Saturday, August 31, 2019

Abnormality and Normality

Concepts of normality and abnormality The presence of a mental disorder may be considered a deviation from mental health norms and hence the study of mental disorders is often known as abnormal psychology Normal† and â€Å"abnormal,† as applied to human behavior, are relative terms. Many people use these classifications subjectively and carelessly, often in a judgmental manner, to suggest good or bad behavior. As defined in the dictionary, their accurate use would seem easy enough: normal–conforming to a typical pattern; abnormal-deviating from a norm.The trouble lies in the word norm. Whose norm? For what age person? At what period of history ? In which culture ? The definition of the word abnormal is simple enough but applying this to psychology poses a complex problem: what is normal? Whose norm? For what age? For what culture? The concept of abnormality is imprecise and difficult to define. Examples of abnormality can take many different forms and involve diff erent features, so that, what at first sight seem quite reasonable definitions, turns out to be quite problematical.There are several different ways in which it is possible to define ‘abnormal’ as opposed to our ideas of what is ‘normal’ 1. Deviation from statistical norms One way is the statistical approach which is based on the premise that abnormal behaviour is statistically rare. In some cases it is possible to gather data in a numeric form and derive a mean average value. We can then say that the majority of values which are nearest to the mean are â€Å"normal†, and the minority of values farthest from the mean are â€Å"abnormal†.For example, if the average height of a set of people is five foot eight, with most values falling in the range four feet to six foot six, then a height of less than three foot or more than eight foot would or probably be considered â€Å"abnormal†. As another example, anxiety can be assessed using Spiel berger’s State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. The mean score for trait anxiety is 40 and people who achieve over 55 are seen as statistically rare as only 1 in 50 score that high. Therefore those with high scores are seen as deviant from the greater majority of the population.Evaluation The statistical approach helps to address what is meant by normal in a statistical context. It helps us make cut – off points in terms of diagnosis but it still does not helps us define the term. There are many people who have high levels of anxiety, but would still not be categorised as clinically abnormal — it is also equally true that people with very low scores on the anxiety scale are also statistically abnormal! The decision of where to start the â€Å"abnormal† classification is arbitrary.Who decides what is statistically rare and how do they decide ? For example, if an IQ of 70 is the cut-off point, how can we justify saying someone with 69 is abnormal, and someone with 70 normal ? An important consideration of statistically â€Å"abnormal† values is that â€Å"abnormal† doesn't tell us about the desirability of the deviation. For example, obesity is a statistically normal but not associated with healthy or desirable. Conversely high IQ is statistically abnormal, but may well be regarded as highly desirable

Friday, August 30, 2019

Data collection techniques

A non-probabilistic sampling technique – the convenience sampling method, was utilized in this research. Since there was only one group, the issue of subject assignment to groups did not arise. Even though the convenience sampling method is easy to organize, cheaper and fast to carry out, the subjects chosen are usually not representative.Therefore, it is virtually impossible to generalize the outcomes of this study. Since the outcomes cannot be generalized then the study can be thought of as lacking in validity. Besides, the convenience sampling method enhanced the possibility of bias in the study.Data was collected using a questionnaire. The questionnaire used was a 14 question survey instrument. The instrument was sectioned into 3 parts with 6 questions in part 1, 4 questions in part 2 and 4 questions in part 3. The type of data collected was primary data and was qualitative in nature. A major flaw in this research is that calculation of the validity and reliability of the test instrument was not conducted. No controls were usedResearch methodologyIn terms of the research methodology and design used, the research was an empirical, qualitative study. As it was conducted in the real world setting, it cannot be easily replicated, and lacks internal validity as well. Â  Lack of internal validity is indicated by the absence of alternative explanations to the outcomes obtained.Besides, the study is more prone to subjective interpretation, lacks external validity since the data was particularized to one case, and it is not possible to generalize the findings to other settings. Other flaws in the design include the possibility of bias in the survey instrument, interviewer bias, bias in the questionnaire design, learner bias and bias in the administration of the questionnaire.Statistical analysisThe investigators made use only of descriptive statistics. Since no inferences were being sought, no relationships were being examined and the data was qualitative, t he statistical method chosen was very suitable for the study. The data analysis is appropriate to answer the specified research question.Critique of articleThe study is presented in a simplified manner, has logical flow, and the reader is able to follow the article with relative ease. Even so, the researcher could have made better use of graphics by using graphs, pie-charts and bars to present the outcomes.Since it was devoid of recondite terms and terminology, the writing style is deemed to be appropriate for the target audience. Flaws in the structure of research pertained to the design and include lack of validity and bias.To reduce the errors and flaws identified in the study, the researcher can use randomized sampling methods. To eliminate bias in questionnaire design, appropriate formatting should be done and redundant and lengthy questions avoided. Bias due to administration of the questionnaire can be eliminated by blinding the interviewer. This will also help to ensure the objectivity of the interviewer.The test-retest method can be used to enhance the validity of the outcomes and culturally sensitive questions formulated. Language used should be consistent, unambiguous and devoid of jargon. Finally, respondents should not be asked to answer attitudinal, behavioral or knowledge questions for others.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Your thoughts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Your thoughts - Essay Example Running both programs simultaneously might present challenges to both students and their instructors; however, it is crucial for special needs students to attend regular class so that they can familiarize themselves with the new environment. Moreover, integrating these students with their colleagues helps to create situations where students with special needs feel inadequate (Mastropieri & Scruggs, 2010). As a teacher, I will use the information learnt throughout the course to think about ways that my teaching techniques and strategies will best meet the needs of all my students without sidelining any of them based on their unique needs. An issue close to heart entails the specific needs of culturally and linguistically diverse students (CLDs). CLDs fall under the category of students with special needs; whereby, their cultural or linguistic backgrounds impede their learning speed and ability to learn in general. Sheltering these students by limiting their exposure to native students their age does little to improve their fluency; however, it functions to undermine their self-worth. As a teacher, I would move to integrate both the concrete and abstract environment. Meaning, I would arrange sitting arrangements partnering students with unique needs with those without, whereas, I would incorporate examples from different cultural backgrounds while teaching concepts (Noll, 2013). This w ay, all students will be able to achieve their academic goals in an environment that recognizes their

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Gay Marriages Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Gay Marriages - Essay Example Due to the other states understanding the importance of America as an equal nation, those in support of gay marriage believe that gay marriage will soon be celebrated nationwide. There are many arguments pertaining to whether or not gay marriage should be legalized. For those that are against gay marriage, many of them take religious or personal stances. They point out verses in the Bible or other religious texts about gay marriage being a sin, they state that homosexuality is morally wrong, or else claim that since children cannot be made without a male and a female, homosexuality is not proper. While these alleged proofs or beliefs may condone the personal beliefs of people against gay marriage, those that are for gay marriage use different evidence supporting their own claims as to why gay marriage should be legalized. They do so by taking a legal point of view of the argument. The people in favor of gay marriage may respect the beliefs and opinions of those that are against gay m arriage, and some may even understand where those in opposition are coming from. However, those that are for gay marriage point out that there is a separation of church and state, which makes all religious arguments invalid in regard to legal matters (Snyder, 2006). The separation of church and state makes it clear that laws are not to be created or rejected based on religious principles. This is due in part to many people not believing in or agreeing with the concepts that religions speak of. In that mindset, supporters of gay marriage feel the need to point out all of the legal aspects of gay couples being denied marriage, stating that they are being denied their legal rights when they are denied the opportunity to marry. Using the United States Constitution, more specifically the Fourteenth Amendment, gay couples and those who approve of equality for homosexuals are able to argue that they are being denied rights as American citizens when their pleas of marriage are turned down. The Fourteenth Amendment often comes into play in these arguments as the amendment states that all United States citizens will be treated equally regardless of gender, nationality, race, religion, and other factors. People in favor of gay marriage believe that this amendment also applies to sexual orientation (Gerstmann, 2007). Even though the amendment may not state it directly, the amendment exists to make sure that every citizen of the United States is treated the same way despite the characteristics that may set them apart from others. By implementing this amendment in legal arguments to legalize gay marriage, many who are for gay marriages have seen positive results, which is encouraging others to rely on their rights as citizens to demand to be treated with equality. As such, those that argue for gay marriage have more valid arguments than those that argue against gay marriage. People in favor of gay marriage have turned the argument from a religious, moralistic one to an argu ment where the legal rights of citizens are in jeopardy. The concept of legalized gay marriages is becoming more of a reality due to the fact that people are making it happen by making use of their rights as citizens. As previously mentioned, there are quite a few states that have approved of gay marriages simply because they acknowledge that by denying gay marriages, they are denying people their rights.

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Undecided Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Undecided - Assignment Example Women in Athens could not own property or vote for leaders. Their principle role was to be housekeepers. They were not allowed to participate in any public function. In contrast, the Spartan women enjoyed more freedom and could own property. They were allowed to inherit property and were encouraged to develop their intellect (Unger 26). The two cities of Sparta and Athens were bitter rivals in the ancient times in Greece. They were very close to each other but different in their lifestyles and values. The Athens city was open to all citizens and recorded a total population of more than 3,761,811 people. In contrast, the city in Sparta was limited to its inhabitants while the total population was 18, 184 people (Unger 23). Wisdom and restraint in Athens was sorely missed among the Pericles. According to (Unger 78), wisdom in Athens existed in theory while this was highly appreciated in Sparta. The Spartans observed many values which controlled their lives. They gave great honors to certain events and to people with respect to their withheld values and

Monday, August 26, 2019

Schizophrenia and Recent Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Schizophrenia and Recent Research - Essay Example Negative symptoms: which represent a loss or a decrease in the ability to initiate plans, speak, express emotion, or find pleasure in everyday life. These symptoms are harder to recognise as part of the disorder and can be mistaken for laziness or depression Cognitive symptoms (or cognitive deficits): which are problems with attention, certain types of memory, and the executive functions that allow us to plan and organise. Cognitive deficits can also be difficult to recognise as part of the disorder but are the most disabling in terms of leading a normal life" (NARSAD, 2006) It has been reported that "psychiatric researchers at The Zucker Hillside Hospital campus of The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, including NARSAD-supported and affiliated scientists, have uncovered evidence of a gene that appears to influence intelligence" (NARSAD, 2006). This discovery means that the genes that are associated with the cognitive impairment caused by schizophrenic sufferers, has been mapped to the "dysbindin-1 gene (DTNBP1)" (NARSAD, 2006). Dr. Katherine Burdick will be reporting in the May 15 print issue of Human Molecular Genetics, that "a robust body of evidence suggests that cognitive abilities, particularly intelligence, are significantly influenced by genetic factors. Existing data already suggests that dysbindin may influence cognition" (Burdick, 2006). There is also evidence found by Lipska, Law, Weinberger, Kleinman, (2006) in

Sunday, August 25, 2019

The role of music within Apollo 13 movie clip Essay

The role of music within Apollo 13 movie clip - Essay Example "The role of music within Apollo 13 movie clip" essay is an excellent and detailed analysis of how music helps a film to create the right atmosphere and to set up a connection with an audience. Apollo 13 is a movie that was released in 1995. Its set up is in spaceship where the three astronauts try to make moon landing. The three astronauts are Swigert, Lovell and Haise. The plot of this movie is delivered from the reality story that occurred in 1970 when NASA tried to land Apollo 13 on the moon (Jeffrey and Jim 2000, 10). The storyline has a mixed anxiety as it starts with the expectation of safe landing on the moon, but mid way, an explosion is heard. Astronauts’ life is in danger. This movie has approximately 20 soundtracks. The clip shows crew panicking. They are in a hurry to fix things even as they try to explain the problem to the control room staff. The spaceship meters and indicators drop. This immediately shows that the problem is bigger than any viewer could have im agined. The tempo of the music track increases its beats. This implies is supposed to heighten the imagination and anxiety of the audience. The audience must be kept guessing what may happens next to the crew (Jeffrey and Jim 2000, 88-97). The tension is reflected in the control room too. The track at this point starts to slow down its tempo. This is due to the fact that, the viewers and the audience may have started to be assured that the direct communication between the crew and control room was about to yield results. The music track’s sped and tone must be regulated to break the monotony and help reduce the levels of anxiety (Joey 2003, 105-108). The music use in the movie must flow as per the expectation of the viewers and help them await the outcome with ease. At this point, the crew is directed to the point where they can find crucial apparatus. The music seems to soften as they compose themselves as communicate with the control room staffs. The control room st

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Analysis of Plain Vanilla and Combined Option Strategies Essay

Analysis of Plain Vanilla and Combined Option Strategies - Essay Example Such buying or selling may take place on either a set date or a time before the date. The contract that enables such kind of financial trading to take place is referred to as option. There are several option strategies that may be used by the seller. Studies have actually showed that how careful a seller is in selecting an option goes a long way to determine the success of the transaction. This study gives emphasis to two of these option strategies namely plain vanilla and combined options. 1 Problem Definition and Objective The recent development of financial markets is connected with growing uncertainty of market participants. The current conflict in Syria, contrary expectations on the start of the Fed’s reduction of the quantitative easing program as well as mixed signs on economic growth in the US and Europe, are fueling investors fears. In this regard, investors are searching for strategies to manage market movements and minimize exposure to risk. Fortunately, there exist various market instruments that enable risk transfer to other more risk-tolerant market participants. Those instruments are called options and belong to the category of derivatives. Investors are able to trade in derivative instruments offering both – great potential returns and loss. Due to the large investment universe of derivatives, the author is going to reduce the complexity by analyzing the most common option strategies: plain vanilla and combined options. The goal of this project paper is to analyze and demonstrate motives using options in different market conditions to support investors in their investment decisions. Quelle zum ersten Satz 2 Course of the Investigation To introduce the topic of the analysis of option strategies, the theoretical fundamentals of options will be presented in the second chapter. First of all, the definition and delimitation of the term â€Å"option† are covered to give the reader a general introduction into the topic. A deeper in sight is going to be provided by characteristics and main factors influencing the option price. In this regard, the reader will get the main overview of the theoretical framework. To reduce complexity and give investors a comprehensive overview on common strategies, the author will start with the analysis of plain vanilla options. In the following chapter, the focus will switch to combined option strategies to increase the quantity of investors’ scenarios. In conclusion, all significant observations will be concisely summarized. In this regard, the author is going to break down an illustration with option characteristics 2 Theoretical Framework of Options 1 Definition and Delimitation of the term â€Å"Option† (des Optionsbegriffs) An option is generally a contract that gives right to a buyer to complete a buying or selling transaction on a specified date or before the date at a strike price (Frenkel, 2009). The rate at which financial markets are growing have given ri se to the use and availability of as many forms and types of options as

Student Perceptions of Reflective Practice in Online Reading Courses Research Proposal

Student Perceptions of Reflective Practice in Online Reading Courses - Research Proposal Example Reflective thinking is analyzing current patterns of thinking in order to change and grow (Gutek, 2004). It means critically thinking and analyzing about learning. Reflective practice in education focuses on developing the students’ minds with regards to critical analysis and autonomous learning (Gutek, 2004). This concepts entails the view that when students peruse their work and reflect on it, it will lead to greater learning and critical thinking skills (The Higher Education Academy, 2010). Self and peer assessment, group work, personal development, and problem solving are techniques utilized in reflective practice. Reflective practice with regards to teachers is also an important concept, as instructors can improve teaching methods and improve effectiveness (The Higher Education Academy, 2010). The critical reflection of a person’s own work improves significance (Armstrong, 2000; Bain, Ballantyne, Packer, & Mills, 2002; Laskey & Hetzel, 2010; Schon, 1983, 19 87; Wagner, 2006). Activities that are used to foster reflection have been used to help students discover themselves in the context of life in a more meaningful and practical way (Laskey & Hetzel, 2010). Researchers, for this reason, have suggested the use of reflective practice in an online environment (Logreco, 2008; Sivyer, 2007; Wagner, 2006). However, the examination of student perceptions of reflective practice in an online learning environment has been researched by different academics focusing on reflective writing (Palmer, 2008; Wright, 2010). Reflective learning is a major tool used in experiential learning (Guthrie, 2010). In order for students to use experiential learning, teachers and instructors are encouraged to use critical thinking techniques. When media, such as the internet are used, these instructional techniques can be put to greater use by addressing a group of diverse students. With the advent of technological tools, such as the Internet, it is vital that instructors use tools that are current and relevant and make the most use of these developments (Held, 2009). In 2009, Allen and Seaman in their survey report of 2500 United States institutions reported a double digit growth for online enrollment in post secondary schooling. This shows that students have clearly started to prefer online educational methods to a great extent. Due to the increases popularity of online courses, it has become vital that online courses be assessed for their effectiveness. However, the focus of this paper is the use of reflective practice in online education and how students perceive its effectiveness. Reflective practice is a pedagogical tool that develops a higher level of thinking and enables students to learn from experience (Guthrie, 2010). Reflection in education focuses on preparing students to become problem solvers and idea generators, and not just rote learners (Held, 2009). Many scholars have advocated reflective practice in traditional c lassroom settings (Dewey, 1933; Schon, 1983; Laskey and Hetzel, 2010). However as online education is relatively a new phenomenon, it has been a source of debate with high number of dropouts in

Friday, August 23, 2019

Important reforms and changes in American's History Essay

Important reforms and changes in American's History - Essay Example It was at this time that President Theodore Roosevelt commented that every man, despite his position, had the responsibility of promoting reforms. The progressive movement was established to tackle all the problems that plagued Americans. The aim was to improve the working conditions in industries such as wages, safety and hours of working. Moral issues were also addressed such as prostitution and alcohol abuse which the 18th century American society attributed to domestic violence (Ingui 79). The progressives’ ideas were to have better management systems in businesses, cities and political entities. Nonetheless, the progressives were not as aggressive when it came to addressing the civil rights of the minorities in America, such as Native Americans and slave trade. There were many reforms that occurred during the progressive era. These were reforms such as good working conditions, women’s suffrage, right to own land for the minority, prohibition and child labor among others. However, some of the most important reforms that took place during the Progressive era included child labor, nationalization of banks, consumer protection laws, the 18th and 19th amendment which led to women’s suffrage and prohibition. During the progressive era, being a worker was not easy. Though the progressives did all they could to solicit for good working conditions, they only obtained mixed results. In the early 18th and 19th century, male workers were paid pitiful amounts as their wages, while women did laundry and other duties that earned extra income to make ends meet. Women were lowly paid despite working for longer hours than men (Moon 26). Child laborers were common. It was not surprising to get boys as young as 10 years working in coal mines and girls as young as 12 years looking after children and other odd jobs that their parents would tell them to do. This changed to some extent when the

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Altruism in humans Essay Example for Free

Altruism in humans Essay Calvin et al (1987) proposed a more selfish view of helping, stressing that people help others to avoid feeling sad (a negative state) and because it makes them feel good about themselves. This is called the Negative State Relief (NSR) model. It doesnt matter whether the negative affect (mood) is caused by witnessing the distress of the victim or whether the helper was already in bad mood. Either way, you help to improve your own mood. Adults may internalise the reward of doing good. . Therefore, adults in a bad mood may help in order to alleviate their negative state. However if people can relieve their negative mood through some other source (such as hearing a good joke or getting some money) then they do not need to help. Effect of Mood Enhancement (EME) study A variation on Batsons research was carried. Those participants in the high empathy group (i. e. those who shared in the same opinions as Elaine or Charlie) were offered some cash during the experiment. Accordingly, they helped less-their negative state at seeing Elaine or Charlie suffer was diminished by the cash. The reduction of their negative state in this was meant that they didnt have to help reduce their negative feelings (conclusion). Its been found in numerous studies that being in a good mood results in more pro-social behaviour. Research have found people to be more helpful after listening to comedy, smelling pleasant odours, after finding money or by going outside on sunny days (Boron and Byrne,199. ). However if people feel their good mood will be affected by helping then they are more likely to not help and walk. Artificial studies: all lab studies are extremely artificial and lack ecological validity. Behaviour in the real world is subject to many other factors, such as social and cultural influences on behaviour none of which are explored in these lab settings. Therefore it is difficult to generalise lab findings to a wider context. People have criticised Cialdini et al for proposing to negative a view of human behaviour. However the selfish view of human behaviour might be right. ) Helping does help negative state: its not in dispute those helping others/ another person in need does lead to an improved mood for the helper. So it has face validity.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Impact of training on employee motivation

Impact of training on employee motivation The Impact of Training and Development on Employee Motivation and its impact on Customer satisfaction at Chiswick Mcdonalds Abstract My research will investigate the impact of training and development on employee motivation. It will further examine the mediating effect on custoemr satisfaction. A sample of 25 employees will be selected to test the reliability of the model. The significance of the study, its delimitations and limitations are discussed. INTRODUCTION PROPOSED RESEARCH TITLE The impact of Training and Development on employee Motivation and its impact on Customer satisfaction at Chiswick Mcdonalds. Background of the Study The role The role of employee (the performance of employees) in attaining and maintaining the quality of output motivation is above any question. Too much budget is being spent on the administrative, marketing and other side of development (management development, re-structuring, etc.), less attention is given to the underlying dimensions of the employee Performance. The ability of an employee is often thought to be the sole criterion for his/her performance. This oversimplification of the phenomenon results in an oversimplified solution of the problem. The most often exercised solution is the conduction of professional training programs, usually in the relevant areas. This tendency of considering performance being outcome of only ability, leads to many undesirable consequences. Firstly the selection of employees is not on the bases of the nature of job, or hes not shown or doesnt knows the JDs of what he has to perform, or no proper training is given to them, while ignoring the impo rtance of on-the-work-motivation which may affect the performance of the individual. In fact, the Performance of employees is a construct with a variety of underlying dimensions. With all these issues in mind the aim of this research is to develop and test a model for Employee Performance. The model will analyze The Role of Training Development, and motivation on the performance of employee 3. Studys Relation to Theory and Literature Literature Review 3.7 Summary 3.1 Introduction 3.2 3.3 Training equipments and Performance 3.6 Environment and Performance 3.5 Training methodology and Performance 3.4 Employee commitment performance 3.2 Training analysis performance Figure 2.1 INTRODUCTION A study was conducted by ann stes, mieke clement on the topic of The effectiveness of a faculty training program: influencing factors in this article it was said that, in view of the investments made, one should not be surprised that, in times of growing attention for accountability, questions with regard to the impact of faculty development initiatives are raised. Consequently, the impact of the training program for novice faculty was evaluated with a written survey shortly after the training was completed (see also stes, clement nelissen, 2002). In todays research literature, a lot of attention is devoted to the impact of faculty development initiatives (Gibbs Coffey, 2000; McAlpine, 2003). However, before questioning the effect of the training program, one should seriously think about the underlying framework and the accompanying outcomes one wishes to achieve (Gilbert Gibbs, 1998). A Study was conducted named Driving simulator fidelity and training effectiveness. By the follow ing J.C.F. de Winter1, P.A. Wieringa1, J. Dankelman1, M. Mulder2, M.M. van Paassen2, S. de Groot1The existing organizational culture (the change environment) will undoubtedly constrain or promote this development (Clarke Hollingsworth, 2002; Trowler Cooper, 2002). The main reasons for pursuing higher levels of fidelity appear to be based on the assumption that higher fidelity improves validity of performance and improves transfer to real car driving. The downside is that, generally, higher fidelity increases costs (e.g.,AGARD, 1980; Roza, 2004). Stereo presentations have been reported to improve task performance in simulated environments (e.g., mollenhauer, 2004; kim et al (2005)). Several studies yield mixed results (mollenhauer et al, 2004; nash et al, 2000) or indicate that a stereo presentation may reduce performance when display artefacts are present (pfautz, 2003) The training application was designed based on the framework espoused by the constructivist view of learning. Dalgarno (2001) outlined three broad principles of this view based on studies by Kant (1946) and Dewey (1938) for the first principle, Piaget (1969) for the second principle, and Vygotsky (1978) for the third principle. The first principle informs that individuals formed their own representation of knowledge and there was no particular correct representation of knowledge. The second principle prescribes that learning occurred when learners uncovered a deficiency in their knowledge representation or an inconsistency between their current knowledge representation and their experience during active exploration. Learning that takes place within a social context is the third principle of this constructivist view. These three broad principles have been adopted in formulating approaches to the teaching and learning process. A research conducted on How military research can improve team training Effectiveness in other high-risk industries by Jeffrey M. Beaubien, Ph.D., David P. Baker, Ph.D., Amy K. Holtzman, M.A. American Institutes for ResearchOser and colleagues define scenario-based training is a systematic process of linking all aspects of scenario design, development, implementation, and analysis (Oser, Cannon-Bowers, Salas, Dwyer, 1999) . Similar to simulator-based training, TCT has been widely applied in aviation and has recently been introduce in healthcare. In aviation, TCT is referred to as Crew Resource Management (CRM) training (Salas, Fowlkes, Stout, Milanovich, Prince, 1999). so, this shows the relationship of performance with all other factors are given below Summary I suggest that perception of supportive managerial activities affect moderating on training effectiveness through effects on performance. Supportive managerial practices are positively related to the positive performance, which mediate effects on motivation. I intend to replicate this model by altering the theme and thus testing the training effectiveness- moderating relationship of supportive managerial practices with motivation and performance. 4. The Study The Significance of Study The study will broaden our understanding of employee performance by including the role of management in the proposed model. Since the traditional view of employee performance is very narrow, current study will add to existing body of knowledge by signifying: The role of training on employee performance The role which of employee commitment and motivation with performance. It will further strengthen the research finding regarding the antecedents of training effectiveness. By looking into the motivational aspect of Employee Performance, the study will Signify the importance of antecedents of motivation for performance It will greatly facilitate the policy making bodies to evolve a comprehensive view Of employee Performance and thus undertake necessary administrative Adjustments accordingly. A concomitant aim of this study is to test the discussed western theories and model in an eastern advancing country (Pakistan) The Theoretical Framework This research will be utilizing the following theories to build its conceptual framework: Expectancy Theory of Motivation (Vroom, 1964) (Context for this Research: Higher Perceived Organizational Support will result in high organizational commitment and job satisfaction, (high instrumentality) and this will result in high work-motivation. Conceptual Framework Based on stated review of literature and theories, following conceptual framework is devised to conduct this study: Employees perception of supportive organizational practices and training effectiveness contribute to motivation, which in turn mediates the impact of these practices on performance Research Questions Main Question: Does training mediate the relationship between managerial Practices and Performance through mediating the Motivation of Employees performance? Sub Questions: Does training builds employee commitment? Does environment effects employee performance? Does training methodology training equipments build motivation? Key Terms of the Study Defined Organizational Commitment The affective commitment of employees to the organization is termed as organizational commitment. Job Satisfaction Job satisfaction is a work-related attitude, which indicates that employee is not dissatisfied with the job. But this in itself does not motivate employee. (Herzberg, Mausner Snyderman, 1959). Motivation Simply stating motivation is the force behind any action. In the model under consideration motivation is force to perform. Performance The work-related output or outcome of organizational employees in his/her performance. The Methodology Research Design In line with the requirements of the research, a longitudinal research design will be used. The data, as indicated in the coming lines, will be collected over a period of almost three months. Sampling Technique and Sample: Stratified-random sampling technique will be used to take care of both public and private sector institutions, appropriate stratification will be undertaken to represent both male and female Teachers. A sample, each of 200 employees, will be used to conduct the study. In this study the data about the attitudinal variables regarding perception of human resource practices will be collected at time 1 while the data concerning personal attitudes (training, employee Commitment, techniques, Motivation Performance) will be collected, at time 2, about 3 months after time 1 to draw a conclusion about the casual nature of relationships. Tools of Data Collection: Data on all the variables will be collected through questionnaire. Measures: Organizational commitment Commitment will be measured with a 9-item version of the organizational Commitment Questionnaire (OCQ; 1 = strongly disagree to 7 = strongly agree; Mowday, Steers Porter, 1979) proposed by Bozeman and Perrewe (2001). They suggested that several items in the OCQ may be confounded with withdrawal intentions and proposed a 9-item version that removes withdrawal-related items. We conducted all analyses using both the full and the 9-item OCQ and found no substantive differences in the results. Various researches reported that results using the 9-item version that removes withdrawal-related items. A sample item is I really care about the fate of this organization. The validity and reliability analysis of the instrument can be found in Allen, D.G., Shore, L.M. Griffeth, R.W. (2003). . Job satisfaction. Job satisfaction will be measured with a 4-item scale (1 = strongly disagree to 7 = strongly agree) developed by Price (1977). A sample item is I feel satisfied with my job.(David G. Allen et al, 2003). Motivation: Motivation will be measure by an instrument, which was adopted by House Dessler (1973). The Responses categorizing seven point Lickert scale ranging from definitely not true to definitely true. Factor analysis will be carried out to reveal two factors. Factor one: Performance and Reward Belief. And Factor two: effort and performance belief. ( Henry P. Sims, J.R, et al, 1976). The validity and reliability analysis of the instrument can be found in Sims, H.P., Szilagyi, A.D., McKemey, D.R. (1976).. Performance: Supervisors will rate employee performance by indicating the extent of their agreement with each statement on a 5-point Likert-type scale (1=Below satisfaction to 5=Excellent) This practice had been adopted by most of the public (University of the Punjab) and private (Superior university) educational institutions in Pakistan. Supervisors will be asked to compare each rated employee with the average of other employees holding similar jobs. Supervisor rated performance evaluation method had been successfully used in different studies like Williams and Anderson (1991) Organ, and Near (1983). And specially with reference to Organizational support theory this method had also been adopted by. Lynch, P.D., Eisenberger, R., Armeil, S. (1999). Ethical Considerations The subjects of study will be briefed about the nature of study before collecting data. The data provided by the respondents will be kept confidential. Further, the data collected from students, peers and immediate-supervisor about the motivation and performance of individuals will also be kept confidential and will only be used for research purposes. Delimitations and Limitations Delimitations: This study is restricted to the Employees: With 02 or more years of experience (02 years are supposed to be minimum Appropriate time period to make a mind about HR practices) Limitations: Motivation is a deeply rooted psychological phenomenon the antecedents of Which may be more complex than organizational commitment and job Satisfaction. The performance is not only the function of motivation but also that of ability. This aspect of proposed model invites further research. Statistical Analysis The exact nature of detailed statistical analysis is not known at this stage of the study, but some major steps are: Use of Factor Analysis for Questionnaire Development. Descriptive Statistics, including demographics will be provided about the subjects of study. Regression Analysis will be applied using SPSS (statistical package). Confirmatory Factory Analysis will be carried to confirm the model. Results and Discussion Results of the study will be discussed to check the significance of proposed model. Further the implications of study for both theoretical and practical purposes will be discussed. Further, scope for future research in this area will be highlighted.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Impact of foreign aid on the economic growth of Nigeria

Impact of foreign aid on the economic growth of Nigeria Foreign aid can be simply put to be a flow of assistance which can take the form of funds, infrastructure, trade openness from high income countries to low income countries. The debate till date has been centred around the significance of this aid on the economic growth of these countries. To a large extent, several researches have shown a positive impact of foreign aid on the economic growth of LDCs with the exception of a few factors which may affect this positive impact on growth, while some others have shown a negative impact on economic growth of these LDCs. According to Burnside and Dollar (1997), the positive impact of foreign aid on growth in LDCs is subject to the country having good fiscal, monetary and trade policies, thus, the introduction of economic policies into their economic equation. This was included, to see if aid was allocated to these countries in favour of good policies. Durbarry et al (1998) argue that an important limitation of much of this literature is the incompleteness of the underlying growth models, according to them, irrespective of the fact that Burnside and Dollar were among the first to take into account economic policies, they have not been able to examine the impact of aid in general including only aggregate savings and investment variables. Most of these researches have based the framework of their research on the neoclassical growth model such as the Solow growth model and the Ramsey-cass-koopmans growth model which suggests that poor countries should have a high return to capital and a fast growth rate in transition to the steady state ( Burnside and Dollar, 1997). According to Chenery and Strout (1966), in the case of a country seeking a transformation of its existing economy and hoping not to rely on more advanced countries (i.e. foreign aid), such a country must be able to meet the necessary demands for her rapid growth from either her own resources or from her net exports. The case of foreign aid and economic growth has proven to be a continuous learning process, in that, while some studies base their findings on macroeconomic factors such as economic policies, others have recommended the use of human well being factors such as infant mortality, literacy, life expectancy and employment level ( Burnside and Dollar 1997; Fayissa and El-Kaissy 1999). While the results of Durbarry et al (1998) supports the results of Burnside and Dollar (1997) which shows foreign aid to have a positive impact on growth where there is a good macroeconomic policy environment, but with some exceptions which were based on income level, levels of aid allocation and geographical location. According to him, aid has been tested econometrically based on a macro and micro level, the results of some these tests by some researchers show that aid works at the micro level while at the macro level the results as ambiguous ( Durbarry et al, 1998). So far, most research have dwelt on macroeconomic factors as well as physical factors which in their opinions either shows that growth is fostered positively by aid or negatively by aid. One interesting contribution to the subject matter in question is the contribution by Douglas C. Dacy, which looked at foreign aid and economic growth from a totally different point of view, his paper aimed showing the possibility of an aid receiving country having its post-aid growth rate to be lower than it would have been in a situation of not receiving aid under certain conditions. According to Dacy (1975), his paper viewed the subject of foreign aid and economic growth with respect to consumption on the side of the government as well as domestic savings. Contrary to other researches, Dacy in his paper viewed foreign aid as a substitute for domestic savings, saying that there would not be an increase in total savings by the full amount of foreign savings. Thus, LDCs will increase consumption as well as investment if foreign aid is made available. Papanek (1973) in his paper, studied the relationship between aid, savings, foreign investment and growth in thirty-four LDCs for the 1950s and fifty-one LDCs for the 1960s, applying cross-country regression analysis. Treating each of these components as separate explanatory variables, he found out that over a third of GDP growth is explained b y domestic savings and foreign inflows. Also the effect foreign aid has relative to other variables is considerably higher, his results also suggests no inverse relationship between aid and foreign private investment as well as showing a non-correlation between growth and factors such as; exports, education, country size or per capita income. Unlike Chenery and Strouts result which showed that Countrys size and per capita income has a positive relationship with growth, Papaneks result did not show such positive relationship as said earlier. This is because Papaneks work had savings as one of the independent variables and this was seen to be si gnificantly correlated with per capita income. Concluding his paper, Papanek (1973), suggests from his results that foreign aid is distributed disproportionately to LDCs experiencing low savings rates as well as severe balance of payments problems. And that this disproportionate aid has a more positive effect on growth than domestic savings and other sources of foreign inflows. Chenery and Strouts results are criticised by Papanek as not being very stable and also in his results, foreign source of inflows are not disaggregated compared to the results of Papanek. Papanek (1973) and Burnside Dollar (2000) share similar opinions on the allocation of foreign aid to low income countries. As Papanek is of the view that foreign aid is disproportionately distributed to low income countries who are experiencing low savings rate. While Burnside and Dollar is of the view that though this is allocated to low income countries, it is also influenced by population, i.e. aid donors tend to allocate more aid to smaller countries in size within the Low Income Countries, and also there are variables that reflect their own strategies. Generally speaking, from researches done so far, it is evident that foreign aid has a positive relationship (or impact) on economic growth in LDCs. But this could show a different result when the countries are sampled individually, such that, though aid may be positively related to economic growth based on some macroeconomic factors, it may also a negative relationship influenced by some other factors. According to Levy (1988), his paper aimed at showing some level of quantitative evidence on the impact of foreign aid on economic growth. This he showed using a sample of 22 Low Income Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa with the exception of a few African countries which to him had their level of development similar to that of middle income countries. Using time series data for his analysis, Levy found two important things; which is a positively significant relationship between aid, investment and economic growth in Africa. The second important finding is that there is a significant contribution by fixed capital formation to the rate of economic growth. Although the exclusion of some African countries which he classified as similar to middle income countries from his analysis seems questionable, Levys contribution to the subject matter is very significant. According to Burnside and Dollar (1997), most researches such as that of Levy (1988) and a few others who made an attempt to measure the impact of aid on domestic savings, investment and growth in developing countries, have had results which faced several econometric difficulties. Taking another close look at the work of Dacy (1975) which questioned the desirability of aid, according to him, even if aid is used in a way that contributes to a decline in the long term growth rate, it will almost always be true that the capital stock income and consumption will be higher at the end of the period of aid, and for a number of years afterward, than it would have been without aid. To this end he agrees with Papanek (1973) view which argues that the inverse relationship shown in most statistical research between domestic savings and foreign aid might be greatly misleading. This view is due to Papaneks objections from his observations from previous studies, thus, Papaneks results which show that there is a positive relationship between aid and economic growth as well as aid having an inverse relationship with domestic savings is largely accepted by Dacy. Durbarry et al (1998) in their paper made reference to the work of Hadjimicheal et al (1995) as being a more advanced piece of research compared to most of the researches before it. This is because of their effort to show the potential secondary effect of foreign aid such as the Dutch Disease as well as other policy related variables that are speculated to have an effect on growth. Ekanayake and chatrna (2010) in their paper, criticised the work of Karras (2006) which concluded that there is a positive statistically significant and permanent impact of foreign aid on economic growth. In which they gave a statistical analysis by per person result as well as the growth rate of real GDP per capita, but in all this, they did not take into consideration the effect of policies. According to the research carried out by Ekanayake and Chatrna (2010), their results showed mixed effects of foreign aid on economic growth in LDCs, their research was carried out using annual data on a group of 85 developing countries cutting across continents. The models that were specified in their work were estimated using panel least squares estimation method. Malik (2008) described the poverty of people in the poorest African Countries to be on the increase despite the many years of development assistance. According to him, there has remained a stagnant or declining real per capita income since the 1960s, thus the disturbing question is why could these countries not break the poverty trap despite receiving large inflows of foreign aid?. This question he sought to answer using the co-integration analysis for six poorest African Countries, the results from this analysis showed the existence of a long run relationship between real GDP, aid and investment as a percentage of GP and trade openness. But showing the effect of foreign aid on growth, the result indicated a long run negative relationship for most of these countries. Easterly (2003) went ahead in his paper to discuss the historical research on the relationship between foreign aid and Economic growth. This he did, citing the work of Burnside and Dollar as being an early research that was widely accepted by the World Bank and economies of the world, and thus, created the platform for further research. According to Easterly (2003), data availability was one of the main limitations to having a conclusive and reasonable literature on the subject matter i.e. foreign aid and economic growth in the 1960s and onwards, as well as the reasonable arguments on the specific factors and ways through which foreign aid can affect growth. In his paper, Easterly (2003) cited the paper by Boone (1996) as being noted for its aim to address the issues of reverse causality through the introduction of political factors that determine aid, and thus, using them as instruments in addressing these problems. He also discussed the paper by Burnside and Dollar (2000) as being well known for addressing the disbelief shown by Boone and also the lack of agreement from previous studies. In another paper by Papanek (1972) titled The Effect of Aid and other Resource Transfers on Savings and Growth in Less Developed Countries, he analysed the recent challenge to past assumptions with respect to aid, savings and growth, where he termed some past literatures as Revisionists. His concern is based on their argument that the contribution to economic growth by foreign aid is little or insignificant, in which a number of factors were taken into consideration to support this claim. He went further to expand their argument saying Aid may ease the lot of the recipient countrys citizens by permitting higher consumption which is considered desirable if the analysts humanitarian instincts outweigh his Calvinist conviction that people should struggle for their economic salvation, but does little for growth (Papanek, 1972). Amongst these, are other literatures done by several researchers in which different methods were implemented such as the Autoregressive Distributed lag (ARDL) model used by Gounder (2001), in which his results showed a positive relationship between foreign aid and economic growth in Fiji. There has been other literatures that have also tried to show this relationship in individual countries, some have found a positive relationship but a long- run negative relationship using the Co-integration and error correction analysis, while others found a co-integration between saving rate, real gross domestic product and aid therefore showing a long-run positive effects (Murty et al, 1994; Nyoni, 1998). Taking a closer look at the problem of causality which Boone tried to address, Dacy (1975) concurs that the issue of causality is a tough knot to tie. He also suggests that the debate on if foreign aid contributes largely to economic growth is one that cannot be fully decided, as there would be a need to take into consideration the response of individuals as well as groups. Such consideration includes checking if these individuals or groups behave in a certain way where there is an increase in aid compared to where there is no aid. From the above literatures and many more, it is obvious that the issue of foreign aid and its impact on economic growth is inconclusive and is also a continuous learning process. Depending on the different types of data and methodology used in previous studies, several results have been achieved; some depict positive and significant relationship while others indicate negative long-run relationships based on different factors. This paper in the next section would be using time series data and applying the Ordinary Least Squares method (OLS) as well as the co-integration method to see what impact foreign aid has on the economic growth of Nigeria. Section 3. Data and Methodology In testing for the impact of foreign aid on the economic growth of Nigeria, I am using annual time series data which has its period from 1960 2009 and which is gotten from World Bank World Development Indicators. Thus, the focus of this analysis is on Nigeria as a developing country and a recipient of aid from advanced countries which are known as donors. Due to the limited availability of data with respect to the proposed variables, the observations are 49 running from 1960-2009. The table below shows the variables that are included in this study as well as the source they were gotten from: Table 1: Variable Unit source Gross Domestic product Growth Rate World Bank Foreign Direct Investment Percentage of GDP World Bank Trade(Openness; exports plus imports as a percentage of GDP Percentage of GDP World Bank Population Growth Per Cent (%) World Bank Net ODA per capita Current US$ World Bank Most of my variables were gotten from the work of Ekanayake and Chatrna (2010), where he used things like investment as proxy for growth rate of capital stock and also population growth as proxy for labour force. This study also uses population growth as a proxy for labour force as well as including trade to represent openness which as shown in the table above is made up of exports plus imports as a percentage of GDP. Net ODA per capita is a proxy for aid alongside Foreign Direct Investment, as earlier said, this study would be adopting the use of Ordinary Least Squares method (OLS) for its analysis. To ensure that the study is academically robust, I will also be employing the use of co-integration tests, to check the long run relationship between Foreign aid and Economic growth in Nigeria.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Taking the Rap :: essays research papers

The role of rap as a music form and the perception of rappers as a whole has changed over the past ten years. It was a slow process for rap as a whole to be accepted as music and eventually be recognized by critics and award ceremonies. The advent of â€Å"gangster† rap brought about a new group of rappers with criminal histories and raunchy over the top lyrics. Many rappers today, like Eminem, have highly publicized criminal histories that overshadow the meaningful messages and damage the careers of otherwise model citizen rappers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Eminem became the next hit in rap in 1999 with extremely violent and shocking lyrics that included descriptions of raping and killing his ex-wife and vicious slurs against homosexuals. I was a fan of the music simply for the shock factor like many teens of the time but I grew tired of it and moved on to more meaningful work. He followed this formula for two more albums which sold over a million copies just like his debut. He then backed up this image with drug, weapons, and assault charges in the following years. Then Eminem discovered the next â€Å"big hit† in rap when he signed 50 Cent, another convicted criminal who survived 9 bullet wounds. These are just a few cases of the media hyped crimes of a few rappers. All of these deliquent activities were used to stereotype rappers as a whole, while many other rapper’s positive activities and attempts for career advancement went unnoticed or were hindered.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During the same time Eminem released his controversial albums rap acts like Outkast, Goodie Mob, Mos Def, and The Roots produced albums with positive life morals, uplifting messages, and politically charged lyrics. I was displeased to see some of the albums sell well but gain none of the notoriety of the artists constantly in the news. Only rap fans and a few music critics were aware of these positive notes, while the rest of society only got the news story of the most recent rapper’s unlawful blunder. The effects were not fully realized until a large promotional deal between rapper Ludacris and Pepsi came to light.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ludacris signed a multi-commercial ad campaign with Pepsi in 2002 when the company began to look for a â€Å"hipper† image. Ludacris uses profane language and mature situations in his lyrics but it is humorous and so over the top it is obvious it is a persona that he knew would sell.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

No Child Left Behind Creates More Problems for Students than it does So

The No Child Left Behind Act was designed by President George W. Bush in 2001. Although this act seems to be cutting edge and has generated enormous amounts of both controversy and support, this is not the first time American Education has seen such an attempt to improve education. According to the U.S. Department of Education, the purpose of No Child Left Behind is to improve student achievement and change the culture of America's schools. ?The NCLB Act of 2001, the revised Elementary and Secondary Education Act, is a potent blend of new requirements, incentives and resources and it poses significant challenges for states? (?Education Commission of the States,? 2003). No Child Left Behind laws require that every state must develop and implement an accountability system; ?Holding schools accountable for the performance of all students is the cornerstone of the NCLB Act? (2003). There are four main principles to the new plan; Greater accountability for student achievement, greate r flexibility for states, districts and schools in the use of federal funds (more specifically Title I funds) and more choices for parents of children from disadvantaged backgrounds and an emphasis on teaching methods that have been demonstrated and proven to work. However and even still, No Child Left Behind creates more problems for students than it does solutions because of accountability laws. More specifically, students in special education are held to the same standards that students in regular education are held to. Under the requirements for No Child Left Behind Act every school must have highly qualified teachers and must meet adequate yearly progress. Additionally, each school must report attendance, test scores and other statistics p... ... www.NoChildLeftBehind.com Pascopella, A. (2005) Technology cuts run deep. Retrieved 2005, March 11 Inside the Law.com: Analyzing, Explaining and Debating NCLB. Williams, Patrick (2004, 12 January). No Child Left Behind Legislation is a Bad Law. Independent Record. Retrieved February 28, 2005, from http://www.helenair. com/articles/2004/01/21/opinions/a04012104_03.txt Wright, Pamela, Wright Peter (2003). No Child Left Behind. Harbor House Law Press. Retrieved February 26, 2005, from http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1892320126/qid=1109887307/sr=8-2/ref=pd_ka_1/102-1349734-1050505 v=glance&s=books&n=507846 Wycliff, Donald (2003, 2 October) Skirting the No Child Left Behind. The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved February 28, 2005 from http://www.chicagotribune.com/news /columnists/chi-0310020171oct02,0,6652365.column

Triangle Fire 1911 Essay -- essays research papers fc

The Triangle Fire of 1911   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Near closing time on Saturday afternoon, March 25, 1911, in New York City a fire broke out on the top floors of the Asch Building in the Triangle Shirtwaist Company. One of the worst tragedies in American history it is known as the â€Å"Triangle Shirtwaist Fire†. It was a disaster that took the lives of 146 workers, most of which were women. This tragedy pointed out the negatives of sweatshop conditions of the industrialization era. It emphasized the worst part of its times the low wages, long hours, and unsanitary working conditions were what symbolized what sweatshops were all about. These conditions were appalling, and no person should ever be made to work in these conditions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sweatshops were originally set up to produce a large quantity of mostly clothing items, with cheap labor wages for its workers. Sweatshops more often than not were cramped buildings with few windows or fans. The people who worked in these sweat shops rarely received breaks, and would on average 10-12 hours a day, seven days a week. The places were so unsanitary many did not have proper plumbing facilities to accommodate all those who worked there, and no way of cleaning or bandaging a cut or wound if injured on the job. Although these were the common standards of sweatshops the Asch Building, where the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory was located was a very large building, with nine floors. This building was large but cramped due to all the workers, material and machines. Every inch of viable space was used to put either a machine, material or another worker.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Sadie Frowne, a swear shop worker from New York City stated â€Å"The machines go like mad all day because the faster you work the more money you get. Sometimes in my haste I get my finger caught and the needle goes right through it. It goes so quick, though, that it does not hurt much. I bind the finger up with a piece of cotton and go on working†. This was the mind set of most of the workers in the sweatshops. They hated their job and long hours but as long as they worked the money, as little as it may be, still came in.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Most sweat shops were employers of immigrant’s, men children, and women. Women were especially employed at the Triangle shirtwaist factory, because it was easy to persuade wo... ...  In comparison with the Triangle Fire in 1911, the Rhode Island nightclub fire has a few similarities. Just like sweatshops, night clubs are often times over crowded and do not have enough fire exits to satisfy the overcrowding that takes place in nightclubs. Just as a miss thrown match caused the sweatshop fire, a miss thrown match in a night club could cause the same catastrophic event. In theory the number of smokers in an overcrowded night club often times outnumber non smokers, which could very well cause an unwanted fire that leads to a tragedy. Bibliography Famous Trials. The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire Trial 1911. (website).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/triangle/trianglefire.html The Triangle Factory Fire By: Cornell University ILR School (website). http://www.irl.cornell.edu/trianglefire/ U.S. Fire Administration/National Fire Data Center. Nightclub Fires in 2000. (PDF File). http://www.emergency-management.net/pdf/FemaResearchNightclubFires2000.pdf   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Paparazzi: An Embarassing Part of American Culture Essay

Imagine living in a fish bowl. Every move you make, magnified by the glass surrounding your whole existence; every flick of your hand, exaggerated by the bubble that surrounds you; every little notion taken and dissected by the ones distantly observing you outside the fish bowl. Not such a pretty experience for somebody so vulnerable and meek. However, why do we, as a society, feel it is ok for celebrities to be treated with such cruelty, and such blatant disrespect for privacy? We may not realize it, but celebrities are now like small, vulnerable fishes living in a world that, much like a fish bowl, does not give them any smidgen of privacy. This is not anything new. We see it in the hottest gossip columns, in those cheap tabloids, and in those entertainment-themed television shows each and every day: paparazzo stalking celebrities who have now become household names. Paparazzi and their stalker-like tendencies, are part of American culture, they have been imbedded in the veins of our society. Tabloids and paparazzi shots are ordinary to American culture, for some people, they part of everyday life. And because we find it so common and ordinary, we forget that this is not the case in the rest of the world. In most Asian countries, celebrities are appreciated for their craft, and they are given much respect and are treated with much accord. Although there are a lot of gossip columns, they retrieve information based largely through simple interviews with the celebrities. However, the trend in American celebrity journalism (if you could even call it that), is sensationalism. And to make these odd and exaggerated claims more believe, a picture, unfortunately, is given as proof. Take for example, pictures of Brad Pitt walking nude while on vacation in some island circulating the internet. Mr. Pitt has never allowed himself to be shot (in a movie or for a photo shoot) completely naked, exposing even his private parts; but with the paparazzi’s intrusion of his privacy, he now has his nude pictures scattered all over the internet. My point is simple; paparazzi and the pictures they take are very intrusive and give absolutely no respect to celebrities. And the reason why paparazzi continue on stalking the most popular celebrities is because they get huge paychecks for one controversial picture. They are making a living out of these celebrities pictures, and they even get perks like free trips to wherever the celebrity they are tasked to follow plans on vacationing. Tabloids are willing to pay huge amounts of money for these pictures because they get higher sales when they print more intrusive and more controversial pictures. So in the end, it is not just the paparazzi’s fault, it is not just the tabloids’ fault, it is the fault of the American public who purchase and show interest in these tabloids and pictures. And just like any other positive movement, a single person convinced to stop wasting their time and money on these intrusive pictures, is a big help in finally putting a stop on this embarrassing industry of ugly journalism and disrespect for the basic right to privacy. Main Point: Paparazzi shots and sensationalism is an embarrassing and intrusive part of the American journalistic world, and of American culture. Summary: Paparazzi and their stalker-like tendencies, are part of American culture, they have been imbedded in the veins of our society. Unlike in Asian countries where celebrity journalism is less intrusive and maintains respect toward celebrities’ privacy, the trend in American celebrity journalism is sensationalism. Tabloids are willing to pay huge amounts of money for these pictures because the American public patronizes the more intrusive, more controversial photos. The American people should stop wasting time and money on this embarrassing part of American culture.

Friday, August 16, 2019

The sculpture in the Temple of Zeus

Olympia is known as the first home of athletics, where many remains of Ancient Olympics are located. In addition, the masterpiece of the ancient architecture?the Temple of Zeus is also a special scenery here. The Temple of Zeus was designed by Albino. It was constructed on 470 B. C. The Temple of Zeus was built with carved mottoes and tryingly friezes. They're many sculptures in the Temple of Zeus. These sculptures were curved between 480 B. C and 450 B. C, when the severe style was popular. The pediments and mottoes on the top of the temple clearly showed the typical supreme and unparalleled creation of severe style at that age.On the west pediment of the temple, the sculptures showed a picture of chaos. It presented a battle between the Centaurs and Lappet people. The battle happened on the wedding of a Lappet hero called: Proprietors. The Centaurs was drunk and tried to abduct the bride called: Diameter, which infuriated the Lappet people. They started grappling with the Centaurs. The battle fluctuated from the center to the ends of the crowed and back again. Apollo stood in the center of the chaos. He represents the rule. We can see Apollo stand still in the middle of the west pediment, which strongly contrasts with his surroundings.This refer to that Apollo bring rule to the chaotic people. From the pediment, we can see the struggle between savagery and civilization. The Centaurs itself can show the struggle. Its upper body is the same as human being, which meaner they can think and talk. However, its lower body is the same as the horse. The Centaurs is a paradox of savagery and civilization. The west pediment of the temple also showed a struggle between savagery and civilization. Apollo strongly contrasts with his surroundings. Apollo represents the civilization, while the rest sculptures of the pediment stand for the savagery.The west pediment of the Temple of Zeus shows a picture of battle, on the contrary, the east pediment show a race between Plops an d Minoans. Plops is the grandson of Zeus. He wanted to marry Monomania's daughter. However, Minoans was given a prophecy that he would be killed by his son-in-law. In order to prevent it, he asked everyone who wanted to marry her daughter to race against him. In fact, Plops and Hippodrome have already fallen in love. With the help of Poseidon and Monomania's daughter, Plops won the race. He saved Monomania's daughter from the burning palace. Plops unified Elis and captured Olympia.They got married. Their wedding was hosted in front of the Temple of Zeus. There are many races such as wrestling and chariot. Their wedding is also regarded as the first Ancient Olympic game. Plops becomes the founder of Olympic in the classical mythology. When the Olympics began, people from different parts of Greek came to attend the event. This event shows the Pan-Hercules unity. When we talk about the Pan-Hellenic of unity, there's an important character?Hercules. Hercules is the hero of Greek. His or iginal name is Locales. Hercules is the son of Zeus and People's granddaughter?Elegance.Out of envy, Hear took advantage of Restructures, the grandson of Plops, to force Hercules to finish Twelve Labors. Eventually, Hercules finished the Twelve Labors, which also made him famous among the Greeks. After Hercules died, Zeus named him Hercules. Hercules achievements are also parts of the Pan-Hercules unity. In addition to the sculptures on the pediment of the Temple of Zeus, there is another sculpture inside. It's the Statue of Zeus. The Statue of Zeus was built with gold and ivory by Paddies. The Statue is 12 meters high. Zeus sits on the throne adorned with Sphinx, Nikkei and any other mythological characters.Zeus wears an olive crown which is made of gold. He holds a truncheon on his left hand which stands for the power and a figurine of Nikkei on his right hand. There's an eagle standing on the top of the truncheon, which is also the symbol of Athena. The surrounding of Statue of Z eus was carefully designed by Aphid's, including the light reflected from the gate of the temple can make the face of the Status more beautiful. The material used to build the Status of Zeus can tell us the Glory of Zeus. Moreover, the accessories made of gold and ivory, represent the power of Zeus.The thorn adorned with many other mythological characters can show the leading position of Zeus among the Gods and Goddesses. It took eight years to finish the Statue of Zeus. If we see the map of the sanctuary of Olympia, we can find that The Temple of Zeus was located in the center of the map, which shows the important position of Zeus. The sculptures of the Temple of Zeus show the struggle between savagery and civilization. Moreover, it shows the Pan-Hellenic unity and hope of Greeks. All of these celebrate Zeus importance in classical mythology and praise the glory of Zeus.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Describe the performance of characteristics of eggs Essay

Egg white and yolk contain protein. Ovalbumin is present in egg white, however globulin and albumin are also present in a very small amount. Whereas egg yolk contains protein in the form of lipoproteins, which are a combination of proteins and lipids. The most important complex lipid in egg yolk is lecithin. Lecithin gives the egg yolk the properties of a stable emulsion. The fat molecules in the egg yolk are held in an emulsion by lecithin. Eggs have three main performance characteristics and they a coagulation, which includes setting, binding, coating, thickening, enriching and glazing, secondly they can be whisked to create foams and aerate mixtures and called aeration and lastly emulsifiers. Coagulation is the process in which proteins change from their natural liquid state into a gel or a solid. This happens because each protein molecule is constructed from long chains of amino acids joined by peptide bonds. The bonds are weak and when heat, acid or mechanical action is applied they start to break. The changes are permanent. When the protein changes it physical structure when it coagulates is called denaturation. Syneresis can occur when the egg is overcooked. This is when the texture becomes porous as the protein shrinks and pockets of water are left in the product. Between 60-65C is the temperature which egg whites start to coagulate and the result of this the egg white changes appearance from transparent like to white and the texture will be from gel like to solid texture. Egg yolk starts to coagulate at a higher temperature than egg white, it begins coagulating at 65C and finish at 70C. From the darker yellow appearance of the egg yolk it will turn into a lighter yellow yolk and from runny yolk it can go to powdery solid yolk. There are a number of factors that will affect coagulation. A firmer set can be achieved at a lower temperature if an acid such as lemon juice is added. A looser set and higher coagulation temperature is achieved by the addition of sugar to the mixture. The quantity of egg yolk determines the strength of the set mixture. A higher proportion of egg yolks or whole eggs will produce firmer or thicker custard. A low heat achieves gentle heat transference, which produce perfect conditions for a coagulation. Aeration is when egg white is whisked. Foam is formed when air is dispersed through the liquid egg white. Egg whites can be aerated due to the ability of the ovalbu, in to stretch and hold air. When egg whites is whisked the proteins are denatures and uncoil. This forms a 3D air / liquid structure that can hold air when folded into food mixtures. The foam is stable but its properties can be affected by the use of additional ingredients or conditions. First factor that can affect foam formation is salt. It decreases the pH of the egg white and this increases the resistance to foam, so the time taken to foam is increased. It gives the foam more stable and it enhances the flavour. Second factor is sugar. Sugar interferes with the bonds that form as the egg whites uncoil. Therefore the whisking time is increased and the resulting foam is denser, however the foam is more stable. This factor is commonly used for meringues. Fat affects foam formation. Fat such as egg yolk prevents new bonds being formed in the structure. Fourthly alkalis will increase the pH of the foam, decreasing the foaming time but making the foam stable. Lastly will be acids. Acids such as tartaric and acetic will soften the foam. Because the fat in the egg yolk, it inhibits the aeration recipes are usually for egg whites. However sponge cakes do use whole eggs. They are whisked with sugar over a pan of hot water (double boiler method) it works because the whisking action causes the proteins to denature and the heat causes coagulate resulting in stable form. Emulsion is formed when one liquid is dispersed in the small droplets into a second liquid with which it will not normally mix. Egg yolk has emulsification properties, which means it has the ability to hold large quantities of fat in an emulsion. Lecithin is present in egg yolk, which has a hydrophobic (water hating) component and hydrophilic (water loving) component. Eggs have many other functions. An egg can give additional thickness to sauces; it can also be use as binding and coating agent. Eggs can also be used as an egg washed or sometimes called glazing and commonly used for the top of pastries and breads. It also add colour and enrichment.

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Changes- Tupac Shakur Influences on Society Essay

â€Å"We talk a lot about Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. , but it’s time to be like them, as strong as them. They were mortal men like us and every one of us can be like them. I don’t want to be a role model. I just want to be someone who says, this is who I am, this is what I do. I say what’s on my mind. † –Tupac Amaru Shakur (T. I. P). This quote was spoken by one of hip-hop’s most legendary idols, Tupac Shakur. Tupac has become an integral icon of the hip-hop culture and will live on eternally through his dynamic lyrics and poems. Most of Tupac’s raps concerned growing up around violence and hardships in ghettos, and racial inequality in the United States. He experienced many of these factors growing up, especially race related issues. For instance, on October 1991, Tupac was stopped by two officers for allegedly jaywalking. When he responded with a profanity, he was choked and beaten severely (All eyez on me). Tupac’s lyrics always went deep into the meaning of many political and social subjects including violence, and that is what sparked the initial response of his song, â€Å"Changes†. The purpose of this song was to state how everyone knows that racial violence and issues on the streets would never change. It shows how people have to succumb to the fact that there will always be poverty, racism, police brutality and violence in the world. This is reiterated by the lyric, â€Å"Some things will never change†. This song went straight to number one on the charts in many countries in Europe and around the world. This resulted in Tupac gaining a broader and more receptive audience to his controversial lyrics. So imagine if Tupac had used a different method to get his message across, for example, just writing the lyrics without music or creating a photo collage. Not only would the audience change but the message would also be effected by the difference in mediums. Transmediation refers to the process of â€Å"responding to cultural texts in a range of sign systems—art, movement, sculpture, dance, music, multimedia communication, and so on (Reading Online). Leonard Schlain highlights the importance of engaging in transmediation when writing: â€Å"Digital information comes in multiple forms, and students must learn to tell stories not just with words and numbers but also through images, graphics, color, sound, music, and dance. There is a grammar and literacy to each of these forms of communication. Bombarded with a wide variety of images regularly, students need sharp visual-interpretation skills to interact with the media analytically. Each form of communication has its own rules and grammar and should be taught in ways that lead students to be more specific and concise in communicating† (Edutopia). So remediating a text through a different tool ultimately will change the way it is communicated to its audience. For example, imagine the oratory medium that Tupac used to convey his hit song, â€Å"Changes† was instead only a written form of the lyrics. This traditional technology would not only affect the message behind the song but the audience’s acceptance of it. The second way I have communicated this song is visually. I have constructed a collage of what I thought the song was trying to convey. This leaves area for the original message to be interpreted differently among each individual and losing sight of the originality of it. Although these mediums are proper for some texts, I think that Tupac choose the correct form, auditory to communicate his message. I began my remediation process by handwriting the first verse of the song, â€Å"Changes†. By doing this, the audience must then adapt to the new medium. Reading the lyrics of the song instead of hearing it changes the way that it is received. More people are likely to not be introduced to the writing simply because it has been transferred from auditory to written. As a song it has exposure to the wide, variety of people that enjoy listening to music. Written on a piece of paper would affect who has access to read it causing the audience to shift from music lovers to people that just so happen to come in to contact with the text. Since it was originally presented as a song, reading the piece of work takes away the strength of the song, which is portrayed through the powerful voice of Tupac Shakur. When he raps this song, it demands the listener’s attention because of the controversial lines and the way that it is spoken. Most rappers choose to rap about their money and cars while, Tupac used his words to try and make a difference. He bought much needed attention to important issues, such as racism. On the other hand, there is one key benefit to the transmediation of this song. If it originally were only meant to be read, people would be able to focus more on the underlying theme of the song. The audience would not be blurred by the music in the background and could listen to its true meaning. When people think of music, they often associate entertainment with it, causing the artist’s lyrics to be downplayed. Presenting the song so that it is only read can ensure that the reader is affected by the lyrics. Having the lyrics distributed on paper will also help it reach a variety of people. People that may not enjoy listening to rap music, would have the opportunity to judge the lyrics by its context not its genre. Although, remediating the song and presenting the lyrics of it changes the audience, I believe it aids in expressing its meaning. My experience of transforming the song into a collage was harder than I expected. I chose an overall background that pictured Tupac Shakur surrounded by newspaper clippings with headlines such as, â€Å"When Guns Replace Words†. I chose to incorporate this picture because it depicts the gun violence described in the song. Also shown is a picture of police officers fighting off a crowd. This shows their brutality towards the people. Another picture I put into the collage was of people protesting for change. They want to be heard and they demand change. Their way of achieving this is by protesting while Tupac’s way is through this song. While I looked for pictures that matched the song, I also tried to ensure that they expressed the deeper meaning that Tupac was trying to get across. I did not just want to select a picture simply because the word was used in the song. I saw this as a problem because if â€Å"Changes† was an image that is exactly what would happen to the song. People would view the collage differently and the meaning would change. Tupacs’s originality would be gone and the effectiveness of the song would deplete. Of course, the main factors expressed in the song would be understood but the underlying issues discussed may be overlooked. I do believe that there is a risk for leaving a piece open for the public to discuss versus having someone directly state it. Although having the song presented as a collage gives the audience an unlimited amount of ways to interpret it, this is also one of its beneficial factors. When people are able to give their own opinions and thoughts about something, they are able to open their minds to new ideas and theories. Expressed as a collage, the audience is able to give feedback and think about a subject more in depth. A picture is worth a thousand words and therefore, more problems explained in the song are more likely to be unmasked because of an image. While experimenting with these two remediations, I learned some very important things; the way something is communicated changes its audience and affects the overall message. The medium someone chooses to get a message across is a key factor when developing that message. Like I have previously discussed, each medium produces its own strengths and weaknesses. I believe that Tupac Shakur chose the best method to communicate with his audience.

Tuesday, August 13, 2019

Lipoprotein metabolism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Lipoprotein metabolism - Essay Example This part accounts for the largest part of the cholesterol that is quantified as HDL-C in clinical laboratory. ÃŽ ±-HDLÂ  can be fractionated further by density into HDL3 and HDL2, by apolipoprotein composition and size. About 5-15% of apo A-1 in the human plasma is linked to pre–Î ²-electrophoretic mobility particles. This is further differentiated into pre–Î ²3-LpA-I, ÃŽ ²1-LpA-I and pre–Î ²2-LpA-I particles. These particles where reverse cholesterol transport occurs. This occurs in extravascular compartments. It is not clear where the HDL particles and pre–Î ²-electrophoretic mobility originates from. There are several mechanisms that have been proposed including cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP), direct interaction between cell membrane and free apolipoproteins, hepatic lipase (HL), release during the HDL interconversion by phospholipid transfer protein (PLTP) and direct secretion from enterocytes into plasma. High-density lipoprotein is produced in the intestine and liver. It plays a key role in the reverse cholesterol transport. By accepting free cholesterol from the peripheral tissues, HDL lowers the blood cholesterol levels. HDL exchanges lipids and proteins with other lipoproteins. It donates apoproteins E and C11 to nascent VLDL’s. HDL also produces a paraoxonase enzyme. This enzyme inhibits the oxidation of low-density lipoprotein. The HDL precursor particles can also absorb free cholesterol from the cell membrane in a process mediated by apoA-1, ApoA-IV and ATP binding cassette transporter 1. ApoA-1 is the HDL’s major apolipoprotein. It activates the cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) (a lecithin enzyme) that esterifies the free accepted cholesterol to increase the efficiency of cholesterol packaging for transport. By acquisition of additional esters, triglycerides, and apolipoproteins, the particles of HDL3 are transformed into HDL2 particles which are relatively la rger. By estension, HDL plays a role in transferring the

Investment theory and analysis Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Investment theory and analysis - Case Study Example "The Reported Amount reflects a value of $0.02 Per Share of Data Center Relocation Costs." SEATTLE (BUSINESS WIRE) May 13, 1999. Nordstrom, Inc. also reported diluted earnings per share of $0.22 for its first quarter, ending April 30, 1999. Nordstrom's Earnings per share increased by 33%, to 52 cents a share, about a penny more than the analysts at Wall Street had expected. There has also been an increase in sales to about 12% in the fall, amounting to about $1.87 billion. Sales at locations open at least a year (same-store sales), have also increased to an impressive 11%. Nordstrom's Catalog sales gained the most, increasing as much as 30%, followed by sales at the company's discount stores, which increased by about 11%, and sales at the full-line department store, which went up by nearly 9%.This reported amount reflects a value of $0.02 per share of non-recurring costs related to the resettlement of Nordstrom's data center from Seattle, Washington, to Denver, Colorado. Earnings per share also went up by 4.8 percent, above the $0.21 recorded between January and April last year. The company's Net earnings dropped by 2.5 percent, as compared to Net earnings of $31.5 million in the prior year. Company sales also dropped by 0.1 percent, from last year, and totaled $1.0 billion. Nordstrom Historical Stock Chart. Other relevant informationNordstrom, Inc. has an Internet presence at http://www.nordstrom.com, and the company's total square footage is 13,813,000. The company's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, John Whitacre said "We were neither satisfied nor surprised with our first quarter performance. While we have been successful at paring inventory levels, which had burgeoned recently, we must now refine our merchandise... John W. Nordstrom was only 16 years old when he boy left Sweden, his home country, to come to New York City In 1887. He arrived in New York with just $5 left in his pocket, and was not even able to speak English at the time. For some years, he worked in logging camps and mines across the United States, but later went north to Alaska, after learning that gold had been found there.Nordstrom’s business philosophy has been based on quality, value, exceptional service, and selection. The company has built a devoted customer base, and has more than 180 stores across 27 states in America. Nordstrom now has a stock market value of more than $12 billion. Nordstrom, Inc. has an Internet presence at http://www.nordstrom.com, and the company’s total square footage is 13,813,000. The company’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, John Whitacre said "We were neither satisfied nor surprised with our first quarter performance. While we have been successful at paring inventory l evels, which had burgeoned recently, we must now refine our merchandise mix to better align it with customer needs." As of April 30th, 1999, retail store inventory per square foot declined 7.1 percent and total inventory declined 4.7 percent, both from year-ago levels. Gross margin increased 0.9 percentage points to 33.8 percent of sales in the 1999 first quarter. For the quarter, comparable store sales declined 2.6 percent.

Monday, August 12, 2019

Does History Repeat itself Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Does History Repeat itself - Research Paper Example Today, we still relive the sinking of Titanic. The truly amazing invincible ship created by mankind was said to be unsinkable. Now we glance back and say if perhaps those who work in charge might have listened. There are several events in everyday life that warrant listening, or even the outcome may cause the painful regrets. Then, you will find others which are like water on the duck’s back; you are able to shake them back. Whenever we don’t remember to learn from history, it’s determined to repeat itself. There's a prediction in the Bible that will repeat itself, and the sad thing is that people still won’t listen (Gary L. Pleasant). Based on some school of thoughts, â€Å"The things which took place within history will never be same happening in present. Instances might occur which are similar, but they are never exactly similar. To investigate this statement we must know precisely what's meant by the phrase ‘History always repeats itself’ . History is written down records of the past, but there might be several versions of the event. Always means all the time, constantly, constantly and continuously. And repeat means something which happens over and over without exceptions. Therefore the statement means an event needs to occur continuously in the same situation again and again over time, with similar factors influencing it. It's impossible for something to occur over and over without exception also it being exactly the same as time before, because things are never stand still; also it can never be the same as the previous time (Harbison, 1990). Based on another school of thoughts, history record of events, as of the life span and development of people or institution, often including a reason of or commentary on those events. History includes a long and wide perspective for example the histories of people, the greater society as in historical events, kings, queens, wars, a history of Vikings, chronicle of volcanoes an d natural events, an inmate with history of drug abuse, chronicle from the rivalry, history of Shakespeare etc. Chesterton continues this simile the following: â€Å"Without some such contrast or comparison, without some such shifting from the perspective, we ought to see nothing whatever in our own social surroundings. We ought to take them for granted since the only possible social surroundings.† (Scott, 2007) Undoubtedly â€Å"history does repeat itself†; being human no-one can ever appear to go above greed, envy, hatred, blood lust, and desire to have power, resulting engage in same scenarios again and again. Taking into consideration illustration of 1812, when Napoleon headed French Troops into Russia for number of reasons. Only because of insufficient proper planning entire invasion along with a tendency to reside from the land drawn in early pushes, Napoleon’s Army was defeated through the Russian weather. Likewise in 1942 Hitler ordered about 4. 5 millio n German along with other Axis troops to invade into Russia, due to the fact he thought simple to use target. Because of insufficient proper planning full extent of invasion and ability of the Soviet Army to trade land and soldiers for time, Hitler’s Army was defeated. Both in examples the leaders exceeded their grasp seriously underestimated the resolve from the Russian/Soviet people and government. Logistical difficulties reared their head, due to the

Sunday, August 11, 2019

Uninsured and Ill, A Woman is Forced to Ration Her Care Essay - 1

Uninsured and Ill, A Woman is Forced to Ration Her Care - Essay Example Apart from finances, this victim is also ignorant; she keeps on moving from one health center to another to escape her unpaid bills (Lagnado, 2002). Therefore, she does not have a regular doctor who can constantly check the eye up, as a result, she let go of the free samples that many patients enjoy. She also pays no attention to the fact that, if she created awareness of her financial difficulty to the doctors, they might consider cutting down her bills to treat her, but she instead considers her monetary position as her own problem and not the doctor’s. Furthermore, because of the deteriorating eye condition, which made it too painful, to look intently at a computer screen, Ms. Kaur could not be able to take up office occupations that normally offer health benefits. She is then forced to get a blue-collar job that does not offer health benefits, and so she cannot pay for her own health insurance because of the low income. Being uninsured, she is enforced to pay more to obtai n her drugs than the other patients do. Likewise, Amandeep is not qualified for any of the present medical covers, since her monthly income is above the standards set by the programs. These schemes have a propensity to favor a certain group of people such as expectant women, little children and parents. Therefore, being childless, she was not fortunate to be eligible for the health programs, a societal problem that could affect many unmarried and couples who are childless (Lagnado, 2002). The glaucoma victim is also having social problems; in that, she is not connected to the internet or any social site. For that reason, she is unable to find information on readily existing programs meant for the uninsured, which could certainly be beneficial to her. In my view, medical centers and the health system at large should have investigated about Ms.

Saturday, August 10, 2019

Representation and Stereotype of Women in Video Games Dissertation

Representation and Stereotype of Women in Video Games - Dissertation Example The portrayal of the woman in video games has always been a controversial topic. It is controversial because it reflects the negative sides of the woman. It is the major claim of those who protest against the stereotype of women that in video games women are presented in an unrealistic and exaggerated manner. The video games mostly contain the violence and sex together. The women are generally represented as a hyper-sexual character. The content of the dissertation thus shows that the girls as well as women are based on gender-stereotyped. Hence, it is quite common to see a woman with a typical figure and complexion and in a tight outfit. Keywords: videogames, women, portrayal, unrealistic hypersexual Executive Summary: This paper is based on the stereotype presentation of the women in video games. Women’s image in all types of media has always been just a sex symbol. Whatever the media would be, such as television, advertisements or any type of magazines and newspaper, the wo men cannot come out of the typical periphery which is drawn for them by the male dominated society. In media they are sometimes shown in a very humiliating manner. This research has discussed thoroughly on the same issue. The research paper is divided into four different chapters. First chapter is associated with problems and its setting. The researcher decided this kind of subject out of the concern of the portrayal of women in video games and their impact on the society, especially the adolescent young boys around whom the entire video industry is revolving. The women in video games are far from reality from all points of view such as their physical appearance and the role they played in the game. In the first chapter the introduction about the topic is given. Then the researcher has designed the problem related questions for discussion. There are five research questions to be discussed. The researcher then discusses about the significance of the problem and significance of his re search. The researcher here has discussed about the usefulness of his research in finding out the problem. In the next section the researcher deals with the significance of the study. For any research to be reached to its conclusion the hypotheses are necessary to form so that it can give a proper direction for the research. Here the researcher has taken the hypothesis that still the image of women in video games is stereotype and it has not changed. The women are shown either as a sex symbol or a passive and distressed object. After that the researcher discusses the scope of the study. There are many new concepts in the research paper so it is necessary to mention the definition of the terms used in the research paper. Here the researcher has given the definitions of various terms used in the research paper. The second chapter deals with the literature review. For the research it is very necessary to find out the related documents or any existing theory which can support the ideas of the researcher. The references have been collected from various sources such as books written on this same topic. Apart from that some previous research papers, articles, blogs, websites etc are also referred. The researcher has given thorough information about the collection and information which has been collected by the above mentioned sources. In the third chapter, the