Business Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business Finance - Essay Example the society whose sole levers and gears are the different types of business and its organisations that are generating these revenues at a higher interest. But it is to remember that money multiplies money; and then who is sourcing these revenue generating businesses to expand their own operations and other developments. This paper will through light on the sourcing and the using issues of the finance and the business finance respectively. The field of finance refers to the concepts of time, money and risk and how they are interrelated. The term finance may thus incorporate any of the following studies; like the study of money and other assets, the management and control of those assets, profiling and managing project risks, the science of managing money, the industry that delivers financial services. As a verb, "to finance" is to provide funds for business or for an individuals purchases it becomes the act of lending money to a party to meet its requirements. Though the financer receives interest, the borrower pays a higher interest than the financer receives and the financial intermediary that is the financer itself pockets the difference (Jones 2002). This is the simple structure of financing and the glory of this business. A specific example of corporate finance is the sale of stock by a company to institutional investors like investment banks, who in turn generally sell it to the public. Finance is used by individuals and creates personal finance, by governments as public finance, by businesses that is the corporate finance and as well as by a wide variety of organizations including schools and non-profit organizations. In general, the goals of each of the above activities are achieved through the use of appropriate financial instruments, with consideration to their institutional setting (Beaney 2005). This is where the finance plays the role of a resource. Finance is one of the most important aspects of any business management. Without proper financial

Acting Out Culture by James S. Miller Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Acting Out Culture by James S. Miller - Essay Example However I believe these beliefs are wrong due to the fact that religion is alive and being practiced on a daily basis. In the critical and incisive essay â€Å"The Wages of Sin† by Francine Prose she described the Arrogant Fat Police and their assistants who perceive overweight people as a strain of overstuffed outlaws have chosen a religious dialect and metaphor to split the social order into two parts: The narrow, slender and healthy souls guaranteed to have a place in heaven and the shockingly overweight souls guaranteed a place hell. To put more emphasis on this divergence, the overweight Police not forgetting self-loathing overweight individuals themselves, emphasize primary controlling of â€Å"overweight behavior,† which would means introduction of fat taxes. These taxes she believes should be subjected to fans of movie popcorn, massive burritos, enormous masses of ice cream, soda, and all other junk food that predisposes one to becoming overweight or excessively fat. The Overweight Police and their devotees have also evangelized the notion that ethical immorality, â€Å"immoral self-indulgence,† causes one to indulge in activities that predisposes one to becoming obese. It is therefore true to say that overweight people are not destitute victims of the surroundings or hereditary traits but the consequence of their individual laziness, greediness, and gluttony. One more group that indemnifies overweight individuals from experiencing the brand of stigmatization is the world’s shared opinion that plump overweight people can only blame themselves for their condition which is lack of self-control when it comes to consumption of food.   She exemplifies her discomfort disgust of the fact that when overweight people are trying to enter, fit or exit public transportation vehicles such as buses, commercial plains and the subway they almost all the time have to brush their fleshy bodies with everyone (Francine). He displays that their condition is discourteous and self-centered. He finds fat people so over-sized that them and their overweight colleagues and allies are supposed to fee for at least two commercial plane or bus permits to provide accommodation for their lumbering rumps.    Lastly according to â€Å"Wages of Sin†, if overweight people can be protected from themselves, it will be mandatory for them to leave their selfish desires of the flesh that have transformed them into overweight persons and turn to God and spiritual intervention and repent for their sins. She talks of Twelve Step to be followed; evangelistic gospel zones and other inspirational implements entrenched in the language of God, the devil, sin, and divine providence that these people should follow. Although in the â€Å"Wages of Sin† the author focuses on overweight people and their food consumption habits, in â€Å"Add Cake, Subtract Self-Esteem,† by Caroline Knapp, she mostly focuses on the way women view thems elves and their bodies. This is mostly concerned with their weight, appearance and general overall look. Women are very concerned with the way they look and their self body image. They are very conscious of the way people perceive them and therefore they always want to ensure what they see in the mirror will appeal to everyone else. According to Caroline the eating habits of women in the world today has greatly changed whereby women are judged with what they eat and the way they eat. Women are expected to eat very

Leadership and Change Management in the Merger of Hewlett-Packard

Leadership and Change Management in the Merger of Hewlett-Packard William Hewlett and David Packard the two Stanford graduates started there business in garage at alto. After a year they did partnership called Hewlett-Packard by 1947 HP came into existence as worlds second largest computer supplier with net revenue of $42 billion. HP originally dealed with auio oscillators and then gradually entered personal computers field in 1980. Recent the company launched laserjet printer which is a greatest hit for the company. Compaq computer corporation formed by two senior managers at Texas entered personal computer field in 1982. Due to excellent quality service it was considered globally as worlds largest manufacturers of personal computers.the name of company itself is derived from Compatiblity and quality. The initial computers launched by Compaq were not handy there appearance was like a suitcase still a net revenue of 111 million dollars was generated. VALUES: THE HP WAY Bill Hewlett and dave Packard created a set of values to guide the company and change the company . these values became famous as the HP way which are as follows: the strength of corporate society is profit so identify profit in order to contribute to the society. There should be continous improvement in product and services of the company. Always look for new opportunities but stay focused on area where company is benefitted. Increase companys success by providing employment opportunities. Always give a work environment to encourage motivation and innovation Be a good citizen and be social Focus on basic exponential growth Leadership at HP Carleton S. (Carly) Fiorina Carly Fiorina was highly qualified peson who before coming to HP had 20 years experirnce of working at AT T as a senior leader. she became CEO of HP in1999 and was the first woman to be the leader so such a huge company and nations prominent female executive. She was very extravagant in managing work. She had strong capability to understand what should be done to achieve the set goals. She had a clear insight of the challenges that the company were facing. She was a powerful Charismatic leader who was able to do the cultural change change in the company with her assertive nature and honesty. She possessed transformational leadership quality that helped to make HP an effective leader in the competitive market. HP was now more flexible, innovative and possessed a effective internal environment whose primary focus was customer satisfaction. The most important reason for success of Fiorinas was the perfect balance between leadership qualities and management of the company resources with genuine concern for the employees and let them make feel as part and parcel of the company. As a good leader Fiorina started a stock option program for employees which created a enthusiastic work environment for the employees. Under this program employee will be profited if the company earns profit. Fiorina knows how to rise a company in the changing environment. Several steps were taken to reinvigorate HP they were as follows: Innovation was focused more. Structure was changed now front office and back office concept came into existence. R D department was re engineered. Clear mission and values of the company Reasons for the Merger HP was progressing at a great pace. The basic aim of fiorina was to modernize the culture of HP and to focus on profitable areas of business and HPs profit share increased from 54.43 to 74.48 dollars but still the company was not efficient as it could not met the set targets and due to this failure HP was supposed to cut down the jobs. Even fiorina had threat of losing her job. This was the indication that changing only internal strategies was not worth for the success of the company so a new plan came into existence which was to acquire Compaq worth of 25 billion dollars. Both companies believed that in order to do good in the recent competitive market and gain profit better way was to have a merger but the stakeholders considered it as differently according to them company wont be loyal to Compaq customers and the biggest problem was synchronization of members in the organization. As during merger the culture of organization will also change. Above all fiorina only considered the r emoval of one competitor in the PC market. According to her the market share will increase after merger and working unit will also increased. (Hoopes, 2001) HP experienced revenue growth but share prices constantly declined. Hp was badly affected by recession in 2001. Pay were cutted down and laid off. Jobs were cutted down. Stock price continued to decline at a great speed. Outsourcing was not proper. To improve economics and innovation. Strengthed business provides critical mass in key growth market. CHANGE MANAGEMENT Culture can be defined as the personality of a company. It encompasses the beliefs, values, leadership practices, governance structure, decision-making processes, and norms of a business. One of the primary reasons that culture is so important is because employee loyalty affects customer loyalty, thus directly affecting both the profitability of a company as well as stakeholder value.11 As John Kotter and James Heskett of Harvard explain in their book Corporate Culture and Performance, corporate culture is an important competitive asset. Kotter and Heskett believe that cultural strength among the employees of a company relates to performance in three key ways: first, it leads to goal alignment; second, it creates high levels of motivation; and third, it provides structure and controls without having to rely on formal bureaucracy, which often inhibits innovation and motivation.12 At HP, where culture (i.e., the HP Way) has always had a powerful influence on how the company functions, undertaking cultural integration poses an especially daunting task. At the same time that integration planners must adapt HPs existing culture to unify the two companies, planners must also ensure that HPs culture remains focused around the key elements of the HP Way: trust, respect, achievement, integrity, teamwork, innovation, and an interactive work environment. Among the first-and arguably one of the most important-steps in integrating cultures is to determine what constitutes a good culture and then to base changes on those elements. According to HPs integration planning team, a good culture must: be clearly defined and broadly understood; reflect the business strategy and brand; support best-in-class performance with customers, partners, stockholders, and employees; produce alignment, commitment and excitement; establish a competitive advantage; and be reflected in the communications and actions of core leaders. Change models 1.Unfreeze, Change, Freeze Kurt Lewin proposed a three stage theory of change commonly referred to as Unfreeze, Change, Freeze (or Refreeze). It is possible to take these stages to quite complicated levels. It is extremely relevant Stage 1: Unfreezing The Unfreezing stage is probably one of the more important stages to understand in the world of change we live in today. This stage is about getting ready to change. It involves getting to a point of understanding that change is necessary, and getting ready to move away from our current comfort zone. HP was in need to understand and prepare the company for the change as completion was relevantly increasing.fiorina was been motivated for change by lot of different characters and the chariasmatic leadership qualities that she possessed. Stage 2: Change or Transition Kurt Lewin was aware that change is not an event, but rather a process. He called that process a transition. Transition is the inner movement or journey we make in reaction to a change. This second stage occurs as we make the changes that are needed. HP used role models and allowed employees to develop new solutions and Fiorina also gave a clear picture of desired change and gave benefits to the employees. Stage 3: Freezing (or Refreezing) Kurt Lewin refers to this stage as freezing although a lot of people refer to it as refreezing. As the name suggests this stage is about establishing stability once the changes have been made. The changes are accepted and become the new norm. People form new relationships and become comfortable with their routines.Its often at this point that people laugh and tell me that practically there is never time for this freezing stage. And its just this thats drawn criticism to the Kurt Lewin model. 7S model 7S-McKinsey-model.jpg 7S model was created by McKinsey and company in 1980. Seven factors are included in this model. The 7S framework was dividing in thinking about organizational efficiency. In previous the manager focus was on organization because organization grew in size and complicated questions were also arised. Explanation of each element: Strategy: HP created a Strategy to maintain and make competitive benefit over the competition. Structure: Structure is the way the organization is constructed and who reports to whom. Systems: In systems the daily activities and events that staff members join in to get the job done. Shared values: Shared values are also called à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"super ordinate goalsà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ . These values are the center values of the company that are evidenced in the corporate culture and the general work. Style: you have to adopt the style of leadership. Staff: In staff employees and their general capabilities are included. Skills: Skills are the actual skills of the employees who are working for the company. Post merger The proposed merger consolidated HP Compaqs product into four groups customer services, imaging and printing, access devices, and information technology infrastructure. Although the new company was very competitive in respective segments but the merger made the company more powerful and fully integrated providing full services integrating both hardware and software solutions. the merged company had 145,000 employees.the new company strategy was to look for acquisition in consulting in order to expand market growth. The new HP also had the same commitment of customer priority,best engineering design toease all problems, and acceptance to open system to able to face the sudden market shift. Copmaq will give great support in giving many solutions in: IT Infrastructure Compaq and HP combined the server , storage and software capabilities all the solutions were more compelling and fault tolerated. A new management software was introduced that was of great help to monitor,mange and optimize the whole network. New storage solutions that were more efficient than payroll and was able to store data 10 times more efficiently.the other former change was in service and support expertise that was helpful in building and designing new innovative solutions. Services New HP had now vast range of outsourcing, consulting and support that helps in formulating strategies and managing the infrastructure. It started to become partner for architecting various enterprises. Now because of combined forces of both the company new HP was aiming to be top-tier service provider that provided choices for implementation and making strategy for various IT projects. New HP had great value for partnership so to gain benefit of products PricewaterhouseCoopers, Accenture, and KPMG company did partnership with them Access Devices As both the companies were strong in the market they offer a wide range of PCs, and many internet enabled devices. The new products simply work better and together. New devices were innovative and highly excellent technology. They work the way they want to work according to the office environment. After merger most of Compaq products were re branded with the HP nameplate Compaq brands were consumer oriented products. All Compaq computers were now shifted to HP . Compaq iPAQ were renamed to HP iPAQ. In 2007 HP released a new logo for their Compaq Division and in the next year all business line notebooks were renamed as HP Compaq series that was used for all HPs notebooks. The top business earning model was Hp Elite Book that was named as HP Compaq B series RESISTANCE TO CHANGE Resistance to change is one of the basic reasons for the failure of change process and its implementation. Resistance to change in general is ubiquitous by nature. It is defined as a natural response to any reaction or threat of change (Block, 1989). In HP resistance was visble among employees and shareholders. Resistance by employees there was Tension among the HP earlier before when the company decided to lay off thousands of employees because of the economic downturn. Before the cuts were made, however, employees were asked to assist in a cost-cutting campaign either take mandatory vacation or accept a pay cut, among other choices. True to the HP Way, yet surprising to many on Wall Street, many employees offered to have their salary cut. When the company later proceeded with layoffs, many felt betrayed. And thousands of more cuts are possible if the merger is approved. People fight against change because they:fear to lose something they value, ordont understand the change and its implications, or dont think that the change makes sense, or find it difficult to cope with either the level or pace of the change. Resistance by stock holder Walter Hewlett as a stock holder along with his sisters William and Flora Hewlett opposed the deal as stockholder rejection was one of the ways to terminate the deal.According to Walter Hewlett, Carly Fiorina had exaggerated the importance of scale in the computer business. Hewlett believed that rather than make the company more competitive, the merger would expose HP to the brutal, low-profit PC business. Finally Hewlett concluded that the merger would significantly dilute the value of the companys business. David Packard issued a statement siding with Hewlett in opposition to the deal. In his statement, Packard, chairman of the Packard Humanities Institute.Packard, the oldest son of the other late co-founder, claimed that Fiorinas highhanded management and efforts to reinvent the company ran counter to the core HP values established by the founders. Citing massive layoffs as an example of this departure from HPs core values.

The Missed Fly Ball :: Personal Narrative Essays

The Missed Fly Ball    It was only a fly ball, but I missed it.   I missed a fly ball in the final baseball game my 3rd grade year .   It was a beautiful day, a few clouds covering the extremely blue summer sky.   It was very hot. I remember this because of the tremendous amount of sweat that would run down my face while I stood out in right field.   When I heard that crack of the bat, all I could hope for was that the ball would not come my direction.   I have never had good luck, so the ball was coming right for me.   I didn't even have to move, all I did was put my glove in the air and again hope it hit my glove.   It did hit the glove but bounced right out and behind me.   Now all there was to do was pick up the ball and throw it.   It was not this simple for me.   I turned around, bent down for the ball, and after the third try successfully grabbed it and stood back up and prepared to throw.   Well the first thing that came to mind was just to fling it up in the air and hope it makes it to somebody around the base runner.   Considering my previous luck, I just threw it to the first basemen.   The throw was not any better then the catch.   It landed 5 feet short and by the time the first basemen recovered the runner had rounded third base and was at least halfway home.   The runner did score on a close play at the plate.   The run gave the other team a two run advantage going into the sixth inning, which was the last in midget league.   I knew at this point I was going to have a hard time facing the other guys on the team after this big let down.   It also made me decide to quit baseball all together.   Since quitting baseball at such a early age I missed on the opportunity to take part in what could have, at one time, been considered America's Pastime.    Once a few years later I started to learn how to play basketball for the first time.   It was just a few friends and myself down at the park shooting hoops.   I wasn't terrible, considering I had never really played before.   We played a few games of Horse and a few other simple shooting games.   I wasn't the best but I wasn't always last.   I was doing good until someone suggested we play twenty-one.

Planning an Outing Essay

The procedure to follow if an accident or illness is to occur You may need to assess the situation, never rush as this could result in bad manual handling. Check the area around you is safe, and if not remove all hazards. Only administer emergency first aid if you are trained to do so. Get help so they can phone emergency services or if alone call yourself but make sure you know the facts before you call. Make sure you report everything as soon as possible. Make sure you clean and sanitise the area if any mess was left behind. Principles of Safe Moving and Handling Always read a service users care plan and follow health and safety act. Never lift service user manually, assess the service user to see if any changes have been made that may change their needs. Plan the task before you even start to move service user and make sure you let them know at all times what you are doing and get there consent. Make sure you have the correct equipment for the task and that it meets the needs of the service user. Check for any hazards and ensure handling area is clear of any obstructions. Give clear instructions to colleague’s/service user as to who’s taking the lead in the moving process as helps any confusion to care workers/assistants and service user. If service user needs an assisted stand/lift make sure correct posture, feet apart in direction of the movement, elbows close to the body, use your body weight to move service user bent from the knees and not the back. An explanation of why it’s important to follow the care plan and communicate with each individual when assisting and moving If you are a helper in a treatment setting it’s always important to follow care plan that has been made by a social worker since they have a disciplined way of assessing a patient’s needs. Communicating with each service user potentially really eases service user’s anxiety, especially if you can build  rapport. Communicating with colleague’s really helps you understand you role with service user. Staff responsibilities for medication in social care setting Safe administration of medicines means that medicines are given in a way that avoids causing harm to a person, only give medicines to the person they were prescribed for, people should receive the right medicine at the right time and in the right way. The care providers responsibility to provide written procedures that set out exactly how to give out medicines and itâ€℠¢s the care workers responsibility to follow these procedures. It is also all staffs responsibility to follow the seven rights of medication administration are as follows; The right patient The right drugs The right dose The right route The right time The right person The right documentation A brief description of agreed procedures for obtaining, storing, administering, recording the medication for the outing Obtaining, where the care provider is responsible for obtaining supplies of medicine on behalf of the service user, the care worker should check that there is enough to last for the next few days/the outing and to order the medicines as agreed in the service delivery plan. All unused regular and refused medication should be returned to the pharmacy at the end of the day/month. However, all required medication which is unused should be retained and used as directed on the care plan/labels. Storing medicines, care worker/assistant must have correct packaging for medicines depending on how long journey can be for example, if a short trip there are brown bags available from local chemists/pharmacy to store them in for short journeys. If journey may be longer there are also blister packs obtainable. They hold a 28 days’ worth of medicines. Special colours for diff erent times of the day/night as different service users may need thought the day/outing i.e. Pink is for morning, yellow is for lunch, orange for evening, blue for night time medication. Care workers/assistants need to keep them in a cool environment and have a list of all medications just in case a service doesn’t not take them and identify which service user  refused. Administer, to select measure and give medication to a service user as specified in the care plan. Care workers/personal assistant will only administer in specially agreed circumstances where assessment of the service user under the mental capacity act has determined that the service user does not have the capacity to make decisions regarding medication for themselves and cannot self-medicate, instruct others manage their medication. Recording, A form used to record the details of prompting and assisting the medication and related tasks, and any other information regarding the medication or related tasks. Usually designed to show what was given, the dose given, the time given and the identity of the person who gave it which should always be signed and dated. An explanation of the care workers accompanying the individuals on the outing should have special training before each of the following, Carrying out emergency first aid, assisting and handling, handling medication In the social care setting care workers/assistants need specialist training before carrying out first aid because if a service user needs any sort of emergency aid they need to be able to assess the situation and be able to have correct procedures in place in order to save someone’s life. It could also be very harmful if not. Assisting with moving and handling in order to understand how to assist service user also how to use correct equipment with confidence to help ease service user. Handling medication, social care worker/assistant to have understanding about the service users medical conditions also can monitor or report any important changes. The care worker/assistant needs all comprehension of most medicines and how they can affect service users.

Joining Sports

Below is a free essay on â€Å"Persuasive Essay On Joining Sports/clubs† from Anti Essays, your source for free research papers, essays, and term paper examples. Teenagers are blessed with the gift of limitless free time. Most of them fill that time slot after school with video games, television, and other distracting technologies. However, there is a much more beneficial option for after school activities. That option is joining co-curricular sports or clubs. These activities have proven benefits, and every student should join one.Sports are a excellent way to stay in shape. MayoClinic says that teenagers require at least an hour of physical activity per day. Physical activity is important for a healthy lifestyle. Unfortunately, more and more adolescents are neglecting their health every year. As of 2001, 25% of American children are obese. (Anne Collins). According to Anne Collins, new studies suggest one in four overweight children are showing early signs of type II diabete s and 60% already have one risk factor for heart disease.America's youth is becoming substantially less healthy, but participating in a sport will decrease their chances of becoming obese. Joining either a sport or club will compel teens to become more sociable, and they can even make new friends. Dr. Phil himself says that a healthy social life helps keep teens happy, and they become less susceptible to depression or suicide. 5,000 teens die of suicide per year (Kidshealth. org). Suicide is the third-leading cause of death for 15- to 24-year-olds, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, surpassed only by accidents and homicide.Sports or clubs can strengthen social skills and friendships. Making new friends is always a positive benefit any day. It is proven that teenagers will be less likely to use drugs while enrolled in co-curricular activities (Athletic Association of Western Universities). The terrible reality is that 50% of teens use drugs regularly (Teendr ugabuse. com). Alcohol is the easiest drug for teens to obtain, sadly, alcohol kills 6 ? times more teenagers than all other illicit drugs combined†¦

The Plan for a Two

The Plan for a Two Introduction Every year, we experience various forms of disasters, where we lose lives, property, and people are injured. In such circumstances, the business operations usually come to a halt, and this causes the cost of running the business to rise. This cost is occasionally passed over to the shareholders, employees, consumers and other organs of the state.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Plan for a Two-story Office Building in Colorado that Houses 50 Employees specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, all these can be managed, thereby, the injuries can be reduced in the event of a disaster, deaths can be reduced and losses in the business can be managed. With a unique and effective disaster and recovery plan for the building, we can manage various forms of disasters. A good disaster and recovery plan for the building is instrumental in ensuring that we formulate a unique plan that is based on the building, whi ch is located in Colorado and houses 50 employees. This paper will evaluate various potential risks to the facility from the natural disasters as well as the man-made threats. The paper will also develop a disaster and recovery plan that is unique to this facility. It is critical to ensure that every plan is effectively implemented in order to realize the full benefits of the plan. For this reason, this paper will give a detailed explanation on how the unique plan will allow the facility to respond to possible events, either natural or man-made. Finally, the paper will describe the actions, which must be taken in order for it to be fully implemented (Gustin, 1996). Evaluation of the Potential Risks to the Facility from Natural Disasters and man-made Threats A fundamental understanding of various complexities associated with disasters is instrumental in the preparedness. The continuity of any business is based on the ability to prevent and mitigate any form of a disaster that may ari se. The understanding of the various forms of disasters that the building is vulnerable to is critical to the developer of the facility. This assists in developing a unique plan, which is effective in dealing with forms of disasters that may occur at any particular time. The understanding is also important for the purpose of fast response in the event of an emergency. It is for this purpose that the plan will be developed based on the evaluation of the various forms of disasters that exist. For the purpose of this plan, the disasters will be classified into two broad categories discussed below. Natural disasters The natural disasters that are common in this region include hurricanes, winter storms, tornados, floods, earthquakes and fires. It is worth noting that fires may also be occasioned by arson, and this paper has classified it under this category due to the natural causes that may result to fire. Each of these causes is illustrated herein. A hurricane is basically a tropical s torm, which is associated with winds that travel at a constant speed of up to 74 miles per hour.Advertising Looking for essay on architecture? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The speed can be higher, depending on the circumstances of the hurricanes. In normal cases, a large spiral is formed by the hurricanes around the calm centre. This can cause a drastic impact because the winds usually grow with strength. An effective disaster plan is critical because the hurricane brings torrential rains with high winds as well as storm surges. The hurricane may even last for several days (Federal Emergency Agency, 2006). The plan for this ideal building is designed to ensure that once the hurricane watch is issued, a good response is affected by securing the physical property. The plan has an ideal evacuation area, where the entire occupant should assemble. The building has link paths that assist the occupants to collectively as semble without occasioning any form of confusion to the occupants. The house will be fitted with effective communication materials to ensure that all the occupants of the facility are effectively informed about the disaster in the shortest possible time. The arrangement of the facility is designed to ensure that all the occupants have an easy access to the exit paths (Gustin, 1996). Tornadoes are natural disasters that are characterized by twisted funnel shaped clouds that create thunderstorms. They are associated with high wind velocity. They last for shorter durations, but they are very destructive on physical properties. With this in mind, the disaster management plan for this particular building is designed to ensure that there are minimal loses to the facility. Owing to the fact that deaths associated with tornadoes are caused by the collapse of the building, the facility in this case is designed to endure pressure from such tornadoes that may hit the building. The building is designed to have a banker in the basement, which can serve as an interior room where the occupants of the building assemble in the event of tornadoes. This ensures that the occupants are secured from windows, doors and other flying objects that are associated with tornados (Federal Emergency Agency, 2006). The facility is designed to ensure that all the occupants of the house have access to the interior room. The room is constructed with reinforced a heavy concrete floor and a roof with overhead systems. There are personnel who are assigned to modular offices where the occupants should be moved to. Winter storms occasion devastating effects, and they may last for several days. The winter storm is usually accompanied by high winds, rains or the sleet, snowfall and extremely cold temperatures. The building is structured to withstand the storms and it has a power backup system that is instrumental in the event that the power lines are knocked off by the storms. The building is also fit ted with a heating system because of the low temperatures associated with the storms.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Plan for a Two-story Office Building in Colorado that Houses 50 Employees specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Floods are usually common and widespread and they can be very devastating if they are not well managed. The floods are caused by heavy rains, the melting of the snow, tides and storms among other things. The Building is situated in a high rise landscape besides being fitted with good drainage facilities. In the event of floods, the facility is designed to withstand the floods through the additional drainages that are connected to main tunnels and trenches (Federal Emergency Agency, 2006). Fire is hazardous. It is attributed to deaths, injuries and the loss of property. The disaster management plan for this facility is designed to prevent fire through effective training program for the occupi ers. The building is well fitted with fire extinguishers, and the occupiers are given periodical training on their use. The building is designed to have a fire assembly point, where the occupiers can assemble in the event of the fire for the purpose of evacuation. The disaster management structures in the building are designed to ensure that the information is well relayed and understandable by the facility’s occupants. The building is clearly marked with exit signs as well as a definition of the emergency procedures as part of fire prevention strategies (Federal Emergency Agency, 2006). Earthquakes are usually sudden shakings of the earth that are caused by the rapid breaking and shifting of the rocks in the earth’s surface. The earthquakes cause buildings to collapse, and this may be followed by a disruption of electricity, gas and others services. However, good pre-planning controls are instrumental in managing the level of disasters. It is clear that a stable found ation of the building may be helpful in minimizing the level of risks associated with earthquakes. The building is designed to have firm concrete walls, because the greatest dangers during an earthquake are outside the building. The walls are well-constructed to withstand the movements (Federal Emergency Agency, 2006). Man-made Disasters The man-made disasters are mostly associated with technological incidences and human errors. The main forms of man-made disasters that are associated with the building scenario include the hazardous materials accidents, transportation accidents, terror threats, power failures and civil disturbances. Hazardous Materials include flammables, toxics, explosives, noxious, corrosives and radioactive materials among others. These hazardous materials pose a danger to the property as well as the human beings in the premises. Terrorism is the most heinous modern day crime that targets such facilities. The act causes panic to the occupiers of the building. To avoid this, the facility is well-planned and secured through safe and restricted access systems that are fitted with explosive detectors with manned access points. The facility is also designed to withstand minor explosives.Advertising Looking for essay on architecture? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The security personnel are well trained to secure the facility from threats, and the occupants are well trained on how to conduct themselves in the event of an attack. They are provided with the contact details of local authorities, who include the police, government agencies, fire agencies and the bureau of alcohol, tobacco and firearms. These groups are mandated to assist in planning and training of the employees (Federal Emergency Agency, 2006). Civil disturbances include rioting, picketing and demonstrations, and they pose a security threat to the occupants of the property. The security personnel are trained to handle such cases. The facility is also fitted with secure doors that are instrumental in locking out unauthorized persons. The windows are secure and fitted with blinds and drapes in order to avoid direct confrontation of the occupants with the demonstrators (Gustin, 2004). Power failure is also a potential source of danger because it interrupts computers, communication equipments, security systems, lighting systems and elevator systems. The building is fitted with stock battery-operated radios and flashlights for combating the power failure. The house is also fitted with an emergency standby power supply system that ensures that the operations of the organization are not interrupted (Federal Emergency Agency, 2006). The Developed Disaster and Recovery Plan for the Facility The disaster and recovery plan for the facility is designed to support the growth of the business and it explains the importance of this disaster and recovery plan. The cost of a disaster and recovery project is a priority for the purpose of having good business components. The disaster and recovery plan is essential for the continuity of the business plan. The disaster and recovery plan has been tested and refined for implementation. It is designed to serve as a long-term backup program (Federal Emergency Agency, 2006). The periodic tests and consultations have been instrumenta l in the development process of an effective disaster recovery plan. The audit and defined process are thus said to be a sound investment. It has managed to identify the loopholes by individuals, who have more familiarity with the disaster and recovery plan. The plan has been developed by a team that has a clear understanding of the facility. This is a critical point for the purpose of addressing the infrastructures that are related. Being a multi-site location, the facility requires a comprehensive disaster and recovery plan (Gustin, 1996; Federal Emergency Agency, 2006). The disaster and recovery plan for the facility has an eye on the equipment that is used for the recovery during the disaster. The facility is coordinated by a disaster recovery coordinator, a team leader and other team members. The other persons are designated as primary. The main goal of this is to ensure that there are representatives from all the technical areas of the organization, who have the expertise to d evelop the various recoverys procedures. This also ensures that these representatives are committed to the overall success of the disaster and recovery plan (Gustin, 2004; Federal Emergency Agency, 2006). The recovery plan also addresses the buildings functional areas that need a recovery. This is realized through the order of priorities and cost benefit analysis. This is critical in assessing whether the recovery is worth. The disaster and recovery plan has also incorporated the legal requirements as well as the specific business requirements. The plan has also identified the single points of failure for the purpose of mitigating the risk. This level involves the personnel, software, and other equipments as well as infrastructures. The plan has also incorporated the impact of the failure, the probability of the failure, the estimated incidents, the annualized loss expectancy and the cost of mitigation (Gustin, 1996). Explanation of How the Plan Would Allow the Facility to Respond t o Possible Events The plan is designed to allow the facility to respond to possible events through the recovery of data. It is noteworthy that the recovery may not be up to the point of the failure, but it clearly identifies the process. It has the ability to call all the data feeds on the system through identification. It also minimizes damage on the data, particularly in the distribution process within the environment where the whole process is dependent. It also identifies the action to be taken upon inconsistence of the data (Gustin, 2004). The plan also incorporates the audit trail of work that has been performed during the period. Upon the recovery of the data, there is a validation process, which is designed to ensure that the complete recovery is attained with a consistent within the working environment. The restoration of the operations of the business is also supported by the system through service levels that are defined by the documents. The date is also transferred back to the production machines, which are omitted. In regards to the issue of hardware, the configuration is done through the device names, file systems, operating systems as well as the patch levels (Gustin, 1996). The safety of the 50 employees is also a priority in the process of disaster and recovery plan. The plan gives a detailed account of the transportation of the employees as well as their families. It is also important to note that each of the employees in this case is assigned a role for the purpose of the disaster and recovery plan. Some of the personnel are assigned the back-up in the event of absenteeism of the other members. The plan is also reinforced with frequent audits. The building is designed to have multiple line communication as part of the disaster and recovery plan. The building has a conferencing and emergency communication service, which sends automated massages in the event of a disaster to a platform phone number. Description of the Actions which Must be Ta ken in Order to Implement the Plan There is a third party recovery specialist, who ensures that the organization is provided with workspaces in the event of an emergency. The workspaces are well fitted with the necessary equipments for the purpose of the organization’s business. The workspaces are connected to access the organization’s data in the off-site facility (Gustin, 1996). Upon the personnel rescue and the back-up of data, recovery is the next goal. It is planned based on the back-up of the data in hard disks that are stored in an off-site facility once per week. The data should also be classified depending on the nature of the data at hand. The data recovery plan takes the order of priorities. The security measures of the process include a group of well trained employees within the building, who play a crucial role in the safeguarding of the systems of the company and particularly, the sensitive data (Gustin, 2004). A secure data recovery plan is set through t he development of a proper outline of the action plan. This ensures that the organization resumes its operations quickly, even in the cases of major interruptions. It is critical to establish the activities that are fundamental for the purpose of minimizing the potential losses. The organization also takes all the necessary measures to anticipate and plan for the disasters by placing a plan and a network that are designed to manage the disaster. Although development of the plan is not a guarantee, the exercising of the disaster and recovery plan ensures that the firm with the trained staff is ready for any form of disaster (Gustin, 1996; USDLOSHA, 2005). The disaster and recovery testing is important in the development of an effective disaster and recovery strategy. The fact that this recovery plan can fail makes it fall short, but it plays an important role in preparation for possible disasters that may arise. The evaluation of the effectiveness of all the procedures is thus critic al in the management of the disaster. The employees also act as a part of the team that is instrumental in the performance of the disaster and recovery plan, because they determine what works and what does not work by planning for the unexpected. Therefore, the disaster and recovery plan is a flawless teamwork that requires rapid execution. References Federal Emergency Agency. (2006). Top Ten Natural Disasters-Ranked. Washington, DC: FEMA Relief Costs Publication. Gustin, J. (1996). Safety Management: A Guide for Facility Managers. New York, NY: UpWord Publishing. Gustin, J. (2004). Disaster Recovery Planning: A Guide for Facility Managers. Atlanta: The Fairmount Press. USDLOSHA. (2005). OSHA Handbook for Small Business, Small Business Safety and Health Management. OSHA, 2 (4), 23-27.

Breaking into the Lucrative Magazine Market with the Big R Game

Breaking into the Lucrative Magazine Market with the Big R Game Many people have a tremendous amount of baggage when it comes to one of the smallest words in the English language: no. Its mostly a learned behavior. As Ive watched my daughter growing up, the first few years she didnt seem to have a problem with rejection. For example, while learning to walk, balance rejected her countless times. Each time she fell, shed sit there for a few moments, then giggle and start all over. This is not the case for many fledgling writers. In fact, Ive talked to quite a few who have so much fear of being rejected they wont submit their material. While thats one way to avoid rejection, it will stop you from building a writing career. But what if you could turn the process of rejection to your favor? When I decided to write for magazines, I created a writing game. I call it the Big R Game. The rules are simple; in fact, theres only one, and its summarized in the object of the game: Collect as many rejections as you can, as fast as you can, while writing as well as you can. I set my target for 100. This might sound crazy. Why would anyone set a goal to collect a hundred rejection letters? Arent rejection letters to be avoided? Well, maybe in a perfect world, but the writing and publishing world is far from perfect. My rationale for such a game was simple. I knew that if I won at this game Id do at least two things right: Id write a lot, and Id submit what I wrote. These are the two most important activities a writer needs to do if he wants to succeed at the larger game of being a published and profitable writer. Playing the Big R Game also took the edge off of receiving rejection letters. Each time one arrived in the mail, I was winning the game, not only the Big R Game but also the much larger game of becoming a successful writer. Each rejection carried me one step closer to learning my craft. If you have a problem with rejection, try a game or two of the Big R. You may find it lifting your spirit and dissolving the resistance youve added to writing. The other big benefit of the game is that if you set out to collect 100 rejections, you’ll surprisingly receive a fair amount of acceptances. Since playing the Big R Game, Ive published over 350 magazine articles in such publications as Unity Magazine, AARP (then Modern Maturity), Body and Soul (then New Age Journal), Yoga Journal, and Better Homes and Gardens, to mention just a few. Many of them have been part of my pet writing project, Project Purpose: to write and publish articles about people whose lives are dedicated to a bold and inspiring purpose or vision. But more about that in a future article.

Quads and Squads

Quads and Squads Quads and Squads Quads and Squads By Mark Nichol A family of words ultimately derived from the Latin noun quadrus, meaning â€Å"a square,† pertain one way or the other to the number four. Here are those words, more or less common in English usage, and their definitions. The most versatile, and most ubiquitous, of these terms is square, which refers to a shape with four equal sides and right angles; an area, structure, or formation in the shape of a square; a tool used to lay out or test right angles; the product of a number multiplied by itself; a conventional person; a meal as one of three traditional full meals served or eaten in the course of a day; an adjective meaning â€Å"fair† or â€Å"honest,† or â€Å"old-fashioned†; an adverb pertaining to those senses; and a verb meaning â€Å"cut square,† â€Å"regulate,† or â€Å"accord.† The other words, and their definitions, follow: escadrille: a unit of French aircraft equivalent to a squadron quadrangle: an enclosure surrounded by buildings, or the building itself, or an area represented by one of a set of maps (abbreviated quad); also, synonymous with quadrilateral quadrant: one quarter of a circle or other regular or nearly regular shape; also, a device for measuring altitude quadraphonic: pertaining to four channels of sound quadrat: a rectangular plot of land specified for study quadrate: square or almost square; a specific type of cross in heraldry; a bone in the skull of birds and lizards; an adjective meaning â€Å"square† or â€Å"nearly square†; also, another word for quadratus (see below) quadratic: referring to the use of squaring, or raising to the second power, in mathematics quadratus: any of various roughly quadrilateral muscles quadrennial: lasting four years or occurring every four years quadricentennial: a four-hundred-year anniversary quadriceps: a set of four leg muscles quadrifid: divided into four parts (said of leaves, for example) quadrilateral: a four-sided figure, including but not limited to squares and rectangles quadrille: a square dance or a music for the dance; also, an equestrian exhibition involving four riders or groups of riders quadrillion: the number represented with the numeral 1,000,000,000,000 quadripartite: consisting of four parts or shared by four parties quadriplegic: a person paralyzed in all four limbs quadrivium: the educational disciplines of arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music, which were taught after the trivium of grammar, logic, and rhetoric; the two groups constitute the classical seven liberal arts quadroon: a person who is one-fourth black quadruped: a four-legged animal quadruple: increased fourfold, or consisting of four components, or, as a noun, something that is quadruple quadruplet: one of four offspring born as a result of one pregnancy, or a combination of four of a kind quadruplex: consisting of four parts, such as a four-unit apartment building; also, a telegraphic system allowing two messages to be sent simultaneously in each direction quadruplicate: multiply by four, or consisting of four parts quod: British English slang for prison, perhaps from quadrangle, derived from the shape of a typical prison squad: a unit of military personnel or athletes, or a group of people with a specific task squadron: a unit of aircraft, of cavalry, or of navy vessels Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Redundant Phrases to Avoid45 Synonyms for â€Å"Old† and â€Å"Old-Fashioned†How to Address Your Elders, Your Doctor, Young Children... and Your CEO

Dealing With Disaster Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Dealing With Disaster - Essay Example Donors from all over are also part of the people helping the survivors of the flash floods. Lead agencies that help communities recover from calamities are available to ensure the people get the physical, social and emotional help that they need. The lead agencies usually maintain a strong relationship with the government to ensure the help they provide reach each and every individual suffering. The recovery and relief programs and efforts from different bodies satisfy the community’s needs. The United Nations is one of the bodies that ensure the communities without adequate shelter or drinking water can access the commodities. The flash flood survivors have shelter and drinking water from the United Nations since the aid from the government was not sufficient. The survivors were complaining how the money and help from the government were not enough to provide all their basic needs. Appreciation to the government and other agencies is important for the recovery process from an y disaster is not easy. Dealing with disaster requires an effective strategic plan that ensures the effects of the disaster are not massive. The four strategies help to prevent further destruction of lives and infrastructure, thus saving the community the cost of rebuilding their lives. The flash floods in Chile were an unexpected disaster that caught the people by surprise. However, the community should put effective measures in place to prevent such an occurrence in the case of a similar disaster in future.

Introduction to e-commerce Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Introduction to e-commerce - Essay Example g intranets, extranets, ecommerce applications and the Web, to work closely with business partners and best satisfy the requirements of their customers. E-business methods assists companies to minimize costs significantly, take customer satisfaction to the highest levels, access new markets, craft added revenue routes and revive business relationships. Dell Computers sets the best example as a pioneering e-business today. E-business goes far beyond e-commerce. While e-business refers to more of strategic business focus, e-commerce is a division of an overall e-business strategy. Electronic business dealings which involve money are termed as e-commerce activities. They are sales based activities which are closely linked with the customers, suppliers and other business partners such as order taking, delivery, payment through credit cards and customer support (Adam 2003). Though there are various differences between e-commerce and e-business but the genuine distinction is mirrored in the excellence in performance of companies implementing them. As more businesses embrace the Internet revolution with rising enthusiasm, it is becoming necessary for businesses to swiftly shape a bay for themselves in cyberspace and better their

Data analysis report Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Data analysis report - Assignment Example One of the considerations is the human belief on what the likely outcomes might be and how they may influence the decisions. The stronger the belief that the likely outcomes has an impact which is more favourable, the stronger the willingness/attitude to perform a certain behaviour. Another consideration is the expectations of others and how they might influence ones decisions. This boils down to peer pressure meaning that a certain age group may be influenced by another group, or rather, an individual in a certain age bracket may be influenced by what the other is the said group do. Further, the presence of certain factors which may have an impact on making the various decisions is another consideration taken into account. A combination of the above three considerations gives rise to behavioural intentions. According to Ajzen (1987; 1991; 2002; 2005 and 2008); Kimiecik (1992) and Beck and Ajzen (1991), the more favourable a certain attitude is and it’s accompanying social pre ssure, the stronger the intentions to make the decision. If a person has a personal control of the over the various behaviours, then it is assumed that he/she can perform or make decisions based on the availability of opportunities. However, as Beck and Ajzen (1991) puts it, changing only one belief has no sufficient evidence that attitude will change. Through their argument, a change in one belief may affect anticipated change in another belief. In support of Beck and Ajzen assertions, Godin (1993) believes that balancing the total aggregate of the three beliefs towards a positive direction is the only assurance of attitude change towards making a decision. To Madden, Ellen and Ajzen (1992), one can change the existing beliefs and which affect the implementation of certain behaviours by giving new information leading to the formation of new beliefs which are likely to tilt the balance towards certain behaviour. However, Madden, Ellen and Ajzen (1992) point out that the information given should be as accurate as possible and should be given to all without discrimination if a valid and reliable conclusion is to be made from the findings. This is so because, it is also possible to change believes by giving powerful false information relevant to the believes. This in the short term may produce a change which may not be felt in the long run. At last, the individuals retreat back to the original beliefs prior to the powerful false information. The other important factor is the understanding that the intentions may not always result into attitude change towards behaviour. In this regard, it is always important to link the two so that perceived outcomes can be properly linked producing results (Raats, Shepherd and Sparks 1993). Research Design To gain a deeper understanding of the roles of certain factors which influence the formation of consumer purchase intentions, a study was undertaken. A sample of 150 participants took part. 74 were from the UK while the remaini ng 76 were from Germany. The study data was collected using a questionnaire

Integration and Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Integration and Reflection - Essay Example I feel that couple of more complicated real life situations as usually encountered in the industries could help me sharpening my abilities. I am curious to know how increase and decrease in money supply dictates interest rates. For example, the US witnessed very high interest rates in 1980s due to low money supply but post 2008 financial crisis, the country experienced very low interest rates. The question important to me is that how far this is related to money supply? I know that it has more to do with economics rather than finances yet it appears to me that forecasting future interest rates is a way to settle discounting rates more appropriately as it largely dictates the present value of the future streams of revenue. It is absolutely clear to me that the learning in this course such as IRR, capital budgeting, importance and calculation of present value by considering most appropriate discounting rate, necessity of selecting appropriate capital structure for enhancing shareholders value and many other financial measures are critical for understanding and spearheading the growth of company under consideration. In short, the entire course has improved my worth a lot and I am pretty sure that the knowledge that I have gained in this course will help me in my professional and personal life, especially where finance-related decision making process is

Public School Funding Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Public School Funding - Essay Example Consequently, there is a need to examine what the major problems within the education system are. If the nations' students are lacking solid support from this very important system, then their future may also be in danger. Results also show students are leaving high school with very little understanding of the core subjects thus rendering them unprepared for college life. (O'Neil, 2002) One of the most difficult issues to deal with in education is its funding. The funding process needs to be made in such a manner that it ensures effectiveness, efficiency and fairness. In the US, schools are funded though local taxes generated for property taxes. The use of such a method has generated a lot of controversy between different stakeholders within the education system. However, this particular essay will focus on parents and the role that they can play in reforming public education system funding. A number of experts have asserted that utilizing property taxes is ineffective owing to the fact that children coming from rich districts generate more property taxes since their homes have a higher value while those ones from poorer districts have to contend with less amounts of finance for schooling. This means that schools within this poor districts lack adequate resources, are more crowded and therefore yield poorer results. Through the property tax system, the amount of money spent on each student within the public system can vary from one thousand five hundred dollars to about fifteen dollars in other districts. There is a grave disparity between these systems and it can be seen clearly that the education system favors children from wealthy background while limiting the opportunities available to those from low income households. (Linn, 2005) Some people argue that funding is just a small portion of the problems within the education system. However, the fact of the matter remains that schools cannot run without finances and no people understand this more than parents who provide the reason for having these institutions as well. In urban districts classified as low income, it is common to find homes that cost as little as four thousand dollars. On the other hand in suburban and wealthy districts, one is likely to find houses that go for as much as four hundred thousand dollars. From this comparison, it can be seen that the amount of taxes raised by the latter communities are much higher than those ones raised by the former ones. As if this is not enough, poorer neighborhoods are taxed a little more than their counterparts but this effort has not paid off owing to the fact that the amount garnered is quite low and providing higher tax rates only serve to add more pressure in low income households without reflecting this on school performance. Issues are further compounded by the fact property taxes are treated as deductions and this means that wealthy families can therefore get portions of that tax back from the federal government. Because houses in wealthy suburbs are much higher than in other residential areas, then the amount of tax refunds is much higher. This means that wealthier parents have greater finances at their disposals and they can therefore make more contributions towards important public services such as education. In the end, people from low income households are unable to generate high amounts of money to fund their schools and this minimizes the quality of their education

Management of Organisational Behaviour Assignment

Management of Organisational Behaviour - Assignment Example The resultant effects of these problems are that output of the supplies department is less than optimal and the service it renders to its customer is poor. As most of you are aware, the institutions this department services provide essential needs and services to the populace of Glent County. The inability therefore of our department to adequately meet their supply needs can adversely affect their effectiveness in discharging essential services to the county. When symptoms of an illness are noted, they often point to an underlying cause. If this cause can be identified and remedied, the symptoms would vanish and health restored. A stitch in time, we are told saves nigh. There is no point in allowing the illness to fester on, when remedial action can be taken. In the same akin, the problems of Glent county supplies department cannot remain unattended to. It must be addressed in a comprehensive manner. An all -out organizational re-engineering and renewal is needed. In the few months that we have been at Glent county supplies department, these are some of our observations. There are too many rules that govern behavior at this department. The organizational chain of command is unduly long. Decision- making is over centralized. The outcome is that a simple task takes a long period of time to get done.

Public School Funding Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Public School Funding - Essay Example Consequently, there is a need to examine what the major problems within the education system are. If the nations' students are lacking solid support from this very important system, then their future may also be in danger. Results also show students are leaving high school with very little understanding of the core subjects thus rendering them unprepared for college life. (O'Neil, 2002) One of the most difficult issues to deal with in education is its funding. The funding process needs to be made in such a manner that it ensures effectiveness, efficiency and fairness. In the US, schools are funded though local taxes generated for property taxes. The use of such a method has generated a lot of controversy between different stakeholders within the education system. However, this particular essay will focus on parents and the role that they can play in reforming public education system funding. A number of experts have asserted that utilizing property taxes is ineffective owing to the fact that children coming from rich districts generate more property taxes since their homes have a higher value while those ones from poorer districts have to contend with less amounts of finance for schooling. This means that schools within this poor districts lack adequate resources, are more crowded and therefore yield poorer results. Through the property tax system, the amount of money spent on each student within the public system can vary from one thousand five hundred dollars to about fifteen dollars in other districts. There is a grave disparity between these systems and it can be seen clearly that the education system favors children from wealthy background while limiting the opportunities available to those from low income households. (Linn, 2005) Some people argue that funding is just a small portion of the problems within the education system. However, the fact of the matter remains that schools cannot run without finances and no people understand this more than parents who provide the reason for having these institutions as well. In urban districts classified as low income, it is common to find homes that cost as little as four thousand dollars. On the other hand in suburban and wealthy districts, one is likely to find houses that go for as much as four hundred thousand dollars. From this comparison, it can be seen that the amount of taxes raised by the latter communities are much higher than those ones raised by the former ones. As if this is not enough, poorer neighborhoods are taxed a little more than their counterparts but this effort has not paid off owing to the fact that the amount garnered is quite low and providing higher tax rates only serve to add more pressure in low income households without reflecting this on school performance. Issues are further compounded by the fact property taxes are treated as deductions and this means that wealthy families can therefore get portions of that tax back from the federal government. Because houses in wealthy suburbs are much higher than in other residential areas, then the amount of tax refunds is much higher. This means that wealthier parents have greater finances at their disposals and they can therefore make more contributions towards important public services such as education. In the end, people from low income households are unable to generate high amounts of money to fund their schools and this minimizes the quality of their education

African American Literatury Essay Example for Free

African American Literatury Essay African-American literature can be defined as writings by people of African descent living in the United States of America. The African-American literary tradition began with the oral culture long before any of the materials in it were written on. Throughout their American history, African-Americans have used the oral culture as a natural part of black expressive culture. They are very powerful voices that give fuller meanings to words on a page. The America South is an important landscape in African-American literature. The South was a primary port of entry for slaving vessels. Most black slaves remained in the Southern states. The South was an important place for the African-American literature because the South was served as the site of hope and change for the black slaves but there were also horrors. The majority of African captives entered the New World from the Southern ports and remained in the Southern states. They relied heavily on the African cultural heritage and belief systems familiar to them. During their 300 years of slavery and servitude, black slaves and their descendants developed a complex relationship with the South. Amiri Baraka concluded that the South is a part of the scene of the crime, a land that is about the site of hope and the scene of the crime. For many African Americans, the South serves as the site of hope and change. The South has given birth to many African-American cultural practices, such as literature. This is the spiritual and ancestral home for African Americans and plays a dominant role in African-American literature. Before the American Civil War, African-American literature primarily focused on the issue of slavery, as indicated by the subgenre of slave narratives The most noted authors were all incited and inspired by the goings on in the south. Frederick Douglass was one of the most important African-American authors from the literary landscape in the South. He chronicled his life from bondage to freedom in his Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself (1845), which helped the American public to know the truth about the institution of slavery and dismiss the myth that slaves were happy and treated well. He said, the South was not only a notorious site of slavery, it was also a landscape of racial terror and widespread violence. The biggest crime the South ever committed is the institution and perpetuation of slavery. But the Southern landscape is more than just the â€Å"scene of the crime† in African-American literature. It has multiple personalities that demand multiple treatments. Many 20th-century African-American writers, whether born and raised in the South or not, have used the southern landscape in their works to explore the complex relationships African-American communities have with the South. In her poem â€Å"Southern Song,† Margaret Walker (1915 – 1998) sings a praise song to the southern suns and southern land despite the â€Å"mobs† and â€Å"a nightmare full of oil and flame. Southern Song I want my body bathed again by southern suns, my soul reclaimed again from southern land. I want to rest again in southern fields, in grass and hay and clover bloom; to lay my hand again upon the clay baked by a southern sun, to touch the rain-soaked earth and smell the smell of soil. I want my rest unbroken in the fields of southern earth; freedom to watch the corn wave silver in the sun and mark the splashing of a brook, a pond with ducks and frogs and count the clouds. I want no mobs to wrench me from my southern rest; no forms to take me in the night and burn my shack and make for me a nightmare full of oil and flame. I want my careless song to strike no minor key; no fiend to stand between my bodys soutnern songthe fusion of the South, my bodys song and me. Margaret Walker’s poem characterizes the complex literary representations of the South in a great deal of African-American literature, for the speaker at once basks in the beauty of her homeland (â€Å"I want my body bathed again by southern suns†). Yet at the same time experiences a homecoming complicated by the threat of Southern violence (â€Å"I want no mobs to wrench me from my southern rest†). The theme of the southern home and its layered history is a prevalent one throughout the tradition of African-American literature. In conclusion, 90 percent of African-Americans lived in the South, it is no wonder that this landscape has taken on a great deal of cultural and historical significance. Literature from the South is complex and often absurd, as the region emerges repeatedly as a site of home.

Appraisal Theory The Effects On Skin Psychology Essay

Appraisal Theory The Effects On Skin Psychology Essay This report aims to replicate a classic finding in biopsychology research which proposed, that increases in task difficulty lead to increases in arousal. As well as to present any individual differences that angle off from this, that possibly could be accounted by the appraisal theory. One hundred and two individuals took part in a task called Speedy Pizzas where they had to deliver successfully a vast quantity of pizzas as the level of difficulty increased. The individuals were represented with a total of 5 levels of difficulty, beginning from level 1 (10 pizzas per minute) to level 5 (50 pizzas per minute). This experiment used a repeated measures design where each individual participated at both levels of task difficulty. The outcome showed that there was a significant increase in GSR as task engagement got more challenging. Although, that the overall GSR test showed increase, individual differences might suggest otherwise. Introduction To begin with, this paper will first examine some relevant background on the former literature on a classic biopsychology discoveries based on task performance and its association with increase in skin conductance in an attempt to replicate its findings. Afterwards, it will address some individual variations that might have a crucial role in that correlation. A number of researchers over the years have shown that task attainment of individuals is closely knit together with increase in skin conductance. For instance, Kahneman, Trusky et al. (1969 cited in Pecchinenda and Smith 1996) experiment, showed the relationship between skin resistance levels and mental arithmetic task at three layers of difficulty and encountered that skin resistance decreased as difficulty of each level increased. Nonetheless, this connection between them is often distinct, there are cases that the individuals disengage from the task by resigning which is shown in the form of decreasing responses in the GSR le vels whilst the task engagement becomes particularly difficult. This occurrence can be placed under the theory of the appraisal model proposed by Smith and Lazarus (1993 cited in Pecchinenda and Smith 1996) that suggested that the amount of each individuals focusing resources is established by their appraisal of task-solving coping potential. The above theory has been adapted in various studies, one of them was measuring accomplishment in a demanding mental task. (Pecchinenda and Smith 1996) Pecchinenda and Smiths study wanted to demonstrate the direct association between a cognitive task engagement and the appraisal of each individuals coping potential. Thus, subjects were presented by series of anagrams, that they were called to solve, in various circumstances whilst their GSR was continuously observed. The level of difficulty diverse between each anagram by either having an easy, moderately difficult and extremely difficult anagram as well as the amount of time available that par ticipants had to solve it changed between 30 sec and 120 sec. Results showed that participants coping potential varied between them, since the perception that each subject experienced the situation was different. Paradigm, when an individual appraised their task-solving ability with having a high coping potential approached the task with the attempt to achieve their goal and successfully complete the task. On the contrary, people who appraised the situation as overwhelming and the task as virtually impossible (Pecchinenda and Smith, page 486) had low coping potential and therefore disengaged from the task. Hence, apposite to the skin conductance activity there was a general increase in the GSR levels when the task-solving trials were aligned with the participants engagement in the trials. However, this increase dropped dramatically when the anagrams level of difficulty was extremely demanding as a result of the paltry levels of task engagement. An interesting feature about this stud y that shouldnt be obscured was that the correlation between skin conductance activity and task engagement is not absolute. There are other aspects that might intrude and mislead this association. As in that the correlation between GSR and other components such as stress, perception of the circumstance, negative feelings etc resulted as having an impact on the GSR, Nikula (1991 cited in Pecchinenda and Smith 1996). Another related experiment was conducted by Bohlin (1976). Bohlins study manipulated the levels of arousal by having participants to response after a number of trials whilst they were in physiological habituation state. She divided the subjects into three groups, the first group were told to relax when listening to a tone, the second one were given arithmetic tasks to solve and the third one a threat of shock was added to the task performance. Results showed that the Shock-threat group had the highest mean in conductance level and the Relax group had the lowest mean in GS R. Thus, this produces some evidence showing how  increases in task difficulty result in various increases in physiological arousal. These discoveries led to this current experiment were the aim was to replicate the existent findings; that when task difficulty increases individuals arousal increases as well. In addition, to demonstrate the variance between individual responses, for instance some individuals appraise themselves as having high coping potential, therefore engage in the task and complete it successfully and some of them as having low coping potential and appraise their abilities as insufficient and as a result they disengage from the task. Consequently to the past evidence one research hypothesis emerged from them for the present experiment; that there will be a significant increase in galvanic skin response from stage 1 to 5 and to also examine the individual responses as task difficulty increases. Method Design The design that was used in this experiment was a repeated measures design with one independent variable, task difficulty at two levels (easy(1) vs. difficult(5)) and two dependent variables; the Galvanic skin responses and the number of failures that occurred. Participants in the experiment were allocated in a computer lab and had to do all conditions. Eventhough, that there were 5 stages in total, only the easiest and most difficult level were chosen for this analysis. In this experiment a number of controls were used in order to avoid any confounded variables. First of all, the letter appearing on the pizza box was randomly generated therefore discarded any systematic bias introduced from having a particular order of pizza letters. Hence, people could not predict where the pizzas were going because the letter order was not the same. Secondly, , by asking people to stay relaxed and still at the baseline would make sure that everyone was at the same condition, therefore no one would be stressed out and having GSR increase at the easy state and then at the more challenging state not having much increase at the GSR because it was already at a high level . Lastly, all participants were given the same standardised instructions to prevent any extraneous variables and that the letter that appeared on the box was randomly different for everyone. Participants One hundred and two undergraduate Psychology students were asked to take part in a cognitive task as part of their evaluation in the course. They were chosen from an opportunity sample since it was more convenient and easier to gather data from those who were there to do the experiment at the time. All participants had to do all conditions from stage 1 to stage 5 in order to collect the data needed for the analysis. Apparatus The experiment was run in a computer lab. The task that the participants had to take part in was called The Speedy Pizza, the game was developed by University of Huddersfield psychology technicians  utilising  Adobe Flash, PHP and MySql to run  on  PCs, headphones were also used to avoid any replication between participants. Moreover, the Biopac system that was used to  measure GSR via an electrode attached to their fingers using a gel was called  GEL101 isotonic .Finally, the GSR data was recorded on the Biopac systems software that comes with the Biopac as standard. Procedure Every participant was seated in front of a computer where they were given some further explanation about the experiment. They were first given a handout that was to familiarise them with some relevant background of appraisal theory and its main connection with the study. After that, participants entered the game were full instructions were provided, showing in the appendix section. Next they were attached to the Biopac device and started the practise game which lasted a minute. The second minute was the baseline state where markers were placed, by pressing the Esc on the keyboard, (which also lasted 60 seconds) and then systematically after 60 seconds as the task difficulty increased. There were 5 stages that participants had to attend and excel by delivering successfully as many pizzas as possible, whilst the task got more challenging with each stage. By the time they reached to level 5 the number of pizzas that appeared on the conveyor increased greatly as the speed on the conveyor did, making it incredibly difficult. Results Description The outcomes from the above experiment were the following. In Stage 1 GSR in micro-mhos was lower than Stage 5 GSR (mean for stage 1 GSR = 13.15  µÃƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾ (SD=7.37 µÃƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾), mean for stage 5 GSR= 14.13 µÃƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾ (SD=8.36 µÃƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾). Also, in Stage 1 the amount of failures was less than the amount of failures in Stage 5 (mean failures in stage 1 =.03 SD=.17), mean failures in stage 5= 31.10 (SD=4.18). Moreover, to analyze the data and show the difference in the means between stage 1 and stage 5 in GSR levels and number of failures a repeated measures t-test (two-tailed) was used, but previously the data were checked for normality distribution. The normality assumption for this experiment can be waived since there was a large sample (N=102) (Field, 2009). The t-test displayed a significance difference from the alpha level (p=0.05) (t=3.779, df =101, p Discussion(513) The aim of the experiment was to replicate a time-honoured biopsychology finding which stated that increase in task difficulty results increase in the arousal. Additionally, to relate Pecchinenda and Smiths study (1996) on the appraisal theory, suggested that there may be some individual variations possibly having an impact on the above correlation. Thus, a research hypothesis was assessed; that there will be a significant increase in skin conductance from stage 1 to 5, along with examining individual responses to increasing task difficulty. Furthermore, the outcome that rose from this experiment was that research hypothesis was accepted and it was at the directed predicted, however there were some deviation due to individual differences. The results that we found can be supported by the following theories. First of all, by looking at the Kahnemn, Tursky et al. Study (1969) the outcome that we found was as expected from this theory; that skin conductance indeed increases concurrently as level of difficulty increases. In the present experiment increase was shown when the amount of pizzas on the conveyor was frequent and the speed of the conveyor increased too. Also, arousal increases muscle tension and bias synchronization, therefore extreme levels of arousal can create discomfort (Thompson, 1930). In the experiment it was calculated that participants when they were between stages 3-4 had high levels of GSR that resulted as discomfort and as a consequence participant gave-up by level 5. Moreover, the increase in skin conductance as the task difficulty got more challenging can be sustained by The Inverted U Theory conducted by Yerkes and Dodson (1908) that proposed performance will increase as arousal increases and a po int will be reached where optimal performance is achieved. Further of that point the performance will deteriorate. This explains the general pattern that was observed; as levels got more difficult participants level of arousal increased greatly particularly between stages 3-4 (optimal performance) but dropped dramatically at stage 5.However, there was some diversion from this, where decrease in GSR levels were spotted in 27 participants which can be possibly explained by the appraisal theory. That suggests that individual differences might alter that general pattern, people who estimate the situation as being overwhelming and incredibly difficult disengaged from the task because they felt their abilities were not strong enough. Although, the current experiment was generally as predicted there was a limitation that should be taken into account for further research. The coping potential was not self-reported and this weakens the experiment because it does not sustain the needed experimental conditions for testing the hypothesis regarding to the GSR in the extremely difficult-short conditions. (Pecchinenda and Smith 1996) Furthermore, our experiment considered ethical issues and therefore all participants were given the same standardised instructions, it was also valid and reliable, since it did what it attempted to do and it produces consistent results each time it is used with some variations. In conclusion, the findings of this experiment showed that although in general GSR increase as task difficulty increase, individual differences have an important role in this correlation and might show otherwise.

Elephant the movie Essay -- essays research papers

Gus Van Sant’s Elephant was at once critically praised and denounced by both film reviewers and filmgoers alike. The cinematography takes you on a waltz throughout a seemingly typical day at an unnamed high school, stopping through the journey to focus on the stereotypes of school. The jock, the quirky artist, the cliqued girls, the skateboarder, they are all represented and representative of his film. Van Sant created a film, seemingly without a staunch opinion on the horrors of the Columbine shootings. The movie seems distanced from the actors and their actions: an unaware participant from the tranquil introduction to the gruesome climax. His seeming lack of a purpose, lack of a reason for the creation of this film, is exactly the impetus that drives its core meaning. The high school was as stereotyped and typical as possible, a campus where everyone swears they’ve visited once in their life. The visceral climax is at once both slowly built up to inevitability by the characterizations of the assailants, yet it also strikes the school suddenly and without warning. Van Sant’s film is a series of seeming contradictions and paradoxes that create the illusion that he has no stance on the Columbine shootings. His stance, however, is given away in the purposelessness of the film; the idyllic simplicity of the school, and its subsequent destruction, has no purpose. The Columbine massacre had no purpose. Gus Van Sant’s aestheticized school builds up a world that seems tangible to most students. He carries every right to create his own world and tear it back down. It is this beauty that he creates that makes the film so much more shocking when it ends. Aesthetic realism is the concept of accepting reality as unchangeable; therefore, one must find the beauty that is inherent in everyday life instead of attempting to create beauty. The idea is that aesthetic realism â€Å"sees all reality including the reality that is oneself, as the aesthetic oneness of opposites,† (Siegel). In other words, life is at once changing and the same. For example, someone is the same person when they wake up in the morning and the same person when they go to sleep at night. They haven’t changed. However, there have still changed as a person throughout the day, at least minutely. Change and stability both occur simultaneously. At the same time, Siegel states that it â€Å"sees the largest purpose o... ...e what can be easily related to; they wouldn’t be considered stereotypes otherwise. The beauty that is created during the first hour, which is denounced by Foundas as unrealistic, is subsequently destroyed in the climax. To create and destroy mediocrity would not be as stirring a rendition as Van Sant’s recreation of perfection coupled with his systematic disposal of it. Gus Van Sant has created a world of high school that has every stereotype. He manifests a sense of beauty in every shot he creates, with the slow arcing camera shots combined with the loving caricatures of the students. He finds the aesthetic realism in high school, the elegance inherent in aspects of campus life, and constructs a film around it. It is his own right to create his own view of high school, and while critics can disagree, they should not debase. The initial purposelessness should only be taken at face value; it is the lack of purpose in the beginning of the film that makes the lack of purpose in the massacre more obvious. There was no reasoning behind the Columbine shootings, they were a tragic occurrence that had little logic behind it. However, Van Sant’s film had purpose underneath its exterior.

The Dual Nature of Man in Young Goodman Brown Essay -- Young Goodman B

The Dual Nature of Man in "Young Goodman Brown" In "Young Goodman Brown," Hawthorne tells the story of one man’s loss of faith in the human race. As Goodman Brown travels into the woods one night, he is sees the innermost secrets and desires of the people he once placed upon a pedestal. He sees that humans are evil by nature, and this causes him to lose faith in his fellow man. By viewing the story as an allegory, the journey into the woods is associated with the Puritan concept of justification. The Puritans viewed justification, or the means by which one receives the salvation of Christ, as a psychological journey into the "hell (or evil) of the self" (Soler). Goodman Brown fails to complete his process of individuation because he cannot come to terms with the dual Apollonian and Dionysian nature of his being. The Puritans believed that to be justified, one must let go of his worldly dependence and strive to live a life free of sin (Soler), making the story an allegory â€Å"in its treatment of the nature and consequences of the Puritan belief in the total depravity of man† (Waggoner 250). This would have had an impact on the development of the psyche, as the ego struggled to repress certain instincts that the superego deemed as sinful based on Puritanical beliefs. To understand the effects that Puritanism has on the psyche, one must also realize that Puritanism depraved the human spirit of both Dionysian and Apollonian instincts. Even though it favored Apollonian in the sense that it supported a distancing from the world, it does not support the development of the individual, which is associated with Apollo. Puritan Society frowned upon expressing one’s individuality (that is why, besides the obvious dishonor, wea... ... The Continuum Publishing Company, New York, 1995. Soler, Angie. "The Journey Into the Puritan Heart: Nathaniel Hawthorne’s ‘Young Goodman Brown’" Dr. Jim Wohlpart. American Literature and Analysis Web Site. Florida Gulf Coast University. 1998. Hawthorne, Nathaniel. Young Goodman Brown and Other Short Stories. Appelbaum, Stanley, ed. Dover Thrift Edition. General Publishing Company, Canada. 1992. Martin, Terence. Nathaniel Hawthorne. Revised Edition. Twayne’s United States Authors Series. G.K. Hall & Company. Massachusetts. 1983. Foster, Jr., John Burt. Heirs to Dionysus: A Nietzschean Current in Literary Modernism. Princeton University Press. New Jersey. 1981. Male, Roy R. Hawthorne’s Tragic Vision. University of Texas Press. Austin. 1957. Waggoner, Hyatt H. Hawthorne: A Critical Study. Harvard University Press. Massachusetts. 1955.

How effective is tuberculosis (TB) treatment in less economically developed countries?

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease that is caused by several bacteria called ‘Tubercle bacillus’. The bacterium were discovered and named as a cause of TB in 1882 by the German Biologist Robert Koch. Tubercle bacillus is a small and extremely dangerous bacterium; it has a long life span and can survive for months in dryness and resist mild disinfectants (Stefan, 2000). TB is a contagious disease which spreads in similar way to common cold and flu viruses; the bacteria are transferred from host to host in small droplets. There are numerous types of TB, of which Pulmonary TB is one. It can be transferred when an infected person sneezes, coughs or spits and an uninfected person comes into contact with the droplets, for example in saliva (Stefan, 2000). Symptoms The symptoms of this disease are severe coughing including bloody mucus, chest pains, shortness in breathe, fever, weight loss and sweating. The secondary infection affects the immune system, bones and gut. The most common scenario when infected with TB is when a person contacts it following another disease or infection which has weakened the immune system. For example when a person has the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) their immune system is weakened; people with HIV therefore show an increased rate of TB infections. Only when you show symptoms of TB can you infect others (Ottenhoff and Kaufmann, 2012). Organ infected by tuberculosis TB is an extremely harmful disease cause by microorganisms called ‘Tubercle bacillus’. It harms many organs in the human body. It mainly affects the lung (as shown in figure 1) and that is called ‘pulmonary tuberculosis’ the initial symptom last up to 6/7 months. During this long time period the immune system fights of the disease and bacterium. After that period and the immune system resisting the disease some particles of the bacteria escapes into the bloodstream, this is then carried around the body. Usually the immune system cannot stop the bacteria and leads to being untreated. If left untreated for a long period of time then the environment in the body is perfect for the bacteria to multiple, this is extremely dangerous as the tissues of the organ for example; the tissue of the lung may become infected. When the lung is infected it results in destruction in the respiratory system. It is important this is not left unattended as it will cause permanent s carring to the tissues of organs. Diagnosis The main method of diagnosing TB is a harmless skin test. This is performed by injecting a small amount of fluid under the skin around the forearm; this is a special fluid containing a protein copied from the microorganism Tubercle bacillus. After a few days the area where the fluid was injected is visually scanned. To determine whether you have the infection the scientist will measure the diameter and hardness of skin where the injection was placed. If the area if hard and the skin appears to be raised it will mean you have a bacterial protein present in your body. The redness in the area injection is not taken in to account. With this test it is possible to get false positive, for example a negative test does not mean you do not have TB. If the test is positive a chest x-ray will be taken to assess whether the TB infection is active (see figure 1). Areas affected by tuberculosis TB was a main cause of death in the late 19th century and early 20th century. TB still occurs in humans worldwide but more concentrated in many developing countries and kills 4 out of 10 people who are infected. Figure 2 shows that over 15 years (1990 to 2005) the estimated TB incidence rate global has not changed much, with incidence in Europe slowly increasing whilst staying below the global average. In Africa however the estimated incidence has remained above the global average. Figure 2 also demonstrates that having human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a risk factor for being infected with TB. HIV is a condition which affects a person immune system, and so makes suffers more vulnerable disease. Therefore attempting to reduce the prevalence of HIV could also reduce the rate of TB in Africa population. This is a social problem as HIV is spread by contact with bodily fluid from a HIV suffer, therefor social education programs about safe conduct with HIV suffers could help reduce both disease and HIV. However the data (fig 2) only shows up to 2005. More recent data would be needed to see how the rates have changed from 2005-present. suffers more vulnerable disease. There is also a correllation between TB and economic condition. Hihgest incidences are seen in africa, where the gross domestic product (GDP) is low. The world health organisation (WHO) predicted that 8 million people per annum contract TB, 95% of these cases are found in developing countries. It is estimated that 3 million perople die from TB every year, which means the 4 put of 10 people infected from developing countries die each year. Immigration (process of relocation permanently to a foreign country or area) is increasing which leads to countries that usually have relatively low incidence of TB reporting an increase in the number if case per annum. TB is often referred to as a disease of poverty because it is common in developing countries. TB is transmitted in those conditions with areas that are overcrowded, have poor ventilation and a lack of nutrients in their diet. Living in an overcrowded area increases the risk of contracting TB as the airborne droplets are able spread faster; an example of this would be an overcrowded area such as a prison. Groups who have the largest chances of catching the disease are those who have close contact with infected persons over a long period of time and live in a poorly ventilated room. Figure 3 shows clearly that the continent of Africa has the highest number of TB cases in its population. There is a link between poverty and TB. This is because the population there is living in a poor lifestyle or HIV is very common. As discussed above, HIV makes a person vulnerable to TB because it weakens the immune system. Another reason for this economic link could be that hard manual workers, with lower economic status, often live on a diet with fewer nutrients, which also weakens the immune system, leaving a person more vulnerable to TB. Because this is a disease of poverty’ there are economic implications; the countries affected have no money to invest in finding treatment and research. The burden then falls on more economically developed countries. However because of the benefits being gained from this; pharmaceuticals companies invest little money into TB research. The reliability of fig 3 on the estimated of the cases varies depending on the sources. Economically developing countries have easy access to medical data, e.g. NHS in UK. However data on less economically developed countries is less reliable due to less health services. 1.2 Different types of antibiotics Isoniazoid is the drug most commonly used to treat TB, and is the most effective. Isoniazoid is bactericidal (capable of killing bacteria and viruses), non-toxic, easy to access and inexpensive. The usual dosage is 3 to 5mg/kg body mass produced in a peak concentration. The drug is effective because it travels throughout the entire body, including the cavities. The drug concentration is alike to the concentration found in the serum. Rifampin is also a bactericidal for TB. Like Isoniazoid it is non-toxic and is easy to access. It is effective as it is absorbed quickly from the stomach lining and intestines. After a few hours the serum concentration increases; when digested it absorbs into the tissues and cells. It can have very bad side affects even though the drug is a protein bound. The most common side effect is damage to the stomach lining. Other side effects include skin irritation, yellow urine, nausea and joint pain. These side effects are quite rare. TABLE!!!!! Development in treatment for TB The technology and knowledge about TB is increasing. There are number of new drugs tested, including amikacin, quinolones, rifamycin derivatives, clofazimine, and beta-lactams. They have all been tested separately but have not been tested in a multidrug regimen for treating TB. The recent increase in the occurrence of multi drug resistant TB creates an increase in the need to consider multi drug regimen as a treatment option. While all these medication have been tested none of them have been evaluated as a well designed drug. Appropriate dosage and intervals for the use of these drugs for TB has not yet be established. However WHO reported that only 1 anti-TB drug has actually come on the market in the last 28 years. This is said to be because pharmaceutical companies have lost interest in TB research because there is little or no profit associated with it (Blanc and Nun, 2000). However the source is from 2000; not up to date. New drugs for TB could have be reported after the time pe riod 2000. Vaccination There is only one vaccination for TB available and it is called bacillus calmette Guerin (BCG) (see figure 4). Scientist began testing between 1921 and 1924 on animal models which raised ethical concerns as many deemed testing on animals wrong, therefore BCG was considered a controversial drug. Throughout testing of the BCG vaccine promising results were found, and it was therefore distributed worldwide as an effective treatment for TB. Today BCG is regarded as the most widely used vaccine, and is being provided to less economically developed countries as a quick way of curing TB; this excludes people with HIV. The use of BCG vaccination faces some problems as it uses a live form of TB, the BCG is therefore not suitable for use in patients with HIV as they already have a compromised immune system, so exposing them to a live virus increases their chances of becoming infected with TB. Many vaccinations against TB are being developed. The most popular vaccine is the subunit vaccine. This vaccine is a protein obtained from the disease TB. Using a mixture of these proteins has shown good results. As it is a cellular vaccine and does not pose a risk of causing the disease. A DNA bases vaccine has been tested and has also showed promising results. The vaccine uses DNA as a system to deliver TB antigens. The DNA based vaccine does not have any problem with where the disease first originates and induces long lasting immunity. Several trails with DNA vaccination have shown protection against TB. It does this by releasing more concentrated ‘lymphocytes’ blood cells and are more effective towards the infected cells. Within the next few years, these vaccines should be available and safe for testing on human specimens. When a clinical trial is set up it is always in a lab, firstly on animals. This data is deemed reliable as it is done in a lab, but requires further human testing before data is valid for human treatment. Conclusion â€Å"We cannot win the battle against HIV/AIDs if we do not also fight TB. TB is too often a death sentence for people with HIV/AIDs† – Nelson Mandela XV international AIDs conference, Bangkok,July 2004 There is a link between developing countries and the prevalence of TB. Ways to prevent this could be to provide new-borns with a vaccine against TB; however that could bring the risk of the new-born being infected with the active disease if their immune system is weak.