Mitochondrial Diseases

Mitochondrial Diseases are very diverse. Specialized organelles in every cell of the body (only red blood cells lack mitochondria). Mitochondria generate more than 90% of the energy required by the body. Mitochondrial dysfunction depletes cells of energy causing cell damage and even cell death. Due to the high energy requirements of brain and muscle, mitochondrial disease typically affect these parts of the body causing Brain and Muscle disease. Other organs are frequently affected including: eye, ears, heart, liver, gastrointestinal tract, liver, kidney, endocrine system, nd blood.The diseases predominantly affect children, but adult-onset disorders are being recognized with increasing frequency. Mitochondria are unique organelles because they are the products of their own genetic material and nuclear DNA. Therefore, mitochondrial diseases are caused by mutations in either mtDNA or nuclear DNA. Mitochondrial diseases are often difficult to diagnose and therefore, it is important for patients to be evaluated at a medical center with appropriate expertise.Physical examination and laboratory tests are necessary to characterize involvement of various organs and to reach the correct diagnosis. Laboratory studies typically include: blood tests, brain MRI or CT scans, heart tests, ophthalmological and neurological evaluations. Finally, genetic testing of blood, urine, or muscle is performed to pinpoint the exact mutation responsible for a specific disease. Treatment of mitochondrial diseases is limited. Therapies to treat specific symptoms and signs of mitochondrial diseases are very important.For example, in mitochondrial patients, epilepsy typically responds to anti-convulsant drugs while insulin and other standard treatments are effective for diabetes mellitus. Retinitis pigmentosa is an inherited mitochondrial condition that involves both eyes. If it starts in one eye,it usually moves to the next eye. There are about 75,000 people in the United States with retini tis pigmentosa (RP). Since retinitis pigmentosa begins as rod degeneration, the patient first notices increasing difficulty in night vision, followed by ifficulty seeing in the periphery.Slowly progressive constriction of the visual field leads to tunnel vision. A small area of central vision in both eyes usually persists for years. Generally night blindness precedes tunnel vision by years or even decades. Total blindness eventually ensues in most cases. For years, vitamin A therapy has been recommended for many RP patients, based on research dating back to the early 1990s. , it has been the only treatment found that slows the RP process. Mitochondrial Diseases By eliJahcolas1

Feminine Power in the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Essay

Whether young or middle-aged, the female characters in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn played vital roles. They were more a part of the novel’s scenic backdrop, but their function served in shaping the main character(s). The women and girls of the book were stereotypical, teachers, and â€Å"worse† than the males. The female characters were given stereotypical qualities, being depicted from an American man’s point of view. They were perceived as virtuous, innocent, helpless women, needing aid from the male characters. Women’s vulnerability can be made out in chapter eleven of the novel, where Judith Loftus confesses to wanting the assistance of Huck, â€Å"she told me to try for the next one† (Twain 59). Females occupy the back of the novel, seen as â€Å"nagging, providing inspiration, often weeping or hysterical† (Walker 139-153). You can witness this in chapter twenty-eight of the novel, where Huck stumbles upon Mary Jane Wilks, â€Å"she had stopped now, with a folded gown in her lap, and had her face in her hands, crying† (Twain 187). They possessed many assets, including: honesty, compassion, a sense of duty, innocence, and limitation; making them look powerless, as they were in the society of those days. Women were also the teachers of those days. Not only is Huck taught his education by women, but learns the ways of humanity from them as well. Some women, such as the Widow Douglas and Miss Watson, are â€Å"principal female mentors† (Walker 139-153). Huck Finn begins developing more and more traits from the females you see him interacting with. Often he â€Å"tries to run from the civilizing presence of women† (Walker 139-153). This is shown in the final chapter of the novel, â€Å"Aunt Sally she’s going to adopt me and sivilize me and I can’t stand it† (Twain 293). He is educated in school books, societal etiquette, and the Christian faith. You can find these teachings from Miss Watson in chapter one of the novel, â€Å"†¦took a set at me now, with a spelling-book. She worked me middling hard for about an hour†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Twain 3). Lastly, the female characters were of far less import to Twain than the male characters, just as you would’ve seen in the typical culture of his day. Morally, they were better off than men, but they were powerless to society. â€Å"Both the men and the women in the novel illustrate the values of a society that has little regard for human dignity, but the female characters also embody virtues that could redeem that society if the women were empowered to do so† (Walker 139-153). The men tend to be unruly characters, while the women demonstrate high merit. My scrutiny, like Nancy Walker’s, is that the women, though supposed to have been unimportant to the novel, held essential roles. They were stereotyped teachers who had better ethics than the male characters. The book wouldn’t have been complete without them, seeing as they were a large part of Huckleberry Finn’s growth. Works Cited Walker, Nancy. â€Å"Reformers and Young Maidens: Women and Virtue in Huckleberry Finn. † Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. (1990): 139-153. Print. Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Austin, TX: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston. Print.

Formal and Informal Management of Risks Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Formal and Informal Management of Risks - Essay Example There can be a positive news though as some of what had appeared as risks would turn out as actually opportunities. Thus, monitoring on how the risks would unfold is a must. Investors can use indicators in monitoring risks. Price, price change, price change over time, the speed of price change and price movements in relation to a price reference like the price of the stock or equity, a year ago, two years ago, three years ago, or based on the equity’s average price over a period of history. All these are indicators or variables from which indicators can be developed or devised to put up a monitoring system in how risks may be developed and transform into serious threats or even opportunities. The monitoring system, for example, may identify what indicators or variables to monitor as well as the schedule in which the monitoring should take place. Meanwhile, Wood et al. focused on the management of risk as an element of risk governance and internal control. The Wood et al. persp ective only emphasize that the management of risks must be considered as an everyday task of management. In this  way, however, life is also a management of risks. In living we are confronted with many risks: risk of bankruptcy with a major change in the prices of equity, hurricane, typhoon, drought, tsunami, earthquake, heat wave, climate change and the like. Some of the risks are particularly important in some periods and some become less important in a particular period. Our lives have informally developed a monitoring system for these.

Expressions in Canadian Native Studies by Ron Laliberte Assignment

Expressions in Canadian Native Studies by Ron Laliberte - Assignment Example In Aboriginal studies, the studies revolve around an ethical approach and the call of the Aboriginal people for justice. For example, the protocols governing native studies revolve around how elders get addressed, how to listen to them and the names used when talking about the community (Laliberte, 2000). The outcome is that it proves that there are places where native studies present the best of a university system. In Canada, Native studies relate to part of a broader process and challenges posed by the existence of the first nations. The studies provide the Aboriginal students with the knowledge and experience necessary for assisting Aboriginal communities to realize their potential. As a result, the community gets a mechanism which helps other Aboriginal students to gain access to post-secondary institutions (Laliberte, 2000). It makes the teaching and learning of Native studies an intellectual challenge and experience. Through native studies, the Aboriginal community’s history, culture, and experiences are noticeable to other communities in other parts of the world (Laliberte, 2000). Hence, for the world to hear the call of Aboriginal people, the native studies will provide the gateway for new social and material structures. In Peter Kulchyski’s article on Native studies, he goes to great lengths to show the importance of such studies in contemporary Canada. According to Kulchyski, it is extremely important to give credit to elders in the Aboriginal community (Laliberte, 2000). The illustrations of some of his statements are most notable on page 19 of the article. In page 19, he asserts that Elders in the Aboriginal communities are the key to helping the community understand all about life issues. By giving credit to elders, it is the only way that the names of knowledgeable people in the community can take place beside the names of other people from non-native communities in scholarly practice.

Promoting Ethical Behavior and Diversity on a Company Essay

Promoting Ethical Behavior and Diversity on a Company - Essay Example The company also does follow-ups on its performance on ethical issues in the countries it operates. Swedish culture is of less power distance implying that the society expects power to be decentralized. Skanska is developing their culture based on minimal power distance. The company CEO says that he depends on his team for the company success. On the case of masculinity as a dimension, Swedish society is more feminine that masculine, which implies that the society expects equality in management issues. Skanska CEO admits in the interview that he likes to involve individuals and want people to challenge him as he challenges them back. The trait of the management style of the CEO depicts a manager who is trying quite hard to promote equality in all the decisions and matters of the company just the same way Swedish culture dictates. Additionally, Karlstrom is a CEO, who avoids uncertainty at all cost. In the opening of the interview, he refers to a crisis that happened in 1997 concerning Skanska. He asserts that his team does not want the company to find itself in such uncertainty ag ain. The CEO is thus managing Skanska in the line of the Swedish culture that is a highly uncertainty avoidance society. Furthermore, the CEO says that Skanska creates a collective business environment that supports the success of the company and employees as well. In fact, the spirit is in line with the Swedish culture that promotes high institution

Contemporary Dance Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Contemporary Dance - Thesis Example Perhaps one important fact to note is that visual arts, which were initially part of the musical dance, had been significantly diluted by the 20th century. This was especially so due to the elimination of the painting works that was so common in the duration that the whole meaning of music lost sense. Additionally, the pigmentation aspect in terms of music choreography underwent significant change on the onset of modern music, hence eliminating the significance of color in music choreography. When it comes to poetry and other literary works, poetry stands in direct contrast with the emotional expressions that the romantics bring about. In a similar manner, the contemporary novels focus more of the facts of the matter rather than going deep into the description of the characters and phenomena involved. This has greatly diluted the many literary and artistic works over the years, thus making them less desirable compared to other areas of creativity. As far as dialogues are concerned, two types of human personality exist, one depicting that human beings react rationally to various situations that come their way. Human beings react according to their beliefs and not the consequences however expensive the consequences might be. On the other hand, some scholars like Susan belief that human beings are both practical and logical meaning that they react in a reasonable and realize manner according to the situations that face them. The truth of the matter is that the vocabulary of the moral feeling is undoubtedly the most influential concept arising out of the belief in the inner self.

Comparing Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Comparing Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau - Essay Example One of the key problems involved in the debate on justification of political authority is the balance between limitations imposed by any political authority and individual freedom. On the one hand, freedom is exceptionally important to the life of a person in many senses. On the other hand, an individual can not be allowed to act solely at his or her will: there must be certain rules for behavior. Establishing this balance between individual freedom and interests of the community is the key task of any state and government which acts like a stabilizer. In case this balance is in place, the highest level of individual freedom is achieved while the risk of falling into total anarchy is avoided (Popper, 1985). According to Thomas Hobbes, in prehistoric uncivilized times before any sort of government emerged, there was constant war with â€Å"every man, against every man† (Hobbes, 1668, p.12). Consequently, Hobbesian justification of authority logically followed from the total brutality of human beings in their natural state characterized by intolerance: submission to authority was the only way to eliminate the brutality and intolerance of the State of Nature (Hobbes, 1668). By contrast, John Locke believed that the original state of man was not as hostile as Hobbes thought. In Locke’s opinion happiness, reason and tolerance were the core characteristics of the natural man, and all humans, in their original state, were equal and absolutely free to pursue things, considered as indisputable rights, namely â€Å"†¦life, health, liberty and possessions† (Locke, 1990, par. 6). However, Locke’s State of Nature is not chaotic with every individual pursuing its own egoistic goals. Despite absence of any authority or government with the power to punish the subjects for wrong actions, Locke believed that the State of Nature was effectively regulated by morality. Since all human beings in the

Competition in my life. (Any story of competition that I might Essay

Competition in my life. (Any story of competition that I might encountered in life, and so on. look for instructiions) - Essay Example I know how it feels to be awake on a chilly morning going for endless laps. However, not all this has been in vain, as I have won a few medals, excelled in some races and even lost in others. This essay is a narration of one of the most memorable swimming competition in my life. It was an early Thursday morning when all the members of the swim team assembled in the school swimming pool for a warm up session on the day of the competition. Our coach was enthusiastic and gave us an encouraging speech after the warm up session (Ramsay 106). I would take part in four swimming events including the 400 free, 200 free relay, 50 free and 100 free. I was under intense pressure to give an outstanding performance, as this was my specialized swimming style. On the other hand, I was nervous, as it was the first race I had taken part in with so many experienced swimmers. The first race that I took part in was the 50 free and I was in the third lane. The referee instructed all the swimmers to step up and the pool seemed unusually longer. The gun went off and the referee shouted ‘GO!’ All the six competitors dove into the water and the water felt so cold that I felt dizzy. The race was faster than I expected and I came out forth. I had hoped for a better performance and promised myself to do better in the remaining races (Ramsay 106). When I went back to my team members, they patted me on the back and told me that I had done well as all the other team members had performed worse in other races. To my utter surprise, this was the best time I had ever clocked in this race. I could only hope for an improved performance in the remaining races. The 100-meter race was no different, my opponents seemed taller and stronger, and this intimidated me. However, I did not give up as I could see my teammates, friends and family cheering me on from the bleachers. When the gun went off, I dove in the waters hoping for a better performance. This time I emerged third as

Milgram's Experiments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Milgram's Experiments - Essay Example After World War II, in the Nuremberg War Crimes trials, a common defense of those accused of these crimes against humanity was "obedience.". The prevalence of this justification is what prompted Stanley Milgram to perform his experiments. Milgram's experiments focused on the conflict between obedience to authority and a person's conscience. Milgram recruited participants through newspaper advertisements calling for anyone interested in getting paid for participating in an experiment supposedly intending to determine the effect of punishment on learning. The participant (the subject) is introduced to a stern-looking experimenter in a white coat and to a second 'participant' that the subject understands was recruited in the same way that he was. This second participant, who is pleasant and friendly to the subject, is actually an accomplice of the experimenter. Under the directions of the experimenter the subject, given the role of "teacher", is made to inflict electric shocks of increasing power for every mistake that the other "participant" (the "learner") makes in answering some questions. The experimenter and the teacher are in the same room while the learner is in an adjoining room. 65% of the teachers obeyed all orders and went to the maximum of 450 volts administered to the learner, even though most of the subjects were extremely uncomfortable in delivering the punishment. None of the subjects stopped "punishing" before reaching 300 volts.

Hebrew Bible Essay Example for Free

Hebrew Bible Essay I attended the First Baptist Church this last week. The message the pastor shared was from the book of Proverbs. This is the Old Testament of our scriptures. This is the Hebrew Bible which is regularly used in the Baptist Church. The passage taught this week was â€Å"32 My children, listen to me. Blessed are those who keep my ways. 33 Listen to my teaching and be wise. Dont turn away from it. 34 Blessed is the one who listens to me. He watches every day at my doors. He waits beside my doorway. 35 Those who find me find life. They receive favor from the Lord. † (Proverbs 8:32-35). The Old Testament was incorporated into the service by the Pastor in way of introduction. The pastor will stand before the congregation and ask them to turn to a certain passage. The passage he directed us all to this week was Proverbs 8:32-35. The passage is talking about finding wisdom wisdom in the Lord. The Pastor taught on how that passage is just as true to the listener today as it was in times past. When we find that wisdom we listen to that wisdom and we remain obedient to that wisdom then we receive favor from the Lord. This applied thousands of years ago when the Hebrew King David wrote the Proverbs and it applies today. The writings of the Hebrew Bible are as applicable today as they were thousands of years ago. The God of our Bible Old and New Testaments is the same today and yesterday. Applying the lessons from His scripture is the right thing to do -as much today as yesterday. Verse 33 in the reading directs the reader to not turn away from wisdom. That applies to everyone’s life. Makes no difference if one is a believer in the writings of the Hebrew Bible or not. Hanging on to wisdom is a smart thing to do. Bibliography Proverbs. (2009). Bible Gateway. New International Readers Version. Retrieved 20 March, 2009, from, http://www. biblegateway. com/passage/? book_id=24chapter=8version=76

The Pursuit Of Gender Equality Theology Religion Essay

The Pursuit Of Gender Equality Theology Religion Essay Though no tradition can be considered representative of all religions, this essay will focus on Islam and whether it should be considered bad for womens development and the pursuit of gender equality. Although focussing on Islam, it will become clear that there is no single manifestation of this religion and, therefore, some interpret it in a way which is bad for womens development. The recent shooting of 14 year old Malala Yousafzai for promoting the education of girls in Pakistan is one of many shocking occurrences used by the Western media to paint a sombre picture of women in Muslim countries (BBC 2012). The essay will begin by demonstrating that the literature surrounding this topic leads us to assume that there is one model of womens development and one model of Islam and that the two are at odds. Next, it will argue that this assumption is the result of Islamophobia and more specifically gendered Islamophobia which has increased since the September 11th attacks (Zine 2006). Ge ndered Islamophobia relates to the negative stereotypes presented by Western media and institutions of vulnerable veiled women (ibid.). The primary purpose of this essay is to demonstrate that Islam has been considered bad for womens development because it seems to contradict Western ideas about gender equality, but that this is only part of the picture. It will highlight the fact that there has been a rejection, from within Islam, of the fundamentalist Islamic perception of women. It will argue that Islam has the potential to be good for womens development as Muslim women have been establishing new spaces of discussion and opportunity within their religion and are fighting against the negative stereotypes placed upon them. In recent decades, the Western perception of Islam has been almost entirely influenced by the increase in what the West describes as Islamic Fundamentalism. Although I acknowledge that views within the Western world are not uniform, the term will be used to describe the mainstream political and developmental discourses on Islam and Muslim women. Fundamentalism is a delicate term which refers to the conservative, apparently misogynistic interpretation of the Quran and the enforcement of Islamic law, Shariah. Shariah has increasingly been used to justify the oppression of women in all areas of their lives and child marriage and the veil are two of the more visible examples (Othman 2006; Hopkins and Patel 2006).The conservative interpretations of the Quran directly oppose traditional Western development discourse, exemplified in the universal aims of the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and Millennium Development Goal 3 (MDG 3) to Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women (United Nations date unknown a; United Nations date unknown b). Feminist notions of womens rights based on equality between men and women are central to the development of women and bills and policies such as CEDAW and MDG 3, regardless of religion. It is clear that this Western approach is at odds with the treatment of women required by some conservative forms of Islam. This leads to the assumption that Islam, as a whole, is a definitive barrier against womens access to human rights, such as the right to freedom, the right to education and the right to safety (United Nations 1995a) and is therefore bad for womens development. However, the views traditionally held by the West are criticised for a variety of reasons and are, in fact, thought to be detrimental to Muslim women. Western policy depends on a simplistic and over-generalised version of Islam based on the culturally-rooted traditions of the dominant minority which are seen as the defining feature of this religion. It therefore employs secular, feminist ideals in order attempt to free women from this supposedly patriarchal religion (Tomalin forthcoming). Although some Muslims are fighting against the veil, others challenge Western ideology and defend their right to continue with what the West would conceive as radical Islamic practices. They claim that the Western model itself has created oppressive roles for women by reducing women to their physical appearance and they believe that they could choose to cover themselves in order to be defined by their brains, not their bodies (Afshar 2000.) They challenge the generalised Western notion that the veil is an unequivocal sign of oppression and argue instead that they are examples of a womans agency over how her body is to be represented, which frees them from sexual objectification (ibid.). They view any opposition to this choice as an attack on their civil liberties and human rights (Critelli 2010). Nevertheless, this approach does not challenge the root problem of the objectification of women. These women are merely resigned to the fact that gender relations will always be based on sexuality and it is up to women to sacrifice their freedom in order to be protected from men. This does show, however, just how complex Islam and Islamic culture are and highlights the need for dialogue and cooperation rather than simply viewing Islam through a western lens. Islam is unlike religions which have developed in the West, such as Christianity, as it has no one authority that monopolises religious meaning (Barlas 2004). It is a multifaceted religion which draws on more than the culture and traditions it is famed for and the Quranic scriptures and legal interpretations of Shariah law also play crucial roles in the lives of Muslims. Islam cannot easily be conceptualised and, therefore, Western institutions fail in their attempt to do so in such a simplistic way. The absence of a critical attempt to come to terms with Islam as a heterogeneous tradition in development discourse, and the universality of bills such as CEDAW and MDG 3, deepen pre-existing inequalities and strip Muslims of their own vision of womens rights (Bradley 2011).Traditional feminist development appears to offer no way to achieve human rights and wellbeing for women other than through the Western model, which implies that women in the West are liberated and Muslim women are tr apped. This approach is destined to fail since it alienates Muslim women who may be equally against radical ideologies but are not willing to reject their religious identity (Jawad 1998). Some Muslims view traditional development as a threat to Islam and this has produced increased hostility towards Western institutions (Adamu 1999). It is counterproductive to continue to view Islam in this way, as it will only ever be portrayed as a negative force against women and prevent any meaningful cooperative action from being taken. Although there is a tendency to misrepresent or ignore Islam in the field of development, some organisations are beginning to engage with this religion. Oxfam is a secular organisation that arranged two workshops in 2004 and 2006 to determine the opportunities found within Islam (Hopkins and Patel 2006). These workshops confirmed that the stereotypical portrayals of Muslim women as helpless victims often make them invisible in the process of development. Moreover, international human rights treaties are viewed as a display of Western arrogance and are dismissed for being culturally irrelevant and incompatible with Islam (ibid.). Therefore, Oxfam is approaching development through the eyes of the recipients and use quotes from the Quran to try to prove that their vision of womens rights and equality are compatible with the teachings of Islam. In addition, the secular organisation the Womens Action Forum (WAF) in Pakistan is increasingly engaging with conservative versions of religion, as they consider this the only way to truly promote change in Pakistan (Pearson and Tomalin 2007). Including Islam in their fight for womens rights shows that they are engaging with women on their level and in a language they understand, rather than undermining their culture using Western, secular methods. Both Oxfam and WAF are open about this engagement being a strategy. However, it is not clear whether they are doing so because it is the only way to undermine the oppressive dimensions of Islam, or whether they actually believe that Islam can contribute to womens rights. Nevertheless, it is clear that both of these organisations understand that issues of faith and gender are intrinsically linked and that to criticise Islam as bad for womens development, would be to ignore the reality of Muslim womens lives. The notion of Islamic feminism is used to describe the way in which women are using aspects of their religion to counter the Islamist patriarchal interpretations of conservative Muslims and the gendered Islamophobia these have created in the West (Kirmani and Phillips 2011). Islamic feminists reject the imposition of Western, secular approaches which they see as reflecting imperialist ideologies. They believe that they have the right to participate in an understanding of Islam and that this right to autonomy is being denied to them both by fundamentalists and the West (Anwar 2001). Islamic feminism calls for Muslim women to reclaim their religion by reinterpreting the Quran in order to establish the authentic foundations of their religion. Islamic feminism states that the patriarchal culture of pre-Islamic Arabia heavily influenced modern Islamic law and states that Islam should not be judged for the oppression caused by the traditions carried out by Muslim people, as many of these a ctions are also forbidden in the Quran. At the fourth World Conference on Women, the Prime Minister of Pakistan and the first women elected to the head of a Muslim state, Benazir Bhutto (Bostan 2011), proclaimed that Muslim women have a special responsibility to help distinguish between Islamic teachings and social taboos spun by the traditions of patriarchal society (cited in United Nations 1995b: para. 14). Thus, it is culture, not Islam, that is bad for women and Islamic feminists are working towards a distinction of the two and are fighting for rights on their terms. There are various versions of Islamic feminism. The first believes that Islam is not bad for the pursuit of womens equality and uses the Quranic teaching to re-educate Muslims that inequality is not prescribed by their faith (Jawad 1998). Although sharing the common goal with the West of achieving equality between the sexes, these Islamic feminists have different visions of how to achieve equality as well as different motivations from conventional development, which is viewed as drenched in neo-colonialism. This type of development implies that in order to achieve equality and access to rights, Muslim women must reject their religion. However, some Islamic feminists claim that they can be a Muslim, a woman and equal. Sisters in Islam (SIS), for example, is a Muslim womens organisation established in 1988 in Malaysia to promote the equal rights of women from within an Islamic framework (Bostan 2011). They draw from parts of the Quran that assert that men and women are equal and that m en have no priority over access to education and that Muslims are to marry of free will, for example (Jawad 1998). Central to their mission is the belief that feminist interpretations of the Quran are the true Islam and they abrogate Shariah law on the ground that it is human derived and not divine (Mashour 2005; Ahmed-Ghosh 2008). This conviction has put SIS at the forefront of pressures to change family laws in Malaysia and in lobbying for womens equality and rights (Bostan 2011; Ahmed-Ghosh 2008). The view that Islam is good for women and the pursuit of equality is the driving force behind SIS and, therefore, Islam cannot be dismissed for being detrimental to women as it depends on ones definition of what Islam is. Another type of Islamic feminism challenges the view that equality can be achieved at all. Certain Islamic feminists believe that Western women forfeit their biologically determined roles in order to be more like men but never actually achieving equality (Afshar 2000). These feminists see the Western vision of womens development as a flawed model and see no reason that they should adopt it. It could be argued, therefore, that striving for equality is bad for women and what is in fact needed is equity. In Iran, Malaysia and other parts of Asia, the equality versus equity debate is prominent in Islamic feminism (Ahmed-Ghosh 2008; Foley 2004). This type of feminism believes that since women are not the same as men, equality can never be achieved. Instead of the individualistic priorities of equality, which encourage the breakdown of the family, communitarian rights found in the Quran are deemed to grant women rights while staying true to their biologically determined roles (Foley 2004). They state that the Quran grants them equal but different rights, such as the right to be provided for when pregnant (ibid. Ahmed-Ghosh 2008). This type of interpretation of Islam separates what is good for women from gender equality. Therefore, if Islam is bad for equality it does not necessarily mean that it is bad for women. This version of Islamic feminism would agree with the conventional secular approach that suggests that equality can only be discussed in secular terms and not within the framework of Islam. However, this simply means that they believe that the different but equally valid pursuit of equity is needed within Islam. Both secular and Muslim critics of Islamic feminism continue to strip Muslim women of opportunity. It is thought that the term Islamic feminism is oxymoronic since Islam can never been in favour of women. Moghissi, for example, asks How could a religion based on gender hierarchy be adopted as the framework for struggle for gender democracy and womens equality? (1999: 126). Moreover, she argues that Shariah law is inherently discriminatory against women and is incompatible with human rights based on equality. However, concerns such as these are based on one view of Islam, reducing it to a narrow and negative conception which will further delegitimise the progress made by Muslim women. In addition, feminist groups such as SIS call for the rewriting and modernising of Shariah law to include gender equality rights. Therefore, opposition to them appears negated by the incorrect assumption that Islam cannot change. In addition, if Islam is incompatible with gender equality, this simply rei nforces the feminist argument in favour of equity. However, there is also a tendency to speak of Islamic feminism as if it too had only one form. Islamic feminists in general have been criticised from within Islam on the grounds that they have no right to speak about Islam because they are not properly educated in Muslim schools (Othman 2006). However, this once again discriminates against women who can never be part of the patriarchal hierarchy put in place to ensure the continued appointment of men as the deciders of this religion. There is no consensus as to what Islam and whose Islam is the right Islam (Anwar cited in Hefner 2001: 227) and Islamic feminists truly believe that there is a place for all interpretations of womens rights within Islam. This essay questioned whether the human rights promoted by CEDAW and MDG 3 should be treated as universal and the implications on women and development in Islam. This essay has demonstrated that Islam is not a static phenomenon of patriarchy and oppression and that gendered Islamophobia only serves to worsen Muslim womens struggle. Equally, there is no unique model of what is good for womens development and Islam has only been perceived as bad for women because some interpretations contradict Western discourse. Contrary to the belief that Islam is bad for women, it has been shown that Islam is also a feminist resource. Islamic feminists must be commended for rejecting fundamentalism and the dominant secular Western development discourse and fighting for rights on their own terms. They battle the culturally-created element of their religion by using the historical texts to claim and defend the rights of women guaranteed to them in the Quran. The varieties found within Islamic feminism and conservative interpretations are all living forms of Islam which highlight the complexity of this religion and development institutions would avoid dangerous generalisations if they accepted this complexity and engaged with, rather than dismiss, Islamic feminism. However, it is also important to understand that Islam is just one part of womens identities. Therefore, it is vital that Muslim women are able to speak out on national and international scales in order for them to access the rights they want and deserve. It is clear that Islam is both part of the problem and part of the solution for Muslim women and, therefore, what is good for womens development must be defined by the women themselves. Word count: 2735

Experiences with Faith Essay -- Catholic Christian Theology

What is faith? Faith is something different to everyone. If you asked a hundred different people, you would get many different answers. Faith holds an extremely complex meaning when discussing it in the context of religion. Faith is a belief. It holds true to every religious and non-religious person. Every faith involves a decision. It is not about what we claim to believe, but what we actually do believe, that is true faith. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding, In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.† Proverb 3:5-6 That has to be my favorite proverb from the bible, whenever I feel like screaming â€Å"Why Me†, I simply play that proverb in my head and just tell myself that God has a plan for everyone. My Catholic faith is very important to me and I hold it very dear. I go to mass every Saturday night at 4:30 at St. Pats. I feel going to mass is a way to talk to God and I feel the closest to him during mass. At mass I feel like I am deepening my relationship with God. I look to God as a role model and I d...

National Basketball Championship Essay examples -- Sports Basketball

The ball soaring towards the basket; flying all the way from half-court. Bang! The ball slams off the backboard and plunges onto the rim as 70,930 people fall into shock. Will the impossible happen? Unfortunately for the upstart Butler Bulldogs, Gordan Hayward's desperation heave at the buzzer of the 2010 NCAA National Championship game was 3 inches off the mark, allowing perennial power Duke to walk away with their fourht National Championship. However, Butler's magical run shows why the NCAA Tournament is such a great event and why it does its job as a fair way to decide the National Champion. Meanwhile, three months earlier, Boise State is stuck at home, wondering what could have been as they watch Alabama and Texas get the opportunity to play for the National Championship. Boise State was undefeated. The BCS system, which decides the two teams who get to play for the title in college football, is considered by many to be iniquitous and believe the sport should switch to a playoff format similarly to what is used in college basketball. The two championships are set up quite differently. The obvious difference is that the basketball format is a playoff, while in football only two teams get the chance to play. A committee of people come together and set up the basketball tournament by seeding the teams into four â€Å"brackets†, seeding the teams 1-17 in each bracket. The decision making process can be quite complicated. First of all, 30 teams automatically play their way into the tournament by winning their conference tournament. This means no matter how terrible a team played in the regular season, they still get the chance to play their way into the National Championship game. The only exception to this is the Ivy League. They do ... ... truth is the reason that the college football universe is being prevented from getting a playoff. Even though in many ways a playoff is a fairer, more efficient, and more entertaining way of deciding the National Champion, money and power end up smothering this idea. Until the people with the power decide to finally do the right thing, there will always be teams such as Boise State or TCU on the outside looking in, wondering what could have been. Works Cited Eisenburg, Jeff. â€Å"How college hoops would look if the BCS replaced the NCAA tourney.† rivals.yahoo.com. 11 November 2010. Web. 22 November 2010. Murphy, Austin. â€Å"BCS supporters don’t get it: current system isn’t better than playoff.† www.si.com. 12 November 2010. Web. 22 November 2010. Murphy, Austin and Dan Wetzel. â€Å"Does it Matter?† Sports Illustrated. 15 November 2010: 42-48. National Basketball Championship Essay examples -- Sports Basketball The ball soaring towards the basket; flying all the way from half-court. Bang! The ball slams off the backboard and plunges onto the rim as 70,930 people fall into shock. Will the impossible happen? Unfortunately for the upstart Butler Bulldogs, Gordan Hayward's desperation heave at the buzzer of the 2010 NCAA National Championship game was 3 inches off the mark, allowing perennial power Duke to walk away with their fourht National Championship. However, Butler's magical run shows why the NCAA Tournament is such a great event and why it does its job as a fair way to decide the National Champion. Meanwhile, three months earlier, Boise State is stuck at home, wondering what could have been as they watch Alabama and Texas get the opportunity to play for the National Championship. Boise State was undefeated. The BCS system, which decides the two teams who get to play for the title in college football, is considered by many to be iniquitous and believe the sport should switch to a playoff format similarly to what is used in college basketball. The two championships are set up quite differently. The obvious difference is that the basketball format is a playoff, while in football only two teams get the chance to play. A committee of people come together and set up the basketball tournament by seeding the teams into four â€Å"brackets†, seeding the teams 1-17 in each bracket. The decision making process can be quite complicated. First of all, 30 teams automatically play their way into the tournament by winning their conference tournament. This means no matter how terrible a team played in the regular season, they still get the chance to play their way into the National Championship game. The only exception to this is the Ivy League. They do ... ... truth is the reason that the college football universe is being prevented from getting a playoff. Even though in many ways a playoff is a fairer, more efficient, and more entertaining way of deciding the National Champion, money and power end up smothering this idea. Until the people with the power decide to finally do the right thing, there will always be teams such as Boise State or TCU on the outside looking in, wondering what could have been. Works Cited Eisenburg, Jeff. â€Å"How college hoops would look if the BCS replaced the NCAA tourney.† rivals.yahoo.com. 11 November 2010. Web. 22 November 2010. Murphy, Austin. â€Å"BCS supporters don’t get it: current system isn’t better than playoff.† www.si.com. 12 November 2010. Web. 22 November 2010. Murphy, Austin and Dan Wetzel. â€Å"Does it Matter?† Sports Illustrated. 15 November 2010: 42-48.

Challenges Facing 5 Star Hotel Businesses Essay

The hotel industry contributes significantly to revenue generation through customs, license fees, value added tax, landing fees, and exercise duty. The revenue generated plays a significant role in the overall development of resident economy as well as the global economy. The hotel industry, under the umbrella of tourism and hospitality, has faced numerous challenges that have led to a stagnated growth. Most 5-star hotel businesses across the globe often shift their operation to restaurants that have potentially limited their growth. Most hoteliers have mentioned short comes in demand and supply that are not in sync. Likewise, the market for five-star hotels is growing at a slower rate that demands operational efficiencies to have a bigger share of the pie. As such, this paper discusses the challenges experienced by five-star hotels in this century based on current research validations. Description of a 5-Star Hotel and Rationale for the Choice The term five-star hotel is most often associated with ultimate luxury and by implication, expense. Five-star hotel groups are committed to displaying conduct through their behavior and actions. Hotels promote corporate citizenship through their strategic private-public partnerships. The significance of hotels is to reduce malnutrition, enhancing employment, promoting indigenous craftsmen and artisans. Five-star hotels present a unique scope and opportunity that enables the development of raw potential individuals to a skilled workforce, which according to Chandana, are immediately employable by the key players in the hotel sector (Chandana, 2013) Likewise, five-star hotels drive myriad community projects that emphasize on food production, housekeeping, kitchen management, spas, and customer service to promote economic empowerment for candidates from vulnerable social and economic backgrounds. The rationale for choosing the hotel sector is due to their capability and previous good re cord in global economic performance. However, the challenges facing the hotel sector are numerous and solutions are readily available. Likewise, the commitment of the hotel sector in economic development, creation of employment, food security campaigns, and environmental sustainability is significant for developing careers in the sector.Shortage of Qualified Employees According to a study conducted on the Romanian 5-star hotels, approximately 40 percent of the 5-star hotels are facing the shortage of qualified employees. Besides, Haidment (2007) predicts that within the next ten years, employee shortage in terms of talent in a five-star hotel would increase by 15 percent. As such, five-star hotels around the globe, according to him, will face challenging times from the human resource point of view. However, the problem is not the presence qualified and talented candidates to work for these hotels; rather it is the inability of these hotels to attract talented and qualified candidates for the hotel industry (Haidment, 2007). The deficit mainly refers to the specialized positions such as receptionist, cooks, pastry cooks, chambermaids, and waiters. The study further reveals that the number of vacancies in five-star hotels is continually increasing with 11, 000 jobs announced annually, according to data forecast by World Travel and Tourism Council (2 007). The causes of labor shortage in five-star hotels, Haidment (2007) explains, begin with the shrinking of the population due to emigration. Besides, the lack of national integration plan to and action plan to support the development of human capital in the hotel industry, 5-star hotels, in particular, partially explains the deficit of employees in 5 star hotels. Look more:Â  the basic economic problem essay Insufficient Employee Training and Development The current market for 5-star hotels is highly competitive and requires skillful workforce to remain successful in the competitive hotel sector game. Boella and Goss-Turner, (2005) indicates that one of the major obstacles that affect the workplace of 5-star hotels is the lack of employee training and development. According to him, employee training is an essential process that should be designed and implemented continually in any 5-star hotel as well as other firms. The significance of human resource department is to improve the attractiveness of the organization by providing the employees with skills, knowledge and attitudes that in turn improves their current job performance (Boella & Goss-Turner, 2005). However, five-star hotels have experienced limited development activities that have reduced the acquisition of new knowledge and skills for the purposes of employee career and personal growth. The current economic downturn has hit five star hotels with appalling impacts everywhere especially Europe and U.S. Thus, the productivity of the employees in the sector, according to Boella et al. (2005), has reduced in double digits further challenging the organizations in meeting their establishment goals. Insecurity Terrorism is a global problem affecting both the developed and developing countries. According to Chandana, (2013) terror groups that exist in many nations have led to a sharp economic downturn. In particular, the hotel industry is a sector that provides revenue for the government and employment to numerous people globally. However, the acts of terrorism have led to the closure of some 5-star hotels and numerous people rendered jobless. Chandana, (2013) notes that most five-star hotels, especially, in developing countries relies on visitors from abroad touring the nation. However, the threat due to terrorist and bandits in these countries has led to decrease in traveling and tourism activities. For instance, the recent terrorist activities and attacks by bandits in Kenya and Nigeria have seen some countries such as U.S warning their citizens to visit these countries at their own risk. Yet, these countries have five-star hotels that heavily bank on of foreign visitors that seek the se rvices of their facilities considered expensive for most of their citizens. Therefore, terrorist activities and bandit attacks, according to Lockyer (2007), provides a significant challenge to five-star hotels and the tourism sector at large. Also, bandits that reside within the countries have discouraged domestic tourism with the few potential visitors of 5-star hotels avoiding such places. Lockyer, (2007) further highlights that 5-star hotels attract terrorist activities as some of the agendas derived by the terrorists aim at seeking audience of the high class. Thus, the terrorists keep on storming 5-star hotels and kidnapping and killing people. In a nutshell, the resultant victim in this tussle is the five-star hotel investors that experience severe losses leading to closure in extreme scenarios. Competition Fierce competition among the 5-star hotels has recently underscored by the increased opening of more hotels across the globe. Currently, luxury hotels are build up to 180-story with numerous rooms and reduced charges. The cut-throat competition among the hoteliers has led to the withdrawal of some hotels and mergers. Lockyer, (2007) writes that hotels have experienced mergers and acquisitions to achieve competitive advantage in the market. Due to the decrease revenues, merger and acquisition among hotels are the key marketing strategy of sustaining a competitive market. As such, numerous hotels are forced into mergers and acquisition, thus shutting their individual objectives. Conclusion Five-star hotels around the world have documented numerous challenges over the past, according to research. The main challenges facing five-star hotels are competition, insecurity, and lack of competent employees. However, in order for five star hotels to survive the management must set most efficient strategic goals, identify the needs for implementing the goals, train employees and equip them with skills and knowledge required for job performance. Likewise, employee motivation to improve their skills is essential for curbing some challenges facing the hotel industry. References Boella, M. & Goss-Turner, S. (2005), Human Resources Management in the Hospitality Industry, London: Elsevier Chandana, C. J. (January 01, 2013). The Canadian hotel industry: innovative solutions to secure the industry’s future. Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, 5, 2, 219-230. Haidment, F. (2007), Human Resources 2006-2007 – Annual Editions, London: Then McGraw – Hill Companies Lockyer, T. L. G. (2007). The international hotel industry: Sustainable management. New York: Haworth Hospitality & Tourism Press World Travel and Tourism Council (2007), Romania – Travel &Tourism Navigating the Path Ahead Source document

Piagets Theory of Cognitive Development

Piaget’s background Jean Piaget (1896-1980) was actually not a psychologist at first; he dedicated his time to mollusc research. In fact, by the time he was 21 he’d already published twenty scientific papers on them! He soon moved to Paris, and got a job interviewing mental patients. Before long, he was working for Alfred Binet, and refining Burt’s reasoning test. During his time working at Binet’s lab, he studied the way that children reasoned. After two years of working with children, Piaget finally realised what he wanted to investigate – children’s development!He noticed that children of a younger aged answered questions qualitatively different than those of an older age. This suggested to him that younger children were not less knowledgeable, but gave different answers because they thought differently. He spent over 10 years perfecting his theory, and it is widely acknowledged as one of the most valuable developmental theories – e specially of it’s time. It’s no lie that there are many new, possibly more valid theories now, but Piaget’s theory has had a lot of influence on schools, teaching and education all over the world.So, let’s begin exploring Piaget’s theory, the key concepts and the stages. Theories of cognitive development: Jean Piaget. September 5, 2010 at 4:00 pm 49 comments Our first years of life are an incredible, but dangerous journey. Thousands of sperm died trying to make us, and only one made it. From our journey as an embryo to a foetus – the size of a single cell to a fully sized baby – we develop more than we will our entire lives. From birth until we’re a few years old, our development is still incredibly rapid; we have so much to learn in such little time!It is advantageous to learn quickly, that way we’re more likely to survive in the cruel, unforgiving world. Piaget’s background Jean Piaget (1896-1980) was actually n ot a psychologist at first; he dedicated his time to mollusc research. In fact, by the time he was 21 he’d already published twenty scientific papers on them! He soon moved to Paris, and got a job interviewing mental patients. Before long, he was working for Alfred Binet, and refining Burt’s reasoning test. During his time working at Binet’s lab, he studied the way that children reasoned.After two years of working with children, Piaget finally realised what he wanted to investigate – children’s development! He noticed that children of a younger aged answered questions qualitatively different than those of an older age. This suggested to him that younger children were not less knowledgeable, but gave different answers because they thought differently. He spent over 10 years perfecting his theory, and it is widely acknowledged as one of the most valuable developmental theories – especially of it’s time.It’s no lie that there are many new, possibly more valid theories now, but Piaget’s theory has had a lot of influence on schools, teaching and education all over the world. So, let’s begin exploring Piaget’s theory, the key concepts and the stages. Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development. Background: Piaget’s theory is based on stages, whereby each stage represents a qualitatively different type of thinking. Children in stage one cannot think the same as children in stage 2, 3 or 4 etc. Transitions from one stage to another are generally very fast, and the stages always follow an invariant sequence.Another important characteristic of his stage theory is that they are universal; the stages will work for everyone in the world regardless of their differences (except their age, of course, which is what the stages are based on! ) Piaget acknowledged that there is an interaction between a child and the environment, and this is a focal point for his theory. He believed a chil d cannot learn unless they are constantly interacting with their environment, making mistakes and then learning from them. He defined children as â€Å"lone scientists†; he did not identify any need for teachers or adults in cognitive development.Children have all the cognitive mechanisms to learn on their own, and the interaction with their environment allows them to do so. To put this in perspective, another theory by Lev Vygotsky suggested that the interaction is not important at all; the child will learn when encouraged to with an adult’s assistance. The Key Concepts of Piaget’s theory: Before explaining the main part of Piaget’s theory (the four stages), it’s very important to look at some of the underlying principles behind it. †¢Schema (pl.Schemata, although some say â€Å"Schemas† for the plural) Possibly one of the most important concepts put forward by Piaget, Schemata help individuals understand the world they inhabit. They a re cognitive structures that represent a certain aspect of the world, and can be seen as categories which have certain pre-conceived ideas in them. For example, my schema for Christmas includes: Christmas trees, presents, giving, money, green, red, gold, winter, Santa Claus etc. Someone else may have an entirely different schema, such as Jesus, birth, Church, holiday, Christianity etc.Of course, there are schemata for all kinds of things – yourself (self schemata), other people (people schemata), events/situations (event schemata) and roles/occupations (role schemata). With regards to Piaget’s theory, a child might have a pre-conceived schema for a dog. If the household has a small West Highland White Terrier as a dog, the schema might be â€Å"small, furry, four legs, white†. When the child interacts with a new dog – perhaps a Labrador, it will change to incorporate the new information, such as â€Å"big, golden, smooth etc. † This is known as: â € ¢AssimilationSimply the process of incorporating new information into a pre-existing schema. So with the â€Å"dog† example, the child assimilated the Labrador’s information into the old dog schema. Assimilation is essentially fitting new information into schemata we already have in place. Unfortunately, this can lead to stereotyping. For example, if an old lady sees a teenager mug another person, she might assimilate â€Å"violence† or â€Å"crime† into her teenage schema. Next time she sees a teenager, her schema will be applied to them – and although they may be a kind person, she will probably show prejudice.Assimilation is normally a simple process, as new information already fits the pre-exisiting categories. †¢Accommodation When coming across a new object for the first time, a child will attempt to apply an old schema to the object. For consistency, let’s use the dog example again. The child may have â€Å"four legs, furryâ €  in their dog schema. When coming across another similar animal, such as a cat, they might say â€Å"Look, a dog! † – that’s assimilation. However, when told that it’s actually a cat – not a dog – they will accommodate the new information into another schema.They will now form a â€Å"cat† schema; â€Å"not all four legged furry animals are dogs – some are cats too! †. They have accommodated the new information. The process just mentioned – of assimilation then accommodation is known as – †¢Adaptation Assimilation and accommodation are the two parts of adaptation – which is simply what it says – adapting our schemata to make an accurate (enough) model of the world we live in. It is a form of learning, but an entirely different form to the kind you’d see in behaviourist psychology for example (such as operant/classical conditioning). †¢EquilibriumPiaget suggested that huma ns naturally strive to achieve a cognitive balance; there must be a balance between applying prior knowledge (assimilation) and changing schemata to account for new information (accommodation). Piaget suggested that when a child has a schema which doesn’t fit reality, there is tension in the mind. By balancing the use of assimilation and accommodation, this tension is reduced and we can proceed to higher levels of thought and learning (equilibration). The following stages form the bulk of Piaget’s theory: STAGE ONE: The Sensorimotor stage Occurs from birth to approx. years old. During this stage, information is received through all the senses. The child tries to make sense of the world during this stage, and as the name suggests, only senses and motor abilities are used to do so. The child utilizes innate behaviours to enhance this learning process, such as sucking, looking, grasping, crying and listening. To make this even more complex, there are 6 sub-stages of this one stage. To begin, the child uses only reflexes and innate behaviour. Towards the end of this stage, the child uses a range of complex sensorimotor skills. The sub-stages are as follows: 1.Reflexes (0-1 month): The child uses only innate reflexes. For example, if a nipple or dummy is put into a baby’s mouth, they will reflexively suck on it. If an object is placed in their palm, the hand will automatically grab it. These reflexes have the sole function of keeping the child alive. 2. Primary Circular Actions (1-4 months): The child now has a fixation with it’s own body with regards to behaviour(what Piaget refers to as primary behaviour); they will perform actions repeatedly on themselves (like sucking their own hand). They also begin to refine reflexes here to form more complex versions of them. 3.Secondary Circular Reactions (4-8 months): At around 4 months, the child begins to take an interest in their environment (their behaviour is secondary). They notice that th ey can actually influence events in their world, for example they can drop a teddy which bashes a ball on the floor. Although this occurs, the infant will not make conscious connections between what they do and the consequences, they merely observe that their actions have interesting effects. 4. Co-ordination of Secondary Circular Reactions (8-12 months): At this point, the child begins to engage in goal-directed behaviour; they begin to develop cause-effect relationships.So rather than crawl over to a teddy in a cart to pick it up, they might instead pull the cart over with the teddy in to acquire it. The child effectively knows that their behaviour will have a certain consequence. At this stage, object permanence is acquired – but I will explain this after these sub-stages. 5. Tertiary Circular Reactions (12-18 months): At this stage, children like to use creativity and flexibility with their previous behaviours, and the result of their experimentation often leads to differ ent outcomes.So rather than grabbing a box, they might instead try to tilt or manipulate it. 6. Symbolic/Mental Representation (18-24 months): At this stage, the child develops symbolic thought and the ability to mentally represent objects in their head. Normally, the child would need to resort to trial-and-error to achieve a desired effect. Now, however, the child can ‘plan’ to some extent and mentally construct the consequences of an action in their head. Of course, predictions are not always accurate, but it is a step up from trial-and-error.There are two key examples of mental representation in children: object permanence and deferred imitation. Object permanence is when objects exist even when out of sight. In the first three sub-stages, children will not attempt to search for an object which is hidden from their view; in their mind, the object simply ceases to exist as they cannot see it. At sub-stage four, however, they show this characteristic of object permanen ce. If an object is hidden from them, they will attempt to find it, but will repeatedly look in the same place – even if the object is moved (the so called â€Å"A-not-B error†).However, by sub-stage 6, the child is able to mentally represent the object in their mind, leading to exploration for an object even if it is moved. They will continue to look for an object until they find it, as they understand objects exist regardless of where they are. Deferred imitation is simply the imitation of behaviour a child has seen before. As a child can mentally represent behaviour they have seen, they are able to enact it through playing and in other situations. So a child might ‘talk’ down a toy telephone or ‘steer’ a toy car around the room.STAGE TWO: The Pre-operational Stage Occurs from 2-7 years of age. The mental representation of the sensorimotor stage provides a smooth transition to semiotic functioning in the pre-operational stage. This essential ly means that a child can use one object to represent another (symbolically). For example, a child swinging their arms in a circular motion might represent the wheels on a train, or sticking their arms out and running might symbolise the movement of an aeroplane. This shows the relationships children can form between language, actions and objects at this stage.A major characteristic of this stage is egocentrism: perception of the world in relation to oneself only. Children struggle to perceive situations from another point of view or perspective, as shown by Piaget and Inhelder’s Three Mountains Task (1956). In this study, children were asked what can be perceived from certain positions on a 3D model. See the diagram below for a clearer idea. Piaget and Inhelder: Three Mountains Task (1956)†] [1 The child would have been asked, â€Å"What view does Piaget have? †. In the actual study though, they were shown around 8 cards of possible viewpoints rather than the th ree above.As you can imagine, the children struggled to decentralise and pick the correct picture. Another feature of this stage is conservation. Children struggle to understand the difference in quantity and measurements in different situations. For example, suppose a child is shown a short, fat beaker full of water. When that water is transferred entirely to a tall, thin beaker – we would know the level of water is identical – only the beaker has changed. However, a child in this stage will conclude there is more water in the tall beaker, just because the level of water looks higher.Children in this stage also lack the required cognition to apply reversibility to situations; they cannot imagine objects or numbers reversed to their previous form. This will be explored in the next stage (where reversibility IS present). When a child has the ability to decenter, they are said to progress to the next stage STAGE THREE: The Concrete Operational Stage Occurs from 7-11 year s of age. This stage sees another shift in children’s cognitive thinking. It is aptly named â€Å"concrete† because children struggle to apply concepts to anything which cannot physically be manipulated or seen.Nevertheless, the child continues to improve their conservation skills, and by the age of 11 they can conserve numbers, weight and volume (acquired in that order). The child can also understand principles of †class inclusion†; perspective tasks become much easier, and children begin to understand that other people actually have different views to themselves. Simple maths, such as addition/subtraction become much easier. However, as this stage is concrete, Piaget suggests children will struggle to apply any prior knowledge to abstract situations.For example, when asked seriation tasks such as â€Å"John is taller than Pete. John is shorter than Simon. Who is tallest? † , concrete children often fail to provide a correct answer as the situation is too abstract. However, when dolls are used to represent Pete, Simon and John, the children are able to answer – as the situation is bought back to a concrete one with physical representations. STAGE FOUR: The Formal Operational Stage. Occurs from age 11 onwards. Children at this stage acquire the ability to think hypothetically and â€Å"outside the box†.Logical conclusions can be inferred from verbal information, and â€Å"concrete†, physical objects are no longer necessary. When presented with a problem, children at this stage can consider solutions to the problem in a logical manner. The child becomes increasingly â€Å"adult-like† with regards to their cognitive abilities. Scientific reasoning is apparent in this stage, and is indicated by Piaget and Inhelder’s Pendulum Task (1958). When asked to determine the effect different weights and rope length have on the speed of a swinging pendulum, formal operational children came to consistent and logical conclusions.

Long-Term Debt Gaap V Ifrs

Long-Term Debt U. S. GAAP vs. IFRS Scott Bailey Acc 311 Debruine Every company in the world must raise funds in order to finance its operations and expansion. The most common form of this funding is through the use of long-term debt. Depending on where the company does business and who uses their financial statements, there are different ways of recording this debt through the use of United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (U. S. GAAP) and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).The main differences between the two accounting standards, with regards to long-term debt recognition, deal with debt issue costs and convertible bonds. Debt issue costs are the payments associated with issuing debt, such as various fees and commissions to third parties. According to U. S. GAAP these payments generate future benefits that under ASC 835-30-45-3 are recorded on the balance sheet as deferred charges. These charges are capitalized, reflected in the balance sheet as an as set, and amortized over the life of the debt instrument. Early debt repayment results in expensing these costs.Under IFRS costs are deducted from the carrying value of the financial liability and are not recorded as separate assets. Rather, they are accounted for as a debt discount and amortized using the effective interest method. (IAS 39, par 43) The debate between which set of standards correctly portrays the financial implications of these costs is centered on the idea of matching expenses and revenue. Those for U. S. GAAP argue that the deferred costs create an asset to which we can then match the revenue with the expenses over the useful life of the debt.This is in compliance with the matching principle of the conceptual framework for financial accounting. Under IFRS the costs are said to be immaterial and do not require consideration of the matching principle. This brings up possible issues of managed earnings based on when companies are issuing debt and when they are recogni zing the issue costs. A convertible bond is a type of bond that the holder can convert into shares of common stock in the issuing company or cash of equal value, at an agreed-upon price.The difference between US and international standards arises when determining how to measure and account for convertible feature of the bond. Under U. S. GAAP, ASC-420-20-25-6 states: A contingent beneficial conversion feature shall be measured using the commitment date stock price but shall not be recognized in earnings until the contingency is resolved. This basically says that the convertible feature of the bond is not recognized until it is actually resolved.Under IFRS they refer to the convertible part of the bond (equity element) as an embedded derivative which must be accounted for separately from the liability element of the bond. (IAS 39, par 11) These embedded derivatives are treated the same as stand-alone derivatives in that they are measured at fair value with all changes in fair value r ecognized in profit or loss. (IAS 39, par 46) This process of recording causes a company to be less stable and more reactive to changes in the market. This is not necessarily a bad thing because it accurately portrays the value of the future benefits of the bonds.Accounting for convertible bonds and debt issue costs is likely to change in the future. The US and international standard boards are constantly working on a convergence in order to have a single set of accounting standards for every business. The issues with long-term debt are only a few of many differences that need to be resolved between IFRS and U. S. GAAP. They have been working on the idea of a convergence for many years and personally I do not believe there will be any type of convergence in the near future.With that being said it is important that we know the differences in reporting between IFRS and U. S. GAAP and are able to recognize the financial implications of these differences. Works Consulted Financial Accou nting Foundation. (n. d. ). Financial Accounting Standards Board. In FASB Accounting Codification Standards. Retrieved October 11, 2012, from http://www. fasb. org/home IFRS Foundation. (n. d. ). International Financial Reporting Standards. In eIFRS . Retrieved October 11, 2012, from http://eifrs. ifrs. org/IB/Register

Analysis of Pawn Stars

Pawn Stars is a show set in a pawnshop in Las Vegas. The show goes through a day in the life of the workers. It shows all of the interesting people and items that walk through the door, and tells us a little of the history behind them. In the show pawn stars the coding and other elements in the background have a very profound effect on the show as a whole. All of the elements of the show can be broken down by the TAP model, which has three main elements text, production and audience. In the show the characters never look at the camera while they are buying and selling in the shop.The point of view is from a third person bystander. This is to give the feel that the cameraman and crew have no part in the day to day life of the characters. This third person view is broken however in the interviews and asides that the characters have. Most of the sellers of extravagant strange or expensive items are interviewed about there items using the outside as a backdrop to give the feel that the i nterview was very informal as they were walking up to the shop. The guys in the pawnshop are also interviewed. In which they give us specific information about the history of the objects and their opinions.It is all portrayed in a way to show that the guys who work at the pawn shop are very knowledgeable while the public is not. Every episode seems to be about one day at the pawnshop. They take all of the more interesting customers and objects from the previous week or month and put them into one day. They also have flash backs to earlier in the day, the lighting is different for these scenes, as they are more of a sepia color to signify the time difference. The lighting for most of the show is bright and welcoming, like they are encouraging you to walk right in.The music in Pawn Stars also takes a huge role in setting the mood. You have intense suspenseful music when Rick or one of the guys is negotiating, that then switches to happy music once an agreement is made. The element of music has made a huge impact on the more recent episodes as the producers strive to make the show more interesting, to attract more viewers. In previous episodes the coding was more low key, allowing the show to have more straight facts with out all of the drama. The opposite is now true in more recent episodes.Pawn stars is clearly a â€Å"reality show† while the facts and artifacts are real the sellers and every thing else for the most part is staged. There is a huge difference in the show’s dynamic when it first came out and where it is today. Originally it was simple and to the point there was very little drama and the show focused on the neat artifacts and collectibles being bought and sold at the shop. But over time they ran out of â€Å"real† costumers bringing in one of a kind collectibles. So they cheated a little by bringing in actors and merchandise.The level of drama and interactions or little quarrels outside the business has increased. Most new epi sodes have at least one very disgruntled customer or seller swearing at the camera and running off. There has been so much more drama and suspense added in in order to increase their viewers. A quick internet search shows its possible to get just about anything with the Pawn Stars logo on it, they even have short video games and books related to it. The main purpose of the show is to make money by maximizing profits with out losing viewers.The original audience for the show was the typical History Channel audience, male viewers. But in order to get more viewers they have taken a more true reality TV approach, put as much drama as possible in it to make it suspenseful and interesting. I do not like this approach and typically do not like shows that have so much â€Å"fake† drama. This TAP model is a great way to break down a media form into its basic elements in order to fully understand it I will never look at TV shows or other media the same way again.

Elderly need care, not neglect and indifference Essay

PHYSICALLY, the elderly are not longer as able and agile as the young. To most old people, walking can be an ordeal – and crossing the road is even more difficult without help. While it is already hard for most of the aged to get to the other side of a busy road that has no pedestrian crossing, what is even sadder is that motorists seldom stop for them. Old people whose sense of judgement is impaired through ageing, are frequently run over on the road. They can no longer handle heavy traffic, and left to their own devices, are likely come to grief. As one observer notes, it seems modern society is built by the young for the young – a dynamic creation that does not give much consideration to the old, sick, handicapped or disabled. The infirm and frail elderly are usually tolerated as a liability or nuisance, and with self-esteem ripped away from them, they suffer in silence as they go through what is left of their twilight years. This busy world is certainly not looking too kindly on old folks. Crossing the road is just one problem the elderly encounter, another is getting onto a bus. The old timer is usually the last to get on. And even if he manages, he very likely will have to stand. Rarely does anyone care give up his or her seat for an old man or woman. In the old days, the family unit was strong. Today, it is breaking up as young men and women travel widely in search of greener pastures. Normally, what this entails is neglect – with the elderly being left to fend for themselves, most times under very difficult circumstances. The more fortunate ageing parents may have a child or two staying with them while the less lucky ones may have to live out their lives in an old folks’Â  home – or in their empty house after all the children have flown the roost and may only return to visit once in a blue moon. Such a situation poses a very real problem for society and it is what the old dread most – being unwanted and uncared for while on borrowed time. There are other problems old folks face but none can be as painfully heart-breaking as the indifference and neglect shown them by their own flesh and blood. Most senior citizens end up in welfare homes because they are abandoned by their families – frequently at public hospitals which, in turn, have little choice but to turn them over to shelters run by the government or NGOs. In most cases, family members refuse to take their elderly parents back. Invariably, these public hospitals have to hand the abandoned old folks to NGOs. Even so, shelters, run by benevolent societies, are mostly full these days. According to the Social Welfare Department, between 2008 and 2011, the number of old folks, abandoned by their families, has steadily gone up one per cent each year. Welfare homes caring for the 60 and above, admitted 340 senior citizens last year compared to 248 in 2010. Stats from the National Population and Family Development Board, an agency under the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry, showed that as at 2004 when the Fourth Malaysian Population and Family Survey was undertaken, over half a million elderly parents were not given financial support by their children. It is, of course, unfair and incorrect to say all young people desert their parents in their old age. What is obviously a disturbing trend though is that a lot of sons and daughters are leaving their ageing parents to die at old folks’ homes. Why? In trying to look for an answer, sociologists argue it is important for society to understand the needs of young people with changing times. These experts explain that young couples nowadays need to work to support themselves and their own growing families. As such, most not only send their old parents to welfare homes but their own children to nurseries or playschools as well just to keep up with the rat race. While it’s reasonable for young families to want their own space and privacy, there are some who simply do not want to look after the elderly due to what is generally referred to as the generation gap manifesting itself in the lack of understanding and tolerance for the changes in their parents’ behaviour which could be caused by insecurity and mental illnesses. Whatever the reasons that may have caused the young to shirk their responsibility of caring for their elderly parents, they, nonetheless, still have the moral responsibility to support and cherish them. After all, the young will themselves become parents and grow old one day – and quite naturally, also expect their own brood to look after them in the final phase of life. Needless to say, it’s important to inculcate filial piety in children at a young age. Wholesome family values such as caring for the elderly spontaneously out of love should be continuously fostered to create a truly caring Malaysian society.

Case Analysis Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

Analysis - Case Study Example Therefore, In the case of Disney, its strengths are the corporate values along with its legacy. Its weakness is financial forces. It had opportunities like having over 500 Rabbit Products while competition from other companies is the threat it has. Hence, SWOT assigns sales, management, operations, other internal strengths, and other factors like, new competitors and supplier’s bargaining power. Disney can be recommended to maximize its theme park profits and coordinate with other businesses like in advertising. The parks can be updated and expand its attraction to generate rapid profit growth and revenue. For example, including special events, media broadcast events and national television adverts. Disney businesses need to be coordinated with other corporate sponsors promotional campaigns. For example, allocation of free minute of advertising granted to Disney in The Disney Sunday Movie. The recommendations will, therefore, help Disney improve its performance. According to the SWOT analysis, maximizing theme park profits using their strengths will lead to increase of income; hence, reducing their weaknesses. Coordinating with other businesses like the TV in advertising their quality products made with Rabbit products, makes it more competitive hence, dealing with its threats. The graph fig.1 shows the corresponding earnings with price of tickets from 1983 to 2000. .Between 1983 and1987, the price of tickets increases at the parks accounted nearly $300 million. From 1988 to 2000, the price of the tickets did not increase in high figures; hence, the park did not account much in those years. Therefore, maximizing theme parks profits helps in increase of revenue as it is reflected in the years 1983 to 1987. Challenges Eisner faced like managing synergies, poor brand management and poor managing creativity led to Disney downfall. Therefore, Disney had to come up with strategies for its growth. Good

Imperfection Markets and Unemployment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Imperfection Markets and Unemployment - Essay Example Joblessness is experiential in any kind of inflationary economies where the restriction on take-home pay was not lessening is most probably not compulsory and certainly, there is little persuasive confirmation that industries with better wage and cost flexibility (for example construction) display less unpredictability in service (Keynes, 1973). This article helps us understand that the arrangement of defeatist in the last analysis is indefensible. As per the authors in the actual world there is hardly any perfect competition in the markets and thus this causes unemployment. Murray Milgate and John Eatwell range extensively across the backdrop which describes their subject matter. Both are globally well-known authors famous for their inscriptions on Keynesian economics. A unique characteristic is the argument which Keynesian imminent into the procedure of present market economies offer a rich seam of wherewithal that can help build a more reliable, effectual and pragmatic explanation of today’s multifarious economic with regards to imperfect market and unemployment. They believe in the powerful Keynesian ideas which could be applicable to present as well as past economic problems. They demonstrate how supportive these ideas are when it comes to explaining the link between imperfect market and unemployment and how these are correlated to one another. They embark a blueprint for a substitute which offers an obvious, more reliable, and more appropriate approach to recognizing how the markets work. Besides they also emphasize the interpretive inadequacies which typify Keynes erudition itself. They carry out every single aspect of this in the context of a stimulating re-examination of a number of the most vital economic tribulations which confront financial markets and the worldwide economy today. Finally they wrap up that

Classroom Management and Communication with Parents Assignment

Classroom Management and Communication with Parents - Assignment Example The seating arrangement of the teacher should be ensured in the instructional area. It will help the students to listen to the teachers quite transparently. On the other hand, the seats of the students should be arranged in such a way that can help the students to face the teachers or the instructors vertically (Marks, 2010). It will help to enhance face to face interaction between the teachers and the students. Computer can be considered as an important classroom resource that can enhance the digital visualization of the species. There should be one computer in the classroom. This computer should be arranged and established in the instructional area show that the teacher or the instructor can have easy access to it. Projector also can be considered as one of the important resources of this plant unit classroom. This projector will be placed at the centre ceiling of the classroom. It will be connected to the computer. A giant screen can be considered as a type of other special equipment that should utilized to visualize the samples or graphs or figures of the species that are stored in the computer. This giant screen should be placed right behind the instructional area. This arrangement or placement will help the students to face the instructor and the giant screen vertically. It can enhance the level of learning and understanding of the students. Therefore, it is clear that one instruction al table, vertically faced seating arrangement of students, one computer, one projector and one giant screen should be arranged for the classroom setting. On the other hand, five reference books, pens and papers will be used as the required non-technology resources in the classroom. This type of classroom setting will help to enhance effective both way communication between the teachers and the students. It is true that the teachers will try to teach the students

Asian Americans V.S. African Americans Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Asian Americans V.S. African Americans - Essay Example With time, these conflicts have intensified as their number keeps on increasing. Economic strength has also greatly enhanced intensity of conflict between these two groups. The battle over who is superior to the other economically seems to intensify as each group try to take control over the other (Andersen, et al 239). Limited economic resources are not enough to cater for everyone thus creating division between those who have and those who do not have. To weaken each other economically, these groups destroy properties that belong to the other group like it was witnessed in 1992 during the ‘Black – Asian’ conflict. In addition, many Asians have made money, by venturing into businesses in the areas occupied by the Africans. Because of anti-black racism that discriminates Africans in America, such as getting loan to start business, many Africans are unable to venture into business. Due to this fact, Africans feel that the Asians are siphoning money from them. Media is another cause, which has been fueling racial conflict between Asians and Africans. Africans are depicted in media as arrogant, gangsters, lazy and poor. On the other hand, Asians are depicted as hardworking, eager to please and opportunistic. Such notions portrayed by media every now and then fuel the rivalry between these two groups (Chang 4). Cultural practices and customs is another root cause of conflict between Asians and Africans in America. Each group has its diverse culture, which it follows and respect. Fear of their culture being dominated or absorbed completely makes the two groups to distance from each other (Takaki 7). A conflict arises as each group try to maintain the benefits of their culture and disrespect cultural practices of the other group. The difference in skin color between Asians and Africans is another cause of conflict between them. Asians compares themselves to white

Summary of the narrative life of frederick douglass, An american slave Essay

Summary of the narrative life of frederick douglass, An american slave - Essay Example His mother died without him knowing her well. At the age of seven, his mother's body was found dead in one of Frederick master's farm, near Lee's Mill. Having no slight intimation with his mother, he accepted her death like an ordinary death of a stranger, with no spark of pain in his heart. His first master was Captain Anthony. People by his time say that his master is his father by which he did not confirm to be a fact. Captain Anthony is a clerk and superintendent of Colonel Edward Lloyd. This man owns from three to four hundred slaves in his plantation. Every month the slaves receive their monthly allowance of food - eight pounds of pork or fish, and one bushel of corn. Aside from this, they also receive a yearly clothing of two coarse linen shirts and one pair of shoes. Just when he thought he is going to spend his entire life under the agony of slavery, suddenly hope came his way upon knowing that he was allowed by Captain Anthony to stay in Baltimore with Mr. Hugh Auld. He was between the age of seven and eight that time. By the time Frederick reached Mr. and Mrs. Auld's house, he had felt the warmest welcome he had ever experienced in his entire life. This was the first time he had ever seen the most pleasant faces of slaveholders. The city slave, unlike the slaves in the plantation, is almost a freeman. His stay to this place gave him the opportunity to learn the basics of English alphabet, through the help of Sophia Auld, his new mistress. But then, when her husband found out what she was doing, she had been forbidden to teach Frederick, for the reason that according to him, "learning would spoil the best nigger in the world." Frederick this time has to learn reading in his own perseverance, and to bring his dream into reality, he made friends with the white boys whom he encountered in the street that later on helped him succeed in learning to read. At the age of ten or eleven, he returned to his hometown, Holmes Hill Farm. This is because his master, Captain Anthony, died and all the slaves, including him have to be divided between his master's children, Mrs. Lucretia and Mr. Andrew. During this process, slaves were scrutinized before the division. No one wished to be a slave for Mr. Andrew for he is cruel and merciless like all other masters. Lucky enough, Frederick was chosen to be a slave for Mrs. Lucretia's and was sent back to Baltimore. Upon reaching the age when he could give dates, Frederick has left Baltimore to live with Master Thomas in March 1832. This time, he was sent to a guy named Mr. Covey. This guy claims to be religious, but has no heart for his slaves. He finds pleasures in whipping them all the time, and Frederick, being one of the slaves, did not escape this. He was beaten almost everyday until the time he thought it would be a benefit to take his own life. But the Ganadores 3 hope of freedom still lingers in his mind that stopped him from committing

Belks and Goffmans Theories of Extended Self Essay

Belks and Goffmans Theories of Extended Self - Essay Example Emphasising on this particular issue, the discussion henceforth will be based on analysing self-concept from the perspective of Belk and Goffman. Belk’s Theory of Extended Self Belk’s advancement of extended self has been argued to render an innovative viewpoint regarding the study of self in consumer behaviour. Contextually, the theory of ‘extended self’ has provided a valuable motivation in the acknowledgement of requirement to extend the understanding of consumer behaviour beyond the traditional limitations of individuals as mechanical consumers of goods. According to Belk, possessions reflect the personality of possessor and sequentially these possessions contribute to the individuality (Belk, 1988). Goffman’s Theory of Self As affirmed in his theory of self, Goffman believed that every participant in social interactions is engaged in certain activities in order to avoid being embarrassed or embarrassing others. Goffman further observed that the connection between the type of activities which people usually conduct in their regular life and theatrical performances determine their identity and behavioural pattern. He believed that when individuals come in communication with other people, they intend to control or direct the impression by shifting their situation (Barnhart, n.d.). Analysis Blog 1: â€Å"Migration to Mobile I - How is Consumer Behaviour Changing?† The blog is based on the understanding of consumer behaviour towards purchasing mobile phones. The explanation depicted that in mobile phone market, consumer behaviour is highly impacted by the attributes of ‘extended self’. Mobile phone, as a possession can reflect the personality of possessor which in turn influences the purchasing behaviour of the potential customers. Furthermore, with respect to the Goffman’s theory, the social communication also tends to influence the purchase of products like mobile ph ones (Strategysmm, 2013). Blog 2: â€Å"Consumer Behaviour on Tattoos† The blog deals in learning the behaviour of consumers

Higher Education in Contemporary Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Higher Education in Contemporary Society - Essay Example With more and more businesses turning to overseas labor, the job market in America is suffering. We need a public that is educated and capable of contributing significant economic skills to the development of our systems and institutions. More competition in any given market means that candidates for positions need to be knowledgeable and capable of ingenuity. As globalization spreads, jobs are demanding more than primary education can offer; a key factor in obtaining a well paying career path is obtaining some form of higher education. Employees and applicants need to be ahead of the times, ready to interact with people of different languages and customs in a business manner and achieve successful relationships. Entrepreneurial engagement is also important to a society, it allows for new markets to open up and eventually new jobs to come about. Higher education is essential to the success of any entrepreneurial business especially in today's rapidly growing marketplace. Another reason that higher education is so important today is the simple fact that without an educated public, democracy cannot thrive. Believe in or not those fancy schools and education institutions were founded in service to us as citizens of a free country. They may fuss and moan about reputation and status; but when you get down to it they are here to allow us the pursuit of knowledge. A pursuit that is not only a human right but also a civic responsibility; "The schools of a country are its future in miniature." Tehyi Hsieh, a Chinese philosopher said that and has proven to be true. From the ancient Maya and Egyptians to the Greeks and Romans every outstandingly powerful and accomplished society has had a well developed education system. As funding for primary public education dwindles and its accomplishments seem less profound with every year, higher education may be our only option to pursue knowledge within an institutional setting. Aristotle said, "To learn is a natural pl easure, not confined to philosophers but common to all men (Samovar, Porter, McDaniel, 2007 pg. 267)." Let us uphold this idea and consist ourselves of well educated, adaptable and resourceful people. "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind" Neil Armstrong's famous quote as he stepped onto the surface of the moon drives home my next point. Higher education is important in contemporary society because it is important for our country to push technological and scientific boundaries. In one year we made it from just breaking free of our earths atmosphere to landing on the moon and returning successfully as the fist country to accomplish the task. America would never have been eligible for this position without higher education. With diseases like Aids and Cancer growing out of the control; global warming threatening to change life on earth forever and populations rising into the billions it is important more than ever for us to be experimenting with new ideas. We need to attempt to right some of the environmental wrongs we have done our planet; we need to find alternative fuel sources and ask why our globe is heating up. The questions of why, where,

System Design Methodology Essay Example for Free

System Design Methodology Essay Newbiz Telecommunication Services is a company that sells mobile phones, mobile accessories, prepaid cards and other items related to telecommunications and mobile computing industry. The company intends to develop a system to manage its inventory needs. This system will be used by the company’s staff and management to monitor the movement of its stocks. Among the many reasons why the system is required are: a. The system enables the company to reduce labor and paper costs since many of the daily functions will then be automated. b. It allows employees to concentrate on their jobs rather than spending time on searching records. c. Human errors can be reduced e.g. calculation error might lead to wrong billing to the customers. d. It allows the company to keep track of its stock levels as late replenishment of inventory can result in insufficient stocks to meet customer demands. e. The time it takes to process sales to customers can be made faster. Faster response time means that sale of items can be quickly closed. f. It presents a good image to the company’s clients leading to more confidence in the company. This allows it to gain a competitive advantage over its competitor. g. Inventory levels can be closely and easily watched with the new system as the management has better control over inventory levels. This is because inventory levels are updated every time a sale to customer is made and whenever new stocks arrive. Project Requirement Specification Aim: The aims of this assignment are to: * Develop skills in choosing an appropriate traditional methodology * Develop skills in applying structured techniques that are relevant to the chosen methodology * Develop skills in analysing and recording the requirements of a system * Develop skills in analysing and developing different views of a system * Develop skills in developing a prototype, with suitable interface, from conception through to implementation * Demonstrate a knowledge of the fundamental issues of HCI by applying interface design principles to a prototype Assessment The total assessment marks of this group case study is 100% (50% of overall module marks) Outline of Task: You have been given the task to analyse, design and develop a prototype for the given Case Study. Your class will be divided into groups. Each group will comprise of 2 or 3 team members. Part-A is a ‘Group Component’, to be completed in a collaborative manner (60%). Part-B is an ‘Individual Component’, to be completed by each member of the group respectively (40%). Suggested Presentation Format This project is a group effort and should be treated as though you are proposing a system for an organisation. The following is a suggested minimum report format. It is recommended that your report contain at least the following: PART-A – GROUP COMPONENT Cover Page Your cover page should contain the standard information such as UCTI Logo, Subject Title, System Name, etc Table of Contents The table of contents should have the topic title and reference page number attached to each topic. Introduction This should include your task, the scope of the proposed system, and the objectives for the proposed system. Schedule Planning Gantt Chart PERT CHART This should include your group’s schedule on this assignment and the dates and tasks and the responsible group member(s) has to be included in your schedule. All this information should be shown in a Gantt chart, PERT Chart and Workload Matrix (sample workload matrix attached). Problem Analysis Current Systems Brief analysis of the current system including description of the constraints and opportunities for the proposed system. Overview Proposed Systems An explanation of how the proposed system solves the existing problems and addresses opportunities. Process Model for Proposed Systems Logical process model 0 Context diagram 1 Level 0 DFD 2 Level 1 DFDs for the Level 0 processes 3 Level 2 DFDs for the Level 1 processes (if any) 4 Process Specification (e.g. Structured English, Decision Table and Decision Tree) Data Models Proposed Systems Logical Data Models: 5 Entity Relationship Diagram, showing named relationships, cardinality (mandatory/optional), and cardinality (one-to-many, one-to-one, etc) Data Dictionary for Proposed Systems Present at least THREE data Dictionary for any of the Attribute / Process / Entity within your project. Clearly show Data flows, Data Stores, Processes, Source and Sink, where applicable. Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) * Discuss the principals that you have considered / applied into creating the GUI of your system. Include the principals of Human Computer Interaction (HCI) where applicable. Prototyping * The assignment requires you to use a contemporary prototyping tool that permits the development of graphical user interfaces (GUIs) to develop a prototype. * Visual Basic is the recommended programming environment. Other tools such as Delphi, PowerBuilder, Visual Cafà ©, PHP and etc are allowed. * NOTE: You are not required to produce a fully functional program (such as inclusion of database and online components) which may be beyond the scope of this module. PART-B – INDIVIDUAL COMPONENT Selection of Methodology This part involves individual (member) contribution to this assignment. Each member is required to choose and explain a suitable (distinctive) methodology for the project. The whole discussion should not exceed 800 words. * Compare and select a suitable IS development methodology for this your case. State the reasons for your choice. * Explain the purpose, structure and scope of the methodology. Include any frameworks and/or diagrams as aid. * Explain in detail how your project will be developed according to the methodology. Include the tools and techniques that are recommended within the methodology and their use in your project. * The application of the methodology should be elaborated at your the final presentation. Project Presentation * Present your solution and suggestion including explanation of each section of your topics. * A demo of your actual prototype. * A detailed presentation of your individual component. - Assignment Deliverables and Conditions: * Your group needs to hand in the group case study on the due date mentioned on the cover sheet of the assignment, with all the necessary components as suggested above. Clearly sapparate and indicate the Group component and Individual component in your documentation. * Final Documentation has to be word processed, printed in A4 size paper (double sided preffered) and professionally bound. The maximum of 5000 words is recommended. * Please consider the environment and dont print unnecessarily. Include all your work (copy) into an optical disk, to be attached to the documentation. This could be used to scan for plagiarism. Any additional / redundant materials could also be included into the optical disk.. * Include the list of references / bibliography and appendices where necessary. * Include a ‘Workload Matrix’, indicating the contribution of each individual for each required component (shown in percentage) and should be signed off by each team member, attached to the APPENDIX part of the final document. * The presentation will be conducted according to the date time allocated to each group. Late submissions will not be assessed unless extenuating circumstances are upheld.