Saturday, August 31, 2019

Code of Conduct and Policies for Meal and Snack Time

Unit 001 Introduction to Communication in Health, Social Care or Children’s and Young People’s Settings. Outcome 1 Reasons why people communicate People communicate because they feel the need to express themselves when they feel the need to chat or discuss or pass on information to an individual person or a group of people. How does effective communication affect all aspects of work? Effective communication affects all aspects of your own work in many ways.If the correct information is given in the first place then nothing should go wrong as in any misconception of what has been passed on. (If everyone involved is singing from the same song sheet then nothing can go wrong ! ) Also by being effective with your communication means that everyone is working to the same standards of work and hopefully in a consistent manner. Why do you think it is important to observe individual’s reactions when communicating with them?It is important to observe individual’s re actions when communicating with them because you can identify if they agree or not with you or if they fully understand what the information is actually being verbally passed onto them at that time. You can observe this by their body language and facial expressions. These can both determine if they are showing any positive or negative behavioural and or facial expressions. Positive being – Good eye contact / Nodding of the head/Agreeing to what is being said. Negative being – Poor eye contact or lack of/Frowning/Arms folded crossed. Candidate Jo Davies-Collins

Friday, August 30, 2019

Contributing factors toward SWB of the Institutionalized Elderly Essay

Apart from delineating the cognitive and affective indicators of SWB, this study also attempted to identify the possible factors which contribute to SWB. A host of factors were identified in the largely western literature. These are presented in the succeeding pages. Physical Health: Health is one of the most important variables in predicting whether people are happy (Campbell et al. , 1976). The World Health Organization defines health as, the optimal functioning of the human organism to meet biological, psychological, ethical and spiritual needs (Emeth & Greenhut, 1991). In this study the elderly were said to have ‘optimal functioning’ when he or she had basic competence, which was necessary for maintenance of independent living (Martin, 2001). In the case of the elderly in the study it was denoted by their ability for personal care on their own. It also pertained to mental health, which was a state where the elderly were not prone to depression, or other mental illness, and did not have any major cognitive impairments. Autonomy: Autonomy could be equated to having the capacity for selfdetermination, independence, internal locus of control, and internal regulation of behavior (Ryff, 1989). Having a sense of being in control (autonomy) means that one’s thoughts and actions are one’s own and not determined by others. It is related to physical health too as it gives a sense of mastery over situations. It is important for all and particularly for the elderly to maintain that sense of control or autonomy because a sense of losing control of one’s life or one’s power is to in some ways lose one’s worth, which can have detrimental effect on one’s physical as well as psychological health. Money/Income: Income or money is importantly related to a sense of well-being in old age (Diener, 1984) and the elderly in the study may or may not enjoy financial security Money is important probably because of the sense of security that they experience when they have enough money which could implicitly affect their sense of autonomy and self-worth. Family Relationships: Family is a natural institution constant across time and space which is a very close and intimate group and one’s sense of well-being is sustained by membership in this primary group, as it provides a sense of security, connectedness, and belongingness to the aged. There are no substitutes for the close relationship in the experience of well-being in the case of the aged. In the case of the elderly in the study, family relationship is limited to this intimate group consisting of the spouse, children and grandchildren as the extended family is almost nonexistent in the given context. Friendship: Friendship or close relationship with members of the same age group often sharing personal characteristics, life styles, values and experiences is a source of enjoyment, socializing, and reminiscing the past; promote a higher satisfaction among the older adults (Sorensen & Pinquart, 2000). In the given situation it could be long standing friends from the past, and or the friendship developed among the co-residents of the home. Social Support and Social Interest: To experience a sense of well-being persons should have deep feeling of sympathy, and affection for human beings (social interest/altruism). That is, their ability to go beyond the personal to interpersonal establishing deep, profound interpersonal relationships and social support, to transpersonal, which is relating to the Divine in the social context of one’s life. These play a significant role in maintaining their psychological, social, and physical integrity over time (Witmer & Sweeny, 1992) and consequently the sense well-being. Attitude toward Death: Death can be understood as a natural process of transition from one stage of life to another. Depending on the meaning people attach to death, they fear death or embrace it as a natural transition with a sense of acceptance and surrender (Atchley, 1997). Accepting old age and death meaningfully makes life happier. Fear or acceptance of death is closely related to general satisfaction. According to (Moberg, 2001), when life is lived to the full, death becomes a fulfillment, a completion. Religion and Spirituality: Subjective aspects of religion and spirituality include religious identification, religious attitudes, values, beliefs, knowledge, and mystical/religious experiences. Religious experience provides a sense of meaning and purpose in daily life (Polner, 1989). Spirituality usually refers to a unique, personally meaningful experience of a transcendent dimension that is associated with wholeness and wellness (Westgate, 1996). Spiritual wellness is the dimension that permits the integration of one’s spirituality with the other dimensions of life, thus maximizing the potential for growth and self-actualization (Westgate, 1996). At this point of SWB research, there is already an idea of the variables which correlate with SWB. However, a better understanding of parameters that influences the relationships, the directions of influences between variables, and the different influences interact are still needed (Diener, 1984). Given the assumption that these features are deep cross-cultural, universally applicable, core characteristic features of well being sought by the aged, the researcher believed that the institutionalized care for the aged and their subjective sense of well-being is also context specific. An understanding of psychological well-being necessarily rely upon the moral visions that are culturally embedded and frequently culture specific (Christopher, 1999). In this context, one might ask how the institutionalized aged of Gladys Spellman experience the transition from mathru-pithru devobhava (mother and father are like gods) to institutionalized care, what their experience of the subjective well-being consisted in, and what might be the specific factors that would contribute to their sense of well being. It is possible that the western culture-specific factors of subjective well-being outlined above may not have the same relevance for the population under investigation. This study was expected to help understand the contextspecific aspects of well-being of the institutionalized aged.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Daycare Observation Report

The Kids Learning Centre is a privately-owned day care facility and non-formal educational institution for children up to 12 years old. It is located at the heart of the City of Downtown, just behind The Business Building, a convenient place where parents and guardians can drop off their children safely. It operates from 6:30 AM to 6:00 PM daily, and closes only during major holidays. Like other day care facilities, The Kids Learning Centre strives to provide the best in child care.As part of their program to deliver quality service to the kids and their parents, the centre has established the following: I. Security, Safety, Health The centre has an open-door policy, allowing and welcoming parents to visit and observe their children at any time. This, however, is a regulated procedure in order to provide security for the children, and is implemented under the following measures: * Upon enrolment, the parent/ guardian is issued an individualized Parent Identification Number, which he/ she uses to go through the facility’s entry system.Visitors are required to present a valid ID with photo before being allowed to enter, and he or she is escorted and supervised by the Assistant Director during the entire visit. * The centre has an emergency lock-down procedure – forced entry will automatically send an alarm to the police department. Moreover, the centre has a closed circuit classroom monitoring system, wherein the classroom is fitted with a four-way camera. The system records daily activities for the protection of both children and caregivers. In addition, sprinklers and fire extinguishers are present in every area of the building.Fire alarms are installed, and the fire department is automatically alerted when the alarm goes off. The school conducts a monthly fire drill and fire alarm safety practice to ensure that the staffs is prepared in case of emergency, and would be able to protect the children should a crisis occur. Aside from security and fire safety, the centre is also very particular about the health and well-being of the kids. The centre, licensed by the Department of Health, provides healthy, nutritious, and delicious meals and snacks for the children.The daily menu is planned by the school’s chef and the Director a month in advance. Also, a sick child is not allowed to enter the facility to avoid contagion; and a doctor’s note stating that the child is not contagious must be presented before the Director would allow the child to rejoin his group. II. Environment The classroom is bright and colourful – a place designed to be attractive and interesting to kids. The walls are painted with animal pictures, and the floor is covered by carpets, safety mats, and cushions in vivid colours.There are six rooms and each room is fully-equipped with age appropriate safe toys that stimulate the different senses and develop gross motor and fine motor skills, including building blocks, rubber balls, stuffed ani mals, books, tinker toys, and many more. These are organized on kid-sized shelves, baskets, and containers that develop a child’s organization and sorting skills. The room is a place for kids to have fun and learn at the same time. They are able to express their energy in safety, and also explore, experiment, touch, and fill their senses using the wide variety of learning materials available in the area.III. Caregivers The Kids Learning Centre is comprised of a group of devoted individuals trained to protect, nurture, and educate children. As part of the school’s policy, all the members of the staff underwent a criminal background check through the Department of Public Welfare’s state and federal fingerprinting system before being hired. They are likewise First Aid/ CPR Certified. The centre is currently composed of seven individuals: the director; the assistant director; five lead teachers; and two assistant teachers. * Director. Ms.Mayan holds a Degree in Earl y Childcare Education, and has been a director for five years. She is very warm and friendly. * Assistant Director. Ms. Dina also has a degree in Early Childcare Education and has more than 30 years of experience in a childcare facility. She supervises and trains teachers. * Lead Teachers: * Baby Teacher. Ms. Mina is a high school graduate and has 5 years experience in the medical field and 20 years of experience with children. She loves to talk to babies with her calm and gentle voice. * Young Toddlers’ Teacher.Ms. Fine is currently taking up Child Development Associate Certification and has a three years experience as day care assistant teacher at the YMCA. She is consistent in setting up limits, making sure young toddlers return the toys they are playing with before they get another toy. * Older Toddler Teacher. Ms. Georgia has childcare certification from Better Kid Care and has six years experience as assistant teacher at Head Start. She can handle difficult children ver y well. She is firm and the children listen to her when she says something.Pre-School Teacher. Ms. Barbie finished her 2 years in Education and has three years experience as lead teacher. * Pre-K Teacher. Ms. Nita finished her associate degree and earned her directorship certificate at the Best Care Centre. She has been a lead teacher for ten years and have been a director for five years. * Assistant Teachers: * Older Toddlers’ Assistant Teacher. Ms. Darlene is in her senior high school and she just started a couple of months ago. The children are very comfortable and love to play with her. * Pre-K Assistant Teacher. Ms.Julia has been in the academe for twelve years, and has been working in daycare for two years. As a day care worker, she is very warm and friendly with the children. She is very patient and always encourages the kids to always be nice to each other. One particular teacher I observed to be the most effective is Nita – the Pre-K teacher. Her class is so s tructured – she follows her daily schedule, she is very warm and friendly when parents drop off her/his child. She supervises her class very well. Even when she is talking to an adult, she is still able to hear and see what’s going on in her class.She uses the reward system to encourage children to participate in group activities. She always tells jokes and the children love it. She teaches various skills to her class, such as dancing, singing and storytelling, as well as some Spanish words. Two Instances that I’ve observed about Ms. Nita’s quality child care were: * when a child was hurt while playing outside; Ms Nita immediately and calmly attended to the child and talked in gentle manner. The other one who apparently hurt him was next to Ariana, watching as the teacher performs first aid.After Ms Nita was sure the Ariana was fine, she talked to both Ariana and the other child and asked them what really happened, she asked both side very patiently and t hen asked them what they should do next time, both boy apologizes and came to a conclusion that it is not nice to keep hands to others. * Another instance I observed was that Ms, Nita individually ask the children to check how they are doing both at the day care and at home; I particularly remember when she asked Karina and how’s she doing at home, the child answer that she is sad because her dad went to jail.I saw how her compassion rise up as she talked to the child and gave her a big sympathetic hug. IV. Activities The Kids Learning Centre provides a program to develop positive social skills and ideals and learn about their world through age-appropriate play, projects and activities. It provides a stable and protected learning environment that fosters a solid foundation for lifelong success. The children are encouraged to foster a love for nature and the environment through the centre’s Agricultural Program. In that program, the children experience how to cultivate and develop the Earth.Through agricultural lessons that include outdoor planting of fruits and vegetables, each child is able to experience the joy of caring for the Earth. The children also experience daily interactions that promote positive self concepts. All programs are curriculum based – Infant through school-age children. The daily schedule for Pre-K is as follows: 6:30 – 8:30 AM| Free Play| 8:35 – 9:00| Art Project| 9:00 – 10:00| Breakfast| 10:00-10:30| Circle Time| 10:30-11:30| Gym Class or Outside Time| 11:30-12:00| Science/ Math| 12:00 NN| Lunch Time| 1:00 – 3:00| Nap Time| :00 – 3:30| Snack Time| 3:30 – 4:00| Story Time| 4:00 – 4:30| Review Time| 4:30 – 5:30| Outside Play| 5:30 – 6:00| Library Time| From six thirty in the morning up to eight thirty in the morning, the children are allowed to choose centres (like dramatic play, table toys, or blocks ) of their choice – giving them freedom to selec t a toy or game for themselves in a small group, at Eight thirty to Nine in the morning, the children make art or crafts; this activity enhances the children’s fine motor skills at the same time appreciate the beauty of art.At Nine o clock to Nine thirty in the morning, the children wash their hands and have their breakfast. Ten O’ clock up to Ten thirty in the morning is circle time; during circle time, children learn the different season, month of the year, days of the week, the alphabets and numbers and study a particular book and song of the day. At Ten thirty to Eleven in the morning, the children will go outside to get fresh air and to boost their gross motor skills.At eleven o’ clock to twelve noon the children observe a science experiment or play math games depending on the lesson plan for the day. At twelve noon up to one o clock, the children wash their hands and have their lunch. At one O’ clock to three o’ clock in the afternoon, the ch ildren will have their nap time. If the child can’t go to sleep, the child will be provided a book and read quietly or he/she can lay quietly on her cot, Three O’ clock noon is snack time, three thirty to four thirty is review time; where children will be asked what they have learned for the day.Four thirty to five thirty in the afternoon is outside play and finally five thirty to six thirty is library time; the children will read book quietly as they wait for their parents to pick them up. V. Guidance and Discipline The Kids Learning Centre sets rules with the children at the beginning of the school year. The child’s role in the Guidance Process allows the child to be involved in writing the class rules. The teachers set clear limits and are always consistent.They redirect the children whenever possible. They include the children in the problem solving processes. Positive reinforcement and acknowledgement of good behaviour is encouraged. If a child exhibits imp roper behaviour, he/she is removed from the area The teacher then discusses the improper behaviour with the child – what choice would be better next time – and allows the child to return to the activity as soon as he or she feels she can already manage his/her behaviour appropriately.Should a conflict arise between two kids, they will have a reasonable opportunity to resolve the problem on their own, under the watchful eye of the teacher, before a she steps in. They will be given the chance to make an effort to change any unacceptable behaviour. If a child hurts another child, the teacher will attend to the injured child immediately. The child that did the injuring will stay with the injured child and the staff member looking after the injured child, until the injured child is ready to return to the classroom activities.The former will be asked what s/he can do to make the latter feel better. If the teachers see a continuing pattern of misbehaviour, the following steps will be initiated: * Phone call from the teacher informing the parent of the concern or â€Å"red flags† that have been observed. * As parents have a major role in the guidance process, they are requested to share any relevant information with the teachers to help understand any underlying issues. They are encouraged to open up when the teacher gives notification of a concern or if a continuing pattern of misbehaviour is observed.They are expected to follow through on any recommendations made by the staff including evaluation by the school district. * Contact between parents and the centre is made within two weeks of the recommendation, * Staff members are expected to work as a team so everyone can be consistent in expectations and help the child understand what behaviour is acceptable and not acceptable. * After attempts have been made to meet the individual needs of the child, any child that has demonstrated inability to benefit from the type of care offered by our school, or whose presence is detrimental to the group, shall be discharged from the school.The centre prohibits any form of corporal punishment or yelling at a child, ridiculing a child or the child’s family, blaming, teasing, insulting, name calling, or threatening the child with punishment, withholding food, affection, or positive attention. Personally, I find that The Kids Learning Centre ranks high in the following areas: * Security. The security system and fire safety features are technologically advanced and are quite impressive. * Nutrition. The children’s diet is balanced, and they receive highly nutritious meals and snacks daily. * Kids.The children are simply magnificent. Although The Kids Learning Centre’s main goal is it to provide quality care for the children, the fact still remains that it is a business. It is, therefore, not surprising that despite its efforts to provide excellent service; much is left to be desired. Some areas that can be improved incl ude: * Teacher Benefits. The centre lacks benefits and incentives for teachers, and is not very generous with remuneration and salary increase. Management also falls short in terms of support and encouragement for their staff. * High Turn-Over.Due to the lack of benefits for teachers, the turn-over rate is high. This is disadvantageous as constant adjustment is necessary between co-workers as well as between teacher and child. * Discipline. Also, some teachers become too absorbed in terms of child discipline that compassion is overlooked. It is ironic because some of the teachers are themselves in need of discipline in order to avoid squabbling among themselves. The centre would benefit most if it could improve on the following areas:* The management needs to evaluate teachers fairly and give benefits, incentives, and salary increases accordingly. The management needs to provide a better support system for the teachers; give positive reinforcement, remind the teachers their duties a nd responsibilities. * The management also needs to set a better standard for teachers and their behaviour, not only towards the kids but also among themselves. * Teachers should have training at least every quarter to help them learn new strategies in caring for the little ones. * Teachers should join a caregiver/teachers association to help them get encouragement from other professionals.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Paper Critique of ADA and Affirmative Action Essay

Paper Critique of ADA and Affirmative Action - Essay Example e physical accessibility to people with disabilities in buildings and also ensures the removal of obstacles that deny individuals with disabilities equal employment opportunities. The main parts of the act are divided into five sections, with the first section insuring against discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities with regards to employment (Accessiblesociety, 2012). The second title prohibits discrimination against the disabled at all public levels, including the state, municipal and school district level. The third part is targeted at public accommodation, where individuals may not be discriminated from enjoying facilities at any public place of accommodation due to their disability. In the fourth part, ADA ensures that people with disabilities enjoy equivalent services with non-disabled people, while the last title includes miscellaneous provisions. Ever since the introduction of the act in 1990, there has been a lot of success in reducing discrimination against the disabled. One of the first advantages of the act is that the accessibility of people with disabilities has significantly improved (Accessiblesociety, 2012). For example, people with disabilities can mount legal objections to practices which they feel are discriminatory. This has helped in increasing job opportunities for people with disabilities. The act has also help medically incompetent but qualified individuals who used to be discriminated based on their medical conditions. According to ADA, an employee is not mandated to ask for medical certificates before hiring. Despite the successes that ADA has had in the past decade or so, the main disadvantage of the act is the apparent contradiction with the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSHA) ( Skoning and Condon, 1994). According to ADA, an employee cannot move an employee from a workplace that is deemed dangerous, since this would seem discriminatory. However, OSHA dictates that dangerous workplaces are illegal.

Cardiac Surgery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Cardiac Surgery - Essay Example Sympathetic influences exert the opposite effect. In this regard, automaticity is an important property of the cardiac cells that is normally observed in the sinus node, the specialized fibres of the His-Purkinje system, and in some specialized atrial fibres. Bradyarrhythmias result from abnormalities either of impulse formation, that is, automaticity or of conduction. In cardiac surgery, due to the fact that the patient would be brought in a cardiac standstill and other pharmacologic agents would be used to facilitate this would lead to low cardiac output and hence bradyarrhythmias. (Debrunner, M., Naegeli, B., Genoni, M., Turina, M., and Bertel, O., 2004, p 16). The sinus node is normally the dominant cardiac pacemaker because of its intrinsic discharge rate that is highest of all potential cardiac pacemakers. Its responsiveness to alterations in the autonomic nervous system tone is responsible for a rapid heart rate, and the reverse in slowing (Reade, M.C., 2007, p 367). ... Whatever may be the reason, the manifestations happen due to abrupt, prolonged sinus pauses caused by failure of sinus impulse formation or block of conduction of sinus impulse to the surrounding atrial tissues (Bethea, B.T. et al., 2005, p 106). In some patients, sinus node dysfunction is accompanied by abnormalities in AV conduction, and thus aside from having absence of atrial activity, the lower pacemakers fail to emerge during sinus pauses (Daoud, E.G., Snow, R., Hummel, J.D., Kalbfleisch, S.J., Weiss, R., and Augostini, R., 2003, p. 129). External energy sources can be used to stimulate the heart when disorders in impulse formation and/or transmission lead to symptomatic bradyarrhythmias. Pacer stimuli can be applied to the atria and/or ventricles (Overbay, D. and Criddle, L., 2004, p. 26). Temporary pacing is usually instituted to provide pacemaker support when a bradycardia is precipitated by what is presumed to be a transient event, such as, induced cardiac standstill during an open heart surgery, induced cardioplegia in bypass surgeries, ischemia, or drug toxicity (Roschkov, S. and Jensen, L., 2004, p. 33). Temporary pacing is usually achieved by insertion of an electrode catheter with the catheter positioned in the right ventricular apex and attached to an external generator. This generator will assist the heart to generate a pacing impulse on the face of reduced excitability. Excitatory impulses generated by the temporary pacing apparatus would generate depolarization potential to cause cardiac contraction. Epicardial wires allow temporary pacing after cardiac surgery (Puskas, J.D., Sharoni, E., Williams, W.H., Petersen, R., Duke, P., and Guyton, R.A., 2003, pp. E-103). Pacing is

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Factors for Determining the Extent to which the State has Full Control Essay

Factors for Determining the Extent to which the State has Full Control within its Territory - Essay Example In the modern world, people are living in a globally mutually dependent system where events taking place a thousand miles away have an effect on them. The world is shrinking because of globalisation, which is a political, economic, socio-cultural and technological process whereby state borders significance decrease and their citizens reside in an incorporated worldwide system. Nonetheless, government and non-government actors are demanding the supremacy of states as well as their self-governance. The attrition of state borders, as well as, the decline of state self-government is an important matter as it reduces the extent to which a state has full control within its territory. Sovereignty distinguishes a state from all the other associations. It denotes the final and ultimate legal authority and beyond, which no further legal power, exists. It has two aspects: internal sovereignty and external sovereignty. Internal sovereignty is the ultimate authority of the state over every person and association within its geographical boundaries. By virtue of internal sovereignty, the state formulates and enforces laws on people as well as associations. Any person or association who violates these laws receives a punishment. On the other hand, external sovereignty refers to the freedom of a state from foreign powers control. There is no external authority, which can limit the state’s power. ... It denotes the final and ultimate legal authority and beyond, which no further legal power, exists (Keohane & Nye 2001). It has two aspects: internal sovereignty and external sovereignty. Internal sovereignty is the ultimate authority of the state over every person and association within its geographical boundaries. By virtue of internal sovereignty, the state formulates and enforces laws on people as well as associations. Any person or association who violates these laws receives a punishment. On the other hand, external sovereignty refers to the freedom of a state from foreign powers control. There is no external authority, which can limit the state’s power. France is a sovereign state, and this enables it to have a considerable control within its territory. It comprises of equal persons and not separate communities. There is national sovereignty also known as top-down sovereignty, which is sovereignty of national states as well as popular sovereignty or bottom up sovereignt y, which is sovereignty of the people (Krasner 1999). In France, national sovereignty matches up to the notion that each Nation, which has an assembly of people unified by a mutual history, culture and language, retain control of the choices, which it has to come to for the common good of the people. Popular sovereignty in France is important because it is the essence of democracy; power proceeds from the people who entrust it in the interim to their elected officials. It is inalienable and delegated (Friedman 2005). People have the freedom to act, decide, and undo. Numerous organisations often operate across the borders of many countries, for instance, Microsoft, which is and an American multinational company that helps customers

Monday, August 26, 2019

The Impact of Social Media and Viral Marketing on the Film Industry Essay - 1

The Impact of Social Media and Viral Marketing on the Film Industry - Essay Example of the most recent development in the field of marketing, but some of its components such as social media and viral marketing have been of the most considerable significance to marketing. In the current global society, the use of social media and viral marketing is arguably an effective means of getting consumers (Griffith, 2011). Social media in this specific case can be described as internet based technologies designed to foster social interaction between individuals or organisations that facilitate effective communication links. Viral marketing can be viewed as internet based buzz-marketing techniques that strive to attain brand awareness by way of viral processes such as internet memes and memetics. One of the common ways it can be delivered is through word of mouth, but can also be enhanced by network effects (Mills, 2012). This approach to marketing is distinguished by the fact that those who initially acquire the information are urged to communicate it to others. The SPIN framework is conceived by Mills as a four stage process that can see to it that the two marketing approaches discussed above are as effective as possible. The four stages comprise of spreadability, propagativity, integration, and nexus (SPIN). The stages are aligned in order of execution so as to attain maximum marketing results. Spreadability is an attribute that define the desirable nature of the campaign meant to be spread on the internet platform. It can be further be described by two terms; likeable and shareable. The use of social media and viral marketing has become effective means of marketing predominantly because they are extensively used by the prospective customers. However, there are few barriers that restrict marketers from reaching all this audience. Hence, the campaign that is launched by the marketers has to exhibit likeability and ‘shareability’ to incite those it reaches first to like and share it. The ultimate audience reached in such a case is commendable (Mills,

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Chapter 8 summary-business ethics Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Chapter 8 summary-business ethics - Term Paper Example Moreover the concepts of business ethics have been successfully illustrated with many of the examples from business world. A person becomes liable to a firm when he signs the contract at the first place when he is employed. A contract that is signed at the time of hiring sets the rule for an employee. The rules must be followed by the employee in any case because it is agreed by both the parties. An employee is liable to reach certain targets in order to get fair remuneration. The clauses of a contract not only includes the framework that is supposed to be followed by an employee but it further includes even the smallest matters such as holding the prospects regarding dresses clearly. There is always a combination of comments and acceptability when it comes to loyalty towards the company from an employee. Some of the writers of business ethics believe that an employee needs to be highly loyal to the company whereas on the other hand it is believed that there is a non acceptance of the fact that loyalty should be exercised to the diminished social life of an employee. It is quite depending upon the nature of the job and what type of the organization would an employee would be working. There are some of the jobs nature that require over times. The need of defending the interest of an employer is far more significant and required than just being loyal to the company. There could be a certain points and instances where the interest of an employee would surely collide with the interest of an employer. In this chapter, the issues between the interest of employee and employer have been referred to conflict of interests. The conflict of interest of could be in terms of employee’s desire of wearing clothes the way he wants, coming late at work or could be a conflict in the attainment of remuneration. The conflicts could be solved for sure but there could be instances where the conflicts would be unacceptable for the company

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Hypertension and Coronary Artery Disease Research Paper

Hypertension and Coronary Artery Disease - Research Paper Example All the participants were subjects with stage 1 hypertension. They were university and hospital employees. All of them were on no medications, and they received standard lifestyle interventions by the nurses. The participants were randomised, and half of them were assigned randomly to story-centred care. Their blood pressures were measured for 24 hours four times at 8-week intervals, twice before and twice following the intervention. The data collected were compared through statistical analysis. Subjects who received story-centred care were found to have a statistically significant greater decrease in the awake systolic blood pressure over this period of 6 months of study. However, with this intervention, there was no significant alteration of sleep systolic or diastolic blood pressure. It was concluded that story-centred care as a nursing intervention can augment the effects of lifestyle interventions in reducing awake hypertension in type 1 hypertensive patients. Therefore, story-c entred nursing intervention may be integrated with the nursing management of patients with hypertension (Liehr et al., 2006, 16-21). Drevenhorn and coworkers (2007) with the aim to explore the effects of a structured nursing intervention programme in the care for hypertension designed a pre-test post-test study involving 177 patients diagnosed with hypertension. This was based on the premise that nursing intervention on couselling on lifestyle changes directed to the reduction of risk factors such as smoking, overweight, high alcohol consumption, dyslipidemia, stress, and physical inactivity.  

Friday, August 23, 2019

Delegation Survey Analysis Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Delegation Survey Analysis - Case Study Example Even then, there are still various challenges with the compliance of these rules. Summary of Survey Response Because of the current demands in nursing care that cannot be satisfied by the number of registered nurses (RNs), both the American Nurses Association (ANA) and the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) suggest delegation of tasks to nursing assistants to provide efficient healthcare service to patients. Despite allowing others of specific tasks, it does not free RNs from the responsibility toward their patients. This implies that I delegate only the ones that are allowed to be passed onto unlicensed practitioners, such as basic nursing tasks not needing the use of judgment, I should be aware of the competencies and abilities of the person to whom the task is delegated in order to determine whether or not he or she is capable of doing the task, and I am still accountable as to the outcome of the delegated task. Because the outcome is by law still my responsibilit y, I should be available to supervise, and intervene once the task is not done properly. Another important aspect of delegation aside from the communication and supervision of the task is evaluation of the performance of the delegated task. This makes way for learning and adjustment from both the RN and assistant, so that any mistakes or inefficiencies can be corrected in the future. As always, an open communication is necessary to be able to conduct an optimal evaluation (Gallagher, 2009; Ohio Administrative Code ch. 4723,  § 13; Yoder-Wise, 2011; â€Å"Joint Statement of Delegation†, n.p.; ). Analysis of Response Because of the many responsibilities and potential liabilities concerning delegation of nursing tasks, I most of the time find it easier for me to do things on my own instead of carefully contemplating whether or not 1) the task can be delegated, and 2) the assistant is capable of doing the task properly. I also find it more efficient to do the task myself, inste ad of taking time to explain the procedure in order to delegate. Thus, it is only in dire cases when I delegate tasks. I thus end up overworked, exhausted and unhappy sometimes. I hope the state or the hospital considers establishing a committee or a particular group of nurses that will be tasked to delegate activities to assistants and monitoring the outcomes of delegated procedures, especially when it will be found through a study that delegated procedures are done sub-optimally or delegating RNs tend to do tasks themselves even if they have to attend to many patients. This should allow the lightening of nursing load to cut across all nurses, instead of the amount of nursing load being indirectly proportional to the nurse’s proficiency in delegation. Improvement of Delegation Skills I recognize that delegation skills is something that every RN should develop, in order to provide health services as fast as possible, without compromising the quality of the care being given (J ohnson, 1996). Until the demand for RNs are met, nursing assistants are an important part of efficient health service. I also recognize that delegation skills can only be improved through constant practice of the steps entailed for good delegation. What is important is to make the assistant and the patient feel that you are always present to look at every step taken by the assistant. Importantly, the delegating RN should know both the patient and the assistant doing the procedure (Currie, 2008). This

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Internal and External Factors Essay Example for Free

Internal and External Factors Essay External Factors Laura Smalt XMGT/230 May 12, 2013 Dr. B Internal and External Factors The organization I chose to write about is Subway restaurants. I have worked in management in two different locations, and have had a firsthand look at what goes into the four functions of management and how they interlock with each other. If I were to consider the planning aspect of this organization it is amazing the amount of work, projecting, forecasting, and implementation that it entails. Factors such as globalization play a huge role simply because this organization has over twenty thousand locations in seventy-eighty countries. The economy, trends, cultures, and habits in each region are taken into consideration in the planning function. When planning, corporate must consider the economy in each region, which is why one region may have a different monthly special than another. Organizing all of this also falls into the planning phase, because everything needs planned with individual marketing material, and training materials. Other factors have effects on all this as well. Keeping up with the current technology for instance, helps to keep their locations running smoothly and efficiently. Being one of the world’s largest sandwich franchises requires planning and organizing to keep up with changing innovations, and to create new menu options that keep them competitive with others. When you look at the four functions of management as a whole, it is easy to notice that not only does each function interlock, but also the organizing function interlocks with both planning and leading. In order to maintain uniform locations that are all kept up to franchise standards systems must be put in place. This is also an excellent chance to provide front line support on location where it is needed most. I think in this function factors such as diversity and ethnics have a tremendous impact. Because these require so much interaction, these factors must be considered. For example, if the regional representative shows up for the monthly sales and promotions meeting or for the inspection to all-Spanish speaking location there would be major communication issues. To address this all regional representatives are custom chosen for the areas they cover. These are the locations linked to corporate, and their leaders to keep in compliance. Because diversity and ethnics can encompass so much it is essential for management to know how to work with both. For example, management can assign a task to any employee, but if that employee does not have that skill to complete the task in the end, the results are less than desirable. Because of this management must need to know how to assign tasks and work with the diversity they have in the employees. Ethnics on the other hand should be uniform and level throughout the organization, because it aligns management and all personnel within the company in behaviors, and values. Ethnics also play a major role in public relations, because the organization’s ethnics reflect the image the public has of them. This is all brought together with the controlling function of management. Monitoring the entire organization, developing new ideas, and applying changes happen here. This includes monitoring sales, controlling costs, and adjusting as needed. If a promotion in a certain region is performing badly, then marketing may be tasked with analyzing that market again to see if a different promotion or strategy would work better there. Cost control would be monitored with the control function, things such as logistics, internal communications, purchasing, and human resources all need to be overseen and adjusted as market and profits allow or demand. To summarize internal and external factors such as globalization, technology, innovation, diversity, and ethnics affect almost every aspect of any organization. From the top of CEO of the organization down to the front line managers, these factors affect both on a daily basis. When making decisions all these things must be considered and applied to the specific market or situation. Just as the point of sale manager must consider diversity when making decisions about assignments, and day-to-day operations so must the upper level executive when dealing with the diversity place upon him when dealing with shareholders, or other organizational officers. Globalization affects just about any organization in existence as well. With digital age comes the need to compete not only with the local influences and factors, but with global as well. Technology and innovation I do not think can be ignored or escaped in any organization today. Again, with the digital age so many people rely on social applications and similar venues for marketing and development that to ignore this be a serious error. Depending on the organization, these functions are necessary for some. The world has become too competitive to not monitor these and keep up with one’s competition.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Direct discrimination Essay Example for Free

Direct discrimination Essay Direct discrimination is intended by an individual usually due to a person’s background, culture, personality, race, disability, gender, religion, belief, sexual orientation, age. Indirect discrimination refers to applying a provision, criterion or practice which disadvantages people of a particular group. Direct discrimination may occur in a care home by a service provider only supporting a female, only support someone of their own culture and refuse to give personal care to males or not include everyone in a group activity. Indirect discrimination may occur in a way whereby a service provider is thinking everyone drinks tea so only offer tea, by giving a service user a shower daily but not offering a bath or see if they would prefer just a wash or not making reasonable adjustment which can exclude individuals with disabilities. By supporting an individual’s diversity by recognising their differences and valuing them and their individuality, by supporting individuals equality, treating a person equally, by including them in all group activities and encouraging individuals to express their views and opinions, by not treating anyone differently due to their background, ethnicity, culture, race, age, sexual orientation, personality, disability, religion, beliefs and gender and overall promoting good practice and prevent/stop the likelihood of abuse. When we work in an inclusive way we are openly communicating with people by, getting to know what their preferences are and building trust. When a person has someone they trust, they become less of a victim, less likely to be discriminated against. Discrimination can be challenged in adult social care settings by providing the appropriate training to make everyone aware of how to prevent and control discrimination.

Financial Statements Are Important For Investors And Creditors Accounting Essay

Financial Statements Are Important For Investors And Creditors Accounting Essay You are required to discuss and comment on the above statement with reference to academic books, papers, and other published sources that you have read. Consider all the following in your response: Critically evaluate financial statements in terms of its importance, reliability and relevancy to the key users. Response: As stated by Atrill McLaney, the financial statements objective is to provide a snapshot of the financial position and performance of a business ( Atrill McLaney, 2008). The Financial Accounts of a company describe the performance of the company in financial terms. They are summary of the extensive activities of a business designed to provide true and accurate pictures to stakeholders (Woelfel, 1994). In todays world, the financial accounts of a company will be of interest to wide variety of users called stakeholders (DL MBA Material, 2003). As discussed in DL MBA material, some of stakeholder of a company can be owners, lenders, investment analysts, managers, employees, customers, suppliers, competitors and government agencies. The following briefly discuss characteristics of financial reports which would be interested to each party (DL MBA Material, 2003). Owners The shareholders of companys are ultimate owners. The shareholders invest their money into company hence they are concern with profitability, dividend and future prospects of the company. Their main concern is reliability of information available to them to decide their future expectations or course of actions (DL MBA Material, 2003). Lenders They are the financial institutions who lend money to a company for its regular operation or business expansions. They perform detailed analysis of company accounts and make decision to lend money. It helps them to understand the financial leverage of the company by analysing the different leverage ratios like debt-to-equity ratio etc. They determine the fixed assets of the company in order to cover up any eventuality. They decide the repayment ability of companies towards borrowings (DL MBA Material, 2003). Investment Analyst They are risk-appetite traders, individual investors, and financial institution looking for business opportunity to invest money into a company. They often use companys account to evaluate the future growth and profitability of a business. One of their main concerns is growth potential of the company their share price performance in stock market (DL MBA Material, 2003). Managers A companies managers intention is to analyse the financial accounting and find the direction of the efforts being put to achieve corporate objectives. They usually determine the company performance based on exhaustive internal accounts. Their individual performances get judged by the producing good accounting figures (DL MBA Material, 2003). Employee They would be concern about future of company stability and would be looking at accounts from company profitability, growth, long term business and truthfulness of information (DL MBA Material, 2003). Customers- They often sees companys account to determine the strength of the potential vendor to satisfy their commitments (DL MBA Material, 2003). Supplier- They often sees companys accounts to determine the credit facilities payment terms (DL MBA Material, 2003). Competitor- will be interested to see the accounts to gain any advantage which they can make use of (DL MBA Material, 2003). Government agencies- Tax authority will take closer look into a companys account to identify any discrepancy in the account by overstating or under standing profits. Hence the key criteria would be to check accuracy, verifiability truthfulness (DL MBA Material, 2003). The different users of accounts got different motive to look at it and they got different requirement like fairness, truthfulness, performance, repayment capacity, financial leverage, liquidity and cash flow of a company. Question 2 : Review the shortcomings of HCA model when prices are rising and explain why financial reports under the HCA are subject to some major limitations (e.g. inventory is undervalued, the depreciation charge to the income statement is understated, balance sheet values are understated, and periodic comparisons are invalidated). Response: The historical cost accounting is a convention in which asset values are based on the actual amount paid for the assets with no inflation adjustments. The historical cost conventions mention that the value of assets should be accounted on their acquisition cost (Atrill McLaney, 2008). It does not take into account inflation though there are certain adjustments like depreciation, depletion and impairments (www.money terms.co.uk, 2010). It relies on an assumption that the purchasing power of money is constant through out and does not change with time. Under historical cost approach, the inventories are reported in balance sheet at cost. However, there may be reduction in realisable value of the inventories due to obsolescence, deterioration or saleable price changes; hence historical cost approach does not account for this change (Hawawini Viallet 2007). It is often said that the weighing assets at their current value would provide a more truthful picture of the financial position of a company and would be more meaningful to wide range of audiences for decision making. But at the same time it has got reliability problem (Atrill McLaney, 2008). With rise in price, HCA will not be able to capture the change in valuation of underlying assets as it records the value of assets as historical cost. Hence, increase in the value of assets will not be reflected in a company balance sheet. Due to this the balance sheet will not present the true financial position. As a result, in the time of high inflation, profits will be overstated and tax liability will increase. Again with price fall, similar problem will be observed but this time real asset value will be less than the historical cost hence overstating the assets on the balance sheet undermining the profits the tax liability will decrease. The depreciation adds more complication to the problem. The cost of assets generally spread out over a number of years of its usability life time at the price paid at the execution of a transaction. The depreciation affects the carrying value of the asset. HCA does not consider the real value and hence depreciating original value does not show true picture. Question 3: Why has the HCA model survived in spite of its limitations in times of inflation? Response: The HCA model is traditional accounting model and there are many reasons for its survivals. It is straightforward, simple and reliable. There are certain limitation with net market value, depreciation, price rise fall and inflations but at the same time other accounting systems largely faces concerns around reliability, appropriateness, quality truthfulness of information (Johnson, 2005). As per Johnson, the historical costs though not fair but much more reliable. Hence many instances, the importance is given to trade-off between historical costing and other advanced fair value practices in much larger perspective (Johnson, 2005). The foundation of HCA is a real transaction which has happened and the money has been paid for that transaction. Hence the cost value is a real not fictitious and has its root in that transaction. It is not about calculating somewhat imaginary or hypothetical cost. The main advantage of using historical cost accounting is simplicity and certainty. The other advantage is it gives managers ability to forecast future operational costs. Hence in spite, many experts argue that the fairness of the method is far from real value, it still continue to dominate the accounting world. Question 4: Discuss the features of current income and value models (e.g. Current Purchasing Power Accounting (CPPA) and Replacement Cost Accounting (RCA) models) that have been suggested to replace or operate in tandem with the HCA convention. Response: As per Nobes, current purchasing power or general purchasing power accounting systems are based on historical cost accounts adjusted with general price index numbers (Nobes, 1992). In case of current purchasing power accounting, the original purchasing costs are corrected by correction factor based on some general index like retail price index. The corrected purchase cost is then used to calculate the balance value of the assets in order to record in the balance sheet for that year. Hence it represents more realistic value for non-monetary assets. Ahmed argues that the replacement cost accounting measures replacement cost in units of money. He argues that the replacement cost income is equal to the difference between realised revenues and their corresponding replacement costs in units of general purchasing power (Riahi-Belkaoui, 1996). As per Drummon stickler, the replacement cost is the amount of cash or cash equivalent that would be needed presently to acquire equivalent assets which can provide same function as the original asset. The method consists of estimating the cost of a new asset as argued by Christina (Drummon stickler, 1983). The important characteristic of replacement cost accounting is to capture the effects of changing prices and ultimate changing value of the items. The key feature of both techniques is to capture the loss or gain in the value of non-monetary items such that the effects of inflation or deflation can be captured in the balance sheet to make it more accurate. Question 5: Critically evaluate the virtues and defects of these alternative models. Response: The main characteristic of the alternative models like current purchasing power accounting or replacement cost accounting is a mechanism to capture the loss or gain in the value of non-monetary items on the current valuation basis. It helps to record assets on the balance sheet with realistic values. The balance sheet can portrait true picture of financial position of an organisation (DL MBA Material, 2003). It can accommodate the effects of inflation or deflation make financial statement more economically relevant. The main drawback of the alternative models is changes in the prices are captured but these are not based on actual real transaction. These models are complicated and values are subjective. It may happen that the general Consumer Price index or inflation has gone up but the impacts on assets have been reverse or not that significant. In such case, the resultant value will be erroneous. Hence they lack in reliability.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Abraham Lincoln Essay -- Biography Biographies Bio

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809 in a log cabin in Hardin Kentucky. His father Thomas Lincoln was a carpenter and farmer who was always very poor. Both of his parents were members of a Baptist congregation which had split from another church because of its views against slavery. This is where Abe first developed his own opposition to slavery. When Abe was nine the family moved to Spencer, Indiana, and his mother Nancy died from milk sickness. Milk sickness was a disease acquired by drinking the milk of cows which had grazed on poisonous white snakeroot. Soon after, Thomas married Sarah Bush Johnston who treated Abe like her own son. Abe had no formal schooling as a child so he ended up teaching himself. Abe loved to read so he spent most of his days out in the fields reading books. In 1831, Abe settled in the village of New Salem, Illinois. He began working in a mill and managing a store where he became popular amongst the members of the community. He impresse d residents with his character and earned the nickname "Honest Abe." In 1832 he was chosen captain of a volunteer company gathered for the Black Hawk War, but the company never saw battle. After, he returned to New Salem and became a partner in a grocery store that later failed. This left Abe in debt and forced him to work various jobs such as the village postmaster and rail splitting. Lincoln's early political career began in 1834 when he was elected to the state legislature where he served four consecutive years. During this time he became a member of the Whig party. In 1836, he received his attorney license and soon became law partners with John T. Stuart. Lincoln's career in law steadily increased because of his great abili... ...ccessful President. For example, despite enormous pressures, loss of life, battlefield setbacks, unprepared generals, and assassination threats, he stuck with this pro-Union policy throughout the whole Civil War. When I have my mind set on a goal, I strive to accomplish that goal. Whether it be with school work, at a job, or on the tennis court, I do anything I can to accomplish my goal. I do whatever I can to do my best and give 100 percent effort. Abraham Lincoln accomplished so much throughout his lifetime. He is remembered for his fearless acts in preserving the Union during the Civil War. He began the process to end slavery, and if it wasn't for him, we might very well still have slaves today in the United States. He is also remembered for his character, debates, letters, speeches, and determination that led him as one of our nations greatest Presidents.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Satan Essay -- essays research papers fc

Satan Satan, Lucifer, Beelzebub, Son of the Morning, the Devil has many names. The Devil is a powerful and mysterious being. Who is Satan? Who believes in him? Where did he come from? There are many questions that I had about Satan at the beginning of this report. Where did Satan come from? According to the Christian Bible it is clearly taught that the Devil and the other demons are spiritual or angelic creatures created by God in a state of innocence, and that they became evil by their own act. It is added that man sinned by the suggestion of the Devil, and that in the next world the wicked shall suffer eternal punishment with the Devil. Satan and the other demons are part of an angelic creation, and their natural powers do not differ from those of the angels who remained faithful. Like the other angels, they are pure spiritual beings without any body. What was the fall? Who was Satan before the fall? The biblical book Ezekiel says that Satan was the perfect angel. You (referring to Satan) were the seal of resemblance, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. You were in the pleasures of the paradise of God; every precious stone was thy covering; the Sardis, the topaz, and the jasper, the chrysolite, and the onyx, and the beryl, the sapphire, and the carbuncle, and the emerald; gold the work of your beauty: and your pipes were prepared in the day that you were created. You a cherub stretched out, and protecting, and I set you in the holy mountain of God, you have walked in the midst of the stones of fire. You were perfect in your wave from the day of creation, until iniquity was found in you (Ezekiel 28:12-15). The prophets, Isaiah, and Ezekiel, thought that Lucifer held a very high rank in the heavenly hierarchy. God’s right hand man in a sense. Some theologians say that the Devil was the foremost of all the angels. Ezek iel described Satan as the â€Å"model of perfection†, â€Å"full of wisdom†, and â€Å"perfect in beauty.† Why did the Devil fall? As Ezekiel 28:12 tells us, Satan was perfect when he was created. The Bible also tells us that humanity was created a little lower than the angels. Yet neither Satan nor any of the other angels were given rule over the earth. Rather, Adam, a being Satan must have considered less than himself, was given this power. It's easy to see why Sa... ... where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. (Rev 20:10) Eternal fire beyond the grave was prepared for "the devil and his angels". Then he will say to those on his left, Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels (Mat 25:41) (Bryan T. Huie). The same fire that will claim the devil and his angels will also torment people who die in a spiritually lost condition. And so sayeth the Lord. Bibliography W.H. KENT, The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume IV. Copyright  © 1908 by Robert Appleton Company. Britannica, The New Encyclopedia, Chicago: 1989. 15th edition. vol. 7, p. 542. Bryan T. Huie, Revised: March 23, 2001. SATAN, THE ADVERSARY OF MANKIND http://www.aristotle.net/~bhuie/satan.htm. Biblical quotes taken from; NKJV. American Bible Society, Copyright  © 1989.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Celies Pain in Alice Walkers Color Purple Essay -- Color Purple Essa

Celie's Pain in The Color Purple Molestation is a topic that is painful to think about, and even more difficult to write about. Yet Alice Walker chose this as the central theme of her novel The Color Purple. Walker's work centers around a poor African American girl Celie. Celie keeps a diary, and the first section of the novel is an excerpt from her diary. After reading the excerpt, the reader comes to realize that Celie is a fourteen-year-old girl who has been molested by her father. Through this, she has lost her innocence as well as her self-worth, evident when the reader sees that the diary's words have been altered to say "I have always been a good girl" as opposed to "I am a good girl." From the moment her father molested her, Celie ceased to see herself as a good person. The events following the molestation only serve to lower Celie's confidence and hurt her relationship with her father. Her sister Nettie attempts to protect her, Nettie being the closest thing to a best friend that Celie has at this point. Nettie is the only person in Celie's life who cares enough about her to stand up to their father. "The first time I got big Pa took me out of school. He never care that I love it. He say 'You too dumb to keep going to school'. But Pa, Nettie say, crying, Celie smart too. Even Miss Beasley say so." Nettie gets Miss Beasley to go to the house to convince 'Pa' "She see how tight my dress is, she stop talking and go" The way Celie writes in her Diary reflects her lack of education and class status. She writes in the most basic and colloquial language that she would use when speaking. She spells many words incorrectly such as "git" and "Naw". She also uses her words in the wrong tense saying " I say" instea... ...Purple." PMLA 106 (1991): 1106-15. Berlant, Lauren. "Race, Gender, and Nation in The Color Purple." Critical Inquiry 14 (1988): 831-59. Bobo, Jacqueline. "Sifting through the Controversy: Reading The Color Purple." Callaloo 12 (1989): 332-42. Butler-Evans, Elliott. Race, Gender, and Desire: Narrative Strategies in the Fiction of Toni Cade Bambara, Toni Morrison, and Alice Walker. Philadelphia: Temple UP, 1989. Froula, Christine, "The Daughter's Seduction: Sexual Violence and Feminist Theory." Signs 2 (1986): 621-44. Hooks, bell. "Writing the Subject: Reading The Color Purple." Reading Black, Reading Feminist. Ed. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. New York: Meridian, 1990. 454-70. Shelton, Frank W. "Alienation and Integration in Alice Walker's The Color Purple." CLA Journal 28 (1985): 382-92. Walker, Alice. The Color Purple. New York: Harcourt, 1982.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Poetry Response to Wallflowers by Donna Vorreyer Essay

This poem makes me think of my favorite book called The Perks Of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. It is the story of a boy named Charlie and his not-so-average life. The story is written as letters to someone he has never met, but heard was a good shoulder to lean on. This book is my favorite because I can really relate to Charlie. Speaking of Charlie, that is my puppy’s name. He is a chihuahua and dachshund mix. He is my best friend and is always at my side. He is probably the coolest puppy ever, except at three in the morning when he is sitting outside my door whining, then he can be someone else’s best friend. This poem is probably one of my new favorites because it actually made me feel something and that is really important to me when reading. I really enjoy how the poet talks about words people never use because I have an extensive vocabulary, but rarely use any of the words I know because most people I know would not understand me at all. The reason I am so educated in words reminds me of my grandmother, who is one of the most intelligent people I know. When I was about six or seven, she would say words to me that no Kindergartner knows and I was expected to spell them. Most of the time, I was pretty close and when I got it right, she would tell me what the words meant. At that age, I was more interested in the taste of my boogers than in learning boring words I never thought would matter. Looking back, I cannot thank her enough for that small effort to help me in life. I am sure without her, I would be using words like â€Å"ain’t† and phrases such as â€Å"don’t got no† instead of knowing how to speak like a civilized human being. my grandma is awesome, and as soon as Meya (my daughter) starts school, I plan to use this same technique on her to ensure she grows up to make something of herself. Might as well end this with things about Meya. She is the most beautiful child, and she is so intelligent, it is almost scary at times. She sings and dances and amazes me in every way daily. She is the greatest gift I have ever received and I love her with every fiber of my being. To finally wrap this up, the poem Wallflowers by Donna Vorreyer makes me think up some of my fondest memories and reminds me of the wonderful things I have.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Notes on the Auteur Theory Essay

The auteur theory consists of a director’s own personality or attitude in each film that they create. Each film has his or her own style and they use their own personal technique in each film differently. In the article entitled â€Å"Notes on the Auteur Theory,† written by Andrew Sarris, he states that there are three different premises of the auteur theory. The first premise is â€Å"the technical competence of a director as a criterion of value. † A director can be either good or bad, it all depends on the types of films they create. The second premise of the auteur theory is the â€Å"distinguishable personality of the director as a criterion value. † In every film a director correlates his or her own personality into the premise of the film in some way. This creates a relationship between how the film looks and moves to how the director thinks and feels. The third and final premise of the auteur theory according to Sarris is â€Å"concerned with interior meaning, the ultimate glory of the cinema as an art. † This premise projects the director’s attitude towards life during their films or their vision on the world. Over the years, many directors have met the criteria of an auteur director, but none have fit the characteristics of suspense and mystery like Alfred Hitchcock has. Alfred Hitchcock was born in Leytonstone, London England on August 13th, 1899. He had two older siblings, William and Eileen and the three of them grew up in a strict catholic family with their parents named William Hitchcock and Emma Jane Whelan. Hitchcock did not join the film industry until the 1920s, and prior to that he attended St.  Ignatius College and a school for engineering and navigation. In the beginning of his film work, Hitchcock began drawing sets because of his skills in art and eventually got into filmmaking. Some of Hitchcock’ include, The Pleasure Garden, Jamaica Inn, Frenzy, The Lady Vanishes, Psycho, The Rear Window, The Lodger, Vertigo, and Dial M for Murder. In 1942, after Hitchcock directed a film called, Saboteur, film companies began referring to his film after himself; such as Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, Alfred Hitchcock’s Family Plot, Alfred Hitchcock’s Frenzy. Hitchcock was awarded the Life Achievement Award on March 7th, 1979 and by this time he was becoming very ill. Unfortunately, Alfred Hitchcock passed away on April 29th, 1980 from a renal failure. Hitchcock may be gone, but his films are never forgotten and to this day Hitchcock will be remembered as the most famous suspenseful and mysterious filmmakers. (IMDB, N. P) Alfred Hitchcock, said, â€Å"There is no terror in the bang, only the anticipation of it†. This statement falls true in almost all of Hitchcock’s films. An auteur director â€Å"illuminates the style of a single artist through a consideration of formal elements,† and one of Hitchcock’s elements that he incorporates in his films is the use of suspenseful tone during certain scenes. (Bywater, 52) In the film, Dial M for Murder, Alfred applies ominous tones to make the audience on the edge of their seats. During the scene when Margot is about to be murdered, the music starts off slow and begins to increase in volume right before the murderer strangles her, forcing the audience to wonder what will occur next. The same type of suspense is used during the film, Vertigo. There is a scene when John is attempting to makeover Judy to fit the aspects of a former lover, Madeline. While he is awaiting her arrival from the bathroom, the tone of the score begins to rise. As John is anticipating Judy’s appearance, the music starts to grow and right before she opens the door of the bathroom, the volume is at its loudest, making the suspense for her arrival at its peak for the audience. Another scene from Vertigo is when John follows Madeline to see her jump off of the bridge into the San Francisco bay. Prior to her jump, the music is light and calming, making the audience wonder why John and Madeline are there. The moment Madeline dives into the bay, the tone immediately heightens and the audience feels a sense of terror not knowing what happened to her. Hitchcock incorporates this style of score into one of his most famous films, Psycho. In an article its states that â€Å"Psycho is the mother of all modern suspense films,† and the audience witnesses this in one of the most famous scenes from the film, the death of the main actress, Marian, during a shower (â€Å"The Greatest Films†). As Marian steps in and begins to take a shower, there is no music playing. While the scene progresses and the shadow of the mother begins to appear, as does the screeching music. This high-pitched tone terrifies the audience as the mother quickly kills Marion. Hitchcock combines the use of score and the use of a drawn out dialogue scenes to create a sense of anxiety between the characters. By using long dialogue scenes, Hitchcock is able to create anticipation from scene to scene, allowing the audience to wonder what will come after. In Dial M for Murder, there is a scene between Tony and Swan discussing how the two will kill Tony’s wife, Margot. The two deeply discuss what will happen during the murder and as the scene progresses the audience becomes worried whether or not the plan will succeed. Hitchcock used the same technique in the film Vertigo during a scene between John and Meredith. The scene consists of the two in the woods while Meredith begins to go into an odd mental breakdown. The audience learns that there is something deeply wrong with Meredith and that John is trying to help her. This scene shows the progression of Meredith’s condition, causing the audience to think about what is left to come. The same technique appears in the film Psycho during an intense conversation between Norman and Marion. This is the first night that Marion stays in the home with Norman and his mother. Norman begins a conversation with her, but instead of coming off friendly, Norman starts to become much more creepy. As the scene advances, Marion begins to become scared of Norman and starts to feel unsafe in his presence. This scene gives the audience a feel of uncertainty with Norman and begins to see that there is something wrong with the man. With the use of long dialogue scenes, Hitchcock was able to convey certain emotions within the scenes to the audience. Alfred Hitchcock will go down in filmmaking history as an auteur director because of his use of both suspenseful score and long mysterious dialogue scenes. Throughout every one of his films, the audience is able to feel scared without the use of cheesy tactics, but from intelligent techniques that incorporate Hitchcock’s personality and the use of his own spin on every film he creates.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Literature Review †Mnes, International Business and Country Risk Essay

Introduction This review is written to give readers a understanding of the meaning of Country risk Management, International Business and Small and Medium sized Businesses. When business or institutions engage in international lending or cross-border exposures, they undertake not only the customary risk but also country risk, which is the risk associated with the economic, social and political conditions within a foreign obligator’s home country/jurisdiction. Therefore the understanding of Country Risk Management is of importance. International business is a term used to describe all commercial transactions of private and governmental institution on sales, investments, logistics, and transportation that take place between two or more regions, countries and nations beyond their political boundary. In the world the importance of international Business keeps growing. This review will provide information on what the meaning is of international Business and it will give the reader a better understanding of International business, the driving forces of International Business and explain about the restrictions that play a role. Regarding Small and Medium sized enterprises. This will give readers a view on in what accept they operate which companies are considered SMEs and what role they play in the world. This will also show you the difference between SMEs and MNEs. Country Risk Management When you look at the definition of Country Risk Management, it refers to taking account of the possibility that economic and political conditions, or an event in a foreign country, could adversely impact an institution’s or business in that country. The institutions that works in those countries in international lending or having other cross border exposure are vulnerable to country risk and you have to take that as a country risk manager in account. â€Å"Country risk is not limited to an institution’s international lending operations; rather because their other on balance sheet activities and as well as off balance sheet exposures also contain country risk.† [5] When looked at businesses or institutions that outsource internationally, such as electronic data processing, electronic banking or any consultancy/management services, with overseas parties that are involved, this also carries country risk. Institutions are indirectly exposed to country risk as a result of their exposure to domestic entities that have significant cross border exposures, these institutions are not required to take into account such exposures in their formal country risk management process. However, such indirect country risk assessment pertains to credit risk management and banks are expected to give due consideration to this aspect while taking an exposure on such domestic entities. Institutions can exercise little direct influence on the country risk they are exposed to. This distinctive nature of country risk necessitates that banks having significant cross border risk exposure should have adequate country risk management framework. The term â€Å"country† in country risk management should be widely interpreted to include different jurisdictions or economic entities. For example, when you look at China, you should treat the Mainland China, Hong Kong and Chinese Taiwan as separate jurisdictions / economic entities in their country risk management processes. [6] â€Å"Country risk can be broadly classified into sovereign, transfer/convertibility and contagion risk. * Sovereign risk denotes a foreign government’s capacity and willingness to repay its direct and indirect (i.e. guaranteed) foreign currency obligations. * Transfer/Convertibility risk arises if changes in government policies, or any event, result in a barrier to free conversion or movement of foreign exchange across countries. Under such conditions, a borrower may not be able to secure foreign exchange to service its external obligations. * Where a country suffers economic or political problems, leading to depletion of its foreign currency reserves, the borrowers in that country may not be able to convert their funds from local currency into foreign currency to repay their external obligations. Contagion risk refers to the possibility that any adverse economic or political factor in one country has an impact on other countries in that region. â€Å" International Business International business is a term used to describe all commercial transactions of private and governmental institution on sales, investments, logistics, and transportation that take place between two or more regions, countries and nations beyond their political boundary. Private companies mostly do such transactions for beneficial reasons; governments also do them for profit and also for political reasons. International Business is not a new phenomenon, trade across the globe is as old as business itself. Today, every nation has increasing number of companies buying and selling goods in the international market place. A number of developments around the world have helped to fuel this activity. â€Å"Some of the major forces driving International Business are – LPC Movement, MNCs, Technology, World economic trends, regional economic integration, Transportation and communication improvements, product development costs, competition†. [3] International Business has gained wide popularity, because of the growing rate of multinational enterprises. During the last-three decades, the field of modern International business began to develop. Today, it has become a separate field of study in the management courses. The reasons to study this subject are, because almost all of the large enterprises in developed countries are international in character. Due to the economic liberalization and globalization, immense international business opportunities have been created. In most companies the manager needs to have knowledge about international business for managing complexities and understanding the various factors. Now a days public policy issues are very often related to international trade, investment and finance. There is no country that can neglect the foreign trade sector, when drawing up its economic policies. In business rules are highly diverse and unclear within International business. There are many languages and differences in culture, varied financial climate, patriotism hinders, multiple currencies and taxation system, integrative approach to study, product planning & development according to foreign markets, multiple & unstable marketing environment. Control of business activities is within International Business is difficult. International business is a wide concept and it encompasses a varied activity that makes its scope even wider. With the advent of the LPG Movement, the global Market place has shrinked and became one platform for conducting market activities, creating a wide range of operations and activities under its. There are several forces that restricts international business crossing the borders of the nation is not an easy task, as one has to face many barriers on various fronts. â€Å"Some of the restricting forces of IB are – Management Myopia, National Controls, High Investment required, Trade Blocs, Exchange Instability, and Technological Piracy†[3] International Business is an extension of domestic business. Today, all types of business enterprises are inspired to carry on business across the globe. Both IB & DB are similar in some ways, such as Business whether domestic or international, involves buying and selling of goods and services, Profit is the main objective of every business, whether domestic or international, Both in domestic as well as IB success depend upon satisfying the customers, Building goodwill is another common objective of both the business, Research and development for product improvement and adaption is necessary in both businesses, Business concepts, processes and principles are universally applicable, and the marketer’s task is same in both.[3] Small and medium sized enterprises Institutions recognize small and medium enterprises also known as SMEs, as companies whose personnel numbers fall below certain limits. The abbreviation â€Å"SME† is used in the European Union and by international organizations such as the World Bank, the United Nations and the World Trade Organization (WTO). Small enterprises outnumber large companies by a wide margin and also employ many more people. SMEs are also said to be responsible for driving innovation and competition in many economic sectors. [2] There is also an important variation of called a multinational enterprise also known as MNE. That is a company that has a worldwide approach to markets and production with operations in more than one country. An MNE is often called multinational corporation (MNC) or transnational company (TNC). Well known MNCs include fast food companies such as McDonald’s, Burger King etc., vehicle manufacturers such as General Motors, Ford Motor Company and Toyota, consumer electronics companies like Samsung, LG and Sony, and energy companies such as ExxonMobil, Shell and BP. Most of the largest corporations operate in multiple national markets. Areas of understanding within MNE of within this topic include differences in the legal systems, political systems, economic policy, language, accounting standards, labor standards, living standards, environmental standards, local culture, corporate culture, foreign exchange market, tariffs, import and export regulations, trade agreements, climate, education and many more topics. Each of these factors requires significant changes in how individual business units operate from one country to the next. [2] The conduct of international operations depends on companies’ objectives and the means with which they carry them out. The operations affect and are affected by the physical and societal factors and the competitive environment. Conclusion This review tries to give readers a better understanding on â€Å"Country Risk Management†, â€Å"International Business† and â€Å"Small and medium sized enterprises†. In addition, information from previous publications that are related is used to strengthen the topics that are being discussed. The paper starts with the definition of explaining the known understanding of Country Risk Management and continues explaining International Business and Small and medium sized enterprises. This shows you what importance these subject have and what role they play on multinationals and for you working in multinationals Source: [1]http://www.ncr.org.za/pdfs/Literature%20Review%20on%20SME%20Access%20to%20Credit%20in%20South%20Africa_Final%20Report_NCR_Dec%202011.pdf [2]http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/sme/files/sme_definition/sme_user_guide_en.pdf [3] http://www.gurukpo.com/admin/bookpdf/57.pdf [4]http://www.uscib.org/docs/international_business.pdf [5] http://www.sbp.org.pk/bsd/2004/Anex-C3.pdf [6]http://www.amcm.gov.mo/rules_and_guidelines/laws/bank/En_Av_08_2008.pdf [7]http://www.prenhall.com/behindthebook/0131738607/pdf/CKR_Why_We_Wrote_This_Book.pdf

Problem solving Essay

Problem solving refers to the process of tackling a problem to try and solve it. In mathematics problem solving makes use of mathematical processes which enable pupils to develop new insights, and sometimes new procedures. It involves exploration, discovery and analysis. Problem solving begins with a task which the pupils understand and are willing to engage in, but for which they have no immediate solution. It is associated with developing and learning ways to tackle and solve problems. According to Broomes, Cumberbatch, James and Petty (1995) problem solving should no longer be viewed as an activity in which pupils engage after they have acquired certain mathematical concepts and skills. Problem solving should be viewed both as means of acquiring new mathematical knowledge and as a process for applying what has been previously learned. George Polya has also propose a four-step process for problem solving. These four steps are understand the problem, devise a strategy/plan for solving the problem, carry out the strategy/ plan and check for results or look back and check. These four steps are important in helping to do problem solving. The first stage of Polya’s problem solving is understanding the problem. In order for the students to solve a problem in a mathematics classroom they must first understand the problem or understand what they are asked to find or do. The problem must be read carefully then analyzed. Polya taught teachers to ask students questions such as:Do you understand all the words used in stating the problem?What are you asked to do or show?Can you restate the problem in your own words?Can you think of a picture or diagram that might help you understand the problem?Is there enough information to enable you to nd a solution? Polya’s Second Principle: Devise a plan Polya mentions that there are many reasonable ways to solve problems. The skill at choosing an appropriate strategy is best learned by solving many problems. You will nd choosing a strategy increasingly easy. A partial list of strategies is included: Guess and check Look for a pattern Make an orderly list Draw a picture Eliminate possibilities Solve a simpler problem Use symmetry Use a model Consider special cases Work backwards Use direct reasoning Use a formula Solve an equation Be ingenious 1Polya’s Third Principle: Carry out the plan This step is usually easier than devising the plan. In general, all you need is care and patience, given that you have the necessary skills. Persist with the plan that you have chosen. If it continues not to work discard it and choose another. Don’t be misled, this is how mathematics is done, even by professionals. Polya’s Fourth Principle: Look back Polya mentions that much can be gained by taking the time to reflect and look back at what you have done, what worked, and what didn’t. Doing this will enable you to predict what strategy to use to solve future problems. So starting on the next page, here is a summary, in the master’s own words, on strategies for attacking problems in mathematics class. This is taken from the book, How To Solve It, by George Polya, 2nd ed., Princeton University Press, 1957,

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Bottled Mineral Water Industry

Bottled Mineral Water Industry Drinking water is the most important need of life. The drinking-water needs for human beings vary according to the climatic conditions, body structure. For an average consumer, the body needs around 2 to 4 liters of water every day. The increasing number of cases of water borne diseases, water pollution, urbanization, shortage of pure and safe water etc. has added to the phenomenal growth of the industry. Unavailability or shortage of drinking water at public places has also added to the growth of the bottled mineral water industry. https://encrypted-tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ-hMDAxvtyGgM9RYPtFwODPCj7vnFqzHgt-4ToWgRUursv0QPQ OVERVIEW OF THE INDUSTRY In India, more than 100 companies manufacture and sell about 450 million liters of packaged drinking water worth Rs. 250 crores annually. The tradition of packaged drinking water started decades back. In the West, the trend of packaged water started in 1950s. Thus the trend of mineral water consumption flourished in the market. Depending on various factors like the temperature, the location, the altitude, and the climatic conditions, water can be used to cure various ailments. This started the trend of manufacturing mineral water for drinking purposes to utilize this property of the liquid. The trend gained momentum in 1970s and since then large quantities of packaged water from mineral springs were used in the European nations. Bottled mineral water has been prevalent in western countries due to presence of higher health conscious people and higher awareness of sanitation. People preferred to drink boiled water or filtered purified water to prevent them from contracting any water borne diseases or ailments. In India, exposure to western and European life styles and culture, poor levels and quality of drinking water, increasing number of cases of water borne diseases, increasing awareness about health and hygiene and other related factors led to consumption of mineral water. The market has not looked back ever since then and has grown significantly to a great extent. VARIOUS BRANDS IN THE INDUSTRY BISLERI COMPANY: Parle Bisleri Pvt. Ltd. COMPANY BACKGROUND: Parle Bisleri Pvt. Ltd is the biggest player in packaged drinking water business in India. The company sold off the Thumps Up and Gold Spot brands to Coca-Cola India in the early 1990s. Since then, the company has focused only on packaged bottled water in India. The company changed its slogan to â€Å"Play Safe† from â€Å"Pure and Safe†, since many small competitors tried to emulate the look of the company’s brands. Parle Bisleri Pvt. ltd. is credited with building the use of bulk packaged mineral water in India through the introduction of 20-litre jar packaging. The company developed consumer-friendly packaging for the 20-litre jars by adding threaded fittings and valve caps, as opposed to other brands that feature snap-on fittings. These innovations facilitated easier flow of water from the jar pack. HISTO RY OF THE BRAND: BISLERI originated in Italy and the brand owes its name to its founder MR.FELICE BISLERI. In 1967, BISLERI set up its plant in Bombay for bottling and marketing actual mineral water, which was not so fruitful initiative. By 1969, BISLERI wanted to shut down its business and to help Mr. Bisleri out, Mr. Chauhan bought the company, with an intention to turn it into a soda/soft drinks brand. Since then it has not looked back and has come a long way. Now, it owns a significantly high percentage of shares in the Indian market and also has spread widely on the International front.

Tuesday, August 13, 2019

Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Case Study Example Designing and monitoring are the essential factors that come under evaluation to make sure that they have come under performances in the most effective and productive manner in the strategic management process that leads to attainment of the organizational goals on whole (Stahl & Grigsby, 1992). In more detailed words, strategic management process involves designing and setting up overall objectives and guidelines of the organization in a broad-spectrum, create and constitute precise and explicit strategies, plan and carry out implementation of the designed strategies and make modifications if required based on the monitoring or supervision of the outcomes. However, the below diagram clearly defines the process of strategic management in a much more comprehensive way (Mockler, 2002). Amongst numerous organizations that exercise the processes of strategic management, Utica National is an organization that provides its customers with the insurance services and products and is one of the good models that practice the strategic management processes in an appropriate way. However, the course of actions that carries out the strategic management techniques would come under discussion in detail about how this organization employs such practices. Utica National is an insurance group that dates back to early twentieth century that comprises of several companies namely Utica Mutual Insurance Company and Graphic Arts Mutual Insurance Company came under establishment as its principal companies. Utica National (2011) has come under recognition for its devoted and committed services to the policyholders since time immemorial. In the recent times, the popularity of Utica National (2011) has grown so much that it comes in the top rankings in the insurance organizations of the country (A.M. Best Company, 2008). Moreover, they provide the customers with a wide range of insurance products that take account of commercial coverages, personal coverages,

Monday, August 12, 2019

Career Objectives Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Career Objectives - Essay Example As the discussion highlights managing a business requires a lot of time, dedication, effort and skill.   By going for an Executive MBA in Oxford University, he will have the opportunity to gain useful skills related to business administration without disrupting my personal goals, family life and business activities.   He believes an MBA in the Prestigious University will enable me learn in a multi-cultural and competitive environment, something that is of great value if he has to succeed beyond the borders of his country Russia. Innovation is something that drives the entrepreneur in whatever venture they engage in. An MBA from the University of Oxford will equip me with the necessary skills that are needed to view the world as a place where there are inexhaustible opportunities. Once the reporter is able to identify the opportunities that exist in the market, he will be able to make sound business decision   that will translate into profits, and possibly a better world as he s eeks to fulfill people’s needs.This essay declares that  the reporter is a person with a passion for business and would always like to see every venture that he engages in succeed greatly. As a person interested in entrepreneurship, the reporter needs to understand every aspect of business administration and management.  One of the reporter's greatest dreams is to see his company go beyond the borders of Russia and penetrate the very competitive European market.  

Sunday, August 11, 2019

Rhetorical Problem Solving Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Rhetorical Problem Solving - Case Study Example Additionally, for last quarter the sales dropped by 5%, when he goes for lunch he sometimes fails to report back to work and for the last one month Mason has been absent for seven days. Mason has reached his retirement years at sixty-two, but he has refused to retire voluntarily. He looks forward to retiring after three more years of work when he will be sixty-five years. However, Doakes has pointed out that Mason has been diligent on his duties all along until recently. His public relations have also been excellent before. Mason has been grooming Doakes to take his place when he retires, and this also explains the reason the recommendation job had to be given to me. My solution to this problem is to make Doakes assume Mason’s responsibilities, leave Mason’s salary as it is today and raise Doakes’ salary. One of the quickest solutions to this problem would be to retire him against his wishes, but this would be unfair to Mason because he has been of great service to the company for the last twenty-five years. His experience and loyalty for all those years is enough reason to keep him for extra three years. It is worthwhile noting that corporate social responsibility starts from the internal practice. Dealing with employees harshly or ignoring the feelings of the community hits companies very hard down the line. It is necessary that the company maintains good relationship with its workers, make the long-time serving workers feel valued as part of the company. While not every employee’s wishes will be respected in terms of extending their terms, Mason’s case is a special one and it has to be dealt with every caution possible with the fact that he has been very instrumental to the company for years. Am interested in knowing reason for Mason’s stay in the business for three extra years. It could be that he needs the salary, or he needs to complete a project he began. For either reason, it is for the best interest of the