activities, pricing and marketing methods. At the sae time, there is a 100% job security; the person will never get fired. People usually do what they want to do unless they are otherwise motivated. They must be motivated by themselves or by an external stimulus. Motivation is, in effect, inducing others in a specific way towards goals specifically stated by the motivator. In an organization these goals, as the motivation system, must conform to the corporate policy of the organization. The motivational system must be tailored to fit the needs of the organization. Joining the world of the self-employed is very risky. Considering the freedom to choose how much time and when to work, who to work with, low operating cost, no hassle in beating the office hours, if everything goes well, earning more money is very possible without working for someone else, it is worth the risk. 2. Skills Required Entrepreneurship is a term in business that is always mistaken as something synonymous with small business. Basically, a businessman cannot be considered as an entrepreneur just by initiating the business, but rather by having a behaviour pattern that concentrates on opportunity rather than resources (Drucker, 2002). This behaviour can be applied in either small or corporate businesses, by any manager or leader. It can be said that referring entrepreneur as an individual who creates a business literally is incomplete, as the term also signifies most importantly a pattern of behaviour and attitude, and not just the tangible sole proprietor of the organization or the business. Churchill (1992) defined it "as the process of uncovering and developing opportunity to create value through innovation and seizing the opportunity without regard to either resources (human or capital) or the location of the entrepreneur - in a new or existing company" (p.586). Hofstede (1997) stated the definition of entrepreneurship in other terms, referring it as "a process that takes place in different environments and settings which causes changes in the economic system through innovations brought about by individuals who generate or respond to economic opportunities that create value for both those individuals and society" (p.352). In other words, it is considered as individual or organizational level phenomena, or the experience of continuously searching for growth through improvement and innovation. The entrepreneur must possess typical characteristics such as: the ability to take risks; innovativeness; knowledge on how the market functions; manufacturing know-how; marketing skills; business management skills; interpersonal skills, organizational skills (that I already have ) and the ability to cooperate (Buheiry, 1989). Possessed with such characteristics, entrepreneurs have shaped literally the economic condition of the world as we see it. They are the ones who are

Monday, September 23, 2019

Leadership Plan Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Leadership Plan - Assignment Example The case study describes two significant leadership roles in the form of Vince Brofft and Kelly Mueller. The daughter and father are both dedicated leaders of their own family business, American Tool & Die. The changing scenario of the market had put excessive pressure on some of the local communities as more number of foreign automakers was grabbing the market share. In such a scenario the major goal of Kelly Mueller had been to adapt to the changing situations and shifting the business of AT&D from Michigan to Mississippi. This would eventually cause adverse effects on 195 employees as they have to get detached from their families. The concept of moral compass can be effectively incorporated in the attitude of Kelly Mueller with respect to her vision implementation. It can stated that she was more concerned with the future of these employees who were like a family to her, and she was more focused than her father in respect to goal orientation. Kelly Mueller was not a social architect rather she was more focused towards sustainability of her business. As a leader she was finding opportunities for her company so that she can take out her business from the financially unstable situation. As a leader of AT&D she was able to analyze well the potential problems surrounding the organization and take appropriate measures so as to overcome those problems. Kelly Mueller adopted the leadership role of directing its workforce towards success of the organization. She was not very determined towards following the traditional approach of leadership that focused more on coaching and supporting the employee base for business operations (Cameron, 2008). In context of moral compass Kelly Mueller can effectively put forward the virtue that decision she was taking to shift the plant was for sustainability of the business and also for the benefit of all those families of her workforce who were totally dependent on the business operations of AT &D. Her decision can

Sunday, September 22, 2019

I Love School Essay Example for Free

I Love School Essay Sixteen years after a sixteen-year-old wrote this book, Francis Ford Coppola turned this novel into a movie. The book is a coming-of-age novel, but the movie focuses on the characters loss of innocence. The movie follows the story line very closely. The reader is only told that this story takes place in the southwest, but the movie places it in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in the year 1966. It also changes the conflict from the East Side versus the West side to the northside versus the southside. This minor directional change was probably made due to the relative time proximity to the musical West Side Story, which won the best picture Academy Award in l961. However, as with all movies, character insight that is critical to understanding the story is lost when the format goes from the written word to the screen. Ponyboy is telling us the story, the same as in the book, but the 91-minute film only glosses over many character relationships. With the exception of Ponyboy, the viewer misses out on knowing most of the novels characters. Darry and Soda are relatively minor characters in the movie, and the viewer is given little insight into their lives. The same is true for the rest of the gang, even Dally. Dallys death loses much of its impact because viewers arent able to get to know him. Only the reader is aware of the fact that Dallys gun is unloaded, and the symbolic death of Dally in the spotlight is gone. Johnnys character is also weaker in the movie than the book. Viewers dont see the growth in his character, because they dont know Johnny. Johnnys appreciation for life at the end of his own is barely noted, but it has great impact on Pony in the novel. The whole point of the telling of Ponyboys story is to give meaning to Johnnys death. Johnny had wanted Ponyboy to tell Dally certain truths, and given that Dally is dead, Pony writes this story down for all of the Dallys in the world: Someone should tell their side of the story, and maybe people would understand then and wouldnt be so quick to judge a boy by the amount of hair oil he wore. The movie and book do begin and end with the same lines, the difference being, only readers understand the meaning behind them.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Domestic tourism in India

Domestic tourism in India METHODOLOGY INTRODUCTION This chapter is very essential in enabling the researcher achieve aims and objectives of this dissertation. So first lay down the fundamental aim followed by its objectives. Then go through understanding what research is and discuss the different types of research methods that are used in this study. For instance discussion is carried out on the various accessed secondary research data and primary research data collection method by looking at quantitative research method of survey questionnaire and justifying the choice of selection of the research method. The emphasis on questionnaire design and layout will be considered alongside projecting the significance of pilot testing before the questionnaire is distributed. The chapter also illuminate on substantiate sampling and selected computer software for data analysis. And finally portray the various research limitations. Aim and Objectives Aim of this research is to find out the motivational factors behind domestic tourism in India. And in order to achieve the aim it is important to fulfil the various objectives of this research which are: To examine the several motivational and consumer behaviour studies within the context of the tourism industry. Analysing the trends of domestic tourism in India. To examine the motivational factors/ perceptions and attitudes towards domestic tourism in Mumbai city in India. To compare and contrast the motivational factors underpinning domestic tourism identified within the literature, with those identified by the primary data analysis for India. To examine the implications of the findings of this research for the future of domestic tourism activity in India. Now having looked at the aim of the research and its objectives, it is necessary to differentiate the salient features of the secondary research data with that of the primary research as they form to help analyse the outcome of this research findings. Secondary Research Secondary research data is collection of work that is done and published by some researcher which is available for others researchers to use in their study (Jennings, 2001). Hakim (1982) defined secondary research as further analysis of an existing dataset which presents interpretations, conclusions, or knowledge additional to, or different from, those presented in the first report on the inquiry as a whole and its main results. Secondary data is very important prior to going into primary data as one can avoid repetition of the same data so as to cross check and see to it that the data that is being collected is not already available in secondary resource (Finn et al 2000). The sources of secondary data can be collected from various sources with advice from the concerned subject professor and librarian along with the help of internet, classmates and bibliographies of the literature that is read in various sources like books, journals etc (Silverman, 2005). As Jennings (2001) also poi nted out the key advantages of secondary data collection which consisted of: Easy and quick accessibility to the available information. Quality of data acquired is of high standard when cross referred from peer sources. Information is gathered for a very low cost. Less time consuming process. Provides the opportunity to re-examine the findings. Using the data is convenient. The secondary data used in this study was obtained from various resources affiliated and available through the Bournemouth University library catalogue. So as to represent only authentic data in my study I have used tried to refer and use mostly work and studies done by reputed authors or organisations. The information that has been obtained are of sources ranging from: Books: All the books referred were from the Bournemouth University library and some of which were e books available on internet. The books referred ranged from topic covering tourism, consumer behaviour, psychology, and motivation and research methods. Academic Journals: Journals showcasing several articles published of most recent and authentic information was accessed and utilised which were mostly derived through various online journals like Sage publications, EBSCO host, Science Direct from Athens database. Published documents and reports: Data derived from several reports published by organisations like WTO, Ministry of Tourism (India), Indian Government publications were utilised in supporting my study. Internet and electronic database: While using the internet source the fact of authentic reliability was highly regarded and hence very few information was utilised through internet. Most of the data utilised was obtained from electronic data source on subjects relating to tourism and motivation which was again acquired with the help of Athens Database. But it is also very essential that one realise the threat lying in utilising secondary data for instance Jennings (2001) revealed some issues relating disadvantages like incomplete available data, the reliability factor, and confirmation on validity of information or the data might become out of date. So being aware of the setbacks of secondary data was keenly observed while utilising it for the study and was only used in supporting and guiding to understand the literature behind the topic. Primary Research Primary data is the information that is gathered from the field of research carried out and developed by a researcher for their own research (Burns and Bush, 2000). Cohen et al (2007) described primary source to be items having direct relationship with reconstruction of events which comprise of oral and written testimony collected from the participants. Jennings (2001) pointed out the potential benefits of primary data lie in the ease of studying a large population analysis with out much bias. And there are two major methods of conducting a primary research that are quantitative and qualitative research methods. Quantitative and Qualitative Research Researchers gather first hand information through various methods, then collect and arrange them in order and then analyse them to use in their study. This is popularly known as primary research and hence to carryout that it is very necessary for the researcher to consider the nature of their study and chose the right research method (Jennings, 2001). Primary data collection methods chiefly consist of two types: quantitative and qualitative methods (Finn et al 2000). In order to select the right primary research method for study it is important to understand the differences between the both research methods. According to Jennings (2001) listed the difference between quantitative and qualitative research methods. Where he explained that research approach in quantitative is deductive in nature which means that theories and concepts are already available through the past data using which researcher conducts a hypothesis to test these concepts through data collection and analysis. Qualitative research takes a more inductive approach where the researcher develops theories and concepts through observation and brings out ideas thorough observing the collected data rather than predetermined ideas. Quantitative research undertakes the hypothetical testing by observer to be objective to come to a conclusion with structured, systematic design of the research which can be replicable but whereas qualitative research depends more on the subjective view of the ground reality and the research seems to be unstructured with recent developing changes being applied as they emerge during the course. The focus of the research for a quantitative research is variable when compared qualitative research which depends on specific study themes. While selecting participants to carryout the research quantitative research randomly selects the participants but qualitative research chooses its participants with several considerations being specific to them. The representation of data and findings put forth through quantitative research is numeric in nature which can be statistically analysed with the help of graphic representation like statistical tables and graphs. But qualitative research approach represents data through textual form which is more narrative in nature. And lastly the finding analysis and conclusion is only a representation of the real world in case of quantitative and qualitative research result is a slice of life in the real world. Quantitative research method Having looked at the various differences between the two research methods does not conclude that quantitative research method is better than qualitative or vice versa. Because both have their own advantages and disadvantages depending upon the type of research and study a researcher is undertaking certain phenomenon might be better studied in qualitative and some with quantitative analysis (Muijs 2004). Veals (1997) stated that qualitative study approach which consists of focusing on observation of depth interviews does not support the cause of a study when the researcher aims to project a common statement of analysis regarding large groups of population. Keeping in mind the fact that this study deals with quantifying the several motivational factors for domestic tourist in India and so it would include dealing large population groups to try and assessing their motivational factors. Hence it would be appropriate to utilise quantitative approach towards the study would enable the rese archer to bring out the finds in the form of statistical data analysis. Questionnaire Survey Burns and Bush (2000) referred quantitative research to be a survey research involving usage of structured questions whose responses are predetermined and it involves correspondence of large number of respondents. Saunders et al (2003) highlighted that any kind of research would usually involve some numeric data that can be utilised to respond to the questions arise in the research and Veal (1997) also stated that quantitative analysis is widely preferred and used research method in tourism and leisure industry to gather individual information with help of a designed list of questions which are put through the survey participants. Gillham (2000) showcased some advantages of using questionnaires saying it could be cost effective and can save a lot of time as it helps to gather mass amount of information in a limited and short frame of time. It proves to be more convenient for the anonymously selected survey respondents to answer closed ended questions straight away without any biased reaction towards it unlike interviews which can induce biased opinions at times during the course of the interview. As the designed questionnaire contains the same set of questions repeated for all the respondents to answer so it becomes easier to compare and contrast the responses to asses and analyse the results and its trends. But it is also necessary to understand the possible setbacks which can occur while applying this approach to the study which Gillham (2000) correctly pointed out by explaining that while conducting a survey the researcher would often have to deal with certain negative features which could include issues where quality and accuracy of data cannon be guaranteed if the questionnaire is not properly designed. As the questions should be short and simple for the respondents to understand and reply and sometimes the seriousness of response to the questions is also always an issue of apprehension. Ryan (1995) also stated that it is very essential for a researcher to go through the survey process very circumspectly if it is conducted through a questionnaire because once the responses are collected one can neither refer back to them for understanding their responses nor fabricate or correct the responses if they have been misinterpreted by the respondents. So in order to carryout a research bou nd by time constraints like identifying the various motivational factors of domestic tourism in India does recommend developing a questionnaire to conduct a survey keeping in mind all these potential threats. So the questionnaire should be carefully studied and design layout should be properly done specifically considering the usage of right choice of wording before it is distributed for the survey. Questionnaire Design, Layout and Pilot Testing Having considered the various pros and cons of developing a questionnaire for a survey above it is also very essential to carefully layout a design for a questionnaire. It is very important to review what questions will be addressed in the questionnaire. There can be different types of questions asked so it is very important to asses the type of questions because the outcome of information depends on the collection of data (Brace 2008). Pizam and Ellis (1999) stated that questions obtaining basic profile information form a vital part of the questionnaire along with the other collected information of the respondents attitudes and behaviour. So the online questionnaire which is developed would also asses the demographic information of the participants along with others. The questionnaire would consist of 19 questions and would consist of following sections asking various questions like Personal Information Travel pattern Motivation sources Experience and satisfaction measurement Future activity The designed questionnaire mostly consists of closed ended questions to help and enable respondents to respond to them quickly and not consuming much of their valuable time. Brace (2008) also suggested that researchers analysing behaviour analysis would normally go for closed ended questions and it seems to be a popular option preferred as the respondents have to just tick or select the boxes to respond to the questions which leaves least room for error and confusion and the data can be easily assessed later on. Most of the closed questions in this study included different types of question pattern like checklist, Likert scale and attitude scale to asses the attitude and behaviour of the tourist. And Churchill (1999) identified coding to be more useful and handy while doing questionnaire because if the questions are arranged, designed and laid out properly with wording taken care off with choice of answers being represented in numbers and codes through any computer software then it w ould be very effortless to collect the data and analyse with a computer coding software. To carryout this survey electronic email was chosen as the most suited method to survey considering the fact that the researcher is far away from the country where the survey is going to be conducted and also baring in mind the expenses and time constraints. Sproull (1986 cited Thach 1995) stated that electronic survey can be beneficial particularly in survey research and identified four key characteristics of electronic email which were Speed It much easier and faster to send questionnaires through email to any part of the world in seconds and hence the reply would also be fast once the questions are answered. Asynchronous communication The communication of message can be sent and received at convenience as it gives an option to the participants to reply at their ease when they are free. They can leisurely think and answer the questions. And not be tied down to be replied instantly and make them loose their valuable time. No intermediaries In several cases the mails sent by post or interviews could be rejected or filtered by the assistants and secretaries of the concerned personnel so there are more chances of mails being directly sent to the concerned person and they open it directly. But even this is being monitored in recent changes but there are more chances when compared to the other ways considering the fact that it would reach faster. Ephemerality Ephemerality explains the fact that an online questionnaire can be deleted at any time with ease and hence would have no trace in the form of hard copy of it once it is deleted unless someone saves and prints out on a paper. So when the respondents complete the survey and send them they can delete them at their will and dont need to bother much about it once it is done unlike the posted mails. Pilot testing the questionnaire is very essential before the questionnaire is actually distributed amongst the population. Piloting tests two key features of a questionnaire that are reliability where the questionnaire is considered to be reliable depending upon the amount of consistency that shows in the responses that are received and validity where its considered to be valid if the researcher gets the evaluation right that the questionnaire was originally destined for Brace (2008). This helps the researcher to evidently identify the problems related to respondents leaving out certain questions unanswered and also asses the satisfactory reception of information for the respondents to understand and answer (Bryman, 2001). It also helps in explaining if the respondents understand the wordings and certain terms in the questions and if the questions have a flow of pattern, then the amount of time that is consumed for replying the questions and it gives a clear picture of which approach of data analysis to carryout one the responses are collected Jennings (2001). Hence in order to do the pilot testing the questionnaires were first sent through email to 10 respondents to try and check the quality and understand the responses. Based on the received responses minor changes were done to the questionnaire for fine tuning. Sampling Researchers must carryout sampling well in advance in the course of research as several aspects like time constraints, money expenses and the ease of access to carryout the survey are always certain setbacks and restrictions which reoccur. These prevent the researcher to limit oneself to measuring analysis of only a small and compartment representation of a true population and often not the total population (Cohen et al 2007). In this study it is virtually impossible to carryout the research across the whole of India with its mammoth population representation alongside its diverse culture and languages pertaining to their geographical locations. Hence to make it convenient for the researcher the survey was carried out within the boundary of limitation selecting only one city as the representative. Mumbai city was selected to be the location for selecting sample population as the city is widely popular across the world in spite of not being the administrative capital city of India. Th ough the people of Mumbai city alone does not form the collective attitude and behaviour of the whole country but this could be considered to be the closest that one can get to understanding the behaviour of the Population in India considering the limitations of the research. Data Analysis The data of this research which is collected with the help of quantitative research method of questionnaire will be analysed by going through the responses received and drawing comparisons with the studied literature review. As Ryan (1995) suggested that it is very important to keep in mind the prime aims and objectives of the research while interpreting the data through statistical representation. Quantitative research data analysis is most effective when it represents various variables in the form of statistical and numerical projections (Jennings 2001). Hence this research data is best suited to be analysed with the help of SPSS computer software. Along with this data analysis conclusions will be drawn from the secondary data as well to get an understanding on the behavioural pattern and provide a scope for further study. Having looked at data analysis methods in this section it is also essential to identify the various limitations that hinder the research. Limitation of the Research One of the major limitation for this research is the generalisation of the Indias population as it seems virtually impossible to carryout the survey all the throughout the country. Considering the fact that it is a very huge country with a huge population and even with the best efforts with no time limits can still not bring out the true picture. Hence the survey was restricted to only Mumbai city. Another major constrain for the researcher was the accessibility to information regarding domestic tourism in India. There has been very little research done on the aspect of domestic tourism in India hence to gather information related to concerned topics was very difficult and limited. Part of the information and data was collected from the government publications and several online articles published by various researchers. Considering the fact that the researcher is far away from the geographical location of the survey being conducted and considering the limited time and cost effectiveness in travelling to carryout the survey in person would have been difficult. So the survey was conducted by emailing the questionnaires to the people known to the researcher and there by asking those collective members to distribute the questionnaire across to their contacts to respond. But even the electronic survey systems had their share of problems as Veal (2006) pointed out that the surveys conducted online through emailing the questionnaire have resulted in very poor response rates in the modern trend so keeping in mind the less response rate the questionnaire was sent to as many contacts as possible and it succeeded in collecting 100 responses. Issues relating to the questionnaire design were identified as another limitation as several responses did not respond to all the questions as it entirely depends on the d ifferent educational levels of understanding of the respondents which could have led to misinterpretation and confusion of the questions Chapter Summary This chapter presented the aims of the research to clearly identify the various objectives that are supposed to achieve. Then it talks about the research methods undertaken in acquiring past data and understanding the literature behind the topic through secondary research methods. Also explaining the primary research methods researcher detailed the different approach towards acquiring data collection. In order to do that it also speaks about the questionnaire designing and layout of the questions to be asked. Then it highlights the essentiality of pilot testing the prepared questionnaire and then sampling of the survey and how the collected data was analysed. Finally it showcases the several limitation of this research that was carefully measured. The following chapter will present the main findings and analysis of the data that was collected from the surveyed questionnaire. BIBLIOGRAPHY Cohen, L., Manion, L., and Morrison, K., 2007, Research methods in education, 6th ed. London: Routledge. Brace, I., 2008. Questionnaire Design: How to Plan, Structure and Write Survey Material for Effective Market Research. 2nd Ed. London: Kogan Page [online] Available from http://site.ebrary.com/lib/bournemouth/docDetail.action?docID=10250416 [Accessed on 20th March 2010] Bryman, A., 2001. Social research methods. New York: Oxford University Press. Burns, A. and Bush, R.(2000)Marketing research 3rd ed. London: Prentice Hall Churchill, A. (1999) Marketing Research: Methodological Foundations, 6th ed. Fortworth, TX: Dryden Press. Finn, M., Elliot-White, M. and Walton, M., 2000, Tourism Leisure Research Methods: Data collection, analysis and interpretation. Essex: Pearson Gillham, B., 2000. Developing a questionnaire. London: Continuum. Hakim, C. (1982): Secondary Analysis in Social Research: A Guide to Data Sources and Methods with Examples, London, Allen Unwin. Jennings, G., 2001. Tourism research. Milton: John Wiley Sons Australia, Ltd Muijs, D., 2004. Doing Quantitative Research in Education with SPSS. London: Sage Publications. Available from: http://site.ebrary.com/lib/bournemouth/docDetail.action?docID=10080884p00=quantitative%20research [Accessed 20th march 2010] Ryan, C., 1995. Researching tourist satisfaction: issues, concepts, problems. London: Routledge. Saunders, M., Lewis, P., Thornhill, A., 2003. Research Methods for Business Students, 3rd ed, Harlow, Prentice Hall Financial Times. Silverman, D., 2005. Doing Qualitative Research: A practical handbook. 2nd ed. London: Sage Thach , L. 1995. Using Electronic Mail to Conduct Survey Research. Educational Technology -Saddle Brook NJ. 35 (2), 27 [online] Available from: http://www.ali.iup.edu/DJT/graduatestudy/PDF/usingelectronicmail.pdf [Accessed on 25th March 2010] Veal, A.J., 1997. Research methods for leisure and tourism: a practical guide. 2nd ed. London: Financial Times

Friday, September 20, 2019

A Reflective Account Of The Impact Of Psychosocial And Cultural Issues Nursing Essay

A Reflective Account Of The Impact Of Psychosocial And Cultural Issues Nursing Essay For the purpose of this assignment, I have used Gibbs reflective cycle to reflect on the impact of psychosocial and cultural issues affecting decision making in dietetic practice. For many decades, psychosocial and cultural factors have been researched and recognised as important determinants, which can have serious impact on health and eating behaviour . In this reflective piece, I have focused on how these factors have the potential to contribute to malnutrition in the elderly. As a consequence, it is imperative that dietitians are able to recognise these issues and consider how they may impact on the negotiated advice (REF). My subject was a 79 year old lady who had been referred to the dietetic clinic for advice on nutritional support. She had experienced an unintentional weight loss of ten kilograms (kg) over the course of two years, since her husband had passed away. Her drastic weight loss had become a serious concern for her, which led to her referral by her general practitioner (GP). Description (What happened) During the consultation, the patient explained that she had lost three kg in one month, which is when she started worrying as she noticed how loose her clothes had become. I examined her food diary and asked a series of questions to find out what she may have been doing differently to account for the weight loss. She reported her food portions had not changed and that she was eating more in order to gain weight. She seemed to be having a varied diet, although at her last visit to her GP at the beginning of the year, she was informed that she had impaired fasting glucose (IFG). She had therefore decreased her intake of sugary foods as she was afraid of becoming diabetic. Another major event that had occurred more recently was that she had moved to a smaller place which was more suitable for her since she was now on her own. Feelings (What were you thinking/feeling) When she mentioned she was now a widow, I sympathised with her and immediately thought this was the reason for her weight loss. Further questioning revealed that she had battled with loneliness following the loss of her husband of 55 years. . Several psychosocial factors emerged from this initial part of the consultation, which can be regarded as pressures felt by the patient . The first two included bereavement, which is classified as one of lifes stresses, and the state of depression, which she may have endured following this traumatic event .. A significant attribute of bereavement and depression is appetite loss, which is also accountable for high mortality rates in the first six months of the loss of a loved one. In this case, she no longer had anyone to appreciate her cooking efforts and the deprivation of companionship at mealtimes becomes a reminder of her loss. A time intended for communication, joy and bonding had become a painful experience, leading to lack of interest in any activity related to food or eating. The reduced enjoyment of the social aspect of mealtimes had made eating more of a chore . It is important to remember eating as a social variable and recognise that it is part of our self and social identity, which also makes it a cultural variable. It is a structured part of ones everyday life and a valued social activity for most married people. Food habits developed throughout life are an important component of culture and strongly influences food decisions. Therefore, the stress of bereavement has the power to alter the social, psychological and cultural significance of food during this difficult time . These issues were sensitively addressed in the consultation. The patient reported that the support of her son had helped her through the grieving process and that she had accepted the loss and was moving on. Other social determinants which impact eating behaviour include access to food, and ability to cook food and share meals with others . The patient reported she was doing her own weekly shopping and that she had started consuming more ready-meals as she still struggled cooking just for herself. Therefore, she only cooked when her son and family came to visit at the weekend . I suggested joining a social club in the area where they regularly meet for lunch and other social gatherings, which could help improve her moral , but she was reluctant to do so. She explained that she suffered from urinary incontinence and found it embarrassing having to urinate so frequently when around people. I thought it would be ideal if she could have that kind of social interaction as it can have a great impact on appetite and meal size. Meal ambiance which incorporates factors such as acquaintance, conversation and pleasantness, have been shown to improve levels of ingestion and is an important stimulus modulated to help stimulate appetite in places such as nursing homes . The mechanisms by which a person is affected by social support varies depending on the individual, however, the potential support that can be provided from social structures has been shown to aid in maintaining nutrition in certain elderly people . Relocation and change of environment can also yield negative outcomes in terms of psychosocial disturbances such as, confusion, anxiety, depression and loneliness associated with transferring from one place to another and leaving behind treasured memories or souvenirs of a loved . Two months prior, she moved to a smaller house, which had been a very stressful time for her. She had settled into the place but she reported having had a hard time adjusting. This is an area I should have explored. For example, had she made any friends in the surroundings or whether she was still able to meet her old friends, was she getting familiar with the new neighbourhood she was in, were there any safety issues that needed addressing which we could help support her with, and so forth. These issues would have a heavy impact on her intake and weight if they were causing her anxiety or depression . Financial constraint is another psychosocial factor to consider when giving dietary advice, as unaffordability affects intake . The patient reported she drove to do her weekly shopping from a reputable supplier in town. According to her food diary, she did not appear to be restricting herself. However, as research suggests, misreporting of food diaries is common where patients try to present themselves more favourably . Decline in cognitive function is Another psychosocial issue I had to consider was the food anxiety which had been created following the IFG test. Her GP had told her she was in the pre-diabetic stage and so she had eliminated most fruit and all high sugar foods from her diet as she was worried about becoming diabetic. The burden of disease caused her to change the way she felt about certain foods . She was now anxious about eating any foods with sugar. I explained that she did not have to exclude sugar from her diet completely. This in turn created confusion as my advice was conflicting that of her GPs. I explained about glucose absorption and that she could add sugar to her puddings, cereal and so forth, which would slow down absorption of the sugar and help with better blood glucose control but to still avoid pure forms of sugar e.g. sweets. She was relieved to discover that and it seemed to make her happier that she could relax her diet. From there is an exploration of psychobehavioral models of appetite, and address issues of depression, bereavement, and social interaction before examination of personality and anxiety disorders. These issues are then considered as related to cognition and memory. Cultural factors: access to appropriate foods Communication Attitude, values, beliefs, behaviours shared by society/population Psychosocial factors: Attitude Peer pressure Cultural, religious and regional factors: cultural origins, religious background, beliefs and traditions of culture and race, geographical region. DeCultural factors Food habits are a component of culture that make an important contribution to the food decisions consumers make Food habits are seen as the culturally standardized set of behaviors in regard to food manifested by individuals who have been reared within a given cultural tradition. Although some view culture and food habits as static and unchanging, it is now recognized that they are continually changing as they adapt to travel, immigration, and the socioeconomic environment (Jerome, 1982; Lowenberg et al., 1974; Senauer et al., 1991; Kittler and Sucher, 1995). When modifying food intakes to meet dietary recommendations there are certain aspects of food habits that are difficult to change, such as the concept of meals, meal patterns, the number of meals eaten in a day, when to eat what during the day, how food is acquired and prepared, the etiquette of eating and what is considered edible as food. (Lowenberg et al., 1974; Kittler and Sucher, 1995). Food is always used to satisfy hunger and to meet nutritional needs. Food is used to promote family unity when members eat together. It can denote ethnic, regional and national identity. It is used socially to develop friendships, provide hospitality, as a gift, and as an important part of holidays, celebrations and special family occasions. In religious rituals and beliefs certain foods have specific symbolic meanings, or there may be prohibited foods or food taboos. Food can be used to show status or prestige, make one feel secure, express feelings and emotions, and to relieve tension, stress or boredom. Food controls the behavior of others when used as reward, punishment or as a political tool in protests and hunger strikes. Evaluation (What was good and bad about the experience) Why decided to go down that route? Behavioural change model Analysis (What sense can you make of the situation) Conclusion (What else could you have done) Action plan (If it arose again what would you do) What have I learnt from this experience What was the outcome of this experience

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Mistakes of Mankind Exposed in Quinns Ishmael :: Quinn Ishmael Essays

Mistakes of Mankind Exposed in Quinn's Ishmael Most humans are confused. Some know what the problem is, but most haven't even realized something is wrong. The novel Ishmael by Daniel Quinn is an attempt to bring about awareness of the mistakes that people have made and have continued to repeat through the course of human history. At its core, the story has two main characters: a teacher and a student. The teacher represents a solution to the destructive road that mankind has been traveling down and the student represents us: eager to mend our ways but apprehensive about the changes that will occur. The lesson of this book is that each one of us can make changes that will directly enhance our personal lives, and begin the great task of changing how all humans view and live out their lives. The wise and almost omnipotent teacher that had the task of changing the course of human history is, as one might imagine, a very special person. He had been watching us for a long time and was ready to share his knowledge of the human race and its inherent flaws. This "savior" just happened to be a gorilla named Ishmael. It was for that reason that a very special student was required to learn his lessons. "Teacher seeks pupil. Must have an earnest desire to save the world. Apply in person"(4). This rather awkward request appeared in the personals section of the newspaper. Because the bulk of the novel is narrated through the first- person perspective of the man who answers this ad and becomes the enlightened student, the reader never learns his name. However, he/she is exposed to many important aspects of the student and his motivations. One learns that decades ago he had actually been looking for such a teacher during the children's revolt of the sixties and seventies but finally concluded that no ne existed and that the new era was never going to begin. This realization had embittered him to the point that seeing such a blatant ad (in the newspaper of all places!) after he had given up hope outraged him. His motivation for answering the ad was actually a simple desire to find out what crook was behind the outrageous request so that he could put

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Drug Abuse Among Teens :: Drug Abuse, Substance Abuse

Introduction Drugs abuse is serious problem in the United States, especially among teenagers. According to National Drug Intelligence Center (2003) 7.5 million American adolescents aged 12 to 17 used drugs at least once during their lifetime. Teens start to experiment with drugs from a young age and do not think about drugs’ negative consequences. Butler (2010) claims that drug addiction will lead to problems at university or school and loss of alertness, which can cause to injury. Also it will affect mood, change system of values and lead to depression. As a result, teenagers who use drugs have a risk for suicide. Nowadays, they abuse both legal and illegal drugs. Also drug accessibility is one of the causes of adolescent abuse. The majority of teenagers aged 12-17 get it easily from friends or relatives. (Office of National Drug Control Policy 2007). Moreover there are other possible factors, such as pressure from friends, low self-appraisal, stress, relationships with parents. This essa y will look at drug abusing problem among teenagers in the United States and analyse in detail possible reasons and solutions for drug addiction. Background Teenagers abuse a variety of drugs. Any of them both legal and illegal can have immediate or long term health consequences. As reported by NIDA in 2003 year 40.2 percent of high school students had used marijuana. Majuana is the illegal narcotic. Youths who used it before 17-years-olds indicated smaller brain and they are smaller in height and weight than teens who used marijuana after age 17. In addition, marijuana adversely affect on memory, distorts the perception of sound, time, touch for short term. American teens use inhalant as well. Adolescent find it in spray paint, glue and shoe polish. TeenDrugAbuse.us states, that regular use of inhalants can result in heart disease, liver and kidney damages. Also the most common drugs among youth in United States are ecstasy, cocaine, crack, speed and heroin. Legal drugs such as prescribed medications and alcohol is popular today. Moreover, according to the Office of National Drug Control Policy in 2005 year 2.1 million teenagers abus ed prescription drugs and these drugs are the most common among 12-13-years-olds. Also American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry claim that drug use is increased risk poor judgment which may lead to accidents, violence, suicide and unplanned, unsafe sex, which may cause HIV. Factors That Influence Teenagers to Drug Abuse Firstly, home and family are major factor.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Team Discussi

The Broom model of leadership examines how leaders go about making decisions and the approach of assessing the situation before determining the best leadership style. (Bateman & Snell, 2011). The Broom model evaluates seven situational factors for problem analysis that include; decision significance, importance of commitment, leaders expertise, likelihood of commitment, group support for objectives, group expertise and team competence. (Bateman & Snell, 2011)Flexibility and the ability to practice situational leadership decision-making is an ideal model for an effective leader, according to the Broom leadership model. In the Broom model of leadership, leaders are able to assess different situations and determine which approach will be most effective in delivering the message to his or her team. The process includes: whether he or she will talk to his or her team individually or as a team to get input from the team; the leader also will determine whether they will facilitate or deleg ate tasks to elf accomplish the goal or task. Teammate & Snell, 2011) Depending how urgent the matter is will determine how decisive leader will have time to consult with others. All circumstances take a situational approach. Fiddlers approach explains how an employee who is task motivated seems to perform better when there is something that needs to be completed. Delegating could be the best approach for people who are motivated in this capacity. A person who is driven by the relationships of heir co workers seems to perform better in areas where there are interpersonal situation that are needed.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Dialog in a cafeteria near the office of Victoria and Abigail

One Saturday afternoon in a cafeteria near the office of Victoria and Abigail, they scheduled themselves to unwind and take a look to what really is going on in the realm they are into. Abigail unconsciously uttered what tremendous circumstance that is happening around her in the office and she simply takes into account the attitude of being bullshit is scattered in their working area, â€Å"As I join my officemate, I can’t help but just listen to the bullshit topic they are apt to† â€Å"You know, that was so rampant in the environment that we have, isn’t it? † Victoria shows her feelings as she grabs her cup of coffee.The two girls relate with each other as they exchanged insight as regards to the huge fuzz of bullshit thing. Abigail exemplify â€Å"You know girl, the thought of being bullshit lies on the fact that it is beyond the lies that we make, it is more alarming because you are doing beyond what you think is true† â€Å"What you mean Abig ail? † â€Å"What I am trying to embark here is that the verity that you lie, you actually knew that you are doing the wrong thing but it is different when you are talking about something without caring whether it is factual or not† Abigail expounds as she has a second thought behind her mind what is Victoria is thinking about.â€Å"What are you thinking about? † Abigail asked. Victoria responded, â€Å"Well, nothing besides the realization of what you are trying to implore†. â€Å"In actuality Victoria, it is more alarming than we think how being bullshit destruct one’s personality†, Abigail is provoking the feelings of Victoria towards the subject matter. â€Å"You know girl, the air in our environment in the office is very unscrupulous† Victoria is listening intensely to what Abigail is about to share. Abigail continues, â€Å"One of my officemates is claiming that she is rich and to the point that she is acting like a real oneâ₠¬ Ã¢â‚¬Å"Really, how come you say that? † â€Å"It was quite obvious that she is not and she is just making a bullshit gesture. You know, there were times that we are just talking about our experiences in the office as we handle our client and answering their queries, all of a sudden she will make a huge fuzz out of nowhere about her new condominium†. Abigail added, â€Å"It’s not that we are envious of her but obviously, it is not related to the topic most especially, we are all aware that it is not true and she is just acting like a rich fellow† â€Å"That was terrible! † Victoria reacted.â€Å"Absolutely, that’s why we usually get annoyed of her actions† Abigail really wanted to hear Victoria’s insights as to the matter of bullshit because in the realm they are distressing, it is quite everywhere and everybody is getting into the angle of the phenomenon. As the conversation of the two becomes intense, they did not notice tha t they spend almost two hours just tackling what bullshit in their eyes is. Of course, the subject matter is truly controversial because we can never deny the fact how we usually use such word to our daily encounters in our lives.Going back to the cafeteria where Abigail and Victoria are exchanging their views, Victoria cannot take holding her emotions and reacted completely to what was Abigail is talking about earlier. She never hesitated to counterfeit what was Abigail’s scrutiny in relation to bullshit measures. â€Å"I agree with you when you say that it happens in our nature nowadays that bullshit is everywhere and we cannot do anything sometimes even if we condemn the act†, Victoria uttered.Abigail is listening on what Victoria is about to take note. â€Å"Bullshit was established in the context of the discourse and not in intentions of the speaker per se† Victoria exemplifies as she eagerly expound what she is thinking as Abigail is talking earlier. Abiga il is listening attentively to Victoria as she sips her coffee, accordingly she reacted â€Å"what views you are apt to when you mention that it is in the context of the beholder’s speech and not in the intention of the speaker that bullshit arises? †Victoria act in response â€Å"consider the norms of politics as those in authority consistently delivering how their nations are coping with the tremendous change in this time and age, however they fail to take a look on several issues of corruption that tends to depreciate the stability of their nation. The bullshit context of the authority’s approach to changing nation despite their unintentional gesture was quite dishonest and considered a bullshit act. Parallel to this, acting inappropriately by holding into corruption was undeniably unprincipled†It seems that the two girls are showing their perception to the phenomenal acts of being bullshit. Indeed, the different approach that they believed in truly de picts a sense of formulating a specific theory towards the anomaly of being bullshit. Abigail is wondering how deep Victoria’s attitude towards their subject matter. She cannot hide in her inner self if at some point in her conversation with her friend that their views meet. It is good to take note the buzz about being bullshit nowadays, may it be on the fact that you acted the wrong and unaccepted way or the fact that your views contributes on being a bullshit material.Either way, the theories at hand might contribute to the understanding of what this is all about. As the two girls continues to talk about what they encounter in their work and in the nation that they belong, they can’t hinder themselves to weigh who has the most reasonable consideration to what they are talking about. Abigail insisted that by being bullshit, it come to light the fact that you neglect what is true and believe in yourself that you are doing the right thing even if you just decoded what r eally is true and what is not.On another account, Victoria uttered that it goes with the content of what you say that makes person a bullshit one. Unintentionally we do and say things which are oppose to our norms but we do not intend to sound like bullshit but by not controlling our selves, we make project such attitude. In realism, the perception of Abigail matters a she define bullshit by being neglect able of what is right and wrong. It has been said that it is most dangerous to be bullshit than to make lies and this is what Abigail shares to her friend. As they exchanged their views, the girls got enlightened by their topic and they just bonded all night long.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Change Management Essay

New consultants are hired to help Riordan Manufacturing in creating a processing for monitoring client’s information that would involve all workers to utilize the same client’s administration process. In part one of this project the consultants would require evaluation of the organization’s intranet site and verification of information. This process would help them in creating an improved administration plan which would consist of many components. For example, proposal of a plan to help execute changes during the upcoming year and clarification of the evaluation processes while ensuring the modification plan is completed. In the second part of this project, the consultants will make a reference to a communication tactic for the proposed change and the effect that would potentially have on the organization. The consultants are to come up with a change management plan and a communication plan for Riordan Manufacturing. Section I: Change Management Plan Riordan Manufacturing is an organization that operates on a bureaucratic system. Separate divisions have managers who are reporting to higher up management. However, even these upper managers, eventually, would have to report to the president and CEO of the organization, Dr.  Michael Riordan. The bureaucracy has a system in place that is similar to the matrix system. Riordan Manufacturing divisions consist of people who carry out specific jobs and every division has its own informal systems, which are created by building working relations jointly. Riordan Manufacturing inspires workers to report any problem or issue that they might have directly to their superior. This would encourage every worker to openly deal with the administration, work in a great environment where interactions could be apparent and attitudes can be positive. Worker behavior would improve greatly because of the open door policy and open interaction because they would be able to express their concerns. When workers feel encouraged to express themselves at liberty, it increases the commitment to the organization and job satisfaction. Even though Riordan Manufacturing needs to create new client administration process, it should continue to accept the matrix structure that is currently in place. By creating a new client administration method it would enable everyone to assess the information of all clients. Retaining the existing matrix system would allow them to ontinue on improving team efforts to progress in the completion of the work that is expected of every division of the Riordan Manufacturing organization. Riordan Manufacturing is a plastics manufacturer with over 500 employees and it is headquartered San Jose (California), and has locations in Albany (Georgia), Pontiac (Michigan), and Hangzhou (China). Riordan Manufacturing products comprise plastic products, such as drink cans, custom-made components, as well as fan mechanisms. Their major clientele are auto and plane component, bottle, and appliance manufacturers, as well as a Department of Defense. To ensure that Riordan Manufacturing delivers these products to their clients, they must implement outstanding and positive worker behavior. Worker’s behavior affects they work performance and their reaction to their work environment, their managers, and clients. Riordan’s tradition comprises of fairness, self-confidence, commitment, imaginative and team-work oriented atmosphere, job performance evaluations, incentives, academic assistance, benefits, vacations, day care assistance, as well as the employees compensation insurance. Riordan appears to be a manufacturing organization that is trying to become a first choice for their customer as a plastic component provider. However, as many other organizations, Riordan Manufacturing could experience issues that would need to be addressed and modified. These issues could hinder the organization’s progress and improvement especially in today’s economy. For example, some workers are unable to deal with the changes and they could become reluctant to perform their jobs. Some employees are avoiding changes because of insufficient information on the changes that are being implemented, being taken out of their comfort zone, insecurity, personal views, job security, peer pressure, as well as a lack of confidence. Even though the employees could show resistance to the change managers would help them to deal with the situation and assist them during the transition to ensure that the implemented change becomes efficient. Managers could implement the change by relying information clearly, by being open, recognizing employees concerns, and respecting the employees. Managers should provide support by allowing them to have a face to face meeting in regards to the changes and explain the benefits of the changes by providing additional training. Also, managers must place the reluctant employees with others who are familiar with the changes that are being implemented. This would help the reluctant employees see that the changes would be worthwhile and beneficial to the organization and its advantages, as well as a possibility of their own jobs to become easier. With any change in management systems we will be expecting some resistance as discussed earlier in our presentation. Once the initiative to change is underway and in progress we will analyze the employees’ reaction to the interruption in their daily activates to identify areas that the employees may be having trouble integrating for the first 6 weeks. Allowing employees sufficient time to dissect and troubleshoot some of the unfamiliar process will give them the opportunity to challenge themselves for growth opportunities and additionally allowing them to develop noteworthy questions and concerns that will assist us to tailor the program to their individual needs. Most major changes in initiatives used to improve profitability normally fail due to incorrect guidance and project mismanagement expertise, which we intend to improve with our 12 month program that we call â€Å"Rehab†. Following the first six weeks of introduction the unveiling of our 40 hours of seminars will commence, which will be used to inform employees of how the system is more beneficial to them, and how the Data Management, Business intelligence, and Data Warehousing will be significantly more applicable to the end-user, which will increase their productivity that will additionally benefit the organization’s bottom-line. One key consideration that will be discussed with the employees is their drop in productivity during the first year of the Change Management implementation; we are fully aware that organizations don’t change – people change. Using our world renowned process takes time to fully be incorporated in the daily operations; we will be fully engaged onsite with our four member management team, who will be localized and embedded in your organization to assist all employees in-depth with this drop in performance for the duration of our contract. With over 25 years successfully working with companies of various sizes across the business sector, you can trust in our process methods to keep your business moving in a positive direction a while minimizing people risk. Prior to idea of making an improvement to our data management system we would depend on the accuracy of the employees, with the Data management system we will be able to track and monitor everything from Recordkeeping, monitoring, situational monitoring, and performance monitor. The improvements will allow us to do safe guard against violations of right by allowing access to documents externally, use data received to create lessons learned that we can use to train incoming staffers, build a better reputation for our stakeholders by giving them access to necessary information, and last but not least the ability form documents to be tampered will be drastically reduced. We are only looking at a successful change; the idea of failure is not foreseeable. Section II: Communication Plan  The form used to communicate a change to employees is just as important as the change and message in itself. In this case, the appropriate channel of communicating the change to the employees is a meeting with a PowerPoint presentation. The face to face communication will provide an opportunity for the employees to bring up concerns about the change and ask questions. The employees should be encouraged to be comfortable voicing their concerns. The PowerPoint presentation can be presented in order for everyone to see the goals, plans, and details of the change. These channels of communication will provide the employees with the information about the change while the person presenting it can offer reassurance and answers to questions. The group will have a visual to receive the message and the person who is presenting will be able to give face to face discussions regarding concerns and assurances. Potential barriers to communicating this change include the possibility of misinterpretation of some of the information presented, different point of view and expectations among the employees, and assumptions made by employees and presenter. Strategies for overcoming these barriers include the presenter encouraging people to ask questions, clarifying information, anticipating possible questions and asking those questions. The group needs to be comfortable asking questions and should be encouraged to do so. Any misinterpretations need to be clarified. And the person presenting can come up with questions that people will likely ask and bring them up in the discussion to encourage others to be involved in communication.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Herd Behavior in Financial Market Essay

Definition of herding On Friday 14 September 2007, when Northern Rock in the UK opened it branches, many customers wanted to withdraw their savings and à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1 billion, about 5% of the total bank deposits were withdrawn that day. And on Monday 17 September, a similar situation happened in front of Northern Rock branches in the UK. Even though every customer does not have the same amount of information, they all decided to behave in the same way and some were following the others on the following days without any clear plan. People thought that they were going to lose their bank deposits and that type of bank customers’ behavior caused liquidity problem and made the situation even worse. However, none of the clients who kept their deposits lost due to the fact the British Government and the Bank of England would guarantee the safety of the deposits. How can we explain that kind of behavior? Originally Herding is a term meaning animal flocking behavior. And according to the definition of Wikipedia Herding is the act of bringing individual animals together into a group (herd), maintaining the group and moving the group from place to place-or any combination of those. Apart from this bank run case, Herd behavior describes how individuals in a group can act together without planned direction. POSSIBLE EXPLICATION AND MECHANISM OF HERD BEHAVIOR Animals’ Herd Behavior According to evolutionary biologist W. D. Hamilton’s theory animals are forming a group to reduce the danger of being hunted by predictors. As a unit, they are moving together to the same direction. Animals are behaving in the same way to minimize the risk on the behalf of self-protection. Maybe this kind of behavior sounds rational if the result is always optimistic but copying your neighbor can be the worst decision sometimes. When something goes wrong and someone leads the group to the wrong direction, the whole group is going to be in danger. Human Herd Behavior However, human herd behavior is much more complicated than animals’ one and several scholars tried to explain it. Friedrich Nietzsche referred it as â€Å"herd morality† and the â€Å"herd instinct† which explain the phenomena when a lot of people are behaving in the same way at the same time. And according to Thorstein Veblen’s theory, some people imitate the other people with higher status. Human beings are continuously competing with others in order to survive or surpass others, and they try to move faster in order to take advantage of the others. As the proverbs says the early bird catches the worm, they think the faster they make the decision or do whatever they can, the better it is. However, this does not always lead to success. Those decisions are based on the sources they have and the sources are Sanctions upon deviants – dictators put their rivals in the prison (opposition is not allowed) Preference interactions – some people are wearing Burberry coats just because the majority is wearing it while others prefer to wear coats with the colors they like Direct communication – someone from your reference group or someone with credibility says that s/he likes certain products Observational influence – you observe the consequences of others’ actions Based on such sources, people make decision whether to herd or disperse, but people are herding for different reasons and their behavior is classified into several models. Herding Models Payoff Externalities Models (also called Network Externalities) – If more people are using facebook, it will attract more people to use facebook. In this case, people feel like they have to participate in the same situation so that they can have the same benefits. Information Cascade Models – When you have a flood of information coming in, it is much more difficult to make a rational decision. Nowadays there are too many sources to consider and you can barely judge if information is true or false. In this kind of situation, people are getting irrational and they tend to make decision based on the decision of the majorities, and this situation is called information cascade which occurs when people observe the actions of others and then make the same choice that the others have made, independently of their own private information signals. They are seen in groups under immediate stress from external forces, such as herd behaviour. A cascade arises naturally when people usually see what others do but not what they know. Because it is usually sensible to do what other people are doing, even this can be against what the individual believes to be true. This behavior is independent from their own private information or opinion. Concept of information cascade is based on observational and social learning. People learn from their environment. Generally, people are oriented to avoid negative consequences of their decisions or behaviors. They wish to have positive results or effects. That’s why their behavior is related to social and observational learning. People subconsciously have the idea of ‘It is more likely that I am wrong than that all those other people are wrong. Therefore, I will do as they do’. Examples of Herding Behavior Bank runs: depositors running on banks when they observe other depositors doing so. More specifically, First; investors can observe in long run when others are running on banks. Second, forcing long-term projects to liquidate early possibly leads to shortfall of funds. From the payoff externalities model’s view, people are withdrawing their deposits because they feel like they are losing their money if they keep their money on the bank account. And from informational cascade model’s view, some people may think they are not going to lose their money on their bank account but they are following the others because they think they are not wise enough and others are withdrawing their money. In real case, Argentina experienced such a run in the last two days of November 2001, with total deposits in the banking system falling by more than 2 billion (US) dollars, or nearly 3 percent, on the second day of the run alone.1 Such runs were a common occurrence in the United States in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and have also occurred in recent times in several developing countries, including Brazil in 1990 and Ecuador in 1999. Asian crisis of 97-98, herding and speculation infection The Asian crisis of 1997-98 that led to a regional economic fall in East Asia can be traced to overexpansion and under-regulation. The center of the Asian crisis was Thailand’s careless macroeconomic management that featured a fraudulent financial sector. The Asian expansion of the crisis was a due to the existing global financial integration (and similar export dependencies), current account inequities and attached exchange rates all mixed with the damaging effect of speculation and herding spreading all over the region. Resulting structural reforms and adjustments in Thailand and other damaged Asian nations came from the International Monetary Fund. A major result was a balanced exchange rate regime now prevalent in much of East Asia. Facts: During 1995 a number of experts started to wonder if the countries of Southeast Asia might be vulnerable to a macroeconomic crisis do to the poor administration of its financial procedures and to the volatility of their related economies. The main indicator was the rise of very large current account deficits among several Asian countries. Closer examination also revealed that several of the countries had developed some financial weaknesses: heavy investment in highly speculative real estate ventures, financed by borrowing from badly informed foreign sources or by credit from non regulated domestic financial institutions. It’s now known that during 1996 officials from the IMF and World Bank actually began warning the governments of Thailand, Malaysia, and other countries of the existing risks by their financial situation, and asked them to apply corrective policies. However, those governments rejected the warnings. On July 2 1997, after months of declaring that it would not happen, the government of Thailand abandoned its efforts to maintain a fixed exchange rate for its currency, the baht. The currency was quickly depreciated by more than 20 percent so within a few days most neighboring countries fell like Thailand. What forced Thailand to devalue its currency was the massive speculation against the baht, assumptions that over a few months had consumed most of what initially seemed as a large war of foreign exchange. And why were speculators betting against Thailand? Because they expected the baht to be devalued, of course. This kind of circular logic – in which investors escape a currency because they expect it to be devalued, and much of the pressure on the currency comes precisely because of this investor shortage of confidence – is the defining actor of a currency crisis and is known as Bank Run theory. In the context of a currency crisis, such behavior could mean that a wave of selling, whatever its initial cause, could be magnified through complete imitation and turn, into a rush out of the currency. Bank run in Thai currency devaluation can be viewed in two main behaviors. First; investors run when other investors are running the bank; a magnified opinion of a certain group starts to be spread in some others by just herding or imitation. Second, when banks that were investing in long-term projects were forced to liquidate early (because of the invertors running away), there was a potential lost of funds. Consequently, the last depositors to withdraw were left empty-handed (first-come, first-served limitation). BUBBLES Bubbles are sort of mass errors caused by the nature of herd. Even though there is a convincing evidence of bubbles, people are still overly convinced by their belief that market is efficient and rational. Therefore people are optimistic of their investment and they take part in the bubble. Some people may doubt the situation and find some evidence of bubbles but they still invest their capital in the market because others are doing it which is a sort of informational cascade. However, the bubble collapses and that sort of herding behavior makes the impact of the collapse much significant. The Dot-com Bubble The dot-com bubble (also referred to as the Internet bubble) was a speculative which had its climax on March 10, 2000, with the NASDAQ hitting up to 5132.52 but closing at 5048.62 in the same day. During the dot-com bubble period mostly the developed countries experienced the growth in the Internet sector and related fields. Companies such as Cisco Systems, Dell, Intel, and Microsoft were the dominant player of NASDAQ. And related to the Internet business a group of new Internet-based companies commonly referred to as dot-coms were founded. Just because of the fact that Companies had a name with an â€Å"e-† prefix to their name and a â€Å".com† the stock price was going up. Investors were overly confident of their future profits due to the advancement of technology and individual speculation while they overlooked traditional stock market value until the bubble was collapsed. Conclusion As we can see massive herding behavior turned out to be a cause of crisis at the end, and herd behavior is seen as something very negative to the market. As we have seen bank runs, bubbles, and several forms of crises. However, we cannot prevent from herding because it is a sort of instinct and it is closely related to psychological factors. Partially, individuals can make profit of their herding behavior as they are following famous investors such as Warren Buffet but the fact is that no investor can really avoid bubbles and forecast the coming crises. What we have to remember is the financial market is a complex of rational and irrational behavior and we can barely categorize them before the disaster happens. We have to be prepared of the consequence the herd behavior and be rational when the irrationality happens. Works Cited BIKHCHANDANI, S., 1998, Learning from the behavior of others: conformity, fads, and informational cascades BIKHCHANDANI, S., D. HIRSHLEIFER and I. WELCH, 2001. Informational Cascades and Rational Herding: An Annotated Devenow, Andrea and Ivo Welch, 1996, Rational Herding in Financial Economics, European Economic Review 40, 603-615 Ennis, Huberto M. and Todd Keister, 2009, Bank Runs and Institutions: The Perils of Intervention. Hirshleifer, David and Teoh, Siew Hong, 2011, Herd Behavior and Cascading in Capital Markets: A Review and Synthesis, MPRA Paper No. 5186