SMART criteria Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

SMART criteria - Essay Example The motion detectors shall be installed to sense whenever there seems to be activity in the room. This will avoid instances of switching on light in an empty room. Whenever there is motion in the room the switching system shall be in standby mode. Light detectors shall then be engaged when the level of light reduces which shall turn the lights on. Motion detectors shall be the primary switching control to put the switching system on standby mode. The motion detector shall be installed by using laser technology to enable sensory of even the smallest movements within a room (Fraden, 267). The light detectors will be the secondary switching level turning on the lights when low levels of light are detected in the occupied room. Measurability The progress of the project shall be based on the set timetable for the plan. Each step in the installation of the switching system shall be analyzed before going forward to the next step. The first step has been laid down as wiring the house. This w ill be done to ensure the circuit is well placed and in the desirable manner. This step is expected to consume the most time as it involves a lot of physical work. The goals of the plan shall be measured against the time laid down for the expected progress. The installation of the circuit should adhere to the installation standards (Linsley, 144). These include the wiring safety codes and the color codes used internationally. Other national standards shall also be applied in measuring the suitability of the installation of the systems. Comparing the setting of the switching system with the set standards shall provide a platform for measuring the conformity to standards. This will ensure that the end product not only works perfectly, but is also safe and conforms to set standards. Attainability The need to install the switching system arises from the desire to switch off unnecessary light. The aim of installing this new system will be to ensuring regulation in the amount of wasted en ergy. Providing a proper control to the usage of light shall immensely reduce the costs incurred from energy related bills. Evidence exists to show that this method can be able to save up to 25% of the energy consumption, reducing energy costs by a similar margin (Klaus D. John, 97). This regulation will occur by providing a system that allows for usage of light only when necessary. The number of lights left on overnight shall also be minimized by using this system. If an individual leaves a room without switching the lights off, the timer shall automatically switch the lights off. This occurs after motion detectors fail to detect any activity in the room. Excess lighting in the rooms shall also be reduced by the light sensors as they control the amount of light allowed into a room at any time. Realistic The proposed system provides an avenue for saving a lot of energy costs. This shall translate into reduced energy bills for the house. The installation of this system is viable as a way of relieving the owners of the house from the high costs of electricity and lighting. Achievement of this shall be through efficient management of the lighting by using switching system that is automated (Reed, 245). The system continues to be employed in many establishments like hotels, and desirable outcomes have been realized. If the same system is utilized within the scope of this house, similar results can also be realized. This lighting system can immensely reduce the time taken by people moving round to switch lights in places

Learning and Development in Organisations Essay - 1

Learning and Development in Organisations - Essay Example I will use two other techniques along with direct observation. First, I will visit the nursing homes to interview some of the elderly residents who might have been living there at least for the last six months or so. I will interview them to know the problems that might have been facing in the nursing home. I will design a questionnaire which I will distribute to all residents of those nursing homes. This technique will be useful as I will be able to know the needs of the residents and the problems they might be facing while living in nursing homes. The collected data will help me identify the learning needs of the caregivers. I will analyze the responses to create a list of activities that the caregivers would need to do in order to be able to provide best services to the residents. The second technique that I will use to know the reasons of decreased effectiveness level of caregivers will be taking interviews of caregivers and nurses. This technique will help me know the problems t hat are making it difficult for caregivers to cope with more challenging residents. I will also inquire the reasons behind lack of confidence in dealing with paperwork. I think interviewing the target population is the best thing one can do to know the measures he/she can take to improve the conditions. Answer No. 2 Reading and analyzing the case, I have learned that the caregivers are falling short of providing best services to the residents of nursing homes. The learning needs that I have become aware of through analysis include lack of confidence, lack of knowledge and practice to deal with challenging residents, lack of ability to make quick decisions on their own, low academic qualification, and less wages. To design a learning solution to meet these needs, I would consider some key factors that are playing their role in decreasing the effectiveness level of the nursing homes. I would consider the nature of the job of caregivers to develop the learning solution. I would researc h the basic requirements of this job and the skills that caregivers should have to be employed for this particular job. To me, no job can be done without relevant skills and knowledge. Therefore, I would get an insight into the set of required skills and knowledge that is required by caregivers to perform this job effectively. Next, I would consider the job environment that the owner of the nursing homes has provided to caregivers for doing their jobs at their best. I think job environment plays a key role in determining the effectiveness level of employees of any company or organization. A good job environment makes employees more productive and satisfied with their jobs. On the other hand, a less secure and unhealthy job environment makes employees dull and ineffective which also puts a negative impact on the efficiency and productivity of the company. Therefore, I would analyze the job environment completely in order to know the factors that might have been causing decrease in th e effectiveness level of caregivers. Next, I would analyze the pay scales of the caregivers. I think high salary is one of biggest motivating factors for an employee. Employees receiving high salaries are satisfied with their companies and usually show more commitment and dedication towards their job tasks. On the other hand, employees who receive fewer wages are in constant search of some new job where they can get higher wages and that approach ad mindset decreases their level of productivity and efficiency. Therefore, I wou

Factors Affecting Trade Volume

Factors Affecting Trade Volume Introduction The area of research for this thesis focuses on empirical study determinants of trade volume of Asian developing economies; which constitute the success of global trade. The relationship among determinants of trade studied in the context of developing economies which includes: Pakistan, India, China, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Factors those affects on trade includes: Tariff, Import duty, Inflation, Foreign Direct Investment (F.D.I), Exchange Rate, Transportation Cost and Gross domestic Product (G.D.P) affect on trade volume, based on gravity equation framework in which foreign trade depend in between countries. To accomplish this purpose by using standard gravity model, study comprises multivariate regression on trade of Asian economies. Study found that trade depend on distance in between countries, wealth, tariff and non tariff barriers (N.T.Bs) like exchange and capital control. Export volume of an economy measures trade volume of a particular country to indicate economic growth of a particular country (Tamirisa, 1999). An Economy that have positive balance of trade, improve economic growth of a particular country due to effective economic and financial performance. Besides this basic affects exchange and capital controls influence trade through other channels, for example, transaction cost, exchange rate, foreign exchange risk and trade financing. Capital control in particular country affect on trade in goods by reducing inter temporal trade and portfolio diversification, which may substitute or complement intra temporal trade (Tamirisa, 1999). Therefore, this thesis aims to study determinants of trade volume based on developing economies. A restricted trade policies imposed by a government is harm for a trade. Study found that world trade organization (W.T.O) rules regulations foster trade volume based on strategic planning of global trade at this competitive era. Despite the net economic and social benefits; most governments reduce subsidies and open economic trade. It has been realized in this study manufacturing tariffs remained high in developing countries. However; subsidies and trade policies affects on agricultural, textile and service industries of both rich and poor countries which continued hamper efficient resource allocation, economic growth and poverty alleviation (Anderson, 2004). Fundamentally, capital controls affects on trade by decreasing inter temporal trade and portfolio diversification. The impact of trade in goods depends, if trade in goods and trade in factors are substitute (for example, as found in the basic Heckscher-Ohlin model) the volume of trade in goods likely to fall. If trade in goods and trade in factors are complement (as, for example, in some models with increasing returns to scale), the volume of trade in goods increases (Tamirisa, 1999). The empirical evidence indicates that foreign direct investment tend to increase host countries export and import due to liquidity in a financial market. Foreign direct investment and exports are alternative strategies in this case. Since multinational companies (M.N.Cs) avoid to pay tariff. They initiate subsidiary companies at the host country to cross subsidize in other countries based on strategic management. Capital controls often limit business opportunities for hedging foreign exchange risk and trade financing, thus inhibit trade (Tamirisa, 1999). The gravity equation is one of the most empirically successful studies. It relates trade flow to GDP, distance and other factors that affects on the volume of trade (Anderson and Wincoop, 2003). For this purpose, the overall effects of trade barriers on Asian developing economies empirically studied, analyzed, tested and resulted. Justification For The Research This study is timely significant for theoretical, methodological and practical reasons. With regards to theoretical significance; this study contributes to the literature based on their specification. Determinants of trade volume of Asian developing economies comprises, Pakistan, India, China, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to identify their trade issues with respect to other regions based on gravity equation framework. As mentioned in empirical literature, determinants of trade volume contribute their significance at this competitive era, where lot of resistance exists at global market. While competition indicate threat for any type of business either manufacturing or service industry. On other hand trade barriers like Tariff, Import duty, Capital Control through Foreign direct investment (F.D.I), Transportation cost and Inflation raise more critical issues to survive in this competitive era. This study also practically signifies from management prospective for those entrepreneurs intending to cross subsidize their business at global market to retain their leading market share. Results of this study provide guidelines for entrepreneurs to identify their, Economic and Socio-Cultural issues that lead to trade barriers for their investment. This study support them based on empirical understanding about trade barriers of developing economies and how it affects on trade. Finally, this study will benefit on strategic decision making to implement trade policies in global market. This chapter comprises the foundation of this study. It introduces research objective and focus on trade and its determinants based on theoretical practical justification of this research. Then major terms used in this study are discussed comprehensively. Literature Review This chapter based on comprehensive literature review, those are useful for this study. The objective is to evaluate determinants of trade volume in the context of literature review. To this end, this chapter divided into three sections. First section deal broadly with trade and its determinants for which this thesis first explains determinants of trade and then model based empirical finding those are relevant to this research. The second section will investigate theoretical perspective and determinants of trade. The third section interlinks determinants of trade with empirical findings based on Asian developing economies. In short, this thesis first discuss trade theories as mentioned in the literature and then pertinent model present; which will not only explain trade theories but also highlight the link determinants of trade and developing economies. Overview Of International Trade It is a well accepted idea that free trade benefits all countries around the world; it is also a well known fact that hardly any country has always been practice free trade policies. Traditionally trade theories contend that government intervenes on foreign trade because of political pressure from interest groups. Since import can pose a threat to domestic industries, these industries lobby intensely for trade protection (Krueger, 1974, Pincus 1975, Mayer 1984). Other studies suggest that governments are tempted to use trade bargaining to gain larger share from global trade (Morishima, 1989); [Cheng, Liu, and Yang, 1999]. International trade is more or less substitute of foreign investment. On the contrary factor proportion hypothesis [Helpman, 1984; Markusen, 1984; Helpman and Krugman, 1985; Ethier and Horn, 1990] seems to predict that international trade and investments are complement as firms take advantage of factor price differences through cross border vertical integration. According to Aizenman, Joshua and Ilan Noy (2005), it is common to expect bidirectional linkage between FDI and trade. However, it is difficult to indicate whether inflows and outflows of FDI affect directly on trade in different types of goods and services. Study found there is strong feedback relationship between FDI and trade; especially in manufacturing industries. There is some evidence indicate trade enhancement lead to extensive competition in domestic and global market at this era (S. and W. Chaisrisawatsuk, 2007). Economic integration promises to raise trade volume through trade creation by engaging trade agreements. At micro level, interdependence between international trade and investment is magnified through intra firm trade (trade among foreign affiliates), outsourcing of raw material, intermediate goods, output and firms vertical integration behavior (S. and W. Chaisrisawatsuk, 2007). Since trade liberalization implies a liberated (less costly) movement of goods and services while investment liberalization implies better environment for movement of resources. Increasing international trade based on sustainable comparative advantage is a key condition for countries to realize gain from global trade. If trade and investment are complementary, FDI inflow supposed to enhance gain from trade. In addition, FDI inflow to the host country expected to improve efficiency and productivity of factors production, therefore it enhances the countrys competitiveness (S. and W. Chaisrisawatsuk, 2007). This study applies gravity model approach to investigate the relationship between international trade and foreign investment. Generally, countries with similar resources produce similar products. However, existence of two way trade (Bilateral Trade) in similar products and two way investments among developed as well as developing economies indicates that there is a room for trade and investment. Thus, simultaneous equation estimate is more appropriate approach used in order to capture feedback effects between trade and investment in order to examine relationships between trade and investment (S. and W. Chaisrisawatsuk, 2007). Factors Influence International Trade Study found that tariff, inflation, transportation costs are critical factors affect on trade of developing economies. The empirical evidence indicates foreign direct investment tends to increase host countries exports, although the impact on imports is relatively weak. In the presence of tariff barriers, however restrictions on foreign direct investment distort trade. According to the static general equilibrium model, trade is determined by the wealth and size of countries. While distance has a negative effect on trade, in a part because of trade costs (e.g., transportation and communication) are likely increase with respect to distance. Tariff barrier in the importing countries also tend to have a negative, albeit insignificant effect on exports into these countries. While Per capita, G.D.P and Population, on other hand, have significant positive effects on exports (Tamirisa, 1999). Factors those affect on trade justify in detail below. Tariff A tariff is a tax on import which is collected by the federal government to build infrastructure of a particular country. Tariff usually aims first to limit import and second to raise government revenue, thats reason multinational corporations (M.N.Cs) avoid to pay tariff. And initiate subsidiary companies at host country through cross subsidization to retain their leading market share at global market. Empirical studies found tariff lead to trade distortion due to it have a negative effect on trade which raises the cost of trade. Due to tariff rates significantly reduce export of developing and transition economies (Tamirisa, 1999). Model predicts the presence of trade barriers, such as tariffs and non-tariff barriers (N.T.Bs) diminish trade volume. The empirical study found tariff rate interact with the estimated share of free trade. Since trade distortions caused by tariffs; which indicate low growth rate in a country that needs to import more under free trade regime. Government intervenes in foreign transactions by imposing tariff on import of foreign goods. Therefore, tariff has two effects on economy, namely distortion of resource allocation and the transfer of revenue. Thus, distortion effects of tariffs on the growth rate evidently hinge free trade (Lee, 1993). Empirical study found large variation in trade, caused by tariffs and transportation cost. Tariff liberalization shift trade from rich to poor and domestic to global countries, this estimates imply that elimination of tariff create more trade for poor countries. It is also implies that tariff elimination would divert trade away from continental to preferential trading areas. It has been studied in empirical literature tariffs, distance and production costs are important factors affect on trade; study found tariffs reduce trade significantly. Where low tariff rate is exists among organization of economic cooperation and development (O.E.C.D) countries. While high tariff is exist among Non-O.E.C.D countries. Therefore elimination of tariff rate would raise global trade significantly (Lai and Zhu, 2004). Inflation It has been realized in comprehensive literature review inflation tends to hamper the volume of trade and slow down economic growth. The initial effects arise from decreased in domestic demand. Thus, result rises in price fluctuation relative to those competing or importing countries (Lovasy, 1962). The initial affects of inflation is an increase the price of goods and services in domestic market, which makes selling on that market more profitable than export. Since market price influence a volume of trade. However inflationary affects tend to encourage such change with a view to raise the price of commodity and maintain it high level. The creation of substitute adversely affects on the volume of trade. If inflation prolong over a period of years, trade will adversely affect through structural changes in an economy (Lovasy, 1962). The affects of inflation on exports may be counteracted by government actions in various forms like: adjustment of exchange rates, retention quota, subsidies on exports (either straight or through multiple rate practices). In other hand devaluation or gradual depreciation of exchange rate will raise the prices of trade (Lovasy, 1962). Since many other factors influence export, inflation can be a visible affects if it lead the price out of line with price in competing countries or importing areas (Lovasy, 1962). On the other hand, extensive empirical research such as Levine and Renelt (1992), Levine and Zervos (1993), Stanners (1993), Bruno and Easterly (1998) and Easterly (2003) indicate negative relationship between inflation and economic growth (Chowdhury and Siregar, 2004). Transportation Cost Transportation cost is one of the significant factor affects on trade. The importance of geography has been recognized by Moneta (1959) as well as by Hummels (1998). It was found that distance is a critical factor in-between country, whether they share common border or they are landlocked. The infrastructure depends on transport and communications network. Study found that infrastructure is quantitatively important factor to determine transport cost (LimÃÆ' £o and Venables, 2001). Generally these types of cost associated in foreign trade. 1. Physical Shipping cost. 2. Time related cost (Lead Time). 3. Cost of cultural unfamiliarity. Among these costs physical and shipping cost obvious with respect to distance in a trade (Frankel, 1997 quoted from Linnemann, 1996). Generally neighbor countries have more integrated logistics network that reduce number of trans-shipments. Second, neighboring countries are more likely to have transit and custom agreements that reduce transit time and translate into lower shipping and insurance cost. This suggests that distance affects trade volumes through transportation costs and through other channels such as information, which is often associated with distance. It has been realized that poor communication network leads to higher transportation cost, which significantly affect on the volume of trade (LimÃÆ' £o and Venables, 2001). Transportation cost negatively affect on trade volumes due to complex geographical location, infrastructure, administrative barriers and the structure of shipping industry. Based on comprehensive literature review, land locked countries face transportation cost fifteen percent higher and lower trade volumes than representative coastal countries (LimÃÆ' £o and Venables, 2001). Exchange And Capital Control Study found that most countries have liberalize policy on transfers payments; since economic policy is increasingly shifting toward liberalize transaction. Exchange control acts as a tax on foreign currency required for purchasing goods and services. Besides this basic effect, exchange and capital controls influence trade through other channels as well, for example, transaction cost; exchange rates, foreign exchange risk and trade financing. Study found that exchange and capital control often raise transaction cost (Tamirisa, 1999). Furthermore, exchange and capital controls can reduce trade by limiting the transfer of technology, managerial expertise and skills through foreign direct investment. Capital controls often limit business opportunities for hedging foreign exchange risk and trade financing. Thus inhibit trade volume in the presence of capital control. Exchange and capital control on other hand, often associated with an overvalued exchange rate, which inhibit trade. Moreover capital controls help to retain domestic savings and higher saving leads to higher investment in export sectors; thus trade may increase (Tamirisa, 1999). Study found that capital controls are critical barrier to export into developing and transition economies; but not to industrialized countries. These findings attribute to capital controls, which noticeably reduce export into developing and transition economies and have only a minor negative impact on export for developed economies. Reason is that industrial economies have relatively liberal regimes for global capital movement. While many developing and transition economies continue maintain various capital controls (Tamirisa, 1999). Exchange and capital controls affect trade through interrelated channels, including transaction cost, and volatility of exchange rate, inter temporal trade, and portfolio diversification. Study realized exchange and capital control have a negative impact on export. However, this result varies depending on the level of development in the country and type of exchange and capital control. These results may reflect the extent, to which restrictions on current payment and transfers have been liberalized (Tamirisa, 1999). Gross Domestic Product Trade cost operates primarily via price. In the context of monopolistic competition model, difficulty is created by the complexity of constant elasticity substitution (C.E.S) price index in the presence of asymmetric trade costs. To resolve this difficulty, three approaches have been taken: 1. G.D.P price indexes are used to capture the price effects in the gravity equation as Bergstrand (1985, 1989) and Baier and Bergstrand (2001). 2. Estimated border effects are used to measure the price effects, as in Anderson and Wincoop (2003) and Balistreri and Hillberry (2001). 3. Fixed effects are used to account for the price effects, as in Harrigan (1996), Hummels (1999), Redding and Venables (2002), and others (Lai and Zhu, 2004). Turn to an empirical investigation export from one country to other trading partners depends on gross domestic product (G.D.P). By using [Rauchs, 1999] classification sample consist in groups: homogeneous goods, differentiated goods in between categories. On the basis of gravity equation framework trade in each of these groups move from homogeneous to differentiated goods; studies found elasticity of export with respect to G.D.P rise significantly. These findings are empirically significant both economically and statistically. The G.D.P of exporting country is found to be a powerful explanatory variable to explain trade relations. There are demographic variables such as G.D.P and population which relate to the size and stage of economic development based on export and import in between countries. These factors are included in the study despite controlling the effect of dependent variable to determine whether size of an economy has an independent influence on trade relations (Feenstra, Markusen, and Rose, 2001). The ratio of trade volume to real G.D.P is often used as an indicator of an economys openness to international trade (Prasad and Gable, 1998). Import Duty Import duties refer to a tax in which importer pay to the government in order to bring foreign products in a particular country. Most of the import duties are figured in a percentage on declared value of the commodity. An import duty differs from product to product and depends on commodity is being imported. Its declared value of origin country. While product group used to assess import duties in between two countries (Sampson and Yeats, 1976). The competitiveness of domestic manufacturers adversely affected vis-ÃÆ'  -vis import because importer liable to pay additional charges due to execution of projects financed by a trading partners (Mukhopadhyay, 2002). Like India fetched excessive price because of banning imports on some goods, they charged very high duty running around the price of goods. These non traditional goods (mainly consumer durables) provided great stimulus to the contraband trade. However, when there is a massive scale of contraband trade, country face substantial loss in term of revenue (Sarvananthan, 1994). Foreign Direct Investment Study found foreign direct investment change industrial structure and trade flow across a country. Since FDI help in cost reduction and export promotion at host countries through up date technology. Foreign direct Investment (FDI) also provides financial resource for investment at a host country. In other hand it provides foreign exchange thats positively affect on the balance of trade. Indeed, in the wake of debt crisis, FDI has come to be viewed as an increasingly important source of revenue for developing countries (Goldar and Ishigami, 1999). Advantage of FDI is that it assists the host country to improve its export performance. By raising the level of efficiency and the standards of product quality, FDI makes a positive impact on the host countrys export. Furthermore, it provides better access to export in foreign markets. According to the Hymer-Kindleberger theory (Kindleberger, 1969) foreign owned firms investment at the host country; if it possesses competitive advantage which allows them sustainable growth. Foreign direct investment plays significant role to promote export and to change industrial structure of Asian countries through transfer of technology. Dunnings eclectic theory of international trade (Dunning, 1988) explain overseas market served by enterprises in different geographical location around the world. According to this theory, firms invest in a country if following conditions are satisfied: Firm possesses some ownership advantages vis-ÃÆ'  -vis firms with other nationalities serving particular markets. It is more beneficial for the firm to produce in foreign country due to update technology and Infrastructure of a particular country (Goldar and Ishigami, 1999). FDI contribute on economic growth of the region through cost reduction and export promotion. On other hand, rapid growth is being attained by the region due to update technology and infrastructure for a particular country. As growth leads to expansion of both domestic and global market (Goldar and Ishigami, 1999). FDI flow in Asia has shifted over a time from Asian Newly Industrialize Economies (N.I.Es) to A.S.E.A.N. While china and Japan have became persistent source of FDI in developing countries (Goldar and Ishigami, 1999). During the past two decades, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, and Hong Kong witnessed most rapid economic growth in all developing countries. Their export oriented strategy emphasis on foreign investment and trade is considered the main cause for their success (Amirahmadi and Weiping Wu, 1994). Many countries established Export Processing Zones and Special Economic Zone to promote foreign investment and export to other countries. These zones have preferential treatment in manufacturing process. Their products are targeted for export market. Taiwan and China are the chief example; where these zones have become major attractions of FDI (Amirahmadi and Weiping Wu, 1994). Exports and FDI is complementary instrument in economic growth [Veugelers and Yamawaki, 1991]. Increasing import and inward FDI increase competition on domestic market and reduce domestic firms profitability. FDI allow transfer of technology to produce and sell goods on foreign market. Empirical study found import have positive effects on competitive behavior of domestic firms and have negative effects on their profitability; it has been analyzed theoretically (e.g. by Caves [1985], Jacquemin [1982]) and empirically in the literature (e.g. by Levinsohn [1991], Pugel [1978, 1980], Turner [1980]); (Bertschek, 1995). Based on export oriented group of countries, foreign investment is a more powerful driving force in economic growth process rather than domestic investment. According to this supplementary hypothesis the elasticity of output with respect to foreign capital is predicted as exceeding with respect to domestic capital (Balasubramanyam, Salisu and Sapsford, 1996). Model For Study. Study comprises factors affecting trade volume of developing economies based on gravity equation framework. Foreign trade relation play vital role for economic development. Foreign trade is influenced by multinational corporation (M.N.Cs). These underlying relationships explain the effects, trade barriers of developing economies based on foreign trade relation. This section present trade model and its key concepts used in this study. Determinants of trade and its relationship with trade theory have been identified, tested and resulted. On the basis of comprehensive literature review; it observed that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"tariff, inflation and transportation cost are significant factors affects on trade volume of Asian countries. The trade model tested based on developed hypotheses in the next section of this research. Trade Theory Based on comprehensive literature following are the facets of trade theories focus on various concepts associated with global trade in terms of theories expanded by the scholars. Gravity Model Of Trade Theory Study found that international trade flow well described by a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“gravity equation frameworkà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  indeed, gravity equation is one of the empirical accomplishment stories in economics and trade theories (Feenstra, Markusen and Rose, 1999). The gravity equation framework is one of the most popular empirical evidence for the whole range of spatial relations in economics and international trade over a period of time. Generally it apply to study determinants of trade volume and to assess various regional economic integration with respect to developing economies (Cieslik, 2007). In the context of international trade, gravity equation in its basic form nominate the amount of trade in-between two countries increases in their size and proportion to their national income, and inversely decreases by the cost of transport between them, (As measured by distance between their economic centers). This relationship closely look like Newtons (1687) law of gravitation which states that every atom in the universe attracts other atom with a force that is comparative to the product of their masses and inversely comparative to the distance among particles (Cieslik, 2007). Although gravity equation in its basic form performs a good job to justify foreign trade based on size of trading countries and distance between them. Therefore, in order to improve performance of the gravity equation in empirical studies of trade; one should take into account the impact of other factors that affects on volume of trade (Cieslik, 2007). Theoretical Foundation Of Gravity Model The concept of the gravity model based on Newtons Law of Universal gravitation which relate the force of attraction between two objects with their combined masses and distance between them. The application of gravity model in social sciences empirically proposed by James Stewart in the 1940s (Fitzsimons et al., 1999). And then originally applied to international trade by Tinbergen (1962), the gravity model predicts trade flow between any two countries as a function of their size and distance between them (Walsh, 2006). Economic size is measured by gross domestic product, population and per capita income. Distance typically calculated through transportation cost between countries capital cities. In some studies this is replaced by the measures of remoteness through G.D.P or measure distances relative to the countrys average distance with all trading partners. Extension of this approach is to calculate trade cost with respect to barriers. And other restrictions on trade flow by comparing predicted and actual levels of trade volume (Walsh, 2006). As the empirical applications of the gravity model has grown theoretically over a period of time; foundation of this model have also developed. Beginning with Anderson (1979); who illustrates gravity equation framework is consistent with a model of trade in which products are differentiated by the country of origin (Walsh, 2006). The gravity model is being established in a literature and measure potential trade between countries. The gravity model; defined by the Newtons Law of Gravitation, explain trade flow between two countries. It is one of the most popular empirical associations in economics and international trade. Earlier studies have estimated difference between observed values and predicted values those are calculated through O.L.S estimate of gravity model (Baldwin, 1994; and Nilsson, 2000); (Kalirajan and Singh, 2007). Justification Of The Gravity Model The Newtons physician primarily justify gravity model based on theoretical justification with their combined masses. Second justification for the gravity model was analyzed by Linneman (1966); (Rahman, 2003). Anderson (1979), Bergstrand (1985, 1989), Thursby (1987), Helpman Krugman (1985) share this view. Their studies identify number of variables. However, price and exchange variables can be omitted when products are perfect substitutes for one another in consumer preference. This structure of course, obtains the standard Heckscher-Ohlin (H-O) setting (Jakab 2001); (Rahman, 2003). Empirical Study Study found the gravity model in the context of international trade applied, first time independently by Tinbergen (1962) and PÃÆ' ¶yhÃÆ' ¶nen (1963) but they didnt have any theoretical justification at the beginning. The earliest but not completely successful attempts provide a theoretical justification for the gravity equation by Linneman (1966), Leamer and Stern (1970) and Leamer (1970). However, origin of the gravity equation from a model was not possible till the product homogeneity assumption; since early neoclassical trade literature was relaxed at that time (Cieslik, 2007). The first formal attempt to derive the gravity equation directly from theoretical point of view made by Anderson (1979) based on Armington hypothesis which argues that products differentiated by the country of origin. Anderson (1979) demonstrated to derive gravity equation by using properties of Cobb Douglas expenditure system when goods produced by a country. Andersons (1979) approach subsequently applied and extended by Bergstrand (1985) who derived and summarize equation in terms of trade flow (Cieslik, 2007). An alternative method proposed by Helpman (1987) who completely departed from neoclassical assumptions of traditional Heckscher-Ohlin-Samuelson model. Which assume monopolistic competition and product differentiation among various firm in all industries rather than countri

Pip as a Sympathetic Character in Great Expectations :: Great Expectations Essays

Pip as a Sympathetic Character in Great Expectations Can you imagine being totally in love with someone who is completely turned off by you? This is what happens to Pip. Throughout the book Estella disregards his feelings. In Great Expectations my sympathy for Pip fluctuates. Pip starts out as a sympathetic character because he is poor, his parents are dead, and he must live under Mrs. Joe's strict rules. As the story moves on, my sympathy for Pip decreases in every way except one: his relationship with Estella. Ever since their first acquaintance, Pip has thought Estella to be the most beautiful girl alive. He changes when he gets around her. When Mrs. Havisham asks Pip about Estella, he answers with words like "proud," "pretty," and "insulting." Miss Havisham wants Pip to like Estella, and she tells Estella she can break his heart. As the visits to Miss Havisham's increase, Pip realizes his feelings for Estella. He practically cannot live without her, but she treats him as a common boy. Pip wants more than anything to become uncommon so Estella might come to like him. He wants her to think of him as a person and not as an uneducated blacksmith apprentice. Estella begins to realize that Pip has feelings and taunts him by asking if he thinks she is pretty. A significant scene is when Estella questions Pip about herself and she slaps him. Then she teases him more and says why doesn't he cry again. Pip replies, "Because I'll never cry for you again," but he knows this is not true and says this "was, I suppose, a false declaration as ever was made, for I was inwardly crying for her then, and I know what I know of the pain she caused me afterwards" (94). As the two characters grow up and mature and as Pip becomes a gentleman, Estella learns of the extent of Pip's feelings. She tells Pip she is to be married and says his pain should pass in no time, about a week. Pip then reveals every thought and feeling he has ever had for Estella over the years. The most important parts of his confession are in the beginning of the speech. Pip confesses, ". . . you are part of my existence, part of myself. You have been in every line I have ever read, since I first came here, the rough common boy whose poor heart you wounded even then.

Debate Paper on Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.

Malcolm X vs. Martin Luther King Jr. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with all men. These words spoken by Christ can be found in Romans 12:8 that refer to living in peace with everyone. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X are both men that fought and petitioned for equality for black people. Did they both have different approaches and views on how to obtain said peace and equality? Absolutely. Martin Luther King Jr. believed in the pacifist way for reaching the level of peace that was desired by the general black community and himself.Malcolm X, on the other hand, was not as passive and didn’t believe in the nonviolent method that Dr. King did. Malcolm X believed that getting peace by any means necessary and fighting back both verbally and physically against all of those that stood in the way of the main goal. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. believed in the philosophy that racial equality would only be embraced and reached through peaceful acts such as marches and sit-ins. He got his inspiration for these peaceful from Gandhi along with his religious background.Throughout all of his speeches I have read including the â€Å"Where Do We Go from Here† and â€Å"I Have a Dream† speech, Dr. King always speaks in with a call to peaceful action by utilizing the pathos appeal by using the future of his children as a prime example in each speech. Malcolm X didn’t quite agree with the nonviolent approach during the civil rights era. He believed that the best way to get the results that both he and Dr. King wanted was by fighting white aggressors and whoever else stood in the way of the getting it. Some people believed that Malcolm X’s approach was better and more effective that Dr.King’s method because it produced more tangible differences that Dr. King’s. In Malcolm X’s speech entitled â€Å"The Ballot or the Bullet†, he fights the fire of aggression from the oppressors of the black community by defending it with fire. For example, on line in the speech states that â€Å"I believe in action on all fronts by whatever means necessary. † In my personal opinion, I agree with the philosophy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I am a wholehearted believer of nonviolence. Whenever there is a problem, there will always be a proper nonviolent solution. Works Cited

Growth in this article

I am going to analyses the problem of economic growth in this article. As we are all aware, in the world we live in, there is this huge question everyone is trying to answer: â€Å"Is economic growth desirable – and most importantly- sustainable? † There are roughly two sides on this subject. Green-leftists, who are not supporters of the economic growth; and liberals who argue that prosperity will occur when economic growth exists. I want to go way back, in order to understand when economic growth started.Figure 1 According to the graph above, it started in the mid sass with the Industrial Revolution. It was a result of â€Å"mass production†, basically. Producing in mass amounts caused economic growth, this led to globalization, decrease of tariffs, international trade. As some people might argue, globalization is key for countries to have a strong economy. Globalization means that we can now solve our problems together and be heard by someone all across the wor ld. Globalization has helped several illnesses, as Alex Tabor -a Professor of Economics- puts it, â€Å"globalization saves lives†.Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 As we can see from Figure 2, life expectancy in 1800 was 40 in the UK where GAP per capita was around 3500 dollars, and about 27 in Cape Verve where GAP per capita was below 400 dollars. We can see from here that GAP per capita has a positive correlation with life expectancy, as years past, in 2012 as it is shown in Figure 3, same correlation applies. As Figure 4 clearly shows, child mortality has a negative correlation with GAP per capita. With economic growth, came better health care, wealth, technology, novelty, but that is Just one side of the story.Economic growth also brought environmental problems. Carbon emissions, pollution, global warming†¦ These are all world wide issues we have to deal with if we keep this track. First of all economics is the science of scarcity, as we can roughly describe it. So we have scarce resources, how do we keep growing? Most importantly, can we sustain this growth? Figure 5 (23. 12. 2013) As Figure 5 shows, we have limited resources, which we are running out of very quickly. This indicates that economic growth is not sustainable.Alex Tabor disagrees, he claims that incentives are key to ideas, and scarcity will be an incentive or everyone to invest in new energy systems. He believes that humanity has overcome many disasters and with the help of technology we can lower carbon emissions -even invent a machine that can absorber carbon from the atmosphere- and keep growing economically. Figure 6 Figure 6 indicates that there is a positive correlation between carbon emissions and GAP per capita. Here, I would like to refer to Tim Jackson who is a professor at University of Surrey. L want you to imagine a world, in 2050, of around nine billion people all aspiring to Western incomes, Western lifestyles. And I want to ask the question: How far and how fast would w e have to move?†¦ The carbon intensity of economic growth at the moment is around 770 grams. In the world I describe you we have to be at six grams of carbon. It's a 130-fold improvement and that is 10 times further and faster than anything we've achieved in industrial history. † I went further on my research and found some data on something called an â€Å"ecological footprint†. It shows that we would need 7. Worlds if everyone lived like the average Americana . This means, people who insist that economic growth will bring wealth and everyone will have western lifestyles, are mistaken. If everyone on Earth had Western lifestyles, non of us would survive. We have the â€Å"developing† countries to thank for that. Even if we had this â€Å"blind faith in our cleverness† as Tim Jackson puts it, economic growth did not only bring environmental issues. It has also brought inequality in human society. Augusta Comet had similar concerns about this issue. He was afraid that inequality would cause dissolution in society.Druthers called it an â€Å"anomie† and he claimed that this anomie led to aimlessness and despair. (He concluded that aimlessness and despair caused an increase in suicides, in the modern society. The rich became richer and the poor became poorer as economies kept growing. The gap between the poor and the rich got wider, inequality caused exploitation, and this caused â€Å"class struggles† which we can describe as the keystone in human history according to Karl Marx. I want to show you some data on the wealth distribution in America, one of the wealthiest countries in the world.Figure 7 Figure 7 shows that the bottom 80% has the 5% of the financial wealth. This indicates a great inequality, it means our economies keep growing but the only people who are getting richer are already rich. Liberals, as I mentioned before, support economic growth which leads to a rise in the GAP per capita. They argue that GAP is the keystone to check, in a prosper society. This statement is true at some cases, but not always as it is shown in Figure 7. In a world where 1% of the population owns 40% of the planet's wealth, it is crucial to talk about equality.Economics is considered as â€Å"the science of scarcity' as I already mentioned. We argue that we use this science to fulfill the infinite needs of human beings. Here is where I disagree; I don't think a human beings needs are infinite. Tim Jackson defines this as â€Å"conspicuous institution†. He says: â€Å"This is a story about us, people, being persuaded to spend money we don't have, on things we don't need, to create impressions that won't last, on people we don't care about. † I believe with the resources of our planet; we can create a more egalitarian and prosper society.Our aim must be to stop the exploitation/domination of the strong one over the weak ones. I want to go back to the environmental issues now. They can never b e ignored because environment is what we need to survive, if we damage it somehow, there is no turning back. So I believe environment should be our first priority. In a growing world, all states/ governments have to narrow down their economies, and start investing in alternative energy systems. I believe human beings are adaptable and they can always figure out a way to survive.So I'm not suggesting to shut down all economies and stop global trade etc. I am suggesting to slow down the growth, because if we keep up this track, the destruction of our planet will be inevitable. Then there are Moos: Huge companies without nationalities. The only thing they care about is to make profit according to economics. A rational company/individual maximizes its profits and minimizes its costs. This statement is, sadly, true in most cases. If we are these â€Å"self maximizing individuals† as Adam Smith defines us, I believe governments have to step up here and create an international commi ttee.This committee should regulate these companies' investments, expenditures etc. It should enforce laws in order to make sure that these companies show an effort to protect the environment and invest in alternative energy systems and not use nonrenewable energy sources. I have stated a few keystones that I believe are relevant to the subject. These keystones were; environmental issues, equality in terms of wealth distribution, reverting exploitation, investing in alternative resources and small regulations in the economy.

Week 4 Case Study Example

Week 4 Case Study Example Week 4 Case Study – Article Example CASE STUDY Responsibilities of auditors in case of fraud Auditors are man d with the responsibility of verifying the books of account and provide their independent as to whether they give a true reflection of financial reports of an organization. In order to operate smoothly, they usually raise matters involving managing an organization. They often assess the measures that have been put in place by the organization to control the internal systems of the body. In addition, they often scrutinize the financial reports to spot errors and omissions that have been committed while preparing the financial reports. They also evaluate inventory management systems that are being used within the organization. In case the existing inventory management is inefficient, they usually recommend the best inventory systems that can be which promote efficiency in the management of inventory. Inefficient inventory management systems often increase the lead-time when an order is hence may cause breakdown i n the production processes. It is prudent for auditors to report fraudulent transactions to the top management immediately they unearth suspicious transactions (Krishnan & Visvanathan, 2007).Independence in corporate governance The independence of corporate governance is imperative for a number of reasons. Auditors are supposed to carry out their duties independently without portraying any form of favoritism and biases. Both internal and external auditors should exercise Independency. In the case of Adelphia, Deloitte & Touche, which is reputable audit firm, failed to demonstrate that it is an independent body by colluding to defraud the company. Auditors are usually faced with the challenge of being bribed so that they can doctor the books of account. An independent corporate means that audit firms can be able to demonstrate the highest level of integrity by giving honest reports without being coerced. Auditors are supposed to safeguard the interest of shareholders rather than bein g partisan (ACCA, 2011).ReferencesACCA, (2011).Independence as a concept in corporate governance. Krishnan, G. V., & Visvanathan, G. (2007). Reporting Internal Control Deficiencies in the Post†Sarbanes†Oxley Era: The Role of Auditors and Corporate Governance. International Journal of Auditing, 11(2), 73-90.

The Male Identity in Scorsese Movies essays

The Male Identity in Scorsese Movies   essays When audience members look at films they want to put reality on the shelf and enjoy a well written movie. Martin Scorsese has always captivated and fascinated his audience members for many years. His types of movies tend to have a male leads while the female characters are sometimes not as developed or have an integral part to the plot itself. In "Raging Bull" and in "The Age of Innocence" we see two representations of male characters with very different but yet similar issues. These two movies are very different on the surface because both take place in two separate time periods. One movie is about a famous boxer while the other follows a New York socialite when people where divided into classes based on how much money they earned. Director Martin Scorsese does a great job in controlling the flow of information in this movie. The beginning of this scene shows the main character Jake La Motta and his brother, Joey sitting around a diner table. We start to hear a very strange dialogue between Jake and hes telling his brother to hit him as hard as he can to show that he can take it. He is doing this to show how he can beat anyone in the ring and prove his manhood. He is also trying to show his brother how he can take punches without feeling much pain. His brother complies with his request and we have the camera going from brother to brother showing him being punched and his brother receiving each violent blow to the face. This whole scene follows the classical continuity rule of editing which talks about match on action. This is done when Joey punches his brother and in the next shot we see his fist continuing that motion in a very smooth cut. We then see them sitting opposite one another which gives th e shot and reverse shot technique. We see behind both shoulders of these actors as the action is talking place. Each shot feels very rhythmic and flows very naturally in the space and time provided. The costume...

How to Choose the Right Extracurriculars for You

When it comes to your high school experience, academics and standardized testing are usually clearly mapped out for you. There are paths leading through course loads of varying difficulty; there are required standardized tests and well-known study tools to prepare for them; and your GPA is a clear indication of your success in your academic work. The academic side of things might be pretty clear, but the same can’t be said for extracurriculars. It’s hard to know exactly what role extracurricular activities should play in your high school experience, let alone on your college applications. Extracurriculars are a broad category to begin with — they seem to encompass everything from starting your own dog-walking business to participating in groundbreaking scientific research projects. So you might be wondering, what’s the deal? Are some extracurriculars more important than others? Which will be most heavily weighted on your college application? And how do you know which are worth pursuing? In this post, we’ll give an outline of how to choose extracurriculars that not only are personally fulfilling but also augment your profile as a college applicant. Read on for the five standards you should keep in mind when selecting an extracurricular activity. A little bit of insight can go a long way. Here at , we have a team of experts who have been in your shoes. Read through this guide on high school extracurriculars, and then check out our Near Peer Mentorship Program . You’ll have access to the insights of peer mentors who have been through this process and are ready to share with you all the ins and outs of choosing the right extracurricular activities. There is no simple answer to how important extracurriculars are on your college applications. There are definitely some schools to which you may apply that will admit you based off of your academic record and your essays and recommendations alone. Your extracurriculars might get little to no weight. More selective schools, though, tend to place a heavier weight on extracurriculars. Most of the students who apply to the most selective schools will be academically qualified. These students will have strong GPAs and great test scores. So what will set apart the elite 5-10% who ultimately get accepted to these schools? Many times extracurriculars mark the difference between a successful and unsuccessful application, so it’s worth knowing that they can play a big role in college admissions in some cases. The line between activities that you have participated in and activities that you can consider extracurriculars is somewhat blurry. In general, though, an extracurricular activity is one that you participate in regularly outside of your required academic work.

International Monetary Fund Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

International Monetary Fund - Essay Example ..As Jacob Viner put it 'trying to reverse the whole trend of policy and practice of the world at large in the field of international economic relations since 1914 and especially in the ill-fated years since 1929" (www.globalexchange.org). From the establishment the Bank was planned to challenge protectionism and economic depression. The Government of United States was chiefly involved in designing The World Bank and it is situated in Washington. It was based on a synthesis of the economic theories put forward by Harry Dexter White (U.S.) and Maynard Keynes (U.K.). America had 36% of the voting power in 1946 and offered the biggest part of the official finances and hence was considered as a dominating power. Moreover, the president of The World Bank has always been an American. In 1944, at Bretton woods conference, two different but complementary institutions were established. IMF was designed to help government maintain their balance-of-payments, whereas, the World Bank was founded with the basic intention of post-war re-stabilization of countries by giving loans to the affected countries. The proper name given to The World bank is 'International Bank for Reconstruction and Development'. The World Bank and International Monetary Fund were set up in the finishing stages of World War II, at a convention in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire; USA. The participants signified the governments quickly to win the battle in opposition to fascism. The participants wanted to rebuild Europe and the global economic system which was harshly affected by that destructive war (Peet, 2003). The main objective of the conference held at Bretton Woods was among the British and US delegations addressing the moderate and conservative ideas of worldwide economic institutions. Maynard Keynes represented the views of British Delegation and proposed that the new IMF should be a helpful fund for the countries facing economic crises, to aid them in maintaining economic and employment activities during periodic crisis. This vision recommended an IMF serving governments to operate as the US government had during the New Deal in reply to the great downturn of the 1930s. On the other hand, the US delegation put forward a view that IMF should be more similar to a bank and the needy countries are liable to return the debts on time. This view was more conservative and was less concerned to solve the problems of recession and unemployment. However, the US vision succeeded and this is the way how economic crises have been controlled since WW-II (Harris, 1988). The International Monetary Fund has been helping the governments facing economic crises since the Second World War by offering them, loans for a certain period of time. These loans are widely known as 'Structural Adjustment' loans as their main objective is to aid borrowing governments to adjust the structure of economic activity. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) was established on December 27, 1945. Twenty nine states accepted its Articles of Agreement in the expectations of avoiding a reappearance of the economic procedures that donated to the United States Great Depression in the 1930's. Other objectives of the IMF comprise the endorsement of international monetary cooperation, the development of worldwide trade, and the feature that has become its major identity is the loan of funds it provides to member countries.

Salary Discrimination in National Basketball Association Essay

Salary Discrimination in National Basketball Association - Essay Example The paper tells that sports statistics create a great opportunity to measure the relationship between productivity and income. Since its integration in the 1940s, professional basketball has achieved the highest level of African American representation of the major professional sports in the United States. Labor market discrimination is defined as unequal treatment of equally qualified workers. A great deal of research on labor market discrimination has focused on the racial pay differences of NBA athletes. Now, in existing national basket ball literature on pay discrimination, it is now well documented that Blacks earn less than their White counterpart. For example, using statistics drawn from the national basketball league of 1986, Khan & Sherer found a ceteris paribus black salary short fall of about 20%. Consumers (NBA FANS) may have discriminatory preferences for white stars but no real preference among black and white athletes of average ability. Found out that, whiter teams te nded to be located in whiter metropolitan areas. Given their results, these authors concluded that their observed salary shortfalls were due primarily, to customer discrimination by white basketball fans. However, several recent studies have cast doubt on these results. Bodvarsson and Brastow performed a salary regression similar to the Kahn and Sherer specification and found no evidence of racial discrimination. Their methodology, however, was based on the assumption that consumer discrimination is pervasive throughout the ability distribution.

Three Questions Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Three Questions - Case Study Example As the paper stresses there are certain HR. principles that have materialized into strategic practices at the organization. One of them is the principle of training human resources continuously to save on financial resources of the firm. This tenet has been implemented as a strategy in that the firm sends various heads of departments to benchmark or attend training conferences with discussions for instance, about improved methods of technical and scientific revolution. The firm also employs the services of a company psychologist to assist employees cope with their different stressing issues.  From this case study it is clear that in line with the principle of employee motivation, differentiation and establishment of remuneration according to the weight or intensity of work coupled with qualitative and quantitative performance, the firm ensures that hardworking employees are acknowledged and rewarded. For instance, the firm has a policy of recognizing the employee of the month. This is usually the worker who has successfully completed most projects and has done them well. The corporation has also made an effort to provide its workers with health insurance coverage in case of any medical emergencies that they and/or their families may encounter. This is in accordance to the fundamental principle of human resource management or labour protection if employees are faced with the risk of accidents or illnesses in the line of work.

The Turk Chess Automaton Hoax and why it was done Research Paper

The Turk Chess Automaton Hoax and why it was done - Research Paper Example Von Kempelen created this machine after attending Maria Theresa’s court, where there was an act of illusion being performed. Von Kempelen promised himself that he would return to the Palace with a creation that would top all of the other illusionists’ acts he had seen. This is exactly what he did. He created a machine with a life-size model of a Turkish man in traditional costume. Its left arm held a long Turkish pipe while the right arm lay on top of a cabinet. Atop this cabinet was the chessboard and the cabinet had three doors, an opening and a drawer, which held a red and white chess set (Standage, 24). The design of the machine was intended to leave observers confused as to how it worked. When opened, it had a variety of gears similar to a clock on one side, while on the other it had a cushion and other brass parts. It was intended that onlookers could see through the machine, which helped to maintain the illusion that von Kempelen was trying to sustain. He further goes on with the presentation with a sliding operator’s seat, which when slid caused the gears of the machine to come into view. This allowed for furthering the illusion, as it kept the operator invisible (Standage, 24-27). To continue the misdirection even further than this, the arm of the Turk could be moved with a lever, opening and closing his hand in suit with the lever’s operation. ... The Turk debuted in 1770, about six months after the illusionists’ acts that von Kempelen had seen in Empress Maria’s court. He always went through an elaborate demonstration of the machine and all of its parts. He would open the doors and drawers and allow audience members to inspect the machine thoroughly. After this, von Kempelen would tell them that the Turk was ready for a game with a willing challenger. The Turk always used the white chess pieces and had the first move. The Turk had some movements that it could make, those being: nodding two times if he threatened his opponent’s queen, three times if he put the king in check. If the Turk’s challenger made an illegal move, the Turk could shake his head, put his opponent’s piece back, and move his own. To continually maintain this illusion even during play, von kempelen would wander around the room during the game and invited the audience to bring magnets, irons and other things to test if the m achine functioned through the use of magnetism or weighting (Standage, 203-204). Another aspect of the Turk’s exhibition was his ability to complete the knight’s tour, a complex and famous chess puzzle. This puzzle required that the player move his knight about the chessboard, landing on each square exactly one time. This was a great phenomenon to even the most experienced players, as most struggled with the knight’s tour but the Turk could complete it easily. The Turk was able to do this because of a pegboard used by the director inside the machine who also had a map of the puzzle, which he could follow (Standage, 203-204). The Turk traveled across Europe as its fame grew. Von Kempelen was more interested in other projects that he had going, thus often lying about the

Stalins Leadership in World War II Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Stalins Leadership in World War II - Essay Example The second half of the 1930s saw the continuous campaign launched by Stalin to eliminate all those whom had - or at least were suspected to have - reservations about the political regime. The campaign that would become known as the Great Purge touched off immediately assassination of Sergey Kirov, a highly popular member of the Communist Party. Stalin responded to the assassination with a series of fierce actions. Mere distrust of Stalin or his confidants or anonymous information was used to send the suspect to the forced-labor camps or execute. The Soviet political militia, also known as NKVD, was given practically unrestricted powers, and during only two years from 1937 to 1938, the NKVD led by Nikolay Yezhov executed approximately 1 million of Soviet citizens with another 2 million were sent to the camps and eventually died (Ellman 2002). Several trumped-up trials that took place between 1936 and 1938 led to elimination of thousands of once prominent, influential and highly experienced leaders. The list of victims included such outstanding figures as Zinovyev, Bukharin, and Rykov whom were executed on concocted charges of conspiring with Germany and Japan. Another process held in 1937 resulted in almost entire elimination of the military's top-ranking commanders such as Marshal Tukhachevsky: according to the estimates approximately 50 percent of the senior officers had been dismissed (partially executed, partially sent to the camps) before the beginning of the Second World War (Conquest 1990). Evidently, such actions of Stalin who killed or sent to the camps the most experienced and talented managers could hardly be addressed as prudent in the face of inevitable war with Germany. Although Stalin's awareness of the inevitability of the war is subject for intensive debates (Rapoport & Alexeev 1985), it is difficult to imagine that a politician of Stalin's rank and experience could fail to notice the apparent tendency. Even the possibility that Stalin could make the mistake assessing the beginning of war hardly justified such devastating clean-up among the militaries, officials, and political elite of the Soviet Union. Furthermore, a series of conflicts initiated by Stalin in 1939 (Finland) and 1940 (Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and Romania) clearly demonstrated that the Soviets were confidents of their military power. Ironically, what might be and probably had to be perceived as imprudence by the absolute majority of Stalin's contemporaries only adds validity to the claims of those whom give credence to his personal leadership during the World War praising Stalin as the leader and tactician of the highest order. The fact is that in absence of other leaders of note whom had been dismissed, imprisoned or executed during the Great Purge Stalin was forced to make decisions almost solely on his own: even those innumerous specialists whom successfully made it through the terror of 1937-1938 had the illustrative example of what Stalin did to

Cognitive Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cognitive Assessment - Essay Example Parents are sometimes unable to understand the problems that their children might be going through. On the other hand, the parents may use forceful instructions to teach their children without knowledge on the underlying problems. Studies indicate that most children who have persistent poor performance have attention disorders. Attention disorders such as Attention Disorder Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are one of the commonest conditions among younger children that are hard to identify among school-going students. Parents may sometimes think that their children are impulsive and inattentive whereas such symptoms indicate serious attention deficits. However, it is important to ensure that the exact underlying issue is identified before the child is put into a serious strategy for resolving the learning problems. In the context of Jamir’s case, it would be necessary to diagnose the problem that the child suffers from. This will help in the identification of the best strategy to be applied in order to assist the student. The mother thinks that Jamir does not listen to the instruction. This is an assumption that might be more dangerous to the child. Children like Jamir normally have impulsive behaviors that prevent them from concentrating in certain activities. For Jamir to be able to listen and read, certain strategies must be used (Shaheem, 2012).

Stalins Leadership in World War II Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Stalins Leadership in World War II - Essay Example The second half of the 1930s saw the continuous campaign launched by Stalin to eliminate all those whom had - or at least were suspected to have - reservations about the political regime. The campaign that would become known as the Great Purge touched off immediately assassination of Sergey Kirov, a highly popular member of the Communist Party. Stalin responded to the assassination with a series of fierce actions. Mere distrust of Stalin or his confidants or anonymous information was used to send the suspect to the forced-labor camps or execute. The Soviet political militia, also known as NKVD, was given practically unrestricted powers, and during only two years from 1937 to 1938, the NKVD led by Nikolay Yezhov executed approximately 1 million of Soviet citizens with another 2 million were sent to the camps and eventually died (Ellman 2002). Several trumped-up trials that took place between 1936 and 1938 led to elimination of thousands of once prominent, influential and highly experienced leaders. The list of victims included such outstanding figures as Zinovyev, Bukharin, and Rykov whom were executed on concocted charges of conspiring with Germany and Japan. Another process held in 1937 resulted in almost entire elimination of the military's top-ranking commanders such as Marshal Tukhachevsky: according to the estimates approximately 50 percent of the senior officers had been dismissed (partially executed, partially sent to the camps) before the beginning of the Second World War (Conquest 1990). Evidently, such actions of Stalin who killed or sent to the camps the most experienced and talented managers could hardly be addressed as prudent in the face of inevitable war with Germany. Although Stalin's awareness of the inevitability of the war is subject for intensive debates (Rapoport & Alexeev 1985), it is difficult to imagine that a politician of Stalin's rank and experience could fail to notice the apparent tendency. Even the possibility that Stalin could make the mistake assessing the beginning of war hardly justified such devastating clean-up among the militaries, officials, and political elite of the Soviet Union. Furthermore, a series of conflicts initiated by Stalin in 1939 (Finland) and 1940 (Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and Romania) clearly demonstrated that the Soviets were confidents of their military power. Ironically, what might be and probably had to be perceived as imprudence by the absolute majority of Stalin's contemporaries only adds validity to the claims of those whom give credence to his personal leadership during the World War praising Stalin as the leader and tactician of the highest order. The fact is that in absence of other leaders of note whom had been dismissed, imprisoned or executed during the Great Purge Stalin was forced to make decisions almost solely on his own: even those innumerous specialists whom successfully made it through the terror of 1937-1938 had the illustrative example of what Stalin did to

Language and reason as ways of knowing Essay Example for Free

Language and reason as ways of knowing Essay Knowledge is also said as ways of knowing. It means information and skills acquired through experience and education. The acquisition of knowledge is done by three main factors; perception, language and reason. In this essay we sought to see the strengths and limitations of those learning approaches. Lets take an example, how do we know that in a bottle, labeled crystal, there is water? We would use this example to explore the three cases. Perception is the way of taking messages and processing it by the brain to obtain meaningful information. Using the example above, we would do anything possible to conclude that what we are consuming from the bottle is water. That is we would observe, smell, taste, etc. We can see that we use our senses to identify the substance. We would observe the bottle, its labeling (name, ingredients etc.), colour of the substance and advertisement on the substance; we would smell the substance and even taste it (this would be last because we fear it might be harmful). All this shows that using our senses, we can identify objects and moving organism; this is the major strength of perception (immense knowledge is gained). Another point would be upon losing one of the senses; we are able to intensify the others, which help us even more in detection but surplus always comes with its difficulties. Subliminal perception is the way trying to identify objects with the memory only, for example a patient may not remember someones name but seems to know that person, and thus that patient tries to associate a name that goes well with that person that he/she declares to be unidentifiable. The problem is that even with our senses, we are limited in perception and its very frustrating to know how little we know. Sometimes our senses may deceive us, we may see the substance transparent but it is not necessarily water but another liquid. We can have perceptual illusions where we believe an object to have a specific shape but actually differs from what we have thought of. We may also have hallucination, we may feel, see, hear, taste and smell something when there is really nothing of such kind. We also tend to conclude on the very first bit of information received as we have been in such situation before (experience). Language is a method of communication which involves a sender, a message and a receiver to express thoughts. It was developed by humans and when using it, the rules were grammar and the symbols were words. The advantage of this method of learning is that its very simple (user-friendly) to use and every person in the world uses it. So communication is easy, thus enriching the ability to acquire knowledge. The greatest advantage is that there are many ways to communicate the thought, therefore enabling people to understand in a way or other. Using the example above, we can give important information, express what we feel and enquire about the substance in the bottle and also in different ways so that all the people involved can understand. There are also seven functions of language, which guides us to where each piece of information acquired can be classified. Despite language having a strong face of learning, it still has its disadvantages. The example above, the bottle of supposedly water, we have used our senses to identify it but without language it is impossible to give the facts, views etc correctly and even harder to communicate the information in different ways; some people uses too many words to explain only a word(can be a different language). Also different people have different views and not all will agree on what one has said about the substance. Reason is a way to justify what we have acquired as knowledge based on previous experiences. If we cannot do so, therefore we have not gained any knowledge. Taking the above example again, we say if that substance is water because its tasteless; we say so because we have heard, read and experimented on water. The strength of reasoning would be the rationality and logic arguments. Rationality is what allows us to say things that do make sense, we will not say that the substance in the bottle is water because of the shape of the bottle; it does not make sense. The rationality of a statement shows how the processing of all the information acquired is done and says whether its good or not (there is really a bad reason as long as a person can justify it). Being logical depends on the argument put forward as example given above. To be logical, the deductive argument must be correct and validate the argument; this differentiates between a good reasoning and bad reasoning, using above example, 1) all liquid that is pH 7 is water and the substance in the bottle is of pH 7, thus the substance in the bottle is water (this a valid deductive argument) . But sometime the arguments may be valid but does not sound, all substances that are colourless are harmless and the substance in the bottle is colourless, therefore its harmless (concentrated hydrochloric acid is also colourless but is very harmful).  To conclude knowledge gained through perception, language and reason is a great advantage to us, human beings but often can be deceptive and invalid. We should be more careful when taking in information, processing, expressing and justifying it. Here again we see that they are all linked!

Psychology Essays Psychiatric Diagnosis

Psychology Essays Psychiatric Diagnosis To what extent do the negative implications of a psychiatric diagnosis outweigh the benefits? The idea that a diagnosis of mental illness can be more harmful than beneficial is a concept which many might find surprising. However if we examine the emergence of sociological theories originating from the symbolic interactionist movement of the 1960s we can construct an argument based on these theoretical insights as to how a diagnosis of being mentally ill might be harmful outside of the implications for possible treatment with which such a diagnosis would bring. In this manner we consider what the most effective strategy of treatment should be. Emerging from dissatisfaction with the structural functionalists theories drawing on symbolic interactionists are interested in analysing how the various interactions between people within social situations are played out (Rogers and Pilgrim, 2001). In the works of Goffman this is portrayed as a drama with actors of sorts and his work on stigma for example showed how the rules of the game varied for people perceived as being different in some way (Goffman, 1968a, 1968b). Thus in relation to mental health it is the possible societal reactions arising out of a diagnosis of mental illness which is the vital element. The theory which developed out of these ideas hence became known as labelling theory and it became strongly associated with the anti-psychiatry movement of the late 1960s and 1970s (Cockerham, 1992). At the heart of this theory are two concepts related to deviance or mental disorder these being called primary deviance and secondary deviance. Primary deviance refers to those symptoms which do indeed have a basis and grounding in clinical symptoms. These are the actual incidences of disease. Labelling theorists have some interesting things to say about this, in that namely much of primary deviance goes undiagnosed (Pilgrim and Rogers, 1999). The reasons for this is the reaction of those around the sufferer attempting to make sense of the individuals behaviour, rationalising it until a certain point is reached when it is impossible to dismiss the behaviour as aberrant anymore. Indeed labelling theorists argued that it was not just family members or other people close to suffers who displayed this sort of behaviour but also medical practitioners demonstrating a wide range and extensive set of either mis-diagnosis or non-diagnosis of mental illness (Yarrow et al, 1955). However it is the realm of secondary deviance in which labelling theory has the most interesting things to say and it is here this essay argues that the most harmful aspects of a diagnosis of mental illness can be found. For labelling theorists secondary deviance refers to ways in which other members of society, the psychiatric and medical profession and eventually the person who has been diagnosed act as a result of the category of mentally ill being applied to them (Pilgrim and Rogers, 2001). Working from this supposition then a number of factors are critical for labelling theorists and one of the most important is how conformist a particular society is. The reason for this is that the higher a level of conformity is found in a society the greater the chance that a particular behaviour which breaks the rules of that society will be labelled as deviant. A particularly interesting feature of this idea built upon subsequently by social constructivist theories is that concepts of deviancy also change as the conformity levels of a society alter, thus while homosexuality was a deviant behaviour for western societies in the 19th century and psychiatric treatment was recommended for those who were afflicted with the disorder the changing prevalent views on homosexuality have lessened its perception as a deviant behaviour, though not completely dispelled it (Cockerham, 1992). In a series of studies it was demonstrated that otherwise sane people who mentioned specific circumstances of strange behaviour were labelled as insane and where those people did normal behaviours these other behaviours in turn then became labelled as insane and became seen as part of the behavioural pattern of the insane person. Thus in Rosenhams (1973) study his fake patients who gained admission into institutions and who were taking notes of their own observation and treatment by doctors had in the observations kept on them notes on how they displayed incessant note taking behaviour. Thus patients who are labelled as mentally ill face difficulties when they try to escape the label and the behaviours which are the objects of labelling. Even where for example patients have been cured they will carry the stigma of such a label and the consequent reactions of people who learn of the past status of the individual will labelling theory argues lead to a vicious cycle of reinforcement of both label and behaviour. However while labelling theory was a powerful critique of psychiatric practice which was popular also it has since fallen out of favour and its concepts can be critiqued on a number of grounds. In Yarrows study case it was found that subsequent to the experiment that his patients in fact did not continue to display aberrant behaviours for long after the study. Thus we can argue that there is a weakness in the idea of a secondary deviance, that for those who are not mentally ill the labelling of being mentally ill which while it might have an effect may not be as strong as the theory suggests (Rogers and Pilgrim, 1999). But it remains to be said that the practice of diagnosis and cure of the mentally ill must be aware of the broader social environments in which those who are mentally ill will operate in, thus a primarily bio-medical model of mental health, i.e. in that there is a specific cause which when cured will make the patient better, is inadequate and as labelling theory and more recently the field of health psychology suggests we must consider a holistic type therapy which factors in the effects of wider social phenomenon such as the reactions of people and clinicians to the patient in order that effective strategies of cure can be developed which benefit the person involved (Heller, 1996). As such while moves away from institutional care can be commended as ceasing to separate the mentally ill from society and thus stigmatising them in a highly visible manner the effectiveness of community care must be judged against both successful curative techniques and levels of effective integration wi th the community setting in which the care is provided.

Grade Deflation At Princeton University Essay -- Higher Education

In Lisa Foderaro’s article â€Å"Type A-Plus Students Chafe at Grade Deflation†, she summarizes an ongoing debate within the higher education community of Princeton University. Foderaro wrote an informational article to depict both sides of the argument in a fair and balanced manner. She was attempting to expose a possible academic problem and the solution and consequences of a change in school policy. The article covers how the prototype grade deflationary policy at Princeton affects students both academically and professionally. The students refute any positive effects with negative consequences such as how policy affects the students mentally, puts students at a competitive disadvantage, and creates unrealistic standards in grading. I agree and disagree with some of the students’ stances as there are always benefits and consequences to any policy. Princetonian students argue that the policy of limiting the number of A’s to just 35 percent of all grades given has detrimental effects on Princeton’s A- plus type body of students. They argue that the lowering of a students’ GPA through this policy makes it harder for the students to compete with other equally intelligent ivy-league students who are not affected by the policy. The undergraduate student body president heard from students that the policy was creating inequities in the grading system. â€Å"I had complaints from students who said that their professors handed back exams and told them, ‘I wanted to give 10 of you A’s, but because of the policy, I could only give five of you A’s.’ This is very surprising and exposes an important flaw that the policy has created. Additionally the students argue that there are mental affects created by the policy including dampening competition an... ...n students and their administration at Princeton. Perhaps even if there may not have been significant decreases in acceptance rates, students feel punished and will therefore perform more poorly. It seems as though this policy has in essence put a wet blanket that was the bright flame of the pursuit of challenging intellectual stimulus through education. Regardless of the aim of any policy it is imperative that all sides are weighed equally and the decision is based logically on these results. Works Cited 1. Foderaro, J.W. (2010, January 31). Type-a-plus students chafe at grade deflation. New York Times, Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/31/education/31princeton.html?pagewanted=print 2. Staff, Initials. (2009, December 02). Editorial: on grade deflation. The Daily Princetonian, Retrieved from http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2009/12/02/24601/

RMB recent development :: essays research papers

Update for Recent development in Chinese Yuan 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The expectation or speculation about a Chinese Yuan revaluation started from the beginning of 2003. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Why we say 2003? Because the Non-deliverable forward of USD against Chinese Yuan started to fall into discount from premium at the beginning of 2003. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Non-deliverable forward is a type of derivative in the foreign exchange market where by the home currency is not delivered (or settled, transferred) at maturity, instead the difference of market rate against the contract rate is settled with a reference currency (usually USD). 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  China has a very restricted money market and therefore commercial loans are not readily accessible in short tenor such as overnight or 1 week, the most common interest rate benchmark in China is a 1-year bank lending rate, which currently stands at 5.31%, if we compare the Chinese interest rate with the US rate of the same tenor (1 Year US rate is approximately 2.35%), in foreign exchange market, assumed that Chinese Yuan is convertible, the USD should be at a premium against the Chinese Yuan. In the non-deliverable market, however, the USD is trading at a discount against Chinese Yuan after January 2003, which obviously is not logical from an interest arbitrage point of view. The reason is that the assumption that Chinese Yuan is freely convertible is void, the USD discount ( for instance 1-year non-deliverable forward discount of USD is 2400 pips or 0.24 Yuan) is an implied expectation of Chinese Yuan revaluation in one year’s time as perceived by the m arket. 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The expectation that Chinese Yuan would appreciate and happen in foreseeable future was advocated by major US Investment Bank such as Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley. International organizations such as IMF started to talk more about the issue ever since 2 years ago. In the recent years, there was a very fast expansion of Chinese export into the United State. The most recent number of US July trade deficit announced last Friday was $50.1 billion, though lower than the June historical record of $55.8, still formed as a threat for financing of these huge deficit through capital account surplus by the US. Furthermore, the July US trade deficit with China set another monthly record at $14.9 billion as imports increased 3.7% from June and exports fell 2.6%. US manufacturers and politician still blamed China’s policy of pegging its currency against the US dollar for the soaring bilateral deficit.

Team Strategy Plan

Week 3 Reflection Kimberly Grigsby, Juataun Mark, Jack Martincavage, Ana Valdivia MGT/311 December 04, 2012 Joe Cheng Week 3 Reflection During period of November 27 to December 03 Learning Team F was presented a slide show, lecture by Professor Cheng and reading assignments from Organizational behavior (14th ed. ). Professor Cheng’s slide show and lecture discussed conflicts and conflict resolution.Conflicted is defined as a process that begins when one party perceives that another party has or is about to negatively affect something the first party cares about (Robbins and Judge, 2011). The conflict process has five parts. They are: potential opposition or incompatibility, cognition and personalization, intentions, behavior, and outcome. In week three of Organizational management there is open discussion relating to the differences of teams and groups, and how these differences may affect organizations and individuals within the organization.A group is primarily defined as to w or more individuals who have come together to achieve a particular objective and to allow individuals to share information, and allow each member to perform within his or her area of responsibility or expertise. On the other hand a team is designed to generate and coordinate as a combined unit with greater influence than that of individual input. Organizations are moving more towards the team structure in an effort to create positive synergy, and to increase performance within the organization. There may be various types of teams within organizations with each type focusing on different objectives.Teams basically require three types of skills, it need persons who have technical expertise, problem-solving, and decision making abilities, and most importantly teams need people with good listening, feedback, conflict resolution skills, and interpersonal skills. Some members of teams may need to learn or develop these skills along the way, this may not be uncommon and is crucial if the team is to reach its full potential. References Robbins, S. P. , & Judge, T. A. (2011). Organizational behavior (14th ed. ). Prentice Hall. Longeneker, C. O. (2011). How the BEST motivate workers. Industrial Management, 53(1), 8. Team Strategy Plan Week 3 Reflection Kimberly Grigsby, Juataun Mark, Jack Martincavage, Ana Valdivia MGT/311 December 04, 2012 Joe Cheng Week 3 Reflection During period of November 27 to December 03 Learning Team F was presented a slide show, lecture by Professor Cheng and reading assignments from Organizational behavior (14th ed. ). Professor Cheng’s slide show and lecture discussed conflicts and conflict resolution.Conflicted is defined as a process that begins when one party perceives that another party has or is about to negatively affect something the first party cares about (Robbins and Judge, 2011). The conflict process has five parts. They are: potential opposition or incompatibility, cognition and personalization, intentions, behavior, and outcome. In week three of Organizational management there is open discussion relating to the differences of teams and groups, and how these differences may affect organizations and individuals within the organization.A group is primarily defined as to w or more individuals who have come together to achieve a particular objective and to allow individuals to share information, and allow each member to perform within his or her area of responsibility or expertise. On the other hand a team is designed to generate and coordinate as a combined unit with greater influence than that of individual input. Organizations are moving more towards the team structure in an effort to create positive synergy, and to increase performance within the organization. There may be various types of teams within organizations with each type focusing on different objectives.Teams basically require three types of skills, it need persons who have technical expertise, problem-solving, and decision making abilities, and most importantly teams need people with good listening, feedback, conflict resolution skills, and interpersonal skills. Some members of teams may need to learn or develop these skills along the way, this may not be uncommon and is crucial if the team is to reach its full potential. References Robbins, S. P. , & Judge, T. A. (2011). Organizational behavior (14th ed. ). Prentice Hall. Longeneker, C. O. (2011). How the BEST motivate workers. Industrial Management, 53(1), 8.

Grand Theory Written Assignment Essay

A grand theory is a systematic construction for the nature of nursing that has a clear mission and goals for nursing care. There are four categories of schools of thought within the realm of grand theories to include needs theories, interaction theories, outcome theories, and lastly caring/becoming theories. In the following tables I have highlighted a theorist from each school of thought and briefly discussed their educational background, my perception of their definition and philosophy of nursing, and the goal/purpose of their theory. Needs theorist Faye Abdellah Educational Background Faye Abdellah received her nursing education at Fitkin Memorial Hospital School of Nursing, Nepture, N.J. and graduated in 1942. She then went on to study chemistry at Rutgers University prior to receiving her Bachelor of Science, Master of Arts, and Doctor of Education degrees from the Teacher’s College of Columbia University, N.Y. Retrieved from http://fayeabdellah.blogspot.com/p/backgroud-publications.html Philosophy of nursing According to Meleis, her philosophy of nursing includes the use of problem solving approach to deal with 21 distinct problems related to needs of patients. She described a problem as a condition faced by the patient for which a nurse can assist, overtly and covertly. This is done by preventative care (to include hygiene, safety, exercise, rest, sleep, and body mechanics), sustenal care (psychological), remedial care (oxygen, fluid, nutrition, and elimination), and finally restorative care (coping with the illness and life adjustment). Meleis, A.I. (2012), p. 162-164. Definition of nursing â€Å"Nursing is based on an art and science that moulds the attitudes, intellectual competencies, and technical skills of the individual nurse into the desire and ability to help people, sick or well, cope with their health  needs† as stated by Faye Abdellah in her Twenty-one Nursing Problems theory (1960). Goal/purpose of theory To help the individual or patient meet health needs and adjust to their health problems. Meleis, A.I. (2012), p. 164. Interaction theorist Hildegard Peplau Educational Background Hildegard Peplau graduated from the diploma nursing program Pottstown, PA in 1931 and went on to be a staff nurse. Peplau then was recommended to work as a school nurse at Bennington College located in Vermont. While working there she earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Interpersonal Psychology in 1943. From there she went on to earn her Master’s and Doctoral degrees from Teacher’s College of Columbia University. In addition she became certified in psychoanalysis thru the William Alanson White Institution of New York City. Retrieved from http://nursing-theory.org/nursing-theorists/Hildegard-Peplau.php Philosophy of nursing Peplau’s philosophy of nursing focused on harnessing energy psychological disturbances such as anxiety and tension to define understanding with patients and deal with the problem at hand. She felt the goals of nursing included developing patients personalities to make illness an eventful experience. She felt nurses need to develop problem-solving skills via the interpersonal process (educational, therapeutic, and collaborative). Definition of nursing Peplau’s concept and view of nursing is that it is a therapeutic, interpersonal, goal oriented process that is a healing art. It involves recognizing and assisting the patient (individual who is ill or in need of health care) in achieving a common goal. This requires the nurse and patient to build a trusting relationship by way of orientation, identification, exploitation, and resolution (the phases of growing an interpersonal relationship). Meleis, A.I. (2012), p. 165-166. She identified the many roles that nurses must take in order to have a meaningful relationship with  patients and that nurses must understand the relationship to provide good care. Goal/purpose of theory The ultimate goal of Peplau’s theory was to understand the principles of interpersonal relationships between the nurse and patient in order to facilitate problem solving skills. This is to be done by using education and positive interactions. She went on to explain the seven nursing roles (stranger, resource, teacher, counselor, surrogate, and technical expert). These roles can be applied in different situations to provide the best care possible and goal attainment. Retrieved from http://nursing-theory.org/theories-and-models/peplau-theory-of-interpersonal-relations.php Outcomes theorist Callista Roy Educational Background Sister Callista Roy graduated with her first degree; Bachelor of Arts in Nursing from Mount St. Mary’s College in California in 1963. Then in 1966, she went on to obtain her Master’s Degree in Pediatric Nursing from the University of California. In addition she earned a Master’s Degree in Sociology in 1973 and Doctoratal degree in Sociology in 1977. Retrieved from http://nursing-theory.org/nursing-theorists/Sister-Callista-Roy.php Philosophy of nursing From what I can see from Roy’s writing’s she believes that the focus of nursing to her is a focus on clients’ stimuli and the effect it has on them for adaptation. Adaption modes include physiologic, self-concept, role function, and interdependence. Goals of nursing include promoting these changes/adaption in the above mentioned areas by way of manipulating the stimuli (focal, residual, and contextual) by way of positive coping. ). Meleis, A.I. (2012), p. 169-172. Definition of nursing Callista Roy is known to believe that nursing is a system of knowledge based on theory that views the client (sick or potentially sick) as a biopsychosocial being. Clients adapt to changes within their environment and as nurses we provide care through the nursing process to help promote  adaption to state of well-being. In order to do this we must ensure that the client have effective coping mechanisms and responses to avoid disruption in the integrity of the client. Goal/purpose of theory The goal and purpose of Roy’s theory is to promote client adaptation by nursing interventions such as facilitation of adaptive tasks via counseling, effective nurse-client communication, health education, active manipulation, support, and by identifying resources for the client. Roy states that by adapting that the patient is then freed for â€Å"him to respond to other stimuli which may be present† The Roy adaptation model: Comment (as sited by Meleis, A.I. (2012), p. 494. Caring/Human Becoming theorist Rosemarie Parse Educational Background Rosemarie Parse initially was educated at Duquesne University of Pittsburgh. She then went on to get her MSN and Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh. Philosophy of nursing The goal of nursing to Parse appears to be co-creating meaning and finding way of being. This is done by not focusing on the illness or problem in itself, but by transforming in new ways deliberately through the human universe process. Nurses are to illuminate meaning, synchronize rhythms and mobilize transcendence by connecting and truly understanding and being present with patients. Decision making is done together with the patient and nurse. Meleis, A.I. (2012), p. 172-174. Definition of nursing Parse’s definition of nursing is that it is a human science and art that uses knowledge to help people. Nurses should not focus on fixing problems, but rather view the patient as a whole living experiences through their environment which help them evolve. She believes that nurses must help guide patients co-create their own health and deal with illness. Goal/purpose of theory The goal or purpose of Parse’s Human Becoming Theory of Nursing is to focus of the quality of life from each separate person’s perspective. It does not focus on bio-medical or bio-psycho-social-spiritual approaches as with most  theories, but instead views the patient as a person and combination of all aspects. Retrieved from http://nursing-theory.org/nursing-theorists/Rosemarie-Rizzo-Parse.php I agree with all of the above listed schools of thought and have incorporated each in my own personal nursing care practice. Abdellah thoughts that nursing is centered on problem solving on the needs of patients in order to assist them in restoring health are near and dear to my heart. Depending on the field you work in this can include a multitude of cares. I personally work mainly in obstetrics and medical aesthetics. In the obstetric realm I provide care to help patients have a happy and healthy delivery of a child whereas in my medical spa my goal is help clients improve their aesthetic appearance, thus helping them feel more attractive and confident. Both have a goal, although widely different. This school of thought mostly is incorporated in my obstetric care as I assist patients to understand and incorporate preventative care, sustenal care, remedial care, and obviously restorative care as becoming a parent is a huge adjustment in life. Peplau brought out the importance of building a therapeutic interpersonal relationship with patients in order to facilitate their skills in coping with the problem at hand. Peplau’s interaction school of thought is also very congruent with my nursing philosophy as I feel it is of upmost importance to build a solid trusting interpersonal relationship with patients/clients no matter what area of nursing one is working in. Without doing so, the patient/client will not believe and trust what we are trying to accomplish with them. The event of birthing a child and learning how to care for them is a very personal process where the nurse-client relationship is of upmost importance. Also in aesthetics the client must feel comfortable with me as a nurse in order to trust me in helping them attain their goals. Roy’s theory is seeding in the outcomes school of thought which is also easy to incorporate into nursing care as adaption is required with all processes of life. As nurses we truly do help our clients adapt to their health  status and can assist them to become able to care for themselves independently. In obstetrics parents must adapt to having and caring for a newborn infant. The mother has been thru months of adaption to being pregnant, and now must instantly step into a new role that is often times scary and confusing! As a nurse I am responsible to ensure that they are prepared and adapting to this change prior to discharge. Lastly the caring/human becoming school of thought is probably the most utilized type of grand theory that I personally use. Parse points out that we should not focus on â€Å"fixing† the problem, but concentrate on the whole of the patient including experiences lived and how this has helped them evolve. Basically we must think of the patients’ quality of life, especially from the patients’ point of view. This can be applied in all fields of nursing as we strive to help patients have the quality of life that they want and deserve. In conclusion I’d like to think that as a nurse I practice from a variety of theories to incorporate the best, quality care possible for patients no matter what the purpose of treatment may be. I try to tailor my approaches taking into account their medical history, environment, and family. Nursing is ever changing and so is the patient population. We must as nurses continue to educate ourselves and evolve with time, never becoming stagnant. References Abdellah, F. G., Beland, I. I., Martin, A., & Matheney, R. V. (1960). Patient-centered approaches in nursing. New York: Macmillan. Meleis, A.I. (2012). Theoretical Nursing Development & Progress, Fifth Edition. Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. http://fayeabdellah.blogspot.com/p/backgroud-publications.html http://nursing-theory.org/theories-and-models/peplau-theory-of-interpersonal-relations.php http://nursing-theory.org/nursing-theorists/Hildegard-Peplau.php http://nursing-theory.org/nursing-theorists/Rosemarie-Rizzo-Parse.php http://nursing-theory.org/nursing-theorists/Sister-Callista-Roy.php