Smoking Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Smoking - Assignment Example risks of strokes by 2 to 4 time; coronary heart complication by 2 to 4 times; risks of cancer in women by 13 times, risk of cancer in men by 23 times and death from chronic, lung obstructive diseases by 12 to 13 times. To this end, it is pertinent for both smokers and non smokers to be enlightened on the risks factor of smoking, the benefits of not smoking as well as the intervention mechanisms for quitting smoking. It is a lifestyle habit whereby individuals engage in the inhaling of tobacco cigarettes. Evidently, smoking is a pertinent social and health problem due to a host of reasons. Foremost, tobacco smoking is a leading cause of preventable disease and death. Second, the longer an individual smokes during his or her lifetime; there is an increased level of damage to the health. Third, all tobacco smoke does not contain any risk-free level. Consequently, there is an immediate damage from tobacco smoking. Fourth, all cigarettes are pose critical health risks. To this end, there are no safe cigarettes. Evidently, smoking is a problem that affects the health of both smokers and non-smokers. This is due to the secondhand and thirdhand smoke which can be detrimental to the health of both smokers and non-smokers in society. Evidently, secondhand smokes emanates from two forms. These are sidestream smoke and mainstream smoke. In this regard, sidestream smokes emanates from the scorching end of a cigarette. On the other hand, mainstream smoke refers to the exhaled smoke by the smoker. To this end, both mainstream and sidestream smokes reside in the air as small particles for longer periods of time stretching into hours and days. Consequently, exposure to such particles for even such brief periods is enough to trigger health complications such as chest pains and heart pains. In this regard, there is concoction of chemicals present in tobacco smoke which are harmful to the non smokers and smokers. Evidently, there are at 69 chemical components of tobacco smoke

Soap operas Essay Example for Free

Soap operas Essay Although this is true, it is still an issue that teenagers, especially, must be aware of. For this reason alone, I think that there should be more discussion about how to avoid date rape, and how to protect oneself from even getting into a situation where one could be raped. In the soap operas All My Children, and Sunset Beach, there are sexual issues that revolve around teenage relationships. There were discussions about whether or not to wait before having sexual intercourse. In All My Children, the storyline was about a teen-aged birth mother suing the adoptive parents for custody of her child. This storyline allowed for several discussions about the consequences of unplanned and unprotected sexual activity, and about the importance of waiting until one is ready before engaging in sexual intercourse. Although soaps sometime discuss the consequences of sexual acts, there are too many episodes that let sex just happen without any real discussion of its consequences. For instance on the soap Sunset Beach, there is a character, Annie, who is about twenty five years old, who sleeps with everyone on the show who has something that she wants. She is very rich and extremely manipulative. Through her conversations with friends, the audience learns that, deep down, all she wants is to find true love. Obviously she will not achieve what she really wants by being so sexually promiscuous and amoral, but some audiences may think that you can get what you want by sleeping around. If there are all of these negative images and ideas portrayed throughout soap operas, then why is it so popular to women? In a recent study done by Woods, he asked 100 high school girls about 23 possible reasons for watching soap operas. The top ten reasons were, (a) I just enjoy watching them, (b) it gives me something to do, (c) soaps are fun, (d) they fill up time, (e) its a pleasant way to rest, (f) they relax me, (g) soaps are a habit, (h) I can forget about school, (i) I can get away from my family, (j) and soaps cheer me up. It is apparent that these responses are what people might say for any television show. What attracts people to soap operas and the reasons behind them being fun and relaxing is because they deal with issues that happen in real life. Not everyone is going to get raped, or accidentally pregnant, but everyone should know that it can happen to them and they should be careful. It is interesting to think that maybe women are so attracted to soaps because it makes their lives seem more normal. Greenberg and Woods used a survey by the author Compesi to compare adult and adolescent results to similar questions on the reasons for watching soap operas. He mailed 52 surveys consisting of gratification items for the viewers of, All My Children. the findings for soaps and adolescent gratifications are a close match to those for soaps and adult gratifications. Although people do change, I feel that the foundation of what draws people in and interests continues in one way or another throughout a persons life. It is not an unrealistic assumption that sexuality is exciting to watch and learn about, especially for curious young individuals. Recently the issue of homosexuality has been incorporated within soap operas. In All My Children, the teenaged character Bianca came out as a lesbian. Along with this came her struggles of being accepted and the ability to find a happy relationship. There were a few episodes dealing with Biancas romantic happiness and with the fact that she had a crush on a straight woman. There was one episode where Bianca asked Frankie, a homosexual female that she was friends with, if she was afraid that Bianca would make a move on her. Frankie insisted that she didnt feel uncomfortable with her and also assured Bianca that she didnt want her to give her more space and that she valued their budding friendship. When another character, Vanessa, arrived, she ordered Frankie to leave Pine Valley because she lied to her about her sexuality. She asked Frankie to move out, saying that Frankie should have been honest from the beginning. Alone, Bianca offered to help Frankie find another place, but Frankie rejected her. Bianca told Frankie that, as usual, someone she liked was pulling away from her. In this example it is apparent that it is rough on a persons self-esteem to not be able to find love or a true friend because of ones sexuality or sexual preference. I would imagine that these episodes are not unrealistic in the life of a teenage lesbian, but I noticed that they did not portray a fulfilled life for one. The steamy love scenes are the norm for heterosexual couples, yet when it comes to homosexuals, they are rarely even allowed to touch. Every few scenes within an episode show two heterosexuals kissing, or being sexual with each other. When it comes to homosexuals, there is usually just discussion about the hardships that the person is enduring, and there are rarely any visual depictions of sexuality. Starting a few years ago was the first time that a lesbian kiss was even shown on daytime television. This issue of homosexuality is more open and talked about then it used to be, but they still do not seem to be portrayed the same as heterosexuals. Although gays are not represented accurately, watching them interact can desensitize some people that are uncomfortable dealing with those people who choose that lifestyle. Soaps deal with the issue of pregnancy as well. Having a baby could be a happy and exciting thing for some people, but it seems like most of the pregnancies on soaps deal with the negatives of pregnancy, like teenage pregnancies, pregnancies due to rape and pregnancies with twisted stories to them. An example of this is from the soap Sunset Beach, where the character Vanessa, an engaged woman, was impregnated in vitro. Due to an accident she was unconscious and the woman who was jealous of her boyfriend gave her the injection. It was not the sperm of her fianci , Michael, but a different male. Michael, who is now sterile, thinks that she is pregnant from him, but knows that he could not be the father. He thinks that she must have slept with another guy, and the saga continues. The is an exaggerated scenario, of course, but this type of situation allows for the audiences thoughts and discussion of safe sex and trust in ones partner. These are issues that every individual must deal with at one point or another, which may be another reason for the popularity of soap operas. If I were to speculate on the potential effects of viewing such content, I would say that viewers are getting ample information about sexual activity that promotes the idea that sexual activity is appropriate and beneficial for heterosexual couples in established relationships. The issues of rape, teenage sex and pregnancy, single parenting, drug addiction, abortion, infidelity, and death are all issues in which characters have dealt with. This allows the audience to discuss these issues without talking about themselves, which can be uncomfortable. An individuals morals and values about sex should stem from the home. It is the parents job to try and teach their children what sex and being a sexual person is all about. If these values are implemented, the young viewer should be able to decipher between what is right, what is wrong, and what is exaggerated. There are a variety of reasons for women to be attracted to soap operas, and sexuality is definitely one of them. Being a woman is a very powerful thing, and many people do not understand that. Some women and teenagers may feel that power when watching a sexual encounter, knowing that they have the power to do the same thing (less dramatically of course). Sex and being sexual are intriguing concepts that are very mysterious to some. By watching soap operas, we see the dramatic portrayal of how relationships should and should not be. There is the right and wrong way to go about becoming sexually active. Soap operas are an excellent way to see and learn about all of the right and wrong ways of dealing with issues, especially ones that deal with sexual relationships. People are always looking for a way to improve their relationships or spice them up, and soap operas are an excellent way to either learn something new, or fanaticize about the perfect relationship. The fact that soap operas are so exaggerated, I feel, is the major draw to them because they make reality and everyday life seem more normal. References: Greenberg, S. B, Woods, M. G. (1999). The soaps: their sex, gratifications, and outcomes.The Journal Of Sex Research, 36(3), 250. Committee on Communications, American Academy of Pediatrics. (1995). Sexuality, contraception, and the media. Pediatrics, 95(2), 298.

swatch :: essays research papers

Competitive Environment One main competitor was Timex They designed a simple low cost cheap watch that was made up of new alloy bearings. By having this new material it made automated production easier. The Timex watches were priced at a low rate and were marketed to be disposable. The were priced to low and they were made so that they couldn’t be opened they made for not aftermarket repair or sales of parts. At the end of the 50’s one out of three watches bought in the US were a Timex.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1970 with the introduction of the Quartz technology changed the market place once again. The quartz watches had some advantages over the Swiss, they were based on electronics, it made it easier to add the date or the day to the watch. It also became significantly cheaper to manufacture, because the cost of the chips were being driven down by chip manufactures.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Out of this wave and leading the way were manufacturers like Hattori-Seiko and Citizen. The two companies made huge investments in fully automated facilities around the world. They were soon joined by Casio, which was specializing in a low cost multifunctional, plastic watch that was incorporating features such as timers and calculators.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  By 1979 Hattori-Seiko had become the world’s largest watch company in terms of revenues; they were producing 22 million watches annually. By the end of 1986 Citizen had become the overall global leader in both movement and finished watch production volumes. With the rise in quartz technology hastened the decline of the Swiss watch industry. The Japanese watch makes saturated the global market with the quartz watch at rock bottom prices. In the early 1980’s the Swiss market place in the watches below $100. their market share was 0%. Watches between $100 and $350 they had a market share of about 3%. But in the market place of $350 and above they carried a share of 97% of the market.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Some of the strengths were that they were making watches that were at a low cost high volume. The factories were placed all over the world and were able to ship to all the different market places with great eases. Also by using the quartz technology they were again able to cut cost to offer a cheaper watch to the consumer. The customers like the fact that they could buy a cheap great looking watch that would take a licking and keep on ticking.

Dental X-ray Tech

Everything was set; I placed the film In the mannequins' mouth, positioned the mannequins head, positioned the x-ray beam, and then pushed the button. All of a sudden, all the electricity went out! Oh my Lord, what did I do! I broke the machine, I thought to myself. Just then another student shouted â€Å"Look, the lights in the city are all going out†. We were having a major blackout in New York City. What a lucky break for me, I thought. So with a sigh of relief, we all quickly gathered our belongings to leave the bulging for security purposes, and into the night we went.My classmate and I owed to stay together, until we both reached home Dental X-Ray Techniques safely, and being two female teenagers at 17 years old, we were both as frightened as little rabbits. That night was one of the longest and scariest nights of our lives; we only had $3. 00 dollars between the two of us and at that time a 35 cent token each. With all the chaos of looting; price hiking of the cabs; and flashers coming out of Bryant Park, we were truly thankful and grateful for making it home safely.School was delayed for about a week, but I did manage to complete and pass my test and resume my studies. Graduation Day came in October of 1977. We were all dressed In starched white uniforms, white stockings, white shoes, and white nursing caps looking very professional. My family and I were very proud when I receive my certificate of Proficiency (exhale: 1). About one week after graduation, I went on a job interview and landed my first dental Job at 1 Hanson Place, Brooklyn New York in the dental field of Orthodontics. Dry.Robert Fisher was a very well known Orthodontist in New York, and he loved teaching all the ladies in the office all they should know about the field. Although we all rotated between his two offices, one In Brooklyn, and another In Manhattan and had other duties as assigned, In his particular offices, one of my mall responsibly was to take and develop all types of x-rays on each patient. This was due to the excellent grades I received in school that Dry. Fisher viewed. The x-rays consisting of: 1. A full mouth of Periodical x-rays 2. A Pandora x-ray 4. A Wrist-plate x-ray 5.An Causal x-ray 6. Four Bite-wing x-rays A full-mouth series of Periodical's consist of: Eighteen small film x-rays, strategically place in the mouth one at a time, to capture al thirty-two teeth in a persons' mouth. This x-ray is primarily used to diagnose abnormalities involving the roots and bone. If there are missing teeth you still have to capture the anatomy of the spacing. All cavities on the crowns of the teeth or roots of the teeth will show up for the doctor to view. This is what is known as an intra-oral dental x-ray, because the film is placed inside the mouth.A Pandora x-ray: A Pandora x-ray is an x-ray that captures a persons' complete upper and lower teeth; jaw-line; eye-socket's; and face-plate of the person. The film is place in a large assets off large x -ray machine. The patient is then positioned to bite on a grooved bite stick that is attached to the machine. Temple stabilizers are closed at the temples of Dental X-Ray Techniques the head and the chin is lifted slightly upward and resting on a chin-rest. This cassette is made to revolve around the patient's head, while the patient is in a non- moving standing position.This is what is known as an extra-oral dental x-ray, because the film is positioned outside of the mouth. Spectrograph x-ray: A Spectrograph is an x-ray that captures a patients' entire skull. This is also an extra- oral x-ray, and it shows the profile of the patient and how far the teeth and Jaw-line is protruding. It helps the doctor assess which way to align the patients' teeth and Jaw. Hand-wrist-plate x-ray: This is an x-ray that is taken on children only to allow the doctor to see the growth pattern in a child.It helps the doctor to see if the children's teeth are growing normally or not, and how fast or slow a child is growing. In relations to their teeth, it allows the doctor to know ahead of time what treatment of movement to the teeth loud be needed to help the child. This x-ray also determines the real age of the child. An Clausal x-ray: An Clausal x-ray is a large x-ray that shows how wide or how narrow the palate of a person's mouth is, and the full arch of the upper (maxillary) and lower (mandible) teeth.Bite-wing x-rays: Bite-wing x-rays are four small x-rays, taken in the posterior (back teeth) part of the mouth, that show the crown of the teeth; the gum-line; and cavities on the crowns and in between the teeth. These x-rays also help to show the early stages of periodontal disease. When I first entered the Veteran's Administration in 1988, infection control for dental radiology was one of the most important standard we had to know. Even though we did have an assigned X-ray Technician, we as Dental Assistants also had to know all about dental x-ray techniques, since there are s o many aspects to know about taking dental x-ray.But the important immediate basic (exhibit: 2) We were taught in the Veterans Administration that before bringing a patient into the x-ray room you have to be sure that the room is clean and disinfected on all surfaces that are touched by anyone. The Assistants should wash their hands before putting on gloves because gloves must be worn at all times. Then, surfaces such as; the control panels; biting apparatus; exposure switch; counters; the tube of the machine; and any handles that are touched should be covered with a special plastic barrier tape that is easily peeled off once you are finished.But this tape should be placed in view of the patient, so they can see and know that the coverings are fresh and clean. After, the Assistant should wash their hands again, because some gloves contain powder inside them. Before any dental x-rays are taken ask the patient to please remove all earrings; tongue piercing; face piercing; hair pins; a nd sometimes even necklaces, so that these things do not interfere with the reading of the x-rays. The Assistant can start by letting the patient know that it's okay if they gag and that they will take things very slow to make them comfortable.So if the Assistant does encounter a gagger there are different methods that can be used to tried and alleviate the gagging such as: putting a little oral topical anesthesia on the tongue and palate; sometimes telling he patient to lift one leg slightly off the floor and holding it there, (with this method it gets the patient to concentrate on the lifting instead of what's being done in the mouth), and even asking the patient to take a deep breath and holding it sometimes help.Using Petitioned film is also tried at times since this film is very small and generally used on children. Since periodical x-rays are the ones taken most often, it is better to take this particular x-ray by using a film holder for paralleling called the â€Å"Rain ICPà ¢â‚¬ , this holder takes the guesswork out of site angling. Then by centering the x-ray beam over the film, you will prevent cutting off any vital anatomy, which is called, â€Å"cone cutting†. Always develop a sequence when exposing your film so that no area is missed or overlooked.Starting with the anterior (front) teeth first is the easiest area for the patient to tolerate, then work your way to the back. This helps the patient to gag less, and allows the Assistant to achieve getting as many of the eighteen x-rays as possible. There will be times when a patient Just does not want to have an x-ray because they fear the radiation (exhibit: 3). Try to have patience and explain to the patient that the doses of radiation are very small compared to the benefits of diagnosing any problem.But when you can take the x-rays the Assistant should factor in all the safety measures for themselves, and the patient. By using a Thyroid Collar on the patient, thyroid exposure is reduced by fifty percent while a lead apron reduces Next, only the Assistant and the patient are allowed in the x-ray room during exposure. Then, the Assistant must stand in a safe place, preferably at least six feet away behind a barrier and not in direct contact to the beam. If you cannot stand six feet away, then stand outside of the room.No Assistant should ever hold the films in the patient's mouth, like they use to do in the days of old, and never hold the beam or tube head to stabilize it during exposure. There are many organ in a persons' body that are radiotherapist and these organs are: the reproductive organs; the thyroid glands; a fetus; female breast; your skin; the lens of your eyes; and blood forming organs. Damage to these organs can result in a person getting cancer; inherited mutations; birth defects; cataracts; and leukemia. A way in which we were taught to reduce radiation exposure to patients is by using the â€Å"A.L. A. R. A. † concept, which stands for â€Å"As Low As Reasonably Achievable†. This means that every reasonable step to reduce radiation exposure too person will be used. The Assistant should always use protective wear when handling radiography and touching patients such as: gloves; surgical masks; protective eye wear; and a protective gown in case the Assistant do encounter a gagger. If the patient is still a little frightened, let them know that the Doctor cannot give a lull exam without the x-rays, and if that doesn't work, let the Doctor speak to the patient.Never x-ray any woman if you see or suspect her being pregnant. When cleaning up the x-ray room after use, the Assistant must remember to remove all the plastic barrier tape; dispose of the gloves and dispose any other supplies used, in the proper waste containers. The room must be cleaned and disinfected, even on surfaces that were not covered; turn off the x-ray machine and place the tube in a resting position, which is usually against the wall. Hang the lead apro n up, and aka sure it is not folded, because folding the apron damages the lead inside.Never re-drape the room with the plastic for the next patient, because the next Assistant won't know whether it is clean or not, and neither will the patient. Keep an accurate check on all your x-ray developing solutions and always follow the manufacturer's instructions, whether you have a manual developer or an automatic developer. As a Dental Assistant, I have taken x-rays on patients for approximately thirty years. I have taught many of my co-workers in the Veterans Administration how to SE the newest digital x-ray machines in the clinic, and I am knowledgeable in processing x-rays as well as mounting them (exhibit: 4).My knowledge of policies and procedures come from my ability to research and review available records and locate required documents through our â€Å"Decentralized Hospital Computer Programming† system. In dental the basic standards of policies and procedures are: wearing lead aprons; technicians wearing their radiation badges; exercising quality control; monitoring exposure levels (ALARM); knowing and extending patient privacy information; Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act; and excellent customer service.

Mahabalipuram

Mahabalipuram is an enigmatic town popular for its rock-cut temples and monuments. It is also known as Mammalapuram and was one of the most flourishing port towns during the historic rule of the Pallava Dynasty. Till date one can clearly feel its historic charm and grandeur through the rich legacy that lies in its stone sculptures and temples. There are many tourist attractions in Mahabalipuram most of which are historic and dedicated mostly to the Hindu gods and goddesses. Mahabalipuram made significant development under the rule of the Pallavas in the 7th century. The city is said to have derived its name after the Pallava king Mamalla and in the ancient times it was famous as Mamallapuram. It was after the downfall of the Guptas that Pallavas came to prominence and exercised full control over this town. They were very powerful and very astute in their perspective. The Golden Age of the rule of the Pallavas was from 650 AD to 750 AD. Many great poets, dramatists, artists, artisans, scholars and saints emerged during this period. Mahabalipurm is also referred to as the â€Å"open air museum† due to the presence of so many architectural marvels. During the rules of Narsimha Varman I (AD 630-668) and Narsimha Varman II (AD 700-728), most of the temples and rock carvings of this place were built. Although the first kings of Pallava dynasty followed Jainism, the conversion of Mahendra Varman (AD 600-630) to Shaivism resulted in majority of the monuments to be related with Shiva or Vishnu. Mahabalipuram experiences a hot and sweltering climate all year round with a maximum temperature of 35 °C and minimum temperature of 19 °C. A trip to Mahabalipuram can best be enjoyed from October to March; however the monsoons should be avoided. Mahabalipuram is not just about the temples and architecture but it is also about the natural beauty of the surroundings. The long stretch of the beaches dotted with palm-groves is ideal to spend a few moments away from the usual cacophony of the city. A visit to this place is also an educative experience, showing visitors the great architectural achievements of the ancient artisans of India.

Review data relevant to the distinction between early-selection and late selection in models of attention Essay Example

Review data relevant to the distinction between early Review data relevant to the distinction between early-selection and late selection in models of attention Paper Review data relevant to the distinction between early-selection and late selection in models of attention Paper Attention is the ability to take a hold of the mind and select one from many simultaneous objects or thoughts, discarding some things in order to deal with others more effectively (James,1890, as cited in Norman, 1976) . In every day life there are so many things that can be attended to and so certain aspects have to be selected over others. Some tasks that are carried out require very little attention and others require less the more time that they are practiced. All sensory information that is received requires some cognitive processing however with attention, cognitive processing needs to be continuous in order to keep focus and concentration. Attention is something that could be said to be limited, as cognitive processing cannot occur for all stimuli at the same time. It also is selective as the mental energy required for attention can be expanded as the person sees fit. Attention is an issue that has been debated upon for many years. Early-selection models have looked at selection as a limited process that requires selective attention in order to proceed. The selective attention occurs after a basic analysis of the physical features that are used to tell the difference between selected and non-selected stimuli. As a result of this, the unattended stimulus is not completely perceived. Late selection models however discard this idea and assume that perception is unlimited and that attention can be performed in parallel without a need for selection. Lavie and Tsal, 1994) Both the late selection models and early selection models differ in their concepts of how people attend to things and it was only until a compromise model was put forward by Lavie and colleagues that both models were combined to form the perceptual load framework. The idea of how we attend to more than one thing at a time has always been an issue. Colin Cherry (1953, as cited in Eysenck and Keane, 2001) looked at this idea when at a party he was fas cinated with how people were able to follow just one conversation when there are many other conversations taking place around. He called this idea the cocktail party effect, and put it down to physical differences, like gender, speaker location and voice intensity. Cherry carried out a number experiments on this idea and did this by presenting subjects with two different messages at the same time, one in each ear. Cherry found that when the messages were of the same voice then the listener was unable to distinguish between either of the two different messages. Cherry then carried out studies in which he asked the listeners to shadow one of the two messages heard. He found that the listeners could extract very little information from the non-shadowed message, and barely noticed when the non-shadowed message changed language or was even read backwards. Moray (1959, as cited in Kahneman, 1973) tried to look at how much information a subject could remember in the rejected auditory channel and so repeated an english word 35 times in one of the ears. He found that even though the subjects had heard the word many times, many of them still could not retain what it was. Cherry concluded from his work that unattended information receives hardly any processing, which follows the early selection model ideas that attention is not processed in parallel. Broadbent (1958, as cited in Eysenck and Keane, 2001) developed Cherrys ideas further by conducting an experiment on participants in which he presented them with two sets of numbers in each ear. For example the number 354 was presented in one ear at the same time as the number 692 was presented in the other ear. Broadbent found that participants recalled the numbers ear by ear rather than as a whole number, for example 354692 instead of 365942. Broadbent explained his findings by saying that both the inputs are presented in parallel fashion until they reach a buffer where one input is allowed to pass through and the other remains for later processing. This he explained is to prevent an overload. From his discovery Broadbent went on to construct a model from which he felt best described how attention is processed. This model was called the filter model. The filter model put forward the idea that the ability to analyse and identify information is limited. He argued that when information reaches the brain it filters out desired messages and rejects everything else, therefore blocking undesired inputs and preventing an overload on the perceptual system. (Dittrich, 2004) When information is presented it is analysed based upon its physical characteristics. The information is then simultaneously stored in separate channels in the sensory register and the filter switches between channels passing the information stored there, one channel at a time, to the detection device. If the message coming in doesnt have these characteristics then it is filtered out. Broadbents ideas were the beginning of many years of further research. This begun with a referral back to Cherrys questioning of how people can switch their attention from one input to another when they are unaware of the content within the unselected input. Gray and Wedderburn (1960 as cited in Kahneman, 1973) looked at this and ignored Broadbents idea that attention was the basis of an analysis of physical characteristics. They believed that psychological aspects played an important part and so carried out experiments to try and prove their theory. The experiment involved presenting subjects with words broken down into syllables. Each syllable was presented alternately to each ear. At the same time another word was broken down the same way and was presented to the complimentary ear. Gray and Wedderburn found that words could be constructed and were not repeated as just a mixture of different syllables. This suggested that meaning of information can be constructed from both ears and it is not just physical characteristics like Broadbent had previously said. Continuing from the work of Cherry and Broadbent, Treisman (1960) discovered that in experiments where a participant had to shadow a word, they sometimes repeated a word that had been presented to the unattended ear. This was known as a breakthrough(Dittrich, 2004). Treisman carried out a series of experiments and found that on the cases where this did occur the majority of the time the word was related to the context of the words being presented to the attended ear. Findings from this led to Treisman proposing a new filter theory in 1968. The filter rejected the idea of Broadbents all or none filter idea and suggested that attention is processed in a more flexible manner. Treisman noticed that a difference in voice and language played an important part in experiments involving participants to select a response to one of two messages ( Norman, 1976). It seems that differences occur depending on what language the second message is spoken in. For example if the language is of similar phonetic structure to that of English then it is less distracting than if the language was something like Czech. Also if the subject has previous knowledge of a language then this will be more distracting than hearing a language that they have never heard before. Overall Treisman concluded that it is unlikely that both messages are fully analysed and so selection of one message takes place over the other This selection takes place starting with an analysis of the messages physical features, then goes on to look at words and meaning. Triesman said that selection of messages that have the same voice, intensity and localization takes place during the analysis rather than after it. It is at this stage that the information-handling capacity becomes limited and so to prevent overloading the irrelevant message is either discarded or both messages are kept and alternation takes place between each one. The decision to which message is kept or whether both are alternated is based on physical characteristics and grammatical features. This is why people are sometimes able to anticipate what words are about to occur when speaking to someone about a particular subject. It is also why that information from competing messages is sometimes picked out when the information being heard is similar to that in which is being primarily attended. Deutsch and Deutsch (1963, as cited in Eysenck and Keane, 2001, Norman, 1976) come up with a theory, which is known more as a late selection model. According to Deutsch and Deutsch all information is processed in full when it enters the consciousness and that it will reach the same perceptual and discriminatory mechanisms whether attention is paid to it or not. They believed that sensory stimulus does not affect what we attend to but each central structure has different levels of importance. For example, our own name makes us attend more or distracts us more easily from a primary source than any random word. Deutsch and Deutsch disregarded Triesmans and Broadbents early filter theories and put forward the idea that even if a signal is on a channel in which another signal is already being attended it still can be detected. They also suggested that all inputs are recognized in parallel, and that the role of attention is to select which items get placed in short term memory. There is a lack of evidence supporting Deutsch and Deutschs theory and competing theorists have provided evidence against the idea that all information is processed in full. For example Treisman and Geffen (1967) asked participants to shadow one of two auditory messages and tap when they heard a target word in either of the messages. Results found that detection of the target word was much higher in the shadowed message than the non-shadowed message disregarding Deutsch and Deutschs claim that there should be no difference in the detection rate. Lavie et al (1994) took the ideas of both the early and late selection models and came up with a compromise of the two; this model was called the perceptual load framework. Lavie et al proposed that although physical differences play an important part in selective attention, irrelevant information is only discarded when the perceptual load of relevant information is too high to make use of the available resources. Therefore Lavie et al argues that tasks have different levels of attentional capacity and that upper limits are imposed at different levels dependent on a persons temporal state of alertness, availability of resources and the subject-task structural constraints. Navon and Gopher (1979 as cited in Lavie and Tsal, 1994) came up with a rule that states the amount of resources that can be applied to a task. They said that resources will be supplied to meet the internal demand and that these resources will either equal the demand or reach the limit of the available resources. Lavie et als approach mixes both the early and late selection processes by looking at the distinction between high and low perceptual loads. A perceptual load is the number of units in a display and the type of processing that is needed for each unit. It seems that the results that support early selection models have been gained when the conditions have been of high perceptual load whereas results supporting late selection have been gained under conditions of low perceptual load. As well as all of this Lavie et al still takes into consideration the differences between the physical characteristics of attended and unattended information. An experiment carried out by Stroop (1935 as cited in Lavie and Tsal, 1993) shows that there is a poor physical distinction between relevant and irrelevant stimuli when they both occupy the same location. This was shown in an experiment in which subjects had to identify the colour of a word. Results found that subjects processed the meaning of the word and that reaction time increased in relation to the baseline of response time to recognising a colour patch or the colour of a non-colour word when the word was a colour name and printed in a different colour. The stroop effect therefore was said to show that one stimuli affects another more one way, than if the two stimuli were to be reversed. For example naming a colour doesnt usually affect word reading, but word reading can affect colour naming. This indicates that the stoop affect is an example of the difference in parallel processing between relevant and irrelevant stimuli, which shows why there is a difference in response times between some stimuli compared to others. In all this approach looks at perceptual load being of a low level and generally supports late selection models as it takes upon the idea that attention is a process that can be carried out in parallel. Looking at evidence supporting early selection models however takes into consideration high perceptual loads. Pashler (1984, as cited in Lavie and Tsal, 1994) devised a variation of the bar-probe technique (Averbach Coriell, 1961). This involved using eight different items shown on a display with three stimulus onset asynchronies being shown between each stimulus and the probe. Subjects had to match each of the four shapes with the location, which resulted in the subjects creating eight different combinations. Pashler found that physical differences increased the time it took the participant to identify each shape to the location, even when the probe came 300 msec before the display. This therefore questions the late selection models as it shows that selection happens at the perceptual stage. In conclusion it seems that there is evidence supporting both models of early and late selection and that attention is something that varies dependent on a combination of both ideas. Although Broadbent (1958) and his filter theory initially put forward the idea that attention is a selective process, it does seem from later research that in some cases people are able to attend to more than one thing at a time. Treisman (1960) developed Broadbents idea and extended his filter theory by suggesting that physical differences play an important role in determining which message to keep or discarded. Treisman believed that selection takes place before analysis rather than after it and that both messages can be kept but alternation has to take place to prevent an overload. A late selection model proposed by Deutsch and Deutsch (1963) disagreed with that of early selection models in that they believed that all information is processed in full when it enters the consciousness. Deutsch and Deutsch said that even when multiple messages are on the same channel they can still be processed in parallel with the most important being kept and the other being stored in the short-term memory. Comparisons of the early and late selection models finally resulted in both being examined in an equal manner, eventually leading to the perceptual framework model being proposed by Lavie and colleagues (1994). This model supported both selection models by linking it to whether a perceptual load was high or whether it was low. Overall it seems that attention is wholly down to an analysis of physical properties, which is then given further analysis to determine what things are paid attention to and what things are not.

Free Essays on Democracy in Athens

DEMOCRACY IN ATHENS The rise of the Athenian city-state took place c. 1000 BC. Athens is located on the mainland in an area known as Attica, across the straits of Messina from Sparta and Corinth. Dorian invaders overran the Ionian natives c. 1000 BC. Unlike the Spartans, the Dorians assimilated the Ionian culture and became peaceful. Athenians turned toward the sea for a living, establishing a strong commercial trade. Athens founded many colonies in the Aegean Sea. Many Athenians became wealthy thus creating a wide social gap between its people. Social classes developed in Athens creating friction among its people. All males whose mother and father were citizens could vote and take part in the government (Citizens). The rising merchant and artisan class (Metics) could not own land or take part in the government. About 1/2 of population were slaves - considered personal property but did have some safeguards against abuse. The early Athenian government was an aristocracy which controlled all facets of government. The Assembly (Ecclesia); comprised of all male citizens but had very little power initially. King; elected by the aristocrats and owed power to them. Archons 9 aristocrats chosen from the Assembly made all laws and executed them controlled all political facets of Athenian life Judges; aristocrats chosen from Assembly and were given the task of verbal interpretation of the law. A series of democratic reformers moved Athens from and aristocracy to a democracy over a period of 150 years. Draco (621 BC) elected as Archon in 621 BC and went on to write down existing verbal laws laws were harsh and severe but represented a significant step in democracy harsh laws are often called "Draconian". Solon (594 BC) appointed to deal with Athenian problems in 594 BC cancelled debt slavery gave citizenship to foreign artisans who promised to settle permanently in Athens "Solon" is n... Free Essays on Democracy in Athens Free Essays on Democracy in Athens DEMOCRACY IN ATHENS The rise of the Athenian city-state took place c. 1000 BC. Athens is located on the mainland in an area known as Attica, across the straits of Messina from Sparta and Corinth. Dorian invaders overran the Ionian natives c. 1000 BC. Unlike the Spartans, the Dorians assimilated the Ionian culture and became peaceful. Athenians turned toward the sea for a living, establishing a strong commercial trade. Athens founded many colonies in the Aegean Sea. Many Athenians became wealthy thus creating a wide social gap between its people. Social classes developed in Athens creating friction among its people. All males whose mother and father were citizens could vote and take part in the government (Citizens). The rising merchant and artisan class (Metics) could not own land or take part in the government. About 1/2 of population were slaves - considered personal property but did have some safeguards against abuse. The early Athenian government was an aristocracy which controlled all facets of government. The Assembly (Ecclesia); comprised of all male citizens but had very little power initially. King; elected by the aristocrats and owed power to them. Archons 9 aristocrats chosen from the Assembly made all laws and executed them controlled all political facets of Athenian life Judges; aristocrats chosen from Assembly and were given the task of verbal interpretation of the law. A series of democratic reformers moved Athens from and aristocracy to a democracy over a period of 150 years. Draco (621 BC) elected as Archon in 621 BC and went on to write down existing verbal laws laws were harsh and severe but represented a significant step in democracy harsh laws are often called "Draconian". Solon (594 BC) appointed to deal with Athenian problems in 594 BC cancelled debt slavery gave citizenship to foreign artisans who promised to settle permanently in Athens "Solon" is n...

American History Timeline 1675-1700

American History Timeline 1675-1700 Between 1675 and 1700, the British colonies on the eastern coast of the North American continent to evolve. Plymouth became part of Massachusetts, Pennsylvania changed from being a proprietary colony to a royal one and then back to a proprietary colony, and North Carolina was designated. Here are the key events that occurred between these years.   1675 June 20: King Philips War begins when King Philip (1638–1676, and also known as Metacomet) leads a coalition of his Wampanoag Indians with their allies the Pocumtuc and Narragansett on a raid against the colonial settlement of Swansea. September 9: The New England Confederation declares war on King Philip and each colony is required to provide men for a combined force. September 12: King Philip achieves a decisive victory against the forces of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and their Nipmuc allies at Bloody Brook. 1676 February: The Mohawk launch a surprise assault against Metacomet, a turning point in King Philips War. March: King Philips War continues as Metacoms forces attack Plymouth, Massachusetts, and Providence, Rhode Island. June: Nathaniel Bacon assembles a group of 500 men leading them to Jamestown in what comes to be known as Bacons Rebellion.  Virginia planters agree to support Nathaniel Bacon. June 12: The colonists with the Mohegan Indians defeat King Philips men at Hadley. July: Nathaniel Bacon, the instigator of Bacons Rebellion or the Virginia Rebellion (1674–1676), is declared a traitor and arrested but quickly freed by his men. He is later pardoned after he admits his guilt. July 30: Bacon writes the Declaration of the People of Virginia, criticizing the governors administration of levying unfair taxes, appointing friends to high places, and failing to protect settlers from attack. August 22: King Philips War ends in the English colonies when the Indians surrender and leaders Metacomet and Anawan are killed. Conflict continues in the northern theater (Maine and Acadia) September 19: Bacons forces capture and then burn Jamestown to the ground. October 18: Nathaniel Bacon dies of a fever. The rebel army surrenders when promised amnesty. 1677 January: Virginia Governor Berkeley executes 23 of the rebels from Bacons Rebellion in direct defiance of the crown. He is later replaced by Colonel Jeffreys as the head of Virginia. September 14: Increase Mather publishes The Troubles That Have Happened in New England. 1678 April 12: With the Treaty of Casco, King Philips War is formally brought to an end. Winter: The French (Rene Robert Cavalier, Sieur de la Salle, and Father Louis Hennepin) visit Niagara Falls while exploring Canada. The falls were first reported by a westerner (Samuel de Champlain) in 1604. 1679 The Province of New Hampshire is created out of the Massachusetts Bay Colony by royal degree of British King Charles II. 1680 January: John Cutt takes office as the president of New Hampshire and ending Massachusetts governance. 1681 March 4: William Penn receives a royal charter from Charles II to set up Pennsylvania, to pay off debts owed to Penns father. 1682 April: Frenchman Sieur de la Salle claims the land at the mouth of the Mississippi for France and calls the territory La Louisiane (Louisiana) in honor of his king Louis XIV. May 5: William Penn publishes Frame of Government of Pennsylvania that provides for a precursor of a bicameral government. August 24: The Duke of York awards William Penn a deed to the lands that make up Delaware. 1684 October: Frustrated by the unwillingness of the Massachusetts Bay Colony to revise its charter to weaken the power of the church, Charles II revokes its royal charter. During the Second Anglo-Dutch War, Charles II gives the Province of New Netherland to his brother, the Duke of York. 1685 February: Charles II dies and his brother the Duke of York becomes King James II. March: Increase Mather is named Acting President of Harvard College. 23 April: James II renames New Netherland to New York and makes it a royal province. 22 October: King Louis XIV revokes the Edict of Nantes that gave the Huguenots to practice their religion, and afterward, the number of French Huguenot settlers in America increases. 1686 King James II creates the Dominion of New England, a mega-colony covering all of New England and combining the colonies of Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth Colony, Connecticut Colony, the Province of New Hampshire and the Colony of Rhode Island and Plymouth Plantations- New Jersey and New York would be added in 1688. James names Sir Edmund Andros as governor general. 1687 William Penn publishes The Excellent Privilege of Liberty and Property. 1688 The extremely unpopular Governor of the Dominion of New England, Edmund Andros, places the militia of New England under his direct control. April: Governor Andros plunders the home and village of Jean-Vincent dAbbadie de Saint-Castine (1652–1707), a French military officer and Abenaki chief, considered the start of King Williams War, an outgrowth of Europes Nine Years War between the English and French. April 18: The earliest known antislavery tract Petition Against Slavery is released in the colonies by the Quakers at Germantown, Pennsylvania. November: The Glorious Revolution occurs in which King James II (Catholic) flees to France and is replaced by William and Mary of Orange (Protestant). 1689 February: The English Parliament presents the English Bill of Rights to William and Mary. April 11: William and Mary of Orange are officially named King and Queen of England. April 18: A popular rising of a well-organized mob of provincial militia and citizens forms in the town of Boston and arrest dominion officials in the Boston Revolt. April 18: Governor Andros surrenders to colonial rebels and is put in jail. New England colonies begin re-instituting their own governments after Governor Andros is removed from power. May 24: The Toleration Act of 1688 is passed by Parliament which gives limited Freedom of Religion to all British citizens. December 16: The English Bill of Rights receives the royal assent by William and Mary and goes into law. It limits monarch powers and sets out the right of Parliament, and the rights of individuals. 1690 King Williams War continues in North America when the combined forces of the French and the Indians attack towns in New York, Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. 1691 William Penn makes Delaware a separate government from Pennsylvania. Maryland is declared a royal province, removing Lord Baltimore from political power. October 7: William III and Mary II establish the Province of Massachusetts Bay, including all Massachusetts Bay Colony, all of Plymouth Colony and part of the Province of New York. 1692 William III suspends William Penns proprietary charter for Pennsylvania, making it a royal province. February: Salem Witchcraft trials begin with the trial and conviction of a slave woman named Tituba: 20 persons will be executed before the trials end. Increase Mather is named President of Harvard. 1693 February 8: William III and Mary II of England sign a charter creating the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. The Carolinas win the right to initiate legislation in the British House of Commons. Twenty Cherokee chiefs visit Charles Town in Carolina, with an offer of friendship and help with their troubles with other tribes who had carried off some of their kinsmen. Governor Philip Ludwell agreed to help but said the kidnapped Cherokees were already in Spanish hands. 1694 August 15: Colonists from Connecticut, Massachusetts Bay, New Jersey, and New York sign a peace treaty with the Iroquois to keep them from allying with the French in the future. Pennsylvania is once again named a Proprietary Colony when William Penn gets his charter back. 28 December: After Mary dies, William III takes sole rule over England. 1696 The Navigation Acts of 1696 are passed by Parliament that limits all colonial trade to English-built vessels, among other things. 1697 September 20: The Treaty of Ryswick ends King  Williams War and restores all colonial possessions to pre-war ownership. 1699 July: Pirate Captain Kidd is captured and sent to England eight months later, where he will be executed in 1701. The Wool Act, one of the Acts of Trade and Navigation, is passed by Parliament to protect the British wool industry. It forbids the export of wool from the American colonies. 1700 Massachusetts, who had banned Catholic priests first in 1647, passed another law requiring all Roman Catholic priests to leave the colony within three months or be arrested. Boston is the largest city in the American colonies and the overall population of the colonies numbers around 275,000. Sources and Further Reading Schlesinger, Jr., Arthur M., ed. The Almanac of American History. Greenwich CT: Barnes Nobles Books, 1993.Shi, David E., and George Brown Tindall. America: A Narrative History, Tenth Edition. New York: W. W. Norton, 2016.Turner, Frederic Jackson, and Allan G. Bogue. The Frontier in American History. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, Inc., 2010 (originally published 1920)

What are the strategic priorities for policy makers in Birmingham if Essay

What are the strategic priorities for policy makers in Birmingham if they are to generate strong economic development for the city over the next 20 years - Essay Example Birmingham is a City with an important economic and cultural framework. Because of its infrastructure and its facilities – airport, university, a research park for business and technology research – the City is considered as one of the most developed cities of the West Midlands. The City’s council initiates a wide range of activities aiming to support effectively the needs of the residents. The economic development of Birmingham is examined in this paper; emphasis is given not only on the City’s current economic performance but also on its prospects for future growth. The strategic priorities for policy makers in Birmingham in the case that the City’s economic growth over the next 20 years would be initiated are identified and evaluated. After reviewing the existing plans related to the City’s economic growth it is assumed that the achievement of a further growth – over a period of 20 years – would be achievable under the terms that collaboration and communication in regard to the relevant initiatives are improved. 2. Birmingham – requirements for growth in the next 20 years.History of the town: The history of Birmingham is quite long. In accordance with the studies published on the particular subject, the presence of human in the region goes back to the Bronze Age (Birmingham, Voice of the West Midlands, History); Anglo Saxons visited the area around 700 A.D.; ‘the Medieval and Norman occupation’ (Birmingham, Voice of the West Midlands, History) of the area ended approximately in 1086; it was then that the land-owners took the control of the region occupation’ (Birmingham, Voice of the West Midlands, History). Under the influence of the industrial revolution, the City’s population has been continuously increased, up today. During the two World Wars the City suffered major damages; many of its residents participated in the Wars – and they did not return (Birmingham, Voice of the West Midlands, History). Also the City’s industrial infrastructure suffered significant damages during the above period. The restructuring and the development of the City was highly supported by foreign immigrants – it was during the 1950s and the 1960s that the City was developed significantly becoming today a major economic and cultural center in Britain (Birmingham, Voice of the West Midlands, History). The current economic and cultural status of Birmingham is reflected in the images of the town – see graphs 1 & 2 in the Appendix section. 2.2 Phases of economic development, economic characteristics The economic growth of Birmingham through the decades can be identified in the events that characterized the City’s establishment and development – as presented in the previous section. The current economic development of Birmingham is significant – compared to the financial turbulences that cities worldwide have to face. This tre nd is reflected in the reports published regarding the economic characteristics and the rate of the City’s growth. All of these reports are encouraging regarding the City’s current economic status and, especially, regarding its potentials for further growth. Moreover, the City’s Council has increased its efforts for generating funds necessary for serving the various social and economic needs of residents. In this context, ‘the Westminster, Birmingham and Manchester councils’ (Birmingham News Room 2011) have established a commission; the commission is based in Birmingham because the particular City is ‘the largest UK city economy outside of the capital’ (Birmingham News Room 2011). The above commission aims to identify at what level it is possible for the cities across UK to become independent – in terms of funding – from the central government (Birmingham News Room 2011). Today, Birmingham is an economic center in the West Midlands,

Myths of hair loss Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Myths of hair loss - Essay Example These commotion myths add to the anxiety of individuals, if not to the hair loss itself. Most people think that their hair loss may be as a result of wearing hats, caps, or helmets. This group mostly refers to athletes and construction workers. They trust that wearing hats, caps and helmets triggers a straining effect on the hair follicles; thus causing the hair to fall out. But then again this is not true as no harm is caused by the hair follicles, unless the hat, cap, or helmet is very tight putting additional tension on the hair. However, filthy hats, caps, or helmets can bring about scalp infection, which may lead to hair loss. Secondly, other people claim that their hair loss is a result of a rubbing act that their mothers or guardians performed on their heads with black tar soap. This is nothing but a mere misconception and not true at all. Another myth is that hair loss is inherited from the mother’s section of the family. This myth is not true at all. This is uttered b y individuals as the primary baldness gene is found on the X chromosome, which individuals get from their mothers. In addition, from biology lessons, we learn that an offspring inherits the genes from both parents. Obviously, there is a dominant and recessive gene, but the case does not mean that the gene from the mother is always dominant. Although the mothers’ side is more dominant, baldness is not always the case in most individuals as other factors also contribute to balding.

Social and Emotional Aspects Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 9000 words

Social and Emotional Aspects - Dissertation Example p.29 Results †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. p.31 Discussion †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. p.37 Recommendations †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. p.39 Bibliography †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. p.41 ABSTRACT A number of programs in American and the United Kingdom advocate a holistic approach to education reform that emphasizes community involvement and psychological support as a strategy to strengthen student ties with, and investment in the school and educational policy. These programs are compared in the light of psychological theories and given approval as equally valid roads to school reform. INTRODUCTION Most educational authorities agree upon the need for a broader, comprehensive approach towards the promotions of beneficial relationships and socially-conscious behavior. Most proposals to this end involve an active, holistic approach that engages the entire school in the interest of the most efficient, inclusive socialization possible. SEAL seeks to accomplish these goals by creating a more congenial environment that addresses several dimensions of the educational experience. SEAL engages the social, personal, and health dimensions of the school experience to achieve a more congenial experience for all involved, multifaceted approach towards an inclusive educational experience. ... side of the coin is the prevention of risky behavior that damages health and academic success; demand for problem prevention programs in most public schools has grown. (DeFriese et al. 1990), (Kolbe et al. 1997), (Gottfredson, 1986), (Connell et al. 1985), Errecart et al., 1991) The social and emotional aspects of learning are vital with respect to the way that they underscore the educational experience to contribute to the success of all students, and the promotion of a beneficial working environment for educators. The SEAL program facilitates a number of personal quality and emotional goals to make learning more efficient. Students must learn impulse control and the ability to govern their emotions, in addition to an internal motivational drive to invest in their own success. This requires a sense of awareness and critical reflection on the student's own goals and personal needs. And with an understanding of the self, empathy towards other students becomes a possibility. The progra m looks towards efficiency in learning, but also seeks to promote an emotionally safe environment. (Burns, 2010), (Bromley, 2012) These attitudes are advisable and beneficial even as benchmarks for higher education. (Burnard & Green, 2009) It is generally acknowledged that in order to achieve the goals of efficiency and efficacy in learning, the emotional dimension of child development, especially at the primary school level, must not be neglected. Children learn and perform when they feel emotionally secure. Without a certain degree of security, learning efforts will simply fail. (Breda, 2011), (Bromley, 2012) Positive activities promoting emotional security are needed within, and beyond class to foster learning in class. (Henderson & Mapp, 2002), (Pitman et al. 2001), (Perry, 1999) Most

Primary Health Care in India Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Primary Health Care in India - Essay Example The public health care infrastructure though is large it is not sufficient when compared to per capita number of physicians and beds for the population. Even the rate of outpatient visits to the government hospitals is poor due to lack of sufficient care. As the decentralization of state authority varies widely between states, the large cities only have significant financial authority. The lack of authority of local bodies on public health care systems as well as government hospitals resulted in failure of prevention of number of diseases and the people are ignorant even about prevailing diseases. According to World Bank reports in 1995, 1996, 1997b, 2000c, the high levels of poverty also exacerbated the poor health conditions as poor governance resulted in weak public health care infrastructure. Hence, public health care inefficiency as well as poverty and ignorance contributed to problems in India (Peters, David H. (Author), 2002). 1 The important section of population in India that bears the burden of disease is poor and marginalized income people as well as the rural people, as they are not able to bear the cost of health care in private sector. Hence, they are forced to go to public health care systems that are not efficient in curing them and thus bore the burden of the disease. According Agnihotram V. et al (2004), the disease burden of rural Indian women, suffering with asthma and bronchitis that may lead to prematurity and heart attacks. In addition to that the lack of health infrastructure in Indian rural areas is resulting in maternal deaths concentrated in the age group of 20-24 years. It has been observed that the bleeding is main cause for maternal deaths and they occur more in rural areas and in the case of poor people. The diseases that exert significant burden on rural and poor people are tuberculosis, malaria and burns are important causes of death in reproductive ages. However, the rate of suici de and burn as well as anemia diminishes with age and hence it can be concluded more accurately that the burden of disease is more in case of young poor rural people mostly women in the above mentioned contexts. The nationwide health plans in India are not sufficient to prevent the deaths and burden of the disease to maximum extent (V Agnihotram, 2004). 2 Epidemiological Causes for Diseases Among Rural Poor and Women In addition to that the nation's public health care is not sufficient to avoid the epidemiological causes for diseases in India. The disease causing burden can be attributed to highest exposures of household roles that affect the children and women as well. As the public health care system is not enough equipped to avoid the above-mentioned exposure, the demographical conditions also play a role in increasing the burden of TB, asthma and blindness thus decreasing the

Operations Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Operations Management - Assignment Example Therefore, the project implementation tends to incorporate an effective set of attributes and enable the council to achieve its ultimate desired objectives. It has been found that with the implementation of the planned project, the community safety would increase by manifold and would enable the council to reduce the rate of crime in the Bedford community. Project management can be considered as one of the major management paradigms, which enables the business organisations to effectively and efficiently achieve their business goals within the constantly changing phase of the business environment. An effective project management approach facilitates the organisations to execute various business competencies to effectively handle uncertainties, risks along with pressure of its competitors within the existing market (Laureate Online Education, 2010). Moreover, project management can be differentiated with the various standards of the business operations with respect to focusing on uniqueness, timescales, financial projection, resources, risks and uncertainties along with the major activities regarding skills, tools and processes of project management (Westland, 2003). The methodology to be followed to gain required information is the evaluation of information available from secondary sources. With due consideration of preparing project implementation plan, this report will highly focus on developing the major aspects and processes of project management which will be highly beneficial for Bedford Borough Council. The discussion of this paper will cover the major elements and their activities in order to successfully implement of the new and developed project management. With respect to the observation from last three years, it has been ascertained that Bedford Borough Council has aimed at minimising the amount of general

The Reagan Presidency Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Reagan Presidency - Research Paper Example This, coupled with foreign policy mistakes such as the handling of the Iranian hostage crisis made the current president, Jimmy Carter, a very unpopular figure. Ronald Reagan ran on a platform of returning pride to America. Many citizens felt that the country was in a state of decline due to the weak economy and the Iranian hostage crisis. Ronald Reagan promised to take a hard line with states such as Iran, as well as the archenemy of the United States, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. He said that he would return America to a position of strength on the international stage, called the enemies of America evil and proposed and economic program that would cut taxes and reduce regulations in an effort to stimulate growth in the economy. Ronald Reagan won the 1980 presidential election by a landslide. President Reagan made good on his economic promises early. He appointed individuals to governmental agencies that were given the task of dismantling regulations that hurt American b usiness. The Environmental Protection Agency under James Watt was especially vigorous in slashing through prior regulations. Under President Reagan, controls on natural gas and oil drilling, timber harvesting and surface water protection were all relaxed (Lash et al 1984). Regulations were also relaxed on savings and loans in an effort to increase growth in this sector of the finance industry. This deregulation led to a record number of savings and loan failures in the 1980’s This relaxing of regulations was just one part of a supply-side economic theory that became known as â€Å"Reaganomics.† The thought was that if constraints on business growth were removed, such as taxes and regulations, then more profitable businesses would grow and create more jobs. This job creation would benefit the business owners first; because they would make more money through business expansion, but then the theory said that the benefits would eventually â€Å"trickle down† to the workers and employees. More profitable corporations should result in more jobs with higher wages. Today, the debate still rages as to whether Reaganomics and the trickle down theory worked. The American economy did improve, but many economists point to the fact that record government spending on the military and soaring federal budget deficits drove much of this growth. Other economists point out the fact that the better wages never materialized because the wealth created by lower taxes and less regulation never trickled down, it stayed at the top (Perotti 1992, 311-16). President Reagan enjoyed many successes when it came to implementing his foreign policy. He took a hard stance against Communism across the entire globe. Any nation that was battling communist rebels or insurgents could usually depend on foreign support from the United States. At the very end of his second term, Ronald Reagan saw the beginnings of the end of the Soviet Union. Gorbachev had introduced Glasnost as the official policy of the ruling communist party. Changes were rapidly happening that would see the Berlin Wall come down, many of the former Soviet Republics break away from Russia and Eastern Europe have free and fair elections for the first time in two generations. Many of these changes were attributed to the policies put in place during the Reagan Presidency. Unfortunately, not all of Ronald Reagan’s foreign policy initiatives were successful or even legal. The administration became mired down

Operations Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Operations Management - Assignment Example Therefore, the project implementation tends to incorporate an effective set of attributes and enable the council to achieve its ultimate desired objectives. It has been found that with the implementation of the planned project, the community safety would increase by manifold and would enable the council to reduce the rate of crime in the Bedford community. Project management can be considered as one of the major management paradigms, which enables the business organisations to effectively and efficiently achieve their business goals within the constantly changing phase of the business environment. An effective project management approach facilitates the organisations to execute various business competencies to effectively handle uncertainties, risks along with pressure of its competitors within the existing market (Laureate Online Education, 2010). Moreover, project management can be differentiated with the various standards of the business operations with respect to focusing on uniqueness, timescales, financial projection, resources, risks and uncertainties along with the major activities regarding skills, tools and processes of project management (Westland, 2003). The methodology to be followed to gain required information is the evaluation of information available from secondary sources. With due consideration of preparing project implementation plan, this report will highly focus on developing the major aspects and processes of project management which will be highly beneficial for Bedford Borough Council. The discussion of this paper will cover the major elements and their activities in order to successfully implement of the new and developed project management. With respect to the observation from last three years, it has been ascertained that Bedford Borough Council has aimed at minimising the amount of general

Process vs Product Drama in Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Process vs Product Drama in Education - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that the concepts of Process vs. Product Drama in education are eloquently and meaningfully described in detail by numerous theorists and educational drama practitioners. From Way to Heathcote to O’Toole, process and product drama are explored in order to explain intrinsic freedoms of expression of the process and meaningful designs/constructs of product and/or performance. Authors and educational drama practitioners Gustave J. Weltsek-Medina, Ph.D., Adam Blatner, MD, and Daniel Weiner, Ph.D. have written a stimulating account of the debatable, dialectic, dramatic concepts in â€Å"Interactive and Improvisational Drama; Varieties of Applied Theatre and Performance. An excerpt from the book defines Process Drama in the thought-provoking Chapter 9: Process Drama in Education: Explaining its Methods. â€Å"When one engages in Process Drama, the potential exists for a heightened sense of self-reflexivity. Process Drama is foremost a si tuation immersed in experiential knowledge and an experience of Living Through. Individual freedom is allowed to, not only explore ideas but to also provide the space to explore ideologies. A participant must reflect upon fictional situations and tap into her or his own set of social signifiers as a means to interpret the moment. The creation of the moment rests upon the immediate experiences of those involved as they reflect, act, and interact with one another as they live with and through the fictional moment†¦Ã¢â‚¬ 

Electoral Systems Essay Example for Free

Electoral Systems Essay Critically evaluate the argument that electoral systems can produce effective (decisive) government, or representative government, but not both. New Zealand’s current electoral system is MMP or Mixed Member Proportional; this is the system which will be used to evaluate the question. A comparison of MMP and FPP or the First Past the Post system will also be included, since it is being debated as to which is better for New Zealand. MMP is an appropriately representative government which also creates a rather effective government at the same time. On the other hand FPP causes a seemingly effective government but is far less representative. Some electoral systems can create effective and representative government while others may not. This will be shown by; firstly detailing how these systems of governance compare under effectiveness and representativeness, followed by an explanation as to why electoral systems can be both effective and representative and why they cannot. For a government to be classified effective it must sufficiently achieve its objectives as a governing body. It also must create a strong impression on the community (dictionary. om, 2011). MMP tends to have a less efficient form of law making than FPP. Under MMP the major parties must form coalition governments with the smaller parties to form a fifty per cent majority over the house. These coalitions may cause a time delay in passing legislation, as the major supporter of the bill tries to convince their support parties to agree with the legislation. MMP may take time to make decision but this doesn’t mean that the government is less decisive although; Many people argue that proportional forms of government lead to a less decisive and durable government. Their argument is based on the fact that the decisions must gain the support of coalition parties which cause a lower quantity of bills passing. However it is not the quantity of laws which cause an effective government it is the quality. MMP due to its more timely approach to law making allows time for scrutiny within a bill meaning any flaws which lie dormant in a bill may be fixed before the legislation is passed. A contrast to this is FPP with its single party majority which works very efficiently to pass laws rapidly. This is because there is no need for a compromise with its support parties since none are required. The effect of this rapid law making ability gives the community a view of effectiveness however the validity of the laws has been compromised. The laws passed may be riddled with flaws which really show the government is un-effective as the laws have no real impression on the community. Effective government is based around three criteria government durability, decisional efficacy and responsiveness (Boston, Church Bale, 2003). From these three different terms of effective government we can see how different opinions on the idea of effective government can differ. For a government to be classified representative it must consist of many individuals who represent a variety of different constituencies (dictionary. com, 2011). Also there must be some form of diversity among the constituencies such as race or gender differentiation. (Royal Commission, 1986) MMP is a highly representative form of governance as it uses a two votes system; this allows minor party representatives to gain a seat in the house if they gain a majority vote among their constituents. The fact an MP has to win their constituency causes a close link to the electorate as they will more likely than not represent the major view of the region. This single MP vote allows the house to represent the community from a broader aspect while still having the majority party in power with the 2nd vote, the party vote. This causes a greater diversity among the house. When MMP was adopted â€Å"Maori representation increased from 5-7% to 16%† and â€Å"the number of women of women doubled to 34%† (Haddon, 2011). This increasing diversity has continued as the royal commission predicted. New Zealand’s house of parliament has become more representative and diverse as shown by the 39 women, 21 Maori, 4 Pacific Islanders, and 2 Asian MPs out of the 121 in the house (Elections Commission, 2006). Also under MMP campaign promises of minor parties tend to not get placed on the new government agenda. The minor parties must rely on negotiation with party leaders in order to get their main policies on the agenda or must wait for the bill to be drawn from the ballot box in parliament, which may never come. This causes a slight decrease in the diversification of the legislation passed. This lack of diversification can decrease the representativeness of the majority. However this does not decrease the overall representativeness of the government. The diversity of MMP is contrasted by FPPs system where there are only electorate votes so people tend to vote solely for the major parties that are likely to get into parliament. The winning party in a FPP election will get a proportionally larger share of the seats that its share of the votes this has the opposite effect for minority parties whom gain a lesser proportion of the seats that their votes. This lack of proportionality is a major flaw in representation as there is very little diversity among the house. Electoral systems can be both effective and representative, â€Å"The best voting system for any country will not be one which meets any of the criteria completely but will be one which provides the most satisfactory overall balance between them† (Royal Commission, 1986). Although systems cannot be highly representative and highly effective they still can be both. MMP shows this, it may not be highly efficient at creating effective legislation but it creates quality legislation which is effective governing. Also MMP shows its representativeness by having a largely diverse house of representatives but due to the need for coalitions loses some of the broader views of the minor parties. â€Å"A proliferation of minor parties actually increases stability and effectiveness† (â€Å"NRT on MMP threshold,† 2011). This shows how a representative government actually helps to form an effective government. The increase in the number of coalition majorities available will help to reduce the ability for any party to have strong bargaining power over another. This was shown in our most recent parliamentary election by ACT and the Maori party not having a large bargaining power with National as they both had possible coalitions with National. They were acting as a check on the other so neither gained an arbitrary power over Nationals decision. This allowed for national to make what they saw as the best decision. This shows that MMP is representative as well as being effective even if it is not top in each discipline. Many critics of MMP have agreed that MMP does lead to a government reflecting the views of New Zealander’s and supporters of MMP conceded to agreeing that it leads to a more unstable government which can infer that it may be not highly effective (Palmer Palmer, 2004). While FPP contrasts MMP it shows the opposite idea. It shows that there is a tension between effective and representative government. This tension causes a highly representative government to have a very low effectiveness and vice versa. The tension has large effect on how the government operates and this can put a strain on which system will be best. FPP shows how a system cannot be both effective and representative whereas MMP seems to have the balance between being both an effective form of governance while still being rather highly representative. My research has shown that MMP is both an effective form of government and a representative form of government. However it is neither the most representative nor the most effective. The research has identified that an electoral system can be both as I have explained above. This is not to say all electoral systems are. There are always going to be strengths and weaknesses to an electoral system and a compromise between effective and representative will always be required, FPP for example is much more effective than it is representative. The tension between these two disciplines will always have an effect on how the system operates and which system is best suited to the situation. FPP is clearly a system which cannot be both while MMP is the perfect example of a system of governance which is both representative and effective.

Do objects exist independent of the mind?

Do objects exist independent of the mind? This essay will investigate the question of whether mind independent objects exist according to John Locke and George Berkeley. John Locke reasons that objects do exist independently of our mind but this is not without some caveat. George Berkeley on the other hand argues that no material substances exist other than ideas or perceptions in our minds. Hence there are no mind independent objects. I will argue that John Lockes reasoning is actually stronger than Berkeleys and therefore the case for mind independent objects existing is coincidentally stronger as well. Lockes argument in support is that we can be sure of the limits of our knowledge of their existence because of the ideas we obtain from our senses. I will firstly detail how Lockes reasoning supports this contention. Secondly I will explore Berkeleys claim which denies that any form of material substance and hence mind independent objects do not exist independently. I will argue that Berkeleys claim fails because of inadequacies raised during his rejection of Lockes argument. Berkeley relies on an appeal to the supernatural (e.g. God) to counter the universal proposition that he inevitably draws himself into with the existence of other minds in external human bodies and in his contention that external objects only exist as ideas in the mind. Locke adopts a pragmatic approach to this inquiry because he uses the senses in a practical everyday way to assess the degree of certainty of knowledge. Importantly, Locke accepts the limitations of human knowledge which then defines the inquiry question of what level of certainty there is for the existence of external objects (Bennett, 2007). Locke says that an idea is; whatever is the object of the understanding when a man thinks (Bennett 2007 p2). This is an important definition because it suggests an idea to be more than just a representation of an external object. What Locke alludes to here is that we have a cognitive ability to obtain knowledge of the external world through a relationship in our mind between simple (sensations from experience) and complex (abstracted from particular to universal principles) ideas and are thus able to pass judgement (subjective) about the certainty of that knowledge. Locke states that; Knowledge, then, seems to me to be nothing but the perception of the connection and agreement, or disagreement and incompatibility, of any of our ideas. That is all it is (Bennett, 2007, p196). So knowledge then becomes the outcome of complex ideas created in our mind from sensations. The mind has no innate ideas and starts out as a tabula rasa (or blank sheet) but with mental faculties which thus enable the creation of ideas from experiences of the external world (Bennett, 2007). This is not unproblematic though because it raises the question of exactly which faculties are then innate. However, the ideas created come into being from when a person first has sensations. Locke says that: Since there appear not to be any ideas in the mind before the senses have conveyed any in, I think that ideas in the understanding arise at the same time as sensation (Bennett, 2007 p22). These ideas fashioning our knowledge are thus derived from our experience. They are also built upon the immediate impression of external objects in our mind through our senses. More complex and abstract concepts result from our own introspection. Locke then talks about three types of knowledge which are important in our understanding of the certainty of the existence mind independent objects. He claims that these three types of knowledge are; 1. Intuitive Knowledge which is the immediate agreement or disagreement between ideas without an intervention of other ideas; 2. Demonstrative Knowledge which does not immediately perceive the agreement or disagreement of ideas. It therefore brings into itself more ideas and creating complex ideas thus calling it reasoning; 3. Sensitive Knowledge which is knowledge gained through the senses (Bennett, 2007 p22). Sensitive knowledge is the key element of his claim that external objects exist independent of the mind. Whilst it is readily conceded by Locke that sensitive knowledge is not as certain as intuitive knowledge or demonstrative knowledge, it nevertheless goes beyond probability (Bennett, 2007, p202). It follows then that the level of certainty in establishing a case for the existence of external objects knowledge using the senses is limited. But I contend that the degree to which it is limited does not discount its use. Locke also asserts that whilst some philosophers question whether external objects exist even though they may have an idea in their mind, there is a degree of evidentness which puts the question beyond doubt (Bennett, 2007, p202). So he postulates that we can feel the sun, notice the difference at night without the sun and appreciate the contrast between a dream and an idea coming into our mind through the senses (Bennett, 2007, p202). So for all practical purposes, I contend along with Locke that this is all we need to establish a high level of certainty about the existence of mind-independent objects. This is not to say, that his logic is not without some openings for criticism such as the probabilistic certainty of sensitive knowledge. However I argue that the strength of Lockes reasoning for the existence of mind independent objects lies in its pragmatic simplicity. If we have the idea that something exists independently of our mind and we confirm this with our senses, then it is highly probable that it does exist independently of our mind. If we have the idea that the ground we walk upon is solid, then the idea comes from our experience of solid ground through our walking upon it. Using Lockes reasoning then, the idea of solid ground (as a mind independent object) can be held to be certain; to the limit that sensitive knowledge allows. In contrast to Locke, one can postulate as does George Berkeley, that material substances (and hence mind independent objects) do not exist. In his inquiry, scepticism surfaces amidst the proposition that we think only about the idea and not the actual external object. This scepticism charges the materialism of Locke for example, with implying that it leads to disavowing God (Downing, 2011). This aspect of Berkeleys rejection of Lockes materialist conceptions of the existence of external objects is also a key element of my rejection of Berkeleys Idealism. Berkeleys main argument for the mind independent objects not existing is structured thus; That we perceive ordinary objects and I wouldnt have known them if I hadnt perceived them by my senses; Things perceived by the senses are immediately perceived; and Things that are immediately perceived are ideas; and Ideas cant exist outside the mind. So it follows that; The existence of things I perceive by my senses consists in being perceived. When they are actually perceived [the existence of things], therefore, there can be no doubt about their existence (Berkeley P41). Unfolding what Berkeley means by this hinges upon his use of the word perceive. If the definition of perceiving is to become aware of something through the senses, then it seems that what Berkeley is saying is that we can have knowledge of the existence of external objects. But in fact that is not what he is saying. In #1, #2, #3 #4 he is arguing that our perception or awareness of ordinary objects (external) is based upon the use of our senses creating ideas which can then only exist in our minds. Premise #5 makes his argument look remarkably circular but I will grant that it isnt for this purpose. What he is saying is that external objects only exist because we are able to be aware of them. His conclusion at #6 reiterates the thrust of his claim that when we are made aware of external objects by our senses, then we cannot doubt their existence. He does not mean the external object. He means the idea of the external object. So, if the external object is not a representation and it is not anything other than an idea brought about by a perception or awareness through the senses, how is it that we come by the idea of knowledge of the external world? And more so, how is it that when we are not present or are denied our senses for any reason, that other people continue to experience the external world. Berkeley answers this by saying that When I say that sensible things [external objects] cant exist out of the mind, I dont mean my mind in particular, but all minds. Now, they clearly have an existence exterior to my mind, since I find by experience that they are independent of it (Berkeley p42). I argue here that this sentence inherently disrupts Berkeleys claim that there are no mind independent objects. How is it that there can be other independent minds (assuming them to be within external human bodies) which have an existence exterior to his and which perceive external objects whilst Berkeley is say, asleep? How is it that they are not considered to be external mind independent objects? There must be some other explanation. So Berkeley finds himself having to refer to the supernatural deity for relief; God. There is therefore some other mind in which they [external objects] exist during the intervals between the times when I perceive them; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. it necessarily follows that there is an omnipresent, eternal Mind which knows and comprehends all things and lets us experience them in a certain manner (Berkeley p42). In my assessment this appeal to the omnipotence of God diminishes Berkeleys argument dramatically. It is not a question of having or not having a belief in God. It is about establishing a level of certainty that the external world exists independently of our mind. In contrast to Lockes argument which allows for a probabilistic consideration about the certainty of knowledge; Berkeley simply refutes the external mind independent world and fills the void he creates with that of a supernatural deity. It is contextually understandable but I argue that it severely reduces the plausibility and explanatory power of his claim that mind independent objects do not exist. This essay has argued that Lockes assertions about the existence of mind independent objects are stronger than Berkeleys claim that no mind independent objects exist and to this I offer my support. Lockes probabilistic approach to sensitive knowledge assists him to overcome the vicarious connections between the mind and the external world. This is not without its problems though as I have discussed in the paper. Locke struggles with innateness of ideas and faculties along with proving the level of certainty against a measure of probability. In contrast, Berkeley simply rejects mind independent objects outright, which leaves him with the problem of how to then deal with the issue of other minds and human bodies. To this he simply defers to a supernatural deity in God. This I contend creates a most significant weakness in his argument and causes me to reject it. ConAgra Foods, Inc: Economic Analysis ConAgra Foods, Inc: Economic Analysis Author: Artem Zaiets(36981) Summary This paper’s purpose is to look through and analyze the activities of ConAgra Foods within food processing industry. It will touch the areas of the financing of the company as well as those of the business strategies and compare the company’s major competitors’ operations over the past 5 years. The statistics will also project the expected future growth under the rate of 5% over a 3 year period and look at the sensitivity analysis. Using the projected data, this paper will also show the internal growth rate of the company as well as the external funds required for the future. Introduction ConAgra Foods, Inc. is an American packaged foods company that is located in Omaha, Nebraska that was founded a whole century ago in 1919. The company produces and sells products under 27 different brand names, most of which are popular and known only within the North America. Some of ConAgras major brands include Hunts, Healthy Choice, Marie Callenders, Orville Redenbacher, Slim Jim (snack food), Reddi-wip, Egg Beaters, Hebrew National, P. F. Changs, and Bertolli ready meals. The products of the company diverse from cooking oil to hot dogs, frozen dinners, peanut butter, hot cocoa and many more. As was mentioned earlier, the company’s brands are known mostly in North American, including Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, nevertheless, the company still competes with European and Asian packaging food companies in the market and holds a quite strong position in the list. Financial Strategy There are many tools and ratios that can be useful in order to find out a firm’s financing strategy over a course of period. In this passage, I will be discussing 3 of them: debt to equity ratio, payout ratio and retained earnings during the period from 2010 to 2014, and will compare them with other major competitors that the company has in the food processing industry. The first tool that will be used is debt to equity ratio. This ratio indicates the proportion of equity and debt that a company uses to finance its assets to know whether it is conducting a riskier but more profitable business or vice versa. From the chart we can observe the comparison of this ratio with 2 other industry-related companies (Appendix Table 1). As can be seen from the chart, over the course of these 5 years, the ratio for ConAgra Foods, Inc. jumped drastically from 0.7862 to 1.752 in December 31st of year 2013. This can be explained by the fact that the company decided that it did not have sufficient revenue in order to operate further, and as was mentioned earlier the higher the ratio is, the more risk the company takes but the more money it receives as a turn-over at the same time. We can observe the same situation with Kraft Foods, an American company which was founded in year 2012 as a grocery manufacturing and processing conglomerate. A new company has relatively à ¢â‚¬Ëœless’ to lose than an older one, especially when a company such as ConAgra Foods is nearly 100 years old. Indeed, in the short run, according to microeconomic rules of companies, the latter need to have as much revenue as possible in order to operate in the long run. That is why the ratio for the second company is relatively high. As for Nestle which was founded in year 1905 and that is headquartered in Switzerland, we can observer that the situation is rather more stable compared to the 2 other companies. In year 2012, it reached a maximum of 0.4494 ratio in debt to equity which is quite low considering this industry is capital-intensive. The payout ratio, on the other hand, shows the amount of dividends per share to earnings per share that a company makes. For investors, the ratio can show whether the company’s dividend payments seem to be appropriate and sustainable or whether the company’s paying out more than it can sustain. New and-or fast growing companies usually focus on re-investing their earnings so the business can grow, and as a result, tend to have lower dividend payout ratios. Conversely, larger companies usually have a higher payout ratio. Let us analyze the data from Table 2 (Appendix Table 2). ConAgra Foods company’s payout ratio during the period of 2010 to 2011 has been always higher than 40%, and in 2012 even reached 84.8%. This shows that the company decided to increase the relations with their shareholders, or increase the amount of people contributing to the company by having a more attractive dividend payment. As for the new company Kraft Foods, in 2012 the ratio was at 18.2% which is not surprising. However, the company in the next year decided to increase the dividend payments to 48.2%. The reasons may be the same as ConAgra Foods company’s and also that the company does not have much operating cost at this stage. Nestle in years 2010 to 2011 was quite low, but increased to a reasonable amount in the next years. Yet another tool can be used in defining a company’s financial strategy and it is the retained earnings. Retained earnings are usually used to pay off debts and/or gain additional assets (Appendix Table 3). Table shows the relationship between the retained earnings with long-term, short-term debts, as well as non-current assets and stockholders’ equity for ConAgra Foods company. The short-term debt in the company is kept relatively low at all times in the company, which shows that it spends its earnings to keep them down. Non-current assets, however, get increased by twice as much in year 2013. The explanation for this may be that the company decided to increase investments for its many brands recognition, as well as some new equipment. 1.2. The relationship between the financing strategy and the business strategy Since ConAgra Foods, Inc. has so many brands under its name, a wise strategy for the company would be to increase their investments on those brands that have the highest potential, make them more recognizable around the U.S. The company has, therefore, undertaken a few financial actions that would reflect on their business operations. An example of that is the dividend action. The dividend continues to represent one of the highest payout levels among consumer food companies today. As was shown earlier in the chart with the payout ratios of the company and its competitors, we could indeed see that the ratio was the highest for ConAgra Foods, Inc. Restructuring charges is the next strategy that the company recently implemented. The balance of this charge will reflect upon the volatile and non-volatile costs relating to the implementation of restructuring activities, including programs designed to reduce the company’s ongoing operating costs. In other words, the company also focu ses on reducing operating costs. This does make sense, knowing that this industry is quite capital-intensive. The company also announced plans to divest its seafood and domestic imported cheese businesses. 1.3. Internal Growth Rate The internal growth rate of a company illustrates the highest level of growth which is achievable by the company without obtaining external financing. The formula for calculating the growth rate is as following: IGR = Plowback ratio Ãâ€" return on equity Ãâ€" . The plowback ratio is simply 1 subtracted by the payout ratio (1 – payout ratio), and the return on equity is the net income divided by the shareholders’ equity (ROE = ). Using the latest financial data of the company for year 2014, we get that IGR = (1 – 0.527) Ãâ€" Ãâ€" =0.473Ãâ€"0.058Ãâ€"0.272=0.00746 or roughly 0.75%. A conclusion of this is that without external financing, the growth rate of the company is mediocre. In case of any questions considering number (Appendix B Balance sheet of the company). 2.1. ConAgra Foods spreadsheet Assumed growth rate 0,05 Comments Comments Income statement 2014 2015 2016 2017 Revenue 17 702 600 18 587 730 19 517 117 20 492 972 5% increase Cost of goods sold 13 980 000 60,4% of sales 14 679 000 15 412 950 16 183 598 5% increase EBIT 955 400 1 003 170 1 053 329 1 105 995 5% increase Interest expense 379 000 379 000 379 000 379 000 Earnings before taxes 576 400 EBIT-I.expense 624 170 674 329 726 995 Taxes 298 000 51,7% of EBT 322 696 348 628 375 856 Net income 315 100 EBIT I.expense taxes 301 474 325 701 351 139 Dividents 166 057 Payout ratio = 0,527 158 877 171 644 185 050 Reatined earnings 149 043 Net income-dividents 142 597 154 056 166 089 Balance sheet Assets Net working capital 1 588 400 1 667 820 1 751 211 1 838 772 5% increase Fixed assets 15 123 600 15 879 780 16 673 769 17 507 457 5% increase Total assets 16 724 000 17 547 600 18 424 980 19 346 229 Equity and liabilities Long-term debt 8 767 600 8 767 600 8 767 600 8 767 600 Shareholders equity 5 258 500 5 401 097 5 555 154 5 721 242 Increase due to Retained earnings Other liabilities 2 601 200 2 601 200 2 601 200 2 601 200 Minority interest 96 700 96 700 96 700 96 700 Total liability and s.equity 16 724 300 Equal to total assets 16 866 597 17 020 654 17 186 742 Required external finance 0 681 003 1 404 326 2 159 487 Total assets Total liab. and s.equity From this table we can observe how much external finance company needed to maintain future growth. It means that company will either sell equity or borrow debt to obtain extra cash for future growth. Required external finance was calculated, simply, by subtracting future total assets from future total liabilities and shareholders’ equity. In case of any questions considering number (Appendix B Balance sheet of the company). Appendix A 2.1. Financing strategy Table 1 DEBT TO EQUITY 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 ConAgra Foods (CAG) 0.6543 0.6183 0.7862 1.752 1.522 Kraft Foods (KRFT) N/A 0.0021 2.79 1.924 2.298 Nestle (NSRGY) 0.3249 0.3928 0.4494 0.3475 0.3024 The numbers were taken from December 31st of each consecutive year. Table 2 PAYOUT, % 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 ConAgra Foods (CAG) 43 46.8 84.8 82.1 52.7 Kraft Foods (KRFT) N/A N/A 18.2 48.2 53.1 Nestle (NSRGY) 17 18.5 60.6 72.2 47.5 Table 3 Year 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Retained Earnings 4417 4854 4765 5130 5011 Short-term Debt 261 364 78 703 226 Long-term Debt 3226 2870 2859 8887 8768 Non-current Assets 7778 7509 8223 16026 15136 Stockholders Equity 4924 4702 4440 5264 5259 Appendix B 1.3. Internal growth rate; 2.1. ConAgra Foods spreadsheet Balance sheet of the company 2014 Assets Current Assets Cash And Cash Equivalents 183,100 Net Receivables 1,393,200 Inventory 2,292,600 Other Current Assets 361,900 Total Current Assets 4,230,800 Property Plant and Equipment 3,822,800 Goodwill 7,836,500 Intangible Assets 3,205,800 Other Assets 270,500 Total Assets 19,366,400 Liabilities Current Liabilities Accounts Payable 2,416,400 Short/Current Long Term Debt 226,000 Total Current Liabilities 2,642,400 Long Term Debt 8,767,600 Other Liabilities 2,601,200 Minority Interest 96,700 Total Liabilities 14,107,900 Stockholders Equity Common Stock 2,839,700 Retained Earnings 5,010,600 Treasury Stock (3,494,400) Capital Surplus 1,036,900 Other Stockholder Equity -134,3 Total Stockholder Equity 5,258,500 References conagrafoods, (2015).Investor Relations and Investor Information | ConAgra Foods. [online] Available at: http://www.conagrafoods.com/news-room/news-ConAgra-Foods-Announces-Strategy-for-Strengthening-Long-Term-Operating-PerformanceStreamlined-PortfolioIncreased-Marketing-on-Key-BrandsAggressive-Cost-Programs-and-Lower-Dividend-Shape-New-Financial-Profile-1008563 [Accessed 29 Jun. 2015]. Financials.morningstar.com, (2015).Balance Sheet for ConAgra Foods Inc (CAG) from Morningstar.com. [online] Available at: http://financials.morningstar.com/balance-sheet/bs.html?t=CAGregion=usaculture=en-US [Accessed 29 Jun. 2015]. Gurufocus.com, (2015).ConAgra Foods Inc (CAG) Debt to Equity (%). [online] Available at: http://www.gurufocus.com/term/deb2equity/CAG/Debt+to+Equity+%28%25%29/ConAgra+Foods+Inc [Accessed 29 Jun. 2015]. Markets.ft.com, (2015).Nestle SA, NESN:VTX financials FT.com. [online] Available at: http://markets.ft.com/research/Markets/Tearsheets/Financials?s=NESN:VTX [Accessed 29 Jun. 2015]. Finance.yahoo.com, (2015).CAG Balance Sheet | ConAgra Foods, Inc. Common Stoc Stock Yahoo! Finance. [online] Available at: https://finance.yahoo.com/q/bs?s=CAG+Balance+Sheetannual [Accessed 30 Jun. 2015]. Finance.yahoo.com, (2015).CAG Income Statement | ConAgra Foods, Inc. Common Stoc Stock Yahoo! Finance. [online] Available at: https://finance.yahoo.com/q/is?s=CAG+Income+Statementannual [Accessed 30 Jun. 2015].