Popular Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Popular Culture - Essay Example The basic ideas of structuralism are taken from the works of Saussure and his basic concept of language and parole. Saussure played a significant role by being able to distinguish parole (speech) and language. According to him, speech is the actual utterance made by an individual while language is the significant symbol of communication. Therefore, structuralism borrowed heavily from this important achievement. An individual who is not from the same culture might see the cultural festivals as acts of immorality, barbaric and at time a waste of important resources. On the other hand, the other people perceive it as an opportunity to enjoy and have fun. A person who understands the structure would be able to understand the meaning as to why people organize street party, why they are masquerading, and why people are in masks. For example, if one attends the Rio de Janeiro carnival, he/she can be tempted to join the carnival festival and enjoy with the rests of the attendants. A person who understands the culture would be able to know that it is a kind of religious festival that marks the beginning of the Easter festive season (Valdivia, 2004). Someone who does not understand the structure might fear that the people putting on masks are evil, but if one understands the culture, his/her personal view would be completely

Learning contracts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Learning contracts - Essay Example mises are, so as to understand both the customers and staff and I understand the varying personalities of the different types of customers, for example, regular and non regulars, students and non students, young and old, fat and not fat and many more. Thus, I know how to creatively use my position in gearing the company to analyse and understand its customers. My social skills are above average as I have learned social psychology and given the level of my work experience which cuts across varied socio economic backgrounds, I have been able to blend this with my education background in this field to equip myself to be a professional. My goal is to run my own pizza company. To demonstrate that I have met the outcome, I keep records and analyse the customer turnover and customer staff relation, which show the level of impact I have on my subordinates in steering and motivating them and equipping them with the skills to deliver good pizzas and service. I do this by personally going through contents in the suggestion box and questionnaires among others. P1. Reflect on your performance during the work placement and on what you have learned, applying appropriate theories of learning and reflective techniques, and providing evidence to support your conclusions My performance has been regarded by my superiors as impressive, since I have helped them to significantly promote their brand name, while the junior staffs see me as a sociable and likable person due to my ease in relating with them and the customers. Carrying out my duties, I have applied my knowledge of Maslow hierarchy of needs to critically analyse and understand the company. I have been voted employee of the month 5 times in a row. T1. Operate effectively in the work situation, exercising behaviours, attitudes and work skills (e.g. communication, team-working, problem solving, motivation and self-management) appropriate to your job/role and work

Investigating the role of regionalism towards globalisation

Investigating the role of regionalism towards globalisation Is regionalism best interpreted as contradictory to the logic of globalisation, or as an integral part of globalisation  ? Since 1990, end of the Cold War, the world is an ideological cease-fire, but it is still in search of paradigms to shape the new international order. We all tend to think in industrialized countries as well as in poor countries that further integrations of economies through increased interconnection and integration of markets would be ideal. Indeed, globalization is a phenomenon that calls to break boundaries and interdependence among peoples. Regarding the regional integration, it refers to a process of gathering together several distinct elements, in principle, but generally have common aspects with a view to strengthening their individual strengths. The question is either Regionalism poses a serious challenge to Globalisation or would Regionalism builds on Globalisation. The latter is a process that also announces the integration of the world in a new era of thought and actions, and as such, regional integration both in its objectives and forms, participates in this process. Thus regionalism is a decisive step to include in the globalization. We can distinguish two types of regionalism: one tries to resolve any issue amicably, to show consideration for individual needs, they agree on some basic rules to make life easier in overall, but they are also attached to their privacy. In terms of economic cooperation, this type of regionalism is essentially the removal of barriers. From that view, members remain free to pursue their own path of development, cooperating only on issues where they share the same perspective. The other is united by the desire of its members to share their lives, based on common values and views. States share the same political will to build a community and pooling their sovereignty. This type of regionalism tends to lead to the integration of different policies including the establishment of a common market, harmonizing standards and regulations. The first argument is that regional integration covers a wide range of economic and political agreements between nations. These agreements may be formal or informal, bilateral or multilateral, but with specific objectives and phases which are intended to prepare the States to globalization. Specific goals of integration are precisely to ensure access to a wider market, also improve international competitiveness through more efficient use of resources and the removal of structural barriers, promote political cooperation to reduce tensions, increase the bargaining power of the group and thus its members. Face to the competition required by globalization, particularly in dealing with inequalities in development between the countries of the world, integration is a lifeline for developing countries which cannot go to globalisation at risk to suffer from harmful consequences. As such, integration does not offer the same benefits as it applies to a developing countries or an industrialized country. Which brings us to recognize that integration is an additional asset to globalisation. This one is presented as a jungle, where the most powerful economic entities hold sway. Regional integration as a grouping of countries that are geographically close is a way for them to prepare for globalization. The second argument is that regional integration is a factor of industrialization and international trade development. Measures to foster regional integration have an impact on the economies of the region and intra-regional trade. These are mainly the reduction of the tariffs, the effect of expanding demand and the effect of common external tariff. The reduction of tariff barriers leads to greater development of community trade. Regional integration, when it well manages allows to corporate of the community to be more organized in order to compete internationally in their own regions and in the international environment. A study has demonstrated that MERCOSUR has served as a training ground for insertion in the global market economies in this group,especially those that are more powerful as Brazil and Argentina. The European Union and NAFTA, under their respective constitutive documents, are implemented free trade zones. The enlargement of the European Union expands eastwards to the European market of seventy five million consumers. European companies thus have a huge market and can use the European space to go to the conquest of the international market. Countries within a region can use regional integration to promote their presence in international markets and benefit from their comparative advantages in the world trade. The third argument is that borders are no longer a division and opposition between the states. They become factors of cooperation. The best example is found in the European Union with the Schengen zone which has institutionalized the free movement of persons within the area. Regional integration has the same objectives as the globalisation: the abolition of borders. While a feature of globalisation is the free movement of financial flows, regional integration through the creation of large areas of free trade more easily attracts investment and encourages capital accumulation. For example, following its accession to the European Union, foreign direct investment have been in some economic sectors of the UK to benefit from huge market offered by the community. The European Union, with its economies increasingly integrated and market power play a significant role in international negotiations held in the context of globalisation. It can better defend its interests within the WTO. Through regional integration, Africa can speak in a loud voice on the international scene and better defend its interests . However globalisation which refers originally to an integration of different political units that build up the world, finally directly produces its opposite: the fragmentation of the world. It seems that the fragmentation causes the consequence whereby the primary role is to resist to the globalisation. Some apply the quota system to limit quantity of goods to enter their area, others prefer to allocate subventions to local and subregional businesses. Thus integration in this sense means inequality which is paradoxical to globalisation. Therefore we should remember that this simplistic view that tends to make integration an asset for insertion into globalisation must be taken with caution. The integration that has been illustrated is sometimes a factor of disintegration, but beyond that, we must admit that gathering within a region can achieve a real integration into globalisation. If regionalism is a real factor to globalisation then we can wonder what should be done to ensure that imbalance is observed in developing countries especially in Africa can be restored ? African should accept to join themselves to face to the international competition, as if the economy is bad it will also apply to its policy. It must be admitted that a lot of things remain to be done for the integration. It is the search for greater economic security that motivates developing countries to look into developed countries and to seek new forms of partnership with them, others advocate more of a neighborhood regionalism between developing countries, less disruptive and closer to their needs. But the general idea is that North-South agreements provide a lot more advantages than disadvantages. For developed countries they are eager to promote such partnerships, particularly to stimulate development and reduce the problems of insecurity. Finally it allows people to better enjoy the benefit s of globalisation and to spread in the common interest. Besides regionalism allows flexible agreements, indeed increasing economic interdependence in regions does not systematically mean formal agreements. The establishment of the EU, NAFTA or MERCOSUR has involved increased intra-area trade, but it was not the case for ASEAN. The intra-regional trade are much denser at the entire Asian Eastern region (ASEAN but also China, Japan and Korea) although there are no formal structures of integration. East Asia perfectly illustrates the coexistence of regional global dynamics. In this part of the world, deepening regional interdependence is partly due to an opening outside and a search for competitiveness in global markets. Conversely, areas that least involved actively in globalisation are also those that are poorly integrated regionally. This is particularly the case of economies in the Middle East. Finally globalisation has a number of risks, especially related to the financial sphere and acceleration of capital movements. In these circumstances, regional integration can be a way to be protected from disruptions caused by globalisation. The debate on globalisation and regionalism has long been focused only on trade policy issues. To conclude, regionalism is both a component of globalisation and a response to this process.

Black Holes :: science physics space

In 1916, the German astronomer Karl Schwarzchild attempted to theorize how a star could shrink to become what he called a "Black Hole". Schwarzchild predicted that our sun would have to shrink to less than two miles in radius. He also predicted that even though the sun had shrunk its mass and weight would remain the same, which means that the planets would continue on their orbits, uneffected. Schwarzchild still questioned if stars could become this compact. In 1934 W. Baade and F. Zwicky predicted that the collapse of a star, strips the atoms of their electrons, thus making it a Neutron Star. He also predicted that these are only 10-15 miles in diameter with a density of about a billion tons per cubic inch. The American physicists R. Oppenheimer and H. Snyder, in 1939, realized that Schwarzchild theory was only possible if the star was much bigger than our sun; approximately 3.9 times or larger. In the early seventies, a x-ray source was located in the Constellation Cygnus. The x-ray source couldn't actually be precisely located but was narrowed down to a relatively small area. At this time it was very puzzling for the scientist. Steven Hawking, in the seventies, came up with theoretical arguments demonstrating that black holes aren't entirely black and that it is possible for them to evaporate because they emit radiation. The radiation from a black hole comes from the mass of it, hence the black hole insinuatingly shrinks. While the radiation tediously increases, the mass slowly decreases. So as the radiation from the black hole increases the black hole shrinks and evidently vanishes. In 1972, scientist pinpointed a radio emission in the same area. This is still puzzling to scientist today but all they knew was that it was originated from the same area as the x-ray source and apparently came from open space. The scientist watched this area for months and finally waited until the spot in space came over the star next to it. When it did there was startling results. The spot in space eclipsed the star next to it. The spot was then named Cygnus X-1 and was officially the first Black hole discovered. Even back in Isaac Newton's time, scientist speculated such an object existed. So many questions had been answered by the discovery of this mysterious object, yet so many more generated. A Black Hole is an object that is so dense not even light can escape its gravity.

Haemochromatosis

In medicine, Iron overload Indicates accumulation of iron In the body from any cause. The most important causes are hereditary haemochromatosis, a genetic disorder. and transfusional Iron overload, which can result from repeated blood transfusion. Terminology Haemochromatosis or haemoslderosls Historically, the term haemochromatosis was initially used to refer to what is now more specifically called haemochromatosis type 1 . Currently, haemochromatosis Is mostly defined as iron overload with a hereditary/primary cause, or originating from a metabolic disorder.However, the term is currently also used more broadly to refer o any form of Iron overload, thus requiring specification of the cause, for example, hereditary haemochromatosis. Hereditary haemochromatosis is an autosomal recessive disorder with estimated prevalence In the population of 1 In 200 among patients with European ancestry, with lower incidence in other ethnic groups. The gene responsible for hereditary haemochromatosis is located on chromosome 6; the majority of hereditary haemochromatosis patients have mutations in this HFE gene.Hereditary haemochromatosis Is characterized by an accelerated rate of Intestinal iron absorption and progressive iron deposition in various tissues that typically egins to be expressed in the third to fifth decades of life, but may occur In children. The most common presentation is hepatic cirrhosis in combination with hypopituitarism, cardiomyopathy, diabetes, arthritis, or hyperpigmentation. Because of the severe sequelae of this disorder if left untreated, and recognizing that treatment is relatively simple, early diagnosis before symptoms or signs appear is Important.In general, the term haemoslderosls Is used to Indicate the pathological effect of iron accumulation in any given organ, which mainly occurs in the form of haemoslderln. Sometimes, the simpler term siderosls Is used Instead. Other definitions distinguishing haemochromatosis or haemosiderosis that are oc casionally used include: Haemosiderosis Is haemochromatosis caused by excessive blood transfusions, that is, haemosiderosis is a form of secondary haemochromatosis.Haemoslderosls is haemoslderln deposition within cells, while haemochromatosis Is haemosiderin within cells and interstitium. Haemosiderosis is iron overload that does not cause tissue damage, while haemochromatosis does. Haemosiderosis Is arbitrarily differentiated from haemochromatosis by the reversible nature of the iron accumulation In the reticuloendothelial system. Clinical presentation Organs commonly affected by haemochromatosis are the liver, heart, and endocrine glands.Haemochromatosis may present with the following clinical syndromes: Cirrhosis of the liver Diabetes due to pancreatic islet cell failure Cardiomyopathy Arthritis Testicular failure Tanning of the skin Joint pain and bone pain 1 OF3 causes The causes can be distinguished between primary cases and less frequent secondary cases . People of Celtic, Br itish, and Scandinavian origin have a particularly high incidence of whom about 10% are carriers of the gene and 1% sufferers from the condition.Primary haemochromatosis The fact that most cases of haemochromatosis were inherited was well known for most of the 20th century, though they were incorrectly assumed to depend on a single gene. The overwhelming majority actually depend on mutations of the HFE gene discovered in 1996, but since then others have been discovered and sometimes are grouped together as â€Å"non-classical hereditary haemochromatosis†, â€Å"non-HFE related hereditary haemochromatosis†, or â€Å"non-HFE haemochromatosis†. Most types of hereditary haemochromatosis have autosomal recessive inheritance, while type 4 has autosomal dominant inheritance.Secondary haemochromatosis Severe chronic haemolysis of any cause, including intravascular haemolysis and ineffective erythropoiesis Multiple frequent blood transfusions, which are usually needed ei ther by individuals with hereditary anaemias or by older patients with severe acquired anaemias such as in myelodysplastic syndromes Excess parenteral iron supplements, such as what can acutely happen in iron poisoning Excess dietary iron Some disorders do not normally cause haemochromatosis on their own, but may do so in the presence of other predisposing factors.These include cirrhosis, teatohepatitis of any cause, porphyria cutanea tarda, prolonged haemodialysis, and post-portacaval shunting. Diagnosis There are several methods available for diagnosing and monitoring iron loading including: Serum ferritin Liver biopsy MRI Serum ferritin is a low-cost, readily available, and minimally invasive method for assessing body iron stores.However, the major problem with using it as an indicator of iron overload is that it can be elevated in a range of other medical conditions unrelated to iron levels including infection, inflammation, fever, liver disease, renal disease, and cancer. Also, total iron binding capacity may be low, but can also be normal. The standard of practice in diagnosis of haemochromatosis was recently reviewed by Pietrangelo. has been extensively validated. More than 11,000 FerriScans have now been conducted in over 120 medical centres across 25 countries.FerriScan is now specifically recommended as a method to measure liver iron concentrations in clinical practice guidelines for thalassaemias, sickle cell disease myelodysplastic syndrome and hereditary haemochromatosis. Family members of those diagnosed with primary haemochromatosis may be advised to be screened genetically to etermine if they are a carrier or if they could develop the disease. This can allow preventative measures to be taken. Prognosis A third of those untreated develop hepatocellular carcinoma.

Marriage at an Early Age Essay

Marriage is regarded as a moment of celebration and a milestone in adult life. The age at first marriage varies across the globe. Being married before the age of 18 has been a social norm in third world countries [refer to Appendix A]. The percentage of women being married before age 18 is estimated to be 20 to 50 percent in average in developing countries (Joyce, et al. , 2001). On the other hand, western countries are unlikely to experience the similar pattern of marriage. The marital union is normally delayed too long although this is the most apparent reason for the breakdown in sexual ethics (Orsi, 2001). Because of its wealth, western society chooses to marry later in life until they have built an adequate maturity in age, education and financial state. Nowadays, many international organizations have made an effort to reduce the number of early marriage worldwide (Yudkin and Robert, 1996). Many believe that the practice of early marriage can hinder self-development of young girls. However, in western countries, there are several efforts to promote young marriages (Orsi, 2001). They believe that early marriage should be looked as a platform to cultivate maturity together but not as an institution just for the grown-up individuals. As we are concern, early marriage is widely practice in developing countries hence a global issue has arisen as to whether early marriage does really hinder self development due to the consequences it brings to young girls. The practice is believed to bring several benefits to some extent. However, the adverse effects it brings can impede the self-development of young adolescences in many aspects including health consequences, character building and education as well as career opportunities. 2. 0Statistical Studies of Early Marriage This aspect highlights the prevalence of early marriage across the globe and the very reasons of early marriage especially in developing countries. This aspect is important to illustrate the situation regarding early marriage worldwide. 2. 1Prevalence of Young Marriage The practice of young marriage is most common in developing countries (United Nation Children’s Fund (UNICEF), 2001). According to Joyce (2001), an analysis of Demographic and Healthy Survey data shows that Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asian countries are having the most cases of early marriage. Of these countries that have high cases of young marriage, Niger is the leading country with 88 percent of the women married before age 18. Adapted From: Joyce, L. F. , et al. (2001). Future Options Foreclosed: Girls Who Marry Early. Reproductive Health and Rights. 139-143. Retrieved January 25, 2006, from the World Wide Web: http://www. path. org/files/RHR-Article-14. pdf. 2. 2Major Factors That Lead to Early Marriage The huge number of young marriage in developing countries is due to several reasons. Poverty is one of the major factors underpinning early marriage (Joyce, 2001). A young girl may be regarded as an economic burden for a family thus early marriage is looked as a strategy for economic survival. A current study of five very poor villages in Egypt shows that young girls are being married off to much older men from oil-rich Middle Eastern countries for family survival (UNICEF, 2001). Besides, early marriage is one way to ensure that a girl is protected from physical disturbance (UNICEF, 2001). Parents believe that their daughters are safer when they marry early as there is always a man to guard them. For instance, some families in Northern Uganda encourage the young girls to marry to militia members in order to secure protection (UNICEF, 2001). For third world countries, marriage shortly after puberty is common among those living traditional lifestyles (Joyce, 2001). The girls as early as 14 years old have to carry responsibilities as a wife. As it has become a social custom, the tradition is carried on from one generation to the next. 3. 0Opponents’ Views Against Early Marriage This aspect discusses some of the opponents’ views against early marriage. It mostly talks about the disadvantages of early marriage to the girls including the lack of education, health problems and psychosocial disadvantages. The arguments given agree that early marriage does hamper self-development. 3. 1 The Denial of Education The opponents believed that early marriage denies the right of young adolescents to the education they necessitate for self-development. In traditional societies, the investment in a girl’s education is thought to be wasted as the girl is going to marry and stay at home doing household chores (UNICEF, 2001). For instance, in Northern Nigeria, early marriage is the very reason girls are often withdrawing from school (UNICEF, 2001). Because of the early end of female education, they have limited opportunities to develop skills and acquire knowledge ‘that serve them well throughout their lives’ hence restricts their economic and career opportunities (Joyce, 2001). This is because withdrawal from school that results in illiterate and unskilled women will lead to no recognition in professional field. 3. 2 Health and Reproduction Problem The opponents also argued that early childbearing which always occurs in early marriage endanger the lives of both the mother and her baby (Joyce, 2001). The early pregnancy increases the risk of complications and dying during delivery. A report shows that the risk of death due to pregnancy-related cases is doubled among women aged 15 to 19 compared to adult women (Adhikari, 2006). They further stressed that these girls are also more susceptible to sexually-transmitted diseases (UNICEF, 2001). Hormonal fluctuations and permeability of vaginal tissues experienced by these girls can lead to infertility. Moreover, according to a study in Rwanda, 25 percent of women who were pregnant before 18 were infected with HIV although they only had sex with their husbands (UNICEF, 2001). 3. 3Psychosocial Disadvantages When early marriage takes place, the girls will confront with great emotional damage. Sociologists suggested that this is due to their confinement at home to do household chores hence their mobility is denied (UNICEF, 2001). Most of the girls are depressed with this situation that eventually affects their emotional well being. An Indian research conducted in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh found that the spouses of early marriage usually suffered from great psychosocial damage (UNICEF, 2001). Another concern raised by the opponents is that the young girl loses her social life outside family cycle and this has affected her chance of cultivating her own identity (UNICEF, 2001). The most important implication of this is that her self-esteem is silently hindered from being developed and this will make her vulnerable to sexual and physical violence. In Eastern Africa for instance, a young wife has no right to refuse sex to her husband even though her partner is suspected with HIV (UNICEF, 2001). 4. 0 Proponents’ Views on Early Marriage This part will enlighten several views that support early marriage in our society. This includes health benefits, social stability and character advantages. In this argument, early marriage is looked upon as a better practice than delayed marriage. 4. 1 Health Benefits The proponents believed that body functions are more effective and healthy at early stage in life. For women, the body is particularly geared towards reproduction during early adulthood (Orsi, 2001). Early marriage is beneficial because desire and energy from young couples also produce healthy offsprings. They also highlighted that later marriage has led to problematic births and birth defects. This can happen as the body is unlikely to negotiate any burden like pregnancy at a late age. Not surprisingly, later marriage which is always associated with cohabitation and premarital sex increase the risk of sexually-transmitted diseases (Orsi, 2001). The hazardous infections like HIV will spread widely if the practice of premarital sex has became a lifestyle. 4. 2 Early Marriage as a Solution to Cohabitation Another issue raised by the proponents is that the trend towards later marriage has led to a great social deterioration in the society in term of cohabitation. In the United States of America, cohabitation is more prevalent than other countries as the people choose to marry later in life (Henslin, 2005). A study found that cohabitation before marriage is the very reason for breaking up after they were married (Henslin, 2005). Besides that, the increasing case of cohabitation in the United States of America is clearly illustrated by the graph on the next page. Adapted From: Henslin, J. M. (2005). Cohabitation. Sociology- A Down to Earth Approach (2nd Ed. ). 468. Boston: Pearson, Allyn & Bacon. They further argued that married couples including young spouses gain more benefits in terms of physical health, general happiness and longevity than cohabitants. This is proven from a study which was cited as strong evidence that cohabiting couples experienced the rate of depression three times more than married couple (Popenoe and Dafoe, 2006). . 3 Self-development Improvement It is also believed that early marriage helps in cultivating maturity. Early marriage is looked upon as a platform for young people to grow in maturity together. Moreover, they share experiences at an early age before egoism is deposited in their heart. This is important to ensure a successful marriage is established (Orsi, 2001). They further emphasized that early marriage is a natural institution to grow emotionally by everyday give and take at an early age. This foundation is hard to build later in life. Also, through The London Telegraph, Emma Besbrode has reported that individuals that are unmarried by early age are more vulnerable to depression and loneliness (Orsi, 2001). This unbalance in emotional development will lead to a stressful life. 5. 0 How Does Early Marriage Hamper Self-development? In this area, both arguments from proponents and opponents are being evaluated in terms of health, character building and education. This is important to determine whether the practice of early marriage does impede self-development. 5. 1 Health Aspect Health is a very important aspect in self-development of an individual. Early marriage greatly affect the health of young adolescents especially girls. Although women who marry later in life are also vulnerable to problematic birth, (Orsi, 2001) the girls who are particularly still growing up have to struggle with the risks associated with early pregnancies (UNICEF, 2001). This is because the physical features of the girls are not fully developed and therefore both the girls and their babies have to compete to obtain the necessary nutrients for themselves. This means that early marriage endangers both mother and her baby. Besides those, sexual intercourse that takes place at a very young age can enhance the risk of sexually-transmitted diseases (STD) (UNICEF, 2001). It is also true that STD can also infect unmarried people as well especially among cohabitants, but a recent study conducted in Rwanda shows that the younger the age at sexual intercourse, the higher the risk of STD (UNICEF, 2001). This proves that early marriage set off a poor cycle of health. 5. 2 Character Building Aspect Each and every individual has his/her own character. The practice of early marriage limits character development as a girl who marries early experiences less socialization outside her family cycle (UNICEF, 2001). This reduces her opportunities for building her own identity which is vital for her successful self-development. On the other hand, some individuals believe that early marriage is a stage for maturity to be acquired and it is not just for matured individuals (Orsi, 2001). However, it is not the case as these girls are affected by great emotional disturbance and depression. Inter-American researchers have discovered that these emotional consequences are ‘unavoidable part of life’ for those who choose to marry early (UNICEF, 2001). Therefore, it is clearly shown that early marriage does hinder personal development. 5. 3 Education and Intellect The importance of well-developed education is vital for an individual to survive. Since early marriage is the major reason for young adolescents to quit from school (Adhikari, 2006), it can restrict career prospects of a girl by limiting her chances to acquire important skills and knowledge. Without those qualities, the girl’s future seems to foreclose to any opportunities for economic survival. In fact, unemployment rates are higher for those who have limited education (Baker and Dryden, 1993). This is clearly illustrated from the table below. Unemployment Rate by Educational Attainment for 15 to 24 year-olds, Canada, 1991 Educational AttainmentUnemployment Rate 0 to 8 years29. 5 Some secondary education20. 7 High school graduation15. 7 Some post-secondary12. 6 Post-secondary certificate11. 7 University degree 8. 1 Total16. 2 Source: Baker, M. and Dryden, J. (1993). Patterns in Employment and Unemployment or Young People. Families in Canadian Society (2nd Ed. ). 93-94. Canada: McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited. For those reasons, early marriage is proven to bring more harm than benefits. This practice consequently hampers one’s personal development. 6. 0 Conclusion The practice of early marriage in our society today does hinder personal development of individuals in terms of health, character building and intellectual qualities. First, a girl is more vulnerable to diseases and complications when sex intercourse takes place between the spouses occur at an early age. Early pregnancies followed by childbearing can also bring harm to the girl by increasing the risks of dying and problems during delivery. Apart from this, character building which is important to determine one’s unique identity will be affected as well when a girl enters marriage at a young age. The loss of mobility and social life due to the early marriage will result in lack of self esteem and great emotional damage. In addition, limited education is obvious among those who marry early. In the long run, this lack of schooling will restrict economic and career prospect in the future because withdrawal from school means no qualifications and recognition. This will foreclose the future options of one’s self. Therefore, the practice of early marriage is proven to hinder personal development and should be reduced among young adolescents especially in developing countries with high incidence of young marriage. Effective steps should be executed by international organization to reduce the number of this practice worldwide. For instance, each country should rise up the legal age for marriage. Besides that, education should be promoted among young couples so that they acquire adequate level of education for their future. Although it is difficult to reduce the number, by helping the young spouses with their life, it more or less, reduces the burden they carry.

Brain Scans Show Pattern In Violent Behavior Essays - Brain

Brain Scans Show Pattern In Violent Behavior Essays - Brain Brain Scans Show Pattern In Violent Behavior Murderers and other people prone to violence have distinct brain patterns that can be scanned and that might be changed with drugs and other therapies, researchers said. Most people's brain can rein in overreaction to emotions such as fear or anger. But in pathologically violent people, this control system gets short-circuited. Several studies have shown this rewiring can be seen in images such as PET(positron emission tomography) scans. Impulsive,affective aggression may be the product of a failure of emotion regulation, University of Wisconsin-Madison psychologist Richard Davidson and colleagues wrote in their report, published in journal science. They said normal people can control their emotions,and can respond to cues from other people, such facial expressions of fear. We suggest that individuals predisposed to aggression and violence have an abnormality in the central circuitry responsible for these adaptive behavioral strategies, they wrote. Davidson and his team reviewed studies, including some of their own, involving 500 violent people with aggressive personality disorder,childhood brain injuries and convicted murderers. They compared their brain function to nonviolent people. They found dysfunction in the same brain regions in 41 murderers, in a group suffering from aggressive impulsive personality disorder and in some people diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder. And they found that the same brain regions were involved again and again. The evidence we have reviewed indicates that the orbitofrontal cortex and the structures with which it is interconnected, including other prefrontal territories, the anterior cingulate cortex ,and the amygdala, constitute core elements of a circuit that underlies emotion regulation,they wrote. The orbital frontal cortex is important in h olding back impulsive outbursts, while the anterior cingulate cortex recruits other brain regions in the response to conflict. The amydala, the almond-shaped structure linked with fear and emotion ,is also and important player. In violent people, its activity essentially ran out of control, while other brain regions could calm it down in normal people. Abnormalities in serotonin function in regions of the prefrontal cortex may be especially important, the researchers added. Serotonin is an important message-carrying hormone, known as a neurotransmitter, linked with mood and emotion. It is targeted by antidepressant drugs. Davidson said genetics and environment are probably both involved and it may be possible to rewire these faulty circuits with drugs or psychological therapy. Given what we know about brain plasticity and the fact that the brain really can change in response to experience, we have good reason to expect that these treatments may, in fact, have beneficial consequences, he said in a statement. Meanwhile, a second report in Science suggested that aggression is not always bad. Frans de Waal of the yerkes Regional Primate Research Center in Atlanta said sometimes conflict led to closer relationships by letting peole literally kiss and make-up. For example, chimpanzees kiss and embrace after fight, and other nonhuman primates engage in similar reconciliations,he wrote.

The Ecological Validity Essay Example

The Ecological Validity Essay Example The Ecological Validity Paper The Ecological Validity Paper Pennington and Hastie believed that jurors’ will construct a story to make sense of evidence and then return the verdict that has the ‘best fit’ with their story. P and H investigated whether the order of testimony had an effect on the jurors’ decisions. The sample used in this study consisted of 130 students from the University of Chicago.  The two story-telling strategies investigated in this study are; story order and witness order. Story order is when the Lawyers present evidence in the sequence that events occurred, and witness order is when lawyers present witnesses in the sequence they believe is most likely to persuade the jury (may not be the sequence in which the events occurred, also the benefits of primacy and recency effects are taken into account. Primacy effect is when for example out of a list of 10 words you are most likely to remember the first word; whereas the recency effect claims you are most likely to remember the last word. The study was a laboratory experiment, using independent groups design, with ps acting as jurors in a mock trial. The IV was the order of testimony and the DV was the verdict given. In individual cubicles ps listened to a tape recording of the stimulus trial and then responded to written questions. They were told to reach either a guilty or not guilty verdict on a murder charge. Ps were allocated to one of four conditions. In each condition, the same evidence was presented by the defence and prosecution, only the order of presentation changed (witness or story order). The Results of the study showed that the prosecution were most likely to win (78% of guilty verdict) when they used story order and defence used witness order. Similarly, the defence were most likely to win when they used story order and the prosecution used witness order (only 31% guilty verdict).  Pennington and Hastie concluded that order of testimony does affect juror’s decisions. In particular, jurors are more easily persuaded by ‘story order’ than ‘witness order’. P and H also suggested that the reason why 80% of criminal court cases return guilty verdicts in the US is because prosecution lawyers tend to use story order and defence lawyers tend to use witness order. Lawyers use a variety of different techniques in order to persuade a jury, into convincing their client’s innocence. Various studies have been conducted into investigating the best techniques for persuading a jury, but the main issue with many of these studies is that they l ack ecological validity. The most common method used in studies investigating persuading a jury, is a laboratory experiment in the form of a mock trial. Mock trials are often used because, people outside of the jury are not allowed into the jury room due to confidentiality of the legal process. One of the main issues with the use of mock trials is that participants often make an individual decision concerning the verdict of the trial, and are sometimes even asked to give a rating of their belief of the defendant’s guilt. For example in Edwards and Bryan, both of these issues occur, each individual participant gives a verdict as well as a number of ratings concerning their beliefs about the defendant’s guilt or innocence and their views about an appropriate sentence. As in a real court case the jury is only asked to give a verdict of guilty of innocent, which is made in a group decision, the study lacks ecological validity. Another problem with using mock trials is that there is a lack of consequence, meaning the result/verdict given by the participants has no effect on the trial, as in Pennington and Hastie’s study on the effect of order of testimony on jurors’ decisions. Due to the lack of pressure of wrongfully committing someone of a crime/vice versa as well as the lack of emotional stress associated with serving on a jury in a court room. The study is said to lack ecological validity as it cannot be applied to the real world. Mock trials often present the evidence in various ways, for instance in Pennington and Hastie’s study, the evidence is presented to the participants in individual cubicles, where they listen to a tape recording of the stimulus trial. Another form in which evidence is presented is in Cutler, ps are shown a videotaped robbery trial and in Edwards and Bryan, ps are given a transcript of an actual murder trial in California. Although in Edwards and Bran the transcript is taken from an actual case, the study is still lacking in ecological validity as it is a very different way of gathering data on the trial through a transcript or videotape than it being presented by a lawyer in court. Often small unrepresentative samples are used due to the use of opportunity sampling. For example in Edwards and Bryan 74 university students are used, as they are all students, the sample is unrepresentative of a typical jury and therefore lowing the ecological validity of the study.  Another way in which persuading a jury, can be investigated is via â€Å"shadow jury†, this is an alternative to mock trials, and consists of a group of participants who â€Å"shadow† i.e. sit in on a case/trial and at the end come to a verdict themselves, and seeing if their opinions are conclusive with the juror’s. Although there are certain advantages to this method such as an improved ecological validity as the participants receive the same amount of evidence as a real jury, presented in a real manner. However the study still lacks ecological validity due to the lack of consequences, i.e. no pressure of wrongfully committing an innocent person and vice versa.  Overall research into persuading a jury is often very lacking in ecological validity due to the laboratory method often used in the form of a mock trial. As these studies have a very low ecological validity, the studies lack applicability to the real world and have low validity in results.

Capital Budgeting Techniques and Sensitivity Analysis

Sensitivity analysis can be understood as research of the uncertainty within the production of a mathematical model or system that can be allocated to several uncertainty sources within its inputs (Ai, Croce and Li 2013). Sensitivity analysis serves as techniques employed for determining the ways in which several values of certain variable impact on a a dependent variable within a specific cluster of assumptions. Sensitivity analysis is generated for analyzing the impact that the great range of variables has on the desired outcome. This analysis is relied on the variables effecting valuation that a financial model can indicate through employing the price and EPS variables (Borgonovo and Plischke 2016). For instance, Apple Inc employs sensitivity analysis along with the consideration of long-term cost of capital. Sensitivity analysis that is employed by Apple Inc serves as a technique of evaluating alterations in particular project’s NPV or the IRR for the given change within one of the variables. This signifies the extent to which a project is NPV or IRR is sensitive for a considered change in one among the variables (Fujimori et al. 2014). Apple Inc considers that the more the NPV of a project is sensible the more critical can be the variable. The following steps are deemed associated with the implementation of the sensitivity analysis that is mentioned under: Sensitivity analysis of the efficiency criteria for the purpose of investment project analysis serves as the calculating technique of researching and deciding the impact of changes in the individual values considered on the investment project analysis (Gospodinov, Kan and Robotti 2014). Apple Inc stated that strong implementation of the sensitivity analysis within the investment decision-making under certain uncertainty situations includes numerous major input parameters like the income, investment value, costs, discount rate in accordance with the impacts and effects of the alterations of these parameters (Kuehn, Simutin and Wang 2016). This is on the values of numerous basic criteria that can be considered as investment decision-making process namely the criteria of internal rate of return, net present value and the payback period. Sensitivity analysis serves as major criteria for the evaluation of investment projects serves as extremely complex process. With the help of the sensitivity analysis, the investors will be capable to obtain a great number of information regarding the impact of the input parameters on the criteria those are examined for conducting effective investment decision-making (Lee and Su 2014). Apple Inc stated that information can also be gathered regarding the impact of input parameters based on the criteria value that can further enhance investment decision making. Capital budgeting serves as a process though which investors determine which projects to select. Sensitivity analysis offers superior insight for the investors to take effective business decisions. Scenario analysis serves as the technique of evaluating likely future events through taking into account certain alternative possible outcomes. For this reason, for Apple Inc. scenario analysis can serve as a technique that can be the major form of projection, which does not attempt to indicate one accurate picture of the future (Mà ¸nster et al. 2014). Scenario analysis acts as a technique of anticipating the expected portfolio value that is in response to certain unfavorable event and might be employed to analyze theoretical worst-case circumstances.   Moreover, scenario analysis serves as a process in order to ascertain and evaluate the likely events that can take place in the upcoming years. This serves as a vital tool that is increasingly used in making projections over the upcoming years (Rangvid, Santa-Clara and Schmeling 2016). Scenario analysis is increasingly associated with capital budgeting techniques. An investment’s scenario analysis might include the followin g steps: Revealing the best-case output within most suitable value for all the inputs is an option of scenario analysis. For instance, Apple Inc considers that at the time of calculating net present value, the most suitable value for discount rate is used along with considering likely cash flow growth along with lower tax rate (Tian 2013). With implementation of effective capital budgeting techniques such as NPV and IRR, it can be stated that scenario analysis is a model output that is calculated for over an ample scenarios. Scenario analysis is widely employed in order to estimate proper investment value in several situations. Scenario analysis is greatly used in taking investment decisions through implementation of capital budgeting techniques like NPV and IRR (Zabarankin, Pavlikov and Uryasev 2014). For Apple Inc, scenario analysis was deemed most vital techniques for evaluating risks associated with the investment projects. The scenario analysis served as the techniques those are used by investors along with using the discount rates must be used for projects with several risks. Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) is a model employed for theoretically determining suitable asset based rate on return in order to make decisions regarding adding assets within an efficiently diversified portfolio. Capital asset pricing model explains the prediction of the relationship that can be observed within the risk associated with asset along with its expected return (Ai, Croce and Li 2013). Taking into consideration that the Capital Market Line (CML), the market portfolio is deemed to encompass segmentation of all the risks assets. This is done through employing the market value of the assets in order to determine the weights (Borgonovo and Plischke 2016). The CML line is deemed to be arrived from CAPM that decides the anticipated return at numerous risk levels. In the capital asset pricing model, CML is only applicable only in case of an investor’s final portfolio and in the world of CAPM; the investors are likely to hold portfolios that rely on the CML. In CAPM, the capital market line is deemed higher than the efficient frontier as it focuses on the consideration of the risk-free asset within a portfolio (Fujimori et al. 2014). The capital asset pricing model signifies that market portfolio is majorly the efficient frontier. The assumptions of CAPM are deemed unrealistic and such reality simplification is vital for preparing useful models. Tolerance of the CAPM model’s assumptions that facilitates derivation of a well built, idealized through a model of manner within which the financial markets gauges risk and changes it within anticipated return. The capital asset pricing model indicates that the market portfolio serves as efficient frontier (Rangvid, Santa-Clara and Schmeling 2016). Within the CAPM, the securities are priced so that the anticipated risks counterbalance the decided returns. There are two aspects within the CAPM model, which requires generating Capital Market Line. The capital market line indicates the investment returns of an investor for a particular portfolio. The capital market line employs the CAPM formula in order to calculate the anticipated return of a portfolio or security (Rangvid, Santa-Clara and Schmeling 2016). CML serves as the graphical representation of the CAPM formula. It explains the relationship between the systematic risk and expected return related with a portfolio. The CAPM formula that consists of formula on capital market line is helpful in deciding whether a security can be considered for effective investment decision making. The association between the CAPM formula and capital market line are indicated in the formula below:   is deemed to denote the point associated with the market portfolio (M). All the portfolios selected by a rational investor are deemed to have a point   that relies on the capital market line (Mà ¸nster et al. 2014). Considering this formula, it can be said that the CAPM model can be employed in order to measure the systematic risk associated with a single share. Moreover, the transformation line, which remains tangential to the efficient set along with having intercepted within risk-free rate Rf, is the capital market line. This defines that a particular composition of the risky assets those investor wishes to hold. This is deemed as market portfolio (M). Moreover, CML serves as the transformation line, which is observed to be tangential with the efficient frontier (Mà ¸nster et al. 2014). Capital Market Line (CML) serves as a line that connects returns with no-risk investments along with overall market returns (Zabarankin, Pavlikov and Uryasev 2014). The difference between efficient frontier and capital market line is that capital market line involves less risk investments ad all the portfolios within it are efficient frontiers. Capita market line is employed in order to analyze the performance of portfolio. Certain points below any other point within the line will offer decreased returns along with similar risks and for such reasons these are not ideal. Capital market line is deemed a measure used to analyze performance of portfolio. Capital Market Line (CML) is a graph used within the capital asset pricing models in order to signify rates of return within the market portfolio (Borgonovo and Plischke 2016). Capital market line explains rates of return for the effective portfolios those are relied on the degree of risk along with risk free rate of return for a particu lar portfolio. Capital Market Line initiates from considering the assumption that all the company’s investors needs to possess market portfolio. Intensity of risk is deemed to be positively correlated to the anticipated return (Zabarankin, Pavlikov and Uryasev 2014). The Capital Market Line serves as the linear combinations of the risk-free asset and portfolio. Portfolios under the capital market line are deemed inferior that indicates new efficient set. Capital Market Line is observed to remain within the capital asset pricing model in order to indicate the rates of return for efficient portfolios likely to face the risk level for a market portfolio along with risk-free return rate (Borgonovo and Plischke 2016). The capital market line is generated through drawing a tangent line from the point of intercept on the efficient frontier to the situation where the expected return on a holding is similar to the risk-free return rate. The capital market line facilitates the investor in taking into account the risks of several additional assets within the remaining portfolio. The capital market line results from the association with the market portfolio along with the risk-free asset (Zabarankin, Pavlikov and Uryasev 2014). All the points in consideration to CML have increased risk-return profiles to certain portfolio within the efficient frontier with the exception of the market portfolio that serves as point within efficient frontier within which capita market line is a tangent. From the CML perception, such portfolio encompasses all the risky assets and has less holding on the risk free assets. As per CAPM, market portfolio signifies efficient frontier and this can be gathered as cluster of portfolios (Lee and Su 2014). The market portfolio in combination to the risk-free asset is able to produce an increased return than the efficient frontier. Therefore, it can be said that the combination of the market portfolio along with the risk-free asset leads to emergence of capital market line. The major techniques employed for project analysis are the NPV and IRR analysis. Sensitivity analysis considers the NPV and IRR of an investment project at the time more than one variable alterations (Lee and Su 2014). The idea that exists based on all the variables except the one evaluated and analyze the way sensitivity of the NPV or the IRR are to changes within that variable. Ai, H., Croce, M.M. and Li, K., 2013. Toward a quantitative general equilibrium asset pricing model with intangible capital.  Review of Financial Studies,  26(2), pp.491-530. Borgonovo, E. and Plischke, E., 2016. Sensitivity analysis: a review of recent advances.  European Journal of Operational Research,  248(3), pp.869-887. Fujimori, S., Kainuma, M., Masui, T., Hasegawa, T. and Dai, H., 2014. The effectiveness of energy service demand reduction: A scenario analysis of global climate change mitigation.  Energy policy,  75, pp.379-391. Gospodinov, N., Kan, R. and Robotti, C., 2014. Misspecification-robust inference in linear asset-pricing models with irrelevant risk factors.  Review of Financial Studies,  27(7), pp.2139-2170. Kuehn, L.A., Simutin, M. and Wang, J.J., 2016. A labor capital asset pricing model. Lee, M.C. and Su, L.E., 2014. Capital Market Line Based on Efficient Frontier of Portfolio with Borrowing and Lending Rate.  Universal Journal of Accounting and Finance,  2(4), pp.69-76. Mà ¸nster, J.G., Samuelsson, J., Kjeldsen, P., Rella, C.W. and Scheutz, C., 2014. Quantifying methane emission from fugitive sources by combining tracer release and downwind measurements–a sensitivity analysis based on multiple field surveys.  Waste Management,  34(8), pp.1416-1428. Rangvid, J., Santa-Clara, P. and Schmeling, M., 2016. Capital market integration and consumption risk sharing over the long run.  Journal of International Economics,  103, pp.27-43. Tian, W., 2013. A review of sensitivity analysis methods in building energy analysis.  Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews,  20, pp.411-419. Zabarankin, M., Pavlikov, K. and Uryasev, S., 2014. Capital asset pricing model (CAPM) with drawdown measure.  European Journal of Operational Research,  234(2), pp.508-517.

Intellectual Property Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Intellectual Property - Essay Example It is able to prevent and treat diabetic complications. It contains fagomine and 1-deoxynojirimycin whereby the ratio of their weights is 0.5, which is approximately 5:1. The preferred weight ratio is 2 which implies about 5:1 ratio of the weight of 1-deoxynojirimycin to that of fagomine. Firstly, this invention focuses its research on the role of ensuring reduction in blood glucose of the composition of fagomine and 1-deoxynojirimycin through the mixing of different ratios. The expected result is that the two compounds would have very good synergistic hypoglycemic effect within a set proportion range. The mixing ratio selected is that with a better synergistic hypoglycemic effect. In addition, it also researches the effect of the composition when combined with other hypoglycemic compounds. In the event of reducing hypoglycemic rats’ blood glucose after intragastric sucrose administration, joint application of other hypoglycemic substances and fagomine and 1-deoxynojirimycin a re able to more effectively reduce blood glucose than any other hypoglycemic compounds or any single or combined applications. This composition can be made in to various formulations such as capsules, tablets, granules, dripping pills, powder, and oral liquid. Conventional methods and conventional excipients can be adopted as the preparation methods. From the research results, it is clear that the present applications has well spelt-out mechanism and significance usefulness which can be employed in preventing and treating diabetes and any complications accompanied with it. This issued patent operates in the Biomedical and technology field and address the concerns of the diabetes menace which over the years has claimed more lives just as much as cancer and HIV/AIDS. The novel thing about this invention is how it utilizes the capability of compositions to synergistically help not only prevent and treat diabetes but also deal with any other complications associated with it. Currently, this invention is both locally and internationally patented. This patent protection can be said to be broad, and it bars existing technologies or pharmaceutical companies from using the stated formula and essentially the composition of 1-deoxynojirimycin and fagomine in the manufacture or improvement of existing blood glucose reduction remedies. This invention can take the form of a pharmaceutical company, product line or just a product in the form of capsules, tablets, granules, dripping pills, powder, and oral liquid. Artificial red blood cells (Patent Number 7348399) This invention patent application number 11/433,259 was applied for in the U.S by Haynie Donald T. in May 2006 and is yet to be issued. It has been classified under current U.S class 530/300; 530/385 and current international class A61K 38/03 (20060101); A61K 38/16 (20060101). Invention Summary It provides a new method for the identification of sequence motifs of a given net charge and length at a neutral pH in seque nce information of amino acid for use in recording a required number of motifs and in ELBL. This is a seven step method consisting of (a) obtaining a peptide amino acid sequence from a given organism; (b) locating a starter amino acid; (c) examining the starter amino acid t determine the number of charged amino acids which have an opposite polarity; (d)

Crjs410 U5DB Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Crjs410 U5DB - Research Paper Example The fact that that most of the terrorists who were linked to the September 11 terror attack were Muslims lead to a non- Muslim community to view Muslims as synonymous to evil and a people who cannot be trusted. The non –Muslim community supported policy changes allowing torture. Security procedures to spy on Muslims were also put in place (Morrow, 2014). Interfaith Summits and campaigns such as† Shoulder to shoulder: Standing with American Muslims† have been launched to fight against anti-Muslim mentality. Leaders have publicly condemned religious intolerance, and there has been prosecution of the perpetrators. Unitas community needs to employ these strategies in order to assure the Muslim community of their security and to promote tolerance (Morrow, 2014). Hate crimes statutes are laws enacted to deter bias-motivated violence. The statue’s goals are to deter prejudice, to condemn racism, religious intolerance and homophobia and to condemn any other criminal conduct (Hrw.org., 2014). The perpetrators of anti-Muslim bigotry believe that their actions have community support. In order to prove wrong this belief, both to the perpetrators and to the community, the Unitas incidence should be prosecuted as a hate crime and not as any other civil wrong (Hrw.org, 2014). Morrow, T. (2014). Campaign to address anti-Muslim sentiments - National Religious Campaigns against Torture. Nrcat.org. Retrieved from

Knowledge Management. Chunnel Project FTA Final Research Paper

Knowledge Management. Chunnel Project FTA Final - Research Paper Example The Chunnel project faced innumerable challenges in its initiation phase. When there is lack of scope then it leads to resource planning, cost estimating as well as budgeting difficulties. Furthermore, the other challenge faced by Chunnel was related to air-conditioning cost as well as formation of Intergovernmental Commission (IGC). The project was bid at US$5.5 billion but it completed at US$14.9 billion. The project took extra US$8.4 billion of funds to complete successfully. It was also noted that the project required additional 19 months to complete. The main reasons behind the delay in the project were the alteration in the decision made by the IGC. It was noted that the decision of IGC to alter the design of the Eurotunnel from 600 mm doors to nearly 700 mm doors deferred the project to 9 months. It was because of the contractual agreement the project was not capable of paying much attention towards teamwork. During the course of the project, it was difficult for the team memb ers to come to a mutually agreeable solution when confronted with material issues because of the incomplete requirements as well as scope changes. Therefore, lack of communication seemed to be one of the significant challenges faced by Chunnel. During the development step, the project faced issues related to lack of investment in team building. Furthermore, project office did not consider previously leant lessons while preparing the project details. The project was making use of new technology and furthermore, it was an underground construction which was considered as a challenging task for the project manager and the workers. The control of the project was in the hands of financing banks as well as construction companies that paid due attention towards the factors of profit maximization as well as risk maximization. However, there was lack of focus upon the task of operations. With the implementation of the knowledge management

Health Reform Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Health Reform - Research Paper Example Secondary data or historical data are the kind of data that is previously gathered for some study or project, which built specially for that particular project (Zikmund, 2003, p Nd). In regards to this research, the secondary data used are gathered from the Internet, journals and other publications in order to get basic information about the nature of the health reformation within the organization. The research and the methodologies of this paper are basically qualitative in nature. The primary resources are there in this paper to prove the solid statements. However, the secondary resources are also very much important to prove the practical viewpoints of this particular paper. The data collection method is one of the most important actions in the organizational research work. The primary and secondary data are compiled in a proper blend to fetch the ultimate result. However, in this case the questionnaires were very much prominent. However, the proposed number of questions to be fil led for any research is around 25-30, where minimum 20-25 questions suppose to be answered to get a good result. However, the missing count can be taken as the margin of error, or their stipulated feedbacks could have taken as the average feedbacks. In this particular paper the five major methodologies for the research work are 1: Interview, 2: Surveys, 3: Focus group, 4: observation and 5: internal data. Among all of these the most important method is the interview and the survey. These two methods give the ultimate feedback of the employees towards the improvement of the health related issues within the organization. Data collection is one of the most important part I the research process. The data collection can be taken from the interview process of from the internal data or most of the time for the effective survey within the projected sample size for the research. However, all of the research methods are equally important prove the relevance of the research work and to predict the fruitful outcome of the research for the betterment of the health reform within the organizations. The relevance of the secondary data is very much important to justify this particular paper and that is the reason the selected five methodologies are chosen to collect the secondary data to support the study. All the five methods are discussed bellow. 1. Interview: In rearview has been taken as one of the most effective research method for collecting the secondary data from the focus group. Personal interview with the projected employees within the organization for their expectation and complains about the present health related issues are very much productive in case of finding the proper solution. There are some numbers of factors which are very much important for conducting an effective interview process. These number of factors need to be taken very seriously in designing the interview process. The basic concept of the interview is to exchange the verbal and written expressio n of the participant towards the projected questions (Watson, , p 282). The research interviews must be recorded so they can be analyzed afterwards. Most of the time, these interviews are generally audiotaped. The interviewed data are transcribed into text for the data analysis. In this case the different people from different organizations ate taken under consideration for the interview pro

The Effects of M&As in the Furtherance of Strategic Objectives of Dissertation

The Effects of M&As in the Furtherance of Strategic Objectives of Tesco Plc and Wal-Mart - Dissertation Example ................................................................................................................. ... Under the PEST analysis, political, economic, social and technological factors (for PEST) will be discussed. Additionally, legal and environmental factors will also be discussed (completes PESTLE analysis). Under Porters 5 Forces analysis, the 5 forces that influence any given industry will be discussed. These include powers handled by the supplier and the buyer, threat of substitution, competitive rivalry, and threat of new entry. Tesco – Company Overview Tesco Plc is an international retailer with active activities in most parts of the world apart from providing retail banking and Insurance services. Its wide distribution of stores enables customers to pick the products of their choice from various parts of the world. The company delivered a sales growth of 7.4% by the year 2012 and strong international performance with a return of capital employed of 12%. The company is projected to have a weak growth among its peers due to its low operating profit margin compared to the se ctor/industry average of 14.39% hence it is considered underperforming in the industry (Tesco Plc, 2012). Tesco Plc realized its potential in the retail industry and decided in many cases to consolidate its efforts with other businesses. The greatest interest was to establish the effect of these consolidations with its aims and objectives in order to unearth the truth on the possible effects of M&As. PESTEL Analysis Politically, the recession remains one of the main gamut that are currently affecting all the countries resulting to high numbers of unemployment. As one of the major and wildest growing retailers, Tesco will avail more jobs hence reducing levels of unemployment. Economic factors are significant for Tesco because they influence directly the buying behavior of

Knowledge Management. Chunnel Project FTA Final Research Paper

Knowledge Management. Chunnel Project FTA Final - Research Paper Example The Chunnel project faced innumerable challenges in its initiation phase. When there is lack of scope then it leads to resource planning, cost estimating as well as budgeting difficulties. Furthermore, the other challenge faced by Chunnel was related to air-conditioning cost as well as formation of Intergovernmental Commission (IGC). The project was bid at US$5.5 billion but it completed at US$14.9 billion. The project took extra US$8.4 billion of funds to complete successfully. It was also noted that the project required additional 19 months to complete. The main reasons behind the delay in the project were the alteration in the decision made by the IGC. It was noted that the decision of IGC to alter the design of the Eurotunnel from 600 mm doors to nearly 700 mm doors deferred the project to 9 months. It was because of the contractual agreement the project was not capable of paying much attention towards teamwork. During the course of the project, it was difficult for the team memb ers to come to a mutually agreeable solution when confronted with material issues because of the incomplete requirements as well as scope changes. Therefore, lack of communication seemed to be one of the significant challenges faced by Chunnel. During the development step, the project faced issues related to lack of investment in team building. Furthermore, project office did not consider previously leant lessons while preparing the project details. The project was making use of new technology and furthermore, it was an underground construction which was considered as a challenging task for the project manager and the workers. The control of the project was in the hands of financing banks as well as construction companies that paid due attention towards the factors of profit maximization as well as risk maximization. However, there was lack of focus upon the task of operations. With the implementation of the knowledge management

The Effects of M&As in the Furtherance of Strategic Objectives of Dissertation

The Effects of M&As in the Furtherance of Strategic Objectives of Tesco Plc and Wal-Mart - Dissertation Example ................................................................................................................. ... Under the PEST analysis, political, economic, social and technological factors (for PEST) will be discussed. Additionally, legal and environmental factors will also be discussed (completes PESTLE analysis). Under Porters 5 Forces analysis, the 5 forces that influence any given industry will be discussed. These include powers handled by the supplier and the buyer, threat of substitution, competitive rivalry, and threat of new entry. Tesco – Company Overview Tesco Plc is an international retailer with active activities in most parts of the world apart from providing retail banking and Insurance services. Its wide distribution of stores enables customers to pick the products of their choice from various parts of the world. The company delivered a sales growth of 7.4% by the year 2012 and strong international performance with a return of capital employed of 12%. The company is projected to have a weak growth among its peers due to its low operating profit margin compared to the se ctor/industry average of 14.39% hence it is considered underperforming in the industry (Tesco Plc, 2012). Tesco Plc realized its potential in the retail industry and decided in many cases to consolidate its efforts with other businesses. The greatest interest was to establish the effect of these consolidations with its aims and objectives in order to unearth the truth on the possible effects of M&As. PESTEL Analysis Politically, the recession remains one of the main gamut that are currently affecting all the countries resulting to high numbers of unemployment. As one of the major and wildest growing retailers, Tesco will avail more jobs hence reducing levels of unemployment. Economic factors are significant for Tesco because they influence directly the buying behavior of

College List Essay Example for Free

College List Essay Pg. 211 Check Comprehension 1. The speaker addresses the happy leaves, the happy lines, and the happy rhymes. The listeners are asked to deliver what he feels to the women he loves. 2. In Sonnet 35 the speaker wants the same type of visual devotion from his wife as he is to her. 3. In Sonnet 35 the speaker compares his eyes to narcissus and his own-self infatuation. 4. In the first four lines the speaker writes his wives name in the sand twice and then the tide washes the names away both times. One speaker is Edmund Spenser and the other is his wife. Critical Thinking 1. The Physical and emotional state of the speaker is evolved around the desire of having the girl because he doesn?t have her he is starving and becoming unhealthy emotionally, he is depressed because his heart is throbbing without her. 2. The ?object of their pain? that the speaker is talking about is the inability for his wife to give affection to him, but he gives it to her. 3. It expresses morality and poetry as being the same because once it is written it begins to fade and morality begins to fade also. 4. Pg 213 Check Comprehension 1. In sonnet 31 the speaker addresses the moon. 2. In sonnet 31 the moon appears to the speaker weak, sickly, and pale. The speaker believes that the cause of the moons sadness is that it does not receive the love that it deserves. 3. The six benefits that the speaker attributes to sleep are the certain knot of peace, the baiting place of wit, the balm of woe, the poor man?s wealth, the prisoners release, and the indifferent judge between the high and low. 4. In sonnet 39 the speaker wants to sleep to shield or escape his sorrow. Critical Thinking 1. The connection between the appearance moon and the thoughts that the speaker utters is that they both have pale and sickly faces that look very sad. 2. The speaker is seeking escape from his sorrow though sleep by using it as a shield. 3. Judging by what is said in each sonnet you can make the conclusion that each speaker is yearning for his love because they got into a fight and were separated. 4. The speakers lover might scorn the moon because of it?s love for her. 5. Sonnet 39 talks about his desire to sleep are related to how people still deal with problems. People believe psychologically that it heals their problems.

Knowledge Attitude Practices Repeat Cesarean Health And Social Care Essay

Knowledge Attitude Practices Repeat Cesarean Health And Social Care Essay Cesarean delivery is defined as the birth of a fetus through incisions in the abdominal wall and uterine wall . An increase of in the cesarean delivery has been observed worldwide. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) states that no region in the world is justified in having a cesarean rate greater than 10 to 15%. According to the WHO, cesarean delivery rate of more than 15% is indicative of inappropriate use of resources . According to Department of Health, the Philippines 2006 national cesarean rate is 24%. In Davao Medical Center (DMC), the rate as of 2008 is recorded at 19% as depicted in the OB-Gyne departments annual cesarean review statistics. In the US, most common indication of cesarean section is repeat cesarean which accounts for 35% of all cases as reported by the United States Public Health Service. The rates have been steadily increasing due to a higher number of sections for fetal distress as electronic fetal monitoring has been used extensively for presumed fetal compromise, the many breech presentations delivered abdominally as well as the increasing acceptability of cesarean delivery by maternal request. Before the 1970s, deliveries by cesarean section were considered as an indication for cesarean section in the subsequent pregnancies, reflecting a concern that uterine scar tissue might rupture during labor. However, in the 1980s, the dictumonce a cesarean, always a cesarean, espoused by Craigin (1916) was revised in many countries, and a trial of labor in women with history of cesarean section was proposed as an attempt to reduce cesarean section rates. However, an apparent increase in the incidence of uterine rupture and concern about maternal and fetal safety have challenged the choice of vaginal delivery in women having a scarred uterus. As a consequence, clinicians are increasingly being faced in deciding the mode of delivery in pregnant women whose first delivery was by cesarean section. This scenario has also been observed in the Philippine setting. DMC, as a specific case, recorded increasing cesarean deliveries accounting to a third of all deliveries for 2008, of which, 11.53% for repeat CS while 19.8% for primary CS. In contrast, Vaginal Birth after Cesarean Section is a measly 1.2% of the total deliveries for 2008. This is due to the fact that patients who underwent VBAC were admitted for imminent delivery. Majority of these patients were not prepared during their prenatal visits and were unaware of the complications and risks of VBAC. The confounding reason of such practice is primarily economics: the high cost of undergoing an elective CS delivery as compared with the cost of vaginal delivery. These patients would rather risk undergoing VBAC without the benefit of intrapartum monitoring specifically for those attempting to deliver at lying-in clinics or at home. Based on the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) study, the incidence of uterine rupture is low at .2-.7% (Landon,2006). But despite its low incidence, ACOG guidelines on VBACS specifically mentioned that VBAC be performed in an institution where an obstetric, anesthesia, pediatric, and operating-room staff is available. This scenario provided impetus for the conceptualization of this study which is aimed at determining the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of repeat C-section patients and their willingness to undergo vaginal birth after C-section at DMC. Review of Related Literature In 2004, the number of C-sections had reached an all-time high, accounting for 29% of all births or 1 million babies (National Center for Health Statistics). This is despite the convention that vaginal delivery is associated with less maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality as compared with repeat cesarean section (Chauhan, 2004). For example, observational studies data from around 90,000 deliveries, have shown an increased risk of neonatal respiratory morbidity among term infants delivered by caesarean section (3.5-3.7%) compared with vaginal birth (0.5-1.4%). The following maternal risks significantly increase with increasing number of repeated caesarean deliveries: placenta accreta, injury to bladder, bowel or ureter, ileus, the need for postoperative ventilation, intensive care unit admission, hysterectomy, blood transfusion requiring four or more units and the duration of operative time and hospital stay (Russen et. al. 2004). Moreover, authors speculated that a prolonged inter-pregnancy interval may allow time for the previous cesarean delivery scar to reach its maximal tensile strength before the scar undergoes the mechanical stress and strain with a subsequent intrauterine pregnancy (Shipp et. al., 2000). Menacker et al. (2006) noted that cesarean rates fell between 1991 and 1996, and then began to rise rapidly. In 2004, over 29% of all births were by cesarean section. The rise in both the total and repeat cesarean rate has been widespread for women of all ages, races, medical indications, and for all infant gestational ages. The study also noted steep decrease in VBAC rate from 1996 to 2004 (see Figure 1). From this trend, the authors opined that the influence of recent medical opinion discouraging VBAC has had a strong effect on practice patterns, and had led to greater uniformity as well as a large increase in repeat cesarean deliveries by 2003. Figure 1 (Source: Menacker et al. pp. 236) The dramatic increase in cesarean sections over the past two decades has been significantly driven by repeat C-sections. In response, clinical guidelines recommending vaginal birth after cesarean-section (VBACS) have been promulgated by international organizations from different countries such as the United States, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and Australia. It is construed that adherence to these guidelines would reduce the number of repeat C-sections, lower the overall C-section rate and improve both the quality and the cost of health care. While these guidelines have received professional endorsement, their implementation has been clouded by issues of patient acceptance and provider payment. Neff (2004) discussed the risks and benefits of VBAC. Successful VBAC generally is associated with shorter maternal hospitalizations, fewer infections, less blood loss and fewer transfusions, and fewer thromboembolic events than cesarean delivery. However, a failed trial of labor may be associated with major maternal complications, such as hysterectomy, uterine rupture, operative injury, increased maternal infection, need for transfusion, and neonatal morbidity. Multiple cesarean deliveries are associated with an increased risk of placenta previa and accreta. With VBAC (Landon, 2004), the incidence of maternal death is extremely low. The incidence of perinatal death is less than 1 percent, and is more likely to occur during a trial of labor than an elective repeat cesarean delivery. Uterine rupture during a trial of labor after a previous cesarean delivery is a life-threatening complication directly associated with attempted VBAC. The patients obstetric history influences the risk of uterine rupture. A previous vaginal birth significantly reduces the risk of uterine rupture. Also, the longer the length of time between deliveries, the lower the risk of rupture. Women who attempt VBAC who have interdelivery intervals of less than 24 months have a two- to three-fold increased risk of uterine rupture compared with women whose interdelivery interval is more than 24 months. A study conducted Hopkins and Potter (1998) on C-sections patients in Brazil concluded that while many women fear the pain associated with childbirth and the consequences of a vaginal birth for the baby, they do not clamor for C-section delivery. Obstetricians were observed to have overplayed these fears to their advantage thereby overly estimating safety of C-section delivery. In fact, it has become a routine practice and is considered as safe or safer than a vaginal delivery. The study further documented that majority of first-time mothers in public and private hospitals wanted to deliver vaginally and considered vaginal birth superior in terms of recuperation. A majority believed that vaginal delivery does not have effect to their or their partners sexual life. Though majority was found to have considered normal childbirth more painful than a cesarean, but most also believed a cesarean causes a lot pain after the delivery. Less than 33% agreed that a cesarean is safer for the baby and less than 20% of women agreed that a C-section is safer for the woman. Objectives of the Study The objectives of the study are twofold: To come up with a profile of the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAPs) towards vaginal birth after C-section (VBACS) among repeat C-section patients Determine whether the KAPs of the respondents significantly influence their willingness to undergo VBACS Statement of the Problem This present study seeks answers to the following questions: What is the profile of the respondents in terms of their knowledge, attitudes and practices about VBACS? What is the frequency distribution of the respondents in terms of their willingness to undergo VBACS? Do the KAPs of the respondents significantly influence their acceptance to undergo VBAC in their next delivery? Does counseling about VBACS affect the respondents willingness to undergo vaginal birth after C-section? Conceptual framework It is hypothesized that the KAPs of the respondents toward VBAC significantly influence their willingness to deliver vaginally after having experienced C-section in their previous delivery. Significance of the Study The most common reason that a C-section is performed is that the woman has had a prior C-section delivery. DMC is not spared from the increasing trend of repeat C-section rate. Since vaginal delivery is undoubtedly associated with less maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality, not to mention, medical supplies and other hospital resources, there is a need to find ways in order to reduce repeat C-section rate in DMC. DMC, a tertiary and referral hospital in the Southern Mindanao Region, has no available data on KAPs of women towards VBACS. Thus, the range information that this investigation will generate could provide baseline information that can be used to design appropriate interventions aimed at reducing the overall C-section rate in the institution. One of which is by counseling and encouraging patients to undergo VBACS. One of the significant risks when considering VBACS is uterine rupture because it has been the belief and fear of many repeat cesarean patients that a previously scarred uterus is too weak to withstand trial of labor hence discouraging them from going into VBACS. The information that would be gathered from this study would be of help in counseling repeat C-section patients ante-nataly and post-nataly to enable them to plan their preferred spacing intervals for the subsequent pregnancies. This is because women with prior C-section birth is considered high risk and so to optimizing maternal well being and healthcare. Moreover, data about the knowledge, attitude and practices of patients who had prior CS birth on VBACS would be of help to assess the level of acceptance of these patients and hopefully allay their fears thereby coming up with the best informed choice. Lastly, the results of the investigation could spur future research in the subject VBACS. Dependent Variable The willingness of the respondents to undergo vaginal birth after cesarean section in their next delivery Independent Variables The profile of the respondents in terms of their knowledge, attitude and practices towards vaginal birth after cesarean section. MethodOLOGY Design A descriptive cross-sectional survey design would be employed to address the research questions. Setting Outpatient department of the OB clinic in Davao Medical Center Respondents and Sampling All patients who had a prior C-section birth seen at the high risk clinic of the DMC OB OPD will be included in the sampling frame from February to April 2010. The sample size will be determined using the model , where n is the sample size, N is the population size and e is the margin of error. Inclusion Criteria All patients who had a prior CS birth will be included in the study. Exclusion Criteria Patients who will not give their consent will be excluded from participating. Data Extraction The questionnaire will be pilot tested among ten patients with previous CS at the DMC OB OPD. A structured survey form will be used for gathering data about the respondents KAPs towards VBACS and their willingness to undergo vaginal delivery (see Attachment 1). The principal investigator (PI) will conduct a one-on-one administration of the survey form. Prior to gathering information pertinent to the questions in the survey, informed consent (see Attachment 2) will be secured by the PI. After data gathering, the principal investigator will counsel the respondents about VBACS, its indication and absolute contraindication, complications and the VBACS ACOG guidelines. A post-test question will be done on their willingness to undergo VBACS after being counseled. Ethical Consideration Approval from the hospital ethics committee will be sought before the study will be conducted. After thoroughly discussing the nature, methodology and objectives of the study to the respondent, a written consent will be asked from each participating patient. Data Analysis The KAPs of the respondents towards VBACS will be profiled using descriptive statistics such as the mean, standard deviation, frequency and percentage distribution. Their willingness to undergo vaginal delivery before and after counseling about VBACS will also be described using frequency and percentage distribution. Logistic regression analysis will be used to determine whether or not the KAPs of the respondents significantly influence their willingness to undergo VBACS. Time Frame The study will be conducted in February-April 2010. Budget Materials: 10,000.00 Miscellaneous: 8,000.00 Total: 18,000.00

Differentiation in the European Union Integration Process Essay

â€Å"From time to time it is worth reminding ourselves why twenty-seven European nation states have come together voluntarily to form the partnership that is the European Union.† 1 Europe has a history of war and conflict that predates living memory and the idea of a united Europe is something that appears repeatedly in that history. Hitler, Napoleon, and the many Roman Emperors all sought a united Europe. Their quests although in many ways motivated by a horrifying desire for power sparked the minds of philosophers and other political thinkers to imagine Europe united in harmony and peace despite national differences. Today we have the European Union which is quite unique. After the horrors, bloodshed, and economic disaster of the twentieth century, in a desire for peace and harmony and economic and political prosperity twenty-seven states have limited their national sovereignty.2 With national interests and ambition still in mind these countries see the European Union and supranational governance and the benefits of peace and prosperity therein as something worthwhile. However, in the history of European integration there has been much conflict and Euroskep ticism. Some see unity in diversity and diversity in unity as impossible, and the existence of differentiation in the EU as highly problematic. However, differentiation in the European Union’s integration process is not the hindrance it is often defined as, rather it creates further cooperation in Europe bringing the European Union closer to its objectives of peace, and economic and political growth, resulting in a more effective and efficient bureaucracy. Differentiation in the EU’s integration process has created more successful integration as it allows the nations who wish t... .... â€Å"European Identities: From Absent-Minded Citizens to Passionate Europeans,† Sociology 41.4 (2007). Jorgensen, Marianne – Phillips, Louise. Discourse analysis as Theory and Method. London: Sage, 2002. Junge, Kerstin. Differentiated European Integration:European Union Politics. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007. Keil, Kathrin. Differentiation in the European Integration Process. Sweden: Lund University, 2009. Littoz-Monnet, Annabelle. The European Union and Culture: Between economic regulation and European cultural policy. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2007. Marks, Gary and Marco R. Steenbergen. European Integration and Political Conflict. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004. Zervakis, Peter, 2006. â€Å"Differentiated Integration†: An Alternative Path to Classical Integration?, in: The Federalist (Paria), 48 (2006) 3, 205-213.

Wal-Mart International Success and Failure :: Business, Culture, Language

Wal-Mart was founded in 1962 by Sam Walton (1). Wal-Mart grew to two hundred seventy-six stores in their first decade of service (1). Wal-Mart’s plan was to sale products at low cost while delivering on outstanding service and customer relations (1). Wal-Mart also felt that they could target more customers if they offered convenient hours of business (1). Wal-Mart currently operates in fifteen countries around the world, supplying different needs, preferences and services depending on local retail habits (2). By servicing each geographic location in its own way and supplying the needs of a particular area they seem to do very well (2). Wal-Mart adjusts and adapts to local culture and serves the community in a way that the customers are accustomed to being served (2). Wal-Mart usually enters a foreign country by purchasing an existing chain and simply changing the name to Wal-Mart while retaining key personnel such as management who already know the culture (2). Wal-Mart spends lots of time researching and planning before entering a new market. It sometimes takes years to open in a new market overseas (Class notes). First they try to learn the culture, language, and habits of the citizens of a certain culture. Then they study the products which seem to do well in each different are and try to target these products for these cultures at low prices worldwide (Class notes). In the past two decades Wal-Mart has taken advantage of the internet technological advances to change the way many companies do business worldwide (3). The sheer size of Wal-Mart enables the company to buy in bulk at lower prices allowing the discount retail prices given to customers (3). Wal-Mart is able to by all products in great volumes and in return their supplier cuts some of the cost due the amount of product sold. Wal-Mart has great marketing and management plans before entering a market which allows the company to do very well in many different countries and cultures (3). Wal-Mar t has also had a hand in helping manufactures realize the advantages of customer satisfaction through quality (3). Despite all of Wal-Mart’s international success they have also learned some valuable lessons, mainly in South Korea and probably the biggest debacle of all, Germany (Class notes). When Wal-Mart originally decided to move into Germany in 1997 the potential for success seemed quite promising (4). The company made their entrance into the German market by purchasing "Wertzkauf" which included twenty-one locations (4).

Financial analysis Essay

The analytical audit of the company’s capital structures of the two companies shows that shows Arizon is highly geared as compared to AT & T. Gearing AT& T is 43. 3% for long term debt and 51. 76% for total equity which is not very high. In case of Arizon, the ratio is very high at 59% for long-term debt to equity while total debt to equity is 74. 91%. The Verizon case indicates that the firm does not have sufficient and steady internal financial resources to finance its assets. These get depleted compelling management to use external financial instruments. This usage of external sources to finance its assets increase chances of the company suffering financial risk that may lead to bankruptcy after technical default. The audit of inventory ratio of the two companies supplied reveals a AT $ T does not have stock while verizon has. This may be that AT & T is a service sector or in the business of manufacture at order or operate Just In Time method of stock refurbishing. While Arizona has inventory which is increasing gradually except in year 2004 when it down from 1. 50% in year 2003. we are not supplied with income statement to be able to determine the firms’ efficiency in utilizing its resources (inventory) to generate sales is. The close analysis of the two companies ratios provided indicates that AT $ T payable account that fluctuates from time to time. While Arizona have payables with down ward trend. This indicates that Arizona is managing her trade creditors well as compared to AT & T. if payables are not well managed may cause financial stress to the company. The working capital of the Verizona contains a significant proportion of cash fluctuating from time to time. In case of AT & T it is insignificant and it is in the down ward trend. The firms cannot therefore, meet its obligating with the most liquid resources. Additionally, there are no marketable securities that can be easily converted into cash when a financial need arises. What this implies is that the firm may find it difficult to meet its short term maturing financial obligations as and when they fall due for payment. The same conclusion about financial position can be made using both the acid test and cash ratios. From the ratios, the firm’s ability to meet its financial obligations from the liquid assets is also questionable. REFERENCES Luecke R (2002) Finance for Managers; Harvard Business School Lindsay R. (1967) Financial Management, An Analytical Approach; R. D Irwin, 1967