The religious factors that led to the clash between Native Americans Essay

The religious factors that led to the clash between Native Americans and early Euro-American settlers - Essay Example However, not everything in the Native American/White relations was entirely gruesome. Oppression and conflicts with white people turned Native Americans into a nation with remarkable adaptation potential. The development and change touched all the areas including culture and religion. As a result, while European colonialism was pushing Native American populations westwards, the latter were developing the degree of flexibility, adaptability and cohesion that had been unknown to native populations before 1607. The difference between the frontier line of America and the frontier line of other countries is the following: the other countries knew their boundaries and they knew which countries were beyond these boundaries. The North America frontier underlined the unknown land beyond it. In accordance with Calloway: â€Å"†¦fertile valleys, meeting friendly people bedecked in turquoise, and hearing wondrous accounts of the towns to be found in the north† (p. 133). As far as we can see, the diversity of the North frontier is evident. The nature of the diversity can be found in the first settlers’ necessity to deal with natural challenges and remain self-sufficient. Indian cultures are really unique and peculiar in America. Some Indian tribes have survived, although other tribes have been vanished and completely destroyed. Many of them continued their traditional cultures, while others fully lost their cultures and communities. The history of American Indians in their relationship with Americans is full of brutality and intent destruction and discrimination. (Erchack 1992) Some scientists mention that the history of American Indians is something similar to labyrinth of different opinions and ideas. Indians resides from the cold regions of the Intuit in northern Alaska to the Yahgan. Many Americans consider Indian Americans as noble savages. It became an

Economics History Essay Example for Free

Economics History Essay During the 1980s Mexico experienced what Latin American social scientists call a change in its development model. Gone is the import-substitution industrialization model that characterized Mexico since the 1930s. Instead, Mexico has become an open economy in which the states intervention is limited by a new legal and institutional framework. Under the new model, the tendency is for the market to replace regulation, private ownership to replace public ownership, and competition, including that from foreign goods and investors, to replace protection. Nothing illustrates the change in strategy more vividly than the pursuit of a free trade agreement with the United States, first mentioned by Salinas in June 1990, and the constitutional reform of land distribution and the ejido system adopted at the end of 1991 (Watling, 1992). What prompted this change in development strategy? Mexico had taken a risk in the 1970s by borrowing heavily in world capital markets and indulging in over-expansive policies, and then paid dearly when oil prices fell and world interest rates rose. Adjustment to the new circumstances required a policy that would increase net exports, generating foreign exchange to service the external debt. Because the government, not the private sector, owed most of the external debt, fiscal policy also had to change in order to increase revenues and cut noninterest expenditures. The restoration of growth required changes that would build confidence and encourage private capital inflows by means other than commercial bank loans, which were no longer available. Finally, to make the economy more flexible and competitive in a global context, the rules that governed the flow of goods and investment had to change. In mid- 1982Mexico was in a deep economic crisis. The international environment was adverse to a Mexico saddled with foreign debt. World interest rates were high, the price of oil, Mexicos main export, was falling, and commercial banks had stopped lending. This unfavorable international environment exacerbated the consequences of domestic imbalances and contributed to rampant inflation, capital flight, and chaos in the financial and foreign exchange markets. To confront the internal imbalances and accommodate the adverse external conditions, Mexico was compelled to adjust its expenditures, reorient its output, and find new ways to foster growth. In the early 1990s Mexico gained recognition as a country successfully managing economic adjustment and reform. Inflation slowed, flight capital was returning, domestic and foreign investment was rising, and per capita output began to grow. The path to recovery, however, had been far from smooth. Well into the late 1980s, analysts wondered why Mexicos recovery was so slow despite the sound macroeconomic policies and structural reforms it had instituted. The slow recovery imposed high social costs on the Mexican population, as per capita real disposable income fell on average by 5 percent a year between 1983 and 1988. For some six years the Mexican government focused economic policy on restoring stability, particularly on lowering the rate of inflation and keeping the loss of international reserves in check. It finally succeeded in 1988, when inflation decreased from monthly averages close to 10 percent at the beginning of the year to about 1 percent by years end. However, growth did not follow. Only a combination of more decisive external support and a shift in Mexicos development strategy managed to produce a turnaround. The changes regarding the role of the state in economic matters and the countrys economic interaction with the rest of the world are particularly striking. Reforms sought to reduce state intervention and regulation so as to open new investment opportunities, build business confidence, and create a more flexible and efficient incentive structure. These reforms have called for substantial modifications in the legal and institutional frameworks of the economy that will shape the country for decades to come. In the late 1970s, on the mistaken assumption that the rise in world oil prices and the availability of cheap external credit would continue, the Mexican government engaged in a spending spree. The resulting fiscal deficit increased inflation rates and the trade deficit. The fiscal and external gaps were filled with external borrowing. In 1981, when the price of oil began to fall and external credit became more expensive and of a shorter maturity, the Mexican government failed to implement fiscal and relative price adjustments to adapt to the new, less favorable conditions. Fear of an imminent devaluation of the peso fueled capital flight, and a large nominal devaluation followed in early 1982 (Banco de Mexico, 1983). As inconsistent policies were pursued, the macroeconomic environment became increasingly chaotic. Capital flight continued, and as reserves were depleted and no more credit was available to service debt payments, in August 1982 the Mexican government had to declare an involuntary moratorium on its debt, triggering a debt crisis that soon acquired global proportions. Tensions between the private sector and the government peaked in September 1982, when the government announced the nationalization of the banking system (Banco de Mexico, 1983). When Miguel de la Madrids government came to power in December 1982, it confronted the unenviable task of restoring economic stability in the face of a hostile domestic private sector and reluctant external creditors. In other Latin American countries the political resistance of different social groups expressed in massive strikes or threats of coups added to the climate of economic instability and made the necessary adjustment more difficult. However, Mexicos difficulties cannot be blamed on the political resistance of wage earners or other social groups to absorbing the costs of adjustment. In Mexico, policymakers enjoyed remarkable freedom to act during six years of economic hardship. There were no serious wage conflicts, threats from the military, peasant uprisings, or active guerrilla movements.

E Commerce In The Airline Industry Tourism Essay

E Commerce In The Airline Industry Tourism Essay The airline industry exemplifies the effectiveness of e-commerce and the way technology can re-create the industrial structure. Today a traveler from New York can book a round trip from New York to London, rent a car, and book a hotel room online. The same traveler upon reaching the airport can get his boarding pass, confirmation to his car, and his hotel room number from the automated ticket machine of the airline. If the traveler is a non-smoker and prefers a room on the non-smoking floor, the system would have his preference saved and would book the room accordingly. If any changes have to be made in the travel itinerary at any point in his journey, it can be seamlessly made by calling the respective customer service department. All this is possible, without any human interaction, through the development of information technology and the Internet (Doganis, 2006). Research shows that business travelers are almost twice as likely to use internet travel agencies to book their tickets as the conventional model because it is faster and more convenient (Travel Weekly, 2005). This forms only a part of the overall e-commerce model, which is not restricted solely to making reservations. It encompasses the whole process of doing business, interaction between the firm and its suppliers, partners, and customers. The Internet and IT provide immense possibilities for growth for the airlines, and a plethora of information for the buyers so that they can grab the best available offers. The airline reservation system is a sophisticated computerized system that can predict and determine the demand for tickets over time and set the price accordingly (Economist, 2001). Therefore, e-commerce becomes the interface for doing business between all the service providers and receivers. The airlines industry was one of the early adopters of IT and it has helped in changing the whole structure of the industry. Using IT they have successfully reduced their operating costs, marketing and distribution cost. As estimated by the Economist, the management information systems and the Internet together has saved the airlines commissions of up to 5% on ticket sales and cost of printing and sending out tickets and the fees (around $11 per ticket) for the computerized reservation services (Economist, 2001, p. 20). Companies like Southwest, Easy Jet, and Ryanair have reported that almost 90 percent of their tickets were sold online (Economist, 2001). There has been significant growth in the e-booking industry in America and it is not only limited to passenger e-bookings, but also to cargo bookings. In 2005, 14 percent cargo shipping through airlines was booked online (McKenna, 2005). The advantage of e-commerce is not restricted solely to cost reduction and provides opportunity towards improving their operations and customer services. This paper traces the history of integration of IT and the Internet in the business models of airlines and studies how this has changed the face of the industry. The paper will also discuss the technologies used by the airlines presently, and the future trend of the industry. HISTORY OF THE AIRLINE INDUSTRY AND E-COMMERCE Today the airline industry can be called one of the best adopters of IT. An interest, therefore lingers to understand the way in which the internet and IT have changed the interface of the airline industry. The beginnings of the innovation and change in the airlines industry to adopt new technology began in the 1940s with American and United Airlines trying to adopt an electronic reservation system to reduce clerical costs (Copeland McKenney, 1988). However, this soon led to the need to keep a track of the customer ticket numbers and other personal details important to control operations, which in turn led to this information being utilized for seat allocation, baggage, food, and other operational and service issues. This in turn led to the utilization of the data being collected for the airlines retail distribution channels for better marketing. This section will provide a brief history of the development of the airline reservation system and development of e-commerce for airlines industry. The initial years of the adoption of the automated reservation call system were dubbed the experimental years (Copeland McKenney, 1988). The first automation was brought forth in the 1940s with the most advanced electromechanical engineering technology available at that time. During the manual era, all the flight reservation, seat allocation, operations work, was done by reservation clerks who gathered customer information manually. Huge resource availability boards placed in all reservation counters that displayed the number of seats available on particular flights which were used to make the booking arrangements. In 1950s, this was replaced by magnetic drum memories that captured the inventories of seats available so that they could be displayed in reservation offices (Copeland McKenney, 1988). In order to know the number of seat available, reservation clerks inserted plates at their desks for the required flight which would then display the number of seats available. The cancela tions or change in itinerary were done on the on the plates as well. This system was good for inventory management, but failed to capture passenger seat records. It was not until 1958, through a joint effort of IBM and American Airlines, that an automated system was created that would associate the passenger name to her reservation (Copeland McKenney, 1988). The initial stage of the project was installed under the name SABER (Semi-Automatic Business Environment Research) in 1961. SABER comprised of two 7090 mainframe systems by IBM. One was provisioned for the purpose of real time processing and the other for the purposes of data backup and low-priority batch jobs. For real time data transfer capability, IBM specifically designed the 7286 Real Time Channels that would allow controlling, scheduling, and assembling of data between the 7090 and the magnetic drums, disk files, and communication lines (Copeland McKenney, 1988, p. 355). Though SABER had some unique capabilities and was a revolutionizing technological innovation in the sixties, IBMs previous experience in the area was not sufficient to implement a complex teleprocessing system for commercial purposes (Copeland McKenney, 1988). It took IBM and American Airlines until 1965, when they completed installation of the SABER system to prove that the core problems with passenger reser vations for the airlines could be solved (Copeland McKenney, 1988). In turn, SABRE became the first global distribution system (GDS) available to the airlines industry. IMPACT OF GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS In 1964, IBM announced its System/360 that made their software compatible with any kind of hardware configurations. This change, along with its experience in the SABER project, allowed IBM to develop the Programmed Airline Reservations System (PARS). This allowed airlines to utilize standardized System/360s for their reservation systems and helped the airline operators to reduce their cost of developing customized reservation systems (Copeland McKenney, 1988). PARS was targeted to the mid-sized airlines, and allowed them to store passenger information along with reservation information, and a specialized operating system called ACP (Airline Control Program). Copeland McKenney (1988, p. 356) states ACP was designed to handle a large volume of inputs that, although unpredictable, required limited computational functions and flexibility. The software objective was to achieve optimal terminal response, system availability, reliability, and recoverability. This in turn allowed Eastern A irways, TWA, and American Airlines to come together to cooperate in screening the names and information of their passengers for better understanding of their customer profiles. By the 1970s, all the airlines were using information systems to operate their businesses. Information systems were not however a differentiating factor in their businesses because the industry as a whole was regulated by the Federal government which made it impossible for them to offer discounted fares or compete on price differentiation. The Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 changed the landscape for the entire industry, and every competitive advantage was suddenly very important. The major airlines also started facing competition from low cost airlines which added another dimension to the competitive landscape. Airlines started using their information systems to create yield management models in order to track scheduled reservations, and selectively adjust fares on individual seats. Yield management is the science using of operational research models to save seats for late bookings that yield higher revenue from customers (Belobaba, 1987). Thus, utilizing information systems, airlines could provide tickets at low costs early on, without increasing the risk of foregoing higher revenue closer to the time of flight. This allowed the airlines to target both the price sensitive customers with their low price offerings as well as high-revenue business customers who provided high revenue to the airlines. This yield management technology adopted by the US airlines allowed them to gain much higher revenue than those who did not use them. Therefore, the low cost airlines brought in a trend of discounted tickets, which was soon followed by bigger full-service airlines like American Airlines in order t o fill their otherwise empty seats through heavily discounted tickets. In 1974, an effort was made to integrate and automate all the travel agents, which was called the Joint Industry Computer Reservation System (JICRS). The joint effort was aimed at making a booking system for all the travel agents who could book tickets using a single system for all the airlines. This was the first effort to establish an e-marketing system in the airlines industry. However, the plan was cancelled when United Airlines announced the launch of Apollo, its own customized system, for the travel agents. According to Copeland McKenney (1988) the reason for the dislodge was as follows During the latter half of 1975, United concluded that the JICRS proposal was going to result in United paying dearly for the industry solution, which would serve only to reduce their advantage by making all airlines equal in their reservations processing capacity (p. 359). This caused all the other airlines that have their own systems to expand their capabilities and install them at the offices of the travel agents. These customized systems allowed travel agents to provide flight information that was biased towards their particular airline. Airline agents demanded access to all the different systems from a single console, which resulted in consolidation of the individual systems and cross system access using a common distribution language. Therefore, GDS was utilized to identify potential itineraries, consider schedule convenience (proximity to desired departure time, number of stops, elapsed time) as well as the carrier(s) providing the service (Smith, Gà ¼nther, Rao, Ratliff, 2001, p. 41). The airlines that had the GDS were listed higher up in order of the customers itinerary (Smith, Gà ¼nther, Rao, Ratliff, 2001). The first list that appeared in the travel agents screen had an impact on the customers decision. As cited by Smith et al. (2001), se venty percent of the bookings done through travel agents were displayed on the first screen display of the agent. This display bias led to an increase in the revenue of American Airlines by an estimated $100 million per year (cited in Smith et al., 2001). Therefore, GDS became the interface between the travel agent and the airline. It provided the agents with all possible information regarding the scheduled flights and their fares for all the available airlines. Initially the bias in the display system was used by many airlines for their own profit. However, it was regulated by the Department of Transportation in 1984 to remove the bias in order to encourage fair competition. IMPACT OF THE INTERNET ON THE AIRLINE INDUSTRY Before the Internet arrived on the scene, airlines, GDS, and customers interacted through a private network established for the travel agents. With the Internet, the network was open to everyone, and already built out, which for the airline industry which was highly cost sensitive proved to be a win/win situation because they no longer had to invest in complex and expensive private networks. This resulted in the communication between the travel agents, GDS, and the airlines becoming simpler especially because the airlines already had extensive experience with data distribution via a common distribution language. Initially the Internet bookings were restricted to tickets reservations and payment transactions. On completion of the booking procedure, paper tickets were mailed to the customer. This made the process complex, as the customers had to purchase the tickets in advance if they wanted the tickets to reach them on time. Once electronic tickets were introduced, this problem was so lved, as paper tickets were completely eliminated, thereby reducing the lead time and cost associated with online purchases (Smith et al., 2001, p. 41). This led to a widespread growth of e-ticketing for bookings through the Internet. As cited in Smith et al. (2001) a research conducted by Forester Research in 1999 demonstrated that 9 million households in the US booked their flight tickets through the Internet. In 2003, the number increased to 64 million who used the Internet to gather information or book tickets. (Werthner Ricci, 2004). The Internet has increased sales volumes for the airlines industry and has helped it in reaching their customers more efficiently. The primary reason is an efficient distribution system, which is individually customized to meet each travellers requirements. Three forms of distribution are employed by the airlines online travel agents (Business to business), direct access to the customers (business to customers), and auction and reverse auction outlets (Smith, Gà ¼nther, Rao, Ratliff, 2001). The first model provides direct access to GDS by the customers, wherein the travel agents are portals like Travelocity, Expedia, and Orbitz. The customers utilize the system to compare prices and airlines available on their chosen route of travel. As stated by Smith et al. (2001) the Internet à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ has also revived the airline sales agent in electronic form (p. 42). The Internet has allowed many airlines to provide extra services and information to their customers and manage customer loyalty programs. Further, it also allows airlines to provide combined vacation packages to their customers. In this model the Internet is used as both a distribution as well as a marketing tool. It is used to promote low fares, special packages, and other offers to potential travelers. Further airlines often use their websites or the online travel agents website to promote their frequent flier miles programs, promotional offers, etc. one such example is that of Delta airlines which provides the more for your mile auctions through which the frequent flier clubs members can redeem their mileage for vacation packages (Smith, Gà ¼nther, Rao, Ratliff, 2001). Further, the airline booking systems have extended their offerings beyond just air line ticket booking to car rental, reservation for hotels, etc. therefore the Internet has been used to optimize the design of the GDS to predict the nature of travel and other cross-selling opportunities to the customers (Smith, Gà ¼nther, Rao, Ratliff, 2001). In addition, the airline website also helps in capturing the customers navigational path on the web in order to utilize this data to frame promotional campaigns. The Internet is also used to reduce the distribution cost. For example, the Economist has reported that the average reduction in the cost of tickets is around $11 per ticket due to the change in mode of distribution systems (Economist, 2001). Further online travel agents like Travelocity save 19 to 65 percent in transaction costs (Harris, 2010). In 2001, 4% of all airline tickets were sold through the Internet. In 2009, almost 70 percent of the air ticket bookings are done online in the US (Harris, 2010). The Internet has created new opportunities for air travel for customers and increased business opportunities for the airlines. Internet booking systems for the airlines are not restricted to being ticket providers, but rather allow travelers to plan their entire itinerary from air travel to hotel stay. The corporate websites also provide opportunities for additional customer services through unique customer web activity tracking mechanisms that can be utilized for customized offerings based on individual customers. Therefore, e-commerce has changed the way airlines do business and created additional opportunities for growth. CURRENT TECHNOLOGIES INVOLVED IN THE AIRLINE RESERVATION SYSTEM Airlines have adopted new technologies to improve operations, lower costs, increase profits, and to provide better customer service through systems integration and improved data mining tools from all their points of interaction. Branding and communication of principles are also critical for airlines at the strategic level. Managing communications with all stakeholders, including investors, press, employees and customers, is of paramount importance. ICTs [Integrated Communication Tools] -enabled communications assist airlines to interact with all their stakeholders and to update them with regards to their initiatives and developments. (Buhalis, 2004, p. 812) Further, the ICT helps in airline operations like check-in tracking, seat allocation, flight status, and also generating reports regarding flight path, weather, etc. In addition, it will aid in inventory planning, and reservation management systems. THE CURRENT STATE OF E-COMMERCE IN THE TRAVEL INDUSTRY Currently a lot of money is being spent by the airline industry in order to develop better information gathering tools, especially about their customers in order to customize their offerings and to provide tailored information. In addition customer convenience is another area that is a major focus for the airlines. For this reason, airlines have rolled out automated ticketing machines that allow customers to avoid long queues and do their check-in formality using unmanned kiosks at the airports (Schrage, 2005). These machines allow travellers to swipe their frequent flier card or credit card to pull up the customers travel itinerary and process their check in requests. Check-in can also be done over the phone or the web prior to arriving at the airport if the passenger believes that they will be late for the flight. This system is also being used to upsell passengers for additional services as a part of the check in process, as well as to collect any necessary fees for baggage, etc. THE FUTURE OF E-COMMERCE IN THE TRAVEL INDUSTRY As consumers become more technically savvy, additional technologies are offered to them in order to provide a better customer service experience. Consumers are also becoming more demanding while travelling. They are looking for additional services at every point in their trip, including additional details about every aspect of their travel, such as travel time, weather information, flight status, online access etc. The next generation technology in the airline industry will aim at better communications, not only with the customers, but also among the internal employees i.e. the ground force, and the airborne crew. Therefore, tools such as the GPS (Global Positioning System) can become even more important than it is today for both technology and in communication. In addition, airlines have plans to go completely wireless in future (Wilson, 2001). Wireless and mobile technology is being integrated into every aspect of airline operations to improve communication as well as allowing remo te ticketing and baggage check-in through wireless devices (Wilson, 2001). The airlines are trying to increase their customer focus by reducing the hassles faced by travellers at the airport and during air travel. According to research conducted by IBM, most of the delays in air travel worldwide after flight delays in 2008 occurred due to baggage mishandling (49 percent), failure to load the luggage(16 percent), and ticketing error or security (14 percent), and other issues (21 percent)(IBM, 2010). Therefore, the airlines have to focus on trying to reduce these issues by utilizing technologies like RFID and SOA (Service Oriented Architecture) in order eliminate the causes associated with these problems. The airline industry is trying to expand the e-ticketing concept to make the other everyday passenger interactions easy. For instance, US airports now allow anyone with e-tickets to check in without seeing a ticketing agent. They also allow the traveler to check in their baggage using a similar process. The one major limiting factor is security, and once the airlines solve the issue of identity, I am certain that other services will be offered on a self-help basis to the traveller who chooses to do it themselves. The next big e-commerce opportunity for the airlines is to exploit the possibility of mobile e-commerce (Wilson, 2001). Others opportunities that are being explored include trying to use Bluetooth or RF that allows transmitting of data for short distances to transmit flight related information to the customer in the waiting area (Wilson, 2001). They are also trying to understand how this technology can be used to market to their captive customers who have little choice but to wait in the designated waiting areas in airports, and perhaps even onboard the aircrafts. In short, the use of e-commerce has only exposed a small tip of the overall airline industry, and they have been on this journey for more than eight decades. It is however very clear that the future success of the industry is very much dependent on the successful deployment of additional e-commerce opportunities for their customers and partners.

Sudan is in Need of International Help Essay -- Argumentative Persuasi

Sudan is in Need of International Help Intro I came into this quarter wanting to write my EDGE paper on Iraq but during this year one of the questions that grabbed my attention was what the candidates were going to do about the situation in the Sudan. I had no prior knowledge of anything concerning the Sudan so when I heard the word genocide and descriptions of how bad the situation has become I felt that it would be an appropriate topic for my paper. I was suggested to write sole on the religious aspects of the region but the more information I gathered the more I was compelled to write the whole story. Honestly I can not remember a time where my heart went out to a group of people more than it does to those Sudanese who are being butchered by the government. The more I read the more I wondered why nobody was doing anything. It is only recently that we see the world reacting to this crisis that has been going on for around twenty years. It may be bold to say but I feel the Sudan is my generations Holocaust and if nothing is d one the violence is only going to spread and more people will suffer. Geographical Information Sudan is located in the continent of Africa just south of Egypt, east of Libya and Chad, northwest of Kenya and east of Ethiopia. It is one of the countries the borders the red sea. Sudan consists of about 2.5 million square kilometers, with 2.3 million square kilometers of land and thirteen-hundred square kilometers of water. The south has a more tropical climate while the north is more desert like. Sudan has a population of roughly thirty-five million people. Of those thirty-five million about fifty-two percent are black, thirty-nine percent are Arab, and the rest are made up of other races. Seven... ...n for aiding countries in need. I feel that so many people have died for no reason that it only seems right that we do all we can to stop it from continuing and most of all stop it from ever happening again. In my opinion it should not be out of pity or out of guilt that we act, it should be our duty as one of the leading countries on our planet to demonstrate that the United States will not tolerate such injustices no matter where they take place. Im am not suggesting that we police the world, but I am saying that since many countries are not as blessed as we are to have the money and resources that we do, we should not hesitate when an entire country is in need. Sources Cited: http://www.cnn.com http://members.aol.com/casmasalc/hellin.htm http://members.aol.com/casmasalc/persecut.htm http://www.cnn.com http://www.lnsart.com http://www.nbc.net

The Challenges for India in the Next Millennium

India ,like all other countries world over ,is at the threshold of next millennium. We have challenges to face as we prepare ourselves to step into 21st century. Let us briefly explore some of these challenges. As we all know, India is a wonderful mixture of so much diversities – different religions,languages,geographical conditions, cultural habits and so on. maintaining harmony among these diversities against growing tendency of separatism is one of the main tasks lying ahead of us as we enter the next millennium. If this harmony is destroyed, the foundation of India is sure to collapse. Preserving unity among so much diversities is indeed, a difficult task . Especially , when we consider the influx of selfish, individualistic approach in our societies. The nation is built up on the value system of its people. The problems we have now – communalism, regionalism, growing violence, separatism are all directly or indirectly reflection of erosion of our basic value system. Re building this should start from each one of us , from our families, from our homes. It will then spread to the societies that we live in and will eventually keep on strengthening the nation. Ironically we all keep on lamenting about the pathetic situation of India without doing anything constructive to resolve it. Next millennium will experience unimaginable technological advancement. Nations all over the world are striving hard to keep pace with this. In India we face a Herculean task to prepare ourselves to meet this challenge . The basic ingradients required are proper education for all our citizens & opportunities to flourish. Education should not be just for the sake of degrees or diplomas. People need to be educated so that they expand their horizon of knowledge, wisdom, attitudes and become real human beings of superior qualities. Considering our present literacy rate of and our budget allocation only this indeed is a great challenge for the next mellinnium. Providing education is not enough; we need to create enough opportunities for our people to use their talents. Considering our unemployment rate of we have to go a long way in stimulating our economy & industrialisation. Rapid industrialisation while preserving our natural resources & less pollution is a huge challenge to face in the next millennium. Economic advancement requires rapid industrialisation. Pollution, destruction of natural resources, urbanisation & subsequent social tensions are the obvious consequences of fast pace of industrialisation. We need to carefully formulate our policies to have full advantages of industrialisation while minimising its negative side effects. Next millennium is likely to face acute shortage of energy. Conservation of energy & expanding utilisation of our natural energy sources (solar, wind, wave etc) are the solutions to meet this challenge. We need to produce simple mechanisms so that the practice of using natural energy sources will reach common man. Our present political system has lost its credibility. Rampant corruption & misuse of power has created an ugly image of politics among the younger generation and they prefer to totally detach from politics. This is not a desirable tendency for the future of the nation. We need talents in future politics of our country. It is a great challenge to cleanse politics off corruption and restructure it for the next millennium. We have already crossed 1 billion mark of our population. This rate of growth of our population poses great challenge for the next millennium where resources will be scarce. We need to enhance our efforts considerably to control this explosive growth of population. The easiest way to destroy a country is , perhaps, to destroy its culture. With the advancement of mass media , the erosion of our cultural heritage is also speeded up. Many western countries, after realising the evils of the so called ‘modern free society' are slowly going back to their original cultural ethics. Where as , we in India , are on the verge of breaking it. In the next millennium, as world gets smaller & smaller through media, it is a great challenge to preserve our cultural ethics. There are no easy solutions to any of these challenges we have to face. We, the younger generation, cannot remain aloof and let things happen just like that. We need to awake and seek ways & means to live up to the challenges. Indeed , we shape the future – whether it is good or bad depends a lot on us.

Hearing and Visual Impairments Essay

Understanding the struggles that hearing and visual impaired people go through has to be a tough challenge for them. Using their senses and other abilities to comprehend and communicate is truly extraordinary. They live their lives to the fullest and do not want anyone’s sympathy. Learning about how visual impairments take place must not be noted until we find out how a person can see. There are three functions for seeing: optical system, muscular system, and the nervous system, all play a role in how a person uses their vision. According to the IDEA, (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), any human being whose vision is 20/200 or less is considered legally blind (Heward, 2013). The educational definition when referring to learning states, an impairment in vision that disrupts a child’s ability to succeed in educational performance. Damage to the optical, muscular or nervous system can cause a visual impairment. Types of visual impairments include cataracts, color blindness and glaucoma. When it comes to academic achievement students will not be left behind when it comes to visual impairments. For students who are blind the use of braille is the way of reading and writing in which letters numbers and words are in arrangements of raised dots on the book or paper. Computers have special keyboards for students with visual aids so that the use of technology is not taking away from the student. Students with low vision have the options of optical aids where magnification plays a huge role in helping the student see. Hearing Impairments A person has the ability from gathering sounds from the environment and transforms that energy into a form that can be interpreted by the brain  (Heward, Hearing and Visual Impairments 3 2013). Hearing impairments may be the hardest of the five senses to understand. There are factors involved that are not completely understood by scientist and doctors. The IDEA defines hearing impairments as, a hearing loss that is so traumatic, that the child is impaired by understanding sounds and what they stand for, rather with sound or not, and affects a child’s work in school. A person who is deaf cannot hear what a person is saying to them without the use of hearing aids, reading lips, or sign language. People that are considered hard of hearing can comprehend things with the use of devices such as hearing aids. There are different types of hearing impairments that cause hearing damage. Conductive hearing loss has to do with damage to the outer or middle ear. Sensory hearing loss has to do with a disturbance to the cochlea that affects hearing. Neural hearing impairment is damage to the auditory nerve pathway (Heward, 2013). Hearing impairments can be caused by several factors: ear wax buildup, noise exposure, genetic factors, and meningitis. Things that can help students who suffer from hearing impairments in school are being improved every day. Technology such as hearing aids, cochlear implants, television and movie captioning. The thing that I feel is most important to hearing impaired students is the use of sign language. The fact that the use of sign language interpreters in the classroom has increased over the years is a sign that people see the positives in using the interpreters for success. In conclusion, technology has had a big hand in helping the hearing and visual impaired reach astronomical success in the classroom and outside the classroom. Although they still have their struggles in society it has improved a great deal from the early centuries. Hearing and visual impaired do not believe they have a disability and with good reason they should not. They can do anything they set their mind to and with good reason due to the advancements we have made as a society. Reference Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education, Tenth Edition, by William L. Heward. Pearson, 2013.

A Letter From Saudi Arabia Essays - Sahabah, Arab People

A Letter From Saudi Arabia Essays - Sahabah, Arab People A Letter From Saudi Arabia Dear Mr. LMN, Hope you are doing well. How are things at the Academy? I am doing just fine here in Al Arabiyah as Saudiyah1, ever heard that name before? It is just the local short name for Saudi Arabia. It is already a year since I left US and now I am almost half way through the two years that I am spending here. Theres a lot that I want to tell you about my experience so far. I always wanted to leave Westford for good, but had never imagined that I would someday be doing a job in Saudi Arabia! It all started when I got this new job with the Saudi Arabian Specifications and Standard Organization (SASSO)2. My Uncle has a close friend in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. So one night my uncle asked me if I would like to live for two years in Saudi Arabia, and then he told me about this job opportunity for which they required a qualified engineer in structural architecture. It wasnt exactly something that I had planned in life, but I always wanted to experience life in a different atmosphere, and this was the perfect opportunity for me to do so so here I am! I work in a Water conservation-desalination1 plant in a town called Khumrah which is 30 miles south from Jeddah3. It is a small town with a population a little less than Westford3. Where I live is very close to my work, barely a 5-minute walk from the plant. Since there arent many trees around the place I live, it is usually very hot in that area. The average temperature here in Summer is really killing!! Sometimes it gets as high as 94 degrees Fahrenheit in summer, its an extreme climate here4! It certainly is a big change from Westford! It makes me sweat a lot, but I have gotten used to that. Even now I still calculate the temperature in Fahrenheit, whereas this country follows the metric system, which is sometimes confusing, but thats just part of the experience. But I am really thankful to my uncle, he did give me a lot of tips about staying here. For instance the kind of clothes that I should pack, what vaccinations I should take before leaving other than those required by the Saudi consulate such as the ones for cholera5. So I guess, I was pretty much packed up when I left America. I live in a small 2 story building, in a 2-bedroom apartment- building6 with Umar, the son of my Uncles friend. The apartment building has no parking lot, there is no reason to have one because not many people in this town own cars for themselves. At first, that really surprised me! I and Umar have become really close friends now. He too works in the same plant with me. He can speak some English, although he can understand everything I say in English, which is something that I am really thankful for- Its one of the best things to happen to me. You will not find many English-speaking people here. In only 60% of the population of people 15 years and older can read and write1. Anways.. so we live on the 2nd floor and there is an Arab family that lives downstairs. The first day, when I arrived at the Jeddah airport, I was amazed by the way the airport is designed, it looks more like the ancient Islamic architecture that I had seen much of in the travel brochures on the flight. It took a while to clear the customs, especially since the import laws here are very strict7. After clearing the customs as soon as I was at the arrival terminal Umar was there to receive me. He recognized me with the help of a photograph that my uncle had mailed to him. Since I am a Muslim, I had some knowledge of Arabic, from what Iittle I had learnt in Islamic school, but that was twenty years ago!! Anyway, so I greeted Umar, in what I though was an ancient Arabic greeting- As salaam O Alaiqum8, he replied by saying Wa Alaiqum As Salaam. But later, I discovered

Global Warming Essays (1139 words) - Global Warming, Climate Change

Global Warming Essays (1139 words) - Global Warming, Climate Change Global Warming What happens when too much carbon dioxide gets omitted into the Earths atmosphere? The condition known as Global Warming occurs. Global Warming is the rising of the Earths surface temperature due to chemicals in the atmosphere. Global Warming has many threats on the climate and even the health of the people on this planet. Some of these threats include the altering of crop seasons and even effect the way organisms survive on the planet. The first thing I think I should discuss when talking about global warming is what causes it to occur. Gases such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, which are known as greenhouse gases, all build up in the atmosphere of the earth. All these gases make it so that it becomes harder for the radiation that the sun shines into the atmosphere to escape. The heat continues to build up and this is what causes the temperatures to increase. I know this seems like the temperatures increase massively but in the last hundred years the average temperature of the Earth has gone up between 0.8 and 1.0 degrees farenheight. Also in the last fifteen years, we have had the ten warmest years in record. Global Warming also helps the Earth and it has been for many years. Without global warming, the Earths temperature would be a lot lower than the 60-degree average. Unfortunately due to there being many more harmful greenhouse gases being placed into the atmosphere, instead of the temperature sta ying at a constant, its rising. What are many of the dangers of the Earths temperature rising? First of all it cause many of the glaciers that are floating in the Arctic and Greenland to melt. This in turn causes the sea levels to rise around the world. In the last hundred years alone the seas around the planet have risen anywhere from four to ten inches. I know it does not sound like a massive change but being able to raise all the seas in the world a whole ten inches is a huge problem. Sea levels also continue to rise is because the hotter temperature cause the ocean water to expand. An example of the sea level causing problems could happen on a little Native Island in the middle of an Ocean. On these islands usually where native tribes live, if the sea level rises three fourths of a meter then half of the island will sink. This could happen in many different islands around the world and if the water keeps on rising as it is, then farming land near the seashores will be flooded and the crops will be destroyed and many farmers will be left without much to live off of. The melting of the glaciers are also causing some problems in the Himalayas. Many of the tips of the mountains in that area. Massive flooding and rivers that are well above their normal levels are threatening the crops and homes in the area. Many of the locals that live in the area and many of the scientists that are surveying the area are saying that the glaciers are melting at a phenomenal rate. Another danger that comes with the changing of the climate is that the increased heat causes more evaporation to occur in the hotter climates. This causes there to be more precipitation in many other climates that are not used to handling massive rainfalls. The increased rainfall also leads to speeding up the process of the sea levels rising. Health is also something that becomes threatened because of global warming. Heat becomes a huge factor in the health of humans, especially the elderly. Incidents such as heat stroke head exhaustion and diseases increase drastically. The heat makes it possible for mosquitoes and other insects to transmit diseases. This is something that happened in New York during this summer. A very rare disease called St. Louis Emphyitis (spelling?) that would spread in puddles of water that mosquitoes would drink out of due to the heat. These mosquitoes would then bite humans and infect them with this disease. I dont recall how many people, if any died due to this, but it did cause a bit of a panic in the New

The University of California Schools: The Complete Guide + Which Should You Choose?

As the University of California (UC) deadline draws near, perhaps you’re wondering whether you should apply. If so, to which campuses? Each school has something very different to offer its students , and you probably want to know which is the best fit for you. In this guide, we’ll cover the basics of UC admissions and then share our thoughts on what makes each campus unique. By the end of this article, we hope you will be confident that your school list includes the right UC schools for you. If you’re working on your essays, make sure to check out How to Write the University of California Essays. The University of California includes ten schools. All of them except UC San Francisco have undergraduate programs. They are: The UC schools make up the most selective tier of California public postsecondary schools. There are also 23 California State Universities, known as CSUs or Cal State schools. Additionally, California has 114 community colleges throughout the state. California has devoted immense resources to all of these, meaning that students all across these 147 campuses have some amazing programs. In this post, we are only going to focus on these ten schools. You can learn more about the Cal State System in another post. Before we dive in, it is also worth noting that California holds a number of private universities as well, including Stanford, Pepperdine, and the Claremont Colleges. Private universities require separate applications and are not in the UC System, even though they are in California. The main advantage of going to a UC school is that you can study nearly any major offered to undergraduates at a fraction of the cost of most private universities. Each UC undergraduate program is fully equipped with coursework in natural sciences, social sciences, and the humanities. They also have the research libraries and extracurricular program that go along with a traditional liberal arts education. The application filing period is November 1-30. All applications must be submitted by November 30 . All UC schools use the same application. To add a school, all you have to do is check an additional box on the application. The application fee is $70 for each UC school to which you apply. Here is a full list of the UC application requirements: Estimating your chance of getting into a college is not easy in today’s competitive environment. Thankfully, with our state-of-the-art software and data, we can analyze your academic and extracurricular profile and estimate your chances. Our profile analysis tool can also help you identify the improvement you need to make to enter your dream school. All domestic applicants are encouraged to fill out the FAFSA or the California Dream Act Application . The FAFSA is for all residents of the U.S. who would be eligible to federal or state aid. Undocumented students should file the California Dream Act Application for state and school financial aid instead. Students who fill out these forms automatically will be considered for all public financial aid programs , including federal aid, Cal Grants, the Middle Class Scholarship Program , and the Blue and Gold Opportunity Program . You will receive a letter or email if it is determined that you can receive one of these types of aid. There are also private scholarships available from third parties. Check out our related posts on How to Secure Funding for College to find third party scholarships designed for you. In the rest of this article, we explore how the UC campuses compare with one another. UC Berkeley, also known as Cal, is the flagship UC school. Berkeley became famous in the sixties due to a surge of political activism. Students still participate in regular protests, usually left-leaning politically. Lovingly termed the Harvard of the West, this is an academic powerhouse. Cal is especially strong in the natural sciences. Due to high demand, it can be difficult to get into the lectures that satisfy pre-med requirements. GPA cutoffs also make it difficult to declare impacted majors. Even though this school increasingly places an emphasis on hard sciences, non-science majors continue to be generously funded. Among humanities majors, Classics and Music are two very strong programs. We recommend this school if you have an outstanding academic profile, a love of learning, and the thick skin required for navigating a larger university. If Berkeley is the reigning champion of the UC System, UCLA is its most viable challenger. This beautiful campus opens up spectacular internship opportunities to which few have access, particularly in the medical and film industries. This is also a major research university, with many opportunities to conduct research in the humanities as well as natural sciences. Students who are interested in pursuing research should check out their desired department to see what projects professors are leading currently. UCLA operates a vast number of teaching hospitals and research hospitals, including several on campus . This is a great pick for someone who knows they want to go into health care but still wants to explore different types of medicine before committing. We recommend this school if you have a strong academic profile, a desire to take advantage of living in LA, and the independence to thrive in a large university setting. Farther south we have UC San Diego (UCSD), which brings the best of work and play together in the scenic beachside city of San Diego . We cannot understate the value of this school’s location . It’s right beside the Pacific Ocean, and because it’s farther south than the South Bay or San Francisco, the water is warm enough When you sign up for our program, we carefully pair you with the perfect admissions specialist based on your current academic and extracurricular profile and the schools in which you’re interested. Your personal application specialist will help you with branding, essays, and interviews, and provide you with support and guidance in all other aspects of the application process.

Personal mission statement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Personal mission statement - Essay Example Leibowitz (1997) claims that reflections, complex thinking and communication helps the students to be able to align their goal to their career. During my last semester, I performed poorly in two units (Ancient History and Political Science) and this made me a have a low grade overall. Personally, my goal for this semester was to improve on my grade in these two units I did not perform well in order for me to increase my GPA and graduate with a good grade. During the beginning of semester, there are a number of personal and academic goals that I have been looking to accomplish. There are some goals that I have accomplished and some that I have not. Therefore, reflection on one’s goals is important as it helps one to know where he has come from and where he is going. I chose to improve on these subjects as it has greatly affected my chances of making it to the Dean’s list. My academic goal for this semester was to make it the Dean’s list and I could only achieve this through improving in my performance on the two units. With hard work and discipline, I am proud to have achieved this goal. I was able to plan a timetable that was very demanding and stack to it to the latter. My timetable required me to organize and motivate myself to complete all my assignments on time so that I would create more time for the two units. At the beginning of the semester, I made a list of the course assignments, jotted down the key points and with the help of my calendar I was able to plan my day and week respectively. On the weekdays, I allocated my designated study time table for 9pm to 11 pm. Nonetheless, I was forced to push the back this study period to accommodate time for my friends which conflicted with my set goals. Over the semester, I believe that I have accomplished most of my goals while other goals have been changed to accommodate others. I was able to communicate more with classmate that I never used to talk to. By making new friends, I was able to

Pharmaceutical Treatment Options for Myasthenia Gravis Article

Pharmaceutical Treatment Options for Myasthenia Gravis - Article Example The neuromuscular junction (NMJ) has the distinction of being the first site of a defined autoantibody mediated neurological disease, namely myasthenia gravis (MG), which is due to autoantibodies to the acetylcholine receptor (AChR) (Vincent, 2002). Other targets at the NMJ include muscle specific kinase (MuSK) in MG patients without AChR antibodies. About 20% of MG patients with generalized disease in Europe, North America and Japan do not have AChR antibodies. These so called 'seronegative' MG patients can be divided into two groups: those with antibodies to MuSK and those without [AChR/MuSK seronegative MG (SN-MG) (Hoch etal, 2001). In normal neuromuscular transmission depolarization of the presynaptic nerve terminal produces an influx of calcium through voltage-gated calcium channels. Vesicles containing acetylcholine (ACh) then fuse with the presynaptic nerve terminal membrane. After release, ACh interacts with the acetylcholine receptor (AChR) on the muscle endplate surface. This opens the AChR channel, resulting in an influx of cations, largely sodium. Depolarization of the muscle surface produces an excitatory endplate potential, and if the endplate potential is of sufficient amplitude, muscle surface voltage-gated sodium channels are opened. This generates an action potential that eventually results in excitation-contraction coupling and muscle movement. ACh binds transiently to its receptor and then either diffuses from the neuromuscular junction or is hydrolyzed by acetylcholinesterase (AChE), providing a self-limited response to nerve depolarization. In MG, antibodies are directed against the acetylcholine receptors (AChR antibodies). AChR antibodies interfere with neuromuscular transmission through one of three mechanisms- First, some bind to the AChR cholinergic binding site, blocking the binding of ACh. Second, some AChR antibodies cross-link muscle surface AChRs, increasing their rate of internalization into muscle and reducing the numbers of available AChRs. Third, and perhaps most importantly, AChR antibodies that bind complement result in destruction of the muscle endplate, and a more long-lasting loss of AChRs. Drugs like acetylcholinestrase inhibitors nhibits AChE, increasing the amount of ACh available to interact with available AChRs, thus prolonging the action of Ach, and allowing muscle contraction. Pharmacological treatment Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors are the first pharmacological choice in the treatment of MG. Acetylcholinesterase is an acetylcholine-hydrolyzing enzyme which binds the overflowing acetylcholine in the neuromuscular junction, keeping the junction clean from excessive transmitter. Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors bind to the acetylcholinesterase, inhibiting its action. Pyridostigmine is a more recent long-acting reversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitor. Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors increase the amount of available acetylcholine in the neuromuscular junction. This leads to enhanced binding of acetylcholine to the diminished number of AChRs on the myasthenic muscle cell membrane, causing contractility improvement (Millard and Broom field, 1995) When additional pharmacological tre

Spinal manipulation for back pain Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Spinal manipulation for back pain - Article Example Under these circumstances, spinal manipulation is suggested as an alternate method capable to ensure good level of recovery from low back pain. This technique involves the skills of a trained chiropractor or a physiotherapist to move the spinal bones of the patients using their hands. But spinal manipulation has not been received well by the entire community of medical practitioners. The experts have raised serious apprehensions on the efficacy of these practices and propose detailed research to investigate the reliability of spinal manipulation for the treatment of low back pain. Random clinical trials are conducted of the samples who receive the spinal manipulation therapy and the effectiveness is often measured using patient based primary assessment system that includes patient rated intensities in pain, the extend of disability, overall improvement experienced time taken for recovery. The spinal manipulation therapy is often said to have responded differently to different level o f back pains. In the case of patients reported with acute back pain moderate level of evidence is available for the short-term relief of pain being achieved using spinal manipulation therapy. The repots available also highlight that in the case of patients suffering from chronic back pain, the moderate evidence is available in favor of spinal manipulation therapy both in long term and short term. Extensive research have been undertaken to assess the impact of spin

Undertaking the Analysis of a House and a Unit Essay - 1

Undertaking the Analysis of a House and a Unit - Essay Example Clayton is located at the middle of Liverpool City Centre. The house consists of three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and has got a garage and is pet friendly as the unit discussed above. The furniture is not sold together with the house and the person interested should incur extra costs to buy furniture or to pay for those which he or she will get in the house. Anyone wishing to rent the house should as well pay the house deposit together with the rent for the month of entry into the house. The house is spacious and comfortable and is close to the Clayton Station as it takes less than five minutes to reach the station from the house (Jeanette, 2012). There are essentials which have to be considered when it comes to the inspection of a house or a unit that one may want to purchase or rent. Some of them are the details of how the house has been constructed or built, the coverings of the floor and the walls, and finally the convenience of the house setting. However, the process of inspection starts with inspecting the overall appearance of the house or the unit. This means that a person has to identify the location of the house, whether the location is strategic and safe. One has to look at the houses of similar or almost the same age so as to see the difference or the similarity that these houses have. This will help in determining the best kind of houses and that which is according to the standards that one wants to buy or rent from. The general inspection of the house will help the client come up with an idea of how they can be come up with ways of ensuring cleanliness and tidiness within and outside the house (Koulizos, 2012). After the inspection has been done on the nature of the hose and the unit, the client would look at the exterior front of that particular house. This is done in order to have a complete view of the house on each face of that house. This will help in

Business requirements for Matrix Data Corporation Essay

Business requirements for Matrix Data Corporation - Essay Example 1.2 Background including current process The Matrix Data Corporation in Owings Mills, Maryland is a company that collects data and analyses web-based data for large clients using Web analytics software. They have decided to add a new data repository system to enhance the sales allowing the company to grow by 20% each year. In order to support the volume expected the IT’s role will be to upgrade the current data warehouse system from a ten (10) terabyte data warehouse to 60 terabyte allowing Matrix Data Corporation to collectdata beyond the standard relational databasesystems. This project goal is to provide guidance on the implementation process and how the changes will administered. The project is scheduled to begin on November 21, 2012 and the expected end date is December 23, 2012. The project will also identify what is needed to make the change and to accomplish these changes without interfering with current business production. 1.3 Scope 1.3.1 Scope of Project The scope o f the will identify the procedures used to coordinate the project and the users, and stakeholders to ensure the needs are met. Applications –Will be implemented in phase 1 by November 15, 2012. Database – The application will use a MSSQL (SQL Server) database System Hardware –Data repository system is required. Matrix Corp. ... Process Re-engineering will highlight four phases; 1) Initiation – Aimed at identifying and understanding the purpose 2) Analysis – An in depth analysis of the process tasks and process 3) Reengineering – Discuss and design features needed 4) Implementation and evaluation – Address stakeholders issues and concerns   (Carr and Johansson, 1995). Customization - customization can be applied throughout the different layers of the new project delivery process, from the network diagram level to the scope of work associated with specific activities. The SDLC methodology will be used to implement changes. Interfaces – Agile methods will be integratedto provide delivery engines (Griffith 1994) and new system hardware to be set up and will be implemented using the SDLC methodology. Architecture – The application and technical architecture is a formal description and representation of a system, organized in a way that supports reasoning about the stru cture of the system which comprises system components. Conversion –AdWords Conversion Tracking will begin importing the data from the Analytics account,   Testing – Testing will include testing on volume and capacity, and performance. Funding –Project funding is limited to $25,000.00 Training - Training will be held every Monday in conference room C, for 1 hour. e provided weekly Education – will include an in depth overview of the process and slides will be provided. 1.3.2 Constraints and Assumptions The following constraints have been identified: Restricted and limit project execution, budget limit of $10,000.00. The following assumptions have been made in defining the scope, objectives and approach: Need

Spinal manipulation for back pain Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Spinal manipulation for back pain - Article Example Under these circumstances, spinal manipulation is suggested as an alternate method capable to ensure good level of recovery from low back pain. This technique involves the skills of a trained chiropractor or a physiotherapist to move the spinal bones of the patients using their hands. But spinal manipulation has not been received well by the entire community of medical practitioners. The experts have raised serious apprehensions on the efficacy of these practices and propose detailed research to investigate the reliability of spinal manipulation for the treatment of low back pain. Random clinical trials are conducted of the samples who receive the spinal manipulation therapy and the effectiveness is often measured using patient based primary assessment system that includes patient rated intensities in pain, the extend of disability, overall improvement experienced time taken for recovery. The spinal manipulation therapy is often said to have responded differently to different level o f back pains. In the case of patients reported with acute back pain moderate level of evidence is available for the short-term relief of pain being achieved using spinal manipulation therapy. The repots available also highlight that in the case of patients suffering from chronic back pain, the moderate evidence is available in favor of spinal manipulation therapy both in long term and short term. Extensive research have been undertaken to assess the impact of spin

Business requirements for Matrix Data Corporation Essay

Business requirements for Matrix Data Corporation - Essay Example 1.2 Background including current process The Matrix Data Corporation in Owings Mills, Maryland is a company that collects data and analyses web-based data for large clients using Web analytics software. They have decided to add a new data repository system to enhance the sales allowing the company to grow by 20% each year. In order to support the volume expected the IT’s role will be to upgrade the current data warehouse system from a ten (10) terabyte data warehouse to 60 terabyte allowing Matrix Data Corporation to collectdata beyond the standard relational databasesystems. This project goal is to provide guidance on the implementation process and how the changes will administered. The project is scheduled to begin on November 21, 2012 and the expected end date is December 23, 2012. The project will also identify what is needed to make the change and to accomplish these changes without interfering with current business production. 1.3 Scope 1.3.1 Scope of Project The scope o f the will identify the procedures used to coordinate the project and the users, and stakeholders to ensure the needs are met. Applications –Will be implemented in phase 1 by November 15, 2012. Database – The application will use a MSSQL (SQL Server) database System Hardware –Data repository system is required. Matrix Corp. ... Process Re-engineering will highlight four phases; 1) Initiation – Aimed at identifying and understanding the purpose 2) Analysis – An in depth analysis of the process tasks and process 3) Reengineering – Discuss and design features needed 4) Implementation and evaluation – Address stakeholders issues and concerns   (Carr and Johansson, 1995). Customization - customization can be applied throughout the different layers of the new project delivery process, from the network diagram level to the scope of work associated with specific activities. The SDLC methodology will be used to implement changes. Interfaces – Agile methods will be integratedto provide delivery engines (Griffith 1994) and new system hardware to be set up and will be implemented using the SDLC methodology. Architecture – The application and technical architecture is a formal description and representation of a system, organized in a way that supports reasoning about the stru cture of the system which comprises system components. Conversion –AdWords Conversion Tracking will begin importing the data from the Analytics account,   Testing – Testing will include testing on volume and capacity, and performance. Funding –Project funding is limited to $25,000.00 Training - Training will be held every Monday in conference room C, for 1 hour. e provided weekly Education – will include an in depth overview of the process and slides will be provided. 1.3.2 Constraints and Assumptions The following constraints have been identified: Restricted and limit project execution, budget limit of $10,000.00. The following assumptions have been made in defining the scope, objectives and approach: Need

Pyscological Disorders Essay Example for Free

Pyscological Disorders Essay Behaviourism has many different strengths and weaknesses. One strength of the approach is that is has successfully applied classical and operant condition to its theories. This is strength as it is used in different therapies such as systematic desensitization, which is a type of behaviour therapy to help overcome phobias and other anxiety disorders; it is based on classical conditioning. Another strength is that it uses scientific methods of research making it much more objective, measurable and observable as well as being able to obtain reliable results. An example of this is Banduras’ bobo doll of study of aggression. However, there are also weaknesses to this approach. The Behaviourism approach focuses too much on the â€Å"nurture† side of nature/nurture debate and suggests that all behaviour is learned. However, research has shown that cognitive and biological elements have been proved to affect individual’s behaviour. For example, people learn behaviour by observing others getting rewarded for certain actions. Another weakness is the ethical issues raised by using animals in experiments. This is because animals cannot consent to take part and are unable to withdraw themselves from experiments, for example, Pavlov’s dog studies. A major strength of this theory is that it is quick and affordable. As the behaviourism theory focuses on the future and what is happening now instead of the past, treatment can be quick and effective as they are not discussing past experiences which may be time consuming. However, because this theory ignores past experiences and influences, it may cause problems as individuals may need to discuss past experiences in order to sort their emotions out. Because this theory ignores them and focuses on present experiences it can cause a major problem as people may not be able to benefit from the therapy as they need to discuss their past. * Social Learning Theory: The Social Learning theory was developed my Albert Bandura who believed that we can learn by observing others. This theory however, has different strengths and weaknesses. One of the great strengths of the social learning theory is that it combines important models of learning. This therefore makes it a good education theory. Another strength is that children are seen are easy to teach and any child can be taught. Albert believed that motivation comes largely through praise. The praise, however, is seen indirectly, since it is the model that is praised, not the child. Once motivated, the model provides the bulk of teaching. The general concept is that children just the right environment to begin learning useful skills. Another strength is that it is an easy theory to grasp and it seems to be generally proven by actual experience. For example, when learning to play football, individuals often first watch a game on TV, which provides the inspiration and motivation to learn to play. However, there are weaknesses that question if this theory is correct. The main weakness of this theory is that is does not include the child’s cognitive development. While there are some cognitive insights in the social learning theory, they are not explained. Albert believed that a child was seen as a sponge, absorbing information through modelling. However, the child’s contribution to how models are absorbed is processed and worked out through time and is not present to any extent in the theory. Another weakness is that is does not have any given cause. The social learning theory explains that motivation exists though praise. However, it seems that motivation is socially conditioned, and therefore relative. The social learning then takes the basic social structure as normative and standard, without judgement. * Psychodynamic: This theory was developed by Sigmund Freud and Erik Erickson and believed that we are not always aware of all aspects of ourselves. They ignored all science theories and focused going â€Å"inside the head†. However this theory has different strengths and weaknesses. One strength of the psychodynamic theory is that is focused on the effects that childhood experiments have on the personality. This is a strength because Freud was the first psychologist to realise the importance of childhood. It also led to other psychologists including Piaget developing theories on childhood. Another strength is that it takes both nature and nurture into account. This is a major strength as is emphasise the importance of both. For example, Freud’s assumption of childhood experiences focused on nurture whereas the ID, Ego and Super-ego focused on nature. However, a weakness of the psychodynamic approach is that it is capable of being tested. This is a weakness because the assumptions cannot be scientifically measured or proved wrong, for example, is the idea of the mind being split into three parts. This cannot be proven so therefore questions if its valid information. Another weakness is that it suggests that all behaviour is pre-determined and people do not have free will. * Biological approach: The biological approach was developed by Arnold Gessel who explained the developmental process and stages involved from conception onwards. A strength of this theory is that it is very scientific. This is a major strength because the experiments used are measurable, objective and can be repeated to obtain reliable results. Also, the researcher has more control over the variable. Another strength of the approach is that it increases the likelihood of being able to treat people with abnormal behaviour and provides explanations about the causes of behaviour. This is a major strength as it can be used to improve people’s lives. However, a weakness of the biological approach is that is focuses too much on the â€Å"nature† side of the nature/nurture debate. It argues that behaviour is caused by hormones, neurotransmitters and genetics. Another weakness of the biological approach is that it develops theories about disorders and generalises them to apply to everyone. It does not take into account the view that humans are unique. An example for is that general adaption syndrome assumes that everyone responds in the same way to stress but does not take into account that some people have or need more support than others. * Cognitive: The Cognitive theory was development by Jean Piaget who believed children are born with a very basic mental structure, genetically inherited and evolved, in which all subsequent learning and knowledge is based. One strength of the cognitive approach is that is looks at thought processes which were ignored by other psychologists, especially behaviourists. It looks at processes such as memory, attention and perception which all have an effect on our behaviour. Another strength of this approach is that its theories have been applied to cognitive therapies such as rational emotive therapy which is a therapy that focuses on resolving emotional and behavioural problems and helping people to lead happier and more fulfilling lives. This therapy has been successful in changing irrational thoughts so that behaviour improves. However, a weakness of the cognitive approach is that it reduces human behaviour down to individual processes such as memory and attention. This is a weakness because the human is a product of all the processes working together and not just individual parts. Another weaknesses is that the approach is too mechanical, it compares the human to computers and suggests they have similar though processes. This is a weakness as humans are much more complex than computers. * Humanistic: The humanistic approach was developed by a psychologist called Abraham Maslow who observed the study of the whole person. He looked at human behaviour not only through the eyes of the observed, but through the eyes of the person doing the behaving. A strength of this theory is that is focuses on both the positive nature of humankind and the free will associated with change. Another strength is the way in which many of its aspects fit well with other approaches. Many therapies have provided a more humanistic undertone in their work with clients. Even though they may argue that the humanistic theory does not go far enough, they see the benefit in helping people change. However, a weakness of this theory if that is appears to centre on its lack of concrete treatment on specific issues. With the basic concept behind the theory being free will, it is difficult to develop treatments and study the effectiveness of this theory. Secondly, there are those who believe that the humanistic theory does not help those with more severe personality or mental health problems. Another weakness is that this theory is still not complete as there are different questions that are still unanswered. For example, are people basically good or are their some individuals who are not capable of this? As these questions are still unanswered it questions if the theory is effective.

Literature Review on Recruitment and Selection Process

Literature Review on Recruitment and Selection Process Employee selection is the process of collecting and evaluating information about an individual in order to extend an offer of employment (R.D. Gate wood and H.S. Field) Employee selection is part of the overall staffing process of the organization, which also includes human resource (HR) planning, recruitment, and retention activities. By doing human resource planning, the organization projects its likely demand for personnel with particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs), and compares that to the anticipated availability of such personnel in the internal or external labour markets. During the recruitment phase of staffing, the organization attempts to establish contact with potential job applicants by job postings within the organization, advertising to attract external applicants, employee referrals, and many other methods, depending on the type of organization and the nature of the job in question. Employee selection begins when a pool of applicants is generated by the or ganizations recruitment efforts. During the employee selection process, a firm decides which of the recruited candidates will be offered a position. Effective employee selection is a critical component of a successful organization. How employees perform their jobs is a major factor in determining how successful an organization will be. Job performance is essentially determined by the ability of an individual to do a particular job and the effort the individual is willing to put forth in performing the job. Through effective selection, the organization can maximize the probability that its new employees will have the necessary KSAs to do the jobs they were hired to do. Thus, employee selection is one of the two major ways (along with orientation and training) to make sure that new employees have the abilities required to do their jobs. It also provides the base for other HR practices-such as effective job design, goal setting, and compensation-that motivate workers to exert the effort needed to do their jobs effectively, according to Gatewood and Field. Job applicants differ along many dimensions, such as educational and work experience, personality characteristics, and innate ability and motivation levels. The logic of employee selection begins with the assumption that at least some of these individual differences are relevant to a persons suitability for a particular job. Thus, in employee selection the organization must: Determine the relevant individual differences (KSAs) needed to do the job and Identify and utilize selection methods that will reliably and validly assess the extent to which job applicants possess the needed KSAs. The organization must achieve these tasks in a way that does not illegally discriminate against any job applicants on the basis of race, colour, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or veterans status. An Overview of the Selection process: Employee selection is itself a process consisting of several important stages, as shown in Exhibit 1. Since the organization must determine the individual KSAs needed to perform a job, the selection process begins with job analysis, which is the systematic study of the content of jobs in an organization. Effective job analysis tells the organization what people occupying particular jobs do in the course of performing their jobs. It also helps the organization determine the major duties and responsibilities of the job, as well as aspects of the job that are of minor or tangential importance to job performance. The job analysis often results in a document called the job description, which is a comprehensive document that details the duties, responsibilities, and tasks that make up a job. Because job analysis can be complex, time-consuming, and expensive, standardized job descriptions have been developed that can be adapted to thousands of jobs in organizations across the world. Two exa mples of such databases are the U.S. governments Standard Occupational Classification (SOC), which has information on at least 821 occupations, and the Occupational Information Network, which is also known as O*NET. O*NET provides job descriptions for thousands of jobs. An understanding of the content of a job assists an organization in specifying the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to do the job. These KSAs can be expressed in terms of a job specification, which is an 2.2 Main Responsibilities of HRM 2.2.1 Getting the Best Employees Workforce planning Specifying Jobs and Roles Recruiting Outsourcing Screening Applicants Staffing Selecting (Hiring) New Employees. 2.2.1.1 Workforce planning a) Objective of Workforce Planning Workforce planning is one of the most important activities in any organisation. It starts with analysis of the strategic position of the business. The results of this analysis then feed into a forecast of the required demand for labour by the organisation and how this is likely to be supplied. The final stage involves the creation and implementation of a human resources plan which aims to deliver the right number of the right people for the Organisation. b) Strategy for workforce plan The strategic position and requirement of the organisation have the most important influence on workforce planning: Organisation objectives and scope of activities: what are the objectives of the organisation? What products are to be sold, in which markets; using what kind of distribution? Organisation location where is the organisation located? How are the various business units, divisions, functions distributed across the various locations? What specialist skills are essential in each location? What are the workforce implications of decisions on organisation location? Labour environment: what is happening to the size of the labour force? What key population and employment trends (e.g. the increasing numbers of people working on temporary or short-term contracts) affect the ability of the business to recruit staff? What provision needs to be made for employee pension; what employment legislation Timetables to what extent does the strategic needs of the business require short-term changes in the workforce or can change be achieved over a longer period. For example, are new retailing or distribution locations to be opened in the next 12 months that require staff? c) Forecasting Workforce Demand Putting a good Human Resources plan together requires an organisation to make a reasonably accurate forecast of workforce size. Key factors to consider in this forecast are: Demand for existing and new products/projects Organisation disposals and product closures Introduction of new technology (e.g. new production equipment) Cost reduction programmes (most usually involve a reduction in staff numbers somewhere within the business) Changes to the business organisational structure Business acquisitions, joint ventures, strategic partnerships Forecasting Workforce Supply The starting point for estimating supply is the existing workforce: an Organisation should take account of: Scheduled changes to the composition of the existing workforce (e.g. promotions; job rotation) Normal loss of workforce e.g. through retirement, normal labour turnover Potential exceptional factors e.g. actions of competitors that create problems of staff retention By comparing the forecast workforce demand and supply it is possible to compile a forecast of net workforce size. This then needs to be compared with the strategic requirements for the organisation. The result is the workforce gap (which is a forecast of too few or too many workers). The role of HRM is to close the gap! HRM Policies to Close the Workforce Gap The key HRM activities to manage the workforce gap comprise: Recruitment plans (how many people, where, what type, how) Training plans Redundancy plans Staff Retention Plans (how the business intends to keep the staff it wants to retain) 2.2.1.2 Specifying jobs and roles This phenomenon includes two processes; Job specification Job description Job Specification Derived from job analysis, it is a statement of employee characteristics and qualifications required for satisfactory performance of defined duties and tasks comprising a specific job or function. A job specification describes the knowledge, skills, education, experience, and abilities organisation believes are essential to performing a particular job. The job specification is developed from the job analysis. A job specification cuts to the quick with organisation requirements whereas the job description defines the duties and requirements of an employees job in detail. The job specification provides detailed characteristics, knowledge, education, skills, and experience needed to perform the job, with an overview of the specific job requirements. Job Description Job descriptions are essential. Job descriptions are required for recruitment so that organisation and the applicants can understand the role. Job descriptions are necessary for all people in the organisation. A job description defines a persons role and accountability. Without a job description it is not possible for a person to properly commit to, or be held accountable for, a role. Smaller organisations commonly require staff and managers to cover a wider or more mixed range of responsibilities than in larger organisations (for example, the office manager role can comprise financial, HR, stock-control, scheduling and other duties). Therefore in smaller organisations, job descriptions might necessarily contain a greater number of listed responsibilities, perhaps 15-16. However, whatever the circumstances, the number of responsibilities should not exceed this, or the job description becomes unwieldy and ineffective. Some feature in most job descriptions are as following; communicating ( How to communicate with upper and lower level of management from his/her level) Panning and organising. Managing information and general administration support. Monitoring and reporting. Financial budgeting and control Producing things. Maintaining and repairing. Quality control. Health and safety. Using equipment and system. Developing and creating things. Importance of Job Description: Job descriptions improve an organisations ability to manage people and roles in the following ways: Clarifies organisation expectations for employees. Provides basis of measuring job performance Provides clear description of role for job candidates Provides a structure and discipline for company to understand and structure all jobs and ensure necessary activities, duties and responsibilities are covered by one job or another Provides continuity of role parameters irrespective of manager interpretation Enables pay and grading systems to be structured fairly and logically Prevents arbitrary interpretation of role content and limit by employee and employer and manager Essential reference tool in issues of employee/employer dispute Essential reference tool for discipline issues Provides important reference points for training and development areas Provides neutral and objective reference points for appraisals, performance reviews and counselling Enables formulation of skill set and behaviour set requirements per role Enables organisation to structure and manage roles in a uniform way, thus increasing efficiency and effectiveness of recruitment, training and development, organisational structure, work flow and activities, customer service, etc Enables factual view (as opposed to instinctual) to be taken by employees and managers in career progression and succession planning Job Description Components: Job Title Based at (Business Unit, Section if applicable) Position reports to (Line Manager title, location, and Functional Manager, location if matrix management structure) Job Purpose Summary (ideally one sentence) Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities, (or Duties. 8-15 numbered points) Dimensions/Territory/Scope/Scale indicators (the areas to which responsibilities extend and the scale of responsibilities staff, customers, territory, products, equipment, premises, etc) Date and other relevant internal references Hiring: Organisation basically has two main resources to get Human resources Internal Promotion Recruitment Outsourcing Internal Promotions: In this scenario existing employees of the organisation are promoted to fill the required place in the organisation. Recruitment: In this case organisation takes new employees in the organisation to fill the vacant places. Outsourcing: Outsourcing refers to a company those contracts with another company to provide services. Recruitment and Selection: Recruitment is the process of identifying that the organisation needs to employ someone up to the point at which application forms for the post have arrived at the organisation. Employee selection is the process of collecting and evaluating information about an individual in order to extend an offer of employment (R.D. Gate wood and H.S. Field) Employee selection is part of the overall staffing process of the organization, which also includes human resource (HR) planning, recruitment, and retention activities. By doing human resource planning, the organization projects its likely demand for personnel with particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs), and compares that to the anticipated availability of such personnel in the internal or external labour markets. During the recruitment phase of staffing, the organization attempts to establish contact with potential job applicants by job postings within the organization, advertising to attract external applicants, employee referrals, and many other methods, depending on the type of organization and the nature of the job in question. Employee selection begins when a pool of applicants is generated by the or ganizations recruitment efforts. During the employee selection process, a firm decides which of the recruited candidates will be offered a position. Effective employee selection is a critical component of a successful organization. How employees perform their jobs is a major factor in determining how successful an organization will be. Job performance is essentially determined by the ability of an individual to do a particular job and the effort the individual is willing to put forth in performing the job. Through effective selection, the organization can maximize the probability that its new employees will have the necessary KSAs to do the jobs they were hired to do. Thus, employee selection is one of the two major ways (along with orientation and training) to make sure that new employees have the abilities required to do their jobs. It also provides the base for other HR practices-such as effective job design, goal setting, and compensation-that motivate workers to exert the effort needed to do their jobs effectively. Gate wood and Field. Organisational document that details what is required to successfully perform a given job. The necessary KSAs are called job requirements, which is simply means they are thought to be necessary to perform the job. Job requirements are expressed in terms of desired education or training, work experience, specific aptitudes or abilities, and in many other ways. Care must be taken to ensure that the job requirements are based on the actual duties and responsibilities of the job and that they do not include irrelevant requirements that may discriminate against some applicants. For example, many organizations have revamped their job descriptions and specifications in the years since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act to ensure that these documents contain only job-relevant content. Validity of selection methods Validity refers to the quality of a measure that exists when the measure assesses a construct. In the selection context, validity refers to the appropriateness, meaningfulness, and usefulness of the inferences made about applicants during the selection process. It is concerned with the issue of whether applicants will actually perform the job as well as expected based on the inferences made during the selection process. The closer the applicants actual job performances match their expected performances, the greater the validity of the selection process. Selection methods A Organisation should use selection methods that reliably and accurately measure the needed qualifications. The reliability of a measure refers to its consistency. It is defined as the degree of self-consistency among the scores earned by an individual. Reliable evaluations are consistent across both people and time. Reliability is maximized when two people evaluating the same candidate provide the same ratings, and when the ratings of a candidate taken at two different times are the same. When selection scores are unreliable, their validity is diminished. Some of the factors affecting the reliability of selection measures are: Emotional and physical state of the candidate. Reliability suffers if candidates are particularly nervous during the assessment process. Lack of rapport with the administrator of the measure. Reliability suffers if candidates are turned off by the interviewer and thus do not show their stuff during the interview. Inadequate knowledge of how to respond to a measure. Reliability suffers if candidates are asked questions that are vague or confusing. Individual differences among respondents. If the range or differences in scores on the attribute measured by a selection device is large, that means the device can reliably distinguish among people. Question difficulty. Questions of moderate difficulty produce the most reliable measures. If questions are too easy, many applicants will give the correct answer and individual differences are lessened; if questions are too difficult, few applicants will give the correct answer and, again, individual differences are lessened. Length of measure. As the length of a measure increases, its reliability also increases. For example, an interviewer can better gauge an applicants level of interpersonal skills by asking several questions, rather than just one or two. Up to this point, our discussion has assumed that an employer needs to validate each of its: Studies summarizing a selection measures validity for similar jobs in other settings. Data showing the similarity between the jobs for which the validity evidence is reported and the job in the new employment setting. Data showing the similarity between the selection measures in the other studies composing the validity evidence and those measures to be used in the new employment setting. Making final selection: The extensiveness and complexity of selection processes vary greatly depending on factors such as the nature of the job, the number of applicants for each opening, and the size of the organization. A typical way of applying selection methods to a large number of applicants for a job requiring relatively high levels of KSAs would be the following: Use application blanks, resumes, and short interviews to determine which job applicants meet the minimum requirements for the job. If the number of applicants is not too large, the information provided by applicants can be verified with reference and/or background checks. Use extensive interviews and appropriate testing to determine which of the minimally qualified job candidates have the highest degree of the KSAs required by the job. Make contingent offers to one or more job finalists as identified by Step 2. Job offers may be contingent upon successful completion of a drug test or other forms of back-ground checks. General medical exams can only be given after a contingent offer is given.