Sexual Disconnect Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Sexual Disconnect - Term Paper Example She also notes that any sexual involvement between a minor, any person below the age of 18, also referred as a child, and an individual five or more years older, then there is a high likelihood that the child or minor is being exploited. This is to mean there is an imbalance of power between the victim and the abuser in terms of physical size and strength, age and the kind of emotional relational relationship they are involved in. she further notes that the perpetrators are not usually strangers necessarily, most of the reported cases have been acquaintances of these children and even people these children trust and have a deep relationship with such as family members. Sexual abuse takes several forms. They will involve both use of contact which is physical and non-physical acts. Physical abuse include actions such as fondling, kissing done in a sexual way, contact with the private parts which include breasts, vagina, penis and buttocks, inserting objects into the genitals, rubbing o f abuser’s genitals against the genitals of the child or even the child’s clothing and intercourse. ... There will be behavioural change within the child which can easily be noted by those caring for the child such as the parents and the teachers. Response to sexual abuse is different for different children in respect to the age of the child, the severity or extent of the abuse, duration of the abuse as well as the relationship between the victim and the perpetrator. A guardian, care giver or teacher interacting with the child will know of child abuse through certain projections such as pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, bruises in part like the mouth, difficulty when walking or sitting, discharge in the genitals, difficulty in sleeping such as nightmares, anxiety, depression, self-injurious acts such as cutting or suicidal attempts, explicit sexual knowledge for a child of an inappropriate age or even withdrawal of a child from other people (Child Sexual Fact Sheet, 2009). The children’s actions cannot therefore be termed as sexual abuse. This is because the students b eing in the same class are likely to be of similar ages therefore indicating no imbalance of power in terms of age or physical size and strength. Being the first instance for the occurrence, it is difficult to determine whether the two had been engaging in such actions for some time. When the teacher walks in to check on the boys, she finds both of the laughing. Sexual abuse does not occur for the mutual excitement of both participants but it acts to victimize the individual being abused while only exciting the perpetrator. A five year old child may also not be aware of issues to do with sexual intimacy; the boys were probably experimenting to quest inquisitive nature. Sexual orientation refers to the sex of those who are sexually attracted. Individuals attracted to

12 Angry Men sociological analysis Essay Example for Free

12 Angry Men sociological analysis Essay 12 Angry Men focuses on a Jurys deliberations in a capital murder case. A 12- man Jury is sent to begin deliberations in the first-degree murder trial of an 18-year- old Latino accused in the stabbing death of his father, where a guilty verdict means automatic death sentence. The case appears to be open-and-shut: The defendant has a weak alibi; a knife he claimed to have lost is found at the murder scene; and several witnesses either heard screaming, saw the killing or the boy fleeing the scene. Eleven of the Jurors immediately vote guilty; only Juror No. Mr. Davis) casts a not guilty vote. At first Mr. Davis bases his vote more so for the sake of discussion after all, the Jurors must believe beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant is guilty. As the deliberations unfold, the story quickly becomes a study of the Jurors complex personalities (ranging from wise, bright and empathetic to arrogant, prejudiced and merciless), preconceptions, backgrounds and interactions. That provides the backdrop to Mr. Davis attempts in convincing the other Jurors that a not guilty verdict might be appropriate. A huge feel of the film is gotten through the time period it took place in. Peoples views on race were made very publicly within the Jury. Many of them seemed to have personal vendettas against different races. They deemed the boys Hispanic race to be slum and nothing more than that. A universal problem that is shown in several ways throughout the film is personal prejudice getting in the way of Judgment. Juror number tens reason for saying the accused boy was guilty was because he felt people from slums should not be trusted and that they kill one and another for fun. His prejudice lead him to discriminate against the boy initially by voting guilty earlier in the film, before being convinced in voting not guilty. This was during the civil rights era and all of that. We all know blacks werent treated equally and this makes it apparent that it wasnt easy for any minority within the US. Theyd rather lock them up and throw away the key than give them a fair trial. Tensions run high the second the Jury went into the private room to deliberate. It was a very hot day outside and the fan wasnt working nor would the windows open. No man wanted to spend more time than what they thought would be efficient to determine the verdict. Some even spoke about their plans for right after, thinking it would be a sure bet theyd be out of there soon with the whole night ahead of them. They were wrong. From then on the film turned into an example straight out of a sociology textbook. Everyone didnt deviate from the norm of the group All except one, Juror #8. The rest of the Jury was outraged and deemed him a radical. They could not believe two things. One, that he voted not guilty, and second, hat he went against the group norm. He tried not one bit to conform. Rather, he stood up in grand fashion and presented his doubts to his fellow Jurors. Slowly but surely his grand scheme was working. He did not know for sure whether he was guilty or not guilty, but he had a reasonable doubt and thats all about what the justice system stands tor. Its so interesting when you bring a group o t 12 random people into a setting like a Jury and see what you come up with. All of these men, from different walks of life , they all brought something special to the table that was ital to their key decision. The sociological theory that tone of this film could easily fall under is the conflict perspective. At the very beginning, viewers can clearly see the tension is between the Jurors whom most have a personal prejudice against the boy for certain reason. Some Jurors simply expected that a boy from the slums would commit an act like that they were stereotyping that all people who come from slums are criminals. Even if a person is not personally prejudiced against and individual or group, stereotypes can have them make discriminatory actions such as vote guilty. The reason most of the Jurors stereotyped the actions of the accused boys is because of socialization. The way of transmission was most likely through media; crimes shown by television new or new papers are frequently from neighborhood of low economics standing. Deviance a topic I touched on earlier, is another sociological aspect that can be examined in this film. Deviance is a very relative term where depending on the group and situation, it varies. Juror 8 was the only that felt from the beginning the boy was not guilty. When the first vote most of the other Jurors by he fact he could think the boy was innocent and even were upset at him for thinking that. As the film progressed the Jurors began changing their votes, eventually the roles were reversed; Juror number 3 appear to be the one committing the deviant act since it is revealed his own reason for voting guilty is because of issues with his own son. One of the most important things I learned in observing the sociological aspects of this film is how easy norms can change. The norms of eleven out of the twelve men voted guilty, changed entirely to guilty as the film came to a chose.

Implications of Research on Bilingual and Polyglot Aphasia :: Essays Papers

Implications of Research on Bilingual and Polyglot Aphasia Research conducted on bilingual and polyglot aphasics has brought interest into the field of linguistics mainly because of its contribution to L2 research, especially in providing explanations for the organization of distinct languages in the brain. Since there exists such a variation between individual cases, the most important thing to come out of this research is a set of factors involved in these aphasia cases as well as theories emerging from research. Some of these factors include: the language environment in which the aphasic recovers, influence of the L1, language mixing, brain lateralization for language, and the question of whether structurally similar languages follow a similar pattern of deficits and recovery. The main pathological implication—determining what is missing or misplaced inside a bilingual or polyglot aphasic’s brain—also shares importance with determining how different languages are structured in the brain. The history of research on bilingual aphasia into the 20th century begins with the work of two Frenchmen at the end of the 19th century by the names of Ribot and Pitres. Ribot wrote his paper, Les maladies de la memoire, in 1881 (Lebrun 12). Pitres, using seven polyglot aphasic patients as the basis for his work, published Etude sur l’aphasie des polyglottes in 1895 (Lebrun 11). Ribot’s conclusion about recovery in polyglot aphasics is known as Ribot’s rule, which basically states that L1 will recover more than any L2’s. Pitres’ rule, built off of Ribot’s, takes a different approach in saying that the language used most often â€Å"pre-morbidly†(i.e. before the onset of aphasia) is the one which will be regained the fullest, irregardless of that language being an L1 or L2. Various individual cases have cropped up which match both theories, so further research has attempted to explain variances in recovery of specific languages through other means. Also, after Pitres, the research focus became more one of examining deficits in syntax and morphology in an attempt to explain brain construction, and less of an analysis of â€Å"interesting language recovery† in these patients. Examining Theoretical Issues Another important component of the study of polyglot aphasia came with the distinction between compound and co-ordinate bilingualism, as examined by Lambert and Fillenbaum (1959). Although the state of being a â€Å"bilingual† is a hazy one, the distinction between the two concepts comes with the context of acquisition.

Essay on the Vengeful and the Virtuous in William Shakespeare :: Biography Biographies Essays

The Vengeful and the Virtuous in Shakespeare Whether you hate your King, your Christian rival or a neighboring foe, if you're in a Shakespeare play then you will be punished.   In the first act of each play Shakespeare shows a conflict between two groups of people, one is vengeful the other virtuous.   After the conflict is introduced, the malignant characters have important parts of their lives taken away and in the end the ultimate penalties of each are inflicted.   All of the antagonists are left desolate in the end of the plays by either lost fortunes or their lives.   Shakespeare takes good care to give the protagonists of the plays much reward for being on the right side of the spectrum.   As the characters hate increases throughout the play they begin to loose what is precious to them, first in small amounts, but in the end, they are stripped of all they love and value.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The basis for the hate is introduced to the audience very early on in all three plays.   The Capulets and the Montagues were neighboring feuding families.   Shakespeare never states the reason for the dispute between the two but he does clearly show the hatred from the beginning.   "Two households, both alike in dignity, In fair Verona, where we lay our scene, From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean" (I i 1-4).   These first few lines of the play clearly describe the hatred between the two families and at the same time foreshadow an unpleasant end.   In "The Merchant of Venice", Shylock more boldly states, "I hate him for he is a Christian" (I iii 39).   This cry of hate is also early on in the play, which clearly helps show the reader that he is the antagonist of the play.   In "Henry IV" it is revealed in the first scene that a young Hotspur has kept prisoners of war away from th e King.   He calls the King Bolingbroke behind his back out of disrespect.   "All studies here I solemnly defy, save how to gall and pinch this Bolingbroke.   And that same sword and buckler Prince of Wales (I iii 227-229).   In Shakespearean plays, a character who hates or plots against the King is automatically the villain of the play.   The first act in all three plays revealed the characters for the audience to root against throughout the play.

Importance of “patriotism” during war Essay

Wilfred Owen in his poem â€Å"Asleep† and Andrew Hudgins in his poem â€Å"Listen? The Flies† have analyzed the concepts of death, war and violence. Even though both poets experienced the military actions themselves, they did not describe the life of soldiers and the philosophy of war from the patriotic point of view. On the contrary, in their poems Owen and Hudgins illustrated the most horrible scenes of war that emphasize that war can never be justified because it destroys human life and brings physical and moral sufferings. Both poets portray death as the only way out for soldiers, express compassion towards soldiers as the greatest victims of war and describe low importance of human life as the result of military actions in order to disprove the idea of patriotism that plays upon the mind of soldiers and exploits them for the mercenary interests of their governors. First, Andrew Hudgins and Wilfred Owen justify death to some extent because it rescues soldiers from anger of war and occurs as the natural process unlike war that goes against all moral laws.   When Hudgins talks about war in his poem he describes human life as purity that was shaded by war and turned into putrefaction: â€Å"everything that lives is pitched from purity to putrefaction, back and forth†.   At the same time Wilfred Owen, uses comparison in order to show that death becomes more pleasant than life during war. He compares death to the deep sleep: â€Å"his deeper sleep lies shaded by the shaking of great wings, and the thoughts that hung the stars.† The soldier in the poem has finally got a chance to have some rest after long days of battle. The main characters of both poems are not afraid of death and to some extent they accept it because even death cannot be more frightful than war. Thus, in the poem â€Å"Asleep† Wilfred Owen describes the soldier who does not suffer in his dead sleep because he is â€Å"above these clouds, these rains, these sleets of lead†, above all severe weather conditions, constant attacks and stress from killing and being killed. Moreover, those soldiers who are still alive envy the dead soldier that does not have to wake up in the morning and see the horrors of war again. Similar to Wilfred Owen, Andrew Hudgins refers to Bible to justify death. He uses allusion and gives quotes from the Bible to show that death is more natural for a soldier than war: â€Å"from ash to ash, it says, from dust to dust, with fire and dirty water in between†. Hudgins depicts how soldiers were waiting for death in prison camps praising the flies. The flies are symbols of death that is always near. In the last part of the poem the author killed a fly that got in his room but he knows that there will be more flies in the future. The main character of the poem does not see any point in struggling for life because it’s easier to accept death that is unavoidable during war.   Thus, according to both authors, the horrors of war lead to the condition when death becomes a happy end for a soldier because it sets him free from all the hardships that he has to go through during war and it can be explained by laws of nature. Second, the authors stress the cruelty of military actions by describing the dead soldiers as the greatest victims of war and showing their compassion for them. The length and the concentration of events in both poems are the brightest indication of the authors’ ability to awaken in the mind of readers the same kind of sympathy that both poets have for their characters. The length of the both poems does not let the reader to remain indifferent to the events which take place and arouses the feelings of grief, horror and deep sorrow in the reader’s mind. Thus, the poem of Wilfred Owen is short that enables us to read it at one sitting at the highest degree of excitement. The phrases in the poem â€Å"Asleep† are abrupt that turns the reading into the process when there is a minute to think and move to the next line. The poem by Andrew Hudgins is longer; however, most of the sentences are short and it provokes the reader to pay attention to every detail and not to leave anything without attention. All events which occur in the poem â€Å"Asleep† are concentrated in one place during certain time interval; at the same time in the poem â€Å"Listen? The Flies† the author tells about events which happened in different places during different periods of time. The concentration of time and place in the poem by Wilfred Owen is used because the author wants stay-at-home citizens to be carried to the battle field for a moment, experience what the soldiers experience every day and see the â€Å"backstage† and the reality of war. Lack of focus on time and place in the poem by Andrew Hudgins makes the reader see the war from the different standpoints and contemplate more about the meaning of life. Thus, at the beginning Hudgins describes how he noticed the body of the dead soldier, and then he points out that death took away many people in prison camps, after that he explains death using quotes from Bible and at the end he goes back to the symbolic scene with the flies. Third, both authors illustrate that military victory and destruction of enemies during war have higher importance than life of a person. The soldiers in both poems are described as some human bodies without soul rather than as human beings. In the poem â€Å"Asleep† no one notices the dead soldier; his head â€Å"confuses more and more with the low mould† and his hair becomes of the same color â€Å"with the grey grass of finished fields†.   It seems like the soldier is the machine that is out of order. Andrew Hudgins describes with certain irony the scene when the soldiers â€Å"walked the marsh† and sang the patriotic song; however, their friend was dead. The author portrays how someone’s death can be neglected because patriotic idea supported by political and economic interests plays more important role.   The dead soldiers are heroes because they were killed for their country. However, the question remains whether the interests that they defend are the interests of people or the interests of politicians. Both poems lead us to the conclusion that the consequences of patriotism are death and emotional breakdown. The poets used different techniques to emphasize that the glorious idea of military patriotism is based on political ambitions and soldiers are only instruments. The romantic beliefs about nobility of military actions made both characters of the poems the victims of war whose life lost its value and death became the answer to sufferings and hardships.

Disability Attorneys of Michigan Attend Annual National Organization of Social Security Claimants Representatives Conference in Washington DC!

Disability Attorneys of Michigan Attend Annual National Organization of Social Security Claimants Representatives Conference in Washington DC! Disability Attorneys of Michigan Attend Annual National Organization of Social Security Claimants Representatives Conference in Washington DC! This week attorneys Adam Banton and Patrick Cahill are attending a Social Security disability conference hosted by the National Organization of Social Security Claimants Representatives.The conference addresses a wide variety of topics, including discussions on recent regulatory changes concerning the Social Security Administration.One such change mandates that for all Social Security disability hearings held on or after May 1, 2017, claimants or their representatives are under a duty to notify the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) about all medical evidence that may be relevant to a decision on disability at least 5 business days prior to a hearing. If this rule is not complied with the ALJ may not take such evidence into account, which can impact the likelihood of a favorable decision.Communication with your representative is crucial to complying with the new regulation. As a claimant, you can help to ensure that your medical record is complete for your hearing by notifying your repre sentative immediately about any changes in your medical treatment, including new doctors, hospital visits, scheduled surgeries and major testing.Sarah Bohr, a partner at Bohr and Harrington LLC in Florida, who is an advocate for disabled Americans a sitting member of the 2016/2017 NOSSCR Board of Directors.Disability Attorneys of Michigan work hard every day helping the disabled of Michigan obtain the disability benefits they deserve. If you are unable to work due to a physical or mental impairment call Disability Attorneys of Michigan now for a free consultation at 800-949-2900.Even if you have applied for disability benefits in the past and have been denied, call us for help.Let Michigan’s leading Social Security Disability law firm help you get the benefits you deserve.Disability Attorneys of Michigan. Compassionate Excellence. DA Michigan, Disability Attorneys of Michigan, social security disability attorneys, Social Security Disability Conference, social security disabi lity law firm, social security disability lawyers, Veterans Disability Attorneys

Euhemerism and the Gods

Euhemerism and the Gods Euhemerism and the Gods Euhemerism and the Gods By Maeve Maddox As long ago as the 4th century B.C.E., a student of religion and myth named Euhemerus theorized that the gods and their stories had their origins in actual historical events. His name has given us the term euhemerism [yÃ… «-hÄ“mÉ™-rÄ ­zÉ™m]: interpretation of myths as traditional accounts of historical persons and events OED Much later, an Icelandic student of the Norse myths, Snorri Sturluson (1179-1241), suggested that the gods began as human war leaders. He speculated that cults grew up around the burial sites of kings and renowned warriors. The living visited the sites called upon the departed for help in battle. Eventually the dead heroes were remembered as supernatural beings with the power to bestow victory in war. Related words are: euhemerist: noun, one who follows the method of Euhemerus euhemeristic: adjective, ) of persons: Inclined to euhemerism; (b) of things: Of the nature of or resembling euhemerism euhemerize: verb, To subject to euhemeristic interpretation; To follow the method of Euhemerus. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Types of RhymeTime Words: Era, Epoch, and EonNominalized Verbs

261 Vonnegut and Slaughterhouse-Five Professor Ramos Blog

261 Vonnegut and Slaughterhouse-Five Quick Write Kurt Vonnegut (1922 2007) Slaughterhouse-Five (1969) 1972 Movie

AirJet Best Parts Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

AirJet Best Parts - Coursework Example This increases your positive cash flows for the project and ultimately resulting in higher NPV. A company which opts for incremental method of depreciation will have higher cash flows in the initial years and it will reduce by the time it reaches its expiry. On the other hand, a company which opts for straight line method will have equal positive cash flows every year. Lastly, Depreciation of $10,000 per year, with an income tax of 40%, saves $4,000 and that amount is accounted as a positive cash flow. 5. Opportunity cost is the profit forgone by not investing in a particular opportunity. It is particularly pertinent to this project as the company may have other investment opportunities which they overruled for this particular investment. (Shim & Siegel, 2008)For example, if this money was not invested in the purchase of a machinery, it may have been deposited in a bank and earn a decent enough return without any substantial risk. Moreover, this could have been distributed among shar eholders as dividend or the money could have been used to purchase any other equipment with different set of anticipated cash flows. Therefore, the cost of not depositing that money in the bank or distributing as dividend or not purchasing any other equipment is the opportunity cost of the project. 6. ... Moreover, if interest rate rises than the cost of capital will increase which will eventually lead to lower returns. In addition to the above factors, if the cash flows are not the same as expected than the whole analysis would be redundant and may result in lower or higher returns. Lastly, we have assumed that the equipment stays in working condition for the time it is with us but this is not always true. Therefore, these factors should be accounted for before taking up the final decision. Task 5: Cost of Capital 1. a) Raytheon 20 yr bond from 1998-2018 of 6.4% coupon has a yield to maturity of 4.62%. (Morningstar, 2011) b) After tax cost of debt would be: c) There could be alternates to calculating cost of debt in this case. An approximate cost of capital can be found by adding up all the interest paid last year and divide that amount by debt outstanding. Another way could be adding all weighted debt cost to get an average cost of debt for the firm. d) Yield to maturity of a bond i s equivalent to the internal rate of return earned by an investor. It is an actual estimation of future return, as it is the rate at which coupon payments can be reinvested when received is unknown. It equips an investor to compare the merits of different investment. On the other hand coupon payment doesn’t account the element of required return in it. It is difficult to infer the cost-benefit balance by looking at the coupon payment. 2. a) Raytheon beta = 0.68 Boeing beta= 1.22 Lockheed Martin beta=1.01 (Yahoo Finance, 2011) Average Beta= 0.97 b) CAPM provides linear relationship between risks associated with the return. The systematic risk involved is taken into account to provide its required rate of return. However; its assumptions do not match

WalMart - SHRM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

WalMart - SHRM - Essay Example WalMart – HR Department: The company’s main values and beliefs are – respecting individuals, service to the customers and striving for excellence. In terms of the employees it is seen that although the company promises and portrays being very employee friendly in reality there is little care for the employees. The human resources team is very effective in choosing the right people for the job, however in terms of the management of the employees there is a clear lack on the part of the team. The HR teams are meant to focus on the needs of the employees and to provide the employees with the necessities to keep them motivated. Here however the company focuses on the amount of work that can be extracted from the employees, with not much in return both in terms of pay as well as other benefits. The HR team lacks a clear perspective on the priority and there is no attention given to the needs of the employees. SHRM and WalMart: The HRM team of the company does not cont ribute to the overall strategic growth of the company. It is important to note that although there is a strong strategy that the company adopts in terms of the recruitment process, there is little or no proper management post the recruitment (Dowling, Festing and Engle). The company clearly uses SHRM; however the main elements of SHRM are not taken into account here.

Samping and Data Collection Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Samping and Data Collection - Coursework Example Therefore, when carrying out the research, they will be the target population. The main advantage of direct observation is that it gives direct access to the customers without relying on reports made by the client (Freedman, Pisani & Purves, 1978). This is because one actually observes and records the purchasing routines of the client. Therefore, it avoids the many problems associated with an interview or questionnaire form of sampling (Hays, 1981). For example, an individual may not accurately remember their purchasing pattern. In connection to this, there is a likely hood most customers will respond in a manner that they actually feel that they should be purchasing. However, in real life situation they may behave differently. The data will be collected through observation, taking notes and using store security camera. Whenever the customers enter the store they will be monitored on which product they are buying and which ones they prefer asking their whereabouts. This information will be recorded down. However, the observation will be done in a professional way so as to avoid scaring the customer. In addition, at the end of the day the interior cameras will also be used to analyze the client’s movement and their choice of goods (Hays, 1981). All the collected data will be recorded in a notebook and will be stored in a lockable file cabinet. This data will also be backed up by a computer and other storage media which also be kept in the

Readings for Reading Response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Readings for Reading Response - Essay Example at for propaganda to be popular, its intellectual level must be reduced to the point where lowest intelligence members of the society can easily understand its message. He added that the propaganda on war aims at influencing the largest number of people within the society to support the war. The fact, therefore, requires that the propaganda should be of low intellectual level. The best propaganda deeply arouses the emotions and the mental reaction of the masses towards or against some target group or factor. The propaganda, according to Hitler, aims does not satisfy or make much of the sense to the highly intelligent members of the society (Hitler, 1943). According to Hitler, the art of propaganda aims at understanding the emotional ideas of the masses and finding the best ways of capturing the masses attention. He says that most intelligent people find it hard to get the main idea in the propaganda. The rule result of propaganda is that it is to be aimed at a particular group. Its intentions should be to arouse the masses’ attention towards a specific detail and not just a general idea. Propaganda should, therefore, be simple to understand yet strong enough to arouse the emotions of a large number of people within the society. Propaganda is a tactic Hitler used to recruit more soldiers during the First World War and to depict their opponent and enemy as being evil. That is the sole purpose of propaganda (Hitler,

The results of the credit crunch Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The results of the credit crunch - Essay Example Significant sums of money were pumped into the economy in order to facilitate its expansion. Though a number of banks failed it was proportionately far less than had occurred during the Great Depression. The Obama Administration did not just sit and watched as happened in 1929. They acted and they did so swiftly. It was this swift action that resulted in less jobs being lost as would have been the case if things were allowed to work themselves out. The government did whatever it could to meet with automobile manufacturers and other business interests to prevent the industry for collapsing. This helped to save a number of jobs in that industry as well other industries that supplied them with raw materials and services.     It should be quite obvious from the foregoing that the Great Recession was not as severe as the Great Depression of 1929 which lasted for more than a decade. Things could have been even worse if the response was similar to that of the 1930’s. What is ther efore significant is that things were not allowed to run their course as happened in the 1930’s. While World War 11 appeared to have shortened the period of the Great Depression of the 1930’s, it was the intervention by the Obama Administration in the United States that prevented this from getting to the stage of the Great Depression of 1929. It is therefore important that it is clearly understood that the results of a situation is affected by the response mechanisms that are put in placed to deal with the situation.

Readings for Reading Response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Readings for Reading Response - Essay Example at for propaganda to be popular, its intellectual level must be reduced to the point where lowest intelligence members of the society can easily understand its message. He added that the propaganda on war aims at influencing the largest number of people within the society to support the war. The fact, therefore, requires that the propaganda should be of low intellectual level. The best propaganda deeply arouses the emotions and the mental reaction of the masses towards or against some target group or factor. The propaganda, according to Hitler, aims does not satisfy or make much of the sense to the highly intelligent members of the society (Hitler, 1943). According to Hitler, the art of propaganda aims at understanding the emotional ideas of the masses and finding the best ways of capturing the masses attention. He says that most intelligent people find it hard to get the main idea in the propaganda. The rule result of propaganda is that it is to be aimed at a particular group. Its intentions should be to arouse the masses’ attention towards a specific detail and not just a general idea. Propaganda should, therefore, be simple to understand yet strong enough to arouse the emotions of a large number of people within the society. Propaganda is a tactic Hitler used to recruit more soldiers during the First World War and to depict their opponent and enemy as being evil. That is the sole purpose of propaganda (Hitler,

Portfolio Assessment and Revision Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Portfolio Assessment and Revision Plan - Essay Example One of the most immediate changes I see to my writing is an improvement in the organization. In my first essay, there was not necessarily a logical flow from one point to another. I essentially used two disconnected paragraphs that both spoke about the article in question, without actually combining together to form a cohesive argument. This can be seen very clearly by the topic sentence of my second paragraph, where I stated that â€Å"Also tackled in this article is the use of â€Å"Framing theory† as a guide in differentiating the media practices in China.† While this did describe a thing the article did, it did not actually connect that well with what I had done in my previous paragraphs. In my later essays, however, I paid much more attention to organization. I believe that one of the things that were most helpful to me was segmenting my essay into various sections, such as a â€Å"literature review†, â€Å"comparison between languages and so forth†. I did this in each of my two later essays. This forced me to structure my essay in a more cohesive way, with each particular subject having a clear relationship to the thesis or main point I was trying to make and kept each part of the paragraph clearly related to a specific aspect of that argument. I believe I will not have to use these types of headings as much in the future, but they were still certainly useful in keeping me on track in terms of organization. I believe the second major change that I made in my writing is the development of a simpler, clearer style. My first essay had some relatively vague language in it, especially in the introduction. The opening of my first essay, which stated that â€Å"with great power, comes great responsibility† worked well as a hook, but did not tell the reader anything about what I would be writing about. In my subsequent essays I became much more direct, launching immediately into my topic of discussion, and keeping my sentences short, precise, and to  the point.   

Different Types of Documents Produced in a Business Environment Essay Example for Free

Different Types of Documents Produced in a Business Environment Essay The different formats in which text may be presented are font typefaces, headings, font size, effects (bold, italics, underlined), colours and text boxes. We can format text in paragraphs, tables and columns. We can add bullet points, headers and footers. We can also add tables, graphs, diagrams and flowcharts as a clear way to represent data and processes. 1. 3 Explain the purpose and benefits of producing high quality and attractive documents The documents you produce for your organisation are an image of representation of your organisation. So it creates an impression on the reader about the standards of the organisation. A good quality document that looks good to the audience can gain more customers and increase the company’s reputation. The quality of your documents is a reflection on you. 2. 3 Describe different types of technology available for inputting, formatting, and editing text and their main features A keyboard and mouse would be the main technology to insert text into a computer. When using a keyboard you press the specific key for each character that needs inputting, and this is transferred on to the computer screen, in a word processing program. A mouse helps you navigate on the computer screen to select the programs to select the programs to open and view and type the text. Another form of inputting could be copying and pasting information from the internet or another document. You could even use a scanner to input text and transfer documents into the computer. Within the Microsoft Word package, you have the following tools to format the text to make it look high quality: -WordArt: this includes effects such as shadows, outlines, colours, gradients, and 3D effects that can be added to a word or phrase. WordArt can also bend, stretch, rotate, or modify the shape of the text. -Page layout: the arrangement of text, images and other objects on a page. -Columns: this is a vertical division of text on a page, usually found in the layout of booklets, newspapers, magazines and leaflets. -Paragraphs: usually a distinct, short section on a document/ piece of writing, usually with a single theme. -Headers and footers: A header or footer is text or graphics that is usually printed at the top or bottom of every page in a document. A header is printed in the top margin; a footer is printed in the bottom margin. The types of technology that are available to edit text are: -Spell check: a computer program that identifies possible misspellings in a block of text by comparing the text with a database of the correct spellings. -Grammar check: this is a tool on Microsoft programs that gives you helpful hints to improve your sentence structure. -Find and replace: this is a function that allows you to search for a particular word in a document and replace it if you need to rename more than one word. 3. Explain the benefits of agreeing the purpose, content, style and deadlines for producing documents. The audience of a document is the group of people for who it is written for. Therefore, documents should be designed to meet the needs of the expected audience. You need to know the purpose of the document so you know what and how to produce it, for example, if it is advertising for young people you would want it to be eye catching and in a style that will appeal to them. It is important to agree the content so you can obtain the information, plan and organise the layout. Deadlines are important so you can plan other work around it and complete the document on time. 3. 2 Outline different ways of organising content for documents. To organise the content you require for a document, you first need to find out how the document is to be presented and the information that is to be included. But ways you could organise content could be: -Bullet points -Alphabetical ordering -Chronological order -Headings -Text -Graphs -Text boxes You should then store all the information needed safely and with clear file names. 3. Outline ways of integrating and laying out text and non-text. Text and non text can be integrated easily with Microsoft Word or Publisher. There are many ways of laying out a document, using columns, graphics, and blocks of text, headings, background colours, images and white space and wrap text around; which helps you to work around with its different features to get a consistent format. Also there are other office applications that help with integrating and laying out text and non-text, for example, Excel and PowerPoint, help with integrating text and non-text in spread sheets and slides. Many organisations use a logo on all their printed materials and their documents often have a very specific style. This will be achieved by always using the same fonts, font sizes, text and page colours and page layout. 3. 4 Describe ways of checking finished documents for accuracy – including spelling, grammar and punctuation – and correctness, and the purpose of doing so. When you have finished creating a document, you should review and check it thoroughly before sending or printing the document. Word documents have a spell check function, however even using spell check might not be completely accurate, therefore using a grammar check on the document as well, will be more beneficial. After doing the spell and grammar checks, you could ask another colleague to proof read your work – having a proof reader can help highlight problems as they are a fresh set of eyes that have not read the document. Re-reading the documents several days after completing, may refresh your mind to notice any corrections and adjustments. It is beneficial to compare the final version with original notes and rough drafts. All of these checks are to ensure that your document that you want to make is fit for purpose and correct before showing to a senior member of staff or production of the document. 3. 5 Explain the purpose of storing documents safely and securely, and ways of doing so. Any document with any sensitive information should always be stored safely; electronically or physically. For example, -A filing cabinet which can be locked, as it may be required for future use/reference. Storing confidential documents electronically should always be stored with password protection, on a safe and secure operating system. -Locking your computer if you’re leaving your desk, even if it is for just a few minutes. -Being aware who is around you or your desk when dealing with documents with confidential information on. 3. 6 Explain the purpose of confidentiality and data protection when preparing documents. Any form of personal information held about a person within a company is protected under the Data Protection Act; this means all data should be kept confidential. This is significant to ensure nobody will be able to get the data and pass the information on. Confidentiality is very important when preparing documents, because Oxfordshire County Council is involved with a lot of personal data: †¢Full names †¢Contact details (addresses and phone numbers) †¢Records When preparing documents we need to be aware of what we are including in the document, for example if you are adding a photograph, do you have the right permission to use it? As a company, in order to protect the users and the owner, confidentiality must be observed. 3. Explain the purpose and benefits of meeting deadlines. If deadlines are valued and meeting those deadlines is enforced, expectations are consistent. It is important that you produce your work to the best possible standard in order to meet the requirements of the person setting the task. This will show you are responsible and trustworthy and you can be relied upon to get things completed. You may not know who else might be waiting for your work; it could have to be passed on to someone else. This may cause problems and delays in the workplace and could affect team relationships.

Main Components Of Marketing Management Marketing Essay

Main Components Of Marketing Management Marketing Essay The industrial world has come a long was from the early days of industrial revolution. As the industrial world has grown tremendously, it has become more complicated and a subject of academic study. Business concepts have evolved and new findings and ideas have been recorded continuously. Different organizations have different business strategies and plans. Marketing management has become an essential part of a business strategy. Marketing management is the proper use of marketing techniques, resources and activities by a company or organization to promote its products (Kotler et al, 2006). This report aims at explaining the main components of strategic marketing management. For better understanding the report then concentrates on the newspaper industry in particular. It explains how internet has become a key challenge for the newspaper industry. Also the author demonstrates the ability to apply marketing theory by doing a SWOT analysis of the newspaper industry. Main Components of Marketing Management Marketing is one of the main aspects of business management. It is also one of the most powerful in that it has the potential to significantly impact the entire business management process that few of the other aspects of business management can match. Marketing and its management is almost as diverse a field as business management itself. The main components of marketing consist of analysis, planning, implementation and control (Czinkota Ronkainen, 2007). These are the components no matter what the kind of industry or service the target of marketing might be. Situational/Strategic Analysis Strategic analysis is mainly about analyzing the strengths of organization and the external factors that can influence the business position. It is necessary to understand the current environment before defining specific marketing activities (Lamb et al, 2008). It involves in assessing what a particular organizations position is with respect to its customers, how the business is functioning within and its competition outside. Various qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection are used for marketing research to be carried out. Sources of data will consist of primary and secondary, with the secondary ones being those that are already available i.e. reports, journals, articles, etc and the primary sources being surveys, questionnaires to the target audience, etc that will reveal product specific or service specific information at the desired time period. Analysis is also required of the external conditions to take account of the changes in technology, changes in governmenta l policies that could impact the industry, etc. Customer analysis is equally important which includes customer buying trends, continual assessment of the target customers to increase the base of potential customers. Various tools that can be used to carry out the analysis are: PEST analysis, scenario planning, SWOT analysis, market segmentation, etc. Strategy Planning The situation following in depth analysis and data gathering leads to one that requires intense planning and simulation. Due to knowledge of the opportunities and risks gathered from the analysis stage the company must now plan its actions based on its objectives that will involve long term strategic decisions, tactical decisions that affect mid term goals and operational decisions that affect daily operations of a company (Czinkota Ronkainen, 2007). By rigorous cost and profit estimates on various models of action, the company will be best able to judge which model to choose. The model chosen might require that necessary changes be made in the existing organizational structure or a complete revamp in some cases to help achieve the goals and objectives set. It is also imperative that at this point in time, the company comes out with alternative plans in order to meet its goals and objectives in case the primary plan does not work out. Strategy Implementation and Control These are probably the most important phases in the marketing plan since no matter how much effort is put into the analysis and planning phases, the implementation needs to be carried out according to plan with appropriate control. The implementation should be carefully carried out since often times it is found that plans are hardly adhered to. The implementation and control must also allow for adequate flexibility for tackling with unexpected and undesired situations. Strategy implementation directly affects everybody associated in an organization (David, 2006). By frequent monitoring and control of the implemented plans, the company can gauge the effectiveness of a particular plan or change it accordingly based on the effects it is having. Marketing Management and other Aspects of Business Management As mentioned above marketing is an important part of the overall business management and plays an important role in the organizations success. An organizations success depends on how it can satisfy its customers through its products and services. This is where marketing plays an important role. It is the marketing plan of an organization that decides how an organization goes by in making its products and services available to its customers. Also marketing plan is what decides in which market the organization is going to compete and what are the steps to be taken to meet and satisfy the customers needs. Hence, the success of all other aspects of business management is directly or indirectly dependent on the success of the marketing strategy. For example staffing and production or a part of the business management. So these factors are directly dependent how an organizations products and services fares in the market. As mentioned marketing strategy plays an important role in the market success of a product or a service. Hence, all the other aspects of business management are closely related and dependent on the marketing strategy. Key Challenges Affecting Marketing Strategy of the Newspaper Industry Newspaper industry has been one of oldest and dynamic industry that has enjoyed great success for a very long time. Newspaper industry has played a dominant role in public communication in the past century. It has seen tremendous growth and financial success in the second half of the 20th century. Even though the main purpose of the newspaper industry is to make news available to public, its main source of income has been advertising, especially, retail and classified advertising (Picard, 2008). 75 to 85 percent of income of an average newspaper in the Unites States and European countries is accounted by advertising. Newspaper advertising has witnessed a strong and consistent growth in the 20th century and also a relationship was observed between advertising spending and GDP (Gross Domestic Product). All this was possible as there was literally very little competition in the advertising sector (Picard, 2008). The impeccable success of the newspaper industry is now on a decline. The debate over the end of the newspaper industry has been doing rounds since the last decade of the 20th century and early 21st century. But now there have been observable effects of this decline around the world. In the US alone, The Rocky Mountain News and the Ann Arbor have completely shut down wherein Seattle Post Intelligencer has stopped printing and has completely adopted web only model. The Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News have cut down their publishing to 3 days a week (Barbara, 2009). In the UK, all national newspapers have recorded a year on year fall. Pearsons financial daily and Independent News Medias the Independent have both recorded a 3.17% and 14.02% year on year drop respectively (Busfield, 2009). There also has been a drop in the number of people employed by the newspaper industry. The number of people employed by the newspaper industry has gone down by 18% over a 14 year period from 19 90 to 2004 (Barbara, 2009). As per Pew Project findings, 14,000 reporting jobs have been lost during 2001 to 2009 (Entman, 2010). All this is a strong indicator of the demise of the newspaper industry. One of the key challenges or reasons for the decline of the news paper industry has been the internet. The situation is best summed up by Will Manley (2008), when he states Thanks to the Internet, the entire newspaper industry is fighting for its life. The internet has hit the core of the industry. It has diverted both the advertisers and the readers away from the newspaper industry. The development of internet and its advertising abilities are now substituting the traditional newspaper classified advertising (Picard, 2008). Internet advertising model has taken away a major chunk of the newspapers primary source of income which is the classified and display advertising and also it has led to a decrease in the readership as well (Gardner, 2009). The newspaper share in the total advertising expenditure has decreased by one third. Clearly the newspaper industry is losing its dominance over the advertising world. First, lets consider the effect of the internet on the readership. Internet has achieved great penetrability today on a global stage and has connected the world like no other communication means in the past. The internet, growing mobility and dropping costs have lead the access of global multimedia networks which link individuals, groups and news organizations (Entman, 2010). This has given the readers access to world news at absolutely no cost. It gives them an opportunity to refine the news topics as per their individual interests and also to search news articles from previous issues if required. These advantages have started diverting readers from the traditional print newspapers to digital news websites on the internet. There is a drastic increase in the number of prole going online or using wireless devices to get news and information (Gardner, 2009). According to research news sites and digital newspapers are among the most widely demanded and visited web sites among the Intern et community worldwide (Flavian Gurrea, 2008). News portals like Google News and Yahoo! News have contributed immensely to this drastic diversion in readership. They dont just offer aggregated news content but also are available 24/7 to anyone who has access to internet from anywhere in the world (Barbara, 2009). Internet news portals and websites have an added advantage. They allow an interaction between the readers and also with the journalist who reports and edits the stories which is not possible in the traditional news papers (Entman, 2010). This is in sync with the trend that a great number of investigative stories about the government wrong doing have appeared on various news and opinion bloggers than in the newspapers (Manley, 2008). This indicates the trend that readers are looking for online resources for news and information. Internet is now being accessed by mobile phones and wireless devices which are not helping the newspaper industrys cause. All these reasons combine d, have lead to a decrease in the readership of newspapers. Lets now consider the threat posed by internet on the newspaper advertising which is the financial back bone of the newspaper industry. Internet has come out with a dynamic advertising model which has proved to be more effective for classified advertising than in the newspapers. This has made a damaging impact on the newspaper industry as classified advertising has been the primary category of advertising sales and growth (Picard, 2008). The decline in readership and the advantages that internet advertising offers has made advertisers reconsider their overall advertising spending patterns. Concerns over the effectiveness of advertising took more momentum due to the economic downturn and recessions. This made advertisers explore new media for advertising and internet was a great substitute (Picard, 2008). Internet had great advertising models which attracted traffic and also advertisers could target their customers which were not possible through newspapers. Models like Google AdSense are a great example of this business model where people were paid for displaying ads on their personal websites and for increasing the traffic. Also there are agencies that pay people for viewing ads which means the advertisements have maximum reach. Huge revenues generated by Google, Yahoo, MSN are an indicator where the advertisers are channeling their dollars (Barbara, 2009). The newspaper industry is no more interesting to the advertisers as it was a couple of decades ago. Newspaper publishers seem to have taken the hardest hit from the technological and economic challenges of publishing (Barbara, 2009). The decline in readership and newspaper advertising has made the newspaper industry less financially interesting for investors as they are looking for profits and assets growth (Picard, 2008). Strategic Analysis of the Newspaper Industry As mentioned above, strategic analysis is the main and foremost component of marketing management. A strategic analysis must analyze all the factors that influence the marketing strategy of an organization. Below is the SWOT analysis of the newspaper industry. SWOT Analysis SWOT (Strength, Weakness. Opportunities, Threats) analysis helps an organization to determine where it is doing well and where it needs improvement. SWOT analysis must be made relative to the market needs and competition (Ferrell Hartline, 2007). Following is the SWOT analysis of the newspaper industry: Strengths: The strength of the newspaper industry is that it targets a wide range of customers across the globe. Newspaper industry has penetration remote parts of the globe where there are no other sources of world news. This is great strength as this gives the newspaper industry a large customer base. Weakness: The cutting of trees for paper has become a global issue under the global warming context. The dependence of newspaper industry on paper has become its biggest weakness as there is huge support from world wide for e-books and papers. The newspaper industry must come up with an alternative to paper. Opportunities: There is a huge opportunity for the newspaper industry to venture into other markets and use advanced technologies to reach the customers or readers. Newspaper industry can join hands with electronic media to come up new business strategies and plans. But this is an opportunity which has to be used. Threats: As mentioned above electronic media is an opportunity if used but right now it is a threat to the newspaper industry especially in developed countries. Electronic media have gained popularity in the last couple of decades and have become a serious threat to the newspaper industry. Conclusion Strategic marketing management is very important for the success of any organization. The marketers must understand the importance of this and use the various tools and ideas at their disposal to come up with ideas and strategies that will help the organization to beat the competition and succeed. Being innovative in formulating strategies is the need of the hour for every organization in order to survive in todays highly competitive industrial world. In particular, newspaper industry has to adopt new ways and methods to overcome the challenges posed by the technological advancements, particularly ineternet. The importance of marketing management can not be stressed any further and its high time that the organizations world wide realizes and implements marketing management in their business model.

Cats Amazing Ability to Survive Falls Essay -- physics cat cats fall

Your chance of surviving a fall of 50 feet (approximately 4 stories) is about 50%, while almost no one who falls 6 stories will be around to tell their tale. However, in a study conducted by Manhattan veterinarians, Drs. Wayne Whitney and Cheryl Mehlhaff, it was discovered that out of 115 cases of cats falling (accidentally) from multi-story heights, 90% of them survived. An even more surprising result is that if a cat falls from more than 7 stories its chance of survival doubles, compared to a cat having fallen from 2 to 7 stories (a story averages about 12 feet). No wonder cats are fabled to have nine lives. It turns out that the two most important variables which contribute to the cat's survival are its ability to land on its feet and its reaching terminal velocity (both of which involve a fair deal of physics). Whitney & Melhaff's Study Cats' apparent fearlessness concerning heights leads to many accidental falls. In fact so many cats are brought to veterinarians for treatment after a fall, that in 1976 Dr. Gordon Robinson coined the term feline high-rise syndrome to describe the resulting pattern of injuries. Eleven years later Drs. Wayne Whitney and Cheryl Mehlhaff at the Animal Medical Center in Manhattan conducted a study over a five month period on cats brought in for treatment after a fall. They compiled a database of 115 cats who fell a range of two to thirty-two stories, primarily ending their falls on concrete pavement. The mean fall was 5.5 stories. Three of the cats were dead upon arrival and 8 more died in the next twenty-four hours, leaving 104 living cats or about 90%. This is a remarkable statistic. When the height the cats fell is taken into account, it is found that only 5% of the cats who fell seven ... ... a small amount of mass, but also their ability comes from their flying squirrel (relaxed) posture upon reaching terminal velocity and from their superb inner gyroscope. Works Cited * Diamond, Jared. "How Cats Survive Falls from New York Skyscapers," Natural History 20-26; August 1989. * Diamod, Jared. "Why cats have nine lives," Nature 332, 586-587; April 14, 1988. * Fredrickson, J. E. "The tail-less cat in free-fall," The Physics Teacher. 27, 620-625; November 1989. * Halliday, David, Robert Resnick and Jearl Walker. Fundamentals of Physics, 5th ed. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1997. * Mehlhaff, Cheryl and Wayne Whitney. "High-rise syndrome in cats," J. Amer. Vet. Med. Assoc. 191, 1399-1403;1987. * "Terminal Velocity," Discover 9,10; August 1988. * Von Baeyer, Hans Christian. "Swing Shift," The Sciences 30, 2-4; May/June 1990.

Macbeth Essay -- essays research papers

â€Å"Macbeth† a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, portrays, how the main character Macbeth, transforms from a war hero, to a murdering villain. Macbeth starts out as the thane of Glamis and steadily rises to become King of Scotland. The higher Macbeth rose on his road of power the more corrupt and evil he became. The character change of Macbeth ignites the whole theme of the play.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Macbeth is shown as a vigorous war hero in the opening scene. â€Å"And fortune, on his damned quarrel smiling showed like a rebel’s whore. But all’s too weak for brave Macbeth.† (1.2 16.18) The captain expressing the braveness of great Macbeth in Scotland’s battle with the invading Norway hordes. It didn’t take long for the people of Scotland to realize what a leader Macbeth was. Another example of Macbeth’s patriotism is in the third scene. â€Å"Go pronounce his present death and with it’s former title greet macbeth† (1.3 74-75) Macbeth was seen as such a hero and leader by King Duncan that he now moved up to Thane of Cawdor. The king put his trust into Macbeth. The final example of macbeth’s loyalty to Scotland and King Duncan is when macbeth quoted†The service and the loyalty I owe, in doing it pays itself† (1.4 25-26) After macbeth gets crowned Thane of Cawdor he expresses his gratitu de and dedication to the king and Scotland. Macbeth was thought to be the best man for the job.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The character of Macbeth starts to creep from loyal and trustwo...

Human Growth & Development Essay

The environment plays a crucial role in development from the newborn to the adolescence. The environmental view according to Sameroff is that a person’s IQ is largely influenced by culture and the surroundings in which the person is raised. Poor diet and lifestyle for example, taking alcohol during pregnancy can result in brain damage and hence low IQ in a child. Some research has shown that people from some social background tend to have low IQ e. g. blacks due to varied factors including stimulation and diet. Their research also found out that when children are exposed to extreme stress such as domestic violence, their neurocognitive development is affected and thus lower intelligence. In this case when children are stressed their brains are harmed drastically. It is documented that babies require a lot of fat in the first 12 months of life to build stronger and healthy brains. Stimulated children score on IQ tests than the unstimulated. This implies that need adult attention and play to do better on IQ tests. In this case inventories such as computer will be a lot helpful. Moreover, some music can improve a child’s IQ, for example the Mozart. However, it is possible that children with low levels of personal resources can reach the same level of achievement like that of the ones from highly advantaged social cadre. According to Caldwell and Bradley (1984), the HOME inventory is an index that depicts the quantity and quality of cognitive and emotional stimulation in the home environment. On visiting my neighbor’s home, I found that there were three children ranging from age 6-12. They were actively involved in computer games. Their parents occasionally joined them in playing the games. It was clear that there was mutual understanding between the family members. On rating the intellectual environment I gave a â€Å"high†. Work Cited 1. Caldwell, Bradley. â€Å"HOME inventory† New York: John Wiley. 1984:79 2. Sameroff AJ, Seifer R, Zax M. † Early development of children at risk for emotional disorder†. Child Dev. 1982;47. Serial no. 199 3. Sameroff AJ, Seifer R, Baldwin A, Baldwin C. â€Å"Stability of intelligence from preschool to adolescence: the influence of social and family risk factors†. Child Dev. 1993; 64:80-97

Workplace Safety

Workplace Safety Andrew J. Burns CIS 111 Section 043 University of Kentucky Bad things happen to millions of people every single day. It could be physical, emotional, financial, psychological; sometimes permanent damage is done, sometimes the damage can be fixed. Sadly, millions of people are permanently wounded at their work yearly in the United States, and thousands of those people will die because of that incident. Imagine how your loved ones would feel if they received word that you had been killed on the job.Imagine being permanently injured from your work because someone didn’t care enough to test and make sure your position was safe, and losing your ability to hear, see, or move properly, or if one of these things happened to one of your own loved ones. You might think this is unlikely, but it happens quite regularly, and to a great number of people. As I said before, tons of people everywhere are affected by work related safety issues, and it is a big deal. Surveys are taken every year to calculate how many injuries and deaths occur in the United States due to safety problems at the workplace.The survey taken in 2011 revealed that 4609 work related fatalities occurred that year (U. S. Department of Labor). Hilda Solis, the United States Secretary of Labor, stated that â€Å"Every day in America, 13 people go to work and never come home. Every year in America, nearly 4 million people suffer a work place injury from which some may never recover. † Those are huge numbers, and should definitely not go unnoticed by the public. I witnessed first-hand the unsafe environment of working in a factory for a few months.While I was working there, there were tons of forklifts always driving around the factory at pretty fast speeds, and if you weren’t paying attention, you could easily get hit by one. They also put out a large amount of emissions. As soon as you walked into the factory, you could instantly smell their emissions, and there’s no way they were good for the lungs, especially if you have to work there year round like the regular employees. Complicated, unguarded machines were another major hazard. There were many machines at the factory making plastic and styrofoam that could easily burn you if you just barely touched it.One of the guys I worked with accidentally brushed his arm up against one of the ovens melting plastic and he was burned really badly. His skin bubbled up right after and it later left a nasty scar on his arm. Also, with the factory being in a closed space, the sound waves that the machines produced would have no efficient way of leaving the building, rendering you very vulnerable to permanent hearing loss. According to the Department of Health, â€Å"Excessive noise levels over a long period of time will gradually and painlessly permanently damage your hearing. It was for sure as loud, if not louder than heavy traffic in there. I’m convinced I lost a little of my hearing from just working there in the summer. I find myself saying â€Å"what? † a lot more to people now. Also, don’t count yourself out just because you think you work in a safe are behind a desk all day. Unnoticeable things like loud A/C units and certain emissions from various materials in the room can still cause significant health problems if exposed to them over enough time. A perfect example of this would be the infamous asbestos issue.Asbestos is a mineral that was used in making insulation, ceiling tiles, drywall, and things of that nature. Before it was banned in 1980, businesses and builders used it heavily in the materials they used (Garcia). Little did people know that fibers would break off of the asbestos and would eventually be inhaled by the people working in the building. Eventually, this would lead to be a major cause of lung cancer across the nation. Asbestos was not rigorously inspected and tested enough before it was put in use. Consider the common things we use nowadays that we think are completely harmless.These things could be messing our bodies up pretty badly without us even knowing it, only to discover decades later that is was a significant factor in putting us on our death beds. These problems given to people caused by the workplace affect everyone around them, too, not only them. You may have not been close to the injured or killed worker, but they impact the entire society as a whole. â€Å"What happens to the coal miner or construction or steel worker is very much in the public’s interest. When a worker is hurt or killed, all of us all of us end up paying part of the bill through higher product prices and increased taxes.More importantly, we lose because society fails to receive a full return on its investment in the lives of people it has schooled and prepared for work† (Kinney 46) . The entire public ends up paying the raised taxes that have resulted from inflating workers’ compensation. All of that money could be going to so many other things that could be helping our economy, but instead we are paying a large price for the lazy safety inspectors and regulation writers in the United States. People’s safety should be highly regarded, especially when they’re working for that company.It seems like a lot could be done to increase the safety of workplaces. It’s obvious that job safety regulations aren’t being enforced, and many bad accidents could be easily avoided with just a few adjustments. Despite the statistics and dangers, I did come out in one piece. However, I did witness many other people get hurt around me, and I could’ve just as easily been in their position. Something needs to be done to better protect the hard workers of the United States. References Garcia, A. III. (2009, October 15). End Date for Asbestos. Constructiondeal. com.Retrieved February 11, 2013 from http://www. constructiondeal. com/blogs/is-1980-an-appropriate- end-date-for-as bestos-use. 258. Kinney, J. A. (1991, May 21). Why should we Care about Job Safety? USA Today. Social Sciences Premium Collection. Retrieved February 11, 2013 from http://search. proquest. com/docview/214620137. OSHA. (2011). Commonly Used Statistics. US Department of Labor. Retrieved February 12, 2013 from http://www. osha. gov/oshstats/commonstats. html. US Dept. of Health. (November, 2011). Workplace Safety – Noise Pollution. US Department of Health.Retrieved February 11, 2013 from http://www. betterhealth. vic. gov. au/bhcv2/bhcarticles. nsf/pages/Workplace_safety_noise_ pollution. Annotated Bibliography Annual Statistical Supplement. (2011). Workers' Compensation Program and Legislative History. United States Social Security Administration. Retrieved February 13, 2013 from http://www. ssa. gov/policy/docs/statcomps/supplement/2011/workerscomp. html. I checked out this site to see what kind of damage had been done to our economy from workers’ compensation. It turns out that in 2009 124. million employees were claimed injured on the job and were covered by workers’ compensation. The overall wages it took to cover these workers was 5. 7 trillion dollars. Kinney, J. A. (1991, May 21). Why should we Care about Job Safety? USA Today. Social Sciences Premium Collection. Retrieved February 11, 2013 from http://search. proquest. com/docview/214620137. Even though this article was old, it still made a lot of sense with how society works and what happens when an employee is killed on the job. He goes in detail about how the economy pays greatly when an employee is lost.I thought it was interesting where he talks about how the biggest issue when losing an employee was that society fails to receive a refund. Tidwell, A. (2003, July 12). Ethics, Safety and Managers. Business and Professional Ethics Journal. Retrieved February 11, 2013 from http://www. jstor. org/stable/27801233? seq=5. Tidwell goes into depth on how to solve the problem of workplac e deaths and accidents. He created a list of simple and cost-free objectives a company could follow to greatly reduce accidents. Since money is the main concern when increasing the safety of something, these guidelines could be incredibly usefulWatson, G. W. (2005, May 2). Dimensions of Interpersonal Relationships and Safety in the Steel Industry. Journal of Business and Psychology. Retrieved February 10, 2013 from http://www. jstor. org/stable/25092904. Watson writes about how work related accidents are a growing issue with newer, more dangerous technologies. He also notes that the greatest danger to employees are the employees themselves. He says that employees aren’t being trained the way they should, and are creating a very unsafe environment for themselves and their co-workers. Widjaya, I. (November 22, 2012).Most Common Work Related Accidents. Global Legal Resources. Retrieved February 9, 2013 from http://bx. businessweek. com/workplace- safety/view? url=http%3A%2F%2Fww w. noobpreneur. com%2F2012%2F11%2F22%2Fto p-ten-work-related-accidents%2F In this article, the most common work related accidents are described. The first few are actually just accidents caused by the employees themselves, like overexertion. Then the later ones seem to be more equipment and machine related. Both can definitely be prevented by better job training and more thorough equipment inspections though.

EU LAW Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

EU LAW - Essay Example Rights of residence Member states will issue the right of residence to nationals of the member states who are not enjoying other provisions of the community law which has been provided that they themselves and the their family members are covered by medical insurance in respect of all the risks in the host member state and have sufficient resources, which will be able to sustain them and avoid being a burden to the social security system of the host member state during their period of residence. All the citizens of the union have the right to enter another member state by only possessing a valid passport or an identity card. Under no circumstance will they require an entry or exit visa. Claude, who is the manager of the restaurant, is granted a job by the owner Henri MangeTout, because he thinks that Claude is a Belgian citizen. In reality, since Claude is a Congolese from Dr Congo, his rights of residence do not fall under this Directive by the council. It is stated that after resid ing legally in EU country continuously for 5 yrs, you automatically get the rights of permanent residence, without even having to fulfill other requirements.2 Their staying in any of the member state is not affected by temporary absences and longer absences. Towards the end of His 5th year of continuous legal residence, he and his family are supposed to apply to the authorities for a permanent residence card that will enable them to be regarded as permanent residence of that state. This will give him and his family a chance to be able to enjoy the same benefits, advantages and rights as nationals. They can now stay there as long as they desire. The member states shall grant a residence permit the validity of which will be limited to a period of 5 years on the basis that it can be renewed. On the other hand, if they require revalidation of the permit at the end of the 2 years it is possible. No matter what takes place their rights of residence is guaranteed as long as they fulfill th e conditions of the member state in which they are residing. 3 Rights of free movement Claude and his family have the opportunity not to be deported, if they take the right legal moves to make sure every detail pertaining their dwelling is settled well by the London government. They have to make sure they follow up their rights of becoming citizens automatically after staying in United Kingdom for a period of 5 years, which is taken by the legislation as a substantial length of time for an individual to be well conversant with the system of that country. By doing this, they will be exercising their rights of residence within that state, which has been laid down by the member states of the European Union.4 Their son Patrice who is also a Congolese, but was born in Belgium, which has made him now to have the Belgium nationality, has also the right to reside in United Kingdom. His stay in the United Kingdom for a period of 5 years since 2007 together with his family is part of the coun cil directive that shall facilitate him to become a citizen automatically. Also, it is stated that, if your partner or any of the relative has been authorized by the state to live with you as family members, they also get the opportunity to automatically get the right s of permanent residen

Harm-Based Model Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Harm-Based Model - Essay Example This paper illustrates that the user-generated content is forms of content which include chats, video, digital images, audio files, debate forums, wikis, and blogs. It is believed that user-generated content is a part of a small portion of a website. Moreover, the majority of content required for making a site is prepared by administrators. The user-generated content provides the opportunity for website administrators to avoid an occurrence of offensive language and content. It is understood that the search engines and user-generated content introduced new ways to make knowledge economics and accumulate knowledge. This facilitation of new ways has created beneficial and problematic for Safari-Google. The advent of a shift from constructing online content to individual content has revolutionized the role of passive listeners and views. This assembling of knowledge through the bypass of security settings has become problematic for Safari users. On the other hand, it benefited Google se arch engine to bombard adverts by tracking browsing habits Safari users. The paper judgmentally engages with the literature subject and defining key terms. The key terms used in the paper are search engines, user-generated content and knowledge economics. The knowledge economy is the part of an economy that is used by decision support structures centered on trading, evaluating and creation of knowledge. Moreover, it is services and productions that effectively contribute towards the augmented pace of scientific and technological advancement. On the other hand, a search engine is a program and software system that is specifically developed to find specific sites requested by users through characters and keywords. The term user-generated content is used to describe different forms of content which includes images, posts, audio files, discussion forums, blogs, etc.

Supply Chain Managmet Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Supply Chain Managmet Case Study - Essay Example and Jill, a representative of Success Inc. Company. Mike Vanne’s company was a supplier to Success Inc. Time context Based on the conversation, Mike Vanne’s company started experiencing management problems from 1998 soon after its establishment. In 1999, the company also changed its fiscal year. This change in fiscal years twice in a row is an indication of short sighted and indecisive leadership. Viewpoint Mike Vanne’s viewpoint is that the company is fast growing. He defends this viewpoint with the fact that they made eleven acquisitions in a time span of two years. He links the company’s prosperity with the acquisitions. In addition to this, Mr. Vanne believes his company is in good shape since he has good employees. However, Jill is of a different viewpoint. She questions the nature of leadership in Mr. Vanne’s company. This indicates that she believes the company’s leadership is the cause of the potential problems. Central problem The ce ntral problem in this case is poor leadership. Mr. Mike Vanne has little knowledge of the business yet he is the owner. In addition to this, he is complacent in taking radical steps to ensure the company does not get under problems in the future. He chooses to ignore the fact that his company has been faced with several lawsuits. As if that is not enough, he brushes off the idea as bad publicity of the company. Out of a series of ten meetings, Ari Villa happens to have attended one or two board meetings yet he is the chairman to the board. Mike Vanne justifies Villa’s actions in proposing that villa is a busy man. Another leader, Sandra Chia fails to attend a meeting with one of their business associates yet she is the Chief financial Officer to the company. As a CFO, it is important for her to attend meetings concerning their business associates since the impression she gives could either work for or against the company. From these illustrations, one concludes that the leade rship in X Inc. is in shambles. The leaders are allowed to run the company as they wish and are not accountable to anyone. According to Jones (p.1), lack of collaboration amongst the company leadership is one of the signs of a dysfunctional leadership. Statement Objectives Statement objectives form the backbone of any business. They relate what the business plans to achieve (Complete Business start up p.1). X Inc.’s objectives are as follows: To provide quality service in the technologic business field. To ensure continuous growth of the business through establishing a wider market base and capturing profitable business opportunities. To create a strong leadership team that will channel the company towards growth. Areas of Consideration In solving the problem at hand, a SWOT analysis will reveal the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of X inc. business venture. SWOT analysis analyses external and internal factors that are key to the attainment of a companyâ€⠄¢s objectives (Hill & Westbrook pp.12) External Environment The external environment assesses threats and opportunities. One takes into consideration macroeconomic matters, technological advancement, changes in the market, competition and legislation. In looking at X Inc., it has several opportunities. X Inc., is one of the leading technological companies. This opportunity helps them to wade off unnecessary competition. In addition to that, its ability to form mergers and acquisitions opens it up to a larger

Business ethics issues in WorldCom Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Business ethics issues in WorldCom - Essay Example It is believed that these unethical issues were primarily not checked upon by anyone because the CEO of the company himself was involved in the fraudulent activities. These unethical issues and different management techniques recommended to improve the corporate governance of WorldCom would be outlined in this essay (Backover 2002; Crawford 2005). There were three major problems with the corporate culture and their style of working. The first one was the way they grew through aggressive acquisition of companies, second was the strategy of senior executive loans and the third and foremost was the way in which they did business which was against the code of corporate governance and had exposed them to threats related to fair and arm’s lengths transactions (Kiron et al 2004; Securities and Exchange Commission 2003) Business Ethics form an important part of the culture of the businesses. They are very important when it comes to the normal functioning of businesses in this world. The company had made almost 65 acquisitions or mergers in only 6 years. Integrating is a lengthy process, time consuming and a very challenging exercise as there may be people who may resist these changes and create problems. The second aspect is to integrate financially by the use of the generally accepted accounting principles. It is believed generally that because of these practices of integration WorldCom was successfully able to hide its practices. The unethical issues in the company arose when the company started to face problems from the decreasing demand of telecommunications. It is then believed that the senior executives of the company were involved in fraudulent activities. (Kiron et al 2004; Worldcom Website 2010; Securities and Exchange Commission 2003) The unethical activities at WorldCom were such that the difference between moral good and bad was forgotten. Leaders are important when it comes to the ethics of a company (Mendonca 2001). But here at WorldCom

Biography of Cheikh Anta Diop Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Biography of Cheikh Anta Diop - Research Paper Example Diop argues that it was in Africa where humanity developed to the Homo sapiens status. According to him, this great development in human evolution helped shape the civilization of the early Egyptians. Although African civilization stared in other places such as Sudan, Egypt provided the right environment in which the civilization grew. He further noted that since Africa was the original home of humankind, the difference in skin color and other structural differences are self explanatory2. In general, Diop believed that the contribution of Africa towards humanity is enormous and cannot be ignored. Secondly, Diop believed in the anti-colonial policy and was greatly influenced by it. For him, he believed in an independent and economically sound united Africa. For example, in his book titled Black Africa: The Economic and Cultural Basis of a Federal State, Diop mainly focuses on how African countries coupled unite to form one common market3. He also argued that Africa needed to have a continental army capable of defending the content and its inhabitants. He had a vision of an industrialized and united Africa, free from external interference and aid. In this book, he divides Africa into different zones for purposes of industrial development. He believed that there lies a lot of potential in the African continent that when used, could make African countries rich. He had a vision of how fusion could be used to generate enough power for the African countries to help on the process of industrialization. These ideas about industrialization and African independence are born from the fac t that he was a firm believer in creativity. According to him, man needs to create in order to survive4. Therefore for him, the only way Africa could survive was through industrialization.

Development of a Home Messaging and Communication System Essay Example for Free

Development of a Home Messaging and Communication System Essay This is group coursework. Groups should have between 3 to 5 people. Do only one of the assignments described below. Read everything before you decide which to tackle. Assignment 1 Home Messaging System Many people live in a house or flat with others. People may live fairly independently with different interests and routines, or they may be more closely involved with each others’ lives. Whichever is the case, they will probably need to coordinate their activities with each other. They may benefit from ways of recording and sharing reminders about events such as appointments or significant dates. They may need ways to record and coordinate over tasks such as chores around the place. They may benefit from ways of indicating problems, requests for information or action, ways just saying â€Å"hello† and ‘greasing the wheels’ of communal living, or even ways of addressing conflicts if they occur. The messages people currently leave for each other can take many forms. They may use Post-its, whiteboards, pinboards or other surfaces that can be written on. The practices of information sharing may evolve over many years and are often designed to fit carefully into peoples’ lives. However, written messages may have disadvantages: they tend to be static and not easily updated; they also are fixed in one location, whereas people are mobile and may need access to notes and messages even when they aren’t at the location where the message was created. Coursework Instructions Research, prototype and evaluate a digital Home Messaging device or system that people in a house or flat can use to share the kinds of information they need to coordinate activities with one another and enable good, happy social relations. The details of what they can do will depend on what you find out by doing some user-research. The system you develop should have an interface within a shared space, but may also work in coordination with devices at other locations. Assignment 2 Mobile Museum or Art Gallery System Museums and art galleries make an important contribution to our cultural landscape. A visit to a museum or art gallery can happen for many reasons. People may want to learn, be reflective, to be entertained or to have a fun day out with friends and family. People may have a deep interest in what they will see there or they may just want something to do on a rainy afternoon. Image by EmilySuran (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons Digital technology can provide opportunities for enhancing these experiences in a number of ways. They may offer information before a visit. During a visit users might want information or to communicate in some way. Mobile devices can be location-aware. For example, this can be done using QR codes. A QR (Quick Response) code (see image below) is a matrix barcode which can be scanned by a device fitted with a camera (such as a smart phone). A user could scan a code next to an exhibit to launch some location-based service. And after the visit there may be some follow-up activities, perhaps using information about what interested them. A QR code Coursework Instructions Research, prototype and evaluate a system that could be used by people to enhance their experiences in museums and/or art galleries in some way. The service could provide information and/or enhance shared experiences. It could help them learn or make things fun. The system could integrate with a web-based system to allow people to do things before or after a trip. Again, the details of will depend on what you find out by doing some user-research. General Instructions Whichever project you do it must involve the following major activities: 1. user-research 2. prototyping 3. evaluation 4. prototype revision In other words, follow an iterative design approach. Each step should inform the next. It should be clear how the research has informed the design, and how the evaluation has informed the revised design. As an alternative to traditional user-research methods you might like to try auto ethnography. Auto ethnography is an approach which seeks to describe and systematically analyse personal experience. If you do this you will be graded on the methods you use to acquire and analyse useful experiences and the quality of the insights that this gives you. For any activity that involves human participants you must complete a Middlesex University School of Engineering and Information Sciences Research Consent (Form C) and a Declaration Form and Ethical Approval Request (Form D). Have your consent form approved by your tutor before you start each phase of user engagement and have them sign your form D. The forms can be found in the ‘Useful Forms’ section of the Middlesex University, School of EIS Ethics Research Webpage. Assessment The work will be assessed in parts: Group Progress Review Presentation – 25% of total mark The presentation should describe the work you have done and your plans for completing the assignment. Group members will only receive a mark if they make a reasonable contribution to the presentation, with each receiving the same mark. Individual Final Report – 75% of total mark The final report should be no more than 4000 words (not including appendixes). Each group member will receive an individual mark. The report should be structured as follows (maximum marks awarded are shown in brackets as a percentage of marks awarded for the report): * Introduction (10%) * User Research (15%) * Prototype (15%) * Evaluation (15%) * Prototype revision (10%) * Discussion (10%) * Appendices containing all appropriate ethics forms1 (15%) An additional 10% will be awarded for presentation of the report. All marks will depend on the separate submission of your raw data. [ 1 ]. http://www.eis.mdx.ac.uk/research/groups/Alert/Ethics_Research/forms.html

Moduation Techniques | An Overview

Moduation Techniques | An Overview The evolution of wireless cellular technology from 1G to 4G has a similar aim that is capable to deliver high data rate signal so that it can transmit high bit rate multimedia content in cellular mobile communication. Thus, it has driven many researches into the application of higher order modulations. One of the focuses of this project is to study and compare the different types of Digital Modulation technique that widely being used in the LTE systems. Hence, before being able to design and evaluate this in computer simulation. A study is carried out on digital modulation and drilled down further on QPSK modulation schemes, and followed by the QAM modulation schemes. What is modulation? There are several definitions on modulation taken from several references as follows: Modulation is defined as the process by which a carrier wave is able to carry the message or digital signal (series of ones and zeroes). Modulation is the process of facilitating the transfer of information over a medium. Voice cannot be sent very far by screaming. To extend the range of sound, we need to transmit it through a medium other than air, such as a phone line or radio. The process of converting information (voice in this case) so that it can be successfully sent through a medium (wire or radio waves) is called modulation. Modulation is the process of varying a carrier signal, typically a sinusoidal signal, in order to use that signal to convey information. One of the three key characteristics of a signal is usually modulated: its phase, frequency or amplitude. There are 2 types of modulations: Analog modulation and digital modulation. In analog modulation, an information-bearing analog waveform is impressed on the carrier signal for transmission whereas in digital modulation, an information-bearing discrete-time symbol sequence (digital signal) is converted or impressed onto a continuous-time carrier waveform for transmission. 2G wireless systems are realized using digital modulation schemes. Why Digital Modulation? The move to digital modulation provides more information capacity, compatibility with digital data services, higher data security, better quality communications, and quicker system availability. Developers of communications systems face these constraints: available bandwidth permissible power inherent noise level of the system The RF spectrum must be shared, yet every day there are more users for that spectrum as demand for communications services increases. Digital modulation schemes have greater capacity to convey large amounts of information than analog modulation schemes. Different types of Digital Modulation As mentioned in the previous chapter, there are three major classes of digital modulation techniques used for transmission of digitally represented data: Amplitude Shift Keying (ASK) Frequency Shift Keying (FSK) Phase Shift Keying (PSK) All convey data by changing some aspect of a base signal, the carrier wave (usually a sinusoid) in response to a data signal. For ASK, FSK, and PSK the amplitude, frequency and phase are changed respectively. Bit rate and symbol rate To understand and compare different PSK and QAM modulation format efficiencies, it is important to first understand the difference between bit rate and symbol rate. The signal bandwidth for the communications channel needed depends on the symbol rate, not on the bit rate. Bit rate is the frequency of a system bit stream. Take, for example, a radio with an 8 bit sampler, sampling at 10 kHz for voice. The bit rate, the basic bit stream rate in the radio, would be eight bits multiplied by 10K samples per second or 80 Kbits per second. (For the moment we will ignore the extra bits required for synchronization, error correction, etc.). A Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) signal. The states can be mapped to zeros and ones. This is a common mapping, but it is not the only one. Any mapping can be used. The symbol rate is the bit rate divided by the number of bits that can be transmitted with each symbol. If one bit is transmitted per symbol, as with BPSK, then the symbol rate would be the same as the bit rate of 80 Kbits per second. If two bits are transmitted per symbol, as in QPSK, then the symbol rate would be half of the bit rate or 40 Kbits per second. Symbol rate is sometimes called baud rate. Note that baud rate is not the same as bit rate. These terms are often confused. If more bits can be sent with each symbol, then the same amount of data can be sent in a narrower spectrum. This is why modulation formats that are more complex and use a higher number of states can send the same information over a narrower piece of the RF spectrum. Phase Shift Keying (PSK) PSK is a modulation scheme that conveys data by changing, or modulating, the phase of a reference signal (i.e. the phase of the carrier wave is changed to represent the data signal). A finite number of phases are used to represent digital data. Each of these phases is assigned a unique pattern of binary bits; usually each phase encodes an equal number of bits. Each pattern of bits forms the symbol that is represented by the particular phase. There are two fundamental ways of utilizing the phase of a signal in this way: By viewing the phase itself as conveying the information, in which case the demodulator must have a reference signal to compare the received signals phase against; (PSK) or By viewing the change in the phase as conveying information differential schemes, some of which do not need a reference carrier (to a certain extent) (DPSK). A convenient way to represent PSK schemes is on a constellation diagram. This shows the points in the Argand plane where, in this context, the real and imaginary axes are termed the in-phase and quadrature axes respectively due to their 90 ° separation. Such a representation on perpendicular axes lends itself to straightforward implementation. The amplitude of each point along the in-phase axis is used to modulate a cosine (or sine) wave and the amplitude along the quadrature axis to modulate a sine (or cosine) wave. In PSK, the constellation points chosen are usually positioned with uniform angular spacing around a circle. This gives maximum phase-separation between adjacent points and thus the best immunity to corruption. They are positioned on a circle so that they can all be transmitted with the same energy. In this way, the moduli of the complex numbers they represent will be the same and thus so will the amplitudes needed for the cosine and sine waves. Two common examples are binary phase-shift keying (BPSK) which uses two phases, and quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK) which uses four phases, although any number of phases may be used. Since the data to be conveyed are usually binary, the PSK scheme is usually designed with the number of constellation points being a power of 2. Applications of PSK and QAM Owing to PSKs simplicity, particularly when compared with its competitor quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM), it is widely used in existing technologies. The most popular wireless LAN standard, IEEE 802.11b, uses a variety of different PSKs depending on the data-rate required. At the basic-rate of 1 Mbit/s, it uses DBPSK. To provide the extended-rate of 2 Mbit/s, DQPSK is used. In reaching 5.5 Mbit/s and the full-rate of 11 Mbit/s, QPSK is employed, but has to be coupled with complementary code keying. The higher-speed wireless LAN standard, IEEE 802.11g has eight data rates: 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48 and 54 Mbit/s. The 6 and 9 Mbit/s modes use BPSK. The 12 and 18 Mbit/s modes use QPSK. The fastest four modes use forms of quadrature amplitude modulation. The recently-standardised Bluetooth will use p / 4-DQPSK at its lower rate (2 Mbit/s) and 8-DPSK at its higher rate (3 Mbit/s) when the link between the two devices is sufficiently robust. Bluetooth 1 modulates with Gaussian minimum shift keying, a binary scheme, so either modulation choice in version 2 will yield a higher data-rate. A similar technology, ZigBee (also known as IEEE 802.15.4) also relies on PSK. ZigBee operates in two frequency bands: 868-915MHz where it employs BPSK and at 2.4GHz where it uses OQPSK. Notably absent from these various schemes is 8-PSK. This is because its error-rate performance is close to that of 16-QAM it is only about 0.5dB better but its data rate is only three-quarters that of 16-QAM. Thus 8-PSK is often omitted from standards and, as seen above, schemes tend to jump from QPSK to 16-QAM (8-QAM is possible but difficult to implement). QPSK QPSK is a multilevel modulation techniques, it uses 2 bits per symbol to represent each phase. Compared to BPSK, it is more spectrally efficient but requires more complex receiver. Constellation Diagram for QPSK The constellation diagram for QPSK with Gray coding. Each adjacent symbol only differs by one bit. Sometimes known as quaternary or quadriphase PSK or 4-PSK, QPSK uses four points on the constellation diagram, equispaced around a circle. With four phases, QPSK can encode two bits per symbol, shown in the diagram with Gray coding to minimize the BER twice the rate of BPSK. Figure 2.5 depicts the 4 symbols used to represent the four phases in QPSK. Analysis shows that this may be used either to double the data rate compared to a BPSK system while maintaining the bandwidth of the signal or to maintain the data-rate of BPSK but halve the bandwidth needed. Four symbols that represents the four phases in QPSK Although QPSK can be viewed as a quaternary modulation, it is easier to see it as two independently modulated quadrature carriers. With this interpretation, the even (or odd) bits are used to modulate the in-phase component of the carrier, while the odd (or even) bits are used to modulate the quadrature-phase component of the carrier. BPSK is used on both carriers and they can be independently demodulated. As a result, the probability of bit-error for QPSK is the same as for BPSK: However, with two bits per symbol, the symbol error rate is increased: If the signal-to-noise ratio is high (as is necessary for practical QPSK systems) the probability of symbol error may be approximated: As with BPSK, there are phase ambiguity problems at the receiver and differentially encoded QPSK is more normally used in practice. As written above, QPSK, are often used in preference to BPSK when improved spectral efficiency is required. QPSK utilizes four constellation points, each representing two bits of data. Again as with BPSK the use of trajectory shaping (raised cosine, root raised cosine etc) will yield an improved spectral efficiency, although one of the principle disadvantages of QPSK, as with BPSK, is the potential to cross the origin, that will generate 100% AM. QPSK is also known as a method for transmitting digital information across an analog channel. Data bits are grouped into pairs, and each pair is represented by a particular waveform, called a symbol, to be sent across the channel after modulating the carrier. QPSK is also the most commonly used modulation scheme for wireless and cellular systems. Its because it does not suffer from BER degradation while the bandwidth efficiency is increased. The QPSK signals are mathematically defined as: Implementation of QPSK QPSK signal can be implemented by using the equation stated below. The symbols in the constellation diagram in terms of the sine and cosine waves used to transmit them is being written below: This yields the four phases p/4, 3p/4, 5p/4 and 7p/4 as needed. As a result, a two-dimensional signal space with unit basis functions The first basis function is used as the in-phase component of the signal and the second as the quadrature component of the signal. Therefore, the signal constellation consists of the signal-space 4 points The factors of 1/2 show that the total power is divide evenly among the two carriers. QPSK systems can be implemented in a few ways. First, the dual data stream is divided into the in-phase and quadrature-phase components. These are then independently modulated onto two orthogonal basis functions. In this implementation, two sinusoids are used. Next, the two signals are superimposed, and the resulting signal is the QPSK signal. Polar non-return-to-zero encoding is also being used. These encoders can be located before for binary data source, but have been located after to illustrate the theoretical dissimilarity between digital and analog signals concerned with digital modulation. The matched filters can be substituted with correlators. Each detection device uses a reference threshold value to conclude whether a 1 or 0 is detected. Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) Quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) is both an analog and a digital modulation scheme. It is a modulation scheme in which two sinusoidal carriers, one exactly 90degrees out of phase with respect to the other, which are used to transmit data over a given physical channel. Because the orthogonal carriers occupy the same frequency band and differ by a 90degree phase shift, each can be modulated independently, transmitted over the same frequency band, and separated by demodulation at the receiver. For a given available bandwidth, QAM enables data transmission at twice the rate of standard pulse amplitude modulation (PAM) without any degradation in the bit error rate (BER). QAM and its derivatives are used in both mobile radio and satellite communication systems. The modulated waves are summed, and the resulting waveform is a combination of both phase-shift keying (PSK) and amplitude-shift keying, or in the analog case of phase modulation (PM) and amplitude modulation. In the digital QAM case, a finite number of at least two phases and at least two amplitudes are used. PSK modulators are often designed using the QAM principle, but are not considered as QAM since the amplitude of the modulated carrier signal is constant. In 16 QAM 4 different phases and 4 different amplitudes are used for a total of 16 different symbols. This means such a coding is able to transmit 4bit per second. 64-QAM yields 64 possible signal combinations, with each symbol representing six bits (2^6 = 64). The yield of this complex modulation scheme is that the transmission rate is six times the signaling rate. This modulation format produces a more spectrally efficient transmission. It is more efficient than BPSK, QPSK or 8PSK while QPSK is the same as 4QAM. Another variation is 32QAM. In this case there are six I values and six Q values resulting in a total of 36 possible states (66=36). This is too many states for a power of two (the closest power of two is 32). So the four corner symbol states, which take the most power to transmit, are omitted. This reduces the amount of peak power the transmitter has to generate. Since 25 = 32, there are five bits per symbol and the symbol rate is one fifth of the bit rate. The current practical limits are approximately 256QAM, though work is underway to extend the limits to 512 or 1024 QAM. A 256QAM system uses 16 I-values and 16 Q-values giving 256 possible states. Since 2^8 = 256, each symbol can represent eight bits. A 256QAM signal that can send eight bits per symbol is very spectrally efficient. However, there is some drawbacks, the symbols are very close together and are thus more subject to errors due to noise and distortion. Such a signal may have to be transmitted with extra power (to effectively spread the symbols out more) and this reduces power efficiency as compared to simpler schemes. BPSK uses 80 K symbols-per-second sending 1 bit per symbol. A system using 256QAM sends eight bits per symbol so the symbol rate would be 10 K symbols per second. A 256QAM system enables the same amount of information to be sent as BPSK using only one eighth of the bandwidth. It is eight times more bandwidth efficient. However, there is a drawback too. The radio becomes more complex and is more susceptible to errors caused by noise and distortion. Error rates of higher-order QAM systems such as this degrade more rapidly than QPSK as noise or interference is introduced. A measure of this degradation would be a higher Bit Error Rate (BER). In any digital modulation system, if the input signal is distorted or severely attenuated the receiver will eventually lose symbol clock completely. If the receiver can no longer recover the symbol clock, it cannot demodulate the signal or recover any information. With less degradation, the symbol clock can be recovered, but it is noisy, and the symbol locations themselves are noisy. In some cases, a symbol will fall far enough away from its intended position that it will cross over to an adjacent position. The I and Q level detectors used in the demodulator would misinterpret such a symbol as being in the wrong location, causing bit errors. In the case of QPSK, it is not as efficient, but the states are much farther apart and the system can tolerate a lot more noise before suffering symbol errors. QPSK has no intermediate states between the four corner-symbol locations so there is less opportunity for the demodulator to misinterpret symbols. As a result, QPSK requires less transmitt er power than QAM to achieve the same bit error rate. Implementation of QAM First, the incoming bits are encoded into complex valued symbols. Then, the sequence of symbols is mapped into a complex baseband waveform. For implementation purposes, each complex multiplication above corresponds to 4 real multiplications. Besides, and will be the real and imaginary parts of = + iand assume that the symbols are generated as real and imaginary parts (as opposed to magnitude and phase, for example). After being derived, we will get and. From (1), x (t) becomes. This can be understand as two parallel PAM systems, followed by double-sideband modulation by quadrature carriers and. This realization of QAM is called double-sideband quadrature-carrier (DSB-QC) modulation. A QAM receiver must first demodulate the received waveform y(t). Assuming the scaling and receiver time reference discussed before, this received waveform is assumed to be simply y(t) = x(t) + n(t). Here, it is being understood that there is no noise, so that y(t) is simply the transmitted waveform x(t). The first task of the receiver is to demodulate x(t) back to baseband. This is done by multiplying the received waveform by both and. The two resulting waveforms are each filtered by a filter with impulse response q(t) and then sampled at T spaced intervals. The multiplication by at the receiver moves the positive frequency part of x(t) both up and down in frequency by, and does the same with the negative frequency part. It is assumed throughout that both the transmit pulse p(t) and the receive pulse q(t) are in fact baseband waveforms relative to the carrier frequency (specifically, that and for). Thus the result of multiplying the modulated waveform x(t) by yields a response at baseband and also yields responses around and. The receive filter q(t) then eliminates the double frequency terms. The effect of the multiplication can be seen by both at transmitter and receiver from the following trigonometric identity: Thus the receive filter q(t) in the upper (cosine) part of the demodulator filters the real part of the original baseband waveform, resulting in the output Assuming that the cascade g(t) of the filters p(t) and q(t) is ideal Nyquist, the sampled output retrieves the real part of the original symbols without intersymbol interference. The filter q(t) also rejects the double frequency terms. The multiplication by similarly moves the received waveform to a baseband component plus double carrier frequency terms. The effect of multiplying by at both transmitter and receiver is given by Again, (assuming that p(t) * q(t) is ideal Nyquist) the filter q(t) in the lower (sine) part of the receiver retrieves the imaginary components of the original symbols without intersymbol interference. Finally, from the identity, there is no crosstalk at baseband between the real and imaginary parts of the original symbols. It is important to go through the above argument to realize that the earlier approach of multiplying u(t) by for modulation and then by for demodulation is just a notationally more convenient way of doing the same thing. Working with sines and cosines is much more concrete, but is messier and makes it harder to see the whole picture. Modulation and transmission of QAM In general, the modulated signal can be represented by Where the carrier cos(wct) is said to be amplitude modulated if its amplitude is adjusted in accordance with the modulating signal, and is said to be phase modulated if (t) is varied in accordance with the modulating signal. In QAM the amplitude of the baseband modulating signal is determined by a(t) and the phase by (t). The in phase component I is then given by This signal is then corrupted by the channel. In this case is the AWGN channel. The received signal is then given by Where n(t) represents the AWGN, which has both the in phase and the quadrature component. It is this received signal which will be attempted to demodulate. Reference Fundamentals of Communication SystemsDescription: http://i.cmpnet.com/dspdesignline/2008/07/image046.gif, by John G. Proakis, Masoud Salehi Description: http://i.cmpnet.com/dspdesignline/2008/07/image046.gif Cross-layer resource allocation in wireless communications: techniques and Models from PHY and MAC Layer Interactionby Ana I. Pà ©rez-Niera, Marc Realp Campalans Digital Communication: Third Edition, by John R. Barry, Edward A. Lee, David G. Messerschmit OFDM for wireless multimedia communications by Richard Van Nee, Ramjee Prasad Modern Quadrature Amplitude Modulation by W.T Webb and L.Hanzo Digital Signal Processing in Communication Systems by Marvin E.Frerking COPD: a Clinical Case Study COPD: a Clinical Case Study Jerry Corners Introduction Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is the fifth leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the UK and fourth in the world (Hurd 2000; Soriano 2000). Though other causes exist, like genetics and environmental pollution, tobacco smoke is by far the leading etiology of this disease (Pride 2002). It may seem axiomatic that if cigarette smoking is the cause of COPD, cessation (or avoidance) of smoking is the prevention. However, despite extensive public education, smoking is still common among men and women in the UK and even when people do quit, relapse within the first year is common (Lancaster et al. 2006). Therefore our attention as caregivers needs to be focused upon methods of cessation that produce lasting results. To illustrate the diagnosis, management, both short- and long-term, and what Mike can expect from treatment as reflected in the medical literature, we present the following case. Pathophysiology of COPD COPD is a chronic disease in which decreased airflow is related to airway smooth muscle hypereactivity due to an abnormal inflammatory reaction. Inhalation of tobacco products causes airway remodeling, resulting ultimately in emphysema and chronic bronchitis (Srivastava, Dastidar, Ray 2007). COPD is a complex inflammatory disease that affects both lung airways and lung parenchyma. The modern focus of the pathophysiology of COPD is centered around this inflammation and it is now recognized that systemic inflammation is responsible for many of the extrapulmonary effects of cigarette smoke inhalation (Heaney, Lindsay, McGarvey 2007). The Clinical Case Study Diagnosis Mike is a 54 year old, self-employed grandfather who smokes 40 cigarettes daily. He was recently diagnosed with COPD based on an FEV1 of 66% of predicted (Halpin 2004). According to Halpin (2004), â€Å"There are still no validated severity assessment tools that encompass the multidimensional nature of the disease, and we therefore continue to recommend using FEV1 as a percentage of the predicted as a marker of the severity of airflow obstruction, but acknowledge that this may not reflect the impact of the disease in that individual. We have changed the FEV1 cut off points and these now match those in the updated GOLD and new ATS/ERS guidelines, although the terminology is slightly different: an FEV1 of 50–80% predicted constitutes mild airflow obstruction, 30–49% moderate airflow obstruction, and According to these criteria, Mike has mild airflow obstruction and will be treated accordingly. But no matter what stage he is at or what pharmacologic interventions are prescribed, we are nevertheless obliged to offer this patient access to an effective nicotine cessation program while in hospital. Treatment Acutely, the mainstays of treatment for Mike’s level of disease are inhalation and possibly oral therapy along with pulmonary rehabilitation (Cote Celli 2005;Paz-Diaz et al. 2007). Of course underlying bronchpulmonary infection is treated with appropriate anitmicrobial therapy. Inhalation and Oral Therapy Bronchodilators Of the three classes of bronchodilator therapy, ÃŽ ²-agonists, anticholinergic drugs and methylxanthines, all appear to work by relaxation of the airway smooth muscles, which allows emptying of the lung and increased tidal volume, with an increase in FEV1 with increase in the total lung volume and dyspnea, subjective air-hunger, significantly improved, especially during exercise (Celli Macnee 2004c). Combining short- and long-acting bronchodilators appears to improve lung function better than either alone, and so Mike will be treated with a combination of salbutamol and (albuterol)/ipratropium. There are many other agents that could be used that have shown to be effective in mild disease, such as Mike’s (Celli Macnee 2004b). Corticosteroids Inflammation is often part of the acute phase of COPD exacerbations and therefore part of Mike’s therapy will be inhaled corticosteroids. Many studies have shown that inhaled corticosteroids produce at least some improvement in FEV1 and ventilatory capacity. It is often necessary for a trial of medication to confirm that a given patient will respond to inhaled corticosteroid treatment (Celli Macnee 2004a). Ries ( 2007) claims that inhaled corticosteroids have become the standard of care for patients with COPD, in all phases of severity (Salman et al. 2003). Mike will be offered inhaled corticosteroids. Pulmonary Rehabilitation According to a statement of the American Thoracic Society, â€Å"[Pulmonary rehabilitation is] a multidisciplinary programme of care for patients with chronic respiratory impairment that is individually tailored and designed to optimise physical and social performance and autonomy†. The Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program Exercise Garrod ( 2007) has shown convincing evidence that exercise significantly modifies systemic inflammation, as measured by CRP and IL-6 levels, that plays such an important role in the pathogenesis of COPD. But rather than target just the pulmonary musculature, Sin et al. ( 2007) have suggested that the skeletal muscle dysfunction and reduced exercise tolerance, which are important extrapulmonary manifestations of COPD, could in fact be due to the systemic inflammation that is important in COPD. Therefore, Mike will be placed on a regimen of weight training designed to improve his over all muscle strength. In addition he will be offered aerobic exercise treadmill sessions to improve his exercise tolerance, similar to cardiac rehabilitation (Leon et al. 2005). Nutritional Support General nutritional status is related to COPD severity (Budweiser et al. 2007;Ischaki et al. 2007) and mortality (Felbinger Suchner 2003). The cachexia of COPD is a common sign of end-stage pulmonary disease. Mike has mild disease and would not be expected to be suffering from malnutrition. However, an evaluation by a nutritionist and possible early correction of any deficits are part of his pulmonary rehabilitation. Psychological Support Depression, anxiety, and somatic symptoms are valid indicators of psychological distress in COPD (Hynninen et al. 2005) and quality of life (Arnold et al. 2006), two very important nursing issues. Much of the psychological distress is related to a sense of personal control because the illness, especially in its late stages, is so often accompanied by a feeling of loss of control in one’s life. Mike is still self-employed and with his mild impairment, he is not likely to be feeling these issues, yet. However caregivers need to be acutely aware that his quality of life may depend upon recognition and early intervention in the future (Gudmundsson et al. 2006;Oga et al. 2007). To that end he will have a psychological evaluation while in hospital to screen for depression or anxiety symptoms. Educational Support There are many areas that are very important to Mike as he goes through his pulmonary rehabilitation. In an initial interview, he needs to know what he can and cannot expect from treatment. He needs a person to explain that the damage done so far is not reversible but that there are many treatments available that will allow him to live a good life, if he stops further cigarette use. Issues of promoting a healthy lifestyle, muscle wasting and psychological adjustment are all treatable with information, when it is presented in a sympathetic, firm, supportive atmosphere. Mike needs to know what to expect in the future, if he is able to quit smoking, and if he does not quit smoking. He may not like to hear the truth, but his quality of life will benefit in the years to come from a clear, honest educational program. In addition Mike needs to understand that he may have exacerbations from time to time and that early intervention by his generalist or pulmonologist are mandatory to avoid more serious consequences. Education that stresses the value of a healthy lifestyle, including regular exercise according to the regimen established in hospital, is very important. Also, education can help considerably in preventing the wasting that, though probably not present now, may become important in the future. Smoking Cessation No subject in the COPD literature is more clear than the need for immediate cessation of exposure to all cigarette smoke; and, no subject is more frustrating to caregiver and patient alike, at least in those instances where there is poor compliance with the cigarette smoke proscription. We will explore with Mike some of the recommended strategies to accomplish this sometimes elusive, if vitally necessary goal. Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) A recent article by West, et al. ( 2007) reported a prospective study of NRT that was large (2009 smokers), multicultural, involving smokers from the US, UK, Canada, France, and Spain, and of sufficient duration to render generalizable (â€Å"real world†) results. They concluded that NRT helps smokers’ cessation attempts and long-term abstinence rates. However, the 6% improvement rate was not large and this form of cessation therapy should be reserved for those who have tried and failed other methods or programmes. There are many forms of NRT, including nasal and oral nicotine sprays, gum, and patches of varying dosages, currently on the market, but whether they have significant one-year success rates over counselling is an arguable point in the literature. Since Mike now smokes 40 cigarettes daily, he will be offered the 15mg nicotine patch to help for the initial 20 weeks of cessation. Bupropion Therapy Buproprion is a dopamine agonist that has antidepressant effects but is also marketed as a smoking cessation agent. In a study comparing the nicotine patch with buproprion and controls (counselling only) by Uyar, et al. (Uyar et al. 2007), reported success of 26 % for the nicotine patch, 26% for buproprion, and 16% for counselling-only at the end of 24 weeks. As an interesting aside, they reported that those who had a Beck depression inventory above 13, i.e. were depressed at the onset of the study, were unsuccessful regardless of treatment or control group. However, because of the small numbers of smokers involved, there was no statistically significant difference between these groups. The authors conclude that counselling is as effective for cessation attempts as these pharmacologic treatments, and there are no known side effects of being in a control group. However, other studies (Tonnesen et al. 2003) have shown a significant effect of bupropion over placebo. Internet-Based Assistance Various groups have tried using an interactive website to help smokers stop smoking. Unfortunately they have yet to show significant positive findings. All that can be said about them is that the more often the smoker logs on to the site, the better his chances are that he will be successful (Japuntich et al. 2006;Mermelstein Turner 2006;Pike et al. 2007). Nurse-Conducted Behavioral Intervention In the UK Tonnesen et al. (Tonnesen, Mikkelsen, Bremann 2006) found that a combination of nurse-based counselling in conjunction with NRT in patients with COPD was more effective than placebo at 6 and 12 months. As one can readily imagine, there are a plethora of cessation strategies available to assist people in smoking cessation. However, there is no â€Å"silver bullet†, i.e. one method that fits everybody. It comes down to proper motivation, which we believe is related to education and perhaps other factors. All we can really be sure of is of that those who try, many will be successful, and try, try, again seems to be the best advice we can offer. But the most important lesson we can learn is to prevent use of this harmful and addictive substance in the first place. Teenage smoking prevalence is around 15% in developing countries and around 26% in the UK and US. Studies have shown that those who make it past 20 years of age are much less likely to succumb to this addiction (Grimshaw Stanton 2006). Conclusion Assuming Mike ceases to smoke cigarettes, and given a regimen of exercise appropriate to his physical functioning, and with a detailed and robust COPD rehabilitation programme, his prognosis is excellent. By far the most challenging days are yet to come as Mike begins to feel better and the educational materiel fades from his mind. Many smokers return to their fatal habit within a year. Many, though perhaps not all, could benefit from periodic follow-up sessions with a motivational nurse-counselor. 1902 words not counting references References Arnold, R., Ranchor, A. V., Koeter, G. H., de Jongste, M. J., Wempe, J. B., ten Hacken, N. H., Otten, V., Sanderman, R. 2006, Changes in personal control as a predictor of quality of life after pulmonary rehabilitation, Patient.Educ.Couns., vol. 61, no. 1, pp. 99-108. Budweiser, S., Meyer, K., Jorres, R. A., Heinemann, F., Wild, P. J., Pfeifer, M. 2007, Nutritional depletion and its relationship to respiratory impairment in patients with chronic respiratory failure due to COPD or restrictive thoracic diseases, Eur.J.Clin.Nutr. Celli, B. R. Macnee, W. 2004a, Standards for the diagnosis and treatment of patients with COPD: a summary of the ATS/ERS position paper, Eur.Respir.J., vol. 23, no. 6, pp. 932-946. Celli, B. R. Macnee, W. 2004b, Standards for the diagnosis and treatment of patients with COPD: a summary of the ATS/ERS position paper, Eur.Respir.J., vol. 23, no. 6, pp. 932-946. Celli, B. R. Macnee, W. 2004c, Standards for the diagnosis and treatment of patients with COPD: a summary of the ATS/ERS position paper, Eur.Respir.J., vol. 23, no. 6, pp. 932-946. Cote, C. G. Celli, B. R. 2005, Pulmonary rehabilitation and the BODE index in COPD, Eur.Respir.J., vol. 26, no. 4, pp. 630-636. Felbinger, T. W. Suchner, U. 2003, Nutrition for the malnourished patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: more is better!, Nutrition, vol. 19, no. 5, pp. 471-472. Garrod, R., Ansley, P., Canavan, J., Jewell, A. 2007, Exercise and the inflammatory response in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)Does training confer anti-inflammatory properties in COPD?, Med.Hypotheses, vol. 68, no. 2, pp. 291-298. Grimshaw, G. M. Stanton, A. 2006, Tobacco cessation interventions for young people, Cochrane.Database.Syst.Rev. no. 4, p. CD003289. Gudmundsson, G., Gislason, T., Janson, C., Lindberg, E., Suppli, U. C., Brondum, E., Nieminen, M. 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Medication versus motivation, Saudi.Med.J., vol. 28, no. 6, pp. 922-926. West, R. Zhou, X. 2007, Is nicotine replacement therapy for smoking cessation effective in the real world? Findings from a prospective multinational cohort study, Thorax. Page 1 of 11 Is Power the Same as Violence? Is Power the Same as Violence? Huang Li Introduction For a long time in history, the coercive side that power involves and the destructive results that power rivalry brings have all along depicted power as horrible and deterrent. It has been viewed as closely related to force and violence, or to a large extent very similar. It is only until the time of modern democratic societies that the meaning of power is gradually enriched with the increasing role of rational recognition in power relations. This essay intends to show that power is not the same as violence; it is more than that because of the most fundamental difference: rational recognition. Power is not only composed of coercive force that resembles violence, more importantly it involves the force of social recognition which violence is short of. Power is a mutually regulated communicative process rather than simply exercised by the powerful over the powerless. After identifying some basic differences between power and violence, this essay will focus on the discussion of power and power relations, to explore the major difference between power and violence rational recognition and why it is so. On one hand, it will show that power can create violence and it consists of coercive elements by demonstrating why power is not a one-way event; on the other hand, this essay will proof why power is more of mutual constraint that rational recognition and willingness of acceptance from others can identify power from violence. Scholars like Weber views power as means than ends, backed by violence, threat or inducement; Mann illustrates power as resources that can be occupied; Parsons and Foucault both intend to reconstruct power but still proceed in the realm of violence theory. This essay mostly follows the ideas of Honneth, Arendt, and Habermas, but attempts to avoid another extreme of equalizing power to purely power of rationality or power of consensus through communicative process. It sees power as a combination shaped by both coercive and rational forces, avoiding placing power in the opposite of violence since in history power has been devastating too and violence could be â€Å"an attempt to achieve justice† (Gilligan, 2000, 11). Basic Differences: Power Dependent on Numbers and Violence on Implements Arendt defines power in the context of groups of individuals, as â€Å"the human ability not just to act but to act in concert† (1972, 143). One individual alone does not generate power; power is the aggregate strength of all the individuals in a group. So the exercise of power is preconditioned with numbers. Unlike power, violence does not require numbers or groups in order to be violence. Rather, it depends on implements to â€Å"multiply strength, to a point at which they can replace it† (Arendt, 1972, 145), instead of becoming power. Violence is designed and applied for expanding one’s physical strength that it is totally instrumental and always a means for certain purpose; but power in itself can serve as an end. There is categorical distinction in this sense. Is Power a One-way Event? If violence is not the end, it is a â€Å"blinding rage that speaks through the body† (Gilligan, 2000, 55) and the hope of those who do not possess power. So violence could start from the powerless against the powerful, such as slaves against slave owners, or the ruled against the ruling. Such power relations see those in power as subjects and those under the power objects, to be controlled and manipulated. Power in such a one-way model is pillared by certain condition which is understood as its source. Mann identifies four sources of power: ideology, economy, military and politics (1970, 35) that people who occupy these resources will own power. A society is thus divided into two kinds of people in a one-way power structure. If the will of those in power is not executed, the ruled will be punished, possibly by violence, and they stand up to resist, with violence, for power. It is not difficult to reach the conclusion that in a binary opposition, power and violence can be cause and effect of each other and they are actually two sides of one coin. Derived from the Hobbesian proposition, it should be admitted that power do contain certain aspects of violence, historically or theoretically, when it is understood as something can be possessed like resources. However, what can be relied upon by the ruled class for their struggle if they don’t have any resources at all? In the case of ideology, any interpretation by the powerless will be meaningless and invalid, why would those in power necessitate oppressing and controlling them? Will there be any struggle inside the powerful and the powerless? Power is Mutually Agreed: Rational Recognition of Imbalance Clearly such violence-illustrated power is not the whole picture. Power is more than something can be owned and preserved; it only exists when is â€Å"exercised by some on others† (Foucault, 2003, 126) and will be â€Å"dispersed once the group ceases to exist† (Arendt, 1972, 143). Power is the â€Å"structural feature of human relations† (Elias, 1998, 188). Slaves have power over the slave owner too as long as they are valuable to him; their power depends on the degree to which their owner relies on them; so is the case between parents and children, and teachers and students. In reality, if an individual or group acquires the power to implement self will, such power is not fully discovered if the ruled do not acknowledge it; they do not just accept power, they make certain responses to it based on their own will. So power is not necessarily a unilateral process where one is dominated and controlled by the other; it exists in interdependence and mutual constraint among people with differentiated level of resources; it is both â€Å"pervasive and negotiated† (Gosling, 2007, 3). Not only will power be regulated and negotiated between the ruling and the ruled, but also within themselves. The former power relations are coercive because the power is legitimized by laws, regimes or organizations. The latter may be absent from these elements but power relations and interactions still takes place because some individuals will still tend to persuade and influence others in exchange for recognition of authoritative positions, through knowledge, money and pers onal network, in order to implement one’s own will and better response to such power relations at the â€Å" most micro levels† (michel-foucault.com). In fact, power relations at the micro level are where those power relations between hierarchies originate. At the very micro level, it is to a larger extent the power of rational recognition rather than the power of force that leads to certain power relations. Since interdependence always exists among people regardless of their power positions, power relation is a dynamicequilibrium and mutual power regulation is always there, even in the extreme case of slaves and slave owner. However if the power relations regulated by rational recognition are neglected, those based on them at the macro levels will be shaken. Although power relations are mutually regulated and communicative rational, the degrees of interdependence are different, which lead to unbalanced relationships among the players. In fact, power to some extend is just demonstrated by such imbalance; violence too is demonstrated in kind of imbalance; but power goes further if it is identified different as it means others’ recognition of such imbalance. When the imbalance is maintained in the form of pure coercive force, it is violence; when rational force is included, it starts to turn into power. Under any circumstance, power is the combination of both. Bifacial Nature of Power When examined under Habermas’s context, in the terms of â€Å"facts and norms†, power includes two dimensions as well, described as â€Å"facticity and validity†. The facticity dimension reveals the coercive nature of power that power, in any kind of form, potentially contains coercive forces in realizing goals and excluding all impediments. Such aspect of power is underpinned by violence or the threat of violence which exist as real and concrete facts. The other dimension is validity that refers to power’s tendency of gaining rational recognition from the others. Though the two dimensions coexist in power and so does the tensions between them, they are not always equally demonstrated. In a tyrannic society, power shows more coercive side of its nature whereas the power of rational recognition is more compelling in a democratic society. Violence Does Not Create Power but Destroys It As discussed so far, power involves elements of coercion and it can generate violence. But is it the case the other way around that violence can also produce power? In many scholars’ understanding, violence is viewed as a resource that â€Å"can be mobilized to enforce the compliance of others† (Ray, 2011, 13). Usually exercised by those in power, it creates the ability of an individual or group to achieve their own goals or aims even if others are trying to prevent them from realizing them. Thus violence is naturally seen as a source of power. However, is what one has gained by using violence, or what violence has created, truly power? When a government turns into violence against its own people or a foreign country, or an individual uses violence to acquire what is wanted, it is generally because power in their hand is running out and violence is the last resort. While such a government or individual does not lack means of violence, they are in fact in short of power; to be more accurate, they are lack of recognition of their wills by others. When violence as a resource is utilized against another, it not only consumes the resource itself but also diminishes what little power is left over. Violence is always the choice of the impotent, not the powerful. Viewed in this sense, violence only equals to coercive means regardless of other’s recognitions. It emerges when â€Å"social ensembles are incoherent, fragmented and decadent† (Wieviorka, 2009, 165). Therefore, as violence â€Å"inevitably destroys power, it can never generate power† (Arendt 1972, 152). There is no â€Å"continuity between obedience to command (the enactment of power) and obedience to law (as legitimate authority)† (Ray, 2011, 13). A government that solely relies on violence has no power and â€Å"tyranny is both the least powerful and the most violent form of government† (Arendt, 1972, 140). Reproduction of Power and Violence In the past, power is largely associated with gains of interests, or occupation of social resources like those identified by Michael Mann. In Honneth’s Struggle for Recognition, he reveals the â€Å"force of recognition† behind power. Once this point is taken into consideration, the reproduction of power will no longer be just about violent competition, or rivalry for social resources, rather, the willingness of others to acknowledge and accept. Arendt insists that violence does not give rise to power because she believes that social recognition is missed in violence. When power is taken as a combination of coercive and rational forces, it may be understood as a relationship of mutual recognition among a group of people backed by the potential threats each have for others. Therefore, the reproduction of power naturally includes attempts of occupying as much resources as possible for greater coercive capability; it is indispensible and more important to gain recognition from others. If authoritative coercion is a source of power, it is not the only source. Rational recognition also generates power. So political power is not the potential capability to implement one’s own goals or realize one’s own interests, it relies on those over whom the power is exercised to define what power truly is. The power of a government is conferred through people’s recognition, or in another word, the coercive force of the government is agreed by the people. When applied at the micro level, it can also be stated that the power between individuals does not only arise in the lure of interests or in the constraint of violence, it rests in the one’s recognition of others’ will and authority over oneself. Only when such recognition exists, the will can be implemented without enforcement and power becomes power rather than violence. Right to the contrary, what violence concerned is how one’s own goals are reached through forceful means. Violence is always destructive but never constructive. Terrorist attacks do not increase the power of the terrorists, it grows intimidation and controls; meanwhile it gives the government power to do what it cannot do in the past and to expand its sphere of influence. Violence reinforces state power and makes more violence necessary in order to maintain and reproduce violence. Conclusion When power is perceived under violence theory, man is to be controlled and manipulated, instrumentalized in a subject-object relationship which is all about one trying to dominate the other in struggles for power resources, in order to preserve power and oppress others from grabbing it. Power in that sense equals to violence, which is observed throughout history. While power will fail should it be not supported by forceful and compulsory means, it is not sufficient to have these only. What cannot be overlooked is an â€Å"infinitely complex network of ‘micropowers’, of power relations that permeate every aspect of social life† (Sheridan 1980: 139). Where rational recognition also creates power, power can be compellent but not violent simultaneously. Thus, viewed in a rational context, man becomes a dialogue partner with the coexistence of competition, compromise and cooperation. Mutual regulation and interdependence is the one of the features of such power relationship and mutual understanding and respect is part of the foundation of power reproduction. Recognition of imbalance between people, particularly from those over whom power is exercised, legitimizes power and differentiates it from violence. Power and violence are not the same; the former is more than the latter. Power â€Å"cannot be overthrown and acquired once and for all by the destruction of institutions and the seizure of state apparatuses† (Sheridan 1980: 139). Unlike violence, power is not unitary and its exercise binary; it is interactive; a very important part of power struggle is the rivalry for recognition. In modern democratic societies, the violence aspect of power is decreasing and increasingly giving way to the role of rational recognition in shaping power. The major resources of power is no longer just about military or economy of one’s own capability, it is more about how convincing it is for others to accept, and in the end, how well one’s power is recognized and received by others. Bibliography: Arendt, Hannah, (1972), â€Å"On Violence† inCrises of the Republic, New York: Harcourt Brace Company, pp. 103-184. Elias, Norbert, (1998), â€Å"On Civilization, Power, and Knowledge†, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, chapter 7. 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