Promotion: Performance vs Seniority Essay

According to the latest statistics published in the New York Times a 70 percent of the American workers think that promotions have to be based on performance rather than promotions by seniority. The first thing that needs to be said is that it is a personal decision. In my opinion, promotions have to be based on performance, because workers have good incentives, the best employees deserve the better positions quickly and the enterprises can have good employees. My first argument suggests that modern enterprise needs to produce more goods without spend money and time. The enterprises have to hire the best employees who need good incentives to work in them. The promotions by good performance rather than by seniority are very interesting for a young professional, because if he works well, he can get a better position in the company. For example, some companies have programs to hire young talent professionals. Second to take into account is that if the better employees had the opportunity to sit in a high position in the company early, they would have a better performance rather than another senior employee. To illustrate this point one need only refer to the several polls that some economics’ magazines have taken in successful companies and these polls show there are more young and capable workers than ever in the past, because there are a program of promotions by performance. Third, equally relevant to the issue are the companies with promotions base on good work have a better laborer climate. Enterprises give good incentives to hire capable workers and they give their better work. They can be happy in the company. Thus, I prefer to promotions have to be based in a good performance rather than promotions by seniority, in the due to the fact, worker have a good incentives, the best employees deserve the better positions quickly and the enterprises can have good employees.

How Urban Legends Work

A Summary of â€Å"How Urban Legends Work† Have you ever heard of the urban legend â€Å"Bloody Mary†, where you stand in the bathroom with the lights off and the room completely dark and chant â€Å"Bloody Mary† 13 times in the mirror a woman will appear and kill you. In the article of â€Å"How Urban Legends Work† by Tom Harris, Mr. Harris gives us various examples of different urban legends. Exactly what is an Urban Legend? Urban legends are popular stories that are alleged to be true and are passed from person to person by word of mouth or written communication. In the article â€Å"How Does Urban Legends work† by Tom Harris, he states that an urban legend is any modern, fictional story, told as truth that reaches a wide audience by being passed from person to person. Are urban legends true or false? Tom Harris stated in his article that most urban legends are not real. In the article Tom Harris gives us examples of different urban legends that have no moral relation to them but they are told and written for amusement. Urban legends are believed by a lot of people only because they don’t take the time to look into things themselves. What makes them so real? Tom Harris stated in his article that some details in an urban legend can really make them seem real and make you believe them. Urban legends have been around for decades but within the last 10 years they have taken the internet by storm. I receive forwards daily from different people that have my email address and some of them always say to forward them on. I never forward because either it’s an urban legend or a chain letter. If I not sure about it I always go back and do the research on it myself. Urban legends come in different forms it’s simply up to you to decide whether they are real or fake. Telling urban legends are just like playing the game telephone, the more you pass it on the story is going to get twisted up somewhere. A few things will be added and some will be taken away from the story. It’s up to you to dissect the story and research it for yourself.

The origin and justification of judicial review Essay

The origin and justification of judicial review - Essay Example Many people did not believe in giving the judiciary such powers and authority. Since the institution of the American constitution, the judicial system was given the mandate to oversight the activities of the state government. The statutes and states’ constitutions could not, under the observation of the judicial system, go against the supreme law of the land. This supreme law is the American constitution. However, one issue that the framers of the American constitution did not provide a solution for is whether the federal courts had any oversight power over the congress and the executive. Upholding congressional acts in the early years of the republic somehow confirmed the existence of judicial review. However, it was still unclear, until 1803, whether the judiciary had any power to similarly strike down the acts. In 1803, the chief justice John Marshall ruled an act of congress unconstitutional. In his argument, the duty of the Supreme Court and the judicial system is largely to declare the law. According ti him, therefore, a statutory, congressional of even executive act that is against this law must be deemed unconstitutional and the constitution must prevail. In another instance, the judicial review was applied once more before the civil war. The Supreme Court, in 1857, ruled the Missouri Compromise of 1820 unconstitutional. It is also at around the same time that several statutory acts were struck down by the Supreme Court. In addition, concerns were raised after the Civil War on the Fourteenth Amendment which gave the federal government unnecessary powers over the state governments. This being an executive was again struck down. This further confirmed the stability of the judiciary and its impartiality in applying the power bestowed on it. This exercise of power has however not been wit hout political opposition. By the end of the nineteenth century, the Supreme Court was repeatedly

Companys Rights To Prohibit Employees From Smoking Off The Job Essay

Companys Rights To Prohibit Employees From Smoking Off The Job - Essay Example Employees are often charged high insurance premiums that might also act as a motivator for refraining from smoking (Hill, 2006, pp.1-3). Ban in smoking through laws has been found to reduce the passive smoking to a great extent. Improvement in health conditions of such employees has been obtained. The support for such bans has shown to increase (Callinan, Clarke, Doherty & Kelleher, 2010, p.2). A change in the smoking behavior is likely when workplaces bring in limitations on smoking. Employees tend to smoke less and many employees may even quit smoking. Smokers who truly try to quit smoking have actually been found to be more successful than others (Burns, Shanks, Major, Gower & Shopland, n.d., p.104). Prohibiting smoking within organizations is necessary and hence supportive to my views. It can be understood that people who do not smoke would suffer from passive smoking if others smoke within an office. Particularly since an organization is a closed area, it would be more suffering for the non-smokers. Hence smoking needs to be prohibited within the working areas. Moreover, if employees are not allowed to smoke in their workplaces, this might gradually help them to lessen their habits of smoking which is undeniably better for their health. Thus, considering both the issues of the smokers’ health as well as the sufferings of non-smokers from passive smoking, it seems to me that prohibition of smoking in workplaces should be highly supported and followed in all organizations. The Cons: If the case of Ford Meter Box can be considered there are two issues that arise- one being the issue of freedom, and the other being the issue of privacy. The ban in smoking creates personal issue by impeding the freedom of an employee. The private issue arises when the employee needs to give a nicotine test. Whether a company can intrude into the privacy of an employee raises matters of serious concern. Arguments in support of Ford may find the cost factors significant enough to conduct such tests (Hooker, 2003, pp.11-12). The greater problems arise when companies try to regulate the smoking of their employees even at their residences. For example, â€Å"in Indiana, an employee was fired because she smoked cigarettes in her own home† (ACLU Briefing Paper Number 12, n.d.). Several federal and state laws exist that protect the rights of the employees

Theory and Knowledge Development in Nursing Article - 1

Theory and Knowledge Development in Nursing - Article Example lf of the previous century, nursing theories have been developed to provide methods of thinking which provide direction in constructive diagnosis and solving problems in working with patients. While patient cases will have similarities, each case is also uniquely different and may require a different process of determining solutions. A patient is inherently individualistic, based on social and economic factors as well as the type of illness involved. What may work for one patient, may not work for another patient, due to differing circumstances of age, eating habits, social structure and economic environment such as working status or for those who are unemployed. Nursing morals and ethics will also come into play when confronted with issues of insurance coverage and what solutions are available as defined by the coverage, if there is any coverage. Consequently, right answers in one case may not be right in another, based on principles which are not always absolute (Nourreddine, 2001, p.3). When evaluating nursing knowledge, nurses will ask themselves what they know, what the extent of that knowledge is, based on how that knowledge is attained through various methods, and whether it is appropriate. Epistemology is the term used for the study in the theory of knowledge which has several basic types. Empiric knowledge is developed through scientific observations, suitable testing and ability to replicate and validate the information. Personal (priori) knowledge is attained from thought processes alone. Intuitive knowledge comes from feelings and hunches that come from unconscious recognition of experiences or patterns as known from previous experiences or by some type of educational process. Somatic knowledge is experience attained from a physical experience which becomes a learned process through conducting physical tasks. Ballet dancers and gymnasts are great examples of those with somatic knowledge. Metaphysical knowledge which is a spiritual precept of knowledge

Entrepreneurship Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Entrepreneurship Theory - Essay Example 2010, pg 90) Functions/applications of theory Theories are used for several purposes. Different researchers and authors from different organize them and describe them differently. The following are the various functions of theory. Decision Making Theories usually help leaders in making decisions by giving those views from different perspectives. An administrator is able to compare the observations against theories that they have combined and synthesized, using the experience of others (Hisrich, Robert. 2011, pg 184). An educational leader can use his knowledge of theories when his interpretation of the facts of a given situation limits him to overcome this by gaining a wider perspective and re-examining the information available in the context. Predicting Behaviour Using theories, educational leaders are able to predict the outcomes of their decisions. They are able to examine relevant theories and ideas that they have, to know the reactions and outcomes they expect from certain acti ons or policies. For example, a school leader can use the theory of planned behaviour to decide if it is worthwhile to provide professional development to a team of teachers struggling in the English department. In order to determine whether a person has an intention to involve himself in a specific behaviour, the theory of planned behaviour considers his attitudes and perceived abilities (Gasparski et al. 2010, pg 45). Using the observations of the teacher’s attitudes and self-efficacy, a principal is able to know whether the teachers are likely to adapt the new teaching behaviours they learn in from the expensive training (Hisrich, Robert. 2011, pg 130). Organizational Control Leaders can communicate more clearly and maintain more consistent focus and message using theories as models. They can discuss the objectives of their organization using unambiguous terminologies. Educational administrators use theories to shape their personal leadership and communication styles and b enefit from the expertise of others while comparing themselves. Future Functions Policy makers provide succinct explanation, evidence and solutions for a given problem using theories. Theories usually provide ideals or models on which to base initiatives. In addition, when a theory does not exist, or it is not adequate to address the matter in hand, the models provided by theory assists the researcher in educational administration by revealing the needed areas of research. Entrepreneurship Entrepreneurship necessarily involves the task of sensing opportunities and innovating products and services. The concept of entrepreneurship was first established in the 1700s, and the concept has been evolving. It is mostly equated with one-person business. However, economists believe it is more than that. To some economists, the entrepreneur is a person who initiates a business idea, and he is willing to bear the risk of implementing his idea if there is a possibility of making profits (Baron & Robert.2012, pg 115). An entrepreneur’s role is also emphasized as an innovator who markets his own innovation. Other economists suggest that entrepreneurs develop new goods or processes that are currently not being provided/supplied in the market. In the 20th century, economist Joseph Schumpeter (1883-1950) focused on how change can be created by the entrepreneur’s drive for innovation and improvement (Gasparski et al.

The concept of freedom in Yoga philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The concept of freedom in Yoga philosophy - Essay Example It describes how one can remove pain and suffering from their minds and body. It describes the different concepts that form part of our world. This philosophy states that when one feels deep pain in their body, they want to destroy their body and mind (Sinha, 2012). This becomes a problem because we do not have the knowledge on how to destroy our body or mind. The philosopher states that â€Å"life means integration of the body; mind and consciousness, whereby some are unwanted while others are desired† (Buley, 2006). We can see that this philosophy combines consciousness and the body matter. This is shown in the two independent variables namely, the Purusha and the Prakriti. The philosopher concludes by saying that real freedom is obtaining freedom from the three types of pain and suffering the physical, emotional and spiritual (Michaels, 2004). Therefore the philosopher identifies with our experience of pain, fear, anger and any other emotional or physical pain. The philosophy then gives us a means by which we can remove or deal with this pain accordingly. The process by which one removes pain is called the doctrine of cause and effect. It states that â€Å"there is a time and process by which undesirable, painful elements get into our bodies and consciousness and there is a means by which we can reverse it. Every effect has its cause and it is possible to remove the cause, thus removing the effect† (Sinha, 2012). This is true, but us as Human beings, are we able to clearly know what is causing us pain? It is not true that we can effectively identify the causes of our problems. The philosopher was not wrong in saying that we can find the cause and effect of pain, although it is still true that many people have been unable to find the root cause of their pain and suffering. In conclusion we can see that the proponent was able to combine consciousness and the body. Research studies have found that the mind can control what

Leadership communication Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Leadership communication - Term Paper Example It will be beneficial to both of us since I will be motivated to put more effort in my duty while, on the other hand, you will continue enjoying the benefits of leveraging from my skills, experience, and knowledge. Indeed resources can be limited but the resourcefulness of a person has no limits. You can have no resources at all but by making yourself resourceful you will definitely make a difference in your life and even in someone else’s. Personally, I have been working at our family’s pharmaceuticals firm for a considerable amount of time. Initially, when I began the job I was not paid I just took it as a personal initiative to make good use of myself for the overall benefit of our family. I worked diligently to ensuring all management issues are sorted and within a short period the business had expanded considerably. My parents are very grateful for my services since the firm has grown in revenues, and now I am getting a monthly salary. I choose to volunteer, for the job, to put the skills I had learned in school into practice, but it has turned out to be a formal employment. My knowledge and skills have also improved immensely. Recently, I received an invitation from a multi national pharmaceuticals company offering me a lucrative job. The fact that I decide to make myself resourceful has opened new opportunities that are making my life better. The old saying ‘practice makes perfect’ is still relevant in today’s life. When I decided to venture into voluntary work in our family’s business I had no idea of whatever was taking place there but because of the interest that I had for the job I strived to overcome any shortcomings that confronted me. For instance, I made numerous mistakes in my entry by misplacing crucial documents and at times making stupid and obvious mistakes. However, I never gave up on

ALS and how it affects middle-aged americans Research Paper

ALS and how it affects middle-aged americans - Research Paper Example Evidence from population studies in the U.S.A. indicates that more than 5,600 new cases of ALS are diagnosed every year, and that its prevalence is 30,000 at any given period of time. The predominant age span at which ALS develops is between the ages of 40 years and 70 years, though cases have been reported in the age group of 20 years and 30 years. Men are more frequently diagnosed with ALS than women and there is a high rate of affliction of the disease among the Caucasian race. Only 50% of those afflicted with the disease live three years or more, with 20% likely to live for five or more years, and 10% living beyond 10 years. In recent years live span of individuals with ALS is found to be longer than earlier, with the likely causes being improved management of the patients and clinical interventions (ALS Association, 2011). There is lack of clarity on how ALS is initiated. Traditionally ALS has been looked upon as a disease that lacks adequate evidence of a genetic basis. This appears to be true as 95% of patents affected by ALS do not have first degree relatives affected by ALS. However, the recent finding of TDP43 as a signature protein in ALS has brought back the question of a genetic connection in the initiation of ALS. This is because TDP43 is found to be a gene wherein mutations have been seen in 3% to 4% of familial ALS. This finding has not removed the fog around the cause of ALS, but may be a light in the dark tunnel. Disparate pathways that include RNA processing, protein turnover and mitochondrial function have been found to initiate ALS, yet a universally acceptable model that describes how ALS is initiated and propagated has not emerged (Talbot, 2011). In the opinion of Talbot 2011, p. 1329, â€Å"the concept of ALS as a pure motor system disease having a single cause, and ultimately a co mmon treatment, has to be abandoned in favor of a model where complex multisystem

Impacting factors on human social service Essay Example for Free

Impacting factors on human social service Essay Socio cultural factors are norms, values, beliefs, material and non material objects that are passed on from one generation to another in any given society .Socio cultural factors are crucial in any developmental aspect of a community.(Noyo Ndangwe p230) There is considerable interest in analyzing these factors that are impacting on human social service delivery and these are economic, religion, political and socio-cultural factors which are of special significance because of their tendency to shape the context or foundation for the operation of any other set of factors that operate upon human social service delivery. In this regard, we will try to look at one factor, that is, Socio cultural factor how it is impacting on human social service delivery. First and foremost would like to define the key concepts this assignment. 1. Socio means interaction. 2. Culture means the beliefs, customs, practices, and social behaviour of a particular nation or people. 3. Factors mean something that contributes to or has an influence on the outcome of something. 4 Impacting means to have an immediate and strong effect on something or somebody. 5 Social Service These are welfare programs aimed at enriching human life 6 Delivery means taking something to somebody.  The first to way to discuss this will be to try to analyse how socio-cultural factors affect the performance of Primary Health Care. There is now a large body of literature on the social and cultural determinants of health which ‘refer to both the specific features and pathways by which societal conditions affect health. The WHO has, for example, identified a number of socio cultural factors and conditions. The list of factors includes (i) cultural beliefs and taboos, (ii) gender inequality, and (iii) the urban – rural divide. The socio-cultural factors impacting on health will differ  between societies and even within sub-cultures within the same society. Thus the factors in a developed society will tend to differ from those that are operative in a backward, underdeveloped society. Factors such as urban-rural migration, unemployment, education, gender inequality, lack of money, transportation, distance to health facility, cultural inhibition, fear of going alone to health facilities, inability to make informed choices and the need to obtain permission from some authority figure such as the husband in the case of some married women have been cited (Social Determinants of Health: Nigerian Perspective: 2005). Social cultural taboos and social meanings attached to certain diseases and their causes are other socio cultural factors that are impacting on service delivery. Cultural beliefs and taboos Cultural beliefs and taboos impact upon the performance of the Primary Health Care in several ways. First, they shape forms of behaviour that lead to certain health outcomes. As an example, consider beliefs about fertility and family planning. People living in rural areas tend to want to have more children and not to want to use the more modern methods of family control (PHC, WHO: 2004). This has implication for population growth, the incidence of child and maternal mortality and the number in the population seeking access to health care. As another example, we can also consider the case of beliefs about HIV/AIDS. Quoting a UNESCO Report, Kickbusch et al (2002:4-5) have observed that in some parts of Africa, ‘people believe that clean and well-dressed individuals cannot become infected or that having sexual intercourse with a virgin will cure AIDS’. Ladipo et al (2003) have also reported a study on the perceptions of Gate keepers, the custodians of cultural beliefs and moral norms, about sexuality and HIV/AIDS in Nigeria. Using in-depth interviews with teachers, media representatives, religious, political and traditional leaders and focus group discussions among parents the study reported that the culture downplayed the sexual mode of transmitting the disease; ‘condom promotion was not accepted on religious grounds by most participants. Cultural beliefs not only also shape how individuals respond to forms of disease and illness but also choices about which forms of care should be accessed. For example, cultural beliefs about certain forms of disease may lead to silence and denial thus creating  veritable grounds for the continuation of behaviours and actions that promote the disease (Human Rights Watch, 2002). Studies of the social meaning of infertility in Nigeria have shown that beliefs about infertility play a determinant role in interpretation and treatment of infertility. Following these beliefs, most people used three treatment outlets: ‘churches (spiritualists), traditional healers and hospitals (orthodox medical treatment)’ (Okonofua et al 1997:211). Gender inequality Gender inequality impacts the Primary Health Care system through its contribution to lower status, lack of empowerment, higher rates of illiteracy, and higher levels of poverty for women. As in the case of illiteracy, these factors translate into higher incidence of ill-health for women and paradoxically, their lower capacity to access health care. For example, women with less education have less control over their sexual activities and therefore also more affected by sexually transmitted diseases. For example, HIV/AIDS which is transmitted largely through sexual activities is more prevalent among women than among men. The relative lack of control over their sexual choices also means that many more women get pregnant than should be the case. This has implications for fertility and maternal mortality rates. Women therefore have a higher need to access health care especially at the PHC level. Only women generally tend to need the permission of men to access health facilities. Poverty is also higher among women in the population than men. These factors suggest that women will also have a lower capacity to meet their health needs even when facilities exist to provide for those needs. The urban – rural divide The urban – rural divide is implicated in the differences in living conditions between urban and rural areas, in the distribution of the population between the two areas and in several other factors. Differences in these factors impact upon the performance of PHC in a number of ways. First, it imposes different challenges on PHC in urban and rural areas. It has been observed for example, that living conditions, especially with respect to the availability of electricity, good roads, water, transportation, communication, poverty and quality of life tend to be much higher in urban than rural areas (Imoudu, 1995). The implication of this is  the tendency for PHC units to be better staffed and equipped in urban areas than rural areas. It is thus not surprising to find that storage facilities for drugs are better in urban areas than rural areas (Gupta et al, 2004). Professional health personnels are also more reluctant to accept postings to rural areas. Another implication is the pattern and distribution of the disease burden between urban and rural areas. Given the fact that urban areas have more PHC facilities and that other secondary and tertiary health care facilities tend to be located in them, the health needs of urban populations tend to be better served than those of rural areas. There will therefore tend to be more pressure on PHC facilities in rural areas. If we take into consideration the additional factor of higher poverty in the rural areas, the lower capacity of rural communities to access health care when they need it will translate into worse health indices in the rural areas than urban areas. However it should be noted that socio cultural factors also impact positively in human service delivery in the following ways. Traditional medicines have become part or alternatives were modern medicine has failed. That not all in certain areas use of socio cultural factors has enhanced social service delivery in the areas of ceremonies which bring in foreign exchange and general leading to an improved standard of life of the people.eg prior to the kuomboka ceremony of the lozi people of western province, roads are graded, buildings painted, the towns and villages cleaned hospitality industry also takes a new shape which is a plus in service delivery. CONCLUSION Socio cultural factors are norms, values, beliefs, material and non material objects that are passed on from one generation to another in any given society. As we looked at how socio-cultural factors affect the performance of Primary Health Care we have noted that socio cultural factors are crucial in any developmental aspect of a community The socio-cultural factors impacting on health will differ between societies and even within sub-cultures within the same society. The WHO has, for example, identified a number of socio cultural factors and conditions. The list of factors includes (i) cultural beliefs and taboos, (ii) gender inequality, and (iii)  the urban – rural divide. The socio-cultural factors impacting on health will differ between societies and even within sub-cultures within the same society. Cultural beliefs and taboos impact upon the performance of the Primary Health Care in several ways. First, they shape forms of behaviour that lead to certain health outcomes. Gender inequality impacts the Primary Health Care system through its contribution to lower status, lack of empowerment, higher rates of illiteracy, and higher levels of poverty for women. BIBLIOGRAPHY: 1. Dr. Festus Iyayi, (2009), Socio cultural factors impacting upon Primary Health Care in Nigeria, Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Benin, Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria 2. Global Health Watch (2004) Global Health Action, edited by Whyte, A., McCoy, D and Rowson, M, Russell Press 3. Noyoo. N, (2000), Social Policies and Social Services in Zambia. UNZA Publishers, Lusaka, Zambia. 4. Oxford advanced learners dictionary (2002).

Effect of Positive Emotions Induced by Music

Effect of Positive Emotions Induced by Music Do positive emotions induced by music broaden thought-action repertoires? Music has the potential to communicate emotions, and this presence can be considered to be part of our everyday experience. Music psychologist believes that it has the capability to invoke specific emotions when listeners tune in to a specific type of music. For example, a faster toned and pitch music will indicate a lighter and happier mood, whereas a slow tone and pitch will indicate a sad emotion. On the scale of mood, Fredrickson’s broaden-and-build theory suggests that positive emotions builds up our thought-action repertoire, explains that we should harness positive emotions into our daily lives in effort to enhance our coping skills. The fusion of music with the broaden-and-build theory is an attempt to prove that positive emotions do indeed broaden our momentary thought-action repertoire as proven in Fredrickson’s theory, but on a different scale. Such fusion can be proven to be worth of research as music exists in our everyday lives and if we incorporate and fo ster positive emotions into individual’s daily lives, most, if not everyone, would have increased thought-action repertoire, which would then lead to better coping skills in situations. The broaden-and-build theory suggests the function of a subset of positive emotions such as joy, love and contentment. Fredrickson (2004) proposed that positive emotions produce optimal functioning over time, which includes psychological well-being, as well as physical well-being. These positive emotions, where individuals experience joy, which in turn creates the urge to play, or interactions with a stranger which will in turn create a supportive relationship, will broaden an individual’s thought-action repertoire. This broaden mindset is in contrast with negative emotions, where it prompts immediate and narrow action tendencies such as fight or flight. Fredrickson also proposed that with broadening of an individual’s thought-action repertoire, it would in turn create and build into the individual’s personal resources, and these personal resources are thought to be long term which can help individuals cope with situations in future. For the support of her theori es, Fredrickson reviewed some of other researchers who worked on the effects of positive affect and cognition and pointed out that Kahn and Isen (1993) found that individuals experiencing positive affect report having increased preference for variety and accept a broader array of behavioural options. Subsequently, Ashby, Isen, and Turken (1999) found that positive affect produces effects linked to increases in brain dopamine levels, particularly in the prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate, which are thought to underlie better cognitive performance. However, Isen’s work did not target specific positive emotions or thought-action repertoires per se, but it provides the strongest evidence that positive affect broadens cognition. As Fredrickson builds up on her theory which eventually became the broaden-and-build theory, Fredrickson and Joiner (2002) propose that positive emotions will elicit an upward spiral in the direction of enhanced emotional well-being. They assessed their prediction by testing whether positive affect and broad-minded coping reciprocally and prospectively predict one another. They made a conclusion that positive affect from a particular time will lead to enhancement of broad-minded coping at a later stipulated timing, and vice versa. It was also mentioned that positive affect at one particular time is able to predict the positive affect at a later time when changes in the broad-minded coping were controlled, and vice versa. Hence, it can be said that from this particular review, it has been found that positive affect and broad-minded coping are correlated and they mutually build on one another. However, later studies done by researchers such as Nickerson (2007) suggested that Fredrickso n and Joiner (2002)’s analysis tested within-occasion, across persons hypotheses, which are incoherent with Fredrickson’s broaden-and-build theory of emotions that is within person, across occasions. Nickerson changed their hypotheses so that the edited hypotheses would align with the broaden-and-build theory, in which Fredrickson subsequently tested the momentary broaden hypothesis, in which the efficacy was proven. Fredrickson (2005) made use of a Twenty Statement Test as a measure of thought-action repertoire when her participants were randomly assigned and exposed to videos which will induce a specific emotion. For example, participant A would be exposed to a video of some penguins, which would supposedly elicit the amusement emotion. The participant would then be required to fill in the Twenty Statement Test in which a higher number of statements filled in would indicate a larger thought-action repertoire, and this finding was consistent with their hypotheses. On another scale, Fredrickson conducted a qualitative analysis using the same data collected, and classified the responses collected from the participants into some categories. They found similar findings, for example, participants who viewed the amusement video are reported to have more frequent urges to play, have positive feelings or thoughts, and fewer urges to sleep or rest. Thus, the data presented by Fredrickson support 2 central aspects of the broaden hypothesis positive emotion broadens thought-action repertoires, as well as broadening effects emerge for 2 distinct types of positive emotion, namely amusement and contentment. Music can be thought to be a powerful tool in inducing specific mood states (Marin and Bhattacharya, 2010), and these moods refer to the states which feature a lower intensity than emotions, and this state tend to last much longer than emotions; these emotions denote the affective response that generally encompass some subcomponents – action tendency, as well as regulation. Although it is believed that there could be some correspondence between music induced emotion and mood, the two distinctions can be said as: music induced emotions are short lived, whereas music induced mood generally last longer. Various psychophysiological and psychological experiments such as emotion perception to emotion experiences have been proven by Thomas Baumgartner, Michaela Esslen, Lutz Ja ¨ncke (2006), where it was elucidated by their psychometric results that emotions can be evoked by pictures and classical music. There are a large number of empirical studies that reveal systematic relationsh ips between musical structures and emotional responses (Gabrielsson Lindstro ¨m, 2010). Lundqvist, Carlsson, Hilmersson and Juslin (2009) concluded in their study that self-composed music is effective in inducing specific emotions. For example, they explained that for a happy emotion to be induced, the happy music needs to feature fast tempo, high sound level, and major mode, while the sad music featuring slow tempo, low sound level, and minor mode. This was also proven in their research, as well as previous works, which gives the conclusion that music is able to produce specific emotions without contamination. Hence, it is of interest to study the interaction between how music is capable of inducing the emotions as required, and how the induced emotion can help in enhancing an individual’s coping skills, as well as building up their personal resources. The nature of the study is discovering whether positive emotions induced by music will broaden thought-action repertoire in a sample of Singaporean participants. The rationale of the hypothesis is to find out if the differences of cultures may pose a significant contributor to the difference in thought-action repertoire. Secondly, inspection can be done to see if cross-cultural differences may produce different results as compared to what Fredrickson originally done in her study, and lastly, findings may have possible implications of music to enhance psychological and physical well-being. Thus, the first hypothesis is that positive emotions will broaden momentary thought-action repertoire. Secondly, the emotion experienced in amusement will broaden momentary thought-action repertoire to a greater extent when compared to contentment. The third hypothesis is that negative emotions will narrow thought-action repertoire, and the last hypothesis is that object-focused negative emotions (e .g. anger) will narrow momentary thought-action repertoire to a greater extent when compared to object-less negative emotions (e.g. anxiety). This study is considered to be an advance over previous works; in the original broaden-and-build theory, Fredrickson made use of videos to induce emotions, and for modifications, the new experiment will use audio materials, which consists of self-composed audio clips; the rationale here is to identify if the usage of video and music clips will yield the same kind of findings. Additionally, two additional steps will be administered; before starting the experiment (measuring skin conductance level), and at the end of the experiment (performing relaxation techniques on participants). The first step ensures that each participant is at neutral emotional state (baseline) before we induce a particular emotion with the music clip. The second step ensures the momentary emotional well-being of participants as they do not leave the experiment with induce d emotions, but with neutral emotions (baseline). Method Participants 100 university students enrolled in an introductory psychology course received course credit for their participation. Only students who spoke English as their first language were eligible to participate. Some ethical issues to be considered are the initial screening before participation. It is required that the participants are mentally healthy, and it is essential to exclude those with history of mental and physical illnesses because of the emotional manipulation involved in the experiment; the confidentiality of the information provided by the participants will be ensured. Another ethical issue is that of informed consent: Participants will be informed of experimental procedure, the materials that will be used, and the rights to withdraw before the start of experiment; they also have the option of counselling services and exit interview at point of withdrawal. Questions from participants will be answered at all times of experiment. Finally, participants can be sure that their answe rs remain anonymous as the forms and tests that they filled in during the experiment do not require them to fill in their names, as well as undergoing a debrief of the original intent of the research. Design The nature of this research is considered to be a quasi-experiment, where the independent variable (IV) is emotions, which are induced by the respective music clips (Amusement, contentment, anger, anxiety, neutral), and the dependent variable (DV) is the thought-action repertoire, in which will be measured via two methods: quantitative and qualitative. Materials Participants will be selected at random to be exposed to audio clips which are intended to induce emotions. The audio clips that are exposed to the participants are: Amusement, contentment, anger, anxiety, as well as neutral. Skin conductance level (SCL). To ensure that the participants will not contaminate the data being collected, the SCL will be used to ensure that the participants will start off the experiment in a neutral state. This is done by attaching a node onto the participants’ hands, followed by measuring the skin resistance, which will be varied with the state of the sweat glands on the skin of their hands. Emotion Report Form. Ekman, Friesen, and Ancoli (1980) made use of the emotion report form to identify and test if the emotions induced by the experimenter are successfully manipulated by music clips. This is done by participants giving a rating of emotions felt on a Likert scale. Participants who rated the greatest amount felt of the emotions above on a 9-point Likert scale (0 = none, 8 = a great deal). Twenty Statements Test. Kuhn and McPartland (1954) constructed the Twenty Statements Test to measure the thought-action repertoire of individuals after they are exposed to audio clips. They are required to fill in 20 blank lines which began with â€Å"I would like to†¦Ã¢â‚¬  to their greatest extent possible after listening to the audio clip. A higher score is thought to indicate a larger thought-action repertoire. Procedure Before the participants begin the official experiment, they would be required to be put under the SCL test, which is to ensure that they start off the experiment on a neutral state. Participants would then be randomly exposed to one particular audio clip which elicits a single emotion, i.e. a faster tone and pitch audio clip would indicate the participants listening to a happy music. The next step would require the participants to describe the strongest emotion that they felt in a few words, and subsequently asked to complete the Twenty Statements Test. Before the participants finish the experiment, they would be required to complete the Emotion Report Form so that there is consistency in their emotions felt and the emotions written down onto the Twenty Statements Test. Lastly, participants would be given a mandatory relaxation session so that they can fall back to their baseline (neutral state). Results Statistical analysis can be done on various scales, which includes quantitative level, as well as qualitative level. For the quantitative level, analysis can be done for the self-reported emotions from the Emotion Report Form, where a 1-way ANOVA and Tukey pairwise comparisons to test if music clips altered emotional experiences as intended. Positive emotion music groups/Negative emotion music groups will be compared with neutral emotion music group to produce a less ambiguous result. Secondly, a 1-way ANOVA and Tukey pairwise comparisons can be conducted for the number of responses from Twenty Statements Test, and for the group differences in repertoire size, a 5 x 2 ANOVA, where the 5 groups are the audio clips exposed, and the two groups are the culture, which in this case is the Singaporean Culture compared with Foreign culture. On the qualitative level, analysis can be done via coding, where participants who responded in a certain manner will be classified into a category, and f or each participant, proportion scores for each activity was determined by dividing the tally for that activity by the total number of statements the participant generated. Discussion The expected results are that all hypotheses proposed are significant, that is to say that positive emotion will broaden momentary thought-action repertoire, and the amusement emotion will broaden momentary thought action repertoire to a greater degree when compared to contentment. Some of the limitations include the possibility of the individual’s desire to be socially desirable may cause contamination of the data as participants may not write their intended behaviours or thoughts as per the emotions they experience in the music clips. For instance, an individual may not write that he or she will hit someone even though he or she wants to. Future researchers can look into exploring the usage of recording the participants’ response instead of doing the Twenty Statements Test, as there is a possibility of identifying the emotions of the participants through the way they speak.

Agatha Christie :: essays research papers

In the murder mystery by Agatha Christie, Murder on the Orient Express, her style of writing can be described as one of Christie’s best works, having an international trend, and being a genius with detective fiction. Murder on the Orient Express was a great book and should be read by all.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  “Agatha Christie is the world’s best known mystery writer.'; (Harper) All of her novels are known around the world as being very excellent. No one has read a Christie murder mystery they have not liked. Murder on the Orient Express is one of her most famous books. “This book is famous because it turns on a piece of misdirection and a solution which, in their day, were startlingly innovatory.'; (Lejeune) Throughout the whole novel, your thoughts are changed numerous amounts of time. You never know what is going to happen next. Agatha Christie knows just how to keep you interested in the story and to keep you wanting to read more and more. If you had to choose one of Christie’s novels to read, you should pick Murder on the Orient Express. Not only is she the best known mystery writer, but she is also known around the world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  “She is the most widely published author of all time in any language, outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare.'; (Harper) All of Christie’s works are sold around the world and also known to have an international trend. She puts a variety of characters in all of her novels. Murder on the Orient Express has characters from all over, such as Germany, Istanbul, France, America, Britain, and England. “This international trend in Christie’s views can be noted in Murder on the Orient Express. A slight shift is perceptible here in the British stock characters, and men like Christie’s Colonel Padgett 2 Arbuthnot one of the Orient Express passengers, are already beginning to seem quaint and old-fashioned.'; (218) She makes her stories even more interesting when she uses people from all over the world. When she writes using these people, she also adds in the language in which these people speak as well as placing them in different countries than from where they are originally from. When she mixes different people and cultures together, it makes the stories more fun and it even helps to make them more mysterious.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  All of Christie’s novels even contain the same characters. There are a variety of stories other than Murder on the Orient Express that contains the popular detective Hercule Poirot. Agatha Christie :: essays research papers In the murder mystery by Agatha Christie, Murder on the Orient Express, her style of writing can be described as one of Christie’s best works, having an international trend, and being a genius with detective fiction. Murder on the Orient Express was a great book and should be read by all.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  “Agatha Christie is the world’s best known mystery writer.'; (Harper) All of her novels are known around the world as being very excellent. No one has read a Christie murder mystery they have not liked. Murder on the Orient Express is one of her most famous books. “This book is famous because it turns on a piece of misdirection and a solution which, in their day, were startlingly innovatory.'; (Lejeune) Throughout the whole novel, your thoughts are changed numerous amounts of time. You never know what is going to happen next. Agatha Christie knows just how to keep you interested in the story and to keep you wanting to read more and more. If you had to choose one of Christie’s novels to read, you should pick Murder on the Orient Express. Not only is she the best known mystery writer, but she is also known around the world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  “She is the most widely published author of all time in any language, outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare.'; (Harper) All of Christie’s works are sold around the world and also known to have an international trend. She puts a variety of characters in all of her novels. Murder on the Orient Express has characters from all over, such as Germany, Istanbul, France, America, Britain, and England. “This international trend in Christie’s views can be noted in Murder on the Orient Express. A slight shift is perceptible here in the British stock characters, and men like Christie’s Colonel Padgett 2 Arbuthnot one of the Orient Express passengers, are already beginning to seem quaint and old-fashioned.'; (218) She makes her stories even more interesting when she uses people from all over the world. When she writes using these people, she also adds in the language in which these people speak as well as placing them in different countries than from where they are originally from. When she mixes different people and cultures together, it makes the stories more fun and it even helps to make them more mysterious.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  All of Christie’s novels even contain the same characters. There are a variety of stories other than Murder on the Orient Express that contains the popular detective Hercule Poirot.

Robert Hutchins Goddard :: biographies biography bio

Many of the the most important features of modern rockets, missiles, and even spacecraft use the principles pioneered by Dr. Robert Goddard. Before his work, many people didn't even believe thrust could propel a rocket in a vacuum and, because of this, he was ridiculed by the New York Times when he proposed that space travel with rockets was possible4. When he tried to tell the U.S. Army about the possibility of the Germans using rockets as weapons just before World War II, he was rebuffed. What he had warned became a reality however, when German V-2 rockets hit London. After the war was over, German scientists admitted that much of the design for the V-2 had been taken from Goddard's patents, which were publicly available4. Even though many people didn't take his work seriously, this didn't deter Goddard from the work he loved. He always kept working to advance rocketry, which he believed someday would be the means to travel into space. From his early experiments of measuring the thrust of solid fuel rocket engines on a bench with a ballistic pendulum3, to his last experiments with liquid fuel powered rockets that were over 20 feet long and traveled to altitudes of 9000 feet1, he forged the means to the space age. Before him, rocketry was relatively dead, while after him it was at the forefront of scientific research. Unlike when he first started his work, Dr. Goddard is now recognized for the important role he had in the fields of rocketry and liquid fuel propulsion. He is now known as the father of modern rocketry5. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland is named after him. He recently was named one of the 100 most important people of the 20th century by Time magazine4. In 1969, the New York Times even printed a piece acknowledging that Goddard had indeed been correct about thrust working in a vacuum. Robert Goddard's achievements 1,2 * First to explore mathematically the practicality of using rocket propulsion to reach high altitudes and even the moon (1912) * Received first U.S. patent in the idea of a multi-stage rocket (1914) * Proved, by actual test, that a rocket will work in a vacuum (1915)

Bizet, Georges :: essays research papers

Georges Bizet   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Georges Bizet was born in Paris on October 25th, 1838. He was trained by his parents, who were musical, and admitted to the Paris Conservatoire just before his tenth birthday. There he studied counterpoint with Zimmerman and Gounod and composition with Halà ©vy, and under Marmontel's tuition he became a brilliant pianist. Bizet's exceptional powers as a composer are already apparent in the products of his Conservatoire years, notably the Symphony in C, a work of precocious genius dating from 1855 (but not performed until 1935). In 1857 Bizet shared with Lecocq a prize offered by Offenbach for a setting of the one-act operetta Le Docteur Miracle; later that year he set out for Italy as holder of the coveted Prix de Rome.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During his three years in Rome Bizet began or projected many compositions; only four survive, including the opera buffa, Don Procopio (not performed until 1906). Shortly after his return to Paris, in September 1861, his mother died; the composer consoled himself with his parents' maid, by whom he had a son in June 1862. He rejected teaching at the Conservatoire and the temptation to become a concert pianist, and completed his obligations under the terms of the Prix de Rome. The last of these, a one-act opà ©ra comique, La guzla de l'emir, was rehearsed at the Opà ©ra-Comique in 1863 but withdrawn when the Thà ©Ãƒ ¢tre-Lyrique director, who had been offered 100 000 francs to produce annually an opera by a Prix de Rome winner who had not had a work staged, invited Bizet to compose Les pà ªcheurs de perles.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bizet completed it in four months. It was produced in September 1863, but met with a generally cool reception: an uneven work, with stiff characterization, it is notable for the skilful scoring of its exotic numbers. In the ensuing years Bizet earned a living arranging other composers' music and giving piano lessons. Not until December 1867 was another opera staged - La jolie fille de Perth, which shows a surer dramatic mastery than Les pà ªcheurs despite an inept libretto. It received a good press but had only 18 performances.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1868 was a year of crisis for Bizet, with more abortive works, attacks of quinsy and a reexamination of his religious stance; and his attitude to music grew deeper. In June 1869 he married Genevià ¨ve, daughter of his former teacher, Halà ©vy, and the next year they suffered the privations caused by the Franco-Prussian war (Bizet enlisted in the National Guard).

Say No to Crazy Fan

Argumentative Writing Say No to Crazy Fan Do you have a friend or roommate who is crazy about a pop icon? I have. She would never like to miss any launching ceremony of new album even if she has to skip all day’s classes. She spent most of her allowance buying all products about the pop icon even if she has no money for a decent meal. She can’t concentrate on homework because some people are criticizing her idol on the Internet and she must defend his image for him. This is a typical example of celebrity worship syndrome. It is likely that you may just like my friend suffer from this syndrome which does no good to personal growth.As the result of this syndrome, you may get physically and psychologically hurt and your moral standards may become vague. So what you need to do is getting rid of this syndrome and saying no to crazy fan. To begin with, being a crazy fan of pop music icons can ruin your health. As you are a crazy fan that means you have to follow your idol eve rywhere; you have to spend every cent of your allowance proving you are a devoted supporter and you have to collect every piece of news of your idol. Your life quality becomes lower, no healthy meals, not enough sleep and no leisure time.What’s worse, some crazy fans want to resemble their idols in appearance so they turn to plastic surgery. For example, a Superman fan, Herbert Chavez, a 35-year-old Filipino man who had had cosmetic surgery to make him look like Superman. A psychiatrist told Bandila News that Mr. Chavez could be suffering from body dysmorphic disorder, meaning that he is obsessed with making cosmetic changes to his body(Daily Mail,2011). It is obvious that the obsession to superman has totally destroyed the man, because plastic surgery absolutely makes irrecoverable and damaging changes to his body.This case may be a little extreme; however, it reminds you that sometimes being a crazy fan, you have to sacrifice your health or face with physical damages. Anoth er reason is if you are too obsessed over a pop icon, you will tend to be psychologically abnormal. It seems like the only thing you care about is your idol. Your family and career is far more insignificant than your favorite icon. You become irrational and cold-blooded, even losing your mind. You must still remember Yang Li-juan, who had idolized Andy Lau for 13 years. She quit school.The only thing she cared about in life was to meet her idol. The newspaper Guangzhou Daily said Yang lijuan is the victim of popular star worship. Li Zixun, a well-known Chinese psychologist, told Chongqing Times that she must be paranoiac to take these extreme actions. Not everyone would be the same as Yang, but it is probable you put yourself at the risk of some unhealthy psychologies when you choose to be a crazy fan. Lastly, the crazy love for an icon may lead you to vague moral standards. Not all pop icons can set a good example for the public.Some of them do something immoral or against the law. For instance, in 2007, Lindsay Lohan, American actress, was arrested in Los Angeles for suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs after a crash on Sunset Boulevard(Guardian,2007). In 2011, she pleaded not guilty to stealing a $2,500 necklace from a Los Angeles jewelery store(New York Times, 2011). It is quite possible your idol’s misbehaviors may mislead you to do something immoral; meanwhile you won’t take it seriously because those pop icons can always get away with it.However, rules change when it applies to you: you may get severe punishment and regret what you did for the rest of your life. So being a crazy fan and following your idol blindly, you may lose your precious morality and virtues. In a word, it is evident you have to sacrifice a great deal in order to become a crazy fan. It is worthless to take the risk of physical and psychological damage and losing morality. Being a crazy fan is harmful for personal growth. So please say no to craz y fan! [702] ReferencesEwen MacAskill(2007, May 28) Actor Lohan arrested after car accident Retrieved October 26, 2012, from http://www. guardian. co. uk/world/2007/may/28/film. usa? INTCMP=SRCH Damien Gayle (2011, October 8) Obsessed Superman fan has cosmetic surgery to look like his hero Retrieved October 26, 2012, from http://www. dailymail. co. uk/news/article-2046303/Superman-fan-cosmetic-surgery-Herbert-Chavez-ops-look-like-hero. html China. org. cn by Zhang Rui (2007, March 30) Celebrity Worship Turns Tragic Retrieved October 26, 2012, from http://www. china. org. cn/english/entertainment/205460. htm

Group Influence Essay

A group is a combination of more than one individual sharing some values, beliefs, or a set of behaviors. Many individuals together sharing a common goal or need is a group of people. People in a group sharing these common things tend to have interdependent behaviors. Each of the members of a group influences the behavior of another. Individuals will tend to react to situations or have specific behaviors in specific situations guided by a reference group view to those situations. Groups of people that influence their selves are members of the same religion, roommates, school friends, workmates, etc. Groups influence their selves in two ways. A group may influence the identity through conformity or obedience. Group influence has many effects on their selves. Some of them are positive while others are negative and damaging to the personality. The aim of this paper is to evaluate group influence and its effects on the individual. The observation was done at Inland Behavior Health Center , which is an outpatient rehabilitation center in San Bernardino. The physical arrangement or layout of the room and setting was as follows: chairs were arranged in a circle setting and the instructor was in the center of the group. The instructor used brochures and a standing trifold poster. The composition of the group on terms of ages, sex, and ethnicity, this particular class was is given to pregnant women only, ages varying from 19 through 35, ethnicity groups being: 40% Caucasian, 40% Hispanic, and 20 % African American. The purpose, mission, and goal of this class is to learn about the tobacco health effects on the pregnant women and unborn baby, the mission is to be self-reliant and not to depend on tobacco during when stress is experienced. The goals are to teach them to about all the health effects that can happen due to smoking, to prevent premature birth and low birth weight. The duration of the class duration is ninety minutes. Each participant needs to attend eight con secutive weeks and be smoking free for eight consecutive weeks; otherwise, the class has no end date. If any participant relapses during program, they are sent back to week one starting with no incentives. The discussion structure of this class is that the instructor follows a curriculum based on a weekly topic that includes, videos, provides handouts, and group discussion. A quiz was given at the end of session to test comprehension. The class structure and organization is difference, since the class is given at an outpatient rehabilitation center, the participants were in a class when the instructor arrived at 10:45 am. The instructor pulled all the pregnant women from the classroom. Some of the pregnant women were already in the Comprehensive Tobacco Treatment program (CTT), which the instructor was aware of it. The other pregnant women, who were not part of the CTT program, were substance abused screened and those who screened positive for tobacco were enrolled in program. At the beginning of the class, a signing sheet was passed to all attended participants. The instructor has a folder that included a â€Å"communication form† in where she keeps track of each participant’s cessation status. In a group discussion, she begins by asking if anyone would like to share an anecdote to tell about her past week smoking cessation experience. At this time, two participants mentioned how difficult they found that week to stay without smoking and one stated that knowing that if they smoke one cigarette it would equal thirteen packs to the baby. The second participant mentioned that knowing that she had to provide a urine test kept her away from smoking. After the discussion was done, the instructor transitioned by introducing the topic of the week. The topic of this particular week was on â€Å"Secondhand Smoke.† During session, a handout was passed out to all attendees including myself and a video was shown titled â€Å"The Perils of Secondhand Smoke.† A quiz was given at the end. All attendees were tested through a urine test to make sure they were nicotine free and those who achieved session, were rewarded with infant diapers and xylitol gum as an incentive. After nicotine test was done, the session concluded. The primary facilitator of this class was only one female instructor, who was the program coordinator. She has her bachelor’s degree in Liberal Studies and currently enrolled in a Human Resource Management program. The program has two instructors who travel to various sites through San Bernardino County. The subject or issues did the group members examine during the meeting was primarily smoking during pregnancy. Other topics may include parenting and baby bonding education. The different information that the members exchanged in this class was the difficulties facing through the cessation process that evolves through stress, financial issues, emotional experiences, and lack of support. The group’s norms, roles, status hierarchy, or communication patterns were that the participants are low income, low level of education (less than high school diploma), and normally come from a substance abuse setting. The communication patterns illustrated if this class was that participants were involved as a group and they were very open for discussion and sharing their experiences. The participants’ members share a sense of identity with one another and the participants shared the same interest of trying to stay tobacco free, provide a health living environment for their unborn baby and other children living with them. In this class or group there was not any indication that members might be vulnerable to groupthink, because at the beginning of the session, the instructor ask for each individual struggles through the cessation process and they all had their unique storytelling. Although some responses were similar, they did not seem influenced by their partner’s response. In my opinion, the group has a positive influence in each other’s behaviors because the participants share the same background and they all seemed to understand each other by giving praises for their successes and advices on how to deal with the cravings and withdrawals of tobacco. Unfortunately, due to the background of the participants, they were influenced by their living surroundings and the only thing they knew is to reach for drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. In this class, the participants learn the tools necessary to cope with stress factors rather than reaching out for a cigarette as a coping tool. A group influences their selves in many ways. While communicating and sharing some defi nite norms, people from the same group tend to behave in the same way. The group influences their selves through either obedience or conformity. This influence has many effects that are both positive and negative but mostly negative. References Myers, D. G. (2010). Social Psychology (10th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.

This assignment will examine issues around social exclusion and teenage pregnancy

Q. Describe and write a critique of any ‘personal trouble' and illustrate how the key theoretical concepts raised in this class can help you explain it as a ‘public issue'. This assignment will examine issues around social exclusion and teenage pregnancy. It will explore the links between teenage pregnancy, poverty, and how it links into the underclass theory. This assignment will look at the trends in teenage pregnancy in the United Kingdom. It will focus on issues based around assumptions that teenage pregnancy is a personal trouble and a public issue and why teenage pregnancy is a problem and whom it is a problem for. I will be looking at what the government expectations of young people are and how they hope to raise the aspirations of these young people through education and training. It will examine the government policies and practices in relation to teenage pregnancy whilst critically analysing the implications that these have on teenage pregnancy. Teenage pregnancy according to figures published in S. E. U (1999) are rising dramatically and despite the introduction of compulsory sex education there doesn't seem to be anyway of stopping these figures from further rising. In England alone there are approximately 90,000 young people getting pregnant, girls under 16 account for about 7,700 of these pregnancies, and approximately 2,200 of these being under 14 years of age. Out of these pregnancies around 3/5,s go to full term and result in live births. If you explore this further the figures show that around 56,00 babies are born each year to teenage mothers. The figures suggest that there are 87,000 children living with teenage mothers in England alone. These statistics are frighteningly high and the government is aiming to halve the rate of teenage pregnancies in nder 18 year olds by the year 2010. Teenage pregnancy occurs in all classes of society but the figures show definite links between teenage pregnancy, being more prevalent in the poorer underclass, and those daughters of single mothers who themselves may have been teenage mothers. These links according to S. E. U (1999) state that ‘ socialisation and deprivation are two of the main causes of teenage pregnancy. ‘ They also state that ‘overall teenage parenthood is more common in areas of deprivation and poverty†¦ teenage pregnancy is often a cause and a consequence of social exclusion. Information collated and analysed by the S. E. U enabes us to see how they have reached their theories surrounding teenage pregnancy. It shows how they identified and linked the risk factors to teenage pregnancy and how all of these seem to have an association with the poorest category of society the `underclass`. The report by the S. E. U (1999) also shows how these risk factors can be seen in geographical concentrations, thus the teenage pregnancy map, ‘ resembles the distribution of local authorities identified as the most deprived in the unit's report on neighbourhood enewal. ‘ The map shows that the poorest areas of England have up to more than six times a higher rate of teenage pregnancies than the more affluent areas. The areas outside of London which have been identified has having the highest rates of conception amongst young people are industrial cities which are going through economic recession and ports which are suffering from loss of jobs due to the recent collapse of ship building industries. How does this then prove the government's theory that teenage pregnancy is linked to social exclusion? A list of factors relating to women in their mid-thirties who had become teenage mothers, the evidence confirms that the vast majority are low achiever's, do not work, single with many being reliant on long term benefits. As a result of this they have not had the opportunity to progress in life and has a result of this are trapped in the cycle of poverty, deprivation and social exclusion. Hence the S. E. U report say ‘teenage pregnancy is often the cause and a consequence of social exclusion †¦ overall teenage parenthood is more common in areas of deprivation and poverty'. Thus adding weight to the governments argument about teenage pregnancy being a public issue. The figures show that teenage pregnancy is a public issue; the facts show that the UK has the highest rate of teenage pregnancy in Western Europe. This is three times higher than France and nearly six times higher than Holland. Could this be down to our lack of morals? The fact remains that in Holland if you have a child in your teenage years and out of wedlock the local communities still shun you and there is a lot of social stigma attached to this. Whilst in the UK teenage pregnancy along with cohabiting has become the `norm` and are more easily accepted, with very little stigma attached to it. The law states that sex under sixteen is unlawful and young women cannot give consent for sexual intercourse to take place. Yet in 2000 there were more than 7,000 young people under sixteen, who had conceived, with over 54% ending in legal abortions. That is a lot of young people participating in an illegal sexual intercourse. Where have all the traditional family values gone? Traditionally people meet, fall in love, get married, have children and become a loving secure family unit. With the changing trends and loss of family values more than 90% of teenage births are outside of marriage. Thus changing family life has it was and creating a new trend towards single young mothers, children being brought up without permanent father figures, who are dependent upon the state to provide for them unless some changes can be made. The government states that it costs tax payers over i10 billion each year, the S. E. U reports say that this money could be better spent else where, and that unless we get this phenomena under control we can not support this rising tide of young teenage mothers. The government has been looking at the Netherlands and the United States for inspiration on how to deal with these issues. The Netherlands have one of the lowest teenage birthrate, they educate young people from a young age and take a more realistic approach to sex education. Compare this to the United States who do not provide support for teenage mothers and have used controversial measures such as forced sterilisation of certain ethnic groups and the family of these young people have to support them financially and emotionally in order for them to survive. Do young people see it as a problem? Is it an issue for young people? After looking at facts there seems to be no evidence that states it is a problem for the young people themselves, thus it is no big issue for them. Maybe it is just another way for the government to control the lives of young people? The government seems to be saying that teenage mothers are not equipped with the skills and knowledge to become competent parents, but who decides what makes a good parent, how can age be a deciding factor in good and bad parenting. So is it just an assumption that teenage pregnancy is a problem, functionalists would argue that it is just a process of socialisation and that if the young people aspirations could be raised then they would be able to break the cycle. Durkheim's anomie theory (1951: 273) seems to suggest ‘that a condition of normalness arises when a disruption of the social order occurs†¦ so that they are no longer controlled by the collective social order. ‘ Compare this to Merton's anomie (1938:53) ‘ the roots of which lie in a structural strain, generated by differential access to opportunity structures. Currently young girls who have little or no education and very few plans for the future are 30% more likely to get pregnant than those who aspire to gain qualifications and are well educated. Not being educated, in training or work are factors that are seen as being a negative influence on young girls and thus the risk of them becoming pregnant rises. Teenagers from socially deprived, poor families are less likely to have abortions compared to the young girls from more affluent families has they have higher aspirations in life and also have the funds to pay for private abortions. The lack of aspirations in the poorer young girls life, can lead them to believe that they can do nothing else and also if it was not a personal trouble for their mother then why should they expect anything else in life. Evidence seems to support the socialisation theory, with young girls often having no prospects due to lack of education, family support to break the cycle, believing that this is the way life is that this is all that life has to offer them and seeing that this is the way their life has been apped out for them. The lack of knowledge and confidence can also stop young girls from accessing services, which are available to them, and this just reinforces the negativity within their lives. As a result of finding themselves pregnant many young girls from poorer backgrounds, are less likely to continue with their education, compared to the young girls from more affluent homes who are expected to succeed in education and already have a prosperous career mapped out for them by their parents and peers. As a result of this young mothers from poor areas, start to become trapped in the cycle of poverty, with no way of supporting themselves and child they find themselves in the benefit trap. If they wait until the child is old enough to start school, returning to education is extremely hard and most training and apprenticeships are only open to school leavers. So with no experience, qualifications, expensive childcare and limited employment options due to most young mothers only being able to afford to work during the school time hours which are usually the lowest paid jobs the poverty trap begins a down ward spiral of debt and depravation. Therefore becoming a single teenage mother is a stigma and figures show them to be a burden on society hence a public issue. Are teenage mothers to blame for the creation of the emerging underclass in society? Teenage young mothers are often referred to as being a contributing factor in creating the underclass. The underclass theory (Murray 1980) describes this as ` people who are at the bottom of the social ladder, structurally separate and culturally distinguishable from the `decent` working class `. Murray (1980) discovered this new class of people in the 80's and he labelled them as the new underclass in Britain. He blames this emerging underclass on the over zealous welfare state system, which was set up to provide relief from poverty, not provide people with an alternative way of life. Where has Marx (1951) suggests that` we are born into a social class†¦ which are modified locally by region and neighbourhood`. Thus the teenage mothers cannot be to blame for the creation of the underclass, which adds viability to the theory put forward by Murray. The result of this theory is that there are now younger single parent families due to the ability to support themselves through the benefit system. Murray (1980) goes on to say that before the welfare system started to increase the level of provision there were few single parent families because they were not economically viable. He states `that the more generous benefits have made it possible for women to have children outside of marriage†¦ therefore the welfare state is to blame for this phenomenon. Thus he argues that the benefit system is to blame for single parents and they are a contributing factor of the underclass theory. Charles Murray (1980) goes on to say that we are creating a culture of dependency and if the benefits were taken away from single parents, it would discourage young people from becoming pregnant and is a possible solution to stop further development of the underclass. Many other people believe that young girls get pregnant on purpose in order to gain priority in the housing and benefits system. There are many flaws in Murray's (1980) theory the main one being that single teenage parents is seen in all class stratification and is not exclusive to the underclass element of society. Statistics show that young people do not start to enquire about benefits and housing prior to getting pregnant therefore these facts are not a forethought to getting pregnant. Research shows that most teenage pregnancies are not planned and young people seem to rarely plan for the future until after they are pregnant so they are very unlikely to have become pregnant in order to obtain benefits. Liberal thinking social theorists argues that the idea of an underclass diverts attention away from what the real issues are and the disadvantages experienced by certain groups of people in society especially young people from working class backgrounds. The conservatives denied poverty existed, so why is there a need for a welfare state and where is the emerging underclass. Labour said that it is just a lack of means to work that causes poverty, thus justifying the need for a welfare state and acknowledging the `underclass` exists. Other political groups outside these seem to blame poor education, bad housing unemployment, and family breakdown has main reasons why people become dependent on benefits and thus the underclass theory serves a purpose to hide the real causes of teenage pregnancy and social exclusion. Teenage pregnancy is a cause of and consequence of social exclusion, these young people share the values as everyone else unfortunately they have limited opportunities and are therefore restricted in plans for their future. These young people are deemed to be suffering from inequalities in life and are victims of an unjust society, which fails to ensure a fairer distribution of opportunities and resources. Poverty and social exclusion has a direct affect on the choices young women make about abortion and sex education, and if all young people had the same opportunities and options open to them when they find themselves pregnant or prior to having sex then maybe the rate of teenage pregnancies would fall. If young women have a clear vision about their future, their options in life explained clearly through education and training then they will have nothing to gain by choosing early parenthood. Whereas young people with no job prospects, poor education, who expects to be on benefits anyway might see that having a baby is going to provide them with a better future. The government are under pressure to cut the rate of teenage pregnancies as currently the UK has the highest rate in the western world. So what can the government do when the media seems to undermine all the initiatives that the labour government have come up with? All the media misrepresentation has altered the public's perception of teenage pregnancy and how the sex education program is delivered. The general consensus seems to be that Pregnancy advice is right, just the tactics used to deliver it are wrong. The media has highlighted this issue, alongside figures pointing out the amount of money currently being spent to deliver these services. It implies that all the time and money is being wasted has teenage pregnancy rates continue to ise. The media seems to be blaming the government for wasting money and accusing them of being dictators to young people The Daily Mail newspaper reports â€Å"60 million to tell girls that it is okay to be a virgin† how can this reduce the rate of teenage pregnancy, this nanny government is wasting money telling young people how to their lives. Whilst the girls are being advised to stay virgins they are not being told about sex and how it could affect them in their future and the message to boys is that sex is okay just wear a condom so the gap between the genders just keeps getting reinforced. The government have responded to this positively by bringing out new policies and are changing ways of delivering this service to youngpeople these include: Compulsory sex education: Sex education in schools is to become compulsory part of the national curriculum and will be taught alongside reading, writing, maths and science. The fact that it is compulsory seems to indicate that all children are being taught sex education but this is not so as parents can opt to remove their children if they so wish to. So were is the compulsory part? Should it be given to all children regardless to what a parent may feel? It is a civil right for every young person to be educated, so why is the choices to learn about sex being taken away from the young person, Why does a parent have the right to dictate to the young person what they need to learn to become a responsible adult later in life? Without sex education how can a child make the transition through adolescence from a child to a teenager who has a need to experiment sexually safely? To conclude, teenage pregnancy is a personal personal and a public issue. Many adoloscents I think fell trapped in a viscious circle. However I think that social exclusion and teenage pregnance are inextricably linked and these terms cannot be separated. The government have reccomended that young people should have better access to sex advice and other issues based around sex education. This is good practice but these clinics are not available countrywide, it is up to individual schools and parents to decide whether or not this service is should be available. On the other hand would these clinics encourage young people to have sex which would create an even bigger public issue?

Comparison Between Gold Rates and Sensex Essay

Correlation : Correlation is a statistical technique that can show whether and how strongly pairs of variables are related. Correlation is computed into what is known as the correlation coefficient, which ranges between -1 and +1. Perfect positive correlation (a correlation co-efficient of +1) implies that as one security moves, either up or down, the other security will move in lockstep, in the same direction. Alternatively, perfect negative correlation means that if one security moves in either direction the security that is perfectly negatively correlated will move in the opposite direction. If the correlation is 0, the movements of the securities are said to have no correlation; they are completely random. Regression analysis: It involves identifying the relationship between a dependent variable and one or more independent variables. Case Analysis The initial analysis compares two Asset index prices the SENSEX and the GOLD. The Sensex has the top 30 stocks. The Gold is an important Asset in terms on Investment as it also offers the benefit on diversifying the Portfolio risk. To apply the Correlation and regression concept, we consider an investor who plans to invest in Gold looking at the rise in the gold prices. He is still reluctant if he should choose Gold as an investment option or if he should consider investing in some other investment options based on Sensex. as on 15th September 2012. Hence, he plans to carry out a research on the same, for which he attends a seminar on â€Å"Investment Opportunities†. There was a debate amongst the Financial Analysts – â€Å"Does Sensex rates affect Gold prices?† Analyst1 : Gold prices have been on an uptick since 2000, while the stock market declined from 2000 to 2003 and then again in 2008. Hence, Sensex fluctuation does not determine the Gold prices i.e. rise in Sensex might not always lead to rise in gold price. Analyst 2: Through the recovery phase that commenced in 2003, gold prices kept rising. Analyst 1: Gold prices normally appreciates in value. Analyst2: Fluctuations in Gold prices are determined by the fluctuations in Sensex i.e.: Decline In sensex. This created a confusion. Hence, to clarify the confusion he plans to study the price trends of the Gold rates and the Sensex for the dates ranging from June 1st’2012 – August 31st2012. After checking the correlation he found that the correlation between the closing prices on Gold and Sensex was 0.24 which was weak. Thus, he decided that Sensex rates was not the only factor to consider investment in Gold. Otherwise, Gold is a good option for investment as it provides diversification and hedging in investment. Conclusion: Correlation between Gold and Sensex is 0.24 which is positive and weak. Thus, based on this correlation change in Sensex has an effect on Gold rate but it is very small.

The Execution of Processes and Managing the Operations Essay

The Execution of Processes and Managing the Operations - Essay Example The service industry is different from a lot of aspects from manufacturing industry which are the reasons why operational management in service and manufacturing industry differ. In manufacturing a job is undertaken to add value to a physical component and in the service industry, the activity involves people. These differences include inventorying of physical goods; including the processing of these inventories in the manufacturing industry while the planning in services industries focuses more on capacity utilization and yield management. Secondly, manufacturing functions usually have fixed resources while the resources in the services industry change over time and are not constant. Thirdly revenue management is crucial in the services industry as refusing a customer to provide services is a more common practice than unable to provide a product in the manufacturing industry. These all differences affect the planning, scheduling and management of the operations and make the operatio ns of both the industries different from each other. However, there are certain similarities found between the manufacturing and services industry and there is a certain level of similarity in there planning and management. Interval scheduling, reservation models and timetabling are all concepts which are similar in both the industries. (PINEDO. 2009) The sales and services industry is different from that of manuf, acting. In the sales, the transaction is between an employee and a customer for sales or services while in the manufacturing there is an interaction between technology and worker to produce a product.

Irony Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Irony - Essay Example The underlying irony is the attempt to highlight the harassment meted out to women of the Victorian era. Women couldn't live life on their own terms, due to social norms and mores. The situation itself is ironic, considering that the male in the poem liberates the women from leading a life of misery by sticking to these social limitations and boundaries. The irony adopts the form of a Dramatic Irony. Evidently, the ironic idea further the hidden theme of the exploitation of women in the Victorian era. Similarly, 'Ozymandias', by P.B.Shelley is another work that contains an underlying message. The poem talks about Ozymandias, who rises to power and falls in Egypt. The underlying irony is the very fact that in spite of all the power one attains, it becomes history at some point or the other and goes into oblivion. This applies to governments and all those who lust for power; for eventually, it's all gone! The irony here is more of a situational irony, considering the spiritual and more mature outlook that the poet tries to portrays as a part of the irony. The next poem we could consider is Ariel Dorfman's 'Hope', which is an irony on the pain and suffering that engulfs the world of mankind. His poem is a philosophical irony, and is a reflection and revelation into the miseries that this world. W.H.Auden's '

Marketing Consultancy, this is a group work not full paper work see Essay

Marketing Consultancy, this is a group work not full paper work see details bellow - Essay Example Basically, the rationale behind the need to build ties with the local schools, youth clubs, and sports clubs is to make it easier on the part of the Dunamaise Arts Centre to locate and encourage the parents of children between 5 to 15 years old to take advantage of the art work exhibits, educational shows, workshops, and classes that are purposely designed to enhance the artistic side of each child (Marconi, 2005, p32). 7. Offer courses or workshops related to arts and crafts such as puppetry, holiday card making, drawing, sketching, paintings, and textile design making; book arts; animal sculpture making using playdough; film making and animation; digital photography; music like singing songs and sounscapes; acting; storytelling; and dancing (Dibb, 1996, p6). This is a business terminology referring to the the process of classifying customer with common needs. This classification or aggregation is made to customers with similar needs in relation to the marketing action (Wong, 1993, p22). To make it easier for Dunamaise Arts Centre to identify its target market, it is important to divide its target customers into subgroups. By conducting market segmentation, Dunamaise will be able to learn more about its target customers’ demographic, psychographic, and geographic profile (Kotler, 2000, pp. 263 – 266). To locate the target market, it is necessary to contact the managers of Leighlinbridge Gaelic Foodball Club, Co Carlow Football Club, Castledermot GAA Club, Athy GFC, Castlemtchell GFC, Kildangan GAA, Redhills Airsoft, Cill Dara Rugby Club, and Naas Hockey Club among others. KOHL, S. (2000). Getting attention leading-edge lessons for publicity and marketing. Boston, Mass, Butterworth Heinemann. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&AN=34020. Mcdonald, M. (2008). Malcolm McDonald on marketing planning

African and american politics of social change Article

African and american politics of social change - Article Example and for the fact that they are portrayed negatively by the society, the young black men in the American community have undergone extremely harsh treatment from authorities compared to the white young men. This article is purposefully out to understand the aspects surrounding the young black men in the American society; it also seeks to examine ways in which the government and the stakeholders can offer assistance in order to help the young black men engage in reasonable and fruitful activities in terms ameliorating their lives; through mentorship, as well as conducting restoration for those who have reached extreme levels of drug abuse and criminal activities. This article also seeks to identify the main problems faced by the young black men, as well as the causes of those problems. An initiative was initiated by president Obama this past month dubbed My Brother’s keeper; this enterprise aims to enhance the survival opportunities of young black men. This is a positively vital effort intended to aid the young black men as it is considered one of the most vulnerable groups in the society. As indicated earlier in the article, there is a likeliness of young black men leaving the school system and engaging in criminal activities, therefore attracting the attention of disciplinary and administrative systems such as juvenile and criminal justice structures. Disagreements have sprung up regarding the basis of the complications, but a few are doubtful that drastic measures must be undertaken to address the problems. Obama highlighted a number of interventions one being a program based in Chicago known as becoming a man; this program has the aim of curbing the violent nature of the teenagers through teaching cognitive social skills for example self-control, the ability of studying the reactions and intentions of others more accurately as well as conflict resolution. Naturally, most young individuals have short vehemence and upon provocation they tend to lash out at

Advantages of the constitutional system of the United States Essay

Advantages of the constitutional system of the United States - Essay Example Such anomaly in law can be answered only when there is a practical guide who helps identify the basis of all laws formulated. Being a developed country, there is bound to be a shift in government from time to time. In contrast to a monarchy, it ensures that there is change in the ruling government after every fixed period. However, each government has its own notions and ways of working. Therefore, whenever there is a shift in government, the policies which it follows is bound to change and as such new legislation is introduced time and again. This poses a great threat to the American population, because the â€Å"greatest good for the greatest number† theory is bound to hurt somebody’s rights and interests. To jeopardize even a single person’s rights is to question a whole systematized form of governance. To check this illegal infringement, the constitution in its written form is a policing authority which safeguards the extent of change that can be brought about. Whatever is a written word is not easily erased off the face of an independent nation’s bill of rights. To be written is to be laid and accepted. To alter any such stance any individual or body will need to follow due procedure followed by law. This entails a lot of questions and answers about the new alterations, making the entire procedure tedious and hectic and thus affording no scope for unnecessary intrusion. Being a world power, the US will in all probability have one form of tiff with one country or another from time to time. The written constitution helps define the extent of the rights recognized by such state and limits of both national as well as state authority. The constitution holds the authority and declares the United States as a republic, free from all encumbrances of any sort. This means that it gives to its people a free form of government where citizens are free to elect as well

Analyse horror movie Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Analyse horror movie - Research Paper Example After the attempts to kill Lestat fail, Louis and Claudia set off halfway across the world in search of their own kind. In France, they find other vampires in the underworld and they join this group led by vampire Armand who has feelings of intimacy to Louis. Their stay turns tragic when the vampires in Paris kill Claudia and Louis is saved from death by Armand. Louis, Lestat and Claudia have different characters which were influenced by time, self personality and other external factors. Louis The past life of Louis as a mortal played a significant role in determining his character. Prior to becoming a vampire, Louis’s wife had died during childbirth. Louis was terribly affected by the death of his wife and he became desperate to an extent of wishing to die. In one instance, Louis narrates that his wife and infant had been buried less than a half year before he became a vampire. Louis says that â€Å"I would have been happy to join them. I couldn’t bear the pain of the ir loss. I longed to be released from it† (Interview with the Vampire). It is imperative that Louis genuinely loved his wife and newborn child. Suffice to say, Louis was also caring enough given the fact that he was felt a strong connection to his family. From Louis’ narration, it is evident that he had loving self personality. Suffice to say, his loving nature as a mortal is replicated in the relationship that he forms with Claudia as a vampire. In his mortal form, Louis was a kind person. He interacts with his slave Yvette in a respectful way without disregarding her as it would be expected of a slave to a master. After becoming a vampire, Louis exercises great restraint to prevent himself from the temptation of killing Yvette. When Yvette offers Louis food and expresses her concern about his wellbeing, Louis fights the instinctive vampire urge to kill her and drink her blood. He dismisses her from the dinner table saying â€Å"I’ll finish it, Yvette. Now leav e us.† (Interview with the Vampire).. However, he managed to suppress that urge and spared her life due to his self personality. In retrospect, it can be argued that Louis was a kind person who valued the lives of other people irrespective of their position in the society. The influence of vampire Lestat and vampire Claudia on Louis’s character cannot be understated. After becoming a vampire, Louis resisted the counsel of Lestat as it was against his will. Lestat encourages Louis kill human beings instead of feeding on animals such as rats and chicken. Lestat castigates him for his choice of food by stating that the chickens would eventually run out and he would be forced to seek other sources of food. Despite the pressure from Lestat, Louis manages to hold on to his convictions albeit for some time. However, it is notable that Louis was greatly influenced by the Lestat’s ideas. When he kills the slave girl Yvette, Louis indicates that he felt real peace when he killed. Louis indicates that Lestat’s words made sense to him since he was able to feel at ease when he killed a human being. This implies that the behavior and advice of Lestat influenced Louis’ character to a certain extent. At one point, Louis says that â€Å"Her blood coursed through my veins sweeter than life itself† (Interview with the Vampire). It was not in Louis nature to kill human beings, let alone derive extreme