Reflection assignment Essay

The term learning to me means that we are acquiring knowledge for something we did not know or a new way of doing something. I think online learning is different than traditional because online learning is more of independent studies and can be easier or more difficult to manage depending on each person’s learning styles. My view of learning as only changed by knowing more learning styles and how they can vary in technical terms. Myself as a learning is described by being a dynamic learner, I used all the learning patterns and none of my learning patterns were avoided. I typically use precision and sequence more than I do technical reasoning and confluence. Although there are times that I will use confluence and technical reasoning more than sequence and precision which is why I believe that makes me a successful dynamic learner. My learning scores are sequence twenty-six, precision thirty-two, technical reasoning twenty, and confluence twenty-one. Some of the benefits to bein g able to use precision as a use first is that I like to make sure that what I am doing is correct the first time around. Also with sequence being a use first learning pattern I am able to use it alongside precision and make sure that everything is organized in order. I have learned to tether my weaker learning patterns with my stronger learning patterns, so that I am more successful in learning. Once I learned my different types of learning patterns I was able to become an intentional learning because I used the assignment with my learning patterns to have a better understanding. Overall I was able to be fairly successful in this class and was given the right tools to be successful. I think I could have FIT my learning patterns together better to be a lot more successful in the class. I do believe that this class has been a great learning experience so that in the future I can use my learning patterns together and FIT them to each assignment, and with things I am doing outside of class. If I would have tethered my precision and technical reasoning in with class from the start I know I could have succeeded a lot more than what I have, but I will use this class as a learning experience and carry my learning patterns and FIT information along with m e to help in future classes. My overall reflection of the last five weeks is that I have learned a lot about different types of learning.

Lord of the Flies: The Evil of Human Nature Essay

â€Å"However Simon thought of the beast, there rose before his inward sight the picture of a human at once heroic and sick(Golding 128). This quote from William Goldings novel, Lord of the Flies, effectively suggests that human beings are evil; which is also the main theme of the novel. In the novel, the major characters at the ending reinforce Goldings negative view of human nature. Golding provides his view of human nature very early in the novel. The island on which the boys land is described as a paradise with a variety of flora and fauna. Upon the boys landing, the tube carrying the boys causes a scar on the island. The intensity of the destruction caused by the scar is described: All round him the long scar smashed into the jungle was a bath of heat(Golding 11). However, the destruction does not stop there. Later, the boys burn down a large part of the island as a result of their carelessness. Here, Golding shows that humans cause destruction even if they did not mean to. He is almost suggesting that causing destruction is second nature to us humans. At the end of the novel, the destruction comes full circle when Jacks tribe burns down the entire island. The presence of the boys has completely changed the island from a beautiful paradise to a charred wreckage. Goldings pessimistic view of human nature is further expanded with the issue of hunting. As the novel progresses, Jacks level of obsession with hunting continues to escalate until the very end of the novel. It is interesting to note that although the island has an abundance of fruits and the boys can easily catch fish and crabs at the beach, Jack insists on hunting to get meat. Later on, he enjoys hunting as if it were a sport:His mind was crowded with memories; memories of the knowledge that had come to them when they had outwitted a living thing, imposed their will upon it, taken away its life like a satisfying drink(Golding 88). Jack hunts not with the sole intention to get meat, but he particularly enjoy exercising power over living creatures while hunting. This shows how much Jack enjoys having power; the power to control other beings. Throughout the novel, Jack does everything he can to gain the respect of the boys; to gain support for power. Later when he most of the boys join his tribe, Jack takes one last step to secure his position as chief of his tribe. He goes as far as to order his tribe to hunt and kill Ralph to eliminate the last threat to his position. Here, we can see that Jack has moved from hunting pigs to hunting humans. Thus, this shows how savage and evil man can be as he hunts even his own kin. Besides, these examples also show that humans have an unquenchable thirst for power that if not controlled, will blind us and take over our soul. In the novel, Golding uses Jack and his tribe to illustrate the effects of complete freedom to man. After Jacks tribe is formed, the members are no longer referred to as boys but as savages with Jack as their Chief. This is a direct reference to the boys regression into a primitive state of being. Jacks tribe also performs several primitive practices that are usually attributed as savage. First of all, they paint their faces and bodies to conceal themselves while hunting pigs. Next, they perform brutal killing of pigs:Roger found a lodgment point and began to push till he was leaning with his whole weight. The spear moved forward inch by inch and the terrifying squealing became a high-pitched scream. Then Jack found the throat and the hot blood spouted over his hands(Golding 168,169). Last of all, they give an offering, the pigs head, to the beast hoping it would not harm them. Thus, this shows that the boys do not understand the true nature of the beast. Their situation is similar to primitive man, who gave offerings to gods and idols to protect their own well-being from natural disasters they did not understand. It is during the presentation of the offering that Jack said: Sharpen a stick at both ends (Golding 169). Obediently, Roger sharpens a stick and Jack skewers the pigs head on one end of the stick and places the other into the ground. This statement is repeated again at the end of the novel. When Ralph asks Samneric of what Jacks tribe plan to with him once he was captured one of them replied, Roger sharpened a stick at both ends(Golding234). Although Ralph would hardly understand what the phrase means, the terrible truth becomes clear to the reader. Jacks tribe plans to behead Ralph and skewer his head on a stick sharpened at both ends as another offering to the beast. It is, by far, the most brutal display of human savagery. Without the eye of watchful adults, Jack and his tribe are uncontrollable; and Jack as their leader, has absolute power. Golding has written Lord of the Flies based on his experience in war. He realizes that war is the greatest act of human evil, for it takes the lives of innocent people and causes nothing but destruction. Therefore, it is fitting for Golding to highlight the effects of war in the novel to reinforce his pessimistic view of human nature. At the end of the novel, Golding leaves the reader with an image of a war ship, which is one of the many traces of war in the novel. If the reader examines the opening of the story, there are references to a war going on in the world, such as Piggys mention of the atomic bomb: Not them. Didnt you hear what the pilot said? About the atomic bomb? Theyre all dead(Golding 20). The reader discovers that the boys are stranded on the island because of the war. Besides that, another trace of the war is the dead parachutist. The boys mistake the dead parachutist for the beast. Ironically, the dead parachutist is the beast in the sense that he is connected to the war going on in the world outside and the beast is attributed to the evil in human nature. Even the boys have their very own war on the island. Therefore, the island could represent a microcosm of the outside world. Now, we return to the image of the war ship. The arrival of the ship allows the boys to be rescued. However, the ship only serves to remind the reader that although the boys are rescued, they are taken back to a war-torn world. After experiencing one war, the boys are being taken to another. The circle of destruction continues. To sum everything up, Golding effectively uses the main characters, especially at the ending, to prove that humans are more evil than good. The last page of the novel has one last scene of Ralph which summarizes the main themes of the novel. From his experience on the island, he is no longer an innocent child as he has been exposed to the evil nature of human beings and human savagery:And in the middle of them, with filthy body, matted hair, and unwiped nose, Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of mans heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy(Golding 248). Works citedGolding, William. Lord of the Flies. London: Faber and Faber, 1996.

Nazi Opposition and the Holocaust

In â€Å"Opposition and Resistance in Nazi Germany†, Frank McDonough explains that the Christian Church was the only organization in Hitler’s Germany that opposed Nazism.   For this reason, the Church was vehemently opposed by Hitler for Nazi opposition.   The chief opponents of Nazism within the Church were punished by the Nazis.   Nevertheless, the Church refused to bow to the Nazi regime seeing as the values of the Church differed widely from Nazism. Samuel P. and Peral M. Oliner write in â€Å"The Holocaust: Problems and Perspectives of Interpretations† that there were around 50,000 to 500,000 non-Jews with altruistic personalities that came to rescue the Jews during World War II.   Although the period was marked by extreme violence and bloodshed, good was meant to overcome evil in the form of countless people that risked their lives for the Jews, despite the fact that they were not related to the Jews by religion, culture, or ethnicity. Peter Hayes mentions several such people by name in his article, â€Å"Lessons and Legacies: The Meaning of the Holocaust in a Changing World.†Ã‚   According to the author, although the Nazis believed that it was a crime to help the Jews, the brave people who helped the Jews refused to submit to Nazi pressure and injustice. Analysis All of the articles summarized above provide evidence to back up the authors’ theses.   While Frank McDonough provides historical examples of the conflict between the Church and Nazism; Samuel P. and Peral M. Oliner provide research evidence to show the altruistic characteristics of the brave non-Jewish rescuers that came to help the Jews without expecting a monetary reward in exchange for their help.   Peter Hayes uses the case study method to describe the altruistic personality of the non-Jewish rescuer. Hence, all three articles provide enough information for the writer to understand the respective topics in depth.   What is more, all three articles present information in a logical manner.   After introducing the topics of their articles, the authors present evidence to support their thesis, connecting each of their sentences and paragraphs to the previous ones.   At no point does it appear that the authors are digressing or providing little in terms of reasoning.   Rather, the articles are complete in terms of logic. Personal Response to the Readings In my opinion, the most important fact to infer from the summarized readings is that good and evil can be interwoven even in terms in great distress.   Indeed, it is good news for humanity that everybody would not submit to evil despite all odds.   So, even though the Nazis were a great threat for the good people in their area, innumerable such people refused to be afraid of Nazism,  and instead made an effort to help the Jews.   The Church refused to bow to Nazi dictatorship to boot.   I believe this is a victory for religion, even if the Jews were being persecuted because of their religion alone.   Indeed, my faith in the power of religion as well as good over evil has been strengthened through these readings.      

Decision-making traps Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Decision-making traps - Essay Example In the process however, I had observed that my effort of persuasion to direct the group in arriving at this decision, which was mostly a gratification of personal favor, was futile in the sense that majority of the members weren’t cooperating to their fullest capacities. Knowing each of them personally, I was certain about the reach of their potentials especially when they had appetite for work so it turned out that the succeeding objective of my leadership, which was to stimulate members to perform in a fashion that we could exceed average expectations in and out of the group, gradually became impaired. Primarily, I intended for us to practice executing around a task interdependently but since there were weak signs of self-motivation due to the nature of the project, I felt a growing sense of reluctance myself to push for the desired goal. Such excruciating instance of feeling ineffective in the midst of a crucial situation where I could not afford to deflect instructorâ€⠄¢s good impression at the expense of team quality brought me to the realization that I could have fulfilled each objective had I adhered to the application of utilitarian principle.

Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 26

Summary - Essay Example However, many people have questioned the reality of the zero-hours working arrangement concept. To start with, there have been serious concerns about the zero-hours work arrangement. Firstly, there was a serious problem with the arrangement considering the requirement for employees to be present at work premises. Some employers only paid for the time that workers were actively working. This was a problem because this arrangement favored the employers only since employees could do nothing with the unpaid time that was spend at the employers premises (CIPDa, 2013). This problem was solved through legal regulations leading to the reduction of zero-hours work arrangement. However, the concept of zero-hours working contract has been shown to develop popularity in the recent years. Secondly, there has been a concern about employment rights and benefits to the employees working under the zero-hours work arrangement. Under this arrangement, many employees are not entitled to benefits such as work service on retirement. Finally, there is a concern about financial insecurity for the employees under this system. This is because there are a lot of uncertainties considering the fact that workers get paid for work done only when they get an opportunity to work. Interestingly, zero-hours contracts, like other forms of casual work contracts, involves transfer of risks between the employers and employees. However, it is worth pointing out that employers also take some form of risk in these types of arrangements because employees may not be available at the time of need (CIPD, 2013). This is in contrast to the permanent forms of employment contracts where there is mutual agreement between the employer and employee depending on the bargaining powers of each party. On the other hand, leaders express different opinions concerning the Zero-hours contracts work arrangement. This is evidenced by the different feedbacks from leaders interviewed in the BBC News. During the

Information systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Information systems - Essay Example Since Nucor Steel believes staunchly in its customers, it is essentially taking care of everyone under this umbrella. These include the shareholders, the communities as well as the people who buy and use their products. At Nucor Steel, organizational culture plays a very significant role towards knowledge creation and knowledge sharing since these dictate the message which is sent out to the customers, shareholders and the general public that makes use of the product after they have bought it. This in turn affects the overall performance of the company because the customers form the basis of the company’s growth and development. Social capital is defined as the networks that are existent amongst the people who reside as well as work in a specific society which essentially allows the society to go about functioning in an effective and efficient way (Morden 1995). From a personal perspective, social capital allows the people to connect with one another on a one to one level whil e in a professional perspective; they work alongside one another to achieve common goals and objectives. This social capital premise therefore decides the manner under which their linkages are ensured in the long run. As an example, Nucor Steel likes its people to connect both on a personal as well as a professional perspective to derive harmony for the business which in turns means strategically aligned better performance models. 2. Traditional financial accounting falls short in measuring the value of a company, especially for assessing strategic value of knowledge and capabilities. Why? Describe how knowledge accounting such as balanced scorecard may be used to solve this problem. Traditional financial accounting has often fallen short of measuring the real value of the company and more so for the sake of determining the long term value of knowledge and its

Solar PV on a Lifeboat Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Solar PV on a Lifeboat - Essay Example On the other hand, there are alternate ways to power the life boat in case emergency. Solar energy and wind energy are always available during any condition and these two renewable resources can be used to power a life boat. Solar and wind energy are not only environment friendly but also cost little. Moreover, solar and wind energy are not going to end as it is most concerned factors with diesel. Solar and wind energy are efficient source of energy as there is no operational cost. Solar energy is good for the life boats as solar panels are light weight and available is different sizes and shapes. Flexible solar panels are best suited for the inflatable life boats. It is most efficient technology for the life bots and can be used in combination with other technologies. In combination with the diesel power engines, the system will immediately switch to solar panel supply unit. The designed solar panels will have higher efficiency, waterproof layer and can resist a higher pressure during launch of life boat. An alternate energy sources is solar thermal energy. With the help of this technology water the temperature of water can be increased. In general, evacuated tubes and flat plate solar heat collection panels are mounted on the rooftops or on open regions to collect the solar thermal energy. For the power generation sector, molten salt or some other such material are utilized to attain maximum energy output from evacuated tubes. Molten salt stores the excessive thermal energy during day and gives it for the power generation during night. In some colder regions, two systems are utilized; antifreeze rust proof liquid is pumped through the flat plate collects or tubular collector to make the system running at low temperatures. Solar geysers are also installed with the evacuated tube collector to collect the hot water during night. Solar thermal is an efficient process to increase the temperature of water. The system

Organisations and behaviour Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Organisations and behaviour - Coursework Example If managers are able to understand how different culture and structure can influence the performance of the organization, they will be able to manipulate their organizations performance through varying structure and culture of their institutions. Organizations can be defined as collection of individuals with an aim of achieving a common target (Flamholtz & Randle 2011, p.51). Therefore, every organization has a specific arrangement that determines the levels and flow of powers. This determines who is in charge of the others and also stipulates individuals’ status in the organization. The arrangement is determined by the functions individuals perform according to the area of their occupation. Individuals carry out the same task in the organization from time to time hence increases their work efficiency. This reduces the time of performing their duties hence saving cost of operation in the organization. Culture refers to the practices, standards and conducts that every individual member in an organization has to adhere to during their normal discharge of duties (Flamholtz & Randle 2011, p.54). Every organization has unique traditions that every member to that organization must uphold in order to be able to cope with other members and discharge their duties effectively (Fairfield-Sonn 2001, p.64). Therefore, the culture of each organization determines the conducts of the organizations’ employees and how the level of performance attained by the organization. Organizational structure defines the channel of flow of power within the workers in an organization (Jenks 2004). This streamline the flow of information within the organization as it moves from a specific source to the rest of the members. Organization structure affects individuals within an organization while organization culture may have a uniform impact on the organization (Jenks 2004). This is because structure

Why I want to be a Nurse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Why I want to be a Nurse - Essay Example I believe being a nurse is more of a calling than a profession. Taking care of others has always interested me. There is something that happens within me when I help another person. I not only feel a great sense of purpose but also experience happiness in my ability to help someone in need. When you help and take care of someone; it makes you feel that you have contributed in making their life more beautiful, less painful and more hopeful, at least that’s the way I feel about it. I once heard someone say â€Å"A doctor treats a disease that a person happens to have, but a nurse treats a patient who just happens to have a disease.† There is so much suffering in this world today and since I am an extremely sensitive and compassionate young person, I feel personally challenged to contribute in whatever way I can and make a difference in this world. At present I volunteer at a local veterinary animal hospital and also a care home. I am extremely interested in geriatrics - t he branch of medicine that deals with the diseases, debilities, and care of aged persons. I believe that pursuing a career in Nursing will enable me to learn and provide professional medical assistance to these people who are in need. I am sure the nursing profession will no doubt be challenging and demanding, and that’s why I keep with me the words written by Rn Cardillo Donna (2001) where she goes on to say â€Å"When the reality of your chosen profession hits, it can be overwhelming. But never lose sight of the reason you chose to enter this glorious profession – to help others, make a difference, and make the world a better place to be. That’s what it’s all about†.

Bottled Water Essay Example for Free

Bottled Water Essay Bottled water is one of the easiest ways for getting good water. Bottled water is every where in offices, airplanes, stores, homes and restaurants across the country. People think that bottled water is the best option for their health instead of drinking tap water because they say tap water is not completely pure. What they dont know is that tap water is the same as drinking bottled water because industries like Nestle gives us tap water in plastic bottles. Plastic bottles contain many chemicals that damage our system by giving us different diseases. This increases the risk of people getting diseases while years pass. People dont research enough about how is bottled water is made and how they are just taking away our money in this type of products. Before watching the video about bottled water, I realized how bottled water affects our system like a person and how it affects our environment. After watching the video I really didnt drank bottled water because I am an ecologic person. I have always recycled bottles and in my old school I promoted ways to recycle bottles, and why to recycle. I realized all the pollution is going on in the earth and I like to keep it clean. Even if I am the only person who is recycling one person makes some how some difference for the planet to breath at least a little bit. It makes me sad how people dont care about our planet knowing all the struggles and the lack of resources we now have. I have my personal plastic bottled to refill to drink water. This is some how good for the planet because we can use one water bottled and drink tap water and recycle. If industries like Nestle are giving us tap water in their fancy plastic bottles to make us believe that they are giving us pure water, why not drink tap water if it is the same. In reality, bottled water is just water. Bottle water means garbage, plastic bottles just makes more garbage in the planet and not all of them are recycled as the recycled industries say they are. Most of them end in the Pacific Ocean, rivers, lakes, etc. Plastic bottles besides killing us with their chemicals they also kill animals. This plastic bottles end up in lakes and in natural environments. Fish, birds, and other animals end up eating some how plastic because it is in their environment, this increases the percentage of animals dying in our natural environment; causing endangered animals. It makes me sad how people knowing how plastic bottles or even in my Earth Science class know how tap water is the same as bottled water are the same and they keep buying them. Why not buy your own plastic water and drink tap water if it is going to be the same kind of product and this way we can recycle by using the same water bottle many times, and drinking the same product that industries like Nestle are providing us in bottled water. I hope that with this critical analysis some of my classmates realize how bottled water is bad for their health and how bottled water damage not only us but also our environment. There are many things going on besides bottled water polluting our environment and damage other living animals. Lets no be selfish and take in consideration all of this information. http://www.epa.gov/ogwdw/faq/pdfs/fs_healthseries_bottlewater.pdf http://www.rd.com/health/rethink-what-you-drink/ http://www.chem.duke.edu/~jds/cruise_chem/water/wattap.html http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/tapped/

Micro Cars Ltd of Sri Lanka

Micro Cars Ltd of Sri Lanka 1.0 Introduction Micro Cars Ltd was established in Sri Lanka in 1999 by the guidance of Chairman/CEO of Micro Cars Ltd Dr. Lawrence Perera with the intention of introducing (manufacturing) low cost but high quality vehicles for the county. The intention became reality with the launch of their first car in 2003 which was well recognize and accepted by the society due to lots of hard efforts on Research Development that put-in over many years to make the company dream reality and in the later stages Micro Cars Ltd positioned as National Car Manufacturer where they earned the patent for small city cars too. Further with the aim of growing and expanding the businesses, Micro Cars Ltd came up with different type of attractive vehicles which some are purely manufactured in Sri Lanka and others which are assembled in Sri Lanka with the same intention that they had earlier, which is manufacturing low cost but high quality vehicles for the county. So when looking at the types of the vehicles which Micro introduced Tractors, Trucks, Light Trucks, Buses, MPVs, SUVs and Cars can be considered. Out of those product types the SUV segment was the really attracted segment by the most of the people in Sri Lanka where the Micro Rexton II was a hit product in that SUV segment where it created threat for other average SUVs in the market due to its less price (but high quality) compared with the other SUVs that manufactured by the leading SUV makers in the world like Mitsubishi, Hyundai etc. Further the government of Sri Lanka also gave great support to this company as it is a purely Sri Lankan venture and government in a position to buy more vehicles from Micro Cars Ltd for government needs and it also resulted in increasing the profits of Micro Cars Ltd. As the demand goes up for the Micro Rexton II they increased their production to match with the demand and also with the intention of entering into the Asian markets. For that they expand their workshop areas and recruited more employees and let the employees work on shift basis like one set of people on day and the other set at night. So with the consideration of the previous track record or the milestones of the Micro Cars Ltd, the company it self in a position to consider on expanding their business to Singapore by exporting the Micro Rexton II with the intention of targeting it to the middle-upper class in the Singapore due to many potential factors in relation to the conditions of Singapore and also with the hope of competing with other average SUV in Singapore due to the less price of the Micro Rexton II. Therefore in order to find out the viability of exporting Micro Rexton II to Singapore a marketing audit will be carries out where it helps to get an idea about the different market conditions in the competitive market and its potentials where it give clear view about both positive and negative aspects like whether it will be survive or not. So from there, Micro Cars Ltd can decide whether to expand to Singapore or not. Furthermore it also necessary to conduct Marketing Plan where it support to overcome the negatives that occurred in the marketing audit for the purpose of maximizing profits with the inclusive of some areas like promotional mix, budgets, profit/loss statement and etc. 2.0 The Product Micro Cars Ltd is the only pure Sri Lankan automobile company in Sri Lanka that goes on continues improvement from the day it starts with increasing of its profits while making the public more satisfy by offering certifiable solutions to the traveling needs of majority of middle-upper class Sri Lankans. Along with their success in the Sri Lankan market their next plan is to enter into the Singapore automobile market by offering their most hit product in their history Micro Rexton II. Actually earlier the name Rexton was origin from SsangYong Motors in Korea and later they made strategic alliance with capital investment of Mercedes-Benz AG to support Engine Transmission technologies. When the time goes on Ssang Yong SUV were introduce directly to Sri Lankan from Korea by Ssang Yong Motors as Ssang Yong Rexton which is the older version without any collaboration with a Sri Lankan venture. Anyway the older version was not that much popular and it was failed in Sri Lanka due to some uncontrollable factors such as customer mind set that having on the Korean vehicles. But later Micro Cars Ltd made joint-hands with the Ssang Yong Motors Korea for the introduction of the Rexton II (newly version of Rexton) which was assembled locally in Micro Cars Ltd workshop. In relation to the stage of the product life cycle of the Micro Rexton II, it is in growth stage in Sri Lanka. But when considering on the situation in Singapore the other SUV already in the market are in the maturity stage. So as a result of that this will be a good advantage for Micro Cars Ltd to enter into the Singapore market to change the current stage of PLC. 2.1 Evaluate the product as an innovation as it is perceived by the intended market Basically this is the first time that the Micro Cars Ltd is expanding their businesses out of their boundaries. No matter whether Micro was making huge profits in the local market, but it can get negatively effected in foreign markets as the conditions are not the same as locally which means the competition getting differ from country to country. So it can be risky up-to some extent due to the huge competition that getting to this newly product from major SUV automakers of the world. With regard to the relative advantage of the Micro Rexton II over the other competitors, the SUV users can perceive the same advantages, benefits and features that available in other average SUVs in the Micro Rexton II as well. But all the things are not for high price like other competition brands but at reasonable price which is lower than the competitive SUVs. Also considering on the fuel consumptions with other brands Micro Rexton II is more fuel efficient SUV with Diesel engine. But most of other SUVs are not in much fuel efficient as those are with Petrol engines. (Other competitive SUVs are available in Diesel engines too, but price is even higher than the standard petrol SUV prices.) The unique design will give more prestigious outlook for the vehicle than other brands do. Also its more compatible to the Asians and their beliefs as most of Asians prefer their own country manufactured vehicles or vehicles that manufactures within their region. In relation to the complexity, theres no requirement to have special skills to drive Micro Rexton II as it is the same way of driving other SUVs. Further theres another advantage which is the Micro Rexton II can be purchased with minimum risk as it is recognize and certified SUV in Asia. The observability of this product is high. Because you dont need to educate to feel or experience the benefits of the SUV. One you inside in it, thats all you need and you can feel the difference of smooth driving. 2.2 Major problems and resistances to product acceptance based on the preceding evaluation. Relative advantage Quality and the condition of the Micro Rexton II is in competitive position compared with other competitive SUVs. But the price of it is lower than the other competitive brands. Compatibility Micro Rexton II is really compatible to the Singapore and with Asian atmosphere as the SUV is from the same region. Complexity Actually its the same way that we have to follow to use (drive) the Rexton II and there no any special skills required as it very easy to drive with automatic transmission. Trialability Basically this can be purchases with minimum economic risk in relation to the other brand and also the market value or the used value is at acceptable range. Observability actually you dont have to be educating to feel the features of the Rexton II. Because once you got into it, then you get to feel it automatically. 3.0 The Market 3.1.1 Geographical regions Singapore is one of the best well-developed country in the world as well as in the region with well managed stable economy. It covered by Malaysia from one side and Indonesia from the other side where 50% lands are assumed as urban areas while the remaining part have reserved for plantations and other purposes. The people who live their also experiencing good standard life with majority of acceptable income. 3.1.2 Forms of transportation and communication available in that region Transportation Transportation is one of the main component for each and every country no matter whether it is non-developed, developing or developed country. Because its very important aspect for all countries to move from place to another or to send some stuff from one location to another and it will be mode of easy access to different location where which connects boundaries. Considering the conditions of Singapore in relation to the transportation aspects it is the county that own one of the rich transportation systems in the region. As a result of that, the people from all around the world use Singapore as an easy access place and where they also use Singapore as transit place. The types of transportation that available in Singapore as follows. Road transportation Actually the on-ground transportation or the road transportation is the most common cheapest mode transportation method that available all around the world even in the poor countries as well. But in relation to the situation in Singapore this common method is using in very advance manner where they own some expressways that length 150 Km and other A-class roads. Basically these 3262 Kms are connecting the Singapore from all around. All the busses, cars including taxies and other ground vehicles are got to use this method. Rail Transport Mainly the rail transportation in Singapore can be classified into two segments such as Mass rapid transit (MRT) and Light rail transit (LRT) which totally consist of 138.2 Km. The mass rapid transit (MRT) is currently running as four line transportation system with total length of 118.6 Km with the collection of 70 stations. Further the remaining light rail transit (LRT) is having 14 stations with length of 19.6 Km. Ports and Harbors There are totally 8 ports in Singapore and most of the ports which is 7 ports are handling by the PSA International which earlier names as Port of Singapore Authority. Further Singapore is well knows for worlds busiest port â€Å"Jurong† which handled 1.04 billion tons per year. (Appendix 2) Air Transportation In relation to aviation industry Singapore is assumed as aviation hub by civil aviation authority of Singapore where relatively they names the Singapore â€Å"Changi† airport as the air-hub. Further there are 5 air bases in Singapore and also five airlines are currently operating in Singapore leading by the Singapore Airlines where it connects 70 cities around the world. Especially the â€Å"Changi† airport is consisting with 4 terminals with ability of handling 64 million people each year. Communication As stated before Singapore is a well developed country in most areas and they are very rich in technology wise too. Because most of the technological aspects are born or available in Singapore and all our minds goes to Singapore if we talks about some technological aspect like mobile phone or gaming item. Thats because of the picture that they have buildup in technological perspective over the past years. So due the advancement or richness of the technology they are also armed up with communication aspects too as there are direct linkage between the technology and the communication. Because some times we cannot even have the word communication without the technology. So with regard to the communication methods in Singapore following items can be considered. Telephones Singapore is one of the best telecommunication providers in the world including SingTel and the Singapore Telecom. Currently they are running with1.857 millions fixed lines. Recently their facilitating their services in excellent manner by adding numerous additional options to their services. Payphones (Public phone booths) Basically payphones can be classified into to such a card-operated phones and coin-operated phones. Both local and international call can be taken with the use of card-operated phones but only the local calls can be taken by using the coin operated phones. Mostly these booths are located in busiest public places like railway stations and bus stops. Mobile phones This is the most convenient and common communication method in a country like Singapore due to its technological advancement and richness. Not only in Singapore but also in many countries around the world are use to have it or more comfortable with it because of the regular use of it. Further the mobile phone usage is very rich in Singapore where the mobile phone services such as 3G, mobile internet and etc are handling by SingTel or M1. Internet Internet also same as the mobile phones where it also frequently use by majority of people in developed countries for their different kind of expectations like business needs, entertainment needs , educations needs and etc. Actually Singapore is the most wired location in Asia. As same as mobile service providers, there mainly three internet service providers in Singapore leading by the SingNet. Broadcasting In relation to the broadcasting in Singapore all the media station both Television and Radio are owned by the government. All the 7 television channels and 14 Radio channels are operating by the MediaCorp. In addition to that it also available cable TV and IPTV facility too. Postal Services This can be considered as one of the oldest communication methods of delivering stuffs. The authority for these services in Singapore is Singapore post Pvt Ltd where it handles wide range of postal network, postal agents and stamp vendors. 3.1.3 Consumer buying habits Consumer buying habits is very important factor to be considered in international marketing as the consumer behavior is differing from market to market and also from country to country as well. So identifying different behavior of the different customers will be vital. Because then only the company will be able to deal with them positively in the aim of achieving advantages to the company as the company can come up with different strategies to handle the different people in different manner in a way that satisfy both the customer and the company too. So in relation to the product-use patterns in Singapore it depend on the type of the product like whether its a FMCG (fast moving consumer good) or whether its luxurious product. Normally they are using FMCGs on daily basis for their regular needs while they use their luxurious goods occasionally. But sometimes our product like Micro Rexton II can be use occasionally and for the daily purposes as well due to its reliability factors. With regard to the product features preferences, the FMCG products are prefer by most of the people in Singapore and they tend to buy those in multiple packs. With regard to the luxurious product, majority of them tend to go for new models periodically. So as we are considering on our proposed product the Micro Rexton II, it will be a luxurious product. So the people in Singapore tend to use this or likes to experience it due to its attractive unique design and other considerable factors like fuel efficiency and the price affordability. The shopping habits also may differ according to the location. But in Singapore lots of goods are available under one roof. But a product like automobile wont be able to find in common places. Normally those are located in specialized attracted places like showrooms. So we Micro cars Ltd also located the newly Micro Rexton II in our showroom in Singapore which named as Micro Cars International (Pvt)Ltd a fully owned subsidiary of the mother company in Sri Lanka and also fully coordination by Micro Cars Ltd in Sri Lanka. 3.1.4 Distribution of the product Micro Cars International (Pvt) Ltd is mainly targeting on the end consumers in Singapore that falling under middle-upper class. Basically the business/operations in the Singapore is mostly handle by the mother company Micro Cars Ltd. But due to some factors like less knowledge about ruling, taxing, clearing and other kind of local procedures, we Micro Cars Ltd appoint an agent for Micro Cars International (Pvt) Ltd to get things done in Singapore such as some tasks like vehicle clearing from the ports, taxation, registration and etc behalf of Micro Cars International (Pvt) Ltd in Singapore. But all the important work that affect on the operations or the core value of the business of Micro Cars International (Pvt) Ltd will directly handle by mother company Micro Cars Ltd and with supportiveness of the appointed agent. Considering on the distribution channel Micro Cars International (Pvt) Ltd is not much engage in distributing it in Singapore as it is not FMCG product but a luxurious p roduct. Because people who needs it will come for an inspection and we are inviting them to come and inspect it in our showroom in Singapore. 3.1.5 Advertising and promotion Advertising and promotion should be there in the action to achieve the customer awareness towards the product. The usage of the different advertising and promotional tools may depend on the type of the product. So as the Micro Rexton II is targeting on the end consumers we directly communicate to the end consumers through our advertisements and other promotional campaigns. With regard to the advertising methods that can be use to market Micro Rexton II we can advertise in some electronic medias like TV and internet. Further with the print media it can be publish on automobile magazines and sports magazines. Also in the promotional methods it can propose to give basic first free service for fist 100 customers. In addition to that we are expecting take part in the trade shows and automotive shows by displaying their newly Micro Rexton II. 3.1.6 Pricing strategy Customary mark-ups The customary mark-ups will be depend on expectation of the company which means will depend on the amount that they want to earn from each unit. So Micro cars Ltd also having different mark-ups depending on the project where it will differ from project to project depending on its nature and the expectations. According to this project of exporting Micro Rexton II Micro Cars Ltd will keep 23.5%. 3.2 Relative competitors to Micro Rexton II in Singapore There will be huge competition for Micro Rexton II in Singapore at the initial stage of their expanding procedure that will come-in from the other average SUV makers in the world such as Mitsubishi, Nissan, Hyundai and Suzuki. The in detail information or the comparison between each mentioned competitors as follows. Competitors products as follows. Make Model Mitsubishi Outlander Nissan X-TRAIL Hyundai SantaFe Suzuki Grand Vitara The features of the all above models can be seen at the appendix 3. Competitors prices are as follows Make Model Price (USD) Mitsubishi Outlander 92000 Nissan X-TRAIL 100000 Hyundai SantaFe 78000 Suzuki Grand Vitara 87000 When we considering about the advertising and promotional methods, all these companies are in the aim of providing luxurious products to the market. So as a result of that majority of the competitors are using general advertising and promotional methods which some advertising methods such as TV advertisements, internet advertisement, bill boards, magazines while using discounting programs and trade show promotions as promotional methods. Further with regard to their distribution channels most of them are doing their businesses through their agents in Singapore where the agents have the full right to handle most of operations within the country. 3.3 Government participation in the marketplace Development or the growth of a any kind of company can be achieve easily up-to some extent, if the government of that specific country is supporting on the operation by giving lots of benefits from the government side. Further especially in the international businesses, basically there will be minimum of two countries engage in that process to get some thing (goods or services) into the country (importing) or giving it out from the country (exporting). So if the both governments are in positive mode to help on these to gain advantages for both countries, then it will be a really good push for a company to operate there businesses in overseas with less obstacles. In addition to that there should be procedure that should follow by each and every company who enters to the Singapore for their ventures. Some of those briefly explained regulations are as follows. Any company will come to a conclusion whether to expand their businesses to overseas or not, by looking at the results that they gain through their different studies that they done in relation to specific industry where they hoping to expand. So by following that procedure Micro Cars Ltd has decided to expand their businesses to Singapore by introducing their unique product Micro Rexton II to the Singapore market through Micro Cars International (Pvt) Ltd especially to the people in middle-upper class who tend to use average SUVs. So initially they need to register their business (Micro Cars International (Pvt) Ltd) as a company under the required authority in Singapore which named as â€Å"Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority of Singapor (ACRA)†. Then they need to active their custom accounts under the Singapore customs for relevant monitoring and other processes of the customs authority. Further they will be able to get a special license (if required) for their own tax benefits in Singapore after complete understanding and finalizing negotiations between the two governments. Then there will be tax benefits for product (Micro Rexton II) under this project in Singapore and the government of Sri Lanka can offer some reasonable tax releases for Singapore projects in Sri Lanka. In relation to this matter the government of Singapore comes to understanding with the Sri Lankan government to charge 10% of custom tax in Singapore instead of charging 20% while having 2% GST instead of having 7%. Additionally as mentioned in the earlier stages, the government of Sri Lanka is always behind the Micro Cars Ltd and their proposed subsidiary {Micro Cars International (Pvt) Ltd} by giving them the maximum support and benefits that can offer by the government side due to the nationality atmosphere of the company as the company is fully localize venture where the money will never run out of the county. Especially on that way the government of Sri Lanka will never charge any tax on this project which is exporting the Micro Rexton II to Singapore. So due to the tax benefits that the Micro Cars Ltd getting from the both government for their export they will be able to offer Micro Rexton II at really affordable price to the Singapore market which will be big headache for other SUV competitors in Singapore. PART Two Preliminary Marketing Plan Executive summary The preliminary marketing plan is the main part of this report where it covers major areas of the expansion process such as promotional mix, distribution, price determinations and the budgets. Basically it start with the main objectives that has targeted on specific target market of middle-upper class in the aim of creating brand awareness by fulfilling the stylish traveling needs of the people in Singapore. The usage of promotion mix is in good stands in relation to operations where the company interest in using such media tools like electronic media for TV advertisements, internet advisements and for the electronic bill boards while they tend to use print media like news papers, magazines and billboards. Further it also interest in personnel selling where they specifically targeting on the corporate customers. In addition to that they are focusing in participating for trade shows by displaying their vehicle too. The transportation between two countries will be done by the sea transportation method where it starts from Colombo port to the destination port â€Å"Jurong† in Singapore. There are special document to be shown at the destination port such as Exhaust emission test report, Windscreen test report, Vehicle data card, Vehicle registration documents and Manufactures letter to confirm the date of manufacture as this is an automobile transportation and these document are in addition to the general documents such as bill of lading, dock receipt, commercial invoice and statement of origin. Basically all the important operations handle by the special internal management team which appointed by the mother company and additionally the company has appointed an agent for the purpose of handling localize tasks. Regarding the taxes in Singapore perspective the government of Singapore along with Singapore customs charge 10% custom duties based on the value of the product while they charge 2% GST based on CIF value. Regarding the payment methods, the company focus is to go with consignment method which will be an advantage for Micro Cars International (Pvt) Ltd. According to the current position of the company they are well establish and strong in their productions, financial, marketing and etc. 4.0 Preliminary Marketing Plan 4.1 Marketing Objectives Most of the SUVs in Singapore are highly expensive and augmented. But demand has not gone down over the past few years even its expensive, therefore presenting extensively edge SUV will create more demand to Micro Rexton II due to its comparably low price, economies of scale and low labor cost. Current social situation and demand for products in Singapore is vastly attached with fashion and new trend and therefore the social demand will fulfill with the latest edge design of the Micro Rexton II. One of the other objectives is to creating a higher amount of customer benefit markup compared to other competitors. Expand the brand awareness through out the world using a country like Singapore will be ideal as it known as a travelers paradise and a business hub. Achieve more benefits from a country like Singapore, where it provides more benefits to private business sector of the country meanwhile they getting their own benefits. Target Market Unlikely in Sri Lanka, gender will not play a big role when buying a vehicle in a country like Singapore due to their westernization cultural influences and the level of educated people. Therefore promoting even a SUV will not limited to males but will reach every extent possible. After undergoing several researchers studies it is decided to promote Micro Rexton II to middle-upper income earners in the Singapore. Main assumption to target specially to that particular group is that, it is expected that to those income earners perceive this product as a value for money product. Because buying diesel consumption SUV is perceived as a very prestigious behavior. Even though target market consists of the customers who are affordable to the product, Micro Cars Ltd thinks on future potential customers as well. Expected sales and profits Basically this will depend on the ability of capturing the market and how its capture the market especially in a country like Singapore where in a situation that a huge competition among SUV makers going on. Also it depend on how the Micro Rexton II will promote itself to the market and how it can exceed the others competitors promoting patterns in order to get more concerns of the people towards Micro Rexton II. Capturing the customers at the very fist stage is not enough but need to keep it continuously. So based on the findings that we made through our studies we expect that there will be 200 units of sales per year and expecting USD 20 millions profit. Market penetration and coverage As Micro Cars International (Pvt) Ltd planning to establish their showroom in the capital city of Singapore, it will be much convenient for them to start and continue the marketing process. As most of the merchandising activities are centralized to the capital city, creating the initial demand and maintaining would be benefited from the location advantage. In order to penetrate the market extensive analysis of existing competitors and their core competencies are highly required. Because capturing the market in a highly competitive environment would be very difficult and competitive. Therefore well planned designs and quality control tools also will play a major role when penetrating the market. 4.2 Product adaptation or modification This is an exclusive product where that the new version of the Rexton which is named as Micro Rexton II was only available in Sri Lanka but no anywhere else. Because the appearance and the other relative stuff of the Rexton II is completely different from the earlier Rexton which is available all around the world. That is because, its totally assembled in Sri Lanka with locally manufactured items where only the engine and the transmission bringing from Korea. So we can assume Rexton II as a unique product that available in Sri Lanka. Basically the main advantage to Micro Cars Ltd is the price advantage that they can gain in Singapore markets as the Micro Rexton II can be offered at fewer prices compared to the other average SUV in the specific range. Also most of the parts of the Micro Rexton II such as body of the vehicle, mirrors, seats, and rubber components including the tires are fully manufactured in Sri Lanka and further they are hoping to add/replace more locally manufactured components to it in order to get more revenue for the country. The features and the specification of the Micro Rexton II can be seen in appendix 4. 4.3 Promotion mix In relation to the exportation of Micro Rexton II to Singapore an extensive promotional campaign will be conduct in order to capture the specific target market in the aim of increasing demand by conveying the benefits of this new Micro Rexton II to the customers. 4.3.1 Advertising The objectives of this advertising campaign will be to create awareness of the people and to make them more attractive by conducting creative methods. Media mix There are many types of advertising methods available in the industry, but all are not relevant to each and every product or service

Louis Armstrong: From Childhood To Adulthood Essay -- essays research

Louis Armstrong: From Childhood to Adulthood   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When you think of Louis Armstrong you probably think of a jolly middle-aged man who can play the cornet like no one else, a man who had it all, a man who had the good life. Well, Louis was not always that lucky. From childhood to his adulthood, Louis Armstrong changed much as a person and a musician. He worked very hard to become what he became and did not let anything get in the way of becoming a musician. In this paper, you will read about how Louis Armstrong became one of the most influential people/musicians of his time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Louis Armstrong’s childhood was not of the normal childhoods most of us have had. He had a very hard and painful childhood. He was treated very harshly by his family and the people around him. His mother did not even care enough to keep his birth certificate. That is why no one is really sure of Louis’s birthdate ,but people believe he was born around 1898, in New Orleans. Around Louis’s time of birth, many blacks were confined to live in the slums. The slums were in a way like ghettos. They were very poor, dirty areas where people who hadn’t much money would live. In the slums, there was much violence, drug circulation and prostitution. The only people that made any money in the slums were either the hustlers or the musicians. Considering Louis was not related to anyone of that status he and his family had very little money. That left Louis with no possessions whatsoever. He hadn’t any toys to play with, he didn’t even have a simple stick just to keep him occupied. His clothes were at the lowest of the low class. He was confined to wearing a dress as a younger child until he was a little older, then he had hand me down shirts and shorts to wear. His choice of foods was limited to rice and beans. His family did not make enough money to get better food than that. His family did not have enough of anything to keep him happy. He felt like nobody loved him. When he was born his father left his mother and him to start another life with another family. His mother always was out leaving Louis to fend for himself. But before Louis had lived with his mother he lived with his grandmother. His grandma took the best care of him out of anybody in his family. She always made sure that Louis was fed and that he was not alone. She was the only per... ...uch that he could not get his shoes on. Soon after that Louis was ordered to stay at the Beth Israel Hospital under doctor’s orders. After his final concert he returned there for the last time. He was planning another concert when he died July 6, 1971. Louis’s death was deeply saddening for everyone, but especially Lil. She conducted the band at his funeral in his memory. A memorial service followed which President Nixon attended and spoke at. That was the sad ending of Louis Armstrong.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To conclude my paper I would like to highlight Louis’s life. He was just a poor child from New Orleans. He had very little education. He had to take care of his sister and himself 90% of the day until he was and adult. He had to work twice as hard as most people have to worked to get where he got to. He was just a simple man who from the beginning just wanted to play music. But he got so much more than just that and was able to fulfil his life to the fullest. Louis Armstrong will always be remembered as a wonderful man with a passion for playing the cornet beautifully. At least we have his music, movies and television appearances which keep him a live to this very day.

Effects of Betrayal in Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God :: Their Eyes Were Watching God Essays

Effects of Betrayal in Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God The first time one experiences betrayal from a close friend is the hardest situation to go through. Betrayal is clearly defined as to break the faith of an enemy, or to disclose a violation of confidence; but more specifically, and with less clarity in real life situations, betrayal is a complex action that occurs to everyone at some point in life. For a person that has been betrayed before, the simple definition does not do justice to the effects betrayal has on their life or how one can be betrayed. Apparent examples can be seen in Their Eyes Were Watching God, for the main character is clearly betrayed many times in her life. The end product could potentially be worse than the act of betrayal. The person could feel that they cannot trust the person that deceived then, or might feel like they are unable to trust anyone else. They could have mixed feelings about keeping a friendship or being around that person on a daily basis. If it were something that had major consequences or really hurt that person, one would feel anger towards that said person, especially if it were embarrassing in front of a large amount of people or was suppressing one for a long time. People can be betrayed in a variety of ways for different reasons, by anyone in their lives. A close family member or a best friend could betray one. They may go behind one’s back in order for more personal gain, but sometimes they commit betrayal in the interest of one’s benefit. A not so close friend could betray one’s trust by telling a secret or situation that was told or seen in confidence that was broken for a juicy story or just slipped unnoticed. Some people betray their friends or enemies in order to make them look bad; such as spreading a rumor about said person. More than once was Janie betrayed; the main character from Their Eyes Were Watching God tells her life story to her friend and explains the things that were not so good in her life. Many people through the course of her life betray her, most recognizably she is constantly the talk of her town, and some townspeople that are jealous are the mouth of that gossip. They talk about her behind her back to make themselves more assured that she is not better than them.

The Development of Object Permanence Essay -- Piaget Psychology Psycho

The Development of Object Permanence I never realized when I played Peek-A-Boo with different infants in my family, that I was teaching them one of the most valuable lessons in their life. I just thought it was a game that infants liked to play and it made them laugh. I didn’t know that this was so funny to them because they were fascinated with the fact that for one moment I wasn’t there and a moment later I popped back up. Little did I know I was teaching them one of their most important accomplishments.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Adults and older children never give a second thought to the fact that when something disappears out of sight that it still exists. It never crosses our minds to think about when exactly did the ability to â€Å"just know†develop. If something ceases to exist that was once right in someone’s hand right before our eyes we think we must be at a magic show. However, people don’t know that when they were an infant they had to develop the knowledge that when you don’t see something it still exists on earth. Technically, infants must be looking at a magic show everyday for months.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Piaget coined the term object permanence in 1954 to describe the understanding that objects continue to exist, even when they cannot be directly seen, heard or touched. While conducting an experiment on his son as Piaget often did he found that his son did not reach for a toy that he had hidden with a cover. Piaget took that to mean that his son must not know that they toy exists anymore. When Piaget started these experiments to test this phenomenon light bulbs lit up in the heads of developmental psychologists around the world as they probably said to themselves,†I never thought about that before†. Since the emergence of the idea of object permanence many psychologists have conducted experiments to either prove or disprove Piaget’s theory. Experiments to test the development of this phenomenon have been conducted for decades and continue to be a topic that many developmental psychologists study.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In his book written in 1954 Piaget stated that â€Å"for young infants objects are not permanent entities that exist continuously in time but instead are transient entities that cease to exist when they are no longer visible and begin to exist anew when they come back into view.† He proposed the notion that infants do not begin to understand the object of object p... ...d they continue to hear it for years to come. However, that still doesn’t explain to me why infants find the game of Peek-A-Boo so amusing. After all this research I’m starting to think that they laugh and say to themselves inside their heads, â€Å"look a this fool, she thinks I don’t know she’s there when she covers her face. What a joke she is.† References Baillargeon, R. (1994). How do infants learn about the physical world? Current Directions in Psychological Science, 3, 133-140. Baillergeon, R., Spelke, E., & Wasserman, S. (Aug, 1985). Object permanence in five-month-old infants. Cognition, 20(3), 191-208. Baillargeon, R., & DeVos, J. (1991). Object permanence in 3.5 and 4.5-month-old infants: further evidence. Child Development, 62, 1227-1246. Baillargeon, R., & Graber, M. (1987). Where’s the rabbit? 5.5 month-old infants’ representation of the height of a hidden object. Cognitive Development, 2, 375-392. Jonsson, B., & von Hofsten, C. (2003). Infants’ ability to track and reach for temporary occluded objects. Developmental Science, 6(1), 86-99. Siegler, R., & Alibali, M. (2005). Children’s Thinking Fourth Edition. Prentice Hall Inc. Upper Saddle River NJ.

Brain Abnormalities and Schizophrenia

The real etiology of schizophrenia is still a dream despite massive studies on the involvement of the brain. Studies of the brain through neuroimaging have revealed that frontal cortex, temporal lobe, and sub cortical structures are involved. Some of abnormalities in the brain of schizophrenic patients include enlarged ventricles, reduced volume of frontal cortex, temporal lobe cortex, and sub cortical structures like com/psychology-exam-3/">hippocampus and amygdala. These abnormalities have been persistently reported in schizophrenic patients and this shows that they are not functioning inadequately.Some of these abnormalities are present at the start and some even before the onset of psychosis and this is in support of neurodevelopment of theory of schizophrenia. The key neurotransmitter in schizophrenia is dopamine; however, there are others such as serotonin and glutamate which are also thought to play a role. Schizophrenia is an inherited condition, although genetic research has not come up with a clear conclusion on this matter may be because of the complexity of genetic involvement.Despite the fact that brain abnormalities are still not very clear in schizophrenia, the evidence is continuously pilling and this is driving towards a complicated disease of the brain network that is affected by genetically mediated developmental abnormality. Introduction Neuropathologists have been involved in research on schizophrenia for about hundred years. Despite the length of the research, the neuropathogy of the disorder is still not clear.Although they have made some steps in their quest since the beginning when they believed that it was a functional psychosis without structural basis, the main cause of the chronic disorder is still illusive. With the technological advancement in science, researchers have come to a common finding in patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and the common finding is brain abnormalities. These discoveries have made the researchers to wond er if the cause of schizophrenia is brain abnormalities and how the abnormalities arise.Despite recovery of some brain abnormalities in patients suffering from schizophrenia, most scientists maintained that some of the abnormalities realized are quite slight and some of them are not common in all schizophrenic patients and to occur exclusively in people with schizophrenia. Although these patients have structural pathologies in their brains, the developed abnormalities do not coincide with the disease duration. Some of the abnormalities realized remain the same throughout the development of the disease (Bhogal, 2002).Understanding of the abnormalities of the brain in schizophrenia is among the challenges currently facing the medical community. The numerous symptoms associated with schizophrenia points at the involvement of various regions of the brain or even a widespread of network or system. Conventional approaches of neurological disorders such as lesion studies or post mortem exa minations have defied efforts to understand the brain pathology in schizophrenia. Just like other fields of medicine, luck and destiny have help make major steps in discoveries like dopamine theory and anti psychotics which are used in the management of the disorder.Modern research in neuroscience such as neuroimaging has aided in improving the foundation knowledge of the disorder and has sustained the hope that complete understanding of the disorder will be realized in the future. In this paper, I am going to summarize the major brain abnormalities found in schizophrenia through neuroimaging (Haren, 2004). Just like other complicated diseases, there are numerous theories on schizophrenia as compared to facts. The initially neurodevelopment theory points at abnormalities in fetal brain development as the cause of the failure of brain functions in early adulthood.A series of information such as increased rate of obstetric complications, minor physical abnormalities, neurologic mild s igns, and slight behavioral abnormalities in children who later suffer from schizophrenia. This model is quite relevant to the development of schizophrenia in particular but also for other neuropsychiatric disorders (Bhogal, 2002). The major drawback of this model is that the prevalence of these signs in the non affected population is quite substantial therefore the positive predictive value in the development of schizophrenia is not convincing.The disease usually begins at adolescent or early childhood and early adulthood and this indicates brain maturational problem during that time or before the appearance of psychosis. Excessive synaptic or dendritic pruning during the time of onset of the disorder has been suggested as one of the potential mechanism explaining the onset of psychosis in adolescent or in early childhood, although the biology underlying this stage is still not very clear (Lawrie & Abukmeil, 1998).Neurodegenerative model is based on active biologic processes th at may be going on during the prodromal period or the usually prolonged period of untreated psychosis. Development of the disorder is also linked to environmental factors such as illicit drug use and psychosocial stress which are considered as potential secondary triggers which may be accompanying the beginning and the start of schizophrenia. The initial researchers believed that schizophrenia is associated with brain pathology.Emergence of imaging techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography scanning (CTS) have seriously contributed to the detailed study of the brain. Through computed tomography brain abnormalities such as enlarged ventricles and reduced total brain volume have been reported in schizophrenic individuals and these findings were later confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging (Bhogal, 2002). Studies of the brain structures have also been made easy through improvement in segmentation techniques coupled with the use of MRI.These techniques can be used to identify grey from white matter and measuring of their volume. These also contributed to a more focused investigations of specific regions of the brain such as temporal, frontal lobes, and subcortical structures. Some of the consistent findings in these regions include alteration in structures such as hippocampus, amygdala, superior temporal gyrus, and platinum temporale (Lawrie & Abukmeil, 1998).Lateral temporal neocortical areas where primary auditory and auditory associations are located are the places of interest in schizophrenia since they are involved in thought processes. Most of the studies in the superior temporal gyrus in schizophrenic patients have always discovered reduced volumes of grey matter in the initial stages of the disorder together with those individuals who are genetically at risk of developing schizophrenia such as offspring of schizophrenic patients.Other structures of the brain which have also been reported to be abnormally small in schiz ophrenic patients include medial temporal structures such as hippocampus, amygdala, and parahippocampus gyri. These structures are also reported to be altered in other psychiatric disorders like mood disorders and post traumatic stress disorder (Lawrie & Abukmeil, 1998). Injuries sustained at the time of birth such as anoxia may be associated to hippocampus reduction and this is possibly due to neurodevelopmental abnormality.The finding is also common among concordant twins who had birth injuries. Medial temporal volume reductions have been discovered in people who are genetically at risk of developing schizophrenia. Reductions in the grey matter in the temporal regions of the brain have also been observed in people who are classified as having prodromal features of schizophrenia who have later on developed psychotic symptoms during the follow up (Haren, 2004). The highly developed region of the brain in man is the frontal lobe.It is involved in the modulations of higher brain f unctions such as planning, attention, and working memory. Behavioral and cognitive deficits like lack of motivation, defects in executive functions, Wisconsin card score sorting test and spatial working memory points at frontal lobe functional abnormalities in schizophrenic patients (Lawrie, 1999). Decreased blood flow to the frontal lobe is a common finding in schizophrenia. Despite the fact that this finding is not consisted, it can also be attributed to the complex nature of the region, it has been observed though quite slight.Basal ganglia which contain caudate, putamen, and globus pallidus are involved in information processing in the cortical and subcortical networks involved in integration of cognition, emotion, and motor function. These structures have been reported to be enlarged in patients using the conventional antipsychotics and this can lead to a conclusion that dopamine blockades causes an increase in volume of the above structures. Psychosis patients who have not use d any antipsychotics are reported to have a smaller caudate volume which implies that caudate may be involved in the development of psychoses.Thalamus acts as the regulatory board for sensory signals and has reciprocal connections to the frontal lobe. It has been suggested that the connections between these two structures are associated with schizophrenia. Thalamus is a bit difficult to measure using MRI, although the findings are inconsistent, smaller thalamus have always been reported in schizophrenic patients. Other anatomic abnormalities in schizophrenia include corpus callosum which is altered both in shape and structure therefore disruption in the integration between the hemispheres.In most humans, brain functions are lateralized with the left cerebrum being dominantly involved in language. There are proposals that developmental abnormalities of language, peculiar functions of the human beings, and its lateralization which is genetically mediated may be one of the causes of sc hizophrenia (Bhogal, 2002). Temporal lobe findings of smaller superior temporal gyrus and hippocampus have been reported to be in the left cerebrum and loss of normal asymmetry of the left superior temporal gyrus being a bit larger that the right has been reported in patients suffering from schizophrenia (Staal et.al, 2000). In the meta analysis study of laterality in schizophrenia, the researchers who were involved in this study concluded that there is a strong proof for decreased cerebral lateralization in schizophrenia more so in the language cortex. We can therefore summarize that structural imaging studies have discovered evidence of extensive anatomic alterations in the brain regions of schizophrenic patients.The regions highly altered in these patients include those mediating higher mental functions like thought, cognition, effect, and language both early in the illness and those at risks of developing the disorder like children born to schizophrenic patients (Haren, 2004). S ynapses and susceptibility genes Neuroimaging studies are in support of the possibility of neurodevelopmental abnormality in schizophrenia, neuronal, molecular, and neurochemical mechanisms underlying these brain abnormalities are not conclusive.High profile neuropathologic studies have revealed losses in synapse density and relatively normal or elevated neuronal numbers in schizophrenia, which indicates that the main defect may be synapse integrity. This discovery has elicited search for genes that may be associated with synapse integrity by the use of DNA microarray techniques. Post mortem findings on the patients with schizophrenia revealed under expression of a family of synapse related genes (Bhogal, 2002). Genetic factors are the main factors listed as being associated with schizophrenia, however the exact genes involved in susceptibility is still a puzzle.Although the initial studies on finding these genes was not successful, current studies have implicated several genes in t he development of schizophrenia and some of the genes include dysbindin-1, neuregulin-1, d-amino acid oxidase, its activator DAOA, and the regulator of G protein signaling 4. Recent proposals indicated that synapses, especially glutamatergic ones might be the site of initial abnormalities in schizophrenia with downstream disruption of neural circuitry and subsequent effect on other neurotransmitters (Lawrie, 1999). ConclusionsIt has become clear that the early scientists were right in their suspicion that the brain is involved in schizophrenia. This evidence cannot be disputed despite the fact that there is no comprehensive information on the etiology and pathophysiology of the disorder. The brain abnormalities in schizophrenia appear to be distributed in extensive areas supporting the fact that schizophrenia is a disorder associated with brain connections. We are still very far from understanding some of the major neuropsychiatric disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease.The mo lecular, physiologic, and neurochemical mechanisms underlying schizophrenia continues to evade our findings. Recent research on the disorder acts as the foundations for future fundamental discoveries on the nature of schizophrenia. References: Bhogal, B. (2002). Physical Brain Abnormality a Possible Cause of Schizophrenia. Retrieved on May 6, 2010 from http://serendip. brynmawr. edu/bb/neuro/neuro02/web1/bbhogal. html Haren, N. E. M. (2004). Brain abnormalities in schizophrenia: longitudinal and genetic aspects.Quebec: s. n. Lawrie, S. (Jan. 4, 1999). â€Å"Risk Of Schizophrenia Onset Linked To Brain Abnormalities. † The Lancet. Lawrie, S. M. & Abukmeil, S. S. (1998). â€Å"Brain abnormality in schizophrenia. A systematic and quantitative review of volumetric magnetic resonance imaging studies. † The British Journal of Psychiatry 172. Staal, G. S. et. al. (2000). â€Å"Structural Brain Abnormalities in Patients With Schizophrenia and Their Healthy Siblings. † American Journal of Psychiatry, 157.

Price trends of personal computers Essay

Charles Babbage invented the first computer in the 19th century. Since then various models have evolved and advancing technology has created machines that can achieve superhuman tasks within seconds leaving no room for error. These processing machines have revolutionized all aspects of human lives starting from simple typing and calculations to enabling complex business transactions and connecting millions of individuals to huge volumes of data and information available at their fingertips. An individual can now access unlimited information through the Internet, communicate online through emails and chats, carry on business meetings sitting in their homes with delegates located at the other end of the globe through video conferencing and reach out to millions of potential consumers for their products and services with the help of e-commerce applications. The computer has come a long way in the past few years and the increased utility and broadened scope has raised the market demand for this gadget in the global market. Market Demand for Personal Computers The market demand for personal computers has witnessed huge increase in the past few years. Initially computers were purchased by only a handful of individuals and organizations limited to government and large corporations. This was largely accountable to the huge costs involved in acquiring a computer added to the space constraint that it posed due to its big size. The computers would occupy a single room with too much wires and power requirements that required heavy maintenance and careful handling. However, with advancing technology the size of computers began to get smaller and smaller and the manufacturing of smaller processing chips made this possible. The smaller size of computers made it possible for the consumers to purchase for their businesses and eventually for their homes. Today the economy is greatly driven by the computers and their all-pervading applications that have transformed the way business strategies are designed and implemented. The e-commerce and online training and learning applications have created a huge market demand for computers in all spheres of life. This gadget has made it possible for individuals to carry on working from the comforts of their homes without having to commute to their offices on a regular basis. Schools, colleges, other educational and training institutions, along with shops and establishments, malls, small or big business enterprises cannot do without computers. Most business establishments have computerized their operations and departmental processes to catch up with times and reap the extraordinary benefits of faster and accurate processing of work. The rapid advancement in the telecommunication sector too has made a big impact on the sales of computers. The availability of high-speed broadband connectivity along with cheaper rates has boosted the market for these machines both in developed and developing countries. The sales of computers have gone up in the past few decades owing to these factors. Human beings by nature are possessed with the desire to have the latest technology and this holds much credence with the high tech savvy younger generations who are the prime user groups and consumers of these gadgets. The more advanced the technology the greater the appeal it holds for this group of consumers. The first personal computer MITS Altair 8080 was launched in the year 1975 and only a few thousand machines were sold within a period of 1 year of the launch. The market for personal computers has now reached to more than 4. 4 million units of personal computers sold in the year 2007 (source: just4business. com). The market share for macintosh gradually declined from 3. 2 percent in the year 1999 to 1. 98 percent in the year 2004 and the IBM personal computers gaining stronghold over the market. Source: Ars technica Price trend of computers Pricing of a product is an important determinant in establishing the market share and personal computers too have witnessed a steady fall in the price segment largely to attract greater market share. The pricing trend in the computer industry is to a great extent influenced by the rapid pace of advancing technology that renders the existing one obsolete in matter of a few years. The users are left with no other option but to upgrade their existing machines or invest in new improved versions equipped with latest features and enhancements. This trend is unique to the computer industry and can be evidenced in the regular pace of new models and versions that have in fluxed the market within the past one-decade. The massive supercomputers have given way to smaller desktops that rapidly paved the way for portable laptops and notebooks. Another essential factor that has influenced the pricing trend of computers is the universality in applications of computers today. The wide range of tasks and areas in which the computers have found universal acceptance has created a huge demand for these machines. The growing demand and increasing applications thus play a significant role in determining the price of computers. Initially the price of supercomputers ranged approximately between US$ 5 million to US$ 25 million. With advancing technology and increased usage the price of computers started dropping heavily. The price of personal computers has been witnessing a downward curve in the past few years despite growing demand. A survey carried out by the German Association for Information Management, Telecommunications, and New Media the number of computers sold in the year 2007 reached 4. illion units. The prices have dropped owing to the increasing demand and supply of various models in the market. Owing to the huge market demand for personal computers many suppliers have entered the market manufacturing on a large scale resulting in increased supply of machines. Moreover, the computer industry being very dynamic in character accounts for new models featuring enhanced technology and improved capabilities being introduced at a rapid pace. This renders the old models obsolete requiring regular upgradation and feature enhancements. The extraordinary pace at which technology is producing new versions and chips having increased processing capacities the market are always flooded with new models and new technology. If the supplier wants to reap benefits from the market he needs to keep the models within accessible price range to lure the customers into buying his product. High price ranges will shift the consumers to other models having similar features or even better the assembled personal computer that can be very cost effective for the consumers. Too many alternatives and choices available in the market have spoiled the consumers to a great extent. The Gartner report on computer sales states that the ongoing replacement cycle has defined the increasing sales of personal computers. It is observed that the last strong phase for the sales of personal computers was in the year 1999 and the recent years have witnessed increasing sales of laptops and notebooks as replacement to their desktop computers. More and more suppliers have in fluxed the market with new models and features in laptops and notebooks and the prices of these categories of computers have dropped by nearly 25 percent since 2006. This strategy is aimed at attracting more consumers to buy their brands and the manufacturers also realize that since the consumer has several alternatives available to him price can be an important decision making factor in influencing purchase. The basic law of demand and supply influences the principle of price economics. There are many theories attached to pricing strategies adopted by businesses globally but the fundamental principle lays the same for all products or services. â€Å"Many factors affect the quantity and type of goods producers supply and the quantity and types of goods consumers buy, and all these variables are integrated into one unit: price. In a free market, prices are based on the interaction of supply and demand, which themselves are based on individual judgements and values, not on executive caprice. Prices are not subjective† (Saraka, 2008). Conclusion The 21st century has witnessed many changes in the computer industry with new enhanced operating systems making their way into the market and better-equipped hardware attracting the consumer attention. The market share for both personal computers and laptops increased steadily with exploding demand from all corners of the globe.

Cultural competence Essay

This paper explores the Hmong people’s views toward medicine within the lens of their culture. It will take into account their history and also seek to explain the natural aversion these people have to most modern techniques in medicine. The Hmong people have a large immigrant population in the United States and represent unique challenges to most medical practitioners that can be used as a model to teach new methods of treating patients who may not understand western medicine. Understanding the Hmong is the first step in devising better techniques for nurses and other health professionals who seek to provide the best standard of care to all peoples in a safe, professional and cooperative way. Medical Views of the Hmong People: The Importance of Cross-Cultural Understanding As the United States becomes a more racially and ethnically diverse nation, health care systems and providers must adapt to be able to better care for patients’ with regard to their perspectives, values, and cultures. Failure to understand and manage social and cultural differences may have significant health consequences to the patient and could lead to ineffectual practices in the delivery of care. This is particularly significant in the treating of patients from the Hmong ethnic group. Whose cultural beliefs and practices are often opposed to the methods of modern U. S. Medicine. The Hmong people are made up of peoples from China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. Indigenous to South East Asia, many of them resided in Laos until 1975 when Pathet Lao came into power and began to persecute them for their involvement (on behalf of the United States) in Vietnam. As a result of this political crackdown many Hmong fled Laos and have been accepted as refugees in many western countries including the United States. Although they are a largely diaspora population they have managed to hold onto their cultural traditions as well as assimilated (partially) to the culture s of their home countries. These traditions are passed down from elders to youth and are a strong pillar through which the Hmong are able to maintain their history and community. Currently there are 245,000 Hmong people residing in the United States, most of which live in California, Minnesota and Washington. As their numbers grow so does the importance of dynamic care practices that can better suit their medical needs. The Hmong are a primarily Shamanistic culture, with a strong reverence for ancestral spirits. Their beliefs in spirits are not regulated to simply deceased family members, but in all things both animate and inanimate. These spirits reside in a mirrored Spirit realm, where the spirits of their ancestors and also that of trees dwell. The individual is thought to have multiple spirits residing in them that regulate both the spiritual and physical health of the person. Illness is thought to come from evil spirits who attempt to harm the native spirits that reside in individual’s body. These spirits are the cause of all illness and exist in the spirit realm. It is to be noted that these spirits exist on the same plane as regular mortals, however the deity Saub made us blind to them after conflicts between the spirits and the mortals. It is only through the utilization of shamans that we may access them, and treat illness. As the malevolent spirits descend on the body, they may cause the native spirits to leave their human host, this is thought to be manifested in the physical world as serious illness. The Hmong believe that illness is intrinsically linked with a spiritual imbalance, therefore the Shaman is called upon to conduct rituals to bring back the wayward spirit and to discern the cause of its leaving. These beliefs can be in direct opposition to the belief of modern medicine, which relies heavily on scientific and empirical evidence. The simple diagnosis of illness can be greatly impeded when the patient believes that their rash comes from evil spirits as opposed to the contact of a poisonous material. Also this can breed a general distrust of western medication, when for centuries the answers to illness have always lied with the shaman and not with pills and elixirs. The language barrier also is challenging, but in a novel way, whole concepts in the Hmong culture are untranslatable, and the nuances in regional practices of the Hmong make each group individual in their phrasings and pronunciations. Even with the assistance of a native translator many concepts remain completely lost in translation, especially for American nurses who are often the first line of care for these people. Traditionally when a Hmong person becomes sick they are taken to see the community Shaman. The Shaman is considered a very important member of Hmong society as they are able to communicate and travel with spirits. They serve the role of both doctor and priest in that they care for the physical and spiritual wellbeing of the person. Because of the link between spiritual and physical illness, it is held that the main means to achieve health wellness is through ritual to appease the spirits. This can be dangerous to the person as their illness may go undiagnosed and untreated as the afflicted wait for the results of the ritual to affect them. Among the largest problems with treating the Hmong is noncompliance, as their tradition may prevent them from actually utilizing the medicine given to them from western hospitals and pharmacies. The treatment of psychological disorders in the Hmong people also poses a unique challenge to western health professionals. In the Hmong tradition those with unexplained psychological illnesses such as bi-polar disorder, schizophrenia, multiple personality disorder, and some neurological disorders (i. e. epilepsy) are considered to be chosen to become shamans. The symptoms with these maladies are often closely associated with spiritual intervention such as: multiple personalities exhibited being the manifestation of different spirits attempting to possess the body, or epileptic seizures being a communication from spiritual forces. This has caused these disorders to be revered in the Hmong tradition and have led to many of them going undiagnosed. The usual protocol for such episodes are for the child (as these ailments often present themselves in childhood) to be blessed and sent to learn with a shaman teacher, so that they may use their gifts for the community and become a shaman themselves. As shamans are highly respected and important members of the community any attempt to stifle or diminish their gifts can be construed as going against the wishes of ancestral spirits. To have a shaman in ones family is considered one of the highest honors, thus creating a situation where the illness goes both undiagnosed and untreated. Interactions between American health professionals and the Hmong people have even been documented in the book The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman where culture clashes between ignorant parents and culturally insensitive medical staff ends very tragically for a young girl diagnosed with epilepsy. The combination of the Hmong parents unwillingness to trust the medicines of the Merced doctors and doctors unwillingness to understand the culture of the Hmongs and to tailor the care of the daughter unfortunately end in the girl in a vegetative state. This book goes through the history of the Hmong and makes the reader understand the nature aversion they have to medicines. To them healing is their religion, and to these people the American method of medicine is entirely too invasive. They feel we cut and defile bodies, we take too much blood and we cause dramatic personality changes with our drugs. This failure to understand these concerns is damning for Lia Lee (the little girl) and led to both noncompliance and also fear about regarding possible surgeries for the very young child. This book is assigned reading for many medical programs and is compelling read, The importance of its theme of cultural understanding cannot be stressed enough. When Lia was brought to the emergency room for the last time, the staff at the hospital assumed that she had a big seizure because of her parent’s unwillingness to give her seizure medications that had been prescribed. They all silently agreed that it was just a matter of when. It was to the disappointment of many and a shock to Neil Ernst and his wife Peggy Philp when another neurologist who had treated Lia previously announced that it was septic shock and not under medication that had caused the â€Å"big one†. The fact that Neil Ernst did order a septic workup on Lia indicated that he was not treating her symptoms but was had used previous experience with the parent’s noncompliance as all- purpose explanation that blinded him from seeing exploring other more obvious possibilities of Lia illness. The role of the nurse as educator is paramount in these situations. A nurse when performing her role in the health care setting always has the opportunity to bridge the gap between the patient and the physcians. Anne Fadiman after researching the book for eight years ascertains that â€Å"We do not know if Lia would be able to walk and talk today had she been treated by Arthur Kleinman instead of by Neil Ernst and Peggy Philp. However, I have come to believe that her life was ruined not by septic shock or noncompliant parents but by cross-cultural misunderstanding. † In modern medicine there has been an increased prominence put in patient education and understanding. What could have saved Lia’s life is a more tailored course of treatment that both respected her families beliefs while also allowing for the benefits of modern medicine. When helping patients it is always important to respect their cultures and traditions, but it is more important to build understanding between their traditions and what will best allow them to get better. Nurses can play the greatest role in building cross-cultural trust, when they (as the first line of care) educate patients on their medications and dietary recommendations. In a more diverse America we will need more Nurses to be able to not only respect cultural boundaries, but foster cultural cooperation to better treat all patients.