Friday, November 29, 2019

Kiera Duncanson Essays - Aviation Accidents And Incidents, Culture

Kiera Duncanson Alive Bethune Cookman University Ms. Vance February 8th, 2017 Abstract This paper will be about the movie Alive. Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors is a 1974 book by the British writer Piers Paul Read documenting the events of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571. This paper will also exemplify division of labor, tradeoffs, automatic actions, cultural pressure, praxis, psyche, survival, social animals, and culture and how it relates to each scene in the movie. Alive In the film Alive, battle is appeared in an extremely unequivocal and crude sense; it indicates what number of various ways individuals manage a hard time . An European rugby group crashes down in the Andes, and they each battle with the moment physical change in their own particular manner. Division of Labor Division of Labor is defined as the breakdown of labor into its component and their distribution among different people to increase efficiency. Throughout this movie, there were many scenes where division of labor was implemented. When the plane crashed, automatically, division of labor began to form. As captain of the Rugby team, Antonio immediately took on the leadership role and everyone fell into place. The first thought was to attempt to save the people who were still alive and in critical condition . Antonio appointed Roy, Zerbino, and Rafael to search for the other half of the tail of the plane later on in hopes to find the battery for the radio to call for help . Tradeoff Tradeoff is defined as giving up one thing in return for another thing. Throughout this movie, a lot was sacrificed. In order to keep a fire going, one of the players were willing to throw in their guitar in order for them to keep warm. All in all, the players risked their lives in exchange to survive a 72-day nightmare. Automatic Actions An automatic action is defined as the theory that the activities of humans and animals are controlled by physical or physiological causes rather than by consciousness. The best scene that shows this concept was around 47 minutes. Some of the players decided to climb the top of the mountain in order to get a better look of where they were, find the other half of the plane, and try to find help. As they continued to climb, part of the mountain caved in and one of the players slid down the mountain close enough to fall off. Automatically, without hesitation, the players linked up to bring him to safety. Cultural Pressure Cultural Pressure is defined as the cultural influence a peer group has on its members. An example of this term would be when Susanna was told in order to have another baby, she would have to eat. The only thing that they were eating were flesh from dead bodies at that point. Another example of Cultural Pressure was getting Roy to go with them to climb the mountain and look for help. He was scared and did not feel he could do it. He was pressure into continuing because they did not want to give up despite how cold it was. Praxis Praxis was defined as the practice of an art, science, or skill. The only example I could relate to this term would be the fact they had medical students on board attempting to help the wounded players and families. Psyche Psyche is defined as the center of thought, feeling, and motivation directing to its social/physical environment. At 7 minutes and 47 seconds the plane started to go through turbulence. The pilots of the plane were the first to experience this feeling. They knew the plane was going to crash. As the back half the plane ripped off, the players were in shock. I could only imagine the feelings and emotions they were going through. Survival Survival is defined as doing what we have to do to survive. In my opinion, this whole movie was based off survival from beginning to end. These players had to learn to survive in an environment they were not used to. They decided to unzip the seat covers and use them as blankets. They stacked up their suitcases in order to section off the plane from the

Monday, November 25, 2019

Fiscal Policy of the United St essays

Fiscal Policy of the United St essays The Fiscal Policy of the United States over the decades has changed back and forth between classic and Keynesian principles. This paper examines the effect of both on the economy and how classic is a better approach to fiscal responsibility then Keynesian. Fiscal Policy of the United States: A Classic View The Fiscal Policy of the United States (US) is well known to operate using the Keynesian principles. By the government manipulating the availability of money and thereby interest rates, they have not necessarily helped the economy. What has happened is that the younger workforce has become accustomed to wealth, that is their parents wealth. This is not the percentage of the workforce that makes over $100k a year, but the $40 to $80k range, middle income America that is making manual labor jobs and the under $40k jobs difficult to fill. Today, those coming into the workforce for the first time dont wish for the $60k a year job, they EXPECT it, and if they dont get it they tend to stay at home and never leave the nest living off their parents income. This of course hurts the economy by not freeing up more disposable income of the parents. The 1980s and `90s technology boom was a leap forward for middle income families, new businesses were being built, which meant more employmen t, more demand for supplies and more money to spend. Children no longer for the most part had to earn money, they just asked their parents for it and they gave it to them, and this also meant an increase in personal debt as more Americans began using credit cards more freely. So what happened? nobody growing up learned the value of money, they didnt cut grass in the summer, or baby-sit after school, and nobody learned how to pump gas. (I mention it as meaning, with the self-service gas stations the gas jockey was no longer needed, which was at the time a rite of passage ...

Friday, November 22, 2019

Personal Goals Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Goals - Personal Statement Example of work, I need to be able to understand people and their diseases and the best background to this information is having knowledge of their surroundings. This Master’s degree is my ticket to be able to interact more with people in the health care field and connect with them on a different level by first understanding where they come from, the pressures they face and in the end find effective short and long term solutions. The program will put me in a leadership position as well and especially with both theoretical and practical aspect by understanding health care administrations. The knowledge will give me the insight knowledge into the health care field from a leadership position. This information and knowledge I hope will put me in a position of connecting with not only the patients but the employees and my colleagues on a deeper level as I will be able to relate with them. All of this matters because it has always been my dream to be people’s person and in an administrative position for that matter but still hold the element of care and concern. I have always wanted to help people without any prejudice and the health field was the best opportunity. Having to fulfil this dream by gaining a Master’s degree where there are chances that I can be an administrator will be one of my greatest life’s achievements. I will be able to help the patients through good interaction, communication and motivation of the health care staff being an administrator. When the needs of the employees are taken care of, then they can in turn assist the patients and a large number of them without any worries or reservations (Martin, Charlesworth and Henderson, 2010). The Master’s programs will also enable me understand the existing health care policies and why they were formulated and to what extent they are helping or not helping the people and especially the target audience. I will not only be able to understand these policies but also be able to change them or at least be

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Xerox Corporation and Organizational Development Essay

Xerox Corporation and Organizational Development - Essay Example Strategies vary depending on what business, products or services, industry, location, machinery, labor and fund at the disposal of the business. In any organization, change is inevitable and the organization that thrives will always be the organization that anticipates change, is flexible and willing to adapt itself to change. Let us follow the organizational changes of Xerox Corporation that brought the company up from its fall and turned it around. Xerox Corporation is the world's largest document-management company. Headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, the company is a pioneer of photocopying that its name has become so synonymous with the product that the term "Xerox machine" is often used to refer to xerographic duplicators produced by other companies. In addition, the term "Xeroxing" is quickly becoming synonymous with "copying." The company made its presence felt in 1959 with the introduction of the first one-piece, plain paper photocopier using the process of xerography (electro photography), the Xerox 914. The company opened a famous research center, the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center or Xerox PARC. Until the end of 1970, Xerox dominated the market with an amazing monopoly. Its market share was 90% and this led to a confidence about it surviving new competition in the market. By the 1980's Xerox's market share declined from 90 % to 43 % due to the competition from Ricoh, Sharp, Cannon, Kodak and IBM. Facing a downturn in office-equipment outlays, tougher rivals, an accounting scandal and management turnover, Xerox saw sales drop drastically. By the year 2000, Xerox's share price had fallen below $4, from a high of $64 a year earlier. In year 2001, Xerox experienced a net loss of $293 million. That was down 1% from the year before and 20% off its peak of $19.4 billion in 1998. [Xinxin, n.d, para 1.0] The basic reasons of failure for Xerox was not being able to anticipate and leverage the changes in the technology sector, lagging behind in developing products with digital technology and being overconfident in maintaining market share and brand loyalty. It failed to anticipate and strategize to face the emerging competition, was unable to offer customers lower priced products to counter the competition and was plagued by a lack of vision to scale to revolutionary digital age products using its strong presence. The organization was in desperate need for an OD intervention. When Anne Mulcahy, chairman and chief executive of Xerox, assumed responsibility in the year 2000, she had the unenviable task of turning around a company that was on the verge of bankruptcy. She realized that a massive organizational restructuring was in order if results needed to be achieved. Xerox's systems were studies and data was collected. The vision, the New Xerox Movement, was made to transform Xerox into a more cost-conscious, competitive, quality-control-based company contributing the first step encompassing the strategic change. Under her leadership, Xerox moved from losing $273 million in 2000 to earning $91 million in 2003. By last year, the company's profits had reached $859 million on sales of $15.7 billion. At the same time, its stock has risen, returning 75% over the last five years, compared with a loss of 6% for the Dow Jones Total

Monday, November 18, 2019

Technological Advancements in Urinalysis Research Paper

Technological Advancements in Urinalysis - Research Paper Example However, with time, the analysis of urine became exaggerated, such that it violated the privacy and dignity of the patients, resulting in the advancement where urine testing progressed to the use of urine only, without the presence of the patient like was happening before. In the ancient times, the tests of urine were used as the primary method of determining the state of human health. This has progressively changed with the advancement in medicine, such that currently, the analysis of urine is only used to diagnose certain medical conditions only (Armstrong, 2007). Â  The history of urine analysis indicates that at around 4000 BC, urine was used to test the medical condition that is referred in modern-day urinalysis as diabetes, through putting some urine of different patients on the ants path, such that the ants would be attracted to the sweet urine, which would indicate that the patient was suffering from a certain health anomaly (Diamandopoulos & Actuarius, 2001). Later at around the second century, the testing of urine changed to the practical observation of the patients urine condition at around the fourth century, (460–355 BC) where the urine was observed for bubble components and if the bubbles were found to be present in large numbers, then the patient was declared to be suffering from a kidney disorder (Armstrong, 2007). However, it is not until six centuries later, at around (AD 129–200), when the accuracy of urinalysis was attained, with the first description of urine, not as a residual of body tissues, but as a residu al and filtrate of blood, by Galen, a Roman scientist (Armstrong, 2007). Galen made the testing of urine more specific to certain medical conditions, by observing different anomalies in urine production and then relating quantities of urine produced to different medical conditions.

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Effects of Living With A Pacemaker

Effects of Living With A Pacemaker Mackenzie Crowe Millions of people live with the help of a pacemaker on a day to day basis. An enormous 600,000 pacemakers are implanted each year and a total of 3 million people worldwide are living with a pacemaker.1 Like most scenarios, health hazards do not really affect someone until a family member or close friend is diagnosed. We usually do not become curious until someone we truly care about requires some sort of help. That’s just what my family member’s heart needed. My family member lived with a pacemaker quite a few years before he passed. Along with his age, he had other health complications that lead to arrhythmias, or irregular heartbeats, and his body became too weak to keep up with the demand of pumping blood to all parts of the body; so they implanted a pacemaker. A pacemaker, also known as an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), is a miniaturized computer that sends electrical stimulation to the heart whenever it senses that the heart is not beating or is beating too slowly.2 The pacemaker is about the size of two stacked silver dollars and weighs approximately 17-25 grams.2 This device’s main purpose is to help the heart maintain its repetitive rhythm, but it can also store information for a doctor to retrieve which will allow the best possible therapy per individual.2 Newer pacemakers can also treat heart failure by resynchronizing the electrical impulses in the heart’s four chambers- therefore improving the hear t’s ability to pump blood.2 From the time my family member had one implanted to the time that he passed, he had gone through two pacemakers. Like anything else, pacemakers can malfunction. In my family member’s case, his pacemaker just wasn’t working properly and so they just simply implanted a new one. From then on, everything pertaining to his pacemaker went rather smoothly. When I was young my cousins and I always asked him questions as to why he had it, what it did for him, and sometimes he would even open his shirt and let us feel where the pacemaker was in his chest. Although I didn’t live with my grandparents I did spend a lot of time at their house and the fact that my family member had a pacemaker rather bothered me. I wanted to know everything about it. I wanted to know what to do if something were to go wrong. I wanted to know if there could be complications that others needed to be aware of. I wanted to know that having a pacemaker wasn’t going to prohibit him from doing normal daily activities. As I spent more time with him and did some research of my own, I learned a lot more about pacemakers. I learned what it’s like to live with someone who has one compared how an individual’s life can change from getting a pacemaker implanted. This paper aims to help the reader understand exactly what a pacemaker is, and what it does for someone. The reader will also learn about problems associated with having a pacemaker, latest trends and treatments, and trends in nutrition, which will include medication(s). I also hope to see the reader understand how a family can be affected by living with someone who has a pacemaker, and how caring and monitoring a person with a pacemaker can be difficult at times. In a medical aspect, this paper will connect pacemakers and dentistry together. The reader will learn of risks associated to pacemakers in a dental office, dental implications, dental complications, and how to educate a patient of good oral hygiene with the use of pacemaker in place. I have also attempted to identify important questions for the patient and what to do in the instance of an emergency. Due to the vast amount of pacemakers used throughout the United States, researching and learning about pacemakers will help me be prepared for the evaluation of a patient with this medical history. I know that as a dental hygiene student it is my responsibility to be prepared for patients that present items that could interfere with the dental practice and be ready to make modifications as needed. As a health professional it is also my job to put the health of that patient at the forefront of my care plan when preparing for treatment. A pacemaker is not to be confused with the heart’s natural pacemaker. This artificial medical device uses electrical impulses, delivered by electrodes contracting the heart muscles, to regulate the beat of the heart.3 Its primary purpose is to keep the heart beating adequately, either because the natural heart is not fast enough, or there is a block in the electrical conduction system. Some pacemakers are combined with a defibrillator in a single device, while others have multiple electrodes stimulating different positions within the heart to help improve irregularity of the lower chambers of the heart.3 Pacemakers are a necessity for many people. Millions of people wouldn’t be able to participate in day to day activities if not for their pacemaker. Pacemakers give a sense of normality to those who would otherwise be struggling to complete an activity that seems so easy to someone whose heart functions fine without assistance. Some complications with pacemakers during or after implantation (acute) could be bleeding, infection at implantation site, allergic reaction, swelling, or a collapsed lung, all of which are uncommon and can be treated easily and effectively.4 Later complications (chronic) can be generator failure and lead failure, both of which are extremely rare.5 If patients follow a precise routine of physician care appointments, most complication can be detected before becoming serious. Patients should be aware of symptoms such as weakness, being easily fatigued, lightheadedness, dizziness, and loss of consciousness.5 If these symptoms appear after implantation, the patient’s doctor should be notified immediately so that the pacemaker can be checked in correspondence with these symptoms. Patients with pacemakers should try to adhere to a heart healthy diet after the implantation process in order to have a successful and quick recovery. This type of diet includes low fat and low simple sugars and high fiber contents.6 The patient’s diet should also be based on height, weight, current diet pattern, medical history, and level of physical activity. Family members who are in the role of caretaking for post-surgery patients should encourage the patient to try and maintain their current weight or lose weight is the patient is considered overweight by a physician. They should emphasize eating whole foods such as whole cereals, grains, beans, and fresh fruits and vegetables.6 Proteins such as eggs, milk, fish high in omega-3 fatty acids, and poultry should also be included.6 Fatty foods, fried and salty foods, sweets, or bakery items like cookies and cakes, along with carbonated beverages should be avoided.6 The patient should also try to avoid any kind of stress wheth er is it physical or psychological, and they should take further measures to quit smoking.6 If the patient drinks alcoholic beverages, it can be continued but should be done in moderation such as limiting it to one per day or as otherwise discussed with the physician.6 Most pacemakers now allow for patients to get engaged in physical activities which is an important aspect in congruence with a healthy diet. Exercise will not only help maintain body weight, but it will also help improve the patient’s cholesterol.6 Before beginning any physical activity, exercise should be discussed with the patient’s specialist or dietician. Family members are the best advocate to help keep the patient on track and in line with multiple aspects of their diet, stress levels, smoking, and physical activity. As of now, no drugs are used along with a pacemaker because treatment consist of upgrading or reprogramming the pacemaker. Sometimes medications are given to the patient when the implantation process begins so that they patient is able to relax but still be aware of their surroundings.7 They will still be able to hear and talk to the medical team throughout the process. The patient will also receive anesthetic (numbing) medication at the site of the incision.7 Certain patients with atrial flutter/fibrillation or venous problems may be on medications such as Coumadin or patients that have had previous stent replacement may be on Plavix to reduce the chances of blockage.8 These medications are not normally prescribed after implantation but if the patient is already taking them before implantation they are normally switched over to a Heparin IV drip for surgery and then slowly moved back over to their medications afterward.8 Caring for patients with pacemakers can be difficult if the patient does not value their health as much as they should. It can be hard to take care of someone who would rather let the caretaker do all the work. Patients should be motivated to stay healthy. While most know that this is easier said than done, family members should try to emphasize a healthy diet and how it can really make a difference in their daily living. Elderly patients will need more recuperation time and won’t be able to participate in strenuous activity like a middle aged patient. It is imperative that the caregiver try to get the patient to be self-sufficient so that when the time comes for them to take care of themselves, they will know where to take off from what their caregiver was doing for them. The implantation of a pacemaker can affect the patient’s ability to undergo various medical procedures. Dental procedures, X-rays, MRI’s, CAT scans, bone density tests, mammograms, and ultrasounds can all affect pacemakers because of the reactions of the energy waves involved in the tests and the electronic component of the pacemaker.9 If the pacemaker is not programmed to resists these types of interferences, complications can arise. Dental care, like any specialized treatment, is a necessary and routine healthcare issue. Most dental care visits include x-rays, ultrasonic scaling, drilling, and other procedures that might produce high electromagnetic energy. To avoid malfunctions to the pacemaker and possible harm to the patient, it is extremely important to tell the clinician about the pacemaker in advance. The oral cavity is a likely source of bacteria that may elicit infections on pacemaker and ICD devices after systemic transmission.10 According to the American Dental Association, studies show that dental patients with a pacemaker are particularly at risk for developing endocarditis.11 This infection or inflammation of the heart occurs as a result of bacteria that enters the bloodstream from the mouth.11 Under certain conditions, patients with heart problems will be given antibiotic medications before procedures to help prevent bacteria from spreading to the bloodstream.11 This is a proactive approach that protects the patient and the dentist. Certain dental procedures often involve the use of electrical equipment that may come into close proximity to an implanted pacemaker. There is a possibility that exposure to some of this equipment may temporarily affect the function of the pacemaker. Some potential interactions that might take place are: inhibition of pacing: pacing not provided when needed, asynchronous pacing: pacing provided at a fixed rate whether needed or not, and inappropriate shocks: shock therapy provided when not needed.12 Some manufacturers contraindicate product use in patients with pacemakers, but there are also other things that can be done to avoid complications.12 The clinician should seat patients away from power sources or adjust equipment to the lowest possible setting and should also avoid draping cables over the implantation site.12 If the patient begins to feel lightheaded, have increased heart rate, experiences a shock, or hears beeping from their device they should move away from the source of interference or the clinician should power down the device.12 This will allow for the pacemaker to return to normal. According to the Boston Scientific Analysis of Dental Equipment, drills and cleaning equipment, dental x-rays, and apex locators all showed no signs of interference.12 Ultrasonic scalers can cause disturbances but are very unlikely unless notified by the manufacturer.12 To be on the safe side, the majority of dentists would not use an ultrasonic scaler to perform a scale in a patient fitted with a pacemaker or an implantable cardiac defibrillator (ICD).13 Other dental office equipment that may cause interferences are dental chairs with magnetic headrests and electrocautery.12 Both are temporary affects although if patient’s pacemaker is programmed not to respond to magnetic headrests then patients may sit in these chairs.12 Patients considered to be at risk from external interference can have a magnet placed over the pacemaker to switch the pacemaker to fixed-rate mode making it immune to external signals.14 Use of mini magnets in prosthetic dental procedures is safe for patie nts with implanted pacemakers.15 Clinicians should be prepared to make accommodations for patients that have pacemakers. The use of hand instruments will be critical if a patient shows signs of being sensitive to electrical devices. It is the job of the clinician to be able to adapt to that patients’ needs rather than making the patient adapt to the office; this includes helping the patient make changes at home as well. Some patients with pacemakers may need assistance when it comes to good home care. The patient will most likely need accommodations to be made shortly after surgical implantation. It may be hard for the upper chest and dominant hand to move a toothbrush around the oral cavity. Clinicians should be aware of this need and should be ready to make suggestions based on the individual. Some ideas that may be beneficial are having another person brush for the patient for the first few days after the surgery. If the patients then feels better suited to take over they could begin brushing once a day along with a mouth rinse and slowly move up to brushing twice a day and flossing when they feel fit to do so. This may be easier for the patient and at the same time they are still accomplishing good oral health care. Before beginning treatment in a dental office the patient should make sure that their clinician knows of their personal health status with their pacemaker included and that their clinician is prepared if an emergency would arise. It’s best to have a clinician certified in CPR and that is knowledgeable on how to use an automated external defibrillator (AED) if necessary. CPR chest compressions can be done as usual on a patient with an implanted pacemaker.16 Implantable pacemakers are also designed to withstand the shock of an external defibrillator but the pads should not be placed over the device or the pacemaker can sustain damage.16 If the patient has an implanted medical device, an alternative AED pad position is advised, such as the anterior-posterior position.17 It is best to place the pads as far from the source of the pulse as possible and to use the lowest power clinically acceptable to try and deliver a shock that will not damage the device but will restart the patien t’s heart.16 Pacemakers are a vital source of life for many Americans. They enable people to keep living a normal lifestyle. Although there will always be aspects that patients can do to sustain better care for themselves, having a pacemaker is really quite easy. Monitoring the device is important and routine doctor visits are necessary for upkeep and general health. My family member was able to go on living his life as he normally would’ve because he had the help of his pacemaker. Without that, I may not have had as much time with him as I was able to have, and for that I am truly grateful. Modern technology is continually growing and the pacemaker system is developing with it. I hope that this paper gives you a general knowledge about pacemakers, health importance at home and with family members, and their connection to the dental office. Sources Available at: http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/105/18/2136.full. Accessed November 9, 2013. Available at: http://health.sjm.com/arrhythmia-answers/treatment-options/implantable-devices/pacemaker. Accessed October 9, 2013. Available at: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_pacemaker. Accessed March 14, 2014. Available at: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/pacemaker/MY00276/DSECTION=risks. Accessed October 9, 2013. Available at: http://cdn.intechopen.com/pdfs/13786/InTech-Common_pacemaker_problems_lead_and_pocket_complications.pdf. Accessed March 14, 2014. Pat. A Heart Healthy Diet for Pacemaker Implant Recovery. November 10, 2008. Available at: http://www.diethealthclub.com/blog/diet-tips/a-heart-healthy-diet-for-pacemaker-implant.html. Accessed October 9, 2013. Available at: http://health.sjm.com/arrhythmia-answers/treatment-options/implantable-devices/pacemaker. Accessed October 9, 2013. Available at: http://www.pacemakerclub.com/public/jpage/1/p/story/a/storypage/sid/13421/content.do. Accessed March 25, 2014. Available at: http://www.ehow.com/way_5601960_implanted-pacemaker-dental-precautions.html. Accessed October 9, 2013. Eberhard, J., Stumpp, N., Ismail, F., Schnaidt, U., Heuer, W., Pichlmaier, M., . . . Stiesch, M. (2013). The oral cavity is not a primary source for implantable pacemaker or cardioverter defibrillator infections. Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery, 8, 73. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1749-8090-8-73 Available at: http://www.ehow.com/way_5601960_implanted-pacemaker-dental-precautions.html. Accessed October 9, 2013. Available at: http://www.bostonscientific.com/lifebeat-online/assets/pdfs/resources/ACL/ACL_Dental_Equipment_020209. Accessed October 9, 2013. Thompson, S. A., Davies, J., Allen, M., Hunter, M. L., Oliver, S. J., Bryant, S. T., Uzun, O. (2007). Cardiac risk factors for dental procedures: Knowledge among dental practitioners in wales. British Dental Journal, 203(10), E21; discussion 590-1. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/bdj.2007.889 Jowett, N., Cabot, L. (2000). Patients with cardiac disease: Considerations for the dental practitioner. British Dental Journal, 189(6), 297-302. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.4800750a Schulmeister, L. (1999). Pacemaker interference. Nursing Management, 30(3), 14. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/231428997?accountid=14752 Available at: http://www.bostonscientific.com/templatedata/imports/HTML/CRM/A_Closer_Look/pdfs/ACL_CPR_and_External_Defibrillation_063008.pdf. Accessed March 18, 2014. Jevon, P. (2012). Defibrillation in the dental practice. British Dental Journal, 213(5), 233-5. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.2012.778

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

THE MAJOR EVENTS :: Business and Management Studies

THE MAJOR EVENTS The graphs below summarise the fluctuations in the share price and shareholders’ returns of Vodafone group, as a result of two major events which occurred in mid February, 2004 and mid November of the same year. On the 22nd 0f January 2004, AT&T Wireless, the third largest mobile phone group in the US, put itself up for sale but as shown above in Fig1, this does not seem to have affected the share price or volume of trading as there was no significant upward or downward trend in these two areas. This can lead to an assumption that the market is inefficient as it did not respond to the information or that investors were not expecting Vodafone to bid for AT&T Wireless because Mr Sarin had told investors and analysts that he was "happy" with Vodafone's joint venture with Verizon, the leading mobile phone operator in the US. Had Vodafone succeeded in acquiring AT&T Wireless, it would have had to sell its profitable stake in Verizon back to its partner, Verizon Communications - a prospect that did not appeal to its shareholders and so may be why the new information was not relevant to the Vodafone. â€Å"9th February 2004, saw the Vodafone Group Plc announcing that it will continue to monitor developments in the US market and is exploring whether a potential transaction with AT&T Wireless is in the interests of its shareholders†. This lead to a decrease in share price as investors knew that it would mean that Vodafone would have to sell its profitable stake Verizon to buy AT&T Wireless. The steep drop in Fig 1 suggests that the market was efficient in its reaction to this announcement. The formal bidding war began on the 13th when Cingular made an initial offer of $30bn, and the offer was matched by Vodafone. Cingular then raised its bid to $35bn which was again matched by the British company. When Cingular raised its offer to $38bn, Vodafone once more matched the bid and this suggested to investors that Vodafone would pay too much for AT&T Wireless, which is why the share price dropped each day till bidding ended on the 17th. â€Å"On 17th February 2004, Vodafone withdrew from the auction when it concluded that it was no longer in its shareholder's best interests to continue discussions†. We can see that there was a 5% increase in the share price when this was announced, and the volume of trading shows the markets informational efficiency Since news emerged that Cingular had made an informal offer in mid-January, Vodafone's shares have underperformed the rest of the market, cutting the value of the company by more than

Monday, November 11, 2019

Patterns in Religion Adherence Essay

Patterns in religious adherence have been steadily changing since the 1947 Australian census. The most noticeable difference is in the constant drop in the number of people that identify themselves as belonging to the Anglican church- an average of 2% every 5 years. In 1947 39% of the entire population claimed to be Anglican and by 2011 that number declined to 17.1%. Although Christianity is still the most popular religion in Australia the overall number of adherents has dropped from 88% to 63%. After World war 2, Australia saw an increase in many denominations in Christianity. More traditional churches such as the uniting church and the Presbyterian and reformed churches all experienced a downturn, losing 14.9% and 11.7%. The newer Pentecostal movement gained momentum with a 25.7% increase since 1996. Catholic, Baptist and orthodox churches also saw significant increase and gained 6.8%, 7.3% and 9.5% respectively. In Australia, 1947, 0.5% claimed to belong to a religion other than Christianity, but in 2006 increased to 5.6%. Buddhism 2.1% Hinduism 0.7%, Islam 1.7% Judaism 0.4% and other religions 0.5%. Hinduism was the fastest growing religion with a rate of 120.2% Buddhism and Islam also grew quickly. The other religions category rose 58.8% (includes spiritualism, wicca and Swedenborg) Judaism gained 11.3% which is smaller than the other religion but still significant and Australian aboriginal traditional religion had a decrease losing 29% between 1996 and 2001. Immigration has been the most dramatic effect leading to an increase in some groups and the decline of other. Other reasons are the movement from one denomination to another, seeking answers in new religious or spiritual movements and an increase in those who acknowledge that they have no religion. Besides Israel Australia has taken in more immigrants (relative existing population) than any other country in the world. Because of this there are now 14 orthodox denominations in Australia and more Eastern Catholic churches to cater for a wider range of ethnic communities. The national church life survey (surveys conducted in major churches in Australia) shows some of the reasons for the increases and decreases in Christian denominations, these being attenders switching from other denominations, decreasing their attendance or stopping attending completely, people attending for the first time or after an absence of a number of years, the birth of children often encourages them to come back and death. Pentecostal churches have the most amount of people switching into their denomination as well as the most amount of people drifting away or switching again. New age religions were also among the fastest growing faiths in the 2001 census increasing by 140% in the 5 years since 1996. Hinduism was not noted in 1947 but in the 1996 census Hinduism had taken 0.4% of adherents from a religion other than Christianity, by 2001 it had grown to 0.5%, 2006- 0.7% and 2011- 1.3%. The decline of the â€Å"White Australia† policy in the 1970’s meant it became easier for migration from a greater range of ethnic groups. Immigration from Asia (India, Malaysia and Indonesia) and the Middle East (particularly Lebanon, Iraq and Iran) has extended Hinduism. Overseas wars and persecution have led to waves of immigration from affected areas for example Lebanon in the 1980’s, which led to an increase in Hinduism in Australia. Many Hindus where also brought to Australia from India by the British to work on cotton and sugar plantations. Hinduism is the fastest growing religion and the fastest since 2006, increasing from 148,130 to 275,534 accounting for 1.3% of religions other than Christianity. This may not be only from immigration from countries where Hinduism is prominent but also because of Australians curiosity and need to experience different things. Hinduism focuses on polytheism meaning they worship many deities, but some Hindu’s describe it as one god in many different forms, some people may have been beginning to search for something other than Christianity and the basics of it, so Hinduism became more popular as a way for people to experience a wider array on how to live life in accordance to religion. Hinduism accepts the existence of all religions; it allowed people to express their spirituality. It may have also been the diversity of the Hindu beliefs that interested Australians, and played a part in its rapid growth.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Job Insecurity Essay

The negative job- and health-related implications job insecurity has on your organization With the increased effort of organizations to remain competitive while also reducing costs, downsizing the employee pool has been a recurring theme in corporate enterprise. As a consequence, feelings of job insecurity within an organization are growing. The absence of an appropriate response to job insecurity among employees only contributes to the job insecurity faced by many employees. There is a tendency among managers to consider job insecurity a psychological issue only the employee, him or herself, can mediate. While this consideration isn’t unreasonable, it should be noted that the implications of this line of thinking are hazardous to the employee and the organization as a whole. The article, â€Å"Who Suffers More from Job Insecurity? ,† written by Grand H. -L Cheng and Darius K. -S Chan, presents the results of a metaanalytic review (the â€Å"Review†) on the effects of job insecurity for an employee and for the organization. The focus of the Review is the varying effects job insecurity has on employees with differing organizational tenure, age, and gender. Their intention was to discover if the abovementioned demographics are more or less prone to job insecurity. Outside of an improved understanding of which employees are more or less affected by job insecurity, this Review further advances the appropriateness of management response to employee-felt job insecurity. Developing an adequate response to employees who feel concern regarding their organizational position is instrumental in reducing negative implications like turnover intention and withdrawal cognitions. At the root of these negative implications lies job insecurity as a stressor. It is the existence of the stressor that invokes in an employee a desire to rid the job frustration. Knowing which employees are more prone to job insecurity can allow a manager to develop an appropriate response the job stressor. To demonstrate the effects of job insecurity, Cheng and Chan utilized a total of 133 studies (published and unpublished) that provided 172 independent samples, involving 132,927 employees. These studies â€Å"measured the subjective experience of job insecurity of employed people. (Cheng and Chan, 280) The authors of the study included a number of correlated variables in their Review. Among these variables were organizational commitment, turnover intention, work performance, job involvement, psychological health, and physical health. Two raters (graduate psychology students) â€Å"coded† each sample within each study. The coding included detailing various sample characteristics such as sample composition and sample size. The coders also identified the relationships recognized in each of the Who suffers more from job insecurity? tudies. The relationships included those between job insecurity and correlated variables like job satisfaction and trust. The correlations were further corrected by way of another meta-analytic method so to account for measurement error on the correlations identified in each compiled study. The results of the Review indicated that job insecurity was negatively related to job satisfaction, organizational commitment, work performance, and job involvement. It was further concluded that job insecurity was positively related to turnover intention. While many of the conclusions from the Review may seem obvious to members of management, the effects of the correlated variables on differing demographics is what might be of surprise. In regards to age, job insecurity and its relationship to turnover was heightened in terms of younger employees. However, job insecurity had a smaller effect on the psychological and physical health of this same demographic. This might be due to the fact that younger employees believe they have the capability to search for comparable positions within other organizations and so view turnover as an optimal solution. As a side note, organizational commitment and work performance did not differ among age demographics when employees overall were experiencing job insecurity. It was also revealed that gender differences had no effect on job insecurity. Both men and women consider job insecurity an uncomfortable and unwanted stressor in the workplace. Males and females alike will suffer negative consequences due to not feeling secure in their organizational position. Focusing on the third demographic of the Review, it was determined that job insecurity and turnover intention was more positively related in employees with shorter tenure. Shorter tenured employees may feel that they have invested less time into the organization and thus decide that leaving an organization won’t have the implications longer tenured employees believe that it will. Longer tenured employees may feel a stronger tie to the organization and thus leaving is not a viable option. Taking health into consideration, longer tenured employees and older employees are more prone to experiencing healthrelated issues due to feelings of job insecurity. Longer tenured employees and older employees experience the threat of unemployment more heavily than those of a younger generation and a younger tenure. Chen and Chan conclude that this could be due to the increase in family obligations that is typical of a longer tenured employee or an older generation. Also, longer tenured employees are often more committed to their organization than are shorter tenured employees. Having a long-standing relationship with an organization increases feelings of obligation toward the organization. This doubt is manifested into a negative psychological implication that does hinder the health of the employee. While it can be a difficult endeavor unraveling an employee’s feelings of job insecurity, one thought holds true. If management can learn that employees are most impacted by job insecurity, they can begin to alleviate the negative implications these feelings bring. Helping longer tenured or older employees feel as if their â€Å"tribal knowledge† is valuable to the company is one specific action managers can take to affect performance and attitudes. Also, institute mentoring between older and newer employees so both feel a stronger sense of organizational commitment. Finally, the most crucial action management can take is addressing how the company communicates layoff/reduction to employees. The not knowing is the worst part – who, when, or how many. However, identifying the causes of insecurity that employees feel about their positions is the first step management can take in helping to make employees feel less insecure. Also, having an understanding of why certain demographics experience differing effects due to job insecurity is equally important. This understanding will help management prepare their approach and, in the long run, improve the relationship between the employee and the organization.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

The Life and Death of a Star

The Life and Death of a Star Stars last a long time, but eventually they will die. The energy that makes up stars, some of the largest objects we ever study, comes from the interaction of individual atoms. So, to understand the largest and most powerful objects in the universe, we must understand the most basic. Then, as the stars life ends, those basic principles once again come into play to describe what will happen to the star next. Astronomers study various aspects of stars to determine how old they are as well as their other characteristics. That helps them also understand the life and death processes they experience. The Birth of a Star The stars took a long time to form, as gas drifting in the universe was drawn together by the force of gravity. This gas is mostly hydrogen, because its the most basic and abundant element in the universe, although some of the gas might consist of some other elements. Enough of this gas begins gathering together under gravity and each atom is pulling on all of the other atoms. This gravitational pull is enough to force the atoms to collide with each other, which in turn generates heat. In fact, as the atoms are colliding with each other, theyre vibrating and moving more quickly (that is, after all, what heat energy really is: atomic motion). Eventually, they get so hot, and the individual atoms have so much kinetic energy, that when they collide with another atom (which also has a lot of kinetic energy) they dont just bounce off each other. With enough energy, the two atoms collide and the nucleus of these atoms fuse together. Remember, this is mostly hydrogen, which means that each atom contains a nucleus with only one proton. When these nuclei fuse together (a process known, appropriately enough, as nuclear fusion) the resulting nucleus has two protons, which means that the new atom created is helium. Stars may also fuse heavier atoms, such as helium, together to make even larger atomic nuclei. (This process, called nucleosynthesis, is believed to be how many of the elements in our universe were formed.) The Burning of a Star So the atoms (often the element hydrogen) inside the star collide together, going through a process of nuclear fusion, which generates heat, electromagnetic radiation (including visible light), and energy in other forms, such as high-energy particles. This period of atomic burning is what most of us think of as the life of a star, and its in this phase that we see most stars up in the heavens. This heat generates a pressure - much like heating air inside a balloon creates pressure on the surface of the balloon (rough analogy) - which pushes the atoms apart. But remember that gravitys trying to pull them together. Eventually, the star reaches an equilibrium where the attraction of gravity and the repulsive pressure are balanced out, and during this period the star burns in a relatively stable way. Until it runs out of fuel, that is. The Cooling of a Star As the hydrogen fuel in a star gets converted to helium, and to some heavier elements, it takes more and more heat to cause the nuclear fusion. The mass of a star plays a role in how long it takes to burn through the fuel. More massive stars use their fuel faster because it takes more energy to counteract the larger gravitational force. (Or, put another way, the larger gravitational force causes the atoms to collide together more rapidly.) While our sun will probably last for about 5 thousand million years, more massive stars may last as little as 1 hundred million years before using up their fuel. As the stars fuel begins to run out, the star begins to generate less heat. Without the heat to counteract the gravitational pull, the star begins to contract. All is not lost, however! Remember that these atoms are made up of protons, neutrons, and electrons, which are fermions. One of the rules governing fermions is called the Pauli Exclusion Principle, which states that no two fermions can occupy the same state, which is a fancy way of saying that there cant be more than one identical one in the same place doing the same thing. (Bosons, on the other hand, dont run into this problem, which is part of the reason photon-based lasers work.) The result of this is that the Pauli Exclusion Principle creates yet another slight repulsive force between electrons, which can help counteract the collapse of a star, turning it into a white dwarf. This was discovered by the Indian physicist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar in 1928. Another type of star, the neutron star, come into being when a star collapses and the neutron-to-neutron repulsion counteracts the gravitational collapse. However, not all stars become white dwarf stars or even neutron stars. Chandrasekhar realized that some stars would have very different fates. The Death of a Star Chandrasekhar determined any star more massive than about 1.4 times our sun (a mass called the Chandrasekhar limit) wouldnt be able to support itself against its own gravity and would collapse into a white dwarf. Stars ranging up to about 3 times our sun would become neutron stars. Beyond that, though, theres just too much mass for the star to counteract the gravitational pull through the exclusion principle. Its possible that when the star is dying it might go through a supernova, expelling enough mass out into the universe that it drops below these limits and becomes one of these types of stars ... but if not, then what happens? Well, in that case, the mass continues to collapse under gravitational forces until a black hole is formed. And that  is what you call the death of a star.

Monday, November 4, 2019

Analysis of Financial Modeling Literature review

Analysis of Financial Modeling - Literature review Example We begin the chapter with the general idea of the VaR and the various approaches to the VaR, the historic application and the application of the same. We also include the evaluation of the VaR at the different possible approaches in the study; a final conclusion is made by the calculations carried out in the study. Introduction: The ‘value at risk’ is an extensively employed risk measure concept in the risk of loss on a particular portfolio of financial assets. For a specified portfolio, probability and time horizon, VaR is described as a threshold price such that the possibility that the market loss on the portfolio above the particular time horizon go beyond this value is the known probability level. VaR has different important uses in financial risk management, risk assessment, financial control, reporting of the financial statement and calculating the capital regulation by analyzing the Various concepts. VaR can also be used in non-financial aspects. The VaR risk ass essment defines risk as a market loss on a permanent portfolio over an unchanging time horizon, by analyzing the normal markets. There are many option risk procedures in finance. As a substitute of mark-to-market, which makes use of the market value to define loss, a loss is frequently defined as the transformation in principal value. For instance, if an organization hold a loan that decline in market price as the interest charge go up, but has no alteration in cash flows or credit quality, some systems do not identify a loss. Or we can try to integrate the economic price of possessions, which was not calculated in everyday financial statements, such as loss of market assurance or employee confidence, destruction of brand names etc. â€Å"VaR measures are inherently probabilistic† (Holton 2003, p. 107). Moderately assuming an unchanging portfolio above a fixed time horizon, several risk measures integrate the consequence of probable operation and believe the expected investme nt period of position. Lastly, some risk procedures adjust for the probable effects of irregular markets, rather than excluding them from the calculation.  

Saturday, November 2, 2019

What is Needed to become an excellent Entrepreneur Essay

What is Needed to become an excellent Entrepreneur - Essay Example 5- Be Confident: Confidence is a key to success. Confidence holds a vital importance in becoming a successful person, entrepreneur and a good salesperson. Confidence gives a person the art of speaking confidently without any fear. Therefore, it is important to understand that a salesperson should be confident enough to persuade his customers. 6- Make Observations: It is important for a salesperson or a marketer to develop thorough observations regarding the personal choice or the interests of the buyers. Observations add to a person’s experience and understanding of even the minute details. 7- Know the Market: One should know about his market and products. Without the knowledge of market and products, a salesperson cannot convey proper information to the customers or the buyers. Four valuable elements: 1- The Spin Selling Skills: The spin selling skills revolve around the classic selling techniques that can help a salesperson to boost his business. The spin selling skills incl uding analysis of the situation collecting observations and developing the understanding of the problems .Spin selling skill also include asking the questions related to the situation of the problem ,how to implement the hurt and rescue approach that may drive the buyer towards your business and the products. It is also important for a skilled salesperson to understand demands and needs of his buyer which makes them realize that ‘buyer is important his salesperson’. 2- Farmers and Hunters Theory: In this theory it has been described that a salesperson should know and act according to his role either he is acting as a hunter who is trying to generate leads for the business or he is performing the role of a farmer which generates his business opportunities from existing...Seven things that I have learnt in class: My learning during my course of studies will help me to become an excellent entrepreneur, a good marketer or an experienced salesperson in the future. I cannot u ndermine the value of the most important things that I have learnt during the class and from the course books that I have read. This would not only develop a better understanding of how and what I should do but it will also help me to develop and implement better business strategies in future. These are: 1.Situation and Problem Analysis 2.Develop Reasoning and Question 3.Add value and experience to your product 4.Be Persuasive 5.Be Confident 6.Make Observations 7.Know the Market Three Important Items to Use as Basic Skills: 1.To know the needs of a buyer 2.To Develop Reasoning and Questioning with the Client 3.To be confident It is important for a salesperson to develop all the necessary skills that may help him to be good and effective salesman in order to expand his business and to develop a strong relation with his clients. These skills and my learning during studies will help me to develop a better understanding of how to analyze the situation, how to overcome problems, how to develop reasoning with logic and conscience and how to implement the better strategies to gain better results. These few things are essential for every salesperson and a marketer to know in order to expand his business and to gain success over his competitors without any hassles or fear.