WSJ Analysis Number 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

WSJ Analysis Number 3 - Essay Example A small percentage of women report, according to the article, a lower level of interest in sexual practices, but hold a doubt in whether or not such a lack of interest would even be considered a medical condition of sorts. Despite whatever benefits may to be had of the patch, whatever risk factors for illness remain the primary consideration for those who seek to decide whether or not it will get federal approval for public usage. Federal regulators have stated that in order to achieve approval for the public, they would in fact require a larger test study to be done with a great level of participants in order to better assess the level of effects after using the hormone treatment. At the time, Procter and Gamble had yet to say whether or not they would go about getting the approval of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Other related drugs for the use of aiding female sexual behavioral patterns do not seem to be on a path either towards approval by any approving body. For any form of drug to be approved, such agencies are given the task of giving the approval needed for customer consumption and use. In this case, the FDA is placed with the task of approving the drug. Without it, the company is unable to legally market the drug to the public in such a manner. For many men, as well as women, the inability to truly enjoy sexual relations with those who have been chosen can be quite unfortunate. As it is natures way to have a time in life to where women enter the period of menopause, that can in many ways impede upon the truly enjoyable nature that comes from engaging in intimate practices with spouses or lovers. For these, as well as other drugs, the approval of organizations such as the FDA, is very important for many reasons. While crucial for the ability to market them in the first place, they are also important to those who

Security Requirements & Possible Risks Essay Example for Free

Security Requirements Possible Risks Essay Huffman Trucking, an established trucking company since 1936, has recently requested the implementation of a new Benefits Elections System to assist management in tracking and reporting the benefits of both union and non-union employees. A database system will be utilized to store critical data such as employee information, along with the benefit package of their choosing. Storing such information requires necessary security measures to be in place to ensure the total protection of the data within. The risks associated with storing critical information must also be thoroughly addressed so Huffman Trucking can develop effective action plans to prevent potential threats from harming the organization. Regardless of the storage method when handling critical information, security measures must be implemented to effectively protect the data, as well as the company assets from potential threats such as theft or litigation. Security Requirements When it comes to effectively protecting company data, any organization has the great responsibility to identify as well as implement security policies, values, strategies, processes, procedures, and best practices to fully ensure data protection, as well as ensure that organizational goals and objectives are continually being met (Reiner, 2008). The information that will be stored within the Huffman Trucking database will include: employee names, social security numbers, birthdates, etc. The loss of such data can ultimately not only harm the employee, but the organization as a whole. In an effort to reduce and/or eliminate such risks, security requirements for the Benefits Elections System should include: firewall security, encryption, and password protection and renewal. Firewall security is an absolute necessary security requirement to effectively protect the database from malicious attacks such as hackers. Firewall security refers to a network device that will block certain types of network traffic, forming a barricade between a trusted and an untrusted network (â€Å"Dell†, 2013). The purpose of this security measure is to prevent the spread of computer attacks by blocking access to information from unauthorized sources. Due to the amount of sensitive data that will be stored within the system, it is recommended that the firewalls should be configured to support the default-deny policy, in which the allowed network services are listed, and everything else is denied (â€Å"Dell†, 2013). The use of encryption will also enhance the security of the information that will be stored within the Benefits Elections System. Encryption is a simple security measure that will distort the information contained within an employee file so that it can be viewed only by the authorized users who have the proper encryption key to decipher it. Much like firewall security, it will block unauthorized users from accessing confidential information by making the data impossible to view. Password protection and renewal are crucial security measures that must be enforced by Huffman Trucking to ensure the protection of data stored within the Benefits Elections System. Authorized users should protect their passwords at all costs; unprotected passwords leave critical data vulnerable to access by unauthorized users. Recommendations to ensure a password is protected include: * Password length: A password should always be at least eight characters long. * Complexity: Make a password as complex as possible by using a variety of letters, numbers, symbols and punctuations. The more complex the password, the better protected it is. * Variation: Change a password at least every three months, if not more. * Variety: Use different passwords for different accounts. Never use the same password for everything. * Confidentiality: Never share or write down a password. Writing down or sharing a password leaves critical data vulnerable in ways that most people can never imagine. The ability of an organization to renew passwords frequently is a significant step towards enhanced data protection (Brown, 2010). To enhance the effectiveness of password renewal, system users should not have the ability to use previous passwords when renewing the current ones. Implementing password renewal on the Benefits Elections System will ensure security measures are continually enforced, especially in the event that if an unauthorized user were to gain access to the system, the password would only be good for a specific length of time before it will be changed. Possible Risks â€Å"Risk† is a term that most people, as well as organizations, are familiar with. Risk can be defined as the probability of any possible threat turning into a disaster, which is why significant measures are often taken to reduce and/or eliminate such possibilities. By utilizing a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats), Huffman Trucking can effectively determine the vulnerabilities associated with implementing a Benefits Elections System, and develop action plans to correct the vulnerabilities to prevent the risks from becoming reality. Several risks are often associated with the implementation of a new system, however, the main risks that must be considered by Huffman Trucking include: database corruption, human error, and hacking and other malicious attacks. Database corruption is likely the most common cause of data loss within an information system (Mulvey, 2006). Database corruption damages the database and impairs functionality. Memory errors, network errors, power glitches, PC crashing when the database is open are all examples of incidences that can lead to database corruption. Data corruption is unfortunately inevitable; however, there are several practices that can be done to avoid such a threat. These practices include, but are not limited to: * Ensuring the network is set up properly. * Running Scandisk and Defrag often to ensure hard disk functionality. * Refraining from using databases during thunderstorms to avoid power glitches. * Ensuring the database is implemented correctly, and is ready to be utilized by all system users. Human error is perhaps one of the biggest threats that can lead to data corruption. It is important to keep in mind that the greater the number of system users of the Benefits Elections System, the more chances there are for crucial information to be leaked or mishandled. Taking the proper precautions to safeguard the data (this should include a thorough training after system implementation) to ensure the information is appropriately handled at all times is vital to the well-being of both the employees, as well as the organization. Given the amount of sensitive information that will be stored within the Benefits Elections System, it is obvious that Huffman Trucking must be aware that cyber-criminals will try to gain access to such data should it be left unprotected. Breaking into information systems for malicious intent is something that has made security what it is today: thorough and inflexible. Hackers are smart nowadays; they can make use of a number of tools and techniques to grant them access to information, which can have damaging effects on the victim(s). The possibilities of what a cyber-criminal will do once he or she has access to sensitive information are endless; however, one thing is for sure: the victim(s) could virtually lose everything. Without the proper security measures that were previously mentioned in place, the Benefits Elections System will be vulnerable to hackers and other malicious attacks. Thoroughly examining the potential risks with the implementation of any information system will allow an organization to effectively develop action plans and enforce the necessary security measures required to reduce and/or eliminate such risks. A thorough and effective risk analysis will demonstrate how firewall security, encryption, and password protection can reduce the risks of database corruption and malicious attacks. Like any information system, the Benefits Elections System will prove to be vulnerable to potential threats if not protected at all costs. References Brown, T. (2010). Protecting Organizations’ Most Critical Data with Privileged Password Management. New York, NY: Auerbach Publications . Dell. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.secureworks.com/resources/articles/other_articles/firewall-security/ Mulvey, A. (2006). QA Database Corruption. Retrieved from

Carpe Diem in Poetry :: Poem Poetry

The Latin term carpe diem is a descriptive word for literature that presses readers to "seize the moment." It mainly tries to pursue a woman or women that they have true physical beauty and should take advantage of their good looks now before time will take a toll on them. The word carpe diem puts impact on examples of both poems of, "To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time" by Robert Herrick, and "To His Coy Mistress" by Andrew Marvell. Herrick's poem, "To The Virgins, to Make Much of Time," portrays carpe diem by citing the shortness of life and persuading young women to marry and enjoy the life of youth at its advantage before death takes its turn. In the poem "To His Coy Mistress", Marvell consist more traits of carpe diem by persuading a certain woman in being his wife. He uses examples of time and age diminishing her beauty and youth and will leave her with nothing left. They both compare to each other by making the most of each moment before old age and beauty disappears. Herrick's "To The Virgins, to Make Much of Time" fits the meaning of carpe diem by encouraging the beauty of youth and life itself. His calm and moralizing detachment from the personal environment pursues his own view of time and life. Then not be coy but use your time, And, while ye may, go marry: For having lost but once your prime You may forever tarry.

The Most Influence People in Your Life

Ms Edwina, my co-worker, who is an accounting clerk at San Fernando Valley Community Mental Health Center, is the most influential person in my life because she has always supported me and given me hope. In fact, accepted to work as a payroll clerk with no accounting background and with my terrible English, I felt very stressful in learning a lot of new things at the same time, and I had no confidence in communicating with other people. Things did not improve, and I totally fell apart and wanted to give up after five months of working there.Fortunately, that was when Ms Edwina, my co-worker, who is an accounting clerk at San Fernando Valley Community Mental Health Center, is the most influential person in my life because she has always supported me and given me hope. In fact, accepted to work as a payroll clerk with no accounting background and with my terrible English, I felt very stressful in learning a lot of new things at the same time, and I had no confidence in communicating wi th other people. Things did not improve, and I totally fell apart and wanted to give up after five months of working there.Fortunately, that was when Ms. Edwina came back to work from her medical leave. The first time we met at work, I was immediately impressed with her brightly broad smile. Before long, when talking about the work I had been doing, she took her time to thoroughly explain to me about things I should understand like the workflows, and then she carefully taught me what I did not know how to handle. Since then, I have felt more and more confident and comfortable when working with her.Despite of her health problem, breast cancer, Ms. Edwina has always enjoyed her life fully, and devoted much of her time and effort to her job. More importantly, I soon learned that she was the most optimistic, encouraging and confident woman that I had ever known. I still remember the morning when I hopelessly sat at my desk crying bitterly after being yelled at by my boss only about a jo b I had not done very well. Frankly, I just wanted to quit the job right there and then. Again, luckily, Ms.Edwina came, gave me a big hug and calmly but friendly said to me, â€Å"Anh, life is not about never falling, but about the courage to get up strong again. As human beings, we all make mistakes but we must never lose hope. † Thanks to her, I finally could have the courage to go on with my challenging job every day. Better still, thanks to her, I do have hope for a better future, and I am now already working better, feeling better, and even living a better life. Ms. Edwina is truly the best teacher and friend in my life.

Social Science Study Guide

Study Guide: Intro to Social Sciences Anthropology: * How culture contributes to the make-up of humanity * Science of people (origin, classification, distribution, races, physical character, culture) * Emphasis on cultural relativity, in-depth examination of context and cross-cultural comparisons * Anthropologists: Ruth Benedict, Margaret Mead * Both quantitative and qualitative methods of research * Fields: Biological/physical anthropology, Sociocultural anthropology, archaeology, anthropological linguistics Sociology: Studies the actions of members within a specific society * How people organize themselves in groups, institutions and associations * Fields: Demography, criminology, gender studies, social stratification * Sociologists: Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, Talcott Parsons, George H. Mead * Both quantitative and qualitative research methods Psychology: * Science of mental processes of a group/individual * Used in counselling to business * Fields: Developmental psychology, abnorm al psychology, clinical psychology, social psychology, organization psychology, cognitive psychology, personality, neuroscience. Psychologists: Sigmund Freud, Ivan Pavlov, B. F. Skinner, Albert Bandura, John B Watson Sociology * One area of society affects another directly or indirectly * Ideology of society influences marriage, economics, love, freedom, politics * Sociologists seek to make sense of the beliefs and values of the personalities interacting within the complex society that is continually being recreated. KARL MARX (1818-1883) * Study society using a scientific method to try to predict social outcomes (Marxist theory) * Production is essential for the advancement of society A few individuals will control the majority of the resources and production * Conflict in his theory: division of social class one person’s status is elevated while other workers are forced to make money. * Labour Theory of Value: human productive power will be exploited in order to maximize pr ofits for the bourgeois. * Proletariat produces goods valued at more than they are being paid rich getting richer. * Money is the driving force in our society * Businesses are exploiters, cannot see positive nature of the bourgeois TALCOTT PARSONS (Structural Functionalism) * As much as things change they stay the same Believed society will create structures within itself that will help with its basic functioning requirements * Our society will work to achieve a homeostasis where equilibrium is achieved * Every aspect of society contributes to the successful function of another aspect. (Relies on each other) * When a system breaks down, it is necessary for other components in society to take over or assist the malfunctioning social structure. * Ex: Legal system * Structural functionalism: Does NOT look at social change; deals with the maintenance of a society (seeks normality, equilibrium).GEORGE H. MEAD (Symbolic Interactionism) * Symbolic interactionism: Focuses on how humans inte rpret (define) each other’s actions. Their response is based on the meaning which they attach to such actions (not the actions directly). * Individuals learn and react from interactions within a society. * People influence their surroundings and shape the development of a society. * Society shapes the individual as he/she is shaping the society. * Analyses from the â€Å"standpoint of communication as essential to the social order†, not individual psychology. FEMINISM Liberal Feminists: Examine social institutions, equal access to increase women’s influence on society. * Radical Feminists: Focus on the exploitation of women. Seek to change the patriarchal social structure through complete structural changes. * Marxist Feminists: Focus on women’s labour being underpaid. * Social Feminists: Focus on the overthrow of the capitalism; believe it is the root problem of inequality of sexes. Fields Demography * Demography is the scientific study of human populati ons-their size, composition and distribution across an area. * Fertility, mortality, and migration.These three processes influence how people inhabit the earth, form nations and societies, and how they develop culture. Criminology * Criminology is the study of the criminal justice system and the law enforcement from a social and individual perspective. * Focuses on the behaviour which may have caused the criminal to violate a law, and seeks its influences, whether it is psychological, social or cultural. Gender Studies * Gender studies seeks to analyse gender identity and gendered representation in the fields of psychology, political science, sociology, media studies, human development etc. Gender studies investigates the physical and biological gender differences between sexes, nationality etc. Psychology * Study of human behaviour. * Examines actions, responses, how someone reacts under specific conditions, how this individual affects society. SIGMUND FREUD * Creator of psychoanal ysis * Human behaviour is driven by desires and the suppression of these desires. * Mind has three areas: Conscious, Preconscious, Unconscious * Personality is motived by drives= Id (part of the unconscious mind) * Superego= socially conscious of all decisions Ego= mediator between Id and Superego * Too much Id= not worry about social responsibilities; engage in dangers, breaking social rules. * Too much Superego= too uptight, too worried about social expectations and rules * Freud view human development as progressing through stages of development where the main conflict deals with an erogenous zone of the body. * Human development is understood in terms of changing focuses of sexual desire. B. F SKINNER (Operant Conditioning) * Interested in outward behaviour; believed that our personality develops because of external events. He used a rat experiment to show the idea of positive reinforcement; praise for good behaviour has the highest chance for producing long-term behaviour chang e. * Humans develop their behaviours due to a set of rewards that promote activities being repeated and reinforced. * Skinner believes that Operant Conditioning is good tool to promote an individual to make changes in their behaviour. IVAN PAVLOV (Classical Conditioning) * He wanted to see how the mind could be conditioned to make the body respond to the possibility of an event occurring. * Ex: Salivation reaction of a dog to a meat powder ERIK ERIKSON (development stages table) Believed that at a certain stage of someone’s life there are tasks (milestones) to achieve in order to have a healthy development. * Unlike Freud, he believed that a person can pass through a stage and not get â€Å"stuck† at a certain level of psychological development. Fields Developmental psychology: Developmental psychology is the science of studying developmental growth in humans over the course of their life span-from conception until death. Neuroscience: Neuroscience psychology is an int erdisciplinary field which applies the knowledge and study of the nervous system, including the brain, spinal cord and networks of sensory nerve cells.Abnormal psychology (deviance): Abnormal psychology is the branch of psychology that studies deviant (unusual) behaviour, emotion and thought. Personality psychology: Personality psychology is a branch of psychology that strives to determine how different personality traits and tendencies influence our thoughts, behaviour and actions and makes each human unique. Clinical psychology: Clinical psychology is a branch of psychology which applies scientific, theoretic and clinical knowledge in order to assess, prevent, predict and to treat abnormal behaviour, ysfunction or mental disorders in order to improve the individual’s well-being and personal growth. Social psychology: Social psychology is the study of individuals’ thoughts, feelings and behaviour and how they perceive and influence others. Organizational psychology: O rganizational psychology is the scientific study of employees, workplaces and businesses. Cognitive psychology: Cognitive psychology is a branch of psychology which studies the mental processes including how people learn, remember, think, perceive and solve problems. Anthropology * Science of studying people and their culture. Anthropologists pose important questions concerning the continuation of poverty, racism, violence, and social inequality around the world. FUNCTIONALISM (Margaret Mead) * Understanding how social institutions fill social needs. * Every custom or practice in society provides a form of stability for the entire system. * All aspects of a society—institutions, roles, norms, etc. —serve a purpose and that all are indispensable for the long-term survival of the society. * Having established laws, customs, and agreed upon practices provides a sense of predictability and stability within a society. In order to understand a society, researchers must under stand the function of social institutions and their respective contributions to the stability to their society. * A critique of functionalism is that all institutions are considered to provide stability, when this is not the case. * Ex: The presence of family violence produces instability in the culture with a difference in power among the different sexes. STRUCTURALISM * Reinforcement of a norm or a value increases the acceptance of the practice within a given society. * Cultures, viewed as systems, are analyzed in terms of the structural relations among their elements. Structuralists believe that meaning is produced and reproduced within a culture through activities and various practices that show their significance. * For example, North American society values the concept of romantic love and close friendship. This social idea is reinforced through media and national celebrations. Ex Valentine’s Day. * Different societies' institutions reinforce different values. Fields Bi ological/physical anthropology: Biological anthropologists seek to understand how humans have evolved and what affect that has had on our behaviour.Sociocultural anthropology: Sociocultural anthropology examines social patterns and practices by studying and comparing human societies across the world. Archaeology: Archaeology is the study of past people, cultures, and civilizations through the analysis of material remain, ranging from artefacts and evidence of past environments to architecture. Linguistic Anthropology: Linguistics is the study of languages; how they are formed, evolved, and how it has interacted and contributed to a culture.

Henry VIII †English Literature Essay (100 Level Course)

Henry VIII – English Literature Essay (100 Level Course) Free Online Research Papers Henry VIII was the ideal Renaissance monarch, since he was scholar, poet, musician and sportsman. He had a securer title to the throne than his father,who had fought a war to win it. He also had more wealth than his predecessors. England did not, however, have the power of France or Spain; Henry’s aim, therefore, was to maintain the balance of power between the great two European nations for as long as possible. The most important event of this period was the breach with Rome, which took place under Henry VIII, although the causes of the rupture may be traced to previous centuries. The anticlericalism widespread among the English had already appeared in the long and tragic quarrel between Henry II and Thomas Becket in the 12th century. In addition to this, the teaching of Wycliffe, the Lollard movement and reading the Bible had produced a great number of laymen able to think for themselves and deny the absolute authority of the Church in questions of doc trine and morality. Many English people respected religion, but disliked clerical dominance, as the higher clergy extorted money in many ways and were often immoral and corrupt. Research Papers on Henry VIII - English Literature Essay (100 Level Course)Mind TravelAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoAppeasement Policy Towards the Outbreak of World War 2The Effects of Illegal ImmigrationCanaanite Influence on the Early Israelite ReligionQuebec and CanadaStandardized TestingPETSTEL analysis of IndiaWhere Wild and West Meet

New Growth theory VS Neoclassical Theory essays

New Growth theory VS Neoclassical Theory essays It is quit apparent to the human m ind that the va rious countries instituted around the world have experienced a great deal of economical instability since the formation of independent nations. Unfortunately, until this very day, there is still the existence of poor countries that have yet to converge on the level of economical development mastered by wealthier countries. This problem of national economic hardship, diseasing numerous nations, has ultimately caused many economical and political ideologies to be formulated as an attempt to remedy this common case ofnational disease? that has been around for several years. In other words, many theories have been attained by several intellectuals that have aimed at presenting a possibility of global economic equilibrium. One such theory, the neoclassical economic theory, essentially predicts that if labor and capital intensive products are moderately traded within poor and wealthy nations, the economically deprived countries will ev entually converge on the rich countries level of development thus having worldwide economic equilibrium. However, intense evidence suggests that such process can not be undertaken because, as current national economies depict, some economically disadvantaged countries are just not apt to strengthen their weaknesses due to the mechanisms of their government. The ideology of the neoclassical economic theory has been discredited by many recent intellectuals who essentially consider this theory to be a mere attempt of gaining worldwideeconomical utopia.? Scholars such as Paul Romer and Robert Lucas have recently exposed their own ideology regarding economic growth, which has basically made up for the shortfalls of the neoclassical approach to growth. In the following paragraphs, I will initially introduce the general principles of the neoclassical economic theory and its supposed attempt of converging poor countries to the more economically wealthier count...

A Student Lesson Plan for Writing Story Problems

A Student Lesson Plan for Writing Story Problems This lesson gives students practice with story problems by teaching them how to write their own and solve the problems of their classmates. The plan is designed for third-grade students. It requires 45 minutes and additional class periods. Objective Students will use addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division to write and solve story problems. Common Core Standard  Met This lesson plan satisfies the following Common Core standard in the Operations and Algebraic Thinking category  and the Representing  and Solving Problems Involving Multiplication and Division subcategory. This lesson meets standard 3.OA.3:  Use multiplication and division within 100 to solve word problems in situations involving equal groups, arrays, and measurement quantities, e.g., by using drawings and equations with a symbol for the unknown number to represent the problem. Materials White paperColoring pencils or crayonsPencil Key Terms Story problemsSentencesAdditionSubtractionMultiplicationDivision Lesson Introduction If your class uses a textbook, choose a story problem from a recent chapter and invite students to come up and solve it. Mention to them that with their imaginations, they could write much better problems, and will do so in todays lesson. Instruction Tell students that the learning target for this lesson is to be able to write interesting and challenging story problems for their classmates to solve.Model one problem for them, using their input. Begin by asking for two student names to use in the problem. Desiree and Sam will be our examples.What are Desiree and Sam doing? Going to the pool? Getting lunch at a restaurant? Going grocery shopping? Have the students set the scene as you record the information.Bring the math in when they decide what is going on in the story. If Desiree and Sam are getting lunch in a restaurant, maybe they want four pieces of pizza, and each piece is $3.00. If they are grocery shopping, maybe they want six apples at $1.00 each, or  two boxes of crackers at $3.50 each.Once the students have discussed their scenarios, model how to write a question as an  equation. In the above example, if you want to find the total cost of the food, you may write 4 pieces of pizza X $3.00 X, where X represents the t otal cost of the food. Give students time to experiment with these problems. Its very common for them to create an excellent scenario, but then make mistakes in the equation. Continue working on these until they are able to create their own and solve the problems that their classmates create. Assessment For homework, ask students to write their own story problem. For extra credit, or just for fun, ask students to involve family members and get everyone at home to write a problem, too. Share as a class the next day- its fun when the parents get involved. Evaluation The evaluation for this lesson can and should be ongoing. Keep these story problems bound in a three-ring binder in a learning center. Continue adding to it as students write more and more complex problems. Make copies of the story problems every so often, and collect these documents in a student portfolio. The problems are sure to show the students growth over time.

Developing and producing a visual project that reflects effective Essay

Developing and producing a visual project that reflects effective visual communication - Essay Example In this paper, I will reflect on the effectiveness of charts and graphs, shapes and color, cartoons and illustrations in visual communication. The ability to convince an audience is the main factor that determines the effectiveness of communication. According to Moriarty (1997), seeing promotes believing. This indicates that people tend to believe what they see than what they hear. I also found out that people would tend to remember more of what they saw than what they heard. Charts and graphs transform complex information into a form that an ordinary person can comprehend (Moriarty, 1997). It is also notable that most people are not conversant with numbers and figures. A graphical representation of a numerical figure or a chart representing a certain fraction or a percentage will have a greater impact on the audience than actual numbers or figures. In such cases, the effectiveness of the communication will depend on the ability of the audience to interpreter different information presented in a chart or a graph. The complexity of a chart or a graph determines the ability of the audience to grasp the intended message. I al so realized that the complexity of a graph or a chart depends on the size of various components in relation to their intended representation. Colors work hand in hand with shapes to enhance effectiveness in visual communication. Colors determine shapes and the attitude of an audience towards visual communication. Unlike other approaches to visual communication, colors have a psychological impact on the audience (Lester, 2006). I established that people have certain aspect or phenomenon that they associate with certain colors. Predetermination of a message based on the audience interpretation of different colors is the main fault in this approach. Assumptions made by various audiences on particular color make the audience to be less flexible to any alteration or the message passed through colors. I have also realized that in most

Economic Development Project (EDP) Research Paper

Economic Development Project (EDP) - Research Paper Example Due to lack of a single definition of economic development that incorporates all its aspects, it is basically defined in terms of its objectives. As a process, it is understood as an influence on growth with the aim of enhancing the community’s economic good (Ezeala-Harrison, 1996) . Development in the economy incorporates three major areas in any community or country namely; policies that the government undertakes to meet the economy objectives which may include inflation control, employment and having sustainable growth. It also includes programs and policies that are put in place to offer services such as building roads, recreational facilities and provision of medical facilities to the disadvantaged groups in the society. It also takes into account policies and programs that are directed towards improving the business community climate through the right efforts of finance, marketing, business retention, technology transfer and real estate development (Nafziger, 2006). Addi tionally, economic development is often associated with a number of measures which include: an increase in real GNP is an important measure as it indicates the growth development of a country and may be achieved through rapid industrialization. Increase in real per capita income is also an important measure of and usually is indicated by improved standards of living in a particular country. A rise in the general well being of citizens in a particular country is also an important measure of economic development. An increase in the well being of people in normally reflected through an increase in production and consumption of goods and services. Other diverse indicators of economic development in a particular economy may include :increase in income from agricultural activities ,increase in per capital consumption of energy ,increased degree of urbanization and population levels and infant mortality that are not too high (Arndt, 2009). Generally, the main goal of economic development i s therefore the improvement of the economic well being of a community through efforts by the government that maximize on job creation and job retention, taxation structures that favor the quality of life and government incentives to support marginalized groups in the society. Additionally, communities differ in terms of their geographic and the political strengths and weakness thus posing a major difference in their economic development. Each country therefore has a different level of economic development policies, level of economic development and the strengths and weaknesses. In this project I will look at the economic development in Eritrea and Guyana which are develpimg economies (Galbraith, 2004). Relevant characteristics It is an Eastern African country which lies on the Red Sea coastline. Eritrea is bordered by Sudan in West, Ethiopia in South and Djibouti on its South East. Eritrea as a country shares maritime borders with Saudi Arabia and Yemen. The Asmara city is found in the North Western side of the Eritrea highlands. Other major cities are Assab, Kerren, Massawa, Afabet, Tessenie, Mendefera , dekemahre and Barentu. Eritrea has a population of six million persons consisting of Tigrinya -55%, Tigre -30% with the remaining being composed of small ethnic groups. Its Afro-Asiatic population is also divided in

UK economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

UK economy - Essay Example Before the period of the 1960s the participation of women in the workforce was quite low and even those who were a part of the workforce were discriminated against. During the period of 1946 only 25% of the females who aged more than 30 years old were provided full time employment and 29% of them were provided part time employment (Odriscoll, 2008). By the period of 1958, the figure of fulltime employed women increased to 37% and part time employed females increased to 32% (Odriscoll, 2008). Furthermore, by the period of 1970, the number of full-time employed females who aged more than 30 increased to 51% and part-time employed females decreased to 23%. Due to these discriminatory practices as well as low partition in workforce, the women in Britain started protesting for equal rights during the period of 1996. As a result of continuous protests and hard work, the women in Britain were awarded with equal status or equal rights in workforce and employment under the Equality Act of 201 0. The act states that all individuals of Britain are to be treated equally and are not to be discriminated against. After the period of World War II that ended during the period of 1945, the economy of Britain has several times faced recession and due to this they have even experienced higher rates of unemployment. This is mainly because the exports of the nation have declined. The decline in exports has resulted in badly damaging the local industries such as the textile and the coal mining industries. These industries experienced a set back and various firms operating in these industries came to an end. On the other hand there have been increase in the demand of the services and this has led to flourishing service sector. The service sector businesses that have experienced growth in Britain include the banking and the insurance sector. After the 1970s the unemployment rate of Britain continued to increase and organizations were experiencing several problems with the trade

W8-IP Project Portfolio management and Project Plan Assignment

W8-IP Project Portfolio management and Project Plan - Assignment Example Frozen Food Company was established to respond to opportunity of a unique and healthy market. The aim of this report is to develop and implement the processes for project portfolio management in the Frozen Food Company. This would allow the company to select the projects that yield maximum profit and are best aligned with the business strategy. The funded projects would enhance the company’s mission of providing the nutritious food to its customers and increasing the living standards of the society. The company also aims at reduction of pollution to maintain and sustain a safe environment both for customers and its employees. 1. Introduction Frozen Food Company, a multi-national company specializing in frozen foods, cereals and tin packed foods, is organized into various strategic business units that are aligned with the corporate business strategy of the company in a fast moving consumer goods sector. The company is maintaining its operations globally with mission of â€Å"c hange and innovation† and has the strategy to develop a new range of products ahead of time before the competitors. The company also aims at reduction of pollution to maintain and sustain a safe environment both for customers and its employees. Frozen Food Company can achieve this through the creation of an effective project portfolio and strategic business units (Kerzner 2010). This study would be conducted in one of the strategic business units of the company to create an effective project portfolio. 2. Aim and Objectives Selection of the right project aligned with the business strategy is an important aspect of the business from the view point of profitability. No organization has unlimited resources and thus it becomes crucial to manage its scarce for optimal utilization to achieve maximum benefit from the operations of its strategic business units. In the given problem scenario, it is essential to analyze the projects and select the most appropriate to create an effective portfolio that is aligned with organizational strategy and maximizes the profitability through optimal utilization of resources (Kerzner 2010) and is the aim of this report. 3. Scope of the Project This project focuses on measuring how the firm will increase its shareholders growth through evaluating the revenue growth, expectations, operating margin and asset efficiency. Focus on the SBU known as Frozen Food Company that specialized in Vegetables & Chicken Cutlets, Chicken Nuggets, Parathas, Chicken Rolls, French Fries and Burger Patties. This scope will be limited in order to focus on the objectives effectively. Following activites would be the part of this project report Recognizing portfolios available in the company Selecting a portfolio Managing the portfolio The above activities will be carried out using the

Managing Change Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Managing Change - Research Paper Example Of the factors marked with an * rank them and identify which represent a threat and which an opportunity. 3) Page 6.1 p99 of text (Think of an occasion in the past three years when the organ. recognised the need for change in good time, and think of another time when it failed to do so. List the factors which may have contributed to these different outcomes. (Factors that contributed to the recognition for the need for change and factors that contributed to the failure to recognise the need for change (Table) Reflect on your unit's past record for recognising the need for change. Note anything that you or others could do to help ensure that in the future your unit or organisation will be more alert to the need for change. (Notes) The company chosen for analysis is VTech. It is, to use their own words, "one of the world's largest suppliers of corded and cordless telephones" (TEL) "and a leading supplier of electronic learning products" (ELP's). "It also provides highly sought-after contract manufacturing services" (CMS). "Founded in 1976, the Group's mission is to be the most cost-effective designer and manufacturer of innovative high quality consumer electronics products and to distribute them to markets worldwide in the most efficient manner." (Results FY 2007) It may be noted that VTech has made several changes in the past five years (2001-02 to 2006-07), some on its own, and some in response to environmental stimuli. It must however be noted that none of these changes are transformational in nature. This is not to deny the major changes that have occurred. But even the major changes may be classified as 'incremental' because there has been no change in the basic structure of the Company. (Hayes, ch1, pp15-17) Q2 Current Nature of the External Environment faced by VTech Political 1) Hong Kong (HK) where VTech is located was a British Colony, which has reverted to China in 1997. 2) HK has a unique history of being politically close to both China and the West.* Economic 3) HK can retain its economic independence from China for 50 years after 1997*. 4) VTech has access to cheaper labour in China, where it has located some of its production facilities.* 5) HK, like China and Japan, has a unique set up of manufacturing of an imitative nature, where it competitively produces the same products made by the West. Some of VTech's products also fall into this category. Technological 6) Technological changes in the telecom sector have been rather fast* Socio-Cultural 7) The age at which people start using hand phones is getting lower. Even children use these phones* Linkages PI, P2, E3 and E4 are linked directly or positively.E5 and T6 are indirectly or negatively linked. Quick technological changes make it difficult to come out with good imitations. Besides, tightening of patent laws to include products and not only processes, make it more difficult to 'imitate'. T6 and S7 are also positively linked. A decrease in the age of users could speed up technological changes to meet the demands of the new clientele. Classification of Factors Vital for VTech's Survival into Threats and Opportunities. Threats

W8-IP Project Portfolio management and Project Plan Assignment

W8-IP Project Portfolio management and Project Plan - Assignment Example Frozen Food Company was established to respond to opportunity of a unique and healthy market. The aim of this report is to develop and implement the processes for project portfolio management in the Frozen Food Company. This would allow the company to select the projects that yield maximum profit and are best aligned with the business strategy. The funded projects would enhance the company’s mission of providing the nutritious food to its customers and increasing the living standards of the society. The company also aims at reduction of pollution to maintain and sustain a safe environment both for customers and its employees. 1. Introduction Frozen Food Company, a multi-national company specializing in frozen foods, cereals and tin packed foods, is organized into various strategic business units that are aligned with the corporate business strategy of the company in a fast moving consumer goods sector. The company is maintaining its operations globally with mission of â€Å"c hange and innovation† and has the strategy to develop a new range of products ahead of time before the competitors. The company also aims at reduction of pollution to maintain and sustain a safe environment both for customers and its employees. Frozen Food Company can achieve this through the creation of an effective project portfolio and strategic business units (Kerzner 2010). This study would be conducted in one of the strategic business units of the company to create an effective project portfolio. 2. Aim and Objectives Selection of the right project aligned with the business strategy is an important aspect of the business from the view point of profitability. No organization has unlimited resources and thus it becomes crucial to manage its scarce for optimal utilization to achieve maximum benefit from the operations of its strategic business units. In the given problem scenario, it is essential to analyze the projects and select the most appropriate to create an effective portfolio that is aligned with organizational strategy and maximizes the profitability through optimal utilization of resources (Kerzner 2010) and is the aim of this report. 3. Scope of the Project This project focuses on measuring how the firm will increase its shareholders growth through evaluating the revenue growth, expectations, operating margin and asset efficiency. Focus on the SBU known as Frozen Food Company that specialized in Vegetables & Chicken Cutlets, Chicken Nuggets, Parathas, Chicken Rolls, French Fries and Burger Patties. This scope will be limited in order to focus on the objectives effectively. Following activites would be the part of this project report Recognizing portfolios available in the company Selecting a portfolio Managing the portfolio The above activities will be carried out using the

Reflection paper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Reflection paper - Assignment Example sation with the other group members. I was thrilled and excited at the start but with the passage of time, it became hard when I had to conduct meetings with other group members without hearing their voices or looking at their faces. The discussion topic revolved around â€Å"Feminism and Pop Culture.† This topic was created from the chapter 13 of the book â€Å"Feminism and Pop Culture† written by â€Å"Andi Zeisler.† I agree the fact that women are using what they have to their advantage like Madonna and other rock stars. Over the period of time, pop culture has portrayed women as sexual objects and with the passage of time, it has adopted the worst shapes than ever. At the time of creating this topic, I was all focused to read and discuss more about that why women are always projected as â€Å"feast for eyes† in all pop videos and songs and not as â€Å"element of respect† or â€Å"exemplary models† through these videos. I would say that we should not blame any other person but the female singers themselves have projected their womanhood as a â€Å"symbol of sex appeal† in the media. From Madonna to Brittany Spears and from Christina Aguilera to Miley Cyrus; al l women have projected their beauty on the screen through their songs in a negative way. They have influenced a huge number of teenage girls in a negative manner. I was very nervous before my discussion went live. My team did not response to my invitation for chat. When met on the chat for the first time, I was the one who initiated the chat with all the group members and involved each one of them into the discussion. My team members appreciated my efforts but what disappointed me most was the involvement and interest of the members in the discussion thread. They just reviewed and approved my work without commenting or giving their opinions on the work I did. I completed the discussion topic. I was bit nervous and at the same time, I was little upset with the work as well. I had no idea that whatever the work

Web 2. 0 technologies Essay Example for Free

Web 2. 0 technologies Essay The next portion of the interview focuses on the perception of students of being aware of this aspect. According to the results of the survey, 24 out of 6 educators are aware of students doing this. In addition to what was mentioned above, 20 out of 30 educators believe that this should be encouraged and 10 educators believe that this kind of technology should be separated from educational learning tools and should be solely for non-academic purposes. For the 20 that had expressed interest in encouraging Web 2. 0 applications into education, ten out of the 20 believe that it should be mandatory to all aspects of education and should be inserted into the academic curriculum. Five (5) believe that the utilization of Web 2. 0 technologies should be naturally included into the curriculum meaning that these tools should neither be constricted nor be pushed into utilization, rather it should be left to be incorporated into the curriculum all by itself. The last 5 indicated a variety of methods in order to encourage the use of Web 2. 0 technologies. When asked with the question on whether or not academic content should be delivered using Web 2. 0 technologies, 23 or 77% of the total number of respondents indicated that Web 2. 0 technologies would be a useful tool in delivering academic content from educators towards students. On the other hand, 13% (7 respondents) believed that it would be better to utilize the older, more accustomed, tools for information dissemination in order to project the desired image to the students and the stakeholders of the business venture. When asked if there is an existing overlap with the VLE that you used in the institution they are in, fifteen (15) out of the 30 indicated no recognized overlap, eight (8) indicated that there is no overlap while seven (7) believed that there is a overlap between Web 2. 0 technologies and the kind of VLE used. Because of the seeming trend with respect to the enthusiasm and openness of educators in using Web 2. 0 technologies, the next focus of the interview was set on Web 2. 0 tools being integrated with VLEs. Out of the thirty respondents, twenty-five (25) had indicated that they wanted to integrate VLEs with Web 2. 0 tools and five (5) had disagreed with the proposed integration. Most of the five (5) educators were from the seven people that believed there is an overlap between the two tools. The third part of the study focused on how they had perceived Web 2. 0 technologies as being part of the assessment process. The first part of the interview focused on Web 2. 0 technologies as part of the assessment purpose, the interview solicited how the interviewees perceived Web 2. 0 tools as an assessment tool. Generally speaking, most of the respondents to the interview indicated that they believe that currently, Web 2. 0 technologies used as a means of being able to assess is still very young rather it is still in its infancy stage. Though they believe that it would be step forward for the educational setting, there is still a need for further verification for such a move and should be tested if the students can adapt to such a change. Wikis was cited as one potential for teachers to evaluate the effectiveness of students in being able to collaborate with their partners in group work. Most of the educators indicated that they would rather evaluate students using the old method of educational teaching however they would be amenable of such as a move as to include Web 2. 0 applications into the curriculum and use it for checking and teaching. On the other hand, they had noted that it would be useful to check items in Web 2. 0 applications that are actually their cornerstone or the reason for their being – pictures in photoblogs such as flickr and video assignments in Youtube. When given the opportunity to explain very briefly each Web 2. 0 technology, the opinions of each educator as to how they can use these tools were solicited. For the first part of this section, blogs was the first application to be tackled. Based on the discussion, the educators generally indicated that they can utilize blogs as a mean of generating discussions among the students. With blogs having the capacity to take in comments and views via posting on certain topics, educators can then start up discussion on a particular topic and solicit the opinion of the class. Educators can then assess the views of the students by being able to review the comments of the students on that particular topic because of the capacity of blogs to retain inputs from users. The second tool is Wikis. Educators that were interviewed viewed wikis can be used in assessing the capability of the members in being able to collaborate and create singular information or a single document. This can then be used as a means of being able to assess how the students can cope with team effort and the output of such collaborative efforts. Social networks on the other hand can be used both by students and educators as well as a means to identify connections and networks that within communities that can be used by the students in order to determine people that have the necessary information for the teachings imposed by the students. Lastly, focus was given on video and photo sharing sites. Although this is relatively a new technology that would be used in sharing video and photo information between students, it is believed all these sites can be used in order to support all the learning motives for students and educators as well. Essentially the element of being able to share information particularly videos and photos is necessary are inherent in all sites. In addition to this, educators that were part of the group interviewed had already seen a video sharing site and they believe that due to the existing trends, video sharing networks will be able to further thrive and the educators believe that this will entail a positive effect on the way students are able to learn and how educators are able to teach.

KFC Leadership Style | Analysis

KFC Leadership Style | Analysis Employees never work along in the organizations, there must be some kind of teamwork involve in the working process, both formal and informal. Leadership acts as an important factor that strongly influences employees performance, motivation and attitude. It has been argued that differences between success and failure, whether in business, war or football, leadership is largely attributable to success. 1.1 Definition Of Literature Review A literature review is defined as target to show important facts regarding approaches on a topic in the methodological method. It also means they are not primary sources because it is not original or new work. 1.2 Definition Of Leadership Leadership is become very much on every managers mind today in organizations. Originations are struggling due to the increasingly dynamic environment. As the challenges of leading and managing increase, leaders of organizations need to understand process, skills and knowledge to perform leader functions effectively. 1.3 Definition Of Motivation Motivation is the willingness to exert high levels of effort to reach organizational goals, conditioned by the efforts ability to satisfy some individual need (Belasen Frank, 2008). Motivating employees are one of the continual challenges of managerial behaviour, that are also managers fundamental reasons for engaging in various activities and work. 1.4 Introduction Of KFC Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), as we all know is one of the popular fast food outlets worldwide with the theme Its finger lickin good. The first KFC outlet in Malaysia was opened on 1st January 1973 at Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman, Kuala Lumpur. Today there are more than 390 KFC outlets nationwide and are still counting. Great tasting chicken has become synonymous with KFC and has been enjoyed by Malaysians ever since. The KFC we will be talking about is in Nilai, Negeri Sembilan. 2.0 Literature Review 2.1 Defining Leadership Leadership can be defined as the process whereby one individual influence other group members towards attaining defined group or organizational goals (Orlando, 2008). More important, successful organizations need effective leadership, who are capable of increasing an organizations employee motivation; in turn improve the overall performance and organizational productivity (Richard, 2007). In addition, Drucker in his The Leader of the Future sums up leadership as The only definition of a leader is someone who has followers. It is said that many of the worlds best leaders do not have the integrity as well as certain values which wont be discussed in the modern days. In my opinion, leadership is different from management. Managers have subordinates which are below them while leaders have people who follow them. Managers will normally utilize their position of power in order to do things. In the process of work, managers orders his or her employees while they will follow because of the reward given which is the minimum of their salary. Looking at the other way round, leaders gives up their authoritarian control, due to their followers which follows them in a voluntary way. 2.2 Leadership Theories Terry (2000) has highlighted that leadership is an influence relationship between leaders and followers who intend real changes and outcomes that reflect their shared purposes. Block (2002) has noted that as a process, leadership is, ideally the use of non-coercive influence to shape the groups or organizations goals, motivate behavior towards the achievement of those goals and help define group or organizational culture. Effective Leadership Russell, (2000) defined effective leader as those leaders who are able to improve organization productivities, in turn develop distinctive competitive advantages for organizations. In other words, effective leaders usually have an inspiring vision; they will try to form a group of people to work as a team, making them into a powerful team which utilizes as a competitive advantage. Effective leaders know how to make people function according to what they are good at, and how to motivate them to excel their performance. Leaders need to understand the balance technique in any individual team members quest with the objective of creating synergy. Leaders need his or her members in their team to forego the goal for the individual best coherent with the effort of the whole team. 2.3 Leadership Style Autocratic vs. Democratic vs. Laissez-faire leadership style Taggart (1989) defined that, broad classification of leadership style consists of authoritarian (or autocratic) style, democratic style and laissez-faire (genuine) style. The definition of autocratic style is: It is where the focus of power is with the manager, and all interactions within the group move towards the manager. The manager alone exercises decision-making and authority for determining policy, procedures for achieving goals. Work tasks and relationships, control of rewards or punishments. Kotter (1990) expressed Democratic leadership style takes wishes and suggestions of employees into consideration. It is more a human relations approach, in which all members of the group are seen as equal, and they are all important contributors to the final decision. Laissez-faire leadership style involves limited control or influence of leaders over his or her group members. A member is given a goal and mostly left alone to decide how to achieve it. The leaders function as one of the group member, and he only provide direction and suggestions when necessary. Task Orientation and People Oriented Leader Behavior Another way of looking at different leadership styles is in terms of dimension of leader behavior. As early as 1950s, a large body of research at University of Michigan and Ohio State University suggested that leaders differ greatly along the dimensions; at the high end of two dimensions is task orientation versus people orientation. Task Orientation leader behavior is more concern about the production and primarily focus on getting the job done. Whereas the People Orientation leader behavior reflects how much a leader is concerned for the people around him, providing support and encouragement for them. There is no hundred percent right or wrong in using which leader behavior, it depends on the situation and organizations nature business. 2.4 Situational Factors Path-goal Theory Different organization has different business environment, we must take the situational factors into the consideration to analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of the leadership. Bartram Casimir (2007) cited in Houses path-goal theory argued that the primary function of a leaders job is to coach and guide workers to choose the best path for reaching their goals, in the mean time to make valued rewards available in the work place. In short, the leader should clearly know the paths to achieve goals. As showed in the path-goal framework, the path-goal theory contends that employees tend to listen to leaders who are play an helping role in their works, in other words, effective leaders clarifying what employees need to do to get to where they should be, and they help the employees to do so. Moreover, Stone Russell (2004) argued that the theory suggests job satisfaction, motivation, and actual performance are enhanced. In addition, path-goal theory also states four types of leadership behaviors to help their employees accomplishing tasks. (1) Directive leadership, which is an approach focused on providing specific guide and on planning work rules and schedules. (2) The supportive leadership mainly focuses on build good relations with employees and fulfills their needs and wants. (3) The participative leadership, whereby the leader allow employees to get involved in the decision making process. (4) The achievement oriented leadership is talking about the company leader who sets challenges and expects employees improve performances. Furthermore, the environmental characteristics include three factors like task structure, authority system and work group. Directive leadership style does not match with high task structure. It is not necessarily for leaders to repeatedly tell employees the requirement of some routine works. The authority system is another important characteristic that will affect the leadership styles. The higher degree of formality the less effective of employees performances will show. Source: House, R.J. Mitchell, T.R. 1994, Path-goal theory of leadership, Journal of Contemporary Business, vol. 3, pp. 21-36. 3.0 Conclusion and Recommendation In sum, developing an effective leadership in organizations is the most essential, yet the most difficult tasks for organization management. Great leadership is the combinations of individual traits, leading skills and of course the situational contexts. As we have discussed above, effective leadership is require both intrapersonal and interpersonal skills. The intrapersonal skills are of paramount important, as it is logical and obvious that success or great leader all start from within. Only with personal inside strong desire to excel, passion, enthusiasm, determination, commitment, faith and effective personal values can a person become a true leader for others. A great leader among the people always starts as a great leader of his own. Then, interpersonal skills come into place, where the ability and skills to network, communicate and interact with the other people come into place. The effective leaders can guide companies through many different channels. Because of this, it is i mportant to know which leadership qualities motivate employees the best. Throughout the analysis and evaluation, there have been many leadership style theories identified. As we have found that, the autocratic leadership style has gone out of fashion in recent years, though certain situations, such as emergencies situations. Therefore, effective leaders must adjust the leadership style to various situations. In that sense, there is no one leadership style is appropriate for every occasion or situation. The most effective style to use depends upon the situation and whether the group members are willing and able to take on the responsibility. To be effective as a leader, its important to know your group in terms of knowledge, ability, desire and willingness, and be ready to adapt your style to suit the dynamic environment. An important task in the coming years will be the training and testing of future leaders. Further more, organizations have to have a bigger picture of long term success, that is strengthening leadership competencies will improve organizational effectiveness. When subordinates trusted their leaders leadership, and they deem it is equitable for them to obtain satisfactory rewards and outcomes when they made the greatest efforts. Therefore, effective leadership leads to a positive motivation and motivated employees will satisfy the customers of the organizations. In a long-term, it will help organization creating or maintaining a sustainable organizational competitive advantage. References Svensson, G Wood, G. (2007). Sustainable leadership ethics: a continuous and iterative process. Retrieved on March 10, 2010, from: http://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/ViewContentServlet?contentType=ArticleHYPERLINK http://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/ViewContentServlet?contentType=ArticleFilename=Published/EmeraldFullTextArticle/Articles/0220280304.htmlHYPERLINK http://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/ViewContentServlet?contentType=ArticleFilename=Published/EmeraldFullTextArticle/Articles/0220280304.htmlFilename=Published/EmeraldFullTextArticle/Articles/0220280304.html Belasen, A Frank, N. (2008). Competing values leadership: quadrant roles and personality traits. 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Retrieved on March 10, 2010, from: http://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/ViewContentServlet?contentType=ArticleHYPERLINK http://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/ViewContentServlet?contentType=ArticleFilename=Published/EmeraldFullTextArticle/Articles/0220270205.htmlHYPERLINK http://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/ViewContentServlet?contentType=ArticleFilename=Published/EmeraldFullTextArticle/Articles/0220270205.htmlFilename=Published/EmeraldFullTextArticle/Articles/0220270205.html Orlando J. (2008). The formulation of a leadership development praxis: linking intentions to outcomes. Retrieved on March 10, 2010, from: http://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/ViewContentServlet?contentType=ArticleHYPERLINK http://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/ViewContentServlet?contentType=ArticleFilename=Published/EmeraldFullTextArticle/Articles/0220290604.htmlHYPERLINK http://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/ViewContentServlet?contentType=ArticleFilename=Published/EmeraldFullTextArticle/Articles/0220290604.htmlFilename=Published/EmeraldFullTextArticle/Articles/0220290604.html Bartram, T Casimir, G. (2007). The relationship between leadership and follower in-role performance and satisfaction with the leader. 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Retrieved on March 10, 2010, from: http://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/ViewContentServlet?contentType=ArticleHYPERLINK http://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/ViewContentServlet?contentType=ArticleFilename=Published/EmeraldFullTextArticle/Articles/0220210401.htmlHYPERLINK http://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/ViewContentServlet?contentType=ArticleFilename=Published/EmeraldFullTextArticle/Articles/0220210401.htmlFilename=Published/EmeraldFullTextArticle/Articles/0220210401.html Block, L. (2002). The leadership-culture connection: an exploratory investigation. 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Retrieved on March 10, 2010, from: http://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/ViewContentServlet?contentType=ArticleHYPERLINK http://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/ViewContentServlet?contentType=ArticleFilename=Published/EmeraldFullTextArticle/Articles/0220220204.htmlHYPERLINK http://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/ViewContentServlet?contentType=ArticleFilename=Published/EmeraldFullTextArticle/Articles/0220220204.htmlFilename=Published/EmeraldFullTextArticle/Articles/0220220204.html Taggart, J. 1989, Motivation and Leadership: For Executive Members, Managers, Committee Chairs, Factsheet: Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food, No.89-178. Kotter, J 1990, A force for Change: How leadership differs from management, Free Press, New York. House, R.J. Mitchell, T.R. 1994, Path-goal theory of leadership, Journal of Contemporary Business, vol. 3, pp. 21-36.

The Franciscan Complex :: Essays Papers

The Franciscan Complex Introduction The Franciscan Terrane of central California represents an accretionary complex formed by long-term subduction of an oceanic plate under the Western margin of the North American craton. The Franciscan complex is composed of three distinguishable belts: the eastern belt (Yolla Bolly and Pickett Peak terranes), the central belt, and the coastal belt. Age and metamorphic grade of the belts decreases to the west (Blake and Jones, 1981). Formation of the accretionary complex began during the late Jurassic in the eastern belt and has continued into the Miocene along the western coastal belt. The complex trends NNW and is bounded by the San Andreas Fault to the east and by the coastal range fault to the west. The coast range fault separates the Franciscan complex with the partly coeval Great Valley sequence. Debate exists over the tectonic evolution of the Franciscan, centered around the geographic origin of the Franciscan rock units. Characterization of the Three Belts The coastal belt of the Franciscan Complex is composed of the youngest and least deformed units and makes up the western quarter of all Franciscan rocks. The rocks of the coastal belt are composed of arkosic sandstones, andesitic graywackes, and quartzofeldspathic graywackes interbedded with radiolarian chert (turbidite deposits) (Blake and Jones, 1981). These sedimentary rocks suggest a depositional environment of deep-sea fan systems with both oceanic and continental provenance. Parts of the belt show evidence of later metamorphism, principally due to subduction. Low-grade blueschist mineral facies are indicated by the presence of minerals such as laumonite and prehnite-pumpellyite (Blake and Jones, 1981). All rock units show evidence of thrust (imbricate) faulting due to the compressional forces of subduction. Ages of the coastal belt run from as little as 40 Ma (Eocene) to as old as 100 Ma (middle Cretaceous). The central belt of the Franciscan Complex represents older and more metamorphosed units of rock best characterized as a melange. Blocks of graywacke, greenstone, chert, limestone, and blueschists are sheared and thrust upon one another in a choatic mix (Isozaki and Blake, 1994). In contrast to the coastal belt, metamorphism is higher in grade here and dominated by pumpellyite which formed within the matrix of graywacke (Hagstrum and Murchey, 1993). The mixing of these units makes a stratigraphic subdivision difficult but analysis of the graywacke slabs indicates that the depositional environment was also deep sea, near to the continent. Turbidity currents in this environment deposited much of the sediment in both the coastal and central belts.

Anxiety, stress and burnout in nursing Essay

Anxiety, stress and burnout in nursing is a significant issue, which affects many nurses during their professional career (McVicar, 2003). Graduate nurses transitioning from university education to a hospital setting face additional causes of stress and new challenges at this time and require accommodating measures such as a supportive work environment (Chang & Hancock, 2003). At present the nation is experiencing a severe nursing shortage that is impacting greatly on the work conditions of nurses that remain (Chang & Hancock, 2003). In this critical appraisal stress and burnout will be defined, as will all major terms throughout this paper. The author will discuss the critical nursing shortage and describe the symptoms of stress and burnout. Causes of burnout and stress will be discussed in relation to the graduate and experienced nurse. The author will present and discuss stress and burnout prevention strategies. Throughout this essay empirical evidence will be used to demonstrate validity of concepts. A literature search was conducted using computerized databases that were searched over the time period 2003-2008 and included Academic Search Premier, psycINFO, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection, EJS E-Journals Database, Professional Development Collection, Medline, Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition, Health Source: Consumer Edition and Cinahl. Key words searched included burnout, nursing, anxiety, stress, shortage, graduate, and strategies. Stress is thought to be connected to an individual’s response to specific demands, if the individual assesses the demand as beyond their resources this generates a stress response (Clancy & McVicar, 2002, as cited in McVicar, 2003). Stress responses include variation in an individual’s biochemical, physiological and behavioural processes (Billter-Koponen & Freden, 2005). According to McVicar (2003) the ability of the individual to handle the stress response is dependent on specific experiences, coping mechanisms and the environment where demands are produced. Stress is usually part of a larger problem and is noted as the first phase of a ‘chronic process’ (Gillespie & Melby, 2003). If severe stress and anxiety persist without interventions being implemented this may lead to burnout, which is typically characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and reduced personal accomplishment (Maslach & Jackson, 1986 as cited in Chang &  Hancock, 2003). Chang, Daly & Hancock et al., (2006) suggests that stress from work reduces the quality of work environment, job satisfaction, psychological wellbeing and physical health on nurses. Since stress has been identified as prevalent in nursing there have been various research studies discussing the causes and impacts of stress (Billter-Koponen & Freden, 2005). As well as the effects of work place stress on nurses, there is the larger issue of the consequences for the health care system, with many nurses finding the only way to cure burnout is leaving the workforce, this is further impacting the serious shortage of nurses world wide (Chang et al., 2005; Edwards and Burnard, 2003 as cited in Chang, Bidwell & Huntington, 2007). A literature review of stress in nursing by Chang, Hancock & Johnson et., 2005 commented that currently the severe shortage of nurses in Australia is the largest since World War II and reports that by 2010, there will be a shortage of approximately 40, 000 nurses (RMIT University, 2003 as cited in Chang, Hancock & Johnson et al., 2005). A report by AIHW (2005), found that the nursing work force has persisted to age, with the average age of nurses increasing from 42.2 years old in 2001 to 45.1 years old in 2005 and the amount of working nurses aged over 50 years has increased from 24.4% to 35.8%. The older population of nurses will eventually be leaving the profession in years to come when the shortage of nurses is at its worst, this will further compound the issue (Janiszewski Goodin, 2003). The Australian government has responded to the issue of an aging workforce by encouraging older nurses to continue with further study and actively discouraging them from retiring (Wickett, McCutcheon & Long, 2003). After many years of decline of enrolments to tertiary nursing courses there has been a considerable influx of applicants, this is thought to be created by the governments increasing media campaigns to generate interest in nursing as a career, however, the boost in enrolments does not necessarily solve the nursing shortage as the larger issues of why retention of nurses has not been successful have not been addressed and media campaigns could almost been seen as a ‘band-aid’ covering up the larger problems (Wickett, McCutcheon & Long, 2003). The nursing shortage has seen many ‘unskilled’ workers entering the aged care sector as a ‘substitution’ of registered  nurses; currently the aged care system is overwhelmed with demand and †˜patient complexity’ (Wickett, McCutcheon & Long, 2003). Duffield & O’Brien-Pallas (2002, as cited in Wickett, McCutcheon & Long, 2003) suggest three main reasons for the growing nursing shortage, these include, personal issues that pertain to stress, burnout and an inadequacy of balance in their personal lives. Secondly Duffield & O’Brien-Pallas (2002, as cited in (Wickett, McCutcheon & Long, 2003) cite organizational and management issues, which relate to workplace violence, either verbal or physical between patients or staff, as issues of concern in retention of nurses as well as professional issues with dissatisfaction stemming from the ability of the nurse to provide quality of care in circumstances of high demand (Chang, Hancock & Johnson, 2005; Wickett, McCutcheon & Long, 2003). These unresolved problems contributing to the nursing shortage emphasize the urgency of studying the nursing profession and environment so that the sustainability of the health care system can continue (Chang, Hancock & Johnson, 2005). There are multiple symptoms of anxiety and burnout, as noted, prolonged stress and anxiety can result in burnout. Physical effects of stress include persistently elevated arterial blood pressure, indigestion, constipation or diarrhoea and weight gain or loss (McVicar, 2003). In cases of severe prolonged stress physical effects can progress to clinical hypertension, gastric disorders, nausea, fatigue, headaches and exacerbated symptoms of asthma (McVicar, 2003; Billter-Koponen & Freden, 2005). The possible cause of fatigue in severe stress and anxiety is high levels of cortisol, which is a hormone that can be produced in excess when a person is stressed leading to cortisol affecting sleep patterns and resulting in sleep difficulties (Billter-Koponen & Freden, 2005). According to Hugo (2002, as cited from Billter-Koponen & Freden, 2005) symptoms of stress in European countries are rising, in 2003 over 5,000 nurses in Sweden were sick for over 30 days with approximately 40% of the diagn osis for the long-term absence from work being emotional exhaustion (burnout), the 2003 statistics were reported to have increased by 20% from the previous year. Billter-Koponen & Freden (2005) suggests that the larger proportion of demands for nurses are psychologically related and in turn this creates more psychological  disturbances than physical symptoms. The three core elements of burnout; emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and reduced personal accomplishment can produce various psychological effects. Emotional exhaustion may occur when the nurse experiences the inability to function professionally at a psychological level, the symptoms may include depression, sleep disturbances and the inability to control emotions (Maslach et al., 1996 p.4 as cited in Gillespie & Melby, 2003; Patrick & Lavery, 2007). A nurse who develops depersonalization may have feelings of irritability, anger and a general negative attitude towards clients, according to Leiter (1993, as cited in Patrick & Lavery, 2007) depersonalization transpires from a need to create distance from the work that is emotionally draining (Maslach et al 1996 p.4. as cited in Pa trick & Lavery, 2007; Chang & Hancock, 2003). Reduced personal accomplishment can create feelings of inadequacy, self-doubt, low self-esteem and the predisposition to view their level of skill and care negatively (Chang & Hancock, 2003; Patrick & Lavery, 2007). These symptoms are especially worrying as they can reduce quality of care and decrease patient satisfaction (Janssen et al ., 1999; Garrett & McDaniel, 2001 as cited in Chang & Hancock, 2003). It is generally accepted that nurses who are excessively stressed or experiencing burnout typically have poor job satisfaction, high absenteeism rates and many nurses contemplate leaving the profession altogether (Larson, 1987; Callaghan & Field, 1991 as cited in Chang & Hancock, 2003). A qualitative study by Billter-Koponen & Freden (2005) interviewed nurses about their own experiences regarding work place anxiety, stress and burnout, the nurses commented they felt ‘powerless’ to avoid burnout and had inadequate time or energy to take on patient demands. The nursing profession involves demands beyond clinical technical skills, teamwork and constant care of patients; the role of nursing requires a high level of ‘emotional labour’, which can lead to many complex causes of stress and burnout (Phillips, 1996 as cited in McVicar, 2003). Gillespie & Melby (2003) found that the length of shifts and shift patterns, which included night duty contributed to emotional exhaustion, personal relationship problems, difficulty concentrating and fatigue. Similarly, Efinger et al., (1995 as cited in McVicar, 2003) reported shift work as  having a negative influence on social and personal aspects of the nurses’ lives, it was also mentioned that night shift work was particularly draining in terms of physical health and disrupted family life. Furthermore a study by Chang, Daly & Hancock et al., (2006) consisting of 320 randomly selected Australian registered nurses who were listed on the New South Wales registration board database found that workload was the most common source of stress with indications that high workload negatively affected the mental health of nurses. Chang, Daly & Hancock et al., (2006) also comment on the legal requirements of providing a safe work place in which workers are not under excessive stress, which is affecting their mental health. However, a study by Patrick & Lavery ( 2007) based on a random sample of 574 division 1 Victorian Australian Nursing Federation members were surveyed on burnout in nursing stated that hours worked by nurses have a weak correlation with emotional exhaustion. Yet it could be argued that these results are not a true indication of full-time nurses feelings as 65.73% of the participants worked part-time or casual nursing roles with the average amount of hours that nurses worked in this study being 32.17 hours, which amounts to a ‘lower average’ than full time work (Patrick & Lavery, 2007). A cross-sectional study by Spooner-Lane & Patton (2007) found that nurses who worked full-time experienced higher levels of emotional exhaustion compared to part-time or casually working nurses. Increases in workload exist in other areas such as recent updating of technology, extra responsibilities, paper work and increasing staff shortages (Chang & Hancock, 2003). A study by Gillespie & Melby (2003) that consisted of a triangulated research design, which incorporates both qualitative and quantitative methods as well as using questionnaires, focus groups and interviews found that staff shortages were cited numerous times as a significant cause of anxiety and stress. The nurses specifically identified the use of agency staff as a concern as many nurses expressed the issue of spending valuable time assisting agency staff in locating equipment and explaining the way that particular ward operated (Gillespie & Melby, 2003). A nurse that was interviewed in Billter-Koponen & Freden’s (2005) study reported trying to bridge the gap of time lost from extra demands by coming in early, working through meal breaks, and staying back to work longer. Nurses interviewed in  Gillespie & Melby’s (2003) study also stated that ‘junior nurses’ were forced to take on roles beyond their experience. A focus group by the Australian Governmen t further reports levels of growth in turnover and the increased amount of more acute patients as a source of stress due to staff levels remaining stagnant while demands escalate (Chang & Hancock, 2003). Considering levels of demand are high and staff levels are not increasing as well as substituting agency staff or pressuring junior staff to meet senior roles these pressures would certainly contribute to anxiety, stress and potentially, burnout. Role ambiguity can be described as insufficient information about specific responsibilities and roles that a nurse must undertake (Chang & Hancock, 2003). Role ambiguity can occur in the form of objective ambiguity, which arises from ‘lack’ of information for that particular role, and subjective ambiguity, which is associated with the ‘social’ and ‘psychological’ features of ‘role performance’ (Kahn et al., 1964, as cited in Chang & Hancock, 2003). Chang & Hancock (2003) conducted a qualitative study of 110 tertiary nursing graduates from 13 institutions across New South Wales, Australia who work in one of four teaching hospitals about role stress in graduate nurses, the participants were surveyed during 2-3 months of working and then again between 10-11 months. Chang & Hancock (2003) reported the graduates experienced role ambiguity within the first few months of working and this continued throughout the 12 months as well as being a contributor to lower job satisfaction. However, Chang & Hancock’s (2003) study was limited due to the use of self-reporting by the graduates, which is subjective and not objective data. Patrick & Lavery (2007) suggests role ambiguity is an extra stressor as graduates endeavor to fulfill their expected roles whilst experiencing new challenges. Role overload typically occurs whilst graduates are learning time management skills and learning new roles (McVicar, 2003). Chang & Daly (2001, as cited in Chang & Hancock, 2003) identify that role overload can intensify the effects of role ambiguity. Chang & Hancock (2003) found that role overload became a larger contributor to stress than role ambiguity in nursing graduates after 10-11 months of working. Gillespie & Melby (2003) notes a significant difficulty for graduate nurses  as they transition into a hospital environment as opposed to learning at university, this ‘gap’ between skills learned in theory within university education and the ability of realistic demands within the hospital environment could present additional stress on the graduate nurse. Madjar et al., (1997 as cited in Chang & Hancock, 2003) describes this as the ‘theory-practice gap’, which causes a clash between personal standards and own values (Jasper, 1996; Reutter et al., 1997 as cited in Chang & Hancock, 2003). Patrick & Lavery’s (2007) study supports this ‘theory-practice gap’ and goes on to further state that nurses who acquired their nursing degree at a university have higher levels of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization than hospital-trained nurses. Graduate nurses also report low levels of confidence, lack of support, unrealistic expectations of other clinical staff, unexpected work situations, adjusting to shift work and the increase in responsibility as added sources of stress (Chang & Hancock, 2003; Kelly, 1998 as cited in Chang, Hancock & Johnson et al., 2005; Patrick & Lavery, 2007). Allenach & Jennings (1990, as cited in Chang & Hancock, 2003) explain that stress from these new challenges includes anxiety. It could be assumed that normal stressors that affect all nurses regardless of age and experience affect graduate nurses as well as other specific experience- related stressors. Patrick & Lavery (2007) found that age and experience was negatively associated with burnout, suggesting that young and inexperienced nurses have a higher rate of burnout compared to older and more experienced workers. This finding is consistent with Spooner-Lane & Patton’s (2007) study of 273 nursing staff, which reported age as a signif icant indicator of burnout. Jackson et al., (2002, as cited in Chang, Hancock & Johnson et al., 2005) suggest nurses are at risk of workplace violence in the forms of verbal or physical violence from their patients, relatives and staff. Participants from Chang, Daly & Hancock’s et al., (2006) study completed four different questionnaires regarding workplace stressors and findings suggested workplace conflict between nurses and physicians was a significant cause of stress. According to Ball et al., (2002, as cited in McVicar, 2003) conflict between staff has become a more important issue throughout the previous 10  years. Due to the nature of nurses’ work where patients’ emotions are highly sensitive, as they may be scared or have a higher expectation of required care than they are receiving, nurses can be venerable to violence and research by Carter (2000, as cited in Chang, Hancock & Johnson et al., 2005) comments workplace assault is more common for nurses than any other health professi onals. The consequences of workplace violence are increased levels of anxiety, high levels of sick leave, lower levels of job satisfaction, burnout and lower retention rates (Jackson et al., 2002 as cited in Chang, Hancock & Johnson et al., 2005; RCN, 2000 as cited in Gelsema & Van Der Doef et al., 2006). The flexibility of working hours and shift patterns was a significant cause of stress for nurses, it would be safe to assume that greater flexibility in working hours could possibly reduce stress, assist nurses in achieving a more balanced life as they contend with family and other personal pressures. Strategies to achieve greater flexibility in working hours will require a concentrated effort by management and staff to achieve ‘equity’ when allocating shifts and empowering nursing staff to have preferences regarding overtime and in particular, night shift (McVicar, 2003). The workload of nursing is consistently reported to lead to an increase in anxiety, stress and burnout, therefore lowering workload would be a reasonable intervention, however workload is a complex issue which includes determinants that can be influenced by the individual or organization in which they work (Gelsema & Van Der Doef et al., 2006). The main issue that needs to be addressed is to ensure staffing levels are sufficient for that particular setting, this would greatly reduce pressures relating to patient care and reduce the incidence of staff working outside of their roles (McVicar, 2003). Other measures such as time management skills and delegation skills may further assist in reducing workload pressures. Hayhurst, Saylor & Stuenkel (2005) recommends further research into workload pressures that are associated with specific specialty areas so that programs can be implemented to target the needs of that specialty. In Chang & Hancock’s (2003) study of role stress and role ambiguity in  Australian nursing graduates it was noted that graduates experienced a high level of role ambiguity in their transition from university to the workplace. A study by Mrayyan & Acorn (2004) assessed nursing students to determine causes of burnout and invited students to suggest solutions to stressors affecting burnout. The nursing students highlighted role ambiguity as a contributor to stress and suggested a comprehensive update of job descriptions that included the scope of practice, skills and experience needed, explanation of knowledge required and a regular assessment if changes of the job expectations change. Greenwood (2000. as cited in Chang, Hancock & Johnson et al., 2005) reported that preceptor programs, orientation programs, ‘open communication’, and staff development considerably aids graduates transition and experience of role ambiguity throughout the year. Violence in the workplace in the form of verbal abuse from other colleagues is a negative experience for nurses and is the cause of significant amounts of anxiety and stress Chang, Daly & Hancock et al., 2006). McVicar (2003) suggests that conflict with staff is the responsibility of management, nurses and all other professionals. Tourangeau & Cranley (2006) advise that relationships with co-workers have a potential influence on the retention of nurses and suggests further strategies, which include praise and recognition of co-workers as well as team building strategies that increase social interaction. A qualitative study by Abuairub (2004) surveyed 303 nurses from various locations throughout the world on the effect of social support from co-workers in which, participants who ‘perceived’ having additional social support from co-workers reported lower levels of stress. Abuairub (2004) comments that extra social support from co-workers may assist in creating a more friendly and pleasurable working environment as well as nurses feeling they could call on co-workers for assistance. Graduate nurses would benefit from social support as they are constantly challenged and require guidance from all staff. Chang, Daly & Hancock et al., (2006) further support the notion of social support by reporting that a positive social climate can decrease levels of stress and ‘prevent’ burnout. The leaders of the work  environment need to foster a more socially supportive culture by demonstrating co-operation, encouraging teamwork, social equality, supportive attitudes and ed ucation about stress education and helpful coping mechanisms (Abuairub, 2004; Hayhurst, Saylor & Stuenkel, 2005). Coping strategies can be defined as psychological and ‘behavioural efforts’ to control demands that are considered as â€Å"exceeding the resources of the person† and are either problem focused which attempts to deal with or alter the problem that is the source of the stress or emotionally focused which attempts to ease ‘emotional distress’ (Lazarus and Folkman 1984, p. 141 as cited in Chang, Daly & Hancock et al., 2006). Chang, Daly & Hancock et al., (2006) comment that many studies suggest problem-focused coping to be more effective in preventing burnout than emotion-focused coping. It would be beneficial to address coping strategies with nursing staff to educate them about different methods and to assist them in recognizing coping methods that are unhelpful so that they may employ personal control to their responses of stress (Chang, Bidwell & Huntington, 2007). These strategies would greatly assist nurses in reducing stress and burnout as well as providing graduate nurses with a firm foundation of clear guidelines and support. In conclusion, the nursing profession is under high demand as our population is growing older and the acuity of patients is increasing. To ensure sustainability of the nursing profession it is essential that graduate nurses are supported in their transition from university to a hospital environment so they continue to remain in the profession. To retain more experienced nurses there must be change within nursing environments and organizations to create a more flexible and supportive workplace. The main causes of anxiety, stress and burnout have been well documented, and it is the implementation of strategies that is lacking. Further investigation into the effectiveness of prevention strategies for burnout should be explored, as better working environments will encourage more people and ex-nurses into the profession and therefore lessening the staff shortages that directly contribute to anxiety, stress and burnout.