Limit television watching and computer time Essay

Sedentary lifestyles promote obesity, so it is important to limit hours spent sitting idly in front of the television or computer. When a child is allowed to spend more time in front of the television or playing computer games they are more likely to stay there than engage in physical activities like playing and running. It is also of note that the child who spends time in front of the television or the computer is more likely to consume junk food while watching television and playing computer games, especially if the adult permits such. Set aside specific times to spend outdoors It is also of note that it might be wise to actually plan times to spend outdoors, one weekend or a day to spend outside in the park. Family activities to be spend outside of the house like the park or backyard playing backyard basketball or football or simple activities like playing tag or swimming can be utilized in order to promote outdoor activity. Do not allow television inside the children’s room Research indicates that about 77% of children have television sets in their rooms (Kaiser Family Foundation report, 1999). This promotes laziness in the child, lying in bed while watching television that may also include munching on junk foods and chocolate. Adapt an active lifestyle Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Or if the school is near, walking to school might also be a good idea. It might be of note that parents who are more active enables their children to be more active as well. Forget the no pain, no gain theory Children should be taught to enjoy physical activities not an activity to be afraid of. It is a lifelong theory but one must surmise that a child may not be susceptible to such and they might not be adaptable to any activity that might require them to feel pain so this theory should be junked and that physical activity should be considered as fun and enjoyable to the child rather than hard labor, so it is imperative that physical activity interventions should be aimed at being enjoyable and fun for a child lest risk the child not doing the activity at all. Plan for a variety of Activities This is so to avoid monotony and boredom, especially in children who are more often than not easily distracted and easily bored by repetitive activities. It is important that the child not become bored with the activity so it is imperative that a child has a variety of activities that will help avoid monotony and help increase interest. One may note that a child, even an adult can become easily bored when they are subjected to repetitive activities. Enhancing the intervention program to be varied and fun will help the child stay into the program rather than feel that it is a boring tasked to be endured and not to be enjoyed. One may realize that in order for any program to derive successful outcomes, it is recommended that family members participate in programs patterned for the obese child, it can be noted that parents and sibling that serve as role models for these children often feel loved and therefore can provide better success of the programs (CDC 1997). Riding bicycles, Outdoor walks or swimming activities can be fun activities that also make children feel good and may not be construed as a chore they need to do to lose weight; it can just be construed as a family activity when parents and siblings are involved, rather than a taxing responsibility they must endure in order to please the parent and become more healthy. The Centers for Disease Control recommends schools set up policies that encourage enjoyable, lifelong physical activity among young adults. (CDC, 1997). Their guidelines state, â€Å"Physical education should emphasize skills for lifetime physical activities (e. g. , dance, strength training, and jogging. Swimming, bicycling, cross-country skiing, walking, and hiking) rather than those for competitive sports. † (CDC, 1997) These experts also advocate that activities to enhance fitness and adaptation of a more healthy behavior become an important aspect of the family’s lifestyle. Developing an After school Wellness Program As the child’s school tends to be the second home of most children, with them spending half of their lifetimes in school and good deal of their days there, it can be considered as a good avenue to start a wellness program for children, not necessarily the obese ones, in order to help prevent and cure the worsening case of obesity in children. This increasing occurrence of obesity in children may be attributed in part to increased sedentary behavior, such as watching television, which leads to less energy expended in physical activity. It has been theorized that by middle school, many children lack the physical skills or self-confidence to participate in competitive physical activities and involvement in various activities in school It is believed that an increased physical activity relative to the customary physical activities at home. The aim of the afterschool program should be, information dissemination and education, activities that enhance physical movements like dance exercises and sports activities, and other outdoor activities like games that promote physical activities, gardening and adventure education plus development of good eating habits by healthy cook outs and development of new healthy recipes by the children themselves, this can and will encourage children’s eating habits.

Reaction Time Essay

Summary This experiment aimed to determine the reaction time of the test participant and using the subtractive method identify the selection time and identification time of the participant. The experiments had one participant who participated in a total of 6 experiments; two experiments required a simple reaction with a single stimulus and 4 experiments that required a more complicated reaction. Keywords Subtractive method – the procedure of estimating the time it takes to perform various cognitive operations. Simple reaction – this reaction time task has a single stimulus and requires only a single reaction Choice reaction – In this reaction time task there are more than one stimulus and more than one response. Each stimulus has its own response. Donders A B and C reactions – In this reaction time task there is more than one stimulus but only one stimulus is linked with a response. Introduction Donders A B and C reactions have been used to determine the time it takes to perform cognitive operations for quite some time now. In these experiments we aimed to use light and sound stimuli in the react time tasks to determine individual base time, Identification time and selection time. Using one female college student (23 years) and one person recording the different reaction times. The experiments took place over a period of two days, with the first experiment taking place on one afternoon and the next 5 experiments a week later in the afternoon again. 2. Methods 2. 2 Apparatus and materials. One pen and paper to record reaction times, one Reaction task machine which came equipped with headphones for sound stimuli, a screen for visual stimuli and a panel of buttons colored red, yellow and green for responses. 2. 3 Procedure Pilot Test The participant stood on the reaction task side of the machine and put on the headphones after having been already instructed to press the red button when they heard both sound and visual stimulus. The observer then set the machine to pilot test, simple reaction test and selected the color red. The observer then gave a visual signal to the participant to let them know the experiment was about to begin. In this pilot test the participant was required to press the red button each time they saw the red light flash when it was accompanied with a voice that said red. At the end of a test a hand signal was given by the observer to the participant to let them know the task was over. The light and sound stimuli were given for a total of 20 times if the participant did not make any mistakes (that is pressed the red but only when both stimuli were given) then the pilot test was completed successfully, if not the machine would reset itself and would have to be set again and the test would be administered again. This stage was also a learning phase for both participants and observers as both were using this type of machine for the first time. Experiment 1. The participant stood on the test side of the machine and put on a pair of headphones after having been already instructed they were required to press the red button each time they saw a red light. The observer then set the machine to real test, selected simple reaction and selected the color red. . There was no signal given to the participant as to when exactly the experiment would begin by the observer but they were told to be ready as soon as they saw the light the experiment had begun. At the end of the experiment a hand signal was given by the observer to the participant to let them know the task was over. The stimulus that required a reaction in the experiment was given 19 times and the experiment was only complete if the participant made no mistakes. Each reaction time was noted by the observer. Experiment 2 The participant stood on the test side of the machine and put on a pair of headphones after having been already instructed they were required to press the red button only when they saw the red light flash across the light panel. The participant was instructed not to press a button for any other colour. The observer then set the machine to real test, selected selection reaction and pressed the clear colour button as well as the red. . There was no signal given to the participant as to when exactly the experiment would begin by the observer but they were told to be ready as soon as they saw the light the experiment had begun. The stimulus that required a reaction in the experiment was given 19 times and the experiment was only complete if the participant made no mistakes. At the end of the experiment a hand signal was given by the observer to the participant to let them know the task was over. Each reaction time was noted by the observer. Experiment 3 The participant stood on the test side of the machine and put on a pair of headphones after having been already instructed to press the button that corresponded with the colour they saw flash across the screen i. e. see green light, press green button. There was no signal given to the participant as to when exactly the experiment would begin by the observer but they were told to be ready as soon as they saw the light the experiment had begun. At the end of the experiment a hand signal was given by the observer to the participant to let them know the task was over. The stimulus that required a reaction in the experiment was given 19 times and the experiment was only complete if the participant made no mistakes. Each reaction time was noted by the observer. Experiment 4 The participant stood on the test side of the machine and put on a pair of headphones after having been already instructed to press only the red button when they heard the high frequency sound. The observer then set the machine to real test, simple reaction test and selected high frequency sound. There was no signal given to the participant as to when exactly the experiment would begin by the observer but they were told to be ready as soon as they heard the sound the experiment had begun. At the end of the experiment a hand signal was given by the observer to the participant to let them know the task was over. The stimulus that required a reaction in the experiment was given 19 times and the experiment was only complete if the participant made no mistakes. Each reaction time was noted by the observer. Experiment 5 The participant stood on the test side of the machine and put on a pair of headphones after having been already instructed to press the red button only when they heard the high frequency sound. The observer then set the machine to real test, choice reaction test and selected all the frequencies. There was no signal given to the participant as to when exactly the experiment would begin by the observer but they were told to be ready as soon as they heard the sound the experiment had begun. At the end of the experiment a hand signal was given by the observer to the participant to let them know the task was over. The stimulus that required a reaction in the experiment was given 19 times and the experiment was only complete if the participant made no mistakes. Each reaction time was noted by the observer. Experiment 6 The participant stood on the test side of the machine and put on a pir of headphones after having been already instructed to press the button that corresponded with the frequency of sound they heard, i. e. high frequency= red button, middle frequency=green button and low frequency=yellow button. The observer then set the machine to real test, choice reaction test and selected all the frequencies. This time there was no hand signal given to the participant by the observer but they were told to be ready as soon as they heard the sound the experiment had begun. At the end of the experiment a hand signal was given by the observer to the participant to let them know the task was over. The stimulus that required a reaction in the experiment was given 19 times and the experiment was only complete if the participant made no mistakes. Each reaction time was noted by the observer.

Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research Essay

Scientific research has come a long way since the first use of human embryos to treat and prevent diseases. The polio vaccine was invented in the 1950’s from the use of human fetal kidney cells, fetuses in uteri were used to develop techniques like amniocenteses and improving knowledge about congenital heart disease in the 1970’s, and in the 1980’s the transplantation of fetal tissue into adults to help with serious conditions like, diabetes or Parkinson’s (Gold, 2004). While there has always been concern and controversy over the use of human embryonic cells, today the debate is ethical. This ethical debate lies within the destruction of human embryos in order to use them for medical research. This paper will talk about how two different theories; utilitarianism and relativism view this ethical issue and the problem it presents, as well as my personal views on use of embryonic stem cell research. The theory of utilitarianism determines what is best by looking at the results of an act. According to Mosser (2010, section 1. 7), â€Å"utilitarianism argues that, given a set of choices, the act we should choose is that which produces the best results for the greatest number affected by that choice. When looking at the use of embryonic stem cells for research, utilitarianism looks at the end result. Embryonic stem cells have the potential to save lives by curing diseases and through the use of transplantation. While some utilitarianism’s may still view the destruction of these cells as the destruction of human life they recognize that their potential is a far better choice, being that this research can potentially help save many lives. The opposition to embryonic stem cell research may have a relativists view. Although one person may see embryonic stem cell research as right, another may see it as wrong based on their own ethical standards that have been provided by their culture or background (Mosser, 2010). The opposition of embryonic stem cell research view the embryo as a person from the day it is conceived, although it does not have any characteristics of a person, it will one day become a person. The thought of destroying human life has raised many important questions that cannot be answered by science. When does life begin? Is a human embryo equivalent to a human child? Does a human embryo have any rights? Might the destruction of a single embryo be justified if it provides a cure for countless number of patients? Since ES cells can grow indefinitely in a dish can, in theory, still grow into a human being, is the embryo really destroyed. (The University of Utah, 2012, para. 5) So what moral status does the human embryo have? To the relativist opposition, the question can only be answered by their personal moral views. To better understand the debate about embryonic stem cell research one must first understand the importance of embryonic stem cell research. Embryonic stem cells are pluripotent cells that are derived from the inner cell mass of the human blastocyst (early embryo) (Hynes, 2008). Many wonder why the use of these cells is so important in scientific breakthroughs. Embryonic stem cells are capable of differentiating into all types of cells in the body. This allows researchers to use ES cells to create any type of cell needed for any patient. Many ask why the use of adult stem cells is not good enough. Adult stem cells are undifferentiated cells found within the body. These cells only have the ability to â€Å"divide or self-renew indefinitely and generate all the cell types of the organ from which they originate† (Science, 2012, para. 1). Adult stem cell research is not controversial, as it does not require the destruction of human life to acquire them. While adult stem cells have been used to successfully treat things like leukemia and related bone/blood cancers, embryonic stem cells offer a wider variety of treatment options because they have the ability to develop into more than 200 cell types in the body as long as they are specified to do so (Science, 2012). Both sides of this debate may be influenced by religion. There are some religions that regard a human embryo as having human status from the time of conception while others say that an embryo does not have full human status before 40 days (EuroStemCell, 2011). The Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and conservative Protestant Churches are against human embryonic stem cell research, where Judaism and Islam look at and emphasize the importance of the outcome that embryonic stem cell research can bring (EuroStemCell, 2011). As with any debate those who have the same theory may still believe differently based upon their culture, upbringing, and religious background. I find that one could be of a certain religion (Catholic) and still view embryonic stem cell research as a better solution than just discarding unused embryos. The Catholic utilitarian may argue that the it is better to utilize the embryonic stem cells from an infertility clinic for research to potentially save many lives than to discard the cells as if they were. On the other hand the Catholic relativist/utilitarian might argue that this goes against their religious beliefs and is not what is best for the common good. As one can see in this example a person may exercise more than one theory in their lives. One may have been raised to view embryonic stem cell research, as wrong because it destroys human life, but they may also view it is a way to help the common good. This is when these types of decisions, to be for or against something, become a personal struggle. Does one go against what they were raised and taught to believe or do they do what they think is right for the common good of society? Mosser (2010, Section 1. 7) states that, â€Å"utilitarianism gives us what seems to be a clear and fairly easy principle to apply to ethical problems and so determine the right thing to do in specific cases. † This may be the case when it comes to simple decisions that are easy to explain and justify, but when it comes to a moral decision between right and wrong utilitarianism can merely guide us and help clarify these ethical problems (Mosser, 2010). Unfortunately this is why there is such a heated debate with embryonic stem cell research. What one sees as morally right another sees as morally wrong? The reasons may be different, but the end result may be the same. In this case one believes the act of using human embryos for research will help the common good where the other side believes not using human embryos for research will help the common good in value of morals and what status they view the human embryo. Relativism allows one the opportunity to go along with what their culture believes is right or wrong. It keeps one safe, as many people are afraid to express their own opinions and views against anothers views (Mosser, 2010). As with any ethical issue, this theory allows those who do not know enough about it to stay safe and build their views and opinions based on those around them. This allows one to judge another based on a view that has been acquired by commonality rather than facts. This can go both ways with embryonic stem cell research. Although the relativist view can be regarded as the â€Å"popular† view it can be very powerful if one bases their view on facts and knowledge and not just the cultural view. While their will always be disagreements about the use of embryonic stem cell research I find that their use if more beneficial than it is destructive. While everyone is entitled to their own beliefs, is it selfish to oppose the use of embryonic cells, which will be discarded anyway, because it is seen as the destruction of life? I think so. If there is a way to help another in the future through the use of embryonic stem cells, why not? I find myself in agreement with the utilitarianism theory on this matter. It is important for researchers to continue their research to help the common good. The research and researchers must have limitations though.

Issues Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Issues - Research Paper Example The process of globalization has led large organizations towards increasing interactions with people belonging to diverse cultures, beliefs and backgrounds than it was ever before. In other words, the diversity at the workplace has made employees vulnerable to experience discriminations at the place of work. As a consequence, managers are required to identify the changes occurring at the workplace and resolve those challenges effectively for mutually benefitting both the organization and the employees engaged in carrying out the various operations within the organization (Green et al., n.d.). Issues Raised In the Article According to the selected article, it has been identified that Quebec is planning to prohibit civil servants from wearing religious costumes and certain symbols in the workplace. It has been believed that if this proposal is enforced, Qubec’s Charter of Values would ban religious symbols, including large Christian crucifixes, the Jewish yarmulke, Muslim hijab or Sikh turbans. It has been believed that such proposal is an attempt towards creating separate and unique culture and society from the rest of Canada. At the same time, strict measures are likely to be put forward for those employees breaching the legislature. It is believed that these measures will possibly seek for serious conducts resulting in firing of employees from the organization. It is forecasted that a considerable number of employees working in different sectors of Quebec province would be affected by the enactment of such legislatur

Musical Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Musical Analysis - Essay Example 21). The means and methods used to identify the working of music vary from one analyst to another depending upon what purpose the analysis serves. Musical analysis has a history that dates back to 1750s, though it has also existed from the Middle Ages as a scholarly tool. A.B. Marx has been known for the formalization of concepts regarding music understanding and composition from the later half of the 19th century. While musical analysis is a way to identify how music works, it has been a subject of criticism since musical analysis has been thought to mutilate the musical work’s spirit through decomposition. It is said that â€Å"too much analysis kills the spirit of a performance† (Poore, 2005). My understanding of musical analysis is of a technique in which the working or a piece of music is judged on the basis of some well-defined scales or criteria. It comes with the presumption that a piece of music has to have a definite function and that it must conform to the se t principles in order to be considered valid or credible. This is where I personally side with the critics of musical analysis because in this age of innovation and creativity, development of music beyond these criteria and scales can be expected or that these criteria are also updated or modified to suit the tastes of the next generation. The end result of musical analysis is identification of a piece of music with a particular theme, genre, or style. I believe that music is a form of art and it has to be free of all constraints and boundaries in order to constantly evolve and provide the audience with something new and entertaining all the time. â€Å"Some authors regard analysis as ‘implicit in what the performer does’, however ‘intuitive and unsystematic’ it might be, while for others, performers must engage in rigorous and theoretically informed analysis of a work’s ‘parametric elements’ if its ‘aesthetic depth’ is to be plumbed† (Rink, 2002). Some musicians actually think like analysts and draw upon the parametric elements of their music while performing it while there are others for which, musical performance is a thing entirely disconnected from its analysis. Analysis is more of an academic process in which a piece of music is described in literary terms. I think that what appeals to the audience is not the extent to which a piece of music can be described or identified with a particular genre, but it is the emotions that it is capable of arising in the audience, the magic, power, and strength that it carries to send give the audience goosebumps. The power of a piece of music can be better understood from a first-hand experience of its performance rather than analysis. Analysis does not essentially capture the essence of performance, and that is why it is inferior to the experience of performance from the perspective of audience. â€Å"Analysis is generally implicit, since many musician s do not command the verbal or notational tools that would enable explicit results†¦.[Nevertheless] by applying a procedural knowledge to a stock of declarative knowledge of prototypical pieces and situations, a musician gains additional declarative knowledge, increasing his or her knowledge of repertoire† (Brinner, 1995, p. 148). I agree because while composing music, many musicians have factors beyond the notational or verbal tools in their mind like what would appease the audience and experimenting with new tones and melodies to entertain the audience. As a result of this, their music might gain a lot of appreciation from the audience but fail to comply with the standards established by the analysts. However, a musician who has a fair understanding of the analysts’ criteria is able to incorporate those elements in the music to enhance it, though

The effectiveness of cancer prevention and treatment in UK Essay

The effectiveness of cancer prevention and treatment in UK - Essay Example Despite many years of public health research initiatives, the incidence of colon cancer has not declined for over ten years in the UK. Nevertheless, the mortality rates for colon cancer have declined appreciably over the past half century; today, more than 50% of patients with colon cancer live for at least 10 years after diagnosis. Moreover, research studies have provided strong evidence that patients diagnosed at the earliest stages of disease have a greater than 90% chance of long-term survival. These data indicate that public health measures directed at increasing the detection of colon cancer at earlier stages of disease would positively influence current mortality rates for this disease (Jepson et al, 2005). The rationale for developing a screening and prevention program for colon cancer in the UK involves the fact that this type of cancer is known to progress slowly and is curable in its earliest stages (du Toit, 2006). The presence of polyps in the colon is an important risk factor for the development of colon cancer. The screening and diagnostic technologies currently available afford a practical and useful diagnostic screening tool for population screening on a large scale. The biology of this type of cancer lends itself to a population based screening approach as the source of malignancy is the slow transformation of the benign tumor to an aggressive transformed state over a period of years. Early detection by screening for the presence of polyps comprises a reasonable and rational approach to cancer prevention. The Dukes diagnostic criteria for colon cancer staging and grading are used to identify the clinical course of disease as it progresses through designated stages (A-D). A i s the earliest stage which is associated with a 93% cure rate; however, only 9% of patients are diagnosed at this stage, Conversely, approximately 25% of patients are detected at stage C, a significantly more advanced

Warehousing and Inventory Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Warehousing and Inventory Management - Essay Example Proper inventory management helps increase operational efficiency across businesses, improve customer service, and reduce inventory & distribution costs. The inventory management system and inventory control process provide information to manage the flow of materials efficiently, utilize people and equipment effectively, co-ordinate internal activities, and communicate with customers. Inventory management does not make decisions or manage operations; they provide information to managers who make more accurate and timely decisions to manage their operations. Inventory management must be designed to meet the dictates of the market place and support the company’s strategic plan. The inventory management approach should be updated according to the changes in market demand, new opportunities due to world wide marketing, global sourcing of materials, and new manufacturing technologies. According to Smith (1998 ), the primary finite resource of a warehouse is space. The planning of this key physical factor is very important for the operating efficiency of the warehouse. To meet the objectives of warehouse, proper planning of warehouse space and layout requirements is imperative. The most important functions of a warehouse occur on the receiving and shipping docks where the control of merchandise is transferred, whether products are brought into the warehouse or taken from it. An important prerequisite of efficient, safe and accurate receiving and shipping activities is enough space in which to perform them. Let us review the following critical factors for determining warehouse space and layout planning: i) Staging Area: - The majority of warehouses require a staging area directly behind the dock maneuvering aisle. The staging area for receiving acts as an immediate depository for materials unloaded from the carrier. This area serves as an accumulation point for the merchandise that

Cybersecurity Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

Cybersecurity - Coursework Example But going through further to their findings, it became clearer that internet addiction does seem to be a mental disorder. As to the question of policymakers going for treatment, and considering internet addiction as a disorder, rather than imprisonment of hacking cases, I think it would be a better solution because development of these policies will not only benefit those who commit cyber-crimes, but also those who have forgotten to live a normal human life. The study of the boy who had a good cause using the internet, does not differ much from a hacker, because both of them would probably be spending almost an entire day facing the computer and doing what challenges them the most. And on a general note, those people who have become too attached to social networking sites like Facebook, spend more time in front of the computer rather than interacting personally with friends and families, or even neglecting responsibilities at home or at school. Policymakers must be able to properly identify the root cause of a person’s addiction to the internet. It may not necessarily be a disorder but the effect on the over-all wellness of the person makes it appear to be so. I think that the laws or guidelines that should be made must focus more on the more controllable factors like the allowed time to use the internet or related things to that to be able to force those affected individuals to stop and live like any normal human being should. Since internet addiction at one point is seen as a disorder, counseling may also prove to be a good solution to understand why hackers and other â€Å"internet addicts† find more fulfillment in front of the computer than in the real world. Topic 4 – While psychological profiling of criminals is not a new field, should we attempt to profile cyber criminals? What sort of things do we already know about the personalities of cyber criminals? Do

Nuclear Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Nuclear - Research Paper Example What followed was a struggle with the nuclear energy dichotomy and appreciating the drawbacks and benefits associated with this type of energy. What still remains a puzzle is whether nuclear energy has more benefits to mankind compared to its disadvantages. This research paper will focus on the benefits, drawbacks and safety use of nuclear energy. The process of generating nuclear energy is believed to be the cleanest of all processes causing the least impact on the environment. This follows the fact that the nuclear plants do not emit harmful gases like nitrogen oxide, carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide to the environment. This makes nuclear energy emission free energy that does not affect water, air and land resources. Nuclear energy is used in radiation and isotopes techniques mostly in agriculture. Nuclear energy is also used in human health for the treatment of cancer by radiotherapy application. Gamma emissions on the other hand are applied in the sterilization of supplies in medicine such as bandages, cotton and gloves used for burn dressing and surgery. Radioisotopes are actively used in the tracing of pollutants that are found in air as they easily trace the residue thus ensuring safe and healthy environment. The process of decaying of the radioisotopes leads to the emission of large amounts of energy that can be appl ied in controlling the heart pacemaker (Rutherford 67) Nuclear weapons have also been observed to use minimum fuel as it makes use of small amounts of uranium which exist in high reserves on the earth surface and will be available for more than 100 years to come. Nuclear energy can be used in the proliferation and production of nuclear weapons and such weapons have been used by super powers to dictate, cause tension and cause massive destructions and killings in different countries. The waste that comes from

Produce a reflective report on your skills as a researcher Essay

Produce a reflective report on your skills as a researcher - Essay Example 42). Hence, the business environment today is more than ever in the need for astute researchers who could churn out new ideas and solutions governing the production, supply and marketing of services and goods. In that context I believe that though I am in the possession of some of the salient research skill, still there are areas where I need to work on to graduate to being a researcher with the apt skills and integrity. Before delving on my research skills, I do intend to profess my ardent belief that in the coming times, the managers who have the greater capacity and skills to engage in research and who have the capacity to come out with required information associated with business problems, do stand to have a better chance to secure a beneficial and meaningful career (Dugarm 2009, p. 17). I believe that in the contemporary information age, the ranks of the middle level managers will positively shrink in the institutions and organizations in the favour of those professionals who h appen to be good researchers (Abram 2012, p. 30). In the light of this conviction I intend to work hard on my research skills. When it comes to the purpose backing any research endeavour, I believe that it is primarily about the advancement of knowledge (Bell 2005, p. 100). So it is my belief that as a research scholar I believe in using research procedures and logic to come out with answers and conclusions in a most organized and methodical manner. Certainly, one can facilitate answers through trial and error; however such an approach eventually turns out to be erroneous and costly (Daymon & Holloway 2002, p. 128). In that sense I think I do have the capacity to put together the different concepts and to logically and methodically interpret them in the light of the new findings, in a manner that is very organized and effective. In any research initiative, it is imperative to place the ongoing research in the context of the situations and circumstances governing it. Since, I am a st udent of business, I feel comfortable to say that courtesy my academic background, and I have developed a fair idea as to the paradigms governing the research in the field of business. I believe that research in business is mostly applied in the sense that it aims to solve the practical problems (Rugman & Brewer 2007). Besides, business research is bound by cost constraints, as it is conducted for profit aims (Rugman & Brewer 2007). Also, business research is bound by deadlines as it is conducted to solve problems in real time (Rugman & Brewer 2007). Above all, business research is most of the times subject to an environment in which the situations, circumstances and preferences change very fast (Rugman & Brewer 2007). So, I intend to evaluate and gain on my research skills in the light of the above mentioned characteristics of business research. As a research scholar I have spent considerable time honing my secondary research skills. To put it in a few words, secondary research is primarily about seeking solutions in already existent publications (Rugg & Petre 2007, p. 32). I give so much relevance and importance to secondary research because it not only helps the duplication of ideas and efforts, but also helps mould the salient research questions in a manner that supports further primary research (Rugg & Petre 2007). Hence, to me secondary and primary research is the two sides of

Technical Writing Assignments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Technical Writing Assignments - Essay Example It begins by outlining the relationship between microwaves and other forms of wave-radiation, such as light and radio, in order to help the reader understand what a microwave is. It then goes on to discuss some of the special properties of microwave radiation versus other kinds of radiation, such as the fact that microwaves travel in straight lines and can impart energy into water particles. Finally, it moves on to discuss exactly how those properties have been turned in to practical applications: because microwaves can go in straight lines, they can bounce off of objects, and use the reflection to determine distance: this is radar. Typically, radars had to rotate, but according to the article, some new radars are structured more like a fly’s eye, pointing at all directions simultaneously. Microwaves also have the property of being able to excite water molecules through other substances, meaning that they can be used to cook food. The article also details the timeline of these discoveries, so that its reader is able to gain a better understanding of the process through which microwaves have been developed throughout time. Fundraising Proposal This proposal will discuss fundraising for public schools. It’s primary audience will be school administrators, with its secondary audience being outside groups including businesses, that could create reciprocal fundraising relationships with schools. Fundraising is a difficult task for a public school. Parents feel that they have already paid their fair share (if not more) through taxes, and are often cash-strapped in a way that makes it difficult for them to put more money towards their children’s education. Furthermore, they will often be donating to projects that will never see fruition in their children’s educational experience. While some things, such as buying new instruments for a music class, can be done relatively quickly, most of the needs that will be addressed by fundraising, such a s redevelopment, renovation, adding new buildings and so forth can only happen after a great deal of fundraising has already occurred, bureaucratic processes have moved forward, and the investment is actually converted into a practical benefit to children. With children being in a school at most six years (for primary students) it is incredibly unlikely that any parental donation. Sure, some families may have several children attend the school, but this is unlikely. For all of these reasons, parents, though often tapped for fundraising efforts in schools, are actually not particularly beneficial. Schools would do better to build fundraising relationships with outside organizations rather than parents: these relationships can be longer lasting, and often involve larger sums that parents would have access to. Furthermore, any relationship should be mutually beneficial, and this is more possible with outside groups than it would be with parents. These forms of fundraising relationships must be reciprocal: this does not mean quid pro quo, where the school does something of equal value specifically for a particular amount of donation – this is fundraising, not anything else. However, it should be beneficial to both parties. These fundraising relationships will obviously be beneficial to the school, which gets money for much needed upgrades, equipment, building projects and so on. But the question remains, how should this relationship be beneficial to

Purpose of various software utilities Essay Example for Free

Purpose of various software utilities Essay Virus protection – virus protection protects a computer system from malicious viruses and Trojans and worms which you can be infected by through the internet or email or downloading files or through a USB flash drive etc. virus protection usually consists of a firewall, virus scanner, virus remover and spyware. With virus protection you can perform a scan on your computer to check if you have been infected by any viruses or Trojans or worms. With some virus protections software’s you can scan your computer then it will ask you if you want the viruses removed, also if any programs have been infected the virus protection will ask you if you want the infected program deleted, most virus protection programs quarantine the infected programs in case they are not really viruses. The main purpose of anti-virus software is to protect your computer form getting viruses, it does this by scanning downloads and attachments for viruses, it does this in the background while the user is performing other tasks. If the user does come across a virus the program will warn the user and give the user the option of deleting it before it infects the computer. Some virus protection programs protect the user against spyware, this is a malicious program that enters a computer through internet, the threat usually comes through pop-up ads or bad internet websites, if a threat does come through the virus protection will warn the user and give the user an option to eliminate the threat before it harms the computer. Firewalls – the purpose of a firewall is to block intruders by looking for suspicious words such as domain names or IP addresses, certain protocols like file transfer protocol, ports and routing through a proxy service. There are two types of firewalls, hardware firewalls and software firewalls. Software firewalls provide another coating of security, software firewalls prohibit malware on your computer from being sent to others. Hardware firewalls treat any kind of traffic from travelling from a local network out to the internet as safe. An example of a threat entering your computer could be, you visit a website that contains a hidden malicious program that’s designed to secretly install itself on your machine and then send information out via the internet, this maybe to steal personal information, this is one method of infection. It is very dangerous to operate the internet without a firewall because then you will not be notified if a malicious program is trying to enter your computer and if you  do not have a firewall it will not be able to protect you from malicious programs that will damage your computer. A hardware firewall is a physical device that connects to a computer and is configurable through connection to it or either through using the internet browser or through a command line interface. Clean up tools e.g. removal of cookies, internet history and defragmentation – the cookies in your browser are meant to make pages load faster, but they eventually start to slow down the system, overall the cookie files will become very large and this will impact on the overall speed of the system, this is where you could implement the cleaning software, the cleaning software scans for and deletes old and unnecessary data then after doing the clean-up procedure pages will take longer to open but this is normal. Internet history is a record of an internet user’s visited websites, downloaded files, saved passwords, saved internet files and cookies. By removing all your internet history is makes your computer system faster because there is more space to store files, also by removing your internet history all saved passwords will get deleted and all files downloaded will also get deleted. You should remove your internet history every couple of weeks so your history doesn’t get cluttered up, this is what makes your internet slow. Removal of internet history can be done very easily using the internet options, you can go to the tools section of your web browser. Most internet browsers such as internet explorer and Mozilla Firefox allow you to select the categories to delete internet history, this way it is much easier if you only want to delete one category instead of deleting all the categories, for example if you want to erase form data you simply click on erase form data to delete all the history in that category. When removing internet history it also gives you the option to delete cookies, deleting cookies often is a good thing because you can get hackers that use trackers to monitor your browsing activity and they can steal personal or private information. Fragmentation can cause a computer to run slower and processing problems can emerge when opening files. A defragmentation program will take the corrupted and scattered data on the drive and physically rearrange it, decreasing loading times and placing fewer problems on the computers processor. Defragmentation reduces data access and allows storage to be used more efficiently, some operating systems automatically defragment storage periodically, but others require  that the user occasionally use a special utility for this purpose. Drive formatting – formatting a hard drive enables it to be able to read and write data by creating a partition on the drive, a hard disk drive can be formatted or reformatted depending on what is being done to the drive. When a new hard drive is formatted a bootable partition is created, the partition that is created is where that operating system is installed. Formatting a hard drive requires selecting a file system that will be used on the drive, the file system is what the operating system uses to organize and allocate information that is written to various sectors on the hard disk. Formatting a hard disk will overwrite the data on the drive. The formatting process only removes the operating systems ability to read the data on the drive, data needs to be rewritten to the drive and then reformatted again to ensure that the data is no longer accessible. Registry cleaner – the purpose of a registry cleaner is to remove redundant items from the registry. A registry cleaner is designed for the use of Microsoft windows operating system. Registry cleaners have an automated procedure where it looks for invalid entries, missing file references or broken links within the registry and resolving or removing them. There are many registry cleaner programs you can download of the internet, some for free and some you have to purchase, for e.g. â€Å"CCleaner† is a registry cleaner program which is free and it works on windows 8, 7, vista and XP. CCleaner can be used to uninstall programs. It also allows changes of start-up programs, so users can disable start-up programs and CCleaner lets the user delete system restore points. Benchmarking – Benchmarking is basically running a computer program. Benchmark utilities are important in PC optimisation and troubleshooting. Benchmarking assesses the relative performance of an object, by running standard tests and trials against it. Benchmarking assesses the performance characteristics of computer hardware. There are full system benchmarks as well as those that only test certain parts of a system such as the memory, CPU function, hard drives and network connections. Benchmarks help find out if there is a problem and where the location is. Bibliography http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benchmark_(computing) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_virus http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firewall_(computing) http://www.ladenterprizes.com/What_firewall.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disk_formatting http://danieleastcroftict.posterous.com/clean-up-tools-for-removal-of-cookies-and-int http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Registry_cleaner

The Ruthenium Red Test Biology Essay

The Ruthenium Red Test Biology Essay This test is subjected to identification of carbohydrates. 1 w/v dispersion of test substance was prepared in distilled water. Test mixture was combined with a small amount of molischs reagent in a test tube. After mixing, small amount of concentrated sulphuric acid was slowly added down the sides of the sloping test tube to obtain violet ring at junction. 5.2.1.4. Ninhydrin test This test is subjected to identification of proteins. 2 ml aqueous solution of test substance and 1 ml alcoholic ninhydrin solution was mixed in test tube and heated at 80Â ° C for 5 min to obtain red color. 5.2.1.5. Test with iodine This test is subjected to identification of non reducing polysachharides (starch). 1 % w/v dispersion of test substance was prepared in distilled water. 3 ml test solution and few drops of dilute Iodine solution were mixed to obtain blue color after cooling and no color after heating. 5.2.1.6. Biuret test This test is subjected to identification of proteins. 1 % w/v dispersion of test substance was prepared in distilled water. 3 ml test solution, 1 ml 4% sodium hydroxide and 2 drops of copper sulphate solution were mixed to obtain violet to pink. 5.2.1.7. Salkowski test This test is subjected to identification of steroids. 1 % w/v dispersion of test substance was prepared in distilled water. 2 ml test solution, 2 ml chloroform and 2 ml conc. sulphuric acid were mixed and shaken well to obtain red colored chloroform layer and greenish yellow fluorescence in acid layer. 5.2.1.8. Baljet test This test is subjected to identification of glycosides. 1 % w/v dispersion of test substance was prepared in distilled water. 2ml test solution and 2 ml sodium picrate was mixed in test tube to obtain yellow to orange color. 5.2.1.9. Shinoda test This test is subjected to identification of flavonoids. 1 % w/v dispersion of test substance was prepared in distilled water. 3 ml test substance, 5 ml 95% ethanol, 2 drops of Conc. HCl and 0.5 g magnesium turnings were mixed to obtain pink color. 5.2.1.10. Wagners test This test is subjected to identification of alkaloids. 1 % w/v dispersion of test substance was prepared in distilled water and filtered. 3 ml test solution filtrate was mixed with 2 drops of Wagners reagent to obtain reddish brown precipitate. 5.2.1.11. Test with acetic acid solution This test is subjected to identification of alkaloids. 1 % w/v dispersion of test substance was prepared in distilled water. 2 ml test solution and acetic acid solution were mixed to obtain red color. 5.2.2. Physicochemical studies123 5.2.2.1. Viscosity 1% w/v solution of test substance was prepared in distilled water and 0.1 N HCl separately. Solutions were kept at 37 Â ± 2 Â °C for 6 hours. Viscosity of test solutions determined using Brookfield viscometer using spindle no. 3 at 50 rpm (Model No. DV-E). 5.2.2.2. pH determination124 1 % w/v dispersion of test substance in distilled water was prepared by shaking for 30 min and the pH determined using a pH meter (Elico). 5.2.2.3. Swelling Index88 Swelling index is the volume in ml occupied by 1 g of a drug, including any adhering mucilage, after it has swollen in an aqueous liquid for 4 hours. 1 g test substance (Fine powder) was placed in 25 ml ground glass stoppered measuring cylinder with graduations in 0.5 ml divisions. The test substance was moistened with 1.0 ml of 96% ethanol and 25 ml distilled water was added. Cylinder was closed using stopper. Cylinder was shaken every 10 min time interval for 1 hour and then was allowed to stand for 3 hours. Volume occupied by the test sample was determined in ml after decanting the supernatant clear liquid. Swelling index was calculated from average of three tests. Same experiment was performed using 25 ml 0.1 N hydrochloric acid instead of distilled water. Swelling index was calculated using following equation. Vt = Volume occupied by test substance after hydration, at time 3 hrs. V0 = Volume occupied by test substance before hydration, at time zero. 5.2.2.4. Bulk density123 Bulk Density was determined using Borosil 50 ml measuring cylinder. The volume of 5 gm mucilage powder was noted. Value of Bulk density was calculated by, 5.2.2.5. Tapped density123 Tapped Density was determined using Borosil 50 ml measuring cylinder. The volume of known weight 5gm was noted. The cylinder was given 250 taps on using tapped density apparatus. Value of Tapped density was calculated by 5.2.2.6. Carrs compressibility index123 Carrs compressibility index of AER mucilage powder was calculated from respective tapped density and bulk density by, 5.2.2.7. Loss on drying88 In flat bottom dish, 50 mm in diameter and 30 mm in height, 1 g fine powdered test substance dried in oven at 100-105 C for 3 hours. The test substance was allowed to cool in desiccator over diphosphorus pentoxide for 24 hours and weighed. Percentage loss on drying was calculated by following equation. Weight of empty dish = A g Weight of test substance taken = Y g Weight of dish containing test substance after drying and placing in desiccator = B g Weight of test substance after drying = (B A) g

Analysis of Dubais Economy

Analysis of Dubais Economy Dubais Financial Crisis: Dubai is usually characterized by sky piercing towers, rotating buildings, spectacular architectural designs, flow of petro-dollars which refers to the income coming from exporting oil and its products to other countries, broad and clean road networks, etc. It represents a face of modernization and advancement and has earned a place amongst one of the most technically advanced countries in the world. This rapid development of the country was a result of the focus of the government on tourism thus promoting the real estate sector with the help of revenues coming from export of oil and natural gas. With the largest real estate company of Dubai Emaar properties becoming bankrupt in the United States and vaDubai proposal to delay the repayment of all its debts for a period of 6 months on November 26, 2009 the financial crisis in Dubai was exposed in front of the world which had bad effects on countries around the world. The debts were as large as $59 billion causing a stop to the investm ent cycle of Dubai for 6 months. The Dubais real estate industry was based on huge loans which they expected to pay through the revenues they earn from them but with recession hitting the industry badly their plans failed. Thus the Dubais financial crisis to a large extent can be said to be a consequence of real estate bubble burst in Dubai. Dubais Economy: Before getting to the financial crisis it is important to know the structure of the Dubais economy which is one of the most unique and unusual in the world. It is divided into free zones setup by the government of Dubai. The zones are industry specific with Jebel Ali free zone being the fastest growing in the world. The Jebel Ali free zone offers a set of products and services such as: ready to use offices, Business centers, factories, Warehouses, infrastructure ready plots etc. Jebel Ali free zone commonly referred to as Jafza is a part of Dubai based; a state owned Economic Zones World. It is one of the worlds biggest developers of Economic Zones, Logistics and Research and development driven Industrial Parks. The main free zones of Dubai are Jebel Ali free zone, Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City, and Dubai Maritime City which are based on the industries they are related with. People have false misconception about Dubais economy they believe that its mainly driven by oil and gas although the oil sector comprises of less than 6% economy of Dubai that was primarily dependent on oil as a main source of revenue in the past. Dubai being a part of the United Arab Emirates is expected to be great producer of oil, petroleum and natural gas although it is a good producer but compared to other countries of the United Arab Emirates it produces relatively lesser quantities of oil. Dubai produces 240,000 barrels of oil per day and its revenues from natural gas constitute only 2% of the total revenue that United Arab Emirates gets from natural gas. Although it is true that Dubais economy was initially build on the revenues generated by its reserves of oil and natural gas but with time its oil reserves have reduced significantly as a result of a large increase in the demand for oil and oil products around the world and over the years and Dubai exporting a great amount of oil to other countries it is expected that Dubais reserves of oil will get exhausted in the next 20 years and so it has concentrated on the tourism industry to generate good revenues at that time. (Dubai hit hard) Another large contributing sector of Dubais economy is the real estate which forms 22.6% of the economy of Dubai. The great success of this industry is owed to the focus on tourism. Over the years the government of Dubai has concentrated largely on tourism they have invested large capitals in order to promote their tourism in the process they have built sky scrapers, clean and well knit network of roads. The government has focused on providing world class facilities in Dubai in the process creating architectural designs and buildings which attracts tourists from all around the world. As the real estate industry is closely related to the tourism industry it has developed as a major industry in Dubai and contributes greatly to its economy. According to a survey in 2007 the largest contributing sectors for the Dubais economy other than oil were real estate and construction, trade and financial services which contribute 22.6%, 16% and 11% respectively to the Dubais economy. From the facts mentioned above it can be ascertained that there has been a shift in Dubais economy from being solely dependent on oil to development of other sectors by using the large amounts of money coming from the oil to development of other sectors like tourism but it has been stuck badly due to fall in prices of buildings and as most of them were based on loans vaDubai formally announced that the biggest of its real estate companies would not be able to repay their debts for a period of at least six months leading to the financial crisis. The Policy of diversifying to Real Estate: The funds had always been flowing into Dubai due to its large reserves of oil that it posses and initially the whole economy of Dubai was dependent mainly on income coming from oil and natural gas but there has been a shift as the Dubai government now aims at making the tourism industry the biggest industry of Dubai and has invested a huge capital in developing this industry. In the year 2000 the establishment of Dubai Financial Market (DFM) as a secondary market for trading of trading securities and bonds both locally and globally was major step in diversifying Dubais economy. The establishment of Dubai Financial market was a part of the governments plan to diversify Dubais economy from a trade based economy to the one which is tourism and service oriented made real estate more valuable in Dubai. The inclination of the government towards tourism did turn out to be a promoter for the real estate and construction industry and the real estate industry grew at a rapid pace in Dubai becoming one of the largest industries in Dubai. As a result of the governments promotion to tourism Dubai witnessed a real estate boom which resulted in appreciation of property prices in Dubai from 2004-2006. These policies transformed Dubai into a center for large scale real estate development projects and made it a home for many large projects and tallest skyscrapers of the world which are now amongst famous buildings of the world. The results of these policies are visible through buildings like the Burj Dubai, the Palm Islands, the Emirates Towers, and the worlds most expensive hotel, the Burj Al Arab which reflect the rapid development and the great advancement of the real estate and construction industry in Dubai making it a world class tourist destination. All the results of these policies led to a great change in Dubais landscape which also led to a great amount of foreign investments in Dubai as Dubai became a great destination for investors around the world. For many years Dubai has given great returns to investors around the world with an aggregate of approximately more than 40% per annum which has attracted clients from around the world trying to get the investment ladder ready but during the last few months being hit badly by recession these profits have turned into losses with a depreciation in property prices creating a situation of financial crisis in Dubai. Although Dubai has given great returns in the past but the ugly face of the Dubai model that it was based on speculation and debt that was somewhere in the breakneck boom in Dubai and with the prices of buildings falling in the recent past this face was exposed as the largest real estate companies were not able to repay their debts that were due till December 2009 and the government asked the investment companies delay the collection of all their funds for at least a period of 6 months which hit badly the finance industry of Dubai which is one of the major industries of Dubai. The Dubai World: The Dubai world which is an investment company acts as a regulatory company in Dubai. It manages a portfolio of businesses projects for the Dubai government. It functions across a wide range of industries and projects which promote Dubai as a hub for trading and commerce. Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem is the chairman of the company. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Prime Minister and Vice President of the United Arab Emirates is the major stake holder of the company. The company was established by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum under a decree ratified on March 2nd 2006 with an aim to regulate and promote trade in Dubai. The stature of Dubai world is quite large in the global market and it has large investments not only within Dubai but also in countries around the world. Some of its major investments range from MGM Mirage Las Vegas Casino Company to Standard Chartered Plc a London-traded bank and luxury retailer Barneys New York through asset management firm named Istithmar PJSC. The Initial success of Dubai in the Period of global financial Crisis In the early period of global financial system Dubais financial structure, dynamic construction and tourism industries and relished tax free incentives seemed to be a great advantage for it and many people even expected it to remain free from any sort of recession. A major factor that created this illusion in the minds of people was the continuance of investment activities and construction at a feverish pace even when there was a lack of capital in all other parts of the world and no other country was even thinking of such investments Dubai announced to construct a new tallest building of the world just after Lehman Brothers collapsed in the United States. All these steps along with the booming infrastructure of Dubai attracted many investors from around the world who thought of Dubai as a good prospect for investment and expected good returns from it. Dubai has built one of the finest infrastructures of the world and it is quite natural for investors to be attracted towards such a p lace which lead to the initial success of Dubai in a period when the world was facing recession and lacking investments but its overdependence on debts caused the financial crisis. Seeds of trouble The global financial crisis during 2008-09 resulted in major downfall of Dubais real estate market. It led to slow down of the economy of Dubai. The economic revenue generated was not coming as efficient as before which greatly hindered Dubais growth and as most of its plans were based on money borrowed by investment companies and there were no plans to face any downturns in the economy it became difficult for them to repay that loan. As the main aim of Dubais economy was the tourism industry a slump in the global markets was always bound to affect the economy of Dubai. At the international press council conducted by Mohammed al Abbar, senior enough to abide Dubais Ruler and UAEs Vice President or Prime Minister. He was placed at the designation of the Director General of Dubais Department for Economic Development and also as a chairman for Emaar properties the largest real estate company in December 2008 declared the credits that Emaar enterprise had which had an adverse effect on the economy as a whole. Emaar Enterprise had credits for over 70 billion US Dollars. In addition to it they also had additional 10 billion US Dollars in Dubai with holdings estimated above 350 billion as a real estate asset. Earlier in 2009, situation was worse due to the global economic crisis, heavy tolls on employment, property values, constructions, etc. also added into it and resulted in the decrease in costs of these prices due to slow down in the world markets also hit the real estate sector of Dubai which was expecting a rapid development in order to repay all its debts in stipulated time. This not only hit the real estate industry of Dubai but also the finance industries which financed most of the projects of construction. In Feb 2009, the estimated foreign debt for Dubai was approximated at 100 billion US Dollars. It leads 250,000 United Arab Emirates national to be responsible for more than 400,000 US Dollars of foreign debts which is a very large amount although Dubai had been hit by a financial crisis in the past also. In the year 1999 Dubai was hit by a similar crisis but at that time the debts were much less than the amounts this time and at that time Abu Dhabi supported it but the amounts are very high this time as the main focus of Dubai government in the recent past has been tourism industry and the real estate is closely related to it. The assessment of Dubai market of property has shown a lot of depreciation or decrement. The property loss was more than 65% of their values since 2001 till November 2008 which has been one of the main causes of the financial crisis as the property market was expecting an increase in prices but the decrease proved to be fatal for it. The construction companies were expecting a rapid increase in the property prices and were expecting to repay their debts using the incomes created from it but that did not happen and lead to the financial crisis In addition to all these failures in key businesses, consumer satisfaction, wealth etc. is estimated to be in trillions of US Dollars. The financial commitments incurred by governments proved a fatal loss in economic activity. The Burst of Bubble Dubai which is governed by Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum borrowed approx 80 billion US Dollars in a period of 4 years of construction for booming the construction market of economy of regional tourism as their main focus was on tourism as they expect that it would lead to a concrete source of income for them even when their oil reserves get exhausted. Emirates suffered a huge loss in the worlds steepest property slump as a result of global recession. The home prices dropped by 50 percent from their value in 2008 leaving Dubai in a situation where they were not able to generate adequate money in order to repay the debts that they had taken in order to promote the real estate industry. Dubai had 59 billion US Dollars of liabilities in agreement to the standstill of creditors. The debt included more than 3.5 billion dollars of bonds dated December 14. This property unit is from Nakheel PJSC a firm from Dubai. Analyst said that the prime reason for the financial crisis in Dubai was the mismanagement or the wrong decision of Sheikh Mohammed. He invested all his as well as the Dubai government wealth in the real estate market in United State and had no plans to deal with any kinds of shocks faced in their road to success such as recession. He thought that Dubai would never be stuck with any sort of recession which was a result of lack of adequate planning for bad phases during their journey. The foreign investment of Emaar claimed to be the second largest builders in United States. They ultimately went bankrupt because of the recession and/or filed for chapter 11, which allows reorganization of a company under the laws of bankruptcy for United States. United States bankruptcy code permits the reorganization of any of the company under the bankruptcy laws of United States of America. Dubai shifted to their crisis mode with their large and dangerous building boom. Their lending bonanza soon vanished due to the crisis. Government and banks took huge steps to provide some backup to the organization and to rescue the falling organization. The bankruptcy of Emaar properties was a big shock for people around the world and even bigger for the people in Dubai as it acted as a hint of the financial crisis that had begun in Dubai which was considered to be one of the flourishing economies of the world. Announcement and the impact of official moratorium: Dated: 25 November, 2009, the final announcement came in by the government of Dubai. They announced that the company intends to ask all its providers for financing to Dubai World, its subsidiary Nakheel to remain standstill and extend the maturities until at least the date 30 May 2010. This announcement meant a great decrease in the inflow of money for all the financial companies who had invested in various projects in Dubai and also sent a bad message to the world which had come to know that Dubai was in a financial crisis. Several months before the announcement Dubai world accounted for $59-billion debt which accounted for nearly three fourth of the emirates total debt of US$80-billion. These debts also included a $3.5-billion debt which the company was unable to pay by its December deadline. This announcement not only led to a degradation of Dubais goodwill among investment companies but also had a bad impact on the global markets which were recovering from the impacts of recessio n, the announcement in a way pushed the recovering markets back when they had started growing. The impact was very severe as it degraded the investment status of Dubai amongst various investment companies. The governments announcement led both Standard Poors Investors Services and Moodys who were the key investors of Dubai heavily downgraded the debt of various Dubai government-related entities with interests in commercial operations, utilities, property, and commodities trading which meant that it became harder for companies to get money for their projects. For Moody, the downgrade meant that the affected agencies would lose their investment grade status which would help Moody to make it very difficult for them to get the money required for their businesses. The effect was not only internal its impact was felt by all major markets of the world who experienced a drop in their stock indices. The main European markets shattered on November 26 followed by huge drops in Asian stocks on November 27 creating a bad impact on these markets that were recovering from the shocks of recession. Possibilities of Recovery: Although Dubai is presently suffering with a financial crisis there are still possibilities that it will recover from this crisis. Abu Dhabi the capital of the United Arab Emirates which is also the richest country of the United Arab Emirates is the brightest ray of hope for Dubai. Dubai has already asked Abu Dhabi to bail it out of the crisis. The hope even increases as Abu Dhabi has helped Dubai in the past when Dubai was in Crisis although the demand is much higher than the past. Abu Dhabi has helped Dubai with an amount of $10 billion in order to bail out the Dubai world. A recent report by HSBC which says that Abu Dhabi has the cash liquidity to support its own companies and banks is even more positive response as Dubais point of view. Thus Abu Dhabi may use some of this liquidity to bail out Dubai from this phase of crisis. With the U.A.E central bank showing positive signs by confirming that its board has discussed plans for supporting real estate business by lending Dubai as well as remaining United Arab Emirates has increased the probabilities of recovery for Dubai to a great extent. Impact on Indian Economy: Indian banks have communicated to the Reserve Bank of India that their sheets show insignificant investments in Dubai as compared to their revenues generated. The main investments are those of State Bank of India, Bank of Baroda and ICICI combined together denote investments of around Rs 7000 crores with SBI having Rs 1500 crore in the combined charts. However Bank of Barodas spreadsheet has Rs 4000 crore invested in UAE with only Rs 600 crores in real estate markets and has no negative impact on the health of the bank. However the professional front may face losses as Indians constitute 40% of the population of Dubai and are all in the business or service sector and so it may affect the remittances to India could decline provided the company is able to work out a bailout from this scenario. UAE has not been a significant source of investment in the Indian portfolio however the crises as already stated will affect the remittances or permanent transference of money to the relatives of Indians settled in Dubai was an important component of Indian Economy as in the first quarter of fiscal year 2010 as it formed 45% of the invisibles. But the crises have created intense pressure on employment thereby reducing the invisibles coming to the country. Dubai Worlds subsidiary DP World has investments in the Indian sea ports and planned investments of $ 500 million can hamper Indias water strength. Dubai crises and Indian exports are closely linked and reached a massive 13% in the fiscal of 2010 as is shown in the graph below. These figures give an estimate of how the exports could falter the critical situation and hamper the export market. Indian real estate developers who had ventured into Dubai like Nagarjuna Constructions, BSEL Infra, Larsen and Toubro etc References Dubai Crisis 2009. (n.d.), Retrieved on March 15, 2010 from http://www.gktoday.in/2009/11/what-is-dubai-crisis-2009.html Dubai Economic Crisis. (n.d.), Retrieved on March 15, 2010 from http://www.docstoc.com/docs/23974903/Dubai-Economic-Crisis-And-Its-Impacts-On-India Dubai hit hard. (n.d.), Retrieved on March 15, 2010 from http://www.globalcrisisnews.com/real-estate/dubai-hit-hard-by-financial-crisis/id=625/

A Guide to Successful Communication and Study Essay -- teamwork, commun

According to a survey done by a statistical website ‘Nation Master', twenty one out of thirty four OECD(Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development) member countries ranked 14.4% for an average percentage of single households in 2013. To be more specific, the United States, Australia, Canada, Sweden and Japan are the top five countries ranking the highest percentages of population living alone, nearly up to 26% in common. These statistics clearly demonstrate how prevalent phenomenon ‘individualism’ is in recent days. In other words, people nowadays are more accustomed to being alone than being together. The time is now when importance of working together must be highlighted. Particularly, pinpointing an emphasis on teamwork in the universities seems notably demanding. Therefore, it is fundamental for universities to increase group activities for the students on account of three main benefits teamwork can bring; enhancing communication skills, improving lea dership and raising responsibility. To begin with, teamwork provides opportunities for the university students to enhance communication abilities. Teamwork is an activity done by more than one person with a same goal. The more people there are, the more perspectives there must be. In other words, conflicts from different viewpoints of each member are unavoidable in a disparate group of individuals. For example, there was a survey done by Korea Herald toward 522 Korean university students about the most common trouble that occurred during teamwork. 38.3% of the students chose difficult time scheduling for team meetings. 25.5% answered an unsatisfactory division of tasks for each member, and 14.8% pointed out a hardship in uniting opinions among the members. Such data clea... ...cles/teamwork-quotes-and-sayings.html (Master's thesis, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia)Retrieved from http://www.law.unimelb.edu.au/lasc/professional-skills/tips-for-effective-teamwork Maughan, Caroline & Webb, Julian, Lawyering Skills and the Legal Process (2005). "One person households by country", OECD. Retrieved from http://www.NationMaster.com/graph/peo_one_per_hou-people-one-person-households Sompong, Y. (Designer). (2010, November 12th ). 36 ways to build working team [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/bright9977/36-ways-to-build-working-team Stephen, R. (2011, October 11th). Leadership roles and responsibilities. Retrieved from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/leadership-roles-and-responsibilities.html Tuckerman, Bruce W, ‘Developmental sequence in small groups’ (1965) 63(6) Psychological Bulletin 384-99.

Wyoming-Colorado Border Wars Essay -- USA Geography History Essays Pap

Wyoming-Colorado Border Wars Deep in the heart of the American West lie two of the largest, most rugged, beautiful states in the nation, both of which have long been engaged in a heated rivalry. North and South from one another, Wyoming and Colorado have been at a border war since before either even gained statehood. With 97,195 square miles, Wyoming is the 10th largest of all 50 states. While the state is vast in land, it is scarce in population. As of 2005, a mere 509,294 residents inhabit â€Å"The Cowboy State† making it the least populated state in the nation (Wyoming facts, demography). Colorado, however, has a population of 4,159,000 according to the 2000 Census. Colorado is the 8th largest state in the nation encompassing 103,598 square miles (Colorado, facts). These â€Å"neighbors† however, have had anything but friendly relations. From water rights to football games, the infamous â€Å"Border War† has raged for over a century and will not likely cease in the near future. Long before interstates, college sports teams and cross-country travelers divided and merged the two states of Wyoming and Colorado, a natural border acted as a divider between the two. Near Carr, Colorado any traveler venturing down Interstate 25 drives directly through Natural Fort. A very interesting and large rock formation, Natural Fort once acted as a rest stop for travelers between Colorado and Wyoming. As cities in both states grew closer to one another it was closed, however, it still acts as a natural border between the two states. Natural Fort served first as the site of a battle between the Blackfeet and Crow Indians. On November 21, 1834 rival tribes, the Crow and Blackfeet, came across one another. Taking refuge within Natural Fort, the B... ...ns to find balance occur more frequently as time goes on. References The Bronze Boot. Retrieved April 3, 2007, from Wyoming Athletics from http://wyomingathletics.com/trads/bronzeboot.html (October 19, 2005). ROTC Traditions Continue During Border War. Retrieved April 3, 2007, from University of Wyoming from http://uwyo.edu/news/showrelease.asp?id=3101 Gibbard, F. (March, 2005). Wyoming v. Colorado: A "Watershed" Decision. Retrieved April 3, 2007, from The Colorado Lawyer from http://www.cobar.org/tcl/tcl_articles.cfm?ArticleID=4063 U.S. Supreme Court. (1940). State of Wyoming v. State of Colorado (309 U.S. 572 (1940), No. 10) from http://waterplan.state.wy.us/BAG/platte/briefbook/LaramieRiver1922.html Natural Fort, Carr, Colorado. Retrieved April 3, 2007, from Wallpaper Dave's Gift Shop from http://wallpaperdave.com/fort.htm

Hatchet – Gary Paulsen

HATCHET ESSAY Brian Robeson, the main character in Gray Paulsen’s novel Hatchet does experience problems after crashing in the Canadian wilderness. However, he is able to survive because he learns from his mistakes and he becomes more positive and resilient. When Brian survives the plane crash he initially finds it very difficult to cope in his new environment. His clothes were soaked and muddy, he was freezing cold and his anorak had been torn. As he was practically motionless a â€Å"swarming horde of mosquitoes flocked to his body. † He was being eaten alive but didn’t have the energy to fight back!Brian approached the lake and all he could see was his ‘ugly’ reflection of his beaten up face. Brian was miserable and lonely and depressed. He could remember how in the city it was all grey and black but now he was in a green nature. Brian had no food so he managed to find some berries which he called â€Å"gut cherries† because of the massive stomach pains they gave him. He was satisfied that he had food but it was nothing compared to what he could eat back home. One night whilst sleeping Brian felt something on his leg, he awoken to see a porcupine near his foot.Without thinking he kicked it and got some of the quills stuck in his foot, Brian then threw his hatchet at the porcupine but didn’t hit it and landed against the wall in his cave. Brian felt so upset with himself. â€Å"It was all too much and he couldn’t take it. † So it can be seen that initially Brian certainly finds it hard to survive in the wilderness. Although Brian finds it difficult at first, he is able to survive because he learns from his mistakes and he is persistent. After the incident with the porcupine Brian needed rest so he lay down on his side and shut his eyes.That night Brian had a strange dream his best friend Terry & his father were in it. His dad was trying to speak to him about how he threw the hatchet against the wal l and that if he did it again sparks would come. His dream wasn’t at all clear but Brian managed to find out its purpose. The next morning Brian looked over his dream again and again. He grabbed his hatchet and kept hitting the wall with it. Brian knew that he needed something to keep the spark alive so he grabbed a few twigs and tore up a twenty dollar note that he happen to have in his pocket.At first he didn’t succeed but with his persistence Brian made a new friend †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ fire†. Brian had still been eating gut cherries and needed something new. Brian was down at the lake and noticed some strange tracks across the sand, he thought they may have been turtle tracks so he followed them to find turtle eggs buried, about 12 or so. Brian quickly cracked one open and drank what was inside. He was in heaven and was going crazy over these eggs. He knew he had to leave some so he took the rest back to his shelter. Brian knew he had a fire and he knew that his shelter was near the lake.And what lives in the water? Fish do. Brian could make a fish spear! He carved a stick with his hatchet and began his task of trying to get a fish. It wasn’t working, the fish would just swim away as soon as Brian raised his arm or made the slightest of movements. He needed a better weapon, maybe a bow & arrow. Brian’s fire had gone out whilst he was outside and it just so happens that a plane had flown past. Brian was screaming out to try and get the pilots attention but without the smoke he didn’t seem to look down.Brian was destroyed on the inside, he just didn’t want to bother anymore. He grabbed his hatchet and started cutting his wrist. The next day Brian woke up upset but after thinking long and hard he was a new man, he learnt from his mistakes and made a better fire which he would sustain and he would not let anyone or anything get in the way of his survival. He even managed to complete his bow and arrow, he was tryi ng it out when the arrow splinted into his face. He didn’t want to be upset so he made a better arrow which would hold.Brian remembered from past experience with the spear that the light refracts in water so he knew exactly how to get a fish. The trouble was that it wasn’t as easy as he thought but after about an hour of trying Brian finally got one, his first fish. In all the time he’d spent so far in the Canadian wilderness he never thought he would feel so good. With the spare fish guts Brian places them in a shallower pool of water which of course attracted more fish. He then made a small net which fenced off the pool. He basically had his on fish tank where he could eat any at any time.Because Brian is determined and is able to learn from his mistakes he manages to endure this difficult time. As time passes, Brian becomes more positive and resilient and he refuses to give in. Brian had been going well, he’d been eating fish and maintaining his fire s o that if rescue did come he’d be back home. Fish was getting kind of boring for Brian and he felt like meat. Of course there were birds around, Brian could hear them all the time. The problem was how to get them? He could use his bow and arrow but the birds might fly away at the sound of movement kind of like the fish.Brian knew about a bird called a fool bird. They have amazing camouflage skills. Brian discovered that the fool birds were shaped rather like pears and that he should look for shapes not colours when trying to capture these birds. With his brain and agility Brian managed to kill one of the fool birds, having his official â€Å"day of first meat. † Weeks had passed and still Brian hadn’t been rescued, it was as if they’d forgotten about him or at least looking in the wrong place. But Brian had to be positive and think positive as he patiently waited day after day.He was doing everything he could think of right so why hadn’t he been re scued yet. Time would tell Brian thought. There would been no Brian Robeson without more injuries, like one day when he was down at the lake a moose came to get a drink and thought of Brian as a pray so the moose rammed his leaving Brian without broken ribs as he thought. Things weren’t going good, he could barely walk well and one night a terrible thing happened. He heard gusts of wind coming from hear there and everywhere. It was a tornado. Brian wasn’t safe at this point in time and he was scared for his life.The next morning he woke up to complete disaster. His shelter had been torn apart, there were trees on the ground everywhere you looked and out on the lake Brian could see that the tornado was that strong that is managed to move the plane so its tail was sticking up. Brian needed to get his fire started again he couldn’t risk another chance of not being rescued. So he fixed up his shelter and started the fire again but still he wasn’t rescued. Bri an was getting a bit fed up with the situation that he had to take matters into his own hands.There must have been a survival kit in the plane which he knew would have some sort of rescue device so he put together a raft made out of logs he’d found after the tornado. With his broken ribs Brian paddled out towards the plane. All he had with his was his hatchet. When he got to the plane he tied the raft up and began examining how he could get inside. Brian started chopping at the plan with his hatchet. Then all of a sudden he dropped his hatchet. He couldn’t believe it all this time Brian had been lost the only useful thing he had was his hatchet and now that was at the bottom of the murky lake.He had to retrieve it, he just had to! Brian dived down into the lake looking around but wasn’t able to see anything. He then dived down a second time managing to get his hatchet. He then continued chopping at the plane. After a few minutes Brian had made it bigger for him to just fit through so he climbed inside the plane. Brian looked around and couldn’t see any type of survival kit or bag. So he dived under and found the bag which was attached to the seat in the front of the aeroplane. He managed to get it and started making his way out of the wreckage.As he was pulling the bag out he would budge so Brian moved around whatever was inside and thankfully it came out. He paddled back to shore and back up to his shelter, where he then looked inside the bag. It had everything you could imagine. Blankets, pots, food, water, knifes but most of all Brian saw a transceiver type of device he turned it on at the bottom but it didn’t seem to do anything. Brian was so hungry that he didn’t care about survival right now. He saw packets of food which you just had to add water and you were done. Brian ate about 5 adult meals and then he heard a noise.It sounded like a sort of plane, then he looked up. Coming down landing next to the lake was a plane and a man approached him and said â€Å"Your Brian Robeson, that kid that got lost aren’t you? † Brian said nothing but â€Å"Would you like some food†. By refusing to give in and remaining positive, Brian survives his time alone in the Canadian wilderness. When Brian’s plane crashes it first appears that he will struggle to survive. However with each experience Brian learns to do things differently and this assists his survival. He becomes a person who is able to learn from his mistakes and remain positive and determined in his new environment.

Differences in Competencies Between Associate Degree and Baccalaureate Degree Nurses Essay

Differences in Competencies Between Associate Degree and Baccalaureate Degree Nurses Nursing education can be confusing because there are so many ways to become a nurse. However, throughout history, nurse leaders have advocated the importance of higher education for nurses. But as nursing shortages developed, the need for more and more nurses became apparent. To help solve the nursing shortage problem, Mildred Montag developed the associate degree of nursing program (ADN) in 1952. It was designed to be completed in two years and provide a balance of general nursing education along with clinical courses. The original program designed by Mildred Montag was for associate degree nurses to work under the supervision of professional baccalaureate prepared nurses. Due to confusion, the graduates of the associate degree nursing program were allowed to sit for the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN). This NCLEX exam was the same exam given to baccalaureate degree nurses (Creasia & Friberg, 2011). Now, associate degree nurses can be found in almost every setting from hospitals to long term care facilities. However, even though associate nurses have the skills to provide adequate patient care, the advanced education of the baccalaureate degree nurse provides leadership skills, advanced critical thinking skill and improved patient outcomes (Lane & Kohlenberg, 2010). Therefore, in recent years the difference in competencies between the associate degree nurse and the baccalaureate degree nurse has been examined, resulting in a push for more nurses to obtain a bachelors degree (BSN). Associate degree nursing programs teach the technical aspect of nursing care. An associate prepared nurse can function well at the bedside. She can monitor the patient’s needs and record the outcomes of treatments. An associate prepared nurse can use critical thinking skills to determine her best course of action in most situations. But the constantly changing field of healthcare is demanding higher educated nurses. It is demanding nurses that are more professional and have an understanding of theory based practice. Nursing and medical organizations across the nation are recommending that all RNs advance their education. An advanced level of education can improve patient safety and quality of care (â€Å"Fact Sheet: Creating,† 2013). This has been evidenced by numerous studies on the correlation between higher educated nurses and patient outcomes. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania conducted a study that found surgical patients had 14% lower odds of dying as an inpatient within 30 days when being cared for by higher educated nurses. Another study conducted at the University of Toronto found hospitals that increased their pool of baccalaureate prepared nurses by just 10% had a decrease in death of discharged patients (â€Å"Fact Sheet: Creating,† 2013). To fully understand the differences in competencies between an ADN and a BSN, it may be necessary to evaluate how each would perform in a specific patient care situation. For example, a 66 year male is hospitalized with an open wound on his leg. The wound is positive for MRSA and the patient is diabetic. The associate degree nurse dresses the wound properly, and teaches the patient how to take care of the wound. She helps manage the patient’s diabetes and teaches him how to manage it at home. The patient is discharged home with instructions and prescriptions. He is re-admitted a week later with high blood sugars and a worsening leg wound. The same patient is cared for by a nurse with a BSN. During his stay the nurse dresses his wound properly, and manages his blood sugar levels. During her time with him, the nurse questions the patient about his family and his home. Through casual conversation she discovers the patient lives alone, but his daughter lives close by. She also learns he is unable to clean his home properly, but he is adamant about staying there. With the patient’s permission, the nurse contacts the patient’s daughter to learn more about the challenges the patient faces in caring for himself. After talking with the daughter, the nurse discovers the patient has not had an eye exam in 5 years and his vision is poor. He does not follow a diabetic diet and prefers to eat out rather than cook at home. Armed with this new information, the nurse talks with the patient. She tactfully points out his vision problems and poor diet choices. The patient admits he needs new glasses, but cannot afford them. He admits to having trouble seeing the numbers on his insulin syringe. He also states following a diabetic diet is too difficult so he doesn’t bother. The nurse takes this information to the hospital’s case management team and together they get home health care that will help him with his dressings. They also manage to find help to clean his home and funding to get him new glasses. The nurse then makes an appointment for the patient for diabetic teaching provided by the hospital. Prior to discharge the nurse teaches the daughter how to change the wound dressing and how to give insulin injections. She encourages the daughter to go with  the patient to diabetic education classes. The BSN nurse did more than just discharge the patient. She used the metaparadigm of nursing model to treat the patient as a whole. The metaparadigm consists of person, environment, health, nursing and how they all interact with each other. (Gunther, 2011). She recognized the patient was an individual person with individual health needs. She discovered his physical and environmental challenges and learned how they were affecting his health. Utilizing the information she obtained she found the patient the appropriate help for his situation. The associate degree nurse is certainly capable of taking care of patients in almost any healthcare setting. However, healthcare is changing rapidly with increased acuity and short lengths of stay and nursing must change with it by producing more professional, well-educated nurses. References Creasia, J. L. , & Friberg, E. E. (2011). Pathways of Nursing Education. In M. Iannuzzi, & R. Richman (Eds. ), Conceptual foundations: The bridge to professional nursing practice (5th ed. (pp. 23-26). [PageBurst]. Retrieved from www. elsevier. com Fact sheet: Creating a more highly qualified nursing workforce. (2013). Retrieved from http://www. aacn. nche. edu/media-relations/fact-sheets/nursing-workforce Gunther, M. (2011). Theories and frameworks for professional nursing practice. In M. Iannuzzi, & R. Richman (Eds. ), Conceptual foundations: The bridge to professional nursing practice (5th ed. (pp. 97-99). [PageBurst]. Retrieved from www. elsevier. com Lane, S. H. , & Kohlenberg, E. (2010). The future of baccalaureate degrees for nurses. Nursing Forum, 45(4), 218-227. doi:10. 1111/j. 1744-6198. 2010. 00194.

Compensation Management Essay

Compensation Management is an integral part of the management of he organization. Compensation is a systematic approach to providing monetary value to employees in exchange for work performed. It may achieve several purposes assisting in recruitment, job performance, and job satisfaction. It is the remuneration received by an employee in return for his/her contribution to the organization. It is an organized practice that involves balancing the work-employee relation by providing monetary and non-monetary benefits to employees. It is a tool used by management for a variety of purposes to further the existence and growth of the company. It may be attuned according to economic scenario, the business needs, goals, and available resources. Compensation Management contributes to the overall success of the organization in several ways. To be effective, the managers must appreciate the value of competitive pay, their human resources, and have an investment view of payroll costs. We want to maintain pay levels that attract and retain quality employees while recognizing the need to manage payroll costs. The increasing competitiveness of the labour market and turnover of employees had resulted in nightmare in compensation planning. Apart from this, the growing demands of the employees and competitive salaries offered by multinational companies had almost resulted in a compensation war in certain industries. Therefore, the human resources managers and tax experts have to evolve proper compensation planning for High end and qualified employees. The components of compensation have to be devised in such a way that, it focuses on the growing demands of employees while retaining the competitiveness and profitability of the company. Compensation management, also known as wage and salary administration, remuneration management, or reward management, is concerned with designing and implementing total compensation package. The traditional concept of wage and salary administration emphasised on only determination of wage and salary structures in organisational settings. Pay is a difficult topic of conversation in most organizations. In fact, the topic is altogether taboo in many workplaces. It simply isn’t discussed unless absolutely necessary. And, when it is necessary, such as when a pay raise (or lack of one) must be xplained to an employee, many managers find themselves at a loss for words. As the dreaded date of such a discussion approaches, managers may begin checking their sick time banks to see if they can disappear for a day or two. While it may be a touchy subject, pay is a critical factor in the work lives of employees. Jobs are accepted or rejected based in part on starting salary and the opportun ity for future increases in pay. Employees compare their pay to that of others in the same line of work. They constantly compare their pay level to their level of contribution, trying to determine whether the ratio of give and receive is a fair one. While it may not be a frequent topic of open discussion, employees think about pay often. Components of compensation:- Basic wages/Salaries:- These refer to the cash component of the wage structure based on which other elements of compensation may be structured. It is normally a fixed amount which is subject to changes based on annual increments or subject to periodical pay hikes. Wages represent hourly rates of pay, and salary refers to the monthly rate of pay, irrespective of the number of hours put in by the employee. Wages and salaries are subject to the annual increments. They differ from employee to employee, and depend upon the nature of job, seniority, and merit. Dearness allowance:- The payment of dearness allowance facilitates employees and workers to face the price increase or inflation of prices of goods and services consumed by him. The onslaught of price increase has a major bearing on the living conditions of the labour. The increasing prices reduce the compensation to nothing and the money’s worth is coming down based on the level of inflation. The payment of dearness allowance, which may be a fixed percentage on the basic wage, enables the employees to face the increasing rices. Incentives:- Incentives are paid in addition to wages and salaries and are also called ‘payments by results’. Incentives depend upon productivity, sales, profit, or cost reduction efforts. There are: (a) Individual incentive schemes, and (b) Group incentive programmes. Individual incentives are applicable to specific employee performance. Where a given task demands group efforts for completion, incentives are paid to the group as a whole. The amount is later divided among group members on an equitable basis. Bonus:- The bonus can be paid in different ways. It can be fixed percentage on the basic wage paid annually or in proportion to the profitability. The Government also prescribes a minimum statutory bonus for all employees and workers. There is also a bonus plan which compensates the Managers and employees based on the sales revenue or Profit margin achieved. Bonus plans can also be based on piece wages but depends upon the productivity of labour. Non-monetary benefits:- These benefits give psychological satisfaction to employees even when financial benefit is not available. Such benefits are: (a) Recognition of merit through certificate, etc. (b) Offering challenging job responsibilities, (c) Promoting growth prospects, (d) Comfortable working conditions, (e) Competent supervision, and (f) Job sharing and flexi-time. Commissions:- Commission to Managers and employees may be based on the sales revenue or profits of the company. It is always a fixed percentage on the target achieved. For taxation purposes, commission is again a taxable component of compensation. The payment of commission as a component of commission is practised heavily on target based sales. Depending upon the targets achieved, companies may pay a commission on a monthly or periodical basis. Mixed plans:- Companies may also pay employees and others a combination of pay as well as commissions. This plan is called combination or mixed plan. Apart from the salaries paid, the employees may be eligible for a fixed percentage of commission upon achievement of fixed target of sales or profits or Performance objectives. Nowadays, most of the corporate sector is following this practice. This is also termed as variable component of compensation. Piece rate wages:- Piece rate wages are prevalent in the manufacturing wages. The laborers are paid wages for each of the Quantity produced by them. The gross earnings of the labour would be equivalent to number of goods produced by them. Piece rate wages improves productivity and is an absolute measurement of productivity to wage structure. The fairness of compensation is totally based on the productivity and not by other qualitative factors. Fringe benefits:- Fringe benefits may be defined as wide range of benefits and services that employees receive as an integral part of their total compensation package. They are based on critical job factors and performance. Fringe benefits constitute indirect compensation as they are usually extended as a condition of employment and not directly related to performance of concerned employee. Fringe benefits are supplements to regular wages received by the workers at a cost of employers. They include benefits such as paid vacation, pension, health and insurance plans, etc. Such benefits are computable in terms of money and the amount of benefit is generally not predetermined. The purpose of fringe benefits is to retain efficient and capable people in the organisation over a long period. They foster loyalty and acts as a security base for the employees. Profit Sharing: – Profit-sharing is regarded as a steppingstone to industrial democracy. Profit-sharing is an agreement by which employees receive a share, fixed in advance of the profits. Profit-sharing usually involves the determination of an organisation’s profit at the end of the fiscal year and the distribution of a percentage of the profits to the workers qualified to share in the earnings. The percentage to be shared by the workers is often predetermined at the beginning of the work period and IS often communicated to the workers so that they have some knowledge of their potential gains. To enable the workers to participate in profit-sharing, they are required to work for certain number of years and develop some seniority. The theory behind profit-sharing is that management feels its workers will fulfill their responsibilities more diligently if they realise that their efforts may result in higher profits, which will be returned to the workers through profit-sharing. Approaches of compensation management There are 3P approach of developing a compensation policy centered on the fundamentals of paying for Position, Person and Performance. Drawing from external market information and internal policies, this program helps establish guidelines for an equitable grading structure, determine capability requirements and creation of short and long-term incentive plans. The 3P approach to compensation management supports a company’s strategy, mission and objectives. It is highly proactive and fully integrated into a company’s management practices and business strategy. The 3P system ensures that human resources management plays a central role in management decision making and the achievement of business goals. Paying for position Paying for person Paying for performance Because it is so important to employees, the issue of pay deserves to be clearly addressed. In spite of their hesitance, managers are capable of dealing with this sometimes difficult issue in a professional and effective manner. By keeping the following basic points about pay in mind, they can address virtually any pay-related topic with their employees in a professional and productive manner. Specificity is Key Pay is a topic with many different shades and a variety of implications. Whenever approaching the subject, it is important to work out the details beforehand so that specifics can be clearly communicated. For the manager, this means that the increase amount is nailed down before discussing a promotion with an employee. No chance of misunderstanding or false expectations can be permitted. Far too often, managers are apt to discuss generalities. â€Å"It will mean a good increase. † What exactly does that mean in terms of the employee’s monthly budget? If care is not taken here, good news can become the source of conflict and resentment. By the same token, if asked for a raise, the manager should request that the employee suggest a specific number that he believes reflects his value. Once the employee provides that number, the manager can do his homework and decide what, if anything can be done. The employee can then be given a definitive response. Pay is Relative What one employee considers a fantastic increase maybe an insult to another? Each individual has a unique set of creativity and competencies. Pay should be based on the performance, position and the competencies/skills the person is having. Pay is Not Created Equal Various forms of pay have different purposes. The two most common forms of direct cash compensation in most companies are base pay and bonus. Base pay is the annual salary or hourly wage paid to an employee given the job he holds, While bonus is typically (or at least should be) rewarded based on the achievement of a goal of the organization. Discussions about bonus payments should be as specific as possible. This is the opportunity to point out particular accomplishments that contributed to overall team or company success. Even if the bonus is paid to all employees based on a simple overall company profit target, the manager should use the opportunity to point out specifically how individual employees helped achieve that target. Distributing bonus checks presents a unique motivational opportunity for a manager. Handing money to an employee while discussing actions and behaviors he would like to see repeated, creates a powerful link between performance and reward. Discussions about base pay increases can be a bit different. Most companies claim to link their annual base pay increases to performance. In reality, however, base pay decisions take into account a variety of factors, including the relative pay of others in the same job, the company’s increase budget, market practices and where the individual falls within his pay range. Even when performance is a factor, the manager is faced with the difficult task of evaluating an entire year’s worth of activity and then categorizing it according to the percentage increase options allowed by the budget. It becomes very difficult to pinpoint specific employee actions or accomplishments as the reason for the increase. For these reasons, it’s appropriate for the discussion about base pay increases to be more general and balanced. Both strengths and weaknesses of the employee should be addressed. The actual increase is then based on an overall assessment, as opposed to a link with one or two specific outcomes. Any other factors that impact the increase percent, such as budget or pay range should be openly discussed as well. Development of a Compensation Philosophy All organizations pay according to some underlying philosophy about jobs and the people who do them. This philosophy may not be in writing, but it certainly exists. Pay maybe treated in a formal and structured manner at one company. At another, any appearance of structure is intentionally avoided so that decisions can be made arbitrarily. Either way, the approach taken reflects a fundamental belief about people, motivation and management. Before an organization actually develops a compensation plan, there are several questions that need to be answered. Taking the time to consider and answer these questions will make the both the process of developing and administering a compensation plan much easier and will result in the development of a compensation plan that more closely matches the organization’s goals and objectives. Managers often want to view each individual as a separate case. It is important to understand, however, that employees operate within a compensation system. A manager is wise to take the time to learn as much as possible about his company’s compensation system.