Globalisation, Social Policy and Social Provision

Cancer In Malaysia

Cancer In Malaysia 30% of all cancers in the world, such as lung, nose, mouth, throat and bladder cancer and even brain damage is caused by Smoking!!!Smoking is hazardous. However, still many people get hook on it and the number is increasing. Once you get addicted, it will be hard to get rid of it. People are aware of the consequences yet there are so many lables of cigarettes available in the market. Some smokers believe that smoking help to relieve stress and pressure. The fact is that it is destroying our health.Cigarettes or cigars mostly made from tobacco are leaves, contained tar and nicotine, which will slowly attack our organs. Smoking cause 30% of all cancers in the world, such as lung, nose, mouth, throat and bladder cancer and even brain damage. An innocent second hand smoker, for example, a pregnant wife, inhale smokes when the husband is smoking, it will increase the risk to diseases and affect the baby in the womb which will may even be fatal.Smoking Kills-hyOther than that, a smoker wil l have yellowish teeth and bad breadth. Our health will slowly go downstream.In Malaysia, the typical smoker spend about RM 700 a year on cigarettes, where by it can be used for other purposes, such as saving. A lower income man might not be able to afford to spend this extra expenditure. It will be worst if ha has been diagnosed to have one of the illness caused by smoking, more money would be needed for medical expenses. Also, it will be a bad example to smoke in front of the children too.Everyday there are people who are dying of smoking. At the same time, there are people who are taking up this habit. Though, the government has included the awareness in...

Why I Want to Study Msc in Finance and Investment and How I Feel I Can Essay

Why I Want to Study Msc in Finance and Investment and How I Feel I Can Contribute to the Course - Essay Example I attribute this to the environment I grew in where most people were business people who had invested in different sectors of the economy. I undertook the course of Finance and Investment during my undergraduate programme and I would like to get a deeper understanding of the field. This would be possible through a MSC undertaking in the course. I want to gain the necessary skills and knowledge needed in the sphere in order for me to have first hand information when approaching investment situations. The understanding that I inherently have in issues of investment and finance also plays one of the most significant roles in my choice of pursuance of the MSC course in Finance and investment. Among my understanding is the appreciation that money which is invested wisely will generate more money, thus, boosting a country’s economy (John, 2006, p. 58). In the contemporary society, entrepreneurship is the only way of building a country’s economy since job opportunities are min imal. Due to this, it is very important for one to understand how to identify opportunities and strategize appropriately on how to use the available resources to generate more money. In this regard I will play a role in boosting the economy. MSc in finance and investment will enable me to understand behavioral finance.

Dracula Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Dracula - Essay Example In Gothic text, the fight between the forces of good and bad often dominates the intrigue. (Craft 1984) In Dracula, that conflict is principally based on the fate of its female characters, Lucy and Mina. Neither Mina nor Lucy is an intense character. Both symbolize the Victorian models of female desirable qualities. The two types of women portrayed in the novel are in stark contrast to each other: Lucy and Mina symbolize purity and goodness, while the three brides of Dracula in the castle characterize sleaze and sin. Dracula intimidates womanly good features, as the seductive voluptuous sisters confirm his knack to change the women into passionately sex demanding â€Å"devils of the Pit.† By the time Dracula reaches England and starts working his evil magic on Lucy, one understands that the imminent battle between the good and the bad will center on feminine sexuality. Both Lucy and Mina appear to be bookish versions of old times virtues personified. The two women are faithful, pure and untouched by the world’s evils, and are totally dedicated to their men. However, Dracula tries to transform the two women and reverse their natures by turning them into voluptuous women having unapologetically open sexual desires. Both Lucy and Mina encounter Dracula and experience such transformation. However Lucy falls most dreadfully under Dracula’s spell. Even though Lucy’s letters acknowledge the male fantasy of supremacy: Her letters also disclose that she fantasized sexually active life unlike most women of Victorian era. She is not just a ‘desired’ woman who gets three marriage proposals on the same day but also the one who desires more sex in her life. Lucy writes: Although she immediately retracts from such words but that appears normal on her part since sex was considered ‘dirty’ during those time. She had the desires to experience life outside the restrictions of conservative morality. Dracula’s depiction of women makes the story

Some HR managers assume that money is the most effective reward Essay

Some HR managers assume that money is the most effective reward strategy for increasing the motivation and productivity of all their employees. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement - Essay Example The companies must be offering their employees a positive reward experience and include them in the growth process of the company to be in a win-win situation. The reward structures may be monetary or may be intrinsic. The monetary rewards are one of the most important parts of the reward structure. Assigning values to each employee is one of the most significant jobs of the HR department. The company determines an employee’s value primarily by three ways- according to the skills, performance and their relative value in the job market. The companies have to fix the basic pay of labor and assign the suitable person for the profession. The base pay should compensate the individual with the ongoing value and incentives may be offered as rewards for their performance. (Zingheim & Schuster, March, 2000; Optimizing reward spend, n.d.). In addition to the monetary benefits, the employees look for other benefits from the company. The benefits may range from training & development of e mployees to offering good working conditions. These benefits have acquired importance in the modern business parlance with more and more individuals looking for other benefits than just the payment rewards. The reward structure of a company to a large extent depends upon the corporate goals of the companies. (Reward Strategy, n.d.) The paper presents a debate upon the type of reward strategies of the companies to motivate their employees and concludes upon the most effective one. In this modern era, money alone is not the motivating factor and non-monetary benefits are equally important. In fact, it can be said that non-monetary benefits is the most important strategy followed by companies to motivate their employees. Giving rewards to the employees has assumed great importance because companies all over the world have understood that the employees are the reason for their existence. The reward structure of the company is primarily dominated

The various leadership styles and theories

The various leadership styles and theories The various leadership styles and theories 1. Introduction: This study focuses on the various leadership styles and theories developed over the years. In this report, an attempt has been made to study the leadership style of Willie Walsh, CEO of British Airways. The analysis highlights a number of limitations in his leadership and hence there is scope for improvement. Companys success is purely based on the type of leadership it acquires. A good leader leads its organization towards it mission with this leadership skills and thinking power. According to Kouzes and Posner (2003), leadership is a reciprocal process between those who aspire to lead and those who choose to follow. They talk about the leader possessing the following ten commitments. (Kouzes and posner, 2003, p no.22) 1. Find your voice by clarifying your personal values. 2. Set the example by aligning actions with shared values 3. Envision the future by imagining exciting and ennobling possibilities 4. Enlist others in a common vision by appealing to shared aspirations 5. Search for opportunities by seeking innovative ways to change, grow and improve 6. Experiment and take risks by constantly generating small wins and learning from mistakes 7. Foster collaboration by promoting cooperative goals and building trust 8. Strengthen others by sharing power and discretion 9. Recognize contribution by showing appreciation for individual excellence 10. Celebrate the values and victories by creating a spirit of community. (Kouzes and posner, 2003, p no.22) British Airways: British Airways is the flag raising carrier airline of the United Kingdom. Its headquarters are located in Waterside near London Heathrow Airport and London Gatwick airport. BA is the largest airline in the UK based on the number of international flights, international destinations covered and the fleet size. BA celebrated its 90th anniversary on 25 August 2009 (1, www.britishairways.com, 2nd Dec 2009). Currently, the company is facing the toughest time in the history. BA is currently facing severe financial crises since inception and putting its best effort to overcome from this situation. Willie Walsh: Willie Walsh is currently the CEO of British Airways. He succeeded Rod Eddington in May 2005 as Chief Executive Designated. He also holds a number of positions on Honorary Board Member of Flight Safety International, President of the Heathrow Branch of the Royal Aeronautical Society, an honorary Member of The Aviation Club and a Member of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (UK). (2, www.bashares.com, 2nd Dec 2009) Willie Walsh started as a pilot trainee at the age of 17 with Aer Lingus in 1979. He earned his degree from Dublins Trinity College in Business Administration. He was promoted from the position of cadet to captain, and eventually turned himself to don a business suit by turning around the airlines troubled Spanish charter operation, Futura. He was elected as Aer Lingus chief operating officer in 2000 and then became CEO the year after (4, www.businessweek.com, 2nd Dec 2009). When Aer Lingus was making huge losses in 2000, Willie Walsh returned as the CEO of the company. He took a number of decisions which not only brought company back to profit but also establish as a leading airline company standing with rivals such as Raynair and Easyjet. But soon after his departure, the company again went down. 2. Business Context: British airways was started on 25th August 1919 with the forerunner company named Aircraft Transport and Travel Limited (ATT), and launched a worlds first daily international scheduled air service between London and Paris. British Airways went through a long time of reformation and finally a group was formed in 1974 named as British Airways (4, www.britishairways.com, 05 Dec 2009). Willie Walsh joined BA in Oct 2005 and company made good profits under him. However, BA was reported as having lost most luggages as compared to the other European airlines in the same year. In 2007, BA was involved in the fuel surcharge price fixing and BA was fined  £270 million for the same. As a result, BAs image took a beating but in spite of this, BA saw profit of  £875 million and achieved the long held goal of a 10% operating margin in 2008. He was offered a bonus for the same which he publically rejected. In the current financial year, BA has reported loss of  £358 millions. The graph shows the performance of BAs under Willie Walsh leadership (British Airways Annual reports, 2004-2009). Currently BA is facing toughest time in the aviation history and being the CEO of the company, Willie is expected to lead the company out of this current situation as he had successfully done at Aer Lingus. 3. Literature Review: Due to high rivalry in business, it is necessary for the companies to have effective leaders which can lead the organization successfully. There are various leadership theories which are developed over the years by different researchers. These theories are Contingency theory, Great Man theory, Trait theory and Michigan theory, Transformational and Transactional Theory. An attempt has been made to explain these theories. Contingency Theory: This theory states that there is no best and ideal way to lead the organization since one best leading style is some time not effective in other situation. This theory is similar as the situational theory. Leadership effectiveness is dependent on the leaders diagnosis and understanding of situational factors, followed by the adoption of the appropriate style to deal with each circumstance. (Ogbonna and Lloyd, 2000, p.767). Only difference is that view of contingency theory is much broader however, situational theory focus more on the behaviour that leader should adopt. The leaders ability to lead does depend upon various situational factors and leader should adapt to the situation according to the organizational environment. Trait Theory: This theory states that some people are born with traits and have certain innate qualities which differentiate them from other non-leaders. This theory is identified by Stogdill in 1974 and he identified traits and skills as to critical leaders. According to (Stogdill, 1974), these qualities are perfectly suited for leadership. Following are the traits and skills identified by Stogdill. Adaptable to situations Alert to social environment Ambitious and achievement-orientated Assertive Cooperative Decisive Dependable Dominant (desire to influence others) Energetic (high activity level) Persistent Self-confident Tolerant of stress Willing to assume responsibility Clever (intelligent) Conceptually skilled Creative Diplomatic and tactful Fluent in speaking Knowledgeable about group task Organised (administrative ability) Persuasive Socially skilled source: Stogdill (1974) McCall and Lombardo (1983) have researched on both success and failure and have found following four primary traits for success or derail of leaders: Emotional stability and composure: Calm, confident and predictable, particularly when under stress McCall and Lombardo (1983) Admitting error: Owning up to mistakes, rather than putting energy into covering up McCall and Lombardo (1983). Good interpersonal skills: Able to communicate and persuade others without resort to negative or coercive tactics McCall and Lombardo (1983). Intellectual breadth: Able to understand a wide range of areas, rather than having a narrow (and narrow-minded) area of expertise McCall and Lombardo (1983). Great man Theory: Great man theory describes that the leaders are not made, they are born. It states that the leader will arise when there is need of them. The examples of the same are people like Jesus, Moses, Mohammed and the Buddha who had ability and charisma to motivate the people. They are adopted by the people without any interruption. These types of leaders are already having the power of being motivational and they know how to lead people. Michigan Theory: According to Michigan studies conducted in 1950 in Michigan University, Leaders could be divided in to three types: (1) Task oriented behaviour (2) Relationship Oriented Behaviour and (3) Participative Behaviour. Task oriented behaviour- In this category; leaders concentrated more on arranging, dividing the work among their subordinates rather than making relations with them. They concentrated on the activities like planning, arranging resource and planning the tasks for their subordinates. Relationship oriented behaviour- The leaders who fall into this category not only concentrated on the task to done but also on making relationship with their subordinates. They took interest in solving the personal matters and helped them to set goal for their career of their subordinates. Participative leadership- The Participative leaders included their peers into their decisions like team members. These leaders are observed as good leaders and found facilitative rather than directive in solving problems. These kinds of leaders are more effective for teams instead of individuals. Transformational and Transactional Leadership: Transactional leaders are known to be as instrumental and regularly focus on exchange relationship with their peers (Bass and Avolio, 1993). Burns (1978) was the first who bring transformational and transactional theories in focus. This style of leadership is adopted by the leaders who want to see people working with full enthusiasm. The leaders who fall in this category motivate the employees and subordinates. These leaders are enthusiastic, energetic and they have a passion for their profession. They care about the people working under them and want them to succeed. However, according to Yukl (1999), Organizational processes get insufficient attention in most theories of transformational leadership. Transformational leaders seek to transform themselves and motivate the colleagues and work towards the changing the organizational culture in line with their vision (Bass, 1985). Whereas, Transactional leaders are argued to be visionary and enthusiastic, with an inherent ability to motivate subordinates (Bycio et al., 1995; Howell and Avolio, 1993) under this style of leadership, people are motivated by rewards and punishments depending on their performance. Transactional leader simply wants the people to take full responsibility of their work. If we compared transactional style to transformational style then it can be said that transformational style is selling style but transactional is the telling. 4. Critical Analysis Willie Walsh has taken some decisions which lead the company to growth. He leads BA with his own decisions and he tries to turn the company on his own way. For example, he took decision to open T5 but this lead to complete havoc on the first day. His decisions made lead organization to pay for it. According to the contingency theory, a good Leader should adopt the situation and according to transformational theory, an ideal leader should accept the participation of the subordinates. Since Willie Walsh takes his decision alone, he falls into the category of transactional leader and according to our group study and analysis about Willie Walsh, he as adopted all characteristics of transactional style of leadership. He expects more from his subordinates and tries to take the decision on his own and he dont involve his sub ordinate into his decisions in odd situations. He makes them work with rewards and punishments. Despite of that, It doesnt mean that Willie Walsh is a bad leader or is a type of leader that a organization should not have. According to the trait theory, Willie Walsh has some traits and skills which a leader should have. E.g. he is always alert about social environment, he is ambitious and achievement oriented, he is assertive, decisive, dominant, energetic, self-confident and tolerant of stress. With this, he has got the some skills which a leader should have. E.g. he is clever, intelligent, creative, diplomatic fluent in speaking, socially skilled. This make is as an exception of the leaders. As per our observation, Willie Walsh is leading the organization with his transactional style. It has been observed that the transactional leadership doesnt work for long time. It is true that Willie Walsh made Aer Lingus from loss making air lines to as most profitable air lines in only one year with his style and own made decisions but if we see the annual data of the Aer Lingus then it clearly shows that Aer Lingus didnt make that profit in continues years. By cutting the cost, job cuts, selling company core assets and making the air line a low cost air line would be the best way to make it profit at that moment but it didnt last for long time. Below is given a chart for data for Aer Lingus as evidence (Aer Lingus Annual reports, 2000-2006). Figure 2: Performance graph of Aer Lingus from 2004 to 2009 (data taken from Aer Lingus Annual reports, 2000-2006) It is clear that Aer Lingus made profit in 2002 and 2003 but after that it made very low profit in 2004. 5. Conclusion: To conclude the whole discussion, I would like to say that Willie Walshs working style is mixture of various leadership styles and there is not such way to explain this type of style. Sometime his decisions take the company on the top but sometimes company has to pay for that. He has the ability to take British Airways to overcome the loss it is currently making. Currently his style of leadership is autocratic who does not involve others into his decision and he believe on himself. Willie Walsh currently has an autocratic image in public and known to be as Darth Vader. He needs to change his leadership style and way of working. We see a good and charismatic leader in him but he needs to improve himself so his sub ordinate can support him in order to make the British Airways success. He needs to bring all other employees into the consideration so that decisions can be made by involvement of all the employees. He took some decision to make the company profit by selling old assets and making Aer Lingus a low cost flight, but it has been observed that that success was for a short span of time. After some time Aer Lingus went into the loss. His decision not always make profit for the organization, sometime company has to pay for his transactional decision. We see sometime leader who takes the harsh decisions can be the good leader but those are successful in some particular cases only. Willie Walsh also falls into this category since he had made Aer Lingus a profitable organization in the past. But this style is not relevant for all kind of situations. He has to adopt the style of situational leader or transformational leader in order to tackle the current situation in British Airways. He needs to change himself according to the required situation. Currently British Airways needs a leader or a leadership style that can bring whole company together and take to the peak of success. In my point of view, an ideal leader is the one who know how to make all of his subordinate work together and how to make the company making success. According to me, Willie Walsh needs to change himself to understand the emotions of his peers so that a good and brave decision can be implemented to make the British Airways success. 6. Reflections: If I Compare Willie Walsh with my previous manager then there is very much difference in the working style of leadership which both acquire. My previous managers style of leadership is a mixture of transformational and situational leadership. He changes himself according to the situation then makes wise decisions to make the team success. Willie Walsh does not involve his sub ordinates into his decisions, whereas, my previous leader used to involve his entire sub ordinates into his decision through team meetings. There was a very transparent working hierarchy in the team and organization I worked for. His way of treating the team members amazing and he used to communicate with them in a regular interval of time. He is a situational leader since he proved this by taking some decision according to the situation to make success and those decisions were proved to be the best decision sometimes. He always involved his colleagues by meeting with them and arrange meeting for project discussion. My previous company has many centers in India and sometime employees have to work from different locations. In that case also he used to arrange the meeting over voip calls so that we can bring our views in his notice. My previous manager has some qualities of charismatic leaders and he always comes in to public to confess his mistake. He was a strong and brave manager like Willie Walsh and he took his decisions without any fear like Willie Walsh but leadership style of both very different. In this study I understand how leadership styles changes leader to leader and organization to organization. I understand that the leader will play a very important role in making a organization success and if leader is ready to change then it is possible to take a company from feet to the peak of success. 7. Bibliography: Bass, B.M. and Avolio, B.J. (1993) Transformational Leadership and Organizational Culture, Public Administration Quarterly, 17 (1) pp. 112-17 Bass, B.M. (1985) Leadership and Performance Beyond Expectation. New York: The Free Press. Bycio, P., Hackett, R.D. and Allen, J.S. (1995) Further Assessments of Basss (1985) Conceptualization of Transactional and Transformational Leadership, Journal of Applied Psychology, 80 (4) pp. 468-78 Howell, J.M. and Avolio, B.J. (1993) Transformational Leadership, Transactional Leadership, Locus of Control and Support for Innovation: Key Predictors of Consolidated-Business-Unit Performance, Journal of Applied Psychology, 78 pp. 891-902 Huczynsky A. A. and Buchanan D. A. (2007) Organizational Behaviour. 6th edn. Essex: Prentice Hall. Kouzes, J. and posner, B. (2003) leadership challenge. San Francisco: Jossey-bass, pp. 22 McCall, M.W. Jr. and Lombardo, M.M. (1983) Off the track: Why and how successful executives get derailed. Greensboro: Centre for Creative Leadership. Ogbonna, E. and Lloyd, C. H. (2000) Leadership style, organizational culture and performance: empirical evidence from UK companies, Int. J. of Human Resource Management, 11 (4) Stogdill, R.M. (1974) Handbook of leadership: A survey of the literature. New York: Free Press. Yukl, G., (1999) An evaluation of conceptual weaknesses in transformational and charismatic leadership theories, The Leadership Quarterly, 10 (2) pp. 285-305 Annual reports of British Airways (2004-2009) Annual reports of Aer Lingus (2000-2006) Web references: 1. British Airways (2009) History and heritage: celebrating 90 years with pride. Available at: http://www.britishairways.com/travel/history-and-heritage/public/en_gb [Accessed on 2nd Dec 2009]. 2. British Airways (2009) Biography: Willie Walsh chief executive. Available at: http://www.bashares.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=69499p=irol-govBioID=135180 [Accessed on 2nd Dec 2009]. 3. British Airways (2009) History and Heritage: Explore our past. Available at: http://www.britishairways.com/travel/explore-our-past/public/en_gb [Accessed on 05 dec 2009]. 4. Business Week (2005) Willie Walsh: Chief Executive, British Airways, Britain. Available at: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_22/b3935411.htm [Accessed on 2nd Dec 2009].

Voice over Internet Protocol Essay -- VoIP Technology Networking Essay

Voice over Internet Protocol Definition of VoIP â€Å"Mr. Watson, come here, I want you!† These were the first words that were spoken over the phone back on March 10 1876. If you combine this invention with the same invention of the first computer that was completed nearly 70 years later in 1946, you would then be able to access VoIP. VoIP is also known as voice over internet protocol. VoIP is in essence the ability to talk with ones voice via computer to computer. In the next few pages you will learn about the history of VoIP, how it works, the requirements that are needed to use VoIP, the benefits and risks of this type of technology, and lastly you will get a glimpse at the future of VoIP. Not many people know what VoIP is or even that it exists. VoIP was designed to help with the costs for long distance charges. The idea or premise of this type of technology was conceived to use ones phone line and make a call through the Internet. It was designed to be used for both local and long distance calls thus cutting phone bill costs. The VoIP way of communication was started back in 1995 and was the result of work done by some hobbyists in Israel (Interangent, 2005). These hobbyists as well as other great inventors saw a good idea. Their idea was to be able to communicate through the computer as appose to talking over the phone. The idea was not so much to get away from the phone system but more to avoid long distance charges. In the beginning VoIP was only available when there was a direct personal computer to personal computer connection. Later in 1995 Vocaltec, Inc. released Internet Phone Software (Interagent, 2005). In the beginning it was fairly difficult to use. Due to the fact that in order to really be able to communicate using VoIP both the computers that were trying to communicate to each other would be required to use the same equipment, have a sound card and use a microphone. It was a good first effort, but as many firsts, the quality was very poor. VoIP would make great strides in the next three years. In 1998 VoIP had made such great strides that some companies were able to offer personal computer to phone services. The strides also were able to offer phone to phone contact. In the beginning VoIP did not charge their customers but chose to get payment through advertisements. When you made the phone call you would have to wait through an advert... ...base TechLand Group (2005). Strategies for Migrating Corporate Voice Traffic to the Data Network, Retrieved June 6, 2005 from the World Wide Web: http://www.techland.co.uk/index/page.index Try-three. (2005). History VoIP Article. Retrieved May 21, 2005, from the World Wide Web: http://www.try-there.com/voip/directory/history-voip.html Tyson, J. (2005). How stuff works. How voip works. Retrieved June 3, 2005, from the World Wide Web: http://computer.howstuffworks.com/ip-telephony.htm Voippreview. (2004). History of VoIP. Retrieved May 20, 2005, from the World Wide Web: http://www.voipreview.org/news.details.aspx?nid=51 Wagner, J. (2004, June 21). Networking. Retrieved May 26, 2005, from the World Wide Web: http://www.internetnews.com/infr/article.php/3371431 Webopedia (2005, June). VoIP. Retrieved June 10, 2005, from the World Wide Web: http://www.webopedia.com What Is (2005, June). VoIP. Retrieved June 10, 2005, from the World Wide Web: http://www.whatis.com Wikipedia (2004). Definitions in Technology. Retrieved May 26, 2005, from the World Wide Web: www.wikipedia.com Wikipedia (2005, June). VoIP. Retrieved June 11, 2005, from the World Wide Web: http://www.wikipedia.org

Effects of five life factors Essay

Genetic factors such as cystic fibrosis for example, are life factors which can affect the development of an individual. It can affect an individual at any age and is caused by a faulty gene that is passed from the parents to the child. The faulty gene allows too much salt and not enough water into cells and makes a build up of thick, sticky mucus in the body’s tubes. This can cause blockages in the body’s tubes and passageways, and causes damage to lungs, the digestive system, and other organs. Case Study Lauren, who is 14 years old, was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis when she was 3 months old. Her personal symptoms include coughing, wheezing and being unable to do things that she normally could do if she wasn’t ill. For example, if she was coughing a lot, then she couldn’t do any sports or dancing because it would make her more productive, which means bringing up lots of phlegm and it isn’t very nice. Sometimes it makes her sick in front of her friends, which can be embarrassing. This affects Lauren physically as she would suffer from malnutrition, which would cause her to be unhealthy as she isn’t getting the nutrition’s that she needs, and she would be tired with no energy which stops her from doing things she likes doing like sports and dancing. She would also have a low immune system which causes her to catch bugs easily so she has to be extra careful. It affects Lauren intellectually too because due to CF making her unwell, she would be constantly in and out of hospital so she would miss a lot of school, meaning that she would miss out on learning the things that the other children are learning. Lauren is also affected emotionally by cystic fibrosis because she may feel different to everybody else, which could lead to stronger feelings such as feeling isolated from everyone else, or depression and sadness. She can feel embarrassed at times too when other people see her when she is unwell as she can’t stop herself from being sick when she needs to be. Lastly, Lauren is affected socially as well because friendships would most likely be on a low and she wouldn’t be able to go out with her friends much because of cystic fibrosis making her unwell. She would also not be able to participate in some social groups/activities because of her condition, meaning that she misses out on things that other children don’t need to, and has her opportunities restricted. Biological factors such as foetal alcohol syndrome for example, are life factors which can affect the development of an individual. Women who drink alcohol during pregnancy can give birth to babies with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. These disorders range from mild to severe. They can be behavioral, physical, related to learning, or all of the above. Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is a severe form of the condition. People with FAS may have problems with their vision, hearing, memory, attention span, and abilities to learn and communicate. While the defects vary from one person to another, the damage is often permanent. http://www.healthline.com/health/fetal-alcohol-syndrome#Overview1 Case Study In 1977, Matthew was the first British baby to be diagnosed with foetal alcohol spectrum disorder. The damage to his brain in the womb means he suffers from learning difficulties, emotional problems like immaturity, and obsessive behaviour. Matthew looks like many other young men his age, although his head is small for his body, one of the many physical effects of FASD, which can also include heart, skeleton and facial abnormalities. â€Å"I can only cope with one thing at a time or it’s too overwhelming,† he says. â€Å"I can remember my family’s car number plates from the last 15 years, but not whether I locked my car door 30 seconds ago†. Just as difficult is Matthew’s social isolation. Those with FASD can’t interpret facial expressions or body language. In company, Matthew can be over-familiar with people he doesn’t know well. â€Å"I can’t relate to anyone,† he says. â€Å"When I’m on my own, I’m dying to be with other people. But when I’m with around other people, I wish I was on my own again†. Matthew was born weighing just under 6lbs. Damage to his nervous system meant he didn’t respond to stimuli or even cry for the first year of his life. â€Å"Every one of my milestones was late,† says Matthew. â€Å"I didn’t smile until I was a year old. I was three before I sat up and four before I walked.† It was in Matthew’s late teenage years that the gulf really started to open up. As his peers forged careers and relationships, his social and intellectual limitations became more obvious. Matthew’s progress has been remarkable. He is articulate and self-aware. But he also suffers from fragmented vision in one eye and  chronic short-sightedness. http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/foetal-alcohol-syndrome-drink-destroyed-my-life-402017.html Environmental factors such as damp/overcrowded housing for example, are life factors that can affect the development of an individual. Dampness includes the presence of water damage, damp stains, visible mould and condensation. Reports from housing charity Shelter have found that more than one million children in England are living in â€Å"damp, cold, infested† housing. Moreover, more than one million houses in England are considered â€Å"unfit to live in†. A survey based on the 2001 census has also found that more than half a million families in the UK live in officially overcrowded housing. These statistics have major implications. A person’s physical environment affects their health and well-being. This is especially the case for young children, who can spend 90% of their time in the home. Studies Some studies and reviews from the UK and elsewhere have reported an association between dampness, moisture and mould and the prevalence of respiratory symptoms among children of all ages. For example, one review found that children in homes with damp and/or mould are two and a half times more likely to have coughs or wheezes than children in â€Å"dry† homes. Another UK study found that visible mould was significantly associated with an increased risk of wheezing illness among children aged 9-11 years. A wider European study of older children also found prevalence of asthma and chronic cough was higher in damp homes. The association between moisture and cough or respiratory problems is particularly significant with regard to nocturnal symptoms and more significant still for children who have a predisposition to allergies. A Finnish study found a significant association between eczema in preschool children and visible moisture and mould in the home, and a relationship between these environmental conditions and nausea in older children. All age groups in this study were found to visit primary care more frequently than their counterparts in dryer houses. This effects children living in these damp homes physically as it can make them very unwell more than children living in dryer homes. These symptoms include coughing,  wheezing, nausea and even worse effects for children who already have allergies such as asthma. It would affect the children emotionally too as they would be most likely on a low if their allergies or illnesses aren’t getting better because of the house they are living in. This could lead to them feeling slightly depressed or sad, and even make them have a low self-esteem as they may think that there is something wrong with them. Also, it could affect these children socially as their allergy getting worse may prevent them from going out with friends and taking part in out-door activities. http://www.communitycare.co.uk/2007/11/21/the-environmental-impact-on-children-of-poor-housing/ Socio-economic factors such as employment status for example, are life factors that can affect the development of an individual. The amount of income and social status an individual has, is linked to better health. The greater the gap between the richest and the poorest people, the greater the differences in health is. People who have a higher income and social status are usually the ones who have better health because they can afford the best treatment in health services and can afford the best products. Also they would have a better self-concept and confidence. Education links to this as if you have good qualifications you are more likely to get a good employment status. Low education levels are linked with poor health, more stress and lower self-confidence. http://www.who.int/hia/evidence/doh/en/ Case Study Garry is 43 years old and works in a theatre as the cleaner. He has worked at the theatre for 4 years as he has been in and out of different cleaning jobs before. When Garry left school at 16 he only had 2 qualifications and he never bothered going to college. This meant that his opportunities career-wise were quite limited, so he went into cleaning to earn some money and never progressed to anything higher. Gary’s salary isn’t very much but he has to stretch his money to pay bills and look after his wife and 2 children. He has constantly been stressed with trying to sort his money out for many years, as he could have been more stable and happy if he was earning more money. Garry has a bad self-concept of himself and has no  confidence at all as he thinks that he should be a better husband and father, this is because he has a low employment status and doesn’t earn as much as other men do. Due to all the stress Garry has had throughout many years, he was diagnosed with heart disease and he and his family have been doing everything they can to make sure he is okay. Unfortunately, Garry could not afford any special treatment for his heart disease as he has never had a high-income, so his chance of being cured was quite low. This would most likely end badly, however a person who has a higher income than Garry can afford the special treatment and therefore has a better chance of surviving. Employment status effects Garry physically as his wage is low, meaning he can’t afford special health treatment to survive things such as heart disease when people with a higher income could survive. It effects him emotionally too because he hasn’t progressed any higher than a cleaner, so he doesn’t have a good self-concept of himself, making him have feelings of depression and he has no confidence at all. He is also affected socially as he may feel intimidated to socialise with other men who are earning much more than him and who are providing extremely well for their families, so he may feel isolated and lonely as he may feel like he can’t make friends. Lifestyle factors, such as obesity for an example, are life factors that can affect the development of an individual. Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have a negative effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems. Obesity increases the likelihood of various diseases, particularly heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea, certain types of cancer, and osteoarthritis. Obesity is most commonly caused by a combination of excessive food energy intake, lack of physical activity, and genetic susceptibility, although a few cases are caused primarily by genes, endocrine disorders, medications, or psychiatric illness. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obesity Case Study A 52-year-old woman with obesity and a 9year history of type 2 diabetes presents with complaints of fatigue, difficulty losing weight, and no motivation. She denies polyuria, polydipsia, polyphagia, blurred vision, or  vaginal infections. She notes a marked decrease in her energy level, particularly in the afternoons. She is tearful and states that she was diagnosed with depression and prescribed an antidepressant that she chose not to take. She states that she has gained an enormous amount of weight since being placed on insulin 6 years ago. Her weight has continued to increase over the past 5 years, and she is presently at the highest weight she has ever been. She states that every time she tries to cut down on her eating she has symptoms of shakiness, diaphoresis, and increased hunger. She does not follow any specific diet and has been so fearful of hypoglycemia that she often eats extra snacks. Her health care practitioners have repeatedly advised weight loss and exercise to improve her health status. She complains that the pain in her knees and ankles makes it difficult to do any exercise. This affects her physically as she can suffer with many different diseases because of being obese, and could be as serious as causing death. It affects her emotionally too because she may have a very low self-esteem because obesity is defined the opposite of beautiful in today’s society. This could lead to further feelings such as depression as she may feel not good enough, and she cannot do as much physically as people who don’t have obesity which can lead to feelings such as frustration. Also, obesity can affect her socially as she may not feel confident enough to leave the house to socialise as people make fun of her, which makes it even harder to make new friends. Feelings of depression could lead to even further feelings of isolation, as she may not feel happy enough to go out and see friends, which will lead to her not leaving her home. http://journal.diabetes.org/clinicaldiabetes/V17n31999/Pg142.htm

The eNotes Blog The Sound of Silence NASA Probes Record Earths Chorus

The Sound of Silence NASA Probes Record Earths Chorus Heres a question for Science teachers to ask their classes: If space made a noise, what would it sound like? The reverberations of Neil Armstrongs footsteps? Space junk clanging together?   The chatter of little green men? Or perhaps, early morning birdsong? An illustration of the earths magnetosphere, where our planets magnetic field collides with charged particles from the Sun. Yes, unlikely as it is, Earth actually gives off a noise that most liken to birds chirping. We know this because when NASA wasnt busy sending a rover to explore Mars, it created a device to detect the sounds of an atmosphere much closer to home. Surrounding our planet are rings of plasma which are pulsing with radio waves. Those waves are not audible to the human ear alone, but radio antennae can pick them up, and thats just what an instrument the Electric and Magnetic Field Instrument Suite and Integrated Science (EMFISIS) on NASAs recently launched Radiation Belt Storm Probes has done. Scientists have known of Earths chorus for several decades, but one of the missions of the Probes project has been to uncover the science behind the emissions. The sounds come from a part of Earths outer atmosphere called the magnetosphere (pictured above) an area where charged particles from the sun interact with the earths magnetic field. Fortunately for us, the radio waves emitted by Earths atmosphere occur in the same frequency of sounds we can hear. That means that, once the waves are picked up by a radio transmitter and translated into sound waves, we can listen to the hauntingly beautiful sounds of our home planet, recorded below: The project will continue for two more years and will also investigate the phenomenon of space weather, which actually affects us on the ground by knocking out satellites and power grids. Who knew space suffered weather like the rest of us? Idea for a Classroom Activity: Earths Song Objective:  To help students connect the concepts of magnetic fields and radio waves. Grade Level: 4-8 Time Needed: 20-30 minutes Dialogue/Worksheet:  Can you imagine what space would sound like if we could listen to it?  What kind of sounds do you think we would hear? (Have students draw Earth and its magnetic field. This activity should follow a unit on magnetism and polarity.) Did you know that the magnetic field makes a noise when tiny particles from the Sun hit it? We cant hear this sound just by listening with our ears. We need radio waves to be able to hear it. What kinds of objects detect radio waves? (Have students list the many different items that pick up radio waves. Ex. radios, baby monitors, garage door openers, cell phones, radio-controlled toys, TVs, wifi, airplanes etc.) Radio waves make up a a type of sound wave that travels through the air at a frequency humans cant hear. They travel much faster than the sound waves you hear when I speak. But we can hear them when we use a radio. The antennae pick up radio waves from the air and switch them into sound waves, which we can hear through the speakers.   Earths magnetic field gives off its own noise because radio waves are   electromagnetic. Using a radio antennae, we can pick up this sound and listen to the planet.   (Play audio of Earths chorus.) What did that sound like to you? Did its sound surprise you? If you could give Earths song a name, what would you call it? Resources: NASA explains Radio Waves Reference Guide: Electricity and Magnetism QA: Definition of radio waves

Summary of Unnatural Killers by John Grisham essays

Summary of Unnatural Killers by John Grisham essays In the article Unnatural Killers John talks about two horrific acts of violence. He draws a coalition between a murder in Hernando, Mississippi and one in Ponchatoula, Louisiana, both towns being connected by an interstate. On March 7-8, 1995 Bill Savage and Patsy Byers were both murdered. Although no one knew it at the time, a young man named Benjamin Darras, age eighteen, murdered Bill Savage. However Patsy Byers murder was caught on tape. The young woman was latter identified as Sarah Edmonson age nineteen. The two teens were involved in a relationship together. When they were caught Sarahs lawyers reached an immunity agreement [pg. 359] with the prosecuting attorneys. For here immunity she had to testify against Ben [pg. 359]. In her testimony she recalled the events of and leading up to March 7 and 8. One statement in particular was that they had watched the movie Natural Born Killers before they left on the sixth of March. The movie is about two young people that drive around the southwest part of the country killing people. The movie also portrays that they become famous for these killings and are last seen happily rambling down the highway [pg. 359]. Also in her testimony she speaks of how Ben spoke openly of killing people [pg. 360], and how he was quite anxious to kill someone [pg. 360]. She tells how he shot and killed Bill Savage and pressed her repeatedly to kill someone herself [pg. 360]. She told investigators that he said, the feeling of killing was powerful [pg. 360]. Sarah goes on to tell that she did not want to rob the store [pg. 361], she was made to do it and then made to kill Patsy Byers. John goes on to conclude on one thought, Can fault be shared [pg. 361]? He tells that the two teens had never been mixed up in violence. He blames the movie for making fun of murder an...

Scientific Investigation Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Scientific Investigation - Lab Report Example The steps in the entire experiment protocol include (1) GFP gene construction; (2) gene shuffling and selection; (3) mutant selection; (4) mutant characterization in E. coli; (5) CH) cell expression of GFP; (6) FACS analysis; and, (7) fluorescence spectroscopy. That is, the researchers first synthesized a GFP (green fluorescent protein) gene in an E. coli construct with optimized codon usage. This was further improved using an evolutionary process of recursive cycles of DNA shuffling of the GFP gene, combined with visual selection for the brightest E. Coli colonies. Since red-shifting the excitation maximum makes detection challenging by the naked eye, UV light was used for visual screening. The independent variable in this study is the process used to improve cell fluorescence or GFP in E. coli cells. In particular, the independent variable considered the absence of GFP, the Clontech GFP, the wildtype GFP, the cycle 2 mutant GFP, and the cycle 3 mutant GFP. On the other hand, the dependent variables that were investigated for differences in this study are the fluorescence signals and excitation signals of the E. coli genes. Technically, the control group for this study is the sample with no GFP. However, the three constructs (i.e., wildtype, cycle-2 and cycle-3) were also compared against the pGFP plasmid from Clontech, with a GFP sequence reported by Chalfie et al and contains a Q80R mutation which occurred as a PCR error as well as 24 extra amino acids from the N-terminus of LacZ. Results of the research study confirms the initial hypothesis that the combination of DNA shuffling and high throughput screening would be a powerful tool in optimizing a significant number of commercially important enzymes for which selections do not

Financial Analysis for Thorntons Plc Assignment

Financial Analysis for Thorntons Plc - Assignment Example Based on the performance ratios computed, Thorntons' profitability is declining together with its ability to turn revenue into profit. However, the company shows improvement in efficiency evidenced by the declining inventory, debtors' and creditors' ratio. Thortons' current assets are able all its immediate obligation yet most of its liquid assets are tied up in inventory. The company is able to service its interest expense through its operating income. Thorntons' is more dependent on creditors in financing its resources. As an investment, the company's stocks might be unattractive due to the declining earnings per share and return on equity. For a competitor, Thorntons might not post a formidable threat. Supplier will find the company a good customer because of its liquidity and improved creditors' ratio. For a customer, the reduction in inventory ratio might signal less possibility for spoilage. For a potential acquirer, Thorntons might be a good target but still needs a good management for improvement. Financial management is very much essential in ensuring the health and well being of a business organization. Business finance, in the simplest sense, is concerned with the goal of a firm to maximize shareholder value (Keown, et. al. 2004). It should be noted that finance is all about managing the financial resources of a business entity into those opportunities which will yield maximum value for stockholder's wealth. This involves generating cash in order to support the operations of the company and choosing among competing ends of investment opportunities present in the market. Horngren, et al. (2002, pp. 6) defines accounting as the "information system that measures business activities, processes that information into reports, and communicates the results to decision makers." Accounting is generally classified into fields according to the intended users of financial data. Financial accounting focuses on providing information for people outside the firm like creditors and outside investors. Management accounting on the other hand focuses on giving internal decision makers information which aids them in making financial and operational strategies (Horngren, et al. 2002). Accounting and business finance are closely interrelated. The business arena often refers to accounting as "the language of business" implying that a better understanding of the accounting language will aid making better financial decisions (Horngren et al. 2002). Thus, in general, accounting is a prerequisite in understanding the important concepts used in financial accounting. Basic knowledge in accounting is imperative in understanding finance. As stated earlier, concepts which are commonly used in accounting appears in financial management. For instance, a company which needs to determine the profitability of an investment needs to be acquainted with the effects of different transactions on the income statement of the business organization. With this, knowledge in accounting becomes imperative for financial managers. Accounting acquaints individuals with