Television Does Not Burn Our Minds - 941 Words

When people generally think of television, most may assume it rots the mind. Freelance writer Rachel Krantz not only believes that TV is not useful for your mind, it â€Å"may kill you, decrease your chances of having kids, ruin the ones you do have, and possibly turn you violent.† Could any of this have happened to me as I was binge-watching The Simpsons from seasons one to eight during the summer? I initially thought that this show was prone to dumb me down as I did this, but instead it enlightened me through its clever writing. Even with gags as dumb as an old man hurt by a football thrown to his groin, I felt as if no other show was as thoughtful and full of heart as The Simpsons. Despite that Krantz’s claims are backed by academic studies and research on television, it should be the least concern for our minds. Television does not rot our minds; it intellectually challenges and aptly adjusts our minds depending on how we use it. The further time a kid spends watching television, the larger their brains grow. That seems great, although apparently this is considered unhealthy for them. A recent Japanese study reveals that as kids between ages 5 through 18 spend, on average, two hours of watching TV per day, certain areas of their brains were growing. The rise in brain volume of these kids was linked to a fall in their verbal IQ. However, the data in this study was not clear if TV watching caused this (Sanders). While this study needs further elaboration and should beShow MoreRelatedThemes In Fahrenheit 451 By Ray Bradbury1459 Words   |  6 Pageswhether it is about government censorship or how television is taking over individuals interest in reading literature. Rad Bradbury, however, says that this book is not about government censorship. Television can give you surface facts but books spark curiosity to dig deeper. Bradbury fears TV and radio because it contributes to the lack of attention we have and this creating his purpose for writing the book. 2. In the Film â€Å"Fahrenheit 451† what does the title refer to? In the film â€Å"FahrenheitRead MoreFahrenheit 451 symbolism paper1535 Words   |  7 PagesSymbolism in Fahrenheit 451 Ray Bradbury, the author of the well-known science fiction novel Fahrenheit 451, was alarmed by how much time he felt the public devoted to watching television in the 1950’s. â€Å"If this [trend of television watching] goes on†¦Ã¢â‚¬  he wrote, â€Å"nobody will read books anymore† (XIII). This thought of a television-obsessed future public frightened Bradbury. He was particularly fearful of how technology might prevent people from forming relationships with each other and connecting withRead MoreFahrenheit 451: the Firemen851 Words   |  4 PagesThe 1950’s, an era that plagued the minds of Americans with fears of atomic war and Cold War conspiracies, provides an appropriate setting for the foundation of novels protesting government policies. Animal Farm, 1984, and other similar satires of the time period demand government reform. But Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 staunchly contrasts these other writings; rather than presenting some omniscient ta le admonishing its audience of the dangers of government hierarchy, Bradbury uses satire to criticizeRead MoreFahrenheit 451 Critical Essay1607 Words   |  7 Pagesfact, he works as a fireman, a feared member of the government whose main job is to burn books. â€Å"It’s fine work,† Montag explains. â€Å"Monday burn Millay, Wednesday Whitaman, Friday Faulkner, burn ‘em to ashes, then burn the ashes. That’s our official slogan.† (Bradbury 9) Books are outlawed in this society, and TV and news are monitored. The government keeps the people distracted with parlor walls. These are television screens built into walls that broadcast mindless entertainment. In the beginningRead MoreCorruption of Technology in Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury739 Words   |  3 Pagesdystopian society works and how people are so attached to television and cars and do not enjoy the natural world. People in a dystopian society are full of fear and sadness. They do not have equality or freedom, they are all so soaked up in technology that it is illegal for them to do simple stuff, such as, reading books. The book, Fahrenheit 451 explains how firefighters start fires rather than stopping them. A firefighter’s job is do burn books, since books are illegal to have because they go againstRead MoreThe Importance of Literature to Humanity1298 Words   |  6 Pagesconstantly relates to darkness and night, â€Å"In the late afternoon it rained an d the entire world was dark and grey† (Bradbury19). Books represent light; it provides people with knowledge, exposes truths and educates the mind. In this society books are illegal and the job of a fireman is to burn any house that contains books in it. Due to the burning of these books there is a lack of light in this society, just utter darkness. Because of the ignorance within the civilization the politicians are able to manipulateRead MoreTechnology Vs Humanity : A Discussion Of Fahrenheit 4511538 Words   |  7 Pagescensorship. The government controls its citizens’ freedom of thought and individualism through various manipulations, most importantly television and the banning of books. The government in the novel furtively influences the population by allowing no insightful television broadcasts that could lead to dissention or questions, but rather bombards the citizens with television shows that contain only mindless frivolity to keep the viewers in a state o f almost vegetative happiness. There are no news broadcastsRead MoreLooking Backwards And Fahrenheit 4511221 Words   |  5 Pagessome tradition in our society. He writes about a firefighter by the name of Guy Montag whose job is to burn books due to the outlawing of reading. In this fictional society people aren’t allowed to read, drive slow, or even walk as a pedestrian. People are very disconnected and unemotional in this world due to the fact that they are completely consumed by television. Guy Montag’s wife Mildred is one of the stereotypical individuals during this time period; she watches television all day on huge screensRead MoreSame Sex Marriage Should Be Legal1144 Words   |  5 Pagesamendment on same-sex marriage? There are multiple side to view this, but gay marriage but in my opinion gay marriage is socially accepted. it should be legal and it does affect American teens in a broad spectrum of ways. There have been a lot of issues on whether or not same-sex marriage should be legal or not. According to Burns, â€Å" The union of a man and a woman is the most enduring human institution, honored and encouraged in all cultures and by every religious faith† (page 7 of â€Å"Gay Marriage†)Read MoreThe Cookie Trail And Obesity1119 Words   |  5 Pagespreviously mentioned people need to burn as many calories as they digest, to do this though they must be active in any way they can find. Because of new gaming consoles, phones, television and inactive jobs, people are just not doing as much as much as they should. According to statistics from the government’s Fitness Center, only 1 in 3 kids are active every day. However at the same time they spend about seven and a half hours a day in front of a screen. Another problem that our nation is having is that Physical

Essay Museum Sterotypes - 697 Words

Historically, museums have excluded too many people. I want to eradicate the pervasive mind-set that â€Å"certain people just don’t visit museums.† Today, in an era of public discourse characterized by instantaneous updating and dynamic participation, a savvy public shares knowledge and gains understanding about the experiences of others at the click of a mouse. The Internet, digital media, video games, content sharing, and social networking enhance and create new methods of learning. Regrettably, museums – the giants of knowledge – have fallen behind in regard to inclusiveness, technological innovation, and representation of diverse experiences. Museums hold great power in shaping educational curriculum and public dialogue nationwide.†¦show more content†¦Exhibitions or educational curriculum on the gay civil rights struggles seemed nonexistent. I want my experiences and education to give to a more complete understanding and affirming repr esentation of diverse groups in the halls of America’s museums. To that end, I interned with the Associate Director for Operations at the National Portrait Gallery. Trained as a visual artist, I never imagined myself contributing dialogue on the transformation of a national museum like the National Portrait Gallery, facing a remarkable (and uncertain) era of hyper-accelerated change. This year, I worked to develop content for the museum’s five year Strategic Plan, in accordance with the 2010-2015 Smithsonian Institution Plan. I’ve led focus groups with cross-sections of staff at all levels to aid in forming a consensus on the new direction of the museum, as well as to stimulate conversation across all departments. The staff’s enthusiasm for technological innovation, inclusiveness, and far-reaching access to underserved audiences is encouraging. Furthermore, last month I contacted and met with the CEO of the Velvet Foundation, an organization committed to establishing a National Museum of American LGBT History Culture in Washington, DC. We discussed the plans for the museum; I was invited to take part in a two-day focus group to envision what such a museum will be like, from the exhibitions and programming, to the tone and guiding philosophy. I wouldShow MoreRelatedHow American History Is Constantly Challenged By African American Artist Kara Walker Essay1590 Words   |  7 Pagesmistress, often over-sexualised and portrayed as a sex toy. Walker believes Western culture has created this specific representation of what it means to be black. Her work as a solo artist has been displayed in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and internationally the Tate Liverpool in Merseyside, England. The contemporary artist is celebrated for her forms of installation art, focusing on the transformation of site specific spaces. Walkers most recognisableRead More Discuss the Minority Presence in Contemporary British Art Essay3148 Words   |  13 Pagesracial images to sell his work and bring it to the attention of the media, he can not escape having to play into sterotype to maintain success. So although Ofili believes he controls the black image, he must play into a preconcieved one and never advance past the stereotype artistically. Ofili has been accepted by the white art world, but will have to continue to play with sterotypes and use elephant dung to fulfill his token status. Ofilis work then seems very artifical and lacks profundityRead MoreAfrican-American Women: Understanding The Problems of Gender and Race2082 Words   |  9 Pages Why? One reason was that their race defined who they were more than their gender. Another reason was that to support their race also meant that they were supporting their men. â€Å"Six decades ago sociologist Helen Mayer Hacker (1951) noted how sterotypes of blacks and women helped rationalize the inferior status of each: Many people thought both groups were mentally slow, emotional and primitive, and â€Å"contented† with their subordinate role. Blacks were â€Å"inferior†; women were â€Å"weak.† Blacks were

Nour Soufia Essay Example For Students

Nour Soufia Essay Tsitsi Dangarembga made it very easy to sympathize with Tambu. At every inch of the book I felt sad, then happy, then sad again. The fact that the story was written in first person made it more personal, emotional, and real. I felt like I was the one going through the journey with Tambu. When she felt pain I did, and when she was happy so was I. As I was reading I had to stop myself and realize that it is not me going through it all. When I read a book and I can see the characters acting the scenes out in my head, I know that it is a great story. That is exactly what happened to me while reading this book. Dangarembga writes clearly on how difficult it was for a colored girl in Africa. Tambu stayed home helping her parents who were not supportive of her getting the education she deserved. Her parents were hard workers just like her. They should have encouraged her when she wanted to sell food and earn money. All parents want their children to succeed in life, but what happened to her parents? Tambu was a girl with dreams and goals but the troubles of her family held her down. It was difficult to see such a hardworking young lady like that. At times I desperately wanted to reach into the book and help her. She was the leader of her family. She is definitely a fighter, too. She worked so hard to earn money for school when her brother was going for free. I wished I could have given her the classes and given her the money that she needed and deserved. But no matter what, she never gave up and her perseverance is what made me root for her. She wants to do certain things but she cannot because she is an African girl living in the 60’s. Racism was not written in the book but in some cases it was shown. The scenario that jumped out to me was how Babamakuru’s family loved the white people and wanted to be just like them in every way. They should be proud to be African American. Instead of embracing who they are, they were trying to be something they are not. Also at Sacred Heart School, they were not very welcoming to the African American community. They put more African American girls together to keep them separate from the rest. Her brother on the other hand lost sight of himself in all the luxury Babamakuru gave him. The fact that Nhamo discarded his family made me miserable for him and his family. Look what happened to Nhamo, he died leaving his family heartbroken, except for Tambu. She knew that her brother had drifted away from them. When she said that she felt nothing when her brother died says it all. At this point my emotions were going insane. I knew that something bad was coming to Nhamo because it was stated in the beginning, but I was astonished when Tambu did not feel any sympathy about her brother’s death. Tambu definitely gained my respect. She is an amazing young lady who stepped in and took care of her family. She is the girl that everyone else should look up to and be like. Tambu is definitely an amazing role model for young girls everywhere. Throughout the book I felt so much sympathy and sorrow for her. I was so happy to see that Tambu is doing well. Tambu definitely taught me how to be brave and stand up for myself. She also taught me to always strive for what I want and never give up. I am so glad that I got to experience this lovely journey with her. .ue007a56b5ae434708280a2b57adc9d06 , .ue007a56b5ae434708280a2b57adc9d06 .postImageUrl , .ue007a56b5ae434708280a2b57adc9d06 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ue007a56b5ae434708280a2b57adc9d06 , .ue007a56b5ae434708280a2b57adc9d06:hover , .ue007a56b5ae434708280a2b57adc9d06:visited , .ue007a56b5ae434708280a2b57adc9d06:active { border:0!important; } .ue007a56b5ae434708280a2b57adc9d06 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ue007a56b5ae434708280a2b57adc9d06 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ue007a56b5ae434708280a2b57adc9d06:active , .ue007a56b5ae434708280a2b57adc9d06:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ue007a56b5ae434708280a2b57adc9d06 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ue007a56b5ae434708280a2b57adc9d06 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ue007a56b5ae434708280a2b57adc9d06 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ue007a56b5ae434708280a2b57adc9d06 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ue007a56b5ae434708280a2b57adc9d06:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ue007a56b5ae434708280a2b57adc9d06 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ue007a56b5ae434708280a2b57adc9d06 .ue007a56b5ae434708280a2b57adc9d06-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ue007a56b5ae434708280a2b57adc9d06:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Lottery EssayI was captivated by this book the whole time. At the turn of every page I was sitting on the edge of my chair waiting for the next move. This book stole my heart and I wish I could have been there to help, but I felt as if I was trapped and I could not reach them. I felt like I was on a rollercoaster of emotions. One second I am happy and then next I need tissues. Tsitsi Dangarembga did an outstanding job by capturing my emotions. I was truly amazed at the exquisite writing in the book and I enjoyed it very much. Dangarembga wrote this amazing story that I truly will not forget.

Residential Care Home Essay Example

Residential Care Home Essay This consumer group will represent an unfilled demand for residential Home care which not only provides the basic care but also fitness and other well-being programs. Ethnic marketing which reflect the unique attitudes, race or ancestry communication preferences and lifestyles of ethnic Canadians is especially important to cater to this diverse ethnically aging population. However, currently, in some cultures, people are living as part of extended families. This family structure Is partly designed to care for he senior(s) In the family and affects retirement homes such as Seniors. This Is very Important when selecting a location for a retirement home areas with high concentration of one culture, especially South Asian, will not access retirement home care as much. This trend might change In the future generation when these cultures blend in with the Canadian culture so it is important to have staffs that speak languages other than English and French. Economic Forces The microeconomic trends in term of consumer income are important factors, specially since Canada is recovering from the 2008 recession. There is no relevance to offer services/products that consumers are unable to afford. Baby Boomer consumers would be directing more of their discretionary income toward retirement planning. Various reports show that many Canadians are not adequately planning and saving for their retirement and will require working well into their retirement age. This will have a severe Impact on how they pay for retirement care and when they can retire. Technologies Forces The development and advancement of technologies play a big part In changing arresting practices and alter the way consumers shop. We will write a custom essay sample on Residential Care Home specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Residential Care Home specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Residential Care Home specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer More than 80% of Canadian firms use internet to increase efficiencies and enable them to engage in new levels of interactive marketing. Likewise, baby boomer consumers are well versed in the use of technology. Therefore, it is important to use the power of the internet for developing interactive websites. It is important to create customer to marketing where proactive customers initiate communication and interest with companies by providing suggesting and feedbacks on their experiences. This will enable firms to improve their services or offer relevant services sought by the consumers. In addition, modern technology has allowed companies to provide personal response and support services to seniors and physically challenged citizens in Canada. The push of a button activates a two-way, hands-free communication with live agents who these services for a low monthly cost. Already, Japanese manufacturers are investing only the tip of the iceberg. When combined with advances in software, nanotechnology and the internet the speed of development and implementation will only become faster Competitive Forces By the time a person requires aged care service, he or she and his or her family would have gained considerable knowledge and insight into how to access these services. In addition, he or she will have accessed and compared information and feedback about various providers. Providers need to learn how to maximize revenue in the form of government funding from serving these consumers. Very few residential care facilities cater to the palliative needs of residents in a satisfactory manner. Opportunities will exist for providers to meet the needs of this segment of he market for a premium price. It is possible that the potential for financial reward could entice investors into the aged care sector. This will bring firms with new and innovative ideas. However, because of the capital requirements to build the infrastructure in the beginning, it might deter some potential entries. Regulatory Forces Regulations exist to protect and encourage a competitive environment and fair business practices. Ontario has more than 630 Long Term Care homes which are funded and regulated by Ministry of Health Long Term Care. Residential care population is one of the most vulnerable groups in our society since the consumers are elderly, with more than 50% of them suffering from dementia and other forms of Mental Health issues who depend on others to provide care to them on a daily basis. Regulation of the quality of care and adequate enforcement of regulations to ensure minimum qualified staffing levels and other quality indicators are important. Resident care facilities need to be licensed and there should be regular unannounced inspections by trained inspectors to ensure regulations are adhered to.

Learn Your Options If Youre Kicked out of College

Learn Your Options If You're Kicked out of College Being kicked out of college happens more often than many people think. Students are dismissed for many reasons, including cheating, plagiarism, poor grades, addictions, and inappropriate behavior. What should you do if you find yourself holding a dismissal letter? Know the Reason(s) for Your Dismissal Chances are your letter of dismissal was sent after a long series of negative interactions with professors,  staff, or other students,  so you probably have a pretty good idea of what went wrong. However, its still important to be sure your assumptions are correct. Were you kicked out of college because you failed your classes? Because of your behavior? Be clear about the reasons for your dismissal so youll know what your options are in the future. Its easier to ask questions and make sure you understand the reasons now than it will be one, two, or even five years in the future. Know What, If Any, Conditions There Are for Your Return First and foremost, confirm if youll be allowed back at the institution. And if you will be permitted to return, be clear about what youll need to do to be eligible to enroll again. Sometimes colleges need letters or reports from doctors or therapists to avoid the possibility of the same issues arising for the second time. Figure out What Went Wrong Did you not go to class? Act in a way that you regret now? Spend too much time on the party scene? Beyond awareness of the actions that resulted in your dismissal, its important to know what caused those actions and why you made the choices you did. Really understanding what led up to and resulted in being kicked out is perhaps the most important step you can take toward learning from the experience. Make Productive Use of Your Time Afterward Being kicked out of college is a serious black mark on your record. How can you turn a negative into a positive? Start by learning from your mistakes and bettering yourself and your situation. Get a job to show youre responsible; take a class at another school to show you can handle the workload; get counseling to show you no longer will make unhealthy choices with drugs and alcohol. Doing something productive with your time will help indicate to prospective employers or colleges that being kicked out of college was an unusual speed bump in your life, not your normal pattern. Move On Being kicked out of college can be hard on your pride, but know that people make mistakes of all kinds  and that the strongest people learn from them. Acknowledge what you did wrong, pick yourself up, and move on. Being extra harsh on yourself can sometimes keep you stuck in the mistake. Focus on whats next in your life and what you can do to get there.

Humanity Bloomed During the Renaissance

Humanity Bloomed During the Renaissance The Renaissance, a movement that  stressed the ideas of the classical world, ended the medieval era  and heralded the start of Europes modern age. Between the 14th and 17th centuries, art and science flourished as empires expanded and cultures mixed as never before. Although historians still debate some  causes of the Renaissance, they agree on a few basic points. AHunger for Discovery The courts and monasteries of Europe had long been repositories of manuscripts and texts, but a change in how scholars viewed them sparked a massive reappraisal of classical works in the Renaissance. Fourteenth-century writer Petrarch typified this, writing about his lust for discovering texts that  had previously been ignored. As literacy spread and a middle class emerged, seeking out, reading, and spreading classical texts became commonplace. New libraries developed to facilitate access to old books. Ideas once forgotten were now reawakened, as was interest in their authors. Reintroduction of Classical Works During the Dark Ages, many classical European texts were lost or destroyed. Those that survived were hidden in churches and monasteries of the Byzantine Empire or in capitals of the Middle East. During the Renaissance, many of these texts were slowly reintroduced into Europe by merchants and scholars. In 1396 an official academic post for teaching Greek was created in Florence. The man hired, Manuel Chrysoloras, brought with him a copy of Ptolemy’s Geography from the East. A huge number of Greek texts and scholars arrived in Europe with the fall of Constantinople in 1453. The Printing Press The invention of the printing press  in 1440 was the game-changer. Finally, books could be mass produced for far less money and time than by the old handwritten methods. Ideas could be spread through libraries, booksellers, and schools in a way that wasnt possible before. The printed page was more legible than the elaborate script of books written longhand. Printing became a viable industry, creating new jobs and innovations. The spread of books also encouraged the study of literature itself, allowing new ideas to spread as cities and nations began establishing universities and other schools. Humanism Emerges Renaissance humanism  was a new manner of thinking and approaching the world. It has been called the earliest expression of the Renaissance and is described as both a product and a cause of the movement. Humanist thinkers challenged the mindset of the previously dominant school of scholarly thought, Scholasticism, as well as the Catholic Church, allowing the new thinking to develop. Art and Politics The new artists needed wealthy patrons to support them, and Renaissance Italy was especially fertile ground. Political changes in the ruling class shortly before this period had led to the rulers of most major city-states being â€Å"new men† without much political history. They attempted to legitimize themselves with conspicuous investment in and public flaunting of art and architecture. As the Renaissance spread, church and European rulers used their wealth to adopt the new styles to keep pace. The demand from the  elites wasn’t just artistic; they also relied upon ideas developed for their political models. The Prince, Machiavelli’s  guide for rulers, is a work of Renaissance political theory. The developing bureaucracies of Italy and the rest of Europe generated new  demand for highly educated humanists to fill the ranks of governments and bureaucracies. A new political and economic class emerged.   Death and Life In the middle of the 14th  century, the Black Death swept Europe, killing perhaps a third of the population. While devastating, the plague left survivors better off financially and socially, with the same wealth spread among fewer people. This was especially true in Italy, where social mobility was much greater. This new  wealth often was spent lavishly on arts, culture, and artisanal goods.  The merchant classes of regional powers such as Italy  saw a great increase in wealth from their roles in trade. This growing mercantile class sparked a financial industry to manage their wealth, generating additional economic and social growth. War and Peace Periods of peace and war have been credited with allowing the Renaissance to spread. The end of the Hundred Years War between England and France in 1453 allowed Renaissance ideas to penetrate these nations as resources once consumed by war were funneled into the arts and sciences. By contrast, the Great Italian Wars of the early 16th century allowed Renaissance ideas to spread to France as its armies invaded Italy repeatedly over 50 years.

Developing a Question-PICOT Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Developing a Question-PICOT - Assignment Example Research indicates that Obesity prevention results into a lot of complications in cases of older patients especially at the age of fifty and above (Tesauro, & Cardillo, 2011). It takes a lot of time for such patients to recovery quickly from metabolic Obesity attack. This is because the disease affects their respiratory system resulting into breathing problems (Tesauro, & Cardillo, 2011). However, healthy eating habits, avoiding of smoking and regular physical exercise has been found to reduce Obesity at high percentage and this is very effective for the disease control and prevention (Wu, Wu, & Huang, 2013). This usually helps the patients to keep better healthy life and avoid risk factors such as high blood cholesterol and difficulty in their breathing system (Meeusen, Hoekman, & van Zundert, 2014). The problem identified in here is that in case of Obesity, older patients usually face higher risks of the disorder associated conditions such as respiratory challenges pressure as well as heart problems when compared to younger patients and children. Furthermore, Obesity conditions are more common in adults than children globally (Tesauro, & Cardillo, 2011). Therefore, aged care system is one of the important aspects of nursing profession as well as nursing training practices. Most people usually face a lot of health care problems at old age including heart attacks, stroke, high blood pressure, mental problems as well as depression and anxiety (Bottone, Musich, Wang, Hommer, Yeh, & Hawkins, 2014). Physical exercise at this time of old age is very difficult leading to old age patients being too much vulnerable to a number of infections and disorders (Tesauro, & Cardillo, 2011). This calls for the need of medical and clinical students to fully understand old age problems during their training sessions (Meeusen, Hoekman, & van Zundert, 2014). The nurses as well as students in clinical training should be

Practical Interaction Design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Practical Interaction Design - Essay Example 18). HCI is a tool-rich methodological system that provides practicality to most of the established paradigms of artistic and aesthetic studies involving interaction design in its purest sense. Physical interaction design is based on PID. It focuses more on the PID elements such as ideation and familiarity, encompassing the techniques of voice based and/or tools based conversations. Physical interaction design studies are aimed to address the issues which call for usage of some physical form and material contour. These are explicit, objective gadgets which can facilitate or mediate an interaction process. A physical interaction designer must be sensitive towards the usefulness or playfulness of the objects whose physical forms can be used to interpret human gestures. For example, students in Carnegie Mellon and Victoria University of Wellington have created gadgets of paper having objective shape, size and appearance. The gadgets have been built in such a way that they can illustrate the amalgamation of technological knowledge and emotional quotient (see Figure – 1). These gadgets (which are supplied with specialised electronic effectors and receptors) can be programmed to respond towards sound, light, Internet chatting, users’ commands, etc. The responses are expressed as motions. (Baskinger and Gross, 2010) Figure – 1: Designs adaptable with users’ gestures (Baskinger and Gross, 2010, p. 9) Advantages of Physical Interaction Physical interaction design is based on models and gadgets that can respond to the user’s physical gestures. Physical gestures can engage the whole body of the user. Hence, interactive platforms involving physical gestures can be pleasing and interesting. Physical interaction, when synchronised with biometrics and electronics, can help the designers to innovate intelligent exercising machines for enhanced biomedical/biomechanical usage. (Norman, 2010) If aspectual paradigms of physical interactions are e xplored, we can take numerous ideas from existing machines and gadgets. These ideas can be interpreted with more stress on interactivity and uniqueness of design. In 2009, Sobolewska, Smith and Turner partook in a survey-cum-experiment involving a diverse group of students (most of them had undergraduate computing degrees). Each of them was given the task of describing an electronic gadget of his/her choice. In the course of this research, one of the students described a K10D midsized digital SLR as â€Å"very solid† (Sobolewska, Smith and Turner, 2009, p. 95), in which all the openings are sealed to protect the gadget from temperature, dust, etc. Importantly, â€Å"The camera has a large right hand grip, so it’s easy to hold† (Sobolewska, Smith and Turner, 2009, p. 95). This is how the basic paradigm of physical interaction design evolves: The gadget must be made not only easy but also pleasurable and comfortable to handle. Figure – 2: The large right ha nd grip of a K10D digital SLR camera (Adapted from Letsgodigital.org, 2012) Contextually, Baskinger and Gross (2010, p. 9) have illustrated the example of â€Å"Hit Me Interactive† lighting device in their research. This model lamp with LED display instantaneously responds to touch and gestures of hands and fingers (Figure – 3). This sort of gadgets can be used to manufacture convenient and high speed signalling systems. Figure – 3: The Hit Me Interactive device that can be used

How to the Methods of Calculating Banks Marketing Budget Essay Example for Free

How to the Methods of Calculating Banks Marketing Budget Essay How to Decide Banks Marketing Budget? Introduction Now a day under taking marketing activities is compulsory and a key to exist in the business environment especially in the financial sector where competition is strong. In Ethiopia there are 16 private commercial banks and three public owned banks. There is strong competition among these banks to take market share and earn profit especially for those banks that enter the market recently. In addition according to the National Bank of Ethiopia Directive, all commercial bank have to reach 500 million paid up capital in the coming four years. In order to achieve this amount of capital these banks must sell new share, persuade their existing share holders to fully pay the subscribed amount and retain the earning instead of paying the dividend. These are achieved by undertaking strong marketing campaign. All the banks have marketing budget and the budget differs based on the size and depth of their capital. However, determining the size of marketing budget is not an easy task. It is big question often asked by marketers and bank executives. In Ethiopia it is common to see Television program and football events sponsored by commercial banks, advertisement of banks products and services in any time on electronics and print media especially money transfer adverts during the holiday season, distributing giveaway materials and entertaining their customers. The marketing budget for a bank generally includes expenditures for five different activities: Advertising Debub Global Bank, MPPE Department Compiled by: Behaylu Wondafrash Promotional activities Sales promotion Marketing research Sales/customer service training and Public relations: How a bank allocates its total marketing budget among various marketing activities depends largely on bank size in terms of capital and branch distribution and advertising cost (production and air time cost). Most the Banks in Ethiopia spends about 80% of their total marketing budgets on advertising. The rest activities took 20 percent of the budget. Most banks are currently using sales promotion activity like commercial bank of Ethiopia which provide awards for who save 1000 birr and above in any branch of it and promotional activities like sponsoring Ethiopian Great Run and donating to children aid. Advertising took about 80 percent of the budget. This due to the fact that time to time increasing cost of advertising rate and production cost. The lion share of the budget is goes to the Ethiopian radio and Television Agency and then to the private FM radio stations especially Fana FM and Sheger FM. Most banks also use print media like reporter and fortune news paper. But how does a bank determine how much it should spend for marketing in general and advertising in particular? There are methods of calculation. Methods of calculation According to author of Marketing Financial Services, there are different ways to calculate a banks marketing budget. Banks use at least four methods to determine what they will spend on marketing in general and on advertising in particular: Debub Global Bank, MPPE Department Compiled by: Behaylu Wondafrash The percentage method, The competitive parity method, The incremental method and The objective-and-task method. 1. Percentage method: the percentage method states banks advertising budget is 1/10th of 1 percent of a banks total assets. This percentage method has several drawbacks or flaws. First, it is based on the banks past performance rather than on objectives for the future. Second, it views assets or deposits as the cause of advertising rather than recognizing that increases in these variables might be, to some extent, the effect of advertising. Third, it discourages aggressive advertising and reduces advertising expenditures in periods of economic slowdown. Research indicates that firms that maintain or increase their advertising during periods of recession do better after the recession. 2. Competitive parity method this method is also known as follows the leader. A bank determines what its competitors are spending on advertising and simply follows their lead. This method is based on the erroneous assumption that the market responds in the same way to the same volume of birr spent by different banks. It fails to take into account the effects of variations in creativity, different uses of media, the timing of campaigns, and a banks image and recognition level in its market area. Furthermore, a banks competitors probably use no more rational a system for determining their advertising expenditures than does the bank that is following their lead. 3. Incremental Method: under this method a bank simply increases its advertising budget by a certain percentage each year. The percentage may take Debub Global Bank, MPPE Department Compiled by: Behaylu Wondafrash into account the rate of inflation or the growth rate of the bank or it may be dictated by a planner or budgeter whose primary objective is to make the bottom line show a targeted return on assets. Whatever the percentage increase, this method does not take in to account the desired objectives of advertising and the most cost effective ways to attain them. 4. Objective-and-task method. Using this method, the bank bases its advertising budget on what it will cost to meet the marketing objectives it had defined. The bank then weighs this cost against the expected net benefit of the new business to ensure that the cost of advertising will not reduce the profit margin on the newly acquired deposits or loans beyond acceptable limits. For example, Let us take Debub Global bank (DGB) and assume that a banks goal is to increase its one-year deposit volume by 100 million birr over its expected normal growth during a promotion period. It calculates that the profit margin on those funds (deposits) will be 6 percent (or 6,000,000 birr). The bank must then decide how much it is willing to invest in advertising in order to generate an extra 6,000,000 birr of income. The selected amount will vary from bank to bank. This method also has its drawbacks. While it works for specific promotions that have immediately measurable results, such as increased deposit or loan volume, it cannot be used to determine the level of advertising necessary to build awareness of the bank and to develop and maintain an image for it. A bank that advertises only when it has a specific promotion to communicate may be out of the media for considerable periods of time. Most marketers agree that some maintenance level of advertising, either product or institutional, is a necessary investment, simply to keep the banks name in front of its publics.

Point Of View In Grendel And Beowulf Essay -- Epic of Beowulf Essays

Contrasting points of view in Grendel and Beowulf significantly alter the reader’s perception of religion, good and evil, and the character Grendel. John Gardner’s book, Grendel, is written in first person. The book translated by Burton Raffel, Beowulf, is written in third person. Good and evil is one of the main conflicts in the poem Beowulf. How is Grendel affected by the concepts of good and evil? Grendel is an alienated individual who just wants to be a part of something. His desire to fit in causes him to do evil things. Grendel is fascinated by the Shaper’s poetry. He often returns to the mead hall to listen to it. One night while he is listening, he hears the story of Cain and Abel, including the Danes explanation of Grendel. His reaction to this leads to one of his most dramatic emotional reactions: â€Å"I believed him. Such was the power of the Shaper’s harp! Stood wriggling my face, letting tears down my nose, grinding my fists into my elbow the corpse of the proof that both of us ere cursed, or neither, that the brothers had never lived, nor the god who judged them. ‘Waaa!’ I bawled. ‘Oh what a conversion’†(Gardner 51)! Grendel then cries for mercy from the Danes. He wants their forgiveness as well as unification with them, which represents the good in him. The Danes reject him by confusing his outburst of sorrow as an attack. After visiting with a dragon who tells Grendel a fictional version of the Shaper’s tale, Grendel continues to believe the Shaper’s story. He searches for the goodness in human beings, which was mentioned in the story. He eats people only because it provides a place for him in society, even if it is a negative position (The Two Faces of Grendel, 2). Good and evil is one of the main conflicts in the poem Beowulf, and ultimately both wipe each other out. Good, is portrayed by God, and evil seems to be what fate has in store for the hero. Beowulf occasionally talks to God and asks God to give him strength before the battle and to give him the valor he needs to overcome his enemy. Evil seems to always get the bad side of things since it always gets conquered by God’s good side. Even though this is true, evil lives the high life for a long time. Grendel, Beowulf’s first opponent, killed thousands and thousands of men before he met his match. Evil comes from the monsters. They attack the good side by killing innocent men because they ... ...rs have a sense of alienation and just want to fit in. The point of view of the book Grendel allows the reader to see another side of Grendel. In Beowulf, Grendel is viewed as the antagonist and the evil villain. Grendel is both feared and hated in Beowulf. Upon reading Beowulf, the reader discovers Grendel as seen through the eyes of his terrified victims. King Hrothgar, leader of the Danes, fears his visits: â€Å"The renowned ruler, the prince of long famous, sat empty of joy; strong in might, he suffered, sorrowed for his men when they saw the track of the hateful monster, the evil spirit.† Hrothgar would dread the fatal nights when Grendel would dine on human flesh. The ruler understands that Grendel attacks his men out of spite and jealousy (The Two Faces of Grendel, 1). In reading Grendel and Beowulf, one can find many similarities in the way the events occur in the books, however because of contrasting points of view, the reader gets insight on the entire picture from two different sides. This allows the reader to better understand each book and its contents, such as their beliefs and the concept of good and evil, and acknowledge the ways the character Grendel can be described. Point Of View In Grendel And Beowulf Essay -- Epic of Beowulf Essays Contrasting points of view in Grendel and Beowulf significantly alter the reader’s perception of religion, good and evil, and the character Grendel. John Gardner’s book, Grendel, is written in first person. The book translated by Burton Raffel, Beowulf, is written in third person. Good and evil is one of the main conflicts in the poem Beowulf. How is Grendel affected by the concepts of good and evil? Grendel is an alienated individual who just wants to be a part of something. His desire to fit in causes him to do evil things. Grendel is fascinated by the Shaper’s poetry. He often returns to the mead hall to listen to it. One night while he is listening, he hears the story of Cain and Abel, including the Danes explanation of Grendel. His reaction to this leads to one of his most dramatic emotional reactions: â€Å"I believed him. Such was the power of the Shaper’s harp! Stood wriggling my face, letting tears down my nose, grinding my fists into my elbow the corpse of the proof that both of us ere cursed, or neither, that the brothers had never lived, nor the god who judged them. ‘Waaa!’ I bawled. ‘Oh what a conversion’†(Gardner 51)! Grendel then cries for mercy from the Danes. He wants their forgiveness as well as unification with them, which represents the good in him. The Danes reject him by confusing his outburst of sorrow as an attack. After visiting with a dragon who tells Grendel a fictional version of the Shaper’s tale, Grendel continues to believe the Shaper’s story. He searches for the goodness in human beings, which was mentioned in the story. He eats people only because it provides a place for him in society, even if it is a negative position (The Two Faces of Grendel, 2). Good and evil is one of the main conflicts in the poem Beowulf, and ultimately both wipe each other out. Good, is portrayed by God, and evil seems to be what fate has in store for the hero. Beowulf occasionally talks to God and asks God to give him strength before the battle and to give him the valor he needs to overcome his enemy. Evil seems to always get the bad side of things since it always gets conquered by God’s good side. Even though this is true, evil lives the high life for a long time. Grendel, Beowulf’s first opponent, killed thousands and thousands of men before he met his match. Evil comes from the monsters. They attack the good side by killing innocent men because they ... ...rs have a sense of alienation and just want to fit in. The point of view of the book Grendel allows the reader to see another side of Grendel. In Beowulf, Grendel is viewed as the antagonist and the evil villain. Grendel is both feared and hated in Beowulf. Upon reading Beowulf, the reader discovers Grendel as seen through the eyes of his terrified victims. King Hrothgar, leader of the Danes, fears his visits: â€Å"The renowned ruler, the prince of long famous, sat empty of joy; strong in might, he suffered, sorrowed for his men when they saw the track of the hateful monster, the evil spirit.† Hrothgar would dread the fatal nights when Grendel would dine on human flesh. The ruler understands that Grendel attacks his men out of spite and jealousy (The Two Faces of Grendel, 1). In reading Grendel and Beowulf, one can find many similarities in the way the events occur in the books, however because of contrasting points of view, the reader gets insight on the entire picture from two different sides. This allows the reader to better understand each book and its contents, such as their beliefs and the concept of good and evil, and acknowledge the ways the character Grendel can be described.

Corrections Trends Evaluation Paper Essay

Corrections have existed throughout society for many years and continued to change and evolve in the United States reflecting society’s values and ideals throughout the centuries. In the criminal justice system, corrections exist in more than one form. Not only do corrections refer to jails and prison systems but they also pertain to community-based programs, such as probation, parole, halfway houses, and treatment facilities. Past, present, and future trends in regard to the development and operation of institutional and community-based corrections vary between states but corrections have grown immensely since the early 1800s and have continued to expand over time. Corrections are adamant to continue to expand into the future because crime is not slowing down so there will remain a strong need for corrections throughout society. The subject of this paper pertains to research of past, present, and future trends in the development and operation of corrections. In some ways corrections are similar to the operation trends of two decades ago. In other ways the development of corrections has come far compared to corrections in the beginning. Other subjects of the paper include current and future issues for prisons and prison administrators and an explanation for why these issues overwhelm corrections. A last topic for discussion is the roles of alternate corrections as a developing trend. Conditions in the early era were inhumane because of prisoners starving, and trends of punishment were in the form of physical punishment. Examples of this were punishments, such as prisoners hanged, tortured, beheaded, or mutilated. This punishment was popular in England, but it had an effect on its American predecessors. Although the conservative e trend that emerged in the 1970s continued to dominate justice system policy the debate between punishment and treatment brought new questions about (Muraskin & Roberts, 2009, pp. 263). Over the years and into the future many still wonder the dominate method in reducing the number of criminals in the department of corrections. The American colonies used means of a corporal punishment just as the motherlands (Gaines & Miller, 208, pp. 313). The system brutally executed citizens who had violated any law. However, not all colonial administrators adhered to a brutal punishment, such as the death penalty. â€Å"The Great Law† ensured any victim a restitution of property or goods, given by the felon (pp. 313). This code, based on Quaker ideals and humanity and rehabilitation, by William Penn was introduced. Although â€Å"The Great Law† still allowed the death penalty, most felons who could not pay restitution to their victims were not executed but were sent to prison where they worked. This exceptional code, in William Penn’s case gained attention by other American colonies. After Penn’s death, Pennsylvania, The center of prison reform, opened its very first penitentiary in Philadelphia (Johnston, 2011). This initiated a chain reaction and other states looked to Pennsylvania as an example for reform. They looked to the penitentiary as a hope of rehabilitating the criminal spirit. It helped to treat and discipline prisoners rather than physically harm them. The silence in a penitentiary was meant to force prisoners to think about their crimes, and weigh the benefits against the consequences. Although the silence treatment was successful, many inmates brought into the penitentiaries and had to share rooms as a result of crowded conditions. This happened at the Walnut Street Prison Penitentiary, and it ended with overcrowded conditions and excessive cost. The prison eventually shut down. Although the prison was shut down, many states continued to use the penitentiary system. If overcrowding occurred it just meant building new penitentiaries. The penitentiary system was important because it influenced later concepts. Such as the idea of separate confinement, which kept inmates separated in individual cells (Gaines & Miller. 2008, pp. 314). These prisoners had contact with religious instructors known as clergy or prison officials only. Another concept introduced was the idea of reform and progress. Inmates who behaved well and followed rules climb a ladder and once at the top may qualify for early release from confinement. The history and structure of prisons and prison administrators has changed immensely over the years. Society today faces the increased probability of incarceration for offenders and inmates serve more time for crimes in the present-day compared to the length of incarceration several years ago. This is in part because of the Sentencing Reform Act of 1984, which caused the length of time served by federal convicts for their crimes to rise significantly (Gaines & Miller, 2008, pp. 316). With more offenders going to prison for longer stays many prisons face overcrowding conditions. The prison overcrowding problem contributes to several issues currently facing prisons and prison administrators. Prison overcrowding is a current issue that without some extreme solutions will continue to plaque the entire department of corrections well into the future. Over the past decade the prison population continues to rise sharply. Stricter laws, harsher punishment, high rates of recidivism, and higher levels of drug related crimes contribute to the rapid growth of incarcerated offenders. Prison overcrowding almost always has a negative effect on inmates and prison administration or staff. Overcrowding leads to higher rates of illness, so in turn prison administrators see an increase in health care costs. Limited more are resources and the likelihood of recidivism rates is higher when prisons reach a maximum capacity population. Another current and future issue of concern for prisons and prison administrators stemming from overcrowding is prison violence. Prison researcher Stephen C. Light found that when conditions such as overcrowding worsen. Inmate misconduct often increases (Gaines & Miller, 2008, pp. 340). Prisoners often use violence as a way to show power or to control other inmates. Prison violence is a means of surviving for some inmates who think of violence as a deterrent against victimization or violence to acquire money or sexual favors. The correctional officers also have to resort to violence as a form of discipline or controlling prison gangs and riots. Funding is another major issue facing prisons and prison administration currently and will continue into the future. The operational cost to house inmates must stay with the limits of an assigned budget. Currently a majority of prisons operate under state and federal governments, unlike the past when private prisons were more common. Private prisons were often more cost-efficient because of labor costs, competitive bidding, and less red tape involved with private prisons. Prison administration and staff place themselves at risk daily for a paycheck; therefore wages must be in a prison budget. Operating costs for electric and water is essential and rises as the inmate population increases. Prisoners have rights to three meals a day and prison budgets must provide these rights. Another necessity in the budget for prisons and prison administrators is the need to rehabilitate and reform inmates. Counselors, doctors, and teachers are necessary inside prisons to attempt to reduce the number of repeat offenders in the prison system. Several alternate correction systems play a role as developing trends in society today. With many issues facing correctional institutions today the developing trends and roles of community-based corrections are becoming more common. Community corrections are being framed in terms of alternative sanctions but a slow pace (Muraskin & Roberts, 2009, pp. 263). The emphasis of community corrections is on controlling punishment and retribution potential (263). The main reason for community-based program is that the cost to place an offender on probation is less than the cost to house an offender in prison. The goal of probation is to give an offender the opportunity to stay out of trouble as opposed to prison. In a sense probation is a second chance for offenders to stay in the community and maintain freedom under supervision. Day reporting centers, half way houses, and electronic monitoring are other examples of community-based corrections that prevent an offender from incarceration in a prison. The goals of these corrections are to allow offenders to stay in the community and maintain employment with special conditions. Community-based programs save funding and space in correctional facilities while recognizing that offenders do need some supervision and discipline to remain in the general population of the community. Corrections have existed throughout society for many years in one form or another. Several types of corrections exist today from jails and prisons to community-based corrections such as probation, halfway houses, and electronic monitoring. Corrections and trends are much different today than in the past and years from then as society evolves changes in corrections are sure to occur. Issues facing corrections, including funding shortages, prison overcrowding, and violence in correctional facilities have worsened over the years and will continue into the future. Community-based programs will continue to make some progress in the correction institutions by improving alternative programs for offenders, but society will never be crime free and therefore corrections will always be necessary.

The Libyan Revolution

We are living through a revolution, right now, and we don't even know it. While we're all sitting around chatting on facebook, complaining about how much homework we have, and stressing about whether or not we're going to that party on the weekend, the people of the Middle East are staging a rebellion against their dictators. Sometime in the future, this revolt will be in history books, so perhaps we should know something about it, while it's actually happening. In December 2010, Tunisia reared up against President, Ben Ali, in a bid for their undeniable human rights. Major demonstrations took place in Egypt, Djibouti, Iraq, Kuwait, Iran, Algeria, Morocco, Yemen, China, Bahrain, and Libya, with minor demonstrations and suicidal protests spreading across almost every country in the Middle East. Dubbed the ‘Jasmine Revolution' by media sources, the conflict across the area is a cry for the abolition of the oppressive dictatorships in place, and the introduction of some form of democracy. With the ousting of President Ben Ali of Tunisia and President Mubarak of Egypt, other leaders have stated that they will not be running for re-election, including the presidents of Yemen and Sudan, while the King of Jordan has named a new Prime Minister. In the people's fight for their rights, this is a huge step forward; Though not without a price. Over the 3 months of protest, over 1600 people have died. Awareness of this has been widely spread by the internet, with images of the violence and terror of the riots, coming to light. Startling images of the military executing civilians at peaceful protests, and mass murder of military members who refused to follow their orders, are among the more disturbing. These images are showing to the rest of the world just how important these riots are to the peace of the Middle East, and the rights of its peoples. While there has been huge success in regime change in Egypt especially, Libya is in the middle of a horrifically violent revolution. Over 1000 of the dead are Libyan, and there seems to be no end in sight. President Gadaffi is refusing to step down, while the people become more focused and empowered, which spells an ongoing, violent revolution, even more so than the riots that toppled Egypt in early February. It is vital that the rest of the world be aware of what is happening in these countries, and with word of mouth, I for one, hope that the world will continue to see progress being made, but also the horror of the sacrifices being made. The internet has been vital in spreading the word, but also in spreading the support for the people, and so with the sentiments of John Green (via twitter) â€Å"Our thoughts and prayers are with you all. Be Safe. Except you Gadaffi. You can go to hell. †, I urge you to take a look around, think about the people of the Middle East, and find out what's happening with this history-making event, because we are right now, living through what our children will be learning in history class.

Human resources management Essays

Human resources management Essays Human resources management Essay Human resources management Essay This research outline addresses efficiency in the health system from a human resource point of view. The paper highlights the importance of human resources management (HRM) in enhancing general patient health outcomes and the delivery of health care services. Many key factors emerge, especially pertaining to nurse managers among others that clearly impact on health care practices and HRM. The paper reveals how human resources management is fundamental to any health care organization, to use HRM practices to improve health care delivery. Challenges in the health care systems of top ten hospitals in Asia are examined, with suggestions provided for solving these problems through the a proper application of human resources management practices. Defining human resources in health care Health care systems globally are increasingly focusing their attention is on human resources management (HRM) (Jones, D, A (1996). In particular, human resources are one of the core inputs of health systems. Therefore, human resource in healthcare is defined as an input element (WHO 2000). Human resources practices and hospitals The practice of having nurses doubling up as managers in the top ten Asian hospitals is creating a series of problems in the hospitals. These hospitals need a reform in their human resources practices. The approaches adopted should seek to improve the quality of services and customer (patients) satisfaction. Quality in healthcare consists of : technical quality-this is from medical practitioners, it impacts on the conditions of health for populations; and socio-cultural quality-from the administration, measures the degree at which the services offered by the hospitals are accepted as having the ability to satisfy patients needs (Malat, 2001). It is clear that human resource practitioners (whether nurses, doctors or generalists) are faced with many obstacles in attempting to deliver high-quality health service to patients. These problems include budgets constraints, lack of smooth interoperability between various stakeholders, equipment breakdowns, absenteeism, and low morale of hospital personnel among (Aiken et al. , 2002). Many other professionals, beside doctors and nurses are involved in the health care process. These include pharmacists, nutritionists, social workers and case managers inter alia. While there is much focus on doctors and nurses, there is a myriad of challenges that these other providers face in delivering health services (Anson, 2003). Furthermore, the health care system is becoming more technologically advanced. Hence there is need to increase the supply of specialized and skilled technicians (Guo 2003). Solutions The solution of separating patient care from managerial functions is a good solution to some extent since it allows the nurses ample time to attend to patients. Moreover, nurses are technically well versed with specific hospital operations. On the other side, hiring administrative managers is a good solution since the managers will do what they know best-ensure schedules are adhered to and efficiency is maintained. However, the better solution is the utilization of the broad spectrum of health care providers and improved coordination of health services through multidisciplinary teamwork (Barney 1997). This is because, health care is basically delivered by people, best human resources practices will be vital in the success of health service delivery (Zurn et al. , 2004). Alternative solution Alternatively, the hospitals could out-source non core functions and leave the nurses to concentrate on what they know best-taking care of patients. Outsourcing of services will allow for conversion of fixed labor expenses into variable costs thus enhancing efficiency. Contracting-out, performance contracts and internal contracting are also examples of measures employed

Learn About the Von Thunen Model

Learn About the Von Thunen Model The Von Thunen model of agricultural land use (also called location theory) was created by the farmer, landowner, and amateur economist Johann Heinrich Von Thunen (1783–1850) in 1826 in a book called The Isolated State, but it wasnt translated into English until 1966. Von Thunens model was created before industrialization and is based on the following limiting assumptions: The city is located centrally within an Isolated State that is self-sufficient and has no external influences.The Isolated State is surrounded by an unoccupied wilderness.The land of the State is completely flat and has no rivers or mountains to interrupt the terrain.The soil quality and climate are consistent throughout the State.Farmers in the Isolated State transport their own goods to market via oxcart, across the land, directly to the central city. Therefore, there are no roads.Farmers act to maximize profits. In an Isolated State with the foregoing statements being true, Von Thunen hypothesized that a pattern of rings around the city would develop based on land cost and transportation cost.   The Four Rings Dairying and intensive farming occur in the ring closest to the city. Because vegetables, fruit, milk, and other dairy products must get to market quickly, they would be produced close to the city. (Remember, people didnt have refrigerated oxcarts!) The first ring of land is also more expensive, so the ag products would have to be highly valuable ones and the rate of return maximized. Timber and firewood would be produced for fuel and building materials in the second zone. Before industrialization (and coal power), wood was a very important fuel for heating and cooking. Wood is very heavy and difficult to transport, so it is located as close to the city as possible. The third zone consists of extensive field crops such as grains for bread. Because grains last longer than dairy products and are much lighter than fuel, reducing transport costs, they can be located farther from the city. Ranching is located in the final ring surrounding the central city. Animals can be raised far from the city because they are self-transporting. Animals can walk to the central city for sale or for butchering. Beyond the fourth ring lies the unoccupied wilderness, which is too great a distance from the central city for any type of agricultural product because the amount earned for the product doesnt justify the expenses of producing it after transportation to the city is factored in. What the Model Can Tell Us Even though the Von Thunen model was created in a time before factories, highways, and even railroads, it is still an important model in geography. The Von Thunen model is an excellent illustration of the balance between land cost and transportation costs. As one gets closer to a city, the price of land increases. The farmers of the Isolated State balance the cost of transportation, land, and profit and produce the most cost-effective product for market. Of course, in the real world, things dont happen as they would in a model.

Business marketing report (imptoving quality service and crafting the Essay

Business marketing report (imptoving quality service and crafting the service environment) - Essay Example Major issues explored are the differentiation, managing the human resources and automation element. Suggested solutions are provided to allow the company redesign its service processes and better them. Use of diagrams and graphs has been made to anchor the understanding of the reader. Bunzl vending services boasts of 25 years of glorious experience in providing vending services of all sizes and complexities across UK. With organizational culture of efficiency and detailed attention, it leads the home refreshment services industry by continually incorporating innovation and quality in its services assortments. The company is ISO 14001 and 19001 certified which shows its quality-oriented business proposition. The company provides all sorts of vending services namely coffee, water, snacks and others for both commercial and industrial purposes. Its environment friendly initiative puts in place the objective of proper cleaning of vending machines through harmless chemicals, recycling of waste and minimizing transportation and storage costs of stocks by contracting with local suppliers (Bunzl Vending Services n.d). As already remarked, Bunzl vending services are ahead of their competitors in the service quality level. Identification of shortcomings in the service processes and delivery obviate strategic hiccups in the service designing of the company. Vending services are common to all that they are more technology and automation oriented, yet the success of these services rely on how well the service components are distinguished and differentiated from the traditional aspects (Lovelock & Wirtz 2007). For Bunzl vending services, its own employees are only technical facilitators while its customers are the actual employees because they themselves operate the machines, manage the vending area and are responsible for other facility issues arising. In this regard, it becomes essential that the

Haiti Research Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Haiti Research - Assignment Example Later on, the Haitians had an election and Duvalier rose to power as their president but unluckily, he turned out to be a great dictator an a ruthless leader (Cerda et al. 4). His reign was characterized by massive killings, embezzlement of funds, and corruption in every sector of the government. Due to this kind of leadership, the citizen suffered a lot as they became poorer with time. Development projects could not start, nor continue, since the government of Haiti could not afford the finances required. Unfortunately, in the year 2010, a high magnitude earthquake struck the country and led to massive destruction of property, death of many people and left a great number of Haitians homeless (Cerda et al. 7). This research paper shows the relationship between what happened during the early days in Haiti, and the aftermath of the great earthquake, connecting it to the current situation of this country. Haiti and France had a settlement deal in 1928, which demanded Haiti to repay a large amount of money to the French Government (Cerda et al. 11). Haiti was a very poor country by then and could not afford the money as demanded. The France however demanded that it had to be repaid this money it in order for it to identify the country’s independence, which it had attained in the year 1804 (Cruise 2). Additionally, the French government required Haiti to compensate it since it had lost a very important slavery colony, and most of their soldiers had died in the wars. Haiti government found trouble repaying this large amount of money (which amounted to 150 million francs) as it had no finances left (Cerda et al. 6). Fortunately, the France Government reduced the amount to 60 million francs, which had to be repaid in a period of thirty years. Boyer, who was the president of Haiti by then, made a very large first payment to France in order for them to recognize Haiti’s indepe ndence (Cruise 5). The payment led to economic problems in Haiti during

What Is Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

What Is Philosophy - Essay Example The actual meaning of the word 'philosophy', however, is such that neither interpretation can truly be said to be wrong. On the other hand, neither interpretation is truly correct on its own, either. This being the case, the question of what philosophy is should first be answered. The word 'philosophy' actually derives its origins from the Greek words 'philo' and 'sophos', which respectively mean 'love' and 'wisdom' - thus, the word can be translated as 'love of wisdom' (Online Etymology Dictionary, 2012). Philosophers tend to concern themselves with problems, especially those with concepts such as existence, knowledge and values (Teichmann and Evans, 1999). They then proceed to try and answer these questions as logically, rationally and systematically as possible. One of the more notable things said of the field of philosophy is that it revolves around the creation of concepts. This is actually a rather accurate description; for instance, the subcategory of metaphysics concerns itse lf with explaining the nature not only of the world, but of the human existence (Geisler, 1999). Those who specialize in this branch of philosophy search for knowledge with the aim of helping others attain greater understanding of the world, as defined by its fundamental notions such as existence, causality, ontology and possibility. ... This is not necessarily a bad thing, though - as the legendary Bruce Lee once put it, all knowledge ultimately leads to self-knowledge (Little, 1996). Interpreting any given subject will inevitably require the use of one's logic - of one's rational capabilities to try and make sense of the subject at hand. And as Popkin and Stroll (1993) explain, this in turn requires that one is capable of reasoning things out in a valid manner, based on the body of knowledge involved. For instance, one need not be a lawyer or a law student to know the law. However, the only way to truly understand the intricacies of the law is to unlearn everything one has been taught to think of it, and to try and understand the law as lawyers do. Joe Hyams (1982) quotes no less than Bruce Lee himself when he emphasizes the need to let go of one's preconceived expectations and notions. For one to properly study a subject requires that he be willing to let go of everything he has been taught to think about that sub ject, and to approach it with a clean slate, as if for the first time. In connection with this, it has often been said that lawyers are not truly after the truth, but what can be proven. As most lawyers and law students know, this can and often is a problem. For one thing, evidence can, in fact, be fabricated, and besides that, even the evidence at hand can be misinterpreted such that it heavily favors a particular interpretation of events. This can be very frustrating, especially to those who took to heart the lawyer's oath to uphold justice and truth seriously Furthermore, evidence can be admitted or dismissed depending on the methods used to obtain it,

Rational Choice Theory: Death Penalty

Rational Choice Theory: Death Penalty The death penalty has been debated over and over with no clear solution to whether it should be continued or be abolished. One thing is clear and to provide an argument for the death penalty can be made with the rational choice theory (RCT)/deterrence theory (DT). In their model, Cornish and Clark (1986) understood that people are not empty vessel when they approach a situation in which a crime might be committed (Lilly, Cullen, Ball, 2007, p. 276). Environmental, psychological, and biological factors create the motivations to commit crimes. The rational choice theory is advancement towards the causation of crime because it looks beyond the background factors and looks more at conscious decision makers who weigh options and act with a purpose (Lilly, Cullen, Ball, 2007, p. 277). The basic idea of the rational choice theory is that individuals or criminals engage in some intelligent thought before choosing to commit a crime (OConnor, 2007, para. 2). This means that the individual is already thinking of the risk, consequences, and possible rewards if they continue on with the thought of committing a crime. The other side of the RCT is the DT. As RCT would explain, individuals make a personal choice on whether they will commit a crime or not. The RCT suggests a more promising approach to reducing crime: situational crime prevention. By studying how offenders make decisions to commit criminal acts certain steps may be taken to reduce such opportunities for these offenses to occur (Lilly, Cullen, Ball, 2007, p. 277). By installing such things as alarm systems could prevent a potential burglary on your own but this is also a purpose of the deterrence theory. With regards to the death penalty, the assessment of action weighs the benefit of killing someone (for financial gain, revenge, etc.) against the threat of death and a possible result is that offenders would not make a choice to murder someone because of the threat of dying themselves at the hands of the government. Both the rational choice theory and deterrence theory work together when answer the call to murder and whether the death penalty is a rational punishment for committing a murder. Once again, the rational choice theory is explained by the personal choice made by the individual to commit a crime. The deterrence theory is the answer to that personal choice to commit a crime or for the purpose of this explanation; murder justified by the death penalty should suffice an effective deterrent to committing murders. To many this sounds good, you commit yourself to following through on a murder; you receive the death penalty but as it common knowledge that death penalty is not given to individuals all of time for committing murders. Therefore, the rational choice theory and deterrence theory immediately receives criticisms for a solution to preventing murders. Why does this happen? Our justice system pretty much tells us that for example, killing your wife because you just found out she was having an extra-marital affair does not necessarily mean you will get the death penalty. You have expert lawyers and then poorly constructed juries that defeats ideas of the rationa l choice and deterrence theories. Rational choice and deterrence theories are supposed to provide quick, swift, and certain death to offenders who commit murders but as mentioned before, this is not always the right or correct answer. Though both theories serve to the answer the question of whether or not a murder is a rational choice made by an individual and the quick answer to it, they also unfortunately lay down the issues with rational choice and deterrence as a solution to committing a murder. The problems within our justice system allow those who are on death row to extend their time alive because of appeals thus defeating both theories. According to Montaldo (2006), The U.S. Supreme Court has issued two rulings that make it easier for death row inmates to file additional appeals to avoid execution, extending the appeals process for many of the 3,300 inmates on death row and delaying justice for the families of their victims (para. 1). Final thoughts on the rational choice and deterrence theories as solutions to murder have issues but both can work and for the death penalty to serve the purposes of both, the justice system must make some changes. Death penalty cases are expensive from the court time sentencing to the actual execution can last for years because of the number of appeals for possible mishaps in the case or any other problems the individual could have with their case for example, rights violations, arguments for cruel and unusual punishment can all bring up points for new case. Unfortunately, this does happen and a death penalty sentence may get reduce to life in prison and most of the time without parole. However, some instances, individuals do get parole and release back into society and commit more crimes. To limit things like that, the rational choice theory and deterrence theory could be utilized to limit such instances. Right now, the death penalty cannot be used as deterrent in our current justi ce system because of some of the mentioned. If the theories were used, they could really provide a deterrent to murder. How would conflict theory explain the phenomenon of racial profiling in America? The conflict theory is based on an assumption that criminal behavior is delivered from the social and economical forces imposed on individuals. The criminal justice system and criminal law are thought to be operating on behalf of rich and powerful social elites, with resulting policies aimed at controlling the poor (Conflict, 2005, para. 1). The hierarchy falls as follows: High class society, Middle class society, Lower class society. The rich and powerful has always had the upper hand when establishing policy for the country. Much of that power came from capitalism. As stated by Lilly, Cullen, Ball (2007), capitalism was considered to be at the root of the conflict because it was taken to be the source of the unjust inequality (p. 151). In many opinions, capitalism makes the rich people richer while the rest are left behind thus defeating the 2nd Bill of Rights proposed by former President Roosevelt. In his State of the Union Address to Congress, FDR proposed a 2nd Bill of Rights b ecause of the capitalism had over run the country. The highlights of FDRs speech are the 5 specific Bill of Rights and they are provided for Woolley Peters (1990): Therefore, in order to concentrate all our energies and resources on winning the war, and to maintain a fair and stable economy at home, I recommend that the Congress adopt: (1) A realistic tax law-which will tax all unreasonable profits, both individual and corporate, and reduce the ultimate cost of the war to our sons and daughters. The tax bill now under consideration by the Congress does not begin to meet this test. (2) A continuation of the law for the renegotiation of war contracts-which will prevent exorbitant profits and assure fair prices to the Government. For two long years I have pleaded with the Congress to take undue profits out of war. (3) A cost of food law-which will enable the Government (a) to place a reasonable floor under the prices the farmer may expect for his production; and (b) to place a ceiling on the prices a consumer will have to pay for the food he buys. This should apply to necessities only; and will require public funds to carry out. It will cost in appropriations about one percent of the present annual cost of the war. (4) Early reenactment of the stabilization statute of October, 1942. This expires June 30, 1944, and if it is not extended well in advance, the country might just as well expect price chaos by summer. We cannot have stabilization by wishful thinking. We must take positive action to maintain the integrity of the American dollar. (5) A national service law- which, for the duration of the war, will prevent strikes, and, with certain appropriate exceptions, will make available for war production or for any other essential services every able-bodied adult in this Nation. These five measures together form a just and equitable whole. I would not recommend a national service law unless the other laws were passed to keep down the cost of living, to share equitably the burdens of taxation, to hold the stabilization line, and to prevent undue profits. (p. 1) Though this was a dream of FDR, it never came to pass but if it did chances are that the separations between the classes may not have ever occurred. Unfortunately, a separation did occur and created why as to the reason in which the conflict theory exists. Inequality is now a part of our society and will stay that way until the people want change. In the United States, the competitions for decent paying jobs are overloaded with applicants vying for jobs that would provide a decent living for their families. Those at the lowest level of the socio-economic ladder often find themselves working jobs with poor pay and using that little money to pay for insurances e.g. life, health, etc. Even with the Civil Rights Act, Affirmative Action, and other things meant to help there still lies the shadow of inequality in the United States thus leaving most individuals in poverty for their entire existence. In the United States, our poorest people are minorities including African Americans and Hispanics and it is easy to be placed into a group and most of the time those particular groups are targeted by police as bad seeds that want to upset the balance of the rich and powerful or the upper class of society. Trying to get a piece of the pie falls short and therefore commits crimes making it easier for racial profiling to occur. In other words, police are able to target whole groups of people that are minorities in order not to mess up the way of life for the upper class of society. The constant harassment makes the minority people feel fear of rebellion and maintains the inequality that benefits the upper level of society. By being the top of the pyramid, these people are able to dictate the rules to the lower masses and are doing so by implementing (or trying to implement) racial profiling. If a group of society is always in fear of being accused of crimes they did not commit, they are unlikely to find a common and loud voice of protest but by still having the ability to vote maybe there could be a change in the thought process of societys upper class. It is truly unclear on whether President Barack Obama can keep his promise of change alive but many people in the lower socio-economic classes believe that the change can and will happen. Also, there is no guarantee that if the classes were equal that crime would not exist because even those with all the money still commit crimesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦hence Bernard Madoff. Can the concept of rational choice involve passionate crimes? Explain and defend your answer. Yes, because the rational choice theory blames the crime on the personal decision of the individual. The belief that human nature was predicated upon the search for pleasure and the avoidance of pain, and that human action was consequently organized around calculative strategies aimed at utility maximization (Hayward, 2007, p. 233). The deliberate acts done in passion crimes are calculated in short periods of time. Many times the actions in passion crimes are usually at a moments notice and therefore are judged as ill advised, if not foolish (Lilly, Cullen, Ball, p. 277). The rational choice theory ultimately teaches that people make decisions to act or not to act based whether the actions would satisfy the main objective. Crimes of passion is a term used to define a crime which is committed by an individual in the form of assault or murder against a spouse or a lover out of jealousy or heartbreak and is not a preplanned crime. The thinking process is based on the limited amount of information available to the individual but it is common knowledge that the brain reacts faster than the body can process the signal and therefore even if in a split second to stop the first blow it may not be stop in time. So, when a person says they cannot stop themselves from acting what they are truly trying to say is that there is no need to suffer the pain or difficulty it would cause them from carrying out the criminal act. The most common example of a crime of passion is when a husband discovers his wife is having affair with another man and out of jealousy he can murder her. Peoples brain can make the choice to eliminate the pain of a breakup by covering it with anger, frustrations, and pain. With enough pain built up, there is usually a lot of trouble for the one who caused it. The choice being made is one that is rationalized. I believe that most courts in the United States understand crimes of passion and incarceration is the end game because though it was choice or decision it is understood that the act happened without a clear thought. However, it is still a poor decision, but a choice that brings instant satisfaction and delays pain. Therefore, explaining that the decisions in crimes of passions can be understood with the use of the rational choice theory.

John Steinbeck’s The Leader of the People Essays -- essays research pa

â€Å"The Leader of the People†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In John Steinbeck’s â€Å"The Leader of the People,† a theme that is portrayed throughout the story is that of the contrast between dream and reality. In the story, Grandfather cannot come to grasp that his dreams of the West and moving across the plains are over and that reality has set in. Another story that contrasts dream and reality is Ambrose Pierce’s â€Å"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.† In this story, Farquhar cannot tell the difference between dream and reality until the very last second, when he is hanged.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The plot in each of the stories is completely different, but both add to the theme of the contrast between dream and reality. In â€Å"The Leader of the People,† Grandfather returns to his daughter’s farm, where he is disliked by his son-in-law for his story telling. This is where he is dreaming of the past and what a great time he had. However, after hearing his son-in-law badmouth him, he comes to the realization that his dream is over and reality has set in. In â€Å"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,† Farquhar is dreaming when he is escaping from the Union soldiers, however his dreams crash down when he is thrown over the bridge and dies.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There is a strong contrast in character in â€Å"The Leader of the People.† Carl is the reality that is trying to bring Grandfather back down to earth to see clearly. Carl is   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   thinking about the future and not dreaming of the past. Grandfather on the other hand still wishes he was with the Indians and was leading the people across the plains, as he tells in his stories. He does not want to give up on that until he hears Carl talk about him behind his back. This seems to bring him into reality once he realizes that no one cares about his adventures anymore. He portrays this when Jody suggests that he too lead the people. Grandfather simply responds that there is nowhere left to explore and that he should not lead the people. In â€Å"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,† Farquhar is a character that does not give up easily. He wants to escape and when he dreams he does, he believes it. He is hard to bring out of his dreams. The character that brings him into reality are the Union soldiers who hang him. They are they ones that take his hopes and dreams away from him.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The setting in â€Å"The Leader of the People† is in the West after ... ...ir lives in the past. Grandfather only speaks of the times he had while crossing the plains, fighting with the Indians, and leading the people. He is also critical of people who believed that being a hero and leader was being able to fight the Indians, but Grandfather comes to the realization that he was a real leader when the people he was with trusted him. Pierce’s   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   tone in the story was a very serious one in which he championed the fight shown by the South and there struggle to fight for what they believed in, only to be taken down by the Union. These tones both add to the theme because the attitude taken by the author to the story they are writing tells what they are trying to portray.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Both Steinbeck and Pierce were writing about the contrast between dreams and realities in their modern worlds. Grandfather wishes for when he was on top of the world and Farquhar wishes to be back at home, safe and sound with his family. Both men are brought back into reality by the characters around them. They accept the facts that they will never again be able to back to where they were on top and ruling the world, in their minds.

Buddhist Religious Traditions: Sacred Elements and Meanings

Buddhism, as a religion, has a set of beliefs and practices. Although there are many doctrinal divisions, also known as Buddhist schools, there are several concepts common to them. These sacred elements characterize Buddhist religious traditions as a whole: Gautama Buddha All Buddhist schools accept the Buddha as their teacher and founder of Buddhism. Siddhartha Gautama is generally recognized as the Supreme Buddha and his teachings are considered sacred.Middle Way, Dependent Origination, Four Noble Truths, and Noble Eightfold Path These are practices common to all Buddhist schools. The Middle Way (also Middle Path) is their practice of non-extremism which means â€Å"moderation away from extremes of sensual indulgence and self-mortification and toward the practice of wisdom, morality and mental cultivation. † The doctrine of Dependent Origination (also Dependent Arising) states that phenomena arise together as part of a gigantic web of cause and effect.The most fundamental te achings in Buddhism are the Four Noble Truths. These are: The Nature of Suffering (Dukkha), Suffering’s Origin (Samudaya), Suffering’s Cessation (Nirodha), and The Way Leading to the Cessation of Suffering (Marga). The noble eightfold path is the way to cessation of suffering and achievement of self-awakening. Nirvana Buddhist religious traditions all point their life to buddhahood, which is considered to be the highest attainment as a Buddhist.Nirvana, which literally means â€Å"to cease blowing†, is used by Buddhists, particularly Theravadins, to describe the enlightenment and liberation of Gautama Buddha. References: â€Å"An Introduction to Buddhism. † Retrieved June 24, 2008, from http://webspace. ship. edu/cgboer/buddhaintro. html â€Å"Essentials of Buddhism: Core Concepts. † Retrieved June 24, 2008, from http://www. buddhaweb. org/ â€Å"The Religion of Buddhism. † Retrieved June 24, 2008, from http://www. religioustolerance. org/bu ddhism. htm

Thicketwood Ltd

Management of Organizations COMM 1006 Operations Thicketwood Ltd Problem Statement The current production process that Thicketwood Ltd is utilizing can no longer keep with the demand of custom kitchen cabinets. Management must implement a new step to the production line to increase efficiency; however, they must also maintain quality as the customers that are purchasing these cabinets expect top quality for the amount of money they are paying. Problems/Sub problems/IssuesIn the Thicketwood Ltd case there are a few problems and issues that need to be addressed immediately in order to keep up with demand. The current process that involves strictly human labor is no longer efficient as the demand for cabinets continues to increase. The current process has 5 steps which include cutting, drilling, routing, assembling, and finishing the cabinets. The third step in this process takes the longest amount of time to complete and also has the highest number of employees working on it.This step causes a bottleneck and everything is becoming backed up at this stage. Management needs to implement a change in order to try to become more efficient and meet demand but also continue to make quality cabinets. The company has come across an option that they believe will eliminate the bottleneck and allow the supply to meet demand. The option the company believes would be the most beneficial is a Computer Numeric Controlled (CNC) router. The decision that must be made is either to purchase the new machine or the old machine.Each machine has a different price and different life expectancy. By purchasing and implementing this machine to the production process it would also eliminate jobs on the production line, which may result in employees being transferred to different areas or may cause some layoffs which as a result can have a negative impact on the relationship between workers and management which is currently very good as a result of wages and benefits and there have been very few layoffs in the past. Analysis For Thicketwood Ltd, the quality of their cabinets is the most important aspect.Their target market is individuals or families of higher income that are willing to spend more money for a specialty product which is the custom kitchen cabinets. When people are out shopping for the custom products, price is generally not of big concern in comparison to quality and service. Thicketwood Ltd needs to ensure quality, ensure that their service is top notch, ensure that the quantity of cabinets produced meets the forecasted demand for that and lastly, price. As previously stated, the current system that the company uses includes five steps and all the steps are performed by hand.Although performing by hand is a good way to ensure quality, the human labor cannot keep up with the forecasted demand in all five steps. The current process is as follows: (Per Cabinet) Step 1: (1 employee) 4 cuts per part X 3feet per cut X 20 parts = 240/10ft per minute = 24min. St ep 2: (1 employee) 60 holes per cabinet X 1. 2 minutes per hole = 72min. Step 3: (4 employees) 4 employees routing 1 part each of the 4 required parts = 96min. Step 4: (1 employee) 1 worker assembling 1 cabinet = 90min. Step 5: (2 employees) 2 employees finish the cabinet = 20min.With this current process, Thicketwood Ltd cannot reach the forecasted demand of 2000 cabinets per year in all categories. Even if the company was operating at 100 percent efficiency, due to the bottleneck in step 3, the maximum amount of cabinets that can be produced in one year is 1250. 60/96 = 0. 625 X 8 hour shift X 5 days a week X 50 weeks a year = 1250 per year However, we cannot make the assumption that the company is operating at 100 percent efficiency as the employees need time to walk around and set up. To keep things more realistic we will calculate at 90% efficiency as well.Step 3 is not the only step that cannot produce 2000 cabinets a year. Here are the current numbers when the company is oper ating at 100 percent efficiency and 90 percent efficiency: Table 1. 1 | # of employees| Efficiency| Per Shift| Per Year| Step 1(24 minutes)| 1| 100%90%| 2018| 5,0004,500| Step 2(72 minutes)| 1| 100%90%| 6. 645. 976| 1,6601,494| Step 3(96 minutes)| 4| 100%90%| 54. 5| 1,2501,125| Step 4(90 minutes)| 1| 100%90%| 5. 3364. 8| 1,3341,200| Step 5(20 minutes)| 2| 100%90%| 2421. 6| 6,0005,400| | Total: 9| | | | Table 1. 1 represents 9 workers working 8 hours a day for 5 days a week and 50 weeks a year.As presented in table 1. 1, the line is unbalanced and is not meeting the quantity demanded. The CNC router can rout 1 part every 12 minutes and there are 4 parts that need to be routed so this step would now take 48 minutes as oppose to 96 minutes. The CNC router only requires 1 operator who would earn $20. 00 per hour resulting in an annually salary of $40,000. If the company were to implement the CNC router, it would allow other employees to be moved around but would also eliminate some jobs . Table 1. 2 represents the production process with the CNC router. Table 1. 2 # of employees| Efficiency| Per Shift| Per Year| Step 1(24 minutes)| 1| 100%90%| 2018| 5,0004,500| Step 2(36 minutes)| 2| 100%90%| 13. 3612. 024| 3,3403,006| Step 3(48 minutes)| 1| 100%90%| 109| 2,5002,250| Step 4(45 minutes)| 2| 100%90%| 10. 649. 576| 2,6602,394| Step 5(40 minutes)| 1| 100%90%| 1210. 8| 3,0002,700| | Total: 7| | | | Table 1. 2 represents 7 employees each working 8 hour shifts 5 shifts a week and 50 weeks a year. Although each step is now over 2000 cabinets per year, this would still not be desired for the company because some steps are still producing much larger numbers than other steps.In order to balance this line, each step will be operating at different efficiencies. We have also decided to produce 2,250 cabinets a year which will be beneficial if the forecasted demand is slightly off and if it is not we will have an additional 250 cabinets in inventory to be sold the following year . Table 1. 3 shows a balanced line. Table 1. 3 | # of employees| Efficiency| Per Shift| Per Year| Step 1| 1| 45%| 9| 2,250| Step 2| 2| 67. 37%| 9| 2,250| Step 3| 1| 90%| 9| 2,250| Step 4| 2| 84. 6%| 9| 2,250| Step 5| 1| 75%| 9| 2,250| Total: 7| | | | The line is now balanced; however, each step requires a different efficiency in order to produce 2,250. In step 1, the 1 employee will only have to work 3. 6 hours each of the 5 days for 50 weeks to complete 2,250 cabinets. In step 2 each employee will have to put forth 5. 44 hours. In step 3 the CNC router will be working all 8 hours with the operator spending his entire shift there. Step 5 requires both workers to work 6. 67 hours and step 5 requires the 1 employee to work 6 hours to complete his amount of 2,250 per year.Although they will not need to spend their entire shifts on the production line, the company is still not obligated to cut their hours down to part time. Each employee will be given miscellaneous tasks to complete onc e they are done their respective duties. Tasks will include helping load the truck, cleaning the warehouse etc. We will also need to take into consideration days where other employees are sick and cannot make into work, when and if this happens, the other employees will be forced to fill in at the respective step.Alternative Analysis There are only a few alternatives the company can choose in dealing with the problem. Before the company makes a decision they must take into consideration the pros and cons for each alternative, the incremental cost and benefits, the payback period if going with the router, and the employees. We can choose one of the following options: 1. Do not purchase the CNC router and leave the process as it currently is 2. Purchase the new CNC router 3. Purchase the used CNC routerIn choosing to not purchase the CNC router and leave the process as it currently operates would mean that we would not be able to keep up with demand, therefore this alternative is one that cannot be chosen. The new CNC router comes with a warranty of 3 years. If the company purchased the new CNC router it would cost $150,000 and a training cost of $1,500. The router has a life expectancy of 5 years which translates into an annual depreciation of $30,000. The CNC router also requires one operator who will earn $20 per hour which results in an annual salary expense of $40,000 for the company.Additional electricity for the router would run $1000 per year and maintenance would be a total of $4500 per year. The new router will allow a reduction of 3 employees out of the 15 who earn $16 per hour which results in annual savings of $96,000. In order to determine the payback period you must take the initial investment and divide it by the incremental benefits minus the incremental cost. Therefore the payback period would be: Investment= 150,000 + 1,500 = 151,500 Incremental Benefit = 96,000 Incremental costs = $40,000 + 4,500 + 1,000 = 45,500 Payback period = 151,500 / 96 ,000 – 45,500Payback period = 151,500 / 50,500 Payback Period = 3 years With the payback period being 3 years, choosing to purchase the new CNC router would be an ideal purchase for the company as the routers life expectancy is 5 years. It is also beneficial that the warranty does not expire before the payback period in case of any possible malfunctions the router may experience. The company also must take into consideration that this is needed in the production line in order to meet demand and is made with state of the art technology which can ensure top quality.The con to implementing the router is that some jobs will be eliminated which can result in a negative impact on the relationship between workers and management which is currently very strong. There is also the slight chance that the machine may not last the expected 5 years, however there is a slight chance it may last longer as well, and finally, the company would be buying the router off of High-Tech Inc. which we have had no previous relationship with in the past. The used CNC router comes with a warranty of 1 year. If the company were to go with this option it would cost $60,000 and would also have the additional $1,500 training cost.The used router has a life expectancy of 3 years which translates into an annual depreciation of $20,000. The used CNC router would also require one operator earning $20 per hour which again results in an annual salary expense of $40,000 for the operator. Additional electricity for the used router is also $1,000 and regular maintenance of $4,500 plus additional maintenance of $1,000 which comes from projections assumptions that one maintenance worker would be required to complete one extra hour of maintenance each week of operations. The used router would reduce the line by 2. workers which would result in annual savings of $80,000. In order to determine the payback period we must follow the same steps we used to determine the payback period for the new CNC ro uter: Investment = 60,000 + 1,500 = 61,500 Incremental Benefit = 80,000 Incremental Costs = 40,000 + 4,500 + 1,000 + 1,000 = 46,500 Payback Period = 61,500 / 80,000 – 46,500 Payback Period = 61,500 / 33,500 Payback Period = 1 year and 10 months (1. 835 years) In choosing to purchase the used CNC router the company would be taking a risk as the payback period is 10 months longer than the warranty given.As a result of this, if the router experiences any problems after 1 year and Thicketwood Ltd is forced to pay for the repairs due to the warranty being expired, that will cause their payback period to be extended which results in losses for the company. The used machine however, is also believed to eliminate some jobs which again can have an impact on the worker and management relationship. On the positive side to purchasing the used CNC router, it would also increase demand and allow supply to meet demand.In the event that no complications occurred with the router it would be c heaper to implement in comparison to the new CNC router. The company has also dealt with TDL products Co. before and have a good relationship with the sales representative and was confident in her ability to ensure servicing of the router if required. Decision/Recommendation The final decision on behalf of Thicketwood Ltd is going to be implement decision 2, purchase the new CNC router. We chose this decision for various reasons beginning with it is brand new, state of the art technology and has a life expectancy of 5 years along with a warranty of 3 years.The payback period and the warranty both run 3 years which is crucial in the aspect that the payback period cannot be extended if the machine has any malfunctions within the first 3 years because all the repairs will be covered. It will also increase the number of cabinets we can produce per year as a result the company will be able to meet demand even when operating at lower efficiency levels in some steps which means that if dem and happens to increase in following years the production line will be able to produce a larger number of custom cabinets.The most important aspect for Thicketwood Ltd is the quality of the cabinets and there is no better way of ensuring quality when using machines than bringing in new machines. Since the current forecasted demand is only 2000 and with the new CNC router it brings down the 9 employees needed on the production line to 7. As a result of this the company will have to lay off 2 workers which can have a negative impact on the relationship between workers and management but that is a risk the company must take in order to maintain efficiency at a controllable level.Since Thicketwood Ltd is a non-unionized company we will not have to follow any corrective steps in accordance to the layoff, however, to be fair to the other employees the layoffs will be based on seniority with the company. For the remaining employees on the production line, they will not be required to spend their entire 8 hour shifts on the production line; however, it is not in the company’s best interest to cut their hours. The following steps in table 1. 4 represent the amount of hours required by each employee on the production per shift: Table 1. | # of Employees| Hours Per Shift| Cabinets Per Year| Step 1| 1| 3. 6| 2,250| Step 2| 2| 5. 39| 2,250| Step 3| 1| 8| 2,250| Step 4| 2| 6. 77| 2,250| Step 5| 1| 6| 2,250| As a result of steps 1, 2, 4, and 5 not requiring the full 8 hour shifts to complete the demand will result in the other employees given miscellaneous tasks to fill in the remaining hours of their shifts. Duties will include cleaning the warehouse, helping load the trucks for delivery, keeping track of inventory and another possible option can be training the employee in tep 1 to make local deliveries in order to try to reduce some of the shipping costs. As previously stated, the company must also take into consideration that with the majority of the production li ne being human labor, there is a very strong possibility that there will be some sick days taken from some of the employees in which case the remaining employees will have to fill in for their co-workers in the respective step. In conclusion, implementing the purchase of the new CNC router is the best possible option and will be completed immediately.Executive Summary Thicketwood Ltd, a producer of custom kitchen cabinets is experiencing a bottleneck in their production line that will not allow them to produce the proper quantity to meet their increasing demand of their cabinets. The company must implement some new technology to the production line; however, they must also ensure quality as the cabinets the company produces are custom and more expensive than regular cabinets therefore the customers that buy these are expecting top quality.The company has explored a couple options including a Computer Numeric Controlled (CNC) router which we will be exploring the pros and cons to eac h decision throughout the case in order to come up with the best possible alternative that would be most beneficial to the company. Calculations for the Tables 1. 1 and 1. 2 Table 1. 1 Step 1 (24 minutes) 60 / 24 = 2. 5 x 8 = 20 per shift x 5 x 50 = 5000 20 per shift x 0. 9 = 18 per shift x 5 x 50 = 4500 Step 2 (72 minutes) 60 / 72 = 0. 83 x 8 = 6. 64 per shift x 5 x 50 = 1660 6. 64 per shift x 0. = 5. 976 per shift x 5 x 50 = 1494 Step 3 (96 minutes) 60 / 96 = 0. 625 x 8 = 5 per shift x 5 x 50 = 1250 5 per shift x 0. 9 = 4. 5 per shift x 5 x 50 = 1125 Step 4 (90 minutes) 60/90 = 0. 667 x 8 = 5. 336 per shift x 5 x 50 = 1334 5. 336 per shift x 0. 9 = 4. 8 per shift x 5 x 50 = 1200 Step 5 (20 minutes) 60/20 = 3 x 8 = 24 per shift x 5 x 50 = 6000 24 per shift x 0. 9 = 21. 6 per shift x 5 x 50 = 5400 Table 1. 2 Step 1 (24 minutes) 60 / 24 = 2. 5 x 8 = 20 per shift x 5 x 50 = 5000 20 per shift x 0. 9 = 18 per shift x 5 x 50 = 4500Step 2 (36 minutes) 60 / 36 = 1. 667 x 8 = 13. 36 per shi ft x 5 x 50 = 3340 13. 36 per shift x 0. 9 = 12. 024 per shift x 5 x 50 = 3006 Step 3 (48 minutes) CNC router 60 / 48 = 1. 25 x 8 = 10 per shift x 5 x 50 = 2500 10 per shift x 0. 9 = 9 per shift x 5 x 50 = 2250 Step 4 (45 minutes) 60 / 45 = 1. 33 x 8 = 10. 64 per shift x 5 x 50 = 2660 10. 64 per shift x 0. 9 = 9. 576 per shift x 5 x 50 = 2394 Step 5 (40 minutes) 60 / 40 = 1. 5 x 8 = 12 per shift x 5 x 50 = 3000 12 per shift x 0. 9 = 10. 8 per shift x 5 x 50 = 2700