Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Cyber security Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cyber security - Coursework Example An example of how cultural values impact on the moral legitimacy can be drawn on the norms regarding theft in society. The golden rule concerning ethical behavior stresses on treating other as you would wish for them to treat you (Cavalier, 2005). Consequently, the cultural norm pertaining to theft is that, it is a vice and a morally illegitimate behavior. On the other hand, if one’s cultural values ascribe to the ethics that justifies an action is morally right so long as it results to personal interest, the moral legitimacy is granted (Spinello, 2004). The implication, resulting here is that theft is morally justified since it serves to benefit the thief. The linkage between the effect cultural values and cyber ethics is intricate and drawn from the moral legitimacy of one’s actions (Spinello, 2000). For, example in the case of content piracy, it is a form of theft yet based on the actor’s different points of view, issues pertaining to legitimacy arise. Foremos t, there is one individual who views content piracy as illegal and a violation of cyber ethics. His/her logic is drawn from the tenets of the Golden rule. However, on the flip side, there is one internet user who justifies his/her action based on the personal benefit derived from the action. His or her logic arguments include; why pay for expensive, when I can freely download it from the piracy sites? Besides, I am not harming anyone by my actions? Consequently, the different perspective regarding one’s cultural values and legitimacy of moral actions are the major challenges about the regulation of cyber ethics. Topic 2 Ethics refers to the prescribed set of laws that govern the precincts of right or wrong behavior or actions in society (Averweg, 2006). The contemporary society is rapidly developing into a global village due to increased access and growth of information technology. Furthermore, companies have integrated information technology in facilitating their day to day functions. Beneath the growing fascination with internet use, there lies the need for developing a code of ethics that guides the behavior and actions of employees in the use of information and communication technologies. There are several practices that can be integrated in the acceptable internet use policy of a company. Foremost, guidelines should specify that data must be strictly used for the satisfaction of the company’s business objectives. Furthermore, access to the internet can only be done via the company’s authorized firewall, router and content scanning software. Moreover, any employee accessing data should respect and comply with the legal protection accorded to it by the relevant licenses and copyrights. In addition guidelines regarding security of both data collected and user should be addressed. Consequently, security measures such as encryptions and firewall software are to be applied in the company’s computer server system (Criddle). In relatio n to the acceptable conduct policy, a specific guideline for inclusion pertains to disclosure of data use information. Consequently, all employees are obligated to disclose any information regarding the type of data they store and their plans for usage. Furthermore, company staff should only access and collect data in a manner that is not deemed as illegal or unfair. Another guideline pertains to the accuracy of data collection and retention policy. In light of this policy, all employees

Monday, October 28, 2019

The Vikings Rise and Fall of the Norse Sea Kings by Poertner Rudolf Essay Example for Free

The Vikings Rise and Fall of the Norse Sea Kings by Poertner Rudolf Essay The book brings to life the vital, expanding Norse civilization that dominated the western world between 800 and 1100 A.D.   During the late 800s, Harald Fairhair was trying to unite Norway under his rule.   Before he came to power, chieftains ruled over different areas of what is now Norway.   There were many people who disagreed with Harald and many battles ensued where the chieftains lost.   Under Harald, chieftains had to give up their titles.   The forced unification of Norway threatened their hereditary rights and burdened them with taxes (Poertner 54).   People who would not stand for this fled Norway and settled on islands off the coast of Norway and invaded Norway.   The Vikings left Scandinavia as a result of a population growth and a general famine in Europe, farmland began to become scarce.   Hearing that Iceland had good land, the people left.   Although many parts of the island were not habitable due to volcanoes and ice fields, there were areas that had many attractive qualities.   These qualities made coming to Iceland an easy decision to a lot of people.   By 930 all the good land was occupied and the population of Iceland was about 30,000 (Poertner 55). This leads us to the settlement of Greenland.   After being banished from Norway, and then Iceland for murders he committed. Erik the Red decided to search for land in the west.   He had already heard stories of what would later be called Greenland so he knew it was out there.   He spent three years there and lived by hunting and fishing.   When he went back to Iceland he told everyone about the place he named Greenland which had good pasture land and good hunting. In the year 986 he and twenty-five shiploads of settlers set sail for Greenland.   Only fourteen ships arrived safely on Greenland due to storms at sea. Within a year or so after the settlers came to Greenland, the first known sighting of America was made by a European.   Bjarni Herjolfsson was sailing from Iceland to Greenland when he was blown off course, within sight of America.   He saw three places but did not stop anywhere until he got to Greenland.   Erik the Reds son, Leif Eriksson eventually bought Bjarnis ship and sailed in search of the land that Bjarni had seen.   The first place Leif stopped at was flat and stony.   He called Helluland. The second place he stopped at was a wooded area he called Markland.   The third place was the one place he stayed, calling it Vinland.   He was very pleased with it and told of a land where rivers overflowed with salmon, the grass did not wither in the frostless winter, and there was an enormous amount of timber, something that was lacking in both Greenland and Iceland.   After spending a winter in Vinland, Leif and his crew return to Greenland where they tell of their exploration loaded down with timber and grapes (Poertner 60). Leifs brother Thorvald made the next journey to Vinland with a crew of thirty.   He is the first European known to have met a native.   The explorers killed eight natives whose people later attack the explorers and Thorvald was killed in the attack.   The explorers left.   Thorfinn Karlsefni then went to Vinland with his wife, Gudrid,   and others, hoping to make a permanent settlement. That ended the settlements in Vinland.   The skirmishes with the natives may have made the Vikings feel threatened.   The settlements of Greenland also died out, but for many more reasons.   The Little Ice Age began and once fertile land turned to ice, and what soil that did not turn to ice eventually just gave out.   The cattle and crops began to waste away.   There was also competition with the Eskimos for marine game.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   For historian buffs this book is excellent and easy to follow.   The book was up to date for that time and I enjoyed the book very much.   The Author is Scandinavian or German and the book was translated into English. I tried to find information on the author but was unsuccessful in the time I had.   I recommend this book to any Viking or Norse buff.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Everyone and No One: Jorge Luis Borges and Shakespeare Essay -- Literar

â€Å"I am not sure that I exist, actually. I am all the writers that I have read, all the people that I have met, all the women that I have loved; all the cities that I have visited, all my ancestors . . . Perhaps I would have liked to be my father, who wrote and had the decency of not publishing. Nothing, nothing, my friend; what I have told you: I am not sure of anything, I know nothing . . . Can you imagine that I do not even know the date of my death?† (â€Å"Borges-Quotations†) The work of Jorge Luis Borges has been the subject of much literary criticism and research. Scholars have spent entire lifetimes attempting to pinpoint the meaning of his works. The fact that many of them use the above quote to do so sums up the enigma of Borges; the quote most likely to be used to explain him cannot be authenticated. In seventy-four short stories, over one hundred sonnets and thousands of essays, reviews, lectures, literature introductions and notes, the quote found in many quote collections and in an abundance of papers on the author may not be his words at all. Far from this paradox disproving any theories on the themes and intentions of Borges, the very fact that writers continue quote to quote this passage illustrates his thoughts on memory, identity and authorship perfectly. Memory is malleable and transferrable. Memory is identity. Authorship is identity. Therefore, authorship is memory and is malleable and transferrable. There is no defining work from Borges defining these themes. Even to apply them to his fictions, one must absorb them all. The fictions of Borges are brief, many as short as three pages. One of these (at eight pages) was the last story he wrote, Shakespeare’s Memory. Published after his death in 1986, he touc... ...inberger. New York: Penguin Putnam, 1999. 463-472. Print. Paul M. Willenberg. â€Å"The Garden of Jorge Luis Borges.† Swarthmore University. Web. 31 Oct. 2011. â€Å"The Eccentric Borges: Two UCL Analyses.† University College London. Web. 21 Oct. 2011. Richard Burgin. Conversations with Jorge Luis Borges. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1969. 26-27. Print. .Editor, author, or compiler name (if available). Name of Site. Version number. Name of institution/organization affiliated with the site (sponsor or publisher), date of resource creation (if available). Medium of publication. Date of access. Lastname, First name. "Title of Essay." Title of Collection. Ed. Editor's Name(s). Place of Publication: Publisher, Year. Page range of entry. Medium of Publication. Whitman, Walt. "I Sing the Body Electric." Selected Poems. New York: Dover, 1991. 12-19. Print.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Erikson’s Theory Essay

When discussing the development theory, Erikson had been the frontier with many major contributions. Unlike Freud and Piaget, Erikson’s theory of development focused much more on social interactions. While most of us agreed that children do become toilet-trained between ages one and three, Erikson’s theory also went further to acknowledge that children also learn to talk, walk, feed themselves, etc. In order to understand Erikson’s theory of development, we need to focus on three main principles: dynamic balance of opposites, vital involvement and life in time. Dynamic balance of opposites: There are two opposing tendencies in dynamic balance of opposites: dystonic (negative) and syntonic (positive). Erikson believed there were eight stages, and at each one, the individual resolved a crisis between the positive (syntonic) and negative (dystonic) tendencies (Erikson & Kivnick 1986). A resolution of crisis does not mean that a person rejects either syntonic or dystonic completely, but rather that a person should find a balance between two of those tendencies. For instance, our American culture has frequently taught parents to never say â€Å"no† to their children because that could potentially damage a child’s self-esteem. However, Erikson would disagree and say that children do need to hear â€Å"no† sometimes to understand that the whole world does not revolve around them. Erikson would also say that telling the child â€Å"no† all of the time is bad as well. Vital involvement depends on the balance of syntonic and dystonic tendencies. Vital Involvement: Erikson developed eight stages of development. First, the trust versus mistrust stage, where infants start to learn that either the world is good and can be trusted, or is bad and can’t be trusted (Erikson et.al 1986). For instance, Erikson would state that babies learn to trust their caregivers for not letting them go hungry, but babies also learn to mistrust their caregivers for yelling at them and not feeding them consistently. Second, the autonomy versus shame and doubt stage where children learn about their own â€Å"selves† which is separate from their caregivers (Erikson et.al 1986). In this stage, children usually develop their own will and desires and apply  them well by saying â€Å"no†. When children start to feel comfortable using â€Å"no† as a way to reach their desires, they have reached the initiative versus guilt stage. In this stage, children learn to internalize values from the elder and also acquire the sense of guilt for wrongdoing. The next stage is industry versus inferiority where children explore the greater world in elementary school and their surroundings. Erikson did pay a lot of attention in the identity versus confusion stage because it focuses on adolescents and their identity crisis. Fidelity is the heart of identity because adolescents share some of their parent’s values, as well as develop their own. The last three stages include intimacy versus isolation, generativity versus stagnation, and integrity versus despair. Each of these stages focuses greatly on the continuity of human development until death. Erikson recognized that there are certain time periods when it might be easier for some to develop and harder for others to develop, depending on the environment that influence them. For instance, some children who faced hardships (family separation, family violence, etc.) might have trouble in certain stages or even all of the stages, depending on where the factors start. Life in time: Erikson referred to his theory of development as epigenesis. Epigenesis is relevant to evolution (the past and the future) and genetics. Erikson explained, â€Å"†¦epi can mean ‘above’ in space as well as ‘before’ in time, and connected with genesis can well represent the space-time nature of all development† (Erikson et.al 1986). Erikson did not refer epigenetic to individual genetic make-up and how it influences individual development. Rather, Erikson was concerned with how personality and behavior is influenced after birth and so on. For instance, my mother has had a hard time adjusting with American culture when we first migrated here from Vietnam. My sister and I started to adapt to the new culture right away—from clothing style, hairstyle, hobbies, etc. in which my mother had a very difficult time to accept. She wanted us to keep our traditional customs at home, as well as outside our home. At first, we felt reluctant because we felt she did not understand the importance of â€Å"fitting-in† at school. However, as we started college, my sister and I started to realize that our culture and traditions are unique and understand where my mother was coming from (Identity/ confusion stage). Conclusion: Erikson had dedicated his life by contributing to developmental psychology in major ways. Erikson’s theory of development is still widely used and studied by many scholars.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Ernest Hemingway ` A Farewell to Arms`

With its relatively simple plot, sparse language, and seemingly traditional background of love and war, Earnest Hemingway's third novel, â€Å"A Farewell to Arms† stands as one of the most highly regarded novels of the twentieth century.Beneath the traditional surface of the novel revolutionary narrative techniques and penetrating appraisals of political and social themes interact to produce, perhaps, the most richest and profound work of Hemingway's career.The themes and   emotions of â€Å"A farewell to Arms† are stated indirectly, through an unreliable narrator, but beneath the familiar-seeming surface of the story, like an iceberg, â€Å"which  Ã‚   Hemingway often took to be the apt image of his art.† (Bloom 10)One important technique Hemingway uses in â€Å"A Farewell to Arms† is to tell the story from a 1st person narrative point of view. This allows for the inclusion of ambiguity and unreliability in the story, so that the reader can never be e xactly certain (as one can in omniscient narration) of the nature and specificity or meaning of the events that are being recounted.The first step toward this ambiguous and unreliable narrative is to create a character with an outward traditional â€Å"face:† that of a soldier; but with a non-traditional inner-self: â€Å"the book is cast in the form which Hemingway has apparently delimited for himself in the novel-diary form.It is written in the first person, in that bare and unliterary style[†¦] in that tone which suggests a roughly educated but sensitive poet who is prouder of his muscles than of his vocabulary.† (Meyers 121)The poetic narrator caught in a war that he is only ambivalently engaged in at an emotional level, and then caught up in a whirlwind love-affair that he may or may not be faking,generates an enormous degree of novelty in Hemingway's characterization. The fact that the narrator spends a great deal of his time contradicting himself or acting in direct opposition to his expressed beliefs endows â€Å"A Farewell to Arms† not only with verisimilitude, but also with a multi-layered theme, one which must be searched for by the reader as he or she follows along with Fredrick Henry's own quest.Henry says he is in love with Catherine, but then immediately remarks: â€Å"I knew I did not love Catherine Barkley nor had any idea of loving her. This was a game, like bridge, in which you said things instead of playing cards. Like bridge you had to pretend you were playing for money or playing for some stakes.† (Hem 30-31)This dynamic use of theme marks one of several innovative narrative techniques at work in the novel. By subsuming even his character to the (hidden) theme of the novel, Hemingway allowed for an intense degree of reader-identification and thematic resonance. The theme of the novel is probably most directly and explicitely stated by Frederick Henry's observation that:  Ã¢â‚¬Å"If people bring so much co urage to this world the world has to kill them to break them, so of course it kills them.The world breaks every one and afterward many are strong at the broken places. But those that will not break it kills. It kills the very good and the very   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   gentle and the very brave impartially. If you are none of these you can be sure it will kill   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   you too but there will be no special hurry.† (Hem) This theme, one of bitterness, regret, and mortality — where heroism and courage are met only by death is decidedly not a traditional theme for war novels or love stories. By digging deeply beyond the surface layers of the novel, an astute reader will find that the aforementioned traditional themes of the heroic soldier and the happy lovers gives way to a more probing, penetrating — and accurate — view of love and war, at least in light of Hemingway's personal beliefs and experiences.Beneath the romantic surface is a brutal truth of death and regret and waste and sadness: â€Å"For a war novel, however, A Farewell to Arms ends rather surprisingly, with the strangled and stillborn death Of Frederic's and Catherine's infant, and Catherine's subsequent death by hemorrhaging.† (Pozorski)In fact, this theme is foreshadowed and hinted at throughout the course of the novel by way of   Henry's unreliable narration and also by way of the use of symbols and wordplay through the novel's rising action. Key to Hemingway's themes being â€Å"masked† or mirrored is his use of wordplay and puns.The title of course operates as a â€Å"pun † of sorts: â€Å"A Farewell to Arms involves a play on words relating both to Frederic Henry's desertion from the Italian army and to his later leave-taking of Catherine Barkley after her death in Switzerland.† (Harrington 59)However, there are other instances of puns and wordplay which specifically point out to the astute reader that Henry's surface level narration cloaks the deeper more desolate themes recounted above.â€Å"One highly revealing play on words in A Farewell to Arms involves Frederic's returning to the front before his knee is completely healed. He has only â€Å"partial articulation† in the wounded leg (96), a pun that captures his reticence and failings as narrator†¦ Similarly, while making their diagnosis, the doctors in Milan â€Å"[t]est [Frederic's] articulation† (96), which matches the reader's task in working through this intricate text.† (Harrington 59)

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Free Essays on A Constructivist Pedagogy For Career And Technology Education

In this article, I explored tenets of constructivism that could be directly applied to the Career and Technology Education Standards for Career and Technology Education Teachers. This article provides a proposed constructivist pedagogy for the Vocational Technology studies. Though I do not consider myself to be a strict- constructivist teacher, when I compared my educational philosophy to this proposed pedagogy, I realized how much the study of constructivist theory and practice had influenced my beliefs and methods of instruction. As a future Technology Education educator, I applied these constructivist principles to my own teaching style and methods. A Constructivist Pedagogy for Career and Technology Education The National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium states: â€Å"career studies should be taught in manners that are consistent with a constructivist view of learning† (NASDCTEC, 1999, p. 7). While this may sound good in theory, one underlying problem exists: the lack of a clearly defined, agreed-upon constructivist pedagogy. This article will (1) explore the definition and variations of constructivist theory, (2) present a pedagogy for constructivist teachers of career and technology studies, and (3) compare and relate those pedagogies to the existing standards for powerful career and technology studies as defined by the NASDCTEC. Defining Constructivism â€Å"Constructivism is a topic on the conference programs of virtually all prominent national educational organizations and has been widely described and analyzed in professional journals† (Brooks, 1999). Constructivist theory has been presented in a variety of contexts, and institutions of higher education are implementing constructivist teacher education programs nationwide (Brooks, 1999). So, what exactly is constructivism? The answer is not clear, and depending upon different researchers, authors, or theorists,... Free Essays on A Constructivist Pedagogy For Career And Technology Education Free Essays on A Constructivist Pedagogy For Career And Technology Education In this article, I explored tenets of constructivism that could be directly applied to the Career and Technology Education Standards for Career and Technology Education Teachers. This article provides a proposed constructivist pedagogy for the Vocational Technology studies. Though I do not consider myself to be a strict- constructivist teacher, when I compared my educational philosophy to this proposed pedagogy, I realized how much the study of constructivist theory and practice had influenced my beliefs and methods of instruction. As a future Technology Education educator, I applied these constructivist principles to my own teaching style and methods. A Constructivist Pedagogy for Career and Technology Education The National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium states: â€Å"career studies should be taught in manners that are consistent with a constructivist view of learning† (NASDCTEC, 1999, p. 7). While this may sound good in theory, one underlying problem exists: the lack of a clearly defined, agreed-upon constructivist pedagogy. This article will (1) explore the definition and variations of constructivist theory, (2) present a pedagogy for constructivist teachers of career and technology studies, and (3) compare and relate those pedagogies to the existing standards for powerful career and technology studies as defined by the NASDCTEC. Defining Constructivism â€Å"Constructivism is a topic on the conference programs of virtually all prominent national educational organizations and has been widely described and analyzed in professional journals† (Brooks, 1999). Constructivist theory has been presented in a variety of contexts, and institutions of higher education are implementing constructivist teacher education programs nationwide (Brooks, 1999). So, what exactly is constructivism? The answer is not clear, and depending upon different researchers, authors, or theorists,...

Monday, October 21, 2019

Loanwords from 12+ Unexpected Languages

Loanwords from 12+ Unexpected Languages Loanwords from 12+ Unexpected Languages Loanwords from 12+ Unexpected Languages By Mark Nichol Language chauvinists in the United States who believe that English is being polluted by other tongues should pause to consider how few words in our language actually derive from Anglo-Saxon, the predecessor of Modern English. One survey determined that only one-fourth of the words in English come from its linguistic ancestors. That total is exceeded by words directly from Latin (including medical, scientific, and technical terms) and from Latin’s collective daughters, such as French and Italian: Each source accounts for about 28 percent of our vocabulary. Greek contributed another 5 percent, proper names are responsible for another 3 percent, and all other languages combined add up to less than 1 percent. But what a rich slice of the pie that last sliver is! Even though English already had a word for many of the concepts those foreign-born terms represent, the language is always generous when it comes to making room for synonyms, which often acquire distinct connotations. I’ve omitted examples from the usual suspects, but check out these terms adopted into English from less-obvious languages, language groups, and regions: 1. Afrikaans Contributions from the South African language descended from Dutch include apartheid (â€Å"apartness†), trek (a long journey, originally one on foot), and names of indigenous animals such as the aardvark (â€Å"earth pig†) and the meerkat (â€Å"lake cat†); scoff, from which English derived scarf (in the sense of â€Å"to wolf down†) and wildebeest (you figure it out) are from a forerunner of Afrikaans called Cape Dutch. 2. Czech Pistol is said to have derived from the Czech word pistala (with several diacritical marks omitted here), though the name of Pistoia, a city in Italy, may have been the inspiration. Howitzer comes from the word for a catapult. Robot, from the Czech word for drudgery, was introduced in a play. But don’t associate the Czechs exclusively with war and toil, they, not the Poles, as is widely believed, coined the dance name polka (â€Å"little half†). 3. Hungarian Coach, from kocsi, derived from the place name Kocs, is taken from Hungarian in both its noun and verb forms. Saber comes from szablya. The names for the dog breeds komondor, puli, and vizsla are all of Hungarian origin, as are the names for goulash and paprika. 4. Irish Galore comes from go leor (â€Å"til plenty†). Other borrowings from Irish include glen (â€Å"valley†), phony (fainne, â€Å"ring†), slew (sluagh, â€Å"a large number†), and whiskey (uisce beatha, â€Å"water of life†). Scots and Scottish Gaelic provided many more words, including the obvious bard, clan, and plaid and the unexpected pet and trousers. Of indeterminate Gaelic origin are brogue (the shoe, not the accent; that’s definitively from Irish), hubbub, and smidgen. 5. Malay This South Asian language has given enriched English with amok, bamboo, compound, gingham, gong, junk (boat), launch (both the noun meaning â€Å"boat† and the verb and noun referring to setting off), and paddy, and the animal names cassowary, cockatoo, gecko, orangutan, and siamang. 6. Maori This language from New Zealand gave us the animal names kiwi, mako (shark), moa, and tuatara. 7. Scandinavian Norwegian contributions include the geographical terms fjord and floe, and ski, plus slalom and telemark (from a place name), as well as the animal names brisling (a fish), krill (a relative of the shrimp), and lemming (a rodent). Swedish words used in English include ombudsman, smorgasbord (â€Å"sandwich table†), tungsten, and fartlek, the unfortunate name for a training technique for runners that has nothing to do with flatulence. These words borrowed into English cannot be traced to a particular Scandinavian language: cog, flense (to strip blubber), flounder, lug, maelstrom, midden (kitchen-waste heap), mink, nudge, rig, snug, spry, and wicker. Dozens more entered English from Old Norse over a thousand years ago, including such basics as anger, ball, and cake. 8. Tagalog The original language of the Philippines loaned us boondocks (bundok, â€Å"mountain,† or bunduk, â€Å"hinterland†). We also have Tagalog to thank for cooties (kuto, â€Å"head lice†). 9. Tamil The language originating in India has shared catamaran (â€Å"tie up wood†), cheroot (â€Å"roll,† or â€Å"rolled†), corundum (â€Å"ruby†), and pariah, plus the food names curry (â€Å"sauce†), mango, and mulligatawny (â€Å"black pepper† and â€Å"water†). Various languages of India besides the major players Tamil and Hindu also contributed atoll, bandicoot, bungalow, calico, mongoose, pajamas, polo, and verandah. 10. Ukrainian This Slavic language contributed steppe, plus the food names borscht (beet soup), kasha (porridge), and pierogi (stuffed dumpling). 11. Welsh Welsh, harsh looking but mellifluous, is the origin of coracle (boat), crag (rock), cwm (valley, related to English combe), and likely flannel. Its nearly extinct cousin Cornish gave us brill (mackerel), dolmen (stone tomb), menhir (standing stone) yes, men means â€Å"stone† and penguin (â€Å"white head†), which could alternatively have come from yet another Celtic language, Breton. 12. One- or Two-Hit Wonders Some other languages gave only one or two words to English, but we should be grateful for what we can get: Finnish: sauna Ilokano (related to many languages of the South Pacific): yo-yo Romanian: pastrami (a pastra, â€Å"to preserve†), though it may derive ultimately from Turkish or Greek Romani (Gypsy): pal (â€Å"friend,† â€Å"brother†; originally, like dozens of other English words, from Sanskrit) Sami (a group of indigenous languages from northern Scandinavia): tundra Serbo-Croatian: vampire and cravat (from Hrvat, the Croatians’ word for themselves) Slovak: dobro (the instrument, from its inventors, the Dopyera brothers 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:English Grammar 101: All You Need to Know20 Rules About Subject-Verb AgreementIf I Was vs. If I Were

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Trifecta Not Always Appropriate

Trifecta Not Always Appropriate Trifecta Not Always Appropriate Trifecta Not Always Appropriate By Maeve Maddox Libby Lewis wonders about the different meanings of trifecta.: I had a student use it in a paper addressing racial discrimination: the United States ever growing trifecta of white, black, and brown. another student cited an article from MuscleMag magazine entitled Your Tri-Fecta for success.Can this word be used as a general reference to any trio? First lets look at the term perfecta. The OED identifies the gambling term as chiefly U.S. and defines it as a bet that requires the bettor to predict, in the correct order, the first and second finishers in a race. In New York state, this kind of bet is called an exacta. The OED entry for trifecta identifies it as a betting term used principally in North America, Australia, and New Zealand. Its a recent (1971) addition to English and derives from American Spanish perfecta which is a shortening of quiniela perfecta, perfect quiniela. Quiniela, game of chance. Entertainment writers were probably the first to use the word trifecta to mean any three awards won by an artist: Joe Lovano hit the trifecta at the Jazz Awards, with wins for tenor saxophonist, small ensemble and record of the year, but pianist-composer Vijay Iyer walked off with musician of the year honors They may also have been instrumental in turning trifecta into a mere synonym for three or trio. How’s this for a musical trifecta: the intriguing guitarist Charlie Hunter, the swinging Vanguard Jazz Orchestra and the imposing saxophone/drums/bass trio known as Fly. Some writers use trifecta in any context in which three of anything figure: Marchesa actually had a trifecta of successes. Marchesa is a fashion house and three women wore its designs to the Emmy awards. Jerrod Niemann Completes a Country Music Trifecta Niemann is going to play at the Grand Old Opry. Hes already played at two other venues on his wish list. Blue Spur eatery up for awards trifecta The restaurant has won the award twice before. MGM Recipients Achieve MacArthur Trifecta Andrea Ghez won the Maria Goeppert Mayer Award in 1999. She was the third woman to win this award, hence the trifecta in the headline. Its probably a reasonable extension of the word trifecta to use it to refer to the winning of a trio of awards as here: McMurray gave Ganassi his first Daytona 500 win in February. In May, Dario Franchitti won the Indianapolis 500 in one of Ganassi’s cars. On Sunday, Ganassi hit the unprecedented trifecta. No other car owner has won all three major races, much less in the same year. Used willy-nilly to mean three of anything, however, it smacks of lazy writing. Its use is especially inappropriate in this New Republic piece about the automotive industry: GM, Ford, and Chrysler are taking precisely the sorts of steps everybody says are necessaryor, at least, they were taking those steps until an unexpected trifecta of high gas prices, vanishing credit, and a deep recession hit. The word trifecta implies winning. High gas prices, vanishing credit, and a deep recession hardly fit the connotation. Here are some other three words to consider, depending upon the context: trio triple triad trilogy tripartite triplet troika 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 Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Compared "to" or Compared "with"?What is Dative Case?Drama vs. Melodrama

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Public administration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Public administration - Essay Example It is usually responsible for using a major proportion of national resources raised via taxation to give services to people. Entities in the public sector are accountable not merely for how much they expend but also for the methods they use the resources that they have been assigned. Further, they have an overarching duty to serve the public interest in following the needs of legislation and management policies (Holzer and Schwester 19). Integrity is thus an essential component that the whole entity can display in all its actions as well as has mechanisms. Another component is defining of its intended outcomes that ought to be sustainable. The governing body must ensure that its decisions promote the entity’s purpose, add to planned benefits and result and remain within the limits of authority along with resources. Input from citizens, institutional stakeholders, service users and others is crucial to the success of this course and in balancing challenging demands to establish priorities for the limited available resources. Since technology can be a costly disruption from the hard and non-glamorous work of everyday service delivery besides supervision, it is imperative to balance technology needs versus the irrational attractiveness of this feature of the work (Holzer and Schwester 23). Some of the technologies available for use are mobile phones, portable computers, fax, e-mail, teleconference facilities, voice-activated computers, data-capturing whiteboards and dial-in Web-based appraisal measures. Public sector leaders are expected to uphold a level of integrity and morality that serves the society’s interests and demonstrates diplomacy, personal responsibility, and truthfulness. With these views, the ethical role of the public leader is to serve the public interest while being honest, fair, trustworthy, lawful, and doing the least amount harm (Holzer and Schwester 35). Nevertheless, it is unfeasible to understand completely

Friday, October 18, 2019

Financial Incentives Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 23

Financial Incentives - Essay Example Financial incentives put a value on the accomplishment made by the member of staff. It serves to encourage brilliant and capable but unenthusiastic employees thus raising their efficiency. In addition, it creates healthy competition among workers thus increasing the turnover. It motivates an employee to focus on the target set. It leads to the attachment of the individual to the company, therefore, growing their level of commitment. Moreover, it links additional productivity with added pay. The other merits of financial incentives are to serve as the machinery of attracting other expert workforce and motivating workers to put forth extra effort. However, financial incentives can sometimes be small and demoralizing if not earned. It can also have a negative impact on unenthusiastic employees, who will fail to meet the set targets. Furthermore, it causes rifts and divisions among the workers, which will in turn negatively affect the productivity, hence the overall turnover of the company. In addition, it may lead to discrimination of the under performers and ineffective evaluation of individual skills since it is based on performance. Lack of training of supervisors on ways to determine the performance, may lead to the incentives not being standard, which leads to discontent among the employees. The downside of offering financial incentives to achieve customer satisfaction is the employees focus is short term, which does not reflect the company’s long-term goals. Moreover, it does not offer a system that measures the value of the employee’s skills. The focus on short-term goals causes the discounting of potential income of business at an elevated rate than is best for the business. The other incentives apart from financial incentives the company can offer include gift certificates, plaques, individual travel program, merchandize prizes, commissions, stocks and shares in the company and achievement recognition of the employees. The company has been in the market extensively to develop goodwill repute for quality, q. This repute is based on the quality of service and customer care distinctiveness.

Report to the Directors of USPS diagnosing the state of affairs and Essay

Report to the Directors of USPS diagnosing the state of affairs and offering some prognosis on what might be a more sustainable business model - Essay Example While many factors could be blamed for the situation, this paper has zeroed in on one issue: the business model. In comparison to other players, like the FEDEX and UK’s The Royal Mail, the evolution of technology was not supposed to have such severe effects on the institution. Besides highlighting these issues, the paper has offered the best model to adopt, and lucidly elaborated what entails. The U.S. Postal service (USPS) is tasked with ensuring the mails sent through their platforms reach their destinations on time. Many American business people and the society expect that no letter sent through USPS will be delayed for whatever reasons. Rather, each is convinced that the institution has the capacity to deliver without the slightest hiccups. However, the situation has deteriorated as evidenced by the number mails that reached their recipients way after their expected period. In a bid to arrest the situation, the USPS management sought to have in place measures that would enable the corporation fulfil its mandate. One of these included laying off of the staff whose retirement period was near. Unfortunately, the situation was not remedied as the immensely experienced individuals were lost not to mention the subsequent workload. Upon realizing these measures were not effective, the management hired other people meaning the cost rose significantly. In light of these issues , this paper seeks to investigate the real cause of the problems at USPS. Further, a prognosis will be offered upon identifying the major issues bedevilling the USPS. A closer analysis of the woes facing USPS reveals that a single problem did not result in its current state. Rather, a myriad of issues including lack of innovation as evidenced by the number of letters that would be sorted by the clerks. Apparently, the process would be done manually, a process that inevitably cost the institution a considerable amount of resources

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Journal entry on reading Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Journal entry on reading - Essay Example Although Polly is also a woman, she takes the role of a voyeur which is more observed in males than in females therefore, Godwin does not treat her as a woman in his earlier discussions. Later on, he shifts spectatorship from Polly to the audiences who are watching the narrator’s storytelling. At this point, he already considers the main character as an object, a role often taken by females. This shift is a parallel to the change of heart of Polly who finally came to the realization that the woman she admired was not at all what she has always imagined her to be. In the aforementioned analysis, the writer takes time in considering the symbolisms presented by Polly but he also mentions other interesting materials in the film to clarify his points. For instance, he explains that in the scene where the curator calls Polly’s photographs â€Å"The trite made flesh†, the camera was placed in front of the character not to superimpose how she would react to the comment b ut rather, Polly was made the object of spectatorship. She is not the observer anymore but she has become the person to be observed. This makes clear that Godwin is more interested in the symbolisms not only of the characters, their actions or the materials used in the film but also the placement of cameras. Indeed, shots are important factors to be considered in film analysis but to the writer, he effectively manipulates his mention of such element to bring further his discussions of his interest in the characters through another angle of vision. In the case of the curator, as a person who has embraced a job known to be dominated by males, she is said to be used as a representation of the males who are obviously minimally characterized in the film. The author then proceeds to link the curator’s position to male dominance by bringing to the picture her lesbian lover, Mary, who is also an artist. When Mary’s artworks were exhibited as the work of the curator, the artist , as a representative of female characters in fiction and real stories, is minimized to a sub-character. Meaning, Mary is placed behind the scene while her lover, a representation of the males, gets a magnified image. This is so because the curator is placed in the limelight as the artist who is applauded for a job well-done when in fact, she is not the artist. The analysis of Godwin resonate a lot of truths which are not just written with ink on papers but are generally observed. Indeed, even in this modern world where it is now observed that women can speak out their thoughts and feelings towards their male counterparts, there is still a great difference when it comes to being the object of gaze. Women may openly gaze at men and appreciate their physique but they are not as widely considered as men gazing at women. This means that time might have changed but the fact that the woman remains to be the object rather than the observer, is still more predominantly accepted. Considering the film where the characters are mostly women, one could just only imagine who would be the voyeur in a world of women then. The answer is quite obvious. The woman who has more grace and beauty attracts the gaze. This analysis of the writer is an eye-opener for viewers because one’s concentration is not just focused on the narration of the story but it also challenges the audience to look at the

Research proposal about special education Major P.H.D program

About special education Major P.H.D program - Research Proposal Example For this purpose, the researcher has formulated the research aim and objectives that have been stated below: The research aims to state the importance of special education at the PhD level along with highlighting its importance in creating a difference in the society by supporting and guiding students with special needs. For this purpose, few research objectives have been designed stated below. The literature review is aimed to present an understanding over the literature written in the context of special education highlighting its relevance and importance along with its benefits in the social environment. The idea is form an understanding that will help in gaining knowledge about special education along with its worth and importance as adding value in the personal and professional setups. Special education is meant for students with special needs covering individual differences in a systematic manner. It involves individually or group planned objectives, teaching procedures and useful and innovative interventions designed to help students to attain higher level of understanding leading to self sufficiency (Swan, Morgan, 1993). Special education can be offered within a school, college or community with the prime motive of paying focus on special needs of students. Special needs may include challenges with learning, physical disabilities, emotional and mental disorders and developmental disorders. Education can be offered to anyone using classroom setting or sharing of knowledge. However, special education demands more of a systematic and compassionate approach as students’ special needs often reduce their ability to learn independently and thus thwarting their progress in the learning phase (Goodman, 1990). Special education requires more of a compassionate app roach that cannot be offered in a general classroom setting. With social stigma attached with special education, it is

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Journal entry on reading Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Journal entry on reading - Essay Example Although Polly is also a woman, she takes the role of a voyeur which is more observed in males than in females therefore, Godwin does not treat her as a woman in his earlier discussions. Later on, he shifts spectatorship from Polly to the audiences who are watching the narrator’s storytelling. At this point, he already considers the main character as an object, a role often taken by females. This shift is a parallel to the change of heart of Polly who finally came to the realization that the woman she admired was not at all what she has always imagined her to be. In the aforementioned analysis, the writer takes time in considering the symbolisms presented by Polly but he also mentions other interesting materials in the film to clarify his points. For instance, he explains that in the scene where the curator calls Polly’s photographs â€Å"The trite made flesh†, the camera was placed in front of the character not to superimpose how she would react to the comment b ut rather, Polly was made the object of spectatorship. She is not the observer anymore but she has become the person to be observed. This makes clear that Godwin is more interested in the symbolisms not only of the characters, their actions or the materials used in the film but also the placement of cameras. Indeed, shots are important factors to be considered in film analysis but to the writer, he effectively manipulates his mention of such element to bring further his discussions of his interest in the characters through another angle of vision. In the case of the curator, as a person who has embraced a job known to be dominated by males, she is said to be used as a representation of the males who are obviously minimally characterized in the film. The author then proceeds to link the curator’s position to male dominance by bringing to the picture her lesbian lover, Mary, who is also an artist. When Mary’s artworks were exhibited as the work of the curator, the artist , as a representative of female characters in fiction and real stories, is minimized to a sub-character. Meaning, Mary is placed behind the scene while her lover, a representation of the males, gets a magnified image. This is so because the curator is placed in the limelight as the artist who is applauded for a job well-done when in fact, she is not the artist. The analysis of Godwin resonate a lot of truths which are not just written with ink on papers but are generally observed. Indeed, even in this modern world where it is now observed that women can speak out their thoughts and feelings towards their male counterparts, there is still a great difference when it comes to being the object of gaze. Women may openly gaze at men and appreciate their physique but they are not as widely considered as men gazing at women. This means that time might have changed but the fact that the woman remains to be the object rather than the observer, is still more predominantly accepted. Considering the film where the characters are mostly women, one could just only imagine who would be the voyeur in a world of women then. The answer is quite obvious. The woman who has more grace and beauty attracts the gaze. This analysis of the writer is an eye-opener for viewers because one’s concentration is not just focused on the narration of the story but it also challenges the audience to look at the

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

The Nature of God Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Nature of God - Essay Example Therefore, people that find it in their hearts to follow the nature of God will have progress in their lives. Hitler states that a person discovered that the nature of God is a wonderful notion. According to the nature of God, there are several laws that have been put in place. If a man wants to understand the nature of God, he must try to understand that the nature of God has various laws. The almighty has laws which should be fully obeyed to the latter (Hitler, Trevor-Roper and Weinberg, 234). Obeying these laws is a form of understanding the nature of God without questioning why the laws were instated. This will lead mankind into getting a better understanding the ways of almighty in all aspects. In essence, a man should strive to worship these laws as instated by the almighty. Apparently, Hitler states that these laws are revitalized by priests and leaders who exploit the feeling in people. Since a human has the notion that the laws should be observed, priests ensure the laws are followed to the latter. This is instigated by the fact that priests and the leaders threaten punishments on human beings for not observing these laws. Consequentially, a man is threatened by punishments, especially when the punishment is coming from the almighty. Therefore, men will strive to observe the laws that are stated by the nature of God. The nature of God can be understood by the fact that it offers refuge to all that seek refuge in the almighty. Hitler states that all people need refuge and protection. This is a strong statement that needs artistic evaluation on the type of refuge that a man seeks. A person does not have refuge in other men or any other place in the world. This leaves a single option in the world, which is the almighty. Therefore, the nature of the Lord is to offer refuge to the people that seek refuge (Hitler, Trevor-Roper and Weinberg 237). The nature of God, as stated by Hitler will offer consolation and help humans in time of unhappiness. Therefore, p eople that seek consolation should find it in the almighty as the nature of God states that God is the ultimate consolation. Nevertheless, Hitler shows contradiction as he states that Russians do not have God but they are not prevented from facing death. According to Hitler, the nature of God does not allow religion and socialism to exist as one. Therefore, they can never exist together. In the light of this statement, it is explicitly stated that religion will have to exist on its own. Apparently, it is openly seen that religion should not be mixed with other aspects in the world. This can be explained from the ancient prophets that were instated to explain the nature of God. The nature of God does not allow mixing religion with other aspects of the world as they are likely to affect religion. As such, religion should be left to exist on its own (Hitler, Trevor-Roper and Weinberg 245). This will enhance the growth of religion, which will bring better understanding in concerns to th e nature of God. Hitler continues to state that in the long run, the two will never exist at the same time. National Socialism is a different aspect that will never exist in religion. Therefore, there should be a discrepancy between the two as there will be no time in the world where the two will be mixed and exist as a single entity. This is not particularly the nature of God to bring together two entities that are insoluble. Therefore, a man must strive to observe this particular issue in the world. Though this seems like war, Hitler

Monday, October 14, 2019

Advanced Microeconomics Essay Example for Free

Advanced Microeconomics Essay Question 1: Consumer Theory 1.1: In both the Marshallian and Hicksian consumer optimisation problems, it is assumed that consumers are supposed to be rational. The main focus of these problems are cost minimisation and utility maximisation, which play a huge part in consumer demand, but in real life, these are not the only problems that are considered. Also, it is assumed that every consumer’s indifference curve for two goods would be the same – they are very generalised models, and do not take into account other factors. For example, not many consumers would spend their entire budget on said goods – one thing to consider would be a consumer’s marginal propensity to consume and save. Though both of the problems provide a framework and model of consumer decisions, they are not plausible when applying them to real-life terms, because we have imperfect knowledge. 1.2: The expression given in the question, is the rearranged derivative of the Hicksian demand being equal to the Marshallian demand, when income from the budget constraint is equal to minimised expenditure, whereby m=ep, ÃŽ ¼. This is given by: dDdp= dHdp- dDdm . dedp using m = e. Shephard’s Lemma provides us an alternative way of deriving Hicksian demand functions, using e. It is given by: dedp= x* It is important to note that e is strictly increasing in p, due to Shephard’s Lemma, and x* 0,by assumption. Substituting this into the above expression gives: dDdp= dHdp- dDdm x*  This expression now represents a complete law of demand, as it has combined both Marshallian and Hicksian demand, whereby income from the budget constraint of Marshallian demand, is equal to minimised expenditure of Hicksian demand. Therefore, it has maximised utility and minimised cost simultaneously, to create an optimal quantity of demand in x*. The first term, dDdp, means that Marshallian demand (maximising utility) increases, relative to the price of the good. dHdp represents the Hicksian part of the expression, whereby expenditure is minimised, relative to the price of the good. Question 3: Adverse Selection, Moral Hazard and Insurance 3.1: Insurance markets are needed when risk is present. Risk occurs when there is uncertainty about the state of the world. For example, car drivers do not know if they will crash their car in future, and suffer a loss of wealth – so they would purchase insurance to eliminate this risk of loss, and protect them if they were to ever crash their car. Agents (buyers of insurance) will use insurance markets to transfer their income between different states of the world. This allows insurance markets to trade risk between high-risk and low-risk agents/states. These can be described as Pareto movements. A Pareto improvement is the allocation, or reallocation of resources to make one individual better off, without making another individual worse off. Another term for this is multi-criteria optimisation, where variables and parameters are manipulated to result in an optimal situation, where no further improvements can be made. When the situation occurs that no more improvements can be made , it is Pareto efficient. A condition for efficiency is the least risk-averse agent bears all the risk in an insurance market. If a risk-averse agent bears risk, they would be willing to pay to remove it. A risk-averse agent has a diminishing marginal utility of income; whereby his marginal utility is different across states, if his income is different across states. The agent would give up income in high-income states, in which his marginal utility is low, to have more income in low-income states (e.g. bad state of the world causing a loss of wealth), where his marginal utility would be high. If the insurance market is risk neutral, they will sell insurance to the customer, as long as the payment received is higher than the expected value of pay-outs that the insurer is contracted to give to the customer in different states of the world. Whenever the agent bears some risk, unexploited gains from trade exist. Absence of unexploited gains from trade is a requirement in an efficient insurance market, therefore the situation must arise, whereby the agent’s income is equalised across the states of the world. A risk neutral insurance company can charge a premium to equalise the agent’s income across states of the world, in the best interests of the risk-averse agent. Also, for an insurance market to be  efficient, a tangency condition is implied. The tangency of the indifference curves of a risk-averse agent, and a risk-neutral agent, is where efficiency occurs. At this point, one cannot be made better off, without the other being made worse off (Pareto efficiency). However, an insurance company will never be completely efficient in real life, as information asymmetry exists. The first type of information asymmetry to arise in an insurance market is moral hazard, whereby the actions that an agent may take after signing the contract cannot be observed. This gives the company a trade-off decision between giving full insurance or offering incentives for the agent. Full insurance is first-best in the absence of asymmetric information, when the insurance company is risk-neutral and the agent is risk-averse. However, if the agent is fully insured by the company, they have no reason to prevent a bad state of the world from happening. To solve this problem, the insurance company will not offer full insurance, in order to provide the agent with an incentive to avoid losses. The second type of information asymmetry to occur in an insurance market, is adverse selection. This is when the agent has private information about his risk type and characteristics, and agents in the market are heterogenous. As the insurer doesn’t know which agents are high-risk or low risk, the company will not offer different types of full insurance to match risk-types, as high-risk agents will prefer contracts that are designed for low-risk agents. To solve this, the insurer will offer low-risk agents less insurance – this ensures that high-risk types do not have the incentive to choose a contract for low-risk customers, as they will want more insurance, because they know they will need to claim more. This ensures that the insurance company maintains non-negative profit, as high-risk individuals cost more to insure. However, these solutions carry agency costs, because the result is less efficient than if symmetric information was present. I believe that risk neutrality of an insurance company is a sufficient condition for insurance to take place. Insurance companies are risk-neutral to maximise expected profits, therefore as the principal, will design contracts to achieve this, as well as making certain that the agent picks the desired effort (i.e to prevent a bad state of the world) for that contract, and to make sure that the agent even picks the  contract in the first place. Making sure incentives are compatible, and ensuring participation by the correct risk types, are constraints on maximising expected profits. If an insurance company was risk-averse, without the availability of symmetric information, they cannot differentiate between different risk-types, and therefore would not want to take on the risk of possible high-risk agents buying low-risk contracts. They would charge a higher premium to offset this, which would discourage low-risk customers to sign a contract with the company, as it would not be maximising their own utility. This would lead to a missing market, where trade would be prevented, because other risk-neutral companies would offer better contracts, and they would be able to steal all the low-risk customers. The magnitude of this would depend on the number of low- and high-risk people in the population. This leads me to believe that risk neutrality is also a necessary condition for insurance to take place. 3.2: An insurance company will sell a policy, c, r, if it makes non-negative profits, then:  Ã¢â€ â€™ r-pic ≠¥0,  where c = payout, pi = probability of the loss state, r = premium. Competition in the market drives profit down to zero, therefore r-pic = 0 in equilibrium. For the contract to be at equilibrium, it must satisfy two conditions: the break-even condition, whereby no contract makes negative profits; and absence of unexploited opportunities for profit, because if there was a contract outside of the offered set, with non-negative profit, would mean the offered set is not in equilibrium. If all agents are homogenous, if all agents face the same probability of loss, pi=p, insurance companies would know each buyer’s pi. The firm must maximise each agent’s utility subject to the firm breaking even. This would be at the point of tangency of the agent’s indifference curve and zero-profit constraint. This would be in equilibrium as another profit-making polic y could not be offered. Therefore, as they can observe agent’s risk types, they can offer different policies, to different types: ÃŽ ¸i= ri, ci. It follows that each is offered full and fair insurance. In real life, heterogeneity is usually the case. This is when pi varies with all individuals. Assuming that there are two types: high-risk types, H, and low-risk types, L, where the probability  of loss for H is higher than for L. Individuals know their own probability of loss i=H, L, but insurance companies are unable to observe this. In this case, there are two different kinds of equilibria that insurance companies could opt with: the candidate pooling equilibrium and the candidate separating equilibrium. The pooling equilibrium is where all risk types buy the same policy. In contrary, the separating equilibrium is based on each risk type buying a different policy. In the pooling equilibrium, if both H and L risk-types choose the same policy, the probability of loss is p and the probability of no l oss is 1- p. Therefore, the slope of the ‘aggregate fair-odds line is -1-pp. The pooling contract must lie on this line to be in equilibrium, to ensure the firm breaks even exactly. The contract must also ensure both types want to buy it – it must take both L and H to higher indifference curve than the indifference curve they would be on if they stayed uninsured. Agent L ends up below his fair odds line, and H above his, which means L pays more than expected costs, and H pays less – both pay the fair pooled premium, but H claims on the policy more. So if L prefers to buy the contract, so will H. This leads me to believe both L and H will be able to get full insurance, though it’s not completely fair, as the firm does not need H to choose a different policy to remain breaking even. However, this brings to mind the notion that if full insurance is offered, the agent will not have the incentive to prevent a loss state. Therefore, less insurance will probably be offered, and as both risk types are paying the same premium of the same policy, neither will receive full insurance, as it impossible to differentiate between the two – they will both choose the same policy offered. In the separating equilibrium, one contract would be offered to L, and another to H. Each risk type must prefer the contract designed for that type (i.e. the incentives must be compatible). The contracts offered should give each type the highest possible utility, subject to the firm breaking even. If full insurance contracts were offered to both L and H, where their respective indifference curves are tangent with their respective zero-profit constraints/fair-odds lines, low risk customers would prefer the policy designed for them, but high-risk customers would also prefer the same policy, not the policy designed for them. So they would not both be offered full insurance, as this gives rise to the problem of preventing H from imitating L – low-risk agents are cheaper to insure for the firm (claim less  often) so they get a better rate. Therefore, instead of offering L full insurance, they are offered C, which is still on their fair odds line, but on a lower indifference curve, still ensuring the zero-profit constraint. Now, if the high-risk agents were to choose between the policy designed for them, and C, they will choose the policy designed for them, because they prefer to have more insurance for less money. So, in conclusion, in the separating equilibrium, high-risk (H) customers receive full insurance, and low-risk (L) customers only receive partial insurance – they pay the price to prevent H from imitating them. L is worse off than if there was symmetric information in the market, but no difference to H.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Midwife Expert Of The Normal Health And Social Care Essay

Midwife Expert Of The Normal Health And Social Care Essay Humans have a gestational age of about 40 weeks, though a normal gestational period is from 37 to 42 weeks. It is the greatest desire of both the mother and midwives that the baby comes in to the world safely and with very little traumata. .This essay seeks to examine how the midwife is the expert of the normal and their role in the promotion of normality in childbirth . We also look at the midwifes role in promoting normality in childbirth, This is relation to waterbirth care will be explored through knowledge and evidence based midwifery practice. Promoting normality in childbirth can be defined as encouraging woman and professionals to consider vaginal birth without any intervention. It includes acting as an advocate for prospective mothers and ensuring that in all or most birth experiences normality is addressed in such away that will reduce the fear in woman. Focus must be paid mostly to high risk women. These include young mothers, first time mother and those who have had terrible experiences in the past. One of the best ways to encourage normality in childbirth is to make potential mothers to believe that it can be done with less pain and trauma, especially using the tool of advocacy.Attaining 100% normality is not about forcing women to have normal births and predispose them to believe there will be neither pain nor trauma. Neither can we encourage a laissez faire posturing where a womans choice is the mantra, and midwifery and obstetric expertise counts for nothing in the equation (Elaine, 2005) For the purpose of this study, the writer will focus on the midwifes role in promoting the benefits of waterbirth and giving women the choice. The opportunity to have water birth should be offered to all healthy women who have straightforward deliveries. In 1803, a medical journal featured the first recorded water birth in modern times. After 48 hours of labour, a woman used a hot bath out of desperation. She had no choice but to give birth in the water, as the baby arrived as she was relaxing, before she even had time to complete her bath. Influenced by her personal experience, in 1998, Harper (2005) decided to create Waterbirth International. The aim of this organisation is to provide up to date and accurate information about the part water could play in labour and birth. Harper continues to make waterbirth an available option for all women. (Harper, 2005) states that option is the key word in knowing that this method of birth is not for every woman, but every woman should be given an informed choice of whether it makes sense for her. The Royal College of Midwives describes waterbirth as a process which results in reduced trauma and stress to both mother and baby. During the birth process there is an interactive symbiotic relationship between the mother and the baby. However, there is always the risk of trauma to the mother and the fetus at the point of interaction. An increasing number of women are opting for waterbirth. This concept has existed since early civilization when women used water to relieve the discomfort of childbirth. Now, waterbirth is offered to women who have a low risk pregnancy and involves the use of a tub specially designed for childbirth, which is supported by both The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the Royal College of Midwives. It appears that waterbirth presents very few complications, but the guidelines produced will go even further to ensure that complications are minimised. These include firm adherence to the eligibility criteria, management of chord rupture and infection control. (Harper, 2005) Approximately 80% of human beings are delivered by midwives. A word which literally means with women; they are trained to assist women during pregnancy, labour and the first year of the babys life. Midwives have been long established throughout the world as the most appropriate persons to provide care to women during their reproductive years. Because of her professional training, a midwife has the knowledge and skills necessary to support the mother, as well as the rest of the family, with care, education and counselling. Apart from having an outstanding safety record, various studies have proved that midwives produce exceptional results. According to Elaine (2005), the five lowest rates of infant mortality as well as use of technology have been recorded in countries where midwives are present in the birthroom, without a physician. As skilled specialists, midwives play a vital role in supporting and maintaining the high standard of normal childbirth. Maternity services can play their part in developing the midwifes expertise and autonomy by ensuring that there are suitable opportunities for meaningful practice. Midwives should also be valued for their skill and dedication. It is very important therefore, for a midwife to be confident and competent enough to give legitimate and safe informed advice to the mother;this will help in achieving the desired optimum results in promoting normality. Since they have to be proficient in supporting normal childbirth in a variety of settings without supervision, including the home, midwives are required to work to the NMC standards. This will ensure legitimate, safe and successful practices during the entire childbirth process (DoH, (2007), NMC, (2008) The midwifes roles include encouraging normal birth, using preventive measures, recognising complications in mother and baby, facilitating the access of relevant services and implementing emergency procedures. To achieve this, the midwife must work in partnership with the woman both before and after childbirth (International Confederation of Midwives, 2005). Good communication is an essential skill for a midwife. Clients feel confident to make their own decisions without anxiety when they believe that they are valued enough to be listened to and efforts are made to facilitate their understanding (RCM, 2006). Why Waterbirth? Miller (2006), recommends that every woman who has a normal pregnancy should be offered the opportunity of water birth. He maintains that this will result in a more fulfilling experience for both mother and child while increasing the midwifes job satisfaction. Most women prefer waterbirth, but there must be meaningful discussions with the midwife before making this decision. However, a woman must have all the information, including the pros and cons, as well as support in order to make an informed decision about the use of waterbirth.Waterbirth should also be discussed as an option for pain relief during childbirth and leaflets and other information should be provided (MIDIRS, 2008). There are no major differences to the results produces by analgesia, except for the fact less epidural, spinal or par cervical pain relief is required during water birth. As we move away from the high induction rates of the 1970s more women are choosing to give birth at home and in local birth centres (Wickham, 2005) Women want continuity of care, choice in the care they are provided with and control over the process of childbirth. Waterbirth should be viewed as an alternative method of care and management in labour and as one which must, therefore, fall within the duty of care and normal sphere of the practice of a midwife. Waterbirth is not considered to be a treatment (Wickham, 2005) It is important that midwives have up-to-date knowledge and information on the latest research and evidence relating to the advantages and disadvantages of labour or birth in water (RCOG/RCM 2006) Benefits of waterbirth Waterbirth has several , including the following: It facilitates mobility and enables the mother to assume any position which is comfortable for labour and birth; speeds up labour; reduces blood pressure; gives mother more feeling of control; provides significant pain relief; promotes relaxation; conserves her energy; reduces the need for drugs and intervention; gives mother a private protected space; reduces perineal trauma and eliminates episiotomies; reduces caesarean rates; it is highly rated by mothers typically stating, they would consider giving birth in water again; it highly rated by experienced providers; and it encourages an easier birth for mother and a gentler welcome for baby (Harper, 2005) Burns et al., (2006) believes that waterbirth is associated with higher maternal satisfaction than birth on dry land. Â  In a questionnaire assessing womens views on waterbirth, Richmond (2003) found that when women got into the pool in labour many of them described feelings of complete relaxation. Lying in warm water gives a sense of relaxation, but whether it actually reduces pain is unproven. A perception of relaxation, pain relief, ease of movements and more holistic experience made labour in water a popular choice during the 1980s. Women felt they were given immediate pain relief and the warmth was soothing. Â  Many mothers enjoyed the buoyancy and mobility the water gave them. (Richmond, 2003) Â   Also, Miller (2006) believes that women using a water pool feel more empowered and less exposed. Â  Immersion in water increases self control in a secure, warm, private and quiet environment, thus encouraging the promotion of normality. Â  There are considerable perceived benefit s of using immersion in water during labour, including less painful contractions and less need for pharmacological analgesia, shorter labour, less need for augmentation, with no known adverse effects for the woman herself (Thoeni et. al, 2005) However, there may be rare but clinically significant risks for the baby born under water. Possible complications that may be associated with water birth include fresh water drowning, neonatal hyponatremia, neonatal waterborne infectious disease, cord rupture with neonatal hemorrhage, hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, and death. The rates of these complications are likely to be low but are not well defined (Wax and Wilson, 2004) In his/her study of this phenomena, (Cluett, 2004) concluded that there was no significant difference in other important clinical outcomes, including duration of labour, operative delivery and perineal trauma. There were no increased adverse outcomes for the baby (Cluett, 2004) Otigbah et al., (2000) found in a study comparing waterbirths and conventional vaginal deliveries, concluded that labouring and delivering in water is associated with a shorter labour and reduced perineal trauma for primigravidae women. (Gilbert and Tookery, 2004) concluded that perinatal mortality is not substantially higher among babies delivered in water than among those born to low risk women who delivered conventionally (Gilbert and Tookery, 2004). Although there is no evidence of higher perinatal mortality or admission to special care baby units (SCBUs) for birth in water; caution is advised because of small numbers, possible under-reporting of SCBU admission and exclusion of women who were in labour in water but gave birth conventionally after complications. (Cluett et. al, 2004) All women require less analgesia. Â  Odent (2000) suggests that if a small number of recommendations are taken into account, using water during labour will seriously compete with epidural anaesthesia. Most of the available evidence is restricted to healthy women with uncomplicated pregnancy at term although there is some evidence that labouring in water under midwifery care may be an option for slow progress in labour, reducing the need for obstetric intervention, and offering an alternative pain management strategy (Cluett et. al, 2004) Gessbuhler et al., (2004) found that perineal trauma is minimised during a waterbirth: episiotomy is hardly ever needed; there are fewer first and second degree perineal lacerations, and fewer vaginal and labial tears. Â  Hale (2008) believes this is owed to the softening effect of the warm water and the womans ability to relax her perineum more readily. Â  Support from the water slows the crowning of the babys head and offers perineal support which decreases the risk of tearing (Garland, 2004) Â  Women with prolonged labour found a reduction in obstetric intervention following immersion in water and instrumental delivery is also rarely necessary Cluett et. al, (2004) and Beech (2008) points out that labouring in a birth pool encourages an upright position and increases the pelvic diameter which often increases the rate of cervical dilatation. Â  Waterbirth reduces the need for pain relieving drugs; however, if it does not work the woman has the option of choosing other forms of pain relief. Maternal and fetal infection rate is however, comparable to traditional deliveries (Zanetti-Daellenbach et. al, 2006) and (Thoeni et. al, 2005) The selection of a low-risk collective is essential to minimize the risks with the addition of strictly maintained guidelines and continuous intrapartum observation and fetal monitoring. Waterbirths are justifiable when certain criteria are met and risk factors are excluded (Zanetti-Daellenbach et. al, 2006). Monitoring of the fetal heart using underwater Doppler should be standard practice. If the woman raises herself out of the water and exposes the fetal head to air, once the presenting part is visible, she should be advised to remain out of the water to avoid the risk of premature gasping under water. All birthing pools and other equipment (such as mirrors and thermometers) should be disposed of or thoroughly cleaned and dried after every use, in accordance with local infection control policies. Disposable sieves should be made available to ensure that the pool remains free from maternal faeces and other debris. Local information and guidelines regarding prevention of legionella build up in water supply from seldomly used pools should be obtained from local NHS trust estates and should be adhered to. Midwives should use universal precautions and follow local trust infection control guidelines. (Wickham, 2005) All midwives should ensure that they are competent to care for a woman who wishes to have a waterbirth and have a good understanding of the basic principles of caring for a woman in labour, and should make themselves aware of local policies and guidelines. Midwives, managers and supervisors of midwives should ensure that training in caring for a woman who wishes to have a waterbirth is undertaken by midwives who undertake intrapartum care, in order to increase choice for women and promote normality and ensure quality care. Midwives roles after all are that of with woman serving the needs of healthy, childbearing women, not the sick and dying (Zanetti-Dallenbach et. al, 2006) In the same way as the woman who wants a natural birth with little or no intervention, where will she be if as midwives, we do not speak for her? The aim of promoting normality is that every womens birth experience is a positive one, and finally it is important to achieve the women choice . CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS The joy of motherhood stems not only from reduced trauma and stress for both mother and child, it also comes from the power of choice exercised by the mother. So far, we have established that normality in childbirth should be the rule and that although several psychological, sociological and medical factors may weigh against it, scientific research still offers it as perhaps the most desirable. However, the midwifes role begins with the use of communication and advocacy to encourage women and professionals to consider normal birth as a viable and safe option, just as the concept of waterbirth as a way of reducing discomfort of childbirth should be embraced by those who have normal birth. In the light of these findings I wish to make the following specific recommendations: 1 Women should be helped through advocacy and communication to make a deliberate choice of normal birth. 2 They should also be helped to make an informed decision about the use of waterbirth. 3

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Parental Relationships in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart and Buchi E

Parental Relationships in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart and Buchi Emecheta’s The Joys of Motherhood Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, and Buchi Emecheta’s The Joys of Motherhood, are two novels that emphasize the complexities of relationships between parents and their children. In Achebe’s story, the protagonist of the novel, Okonkwo, has distant relationships with his children (particularly Nwoye and Ezinma) because their father sees them as inadequate in many ways. Okonkwo has high expectations of his children, especially Nwoye, his eldest son and often finds fault in almost everything he does. Okonkwo resents the fact that the child he feels has the most promise is his daughter Ezinma. Her strength of character is everything he has ever wanted in a son. In Emecheta’s story, Nnu Ego, the protagonist of the novel, dedicates her life to working for the health and happiness of her children. Unlike Okonkwo’s situation, Nnu Ego’s children do not try to seek her approval. In fact, her children, namely Oshia and Adim, are not appreciative o f all the sacrifices she has made for them and even blame her for the family’s misfortunes. Things Fall Apart and The Joys of Motherhood are two telling stories that demonstrate the differing relationships parents and their children can have. One story, shows a father whose children can never meet up to his standards, although the children unsuccessfully strive for his praise. The other story displays a mother whose unappreciative children do not try to seek their mother’s approval, even though she strives to please them in the best way she knows how. Okonkwo is the type of man that has had to work for everything that he has attained in life. His father left him... ... children. Her children do not fully understand nor do they appreciate their mother as much as they should, because as hard as life was for them, Nnu Ego is the reason they are alive. On the other side of the spectrum is Okonkwo, the main character from Things Fall Apart. He is not the type of father who is very caring of his children. In fact, Okonkwo’s only worry for them is that they live up to his expectations. Okonkwo’s children try to please their father but a man of such impossible and illogical standards can never be satisfied. Whether a relationship between parents and children is one of love, struggle, or expectation, the truth remains that no bond is ever perfect. Works Cited Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart . Oxford: Heinemann Educational Publishers, 1958. Emecheta, Buchi. The Joys of Motherhood. Oxford: Heinemann Educational Publishers, 1979.

Friday, October 11, 2019

What Would You Like to Ask?

A group of British Boys, Marooned on an Island A group of British school-boys find themselves marooned on an island (perhaps in the Pacific Ocean). They were being transported by an aircraft from England to some safer country on account of a nuclear war which had broken out in Europe. When, on the way, the aircraft caught fire the pilot released the detachable passenger-tube carrying the school-boys. The passenger-tube crash-landed on this island, and most of the boys managed to come out of it although some were trapped in the passenger-tube which was soon carried away by the waves into the open sea and lost.At first the boys who have landed on the island get scattered but soon they are able to get together when one of the boys by the name Ralph, having discovered a conch-shell, happens to blow it. Ralph now suggests that the boys should have a chief to guide them and to direct their activities. A boy called Jack, who is the leader of a group of choir-boys, says that he should be acc epted as the chief because he is chapter-chorister and head boy and because he can sing C sharp.But Ralph says that the chief should be chosen by votes. As the majority of the boys are in favour of Ralph, Ralph declares himself as the duly elected chief. Ralph now frames certain rules regarding the holding of meetings of the boys and about the conduct of these meetings. He says that, if anyone wishes to address the assembly at any meeting, he should ask for the conch and should hold the conch in his hands. Ralph Elected as the Chief. His Constructive Suggestion A conflict now begins between Ralph and Jack.Ralph had allowed Jack to continue as the leader of his choir-boys. Jack had the designated his choir-boys as the â€Å"hunters†. Having seen pigs on the island, Jack makes plans to hunt down and kill them in order to obtain meat for boys who feel fed up with the fruit which they have to eat everyday to keep themselves alive and who are craving for meat. Jack is a boy of an adventurous spirit, and the desire to hunt pigs becomes an obsession with him. Jack now begins to hate Ralphs because Ralph’s priorities are different fromJack’s. Ralph insists on the maintenance of the fire and the smoke, while Jack is wholly occupied with the hunting of pigs. Jack, having proved quite successful in his hunting expeditions, has won the support of the majority of the big boys who have come to be known as the â€Å"Biguns†. Jack therefore becomes increasingly defiant towards Ralph. Ralph now develops a liking for piggy who becomes an ardent supporter of Ralph. Jack hates Piggy even more than he hates Ralph. A beast on the Mountain-TopOne morning Sam and Eric, who are twins and who had been put on duty one night to keep the fire burning, come in a state of deep perturbation from the mountain-top and tell Ralph and the others that they have seen a beast on the mountain-top and that the beast had tried to chase them in order to seize them. Ralph, Di splaced By Jack. Simon’s Hallucination In the course of one such expedition, Jack offers the head of a slain pig as a gift to the beast in the hope that would not harm him and his hunters.Simon at this time is at his usual hunt in the forest and witnesses the action of Jack and his hunters and his hunters in offering a gift to the beast. Simon, Killed by Jack’s Hunters Jack has now begun to adopt the primitive method of tribal leaders. He refers to his followers as his â€Å"tribe† and he keeps his face painted all the time with red clay, white clay, and charcoal, asking his followers also to paint their faces in the same way. He has also begun to encourage mock-hunts in the course of which the boys dance and sing and chant certain words relating to their hunting operations and their killing of pigs.Jack and his followers now become more and more callous, with the result that, in the course of one mock-hunt, Simon is killed by the hunters. The hunters, in their frenzied excitement, had taken Simon for the beast and had pounced upon him. Jack does not experience the least regret over Simon’s death. Later, Jack accompanied by a couple of his supporters, raids Ralphs camp and takes away Piggy’s spectacles because he and his supporters need the spectacles in order to light a fire every time they want to roast pig-meat.Jack had now become quite oblivious of the to rescued from island ; but Ralph and Piggy are filling constantly worried as to whether any rescue will come, especially now when the cannot light a fire a fire and keep it burning as a distress-signal to the sailors of a passing ship. Piggy, killed. Ralph’s Life in Danger Piggy feels distraught because, without his spectacles he cannot see anything. He therefore says that he would go to Jack and demand the return of his spectacles. Ralphs thereupon calls jack â€Å"a swine† and â€Å"a bloody thief†.There is an exchange of blows between of blows betw een Ralphs and Jack. Then Piggy speaks and, addressing Jack’s savages, urges them to follow a sensible course of action instead of living like primitive savages. At this point Roger, who has become as savage as Jack, releases a rock from above in order to kill piggy. The Savages’ Pursuit of Ralph. Ralph, saved Ralph hides himself in the forest. But a little later he sees the twins standing guard at the entrance to Jack den. In a state of panic he runs out of the forest towards the beach. He stumbles and falls down on the sand.Thinking that now there is no hope for him, he cries for mercy. On looking up, however, he sees a British naval officer in full uniform standing close to him. Thus Ralph’s life has been saved. The officer says that he would take all the boys home. Ralph now bursts into tears. His whole body is shaken by spasms of grief. He weeps at â€Å"the loss of innocence†, at â€Å"the darkness of man’s heart†, and at the thought o f the death of Piggy who was his true friend. Rescue had come, but two noble-minded and innocent boys have been killed in account of the brutality of jack.Evil had reigned supreme on the island for some time. The Allegorical Significance of the Story Golding wanted to demonstrate that the evil instincts in a human being would rise to the surface and assert themselves as soon as that human being has been liberated from the restraints of civilized. The majority of people in this world are inherently evil. Evil is ineradicable, and it asserts itself as soon as it finds a favourable climate. The favourable climate consists in the removal of the fear of law and in the removal of all those restraints which civilized life imposes upon human beings.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Macbeth †explain in an essay format how I would direct Act2, Scene1 Essay

I am now going to explain in an essay format how I would direct Act2, Scene1 and what I would change from how the play has been originally shown. If I was directing Act 2 Scene 1, I would want Macbeth to appear to the audience as if he is cracking under the pressure and for him to appear insane, unhappy and insecure. Macbeth acts different from when we first saw him with Banquo, as now he is about to commit a crime of treason and kill his beloved King. This is very different from when we first saw him as he loved his King and he would die for him but now it is in reverse. This is important that the audience understand he is very different and not the same person due to his greed for power. It is imperative that he is portrayed this way so the audience can see he is weaker and worse of especially as his wife, Lady Macbeth has been pressuring him in to completing his task of murdering King Duncan. If it was not for his wife then I do not think that Macbeth would have gone through with it. This change in Macbeth’s character will hopefully have an affect on the audience so they can see how the three witches and his wife have affected him and his state of mind. Macbeth is realizing that he is weaker than he thought and that he is making a mistake, he doesn’t want to commit the murder but his wife pushes and pressures him into killing his King. This shows the audience that at this time Lady Macbeth is stronger than Macbeth and in a better state of mind. He starts to imagine things and this is a sign of him being insane, and mentally unstable. â€Å"Is this a dagger which I see before me, The handle toward my hand? Come, let me Clutch thee.† p. 43 This speech is important in the understanding of Macbeth’s role in this scene. So I would want Macbeth to be sitting at the end of a table and to †¦ say this in such a way that the audience can see him turning mentally insane. I would want him saying the sentence slowly and negatively, emphasising â€Å"toward† as if he is surprised about it, also holding a dagger infront of him looking at it up and down with eyes that look blurred feeling the blade. Also I would want a low-angled shot showing him overcastting the camera to give that extra touch of madness during the first line. Then I would also have a close up of him holding the dagger to get his face and dagger in the same camera shot for the last two lines. To add to the tension of this speech there would be music playing in the background that would be farley heavy to give the impression of evil and what is about to happen. This will make the audience grasp his character and understand what he is going through at this time in the play. After this speech I would have had Macbeth walking up the stairs with the dagger looking bedazzled and insane and then I would have him raise it above his head as he reached the top of the stairs. After he comes out of the room I would have him looking down at his hands ready to brake down and crumble at his knees. Once he reaches his room I would have him collapse onto the bed and lay there feeling guilty. Also when he looks at his hands I would have him start to shed tears to show that he is a wimp and insecure.

Porsche strategy through the recent years Essay

Porsche had been successful and profitable for many years, but hit a bump in the early 1990s. Its production became inefficient and wasteful this was fuelled by the fact the U.S. economy was in a recession. The company was actually about to become bankrupt and there were talks of a possible takeover (Stredwick, 2005, pp.67-78). The auto manufacturer was saved by the then newly appointed CEO Wendelin Wiedeking. He made sure that Porsche focused on creating new strengths in lean manufacturing and synchronized engineering. This was after Porsche had been operating for many years as a craftwork company that mainly allowed the engineers to operate on their own and not with the whole production line. This made the engineers relax on making good Porsche car designs and selling better designs to outsiders that later hurt the company. Part of the decision that led to the company making major profits again was to extend Porsche product line which was mainly the sports car production it had foc used on for such a long time (Henderson & Reavis, 2012, pp.56-65). Some of these other products included the Cayenne which is an SUV, it entered the market that was competing with other brands in the SUV market this include Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Land Rover and Volkswagen. This was a risk to be closely associated with Volkswagen which is a brand that produced cars for mass production. Some considered it a sell out and a total dilution of the high standards of the Porsche cars. This car as predicted was not a first time hit but Porsche worked on its designs for three years to produce a better reliable version that was finally a hit. In 2005 it also announced that it would create another car out of its sports car area. This was a luxury sedan named Panamera after a Mexican-long distance car race (Viknesh, 2012, pp.2-6). Porsche strategy through the recent years             One of the best strategies that Porsche has stuck through the thick and thin is the company’s outside engineering business PEG, which has always focused on selling designs based on the strength of Porsche engineering. Porsche acquired more shares in Volkswagen raising its shares from 31% to 50% in beginning of 2009. This was an official acquisition of the company since they were the majority shareholders. Porsche has been known to carry out hedging as part of its business. In 2008 in it made six times as much in the stock market as it did through selling cars. Its acquisition of Volkswagen was based on its hedging activities. For a period of time market speculators were wondering why Volkswagen shares remained high despite the fact that the company was not performing very well financially. This led to the reveal of the decision of Porsche owning more than 74% of Volkswagen shares. This led to a stock market squeeze that made Volkswagen the most valuable com pany in the world for a brief period of time with stock increasing to values over 1,000 Euros (Henderson & Reavis, 2012, pp.5-8). The CEO Wiedeking had a lot to do with the decisions that Porsche has been taking. He has made the company profitable by taking risks and making the hard decisions that led to the creation of new methods and ideas at Porsche. Engineering and design are also part of the major competitive strategies of Porsche. This is one strategy that has seen the company earn billions from it. It includes a team 2,300 engineers in its engineering Research and development. It shares it with outside companies by designing models with the intrinsic core of all its designs being Porsche’s strength. This customer engineering development company is known as the Porsche Engineering Group. It is known as Porsche’s secret ace that enabled it to employ more engineers than if it worked alone. Companies trust it to create models for them since its small size would not allow it to use the technology availed from the models created (Viknesh, 2012, pp.2-8). These strategies of Porsche seemed to pay off but however secret takeover of Volkswagen led to the split of the Porsche family some opposing while some supporting. Porsche’s hedging and manipulation of the stock market while trying to take over Volkswagen has brought Wendelin Wiedeking and Holger Harter the two former chief and chief financial officer of Porsche under investigation for information based market manipulation. The hedge funds and other business that made major losses during that time are seeking compensation. The failed takeover of Volkswagen was an error on Porsche part. It did so despite the fact that it had SE debts. This failed attempt led to the former Mr Wiedeking leaving the company. This news has negatively impacted the company with its share price dropping by 2percent to 56.93 Euros. Due to the debt and the litigations charges that may be brought against Porsche it has been forced to sell the 50.1 shares acquired in 2008 at an underestimated amount of 4. 46 billion Euros. This has ended the seven year takeover with many people thinking Porsche would win out in the end. Volkswagen although held out as it did not cut corners like Porsche was trying to do when it was trying to takeover Volkswagen (BBC News, 2012, N.P). Despite this Porsche is still making high returns on investment. Even under the Volkswagen umbrella Porsche is still able to make a lot of money. It will continue doing well provided it does not give up its brand in manufacturing its products. Under Volkswagen it will be able to specialize in making many more cars rather than the sports car it is well known for, this will make sure it continues returning high returns on investments. The litigation costs though are going to be a huge burden to the group it hence has learnt its lesson the hard way by being acquired by another company. It therefore is a lesson to all other companies not to manipulate the market for selfish goals that are driven by the directors only (BBC News, 2012, N.P). Porsche’s steps in forming and implementing Company strategy             The theoretical frame work behind the strategy of Porsche consulting lies in three steps. One is the corporate strategy whereby the company lays a common goal and vision. This are made specific to the customer, finance, employee and market segments of the business. From the corporate strategy the product strategy, core strategy as well as cross-departmental strategy are based on the general corporate strategy. Corporate strategy can include brand strategy and product strategy (Murlis, 2004, pp.4-12). Examples of brand strategy include brand values and an example product strategy includes modular strategy. Core strategies form step two of creating the company’s strategic position. This entails every department doing its part in to ensure that the company’s strategic objectives in customer, finance, employee and market dimensions are met (Roehm & Brady, 2007, pp.6-8). The suitable objectives in core strategies are thus divided into the following sectio ns, sales strategies, production, procurement, development as well as key figures (Fleisher & Bensoussam, 2003, pp.2-8). The third step in forming the company’s strategy includes setting up measures. This are defined for each segments of the corporate strategy, they lead to accomplishment of strategic objectives. These measures set the basis of accomplishing the strategic objectives of Porsche (Porsche Consulting Magazine, 2013, pp.2-4). For the company to have a good strategy the three steps must be followed to the letter. According to Eberhard Weiblen, President and CEO of Porsche consulting the strategy has to be developed first over a short period of time by a small project team. Further the strategy has to be clear and simple and create an emotional experience in the staff for it to be successful. Porsche has used this strategy and has yielded great results of continued profitability as well as enhancement of an exclusive brand (Cavusgil, et al., 2009, pp.44-56). Due to the steps mentioned above the company has been able to develop a strategy to work on till the year 2018 that defines concrete goals and fields of activity. This dimensions defined include market, employees, finance and customer dimensions. The main strategy is achieving the title of being the most successful manufacturer of sports cars in the world (David, 2007, pp.50-54). The consultants of Porsche consulting are being retained to accompany the development and achievement of Porsche strategy 2018. The main reasons why their company strategy procedures work so well is because they put it to test for a short period of time of six months and see the outcomes (Doole & Lowe, 2004). They also involve their employees as part of the testing face hence leading to the success of the set up procedures later on. Communication of the strategy in place also plays a huge role. This is achieved by companywide-management conferences which are attended by managers at department level (Porsche Consulting Magazine, 2013, pp.2-4). Reward Management at Porsche             Rewarding management deals with strategies and processes as well as policies being set in place to ensure the employees’ efforts are recognized. Rewarding managers depending on financial performance of the company is based on how well the company is performing financially (McDonald, 2006, pp.78-82). These include figures such as return on investments, profits achieved in the year and other financial estimates used to measure financial performance (Cavusgil, et al., 2009, pp.34-38). However this system of rewarding is not balanced hence Porsche need to change it into a more balanced form of reward system. For the reward system to be viable and to motivate employees it has to factor in other performances that have boosted the company (Calsson, 2004, pp.5-12). These include sales performance and engineering rates of the company as well. Financial performance although important is but one aspect of the whole company’s general health. The other factors th at are recognized also lead to high financial performance. High sales will generate more revenue hence boosting the financial performance of the company. Others like engineering levels and prowess of the company will reward engineers who make exceptional advancement in their engineering designs and models. If these models are exceptional they will increase revenue of the company as well as it will be able to sell these designs for a high amount (Murlis, 2004, pp.56-67). These rewards will motivate the employees, to want to excel in the many purposes in the organization, If the rewards are spread overall other measures and not financial performance only. It will lead to employees being driven to excel in all areas and not financial only. These rewards can be extrinsic as well as intrinsic rewards. Extrinsic rewards refer to promotions, gifts, bonuses and salary raise (Calsson, 2004, pp.3-8). While intrinsic rewards refer to those aimed at ensuring employee satisfaction this include, monogrammed names or plaque, trust, recognition, relationship, feedback and empowerment. Intrinsic rewards are aimed at making employees feel better within the department while extrinsic rewards are based on the performance and activities of the employee to a certain outcome. Porsche recognizes all these and carries out both extrinsic and intrinsic rewarding. The company also tries to find a balance between rewarding an employee extrinsic and intrinsic (Henderson & Reavis , 2012, pp.5-13). The rewards should be given according to an employee’s personality. Tickets to watch a basketball game has to be given to a person who is a fun and not a stay at home mum who doesn’t like basketball. Porsche also rewards not only individuals but also teams and departments (Alkhafaji, 2003, pp.22-26). The evidence shows that the type of financial rewarding mechanism of Porsche based on financial performance seems to work for the engineering activities since they are still leading in the providing of vehicle designs. However it will have better results if the other reasons for reward other than financial performance are set in place. The engineering department will work extra hard to achieve the reward. The company should consider incorporating motivational theories in rewarding its management (Brooks, 2009, pp.2-6). The two directors were Wiediking and Holger were purely driven by financial performance that led them to neglect other aspects that make a company successful such honesty and full disclosure. This requires Porsche to change its policy of only rewarding managers on financial performance basis alone. The motivation theories include process and content theories. Content theories therefore require the company to name and research on aspects that make employees to perform efficiently. The company needs to do this so as to know what motivates the employees other than financial performance. The reward system under content theories is more extrinsic they include bonuses. While process theories mainly focus on intrinsic rewards which include self-actualization, respect and recognition. Which boost employee’s confidence and improve job satisfaction of the employees (Stredwick, 2005, pp.4-9). References Alkhafaji, A. F. 2003. Strategic Management, Formulation, Implementation, and Control in a Dynamic Environment (21, Illustrated Ed.). London: Routledge BBC News. 2012. Volkswagen agrees to buy rets of Porsche for $5.6bn, Brooks, I. 2009. Organisational Behaviour (4th ed.). Essex England: Pearson Education Limited. pp. 81–89. Calsson S. A. 2004. Strategic Knowledge Managing in the Context of Networks, Chapter 32. In: Handbook on Knowledge Management Volume I, (Ed) Holsapple Clycle W Cavusgil, S. T., Ghauri, P. N., and Agarwal, M. R. 2009. Doing Business in Emerging markets: Entry and Negotiation Strategies. New York: Cengage. David F. R. 2007. Strategic management: Concepts and cases, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc. pp. 102-134 Doole, I., and Lowe, R. 2004. International marketing strategy – analysis, development and Implementation, 4th ed. London: Thomson Learning. Fleisher CS. and Bensoussam B. E. 2003. Strategic and Competitive Analysis: Methods and Techniques for Analysing Business Competition, New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc. Henderson. R and Reavis. C. 2009. What’s driving Porsche? MIT Sloan Management, McDonald, M. 2006. Strategic Marketing Planning: Theory and Practice. Cranfield University School of Management, The Marketing Review Murlis, M. & Armstrong H. 2004. Reward management: a handbook of remuneration strategy and practice (5th ed. ed.). London [u.a.]: Kogan Page Porsche Consulting. 2013. The Magazine Roehm, M., & Brady, M. 2007. Consumer responses to performance failures by high-equity brands. Journal of Consumer Research, 34(4), 537-545. Stredwick, J. 2005. Introduction to Human Resource Management (1st ed.). Oxford, United Kingdom: Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann Viknesh. 2012. Volkswagen completes Porshe takeover, Retrieved 12/12/2013, from: http://www.csmonitor.com/ Source document