Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 11

Journal - Essay Example This trend makes people unenthusiastic to volunteer for testing. The fundamental strategy in resolving this problem is closely associated with the application of strategic ways of wooing the masses to appreciate this significant service. This can be done through encouragement and provision of information on the benefits attributed to HIV counselling and testing. In addition, information should be conveyed to curb the tendency of discrimination against the HIV victims2. The home based approach (HMT), enhances visitation of people by health workers at their homes for counselling and testing. This is done regardless of the group’s perceived HIV risk. The home based approach is perceived to be the widespread tool for counselling and testing HIV. This approach has received overwhelming support from the international players in a bid to prevent and cure HIV. This study focuses on the acceptability of HBT particularly the most prevalent Sub-Saharan Africa region3. In addition, this study examines the factors associated with the uptake of HBT. The researchers searched numerous databases to identify suitable peer-reviewed studies from Africa, which where published amid January 2000 and September 2012. The research included in-depth study of materials that prescribed accepting HIV testing provided through home based HIV test. Diverse types of studies were done. They include randomized controlled trials, observational cohort studies and cross sectional surveys. The magnitude of the information collected by the various methods was attributed to the pooling together of data for easy calculation, of the overall proportion of the people who accepted HIV testing through Home based test. 524, 867 people formed the sample population. They were drawn from five African countries. This study revealed that the ratio of people who accepted HBT ranged from 58% to 99%. It is worth noting that, the

Monday, October 28, 2019

Opinions and Social Pressure Essay Example for Free

Opinions and Social Pressure Essay Asch in his essay â€Å"Opinions and Social Pressure† conducted an experiment to determine effects of group pressure towards an individual and concluded that there is a very strong tendency to conformity even when doing so conflicting with their own senses of morality. In the experiment a group of young students have to compare length of lines on two different sheets of paper. On one of them there is a sample single line and on the other one there are three lines only one of which is same size as the sample line from the first sheet. People taking part in this experiment are instructed to point at lines that are the same length. At first, during the experiment the group is unanimous in their answers and chooses the correct line, but later on the person that sits near to the end of the line in which people taking part in the experiment are sited, selects different answers then the rest of the group. As the experiment continues and the situation repeats, the isolated in selecting different than the majority answers person shows signs of feeling uncomfortable in position of dissenter. What he doesn’t know is that the rest of the group is instructed to give wrong answers while the experiment is conducted. The single individual is placed in the minority while actually giving the correct answers. Subjects of this experiment could act independently or they could go along with majority’s opinion. A prominent percentage yielded. Under the majority pressure people are more likely to accept the misleading information. There are extreme examples of totally independent individuals as well as people who totally agree with the majority almost most of the time and the tendency is highly consistent. After reconstructing the experiment the next question for the scientist to answer is which aspect of influence is more important, the size of majority or its unanimity. It turns out, that the majority size makes a difference only to the point where majority group involves three people. Making the majority any bigger would not influence on the error rate for the answers in the experiment. Breaking up unanimity of the group in given answers has a significant effect. In the experiment it is also noted that the rate of wrong answers depends to a considerable degree on how wrong the majority is. Even with significant difference in length of lines there were still individuals who agree with majority error. For those participating in this experiment almost all declare that independence was preferable to conformity. â€Å"Life in society requires consensus as an indispensable conditions. But consensus, to be productive, requires that each individual contribute independently out of his experience and insight. (†¦) We have found that tendency to conformity in our society so strong that reasonably and well- meaning young people are willing to call white black is a matter of concern† (Salomon E. Asch â€Å"Opinion and Social Pressure† pp. 730). The experiment has proven that we live in times where opinion become very subjective and can be easily modified. Social techniques are wildly used in marketing and sales or even by lobbyist in governmental decision making process. The uncertainty of people own senses, opinion or knowledge can be easily abused. Asch’s experiment implements how people believe in the obvious lies. It’s shows simple ways of influencing perception, judgment and action. Results of this experiment trigger a number of social and scientifically researches like study of Berns G.S. (2005) (Neurobiological Correlates of Social Conformity and Independence During Mental Rotation, Biological Psychiatry, 58(3), pp 245-253), that explains decision making influence on very profound level. It proves that social mechanisms of authority have an effect not only on individual behavior but it also effects brain chemistry. Resources: â€Å"Opinions and S ocial Pressure† / by Solomon E. Asch Berns G. S. (2005) (Neurobiological Correlates of Social Conformity and Independence During Mental Rotation, Biological Psychiatry, 58(3), pp 245-253) Reaction Paragraph: I was very surprised by the results of Asch’s experiment. I always knew that the opinion of the group counts and it’s important to most of us, but would never except that the scale and strength of decision making influence techniques can be so large and effective. Society faces many different forms and techniques of decision making influences that were developed from results of the Asch’s experiment. This techniques share common goals which are to make society to obey and find the best ways to achieve social conformity. On positive side, conformity can be used to create predictability references or to organize a convenient social structure that doesn’t require constant renegotiations. On the negative side, it’s a key to a great power over social behavior and actions. This raise questions over morality and responsibility over the actions that could be caused by manipulations. If the study was conducted on contemporary society the results wouldn’t be much different if not even showing stronger tendency to conformity. Living in the age of social media, mass communication networks and globalization concepts individuals are more pressured to obey, to be a part of events or actions not truly and not only by their free will. The study indicates that in big majority people are followers and they tend to obey authority and follow the opinion of majority. Awareness of how humans tend to obey comes with some tips on how we can protect ourselves from external influence. Cultivating a healthy skepticism and exercising active change in our behavior make us less vulnerable to prospective social experiments.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Napoleon Bonaparte Essay -- biographies bio biography

Napoleon Bonaparte is regarded as one of the greatest military and political masterminds in the history of man. Napoleon’s brilliance led him through extremely successful Italian campaigns, major battles against the Third Coalition and helped him rule politically to keep the gains of the revolution. Napoleon, through his military conquests and political alterations, made France a great nation. Napoleon Bonaparte was born on August 15th, 1769 in small town of Ajaccio on the island of Corsica. He had seven siblings, and his father was a lawyer whose family stemmed from the Florentine nobility. In 1779, Napoleon went to school at Brienne in France. There he took a great interest in history, especially in the lives of great ancient generals. Napoleon was often badly treated at Brienne because he was not as wealthy as his fellow classmates were, and being short for his age did not help. Along with those shortcomings he did not speak French well, because mainly Italian was spoken in Corsica. He studied very hard so that he could do better than those who mocked him. Napoleon attended the Ecole Military School in Paris in 1784. This is where he received his military training to become an artilleryman and an officer. Napoleon finished his training and joined the French army at the age of sixteen years old. He was appointed to an artillery regiment, and commissioned as a lieutenant. Napoleon spent the next seven years reading the works of the philosophers, and educating himself in military matters by studying the campaigns of great military leaders of the past. The French Revolution and the European wars broadened Napoleon’s sights and presented him with new opportunities. Napoleon was a supporter of the French Revolution; he went back and forth between Paris and Ajaccio, working for the Republic. Napoleon rose quickly through the ranks and became a captain in 1792. At the age of 25, only one year after becoming captain, Napoleon performed so well that he was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General. He was given command of the artillery at Toulon, and in December of that same year, the French forced the English out of Toulon. The commander in chief wrote: â€Å"I have no words to describe the merit of Bonaparte. Much science, as much intelligence, and too much bravery.† In August of 1794 Napoleon was arrested because he had been a supporter of Robespierre, a radica... ...aty of Pressburg Napoleon made himself king of Italy, his brother Joseph, king of Naples, and another brother Louis king of Holland. In October of 1806 Napoleon went to war again. He defeated the Prussians in the battle of Jena, and captured Berlin. The Prussian king fled to Russia and Napoleon advanced through Poland. While away he was in constant communications with Paris. He received word every day of its internal affairs even though he was 1500 miles away. On February 8th, 1807, Napoleon fought a battle with the Russians at Eylan Germany to a draw. Then on June 14th he destroyed the Russian army at Friedland, Germany. After this battle Napoleon and Alexander I met at Tilsit. Together they divided Europe with Napoleon obviously claiming the larger share. Now except for England, the Bonaparte family now ruled the whole of Western Europe. ix Napoleon Bonaparte is regarded as one of the greatest military and political masterminds in the history of man. Through his extremely successful Italian campaigns, his revolutionary changes in the French government and battles against the Third Coalition Napoleon gave France total domination over Western Europe and to become a great nation.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

On the Existence of God: On John Haught’s What is God

John Haught’s What is God aims to provide â€Å"a simple ‘mystagogy’†¦ an ‘introduction to mystery’ (116). The importance of mystery to Haught’s work may be traced to his main assumption that the existence of God is evident in the existence of â€Å"a cognitive ‘feeling’ of inexhaustibility† that an individual experiences in relation to the experience of depth, future, freedom, beauty, and truth (115). He states, â€Å"The notion of mystery is indispensable to our discourse about the divine†¦To say that God is ultimately mystery is the final word in any proper thinking about the divine†¦in order to accentuate the utter inadequacy of any thoughts we may formulate about God† (Haught 115). Haught argues that within a world controlled by technological advancements, man continuously opts to contain the mysterious aspects of life (117). In order to prevent the continuous repression of the mysterious aspects of life, Haught argues that it is necessary to consider certain experiences which when examined can only be understood within the context of the assumption that God exists. These experiences are those of depth, future, beauty, and truth. In line with this, what follows is an analysis of John Haught’s argument regarding the existence of God as it is presented in his book What is God. Initially, it is interesting to note that the book addresses the question â€Å"What is God? as opposed to â€Å"Who is God? †. By addressing the aspect of deity in a manner that cannot be represented by personal imagery, the succeeding chapters of the book discusses the main problem of God’s absence. This problem however is addressed in a similar manner within each chapter as Haught specifies the implications of this absence to the religious life of this period. The different implications of the absence of God i n the various aspects of human life are further discussed within the text through five themes for thinking about God. These themes refer to depth, future, freedom, beauty, and truth which function in the imagination as the ‘persuasion’ or ‘lure’ for the acceptance of the existence of a mysterious and divine being; that being God. Within each theme, Haught places emphasis that these themes and concepts imply a pattern of letting go in order to be able to freely step into the terrain where an individual is truly addressed by the Other. Within the context of the theme of depth, for example, Haught adheres to Paul Tillich’s discussion regarding the ‘the depth of existence’. Within the aforementioned work, Tillich argues that there are various depths to human existence. For Tillich, although the aspects of human existence differ by the degree to which an individual is subsumed within a particular experience, the manner in which one experiences and seeks the experience of the different aspects of experience in different depths ensures that there exists a fundamental aspect of existence which each individual opts for due to its ability to provide meaning to an individual’s life. Haught quotes Tillich, who states, The name of this infinite and inexhaustible depth†¦is God. The depth is what the word God means†¦For you cannot think or say: Life has no depth! Life itself is shallow. Being itself is surface only. If you could say this in complete seriousness, you would not be an atheist; but otherwise you are not. He who knows depth knows about God. (14-15) Tillich, within this context, argues that to assume that existence has various meanings and to assume that existence has no meaning both involves the assumption of the depth of existence since even if an individual merely affirms that ‘being’ is surface only, that individual also assumes that there is an aspect of existence which involves the lack of being and this lack of being in itself may be considered as an aspect of the depth of existence. In line with this, Haught argues that the experience of depth ensures the existence of God since God refers to the aspect of existence which all individual’s experience. He states, â€Å"‘God’ is a name for the dimension of depth that all of us experience to one degree or another, even if only in the mode of flight from it† (Haught 15). Haught further argues that depth is an example of one of the experiences in â€Å"the horizon of our experiences† that one recognizes the existence of God (Haught 15). Haught’s emphasis on the metaphor of the ‘horizon’ in which one experiences God repeats itself in his discussion of the other experiences which ensures the existence of God such as the future, freedom, and beauty. Haught argues that in the same manner that to live in depth involves the acceptance of the experience of the different degrees of understanding one’s life, to live in future also requires living with the instability and messiness of historical existence and with the changing images of God which these historical events imply (Haught 28). In the same manner, to live in freedom involves living courageously in the face of non-being wherein non-being refers to the face which absolute freedom presents upon the individual as it invites us to embrace it (Haught 49). To live in beauty, on the other hand, involves the ability to endure the breakdown of one’s own restrictive narrative in favour of the wider novelty and contrast of the divine narrative presented through the various images relayed by nature (Haught 71). Finally, to live in truth also involves moving beyond the security of the limited approval of others as one trusts in the unconditional acceptance which alone makes truthful living possible (Haught 111). It is important to note at this point that as Haught’s explanation for the existence of God places emphasis on the identifiable and universal aspects of human experience which may imply the existence of God, Haught’s method follows a deductive method which involves the assuming that since certain aspects of human experience remain universally mysterious to man, these experiences may be attributed to the existence of a divine being. This is in accordance to his conception of God which is not based on a gender-specific image since it allows his conception of God to explore both the theistic and non-theistic arguments for God’s existence. In the final part of the book, Haught concludes that the aforementioned experiences affirm the existence of God as a ‘mystery’ since if God is experiences as an ultimate mystery human experience of God is ensured in the different depths of reality. This however does not necessarily imply that to speak of God as a mystery involves speaking of God as an entity which is not possible for the human mind to recognize or have knowledge of. According to Haught, this merely implies that God exists as an entity which allows the human experience of boundlessness. He states, It is our fundamental openness to mystery that sets us apart from the animal and grounds the self-transcendent nature of our lives. It is our openness to mystery that constitutes the foundation of our freedom and liberates us from the slavery of mere morality. It is because of our capacity for mystery that we experience the uneasiness and anxiety that provoke us to move beyond the status quo and seek more intense beauty and more depth of truth. In short, mystery is what makes a truly human life possible in the first place. (Haught 124) For Haught, the importance of the recognition of the existence of God to human life lies in its ability to allow the individual to transcend the ordinary barriers of life. The function of religion within this context is to enable the individual to recognize the manner in which he may delve into the mystery of God in order to transcend the barriers set to the individual within social reality [i. . the barriers of sex and social status]. In line with this, it is important to note that Haught’s discussion does not place emphasis on the role of God within one particular religion. On the other hand, his discussion is veered towards the justification of the necessity of God’s existence within any form of religion. For Haught, within all these religions, the similarity between them lies in their conception of the experience of God as an experience of mystery. To equate God with mystery enables the function of God within these religious institutions to free the concept ‘God’ from the narrow ideas of ultimacy. In summary, John Haught’s What is God equates God to the experience of mystery since the experience of mystery as can be seen in the experience of depth, the future, freedom, beauty, and truth, allows the continuous evolution of humanity’s experience of God and hence in the process does not lead to the limitation of God as an anthropomorphic figure. One may note that such a view is in accordance to John Haught’s evolutionary theology as it places emphasis on the role of the evolution of human consciousness in the discovery of God. Since the mysterious events are always in accordance to what is known and what is not known by man, the development or evolutions of man’s consciousness and man himself may be equated with man’s drive towards the discovery of God. By equating God with the experience of mysterious events, events which go beyond an individual’s understanding, Haught was able to allow the synthesis of the view that man stands as an entity that is continually evolving and the view that man’s evolution is in line with the discovery of mystery however God continues to stand as a bigger entity as opposed to man as his existence is continuously affirmed by the experience of mysterious or unknown events as is the case with the experience of depth, future freedom, beauty, and truth stated in John Haught’s What is God.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

India a Global Economic Super Power Essay

New parts of the world that were not long ago considered undeveloped, backwater countries, are now taking center stage in the global economy. Much has been publicized about the ascendance of China’s economy, as it has become a major venue for the manufacturing of products sought after by worldwide consumers eager for cheaper goods. However, China’s Asian neighbor, India, also has a vigorously growing economy. India’s economy is partly being fueled by companies around the world seeking to reduce their costs by outsourcing some of their operations there. A March 9, 2005 article in the International Herald Tribune reported that within 30 years, India is projected to have the world’s third largest economy and more people than China. Russell D’Souza, International Credit & Risk Manager for Hallmark International, pointed out that India implemented modern, capitalistic economic reforms in the early 1990s that are producing positive results. The Tribune article reported that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who as Finance Minister championed these reforms, proposed major investments in his first budget for education, modernizing India’s colonial-era infrastructure, and lowering tariffs. D’Souza also noted India has modernized its banking regulations. â€Å"India has liberalized its laws to allow foreign banks to take over branches. Local Indian private banks are allowed to set up foreign bank branches. The banking rules have been liberalized considerably. † The CIA World Factbook’s website estimates that by July 2005, India’s population will be slightly fewer than 1. 1 billion, of nearly 16 percent of the world’s population, not far behind China’s, which is projected to be 1. 3 billion. Market Place PRI, a business radio program, reported on March 14, 2005 that a recent economic survey predicted India would grow at 7 percent this year. However, the report went on to assert that many economic analysts say that India needs to improve its infrastructure. D’Souza, who grew up in India but now lives in the U. S, experienced the problems India has with the Lagging state of much of its infrastructure. † You’ve got an infrastructure that is woeful. It’s one of India’s biggest Achilles heels. It’s worse than China’s. † Just the sheer size of its growing middle class provides a huge potential market for India-based companies. D’Souza said the size of India’s middle class is over 200 million people. â€Å"Consumer goods are exploding in India. There are people with cash like I’ve never seen before. † India’s geopolitical importance and stature are growing too. U. S. foreign policy officials view India, with its strategic location, as an important counter-balance to the growing political and military power of China. U. S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice began a six-nation tour of Asia in India on March 16. An article that same day in the Tribune noted that analysts in Delhi viewed her stop there as a positive sign â€Å"the United States was eager to underline India’s increasing importance on the U. S. foreign policy agenda. † Talks between Rice and Singh focused on defense and military cooperation, economy and trade and â€Å"synergies in energy and environmental protection. India possesses some advantages that make it especially suited to provide less expensive business services for companies. China, on the other hand, has excelled in the manufacture of cheaper products. The two main advantages for India is that it has an estimated 200 million people who speak English and also a world-class education system. â€Å"India is a bilingual country,† D’Souza said. He noted this is a byproduct of its former status as a British colony. â€Å"It has an advantage over C hina,† he said, in that respect. The educational system in India has produced a significant number of chartered accountants, doctors, MBAs, lawyers, research analysts and other professionals, many of whom will work in India for much less than their professional counterparts in the U. S. and Europe. Alok Aggarwal, Co-founder of Evalueserve, which offers business intelligence, market research and intellectual property services to clients in North America, Europe and Asia, noted there are two types of services offered on an outsourced basis. Business Process Outsourcing, or BPO, involves more routine processing of data. Ravi Aron, Professor of operations and information management at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, said examples of BPO involve more routine functions where there is a predefined way of doing tasks or even reaching conclusions, as in data entry, accounts maintenance and customer service activities such as those performed at call centers. BPOs typically provide such services as setting up bank accounts, selling an insurance policy and voice and e-mail-based computer support. Aggarwal said that a higher Level of service than BPO is called Knowledge Process Outsourcing or KPO. KPO involves high-end processes such as investment research and Legal and insurance claims processing. In a March 21, 2005 article in the Indiatimes News Network, Pavan Bagai, Vice President, strategic businesses, EXL said, â€Å"Imagine unsorted data going through a black box and coming out as useful information. In KPOs the black box is your mind. There is no predefined process to reach a conclusion. † In either BPO or KPO, India often offers a huge cost savings potential over those functions being performed by American workers in the U. S.  Aron said that in credit card-related functions, the cost of an American worker, including benefits and overhead, ranges from $48-55 per hour–while in India, those costs are only $18-24. A report by Hay Associates estimated that the fully burdened costs of an accounting clerk in Stamford, CT, is $69 per hour, while in Bangalore, India it is $4 per hour. (Though Alok disputes that number saying that â€Å"currently the loaded costs in Bangalore would be $7-$8 per hour† the cost differential is still staggering. ) French & Associates reported that a $50,000 U.  S. clerical worker would cost only $10,000 in India and would be a top graduate. This huge gap in employee direct and indirect costs is even more dramatic with KPO services. â€Å"When you go with high-end work that’s when the game gets interesting,† Aron said. He said employee costs per hour for an equity research analyst in the U. S. would range from $230-$250 while in India it would only be about $30. † Should you find it suitable to relocate, (to one of the countries that offers much cheaper employee costs) you will experience huge savings,† Aron said. If you look al the labor cost difference there is a 5-1 to 8-1 cost factor,† added Aggarwal, whose firm actually provides equity research and investment banking research services. â€Å"American doctors are very hard working–but they don’t work five times harder than Indian doctors. † The March 21 Indiatimes Network article reported that India, with its knowledge base and lower costs, will be â€Å"leading the pack in the race for KPO business. † The article referred to a report by Evalueserve that India will capture more than â€Å"70 percent of the KPO territory by 2010. India’s software trade body reported that export revenues from software outsourcing will reach $17. 3 billion in the fiscal year ending March 2005. In a presentation by Marc Vollenweider, President and CEO of Evalueserve, it was projected that by 2010 India will have about 1. 1 million people employed in BPO. According to Vollenweider, U. S. companies may be compelled to outsource due to his projection of a labor shortage. According to his figures, by fiscal year 2010, the U. S. is projected to experience a shortfall of 5. 4 million workers. In that same timespan, the U. K’s shortfall is projected to be . million workers. Vollenweider’s presentation concluded that, â€Å"Global Sourcing has become an economic imperative for the developed nations to maintain and sustain their historical and current growth. Offshoring IT and BPO services to low-wage destinations provides a viable solution to developed nations who are struggling against the significant shortage of skilled labor. â€Å"Evalueserve projects that by 2010 India will have 820,000 employed in low-end BPO services generating total revenues of USD 18 billion and 250,000 workers employed in high-end KPO services generating USD 12 billion. A number of major U.  S. -based corporations have set up operations in India or have outsourced certain business services to Indian firms. A report by French & Associates indicated India has become a venue for major development centers for IBM and Microsoft. Major corporations like Ford, JP Morgan Chase and HP are currently setting up operations there. General Electric, however, probably has utilized the manpower resources of India more extensively than any other major American Corporation. GE’s involvement in India began in September 1989, according to a front-page, March 23, 2005, The Wall Street Journal article. Al that time, then-CEO Jack Welch flew to India for a sales meeting to sell products to India. During that stop in India, Welch met with Indian government officials who pitched him the idea of having some of his company’s needs provided by its emerging high-tech sector. Today, The WSJ article pointed out, India â€Å"earns more than $17 billion from corporations worldwide seeking low-cost overseas talent †¦ † Although GE is hesitant about taking credit for a trend that has taken many American jobs overseas, most corporate observers agree GE played a major role in the outsourcing boom. The WSJ article further noted that in 1995, GE created GE Capital International Services, now known as Gecis, to handle backroom work and market analysis. In 1999 Gecis established the first international call center in India and in 2000 GE opened a research center in Bangalore to tap the skills of Indian engineers. The WSJ article reported that in November 2004, GE sold a controlling interest in Gecis and now the company will seek business from other companies. French & Associates estimated that GE had 5,000 FTEs (full-time equivalents) in India in 2000. That number grew to 12,000 FTEs by the end of 2003. The WSJ article also reported that in 2000, GE opened the Jack F. Welch Technology Center in Bangalore â€Å"that employs thousands of researchers working on everything from new refrigerators to jet engines. † A recent GE report indicated the company plans to spend about $600 million this year on computer-software development from Indian companies. Val Venable, CCE, Credit Manager for GE Advanced Materials, in reference to GE’s outsourcing efforts in India, said, â€Å"We certainly have been a major player. For our company and a lot of companies, you’re always looking for quality suppliers at low cost. It makes business sense to do it. † Venable, who spoke in India in late March during a five-week business trip there, said that her operations are split between the U. S. and India. â€Å"Part of my collections team sits in the U. S. and some of it is in India. † She said that employee allocation between that in the U. S. and India is proportional to the workload. â€Å"If I have 70 percent of my people in India, I look to have 70 percent of my work there. My people in the U. S. have a lot more credit experience, so they do a lot of the credit decisions. † In Venable’s case, even though GE does not wholly own Gecis anymore, it has not changed her operations. â€Å"My relationship with my team has not changed. We work together and we have sub-teams. For our credit and collections teams we didn’t see a difference. My people from the India and the U. S. have been trained the same. † The cost savings of operations in India aren’t just confined to personnel expenses Venable said. â€Å"It’s not just the cost of the people. Over here I have different IT costs and I have different training costs. † She acknowledged that many Indian employees are well educated and enthusiastic about their work. â€Å"There’s a huge emphasis on education here. It’s their first experience in business. † On the issue that some Americans have complained about not being able to understand customer services representatives in India, Venable said, â€Å"Some of my team have fairly strong accents, but have you ever called Texas of Mississippi? They have accents too. We usually work on that. That’s part of the service to the customers. An unavoidable drawback Venable mentioned of outsourced services emanating from India to American consumers is, â€Å"If you’re going to have a team in India, there’s a time zone difference. † She said the time zone difference between India and the U. S. is 9. 5 hours and 4. 5 hours between India and the U. K. She san the time zone difference actually has not been a major problem for her operations. â€Å"The areas around the call centers are becoming a 24-hour culture. Probably in the next 20 years we’re going to have virtual offices and it won’t matter where people sit. Does everybody need to sit in the same room? Probably not. †

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Gibersons Glass Essays

Gibersons Glass Essays Gibersons Glass Essay Gibersons Glass Essay Dear Mr.. Gibbering, After a careful review and analysis of your annual costs and income, our team has some suggestions on how to best make a profit for your business. It seems that the prices you are charging for your products too low to cover all of your costs. Since the main constraint in your business is your time, we determined a rate that you should charge per minute of your time in order to make a profit. We then came up with a price per piece that we suggest that you charge according to how much time it takes for you to make the product ready to sell. : Our suggested pricing is as follows: These prices were determined based on your charging $. 76/minute, which would allow you to make $55,000/year. That would cover all of your costs ($50,391 year) and allow you to make your truck payments ($2000/year). It will also give you a little cushion of net income. This will also include the $25000 that youd like to earn each year. Additionally, we think that your willingness to hire part-time help for the finishing work could free up more of your time for blowing glass, to make you even more money. If you price the items as we have suggested above, then you will earn 1 AAA/week. You would pay out roughly $38/week for part-time labor at the rate of $5/hour, 7 hours per week, taking away $1 ,375/week. Since that would free up that amount of time for you to blow glass, you could make about 28 extra Wrapped Tumblers per week, since this is your most popular item. At $18/piece you would earn an extra $504/week, minus pay for part-time help would bring you down to $494/ week and $19,760/year. Even if your hired help does not work as quickly and efficiently as you and despite the fact that you would have to train them, any additional income that is made is purely profit to you, since your expenses are cover already by charging higher prices for your product. It seems that you could make these extra items at no additional cost by using your clean scrap. This would save on that amount of waste that is produced each week, as well. You should still have enough culled to use in the following weeks batch. Producing additional product could also help alleviate the two week backlog that you are experiencing. All data and calculations have been included for you throughout the report. We sincerely hope that this information is helpful to you when making these important decisions for your business. Please dont hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns in regards to this information or if you have questions regarding future business plans. Regards, Your team The Absorption Income Statement has been created for you to demonstrate how your your expenses exceed your total revenue, resulting in lost net income. Throughout this report, we will make suggestions as to how you can improve your total net income by reducing expenses.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Biography of Controversial Rap Group Public Enemy

Biography of Controversial Rap Group Public Enemy By tackling racism head-on in songs such as â€Å"Burn Hollywood Burn,† â€Å"911 Is a Joke† and â€Å"By the Time I Get to Arizona,† rap outfit Public Enemy emerged during the late 1980s as one of the most politically charged music groups in history. This Public Enemy biography shows how the militant rappers rose to stardom. Early Years With members DJ Terminator X, choreographer Professor Griff and MCs Flavor Flav and Chuck D., the Long Island group formed in 1982. Public Enemy’s first album, Yo! Bum Rush the Show, dropped five years later on Def Jam Records. Despite praise from critics and hardcore hip-hop fans, the album failed to make an imprint on mainstream music lovers. That group’s next release, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, would be received much differently. Released in 1988, the album exposed the masses to Flavor Flav’s high-octane comic antics, Chuck D.’s vitriolic rhymes and the martial arts-infused choreography of Griff set to aggressive mixing and hard-hitting beats. It Takes a Nation†¦ spawned the hits â€Å"Bring the Noise† and â€Å"Don’t Believe the Hype.† Featuring excerpts of speeches made by controversial black figures Malcolm X and Louis Farrakhan, the album went on to sell more than a million copies. In 2003, Rolling Stone named It Takes a Nation†¦ No. 48 on its list of the 500 greatest albums. â€Å"Loud, obnoxious, funky, avant-garde, political, uncompromising, hilarious- Public Enemy’s brilliant second album is all of these things and, on nearly every track, all at once,† Rolling Stone characterized the album. A Boost From Spike Lee When Spike Lee featured â€Å"Public Enemy’s† single â€Å"Fight the Power† on the soundtrack to his 1989 film â€Å"Do the Right Thing,† the politically charged rap group built on the popularity its second album had already garnered for it. With fame, of course, often comes backlash, which Public Enemy faced when member Professor Griff, and later Chuck D., were accused of making anti-Semitic remarks. Whatever damage was caused by the controversy vanished with the 1990 release of Fear of a Black Planet. The album produced five hit singles, including â€Å"Welcome to the Terrordome,† which addresses the group’s trials and tribulations and led to more accusations of anti-Semitism because of the line, â€Å"they got me like Jesus.† The first album of Public Enemy to enter the Billboard Top 10, Fear of a Black Planet also scored a Grammy nomination. A Rocky Transition Public Enemy continued to garner both critical and commercial praise with the release of 1991’s Apocalypse 91. Chart-toppers from the album include â€Å"Can’t Truss It† and â€Å"Shut Em Down.† After Apocalypse, however, the group would endure a dry spell of sorts. Critics panned its 1992 remix album, Greatest Misses, while its 1994 album, Muse Sick-N-Hour Mess Age, lost momentum on the Billboard 100 soon after its release. During the ’90s not only did Public Enemy struggle to remain on top, group member Flavor Flav suffered a litany of legal troubles allegedly stemming from drug addiction. By this time, the group had lost Terminator X and producer Hank Shocklee. And Chuck D. had already ousted Professor Griff from the group during the turmoil following the anti-Semitism controversy. As the group underwent a painful transition, Chuck D. didn’t falter. He arranged a tour with heavy metal band Anthrax and founded a record label, among other side projects. Public Enemy’s Revival When Spike Lee’s film He Got Game debuted, Public Enemy found itself in the spotlight once more. That’s because the director enlisted the group to record the film’s soundtrack. For the project, the original members of Public Enemy returned, their combined efforts resulting in the â€Å"He Got Game† soundtrack reaching No. 26 on the Billboard Hot 100. Although the group has lost the stronghold it had on audiences during its heyday, Public Enemy continues to put out a copious amount of music. In the 21st centurys first decade, the group dropped five albums: 1999’s There’s a Poison Goin’ On, 2002’s Revolverlution, 2005’s New Whirl Odor, 2006’s Rebirth of a Nation and 2007’s How You Sell Soul to a Soulless People Who Sold Their Soul?  Public Enemy continues to tour as well, appearing at many festivals, including the popular Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in 2009. Public Enemy was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for the class of 2013.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

All Hail the Divine Ruler, Queen of Kish

All Hail the Divine Ruler, Queen of Kish Want to know which monarch of ancient Sumer reigned supreme at any given time? You’d have to check out the aptly named Sumerian King List. But the Sumerians had a super-special idea of â€Å"kingship†: it was a force that liked to travel. For generations at a time, nam-lugal, or â€Å"kingship,† was bestowed upon a particular city, represented by a monarch who ruled for a long time. Only one city was believed to hold true kingship at any given time. After a few hundred years, kingship went from one city to another, which then held the honor of nam-lugal for a few generations. Apparently, the gods, who bestowed rulership as a privilege, not a right, upon humans, got fed up of one place after a period of time, so they regifted it elsewhere. In reality, the list may have reflected a particular city’s rise to power or military defeat in Sumer: if City A came to prominence, then its hegemony could be justified by claiming divine right. This mythological idea wasnt realistic - many cities had individual kings reigning at the same time – but since when did myth have reflect reality? Its Ladies Night Tons of monarchs make an appearance on the Sumerian King List, but there’s only one lady named: Kubaba, or Kug-Bau.  Not to be confused with the monster Huwawa or Hubaba in the Epic of Gilgamesh, Kubaba was a woman alone – the only queen regnant who’s recorded as bearing divine rulership. The Sumerian King List records that the city of Kish held nam-lugal multiple times. In fact, it was the first city to hold kingship after a great mythical flood – sound familiar? After sovereignty bounced around to a lot of different places, it landed in Kish a few more times – although that’s since been cast in doubt. On one of those occasions, a woman named Kug-Bau ruled the city. Drink Up!   Kubaba is first identified in the King List as the â€Å"the woman tavern-keeper.† How could she have gone from owning a bar/inn to ruling a city? We can’t be sure, but female tavern-keepers actually held important positions in Sumerian mythology and daily life. Perhaps that’s because of the mega-importance of beer in Sumerian culture. While some scholars theorized that taverns equaled brothels in Sumer, apparently â€Å"tavern keeping was a common and respectable female occupation until later periods in Mesopotamia,† according to Julia Assante. Regardless of what kind of show they were running, women often ran taverns, holding perhaps one of the only independent female positions of power in ancient Sumer. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, an important character is Siduri the tavern-keeper, who runs an inn in the Underworld. She must be an immortal of some sort to live where she does, and gives Gilgamesh sage advice like â€Å"Who of the mortal can live forever? The life of man is short†¦.let there be pleasure and dancing.† So, in what was probably a very important epic even in antiquity, a female tavern-keeper was seen as a guide  along perilous paths  and a figure worthy of veneration. Real-life politics may or may not have allowed a tavern-keeper co to rule over her city. But what was the purpose in identifying her profession? By associating her with the mythical Siduri and a prominent feminine profession – whether she ran a brothel or not - the recorder of the King List literally immortalized Kubaba and made her the one of world’s most independent women before Beyoncà ©. According to Carol R. Fontaine in her essay â€Å"Visual Metaphors and Proverbs 15:15-20,† there was a sacredness attached to female tavern-keepers. She wrote that, â€Å"given the association of Inanna-Ishtar with the tavern and the sweet (sexual?) wine to be drunk there, as well as female ownership of taverns and involvement with the process of brewery, we should not assume Ku-Baba to be some sort of prostitute but a successful business woman with divine associations herself.† So what else did Kubaba do? The King List says she â€Å"made firm the foundations of Kish,† indicating she fortified it against invaders. Lots of monarchs did this; Gilgamesh even built a lot of walls to protect his city of Uruk . So it sounds like Kubaba carried on a grand royal tradition of building up her city. According to the King List, Kubaba ruled for one hundred years. That’s obviously exaggerated, but a lot of other monarchs on the list have similarly long reigns. But it didn’t last forever. Eventually, â€Å"Kish was defeated† – or destroyed, depending on the version you’re reading – and the gods decided to remove kingship from this city. It went to the city of Akshak instead. A Womans Work Never Ends But Kubaba’s legacy didn’t end there. It seems that later generations weren’t crazy about women occupying traditional men’s roles. A later omen reading indicated that, if an individual is born intersex, it’s the â€Å"omen of Ku-Bau who ruled the land; the land of the king will become waste.†Ã‚  By taking on the duties of a man – a king – Kubaba was seen to have crossed a boundary and transcended gender divisions in an improper fashion. Combining male and female genitalia in an individual would echo her reign as lugal, or king, which the ancients saw as violating the natural order of things. The omen texts indicate that both an individual with the sexual organs of two genders and a queen regnant were seen as unnatural. â€Å"These were linked in the elite mind as a challenge and threat to the political hegemony of the king,† said Fontaine. Similarly, in another omen reading, if a patient’s lung didn’t look so good, it was the sign of Kubaba, â€Å"who seized the kingship.†Ã‚  So, basically, Kubaba’s legacy served as a means of identifying bad stuff that went against the way things should be. Its also worth noting that Kubaba is portrayed as an improper usurper here. Kubaba’s legacy might not have been limited to her reputation. In fact, she mightve founded a real dynasty! After her reign, kingship transferred to Akshak; a few generations later, a king named Puzur-Nirah ruled there. Apparently, Kubaba was still alive at this time, according to the Weidner Chronicle, and Kubaba, a.k.a. â€Å"the alewife,† fed some local fishermen who lived near her house. Because she was so nice, the god Marduk liked her and gave â€Å"royal dominion of all lands entirely over to Ku-Baba.† On the King List, royal power is said to have gone back to Kish after Akshak†¦and guess who ruled? â€Å"Puzur-Suen, the son of Kug-Bau, became king; he ruled for 25 years.† So it looks like the story about Marduk giving kingship back to Kubaba’s family demonstrates her real-life family taking power eventually. Puzur-Suen’s son, Ur-Zubaba, ruled after him. According to the list, â€Å"131 are the years of the dynasty of Kug-Bau,† but that doesn’t add up when you tally the years of each reign. Oh, well! Eventually, the name â€Å"Kubaba† became best-known as that of a Neo-Hittite goddess, hailing from the city of Carchemish. This Kubaba probably didn’t have any relation to our Kug-Bau from Sumer, but an incarnation of the deity so prominent in Asia Minor might’ve become the goddess the Romans knew as  Cybele (nà ©e Cybebe). If so, then the name Kubaba had come a long way from Kish!

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Do some background research into the UK poplulation. E.g. size, social Essay

Do some background research into the UK poplulation. E.g. size, social and ethnic background - Essay Example Figure 2 shows the 2011 census ethnic group breakdown in the UK. White (87.2%) is the major ethnic group, followed by Asian/Asian British (6.9%), black / African / Caribbean / Black British (3.0%), Mixed/multiple ethnic groups (2.0%) and other ethnic group (0.9%) (Office for National Statistics, 2013 A). According to the 2011 census, all usual residents aged 16 to 74 in employment the week before the census was about 29.84 millions (Office for National Statistics, 2013 B). Figure 3 shows the 2011 census occupation and local authorities breakdown in the UK. About 17.3% of the people were in professional occupations, followed by Associate professional and technical occupations (12.6%), Skilled trades occupations (11.6%), Administrative and secretarial occupations (11.5%), Elementary occupations (11.2%), Managers, directors and senior officials (10.5%), Caring, leisure and other service occupations (9.42%), Sales and customer service occupations (8.56%), and Process, plant and machine operatives (7.3%). The GDP per capita is about $37,300. The median age of the UK residents is 40.3 years. The male residents’ median age is 39.1 years and the female residents’ age is 40.3 years. The male to female sex ratio is about 0.99. The population growth rate is about 0.55%. The birth rate is 12.26 births per thousands and death rate is 9.33 deaths per thousands. The mother-maternal mortality rate is 12 deaths per 100 thousand live births. The infant mortality rate is 4.5 deaths per thousand live births. The life expectancy at birth is 80.29 years with male life expectancy at birth being 78.16 years and female life expectancy at birth being 82.54 years. The literacy rate is about 99% (Central Intelligence Agency, 2014). According to BBC News (2014), the unemployment rate stands at 7.2% at the

Friday, October 18, 2019

Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 16

Case Study - Essay Example The punishment on the four boys has a beneficial impact on the greater society since it teaches on the importance of morals such as respect for one’s property. Through the punishment of the boys, the need to have a well-functioning society devoid of disregard to other people’s property is supported. I strongly feel that the punishment on the boys is morally justified, though the sentencing of the boys may be extremely unreasonable. The punishment is moral since the conduct of the boys cannot be tolerated at any cost. Any wrong action must be followed by a tough consequence. This is the only way that will allow for a complete weakening of any wrong systems that might be thriving in the society. As utilitarianism goes, punishment contributes to a greater good in the society (Williams & Arrigo 180-181). Chang, Juju., Brown, Ely & Effron, Lauren. The Controversial Felony Murder Case of The Elkhart 4: Should Teens Be Sentenced to 50 Years in Prison? 25 Jul. 2014. Web. 24 Mar. 2015.

Managerial Decision Making Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Managerial Decision Making - Essay Example While analyzing any complex problem identifying the constituent parts is critical. These parts need to be workable and of decidable size. When the broken down parts get solved the entire problem gets solved. Thirdly, while finance and the monetary gains are the primary focus of the analysis, it would also help in realizing the advantages of cornering a dominant share in the market in Greece, dissuading competition and slowly easing them out if they do have any market share. Finally, the objective of the exercise would be to increase the monetary benefit the company gains. A decision tree was done based on the case study provided and on the assumptions indicated above. Maximizing the monetary benefit is the objective. Therefore the factors that need to be considered for the decision tree analysis will be: Based on the table above, the influencing parameters like price or discount factors in terms of 20% free capsules both amount to the same. And hence for analysis purposes, they can be combined and visualized. The monetary gain has been calculated and filled in based on the information provided in the Expected Monetary Value section. The decision tree is drawn based on this data set. The influence of the generic producers of Product X has not been considered as that is an in-determinant. Based on the d P: Probability of Occurrence V: Value M: Million EMV: Expected Monetary Value (Please see calculations below) Figure 1: Decision Tree Structure Based on the decision tree diagram, four major options are identified and are analyzed for their feasibility. Further analysis is done based on these four for further fine tuning and

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Monsanto vs. Schmeiser Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Monsanto vs. Schmeiser - Essay Example From this study it is clear that governments around the globe are trying to create a regulatory procedure for examining the results of and authorizing novel kinds of genetically modified plants. Most government have made health testing of genetically modified foods mandatory. In addition, food labelling of genetically engineered manufactured foods is legally binding, with a specified limit for contamination. Regulatory authorities have been established to assess if genetically modified plants are environmental friendly, if it is safe to grow and consume the plant. Moreover, these authorities also regulate additives, pesticides, toxins that could ensue in potential damage to health or environment. State inspectors visit farms at regular intervals and evaluate conditions to ascertain compliance. Contravention of laws can ensue in heavy fines, cancellation of licences and even imprisonment. This proved to be a landmark case in the sphere of biotechnology. Monsanto sued Percy Schmeiser, a Candaian canola farmer for patent infringement when unlicensed Roundup Ready canola was discovered on his land. Schmeiser advocated that he had never planted biotech seeds; instead, they reached his fields by accident. Monsanto contended that they possess patent on the gene and the canola cells within it; hence, they can dictate its utilization. This entitled them to restrict replanting seeds from the genetically modified plants. As opposed to this, Schmeiser asserted that he could stock and regrow plants from seeds that accidentally flew in his field. The Canadian court declared that the â€Å"tests revealed that 95 to 98% of the 1000acres of canola crop was made of Roundup Ready plant.  

Marketing, Entertainment Business Management Essay

Marketing, Entertainment Business Management - Essay Example Our competitors are the other independent labels showcasing group band music. Nevertheless, we believe that by concentrating on San Francisco bands we will gain a reputation of releasing the best artists in this genre and help the Bay Area gain a reputation for this style of music. We will price our CDs at 10 percent below the prices of the major distribution companies such as Universal Records. This will be our strategy in order to penetrate the market and gain exposure among our youth target consumers who are generally price sensitive. We plan to initially sign three bands in our first month of operations. We plan to market the first CD release by gradually expanding distribution in the Bay Area region for at least 3 straight months, or until our three bands’ sales, publicity and promotional activities have been coordinated. We plan to build our business in the initial year to earn around $100,000 in annual revenues. Our music distribution company  strives to be the market leader in providing  talent management services to new and independent bands in San Francisco. Our goal is to make the connection between the independent band talents in San Francisco and the fans, increasing the talents’ visibility and earnings with CD or individual track sales. Our goal is to discover independent band talents in San Francisco. We will approach bands who have the potential to become successful artists, by offering our music distribution services to them. Our plan is to grow the company in the first 2 years to bring in around $100,000 in yearly sales by the end of our second year in business. We will reach our target customers of late teens to early twenties, who prefer band music, by distributing the CD records through smaller record distributors and music retailers. Our main goal is to discover independent band group talents in San Francisco by scouting at local shows and performances by musicians, and the Internet such as You Tube and My Space. We will approach

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Monsanto vs. Schmeiser Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Monsanto vs. Schmeiser - Essay Example From this study it is clear that governments around the globe are trying to create a regulatory procedure for examining the results of and authorizing novel kinds of genetically modified plants. Most government have made health testing of genetically modified foods mandatory. In addition, food labelling of genetically engineered manufactured foods is legally binding, with a specified limit for contamination. Regulatory authorities have been established to assess if genetically modified plants are environmental friendly, if it is safe to grow and consume the plant. Moreover, these authorities also regulate additives, pesticides, toxins that could ensue in potential damage to health or environment. State inspectors visit farms at regular intervals and evaluate conditions to ascertain compliance. Contravention of laws can ensue in heavy fines, cancellation of licences and even imprisonment. This proved to be a landmark case in the sphere of biotechnology. Monsanto sued Percy Schmeiser, a Candaian canola farmer for patent infringement when unlicensed Roundup Ready canola was discovered on his land. Schmeiser advocated that he had never planted biotech seeds; instead, they reached his fields by accident. Monsanto contended that they possess patent on the gene and the canola cells within it; hence, they can dictate its utilization. This entitled them to restrict replanting seeds from the genetically modified plants. As opposed to this, Schmeiser asserted that he could stock and regrow plants from seeds that accidentally flew in his field. The Canadian court declared that the â€Å"tests revealed that 95 to 98% of the 1000acres of canola crop was made of Roundup Ready plant.  

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Observation Report Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Observation Report - Assignment Example This paper will present an observation report of two students named Hessa Al Khater and Zarmeena Qazi. A close analysis of Hessa Al Khater’s performance of the presentation task reveals that he managed to address the audience correctly as expected. Hessa relied on both body language and verbal communication to actively engage the audience. At the beginning of the presentation, Hessa brought forth a root statement, which defined his introduction, body, and the conclusion. He exhibited expertise in developing his ideas logically and making a lively presentation. During Hessa’s presentation, the attention of the class was both to the speaker and to the PowerPoint. The speaker’s capacity to involve the audience explains why there was a measure of attention drawn to him. In other parts of the presentation, the speaker pointed out something on the PowerPoint, a factor that prompted the audience to focus their attention on the PowerPoint. Unfortunately, there was an overuse of the PowerPoint, which was an undesirable aspect. However, the speaker gave proper reference to the slides. Some of the outstanding strengths that Hessa exhibited during his presentation were that he was confident and sure of himself and began with a catchy opening. Moreover, he introduced himself to the audience in an appropriate manner a factor that created a favorable atmosphere for the presentation. He highlighted the topic and presented background information on the topic, a factor that warmed up the audience to the content of the presentation. An overview of the presentation and a good planning of the entire timeline backed up the background information about the presentation. Hessa’s presentation was easy to follow with transitions that served to connect different slides. There was a proper emphasis on the main points as well as highlighting of the sub conclusions in each section. At

Monday, October 14, 2019

Comparison of Classical Homeopathic Methodology and Scholtens Theories Essay Example for Free

Comparison of Classical Homeopathic Methodology and Scholtens Theories Essay Critically evaluate one homeopathic methodology of your choice and compare it with the classical model. Give an account of the assumptions underpinning the method. Briefly discuss possible clinical situations where this method could be indicated and appropriate. In Aphorism 21 Hahnemann wrote that it is â€Å"undeniable that the curative principle in medicines is not in itself perceptible† and that therefore we should â€Å"rely on the morbid phenomena which the medicines produce in the healthy body as the sole possible revelation of their in-dwelling curative power†. Hahnemann, 2001) Although it is possible that here Hahnemann was referring only to the â€Å"Doctrine of Signatures† (whereby it is considered that the shape of the plant reveals its medical properties) since he wished to promote the integrity of medical science, it has been argued that this Aphorism should also be applied to Jan Scholten’s theories regarding the Periodic Table and that therefore the use of remedies using Scholten’s methods cannot be considered homeopathy. (Habich et al, 2003). Scholten advocates the use of compounds on which there have been no more than ‘meditative’ or ‘dream’ provings as opposed to physical provings. However although Scholten’s work on the periodic table has not promoted the use of physical provings; he originally studied both chemistry and philosophy (for two and three years respectively) and has applied logic to draw a picture of the homeopathic properties of all cations and anions using the periodic table and the compounds which they make. Scholten’s work is based on key concepts rather than the individual symptoms from a proving and in his book Homeopathy and Minerals he describes a process called ‘Group Analysis’. In group analysis all the common symptoms in a family of salts or cations, (such as potassium), or anions (such as the carbonates, chlorides, phosphates and sulphates), are extracted and grouped together. This way of looking at a remedy is in line with classical homeopathy and influenced by Kent’s grouping; for example under the mind section in Kent’s Repertory ‘impatience’ contains five different potassium salts (kali-ar, kali-bi, kali-c, kali-p and kali-s). In the same way as Kent, from this type of information Scholten would deduce that all the potassium salts would exhibit impatience; a conclusion drawn whether or not an individual potassium salt had been proved or not. Kent had already begun this type of deduction by including a picture of Kali-Silicatum and Kali-arsenicosum from his knowledge of Silica, Arsenicum and the potassium salts in his Lesser Writings. However Scholten expanded on this work and developed key concepts for individual elements: When the individual key concept of a cation and an anion are known he posits that when combined into a single compound the compound can be given a definitive concept by drawing conclusions from the cation or anion characteristics. For example in Kali-carb the themes of duty and pragmatism in a kali, and self worth and hard work in a carbon would be combined to form a picture of principled person doing their duty. (Scholten, 1993). Scholten’s work also goes further still and he has divided the periodic table into the horizontal and the vertical for use in homeopathic analysis. The horizontal relates to the number of shells surrounding an atom and these he has categorised into seven different series; Hydrogen Series(one shell), Carbon Series (all those atoms with two outer shells), Silicum (all those with three shells), Ferrum (all those with four shells), Silver (all those with five), Gold (all those with six) and Uranium (all those with seven). He has related these to Themes (Being, I, Other, Work, Ideas, Leaders and Magus), Age (seven stages from foetus to old age), Area (seven stages from spaceless to universe), Sense (from smell to intuition) and Tissue (from skin to Bone marrow). In Scholten’s view of the periodic table the eighteen horizontal arrangements which relate to the size of the atom decreasing in size in relation to its density (i. e. density increases) along the periodic table are arranged in a cycle. This cycle he relates to eighteen stages starting with beginning, then steadily moving on through the following seventeen stages; finding space, company, establishing, preparing, proving, practising, perseverance, success in sight, Lord and Master, preserving, division, withdrawal, formal, loss, remembering, the end, letting go, rest and then finally back to beginning. (Scholten, 1993) In this way a fuller picture of the elements and hence the resulting compounds can be drawn. Scholten tells how he first looked at known remedies but the logical order that presented itself meant that he was able to fill in the gaps by making an informed guess as to what should be next in the table, very much like Mendeleev when he was first constructing the chemical periodic table and made correct guesses as to the next in a sequence. (Scholten, 2005) By using these methods group analysis can not only cover particular known salts or anions by can be extended to so a whole series in the periodic table so that each elements unique identity s revealed. It also means that element or compound can be looked at in greater breadth and this can be particularly helpful not only where elements have not received a proving but where they have only received a small proving. Scholten himself also asserts that his remedy pictures are more holistic in that they also show a positive side whilst the traditional provings tend to show mainly the negative side resulting in a picture that is a ca ricatures of the remedy. Scholten, 2009) Although it could perhaps be argued that there is a justification for making assumptions about minerals where the anions and cations in them have received physical provings, meaning that there could be an automatic right to call the use of this homeopathy, it is harder to justify those compounds in which neither anions nor cations have had any physical proving. This is the case with the Lanthanides; here Scholten has made predictions as to the key concepts in these hitherto unused remedies using a combination of meditative provings and assumptions from the work on the periodic table (Scholten, 2005). He argues however that meditative provings not only have a financial advantage over a traditional proving but that there is an advantage in that they are not ‘attention dependent’ or open to disturbances taking place in the life of the prover although he does recognise that a meditative proving will only give a partial picture (Scholten, 2007). In contrast, as well as Hahnemann’s advocacy of relying only on phenomena produced by remedies in healthy bodies in aphorism 143 he also purports that only when a considerable number of medicines have been tested will ‘we have a true materia medica’ (Hahnemann, 2001) He lay down exacting guidelines for provings which have today been expanded upon and the European Council for Classical Homeopathy has produced its own set of guidelines issuing safety guidelines and advising on best practice. However it was the clinical success that Scholten first achieved from developing key concepts with previously unknown salts that inspired him in his development of the Periodic table furthering work that was first attempted by Sherr and Sankaran (Scholten, 1993) and which subsquently led to the work on the Lanthanides. These too have been reported to be a valuable homeopathic tool and the clinical successes achieved by their use have been reported in an article published in The Homeopath by Jackie McTaggart. McTaggart). By presenting remedies in a sequential way it also facilitates understanding of remedy relationships, and therefore acts as an aid in choosing follow up remedies or promoting an understanding of how a better choice of remedy could be arrived at. Scholten also points out that although data that does not come from provings is ostensibly frowned upon, by other leading homeopaths, including Vithoulkas much of the data for the polychrests does not come from provings but fr om clinical data. On his website he offers as an example the fact that in Essences of Materia Medica (Vithoulkas, 1991) Vithoulkas gives fifty-two symptoms of Lycopodium whereas in the original provings there are only thirteen symptoms. (Scholten, 2008). This group analysis or thematic prescribing has been criticised for its lack of adherence to physical provings but its basic idea has proved popular. There are homeopaths that having learnt the system, find this way of prescribing simpler and more successful (Watson, 2004) and it has proved popular and widely used enough to be included in the MacReportory. Although still finding acceptance in some quarters Scholtens way of prescribing is very much pointed towards classical prescribing, with its emphasis on definitive holistic concepts. Having only one definitive concept (for example Ferrum Muriaticum being defined as Disciplined Mother) means it would not lend itself to prescriptions that use more than one remedy. Since the concepts employed by Scholten appear to have been primarily developed along psychological themes it would also appear that this method of prescribing does not lend itself to palliative or acute prescribing either. However the beauty of the system is its expansive nature and it could therefore easily be adapted to to both acute situations; for instance beginnings of a cold brought on by over indulgence, or a chronic situation that needed palliating such as advanced bone cancer when one might look to letting go, series seven for bone. Finding concepts for acute situations or those that need palliating could be aided by the Repertory developed by Scholten; it includes 15,000 rubrics and has over 40,000 entries and auguments his previous work; Homeopathy and Minerals and Homeopathy and the Elements written three years later in 1996. It is clear that Scholten recognises that much in homeopathy needs to be updated and he has presented the format of rubrics in a new way with nouns being put first followed by verbs, adjectives and adverbs so that along with a more scientific way of investigating the homeopathic properties of elements and compounds there is a more standardised way of finding the concepts and symptoms too. Scholten does not stop there; in the repertory he also suggests that it is time has come for the old familiar names to make way for a newer system. Being a chemist Scholten would be aware that in the last sixty years there has been a movement headed by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) to standardise the nomenclature of chemicals so that there sequencing can be deduced from their name. It is therefore not surprising that he should also seek to standardise remedy names so that place in the periodic can more readily be understood meaning that it would become easier understand the characteristics of a remedy simply by readings its name. In ‘Stages as a universal principle for differentiation’ Scholten is also currently looking at how the series and stages relate to the plant and animal kingdoms (Scholten2007) Although tools such as MacRepertory have made it easier to find the correct remedy the standardising effect of Scholtens work should be a great aid for both educators and students of homeopathy should it be looked at more closely. It promotes both greater understanding of remedies, a greater range of remedies from which to choose and also by its logical nature can be an aid in understanding remedy relationships. www. interhomeopathy. org: http://www. interhomeopathy. org/fr-dogmatism-in-homeopathy http://www.interhomeopathy.org/archives-by-category?c=theory

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Impact Of Social Networking On Tertiary Students

Impact Of Social Networking On Tertiary Students This paper examines the impacts of social networking through a multi-layered study of the benefits, positive and negative effects they have on people more especially tertiary students in Botswana. It states what social networking is, as well as explaining what tertiary students are. It goes on to define the analysis of social networking trend as well as assessing the impacts of it towards the productivity of tertiary students. Data has been collected from interviews, questionnaires and published reports from the internet. This paper challenges the argument that social networks dont impact the lives and productivity of tertiary students in Botswana. 1.0 INTRODUCTION The rapid growth of social networking that has been observed over the last two to three years is indicative of its entry into mainstream culture and its integration into the daily lives of many people, Ofcomm (2008). In parallel with this, there has also been considerable media coverage of the growth of social networking in tertiary institutions, its potential positive outcomes and concerns about the way that some students engage with it. Social networking sites offer people new and varied ways to communicate via the internet, whether through their PC or their mobile phone. They allow people to easily and simply create their own online pages or profile and to construct and display an online network of contacts. Users of these sites can communicate via their profile both with their friends and with people outside their list of contacts. This can be on a one-to-one basis, or in a more public way such as a comment post for all to see Social networking has a major impact on universities and colleges in Botswana as a lot of students are now using sites like myspace, twitter and facebook to communicate search and share data and even to socialise through them. These sites are attracting a huge number of people as they use them to establish links between friends even publishing and maintaining their profiles, (Subrahmanyam K 2008). The impact of social networks on productivity of tertiary students is an important issue that has caught both educators and practitioners attention in recent years. Social networking also has great effect to the industry since sites like facebook are of importance to students as they are able to express themselves but the main problem is that students stop working and spend much time to navigate through it. The measurement of student productivity is certainly open to many definitions. So to address the issue of learning effectiveness, it is better to design a field experiment comparing stud ent performance when they combine social networking with school work. Questions raised in this study are: Is an individuals position in a social network related to his or her performance in school? What kind of social relations are linked with students academic performance? The main purpose of this study is to explore the impact of interpersonal relationship networks on students academic performance online and offline and to find out the key human relationship determinants for students performance. 2.0 ANALYSIS OF SOCIAL NETWORKS 2.1 What is social networking? Social network can be said to be a group of socially related nodes linked by means of one or more relationships. A set of connections (members), are those nodes connected by the relations whose patterns can be studied. The units are commonly known as organizations or persons, thus the connected units can be studied as the principle says, (Marin A. and Wellman B. 2009). At the most basic level social networking sites allow users to set up online profiles or personal homepages, and develop an online social network. The profile page functions as the users own webpage and includes profile information ranging from their date of birth, gender, religion, politics and hometown etc. In addition to profile information, users can design the appearance of their page, and add content such as photos, video clips and music files. In addition to this, users can also build a network connection that they can build as friends. It is important to note that the term friend in this context does not refer to the traditional friend. Therefore it means anyone who has been invited or been invited by the other user. 2.2 History of social networking History of networking sites started first by the launch of SixDegrees.com in 1997. Users were permitted to list friends after making profiles. By 1998, they were able to view friends lists and profiles existed on community and dating sites. Classmates.com permitted persons to connect with friends from different institutions and search the network for any other person they would have known before even though they were not able create profiles even listing their friends. The combination of these features was then made through SixDegrees couple of years later on, (Boyd et al 2007). This clearly indicates that the first social networking site to be used was Six Degrees. It emerged in 1997 and users were allowed to register and edit their profiles in 1998. Everything in life has start time and the end time therefore SixDegrees did not do well as may be people were not able to access this site or they did not know the usage of it. Even though SixDegrees attracted a lot of people as users, it was unsuccessful to become a sustained business and this made the business to close its operations in the year 2000, (Boyd et al 2007). The downfall of this business was that, large number of people was taking the use of Internet seriously but most did not have the potential to connect with their friends who were online. After the close of this networking site, some other networking sites emerged. 2.3 Engaging in social networking sites and reasons why students engage in social networking Research by Boyd (2008) showed that tertiary students were more likely to access social networking sites on the internet at their schools than anywhere else. Media reports have suggested that some tertiary schools in Botswana have banned access to these sites. If these reports reflect widespread practice, it is likely that access to the internet at home will become an increasingly important factor in use of social networking sites. There are a number of ways why tertiary students use social networking sites. At the point when fears and anxieties diminish, tertiary leaders may start to appreciate that social networking tool and technologies can be utilized to: Find and meet new friends. One can find people of every kind from all over the world. Or you can just focus on meeting certain types of new friends Help one find old friends which were last seen many years ago. enable speedier location, access and sharing of information; enable more efficient leverage of contacts and knowledge; help retain key employees by improving satisfaction in the workplace; break down time and geographical boundaries to improve communication between widely dispersed personnel; reduce expenses because one can chat with a friend very far for free 2.4.0 How people use social networking sites The building blocks of social networking sites are the individual members profiles. No two profiles are identical, but they typically contain basic information about the user such as name, sex, home town/country and contact details as well as other information such as race, religion and politics. Alongside this basic information, most social networking sites also allow users to write potted biographies about themselves and to go into great detail about their likes and dislikes. For example, on MySpace these are termed blurbs. An important feature of social networking sites for most tertiary students in Botswana is the ability to contact others in a playful way, using pokes or similar gestures. These gestures are a feature of most social networking sites and, depending on the site are called names like Pokes, Fives, Love or something similar. They are a way of gesturing to other users and getting their attention. These gestures, or symbolic cues, are fun for many users and provide a level of excitement as people log on to see what messages they have. They can also provide social status or reassurance, depending on the number received and who they were received from. Students can post photos and videos on their social networking sites, in addition to their profile photo. Photos are important both for constructing and revealing ones identity, and for sharing important events and moments with a wide group of people (especially family and friends). Some students and less confident ones reported that the virtual nature of the communication they had through these sites had allowed them to express themselves more confidently. These students also reported using MSN and texting in a similar way. Social networking sites appeared to allow less confident individuals, particularly teenage boys and girls and older single women, to express themselves in new ways and to talk confidently to people they knew, and also to contact people they didnt know. Some teenagers and adults in their early twenties reported feeling addicted to social networking sites and were aware that their use was squeezing their study time. Many students had experienced this drawback, although to differing degrees. Some students described how they might go onto their site just to check for messages and then emerge a few hours later having been drawn into commenting, searching and generally having fun. 2.4.1 Case 1 Kabo Magowe (22) is a young man who schools in Botswana Accountancy College and while I was on the internet doing my online research I asked him if he knows anyone who has a problem with Fece Book. He said to me, yes I do. I know this other guy who had to re-take three courses after he failed them because he used to spend much time on Face Book. 2.4.2Case 2 Alice is a Humanities student at the University of Botswana, aged 23, living in a rented apartment in an urban/suburban area. She depends mainly on her allowance and she doesnt receive extra money from parents. She spends much of her time in the evening at school chatting to people she has met in chat rooms in Face Book. She has had an affair with one guy she met online which lasted eight months. They would talk to each other daily and their avatars would go and get a room at Planet Lodge. After eight months they met in public and she learnt that he was married, so she finished the online relationship, although she really felt they had something special. Despite her experience, she still feels that social networking sites are a much easier way for single women to meet people, especially as they are not able to go out very much and it gives them a chance to talk to lots of people and feel less isolated. 2.5 Positive impacts of social networking on students There are a number of ways in which social networks impact the lives of students and people. Some of the positive ways are: They help in education by allowing teachers and coaches to post club meeting times, school projects, and even homework on these sites. Social networking Web sites are helping businesses advertise, thus social networking Web sites are benefiting businesses therefore the U.S. economically. They help them meet others who share the same interest Social networking can be used by individuals as a way of looking for a job or job hunting Social networking can be used as a positive cause/awareness, i.e, money raising benefits for someone who was in a car crash, house burnt down, or also raise funds for the people involved in natural catastrophes like the Haiti earth quake etc (these are actual events) They help people to stay in touch with friends long distance They can be used to renewed friendships high school/college friends Keep track of community service 2.5 Negative impacts of social networking on students Social networks also have negative impacts on the lives of students or people in general. Some of them are: Students are waste precious time that could be spent doing homework, thus social networking websites are encouraging the creation of a lazy generation. Users of social networking websites are extremely vulnerable to fraud, and can have money stolen from their bank accounts just because of signing up for these sites. Users of social networking websites are extremely vulnerable to sexual abuse or harassment. In the case of computer labs, social networks use up most of the bandwidth in them. They are so interesting that one will want to open a lot of web pages at the same time and imagine if 50 students do that at the same time. 3.0 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 3.0.1 Social networking: qualitative research into attitudes, behaviours users and how tertiary students in Botswana use social networking sites Methodology- questionnaires were issued to different students from different tertiary institutions in Botswana. Questionnaires were used because they are easy to analyze and also written questionnaires become even more cost effective as the number of research questions increases. Questionnaires are familiar to most people (Berdie, Anderson, and Niebuhr, 1986). Nearly everyone has had some experience completing questionnaires and they generally do not make people apprehensive. They are less intrusive than telephone or face-to-face surveys. When respondents receive a questionnaire in the mail, they are free to complete it on their own time-table (Cahalan, 1951; Jahoda, et al., 1962). Unlike other research methods, the respondent is not interrupted by the research instrument. Core Objectives- To identify, explore and understand the behaviours, attitudes and barriers to tertiary students use of social networking sites Sample Size- 25 students Field Work Period- 8 March to 12 March 2010 (5 days) Sample Definition- Social networking student users aged 19+. The sample included 5 students from University of Limkokwing, 5 from the University of Botswana, 5 from Botswana Accountancy College, 5 from Gaborone Institute of Professional Studies and the last batch of 5 from NIIT. The sample also comprised of students who have internet connection from their homes and those who used the one at school. 4.0 FINDINGS Question 1 Name of tertiary institution Botswana Accountancy College 5 University of Botswana 5 University of Limkokwing 5 Gaborone Institute of Professional Studies 5 NIIT 5 Total 25 students Question 2 Do you have a social network you are involved in? Yes 23 No 2 Total 25 students Question 3 If your answer is yes on the above question, which social networks are you part of? Face Book 22 MySpace Tagged Hi5 1 Other Total 23 students Question 4 When do you usually surf your social network sites? During class hours 14 Lunch time 6 After hours 1 weekends 2 Total 23 students Question 5 How many friends do you have on your friend list that you dont know or talk to? 10% 30% 11 40% 60% 2 70%+ 10 Total 23 students Question 6 When do you find it necessary for you to log onto your favorite social network chosen at number three above? Anytime I get access to an Internet connection, whether its during a lesson or not. Sometimes, I would go out and find an Internet connection and if it means going to the internet cafà © I would do it. 16 When Im bored and have nothing else to do 2 Sometimes, when I want to catch up with friends 5 Total 23 students Question 7 How long do you take surfing your social network? 1hr 2hrs 6 2hrs 3hrs 12 4hrs+ 5 Total 23 students Question 8 Has social networking negatively affected your studies? Yes 20 No 3 Total 23 students Question 9 Give reasons for the answer provided above Relevant to decline in school work 20 Nothing to do with school 3 Total 23 students Question 10 Which internet connection do you use? Home 5 School 18 Total 23 students 5.0 RESULTS The questionnaires handed out to students in different institutions were all returned fully and accurately answered with no faults or damages what so ever. The results are as follows: From the 25 sampled students, 92% of students have a social network account from different web sites and only 8% of students dont have any. The 8% is the 2 students school at Gaborone Institute of Professional Studies. This result leaves us with only 23 questionnaires to analyze. From the 23 students with social network accounts 91% of students have Face Book accounts and 8% of students are not on face book but rather on Hi5. When it comes to the times at which the students surf their social web sites, 61% students have stated that they do it during class hours, while 26% students surf during lunch time, 4% surf during after hours and 2 students do it during weekends. Again, when it comes to a portion of friends that particular student has, but never talks to or dont know, 11 students say they dont know or talk to 10 30% of their total friends, while 2 student doesnt know or talk to 40 60% of his total friends. 10 students dont talk or even know 70%+ of their total friends. 16 students say they surf the social network sites anytime they get access to an Internet connection, whether its during lessons or not. They say sometimes, they would go out and find an Internet connection even if it means going to an internet cafà ©. 2 students surf the web sites only when they are bored and 5 students surf when they want to catch up with their friends 6 students say that they spend an hour to 2 hours on their particular web sites, 12 students spend 2hours to 3 hours on their particular sites and 5 students spend 4 hours+ on their particular web sites. From the overall 23 students, 87% say social network sites have impacted them negatively on their academic work and this has caused them to fall gradually from their high marks to low marks. 13% students say they are still doing well in school and social networking hasnt impacted them negatively on their school work because they dont mix school with pleasure. 78% of the 23 students have got no internet connection at their homes which means they use the connection at school and 22% students have got internet connection at home 6.0 DISCUSSION The results above have made it clear that social networking is common among many tertiary students in Botswana. The results also show that it (social networking) impacts the way students perform in school negatively. From the sample of students selected from different tertiary institutions in Botswana, one would say in every 5 students, 4 students have accounts on different social networking sites. The most common social web site used or visited from the sample is Face Book which of cause was developed by a tertiary student. With Face Book being common this means that the majority of the world population is on Face Book therefore there are many people to stay in touch with. Even though there is a big dish full of friends to socialize with, there are people who request friends and yet they dont know them and they and dont even talk to them or chat with them. Friends are just added to increase the list of friends; its like a competition among tertiary students. More friends mean more profiles to check out. For example if a student has 200 friends on face book and yet he/she does not have internet connection at home but rather uses the connection at school, this means that he/she will have to spend more hours at school being unproductive viewing friends profiles. The results have highlighted 16 students from a total of 23 students who visit social networking sites during class hours and mostly during lab sessions. This is very bad because there is lack of concentration during classes and therefore students fail. Lastly, from the 23 students sampled, 87% of them have shown that social networking has affected the way they perform academically. 7.0 CONCLUSION In a few years time the chances are that social networking will be part of almost everyones life are very high. Most people will take advantage of the fact that they have accounts on social network web sites and erasing or deactivating them will be impossible because of the fact that they have many friends around the world and losing touch with them will be a disadvantage. With the majority of tertiary institutions in Botswana having social networking sites blocked from their computer labs, most households will have internet connections in the near future, many of which will be high speed. Accessing the Net wherever and whenever one chooses will be commonplace thanks to both the small wireless devices most people carry and the variety of alternate points of access. All of these modern upgrades mentioned above will make social networking for tertiary institution students to even surf them more and frequently. I have a great believe that the number of students without internet connecti ons at their households will gradually reduce in great numbers. Social network web sites have negative impacts on the lives of tertiary students in Botswana. They affect the way they perform at their different institutions. Social networking has become a habit on tertiary students, they cannot live without them. Even when they are disabled from their schools, one will go to thee extend of finding an internet connection in order to go online. 8.0 RECOMMENDATIONS Since social networking is a habit among tertiary students in Botswana, I would recommend that they should balance them, use them equally. They should give their school work more priority because school is the key to success and not Face Book friends. 10.0 REFERENCES What is social networking (2010), what is social networking, http://www.whatissocialnetworking.com/ [accessed 19 Feb 2010] Wikipedia (2010), social network service, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/social_network_service/ [accessed 21 Feb 2010] About.com (2010), reasons to join a social network, http://personalweb.about.com/od/easyblogsandwebpages/a/whatsocialnetwo.htm [accessed 21 Feb 2010] Yahoo (2010) social networking websites have positive impact? http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?/ Boyd, D and Ellison, N, Social Network Sites, Definition, History and Scholarship, Journal of Computer Mediated Communication (October, 2007), http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol13/issue1/boyd.ellison.html. K. Subrahmanyam Online and offline social networks: Use of social networking sites by emerging adults, Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 200811/12. D.M. Boyd and N.B (2007) Ellison Social Network Sites: Definition, History, and Scholarship (2007). Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 13(1), article 11. [Online] [21 September 2009).

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Occupational Stress and Health Essay example -- Business Management St

Occupational Stress and Health Introduction In recent years, occupational stress and health have gained considerable importance to people in all forms life. Keeping in mind, the excessive work load, amount of time spent at work and the recent changes that are affecting the nature of work, it is not surprising that work stress today is increasing (Szymanski, 1999). Stress can be caused due to a number of reasons and in many ways and those things are known as stressors which may vary from person to person. According to the United States National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (1999), job stress can be defined as the harmful physical and emotional responses that occur when the requirements of the job do not match the capabilities, resources, or needs of the worker. It can also lead to poor health and even injury. http://www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/safework/stress/whatis.htm People should be made more aware about the symptoms of stress and try to precautionary measures before it affect their lives. Stress at work can affect people both mentally and physically. Excessively high levels of stress need to be controlled in order to avoid these health related problems. A number of things can be done by employees and employers to prevent workplace stress. Also, there are a number of stress management techniques that can be used by people to ensure that they lead a stress free life. Job related stressors should be identified and dealt with so that an organisation and its employees can operate efficiently and effectively. Identifying stressors at work The list of potential stressors is limitless. There may be times when these are actually of use to us, creating simply a pressure s... ...herwise, when unplanned things happen, it’ll cause you just as much stress as trying to work without a plan. References & Bibliography International labour organisation – safe work program http://www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/safework/stress/whatis.htm Kendall, E., Murphee, P., O’Neill, V. & Bursnall, S. (2000). A report to the workers’ compensation and rehabilitation commission (Western Australia).Occupational Stress: Factors that contribute to its occurrence and effective management. Centre for Human services (Griffith University). http://www.workcover.wa.gov.au National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/stresswk.html Szymanski, E. M. (1999). Disability, job stress, the changing nature of careers, and the career resilience portfolio. Rehabilitation Counselling Bulletin. 42, pp 279-284.