Free Essays on Mandala

I. How are the architectural structures of the Stupas and the paintings of Mandalas related to each other? Mandalas create circular symbolic designs, similar to that of Buddha’s crown, which is the top spire, forming a circle on the Stupa. The hemispherical mound forms a drum shaped base. In addition to this, the head of Buddha forms a square as well as the base of the Stupa. Within the circle of the Mandala, a square is formed that has four T-shaped gate-like entrances leading to the center of the Mandala. This is similar to the four legs of Buddha that form steps of the lower terrace which represent four separate T-shape gate entrances. Each is a circle inscribed in a square. Both the Stupa and Mandala have a Buddha at the center of these creations. Both centers represent the essence, the heart of Buddha. III. Discuss the Paleolithic period to the Neolithic period. What do the existing art works convey about these time periods? The Paleolithic period marked the development of the human species. This era refers to the â€Å"Old Stone Age,† a time period during which the majority of the population was making tools of stone. The people of this time were nomadic and were also hunters and gatherers. A large part of this civilization spent a lot of time in caves where they painted w/ brushes made of animal hair. They finger painted using colors/pigments made by mixing minerals and animal fat, or vegetable oil. An example of art from this period is the Venus of Willenorf. This particular artwork conveys full figured women, representing pregnancy/fertility. This suggests the practice of fertility rituals. The cave painting of animals suggests the practice of hunting. The Neolithic period is known as the â€Å"new Stone Age,† a time when people were living in a more community based environment. They had established villages with farms, and the animals were now domesticated. This period developed pottery, a modest clay pot re... Free Essays on Mandala Free Essays on Mandala I. How are the architectural structures of the Stupas and the paintings of Mandalas related to each other? Mandalas create circular symbolic designs, similar to that of Buddha’s crown, which is the top spire, forming a circle on the Stupa. The hemispherical mound forms a drum shaped base. In addition to this, the head of Buddha forms a square as well as the base of the Stupa. Within the circle of the Mandala, a square is formed that has four T-shaped gate-like entrances leading to the center of the Mandala. This is similar to the four legs of Buddha that form steps of the lower terrace which represent four separate T-shape gate entrances. Each is a circle inscribed in a square. Both the Stupa and Mandala have a Buddha at the center of these creations. Both centers represent the essence, the heart of Buddha. III. Discuss the Paleolithic period to the Neolithic period. What do the existing art works convey about these time periods? The Paleolithic period marked the development of the human species. This era refers to the â€Å"Old Stone Age,† a time period during which the majority of the population was making tools of stone. The people of this time were nomadic and were also hunters and gatherers. A large part of this civilization spent a lot of time in caves where they painted w/ brushes made of animal hair. They finger painted using colors/pigments made by mixing minerals and animal fat, or vegetable oil. An example of art from this period is the Venus of Willenorf. This particular artwork conveys full figured women, representing pregnancy/fertility. This suggests the practice of fertility rituals. The cave painting of animals suggests the practice of hunting. The Neolithic period is known as the â€Å"new Stone Age,† a time when people were living in a more community based environment. They had established villages with farms, and the animals were now domesticated. This period developed pottery, a modest clay pot re...

Word Choice Hole vs. Whole

Word Choice Hole vs. Whole Word Choice: Hole vs. Whole For reasons far too boring to go into here, English spelling involves a lot of silent letters. We see this in some words that start with â€Å"wh-,† including â€Å"whole.† However, English also includes the word â€Å"hole,† which is pronounced exactly the same despite the lack of a â€Å"w† at the start. â€Å"Whole† and â€Å"hole† are completely different in meaning, though, so you won’t want to mix them up in writing. Check out our guide on how to avoid errors when using these terms. Hole (A Gap or Hollow) The word â€Å"hole† is almost always a noun. It refers to an empty space in something. This can either be an opening that goes through something to the other side or just a hollow in something: My favorite part of a doughnut is the hole in the middle. I dug a big hole in the ground. In the first sentence above, â€Å"hole† refers to the opening that goes through the entire doughnut. In the second, it refers to a space dug into the surface of the ground. But both of these are â€Å"holes.† We assume this is a hole full of baked goods.(Photo: George Cummings) More rarely, â€Å"hole† is a verb meaning â€Å"make a hole in something.† However, this is usually restricted to ships and boats (e.g., The torpedo holed the ship). Whole (Complete or Unbroken) With a â€Å"w† at the beginning, â€Å"whole† is typically an adverb or an adjective. We use it to say that something is complete or unbroken. For example: I am going away for the whole week. The snake swallowed the rat whole. The first sentence here uses â€Å"whole† as an adjective to modify â€Å"week† (i.e., the entire week). In the second, â€Å"whole† is an adverb modifying â€Å"swallowed† (i.e., it tells us that the snake ate the rat in one piece). In both cases, though, it shows we’re discussing the entirety of something. â€Å"Whole† can also be a noun, where it again refers to something in its entirety: Taken as a whole, the work of John Hurt is impressive. Two halves make a whole. In all cases, then, â€Å"whole† refers to something being complete or undivided. Hole or Whole? â€Å"Hole† and â€Å"whole† sound the same and share many letters, so they can be easy to confuse. However, they are very different in practice, so keep the following in mind: â€Å"Hole† is usually a noun and refers to an empty space or gap in an object. â€Å"Whole† is usually an adjective or adverb and refers to being complete. Since these words are so similar written down, and since spellcheckers won’t flag either term as â€Å"incorrect,† you also need to look out for accidental typos. But proofreading can help with that!

Wedding Ceremony Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Wedding Ceremony - Essay Example This definition, however, fails to highlight the actual meaning and worth of a wedding ceremony. In most cultures weddings underscored the need for the transition from one stage of life to another. It may no longer be seen that way but in Greek cultures, for example, wedding marked the transition of a woman from one â€Å"Oikos† to her new â€Å"Oikos†. â€Å"She changed from a partner, a maiden, to a nymph, a married woman without children, when she married and then finally to a gyne, an adult woman when she bore her first child. The entire set of marriage rites focused on the bride and her relocation to a new Oikos and Kurios, the most important transition in her life.† (Powers, 1997) The wedding in Greek culture would last three days where each day had an important cultural significance. The first day was the day when a bride would offer her toys and other childhood stuff to deities. This was done to mark her freedom from her old life and transition into a new life. Similarly for Romans as well, the wedding was a critical rite and did not just mean the act of marrying two people. In Roman culture, people could legally live together without a wedding and hence when a ceremony took place, it meant much more than just legalizing the marriage. Just like the Greek ceremony, Romans would also have a day on which the bride would perform certain rituals to mark her transition to the next stage of life. She would also get rid of her toys and childhood belongings. However, the most important part of the ceremony was the hairdo and the dress. The Roman bride would wear the dress only once and her hair would be styled in a particular manner. The veil was a must and it had to be worn by all brides.

Review Article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Review Article - Essay Example The researchers subjected the cadavers’ spines to 20Â º of flexion and 15Â º of extension, then measured intradiscal pressures, along with segmental motion, at the intact C4-C5 and C6-C7 vertebrae of their specimens respectively. Subsequently, they measured these variables on the C5-C6 vertebrae following anterior cervical plating. By performing a paired measures t-test on their measurements of changes in intradiscal pressure and segmental motion, the authors arrived at their results. The research findings demonstrated that intradiscal pressures (the dependent variable) increased considerably during the flexion (the independent variable) imposed upon them. Pressures at the C4-C5 vertebrae increased by roughly 73.2% during the course of this flexion, and at the C4-C5, an increase in pressure of approximately 45.3% was observed. Although intradiscal pressures at adjacent levels increased during pressure, this effect failed to reach significance. Both during extension and flexion, the researchers’ measurements of segmental motion during flexion increased at these adjacent levels. Based on these results, the authors cite substantial intensification of intradiscal pressure and segmental motion at levels adjacent to fusion as primary causes of early disc degeneration and pathology. In part, these measured effects account for one mechanism of early disc degeneration at levels adjacent to cervical spine fusion, which is in line with the author’s hypothesis. Issues relating to a criticism of Eck et al. (2002) fall generally between two categories: (a) potential confounding variables in the design of the experiment, and (b) methodological limitations that may prevent more accurate results. One potential confound in the experiment is the possibility of inconsistency between the cadaver specimens. In the Materials and Methods section, no mention is made of how the cervical spines of these

Assessing the occupational competence in the work enviroment Essay Example for Free

Assessing the occupational competence in the work enviroment Essay C. IN CARRYING OUT ASSESSMENT OF OCCUPATIONAL COMPETENCE, I WOULD ASK MYSELF: †¢How effective was my assessment and feedback? †¢Was there anything I didn’t anticipate? †¢How did I deal with it? †¢What went well? †¢What could I improve? †¢If I had to change anything what would I do DIFFERENTLY? I WOULD ASK THE LEARNER WHAT THEY INTEND TO DO AND HOW THEY ARE GOING TO ACHIEVE IT, GET THEM TO TELL ME WHAT TOOLS THEY ARE GOING TO USE TO GET THE DESIRED LOOK AND WHY THEY WILL BE USING THEM, ALSO WHAT PRODUCTS ARE GOING TO BE USED (IF ANY). ONCE THEY HAVE FINISHED THE ASSESSMENT I WILL ASK THEM. HOW THEY THINK IT WENT AND THEN GIVE THEM MY FEEDBACK. MY FEEDBACK WILL START WITH A POSITIVE E. G. WELL DONE FOR KEEPING WITHIN THE TIME SCALE. AND THEN TELL THEM IF THE ASSESSMENT WAS ACHIEVED OR NOT AND IF NOT HOW THEY COULD WORK TOWARDS ACHIEVING IT. I WILL FINISH WITH ANOTHER POSITIVE AND SETTING A NEW TARGET WITH A NEW DATE. BY KEEPING A REFLECTIVE JOURNAL ON MY EXPERIENCES AND THOUGHTS IT WOULD HELP ME WITH MY FUTURE DEVELOPMENT AND GIVE ME USEFUL PRACTICE IN SELF-EVALUATION. D. TO MAINTAIN THE CURRENCY OF OWN EXPERTISE AND COMPETENCE RELEVANT TO OWN ROLE IN ASSESSING. OCCUPATIONAL COMPETENCE, I WILL NEED TO KEEP MY KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS UP TO DATE IN ORDER FOR ME TO BE AN EFFECTIVE AND CREDIBLE ASSESSOR. I WILL NEED TO MAINTAIN CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND I WILL HAVE TO KEEP UP TO DATE WITH RELEVANT GOVERNMENT LEGISLATIONS, AWARDING ORGANISATION REGULATIONS, POLICIES AND ORGANISATION PROCEDURES RELATED TO ASSESSMENT AND QUALITY ASSURANCE. I WILL ALSO NEED TO KEEP UP TO DATE WITH NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN VOCATIONAL TRAINING AND TEACHING. I WILL ATTEND FURTHER TRAINING COURSES TO KEEP MY CPD UP TO DATE AND KEEP A LOG OF IT. I WILL ATTEND STANDARDISATION. MEETINGS TO SHOW THAT I AM KEEPING MY ASSESSORS QUALIFICATION UP TO STANDARD REQUIRED BY THE GOVERNING BODIES. OUTCOME 4 BE ABLE TO PLAN THE ASSESSMENT OF OCCUPATIONAL COMPETENCE. B. TO PLAN ASSESSMENT OF OCCUPATIONAL COMPETENCE BASED ON THE FOLLOWING METHODS: †¢Observation of performance in the work ENVIRONMENT I WOULD OBSERVE THE LEARNER BY THEIR PERFORMANCE MAKING SURE THE CRITERIA IS COVERED. THIS WOULD BE DONE THROUGH ONE TO ONE WITH THE LEARNER. I WOULD MAKE SURE START AND FINISH TIMES WERE SET AND MAKE SURE THE SERVICE PROVIDED IS GOING TO MEET THE STANDARDS REQUIREMENTS. ANY  DOCUMENTATION WOULD HAVE TO BE FILLED IN, SIGNED AND DATED AND NEW TARGETS WOULD BE SET. †¢Examining products of work – I would check that THE WORK OF THE LEARNER HAS BEEN CARRIED OUT IN THE CORRECT AND PROFESSIONAL WAY AND THE END RESULT HAS THE DESIRED LOOK AND FINISH. †¢Questioning the learner – I would initially ask the LEARNER WHAT THEIR PLAN OF ACTION IS AND HOW THEY ARE GOING TO ACHIEVE IT, IF MORE CRITERIA NEEDED TO BE MET I WOULD ASK MORE QUESTIONS TO GIVE THEM THE OPPORTUNITY TO TRY AND MEET THE LEVEL REQUIRED. †¢Discussing with the learner – I would make sure the DISCUSSIONS WERE RELEVANT TO THE OUTCOMES AND. ASSESSMENT CRITERIA, I WOULD DISCUSS THE UNITS THAT NEED TO BE COVERED AND HOW WE COULD USE ONE VISIT TO COVER MORE THAN ONE UNIT (HOLISTIC APPROACH). I WOULD ALSO DISCUSS THE AMOUNT OF TIME NEEDED FOR THE PROCESS AND DATES AND TIMES OF VISITS. I WOULD MAKE IT CLEAR TO THE LEARNER WHAT I WOULD EXPECT FROM THEM FOR A COMPETENT ASSESSMENT. †¢Use of others (witness testimony) – As an assessor YOU WOULD NEED TO BE A PROFESSIONAL IN HAIRDRESSING WITH X NUMBER OF YEAR’S EXPERIENCE. YOU WOULD NEED TO BE FAMILIAR WITH THE NATIONAL STANDARDS AND CARRYING OUT OBSERVATIONS, YOU WOULD DOCUMENT ALL. THAT HAS BEEN OBSERVED BUT COULD NOT ENTER INTO THE CANDIDATES LOG BOOK. †¢Looking at learner statements – The learner would HAVE DOCUMENTED EXTRA EVIDENCE. THIS WOULD BE A WRITE UP ON UNDERPINNING QUESTIONS WHEN A RANGE HAS NOT QUITE BEEN MET. THIS COULD ALSO BE A WRITE UP ON A HAIR STYLE THAT WAS ACHIEVED, EXPLAINING HOW THEY WENT ABOUT GETTING THE ACHIEVED LOOK. †¢Insufficient evidence – If a learner hands back their ASSIGNMENT BUT HAS NOT MET THE CRITERIA COVERED, THEY WOULD BE TOLD THERE WAS INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE TO COMPLETE THE ASSIGNMENT. THEY WOULD BE ASKED TO ADD THE REQUIRED EVIDENCE MAKING THE. ASSIGNMENT ACHIEVABLE. †¢Recognising prior learning – This would be when a LEARNER HAS COMPLETED A UNIT IN ANOTHER QUALIFICATION WITHIN THE SET TIME OF THE NATIONAL STANDARDS. I WOULD CHECK THEIR CERTIFICATION FOR PROOF OF THIS AND GET THE LEARNER TO TAKE THE TEST OF UNDER PINNING KNOWLEDGE SO THEY WOULD NOT HAVE TO DO THE SAME UNIT AGAIN. I WOULD BE ABLE TO DOCUMENT THIS IN THE LEARNERS LOG BOOK WITH A RPL FORM, THE FORM WOULD NEED TO BE SIGNED AND DATED FROM THE ACHIEVED DATE ON THE CERTIFICATE. C. TO PLAN THE ASSESSMENT OF OCCUPATIONAL COMPETENCE TO ADDRESS LEARNER NEEDS AND CURRENT ACHIEVEMENTS. IN MY ASSESSMENT PLAN I WOULD IDENTIFY ANY SPECIFIC NEED THAT THE LEARNER MAY HAVE E. G. DYSLEXIA (I WOULD CHECK WITH THE RELEVANT DEPARTMENT WITHIN THE TRAINING ESTABLISHMENT TO SEE WHAT HELP COULD BE OFFERED TO THE LEARNER I. E. EXTRA TIME GIVEN FOR ASSIGNMENTS AND WRITTEN TESTS). I WOULD THEN AGREE THE LEVEL AND EXTENT OF THEIR CURRENT KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS. D. IN ASSESSMENT PLANNING MEETINGS WHEREVER POSSIBLE I WILL ALWAYS TRY TO TAKE A HOLISTIC APPROACH. IF ONE UNIT IS BEING TAKEN I WOULD IDENTIFY HOW MANY OUTCOMES AND CRITERIA MIGHT BE MET, I WOULD DO THIS BY USING THE ASSESSMENT METHODS OF: OBSERVATION, EXAMINATION OF. PRODUCTS OF WORK AND QUESTIONING. AS AN ASSESSOR, WORK TO HOLISTIC ASSESSMENT PRINCIPLES WILL MAXIMISE OPPORTUNITY AND SAVE TIME AND COST. IF I HAVE ARRANGED TO BE OBSERVED ASSESSING COMPETENCE, EXAMINING PRODUCTS OF WORK AND QUESTIONING, I COULD DISCUSS WITH MY ASSESSOR WHETHER I COULD BE OBSERVED CARRYING OUT AN ASSESSMENT PLANNING MEETING DURING THE SAME VISIT. THIS COULD BE A FOLLOW ON PLANNING MEETING WITH A LEARNER WHO IS READY TO GO ON TO THE NEXT STAGE OF THEIR ASSESSMENT. BILINGUALISM DEALING WITH BILINGUALISM WOULD FIRST HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED AT THE INITIAL ASSESSMENT; THE LEARNER’S FIRST. LANGUAGE IS NOT ENGLISH SO AS AN ASSESSOR I WOULD HAVE TO FIND THE BEST WAY OF COMMUNICATION. THIS COULD BE IN USING AN TRANSLATOR (ELECTRONICALLY OR A DICTIONARY) THERE WOULD HAVE TO BE A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF ENGLISH VOCABULARY ON THE LEARNER’S BEHALF TO HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PASS THE TESTING THAT IS INITIALLY DONE BEFORE ACCEPTANCE OF THE COURSE. SKILLS TESTING A SKILL TESTING IS A PRACTICAL OBSERVATION OF A SET SKILL TASK THAT HAS BEEN SET BY THE ASSESSOR. THE ASSESSOR WILL TELL THE LEARNER WHAT IS REQUIRED AND GIVE THE LEARNER A SET TIME TO GET THE TASK ACHIEVED. THIS CAN BE USED TO CHECK THE LEARNER’S CAPABILITIES. MAINTAIN LEGAL AND GOOD PRACTICE REQUIREMENTS WHEN ASSESSING VOCATIONAL SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING UV30566 TRACEY HEARNE OUTCOME 4 TO EVALUATE MY OWN WORK IN CARRYING OUT ASSESSMENT OF VOCATIONAL SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING I WOULD ASK MYSELF: DID THE LEARNER UNDERSTAND WHAT NEEDED TO BE DONE TO MEET THE CRITERIA? WAS THE FEEDBACK CLEAR ENOUGH FOR THE LEARNER TO UNDERSTAND? WERE ASSESSMENTS MARKED AND RETURNED WITHIN THE TIMESCALE? BY ASKING MYSELF THESE QUESTIONS I CAN EVALUATE MY OWN WORK WITH THE EVIDENCE THAT I HAVE RECORDED. D. TAKE PART IN CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TO  ENSURE CURRENT EXPERTISE AND COMPETENCE IN ASSESSING VOCATIONAL SKILL, KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING. IN TAKING PART OF ‘CPD’ THIS IS TO KEEP MY KNOWLEDGE UP TO DATE, AND TO MAINTAIN NEW SKILLS WHILST ASSESSING. I NEED TO BE ABLE TO PROVE HOW I HAVE BEEN DOING THIS. I NEED TO SHOW CERTIFICATES I HAVE GAINED IN COURSES I HAVE ATTENDED. KEEP A RECORD OF HOURS WORKED/SHADOWED. MADE REGULAR VISITS TO RELEVANT WEBSITES. (WWW. HABIA. ORG) READING RELEVANT PUBLICATIONS (HAIRDRESSERS JOURNAL (HJI). KEEPING A LOG OF ALL MY ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION IN EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES WILL BE MY RECORD OF ‘CPD’.

All About Shark Cartilage Essay -- Animals Fish Papers

All About Shark Cartilage Sharks have existed on this earth for over 400 million years, and for the most part have been one of the only species in earth’s history that has not been changed dramatically as a result of evolution (http://www.nutritionwarehouse.com/Shark.Cartilage.html). Furthermore, in recent times since the onslaught of the industrial revolution, numerous pollutants and toxins have been introduced into the earth’s oceans, forests, and atmosphere resulting in cancerous development in nearly all forms of life. Incredibly, however, the amazing living machine known as the shark has survived literally unchanged and has rarely developed cancer despite the fact that almost all other creatures of land and sea get cancer regularly (http://www.realife.com/cancer.html - http://www.realife.com/cancer.html ). These prehistoric sea creatures have skeletons, unlike other animals, largely made up of cartilage, which is a tough yet malleable connective tissue. The fact that sharks do not regularly get cancer, that they have survived the test of time, and that they are composed mostly of cartilage has raised quite a bit of interest among scientists within the past twenty years (http://www.realife.com/cancer.html - http://www.realife.com/cancer.html ). Based upon this research (however, mostly unofficial) shark cartilage is now very popular on the web as a safe and effective treatment for osteo and rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, and numerous other diseases (http://www.freeyellow.com/members/totalnatural/doforme.html - http://www.freeyellow.com/members/total). The above information was obtained off of the world wide web, however, in this website we will also discuss the "real" information that has been obtained from reliable med... ... claims made on the web are definitely not true because of their lack of scientific evidence. Shark cartilage may be used for cancer treatment effectively in the future, however, right now no scientific facts can support the claims of shark cartilage's ability to treat cancer. References Hunt, Traci. "Shark cartilage for cancer treatment." American Journal of Health System Pharmacology. Aug 15 1995; 52: 1756, 60. Iwaguchi, T. "A novel angiogenic inhibitor." Cancer Letters. Jun 15 1990; 51:181-6. Langer, Robert. "Shark cartilage contains inhibitors of tumor angiogenesis." Science. 1983; 221:1185-87. Markman, Maurie. "Shark cartilage." Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine. June 1996; 63:179-180 Matthews, James. "Media feeds frenzy over shark cartilage as cancer treatment." Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Aug 4 1993; 85:1190-91.

Centura Health Overview

Centura Health is considered Colorado's largest healthcare organization, inclusive of a 12-hospital system. The company's mission includes celebrating the value inherent in each individuals life and working collaboratively to â€Å"lift the burdens of others† by offering comprehensive and loving care to all customers and patients served by Centura (Centura, 2005). The mission statement of the organization is to â€Å"extend the healing ministry of Christ my caring for those who are ill and nurturing the health of people in our communities† (Centura, 2005). The vision includes fulfilling the organizations covenant that guarantees excellence and integrity of service, creating partnerships with community members and patients for life (Centura, 2005). The organization has identified multiple core values which include: integrity, stewardship, spirituality, imagination, respect, excellence and compassion† (Centura, 2005). Current Centura operates as a non-profit agency and structures key decision making using what they refer to as a â€Å"Values Impact Analysis† (Centura, 2005). This tool helps organizational representatives weight the costs to benefits of selected decisions as applied to the organizations core values. The process adopted by the organization is considered â€Å"dynamic and rigorous† with the intent of enabling â€Å"conscientious decisions respectful of stakeholders needs† but also in line with the values and needs of patients (Centura, 2005). The organizational model includes a hierarchical system with the following: President/CEO, Executive Vice President and COO, Sr. Vice President, CFO, Chief Medical Officer and supporting management staff (Centura, 2005). Key to the governance model includes collaboration with other medical providers and health agencies throughout the state of Colorado. The decision making model adopted by Centura involves use of the Values Impact Analysis process that helps key management staff make decisions that are not only fiscally sound but also reflect the organizations core values and perspectives of patients that may be impacted by decisions. The organization makes use of an on site Mission and Ministry whose role includes providing â€Å"reflections, a prayer chain† and various other resources for employees and associates of the organization (Centura, 2005). In addition the organization utilizes a SHARE program that resembles a rewards and recognition program to highlight outstanding achievements among employees, customers and co-workers (Centura, 2005). Centura has also adopted a collaborative environment where communication is promoted through a â€Å"Mastery Development Plan† (Centura, 2005). This plan provides team members within the organization a method of facilitating personal and professional development and communication by providing training for technical and support staff and providing communications training to all staff to encourage greater collaboration and community connections among employees (Centura, 2005). Centura has also adopted quality improvement measures focusing on patient populations, physician and clinician teams to help promote â€Å"excellence in care† (Centura, 2005). The organization to this effect has created what they refer to as a â€Å"Quality, Safety and Outcomes Management department† whose sole role includes supporting a solid communications infrastructure and commitment to quality improvement (Centura, 2005). Centura's approach to quality involves defining ‘value directed' services and providing value directed management to customers both internal and external. This is a solid approach to instilling quality within the organization. Arogyaswamy & Simmons (1993) point to the important of using value-directed management approaches to ensure the best possible service to customers. Further the authors suggest that organizations must approach total quality and empowerment of staff through articulated measures to achieve â€Å"stronger market positions† by establishing â€Å"an unquenchable thirst for improvement† (Arogyaswamy & Simmons, 3). Ways to do this include through integration and shared vision (Lambert, Hylander & Sandoval, 2003). Barusch, Merkman & Maramaldi (2005) note that within the health care organization standardized measures are necessary to ensure control and power are properly delegated and that quality is ensured in all patient interactions and outcomes. Care benchmarks, satisfaction tools and quality assessors currently adopted by Centura fall in line with recent studies suggesting that routine attention to performance measurement via various standardized methods help improve organizational efficiency and continuous improvement (Holzer & Julnes, 2001). Further risk management is best assessed by gathering quality data from standardized reporting systems that provide detailed summaries of the industry, characteristics of service and help regulate distribution of services and procedures within the healthcare organization (Blankmeyer, Knox & Stutzman, 2001). Centura uses multiple benchmarks to currently reap information regarding quality and service protocols, including the Values Impact Analysis and the Master Development Plan. The values impact survey acts as a standardized reporting system providing mangers and staff with detailed cues regarding employee and organizational performance. The Master Development Plan serves as a tool that can enhance performance management and train various staff members including nursing staff members to achieve their highest potential within the organization. Key issues a nursing staff coordinator may address within this organizational context is whether incumbents are consistently reporting on their progress and achievements using the values impact analysis and master development program. These programs do offer detailed information regarding potential areas of weakness and improvement within the organization. At present the strongest elements of Centura's organizational structure include its commitment to shared knowledge and communication among staff members. Additionally the organization is committed to empowering employees to excel in their job functions and dedicated to continuous training. The organization may benefit from an overhaul of the performance measurement protocols adopted for individual employees. Most organizations fall short of identifying to as great an extent possible the level of staff satisfaction with performance measurement protocols. Turnover within the organization at present is relatively low suggesting that employees are however receiving the feedback they need to excel on the job. At this point in time when problem areas are identified using the quality assessment tools in place management turns to focused committees to resolve issues. The organization would benefit by involving more primary care nurses and other direct staff involved in decision making processes that involve improving quality improvement. Because Centura is a hierarchical organization, most decisions are made from the top down. Recent studies suggest however that continuous quality improvement and risk management efforts are enhanced significantly when organizations adopt a flat approach to knowledge management and quality improvement. This means that employees at all levels of the organization must be empowered to help make decisions and share information regarding continuous improvement measures. One way to adopt this philosophy at Centura may be to establish various committees designed to help solve specific problems within their scope of expertise or knowledge. Overall Centura Health provides a superb foundation for providing quality care and direction for staff and the patients and community it serves. The organization is committed to quality improvements, knowledge sharing and partnerships within the community to reduce any risk associated with delivering care and to improve its knowledge sharing ability within the community. At present the organization has adopted various standardized instruments, which consistently provide accurate measurements of quality benchmarks within the organization. The top down management approach may be the sole factor limiting consistent knowledge sharing and hence risk management reduction or continuous improvement within the organization.

Market Concept Essay

Article from Karl Moore: Karl Moore is PHd associate professor in the Faculty of Management at McGill University was responsible for writing the article â€Å"The Marketing Concept- RIP† which was published July 17th, 2006. He discusses the decline and the increasing irrelevance of the marketing concept idea and how firms are adapting this strategy in today’s market. Moore emphasis on the following points: 1. Importance of market research before launching a product 2. The need to focus on the product’s usage by the end users 3. The difficulty firms face to implement the marketing concept strategy in today’s market place. The author uses the example of the high-tech sector and explains why he feels the marketing concept applied in this way is no longer relevant, then goes into detail about how it is not just limited to the high-tech sector. To understand Moore’s article you need to understand what marketing and the marketing concept it first. Marketing consists of individual and organizational activities that facilitate and expedite satisfying exchange relationships in a dynamic environment through the creation, distribution, promotion and pricing of goods, services and ideas. The main principles of marketing are to satisfy customers, target the â€Å"right’ customer, facilitate exchange relationships, stay ahead of competitors and enhance profitability (Crane, Kerin, Hartley, & Rudelius, 2008, p. 7). The ultimate goal is to satisfy targeted customers, seeking their loyalty and consumption. The marketing concept can be defined as the philosophy that firms should analyze the needs of their customers and then make decisions to satisfy those needs, better than the competition (Crane, Kerin, Hartley, & Rudelius, 2008, p. 17). In his opening paragraph Moore mentions that the marketing concept is â€Å"coming to a close† and heading towards a â€Å"semi-retirement†. I strongly disagree with this statement. Why? Since the marketing concept era many companies are now transitioning to the market orientation era (Crane, Kerin, Hartley, & Rudelius, 2008, p. 17). The focus of the market orientation era is mainly on continuously collecting information about customer needs and competitors’ capabilities and to use this information to create value, ensure customer satisfaction and develop customer relationships (Crane, Kerin, Hartley, & Rudelius, 2008, p. 7). Let us look at how Netflix took the Marketing concept in stride. Netflix involved the identification of the unmet or underserved customer needs. Reed Hastings, founder and creator of Netflix started off as a video rental customer himself, tired of paying late fees and having to run to the video store when he wanted to watch a movie, he decid ed to create something simpler and more convenient for customers (Dean. 2010). He was able to draw upon personal experience to help establish the opportunity nucleus and survey what other customers wanted out of a video store. The movie rental industry had already established methods surrounding video rental, late return policies, and membership rules. Hastings believed that without competition, these brick-and-mortar movie rental companies would never have a reason to change (Dean. 2010). Reed Hastings, decided to disrupt the traditional video rental business by introducing a new twist on the home movie service (Dean. 2010). A perfect example of advances in technology, adaptation of DVD media over VHS, and an unmet consumer demand is responsible for the successful launch of Hastings’ vision of Netflix. Not unlike other innovative start-up companies, Netflix has undergone several strategy shifts (Dean. 2010). Each change in focus or direction has assured that the company remains dominate in the movie rental industry. It appears that Hastings has followed the Marketing Concept to a tee, he started off with collection information from customer needs’ (his own) and the competitors capabilities (video rental companies were not in a position to change their rules and regulations) and he completed the circle by using customer knowledge to create customer satisfaction as Netflix still remains more popular than Blockbuster or Rogers Video. Moore goes into more detail about the high tech industry, giving the example of the Sony walkman and how the product was developed. He also explains that if Sony followed the Marketing concept theory in creating the walkman, it would have failed. He follows this explanation of the Sony walkman with the comment â€Å"with many high tech products you cannot get a very reliable data from current customers about the potential uses of your future products. † This statement is by far the most ludicrous statement thru out the entire article and makes absolutely no sense. The vast majority of high tech industries rely solely on how customers perceive new and future products. Look at the Apple IPods. Apple made sure they always stayed ahead of the game by releasing new hardware, software, or better and newer applications for the iPod (Taber. 2007). People love new and flashy products so this was a great way to sell a product. The iPod has become a fashion accessory and a must have. People salivate if there hear a new and more updated version of the iPod is coming out, they want a product that can hold more music and data. Why would they want a â€Å"dinosaur† iPod that only holds 1000 songs when they can get an iPod that holds 2000, takes videos, and has downloadable apps? In this sense, the iPod marketing concept strategy made sense because it consistently advanced Apple’s emerging goal of making the Mac the hub of a digital lifestyle (Taber. 2007). It also aligned with the company’s strategic goal of frequently releasing innovative new products in an effort to stay ahead of a curve of consumers who quickly get tired of old gadgets. As usual, it was a strategy that leveraged the benefits of existing technology, and it made sense from the point of view that it was consistent with what historically drove the company, is bringing products to people that were stylish and easy to use. So if Apple didn’t use the marketing concept strategy, it would have failed. The one paragraph in Moore’s article that I do agree with is when he mentions that a great deal of high tech industries do spend more time launching a new product then developing the product. Models of new product development prescribe critical stages that organizations should go through to have a successful product launch (Crane, Kerin, Hartley, & Rudelius, 2008, p. 262-271). Regardless of the model, critical phases include: product idea generation, idea screening, concept testing, and business analysis, marketing mix development, test marketing and commercialization (Crane, Kerin, Hartley, & Rudelius, 2008, p. 262-271). In theory, going through these stages systematically helps organizations weed out the potential failures. Customer focus is an integral component of the product development process that is often ignored. The need to incorporate the voice of the customer (adopt the marketing concept) at every phase is imbedded in these models of new product development, each phase contributing additional knowledge as to what customers want (Crane, Kerin, Hartley, & Rudelius, 2008, p. 263-264). Yet concept testing and test marketing are most often overlooked y new product development teams as they rush to get their product to market before the competition (Crane, Kerin, Hartley, & Rudelius, 2008, p. 259-260). Unfortunately, this can lead to fatal errors when customer expectations are extremely high – or when dealing with a sophisticated customer – as is the case for high tech products. An example of this was the Apple Newton; Apple pre-announced the Newton before it was ready. In terms of the product offering, it was neither a complete product nor a fully functional product (Hormby. 006). In the hurry to get to the market, Apple had not fully developed the handwriting recognition software, one of the featured attributes (Hormby. 2006). While innovators and early adopters are willing to take risks on new products, they do expect a minimal level of performance which the Apple Newton could not deliver. Moore also makes a valid statement in his end paragraph with respect for non-tech marketers have to know who their key customers will be and how the marketers should focus their research efforts. Customer focus, a core element of the marketing concept, is certainly a widely adopted buzzword today, one which is stressed in all introductory marketing texts. While the marketing concept applies to all industries, it is particularly important in technologically driven industries that have been among the first to introduce quality techniques, many of which begin with capturing the â€Å"voice of the customer†. (Crane, Kerin, Hartley, & Rudelius, 2008, p. 259). Look at how Apple launched its iPod back in 2001 to appeal to customers. When you watch the iPod commercials on television – what did you see? You see a bunch of people dancing on a colored background. There are women and men, but you don’t know anything else about them. This advertisement is ingenious for many reasons. For one, you don’t know where these people are. They could be anywhere in the world. Secondly, you don’t know who they are or what they do for a living. They can be anyone. All you know is that they are enjoying the music and rocking out. This is what makes that commercial so great and such an excellent idea. It allows anyone in the world to be that person. In conclusion, Moore is correct in his assumption that many high tech industries are in a rush to release their product before actually developing their product. However, it is very unrealistic of him to state that if companies follow the marketing concept they would be doomed to fail, he needs to look at many of the successes of the high tech market such as the Apple iPod or Netflix and how many non-tech industries can learn from Apple’s/Netflix marketing strategy. Although this article was written back in 2006, many advances of technology have taken place and it’s foolish to think that the marketing concept had nothing to do with this advancement. Refernces Crane, F. G. , Kerin, R. A. , Hartley, S. W. & Rudelius W. (2008). Marketing. (7th Canadian ed. ). Toronto, ON: McGraw-Hill Ryerson. Taber, David. (17 Sept. 2007 ). â€Å"The Taber Report on IPod Marketing. † The Taber Report. Retrieved April 25, 2011, from http://www. taberconsulting. com/download/dtr-35. htm. Weisbein, Jeff. 1 March. 2008). â€Å"The iPod Success: Thank the Marketing Department†. Retrieved May 5, 2011, from http://www. besttechie. net/2008/03/01/the-ipod-success-thank-the-marketing-department/. Hormby, Tom. (7 Feb. 2006). â€Å"The Story Behind Apple’s Newton†. Retrieved April 25th, 2011 from http://lowendmac. com/orchard/06/john-sculley-newton-origin. html. Dean, Gregory. (10 Nov. 2010). â€Å"Netflix: An Online Business Beyond Geniusà ¢â‚¬ . Retrieved May 15, 2011 from http://marketography. com/2010/11/10/online-business-beyond-genius/.

Swim and Punishment †A Narrative Essay

Swim and Punishment – A Narrative Essay Free Online Research Papers When I was a forth grader in China, I was always told by my teachers that I couldn’t go to swim where there was no lifeguard because we were still young. I always kept it in mind as my rule. One day, a day I was really out of control, and broke the rule. It was an extremely hot summer. The sun was raised to burn up the whole continent. Rain had not been seen for a couple of months already. People were like chicken within an oven, wait to be driven crazy. 37 degrees Celsius was the common temperature at southern China. I myself was an active kid, wouldn’t just stay home. One day, I was asked to hang out. First, we met each other at school as usual. We didn’t wear shirts due to the hot weather. As usual, we went to a store in the front of school to buy some litchi juice. I remembered that litchi juice was our favorite drinks because it was so cheap and tasty. After buying the supplies, we decided to walk around the countryside. That was what we usually did while we were all bored and didn’t know what to do. It was also a good way to resist heat because of the trees. We were walking through boundless fields where nothing can be seen except for green. We would like to feel the silence rather than talking a lot. Suddenly, silence was broken by a loud voice. â€Å"River is over there, let’s go and swim.† a friend of mine yelled out. â€Å"No, we can’t. We will be caught by our teachers.† I responded without any thinking. â€Å"No problem, man. It is so damned hot now. The depth of the water is only like 6in. Nobody will report to the teachers, right?† he argued. I could see his desire to swim through his eyes. I wasn’t sure what I should do at this moment. Soon after, they jumped into the river. I was still standing there and considering my rule. I looked at the sun and the water. Suddenly, there was an impulse came out of my mind. I closed my eyes and jumped into the water. By that time, I was still comforting myself by saying stuffs like â€Å"the depth of water is only 6in, it will be ok.† By that, I wasn’t feeling guilty anymore. Instead, we lie down and set ourselves in the water, like heated rocks in cold water. That feeling was so good for me by that time. Sun could not make fun of me anymore because my body was protected by cold water. And then we decided to play a game called capture. One person would be an eagle, the rest would be chicken. I chose to be a chicken. Then we started running. Running at the water was so different from the land. The water made my feet much heavier. Because of that, I was the first chicken to be caught. By that time, I had nothing to do except for waiting. Then I decided to splash water to them. As soon as they noticed what I had done. They stopped the game and splash water to each other. It was not sunny day anymore. The water we splashing water was like rain, dropped on our bodies. I thought it was the best rain I had ever met. It cooled down my body as well as my mind. After an hour, we all decided to leave. The day after, we went to school. We were all called by our teacher. She had noticed what we had been done yesterday. I didn’t know for sure how she knew it. She was like a lawyer, kept asking us questions. I was just standing there like a piece of wood, without saying anything. Finally, the question period was over. I was thinking this would be ended up with it. But I was wrong, she needed us to hand copy a 10-page essay twice and turn it in tomorrow. She also set up a conference with our parents. The following years, I still couldn’t figure it out how she knew it. Maybe I would never know, like a locked box stayed in my mind forever. Still, I didn’t think I was wrong about that because the depth of the water was only 6in. It wouldn’t be any problem for a forth grader. The punishment I paid for it was undeserved. Even so, every time I watch people play at the water, those little happy scenes will appear again in my mind. Research Papers on Swim and Punishment - A Narrative EssayThe Spring and AutumnThe Hockey GameMind TravelHip-Hop is ArtAnalysis Of A Cosmetics AdvertisementThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationBringing Democracy to AfricaPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyStandardized TestingQuebec and Canada

That Annoying New Verb disrespect

That Annoying New Verb disrespect That Annoying New Verb â€Å"disrespect† That Annoying New Verb â€Å"disrespect† By Maeve Maddox Reader Erica Richards, commenting on the post about the abomination â€Å"a few stuff,† was not so sanguine as I about teenagers outgrowing appalling usage: The trend Im seeing is that poor grammar habits are not only perpetuated into adulthood, but can be treated as an accepted form of speech used on TV or the radio. I suspect that eventually it is accepted as proper grammar . . . The most notable example is the current vernacular use of â€Å"disrespect† as a verb, as in he disrespected me.   Sounds like nails on a blackboard to me, however, its all over the media. Well, I feel the same way about disrespect used as a verb. It flies all over me when I hear it and I was about to write a post about how ridiculous, unidiomatic and unnecessary the usage is. Before I did, however, I looked it up in the OED. I didn’t expect to find it or, if it was there, I expected it to be labeled an Americanism. This is what I found. disrespect: v. trans. The reverse of to respect; to have or show no respect, regard, or reverence for; to treat with irreverence. Hence disreï ¿ ¼spected ppl. a., -ing vbl. n. Not only is disrespect in the OED as a verb, its use as a verb goes back to the seventeenth century. 1614 WITHER Sat. to King, Juvenilia (1633) 346 Here can I smile to see..how the mean mans suit is dis-respected. 1633 BP. HALL Hard Texts N.T. 11 If he love the one he must disrespect the other. 1683 CAVE Ecclesiastici 231 (Basil) To honor him, and dis-respect his Friend, was to stroke a mans head with one hand, and strike him with the other. 1706 HEARNE Collect. 26 Apr., He was disrespected in Oxford by several men who now speak well of him. 1852 L. HUNT Poems Pref. 27 As if..sorrow disrespected things homely. 1885 G. MEREDITH Diana I. 257 You will judge whether he disrespects me. Some of us may feel that â€Å"disrespect† as a verb is a despicable neologism, but it isn’t. Erica, your observations about the way incorrect usage filters into the media are valid, but it looks as if we’ll have to bite the bullet on disrespect as a verb. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Great Similes from Literature to Inspire You"Owing to" vs "Due to"15 Names and Descriptions of Effects

Select one speaker's topic and add information from a second source Essay

Select one speaker's topic and add information from a second source (journal article, industry website, book, etc.). Discuss the topic and offer your opinion. Cite your source - Essay Example Teamwork, I believe it contributes largely towards my success in capstone course. This is because it increases competitiveness and productivity by resulting to superior work and goal (Reynolds, 1994). Teamwork further takes advantage of opportunities offered by technological advances (Hills, 2001). Working together for success improves individual commitment and motivation. To succeed and remain competitive, teams need to utilize each other fully and the available materials and equipment optimally. Education and learning, such as the capstone course adoption of teamwork as a strategy of effective learning is important (Levin, 2002). Designs for learning need to include student-centered team based studying and learning such as case based, problem based, and inquiry based and project based scenarios. Teamwork and teams assist in promoting deep learning, which occurs through interaction, dialogue, collaboration, cooperation, and problem solving. Members of a team should be flexible enough (Hills, 2001). There are several attributes for a successful teamwork. First, there is commitment to team success and shared goals for the project. Successful teams are engaged, aim to achieve results, and are motivated. Second, there is interdependence; members of team create an environment where together they contribute much more as compared to individuals (Reynolds, 1994). Positive interdependence brings out the best of each individual enabling the team to achieve even far more as expected. Individual members encourage and promote fellow members to achieve, learn, and contribute. Third, there are the interpersonal skills, which include the capability to discuss issues in open with other team members, be trustworthy, supportive, and honest, and show commitment and respect to individual member and the team at large. Forth there is open

Barclays bank Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Barclays bank - Essay Example Financial ratios are important in that they aid in determining the financial performance of the company, they also help to identify the strength and the weaknesses of the company, financial ratios include debt ratio, sales turnover ratio, return on assets, and return on equity gearing ratio, current ratio and price earning ratio. All these ratios are important but in order to identify the strength and the weaknesses of the company we need to identify the profitability, efficiency and the leverage of the company. The gearing ratio is a financial indicator of the relationship between long term liabilities and capital employed, it is an important indicator to investors, this is because shares in a financial year may earn dividends while in some years dividends may not be paid, it is also important to investors in that long term liabilities are in form of loans and that they need to be paid back with interest and if the ratio is not appropriate investors end up loosing finally share holders have voting rights while long term liabilities do not have the voting rights that are used in making decisions of the company. Therefore the gearing ratio shows the relationship between long term liabilities and it is calculated by dividing long term liabilities by the shareholders equity. ... 1685 27106 Because we derive the gearing ratio by dividing the long term liabilities by the total share holder equity we substitute our values as follows: Gearing ratio = 183,011/27106 = 6.75 Therefore our gearing ratio is 6.75, this means that the company finances more using long term debts than equity through sale of share, this means that the company has to pay interest earned by these liabilities while it would have been possible to raise capital through equity, therefore there is a problem of having to pay high interest levels for the debts and therefore the company needs to minimize the costs of debts by raising funds through the sale of shares. Dividend history: The following table summarizes dividends paid over the past 3 years, form the table it is evident that dividends paid have increased over the years: year dividends paid (million pounds) 2005 1894 2006 2215 2007 2559 The following chart shows the dividends paid by the company in the past 3 years: From the above chart it is evident that the companies dividends have increased, this is an indication that in 2008 the dividends are likely to increase, this is an indication that the bank has increased its profit levels and therefore it is likely that the dividends will increase in the future, therefore investing in this company is much more profitable due to the high anticipated divided levels in the future. Cash flow statement: We analyze the company's performance using the 2007 cash flow statement, according to this statement we will be in a position to analyze the financial position of the bank and also indentify the source of the high profits gained by the bank. Assets purchases: During the year 2007 there were major changes in the level of assets held by the company, the company