Monday, September 30, 2019

Psychology and Coon

Interview Interpretation Sheet Your Name: Mickey Beaty Directions: Please provide substantive answers to the following questions regarding the information you gathered from your interviewees. Plan on at least 150–300 words per question written in complete sentences and full paragraphs. You may use a separate Word document instead of this worksheet if you prefer to complete your answers in a paper format (including a title page to identify your work). Please submit either this completed sheet or your Word document paper as your assignment. 1.Describe any common elements among the statements made by your subjects. I interviewed three different subjects on the definition of psychology and the role of psychologists. During the interviews I conducted all of the subjects shared the same belief of psychology being the study of behavior. Two of the subjects were of the same belief that psychologist record data accurately or inaccurately and waste resources. 2. How do the notions about psychology shared by your subjects differ from the definition of psychology described by Coon and Mitterer?Although all the subjects I interviewed said psychology is the study of behavior that differs from the definition of psychology according to Coon and Mitterer in the introduction to Psychology textbook. The textbook defines psychology as the scientific study of behavior and mental processes (Coon & Mitterer 2010). The subjects I interviewed were partially correct in there description of psychology but they did not describe it as a scientific study just a study of behavior. 3.Describe any major misconceptions your subjects may have about psychology based on what they shared during their interviews. The subjects I interviewed had very different beliefs on what the role of psychologists was or the functions of their position. Some of the subjects were very skeptical of the work that psychologists do and their effectiveness at their position. Another subject had a misconception of a psychologist being just a psychiatrist who sits and listens to problems and talks people through their issues.There are many different forms of psychology that the subjects didn’t mention. They had notion of psychologists just siting and taking notes on people’s behavior instead of recognizing the scientific studies and experiments that lead to factual findings. I think the biggest misconception of psychologists among my subjects was the inability to look past just the study of behavior and inject the scientific method to the study. 4. Describe how your subjects’ perceptions of psychology related to the four goals of psychology as described in the Coon and Mitterer text.The four goals stated in psychology gateways to the mind by Coon and Mitterer are description, understanding, prediction, and control. The subjects that I interviewed all had the description portion of the four goals correct. Answering psychological questions often begins with a careful descri ption of behavior ( Coon & Mitterer). The way you get a description of behavior is by studying the behavior in which all the subjects agreed upon.I think the some of the subjects related to the control aspect of the goals because they had been in teaching profession in which it is a controlled environment to get results. Although I was not able to gage the perceptions on understanding and prediction I predict that they had knowledge of these elements do to their educational backgrounds. 5. How do your subjects’ views relate to the main ideas of the theories and contemporary views (such as the biological perspective, cognitive view, sociocultural perspective, et cetera) introduced in Chapter 1 of the Coon and Mitterer text?The subjects I interviewed were I believe the subjects I interviewed relate to the biological perspective. Two of the subjects I interviewed were teachers and they indicated genetics playing a role in behavior. They had seen a variety of different students f rom different backgrounds and concluded that the genetic make-up of students have an effect on behavior. That also speaks to the psychological perspective behavioristic view. The key idea in this view as stated by (Coon & Mitterer) Behavior is shaped and controlled by ones environment.These subjects taught kids in different environments and seen behaviors change with the use of control. 6. Describe your subjects’ demographics, such as gender, age, and education level. Identify any differences and similarities in their responses that may be based on these demographic factors. Out of the subjects I interviewed two were women and one was a male. All three subjects were in the age range between 45-65. All of these subjects have attended college and two of them obtained master’s degrees in different fields outside of psychology.All of these subjects that I interviewed stated that they believed psychology was the study of behavior. The differences that these subjects had wer e on the role of the psychologist. Two of these subjects had very cynical ideas on how effective and important a psychologist is. Some of the statements by these two subjects were along the lines of psychologist’s being a waste of resources or interpreting data incorrectly. The third subject was from the belief of a psychologist role as being able to assist a client by building relationships and trust to resolve issues.Although these subjects had similar educational backgrounds as well as being relatively in the same age group I believe there could be different elements that give them different prospective. The two cynical subjects are racially different from the third party which may have an effect on the different prospective. They also come from a different class which may give them a different prospective or preconceived notion on psychologists. References Coon, D. , & Mitterer, J, (2010). Introduction to Psychology: Gateways To Mind And Behavior (12 ed. ) Belmont, CA :wa dsworth

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Rhetorical Analysis on “Here’s Why Legalizing Marijuana Makes Sense” Essay

In ‘Here’s Why Legalizing Marijuana Makes Sense’, Alex Newhouse, a lawyer who resides in the area of Sunnyside, Washington addresses the controversial issue of the legalization of cannabis. The sole purpose of Newhouse’s article is to persuade readers and voters that marijuana should be legalized. Throughout his article, Newhouse focuses on the use of ethos and logos, while also slightly focusing on the use of pathos, to help persuade his audience. The incorporation of such rhetoric strategies allows Newhouse to change the opinions of individuals with views opposing the opinions he, himself, holds. Alex Newhouse starts out his article with a very strong statement: â€Å"No one has ever died from simply using marijuana† (1). By opening his work with this statement, Newhouse automatically incorporates pathos, a very powerful rhetorical strategies, into his piece. Although it is simple, Newhouse’s statement can provoke feelings such as astonishment, disbelief, happiness, and curiosity. Readers may feel a mix of very different emotions from Newhouse’s statement, but the mere provocation of even one emotional response is enough to grab the readers’ interest and to begin persuading them to parallel their views with those of the author. Towards the end of his article, Newhouse again incorporates pathos. He does so by saying, â€Å"Regulating marijuana would also protect our children† (1). The use of this sentence allows Newhouse to appeal to the emotions of his audience. It is apparent that the sentence is aimed towards parents. Hence, when a parent reads such a sentence, his or her instinct to protect his or her children goes off, thus making the parent feel protective, curious, and possibly even reassured and/or calm. As a result of reading the above sentence, many parents would automatically take Newhouse’s opinions into great consideration, since his sentence implies that Newhouse cares about his readers’ children. Also, by using the word â€Å"our† in that sentence, Newhouse uses ethos, appeal to credibility, as a rhetorical strategy. The use of the word â€Å"our† implies that Newhouse is a parent himself and understands what it’s like to raise children while trying to protect them from dangerous (for youth) substances, such as marijuana. Not only is Newhouse’s opening statement, â€Å"No one has ever died from simply using marijuana† an incorporation of pathos, but it is also an incorporation of logos, another very powerful rhetorical strategy (1). In his statement, he  implies that of the many people who have used marijuana, not one person has died. Newhouse’s opening statement is subtle and appears to be numberless, but it is a statistic nonetheless. Throughout his article, Newhouse makes references to many different statistics, all referring to marijuana. Another way in which Newhouse incorporates the use of logos in his article is by making statements such as, â€Å"According to the White House’s Office of National Drug Control Policy, over 100 million Americans have tried or use marijuana,† and â€Å"†¦the U.S. has spent approximately a trillion dollars and 100,000 lives on a drug war that could be reined in considerably with marijuana legalization† (1). By using such statistics, Newhouse appeals to the logic of his audience. The use of statistics in any article or editorial appeals to the audience’s logic, which benefits the author by helping persuade his or her readers. Although Newhouse focuses on the incorporation of logos, he also focuses on the incorporation of ethos almost immediately. In his opening paragraph, Newhouse refers to someone of higher authority, stating, â€Å"In 1872, then-President Richard Nixon appointed the Shafer Commission to study the nation’s rising drug problem. It reported the following: ‘Neither the marihuana [sic] user nor the drug itself can be said to constitute a danger to public safety† (1). By making a reference to Richard Nixon and the Shafer Commission, Newhouse appeals to credibility, since they were well-known people of power during the time of that quote. The use of ethos, especially in the beginning of a piece of literature, automatically lets the reader(s) know that the author’s credibility can be trusted. This technique can help open the minds of readers who are in opposition of the author’s argument. In â€Å"Here’s Why Legalizing Marijuana Makes Sense†, Alex Newhouse presents a well-supported argument on the legalization of marijuana. Throughout the piece, Newhouse uses three main rhetorical strategies to persuade his readers: ethos, pathos, and logos. For example, Newhouse makes a reference to his life and a reference to sources that had been written by people who have/had authority on the subject of marijuana legalization. He also used quite a few statistics to persuade his audience. By repeatedly incorporating one rhetorical strategy after another, Newhouse is able to build a strong-standing argument to back up his beliefs on the legalization of cannabis. From his introductory sentence to his closing sentence, the author, Alex Newhouse, used a handful of rhetorical strategies  to his advantage. Work Cited Newhouse, Alex. â€Å"Here’s Why Legalizing Marijuana Makes Sense.† Yakima Herald-Republic. 13 Aug. 2011. Web. 30 Jan. 2012. . Part 2: Legalization of Marijuana Over the past few years, the issue of the legalization of marijuana has become a very controversial topic. When confronted with the issue, it feels almost instinctive to feel as though marijuana should forever be illegal. However, when the issue is really dissected and thought about, it becomes apparent that there are more pros than there are cons for the legalization of marijuana. Cannabis should be legalized under strict conditions (concerning who can use the substance, and how much can be used in a certain period of time) because it can increase overall satisfaction of life for cancer patients, there are no recorded deaths caused by marijuana usage, it can be taxed, it can decrease crime rates, increase state revenues, and decrease taxes. Legalizing marijuana would directly benefit cancer patients who undergo chemotherapy. Chemotherapy often makes patients experience side effects such as pain, loss of appetite, nausea, and vomiting. Many cancer patients being treated with chemotherapy begin to look sick, pale, and frail. Often times, they’re hospitalized for days. During those days, they look as though every ounce of happiness and satisfaction is being drained from their lives. All they can do is hope they’ll make it another day, and that tomorrow will be a better day. Perhaps if they were allowed a small amount of marijuana, their happiness and satisfaction with their lives would increase drastically. The use of marijuana can relieve chemotherapy side effects such as pain, loss of appetite, nausea, and vomiting, thus allowing a patient to live a higher-quality life. Not only would legalizing marijuana benefit cancer patients, but it would also benefit the population as a whole. There have been no reported deaths caused by the use of marijuana. On the contrary, dronabinol, a synthetic ver sion and isomer of tetrahydrocannabinol, the primary isomer and psychoactive drug in cannabis, has caused a number of deaths. If marijuana were legalized, there would be no need for Marinol, the prescription drug of dronabinol. Therefore, people  would not have to worry as much about losing a loved one because of the use of synthetic tetrahydrocannabinol. Another reason why marijuana should be legalized is that if it is legalized, it would be able to be taxed. Although taxing marijuana would not be a miraculous economy boost that would get the United States out of its debt, it would increase state revenues by billions of dollars per year. California has already made billions of dollars from the partial legalization of the drug; research has shown that complete legalization would earn the state billions of dollars more in revenue per year. Regulating and taxing marijuana would lead to a decrease in crime rates. The regulation and taxing of marijuana would automatically decrease the number of drug dealers in the United States, since the drug dealers selling marijuana would lose all of their customers to stores. This would lead to a decrease in drug-related crimes. The decrease in drug dealers could also mean less people being sent to jail for nonviolent drug-related crimes. Since portions of peoples’ taxes go towards jails, this could eventually decrease taxes, too. When thought about simply, the legalization of marijuana may seem like a terrible idea. The thought of it spurs a terrifying image of a lazy, munchies-crazed society, merely lying back as the rest of the world moves forward. However, when thought about in more depth, it is obvious that marijuana should be legalized because it would be greatly beneficial in many different ways, for it can increase overall satisfaction of life for cancer patients, there are no recorded deaths caused by marijuana usage, be taxed, decrease crime rates, increase state revenues, and decrease taxes.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

A financial report on Tullow Oil Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

A financial report on Tullow Oil - Essay Example Head Quartered in London, Tullow employees more than 250 people all over the world with production capacity of approximately 80000 barrels per day. In 2007 company was drilling more than 40 wells spread across the globe. The overall global strategy of Tullow has always remained in the domain of making long term investments in assets and markets where company’s skills and expertise can make a difference. Besides investing in long term assets, Tullow follow a consistent strategy of following growth. Tullow’s focus has always remained on the exploration and exploitation of its existing resource base with more operational innovation and active portfolio management. It is because of this strategy that company is focusing on acquiring assets and making acquisitions in order to create synergy and achieve value for its stakeholders. Company is also continuously focusing on making capital expenditures and reinvesting the major portion of its profits into the business in order to fund growth of the business through its own internal resources. The beta is negative because of the fact that stock returns and market returns almost run parallel in opposite directions. The tullow stock has continuously risen in price whereas FTSE over the period of 52 weeks has shown a negative return. UK Gilts are considered as the most secure securities as they are backed up by the government of UK. In every market, all government securities issued are considered as risk free investments and returns offered by them are almost considered as risk free rate of investment. Therefore to make a direct comparison between risks free investment security and a security open to most of the risks in the market in a direct way will be little bit difficult to make. It is because of the fact that all other securities other than offered by the government are virtually open to every risk under the sky however government securities are, to some

Friday, September 27, 2019

Tax exempt bonds Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Tax exempt bonds - Coursework Example Access to capital is critical to keep facilities current, add major information technology systems and strengthen quality initiatives .Debt financing is a major source of capital for health care organizations. Cost of capital is a major determinant of the type of debt financing. Bond issuing is one option of debt finance that health care organization can use to finance their projects. For financial and capital planning to be effective, hospital leaders, including chief executive officers, chief financial officers and board members, must be aware of the changing conditions of the capital markets and the types of capital available. The types of debt financing include tax-exempt and taxable bond offerings and such nontraditional debt offering as off-balance sheet options and participating bond transactions. A sound financial plan should include maintaining a strong equity portfolio and managing debt to minimize cost and maximize access to capital. The following steps allow hospitals to effectively incorporate debt financing as a component of their strategic and financial planning process. 1.   Building a financing team:   Building a knowledgeable financing team is the primary responsibility of the CFO. The team should be responsive to variations in the financial market including changes in interest rates, regulatory requirements and ratings activity, among other things. The team should include members from outside the organization, such as legal counsel, underwriters, auditors, financial advisers, bond issuers and bond trustees. 2.   Active management of debt and equity portfolios:      Hospital financial leaders must actively manage debt and equity portfolios to account for changes in the financial markets and the organization’s financial performance. Senior leaders and the board should be kept abreast of the organization’s financial performance, including the organization’s capital outlook. 3.   Evaluate debt capacity:  Ã‚   De bt capacity is the amount of debt an organization is able to sustain within its credit rating profile. The ability to incur debt is a sign of an organization’s financial strength. Determining debt capacity will help organizations strategically allocate capital and also help calculate how much capital they need to obtain from other sources. 4.   Determine the appropriate mix of debt and equity financing:  Ã‚   Determining the appropriate mix of debt and equity financing is a complex process which is accomplished, in part, by assessing the organization’s debt capacity, the level of risk the organization is willing and able to accept and rating agency benchmarks. Financial leaders must determine the appropriate mix of equity and debt financing, including the appropriate mix of traditional and nontraditional debt, to secure the maximum amount of capital at the most favorable rates. 5.   Calculate the appropriate rate mix for debt:      Calculating the appropriate mix of fixed rates and variable rates is an important component of a hospital’s strategic financial plan. The appropriate mix is influenced by the organization’s bond ratings, availability of free cash and bond insurance, interest rates and willingness to accept risk. Fixed-rate debt is secure and becomes part of an organization’s capital structure until it matures. Variable rates are historically lower than fixed rates, resulting in savings to the organization, but carry no guarantee over time. Variable-rate debt is subject to changes in interest rates, regulatory activity and an organization’s credit rating. 6.   Diversify variable-rate debt:      Variable-rate debt can take different forms. They include variable-rate demand bonds and insured and uninsured auction rate securities,

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Role of the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) in contributing to the Essay

Role of the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) in contributing to the strategy of a company. if you were in a CFO position at your ch - Essay Example The supervision of the financial functions of the department is an integral part of the responsibilities of the CFO. In cases of public statements to be given on behalf of the company in the areas of financial performance, the Chief Financial Officer is the designated person to perform this task. A study of the roles and responsibilities of the Chief Financial Officer of the organization in detail would reveal that the Chief Financial Officer needs to supervise the activities of record keeping, financial planning and reporting the financial performance to the top management that includes Chief Executive Officer and the Board of Directors. ... ng essential inputs on the formation, evaluation and implementation of the strategy of the company that could be driven by the financial resources by the organization. After the strategy is formed with due consultation among the senior corporate officers of the top management, the Chief Financial Officer plays the vital role in supervising the financial performance of the company in order to meet the strategic objectives. Based on the strategic objectives of the organization, the role of the Chief Financial Officer could be broadly divided into the three areas as explained below. These could be named as the treasury function, control function and the strategy based forecasting function performed by the Chief Financial Officer. The effectiveness of the Chief Financial Officer in these areas helps in meeting the strategic objectives of the company (Handlechner, 2008, p.73). Thus the contribution of the Chief Financial Officer is extremely important in the strategic growth of the compan y. Treasury function The treasury management of the company is one of the main financial areas based on which the financial performance of the organization is determined. The treasury management of the organization deals with the managements of funds available with the organization in order to satisfy the areas if interests like investments, credit, debts, etc. so that the short term and long term goals of the company could be fulfilled. The treasury function of the Chief Financial Officer involves supervision of the performance of the treasury management, plan initiatives to address the identified gaps in the management of funds of the organization so that optimum return could be achieved in the areas of investments, and finally reporting the financial performance of the treasury

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 4

Marketing - Essay Example This extended marketing mix can be very easily applied to consumer markets such as FMCG’s markets, organizational markets such as non-profit organizations, services sector and international markets such as global markets (oil markets and commodities exchange are an example). Recommended ‘Extended Marketing Mix’ for two different segments Following discussion will throw some light on how, the 7 P’s should be transformed and tweaked to apply the extended marketing mix to psychographic and demographic segments in consumer markets which are described above. Product The product or the market offering should be parallel to the demographic variables and psychographic segmentation. If the product is not mass marketed, then offering a differentiated product or tailor-made product for each segment makes more sense. For example, BIC offers its various products according to the segmentation it has done. It has clearly demarcated and allotted each of its products to eac h segment. Offering the wrong product to the wrong market segment would dilute the essence of the brand. Besides, the steps of product development which involve the identification of needs of your target market should be pursued with ultimate care as the whole success of one’s product lies in this particular step. For example ‘Royal Dutch Shell’ released its new product of oils and lubricants for cars in England. The sales were pretty impressive and successful just because of the trend of maintaining cars with high quality products and services. Price Price is one of the most crucial aspects of the mix. When setting a price, it is extremely important to take demographic variables into consideration, for example, the average income of the target market can be a critical indicator to the right price of the product, similarly, factors like age and education may help in evaluating its value to the target market, which in turn suggests if the price can be set liberall y or should it be priced modestly. An example to elucidate the price factor is that the branded products of Armani and Nike with higher prices have a very minimal amount of sales in South East Asia, when compared to the western countries. Evian bottle which costs $4 in US would be a failure if introduced in a less developed country because people there would be reluctant to buy branded water which would guzzle a major part of their income. Promotion Promotion is the easiest way to let your customers know about the merits of your existing or upcoming products. Setting a promotion budget depends on the segmentation that you have done. An ideal example would be of Pantene where great in-roads were made in promotional activities. In the Pantene ad, expensive celebrities like Katrina Kaif are being shown endorsing and patronizing the brand. The promotional strategies should be in coherence with the lifestyle of people. Another example is TESCO who made all the advertisements and banners in accordance with the lifestyle of the citizens of UK to attract them towards their products and services. Placement Placement is not only about just placing the product but it is more about presenting it in the right time at the right place. In this regard, Apple inc. the leading brand in computer technologies devised a perfect strategy to market their product via placement. In the mid 90’

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Cognitive Neuropsychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Cognitive Neuropsychology - Essay Example It is a known fact that each part of the brain is specialized to help the individual. In other words, the brain or central nervous system triggers various neural mechanisms that tie in with cognitive processes. This is evident, given that most of the abilities that individuals acquire and develop overtime are all contingent upon the normal functioning of the brain. For instance semantic and syntactic development and ability to memorize are dependent upon how well the brain develops. (Wilshire, 2009) Despite the fact that cognitive neuropsychologists only focus on the damage inflicted upon the brain and it may appear that branch is largely related to the brain in actuality cognitive neuropsychology is about the â€Å"Mind†. Cognitive neuropsychology has also been further elaborated by the concept of modularity, according to which the entire process and dynamics of this branch of psychology can be broken down and represented in the form of smaller sub-processes. (Wilshire, 2009) This aspect of the subject was established by Fodor in 1983, but was further developed by David Marr, who considered this so important that they actually elevated this approach into a principle. Hence, this came to be known as the â€Å"Principle of Modular design†. The concept of modularity is typically applied in the field of engineering and computer programming; its application to cognitive sciences is a bit complex but an effective way to represent the process nevertheless. (Rapp, 2001, p. 52) Fodor clearly dictated the method in his book called ‘Modularity of the mind’, in which he clearly demonstrated the relationship between the entire cognitive systems and its various properties. In his... This paper stresses that the basic findings pertaining to cognitive neuropsychology emerged in the 1960’s when a strong correlation was found between the structural impairment of the brain and the psychological functioning of the client. Therefore, if there is any structural irregularity in the brain then it will have major repercussion on various areas of functioning of the individual. The brain acts as the central executive system of the body that is responsible for controlling and coordinating the body. This report makes a conclusion that the absence of tangible evidence that can be used to support the module of these cognitive processes is yet another concern raised in this approach. However, in order to elucidate the process the modular approach has been very effective. Even though the modular approach can be used as plausible explanations for the cognitive processes but, neuropsychologists have conducted extensive researches in order to an alternative explanation to further understand cognitive neuropsychology. The alternative explanation of the processes was expanded using the example of neural damages. The hypothesis was based on the premise that if an individual suffered a neural damage to any part of the head that he or she would suffer significant amount of impairment to the adjacent areas of functioning. Dissociation in general, is a state that is a protective mechanism adopted by the psyche to protect the body from physical and psychological stresses.

Monday, September 23, 2019

Test Construction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6250 words

Test Construction - Essay Example Contemplate the pathophysiologic alteration and its implications on the manifestations of a disease and learn to expect and corroborate findings in a given patient with practice (Evaluation, Synthesis). 3 Section A: Answer all questions on the multiple choice. Select the ONE BEST response to each question by placing a circle around the letter that corresponds with your choice of answer. Use a pencil or black pen only. Question 2. A 56-year-old male presents with cough, breathlessness, and history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The findings in the general examination that suggests impaired oxygen diffusion Question 3. A 30-year-old female had a road-traffic accident. The patient was brought to the clinic with continued bleeding from the wound at the left thigh. What will be your expectation about the heart rate and blood pressure of the patient? Question 7. A patient with chronic emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease presents to the clinic with severe respiratory distress. He has low-grade fever. The diagnosis is pneumothorax, pleural effusion, and chronic bronchitis. The examination of thorax may lead to findings Question 8. A patient presents with dyspnea at rest. You are required to examine this patient. On examination, you find engorged neck veins, mild enlargement of the liver, and PMI shifted 2.5 cm lateral to left midclavicular line in the left 6th intercostal space. Your diagnosis would be Question 10. A patient presents with history of rheumatic fever and a known history of mitral stenosis. He presents with cough and dyspnea and complains of swelling of the extremities. On examination, he has a lateral PMI, increased JVP, an S3, hepatic enlargement, crackles at the lung bases, a soft S1, and a pulsus alternans. What could be the diagnosis? Question 11. A 12-year-old boy presents with anorexia, nausea,

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Technology in Place Prior to Disaster Event (Who, What, When, Where, Essay

Technology in Place Prior to Disaster Event (Who, What, When, Where, Why) - Essay Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that hurricane research succeeded in prediction and therefore saving lives. People would salvage their property on their own without warning. Those who made it survived and those who were not able to would die. But all the same, New Orleans would not be deserted. People came back after the hurricane to settle down again. Prior to the hurricane, people did not build high walls and canals to drain water. It was not thought of until a research was done after the hurricane. Disasters would strike again and again. People would move away when disaster strikes and come back when it had gone. It is in Virginia Key, FLA†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. that an accurate hurricane forecasting may be found in the wreckage of its worst failure. Many people died because weather officials did not recognize the power dynamics of the storm and failed to warn residents until it was too late to do anything. Homes and businesses were destroyed. Bodies floated in Galveston Bay for days. This is an example of what used to happen long before current technology was used in forecasting and therefore preparing people for such disasters. After previous hurricanes, levees, seawalls, pumping systems and satellite hurricane tracking provide a comfort safety margin that has saved many lives. Modern technology and engineering was, however, an alarming fact. â€Å"In the generations since those storms menaced, champagne’s ancestors, South Louisiana has been growing more vulnerable to hurricanes, no less†. These flood protection efforts here caused sinking land and coastal erosion. These have opened dangerous ways for relatively weak hurricanes and tropical storms to affect new areas inland.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

The Lottery by Shirley Jackson Analysis Essay Example for Free

The Lottery by Shirley Jackson Analysis Essay Shirley Jackson is a master of suspense. She starts the story The Lottery off by describing what seems to be a normal summers day in an average village. This gives the reader a false sense of security which quickly turns into a sense of horror by the end of the story. Jackson uses the elements of a short story, atmosphere, plot and characters to create a sense of horror. One of the five elements of a short story that Jackson uses to create a sense of horror is atmosphere. Jackson describes the story as taking place on a clear, warm and sunny summer day but when one first reads about the children in the story, they are not playing and having fun and one would expect, instead they are quietly grouped together not doing much of anything. The fact that these children, more specifically the boys, are acting uneasy, and loafing around on beautiful summer day is one of the ways that Jackson uses atmosphere to create a sense of horror. Another one of the elements that Jackson uses to create a sense of horror is plot. When Tessie Hutchinson finds out that her husband and head of the family, Bill, has drawn the marked piece of paper she starts shouting out that â€Å"You didn’t give him time enough to take any paper her wanted. I saw you. It wasn’t fair!† so everyone should have to draw again, it is starting to become clear that being the winner of this lottery is not a good thing. This is made even clearer when Tessie starts trying to have her in-laws added to the roster of the next group of contestants in order to better her chances of not being picked. Characters are the third and final element of a short story that Jackson uses to create a sense of horror. One of ways that Jackson use characters to create a sense of horror is through their names. An example of one of the characters she uses to do this is Mr. Graves. Grave can be used as an adjective or noun. The adjective means to cause alarm or to be serious. The noun refers to a burial place, typically a hole in the ground. Black is a color commonly associated with bad, mysterious and dark things, death being one of those things. When Mr.Graves makes his appearance he is bringing in the black box. The fact that a man called Mr. Graves is walking in with a black box, the author is letting the reader know that something bad is going to happen. This is one example of how Jackson uses the characters to create a sense of horror. Shirley Jackson tells a suspenseful story about a group of average people in an average village. She uses atmosphere, plot and characters, three of the five elements of a short story to create a horrific story which shows the reader how what we think to be normal customs and rituals can actually turn out to be horrific and barbaric if one takes a step back and judges them from a different perspective.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Problem Solving Creative Thinking And Decision Making

Problem Solving Creative Thinking And Decision Making Problem solving is a skill. Managers and leaders spend much of their time solving problems and making decisions. The nature of the problems can be small, large, complex or simple and its the role of the manager to establish an approach to resolving the problem. Being faced with problems often results in people becoming uncomfortable and afraid, trying to find a solution immediately without analyzing the problem and looking for someone to blame. Problems occur every day and cannot be escaped. It should be viewed as opportunities to improve systems and relationships within organizations. The tendency to try and find a solution immediately is one of the fundamental mistakes in problem solving as the solution should be founded at the end of the process rather than at the beginning. Using an approach that worked previously can leave you solving the same problem over and over again. We are born problem solvers and build our confidence when we solve problems. Having a good process and approach to problems can solve them quickly and effectively. 2. Problem Solving and Decision Making Framework Organisations struggle with inherently the same problems year after year. The lack of a comprehensive and structured process is the reason for this failure. An organized approach using simple principles and a clear defined approach can facilitate permanent solutions. The 7 step problem solving process is an effective problem solving process that consists of a sequence of sections that fit together. Within each section, there are various tools that can be used to work through the problem and find out what is really going on. It is useful to have such a structure to ensure that nothing is overlooked. Figure : 7 Step Problem Solving Process 2.1 Define/Identify the Problem At this point, people react to what they think the problem is. Instead, we should seek to understand more about why we think there is a problem. It is imperative to deal with the real problem and not the symptoms. With input from yourself and others, a serious of questions on the problem should be addressed. Use the 5 Ws and an H to collect statistics on the problem: a) What can you see that causes the problem b) Where does it occur c) When is it happening d) Why is it happening e) With whom is it happening f) How is it happening At this stage, a problem statement should be developed and written down. This will ensure that you are tackling the actual problem and not a side issue or part of the problem. A problem clearly stated is a problem half solved. (Dorothea Brande). Writing the statement will ensure that everyone can quickly understand what the problem is. The problem can be re-phrased as a goal objective. This provides a focus and direction for the problem-solvers that is measurable. The problem statement should also attempt to have a target date identified and scoped so that it can be realistically tackled. 2.2 Analyse the Problem In this stage of the problem solving, critical input from people who have noticed the problem and who are effected by the problem should be gathered and sifted. The problem needs to viewed from a variety of viewpoints. Several questions should be asked to gather the required information : What is the history of the problem? How long has it existed? How serious is the problem? What are the causes of the problem? What are the effects of the problem? What are the symptoms of the problem? What methods does the team already have for dealing with the problem? What are the limitations of those methods? How much freedom does the team have in gathering information and attempting to solve the problem? What obstacles keep the team from achieving the goal? Can the problem be divided into sub problems for definition and analysis? Understanding where the problem is arising from, its fit in the current development and what the current environments are, is critical when working out if a solution will work or not. The problem definitions validity can be checked here by stepping back and assessing the current situation and what needs to be changed. The cause of the problem should be written down in terms of what is happening, where, when, how, with whom and why. 2.3 Generate Possible Solutions At this stage, the team and yourself should generate a number of possible solutions. No evaluation of the solutions should occur but rather the effort should be concentrated on generating as many solutions as possible. Various techniques can be used to solve problems. 2.3.1 Brainstorming This is a technique designed to help a group generate several creative solutions to a problem. It is focussed on developing imaginative and innovative solutions. It is a simple means of generating a large number of ideas from a group of people in a short space of time. Steps: A groups members are presented with a problem and all its details. Members are encouraged to come up with as many solutions as possible, putting aside all personal judgments and evaluations. Piggy-backing off another persons idea is useful. All ideas are recorded so the whole group can see them. Ideas are evaluated at another session. 2.3.2 Reverse Brainstorming Reverse brainstorming uses a combination of the reversal technique and brainstorming. This technique involves starting with two reverse questions: a) How could I possibly cause the problem rather than How do I solve or prevent this problem? b) How could I possibly achieve the opposite effect rather than How do I achieve these results? Brainstorm the reverse problem to generate reverse solution ideas. The ideas should be allowed to flow. No idea should be rejected. The ideas from the reverse problem should now be reversed for the original problem. 2.4 Analyse the Solutions This stage is where you investigate the various factors about each of the potential solutions. The good, the bad points and other relevant items to each solution is noted. There are several ways to evaluate the chosen solutions, and writing them all down will help the group to choose the best solution to the problem. a) Making a T-Chart to Weigh the Pros and Cons of Each Idea The T-chart can be used where team members write down the advantages and disadvantages for each solution. This method will illustrate the strengths and weaknesses of each solution. b) Develop and Assign Weights to Criteria All the criteria people are thinking about should be listed and weighted. This way, all group members are clear as to what criteria others are using. c) Prioritize the Criteria The next step is for the group to agree on how important these criteria are in relation to each other. For example, is cost the most important criterion, or low resistance by others, etc. The criteria should then be rated in terms of importance. Assign a number to each criterion so that all criteria together total 100. d) Rate Proposed Solutions Using Criteria Using the four to six possible solutions, score (on a scale of 1 to 10) each solution against each criteria. Repeat this for each criterion. Multiply this score to the weighting, then add the weighted scores for each solution. This exercise will help compare alternatives objectively. 2.5 Select the best Solution The various influencing factors for each possible solution is reviewed and solutions are kept or eliminated. The group should be concerned with whether or not the solution chosen solves the problem or just minimizes it. The solution must be workable in relation to the problem. During this step, decisions need to be made. Weighting of the previous step can be used to select the best solutions. The T-chart can be reviewed for advantages and disadvantages. The facts and information gathered must be consistent with the proposed solution. Solutions can be voted for and then those can be shortlisted. Shortlisted items can be analysed and further refined and voted on. There is a possibility that no solutions may work. The problem may need to be re-evaluated or generation of solutions may need to be re-visited. This maybe the result of a problem definition that is not well defined. 2.6 Develop an Action Plan An action plan involves writing down what is going to next now that a potential solution is available.. This plan will realise that the solution happens. The plan can consist of sequential tasks identifying who is doing what, when and the timeline for completion. The following questions should be answered for the action plan : What is the overall objective and ideal situation? What is needed in order to get there from here? What actions need to be done? Who will be responsible for each action? How long will each step take and when should it be done? What is the best sequence of actions? What training is required to ensure that each person knows how to execute each step in the plan? What standards do we want to set? What resources are needed and how will we get them? How will we measure results? How will we follow up each step and who will do it? What checkpoints and milestones should be established? What are the make/break vital steps and how can we ensure they succeed? What could go wrong and how will we get around it? Who will this plan affect and how will it affect them? How can the plan be adjusted without jeopardizing its results to ensure the best response and impact? How will we communicate the plan to ensure support? What responses to change and other human factors are anticipated and how will they be overcome? 2.7. Implement the Solution The solution can be implemented as a project using the action plan as the baseline. Tasks should be monitored and reported on. The Gantt chart could be used to monitor this progress. Regular meetings should be held with relevant stakeholders to communicate progress on the solution and advise if any slippages or blockers exist on the project. Contingency plans can be devised and implemented to recover from slippages. 2.8. Verify the Solution Once the solution is implemented, it can be tested be reviewing the normal operation of the organisation. Adjustments may be required to improve the effectiveness of the solution. A lessons learnt document/memo should be created highlighting what changes should be made to avoid this type of problem in the future, considering changes in policies and procedures, and training. 3. Creative Thinking Effective problem solving requires creativity. Creativity in problem solving process sparks new solutions and concepts in changing environments. There are various tools that can be used: 3.1 Six Thinking Hats This is a tool for group discussion and individual thinking. The technique allows you to look at decisions from a number of important perspectives. In meetings it has the benefit of blocking the confrontations that happen when people with different thinking styles discuss the same problem. Each Thinking Hat is a different style of thinking. These are explained below: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢White Hat: This hat requires you to focus on the facts and data available. Review the information you have, and determine what you can learn from it. Look for gaps in your knowledge, and either try to fill them or take account of them. This is where you analyse past trends, and try to extrapolate from historical data. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Red Hat: Team members state problems using intuition, gut reaction, and emotion. This is a method of harvesting ideas. Also try to think how other people will react emotionally. This method can use post-it notes to allow a quick system of voting, and creates a clear visual cue that creates rapid if incomplete agreement around an issue. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Black Hat: Using black hat thinking, looks at all the bad points of the decision. Team members identify risks and hazards. Decision are looked at to see why it might not work. This is important because it highlights the weak points in a plan. It allows you to eliminate them, alter them, or prepare contingency plans to counter them. Plans can become tougher and more resilient. It can also help you to spot fatal flaws and risks before you embark on a course of action. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Yellow Hat: The yellow hat helps you to think positively and identify with an idea or decision. It is the optimistic viewpoint that helps you to see all the benefits of the decision and the value in it. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Green Hat: The Green Hat allows you to develop creative and new ideas solutions to a problem. It is a freewheeling way of thinking, in which there is little criticism of ideas. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Blue Hat: The Blue Hat stands for process control and discusses the thinking process. This is the hat worn by people chairing meetings. Having a facilitator maintain this role throughout helps ensure that the group remains focused on task and improves their chances of achieving their objectives. 3.2 Mind Mapping This is a technique that encourages creative thinking as it holds information that the mind finds easy to identify with and review. Mind mapping allows you to quickly find and understand the structure of complex problems. Mind maps are often used during brainstorming. The technique requires that a model such as a tree with branches be used. The main parts of the problem are draw on the bigger branches and smaller issues on the secondary branches. Creativity is applied to each part of the issue rather than the whole. 3.3 Unfreezing This technique is used where you cannot think of any more ideas. Helps you when your thinking process is blocked or shut down and you cannot find any solutions. 3.4 The 5 Whys This is useful for dealing with problems that have hidden agendas. The technique drills into situations to find the real problem and clarify issues and forming creative solutions. 4. Problem Solving of Functional problem Altech UEC specialises in the design, development, supply and support of integrated hardware and software solutions for the world-wide digital Multimedia industry. In the project management field that I function within, the key focus is to deliver product on time, within budget and at the acceptable quality standards. The one area in 60% of all projects that fails to deliver successfully is the mechanical design of the enclosure. I will use the framework developed in 2 to realise the solution to this problem. 4.1 Define/Identify the problem a) The mechanical design for each product is only a concept rendering that is unique to each product offering. b) It occurs in the engineering and product management departments. c) During project development of a new product. d) Each offering to the customer is unique with no-reuse of existing mechanical enclosures. e) With mechanical engineer, product manager, customer f) An expected 12 weeks delivery of mechanical enclosure is taking 24 wks to complete Problem definition Why does the mechanical enclosure take 24 weeks to complete instead of the planned 12 weeks As a goal objective : What must be done to reduce the mechanical enclosure development to 12 weeks. 4.2 Analyse the Problem This problem has existed approximately 5 years, since the customer was allowed to decide on the aesthetic look of the set-to-box. This is a critical issue to the delivery cycle of product to the customer. The average delivery cycle of a complete unit in production and to the customer should be 6 months. Causes of the problem maybe Unknown technologies being used, Concept rendered drawings rather than mechanical design models, and Customer requiring changes after design was approved. The effect is that there is longer design cycles and longer to market delivery cycles. The mechanical team have tried to model various options but due to unknown electronic affects such as thermal testing and electrical grounding may affect the design. 4.3 Generate Possible Solutions Brainstorming was used to work out possible solutions. Ideas generated were as follows: 1) Altech UEC generates a set number of enclosures to match the various offerings available. The only change will be on the fascia view of the product. 2) The mechanical engineering team designs the model and develops the mechanical model before the product is released to the customer for approval. No acceptance to be done or released to customer on unrealised designs. 3) Tooling manufacturers external to UEC are contracted to be involved in the modelling stages to reduce occurrences of designs that will not work 4) Review existing procedures and signoff against international standards and make necessary changes where applicable 5) Outsource the mechanical design to a 3rd party and performs this as its core business 4.4 Analyse the Solutions The solution were rated against practicality and cost. The highest rated idea was (1), (5), (2), (4) and (3). It was also thought that a combination of (2), (3) and (4) could be considered as a combination idea. 4.5 Select the best Solution The best solution selected by voting was (1). The vote was decided by key stakeholders in the organisation such as the product development team, mechanical team and manufacturing team. 4.6 Develop an action plan The action plan answered the questions as follows: a) The mechanical enclosure is available at the start of the project. There is no major development to the design of the STB. Only changes will be to the fascia aesthetics. b) A listing of the full product road map is required to determine the categories of enclosures to be supported. All mechanical design such as clipping of parts together and thermal cooling to be completed in each category. c) The Engineering Manager will be responsible for driving this through the organisations as a Product Design unit initiative. The Product managers will be the custodians of the product categories. d) This is a 6 month initiative with the first step being the product categories. The next step will be the actual design of enclosures to these categories bedding down the mechanical design and product. e) Regular meetings are being held to discuss progress and determine if the plan is in action f) The realisation will be the use of the first mechanical design on zapper low cost products. g) The Engineering manager will be the sponsor of this project to ensure all stakeholders keep their eyes on the prize 4.7 Implement the solution A Gantt was created to allocate tasks and monitor progress. 4.8 Verify the solution The product line is being developed according to specific category mechanical model implementations. Effectiveness of the solution will be seen on new products that will go from design into mass production. The cycle time of mechanics can then be measured. 5. Conclusion In times were there is a constant change in technology and product development, it is essential to have effective problem solving frameworks. The lack of such framework will lead to problems recurring when they should have been solved. Organisations cannot afford such costly mistakes if they are to be globally competitive. A successful problem solving organization will be a successful organization.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Symbolism in Chapter 17 of Chopin’s The Awakening :: Chopin Awakening

Symbolism in Chapter 17 of Chopin’s The Awakening The end of Chapter 17 in Chopin’s THE AWAKENING offers a richly compressed portrait of a woman desperate to break through the bonds of domesticity and embark into the unknown. The passages (pages 74 and 75) immediately follow the dinner scene in which Edna first announces to Là ©once that she will longer observe the ritual of Tuesday reception day. After Là ©once departs for the club, Edna eats her dinner alone and retires to her room: â€Å"It was a large, beautiful room, rich and picturesque in the soft, dim light which the maid had turned low. She went and stood at an open window and looked out upon the deep tangle of the garden below. All the mystery and witchery of the night seemed to have gathered there amid the perfumes and the dusky and tortuous outlines of flowers and foliage. She was seeking herself and finding herself in just such sweet half-darkness which met her moods. But the voices were not soothing that came to her from the darkness and the sky above and the stars. They jeered and sounded mourning notes without promise, devoid even of hope. She turned back into the room and began to walk to and fro, down its whole length, without stopping, without resting. She carried in her hands a thin handkerchief, which she tore into ribbons, rolled into a ball, and flung from her. Once she stopped, and taking off her wedding ring, flung it upon the carpet. When she saw it lying there she stamped her heel upon it, striving to crush it. But her small boot heel did not make an indenture, not a mark upon the glittering circlet. â€Å"In a sweeping passion she seized a glass vase from the table and flung it upon the tiles of the hearth. She wanted to destroy something. The crash and clatter were what she wanted to hear.† The scene neatly encapsulates Edna’s rage at being confined in the domestic sphere and foreshadows her increasingly bold attempts, in subsequent chapters of the novel, to break through its boundaries. At first glance, the room appears to be the model of domestic harmony; â€Å"large,† â€Å"beautiful,† â€Å"rich† and â€Å"picturesque,† it would appear to be a welcoming, soothing haven for Edna. However, she is drawn past its obvious comforts to the open window, a familiar image in THE AWAKENING. From her vantage point in the second story of the house, Edna (who at this point in the narrative is still contained by the domestic/maternal sphere – she is â€Å"in† and â€Å"of† the house) gazes out at the wider world beyond.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Jesus is a True Hero Essay -- Religion Christian Christiantiy essays p

Over one third of the world's population call themselves Christians, or those who follow the teachings of Jesus. Jesus presence in the souls of humanity is everywhere. Sunday, the day of Christ’s resurrection, is still a day of rest and worship. The calendar still uses the year of his birth as a starting point, with A.D being after death and B.C being before the death of Christ. There are also major Christian holidays that are celebrated by millions each year, Christmas, the day of Christ’s birth, and Easter, the day of Christ’s resurrection. The life of Jesus is told in the new testament of the bible, which is still one of the best selling books of all time and has been translated in 2,000 different languages. The life and the lessons of Jesus are known by all his followers, the compassion he showed towards all people helped change the world. The life of Jesus is told in the New Testament, one of the most sacred and relished books by people all over the world. His mother was Mary, who was a virgin when he was conceived, and Joseph, a poor carpenter. The life of Jesus is contradictory to other messiahs such as Muhammad or Buddha. He was born in a manger as the son of a carpenter. The life he came from was not what was to be expected of a messiah. The Pharisees did not believe that Jesus was a savior because he did not fit the credentials that they thought a savior should have. Surely, a savior would have been born into a rich family and gone to the best schools. Jesus said â€Å"what shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul.† Meaning that the riches of the world are not worth having if you have to lie and cheat for them. Also a Man who has no money but is true to his faith and to god is richer than a man ... ...ieve in him. Jesus’ death for all of mankind’s sin was not a small sacrifice. Because of the huge sacrifice Jesus made, He can be considered a hero - a person who is admired for something He has done. In this case, Jesus is admired for taking all of mankind’s sin upon Himself. John 15:13 says, â€Å"Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down His life for His friends.† Jesus did just that. He loved every person who ever lived and has yet to live so much that He laid down His life for them. All they have to do is believe with their hearts and minds that what the Bible says He did is true. There are many people who have been harassed, beaten, or even killed for believing this. Every year, it is estimated that 186,000 people are killed for believing in Jesus as their Savior and for refusing to deny their faith in Him. This reveals just how great a hero Jesus is.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder :: Post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a condition from which nearly 10% of Americans suffer. It, unlike other afflictions, is associated with a wide variety of circumstances. Many war veterans suffer from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. However, a new group of people are quickly emerging as common suffers of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder-sexually abused children. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder is a prevalent problem associated with children who are victims of sexual assault.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Posttraumatic Stress Disorder is classified as an anxiety disorder under the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Disorders (DSM-III). The diagnoses for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder was not formally diagnosed as part of DSM-III until 1980. According to Famolaro, "the diagnoses of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder requires: (a) experience of a significant traumatic events; (b) re- experiencing of the trauma in one of several different thought, emotional, or behavioral forms; (d) persistent symptoms of increased arousal, Particularly when exposedto stimuli concretely or symbolically reminiscent of the trauma; (e) symptoms lasting at least one month. (Famolaro, Maternal and Child Posttraumatic... 28)".   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Children are now becoming realized as significant sufferers of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder is particularly bad for children under the age of 11, because they lack many of the skills needed to protect themselves. Furthermore, this vulnerability is enhanced when the child is exposed to any maltreatment. According to recent studies, "Posttraumatic Stress Disorder is a common sequella of severe or chronic maltreatment of children, particularly among sexually maltreated children ( Famularo, Symptom Differences... 28)". Posttraumatic Stress Disorder can be caused if the child is exposed to just one traumatic episode (rape, witnessing a violent crime, physical abuse); However, the child will become more susceptible to Posttraumatic Stress Disorder if the maltreatment continues. Moreover, a child is most likely to suffer from symptoms associated with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder when sexual assault is involved(28).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Because children have not yet developed cognitively emotionally and are very immature, they are likely candidates to develop symptoms related to Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. As a child matures he/she becomes better equipped to deal with and prevent contributing factors to the eventual suffering from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Up to age two, young children can recreate stressful events and even imagine such events recurring; However, the mind is not developed enough to identify, anticipate, or prevent future traumatic occurrences. At age three, children cannot, "distance themselves, in time, appreciate roles and differences in behavior, access situation, or adopt nonegocentric causality (Saigh 189)". This flaw opens them up to the impact of trauma because the child cannot anticipate and protect themselves. By age four, children have the ability to protect themselves by avoiding traumatic encounters. They also have the ability to suppress their anxiety when it becomes difficult

Appearance vs Reality in More Strabberries Essay

Disguises can come in many forms, some of which are so carefully constructed one may not even realize that it is a disguise or, they can also be obvious to the person to whom you wish to hide. Eric Wright’s â€Å"Twins† and Nelson Bond’s â€Å"Vital Factor† are short stories whose central theme of appearance versus reality is seen through the analysis of the plots and its’ characters. Subsequently, both the murderer and Wilkins are not whom they speak, having a single minded focus can both save the wife and deceive Crowder, and using much time to conceive a master plan goes corrupt for the husband and Crowder. Through the analysis of the stories â€Å"Twins† and â€Å"Vital Factor†, deception plays a very important role in the methods used by both the husband and Wilkins. It is evident, through the comparison of these stories, that the husband and Wilkins never reveal or hint anything about their plans, rather they just seem to be doing it hoping that their schemes will arise into a reality. In the short story â€Å"Twins†, the appearance is that the husband’s devious and fool proof plan works and he kills his wife, but in reality, she discovers her husband’s real intentions, which eventually leads to her killing him instead. Using his identity as a writer as well as a loving husband, the husband leads his wife into his murderous plan, convinced that he is going to get away with it. This is apparent when the husband proudly says, â€Å"It’ll work all right. It’s going to work. † (Wright 216) The husband’s overconfidence leaves him vulnerable to the few mistakes he leaves behind. The appearance in â€Å"Vital Factor† is that the character, Wilkins, is just a brilliant engineer who has the plans to build a fantastic and working flying machine. In reality, Wilkins is an alien who uses Crowder and his money to fund his project to get home. As a wandering alien, Wilkins finds himself using others to get what he needs; a ride home. No one notices the strange little man, but rather his creative contraption, allowing him to slip away into an unseen reality. Crowder’s mind is too full of his money making plans that the idea of an odd person coming with no briefcase or blueprint but only a small metallic floating object does not appear bizarre. Consequently, this leads to an improvised vision of what others want rather than what is really desired. Accordingly, the husband and Wilkins both use their raw talents to hide their true selves using the brilliant awareness of deception. In the short stories â€Å"Vital Factor† and â€Å"Twins† there is dissimilarity in the idea of unclouded vision. In â€Å"Vital Factor†, Crowder only desires to be the best and greatest of all men in the world. He uses his â€Å"iron will and icy determination† (Bond 57) to guide him to his goal. With this as his main obsession, he clouds his own vision and does not think of the possibility that Wilkins will use him and his money to develop a way home. This gives Wilkins the perfect advantage of manipulating Crowder into providing him with an opportunity home. In â€Å"Twins† the wife has an unobstructed vision, unlike Crowder, of what her husband wants to do to her. She sees what her husband’s plan is when she finds his gun hiding in the fishing box. Using her clear vision, she makes her own plan on how to stop what her husband plans to do to her and flip it to kill him instead of vice versa. She exercises her wits and intelligence to notice the flaws in her husband’s cruel scheme and work her way through them and uses her traits to hide from her husband that she knows his plan and create her own plan to kill him. Therefore, in comparing the stories â€Å"Vital Factor and â€Å"Twins†, having a single minded focus can in some cases be detriment, blinding a clear threat to one’s life. On the other hand though, it can actually save one’s life, albeit through deception. In both stories â€Å"Twin† and â€Å"Vital Factor†, the appearance is that the characters have amazing plans that seem to foolproof and impervious to failure but in reality fail and are used against themselves. In â€Å"Twins†, the husband has a marvellous plan to murder his wife and to marry a girlfriend whom he really loves. He uses his profession as a writer to disguise to his present wife that he wants to kill her but rather uses the story he is writing as a plan to get away with the perfect murder. The husband is reckless and has flaws in his plan, for example leaving his gun in a place where his wife might be able to find it. Seeing as the wife did find the gun, she discovers her husband’s plans and goes with her husband into the thick brush seeing to know nothing, while in truth has a plan up her sleeve, the plan her husband wants to use against her. In â€Å"Vital Factor†, Crowder has a brilliant money making idea to send people to space. He finds a unique engineer who is able to build the spacecraft he dreams of. He spends months making this contraption with only money signs in his eyes. This brilliant engineer does exactly as his plans say and build the flying machine. Crowder is so involved in his money and ambition that he sees no other way one can use this machine but to fly from space and back to Earth. Wilkins was always a step before Crowder when he admits to Crowder that â€Å"Your money and ambition paved the way†¦but sentiment was the vital factor that sent me to you†¦I wanted to go home. †(Bond 61) Wilkins is in reality an alien who longs to return to his planet but has no way of getting there. When he meets Crowder, he sees an opportunity to use the power hungry man into paying his way back home. Clearly, when one creates a plan he must look at all the possibilities on how it will become and not just his own.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Ethnomethodology Essay

1. How do the authors make the case that gender is a socially created concept as opposed to an independently existing reality? â€Å"Doing gender means creating differences between girls and boys and women and men, difference that are not natural, essential, or biological,† writes Candace West and Don Zimmerman in the article. The statement implies their theory that gender equates to a difference between two sexes that is not based genitals or anything that comes naturally with being male or female. This is further emphasized by the repetition of the same concept all throughout the article. West and Zimmerman reinforce their belief of gender being a socially-created concept by citing currently existing theories and views on sex and gender plus findings from other studies that point to the fact that gender is not something that we are born with – it is something that we have to keep on â€Å"doing†. West and Zimmerman let it shine how gender is something that we need to work at by saying that, as opposed to the Western, social sciences, and role theory perspectives of gender, we can neither consider gender as something that’s ingrained in our sexual category nor view it something that we only assume depending on the situation at hand. It is a â€Å"product of social doing† and is created through our interaction with other people. 2. What did you learn about your gender behaviors? What experiences have you had that have directed you towards accomplishing gender? Through the article, I have come to know that my gender behaviors are greatly influenced by how culture â€Å"idealizes† how a man or a woman should react in given circumstances. My gender is not only judged through masculinity or femininity but also through the way I adapt to each situation handed out to me. Another thing that I learned was that in as much as my gender behaviors are influenced by cultural dictates, so is culture influenced by my gender behaviors. By conforming to what is expected of my gender, I contribute to justifying the domestic, economic, political, and interpersonal allocation of power and resources already in place. Experiences that direct me towards accomplishment of gender occur almost everyday – from simply wearing what is expected of me to saying things that is expected of someone of my own gender. 3. How could you apply these learnings in a counseling environment with clients at various developmental stages? What contributions could these ideas make to counseling? What I’ve learned from West and Zimmerman’s article can be applied in a counseling environment, especially when dealing with people like Agnes or the growing up teenagers who often get confused with their ’sexual’ and/or ‘gender’ orientation. Since a person’s biological traits do not necessarily dictate his/her gender, the ideas proposed by West and Zimmerman can be the perfect explanation as to why the confusions arise. It can also point out why society reacts the way they do with gays and lesbians – they have a pre-constructed notion of how males and females should react and are usually taken aback by anything that suggests that there are more than two sexes. The authors’ theory is the first step towards knowing how the confusion and the seemingly negative reaction can be eliminated. 4. Describe the self-regulating processes you engage in the research class? What behaviors do you observe in others that serve to maintain gender identities? In research class, we are wont to being mindful of the topics that we handle. We strive to be gender-sensitive and try, as much as possible, to conduct a research in a manner that will not be offensive for either males or females. Maintaining gender identities is something that everybody strives to do. This may be apparent in the way questioning is done in different genders. Because females are expected to be coy about topics like sexual relationships, these are not normally asked straightforward of them. Also, since society has constructed man as a natural leader, the male members of the class are more often than not appointed leader or looked upon as knowledgeable. 5. In what ways do West and Zimmerman contribute to â€Å"theory making†? Describe their theory in your own words? How is it useful? West and Zimmerman themselves outlined in their paper, â€Å"Our purpose in this article is to propose an ethnomethodologically informed, and therefore distinctively sociological, understanding of gender as a routine, methodical, and recurring accomplishment.† In saying so, they themselves admit that, with their article, they are trying to add to the already existing body of knowledge on gender. With â€Å"Doing Gender†, West and Zimmerman contribute to theory making by inferring their own findings on what gender really is. For West and Zimmerman, gender is something that one has to continuously work on. It is not a given aspect of a person nor is it something that, once learned, is already ingrained in you. In fact, the two believes that gender is a continuing process and one has to keep on working at conforming to ‘roles’ associated with his/her gender. They also believe that â€Å"doing gender† is an inevitable part of life and that to actually change how â€Å"doing gender† solidifies gender roles, overhaul of societal beliefs is needed. West and Zimmerman’s theory is, in my opinion, useful in that it can help us achieve a unified definition of gender. This, in turn, may result to a better understanding of how the concept of gender is created by the societal undercurrents. 6. Discuss what makes West and Zimmerman’s article research? Describe their methodology. Give an example of an application of this methodology in counseling or counselor education. Merriam-Webster.com defines research as a â€Å"studious inquiry or examination†¦ aimed at the discovery and interpretation of facts, revision of accepted theories or laws in the light of new facts, or practical application of such new or revised theories or laws†. â€Å"Doing Gender† approached its conclusion with the use of a method (studious inquiry). The authors had a particular aim at conducting the study (aimed at interpreting facts), and that was to come up with a more informed understanding of gender (revision of accepted theories or law). Studious inquiry, aimed at interpreting facts, revision of accepted theories or law – all these have been successfully met West and Zimmerman’s article; hence, it can actually be considered a research. West and Zimmerman approached their comprehension of gender by compiling existing point of views and studies on gender. Those that actually contradict their theory were properly explained as to why they cannot be taken for truth and those that are in support of their theory were properly explained.   This is what George Psatahs called â€Å"The organization of practical actions and practical reasoning†, a variety of ethnomethodology (â€Å"Ethnomethodology†, 2007). Said method is aimed at looking at ways people construct the meanings and interpretations of the world and everything in it. Since counseling entails knowing why a person thinks the way s/he does, ethnomethodology can be very useful in conducting it. With a deeper understanding of how people view the world, more informed answers can be delivered in a counseling session.   

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Jeremy Sumpter Soul Surfer

In 2003, teenager Bethany Hamilton (AnnaSophia Robb) lives in Kauai, Hawaii with her parents Tom (Dennis Quaid) and Cheri (Helen Hunt), and two brothers, Noah (Ross Thomas) and Timmy (Chris Brochu). All are surfers, but she and her best friend Alana Blanchard (Lorraine Nicholson) have grown up with a passion for the sport and enter a competition. Her church youth ministry leader, Sarah Hill (Carrie Underwood), is disappointed when she has to withdraw from a planned missions trip because of the contest.Bethany and Alana place first and third, respectively, while the second place winner, Malina Birch (Sonya Balmores), proves to be resentful. Bethany invites both girls up on the winner's box with her, but Malina ungraciously refuses. The Rip Curl surfwear company offers to sponsor her and Alana in competition.The night before Halloween, Alana and Bethany sneak off with some friends to go surfing. Later while Tom goes to the hospital for knee surgery, both girls go surfing with Alana's f ather Holt (Kevin Sorbo) and Brother Byron (Jeremy Sumpter). As Bethany dangles her left arm in the water, a tiger shark appears out of nowhere and sinks its teeth into it, biting it off near the shoulder. Holt gets Bethany out of the water and puts a tourniquet on her while Byron calls 911. An ambulance meets them on the way to the hospital. Just before starting Tom's knee surgery, Dr. David Rovinsky (Craig T. Nelson) is called to the emergency room to treat Bethany. Besides losing her left arm, Bethany also lost 60% of her blood and David calls her  survival a miracle.Bethany's injury prevents her participating in the Rip Curl photo shoots, but she wishes Alana well. Inside Edition, a television program, offers to provide a prosthetic arm that is cosmetically perfect and has bendable joints, in exchange for an interview. Bethany angrily rejects it when she learns it will not help her surf as it is not weight bearing, due to the size of the stump of her arm. The onslaught of papa razzi also proves to be a great strain on her family and their privacy. The Hamiltons are grateful to Holt for his quick thinking and decisive action that saved her life.Bethany perseveres and, after a recuperation period, gets back in the water and learns to surf with one arm, eventually re-entering the competition. She tells her rival Malina not to take it easy on her, and rejects a five-minute head start offered by the judges. She does not perform well because she cannot stay on the board long enough to go out and catch a competitive wave and Malina wins. Disheartened, she decides to give up competitive surfing. Bethany sees the effects of the 2004 tsunami on television, which places her own problems in perspective.She decides to surprise Sarah by joining the youth group on another mission trip to help the devastated people of Phuket, Thailand. They are understandably afraid of the water, including a little boy. Bethany decides to go into it with a surfboard, hoping this will coa x him into it. It works, and the realization that she can use her gift to inspire people motivates her to take up surfing again.Tom rigs a handle on her surfboard which she can use to prevent falling off while paddling out to the waves, which is not prohibited by the competition's rules. He also voices the belief that she possesses a great surfer's instinct for sensing when the best waves will form. She enters the national championship, thanks Malina for treating her as a serious competitor, and performs respectably, though she is still chasing third place.Suddenly, with only minutes left on the clock, the waves die down and all the surfers can only loiter, waiting for the waves to start back up. Tom's belief in his daughter's instinct is proven when she is the only one to sense a big wave forming, and she alone paddles out. When it forms, the others cannot get out in time and she catches it just as the horn sounds. If  it is in time, she will win, but the judges rule that the tim e has expired. Malina is the winner, but she has finally gotten over her differences with her, inviting her up on the platform to share first place.Subsequently, Bethany lets the reporters interview her. One asks her what she would do if given the chance to undo the loss of her arm. She says that she would still lose it because she can embrace more people now than she ever could with both. The film ends with real video of Bethany surfing after the attack.II. ReactionMy problem with â€Å"Soul Surfer† is that it makes it look too simple. Bethany (AnnaSophia Robb) has a loving family of professional surfers and a big, friendly dog. She lives in walking distance of the beach. She was and is a committed churchgoer and got great support from her spiritual leaders. She was an indomitable optimist with a fierce competitive spirit. But there had to be more to it than that. I applaud her faith and spirit. I give her full credit for her determination. I realize she is a great athlete. But I feel something is missing. There had to be dark nights of the soul. Times of grief and rage. The temptation of nihilism. The lure of despair. Can a 13-year-old girl lose an arm and keep right on smiling? The flaw in the storytelling strategy of â€Å"Soul Surfer† is that it doesn't make Bethany easy to identify with. She's almost eerie in her optimism. Her religious faith is so unshaken, it feels taken for granted.The film feels more like an inspirational parable than a harrowing story of personal tragedy. Even its portrait of her recovery and rehabilitation is perfunctory. There's a particularly unconvincing scene where she's fitted with a prosthetic arm and refuses to wear it. They're making remarkable progress in the field of prosthetics. But the arm that she's offered looks no more useful than the arm that she rips off her Barbie doll the same night (in one of the movie's rare moments of depression). Although I can understand a good prosthetic might not help her bal ance on a surfboard, I believe one might be of use in other situations — and I don't mean cosmetically. Maybe I'm mistaken. â€Å"Soul Surfer† is a wholesome movie, intended as inspirational. Whether it will cheer viewers who are not as capable as Bethany is an excellent question. AnnaSophia Robb is a convincing, cheerful heroine.Dennis Quaid and HelenHunt, as Bethany's parents, are stalwart and supportive, although the script indeed leaves them with no other choice. SOUL SURFER has very poignant moments that will bring tears to your eyes. It has one of those endings that make the movie work, despite some light weight scenes. AnnaSophia Robb as Bethany gives a wonderful performance. A cast of veterans provides great support. The good news is that real courage comes from deep faith in Jesus Christ, not just willpower. There are powerful church scenes, but they shouldn’t alienate secular viewers because they are extremely real. Bravo!III. Psychological DisorderThe Psychological disorder in this movie was Major depression disorder is an (also known as clinical depression, major depression, unipolar depression, unipolar disorder or recurrent depression in the case of repeated episodes) is a mental disorder characterized by episodes of all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem and loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities. The understanding of the nature and causes of depression has evolved over the centuries, though this understanding is incomplete and has left many aspects of depression as the subject of discussion and research. Major depression significantly affects a person's family and personal relationships, work or school life, sleeping and eating habits, and general health.Its impact on functioning and well-being has been compared to that of chronic medical conditions such as diabetes. A person having a major depressive episode usually exhibits a very low mood, which pervades all aspects of life, and a n inability to experience pleasure in activities that were formerly enjoyed. Depressed people may be preoccupied with, or ruminate over, thoughts and feelings of worthlessness, inappropriate guilt or regret, helplessness, hopelessness, and self-hatred.[6] In severe cases, depressed people may have symptoms of psychosis. The diagnosis of major depressive disorder is based on the patient's self-reported experiences, behavior reported by relatives or friends, and a mental status examination. There is no laboratory test for major depression, although physicians generally request tests for physical conditions that may cause similar symptomsIV. RecommendationSoul Surfer is a great movie to watch with your family and I would recommend this movie to anyone. This film was very well done and what's better is its all based on a true story and from the looks of the credits where they show real footage they certainly stayed true to it! Robb does a great job as young Bethany who loses her arm to a shark attack, and we follow her struggle to get back in the water and compete as a surfer once again. It's a very emotional film but thanks to some great acting and beautiful scenery it all comes together nicely.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Gatto Against Schools Critique

Jamille Coy â€Å"Against School: How public education cripples our kids, and why â€Å", is a piece written by John Taylor Gatto which was published in the Harpers Magazine September 2003 issue. Gatto was a New York City public school teacher for about thirty years , who after all this time teaching came to a conclusion that public schooling was nothing but, a system created by the high powers to create a large labour force and to keep the general public under some level of control.He believed that schools stifled a child maturing process and the only way to curb this issue way to educate our own children. Gatto opens his piece speaking about his personal experiences within the public school systems in Manhattan, where he says he became an expert in boredom. His expertise in this area of boredom he claims came from the kids he taught, who always complained about being bored in the class room and being taught by teachers who were also bored and uninterested in their subject.He then said we are to blame for our boredom and the only person obligated to amuse you ways one’s self. He said he learnt this remedy of amusing one’s self to cure boredom from his grandfather. The use of these personal or firsthand experiences were very effective because it tells the reader that the writer isn’t just writing from pure opinion but from something more, which allows you to trust him. He follows by saying that he believes people who didn’t know they were responsible for their own amusement were childish and should be avoided and definitely not trusted.He claims that he often defied custom and bent laws just to help kids to get out of the trap of boredom and childishness. He said teachers had a choice either help kids take an education or help them receive it and he was one who wanted to help kids receive it. Consequently he explains that he was fired after childish adults plotted against him and after nine months of tormented effort and his family having to suffer he was able to reacquire his teachers’ license.In this part of Gatto’s piece he uses a lot of strong words (avoided, not trusted, defy, trap, plotted, tormented) which can be both positive and negative. In one instance it may get scare the reader into believing him and in another it can be seen as terribly biased and cause paranoia. He end off the introductory paragraph quoting Gorge W Bush saying what if when he said â€Å"leave no child behind† he accidentally spoke the truth, was our schools designed to make sure not one child ever grows up?This quotation was the introduction to the main idea of his article and it was very effective because he used authority in using G W Bush and also ended it off with a rhetorical question to leave the reader thinking and preparing him/her for what is about to follow. In the opening to his main argument or body he asks three rhetorical questions which he follows by indirect answers â€Å"Do we really need school? Is it really necessary? If so for what? He then answers all these questions indirectly saying that 2 million happy homeschoolers showed that we didn’t need it.Then he mention some popular Americans who weren’t schooled such as Abraham Lincoln ,Thomas Jefferson, Carnegie and Rockefeller, saying that these people achieved a circumstantial level of success and wealth without schooling. He makes sure and points out that he is just saying school isn’t needed but that he totally agrees that education is, maybe just not the formal system that we all know today. He explains that’s the system (schooling) has made us to believe that school is in direct proportions with success, which he says historically isn’t true both financially and intellectually.The question and answer technique he use was very effective because it first makes the writer think and then by following with answering we unknowing accept and believe his argument. His use of popular A mericans who weren’t schooled is somewhat effective in that once can without a doubt see that some people without school can achieve success but at the same that time can argue that it was a different time and the world has changed and education is much more crucial part of life than it was in the time of Rockefeller and Washington.He used a list to explain that mass schooling was believed to make good people, good citizens and to make each his personal best but this was definitely not so. This list which is actually very effective because its helps the reader to remember and understand main points. He then quotes H. L. Mencken who said the aim of public education is not to fill the young of spices with knowledge and awaken them but it is to simply reduce as many individuals as possible to the same safe level, to breed and train a standardize citizenry to put down dissent and originality .From this quote Gatto wants us to take what Mencken said seriously but coming from a sat irist, it lacks effectiveness. Gatto then goes on to speak about James Bryant Conant who was the president of Harvard for twenty years, world war two poison gas specialists the principal of Colubine High Colorado and the person who introduce standardized testing into the school system. He mention Conant to show a man who had very little background on education influenced it in a big way which was somewhat effective but at the same time could have been considered confusing and misplaced.Another reason for mentioning Conant was to introduce Inglis who believes the reason for school was to stem mass, incurable division so that the underclass’s can never integrate as a dangerous whole. Gatto list what Inglis found to be the purpose of schooling which was: the adjustive or adaptive function, the integrating function, the diagnostic and directive function, the differing function, the selective function and the propaedeutic function. This list was as said before very effective becau se it goes in depth and explains to the reader giving the reader more insight on what the writer is trying to delineate.He starts off his closing points of his argument with the words â€Å"There now you have it. Now you know. † Which somewhat disparages the reader and give a cocky and conceitedness about the writer which can push the reader away from agreement with what he is saying. In this closing argument he says that mandatory schooling had no other objective but to; dumb people down, separate us by classes, encourage us to be lazy not to think at all and to create non-stop consumers.He said that school has turned our children into addicts and it is no accident he quotes Plato and Rousseau to show this. They described our schools as factories in which the raw products (children) are to be shaped and fashioned and built to specification laid down. He said it is obvious what these specifications are; lack of maturity, easy divorce laws, easy credit and easy questions. He u sed very effective rhetorical strategies by comparing children to raw products and schools to factories which gave us images and made his writing more understandable.He concludes by saying that the good news is now that we understand the logic behind modern schooling, its tricks and traps are fairly easy to avoid. He said the answer is to teach own to be leaders and adventurers. He says before we can do this we have to understand that’s schools are laboratories of experimentation on young mind, drill centers for the habits and cooperate society demands. He said that mandatory education serves children only accidentally and the real purpose is to make them servants.He said that the answer is just to let children manage themselves. This closing paragraph was very ambiguous, it was effect in the imagery give with his metaphors but at the same time the answer to the entire thing was bland. After all that he had to say it seems no real solution was given to the problem, which show s he is not very solution oriented and causes his entire article to lose effectiveness. Works Cited Gatto, John Taylor. â€Å"Against School. † Harper's Magazine Sep. 2001: 35-38. Print. MLA formatting by BibMe. org.

Friday, September 13, 2019

Scurity Policy Framework Outline Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Scurity Policy Framework Outline - Essay Example Agencies must in a position to share intelligence (personal data included) self-assuredly knowing it is dependable (Siponen, 2000), comprehensible and safeguarded to contracted standards irrespective of the format or the transmission mechanism. 1. This is the first of five Security Policies inside the ASWERA Security Policy Framework; delineating the obligatory security necessities and organizational provisions and measures to which all Branches and Agencies ought to adhere to (Gaggis, 2005). 2. Governance provisions for security highly depend on the conglomerate amid the midpoint of Administration, Branches, and Agencies (Siponen, 2000), persons employed in the security group, their distribution partners, and eventually all employed staff on behalf of ASWERA. 3. The Official Committee on Security is accountable for articulating the security policy and organizing its solicitation across management. Official Committee on Security is responsible for dealing with international societies (Keukeleire & Macnaughtan, 2008). Cabinet Office Government Security Secretariat specifies the secretariat for the Official Committee on Security and is accountable for initializing and collaborating this outline (Siponen, 2000), guaranteeing acquiescence with the least necessities, associate Departments and organizing an annual report to the Official Committee on Security on the state of security across Management (Keukeleire & Macnaughtan, 2008). Cabinet Office Government Security Secretariat performs its duties closely with the security and information society in evolving and reconsidering the security policies (Siponen, 2000). 4. Whilst security is a mutual concern for all the staff and the contractors, ultimate concern for security respites with Accounting Officers and their corresponding Management Panels, which ought to include a Senior Information Risk Owner (Siponen, 2000). The efficient use embracing the sharing and security of intelligence is a fundamental significance

Thursday, September 12, 2019

The Global Environment of Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

The Global Environment of Business - Essay Example He decided to venture into employment as a freelance designer and simultaneously opened a sportswear company that collapsed in less than a year due to financial inefficiencies. He then joined Jordache fashion house as a designer as a blue jeans designer where he was able to meet Murjani. On his part, Mohan Murjani was hansdling a failing business and was in need of a new idea. Although he was one of the main brains behind the blue jeans craze in the 70s, his own venture, the Gloria Vanderbilt Jeans was not doing quite well. He sought Hilfiger to design for his company; the Murjani International. His move was targeted at resurrecting the jeans craze that was once a Phenomenon in the 1970s. Furthermore, he wanted to introduce new clothing designs that were less expensive and with a high appeal to the youthful generation. 1988, Murjani, Hilfiger and two other investors bought out Murjani International due to its financial woes and changed the name to Tommy Hilfiger.They moved their head quarters to Hong Kong due to the business connections of one of the partners in Asia. This business venture clicked and sales begun to come quickly and they eventually joined the New York Stock exchange in 1992 although this came to an end in 2006 as it was privatized by the Apax partner fund in London. Consequently, their headquarters were relocated to the Netherlands. Currently, it is considered to be one of the most successful fashion brands in the world. Its profits are believed to be around the region of $1.8 billion per annum. It is rated as one of the most creative and influential design companies in the modern times. Their logo is considered to be one of the most recognizable in the world. Almost each an every adult can be able to recognize the blue, red and white colors of the logo. For this reason, he has been able to expand his local and international appeal through his ever improving and unique