Sociology 100 Final Exam

Chapter 8 Sex Distinction – the biological distinction between females and males. Incest Taboo – a norm forbidding sexual relations or marriage between certain relatives. 1960 Birth Control – New technology also played a part in the sexual revolution. The birth control pill, introduced in 1960, not only prevented pregnancy but also made sex more convenient. Premarital Sex – sexual intercourse before marriage – among young people. Sexual Orientation – a person’s romantic and emotional attraction to another person.Homophobia – discomfort over close personal interaction with people thought to be gay, lesbian, or bisexual. Prostitution – the selling of sexual service. 90k Reported Rapes – more than 90,000 women each year report to the police that they have been raped. Uneven Enforcement – enforcement of prostitution laws is uneven at best, especially when it comes to who is and is not likely to be arrested. Abor tion – the deliberate termination of a pregnancy. Chapter 9 Decent Values – Elijah Anderson explains that in poor urban neighborhoods, most people manage to conform to conventional or â€Å"decent† values.Stigma – a powerfully negative label that greatly changes a person’s self-concept and social identity. Social Inequality – who or what is labeled deviant depends on which categories of people hold power in a society. Corporate Crime – the illegal actions of a corporation or people acting on its behalf. *Arrest of Women – couldn’t find a fact to define this one! Victimless Crimes – violations of law in which there are no obvious victims. High Risk – people with high arrest rates are also at higher risk of being victims of crime.Due Process – the idea that the criminal justice system should operate under the rule of law – guides the actions of police, court officials, and corrections officers. Decline of Executions – as a public concern about the death penalty has increased, the use of capital punishment has declined, falling from 74 executions in 1997 to 37 in 2008. No Elimination of Crime – criminal justice system cannot eliminate crime. Chapter 10 Structural Social Mobility – a shift in the social position of large numbers of people due more to changes in society itself than to individual efforts.Ideology – cultural beliefs that justify particular social arrangements, including patterns of inequality. Socioeconomic Status – a composite ranking based on various dimensions of social inequality. Conspicuous Consumption – buying and using products because of the â€Å"statement† they make about social position. Davis-Moore Thesis – states not only that social stratification is universal but also that it is necessary to make society highly productive. Chapter 11 Median Income – a recent survey of families by the Federal Reserve found that median wealth for minority families.Upper Class – many upper-class people are business owners, executives in large corporations, or senior government officials. Marriage Age: 26/28 – the average age at marriage has moved upward four years (to 25. 6 years for women and 27. 5 years for men). Feminization of Poverty – the trend of women making up an increasing proportion of the poor. Homeless Mentally Ill: 25% – One-third of homeless people are substance abusers, and one-fourth is mentally ill. Chapter 12 High-Income Countries – the nations with the highest overall standards of living.Global Stratification – the full extent of global stratification reflects both differences among countries and internal stratification. 100 Million Kids Black-market – 100 million of the world’s children are orphaned or have left their families altogether, sleeping and living on the streets as best they can or perhaps tryi ng to migrate to the US. Modernization Theory – a model of economic and social development that explains global inequality in terms of technological and cultural differences between nations.

Safety on Water Refilling Station

1. Abstract This study tackles the safeties of processes used by water refilling stations in the Philippines, specifically on the National Capital Region, on the purified water it sells to its customers. The study focuses on the processes the water refilling stations implements to purify the water from its concessionaires not in the working place of water refilling stations. The group chose to research on this topic since nowadays, as the demand for cleaner water becomes higher, the price of household water purifiers and bottled water has become prohibitive.Water refilling stations managed by private entrepreneurs offer a cheaper and more convenient solution to the public’s drinking water needs than bottled water or the use of household filters. The demand at the water refilling stations – water stores that sell purified water is now increasing. The quality of purified water conforms to the national standards for drinking water and is even better than the quality of wat er produce by traditional water supply systems in terms of removed impurities. At present, about 3,000 water refilling stations have proliferated nationwide.They sell purified water of comparable quality with bottled water at a lower price. For example, the current price per gallon of refilled purified water in Metro Manila ranges from P 50 to P 120 per 5-gallon container or about P 2. 50 to P 6. 00 per liter while the bottled water is sold at P 12. 00 to P 25. 00 per liter. Household filters, on the other hand, cost P 5,000 to P 25,000 per unit. In Metro Manila, most of the water refilling stations is connected to the pipes of two concessionaires: Maynilad Water Company or Manila Water Company for their source of raw water while in other areas they opt to use private deep wells.The â€Å"potable water† supplied by the providers is then further purified by utilizing a combination of water treatment equipment, such as sediment filters, carbon filters, water softeners, reverse osmosis membranes, ultra-violet lamps, and ozone generators. Typical water refilling stations can produce 3,000 to 12,000 litres of purified water per day. In previous years, most of the people were bringing a container to a water refilling station to buy purified water. Nowadays, because of convenience on the part of the consumers, purified water in 5-gallon (22. litres) containers is delivered by the station directly to the people’s home. Aqua Sure, a water refilling station in Metro Manila, can deliver 5,500 gallons (25,000 litres) a day to its 8,000 household client.2. Introduction 3. 1. Problem Statement The proponents want to know how dirty water is being processed in the water station, what processes does the water goes through, what is the quality of the water being produced and how safe it is to drink that water after. 3. 2. Significance The study will: determine the physical, chemical and bacteriological quality of the product water produced * determine if the water produced is potable * assess the current guidelines used for evaluating and monitoring the quality of the water produced * provide basis for decision making and strategy for regulation and monitoring of water stations to ensure a continuous production of quality and safe drinking water 3. 3. Review of Related Literature Water is the only substance found on earth in three forms solid, liquid, and gas. It regulates the earth’s temperature.Drinking water or potable water is water safe enough to be consumed by humans or used with low risk of immediate or long term harm. In most developed countries, the water supplied to households, commerce and industry meets drinking water standards, even though only a very small proportion is actually consumed or used in food preparation. Typical uses include toilet flushing, washing and landscape irrigation. It also regulates the temperature of the human body, carries nutrients and oxygen to cells, cushions joints, protects organs and tissues , and removes wastes.Adverse health effects from contaminants that may occur in drinking water include acute effects that may immediately impact health and chronic effects that may occur if contaminants are ingested at unsafe levels over many years. Drinking water that meets US EPA’s health-based standards is generally safe. People who are not healthy as a result of illness, age, or weakened immune systems, are more likely to be at risk from certain contaminants that may be found in drinking water. Infants and very young children are also more susceptible to some contaminants.Individuals concerned about their particular situations should consult their health care providers. 3. 4. Research Questions Below are the guide questions which the proponents of the research work considered in conducting this research paper: * What is a safe drinking water? * What is the process of cleaning the water? * What are the problems in the process? * How would the proponents go about investigat ing the causes of the observed problems? * What are the effects of these observed problems? What are the unsafe conditions in the process? * What is the quality of the water after the process? 3. 5. Methodology The proponents did an actual observation inside a water refilling station by identifying the process and the worker demonstrated how the process works. Next is that the proponents researched on the safety of drinking water of water stations by looking up at articles, assessing and analyzing which causes the impurities of the water and if there are problems on the process and if the process needs improvement.After is that they establish a conclusion and the proponents monitor and implement the correct process. They also see if it’s compatible with the system. Lastly, they did adequate measures and controls to ensure that the correct process will be established and if the water station is implementing it always. It is important to follow the correct process so that they can say that the water is safe for drinking. 3. Discussion Unsafe water * More than one billion people lack access to an improved water source. 88 percent of the 4 billion annual cases of diarrheal disease are attributed to unsafe water and inadequate sanitation and hygiene. * 2 million people suffer diarrhoeal deaths each year. Drinking water Parameters * Alkalinity * Color of water * pH * Taste and Odor* Dissolved metals and salts(sodium, chloride, potassium, calcium, manganese, magnesium) * Microorganism * Dissolved metals and metalloids ( lead, mercury, arsenic, etc * Dissolved organics * Radon * Heavy metal Machines for processes Multi-media sediment filter – removes sediments such as rust, sand and particles that are invisible to the naked eye. * Ion exchanger – replaces hard minerals with soft minerals. * Activated carbon filter – removes all organic chemicals, herbicide, pesticide, offensive odor and bad taste.* Reverse osmosis membrane – the hear t of the system and the most expensive unit; removes inorganic minerals, bacteria and viruses while retaining its oxygen content. Since the filter size is very small at less than 0. 5 micrometre, the product water could have a total dissolved solids (TDS) of less than 10 ppm. The filtration process rejects about 50 percent of raw water volume. * Post-carbon filter – improves the taste of water. * Ultraviolet lamp – ensures that the water is free from disease-causing micro-organisms. * Ozone generator – inhibits the growth of bacteria in the product tank and prolongs the shelf life of water. Water quality monitoring* Bacteriological quality – at least monthly * Physical quality – at least every six (6) months Chemical quality – at least every six (6) months * Biological quality – at least once a year * Monitoring of radioactive contaminants shall be done only if there is significant input of radiation from the surrounding environment. 4. Conclusion Water refilling stations can be a good source of safe drinking water in the Philippines. Purified water can meet the aesthetic standards easily detectable by the people in terms of taste, odor and color. The efficient water purification processes can make the quality of water superior to the traditional water systems.However, the risk of contamination is possible if the handling practices are not closely monitored. The water production has designed its facility to the high quality state of the art which can process and purified water into a colorless and free from objectionable taste and odor. That the product water is free from substance that may contain to endanger the lives of consuming public the design of the water treatment purification process was based on the character of the source of water the availability of appropriate purification technology. 5. About the AuthorsThe ideas behind this study are from four 3rd Year Safety Engineering students of the Industria l Engineering Department of the University of Santo Tomas namely: Christian Domingo Bascon, Mishael Ann Asuncion Belocura, Edmond Ray Dela Cruz Divino and Wyanet Dy Yang The four students have a strong passion on Safety Engineering and want to contribute as early as now in the safety of everyone. 6. Acknowledgement First and foremost, we would like to thank to our professor Sir Nestor Ong for the valuable guidance, technical discussions and relevant discussions.He inspired us greatly to work in this project. We also would like to thank him for showing us some example that related to the topic of our project. In addition, we would also like to thank Antipolo Spring Water Refilling Station which provided us valuable information as the guidance of our project which helped us in completing this task through various stages. We also wanted to thank our families who inspired, encouraged and fully supported us in every trial that came our way. Also, we thank them for giving us not just fina ncial, but moral and spiritual support.And all of those who supported us in any respect during the completion of the project. Lastly, we offer our regards and blessings to God the father of all, we are thankful for the strength that keeps us standing and for the hope that keeps us believing that this affiliation would be possible and more interesting. 7. Notes * Especially in urban areas, water quality does not meet the standards set by the national government. As a result, waterborne diseases remain a severe public health concern in the country. About 4,200 people die each year due to contaminated drinking water. Your local water supplier is required by law to notify you if there’s any reason your water is unsafe. Furthermore, the Safe Water Drinking Act requires all water suppliers to issue their customers an annual report on the source and quality of the water—including a list of contaminant levels. Municipal water is tested for micro-organisms, organic and inorgani c chemicals, disinfectants, disinfectant by-products, and radioactive substances. If your copy of the report has not come in the mail, call your water company.Though your water company is responsible for keeping the water safe, lead can get into the supply after the water has left the treatment plant. Arsenic may also be a problem in some areas, mainly the Southwest. * Filtering the water If you are simply trying to improve the taste of your water, a filtering pitcher will do. But if you are trying to remove lead, arsenic, or specific contaminants, you may want a permanent installation. Before you buy, be sure you know which contaminants the system will filter out. NSF is an excellent source of information.Water filtration systems come in two basic types, ranging from cheap to expensive: * Point-of-entry systems are installed on the main water supply and treat most or all the water entering a house. These include water softeners, which remove calcium and magnesium. There’s no harm in drinking softened water, and it does not cause heart disease, as has been alleged. But the softer the water, the more likely it is to leach lead from the pipes. * Point-of-use systems include faucet-mounted filters, faucets with built-in filters, pitchers, and under-the-sink filters.Whether it’s installed under the sink or at point-of-entry, the most effective filter is a reverse-osmosis system, which filters out lead and other toxic metals and other contaminants. This type of filter can be expensive ($500 to $1,000 or more) and the cartridges have to be replaced every year at a cost of up to $200. Faucet-mounted systems and faucets with built-in filters work well against specific contaminants (check the labels and NSF certificates), as do most countertop pitchers. Simpler systems such as these represent a small investment, but replacement filters can cost as much as $100 a year. The agencies directly involved in the establishment operation of water refilling station s are as follows: a. The Department of Health (DOH). DOH is the main agency responsible for protecting the health of the people. The Sanitation Code of the Philippines mandates DOH in protecting drinking water quality. Consequently, DOH issues implementing rules and regulations prescribing sanitary standards for water supply systems, including water refilling stations. b. The Center for Health Development (CHD) is the regional branch of DOH.Its main function is to provide technical assistance to local government units and to monitor DOH programme implementation which includes water quality and sanitation standards. For water refilling stations, CHD is mandated to issue initial and operational permits. c. The Local Government Units (LGUs) are mandated by Presidential Decree (PD 856) to issue sanitary permit, sanitary clearance, health certificates, certificate of potability, drinking water site clearance and closure order (if necessary) and to conduct sanitary inspection of WRS. d.Th e Water Quality Association of the Philippines Inc. (WQAP) is an organization of private firms who are engaged in the manufacture, sale, and distribution of water refilling station equipment and supplies, as well as water treatment and purification equipment and technology for household, institutional, commercial and industrial applications. About 85 percent of its 250 members operates water refilling stations. e. Association of Water Refilling Entrepreneurs (AWARE) concentrates on resolving business management issues of its members. * Presidential Decree No. 56 (PD 856) or the Sanitation Code of the Philippines is the main law requiring all establishments to comply with existing sanitary standards to protect public health. Guidelines for operating a water refilling station are indicated in the Supplemental Implementing Rules and Regulations on Water Supply of PD 856 issued in 1999. 8. References (2006 october 6) EntrePinoys atbp.A study on water refilling stations http://www. mixph . com/2006/10/a-study-on-water-refilling-station. html http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Water_supply_and_sanitation_in_the_Philippines#Drinking_water_quality Water Sanitation and health. ttp://www. who. int/water_sanitation_health /en/ http://www. wellnessletter. com/ucberkeley/foundations/drinking-water/#sthash. bNGyupzl. dpuf EPA 816-F-04-036 June 2004 www. epa. gov/safewater 9. Editorial History Paper received 02 March 2013; accepted 09 March 2013; revised version received 09 March 2013. Copyright  © 2011, Copyright  © 2011, Christian D. Basco, Mishael Ann A. Belocura, Edmond DC. Divino & Wyanet D. Yang 10. Disclaimer This article is only edited by Christian Domingo Basco, Mishael Ann Asuncion Belocura, Edmond Ray Dela Cruz Divino and

What Main Measures Of Economic Activity Fail Include CPI and GDP Essay

What Main Measures Of Economic Activity Fail Include CPI and GDP - Essay Example The nation's central measure of well-being works like a calculating machine that adds but cannot subtract. It treats everything that happens in the market as a gain for humanity, while ignoring everything that happens outside the realm of monetized exchange, regardless of the importance to well-being (Cobb, 1995). But GNP/GDP measures have some flaws in fully estimating economic development; the most common flaws are listed below: One should not neglect the way GDP ignores the contribution of the social realm--that is, thus the economic roles of household is not taken into account. This is where much of the nation's most important work gets done. Why this happens can be explained by the fact that money do not change hands. The GDP doesn't count it at all--which means that the more our families and communities decline and a monetized service sector takes their place, the more the GDP goes up. The GDP totally disregard the distribution of income, for example, so that enormous gains at the top appear as new prize for all. It makes no distinction between the person in the secure high-tech job and the "downsized" white-collar worker who has to work two jobs at lower pay. CPI CPI is used as an economic indicator to measure inflation. The CPI is an indicator of the effectiveness of government policy, besides it is used by business executives, labor leaders and other private citizens use the index as a guide in making economic decisions. The Columbia Encyclopedia defines The Consumer Price Index (CPI), as a measurement of the cost of living prepared by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, tracks changes in retail prices of an average "market basket." Changes are compared to prices in a previously selected base year, from which figures the percentage increase or decrease in the cost of living can be calculated. In addition to changes over time, such analyses must also consider regional variations in the cost of living, and the relative weighting of the components of the index must be reappraised periodically. Despite its enhancements over the years, the CPI still has considerable problems as an inflation measure. For instance, the index overstates many individual price increases by failing to fully adjust posted price changes for quality improvements and by underestimating the growth of sales by discount retailers (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1997). Economists take into consideration the CPI when taking time-series measurements of financial instruments, since such measurements can only sense if they are expressed in "constant" money terms. One should bear in mind that the CPI is not an economic variable, as it is statistic measure of inflation. To calculate the monthly CPI, the US Department of Labor takes a weighted average of prices of various things that consumers purchase, and then its statisticians try to figure out the various proportions of different items in a "mythical" household budget. For example, the

Seminar Papers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Seminar Papers - Essay Example Its cost effectiveness, leads to employee retention, increased market share, more access to customers and reduced risks. Example, in a fashion market, one requires to keep on updating the product in order to retain the current customers. â€Å"Just in time† is a term used to describe result of a process of manufacturing which finished its work just at the scheduled time. It reduces set up time, lessens storage space needed, assumes an extent of input stability cost and insists on precision. It however leads to time wastage in traffic jams, a supplier can depend too much on one manufacturer (Arjan J, 2009, p.295). Example, in Japan Toyota is vulnerable to this disadvantage, therefore it uses a strong long-term connection with few suppliers and can use its own stuff to assist the suppliers improve their processes. Advertising is simply informing potential customers of the existence of your service or products. It is very effective in that one targets his/her audience and controls the entire advertisement process (Tuten, T. L. A, 2008, p. 55). Advertising in social network provides a platform where a producer can interact with the customers and know their response towards a product. In addition, it enables the marketer to identify any changes in the consumer behavior therefore, making it to be an effective mode of communication with the market. These includes advertising, personal selling, public relations and promotional sales (Twedt & Wolfe 2011, p.8). The main aim of promotion mix includes market positioning, segmenting and targeting. In an example, Coca-Cola Company has been able to manipulate different promotion mixes on different market segments to become one of the best performing multinational company in the world. Lans, T. W., H., Hulsink, H., Baert, and M. Mulder, 2008, Entrepreneurship education and training in the small business context: Insights from

History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 45

History - Essay Example The New England colonies of New Hampshire and Connecticut had a low degree of diversity with 70% of the population being Europeans while the middle colonies were the most diverse colonies with no ethnic community that formed a majority (Grigg 54). Notably, the new wave of newcomers to these New England colonies brought in new cultures to the region that initially was occupied by the red Indians. Though the influx of immigrants into the American colonies almost engulfed the Indian communities, the communities were not integrated into any of the cultures. The interaction of the people with distinct ethnic backgrounds did not result to a change in the cultures that was quite distinct from the one they had when they came to America. This is because the ethnic clannishness of the diverse groups of people disallowed any cohesive regional culture from developing. Therefore, the colonial American society was a multicultural place (Grigg 82-88). The diversity of the population in colonial America also led to the economic development of the region. This is because they affected the labor market and economic growth. The diverse populations that came into colonial America engaged in economic activities. The British, French, Dutch, Italians and Swedish engaged in farming and trade of products such as coffee, tea, tobacco, ribbons, glassware (Grigg 89). Clothing, ceramics and linen. In the southern colonies such as the Georgia, trade proliferated and shops developed. Notably, the British in the Georgian colony engaged in commercial agricultural activities between 1720 and 1770 and the products gathered at the American colonial cities such as New York awaiting exportation (Grigg 91-95). In 1720’s, the value of exports was more than 65 million pounds annually. However, the value of exports increased to 100 million pounds by 1770’s. The export trade resulted to the development of the cities in the colony. For instance , Philadelphia developed to be

PPBE (Planning, programming, budgeting, and execution) Essay

PPBE (Planning, programming, budgeting, and execution) - Essay Example This will help the readers to understand each and every bit of the paper in a well manner. So, here I am explaining some key and practical terms including PPBE, Planning, Programming, Budgeting and Execution in the context of the main theme of the research paper. Basically, PPBE refers to Planning. Programming, Budgeting and Execution process that involves the working of the defense department. This process tells us that how department of defense (DOD) allocates their resources. It further highlights the process that how department of defense in collaboration with their contractors work together in managing their tasks within fiscal budget. Moreover, how they follow the defense strategies, goals and policies of the defense department. OSD and Joint Staff are the two main acting participants of the planning phase. They jointly articulate military strategy and national defense policies. Military strategy also known as SPG, Strategic Planning Guidance leads into EPP, Enhanced Planning Process. In EPP, several priorities of military budget are set for further program developments including force modernization, sustainability and readiness. Moreover, it also supports business process and overall infrastructure of the military. Finally, the result of EPP is written up and forwarded to JPG, Joint Programming Guidance. So, planning is a process that includes the definition and assessment of all the alternatives strategies plus the critical analysis of changing trends and conditions, technology and threat. Moreover, it also includes the economic assessments with efforts to recognize change and the long term goals and implications of the current choices. Finally, we can say that it is a process of determining requirements and needs. In the beginning of this phase, each agency and DOD department writes a POM, Program Objective Memorandum. Each POM describes the proposed budget for manpower, forces and funding. It is a

The Film Shane Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Film Shane - Essay Example The setting of the film is obviously a very early pioneer community in which there are frequent disagreements about land ownership and use. The first appearance of Shane shows him in the distance on horseback, against a background of impressive hills and wide landscape. This contrasts with the Starrett family’s small log cabin which is enclosed by log fences and a flowing river. The family scenes mostly take place in this small enclosed area, which appears all to have been created out of wood by the peaceful father figure of Joe Starrett. The villains, on the other hand, are pictured in dark saloon settings, with shades of brown and gray, and the key gun battle which resolves the danger to the community takes place in such a small, dark room. The hidden message in the visual camera work is to highlight the broad vista of freedom and justice that Shane represents. In the scene where Shane leaves the community, the camera shows young Joey standing on the porch of his log cabin, watching the figure of Shane retreat into a small speck against craggy mountains, just as in the beginning he was first spotted from afar. The message is that a single American hero can travel the whole wide world and make a difference and he is presented as a hero through the eyes of young Joey. Film-making is a team effort, and it involves many different technical skills contributed by specialists such as the camera operator, the actors, and professionals in areas such as lighting, music, make-up, costumes etc.

Proposing a solution to overcome the challenges of implementing Dissertation

Proposing a solution to overcome the challenges of implementing unified E- healthcare information system standards at Armed Forc - Dissertation Example The healthcare sector lacks the infrastructure to address the nation’s problems. Long-term planning is affected due to lack of reliable data on health facilities available in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The motivation for the study has arisen to evaluate how the situation can be improved in the armed forces sector, as this sector operates independent of the MOH. If the armed forces hospitals are able to effectively adopt and implement IT in the healthcare sector, the government too could be keen to emulate. Thus, with the aim to propose technological solutions to overcome the challenges in implementing the best healthcare system at the armed forces hospital in KSA, three objectives were set. Through extensive literature review and through a quality study based purely on secondary data, the study objectives have been achieved. Lack of funds, lack of a national regulatory body, shortage of national medical experts, lack of IT infrastructure, lack of standards across vendors, la ck of national data exchange plan are some of the barriers to adoption of healthcare standards in Saudi Arabia. Efforts have been made to identify the best healthcare systems in the world. Sweden appears to have the best e-healthcare strategy in the world. It even surpasses the healthcare system of the United States if the measure of quality is based on the life index of a country. Autonomy and medical data exchange are some of the other salient features in these two countries. Developing an efficient archetype, clinical process mapping and resource templates are some of the tools which have emerged as best practices in Sweden. Sweden now practices e-prescription and patient empowerment, both of which has reduced the patient healing time, reduced costs and enhanced efficiency. To implement such as strategy, training and support is essential to promote user engagement and user involvement during the system design stage. Shared vision is essential before any strategy can be implemente d. Transformational leadership is essential to challenge the existing assumptions. The study concludes that the situation in Saudi Arabia, though grim, is not insurmountable. Recommendations for an effective HIT strategy based on the findings of the study have been made. Table of Contents Chapter 1. Introduction page 1.1 Chapter Overview 1 1.2 Background 1 1.3 Rationale for Research 3 1.4 Research Aims & Objectives 4 1.5 Scope of the Study 5 1.6 Structure of the Study 5 Chapter 2. Background and Literature Review 2.1 Health-care background in Saudi Arabia 7 2.2 Health Information Technology 9 2.3 Barriers and Challenges in health-care standards 11 2.4 Background of health-care providers 15 2.5 Barriers to implementation of ICT in healthcare 18 2.6 Factors that influence healthcare technologies 20 2.7 Organizational Issues in adoption and implementation of IT innovation 21 2.8 Chapter Summary 23 Chapter 3. Methodology 3.1 Research Philosophy 24 3.2 Research Phenomenon 24 3.3 Research Design 25 3.4 Research Approach 27 3.5 Case Study Method – justification 27 3.6 Data Collection – justification for secondary research 29 3.7 Data Sources 29 3.8 Data Analysis 26 3.9 Reliability & Validity 30 3.10 Ethical Concerns 31 Chapter 4. Findings & Discussion 4.1 E-Health strategy and model from Sweden 32 4.2 Healthcare system in the United States 38 4.3 Data Analysis 43 4.4 Health-care success factors 44 4.5

The Most Challenging Aspects of Today's Global Business Environment Essay

The Most Challenging Aspects of Today's Global Business Environment - Essay Example Today, social networks have created an information age, where businesses need to be part of the evolving network to succeed (Castells, 2010). In with the changes, the paper seeks to identify the most challenging aspects of today’s global business environment and the opportunities that exist in them for business operatives. Johansson and Leigh (2011) cited the penetration levels of multinational companies into the BRIC markets as a typical scenario of the growing importance of emerging markets in today’s global business environment. As a result of the concentration, business leaders are forced to follow the new flow of social influence by also making meaningful impacts in emerging markets (Dholakia and Talukda, 2004). On the opportunities that emerging markets present, Wilson and Purushothaman (2003) made mention of conducive political provisions that exist in most of these markets as a way of making them globalised destinations for foreign direct investments. There are also economic incentives including tax holidays and access to government supported loans (Crane, Kawashima and Kawasaki, 2002). Even more, consumers in emerging markets have become part of a global consolidation that has developed a new twist to consumer behavior, where the preference for quality forces companies to optimise thei r potentials (Gupta, 2011). The opportunities notwithstanding, there are key challenges that most emerging markets present multinational companies and other companies in the global business environment. For example, the use of superimposition, which for a long time was seen to be a major advantage for companies have been cautioned by Featherstone (1991) as having major disadvantages in any competitive global engagement. Again, the economic growth pattern of most of these emerging markets has been questioned by Smith (2014) and The Economist (2013) as being unsustainable but rather short-lived. This is because in

Parenting Styles and Prosocial Behavior Essay Example for Free

Parenting Styles and Prosocial Behavior Essay Parents often play a large role in the development of their son’s or daughter’s morality, social behavior, education, habits, and many other areas. Therefore, parents contain tremendous power when it comes to shaping their offspring. Due to this tremendous amount of power, researchers had an inclination that certain parenting styles have effect on their child’s BMI. The evidence found in the study suggests that there is a possible relation between the type of parenting styles and the fluctuation of their children’s BMI. The researchers of this article, based upon past studies, hypothesized that the four major parenting styles they presented would should greater increases in BMI than other styles (Fuemmeler, 2012). The researchers funded by several government grants such as the National Cancer Institute Grant and National Heart Lung and Blood Institute Grant found an effective way to carry out this study. First, the researchers gave the individuals (ages11-21) being tested a survey about their parents to determine the style the parent used. The survey was broke down into tests. One test determined acceptance of the parent, while the other determined control. Based on the answers given by the child, the parent’s styles were determined and were broken up into four categories. These four categories were permissive, authoritarian, disengaged, and balanced. As a result, the categories would serve as the independent variables in the study. Once the child’s parenting type was established, the researchers monitored the kids BMI over an eleven year span to watch for any increases or decreases. The BMI, the dependent variable in the study, showed greater increases in the kids who had a balanced style parenting. This result surprised the researchers because they believed that the authoritarian and disengaged parent types would show greater increases. Although, the authoritarian and disengaged parent types didn’t show increases in BMI more than the balanced style, they did associate to lees leveling off of trajectories over time (Fuemmeler, 2012). This study showed relation between the parenting styles and BMI’s of their children, but this study does not present a causal relationship between the two. It cannot show a causal relationship for a number of reasons. One reason is due to the fact that the study refuses to acknowledge factors causing association between parenting styles and BMI. For example, a parent that practices a disengaged style and lives in an obese home environment may encourage poor eating and exercise habits in their kid’s lives. Also in order for the study to demonstrate causation, the researcher would have had to alter the parenting styles and make greater changes to the weight and diet of the individuals being studied (Fuemmeler, 2012). Some things that should have been changed in the study would be the way the measurements were recorded. Instead of having a self-reported height and weight, the researchers should have had their own workers record the measurements for more accuracy. Another flaw in the study was that the style of parenting before adolescence was never examined. Which leaves the question of whether parenting styles in adolescence or pre adolescence has more of an effect on BMI. Fuemmeler, B. F., Yang, C., Costanzo, P., Hoyle, R. H., Siegler, I. C., Williams, R. B., Østbye, T. (2012). Parenting styles and body mass index trajectories from adolescence to adulthood. Health Psychology, 31(4), 441-449

Consultation Skills In Relation To Nurse Prescribing

Consultation Skills In Relation To Nurse Prescribing Nurse prescribing was translated into reality in the latter part of the 1990s when a cohort of about 1,200 nurses received specialist training in order to allow them to feel confident and competent in the prescription of certain drugs and medications. In the best traditions of scientific endeavour, they were subject to a barrage of audits and studies to see how they actually performed. As in any new project there were inevitable protagonists and detractors and the initial results of the first eight studies were extremely positive. (Legge 1997) the accumulative results of the initial studies showed that nurse prescribing had been proved in terms of safety, efficacy and improved working practices. The reports did not make any comment upon the cost-effectiveness of the prescribing as the cohort studied was too small for statistical analysis. The head of the evaluation team (Prof. Luker 1997) commented that at best, nurse prescribing should be cost neutral why should it be any cheaper? By 2000, the first comparative studies were emerging with sufficient cohort size to give a meaningful evaluation of the scope and efficiency of nurse prescribing. Venning (et al 2000) compared efficiency and cost of a cohort of nurse prescribers with doctors in the same geographical area. The study cohort was over 1,300 patients. This particular study was extensive in its analysis and many of the results are not particularly relevant to the subject of this essay, but the significant outcomes showed that there was no significant difference in health outcome, prescribing patterns or prescribing cost. Nurse prescribing was therefore proving itself to be both an effective and efficient resource for the NHS. (Little et al 1997) Consultation and communication skills Empowerment and education of patients is now well recognised as an important goal but most healthcare professionals. (Richards 1999) it follows that if patients are to be involved then their particular priorities must be ascertained and addressed, usually in the mechanism of the consultation. A frequent finding in many of the studies on the subject is the fact that patients tend to prefer prescribers (nurses or doctors) who listen and also allow them to discuss their problems in an unhurried fashion. (Editor BMJ 2000) This essay is particularly directed to the issue of consultation skills in relation to nurse prescribing. Although we have briefly examined the overall issues of nurse prescribing, the consultation is obviously the core skill required to establish the diagnosis and therefore the appropriate treatment and prescription. Many studies have looked at the influence of communication skills on prescribing and other factors related to the consultation. (Richards 1999) Many authorities (Butler et al 1998) advise that the prime skills associated with the prescribing process are: Adequate exploration of the patients worries Adequate provision of information to the patient regarding the natural processes of the disease being treated The advisability of self-medication in trivial illness The various alarm symptoms that should be notified to indicate that there may be problems with the treatment. (Welschen et al 2004) These various aspects are explored further in a particularly well written and informative book by Platt and Gordon (1999) it reflects on the fact that doctors and nurses are not generally particularly well trained in the art of communication skills. In the words of the author we re not very good at transmitting information, and were no better at picking up the signals that patients try to send. Critically, they make the point that individual prescribers are not particularly good at varying their approach to the different type of patient. Clearly, the better the level of perceived empathy between prescriber and patient, the greater the level of compliance is likely to be. This is likely to be reflected in greater patient satisfaction, greater compliance with instructions generally and improved outcomes and again, in the words of the authors fewer lawsuits This particular book highlights and gives practical advice on all of the common pitfalls of prescriber patient communication. The way that prescribers will often duck issues where they feel uncomfortable or feel that their knowledge is not particularly sound, or perhaps fail to respond to the distress signals sent out (either verbally or non-verbally) by the patient. They also highlight the dangers of closing the conversation early due to pressure of time and not adequately exploring ambiguous answers. The hostile and the heart-sink patient can be a particular headache to the prescriber and inappropriate decision can be made unless great care is taken to specifically tackle these issues. (RPSGB 1997) Some commentators in the field of nurse prescribing have refered to the fact that the skills of communication, when they have been taught, have concentrated mainly on the fields of history taking and diagnosis. The issue of communication in relation to prescribing has received much less prominence. (Elwyn et al.2000) The paper by Cox (et al.2000) found that it was common practice for prescribers to initiate the discussions about just what medication there were going to prescribe, rarely refer to the medicine by name and equally rarely refer to how a newly prescribed medication is perceived to differ in either action or purpose, to those previously prescribed. Patient understanding is rarely checked as it is usually assumed after the prescriber has given the prescription. Even when invited to do so, patients seldom take the opportunity to ask questions. (Cox et al 2000) The same author found that prescribers would emphasise the positive benefits of the medication far more frequently than they would discuss the risks and precautions, despite the fact that the patients perception was that such a discussion is seen as essential. In summary, this leaves a situation which is open to misinterpretation, uncertainty as a result of unadressed worries and for patients to be ambivalent towards the medication that they have been prescribed. (Drew et al. 2001). It clearly is not a situation which one could have confidence that the patient has a sound knowledge base about his treatment and has a positive attitude towards compliance. The point relating to communication failure resulting in poor treatment outcome (primarily in relation to non-adherence to treatment instructions) was explored in depth in an excellent paper by Britten (et al 2000). The various consultation skills were critically analysed and broken down into 14 different categories of misunderstanding. In short, all of the failures of communication were associated with a lack of the patients participation in the consultation process. Significantly, all of these 14 categories were associated with potential or even actual less than optimal Outcomes as they resulted in either inappropriate prescribing or inadequate treatment adherence. It was very significant that the authors concluded that many of the errors were associated with assumptions or guesses on the part of the healthcare professional, and in particular a lack of awareness of the relevance of patients ideas and beliefs which influenced their compliance with the prescribed treatment. (Elder et al 2004) There is evidence that failure to actively engage in, or even consider, the patient s perspective is a common failing amongst prescribers. (Britten et al 2000). Many take the view that simply arriving at and stating a diagnosis is sufficient credibility for the provision of a prescription. Even when drug therapy is considered essential (such as insulin and thyroxin) many patients will experiment with dosages and drug-free periods. (Barry et al. 2000). It follows that such experimentation is likely to be all the greater when medication is used when the benefits are less immediate (eg. In prophylaxis).If the prescriber is aware of these factors, it will undoubtedly help to achieve compliance if they are overtly addressed during the consultation process. Concordance vs. compliance Elwyn (et al 2003) took a slightly different approach with regard to the consultation process and prescribing. They advocate the process of concordance which is described as the process whereby there is a negotiation between the patient and the prescriber which involves a discussion about the perceived benefits and drawbacks of the proposed medication, together with an exchange of beliefs and expectations. This terminology reflects not only a change in emphasis but also a change in attitude of the prescriber. This area used to be termed compliance which was a reflection of the now outmoded concept of implicit power and authority invested in the prescriber. The term was seen as being authority laden (Marinker 1997) where it was expected that patients complied implicitly and without question when a prescription was given. There was little acceptance that patients would actively participate in the decision making process that surrounded the generation of the prescription. (Cox et al. 2002) At this point in time, there is little published evidence that this process actually leads to improved clinical outcome measures, but consideration of ethical principles would allow us to conclude that the involvement of patients will inevitably result in safer and better patient care. (Elwyn et al. 1999) If we examine this argument further, any healthcare professional will appreciate that a great deal of modern medical treatment involves prescribing in one form or another. We also know that a substantial proportion of the medication that is currently prescribed is not taken or, worse still, inappropriately utilised. (Haynes et al 2003). Careful research shows that where this occurs it is primarily due to a conflict between the prescribers views and those of the patient. (Britten et al 2003). Further studies have shown that where prophylactic (or preventative) prescribing has occurred the situation is statistically worse. One can presume that this is mainly because, in these conditions the patient tends to be asymptomatic and therefore the perceived need to take medication may well be less. Again, this reflects a failure of communication between patient and prescriber. (Coulter 2002) As a result of this, the prescriber, in general terms, has to be aware of the possibility of what is know, in academic circles, as intentional dissent. The patient may choose to actively disagree with the prescribers instructions because they may either have become party to other information about the medication, or because they may have experienced some side effect and, being not fully appraised of the reasons for taking prophylaxis, may simply choose to discontinue it. (Barry et al. 2000) Conclusions The last decade has seen important strides forward in the field of nurse prescribing. The success of this venture would strongly argue that it will progress further still in the future. Hand in hand with this success goes the realisation that nurse prescribing carries with it a responsibility to fully understand the issues that relate the act of prescribing to the eventual treatment outcome, together with the factors that tend to confound such linkage. The progressive acceptance of the paradigm of concordance (by all prescribers not just nurse prescribers) offers all healthcare professionals a mechanism to move towards ever safer and more successful prescribing. Accurate identification of the patients perspectives, needs and beliefs and then the addressing of any significant differences between these and the prescribers requirements, are seen to be progressively more important in the successful delivery of nurse prescribed health care. The advent of nurse prescribing brings added responsibility to the more traditional role of the nurse. It is important not to neglect the importance of the role of reflective practice in this area (Gibbs 1998). It is not just the act of writing out the prescription that is important, but it is the understanding of the processes and dynamics of the interactions that are taking place between prescriber and patient that are the fundamental key to good prescribing practice (Kuhse et al 2001).

A Pentadic Analysis of Two Pleas for Christian Unity :: Religion Christians Christianity Burke Papers

A Pentadic Analysis of Two Pleas for Christian Unity Introduction The prayer for Christian unity began with Christ, himself (John 1:21), and continues today. This essay proposes to examine two pleas for Christian unity using the rhetorical theory of Kenneth Burke. According to Em Griffin, "Kenneth Burke was the foremost rhetorician of the twentieth century. Burke wrote about rhetoric; other rhetoricians write about Burke" (319). Burke's theory seems especially relevant to the study of pleas for unity because of his focus on identification. For Burke, rhetoric is identification. "You persuade a man only insofar as you can talk his language by speech, gesture, tonality, order, image, attitude, idea, identifying your ways with his" (Rhetoric 55). Additionally, Burke equates identification with consubstantiality. "To identify A with B is to make A 'consubstantial' with B" (Rhetoric 21). The two calls for Christian unity to be analyzed are Thomas Campbell's "Declaration and Address" and E. Glenn Wagner's The Awesome Power of Shared Beliefs. Campbell's address is important because of its historical significance. "This document, which calls for Christian unity through a return to the clear and unambiguous teachings of the New Testament, in many ways chartered the course for the movement the Campbells led" (Hughes 11). Wagner's book is chosen because of the contemporary prominence of the Promise Keepers movement. This essay will proceed by explaining relevant aspects of Kenneth Burke's works, including the methodology to be used, applying the methodology to the two pleas, and discussing the results. Dramatism and the Pentad Burke saw life as a drama played out in our language. By examining the words of a person, you can determine his or her motives. Motives are grammatical creations which explain "what people are doing and why they are doing it" (Grammar x). Foss provides the following explanation: We use rhetoric to constitute and present a particular view of our situation, just as the presentation of a play creates a certain world or situation inhabited by characters who engage in actions in a setting. Through rhetoric, we size up situations and name their structures and outstanding ingredients. How we describe a situation indicates how we are perceiving it, the choices we see available to us, and the action we are likely to take in our situation. (456) The pentad is a the tool used to investigate motives. Burke writes, ". . . any complete statement about motives will offer some kind of answer to these five questions: what was done (act), when or where it was done (scene), who did it (agent), how he did it (agency), and why (purpose)" (Grammar x).

recommendation essay :: essays research papers fc

Dear NCAA Executive Committee,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My name is David Brown and I am the starting quarterback for the Nittany Lions here a Penn State University. I am writing to you on behalf of my fellow intercollegiate athletes, because I feel as though we are being used. Each year my Penn State teammates and I, as well as other high-profile college teams generate millions of dollars in revenue, yet we do not get paid for our services. Millions of dollars are made every year from food, drinks, tickets, and merchandise sales because of our strenuous work, not to mention the billions of dollars made from selling TV rights to our games to major networks. Intercollegiate sports are a big business in which the players are â€Å"slave laborers.† I am not suggesting that we be given an annual salary, but I feel that we should be given stipend or some financial assistance in addition to scholarship money. For the past few years many have argued that student-athletes should be thankful for their educational opportunities in college, including the cost of tuition, books, room and board (which would be around $17,000 here at Penn State). Many also argue that if we are paid for our performances, other college talents should be paid for their contributions to their schools. However, when one looks at the vast difference in the amounts of money that different groups bring in, it makes sense why we are resentful at the millions of dollars being made off of our sweat and tears. For instance my former teammate Larry Johnson put his heart and soul into playing for the past four years. His jerseys were sold for $50 each all year around, and he never saw a dime of that money. This is just one of the many examples of unfair compensation. Each year we are under enormous pressure to perform well in the classroom and in sports and I feel that if we were given a stipend it would help alleviate some of stress we go through. As college athletes we give up many freedoms. Going to parties, hanging out with friends, or relaxing is just a few of the activities that we are unable to take part in. One of the biggest freedoms we give up is being able to hold a part time job. Although the NCAA recently lifted the rule that stated â€Å"players are not allowed to hold jobs during their playing season,† it is nearly impossible for us to work.

A Bintel Brief :: essays research papers

A Bintel Brief   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A Bintel Brief, the book of letters from the Jewish daily Forward brought to me the realism of life as a Jewish immigrant. The times were rough on them, they used the â€Å"Bintel Brief† to reveal there problems and to get answers. When I started to read the book I was looking for specific answers to some questions. What do the letters reveal about how immigration was a large part a culrutal process that lasted well after Jews and other immigrants arrived in the U.S.? What was the dominant definition of what it meant to be an American at the time that many Jews arrived arrived in the United States? How did the Jews in the book compare? What hopes did many Jewish immigrants have for life in America? Were the expectations met? What else do the letters reveal about the late 19th Century through the 1920s? These questions really give the purpose of the book itself.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The letters of the Bintel Brief reveal that immigration became a cultural process. When the Jewish immigrants came to the U.S. there culture had to be changed to adapt to the Americans. They shaved their beards and ate non-kosher foods, they slowly had to separate themselves from there homeland. They had to blend in with there surroundings to get a job or even to make friends. In one of the letters, a young Jewish woman would go to work each day knowing that she would be harassed when she arrived. One of her fellow co-workers said the all Galician Jews should be dead. With comments like that, I myself would try to hide the fact that I am of different culture. The Jewish people would have to slowly bring back there heritage after they become treated more equally. Another letter about a 18 year old boy, that is a machinist, would get beaten up as if he was a punching bag. He left the job only to receive the same treatment in the other jobs. â€Å"As soon as they fo und out that I was a Jew they began to torment me so that I had to leave the place,† said the boy (64). The letters do reveal that immigration was a cultural process.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What made you an American during the time of the Jewish arrivals? To be an American in those times, meant that you must be born on the American soil.

Gmat -Awa

Guide to Perfect 6. 0 AWA GMAT Score 1. General Structure 1. 1 Argument Intro – Restate argument, point out flaws or state intention to discuss them below 1st Para – First,†¦ 2nd Para – Second/In addition,†¦ 3rd Para – Third/Finally,†¦ Conclusion – The argument is flawed/weak/unconvincing because of the above -mentioned†¦ Ultimately, the argument can be strengthened if/by†¦ 1. 2 Issue Intro – Restate issue, take a position 1st Para – First/One reason†¦ 2nd Para – Second/Another reason†¦ 3rd Para – Third/Perhaps the best reason†¦Conclusion – Acknowledge the other position but re-affirm yours and conclude that it is the stronger. 2. Structural Word (should be all over the essays) Supporting examples – for example, to illustrate, for instance, because, specifically Additional support – furthermore, in addition, similarly, just as, also, as a result, moreover Import ance – surely, truly, undoubtedly, clearly, in fact, most importantly Contrast – on the contrary, yet, despite, rather, instead, however, although, while Decide against – one cannot deny that, it could be argued that, granted, admittedly Ying-yang – on the one hand/on the other handConcluding – therefore, in summary, consequently, hence, in conclusion, ultimately, in closing 3. Templates 3. 1 Argument Intro: The argument claims that †¦. (restate) Stated in this way the argument: a) manipulates facts and conveys a distorted view of the situation b) reveals examples of leap of faith, poor reasoning and ill-defined terminology c) fails to mention several key factors, on the basis of which it could be evaluated The conclusion of the argument relies on assumptions for which there is no clear evidence. Hence, the argument is weak/unconvincing and has several flaws. 1st Para:First, the argument readily assumes that†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ This statement is a s tretch†¦. For example,†¦ Clearly,†¦ The argument could have been much clearer if it explicitly stated that†¦ 2nd Para: Second, the argument claims that†¦. This is again a very weak and unsupported claim as the argument does not demonstrate any correlation between†¦. and†¦ To illustrate,†¦ While,†¦ However,†¦. indeed†¦. In fact, it is not at all clear†¦ rather†¦. If the argument had provided evidence that†¦.. then the argument would have been a lot more convincing. 3rd Para: Finally,†¦ (pose some questions for the argument)†¦..Without convincing answers to these questions, one is left with the impression that the claim is more of a wishful thinking rather than substantive evidence. Conclusion: In conclusion, the argument is flawed for the above-mentioned reasons and is therefore unconvincing. It could be considerably strengthened if the author clearly mentioned all the relevant facts†¦. In order to a ssess the merits of a certain situation/decision, it is essential to have full knowledge of all contributing factors. In this particular case†¦. Without this information, the argument remains unsubstantiated and open to debate. . 2 Issue Intro: Many/some people think that†¦. Others†¦.. (restate) The issue is a controversial one but a closer examination reveals that†¦. (take a position)†¦ for several reasons. 1st Para: One reason is that/for†¦ For example,†¦ Furthermore,†¦ Clearly,†¦ 2nd Para: Another reason is that/for†¦ To illustrate,†¦ As a result,†¦ 3rd Para: Perhaps the best reason is (that)†¦. Specifically,†¦ Moreover/In addition†¦. In fact,†¦. Therefore,†¦. Conclusion: In summary, while there are arguments to be made for both sides, it is clear that there are greater advantages to†¦. repeat the reasons). Certainly,†¦.. outweigh†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Hence,†¦. (re-affirm your position) 4. Going from the templates to full-fledged essays 4. 1 Argument ESSAY QUESTION: The following appeared in the editorial section of a national news magazine: â€Å"The rating system for electronic games is similar to the movie rating system in that it provides consumers with a quick reference so that they can determine if the subject matter and contents are appropriate. This electronic game rating system is not working because it is self regulated and the fines for violating the rating system are nominal.As a result an independent body should oversee the game industry and companies that knowingly violate the rating system should be prohibited from releasing a game for two years. † Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. Point out flaws in the argument's logic and analyze the argument's underlying assumptions. In addition, evaluate how supporting evidence is used and what evidence might counter the argument's conclusion. You may also discuss what additional evidence could be used to strengthen the argument or what changes would make the argument more logically sound.YOUR RESPONSE: Quote: The argument claims that the electronic games rating system, although similar to the movie rating system, is not working because it is self regulated and violation fines are nominal, Hence, the gaming rating system should be overseen by an independent body. Stated in this way the argument fails to mention several key factors, on the basis of which it could be evaluated. The conclusion relies on assumptions, for which there is no clear evidence. Therefore, the argument is rather weak, unconvincing, and has several flaws.First, the argument readily assumes that because the electronic game rating system is self regulated, it is not working well. This statement is a stretch and not substantiated in any way. There are numerous examples in other areas of business or commerce, where the entities are self regulated and rather successful. For instance, FIA, the Formula1 racing organization is self regulated. Yet, the sport is very popular and successful, drawing millions of spectators around the world each year. Tickets are rather expensive, races are shown on pay-per-view, and nearly all drivers are paid very well.Another example is the paralleled movie rating system that the argument mentions. The author fails to clarify whether it is working well, but it is clear that the movie rating system is pretty well received by people, who often base their decisions to go see a movie with kids or not on the movie rating. It has never been a case when someone would feel cheated by the movie rating and express disappointment afterwards. Since the movie rating system is also self regulated, it follows that this regulatory method is working pretty well and it is not obvious how it can be the reason for the poor electronic game rating system.The argument would have been much clearer if it explicitly gave examples of how the self regulatory system led to bad r atings and customer dissatisfaction. Second, the argument claims that any violation fees for bad electronic game ratings are nominal. It thus suggests that this is yet another reason for the rating system not working. This is again a very weak and unsupported claim as the argument does not demonstrate any correlation between the monetary amount of the fines and the quality of the electronic game rating system. In fact, the argument does not even draw a parallel with the mentioned movie rating system and its violation fines.If any such correlation had been shown for the movie rating system, which supposedly works well, then the author would have sounded a bit more convincing. In addition, if the argument provided evidence that low violation fines lead to electronic game manufacturers to ignore any regulations with respect to the game rating system, the argument could have been strengthened even further. Finally, the argument concludes that an independent body should oversee the game industry and companies that violate the rating system, should be punished.From this statement again, it is not at all clear how an independent regulatory body can do a better job than a self regulated one. Without supporting evidence and examples from other businesses where independent regulatory bodies have done a great job, one is left with the impression that the claim is more of a wishful thinking rather than substantive evidence. As a result, this conclusion has no legs to stand on. In summary, the argument is flawed and therefore unconvincing. It could be considerably strengthened if the author clearly mentioned all the relevant facts.In order to assess the merits of a certain situation, it is essential to have full knowledge of all contributing factors. 4. 2 Issue ESSAY QUESTION: â€Å"Poor health and high stress levels diminish the productivity of today’s office workers. In order to maximize profits, companies need to provide white-collar employees with free exercise facilities and free wellness classes. † In your opinion, how accurate is the view expressed above? Use reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading to develop your position. YOUR RESPONSE: Quote:Some people think that productivity at work could be increased if workers are provided with free exercise facilities and wellness classes, as this will improve the workers health and diminish the level of stress in the office. Other people support the claim that people should manage their own health and stress level outside the work space. The issue is a controversial one but a closer examination reveals that companies that promote healthy living among their employees are indeed more productive. One reason is that people often do not find the motivation or the energy to o to a wellness class and exercise outside of work. Most people are usually very tired by the end of the work day and have other family duties or priorities to worry about. For example, do ing grocery shopping, cooking, picking up the kids from practice, etc. Therefore, it is very difficult for such people to make time for exercising and maintain healthy habits. As a result, the stress from a long day of work at the office gets carried over to the next day and the pattern repeats. Eventually, the health of those people worsens and their productivity on the job diminishes.Another reason is that people often find it attractive to do what their friends or colleagues do. For instance, if five colleagues of a worker join a pilates class and are happy about it, they then tend to recommend it to the worker in question and she will eventually join the class. Contagious behavior such as this can be very easily achieved on the job if pilates classes are offered, because then the discovery of the opportunity and the motivation to join are easily found. Hence, exercising at work becomes a very comfortable activity easily fit into a schedule and promotes the health and happiness o f the employees.They not only feel better heath-wise after exercise, but also strengthen relationships with co-workers by doing activities together. In a way, this whole experience can be viewed as team building. Consequently, workers are more energized, alert and therefore productive in their jobs. Perhaps the best reason is that by providing free exercise facilities and wellness classes companies improve their image and become attractive places to be at for future employees. Not only can such companies attract more viable candidates for new openings, but they can also retain longer the employees they already have.To illustrate this point, let us take Google for example. The company was recently ranked as the best one to work at. One of the main criteria for achieving this rank was the fact that the company takes very good care of its employees in terms of encouraging healthy living. There are numerous sports facilities on the Google campus which people are encouraged to use. Those include gyms, swimming pools, volleyball courts, massage chairs, etc. Personal trainers are also available for free for anyone that needs them. There is also a health center facility on site.With that kind of environment it is difficult to not take advantage and live a healthy living, resulting in better productivity on the job. In summary, while there are arguments to be made for both sides of the issue, it is clear that there are much greater advantages for companies to provide their workers with free health facilities and classes. Workers find it not only much easier to take advantage of such opportunities on site, but also are much more motivated to do so there. Participating in sports activities improves the workers' mood, desire to work hard, keeps them healthy, and creates a bond among workers.As a result, this translates to a better productivity of the workers and ultimately to maximized profits for the company. 5. Final tips During the tutorial type in a few sentences in t he mock essay window to get used to the keyboard. Again during the tutorial, jot down on your notebook the basic structure of your essays or the opening sentences in case you get too nervous and forget them when the clock starts ticking. Write as much as you can. Try to write at least 500 words per essay. Always have the e-rater in mind as your potential reviewer.Remember that the human rater will make every effort to grade just like the e-rater. In that sense, keep your structure and volume in mind over actual quality/content. Be careful of spelling mistakes. Double check words that you normally know you misspell (e. g. exercise). Try to finish 2-3 minutes before time is up so you can slowly re-read your essay for the purposes of spell checking. Do not reorganize/delete sentences/paragraphs with less than 2 min left. No matter how great you thought your essays went, try to stay humble and focused – remember this was just a warm-up and the real stuff hasn't started yet!Good l uck! —————————- Here is an essay I wrote for a PR Test – Graded a 6. 0 (normally they grade harder than real thing) Prompt: â€Å"The autonomy of any country is based on the strength of its borders; if the number of illegal immigrants entering a country cannot be checked, both its economy and national identity are endangered. Because illegal immigrants pose such threats, every effort must be made to return them to their country of origin. † Assignment: Discuss how well-reasoned you find this argument.In your discussion, be sure to analyze the line of reasoning and the use of evidence in the argument. For example, you may need to consider what questionable assumptions underlie the thinking and what alternative explanations or counterexamples might weaken the conclusion. You can also discuss what sort of evidence would strengthen or refute the argument, what changes in the argument would make it more logicall y sound, and what, if anything, would help you better evaluate its conclusion. â€Å"This argument relies heavily on unverified assumptions and has a very extreme conclusion.The author fails to make logical connections between the evidence provided and the conclusion that all illegal aliens must be returned to their country of origin. The first problem with the argument is that it suffers from multiple unsubstantiated claims. The first evidence that is given to support the extreme conclusion is that the autonomy of any country is based on the strength of its borders. This statement is also extreme because it infers that every countries autonomy could be ranked by the strength of its borders. There are many European countries that have very little strength exerted at the borders, but still maintain autonomy.The author should clarify this statement by grouping countries together or using a more vague statement that would include most countries but not all. The next statement in the a rgument is conditional phrase stating that the more illegal immigrants that enter a country the worse off the economy and national identity will be. While this statement might be true for some countries it is certainly not true for all countries. The very foundation of early US society was based on immigrant labor and culture that brought from over the sea. There are still many countries whose economy is heavily dependent on immigrant labor.Even though many economist feel this statement is true in the US today, most would disagree that this statement is true of all countries. The final portion of the author's argument is the conclusion. The conclusion states that the because of disadvantages mentioned earlier all illegal immigrants must be returned to their country of origin. Although this statement might appear to be a logical conclusion of this extreme argument it fails to take extra information into account. The author doesn't give any indication on how extreme these problems wil l be or how costly it will be to return the amount of illegal aliens to their home country.What if the cost to the economy was half the amount that it would cost to send all of the immigrants back to their country of origin? The author could use some monetary figures to prove that some savings would be incurred if all illegal immigrants were deported. In conclusion, the argument suffers from logical flaws and makes an extreme conclusion based on unproven assumptions. The addition of hard examples and connections between the statements would prove to strengthen the argument. † *This just shows you how you don't have to write great to get a good score*

Seed Plants

The three main organs in a plant are roots , stems, and leaves. Roots absorb water and dissolved nutrients from soil. They anchor plants to the ground. Roots are able to do all of these jobs because they grow , they develop complex branching networks that penetrate the soil and grow between soil particles. Stems hold a plants leaves up to the sun. Leaves are the organ in which plants capture the suns energy. These tissues must be protected against water loss to dry air. That’s why most plants are covered in waxy coating called cuticle.Plants have a well developed two way plumbing system consisting of xylem and phloem Xylem is primary responsible for carrying water and dissolved nutrients from the roots to stems and leaves. Phloem carries product of photosynthesis and certain other substances from one part of the plant to another. Seed plants do have alternation of generation. However life cycles of seed plants are well adapted to the rigors of life on land. Flowers and cones a re specialized reproductive structures of seed plants.Because they developed within the sporophyte plant, neither the gametophyte nor the gametes need standing water to function The entire gametophye of seed plants is contained in a tiny structure called a pollen grain. The entire pollen grain is carried to the female gametophyte by wind, insects, birds, small animals, and sometimes even bats. The carrying of pollen to the female gamtophyte is called pollination. Seeds are structures that protect the zygote of seed plants. After fertilization the zygote grows into a tiny plant called an embryo. A seed coat surround the embryo and protects it and the food supply from drying out.The first seed bearing plants appeared during the Devonian period. The most ancient surviving seed plants belong to the three classes: the Ginkgoae, the Coniferae, and the cicadae. In these plants leaves evolved into specialized male and female gametophyte called scales. Scales then are grouped into larger str uctures called male and female cones. Male cones produce pollen and female produce eggs. Each seed is protected by a seed coat bu the seed is not covered by the cones. Because their seeds sit naked on the scales cycads, ginkoes and conifers are called naked seed plants or gymnosperm.Cycads are palmlike plants that first appeared in the fossil record during the Triassic period, 225 million years ago. They can be found growing in tropical and subtropical places. The living ginkoe species looks almost exactly like its fossil ancestor. It might be the oldest plant seed alive today. Conifers are commonly called evergreens are the most abundant gymnosperm today. Pines, spruce, fir, cedars , sequoias, redwoods, and yews are all conifers. Some conifers live more than 4000 years and can grow more than 100 meters tall. The leaves of conifers are long and thin and are often called needles.Both male and female gametophyte are very small. Males cones, called pollen cones, produce male gametophyt e in the form of pollen grains. Female cones called seed cones. Some species of conifers produces male and female cones on the same plant. Angiosperm are all the flowering plants. All angiosperm reproduce sexually through their flowers in a process that involves pollination. Angiosperm seeds are contained within a protective wall that develops into a structure called a fruit. Angiosperm can be separated into two sublclasses the monocot and dicots. The monocots include corn, wheat, lilies, dafflodils, orchids, and palms.The dicots include plants such as roses, clover, tomatoes, oaks, and daisies. The leaves of the embryo are called cotyledon. In some species of cotyledon are filled with food for the first leaves to carry on photosynthesis for the germinating plant. In monocots stems, xylem, and phloem tissues are gathered into vascular bundles that are scattered throughtout the stem. In dicots they are arranged in a ring near the outside of the stem. The process by which two organism s evolve structures and behaviors in response to changes in each other over time is called co-evolution.Flowers pollinate by wind. Wind pollinated plants usually have a small plain simple flowers with little or no fragrance. Most angiosperm are not pollinated by the wind. They are pollinated by insects, birds or mammals . In return the flowers provide pollinators with food. Vector pollination or pollination by the actions of animals is a very efficient way of getting the male gametophyte to the female gamete. It is more efficient than wind pollination because it does not waste enormous amount of pollen. The process of distributing seeds away from parent plants is called seed dispersal.

Virgin Atlantic Airways Case Study

Critically assess how the organisation has employed e-business technologies to perform its key business processes and improve service levels for its customers To begin with, the online e-business model of Virgin Atlantic Airways is a business to consumer as the Virgin Atlantic Airways sells plane tickets directly to customers without passing intermediaries. Virgin Atlantic Airways implements the e business technologies to perform its key business processes and improve service levels for its customers by improving reservation online, provide all convenient services, flight data , route, cost saving ,more flight and news update and promotion. Reservation Online System First of all, Virgin Atlantic Airways (2012) stated that the reservation online enhance booking system and increase sales. This is because it is convenient for passengers to check dates and flight. No matters where passenger live, they can reserve online and make a payment directly to Virgin Atlantic Airways through credit cards. Secondly reservation online provide all level of services. So passengers can select the service to suit their need. Virgin Atlantic Airways provide services such as economy class, premium economy class as well as upper class. Convenient. B2C or Business direct to customer is quite convenient and efficient with airline business (Kotler, 2008) . This reduces the need of sell agents as intermediary. As a result of this, Virgin Atlantic Airways can sell plane ticket at a lower price. Furthermore, e-business technology can increase foreign passengers through Virgin Atlantic Airways booking system. This is because foreign passengers can check the route , flight data and prices to compare with other airline. However, if they find Virgin Atlantic Airways suit their need more , they will book directly with Virgin Atlantic Airways. Flight Data E-business technologies make a flight data more accurate and fast due to, the system is operated by computer. To demonstrate this, if one passenger book the plane ticket the system will show the seats availability left and if one change his or her mind by cancellation the system will responds very quick. Route E-business technologies could perform its key business processes and improve service levels for passengers by showing the flight route and provide alternative route for passengers to select. Therefore, passengers have varies option to pick the most convenient route and economical route. For a long flight, sometime passengers can pick an economical flight by choosing the flight that transfer at other airport or require couples stop. This enhance customers base and flight booking system. More Flight Virgin Atlantic Airways (2012) mentioned that online system can enhance more flight. This is due to if any flight or route is popular due to high demand or season factors. The system will suggests to possibility to increase more flight . Therefore, Virgin Atlantic Airways revenue and profit will rise as Virgin Atlantic can serve more demand. Cost Saving Cost saving is one of major key success of Virgin Atlantic Airways (Kotler, 2008) . The e business online system can save the cost effectively as there is less need for sell agents and intermediary . Also, the e-business system can manage ticket price effectively as well. This is because if the fuel price and tax price change , the system will adjust the selling price of plane ticket instantly. E –business system which is a computer system require less staffs working. Therefore, the system can save hiring cost. News update and Promotion. Virgin Atlantic website shows all news and promotion update. This is a fast way to communicate directly to passengers and it is quick because the company can just update instantly. This benefits both passengers and the Virgin Atlantic company due to passengers can compare the airways promotion with other airways or decide to purchase the promotion that suit their need instantly.

Commitment and Dedication

As a Boy Scout what commitment and dedication mean to me is being completely ready to carry out my responsibilities as a Boy Scout. I will do my very best to uphold my duties and responsibilities in the best way that I can, and I will always be willing to help others, if a situation arises. I will always appreciate the experience and knowledge that I have gained while being a Boy Scout and I will also encourage others to join.I will remain dedicated and committed to my title and I will do my very best to use my knowledge for the good of others. Whenever I am in a situation where I must choose between my Boy Scout meetings or play, I will do my very best to attend the meetings. I will remain a loyal Boy Scout who values the time he has spent in the Boy Scouts and will strive to demonstrate the skills that I have learned. I will also always remember to respect my fellow Boy Scouts and remain a good friend to them.I will always be committed to helping them and be fully dedicated as a Bo y Scout. My dedication and commitment will always remain with me, for I am grateful for the ones who trained me to be knowledgeable in so many areas and I will always appreciate them for the dedication and commitment that they gave to me. Dedication and commitment are two things that the Boy Scouts have taught me that I will keep with me and appreciate for the rest of my life.

Burger King vs Mcdonalds Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Burger King vs Mcdonalds - Essay Example On the basis of making risky business decisions McDonalds stands the winner in the competition. This is because recently McDonalds introduced the concept of McCafe (www.mcdonalds.com, 2014). This concept was quite different from their previous business model of only offering burgers. On the other hand, Burger King continues to operate the way they used to. On the basis of creativity, again McDonalds can be categorized as the winner. This is because they come up with new and improved ideas such as the idea of McGriddle which ended up being quite successful. While burger King lacks innovation and copies the creations of McDonalds. The differentiation between the two burger giants exhibit that both the burger giants have something different to offer. Burger King offers better quality burgers which is the main aim of both the burger giants, but McDonalds offers something new and takes the real risk by coming out with innovative

The Learning Environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 11500 words

The Learning Environment - Essay Example As I developed my relationship with students and began to learn more about their educational experiences, a rather bleak picture began to emerge about the nature of class placement and standardized test assessment. Although the institutional divisive system of academic segregation-tracking-should no longer be a reality in LAUSD schools, students are, to some degree, still segregated into classes based on their skill level. At my school, such "tracking" systems are still fully functional. Ninth grade students are placed in their English and math classes based on their state standardized score results, regardless of the grades they received in previous classes. As a result, some of the "lower-level" students placed in sheltered or remedial classes were actually the A-students in middle school who failed to take the state standardized exams seriously. These students are next programmed into classes designed for low-skilled students. Unlike designated "high-level" students, "low-level" s tudents are often not provided with the same resources, nor are they placed in classes with a quality standard of performance. Low-level students have virtually no access to higher-level1 college-preparatory materials, experienced teachers, and most importantly, rigorous academic training that could lead to greater motivation for success. Thus, by reducing and limiting access to these resources, the groundwork for an informal tracking system is created. My own personal experiences led me to understand that many of the endemic problems of the urban school system arose from the lack of access to higher expectations and a college

Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 50

Ethics - Essay Example One of the common unethical practices in retailing is lack of honesty. Lack of honesty is unethical because when a business man or woman fails to be honest to his/her employees and customers, it will highly affect their trust. Most clients like to trust the people who give them the products they need, and when a retailer fails to be honest, most of them tend to run away from the retailer (Robinson, 2009). Most customers question the ethics of their retailers and, therefore, it is vital for the retailers to be honest to their customers. Dishonesty is an unethical practice in retailing and it comes with consequences. First of all, lack of honesty in a business can lead to the loss of customers. For instance, many customers will run away from a dishonest retailer because they cannot trust him/her anymore. In addition, it can affect the business’ economic stability especially when customers are gone because of lack of honesty. Unethical sales practices such as dishonesty can also cost the employees and the community at large. Most employees will always leave after they realize the management of the employers are not honest with their clients. Employees will be happy if the employer is honest with them because retail business plays a vital role in the lives of the people in the community. Dishonesty in retailing can lead to legal consequences and possible lawsuits. Whysall (2009) highlights a case where a customer was sold a counterfeit electronic product. The retailer had stocked counterfeit Sony items intentionally. Upon realization, the customer filed a law suit that he was deceived prior to the transaction (Whysall, 2000). In the legal proceedings, the retailer was found for guilty for malpractice and counterfeiting. The retailer’s permit to operate was revoked. In addition, the customer was compensated in full for the money spent

Marketing to the South Asian Population Assignment

Marketing to the South Asian Population - Assignment Example Moreover, the increase of ethnic diversity has become a trend that will increase, which means that UK population will be even more heterogeneous in future. (Halsey, 2000) The number of immigrants from South Asia will rise, which means greater social weight for this group - currently, the largest of all ethnic minorities in the UK. Adding to social weight also means adding to economic value of South Asian population in Britain. Previously perceived as lacking the purchasing power (Sivanandan, 1989) ethnic minorities now present a significant segment "as consumers, workers, and investors in Europe new immigrant groups are beginning to impact the economic, social and political scene" (Palumbo and Teich, 2004). On the one hand, the significance of ethnic minorities increases, and on the other one, practitioners lack the information on how to use their presence. Indeed, buying behaviour of foreigners differ from European significantly. For instance, Delener (1990) finds that religiosity affects significantly buying behaviour of many ethnic groups. Therefore, understanding of purchasing habits of people from minority ethnic group requires understanding of their cultural differences, which become apparent in ethnic identities of each nation. Despite the wide academic interest to immigrant adaptation (Bhugra et al., 1999; Masuda et al., 1970; Phinney, 1990; Ward and Kennedy, 1994) there is still a significant lack of coherence in the description of ethnic identity, particularly because of terminological issues. Ethnic identity is explained in early studies as common ancestry based on shared individual characteristics and socio-cultural experiences (Drieger, 1978); and as fellings of belonging or commitment (Ting-Toomey, 1981). Later researches consider ethnic identity of a group or individual as the maintenance of original ethnic persona (Laroche et al., 1998) and a sense of shared values and attitudes (White and Burke, 1987). Thus 'ethnic identity' is not a clear term, but rather an umbrella of terms close to each other, yet not exactly similar, remaining opened for new perspectives. Consequently, such multi-dimensional definition of ethnic identity has led to wide acceptance of its multi-dimensional nature (Christian et al., 1976). Another underlying notion widely agreed is that ethnic identity is bound to culture. (Rosenthal and Hrynevich, 1985). However cultural dimensions vary across studies, proposing different models for the analysis of ethnic identity, mainly depending on the particular observed identity. For instance, Palumbo and Teich (2004) indicate religion, rite of passage, language, food and leisure as dimensions of Hispanic ethnic identity. Laroche et al. (2005) while observing differences between Greek and Italian identities, analyse three dimensions: ethnic language use with family members, ethnic language media exposure and ethnic attachment. More general research of Constant et al. (2006) measured ethnic identities of ex-Yugoslavian, Greek, Italian, Turkish and Spanish ethnic groups with five elements: language, culture, social interaction, hist ory of migration, and ethnic self-identification. Without further excessive specification, seven widely accepted dimensions of ethnic identity are given: language, friendship networks, religious affiliation, participation in clubs and organisations, food preferences, traditional celebrations, and politics. Ethnic minority groups present a vast field of interest

Business Policy Development and Implementation Critical Thinking Mod 5 Essay

Business Policy Development and Implementation Critical Thinking Mod 5 - Essay Example Encore also an expansion of Wynn Las Vegas is located adjacent to Wynn Las Vegas featuring 2,034 all suited hotel (Wynn Resort, 2013). One of the greatest operational strength of the resort lies in the hands of the founder, Steve Wynn. Wynn resorts differentiate its resort from the competitors through an idea which states, â€Å"Bigger ain’t better. Better is better.† However, as Steve Wynn is the biggest strength for the company similarly if Steve Wynn leaves the organization it shall result in failure for the company acting as weakness for the Wynn resorts and casino (Hoffman, n.d). Growth and expansion strategy Wynn Resorts has been planning to expand its business and build on new resort located on the Cotai strip in Macau and thus plans to spend about $4billion. Wynn operates in Macau as Wynn Macau and Encore and thus by expanding the resort is trying to strengthen the position in Macau. The new project aims to start off on the Cotai strip and plans to have 2000 roo ms, 10 restaurants and 500 gaming tables. Macau has grown to be the epicenter of the gaming industry across the globe with all renowned gaming companies looking for opportunity to expand in the region. According to reports of PWC the gaming market in Macau is expect to double and value at 62.2billion by 2015 (Trefis, 2012). Wynn Resorts and Casino deals in gaming and operates as one of the largest casino players in Las Vegas and other areas. So analyzing the Macau gaming industry, it should be profitable for Wynn Resort and Casino to build a resort in the Cotai Strip. Wynn expects that the Cotai Strip resort shall prove to be irresistible for the guests (Velotta, 2012). To analyze whether Wynn should pursue expansion in Cotai Strip Porters five force model has been used to support the expansion strategy and whether capital investment in the resort shall be profitable. Porters five force deals with five forces and are applied to identify the attractiveness of the industry. The indust ry here is the gaming industry and analysis is made on Macau gaming industry to analyze the future of Wynn resorts and casino. Bargaining power of buyer: The bargaining powers of the buyer refer to the ability of the customer to influence the price as well as terms of purchase. In the gaming industry the buyer power is least as it does not have any power in influencing the price. The prices are set by the companies and it does not change irrespective of any conditions. Wynn resorts plans to raise the price of the resort in Cotai Strip as compared with its other resorts. Power of supplier: The power of supplier is minimal but do not have the power to exert power over the firm and shall not crash on the profitability of the company. Threat of substitute: Threat of substitute for the gaming industry may be categorized from medium to high. But since Wynn Resorts deals in casino, the threat for the resort is relatively low. Threat of potential entrant: The threat of new entrant is low as huge capital investment is required to set up casino as they are already established players in the market. Rivalry: The rivalry is high as almost of the renowned gaming company from across the globe has been planning to expand in Macau that makes the competition even tougher in the current global economy growth rate. Conclusion Analyzing the Porters five force for Wynn Resort and Casino, it may be said that the decision taken by Steve Wynn to expand in Macau

Anecdotes that relates wisdom Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Anecdotes that relates wisdom - Essay Example The girl saw this and asked her mother: â€Å"Mom, why are they laughing at that woman?† Her mom answered: â€Å"They are laughing at her, because she is fat.† Her daughter looked confused and said: â€Å"I would not laugh at anyone just because they are bigger than me. That would be rude.† At the theater, they watched the movie â€Å"Shrek.† When the scene showed Shrek being introduced to the public and people either laughed at him or looked disgusted, her child asked her: â€Å"Mom, why are they laughing at Shrek?† Her mom replied: â€Å"Because he is ugly my dear. They are laughing at him for being ugly.† Her daughter looked puzzled again and stressed: â€Å"But mom, Shrek is not ugly at all. He just looks different, but he sure is not ugly.† At home, the daughter seemed sad. Her mom asked her what was bothering her. She said that at school, some of her classmates said that she did not look like her mom, because her mom looked †Å"ugly.† She told her mom: â€Å"I told them that you’re the most beautiful face in my universe. And you know mom, I wanted to hurt them. I wanted to push them away. But I stopped myself. Because if I did that, then I would be the ugly one.† The mother couldn’t help but cry. Lesson 6 Journal Entry # 1 of 10 Journal Exercise 6.1: Prewriting - Anecdote With Wisdom Brainstorm a list of possible topics. To begin, you'll need to think of an experience that taught someone a lesson. Like John Knowles, you can draw from the experiences of your own life or you can write pure fiction. Either way, your anecdote should share some insight or wisdom drawn from the experience. You can choose any writing style that's comfortable for you. For example, you may want to go with a personal, first-person narrator like Gene. You may want to write in an omniscient voice to show what all of the characters are thinking. Read back through some of the selections in Collection 13 to s ee if anything strikes you. Your list can be a mini-version of a writer's notebook. Jot down as many different anecdote ideas as you can to give yourself a lot of choices later. Your list might be just a phrase or two to remind you of the characters and maybe the lesson, or it might include more detail about some ideas, like a description of a setting. You should list at least three possible anecdote ideas and the lessons that go with them. Journal entry 1) The anecdote is about a woman who learns the value of simplicity from her own daughter. Her daughter shows her that brands and money do not matter to her. Expensive trips do not matter to her. It only matters that her mom gives her time and attention, because time and attention meant that her mom loved her more than anything in this world. 2) The anecdote is about a workaholic man. He has bought his own house and two automobiles already. Aside from that, he has enough savings that can last him two years or more. But somehow, he i s not happy. He learns from an old man with memories of his family that material things are nothing with no one to share them with. 3) The anecdote narrates the life of a scientist looking for the fountain of youth. He already tested several animal and plant enzymes, but he could not find anything that could maintain one’s youth. Depressed, he left his life and became a nomad living in the forest, where he meets his future wife. They have a family together. The lesson is not about being young forever, but growing old with people one