Vogue female magazines Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Vogue female magazines - Research Paper Example The primary objective of this research is to take advantage of my background in public relations, organization communication, international marketing and advertising to pursue an in depth research in the customer loyalty aspect of the Chinese Edition of the popular Vogue Female Magazine. As we know that a magazine is a periodical publication containing articles, photographs, advertisements and other features that primarily relies on advertisement and sales to accrue revenues. Thus customer loyalty is an aspect of business that is of cardinal importance, so far as assessing and assuring the profitability in a publishing business is concerned.On the accomplishment of a Masters degree in International Management from Loughborough University, I realized that I am immensely interested in the marketing issues associated with customer loyalty and retention. So in this research I intend to combine the knowledge I gained while pursuing my Masters and Bachelor degree to conduct an in depth and thorough research on the customer loyalty and retention issues faced by the International Chinese Edition of the popular Vogue Magazine. All the relevant data will be collected through return mail (on paper or through website), questionnaires and sales figures, which will aid in the sorting out and study of issues associated with the customer loyalty aspect of the publication under consideration. If this research turns out to be successful, it will serve as a rich source of reference for many foreign publishing companies. that are interested in entering the Chinese speaking market so as to enhance their global market share. After all Chinese is the second most spoken language in the world and the Chinese magazine market has a vast potential and scope that can be exploited by the foreign magazine companies. I would specially like to mention that while pursuing my Bachelors degree I not only achieved a high score of 87 in the 'Research Methods' course, but also finished a dissertatio n that was published in the Shi Hsin University's Journal of Graphic Communication and Technology. The topic that I choose for this dissertation was 'A Study of International Chinese Edition of Vogue Female Magazines' Market Segmentation and Positioning'. I preferred to join the Manchester Business School because I am particularly interested in the practical aspects of the business theories and dogmas and the Manchester Business School is an institution that believes in transcending the barriers between theory and practice so as to arm it's students with the right knowledge that will go a long way in ensuring that they become the business elite of the future (Manchester Business School, 2008). Manchester Business School is an institution that is committed to research (Manchester Business School, 2008). I am confident that the topic selected by me fits well into the priorities of the Marketing and Research Centre and Marketing Research Cohort at the

Death Penalty Persuasive Essay Essay Example for Free

Death Penalty Persuasive Essay Essay The death penalty is an issue that has the United States quite divided. While there are many supporters of it, there is also a large amount of opposition. There are five different forms of execution in the United States: hanging, electrocution, lethal injection, lethal gas, and firing squad. All of these should be illegal. Capital punishment is defined as killing of someone for a crime. But also, murder is defined as killing one human being by another. Both are acts of violence. There is nothing more inhumane than tolerating the killing of another human being. According to the Abolitionists, capital punishment is nothing but an act of violence. There are 32 states with the death penalty, and they must change. These states need to abolish it on the grounds that it carries a dangerous risk of punishing the innocent, is cruel, and for religious reasons. The United States needs to abolish capital punishment in the states that allow it. To fully understand why they should abolish the death penalty, I will first analyze the reasons why they should. First reason the death penalty should be abolished is because the risk of punishing somebody innocent. â€Å"We’re only  ­human, we all make mistakes,† is a commonly used phrase, but it is tried and true. Humans, as a species, are famous for their mistakes. However, in the case of the death penalty, error becomes too dangerous a risk. The innocent lives that have been taken with the approval of our own government should be enough to abolish capital punishment. The wrongful execution of an innocent person is an injustice that can never be rectified. There’s always the chance of the innocent being in the wrong place at the wrong time. A handful of evidence from a strong lawyer could sentence someone to life in prison, and even the death penalty. One could be spending and ending his life in captivity for simply walking down the wrong street on the wrong day. That person does not deserve to serve the time that’s not rightfully his. It’s a small fault in the justice system that is not easy to overcome. In the case of the death penalty, error becomes too dangerous to risk. The innocent lives that have been taken with the approval of our own government  should be enough to abolish capital punishment. Another reason to abolish the death penalty is because it is cruel. Many people favor the death penalty because it helps families get over the wrong done to the family; however, in most cases, closure is not the result. Losing a loved one, no matter how that person is lost, is unbearable. Pain like this is shocking and the victim’s family holds onto the hope that the execution of the murderer will bring relief and closure. Nevertheless, when execution day arrives, the pain is not eased. No relief can be gained, for their pain is an unavoidable, natural process of life. They believe that they are different from those who have taken their loved ones and they demonstrate their  ­difference by refusing to sink to a murderer’s level. According to Edna Weaver, whose daughter was murdered in New Jersey, expressed relief that the defendant was spared the death penalty. She said that she did not want William Severs Jr. executed for killing Tina Lambriola in 2002 because she wanted to spare his mother the pain of losing a child. Im so thankful it came out the way it did. . . . I wouldnt want another mother to feel like I do its a feeling I could never put into words. . . . At least his mother will be able to write to him, she will be able to send things to him, Weaver stated. Finally, the last reason they should abolish capital punishment is because religious reasons. Many religions, such Catholicism, follow the rules that God sent to use through the Ten Commandments. One of the most important of those ten states, â€Å"Thou shall not kill.† If you are executing an individual, that clearly violates this commandment. Murdering any person, no matter what the individual has been convicted of, is a mortal sin. In the Old Testament; the Lord said that it is okay to give a man Capital punishment if he has committed serious crime. Then in the New Testament he said we should not take the life of another man but if that man disobeys the laws of his country then he shall be punished equally according to what he had done. With the many advances that society has made, executing people for crimes the person may have or may not have committed is still practiced. It violates so many religious beliefs. It is a cruel and unusual practice that must be done away with. Society must advance and eliminate the death penalty. We need to understand that the best way to prevent any possible  murders in the future is not let the killer walk free. Nothing good comes of hate, and nothing good can ever come from capital punishment. It cannot continue to be accepted by a nation that claims to have liberty and justice for all. The death penalty is murder on the sly and it’s dead wrong.

Audio Engineer Essay -- essays papers

Audio Engineer An audio engineer is responsible for the operation of the soundboard and other equipment in the recording of music, words, sounds, or any combination of such material. There are several types of engineering positions available in today's studios. In large studios, there are usually several engineers, each with the own duties and contributions. There are recording engineers, recording assistants, set-up engineers, maintenance engineers, and even mix-down engineers in some cases. In smaller studios the engineer is usually responsible for all of these duties. As a rule, the engineer should be able to set-up, use, and fix the equipment they work with. In the studio, the recording engineer has to prepare for the recording sessions by setting up the necessary equipment, run the equipment during the session, and break down afterwards. While this sounds all too simple, one must remember that the engineer must work with the producer and the act to achieve the sound they're looking for, as well as troubleshoot any technical problems. This is not always a smooth process. The engineer must employ both creative and technical skills, applying their knowledge and experience to helping create music in collaboration with the artist and producer. There are many degree programs offered by schools around the world, leaving the prospective recording engineer with several routes of training. One method of receiving training in the audio engineering field is through short course and seminars. While these serve only as an introduction to the field by themselves, they are also instrumental in keeping professionals abreast with current trends and technologies affecting the industry. Such seminars are also a great source of networking for the professional. Short courses and seminars are an excellent way of supplementing a one or two-year program to enter the field. These schools tend to concentrate on the actual usage and maintenance of studio equipment. Hands-on experience and intensive exposure to the equipment is an advantage of such a program. Most offer considerable job placement services as well. Trade or occupational schools are a good choice if someone wishes to someday become a recording engineer. A student may also choose to attend a university or college and pursue a four-year degree in audio engineering. Most of these progr... ...ate education for entry into the field. The annual income of an audio engineer can range from $12,000 at an entry-level position to upwards of $125,000+ for top positions. Remember too that successful freelance engineering is very lucrative. Not only can the reputable freelance demand higher pay, but may also share in the royalties of a particularly successful project. There a few things that one needs to consider before choosing to pursue a career in audio engineering. A recording engineer often has to work long, irregular hours. An engineer must also be able to work well under extreme pressure. It also helps if the engineer has a good musical ear, as well as an appreciation of music. Naturally, it helps to be fairly adept technically and electronically. If you feel like this is you, and you can handle working for a long time without reward (hopefully not too long), then a career in audio engineering could be for you. Bibliography: Resources Field, Shelly. Career Opportunities in the Music Industry. 3rd Ed. New York: Facts on File, 1995. Martin, George. Making Music. New York: Quill, 1984. Http://hrdc.igr.com/lmi/occ prof/5225 html (career overview)

Author Exploration Paper: Saki Essay

Born on December eighteenth, 1870, Hector Hugh Munro was the third child of Charles Augustus Munro, an inspector general in the Burma police. H.H. Munro’s mother, Mary Frances Mercer, was killed a mere two years after her youngest son was born. She was killed by a runaway cow in England (Merriman). After her death, H.H. Munro and his siblings were raised in England by their two aunts and grandmother. These three adults were often the inspiration for many female characters in Munro’s stories (â€Å"A biography of Saki†). Mrs. DeRopp, in â€Å"Srendi Vashtar†, is modelled after his aunt Agnes (â€Å"H.H. Munro: About the Author†). His aunts were both very strict, and they often used the birch and whip as a form of punishment. However, if Saki had not faced such harsh trials as a child, his future works might not have been as rich as they are today{Subjunctive mode}. Due to the Munro children’s poor health, they were forced to be taught by governesses at home. At the age of twelve, H.H. Munro was finally able to attend school in Exmouth and Bedford Grammar. H.H. Munro’s father retired when Hector was sixteen. For a few years, the small family traveled the continent before his father arranged a post for him in the Burma police. Munro spent thirteen months in Burma. Although sick on multiple occasions, Munro was able to study Burmese animals, and he even raised a tiger cub during his time there(A Biography of Saki†). In 1984, Munro was forced to return to England after contracting malaria while in Burma.In 1896, Munro begn to write political satires for the Westminster Gazette. These essays were later collected and published as The Westminster Alice. In 1902, Munro published a collection of his short stories, called Not-So Stories. Munro also published only one work of serious non-fiction called The Rise of the Russian Empire. This was the only piece ever written by Munro to contain his real name on the book jacket. For all of Munro’s other pieces, however, Munro’s name was nowhere to be found. Instead, Munro chose to write under the pen name of â€Å"Saki†. The name Saki can mean one of two things, either Munro was referring to himself as a breed of monkey, or he saw himself as the cupbearer of Fitzgerald’s Rubaiyat. It is more probable that the latter option is true, for Saki had often expressed his admiration for Fitzgerald’s work (Hitchens){Compound sentence}. During his lifetime, Saki also served as a war correspondent before moving to Paris to write for The Morning Post and a French paper. He briefly revisited England in 1907 when his father became ill and died in May. Saki then opened a club, The Cocoa Tree, and continued to write for many newspapers and publish his short stories. When war was declared in late 1914, Saki enlisted in the army although he was officially too old{Complex Sentence}. He also surprised many of his admirers by turning down several commissions and insisting that he serve in the trenches, claiming that he couldn’t lead soldiers if he didn’t first know how to be one (Hitchens). He continued writing{gerund phrase} while in the army about his life on the front until November in 1916. Near the village of Beaumont-Home on the river Somes, Saki was shot by a German sniper. On the verge of a crater, the great storyteller shouted, â€Å"Put that bloody cigarette out!† Those were to be the â€Å"great Saki’s† last words (Hitchens). Although Saki’s hand would write no more, it is quite clear that Saki’s writing has definitely been influenced by his life events. H.H. Munro, or Saki, lived and wrote during the late 1800s and early 1900s. This time period was speckled with various wars and revolutions, and gave birth to the world’s first great war. Throughout these major events, Saki was there to witness, record, and eventually give his life to these skirmishes. During his life, Saki traveled to the Balkans, Russia, Poland, and France as a foreign correspondent from 1902 to 1908. While in these countries, he witnessed â€Å"Bloody Sunday† in St.Petersburg and the Russian Revolution of 1905. He also criticized the government for its â€Å"inept handling† of the Boer War (Silet). Saki’s many travels allowed him to be exposed to hardships and dangers that â€Å"†¦did much to alter the tone of his work† (Silet). Saki’s travels to Europe also â€Å"†¦introduced him to European Folk Literature† (Silet), a genre that supplied him with both subject matter and the darker vision of many of his later fiction. When not traveling the world, Saki was often found in England, where he made observations about the Edwardian society that he lived in. He later transformed these observations into many short stories, based on the upsetting of the monotonous routine of everyday life (Silet). However, towards the end of his life, Saki’s work is darker; there seems to be less humor in his writing as time goes on (Silet). During this period of his life, a hint of naturalism begins to creep into his writing, nearly extinguishing the flickering tongue of humor that used to be evident in all of his work. Saki’s use of naturalism is very apparent in his later fiction, such as the short stories â€Å"Dogged† and â€Å"The remoulding of Groby Lingfoughn†(Elahipanah). Although Saki wrote many different stories, sometimes using multiple genres, there is no question that the many world events that occurred during Saki’s lifetime greatly influenced Saki’s writing. Saki has often been called a â€Å"master of the short story†(Hitchens). Aside from this title, Saki was also a master of satire. Satire is generally witty and ironic, and uses carefully hidden hints in the text to convey its message. The genre rarely attacks specific individuals, and often uses extremes to bring the audience to an awareness of the danger in a particular society (â€Å"Characteristics of Satire†). More specifically, Saki was an Edwardian satirist–he often made fun of his society, and many of his short stories have to deal with extraordinarily strange events happening to the ordinary people of his social class and time period (â€Å"H.H. Munro: About the Author†). Saki’s earlier stories are typically more humorous; his later stories are darker and more macabre due to his many experiences with war and the darker sides of humanity (Silet). Naturalism, a genre that shows the harsher side of life and portrays the idea that man is powerless against nature{appositive phrase}, is also apparent in some of Saki’s aforementioned later fiction. Many figures from Saki’s childhood (mainly his aunts Agatha and Charlotte) are also used as models for many of Saki’s female characters (Silet). The characteristics of satire and and naturalism are both clearly portrayed through Saki’s writing. Saki’s short story â€Å"On Approval† includes many of the classic characteristics of satire that are also found in Saki’s other works. Having lived in England for much of his life, Saki knew the the city well, and chose London, a city he often frequented, as the setting for this story (â€Å"A Biography of Saki†). Gebhard Knopfschrank, a self-pronounced artist, moves to London from his small farm to try his success at painting. As time goes on, Knopfschrank becomes more and more poor, rarely purchasing meals. However, one day, Knopfschrank enters his boarding house and gleefully buys â€Å"†¦an elaborate meal that scarcely stopped short of being a banquet.† (â€Å"On Approval†). The other boarders, believing that Knopfschrank has finally sold his his art and been discovered as a genius, rush to purchase Knopfschrank’s ridiculously expensive paintings, eager to buy his work{infinitive phrase} before their prices increase with his fame. Later, the boarders realize that Knopfschrank has not sold a single painting at all. In fact, a wealthy American has accidentally hit, and killed, many animals back on Knopfschrank’s farm. The American hastily paid â€Å"‘†¦perhaps more than they were worth, many times more than they would have fetched in the market after a month of fattening, but he was in a hurry to get on to Dantzig.’† (â€Å"On Approval†). Saki’s use of satire in this piece is evident. At the end of the story, Saki, through Knopfschrank’s character, ridicules Americans and how they constantly rush around using money to get out of their problems, saying, â€Å"‘†¦God be thanked for rich Americans, who are always in a hurry to get somewhere else† (â€Å"On Approval†). This general attack on a specific group of people is an element commonly used in satire (â€Å"Characteristics of Satire†). This story also uses satire in another way–it is very ironic. Irony is almost always found in satire â€Å"(Characteristics of Satire†). On the last night of his stay, Knopfschrank sells many of his works, noting â€Å"Till to- day I have sold not one of my sketches. To-night you have bought a few, because I am going away from you† (â€Å"On Approval†). This is an example of situational irony. Satire is also evident yet another way in this piece–Saki writes the story in such a way that he makes the members of the boarding house’s unfortunate mistake seem more humorous than tragic, which is a key point of satire (â€Å"Characteristics of Satire†). Saki also states in the text that Knopfschrank â€Å"†¦fancied he could paint and was pardonably anxious to escape from the monotony of rye bread diet and th e sandy, swine-bestrewn plains of Pomerania† (â€Å"On Approval†). This quote portrays a common theme that often appears in many of Saki’s writings–the upsetting of everyday routines. The use of Saki’s genre satire and his personal connections to the setting of the story are evident Saki’s â€Å"On Approval†. Saki’s short story â€Å"The Interlopers† has clearly been influenced by Saki’s own life and genre. This tale, which takes place in a small strip of disputed forest, is about two enemies–Ulrich von Gradwitz and Georg Znaeym–who are both out late on a stormy night, patrolling their borders with their huntsmen, each trying to catch and kill the other. After wandering for some time, the men come face to face with each other. Before either can react, however, there was a â€Å"†¦splitting crash over their heads† (â€Å"The Interlopers†) and a towering tree {participial phrase[present]} falls and pins both men to the ground. The two talk for a time, at first trading insults, but their exchanges soon become much kinder as the men begin to offer each other their friendship. By the end of the story, the former enemies have now become friends, and they see dark figures rushing towards them. Believing these figures to be their men, coming to rescue them, the two feel that all of their troubles are over, before coming to the startling realization that the forms, presumed to be their saviors, are actually the things that will be their deaths–wolves. The story ends with Ulrich letting out â€Å"†¦the idiotic chattering of a man unstrung with fear.† (â€Å"The Interlopers†). This story contains many examples of irony, which is both a staple of satire (â€Å"Characteristics of Satire†) and a common element in many of Saki’s other stories. Dramatic irony is shown in the middle of the story, when the two enemies, fighting over a piece of land, are eventually killed by that land. Irony is portrayed in the story yet again by having the two former enemies end a century-long family feud mere moments before their own death. Saki even states in the text that â€Å"†¦if there was a man in the world whom [Gradwitz] detested and wished ill to it was Georg Znaeym† (â€Å"The Interlopers†). This story also connects to Saki’s personal life through the story’s setting. This story takes place in a forest located â€Å"†¦somewhere on the eastern spurs of the Carpathians† (â€Å"The Interlopers†), an area that Saki visited while traveling with his family (Merriaman). Saki’s â€Å"The Interlopers† includes aspects of Saki’s life, genre, and environment in its telling. Many different facets of Saki’s life and his satire can be found in his short story â€Å"The Lumber-Room†. In this story, a young boy, Nicholas, is banned from the garden and forced to stay at home with his unpleasant aunt as punishment while his cousins are taken to the seaside for a vacation. While at home, Nicholas manages to pull off a great trick on his aunt; he compels her to believe that he is in the forbidden garden while Nicholas steals the key to the mysterious lumber-room. Once inside the mysterious room, Nicholas explores the room, discovering dozens of prizes. While in this room, Nicholas hears his aunt calling and hastily runs to her, only to discover that she has fallen into the water tank in the forbidden garden and is trapped inside, calling for help. Nicholas then explains to his aunt, whom he believes to be â€Å"†¦the Evil One† (â€Å"The Lumber-Room†), that he cannot help her because, due to rules laid out by her, he is not allow ed to enter the garden. Nicholas leaves the aunt in the water tank until a maid discovers her. Meanwhile, the other aunt and the children return from their visit, which turned out to be disastrous. While sitting at dinner, Nicholas reflects on the tapestry that he saw, and speculates that the huntsman may still escape from the wolves with his hounds. This story displays many different aspects of Saki’s own childhood. Saki himself was actually raised by his two aunts. Saki, like Nicholas, also despised two aunts, and often based many of his female characters off of them (Hitchens). Saki was a practical joker (â€Å"A Biography of Saki†), quite similar to Nicholas in the story. Saki was also very fond of animals during his lifetime (â€Å"H.H. Munro: About the Author†), and displays this love of animals in â€Å"The Lumber-Room† by scattering many of them throughout the story. Nicholas finds some of these animals in the lumber room; there are many animal-themed items, and Nicholas soon discovers brass figures shaped in the images of â€Å"†¦hump-necked bulls, and peacocks and goblins† (â€Å"The Lumber-Room†). There is also a beautiful book depicting colorful birds. Saki shows his love of animals by placing them in this â€Å"†¦storehouse of unimagined treasures† (â€Å"The Lumber-Room†). Saki uses irony, an important element of satire, in this story as well. When Nicholas’s aunt is trapped in the water tank and needs Nicholas to save her, Nicholas is unable to because she dictated earlier that he was â€Å"†¦not to go into the gooseberry garden† (â€Å"The Lumber-Room†). Saki uses both satire and his own life experiences to give this story true life and color. The events of Saki’s life are heavily apparent in his short story â€Å"Sredni Vashtar†. In this story, Conradin, a young boy{appositive phrase}, is forced by his sickness to stay with his despised cousin, Mrs. DeRopp. One day, however, Conradin is able to smuggle an internecine ferret into the shed by his room. Conradin names this ferret Sredni Vashtar and creates a religion around this feral god. His aunt soon grows suspicious as Conradin begins to spend all of his time in the shed, showing fervid devotion to the gracile ferret. As time goes on, Conradin grows more and more obsessed with the ferret, and begins to chant â€Å"‘Do one thing for me, Sredni Vashtar.’† (â€Å"Sredni Vashtar†). Finally, his aunt goes to investigate the shed, puzzled as to why Conradin finds it so interesting. During her visit to the shed, a scream is heard coming from it. Moments later, a sleek shadow darts off into the night, its maw red and dark with Mrs. DeRopp ’s blood. This story reflects Saki’s own childhood in many ways. Saki, like Conradin, was weak when he was young, and was not deemed healthy enough to attend school until the age of twelve (Hitchens). Conradin also feels that â€Å"†¦without his imagination† (Sredni Vashtar†) he would not have been able to live due to†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦drawn-out dullness† (â€Å"Sredni Vashtar). Saki writes that he sometimes felt the same way (Silet). Saki, like Conradin, was also confined to the care of an overbearing relative whom he greatly disliked–his aunt, Agatha (Silet). In â€Å"Sredni Vashtar, Conradin hates Mrs. DeRopp with â€Å"†¦a desperate sincerity which he was perfectly able to mask.† (â€Å"Sredni Vashtar†). Saki most likely felt this same way towards his own aunts. Mrs. DeRopp is actually based off of Saki’s despised aunt (Silet). Clearly, many references to Saki’s early childhood are made in Saki’s â€Å"Sredni Vashtar†. Saki’s short stories, which are often about extraordinary things happening to extra-ordinary people, are as applicable in today’s world as they were during Saki’s own lifetime. Many of Saki’s works utilize the key aspects of both satire and naturalism, perfectly. Saki uses ironic wit and exaggerated scenarios to enthrall the reader in his works. This same method is often found in political cartoons today. Saki has also used his considerable talents to influence other authors, such as P.G. Wodehouse. One well-known actor (Hitchens) that was heavily impressed by Saki’s work was the late Noà «l Coward (Hitchens). While staying at a county house, Coward discovered a copy of Beasts and Super Beasts (a collection of Saki’s short stories) and was captivated by the author’s work (Hitchens). â€Å"‘I took it up to my bedroom , opened it casually, and was unable to go to sleep until I had finished it’† (Hitchens). When referring to his own writing, Saki often called it ‘â€Å"true enough to be interesting but not true enough to be tiresome’† (Hitchens). This view of Saki’s prose is quite clear–although his work mainly focuses on the people of Saki’s day, the tremendous events that occur to them keep Saki’s work interesting and engaging. There is no doubt that Saki was able to create imaginative works that captivate the reader, beautiful short stories that are incredibly detailed, and unique texts that are unlike any other author’s{Parallel construction}. This makes Saki’s stories interesting and fun to read.Saki’s work has definitely been influenced by his personal experiences, his environment, and the genre of satire. Saki’s ironic short stories reveal to his readers his personal view on the disturbance of daily routine, events that still occur quite often today.

Debt/Equity Ratio

Debt/Equity Ratio What Does Debt/Equity Ratio Mean? A measure of a company's financial leverage calculated by dividing its total liabilities by its stockholders' equity; it indicates what proportion of equity and debt the company is using to finance its assets. http://financial-dictionary. thefreedictionary. com/debt%2Fequity+ratio ‘Debt/Equity Ratio' A high debt/equity ratio generally means that a company has been aggressive in financing its growth with debt. This can result in volatile earnings as a result of the additional interest expense.If a lot of  debt is  used to finance increased  operations (high debt to equity), the company could potentially generate more earnings  than it would have without this  outside financing. If this were to increase earnings by a greater amount than the debt cost (interest), then the shareholders benefit as  more  earnings are being spread among the same amount of shareholders. However, the cost of this debt financing may  ou tweigh the return that  the company  generates on the debt through investment and business activities and become too much for the company to handle. This can lead to bankruptcy, which would leave shareholders with nothing.The debt/equity ratio also depends on the industry  in which the company operates. For example, capital-intensive industries such as auto  manufacturing tend to have a debt/equity ratio above 2, while personal computer companies have a debt/equity of under 0. 5. Read more: http://www. investopedia. com/terms/d/debtequityratio. asp#ixzz2DQ7bp1aa The debt to equity ratio is a financial metric used to assess a company's capital structure, or â€Å"capital stack. † Specifically, the ratio measures the relative proportions of the firm's assets that are funded by debt or equity.The debt to equity ratio (also called the risk ratio or leverage ratio) provides a quick tool to financial analysts and prospective investors for determining the amount of financial leverage a company is using, and thus its exposure to interest rate increases or insolvency. Knowing how to analyze the debt to equity ratio can help you assess a company's financial health before investing. Steps 1. 1 Determine the debt to equity ratio for the company in question. The ratio is calculated simply by dividing the firm's total debt by its total shareholder's equity.These balances can be found on the company's balance sheet. Ads by Google Free Annuity Calculator Up To 40% More Income To Retire On. Try Our Free Online Calculator Now! AgePartnership. co. uk/Annuity-Report * Generally, only interest-bearing, long term debt (such as notes payable and bonds) is included in the ratio's calculation. Short-term liabilities, such as accounts payable, are often left out, as they don't provide much information about the company's use of leverage. * Some large, off-balance sheet liabilities should be included in the ratio's calculation, however.Operating leases and unpaid pensions are 2 common off-balance sheet liabilities that are large enough to warrant inclusion in the debt to equity ratio. 2. 2 Perform a cursory assessment of the firm's capital structure. Once you have determined the debt to equity ratio for a particular company, you can get an idea of their capital stack. A ratio of 1, for example, indicates that the company funds its projects with an even mix of debt and equity. A low ratio (below about 0. 30) is generally considered good, because the company has a low amount of debt, and is therefore exposed to less risk in terms of interest rate increases or credit rating. . 3 Consider the financing needs associated with the specific industry in which the firm operates. Generally, a high debt to equity ratio (2, for example) is worrisome, as it indicates a precarious amount of leverage. However, in some industries this is appropriate. Construction firms, for example, fund their projects almost entirely with debt in the form of construction loans. Thi s leads to a high debt to equity ratio, but the firm is in no real risk of insolvency, as the owners of each construction project are essentially paying to service the debt themselves. . 4 Determine the effect of treasury stock on the debt to equity ratio. When a company issues stock, shares are usually held on the balance sheet at par value (often only $0. 01 per share). When the firm buys back stock, the treasury stock is recorded at the purchase price; this results in a massive subtraction from shareholder's equity, increasing the debt to equity ratio. A troublingly high debt to equity ratio may simply be the result of stock buybacks. 5. 5 Augment your analysis with other financial ratios. The debt to equity ratio should never be used alone.For example, if a company's debt to equity ratio is quite high, you might reasonably worry about their ability to service their debt. To address this concern, you can also analyze the firm's interest coverage ratio, which is the company's oper ating income divided by debt service payments. A high operating income will allow even a debt-burdened firm to meets its obligations. Capital Structure Total Debt to Total Equity 40. 13 Total Debt to Total Capital 28. 64 Total Debt to Total Assets 17. 66 Long-Term Debt to Equity 31. 57 Long-Term Debt to Total Capital 22. 53

TSA Screening System Draws Criticism

TSA Screening System Draws Criticism Are the airlines getting a free ride on the taxpayers dime thanks to the Transportation Safety Administrations (TSA) new high-tech and high dollar system to detect fake boarding passes?In these days of print-at-home boarding passes and programs like Photoshop, the number of people illegally boarding planes and flying for free by using fake boarding passes and IDs has increased significantly. To the airlines, this is fraud that results in lost income. To honest, paying passengers, its an insult that results in higher ticket prices. To the TSA, its a gaping hole is security that could result in another terrorist attack.To the rescue comes the TSAs high-tech and high-cost CAT/BPSS Credential Authentication Technology and Boarding Pass Scanning System - now being tested at George Bush Intercontinental in Houston, Luis Muà ±oz Marà ­n International in San Juan, and Washington, D.C. Dulles International at an initial combined cost of $3.2 million.In testimony before the House Committee on Homeland Security, Stephen M. Lord, director of homeland security and justice issues at the Government Accountability Office, reported that the estimated 20-year life cycle cost of the CAT/BPSS system is approximately $130 million based on a nationwide deployment of 4,000 units.What CAT/BPSS DoesCosting $100,000 each, and with multiple systems to eventually be installed by the TSA at all U.S. airports serving commercial flights, the CAT/BPSS system automatically compares the passengers ID to an extensive set of security features. Most modern forms of state-issued identification include encoded data, such as barcodes, holograms, magnetic stripes, embedded electrical circuits, and computer-readable text.CAT/BPPS also validates the authenticity of the passengers boarding pass at the first TSA security checkpoint using bar code readers and encryption techniques. The system is compatible with any barcode and can be used with paper boarding passes printed on a home computer, boarding passes printed by the airlines, or a paperless boarding passes that are sent to passengers mobile devices. The system temporarily captures and displays the photograph from the passengers ID for viewing only by TSA agents to help them compare the photo to the person carrying the ID.Finally, CAT/BPPS compares the encoded data on the passengers ID to data on the boarding pass. If they match, they fly.Encountering the CAT/BPSS SystemAccording to the TSA, actually using the CAT/BPSS system will work like this: At the first TSA checkpoint, passengers will hand their ID to the TSA Travel Document Checker (TDC). The TDC will scan the passengers ID, while the passenger scans his or her boarding pass using a built-in scanner. TSA says that testing has shown the CAT/BPSS process takes no longer than the current process in which the TDC visually compares the passengers ID to the boarding pass.In response to concerns about the CAT/BPSS system and personal privacy, the TSA assures that the CAT/BPSS system automatically and permanently deletes all information it has gathered from the ID and the boarding pass. TSA further states that the picture on the passengers ID can be viewed only by TSA agents.Also See: TSA Defends Boarding Gate Drink ChecksIn announcing the development of the CAT/BPSS system, TSA administrator John S. Pistole stated in a press release, This technology will help facilitate risk-based security, while making the process more effective and efficient.What the Critics SayCritics of the CAT/BPSS argue that if the TSA is effective at its primary job - screening for Weapons, Incendiaries, and Explosives - another computer system dedicated only to verifying passenger identity is an unnecessary waste of money. After all, they point out, once passengers have passed the TSA scanning checkpoints, they are allowed to board planes without showing their IDs.Also See: Congressman Takes On Rogue TSA Airport ScreenersWhen the LA Times on June 30, 2011, reported the story of a Nigerian airline stowaway who succeeded in flying from New York to Los Angeles by presenting an expired boardin g pass in another persons name and was found to be in possession of at last 10 similar boarding passes, the TSA issued the following statement:Every passenger that passes through security checkpoints is subject to many layers of security including thorough physical screening at the checkpoint. TSAs review of this matter indicates that the passenger went through screening. It is important to note that this passenger was subject to the same physical screening at the checkpoint as other passengers.While the stowaway succeeded in stealing from the airline by flying free on a clearly fraudulent boarding pass, no evidence was ever found relating the incident to terrorism.In other words, say critics, the CAT/BPSS is another expensive taxpayer-funded solution to something that, if TSA is doing its job properly, should not be a problem in the first place.

How to Write a Graduation Speech as Valedictorian

How to Write a Graduation Speech as Valedictorian The valedictory speech usually is delivered at the graduation ceremony by the valedictorian, the student with the highest grades in the graduating class, although some colleges and high schools have abandoned the practice of naming a valedictorian. The terms valedictory and valedictorian come from the Latin valedicere, meaning a formal farewell. Understand the Goal The valedictory should fulfill two goals: It should convey a sending off message  to the members of a graduating class and inspire them to leave the comfort and security of their school ready to embark on an exciting new adventure. You have been chosen to deliver this speech because you proved you are an excellent student who can live up to adult responsibilities. Now its time to make every student in your class feel special. As you prepare your speech, think about your shared experiences with the class and the people with whom you shared them, including popular and quiet students, class clowns and brains, teachers, principals, professors, deans, and other school employees. Its important to make everyone feel as if they played an important role in this shared experience. If you have limited experience in certain aspects of school life, ask for help in collecting important names and events you might not know about. Are there clubs or teams that won prizes? Students who volunteered in the community? Compile a List of Highlights Make a list of highlights since freshman year, focusing on the current year. Here are examples of events you could describe: Who received awards or scholarships?Were any sports records broken?Is a teacher retiring after this year?Did your class have a reputation with teachers, good or bad?How many students remain from freshman year?Was there a dramatic event in the world this year?Was there a dramatic event in your school?Was there a funny moment? You might need to conduct personal interviews to learn about these benchmarks. Write the Speech Valedictory speeches often combine humorous and serious elements. Start by greeting your audience with a hook that grabs their attention. For example, you could say the senior year has been full of surprises, or were leaving the faculty with lots of interesting memories, or this senior class has set records in some unusual ways. Organize your speech into topics describing these elements. You might want to start with an event thats on everyones mind, such as a championship basketball season, a student featured on a television show, or a tragic event in the community. Then focus on the other highlights, putting them into context and explaining their importance. For example: This year, Jane Smith won a National Merit Scholarship. This may not seem like a big deal, but Jane overcame a year of illness to achieve this goal. Her strength and perseverance are an inspiration to our whole class. Use Anecdotes and Quotes Come up with anecdotes to illustrate your shared experiences. These brief stories can be funny or poignant. You could say, When the student newspaper printed a story about the family who lost their home to a fire, our classmates rallied and organized a series of fundraisers. Sprinkle in quotes from famous people. Quotes work best in the introduction or conclusion and should reflect the theme of your speech. For example: The pain of parting is nothing to the joy of meeting again.- Charles DickensYou will find the key to success under the alarm clock.- Benjamin FranklinThere is only one success: to be able to spend your life in your own way.- Christopher Morley Plan for Time Be mindful of the appropriate length of your speech. Most people speak about 175 words per minute, so a 10-minute speech should contain about 1750 words. You can fit about 250 words onto a double-spaced page. That translates to seven pages of double-spaced text for 10 minutes of speaking time. Tips for Preparing to Speak Its important to practice your speech before giving it. This will help you troubleshoot problem spots, cut boring parts, and add elements if youre running short. You should: Practice reading your speech aloud to see how it sounds.Time yourself, but remember you may speak faster when youre nervous.Focus on remaining calm.Get plenty of sleep the night before your speech.Eat well before your speech.Don’t try to be funny if it feels unnatural.If youre going to talk about a tragic event your class experienced (it might be awkward not to address it), make sure you do so tactfully. Consult a teacher or adviser if you have any doubts or discomforts. If possible, practice your speech using the microphone in the location where youll be graduating. Your best chance might be just before the event. This will give you an opportunity to experience the sound of your magnified voice, figure out how to stand, and get past any butterflies in your stomach.

Free sample - Dealing with issues of Death and Grief. translation missing

Dealing with issues of Death and Grief. Dealing with issues of Death and GriefAbstract Diagnosis of a terminal illness in one of the family members can prove to be a very traumatic experience and eventually call for care to be given to the patient. This can be done either by the family members or caregivers at home, or by nurses in the hospital wards and hospices. It can be concluded that nurses and caregivers play significant role in the dispensation of palliative care to terminally ill patients as this is their primary role as compared with family members and relatives who may have to juggle between more than one activity and responsibility. Grief usually clouds a family member when they are given the news that one of their members has been diagnosed with a terminal illness, and thus they have a given time to live. Grief is defined as the emotional or affective process of reacting to the loss of a loved one through death. The focus is on the internal psychology of the individual. Common grief reactions include components such as numbness and disbelief, anxiety sympto ms of depression that accompany mourning and recovery at the end of everything. Reactions can be seen as abnormal, resulting from trauma, pathologic and complicated. A sudden and unexpected death of a loved one results to a more difficult grief as opposed to a death that was expected for instance a person who has been sick for a very long time (Kayiwa and Mathews, 2005). Matters are worsened to know that the patient will undergo pain and suffering during their last times on earth and there is nothing that can be done about it but to try and reduce the pain by giving palliative care. Palliative care can be given by family members at home or the patient can be admitted into a hospice and taken care of by nurses and professional caregivers. Services of professional counselors are also employed to counsel and give assurance to the patients and family members alike. This is important as it helps the affected parties to accept the situation that cannot be changed, but rather managed in a certain way. However, some families may choose to administer Euthanasia, that is mercy killing to the patient to help reduce the suffering, pain and misery that the patient is undergoing and also to eliminate the pain in the family members each time they look at the patient and there is nothing they can do but sympathize. However, with this option, there are legal repercussions and roadblocks that stand in the way and before the family get to administer it, a lot of court room visits will have been made. The manner in which a person handles their losses whether or not they seem signif icant has a great psychological effect, which in turn affects how they lead their lives there after. In the event that one is stuck into the loss or they ignore the feelings then they may pay the price in the long run. Shouldering the weight are the nurses and other medical caregivers who have to inform patients and their families of the impending death or even the death of their loved ones. There are need for skills and capability to perform this critical duty with significant success. Introduction The issue of grief and general reaction of people to an impending death of close member of their families has not been the target of much research in the clinical disciplines. Much of the focus has been on the tangible and measurable aspects of the field. This neglect has been in the backdrop of families as well as patients who are uninformed of ways of coping with the unfamiliar situation. A case in point is the patients who are suffering from terminal illnesses like cancer. The bulk of the nurses and other medical practitioners working with patient who have a limited and specific time to live in hospices and other similar settings have their attention on their patients only and rarely on their significant others who are going through difficulty coping and adjusting to the soon to be loss of their family member and friend. Whereas, it is true that the terminally ill patients suffer the most, the family’s feelings and concerns are not to be ignored. Even when any practitioner, for example a nurse, takes some minutes to explain the situation or just talk to the family and friends of the patient they are hardly patient enough to acknowledge their fears and concerns. Most of them engage in what Callas, R. (2005) calls ‘masking of feeling.’ This he explains as the act of concluding and prescribing solutions to a troubled person, client or patient before getting to know how they really feel and what it is they need. This for example where a nurse or even a counselor tries to normalize and say things that will make a patient feel better without getting to know why they were feeling bad in the first place. Hughes, P.M (2001) states that a nurse should restrain from offering false comfort for example, saying that everyone has to die or equating the death to a blessing. Problem statement Loss and grief presents the affected people with overwhelming anxiety and sadness. It is even worse when the death of the person is predicted as is the case in hospices and ward with terminally ill patients. The family and friends go through desperation and helplessness as they watch the patient probably experiencing pain while there is nothing that can be done to help him or make the situation better. According to Wrenn, P. (2007) the anticipation of the death not just by the patient but also his or her family and friends is very distressing and can even lead to depression and other psychopathologies like anxiety and adjustment disorders. When going through grief, people can experience a series of physical problems including shortness of breath or even difficulty breathing, headaches, dizziness and nausea. Grief can also escalate causing medical conditions like heart diseases and diabetes. As a way of coping, most people may try to medicate the negative feelings by engaging in sedat ive alcohol substance abuse which may be detrimental to their health. Melnyk, B.M. (2005), states that encountering grief while working in the field of medicine is almost unavoidable. It is an issue that most nurses and even doctors ignore only to be caught unawares when they have to explain to their patient or their families that they have limited time to live. It is even worse when they have to report to the family that the patient is dead. This issue becomes a problem where the medical practitioners are not well equipped or knowledgeable enough to take their terminally ill patients or the family through the process of grieving. According to Callas, R. (2005), most nurses and even psychologists fail when they try to get quick fixes for the concerns of the grieving persons or try to avoid the subject altogether. This could be due to the fact the persons have not dealt with their own personal grief and thus the issue evokes unpleasant memories. Not dealing with one’s own grie f and loss according to Wrenn, P. (2007) reduces their ability to help others deal with the same and often lead to burnouts and feelings of incompetency. Purpose statement In the light of the mentioned problems and concerns, it is of importance that medical practitioners, especially the help givers like the nurses, are equipped with skills that will enable them to take their clients through the process of grief successfully. Nurses should be recommended to go for regular trainings and refresher courses to ensure that they are thoroughly informed on matters pertaining to grief. It is also necessary that nurses develop an open mind and culture sensitivity because the patients come from different backgrounds with different ways of reacting to the death of their beloved ones. It is meant to help the families to get over their losses and to successfully go through the process of grief and thereafter lead healthy and meaningful lives. The target population in this project is the family and friends of the patients as well as the patients who know that they have a limited or even specified time to live and are therefore going through mourning and grief. The pr oject aims at ascertaining the competence of the caregivers, like nurses, with an attempt to explore how the said competency can be improved. The project will also explore the options and alternatives available to the patients and their relatives that they can utilize to cope with the distress of the mourning process. The main aim is to reduce anxiety, physical and other psychosocial illnesses resulting from grief and loss and eventually reduce the burden and cost of treating the otherwise avoidable illnesses. Question The question to be answered is whether the families of patients with terminal illnesses and those that are bereaved are taken with success through the process of mourning and grief and therefore report less anxiety, physical and other psychosocial illnesses. Among the family members and friends of patients who are diagnosed with terminal illnesses do the skills of the nurses, counselors and other caregivers help in coping with the distress arising from the loss and thus reduce the resultant physical, social and psychological problems? PICO Format: P- Family members and friends of the terminally ill patients; I- Skills and competency of the nurses and other caregivers; C- Options available to the families like joining support groups; O- Reduce the physical, social and psychological problems and the burden of treating them. Literature Review Nurses, counselors and caregivers play a vital role in supporting family members who take care of the terminally ill, infirm or disabled members of their family. The major examples of terminal illnesses that bring stress to the family include cancers, HIV/ AIDS, diabetes, accidents that lead to permanent disability among others. It is a given fact that the families of those with terminal illnesses like mental disorders are greatly affected by the condition of their loved ones. Families exist not only to provide practical help and personal care but also to give emotional support to their relative with a terminal illness. In this case, the affected patient is entirely dependent on the family members, and their well-being is directly related to the nature and quality of the care provided by the caregiver. It is at this point that the caregivers, nurses and also counselors chip in to give some form of support to the family members in this very heavy task. These responsibilities can bring significant levels of stress to the family members to an extent that their normal life is interrupted and replaced with taking care of the terminally ill members of the family. This requires a lot of their time, and of course their life will not just come to an end because they are caring for one of their loved ones. This exercise usually takes a toll on them till they resort to employing the services of nurses and or caregivers, depending on where the patient is being cared for. In the case that the patient is admitted in a hospital ward for the terminally ill or in a hospice, then the responsibility will be rested to the nurses to look after the patient and assist them to live a painless and comfortable life in their last days. As for those terminally ill patients who are based at home and being given home care, this responsibility lies with the family members and in some cases caregivers are employed to perform this. In some cases where the patient is entirely over dependent on the nurses and caregivers, and the workload is just too much, for instance when the patient requires constant attention and vigilance, it can end up affecting their overall quality of life including work, socializing and relationships. Spanning the last few decades, research carried out on the impact of care-giving has led to an improved understanding of this subject including the interventions that make the difference. It has now been shown that developing constructive working relationships with the nurses and caregivers, and considering their needs be they personal, physical, emotional among other basic needs is an essential part of service provision for people with terminal illnesses who require and receive care from their family members. The term ‘Family burden’ has been adopted to bring out the objective and subjective difficulties experienced by family members of people with long-term terminal illnesses. Objective burden are associated with the practical problems experienced by family members such as the disruption of family relationships and responsibilities, constraints in social associations, leisure and work activities, financial difficulties, and also a negative impact on their physical health, including experiencing of burnouts. On the other hand, subjective burdens describes the psychological reactions which family members go through, for instance a feeling of loss, sadness, anxiety and embarrassment in social situations, the stress of coping with disturbing behaviors, and the frustration caused by the changing relationship status. Grief may also be involved. This may be grief for the loss of the patient’s original personality, achievements and contributions, as well as the loss of family lifestyle. Unconscious hostility and anger may also develop in the process without the family members’ knowledge. Professional counselors are trained to work with a person’s normal developmental conflicts, while other mental health professionals generally are trained to diagnose and treat pathology and work with dysfunctional behavior or chronic mental illness according to Nugent (1994). Furthermore, counselors help people with personal, family, social, educational, and career decisions. Duties are dependent upon the individuals being served and the settings in which they work such as school, career, employment, rehabilitation, and mental health. In the case of patients with terminal illnesses, these professional counselors mainly come in to help the patient cope with the newly diagnosed condition and assist them to adapt to their new health condition. However, according to research works carried out by Altekruse and Sexton (1995), and West, et al. (1988/1989), counselors and administrators reported that the main duty of the counselor of the terminally ill was to diagnose and treat. They advice the patients on the do’s and don’ts of their condition and also explain to them the beneficial lifestyles that they should embrace in order to have a good life, or what is left of it. Though in this case, the treatment will not result in patient recovery. They may also need counseling in order to come to terms with the new developments as their lives too will be changed completely. Counselors provide a leeway for the family members to embrace and accept the facts of the situation, and by doing so, they will contribute positively towards the care of the terminally ill family member. Theory Taking care of the terminally ill patients can be quite an uphill task, one that consumes both time and resources of the family. According to Wrenn, P. (2007) the anticipation of the death of a loved family member not just by the patient, but also his or her family and friends is very distressing and can even lead to depression and other psychopathologies like anxiety and adjustment disorders. On the other hand, work can be made much easier by the use of nurses and caregivers to look after the terminally ill. Some of the advantages of this approach to that of family members giving the care is that nurses and care givers are professionally trained for that task. They perform it to their level best and leave no room for relaxation. And since they have no blood relations to the patient, they do not develop a weak heart that sometimes family members do and consequently give up and lose hope at the situation. Nurses keep their calm at all times and are present on call round the clock. Sin ce this is their duty, and that they are paid to give palliative care to the terminally ill, they put in all effort since this is no ordinary occupation. Their highly trained skills and experience can enable them to take care if any arising situation and emergency. Their skills and training help them to diagnose, treat and advise accordingly, both the terminally ill patient and the rest of the family members too. However, these nurses and care givers experience challenges when executing their duties. They may get some form of stress while at work. Therefore, these issues should be addressed in order for them to be highly effective while carrying out their duties. Another aspect of the nurses and caregivers is that they should be adequately trained so that they are well prepared for the task ahead. If not, then they risk doing more damage to the terminally ill patient and their family members than help them during the difficult grieving period. Development of strong ties both with the patient and the rest of the family members is an important task done by the nurses and care givers since they interact most frequently with both parties. In this case, they act as channels for conveying messages and requirements mostly by the terminally ill patient. When things get too much for a family to handle, they resort to application of euthanasia (mercy-killing) or physician –aided suicide. Usually this is done after much deliberations and discussions by the family and the patient, and only used as a last resort in extreme cases. The issue of mercy-killing has implicated several categories of its practices, some may be deemed legal and others illegal, while still others are a subtle combination of any of those categories. In the case of the ambiguous practices of the â€Å"right to die,† legal consequences become indeterminate since the right of an individual to privacy puts little access for state intervention. The issue on â€Å"right to die† has been the subject of strong exchanges of responses between lobby groups from both sides of the ideological benchmark. The pro-life group fiercely raises its battle against any legal means of terminating a life, however hopeless it seems. On the other hand, those that suppor t the â€Å"right to die,† of which conception is â€Å"dying with dignity,† upholds a patient's right to a humane and controlled end their life (Moreno, 1995). Mercy-killing is commonly associated with practices of physician-assisted suicide. But this perception is just part of a larger picture. The difference between the two is the means with which both are carried out (Neeley, 1995). In most countries, practices of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide have been deemed illegal. However, in some countries like Netherlands, Belgium, and some countries in East Asia, these practices are acceptable (Moreno, 1995). Proposed Solution Social support is a very complex aspect when it comes to handling grief. It consists of a variety of components in itself. Social networks, supportive environment are some of the components. Lack of social support can lead to negative mourning outcomes. It is both a health risk factor and a bereavement risk factor (Kayiwa and Mathews, 2005). According to Kayiwa and Mathews (2005), normal grief needs intervention. It gives rise to emotional reactions that include shock, disbelief and denial that occurs after death. A spectrum of interventions that cover prevention and treatment to long term maintenance care should be provided. Preventive measures should target all persons associated with the death, persons with known risk factors and people who experience symptoms for distress (Kayiwa and Mathews, 2005). Formal treatment should be provided for those people experiencing pathological grief complications. The time limited approach may also be used as a solution. It lasts for nine to eighteen months and covers four to ninety minutes per session. It identifies families that face risk of poor outcomes. It focuses on improving communication, and conflict resolution. It puts effort to strengthen family solidarity (Santrock, 2007). Maintenance care as a form of support is recommended for people experiencing chronic grief reactions. Psychosocial treatment may be offered for complicated grief through diagnostic criterion. This involves exposure that is followed by cognitive restructure then exposure therapy and lastly supportive counseling (Santrock, 2007). There is an extensive literature that defines and measures dependent and independent variable. The implementation should take effect when the death of a loved one is reported. Implementation Plan The implementation process starts from observing whether the members of the bereaved family have been affected by grief. People are different and their response to bad news or disaster differs. Some people respond quickly and often at the very time they learn of the death of a loved one. Others respond slowly to the effect of the news. The grief may affect the latter group after the burial and even several days after that. The impact of the grief is another factor that requires keen observation. Some people are greatly impacted by the news that they develop grief at that moment in time. These kinds of people can pass out for some time. Other people take the impacts and go through them with ease. This is especially for people who may have lost a couple of other people before including some of their loved ones in their lives. They may seem not to be disturbed by the loss of a loved one but actually it has affected them (Santrock, 2007). Observation helps to identify the members of the family that may have been adversely affected by the death. It also helps identify the way the death has impacted them. This may help in identifying how much grief one is facing and to what extent (Chesser, 2010). After observation, one should identify the appropriate support intervention measures. Different support intervention measures are given depending on the impact of the death of a loved one. There are members of the family who will suffer mild grief and there are those who will suffer complex and complicated pathological grief. Those who suffer mild grief are supposed to be given support measures that are not intense as those with complex and pathological grief. Identification will entail choosing the right support intervention and the resources that will come handy with the support (Chesser, 2010). According to Chesser, after identification, implementation is done. Implementation involves the actual offering of the support. When implementing the support measures each individual must be taken as an entity. There are those who may require company, encouragement and assurance that life will go on even after the losing a loved one. These are the people who may have common grief. People who require intensive support measures are those that have complicated pathological and complex grief (Chesser, 2010). The news of the death of a loved one may have interfered with the normal functioning of their brain thus interfering with their emotions and socialization with other people. They may need serious counseling, therapy and medication. These people may need to be taken to hospital for a certain period of time or just remain at home and be treated from there. The resources that will be needed when implementing the help strategy are several. Money may be needed to buy materials to be used in the entire process and to cater for transportation purposes if ne ed for traveling to the hospital arises. The counselor, therapist, social worker and medics may be required to offer their help especially for people who have suffered complex and pathological grief. When the implementation process is done evaluation has to take place. Evaluation is very important in the process of offering support to people who are suffering with grief. Evaluation is important as it shows the relevance and progress of the support intervention. There are two forms of intervention namely, formative and summative. Formative evaluation is done at the beginning, in and during the support intervention process. The importance of formative evaluation is that it identifies the weakness of the patient at the beginning of the support process. It also tells whether the support intervention measures are creating a change or not. In the event that the support does not bring about any change, formative evaluation helps in modifying or changing the intervention for better results (Chesser, 2010). Summative evaluation is done at the end of the entire process to ascertain whether the support process has yielded any results. It helps to indicate whether the support has helped the individual or has done nothing. There are several resources that can b e used in the evaluation process. Questionnaires are used to interview the members the affected person’s family about the changes that have occurred. Mental screening tools can be used to screen the mind of an individual who may have gone mad when he was grieved. This may be done to see if the person is responding to the support intervention (Chesser, 2010). The legal concepts underlying the issue on mercy-killing include an intricate variety of concepts, some are distinct and some ambiguous. Some instances include the hastening patient’s death by withdrawal of medical intervention (passive euthanasia), providing them with the means to commit suicide (assisted suicide), intentional killing of a patient (active euthanasia), or accelerating the process of death by providing the patient with comfort care (palliative care). An ambiguous category of â€Å"right to die† is the physician-assisted suicide, which could be construed to be an overlap of assisted suicide and active euthanasia in which the participation of a licensed physician is active (Neeley, 1995). In any case, legal consequences following the exercise of mercy-killing may vary drastically. Some states have no established rules with regards to it; some may violate statutes; some may lead to confinement; some are legal; and some are constitutional. But the issue on t he legality or morality of these practices involves also the level of medical situation of a patient, whether a terminal illness is the basis of the decision or another level of pain, deteriorating quality of living, or a mental suffering. Some proponents find little distinction amongst these exercises of the â€Å"right to die† (Moreno, 1995). But it often results in abuses of discretion and goes beyond societal and moral concerns, hence a need to establish a distinction amongst them in every situation where relevant decisions are crucial. Dissemination Plan Either a Subjective Intent Test or Objective test was applied. Under the subjective intent test, a patient's desire is discerned through any of the following; written documents which may include, but not limited to, Living Will, advance medical directives, or power of attorney; an oral statement; records of the patient's past behavioral patterns; and discernment of the patient's choice had he/she been aware of his/her prognosis. Many courts had ruled to give way to the wish of a patient to stop having the indefinite use of life-sustaining medical technology (Wennberg, 1989). In the Objective Test Objective test the patient's condition may justify the withdrawal of medical care. However, the possibility that an abuse and oppression may transcribe should compel the courts to give meticulous them. Some lower courts, therefore, have resorted to discerning what medical treatment a patient may choose had they been aware of their prognosis based upon the details of the present condition. Un der objective test are two standards to be used when a patient had not left a clear indication as to his/her preferences. One is the â€Å"limited objective test,† under which the life-sustaining equipment may be withdrawn when trustworthy evidence shows that the patient would really have opted to refuse medical treatment (Moreno, 1995). The other one is the â€Å"purely objective test,† in which the medical treatment causes the recurrence of severe pain to the extent that continued administering of the life-sustaining treatment could be inhumane. Since objective test is invoked only when there is no indication of any subjective intent, it is does not overly cause burden upon the right of the patient to refuse treatment. It remains in question whether objective intent test answers attentively to the desires of the patient or instead bypasses the need for an expressed desire of the patient, which applies to the desires of the guardians, physician, or the court. Some implications in the recent cases having to do with â€Å"right to die† suggest that the state may provide strict ruling that only â€Å"competent† expressions of the desire to refuse medical treatment may given the credit. This provision prohibits a minor or a mentally incompetent patient to exercise his/her right to refuse medical treatment. But in some states, variations in the objective test could give permission to such individuals to exercise their right to refuse medical treatment. In cases where incompetent patients explicitly express their desire to withhold a treatment, denial of the right may be deemed a violation against the Equal Protection (Wennberg, 1989). Conclusion/ Summary The diagnosis of a family member with a terminal illness such as diabetes, Cancer and HIV/ AIDS can bring grief to the other family members including the patient. Worse still is when the other family members have to cope with the news that one of their loved one has departed. In such cases, the family members have to find ways of dealing eith the grief that has arisen from these occurrences. In the case of diagnosis with terminal illnesses, the patient and family members have to find ways of making the patient comfortable and a less painful remaining life on earth. And for this, they need all the support they can get. Support given to the grieving should be handled with great care and attention. People receive information differently and the information affects them in different ways. Therefore support services must be chosen carefully and ensured that they are relevant to the person who needs them. The implementation procedure must be carried out gradually letting the person regain their normalcy smoothly. Discussions over euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide have always raised disputes between those that oppose and support these two examples of how to exercise the â€Å"right to die.† A life full of unendurable pain may compel those whose loved ones suffer it to think thoroughly whether the patient should have the â€Å"right to die,† yet that question may remain unanswered. The doubt on the exercise of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide lies primarily on the fear that there might be some discrepancies in the decision-making of when and how it should be carried out. Some may ask as to the appropriate condition of the patient to give consent to â€Å"right to die.† Some may question the magnitude of pain an unresponsive patient feels to make it a basis to end his/her life through physician suicide. Perhaps, the best consideration is the accurate, if not approximate, determination of how much pain a patient feels. Despite all these, a suitable way has to be found of caring for the patient, a way that is within the reach of the family and that will be very helpful to both the patient and the family members alike. The family may therefore opt to choose from the above discussed options namely home care, hospice care, euthanasia or even physician-assisted suicide, whichever they may deem fit for their condition. References Altekruse, M. K. Sexton, T. L. (Eds.). (1995). Mental health counseling in the 90's: A research report for training and practice (1st ed.). Tampa: The National Commission for Mental Health Counseling. Callas, R. (2005) Dying and Grieving, Life Span and Perspectives. New York: Harper and Row Publishers. Chesser, B. (2010). Seven Steps for Handling Grief: New York, Sunstone press. D., Hosie, T. W., Mackey, J. A. (1988). The counselor's role in mental health: An evaluation. Counselor Education and Supervision, 27(3), 233-239. Hughes, P.M. (2001). Transcultural Concepts in Nursing Care. New York: Ronald press. West, J. Kayiwa, K. Mathews, Z. (2005). Face to Face with Grief: New York, Lulu Publisher. Melnyk, B.M. (2005). Evidence-based practice in nursing healthcare: A guide to best practice. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams Wilkins. Moreno, J. (1995) Arguing Euthanasia: The Controversy Over Mercy Killing, Assisted Suicide, And The "Right To Die". Touchstone. Neeley, G S (1995) The Right to Self Directed Death: Reconsidering an Ancient Proscription Catholic Law 35, 111. Santrock, J. (2007). A Tropical Approach to Life Span Development: New York, McGraw Hill Publisher. Strauss, S. E. (2005). Evidence-based medicine: How to practice and teach. New York: Churchill Livingstone Wennberg, R. (1989) Terminal Choices: Euthanasia, Suicide, and the Right to Die. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co, 210. Wrenn, P. (2007). Coping with Loss and Grief. London: Routledge.    AppendixDefinition of Terms Euthanasia - involves the intentional killing of a patient suffering from a severe malady for the purpose of ending such. Also referred to as Mercy-Killing. Physician-assisted suicide - involves supplying the patient with any means to hasten their death without actually killing them. Research survey A survey will be carried out in respect of this research. The total sample will involve 300 participants with terminal illness. The data for the survey will be measured, recorded and analyzed in a representative sample, which will be selected out of total population of . One patient with terminal illness and one with curable disease will be administered a specific program and the same will be implemented to the rest of the sample population. Following the completion of this project, the groups from different scale of illness will be compared with other classes of another scale. When a patient is comatose or in any way incapable of making one's own decision with regards to medical care, the role of others on behalf of the physically and legally incompetent individual, may the second party be a family member or otherwise, adds complications to the exercise of the â€Å"right to die.† The courts have adopted different standards to address the problems of comprehending the desire of an unresponsive patient for a medical treatment.

Marketing report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

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The Nuclear Arms race between the United States and Soviet Union Term Paper

The Nuclear Arms race between the United States and Soviet Union during Cold war - Term Paper Example Both states continued to build bigger and more bombs. The United States tested a more powerful and new weapon (hydrogen bomb) in 1952. This prompted the Soviet Union in 1953 to follow with its version (Watts 38). The key features of the Cold War were ideological rivalry where the United States sought to spread capitalism around the world while the Soviet Union sought to spread communism. The second main feature of the Cold war was rivalry over nuclear arms race between the West led by the United States and the Communist countries led by the Soviet Union. Primarily, the United States and the Soviet Union rivaled over global primacy. Arms race is described as a form of cold war whereby two or more countries are competing to gain an advantage in nuclear and/ or conventional weapons, thus causing a spiraling upward of the number and destructiveness of weapons held by either side (Doeden 17). This paper will mainly discuss the nuclear arms race between the United States and Soviet Union during Cold War. There is a consensus among historians that the Cold War was a time of sharp opposition between the capitalist United States and the communist Soviet Union and their respective allies. It stretched from the end of the Second World War until early 1990s, the end that was marked with the Soviet Union dissolution. The arms race and the so-called terror balance between these two major blocks was the primary feature of the Cold War. These two superpowers had frosty relationship, but it never escalated into open war. However, the war put its mark on the political situation in the international system during about 45 years of the Cold War (Hoffman 29). Armed conflicts in South and Central America, Asia, and Africa were in most cases heightened by the involvement of these two superpowers with one party siding with either parties of the regional or national conflicts, supporting with money and guns. Carr Watts identifies four phases of the arms

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INTERNATIONAL STUDIES IN BUSINESS - Assignment Example It will argue the fact that constructivist criticism concerning realism is justified. However, this is largely dependent on the alternative procedural decision making process offered by the constructivists. To illustrate this, arguments as well as practical problems that call for constructivist criticism on realism will be analyzed. A common ground between constructivists and realists arises on the question of whether moral concepts possess values of truth. The two groups acknowledge the existence of truth-apt in moral concepts. The difference, however, surfaces about the role of moral concepts as well as what do renders them true. As realists would have it, moral concepts could have values of truth because they illustrate normative entities or facts that exist independently of those concepts themselves. Metaethical constructivists, on the other hand, oppose the fact that all that moral concepts are meant to elaborate the reality. Constructivism may be understood as a different view that the function of a normative concept uses to refer schematically to the solving a practical problem. Contrary to traditional analysis, constructivists’ account of a concept is aimed at working out solutions to problems.   The approaches to moral concepts differ between constructivists and realists in terms of nature. Constructivist have centered their criticism mainly revolving on the radical knowledge that defines the reality as a function of moral concepts. In addition to that, there exists other reproaches against realist views. One of the main questions asked is which phenomenon describes the decision making process better-realism on constructivism based on moral values. The second would be whether one view of the reproaches against another are acceptable. Last but not least, which would be explained further, would be which theory would be more credible and under what conditions. Realist views, on one hand, and constructivists’ views,

George Berkeley and his famous work A Treatise Concerning the Essay

George Berkeley and his famous work A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge - Essay Example Berkeley was a great a philosopher with many philosophical achievements under his theories of idealism and immaterialism. He is also best remembered for his early works on vision and metaphysics, the latter regarding the treatise concerning the principles of human knowledge (Olscamp1). His death occurred in 1753 and according to his will, his body was to be kept above the ground for some time before burial; this shows how great a philosopher he was. Being a philosopher, Berkeley took time to study wisdom and truth. It is normally assumed that those who take such direction in life have greater enjoyment of life and peace of mind with clear understanding of many things. Another assumption that exists is that these philosophers have fewer disturbances than any other man. The other group of people who are not philosophers often put blames on objects and facilities that are meant to help human beings, rather than taking the responsibility so that humans can change and live a better life. Berkeley urges us to have belief in God who has been generous to men giving them great desire to have knowledge (Berkeley, â€Å"A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge† 1). ... The purpose of Berkeley’s study in philosophy was to try to discover underlying sources that have created a lot of doubtfulness and uncertainties with regard to philosophy. Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge The principle of idealism Berkeley was pushed by the desire to make discoveries about the principles that have introduced doubtfulness and uncertainties as well as contradictions in life, especially along the lines of philosophy. Adding his argument on that, Berkeley had made an observation that even the wise men have the notion that ignorance has no cure; he envisages it to the rise in natural dreariness and inadequacy of faculties (Berkeley, â€Å"A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge† 10 ). It was a belief by George Berkeley that when one takes an analysis of human knowledge, â€Å"the ideas are either actually imprinted on the senses or perceived to be attending to the passions and operations of the mind† (Berkeley, â €Å"The Principles of Human Knowledge† 29). Human ideas are developed by the help of the brain whereby imaginations are formed. Berkeley used the idea of light and colours to expound the fact that through them, one can be able to differentiate amongst many things that surround the human being; they may be touch or smell, hearing also conveys information regarding the tonal variations. Several objects that are used by human beings to understand the surrounding whether being colour, smell, and taste, they all define the passion of love, hatred, happiness and sadness. Besides the knowledge and ideas that accompany the understanding of the nature and the environment, this has to be accompanied by the ability to remember and imagine, as well as willingness to

Company and Partnership Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Company and Partnership Law - Essay Example This principle is termed as the Salomon Principle. The paper first discusses the issue of Salomon litigation. The doctrine of the legal entity came from the Salomon case. The facts and findings from the case disclosed that the owner incorporated firms where the family members were the shareholders. The issue and problem came up when the business of the company turns to be bad. The assets value was not sufficient to pay the creditors of the company and that of the owner. The bibliography of Aron Salomon was a leather merchant and wholesale boot maker who initially ran their business having a single owner. In 1892, his children became interested in managing the business in consequentially making Aron decide to manage and convert the business as an organization called Salomon & Company Limited, with a aim of transforming his leather and boot-manufacturing business to the Company. The members (shareholders) of the Company were to be Aron Salomon and his family2. Aron Salomon engaged himself into an agreement with Adolph Anhalt. Adolph Anhalt is considered the trustee of the company. They settled the terms that assuming the case of transferring the business occur. The agreement included the part payment where the Aron Salomon was to receive  £10,000 in debentures showing proof of money loaned out to the Company in that amount. During that period, the legal framework allowed that seven people subscribe to be the company members and owners of the company. As mentioned above, the members were Aron Salomon, Aron Salomon wife, and Aron Salomon children. His sons took control of the company with Aron Salomon as managing director He went ahead to sell his business to the Company for close to  £39,000, with  £10,000 being a debt to Aron and the debentures would serve as evidence. Salomon therefore became the Company’s main shareholder and creditor. On the following year (1893), the Company became liquidated; the arrangement

Quantitative Methods Exam Paper Term Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Quantitative Methods Exam - Term Paper Example This in the long run supports accuracy and exactness of research conducted. ( Thompson 2002) a. Process- pilot studies are conducted to determine the feasibility steps to be followed in the main study. Feasibility steps must have all the prerequisites of simple statistical techniques. When the feasibility steps are not as required, they may mislead the conclusion on whether the project can be undertaken or not. b. Management- Pilot studies help solve all the human and data management problems in all the participating centers of the research process like personnel and data. Management is mandatory in any research since together with planning one would be able to minimize all the costs of conducting research and bringing out the findings clearly. c. Resources- pilot studies save a lot of time and money by foreseeing research that can be unproductive if carried out since they provide enough data to researchers for decision-making. Decisions on the resources to employ and those not to employ can easily be made hence help save on the necessary costs. (Dunn & Clark 1994) I. Define the population concerned- This is the basis of a successful statistical practice as it includes the definition of the sample from which our sample is picked. This contains items with the desired characteristics desired by the body. The essence of this is that there are no enough resources to gather information from all the items in the population. II. Specify the sample frame. This includes a set of items, which would be measured. This helps in the identification of each single element to be included in the defined sample. This is appropriately done by listing all the elements of the population with their contact information. VI. Do the actual sampling and data collection. Good data collection will involve following the defined process, keeping data in a timely

Company and Partnership Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Company and Partnership Law - Essay Example This principle is termed as the Salomon Principle. The paper first discusses the issue of Salomon litigation. The doctrine of the legal entity came from the Salomon case. The facts and findings from the case disclosed that the owner incorporated firms where the family members were the shareholders. The issue and problem came up when the business of the company turns to be bad. The assets value was not sufficient to pay the creditors of the company and that of the owner. The bibliography of Aron Salomon was a leather merchant and wholesale boot maker who initially ran their business having a single owner. In 1892, his children became interested in managing the business in consequentially making Aron decide to manage and convert the business as an organization called Salomon & Company Limited, with a aim of transforming his leather and boot-manufacturing business to the Company. The members (shareholders) of the Company were to be Aron Salomon and his family2. Aron Salomon engaged himself into an agreement with Adolph Anhalt. Adolph Anhalt is considered the trustee of the company. They settled the terms that assuming the case of transferring the business occur. The agreement included the part payment where the Aron Salomon was to receive  £10,000 in debentures showing proof of money loaned out to the Company in that amount. During that period, the legal framework allowed that seven people subscribe to be the company members and owners of the company. As mentioned above, the members were Aron Salomon, Aron Salomon wife, and Aron Salomon children. His sons took control of the company with Aron Salomon as managing director He went ahead to sell his business to the Company for close to  £39,000, with  £10,000 being a debt to Aron and the debentures would serve as evidence. Salomon therefore became the Company’s main shareholder and creditor. On the following year (1893), the Company became liquidated; the arrangement

Management of a Family Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Management of a Family Business - Essay Example A family business can be described as the kind of commercial organisations where the decision-making process is often influenced by several generations of a group of people that are united by marriage or blood. In many instances, these people are often identified by the particular business through ownership or the process of leadership. It is important to realize that businesses that are characterized by an effective relationship between the owner and manager cannot fall into this category of businesses because of lack of the element of marriage or blood relationship. For this reason, family businesses are those that have a unique relationship of the leaders and managers of the particular business. In the recent, studies on the growth and operations of family-run businesses have been increasing; however, DeRond &Bouchikhi, explains that this is not always easy as compared to those businesses that do not have such kinds of mutual relationships. According to Deresky, one of the reasons that makes the study of these businesses something quite hard depends on the fact that these businesses do not always have proper standards of business management like other businesses. On many occasions, it is the high level of trust among the managers and other leaders that drives the growth and success of these businesses. These businesses tend to lack many of the requirements for effective financial reporting; additionally, very little information is often given to the public about these businesses regarding their financial performance as well as other important aspects

Report on Consumer Behavior of Soft Drinks Essay Example for Free

Report on Consumer Behavior of Soft Drinks Essay Need for the study With the economic liberalization in India a number of global companies have been coming forward to invest in India and tapping perhaps and worlds biggest growing market. As the floodgates have been opened up for Multinational Companies, the global giant Coca-cola also decided to make an entry into the Indian market. In India, the per capita consumption of soft drinks is at rock bottom level even less than our neighboring countries Pakistan and Bangladesh, where it is four times as much. The last summer was particularly sweltering one, with temperatures hitting the high 40s in some places yet; bottles were disappearing from shelves faster than they could be replaced. In the peak season, they found themselves short of capacity and having to turn around their trucks faster and faster to slake the greater Indian thirst. With growth rates zooming into the double digits, bottlers have been propelled into expanding capacities. With their big-time plans, the multinationals have changed the face of this business, long dominated by small-time businessmen. If demand continues to increase annually at an average of 20 percent, then volumes could reach one billion cases within ten years. 4 These arc ambitious targets and to reach them the cola makers will have to build capacity, infrastructure, make their bottlers more available and more affordable. There are 5. 00,000 retailers stocking soft drinks in India. Also, soft drinks which retail at any where between Rs. 9. 00 and Rs. 12. 00 are expensive when measured against purchasing power. As they concoct their strategies, keeping an eye on each other all the time, ultimately theres only one guy they have to watch out for, who will determine their fortunes: the consumer. The real race to quench his thirst has just begun 5 Objectives of the studyTo study about the consumer preference with regard to soft drink To study about the consumer perception with regard Coca — Cola To understand the Promotional Strategies To find out the medium which is most effective in reaching the consumers? 6 Research methodology Data will be collected from a sample size 1000 and distributed over different areas by using simple Random Sampling. Random Sampling consists of 1. Demographic Segmentation 2. Sociocultural Segmentation 3. Use-Related Segmentation 4. Use-Situation Segmentation Analysis 1. Data Analysis is done both qualitatively and quantitatively. 2. The analysis is presented pictographically using bar graphs The period of the study is past one year 7 Scope of the study The new economic policies of the Govt. of India adopted in the mid eighties were given further impetus by the early nineties. The Indian market has undergone considerable changed as a direct consequence of many of these policies and soft drink industry is no exception to this. Keeping the above mentioned perspective in the background, the researcher has selected soft drink market, since the marketing task his became more challenging and intensive competition has opened up new vistas. Companies are evolving marketing strategies by studying the demands of the market place increasingly penetrating into appropriate market segments introducing differentiated products to improve their market share. The soft drink market has achieved an accelerated growth in the past decade. Soft drinks include ail types of non alcohol carbonated flavored or otherwise sweetened beverages. The entry of Pepsi and the reentry of Coca Cola in the India market arc inevitably facing stiff competition but the ultimate winner is customer/consumer. This has led the researcher to study me perception of consumers towards different brands of soft drinks and to gauge out the 8 promotional strategic being adopted by the marketers to lure promiscuous buyers and win a larger share in the markets.