The Renaissance The Father Of The Renaissance - 1218 Words

For centuries, the English have had powerful influences over many parts of the world, and the aspects defining cultures. Today, even our own country continues to be influenced by that of the English. It should come of no surprise that something the English have also held major influence over is music, specifically in the fifteenth century with composers such as John Dunstable, William Du Fay, and Gilles Binchois. While all three of these men were great contributors to this newfound style, it was Dunstable who is seen as the father of this trend. John Dunstable lived among some of the best composers at the beginning of the Renaissance. Although nobody truly knows when and where he was born, they do know that some of his earliest works date†¦show more content†¦Because of this utilization, his works often resulted in having very few dissonances and a 6/3 sonority. Of course, thirds and sixths were being used before Dunstable, but it was his works that managed to make this a staple in music, gain the popularity the new trend would need to pick up speed, and become more frequently implemented. According to the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (Sadie 1980 720-724), Dunstable primarily wrote his music in three parts, save his isorhythmic motets. This newfound style, like most styles of music then and now, did manage to find its way across the continent to countries such as Burgundy and France, and eventually influenced the product of other composers. Among these influenced artists was Guillaume Du Fay, who Le Franc claimed that he and Gilles Binchois basically followed in the musical footprints of Dunstable. In Le Franc’s Poem, Le champion des dames, he speaks of Du Fay and Binchois as such: â€Å"They took on the guise of the English and Follow Dunstable and thereby a marvelous pleasingness makes their music joyous and remarkable.† Du Fay, also a travelling composer, was exposed to many different ideologies from the places he visited which would explain how he came to utilize some of the same methodsShow MoreRelated Francis Petrarch: Leader of the Humanistic Movement and Father of the Renaissance2215 Words   |  9 PagesHumanistic Movement and Father of the Renaissance Before the civic spirit and individuality evident and necessary to the Renaissance came to fruition, there had to have been something to trigger a change in the mentality of the medieval civilization. The medieval manorialism fostered illiteracy and ignorance and a very narrow view of the outside world, people did not question their place, the church, or the need to prepare for the after life. The awakening of the Renaissance came after the dawnRead MoreThe Renaissance : The Age Of Rebirth1426 Words   |  6 PagesThe Renaissance was from the 1300’s to the 1500’s. It started towards the end of the middle ages and the dark ages. It began after the Crusades when the Crusaders came back. The Renaissance was the age of rebirth. The age that consisted of many wonderful things including trade, art, science, architecture, religion, learning, and inventions. The biggest thing though was the trade. Trade began after the crusaders came back from there journey for god bearing many new things from all over Europe. TheyRead MoreTaking a Look at the European Renaissance Essays1385 Words   |  6 PagesThe foundation for the concept of modern humanism was established during the Renaissance in Europe, which took place during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The European Renaissance indicates a milestone in the shift of the human thought process. During this time period, people became less focused on matters of theism and more focused on exercising philosophies of reason, individuality, and learning. Numerous people developed an interest in a philosophy known as humanism, also referred toRead MoreStudying Renaissance through Its Art Essay1269 Words   |  6 Pagesthat most expresses is the Renaissance. The Renaissance is known for the paintings, sculptures and most decorative art from the European period history. It was known as the â€Å"rebirth† and mostly is the period in the European civilization mostly following the middle ages. The Renaissance was the period that had discovery and explorations of the new continents that substituted the Copernican for the Ptolemaic system of the astronomy (The Beginning Progress of the Renaissance R. A. Guisepi). The feudalRead MoreA Renaissance Man Suffering During A Medieval Society Essay1125 Words   |  5 PagesA Renaissance man suffering in a Medieval society During the late middle ages, starting in Italy, a cultural movement known as the Renaissance spread through Europe. The Renaissance was a period of â€Å"rebirth† that developed in the forms of art, literature, and education. To understand the natural world, people of the Renaissance studied the ancient classical works of the Greeks and Romans as explanations of human abilities. The Renaissance was characterized by the renewed interest in humanist philosophyRead MoreImpact Of Langston Hughess Contribution To Harlem Renaissance1697 Words   |  7 PagesLangston Hughes contribution to Harlem Renaissance Harlem was founded back in the 17th century as a Dutch outpost. Harlem adjoins New York City and host a large population of the African American Community. The blacks found New York City to be more accommodative to their culture and ideologies, during the great migration of the early 1900s, Harlem became the major destination and it became home to many African Americans. [1] Harlem received over time, Harlem developed from a farming village to becomeRead MoreRenaissance Influence On Art772 Words   |  4 PagesThe Renaissance, a time defined as the rebirth, occurred in Italy between 1350 and 1600. Spreading quickly throughout Europe, with the innovation of the printing press, it caused rippling effects. The Renaissance ultimately altered the aged education of the Dark Ages and renewed it with studies of the more classic works instead of theology. Classic art and literature grew extremely popular, contrasting the lack of interest in them before. Many artists became prominent advocate s for the revival ofRead MoreQuestions On The Renaissance And The Middle Ages1054 Words   |  5 PagesChapter 12 Assignment #1: 12.1-12.2 Terms: Renaissance, universal person, secularism, Hanseatic League, House of Medici, Castiglione. Questions (6): 1) What are some similarities and differences between the Renaissance and the Middle Ages that are mentioned in this section of the text? One major similarity between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance is the lack of Classical Culture, characterized by darkness that caused the Middle Ages. Although the Renaissance was known as a â€Å"rebirth†, later historiansRead MoreThe Historical Development That Truly Define The Renaissance As Rebirth1441 Words   |  6 PagesThe three historical development that truly define the renaissance as rebirth . In Renaissance History and Religion, Renaissance rebirth. It assigns especially to the rebirth of learning that began in Italy in the fourteenth century, spread to the north, counting England, by the sixteenth century, and ended in the mid-seventeenth century. the Renaissance were more than a rebirth. First historical development that truly define the renaissance as rebirth is The compass. It’s important for navigationRead MoreThe Renaissance Period1455 Words   |  6 PagesThe Renaissance period, also known as the time of â€Å"rebirth†, brought many new i deas from the early 14th to late 16th century. These ideas derived from old medieval beliefs coinciding with new modernist attitudes (â€Å"Basic Ideas of the Renaissance,† 2012). Of the many changes that occurred, politics and power, humanism, and the Protestant Reformation predominated. Many desired a strong central government and an end to feudalism, which gave way for the establishment of monarchies (â€Å"Introduction to Renaissance

Schizophrenia in Children - 2181 Words

Schizophrenic Children Schizophrenia is a mental disorder. It is also quite a complex illness that affects daily functioning of those who suffer from it. Professionals across several fields who treat schizophrenics do not share a consensus regarding the cause of schizophrenia, though there are a few theories regarding potential and definitive causes. The on-set of schizophrenia often takes place in adolescence and adulthood, but there are cases when there is childhood on-set schizophrenia. Schizophrenia in children will be the focus of this paper. Children who show signs of schizophrenia may begin doing so at around age five. Though schizophrenia affects females and males at the same proportion or rate, schizophrenia does tend to come on later in women. Schizophrenia is a very difficult disease to cope with as some of the symptoms include trouble thinking clearly, difficulty distinguishing between what is real and what is not, and abnormalities with respect to emotional responses and appropriate behavior in social situations. Schizophrenia is additionally a disease that is difficult to categorize. As aforementioned, there is little professional consensus with respect to schizophrenia, including its formal definition, its categorization, its treatment, its causes, and its differentiation in children over adults. The term schizophrenia as originally used by Bleuler is not a clearly defined concept. Classification and diagnosis of adult schizophrenia has always been aShow MoreRelatedSchizophrenia And Its Effects On Children1256 Words   |  6 Pagesas Schizophrenia has affected many people across the globe. Before advances in the 20th century mental health movement occurred, many thought that the symptoms conveyed by an individual with the disorder were demonically possessed (Walker and Tessner 2008). Today, more and more people are being properly educated about this disorder and understand its effects on individuals, however, there are misguided and false perceptions about it, similar to those prior to the 20th century. Schizophrenia is aRead MoreDisorganized Schizophrenia And Its Effects On Children836 Words   |  4 PagesDisorganized schizophrenia, also known as Hebephrenic schizophrenia, is among the subtypes of schizophrenia. It is a chronic and difficult condition that includes disjointed and irrational cognitive behaviors, along with purposeless actions. This type is considered severe because of how it impacts the individual’s abilities to participate in daily activities, including self care. Causes The cause of this condition is not known, but there has been studies of a specific gene referred to as the â€Å"schizophreniaRead MoreChildren s Neurological Development Of Schizophrenia2187 Words   |  9 PagesThe goal of this case study is to provide a basis on children s neurological development of schizophrenia including family history, genetics, environment and culture to determine the major biomedical aspects of the etiology of schizophrenia in young to middle adulthood. The study addresses the debilitating positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenics plus presenting problems, such as living life according to unacceptable social norms, and caring for one’s basic needs, while including assessmentRead MoreSchizophrenia Research Paper1296 Words   |  6 Pagesover Schizophrenia. It is a psychological disorder that I have always found fascinating. It is a serious disorder that consumes a persons life and is nearly impossible to control. In this paper, I will talk a bout the definition of Schizophrenia, the diagnosis of Schizophrenia, Schizophrenia in children, suicide, sexually related characteristics of the disease, sleep disorders caused by the disease, differences in the disease on different ethnicities, and insensitivity to pain. Schizophrenia is aRead MoreCulture and Schizophrenia1180 Words   |  5 PagesCulture and Schizophrenia Childhood schizophrenia is one of several types of schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a chronic psychological disorder that affects a person’s psychosis. Childhood schizophrenia is similar to adult schizophrenia, but it occurs earlier in life and has a profound impact on the attitude, behavior, and life. The child with schizophrenia may experience strange thoughts, strange feelings, and abnormal behaviors. Childhood schizophreniaRead MoreWho Is Diagnosed With Schizophrenia?1106 Words   |  5 Pagesknow that they have this disorder. What is schizophrenia some people may ask? It is a brain disorder in which people interpret reality abnormally. 1.5 million People will be diagnosed with schizophrenia in the world (schizophrenia). They wonder around thinking they are crazy or delusional. But why and how does someone is diagnosed with schizophrenia? Does it develop during child birth? What causes healthy children and teens to be diagnosed with schizophrenia and how are they corr elated? A traumaticRead MoreHow Schizophrenia Affects The Lifespan1595 Words   |  7 PagesHow Schizophrenia affects the Lifespan 3 How Schizophrenia affects the Lifespan Schizophrenia is a mental illness that inhibits a person’s ability to think clearly, manage their emotions, make their own decisions, and associate with others. It is a complicated, long term illness that affects one percent of Americans. Even though Schizophrenia can occur at any age, it is more common forRead MoreChildhood Onset Schizophrenia And Its Effects1376 Words   |  6 Pagesseverely abnormal functions, disturbed behaviors and the likelihood to seriously diminish nearly all functionality of life—this disorder is known as schizophrenia. While extremely rare, schizophrenia can develop in childhood, sometimes as young as two to four years. This is referred to as childhood-onset schizophrenia (COS). â€Å"Childhood-onset schizophrenia is a severe form of psychotic disorder that occurs at age 12 years or younger and is often chronic and persistently debilitating† (DSM-5). By a vastRead MoreChildhood Schizophrenia Interventions. Moriah Rastegar.1246 Words à ‚  |  5 PagesChildhood Schizophrenia Interventions Moriah Rastegar Adelphi University Author Note This paper was prepared for the Science of Social Issues, Section 245, taught by Professor Ream. Childhood Schizophrenia Interventions Schizophrenia is a mental health condition that places considerable burden on the individuals who have it, their families, and society (Eack 2012). Someone who has schizophrenia may have the following symptoms, but not all: faulty perceptions, inappropriate actions andRead MoreOutline and Evaluate One or More Biological Explanations to Schizophrenia1149 Words   |  5 Pagesone or more biological explanations of schizophrenia (8 marks AO1/16 marks AO1) Schizophrenia is classified as a mental disorder that shows profound disruption of cognition and emotion which affects a person’s language, perception, thought and sense of self. The dopamine hypothesis states that schizophrenic’s neurones transmitting dopamine release the neurotransmitter too easily, leading to the characteristic symptoms of schizophrenia. This hypothesis claims that schizophrenics

Chapter Reflection Free Essays

I can definitely see myself using some of the stuff that I read about in this chapter in my true classroom. The first section of this chapter was all about the deferent levels of curriculum integration. I learned that there are three different levels of integration: connected, shared, and partnered. We will write a custom essay sample on Chapter Reflection or any similar topic only for you Order Now The least complicated of the three is â€Å"connected†, and would lust Involve me, as the teacher, making simple connections between two subject areas. I think that this would involve me looking at two subjects and then finding the common ground that they share so that I could reinforce knowledge from one subject In another. The second level would be â€Å"shared†, which would Involve taking salary incepts in two or more subjects and reinforcing them in each of the subjects. You want to be able to reinforce something in one subject, and do the same thing for the other. The keyword Is â€Å"share†. I learned that the last level, â€Å"partnered†. Is often the most difficult. It would be the most difficult because it involves a team of teachers discussing the same big ideas. I think that this would be difficult because each teacher In the team might have a different Idea about what would be best and It might be difficult to keep what is most important at the center of the discussion. Integration can definitely be hard, but it is doable. The next section of the chapter talked about devising your own cross-disciplinary topics. The big thing about this section was the matrix that was included to help us think about cross-disciplinary studies so that we can create our own topic connections. When filling out the matrix, It will become easier to see where commonalities may lie. Some links will come easily to us, but I think that this matrix will definitely be of use to me in the future. Matrixes and tables always have a way of making things easier to observe and understand. This Is Just the most basic, and the rest of the chapter got a little more technical and specific with ideas. The next big section of this chapter was about interdisciplinary examples for linking physical education content to other subjects. For math, we could do things like ask students to find their maximum heart rate that they reached after Jumping rope, or ask students about what shapes they can draw using the lines of a basketball court. With language arts, children could read books based on movement or games, which would help students make links with physical education, or we could also have them write â€Å"l can† sentences that talk about things that they can do in the ball below my waist, and by keeping my head up. We could incorporate physical education with science by having the students hop into the air, and then ask them why they come down after they Jump. With social studies, we could do things like ask students how games that we play in the US are different than the way they are played in other countries, or we could ask our students to think about things that they do after school and then whether or not they were available to children 30 years go. It is very important for connections to be made bec ause, when they are, students are more likely to learn and retain information. They’re also more likely to learn when they’re having fun and enjoying themselves. If we can find a way for them to do this and become more physically fit, then that is always a bonus! The last section of this chapter was about how you can apply classroom study topics to physical education lessons. There were lots of different ideas listed in this section as well. After reading all of the ideas and suggestions that were presented in his chapter, it only confirmed what I believed before. Children are more likely to learn when they’re having fun. When you incorporate classroom topics into physical education, children may think they’re being given the chance to play when, in reality, they’re also learning. The more we can do this, the better! I definitely plan on using some of the ideas from this section in the future. The ideas put forth in this chapter were very useful to me. I plan on being creative and, in the future, taking some of these ideas and expanding on them to make them my own. I firmly believe that the more active we can get our students, the better. Over to You 1) I would say that I am the most creative in finding a way to make something work. If something doesn’t work, I try everything I can to achieve the end result that I want or the ideal end result. Sometimes it may not be the most conventional way of doing things, but my somewhat creative mind gets the Job done that way. I also like making things look pretty, and I have found that I will often find a creative way to make something stand out. I think it definitely has an advantage in finding connections. It will help me look for similarities between two subjects and then find a way to bring them together based on their common ground. I’m a believer that there is usually always a way to make something work. 2) To find ideas about cross-disciplinary learning, I could talk to my teachers and fellow colleagues, especially those who have been around in the profession longer than a new teacher has. They know what works and what doesn’t work, and could be a great source of ideas and advice. Academic Journals could also be a good source of information and ideas. When in bout†¦ Ask! ) You could have students design a game that would make them become more active while, at the same time, helping them to review content that they’ve learned in the classroom. You want to get your students up and moving in any way that you possibly can. You can also have your students look at how certain popular games here in the US (such as baseball and basketball) might be played differe ntly in other countries, and then have the students attempt to play the games being physically active. 4) I think that, for me, it would be easier to take classroom epics and apply them to physical education lessons. I could take my students on nature walks. I could also strive to plan more lessons and activities for the classroom that would get them to become more active. I think it’s definitely easier for me to incorporate physical education into the classroom. It gives me an avenue through which I can be very creative, and I love that. I also think that it would help me to become more active as well, as I would have to kind of go through the motions to find out what would work best with my students and what wouldn’t. How to cite Chapter Reflection, Papers

Death and Redemption free essay sample

An analysis of Franz Kafkas book, Metamorphosis and the subject of death and possible redemption. This paper presents a detailed look at the way Kafkas Metamorphosis about a man who turns into a bug represents the movement toward death and the possibility of redemption. Using the story as an example, the writer of this paper illustrates the areas where the idea of redemption are involved. Often times in the world when one has a near death experience they describe recognizing others but not being recognized. This was also the case in the story when Gregor the man was suddenly Gregor the bug(Kafka, 1990). He recognized his family but at first they did not recognize him as anything other than a dirty bug. The movement toward death is morphed as a stick his father picks up when his mother discovers the bug in her presence attacks him. This movement toward death is painful indeed and it is something that is attempted more than once in the story. We will write a custom essay sample on Death and Redemption or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page

Social Mention Defined free essay sample

Social Mention Social media is serves as an outlet for public relations practitioners to provide around the clock management for clients and publics. Cites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are just a few of the social media tools that are used to maintain relationships with publics and build brand names. The hassle of managing a variety of social media pages has produced the need for social media management tools. Social media management tools available are used to help further manage social media relationships and monitor success and failures of clients in social media.Social Mention is a management tool analyzes different content from a multitude of social media networks at one time. Public relations practitioners can use this tool to evaluate client’s relationships with publics on various social networks and measure their presence online. PR professionals utilize this tool to gauge the success of a brand, client, organization or product. We will write a custom essay sample on Social Mention Defined or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This tool allows for quick and easy access to social media crisis management in order to maintain a positive image.Social Mention provides information such as the amount of users discussing a topic and what time of day a particular subject is being discussed. The tool provides in time reports covering what is going on at that exact moment in social media. Social Mention is a beneficial tool in the PR field. The tool provides reports describing categories such as strength, sentiment, passion and reach. Strength measures the possibility of a client being discussed in social media. The calculation for strength is simply the number of mentions of a keyword over the hours of a day.Sentiment determines the positive and negative ratio of a client referenced in social media. Passion is the measurement of how likely a client’s brand will be discussed repeatedly. Reach is the category that determines how many users the specific topic reaches and can potentially reach via social media. Reach is found by the number of authors referring to the specified word over the number of times it is mentioned. The different categories allow a user to tailor their image to improve positive popularity in social media.Social mention provides alerts to users e-mail accounts upon relevant updates regarding clients or brands of interest. Unfortunately, the updates only recognize keywords noted about a particular topic and disregard the context of the keywords. Therefore some notifications are unnecessary. Across the Internet PR practitioners take advantage of the benefits Social Mention has to offer. Bloggers rave about the efficiency and convenience of managing social networks all in one place. Healthy Choice launched a PR social media campaign based on the information gathered by Social Mention.The company used the feedback given on social networks to configure a campaign that would improve the Healthy Choice brand image in consumer’s minds. Once Healthy Choice improved social media relationships with its publics, social media involvement with the company skyrocketed. After offering a coupon on the Healthy Choice Facebook page, â€Å"likes† increased from under 10,000 to over 60,000. Social Mention helped Healthy Choice reach out to its publics and respond to their feedback. The data gathered from Social Mention provided Healthy Choice with the material it needed to increase the company’s popularity and improve the brand name.

Benefits of Walking Essay Example

Benefits of Walking Essay Example Benefits of Walking Essay Benefits of Walking Essay Benefits of daily walking Walking is one of the best and least expensive forms of exercise, and the easiest to perform. It is a proven weight loss strategy that not only reduces weight, but also reduces stress and tones the body. A Study conducted by Dr. James O. Hill in conjunction with the University of Colorado Health Science Center showed that walking 2000 additional steps daily prevents body weight gain. Additional research showed that 10,000 steps is the break point to lose weight. Walking is not only vital to weight loss, but it is also effective in reducing symptoms of hypertension, diabetes and it also lowers the risk to develop cancer. `How much walking is effective? The first study to determine how much walking is effective in weight reduction was conducted by the Center for Physical Activity and Health at the University of Tennessee. The Study involved eighty female participants with a median age of fifty. First, the researcher obtained data from the participant’s like weight, height, and body mass. The eighty participants wore a pedometer for a seven day period, and recorded their results nightly. The result showed that participants who recorded 10,000 steps had the highest decrease in body fat, body mass as well as waist and hips reduction. Although the results varied among the participants all of the results were positive in terms that they all noted a body weight reduction. Have in mind that 30 minutes of walking takes approximately 4000 steps, which burns around 200 calories. Therefore, if there is an intention of losing weight a diet plan is recommended along with the walking. Another benefit of walking at least 2000 additional steps daily is that it helps to prevent diseases like hypertension, diabetes and cancer. It’s simple. Walking increases the flow of blood circulating around the body which at the same time gets the heart pumping faster. So when you walk everyday your body burns calories. This helps to protect the heart and circulatory system by raising high-density lipoprotein (HDL), the good cholesterol, and keeps the amounts of sugars in the body balanced. Recently, the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) has found that walking helps to regulate hormone levels causing to lower the risk of breast and prostate cancer; and last but not least walking also prevents the risk of colon cancer because it speeds up the digestive process, which gives less time to our bowel to be exposed to hazardous substances. Their data predicts that 45 minutes of walking everyday could prevent at least 5,500 cases of breast cancer in the UK alone. Its impressive how 45 minutes of daily exercise can make a real difference in a person’s health. Walking is the easiest exercise to perform and the best part is that there are tons of opportunities to increase your daily exercise without having to sacrifice much. If you cant find the time for longer workouts on a regular basis, try two or three shorter exercise sessions every day. Splitting your workouts into 15 or 10 minute throughout the day appears to work just as well as doing a full 30 minutes at once. Here are some smart recommendations on how stay healthy for those persons who like I think that we do not have enough time for physical activity or a workout. Taking the stairs instead of the elevator could be a great exercise for those work or study on tall buildings. Walking to nearby locations instead of riding the bus or a car is healthy for our body and wallet. These activities are easy ways to boost your heart rate and promote cardiovascular health, lower blood pressure and counter stress. Overall, we can conclude that walking follows a positive trend. Walking is not only a great exercise for maintaining health it’s also one of the best exercises to help control weight and maintain a fitted body shape. Don’t let good health walk on by, get it by incorporating walking into your lifestyle.

How Apps Can Change Our Health Care Environment Essay

How Apps Can Change Our Health Care Environment - Essay Example The trend is relatively new and not all operating systems have completely embraced it totally, however, this utility is slowly creeping in the technological and medical science field and enabling more benefits. Since the medical field pertains to specialization in one particular domain and that is of medicine, the chemical names and other chemical formulae, thereby the understanding may be difficult for common man. The first and foremost consideration in this regard should be that of the level of understanding of the common man. The language must be easy to interpret and should not be restricted to one particular set of people who may specialize in the medical field. Numerous operating systems have launched applications for the purpose of medical health. Apple Inc is one of the leaders in this field. They launched this service couple of years ago. medical apps are one similar endeavor undertaken by Apple Inc and it has the number of applications under its belt that facilitate better healthcare knowledge and awareness. Android Operating system is not far behind and it has introduced numerous applications for the same purpose. Applications may be created in different ways. Some that contain the technical information for the specialists and people directly associated while others as the common people who may need the general information. This application may be used to determine the number of calories that may be taken daily, along with other mathematical figures that must be kept in mind. Finding the accurate blood pressures, sugar level and all the relevant information about similar minor diseases, information can be given spread through such applications. Calculate by QxMD is another application that is used as a medical calculator for the same purpose.

We are writing a news story or a profile of someone interesting Essay

We are writing a news story or a profile of someone interesting. Perhaps you can interview someone in Saudi Arabia and write a story about them - Essay Example Being an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at a reputed Jeddah hospital, Mr. Karim described how his life had changed since he stepped into the field of psychiatry. I started by asking him what the general responsibilities of his profession were. He replied that his main duty was to provide high quality psychiatric services, which included medication and therapeutic advice and sessions, to patients who came to him with a myriad of psychiatric problems. He worked both as a therapist and a medication advisor for most of the patients; while for some, he was only the medical advisor. He described that a typical shift of a psychiatrist included sessions with psychiatric patients. Each session was 30 minutes long, and he saw around 10 patients in a day. Continuing the interview, Mr. Karim explained that the biggest challenge he faced while working with a hospital was that, in contrast to private practice, he was not able to manage his working hours, which were set by the hospital authority. So, he did not have control over his time and schedule, which he missed when he was working as a solo practitioner in the past. He had to give explanations and put leave applications if he wanted to go on a leave. Also, the hospital demanded that he should be available to patients on phone all the time, 24/7, which was something that he was well managing as a solo practitioner. The hospital would also call him on weekends, on and off. He said that while working with the patients with difficult psychiatric conditions, it was sometimes very stressful for him to deal with stressors. Forgetting one’s own worries and dealing with others’ was what was required of him, which he was doing very well, but at times, he would become stressed out. He described how some patients gave him tough time. Some patients would attack him verbally to let go of their frustrations and anxiety, and it would become very hard for him to keep himself calm. However, he

Database Applications Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Database Applications - Research Paper Example Arnisted2 (2001) categorizes and differentiate these softwares as family software and business software depending upon contact information, medical records, hobbies, educational records, wish lists, diary, journal, etc. Groupware, also called as collaborative software, is an elementary component of a field of study known as Computer-Supported Cooperative Work or CSCW3. A few examples can be listed as Microsoft Exchange, MediaWiki, WetPaint, and ClassroomLive2.0 and so on. 2) What kinds of things do groupware users do with data? How does that data have to be treated? In general there are three functions of groupware, enabling human to converse, transact and collaborate the ‘information and knowledge’ (also termed as data), about self and others. Groupware users use data into several ways and for several purposes including sharing, analyzing, creating, discussing, debating, planning, summarizing, concluding, etc. Since data is a unique significant aspect for human individu al/group identity, this must be used and shared with utmost care. This can be used for semantic purposes, and, sometimes, can be misused too. Ample privacy and security of the data should be of prime concern while treating with this data. 3) Who pays the costs of groupware deployment? Who receives the benefits? Groupware can be freeware or shareware or authoring.

Nosocomial Infections: Literature Review

Nosocomial Infections: Literature Review Nosocomial infections are infections that are a result of treatment in a hospital or a healthcare unit. These infections are identified at least forty-eight to seventy-two hours following admission, so infections incubating, but not clinically apparent, at admission are excluded. It may also be within 30 days after discharge. With recent changes in health care delivery, the concept of nosocomial infections has sometimes been expanded to include other health care associated infections (Weinstein, 1991). These infections are also called hospital-acquired infection. Studies in the passed have reported that during hospitalization, at lest five percent of patients become infected. Similarly, a study carried out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States estimates that roughly 1.7 million hospital-associated infections, from all types of bacteria combined, cause or contribute to 99,000 deaths each year. In Europe the deaths estimated are 25000 each year. However , the case is more seen in the category of Gram-negative infections, which accounts for an estimated two thirds of the total cases reported. Nosocomial infections are commonly transmitted as a result of negligence of hygiene by some hospital personnel. Medical officials move from one patient to another. Thus in a situation where they do not maintain high hygiene standards, the officials themselves serve as means for spreading dangerous pathogens. Moreover, bodys natural protective barriers of the patients are bypassed by some medical procedures such as surgeries and injections. Hence with such hygienic negligence in our hospitals and other healthcare units, nosocomial infections become the order of the day and my cause severe cases of pneumonia and infections of the urinary tract, bloodstream or other parts of the body. Causes of nosocomial infections Nosocomial infections are caused by various factors. Some of the common ones include improper hygiene. Patients can get infections of diseases such methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), respiratory illnesses and pneumonia from hospital staff and their visitors (Webster, 1998). Also doctors and nurses who do not practice basic hygienic measures such as washing hands before attending to patients may spread MRSA among them. Other infections are due to injections. There are cases where some hospital staffs do not give injections properly. Infections like HIV and hepatitis B can be as a result of contaminated blood due to sharing syringes and needles between patients when injecting medication into their intravenous lines. Nosocomial infections may also be as a result of torn or improperly bandaged incisions during surgeries. These incisions get contaminated with bacteria from the skin or the surrounding environment. Similarly, bacteria can be introduced into the patients bod y by contaminated surgical equipment. Also breathing machines such as ventilators can spread infections like pneumonia among patients using them. Staffs that do not use the proper infection control measures tend to contaminate these machines with germs. There are also cases where people on breathing machines are unable to cough and expel germs from their lungs. This can be another cause. In addition, urinary track infections can be due to faulty removal of urine from patients who are not able to use the toilet. In most cases catheters are the common cause for such cases. These catheters cause these infections when they become contaminated with bacteria by medical staff during insertion or are not properly maintained while in use (Webster, 1998). Another cause of nosocomial infections is the organ transplant. Illnesses such hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV and syphilis can be spread through bone and tissue grafts that may result from blood transfusions, skin and organ transplants. Howev er such cases have become less common today due to factors such as improved technology. Many protective measures have been put in place to cut on these risks. Prevention of nosocomial infections Several measures can be put in place to prevent the spread of nosocomial infections. The most important measure to reduce the risk of transmitting skin microorganisms from one patient to another is hand washing. Medical staff washing hands as thoroughly and promptly as possible after attending to one patient where they may have come into contact with body fluids, excretions and blood, or equipment with these fluids, is a very important measure of nosocomial infection control. Even though it appears as a simple process, it is mostly overlooked or done incorrectly (Hiramatsu, Aritaka, Hanaki, Kawasaki, Hosoda Hori, 1997). As a result practitioners and visitors should be continuously reminded on the advantages of proper washing of hands. This can be achieved through use of signals on responsible hand washing. In addition to hand washing, gloves are very important since they prevent gross contamination of the hands when touching blood, body fluids, secretions, excretions, and mucous mem branes. They offer a protective barrier, in cases of exposure to blood borne pathogens. Similarly there is emphasis on surface sanitation. In health care environments, this is a critical component of breaking the cycle of infections. In cases concerning influenza, gastro enteritis and MRSA modern methods such as NAV-CO2 have been effective. Alcohol has been shown to be ineffective in endospore-forming bacteria such as Clostridium difficile and thus hydrogen peroxide is appropriate in this case. In addition, use of hydrogen peroxide vapor reduces infection rates and risks of acquisition. Some causes of infections are agent and host factors that are hard to control. In such cases isolation precautions can be designed to prevent transmission in common routes in health centers. For example a patient suffering from an air borne disease can be put in a separate room so as to control the spread of the disease. Another prevention measure is putting on protective clothing. An apron reduces t he risk of infection as it covers most parts of the body. However with all this said, strategically implementing QA/QC measures in health care sectors and evidence-based management are the most effective technique of controlling nosocomial infections. For example, in cases of diseases such as ventilator-associated pneumonia and hospital-acquired pneumonia, the management of the health center should pay more emphasis on the control and monitoring of the quality of the hospitals indoor air (Hiramatsu, Aritaka, Hanaki, Kawasaki, Hosoda, Hori, 1997). A Review of the Literature Robert A Weinstein (Cook County Hospital Rush Medical College, Chicago, Illinois, USA) In his research paper Robert Weinstein begins by a comparison of the cases of nosocomial infections now and in the past. Even though he agrees that there has been a reduction in number of cases, he goes a head to state that the numbers of death are still high. According to him, a study carried out in the United States estimated that in 1995, nosocomial infections cost $4.5 billion and contributed to more than 88,000 deaths (one death in every six minutes). I concur with these findings. Poor hygiene standards in most health centers have contributed to these high figures. There have been cases of medical practitioners who overlook basic hygienic measures such as a proper hand washing when attending to patients. There are cases where some medical services like injections are not administered in a proper manner. This is due to unqualified medical expertise especially in small health care centers. I think the researchs large numbers of deaths from nosocomial infections is due to such fact ors. I also agree with Weinstein that there is an approximately one third reduction in rate of infections in hospitals with the four basic infection control components (one infection control practitioner for every 250 beds, an effective hospital epidemiologist, ongoing control efforts and an active surveillance mechanism). As a result I think these infections can be controlled to a higher percentage if all hospitals and health centers could employ these basic components. Robert A Weinstein also states that there has been an increase in viral infections. Most nosocomial infections in Semmelweiss era were due to group A streptococci. In 1990 to 1996, 34% of nosocomial infections were due to the three most common gram-positive pathogens-S. aureus, enterococci and coagulase-negative staphylococci while the four most common gram-negative pathogens-Escherichia coli, P. aeruginosa, Enterobacter spp., and Klebsiella pneumoniae, accounted for 32%. With this trend I agree with Weinstein report. There has also been an increase in the blood transmitted infections hence increase in the cases of herpes viruses HIV-infections. On the other hand Weinsteins reveals that there is a higher rate of infection among the intensive care unit (ICU) patients. This is evident in our hospitals today. I think the increasingly aggressive medical and therapeutic interventions, including modern medical advancements like organ transplantations, implanted foreign bodies and xenotransplantations, have created a cohort of particularly vulnerable persons (Fridkin, Welbel Weinstein, 1997). In most cases, patients affected by nosocomial infections are those immunocompromised by underlying diseases, age or medical/surgical treatments. More cases of bloodstream infections coagulase-negative staphylococci occur in the ICU because it is in these areas that patients with invasive vascular catheters and monitoring devices could come into contact with these bloodstream infections. Due to these factors, I concur with Weinsteins research findings that infection rates in adult and pediatric ICUs are approximately three times higher than e lsewhere in hospitals. In conclusion, Robert A Weinsteins research paper portrays a comprehensive research. It addresses changes in the medical fraternity that have affected nosocomial infections in one way or another. It also shows the significant impact of advancement in technology in medical and health care in relation to nosocomial infections. Jessica Lietz Jessica Lietz presents her research on nosocomial infections putting more emphasis on the causes and prevention measures of the infections. She introduces her research stating that there are higher rates of infections in public hospitals as compared to private health centers. I concur with her findings on the basis of the difference in management in the two setups. Private centers tend to be managed in a better manner than public centers. This is because private hospitals are business oriented and the management is always doing all it can to better the institution so as to cope with the high market competition. As a result of this emphasis on good management, medical staff tends to adhere to rules and regulations. Hence the hygiene standards of these institutions are always high. Similarly there is close supervision of staff, another factor that advantages private hospitals over public ones. For the public medical institutions, the case is not the same. In most centers hygiene is not to standard. This may be due to several reasons. There is no close supervision of staff and same take this advantage of lack of a questioning authority to bypass basic hygiene measures. Similarly, public setups are prone to the effects of political differences between the staffs. Cases of corruption tend to take root in such centers and as a result, unqualified medical personnel find themselves in these institutions. In her take on the causes of nosocomial infections, she states lack of adequate public education on the infections as a key factor in their spread. I think the point holds water since there are same cases of transmission of these infections due to ignorance. For instance one may visit a patient suffering from an air borne disease and contact the disease without knowing. Similarly patients may share personal items such as towels, not knowing that they are subjecting themselves to harmful infections. I think enlightening the public in general on the dangers of these infections and the basic control measures like maintaining a high personal hygiene can go a greater mile in trying to control these infections. It is therefore important to create a society that empresses these basic measures. This can be achieved through airing nosocomial infection related articles in the media, organized open air lessons in villages and also be taught in learning institutions. Jessica Lietz on the other hand, argues out that just as hand washing is important as a measure of control; more emphasis should also be put on wearing of gloves. She states that gloves can also be used in the same context as hand washing as long as one glove is used on only one patient. I seem to disagree with this since there are challenges that come with it. Even though gloves offer a protective barrier, there are cases where these gloves tear. Moreover in instances where the gloves are not properly worn both the expertise and the patient may be a risk of infections. I strongly believe that a high standard of hygiene is the most appropriate way of fighting infections. As such, a basic, prompt and thorough hand wash is always the better option due its advantages. However, this does not rule out the use of gloves as they are equally important. In conclusion, this research article gives a general view of nosocomial infections. It does not reflect a deep research into the subject. Jessica gives more emphasis on general arguments. There are some issues concerning these infections that have not been covered or have been covered shallowly. Jessica does not explain in length how nosocomial infections have been affected by technology. Advancement in technology has revolutionalized the medical fraternity and has come with its own advantages and disadvantage. Therefore one can not make a general decision from this article as it is shallow and needs further research. National Center for Infectious Diseases This is an article on the research carried out on the nosocomial infections by the National Center for Infectious Diseases in the United States. It points out young children, the elderly and persons with compromised immune systems as people who are more prone to these infections. Long hospital stays, failure of healthcare workers to wash hands, use of indwelling catheters and overuse of antibiotics have also been highlighted to cause some cases of the infection (Fridkin, Welbel, Weinstein, 1997). Moreover the research acknowledges the effects of the diversification of technology on the spread and control of the infections highlighting organ transplant, catheters, xenotransplantations among others, as examples. Invasive procedures expose patient to the possibility of infection. The research highlights the percentages below. Causes of Urinary Tract Infections in Hospital Patients: Escherichia coli: 40% Proteus mirabilis: 11% Other Gram-negative bacteria: 25% Coagulase-negative staphylococci: 3% Other Gram-positive bacteria: 16% Candida albicans: 5% Causes of Urinary Tract Infections that are Community-acquired: Escherichia coli: 80% Coagulase-negative staphylococci: 7% Proteus mirabilis: 6% Other Gram-negative bacteria: 4% Other Gram-positive bacteria: 3% This is a comprehensive research that has covered nosocomial infections at length. It discusses key components of the infections giving considerations to both past and today world. Moreover, it compares the rate of the infections both in the urban and rural setting. Hence it is an article that tries to solve nosocomial infection dilemma. Toni Rizzo Toni Rizzo presents his research on the common types of infections in our hospital. He highlights respiratory procedures, intravenous (IV) procedures, surgery and wound and urinary bladder catheterization as the common types of infections. He states that most hospital-acquired UTIs happen after urinary catheterization. A healthy urinary bladder does not have bacteria or microorganisms (it is sterile). A catheter picks up bacteria that may be in or around the urethra and take them up into the bladder hence infecting it. This is a standard research as it touches on almost key issues in the subject matter. I agree with the findings. Fungus infections from Candida are prone to affect patients who are taking antibiotics or that have a poorly functioning immune system. Hence bacteria from the intestinal track are the most types of UTIs. Similarly respiratory procedures done in our hospitals today are the common causes of bacteria getting into the throat. Pneumonia thus becomes another common type of hospital-acquired infections. Once the throat is colonized, it is easy for a patient to inhale the microorganisms into the lungs. Moreover, patients who are unable to cough or gag very well are most likely to inhale colonized bacteria and microorganisms into their lungs. In general Toni Rizzo tries to address affects in medicine today. Infections due to modern advancements like organ transplant among others have been effectively discussed. Thus this is a comprehensive research. Emmanuelle Girou and Francois Stephan (Case-control Study of ICU Patients) This is an article on a study done in the ICU patients. Generally ICU patients are at a high risk of acquiring nosocomial infections and in same cases some die from these infections. There is a need for therapy whether infections in the ICU occur or not. The objectives of the study was to define the interrelationships between underlying disease, severity of illness, therapeutic activity and nosocomial infections in ICU patients, and their influence on these patients out come. The study was conducted in a 10-bed medical ICU. Initial severity of illness was matched, with daily monitoring of severity of illness and therapeutic activity scores, and with analysis of the contribution of nosocomial infections to patients outcomes. The study ran for one year and data carefully taken. Result Global incidence rate of 14.6 infections per 100 admissions was estimated as forty one out of the 281 studied patients developed at least one nosocomial infection. During their ICU stay, the 41 case-patients developed 98 nosocomial infections (2.4 episodes per patient): 15 pneumonias, 35 bacteremias, 33 urinary-tract infections, 12 central-venous-catheter-related infections, two sinusitides, and one surgical wound infection. Of the 35 episodes of bacteremia, only four were primary; the other 31 complicated the following nosocomial infections: 14 urinary tract infections, eight catheter-related infections, eight instances of pneumonia, and one surgical-site infected. The characteristics of patients in both groups were compared through use of the Mann-Whitney nonparametric test for continuous variables and the chi-square test for categorical variables. Wilcoxons test was used to compare two continuous variables within one group. To identify risk factors independently associated with no socomial infection, variables found to be significantly different between cases and controls in the univariate analysis were entered into a forward stepwise logistic-regression model (Statistica 4.5; Statsoft, Inc., Tulsa, OK). When patients developed multiple nosocomial infections during their hospitalization, only the first episode was used in the risk factor analysis. A value of p This is a very detailed and comprehensive case study. It clearly explains why the rate of infection is high in the ICU. This high rate is attributed to various factors. The immune system of most patients in the ICU is always low. Similarly these patients are subjected to taking more antibiotics. Long hospital stays is also another factor. Also it is in the ICU that most medical procedures like organ transplant, catheter, xenotransplantations among others, take place. The research also accounts for the effects of technology and other factors that affect these infections. It accounts for the findings given reasons based on concrete facts. As result, its a dependable research that can be used to study nosocomial infections especially in the ICU. In conclusion, all the articles above points out improved hygiene especially hand washing and immunization have resulted to the overall advances in control of infectious diseases. Negligence of hygiene is also portrayed as a major challenge to the efforts of control of nosocomial infections. I think for us to significantly control the infections, we must join forces and work together with medical personnel on implementation of existing infection control technologies. We should empress positive changes towards the control of nosocomial infection and observe high standards of hygiene so that we do not rely solely on technologic advances.

Modeling Ocean Acoustic Tomography Essay -- Science Ocean Tomography

Modeling Ocean Acoustic Tomography Ocean acoustic tomography is a recent scientific breakthrough in the last thirty years. This usage of this tomography is key because of the major affect the oceans play on the Earth’s biosphere. Water takes up about 75% of the world and plays a role in land temperature variance and seasonal climate changes. In 1965, scientists pictured the ocean’s general circulation being large slow-moving currents like the Gulf Stream. These conclusions were based on periodic observations. No one had a grasp on the water’s vast expansion and high reaching depths. In the 1950’s and 1960’s, new instruments were brought to the table. Subsurface floats moved with the ocean currents. Data was gathered while a signal was emitted so ships could track it. Ocean current meters weren’t mobile, but rather fixed to one location. They would remain anchored for several months gathering the changes within the water around them. These tools discovered variability within the water’s movements. The theories on slow, basin-scale currents were hidden by the domination of mesoscale fields. These fields are high energy flows that reach ten times the average velocity of major currents. These up-tempo movements relate to the out of water weather patterns. A mesoscale can be 100 square km in size and persist for 100 days while atmospheric weather will be 1000 km, but only resonant for 3-5 days. 99% of the ocean’s kinetic energy can be summed into these mesoscale rather than the slow basin-scales. Monitoring the newly discovered mesoscales became a problem. A grid would have to be set up with monitoring equipment at 50 km intervals. Sensors would be lowered to average ocean depths (approximately 5... ...phy system along with the old ship method. The tomography setup accomplished the task in 24 hours. It took the ship, though, three weeks because each interval stop took 4-5 hours. The map was also blurred because of the long â€Å"exposing† time. Quickness has become a major role characteristic, along with coverage. 1000 km of a current was measured for temperature averages. The methods are near the point of being able to measure temperatures around the world simultaneously for references on global warming. 75% of the world is water. Finally, we are being able to study it and apply it to weather patterns within the air. Works Cited Munk, Worcester, and Wunsch. Ocean Acoustic Tomography. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1995. Spindel, Robert C., and Peter F. Worcester. â€Å"Ocean Acoustic Tomography.† Scientific American Oct. 1990, vol. 263: 94-99.

Investment Management Exam Paper

Sample (Easy/Medium level of difficulty) Midterm Exam, FINE441- Fall 2012 – Answer KEYs are attached in the end! THIS IS THE EXAMPLE OF MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS. THE NUMERICAL PROBLEMS WILL BE SIMILAR (NOT IDENTICAL) TO THE END OF CHAPTER PROBLEMS POSTED ON My Courses and Assignments 1. You purchased a share of stock for $20. One year later you received $1 as dividend and sold the share for $29. What was your holding period return? A) 45% B) 50% C) 5% D) 40% E) none of the above Use the following to answer questions 2-3: You have been given this probability distribution for the holding period return for XYZ stock:State of the Economy Boom Normal growth Recession 2. Probability . 30 . 50 . 20 HPR 18% 12% – 5% What is the expected holding period return for XYZ stock? 3. What is the expected standard deviation for XYZ stock? 4. A T-bill pays 6 percent rate of return. Would risk-averse investors invest in a risky portfolio that pays 12 percent with a probability of 40 perc ent or 2 percent with a probability of 60 percent? A) Yes, because they are rewarded with a risk premium. B) No, because they are not rewarded with a risk premium. C) No, because the risk premium is small. D) Cannot be determined.E) None of the above 5. In the mean-standard deviation graph, which one of the following statements is true regarding the indifference curve of a risk-averse investor? A) It is the locus of portfolios that have the same expected rates of return and different standard deviations. B) It is the locus of portfolios that have the same standard deviations and different rates of return. C) It is the locus of portfolios that offer the same utility according to returns and standard deviations. D) It connects portfolios that offer increasing utilities according to returns and standard deviations.E) none of the above. 6. Assume an investor with the following utility function: U = E(r) – 3/2(s2). To maximize her expected utility, she would choose the asset with an expected rate of return of _______ and a standard deviation of ________, respectively. A) 12%; 20% B) 10%; 15% C) 10%; 10% D) 8%; 10% E) none of the above Consider a risky portfolio, A, with an expected rate of return of 0. 15 and a standard deviation of 0. 15, that lies on a given indifference curve. Which one of the following portfolios might lie on the same indifference curve? A) E(r) = 0. 15; Standard deviation = 0. 20 B) E(r) = 0. 5; Standard deviation = 0. 10 C) E(r) = 0. 10; Standard deviation = 0. 10 D) E(r) = 0. 20; Standard deviation = 0. 15 E) E(r) = 0. 10; Standard deviation = 0. 20 An investor can choose to invest in T-bills paying 5% or a risky portfolio with end-of-year cash flow of $132,000. If the investor requires a risk premium of 5%, what would she be willing to pay for the risky portfolio? A) $100,000 B) $108,000 C) $120,000 D) $145,000 E) $147,000 7. 8. 9. You invest $100 in a risky asset with an expected rate of return of 0. 12 and a standard deviation of 0 . 15 and a T-bill with a rate of return of 0. 05.What percentages of your money must be invested in the risky asset and the risk-free asset, respectively, to form a portfolio with an expected return of 0. 09? A) 85% and 15% B) 75% and 25% C) 67% and 33% D) 57% and 43% E) cannot be determined 10. Beta is the measure of A) firm specific risk. B) diversifiable risk. C) market risk. D) unique risk. E) none of the above. 11. The efficient frontier of risky assets is A) the portion of the investment opportunity set that lies above the global minimum variance portfolio. B) the portion of the investment opportunity set that represents the highest standard deviations.C) the portion of the investment opportunity set which includes the portfolios with the lowest standard deviation. D) the set of portfolios that have zero standard deviation. E) both A and B are true. 12. Consider two perfectly negatively correlated risky securities A and B. A has an expected rate of return of 10% and a standard deviation of 16%. B has an expected rate of return of 8% and a standard deviation of 12%. 12. 1. The weights of A and B in the global minimum variance portfolio are _____ and _____, respectively. A) 0. 24; 0. 76 B) 0. 50; 0. 50 C) 0. 57; 0. 43 D) 0. 43; 0. 57 E) 0. 76; 0. 24 12. 2.The risk-free portfolio that can be formed with the two securities will earn _____ rate of return. A) 8. 5% B) 9. 0% C) 8. 9% D) 9. 9% E) none of the above 13. Portfolio theory as described by Markowitz is most concerned with: A) the elimination of systematic risk. B) the effect of diversification on portfolio risk. C) the identification of unsystematic risk. D) active portfolio management to enhance returns. E) none of the above. 14. According to the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) a well diversified portfolio's rate of return is a function of A) market risk B) unsystematic risk C) unique risk. D) reinvestment risk.E) none of the above. 15. The risk-free rate and the expected market rate of return are 0. 06 and 0. 12, respectively. According to the capital asset pricing model (CAPM), the expected rate of return on security X with a beta of 1. 2 is equal to A) 0. 06. B) 0. 144. C) 0. 12. D) 0. 132 E) 0. 18 16. Which statement is not true regarding the market portfolio? A) It includes all publicly traded financial assets. B) It lies on the efficient frontier. C) All securities in the market portfolio are held in proportion to their market values. D) It is the tangency point between the capital market line and the indifference curve.E) All of the above are true. 17. Your personal opinion is that security X has an expected rate of return of 0. 11. It has a beta of 1. 5. The risk-free rate is 0. 05 and the market expected rate of return is 0. 09. According to the Capital Asset Pricing Model, this security is A) underpriced. B) overpriced. C) fairly priced. D) cannot be determined from data provided. E) none of the above. 18. According to the index model, covariances among security pa irs are A) due to the influence of a single common factor represented by the market index return. B) extremely difficult to calculate. C) related to industry-specific events.D) usually positive. E) A and D 19. In the single-index model represented by the equation ri = E(ri) + ? iF + ei, the term ei represents A) the impact of unanticipated macroeconomic events on security i's return. B) the impact of unanticipated firm-specific events on security i's return. C) the impact of anticipated macroeconomic events on security i's return. D) the impact of anticipated firm-specific events on security i's return. E) the impact of changes in the market on security i's return. 20. Suppose two portfolios have the same average return, the same standard deviation of returns, but portfolio A has a higher beta than portfolio B.According to the Sharpe measure, the performance of portfolio A __________. A) is better than the performance of portfolio B B) is the same as the performance of portfolio B C ) is poorer than the performance of portfolio B D) cannot be measured as there is no data on the alpha of the portfolio E) none of the above is true. 21. An arbitrage opportunity exists if an investor can construct a __________ investment portfolio that will yield a sure profit. A) positive B) negative C) zero D) all of the above E) none of the above 22. Consider the one-factor APT. The variance of returns on the factor portfolio is 6%.The beta of a well-diversified portfolio on the factor is 1. 1. The variance of returns on the well-diversified portfolio is approximately __________. A) 3. 6% B) 6. 0% C) 7. 3% D) 10. 1% E) none of the above 23. Consider the single factor APT. Portfolio A has a beta of 0. 2 and an expected return of 13%. Portfolio B has a beta of 0. 4 and an expected return of 15%. The riskfree rate of return is 10%. If you wanted to take advantage of an arbitrage opportunity, you should take a short position in portfolio _________ and a long position in portfolio __ _______. A) A, A B) A, B C) B, A D) B, B E) none of the above 4. You sold short 300 shares of common stock at $55 per share. The initial margin is 60%. At what stock price would you receive a margin call if the maintenance margin is 35%? A. $51. 00 B. $65. 18 C. $35. 22 D. $40. 36 E. none of the above 25. You purchased 1000 shares of CSCO common stock on margin at $19 per share. Assume the initial margin is 50% and the maintenance margin is 30%. Below what stock price level would you get a margin call? Assume the stock pays no dividend; ignore interest on margin A. $12. 86 B. $15. 75 C. $19. 67 D. $13. 57 U = E(r) – (A/2)s2, where A = 4. . 26. Based on the utility function above, which investment would you select? A. 1 B. 2 C. 3 D. 4 E. cannot tell from the information given 27. Analysts may use regression analysis to estimate the index model for a stock. When doing so, the slope of the regression line is an estimate of ______________. A. the ? of the asset B. the ? of the as set C. the ? of the asset D. the ? of the asset E. the ? of the asset 28. Analysts may use regression analysis to estimate the index model for a stock. When doing so, the intercept of the regression line is an estimate of ______________.A. the ? of the asset B. the ? of the asset C. the ? of the asset D. the ? of the asset E. the ? of the asset 29. The index model for stock A has been estimated with the following result: RA= 0. 01 + 0. 9RM+ eA If ? M= 0. 25 and R2A= 0. 25, the standard deviation of return of stock A is _________. A. 0. 2025 B. 0. 2500 C. 0. 4500 D. 0. 8100 E. 0. 5460 Answer keys for the Sample Midterm, Fall 2012, FINE441. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 1 12. 2 13. B 14. A 15. D 16. D 17. C 18. E 19. B 20. B 21. C 22. C 23. C 24. B 25. D 26. C 27. B 28. A 29. C B C E B C C C C D C A D C

Roots of Forgiveness essays

Roots of Forgiveness essays The fact that human beings have become and remain the dominant life forms on this planet rests not solely on the fact that we possess a larger, more complex brain, but on those higher cognitive functions which that brain provides. One of the most distinguishing of these is forgiveness, an act that is virtually non-existent among other animals. The act of forgiveness can be explained using many psychological theories ranging from psychoevolutionary, to cognitive, to social-learning. However, before any explanation can be given, it is necessary to describe those events prior to forgiveness. If youre in the position to forgive or not forgive a person, that person has undoubtedly caused you distress in some specific manner. Distress is described as a negative response to stress, while stress is regarded as a set of neurophysiological reactions that exist to serve an adaptive purpose. The work of Hans Selye provided the base for many of todays theories regarding stress. Selye described a three-stage General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) to illustrate the bodys response to stressors. In the initial stage of alarm, the body recognizes the stressor and gathers resources to assist in a fight or flight situation. In this stage, the first neurophysiological reaction experienced is the Sympathetic Adrenal Response. During this response the adrenal medulla secretes epinephrine (also known as adrenaline) increasing heart rate, oxygen consumption and glycogen mobilization, while the spleen secretes red blood cells (further oxygenating the blood, the thyroid secretes hormones to assis t in metabolism. Noticeable physiological responses also occur in this first stage to further prepare the body for flight or flight. Platelets increase in the bloodstream to promote coagulation of blood should injury occur, perspiration cools the body, and the muscles tighten to protect vital organs and defend the body or flee the scene if necessary. T...

The Ludlow Amendment and American Isolationism

The Ludlow Amendment and American Isolationism Once upon a time, Congress nearly gave away its right to debate and declare war. It never actually happened, but it came close in the days of American isolationism something called the Ludlow Amendment. Shunning the World Stage With the exception of a brief flirtation with empire in 1898, the United States attempted to avoid involvement in foreign affairs (European, at least; the U.S. never had many problems shouldering into Latin American affairs), but close ties to Great Britain and Germanys use of submarine warfare dragged it into World War I in 1917. Having lost 116,000 soldiers killed and another 204,000 wounded in just over a year of the war, Americans were not eager to get involved in another European conflict. The country adopted its isolationist stance. Insistent Isolationism Americans adhered to isolationism throughout the 1920s and 1930s, regardless of events in Europe and Japan. From the rise of Fascism with Mussolini in Italy to the perfection of Fascism with Hitler in Germany and the hijacking of the civil government by militarists in Japan, Americans tended their own issues. Republican presidents in the 1920s, Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge, and Herbert Hoover, also gave scant attention to foreign affairs. When Japan invaded Manchuria in 1931, Hoovers Secretary of State Henry Stimson merely gave Japan a diplomatic slap on the wrist. The crisis of the Great Depression swept Republicans from office in 1932, and new President Franklin D. Roosevelt was an internationalist, not an isolationist. FDRs New Attitude Roosevelt firmly believed that the United States should respond to events in Europe. When Italy invaded Ethiopia in 1935, he encouraged American oil companies to enact a moral embargo and stop selling oil to Italys armies. The oil companies refused. FDR, however, won out when it came to the Ludlow Amendment. Peak of Isolationism Representative Louis Ludlow (D-Indiana) introduced his amendment several times to the House of Representatives beginning in 1935. His 1938 introduction was the one most likely to pass. By 1938, Hitlers reinvigorated German army had retaken the Rhineland, was practicing blitzkrieg on behalf of Fascists in the Spanish Civil War and was preparing to annex Austria. In the East, Japan had started a full-out war with China. In the United States, Americans were scared history was about to repeat. Ludlows Amendment (a proposed amendment to the Constitution) read: Except in the event of an invasion of the United States or its Territorial possessions and attack upon its citizens residing therein, the authority of Congress to declare war shall not become effective until confirmed by a majority of all votes cast thereon in a Nation-wide referendum. Congress, when it deems a national crisis to exist, may by concurrent resolution refer the question of war or peace to the citizens of the States, the question to be voted on being, Shall the United States declare war on _________? Congress may otherwise by law provide for the enforcement of this section. Twenty years earlier, even entertaining this resolution would have been laughable. In 1938, though, the House not only entertained it but voted on it. It failed, 209-188. FDRs Pressure FDR hated the resolution, saying it would unduly limit the powers of the presidency. He wrote to Speaker of the House William Brockman Bankhead that: I must frankly state that I consider that the proposed amendment would be impracticable in its application and incompatible with our representative form of government. Our Government is conducted by the people through representatives of their own choosing, FDR continued. It was with singular unanimity that the founders of the Republic agreed upon such free and representative form of government as the only practical means of government by the people. Such an amendment to the Constitution as that proposed would cripple any President in his conduct of our foreign relations, and it would encourage other nations to believe that they could violate American rights with impunity. I fully realize that the sponsors of this proposal sincerely believe that it would be helpful in keeping the United States out of war. I am convinced it would have the opposite effect, the president concluded. Incredible (Near) Precedent Today the House vote that killed the Ludlow Amendment doesnt look all that close. And, had it passed the House, its unlikely the Senate would have passed it on to the public for approval. Nevertheless, its amazing that such a proposal got so much traction in the House. Incredible as it may seem, the House of Representatives (that house of Congress most answerable to the public) was so scared of its role in U.S. foreign policy that it seriously considered giving up one of its bedrock Constitutional duties; the declaration of war. Sources Ludlow Amendment, full text. Accessed September 19, 2013.Peace And War: United States Foreign Policy, 1931-1941. (U.S. Government Printing Office: Washington, 1943; repr. U.S. Department of State, 1983.) Accessed September 19, 2013.

Collaborative Consumption Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Collaborative Consumption - Essay Example The concept of collaborative consumption has been aided by advancing technology and peer communities that reinvents old behaviours of the market on new scale and ways that have not been witnessed before. Examples of aspects that enhance collaborative consumption include: car sharing marketplaces such as Zipcar, huge marketplaces such as Craiglist and eBay, and peer-to-peer communities such as GuideHop (Walljasper, 2010, p. 28). Several studies have shown that collaborative consumption is greatly disrupting the traditional business models, while at the same time reinventing old market behaviours thereby influencing how people consume and what they consume. Since collaborative consumption is disrupting the traditional business models and reinventing old market behaviours, it is conceivable that this new era will require a dramatic re-evaluation of everything that we know regarding improvement of the relationship between the customers and the suppliers. It is no doubt that the extent of re-evaluation would be bigger than even imagined. This is some sort of paradigm shift from â€Å"common consumption† that has been characterized by a number of problems, miscommunication being its biggest problem (Baron and Harris, 2008, p. 113). Collaborative consumption is informed by the theory of collaboration which basically states that collaboration is enhanced among people when the collaborators are expecting beneficial outcome from the collaboration. Price et al (2006, p. 51) argues that this theory holds that collaboration is vital towards eliminating inherent selfish nature of human beings by making them see benefits out of combined actio ns and efforts. Further, collaborative consumption is informed by the collaboration theory assumption that it has a causal outcome; that is, if causal outcome is higher then the collaborators would have higher commitment and participation levels. Even though â€Å"common consumption† is still prominent in the marketplaces, it is emerging that everything is becoming collaborative. The world has in recent times has experienced immense renting and swapping of clothes, homes, and cars through technologies and peer communities such as Airnb, Zipcar, and RentCycle (Walljasper, 2010, p. 57). Collaborative consumption is a theory in itself that holds that people can buy something without necessarily owning it. The view of not owning something after buying it notwithstanding, a person buying it should take responsibility for them, be it clothes, electric, or car. The era of collaborative consumption requires dramatic re-evaluation in respect to both customer-supplier relationship and how we look at the community. This dramatic re-evaluation has to entail the understanding of the resurgence of community, the values in the community, and how members of the community connect to one another. The same re-evaluation should be applied to the customer- supplier relationship. As has been noted, consumers and suppliers in this model calls for more responsibilities; as such, it is critical to re-evaluate the accountability and the responsibility aspects in the model (Holt, 2005, p. 6). Collaborative consumption has been touted as one of the greatest revolutions of our time and may be as significant as the industrial revolution. It has been argued

Marketing plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Marketing plan - Essay Example This is because Carl’s Jr. was selling the same type of hamburgers but at half the price. Others offer that the accompaniments that were served with the hamburger, mustard/mayo sauce on potato roll to be specific resulted to the failure. The mega campaign which failed was also partially blamed for the product failure as it targeted the adult population only. Still, some customers offer that the high calorie in the burger was the reason behind the product failure to capture the market. Background McDonalds is undoubtedly one of the fastest growing companies in the fast food industry, which is dominated by a host of players. Some of these players include Carl’s Jr, Burger King, KFC, and Pizza hut. These competitors pose a threat to McDonalds as they have conduced to the decrease in profits. This is because of the alternative products that these competitors continue to offer to the customers. McDonalds is a franchise of many companies with only 19% owed by the company. The company has over 33000 restaurants spread across the globe, serving close to 58 million customers. The company also has dozens of branches situated in 119 countries. McDonalds collected an average of $22,744,700 million in revenues from its global branches in 2009 with operating profits standing at $ 6,841000 million. Market Analysis Analysts predict that the fast food industry is growing at a first rate as customers’ demands for fresh quickly served meals surges. One of the dominant key players in this market is the McDonalds. The company is currently at its maturity level in the product life cycle. However, the fast food market faces constant decrement because of factors such as limited expansion sites, increasing operation costs, and market saturation. Vivid competition in the market has led to production promotion techniques such as price cuts, which have resulted to a diminution in profitability in the industry. Normal Forecast Most of the products that fail to capture the attention of customers in the market are not always inferior. In order for a company to succeed in launching a product, management has to undertake an in-depth research on the market. Through such an initiative, the organization can come up with creative ideas on the areas of packaging, market communication, and pricing. All these activities are facilitated through brainstorming with all the departments in the organization. Failure to consult will result to the release of uncompetitive products in terms of price, packaging, and market communication, into the market. The same applied to McDonald’s Arch Deluxe, which despite massive campaign, failed to sustain the market forces. As mentioned above, some of the reasons were high market price, mega campaign fail and poor market presentation. The other reason behind product failure is intensive competition. When many producers offer the same product to the market, the resultant effect will be edacious competition, where only t he superior products in price, packaging and advertising, end-up being selected by the customer. A good example is Carl’s Jr., which blocked the entry of McDonald’s Arch Deluxe. According to Brand marketing (2006, p. 3), Jack Greenberg McDonalds’ CEO, on an interview with the Financial Times consented that the company spent too much time deciding on when to launch the product. Most of the company’s marketing and branding decisions are made at the headquarters in Oak Brook, Illinois. As such, the

American Conflicts Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 7500 words

American Conflicts - Research Paper Example The Revolution was seen as a war of independence. There are several stages in a revolution. One stage is that â€Å"the various fibers are knit together† and you have to stretch some parts while loosening the other parts. There can several analogies of a revolution. But one thing is certain, there has to be changed. Revolution is changing, and the change can be in the system, in the method and the ways of ruling. The social consequences of a revolution are not the result of the wishes and plans of those who started the revolution but by the desires of those who are in control. The American Revolution was started by only a few compared to the population at that time. It was started by a numerical minority, â€Å"just like the Viet Cong†, although by the end of the revolution, the majority of the colonists may have supported the struggle against Great Britain. The war between the Patriots and Tories resembled like the Vietnam-Vietcong conflict. The Americans sought foreig n aid instead of foreign alliance. John Adams warned that alliances would entrap America in future European wars.   For instance, the French did not want a second American invasion of Canada, and the French did not want the new United States full control of the North American continent because they had the fishing rights in the Mississippi.Wars mar the history of a nation (Morris, 1969, p. 350). The Civil War in America’s history, which marked its 150th year in 2011, tested the American spirit.

Marketing is more than selling and promotion Essay Example for Free

Marketing is more than selling and promotion Essay The primary concern or objective of marketing is to identify and satisfy, or exceed the changing needs of customers. In view of this broad concern of marketing, it can be seen that the concept of marketing summarizes many activities in a business. Marketing, in fact, refers to any activity undertaken by a firm that has been designed to plan, price, promote and distribute ideas, goods and services to target markets. These marketing activities were executed in order to create an exchange and sales that will result in the achievement of the proprietors individual goals and the firms goals, both in the short-term and the long-term. It is then obvious that marketing forms an integral component of any businesss operations. In particular marketing activities attempt to increase a firms revenue base, by showing the importance of attracting potential customers in target markets to purchase the firms products in order to satisfy their wants, rather than those of firms competitors. Consequently, the marketing directly contributes to the attainment of the financial goals of the firm. Hence, the success of a firm is reliant upon the extent to which it is able to identify, and satisfy the customers needs more effectively. Marketing as an activity that involves several features, all of which are presented during the course of the marketing process. Such features include, firstly and most importantly, that marketing is a long process that begins with the creation of an idea and ends up as product that will be sold to satisfy a customers needs. Secondly, marketing is seen as a managerial process as it involves making managerial decisions about the particular mix of product, price, place and promotion in a firm. Furthermore, marketing involves managers planning and ensuring that particular arranged activities are carried out, in order for the marketing plan to be successful. Finally, marketing is perceived as a way in which firms are able to satisfy the needs of customers, and in turn achieve their own business goals. Marketing provides the business with the ability to satisfy the changing wants of customers. In light of this, and the fact that businesses have  become increasingly aware of the role that marketing plays in achieving success in the business, several approaches or philosophies to marketing have developed. There are different approaches to marketing, to help to define marketing and to show, how a specific marketing approach/s depends upon particular businesss marketing strategy and the type of product being marketed. Starting with a Marketing Concept, which believes that a customers need for satisfaction, is the economic and social reason for an organisations existence. This approach requires, that all of the businesss activities should be targeted towards meeting consumer wants, while at the same time meeting the organisations goals. In effect, this approach needs the firm to find out what the customer wants, and subsequently develops a product to meet these requirements and then sell it at a profit. Then the Production Concept should be considered. This approach states that the business will sell its product if it is both well made and affordable. Businesses utilising this method require management to focus on improving production techniques and cost structures of the business The Product Concept focuses on the quality, features, and performance of the product. Believing that if the product has more features or is of a better quality and performance compared to competitors, it will then gain greater sales it is defiantly less customer orientated. The Selling Concept concentrates on developing sales techniques and promotional activities in order to entice customers into buying an organisations product, whether they want it or not. Therefore this approach places direct emphasis on customers, but possibly not on their want-satisfaction. After all the Societal Marketing Concept which is the latest marketing approach, combines the main ideas of the marketing approach, that is, determining customer needs and satisfying the businesss goals, but also integrates social responsibility into the business. This social responsibility includes increasing environmental awareness, which may include tackling the problems of pollution and the exploitation of  non-renewable resources. Modern day businesses are under pressure to adopt this marketing approach, in order to become more socially responsible. This approach not only focuses on fulfilling the customers want-satisfaction, but also satisfying society. These four approaches in particular show, that marketing is more than promoting and selling a product. They could be compared with the four P?s (product, place, promotion and price), which are normally used to describe the process of marketing. But the concepts of marketing, production, product, selling and society marketing give another view into the difficult and never ending process of marketing.

Environmental Studies Essays Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development

Environmental Studies Essays Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development A small manufacturing company is keen to promote its activitiesas being sustainable. As part of this process, the management has decided toimplement an EMS with a view to obtaining ISO 14001 certification. Withspecific reference to issues that are likely to be relevant to a smallmanufacturing company, discuss the role of the environmental management toolswe considered in workbook 2 and explain how these environmental managementtools are interrelated in terms of both data inputs/outputs and methodologies.Also, describe to what extent the EMS and the use of management tools could beseen as contributing to sustainable developments. Interest in environmental protection and sustainable development has beenincreasing year by year. To meet the challenges, an Environmental ManagementSystem (EMS) is implemented. An EMS is a continuous cycle of planning,implementing, reviewing and improving the processes and actions that anorganisation undertakes to meet its environmental obligations. The worlds firststandard for environmental management systems (EMS) BS 7750 was developed andpublished by the British Standards Institution (BSI) in 1992. This later formed the basis for the ISO 14000, which was developed by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO). In 1996, ISO 14001 which establishes the requirements for an EMS was finalised. Implementation of an EMS can improve environmental performance, reduced liability, competitive advantage, reduced costs, fewer accidents, employee involvement, compliance performance, enhance management confidence, increase efficiency, improve public image, enhance customer trust, meet customer requirements and growth management. Thekey to effective environmental management is the use of a systematic approachto planning, controlling, measuring and improving an organisationsenvironmental performance. Common aspects of an EMS are environmental policy,adequate resources, responsibilities and authorities, training, systemdocumentation, operational controls, document control, system audits andmanagement review. Most EMS models are based on the concept of Plan, Do,Check, Act model introduced by Shewart and Deming which emphasises the conceptof continual improvement. Someof the important EMS elements in common EMS models are discussed in detail.Most of the EMS components are inter-related (given in fig 1). The firstelement is the environmental policy, which is the top managementsdeclaration of its commitment to the environment. The environmental policy servesas a foundation and vision of environmental concern by the entire organisation.The policy should relate to the companys products and services, be simple,understandable, and explicit enough to be audited. The policy is relevant tocontinual improvement, pollution prevention and compliance with relevant lawsand regulations. Thesecond element is the identification of environmental aspects which arethe organisations activities, products, or services that can interact with theenvironment. These environmental aspects , which are called as significantenvironmental aspects, determine the environment objectives to beestablished and operational controls and actions defined later. Theenvironmental aspects are essential to establish positive impacts on thebottom line and providing environmental improvements. Legal and other requirements of the EMS may include federalrequirements, state and local requirements, standards in locations in which thecompanys products/services are sold and permit conditions. These requirementsshould be factored into the organisations management efforts to avoidpotential costs as non-compliance can cause possible damage to the environment,revenue loss and impact on public image. Objectives and targets establish environmental goals for theorganisation in line with company policy, environmental policy, environmentalimpacts, the views of interested parties and other factors. This is essentialto help an organisation translate purpose into action. Various EMS implementationprojects for small and medium-sized companies indicate that it is best to startwith a limited number of objectives and expand the list over time. Measurementof progress of achieving targets should be determined. An Environmental Management Program is developed byplanning to achieve objectives. Targets should be set by definingresponsibilities for achieving goals and means and time frame for achievingthem. Therefore, an Environmental Management Program acts as a road map/actionplan for achieving environmental goals. Re-evaluation of the action plan andfocus in continual improvement should be made. Structureand responsibility defines effective roles and responsibilities and ensuresthat the top management provide resources including human resources,specialised skills, technology, and financial resources. Small and medium-sizedorganisations may have advantages over large ones in structuring theirresources for environmental management as resource being limited; people haveexperience in performing multiple functions. Structure and responsibility isneeded for an EMS to live up to its full potential. Training,awareness and competency are important for awareness, motivation,commitment, skills/capability, compliance and performance as every employee canhave potential impacts on the environment by generating good ideas forimprovement. Training should be conducted and tracked and its effectivenessevaluated. Establishment of internal and external communications onenvironmental management issues for neighbours, community groups, otherinterest groups, local officials, regulatory agencies and emergency respondersshould be effected to maintain the flow of useful and required information.Effective communication can help to motivate workforce, gain acceptance for thecompanys plans and efforts, explain the companys environmental policy, ensureunderstanding of roles and expectations, demonstrate management commitment,monitor and evaluate performance and identify potential system improvements. EMSdocumentation by maintaining information on EMS and related documentsshould be done to provide adequate information to the people involved in thesetting up of the EMS and also to external parties like customers, regulators,lending institutions, registrars and the public for better understanding. Documentcontrol is a mechanism providing up-to-date procedures, instructions andother documents to ensure effective management of procedures and other systemdocuments . It ensures that people are consistently performing in the rightway. It is linked with EMS documentation, operational control and records. Operationalcontrol is effected by identifying, planning and managing operations andactivities in line with company policy, objectives and targets which includedocumented procedures to manage environmental policy, significant environmentalaspects, objectives and targets and legal and other requirements. It ensuresthat the commitments of the environmental policy is satisfied and preventdeviations from the policy. Operational control is also needed to managesignificant aspects or legal requirements. Emergency preparedness and response is to be maintained to reduceinjuries, prevent or minimize environmental impacts, protect employees andneighbours, reduce asset losses and minimize downtime. It serves as a tool todetermine whether more training and revision of emergency plans and proceduresis needed. Monitoringand measurement of key activities and performance is essential to evaluateenvironmental performance, analyse root causes of problems, assess compliancewith legal requirements, identify areas requiring corrective action, improveperformance and increase efficiency. In general, is serves as an assessment ofhow well the system is performing and helps to manage the organisation better.Monitoring is done effectively when current and reliable data is available byproper EMS documentation and Document control. Non-conformance and corrective and preventive action is essentialto identify and investigate problems, identify root causes, identify andimplement corrective and preventive actions and make sure actions are trackedand their effectiveness verified. Most EMS problems are identified by internalauditors by accessing information from operation control and monitoring andmeasurement. Records are essential to demonstrate the actual implementation ofthe EMS designed. Records have value internally as well as over time when thereis a need to provide evidence to external parties such as customers, aregistrar or the public. Accurate records is also essential for a system tooperate consistently. Virtually every element of the EMS can result in thegeneration of records as it is inter-linked. An EMS audit is a systematic and documented verification processof objectively obtaining and evaluating evidence to confirm whether anorganisations environmental management system conforms to the environmentalmanagement system audit criteria set by the organisation. In a smallerorganisation, periodic audits can be particularly valuable as managers close tothe work may not often see the problems or insufficient procedures that have beendeveloped. Management review is the key to continual improvement and forensuring that the EMS will continue to meet the organisations needs over time.They also offer a great opportunity to keep the EMS efficient and costeffective. Smaller organisations often favour employee experience over writtenprocedures and documented systems. However, personnel turnover withoutdocumented systems can stall progress. On establishment of an EMS, it isessential to evaluate how useful it is to relate to the companys policytowards sustainable development. For any company, economic growth has been considered as a major indicatorof a healthy society, but lately, the environmental cost has been recognised bythe society. So there is a need to develop sustainable development a meansof satisfying present needs without compromising the ability of the futuregenerations to meet theirs. The implementation of sustainable managementinitiatives has been mainly a reaction to environmental pressures, legalobligations, risk management, customer demands and competition. This has leadto a change in the stakeholders interpretation of sustainable developmentthrough constraints of politics, economics, science, culture and religion. The intent of an EMS is to facilitate a voluntary implementation of aneffective management system for both sound environmental performance and alsoparticipation in environmental schemes. The design principle of an EMS is notto be a regulatory device as such, but as a regulatory device with the objectiveof sustainable development. To evaluate their role in sustainable development,in their current form, EMS only functions for continual improvement onenvironmental objectives and targets after considering regulations, effects ofthe products on the environment, organisational goals and views of concernedparties. Implementing an EMS does not alter the basic obligation to comply with applicable requirements or the requirements themselves. Through compliance, they provide ways to make achievement of that end more sustainable and predictable. So EMS has emerged as a important tool in improving performance above legal minimums and widely accepted. References. Cascio, J.,Woodside, G and Mitchell, P. (1996) ISO 14000: A guide to the New InternationalEnvironmental Standards. New York: McGraw-Hill Education. Hillary (1994)The Eco-Management and Audit Scheme: A Practical Guide. UK: Stanley Thornes(Publishers) Ltd. IAS (1991)International Accounting Standards (2nd Edition). Vol I II.IAS No 1-31. Copenhagen: FSRs Forlag. International Network for Environmental Management. (2004) YourEnvironmental Management Tool Box, INEM. http://www.inem.org/htdocs/inem_tools.html#Anchor-ISO-11481[12/08/2005]. Netrags. (2005)Environmental Management Systems, Netrags. http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/netregs/275207/587836/?version=1lang=_e[14/08/2005]. Rao, P K. (2000)Sustainable Development Economics and Policy. Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishers. SETAC (1991) ATechnical Framework for Life-Cycle Assessment. Washington DC: SETAC. Stapleton, P J.,Glover, M A. and Davis, S P. (2nd Eds) (2001) EnvironmentalManagement Systems: An Implementation Guide for Small and Medium-SizedOrganisations. NSF. Sturn, A andUpasena, S. (1997, 1998) ISO 14001 Implementing an Environmental ManagementSystem (version 2.02, 1998). Available from: www.ellipson.com[12/08/2005].