Personal development Plan Essay

A Personal Development Plan is a useful tool to ensure your skills are up to date. It also gives you the opportunity to identify areas which you find difficult to carry out and which need improving. Please take a moment and reflect on how your training and ‘on job’ experience have developed since joining the company. What training and development activities (including work experience) have you done? What did you learn? Training, development activities Learning outcomes Training for: –Peristeen bowel management Training for-diabetic /insulin management Training for-Tracestronomy /nebulizer Training for-Oxigen saturation/Suction machine Update training To use a several kind of equipments: -cough assistant -splints -oxigen sat. Monitor -suction machine -nebulizer -tilt table search to web for the following subjects: Abuse-Safeguarding Adults Diseases-Brain injury,Celebral Palsy,infections(MRSA,HiV,TBC,Hepatitis) Codes of Practice for SocialCareWorkers DataProtection Person-centered Care Murder of Michael Gilbert Service users rights Pa testimonials -It has need a longer experience with this ,itself the training not enough without experience,That is the best If the client able to instructions me what need to do ,and how. -big responsibility to take a deal and to manage a diabetic client †¦.not just about the insulin ,but about everything,because this disease does bad effects on every way of the client life/health(how cook and often to check ,daily more times their sugar limit) It was the most complicated knowledge for me ,because so much depend on the clients personally needs .And there are to carry out just some minutes my duty if the client is in emergency situation. -It was so useful to repeat my previous knowledge to fresh up what I have  learned before,first of all the handling and moving part of the the training what I have enjoyed†¦etc ,how I can to move somebody if I can not rolling them. -very helpful to keep a health/strong breathing ability ,this is an exercise to the breathing muscles of client -this keeps in correct position the client arms and legs -keep in focus the oxigen limit of client and this does and alarm if this is low,so then the Pa has time to act with this. -keeps clear the client’s airway. – This will helps to breathe deeply and cleans the airways -a good and safe and also a comfortable equipment to stand up and take balance,stimulaing the musc les. What part of your job are you really good at? What gives you greatest pleasure? I have been in more countries and I have worked there as a carer †¦with very different type of clients in different languages ,different lifestyle†¦so in this way I accept everyone easy way I’m flexible and I learn quickly in new situations. I can help in their life my clients to keep them independent as possible,because the little things can takes a lot day to day.I could make it easier to manage their lifestyle and to provide them confident feelings,because they can controll their life. Feedback: (to complete by assessor) What parts of your job do you find difficult? What parts of your job do you want to improve? If somebody is disabled then they have a hard situation in their life ,because their life more complicated like to others. So this situation can lead stressful and impatient personality ,†¦It is not always easy to tolerate.This has been more times when the client was angry,nervious,impatient ..etc or just They had a bad day†¦and a part of the clients has a propensity to deduce it on the Pa†¦. -try to be more accepting and patience -develop the English language and acquire more knowledge in my work Feedback: (to complete by assessor) Why did you decide to complete your Diploma? What goals have you set yourself which can be achieved by the completion of the Diploma? I have 7-8 years experience as a carer but I had no any education about it ,so this is the high time after several years of experience to take some qualification. And also in this way I can improve in my job and I can provide a higher quality care for my client ,and probably I can take more knowledge in wider part of care job. Furthermore Some clients are also to prefer to take a Pa ,Who has a diploma. Please complete at the end of your Qualification Have you achieved the goals you have set yourself by completing your Diploma? Has it improved your practice and how? What is your next goal?

Impact of Gold on GDP Essay

Impact of Gold on GDP In ancient times, India was referred as Golden Bird and In the modern times, She has emerged as the largest consumer ot gold in the world. The importance ot gold can be understood in the saying all glitters are not gold. Gold is an important participant in Indian culture, traditions and economic policy. Gold has several applications or uses and the main reasons why Indians take to gold are: Gold is considered an equivalent for liquid cash: Gold is highly liquid and portable as a Security or Asset. It can be converted to cash anytime when an emergency arises and Is considered a friend In eed. Gold is considered as Status Symbol: Especially in India gold symbolizes wealth. often, gold Is Important consutuent of the bridal wealth In the wedding. Indian weddings without gold are unimaginable. Gold is a very good investment: Gold is an asset which has consistently increased in value and thereby considered as a safe and secure Investment. Gold Is considered an effective diversifier which helps to reduce portfolio risk. Gold Is considered as a good gift item: Gold is precious and worthy across all cultures and times. The gold Jewelry Is given as gifts during weddings, festivals and other pecial occasions. Gold has great religious significance: Gold is the symbol of the Hindu Goddess Laxmi and considered highly auspicious. Gold is brought or presented on testivals like Dhanteras and Akshaya Tritiya. Toe rings are never made of gold as it represents the goddess of wealth and should not be soiled by touching a human’s feet. Great Ornamental Value: Women of every age and time have always loved wearing gold ornaments. Moreover. Gold Ornaments are never out of fashiorn It also may be remembered that Wedding rings are also traditionally made of gold to mark a long asting relationship. Great value as Heirloom: Gold jewelry is something which can be passed down from one generation to the other as ancestral property Not only In India, but In rest of the world also, gold Is also one of the most valuable assets. Like most of the commodities, gold prices are also determined by demand and supply. The global demand for gold has many layers. For the last 5 years, Jewelry has consisted of of the overall demand for gold. The major players for gold jewelry with over of the demand are China, Turkey, and the Middle East. Gold, as gold coins or bars, adds another 20% of the demand where the united states, India, and Europe play a vital role. Industrial demand lead by Japan makes up the last 12%. Mining constitute 59 percent of the global gold supply, net official sales constitute 6 percent and recycled gold provides 35 percent ot the global gold supply. But many other factors also play their role In determlnlng the gold prices like dollar prices, crude oil prices, inflation etc. Even today, despite of US Dollar being acceptable in International trade, gold is still considered the safest option. It is because ot this reason gold prices are otten attected by the change in Dollar prices. Anyone who follows the gold and currency markets closely will realize that the IJS$ gold price and the Dollar Index generally trend In opposite directions. I ne reason tnat gold ana tne collar generally trend In opposite alrectlons Is tnat In one respect gold is Just another currency. As a result, when the dollar weakens on the foreign exchange market over an extended period then the IJS$ gold price will generally rise during the same period; and when the dollar strengthens over many onths the IJS$ gold price will usually fall. There are, of course, leads and lags and there’s no reason to expect that percentage changes in one will be accompanied by equal-and-opposite percentage changes in the other, but when charts of the dollar and gold are compared it quickly becomes apparent that the two have been inversely correlated. On the contrary, gold prices and crude oil prices tend to rise and fall positively with one another. There are two reasons for this- historically, oil purchases were paid for in gold. Even today, a sizable percentage of oil revenue ends up invested in gold. As oil prices rise, much of the increased revenue is invested as it is surplus to current needs and much of this surplus is invested in gold or other hard assets. The second reason is that rising oil prices place upward pressure on inflation. This enhances the appeal of gold because it acts as an inflation hedge. Over the last 50 years or so, gold and oil have generally moved together in terms of price, with a positive price correlation of over 80 percent. Apart from above factors, gold also provides hedge against inflation and therefore there is a positive relationship between gold price and inflation. During times of economic growth there is an increase in wealth which leads to higher demand for luxury goods like gold. During times of economic recession, gold can be used as an asset that protects against inflation and devaluing paper currencies. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has concluded the purchase of 200 metric tonnes of gold from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), under the IMF’s limited gold sales programme. This was done as part of the Reserve Banks foreign exchange reserves management operations. RBI’s decision to shore up its gold reserves needs to be seen in the ontext of other central banks across the globe increasing their gold reserves. In fact, the share of gold in India’s total reserves has dwindled over the decade. In March 1994, the share of gold in the total reserves of the country was 20. 6%; by the end of June 2009, gold constituted only 3. 7% of the total reserves. The purchase resulted in increasing the share of gold in total assets of RBI to 6percent. RBI’s foreign currency assets consist mainly of sovereign bonds, mainly US treasuries. So, buying more gold had helped the Indian central bank to diversify its assets. RBI’s foreign exchange reserves consist of for eign currency assets, gold, special drawing rights (SDR) which is an international reserve currency floated by International Monetary Fund (IMF) and RBI funds kept with IMF. India is the largest consumer of gold in the world, consuming around 18 per cent of the total world’s production. India has to import around 70 per cent of its total gold consumption, thus imparting a lot of foreign exchange to major gold producing countries. With the development of the stock markets, especially on-line trading systems, urban India is lowly shifting its investment focus from gold to the other avenues of investment such as stocks, bonds, mutual funds etc, but, rural India still has its major investments in the form of gold. Around 65 per cent of the total demand for gold in Inala Is Trom people Involved In agrlculture ana alll around 30 per cent of the GDP of the nation. ea Inaustrles wnlcn contrlDutes to Thus gold is still as important for Indian economy as it was ever. Gold is also the important source of income for many least developed countries of Africa where countries like Mali, Ghana get majority of foreign exchange from the export of Gold.

The impact of Information Technology on Transportation system and Research Paper

The impact of Information Technology on Transportation system and technolog - Research Paper Example So the transportation business and system is being basically changed through new evolutionary information systems and information technology. In the past airlines as well as big hotel chains, for instance, have been the untimely implementers of innovative and new technologies like that CRSs (Computer Reservations Systems). It is observed that new evolutionarily network system are offering sharing of data in addition to information being employed through the Transportation business and industry is in a lot of modes, depending upon 3rd parties like that Computer Reservations Systems dealers or else travel representatives who have customarily warranted their subsistence in the course of a dedicated technology arrangement as well as precise acquaintance (Ira, Semeijn, Talalayevsky, & Alexander, 1998; Turban, Leidner, McLean, & Wetherbe, 2005) & (Nijkamp & Blaas, 1994; YOSHIMOTO & Toshinori NEMOTO, 2005 ). The main intention behind this research is to assess and analyze some of the main areas and impacts which have been brought by the innovative implementation of IT and IS technology at the transportation business industry. A generally mentioned influence of information technology is that the appearance of electronic marketplaces will encourage the evasion of mediators. The idea of this influence is mainly formed on the capability of IT to considerably decrease the costs of dealings. The technology also supported and facilitated the customers to have an easy access and competence to enjoy simple system that we reserve and manage for their travelling requirements (Ray, 2004; Laudon & Laudon, 1999). The arrival of the World Wide Web, Internet and other online operational management services, unified by extensive implementation of personal computers through businesses as well as customers, had directed to an increasing job planned for electronic commerce in the worldwide financial system. Here

Reflection paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 39

Reflection paper - Essay Example It is advisable to peruse through the assignment severally capturing words key like; evaluate, discuss, and classify. Being able to keep such words in mind while doing the assignment ensures that the student is aware of the task at hand (Head Web). It is worthy to note, in the absence of these keywords, and rather the instructions are to write a research paper. Then the course professor wants the student to give an argument and try to back it up. Secondly, it is advisable for the student to note down whatever they know about the research topic. It will enable them identify gaps in their knowledge that can in turn assist in establishing reliable sources (Head Web). Students face challenge when looking for sources and understanding it. They may misunderstand a source and fail while evaluating it in relation to the study topic. Moreover, students should be able to identify authors bias in source materials clearly. Third, researching should begin early, and students should never delay writing. Student could be taking several courses, and they might find it appropriate to delay long project and concentrate on more immediate ones. The student should strive to manage time effectively at this stage. After compiling all the research material there, is the temptation to postpone the actual writing and some weeks before the assignment is due. It would be wise to start writing an essay as the research process goes on. Fourth, students have to ensure that all the material compiled from other writers work need proper paraphrasing in students word. In some cases, students might misrepresent an idea sourced from another writer and find it difficult expressing the authors original ideas. There is the challenge of plagiarism while trying to integrate cited material into the paper. Fifth, it is recommended to take a break from working on the paper after writing the first draft. Going back to the draft, student should ensure; that the main points

Life Problem Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Life Problem - Essay Example Underlying this conflict is the different opinion the siblings have on whether Edith's actions regarding were in accordance to Maurice's wishes. As Edward states, his father would have wanted all his children to benefit from the estate. Thus, Edith's choice of naming Nancy as a joint tenant is a major conflict among children because as the law of survivorship states, the interests of a deceased joint tenant cannot be passed on by will, but should be passed directly to the surviving joint tenant. In this case, all of Edith's jointly owned properties will be passed on to Nancy after her death unless formal actions are taken up to sever the joint tenancy or include the three children as tenants in common. Furthermore, structural conflicts are also present that make communication, and consequently understanding, difficult. Geographically, all three siblings have left Queensland and now reside in other parts of Australia and the world. Hence, physical communication barriers can cause anxiety and strain relationships, especially for the siblings who have not seen each other in more than 10 years. It also increases the window for misinformation. Edward and the others can also feel threatened by Nancy and Rajiv because of Edith's dependence on them, their residence in the estate, and their control over Darlington. It causes Edward to believe they are disadvantage against Nancy. Edith's health conditions also puts time constraints because as their mother and owner of the estate, she is the only person who can enforce changes in the distribution of Darlington through severing her joint tenancy with Nancy or including the three children as tenants in common without damaging relationships. Such circumstances indicate that relational conflicts are brewing because while Edward and the others feel threatened by Nancy, Nancy feels that her siblings are rallying against her or that they do not appreciate her sacrifices for the estate. These conflicts, although seemingly immaterial, plays an important role in the negotiation because it determines each party's attitude and possibly create a negative behaviour among the siblings, hampering communication even more. While there is a number of methods available, negotiations are the most efficient, viable, and appropriate method to resolve the conflict. As Edward explained, a legal proceeding is not only complicated, but their claims may also be weakened because it is be difficult to establish an enforceable trust based on their father's will. Their geographic location also makes legal proceedings difficult logistically and financially. Furthermore, with Edith's old age and health conditions, it will not benefit anyone to place stress on her. Thus, unless the children can come up with a negotiated outcome acceptable to all, and approach Edith with the outcome in hand, further disagreements among the children can only worsen Edith's condition. It is also important for Edward to understand that if taken to court Nancy's contributions to the farm, Edward and his party's absence and seeming lack of interest in the farm and their mother's welfare, and Nancy's residence in the

Economic Inequality and Gentrification, Assignment Essay

Economic Inequality and Gentrification, Assignment - Essay Example On the contrary, the income of top 1% in the society has been rising, further widening the inequality gap. To compound the problem of the inequality, the cost of traditional avenues of self-improvement like higher education has been exponentially increasing. In 1978, a typical male US worker was earning $48,000 a year (adjusted for inflation) but by 2010, the median wage had dropped to $33,000. Meanwhile, during the same period, the average person in 1% top bracket was earning $390,000, by 2010, the amount has almost doubled to $1,100,000. Something must have happened in 1970’s (Chaiken , Silverstein & Kornbluth , 2013). In the film, Reich argues that in 1970’s, combination of anti-union legislation and market deregulation worked together to create an economic boom but less of the wealth trickled down to the middle class (Chaiken , Silverstein & Kornbluth , 2013). But the problem was noticeable as the women we entering the market and working hours were rising recouping the lost income. Furthermore, during the same period house prices were raising allowing people to borrow. Moreover, in 1970’s there was underinvestment in education. The tuition fees were introduced hampering any hope of higher education among many people in the middle class. One of the voice in the film, Nick Hanauer’s, billionaire, believes that he does not pay enough tax. Nick continues to argue that hammering the middle class, the main drivers of the economy is wrong. The middle class are the one who buy products and services, thus creating demand, which in turn leads jobs and more taxes. The economic system puts top 1% at the center of the economic universe as the job creator instead of the middle class (Chaiken , Silverstein & Kornbluth , 2013). There is also a need to make the poor a priority. The eradication of poverty policies need to be discussed and addressed on national platform. USA needs to re-think the main strategies that are being

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Marketing - Essay Example These impacts have proven to be found on the cost and availability of credit; household budgets, mortgages, pensions, big and small company financing and other related funding issues (QFinance, 2010). Thus, the current trend is to substantially create a good financial market for banking and financial services that aim at stimulating market needs. However, it is not only one organisation that tries to play or compete in this type of market. There are many of them which eventually create competitive rivalry. According to Porter (1998; 1984), there are new market entrants, supplier power, buyer power and product and technology development that together create a certain force for competitive rivalry. This same scenario is certainly part of the banking and financial market. In fact, this is visible because of the presence of some policies. For instance, economic policy measures are very important because they can essentially remove barriers to outside competition (Maudos and de Guevara, 2 007). Building societies versus banks There are major differences between banks and building societies even though they both belong to one category of banking and financial market. These differences are tantamount to the level of advantages and disadvantages an individual can possibly get. According to Building Societies Association (2011), there are three major differences between banks and building societies. One of these major differences is the emphasis that the building societies are mutual institutions. This gives certain rights and privileges to members who have savings account or mortgage to vote and acquire information. The second major difference is the fact that building societies are not companies which are successfully run by their shareholders. The good thing about this is that there are no external pressures from shareholders which normally on the point of maximising profits to pay away as dividends. Thus, this ensures operating the business at a lower cost, cheaper m ortgages, and other better opportunities such as rates on savings compared to other competitors. Considering that there are different types of shareholders, it is important to understand that companies are always subject to different motives of shareholders in order for them to get substantial benefits to satisfy their needs. The third difference is in line with the limit of proportion of funds raise by building societies from wholesale money markets. This is a sort of giving much more security and in return it gives substantial opportunity for investors. Current Harpenden Building Society trends Based on its company website, the following are important information about Harpenden Building Society that can help trace its current trends (Harpenden Building Society, 2010). It can be noted that Harpenden is one of the active 52 UK building societies which primarily consists of 20,000 members with 25,000 accounts. Harpenden is amazingly having no borrowings on the money market. Starting in 2008, Harpenden’s deposits increased by over 11% and its mortgages increased by more than 9%. Not only that, Harpenden was highly commended for its mortgaged for SVR. From Best Children’s Account Provider, Harpenden won the Moneyfacts award. All of these only substantially illustrate the fact that the business for Harpenden is significantly increasing to the fullest as it substantially targets the right segment, moves and

Importance Of The Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Importance Of The Education - Essay Example Consequently, they adapt easily to their environment, hence promoting their success. Further, the liberal education grants the learners the ability to get involved in more than a single field. This follows the different skills acquired that help the students to change their careers whenever viable opportunities arise. Liberal studies also give individuals opportunities to pursue their passions in life. Involvement in one’s passion increases the motivation of the individual. Therefore, an individual strives to give the best, which contributes to success in life. Given the continued advancements in technology, students get equipped with skills that apply widely, instead of specific skills that may get outdated with time. As a result, the individuals remain relevant to the society as they draw on the universal skills to cope with the changing times in the society. In â€Å"Behind the Boom in Chinese Students at U.S. Colleges,† Naomi Rovnick argues that Chinese students who acquire an American education have a better chance of being employed by western companies in China because they acquire ‘a broader cultural perspective’, which makes it easier for them to get integrated into such companies. The fact that â€Å"multinationals tend to prefer hiring sea turtles because they come with better inter-cultural skills† explains this (Rovnick 1). Then they go to study, the students get to learn how to relate with people from different cultures, thus enlarging the perspectives they hold in life.

Ballet and Modern Dance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Ballet and Modern Dance - Essay Example Several cultures around the world have also been introduced into the dance in an attempt to make it more understandable in their own context. The dance style was introduced in France by Catherine de Medici when she got married to the king of France and it was mainly performed in the royal courts. Some of the initial costumes for the dance included masks, pantaloons, various ornaments, headdresses as well as other designed outfits (Anderson, 2008). The dance steps were composed of slides, slight hops, curtsies, gentle moves and promenades. The shoes commonly used for the dance in the early times were made up of small heels to increase ease of movement. Currently, there exist three main styles of ballet namely contemporary ballet, classical ballet and neoclassical ballet. Classical ballet is a form that is deeply entrenched on the ancient ballet techniques and vocabularies. The neoclassical version deviates from the classical ballet in the sense that it has non-traditional feats as well as unusually fast moving tempos. The contemporary style is composed of the classical ballet techniques and the modern dance methods. The modern dance began in the 19th century and extended to the early 20th century in the U.S.A and Germany. This dance style was established as a means of responding directly to ballet performances through the refusal of its codified motions and the narrative forms. The modern dance consists of a wide range of styles which were defined by the various artists who took part in it. In ballet, the movements commonly known as line take various forms which include diagonal, horizontal and vertical. The vertical lines in which the dances make slight sequential jumps indicate elegance, grandeur as well as strength while the diagonal lines are signs of movements. In modern dance the lines normally adopted by the dances is horizontal line which indicates calm, placidity as well as repose. Repetition which is common phenomena in all

What is globalization Essay Example for Free

What is globalization Essay Globalization: The following will elaborate on globalization, and some theories on traditional trade. AlsoGlobalization as defined by Charles Hill, of the University of Washington†¦ refers to the shift toward a more integrated and interdependent world economy. Globalization has several facets, including the globalization of markets and the globalization of production. Free trade is an example of a situation where government makes no attempt to influence what its citizens can buy from other countries. Under the free trade system Smith, 2009 argued that †¦the in visible hand of the market mechanism, rather then government policy, should determine what a country imports and what it exports. When looking at globalization there are two major factors. The first is the decline in barriers that could have impeded the free flow of goods, services, and capital. This decline in barriers has been on going since the end of World War II. The second factor is the changes in technology. Technology has in recent years has allowed dramatic developments in communication, information processing, and an easy in transportation, that past businesses did not have. (Hill, 2009)One example of a declining barrier to international trade that occurred after World War II was the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). The goal of GATT was to remove the barriers to the free flow of goods, services, and capital between nations. Through eight rounds of negotiations among members of state this was accomplished. From GATT the World Trade Organization (WTO) was also founded. The WTO was established to police the international trading system. (Hill, 2009)The lowering of trade barriers made globalization of markets and production a theoretical possibility (Hill, 2009). Since the end of World War II the gains of technology have exploded. The world has seen major advances in communication, information processing, and transportation technology. Telecommunication gives even the smallest companies the ability to gain a global audience. When the computer was first introduced, the computer could easily fill a room and was capable of only a few hundred computations per minute, with a cost the put even the thought of owning a computer in the hands of the government. With the invention of the microprocessor the cost of computing was significantly reduced while the power of the computer increased dramatically. As a result the lower costs of  technology companies today can communicate with potential suppliers, retailers, consumers anywhere in the world at prices that were unheard up only 10 years ago. (Hill, 2009)Technological advances in the transportation have also improved rapidly. The commercial jet of today makes a trip from New York to Tokyo in less time then it would have taken someone to get from New York to Philadelphia in the Colonial days. Other advances such as containerization have help to reduce the cost of transportation while increasing efficiency. (Hill, 2009)Some effects of globalization found locally are in almost any store, from food to auto parts and most things in between, many items we use are not make in the United States as a whole or in part. With out globalization supply of many of these items would be lower due to an increased cost of production. The city of Jacksonville, Fl also offers appeal to global companies. The location of Jacksonville in relation to: an international air and shipping port, major highways, and easy access to rail terminals makes the city an ideal location for global companies such as Bridgestone. Bridgestone is a global company based in Japan with manufacturing facilities in Central, South, and North America, as well as Japan and Africa. The ability of Bridgestone to acquire supplies for production of a wide range of products from around the world allows the company to supply a product of the highest qualities while allowing the price to remain competitive. Globalization has become a reality for almost any company regardless of size. Reference: Hill, Charles W.L. (2009). International Business. [University of Phoenix Custom Edition e-Text]. New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin. Retrieved April 2, 209, from University of Phoenix, Mgt 448.

Impact Of Technology On The Music Industry

Impact Of Technology On The Music Industry Music industry has been most significantly affected by such revolution of technology during the past few decades. The most significant innovation in the music industry has undoubtedly been the digitalization of music. Digital music technology has completely changed the underlying dynamics and economics of the music industry. From time to time, this has been an issue of debate and has seen many legal actions and sanctions (Matsuura, nd). Along with innovations in music technology, the issue of piracy has become the single most challenging and threatening problem in the music industry which has from time to time raised serious concerns and warned of the consequences on the industry. Music piracy can be formally defined as any form of duplication along with distribution of music without the formal permission from the entity holding the copyrights to that particular music. Directly interlinked with music piracy is the role of internet and related phenomenon such as file sharing or peer-to-peer sharing (P2P). Internet growth and innovation are largely to be blamed and held responsible for the crisis in the music industry circles that affects its three major players including recording companies, artists and consumers (Patokos, 2008). Not only the music industry is facing losses but the quality of music is also threatened by piracy. According to Hull (1998), the music industry profits from its three major revenue streams: Purchase of recorded music. Broadcasting recorded music. Industry for attending live performances. Here is the music industry vale chain as described in Meisel and Sullivan. (2002). The Music Industry Value Chain Source: Meisel et al. (2002), p.18. We all know how easy it is to gain access to the authentic and copyrighted music through duplicated CDs and file sharing (without paying any royalty to the owners of music) on internet (Bozina, Dumancic and Knezevic, 2007). Research Purpose The major purpose of carrying out this research is the importance of significant technological developments on the music industry circles and the ways in which issues such as copyright, authenticity, illegal production and distribution of music affect the various participants of the music industry circle. It will bring into focus the particular technological changes over the past two decades and evolution that has come to impact the way music is produced and distributed. It will also help the readers understand the legal implications of the issue. Finally the research will investigate the major problem areas that threaten the music industry, particularly emphasizing on the revolution of MP3 technology and Compact Discs and it will conclude with quantitative and qualitative analysis of the relevant variables that influence the revenues of music industry. Research Questions Is the modern music industry suffering from pervasive effects of internet theft, piracy and flouting of copyright rules? How important it is to critically analyse the legal and technological implications of the MP3 technology on the business of music? Importance of Research The issue of piracy needs the special attention of industry and law experts as we cannot let the phenomenon continue to wreck the music business. The MP3 effect influences the sales of music albums, though the law can spur legal actions in favour of ban the MP3 use but it is not a practical solution. On the one end technology eases and improves the production and distribution of music and on the other it should provide the end listeners easy and cheaper access to high quality authentic music. Brief Literature Review Until the 1990, music business was correctly anticipated but soon after this period, the forces shaping the business began to change. The first ever music cassette was introduced in 1963 by PhilipsÂÂ ©. It became a very popular mode of entertainment exploited by the car makers (Morton, 2004). The year of 1979 revolutionized by SonyÂÂ © which the first hand held music player device. It came to be known as Sony WalkmanÂÂ © (Thomas, 2006). Both Philips and Sony collaboratively brought in the most advanced technology (still remains so with more advanced variants such as DVD and Blu-RayÂÂ © technology) called as Compact Discs (CDs) and the players used to play the media known as CD players. By 1988, the CDs became the most popular technology for distributing music in standardized format which became universally accepted by the music industry and CDs outsold Long Playing record albums (LP) (University of Minnesota, 2008). The technology called Digital Audio Tape (DAT) w as introduced by Sony the next year. It remained the most popular recording technology for professionals during the 1990s (Sony GroupÂÂ ©, 2010). The other leader in musical innovation PhilipsÂÂ © launched Digital Compact Cassette to counter SonysÂÂ © DAT technology. SonyÂÂ © released the Mini Disk (MD) in response to DCC. MD provided with professional high quality recording to the professionals (Sony GroupÂÂ ©, 2010). The music was most dramatically distributed on the CDs and hence their use was most widespread. CDs were used by all of the major recording labels due to persistent decrease in the prices of CDs (Sony GroupÂÂ ©, 2010). The following Table 2.2 presents the change in the prices of CDs in the US music market between 1983 and 2006. Table 2.1. Decline in the prices of CDs from 1983 through 2006. Source: RIAA, 2007 The technology called CD- Recordable (CD-R) was introduced in 1990 and it was the first opportunity for the consumers to successfully duplicate the contents of the music albums without compromising on the quality of music and this allowed for piracy to be practised by consumers and other players such as illegal music uploading sites (OMalley, 1998). In US, 288 million CDs were sold only in one year, 1990 (Amoah, 2005). The role of computing and internet technology proved instrumental in spreading the crisis in the music industry. It was only in 1991 that computers came with the technology that played its users to play and listen to music. This development was attributed to Ad Lib and Creative Labs who introduced the technology of sound cards integrated into personal computers during manufacturing stage (Dixon, 2010). It heightened the interest of consumers to reproduce the authentic contents on CDs, CD-Rs and more advanced recording media such as DVDÂÂ © and Blu-RayÂÂ ©. However the real trouble was the introduction of the technology that made it possible to encode music as digital files on the computers, the most critical one was MPEG3 or MP3 (Motion Picture Experts Group-1 Audio Layer 3). MP3 was introduced on 26 November 1996 (Belis, 2010). MP3 became so critical because it allowed users to create copies of music albums to near perfection. The fact that MP3 files could be stored on computers and handled as any other file stored on it, the exchange of such music files was facilitated with an extreme ease. With MP3 came the MP3 players to play them on standalone basis. Elger Labs was the first one to develop and commercially release the MP3 player known as MPman and was priced at whopping $250 only to store some eight songs. The revolution in MP3 players was brought about by Creative Labs in the year 2001 when it released an MP Player with much higher storage capability of 6 Gigabytes in comparison to MPman. But this was just a phase of development and it saw the launch of the worlds most foremost technology in MP3 players, it was the release of the device called IPOD by Apple (Menta, 2004). In todays time most of the youth carry an MP3 player and IPOD remains the most favourite among all the options available. The problem would not get aggravated if mp3 files were restricted in the hands of individual users but the use of internet provided a platform that allowed sharing of music through online modes. The pioneer of music sharing technology was a website known as Napster (Patokos, 2008). This was a platform for various internet users for sharing of music files stored on the computers hard drives between the users. This is known as peer-to-peer (P2P) sharing of files. Napster assumed profuse growth in P2P sharing market until it was successfully busted down by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in July 2000 with the help of judicial order (Riedel, 2006). The most recent and devastating innovation in the recent years has been the illegal use of a collection of files known as torrents. These torrents are downloadable through applications known as torrent downloader. There are sites such as Pirate Bay and BT Junkie which provide a collection of torrents downloadable by using applications such as Azureus and ÂÂ µtorrent. The torrent era is most destructive because sharing is not confined to sharing of music files. Such sites are now being used for sharing anything from music files, audio books, movies, software and other miscellaneous files. It has almost become a social networking cult among the youth and value of such networks increases as they become larger and more extensive. While the RIAA was successful in cracking down Napsters services, they have been unsuccessful in preventing the expansion of torrent based programs as mentioned ahead in the report. Since the conception of P2P the sale of physical CDs has been steadily declining every year (Powell and Smith-Doerr, 1994). Table 2.3 clearly represents the huge growth in the digital modes of music access and significant declines in the sales of physical music media. The newer and more devastating impact has been inflicted on music industry by applications like torrent downloaders as such networks differ from Napster like technology because they do not rely on a single centralized server but the download is carried out by a user from various servers or seeding points/seeders. Even the law becomes impotent in such situations because no single entity can be blamed for legal action. Manufacturers Unit Shipments and Retail Dollar Value Data Collection The data for the research will be collected from the Consumer Expenditure Survey tables available from the US Bureau of Labour Statistics. It is an extensive database which provides minute details about the buying habits of the US consumers, their income and various household characteristics. It also provides survey micro data for individual consumers demographic and expenditure patterns (CES, 2010). I will also consult a range of websites for the purpose of collecting information and statistics related to the music industry. Music industry websites- The Nielsen Company, www.soundscan.com, Recording industry Association of America, http://www.riaa.com, Sony Music, http://www.sonymusic.co.uk, Universal, http://www.universalrecords.com, Warner Brothers Music, http://www.warnerbros.com/music. Audio technology sites- Diamond, http://www.diamonthrun.com, Microsoft, http://www.microsoft.com, Music Match, http://www.musicmatch.com, Real Networks, http://www.real.com. Internet industry sites- Amazon, http://www.amazon.com, CD Baby, http://www.cdbaby.com, Emusic, http://www.emusic.com, MPEG, http://www.cselt.it/mpeg/, Napster, http://www.napster.com. Broadcast sites- BBC, http://www.bbc.co.uk, Broadcast.com, http://www.broadcast.com, Cyberville Radio, http://www.cyberville.co.uk. Marketing sites- ViralMarketers.com, http://www.viralmarketer.com, Musicpromotion.net, http://www.musicpromotion.net. Another major database that I will gain access to is the comprehensive statistical analysis known as the Shipment Statistics Database available from The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). I will need to contact RIAA through email to inform then regarding them my projects vital features and they will decide whether to permit access to the database. In the event of permission not being granted I will subscribe to it by paying a nominal fee (RIAA, 2010) Methodology This particular research work will focus on utilizing a research model that enables to exploit the benefits of methods such as qualitative analysis through behavioural questionnaire and interviews with the industry experts. Since the research fundamentally proposes that MP3 CDs and internet file sharing technologies impact the sales of original works of music. It is important to keep in mind the argument that such facilities decreased the CDs sales. To effectively deal with this question of importance, I will collect micro-level data from the US Consumer Expenditure Survey (CES) available from the Bureau of Labour Statistics (BLS). It will certainly provide the answer to the debatable question whether file sharing has decreased the CDs sales figures. Similar studies have been carried out by experts such as Liebowitz (2004). I will also examine the connection between ownership of computers by households and figures for expenditures on music. It will help me analyse whether increase in computer ownership increases file sharing by consumers and subsequent decreases CD sales. Thus this study will constitute a blend of qualitative and quantitative methods to answer the mentioned research questions. Is there a solution? The diagram 5.1 below proposes the possible go-ahead for the music industry to survive profitably in the coming future. The first file sharing site, Napster was legally challenged in the court and was finally forced to shut down its illegitimate activity. Source: Bized, (nd).

Awareness as it Relates to Wikipedia Essay -- Wikipedia

In the paper â€Å"Awareness and Coordination in Shared Workspaces† written by Paul Dourish and Victoria Bellotti, the authors describe awareness as: â€Å"an understanding of the activities of others, which provides a context for your own activity† (Dourish 107). This concept appears several times in the various Wikipedia research papers. We can also see that as Wikipedia changes and evolves one of the key aspects of successful awareness, passive awareness rather than active awareness, is potentially being eroded. Finally, the definition of awareness as described by Dourish and Bellotti was written almost 20 years ago and certainly was not considering a collaborative effort such as Wikipedia, there are considerations and alterations should be taken into consideration when looking at awareness in an environment such as Wikipedia. The article â€Å"Lifting the Veil: Improving Accountability and social Transparency in Wikipedia with WikiDashboard† discusses the issue Wikipedia faces with quality and accountability while proposing a potential solution. The main focus of the article is the WikiDashboard application that the authors created, however the reason this application is created is to address the transparency issue with Wikipedia. â€Å"Despite their tremendous success, collaborative models of knowledge building are still viewed with skepticism. The quality, accountability, and trustworthyness of the articles in Wikipedia has been debated heavily in the press† (Bongwon 1037). This distrust is the result of the disconnect of awareness between the Wikipedia readers and the Wikipedia writers, who of course can be the same individuals but in many cases are not. When a reader of a Wikipedia article cannot say for sure who has wr... ...Lifting the veil: improving accountability and social transparency in Wikipedia with wikidashboard Proceeding of the twenty-sixth annual SIGCHI conference on Human factors in computing systems 1037-1040. Bryant, Forte and Bruckman (2005) Becoming Wikipedian: Transformation of Participation in a Collaborative Online Encyclopedia Proceedings of the 2005 international ACM SIGGROUP conference on Supporting group work (GROUP'05) 1-10. Kittur, Suh, Pendleton and Chi (2007) He says, she says: conflict and coordination in Wikipedia Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on Human factors in computing systems (CHI'07) 453-462. Butler, Joyce and Pike (2008) Don't look now, but we've created a bureaucracy: the nature and roles of policies and rules in wikipedia Proceeding of the twenty-sixth annual SIGCHI conference on Human factors in computing systems (CHI'08) 1101-1110.

Heart Of Darkness And Apocolypse Now : Analysis Of Book and Movie :: essays research papers fc

Heart of Darkness and Apocolypse Now : analysis of book&movie Heart of Darkness and Apocalypse Now Inherent inside every human soul is a savage evil side that remains repressed by society. Often this evil side breaks out during times of isolation from our culture, and whenever one culture confronts another. Joseph Conrad's book, The Heart of Darkness and Francis Coppola's movie, Apocalypse Now are both stories about Man's journey into his self, and the discoveries to be made there. They are also about Man confronting his fears of failure, insanity, death, and cultural contamination. Heart of Darkness is about a man named Marlo telling of a trip he took into Africa to find a man named Kurtz for a company. During Marlow's mission to find Kurtz, he is also trying to find himself. He, like Kurtz had good intentions upon entering the Congo. Conrad tries to show us that Marlow is what Kurtz had been, and Kurtz is what Marlow could become. Every human has a little of Marlow and Kurtz in them. Along the trip into the wilderness, they discover their true selves through contact with savage natives. As Marlow ventures further up the Congo, he feels like he is traveling back through time. He sees the unsettled wilderness and can feel the darkness of it's solitude. Marlow comes across simpler cannibalistic cultures along the banks. The deeper into the jungle he goes, the more regressive the inhabitants seem. Kurtz had lived in the Congo, and was separated from his own culture for quite some time. He had once been considered an honorable man, but the jungle changed him greatly. Here, secluded from the rest of his own society, he discovered his evil side and became corrupted by his power and solitude. Marlow tells us about the Ivory that Kurtz kept as his own, and that he had no restraint, and was " a tree swayed by the wind." (Conrad 209) Marlow mentions the human heads displayed on posts that "showed that Mr. Kurtz lacked restraint in the gratification of his various lusts." (Conrad, 220) Conrad also tells us "his†¦ nerves went wrong, and ca used him to preside at certain midnight dances ending with unspeakable rights, which†¦ were offered up to him," (Conrad, 208) meaning that Kurtz went insane and allowed himself to be worshipped as a god. It appears that while Kurtz had been isolated from his culture, he had become corrupted by this violent native culture, and allowed his evil side to control him.

Reverse Discrimination :: Race

Historical references have documented that ancient Greeks and Romans knew nothing about race. There was in fact, a majority of white slaves over black slaves. Even during Moorish rule on the Iberian peninsula, slavery was an equal opportunity operation (Carew par. 3). Not until much later, did the first clear evidence of racism occur with the start of slave trade from Africa to Britain and America. Racism was then formed by the rich and powerful to justify inhumane treatment of black people. However, social justice has come a long way since then. Ironically, long after declaring all men equal, the United States has shown their efforts to improve opportunities to minorities by continuing the use of affirmative action, which is now not necessary in today's society. Affirmative action clearly leads to reverse discrimination, and the focus on those who have traditionally been thought of as minorities overlooks candidates who may be more suited for a position. Affirmative action was initiated during President Lyndon Johnson's term as a government remedy to the effects of long-standing discrimination against minorities ("Affirmative Action" par. 4). The use of racial quotas and minority set-asides led to court challenges of affirmative action as a form of reverse discrimination. It became a kind of quota system and had created a new racism in America. The controversy over affirmative action seems to pose a choice between two alternatives that have become a part of major debate. Racial minorities are no longer disadvantaged, considering most young people applying for jobs and colleges today were not even born when legal segregation ended. With this, Americans deserve equal opportunities with the idea that hard work and merit, not race or birthright, should determine who prospers and who does not. However, the fault in special admissions programs is that they will use skin color as a more important factor than academic and personal merit. Those who deserve advancement may not receive it, due to affirmative action and its counterpart, reverse discrimination. Preferences on applications tend to reward the advantaged members of minorities while hurting disadvantaged members of the majority groups (Kaufman par. 4). These preferences have marked minorities as inferior since they may be seen to succeed not through merit but through gift. Some fear that this has encouraged racial and ethnic identities as a means to win social services, dividing rather than uniting the nation.

Top 10 Characteristics of schools that are Multicultural

1. The school curriculum incorporates the contributions of many cultural groups and integrates multiple perspectives throughout it. 2. Teachers and administrators are able to deal with questions of race, inter- group relations, and controversial realities on an objective, frank, and professional basis. 3. Differences in academic achievement levels disappear between males and females, dominant and oppressed group members, and upper-middle-class and low-income students. 4. Instructional materials are free of biases, omissions, and stereotypes. 5. The teachers and administrators show respect for the students' first languages and dialects 6. Cultural differences are treated as differences, rather than as deficiencies that must be addressed in compensatory programs. 7. Students are able to use their own cultural resources and voices to develop new skills and to critically explore subject matter. 8. Students learn to recognize and confront inequities in school and society. 9. The composition of the faculty, administration, and other staff accurately reflects the pluralistic composition of the United States. 10. The faculty, administrators, and other staff see themselves as learners enhanced and changed by understanding, affirming, and reflecting cultural diversity. I feel that theses top ten characteristics are list in the correct order from most important to least important. Even though I do not feel there should be something that is not as important when it comes to this subject. I think that each of all ten is just as important. My first important is the school making sure that they incorporate different kinds of cultural groups into their class room this makes it so that all the student know what their cultural believes are they are all included in the class. I also feel it is important that teachers are able to deal with questions and have an understanding of how to answer the question about the different cultural. Gollnick, D. , & Chinn, P. (2006). Multicultural education in a pluralistic society. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall

Traditional Family a National Crisis

The idiom, â€Å"Decline of Traditional Family a National Crisis,† is deeply rooted to an assumption that national boom results from a nation rich with traditional nuclear families. Consisting of a married man and woman living together and sharing responsibilities for offspring and for each other, is the view of David Popenoe, a sociologist who believes a nuclear family defines social and national prosperity, the norm. It is when deviation from such norm occurs, that nuclear family importance is speculated.With approximate statistical data, studies show 50% of marriages will end in divorce, a common transaction that portrays dismay of family. If the society is to survive, modifications to values and norms will be subject to cultural trends. According to David Popenoe, the traditional family is the key institution in society. Therefore, the society is eroded if the key institution is distorted. Popenoe argues families provide the identity, belonging, discipline, and values that are essential for development. Furthermore, he explains the concern that is shadowing children, victims of adverse social impact.Nonetheless, Popenoe admits to social progress, such as diminishment of segregation, racism and the financial emancipation of women. Popenoe’s research is admirable but not entirely correct, due to neglecting the modern society’s value for family and structural changes that have emerged from technology. In this modern day and time, families range from traditional to modern. The traditional family is a vulnerable mirage, holding on to values once strongly deemed necessary. The modern family is a deviant reflection of traditional family.The composition of traditional nuclear family members no longer exists only in traditional sense. Participants in modern families are, the traditional man, woman and child, partnered gay men and lesbian women with or without child, single man and child, and a woman and child. Many of the family styles are respo nses to cultural evolution in freedom of choice and some are from nature’s course, whether tragic or not. Regardless of family style, the chosen avenue is not free from our roles beyond the family that restrict our access to family life, a view of Stephanie Coontz.Stephanie Coontz opposes Popenoe’s theories of a nation in crises, as well as pointing out historical data was not accurately performed. She has provided more accurate data with much more sophisticated statistical approaches, including margin of error. Data collected, state families are behaving in no-crises manner and many families are strong, today. One of Coontz’s theories included the change in woman’s role. Women of today are not just barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen, while breadwinner daddy is working to support his family.Coontz expresses, in America, there are tremendous variety of family types that have worked and not worked. She continue to explain, that families succeed because th ey were flexible in their living arrangement, oppose to then stereotypes of the past. Our choices have improved with every human movement and social trend. Scientific and technological advancements have enabled possibilities, once unattainable, for traditional partners, gay couples as well as single men and women, to have children.While traditional partners implement partnership availability, today’s single parent, has many choices from privileges bestowed. Single parents are capable of working long hours and still participate as loving and nurturing with the help of community, employer childcare accommodations, private and government programs. Communication and logistics, previously hindered from lack of technology, presently are vastly available and have narrowed deficiency in children’s need to see and communicate with parents.Being equipped with much assistance, parents work productively or extensively, trying to excel. Structure of family is not the vitality of a nation; it is the family that creates a nation. Changing laws pave further change. Yesterday’s view of family, sufficed as best, still prevails but different family structures are emerging. Meeting the needs of members and protecting them from poverty, violence or sexual exploitation, is parental, social and national responsibility. Responsibility to achieve these needs starts with parents, sifters thru society, and lives nationally anew.

Two Hotels

What Is the overlap between operations, marketing and product/service development at Acme Whistles? The simple answer to this question Is, There Is a very significant overlap between these functions'. The underlying question is Why? Partly, the reason is size. As Simon Ottoman says in the example, small companies cannot afford specialist functions so at a managerial level everyone does everything to some extent. This becomes especially true when the boss of the company Is also the owner, It Is literally his own money that Is being spent when creating any new managerial oleos.Partly also the tradition and competitive stance of the company has an influence. This is a company that competes on quality and innovation. Both these things rely on informal communications within the organization and a fast moving, agile ability to checkout and Implement new Ideas. Oxford 1 What are the main issues facing Sofa's operations managers? Broadly, Oxford will have the same issues as any other operati on. They must define their strategic objectives, design appropriate processes that deliver appropriate services, plan and intro those processes, and continually adapt and improve how they deliver their services.But they also have some particularly difficult challenges because of their status as an emergency and caring organization. They must provide a global service. By deflation, Sofa's scope of operations Is global. Anywhere a disaster Is likely to strike could receive the attention of the charity. However, much of Sofa's work Is not concerned with the high profile disaster relief side of its business, but rather the ongoing community development projects it undertakes. Most of these projects will e in the poorer, less developed parts of the world.The Implication of this is that, from an operations point of view, services must be delivered without an assumed level of infrastructural support. The ability to adapt development methodologies to such circumstances would be a key operat ions task. Another aspect of globalization for Oxford concerns the coordination of expertise. Experts, either in development or disaster relief, may be located anywhere In the world. The task of understanding and coordinating this pool of potential help must be a major operations task. It will rely on maintaining a database of expertise and on the ability to deploy it, sometimes at short notice.They must be environmentally ethical. To Oxford, the concept of environmental management must be tackled at two levels. The most obvious one Is that environmental awareness is an ‘output' from the charity operations. In other words, environmental management, to some extent, is one of the operation's products'. It will engage in lobbying governments and non-governmental agencies to achieve Its alms of greater environmental sustainability. However, there Is also another related Issue. Sofa's operations themselves must also be environmentally sound.Agricultural projects, for example, must be managed to ensure that there is 1 OFF local pressures to do so. They must be socially responsible. Again, this is one of those issues, which is both an output from the operation and an objective for the way it runs its own operations. A key issue here must be the way in which the ‘on the ground' managers of development projects tackle some of the particularly sensitive cultural issues. For example, ‘gender issues' are one of Sofa's campaigning points; forever, appropriate gender roles are seen in very different ways in different parts of the world.Pursuing its own ends in terms of, say girls' education, must be balanced against traditional ideas of women's role. Whereas this difficulty may be relatively straightforward to reconcile at a strategic level back in the charity Oxford headquarters, its success depends on how local operations managers deal with the issue at a day-to-day level. Prt A Manger What are the advantages and disadvantages of Prt A Manger organizing itself so that the individual shops make the sandwiches that they sell? There are a number of advantages in this type of organization. The load on the staff in the shop is equalized throughout the day.The demand from customers for purchasing the sandwiches occurs mainly in the middle of the day. If the staff only sold sandwiches, they would be busy in the middle part of the day and unoccupied at other times. The way Prt a Manger organize their processes, the staff can occupy themselves making sandwiches in the early part of the day, then, as the day progresses, staff will progressively move from making to selling. As demand then reduces towards the end f the day, staff will move onto general cleaning and tidying activities as well as making ready for the same cycle of activities to repeat itself the next day.There is clear and direct responsibility for quality, customer service and cost. If there are any problems with quality and availability of sandwiches, it is the same staff who caused the problems who receive customer complaints (In fact, Prt a Manger get very few complaints). Similarly, the effectiveness of cost control can be clearly associated with the staff in the shop. It is a more interesting Job that has a number of different activities (making, selling, cleaning, etc. ) than one where an individual will specialize in Just one of these tasks.It is easier to engender a sense of pride in the high quality and wholesome nature of the products when they are made on the premises. It should be pointed out that there also disadvantages. The main one is that the cost of making sandwiches in a sandwich factory (the way the vast majority of sandwiches are made) is very significantly cheaper because of the higher volume. How can effective operations management at Prt A Manger contribute significantly to its success? And what would the consequences of poor operations management be in this kind of organization?By developing a culture within each store that takes pride in the products themselves, the way they are made and the way customers are served. By listening to customers so that customers' reactions and comments can inform the design of new products. By not wasting materials through poor control, which would increase the cost of running the operation. By developing a sense of fun as well as a sense of commitment in the staff so that customers sense a friendly and laced atmosphere. Two very different hotels in delivering an appropriate level of service?For Formula 1, technology is harnessed in the manufacture of the self-contained bedroom units in the factory prior to assembly on the site. Because of the standardization, conventional factory automation can be used to some extent. More obviously, during the running of normal operations at the hotel, technology, in the form of the automatic ‘booking in' machine at the door, allows the hotel to remain ‘open' even while it is unstained for much of the day. This saves labor. Simi larly, labor is saved by the use of automatic cleaning in the washrooms.This also ensures that high standards of cleanliness are maintained throughout the day, even when the hotel is not staffed. Although not mentioned in the text, Formula 1 hotels also have automatic drinks and snack dispensers, which would allow guests to stave off hunger and thirst even though the hotel does not provide food in a conventional restaurant setting. At the Magus Safari Lodge, very little technology is used. The attraction of the hotel lies in its location and in how their staff treat the guests.Staff must not only be informative and courteous, they will also need to protect and reassure those guests who are anxious in their surroundings and create a sense of adventure (but not too much adventure). 2 What are the main differences in the operations management challenges facing the two hotels? The main difference is the degree of standardization in the operation's processes. For Formula 1, the main use of standardization is in the manufacture of the individual room units. All room units are exactly the same size. Because they all have the same fitting, these fittings can be artsy installed at the factory.This allows the company to buy furniture, curtains, and carpets in high volumes, keeping costs down. The standardized nature of the units also allows the hotel to be constructed quickly (which itself saves costs) using standardized methods of construction that are cheaper than building entirely different hotels at each site. Standardization of rooms also allows a standardized procedure to be adopted for cleaning and maintenance, so staff can be easily trained using a standardized training package. Finally, standardization of the room units, radically, allows all Formula 1 hotels to adapt to the geography of the site.By putting the standard units together, like children's building blocks, they can use unusually shaped pieces of land, which tend to be cheaper than regularly shaped s ites. By contrast, the Magus Safari Lodge provides experiences ‘customized for every visitor's requirements and abilities'. Also, the Magus Safari Lodge must be able to cope with fluctuations in demand through the year. However, Formula 1 try to choose locations that capture the business traveler market during the week and leisure travelers at the weekend.

Mood Disorders

Read the case study and type using 12 fonts directly into the rubric. Save the document, print it and submit to your clinical instructor (turn in to secretary) when due (see course calendar). Darlene, age 62 years, has been admitted to the local psychiatric facility for inpatient treatment of depression. She became severely depressed when her son experienced a traumatic brain injury sustained in an automobile accident 6 years ago.Since her son's accident, she has selected to pay her bills on time, has difficulty sleeping and difficulty concentrating, has lost interest in eating, and has lost 30 pounds during the last year. She is complaining of frequent headaches, generalized pain and malaise. She no longer attends the weekly sewing club due Tao lack of interest and energy. Her husband of 40 years divorced her 2 years ago. Her home needs repairs, and she says she feels overwhelmed with completing the maintenance required. She expresses feelings of helplessness. She states that she â €Å"is alone and no one cares. Darlene reports that he often sits alone at night watching television and sips on a can of beer. She has been noncompliance with pharmacological antidepressant therapy, which has led to her admission to an acute care psychiatric setting. She hardly makes eye contact, slouches in her seat and wears a blank but sad expression. She says to you, â€Å"this feeling of depression is the worst thing I have had to go through since my son's accident. I will never go through this again. I guarantee you this will be my last episode of depression. † â€Å"My mother suffered from depression and it destroyed our family.The physician has indicated that if Darlene does not respond to medication over the next 2-3 days, he will order ACT. Darlene has a history of hypertension but has not been taking medication. On admission her pulse is 98, Temperature is 99. 2 and blood pressure is 174/96 and her doctor prescribes Corer. She states she has been diagnosed with GEAR and used to take Proposes, but she has not taken any the past six months even though she still has symptoms of Acid Reflux. Her doctor reorders the Proposes upon admission. She had surgery twenty years ago to remove a benign tumor from her left ovary. Mood Disorders By enormous

CRJ 422 Week 5 paper Term Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

CRJ 422 Week 5 - Term Paper Example sed on the institutions that allow people to live fulfilling lives and be active contributors to the well-being of the society (Carlisle, Jackson, & George, 2006). The concept of social justice can be traced to the ancient western civilization through the work of philosophers and majorly centered on the work of Plato. In his writings, Plato acknowledges that for a well functional and operational state, all members of the community must be assigned specific tasks and duties in accordance with the classes where they belong. The essence of social justice in this ancient era was to ensure that all members of the society contribute significantly to the well-being of the community. Assigning of tasks and duties to all members of the society in the form of employment ensures that everyone was economically stable thus reducing incidences of crimes and injustice in the society. Aristotle on the other hand conceived the notion of distributive justice. According to Aristotle, distributive justice required that assets and services within a society were to be distributed to all members of the society based on merit and without discrimination in relation to creed, race or gender. In the American society, the concept of social justice took a significant role in the 20the century particularly in the fields of politics and philosophy. During the 20th century, some of the principle concerns of social justice were the action of the Supreme Court to strike down state passed legislation on eight hour a day work and the right to join a trade union. The action of the justice system was thus seen to be targeting the disadvantaged in the society by oppressing the poor workers. In this era, most of the employees in industries where black Americans thus inhibiting the employees to join trade unions was equally an aspect of discrimination especially against the black America ns (Cambron-McCabe, 2005). Social injustice in the American society has been pointed to be on the rise thus leading

Strategic Management project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5500 words

Strategic Management project - Essay Example Fahad Al-kaabi, has various objectivities that he is seeking to achieve from the business. The group decided to do an interview with the owner to identify the various objectives he has for the business. The interview was useful in the analysis of the business’s strategic plan and in acquiring the data needed for completion of project. The Maganees cafeteria lacks some official statements such as mission, vision, values, and objectives because it is a new entity in the market. Subsequently, the group developed appropriate statements by matching what the owners said about the business, which guided the project team in building the statements. In addition, food industry in Qatar is characterized by high levels of competition whereby each competitor want to get the largest proportion of the market share; hence, significant for an entity to study the industry by evaluating each competitor in the market. Competitors in the industry include Tea Time cafeteria, Chapati, and Karak, which were selected and compared with Maganees cafeteria in in reference to various business aspects. Maganees cafeteria has strengths such as the innovation of products, providing high salaries for the employees and financial aids to motivate its workers leading to competency within the business. However, the firm is facing a number of challenges including the lack of advertisement, promotional campaign, inexistence of official website, and unable to deliver the products to the customers house. Based on the external environment, the cafeteria has opportunities like the low rent of outside areas and the preferences of customers for the traditional foods. In the other hand, it faces some threats such as the high level of competition in the market. In reference to market competitiveness and market position, Maganees cafeteria adopted focused differentiation method because it offers unique products, which are the traditional foods of Qatar for specific customers living in the northern

The hockey stick controversy and the legitimacy of IPCC's research Paper

The hockey stick controversy and the legitimacy of IPCC's about the human impact on climate change - Research Paper Example The controversy also looks at the question of the sturdiness of the impost offered by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). These arguments have been taken up by the fossil fuel industry and have been funded by lobby groups that attempt to cast doubt on climate science. The controversy became prominent in the 1990s when a group of scientists who used proxy indicators to indicate temperature records in the previous centuries found different reasons that caused global warming and argued them differently (Jolis, 2012). A group of scientists such as Michael E. Mann, Raymond S. Bradley, and Malcolm K. raised some of those controversies by using statistical analysis of an assortment of proxies to come up with the first quantifiable hemispheric-scale reconstruction presenting global configurations of annual surface temperature. The graph shows temperatures that dates back to 1400 whereby they shaded the areas to show emphasis of uncertainties whereby the two standard error l imits were larger than in earlier centuries. The above group of scientists published a paper in 1999 that traced back climatic changes for the previous 1000 years using extended graph that showed a descending tendency in proxy temperatures from a medieval warm period trailed by a 20th century escalation and a steep upsurge in measured temperatures since the 1950s. According to United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and Third Assessment Report (TAR), the year 1998, was the warmest year in the northern hemisphere for the last 1000 years. The above organizations used the controversial hockey stick graphs to publicize the featured information. The information became a focus for dispute for the people who were contrasting to the strengthening scientific agreement that late 20th century warmness was unique. Some of the scientists who were opposed to these changes were Willie Soon and Sallie Baliunas. However, scientists later dismissed their publication as deeply flawed (McKitrick, 2010). I also disagree with the legitimacy of the previous research used by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) since their research shows less dramatic results if techniques that are more reliable had been used to analyze the data. Later researches have shown that an increase in greenhouse gases due to human activity is a prime cause global warming. However, arguments in favor for global warming were already accepted widely as a prime cause for increased temperatures in the world. Conclusions made from other scientists shows that making the world warmer undoubtedly is not determined by reconstructions of temperature aforementioned to direct records. Most error pieces fall inside the stated hockey stick pieces created by Mann and his team of scientists but can be collected to indicate the late temperatures. There are major doubts about the correctness of all previous temperature re-establishments, and these qualms have sometimes to be glossed over by scientists who presented the hockey stick as suggestion for global warming (Regalado, 2005). Michael E. Mann, Raymond S., Bradley, and Malcolm K., have remodeled northern hemisphere temperatures for the previous 2000 years to incorporate a wider set of proxies than what was accessible for the original study and updated measurements from the late years. I the new reconstruction, different methods am used as compared to the previous methods used in the original case. It shows

Philosophy of nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Philosophy of nursing - Essay Example This partnership between nurse and patient evolved from a relationship where one does things for another, to a therapeutic partnership not only existing while the patient is ill but is extended long after getting better. Integrating the importance of understanding one’s behavior and how this affects the delivery of quality care for patients has turned nursing both into a science and art: science due to the importance of the basic principles of scientific inquiry; and art due to the nurse practitioner’s ability to be creative in applying or modifying various concepts and other bodies of knowledge such as evidence-based practice, depending on what the situation needs (Parker & Smith, 2010). In addition, because establishing a nurse-client relationship that is based on trust and integrity has become just as important as the accuracy and applicability of the care provided, the nurses need to have an awareness not just on the patient’s whole situation but of themselves as well, to assess whether it is in their capacity to bring the necessary service or if they need other forms of assistance. This combination of methodological and creative thinking has made the nursing profession a sc ience and an art. I have chosen to become a nurse by profession because doing so allows me to express various sides of me: the scientific and methodological side; the creative side; and most importantly my caring side. This is because in reality, various disciplines are not strictly separated but rather overlap with one another, thus it is important to acknowledge the fact that every kind of discipline, even the nursing profession borrows other ideas from seemingly-different fields such as psychological theories to business and economics in the process of improving care delivery for patients and other stakeholders. Such ideas were inspired by Peplau’s ground-breaking psychodynamic theory, which integrated interpersonal theory, a psychological

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

Wireless - Essay Example On the go transmission and communication has been made possible through the wireless technology. Highways, mountains, rural parts, deserts, airways, all have been able to communicate and enable communication with the static part of the world through the wireless system networks. Another advantage of wireless system is its support, ranging from small scale setup to medium and larger scale networks. All these come in the form of WAN,MAN and LAN technology systems. None of these would be possible without the wireless communication presence. The concept of wi fi and elimination on reliance over the wired systems and modems has been made possible through the wireless systems. The wireless systems have enabled the establishment of ad hoc networks. Ad hoc network is established on temporary basis which may not need the extensive establishment of the support system with regard to all the other essential components that are otherwise required in a wired interface. While the wireless network provides an array of advantages and support functions, it has the negative side to it as well. The fact that noise and attenuation is part of any other wireless network makes up for the negative aspect of this system (J.S.Chitode, 2008, 15). The long distance communication is subject to distortion and would require installation of repeaters and amplifiers in order to enhance the quality of the signal and data that is being sent across the medium. The possibility of hacking and breaking into the system is more likely in the wireless system network as compared to the wired systems. The frequency crossing and interference is an associated concept which may come along as a gift of the wireless medium system. The remedies against the aforementioned negatives and weaknesses of the wireless network can be overcome through the installation of the firewalls, allowing larger spectrums to operate in and beefing up security measures such as a

The movie Thor (2011) [N] Holywood Film Critique Essay

The movie Thor (2011) [N] Holywood Film Critique - Essay Example The titular character is the eldest son of Odin, the King of Asgard. As such, he has been prepared to eventually take on the mantle of leadership. The young prince is, as one might expect, proud and impetuous. Some would say, ill-equipped to fully understand the ramifications and intricacies of rule. So, it hardly comes as a surprise that when frost giants, the Asgardians’ defeated enemy, infiltrate the palace on the day of Thor’s succession, the once and future king is eager to retaliate despite his father’s express orders not to do so. Instead, the young prince takes some of his friends to the frost giants’ homeworld, demanding they answer for the attack on Asgard. Thor’s foolish actions nearly result in the outbreak of war were it not for the timely intervention of Odin. As punishment for his egregious lapse in judgement, Thor is stripped of his power and cast out. He soon finds himself on Earth where, as fate would have it, he meets Jane Foster, a brilliant young physicist that specializes in studying wormholes. Back on Asgard, Odin falls into a coma, which allows his younger son, Loki, to assume power. Of course, this is all part of Loki’s plan to seize power. As the film unfolds, Thor’s experiences on Earth temper his youthful impetuousness and teaches him the true meaning of rule. This culminates in Thor making the supreme sacrifice, laying down his life so that Earth might be spared. Interestingly enough, his heroic act restores his powers. The two brothers fight and eventually Loki is defeated. Thor’s transformation throughout the film highlights an interesting shift in our notions of â€Å"heroes† or â€Å"champions†. At the start of the film, Thor is pretty much a â€Å"champion† in a pre-Christian sense of the word. He is strong, brave, and eager for battle. But by the film’s end, Thor has transformed into a somewhat messianic figure. In fact, this is

BREEAM scoring Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

BREEAM scoring - Essay Example â€Å"It includes assessment in nine different categories: Management, Health and Well-being, Energy, Transport, Water, Materials and Waste, Land use and Ecology, Pollution, Innovation.† (Stubbins 2010) This rating system emphasizes on the use of environmental friendly building material and focuses on the material and procedure used and adapted that cause the least harm to the environment. â€Å"BREEAM made major changes to the system, including introducing new environmental weightings, mandatory credits and the two stage certification process, design stage and post-construction.† (Yudelson 2009) The University of Glamorgan holds a prestigious place in the field of education. Located in the South Wales it has three campuses catering to the local and international students with fields from all over the world. Its accommodation is rated as one of the best in terms of residency and facilities. The BREEAM rating for the University’s halls have always been over and above the pass rating. The old Glamorgan halls have always scored in terms of the management, health services, energy conservation and minimum pollution. However the newer halls of the university are more technological oriented and have a better rating in terms of their BREEAM score. The University is currently introducing its carbon reduction at its residential projects which will help reduce pollution. The accommodation planning at Glamorgan use ideas of energy conservation and material usage in order to implement and adhere to the environmental friendly regulations issued by the BRE. The accommodation uses au tomatic power shutdown in order to avoid unnecessary usage of electricity. However, apart from the University’s eagerness to adhere to the BREEAM scoring and have sound BREEAM rating there are still some issues that need to be addressed. In terms of its environmental policy, there is a lacking of the community involvement resulting in the inefficient management of water and waste. The University

The relationship between physicians and the pharmaceutical industry Essay Example for Free

The relationship between physicians and the pharmaceutical industry Essay There are many issues involved with the relationship between physicians and the pharmaceutical industry. According to David Goldbloom, he proposed that gifts that the pharmaceutical industry wanted to give physicians should not be gifts, but instead should be materials that are sold to the physician at cost. This not only would avoid the appearance of impropriety, but would lower the overall cost of the drug to consumers. This position was picked up by the American Medical Students Association, who stated that there should be a complete ban on industry involvement in education. 2) Ethical and policy issues in research involving human participants. When a pharmaceutical company decides that they are going to conduct a human clinical trial, there are issues of the morality and ethics of conducting clinical trials. One of the first things is that the research subject must have full informed consent about the topic and the implications of the research that they are going to be involved in. Second, the government has in place in protecting the clinical research subject to assure that they are treated in an ethical way and are not subject to abuse or maltreatment in the clinical research process. In these regulations, the physical and emotional effects on the subject are minimized, additionally, the psychological and physical effects are reasonable, given the medical subject matter involved. Finally, all research involving human subjects must be analyzed and approved by the FDA in order to assure that the FDA’s guidelines are being met and that the research is indeed safe for human subjects. 3) Research involving persons with mental disorders that may affect decision-making capacity. Many of the same ethical considerations that involve research on human participants also apply to research trials on participants with mental disorders that may affect their decision making capacity. The only additional consideration is that there is an advocate for the person that should be in a position to assure that the medical and mental issues of the participant is indeed taken care of. Pharmaceutical companies should assure that all ethical guidelines and laws are followed to assure that those individuals with mental disorders are not taken advantage of in the clinical research process. 4) Bias in pharmaceutical sponsored (funded) clinical trials. There is a natural bias inherent in a pharmaceutical company conducting the clinical research on a drug. First, the pharmaceutical company has invested years and millions of dollars in developing and refining a drug. If that drug is not approved, they are out all that time and money. The individuals that work for the company and that are conducting the testing may feel pressured to manipulate the results to come out a certain way to assure that the company does not lose the money and time they have invested in the drug development process. 5) Relationship between clinical investigators and the pharmaceutical industry. When clinical investigators are investigating the efficacy of a drug, they should avoid the appearance of impropriety by working to maintain their independence. The investigator should not have any relationship with the industry in which they work. This helps them to maintain their independence and they are better able to accomplish their job in an efficient and professional manner. Investigators should also avoid paid consultancies as they give the appearance of a conflict of interest. Investigators are there to investigate the efficacy of the drug in question, and they should be left to do their job without being pressured to achieve a certain result for the pharmaceutical company. 6) Corporate hand in clinical trials and their contracts with academia. The corporate hand in academia should be one that is very light. There should be a full disclosure of all fiduciary obligations that academia has with the corporate world, and it should be up to an independent panel to determine if that financial relationship is affecting the academic independence of the researcher. Contracts with academia should be ones that do not have any implicit or explicit strings attached, and should not be contingent on a certain performance level. Works Cited (1999, March 11). Research Involving Individuals with Questionable Capacity to Consent: . Retrieved June 20, 2009, from U. S. Department of Health and Human Services Web site: http://grants. nih. gov/grants/policy/questionablecapacity. htm Bero, L. (2003, June 11). Corporate and Economic Pressures on Academic Freedom. Retrieved June 20, 2009, from University of California Web site: http://www. universityofcalifornia. edu/senate/committees/ucaf/afforum/bero. pdf Chopra, S. (2003, July 2). Industry Funding of Clinical Trials: Benefit or Bias?. Retrieved June 20, 2009, from www. jama. ama-assn. org Web site: http://jama. ama-assn. org/cgi/reprint/290/1/113. pdf Goldbloom, D. S. Physicians and the Pharmaceutical Industry . Retrieved June 20, 2009, from Canadian Psychiatric Association Web site: http://ww1. cpa- apc. org:8080/publications/archives/bulletin/2003/october/editorialEn. asp Kapp, M. B. (2006). Ethical and legal issues in research involving human subjects: do you want a piece of me?. Retrieved June 20, 2009, from Journal of Clinical Pathology Web site: http://jcp. bmjjournals. com/cgi/content/full/59/4/335 Panacek, E Guidelines for Clinical Investigator Involvement in Industry-sponsored Clinical Trials. Retrieved June 20, 2009, from www. saem. org Web site: http://www. saem. org/download/edward. pdf

Positive Effects of Japanese Saving Rate Essay Example for Free

Positive Effects of Japanese Saving Rate Essay The economic saving rate of Japan is among the highest in the world. According to a recent study, â€Å"the rate in the 80s and the early 90s had been over 10% steadily and higher than any other developed country. † (Katayama 1). This high saving rate has immediate positive effects on Japan’s economy and to foreign economies as well. In this short paper, we will discuss and explore some of the advantages brought by Japan’s high saving rate. As we are all familiar with, Japan is well known for being a self-sufficient country. It is a country that innovates its own useful products, and produces quality that is competitive with American made products. One great difference between the two is that Japan’s economy has a better inclination towards saving, while the American economy is more geared towards spending and making foreign investments. That is a major advantage for Japan as far as economic stability is concerned, because by being able to save well, they are able to sustain their position as a self-sufficient nation. That would mean, they don’t need to focus on making foreign investments to maintain and even increase their gross domestic product. In countries with relatively very high spending rates such as China and the United States, there is almost a desperate need to make foreign investments and export goods. Japan, meanwhile, is able to attract more foreign investors to their soil because of its high savings rate and economic self sufficiency. Future economic stability of citizens is another positive domestic effect of Japan’s saving rate. According to Katayama, â€Å"the life-cycle theory, one of the representative consumption theory, shows that while a rational household may save some of the income in youth, they may spend their savings after their retirement. † (3). This means that majority of Japanese citizens are placing more focus on their future rather than the present. When the current workforce reaches old age and eventually retire, they have personal savings that will ensure a better quality of life even during old age. It is a very good domestic advantage for Japan because the future generation of retired workforce will be taken good care of, even when they reach the age when they leave their jobs and cannot contribute to the Japanese economy anymore. Japan’s saving rate does not impact its own people only, but the entire Asia and the world as well. One of our research sources states:: â€Å"†¦since Japan is the worlds second largest economy (and the largest in Asia), developments within its borders have implications not only for itself, but the rest of the world as well, particularly the rest of Asia and the United States, its largest trade partner. Indeed, the faltering Japanese economy is potentially a significant impediment to economic recovery in the rest of Asia† (Nolan, Robinson and Wang). Although much has been said about the slight weakening of Japan’s currency and savings rate during the past 10 years, the fact remains that Japan is still the world’s second largest economy. It is also considered as the world’s largest creditor. The country’s savings rate, although not as good as before, remains slightly higher than those of highly developed countries and emerging economies. Thus, Japan is still in a position to greatly influence global economic trends in positive ways, eventually quell the current economic crises and pull more resources in the future. Bibliography: Brooke, James. â€Å"Quarters Growth Rose in Japan To 7%, Buoyed by China Trade†. The New York Times. (18 Feb. 2004). 1 Dec. 2007. http://query. nytimes. com/gst/fullpage. html? res=9B01E0DD123DF93BA25751C0A9629C8B63 Katayama, Kentaro. â€Å"Why Does Japan’s Saving Rate Decline So Rapidly? †. Policy Research Institute, Ministry of Finance, Japan. (Dec. 2006). 1 Dec. 2007. http://www. mof. go. jp/jouhou/soken/kenkyu/ron164. pdf. Noland, Marcus. , Sherman Robinson and Zhi Wang. â€Å"The Global Economic Effects of the Japanese Crisis†. The Peterson Institute for International Economics. 1 Dec. 2007. http://www. iie. com/publications/wp/wp. cfm? ResearchID=147.

English Literature Essays Novel Conflict Alex

English Literature Essays Novel Conflict Alex Novel Conflict Alex Book Review: Smaller and Smaller Circle I. Critical Analysis of Plot Structure The novel starts with Father Emil running. The mood set is that of agitation and disturbance. As the novel progresses, one will eventually also see the pattern: that each of the characters are figuratively running from a traumatic past, an experience or a memory. Interspersed in the story are a few paragraphs which describe and imply a particular characters conflict with the self. Their conflict involves either denying or covering up the characters whereabouts or past experiences. The whole novel itself, being of the murder-mystery type, involves chasing, concealing information, uncovering secrets and solving ambiguities. Alex, the murderer, kills children and eviscerates their bodies as a way to cope and fight against a traumatic experience in the past. He strives to run away and break free from this bitter past by destroying and getting rid of the children who remind him of his unpleasant experiences, and whom he perceives as witnesses to his shame and suffering. The dehumanizing removal of their faces, hearts, and genitals not only echoes his desire to be rid of the parts of himself he perceived to be the cause of his suffering, but also seems to speak of how dehumanized he felt after his childhood ordeal. Attorney Arcinas, in the same vein, tries so hard to have a life which is completely different and far better than the life his parents had given him. At present, his behaviors are manifestations of his denial of his past and his attempt to disassociate himself from the status he used to have in society. Joana, the journalist, in spite of working for the truth has a secret of her own to conceal. She has an affair with a married man; this readily lends itself to humor when we consider how her penchant for going under cover turns up in, of all places, the bedroom! On the other hand, the keys to clearing the cloud that seems to envelope the true relationship of the two protagonists, Father Jerome and Father Saenz are left quite obviously for the readers to discover by themselves, albeit upon either the second or third re-reading; these will be discussed more thoroughly later. In connection with the characters attempt to deny and run away, the author also uses the image of the rain to symbolize the attempts or the efforts of the characters to wash themselves, and to bring new life water to what seemed to have been enveloped by hopelessness and despair trauma and unfavorable circumstances in the case of both Joanas affair and the plight of the families of the victims. The point of view in the story shifts throughout the plotfrom the omniscient third person to a first person, which is that of the killers point of view, and then back again. In connection with this, the murderers monologues aim to level him with the omniscient narrators view, creating an aura of power, and even fear for the sake of the other characters in the story. You can get expert help with your essays right now. Find out more The author uses dreams and recollections/flashbacks visvis direct narration by the omniscient narrator. The novel ends with an impending conflict that the reader deems will have a great impact on the two lead characters. Again, as the case of the murders is solved, so there must also be a need to uncover and shed light on a matter (the very probable more-than-friendship relations between Fr. Jerome and Fr. Saenz) that is insinuated through out the story. The plot in the story develops through the complex interaction of the characters with one another. The main conflict in the story, the serial killings, stems from a distorted relationship between mentor (PE teacher) and student (Alex); similarly, the protagonists (Fr. Jerome and Fr. Saenz) who are tasked upon to solve the cases also exhibit an extraordinary bond between them. The relationship among the characters leads them to commit actions that drive the development of the plot. Alexs parents play the key role of revealing his traumatic past, which is what drives him to commit the murders. The differential power relations between some of the characters also drive the plot; this is seen in the case of the (NBI) Directors exertion of power over Arcinas, which puts the quest of the two protagonists to solve the murders back in track. Additionally, this time around they can be in control of things. II. Critical Analysis of Characters Father Saenz provides the epitome of a good mentor one who is a good example to his student his remaining calm during traffic jams in particular and situations which require patience and understanding in general comes to mind especially by taking good care of and respecting his parishioners, even to the point of avoiding contact with them outside of mass in order to maintain their professional relationship.. He also tries hard to abstain from sexual fantasies or acts, such as the time when he didnt take advantage of the lady-dentists flirting. His character is completely in contrast to that of Alexs PE teacher, who lets his perversion lead him to take sexual advantage of his students. Father Jerome, unlike Alex, possesses high regard for his mentor, Father Saenz. He respects him not only because he is his teacher, but also because the two of them have become very good friends. If Alex loathes his teacher, even to the point of killing him, Fr. Jerome cares very much for the life of Fr. Saenz; this is very evident during the confrontation scene between Alex and Fr. Saenz, wherein Fr. Jerome exhibits concern so extreme it surprises Atty. Arcinas. Attorney Arcinas represents the dysfunctional system of government agencies in the Philippines. Driven by his selfish motivations and greed, he grabs every opportunity he can to benefit himself, be it to his finances or his reputation. He doesnt care if he is really able to function as a defender of the law and of the people, rich or poor as they may be. Fortunately, his powers are clipped by an authority figure, the Director, who knows what Arcinas is really up to and sets him straight. Joana, for her part, represents as an individual what the media is as an institution: persistent in its quest for truth, but just as full of anomalies, controversies, and lies within its walls. In the case of Joana, her passion for journalism and determination to uncover the truth exist visvis her being involved in a secret and forbidden love affair. Moreover, even if the reader gets impressed with her strong desire to uncover the truth behind the murders, s/he may be appalled by her intrusion on the relationship of the two priests. Alex, although characterized as a murderer, may also be seen as a victim himself. As an adolescent, he is molested by a person who shouldve been like his second parent. He is a brilliant student, responsible and respected in school, but because of what happens between him and his PE teacher, his view of himself and of the world changes from bright to dim. His parents, on the other hand, arent able to do anything for him with regard to what he is experiencing in school. He becomes embittered by his trauma and eventually turns angry, displacing this feeling on innocent children. He then becomes a victim of his own self, particularly his despair and wrath. III. Critical Analysis of Themes Taking into consideration the context of the setting of the novel, an emerging theme is that serial killers are not a stranger to the Philippine society and it is not something that should be taken lightly. This revelation of an issue creates a concern within and around us. It makes us realize the reality of the statement and it triggers certain emotions which may result in our being more vigilant. Another emerging theme is that of pain: Pain transcends time and space, and it can be shared with others. This concept was blatantly expressed within the story through the life of the killer. During childhood, he experienced pain, suffering and humiliation that he wasnt able to escape and resolve. This pain showed itself through his emotions of anger and thoughts of violence. He constantly feels the pain and is consistently reminded of the horrors he experienced before. He shares this pain to others through his behavior: hurting, killing, and doing to others what has been done to him. Yet another theme deals with the truth. Even if the truth is, most of the time, absolute, it may also be manipulated by people. For example, this is evident in Arcinas attempt to present to the media a bogus suspect in place of the true murderer who still remains at large. This move of Arcinas serves as one of the conflicts in the novel. Manipulation of truth may also take the form of using it either to benefit or destroy other people. The two lead characters used the truth to bring justice to the bereaved families of the victims. On the other hand, Joana plans to reveal the truth, or at least the perceived truth, for the benefit of her career. Still another theme in the story points to the significance of context with regard to the behavior of people. The environment impinges upon the individual so that one cannot fully claim that a person is inherently good or bad. In the case of Alex, his traumatic experience during his adolescence greatly contributes to his abnormal behavior. Although this does not justify the killings he commits, it goes to show that a person must not be judged using his personality as basis. One must also take into consideration the experiences and events that molded him/ her to what he/ she has become. Find out how our expert essay writers can help you with your work The novel also illustrates the vulnerability of humans. It acknowledges the fact that people, no matter what vocation or career they pursue, are still capable of making mistakes, intentionally or unintentionally. Arcinas, although a lawyer, does not really work for justice; Joana also has ulterior motives in getting and knowing the truth; Fr. Jerome also gets angry just like any other person. The title itself, Smaller and Smaller Circles, alludes to the fact discussed above and reiterated here for claritys sake that truth, although it may be subjected to manipulation, will eventually be revealed. No matter how complex the information have become because of attempts to twist the truth, with careful analysis and persistence one will arrive at the core of the truth. IV. Critical Analysis of Language and Style The author uses simple descriptions to illustrate the setting and set the mood in each of the scenes in the story. The novel stimulates the formation of a vivid imagery on the part of the reader, since the author attempts to tap not only a single sensory modality when describing a particular scene or event. In spite of richness in descriptions, comprehension of the text comes relatively at ease. The words, in spite of their simplicity in structure not highfaluting at all elicit the desired effect since they are put into context and combined with supporting data by the author (e.g. unwholesome air, maggots in it [body]). Comparison and contrast are also utilized by Batacan as tools to develop the themes in the novel. As mentioned in the analysis of the characters, the implied contrast between Fr. Saenz and Alexs teacher serves as a justification for Alexs excessive wrath. The positive characteristics of Fr. Saenz as a mentor becomes more salient as he is put side by side with Alexs teacher, and this in turn justifies Jeromes high regard and respect for his mentor- friend. Internal contrast is also evident in the character of Joana who strives for the revelation of truth while she herself conceals a dark secret. It is also interesting to note that the element of intrigue is instilled in the story through the manipulation of the characters, particularly Fr. Saenz and Fr. Jerome. The fact that these two characters are priests makes it ironic that they are involved in solving the murder cases a very physical aspect of life when they are commonly associated with the spiritual needs of the people. Beside this, the extraordinary bond or even possibly romantic relationship hinted at through the powerful and meaningful lines used by the author to convey her message, although stated in terms which leave enough room for the reader to imagine and give his/her own interpretation of the text which exists between the two becomes a juicier topic because they are men of cloth. Indeed, the two men have an extraordinary rapport that goes far beyond any mentor student relationship; textual details abound. Here are a few: The two men have an extraordinary rapport that goes far beyond any mentor student relationship. Although the two men have been more different in character and temperament, they now find themselves on either end of a baffling mutual affinity (p 22.). Again the inexplicable rapport between the two men as Saenz glances up at him (p. 125). It isnt Gus job to get killed The younger priests voice seems terribly loud to his own ears, and Arcinas blinks once or twice as though startled.. Impatiently and with violence that he never would have thought he possessed, Jerome pushes the lawyer aside and starts running. (p. 150). Another, less controversial device utilized by Batacan to help create an affinity in the reader for the characters is the narration of simple, everyday tasks. This not only firmly sets the tale in the modern world, but also allows the reader to connect with the characters on a mundane basis; certainly we cant all relate to a detective priests passion for forensics, but when that passion is interrupted by a craving for fast food we all find ourselves knowing what its like to be in his shoes. That said, it is reasonable to conclude that Batacan manages to introduce a genre almost entirely alien to our culture without turning off her readers. Her simple yet engrossing prose entices us, making us crave for more; however, a search for Philippine literature made in the same vein ultimately proves futile, leaving us to drift in smaller and smaller circles towards repeated readings of Batacans magnum opus hence the detection of homosexual undertones.