Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Case Study Project on Adult Development

Daniel Christian Smith was born on 11/28/1977 in Bossier City, Louisiana. He is a white Caucasian, 27 years old and not married yet- still looking for his dream-girl. Daniel comes from a relatively large family because he has a sister Sarah, 25, and brother, David, 28. The family served as a spring-board to the future for Daniel.His parents have taught him how to work hard, how to succeed and relate to people, that is why he owes all of his present success to them. Daniel’s parents are both teachers and the atmosphere in the family has always been very favorable for learning. Daniel mentions that he has felt knowledge running through his blood since the very first days when he was born.Daniel is a great professional in the information systems field at present but he needed to study very hard to obtain all of the skills which he possesses now. He finished school with honors, then attended technical college and finally got a degree in management at Louisiana State University of Shreveport.As Daniel mentions himself, he was already a highly-qualified professional in information systems when he got out of college. All of his friends and relatives lined up to his doors when their computers were broken. However, Daniel wanted to attend LSUS in order to obtain its diploma in management- that magic slip of paper which could say he was worth something in the business world. Studies at LSUS were particularly difficult for Daniel because he needed to work at three jobs in order to pay for college.As he remembers now, there were many nights when he thought he needed to give up because he was too exhausted but instead, he gathered all of his efforts and kept studying more.Today he can look back at all of the hardships which he had to go through and say that it was worth it. He is CIO at a large company now and has to travel a lot about the country to monitor the IT departments in different cities. Â  Daniel is planning to keep studying in future to obtain an MBA bec ause his promotion greatly depends on the educational background.Daniel’s psychological and biological characteristics are quite unique in many ways. He is a choleric and his neurotransmitters are not balanced at all. The reactions in his system go very fast and he is overly sensitive and emotional.Due to the personality type, Daniel’s endocrine system functions normally and all of the processes in his body go very fast. Unlike melancholic types who have very slow processes in their body, Daniel has very fast processes and endocrine system functioning on the highest level.Daniel has left prefrontal asymmetry which has a deep impact on all of his activities and abilities. Left prefrontal asymmetry enables him to be very good at subjects dealing with logics and analysis. He has always been skilful in sciences and mathematics because he could catch the teacher’s idea immediately.At the same time, this type of brain asymmetry has a negative impact on Daniel’s skills in such fields as arts and humanitarian subjects. It is usually much easier for Daniel to write a new computer program than deal with the interface of some application because design has never been an apple of his eye.He cannot be creative but instead can critically analyze large amounts of information. The type of job which Daniel is doing welcomes left prefrontal asymmetry. The only problem which he can face due to this kind of asymmetry is his relatively low abilities to manage people.The development of Daniel’s personality is going to occur very intensively during the next year. Changes are going to occur in his body, mental capacities, life perception, emotional ties, attitudes towards politics and his job. He got appointed as the company’s IT manager only a very short time ago, therefore his development will be happening very rapidly.First of all, Daniel is going to develop his professional skills greatly. He is going to learn how learn many new things an d develop his communication skills to a large extent. In the past, he needed to combine work with education and could not apply his skills to the fullest. During the next year, Daniel will be able to concentrate only on his responsibilities in the company and achieve much better results.Some change in values and interests of Daniel is also going to occur. During the period of time when a person enters a new level in his career, the re-evaluation of many values occurs. Family will become less important because more and more time will be devoted to work.Friends will also stop being a high priority because career will take all of the time. Daniel will realize that the higher he gets on the career ladder, he more he will have to work in order to be prosperous and successful. Daniel will also realize that the priorities in his life have changed greatly.If in the previous year he considered the diploma at the university the most important goal of his life, in the next year he is going to change his goal. Most likely, his strategic objective is going to become obtaining the position of the CEO of the company. This goal is quite realistic for Daniel, due to his strengths.The rapid development of Daniel is going to be caused for the most part by his strengths which will get even more emphasized in the following year. One of the greatest strengths which Daniel has is willingness to succeed.This quality will develop very much during the next year. Daniel always achieves his goals, no matter how difficult the road to success is. There are other strengths which Daniel possesses, such as good communication skills, high determination, and great problem solving skills, broad mind. He has a great ability to work in a team, good analytical skills, and lots of energy.Above all that, he has willingness and capability to achieve all the goals, ability to acquire new skills fast. All of these qualities are going to develop even more during the next year. For example, Daniel’ s problem solving skills are going to become much more advanced due to his work.Daniel does not have many weaknesses in comparison with the strengths which he possesses. His major weakness is orientation on his emotions more than on his brain.However, during the next year this weakness will disappear for the most part because Daniel will have to make many important decisions and he will need to base his judgments not on emotions but on his brain. Daniel’s managing skills will develop very much, despite his left prefrontal asymmetry due to large experience which he will gain.Daniel’s development will go even more rapidly during the next five years. His new responsibilities will have a very deep impact on his perception of life. Owing to success-orientation, Daniel is very likely to achieve the CEO position within 5 years.Such a major change in his life is going to influence his ideas about marriage. Daniel will choose a wife who can provide the most convenience to him. 32 years is the same when one of the crises for Daniel can occur, and he will probably want to secure himself by getting married and having children.Parenting is going to change many values which Daniel had and start a new stage in his life. However, Daniel has always been a workaholic, and his work is going to remain the greatest priority in his life.The predictions about the development of Daniel may not be completely accurate because some changes in lives are initiated by the individual himself while others are beyond his control. Some of the events which can shape his life greatly might never happen.For example, it is impossible to predict how his career promotion will go. It depends not only on Daniel and his abilities but also on the situation in the company and some sort of luck. The development of personality is mostly determined by major events which happen in the life of the person. It is possible to predict the events which might happen, but it is impossible to predict th em with a 100% probability.

Levittown Experiment

Levittown project was taken up in the U.S. after the end of Second World War, with the aim of providing mass housing facilities to people in the wake of increasing urbanization and problems of accommodating large population in limited urban area (Friedman. 1995). The first of Levittown apartments were constructed on Long Island, New York and they symbolized the modern trends of urbanization and housing developments (Clapson. 2003). This paper shall study the impact of Levittown project on trends of further urbanization and analyze the aesthetics of design and development involved in it. American urban housing system was not in a very good state at the end of Second World War. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers had started to return back to the mainland, filled with the dream of better and improved life (Baxandall and Ewen, 2000). Euphoric and buoyed by a hard fought and historic win, where U.S had established its military supremacy in the world, these people had great dreams and aspirations to continue in the legacy of that supremacy. This aspiration manifested itself most prominently in their demand for housing infrastructure, built with modern age planning, design, and latest infrastructure: houses that could symbolize U.S’s great power stature and their own triumph in being a part of this transition. Meanwhile the Congress announced special housing loans for returning war veterans where they could get loans on zero down-payment and little mortgage. Suddenly there was a great boom in the demand of urban housing, compared to which the available apartments fell drastically short (Baxandall and Ewen, 2000). Millions of war veterans and citizens were homeless or living in makeshift houses looking expectedly upon government to provide them with affordable houses (Jackson. 1985). However, the strong private construction lobby was pressuring Congress to get out of the housing business, but the past record of private housing industry was patchy and they were not expected to live up to demand of providing millions of houses on affordable prices in a quick time (Baxandall and Ewen, 2000; Clapson. 2003). Abraham Levitt, a prominent builder, understood the importance of providing housing to people of every income range and he responded to the situation by constructing rows of identical four room apartments at Long Island, New York,that were offered to veteran war soldiers for only $60 a month (Jackson. 1985; Clapson. 2003). Levittown, the mass housing facility designed and constructed by Levitts, was vehemently criticized by architects for producing homogenous and suffocating environment and being antithetical to lofted architectural principles (Jackson. 1985). But the critics ignored the fact that, Levitt could not incorporate the lofty and stylist architectural designs that were hallmark of most of Victorian style villas and bungalows and yet produce houses on mass scale, in quick time and provide them for sale at most affordable prices. His aim was to construct the best houses at least cost to provide most economical housing. The fact was that Levitt had successfully fulfilled the demands and dreams of many Americans of owning their own house. Debate, Design and Impact of Levittown To fully appreciate the significance of Levittown, it must be seen in context of the great housing demand of the period 1945-46, the intense effort of private construction giants to force the government to abandon its idea of affordable and mass housing which could seriously jeopardize the corporate game plan of selling expensive houses and flats (Baxandall and Ewen, 2000). There was intense public debate in U.S. around the issue and the corporate construction house tried to discredit mass scale housing by comparing it to slums and hotbed of communism and crime (Jackson. 1985). Despite the well organized and orchestrated campaign against mass housing, public opinion did not waver much, and the expectations for large scale affordable housing remained a public issue (Baxandall and Ewen, 2000). People required housing, and they expected it was their right to get a decent home. High architectural designs and lofted aesthetics meant nothing to them if they resulted in homes that they could look, admire, but could not own. Against this real challenge, Lewitt and Sons took upon themselves to meet the affordable housing demand by assuming equally pragmatic approach. Levitt used special techniques and architectural designs to keep the cost of production at lowest and speed of construction at maximum. He divided entire construction procedure of houses in 26 separate steps that required professional prefabricated components. This approach greatly reduced the construction time. Many of the building components such as nails, concrete blocks, lumber and electrical appliances were procured by Levitt and sons themselves, further minimizing the cost (Friedman. 1995). The method of Levitt was so successful that by 1949Â   the first 2000 planned houses by Levitt were ready to be sold and occupied .. The first of Levitt apartment constructed on Long Island came to be known as Levittown and although they were described as drab, unimaginative and common by critics, they served their purpose of providing millions of American with their own house (Friedman. 1995). Alfred Levitt recognized his own achievement in describing himself as Henry Ford of American housing industry, where he was producing houses at assembly line speed (Friedman. 1995). Levitt also successfully warded off the criticism of his uniform Cape-Cod style of housing by mixing his next colonies with Cape-Cods, Rancher and Colonial style houses, that ranged from $ 5500 to $ 14500 (Jackson. 1985; Clapson. 2003). Levittown were constructed in New Jersey and Pennsylvania as well, with equal success and revolutionizing effect on community living and development. Although attempts were made to associate them with low class life, and blandness of taste, as the houses took the character of their owners who modified and transformed them, each of them emerged as a singular entity that was precious to their owner. Conclusion The impact of Levit’s design had far reaching effect on construction and design of further mass scale housing projects not only in U.S but in other countries as well. Levitt’s designing innovation and successful efforts to construct affordable housing had given millions of not so well-to-do Americans their first opportunity of realizing a dream, secure their present, and lay the groundwork of building a strong future. Reference Avi Friedman. 1995. The Evolution of Design Characteristics During the Post-Second World War Housing Boom: The Us Experience. Journal of Design History. Volume: 8. Issue: 2. Rosalyn Baxandall and Ewen, Elizabeth. 2000. Picture Windows: How the Suburbs Happened. Basic Books. New York. Kenneth T. Jackson. 1985. Crabgrass Frontier: The Suburbanization of the United States. Oxford University Press. New York. Mark Clapson. 2003. Suburban Century: Social Change and Urban Growth in England and the USA. Berg. New York. Â   Â  

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Organic Food Market in Hong Kong †Environmental Scan Essay

?Global trend of organic food In 1950s, consumers are starting to aware of organic product and in 1970s to 1980s, organic sector start to develop, e. g. set up regulation and certification around the world. In 1990s, the organic food market has a sharp growing, expanding at 20% a year. In 2006, the sales of organic baby food were increased 21. 6%. There are also has dramatically increase in variety, availability and decreasing the cost of organic food. ?Local trend of organic food. At the end of 1980s, there were many cases happened in Hong Kong that poisonous crops which are contaminated with pesticide, people in Hong Kong raise their awareness of health. Until 1990s, Organic foods have been selling in Hong Kong, most of them are imported from North America, Australia, New Zealand, Europe and Japan. In the few years ahead, consumption of organic food is increasing. In 2000s, the local market has a strong demand on fresh organic foods. International Trade Centre (ITC ) done a set of survey and observed some trends of Hong Kong. For example, there are more convenience organic food such as pre-packed organic salads; some public canteens and catering buy more organic food; provision of organic products with biodegradable packaging. Major competitor In Hong Kong, there are three major type of retail shops is selling organic food. First type is supermarket, e. g. Park n’ shop and Welcome are two major chains. Second type is department stores, e. g. Citysuper, Seibu, Jusco, Sogo. Third type is specialty healthy food shops, around 50 to health food shops selling organic, health and diet-supplement foods. Consumer ?General type of consumer Hong Kong Organic Resource Centre (HKORC) release the result of a survey on 7 Jan 2005, it shows that 30% of the respondents had purchased organic foods. It also shows us the people who are interested in buying organic food are high education qualification, executives, managers or professionals, and they are usually with a higher total household income, married and/or with children. The meaning of organic food in consumer view In Hong Kong people’s mind, â€Å"organic food† has the similar meaning as â€Å"healthy food†, they also care about the nutritional value and image of the product. The best selling of organic foods in Hong Kong are baby food, rice cake, grains, fruit juice and breakfast cereals, so we can see Hong Kong people are more health-conscious now.

Monday, July 29, 2019

Compare a character in Beloved with a character in one of the other Essay

Compare a character in Beloved with a character in one of the other texts we have read OR Compare a theme in Beloved with a theme in one of the other texts we h - Essay Example s the fictionality of history, the concept that history can never be more than a collection of stories with varying degrees of accuracy and numerous different perspectives. She demonstrates this fictionality of history through her main character Sethe as well as in the narrative structure, making it clear that no amount of storytelling will ever be able to contain the true horror of those days. During the time of Shakespeare, fiction was deemed to be the appropriate place for explorations into a nation’s history perhaps because of a similar understanding that there is no means of separating individual human perspective from historical events sufficiently to form an actual, factual history, thus recognizing the same concept of a fictionality of history. One author who certainly understood this concept was Miguel de Cervantes as shown in his Don Quixote. Through the various narrative styles employed as well as through the storyline, Cervantes is able to make his point that no hi storical account can be completely free of some fictionalized element. Thus, despite the wide gap of time between the writing of these two novels, both Morrison’s postmodern book Beloved (1988) and Cervantes’ Don Quixote written in the early 1600s struggle to illustrate both the concept of history as well as the inherent fiction that must accompany history. In Beloved, for example, Morrison establishes quickly that she is relating a story that took place in the past, even establishing the date to relate its proximity to the end of slavery: â€Å"For years each put up with the spite in his own way, but by 1873 Sethe and her daughter Denver were its only victims† (Morrison, 1988: 3). This establishes the novel’s fictional ghost story element, but only as it could occur in a society such as that which existed in 1873. The story of slavery is told in the bits and pieces that were left, â€Å"in all of Baby’s life, as well as Sethe’s own, men and women were moved around like

Sunday, July 28, 2019

Rollout of an Operating System Upgrade; A Project Plan Essay

Rollout of an Operating System Upgrade; A Project Plan - Essay Example This report will attempt to integrate these factors into a project report which will be based on a fictional company Tomato Inc and the upgrade to their popular operating System bacOS. To gain an accurate perspective of this project management plan, it is essential that the profile of the company be covered in brief. Tomato Inc was one the earliest companies making desktop personal computer established in the now famous Silicon Valley. It has a rich history of product innovation and has successfully expanded its presence in areas like media players and other digital devices which are not traditionally associated with hardware manufacturers. The company follows an aggressive marketing strategy and boasts of the highest brand loyalty from its existing user base in the present IT industry. Though the company has diversified into other areas, its PC business still remains vital to its revenue generation model. The major strength of the company has been product innovation and the stress on the usability ("end user" experience"). This has fetched the company a niche market in the PC industry. The Tomato desktop PCs and the bacOS have a brand loyalty in the PC market which can only be described as fanatic Tomato Inc follows a vertically integrated business model. ... These upgrades are made available on the website of Tomato Inc which can de downloaded without cost after authentication. This report will attempt to document the project plan of an upgrade to the bacOS to ensure compatibility of the bacOS with the digital camera portfolio manufactured by Bikon Inc. Bikon Inc has a product portfolio of seventy three digital cameras. On entering the US market, Bikon Inc has signed an agreement with Tomato Inc that makes it necessary for upgrading bacOS to support the digital cameras of Bikon Inc. Scope of the Project as an Objective Statement Create and launch an upgrade to the bacOS to ensure the compatibility of the digital camera portfolio of Bikon Inc (as defined in the service contract signed by Bikon Inc and Tomato Inc on 07 Feb 07). The scope of the project includes the design of the hardware connectors required to interface the iBac PC with the Bikon digital cameras. Major Deliverables of the Project The final deliverable for this project is the completed, tested and the launched upgrade to the bacOS which will enable it to support the product portfolio of Bikon Inc (as defined in the service contract signed by Bikon Inc and Tomato Inc on 07 Feb 07). There are two major deliverables for this project which will precede the final deliverable. The first deliverable is the detailed software specification document developed by a combined software development team comprising of the representatives of both Tomato Inc and Bikon Inc), this team has already been constituted by the Bikon Tomato integration taskforce. This specification document will contain the specific details of the various technical

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Family Relations and Dynamics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Family Relations and Dynamics - Assignment Example Family Relations and Dynamics There are various issues that have been characteristic of families especially when a critical analysis and evaluation lacks, these includes, domestic violence, child abuse, teen violence, suicide, aging, depression, divorce, and separation among others. Theses aspects have profound implications on the well-being of the family if proper management is deficient. In contrary, there are families that are characterized by peace, well being, mutual understanding, unity and being development minded among others. The foundation of such, in most cases is a key player in the way growth and development happens. There are four major aspects of critical thinking that makes a family develop the above-mentioned positive traits; these elements are sound reasoning, rationality, logic and constructive arguments. Research has pointed out various advantages of critical thinking in a family setup that drives a healthy family, contrary to which unethical and morally unacceptable happenings and mindsets ta kes toll. Various authors have put across their arguments and counterarguments concerning family relationships and dynamics. This paper will focus on some of the thoughts presented by various scholars, commentators, writers and analysts while providing a critical view of the arguments presented. The acquisition of this knowledge is very beneficial to every body since we are all part of a family; it is paramount that we understand the dynamics therein and have a defined action plan. A critical thinker is a uniting factor, promoter of the social as well as the economic well being of a family. Teens are part of the family; they are very explorative and are very much under the influence of the adolescent stage of growth. The ability to master the dynamics that accompanies this stage can help in facilitating growth of healthy teens that have a positive perception of life. In addition, they are able to overcome some of the pressures that come with the stage. According to Francine Kiefer a nd Neil Erwin of ‘The Christian Science Monitor’, taming adolescence in order to prevent related incidences such violence requires diverse interventions. They advocate for customized efforts that range from simplistic means such as giving rewards for good acts and the complement of good acts by demonstrating appreciation through a word of mouth. In addition, psychological counseling programs can be embraced especially for behaviors that are getting to be exposed publicly. The family is the ore unit that should look into this aspect; however, the community too has its input. Friends shape one’s behavior while the teachers also should embrace the same aspects to make the teens develop to overcome adolescence. The conclusive remarks that were made by David Osher, a researcher with the American Institutes for Research, depicts that there is a possibility of a complete transformation in teenagers if proper preventive measures are implemented. The two authors suggest t hat the convectional means of having to frisk students so that they are seen to be unarmed was an aspect that encouraged violence the more. A more close home approach that does not require much effort is the introduction of ‘red stickers’, communication tools that warn that doing something has certain consequences. To complement this strategy, the teenagers are allowed around twenty minutes in a day to learn social skills. It is reported that the best

Friday, July 26, 2019

Reading and Researching Social Science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Reading and Researching Social Science - Essay Example This overturns assumptions that refugees get into UK for economic purposes. In previous times, principle refugee applicants were male but recently females are also assuming the roles the males had. UK does not have a standard induction programme for immigrants. The Zimbabweans asylums do not have to have knowledge of living and working in UK. The accessible services vary with the regions that they live in. The asylum seekers receive support from the UK Border Agency (BIA) which provides accommodation for the asylum seekers. Zimbabwe has been having volatile elections which have been stained by violence, intimidation, rigging and buying of votes by use of food (Home Office: 2009b).in the 2000’s drought, food shortages and land seizures continued to destroy Zimbabwe (Reuters Alertnet: 2009). 2005 saw the formulation of the Operation Restore Order. The political as well as economic instability caused inflation in that country when money got printed to meet the budget deficit. The International community criticized Mugabe for the tarnished human rights record. The political unrest and worsening of the economy in Zimbabwe took place at a time UK was reforming its asylum system (Scott, 2010). The bequest of this is a not straight forward patchwork of Zimbabweans refugees. In accordance with the 2001 census, the number of Zimbabweans living in the UK is 49,303. This indicated a 130% increase from 1991 when there were only 21,427 Zimbabweans in the UK. This increase is attributed to the opening out of the NHS which had many Zimbabweans attracted and also political turmoil Zimbabwe. In a recent study which researched among the Zimbabweans living in UK revealed that political unrest is the major reason for immigration to the UK. London and its environments commuter towns have the highest concentration of Zimbabweans. However, they still remain scattered around the

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Erikson's theory on child development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Erikson's theory on child development - Essay Example mas in the ego’s relations with the family and larger social institutions at significant points in childhood, adolescence, and early, middle and late adulthood (Sadock et al, 2007). The different aspects of child development identified by Erikson (1963) are: biological, social and individual. Erikson’s most important contribution to psychology is his demarcation of the eight psychosocial stages represented by the eight ages constituting the life span of an individual. An individual’s identity is related to each stage of the lifecycle. During adolescence a conflict between identity and role confusion can arise. Ego development occurs through the stages of the life span, and is part of a child’s evolution into adolescence. As a student of Freud, Erikson took a unique perspective on Freud’s work, incorporated Freud’s primary assumptions, and broadened the network of factors considered responsible for influencing development. He extended Freudian psychoanalytic theory to focus on the ego as the fundamental component in an individual’s functioning. Erikson’s (1963) psychosocial theory of personality development is similar to Freud’s psychosexual theory of development with its emphasis on instinctual energy as a determining life force (Sadock et al, 2007). Freud’s viewpoint was that the most important determinants of development occurred during early childhood, but on the other hand Erikson believed that the most important development came later, and that development continued through the lifespan: from childhood till the last stage of life. Other differences between Freud and Erikson’s theories is that: Erikson does not stress on unconscious motives or desires, and he based his ideas on analyses of the functioning of healthy people, whereas Freud studied individuals being treated for mental health problems. Erikson considered key social interactions at each stage of development to be very important. Though he agreed that biological unfolding was

Tourism Policy and Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Tourism Policy and Strategy - Essay Example The theoretical framework can be found useful in evaluating the efficiency of the collaborative stakeholder based processes such as framing the tourism policy and planning. Tourism policy and planning is one of the central topics in the academic tourism research as well in the functional directions of national, regional and local tourism organizations. It is considered as an important part of tourism destination strategy and planning. (Heath & Wall, 1992; Prideaux & Cooper, 2002) From the perspective of tourism planning, tourism can be identified as a complex system. This system is considered central to the analysis of power relationships among the various stakeholder groups which are involved in the process of decision making. The tourism system can be described as one which is structured around "a core [that] generally consists of an assemblage of structures, goods, services, and resources directly contributing to the sector, the comprehensive tourism system includes significant social, economic, geological, and ecological components, along with processes and functions that complement its totality and are essential to its sustainability'. (Farrell & Twining-Ward, 2004) Tourism has been considered as a context for research rather than a discipline in its own tenets (Cooper, Fletcher, Fyall, Gilbert & Wanhill, 2005; Jafari & Ritchie, 1981) On this basis sociology offers a theoretical perspective to the study on tourism. This theoretical perspective is discussed in this paper in the context of the application of stakeholder and collaboration theory on tourism policy and planning. Complexity of the Tourism System The linking of so many diverse kinds of products and services has made the tourism industry and the system as a complicated one (Edgell 1990). The tourism system is so fragmented (Shaw & Williams, 2002) in that there exist a number of different players involved in a problem domain who have different interests and attribute different values (Trist, 1983). It is but critical to have a methodology that studies the stakeholder power structure precisely. Further the tourism decision making process is usually characterized in terms of the collaborative power that the stakeholders possess (de Araujo & Bramwell, 2000; Keogh, 1990; Ladkin & Bertramini, 2002; Murphy, 988) However Reed (1997) point out that the authors on the community tourism do not mention any issue of power being involved in the process. Collaborative processes, like destination branding, are therefore at risk of power imbalances that can inhibit both their initiation and success (Jamal & Getz, 1995). Tourism as a Product Tourism when considered as a product can be construed as an experience of a place with its location and people visited at a particular time (Wheeler 1995) Tourism as a product has been conceptualized in a number of ways. Medlik and Middleton (1973) considered the tourism product as a bundle of activities, services, and benefits that constitute the entire tourism experience. Tourism was looked at from two view points by Middleton (1989). In one angle he looked at tourism as a discrete product resulting from the offer of a single business. In another way tourism was looked as a total product describing the relative experience of the tourist. Smith (1994) had

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

How did the interest rate affect the housing prices What drives Essay

How did the interest rate affect the housing prices What drives overseas investors to invest in UK housing market - Essay Example These rates determine the volume of economic activities within the different sectors of the economy Let’s take the example of housing market and understand what the impact of interest rates is over the housing market. In general perspective, the interest rates varies indirectly with housing prices. Any rise in the interest rates makes the market unattractive for the buyer buying the house and therefore demand falls which ultimately leads to falling house prices. On the other hand, any increase in interest rates will increase the monthly payments on a variable mortgage over the house Interest rates and housing prices Interest rate affects the value of income-producing real estate mostly as compared to any investment parameter/factor in the economy. Due to such greater degree of impact of interest rates on an individual's ability to purchase housing properties many people incorrectly assume that the only deciding factor in real estate valuation is the mortgage rate. However, mor tgage rates are only one interest-related factor that influence the property values In developing countries US and UK, the rising interest rates have a big impact over the housing prices. Few years ago, the world has witnessed the global economic turmoil due to the high failures in relation to sub prime mortgages. This means that many homeowners have got a mortgage by borrowing a greater portion of their disposable income The relation between interest rates and housing prices is stronger at lower real interest rates, but even at low real rates, when time trend is included, prices seem to rise by x% as interest rates fall by much lower at y% point. The most common reason with regard to rising housing prices is the availability of easy credit, which took the form of high loan-to-value ratios, low interest rates and permissive approvals. These variables certainly affect housing prices Some of the exceptions to the case i.e. cases where the rising interest rates may not cause fall in ho use prices: Due to time lags: Suppose, someone have a house but any rise in interest rates is unlikely to make him/her sell the house, unless it becomes very serious. Generally a rise in interest rates will not reduce demand straight away Due to confidence: Suppose if the confidence level over the market is high, people may continue to spend money and respond to rising interest rates. This would lead to a fall in the savings ratio while the demand for housing doesn’t fall Due to real interest rates: The affordability of housing is majorly affected by the real interest rates. Suppose, if the interest rates are 9% but the inflation is 8%, the real interest rate is only 1%. In other terms, though the interest rates seem high, but in practices the real cost of borrowing is low Due to Other factors: Many a times, it depends on basic supply and demand analysis as well. Suppose, if there are severe supply constraints (like in the Great Britain) house prices may continue to rise, eve n though interest rates are higher Many a times some of the small developers and second-hand house owners may first reduce housing prices: Any increase in the down payment for the first house would also lead to increase in bank interest rates. This would lead to rise in the down payment pressure and interest costs on buyers Interest rates and impact on capital flows over housing market Since interest rates affects the capital flows, the demand and the supply for capital and investors' required rates of ROI,

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Interspecific and Intraspecific Plant Competitions Lab Report

Interspecific and Intraspecific Plant Competitions - Lab Report Example In cases involving high levels of nutrient availability, the competition always shifts to scramble for light for photosynthesis. This is depicted in the nature in which radish and wheat responded to different conditions of light, nutrients and temperature. Light is always a unidirectional resource. The density of radish was higher than that of wheat under different conditions that they were subjected towards. This resulted from the influence of light and temperature in the growth rates of such plants relevant to the interspecific competition. The results show that radish is a better competitor compared to wheat. This is may also be manifested in other plant interactions. For instance, different habitats have different types of plants with different capabilities and rates of growth, reproduction and competition. Interspecific competition has a negative influence on the sizes of populations of the competitors. This is depicted in the results from the experiment above. The shoot mass in Radish had a higher rate of the growth compared to those of wheat. This means that radish is a better competitor compared to wheat. Therefore, in the long term period, the effects of the interspecific competition between radish and wheat may see wheat being eliminated by radish. When the competition is very severe, the population sizes of the competing species are considerably reduced. This is due to the impacts that the competition presents on the quantity of the resources fought for or against.

Monday, July 22, 2019

Library Management System Essay Example for Free

Library Management System Essay In today’s modern age where computer has become a way of life, it is evident that a majority of country’s institution still do not adapt high technology. Particularly in some schools, library transactions are still done on paper. We all know that modern school libraries are operating at great pace striving to serve as many students as possible with the best of their abilities. But as the years rolled by, the number of study has grown and the manual method of managing student and book records is no longer practical. A Library Management System is a system that makes use of information technology to perform managerial objects. The main goal of a library management information system is to store, organize, share and retrieve vital information needed to perform daily operational functions of the library. St. Matthew Academy of Cavite does not have one. Since library has a very large number of books and large number of members, it is impossible for librarians to handle day to day activities manually. Therefore, a library management system is used to facilitate the tasks in the library. With growing population and high demand of students, St. Matthew Academy of Cavite is in need of such system. And so this is the reason why the proponents came up with the idea of developing the system. By means of obtaining good performance of such system for the library, the level of production and effectiveness of the library will progress. Therefore, this proposal was conducted to develop a system that will minimize all paper works and manual records keeping, thus allowing the librarians and staff ease in keeping track of student records, reducing waiting time and increasing the number of students served – a system that is well-organized, efficient and user-friendly. Statement of the Problem. We had observed that the St. Matthew Academy of Cavite Library does not have a secured system to protect their records and files. The study aims to answer the problem, â€Å"How will the proposed system assure security for the files and records of the library? † Some library cards and other files are misplaced or lost due to improper storage. The study seeks answer to the problem, â€Å"How will the proposed system keep track and record all the files and information? † According to the librarian, paper works and manual process consume a lot of time which causes the transactions to be slow and inaccurate. †How will the proposed system produce accurate and fast transactions? † Importance of the Study St. Matthew Academy of Cavite is located in Niog 1, Bacoor Cavite that offers elementary and high school courses owned by Mr Efren L. de Guzman(School director). In the School library, the processes are done manually. A borrower should have a library card; this will serve as library pass/identification to avail the privileges to each student of the school. The student may enter the book section and search for a book. After choosing a book, he/she will take it to the librarian. The librarian will get the catalogue at the back of the book and fill the details on it. The student must surrender his/her library card. Today, the kind of process they are using is no longer convenient. With establishments like St. Matthew Academy of Cavite, Library Management System is necessary. We are already in the phase wherein a lot of technological advances are taking place which makes the proposal very suitable. Through the implementation of the said system, better results and improvements will take place and it will mainly contribute to the progress of the establishment. The users are the people for whom the system is being built for. Therefore, the Library management system will help satisfy the requirements of the user. Especially now that we are in the modern age where technology has become part of our lives, the system is very appropriate to fulfill the ever-changing needs of users. The researchers are the one responsible for meeting the user requirements. The study certainly adds knowledge and improves the researchers’ skill in developing a functional system that would satisfy their clients. The study unleashes their ability to investigate and come up with a system that makes them more effective and productive researchers. For the future researchers, the Library management system works for small library establishment only. Thus, if the future researchers will find the system appealing, they can come up with new ideas and enhance the system for a more useful and efficient system which can be used for larger libraries. Objectives of the Study In general, the study aims to provide a better system for the SMAC library that would help the librarians to make their work easier. The system is created to replace the manual lending, returning of books. Specifically it aims: 1. To plan for a system that will lessen all paper works and manual procedures to make transactions fast, accurate and accessible. 2. To analyze the function and performance of the library management system, understand the user’s need for the system. 3. To design a user-friendly system that is secured and protected that will help the users understand the functions and flow of the system. 4. To implement a system that will help librarians to keep all the records and transaction manageable. Time and Place of Study The proposed study was conducted at St. Matthew Academy of Cavite, located at Niog 1, Bacoor, Cavite, in the year 2012. Scope and Limitation In general, the focus of the study is to provide a better system for the SMAC library. The implementation of the Library management system will provide solutions for the existing problems within the library. The Library management system is intended to manage the transactions going throughout the library. It will enable the user to operate all the records that are entered to the system. The system maintains the record of the books in the library, borrowing and returning process of the books in the library. It includes the information of books such as title of the book, name of author, the date it was published. The end user of the system is the librarian or the one in charge of the library, which take care of the transactions inside the library. Developments and effectiveness are to be established in this proposal. However, every study has its own limitation. The limitations of the system are the following: Module of Books The user is capable of adding, editing, and searching of book information. The members can search for book title, author or subject by keywords through the OPAC(Public user interface). The OPAC only displays result of the searched book. The members are not capable of editing any records. The user is not capable of deleting records because this is an inventory. Module of Members The user is capable of adding new members, editing, searching and updating member’s information. The user is not capable of deleting members in the database. Module of Borrowed Books This module includes data of books which are issued or borrowed. The user is capable of adding records about issuance of books. Module of Returned Books This module includes data of books which are returned. The user is capable of adding of records. Module of Unreturned books This module includes the record of all unreturned books. Module of Penalty This module includes data of fine on members for late return of books, damage of books or lost books. It does not include printing of receipt. Module of Transaction This Module includes the transactions of borrowing and returning of books, and maintaining records of the book details, member info, date borrowed, due date, the date returned and penalty, if any. Definition of Terms Visual Basic – a programming language created with the main purpose of teaching programmers and developers how to design and develop GUI. Database- a collection of data (information) on a specific topic stored in an organized manner. Record- all of the information listed for one particular item (person, place or thing) in the database file. Search/Find –an operation to locate a specific record(s) that satisfies a statement or statements of criteria. OPAC (Public Interface of User) or simply Library Catalog is a database of materials held by a library or group of libraries. Users search a library catalogprincipally to locate books and other material physically located at a library. Circulation- or library lending comprises the activities around the lending of library books and other material to users of a lending library. A circulation or lending department is one of the key departments of a library. Filipiniana- repository of materials regarding the Philippines either published within or outside the country, authored by a Filipino or foreign writers as long as it is about the Philippines. This section includes books in the different fields of endeavor. Reference – various books that are sources of information about different subjects. They include dictionaries, encyclopedias, manual, and other informational books. Most books in the Reference Section may not be taken out so that they are always available to those who need them. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE Information System It has been a computer era. The computer revolution is greatly affecting the way human’s life. The task of the storage and retrieval for vest amount of information has been taken over almost entirely by computer system. The computer has made it possible to automate much of the information interchange and processing that constitute the nervous system of the society. The computer system that provides the automation is commonly called information system. It will be responsible for computer technology for long term impact on society especially in science like in the field of health and medicine, chemistry, mineral exploration, millitary tactics, finance, education, media and communications, economics, sports, transportation, photography and other related areas. The information storage and retrieval is an active area of computer to help related work both for hardware device and software system as it was stated, information storage and retrieval involves more than hardware devices and storage media alone. To make the physical equipment readily, usable it is necessary to operation associated with it are to add information and others. While many people are excited about all these uses of computer, many others are concerned about the problems like work displacement, invasion, privacy, and the personalization in business operatation. The advantages of a new technologyb are often obvious but the problemas that may arise are much more difficult to access. (Davis, 2005) Use Case Diagram A use case is a methodology used on system analysis to identify, clarify, and organize system requirements. The use case is made up of a set of possible sequences of interactions between systems and users in a particular environment and related to a particular goal. It consists of a group of elements that can be used together in a way that will have an effect larger than the sum of the separate elements combined should contain all system aactivities that have significance to the users. A use case can be thought of as a collection of possible scenarios related to a particular goal, indeed the use case and goal are sometimes considered to be synonymous. (Antoinette Michaella, 1999) Class Diagram A class diagram is an illustration of the relationships and source code dependencies among classes in the unified modeling language (UML). In this context, a class defines the methods and variables in an object which is a specific entity in a program or the unit of code representing that entity. Class diagrams are useful in all forms of object oriented programming (OOP). The concept is several years old but has been refined as OOP modeling pardigms have evolved. The classes are arranged in groups that share comon characteristics. A class diagram resembles a flowchart in which classes are portrayed in boxes. Each box having three rectangles inside. The top rectangle contains the name of the class; the middle rectangle contains the attributes of the class; the lower rectangle contains the methods, also called operations, of the class lines, which may have arrows at one or both ends, connect the boxes. These lines define the relationship, also called association, between the classes. (Francis Michael, 2001) Related Studies on the Proposed Study Saint Vincent High School Library System The objective of Saint Vincent High School Library System is to impelement a system to facilitate the borrowing of books in the school. The Library contributes to the quality of services offered in the academic community, making it an excellent place for study and research. The Library is responsive units that have adapted and changed substantially over the years. (Pomperada, 2011) El Segundo Unified School District Library System The School Libraries of the El Segundo Unified School District are deeply involved with the El Segundo Public Library. The Public Library shares the Automated Circulation and on-line Public Access Catalog System with the School Libraries. The School Libraries serve as branches of the El Segundo Public Library. This collaboration means the El Segundo Public Library Card is used at the School Libraries. Anyone visiting the Public Library and using the Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC) can locate and request any book in any of the libraries. Using the Interlibrary loan system, books are shared between the school libraries and the Public Library. Books can also be pooled together to assist a teacher with a research assignment. UCV Library System The University of Cagayan Valley Library System is an important part of UCV instructions. These are the heart and brain centers of the University, and special place to do research and thorough study. The libraries provide each college with intellectual, up to date high tech resources to support its educational programs. (Del Rosario, 2008) Table 1 shows the comparison of local studies features with the features of the proposed system. |FEATURES |SVHS |ESUSD |UCV |SMAC | |Checking of penalties | | | | | |Viewing of records | | | | | |Updating of Records | | | | | |Adding of Members | | | | | |OPAC | | | | | Table 2. Comparison of Local Studies features with the Proposed Study Legend: SVHS- Saint Vincent High School ESUSD – El Segundo Unified School District UCV University of Cagayan Valley METHODOLOGY The Model chosen for the study is Waterfall Model. The following are the verification phases: Figure 1. Waterfall Model The Planning Phase, the researchers determine the nature and scope of the development. In this phase, the researcher gathered all the information about their process. The procedure was conducted by interviewing the librarian to learn the process of borrowing books from the library. The librarian provided sufficient and useful information on how the manual borrowing of books in the library is conducted. The system’s physical interface, data purpose, etc. , was reviewed by the researchers. The Analysis Phase, the researchers analyzed the user’s needs for the system. In this phase, the system shall be defined in more detail with regard to system inputs, processes, outputs and interfaces. The system shall be described in terms of the functions to be performed. The document for system testing was prepared in this phase. The Design Phase, describes how the proposed system will be built. It defines the specifications, plans, parameters, activities, processes. The researchers designed a well-structured GUI to make it appropriate for the users. It must be user-friendly and secured. The Testing Phase, a particular process or method for trying or assessing. The system needs to be evaluated and tested before it will be used in SMAC Library. A sequence of test was held by the proponents to emphasize all possible problems that may occur. The Implementation Phase, the carrying out, execution or practice of a design. It encompasses all the processes involved in getting new software or hardware operating properly in its environment, including installation, configuration and running, testing and making neccesary changes. The Maintenance Phase, the last phase of the system wherein all areas of operations and maintenace are performed. The system is being used and monitored to ensure that it meets the needs initially stated in the planning phase. Design Maintenance Implementation Testing Analysis Planning.

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Effect of Neo-Geography on Professional GIS

Effect of Neo-Geography on Professional GIS Will Neo-geography cause the end of professional GIS Almost everything that happens, happens somewhere (Longley et al. 2005) meaning that everything happens in geographic space. It can be of critical importance to know not only what happened and when but where something happened as well. A GIS is a computer-based system that provides for the storage and representation of geographic data. GIS data are most commonly stored in a relational database format, from which they can be analysed, combined and displayed as maps or in other data formats. In recent years there has been a large increase in the use of neo-geography, that is the use of applications such as Google Earth, Google Maps, Bing Maps etc. to create maps. These maps usually use a base map from one of the above applications with spatial data collected and displayed over it. The large increase in people using neo-geography has led to discussions as to whether neo-geography will cause the end of professional GIS. GIS GIS is a tool that allows users to visualise data (generally on a map) in order to see patterns and relationships in a given area or subject. (Kemp (ed.) 2008) defines GIS as â€Å"fundamentally concerned with building shared understandings of the world in ways that are robust, transparent and, above all, usable in a range of real world settings.† According to ESRI a GIS â€Å"lets us visualise, question, analyse, interpret, and understand data in many ways that reveal relationships, patterns, and trends in the form of maps, globes, reports, and charts.† (GIS DEMYSTIFIED) however claims that this is too general a definition for such a complex and wide ranging set of tools and says that: â€Å"GIS is, in essence, a central repository of and analytical tool for geographic data collected from various sources. The developer can overlay the information from these various sources by means of themes and layers, perform comprehensive analysis of the data, and portray it graphically for the user.† It is a computer application designed to perform a wide range of operations on geographic information. Geographic information is defined as information about locations on or near the surface of the Earth, and may be organized in a variety of ways (Goodchild 2009). A GIS includes functions to input, store, visualise, export, and analyse geographic information. With GIStechnology, people can compare the locations of different things in order to discover how they relate to each other. For example, using GIS, the same map could include sites that producepollution, such as gas stations, and sites that are sensitive to pollution, such aswetlands. Such a map would help people determine which wetlands are most at risk. GIS can use any information that includeslocation. The location can be expressed in many different ways, such aslatitudeandlongitude, address, orZIP code. Many different types of information can be compared and contrasted using GIS. The system can include data about people, such as population,income, or education level. It can include information about the land, such as the location of streams, different kinds ofvegetation, and different kinds ofsoil. It can include information about the sites of factories, farms, and schools, orstorm drains, roads, and electricpower lines. Neo-geography Neo-geography is a term that refers to techniques, tools and practices of geography that have been traditionally beyond the scope of professional geographers and geographic information systems (GIS) practitioners (Turner 2006). (Castree, Kitchin Rogers 2013) describe neo-geography as follows: â€Å"The new forms of geographical knowledge enabled by Web 2.0 technologies where in geographical data are sourced through the collective actions of many individuals, and processed and displayed through online resources. Neo-geography produces geographical outputs that have not been produced by professionals, but rather through crowdà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ sourcing. These data range from place tags on virtual globes, to uploaded GPS traces of locations, to georeferenced communication that can be mapped and combined with other data to create large, dynamic, open data sets.† Szott (2006) describes neo-geography as â€Å"a diverse set of practices that operate outside, or alongside, or in the manner of, the practices of professional geographers.† He goes on to explain that rather than being scientifically based, methods used in neo-geography tend to be based on more personal and artistic tendencies that are â€Å"idiosyncratic applications of ‘real’ geographic techniques† which can be of value to the cartographic and geographic sciences but don’t conform to professional practice. As mentioned in the above quote from Castree et al. (2013) neo-geography has been enabled by Web 2.0 technologies. Web 2.0 is a term that was introduced in 2004 and refers to the second generation of theWorld Wide Web (TechTerms 2008). While it suggests new version of the World Wide Web the term actually refers to technological improvements in software and changes in how software developers and end users use the web (Fu Sun 2011). These improvements and changes lead to the introduction of services such as Google Maps, Google Earth, Bing Maps and MapQuest among others. These services are referred to as WebGIS. WebGIS is any GIS that uses Web technologies (Fu Sun 2011). As these services became more popular developers such as Google started to release an application programming interface (API) for their programs. An application programming interface is a set of programming instructions and standards for accessing a Web-based software application orWeb tool (Roos 2007). Releasing APIà ¢â‚¬â„¢s to the public allowed software developers to design products powered by WebGIS. The term ‘neo-geography’ was coined by one of the founders of platial.com, Di-Ann Eisner (Maguire 2007). She used neo-geography to describe the ‘new’ geography of overlaying or ‘mashing up’ two or more sources of geographic information. The release of API’s allowed developers and users to quickly and easily show geographically based data on shareable maps creating what has become known as a ‘mashup’ (Turner 2006). This could, for instance, be a Google Maps base layer overlaid with mobile phone coverage. Using the Google Maps API a software developer was able to take the original application (Google Maps) and overlay content (the mobile phone coverage over it) effectively ‘mashing’ the two together. Web 2.0 has resulted in a rise in user-generated content (UGC) of which volunteered geographic content (VGI) is UGC of a geographic nature (WEBGIS pg250). VGI is digital spatial data that is created voluntarily by citizens rather than by formal data producers (webgis pg279 goodchild 2007a). â€Å"The availability of mapping APIs like Google’s has facilitated the concept of a ‘mashup’ as the ideal presentation vehicle for VGI by providing a geographical backdrop† (Learning From the Crowd: The Role of Volunteered Geographic Information in Realising a Spatially Enabled Society). VGI has become a hugely important channel through which geographic data is collected. The table below taken from WEBGIS (XXXX) shows the geographic information collected from popular websites. Example websites and essential geospatial questions asked Use cases Geographic information contributed Wikimapia What places do you know? Users draw a rectangle and describe the place with a few sentences Constructing a comprehensive global gazetteer database Picasa, Panoramio, and Flickr online albums (geotagging) What photos can you share about places you have been? Users upload geotagged photos or upload and geotag the photos by zooming to a location on a map Recording and reporting the past and present conditions of places or events with the use of photos OpenStreetMap What GPS data do you have for the roads you bike, walk or drive? Users upload the track logs of their personal GPS receivers Constructing street and highway data layers for many areas SeeClickFix Where and what problems do you see that need to be fixed? Users report problems such as potholes and graffiti by drawing on and annotating maps Identifying problems for local authorities Twitter (GeoTweeting) Whats going on here? Users report personal activities, other events, or incidents at their locations Monitoring and reporting activities Conclusion Neo-geography has caused a large shift in the way people view and use maps. The Conclusion Focus on data quality Focus on analysis that gis’s can carry out, neogeo can’t really do this – only really displys at the mo planning Also focus on fact that most neogeo is built on a gis foundation. These reasons neogeo will not end prof GIS GIS has a huge amount of uses including: Managing business activities Planning Emergency services Land management Transport Utility operations Benefits of GIS include: Fundamentals of GIS (intro to GIS first few pages) GIScience – the professional arm? Introduction Geography (use demystified, use GIS: an introduction, use gis and science)( The use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in Business PDF) They will explain gis from geography How much gis used now in daily life, business etc (google gis in daily life)( CONCEPTS AND THEORIES OF GIS IN BUSINESS)( The use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in Business PDF) Mention neogeo; use intro to neogeo try to rehash what it is in a few lines with examples The hardware and software functions of a GIS are as follows: Acquisition and verification Compilation Storage Updating and changing Management and exchange Manipulation Retrieval and presentation Analysis and combination These actions are applied to the data held in the GIS. All of this data is georeferenced i.e. linked to a location on the earth’s surface using a coordinate system. Information can be attached to locations (Heywood, Cornelius Carver 2011) tell us that in general, the definitions of GIS cover three main components: It is a computer system comprising of both hardware and software, It uses spatially referenced or geographical data and, Carries out various management and analysis tasks. Hardware is used to collect and input data. Analysis of the information can then be undertaken using the software. By providing spatial analysis of suitably coded data it is possible to provide striking, visual representations of data. These representations can often reveal patterns and trends that might otherwise have gone unnoticed without the use of GIS techniques.

Inter Professional Collaboration In Practice

Inter Professional Collaboration In Practice Inter-professional Education (IPE) occurs when two or more professions learn together with the object of cultivating collaborative practice (CAIPE 2002). The benefits, as purported by (Barr 2002) are to have mutual understanding and respect, broadminded attitudes and perceptions and minimised stereotypical thinking. This thinking is informed by the legislative policy requirements of health and social care agencies to work closely and collaboratively together with service user along with professional guidelines (DH 2006, GSCC 2008, and QAA 2008). Communicating with other health and social care professionals, understanding contrasting perspectives, being involved in the seminars, groupwork trigger exercises, and IPE literature has enhanced my learning at the conference and has informed my practice for the future. The module began with introductions and the team members each described their professional roles. (Dombeck 1997) refers to the importance of knowing your own professional identity and that of others before you are able to be able to form useful IP relationships. As students there was an initial understanding of each of our own professional roles and this was enhanced by discussion. Through this social process of learning we were able to correct each others bias and assumptions. The multidisciplinary group was not universal in its wish to achieve as much from the course as possible; this became understandable later, when it was clarified that the course did not form part of the medical degree qualification. A sense of inequality developed, which led the group to question the value placed on IPE within the medical profession. (Stapleton 1998) refers to open and honest and equal participation being conducive to collaborative relationships between professions. Despite this perceived ineq uality the group functioned well together. Open and honest discussions ensued although any interactions were superficial given the duration of the conference. Contact was sparse following the conference and there was little use of the IT systems placed on blackboard to assist or cement further learning. Professor Means (2010) presentation resonated with me, as he spoke of championing ones own values and ethics, whilst seeing different perspectives and challenging boundaries of roles. He viewed this to be achievable with positive interactions and collaborations and engendering mutual trust and support. This led me to reflect on the nature of this discussion and contribute to the completion of one of our sentences. Challenging professional boundaries creatively, whilst advocating ones own professions values and ethics. Pecukonis et al (2008) state that ethics relate to the pursuit of human betterment but these can be viewed and interpreted by different professions and refers to the term profession-centrism.This was underpinned by discussion within the group of the crossover in roles occurring within health and social care for example occupational therapist carrying out some of the duties of nurses and vice versa, whilst also being the eyes and ears for social workers. This caused me t o consider that social work is done by many professionals and its boundaries are not clear. This, whilst confusing, can lead to more professional fulfilment within roles and lead to a stronger skill mix which, with the service user at the centre, will lead to a better service and resource savings. Social, political and economic elements would welcome this cross over of skills however there is a possibility of a devaluing the value of each profession. (Barr 2004) supports this view and discusses the new flexible worker giving patients a holistic approach but also advocates respect for specialisms within teams. The upgrading of responsibility and specialisation of medical tasks to nurses previously in the Doctors domain was discussed and there was a consensus within the group that this was a positive experience as it valued knowledge and not hierarchical structures of power. (Baker et al 2006) discusses the modernisation of healthcare and the move towards a team based model of healthcare delivery. Power has traditionally been sanctioned through authority and has in general been located within the medical profession (Colyer 2004) advises that the last fifteen years have seen a sea change in the medical professions organisation, structure and agency and this has improved the quality of intervention to service users. The seminar on Intermediate Care by Williams and Drake (2010) increased my knowledge of how the multidisciplinary teams within the Community Health Team and Bristol City Council work together to provide holistic, flexible and client centred services with a single point of access. This occurs despite different IT, communication and reward systems and the challenges for the future viewed as aligning the organisational aims and objectives, recording systems, and professional views to transform consistency, capacity and efficiency. This enabled me to understand the daily pressures of working between organisations and the further challenges that present themselves with the current political and financial changes currently affecting the NHS and how the stereotyping of roles and their responsibilities are changing as are service user involvement. The terms service user, patient and client were debated by the group and the subtle ways that language inform the discourse. Service user as a term was decided upon as it was the least discriminatory although consensus was not possible and the problematic nature of labels was explored both for service users and carers (Thomas 2010 p.172-3). The National Occupational Standards of Social Work (2006) set out the values and ethics of service users and carers and the importance of inclusion. The carer in the patients voices video who expressed her lack of recognition of being an expert by experience demonstrated the gaps that as (Payne 2000) defines as the difference between professionals in collaborative working detracting from the empowerment and involvement of people who use services. Service users and carers should have a place in the decision making process. I was able to appreciate the seminar provide by Adams (2010) which challenged my perception of being different but being compatible with others. Analogies were used of chalk and cheese and peas in a pod; the same components but different .This challenged my own conscious and unconscious views of my own profession and that of others, and the stereotypes that I hold and internalise. In order to combat these feelings I felt a need to have a clear sense of my own identity, confidence, role boundaries, values and ethics and practice and knowledge standards. I questioned my own perceived identity and that of my profession and recognised my own attempts to try to overcome perceived stereotypes and how issues of power and oppression require consideration before action, (Dalrymple and Burke 2006). A discussion ensued regarding conflicts of interest between professionals and I was able to make the links between theory and practice. (White and Featherstone 2005 p.210) explores the idea of story telling about different professions or professional groups and how atrocity stories allows one profession to scapegoat another but how stories can also strengthen and confirm identity, by questioning other professions and thereby strengthening ones own. (Barnes et al., 2000) state that by developing ones own knowledge base and othering of different professions whether rooted in the medical or social models allows different perspectives to be heard and recognised. (Lukes 1974) discusses these views of power and the subtle way that power is exercised and how people can remain powerless and this how service users are viewed within IP practice. The Childrens Act 1989 and Every Child Matters 2006 are all resulting from the failures within public services to protect children. In reality IPW continues to fail. The Bristol Royal Infirmary (2001) Victoria Climbie Inquiry Lord Laming(2003) and more recent news on the serious case review of Baby P (2009) and the ongoing Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust Inquiry (2010) have highlighted serious breakdowns in multi-agency working and communication. The subsequent media reports have shown increased public mistrust and increased accountability for professionals Davies et al (1999) states that trust is an asset and that its reduction may hamper institutions ability to function. Words 1305 Section 2 Discuss how you would take what you have learnt about IP working into practice? Effective IP working (IPW) involves performing within practice situations of cohesion and disparity. Working collaboratively with other social and health care professionals has experientially helped me to reaffirm and develop my practice. I have gained experience in communicating effectively, understanding teamwork, exploring stereotypes and professional identity and how social, economic and political factors will affect my future practice. As a social work (SW) student working within an education and child protection setting, I understand the need to ensure a holistic and safe care provision in order to protect vulnerable children and adults. The Victoria Climbie Inquiry (Laming, 2003) pointed to the failure of various professions in their ability to work together in a competent and unified way. The Laming report led to the change in social workers National Occupational Standards and focussed on the need to develop clear documented communication, sharing all aspects with all relevant professionals to avoid any ambiguity and uncertainty within teams. (Laming, 2009. p. 61) emphasises that: there is a clear need for a determined focus on improvement of practice in child protection across all the agencies . . . I will describe a child protection team meeting and its wider lessons for my practice. Whilst on placement I met a young girl, whos younger brother was subject to a child protection investigation. Her mother had limited English and her father was the alleged abuser. The investigation involved a child protection meeting involving a plethora of health and social care professions to jointly assess the risk to both children. The meeting was effectively chaired by a social worker and all were invited to contribute their specific knowledge and evidence on the family, opinion was sought on actions and timeframes.(Molyneux 2001) debates the issue of good teamwork as being dependant on the qualities of the staff and the need for there to be no one dominant force. By communication being inclusive, creative and regular, issues can be debated and resolved. Concluding that teams were successful when members were confident, motivated and flexible and communication channels were clear, frequent and in the same base. (Petrie 1976) discusses a cognitive map where two opposing disciplin arians can look at the same thing but not see the same thing. My experience of working within this multi-disciplinary team was positive with all professionals having a voice. However on reflection and through IPW I am now more aware of the perspectives of others and the need to define and develop my professional identity. (Bell Allain 2010 p.10) in their pedagogic study allude to SW students being reverential to medical expertise and giving low ratings on their own abilities of leadership. I feel a dichotomy exists between SW railing against the medical model and promoting the social model whilst deferring to the stereotypes of professionalism within health and social care. For the future I need to be aware of stereotypes and continue to develop my critical reflection of both my personal and professional self whilst developing my abilities to be heard within multiprofessional teams. As a SW student, I am aware that there exists a blurring of edges of what the SW role entails and how the identity of the role may change in the future. (Payne2006) refers to a social worker working within a mental health practitioners team which included working alongside nurses and psychologists including high levels of therapy based work, which would not usually sit within social work practice and therefore ones professional identity could be lost. (Lymbury Butler 2004) state that whilst it is important to share knowledge with other professionals that are allied to social work it is imperative that the identity of ones own profession is preserved. (Laidler 1991) further addresses the issues of crossing professional boundaries describing them as professional adulthood. That IP jealousy and conflicts will arise to the detriment of the team members and more importantly to the service user. Power as exercised may cause some to struggle as power is shared and fluctuates in accordance with whose knowledge and expertise best suits the service user. Envy as discussed by (Schein 2004) identifies ways in which it can stand in the way of good IP learning by creating a collective unconscious resulting in; an attack on colleagues, an attack on learning and failing to learn from each other and or authority figures, and issues of who takes responsibility. Within the Child Protection meeting the chair was a senior SW who co-ordinated the professionals and this caused me to reflect on my abilities, as SWs must deliver safe high quality care but given limited resources , different professional groups will have different priorities and see issues differently. Sellman (2010) concludes that you need to be willing , have trust in others and have effective leadership either acting with your inclinations or action that affords the best outcome however, personal , professional and structural influences can encourage or discourage practitioners. I recognised that for the future I ne eded to increase my ability to create a dialogue across difference whilst holding on to the dignity and responsibility of every person. (Skaerbaek 2010) purports that by listening to the minority one is able to see the practices that underlie the agenda of the majority. However the future blurring of health and welfare provision is changing across all sectors. The role of the private sector in the provision of health and welfare practice can provide competitive market forces to drive up the standards and offer greater choice to individuals through direct payments. This in turn can create greater service user autonomy and much more creative solutions. However this can also lead to inequality and a perception that the services are driven by profit bringing the ethical motivation of private sector into question and a blurring of the duties of the state to the service user. (Field and Peck 2003) conclude that the culture of the private and public sector will need to merge and this will result in challenges within roles and organisations. The voluntary sector is one of the fastest growing with voluntary organisations, who, when commissioned, are more accessible to service users and people are more likely to engage with them. They have more freedom acting as advocates and campaigners and are less regulated through targets (Pollard et al 2010). However given the current economic climate and the recently announced budget cuts (Rickets 2010) suggests that the pressure on the voluntary sector to provide more services will continue and if the state retreats from providing services, the voluntary and community sector will fill the gap. Personalisation in which services are tailored to the needs and preferences of citizens is the overall government vision: that the state should empower citizens to shape their own lives and the services they receive. Liberating the NHS 2010 (p3 4) states that We will put patients at the heart of the NHS, through an information revolution and greater choice and control: a. Shared decision making will become the norm: no decision about me without me and The Government will devolve power and responsibility for commissioning services to the healthcare professionals closest to patients: GPs and their practice t eams working in consortia.(Foreman 2008) sees the need to involve IT in helping to improve and reduce the barriers to IPW. The structures of IPW will continue to evolve and change with complexity and ideological thinking however I need to engage with other professionals and service users in a person centred way. In conclusion, the IPW conference, literature and subsequent research have clarified my future need to be flexible in both my role and that of others and the primacy of the service user at the centre of my practice. Teams and service users are diverse, comprised of people of different ages, from different social and cultural backgrounds with different expectations. (Carnwell et al 2005 p.56) relates collaboration to embracing diversity and moving away from the comfortable assumption that there is only one way to see the world , providing strategies : learn from each other, embrace IP working, and adopt a value position where anti discriminatory practice is central. By critically reflecting on practice I must embrace a degree of uncertainty and unpredictability as a necessary part of the complex micro and macro systems of IPW. Words 1374 SECTION 3 REFERENCES Adams, K. (2010) What is Interprofessional Education? UWE Bristol, IPE Level 2 Conference. Baker, D. Day, R. Salas, E. (2006) Teamwork as an essential component of high reliability organizations. Health Services Research 41(4) pp 1576-98. Barnes, D., Carpenter, J. Dickinson, C. (2000) Inter-professional education for community mental health: attitudes to community care and professional stereotypes, Social Work Education. Vol 19 (6), pp. 565-583. Haringey Safeguarding Children Board Serious Case Review: Baby Peter Executive Summary (2009).[online] Available from: http://www.haringeylscb.org/executive_summary_peter_final.pdf [Accessed 22 November 2010] Barr ,H. (2002) Interprofessional Education Today, Yesterday and Tomorrow: A Review. LTSN HS P: London. Barr, H., Freeth, D., Hammick, M., Koppel, I. Reeves, S. (2000) Evaluations of Interprofessional Education: A United Kingdom Review for Health and Social Care. CAIPE/BERA: London. Bell, L. and Allain, L. (2010) Exploring Professional Stereotypes and Learning for Interprofessional Practice: An Example from UK Qualifying Level. Social Work Education. Vol 1 pp1 -15 Bristol Royal Infirmary Inquiry HM Government (2001) Learning from Bristol: the report of the public inquiry into childrens heart surgery at the Bristol Royal Infirmary 1984 -1995. London: HMSO [online] Available from: http://www.bristol-inquiry.org.uk/final_report/report/index.htm [Accessed 16 November 2010] Carnwell, R. Buchanan, J. (2005) Effective Practice in Health Social Care: A partnership Approach. Berkshire: Open University Press CAIPE (2002) [online] Available from : http://www.caipe.org.uk/about-us/defining-ipe/ [Accessed 8 November 2010] Childrens Act (1989) [online] Available from: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1989/41/contents [Accessed 10 November 2010] Colyer, H. (2004) The construction and development of health professions: where will it end? Journal of Advanced Nursing Vol 48, (4), pp. 408-412 Dalrymple, J. and Burke, B. (2006) Anti-oppressive Practice, Social Care and the Law (2nd edition). Maidenhead: Open University Press Davies, H. Shields, A. (1999) Public trust and accountability for clinical performance; lessons from the national press reportage of the Bristol hearing. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical practice. Vol 5,(3) pp. 335-342. Department of Health (DH) (2006) Options for Excellence- Building the Social care Workforce of the future TSO: London Dombeck, M. (1997) Professional personhood:training, territoriality and tolerance. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 11 pp. 9-21. Field, J Peck, E. (2003) Public-private partnerships in healthcare: the managers perspective. Health and Social Care in the Community. Vol 11 pp.494-501 Foreman, D. (2008) Using technology to overcome some traditional barriers to effective clinical interprofessional learning. Journal of Interprofessional Care, Vol 22(2) pp.209-211. General Social Care Council (2008) Social Work at its Best: A Statement of Social Work Roles and Tasks for the 21st Century [online]. Available at http://www.gscc.org.uk [Accessed 18 November 2010] HM Government (2004) Every Child Matters: Change for Children 2004. London: HMSO [online] Available from: http://www.opsi.gov.uk/Acts/acts2004/ukpga_20040031_en_1 [Accessed 19 November 2010] HM Government (2010) Equity and excellence: Liberating the NHS. London: HMSO [online] Available from: http://www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/@dh/@en/@ps/documents/digitalasset/dh_117794.pdf [Accessed 19 November 2010] Haringey Safeguarding Children Board Serious Case Review: Baby Peter Executive Summary (2009).[online] Available from: http://www.haringeylscb.org/executive_summary_peter_final.pdf [Accessed 22 November 2010] Keeping, C. Barratt, G. 2009 Interprofessional Practice cited in Glasby, J Dickenson H (2009) International Perspectives on Health and Social Care Oxford Wiley- Blackwell. Laidler, P. (1991) Adults, and how to become one. Therapy Weekly. Vol 17 (35) p4. Laming, Lord (2003) The Victoria Climbie Inquiry. Stationery Office, London Laming, Lord (2009) The Protection of Children in England: A Progress Report. Stationery Office: London Lukes, S. (1974) Power: A Radical View Basingstoke: Macmillan Lymbury, M. and Butler, S. (2004) Social work ideals and practice realities. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan Means, R. (2010) Why Inter-professional Working Matters: From Theory To Practice UWE Bristol, IPE Level 2 Conference. Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Inquiry (2010) [online] Available from: http://www.midstaffspublicinquiry.com/ [Accessed 22 November 2010] Molyneux J (2001) Interprofessional teamworking: what makes teams work well? Journal of Interprofessional Care. 15,(1), pp.338-346 Payne, M. (2006) What is professional social work? Bristol: Polity Press Pecukonis E, Doyle O, Bliss DL (2008) Reducing barriers to interprofessional training: promoting interprofessional cultural competence. Journal of Interprofessional Care Vol 22 pp.417-28 Petrie, H . G. (1976) Do you see what I see? The epistemology of interdisciplinary inquiry. Journal of Aesthetic Education, 10, 29 43. Pollard, K. Thomas, J. and Miers, M. (2010) Understanding Interprofessional Working in Health and Social Care. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) (2008) Social Work Benchmark Statements [online]. Available at: http://qaa.ac.uk/academicinfrastructure/benchmark/statements/socialwork08.asp. [Accessed 15 November 2010] Rickets, A. (2010) Budget will place major burden on charities. Third Sector [online] Available at: http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/News/DailyBulletin/1011592/Budget-will-place-major-burden-charities-umbrella-bodies- [Accessed 20 November 2010] Schein, E. (2004) Organizational Culture and Leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Sellman D. (2010) Values and Ethics in Interprofessional Working In Pollard K. Thomas J, Miers, M.(eds) (2010) Understanding Interprofessional Working in Health and Social Care Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan Skaerbaek, E. (2010) Undressing the Emperor? On the ethical dilemmas of heirarchical knowledge Journal of Interprofessional Care, September2010; 24(5) : 579-586 Skills for Care (2006) National Occupational Standards for Social Work. [online]. Available at: http://www.skillsforcare.org.uk (Accessed 19 November 2010). Stapleton, S. (1998) Team-building: making collaborative practice work. Journal of Nurse-Midwifery 43(1), pp12-18 Thomas, J (2010) Service Users, Carers and Issues for Collaborative Practice cited in Pollard, K, Thomas, J and Miers, M. Understanding Interprofessional Working in Health and Social Car Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. White, S. Featherstone, B. (2005) Communicating misunderstandings: multi-agency work as social practice, Child and Family Social Work, Vol. 10, pp. 207-216 Williams, V. and Drake, S. (2010) Intermediate Care (IMCS) Bridging the Gap Facilitated Discharge. UWE Bristol, IPE Level 2 Conference. SECTION 4 APPENDIX- 6 AGREED GROUP SENTENCES Theme 1: Communication issues between Health and Social Care professionals Clear and concise communication is key to a well co-ordinated transfer within health and social care services. Health and Social care professionals need to recognise the importance of maintaining privacy, dignity and respect when communicating in the presence of service users. Theme 2: Contrasting professional perspectives/ values within teams. Recognise the importance of valuing each health and social care professions perspective. Challenging professional boundaries creatively whilst advocating ones own professions values and ethics. Theme 3: Stereotyping, power imbalances and team processes Positive attitudes to working with other health and social care professionals in a real world environment with the patient/service user at the centre of planning and documenting is necessary to reduce power imbalances. Recognise and embrace differences to minimise stereotypical views within health and social care.

Saturday, July 20, 2019

Sikh Pride :: essays research papers

"Cut your hair, already", some fifth graders said as they pushed me against the hard brick wall. I tried to argue with them, but then one of them punched me in the gut. I fell to the ground crying. I remember feeling so confused, trying to figure out what had I done to them. People started crowding around, to see what was happening. Almost all the kids laughed at me, the older kids laughed because they were mean and the smaller ones laughed to fit in. Luckily, the bell rang and recess was over. I was truly "saved by the bell." I had put it off for too long; I had to tell my teacher about these bullies.I went to my teacher’s desk and whined to her, "Some older kids were bullying me in the playground. They told me to cut my hair.""You should cut your hair. So much hair is disgusting" she told me most spitefully.I went to my seat crying with anger, not to those bullies or my teacher, yet to myself for being, so weird. I was now determined to cut my hair before the day was over. Finally the long awaited moment had arrived; the day was over and my Mom and Dad were waiting for me outside to go home. My dad asked me how my day was so, I told him about my horrible day. I told him about the fifth graders bullying me and the teacher’s malicious comment towards me. I told him that I wanted to cut my hair today, and that my mind was made up. Understanding my situation my parents headed towards the closest barbershop. On the way to the barbershop I started looking at my parents, with their uncut hair. And I asked them why we had to have uncut hair. My parents stopped the car and they told me everything about my religion and why we don’t cut our hair. My parents told me that a saint named Guru Gobind Singh Ji first formed the Sikh religion. God told him that he was to make a new religion, a religion, in which the members have uncut hair.Now as I look back at what my parents told me; I understand that the Khalsa was founded not only to have a religion where nothing that god gave to us was changed. People weren’t supposed to cut their hair because God gave them hair and what he gave shouldn’t be changed.

Friday, July 19, 2019

The pulse code digitization and companding on a signal Essay example --

AIM The main aim of this project is to demonstrate the pulse code digitization and companding on a signal and to observe the effects of sampling depths and companding on the signal to noise ratio (SQR). INTRODUCTION PCM- In the pulse code modulation (PCM), the signal is a digitally represented analog signal in which the signal magnitude is sampled with uniform intervals. Each sample is quantized to the closest value of the digital signal. In the pulse code modulation, the signal is binary. The two possible states represented in PCM are logic 1(high) and logic 0 (low). The main advantage of PCM signal is that it is derived from analog signal which is multiplexed with data from the computer and carried over a common high-speed channel. COMPANDING- The combination of compressing and expanding is known as companding. In companding, the data is compressed before it is sent and then expanded at the receiving end using the same non-linear scale. The noise and crosstalk levels at the receiver are reduced due to companding. It is used in wireless microphones for better dynamic range and also in digital and telephony systems for compressing of the input signal and expanding of the output signal. The below figure 1 shows the demonstration of PCM with and without companding. Figure1- PCM with and without companding Procedure to create PCM and companding on excel sheet The PCM and companding of a signal is done on a spreadsheet using excel. Firstly, a sine wave is created by varying the time with respect to the amplitude. The frequency of the signal is taken as 10 Hz. The quantization process of the signal will be done. A quantized sine wave is then created. Now the number of levels cell (N) should be created. We take the value ... ...ude=0.1, large N=8. GRAPH I) Plot of SQR vs Amplitude with Companding (mu=255) and without Companding (mu=0). GRAPH J) Plot of SQR vs bit depth both with Companding (mu=255) and without Companding (mu=0). Where A=1, and bit depths are 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256. CONCLUSION: This lab was carried out to compand and quantizes a voice signal. We In the Using the pulse modulation technique, the analog signal is converted into the digital signal. The process of quantization and companding of a signal is carried on the spreadsheets. To attain a clear signal to quantization noise ratio, the number of samples should be increased. By increasing the sampling depth, the quantization error can be minimized. By companding process, the quantization noise and distortion levels can be minimized. Companding improves response for low amplitude signals.

Thursday, July 18, 2019

Preface :: Economics

Preface Since the early customs union, the European Union has been keen to create a single market for its member states. In this assignment, I am going to discuss to what extent the European Union has created a single integrated economy for its member states. 2. Introduction From the early Customs Union to the Single European Market to the recent Single European Currency—the Euro, the European Union achieved a lot of successes in the process of creating a single integrated economy for its member states in the last fifty years. Nonetheless, with so many successes, the European Union still have a long way to go to create a true single economy for its member states. For example, there are still significant differences of corporate governance regimes and social/labour models between member states. And the enlargement towards Central and Eastern Europe is another incomplete big task for the European Union. In the following, I am going to discuss, with more details, to what extent the European Union has created a single integrated economy for its member states. 3. Major Achievements 3.1 Customs Union and The Early Enlargement In 1948, the Benelux--a customs union in industrial goods was formed by the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. After the Treaty of Paris and the Treaty of Rome were signed, the customs union comprised Benelux, France, Germany and Italy and was extended to all industrial goods (not just for coal and steel). In 1969, the customs union completed the elimination of customs duties and quantitative restrictions on the import and export goods between the original six. (McDonald D, 1999) This was the most basic economic arrangement of the EU. Between the elimination of tariffs and quotas and the agreement of establishing the Single European Market, there was very little progress towards the single market. (McDonald D, 1999) But enlargements were very successful with member states growing from 6 to 15 which included Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom joined in 1973, Greece in 1981, Spain and Portugal in 1986 and Austria, Finland and Sweden in 1995. (Europa, 2003a) 3.2 The Single European Market In 1985, the European Commission chaired by Jacques Delors published a White Paper proposing the member states for completing the internal market. This white paper made it clear that there were three types of barriers (physical, technical and fiscal) standing in the way of the completion of the internal market. (Mercado S. et al, 2001) In the next year, 12 member states signed the Single European Act which contained a blueprint and a timetable for adopting over 270 liberalising measures which would be necessary for the creation of a single market. (Europa, 2003a) Between the passing of the Single European Act and the deadline of 31st