The Empowerment of People from a Vulnerable Segment of Society Essay

The Empowerment of People from a Vulnerable Segment of Society - Essay Example I would like to reach the highest level of professional excellence, both in terms of gaining knowledge and experience and at the same time, gaining appropriate status. My short term objectives are to gain experience in the field and strive to establish a good reputation as a person with an innovative and progressive approach towards the welfare of society. My focus would be on the empowerment of people from a vulnerable segment of society. Hence, efforts would include the creation of facilitating a platform for the acquisition of skills and necessary knowledge for their professional growth. University education has made me well equipped to meet the challenges of the current time. I am a highly creative person and my degree has further facilitated and widened my area of knowledge that would greatly help me to apply the informed choices in the manner that befits the needs of the people. Hence, five years hence, I see myself as a CSR consultant who would be devising ways and means for t he global businesses to fulfil their corporate social responsibilities. Last but not the least important would be the adoption of reflective practices in my personal and professional arenas. Looking back at our actions and critically assessing them provides an opportunity to improve and improvise the working techniques. In the professional arena, the feedback from the peer population and colleagues give important insight into the flaws of the methodologies adopted and give us a valuable chance to develop professionally. Thus, reflective practice in my personal and professional life would continuously help me to grow in the fast evolving environment of competitive business dynamics.

Simon Flores Essay Example for Free

Simon Flores Essay Simon De La Rosa Flores was descended from a family of artisans originally from Balayan, Batangas. Uncle Pio De La Rosa taught Simon the rudiments of the arts when he was in his teens. Later, he enrolled at the Academia de Dibujo y Pintura, studying under Lorenzo Guerrero and Lorenzo Rocha. Flores first gained attention in 1871 when the colonial administration commended him for the portrait of Amadeo I, which he presented to the province oil Pampanga. During this time he might already have made the acquaintance of Mons Ignacio Tambungui who introduced him to the wealthy families of several towns of Pampanga, for whom he executed many portraits and religious paintings. Simon married the monsignors sister, Simplicia. Flores must have executed as many as 20 portraits which include the two versions of the Familia Quiason, and the portraits entitled Miguela Henson, Andrea Dayrit, Quintina Castor de Sadie, Severina Ocampo de Arroyo, Anastasia Sandiko Panlilio, and Lucila Panlilio. All these are known for the fine miniaturistic detailing of the embroideries of the pina costumes of the sitters, their elaborate jewelry as well as the appurtenances in their homes. Among Simons religious paintings are El bautismo de Cristo (The Baptism of Christ), San Roque, Parabola de la mujer arrepentida (Parable of the Repentant Woman), La Inmaculada Concepcion (The Immaculate Conception), and two versions of La Virgen Maria, (The Virgin Mary), inspired by a painting of Carlo Dolci. He decorated the interiors of the churches of Bacolor, Betis, Mexico, and Santa Rita towns of Pampanga. He also did mortuary portraits. Only two of his genre paintings are known in existence, Primeras Letras, (Learning to Read), and Alimentando Pollos (Feeding Chickens). Simon Flores was the first Filipino oil native blood to garner a prize from an international exhibition. In 1876, he was awarded a silver medal at the Philadelphia Universal Exposition for his painting La musica del pueblo (The Music of the Town). In 1891 he won the highest honors for Despues de la Ultima Cena (After the Last Supper) and El Prendimiento (The Arrest) in the art contest to commemorate the tercentenary of San Juan de la Cruz. In 1895 he won a silver medal for La Expulsion (The Expulsion), his entry at the Exposicion Regional de Filipinas. Before his death, he was able to submit paintings for the Universal Exposition of St Louis, Missouri, USA including a portrait of Andrew Carnegie.

Ciceros De Amicitia Essay -- Friendship Death Love Essays

Cicero's De Amicitia Cicero’s De Amicitia brings a unique perspective to the topic of friendship and how it relates to death. The word amicitia comes from the Latin root word amor which is translated to mean â€Å"love†. In this day and age the word friendship has taken on a slightly different meaning from the ancient meaning. Cicero’s De Amicitia seeks to define what friendship is, its characteristics and principles. He has challenged us to reconsider what constitutes a true friend. Upon observing a typical friendship it becomes clear to us that this relationship is actually devoid of true love; the love in which Cicero speaks of. A genuine friendship is a rare and beautiful thing; a mutual relationship formed between two virtuous people of the same sex in which both individuals love the other as much if not more than themselves. â€Å"In the face of a true friend a man sees as it were a second self.† To love another person as much as you love yourself, to give without the expectation of receiving something in return is indeed an amazing concept. It is sometimes hard to comprehend its existence in this world where friendship is more for utility; â€Å"serve for particular ends - riches for use, power for securing homage, office for reputation, pleasure for enjoyment, health for freedom from pain and the full use of the functions of the body. But friendship embraces innumerable advantages.† The structural foundation upon which a friendship is built is a key determining factor concerning the quality, life and longevity of a friendship. When this foundation is weak and built on the selfish desires of those individuals, that friendship is ultimately put to the test. A utility based friendship is impermanent; giving way to the changing circumstances it faces over time as Cicero stated â€Å"For if it were true that its material advantages cemented friendship, it would be equally true that any change in them would dissolve it.† It does not have the qualities to endure and will fail to thrive in the face of such trials and tribulations as â€Å"conflicting interest; differences of opinion in politics; frequent changes in character, owing sometimes to misfortunes, sometimes to advancing years.† In this type of friendship the individual takes pleasure in each other’s company only in so far they have hopes of gaining an advantage from it. For Cicero, true friendship can only be achie... ...h act. â€Å"I am disposed to think, therefore, that in his case mourning would be a sign of envy rather than of friendship. If, however, the truth rather is that the body and soul perish together, and that no sensation remains, then though there is nothing good in death, at least there is nothing bad.† This statement shows a certain level of jealousy for you envy the freedom your friend has now achieved in death whereas you are still encased in your human form, your soul trapped and yearning for knowledge and wisdom. Feelings of joy would wash over the surviving friend if indeed their friendship were true. Feeling joyful that this person he has loved with all his heart and soul has moved on to a beautiful place, free from the human condition. Reading Cicero’s work has helped validate that which I have always felt to be true; not just of friendship but of death. I conclude with a passage in which Cicero touches on the purpose of forming friendships; †For it is not so much what one gets by a friend that gives one pleasure, as the warmth of his feeling.† One day I hope to understand through first hand experience rather than just through speculation and dissection of Cicero’s writing.

Sordaria Lab

Effects of Crossing Over in Sordaria fimicola Abstract Sexual reproduction in organisms is a cause for genetic variation. This can be seen through the process of meiosis in Sordaria fimicola because of the effects of crossing over and independent assortment that occur in meiosis I. Before performing this experiment we hypothesized that we would be able to see that crossing over did indeed occur in the S. fimicola. We tested our hypothesis by growing our own culture and observing it under a microscope. By counting and recording the types of asci we were able to find that our hypothesis had been correct.This has now led us to know that sexual reproduction causes an increase in genetic variation in organisms such as, Sordaria fimicola. Introduction Organisms reproduce in two ways: asexually and sexually. Sexual reproduction can be defined as the reproduction involving the union of gametes or when genetic material from two parents combine to form offspring (Cyr). Offspring produced from sexual reproduction have a unique genetic make-up, which can either be beneficial or destructive to them (Saleem). Close to all known organisms use this kind of reproduction during some moment in their lifetime.If this is true, however, why is not every species seemingly genetically identical? To answer this, one must observe the chromosome behavior during the sexual reproduction life cycle also known as meiosis. Meiosis is the process of cell division in which gametes are produced. It results in four haploid (IN) cells from two diploid (2N) cells (Cyr). In meiosis I, crossing over and independent assortment of the chromosomes occur. These two processes increase the genetic variation within the cell either benefiting or hurting the cell’s ability to adapt (natural selection).After these two events have occurred, the chromosomes will then proceed through all four stages and produce two daughter cells (Cyr). In meiosis II, the two daughter cells each again proceed through all f our stages and produce a final four distinctly different daughter cells (Cyr). Sordaria fimicola allows us to see observe the process of meiosis. This is because its life cycle is rapid and allows scientists to observe many generations in a short amount of time (Meiosis). Also, the size of S. fimicola makes it easily viewable under a microscope.Experiments with â€Å"Evolution Canyon† have shown exactly how S. fimicola is a representative organism for crossing over. Evolution Canyon represents the whole idea of different locations in Israel containing two mountain slopes exposed to vastly different climatic conditions that converge with a valley between them (Meiosis). In each of these cases, one slope has been exposed to harsh conditions while the other has been exposed to temperate conditions (Saleem). Because each slope undergoes different conditions, we can observe how genetic variation is affects the S. imicola that live on each slope. Scientists gathered samples of the organism living on both slopes and analyzed the differences in crossing over and the differences in crossing over frequencies. The purpose of our lab is to observe the different cross over frequencies. We want to compare and contrast the crossover frequencies in different color strains of S. fimicola. We hypothesize that in this experiment we will observe crossing over occur in the Sordaria fimicola after two weeks of growth in the agar plates.To test our hypothesis, we will grow our own asci spores in an agar plate and observe the organism under the microscope while recording the different ascus types which can either be type A (4:4), type B (2:4:2), or type c (2:2:2:2). Materials and Methods From the ‘Meiosis and Genetic Diversity in Sordaria’ handout, we found the materials and procedure for this experiment. Equipment that we needed to perform the first part of this experiment were two agar plates, a marking pen, a scalpel, and two different color strands of S. imico la. The first step in this lab was to mark two separate agar plates with the marking pen in such a way as to create four separate quadrants on each agar plate. Second, each plate needed to be labeled, identifying it as either the plate with tan fungi or gray fungi. Next, using the scalpel, a small piece of the samples of S. fimicola had to be sliced and placed in the corresponding spots in the agar plates. The plates then were taped and allowed two weeks to grow. After two weeks, the samples had flourished.We first scooped up small portions of each of our samples and put them on a slide with a drop of water, creating squashes, to be viewed under the microscope. When viewing under the microscope, each of the four group members counted and recorded their own twenty asci. While recording, each member categorized whether the asci they found had represented type A, type B, or type C recombination type. Last, when each member had attained their individual data, we combined our data to cre ate a total data for our entire group. Then we proceeded to combine our data to find a section and a course total.Results Four separate sectors analyzed the data of this experiment, the individual, the group, the class, and the section. The results were as follows: Cross Over Frequency Percent of Cross Over = (Number of Recombinant Asci / Total Number of Asci ) X 100% Individual Cross Over Frequency = 12/20 X 100% = 60% (gray) Combined Group Cross Over Frequency = 24/40 X 100% = 60% (gray) Combined Group Cross Over Frequency = 28/40 X 100% = 70% (tan) Combined Section Cross Over Frequency = 128/220 X 100% = 58% (gray) Combined Section Cross Over Frequency = 163/260 X 100% = 62. % (tan) Combined Course Cross Over Frequency = 4054/7066 X 100% = 57% (gray) Combined Course Cross Over Frequency = 8277/13946 X 100% = 59% (tan) After examining the cross over frequencies of the four sectors of data, we can see that for both the gray and tan spores an average of 60% were recombinant. This me ans that on average, 60% of the time S. fimicola will cross over resulting in spores of type B (2:4:2) or type C (2:2:2:2) Map Distances Map Distance from Cross Over = Percent Cross Over / 2 Individual Map Distance = 60%/2 = 30 mu (gray) Combined Group Map Distance = 60%/2 = 30 mu (gray) Combined Group Map Distance = 70%/2 = 35 mu (tan)Combined Section Map Distance = 58%/2 = 29 mu (gray) Combined Section Map Distance = 62. 6%/2 = 31. 3 mu (tan) Combined Course Map Distance = 57%/2 = 28. 5 mu (gray) Combined Course Map Distance = 59%/2 = 29. 5 mu (tan) Again, the map distances for both the gray and tan spores averaged about 30 mu. This means that on average there were 30 units between the cross over and the centromere of the chromosome. The fact that all of the map distances are around the same number also helps to represent the accuracy in our results. Discussion After observation of the Sordaria fimicola, we were able to depict the different types of crossing over.This supports our hypothesis– crossing over did occur in the S. fimicola. Because we were able to see that crossing over did occur and examine the three different cross over types, we can now say that sexual reproduction attributes to increases in genetic variation. We can see this by the 60% cross over frequency of the recombinant (type B and type C) spores in both the gray and tan strands. This example of the process of meiosis shows us that independent assortment and crossing over attributes to the variety of offspring that are produced in Sordaria fimicola.This large variety leads us to know natural selection plays a large role in the life cycle of fungus and especially S. fimicola. Our experiment showed baseline data under the same conditions as ‘Evolution Canyon. ’ While ‘Evolution Canyon’ showed the effects of cross over frequency as the two spore strands adapted to their different environmental conditions, our experiment showed the cross over frequency of S. fimicola under normal conditions. This baseline allowed for the comparison of the strand types that had become adapted to their different environmental conditions on ‘Evolution Canyon. ’Errors that could have occurred during this experiment were the recounting of asci. There may have been replication of certain asci strands. The experiment, however, is still reliable due to the large number of spores counted. This large number of 7066 gray spores and 13946 tan spores allowed for a reliable average to still be found. Future experiments may find this information useful because it gives insight into the how often crossing over occurs and therefore at what rate genetic variation is happening. By knowing more about genetic variation rate, we can learn more about evolution and how that effects natural selection.Experimenters could use this information to compare the rate of genetic variation to the effects it has on natural selection. References Cyr, R. 2002. Heredity and the Life Cycle. In, Biology 110: Basic concepts and biodiverity course website. Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University. http://www. bio. psu. edu/ Meiosis and Genetic Diversity in the Model Organism, Sordaria. Written by Hass, C. and Ward, A. 2010. Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA. Saleem, Muhammad. 2001.Inherited Differences in Crossing Over and Gene Conversion Frequencies Between Wild Strains of Sordaria fimicola   From â€Å"Evolution Canyon†. University of Haifa, Israel. Figures and Tables Table I. Individual Data Non-recombinant| Recombinant| Recombinant| Total # of Asci| Total # Recombinant Asci (B +C)| # of Type A Asci| # of Type B Asci| # of Type C Asci| | | 8(gray)| 7(gray)| 5(gray)| 20(gray)| 12(gray)| This represents the 20 asci counted individually. Of these twenty, twelve were recombinant meaning crossing over took place. The other were not recombinant and therefore crossing over did not occur.The cros sover frequency was 60%. Table II. Combined Lab Group Data Non-recombinant| Recombinant| Recombinant| Total # of Asci| Total # of Recombinant Asci (B+C)| # of Type A Asci| # of Type B Asci| # of Type C Asci| | | 16(gray)| 15(gray)| 9(gray)| 40 (gray)| 24(gray)| 12(tan)| 13(tan)| 15(tan)| 40 (tan)| 28(tan)| This represents the spores counted for our entire group of four people. Of the 40 gray spores counted, 24 were recombinant meaning crossing over took place while 16 were non-recombinant. The crossover frequency for the gray spores was 60%. Of the 40 tan spores counted, 28 were recombinant while 12 were non-recombinant.The crossover frequency was 70%. Table III. Combined Section Data Non-recombinant| Recombinant| Recombinant| Total # of Asci| Total # of Recombinant Asci (B+C)| # of Type A Asci| # of Type B Asci | # of Type C Asci| | | Gray Spore 92| 67| 61| 220| 128| Tan Spore 95| 72| 91| 260| 163| This represents the spores counted by the entire class. Of the 220 gray spores count ed, 128 were recombinant and crossing over took place while 92 were non-recombinant. The crossover frequency was 58%. Of the 260 tan spores counted, 163 were recombinant while 95 were non-recombinant.The cross over frequency was 62. 6%. Table IV. Combined Course Data Non-recombinant| Recombinant| Recombinant| Total # of Asci| Total # of Recombinant Asci (B+C)| # of Type A Asci| # of Type B Asci| # of Type C Asci| | | Gray Spore 3012| 2081| 1973| 7066| 4054| Tan Spore 5669| 4301| 3976| 13946| 8277| This represents the spores counted by the entire section. Of the 7066 gray spores, 4054 were recombinant while 3012 were non-recombinant. The cross over frequency was 57%. Of the 13946 tan spores, 8277 were recombinant and 5669 were non-recombinant. The cross over frequency was 59%.

Love Poetries Essay

Personal Advertisement I am currently in the most enjoyable stage of my life where I wish to find the best person to share it with me. I am passionate with everything I do and I wish to share that passion with someone who knows how to live a passionate life too. I am the Man in the â€Å"Love Poem† I consider myself to be the narrator in John Frederick Nims’ Love Poem because it immensely reflects my current feelings for a particular person. Nims refers to his lover as his â€Å"clumsiest dear,† (Nims, 2003, p. 67) which quite bears a resemblance on the nature of my own special someone. His subject’s palms are compared to the â€Å"bulls in china, burs in linen, / And have no cunning with any soft thing† (Nims, 2003, p. 67). This metaphor that insinuates roughness and clumsiness also reflects some of the characteristics of my lover. Being a â€Å"Misfit in any space. And never on time. † (Nims, 2003, p. 67) surely creates an image of a person entirely different than other people. He or she does not always fit in any common group of people and is expected to break most rules. However, like the narrator’s last two lines in the fourth stanza, â€Å"In traffic of wit expertly manoeuvre / And keep us, all devotion, at your knees. † (Nims, 2003, p. 67), I still find myself adoring him for his remarkable wisdom. Simply put, despite all the imperfections of this particular person, I still love him or her without any doubt. Stage of Love in â€Å"The Lover Not Taken† In Blanche Farley’s parody of Robert Frost’s â€Å"The Road Not Taken†, the woman and the blonde guy are obviously in a â€Å"getting to know† stage as suggested by the last line on the first stanza where the blond is initially referred to as â€Å"the new guy† (Farley, 1937. n. p. ). However, it is also important to consider that the relationship in this poem does not only include the woman and the blonde but also Jack whom the woman has been with for a long time. This is validated on the 3rd and 4th line of the second stanza where the narrator introduces him as, â€Å"the other, jack, had a claim / On her already . . . / He understood her. His long, lithe frame† (Farley, 1937. n. p. ). Hence, it is clear that there are two stages of love in this poem in dependence to whose relationship in the love triangle we are speaking about. Two Figurative Languages that Compares the Love in â€Å"The Lover Not Taken† The first figurative language is a metaphor that speaks of the new guy’s physical description as â€Å"smooth as a yellow wood† (Farley, 1937. n. p. ). His physical beauty is compared to that of the yellow wood which can mean several things like the end of summer or the beginning of fall which can also be considered to be nice to look at. Perhaps, it can be a literal comparison of the man’s smoothness to a smooth yellow tree. The second comparison is on the first line of the second stanza. The narrator’s statement â€Å"She liked his hair,† (Farley, 1937. n. p. ) obviously compares the superficial relationship of the woman and the blonde. If one would deeply analyze, the attraction of the woman to the blonde is too superficial or simply physical. Liking his hair and smile obviously just symbolizes her extreme lust for the blonde guy that she is actually willing to risk her long-term relationship with a complete stranger who has a beautiful smile and hair. The Lover Not Taken is Most Likely Doomed to Misery As for my opinion, guilt leads a person to misery. In this poem’s case, it is most likely for the woman’s relationship with Jack to be miserable if guilt would consume the woman’s relationship with him. Honesty and loyalty to a partner are two of the most important elements that determine the stability of a relationship. However, since this poem consists of two relationships of a particular woman; the answer would still depend on whom she would end up with. If she ends her relationship with Jack and start a new one with the blonde, there is a possible occurrence of a â€Å"happily ever after story†. On the other hand, if she stays with Jack and continues her affair with the blonde guy, it is most likely to end up in misery. The Tone of â€Å"The Lover Not Taken† By analyzing the atmosphere being suggested on the first stanza of the poem, â€Å"And, mulling it over, long she stood, / Alone on the road, loath / To leave, wanting to hide in the undergrowth. † (Farley, 1937. n. p. ), the initial seriousness of the narrator’s tone is evident. There is too much concentration on the woman’s part as she mulls over her future decision whether to have an affair with another man or not. However, the tone changed abruptly on the last two lines where she suddenly stopped contemplating on which decision to make by taking the fast way home and phoning the blonde. Setting of â€Å"The Lover Not Taken† Obviously, this poem is inspired by Robert Frost’s famous poem â€Å"The Road Not Taken† which tackles the difficulty of deciding what path to choose in life. However, Farley similarly illustrates the difficulty of making decisions by pointing out a particular situation such as being torn between two lovers. Like Frost’s original piece, a person is facing a certain road pondering about a situation he or she needs to handle. By basing the setting and theme on Frost’s poem, Farley has further emphasized the central message of Frost’s poem. Since, it is inspired by Frost’s â€Å"Road Not Taken†, it is important to consider not only why it is set in that particular setting but more importantly why Farley chose Frost’s poem to communicate her own message. References Farley, B. (1937). The Lover Not Taken. Geocities. Retrieved December 3, 2008, from http://www. geocities. com/cailinliet/lover. html Nims, F. (2002). The Love Poem. Master the GED language arts, reading 2003. New Jersey: Peterson’s.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty compare and contrast essays

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty compare and contrast essays Is it possible for your perception of what life should be or what you want it to be cloud the reality of what life really is? Well in the story The secret life of Walter Mitty that is precisely what happens. Walter Mitty has a life which is not really pleasurable. Others, especially his wife, look him down upon him. So he creates his own perception of reality; his daydreams. In his daydreams he is a hero. He is a leader and he is in control. Unfortunately those are only the daydreams. In Mittys first daydream he is a Naval Commander. Hes all dressed up and ready for anything that life throws his way. As the men on the boat say hell get us through anything. Then his nagging wife who is forever victimizing him pulls him out of his daydream. In reality is hes not ready for anything. Hes not in control, his wife is. She is the commander that is all dressed. However she is not respected as Mitty was respected in his daydream. She orders him around, where as in his dayd ream he is the one giving orders. She brings Mitty down, like he is nothing. Mitty in his dream seemingly respects everyone and in turn they respect him, and gladly follow his orders. They know that he would never knowingly hurt them in any way shape or form. Unlike the reality where it seems that everyone is out to hurt him. It is as if the table turns 180 degrees and his wife is now in authority and abuses it. The realization in this dream is that he feels that he should have the control that his wife has. Instead he is lurking in the background, being pushed around. Mrs. Mitty talking about Dr. Renshaw brings about his second daydream. In this dream he sees himself as a doctor, famous Doctor Mitty, who thinks fast on his feet and is again respected and honored by everyone. He shuns weakness and does not let any pessimistic views ruin the complete genius of his ideas. Then of course Walter...

How to avoid the biggest mistake in business writing

How to avoid the biggest mistake in business writing How to avoid the biggest mistake in business writing Mention writing skills to most people and they will roll their eyes before launching into a confession about how spelling/grammar/punctuation/all three have always been their weakest link. Yet, when they do, they’re missing the point. These things matter, for sure. An email full of typos or a poorly punctuated proposal will almost certainly undermine your credibility and potentially leave the people who read it confused. But there are other mistakes that can do far more harm. Chief among these is failing to focus on what your reader needs and wants. Where it all goes wrong The trouble is that too many documents and messages focus on the needs of the writer rather than the reader. This is a big mistake, although it is understandable. After all, when were writing, our primary focus is to get the job done. Think about it for a few seconds. Imagine it’s Monday morning and you’re faced with a to-do list as long as the Great Wall of China. Right at the top is a board report that you’ve been putting off for the last three weeks and it’s due in by 5pm today. Is your primary focus to (a) carefully consider the members of the board and their individual priorities or (b) get the damn thing written so you can cross it off your list and relax again? Congratulations if you picked (a). Treat yourself to a cup of tea or latte from that artisan coffee shop around the corner. You’re on your way to being a business-writing superstar and don’t need to read any further. Probably. (Maybe read on just in case.) If you picked answer (b), congratulations too – for your honesty and for being a normal human being. You vs. the deadline This is because focusing on your own priorities first is a perfectly normal survival mechanism, developed through millions of years of evolution. Our Stone Age brains find it hard to differentiate between a looming deadline and a predator outside the cave that wants to eat us for lunch. Our first instinct is therefore to run away from it (which is why you didn’t write the report three weeks ago). And, when you can no longer run away from it (remember, youve now only got until 5pm, and you’re in a cave), your natural priority will always be just to get rid of the threat. So you muster all your courage and run directly at it, focused solely on your needs (avoiding the disapproval of the boss – although admittedly thats still marginally preferable to a grisly, violent death). Unfortunately, this rarely produces the best results, at least where deadlines are concerned. (If there’s a real predator outside the cave, you’d best go deal with that and come back to this blog post later.) Maybe you finally fire up a board-report template and fill in the blanks under the standard headings. Success soon becomes a word count that rises in fits and starts. And you’re done when you’ve filled enough pages, changed the date on the default title and emailed it to the chief executive’s EA. It won’t be your best work. But don’t worry: it also won’t be in any danger of changing the status quo or standing out from the other 17 board reports that were written in similar circumstances. It will just be another one on the pile. When business writing goes bad Board members are used to struggling through sub-optimal documents that look just like all the rest. Yours will be no different. Unfortunately, it’s also unlikely to mark you out as someone who’s above average and therefore wont advance your career either. To produce something that will do both these things, you need to step into the reader’s shoes. Yet most people don’t, because they’re naturally focused on their own priorities (which is why all those reports look the same). In fact, failure to step into the reader’s shoes is not just normal but usually the chief culprit when business writing goes bad. Nor are we just talking about board reports here. It also produces customer letters or emails that alienate the customer. And it’s why so many live chat helpdesk responses end up being no help at all. Remember that instant-chat conversation with your home broadband provider that took 20 minutes to tell you what you stated in your original question? The person who did so was probably distracted by answer targets and a big, red LED display in the centre of the office showing how many customers they still needed to respond to. This failure to connect with the readers perspective is also why so many proposals to win new business start with page upon page about how great the supplier is. Believe me, the client will only care about this if she thinks you can solve her problem. So focus on her problem first, then on your solution. (Do those things well and shell reach her own conclusion about your suitability. Then its just a case of confirming that view and reassuring her by describing your experience and perhaps giving a few client testimonials.) It can also lead us to give the wrong impression in even the simplest communications. For example, a notice from a store about opening hours that just says, ‘We are closed on Wednesdays’ is stressing the negative and essentially telling customers what the store can’t do for them (ie serve them on a Wednesday). It’s also missing an opportunity to say that they’re open six days a week – including at weekends. Beat your brains default wiring But, as I say, it’s still what most of us do, because it’s how we’re wired. And, given this natural bias towards ourselves, it can take an almost superhuman level of willpower to switch your focus to the person you’re writing for or to. So what can you do? One of the best ways I know is to start by writing down what you already know about your intended reader, including what they need and want most from the exchange, as well as what they know already. In a short communication (such as an email or helpdesk response), this may well be enough to shift your mindset from its default setting. Longer documents need a bit more effort. This is partly because they’re more complex and therefore contain far more traps that can lure you back to the writer-centred mindset. And partly it’s because we tend to put off writing them, so we’re more likely to be under a lot of pressure to finish by the time we do. (In other words, we’re focused again on our needs rather than the reader’s.) The five-step solution So you need to do something to snap yourself out of this mindset. Here’s how: 1. First, download our reader-profile questionnaire here (PDF) and print it out. 2. Then complete it (with a pen, not just in your head). This will start the process of reorientation. 3. From there, plan your document, using your preferred method. (I like mind maps, as they help me to see connections that might not otherwise be obvious.) But – and this is critical – continually refer back to your completed questionnaire so that you avoid defaulting to your needs. As you plan, put a question mark alongside anything you still need to check or find out. 4. Find the answers to any of the questions in 3. This is also crucial, as you need to do most of your thinking and address any uncertainties before you start writing. 5. Then, and only then, write your document. (I’ve explained how to do this quickly here.) Note that steps 1–4 should take most of the pain out of 5. So don’t think of them as wasting time. They’ll actually save you time in the long run. You should now have a document that is much more focused on the person you’re writing for and their needs, rather than on you and yours. That person may even thank you for it. But even if they don’t, you can take comfort from the knowledge that your document now stands a very good chance of being better than the others they’re reading, which can only be a good thing. Now youve definitely earned that latte. Just make sure you still check your document for typos and spelling mistakes. Image credit: Mircea Costina / Shutterstock

Scholarship Application Essay

Scholarship Application Essay Scholarship Application Essay There are so many scholarships worth billions of dollars that are available year after year-but to get your share of the pie you need to write a scholarship application essaythat can outdo the efforts of your competitors. Before writing a scholarship application essay, it is important for you to think through what you are going to write about and why. After deciding on a topic that you are passionate and knowledgeable about, you should give an in depth insight of it After completion of your scholarship application essay, you need to check it thoroughly for spelling and grammar mistakes A scholarship application essayshould start with an introductory paragraph that introduces the topic and spells out your thesis statement; leading in to a follow up paragraph that starts with a transition word or phrase that relates to the last sentence of the essay. Three or more body paragraphs that elaborate a point each; written in order of importance should end with a strong conclusion in the final paragraph. This should reinforce all the findings that validate your thesis statement. The scholarship application essaybody paragraphs should consist of a sentence indicating the topic, evidence that supports your thesis statement and a concluding sentence that summarizes the paragraph. The first step to write a scholarship application essayis to chalk out an outline. You can do this by jotting the main topic along with as many supporting details as you can. Use this outline to write your essay efficiently and easily. Add a personalized touch Play up your strengths by adding as many examples as you can to substantiate your claims. It is also a good idea to refer to some winning Scholarship essays before actually starting your own. Once you go through some successful scholarship essays analyze why you think they have accomplished what they have set out to do. Notice the dramatic and captivating introduction as well as the personal details that make it different to any other run of the mill essay. Go on line to get some goodscholarship application essayexamples or ask your college councilor to give you access to some winning scholarship application essays-then put on your thinking cap to see how you can use these examples as models to enhance your own scholarship application essay:http://.com/blog/scholarship-application-essay-writing Best of luck! Read also: Communism Paper Philosophy Term Biology Term Paper Sport Research Paper Research Paper Topics Free Research Papers

Life imitates art far more than art imitates life by Oscar Wilde Essay

Life imitates art far more than art imitates life by Oscar Wilde - Essay Example George Bernard Shaw is one of those who were quick to side with Wilde. When he wrote his opus, Three Plays for Puritans, he argued that "when a certain type of feature appears in painting and is admired as beautiful, it presently becomes common in nature; so that the Beatrices and Francescas in the picture galleries of one generation come to life as the parlor-maids and waitresses of the next" (xix). This is also not unlike when fads and trends emerge after it appears on films and videos especially today with the permeation of content-rich media. This phenomenon is not limited to the visual art because it is also true in cases of literature and other cultural artifacts. For instance, not a few real life stories have been patterned after Romeo and Juliet or Ophelia or Tristan and Isolde. Remarking about the penchant of people to pattern their experiences out of the characters of this literary masterpieces, Kirwan explained that stories are a way of taming the world wherein the unculti vated is systematized into stories that we can tell ourselves and feel good about (150). What this tells us is that art can dictate a particular way of life or an aspect of it because the way it represents substance, notoriety or sophistication, among other concepts attached to it, it appeals to people as they negotiate their relationships within a community. For some, there is a need to standout, for others, notoriety or substance. Every year, the Art Institute of Chicago holds a photo competition that works around the theme of life imitating art. Here participants shoot photographs of themselves or of others as they copy and imitate artworks in various states of fidelity, some with uncanny accuracy, while some are tinged with a sense of humor and creativity. An excellent example of an initiative in this kind of literal tradition was when several years ago, the town of

DARK FIBER (FIBER OPTICS) Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

DARK FIBER (FIBER OPTICS) - Research Paper Example They also withstand ambient temperatures. Dark fiber, just as it sounds refers to unlit fiber as no light runs through it. According to Lovink (p. 226), it is an optical fiber infrastructure that has been installed but remains unused. This could be privately operated and run directly by an operator who leases it to another supplier who would rather not purchase leased line or bandwidth capacity. Hence, fiber could still be considered as dark if lit by the lessee and not the owner. This fiber is not connected or controlled by a phone company but rather an individual or company provides the required components for it to function. Dark fiber provides telecommunication operators with the ability to choose the technology that would be appropriate to them, whether SDH, fiber channel Ethernet or ATM without the need to construct an entire network infrastructure or even having to rent a managed service from an operator who other that being expensive could also be a competitor. Dark fiber has also been used in networks for dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) as pointed by Rodriquez. The reason that dark fiber would exist in sufficiently planned networks would be because of the initial cost involved in installing cables, particularly civil engineering. The accompanying activities encompass planning, obtaining permission, routing, creating channels and ducts for the cables, installation and connection. Wagter claims that this would constitute over 60% of development cost pointing out at Amsterdam where this was at 80% with only 10% going to fiber. Therefore, it becomes more economical to plan and install mo re fiber than the current demand so as to give allowance for future expansion and security in case any cable fails (Lovink, 230). In the US, local exchange carriers avoided selling dark fiber to the end users fearing that it would eat into their other lucrative services. It was a requirement that they sell this

Fashion, Taste, and Consumerism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Fashion, Taste, and Consumerism - Essay Example The paper "Fashion, Taste, and Consumerism" analyzes Taste, Consumerism and Fashion. Birkenstock shoes have dominated the market and the American (employee-group) now owns it. The company is enjoying a large market share due to their quality production of a varied category of shoes production. Employees of Birkenstock Company are now employing new skills to keep up with new demands and change of preferences in the market today. The creativity and commitment in the market has marked the survival strength of the company. Birkenstock shoes are friendly to hot weather and their open shoes are now preferred for casual wears. Consumption is of items are based on various theories. The Keynesian theory of consumption has it that the absolute income hypothesis depends on the current income of the country of individual to have the buying power. Some other theories have it that consumption of individuals depends largely on the behavior of people and their cultural way of life. The rate of consu mption is also defined by taking comparison to the level of production. The opportunity cost often has great effects on production of local goods thus creating demand for commercial goods. According to many economists, what constitutes consumption is the products that finally reaches the market and bought by the final utilizes. Consumption is also defined broadly as the overall results for all the productions of the economic activities. The aggregate need for items increases consumption and production too.

The Use of Conflict Management Styles Across Different Cultures Assignment

The Use of Conflict Management Styles Across Different Cultures - Assignment Example The study will also intend to evaluate the process of selection of the conflict management styles in the organizations and the factors influencing them. The cultural identities of the organizations have become more diversified in the contemporary scenario as the internal workforce is more widespread and open (Cochran & Harpending, 2009). According to Devine et al. (2002), culture defines the identity of an individual, group or an institution and is one of strongest psychological attachments that can give rise to conflicts if tempered with. Blair (2001) opined that often it is observed that mergers and strategic alliances fail in the real world businesses because of their cultural differences. For instance, the merger between Ford and Chrysler in the year 1998 failed because of the inability of their workforce of the organizations to adapt to the changes in the work structure. In order to assess the influence of culture on the conflict management process, it is essential to first understand the factors involved in culture. Devine et al. (2002) reflected that although culture is not always the cause of the conflict but it can influenc e the conflict resolving process. In the words of Blair (2001), culture of a firm reflects the core values, passion and its aim. Geary (2005) added that the stakeholders of a firm contribute towards the development of its culture. This again creates complicacies and conflicts among the management and the shareholders of a company. Bentley et al. (2007) argued that organizational culture is influenced by the aims and objectives which in turn dominate the work process of the firm. Devine et al. (2002) focused on the influence of cultures on the business process and stated that when the basic needs of an individual, group or organization are satisfied, conflicts do not rise among diverse cultures. However, Chiappe & MacDonald (2005) stated that cultural diversity also increases the chances of conflict among the people as it reflects

Mechanistic and Organic Organizational Structures Essay

Mechanistic and Organic Organizational Structures - Essay Example Mechanistic characteristics and features include; low differentiation of tasks, has an unwavering environment, centralized decision making, low integration where due to the stability of tasks there is low integration between departments and functional areas and moreover, in situations where tasks are stable they are standardized and formalized which facilitates the smooth running of operations without breakdown. Organic structures are best applicable in dynamic and uncertain environment and differentiation of tasks is high since tasks are often changing which calls for differentiation (Ross 2011). Additionally, organic organization structures have a higher integration of departments and functional areas as compared to mechanistic structures, decision making is decentralized and, there is little standardization and formalization, how? Due to the rapid change in tasks it is impractical to apply standardization and formalized procedures and instead tasks are supposed to be mutually adjusted so that each sub problem is balanced with other sub problems (Burn & Stalker

A critique of the national literacy framework and the hour Essay

A critique of the national literacy framework and the hour - Essay Example The literacy hour is a means of implementing the objectives designed by the Framework. In this one hour teachers devote themselves entirely to making literates of their students.The National Literacy Framework and the training it provides are based on the National Literacy Project. Its aim is laudable and it has shown a degree of success in improving literacy standards. However it has been condemned on a number of counts and many teachers are up in arms against it. Therefore it is imperative for a teacher to subject the Framework and the literacy hour to intense scrutiny and analyze its positive and negative features with respect to the subject of teaching of reading. This examination with its salient features and results are outlined below.In the words of Jeanne S.Chall and Steven Stahl, reading is an "activity characterized by the translation of symbols, or letters, into words and sentences that have meaning to the individual". From their earliest years, children acquire the skills needed for learning to read. According to Chall and Stahl children as they become acclimatized to the sounds in their environment, "learn that spoken words are composed of separate sounds and that letters can represent these sounds." Itzhoff (1996:20) also stresses the importance of language proficiency in reading proficiency. Therefore parents can help children on their journey to fluent reading by diligently reading bedtime stories, having conversations and indulging in language play. Children having equipped themselves with these skills are now ready to learn reading. The National Literacy Framework has outlined three levels of work that children have to master in order to become literate; 1. Word-level work that includes phonics, proficiency in spelling and an improving vocabulary. 2. Sentence-level work pertaining to grammatical and punctuation rules. 3. Text-level work with regard to comprehension and composition skills. Wray et al. (2001:2) state that, "Each of these three levels was seen as essential to effective reading and writing and there is a close interrelationship between them." It now remains for the teacher to impart knowledge to the students about these skills as they constitute the entire foundation of their future proficiency in reading and writing. EFFECTIVE TEACHERS AND METHODS OF TEACHING "Success in literacy is measured not by what children know about texts, print etc. but by what they can do with them."(Wray et al. 2001:6) this statement captures the essence of what literacy is meant to do. The prerequisites for effective teachers and methods of teaching given below are derived from the research done by Wray, Medwell, Poulson and Fox. Effective teachers have a clear idea of what they are going to teach and how they are going to go about it. They are systematic in their teaching methods. Teaching is done using "shared" texts, where the teacher and students pool their resources to negotiate their way through the obscure and sometimes treacherous terrain of grammar, punctuation and other literacy essentials. The many aspects of reading and writing are taught not as so many isolated shards of information but as part of a larger, comprehensive whole. Good teachers have well-developed system for monitoring every individual student's progress and catering to their needs accordingly. Effective methods of teaching include careful attention to the teaching of pronunciation, word features like syllables and inflections, synonyms, punctuations, grammatical constructions etc. A suitable "literate environment" must be constructed bearing in mind a

Mechanistic and Organic Organizational Structures Essay

Mechanistic and Organic Organizational Structures - Essay Example Mechanistic characteristics and features include; low differentiation of tasks, has an unwavering environment, centralized decision making, low integration where due to the stability of tasks there is low integration between departments and functional areas and moreover, in situations where tasks are stable they are standardized and formalized which facilitates the smooth running of operations without breakdown. Organic structures are best applicable in dynamic and uncertain environment and differentiation of tasks is high since tasks are often changing which calls for differentiation (Ross 2011). Additionally, organic organization structures have a higher integration of departments and functional areas as compared to mechanistic structures, decision making is decentralized and, there is little standardization and formalization, how? Due to the rapid change in tasks it is impractical to apply standardization and formalized procedures and instead tasks are supposed to be mutually adjusted so that each sub problem is balanced with other sub problems (Burn & Stalker

Strategic Analysis of Apple Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Strategic Analysis of Apple - Essay Example The company is also the second largest publicly traded company in terms of market capitalization. As of 2012, the company had 394 retail stores spread throughout the world (Apple Store, 2012). The total revenue of the company for the financial year 2011-12 is $156.508 billion and the net income was $ 41.733 billion. The current employee strength of the company is around 72,800 people and has presence in many parts of the world (Golson, 2012). Some of the competitors of the company are Samsung, Nokia, LG, and Motorola among the others (NASDAQ, 2012; Gallo, 2012). This report will analyse the issues Apple is currently facing and also how the company is dealing with it. It will be divided into 5 sections; the first and second section will cover the external and internal analysis of the company. The third and fourth section will shed light on the challenges faced by the company and how they are dealing with it. Finally, the last section will conclude the project. Part I – External analysis The external analysis of a company is about analysing the external business environment of a company (Monczka, 2000). In order analyse the same, the report will use PEST analysis and Porter’s five forces analysis. PEST Analysis Political factors: - The technology businesses remain highly dependent upon the political scenario of a country. Moreover, it also needs to depend on the rules and regulations of the operating country. However, the government of USA has always encouraged products which are innovative and trendy. Moreover, the political scenario of the country is highly stable which provides an opportunity for the company to further develop its R&D infrastructure and come up with innovative products. Economical factors: - USA is considered as one of the richest nations of the world. The total GDP of the country is 15.09 trillion and the per capita income is $ 49,800 (CIA, 2013). The figures clearly reflect that the country is economically stable. Moreover, the disposable income of the US population is also high. Hence, it provides a great opportunity for Apple to get success with its high range products. Hence the economic condition of USA is extremely favourable for Apple. Social factors: - The total population of USA is 316,668,567 and the total urban population is 82%. Another positive aspect is that the rate of urbanization is 1.2 % (CIA, 2013). Hence, Apple with its high end products holds great chances of success in the US market. In addition, US population is also considered as tech-savvy which again acts as a positive factor for the company. Technological factors: - The market for mobile phones, laptop and tablets are growing at a rapid pace in USA which acts a favourable factor for Apple. In addition, information and communication infrastructure of USA is very strong which fosters research and development function of Apple. Industry Analysis (Porter’s Five Forces) Force Intensity Description Buyer’s Power High Due to the presence of a large number of established players in the market, users have the widest range of options. This increases the bargaining power of buyers. Supplier’s Power Moderate The suppliers of Apple include Intel, IBM, Motorola, Sony and Disney among others (Satariano, Burrows and

Romantics cautioned Essay Example for Free

Romantics cautioned Essay Whereas the great minds of the Enlightenment has placed great value on the pursuit and acquisition of knowledge, the Romantics cautioned that knowledge, unrestrained by a proper respect for the natural order, could lead to despair. There are several episodes in the book that point to the destructive power of knowledge that does not respect proper boundaries. The readers impression of Victor undergoes a transformation from a light, idyllic childhood, to a darker, more solitary figure pursing his passion by moonlight at Ingolstadt. His retelling of the story takes on a rushed, obsessive mood as he talks of nights in graveyards and charnel houses, foraging in the ground for human flesh and body parts. He remarks, I seem to have lost all soul or sensation but for this one pursuit.(Shelley 39) In his obsessive pursuit of knowledge and the power to create life, Frankenstein oversteps the boundaries of nature. In a moment of reflection, Frankenstein warns Walton, Learn from me how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow. (Shelley 38) In a similar manner, the innocence and naivetà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ of the monster undergoes a transformation while sitting outside the cottage increasing his knowledge from tales in Ruins of Empire. Retelling this new knowledge to Frankenstein, the monster laments, I could not conceive how one man could go forth to murder his fellow, or even why there were laws and governmentswhen I heard details of vice and bloodshed, my wonder ceased and I turned away in disgust and loathing. (Shelley 104) Having previously been enamored with the beauties of nature, and capability of man, the monster reflected a sense of disillusionment when he asked, Was man, indeed, at once so powerful, so virtuous and magnificent, yet so vicious and base?(Shelley 104) Perhaps the most powerful caution against knowledge that does not respect natural laws comes when Shelley invokes the themes of Genesis, and Miltons Paradise Lost. What more powerful image could there be to prove this point, than that of Adam and Eve disobeying Gods laws, eating from the forbidden tree of knowledge, and being cast out of the Garden of Eden into the dark world? Shelleys portrayal of Victor and the monsters evolution seem to align the innocence of childhood with the Romantic themes of sentiment, emotion, and an idealized view of the world. Victors depiction of his childhood seems to be filled with hope and happiness. He retells fond memories of family and friends that appear in stark contrast to the path his life took after the death of his mother. Similarly, the monster is initially described as possessing a childlike inquisitiveness, innocent and optimistic, until the outside world changes him. I was benevolent and good; misery made me a fiend.(Shelley, 84) Experience and knowledge change both of these characters for the worse. It is only the return of a friend from Victors childhood, Henry Clerval, which can pull Victor out of his darkness and rekindle an appreciation for the beauties of nature. Romantics believed that people should look to the natural world around them in order to provide insight into their inner selves. (Spielvogel 152) Frankensteins obsessive and reclusive studies cause him to neglect correspondence with his family for two years, and it is only Clervals appearance that can draw him out of seclusion and into nature. Their explorations through the countryside restore life to Victor. His renewed appreciation for nature makes him temporarily forget the dark, destructive path he was on. Clerval is the epitome of a Romantic character, well read in books of chivalry and romance, a composer of heroic songs, and an author of tales of enchantment and knightly adventure. (Shelley 23) These are the themes of the Romantic Movement! Shelleys depiction of Victor and Clerval are not meant to be an indictment of education and knowledge, or even of science for that matter. According to Patricia Neal, Shelley considered education essential for improvement. (Neal) In fact, it is the knowledge the monster receives by reading great works of literature that allow him to develop a sense of awareness and truth about himself. Shelley cautions against the unrestrained quest for knowledge, as Victor warns Walton you seek for knowledge and wisdomand I ardently hope that the gratification of your wishes may not be a serpent to sting you, as mine has been.(Shelley 15) It is the selfish pursuit of knowledge, to the detriment of an appreciation for natural beauty, which leads her characters down destructive paths. An important theme of Romantic literature, and one very present in Frankenstein, is the idea that the progression of industrialization would cause people to become estranged from their inner selves, their identity, and the natural world all around them. (Spielvogel 152) The Movement placed a great deal of emphasis on nature and a glorified past because the Industrial Revolution was destroying nature and creating a gloomy environment. Victor is so immersed in his selfish scientific pursuits that he becomes oblivious to natural beauty all around him, Never did the fields bestow a more plentiful harvest or the vines yield a more luxuriant vintage, but my eyes were insensible to the charms of nature. (Shelley 40) Waldmans characterization of scientists penetrating the depths of nature to discover its secrets, draws attention to industry and Sciences attempt to master the natural world, and the disruption of the delicate balance between humankind and nature that had existed in a previous era. (Shelley 33, Damyanov) The early days of the Industrial Revolution held so much promise and potential for improving civilization, but the results were not always so beneficial. Similarly, Victor had noble intentions when he began his research, but a lack of self-restraint meant the outcome was destructive. Shelley was alarmed by the absence of conscience, or awareness of implicit obligation to provide safeguards in scientific creations. (Neal) She was concerned about the long-term effects as Victor/mankind focused on his ability to manipulate nature, and lost sight of the bigger picture. The creation that held so much promise in the beginning, whether it was Shelleys monster or the Industrial Revolutions machines and science, had become a scourge upon society and a threat to its very existence. Shelley issues an eerie warning as the monster threatens the lives of Victors loved ones, Remember that I have poweryou are my creator, but I am the master. (Shelley 152). The countless adaptations of Frankenstein that have been drawn from the original, fail to capture the essence of the story and the societal conflict it addressed. Victor Frankensteins desire to challenge the laws of nature led him down a path of self-destruction. His pursuit of knowledge and glory consumed him as he lost sight of the larger purpose, and lost respect for the natural world. Shelley intended his story to be a lesson to a rapidly changing society. Originally applied to the Industrial Revolution, these same lessons are still appropriate to a contemporary society engaged in a Technological Revolution. Works Cited Bushi, Ruth. The author is become a creator-God (Herder). The deification of creativity  in relation to Frankenstein' October 15, 2002 http://www.kimwoodbridge.com

David Hume - Naturalistic Metaethics, Politics, and Psychology :: Philosophy David Hume

David Hume - Naturalistic Metaethics, Politics, and Psychology ABSTRACT: According to the views expressed in this paper, influences unrelated to the conclusions of Immanuel Kant and G. E. Moore respecting what they saw as the appropriate foundation for moral systems seems to have been at work in the reactions of both to the earlier criticisms of David Hume. Building on a "recent meeting" with Hume in a pub on Princes Street in Edinburgh, I develop the suggestion that both Kant and Moore were loyal to traditional notions of an intuited, non-prudential basis for ethical injunctions. Kant, by his insistence that any morality linked only to hypothetical imperatives cannot be truly "moral," and Moore by his refusal to see the emptiness of his posited "good as simply good" which he felt must be kept free of any corrupting reference to real-world prudential constituents, thus support the foundation of ethical systems in an inner, unanalyzable moral impulse. And they do so in obedience to commitments that antedate their moral philosophies. I also claim that Hume has been misunderstood in that he did not mean to oppose the naturalistic grounding of moral systems in his famous statement disjoining is-statements from ought-statements; what he really intended was to point out the illogic of moralists who improperly pretend to derive categorical or intuited moral imperatives from real-world is-statements while denying any prudentiality or a posteriority to the transaction. Because both maintain that this simple inner moral impulse must be independent of prudential considerations in making moral decisions and judgments, Kant and Moore oppose naturalistic ethical systems which, like J.S. Mill's, suggest that this-worldly welfare and happiness are in large part coexistent with the true meaning of morality. Their position, therefore, places both of these proponents of intuitionist metaethics at odds with the principle of political social democrats that a respectable moral system must place worldly satisfactions and happiness above obedienc e to any putative "higher" moral law and its intuited imperatives. I had a talk with David Hume one rainy night recently in a pub in Edinburgh, over—naturally—kippers with brown bread and a pint of stout or two. He let me in on a secret and gave me leave to whisper it in turn to a few friends. Which is why I jotted down this account of our meeting and am presenting it to you here. Remember what that great analyst wrote to set in motion the train of thought that culminated in G.

Eminem - AKA Marshall Mathers :: essays research papers fc

Eminem, born as Marshall Mathers, has proven that with a lot of desire, drive and dedication, anybody can accomplish even their greatest of goals. Eminem was raised in the ghettos of East Detroit. He was bullied and victimized by other students in school. He worked to achieve his goal, against the odds. As a result, what he has become is one of America's most popular and successful music artists. Marshall "Eminem" Mathers was born on October 17, 1974, in Detroit, Michigan. After moving to Kansas, he and his family returned to Detroit and settled in a Black neighborhood. Records show that Marshall, while in school, was attacked and beaten by school bullies, on numerous occasions. On two occasions, Marshall was beaten into unconsciousness. Eminem's rap song "Brain Damage" is a true story of when a bully hit Marshall on the head and knocked him unconscious on the school playground. His ear began bleeding and he was hospitalized. It was discovered that he had a brain hemorrhage. He was in and out of consciousness for five days. (Rolling Stone) For Marshall, the road to success was long and hard. Marshall began rapping in 1990 at the "Hip Hop Shop" where he would participate in rap battles. On December 25, 1995 Eminem's girl friend, now wife, Kimberly Scott gave birth to his daughter, Haile. Eminem continued rapping and worked at a family restaurant in Detroit. Eminem, Kim and Haile lived in a crack-infested neighborhood where stray bullets and residential burglaries occurred often. In 1997 Eminem became unemployed, had no high school diploma and couldn't afford to support his family. He was tired of not having a record deal. He considered giving up rap. He decided to record the "Slim Shady EP" as his last hope to make it. His last attempt landed him a deal with Interscope Records and the next year, in 1998, with Dr. Dre's Aftermath label. On February 23, 1999 Eminem's "The Slim Shady LP" was released. The LP went triple platinum. Later he went on to win two Grammies. One for best rap solo performance ("My Name Is"), and another for best rap album ("The Slim Shady LP"). On May 23, 2000 Eminem released his second full-length album, "The Marshall Mathers LP". The second LP sold 1. Eminem - AKA Marshall Mathers :: essays research papers fc Eminem, born as Marshall Mathers, has proven that with a lot of desire, drive and dedication, anybody can accomplish even their greatest of goals. Eminem was raised in the ghettos of East Detroit. He was bullied and victimized by other students in school. He worked to achieve his goal, against the odds. As a result, what he has become is one of America's most popular and successful music artists. Marshall "Eminem" Mathers was born on October 17, 1974, in Detroit, Michigan. After moving to Kansas, he and his family returned to Detroit and settled in a Black neighborhood. Records show that Marshall, while in school, was attacked and beaten by school bullies, on numerous occasions. On two occasions, Marshall was beaten into unconsciousness. Eminem's rap song "Brain Damage" is a true story of when a bully hit Marshall on the head and knocked him unconscious on the school playground. His ear began bleeding and he was hospitalized. It was discovered that he had a brain hemorrhage. He was in and out of consciousness for five days. (Rolling Stone) For Marshall, the road to success was long and hard. Marshall began rapping in 1990 at the "Hip Hop Shop" where he would participate in rap battles. On December 25, 1995 Eminem's girl friend, now wife, Kimberly Scott gave birth to his daughter, Haile. Eminem continued rapping and worked at a family restaurant in Detroit. Eminem, Kim and Haile lived in a crack-infested neighborhood where stray bullets and residential burglaries occurred often. In 1997 Eminem became unemployed, had no high school diploma and couldn't afford to support his family. He was tired of not having a record deal. He considered giving up rap. He decided to record the "Slim Shady EP" as his last hope to make it. His last attempt landed him a deal with Interscope Records and the next year, in 1998, with Dr. Dre's Aftermath label. On February 23, 1999 Eminem's "The Slim Shady LP" was released. The LP went triple platinum. Later he went on to win two Grammies. One for best rap solo performance ("My Name Is"), and another for best rap album ("The Slim Shady LP"). On May 23, 2000 Eminem released his second full-length album, "The Marshall Mathers LP". The second LP sold 1.

Havmor Limited India Essay

INTRODUCTION TO HAVMOR ICE-CREAM PVT. LTD. Havmor Food Pvt. Ltd. is the industry where different flavors of ice-cream are prepared. Havmor Industries is the firm chiefly leading with processing of Ice-cream. But also makes other products. Havmor Industries is one of the famous Ice-cream producing companies in Gujarat. As today Ice-cream market has been more competitive due to many new entries in the fields but Havmor is still holding its position and command in the Ice-cream market. BACKGOUND AND HISTORY OF HAVMOR ICE-CREAM Havmor ice-cream began its branded life in 1944 in Karachi in undivided India. But by 1947 it became a popular brand. But in 1947, in the time of the partition, its founder Satish Chona had to join the exodus to India, with virtually no movable Assets. Searching for a new turf, he tired out Dehra Dun and Indore and finally settled down in Ahnmedabad. In India he had to again begin his work from the start. He started selling ice-cream at the Ahmedabad Railway Station. The founder began the brand named Havmor, their slogan was â€Å"Achai, Sachai, Safai† Today, Havmor ice-cream is a delicious facet of Western India’s daily life, and part of its market move. It reaches hundreds of thousands of consumer through 8 main outlets and 3800 plus dealers. Pradeep Chona, Son of Satish Chona, today heads the Havmor conglomerate. He has continued his father is quality obsession and streak of innovation. Pradeep Chona set off a series of changes in Havmor – in technology, in quality and hygiene standards in management in HRD and in the overall corporate environment. This re-engineering was completed by capacity expansions and a flourry of promotional activities, to maintain the company’s market presence in act in competitive firms.

Html5

Currently, in terms of web development, Flash, in spite of its success, is still not regarded as a standard because it is a proprietary technology provider. While web plays an important role in business, communication and society should not be in the hands of an independent supplier. However, giving up Flash means to redesign the web, with all the difficulty and costly. Now, when the HTML5 appears, the emergence of HTML5 creates more confidence and convenience to those who do not like Flash.This paper focuses on the very first definition of HTML to lead you to the modern web which may replace Flash in the near future. What is it HTML is a language that provides a means to create structured documents by denoting structural semantics for text such as headings, paragraphs, lists, links, quotes and other items. HTML5  is currently under development, as the next major revision of the HTML standard. This code can now be used for new functions that can benefit developers and Internet user s. What it consists of? HTML5 concludes a number of new elements and attributes.The most important of them are: CANVAS ELEMENT The canvas element can be used for describing graphs, game graphics or other visual images on the fly. Having to rely on plug-ins is not necessary. The possibilities are endless. VIDEO ELEMENT Embedding video used to be impossible without third-party plugins such as Apple QuickTime or Adobe Flash. Thanks to video element, now it’s possible. It is intended by its creators to become the new standard way to show video online. GEOLOCATION Locating a users’ place is not a new thing on the web. In fact, most websites already do this by means of IP address detection.But this is not always reliable, so HTML5’s geolocation is an alternative method of correctly pinpointing a users’ location. The new idea is to get the location information from Wi-fi towers and GPS. OFFLINE WEB APPLICATION Despite of their unavailable network connection, the offline web applications enable users to continue interacting with web applications and documents. The user can, for instance, access email locally without having to connect to the Internet or install an external client. How it works HTML5 provides support for video and audio â€Å"naturally†.It means that users can watch videos on site like the way they read the text format without having to bother installing Flash system program or any other plug-in program or not. How it will be used HTML5 has been developed since 2004 but now suppliers of Apple, Opera, Mozilla and Google recently built new elements of this compatible language in browsers. In the end of January, YouTube – the biggest video sharing website in the world – announced to test HTML5. Even Microsoft, along with promoting Sliverlight technology (to compete with Flash), also became interested in web standards and intended to bring HTML5 to Internet Explorer.Benefits compare with other technology * Of fline storage: Kind of like â€Å"Super Cookies†, but with much more space to store for both one-time data and persistent app databases. * Canvas drawing: Sites can mark off a space on a page where interactive pictures, charts and graphs, game components, and whatever else imagination allows can be drawn directly by programming code and user interaction—no Flash or other plug-ins required. * Smarter form: Search boxes, text inputs, and other you-type-here fields get better controls for focusing, validating data, interacting with other page elements, sending through email, and more. Web application focus: It’s fair to say that HTML5 is aimed to make it easier to build wikis, drag-and-drop tools, real-time chat, and other modern web, and have them work the same across browsers. Potential Disadvantage * Basic animation and media features. * Lack of good tooling to be productive in developing large sized HTML 5 applications. * Very limited support for media formats. * User may need to be connected to use an HTML 5 application. * Inconsistencies of HTML being implemented between web browsers (different parts of the standard are implemented).

A summary of wal-mart chapter

Wal-Mart, the largest corporate organization in the world and the largest employer in the private sector in the United States, is a success story in the corporate world.The history of Wal-Mart dates back to the year 1962. Initially, it was a single store which was the initiative of one Sam Walton who has since died. It has weathered the storm of competition and has now grown in size to a worldwide corporation. Walton had at the time of starting Wal-Mart opened 20 stores which were competing against 250 from Kmart.Walton was dynamic in operating the organization. He made sure that he maintained the principles of marketing and those of customer satisfaction, a factor that made Wal-Mart become the single biggest retailer worldwide.International sales have been increasing at an impressive average of 13 percent, which is a dream for any company or any corporation anywhere in the world, no matter how large it is. In the year 2000, Wal-Mart realized an increase of 46 percent in internationa l sales which translates to 16.8 percent of all the corporate sales combined.This corporation however has its shortcomings in the way it relates with its employees and the obligations to its corporate responsibilities. On the part of human resource, Wal-Mart gives its employees lows benefits even though they add great value to the corporation, and health benefits have been lost. Wal-Mart does not consider the values of the grassroots community but rather of more importance to it is profit together with economic growth.Wal-Mart’s contribution to the local communities is enormous given that it employs many people. When it opens a new outlet, it employs people from the surrounding local community and in this way it improves the living conditions of the people from these communities.Given the current rate of unemployment and job losses, Wal-Mart has taken the lead role in solving this problem and has helped many people who otherwise would not have been in any form of gainful empl oyment to at least get something to do for the sustenance of their lives and those of their dependants.  But there is the negative side to this employment issue. Wal-Mart has for all the years been an insensitive employer. Besides poor pay, the working hours are inconsistent and this is a great inconvenience to the workers. Long working hours and unpredictable working schedule characterizes the experiences the employees of Wal-Mart have to go through.This retail outlet giant has made it a rule that its employees should not join any labor organization or union of any kind.Several attempts by the workers’ representatives to force Wal-Mart allow them to join labor organizations have all come cropper. Court cases have been ruled in favor of the employer to the detriment of the employee, and this seems not to bother the management of Wal-Mart.Wal-Mart has adopted capitalist as its politico-economic approach. This therefore means that in any venture, it is guided not necessarily by the interests of the general society or more specifically those of the local communities, but rather by what gains they stand to get from them in terns of profits from the investment.This is capitalism per excellence and this approach has made Wal-Mart to have an edge over its competitors, who seem to favor a combination of both reasonable profits and good conditions for the workers.Wal-Mart is not a good neighbor. It thrives on capitalizing on the weaknesses of and inability of its competitors. Five years after Wal-Mart enters into a new market, all the existing retail businesses start recording losses and others close shop.This leaves Wal-Mart to monopolize the market and therefore the customers have no alternative but to consume what is on offer at the Wal-Mart outlets. This amounts to monoculture as it thrives on cultural homogenization.It manages to draw away attention from a local competitor by selling its commodities at very low prices, in fact at prices below the actual p rice making it impossible for any other business, however strong and committed it may be, to lose out and leaving Wal-Mart to dominate the market.This homogenization is actually due in part to confusion. While its intention on the one hand is to ensure that it has an upper hand in the market share, it also genuinely thinks that this is good corporate practice (Jacques et al pp 7-10).

Performance Review Memo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Performance Review Memo - Essay Example The different writing styles are now deeply entrenched in my writing and can be selected interchangeably depending on various course requirements. For example, most of the assignments given required that we use either APA or MLA referencing styles. Moreover, the course has helped in the acquisition and improvement of such skills as teamwork that would have otherwise not been learned. The group work helped in learning how to collaborate with other members in achieving a certain goal. The nature of the work, for instance, allowed us to divide the various aspects amongst ourselves and later compiled the work together. Group members were given the liberty to choose the areas that they felt adeptly knowledgeable therefore making the quality of the work better. In addition, and most importantly, the course has improved the ability to develop good research questions and strategies for meeting the research objectives. This ability was enhanced by the step-by-step approach employed by the lecturer. To help in the effective functioning of the group, we broke down the assignment into four parts one for each of us. Delegation of duties is one role that we highly appreciated in a bid to hasten the process of research. All the group members were helpful in achieving the set objectives. Most importantly, each of us selected the areas of the assignment that we were most conversant with. I contributed highly in the area of consumer education as a response to reducing theft of beauty products at the fresh market. Ali’s contribution in the group was most visible in the aspect of employee education as an effective tool of reducing theft of beauty products at the Fresh Market. This is an area that he is well versed in and most of his points came from real experience coupled with supporting literature review. Sara’s contribution was as important as everyone else’s and she did her job

The case of Mabo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

The case of Mabo - Essay Example The amendment aimed at establishing a strategy of making land grants based on the trust of Torres Strait islanders and the aboriginals of which the Murray Islanders did not agree with it. The plaintiffs had the representation of the Grey Mclntyre, Brian Keon-Cohen, and Ron Castan (Curthoys, Genovese and Reilly, 2008). At first, the case was brought in as a test aimed at determining the legal rights of the people of meriam to land in the Murray island and Waier and Dauar in Torres Strait. This was so because; such got heavy stimulation to the Queensland in 1879. Before the British contacted the Meriam people, they had lived in the land as subsistence economists who majored in fishing and cultivation. At those times, the land was not for the whole community or public, but rather, was for certain individuals. At some point in 1985, the government attempted at all means to discontinue the proceedings through the enactment of a declaratory act referred to the Queensland coast island. This declaration stated that on the land annexation in 1879, the island title was vested in the Queensland state, and as a result, free from claims, interests, and rights whatsoever. According to the Mabo versus Queensland number 1 of 1988, the high court stated that this was not in line with the legislations provided by 1975 racial discrimination act. As a result, the plaintiffs decided to come up with inter alia declarations ruling that the Meriam people had a right for the Land of Murray Island. This meant that they were the owners, possessors, occupiers, or people who have a right to enjoy the use of the land. According to the plaintiffs, they argued that they needed a possessory title because of the long period, which they possessed the land.

Reactivity of M-C bonds and catalytiv formation of heterocycles Essay

Reactivity of M-C bonds and catalytiv formation of heterocycles - Essay Example The second key element is the CH activation process and this process usually helps in electrophilic metal and acetate activation. The activation is achieved through combination of deprotonation as well as acetate which is an intramolecular base. Currently, close to 95% of all phenyl group activation relies on CH activation (Anastas & Warner, 1998). Current studies have showed the ease of activation of different types of CH bonds and some of these bonds are NH or NR types. This type of bond falls in type 1 of the heterocycles ligands and the second type is the vinyl group. This group is characterized by the formation of rings such as M ring which at times is an equivalent of p-cymene. The vinyl group which is type 2 of the heterocycles in ligands is able to react with alkynes after the process of CH activation. The ease of insertion of the various M-C bonds which comprises of the heterocycle, phenyl, and vinyl with alkynes are not yet known. This is because very limited research has b een done on this area. The activation of these M-C bonds with the alkynes is expected to give type 3 of the heterocycles in ligands (Chen et al., 2009). Some of the end products of catalysis with heterocycles produce effects during the activation process and update such kind of effects have never been researched. Therefore, the effects that they are capable of producing are not well known. Basically, this project will tend to unveil the synthesis of complexes in group 2 like D, 1,2-Diphenylethane-1,2-diol (II) and their various reactions with the alkynes to form either group 3 or group 4 heterocycles ligands (Sanford & Lyons, 2010). The obtained experimental results will therefore, be compared to the various results that are obtained through computational chemistry. These computational chemistry results will be the ones that were obtained by the various collaborators who were present at the University of Heriott Watt. PREPARATION OF FUNCTIONALIZED HETEROCYCLES STARTING MATERIALS AND PRODUCTS The starting materials are 1-chloro-isoquinoline together with benzotriazole. The two are combined through nucleophilic substitution method. The combination of these two gives ligand 1. The use of deprotonation can also be used in the preparation of these functionalized heterocycles such as NH or NR. The deprotonation is carried out on imidazolium chloride salt together with a strong base as the solvent. The reaction time is at an interval of 10 to 15 minutes before the next step is undertaken. Reaction pass this time at times yield wrong results and therefore, keen observations of this reaction time is recommended for purposes of accurate results. The preferred chemical apparatus is Schlenk flask together with stir bar. Stir bar is used to prevent heat loss during the homogeneous mixing of the reactants. After the formation of ligand 1 the cyclometallated complexes 2 which is ligand 2 is formed from the reaction of 2-vinylpyridine and trithiazyl trichloride (Ng, Zhou & Yu , 2012). The ligand 3 is also formed from the reaction of rubeanic acid and double cyclocondesation of oxalamidoxime. These kinds of ligands are useful during the formation of multinuclear and mononuclear metal complexes. The other products formed are Diisopropoxytitanium (III) Tetrahydroborate, 1(2 mmol) and lithium bis (2,4,6-triisopropylphenyl)hydroboratylmethylpolystyrene (9) A reaction between tetrahydroborate 1 of heterocycles 1 equivalent took place with a-hydroxyketones also of 1 equivalent for a time ranging between 5 to 15 minutes. The

T-Moblie Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

T-Moblie - Essay Example public, Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Poland, the Netherlands, United Kingdom and the Slovakia– including the US Virgin Islands, US, and the Puerto Rico. On the global level, the International subsidiaries of T-Mobile possess total subscribers which are roughly 150 million in number, which makes it the twelfth-largest service provider of mobile phone in the entire world in terms of subscribers. Besides this, T-Mobile bags the rank of the third-largest multinational and stand after Spains Telefà ³nica and UKs Vodafone. T-Mobile, in the year 2010, became the segment of the agreement of joint venture with the UK mobile-network provider of France Telecom, Orange UK. These companies combined and formed the largest mobile-network operator of UK and called itself Everything Everywhere. However, even after forming the joint venture, the Orange brands and T-Mobile go on to co-exist in the markets of United Kingdom. T-Mobile complies with all the laws which are applicable to the state and federal codes of laws and regulations. The management of the company does not indulge in any activity which violates the policies of the company such as non-retaliation, non-discriminatory and non-harassment policies. The unacceptable conduct in the company constitutes of violation of company laws and policies, removal of the property of company without permission, willful or neglectful damage or defacing of the company property, dishonesty, fraud, improper record keeping and all the related activities. Any criminal conviction amongst the employees results in their termination from the company. Besides this, all the secret trade laws and other legal information are kept confidential from others except the concerned parties. The company makes the decisions in the business by giving proper consideration to the social, ethical and legal regulations. The T-Mobile makes returns to the society through the afterschool community outreach program. The company makes efforts to

The Coffee Company Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

The Coffee Company Report - Essay Example Out of the 5 running stores, two are not able to generate any profit and the managers believe that this is because of the locations of the stores. One of the partners suggested consulting a marketing research firm however, the other partners think of it as a costly endeavor. The concept of using GIS technology for combining the business information with the demographic data for assessing the proper location for the stores is also being considered by the business partners. However, balancing the financial issues with the strategic planning problem is a complex process for the firm which urged the partners to cancel the bespoke software development and other IT projects of The Coffee Company.  Ã‚   Based on the given case, the partners of The Coffee Company have selected two options for generating their profit earning process. The first option is to focus on the relocation of the two stores that are not operating in a profitable manner and the second option is to improve the customer service process of the concerned stores for increasing the volume of customer footfalls. In the words of Reid and Hinkley (2006), the location of a business house has a major influence on the operational and strategic decision-making process of a firm. Newby (2009) specified that factors such as consumer convenience, the presence of target consumers, market competition, transpiration for procurement of resources, demography and cultural background can the help the business in assessing the contribution of a location for business sustainability.  Changing the location of the stores for The Coffee Company has to be conducted based on proper information that would allow them to make quick decisions and implement them.  

Revelation Essay Essay Example for Free

Revelation Essay Essay The opening lines of the poem initiate the main themes; â€Å"Black bull† introduces one of the themes which are gender stereotyping. This suggests the bull is powerful, strong and very angry. Females are then introduced in the poem, â€Å"eggs and milk†. This suggests females are pale, delicate and easily broken. The poet highlights the theme of stereotypes by placing â€Å"black bull† above â€Å"eggs and milk†. This is to effectively state that the black bull is on top of eggs and milk which emphasises on the importance of gender stereotyping. The second theme is introduced which is innocence and experience, â€Å"They call him Bob – as though perhaps you could reduce a monster with the charm of a friendly name†. Tone her is cynical. The bull has been given a cheery, friendly name which is a irrelevant name for the harsh animal. The key words of the quote are â€Å"monster† and â€Å"friendly†. This is a very striking contrast between the idea of the name Bob being friendly, cheery and approachable, but in actual fact behind the cheery name lays a monster. The quote, â€Å"at the threshold of his outhouse†, is the turning point in the story. Look more:  first poem for you essay This is a symbolic quote that states you must go over a line before starting a new life. In the poem a young girl is standing in the area between safety and danger. The line is significant as the pause creates a series of tension building up to a sense of danger. The girl’s initial perceptions of the creature are conveyed in, â€Å"At first only black, and the hot reek of him†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The girl’s sensory impressions of the bull are that the word â€Å"black† represents danger. The words â€Å"hot reek† represents the smell and stench of the bull. Her over all sensory impression is the smell of the bulls pungent aroma that is its natural smell and the limited sight gives her a sense of the unknown danger. The poet continues to reference the main theme of gender stereotyping by developing it, â€Å"We was immense†, This quote highlights masculinity and power. It shows that males are bigger, more powerful and the dominate gender. The theme of innocence and experience is also developed, and the bull and the girl are compared to each other. The girl is full of fear and innocence. She is extremely intimidated by the bulls presence. The poet powerfully, reinforces the contrasting thematic dichotomies suggested in verse one. In the first instance this is done by including details in verse two which contract with details from the first verse. The poet has reinforced the theme of innocence and experience as he shows that the bull knows he is restrained. Also reinforces the theme of gender stereotyping – girl and boy. This is done as it is dark and the girl cannot see what the bull is doing, whilst the girl is unaware of this, the bull is trying to break free from where he is chained up too. The poet condenses the contrast by highlighting them in a few lines of verse two. â€Å" I had always half known he existed† Here, the poet points out that the girl had always knew the bull was there, just she had never seen the bull and didn’t want to come to terms with the reality. Verse three is effective as it shows that the girl is fearful of her encounter with the bull. The girl is terrified by the bulls presence and runs away from the farm. She runs past a group of boys. Here the writer links the bull and the boys together by the use of harsh sound effects. It is important that this link is made as it makes a direct comparison between the bulls aggression and the boys cruelty. It highlights that they both share the same characteristics. Finally, the girls attention is redirected to the parlous state of the eggs and milk, due to the flight, â€Å"scared of the eggs shattering† While she’s too busy protecting the eggs it shows the reader that females are protective towards anything precious. In the girls eyes the eggs and milk are precious, and she wants to protect them from any harm. â€Å"in case the milk should spill† The precarious position of the milk is highlighted in the small hands of a weak girl, who has been charged with the responsibility of looking after the eggs and milk. She is protecting what is important to her. The poet seems to be suggesting that her experience shows that females are scared of males and have to protect themselves from any harm. Females protect all forms of life, they are caring and sensible creatures.

Hydration Management in Acute Stroke Patients

Hydration Management in Acute Stroke Patients Introduction Stroke is a global public health concern with many sufferers presenting with varying levels of confusion (Oh and Seo 2007). Management of hydration in acute stroke patients is not standardised and variations in practice can be very wide between different continents. The sheer number of possible comorbidities and the relative ease with which hydration can trigger concomitant problems can lead to increasing incidence and prevalence of long-term patient care resulting from inadequate hydration management. Optimum hydration assessment and management are key clinical activities; however, inadequate hydration controls by health professionals persist (Oh and Seo 2007). Research shows that to guide fluid management to desired levels, a regular assessment of the volume status has to be made Scope This literature review is based on works that are found on Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE), the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health literature (CINAHL), Cochrane, Department of Health (DoH), National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE), National Medical Council (NMC), World Health Organisation (WHO), Wiley Interscience and CKS databases that relate to hydration in stroke patients and nursing awareness of hydration in stroke patients. There is wide literature on different aspects of stroke and many authors have studied the effects of hydration in stroke patients. This review looks at literature that discusses management of hydration and/or the impacts of variations in hydration management on acute stroke patients outcomes like method of feeding, time- compliance in taking readings or measurements, legal issues and ethical issues. Relevance to clinical practice This literature review looks at relevant studies by experts that are found on credible databases. The purposes of the expert studies are reviewed and analysed to inform better understanding of current nursing practice in hydrating acute stroke patients. Several studies on hydration highlight specific difficulties relating to the assessment and management of hydration in acute stroke patients. There are differences between the management and the assessment of hydration in different hospitals and these complicate improving awareness of managing hydration for nurses in practice. If optimum hydration is directly linked to improved outcomes in acute stroke patients, research will be required to identify and overcome barriers to effective hydration management, including the development of specific tools (and knowledge base) to facilitate interventions that promote optimum hydration in seeking improved outcomes in acute stroke patients. Methods of search and documentation n on-line literature search of MEDLINE, CINAHL, COCHRANE, DOH, NICE, NMC, WHO and CKS from 1999 to May 2009 failed to identify enough relevant articles on hydration in stroke patients. Other sources were then reviewed for available literature on medical journals including the BMJ and American Family Physician. For the on-line computer-based literature searches, the following keywords were used: stroke, fluid balance, hydration, cerebrovascular accident (CVA), dehydration, stroke outcome, cerebrovascular disorders, medical management, artificial nutrition and hydration, dysphagia, dysphasia, pyrexia, acute brain infarction, enteral tube feeding, fluid and electrolyte balance, neurology, withholding treatment, pathophysiology and nurses and hydration Hydration and hydration management in acute stroke patients This literature review looks at one of the issues encountered globally in the treatment of acute stroke patients optimum hydration. It takes a particular look at the nursing awareness, measurement, assessment, methods of intervention and the legal issues associated with hydration in acute stroke patients. Stroke is a debilitating condition and can be caused by an ischaemic event or a subarachnoid/intracerebral bleeding. Stroke patients usually present in hospital with co-morbidities (Oh and Seo 2007). Variations exist in stroke fatalities across geographical regions even within the same continent. Studies by Bhalla et al (2003) across four European centres (London, Dijon, Erlangen and Warsaw) have shown significant variation (after adjusting for case mix) in stroke case fatality, in incontinence, dysphasia, dysphagia, conscious level, pyrexia, hyperglycaemia and comorbidity. There were also significant intervention differences between centres in intravenous fluid use, enteral feedin g, initiation of new antihypertensive therapy and insulin therapy, with the London centre having the lowest uptake of interventions. In another European BIOMED Programme, significant variations in case fatality for stroke between European centres (after adjustment for stroke severity) were observed, with the United Kingdom (UK) centres having the highest case fatality and the lowest levels of independence (Wolfe et al., 1999). There were lower intervention rates in the UK centre to correct abnormal physiological parameters in the acute phase which may reflect a difference in philosophy of acute medical supportive care compared with other European countries (Wolfe et al., 2001). Awareness of optimal hydration balance and assessment of the patients hydration condition (in the care of acute stroke patients) is a fundamental part of critical care nursing and optimising the hemodynamic situation can be seen as a team-effort. One of the important factors determining quality of the circula tion is the amount of circulating blood (Hoff et al 2008). Following a stroke, patients may have swallowing impairment and other changes of the gastro-intestinal (GI) tract that could affect nutritional and hydration status and that lead to aspiration pneumonia (Schaller et al 2006). Such changes affect the ability of the acute stroke patient to lead a normal nutritional life. Although the Schaller et al (2006) work did not show a direct link between hydration and other comorbidities, they agree that impaired hydrational status is associated with reduced functional improvement, increased complication rates, and prolonged hospital stays. Hydration and hydration status Hydration balance is a measure of the bodys ability to manage fluids and electrolytes. In order to identify the urgency of interventions, nursing staff should characterize an individuals fluid and electrolyte imbalance as mild, moderate, or severe based on pertinent information including lab tests and other relevant criteria. It is important to recognize that the main electrolyte in extracellular fluid (ECF) is sodium and that of intracellular fluid (ICF) is potassium (Edwards, 2001). Toto (1998) pointed out that large increases or decreases in fluid volume can cause infarct, coma and confusion. This knowledge becomes significant in maintaining cerebral blood flow and in preventing secondary brain insult after an acute stroke. In a complication, respiratory or metabolic acidosis will promote the movement of potassium from the ICF and give rise to high serum potassium levels, which may affect cardiac function (Edwards, 2001). This phenomenon can be seen in many traumatic insults to th e brain. A basic knowledge of this physiology in addition to the homeostatic mechanisms for fluid and electrolyte balance is a vital foundation for nursing practice, and essential to the nurses role in hydration management. Cook et al (2005) highlighted the significance of fluids and hydration in the neuroscience patient and in Cook et al (2004) they highlighted that an understanding of the physiological mechanisms that surround stroke is important for nurses to monitor and treat such patients. Kelly et al (2004) in their study of dehydration and venous thromboembolism (VTE) after acute stroke believed dehydration after acute ischaemic stroke (AIS) is strongly independently associated with VTE, reinforcing the importance of maintaining adequate hydration in these patients. Their study of hydration over a 9-day period showed indication that dehydration was largely hospital acquired and that the association was causal. Although the possibility that VTE was already present at entry to hospital cannot be discounted, tests have shown that VTE is rarely present before the second day post stroke, and then it becomes increasingly prevalent over the next few days. This could be for one of many reasons including poor communication between patient and hospital staff, change of environment for the patient and the physiological impacts of stroke Hydration balance and nutritional/electrolyte balance The differences in how hydration is assessed in different hospitals have been subject of study for some time. The significance of fluid electrolyte homeostasis becomes very relevant in trauma and shock situations such as subarachnoid haemorrhage where an inflammatory response is triggered which causes a significant change in capillary membrane permeability in a short period of time. In such situations, water, electrolytes and albumin move into the interstitial space to permit the site of injury to receive the required factors (third space shift) (Edwards, 2001). A number of physiological mechanisms are required to maintain homeostasis of hydration status, all of which inform proactive nursing assessment, intervention and evaluation. Those with trauma to the nervous system are vulnerable to disruption to the homeostasis of fluid and electrolyte balance (Cook 2005). Older adults may have a poorer capacity to adapt to shifts in acute fluid balance, leading to the possibility of cardiac and renal functions being impaired and, as a result, a lower glomerular filtration rate (Sheppard, 2001). Managing the fluid balance of the stroke patient by intake and output measures needs to be exercised cautiously because even though the patients fluid volume may not have changed, his/her circulatory volume may be significantly lower in instances of major trauma (Edwards, 2001) Good hydration has been shown to reduce the risk of urolithiasis (category Ib evidence) (see Appendix 2), constipation, exercise asthma, hypertonic dehydration in the infant, and hyperglycemia in diabetic ketoacidosis (all category IIb evidence), and is associated with a reduction in urinary tract infections (UTIs), hypertension, fatal coronary heart disease, venous thromboembolism, and cerebral infarct Complications of measurement/control Naso-gastric v PEG, enteral v parentera Patient history taking on presenting in the hospital differs from hospital to hospital. History taking should include assessment of fluid intake and loss, baseline hydrational status, skin turgor, heart rate, blood pressure and urinary output. Normal fluid intake for the average adult is approximately 2-2.5 litres, obtained from food, fluids or metabolic by-products (Edwards, 2001). Methods of measurement are not standardised across hospital settings with Wise et al (2000) showing that faecal fluid losses are often neglected in daily fluid balance charts with the possibility of inaccurate hydration assessment. Fluid assessment must include estimating, as accurately as possible, the quantity of fluid taken in. It must take into consideration the entire processes by which water, potassium and sodium are obtained. Measurements are often mainly focused on the extremes of hydration (optimal hydration and extreme dehydration) and this should not be the case. Assessment of hydrational statu s and need is continuous and begins somewhere along a continuum of severe hypovolaemia/ dehydration to severe hypervolaemia/ overhydration. In looking at dehydration, not only extreme dehydration should be noted. Manz and Wentz (2005) highlight that there is increasing evidence mild dehydration may also account for many morbidities and play a role in various other morbidities. The way in which stroke is managed acutely, such as measures maintaining physiological homeostasis may also vary between different populations (Bhalla et al 2003). The physiological indicators of acute deficits in fluid balance may be masked in individuals where compensatory mechanisms are intact. A history of acute events, mainly from baseline documentation and history taking, may enable better identification of such imbalances (Sheppard, 2001). Fluid and electrolyte homeostasis is brought about by the interaction between the renal, pulmonary, neuroendocrine, integumentary and gastrointestinal systems (Edward s, 2001). According to (Cook 2005), fluid and electrolyte management is a fundamental aspect of the role of the neuroscience nurse. Artificial feeding and fluids are the options for a patient who has an advanced, life-threatening illness and is dying. The patient, family members and doctor can talk about these options and the benefits and risks (Ackermann 2000). Hydration and electrolyte status are crucial mediators to the extent of the neuro-hormonal response to trauma. Edwards (1998, 2001) highlighted that homeostasis is maintained by a constant movement of water, sodium and potassium between intra- and extracellular compartments. While the movement of water and electrolytes between the cellular compartments is highly significant, it is important to recognize that in acute and chronic illness intracellular fluid (ICF) is reduced and extracellular fluid (ECF) increased almost to the extreme (Edwards, 2001). This is highly relevant for cerebral metabolism, because transport of oxyge n, glucose, proteins and other products for cellular metabolism—and their by-products—may be severely impaired. Stroke may affect ones level of alertness, perception of thirst, ability to access liquids, and ability to swallow them when offered. Stroke victims with such impairments may be at increased risk for diuretic-induced dehydration (Churchill et al 2004). Managing hydration balance is of crucial importance and the mechanisms for the adequate monitoring and controls need to be in place. Nursing management questions in the assessment of hydration in acute stroke patients should include whether use of intravenous fluids during the first week of stroke was recorded. Questions should also include whether the patient was fed orally, by nasogastric tube, through percutaneous gastrostomy tube, by intravenous methods or not at all? The fact that these questions can be raised enforces the need for adequate documentation and recording of acute stroke patient records. Bhall a et al (2002) says that the use of artificial ventilatory support with intubation or nasal intermittent positive pressure ventilation should be documented as well as the use of supplemental oxygen given through nasal catheters or masks. Enteral tube feeding is a vital means of feeding and balancing hydration levels in patients with stroke. There are no set standards for hospitals in the UK and hospitals have recorded much variation between them in the timing of the start of enteral tube feeding and whether a nasogastric or percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube is used (Ebrahim and Redfern 1999). Some clinicians delay tube feeding for 2 weeks or more, and although early nutrition is unlikely to be harmful, whether any nutritional benefits offset the difficulties and complications of initiating and maintaining early enteral tube feeding is unclear. If the timing or route of enteral tube feeding does affect outcome, the present variation in practice means that large numbers o f patients are being denied best treatment. Whether enteral tube feeding via PEG rather than nastrogastric tube or early initiation of enteral tube feeding improve outcomes was tested in the FOOD trials and no evidence of significant benefit from PEG rather than nasogastric tube feeding was found. Neither was any hazard from early tube feeding found (The FOOD collaboration 2003). The explanation for any difference between PEG and nasogastric groups is not clear, but one factor might be the effect of a long-term PEG tube on dependency since more patients in the PEG group were still receiving such tube feeding than in the nasogastric group at follow-up (The FOOD collaboration 2003). The survivors in the PEG group were also more likely to be living in institutions and had lower quality of life. Another intriguing finding was the excess of pressure sores in the PEG group, raising the possibility that those with such tubes might move less or be nursed differently. Weaknesses in this test results include insufficient statistical power to exclude more modest differences between groups; no information about the proportion of eligible patients enrolled in each centre; our use of an informal (although reliable and highly predictive) assessment of nutritional status; absence of precise monitoring of patients daily intake of nutrients (rather than fluids); absence of on-site source data verification or collection of information on changing nutritional status (e.g. in-hospital weights); possible bias due to masking of secondary outcome measures. Although compliance was not 100%, this fact results from the inevitable difficulties of adhering to rigid schedules when patients conditions change. Difficulties with nasogastric feeding in stroke patients (who are often confused and uncooperative) have led to increasing use of PEG tubes at an early stage. Enthusiasm for this method has been encouraged by the results of a trial that reported much lower case fatality rates in patien ts fed via PEG (13%) rather than nasogastric tube (57%) (The FOOD trial collaboration 2003). Due to significant alterations in fluid balance after enteral tube-feeding in patients, close attention to the recording of fluid balance such as intake/output measurements, body weights and simple bedside assessments is needed to detect fluid imbalances and other serious complications at an early stage (Oh and Seo 2007). One explanation for the varying and inconsistent readings in fluid hydration between enteral and PEG might b Stroke patients and the impacts of stroke on life Difficulty with swallowing is a common problem in acute stroke patients, and can lead to aspiration pneumonia, dehydration, and exacerbation of any existing malnutrition (Finestone and Greene-Finestone 2003). In Oh and Seo (2007) the authors set out to examine the fluid and electrolyte complications after enteral tube feeding in acute brain infarction patients. The background is that inconsistencies in the results of the water and electrolyte complications associated with enteral tube feeding are partly because of uncontrolled disease-related variables. The implication is that these variables were not adequately managed. Stroke patients very often present with dysphagia and this is very commonly dehydration associated with undernutrition (The Food Trial 2005). Up to half of stroke patients in hospital have dysphagia, which precludes safe oral nutrition for the first few days and can persist for long periods (Mann et al 1999). Although a 50% prevalence can be considered to be high, th e nutritional/fluid status of a stroke patient can rapidly deteriorate in hospital. The difficulty in feeding stroke patients with dysphagia coupled with the discomfort associated with stroke can exacerbate undernutrition and/or dehydration. Studies show that undernutrition shortly after admission is independently associated with increased case fatality and poor functional status at 6 months (The FOOD trial collaboration 2003). The current financial burden of efficiency savings and reduced budgets in the NHS hospitals results in reduced staff numbers so that patients can not be attended to on a one-on-one basis so that ensuring appropriate hydration levels is done by periodic but regular monitoring of charts. An option for the future in this area may be to involve the patients family members in hydration monitoring and provide them with appropriate training if evidence can show that being around loved ones improves outcomes and early warnings. In acute stroke, artificial nutrition t hrough an enteral route is needed because of dysphagia and since oral feeding is unsafe in some dysphagic patients, enteral nutrition is often administered as nasogastric or percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube feeding (Finestone and Greene-Finestone 2003). Naso-gastric tube feeding (a prevalent enteral method) has been reported to improve clinical outcomes more than the parenteral route in brain-injured patients (Rhoney et al 2002). Oh and Seo (2007) in their study used 85 subjects, but their work was limited by the fact that it was performed retrospectively and some of the subjects records were incomplete. Also, because the patients in the study were from one hospital it is not conclusively known whether the results can be generalised to the whole population./p> Legal and other aspects Japanese physicians attitudes towards artificial nutrition and hydration (ANH) as a life-sustaining treatment (LST) were examined to find out if they withhold or withdraw the LST when treating older adults with stroke-caused profound impairment with no hope for recovery. The study findings show that the informants held different views towards LST because most doctors considered ANH to be indispensable and ANH is automatically provided to patients (Aita and Kai 2006). With the advancement of medical technology, decisions to withhold or withdraw LST are among the most difficult to make for health professionals (British Medical Association 2001). Physicians caring for stroke patients often encounter comatose or semi-comatose patients with severe stroke for whom it is difficult to determine whether or not to continue care (Asplund and Britton, 1989). By administering LST, some patients in this patients group, whose bodily functions other than brain function could remain stable, could pot entially survive for months or years without achieving awareness or being able to interact with others (Aita et al 2008). Certain Japanese physicians have criticized the current efforts regarding life prolonging as Aita et al (2008) states: Prolonging the process of dying like this constitutes the violation of dignity and human rights. The life-prolongation only serves hospital operators who want to make profits by keeping hospital beds occupied. They also said this practice impacted the carers and that some nurses also feel emptiness toward the manipulative life-prolongation when taking care of these elderly patients. In the West, some countries have worked out nation-wide guidelines related to withholding or withdrawing LST that say stroke-caused profound impairment with no hope for recovery is a potential reason to withhold or withdraw LST (British Medical Association, 2001). Ackermann (2000) believes withholding and withdrawing therapy challenge family physicians to be excellent communicators with patients and families and recommends that family physicians should continue to be strong advocates for dying patients. Sprung et al (2003) highlighted differences between withholding and withdrawing therapy showing that withdrawal of therapy is followed by a nearer and more rapid death than withholding therapy, and that physicians and nurses were more inclined towards withholding rather than withdrawing therapy. Food and water are considered symbols of caring (Ackermann, 2000), therefore, it may be natural for physicians to give a special status to ANH as food and water. Whether to withdraw ANH from a patient in persistent vegetative state has also drawn substantial media attention in the U.S. (Casarett et al., 2005; Ganzini, 2006). The findings of the study also suggest that the physicians double standard is partly based on their subjective judgment whether the treatment is ordinary or extraordinary. However, the standard of ordinary/extraordinary care has long been criticized as too vague to guide decision-makers in the U.S. (Beauchamp and Childress, 2001). It is believed the current legal framework has also inappropriately led some physicians to simply continue care regardless of the patients conditions, thus resulting in putting an unnecessary burden on patients. The physicians subjective interpretation of the current legal framework may lead to decisions not to initiate mechanical ventilation in some older adults for fear of facing a situation in which physicians cannot withdraw it at a later stage Conclusion Hypovolemia and hypervolemia occurred frequently after acute stroke but were often not recognized as such by nurses. The nurses predictions of current volume status do not seem sufficiently reliable to serve as a basis for therapeutic decisions. More advanced techniques for bedside assessment of volume status may be indicated for optimizing volume status in patients with acute stroke (Hoff et al 2004). Whereas studies have looked at the optimal method of improving hydration, whether correcting dehydration in stroke improves outcome is not very clear. Given the complexity of the cell death cascade following brain ischemia, novel approaches and combination therapy are inevitable for victims of stroke (Fisher and Brott 2003). The review indicates that standards vary from country to country in the legal framework for withdrawing and withholding hydration and nutrition during end stage care.