Organizational Environments and Cultures

————————————————- PRINCIPLES OF MANAGEMENT ————————————————- CHAPTER 3: ORGANIZATIONAL ENVIRONMENTS AND CULTURES 1. HOW CHANGING ENVIRONMENTS AFFECT ORGANIZATIONS Environmental change: The rate at which a company’s general and specific environment changes * Stable environments: the rate of environmental change is slow * Dynamic environments: the rate of environmental change is fast * Punctuated equilibrium theory: companies go through long periods of stability, followed by a short complex period of dynamic change (revolutionary periods) to later return to stability * Environmental complexity: Refers to the number and intensity of external factors in the environment that affect organizations * Simple environments: few environmental factors Complex environmen ts: many environmental factors * Resource scarcity: Refers to the abundance or shortage of critical organizational resources in an organization external environment * Uncertainty: How well managers can understand or predict the external changes and trends affecting their business * Uncertainty is lowest when environmental change and complexity are at low levels and resource scarcity is small (if environment is not too complicated and doesn’t change much it’s easy to predict) . FOUR COMPONENTS OF GENERAL ENVIRONMENT: 1. Economy * It influences basic business decisions such as whether to hire more employees, expand production, or take out loans to purchase * In a growing economy more products are bought and sold, more people work and salaries rise; and viceversa (in shrinking economy) * Business Confidence Indices: shows how confidente actual managers are about future business growth 2. Political/Legal Trends Includes legislation, regulations, and court decisions that go vern and regulate business behaviour * New laws and regulations continue to impose additional responsibilities to companies 3. Sociocultural Trends * Demographic characteristics, general behaviour, attitudes and beliefs of people in a particular society 4. Technological Trends * Refers to the knowledge, tools and techniques used to transform inputs into outputs 3. FIVE COMPONENTS OF SPECIFIC ENVIRONMENTThe specific environment is the environment that is unique to a firm’s industry and that directly affects the way it conducts day-to-day business. 1. Customer: * Monitoring customer’s changing wants and needs is critical to business success. It can be done in two ways: i. Reactive customer monitoring: identifying and addressing customer trends and problems after they occur ii. Proactive customer monitoring: identifying and addressing customer needs, trends and issues before they occur 2. Competitor: Companies need to keep close track of what their competitors are doing * To do so, they perform a competitive analysis * A competitive analysis involves deciding who your competitors are, anticipating competitors’ moves, and determining competitors’ strenghts and weaknesses 3. Supplier: * Supplier dependence: the degree to which a company relies on that supplier because of the importance of the supplier’s product to the company * Buyer dependence: the degree to which a supplier relies on a buyer because of the importance of that buyer to the supplier’s sales * A igh degree of supplier or buyer dependence can lead to oportunistic behaviour (benefiting at the expense of the other) * In contrast, relationship behaviour focuses on establishing a mutually beneficial, long-term relationship between buyers and suppliers 4. Industry Regulations: * Regulations and rules that govern the practices and procedures of specific industries, businesses and professions * Unlike the political/legal component of the general environment, this doe s not affect all businesses 5. Advocacy Groups: These are groups of concerned citizens who band together to try to influence the business practices of specific industries, businesses and professions * e. g. environmental advocacy groups try to influence manufacturers to pollute less * Ways in which advocacy groups can influence businesses: iii. Public communications: voluntary participation of media industry to send out the group’s message iv. Media advocacy: involves framing the group’s concern as public issues that affect everyone, forcing media coverage v.Product boycott: advocacy groups actively try to persuade consumers not to purchase a company’s product or service 4. MAKING SENSE OF CHANGING ENVIRONMENTS Because external environments can be dynamic, confusing and complex, managers use a three-step process to make sense of the changes in their external environments: 1. Environmental scanning: * Searching the environment for important events or issues that might affect the organization * Manager scan the environment to reduce incertainty 2.Interpreting Environmental factors: * After scanning, the company determines what environmental events and issues mean to the organization. * Distinguish environmental events as either threats or opportunities 3. Actiong on threats and opportunities: * Managers decide how to respond to these environmental factors * Because it is impossible to comprehend all the factors and changes, managers rely on Cognitive maps that summarize the perceived relationships between environmental factors and possible organizational actions 5.INTERNAL ENVIRONMENTS – ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE Organizational culture is the set of beliefs, values and attitudes shared b members of an organization. * Creating an Organizational Culture: * The founder is the primary source of an organization’s culture * Founders create organizations at their own image * When founders are gone, culture is kept with: i. Stories: to em phasize culturally consistent assumptions, decisions, and actions ii. Heroes: people admired for their qualities and achievements within the organization. Successful Organizational Cultures: * Are Adaptable * Have employee involvement * Have a clear company vision * Are Consistent, Strong culture (even though strong cultures reduce adaptability) * Changing Organizational Cultures: * Culture has three levels: iii. Seen (surface level) iv. Heard (expressed values & beliefs) v. Believed (unconscious assumptions & beliefes) * Managers should only focus on the parts of the culture they can control, those are the surface level items and expressed values and beliefs

Blood vessel Essay

Identify at least five organ systems in this region of the arm that the surgeon would have marked for reattachment. 2. List the names of the specific structures that had to be reattached. 3. What organ system was most likely not reattached? Explain. 4. Why was a clean bite so important? 5. Why was the bone shortened? 6. Identify the movements associated with the arm, forearm, wrist, and fingers. 7. Explain how the movements of the reattached arm might be altered after the reattachment. 8. Define collateral circulation and identify the regions of collateral circulation that would be found in the upper extremity. 9. Identify the specific vessels that provide the collateral circulation to the elbow. 10. Identify specific types of activities that might cause Jim problems after recovery. 11. Why would full use of his arm be unlikely? 12. Assume the role of the surgeons as they explain the procedure to Jim’s parents. Write a one- to two-paragraph explanation about the surgery, paying particular attention to what you would say about regaining use of his arm, forearm, and hand. 13. Assume the surgery to reconnect blood vessels was successful and blood flow was re-established immediately throughout the arm. Would the nerves of the arm recover as quickly and completely as the muscles? Explain why or why not. 14. How might this situation have been different if Jim had been 80 instead of 8 years old? Source: National Center for Teaching Case Studies in Science

The Consequences of Removing Dams and Changing River Flow in the Essay

The Consequences of Removing Dams and Changing River Flow in the Columbia River in Washington & Oregon - Essay Example This crisis poses wholesale environmental, economic and social consequences; hence, this survey examines some of the major consequences of removing the dams and changing the Columbia River flow and describing the impact upon salmon numbers. The debate over the controversial topic of dam removal in order to safeguard the salmon against extinction rages among environmentalists, scientists, politicians, fishing families, river-based entrepreneurs, etcetera. The Army Corps of Engineer's report, according to Richard Davis, identifies "three critical industries [that] would suffer closing or relocations if the dams were to be removed. Primarily aluminum manufacturing would be hit by higher electricity rates. Wood products producers would incur higher costs to ship logs, wood chips, pulp paper and lumber. [Likewise], food processors would be damaged by the loss of crops grown on lands irrigated from the lower Snake River" (awb.org/). "The U.S. "The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has estimated that breaching the dams would increase electricity bills for Northwest ratepayers by $300 million, add $40 million to transportation costs, eliminate 37,000 acres of prime irrigated farmland, wipe out 2,300 jobs, and cut personal income by $278 million a year." (qtd in Brunell awb.org/cgi-bin/absolutenm/templates/a=1201&z=10) However, Dan Hansen noted that the U.S. Army Corps' extensive report provides no recommendations to resolve the environmental crisis the Pacific northwest faces (bluefish.org/offersno.htm). In contrast, however, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services was quite resolute in its response to the situation; it has claimed that deciding on a course of action should be very easy indeed because "for native fish and wildlife, a free-flowing river is better than a dammed river" (bluefish.org/offersno.htm). Apparently, according to Hansen also, some scientists believe that the best method of protecting the endangered fish populations lies in breaching the dams. The impact of dismantling the dams, however, would entail life-altering repercussions on the surroundings and human populations. For example, the annual economic costs would be pegged at $246 million owing to losses in electricity production (bluefish.org/offersno.htm). Sealing off the interlocking dam mechanisms with their attendant closure of the federal waterways would most likely result in the demise of Lewiston, Idaho, for example, as a "seaport." Should a dam breach be effected Lewiston, Idaho, would no longer be the harbor providing navigational facilities for ocean-going ships. Furthermore, because the locking mechanisms of Snake River dams facilitate barge freight from Lewiston, Idaho to the Pacific Ocean, commodities presently being shipped by barges would have to be re-routed to trucks or railways. Another ramification would engender the federal government having to invest billions into new highways, state roads and railway lines if the dams are disrupted (Brunell). Along this argument, Richard Davis also announced that the economic consequences of removing the dams "would fall heavily on rural Eastern Washington and the Columbia

Apartment Building Structures in nineteenth and twentieth centuries Research Paper

Apartment Building Structures in nineteenth and twentieth centuries - Research Paper Example Looking at different examples shows the portrayal of various concepts and how apartment buildings provided a different approach to urban development. The first architectural concept which was created for those looking at newer structures for apartment buildings was from Ludwig Mies der Rohe, which created the Lake Shore Drive Apartments in Chicago, Illinois (see Appendix A). The residence addresses were considered luxury apartments at the time. The concept was to create high – rises that were available for living instead of smaller structures with housing. The main concept that was used by Mies was to have structural clarity with the buildings by creating repetitive frameworks with the windows and the contemporary columns at the bottom of the structure. Open windows and frames through the high – rise were the main ideology. The approach was to save on space for practical development in urban spaces while making each space feel like a home instead of an apartment with th e use of the open windows and beams that created the open framework in each room. The production combined with the Bauhaus movement from Germany and World War II styles. This was based on practicality and repetition through the square framework. This was combined with the high – end technology by creating the high rise for modernism which could be used with the structure1. A second structure that was able to redefine the concepts of the nineteenth and twentieth century was from the Majestic Apartments, built in New York from 1930 – 31 by Jacques Delamarre (see Appendix B). This structure took a similar form to the Chicago apartments with the high rise and practicality of each of the levels. The urban planning was based on offering high – rises instead of expanding with land, specifically to fit a higher population into the area. This was combined with the idea of art deco for a different design. The outer area is made of light brown brick and limestone. The uniq ue pattern is furthered with glazed corners for the top of the apartment to create a combination of artistic looks with the practical options of the apartment high – rises. The changes which occurred with urban development then combined the concept of practical and comfortable living with saving development space. This was furthered with the art deco style to create urban planning as an accent with the arts that were developed2. The importance of this building for the twentieth century was based on combining traditional art approaches with the changes in urban development. The infrastructure looked at the practicality o the buildings first. However, the art deco added into the landscape of the city for development that was based on creating a culture within the city through the artwork that was developed with the architectural pieces. The third apartment building structure which created a similar response to the time frame was the Auguste perret Apartments in Franklin, Paris, completed in 1902 (see Appendix C). The concept of practicality with the high – rise is one which is seen in these particular buildings, similar to the others. The urban planning was then based on developing more space for more individuals. The concept is furthered with the infrastructure that is developed with ornamented areas, balconies in the front and open areas with the windows that are displayed. This particular ideology was one which linked to the culture, specifically in creating the understanding of

Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 35

Leadership - Essay Example In this regard, this essay gives reasons as to why leaders are nurtured and not born. To begin with, it is logical and well understood by people that human beings are born without any knowledge. In real sense, when infants are born, they hardly posses any skills apart from the ones activated by physiological cues such as suckling milk from their mothers breasts, crying and answering to their calls of nature. According to Shalom, â€Å"Philosopher John Locke gave us ‘tabula rasa’ – blank slate – to frame up his theory that ‘nurture’ and environment is the key influencing factor over a human being† (1). Therefore, it is evident that even learned philosophers acknowledge that human beings are born without knowledge to carry out activities that require logical reasoning. Of more importance, many activities performed by human beings, including those of leadership, require external training for the subjects to learn how to pursue them effectively. According to Concordia University, the emotional intelligence (EQ) of children starts to develop at a tender age before going to school but vary â€Å"depending on each child’s home environment† (1). This indicates that most of the behavioral characteristics observed among children are mostly learned from other people in their environment. Similarly, leadership qualities are developed depending on the environment that one is predisposed hence the reason for different traits observed among leaders. On the other hand, due to the varied needs addressed in different leadership levels, many organizations as well as informal settings requires leaders with specific expertise. Due to the increased competition and limited resources, many organizations are â€Å"shifting toward leadership skills being learned from such divergent sources† (Integral Leadership Institute 1). This is understandable because many leadership opportunities are mainly focused in ensuring effective utilization of resources

Zines. Zine World Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Zines. Zine World - Essay Example Zines covers culture remote the corporate restrictions. They evaluate and criticize other zines, books, comics, newsletters, one-shots, videos, posters, spoken word recordings, or anything else in almost any media on any subject. Their focus is on material that's not available through normal commercial channels, so readers find reviews of hundreds of hand-made magazines, newsletters, and books you won't find anywhere else. Every review includes ordering information, so reacders can get this material direct from its publishers. Zine World is an example of a zine as well as Punk Zine. In addition to the reviews, Zine World covers news nobody else does: When publishers are brought up on charges for what they've published, when kids are kicked out of school for creating a zine, they try to spread the word, letting our readers know what they can do to help. In every issue of Zine World, small publishers let each other know which stores and distributors are trustworthy, and which aren't. They run free announcements about upcoming events, and other underground projects worthy of readers' support. They offer free classified ads for DIY or counterculture projects (up to 50 words; limit one free ad per issue). (Bartel, 2004) If the writers published something, and they are wondering how to get the word out to potential readers, these budding writers can consider sending it to Zine World. They are interested in almost anything that isn't corporate-controlled crap. Zine Wold's pledge -- to themselves, to their readers -- is that they'll give everything a fair read and an honest review. Their circulation is tiny, but they have been told that a good review can result in dozens of orders. The Punk zine offers discussions about rock music from its origins and up to the artists. They believe that the origins of Rock music can be explored through the attempts to understand the natural development of musical styles. A musical genre such as rock and roll does not simply come out of the music scene. It evolved from the moment a performance introduces a breakthrough which the audience perceived and admired due to its uniqueness. The best thing about rock music, according to Punk Zine, is that it is not limited to being a musical genre but some even consider it as a way of life, it is also known as a movement, a lifestyle, a culture and has the possibility of being an ideology. Rock and roll is a tradition and in its many faces can be considered a belief system. The premise of the work in the Punk Zine is that rock 'n' roll matters, and that it means what it says. It seems that rock 'n' roll music has seldom been given its due as an art form, that it is somehow relegated to a category of less "mature" or "serious" artistic pursuits by the media and the intellectual community (whatever that is). Some of their critics use the generic term "Pop" to refer to any popular music, including all contemporary rock musicians, as if the fact of rock 'n' roll's immense commercial success implies that it cannot really be taken seriously alongside, say, classical music, or even Jazz. In defiance of this trend (Zines), and in view of the apparent retreats from idealism that have permeated the past decade or two, these zines celebrates creative writing as a legitimate art form, and more, as a strong current in American and world culture, which contains a central

Midterm Exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Midterm Exam - Essay Example The former employed more male, blue-collar, less-educated workers who needed trade unions (Warner, 2012). The latter employs increasingly more female, white-collar, more educated workers who have less need for unions. These trends impact significantly on the relevance of labour relations to managers. First, whereas declining unionization may appear to exert less pressure on managers, the trend toward workers outsourcing the custody of their labor rights to lawyers implies closer scrutiny for the managers. Now managers will have to be more careful in dealing with their employees, lest they fall victim to the watchful eye of a lawyer. Then, the trend toward employers to devise schemes for employee participation in the running of the organization means that managers will endure less opposition from trade unions. In the old industrial economy, the employee was viewed as a source of cheap labor (Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), 2011). Their only role was to help goods for sale in the market. There was very little contact with the management. This view, however, has changed with the emergence of the so-called post-industrial market economy. The rise of the knowledge worker, in particular, has been instrumental to the mental shift. Broadly defined, the knowledge worker is charged with generating new ideas as opposed to simply implementing policies adopted by the management. This shift in the way the employee is perceived has necessitated a change in the way the workplace is governed. The new approach to governance places more emphasis on the active involvement of the employee in the decision-making processes of the organization (Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), 2011). There are many rewards that accrue to the firm that engages its employees in its decision-making processes. The benefit that is most cited is increased employee productivity (Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), 2011). The employee

Nutrition1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Nutrition1 - Essay Example The esophagus is a tube made of strong muscles that connect the mouth and the stomach. The bolus goes down to the stomach through it using peristaltic waves. The esophageal sphincter at its lower end makes the food stay in the stomach (Brown, 2011). In the stomach, the chewed food is stored for a while to allow the body to digest it properly. The food is mixed with the gastric acid that contains hydrochloric acid and sodium chloride. The hydrochloric acid destroys any bacteria that may have been ingested together with the food. Gastrin is the hormone that arouses the G cells to produce the gastric acid. The acid then stimulates the conversion of pepsinogen to pepsin that digests proteins. So as to avoid the corrosion of the stomach, there is a lining of mucus around it. As the food continues being mixed to form a thick liquid called chyme, the enzyme gastric lipase starts the chemical breakdown of fat globules in the food though not completely. The glycoprotein known as intrinsic factor is produced by the parietal cells to help in the absorption of vitamin B12. Food components that are in their simplest form like glucose are absorbed in the stomach. The peristaltic movements of the stomach then push the food down to the small i ntestines. The food is blocked from re-entering the stomach by the pyloric sphincter (Brown, 2011). The small intestines are the lower part of the alimentary canal where most of nutrient absorption takes place. The duodenum makes the initial phase of the small intestines where the acidic chime is made alkaline through the action of bile from the gall bladder; bicarbonates form the Brunner’s glands and the bicarbonates from the pancreas. Bile that is produced by the liver is stored in the gall bladder. The enzyme pancreatic lipase further breaks down the fat molecules called chylomicrons. The pancreatic juice also digests carbohydrates to glucose and proteins to amino acids. The lining of the stomach has many

Audience Ethnography. Commentary and observations on TV viewing Assignment

Audience Ethnography. Commentary and observations on TV viewing behaviour - Assignment Example The youngest child usually chose cartoons or adventure TV shows. Choice TV shows also differed for the males and females, with the males gravitating towards action movies and violent TV shows and the females opting for romantic movies, entertainment shows, and reality shows. The older adults were often observed watching documentaries. Common shows watched in the family included the early evening news. Watching TV news channels is generally considered a social activity for the family because most members of the family watch it even if the younger audiences sometimes may not understand it (Gauntlet and Hill, 1999). When watching the news, the parents often expressed their opinions about the news with their older children. The eight year old boy was usually not paying attention to the news and was often seen doing his homework or playing games on the tablet device. The older children sometimes shared opinions about the news, but in general, they simply agreed with their parents. At times, they expressed their sadness about the news, especially if the news involved accidents or young people like them. The watching of the news also coincided with family dinner times and the family usually watched the news while eating their dinner. After watching the news, the members of the family had different viewing preferences, but as a family, they already acknowledged that there were times when it was someone’s turn to watch something on the TV. After the news on a Monday evening, they knew that their father liked to watch Mythbusters and on a Tuesday evening, the family knew that the older children liked to watch their favourite TV series. On Saturday mornings, the family also allowed the youngest member of the family to watch cartoons. On Saturday afternoons, their father, grandfather, and middle child usually watched the replay of the Rugby match. On Saturdays at 8 pm, the family usually put on a movie from their DVD selection, one which all of them could watch. The TV viewing logs indicate that television means different things to different viewers. Some individuals value it for its entertainment value and others believe that it is an important source of information into the bigger world. As such, it is more than entertaining, and it is also informative and absorbing (Gillespie, 1998, in Gauntlett and Hill, 1998). The family enjoyed the time where they can watc h together as a family because it meant that they could interact and socialize with each other and were together even for only an hour or two in a day. They also enjoyed Saturday evenings when they could watch a movie on the DVD player because it also meant that they could share in the TV experience. The rest of the time, they knew that they all had different tastes in films and TV shows and would also be busy with their own personal concerns. Watching DVDs was a way of bringing them all together regardless of their preferences in TV shows and watch a film as a family (Wilson, 2004). It was noted that the DVD player was used regularly by the different members of the family. Some used it to fill in their free time, to entertain themselves, to watch pre-recorded shows, and to simply recall favourite shows and movies (Gauntlett and Hill, 1999). Technology has now allowed for the pre-recording of programs to watch at a

ALL ART A PRODUCT OF ITS TIME CULTURE'S VALUES FOUND EMBEDDED IN ART Essay

ALL ART A PRODUCT OF ITS TIME CULTURE'S VALUES FOUND EMBEDDED IN ART - Essay Example In fact, all forms of art may be viewed as products of their time and manifestations of the values of the culture to which they belong. With that said, it is only logical to conclude that the dominant mood of a period can actually be seen in any human production and an art form may be analyzed to reveal the historically defining values of a culture. Defined as "the practice of applying color to a surface" such as canvas, paper, wood, lacquer, glass, or concrete, painting is one art form worthy of analysis. The term "painting" when used in an artistic sense means the use of the craft along with composition, drawing, and other aesthetic factors so as to showcase the "expressive and conceptual intention of the practitioner." (Painting) Throughout history, painting is used as a way to represent, document, and express all the various intentions and subjects that are as many as the practitioners of the activity itself. Because of this, paintings can be representational and naturalistic as in a landscape or still life painting; abstract; photographic; loaded with symbolism, narrative content, emotion; or political in nature. (Painting) Spiritual concepts and motifs actually dominated in the history of painting--from mythological figures on pottery to biblical scenes on the interior walls and ceiling of The Sistine Chapel, as well as vivid depictions of human beings as spiritual subjects. (Painting) Oil painting, the process of painting with pigments bounded by a medium of drying oil, such as linseed oil in early modern Europe, is considered by many as a distinct painting genre "with rich and complex traditions in style and subject matter." (Painting) In fact, oil paintings throughout history can be considered as outstanding visual documentations of history, culture and lifestyle of people. And with time, as new techniques and styles have emerged, oil paintings have become more versatile and enriched, and the

Project Management Processes for a Project Essay Example for Free

Project Management Processes for a Project Essay In the pursuit to deliver exceptional product software for internal users of the company, the selection of an appropriate process methodology is imperative. One of the departments noticed that the input data in the company’s internal systems did not reflect the actual data in other department systems. A project team was developed to create a new upgraded system that will sustain data from both departments successfully and accurately. The project scope of the project was to focus on the characteristics of each department particulars and merge into a workable system. The project posed certain obstacles that made the decision to which methodology processes to implement an important one. Some of these obstacles were one of the department’s incoming data that did not take the same route compared to other departments to enter the main database. This posed a problem to making sure that the updated software was able to obtain and sustain the data correctly. In addition, the findings had concluded that this particular issue was one of the main reasons for the discrepancies in the old system. The actual discrepancies of data incoming into the old system automatically would cause misrepresentation across all departments that ended up causing quite of confusion. Therefore, the need to use the appropriate process is critical to ensure that the most difficult obstacles unknowns to most would need to be addressed effectively. The process chosen was from the Project Management Institute that uses the concept of Initiate- Plan – Execute – Control – Close to complete the project. The PMI process demonstrated all the areas of focus to better identify, resolve and complete the needed tasks successfully. The usage of the processes created an opportunity to interact with the team members more directly on specific areas that are yet defined. Due to the complex implementation of technology software that needed to communicate data from two different vantage points, the PMI processes methodology allowed for means to dissect certain components effectively. The first stage of the PMI processes to initiate is actually a way to develop a research agenda, in order, to detect any unforeseen issues or concerns. The research is an area that allows all team members to address certain concerns of the project. The IT department played a pivotal role in providing their vantage point of the technology side for a measure to meet in the final analysis. The research initiative provided an opportunity to see thru the different points of view from a technical aspect that could be misinterpreted thru a different means of project processes. The research format provides the initiation to deter any misconception previously connected to the IT department or other departments that could create road-blocks. The PMI process to beginning with the initiating of the project allows for the identification of all criteria’s leading up to subsequent phases. Therefore, the activity definition went hand in hand with the research portion of the project because it reinforces the identification of the desired deliverables to stakeholders. Thereafter the focus on planning allows for the findings from the research to be a smooth transition to designate on whom, what, and when to go further. The actual planning stage assists in being able to separate the tasks from the dependent tasks to ensure completion of the deliverables. The planning stages reinforce the documented data thru the initiation for any pitfalls in successfully implementing a major system upgrade that will support over 5,000 employees. The planning phase guarantees that the next phase of execution by the team members will be conducted in an orderly process due to the initiation on researching the project. Furthermore, the control phase will secure a means to not go over budget on a major and complex project due to initiation previously set in place. The close of the project will assist in the control phases due to the ability to pull all resources together in a timely matter and on target.

Comparisons Culture Between Ghana And Colombia Cultural Studies Essay

Comparisons Culture Between Ghana And Colombia Cultural Studies Essay Cultural festival is a important thing. Its needed for all of us. All peoples needed to know about cultural festival. So I take Colombia and Ghana 2 countries for my assignment. Make assignment Different cultural groups think, feel, and act differently. There is no scientific standard for considering one group as intrinsically superior or inferior to another. Studying differences in culture among groups and societies presupposes a position of cultural relativism. It does not imply normalcy for oneself, and for ones society. It, however, calls for judgment when dealing with groups or societies different from ones own. Information about the nature of cultural differences between societies, their roots, and their consequences should precede judgment and action. Cultural relativism is the view that all beliefs, customs, and ethics are relative to the individual within his own social context. In other words, right and wrong are culture-specific; what is considered moral in one society may be considered immoral in another, and, since no universal standard of morality exists, no one has the right to judge another societys customs. Cultural relativism is widely accepted in modern anthropology. Cultural relativists believe that all cultures are worthy in their own right and are of equal value. Diversity of cultures, even those with conflicting moral beliefs, is not to be considered in terms of Right and wrong or good and bad. Comparisons Culture between Ghana and Colombia: Ghana and Colombia both are highly established country by culture. Both of these countries have their own culture based on their location, language, religion, climate, food etc. Ghanas culture: Main article: History of Ghana There is archaeological evidence which shows that humans have lived in what is present day Ghana from about 1500 BC.[11] Nonetheless, there is no proof that those early dwellers are related to the current inhabitants of the area. Oral tradition has it that many of Ghanas current ethnic groups such as the multi-ethnic Akan, the Ga and the Ewe arrived around the 13th Century. Figure: 1 Ashanti yam ceremony, 19th century by Thomas E. Bowdich Facts and Statistics: AKWAABA! (Welcome) greets visitors as they arrive at the airport in the capital city of Accra. In 1957, Ghana (formed from the merger of the Gold Coast and the Togoland trust territory) became the first sub-Saharan country in colonial Africa to gain its independence. Today it is one of the most thriving democracies on the African continent. Currently the countrys economy is dominated by agriculture, which employs about 40 percent of the working population. Location: Ghana shares boundaries with Togo to the east, Cote dIvoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north and the Gulf of Guinea, to the south; only a few degrees north of the Equator. Area: total: 238,533 sq km Land: 227,533 sq km Water: 11,000 sq km Area Comparative: Slightly smaller than Oregon Current Weather: Tropical: warm and comparatively dry along southeast coast; hot and humid in southwest; hot and dry in north Figure2:Ghanasmap Population: Total 18,412,247 Religions: Ghana is a Muslim country. The Ghanas language: Different sources give different figures for the number of languages of Ghana. This is because of different classifications of varieties as either languages or dialects. Ethnologue lists a total of 79 languages. Ghanas 3 Society Culture The Ghanas Family: At the center of Ghanaian society is the institution of family. Sustained through a series of kinship networks and marriages, the family is acknowledged as the bedrock of all social life. The family is not only the basis of Ghanaian social organizations, but is also the main source of social security in old age (emotionally and financially) and the primary or sole caretaker for the young. Ghanas Pride: Russians are proud of their country. Patriotic songs and poems extol the virtues of their homeland. They accept that their lives are difficult and pride themselves on being able to flourish in conditions that others could not. They take great pride in their cultural heritage and expect the rest of the world to admire it. Communal Mentality: This is a remarkable piece of writing. Leadership compassionate, caring, and responsible leadership is threatened in Ghana. I am particularly interested in the issue of chiefs and the sale of communal land to foreigners and non-aliens alike. Why should a farmer lose their ancestral land to a rich property developer who has paid millions of cedis to a chief or his representative? These days it is common proactive for chiefs and their Town Planning and Lands Commission cohorts to zone productive agricultural or greenbelt land without any consultation with occupants of the land. Figure3: Ghanas dreams house Despite the presence of Islam and Christianity, traditional religions in Ghana have retained their influence because of their intimate relation to family loyalties and local mores. Figure4: Ghanas tradition Colombia Culture: Many aspects of Colombian culture can be traced back to the early culture of Spain of the 16th century and its collision with Colombias native civilizations (see: Muisca, Tayrona). The Spanish brought Catholicism, African slaves, the feudal encomienda system, and a caste system that favored European-born whites. After independence from Spain, the criollos struggled to establish a pluralistic political system between conservative and liberal ideals. Figure4: Bullfight-Bogotà ¡ Facts and Statistics: Location: Northern South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Panama and Venezuela, and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Ecuador and Panama Geographic coordinates: 4 00 N, 72 00 W Map references: South America Area: total: 1,138,910 sq km land: 1,038,700 sq km water: 100,210 sq km note: includes Isla de Malpelo, Roncador Cay, Serrana Bank, and Serranilla Bank Capital: Bogota Population: 42,954,279 (July 2005 est.) Ethnic Groups: mestizo 58%, white 20%, mulatto 14%, black 4%, mixed black-Amerindian 3%, Amerindian 1% Religion: Roman Catholic 90%, other 10% Figure5: Colombia Map Climate: tropical along coast and eastern plains; cooler in highlands Terrain: flat coastal lowlands, central highlands, high Andes Mountains, eastern lowland plains. Languages in Colombia: The official language of Colombia is Spanish and spoken by around 43 million people. In addition there are approximately 500,000 speakers of American Indian languages. Colombian Society Culture: Catholicism: Most Colombians would consider themselves to be Roman Catholics. The Church has historically been a very important influence over personal affairs such as marriage and family life. The parish church is often seen as the centre of a community, with the local priest representing divine authority and leadership. The Role of the Family: The family takes centre stage in the social structure. It acts as a source of support and advice and therefore great loyalty is shown to families. Although extended families rarely live under one roof, apart from in rural areas, many are still live very close and frequent one anothers houses often. Figure6: Colombia culture Hierarchies: Colombia can be termed a hierarchical society. People earn respect due to age and position. Older people are naturally perceived as being wise and as a result are afforded great respect. Colombian Clothing: Covers a variety of clothes that are commonly worn by the people who live in the country of Colombia in the continent of South America. The climate of Colombia is tropical in the coastal regions and the eastern plains and it is quite cold in the highlands. Therefore, the clothes of Colombia have to cater to a variety of weather conditions. Figure7: Colombian clothing Comparison of Culture: These two countries has their own and individual culture. Both of this culture is far different from one to another. They have different location, different language, different climate, different food, different religion and different cloth. These countries have different government system. Different religion makes them different by cloth from one to another. Most of the people of Ghana are Muslim by religion and they use to put on Islamic dresses. On the other hand, in Colombian total people is Roman Catholic but majority of people follows Ghana Orthodox as their religion. This religion comes from there tradition. So that, they use to puts on traditional dresses. Conclution: Every nation has their culture. This culture is unique and individual from others. Russia and Morocco also has their individual and highly established culture. Both of these cultures are far different from one to another. They have their own language, religion, belief, respect, climate, location, food, cloth etc which differ them from one to another.

Simulating Depth Of Field Effects Film Studies Essay

Simulating Depth Of Field Effects Film Studies Essay Depth of field effects: The distance between foreground and background is called depth of field. The depth of field is the distance in front and behind the point of focus. Objects outside of the depth of field are out of focus. In most cases, the depth of field extends one-third of its distance in front of the focal point, and two thirds its distance behind the focal point. Suppose a lens is focused at area, and lens required sharpness at X distance, and the subject is approximately at X distance, now if we move subject sometime near and far away from the camera at same position, than a very minute changes happen to sharpness . So in anywhere not in camera but our eyes also have some zone through which subject is acceptable sharp and that zone itself is the distance between the lens and the subject and that is called depth of field. However, due to limitations in the human eye, subjects that are slightly nearer to the lens and also subjects slightly further from the lens are perceived to be in focus. These below are the factors which affect more and less depth of field effects. More Depth of field effects Less depth of field effects To achieve more depth of field we have to use shorter focal length of lens. To achieve less depth ofd field effects we have to use longer focal length of lens. To achieve more depth of field we have to use small aperture size. To achieve less depth of field we have to use large aperture. Larger acceptable center of confusion (COC). Smaller acceptable center of confusion (COC). Distant plane of critical focus. Close plane of critical focus. Smaller film format. Larger film format. Focus split: Selecting near and far distance which need to be held equally and acceptably in focus and setting the focus distance to suit. Factors affecting Shallow depth of field effects in cameras High contrast lenses have less depth of field effects than the low contrast lens. Consequently, a smaller diameter of center of confusion should be used in depth of field calculation.(eg- 1/2000 instead of 1/1000 ) Lighting which sharply focused details, brightly lighted objects will appear to have less depth of field effects. The use of lens filter in between the lens and the subject, which will reduces maximum definition and make a greater degree of soft focus. As usual but very common, depth of field effects situation arises with uses of wide angle lens at moderate focus distance.( for e.g. 3ft to 12 ft) Object at infinity: This is occur especially when photographed using long focal length lens( more than 55 mm lenses) trend to appear tend to appear soft because of atmospheric elements(like moisture, smoke, dust, haze, smog). There is solution too for such situation that is only either use HAZE filters available in market or using light yellow filters to increase contrast and sharpness in film. This affects when you filming or photographing in any hilly area, mountain area, beaches, waterfall, or any natural area sometime forest too). In case of shutter release Priority: A fast shutter speed used in photography in order to capture fast moving object( e.g. like if you want to take a shot of moving car), whereas a slow shutter speed used to create blur effects on fast moving object( for e.g. a fast moving car in night and you want to capture back light of car as beam using slow shutter speed) , so therefore a fast shutter speed requires a larger aperture size lets say (f1/16or f/11 ) which allow small amount of light to enter the lens hence it extended depth of field effects and in case of slow shutter speed requires small aperture lets say (f2.8, or f2) which allow more light to enter the camera and hence it produce shallow depth of field effects. When aperture is more open than it allows more light to enter the camera and fall on camera CCD, hence to control amount of light we need a more shutter speed to accumulate and to prevent the photograph from over exposed. A telephoto lens gives you a narrow depth of field effects, by moving a lens as close as to the subject and use largest aperture size of camera lens, while to get the large depth of field use Wide angle lens and move your camera and lens as far as possible and use small aperture size. The degree of magnification that the image may be subjected to when shown or projected close or near to the audience sheet to the screen. I mean to say that when Audience close to a cinema screen will be more aware of soft focus than those who are far away from the cinema screen. Focus Bias: This can occur when one subject is in focus and rest is in out of focus like in case of macro photography with small aperture and long focal length for eg a 200 mm lens with aperture value of 2.8 or 2.0. Effects of aperture and the depth of field: The depth of field effects is being controlled by lens aperture value. If you increase the f-number than depth of field effects also increased but decrease the amount of light entering to the camera and when you decrease the f-number than depth of field effects also decreased (it gives shallow depth of field effect). In motion picture its very limited use of it. Generally cinematographer take a single aperture settings for a shot and for another shot they choose another setting as par locality and they adjust exposure settings with the help of light meter device which tells actuall amount of light presents in that area. Aperture settings and exposure settings are changed more frequently in still cameras than motion picture cameras. In photography and cinematography, variation in depth of field effects used to create various kinds of special effects. Camera movement and the depth of field effects: In film making, a person who looks and takes care of responsibility of lens changing, filter changing, point to focus, maintaining depth of field, setting focal length is known as focus-puller. Focus-puller is one of the assistant person in shooting crew members or camera man. A good focus-puller has very adequate and vast knowledge of cinematography. He has to focus and shift focus smoothly in such a manner that audience cant find jerk on them. In film industry most hard job is of focus puller. He has to perform his duty very accurately because suppose if any role given to actor to act on that, and he done that, but while recording focus puller didnt check focal length and filter than actor has to act again. Doing reshot is tough to achieve same expression what he achieved in previous shot. So this was example how much focus puller important to the cinematography. His work is more technical rather than creative. He has to keep in mind all the guidelines given by the director of phot ography during shooting a shot. Cameras depth of field limits The sharpness of depth of field can be increased by decreasing by Center of confusion, but its not as easy to decrease because it also has some disadvantage that is motion blur and diffraction. As we know center of confusion has inversely relation with f-number like a smaller center of confusion need a greater f number, but need a long exposure time. if we increase f-number than diffraction also increases which will soften or soft all the part of image, thus image will no longer be in sharp. The f-number which will overcome from center of confusion is the minimum acceptable sharpness value. If we increase f- number than the sharpness at limited depth of field improved. As we know there is also maximum f-numbers through which sharpness of depth of field in image gets over. The best f-number should be chosen in between of minimum and maximum f-numbers. Depth of field and Macro or close-up: One of the main difficulties with close-up photography is that keeping the image enough in focus. The closer the lens focuses, the less depth of field you have. When using a macro lens at its maximum magnification, depth of field may only extend a fraction of an inch. With floral close-ups, a small aperture is almost always needed, but even so, it is important that the lens focuses on a key focal point in the composition, since not in the entire frame. Depth of field and shooting on bright hot afternoon: While shooting at outdoor especially in day light, the director of photography may wish to reduce amount of light and the depth of field for a close-up shot. For reducing light, a very good filter available called neutral density filter commonly known as ND filter. Suppose the light meter indicating F/22 but we have till f/16, than ND filter play a very important role. This will reduce the amount of light entering to the camera and enable you to shoot on bright sunny day. On other case, if the director of photography wants a close-up shot, and you have to reduce your depth of field, because by reducing depth of field, it will out of focused the background and puts more importance to the subject or highlight the subject. Circle of confusion While shooting the film, the focus puller must be know that which part of scene should be sharp, so therefore we need something to measure the sharpness of image in relative to film limits of the eyes resolution at the time of viewing or at time of projection on screen. For example: if a image is captured through 35 mm film projected at theater, audience must be at distance of 1/3 back from screen. Now we know that eye resolving power is 1 minute of arc. From audience I mean 1/3 back from screen, the smallest size of a dot appearing on a screen which is in perfectly focused or sharp. Now we can easily measures the distance between audience and the screen through any inch tape, from screen the previous sharpen dot which appeared smallest at back now that will be largest dot from the screen, the arc of 1 minute comes up with physical dimension on the screen for the largest dot that the audience previously seen as a smaller sharp point. Figure 1 (need to put a diagram over here) Now the diameter of dot on screen is not actual size of dot, to find actual size of dot we have to calculate diameter of big dot appearing on screen, than we have to divide with enlargement factor needs to bring the size of our 33 mm film up to size of our cinema screen or projected area. This will bring the size of maximum or big dot. When lens is focused at infinity: If any point is focused from the infinity, the distance between plane of focus and the lens become the focal length of the lens. How image size varies at different points behind the camera lens: Figure 2 (need to put a diagram over here) You can see the image is not at extract plane of focus. The image was there somewhere after plane of focus. So in this case size the dot size forming big. Now imagine if the audience sees this dot size sharpen, clearly in focus, than we can easily calculate the amount of sharpness in which part of overall image looks sharp. Near and far points of focus: Figure 3 (need to put a diagram over here) In this case point B creating a sharp image on image plane or plane of focus, while point A creating image after crossing image plane or plane of focus, which means out of focus or blur or less sharpen image. Conclusion: In film plane, both near object and far away object (Lets take Point A and Point B) expanded and become confused to larger dot than the original dot. Hence this is the circle of confusion. Figure 4 (need to put a diagram over here) Thus, a center of confusion (COC) is the diameter of largest dot which is still considers being sharp, focused, and also seen by the audience in Film Theater when it projected on screen. Focus Split: Focus split is selecting the near and far distance which need to be held equally and acceptably in-focus and setting the focus distance to suit. Lets take x as the distance of near object from the camera lens Lets take y as the distance of far away object from the camera lens Than what could be the focus area? Hyper focal Distance: Hyper focal distance is maximum depth of field that starts from infinity to the camera. If a lens is set to hyper focal distance, than the depth of field effects is half of hyper focal distance from infinity. Hyper focal distance is the distance in which lens is focused at infinity, so that the object in background and foreground both will be at sharper focused. Hyper focal distance depends on many factors, some of like Focal length of the camera lens The aperture f- value Diameter of circle of confusion Hyper Focal distance = (FL2) f X COC Where FL means focal length, f-number means aperture size and COC means circle of confusion After knowing hyper focal distance, its easy to calculate near and far point Near point depth of field = H X S H+(S-F) Far point depth of field = H X S H-(S-F) Where H = Hyper focal distance value S = Distance from camera to the subject F = Focal length of camera lens COC = Circle of confusion Focus Bias: Focus bias occurs when one object is in focus and rest is in out of focus (for e.g like in case of macro photography, with larger aperture and longh focal length, i.e f 2.8 with 200 mm focal length) In cinematography, focus plane yet depth of field effects is calculated using the entrance puple position of

Tupac Shakur Biography Essay -- essays research papers

Tupac Shakur 1971-1996 Born: June 16, 1971 in New York, New York, United States Died: September 13, 1996 in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Ethnicity: African American Occupation: Rap Musician, Musician, Actor "Don't shed a tear for me ... / I ain't happy here / I hope they bury me and send me to my rest / Headlines readin' murdered to death."--from "If I Die Tonight" on Me against the World (1995) BIOGRAPHICAL ESSAY With his tattoo-splattered physique, piercing deep-set eyes, and shaved head, Tupac Amaru Shakur came across as middle America's worst nightmare, the darkest strain of hip-hop. To fans, Shakur was only "thuggin' against society, thuggin' against the system that made me," as he once rapped. Like some other rappers, Shakur was criticized for his sexist lyrics He celebrated his mother, Afeni, but was equally capable of debasing women in his music. The contradictions hardly ended there. In his last video, "I Ain't Mad at Cha," Shakur--newly arrived in Heaven--saluted an old friend for quitting the "thug life." In "Only God Can Judge Me," Shakur foresaw death bearing down on him, yet seemed unable to tolerate his rival, The Notorious B.I.G. and B.I.G.'s mentor, Sean "Puffy" Combs. Shakur's "Hit 'Em Up," the last single issued during his twenty-five-year lifetime, set new highs of profane rage against B.I.G., who was later gunned down after Shakur's own untimely death. Yet millions of fans found something meaningful in Shakur's troubled life and lyrics, like a thirty-two-year-old Detroit accountant buying her first Shakur album. "I've never supported that kind of music," she told the Detroit News, "but there was something so tragic about the way he died ... It's almost like I'm looking for answers." Politician Jesse Jackson also tried to explain Shakur's downfall and apparent appeal, telling the Los Angeles Times: "Sometimes the lure of violent culture is so magnetic that even when one overcomes it with material success, it continues to call." Acting bug bit early From his June 16, 1971, birth in New York City, Shakur's life read much like an epic melodrama. His mother, Afeni, and father, Billy Garland, belonged to the Black Panthers, a militant group dedicated to achieving racial equality. Just two years earlier, in 1969, Afeni and then... ...'s murder, "just a sad, ugly feeling, very creepy, very hollow," he said. "No art, no life, just ashes." Larger-than-life Vibe chief executive Kevin Clinkscales, however, advised fans against anymore "rumor-mongering," which he found disrespectful to Shakur's family. "These are not comic-book heroes," he told USA Today. "These are real people." That said, however, most agree that Tupac Shakur has won the larger-than-life immortality he craved so much. The sightings and resurrection theories place him in a select club that includes the late Kurt Cobain, Doors singer-poet Jim Morrison, and Elvis Presley. On that score, fans need not fear, as poet Nikki Giovanni acknowledged in her own tribute, "All Eyez on You": "don't tell me he got what he deserved he deserved a chariot and / the accolades of a grateful people / he deserved his life." Nor did Giovanni stop there, getting her own "Thug Life" tattoo to honor Shakur's memory, telling the Chicago Tribune: "Young black men are in a holocaustic situation." So long as that persists, fans insist, Tupac Shakur's musical legacy will be hard to deny.

The Paths We Choose Essay -- John Steinbecks Of Mice and Men

To take someone’s life; is it truly wrong? This is not that simple of a question, because every time a life is taken it isn’t out of cold blood. Sometimes it is just the opposite of that thought. The portrayal of George and Carlson in the book Of Mice and Men is of life takers. They differ by moral standings; the bonds they share with the character is life they take, and how take that character's life affects them. While George takes a life out of mercy, Carlson did what he thought was necessary. They made the same decision for different reasons and different understandings of why it had to be done. George is hot tempered older brother figure to Lennie who is a big and gentle but deadly guy; on the other hand, Carlson is a ranch hand with no really close connections. George was asked by Aunt Clara to promise to take care of Lennie. He sees Lennie as a kid brother that doesn’t know any better; George is life bound to Lennie, not just thought the promise he made, but George’s own love for him. When Lennie is sad to calm him down, he invented a story of a ranch with bunnies with the promise that they leave, and go there when they are old. He cares for Lennie so much he starts to believe his own story; Skip town leaves jobs just for Lennie sake. Carlson is a selfish man. If something no longer has a use, he gets rid of it â€Å"that dog was a great sheep dog in it prime† is something Candy would have said to Carlson. If something has no value there’s no need for it to exist anymore. Basically Carlson cutting himself off from others, so he won't get attach ed to them once they are no longer usefully. He will shed them like a snake shad’s skin, but while it may soun... ...f a question, because every time a life is taken it isn’t out of cold blood. As we see with George, your moral character may say that it’s wrong, but if it’s a family member, your brother, your sister, even your best friend who was in trouble, and a group was after them, and there was no other choice: they’re going to die if the group got to them; they were going to be torched. Like Clarkson, we also understand the means of necessity; if something doesn’t work you throw it out, or in his case, kill it. For George taking a life is hard, even harder when the life you’re taking is closer to you, and to put that responsibility in someone else hand is cruel to those you care for .Carlson has no problem with taking life; it is not he doesn’t care about life, just to him it is necessary for life to be taken, and the outcome is not different no matter who pulls the trigger.

Nature Essay -- Orangutans Primates Animals Essays

Nature "What is man without the beasts? If all the beasts were gone, men would die from great loneliness of spirit, for whatever happens to the beasts, also happens to man. All things are connected. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the children of the earth." - Chief Seattle The love I have for orangutans comes from an early age. Like most little sisters, my older brother ruthlessly teased me. When I was a baby he would make me mimic funny faces and stick my hair up on end. He said I looked like an orangutan. His teasing continued, but instead of getting mad, I became interested. I began taking a look at these creatures and soon discovered that being compared to one wasn't completely wrong. Actually, orangutans have 97% of the same DNA as humans. So maybe my brother's teasing was not that far off, not that I'll mention that fact to him anytime soon! Orangutans are part of the Great Ape group that are the closest animals related to humans. Orangutans are unique in the ape world in that the other three types, gorillas, chimpanzees, and baboons, are all from Africa. Orangutans are the only apes to come from Asia. Another distinction of the orangutan is their hair, which is bright reddish brown instead of light brown or black like the other species. However, probably the biggest difference is that orangutans are the only arboreal apes. This means that they live primarily in the trees, while the other apes move along the forest ground. In fact, they are the largest animals in the world to dwell in trees. Orangutans used to live as far away as Thailand and Cambodia, but due to human encroachment, they are now only found in the wild in two of Indonesia's islands, Sum... ...f destruction humans have caused to this species. This is especially hard to understand when seeing what close connections humans have with them. It does not take a lot of time spent watching these animals to fall in love with them. While sitting and observing the orangutans at the Denver Zoo, I was amazed at the joy they brought to other visitors, adults and children alike. By slightly modifying our behavior and lifestyle, we can make a difference in the lives of these animals so that they can be seen not only behind glass at zoos, but in their rightful homes among the trees. Researched Sites Balikpapan Orangutan Society-- www.orangutan.com Orangutan Foundation International- www.orangutan.org Lecture Notes Smits, W. (2002, October 28). Saving the Orangutans. [Lecture]. In Lecture Series: Endangered Species. Denver Museum of Nature and Science.

Max’s Restaurant Research Paper Essay

1.FRANCHISENAME: Aguillon Ventures, Inc., 2.BRAND AND TRADEMARK: Max’s Restaurant 3.BUSINESS CONCEPT: Max’s Restaurant is a Philippine-based restaurant serving fried chicken and Filipino dishes. What started out as a small cafà © in the Philippines has successfully transitioned into a proud Filipino tradition that is also making waves in the global front as an international brand. Today, â€Å"the house that fried chicken built† has expanded to 123 local and 10 international branches. Max’s is more than just a food brand. It takes after characteristics that are innate to Filipinos – hospitality, generosity and passion for good food. The recipes have been intricately developed for 66 years and given a modern twist to cater to the increasingly discriminating tastes of customers from all over the world. To a lot of people, Max’s is a nostalgic place that reminds them of countless memorable experiences with their family, friends and loved ones. It is a place to nurture relationships, and â€Å"a home away from home.† 4.TARGET CUSTOMERS: Their target customers is high class family 5.TERM: The term of the Max’s Restaurant franchise is six (6) years with the right to renew 3 additional terms; total of 24 years. 6.SITE/LOCATION/ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN: Our Business Development Department can create a detailed site plan indicating the specific location of a desired prototype facility based on specific information and requirements provided by the franchisee about the proposed site. In addition, the department can prepare building plans and specifications detailing the requirements for overall design, furnishings, store layout, equipment, fixtures and interior decor specifications. Max’s Restaurant currently has over 127 branches in the Philippines. The chain also has branches in the U.S. states of California, Hawaii, and New Jersey, and its first Canadian branch in Toronto, Ontario. A store opened in Vancouver, British Columbia in March 2012. More branches will open soon in Sydney, Australia , and Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Queens, New York. PRODUCT & SERVICES: It’s signature dish is its fried chicken—Max’s dubs itself â€Å"the house that fried chicken built†. It’s often served with rice and/or kamote (sweet-potato) fries. Other items on Max’s menu are Filipino dishes like pancit, kare-kare, nilagang baka, sinigang na baboy, lechon kawali, pork adobo, bicol express, and crispy pata among others. Service is generally good, but the usually high volume of customer traffic at its mall  locations doesn’t lead to the cleanest or most relaxing of environments at those branches. Max’s is a casual dining restaurant leaning more towards fast food rather than fine dining. Pre-packaged caramel bars accompanying some meals and Max’s bakery kiosks at some restaurants drive the point home. Some services: Takes Reservations Walk-Ins Welcome Good For Groups Good For Kids Take Out Delivery Catering Waiter Service Outdoor Seating 8.PRICING STRATEGY: Max’s Restaurant pricing strategy is based on these costs: Direct costs. These are the ingredient costs associated with the food item itself. This involves the purchasing food, portion sizes, food waste from spilling, overcooking or spoiling. Indirect costs.   Indirect costs are those that do not include the actual ingredients that make up a dish, but the aspects of your restaurant that add perceived value or quality. These provide significant basis upon which to charge higher prices. Preparation and labor. The labor to prepare a menu item is considered an indirect cost. Menu items that require time, effort, artistry or talent to prepare merit a higher menu price than something that simply requires heating and plating. Overhead expenses. Overhead costs for items such as dà ©cor, product presentation, amenities and marketing efforts. Although slightly less common, these can create added value and validate higher menu item prices. Volatile food costs. Many raw commodity food items, or basic ingredients with minimal quality  variance, may fluctuate as often as daily. In a case such as this you have two easy options: raise your prices or work with a seasonal menu. Seasonal menus allow flexibility for buying crops in season, or in supply, to keep costs down. Service type. Prices will undoubtedly change depending on whether your restaurant is a fast-casual restaurant or a fine dining restaurant. Be sure your prices represent the service value your customers receive. For instance, full service restaurants can always charge more for their hamburgers than quick-service joints, because full service restaurants are also providing greater ambience, better service and often better ingredients than the quick-service alternative. 9.QUALITY CONTROL METHOD: Prior to the commencement of operations, the corporate training department will provide the franchisee and eight members of the management team with hands-on training that spans 4 months. This training will incorporate classroom content and applied in-restaurant developmental modules that will extensively cover subjects ranging from administrative and operational matters to marketing. Regular refresher and developmental training programs will also be given as needs arise. Max’s is a firm proponent of su stainable continuous training of all Max’s franchises and employees to closely align our business model and company values and enrich the integral bond between store staff, guests and restaurant profitability. Each franchise store can expect holistic support and servicing 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. A dedicated Franchise Area Manager will be assigned specifically to assist the franchisee in running the store. The key aim of the operations team is to create sales-building efforts and to ensure that Max’s high quality and safety standards are maintained across all store operations. FAMs will see to it that the store meets its sales targets and increases its profitability. FAMs conduct staff meetings, regularly make store visits and conduct training for procedural updates and rollouts for new programs and menu items. 10.MARKETING SYSTEM: Max’s firmly believes that marketing is the driving force that propels the restaurant brand forward. Our team is composed of marketing professionals and will provide each and every store with the best marketing service available to ensure brand loyalty and saliency in the market. The marketing group will provide support for new  product launches, sales-driven in-store promotions, above-the-line advertising efforts, and viable media planning. You can also expect dynamic local store marketing projects and exceptionally designed merchandising collaterals. Strategic brand mapping, intensive competition analysis, new product development and consumer-based research comprise the marketing support extended to all Max’s stores. 11.ADVERTISEMENT: In earlier television and cinema advertisements, the restaurant usually marketed itself as a place for Filipino families to get together. It also established its slogan â€Å"Sarà ¡p to the bones!† (â€Å"Delicious to the bones!†). More recently, a popular series of television advertisements told the story of a Max’s employee who was the childhood love of a popular TV celebrity, played by Piolo Pascual. The series showed the two characters as children, then as adults accidentally meeting at Maxâ €™s. The denouement of the story is when the celebrity recognizes the employee from their childhood. This commercial became so popular that it launched the showbiz career of Isabel Oli, the model who played the employee.

The Obstacle I Face in College

Miaodan XuProfessor Bradley FoxEnglish 1101 – D36528 March 2018 My Obstacle to College – Being a Student and a MotherWhile I agree with the point that many college freshmen are facing the obstacle about feeling lonely in their new college environment, emphasized by Frank Bruni in his article â€Å"The Real Campus Scourge,† I face a different obstacle because I have to balance being a 24-hour on-duty mother and a full-time college student. I'm 30 years old, and the mother of a 19-month-old toddler boy. I started college when my son, Jace was 18 months old. Before I went to college, I was taking care of Jace all day long. I sang songs and played games with him every day. We went to the parks and attended story-time-class in McKinney Library together every week. I prepared baby food and changed diapers 5 to 6 times a day for Jace. I also washed and sterilized milk bottles each day. Now everything has changed. I don't have enough time to look after Jace anymore. I have four days of classes and I need to work harder and spend more time on my courses since my English is not as good as native students. Usually, I have to spend about two hours getting college from my house in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, five hours in classes, and more than two hours doing homework. Although I devote a lot of time to studying for my courses, it still takes me the rest of the time to look after Jace. I am lack of sleep so far this semester. Therefore, my biggest obstacle is how to keep a balance between the roles of a mother and a college student.I had to muster up the courage to go to college since I had graduated from Guangzhou True Light High School in Guangdong, China ten years ago. Besides, I have been married and given birth to my son. I am not as young as other students, and I have the responsibility to take care of my child that other students don't. Some people assert that mothers should devote all the time to doing family matters, and they don't even believe I can finish college as a mother. My friend Jolin, a mother of two, was astonished when I told her that I was going to college in January, and said â€Å"What? Are you kidding me? That's impossible! How can you take care of your family and your classes at the same time? I know you, and I worry about you because you can only do one thing at a time!† Not only Jolin, but also my aunt Fay and my uncle Jin who lived in Flushing, Queens doubted if I could handle everything well for motherhood and college. What they said made me hesitate whether it is right to go to college. I was so anxious. Finally, I strengthened my mind to start college after careful consideration. It's hard, I admit, but it is more important for me to prove to my child that any dream can be achieved. I firmly told myself again and again, â€Å"Nothing is impossible! You really can do it!†In addition to being doubted by others, another issue is that I have to find the time to give equal attention to both of my study and Jace besides housework. In order to do housework and take care of my son, sometimes I have to start my studying night life when my family members are asleep. I have to be very careful not to make any noise to disturb them. I type keyboard slowly, click mouse slowly, open and close the textbooks slowly to make it as quiet as possible, which may reduce the quality of my educational tasks. Meanwhile, it seems to be a precious time to sing a song like â€Å"Itchy bitsy spider† to Jace every day. When I am doing homework at home, Jace always comes to me. He wants me to hug him, play with him, or lie next to him while he's sleepy. He's eager to do everything with me and needs me to accompany him all the time. Undoubtedly I want to accompany him through every precious time, but I don't have enough time to study and do my homework in fact. When I am back home after class, I have to prepare baby food for Jace, wash and sterilize milk bottles, and wash the dirty clothes in the basement. I only have one to two hours of free time before Jace goes to sleep. Especially during the period when I was sick last week, everything went terrible. I had a cold, fewer, cough, sore throat, and felt very bad. I isolated myself in my bedroom because I was worried about the flu would infect Jace. Jace was taken care of by his grandmother, a 65 years old woman, who spent all her time on family matters. Jace wanted me as usual, but I really couldn't satisfy him due to my collapsed body. It's a difficult time for all of us, and it's also cruel for us while Jace cried for me. Although it's very hard for me to be a full-time college student as a mother, I believe I can balance two roles through the following methods: First of all, I stay positive. In my opinion, a positive attitude is important for everything. Sometimes I feel exhausted and get stressed, then I would remind myself that â€Å"The real man smiles in trouble, gathers strength from distress, and grows brave by reflection,† which was said by Thomas Paine. I realize that smiling to get through stress is the best way to relieve stress. Also, I take fewer classes. If I take too many classes, it would become a lot more difficult to balance baby time and college time. Though it takes me more time to graduate from college than the average student, I'm willing to spend more time focusing on the process of Jace's growth. Moreover, I study whenever and wherever I can. Usually I do homework, review notes, or read articles when Jace is asleep, even just a short time while he takes a nap. On weekends, I study in the car while my husband is driving on the way to my mother's home or on the way to shopping malls. I strive to study every moment. Furthermore, I use a calendar. In fact, it's impossible for me to remember everything in my mind. So I always use a calendar to write down every assignment, every due date, every appointment, and all other important things. Besides, I make detailed schedules that specifying everything like when I should get up, take train, have meal, get rest, do homework, play with Jace, prepare meals for him, then stick to do them exactly the time I set up. Above all, it can be stressful to manage time while going to college and raising a child sometimes, but I insist I will try my best to do well in the roles of a college student and a mother. As I am not young anymore, I don't have much time to waste. I hunger to finish my bachelor's degree as fast as I can without neglecting my child. My husband always encourages me that â€Å"Having a baby isn't the end of your life, it's just the beginning of a new adventure. Just remember that you can do whatever you want to do.† Thanks to the support from my husband and the help from Jace's grandmother, I have the opportunity to go to college. Balancing well in being a mother and a college student, I would take good care of Jace and do well in college. I won't let down my family's expectations and waste everything that they do for me. I firmly believe that I'm setting a great example for Jace of the importance of education, and he will be proud of his mother who never give up what she insist on.

Smokey Joes Cafe and Away

The concept of journey exceeds beyond physically traveling, as the traveller encompasses an emotional and intellectual journey along the way. These journeys are a process in which the traveller grows and changes in response to extending themselves out of their comfort zones and overcoming the struggle with themselves, each other and with nature. The play ‘Away’, composed by Michael Gow through the use of dramatic techniques and the novel ‘Smokey Joe’s Cafe through language techniques have both demonstrated how physical Journeys impacts on the travellers inner growth. Away’, set in the late 1960’s reflects the Australian events and situations at that time. These shape the attitudes and behaviour of the characters Gow uses, it strengthens Australia’s historical context for the audience. There is a cyclical structure Nature is a symbolic theme that sharpens ‘Away’ physical setting. Gow significantly sets the play over the Chris tmas holidays, portraying three ordinary yet contrasting families that are eventually drawn together by the power of nature. This time of year symbolises the birth of Christ that contradicts the imminent death of Tom.His approaching imminent death of Tom. Tom’s approaching death heals the characters, as they become linked to the natural cycle, we are born to die. â€Å"Give me your hands if we be friends, and Robin shall restore Amends. ‘ ( Act 1, Sc 1) This signifies the beginning journey of reconciliation and acceptance through use of intertextuality. Gow has made cross reference with Shakespeare. Tom’s role as Puck, infiltrated from a ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’, encapsulates his significance in the overall play.Puck’s power to restore and heal alludes and soaks into Tom’s character as his awareness of both life and death become the base of power for a catalyst change in others. Tom’s ability to transform Coral and inspi re his parents is expressed through the play within a play. ‘Stranger on the shore† Tom’s deep sense of his own mortality is life giving to others, he expresses impending death and his capacity to care for other’s lifts coral from her darkness. â€Å"I’m walking, I’m walking, I’m walking. symbolis for Corals renewal in her emotional journey, while Repetition of walking reinforces she is back to reality The plant â€Å"Coral† symbolizes a lifeless skeleton that is fragile and easy to break, just like the character in â€Å"Away†. Coral undergoes a vast transformation through the physical journey, from being repressed because of her son’s death to finally accepting that he is gone. Coral – her emotional recovery is profound. She symbolically and emotionally ‘returns from the dead’. She has been away from herself since the death of her son and has been unable to deal in the real world effectively.T he physical journey she undertakes to the beach is a metaphor for her emotional journey to recovery of self and ability to ‘walk’ in the world of the living. Physical setting – Earth; place of respite and rest Beach allows for cleansing, harmony Water: through both sea and storm, emphasises idea of change as its dark and has unknown depths, yet can also be life giving. Air evokes destruction through Bonfire: Ancient symbol of life. Its warmth draws those characters, who have been renewed, it confirms the redemption they have achieved.And the insight enveloped around each character portraying their inner growth.. Similarly in ‘Smokey Joe’s cafe, Bryce has used historical information on the Vietnam war to create his characters and setting to enable a more appealing and indulgent recite for the reader. Courtenay has used the power of nature throughout the Vietnam veteran’s journey, fathomed most in the Vietnam jungle. The jungles landscape became secondary growth with, bamboo everywhere, all of it tangled and dense and hard to see or move through. â€Å"The bloody jungle was the enemy as much as the Viet Cong (pg. ) Thommo says this highlighting the soldier’s physical journey that overcame the difficult obstacles and level of areas they were subjected to. Nature’s demolition lead to the motive of Agent Orange, a main issue manufactured for Vietnams â€Å"(pg. 7) . They sprayed it in our tents, in our weapon pits, in our kitchens and mess halls and in our latrines. It would be on our plates we ate off and the cups we drank off. † Courtenay introduces Thommo fand the soldiers to recount,- flashbacks†¦ The start of the physical journey â€Å"That’s what it was; a big hole with hills called Yama’s surrounding it, filled with water that might as well have been shit.It felt like shit. Tasted like shit and smelled like shit, when you fell into it, it stuck to you like shit sticks to a blan ket. † (pg 70) Preparation for the jungle (Still in Australia) highlights the beginning of change, and growth the soldiers will experience†¦ The use of repetition, simile, colloquialism, introducing†¦ â€Å"Crackle-pop-crackle-pop-pop-pop† â€Å"Putta putta putta putta† (Page 3) Onomatopoeia has been used to echo the firing of an AK47, and the ‘dust off blades of an emerging helicopter picking up the wounded’.The sounds give a sense of battle while Thommo describes it from a nightmare that is recounted from the past events of Long Tan; it establishes the hardship Thommo goes through, finding it difficult to settle back into society. All of these paragraphs Don’t link or refer back to question It didn’t help that Australia treated them like a bunch of mercenaries guilty of war crimes. â€Å"You killed children! †(Pg43) Angela, a local says this to Spags showing her disapproval and resentment for him.It establishes the ho stility and non-acceptance society felt towards the soldiers, their lack of understanding, going by the distorted media, regarded them not as heroes, but pure murderers. Societies attitude towards the war created diversity between the vets and the community â€Å"It seems the real heroes were the nice little boys and girls who marched in the Anti- Vietnam rallies chanting slogans, waving the Viet Cong flag and passing a joint around while the cops looked on. † (Pg. 10). This shows Thommo and the soldiers are filled with fury and irritation for the people and Government.

Persuasive Essay: Gay Marriage Essay

â€Å"‘Kristin, you may kiss your bride, Kayla’† (qtd. in WCIV 1). These were the words that officially announced Kristin Anderson and Kayla Bennett the first same ­sex couple in South th​ Carolina on November 19​ , 2014 (WCIV 1). The historic day was filled with love and support from families around the country and the community in general. It was also a day where they found a peace of mind after the stress they received from the previous month where they had the marriage license and the wedding date set, but only to be taken away by the state’s Attorney General once he filed appeals against the marriages. â€Å"‘We were so excited to apply for the marriage license so when they took it away from us, it was like pulling the rug out from under our feet. Everything we were excited about just came crashing down’† (qtd. in WCIV 1). But then the wedding proceeded which allowed the couple to feel like they are truly married and finally allowed to have a family of their own (WCIV 1). Changes like these are happening all over the country, but the heated debate still goes on. One of the most common arguments is that people should not have their taxes going towards something they strictly believe is wrong (Marcellino et al. 1). Once gay marriages are legalized, benefits going to heterosexual couples would naturally go to same ­sex couples. Those benefits include claiming a tax exemption for a spouse, receiving social security payments from a deceased spouse, and coverage by a spouse’s health insurance policy. While this is true, the taxes the people will be spe nding legalizing same ­sex couples will eventually come back and help the state or country economically (Marcellino et al. 3 ­5). A decade long study by M.V. Lee Badgett and other economists concluded that planning marriages would make at least $1.5 billion dollars because of all the necessities of a wedding ceremony (Badgett 3). Legalizing same sex ­marriage should not be about believing what people think it is morally wrong or right, but factually based on the better of the economy and for the country as a whole. At UCLA School of Law, researchers studied the economics of those 11 states where same ­sex marriage is prohibited (Chokshi 1). The results were shocking and saw that the states would make more than $464 million in their first year of legalizing same ­sex marriages (Chokshi 1). Based off of real life situations, New York’s Marriage Equality Act brought $259 million to the city after only a year (Covert 3). Given these reasons, the South Carolina Supreme Court should legalize same ­sex marriage because it would bring financial gain to federal and state governments, allow same ­sex couples to receive the same insurance benefits as heterosexual couples, and make it easier for same ­sex couples to adopt, providing stable homes for children who would otherwise be left in foster care.

Shanghai Architecture Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Shanghai Architecture - Term Paper Example The economic history of the city signifies that Shanghai is an economic hub that is capable of transforming China into a developed state. Historical context Humans started settling in Shanghai 6000BC when they were attracted by the waters surrounding the city. The population formed a village that specialized in fishing. The Tang Dynasty developed the village into a town in 751 AD, when the empire marked its tenth year of ruling in China. The empire created a district that was known as the Song Jiang. This attracted higher settlement and fishing, and the village developed into a town. The town developed further under the leadership of the Northern Song Dynasty in 951AD (Warr, 2007). The Southern Song Empire later created Shanghai town as an official city because of the expansion of the population and fishing. This empire opened the port of Shanghai that would be used by ships that transported cargo to various regions. Ships transporting goods to and from Korea and within China used th e port to load and offload cargo. The transformation of the city into a port attracted business persons who settled near the harbor. The investors settled in the town to carry out their businesses with ease. The population that settled in Shanghai formulated new economic activities such as the production of cotton and textiles. Business persons made textiles using the cotton that was grown in the town. The production of textiles and farming of cotton led to the formation of a national cotton textile center. The Ming Dynasty created the center to facilitate the international trade of the goods. The center attracted the formation of administrative units that maintained peace in the region (Thubron, 2007). The cotton and textile business grew nationally and internationally. The goods were sold to international markets such as the European Union and America. The export of textiles led to further development and settlement in the town. In 1911 when the Qing Dynasty was in its last year o f ruling, Shanghai had developed into a powerful economic haven. The population of the city had grown to two hundred thousand, and the town had become a central harbor for ships transporting goods internationally (Mann, 2012). The population of the town had reached three and a half million by 1934. The population consisted of nationalities from other countries such as Britain, France, Japan, Italy, and Russia among others. Shanghai was named the fifth largest financial hub after London, Berlin, New York, and Tokyo (Warr, 2007). The growth of Shanghai continues to grow up to today when the city produces fifty five billion dollars worth of Gross Domestic Product in China. Narration of the Colonial Empire The beginning of the nineteenth century attracted mass immigration in Shanghai because of its economic past. British, Europeans, and Americans settled in the city, and each of these groups had various intentions of settling in the town. The British were the first to settle in Shanghai after defeating China in the opium war. The war arose because the Qing emperor of China opposed the importation of opium in the county (Warr, 2007). The British won in the war, and the importation of the drug from India continued; the export of silk and porcelain in Britain also continued. The trade of the goods, however, continued after the signing of the Nanking treaty. British missionaries settled along the Yangtze River after the signing of the treaty, and they formed colonies in the Shanghai. The

Murabaha Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Murabaha - Assignment Example Murabaha is a contract of trust, thus, the goods must be of the quality agreed between the bank and customer. The bank bears the risks that the goods may develop a defect or may be destroyed, since Murabaha is executed at the second sale. The customer can reject the goods if they contain defects or for the reasons of unsatisfactory performance (Hayes and Vogel 141). It is prohibited to sell Waqf (endowments) since they are not owned by a specific person and for any sell to be valid; the owner must be unambiguously identifiable. Istibdal, which is the sale of Waqf land, can be entered in Murabaha agreement, since the proceeds are used for the purchase of another land to be used for the Waqf purposes. However, according to Hanbalis, the benefits of Waqf cannot be obtained where the land is ruined, barren or is a mosque that is not used for prayers (Iqbal and Greuning 40). A bank conducting a purchase under a Murabaha contract may open a documentary credit in a foreign bank and receive commissions. Fiqh Academies prefer the prevention of banks taking the commission since it may demand the value of the guarantee in case of buyer defaulting on the agreement (Schoon 32). The bank should notify the buyer of such commission and pass it to the buyer by a way of reduction in the Murabaha contract price (Haron and Azmi 400). It is not allowed for the bank to finance a concluded deal between the client and owner of goods under a Murabaha contract. Murabaha entails the selling of an identifiable good that the seller owns, disclosing the costs and adding a mutually agreed mark up to the cost of the goods (Saeed 58). Murahaba agreements are not valid for the goods which are not bought or in the possession of the bank (Kettel 48). If the concluded deal is for a specific transaction, the bank should request for evidence of the termination of the concluded deal before it can enter in to a Murabaha agreement with the client. According

Personal statement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Personal statement - Essay Example I have many positive personal qualities, I settle in a new place like a duck takes to water and this trait of mine will also help me work with new people and I completely look forward to it. I have also been participating in a lot of extracurricular activities and I am sure that this is going to be a boon for me as well. Right from a very young age I have known that managing resources effectively can change our lives. There are people who squander available resources and as a result, they fail to achieve what they have always wanted to. On the other hand, there are many people who have very limited resources available to them but they make the most of their resources and as a result, they overachieve. I have been arduously working on improving my management skills. Soundpond International Co Ltd was my first company and I learnt a lot of great things working there. It is a textile company which taught me how to negotiate with clients and how to secure orders; this is a very important skill which only a few people possess. I met with European and American clients while working for Soundpond, and it was a very instructive experience as some clients were easy to talk to and convince whereas some others not so. I also have experience of working in the banking sector. HSBC Bath South gate was the organization where I worked as a banker, and it was great meeting new people and learning banking; it was a very enriching experience indeed. Human resource management is of extreme importance. Managers who guide people effectively tend to achieve their targets on a more regular basis than managers who fail to steer people successfully. Human resource management consists of several different things; motivating the employees is, arguably, the most important part of human resource management. Employees tend to deliver results when they are motivated and happy with what they do. It is also important to understand and work towards solving the problems of the employees so as to ensure that they do not affect their productivity. Communicating with the people effectively is of prime importance; he/she who fails to communicate would never achieve the desired results. I have been working on improving my language skills for quite some time now; I got a ranking of 7.5 in IELTS which is considered to be really good. I have been staying in the UK for the last 5 years and this is another factor which has made my language so much better. Time management is a very important skill; unfortunately, there are many people across the globe who consistently struggle to manage their time effectively. Luckily, I have not had any such problems. I have always managed to handle my time advantageously and as a result, I have also achieved a great deal in my life thus far, this quality would take me places and I am positively sure of this. In an organization, it is very important to work in teams and I am a team player. I have always been affable and open to suggestions, which mak es life so much easier, working in teams becomes a walk in the park if you are affable and respect other people. I have always respected both peers and seniors so it becomes really easy for me to ensconce into new groups. Employing new HR techniques is also very important. I have learned a great deal from my University, for instance, I am thorough with fundamentals of organizational theory which is an

Physical therapy evidence based practice articles Research Paper

Physical therapy evidence based practice articles - Research Paper Example Moreover, the patients were expected to have no pre-existing conditions limiting mobility or contra-indications or balance to TENS. Furthermore, the participants were selected from local community stroke factions and volunteers from the research groups database. Additionally, the participants were expected to be able to give an explicit consent and travel to the study facilities for the necessary testing. The intervention involved a single session of "active TENS" given through a "sock electrode" (frequency between 70-30Hz over a 5s cycle) as well as a course of control treatment (participants wearing the sock electrode lacking stimulation), lasting about two hours in total. There was blinding where all the patients acted as their own control while the randomization followed the order in which the control or TENS was issued thus all participants receiving both stimulation and control conditions. The outcomes reported were obtained from plantar flexor and dorsiflexor strength and proprioception employing an Isokinetic Dynamometer, balance, gait speed and falls risk. The analysis was an exploratory trial to determine the effects of "activeTENS." The study provided initial evidence of the possibility of "activeTENS" to benefit physical function following stroke that merits further second phase trials to improve the intervention. All the patients tolerated "activeTENS" and most of the parameters, advanced throughout stimulation with activeTENS; gait speed (p = 0.002), balance (p = 0.009), proprioception of plantar flexion (p = 0.029) and plantar flexor strength (p = 0.008), except dorsiflexion proprioception (p = 0.078) and dorsiflexor strength (p = 0.194). There was no threat to validity or reliability as the only complaint of leg pain after treatment was resolved the following day. Moreover, the concerns that "activeTENS" could have