Plugged In or Plugged Out?

The technological age has dawned upon us. 80 percent of Americans own a computer; they're constantly sucked into their iPods, iPhones, Blackberries, TVs, computers – you name it – from the time they awaken to the time they fall asleep. American teenagers, born into this world of technology as soon as it began to take off in the 1990s, find themselves completely at ease with computers, a trait that is, so far, unique to their generation. Schools have slowly started to implement new technologies into the classroom – the latest computers, tablets, projectors, smart boards – however schools must be weary of introducing too much new technology, because as instructive as they can be, they can also be disruptive and dangerous. When the right balance is found, the public school system – and the students – will surely prosper. The Internet, bursting into the homes of Americans in the 1990s, revolutionized American life. Entire businesses can be created and destroyed with the click of a mouse; doctors and nurses rely on it to store medical records and ensure the health of their patients. Newspapers, once so imperative to American life, and in shaping the history of our nation, have been completely replaced with online news websites, and businesses have learned to adapt to advertise and sell in the online world, when they had previously been limited only to print, television and radio. Countless numbers of student help websites have opened; the college application process simplified. Yes, the Internet is an incredible place, bursting with knowledge, but it is also a breeding ground for cheating and plagiarism. To accompany the honest educational websites, there are sites with prewritten essays – pay a small fee, copy and paste, and you're done. Students abuse websites such as Sparknotes and Cliffsnotes instead of reading the book that they're assigned, and they rely on search engines such as Google to do their homework for them. The lewd content, displayed so boldly and proudly, splashed across the pages of millions of websites, is also a problem for schools – one wrong click on a search engine and you could be viewing something you never wanted to see. It's a free-for-all in cyberspace, and there is certainly no quality control, as the Supreme Court ruled it a violation of privacy to regulate free speech on the web. Although technology to conquer these problems is in wide use – Turnitin, a plagiarism detector, and various Internet blocking s ystems are just a few – they are never 100 percent successful in their quest to make the Internet a less vile place. However, by taking proper safety precautions, schools can protect their students and still ensure they have access to the educational tools the internet provides. Read also Twitter Case Study Technology has impacted our daily routine so much that rarely do we ever find ourselves using the â€Å"old-fashioned† pen and paper. Why would we need to? We have cell phones to store phone numbers in and word processors to write papers in. Even keeping a journal seems like a thing of the past when our lives are documented so well by Facebook, Twitter, and various blogging sites. Pens and pencils have been exchanged for a keyboard, paper exchanged for a word processor. However, this is not necessarily a bad thing; with less paper consumption comes a healthier Earth. This is what e- books such as the Kindle attempt to accomplish. They read just like a book, store upwards of 10,000 books, are extremely lightweight and portable, and, of course, use no paper. Textbooks are available for purchase through these e-books for half the cost of traditional textbooks, and implementing them in schools could not only save the environment – they could also save money. The world is at the fingertips of students using the Internet – literally. One can take a tour of Paris, London or Rome, and even walk on the surface of the Moon or Mars using Google Maps. Google Art Project gives students the chance to explore art museums around the world, viewing old and new masterpieces with the click of a button. They can easily have a casual conversation via webcam in the foreign language of their choice with someone who lives halfway across the world. The can communicate with their teachers instantaneously outside of school and learn like never before. So what's stopping schools from investing in this new wealth of technology for the betterment of their student body? With sufficient Internet protection in place, students can learn better, and more quickly and effectively, than ever before. If the next generation is properly equipped with the right technology, they sky will no longer be the limit; they can reach for the stars and beyond.

Nursing as a career

Nursing as a profession has fascinated me as a child.   I derive a lot of inner satisfaction in helping people, especially the sick, the needy and elderly people.   I do feel happy once I am able to observe the reaction and the gratefulness they suggest to me in their own humble way, once they have received help.   I consider this to be the most beautiful thing about the nursing profession.   I feel that nursing is a combination of science and technology, and the art of caring. I was able to witness the distinctiveness of nursing frequently, when a family member or a friend was admitted in a nursing care facility.   I felt that the nurses who provided care did a great job.   They were able to give all the love and affection to their patients, which really helped quicken recovery.   Frequently, patients who received care admired their nurses for developing a positive attitude and relationship during their stay in the hospital.   This according to me is the greatest reward that nurses get for their work. Nurses develop a bonding with their patients within a very short period, through interactions and common emotions shared following medical problems.   This relationship usually ends on a positive note, with recovery and discharge of the patient.   The patients have long-lasting memories of their nurses who helped them during traumatic periods. Nursing is one of the noblest professions, and I am very excited that I am going to be a part of it.   Besides specialized training, knowledge and skill required for nursing, I feel that the most important thing is to develop compassion, kindness, patience, conscience and understanding while providing professional care.   These issues according to me remain the most important characteristics of nursing, and all other things come second. My goals in life include helping humanity to the best of my knowledge, skill and competence, particularly in my field of specialization that is nursing.   Once I am able to complete my undergraduate course, I would like pursue masters, and even do research work, along with nursing practice in a community hospital.   A degree in nursing would be a stepping stone at fulfilling my goals in life.   Through masters and higher education, I would be in a better position to provide care and assistance to my patients. References: Maryland Health Careers (2007). Nursing Careers. Retrieved 3 February, 2007, from Maryland Health Careers Web site: http://www.marylandhealthcareers.org/html/student/nursing.html         

Birth Control and Abortion

Other times of birth control which are a little bit more complexes are the IUD anther more percent type of birth control is getting there tubes tied. There are other things that women can do if they do become pregnant and they choose they do not want to have a child at this time in their life. There are pills they can take five days after they have sex which can be bought over the counter at any drug store, There are also abortion pills that can be taken up to your 6th week of pregnancy, and last but not least a women has the choice to terminate a pregnancy by getting an abortion. Abortion is a big issue in today’s times and it is also a topic that can make some feel one of many different types of emotions. Abortion can happen up until the 13 week of a pregnancy. Abortion is a permit solution in terminating a pregnancy it can also be damage a female in many different ways not only physically but mentally as well. Abortions are a way to terminate pregnancies but they should not be used as a type of birth control. There are many pros and cons of both situation and everyone women should look into their options Birth Control comes in many forms for both men and women. The most common for the two would be condoms and birth control pills. Women can also seek other methods like diaphragms, Depo-Provera shots, Norplant’s, Nuvarings, or even a birth control patch however; the most powerful form of birth control would be absence (Planned Parenthood Federation of America, 2007). All these methods are proven effective but may cause some side effects in some people. Birth Control Method| Common Side Effects| Depo-ProveraLess than 1 out of 100 women a year will become pregnant by taken the shot when directed. Cost: $35 – 75Injected into the arm and last for 3 months. * Irregular bleeding especially within the first year. * Change in sex drive. * Change in appetite or weight gain. * Headaches * Nausea * Sore breast| Norplant’s (Implants)Less than 1 out of 100 women a year may become pregnant. Cost: $400-800Inserted into the arm and last for 3yrs. | * Change in sex drive. * Irregular bleeding within 6 to 12 months. * Discoloring or scarri ng where the implant was placed. * Rarely, an infection in the implant location. * Sore breast * Weight gain| Birth Control PillsFew as 1 in 100 women will become pregnant in a year if they use the pill effectively. Cost: $15-50 per monthMust take pill every day at same time to be most effective. | * Bleeding between periods. * Breast tenderness. * Nausea and/or vomiting| Condoms 2 out of 100 women may still become pregnant after using a condom correctlyCost: $1 eachCan be used by men. This device also prevent against sexual transmitted diseases. Female condoms are also available. | * Most common complaint is people are allergic to the latex which condoms are made from. * Condoms do break which forms no protection. | These are just a few of the outlined cost and complications that have been associated with different forms of birth control. Although, many have a great success record absence is the only method that is truly 100% effective. However, if women and men both actively participate in using contraceptives then they may avoid STD’s (with the use of condoms), and unwanted or unplanned pregnancies. Abortion is a medical procedure for any expecting mother to elect to have about her own body. The procedure can be performed up until the mother is in her second trimester. When a child is in the first trimester they weigh on average a 1/2 ounce and estimated to be 3 inches long (Just mommies, 2003-2012). During the first trimester the child also has a heartbeat that can be heard with ultrasonic devices. When a mother reached her second trimester the child is still growing developing more specific features. By the end of the second trimester the child will have developed all major organs (Just mommies, 2003-2012). Many people consider the abortion procedure to be immoral and wrong because it involves taking the life of an unborn child who has already developing in the womb. Over 7% of women just their reason for seeking an abortion because they were a victim of rape or incest and health concerns for the mother or baby (M, 2012). Many women who opt for this procedure may find themselves suffering from guilt or depression afterwards resulting in a life altering experience. For individual who don’t want to have children they have different types of birth control that can to prevent pregnancy. Birth control can come in a pill, patch, shot, surgical, internal, or abstinence. Birth control is not only for women but men as well. Men can use condoms to help protect them from getting women pregnant as well as protect themselves from sexually transmitted diseases. Men can also have a vasectomy which can cause them not to be able to produce children at all. Women have a similar procedure but it is called a tubal litigation. This prevents the woman from producing an egg and being fertilized. Each form of birth control comes with some type of side effect and it is best that the individual chooses what is comfortable for them. The side effects can vary depending on the individual and how their body adapts to the medication. Some women like to look at abortion as a type of birth control. There are different types of abortion and also different types of birth control. With abortion the different methods are used at each different point in pregnancy and may be performed different each time also. There are the first trimester abortions which can be suction aspiration or dilation and curettage also known as Damp;C. the suction aspiration is the most common surgical methods that is used in the first trimester abortions, this is when the cervix is numbed and stretched open. It allows the abortionist to suck the baby’s body out with a knife like plastic tube. During the suction the lining of the uterus may be torn away. The Damp;C methods are somewhat similar to the suction. The instrument used for this procedure is called a curette (a loop shaped steel knife) which is used to scrape the wall of the uterus. During this procedure the baby and the uterus if cut up into pieces and then sucked out. An abortion can also be performed with a chemical implantation. Abortions can take place in each stage of pregnancy and is performed in different ways according to the size of the baby and what stage you are at in your pregnancy. For the second trimester there is a procedure that is used that is similar to the Damp;C and it is called the Damp;E or dilation and evacuation. With this procedure the woman is given some type of sedative and the abortionist is dilates the women and use instruments such as forceps to pull the baby to pieces. There is also a late second and third trimester abortions. During the late second and third trimester abortions the abortionist uses instillation techniques which is injects lethal chemicals into the amniotic fluid by an amniocentesis, intra cardiac injections which stop the unborn heart or hysterectomies which are identical to a cesarean section and is intended to harm the child. These are only a few of the abortion techniques that are used but more exists. Birth control and abortions can help with decision making when it comes to having or not having children. Some individuals look at abortions and are totally against it and other may use it as a form of birth control. Women start out as teenagers using birth control to prevent early pregnancy or pregnancy at all. Both of these methods come with side effects and it should be strictly the individual’s choice to use either one.

Fa his 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Fa his 1 - Essay Example Notably, the need for sovereignty and the existence of a nation emerged as the prominent reasons. The collapse of the military system also enabled the rise to peace. The representatives from the eleven Soviet republics including Ukraine, Belarus, the Russian Federation, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Kyrgyzstan and others met in the Kazakh city. They made resolutions to terminate their membership in the Soviet Union. Instead, the countries agreed to form a commonwealth of independent states like the Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia Baltic republics that declared their disinterest from the USSR. Implementation of the numerous reforms by the Soviet leader Gorbachev during his rule also facilitated the fall of Soviet Union. He later expressed dissatisfaction in the dissolution of his nation making him leave the job on 25 December. (Maxwell, 2014) The Cold War occurred in three categories namely the West, East, and Non-aligned groups. The United States commanded the West. It comprised of countries with democratic political systems. Likewise, the Soviet Union led the East comprising of countries with communist political organizations. The non-aligned group never sided with either the East or West. Meanwhile, Harry Truman was the first American leader to fight the Cold War. He applied various policies including the Truman Doctrine. In this, he authorized a plan to provide money and military support to countries threatened by communism. The success of the system evidenced when it helped stop the communists from taking control of Turkey and Greece (Paul, 2013).The Marshall Plan policy also helped to avert the challenges of communists. It supported the governments and economies of Western Europe countries thus limiting the success of communism. â€Å"The Berlin Airlift was a remarkable event in the Cold War. After World War Two, the United States and its Allies divided Germany making Berlin a part of communist East Germany. Berlin

Journal Entry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Journal Entry - Essay Example This not only helps us keep to the point and on the right track in the way of achieving our goals, but also makes us more confidant as we know what we want and what we need to do in order to accomplish our goals. Knowledge of self also has a good effect on others and others tend to think good of us because we are never impressed with people that are confused and unsure about what they want in life in general and in a particular setting in particular. One factor that I like about the chapter is that the author has supported the arguments with credible sources. Another factor that is worthy of appreciation is that the author has tried to make a holistic approach in discussing and analyzing various aspects of self-knowledge, be it the levels of management in an organization, or the three levels of self i.e. individual, interpersonal, and collective. Yet another factor that I like about this chapter is that it is not just a discussion of what self-knowledge is and what its different aspects are, but also mentions different exercises and activities doing which one’s knowledge of self can be increased. I did all of the activities mentioned in the chapter and as a result of this found a significant increase in my self-knowledge. These activities were quite interesting and easy to do. I intend to do these exercises and activities periodically; probably once every three months to see how I have changed as a person over the period. The author has made it very easy for the readers to understand him by not just discussing the complicated terms, but also defining them first e.g. emotional challenges and value maturity. I personally believe that knowledge of self is fundamental to one’s improvement as a human being. One cannot improve one’s personality unless one does not identify one’s flaws, strengths, and weaknesses. Reflection on

Medical marijuana Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Medical marijuana - Essay Example Even though, FDA has not shown any green signal to marijuana, many people in America believe that marijuana can be used as an effective medicine in the treatment of some of the diseases like nausea, vomiting, glaucoma etc. Moreover, marijuana can stimulate hunger among some patients, and it can also be used a pain reliever. However, marijuana has not achieved the status of a medicine yet and still marijuana use is labeled in the category of substance abuse in most of the countries. Roth (2008) has pointed out that â€Å"To date, marijuana is still classified as an illegal Schedule 1 drug by the Controlled Substances Act. It is defined as having "no accepted medical use in treatment in the United States" (Roth). On the other hand, critics of marijuana argue that marijuana should not be used as a medicine because of its side effects. For them, marijuana has the ability to make huge physical and emotional changes in a person which may affect the person in the long run. No American cour ts so far took any favorable stand in administering marijuana as a drug because of the lack of scientific evidences to prove the credentials of marijuana as a drug. This paper briefly analyses the pros and cons argues against using marijuana as a medicine. Some of the early studies in the 1970’s and 80’s shown that light or moderate consumers of marijuana may not develop any physical or psychological problems. In other words, the controlled use of marijuana may not cause many problems to the user. However, it should be note that many of the current generation do not have the ability to control their behaviors. For example, a person who started smoking or drinking just for a joke may become an addict. Same way, marijuana users can also become addicts as time goes on. Moreover, marijuana available in the past and present has lot of differences. Its potency, as measured by the THC content, has greatly increased from as low as one or two per cent to as high as 15% today. S ome medical studies have shown that this change greatly increases the risk, especially for heavy users, to lungs, reproductive and immune systems. It also increases the heart rate and can impair motor skills and the ability to concentrate. These health dangers provide are more support for deterring its availability. The Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN), which keeps track of marijuana-related emergency room visits, reports that this statistic has risen steadily in the past three decades (Parker). â€Å"THC is a fat-soluble substance and will accumulate in fatty tissues in the liver, lungs, testes, and other organs. Two days after smoking marijuana, one-quarter of the THC content may still be retained† (Basic facts About Drug Marijuana). Marijuana available at present are enriched with more THC content in order to make the consumers satisfied. Most of the drug addicts and alcohol addicts are using these things to change their moods. However, they may require more doses as time goes on to attain a particular mood. Marijuana sellers enrich the THC content to alarming levels in order satisfy the users. Substance abusers or marijuana users may not bother much about the THC content because of addiction. Thus, their physical and mental health would be severely damaged as a result of marijuana use over a time particular time period. â€Å"While cannabis itself is not physically addictive it can be dangerous for those with mental health issues and is often supplied by dealers who also

Computational fluid dynamics in filters Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Computational fluid dynamics in filters - Essay Example Essentially, a CFD simulation protocol is so computationally intensive and involves such esoteric mathematical skills (because it involves the solution of non-linear partial differential equations) that individual efforts at completion of these Herculean tasks is next to impossible. So, recently many software companies have sprung up that provide requisite software tools for the same (most notably FLUENT). The operational protocol of such companies (e.g. FLUENT) is briefly outlined below.A virtual prototype of the fluid model to be examined is built within the ambit of a Computer Aided Design (CAD) package which is characterized by a unique and suitable computational mesh which in turn is created after accounting the boundary conditions and specific fluid material properties for the operation. Standard preprocessing software tools such as GAMBIT, TGrid and G/Turbo are supplied to the customers by these companies. The rest of the protocol is efficiently conveyed in the following state ment in the official fluent.com home page, "CAD geometries are easily imported and adapted for CFD solutions in GAMBIT, Fluent's own preprocessor. 3D solid modelingoptions in GAMBIT allow for straightforward geometry construction as well as high quality geometry translation. Among a wide range of geometry tools, Boolean operators provide a simple way of getting from a CAD solid to a fluid domain. A state-of-the-art set of cleanup and conditioning tools prepares the model for meshing. GAMBIT's unique curvature and proximity based "size function" produces a correct and smooth CFD-type mesh throughout the model. Together with our boundary layer technology, a number of volumetric meshing schemes produce the right mesh for your application. Parametric variations are also inherent to the process." For varied computational mesh requirements, other meshing tools as ANSA, Harpoon, Sculptor and YAMS are available. SOLVING [1] This step involves computer simulations of real world conditions by evaluating and assessing product functional efficiency in the specified boundary conditions. Several commercially available suites of softwares, most notable of them being FLUENT, FloWizard, FIDAP, and POLYFLOW (from FLUENT Corporation) boasts of intensive and flexible parallel computing capabilities that enables faster and accurate modeling by solving flow dynamics mathematics involving Navier-Stokes and Eulerian equations. An ideal software suite should have the following attributes- (a) An interactive platform that allows changes to be affected during analysis which saves time and enable more efficient refinement of designs thereby making the learning curve shorter and modeling process faster. (b) Physics and interface functions should be customizable according to design requirements. CFD FOR FILTERS 4 (c) Computational mesh capability should be dynamic and adaptive enough to be compatible with a wide range of physical prototypes which will enable modeling complex moving objects in relation to flow. POST-PROCESSING [1] It is the final step in CFD simulation where the data gathered in the previous computing step is harvested and analyzed in detail to provide a layman's interpretation of the same for broader comprehension and interpretation. Several layers of reporting of the same set of data can be done according to the audience,

Critical Analysis of a short story Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Critical Analysis of a short story - Essay Example According to MacLean, like the spaceship, â€Å"Explorer†, patriarchy appears to be a psychological intrusion in postmodern society (Davin 23-7). Obviously at the heart of this desire lies the prerequisite of being beautiful in body according to some stereotypes predetermined by the male dominated society. McLean asserts that women themselves are psychologically encoded to think of themselves i.e. their self-esteem, identity, body, existence in the society, in a male way. In essence, McLean’s portrayal of gender echoes Judith Butler’s concept of â€Å"Gender Performativity†. For her, gender identity is not something biological or natural. Rather it involves the development of a woman’s identity through the society-defined codes of sex-oriented performance. Again she acknowledges that human â€Å"body† or â€Å"sex† is not a â€Å"mute facticity† that exclusively depends on the organic features of a man. Rather Butler assumes that the gender identity and the differentiation between sexes are made through repeated socio-cultural discourses and actions. According to her, these discourses and actions persistently stylize the body in a certain gender cast, as in the first chapter of â€Å"Gender Trouble† Butler says, â€Å"Gender is the repeated stylization of the body, a set of repeated acts within a highly rigid regulatory frame that congeal over time to produce the appearance of substance, of a n atural sort of being† (43). In the fantasy world of science fiction, MacLean masterfully manipulates an unusual phenomenon of contagion to delve deep into human psychology. Yet her story reveals much of the heart of patriarchy. Though MacLean does not hold patriarchy responsible directly, the female characters of her story are nourished psychologically by patriarchy. Most of the female characters are accustomed to think in a male way (Davin 19-20). While patriarchy considers female body as an object of male desire, the women in the

Modern Retail Architecture Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 8000 words

Modern Retail Architecture - Coursework Example As like in yoga or any other method preferred for solemn meditations, it was believed that the creation and preservation of a preferred environment increases the sense of well being of a person. Be it health wise or business wise the main point is to put any behavioral effect in the people subjected to the certain complexities and patterns relevant to environmental architecture and psychology. It has been known that man's visual system is receptive to the patterns their indivualism or personal traits prefer to conceive or perceive either in terms of visual or auditory reception. Human mind seeks to organize data when faced with random unknown visual information, filters it and automates to switch to anticipating patterns. In effective advertising, the artist has to feel and travel the complexities and inadequacies of human nature by subduing several personalities and differing public opinions or comments regarding a certain art or architecture in order to promote whatever product one has to promote. In layman's terms, being in the shoes of the target market segment, analyzing their choices and neutralizing product quality and what it has to offer to the customers as well. In this present technology, advertising is much more complicated in form and in production. Tastes of the market differ as our flow of life alters the very need of our existence. That is the cost of having facilitated technological advances. Technology, architecture, psychological captivity will take its own run also to directions only an artist can define in his own imagination and scheme. II. Psychology in Architecture At this stage I would like to direct the readers to that point where psychology meets architecture. Psychology proves to be a very useful tool to capture the target market. It has been in practice with regards to the product designs and branding, imaging of a certain business from their uniforms down to their product lines systems and designs. Take it from the very logical competition of the mobile or cell phone market. It constructs its model from being functional to being convenient to being used as leisure or games gadgets. A theory turned into reality and the model is right there and being featured in US magazines and computer books right in front of our very own eyes. This human perceptual function works relatively in the Gestalt rule which seeks to explore the works of the human mind through form or shapes. In architecture, one gets to know to imagine and anticipate what the clients want and how the customers interact with their physical environments. The deal here is anticipation and captivity of the customer's inspirations with regards to effects in colors and design information. 1 It is a very good way of emerging the attributes of ones products and building or room that contains it that will prove to challenge the information architect. In design, we have to achieve maximum performance of our designs through the acceptance and base visual perception relating to mental associations from the eyes down to the brain among users and items /design interface. Note that our human memory is the primary

Understanding of Different Concepts Essay Example for Free

Understanding of Different Concepts Essay Concepts are very complex definitions of everything that we see in everyday life. They are also typically never specific. Concepts of a certain thing or idea might and most probably will change if the person examining the object or idea changes his point of view. Various authors throughout the textbook have written about the different ways we could see things if we don’t close ourselves to what we can only see. One of the authors that talk about this is S. I Hayakawa. His main point in his article is how he stressed to tell us to be more creative, and that we shouldn’t blindly follow what media outlets like the ones on TV because we’re becoming like sheep. He argues that one with creativity best be prepared to endure loneliness and ridicule. He says, and this is very correct, that because of what we see on things like the media, we’re just told to follow what they say is right, and because of that, if one person dares to exclaim otherwise, then he or he will be getting cast away from other people. It’s ok to have a different opinion of things, and he encourages it, because creative people are going to be the most successful in life. Another great way to compare concepts is in Simon Benlow’s paper, â€Å"Have it your way,† he argues that students are being seen differently now, that is, companies are starting to have different concepts of kids at school, because they’re not being seen as what they are: students. Rather, they feel much more like consumers now. Also, kids from a young age have been catered to their every need, and because of that, when they get to college they find out that they weren’t as good as they thought they were, because of tailoring education for students. The essay â€Å"What is education?† by Petra Pepellashi is a perfect example of how two concepts could differ. Here, she uses the education when it was first introduced in the country. She tells about how Jefferson’s point of view of education was much different from what the child education laws going on today. In the end though, the US government ended up selecting the rich guys to choose it, and they chose their own concept of education, one where students are just there to learn how to become a businessman or factory worker. Interpreting concepts in different ways can also lead us to false expectations. Take Daniel Bruno’s essay, â€Å"Entitlement Education,† for example. In the essay, he points out how students â€Å"have a sense of entitlement,† in other words, that after so many times of turning in work that they didn’t put much effort into and getting good grades for them, they feel they deserve better grades than what they get in college. This involves concepts because, while the student thinks the paper deserves a better grade, in the view of the teacher, he could have done much better. This shows that different people can define concepts or ideas as different things, and it could bring problems to them. The same problem is presented in Paul Roberts’ â€Å"How to Say Nothing in 500 words.† Students think that their idea of a good 500 page essay is just writing and filling up as much space as they possibly can, and when they get back their papers, it’s always a big surprise to them when they get something like a D as a grade. Susan Jacoby’s essay, â€Å"When Bright Girls Decide That Math is a ‘Waste of Time,’† is a great example of the difference in what people think about concepts. In this case, it talks about how society sees what classes boys and girls usually take, and more deeply, how society’s ideals for each gender is something that the vast majority of individuals follow. Jacoby cites a good example by showing how if a girl would go to her parents and ask if she can drop her science and math classes because she was looking more into art or history in college, and the parents say they’re ok with it. Ultimately, what Jacoby is trying to say is that because of these decisions where women aren’t given the proper motivation to study more technical classes, it’s crippling the improvement of women’s overall quality of life in the future, since they probably won’t earn the same as other people who know more about science and math (like men do.) Lastly, in Doris Lessing’s â€Å"Group Minds,† she explains how the way we conceptually think about us as members of the western world is very far from reality. As she denotes, a westerner views himself as a free individual who think and does as he pleases, when the truth is that he thinks accordingly to what other people are thinking. In the end, the concept of the westerner as we regularly see it differs from what the truth really is. So, to sum up, concepts, or the ideas and ways we see things, can differ greatly, depending on each person. It’s important to know that this is perfectly normal, as we are free thinkers, but it is also important that we don’t cause problems by having different views on things, as was shown in some examples on this paper.

The Effect Of Internet Piracy

The Effect Of Internet Piracy Both the music and gaming industry claim to suffer from major financial losses due to internet piracy. In 2002, Software publishers claimed that, the worldwide piracy rate for PC business software was 39%, which translated into a $13.08 billion loss in revenue. The music industry also recorded losses of up to $4.6 billion as a result of 1.8 billion illegal downloads. (International Planning and Research Corporation 2003). All these figures indicate significant losses to the relevant copyright owners. (Hui, Kai-Lung, and I.P.L. Png (2003)) Many analysts believe it is due to peer-to-peer (P2P) technologies which lead to the illegal downloading. This type of piracy is known as End-user piracy, which differs greatly from For-profit piracy. End-user piracy seems to be a lot more difficult to control. The music/game industry and policy makers address this issue by reinforcing copyright laws and implementing technological protection and also targeting the developers and users of P2P networks. The ongoing Eircom vs. The Pirate Bay debate is an example of this preventative action. But many believe downloading is a form of sampling and also leads to the exposure effect, leading people to find and try new music in order to make more informed purchases which in turn can lead to an increase in CD sales around the world. (Peitz and Waelbroeck (2003)) The harm caused by piracy also depends on publishers pricing strategies. When it seems more beneficial for potential shoppers to resort to private copying, publishers could raise the price of the legitimate item to extract the increased consumer surplus. If this happens, directly treating all pirated copies as lost sales would overstate the harm caused by piracy. However, similarly, if publishers deliberately set low prices to discourage copying, then the number of copies would understate the lost revenue (Kai-Lung et al (2003)) There are two ways of copying non-authorized digital products; by obtaining original material from family or friends, or by downloading it directly from the internet. The process of copying music, film or software is very easy, all someone needs is the product and a storage device like a hard-drive or cd-recorder. Digital goods also copy across perfectly when coming direct from the source. On the other hand, downloading from P2P file-sharing websites has a number of considerable disadvantages. Lower quality copies are generally produced and users can spend hours looking for the right download file. Also, frequently, due to the lack of install guides for software and lack of song lyrics, this effort can lead to wasted time. Lastly, files such as music and video files can be badly compressed or incomplete. (Martin Peitz et al (2003)) Literature Review To illegally copy or distribute unauthorized or counterfeit music, video or software of any type is known as internet piracy. Software is now one of the most heavily distributed products on the internet (Microsoft.com, 2010). This, now a criminal offence, includes the illegal reproduction and duplication of copyrighted computer software, music and films (Hohn, Muftic, Wolf, (2006)). However the biggest problem in this digital time we live in, as stated by Lysonski Durvasula, (2008), is the undoubtable fact that the process of downloading music over the internet is reasonably easy. With just a few clicks of a button you can download an artists entire discography, and with the speed of internet access these days it is on your computer in a matter of minutes. Piracy is most rampant in young people. As seen in the survey conducted by Gallup Poll (2003), 83% of the young people said that downloading of music for free was totally acceptable. In another survey conducted by Freestone and Mitchell (2004) evidence was found to suggest that downloading music was seen as least wrong of other criminal internet acts, because they felt no harm was being done to others. It was also found the majority of college students said that downloading music and films was neither an offence or illegal. (T. Ramayah, Noor Hazlina Ahmad, Lau Guek Chin, May-Chiun, Lo (2009)) This is mostly because of the creation of these P2P networks like Bit-comet the Pirate Bay and the total digitalisation of music, video and software. It is my belief that because of this process of digitalisation the sale of CDs around the world has declined. Most reports seem to suggest that P2P networks have a direct negative impact on the digital industry, be it music or games. Essentially, there are four communication channels that can be used for Internet piracy: The World Wide Web, a normalised set of standards for storing, getting and displaying information in a client/server environment. FTP (File Transport Protocol) a protocol for getting and sending files from a remote computer. Peer to Peer computing (P2P), a form of distributed processing that links computers via the Internet or pirate networks so that they can share processing tasks. Electronic Mail (e-mail), used for the computer-to-computer exchange of messages and usually the pirated files are sent as attachments, limited to 25mb using Googles Gmail. (T. Ramayah et al (2009)) Such huge losses dilute the incentive for development of information product. However, the losses claimed by the computer software and recorded music industries may be excessive. If piracy could be prevented, many of those who used pirated products might not switch to buying the legitimate item. Instead, they might simply not use the product. With no reduction in price, it is not likely for all the illegal users to switch to the legitimate item. (Kai-Lung et al (2003) Here in Table 1 which was conducted by Kai-Lung et al (2003), reports a very descriptive set of statistics. Consumption of music CDs per capita were a little more than one unit per year, while around 12% owned CD players. The standard deviation of personal disposable income and CD player ownership were large (Table 1) this indicted that the countries in question had different demographic characteristics and income. Worldwide MTV subscription was low per capita, but over the years has started to grow steadily. This leads us into Table 2 which reports the music CD average price and per capita consumption of pirated and legitimate CDs over a range of countries around the world. As seen in (table 2) the demand for both legitimate and pirated CDs varied across the countries with India having the lowest per capita purchase of legitimate music CDs and the United States having the highest. The consumption of pirated CDs was this time, highest in both Singapore and Hong Kong with the United Stated being the lowest. With a few exceptions (e.g., India and Japan), the average price of music CDs varied moderately across the countries. Kai-Lung et al (2003) Hui, Kai-Lung, and I.P.L. Png (2003) Piracy and the Legitimate Demand for Recorded Music, Contributions to Economic Analysis Policy. Peitz and Waelbroeck 2003 The Effect of Internet Piracy on Music Sales: Cross-Section Evidence, Review of Economic Research on Copyright Issues, 2004 Hohn, D. A., Muftic,L. R., Wolf, K. 2006. Swashbuckling Students: An Exploratory Study of Internet Piracy. Lysonski, S., Durvasula, S. 2008. Digital piracy of MP3: Consumer and ethical predispositions. Journal of Consumer Marketing. T. Ramayah, Noor Hazlina Ahmad, Lau Guek Chin, May-Chiun, Lo 2009 Testing a Causal Model of Internet Piracy Behavior Among University Students Gallup Poll. 2003. Moral Acceptability of Downloading Music for Free. Gallup Youth Survey. Freestone, O., Mitchell, W. 2004. Generation Y Attitudes towards E-ethics and Internetrelated Misbehaviours. Journal of Business Ethics

Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev :: Essays Papers

Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev Dmitri Mendeleev was one of the most famous modern-day scientists of all time who contributed greatly to the world’s fields of science, technology, and politics. He helped modernize the world and set it farther ahead into the future. Mendeleev also made studying chemistry easier, by creating a table with the elements and the atomic weights of them put in order by their properties. Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev was born in Tobolsk, Siberia, on February 7, 1834. The blonde-haired, blue-eyed boy was the son of Maria Dmitrievna Korniliev and Ivan Pavlovitch Mendeleev and the youngest of 14 children. Dmitri’s father, Ivan died when Dmitri was still very young and Dmitri’s mother, Maria was left to support her large family. Maria needed money to support all her children, so she took over managing her family’s glass factory in Aremziansk. The family had to pack up and move there. Maria favored Dmitri because he was the youngest child and started saving money to put him through college when he had still been quite young. As a child, Dmitri spent many hours in his mother’s factory talking to the workers. The chemist there taught him about the concepts behind glass making and the glass blower taught him about the art of glass making. Another large influence in Dmitri’s life had been his sister, Olga’s, husband, Bessargin. Bessargin had been banished to Siberia because of his political beliefs as a Russian Decembrist, (Decembrists, or Dekabrists as they were known in Russia, were a group of literary men who led a revolution in Russia in 1825.), so he spent most of his time teaching Dmitri the science of the day. From these people, Dmitri grew up with three key thoughts: â€Å"Everything in the world is science,† from Bessargin. â€Å"Everything in the world is art,† from Timofei the glass blower. â€Å"Everything in the world is love,† from Maria his mother. (Dictionary of Scientific Biography. p. 291.) As Dmitri grew older, it became apparent to everyone that Dmitri understood complex topics better than others did. When Dmitri turned 14 and entered school in Tobolsk, a second major family tragedy occurred-his mother’s glass factory burned down to the ground. The family had no money to rebuild the factory, except for the money that Dmitri’s mother had saved for him to attend a university.

Liberals :: Liberalism Politics Political Philosophy Essays

Liberals Ronald Beiner, Professor of Political Science at the University of Toronto investigates liberalism by considering the communitarian critics of it and different opinions of liberalists. He describes the critics of liberalism of Michael Sandel, Charles Taylor, Michael Walzer, and Alasdair MacIntyre. These community defenders think that all experiences of communtiy aren’t so morally desirable, but if people are looking at the world only in an individualistic way, they find themselves on a narrow horizon of experiences. Beiner also makes us understand the difference between left and right liberalists. Beiner is against the opinon that the liberalism refers to a particular relation between the state and the individual and he thinks that it’s a view of human life, which leaves people alone to do what they want freely, and in that sense the one in which society doesn’t guide people to give meaning to their life. He gives the painting example stating ‘the world without furniture’ as the main point. I believe that Beiner’s understanding of liberalism is wrong and I will tell you what a liberal is, what liberals wa nt and what they expect from the government. Liberal means ‘favorable to or in accord with concepts of maximum individual freedom possible, especially as guaranteed by law and secured by governmental protection ofcivil liberties’ (Kennedy, pars. 3-4). John F. Kennedy states that â€Å"liberal is not someone against the government and who is uncorned with the taxpayer’s dollar. It means someone who looks ahead not behind, someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of people† (pars. 1-2). Liberals want to change things to increase personal freedom and tolerance, and are willing to empower government to the extent necessary to achieve those ends. This is against the idea of Beiner about what liberalism is. They want to help individuals to take more control over their own lives. This requires environment where choices are not arbitrarily removed. Also enough information should be offered so that choices can be understood and made intelligently. Alan Brinkley states that â€Å"this also requires giving people responsibility and encouraging self-reliance within a social framework† (par. 8). Liberals see the role of government as providing a framework within which individuals can develop their lives and contribute to society.

Essay --

Throughout this semester in philosophy I’ve come to realize one thing for sure, that one thing being that philosophy doesn’t not easily come defined. While reading all the works of Plato one comes to the realization that philosophy as an activity is like trying to see both sides of a door at the same time. There are many different types of doors and way to look at all of them. There are so many different types of ways to define philosophy. Plato had always been worried about the basic philosophical problem of figuring out the art of knowing and living. His goal of the great dialogues was to show the relationship between the soul and the state. This is the compelling theme of the great dialogues; the Republic, Phaedo, Symposium, Phaedrus,and Philebus. In the Republic Plato shows how justice within the individual can best be realized through the likeliness of the operation of justice within the state. Plato continues to set out in his idea of the ideal state. But, he realizes that philosophically justice simply can’t be fully understood unless seen in a spectrum to the concept of the good, which is the supreme principle of order and truth. In the Republic, Plato shows how sometimes philosophy is like trying to look at both sides of a regular door, when maybe you should be trying to look at both sides of carousel swinging door. Plato also argues for the reality of ideas as the only way to be sure of ethical standards and of objective scientific knowledge. In the Republic and the Phaedo Plato suggests his theory of forms. Ideas or forms are the established archetypes of all phenomenon, and these ideas are the only thing completely real and true; the physical world holds only relative reality for the time being. The forms are simply ... ...be hidden. This relates to the philosopher ruling because they understand the Utopia the same way you are able to see and understand all aspects of a uninstalled door. Philosophy as an activity is not simply a way of living like many people have come to believe. It’s a journey, a journey where the philosopher finds them selves constantly thinking. Constantly thinking and questioning authority until you get what you are looking for in a statement. Philosophy in so many ways is similar to trying to look at the inside and outside of a door at once. At first you may think it can’t be done, but then you ask question, which reveal answers and outlets that lead to more question and you realize that there are so many more ways to look at the door, so many more ways to look at the world. So many more ways to look at philosophy. Philosophy as an activity is looking at a door.

Comedic element in the Importance of Being Earnest Essay

Throughout the play, Oscar Wilde portrays several binary opposites using the characters and themes of the play, such as the town and country, class, age, gender and morals. However I don’t think that the binary opposites are the main source of comedy in the play. The reason I find it comical is from the fact that the play is a comedy of manners as well as Wilde’s satirising of the Victorian morals. Wilde’s depiction of Victorian caricatures also creates amusement for the audience. In the play, trivial things are regarded so seriously and the serious things in life are treated with sincere and studied triviality. This philosophy allows for a very comic scene at the end of Act II, as it ends with Jack and Algernon eating and arguing over muffins instead of chasing after their beloved ones who have found out the truth about them and seems like the marriage is off. So even though the binary oppositions in the Importance of Being Earnest provide comedy, I don’t believe that they are the key comedic element in the play. A binary opposition is portrayed with the theme of gender and the contrast between male and female. The play is set during the Victorian era where men have greater influence than women. Usually men would make all the political decisions for the household and the women would be the mother and housewife. However, Wilde reverses gender roles by placing Lady Bracknell in a position of authority and power in the house. And to add to this, he makes the male characters such as Jack and Algernon quite irresponsible. When Gwendolen is talking to Cecily about who she is, she talks about her father. â€Å"Outside the family circle, papa, I am glad to say, is entirely unknown. I think that is quite as it should be. The home seems to me to be the proper sphere for the man.†(Act II.266) Wilde uses Gwendolen to go against the traditional roles of men and women of the time by implying women can also be business people and work for the family instead of being just a housewife. Oscar Wilde also reverses the typical characteristic of women in relationships of the Victorian times by having Gwen dolen and Cecily the controlling person in their relationship. The man would usually court the woman but once again, this has been reversed by Wilde as the women (Gwendolen and Cecily) both chase after their loves. Gwendolen goes all the way to the country in secret which would be very surprising for a lady of high social class and technically speaking, Cecily created her own relationship with Ernest and Algernon just played along with it because it worked in his favour. You couldn’t help but laugh at the fact she even cancelled the engagement at one point simply to make it more exciting. But there are situations where the women act accordingly to traditional roles so that the play doesn’t change the Victorian ideals and also that the play works out to follow the traditional happy ending with weddings after overcoming the obstacles that was set out by all the circumstances and other characters. Another binary opposite is shown through class and society. The contrast is between the upper class and lower class. Many of the play’s characters are from the high social class and are aristocrats like Algernon. Then there’s the lower class characters like Jack and the people of the manor and Lane who is Algernon’s servant. Nearly all the characters in the play lie to or deceit another character but they rarely show any regret about doing so. In fact, there is more regret when telling the truth after lying. When Jack is forced to explain everything after Gwendolen and Cecily become suspicious about Ernest existing, he answers; â€Å"Gwendolen – Cecily – it is very painful for me to be forced to speak the truth. It is the first time in my life that I have ever been reduced to such a painful position, and I am really quite inexperienced in doing anything of the kind.†(Act II.348) This shows that Jack doesn’t consider honesty to be very important as lying about things makes it easier for him to live his life. The lower classes in Earnest are less pretentious and more humble in comparison to the upper class. A major contrast in class is shown through Gwendolen and Cecily when they sit down for tea. After some heated words, they believe the other is trying to steal their love and they show some hostility towards each other. This exchange takes place in Act II. (308-314) â€Å"Cecily: May I offer you some tea, Miss Fairfax? Gwendolen: (With elaborate politeness) Thank you. (Aside) Detestable girl! But I require tea! Cecily: (Sweetly) Sugar? Gwendolen: (Superciliously) No, thank you. Sugar is not fashionable any more. (Cecily looks angrily at her, takes up the tongs and puts four lumps of sugar into the cup.) Cecily: (Severely) Cake or bread and butter? Gwendolen: (In a bored manner) Bread and butter, please. Cake is rarely seen at the best houses nowadays. Cecily: (Cuts a very large slice of cake, and puts it on the tray.) Hand that to Miss Fairfax.† Cecily takes advantage of Gwendolen’s obsession with fashion and appearance to others. To Gwendolen, these choices are important statements on one’s stylishness and reputation amongst peers and to people in society. Here, Cecily takes advantage of her lower birth to insult Gwendolen. Gwendolen is of a high social class and a luxurious upbringing compared to Cecily who lives in the country with Jack as her guardian and under the care of Miss Prism. When talking about Gwendolen and Cecily, these two characters are used for another binary opposite of the town and the country. â€Å"When one is in town, one amuses oneself. When one is in the country, one amuses others. It is excessively boring.† Firstly there’s Jack who is trying to get away from the borin g life in the country and into the town to spend time with Gwendolen even though he is using Ernest Worthing as his name and living a double life unbeknownst to the people in the country as well as in town. Then there’s Algernon who is trying to get away from the life in town as it has become routine and boring and he wants something different so he goes into the country. He uses the excuse that he has a sick friend called Bunbury on the verge of death. He himself calls this ‘bunburying’ and believes that Jack is doing the same thing. However, after finding out that Jack has a beautiful, young ward in the country, he goes out in to the country to try and get her to fall in love with him. This relates to the morals of the men of the Victorian times, which if was accurate according to the play, was wrong and deceit was used to get out and have some fun implying the hedonistic lifestyle people had back then. Although all these can cause humour and several comedic situations, in my opinion, binary opposites aren’t the key comedic element in the play. The main reason the play is funny is because the play is a comedy of manners. The utilisation of stock characters, such as Algernon representing the schemer, as he secretly notes down Jack’s country house address and visits Cecily. By imitating and trying to marry into the aristocracy, Jack is a traitor to his own class, and is the hypocritical stock character. And Lady Blacknell as the interfering old parent who will not allow the marriage of Jack and Gwendolen because Jack has no parentage and Lady Bracknell ultimately becomes the obstacle that the two must overcome. All these provide lots of comic exchanges throughout the play allowing for a traditional rom-com finale. The structure of the play is also vital as it contributes to comedy as the plot consists of rapid twists in events, often precipitated by miscommunications. Ernest is really Jack. He lives two lives. He can’t marry without parents. Algy chases Cecily. Gwendolen chases Jack. There is no Ernest. The marriages are off and then back on. Lady Bracknell comes and marriages are off again. Truth about Jack is revealed and he is actually Ernest. Everybody gets together with their love and marriages take place. Throughout all this, a lot of misunderstandings take place and lies come out in the open at the expense of the honour of others. Another counter argument that is a key reason to the success of comedy in Importance of Being Earnest is Wilde’s use of satire on the Victorian morals and his depiction of Victorian caricatures which creates amusement for the audience. The obvious example of this is Lady Bracknell even though she is the opposite of how a Victorian woman was. Summing everything up, Wilde’s use of binary oppositions contribute to quite a bit of the humour from the play but after considering everything, I conclude that it’s not the key comedic element in the play. The fact it is a comedy of manners and the satire of the upper class and Victorian morals, is the reason I found it funny. Bibliography http://www.shmoop.com/importance-of-being-earnest/gender-theme.html http://www.shmoop.com/importance-of-being-earnest/society-class-theme.html Wordsworth Classics, the Plays of Oscar Wilde, Oscar Wilde. The Importance of Being Earnest. (Text) The Importance of Being Earnest (2002) Directed by Oliver Parker. Written by Oscar Wilde (DVD)

Persistent Organic Pollutants and Food Allergy Essay

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are compounds with cyclic, halogenated and are organic in nature characteristics that impart stability in their structures (Ritter, Solomon, Forget, Stemeroff, and O’Leary, 1995). Because of its structural stability, POPs withstand degradation while its organic nature makes its solubility high in lipid or organic solvent but low in water and in other inorganic solvents. Additionally, their semi-volatile nature allows them to exist in vapor or be deposited on atmospheric particulates. Food allergy is a result of the abnormal response of the body’s immune system to foods that may cause grave illness and even death (U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2007). It is mistakenly associated with food intolerance which is a digestive problem and can not be attributed to food allergy. In addition, food intolerance is not caused by the action of the immune system rather by the lack of specific metabolic enzyme needed in the digestion of a particular food (U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2007). Individuals with familial allergy background are prone to food allergies and other allergic diseases like asthma. Meanwhile, the gastrointestinal tract, skin, lungs, throat, and skin are often sites of allergic reactions (U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2007). Persistent Organic Pollutants Organo-halogenated compounds such as toxaphene, chlordane, dieldrin, dibenzo-p-dioxins, DDT, dibenzo-p-furans, and polychlorinated biphenyls or PCBs are known for their structural stability and environmental persistence, thus, bioaccumulation results as they continuously flow in the ecological food chain (Ritter, Solomon, Forget, Stemeroff, and O’Leary, 1995). As an example, PCBs resist degradation for several years and biomagnify by 70,000 folds. Since POPs are semi-volatile, they evaporate from warm regions and condense in geographical areas like mountain terrains and Polar Regions (California Breast Cancer Research Program, 2007). These properties permeated PCBs in worldwide places including Antarctic, arctic, and desert regions where chemical plants do not exist. Most POPs came from anthropogenic sources like industrial production and foliar applications of pesticides and insecticides while others such as dioxins and furans are just by-products of the manufacturing process, waste incineration, forest fires, and metallurgical processes (Environmental Literacy Council, 2008). As such, the presence of PCBs in far flung places is a manifestation of its worldwide-dispersal from several industrial sources. In fact, fifteen nanograms per cubic meter of PCBs’ concentration have been analyzed in the atmosphere of industrialized areas and different places over the world (Ritter, Solomon, Forget, Stemeroff, and O’Leary, 1995). Thus, the PCBs’ presence in rain and snow would not be a surprise. Exposure to POPs by means of food consumption, industrial occupation, and pollutants may lead to toxicity. POPs’ lipophilicity or high solubility in lipids in coupled with its structural stability and biomagnification in the food chain result to high risk of bioaccumulation and toxicity among living organisms. More than these, metabolic conversion of POPs into more persistent compounds is also possible. Researches conducted on this matter showed the correlations of PCBs’ ingestion with the dysfunction of endocrine, reproductive, and immune systems, cancer, neurobehavioral disorders and some infant abnormalities (Ritter, Solomon, Forget, Stemeroff, and O’Leary, 1995). Moreover, exposure to POPs’ has been correlated with a decrease in the population of marine organisms like dolphins, whales, and fish species (Ritter, Solomon, Forget, Stemeroff, and O’Leary, 1995). Food Allergy Food allergens are proteins in foods that after digestion run through the bloodstream to specific body parts and triggers allergic reactions (U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2007). Allergic reactions may take place either at the specific cells or within the whole body (Jackson, 2003). The length of digestive process determines the possible time and location of the allergic reactions. If one is highly sensitive to substances present in food, by merely just chewing the food allergic reaction may start at the mouth. Most of the time stomachache, vomiting, and diarrhea are observed after eating which indicate allergic reactions. After food digestion, food allergens flow through the bloods stream and may trigger blood pressure lowering. Nonetheless, reaching the skin, mouth, and lungs, may cause hives, itchiness, and even smothering (U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2007). Antibodies or immunoglobulins are protein substances secreted by B-lymphocytes to work against antigens or allergens (Jackson, 2003). Antigens are exuded by bacteria or other microorganisms which brings bodily infections. However, the extraneous production of antibodies may cause illness (Jackson, 2003). Meanwhile, potential antigens are also present in dust, pollens and foods. By means of direct contact, inhalation or consumption of these antigens, the body generates appropriate antibodies to combat their infectious effects (Jackson, 2003). The immune system has two consecutive actions leading to allergic reaction. During the digestion of foods, the immune system produces immunoglobulin-E (IgE), an antibody which is protein in nature (U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2007). Then, IgE adheres with basophils and mast cells located in blood and body tissues respectively. This food-specific antibody educes the cells to elicit chemicals like histamine which in turn produces allergy (U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2007). Mechanism of Allergic Reaction The production of allergens signals the action and circulation of IgE through the blood stream to bodily parts. The IgE molecule has a specific site for antigen binding and receptor-specific end for cell attachment. Then, the IgE attracts antigen as it binds on the surface of the cell (Jackson, 2003). As such, the cell is incited by the antigen to generate antibodies. The cell becomes sensitive to the subsequent attacks of the same antigens and autonomic response develops. Thus, as the cell detects the presence of the antigen, it educes biologically active and other proinflammatory substances like histamines and leukotrienes (Jackson, 2003). These substances trigger the inflammatory response of the cell resulting to an increased blood supply and other immune system components on the affected area that can be observed as itching and swelling (Jackson, 2003). Since mast cells and basophils are located in different body parts, immediate allergic reactions are often observed in some individuals who are highly sensitive with allergies. As a result of allergen absorption and wide circulation of chemical mediators, the body can be systematically engrossed with allergic reactions (Jackson, 2003). The intestine has defensive barriers that prevent the entry and contact of any antigens with the mast cells (Jackson, 2003). Also, the gut wall is covered with viscous mucus secreted by the lining cells. This mucus has protective substances acting as antiseptic coupled with the help of antibodies. Then, epithelial cells are located below the mucus membrane, which generate enzymes that can deactivate histamine and other bioactive substances (Jackson, 2003). Allergens that may infiltrate the layer of epithelial cells can be deactivated by antibodies without inflammatory response production. If the antigens were able to escape all these mechanisms, mast cells covered by IgE produce chemical mediators that in turn cause inflammatory response (Jackson, 2003). Conclusion The genetic predisposition causes individuals with familial allergic history to become susceptible to allergic reactions as triggered by specific antibody or allergen. As a result, asthma, rhinitis, and even anaphylaxis can be observed wit these individuals (Jackson, 2003). This inborn allergic tendency is called atopy, thus, individuals in this condition are tagged as atopic. On the other hand, contemporary theory on the nature of allergy suggested that the prevalence of allergy-related cases nowadays can be attributed to the modern life style (Jackson, 2003). For instance, drug treatment of a mother during pregnancy and infant’s medication may contribute to early acquisition of allergic tendency due to the body’s adverse reaction with drugs (Jackson, 2003). Also, the inhalation of bacteria or other microorganism through air pollutants and other atmospheric particulates that may include persistent organic pollutants or POPs provoke the immune system to produce antibodies then, allergic reactions spontaneously occur.

Albatross Unit 3 Assignment

Introduction This case mainly deals with the varying types of operational challenges that Albatross Anchor is currently facing. The pricing is not a major issue for the organization and it is able to sell its products at a consistent market rate; however it is unable to realise its full profit potential due to the presence of a lot of operational inefficiencies. It is evident that if the firm is able to overcome all of these challenges, it can make the same level of profits as that of their competitors and can also facilitate their future growth exponentially. We have also analyzed two possible options which can be implemented and have assessed of which may be the most viable option for the company. We have also reached on a conclusion regarding the benefits the company can reap by implementing the strategies in their operational management plan. Question One Based on the information presented in the scenario/case study discuss Albatross Anchor’s competitiveness in relation to (please address all items in the below list and provide support for your conclusions): 1. Cost ) Cost of Production: Due to the presence of operational inefficiencies, Albatross Anchor is unable to reduce their costs as a result of which they have a lower profit margin. Therefore, they have a cost of production disadvantage as compared to their competitors. b) Economies of Scale in material purchasing: They can enjoy Economies of Scale when it comes to purchasing materials. Buying in bulk means they can get discounts from the suppliers on their purchase. c) Co st of Raw Materials Sitting Idle in the Warehouse: The increased amount of goods stored in the warehouse means that Albatross Anchor also needs to incur higher amounts of holding costs of storing the large amounts of inventory. Holding costs refers to the cost of carrying an inventory and may include costs such as, depreciation, deterioration, spoilage, taxes and insurance to name a few. d) Cost of Finished Goods Sitting Idle in the Warehouse: For the international orders the inventory of finished goods stays in the inventory along with the raw materials since the production is only done in small batches. This ultimately increases the holding cost for both the finished goods as well as the raw materials. 2. Speed of manufacturing process from order to finished product. Since the products are produced in limited quantities all the raw materials can be used more effectively. This also reduces the number of complexities during the manufacturing process. Currently their production is strictly dependent on the amount of demand for their products. 3. Flexibility in filling order(s) The manufacturing process is very constrained and is not flexible enough to house the smooth production of two different types of products. Each individual type of anchor requires their exclusive set of manufacturing line and therefore the time required to switch from one mode to another manufacturing mode requires 36 hours; which is quite a long time. 4. Technology The manufacturing process is deprived of new technology, making the process even more painstakingly slow. They are still using the traditional methods of making the anchors. 5. Capacity and facilities The current plan of their facilities is clearly insufficient for managing their operations smoothly. The space for storing the finished goods and the raw materials is located towards the far south of the entire facility and it takes a considerable amount of time and effort to ship the finish goods from there. If the manufacturing area is moved closer to the shipping area; it will save considerable amount of time in shipping these finished products. The foundry is not a part of the manufacturing department which further impairs the smooth flow of work in the production process. If the foundry is moved towards the manufacturing process it may increase the firm’s ability to cater to international orders more quickly. For having a mixed model of manufacturing process the Focused Factory process can be used. The Focused Factory aims for a narrow range of products and processes; as a result these factories are also small and quite simple and focus on only one or two products. 6. Service to customers Currently Albatross Anchors only sell their products through OEM customers and to the distributors. Apart from this, their products are of superior quality and are available to the customers in two varied forms. This not only gives Albatross Anchors greater choice, but also ensures that it leads to greater customer satisfaction. However, due to its current operational management procedures it is unable to reap the benefits of it as compared to their competitors. Question Two There are many ways that mushroom/bell anchors may be manufactured. Albatross Anchor is considering two new manufacturing processes (Process A and Process B) to reduce costs. Analysis of the information below will help determine which process has the lowest breakeven point (this validates the process is more cost effective). For each process the following fixed costs and variable costs are identified below: Anchor and Process| Process A| Process B| Sale price per anchor| $45. 00| $45. 00| Total Fixed cost | $ 650,000. 00| $950,000. 00| Variable cost per anchor| $ 36. 00| $ 29. 99| Based on the information in the table above complete the table below: Anchor and Process| Process A| Process B| (a) Fixed costs per anchor|   $9| $15. 01  | (b) The total number of anchors to attainbreak–even point for Process A and Process B|   72,222 units|   63,291 units| (c) Based on your calculations which Process (A or B) that you would recommend for adoption (you can select only one). Please make sure to explain how you arrived at your conclusion. Ans. (a)   At Break Even Point: Total revenue = Total cost i. e. p*x = v*x + F                        where, p = Sales Price per Anchor v = Variable Cost per Anchor                                       F = Total fixed Cost x = Total Anchors to be manufactured for Break Even. Since, p*x = v*x + F => (p-v)*x = F => (p-v) = F/x i. e. (p-v) = Total fixed cost per Anchor Now             Total fixed cost per anchor for Process A = (pA -vA) = (45-36) = $9 per Anchor                        Total fixed cost per anchor for Process B = (pB  -vB) = (45-29. 99) = $15. 01 per Anchor Ans. b)   (p-v)*x = F =>          x = F/(p-v)                                 Number of units to be manufactured at break even For Process A: xA = FA/(pA-vA) = 650,000/ (45-36) = 72,222. 22  ? 72,222 units to be manufactured at break even. For Process B: xB  =  FB/(pB-vB) = 950,000/ (45-29. 99) = 63,291. 14  ? 6 3,291 units to be manufactured at break even. Ans. (c)  Process B should be adopted for two reasons: (1) The break-even point for process B is 63291 units which is less than that                                 of process A at 72,222 units, so process B is more cost effective. 2) Process B is also better than Process A in terms of the Operating leverage which can be defined as the change in net income per unit increase in sales volume. Mathematically, operating leverage can be written as follows:                            Operating Leverage = F/(vx*)   where x*  is units to be manufactured at Break Even point. Operating leverage for process A = 650,000/(36*72222) = 0. 25                Operating leverage for process B = 950,000/(29. 99*63291) = 0. 5                Therefore the process B is also better in terms of the operating leverage as opposed to process A. Conclusion Although Albatross Anchors produces only two types of products; it has huge growth potential which still remains untapped. They can surely achieve more than their current growth rate. They can also undertake other important initiatives which can significantly increase their competitiveness. For instance, product diversification, improved operational processes, and greater employee satisfaction may all contribute in increasing their success in marketplace and further fuel their productivity. As clearly evident from the calculations, implementation of process B in the company can prove to be quite fruitful.

“King Charles is totally to blame for the civil war.” Do I Agree? Essay

The English Civil War took place in 1642 when Charles I raised his royal standard in Nottingham. The split between Charles and Parliament was such that neither side was willing to back down over the principles that they held and war was inevitable as a way in which all problems could be solved. The country split into those who supported the king and those who supported Parliament. Some historians say that Charles is totally to blame for this war, while some say that parliament is totally to blame for it. I am going to tell you about it. There were many reasons for why the king was to blame one of the reasons for why the king was to blame was because of his money problems. Charles was not good with money and always had very little. He had closed down parliament and had to think of ways of getting money without asking the parliament’s help. He had used old laws like ‘Ship Money’, which was a special tax to help the navy he used this idea to get money off the people of England. This made him very unpopular. Another reason for why the king was to blame was the way he had handled with religion. As he was the king, he had thought that he had the power to make the Scots use English prayer books. The scots were so furious that they decided to fight Charles I instead. This also made him unpopular to the scots as well as the people of England. When the scots had defeated him Charles had to pay lots of tax money which he couldn’t afford. So, Charles had to recall parliament, as only tax voted by parliament got rid of the scots. Charles believed in divine rights that God had chosen him to be king so he and Archbishop Laud started to decorate the church which he said that if the church is decorated, you will be closer to God. He also married a catholic princess from France which was very unpopular. Oliver Cromwell and Parliament still wanted more power and no return to the Catholic religion. To make things worse for Charles the Catholics in Ireland killed 100,000 Protestants. Also another reason why parliament is to blame is because the king and parliament always used to argue about who controls the army and parliament made the king angry by taking over them without his permission.

To study the morphology and behavior of primates in a zoo setting Essay

To study the morphology and behavior of primates in a zoo setting - Essay Example In this zoo, there are thousands of primates, which makes the place one of its kind, and a lowland gorilla is one of the primates hosted here. On arrival at the zoo, the first sight was this animal in its quadrupedalism posture. This animal is mostly found in Africa in the countries of Gabon, Angola, Cameroon and Congo. The male Lowland gorilla is normally quite vulnerable to a heart disease known as cardiomyopathy ("Bronx Zoo† p.5). However, one does not have to travel all the way to Africa to view this animal thanks to the brilliant innovation at Bronx zoo. The mandrill is another primate that was seen and one that made the one to remember for many days to come. Firstly, this animal demonstrated its competence in using its prehensile tail to grasp the tree branches. Upon further research, this animal also known as Madrillus sphinx was established to have originated from Equatorial Guinea. However, it is found in other African countries like Gabon and Congo. Horde is a name used to describe these animals when moving together as a group ("Bronx Zoo† p.6). Normally, these animals copulate in the months of June through to October; they have also been found to be the largest monkeys in the world. At times, these animals have also been viewed in arboreal locomotion in the Zoo while others do brachiation In addition to viewing the aforementioned primates, Colobi were also present in Bronx zoo. This genus can be traced to Africa and countries like Kenya and Congo have these primates. The term colobi is used to refer to the colobus group of monkeys which include the white and black monkeys. This genus moves in a group of around nine animals, which participate in all mothering. When born, young colobuses are normally white but the color may change as they grow up. Sadly, this group of primates- just like every other animal- is prone to prey by many other predators ("Bronx Zoo† p.7). Poachers too pose a threat to these animals since its meat is widely thought

Abramoff case Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Abramoff case - Research Paper Example These political lobbyists offered gifts and campaign donations to legislators in return for the unfair legislative support. The scandal was brought to light following the federal investigations into the business as well as political dealings of Abramoff. Indian lobbying scandal was one of the major misdeeds of Abramoff and it was resulted from defrauding native Indian tribes of millions of dollars. As noted already, the scandal represented the bribing of government officials as well. From extensive FBI investigations, Abramoff found guilty of three felony counts including conspiracy, tax evasion, and fraud. The tax evasion charges were roughly amounted to $1.7 million whereas the loss of the defrauded tribes represented a figure of $66 million (US Senate, 2006). Abramoff was asked to cooperate with officials on the investigation of congressional corruption because he had bribed congressional representatives including Bob Ney of Ohio. The scandal also included the hiring of congressio nal staff with intent to influence their former employees. As Eliason (2009) points out, Neil Volz, the chief staff of Tom DeLay, was found guilty of offenses including fraud, conspiracy, and contravention of house rules and which in turn forced DeLay to relinquish his position as the chairperson of the house administration committee. It is apparent that the political scandal perpetrated by Abramoff had many ethical consequences. The parties involved in this scandal had ethical responsibilities toward the society and general public, and therefore the scandal resulted in an ethical downturn of the parties involved. The Abramoff scandal also represented the violation of societal values because ethics is an integral element determining acceptable behaviors in a society. To illustrate, Abramoff defrauded the native Indian tribes of millions of dollars through his lobbying activities, and from a societal perspective it is just equivalent to

Consumer Behaviour - Learning Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Consumer Behaviour - Learning Theory - Essay Example Looking at this advert, emotions are aroused making it so attractive and appetising especially when the viewer combines what he sees with environmental experiences with sausages or his perception of just how delicious this breakfast dish looks like. As such, cognitive, emotional and environmental influences as well as prior experiences all play a part of how understanding is acquired and knowledge and skills retained and ultimately how this advert could be received. Learning theory proposes that individuals learn in different ways and styles and how they perceive the information. Cognitive conditioning embraces situations where a learner’s behaviour is studied rather than studying his environment. As a result, in these adverts, cognition conditioning becomes very important as they target the psychology of the viewer thereby persuading him to looking for the dish or outfit described in the adverts. The conditioning looks beyond behaviour to consider how human memory works to promote learning. The advertisement is designed in such a way that it enhances the memory of the audience. It is usually argued that pictures speak more than words – a picture is worth a thousand words (Vakratsas & Ambler, 1999). The images used in both advertisements are, therefore, intended to ensure that the information is captured and retained by the intended audience. While attracting more of the potential clients, the advents’ cognitive potential ensures that they retain the actual clients of the brand. Cognitive conditioning explains social role acquisition int elligence and memory in regards to age. Consumers store information on products or a print advert of the product in their brains which they later would retrieve. Retrieval of information is assisted by clues which may be self generated or external and may take forms of images, shapes and Colour (Rothschild & Gaidis, 1991). The Company needs to focus on

Business Synoptic (reflective statment) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business Synoptic (reflective statment) - Essay Example The learning outcomes are assured in business synoptic module because we get a chance of solving the problems demonstrated in the case study solely depending on our own knowledge gathered through the entire process of learning. Case study is an eminent means of reflecting various theoretical concepts learned through any module in practical situations (Monash University, 2010). The chart below provides a pictorial representation that I followed while solving the case study assignment. Firstly, I developed the methodology and then precisely, I followed those steps for arriving at a result. Most important stage of this methodology was to read the case comprehensively, again and again, so that every critical issue can be understood from the case. As a second stage, I really tried hard to identify the most crucial issues that I needed to handle for solving the case. Based on the issues identified, I formulated my strategy of researching various academic sources relevant in solving. Resear ch process along with understanding of the critical issues in the case helped me to a great extent in forming views about the main problems in the case. Based on the views formulated, reflective analysis has been made by me and concise solution has been presented. During the formulation of views about the case problem, the attendance that I made to the two workshops were of great help, the influence of which I could feel during writing solution to the case study’s questions. During solving the case, I came across a number of theories that I learned during my earlier classes. Here the integration of the knowledge became prominent for me when those were applied in the practical evidences provided in the case. The theories that I used are not many but whichever I have used were relevant to the case situation. The theories are emerging market analysis, performance analysis, corporate level strategy, mainly global strategy and multi-domestic strategy and the theory of management s tructure. Case study analysis provides the best results when sufficient strategic analytical tools are appropriately used in finding the results (Mind Tools, 2011). Figure 1 Answer to Question No: 2 It is evident that case study analysis provides us a wide scope of excelling in our areas of work, be it professional or academic. Through the module, I have developed various skills which I am sure will be beneficial in not only solving problems in my education career but also will help in gaining competitive position in the practical field (Lee & Et. Al., 2009). The following figure depicts the areas in which I have acquired skills through case study analysis. The most important skill that I gathered from the study is that of problem solving ability. The analysis demanded a lot of effort in solving the problems identified from thorough understanding of the case facts. The facts might even be wrong as I am not a perfect analyst but whatever knowledge I have in the area of strategy formu lation, I have applied in solving the problem (Raviv, 2003). The second most important skill that I acquired in the process is that of innovative thinking. Strategy demands innovation-I learnt this line during gathering education in this area and during the process of solution, I understood the real meaning of innovative thinking when I was bound to apply all my traits. This application process generated the

Assessing the Performance of the U.S. Economy Essay

Assessing the Performance of the U.S. Economy - Essay Example The report is started with the overview of the current state of the economy of the United States of America. This is followed by an identification of the most relevant economic theories and principles that can be applied to evaluate the performances of the US economy over a specific time period. The report is suitably concluded by highlighting the findings from the analysis and prescribing the macroeconomic policies that should be formulated for analyzing the economic performance of the nation. The macro economic performance of any economy can be estimated through the use of different economic metrics that represent and mirror the economic performance of a nation as estimated from different dimensions and perspectives. For this purpose, multiple theories and principles of economics are implemented in the analysis. The six main economic metrics that are used for the analysis with their application in the US economic scenarios are given as follows and heir correlations are given in Appendix 1. The gross domestic product is an important economic metric which is an aggregate measure of the monetary value of all finished goods and services that are produced by all residents and institutional units within the national border of a country (Mankiw, 2007). The Gross Domestic Product can be used as a key economic indicator for gauging the health of the US economy. The GDP of US has contracted by 0.7% in the first quarter of 2015 as compared to the last quarter of 2014. The average GDP growth rate of US from 1970 to 2015 is 3.26% (Appendix 1). Since the US economy is one the most advanced and diverse economies of the world, therefore it has been able to manage its GDP fluctuations through the proportions of production from different sectors. However, the contraction noted in the first quarter of 2015 was a reflection of the higher accumulation of inventory and widening trade deficit in the economic constructs (Bade and Parkin, 2002). The purchasing power parity is a

Discuss the extent to which you feel modern tourism brings either more Essay

Discuss the extent to which you feel modern tourism brings either more advantages or disadvantages to popular tourist areas - Essay Example Either ways so tourism has become very important for nations, specially those blessed with the natural beauty,a vast culture,heritage and history .Nations amongst these include most of Europe,Malaysia,Maldives,India and America.These countries have changed the way tourism was thought about like.To facilitate the customers of tourism,these nations did not only create hotels and motels but also satisfied tourists with the creation of a whole new dynamic infrastructure just to accommodate tourists near to the site.Online packages of all kinds including flight bookings,accommodation and transitions making it easier for a person to arrange for these things after the arrival.Other than this hotels also offer the service of airport pick and drop.People have made touring a part of their life.Tourism has been developed very well and hugely invested apoun as it was seen as the potential export.Every penny a household saves, one third of it is spent on travelling as it has not only been markete d well but become like a luxury and a way to ease out from the daily life activities. Popular tourist destinations around the world like Switzerland,America,Paris and turkey are all places that provide a unique selling point in terms of tourism.These place are either naturally blessed or part of some historical civilization or even artificially(manmade) designed very well.May it be the famous Eiffel tower of Paris, the statue of liberty in America or the canals and churches of Venice, these places attract tourists.For the tourist area the biggest advantage is the economic factor ofcourse as tourism creates employment for a huge population living in that country(Singh,2010). If tourists do not come to the destination, those persons directly involved in tourism for example, the straw vendors, the taxi drivers, retail storeowners etc., could be unable to pay their bills. If they are unable to make money they could

C4 Auto Brokers Business Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

C4 Auto Brokers Business Plan - Essay Example Orange Blossom Trail (near O.B.T. and Colonial Drive). C4 Auto Brokers will purchase vehicles from the auto auctions in Orlando (Mannheim) and Sanford. The business will focus purchasing and re-selling used Asian economy cars, with an emphasis on reliable models (i.e. Toyota Camry, Nissan Sentra, Honda, etc.) Advertising will be focused on Craigslist and Auto Trader. The company initially will only offer cash sales and indirect financing sales (i.e. credit unions, banks, etc.); utilizing a floor plan financing structure. At a later date, once the company’s liquidity has been increased, the business model is cash flow positive, and a lending consultant has been contracted; the company might offer some in-house financing (i.e. buy here, pay here). C4 Auto Brokers will provide an enjoyable car buying experience for its customers by focusing on honesty, professionalism, car quality, and reasonable pricing. Following these values will maximize the customer’ satisfaction and produce an attractive profit for the owners. 1) America’s standard of living is under pressure, with several American families living paycheck to paycheck. This means more American families will fall into the profile of used car purchasers and potential buy here/pay here consumers. In addition, as the value of the dollar erodes (i.e. the cost of living rises), families feel the pressure to reduce all expenses. 1)Â  Short-term and long-term interest rates will likely upsurge in the impending future, as the current operational.

CheckPoint-Audience Analysis and Reception Essay Example for Free

CheckPoint-Audience Analysis and Reception Essay Communication is the most important key to any relationship, in the business world it is the way to keep the business running smoothly. This is why analyzing the audience is the most important task a writer can perform in order to effectively communicate or present any information to their audience. In this particular scenario, I have been assigned to write a report to the management team at my work place. Therefore it is important for me to analyze all of the characteristics of each of the member of my management team to ensure the effectiveness of my report. Since I will be writing a formal report, I would need to ensure that it is legible, use appropriate wording in order to create the proper business tone in my report. I need to ensure that all information written on my report is accurate. Check that all of my sources are credible and that there won’t be any misunderstanding in the report. The writer’s credibility is an extremely important thing to have; this is why I would have to make sure that all of the data posted on my report is accurate. By doing so it will show the management team that I am trustworthy, reliable and I get the job done correctly. I would also need to think about what would motivate them and interest them in my report. Therefore, I would make sure my report includes facts that would motivate them such as weekly and monthly sales reports, financial gains and productivity. These are all very important points for me to keep in mind when writing the report. If my report was poorly written and not in a business professional tone, would make me look bad in their eyes. Also failing to provide accurate information or present it in a professional way, will affect my credibility greatly. They will not see me as the honest hard worker that I am. They would instead see me as an uncaring person that did not bother to do the research and gather facts to present before them. Also if my report does not contain any information that does not pertain to the management team, I would lose their interest quickly.

Learning organization Essay Example for Free

Learning organization Essay Marquardt (2002, p. 211) presented 16 steps necessary to build a learning organization. A closer look at our organization revealed that there is still so much to learn and change. Using Marquardt’s metaphor, our organization is still in the caterpillar stage, â€Å"earthbound† and â€Å"nonlearning† (p. 235). The major challenge keeping our company in this status can be linked to only two things, attitude of employees and leadership style. Unfortunately, the 16 steps proposed by Marquardt boil down to these two things. Employees have negative view about change. They are not willing to leave their comfort zones, take risks or commit to transforming the company. They lack the motivation to educate, improve and develop themselves professionally. The old, tested way of doing things remains the norm. However, the more disturbing fact is the lack of effort from the leaders. Based on Marquardt’s discussion, the main effort for change should come from the top, from the leaders. Presently, the leadership style in the company does not cater to the needs of a learning organization. The organizational culture does not empower the empoyees to express their creativity or explore their potentials. In short, our organization is 16 steps away from transformation. Based on the guidelines, to effect change, the leaders need to recognize their role as the agents of change. According to Marquardt’s book, â€Å"The first step is for leadership to commit themselves to transforming the company into a learning organization† (p. 210). Before that could happen, leaders should first of all need to recognize the need to transform our caterpillar ways to that of a butterfly. This step corresponds to the creation of an organizational vision. The company needs a more dynamic, interesting, inspiring vision to keep both leaders and employees stimulated into transforming and improving the company as well as creating an environment for continious learning.