Thursday, October 31, 2019

Report on Marks and Spencer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Report on Marks and Spencer - Essay Example The current liabilities includes trade payables and other payables, borrowings and other financial liabilities, partnership liability to the pension scheme, derivative financial instruments, provisions and current tax liabilities. The company had Interest bearing debts from external sources of ?2,760.9 million and loans from partners to fund the pension scheme of ?71.9 million. Both consist of a mix of a long term portion and a short term portion which is due within the next 12 months. The table below provides that information for interest bearing or fixed interest debt.. Interest Bearing Debts Period Partnership loans ? Other Interest Bearing Loans ? Total Current 0 482.9 482.9 Non-current 71.9 2,278.0 2349.9 Total 71.9 2,760.9 2832.8 Marks and Spencer’s Financial Structure The following ratios in the table below will assist in the assessment of Marks and Spencer. Ratio Formulae 2010 2009 Debt Management Debt ratio (Total liabilities/Total assets) x 100% (4,967.3/7,153.2)x100 % = 69.4% (5,157.5/7,258.1) x 100 = 71% Gearing Ratio Interest Bearing Debts (IBD)/Equity + IBD 2,832.8/5,018.7 = 56.4% 3,200.6/5,301.2 = 60.38% Interest Cover Profit Before Interest and Tax (PBIT)/Interest Expense 852/162.2 = 5 times 870.7/214.5 = 4 times Liquidity Ratio Current ratio Current assets/current liabilities 0.80 0.60 Acid Test Ratio Current assets - inventory)/current liabilities 0.47 0.37 Debt Management The debt management ratios indicate how the company’s management has managed the debts of the company. According to Brigham (2005) the extent to which debt financing, which is also referred to as financial leverage is used by a firm has three implications. Firstly, financing the business using debt will allow share holders to maintain control of the company without increasing their investment in it. Secondly, shareholders returns can be substantially increased if the company earns more on investments that are financed with borrowed funds. However, financial risk increases as debt increases. Thirdly, creditors depend on shareholders to provide a margin of safety. Therefore the more funds supplied by shareholders the more comfortable they are in doing business with the company. Additionally, the interest expense which relates to interest charged on borrowed funds is allowable as a deduction for tax purposes. Dividend is not so allowed and is a distribution after tax is deducted. The Debt Ratio The debt ratio is the ratio of total liabilities to total assets and provides information on how much of the funds are provided by sources other than equity. The company’s debt ratio is 69.4% for the year ended April 3, 2010. Although this is an improvement over the previous year’s figure of 71%,. the guideline indicates that a percentage over 50% percent does not augur well. Marks and Spencer’s debt ratio is unfavourable and indicate problems with its financial structure. However, a comparison with the average in the industry in w hich Marks and Spencer operates is important. The gearing ratio below will provide additional information. The Gearing Ratio The gearing ratio is the portion of interest bearing debts to equity and interest bearing debt. The gearing ratio of 56% suggests that the company has a significant amount of interest bearing debt in its capital structure. The normal threshold of 50% has been exceeded. However, whether the ratio is favourable or not depends on the industry. The ratio for the year ende

Monday, October 28, 2019

Theodore Rex by Edmund Morris Essay Example for Free

Theodore Rex by Edmund Morris Essay Introduction Writing this paper, I faced a challenging task of exploring, discussing and analyzing a well-written book about one of the most prominent and controversial figures in American politics and history. In the first part of my report I would like to discover basic themes and concepts of the book as well as compare and contrast â€Å"Theodore Rex† and other books about the twenty-sixth US President. Also I would like to concentrate my attention on the major accomplishments of the author and on possible bias found in the book. The book is a thorough and profound biographical account of Roosevelt’s presidency and discusses and evaluates his major deeds and successes. The book concentrates on the two presidential terms he served, while â€Å"The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt†, another celebrated biographical work by Morris, sheds light on Roosevelt’s career before presidency. â€Å"Theodore Rex† ends with Mr. Roosevelt quitting the office. Edmund Morris writes about Theodore Roosevelt with great respect combined with admiration. The author doesn’t always clearly state it, but we can read it between the lines. When exploring Roosevelt external policy in the global context, the author quotes London Morning Post that stated Roosevelt’s presidency marked, â€Å"the emergence of a new world peacemaker: Mr. Roosevelts success has amazed everybody, not because he succeeded, but because of the manner by which he achieved success.† (Morris, 2002: p.391) Roosevelt is positioned as a great an innovative man of state for the ample reason that he was the first US president to leave the country or to fly in an airplane. I strongly deem that any book addressing questions connected with politics or history can’t be absolutely free from bias. For instance, Morris argues that American world hegemony and superpower is largely, if not only, Roosevelt’s accomplishment. But we know that economic and political conditions at the beginning of the century were very favourable, and the president seized the moment and American gilded age so he enhanced country’s position on the international arena. The book is different from others in many ways. First of all, it concentrates not only on the strengths of the twenty-sixth president, but also on his faults. The book provides the reader with full and comprehensive account of Roosevelt as a man of state and some insightful information about Roosevelt as a personality. Another difference is the focus of this biography solely on the presidential years of Theodore Roosevelt. Main Body Now let me proceed with evaluating the organization and the persuasive power of the book. The choice of the sources is satisfactory; the bibliography of the book is diverse and trustworthy. Morris consults sources dating from the early 20th centuries up to nowadays. The major material for Morris’ research consists of Roosevelt’s presidential whitepapers and worksheets, his private documentation, the archives of John Hay, William Howard Taft and Owen Wister. The author manages to be stylistically good and historically balanced. The book gives very specific account of political events that happened during the presidency of Roosevelt and goes through every political crisis, external or internal. The book doesn’t give much information about personal life of the twenty-sixth president, but it makes the reader feel as if sharing all the daily routine with Mr. Roosevelt. Let me enlist the issues, on which the author concentrates most. Morris reminds us about the success of Roosevelt’s external policy and stresses the fact of US acquisition of Panama Canal and the Philippines, signing a treaty ending the Russo-Japanese War and strengthening American naval forces. The book states that, â€Å"French foreign-policy experts believed him to be the strongest international personality since Bismarck.† (Morris, 2002: 193) He gives a positive account of Roosevelt’s policy in the spheres of culture, science, and ecology and urges to keep in mind presidential initiatives to create national parks and monuments and to start national conservation policy. He praises the president’s ability of dealing with labor issues by discussing the settlement of the significant coal strike in the early 1990s. Still, the author admits the existence of complicated points during the Roosevelt’s career, for instance, the Brownsville Incident. I believe that Morris concentrates too much on the description of major and minor state affairs. The book is purely a narrative. Instead of going so deep into daily matters of the president, Morris might have included more analysis of Roosevelt’s policies and practices. I would like to read more about Roosevelt in the wider historical context; the reader wants not only a success story, but the discussion of president’s actions to ensure success. Still, enough attention is paid to important people in Roosevelt’s life, namely Edith and Alice. Morris shows us the twenty-sixth president as a loving husband and caring father. Roosevelt’s family supported him in the turmoil of state affairs, and the president valued his dearest and nearest very much. When his wife arrived, â€Å"Careless of watching eyes, he threw his arms around Edith, then escorted her inside for supper.† (Morris, 2002: 47) Morris clearly states what traits of character are necessary for an outstanding leader. The author describes sometimes controversial behavior and complicated character of the president. Some small personal details give us better understanding of Theodore’s nature, for example, president’s habit to carry pistols with him. The detailed descriptions in a combination with easy way of presenting the information made the book seem convincing and trustworthy. Conclusion In the concluding part I would speak about the relevance and historical value of â€Å"Theodore Rex The book is readable and enjoyable, giving insight into big and small issues of governing. Sometimes the book may seem to be too detailed for a non-professional reader. I dare call this book to be a research of Roosevelt’s biography, since it keeps track of everything taking place in the president administration. Morris’ book may be useful for historians as well as for the general public. The book is very short still it has everything the one needs to know about Roosevelt and the US at the dawn of the 20th century. The organization of the book is good, but the tone of the story isn’t always adequate since Morris describes very official events using lyrical language. Let’s analyze the episode concerned with Panama-US treaty: â€Å"Pens scratched across parchment. Wax melted on silk. Two oceans brimmed closer, ready to spill.† (Morris, 2002: p.298) The prologue is marked by unnecessary romanticism, too. But it can’t be called a disadvantage since it saves the book from being boring. Paragraph and sentence structure is adequate and quite clear. And I didn’t notice any serious contradictions worth mentioning here. The organizational drawback is that personal and political episodes aren’t described in separate chapters. Still, the strictly chronological way of presenting the events with clear separation of the first and the second administration is definitely a plus. I believe that some practical solutions of social and economical problems, e.g. unemployment or discrimination, can be used by contemporary politicians as well. I would like to end my report with giving an overall assessment of â€Å"Theodore Rex† by Edmund Morris. This account of Roosevelt’s presidency and charismatic personality is in-depth but transparent, analytical but charming, complex but inspiring. I believe that such a charismatic leader as Theodore Roosevelt definitely deserves such a brilliant biographer as Edmund Morris.    References:    Morris, E. 2002. Theodore Rex. New York: Modern Library

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Misconceptions of psychology

Misconceptions of psychology Numerous studies have shown undergraduate students and everyday people to have a range of misconceptions about psychology. This study examined misconceptions among one group of first year psychology students, and another group of first year engineering students in order to determine whether psychology students perform significantly better than students of other academic disciplines in regards to their knowledge of psychology. A quasi-experimental independent-groups design was used, with the independent variables in this study having two levels, or whether the participant was either a psychology or engineering student and the dependent variable of the number of correct questions the individual achieved on the questionnaire. Results of this study showed that students from the two disciplines differ in their misconception and knowledge of psychology, with descriptive statistics and analyses of an independent groups t-test and a point biserial correlation showing a significant difference between the two groups. Conclusively, this study suggests that psychology students do have fewer misconceptions compared to engineering students, while further stating an alternative explanation and critically analysing procedures used to determine the produced results. Further research of in this area could focus on testing the misconceptions of a more varied sample, administer a different type of questionnaire, while also extending such research to a range of groups such as psychologists, doctors, teachers, or students of numerous disciplines. Misconceptions of psychology: A comparative study between psychology and engineering students Psychological research, regardless of the specific topic of study, is based upon the same scientific principles as the other hard sciences like physics and chemistry. Nevertheless, psychology has a long history of fighting a commonly held perception that it does not qualify as a scientific discipline and that it generates knowledge that is mere common sense. In many cases, however, common sense leads to an incorrect appreciation of phenomena that have been scientifically investigated by psychologists. Several studies have shown that undergraduate students and lay people alike hold many misconceptions about psychology. These misconceptions have been demonstrated in the United States and England and in several different courses of study. McCutcheon, Furnham, and Davis (1993) asked if there was a significant difference in the prevalence of misconceptions about psychology between American and English university students. They administered a 65 item multiple-choice questionnaire and found that English students generally did better than American students, though neither group answered more than half of the questions correctly. While the authors offered no clear explanation for either the poor performance or the difference between the two groups, they speculated that selective reporting in the mass media may contribute to both the formation of misconceptions and their resolution. Martin, Sadler, and Baluch (1997) tested undergraduate students from psychology, sociology, business, English and engineering from Middlesex University, U.K. on their general knowledge of psychology. Questions on their test invited common sense but incorrect answers. Out of a possible score of 38, psychology students scored highest with an average score of 17.08 while engineering students scored lowest with 11.57. Martin et al. also found that engineering students were least likely to regard psychology as one of the hard sciences or even one of the social sciences. The present study followed up previous reports of students generally poor performance on tests of misconceptions about psychology. Specifically, we repeated a portion of Martin et al.s (1997) study of misconceptions about psychology. We tested two Australian undergraduate classes, one introductory psychology class and one introductory engineering class, on a true/false test of common misconceptions about psychology adapted from Best (1982).This way of replicating a study is known as conceptual replication. While not all details of the Martin et al. study were replicated, this study allowed researchers to answer the overall question of misconceptions in psychology from a different angle. For this to be considered an exact replication of the Martin et al. study, misconception tests should have been given to individuals from a range of both first and last year psychology, sociology, business studies, engineering and English students, compared to just first year psychology and engineerin g students. Additionally, this study did not use a multiple choice test of misconception, but rather assessed misconception using a true or false questionnaire and provided no questionnaire of student attitudes towards psychology. The present study aimed to determine whether psychology students perform significantly better than students of other academic disciplines in regards to their knowledge of psychology. It was hypothesized that psychology students would have the lowest number of misconceptions about psychology, while engineering students would express the most misconceptions. Method Participants The 641 participants in this study consisted of 282 first year, undergraduate psychology students and 359 first year, undergraduate engineering students. Of the two groups in the study, the psychology group consisted of 75 males and 207 females, with ages ranging from 16 to 59 years, and a mean age of 20.3 years and a standard deviation of 5.5 years. The engineering group consisted of 264 males and 95 females, with ages ranging from 16 to 59, and a mean age of 20.0 years and a standard deviation of 5.3 years. The experiments were conducted at a university during Week 2 tutorials in the second half of the university year. Students were recruited by means of whether they were enrolled in either PSYC1040 or ENGG1000, two courses offered at the university. Design and Materials For the present study, a quasi-experimental independent-groups design was used. Similar to a true experiment, this study set up two levels of the I.V. (independent variable) and measured its effect on the D.V. (dependent variable). In this case, formation of the two groups was established by random assignment, but also by criteria established prior to completing the study. The independent variable in this study had two levels, or whether the participant was either a psychology or engineering student, while the dependent variable was the number of correct questions the individual achieved on the questionnaire. The key difference in a quasi-experiment is that participants in this study were tested on their knowledge and misconceptions according to characteristics they already acquired. The experiment used a 36-item true or false questionnaire (see Appendix A) to measure participants misconceptions and knowledge about psychology. The statements were drawn from a previous study conducted by Best (1982), which additionally suggested these statements appeared in a range of contemporary psychology textbooks and other similar questionnaires. Each statement consisted of a short sentence describing a simple scenario or event (e.g. psychiatry is a subdivision of psychology) and for which each participant was instructed to provide a true or false answer. Procedure All 641 participants received one copy of the questionnaire. Individuals were given the questionnaire during tutorials in Week 2 of Semester 2, 2010. Members of each tutorial group were assigned randomly by means of being there at the given time. Participants were instructed to complete each item individually and answer the statement as honestly as possible. The questionnaire was completed individually by the participants, without any interaction with fellow colleagues. Participants were given 10 minutes to fill in their answers, after which they were asked to swap their questionnaires with the person sitting next to them. Each participant then counted how many of the answers were correct and wrote down a score out of 36. For all the questions, the answer was false. Questionnaires and scores for both PSYC1040 (see Appendix B, figure 3) and ENGG1000 (see Appendix B, figure 4) were collected for further analysis and publication of the raw data. Results Data for both groups was explored graphically through frequency tables, frequency polygons, and box-and-whisker plots and were statistically analysed by means of an independent groups t-tests and a squared point-biserial correlation coefficient. Table 1. Mean questionnaire score and standard deviation of PSYC1040 and ENGG1000 Descriptive Statistic Psychology Engineering Mean 20.674 12.262 Standard Deviation 5.246 4.030 Psychology students scores were the higher of the two groups, with a mean of 20.7 and a standard deviation of 5.25 (see Table 1). Engineering students, on average scored lower than psychology students, with a mean of 12.3 and a standard deviation of 4.0 (see Table 1). As further indicated in Appendix C, psychology students performed better, with clear indication scores ranged between 16 and 26, while the engineering students highest scores ranged from 9 to 18 correct answers. Relative frequencies (see Appendix C, tables 4 5) were greater for scores between 15 and 28 for the PSYC1040 group, while scores between 8 and 18 for the engineering students proved to be more relatively frequent. Similarly, Figures 2 and 3 (Appendix D) illustrate PSYC1040 participants to have performed better than ENGG100 students, as psychology students achieved a higher score of 20 (indicated by the peak in the graph) most frequently and compared to engineering students who achieved a high score of only 12 m ost frequently. Additionally, from the distribution illustrated, the highest score from the PSYC1040 group was 36, while the lowest score was 6. Contrastingly, engineering students performed worse, achieving a high score of 30 and a low score of 0. Systematically, psychology students scores (See Appendix E and Appendix G, Figure 5), showed a mode and median of 20 and a range of 30. Descriptive statistics (Appendix E) and the box and whisker display (Appendix G, Figure 6) for the engineering group indicate a mode of 11 and a median of 12, while the range proved to be 30. Descriptive statistics (Appendix E) for the two groups show a significant difference between the two groups. Psychology students in fact performed 8.41 points greater than engineering students. However, in order to obtain a difference which is statistically important, certain assumptions were made to in order to perform further statistical analyses. Three assumptions were made of the independent groups t-test performed. Firstly, it was assumed that scores of PSYC1040 were independent of scores by ENGG1000 students, that data collected is representative of normally distributed populations and that variances of the two groups scores are alike. Test scores of PSYC1040 can be assumed to be independent of test scores of ENGG1000, as individual test scores from PSYC1040 could in no way be related to test scores achieved by ENGG1000 students, as the two groups were different. By means of illustration using the frequency polygons (Appendix D), the second assumption can be proven correct. Whi le the two distributions of the sample look more skewed and peaked than a normal ideal curve, we can make a decision that indeed the two samples of scores are from normally distributed populations as distributions of scores are not too skewed or peaked to violate such an assumption. Variances of the two populations differ slightly, as variance for the psychology group was 27.525 and variance for the engineering group was 16.243. There is no great difference to assume the two differ, so as a result we accept the given data and proceed. An independent groups t-test (see Appendix H) revealed that psychology students (M = 20.67, SD = 5.25) performed significantly better than engineering students (M = 12.26, SD = 4.03), with t (639) = 22.92, p Discussion As predicted, psychology students performed best in the misconceptions of psychology test than engineering students. The independent t-test and point biserial correlation both support the hypothesis proposed. The independent t-test showed significance between the two groups. The difference is very unlikely to occur if the samples were of no difference in the population and as a result the assumption is rejected. In other words, we reject the null hypothesis () and accept the alternative hypothesis, or that we are accepting a difference between the means that is no equal to zero. In this case the mean for psychology test scores is larger than the mean for engineering test scores, so it can be concluded that studying psychology leads to significantly higher tests scores when it comes to misconceptions of psychology. Additionally, the squared point-biserial correlation coefficient also supports the predicted hypothesis. Indicating the proportion of variance in a two sample study, the proportion ranges from 0 (variable has no effect) to 1.0 (variables control scores and therefore 100% of all scored can be predicted accurately). Variables representing between 10% and 30% of variance, indicated a relationship. Therefore, it can be concluded that being an engineering or psychology student accounts for a significant amount of the variance in the test scores. The variable therefore plays an important part in determining the test scores on the misconceptions survey. This means that the study was significantly more accurate at predicting a participants knowledge of psychology by knowing the condition they were in as opposed to just utilising the overall mean score for both conditions. Alternatively, composition of the two classes may have affected the data obtained. In both classes a gender difference exists. The psychology group consisted of more females than males, while the engineering group consisted of more males than females. Uneven numbers of males and females allows the data to be slightly bias. While experimental logic states that if one variable is manipulated, and if everything is kept the same, then all differences we observe are due to the manipulation of that variable. Quasi- experimental studies, which use gender as a variable, cannot be easily manipulated, meaning we cannot change gender throughout the experiment and we cannot be sure everything else stays the same. In order to control for the factor of gender bias, it is important to ensure the samples are representative of both males and females, in both the psychology and engineering groups. Possibly, other types of groups could be tested, all of which should be representative of both genders. McCutcheon (1991) critics the questionnaire used in this study. The Test of Common Beliefs has been constantly criticised on the basis that many items are ambiguously written. It has been argued that making the correct answers to all items false exposed individuals to accept without protest and gives many the opportunity to guess the answer by chance. Furthermore, McCutcheon suggests, items on several misconception tests are not widespread, meaning the test only focuses on a specific set of topics. Several studies such as Vaughan (1977), Lamal (1979), Gardner and Dalsing (1986) and Griggs and Ransdell (1987) all found that only a fraction of their questionnaire items were answered and only by half of their participants. It is possible to come to the conclusion that students which are beginners in psychology do not have many misconceptions about the subject. McCutcheon also proposes a possibility that true-false surveys are perhaps not the best at measuring misconceptions. In order to counter for this, McCutcheon steers away from using the true-false test of misconceptions, including several questions related to participant interest. Overall, results of this study suggest that in fact psychology students do have fewer misconceptions about psychology. It may be that other students of other disciplines are not aware of the knowledge required to overcome such misconceptions and therefore may even dismiss psychology as being a hard science. Further research in the area could include a study of misconceptions based on a larger, varied sample, while also using a questionnaire related to participant interests instead of a true or false questionnaire. Furthermore, future studies could also integrate participants who may be more experienced in the field, such as qualified psychologists in order to further analyse inter-disciplinary comparison of attitudes about psychology.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Charles Dickens A Tale of Two Cities :: GCSE English Literature Coursework

In society today, all people determine their lifestyle, personality and overall character by both positive and negative traits that they hold. Sydney Carton in Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities was a drunken lawyer who had an extremely low self- esteem. He possesed many negative characteristics which he used in a positive way. Carton drastically changed his life around and became a new man.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sydney is not the man he first appeared to be. He is first described at Darnay’s trial as slouching and not paying attention. He is seen as a drunk who had many personal issues. Carton feels that there is no hope for him, and that his life will never improve. He has much more potential and could be so much more in life, yet he chooses to remain in the shadow of others. Sydney has a dramatic life and is an alchoholic who sees nothing positive in himself.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Carton demonstrates a sensitivity which helps others in the long run. His partner, Mr. Stryver relaxes while Sydney works long hard hours to prepare the defense materials for the following days. Carton does most of Stryvers work, he is a man of great talent but lacks the character traits that would make those talents work to his own advantage instead of others that he helps. He always use to be satisfied with faling into his rank and never did anything to attempt to change his life. He further destroys himself with drinking and although he is not satisfied with his life now, he feels that he cannot do anything to change it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sydney’s love for Lucie Manette changed him greatly in a positive way. One day when Sydney visited the Manette residence he called on Lucie and pledged his love to her. After hearing this, Lucie feels nothing but compassion for Carton. He asked nothing more of Lucie than to always remember how deeply he cared for her, and that he would make any sacrifice to her or anyone dear to her. Lucie was the main reason for bringing out the new , more positve Sydney Carton. He now looked at things with a more positive attitude and a new personal strength was seen in his later actions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Carton’s final act in this novel shows what a brave man he was and he acts upon his true love for Lucie. After the second arrest of Charles Darnay, Carton urges Dr. Manette to attempt to use his influence to free Charles. When Carton is speaking with little Lucie, Charles and Lucie’s daughter, she begs him to do something to save her

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Marketing and Nike Essay

Q. N. 1: What have been the key success factors for Nike? Ans. The key success factors for Nike are their exciting marketing strategy, product innovation and staying to the mission which is â€Å"To bring, inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world.† These are as follows: * Nike established a strong brand name through designing innovative footwear for serious athletes. * Nike’s management has found most significant celebrity support: the right collaboration between celebrity and product. * Nike stayed focused on being an authentic sports and fitness company serving the athlete and sports minded people. * Nike’s campaign even featured an 80 year old long distance runner with the slogan â€Å"Just Do It† that placed the emphasis on self-empowerment through sports and fitness for all ages. * Making corrections and change of the American style ads in Europe also a key factor for success. Q. N. 2: Where is the Nike vulnerable? What should they watch out for? Ans. Vulnerable points of Nike as well as its solution are as below: * There is one fact, when using celebrity endorsements Nike advertisers need to keep in mind that is to never let the celebrity become your brand. If so, the company will run the risk of killing the brand as soon as celebrity becomes faded. * Selecting a spokesperson whose characteristics are congruent with the brand image. * Nike deals with only one product line that it footwear. In this circumstance, it should watch out for diversification of the products to increase the maker share. Q. N. 3: What recommendations would you make to their senior marketing executives going forward? Ans. For going forward senior marketing executives of Nike can follow the recommendations as below: * Find the right collaboration between celebrity and product. * Promote prospective display that is going global and evaluate current position rate. * Watch out for diversification of product line. * Collecting feedback from customers about the products quality * Customize the advertisement for the customer of different culture in different region. Q. N. 4: What should they be sure to do with their marketing? Ans. They be sure to manage their marketing system in a proper way that it is satisfying the customer needs and wants keeping pace with the time. They can give importance to the following topics: * Be sure that your product performance quality is ok as you advertise. * Ensure innovation on designing the product. * Collect ideas from customers to improve the product * Make aware the customer about the continuous improvement * Establish Customer Relationship Management.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Hellenistic age essays

Hellenistic age essays While the classical age of Greece produced great literature, poetry, philosophy, drama, and art, the Hellenistic age shared it with the known world. At the forefront of this new age were the Hellenistic cities. They stood as islands of Greek culture in a sea of non-Greeks. The spread of Greek culture, new opportunities for women, and long term improvements in living resulted from these Hellenistic Cities. The Greek culture thrived in the Hellenistic cities. While these cities were often very diverse, all government business was transacted in Greek. The political institutions of the cities were modeled after those of the Greek polis and the physical layout of the new cities were modeled after those of the Greek homeland. In a traditional rectilinear grid, cities were laid out with temples, altars, and theaters. The Greeks commissioned purely Greek sculpture, read literature of the classical period, and had separate law courts for themselves. Within these Hellenistic cities some Natives felt resentful and their complaints have been recorded. According to Jackson J. Spielvogel, Western Civilization, An Egyptian camel driver, for example, complained bitterly that he was not paid regularly because he did not know how to behave like a Greek We can see how important it would be for easterners to completely become Hellenized in order to enter the ranks of the ruling class. Sadly bec oming Hellenized often meant alienation from ones own culture. If a non- Greek wanted to achieve any such success he had to first adapt himself into the Greek culture. With cities growing and trade spreading through the east, the Greek culture was able to spread to the known world. A noticeable feature in the Hellenistic world was the improvement of opportunities for women. For example in Macedonia, alliances between mothers and sons provided openings for women to take an active role in politics. And in Egypt opportunities fo...

Monday, October 21, 2019

Boston University Summer Challenge Should You Go

Boston University Summer Challenge Should You Go SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips In this guide, I'll be discussing the Boston University Summer Challenge, a summer program for high school students at Boston University.Duringthe program, students take non-credit college-level courses, live on campus, and explore all that BU and Boston have to offer. While you can read aboutthis programon the BU Summer Challenge website, the information available is somewhat spotty and what is there can be difficult to dissect. For this reason, I spoke to the program coordinators and gathered everything you need to know about the program into this easy-to-read guide. I’ve created a Table of Contents so you can find the specific infoyou need, but I suggest reading the entire article in order: What Is the BU Summer Challenge? What Do You Do? Why Should You Attend? How To Apply and Application Requirements How Much Does It Cost? Tips on How to Get In FeaturedImage:ViaWikipedia What Is the Boston University Summer Challenge? What Activities Do Participants Do? The Boston University Summer Challenge is a two-week program for rising high school sophomore, juniors, and seniors that offers a preview of college life.During each of the three summer sessions, between 100 and 300 high school take two non-credit seminars and live on BU’s campus in the dorms. As a participant, you choose a morning seminar and afternoon seminar. In between your morning and afternoon seminars, you have lunch in one of BU's dining halls.After your afternoon seminar and on weekends, youparticipate in organized social activities such as exploring areas of Boston, shopping, seeing improv shows, and more. The exact social programming will vary from year to year. You also have plenty of free time to do your seminar assignments, explore Boston on your own, and explore BU's campus (you'll have free access to the libraries and canpurchase a short-term membership to Boston University's Fitness Recreation Center). In yourseminars, you'll be expected to attend lectures, engage in discussions, attend field trips, and completeindividual work,group work, and project-based assignments. The seminars have small class sizes (10 to 24 students)to ensure that you get sufficient attention from your experienced college instructors as you arechallenged with the college-level material taught in your seminar. Each seminar ends witha final in-class presentation. At the end of the summer (typically, in August/September), a certificate of completion and letters of evaluation from both seminar instructors will be sentto you. Listed below are the seminars that were offered in Summer 2015. (Summer 2016 seminars have not yet been announced.) Morning Seminars Abnormal Psychology Business: From the Ground Up Chemistry of Medicine Creative Writing Electrical Engineering The History of Boston International Politics Journalism Nutrition Visual Arts Afternoon Seminars Abnormal Psychology Business: From the Ground Up Communication Computer Science Economics Infectious Diseases Law Persuasive Writing Philosophy Photography Who’s Eligible for the BU Summer Challenge Program? The basic application requirements for all applicants are: Be a rising high school sophomore, junior, orsenior If you’re an international student, you also must meet the following qualifications: Have a valid passport Have health insurance While these are the only requirements needed to apply, there are more qualifications that will help you get in. Read those below in our Tips on How to Get Insection. What Are the Program Dates for Summer 2016? The programs dates for Summer 2016 are: Session 1: June 19 - July 1, 2016 Session 2: July 10 - July 22, 2016 Session 3: July 24 - August 5, 2016 Why Should You Attend the BU Summer Challenge Program? I’d highly recommend doing the Boston University Summer Challenge if you can afford it and it works in your summer schedule. I participated in a similar program at UCLA, and the program helpedme figure out whether I was interested in attending UCLA (which I found out I wasn’t) and what kind of coursework I wanted to pursue. I’ve broken down the pros and cons of attending the programbelow. Pros of BU Summer Challenge Test out BU to see if it’s the right college for you. Take non-credit college coursesto helpfigure out what you might be interested in majoring in (you could find out you hate art and want to study biology or vice versa). It's better to figure this out in high school rather than halfway through college when you've already spent a lot of time and money on classes you ended up not liking. Receive two letters of evaluation(one from each of your seminar teachers) at the end of the program, which could be used as supplementary letters of recommendation for college. As a residential student for twoweeks, you get to test out living away from home for the first time. My friends and I who did the UCLA summer program struggled a lot less with homesickness once we started college than our peers. Have a college program on your resume for your college applications. While there is no guarantee of admissions and no guarantee that participating will better your chances of admission, the BU admissions office likes to see that you’ve shown a significant interest in the university. Doing this program will show them your interest. Cons of BU Summer Challenge Expensive (I discuss the exact cost below). You can't get college credit while some similar programs such as the Emory Pre-College Program do offer classes for credit. No financial aid available while at some other programs such as the Emory Pre-College Program, there is financial aid available. How To Apply and Application Requirements Applications are accepted on a rolling basis beginning in the January before the summer session.You typically receive aresponse via email within threeweeks of submitting your application. The application deadline for summer 2016 has not yet been posted. It will be posted on the BU Summer Challenge website after December 15th. However, as the website says, students who apply earlier "are more likely to receive the session and seminar selections of their choice," so you should submit your application ASAP. To apply, you must: Pay a $50 non-refundable application fee paid by credit card. Complete an online application that includes a 500 - 750-word personal statement describing why you want to attend the BU Summer Challenge Program. Email a copy of your complete high school transcript, including your fall grades, to summerhs@bu.edu. Additionally, international studentsmust: Complete an international student form. Submit a copy of your passport. If the primary language of instruction at your high school is not English, you will likely be asked to provide proof of proficiency such as a TOEFL score (though this is on a case by case basis). How Much Does BU Summer Challenge Cost? The feefor the BU Summer Challenge includes tuition, housing, and all meals in the dining hall. It also includes textbooks and all sponsored activities during the two-week program.The program cost for the BU Summer Challenge in 2015 was $3730.This may be changing for Summer 2016, but it hasn’t yet been announced.Additionally, as I mentionedearlier, there is a $50 non-refundable application fee (which will stay the same in 2016). Is There Financial Aid? Unfortunately, there is no financial aid available for this program. However, I have some advice for quick ways to raise money if you're hoping to attend but can't afford tuition: Try using an online crowdfunding platform such as Go Ennounce (which is specifically for students looking to fundraise), Go Fund Me, or IndieGoGo. Write lettersto friends, family, employers, local businesses and churches asking for support. Reach out to civic organizations in your area, such as Rotary and Kiwanis, to see if they could offer ascholarship. 3 Tips onFundraising Your BU Summer Challenge Tuition Tip #1: When you write your explanation on the crowdfunding platform, write your letters tothe community, or reach out to civic organizations, make sure you share your personal story and explain why the BU Summer Challenge program is important to you and will help you achieve your future goals. This explanationshould be similar to your personal statement for the program (which, as I said above, asks you to describewhy you want to attend the BU Summer Challenge Program). Tip #2: Share your fundraising campaign on social media and ask your friends and family to share your campaign on their social media if they're unable to donate. Tip #3: Write a thank you note for every donation you receive. Tips on How to GetAccepted If you’re hoping to attend the Boston University Summer Challenge, your high school transcript and personal statement need to show you off in a positive light. While there is no specific GPA required for admission, the program coordinators said they preferred applicants with at least a 3.0 unweighted GPA.To have the best shot of being accepted, you should try to get your unweighted GPA at or above a 3.0.While you may not have a lot of time before applying, there are ways to raise your GPA fast. The BU Summer Challenge Programdoes not tell the public itsacceptancerate, but the program website says they look for "motivated high school students who are taking a college preparatory curriculum. Your high school transcript and personal statement are both taken into account when admission decisions are made." Additionally, I spoke to the program coordinators who indicated that most students with a 3.0 or higher are accepted into the program. For your personal statement, make sure you show off your personality, explain your love for BU, and explain why you want to be a part of the Summer Challenge. If you need help writing the personal statement, read our other great guide with tips on writing a personal statement. What’s Next? Learn about the college application process: How To Do College Research Right: Step-By-Step Guide Complete Strategies: Common App Essay Prompts (2015-16) How to Pay for College: A Complete Guide Want to improve your SAT score by 240 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Prevent School Violence essays

Prevent School Violence essays At 11:21 a.m. Mountain Time on April 20, 1999, the Jefferson County Communications Center of the Sheriff's Office received a total of five calls from local residents living near Columbine High School, located within Jefferson County, Colorado. It is at this time, as reported by eye witnesses and the press, that at least two armed people entered the southeast Columbine High School parking lot. They reportedly threw a few devices that exploded in the parking lot, and shot at the school. A mass exodus of at least 1,500 students fled the school when the shooting began, while others hid in classrooms within the school for hours. The assailants stalked the halls early on in the shooting, blasting away innocent people. In upwards of thirty students were terrorized by the shooters in the large library of the school, with nearly a dozen killed in cold blood. "I heard maybe 50, 60 shots in the library and they chucked four to five pipe bombs in the room," said student Evan Todd. Fourteen stu dents, including the shooters themselves, and one teacher, died during the attack; a total of 15 deaths. About 23 students and faculty were seriously injured.(Luzadder, Dan; Vaughan, Kevin) Could this have been avioded? When your child is sitting in a class room, do you worry about your him or her? No probably not, there in the care of an qualified educated person. They should be safe from outside danger, but inside is another matter. It happens quite a bit in our classrooms, even with the teachers present. Children harassing children, teasing each other, hurting each other. Yet, the teachers seem no to notice it going on in there school. I see these specials on the news about High Schoolers beating up each other in there school cafeteria , and I wonder, where were the teachers. Did they all just magically disappear? Why with all the security we spend money on, we still have these cases of school violence getting out hand. Though most of the school viole...

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Individual Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Individual Assignment - Essay Example Nonetheless, in practice subsidiaries differ respectably in what they do and how they share in global techniques. This variety of subsidiary parts inside a MNE relies on upon both the MNE's global system and assets and the accessibility and character of assets gained entrance to by regional standards; at the end of the day on the cooperation of Firm-particular and nation particular focal points. . In this way, MNEs make linkages between their differing subsidiaries that thusly misuse chances in various types of nearby connections. Hence, subsidiaries shift as for the business sectors into which they offer: domesticated or worldwide. Subsequently, we propose to grow the plans of the IR skeleton to comprehend the determinants of subsidiary technique by including fare introduction as a third measurement in our IR system. Over here we will be discussing the IR framework of five individual companies, namely IBM, Google, Samsung Electronics, Huawei and Toyota as to where do they fall in th e framework and do they decide on their respective strategies accordingly. 1. Assuming you are a senior manager of the parent firm, below, in which cell of the integration/ responsiveness (I/R) framework would you place the corporate strategy of each of the following five MNEs: a)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   IBM b)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Toyota c)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Huawei d)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Samsung Electronics e)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Google The Integrated- Responsiveness framework is used to explore and explain the management challenges of all types of multinational enterprises (MNEs). However, it was originally developed, and has predominantly been applied, to examine and explain strategic and organizational dilemmas in product-oriented manufacturing firms. The below given diagram makes it clearer. In the case of IBM, it is a widespread Information technology company. They need to follow a transnational strategy which falls in the third quadrant with high global integration and high resp onsiveness. The same should be followed by Toyota as it is a worldwide manufacturer of automobiles. Huawei and Samsung are both in into electronics and computers; even they will fall in the category of following the transnational strategy. Google is the most popular international search engine over the world. They have operations across all the continents. They also fall under the category of transnational organisation. 2. What is the appropriate organisational structure consistent with the strategy of each of the five firms in Question 1? As discussed above, IBM, Toyota, Google, Samsung & Huawei, all fall under the transnational technique, they need to design their organisational structure appropriately. The real issue confronting associations that utilize a transnational structure is unpredictability, which is prone to meddle with their deliberations to realize integration and coordination at different levels. To address the issue of integration and coordination concerns, they mig ht as well receive new organizational structures, for example, measured and virtual structures. Virtual Structure In a measured structure, one can differentiate centre and non-centre capacities of their business and keep tabs on centre capacities while outsourcing all non-centre capacities. In virtual organizations, representatives work comprehensively from distinctive

Friday, October 18, 2019

A Person as the Property Speech or Presentation

A Person as the Property - Speech or Presentation Example According to the research study today, slavery today is illegal and is abolished by many countries around the world as they consider the act barbaric and overtaken by time. The international laws and treaties including domestic laws in the individual countries consider the trade illegitimate and recognize it as abuse of human rights. Slave trade has done more harm than good ultimately, a part from denying people their rights as enshrined in the constitutions, and it has also deprived the society of able population culminating into loss of artisanship and abject poverty in the zones.This essay stresses that  slavery started long time ago with several slave dealers scattered all over the world especially in Africa. The few rich dealers in slavery organized for the capturing of able-bodied people, which were then taken to the market for purchase by the merchants. Slaves were captured in a brutal exercise that left many people maimed and killed. The villages were deprived work force si nce there was extraction of those who could economically improve the status of the society. The slaves were then assembled in designated areas that were used as markets through which the prospective buyers met the sellers. After the purchase, slaves would be taken to diverse areas where demand was rife, for instance, others would be taken to US, Europe, Asia et cetera.  The sultanate that was based in Zanzibar abetted the trade and these made most of the population from the region to be taken to the Middle East as slaves.... The system of capturing slaves both in the Arabic world and in the rest of the world remained more or less the same. Most of the slaves that were captured by the Middle East traders though were largely drawn from Mediterranean, Turkic, and Persians (Marmon 113). This trend also spread to other parts of the world and reached African continent as a new area for acquisition of the slaves. Following the establishment of the Omani rule in Eastern, part of Africa became a factor that accelerated slavery in the region. The sultanate that was based in Zanzibar abetted the trade and these made most of the population from the region to be taken to the Middle East as slaves. The Portuguese and the Europeans who also had interest in the same region did not welcome the establishment of the rule along the East African coast led by the Arabs. Because of the trade related issues, there arose a commercial conflict between the two dominant groups, the Portuguese and the Arabs; this led to a series of wars that emerged between the rivaling groups owing to the control of slave trade along the East coast. It is estimated that by the time the slave trade was abolished, approximately 18 million Africans were transferred to the Middle East where they were placed under bondage (Marmon 124). Some of the prominent people that stood out due to slave trade from the Middle East were Tippu Tip. He was one of the most known slave dealer who transferred million of slaves a cross the Red sea, the Sahara desert, and the Indian Ocean (Pipes). History also reports that the Arabs also enslaved some of the Europeans and about 1 million in relation to this were captured and placed under bondage in the Arab world. With the

Baldrige Award Criteria Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Baldrige Award Criteria Analysis - Assignment Example 5). The global presence of Airbus encompasses strategic locations in Europe, the Americas, Asia Pacific, Africa and the Middle East servicing more than fifty percent of commercial and military transport aircraft orders all over the world. 1. Leadership Heading the EADS consortium is Thomas Enders, the President and CEO of Airbus since 2007 (Airbus: Management, 2011, par. 1). Together with eight members of the executive committee, Enders has been committed to practicing its core tenets, focusing on enjoining other members of the management team and various personnel of the organization to â€Å"generate customer value, act with courage in all situations, practice teamwork and global integration, face reality and act with integrity, drive innovation and deliver reliably, and develop oneself and others† (Airbus: Company culture, 2011, par. 4). As a global organization entrenched in diverse geographical locations, managing and leading more than 50,000 employees from different cult ures is a tremendous challenge. It takes innate skills, knowledge, abilities and genuine interest on the endeavor to steer the organization into weathering the changes in the external environment. As revealed, the organization has employed a unified management and leadership strategy to ensure that standards are imposed and adhered to in all locations where Airbus operates. The following crucial elements of the strategy align leadership policies and practices at Airbus, to wit: (1) leading by example; (2) equipped to perform, and (3) management expertise (Airbus: Management, 2011, pars. 5 – 7). By manifesting leadership through exemplifying the role of models in leading, each and every personnel are encouraged to embody the standards of excellence expected from everyone. The qualifications and competencies of each manager and leader are consistent with the demands of their jobs. There is continuous training and development to ensure that expertise is honed through time. Final ly, programs are set to further develop and train global managers to be experts in technical and managerial skills. Aside from taking pride in incorporating cultural diversity in global operations, Airbus’ leadership is likewise committed to social responsibility through active support and development of various stakeholders. Employees, particularly, are given priority in terms of personal and professional development, affiliations with community programs through their Corporate Foundation, establishing strong partnerships with various suppliers, being actively involved in charitable endeavors, and ensuring the protection and safety of the environment (Airbus: Corporate Social Responsibility, 2011). In its official website, Airbus boasts of indicating that â€Å"as a responsible corporate citizen and industry leader, Airbus’ day-to-day operations are guided by a strong commitment to the highest ethical standards – ensuring integrity, transparency and profession alism across its operation† (ibid, par. 1). 2. Strategic Planning The process of strategic planning necessitates the identification of opportunities and risks in an organization’s external environment. As Lynch & Williamson (2006) averred, â€Å"strategic planning is long range in perspective and should be

Fordism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Fordism - Essay Example Moreover, the essay discusses the strengths and limitations of each form of work process for employers and employees. Lastly, it critically examines whether these theories are relevant to the work in the contemporary organization. Fordism refers to a notion of modern social systems and economic growth. It bases its concept on industrialization and a standard form of production for the sustainability of population growth. It gives emphasizes on the change in working conditions of workers. It is a form of production used in automotive industries to increase production (Fincham and Rhodes 2005, p. 231). It focuses on producing goods at low costs giving its workers' decent wages. For the mass production to occur it uses special purpose machinery. The form of production applied the three principles to enhance the mass production. First, they employed special machines, which operate on an assembly line (Buchanan and Huczynski 2010, p. 121). These machines did not require skilled employees because one employee did one task repeatedly. Second, standardization of products, this is to say that nothing was hand-made. All their products were made using machines (Fincham and Rhodes 2005, p. 121). Third, they focused on the welfare of the workers. The workers were paid high wages so that they can afford the products they made; this was to avoid theft cases. In his principle, Henry Ford the founder of Fordism simplified work-using assembly lines. This is where a worker did a certain task repeatedly. Research shows that, Henry Ford was not the original founder of assembly lines he increased its efficiency. This form of production increased affordability to the average consumer. Increase in wages reduced worker absenteeism increasing the production turnover to 400 percent annually. This form of production encouraged specialization within the organization hence quality in the production of goods. Fordism as a form of work process has different strengths. First, the use of assemb ling lines as a form of production encouraged specialization. This is because one worker did the same task repeatedly hence specialization. Specialization results for quality and quantity production. Thus, the goods produced, were quality thus attracting a wide market (Lister 2010, p.51). This led to more profits on the part of employers. In addition, the high wages given to the workers encouraged them to give quality service. As stated above the production increased by 400 per cent because of the high wages given to employees (Buchanan and Huczynski 2010, p. 121). Theft cases did not occur among the employees because of the high wages and they could afford the goods, which they produced. Even though the work was tedious, the employees had a sense of security for their work because of the presence of the industrial unions, which bargained for their wages. On the other hand, Fordism had its own limitations. This particularly resulted in the onset of development of Post- Fordism by An tonio and Bonanno (Lister 2010, p. 95). They said that this form of production was not efficient because the population had reduced due to the effects of World War II. The goods produced remained that means that the demand had reduced making this form of production ineffective. This form of production was rigid and did not encourage the introduction of new ways of production. With the monotonous work, the workers got bored with time and they stopped providing quality services. Due to

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Supermarkets in UK Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Supermarkets in UK - Literature review Example The researcher aims to evaluate and present academic journals that relate to the topic. The first academic article that relates to my topic is UK Supermarket Space Race Faces Scrutiny by Andrea Felsted. â€Å"The main beneficiaries in the retail grocery sector of this drive to economies have been those large-scale supermarkets that have pushed everyday low prices, while some of the more basic bargain retailers have also seen benefits†. The article Supermarkets – The New Drivers of Urban Growth published in the journal says that, Supermarkets have turned out to be one of the main players in shaping and building places. The author summaries in the article are that, retailers don’t desire to construct a supermarket these days. â€Å"While the economic downturn has impacted heavily upon most development, the major retailers have gone from strength to strength. Supermarkets are increasingly being built on prime sites in an urban setting, rather than out of town, and investment in the site goes well beyond building a big retail shed† Mintel in his book says that it was a very rough year in 2010 for grocery retailers, due to clients switching to extremely competitive discount food dealers, and that they paid more attention on wasting food. According to Alexandru M. Degeratu in his article called, Consumer Choice Behavior in Online and Traditional Supermarkets: The Effects of Brand Name, Price, and other Search Attributes, says that, there is rising interest or attention in understanding the results of computer mediated shopping atmospheres. A subject of particular interest to equally academics and practitioners is in determining whether there are methodical dissimilarities in customer choice behavior among regular and online (offline) storerooms, and if there are dissimilarities, in understanding the causes for these differences. â€Å"Advertising induces brand loyalty in consumers who would otherwise purchase the cheapest alternative on t he market.†4 According to Helen E Perriman in his article, THE IMPACT OF THE GLOBAL FINANCIAL CRISIS ON CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR, behavior of the consumer is influenced by both interior features and external features that characterize the atmosphere in which the person behavior takes place. (Helen E Perriman 2010). Andy Wood in his article called, Shopper behaviour as the UK Exits Recession, talks about consumer’s supermarket shopping behavior during recession. According to him, one of the most precious tools in every retail grocery market chaos is the programmes related to consumer loyalty. Whereas in the previous year, the market share of the Tesco dipped in the face of customers going down the bazaar looking for superior deals, so the marketplace leader has organized to turn various things around. (Andy Wood 2010). The major beneficiaries in the

Philosophy - Plato's Republic and Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics Essay

Philosophy - Plato's Republic and Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics - Essay Example Therefore, it seems that democracy leads to anarchy. Further, Plato imagines democracy, which invites everyone as equals to rule themselves, as leading to a nation of power-hungry individuals motivated by selfish interests rather than the public good. Accordingly, Plato imagines democracy leading to tyranny. Either way, it seems democracy leads a society on a slippery slope toward an undesirable end-state. In our modern day democracies, we tend to disagree with Plato in saying that, when well controlled, a democracy neither leads to anarchy nor tyranny. But Plato’s opposition to a modern society is more fundamental. The character Socrates advocates for a state ruled by â€Å"philosopher-kings† in a rigid system of castes that does not allow for lateral movement between the different groups in society (484d). This is abhorrent from the perspective of liberal democracy because this neither acknowledges the right of individuals to govern oneself nor to find happiness in wh atever pursuits one wishes to follow. This desire for a ruling caste stems from Plato’s view of the philosopher as superior in theoretical knowledge over the other people in the state (539e). Despite all of these differences, Plato’s Republic seeks many of the same ends as modern day democracies, including justice as the chief concern of a government (540e) and freedom as a necessary component of a good state (701d). Plato’s Republic advocates for a three-part division of society into classes of rulers, soldiers, and the common people. The reason for this division is the concept of specialization wherein particular tasks or duties are reserved to those who are the most qualified to perform them. Plato believes in this stratification as a means of achieving the greatest amount with the resources available to society. But this stratification leads to severe limits on the liberties of those within the state. For instance, since the rulers of the city already have p ossession of a superior intellect, Plato reasons that they should be allowed to hold no property, to live at the expense of the state, and to live only on their most basic needs. Similarly, members of the common class and the soldiering class are not allowed lateral mobility within the classes. They are, from birth, determined to stay within those classes to develop and prosper in aid to the city. Plato suggests that if citizens claim their dissatisfaction with the role in which they are placed, then the state ought to supply them with the falsehood that they are, by nature, assigned to that role based on the differential dispositions of people to fulfill certain roles (415a). Although this is an ideal situation from the perspective of Plato’s Socrates, from the perspective of a modern democracy, it leaves much to be desired. In fact, it seems clear that modern societies believe that individuals should be allowed to pursue whatever path they feel is right for them, regardless of whether they are effective in that social role. Of course, the nature of capitalism dictates that individuals perform acts that best enable them to support their livelihoods, but individuals do not need to act within strict social constraints like those proposed in the Republic. Secondly, a modern movement away from a class system lies in disagreement with Plato’s advocacy of a class system. Although classes seem justified on account

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Fordism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Fordism - Essay Example Moreover, the essay discusses the strengths and limitations of each form of work process for employers and employees. Lastly, it critically examines whether these theories are relevant to the work in the contemporary organization. Fordism refers to a notion of modern social systems and economic growth. It bases its concept on industrialization and a standard form of production for the sustainability of population growth. It gives emphasizes on the change in working conditions of workers. It is a form of production used in automotive industries to increase production (Fincham and Rhodes 2005, p. 231). It focuses on producing goods at low costs giving its workers' decent wages. For the mass production to occur it uses special purpose machinery. The form of production applied the three principles to enhance the mass production. First, they employed special machines, which operate on an assembly line (Buchanan and Huczynski 2010, p. 121). These machines did not require skilled employees because one employee did one task repeatedly. Second, standardization of products, this is to say that nothing was hand-made. All their products were made using machines (Fincham and Rhodes 2005, p. 121). Third, they focused on the welfare of the workers. The workers were paid high wages so that they can afford the products they made; this was to avoid theft cases. In his principle, Henry Ford the founder of Fordism simplified work-using assembly lines. This is where a worker did a certain task repeatedly. Research shows that, Henry Ford was not the original founder of assembly lines he increased its efficiency. This form of production increased affordability to the average consumer. Increase in wages reduced worker absenteeism increasing the production turnover to 400 percent annually. This form of production encouraged specialization within the organization hence quality in the production of goods. Fordism as a form of work process has different strengths. First, the use of assemb ling lines as a form of production encouraged specialization. This is because one worker did the same task repeatedly hence specialization. Specialization results for quality and quantity production. Thus, the goods produced, were quality thus attracting a wide market (Lister 2010, p.51). This led to more profits on the part of employers. In addition, the high wages given to the workers encouraged them to give quality service. As stated above the production increased by 400 per cent because of the high wages given to employees (Buchanan and Huczynski 2010, p. 121). Theft cases did not occur among the employees because of the high wages and they could afford the goods, which they produced. Even though the work was tedious, the employees had a sense of security for their work because of the presence of the industrial unions, which bargained for their wages. On the other hand, Fordism had its own limitations. This particularly resulted in the onset of development of Post- Fordism by An tonio and Bonanno (Lister 2010, p. 95). They said that this form of production was not efficient because the population had reduced due to the effects of World War II. The goods produced remained that means that the demand had reduced making this form of production ineffective. This form of production was rigid and did not encourage the introduction of new ways of production. With the monotonous work, the workers got bored with time and they stopped providing quality services. Due to

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Philosophy - Plato's Republic and Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics Essay

Philosophy - Plato's Republic and Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics - Essay Example Therefore, it seems that democracy leads to anarchy. Further, Plato imagines democracy, which invites everyone as equals to rule themselves, as leading to a nation of power-hungry individuals motivated by selfish interests rather than the public good. Accordingly, Plato imagines democracy leading to tyranny. Either way, it seems democracy leads a society on a slippery slope toward an undesirable end-state. In our modern day democracies, we tend to disagree with Plato in saying that, when well controlled, a democracy neither leads to anarchy nor tyranny. But Plato’s opposition to a modern society is more fundamental. The character Socrates advocates for a state ruled by â€Å"philosopher-kings† in a rigid system of castes that does not allow for lateral movement between the different groups in society (484d). This is abhorrent from the perspective of liberal democracy because this neither acknowledges the right of individuals to govern oneself nor to find happiness in wh atever pursuits one wishes to follow. This desire for a ruling caste stems from Plato’s view of the philosopher as superior in theoretical knowledge over the other people in the state (539e). Despite all of these differences, Plato’s Republic seeks many of the same ends as modern day democracies, including justice as the chief concern of a government (540e) and freedom as a necessary component of a good state (701d). Plato’s Republic advocates for a three-part division of society into classes of rulers, soldiers, and the common people. The reason for this division is the concept of specialization wherein particular tasks or duties are reserved to those who are the most qualified to perform them. Plato believes in this stratification as a means of achieving the greatest amount with the resources available to society. But this stratification leads to severe limits on the liberties of those within the state. For instance, since the rulers of the city already have p ossession of a superior intellect, Plato reasons that they should be allowed to hold no property, to live at the expense of the state, and to live only on their most basic needs. Similarly, members of the common class and the soldiering class are not allowed lateral mobility within the classes. They are, from birth, determined to stay within those classes to develop and prosper in aid to the city. Plato suggests that if citizens claim their dissatisfaction with the role in which they are placed, then the state ought to supply them with the falsehood that they are, by nature, assigned to that role based on the differential dispositions of people to fulfill certain roles (415a). Although this is an ideal situation from the perspective of Plato’s Socrates, from the perspective of a modern democracy, it leaves much to be desired. In fact, it seems clear that modern societies believe that individuals should be allowed to pursue whatever path they feel is right for them, regardless of whether they are effective in that social role. Of course, the nature of capitalism dictates that individuals perform acts that best enable them to support their livelihoods, but individuals do not need to act within strict social constraints like those proposed in the Republic. Secondly, a modern movement away from a class system lies in disagreement with Plato’s advocacy of a class system. Although classes seem justified on account

Childhood Obesity in America Essay Example for Free

Childhood Obesity in America Essay Ahhh there is nothing better than waking up at noon to the smell of some freshly cooked bacon and a heaping pile of blueberry pancakes. Mom makes them fresh every weekend morning. Usually the bacon and pancakes don’t quite do the trick so the pantry is raided next. At the top of the pantry next to the family size bag of Doritos, which will most likely be consumed later in the night, lays the hardest decision that will have to be made all day long. Which one of these sugary cereals shall be devoured this morning and fill up the rest of this already overstuffed belly? Reese’s Puffs, Lucky Charms, Fruit Loops, Fruity Pebbles, Cocoa Puffs or the tasteless Raisin Bran that Mom and Dad prefer. You can definitely count out the Raisin Bran. Cocoa Puffs it is. After grabbing the largest bowl that could be found in the house, the Cocoa Puffs are smothered in chocolate syrup to make the already chocolate milk even more chocolaty and delicious. After every last puff goes down the hatch it is time to chug the extra chocolaty milk right from the bowl. Now that the belly is completely stuffed it is time for a nap. A nap is necessary after a long night of online gaming on the brand new Xbox 360 that mom bought last week. The other players don’t stand a chance after a week non-stop gaming with a few breaks here and there for the much needed meals and bathroom breaks. After the well- deserved napping session it is back to the big screen. Only this time it is not to play video games because the carpel tunnel is acting up in the left hand again. This time it is to watch the Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives marathon on the Food Network. You just can’t get enough of the food network. But all this talk about food is making the stomach rumble and it is time for lunch. Mom promised that she will take us to the McDonalds that is right down the street if the chores were done. Little brothers are great. After slipping him a whole two dollars, the chores are done in no time and a McDonald’s double quarter pounder with extra cheese is all that is on the brain. The clerk at the counter asked, â€Å"Would you like to Supersize that sir?† After thinking for a  second about the giant container of fries and the bucket of coke the answer was easy, â€Å"Yes, Ma’am!† But why stop there? It is March and all those commercials about the new Shamrock Shake make it nearly unbearable. After a delicious lunch the only thing on the mind on this beautiful Saturday afternoon is getting back to that big screen TV and playing the brand new Call of Duty game. While all the other kids are outside running around pretending to shoot each other, the real action is inside this intense videogame. After an exhausting night, it is time to go to bed with plans for tomorrows day on the mind. Obesity is one of the leading preventable causes of death in the Un ited States. The article, â€Å"Obesity in America: What’s Leading the Epidemic?† states that nearly one thousand people are killed each day from obesity. Obesity is measured by BMI or Body Mass Index. This measures how much body fat someone has based on their height and how much they weigh. The author, Harvard Men’s Health Watch states that a BMI of twenty five or more qualifies as overweight and a BMI of thirty or more qualifies as obese. About 63% of Americans are considered overweight and about 31% are considered to be obese (Harvard Men’s Health Watch 2012). These numbers are strikingly large. This article only focuses on the adults that are obese in the United States and doesn’t focus much on the children. The children are what America should really be focused on because some day they will make up majority of the population. The most obese child in the world is Jessica Guade who is seven years old and weighs four hundred and eighty two pounds. That is heavier than a majority of people in the entire world. Every single day she drinks ten thousand calories in Coca-Cola and consumes fifteen hamburgers. She can’t even walk and gets around by rolling. How can a parent do this to their child? Are they afraid to say no or do they just not care about their child’s health? This is what the American life is doing to children. These numbers will continue to go up and we will see more children like Jessica if nothing is done about this epidemic. American life is changing and people are adapting to new culture which is making them focus less on their weight and appearance. The main factors that contribute to the obesity outburst are the lack of exercise, watching way too much television, and eating too many foods that are high in calories and fat. With the changes in television and advertising on television, Americans crave things that they see on TV. When you are watching TV you will see countless fast food advertisements where they make the food look so delicious and look like it was prepared in a five star restaurant. This is just one of the many tricks that advertisers use in order to get people to buy their products. The sad part is that most of the time it works. Americans see all of these advertisements on TV and all they want to do is go out and buy it. These days children are watching so much television rather than playing outside. Young children are the main target for some advertisers like McDonalds and Burger King. In all of their commercials they show images of children eating their food and it makes children want to go and get it. Not only are there a lot of commercials about fast foods, but there are commercials about snacks and drinks as well. According to M. Mello in their article, â€Å"Federal Trade Commiss ion Regulation of Food Advertising to Children: Possibilities for a Reinvigorated Role†, a majority of the food and drink advertisements on television are advertising things that are unhealthy for the human body to consume (Mello 2010). The amount of these advertisements is ridiculous and according to this article the FDA has had to start cutting the airing of a lot of them. Not only are the advertisements on TV a problem, but the amount of television that children watch is an even bigger one. These days’ kids would rather stay inside and watch TV and play video games rather than going outside and playing sports like the past generations. The video games of this generation have made it possible for children to virtually play any sport that they want instead of going outside and physically breaking a sweat and playing them. Television has made Americans so much lazier than they used to be. People don’t get out of the house nearly as much as they used too. Instead of going out to the ballpark and watching baseball games, they just go out and buy big screen televisions and sit on their butts and watch them. Children look up to their parents and will adapt these kinds of habits from them. This is a huge reason why children are becoming so obese in America. The amount of television that kids watch and how many video games they play has a direct correlation to the lack of exercise in America these days. To children, a videogame or cartoon show is much more appealing than running around outside and exercising. Also, the developing culture of America as a whole has added to the lack of exercise in Americans.  Technology has simplified nearly every aspect of human life. Rather than walking everywhere like our ancestors did, everyone drives, or takes the bus, or does anything that keeps them from using up their energy and breaking a sweat. As the parents of children are doing this, their children adapt to that lifestyle and in turn they end up doing the same thing and start to live the way that their parents live. In the old days you would see people walking all over the streets, but now that there are automobiles the streets are just lined with traffic. As cities are bec oming more civilized and advanced, there are less and less places for people to work out, and for kids to run around and play outside. In the article, â€Å"Contributions of Built Environment to Childhood Obesity† by, T. Rahman, R.A. Cushing, and R.J. Jackson, it states that the neighborhood the child lives in has a huge impact on their health. For example, if there are bike paths and places to play outside and run around, the child will be more physically active, but if these things aren’t in place, then the child is more prone to stay inside and watch television and gain weight as a result of that (Cushing 2011). While watching television they don’t have to get up to do anything anymore. Remote controls have changed the world. You can change the channel on the television, turn on and off the lights, and answer the phone right from your chair without getting up to do anything. The only thing that people have to get up to do is go and get more food from the fridge. Less and less children are becoming involved in athletics and exercise. Going outside and running around is much less appealing to children then it used to be. Lack of exercise is a huge contributing factor to obesity and children and something needs to be done about it. Fast food is so easy, quick, and convenient. Most Americans live a lifestyle th at is always on the move and always busy. It is very easy for them to turn to fast food and grab a quick meal before they go to work. Not only is it fast and easy, but there are so many fast food restaurants in the United States. In 1970 McDonalds operated close to one thousand establishments; in 2002 nearly thirty-five thousand restaurants were being operated. An estimated two thousand new McDonalds are opened each year. That is the road that most Americans choose rather than trying to sit down and eat a home cooked meal. That goes along with the laziness of Americans. In this article from CBS news â€Å"Fast Food linked to Child Obesity†, it states that â€Å"Every day, nearly one-third of U.S. children  aged 4 to 19 eat fast food, which likely packs on about six extra pounds per child per year and increases the risk of obesity† (CBSNEWS 2010). Fast food is so much faster and easier than going to the grocery store and getting all the ingredients needed to cook a nice healthy meal for your family. Instead most parents resort to the greasy, salty, and fatty foods that fast food establishments have to offer. According to J.Hariss’s article â€Å"Television Viewing and Unhealthy Diet: Implications for Children and Media Interventions†, â€Å"Humans possess an innate preference for sweet, high-fat, and salty foods, and a reluctance to try unfamiliar foods† (Hariss 2011).Although some fast food restaurants offer substitutions like how McDonalds offers apples instead of French fries, most people do not choose these substitutions. People are more concerned about taste then health and to them, greasy salty foods taste better than apples. The only time that children would choose to eat the healthier choice is when their parents are with them. According to M. Stutts in their article, â€Å" Nutrition Information and Childrens Fast Food Menu Choices†, when children go into fast food restaurants alone, they will choose to eat whatever they want regardless of the fat content. When their parents went with them they influenced them to choose the healthier items on the menu (Stutts 2009). The problem with the items on the fast food menus is that they are full of calories. The recommended calorie intake for a thirteen year old child that weighs ninety pounds is about thirteen hundred calories each day. A McDonlad’s cheeseburger happy meal with a low fat milk as a drink has approximately seven hundred calories. That is half of the amount of calories that is needed in one day. On top of that most children th ese days aren’t exercising at all and all of those calories turn straight into fat. Fast food in general is so unhealthy for your body and if it was cut out completely, the number of obese children would be reduced dramatically. There are so many factors that play into why children are becoming so obese, but eating too many foods that are high in calories and fat is the number one reason why they are so obese. Most people in the world worry about the way they look when they look in the mirror. They will do anything to make themselves â€Å"look skinnier† and make themselves look more attractive. Nobody every worries about what is going on inside of their body. Most Americans do not realize that being overweight or obese can have some serious negative health effects  on the body. There are so many aspects of life that are affected by obesity. Your metabolism, health of your muscles, bones, organs, and other parts of your body can be greatly affected when you are at an unhealthy weight. In the article â€Å"Obesity in America: Large Portions, Large Proportions,† the author talks about some of the health risks that are involved with obesity. Some of the health risks are coronary artery disease, heart attacks, high blood pressure, strokes, diabetes, many forms of cancer, osteoarthritis, fatty liver, and depression (Large Portions, Large Proportions 2006). Obesity can ultimately lead to a shorter life span from the health risks. It is obvious from this article that there are some major health risks from obesity that can affect your body in a very negative way. It is important that people take care of their bodies so that they can live happy and healthy lifestyles. A huge part of the childhood obesity problem is that the children have no idea what they are doing to their bodies by not exercising and having unhealthy diets. The author of this paper had the opportunity to educate children on the proper nutrition and recommended hours of exercise daily through a service learning project that was completed with the help of a middle school from their hometown. Service learning is defined as â€Å"a method of teaching and learning that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities† (What is Service-Learning, 2008). The author was given the chance to strengthen the community and inform young children about the dangers of obesity. The author did so by creating an informative brochure that the principle of Rosa Parks Middle School Dr. Donna Redmond Jones enjoyed and agreed to hand out to students around the school. The brochures were also made available in the health room where students can just come in and pick one up. In completing the service learning project, the author was able to gain a lot of knowledge on obesity, more importantly the health risks and ways to prevent them. The author also gained the fulfillment that he had informed young students about these risks and was able to benefit the community. The service project was ultimately successful because the author was able to re-teach the knowledge that he had gained from research to the children that the research was about. The information that has been provided in this paper demonstrates how a lack of exercise, watching too much television, and eating too many foods high in calories and fat, has lead to the obesity epidemic that is in America today. The number of obese children in American is an absurd number. Children in America these days don’t worry about their image and their weight as much as they used to. All they are worried about is what TV show they are going to watch next, what video game they are going to play, and what type of fast food they are going to eat today. The idea of going outside and exercising never crosses their mind. If parents gave their children a little motivation to get involved in sports and exercising, the number of obese children in America would decrease substantially. Parents don’t motivate their kids because they are doing the same exact thing as them. Not only are there a lot of obese children in America, but there are an incredible amount of obese adu lts as well. Children are prone to learn from what their parents do and inherit the bad habits that they have. So therefor if a parent is eating fatty foods and sitting around watching TV all day, their children will do the same thing. There are so many health risks that can come from obesity that you would think people would be more worried about it. Do people not pay attention to the warnings and health risks? Do they not really care about the way they look and the negative effects that it can have on the body? The prevalence of technology in America has changed the world greatly. It has made things so much easier, but in turn it has made Americans so much lazier. Everything can be done from a seat on the couch without having to get up at all. Watching too much television, lack of exercise, and eating too many foods that are high in calories and fat are the three biggest factors that play into the amount of obese children these days, but there are a ton of factors that play into why Americans are so overweight. Something needs to be done about this epidemic before we see more serious side effects from obesity. References La Merrill, M., Birnbaum, L. S. (2011). Childhood Obesity and Environmental Chemicals. Mount Sinai Journal Of Medicine, 78(1), 22-48. doi:10.1002/msj.20229 Anzman, S. L., Rollins, B. Y., Birch, L. L. (2010). Parental influence on childrens early eating environments and obesity risk: implications for prevention. International Journal Of Obesity, 34(7), 1116-1124. doi:10.1038/ijo.2010.43 Harris, J. L., Bargh, J. A. (2009). Television Viewing and Unhealthy Diet: Implications for Children and Media Interventions. Health Communication, 24(7), 660-673. doi:10.1080/10410230903242267 Rahman, T., Cushing, R. A., Jackson, R. J. (2011). Contributions of Built Environment to Childhood Obesity. Mount Sinai Journal Of Medicine, 78(1), 49-57. doi:10.1002/msj.20235 Stutts, M., Zank, G. M., Smith, K. H., Williams, S. A. (2011). Nutrition Information and Childrens Fast Food Menu Choices. Journal Of Consumer Affairs, 45(1), 52-86. doi:10.1111/j.1745-6606.2010.01192.x Mello, M. M. (2010). Federal Trade Commission Regulation of Food Advertising to Children: Possibilities for a Reinvigorated Role. Journal Of Health Politics, Policy Law, 35(2), 227- 276. doi:10.1215/03616878-2009-051 Obesity in America: Whats driving the epidemic?. (2012). Harvard Mens Health Watch, 16(7), 5-7. Anderson, S. E., Whitaker, R. C. (2010). Household Routines and Obesity in US Preschool-Aged Children. Pediatrics, 125(3), 420-428. doi:10.1542/peds.2009-0417 Obesity in America: large portions, large proportions. (2006). Harvard Mens Health Watch, 10(6), 1-5. Fast Food Linked to Child Obesity. (2009) The Associated Press. CBS News.

Monday, October 14, 2019

The role of a Medical Lab Technician is critical

The role of a Medical Lab Technician is critical Cleaning and care of general laboratory Glassware and equipment. Diagnostics plays prominent role in the field of Medicine. Proper diagnosis of the disease plays an important role in concluding the patients condition without which medical treatment/ surgery can not be obtained. The role of a Medical Lab Technician is critical for proper diagnosis and interpretation of results. Clinical studies in the fields of Medicine, Pharamacutical Industries, and Nutrition etc. also require the technicians. 1.1. Introduction to Medical Lab Technology Medical Laboratory Technology also called Clinical laboratory science is an allied health profession which is concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease through the use of clinical laboratory tests. It is a combination of the techniques along with the application of theoretical knowledge to perform complex procedures on tissue specimens, blood samples and other body fluids. They look for bacteria, parasites, and other microorganisms; analyze the chemical content of fluids; match blood for transfusions; and test for drug levels in the blood that show how a patient is responding to treatment. The tests which are performed provide critical information enabling physicians to diagnose, treat and monitor a patients condition. A Medical Laboratory Technologist (MLT) do these tests by analyzing body fluids, tissues, blood typing, microorganism screening, chemical analyses, cell counts of human body etc. The process carried out by a technician is Collection of the patients information Sampling Testing of samples Reporting and documentation of the results They determine the presence, extent or absence of disease and provide data needed to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment. The various application of medical lab technology include, Laboratory Technicians is required in various departments in medical and Pharmacy colleges In diagnostic centers In hospitals of various sectors Quality control RD sectors of Drug Manufacturing units Clinical studies in various laboratories National Institute of Nutrition Central Drug Research Laboratory Molecular Biology Labs With increasing automation and the use of computer technology, the work of technologists and technicians has become less hands-on and more analytical. The complexity of tests performed, the level of judgment needed, and the amount of responsibility workers assume depend largely on the amount of education and experience they have. Clinical laboratory technologists usually do more complex tasks than clinical laboratory technicians do. There are two levels of medical laboratory workers Technologists Technicians Technologists: Medical technologists have more training and job responsibilities. They perform complex tests such as microscopic examinations of tissues, blood and other body fluids to detect evidence of disease and detect the presence of bacteria, fungi, parasites etc and chemical tests to determine blood cholesterol levels. They also match blood samples for transfusions and test drug levels in blood to determine how patients are responding to medications. They are often responsible for making sure that testing is done accurately. In some labs, technologists conduct research under the supervision of medical researchers. Medical technologists work in five major areas of the laboratory Blood banking Clinical Chemistry (chemical analysis of body fluids) Hematology (blood related) Immunology (study of immune system) Microbiology (study of bacteria and other disease organisms) Clinical chemistry technologists: They prepare specimens and analyze the chemical and hormonal contents of body fluids. Microbiology technologists: They examine and identify bacteria and other microorganisms. Blood bank technologists: Also referred as immunohematology technologists, collect, type, and prepare blood and its components for transfusions. Immunology technologists examine elements of the human immune system and its response to foreign bodies. Cytotechnologists: They prepare slides of body cells and examine these cells microscopically for abnormalities that may signal the beginning of a cancerous growth. Molecular biology technologists: They perform complex protein and nucleic acid testing on cell samples. Technicians: Medical technicians do routine laboratory testing manually according to instructions. They work under Technologists or supervisors. Technicians may prepare specimens and operate machines that automatically analyze samples. In addition to running tests, technicians set up, clean, and maintain laboratory equipment, such as centrifuges, microscopes etc. They also prepare standard solutions for use in the lab. This involves measuring and mixing the correct amount of various chemicals. ___________________________________________________________________ 1.2. ROLE OF MEDICAL LABORATORY TECHNOLOGIST: _____________________________________________________________________ A Clinical Laboratory Scientists role is to provide accurate laboratory results in a timely manner. Safeguards, such as experimental controls, calibration of laboratory instruments, delta checks and periodic surveys should be carried out. Medical laboratory technologists work in a dynamic and evolving environment, and use technological equipment to provide information that must be processed rapidly and accurately. The major role of clinical lab technologists is: They perform a full range of laboratory tests from simple prenatal blood tests, to more complex tests to uncover diseases such as HIV/AIDS, diabetes, and cancer. They are responsible for confirming the accuracy of test results, and reporting laboratory findings to pathologists and other physicians. The information result given by the lab technologist influences the medical treatment a patient will receive. They operate complex electronic equipment, computers, and precision instruments costing millions of dollars. They assist doctors and nurses in choosing the correct lab tests and ensure proper collection methods. They receive the patient specimens, analyze the specimens, interpret and report results. A pathologist may confirm a diagnostic result, but often the medical lab technologist is responsible for interpreting and communicating critical patient results to the physician. They should recognize anomalies in their test results and know how to correct problems with the instrumentation. They take preventive measures to minimize errors and reject contaminated or sub-standard specimens. Role of Medical Laboratory Technologist: The medical technician has the job of carrying out the more basic tasks and his responsibilities include: Ensuring that the laboratory and the equipments and glassware used in laboratory remains clean. Proper placement of chemical, equipments and glassware. Ensuring that there are proper labels pasted on the bottles of chemicals and reagents. The equipment used in the lab is in proper shape and handled carefully and proper safety measures are observed when handling specimens. All specimens and other material in the lab are disposed off in a safe and appropriate manner. A complete record of tests carried out in the laboratory is maintained. Fresh material is indented through a medical officer and the material is stored in a proper and safe fashion. Common tests performed in a clinical lab are: Complete blood count (CBC) Comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP) Liver function tests (LFT) Renal function tests (RFT) Thyroid function test (TFT) Urine analysis Hematological analysis Lipid profile Semen analysis (for fertility and post-vasectomy studies) Serological studies Routine cultures. ______________________________________________________________________ 1.3. ETHICS: ______________________________________________________________________ The medical lab technologists are bound by the ethical codes. Laboratories shall not engage in practices restricted by law and should uphold the reputation of their profession. The medical lab technologists are required to adhere to the following code of ethics The general idea of healthcare ethics is the welfare of the patient. The laboratory should treat all patients fairly and without discrimination. The main aim of laboratory ethics is collecting the proper information of the patient, which enables the requested examinations and other laboratory procedures to be carried out Safety of staff and other patients are legitimate concerns when communicable diseases are possible and information may be collected for these purposes. All the information is collected with the knowledge of the patient and the patients should be informed regarding the procedure carried out. Forcing some one to undergo medical testing of any kind is an invasion of privacy and a violation of human rights. Special procedures, including the more invasive procedures, will require a more detailed explanation and, in some cases, written consent. The result of the test should be kept strictly confidential and to be reveled only with the concern of the patient. The laboratory should endeavor to see that results with serious implications are not communicated directly to the patient without the opportunity for adequate counseling. Procedures that are carried out should be published in established/authoritative textbooks, peer-reviewed texts or journals or in international, national or regional guidelines. Any manipulation of result is completely unacceptable. The results should be reported to the doctor and may be reported to other parties with the patients consent or as required by law. The laboratory results should be correctly interpreted and applied in the patients best interest. All records should be legible and stored such that they are readily retrievable. Records may be stored on any appropriate medium subject to national, regional or local legal requirements. As per National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) guidelines, the minimum period for retention of test reports issued shall be five years for histopathology and cytopathology and one year for other disciplines. _____________________________________________________________________ 1.4. Responsibilities of medical lab technologist _____________________________________________________________________ Medical laboratory technologists perform examinations with a microscope, perform complex tests, analyze the results, and report them to the medical professional for diagnostic use. Medical Laboratory Technologists operate a variety of complicated instruments. They must have good motor skills, hand-eye coordination and manual dexterity. In addition to technical skills, they must have a strong attention to detail in order to detect subtle change to the microscopic appearance of blood, tissue and bacterial cells. MLTs must also determine the validity of the results they obtain, which requires analytical and critical thinking. MLTs work in an ever-evolving environment, and on occasion need to design new procedures to reflect the rapid pace of change in their workplace. Whether working alone or as a member of a team, the MLT must be able to manage time efficiently and communicate clearly. Responsibilities of medical lab technologists usually include: Conducting advanced chemical, bacteriological, immunologic, biological and hematological tests Examining specimens with microscopes Making cultures of tissues and body fluids to reveal parasites, bacteria, fungi and other microorganisms Analyzing chemical content, chemical reactions and blood concentrations of certain compounds Typing and cross-matching samples of blood for transfusions Evaluating results of tests Establishing and modifying programs and procedures to ensure quality control and test accuracy Supervision of medical lab technicians (also known as clinical lab technicians). The medical technician has the job of carrying out the more basic tasks and his responsibilities include Ensuring that the laboratory and the equipments and glassware used in laboratory remains clean. Proper placement of chemical, equipments and glassware. Ensuring that there are proper labels pasted on the bottles of chemicals and reagents. The equipment used in the lab is in proper shape and handled carefully and proper safety measures are observed when handling specimens. All specimens and other material in the lab are disposed off in a safe and appropriate manner. A complete record of tests carried out in the laboratory is maintained. Fresh material is indented through a medical officer and the material is stored in a proper and safe fashion. _____________________________________________________________________ 1.5. Safety Measures and First Aid _____________________________________________________________________ Safety is not just a concept but it is a habit which must be developed by every person associated with the medical laboratory field. One should remain attentive and cautious during the time he or she is inside the laboratory as a small mistake can lead to a grave situation. The personnel working in the medical laboratory must be aware of the how to handle the chemicals, glassware, specimen and equipments etc. as mishandling or improper handling may lead to serious injury or contamination and is dangerous to life. Certain basic safety steps that must be followed in the laboratory are Keep the workplace clean and organized. Label all storage areas, refrigerators, etc., appropriately, and keep all chemicals in properly labeled containers. Date all bottles when received and when opened. Note expiration dates on chemicals. Note special storage conditions. Be aware of how to handle and store hazardous materials such as Flammables Radioactive Compounds Corrosives Biohazards Toxics Carcinogens Reactive Compressed Gases Follow the safety instructions for handling chemicals and segregate chemicals by compatibility groups for storage. Be aware of the potential interactions of lab furniture and equipment with chemicals used or stored in the lab. (e.g., are oxidizers stored directly on wooden shelving?) Post warning signs for unusual hazards such as flammable materials, biohazards or other special problems. Use equipment only for its designated purpose. Position and secure apparatus properly to avoid any damage to personnel or equipment. Use protective clothing all the time (e.g. lab coat, face mask, gloves etc.) Do not smoke, eat or drink in the laboratory. Ensure proper disposal of waste generated from the laboratory. Clinical lab technologists generally deal with infectious samples. Therefore proper methods of infection control and sterilization are followed, few hazards exist. Protective masks, gloves, and goggles often are necessary to ensure the safety of laboratory personnel. First Aid in Laboratory Accidents: Accidents in the lab may result from either chemicals including acids or alkalis coming in contact with any body part or toxic substances or from heat of flames, hot liquids, explosions etc. Broken glass or contamination from infected material or specimen and electric shock might also lead to accidents. The first thing to be followed is that one should not panic and handle the situation in a more calm and composed manner. Some of the first aid procedures for accidents from the above mentioned sources are as under First Aid for accident caused by acid burn or contact: Wash immediately with good amount of water preferably running water and in case of larger spills safety shower should be used. After washing apply neutralizer or 5% sodium carbonate solution on skin and in case acid gets into the eye then administer 4 drops of 2% aqueous sodium bi-carbonate solution. In case the acid is consumed then make the patient drink 5% soap solution or give him two egg whites mixed with 500 ml of milk or water. In the event of non availability of these two make the person drink lot of ordinary water. Consult a physician. First Aid for Alkali burns Instantaneously wash with large amounts of water and do it repeatedly. Once washed apply a 5% acetic acid or undiluted vinegar solution to the affected portion of the skin. In case the alkali has got into the eye then after washing use a saturated solution of boric acid and repeatedly pour drops in the eye. In case the alkali has been swallowed then give a 5% acetic acid or lemon juice or diluted vinegar solution to the patient and after that make the person drink 3 to 4 glasses of ordinary water. Refer to a physician. First aid in case of Poisoning In case of oral poisoning induce vomiting by making the patient drink warm salt water to drink and keep on repeating it till the vomit is clear. However in case of the chemical which the person has consumed is a acid, solvent or alkali or the person in unconscious then do not try to induce vomit. Call for medical aid immediately. If the poisoning is caused by gas then instantaneously take the victim out of the affected area and make him or her lie down in a horizontal position. Consult a doctor urgently. In the event of percutaneous poisoning, remove the contaminated clothes immediately and wash the affected region. Call for medical aid immediately. In all the cases of poisoning, awareness of the toxicity of chemical substance can be helpful while administering medical aid. Burns resulting from Heat The burns that occur due to heat arising flames or hot liquids or explosions etc. can be majorly classified into two categories i.e. the major or severe burns where a large part of the body is affected and it is mostly 2nd or 3rd degree burn and the other is minor or small burns in which a small portion of the body gets affected and it is mostly a 1st degree burn. In case of minor burns dip the affected part in ice cold water for some time and repeat the same. After that apply ointment on it. Refer to a physician. For major burns if the person is on fire then roll the person in a blanket to douse the flames. After that make the person lay down and try to calm him. Call for medical help immediately and do not apply any medicine. First aid for injuries resulting from broken glass In case of small cuts or injuries wash the wound at the same time and try to remove glass pieces if any. Apply mercurochrome or acriflavine ointment on it and cover the wound with gauze and adhesive tape. In case of deep cuts or when there is plenty of bleeding then try to stop the bleeding by pressing down on it with a compress. Call for immediate medical help. Contamination by infected material Injuries resulting from broken glassware which contained infected material or specimen fall under this category. For these types of injuries the advisable first aid is Instantaneously wash the wound with clean water. In case the cut is not bleeding then make it bleed by squeezing hard for a couple of minutes. Using antiseptic lotion wash the complete area including the edges of the cut and the wound. After that wash it with soapy water and then again with antiseptic lotion. Refer a doctor. First aid in case of electric shock Electric shock might result from faulty equipment or carelessness like using wet hands on electrical equipment etc. and can cause the person to faint or asphyxia. In such a case first switch off the main switch. Immediately start giving mouth to mouth respiration. Call for medical help simultaneously. Every laboratory must have the first aid equipment which includes, 1. First Aid Box containing instruction sheet with general guidance, sterile adhesive dressings in different sizes, a bottle containing eye drops, scissors, sterile eye pads, safety pins, antiseptic lotion, sterile eye pads and first aid manual. 2. Sodium Carbonate 5% solution. 3. 2% sodium bi-carbonate solution 4. Boric Acid saturated solution. 5. Antiseptic lotion 6. Soap powder solution (per liter of water add 5g) 7. 5% Acetic acid solution 8. Cotton wool and gauze 9. Rolled Bandage 10. Adhesive tape 11. Mercurochrome and iodine tincture. _____________________________________________________________________ 1.6. CLEANING AND CARE OF GENERAL LABORATORY GLASSWARE AND EQUIPMENTS ______________________________________________________________________ Cleaning of Glassware: For getting successful results from the experiments performed in a laboratory it is essential that the glassware gets perfectly cleaned. However cleaning of laboratory glassware is not a very easy task. Glassware has to be clean physically, chemically as well as free of any germs. Much of the time, detergent and tap water are neither required nor desirable. You can rinse the glassware with the proper solvent, and then finish up with a couple of rinses with distilled water, followed by final rinses with deionized water. Washing Glassware: Rinse the glassware with the appropriate solvent. Rinse with other solvents as needed, followed by ethanol and finally deionized water. If the glassware requires scrubbing, scrub with a brush using hot soapy water, rinse thoroughly with tap water, followed by rinses with deionized water. Some of the commonly used lab glass wares are: Burette: Wash with hot soapy water, rinse thoroughly with tap water, and then rinse 3-4 times with deionized water. Be sure the final rinses sheet off of the glass. Burettes need to be thoroughly clean to be used for quantitative lab work. Pipettes: The glassware is soaked overnight in soapy water. Clean the pipettes using warm soapy water. The glassware may require scrubbing with a brush. Rinse with tap water followed by 3-4 rinses with deionized water. Volumetric Flasks: Wash the flask with soapy water and then rinse 3-4 times with deionized water. Glassware should be allowed to air dry on the shelf. It should not be dries using a paper towel or forced air since this can introduce fibers or impurities that can contaminate the solution. If glassware is to be used immediately after washing and must be dry, rinse it 2-3 times with acetone. This will remove any water and will evaporate quickly. Glass Slides Cover Glass Slides should first be washed, and then placed in solution containing glacial acetic acid for around 10 minutes. Afterwards the slides and cover glass are thoroughly rinsed with distilled water and then wiped perfectly dry using paper towels or clean cloth. As soon as this is done they should be placed in a wide jar containing alcohol. Culture Tubes Culture tubes should be sterilized prior to cleaning. Culture tubes should be autoclave it for half an hour at around 121 °C (15 p.s.i. pressure). The tubes when emptied must be brushed with water and detergent and then rinsed with running tap water. After this it should be rinsed with distilled water, and placed properly for drying. Detergents used for washing Most detergents are very effective for most cleaning problems encountered. However for best results the detergents made especially for laboratory glassware must be used. Some of the commonly used detergents are sulfuric dichromate and acid-alcohol. Maintenance of Equipments The increasing level of technical sophistication and complexity found in clinical laboratory instrumentation today more than ever demands careful attention to maintenance service needs. The time-worn caution for careful definition of requirements for acquisition of a system should also carry over to maintenance service of these equipments. Certain common type of laboratory equipment and their proper usage care is as under: Microscope Microscope the most vital equipment in the laboratory which is used for magnifying a small object or image by 100, 400 or even 1000 times of the original size. Microscope is made up of two words micro scope wherein micro means small and scope means to view. A laboratory may have various microscopes depending upon what is their power, usage etc. Being aware of the importance of microscope its care and cleaning must also be give due importance so that the equipment gives correct results. Some of the cleaning procedures to be followed are Dust should be cleaned off with pressurized air or with a soft brush Clean smudges, fingerprints, oils, etc from the lens with clean lens paper or a soft clean cloth moistened with a small amount of absolute alcohol-ether mixture. If an alcohol-ether mixture is unavailable, use isopropyl alcohol Clean the microscope body and stand using a moist, soft cloth with a small amount of detergent. Working temperatures are: 32 ° F-104 ° F (0 °C-40 °C). Max. relative humidity: 85% Use water only on plastic surfaces Do not use paint thinner or other solvents Do a final wipe with a moist soft cloth Dry all surfaces after cleaning Besides these cleaning processes the daily care which must be ensured while handling the microscope include Always cover the microscope with the supplied dust cover when not in use Store in a dry place In humid or moist environments, it is advisable to store the microscope in a waterproof container with a drying agent Do not touch the optical lens with bare fingers Do not store the microscope in direct sunlight. Sunlight can influence the quality of the specimen imaging. Lift the microscope with both hands. As almost all the procedures of a medical laboratory require the use of microscope so as such handling it in a proper fashion is mandatory. Photometer or Calorimeter The photometer is a device which is used to measure optical density or color intensity or absorbance of solutions. Based on the arrangement of obtaining monochromatic light, the photometers are categorized as filter photometers or spectrophotometers. The normal precautions to be observed while handling photometers are as under Do not pour out samples or prepare the tests directly over the instrument. Always cap the test tubes after preparing the blank and test sample. Wipe test tubes with a clean tissue to remove drips or condensation before placing in the photometer. Do not leave tubes standing in the photometer test chamber. Remove the tubes immediately after each test. Immediately wipe up any drips or spills on the instrument or in the test chamber with a clean tissue. Keep the instrument clean. Clean the test chamber regularly using a moistened tissue or cotton ball. Keep the instrument away from all chemicals and cleaning materials. Keep the instrument in a clean, dry place when it is not in use. Keep it on a clean, dry bench away from chemicals, place it in a storage cupboard or keep it in a carrying case. Keep the carrying case in a clean, dry condition. Make sure that the carrying case is dry before the case is closed up and the instrument is put away. Centrifuge A centrifuge is a an equipment, generally driven by an electric motor or spun by hand, that puts an object in rotation around a fixed axis, applying a force perpendicular to the axis. The centrifuge works using the sedimentation principle, where the centripetal acceleration causes more dense substances to separate out along the radial direction. By the same token, lighter objects will tend to move to the top. There are various types of centrifuges preparative centrifuge analytical centrifuge angle fixed centrifuge swing head centrifuge haematocrit centrifuge Industrial centrifuges may otherwise be classified according to the type of separation of the high density fraction from the low density one Screen centrifuges, where the centrifugal acceleration allows the liquid to pass through a screen of some sort, through which the solids cannot go (due to granulometry larger than the screen gap or due to agglomeration). Common types are: Pusher centrifuges Peeler centrifuges Decanter centrifuges, in which there is no physical separation between the solid and liquid phase, rather an accelerated settling due to centrifugal acceleration. Common types are: Solid bowl centrifuges Conical plate centrifuges In order to ensure proper working of the equipment certain care and maintenance procedures should be followed like Inspect the centrifuge chamber for accumulations of sample, dust of glass particles from broken glass tubes and clean appropriately to ensure that no unwanted particle is left in the chamber. Centrifuge tubes made of strong glass must be used in the machine. The centrifuge speed should be increased gradually. Disinfecting centrifuges is very necessary to maintain the precision of the tests being carried out. Take proper care of the rotor in terms of cleaning and keeping it scratch free by not using steel wool, wire brush or abrasives etc for cleaning. Never pour water directly into the sample chamber. Autoclave An autoclave is a device to sterilize equipment and supplies by subjecting them to high pressure steam at 121  Ã‚ °C or more, typically for 15 to 20 minutes depending on the size of the load and the contents. There are mainly two types of autoclaves Stove Type Autoclave Front Loading Autoclave Following are recommendations for the care and use of autoclaves The steam should be saturated and free from corrosion inhibitors or other chemicals, which could contaminate the items being sterilised. All materials to be autoclaved should be in containers that allow ready removal of air and permit good heat penetration; the chamber should not be tightly packed or steam will not reach the load evenly. Bags should allow the steam to reach their contents. For autoclaves without an interlocking safety device that prevents the door being opened when the chamber is pressurized, the main steam valve should be closed and the temperature allowed to fall below 80C