International Business Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

International Business - Assignment Example The strategy that keeps IKEA to its position is through refreshing and renewing their service model. IKEA has a unique approach to deal with its customers as it employs a self-serving method. Customers make choices on the product, picks them from the shelves and assembles them at their at home on their own. Self-service is a rare approach in the furniture businesses, but the customers choose to apply the approach due the low prices offered. IKEA is a corporation often described as the prototypical Teflon multinational. Some describes the company as quintessential global cult brand which has a democratic culture. For instance, at a company dinner employees take dinner first, followed by the managers, directors and lastly Ingvar Kamprad. Kamprad emphasized on a matrix form of organization which is an informal, nonhierarchical and team-based organization. This kind of an organization has an open flow of information and knowledge within all stages of management. The current organizational structure can be described as highly functional, with an international market strategy. Therefore, IKEA maintains a centralized control over functional activities as well as taking advantage of low cost and good quality furniture from the international suppliers. In addition, control over strategic direction has been developed, and functional layoffs are minimized. To ensure the effectiveness of the logistics process, IKEA has integrated distribution and purchasing process under one umbrella function. The significance of centralized strategic direction will rise as IKEA continue to expand overseas (Capell, 2005). IKEA has found its strength in providing highly functional and quality products at a low price. Moreover, the company has been able to establish a market brand name and a goodwill that is essentially instrumental to the performance of the organization. On top of that, the company has an efficient value

Drew Sterling to replace Josh Newly In upcoming concerts Essay Example for Free

Drew Sterling to replace Josh Newly In upcoming concerts Essay The City Symphony will be showcasing the upcoming talents of Drew Sterling in the next two concerts. Mr. Sterling replaces the internationally renowned singer, Josh Newly. While Mr. Newly’s talents have been greatly appreciated in past concerts, the City Symphony has decided to utilize this opportunity to allow Drew Sterling to shine in both concerts as the baritone soloist. Mr. Newly has graced many orchestras around-the-world with his genuine gift as a soloist. Consequently, his talents are both known and respected internationally. Thus, it is understandable that Josh Newly is a very popular artist who is able to sell out concerts. Sadly, Mr. Newly will not be able to perform at this year’s concerts due to prior engagements. The City Symphony wishes that the media respects its desires to not discuss this topic. If Mr. Newly desires to address the media concerning this matter, then he will do so in his own time. On another note, we are happy to announce Mr. Drew Sterling as the baritone soloist. We feel that Mr. Sterling has earned the opportunity to shine in the spotlight. The City Symphony further believes that Mr. Sterling is a fresh and upcoming talent that will have fans on the edge of their seats. In addition, Mr. Sterling is a professional who has given the City Symphony the privilege of showcasing his talent in the next two concerts. Thus, Mr. Sterling will be available for questions and answers (QA) on Friday morning. We are hoping that you can feature this Press Release in your afternoon column as it requires the most urgent attention.

World War II Essay -- World War II, World War Two

World War II was one of the most deadly wars we know in history, having as many as sixty million casualties, most of whom were civilians. It impacted a lot of countries, almost all the world, which is why the name is given. This war impacted many countries in the world, and damaged almost all of the countries involved greatly. It also led to the downfall of Western European countries as world powers, leaving it to the Soviet Union, and the United States. The war started in 1939 and ended in 1945, with the invasion of Poland and the Axis surrender, respectively. It changed the economy and the growth of big countries, including Germany, Great Britain, United States, Japan, Russia and France. Aside from this, Jews were greatly influenced too. They were damaged, but then gifted. The war started in September 1, 1939 when Germany invaded the territory of Poland, which was allied with Great Britain and France. German officials signed a peace treaty in August 24-25 with the Soviet Union to prevent them from acting in the invasion and to stay in peace between both countries. So Great Britain, France, Australia and New Zealand declared war on Germany the day of September 3, 1939. After this event, Canada also declared war on Germany at September 10, 1939. Germany rapidly crushed Poland, since it had an incredible army with 100 infantry divisions and six armored divisions. Due to the peace treaty between Germans and Soviets, in September 17th the Soviet also invaded and took eastern Poland. Later in the year, on November 30th, the USSR invaded Finland while Great Britain and France where occupied with Germany. At this time, Japan was in the Far East, and had Asia in turmoil. Imperial Japan invaded china and various other territories ... ...ther atomic bomb, leaving Japan helpless. Japan surrendered in several places from September 7th to September 16th. Works Cited O’Neill, William L. World War II A Student Companion. 1 ed. William H. Chafe. New York, New York: Oxford University Press, 1999. Britannica Online, Encyclopedia. "3." http://www.school.eb.com.proxygsu-scob.galileo.usg.edu/eb/article-53533 (accessed March, 2011). Stokes, Phil. "1." 1999. http://www.secondworldwar.co.uk/dates.html (accessed March, 2011). Stokesbury, James L. http://www.worldbookonline.com/student/article?id=ar610460&st=world+war (accessed march, 2011). Robinson, Bruce. April 23, 2004.http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/ww2_summary_01.shtml (accessed march 30, 2011). worldwar-2.net, "War in Europe." 2006.http://www.worldwar-2.net/timelines/war-in-europe/war-in-europe-index.htm (accessed march, 2011).

Commercial company Essay

Select a major industrial or commercial company based in the United States and listed on one of the major stock exchanges in the United States. Each student should select a different company. Avoid selecting an insurance company or a bank, because the financial ratios for these financial businesses are different. Write a seven-to-eight-page double-spaced paper answering and demonstrating with calculations and financial data the following questions. 1. What is the name of the company? What is the industry sector? Starbucks Corporation is in the Food and Beverage industry 2. What are the operating risks of the company? Economic conditions in the US and certain international markets could adversely affect Starbucks’ business and financial results. – as a retailer Starbucks is dependent upon the customer’s discretionary spending. Customers may have less money for discretionary purchases as a result of job losses, foreclosures, bankruptcies, increased fuel and energy costs, higher interest rates and taxes. Decreases in customer traffic will negatively impact financial performance. Starbucks may not be successful in implementing important strategic initiatives or effectively managing growth, which may have an adverse impact on our business and financial results. – there is no assurance that Starbucks will be able to implement strategic initiatives and achieve the results that are within management’s expectations. These initiatives are designed to create growth, improve operations and drive long-term shareholder value. Starbucks face intense competition in each of our channels and markets, which could lead to reduced profitability. Starbucks is highly dependent on the financial performance of the America’s operating segment – the Americas operating segment contributes 74% of the total net revenues in fiscal 2013. Starbucks is relying on the success in the European/ Middle East, China/Asia Pacific operating segments to achieve overall growth targets. Other international operations are also subject to additional inherent risk when conducting business abroad. Of which, include: Forex rate fluctuations. Changes or uncertainties in economic, legal, regulatory, social and political conditions in international markets. Restrictive actions of foreign or US governments affecting trade. Enforceability of intellectual and contract rights. Local laws Disruption in energy supplies. Delays in store opening beyond the control of management. Increases in the cost of high-quality Arabica coffee beans or other commodities. Disruption in the supply chain, which will impact the ability to deliver Starbucks’ products. The loss if key personnel or difficulties in recruiting and retaining qualified personnel Adverse public or medical opinions about the health effects of consuming Starbucks’s products, as well as reports of incidents involving food-borne illnesses, food tampering or food contamination. Starbucks relies heavily on information technology in operations, and any material failure, inadequacy, interruption or security failure of that technology could harm Starbucks’ ability to effectively operate the business. Failure to comply with local laws and regulations. 3. What is the financial risk of the company (the debt to total capitalization ratio)? Market Cap: 56.69 BN Debt: 2.05BN Debt/total cap ratio = 0.036 (yahoo.com, 2014) 4. Does the company have any preferred stock? The company does not have preferred stock. 5. What is the capital structure of the company: short-term portion of long-term debt, long-term debt, preferred stock (if any), and market value of common stock issued and outstanding? short-term portion of long-term debt 357.7 Million Long-term debt 1,299 Million Preferred Stock 0 Market value of common stock 56.69 Billion 6. What is the company’s current actual beta? 0.95 7. What would the beta of this company be if it had no long-term debt in its capital structure? Unlevered Beta using Hamada equation = Beta /[1+(1-T) x (D/E)] Beta : 0.95 Marginal Tax Rate, T: 32.8% D/E: 0.036 Unlevered Beta = 0.96 / [1+(1 -0.328)*0.036] =0.937 8. What is the company’s current marginal tax rate? Income taxes for the fiscal year ended 2012 resulted in an effective tax rate of 32.8% compared to 31.1% for fiscal year 2011. (Starbucks Coffee Company, 2013) 9. What is the price earnings multiple of the company? Price to earnings ration. This ratio is used in conjunction with other metrics to give analyst and investors are quick initial impression of whether a company would make a good investment. (investopedia, 2014) Starbucks P/E ratio is 385.05 10. How has the company’s stock been performing in the last 5 years? Starbucks share price 282.32% in the last 5 yrs. 11. Would you invest in this company? Why or why not? I would invest in Starbucks. SBUX has the highest P/E ratio among its competitors. Their cost of debt is low compared to their cost of equity. That is why they are relying on debt for their expansion. Their dividends per share have been increasing yearly. 18. The last page of your paper should be a Bibliography of the sources you used to prepare this paper. Bibliography investopedia. (2011, feb). Cost of Equity. (investopedia) Retrieved septmeber 2014, from Investopedia: www.investopedia.com/terms/c/costofeqquity.asp investopedia. (2014). Definition of â€Å"Prince Multiple’. Retrieved from www.investopedia.com: www.investopedia.com/terms/p/princemultiles.asp Starbucks Coffee Company. (2013). Fiscal 2013 Annual Report. Investor Relations. Seattle: Starbucks Coffee Company. yahoo.com. (2014, september). Yahoo Finance. (Yahoo.com, Producer) Retrieved september 2014, from Yahoo finance: finance.yahoo.com/q/ks?s=SBUX+Key+Statistics

“North and South” depends on contrasts for its momentum Essay

Gaskell is a very capable writer; she uses many skills to create atmosphere, tension and emotion in her book. However, to create the energy in her stories that makes her stand out as a writer, she uses contrast in many different forms The locations in the story contrast with each other, reflecting different stages in life of Margaret. In London, where she first starts off, it is polite, reserved and superficial. Her life there is complacently indolent. When she moves back to Helstone, we see it is still very leisurely and languid, but there is a solid and healthy feel to it. She then goes to Milton, which is in complete contrast. Here it is a very functional town; everyone is preoccupied and determined. There is more a feeling of energy about the people, it is a centre for new ideas, but it is also very dirty, smoggy and cold compared to the green of Helstone. In chapter 8 we see a clear contrast in Edith’s letter from Corfu, describing a hot, clean atmosphere of idleness and happiness compared to Margaret’s depressed north. Social values are another important factor in the story that gives it momentum Views on Religion help to distinguish the characters. Bessy believes very strongly in God while Mr. Higgins does not. This is mirrored in Margaret’s different attitudes to her father about questioning the church. There is also the importance of the employer and employee relationship. Margaret disagrees with the strong feeling of a parent and child relationship that exists between the masters and men, that often creates tension. There are differences not only between those that are rich and those that are not, but also gain and use of that wealth. There is an obvious contrast between Bessy, Margaret and Fanny. They are all the same age but live completely different lives according to their wealth. Bessy is poor and suffers greatly from the poverty. Margaret is comfortable while Fanny benefits from her brother’s wealth and like Edith enjoys an idle lifestyle. The Mr. Hales position is not as respected in the North as it is in the south, as reflected in the family’s trouble in getting a servant. There is also a difference in their route to wealth, Mr. Thornton’s is by being dynamic, working hard and seizing opportunities, while Mr. Hale’s was by doing dull, tedious work for many years. But it is their attitudes to wealth that are so different. The south prefer simple decoration, they have a secure knowledge of their wealth, while in the north, their need to heavily ornate and decorate themselves and surroundings is emphasised, showing a clear insecurity, and need to â€Å"show off†. This is best summed up at the dinner party, where Margaret shows distaste at the gross amount of food laid out before her, which is particularly shown up against her previous visit to Bessy’s house. The characters have to be both the easiest and strongest way of showing contrasts, and creating energy. The first contrast we see is at the beginning of chapter 1, where the differences between Edith and Margaret are made clear. Edith is superficial; she acts childishly, showing off her husband. Margaret on the other hand is full of intense reactions, nostalgia and basic sincerity. The next clear difference we see is of that between Margaret and her parents. Unlike both her parents, Margaret is strong and independent. Her father even has to rely on her to break news of the move to her mother. However, the best example of contrast is the first meeting of Margaret and Mr. Thornton. Here we see a strong sense of masculinity and femininity, the sexual tension is strong, and adds an electrifying air to the confrontation. Mr. Thornton’s masculinity is also contrasted with that of Margaret’s only other suitor, Mr. Lennox, who like her father is very feminine. Then there are the contrasts between and in the families. Mr. Thornton and Mrs. Thornton are both very strong characters, bullish almost, compared to the personality of Fanny, who is similar to Edith. However, Mrs. Thornton is more perceptive than her son, and sees that he has fallen in love with Margaret, even though Mr. Thornton cannot admit it to himself or anyone else. The two mothers are in deep contrast to each other. They are the personifications of the feeling of north and south. The north being strong and uncompromising, while the south is soft and snobbish. Another contrast that is picked out in the book is between the two males. One is described as soft, weak and tired even â€Å"almost feminine† the other is distinctly masculine, hardened, defined, astute and energetic. The final contrast in characters is between Bessy and Margaret. This is a clear contrast, as they are both girls, and are both the same age. They differ in wealth and attitudes and it is a clear indication of what is considered important when discussing what Margaret is going to wear to the dinner party. Interestingly, there is a feeling of contrast that, while Mr. Thornton is not academically learned, which Margaret is, he is much more socially and emotionally developed than her, while she is tormented by the sights of Bessy in her state. The first important example of contrasting dialogue is in chapter 9, between the Hales. Here, it helps to clearly show the different positions of each character. Mr. Hale is anxious, Mrs. Hale is querulous and Margaret is overworked. There is also a contrast between the Hales argument at the beginning of this chapter and the Thorntons, at the end, to emphasise how different they are. Other contrasts in dialogue include the way in which Mr. Thornton and then Mrs. Thornton talk to Margaret in chapter 15, and then in Margaret’s talk with Bessy where the contrasts between North and South are highlighted. Finally, another clear contrast is the discussion between Mr. Thornton and Margaret at the dinner party over the meaning of the word â€Å"gentleman†. Here, Gaskell skilfully uses the dialogue to create a sense of sexual tension between them. One major point in how the structure of the novel helps to create a contrast is in the titles. Significant titles like â€Å"haste to the wedding† are followed â€Å"roses and thorns† a juxtaposition of two images that heighten the point that Gaskell is trying to put across. The other is in Mr. Lennox proposing. Here we see a sudden crisis that Margaret faces which is mirrored by a deeply poignant crisis of having to move from Helstone. Similarities help to stress the contrasts in the novel. The easiest similarity is between Margaret and Mr. Thornton, most importantly in their pride. Another is the illness shared by the Higginses and the Hales. This can almost be seen as a reflection of social illnesses within the society. All these contrasts help to move the story along and create energy, particularly among the characters. One clear example of how Gaskell uses contrasts is in Mr. Thornton and Margaret’s first meeting where the sexual tension helps to create a strong atmosphere and well-written piece.

The Odyssey Study Guide

The Odyssey Study Guide The Odyssey is an epic poem attributed to the ancient Greek poet Homer. Most likely composed in the late 8th century B.C.E., it is the second-oldest-known work in Western literature. (The oldest-known work is Homers Iliad, for which The Odyssey is considered a sequel.) The Odyssey first appeared in English in the 17th century and has been translated more than sixty times. Many of the words and phrases employed by Homer are open to a wide range of interpretation, causing not-insignificant differences between translations. Fast Facts: The Odyssey Title: The OdysseyAuthor: HomerDate Published: Composed during the 8th century B.C.E.Type of Work: PoemGenre: Epic Original Language: Ancient GreekThemes: Spiritual growth, cunning vs. strength, order vs. disorderMajor Characters: Odysseus, Penelope, Telemachus, Athena, Zeus, Poseidon, CalypsoNotable Adaptations: Ulysses by Lord Tennyson (1833), Ithaka by C.P. Cavafy (1911), Ulysses by James Joyce (1922) Plot Summary At the start of The Odyssey, the author addresses the Muse, asking her to tell him about Odysseus, the hero who spent more time traveling back to his Greek home than any other Greek hero at the Trojan War. Odysseus has been kept captive by the goddess Calypso. The other gods, except Poseidon (god of the sea) fell sympathy for Odysseus. Poseidon hates him because he blinded his son, Polyphemus. The goddess Athena, Odysseus’ protector, convinces her father, Zeus, that Odysseus needs assistance. She disguises herself and travels to Greece to meet with Odysseus’ son, Telemachus. Telemachus is unhappy because his home is beset by suitors who want to marry his mother, Penelope, and take over Odysseus throne. With Athenas help, Telemachus sets out to search for his father. He visits other veterans of the Trojan War, and one of his father’s old comrades, Menelaus, tells him that Odysseus is being held by Calypso. Meanwhile, Calypso finally releases Odysseus. Odysseus sets out on a boat, but the vessel is soon destroyed by Poseidon, who harbors a grudge against Odysseus. Odysseus swims to a nearby island where he is warmly greeted by King Alcinous and Queen Arete of the Phaeacians. There, Odysseus recounts the story of his journey. Odysseus explains that he and his companions left Troy on twelve ships. They visited the island of the lotus-eaters and were captured by the cyclops Polyphemus, son of Poseidon. When making an escape, Odysseus blinded Polyphemus, inspiring Poseidons wrath as a result. Next, the men nearly made it home, but were blown off course. They first encountered a cannibal, and then the witch Circe, who turned half of Odysseus men into pigs but spared Odysseus thanks to the protection provided to him by the sympathetic gods. After one year, Odysseus and his men left Circe and reached the edge of the world, where Odysseus summoned spirits for advice and learned of the suitors living in his home. Odysseus and his men made their way past more threats, including the Sirens, a many-headed sea monster, and an enormous whirlpool. Hungry, they ignored warnings and hunted the sacred cattle of the god Helios; as a result, they were punished with yet another shipwreck, stranding Odysseus on Calypsoâ€℠¢s island. After Odysseus tells his story, the Phaeacians help Odysseus disguise himself and travel home at last. Upon returning to Ithaca, Odysseus meets his son Telemachus, and the two men agree that the suitors must be killed. Odysseus wife Penelope arranges for an archery competition, which she has rigged to guarantee Odysseus win. After winning the competition, Odysseus slaughters the suitors and reveals his true identity, which Penelope accepts after putting him through one final trial. Finally, Athena saves Odysseus from the vengeance of the dead suitors families. Major Characters Odysseus. Odysseus, a Greek warrior, is the protagonist of the poem. His journey home to Ithaca after the Trojan War is the primary narrative of the poem. He is a somewhat non-traditional hero, as he is known more for his cleverness and cunning than his physical strength. Telemachus. Telemachus, the son of Odysseus, was an infant when his father left Ithaca. In the poem, Telemachus goes on a quest to figure out his fathers whereabouts. He ultimately reunites with his father and helps him kill Penelopes suitors. Penelope. Penelope is the loyal wife of Odysseus and mother of Telemachus. Her cleverness equals that of her husband. During Odysseus 20-year absence, she devises numerous tricks to stave off the suitors who seek to marry her and gain power over Ithaca. Poseidon. Poseidon is the god of the sea. He is angry with Odysseus for blinding his son, the cyclops Polyphemus, and makes various attempts to hinder Odysseus journey home. He can be considered Odysseus primary antagonist. Athena. Athena is the goddess of cunning and intelligent warfare, as well as the crafts (e.g. weaving). She favors Odysseus and his family, and she actively helps Telemachus and advises Penelope. Literary Style As an epic poem written in the 8th century B.C.E., The Odyssey was almost certainly intended to be spoken, not read. It was composed in an ancient form of Greek known as Homeric Greek, a poetic dialect specific to poetic compositions. The poem is composed in dactylic hexameter (sometimes referred to as epic meter). The Odyssey begins in media res, starting off in the middle of the action and providing expository details later. The non-linear plot leaps back and forth in time. The poem employs flashbacks and poems-within-a-poem to fill in these gaps. Another key feature of the poems style is the use of epithets: fixed phrases and adjectives that are often repeated when a characters name is mentioned- e.g. bright-eyed Athena. These epithets serve to remind the reader about the characters most important essential traits. The poem is also notable for its sexual politics in that the plot is driven as much by the decisions made by women as it is by male warriors. In fact, many of the men in the story, like Odysseus and his son Telemachus, are passive and frustrated through much of the story. By contrast, Penelope and Athena take numerous active steps to protect Ithaca and assist Odysseus and his family. About the Author There is some disagreement about Homer’s authorship of The Odysseyï » ¿. Most ancient accounts refer to Homer as a blind poet from Ionia, but todays scholars believe more than one poet worked on what we know today as The Odyssey. Indeed, there is evidence that the final section of the poem was added much later than the previous books. Today, most scholars accept that The Odyssey is the product of several sources that were worked on by several different contributors. Sources â€Å"The Odyssey - Homer - Ancient Greece - Classical Literature.† Oedipus the King - Sophocles - Ancient Greece - Classical Literature, www.ancient-literature.com/greece_homer_odyssey.html.Mason, Wyatt. â€Å"The First Woman to Translate the Odyssey Into English.† The New York Times, The New York Times, 2 Nov. 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/11/02/magazine/the-first-woman-to-translate-the-odyssey-into-english.html.Athens, AFP in. â€Å"Ancient Find May Be Earliest Extract of Epic Homer Poem Odyssey.† The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 10 July 2018, www.theguardian.com/books/2018/jul/10/earliest-extract-of-homers-epic-poem-odyssey-unearthed.Mackie, Chris. â€Å"Guide to the Classics: Homers Odyssey.† The Conversation, The Conversation, 15 July 2018, theconversation.com/guide-to-the-classics-homers-odyssey-82911.â€Å"Odyssey.† Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 13 July 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odyssey#Structure.

Public Health Information Systems Essay Example

Public Health Information Systems Essay Example Public Health Information Systems Paper Public Health Information Systems Paper Executive Summary The development of this White Paper has been facilitated by the Public Health Data Standards Consortium (PHDSC) 1 and the Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE). 2 The White Paper was developed by the participants of the PHDSC-IHE Task Force. The information in this document represents the views of the individual Task Force participants and may not represent the views of their organizations. The overall goal of this effort is to facilitate standardization of health information exchanges between clinical care and public health. The objective is to engage the public health community in a dialogue with health information technology (HIT) vendors to assure that the work processes and data needs of public health stakeholders in health information exchanges are 1) well understood and agreed upon by stakeholders themselves, and then (2) communicated clearly to the developers of the interoperable clinical Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems and Public Health information systems (EHR-PH Systems). The White Paper consists of three sections. The first section describes public health and population health practices of public health agencies that require health information exchanges with clinical care. The second and third sections describe Immunization and Cancer Surveillance domains in the IHE Technical Tasks for Information Exchanges outline. The Appendix section contains the description of examples of other public health domains (research, chronic care, personal health record, surveys, obesity, cancer, etc. ). The PHDSC-IHE Task Force participants believe that this effort will result in the formation of a Public Health Domain at IHE to begin collaboration between public health and HIT vendor communities to guide the development of the IHE Integration Profiles for the Electronic Health Record Systems to enable electronic information exchanges between clinical and public health settings. So, this White Paper serves as a framing document for the creation of the Public Health Domain at IHE. PHDSC and IHE invite public health experts to review the White Paper. During the review period, we would like to invite representatives of public health domains/programs to submit a description of their domains/programs using the IHE Technical Tasks for Information Exchange outline, so the final White Paper can include other examples of public health domains in addition to the immunization and cancer surveillance domains. This will help to identify potential public health domains/programs for the development of the IHE Integration Profiles in the upcoming year(s). We also would like to invite the reviewers to join our Task Force to participate in the formation of a Public Health Domain at IHE to begin collaboration between public health and HIT vendor communities to guide the development of the IHE Integration Profiles for the Electronic Health Record Systems, to enable electronic information exchange between clinical and public health settings. 1 2 Public Health Data Standards Consortium (PHDSC). URL: phdsc. org Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE). URL: himss. org/ASP/topics_ihe.asp 6. What is Public Health Mission The mission of public health is to protect the public from health threatening diseases, assure disease prevention by providing access to care for individual patients, promote and restore wellness, and â€Å"to assure the conditions in which people may be healthy. † 3 The patient-centric mission of public health is carried out using publicly-funded healthcare services. Vulnerable or at-risk patients may receive patient care services directly in their homes or at a health clinic funded by a public health agency. There are community health centers funded in the US by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) that provide a safety net for low income families. Public health funds may also be used to pay for and provide laboratory, pharmacy and other services for eligible populations. In this role, public health care is similar to private health care. The population-based mission of public health is carried out on various levels of government. The public health infrastructure includes agencies that operate on a local, state and/or federal level. In the US, there are 3000 local health departments, 50 state health departments and several federal health agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), Indian Health Service (IHS), and many others. In some states, the state health agency plays the key role in delivering services to communities; in other states, local health departments take the leading role. In some jurisdictions, public/private partnerships or other organizational entities may be involved in delivering public health services (e.g. , immunization coalitions – community-based groups that include parents). Stakeholders To fulfill its population-based and patient-centric mission, public health is represented by at least the following stakeholders: 3 Population at large Public health practitioners (including epidemiologists, environmental health specialists, health educators, public health nurses, administrators) Health care providers (including, but not limited to, publicly-delivered healthcare providers, e. g. , safety net clinic) Laboratories Payers Healthcare purchasers Pharmacies Other governmental agencies (e. g. , environmental, law enforcement) Professional Associations Research institutions Individual consumers, particularly vulnerable populations. Institute of Medicine. Future of Public Health. Report. 2002. 2nd edition. URL: iom. edu/? id=15251 7 Public Health Organization During the past 40 years, the population-based services of public health have been delivered using a categorical disease-specialized and services-specific domain approach. For example, public health agencies usually include the following programmatic areas and services: communicable disease control, lead poisoning prevention, vital registration, injury control, mental health services, substance abuse prevention and treatment, chronic disease prevention, newborn screening, immunizations, etc. (Tables 1 and 2). 4 This domain-specific organization of public health is supported by funding allocations that in turn shape the disease/domain-specific organizational structure of public health agencies, public health research activities, and workforce training. 5 Table 1. Personal Health, Population Level Assurance and Environmental Health Services Provided by Local Health Departments (LHD) 6 , 7 Personal Health Services Adult immunization Childhood immunization Tuberculosis treatment Sexually transmitted disease (STD) treatment Women, Infant Children (WIC) Family Planning Services Outreach and enrollment for medical insurance EPSDT LHDs Population Level LHDs Providing. Assurance Services Providing Service, Service, % % 91% Communicable 89% Disease surveillance 90% Tuberculosis 85% screening 85% Environmental Health 75% surveillance 61% High blood pressure 72% screening 67% 69% 58% Tobacco use  prevention HIV/AIDS screening 42% Blood lead screening 46%. Prenatal care Oral health care 4 40% Sexually transmitted disease screening Obesity prevention 31% Vector control Environmental Health Services Food service regulation Public swimming pool regulation Septic tank installation Schools/daycare centers LHDs Providing Service, % 76% 67% 66% 65% Private drinking water protection Lead inspections 57% 66% Hotels/motels regulation 49% 64% 39% 54% Campgrounds/ RVs regulation Smoke-free ordinances Groundwater / surface water protection 67% 56% 53% 38% 40% / 33% Lasker RD, editor. Medicine and public heath: the power of collaboration. 1997. New York, NY. Burke TA, Shalauta NM, Tran NL, Stern BS. The environmental Web: a national profile of the state infrastructure for environmental health and protection. J Public Health Manag Pract; 3(2):1-12. 6 Scutchfield, F. D. , Keck, C. W. Principles of public health practice, 2nd ed. 2003. Thomson/Delmar Learning: Clifton Park, NY. 7 2005 National Profile of Local Health Departments, National Association of County City Health Officials, July 2006. www. naccho. org 5 8 Personal Health Services Obstetrical care LHDs Population Level Providing Assurance Services Service, % 32% Diabetes screening Laboratory services 32%. Home health care School-based clinics 28% 25% HIV/AIDS treatment 26% Correctional health 20% Comprehensive primary care Behavioral/mental health services Substance abuse services Emergency medical services 14% 13% 11% 7% Unintended pregnancy prevention Cancer screening School health activities Chronic disease surveillance Injury control Cardiovascular disease screening Behavioral risk factors surveillance Syndromic surveillance Substance abuse prevention Violence prevention Injury surveillance Mental illness prevention LHDs Environmental Providing Health Services Service, % 51% Public drinking water protection 51% Health-related facilities regulation 46% Food processing 41% Mobile homes / housing inspections 41% Indoor air quality activities 40% Solid waste disposal regulation 36% Tobacco retailers LHDs Providing Service, % 30% 30% 30% 29% 29% 28% 21% 36% Animal Control 21% 33% Hazardous material response Hazardous waste disposal Land use planning Noise pollution Occupational safety health activities Radiation control 19% 26% 25% 24% 14% 18% 16% 14% 12% 10% 9 Table 2. Examples of Healthcare and Public health Responsibilities of State Health Departments (SHD) 8 Responsibilities SHDs Responsibilities SHDs Providing Providing Service,% Service,%. Healthcare Responsibilities Public health laboratory 79 Medical examiner 21 Rural health 79 State mental health authority 19 Children with special healthcare 77 State public health licensing agency 17 needs Minority health 72 State mental institution or hospital 17 Institutional licensing agency 60 Partial/split responsibility for 17 Medicaid State health planning 53 Medicaid state agency 15 development agency Partial/split leadership of 51 Lead environmental agency 15 environmental agency Public health pharmacy 34 State tuberculosis hospital 15 State nursing home 28 Health insurance regulation 15 Public Health Responsibilities. State public health authority 97 Disaster Preparedness 77 Newborn Screening 100 Perinatal Epidemiology 77 Immunizations 87 Violence Prevention 68 Bioterrorism 89 Emergency Medical Services 64 Regulation and Service Provision Injury Control Epidemiology 87 Quality Improvement or 62 Performance Measurement Injury Control Prevention 87 Toxicology 57 Breast and Cervical Cancer 87 Breast and Cervical Cancer 45 Screening Treatment Chronic Disease Epidemiology 85 Radon Control 55 Tobacco Control and Prevention 83 Institutional Review Board 45 State Title XXI Children’s health 28 Cancer Epidemiology 83 Insurance Initiative Environmental Epidemiology 79 8 Beitsch LM et al. Structure and functions of state public health agencies. APHA. 2006:96(1):167-72 10 Public Health Functions As a health care provider, public health clinics carry out all functions of a health care delivery system. As a governmental agency, public health is mandated to protect and improve the health of all people within a legal jurisdiction. It regulates healthcare services and coordinates healthcare delivery and resources allocation. The activities of public health agencies are focused on the following three core functions and ten essential services 9 , 10 : Assessment Monitor health status to identify community health problems; Diagnose and investigate health problems and health hazards in the community; Evaluate effectiveness, accessibility, and quality of personal and population-based health services; Research for new insights and innovative solutions to health problems Policy development and implementation Develop policies and plans that support individual and community health efforts Inform, educate, and empower people about health issues Mobilize community partnerships to identify and solve health problems Assurance Enforce laws and regulations that protect health and ensure safety Assure a competent public health and personal health care workforce. Link people to needed personal health services and assure the provision of health care when otherwise unavailable Public Health Data Sources Individual-patient clinical data comprises a large portion of data used to conduct communicable disease surveillance, case investigation, case management, and care coordination. Aggregated clinical data are used to perform surveillance to detect public health threat events and monitor the population’s health status. To fulfill the goal of protecting the public’s health, health care providers and public health agencies need the capability to exchange pertinent health information about individuals and communities. In addition to clinical data, other data sources are needed for public health decision making. For example, public health practitioners use environmental data, housing data, socio-economic data, geographic data, as well as information generated from surveys and research activities to meet the goals of public health programs. 11 9 Institute of Medicine. Committee for the Study of the Future of Public Health, 1988. Public Health Foundation. URL: www. health. gov/phfunctions/public. htm 11 Yasnof W, Overhage J, Humphrey B, LaVenture M. A national agenda for public health informatics. J Am Med Inf Ass 2001;8(6):535s of Domains, Stakeholders, Functions, Services Interventions, Data Sources Public Health Domains Stakeholders Infectious diseases Injury/Trauma Sexually transmitted diseases Consumer product safety Environmental health Occupational health Substance abuse. Mental health Chronic diseases Bioterrorism Disability Elected official Policy maker Health Department Researcher Private sector Clinician Educator Citizen Community Population Communitybased organizations Core Public Health Functions Assessment Policy development and implementation Assurance Essential Services Interventions Data Sources Data Types Monitoring Surveillance Screening Survey Risk assessment Policy research Policy development and implementation Regulation Outreach Case management Advocacy Social Marketing Education Evaluation Physician’s office patient medical record Registries Patient hospital records Emergency. Medical Services records Governmental regulations and guidelines Research databases Peers of Public Health Domains/Programs. 1 Research 6 Trauma Registries 2 Personal Health Record (PHR) 7 Chronic Diseases 3 Cancer Surveillance 8 Birth and Death Registries 4 Patient Safety and Population Health Perspectives 9 Obesity 5 Surveys 12 Orlova AO and Lehmann HR. A UML-based meta-framework for system design in public health informatics. AMIA 2002 Symposium Proceedings, November 9-13, San-Antonio, TX: 582-586. 12 Health Information Technology in Public Health For many decades, public health agencies and research institutions have been utilizing information technology (IT) to facilitate data management activities (data gathering, analysis, reporting, etc.). Public health information systems are created to support specific needs of disease-specific program areas within health departments, i. e. , newborn screening, birth defects, vital registration, immunization, communicable disease surveillance, chronic disease surveillance, school health, injury prevention, preparedness, etc. (Tables 1 2). These systems deploy various software products that are often custom-made and are not interoperable. Many of these systems contain redundant data; however, the varying data formats and standards preclude data integration across systems for public health decision support and research. These sytems lack the ability to provide real-time data back to providers for care coordination and disease prevention. The sections below describe the public health data gathering activities of clinical data that represent the major portion of public health data of interest. Current Practices on Data Reporting from Clinical Settings to Health Department Programs Most public health information systems are populated with data reported by health care providers. There is mandatory data reporting to CDC on 62 notifiable infectious diseases across all 50 states in the US 13 . This data is reported by clinicians to their local health departments. The latter reports this data to the state health department that in turn reports this data to CDC. In addition, various jurisdictions require clinicians to also report data on the conditions that are of interest for a specific jurisdiction (reportable conditions). Besides infectious disease reporting, various other public health programs receive data from clinician, e. g. , immunization registries, chronic disease registries, etc. In some jurisdictions, clinicians are expected to report data to both their local health department programs and their state health department programs. In many jurisdictions, data is currently reported using paper forms sent by fax or mail. For example in one state, providers (primary and emergency physicians) need to report data on 62 notifiable (mandatory) conditions and 32 reportable (state-specific) conditions using (a) over 50 various disease-specific Adobe Acrobat-generated paper forms required by the state communicable diseases surveillance system. This is in addition to providing data to other numerous programs maintained by the state health department. Lack of integration and interoperability across public health systems leads to the duplication of efforts and frustration among providers and consumers asked to provide the same information on multiple forms of varying formats to various programs. None of these activities are reimbursed by health insurance. According to the national data, public health data systems currently suffer from limitations such as underreporting (only 49% of cases are getting reported to public health agencies), 14 , 15 lack of 13 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Nationally Notifiable Infectious Diseases. URL: cdc. gov/EPO/DPHSI/phs/infdis. htm 14 Campos-Outcalt D, England R, Porter B. Reporting of communicable diseases by university physicians. Public Health Rep 1991;106:579-583. 15 Marier R. The reporting of communicable diseases. Am J Epidemiol 1977;105:587-590. 13 representativeness, lack of timeliness, inconsistency of case definitions across systems, inability to integrate data across the systems, etc. 16 , 17 Figures. 1a-d present schematic views of paper-based data reporting by healthcare providers to various public health data systems at the State and local levels. These views may also be applicable to any web-based data reporting to individual public health data systems maintained by the programs. EHR-based Health Information Exchanges between Clinical Care and Public Health Because of the automation of clinical data – inpatient and increasingly outpatient – via the Electronic Health Record Systems (EHRS), public health programs stand at the threshold of change in the way in which they gather programmatic data. Many of the information systems used by local health departments are not capable of exchanging data through RHIOs or with health care service delivery agencies. Many of them are not capable of sending/receiving HL7 messages and cannot or do not comply with other nationally accepted vocabularies and standards. In addition, many of the systems are not configured to serve as an electronic medical record to receive information from physicians; this restricts their ability to contribute to a longitudinal health care record for those clients for whom they serve as a primary care provider Nationally, electronic health record systems are beginning to be certified taking into account these considerations. The issue of compatibility/interoperability of these systems with public health systems to be able to send, receive and exchange relevant data for both public health and clinical practice needs to be addressed. 18 16 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Lesson Five: Public Health Surveillance. Principles of Epidemiology in Public Health Practice. Third Edition (Print-based). 336-409. Available at: cdc. gov/training/products/ss1000/ss1000-ol. pdf. Last accessed November 29, 2006. 17 Konowitz PM, Petrossian GA, Rose DN. The underreporting of disease and physicians’ knowledge of reporting requirements. Public Health Rep 1984;99:31-35. 18 Laverne Snow. Personal Communications. June 9, 2007. 14 Health Education/Risk Reduction Genetic Disorder Communicable Diseases Communicable Diseases Vital Statistics Provider 1 Provider 1 Immunization Provider 2 Immunization EPSDT Provider 3 Lead and Environmental Epidemiology Provider 2 Injury Control Injury Control Provider 3 School Health Provider 4 School Health Chronic Care Chronic Care Provider 4 Biosurveilance, BT, Preparedness Biosurveilance, BT, Preparedness WIC Provider X WIC Occupational Safety and Health Public Health Laboratory Provider X HEDIS Cancer a b Genetic Disorder Genetic Disorders Vital Statistics Health Education/Risk Reduction Provider 1 Communicable Diseases Provider 2 Immunization HRSA Communicable Diseases Provider 1 AHRQ Lead Registry Immunization Provider 2 Provider 3 Vital Records Injury Control Injury Control School Health School Health Chronic Care Chronic Care Biosurveilance, BT, Preparedness Biosurveilance, BT, Preparedness WIC WIC Public Health Laboratory Occupational Safety and Health HEDIS Provider 4. Provider X CDC Injury Control Immunization EPSDT Provider 3 Communicable Diseases Provider 4 School Health Chronic Care Biosurveilance, BT, Preparedness Provider X HEDIS Cancer c d Fig 1. Paper-Based Data Reporting by Health Care Provider to Various Public Health Data Systems: a Provider’s Data Reporting to Local Health Department Data Systems; b Provider’s Data Reporting to State Health Department Data Systems: c Provider’s Data Reporting to Local and State Health Department Data Systems; d Multiple Providers Data Reporting to State Health Department Data Systems. 15 â€Å"Many public health agencies are examining their existing information systems and seeking to improve their ability to support programmatic needs to detect, assess, and respond to a range of threats to the public, including infectious diseases, pandemics, such as avian flu, bioterrorism, and chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes and asthma. The challenges of transitioning from a paper environment to an electronic environment involve rethinking the workflow, staff skills, resources, habits, and culture of an organization†. 19 Electronic transmission of data from the clinical care settings to public health agencies via EHRS is essential to (1) support key public health functions and services and (2) supply public health data repositories, e. g. , registries, research databases, etc. , for aggregated analysis of the health status of populations. 20 Provision of real-time aggregated community-level information back to providers bi-directional EHRS-based data exchanges between public health practitioners and clinicians will inform clinical decision support, improve care coordination and response capabilities to a public’s health threat event. The integrated Electronic Health Record-Public Health (EHR-PH) systems will become the backbone of a NHIN and regional HIEs. Fig. 2 represents a schematic view of the difference between the current public health data reporting mechanism (Fig. 2a) and the future standardized EHR-PH health information exchange (Fig. 2b). When the EHR-PH connectivity is completed, various public health data systems will be able to electronically receive data from clinical EHRS, so when an authorized provider enters patient data into his/her EHRS, various public health programs as authorized users can receive/retrieve/view/access their data of interest. 21 To facilitate the development of interoperable EHR-PH systems there is a need for standardization of health information exchanges across the clinical and public health enterprise. The US Health Information Technology Standards Panel (HITSP) 22 identified the following categories of standards for system interoperability: 1. Data content standards, i. e. , vocabularies and terminology standards (CDA2, SNOMED, ICD, X12, NCPDP, Omaha, etc. ) 2. Information content standards (Reference Information Models (RIMs) standards) 3. Information exchange standards, e. g. , messaging standards (HL7) 4. Identifier standards, e. g. , National Provider Identifier (NPI) standard 5. Privacy and security standards the US Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) privacy regulations provide a framework to protect privacy 19 Common Grounds: Transforming Public Health Information Systems. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. 2006 Call for Proposals. URL: rwjf. org 20 Public Health Data Standards Consortium. Electronic health record-public health perspectives. White Paper. PHDSC Ad Hoc Task Force on the Electronic Health Record-Public Health. March 9, 2004. : 27p. plus 9 Attachments. URL: phdsc. org/knowresources/papers/docsandpdfs/PHDSC_EHRPH_WhitePaper2004. pdf 21 Orlova AO, Dunnagan M, Finitzo T, Higgins M, Watkins T, Tien A, Beales S. An electroninc health recordpublic health (EHR-PH) system prototype for interoperability in 21st century health care systems. Am Med Inform Assoc. (AMIA), Annual Symposium, Proc. , 2005. 22 Health Information Technology Standards Panel (HITSP). American National Standards Institute (ANSI). URL: amsi/org/hitsp 16 confidentiality of personal information; however, they do not cover all potential actors in health data exchanges. 23 6. Functional standards, i. e. , workflow/dataflow standards 24 7. Other, i. e. , information technology infrastructure standards, interoperability standards (IHE). HIE Genetic Disorders Communicable Diseases Provider 1 Immunization Provider 3 Communicable Diseases CDA2 Provider 2 Vital Records Provider 1 Genetic Disorders HL7 Provider 2 Immunization Vital Records Provider 3 Injury Control Provider 4 X12 Injury Control Provider 4 School Health School Health NCPDP Chronic Diseases Chronic Diseases Provider X Biosurveilance, BT, Preparedness Provider X Biosurveilance, BT, Preparedness, Syndromic Surveillance LAB IHE HEDIS HEDIS a b Fig. 2. Health information exchanges between clinical care and public health agency: a – current paper form – based information exchange; b – standardized EHR-PH –based information exchange. Fig. 2b presents examples of standards (CDA2, HL7, X12, NCPDP, IHE) that the EHR-PH HIEs will have to support. To help facilitate the development of the standardized EHR-PH health information exchanges, it is critical to start a dialogue between the public health community and EHRS developers to assure that the work processes and data needs of public health stakeholders are well understood and agreed upon by stakeholders themselves and then communicated clearly to the developers of the interoperable EHR-PH systems. The section that follows presents two examples of the beginning of this dialogue by describing one of the public health domains in the IHE suggested framework for the technical tasks for information exchanges. 23 See ncvhs. hhs. gov/060622lt. htm Developing a Vision for Functional Requirements Specification for Electronic Data Exchange between Clinical and Public Health Settings: Examples of School Health and Syndromic Surveillance in New York City. Public health Data Standards Consortium. 2006, 40p plus attachments. 24 17 Technical Tasks for Information Exchanges: Examples of Public Health Domains IHE provided a list of Technical Tasks for the description of the information exchanges related to a domain as follows: 1. What is ? 2. Who are Stakeholders? Technical Tasks for Information Exchanges 3. Expressing the criteria 4. Selecting a site 5. Identifying a patient meeting certain criteria 6. Retrieving additional data elements (queries) 7. Reporting data elements (notifications) 8. Data review/feedback (filters) 9. Analysis/evaluation 10. Mapping 11. Aggregation/Reporting 12. Communication We used Immunization and Cancer Surveillance as examples of public health domains (Tables 1 2) and have attempted to describe them in terms of the IHE proposed technical tasks for information exchanges between clinical and public health EHR-PH systems. The section below includes the descriptions of the existing use cases and standards identified by the immunization domain and cancer surveillance experts to date as well as the existing IHE profiles applicable to these domains. It also includes the list of existing and emerging standards and possible future IHE profiles needed to meet the EHR of Immunization Domain 1) What is the Immunization Domain? Immunization is critical to control many infectious diseases including polio, measles, diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), rubella (German measles),

7 Bad Study Habits that Crush Your Productivity

7 Bad Study Habits that Crush Your Productivity After reading this article you’ll be able to boost your performance and conquer the world with style and savvy. Each one of the habits we’ll discuss are disturbingly common. Common as say†¦mediocrity. 1. You Guessed It†¦Procrastination Let’s be honest, some people can master the art of procrastination and some can’t. In reality, what those people are really doing is allowing the information to marinate in their minds. They’re making sense of it internally. Constantly dreaming about it. Thinking about it before they sleep each night. The people who can’t do it, pretty much just push things off until the last minute. Only then do they really direct their energies towards the problem or issue. That doesn’t really work. It just doesn’t. 2. Getting Stuck with Indecision Indecision causes us to become immobile. We stagnate, transforming into a human version of Pavlov’s Dog. Pick a place to start, the most accessible and begin. Tackle the simplest component and move on from there bit by bit. Furthermore, when in doubt go find someone with the answers and consult with them. Doing otherwise, just trying to be the proud Lone Ranger-type is oftentimes flat out ridiculous. And stop waiting for the perfect circumstances to arise, or that special feeling or whatever. That’s just indecision in disguise. You’re saying to yourself that you know what you â€Å"want† to do, but you can only perform miracles once you decide you HAVE to. 3. Listening to the Passing Cloud of Thought Is there anything under the sun more potentially distracting than your inner monologue? Honestly. At every second of every day it just keeps chattering away. Or, if you’re one of the more internally silent types, they tend to act up when you try to focus on something important. Learn to put it in the background and keep it there otherwise you’ll end up going on mental tangents over and over and over again wasting mountains of time. In reality those little tantalizing thoughts are energy vampires. You’ve only got so much before you have to disengage so choose wisely which thoughts you entertain. 4. Not Staying Physically Active Embody your studying whoever possible, or make sure to exercise at least once every day five days a week†¦period! The human mind and body thrive on physical activity. We’re genetically bred for it from our heads to our toes. Resistance sharpens up. When you have a break from your math homework, instead of staying mind-centric go give your body some attention. Take a jog. Go for a swim. Workout. Whatever. Confidence is also a pretty big productivity booster in nearly every respect. Think about it: don’t you do better in all areas of your life when you hold yourself and your abilities in higher esteem? The more focused your body, the more focused your mind can become†¦which in turn makes it easier to keep your internal monologue (not the same as your gut instincts) in check. 5. Caving to Technology Distractions It’s everywhere, calling for your attention second by second day in and day out. Social media networks are live 24/7. You could check recent updates. See if people commented on your blog. You could play some Angry Birds†¦The Xbox is backing thee. Virtual reality is ready to envelope your avatar once again. It goes on and on. You have got to completely disengage your mind from techno-distractions for a while if you’re going to get something done, especially if you’re forced to use a computer to do it. Don’t have tabs or windows open that don’t have to do with the problem at hand. Stop checking your email. Stop checking Drudge†¦! 6. Your Multi-tasking is Too Complex Getting lots of things done at once is awesome. It’s efficient. But, once you reach a point where the complexity is too much only pride and pure ignorance keep you chugging along at 30%. If you’re a chronic multi-tasker try this: do one thing at a time and see if you get more or less done. How about it? You up for the task? You can either go from easiest to hardest, or just mix things up in any way you see fit. Give it a shot. Oftentimes you’ll end up just grouping 2 or 3 things together as you can rather than the whole lot! 7. Avoiding Sufficient Nutrition Guess what genius, without sufficient hydration and micronutrient intake you’re cutting yourself drastically short. Take a simple biology, or human physiology class and be amazed by how much water and energy your brain requires. It’s shocking. Speaking of which, how about you shock yourself and eat quality food rather than top ramen, chili powder and peanut butter. Okay, we’re done. It’s your turn. What the #1 productivity killer to you?

Marketing Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

Marketing - Term Paper Example Regression coefficient suggests that the positive and significant increase in the performance of personalized advertisements (ads) after the opening of the improved user privacy controls. In the correlation technique, there is no statistical significance difference between two paired related estimated points (variables). In relation to the context, after improving the level of privacy in face-book, there was a relationship between the fans and the number of clicks. These techniques were appropriately used in the research since they try to estimate the number of face-book users when and after privacy measures have been improved. We get to realize that after the improvement of privacy measures of face-book, the number of clicks increased since majority gained the trust of the firm (Tucker 556). However, these improved privacy measures were put in practice after heavy critics from the users. The best technique was regression. Regression tries to care for the most important ranks of the enthusiasts. Regression technique analysis investigates the relationship between variables. The technique is used when many variables need to be covered in order to predict the finding of the causal effect of one variable on another. It provided easy time to predict the number of face-book users globally. The use of regression technique requires careful investigation to determine the nature of the relationship. The key components of the project are all about the face-book changes in privacy interface. The first component is all about the privacy setting that can aggregate to one simple control. Additionally, the second component is that face-book doesn’t require user’s friends and connection to become visible to every individual. Finally, face-book makes it easier for the users to decide on the single click from the third person applications to access their personal information. The study provides evidence for

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Architecture and culture in italy - Essay Example For this reason, even authors such as Ernest Hemingway, notorious for his brevity and deceptively simple-sounding stories, can reveal much about the areas they write about. In the novel Across the River and Into the Trees, written in 1950, Hemingway provides a great deal of detail about Italy both in what he says and in what he doesn't say. The story begins with a morning of duck hunting. The protagonist emerges slowly, simply called the shooter at first. His personality is the first thing that becomes known about him as it is revealed through his words with the boatman, his thoughts and his actions. Although coarse and irritable, he is also gentle in his treatment of others and his appreciation of beauty. This is seen in his irritation with the boatman as they work through the ice of the canal, "Get your back in it, jerk" (3) as compared to his understanding of the same man at the end of the book once the Colonel realizes it was his military jacket that set the man off. Throughout t he novel, most of which is a flashback to the days just prior to the duck hunt, the people of Italy are consistently referred to as polite and more honest than people elsewhere: "It's a tougher town than Cheyenne when you really know it, and everybody is very polite" (35). Yet there are continual hints that things are not quite as idyllic as the Colonel wants to picture it. Such an instance is introduced in scenes such as the one where the Colonel, then a general, knocked two men unconscious for having the impertinence to whistle at Renata at an even earlier time period or the scene in which he finds it necessary to scare two punks away from him by pretending to be carrying pistols in his pockets as he walks around Venice with Renata's family emeralds in his pocket. The Colonel's ability to appreciate the beauty of the landscape around him also helps to reveal the character and geography of Italy. This initial landscape is seen as particularly inhospitable, though, full of icy canal s and tall grasses - giving an impression of a frozen marshland. It is expanded as the Colonel and his driver make their way across country as "one farm blended, almost blurred, into another farm and you could only see what was far ahead and moving toward you" (14) and given texture as the driver starts to talk about the artists of the country, such as Titian: "if he painted any pictures of that country up around there, with those sunset color rocks and the pines and the snow and all the pointed steeples" (15-16). This glimpse of the country is also given a dual nature as the Colonel approaches the city, looking out at the flat canal-lined boulevard that they're following and remembering the ghastly scene of soldiers bodies, bloated and floating on unmoving water in those canals and yet also observing the peaceful, gentle motion of a sail from one of the barges moving slowly through one of those canals. This image of Italy finally opens up into the streets of Venice with the mention of St. Mark Square and the Colonel relives his last day with his girl, a 20-year-old native beauty in a segment that takes up most of the bulk of the book. In this consistent representation of the dual nature of both the people and the place, the book is very much in keeping with the historical era in which it was written. The second World War had just ended in which many of the older men fighting had already seen their share

Why is the trafficking of naive lymphocytes important Outline the Essay

Why is the trafficking of naive lymphocytes important Outline the stages in the development of the specific immune respons - Essay Example Our bodies are both fragile and resilient at the same time; being so soft and easily broken, yet keeping us alive even during the worst of conditions, always adapting and always surviving. One of the important factors that keep us alive is our immune system and its ability to adapt to the environment and the pathogens it contains. According to Gene Mayer, PhD, there are two ways wherein the body can protect itself from infection: Innate or nonspecific immune system, and Adaptive or specific immune system. ‘The innate immune system is the first line of defense’ which provides immediate, but nonspecific responses to infection (e.g. skin, mucus, tears, sneezing, etc.). The adaptive immune system is slower and responds only to specific antigens with cells called lymphocytes. Once the adaptive immune system responds to a specific antigen, the body will remember it and will produce antibodies to combat the antigen more effectively every time it comes back.1 There are two main types of lymphocytes involved in adaptive immunity--B lymphocytes (B cells) and T lymphocytes (T cells). These cells are produced in the bone marrow. One of the differences between the two is that the T cells have to migrate to the thymus gland to mature. Stein and Nombela-Arrieta (2005, pp.1-12) state that these lymphocytes that have just matured and have yet to encounter an antigen, are called naive lymphocytes. From the bone marrow and the thymus, the lymphocytes are then trafficked through the bloodstream to the secondary lymphoid organs (SLO), which are the peripheral and mesenteric lymph nodes, spleen and gut-associated lymphoid tissues called the Peyer's patches. In the SLO, once the naive cells encounter antigens and become activated, they will undergo changes and will eventually leave to combat the infection.2 Kuby wrote that when a pathogen enters the body, it enters the bloodstream and is transported to the lymph nodes and lymphatic organs where antigen presenting cells ( APCs) break it down into antigen compounds to be bound to Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) molecules. The naive helper T cells become activated once they encounter the antigen bound to the MHC molecules. It then becomes an effector cell (Th) that produces cytokines which activate B cells, T cells, macrophages and other cells included in the specific immune response. Once the Th cells are released into the bloodstream, when they find the antigen, they secrete their cytokines. T cytotoxic cells (Tc) become another effector cell called the cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL). This kind of effector cell does not produce cytokines but is designed to destroy infected cells. Once the B cells encounter the antigen, they proliferate and differentiate into antibody-secreting plasma cells whose antibodies attach to the antigen, effectively neutralizing it. Other B cells turn into memory B cells that allow for a faster response to illness once the same pathogen enters the body again.3 Mayer and Nyland (2010) pointed out that ‘since there are relatively few T or B lymphocytes with a receptor for any particular antigen (1/10,000 – 1/100,000), the chances for a successful encounter between an antigen and the appropriate lymphocyte are slim.’4 The chances of encountering the right antigen with the right antibody are maximized with recirculation to the SLOs. The lymphocytes constantly circulate from the lymph organs to the blood via lymphatics if there is no antigen present. ‘It is estimated that 1-2% of lymphocytes recirculate every hour’ (Mayer & Nyland, 2010).5 If it does encounter an antigen, the cells differentiate into the effector cells (B, Th, or Tc) to combat the infection. After the infection, it can go back to the blood stream

Zero pollution Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Zero pollution - Research Paper Example In this technological world, there are many techniques that can be used to prevent pollutants from getting into the atmosphere (Nemerow, 1995). However, the big question remains whether this hi-tech technology can be used to ensure that there is zero pollution in the world. This paper sets out to determine how different industries prevent environmental pollution. I will also discuss the feasibility of zero pollution concepts in this paper. The question of whether the world can exist with a state of zero pollution is one that has elicited a lot of reaction from different quarters. Many people might say that the level of pollution has risen to unmanageable levels which implies that such a state is only imaginary. It is known, for example, that the United States of America is the world’s largest energy consumer, most of its energy being derived from sources that are considered to be dirty. Some of these sources include natural gas, coal, oil, and nuclear energy, all of which lead to environmental pollution in one way or another. A significant portion of the energy used worldwide ends up being wasted through leaky windows, inefficient equipment or in one way or another. This wasted energy may also contribute to the pollution of the global environment. Other people have, against all odds, noted that zero pollution is achievable albeit at a significant cost and with considerable effort. Different pollutants of the environments can pollute the air, soil or water. The industrial sector is one of the most notorious polluters of the environment. Most manufacturing, mining and utility industries normally emit toxic substances which end up choking the environment as noted by McKinney, Schoch and Yonavjak (2007). Pollution from different industries has led to global warming, which has in turn had a huge impact on climate change. However, different countries and organizations have been at the forefront

Leveraging IT and a Business Network by a Small Medical Practice Essay

Leveraging IT and a Business Network by a Small Medical Practice - Essay Example The case is about Eastern Cardiology Services (further - ESC), which has been founded by Dr. Jeff Curtin with the aim of providing high-quality medical services on the private grounds in the sphere of cardiology. His aim was to create a small enterprise, which will combine the service delivery with the use of advanced computer technologies. The key issues, existing in the company at the very beginning of its operation were the following: 1. The firm had to achieve high level of quality, through the understanding, that often the quality if information delivered to the patient could become a matter of his life-or-death. The issue in this relation was that the small firm like ESC could not afford implementation IT in combination with medical services through trial and effort, as it was usual for large companies. 2. The second issue was related with the fact that the newly opened enterprise had to prove the accuracy of the records given to the patients. As far as the information had to be easily retrievable the newly developed IT had to be connected with the medical equipment for medical investigation - this was a serious matter to resolve. Among the issues, which the enterprise had to face and resolve, were the issues related to the necessity of aligning corporate management with IT use. Thus, it is seen that the main issue, though described here through several separate key problems, are certainly connected with the necessity to implement IT technologies into all spheres of the ESC activity - both directly and indirectly connected with the medical service delivery. These issues are the result of understanding that for SME to survive in the area of medical service delivery, something new and unique should be invented, to distinguish them from the large medical establishments, which mainly display a kind of 'line production' service delivery. One more important issue here was making each consumer feel unique and exclusive, and receive the best service through the IT which the enterprise uses. 4. For the development of the IT necessary to be used in the enterprise, it was important to find the research opportunities, which would satisfy financial demands of stakeholders and result in general improvement of the ESC operation. 5. The management of the enterprise had also to understand that as soon as the IT system was developed, it would have to be constantly improved, as in the process of its implementation and operation new limitations were going to be displayed and thus eliminated. The problem there was that this process needed constant financing, which had also to be agreed with stakeholders. 6. Finally, it was of course necessary proving the benefits of IT implementation to the stakeholders. Thus, in identifying the key problems of the enterprise at that time, it is clearly seen, that the principal strategy developed by ESC was aimed at implementing IT, as the key to its success in delivering medical services. Though the enterprise understood the necessity for such actions, but many factors were simply forgotten

Agile Software Development Process Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Agile Software Development Process - Coursework Example The paper will explain how the agile development process works based on stand-up meetings, product, and sprint backlogs as well as project charter. In addition, scenarios will be utilized to give examples of techniques such as class diagrams, activity diagrams, and stakeholders. The manifesto for agile software development also known as agile manifesto is a formal proclamation of twelve principles and four key values to help guide people-centric approach and iterative approach to the development of software. Agile software development targets delivery of functional bits of application, keeping codes simple and testing often applications when they are ready. The software was created as an alternative to heavyweight and document-driven software development processes that includes the waterfall approach. The 4 core values of the agile software development emphasize on various issues that include; individuals and interactions over tools and processes, customer collaboration over contract negotiation, working software over comprehensive documentation as well as responding to change over following a plan (Aoyama, 2010). The 12 principles that have been laid down by the agile manifesto have been adapted for managing IT related projects and variety of businesses including business intelligence. They include; customer satisfaction through continuous and early delivery of valuable work, breakdown of big work into smaller components that can be tackled easily, recognising that teams that are self-organized are able to perform work better, providing of motivated individual with support and environment they need and offer them trust to get the job done (Carroll, 2012).

Leveraging IT and a Business Network by a Small Medical Practice Essay

Leveraging IT and a Business Network by a Small Medical Practice - Essay Example The case is about Eastern Cardiology Services (further - ESC), which has been founded by Dr. Jeff Curtin with the aim of providing high-quality medical services on the private grounds in the sphere of cardiology. His aim was to create a small enterprise, which will combine the service delivery with the use of advanced computer technologies. The key issues, existing in the company at the very beginning of its operation were the following: 1. The firm had to achieve high level of quality, through the understanding, that often the quality if information delivered to the patient could become a matter of his life-or-death. The issue in this relation was that the small firm like ESC could not afford implementation IT in combination with medical services through trial and effort, as it was usual for large companies. 2. The second issue was related with the fact that the newly opened enterprise had to prove the accuracy of the records given to the patients. As far as the information had to be easily retrievable the newly developed IT had to be connected with the medical equipment for medical investigation - this was a serious matter to resolve. Among the issues, which the enterprise had to face and resolve, were the issues related to the necessity of aligning corporate management with IT use. Thus, it is seen that the main issue, though described here through several separate key problems, are certainly connected with the necessity to implement IT technologies into all spheres of the ESC activity - both directly and indirectly connected with the medical service delivery. These issues are the result of understanding that for SME to survive in the area of medical service delivery, something new and unique should be invented, to distinguish them from the large medical establishments, which mainly display a kind of 'line production' service delivery. One more important issue here was making each consumer feel unique and exclusive, and receive the best service through the IT which the enterprise uses. 4. For the development of the IT necessary to be used in the enterprise, it was important to find the research opportunities, which would satisfy financial demands of stakeholders and result in general improvement of the ESC operation. 5. The management of the enterprise had also to understand that as soon as the IT system was developed, it would have to be constantly improved, as in the process of its implementation and operation new limitations were going to be displayed and thus eliminated. The problem there was that this process needed constant financing, which had also to be agreed with stakeholders. 6. Finally, it was of course necessary proving the benefits of IT implementation to the stakeholders. Thus, in identifying the key problems of the enterprise at that time, it is clearly seen, that the principal strategy developed by ESC was aimed at implementing IT, as the key to its success in delivering medical services. Though the enterprise understood the necessity for such actions, but many factors were simply forgotten

A mid summer nights dream Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

A mid summer nights dream - Essay Example You will find that the entire plot collapses, in the absence of that simple-looking character; the story has lost most of its punch and strength! What laurels did Puck bring to the play, without being an important member of the team and what are his strengths and weaknesses? The character of Puck in â€Å"A Mid Summer Nights Dream,† is falls into the above category. He is there through the entire plot of drama, as if what they call—from the cradle to the grave and from the womb to the tomb. He doesn’t occupy the front seat in the sequence of characters. Yet, he controls them all with his witticisms and tricks. There is not a single character in the play that is not affected by the tricks of Puck; some of them are ‘injured seriously,’ with the Puck’s humor blow. He hits them hard by the deft handling of the meandering situations/graphs in the drama. In the ‘politics’ of the drama, Puck is an important political worker, who pulls and controls the strings from behind the curtain. He creates confusing situations, but also has the pre-panned solutions. He articulates crisis but knows that every crisis is an opportunity to further the cause of the overall beauty of the drama. The audience falls in love with him instantly. He is perhaps aware, what all complications his pranks are going to create. He is a dynamic spirit, but at times, Puck’s dynamism proves to be destructive. Some of his actions should have invited legal actions—but unfortunately such legal provisions to govern the affairs of love, did no exist during the Shakespearean times! He commits the serious mistake of applying the love potion to Lysander instead of Demetrius, thus causing total confusion amidst the group of lovers. His transforming Bottom’s head into that of an ass is difficult to condone taking into consideration the problem s that it created for Bottom! This

Apple iPhone Essay Example for Free

Apple iPhone Essay Japan to Apple iPhone No Thanks and Would Mickey Mouse Eat Shark Fin Soup these two case studies shows what happens when consumer behavior and marketing mix in globalization goes very wrong. These two studies reveal how marketer think they are giving a wonderful product and service in the case of Apples the iPhone and Disney the Sharks Fin Soup. Understanding the consumer’s behavior and the customs and values of the culture impacted these two campaigns. Apologies good media press and changes in the strategy to get the approval of the consumers. Both case studies points out the impact of technology and how it at first affected the campaigns for bad with negative that changed the reputation of both companys. Apples dilemma was very embarrassing for the company with negative reports and predictions of how the iPhone was going to sell in Japan. The propaganda was already put out to the media about the Japanese saying No Thanks to Apple concerning the iPhone 3. Apple thought that Japan would be ecstatic with the new product but supposedly the opposite occurred with reports of weak showing of the iPhone3. Of course with Apple being the cutting edge in technology and innovation in the western world Japan did not feel the same way about Apples iPhone3. First Japan was a hard market to try to get into the for Apple and their competition Nokia, and Motorola, whose attempts to grab Japanese customers were futile. So this was going to be a difficult campaign for Apple. At the time Japan was hostile toward western brand including Nokia and Motorola which I thought were Japanese brands. What’s wrong with the iPhone, from a Japanese perspective? The high monthly data plans that go with it, its lack of features, the low-quality camera, the unfashionable design and the fact that it’s not Japanese. Besides cultural opposition, Japanese citizens possess high standards when it comes to cell phones. The country is famous for being ahead of its time when it comes to technology. Japanese consumer rather would use their own brand even if the feature is not used frequently. For example, Japanese handset users are extremely into video and photos .The iPhone had neither a video camera nor multimedia text messaging. A highlight feature enjoy on their handset is a TV tuner. Many consumers also used their cell phone as their only computer device and also as a TV. The monthly rates was considered to expense and many consumers did not want to pay the monthy bill. Apple had to make  decision because the consumer’s behavior was very different in Japan. The Japanese in the time of No Thanks were more communal than individualistic which a new trend with the younger generation is. They were not considered conspicuous consumption they way it is in western countries. The Japanese way of consumer behaving was inherited from Edo Period of history (each class had it own code) Brand shopping revealed two things about the Japanese consumer social status and quality of product. Japanese consumers are known for being demanding with products. The Japanese consumer shopped mostly in department stores but now this is changing with malls. The Japanese consumer is a cautious spender and that is why the monthly charge for service was problem for Apple. They are also very environmental aware and health conscious. Apple did not understand that Japan demographic of aging is very large with life expectancy being vey long. So Japan has a big 60 plus consumers demographic that live by the old tradition, values and customs. These consumer behaviors were very different from the western marketer Apple did not take these in to consideration when the iPhone came out. The marketer had to start at zero level and make huge marketing decision for the Japanese market. Quality of the iPhone its features had to be reintroducing to the consumers to the cell phone market in Japan. Many iphones were given away so as to help the consumer get comfortable with the iphone a great strategy. The monthly pricing had to be adjusted but they really had to do with the value of the Yen. The Bloomberg report today notes that the iPhone has captured 72 percent of the Japanese market. High price, lack of a video camera and support for multimedia messaging, all three of those shortcomings have been addressed. â€Å"Softbank w ho Apple used to sell iPhones gives away the phone for free, and Apple has added a video camera and support for multimedia messaging. The Bloomberg report further suggests that those moves were just what the iPhone needed to gain a foothold in Japan, which we also acknowledged in a report published August 2009.†(Tewney ,2008) Would Mickey Mouse Eat Sharks Fin Soup? Became fiasco for Disney with reports that Disney wool start serving Shark Fin Soup to their customers in Disney Hong Kong. In a feature dated May 18, the Hong Kong Standard reports that shark fin soup, along with roast suckling pig and sliced abalone, will be included in wedding banquets Disney is promoting at the two hotels at the Hong Kong Disneyland resort. Shark’s fin soup is a traditional Chinese  delicacy popular at weddings and other important social events. Eating shark’s fin soup carries cultural significance and is seen as luxurious and a display of affluence and generosity. However the process by which sharks are caught and killed to provide the ingredients has long been criticized for the way in which fins are harvested . A 2004 survey by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) found that out of 262 shark species around the world, 56 were endangered. The Hong Kong Standard publishes a follow up to the story on May 23 and reports that Disney’s plans to serve shark’s fin soup have outraged local environmentalists. Under the environmentally umbrella Disney has integrated conservation efforts into its daily operations. The company says its employees around the world proactively support environmental initiatives through all aspects of its business and states that it is â€Å"committed to balancing environmental stewardship with our corporate goals throughout the world.† Disney lesson was tradition and customs no longer overruled environmental issues because affluent consumer wants a certain food or clothes. The voice of green and environmental safety out powered and was louder than the money of the wealth who wanted the Shark Fin Soup. With the new rising environmentalist animal cruelty advocate this was not going to be easy for the affluent consumer to win. Disney was going to have to make a decision not to serve the soup at all and it did. Globalization, can intentionally or otherwise remove social and cultural differences, which can often have a bearing on consumer behavior and in turn, lead to brands developing a more consistent global identity, one which doesn’t have to worry about the backlash of possible misinterpretation in other parts of the world. This isn’t to say that marketers believe cultural issues are no longer important. In fact, quite the opposite is true. The more information a brand holds about the world and its contrasting consumers the more chance it has of understanding and manipulating them. The interlocking of economic spheres is another aspect, which has affected consumer behavior for very different reasons all together. The European Union and the combine currency of Euro connecting different countries with the same currencies make for a huge consumer behavior being established. This was also the problem with Apples because Japan does not have the same cultural values as the western hemisphere which was a learning campaign for Apples globalization. The arrival of the Internet and advances in technology have succeeded in breaking down social and cultural barriers, but have not succeeded in stopping the masses from being continually guided by those who are learning more and more about them and the way they behave. In conclusion these two global business dilemma help to open the way for a precise understanding of different culture that helps with evolving of globalization to include all cultures and to give the best culturally socially, environment decision while giving the best service and product. Reference Key Characteristic of The Japanese Consumer (2014) Retrieved from: http://www.slideshare.net/rpretet/key-characteristics-of-japanese-consumers CRS ASIA (2014) Retrieved from :http://www.csr-asia.com/weekly_news_detail.php?id=5318 Consumer Behavior (2014) Retrieved from:http://publicresearchsystems.blogspot.com/2009/01/report-on-global-factors-affecting.html Why Japans Hate Apple (2014) Retrieved from http://www.wired.com/2009/02/why-the-iphone/ . â€Å"Softbank who Apple used to sell iPhones gives away the phone for free, and Apple has added a video camera and support for multimedia messaging. The Bloomberg report further suggests that those moves were just what the iPhone needed to gain a foothold in Japan, which we also acknowledged in a report published August 2009.† Why Japans Hate Apple (2014) Retrieved from http://www.wired.com/2009/02/why-the-iphone/ Would Mickey Mouse Eat Shark’s Fin Soup Retrieved from:http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/17/business/worldbusiness/17 shark.html?pagewanted=all_r=0

What Is A Learning Journal Psychology Essay

What Is A Learning Journal Psychology Essay A learning journal is a way of capturing and recording your thoughts, impressions, concerns, questions and reflections. This provides an informal yet focused place to express whatever comes to mind. Its purpose is to enhance further insights on how you learn experiences through the process of writing and thinking about how you learn. Your learning journal is personal and will reflect your experiences, preferences and personality. Why am I completing a learning journal as part of my study of social psychology? The learning journal will help enhance further understanding about social psychology and how we can adapt these personal experiences individually, as social psychology mainly focuses on dealing with social interactions this can help us understand how we can socially connect with ourselves and others through interacting insights and experiences that are reflected in our learning journals. This can influence our perceptions and interpretations of how each of us understands social psychology and how we can observe it which also indicates implications it may have had on your level of understanding and to help identify your strengths, weaknesses and preferred preference of the unit. What do I hope to learn from this assignment? From this assignment i hope to learn skills and abilities that will give me a thorough and deeper knowledge as to how i can express and reflect on my own ideas and to help me understand how they build on what i already know using it in my own independent research. Through the development of this learning journal I also hope that this will not only broaden and reflect my personal views and ideas of the content but to further extend my knowledge of the assignment. This will enable me to gain experience and to help me understand and accomplish intellectual processes, goals and tasks that are required in order to reflect upon. Self and Identity Which aspect of the topic has interested me most? Why? The aspect of this topic that caught my interest would be development of the social self I have found this topic aspect very interesting as it explains and reflects on how people see and identify ones social self. To me this broadens my insights as to how and why each individual is looked upon socially because of their self concept, self esteem, self knowledge and social self. This also demonstrates how each individual is looked upon and how their roles can vary from others which help show the social world that surrounds us and how each one of us can develop and become part of the social world. This not only relates to me but to any individual according to the development of the social self. What are the main ideas, concepts and evidence related to this aspect? The main ideas that cover multiple concepts on how the social world is developing includes the roles we play, the social identities we form, the comparisons we make with each other, our successes and failures, how other people judge us and the surrounding culture. In relation to the development of the social self a concept that related towards this aspect include the looking glass self which is a social psychological concept which was created by Charles Horton Cooley in 1902. This concept states that a person self grows out of societys interpersonal interactions and the perceptions of others. This mainly refers to people shaping their self-concepts based on their understanding of how others perceive them. One evidential way this can be perceived is through social comparisons (Festinger, 1954) which help us evaluate ourselves compared to others. What short quote from the text or reading illustrates an important point related to this aspect? An important point that signifies this aspect is found in the text book states that The self- concept has become a major social-psychological focus because it helps organize our thinking and guide our social behaviour. (PP.68) In stating this tells us that according to our self image we can base this on the way we live in a social world which can have an influence on the way we think and how we portray ourselves and other individuals we can also say that social experiences also play a part in developing ones social self. How is the aspect relevant to my social world? This aspect is relevant to my social world because it demonstrates how our social image and social perceptions can shape who we are and how we are viewed upon. The self can be analysed through multiple stages for the development of the social self, the social self concept Who am I? comes from ones self, social knowledge can explain how an individual predicts themselves. Self esteem self sense of how much their worth and social self which shows how roles as a student, family member and friend which can be used for a group identity. Prejudice and discrimination Which aspect of the topic has interested me the most? Why? An aspect of the topic Racial Prejudice has interested me the most because it shows how people can have a negative evaluation towards certain individuals or groups based on attitudes with certain biological characteristics. I find this of great awareness because racial prejudice affects people and populations all over the world and is linked with discrimination which also exists in today. What are the main ideas, concepts and evidence related to this aspect? The main ideas that come with racial prejudice can somewhat come out of ignorance for disliking others. As racial prejudice has common similarities with stereotyping, discrimination and hatred we know that prejudice is an attitude which is a distinct combination of feelings, inclinations to act, and beliefs. Further Concepts and evidence relating to this aspect include racial prejudice has been found between several self-report measures of religiousness and racial prejudice; however, no experiment has examined the direct effect of religion on racial attitudes. An experiment that was conducted by Jane Elliott (Born 1933) who was an anti-racism activist illustrated how biological characteristics through the experiment Blue eyes, brown eyes which was conducted to identify how biological features play a role in racial prejudice. What short quote from the text or reading illustrates an important point related to this aspect? Racial prejudice illustrates important points that relate towards the topic In the context of the world, every race is a minority. The individual in society (PP.182). This is an important point which clarifies how each individual is categorised in certain groups based on their biological characteristics and how they are viewed based on that fact which connects with racial prejudice and how individuals shape our understanding of racial prejudice to not only use certain attitudes towards biological differences but to categorise and judge that is based on the racial prejudice perspectives of the world. Multiple statements can help shape up how racial prejudice is present Im a Cablinasian. Tiger Woods, (1997) describing his caucasion, black, Indian and asain ancestry is a good example. How is the aspect relevant to my social world? As social reality is distinct from biological realities racial prejudice is relevant to my social world because it exists within todays society and is put into different groups within the sociological world. This is relevant in terms of judging and classifying based on race and, or gender which complies with racism and discrimination that also take place within the social world we live in today because of this racial justice is a problem and puts negative insights on minority groups based on biological characteristics. Due to this aspect becoming relevant to the social world racial prejudice affects many people in the social world based on each individuals attitudes towards certain individuals that shape the social world we live in today. Conformity and obedience Which aspect of the topic has interested me most? Why? One of the interesting aspects i have found in this topic is Milgrams obedience experiment. By Stanley Milgram (1963). I find this aspect of the topic interesting because his experiment demonstrates conformity and obedience to determine how far people were willing to go in order to obey the commands of an authority figure and how this experiment illustrated social influence. What are the main ideas, concepts and evidence related to this aspect? Main ideas that relate to this are evidently contrary to Milgrams conclusion that people blindly obey authorities to the point of committing evil deeds because we are so susceptible to environmental conditions. Because of this social psychology has become one of the most famous and controversial experiments. There are concepts behind conforming as it can be defined as adjusting ones behaviour and or thinking to match those of other people or group standard, the base line as to why people confirm is because it is suggested that everyone does it. It is evident to say that when the first subject of the Milgram experiment, Emily, quit the moment she was told the protocol. This isnt really my thing, she said with a nervous laugh when our second subject, Julie, got to 75 volts and heard Tyler groan, she protested: I dont think I want to keep doing this. Jeremy insisted: You really have no other choice. I need you to continue until the end of the test. In saying so this demonstrates how social influence can affect individuals thoughts, perceptions and behaviors in order to confine with obedience. What short quote from the text or reading illustrates an important point related to this aspect? Milgrams (1965, 1974) experiments tested what happens when the demands of authority clash with the demands of conscience. This illustrates an important point in relation to this aspect because according to Milgram human moral nature includes a tendency to be empathetic, kind and good according to our relationships and group members, this also shows inclination towards being chauvinistic, cruel and evil to others. According to the shock experiments reveal not blind obedience but conflicting moral tendencies that lie deep within based on this social influence plays a role in Milgrams experiment in order for people to show signs of obedience and conformity. How is this aspect relevant to my social world? This aspect is relevant to my social world because in society today we are conforming and being obedient under certain instances for example schools require conformity such as wearing school uniform is an example of compliance conformity which is like norms that we must order and obey. An example of being obedient in todays society would be joining the army you must follow and obey instructions in order to qualify the required norms they have set for you. These are all things that happen in the social world we live in because of this the social world and the larger world we are part of is when an individual fully understands the events that are happening around them. This involves the part of life that affects them and their surroundings and in this case conformity and obedience are clearly recognised in todays social world this is the result of social influence. Conclusions What value has this journal been for my learning of social psychology? This journal has valued in teaching me about social psychology and how it deals with social interactions. This has also helped me understand and explain how the thought, feeling and behavior of individuals are influenced by the actual, imagined or implied presence of other people because of this i now have a higher level of knowledge about social psychology. The journal has also observed social psychology as to how it looks at ranges of social topics that have been explained and how people can interact and understand how social psychology is being used. What are the strengths and weaknesses of my journal? For me figuring out my weaknesses is just as important  as figuring out my strengths because I believe that our strengths come from our weaknesses and our weaknesses come from our strengths. I think that a strength that is present in my journal is that it is structured briefly yet descriptive at the same time which makes it reflect upon my understanding of tasks and at the same time has the required information in order to properly state and explain my information. My learning journal is slightly focused more on the topic and should evaluate my points into further detail but aside from that I believe my journal has a good and brief layout in order for anyone to reflect upon. Did I get out of this assignment what I hoped for? Yes i believe that i have acquired some more knowledge towards the desired skills and abilities that I hoped for when writing my journal. This has given me deeper insights to each aspect of the topics. I have expressed and reflected my own personal ideas, this has also helped me build up on what was required for the completion of this learning journal. As I mentioned earlier in my introduction the learning journal has helped enhance my understanding about social psychology and has demonstrated how social psychology can be adapted in the society we live in and how it works around us.