Analysis of “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson Essay

A lovely summer morning in a quiet little village, is what Shirley Jackson describes in the birth of her short story, â€Å"The Lottery (1948).† The organization of her story makes it exceptionally easy to read. The appealing imagery, that Jackson uses, sets the mood of the day and event to come. With the same imagery, she carefully decorates the setting, describes the characters, and unfolds the plot; while keeping the reader from anticipating the conflict until it is upon them. Organization Jackson’s organization of the story is chronological. After the introduction and description of the setting, she explains the sequence of events. The children congregate first, then the men. The women join the men, and they call the children to settle. As the event starts, the heads of each household go to remove a piece of paper from the box. Then, as they completed the first round of the lottery, each member of the winning family drew again. All of these events, so nonchalantly, were leading up to the tragic stoning of one community member. Setting From the image that Shirley describes of the stories setting, the reader can feel the warmth of the summer day. One can see and just about smell the flowers and grass, and can hear the children playing around as everyone in the small village gathered together. The men were discussing tractors and taxes, and the women exchanging gossip while they awaited the day’s annual event. Mood and Characters Mr. Summers leads the community event they call the lottery. Jackson tells us that Mr. Summers, because he has time to devote, also leads the other civic activities such as the square dances and Halloween program. Tessy Hutchinson is late to the gathering, saying that she â€Å"clean forgot what day it was (p. 259).† Mrs. Dunbar says, â€Å"I wish they’d hurry (p. 261).† Most of the characters are in good spirits; although, they are anxious to get on with the rest of their day. Nothing about the mood could lead one to believe this story may have an unpleasant ending. Even the seemingly grumpy Old Man Werner, does not provide any clues as to what will happen. He is exceedingly headstrong about the tradition, however. Especially when the Adams attempt to discuss other village’s doing away with the lottery. Even the complaints from Tessy, when her husband draws the winning paper, did not change the mood of the story or the villagers. Conflict From the mood set in the story, the village’s tradition of the Lottery seems like it may be something enjoyable. The conflict comes about when Tessy begins to complain about her families unfair selection and then her own. Then one may start to get the impression this may not be fun. I wondered what could be so miserable they needed a lottery to determine the winner, or loser in this case. Is she going to be forced to be the village mortician or have to care for the village idiot or leper for the year? Then in almost the last sentence, when the villagers surround Tessy and the first stone hit her in the head, holding her hands out desperately screaming, â€Å"It isn’t fair, it isn’t right (p. 264).† Only then does Jackson make it clear that the prize won from the lottery is fatal. Conclusion It is extremely difficult to read about a lovely community involved in such a tragic tradition. Shirley Jackson’s charming imagery of the setting and mood lures the reader through this shocking story. Overall, I think Jackson has done splendid work writing about such a horrific event. A story most people would not finish if they knew in the beginning that someone would be stoned to death by the entire community. Works Cited Jackson, S. (1948). The Lottery. In X. J. Kennedy, D. M. Kennedy, & M. F. Muth, The Bedford Guide for College writers (pp. 257-264). Boston: Bedford/ St. Martin.

Ib Physics Lab Report

Explore Download 0CommentLinkEmbedof 6Readcast0 inShare Xavier Bourret-Sicotte Physics18/09/2007 Measuring the speed of sound In this experiment, we will measure the speed of sound. The apparatus consisted of a plastic tube filled with water linked to a water container. Thiscontainer could be displaced vertically in order to change the water level. We would thenmake a tuning fork vibrate above the pipe and change the water level until the resonance wasat maximum intensity. Hypothesis: The velocity of sound is 330 ms -1 , the relationship between velocity, frequencyand wavelength is represented by the formula v= ? , 1) Raw data presented Table 1 Table 1 shows the frequency of the different tuning forks and the length of air needed for maximum resonance. The error on the length was estimated to 0. 1 cm as we repeated eachexperiment several times. Note the error on the forks’ frequencies is a mere estimation as theyare accurately calibrated during manufacture. Frequency /HzLength /m 512. 00. 157480. 00. 169456. 10. 178426. 60. 192406. 40. 202384. 00. 215362. 00. 226341. 30. 243320. 00. 260304. 40. 270288. 00. 288271. 20. 308256. 00. 323Error +/- 0. 1error +/- 0. 001 2) Data analysis and interpretationDuring the experiment, we have created a fundamental standing wave between the surface of the water and the opening of the pipe. The distance measured represents ? of the completestanding wave therefore ? = measured length * 4-From the general formula v= , we find that velocity of sound in ms -1 for the first tuningfork experimented is v = 512 ? 0. 157 ? 4 = 321. 536-Calculating the error for velocity: ? v = ( / ? + / ? ) ? vFor the first tuning fork: ? v = (0. 001 / 0. 157+0. 1/512) ? 321. 536 ? v = 2. 1108 ms -1 ? v ? 2 ms -1 ? v ? 322 +/- 2 ms -1 To find the mean velocity we add all values of v and divide the sum by the number of values. A similar process was completed for the mean ? v. Results of all processed data are shown in table 2 Table 2 Frequency Hz -1 Length m -1 Velocity ms -1 ? velocity +/- ms -1 512. 00. 1573222480. 00. 1693242456. 10. 1783252426. 60. 1923282406. 40. 2023282384. 00. 2153302362. 00. 2263271341. 30. 2433321320. 00. 2603331304. 40. 2703291288. 00. 2883321271. 20. 3083341256. 00. 3233311error +/- 0. 1error +/- 0. 001 Mean velocity = (322+324+325+328†¦) / 13 ? 329Mean ? v = (2+2+2+2+2+2+1+1+1†¦)/13 ? +/- 2 ms -1 As v = , and ? = v / ? , let be constant of 330 ms -1 then ? ? 1/ ? By plotting the graph of Frequency over 1/ ? we obtain a straight line. The gradient of thisline represents the constant v and the y-intercept a systematic error. The situation is illustrated by graph 1 Graph 1 y = 313. 24x + 16. 736200. 0250. 0300. 0350. 0400. 0450. 0500. 0550. 00. 55 0. 75 0. 95 1. 15 1. 35 1. 55 1. 75 1/wavelength m-1 Note that if we add the y-intercept to the gradient we obtain the value of 329. 976 ms -1 for thespeed of sound. Moreover, the second best fit line (in red) illustrates the most extreme int erpretation of the Speed of Sound IB Physics HL Lab reportPhysics HL coursework 2008Grade 7 Download or Print Add To Collection 8. 4K READS 18 READCASTS 1 EMBED VIEWS Published by xb08 Follow Search TIP Press ? F to search anywhere in the document. Info and Rating Category:School Work > Essays & Theses Rating: Upload Date:09/20/2010 Copyright:Attribution Non-commercial Tags: Lab Reportspeed of soundib physics hl Free download as PDF File (. pdf), Word Doc (. doc), Text File (. txt) or read online for free. Flag document for inapproriate content Download and print this document Choose a format to download in .PDF. DOC. TXT Download More From This User 4 p. Eco Q1 V5 xb08 5 Reads 11 p. The Radio Report xb08 48 Reads 6 p. Palm Jumeirah project management report xb08 780 Reads Next Recommended 8 p. Speed of Sound Physics Lab Report hankschmidt 7472 Reads 7 p. Simple Pendulum Lab sagarchester 91725 Reads 9 p. Speed of Sound Lab Will Guo 1126 Reads Next Leave a Comment You must be logged in to leave a comment. Submit Characters: 400 About About Scribd Blog Join our team! Contact Us Premium Premium Reader Scribd Store Advertise with us Get started AdChoices Support Help FAQ Press Partners Publishers Developers / API Legal Terms Privacy Copyright  © Copyright 2012 Scribd Inc. Language:English

Date Rape and Date Rape Drugs Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

Date Rape and Date Rape Drugs - Assignment Example The UCR statistic on rape collects information on the number of female victims involved in forcible rape incidences ((Doerner & Lab, 2012). The NCVS, an abbreviation for National Crime Victimization Survey, is a survey which interviews victims of crime about their experiences. The NCVS was introduced in the 1960s to complement the UCR. NVCS surveys gather crime specific information such as when and where the crime happened, the weapon used and victim-offender relationship. NVCS covers 7 counts of crime in two categories namely personal crimes and household crimes. Personal crimes include rape, sexual assault, robbery and aggravated assault. The NVCS statistics on rape covers both male and female victims (Doerner & Lab, 2012). The UCR greatest strength is that it is easily available as it is a primary source of crime estimates. The UCR statistics report is a summary of all reported cases of crime to law enforcement agencies. The UCR captures a lot of information on index crimes, both in terms of arrest and reports. Secondly, the UCR introduces a common metric for measuring crime in the US states. The FBI division of crime as personal and property offenses does not apply to states statutes and codes. The UCR offers a uniform measure for the 50 US states. Lastly, the UCR is continuous as new crimes are collected all the time through law enforcement offices, unlike the NVCS which requires support systems. However, the UCR has serious shortcomings. First of all, it only accounts for police reported crimes. This is a major setback as there are a lot of crimes that go unreported. Consequently, UCR suffers from ‘the dark figure of crime’. Secondly, UCR fails to collect all the relevant data. The UCR only collects data on the offender, victim’s crime details, but only details the circumstance for homicide cases. It fails to capture the weapon used ion forcible rape, and captures only data for female victims, as rape on

Managing In a Global Environment Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Managing In a Global Environment - Coursework Example Higgins’ turning point, according to Prescott, had to do with his marriage to a Japanese woman, which pulled him further into the Japanese culture. Prescott believed that success as an international executive involved blending the home viewpoint and comprehension of foreign culture. This paper aims to discuss the nature of this managerial problem, give alternative solutions to the problem and finally give recommendations on how to deal with the problem. The major conflict between Leonard Prescott and his assistant, Higgins John, comes from the fact that while Prescott is an international businessman possessing over twenty five years of experience at Weaver, Higgins is relatively young and has more attachment to Japan. Prescott has spent most of his time in various countries such as the Philippines, India, and Mexico, as well as years spent at the company’s US international division. He believed that the American way was best, an ethnocentric attitude that was in stark c ontrast to Higgins. Higgins was more attached to Japan and even involved himself in the lives of his employees and his Japanese neighbors. Higgins preferred to use his fully paid leave to visit remote areas in Japan, instead of returning to the United States. Prescott followed an entirely different behavioral practice, preferring to keep his distance from the Japanese. As an experienced businessman from the US, he preferred to maintain a distance between him and his subordinates. His viewpoint was that the personal life of employees must not be mixed with their professional life and that the employees doing so were engaging in time-wasting activities, including Higgins. Prescott is also not in favor of the decentralized decision making approach adopted by Higgins that included employee suggestions in management policies. Higgins, on the other hand, does not believe in power distance. Rather, he insists on consultation and maintenance of employee relationships. Higgins’ approa ch led to him vehemently rejecting the dismissal of one manager who apparently lacked initiative, general competency and leadership. Prescott’s attitude focuses on individualism and personal performance while Higgins leant more towards a collective workplace atmosphere. Higgins was also more trusting of his Japanese employees than Prescott, and thus, laid down contingency plans for future failure. As the Weaver Corporate Manager, it is vital that people have a good working relationship in the workplace to achieve the organization’s objectives (Daft, 2012: p23). Therefore, where the conflict between Higgins and Prescott is concerned, it is vital that it is determined immediately in order to ensure the entire organization runs smoothly. First, Higgins and Prescott should forge a mutual understanding fast. Higgins must not forget that he represents the American parent company, and not his attachment to the people and culture of Japan. Prescott, on the other hand, needs to understand that all employees need to work in a happy environment rather than being made to work for a rigid autocratic structure. To achieve this, Prescott needs to manage change at Weaver, as well as mange the conflict arising from these changes. Both Higgins and Prescott need to be more effective in their various management abilities. The following section puts,

The USEC Inc Project Examination Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

The USEC Inc Project Examination - Essay Example The key value driver of the NPV is the demand for Separate Work Units (SWU). It has been assumed by USEC that there will be 100% demand which will enable the ACP to operate at 100% production capacity. The sensitivity analysis shows that for every 1% decrease in demand, the NPV comes down by 2.74%. It is therefore recommended that Rivanna capital should take a long position in the project. This is because the stock price, after considering the ACP project, is undervalued by a massive 49.53% and Rivanna’s rule is to go long on any stock that is undervalued by 10% or more. 2. MAIN REPORT 2.1 The pursuit of ACP by USEC USEC is pursuing ACP because it will give it an edge technologically and cost-wise over its competitors. The cost efficiencies realised from ACP will make it the lowest cost producer in the uranium enrichment industry. The existing uranium enrichment process of USEC at the Paducah plant uses the gas diffusion process. This process requires intensive electricity pow er for operating a series of enormous industrial compressors. USEC has kept the cost of this electricity constant through a long term electricity contract. However, this contract will expire soon. After the expiry of this contract, the cost of production will rise and this will have a very negative impact on the profit margins of USEC. Consequently, USEC is very keen on pursuing the American Centrifuge project. The technology used in the centrifuge project will cut down the electricity consumption in the enrichment process by a whopping 95%.This would bring down the overall enrichment costs by 50%. The low costs mean higher profit margins for USEC. ACP will also double the scale of USEC and has the potential to dramatically improve the competitive position of USEC. 2.2... USEC is pursuing ACP because it will give it an edge technologically and cost-wise over its competitors. The cost efficiencies realised from ACP will make it the lowest cost producer in the uranium enrichment industry. The existing uranium enrichment process of USEC at the Paducah plant uses the gas diffusion process. This process requires intensive electricity power for operating a series of enormous industrial compressors.

Financial Markets - Raising Capital Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Financial Markets - Raising Capital - Essay Example In fact the financing decisions form an integral part of a firm’s policy decisions. Usually, the financial managers prefer debt over equity on account of interest tax deductibility and low cost associated with debt. Mr Exposito plans to raise funds for the purpose of expanding his winery business. A careful analysis of the various sources of funding has been done to suggest the best available alternative based on the size of the winery business and the prevailing conditions in the market. Analysis of capital instruments There are two forms of financing - long term and short term. The long term financing instruments include debentures, bonds, term loans & shares and the short term debt instruments include bank overdraft & trade credit. Bonds- A bond is a long-dated financial instrument used by the companies to raise funds from the public. The bondholders are entitled to regular interest in the form of coupon payments. Normally, the bond is listed in the stock exchange. It has a fixed date of maturity which is the date at which the company agrees to pay back the principal amount to the holder of the instrument. The issue of a bond creates a legal binding on the company. Even in the event of a loss the company cannot dishonour the interest payments as this can have legal repercussions. The companies mostly issue fixed coupons bonds offering semi-annual payments until the date of maturity. There may be other types of bonds like fluctuating coupon bonds or bonds with an annual or quarterly payment feature. Besides there are zero coupon bonds that do not require any interest payments. The bonds can further be classified on the basis of the collateral as mortgage bonds, collateral trust bonds and equipment trust certificates. The real property is used as collateral in the case of mortgage bonds. The securities owned by the corporate act as a security for the collateral trust bonds whereas the inventories and company equipments act as security for equipment trus t certificates. The price of the bond is inversely proportional to the interest rate. A rise in the interest rate can lower the price of the bonds and vice versa. Considering the interest rate sensitivity the bonds can be of two types- callable and non callable bonds. If after a bond issue the interest rates fall in the market then the corporate can call back the bonds issued at a higher interest rate and issue new bonds at a lower rate of interest (Rini, 2002, p.57). Debentures- The features of debentures are more or less similar to that of bonds except that unlike bonds the debentures carry a pre-determined rate of interest. Depending on ‘security’ the debentures can be classified as secured and unsecured. Secured debentures carry a charge on the company assets. The company cannot dispose-off these assets without the approval of the debenture holders. The unsecured debentures do not carry any such charge on the asset which makes it risky from the point of view of the investors. Again the debentures can be classified as per ‘convertibility’ into convertible and non-convertible debentures. The former gets converted into equity after a specified time period. Therefore in the future the debenture holders get an option to acquire a stake in the company. The non-convertible debentures are repaid at the end of the maturity and cannot be converted into equity. Depending on the ‘payment pattern’ the debentures c

The legality of lying Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The legality of lying - Research Proposal Example This is not always the case, and later in this discussion, it will come to light that not all lies are bad and not all lies are good either. Project overview In the efforts to find effective conclusions, the study will be guided by the objective of assessing the legality of lying. In order for the study, to achieve its objectives, a wide range of literatures will be consulted. This will include books, internet search, journals, and relevant researches. In this regard, a clear articulation of concepts related to lying and their legalities will be prioritised. This can be argued to be necessary because the law has been under siege for the allegations of it being selective in its application. For example, when a policemen lies before a court of law by a way of exaggerating the situation in order irritate the accused in bid to pressure him/her tell the truth, this kind of lying could be necessary in helping the court assess the truth. The study finds it necessary to utilise secondary dat a in its methodology because they will give a wide range of information, which will help understand the phenomena at hand. In the analysis of the data, grounded theory will be utilised in order to have a comprehensive analysis. The study will benefit various legal institutions and open up a wider view of how the issue lying is applicable in various legal concepts. Politicians Basing one’s argument on the sensitivity of their positions in society, the question then beckons; is it okay to lie? A politician is always under scrutiny from the public either directly or through intermediaries like the media on all actions that they take whether in their public or private lives. There are at times justifications where lying is acceptable. It is often in cases where politicians cannot really explain their actions, for example, in international affairs that they find solace in lying (Mearsheimer 2011). When British parliamentarians made claims to the exchequer for additional funds thro ugh making false claims, there was an uproar which saw them return the excess funds and apologize for having done so. This is a case where lies were made to benefit the politicians. Looking at this case study, the question that lingers on one’s mind is what are the benefits that accrue to lying? For example, a government can opt to exaggerate the situation at hand in order to obtain grants or monetary assistance from the international community. Nevertheless, some politicians have tendencies of using lies for their own personal gains. This can be viewed as a breach of law. On the other hand, although it can be claimed that some forms of lying can be recognised as being legal, it depends with the gravity of the consequences of that particular lying, and how the party involved can defend their actions legally. The severity of lying coming from a politician will mainly depend on the matter at hand. Every leader’s main goal in life is to ensure that the best interests of h is country are upheld. If a leader finds it necessary to lie about a certain leader who oppresses people and that if those lies help remove the oppressor from power and that this will benefit the greater majority of citizens, in such a case, though unprofessional, the lie will be justified. On the other han

Marketing Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Marketing Communication - Essay Example Amongst our clientele, Burberry Plc is one of the leading customers whom we are serving currently and are responsible for handling all their marketing activities within our region for the period running through July to December 2013. Burberry is a fashion brand, established since 1856, mainly dealing in men and women clothing and similar luxurious accessories (Burberryplc.com). This paper provides a marketing communications report, entailing detailed discussion about the concept of marketing communications and its unfolding role in establishing integrated marketing communications strategy. This report is followed by a marketing communications plan for our denoted client Burberry, stating the objectives that are to be achieved through promotional activities and the corresponding strategies that need to be implemented in order to be successful in achieving goals that were aimed at through these marketing communications. Finally we provide an integrated marketing communications strategy for the client to identify how all marketing elements work together to form the ideal strategy after taking into account implications of environmental and legal issues, sponsorship and role of technology. The paper concludes with recommendations for the retailer which might help it to regain its position in the market as it was in earlier years. MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS REPORT This report mainly focuses on the concept of marketing communications and its powerful role in establishing integrated marketing communications strategy. The contents of report are given as follows: 1. About marketing communications Marketing communication refers to the activities carried out by organizations to spread awareness amongst consumers about their products and convincing them to purchase their goods or services (Keller, 2001). Any form of interaction between a producer and a consumer shall fall under the broad category of marketing communication, provided that the basic intention behind such intera ction is the achievement of organizational objectives. Such interaction will ideally result in a sale and purchase transaction or activity of the company’s product or service (McCarthy, 1978). With help of marketing communication, brand awareness can be enhanced and customer can be convinced to buy the company’s product. Thus, any enterprise’s revenue and profitability will be a direct function of effectiveness of its marketing communications. One of the most commonly used tools for marketing include the 4 C’s of marketing mix which aid the organization to combat against unpredictability of external factors that affect consumer tastes, preferences and capabilities of organization to sell its product. First C denotes the customer who is the primary concern of marketing team since without customer there is no survival possible. Therefore their needs are of utmost importance in devising a strategy and maximizing sales. For this purpose, cost, denoting the se cond C, is essential in determining how customers would perceive the product. High pricing strategies might not be able to grab maximum customers and therefore an optimal balance between cost and quality must be achieved. Convenience refers to the place of sale or market which nevertheless is no longer significant since internet technology and e-commerce facility has enabled companies to be

International Studies(History) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

International Studies(History) - Essay Example The migration of technology and cultures can be represented by the Semites, Indo-Europeans, and Chinese. While there is mingling of cultures, agricultural advancement also takes place in isolation. Still, there is widespread and diverse opinion about the roots of the revolution and the spark that ignited this great change. The fragmented historical record reveals that the Neolithic Revolution was propelled by the confluence of a number of positive feedback loops. Positive feedback loops in nature dictate that a small change instigates another force, which magnifies the original change. It is often debated whether the population expansion dictated more agricultural production, or if the increase in the availability of food resulted in more people. Prior to the Neolithic period, man domesticated dogs, presumably for the purpose of hunting (McNeill, 1963, p.8). This would be followed by the domestication of the "cow, sheep, goat, pig, and horse" (Diamond, 1999, p.159). In each case the animal served a purpose, such as transportation, packing cargo, or as a source of food. However, the keeping of animals also allowed the tribe to become less nomadic and more sedentary in their lifestyle, and demand that the tribe cultivate its plant food sources. As the animals provided work and food, the need to feed them would necessitate agricultural techniques that would form a positive feedback loop to increase the available food supply and expand the popul ation. As tribes began to settle in one area, the production of food became the paramount concern. Large draft animals made the plow and large-scale tillage possible by 4000 BC (Diamond, 1999, p.89). These improvements would allow the formation of villages and permanent residences occupied year around. Plant breeding and selection for the best producing crops could take place. This would allow a larger population and would make long-range expeditions more likely as they would be able to

Organization Behavior Analysis Essay Example for Free

Organization Behavior Analysis Essay Consequently, in the United States, organizational behavior and management researchers started studying the role that culture plays in the business community. The investigation led to some confusion. Some believed that the national culture of Japan was the driving force behind the competitive successes of businesses in that country. To others, however, it was the cultures of specific companies that created the advantage. My Company uses the Pluralism method. The first distinction to be made when studying culture is the level of analysis—a nation versus a specific company. An individual company constitutes the level of analysis. Therefore, organizational culture consists of a set of shared meanings and values held by a set of members in an organization that distinguish the organization from other organizations. An organizations culture determines how it perceives and reacts to the larger environment (Becker, 1982; Schein, 1996). Culture determines the nature of an individuals experience in an organization in both for-profit companies and nonprofit enterprises. Over time, employees find out how the company works, what is rewarded, and what is punished. Questions, answers, myths, stories, and jargon all become part of the organizational experience. When the person matches the organizational type, the fit produces the best chances for individual success. Company leaders enjoy distinct advantages when an organization exhibits a positive culture. Positive cultures are democratic and progressive. They nurture and value the contributions of members. Positive cultures tend to be more flexible and adaptable, making the organization better able to meet the challenges of a dynamic world (Benn, 2011). Organizational leaders have vested interests in trying to build positive cultures over time. Some studies suggest that culture can play a larger role in employee motivation than pay (Gifford, Zammuto, Goodman, Hill, 2002). Organizational culture can help managers reach their goals while helping employees adapt to company life. The benefits of a positive culture include stability, employee self-management, and assistance in integrating new employees into the workplace. †¢Communicating with the IRS for a taxpayer regarding the taxpayers rights, privileges, or liabilities under laws and regulations administered by the IRS. †¢Representing a taxpayer at conferences, hearings, or meetings with the IRS. Preparing and filing documents, including tax returns, with the IRS for a taxpayer. †¢Providing a client with written advice which has a potential for tax avoidance or evasion. Furnishing information at the request of the IRS or appearing as a witness for the taxpayer is not practice before the IRS. Other individuals who may serve as representatives. Because of their special relationship with a taxpayer, the following individuals can represent the specified taxpayers before the IRS, provided they present satisfactory identification and, except in the case of an individual described in (1) below, proof of authority to represent the taxpayer. An individual. An individual can represent himself or herself before the IRS and does not have to file a written declaration of qualification and authority. 2. A family member. An individual can represent members of his or her immediate family. Immediate family includes a spouse, child, parent, brother, or sister of the individual. 3. An officer. A bona fide officer of a corporation (including a parent, subsidiary, or other affiliated corporation), association, or organized group can represent the corporation, association, or organized group. An officer of a governmental unit, agency, or authority, in the course of his or her official duties, can represent the organization before the IRS. 4. A partner. A general partner may represent the partnership before the IRS. 5. An employee. A regular full-time employee can represent his or her employer. An employer can be, but is not limited to, an individual, partnership, corporation (including a parent, subsidiary, or other affiliated corporation), association, trust, receivership, guardianship, estate, organized group, governmental unit, agency, or authority. . A fiduciary. A fiduciary (trustee, executor, personal representative, administrator, receiver, or guardian) stands in the position of a taxpayer and acts as the taxpayer, not as a representative. Submit a power of attorney when you want to authorize an individual to represent you before the IRS, whether or not the representative performs any of the other acts cited earlier under What Is a Power of Attorney. A power of attorney is most often required when you want to authorize another individual to perform at least one of the following acts on your behalf. . Represent you at a meeting with the IRS. 2. Prepare and file a written response to the IRS. Every day organizational operations involve processes and activities that are construed by many as distasteful or unpleasant parts of employment because they involve the use of authority, power, or politics. The word politics has a negative connotation for many people. Although they may try to avoid political situations, wishing them away is not possible. Furthermore, not every use of power has a negative intention or outcome. Managers can exert power to achieve legitimate organizational goals. The end result may be an increase or decrease in personal power, and the events may be construed as being political or simply as doing his or her job. I think that this brings out a positive outcome. The three types of authority are line authority, staff authority, and functional authority. Line authority is direct, formal authority, as indicated by the vertical lines of an organization chart. Staff authority consists of the right to advise, or give advice. Functional authority is the right to direct but not to discipline. It emerges when an individual has been assigned a leadership role on a task force, project team, or committee. The type of authority that Internal Revenue Service is mainly line authority. I think that this brings out a positive outcome. Employee responsibility, or accountability, is the obligation to carry out tasks as assigned by the supervisor. Each individual in a company is responsible to the manager at the next level up in the organizations hierarchy. The concept of parity of authority and responsibility states that equal levels of authority and responsibility should exist in each position (Fayol, 1916). Anyone who has authority should be held accountable for how that authority is used. Anyone being held responsible should have sufficient authority to get the job done. This is done in a positive manner. It gets the job done. If a manager motivates the unit, it brings out a positive outcome. A pleasant and positive job context contributes to individual and company success by enabling employees to do their best work. Through processes such as mentoring and rewarding, which help to build self-efficacy and self-esteem in individual workers, motivated behaviors can be increased. A company with an unpleasant physical environment, poor reward system, unqualified or inept supervisors, or counterproductive cultural norms limits motivated behaviors (Kamdar Van Dyne, 2007). Emotional Intelligence explains why, despite equal intellectual capacity, training, or experience, some people excel while others of the same caliber lag behind. Certain competencies are found repeatedly in high performers at all levels, from customer service representatives to CEOs. As trainers we must find ways to build these talents labeled EQ (emotional intelligence quotients). Research has shown that emotional intelligence, which encompasses self confidence, can be developed through things like awareness, training, coaching, and practice. That is why a growing number of organizations in the US and around the world is investing in providing their managers with training in emotional intelligence. The conclusion then is that if you are looking to build your self confidence as an important step toward achieving your dreams in life, you should consider taking some training or coaching that helps you develop your emotional intelligence. If you are a trainer or a coach, you should consider adding emotional intelligence to your offerings to help your clients build the confidence to achieve their dreams. The application of the New Sciences to the management of organizations in the age of hyper competition will also be investigated, in order to see whether it could improve our understanding and insight into the modern business organization. Due to the fact that this is a new and exciting way of managing a business, the amount of research literature available is limited. As always, when entering such uncharted waters, more questions will be raised than answers given, but this is indicative of a new concept, and leaves room for more intensive research which will provide a greater understanding of the value added by this management paradigm. Margaret Wheatley (1994) turns to the New Sciences to demonstrate how some of the issues discussed above might be accommodated. She shows how the New Sciences including Quantum Physics, Chaos Theory, Chemistry, and Molecular Biology provide insights into transforming how organizations organize work, people and life, in order to meet the strategic imperatives defined by DAveni. In particular, Wheatley draws on the New Sciences to apply scientific concepts to the problems of order/ change: autonomy/ control: structure/ flexibility: and planning/ innovation within organizations, and in so doing, calls, respectively, for free-flowing information, individual empowerment, relationship networks, and organizational change that evolves organically. This new approach to organizations is a dramatic shift away from thinking of organizations in mechanistic terms, as collections of replaceable parts, where leadership seeks prediction and control. A paradigm shift like this can only take place successfully if the necessary tools and mechanisms are available to support the application of the fundamental insights, offered by the New Sciences, to the complex adaptive system, i. e. the Organization . Conclusion  In summary, career development includes all efforts and activities conducted by individual employees and the organization to help each person choose and follow the best path. The primary concepts that apply to personal success are building an ethical foundation, becoming involved in training and preparation, finding the right person-organization fit, engaging in continuous improvement, and achieving balance. Organizational needs also must be met to fully achieve a quality career development system. The age of the virtual organization is fast becoming a reality. The implications of this have to be dealt with urgently in the new millennium, as the adoption of ever newer technologies and the emerging trends discussed earlier will continue to manifest at an exponential rate. What is also clear is that the traditional management framework is increasingly proving itself incapable of satisfactorily dealing with the new market reality: Conventional theories and practices no longer provide the necessary guidance and support for decision-making in a world of change, complexity and uncertainty. It is this, then, that is driving the move towards a new management paradigm, in terms of which the management function will be radically redefined to take emerging realities into consideration. If companies are to prosper to be drivers of their industries they will need to proactively embrace a new management philosophy that is cognizant of the dynamics of information science, accelerating change, a borderless world, the holistic approach, the New Sciences, as well as the growth of technology, and, in the words of Vernor Vinge,the dawn of the Technological Singularity.

Effects of a Student Lifestyle on Health

Effects of a Student Lifestyle on Health An investigation into the effects of a student lifestyle on health Results and discussion The questionnaires were sent out to the student population in the manner described. A total of 240 were distributed and we received back 120 of these – a 50% return rate. Of these 120 (n), 68 (56%) were from male respondents and 52 (44%) were from females this approximately reflects the male / female ratio of students at the University. We shall consider each question in turn. Questionnaire I Age. As could easily be predicted, the vast majority of respondents were from the 18-21 yr. age range 100 (83%) in total, with the remainder scattered over the range 22-32 yrs., again this roughly equates with the student age profile of the University campus. 108 (90%) were full time students with only 12 (10%) being part time We decided to make a preliminary breakdown into sports and non-sports related courses. We felt that this was better for our purposes than specifying each individual course studied, as it lent itself to clearer analysis. 24 (20%) were on sports related courses and 96 (80%) were not. It would be a useful breakdown of male / female in these two groups if you have the information. In terms of hours studied, the results were rather surprising as 29 (24%) admitted to studying less than 6 hrs a week, the biggest cohort of 50 (41%) admitted to 6-10 hours a week and only one (a female) felt that she was studying more than 21 hours a week. The relevance of this is that, in the context of exercise and health, it would be difficult for any of these students to present a convincing argument that they did not exercise because they were committing too much time to their studies. They clearly had plenty of uncommitted non-study time on their hands. Perhaps a bar chart would be appropriate here. Smoking. Given the data presented earlier our results were not totally in line with the national averages. Our cohort had 64 smokers (53%) of which 60% were men. If our cohort had followed the national patterns then we would have expected 42% of men and 39% of women in this age range to be smokers. The reasons for this are not clear from our survey One possible explanation may be the unexpectedly high response to our question about stress levels (see on) With regard to the number of cigarettes smoked the range was surprisingly narrow with over 75% of smokers admitting to smoking 15 or less per day and only 2 admitted to smoking over 30 a day The length of time that each had smoked was less than four years in 75% of smokers. Although we do not have the data, we should perhaps not be surprised at that as we have already mentioned, the majority (83%) of our group were under the age of 22yrs. You might like to break down the ages of the smokers further to see if you can demonstrate that the majority started smoking when they got to university – the figures should bear this out. This figure is quite significant when we compare it against the number who profess to be concerned about their fitness (see on) as we have highlighted above that smoking is one of the greatest impediments to general good health. Drinking. 112 (93%) of our respondents said that they did drink alcohol with only 8 (6%) stating that they were teetotal. Of much greater interest was the amount that was drunk. Given that the current recommended weekly intake is 21 units for men and 14 units for women, 75 of our respondents admitted to drinking more than that (66% of drinkers) with the biggest groups 38 in total, drinking in the range of 26-35 units on a weekly basis. It has to be said that it was rather worrying that 15 of our respondents (13% of drinkers) admitted to regularly drinking over 41 units a week and 3 of those were women. 7 a+b) When contrasted against the figures for drinking before coming to University, it can be seen that there is a marked increase in the quantity of alcohol consumed since the transition to the â€Å"student lifestyle†. There may of course be many factors at work here. Sudden relaxation of parental control, the availability of more money, and being older may all play a part. It is also possible that the influence of peer pressure is a significant factor here. It is probably also significant that only two of the group actually admitted to drinking more than 30 units a week before coming to university which certainly is in marked contrast to our findings. the enquiry into illicit drugs brought out an interesting response. We had considered the possibility that students may not be willing to openly discuss their use of illicit substances and mainly it was for this reason that we elected to make the questionnaire anonymous. We received a definitive answer in every case and 42 of out cohort (35%) currently use drugs of some sort while at university. This compares to a much lower figure of 20 (16%) who used drugs before arriving at university and the student lifestyle. From this evidence it would appear that the fact that someone comes to university is associated with a doubling of the incidence of recreational drug use. Again we can only postulate about the reasons for this. In much the same way that there was a marked increase in the use of alcohol after the transition to university life, it is possible that the factors which we suggested may have been responsible for this increase may also be the same factors that are relevant in the i ncrease in drug use. 8b) The breakdown of admitted drug use is interesting not only for its description of the actual drugs used but also for the pattern of sex distribution that it reveals. There is clearly multi-drug usage as 42 respondents admitted to using drugs and there are 85 different admissions of type. We do not have the figures to tell us if the majority of drug use is single use with a comparatively few users accounting for the polypharmacy or whether most drug users are using multiple types of drugs. The majority of use is in the category of so-called recreational drugs 71 reports (88% of total drug use) and only 14 reports of cocaine use (12% of total drug use). It certainly is a clear trend that the drug use amongst men is greater than that amongst women. Of the admitted drug users (by type) 53 (62% of use) was by men and 27 (38%) was by women, this compares with the prevalence of men in our sample (56%) and women (44%). When these results are compared with the responses of drug use prior to arrival at university, it can be seen that the pattern of drug use is different. Cannabis and Ecstasy form the preponderance of drug use in this age group and the incidence of cocaine use is clearly much less. It would therefore appear that cocaine tends to be used by an older age group and this may or may not be an influence of life at university. It is not the function of this survey to pontificate on the apparent rights and wrongs of drug use. We are trying to define and delineate the effects of a student lifestyle on health and there is considerable evidence (see above) that drug use is certainly not conducive to health. Perhaps we should confine ourselves to the comment that there is certainly a public health issue here. 10) The psychological aspects of â€Å"the student life style† also produced some unexpected surprises. With specific regard to anxiety there is an immediate problem seen in the results. In 10a) the students were asked if they felt stressed while at university. 72 (60%) responded â€Å"yes† but when asked to grade the severity of their stress 109 (90%) indicated that they had experienced a degree of stress. This may represent a difficulty in perception. Some people may be able to relate to the experience of minor degrees of stress and regard it as â€Å"normal† rather than â€Å"feeling stressed† which is a term that they may reserve for higher levels of actual perceived stress. We would have to regard this as a criticism of the actual wording of the question, in which 10a) might have been better phrased as â€Å"have you ever felt any degree of stress while at university?† when, presumably, the two figures would then have matched. It is certainly significant that the majority of the â€Å"yes† respondents were women. The majority of the studies done on the subject of stress (see above) show that women will report feeling stressed more frequently than their male counterparts. Many reasons and hypotheses have been advanced for this observation. It may well be that men are physiologically better equipped to deal with stress than women. There does not, however, appear to be any evidence to back up this point. It has been shown that men are less likely to seek help for psychological (and indeed physical) symptoms than women – quite often to their own detriment. Any sociologist will tell you that in our current social climate the gender roles of the two sexes are programmed differently during rearing. Boys are expected and encouraged to be stoical and brave, hiding their emotions whereas it is generally considered far more acceptable for girls to exhibit emotional liability. It is therefore not unexpected to find that at the highest end of the reported stress range. The proportion of women is greater than men. Equally the converse is also true that men are over represented at the lower-stress and no-stress levels. The pre-university results are not as diverse as they appear to be in other areas of enquiry. This should not altogether surprise us as we have to bear in mind the fact that all of the students who have made the transition from school to university will, almost without exception, have been through the A-level system, which is an inherently stressful experience. It is interesting to note that the sex differences are almost identical in this group when compared to the university group. Again this reflects the findings of other, more general, studies on the subject. 12) With regard to the comments made about the discrepancy of the figures in the questions about anxiety (11a and 11b) we can see that there is exactly the same disagreement in the questions about depression (12a) and 12b). When asked the direct question about whether they had felt depressed while at university 98 (81%) said â€Å"no†, but when asked to grade their degree of depression only 34 (28%) indicated that they had not felt depressed to any degree. This apparent discrepancy can presumably be analysed along the same lines as our suggestions with regard to anxiety. This is given further credence by the observation that in the group who admitted to experiencing depression, women were represented at nearly double the relative frequency of the men. When we look at the group admitting to severe depression the proportion rises to over three times the relative frequency. When compared to the responses that were reported before coming to university we can see however, that this time (compared to the anxiety situation) there is a marked difference as very many fewer respondents admitted to feelings of depression in their pre-university life. We do know that levels of depression reach a peak in the early twenties ( most markedly in men) and therefore we would expect to find lower levels in younger age groups. We also have other environmental factors in play as the majority of pre-university or school age pupils, will normally be living in the comparative security of a family lifestyle with all its attendant support networks hopefully in place. At university however, the situation is generally quite different with young people thrust into a different, and possibly alien environment, with no pre-existing support networks to fall back on for advice. This is clearly a fertile breeding ground for reactive depression and also endogenous depression if there is a predisposition for it. 14) This section is even more subjective than the preceding two as it deals with the question of self confidence ( you might like to see if your results show a correlation between the people doing sports related courses and high self-confidence rating because the chances are that there will be – see on) the self-assessed results in this section show a fairly predictable Gaussian distribution curve with the highest concentration in the middle ranges of self confidence and a slight preponderance towards the above average assessment. One always has to approach self-assessments with a fair degree of scepticism but one could reasonably expect a higher than average number of self-confident people at university as they clearly would have to have a fair degree of self-confidence to take the necessary exams and to put themselves forward in the first place. One interesting point in the analysis is shown by the fact that there is an increased correlation in a high self confidence rating and the participation in a sports-related course. We can only conjecture why this might be but, in order to excel in sports it is usually totally counter-productive to be shy and retiring, so perhaps we could postulate a preponderance of certain personality types in a sports-related field. 15) there is very little difference in the ratings of self-confidence before and after coming to university. If anything, there is a slight increase in the perceived ratings. This may well correlate with the feelings of independence and the necessity to be responsible for one’s own actions at university. The increase in the ratings may simply reflect the confidence that comes with experience of the independence of the â€Å"student lifestyle† which most of our respondents clearly have had. 16) When designing the questionnaire we considered the problems that may arise with questions of a personal or sexual nature. We are therefore very heartened by the fact that the vast majority of respondents found that they could give us answers in this section with 115 (95%) responding positively. Sadly, the results do tend to bolster the tabloid editors portrayal of promiscuity which we referred to in the section on sexually transmitted diseases of our respondents, only 4 (3%) admitted to being a virgin (or celibate). The biggest group – 25 (21%) had only one partner since being at university, but it was something of a surprise to see that the next biggest group of 20 (17%) had five partners since arriving at university. 10 of our sample (12%) admitted to having 10 or more partners while being at university. We do not presume to make any moral judgements on this set of results but it would be fair to say that to have 10 or more different sexual partners within a three year spell at university (and some may have had ten partners in less than that time) does put the respondents in a high risk group for sexual health problems (see conclusions) With the single exception of the lowest degrees of promiscuity (Groups admitting to one or no partners at all), men outnumbered women in all the groups. It is hard to fully explain this anomaly. A logical evaluation would suggest that there are three possibilities, either it is an unexpected statistical quirk, it reflects the fact that normal sexual activity is carried out by most men but a few very promiscuous women or that there is an unexpectedly high amount of male homosexual activity going on within the university. The author could not possibly comment on which eventuality is the most likely. 17) When compared to the figures obtained for sexual activity before coming to university we can see that there is a marked difference. The degree of promiscuity is much lower pre-university. This may well be a reflection of the age and circumstance of the pre-university respondents, quite apart from the independence factor that becomes more apparent after arriving at university. We can also see that the number of celibates pre-university is also much higher. This again, is probably a reflection of the perception of independence found at university. 18) In continuation of the issues discussed in section 16, the issues of sexual health are tackled here. The question is purposely blunt – â€Å"Have you ever had a sexually transmitted disease?† In our sample 6 (5% of sexually active respondents) had admitted to having one. This may very well not be accurate, as any experienced health professional will tell you that there are a lot a sexually transmitted diseases that are asymptomatic or may clear up spontaneously. Male monillia is often both trivial and self-curing and may only show as a transient blotchy rash of 24-36 hours duration. Male and female chlamydia may be completely asymptomatic in both sexes and the sufferers may truthfully respond that they do not think that they have a sexually transmitted disease. The fact of the matter is that both monilliasis in the female and Chlamydia in both sexes, can have serious repercussions with regard to fertility in the future. As we have flagged up in our earlier discussions, high levels of promiscuity are a potential problem for the overall sexual health of the student body. Questionnaire II BMI was worked out from the statistics of height and weight supplied by each respondent. The first inference of note is that there is a predictable Gaussian curve for both male and female distributions of BMI with the mean for males (predictably) coming to the right of the female peak ( a graph showing the two distributions would be helpful here) although the male curve actually has two maxima, this is almost certainly a statistical quirk due to the relatively small number of the sample. There are only three respondents that fall into the clinically obese range (25 and over) and only two – both female – who would be considered clinically underweight with a BMI of 15 (WHO definitions). This distribution is approximately the distribution that one would expect from the population as a whole in this age range. The first question asks respondents to rate their degree of physical activity. This set of answers should be analysed in conjunction with the responses to questions 3a-6 and the knowledge that 24 (20%) are on sports related courses and we would therefore expect them to be physically active in the pursuance of their course in any event. As we can see 32 (26%) take less exercise than the Government recommended target of 30 mins. five times a week and a further 49 (40%) just straddling the target level. If we arbitrarily equate â€Å"very physically active† with doing in excess of 80 minutes of exercise a day, â€Å"fairly physically active† with doing more than 40 mins a day, together with â€Å"not very physically active† doing more than 20 minutes a day then we can see a marked discrepancy straight away. Those who professed to be very physically active were 22 (18%) but this compares with 13 (10%) who actually do more than 80 mins. exercise a day. In the fairly physically active group there were 58 respondents (48%) but this corresponds to 39 (32%) who actually take more than 40 minutes of exercise a day. For those 25 (20%) who profess to be not very physically active they correlate with 49 (40%) who straddle the Government guidelines by taking between 21-40 minutes exercise a day. The group with the lowest professed activity – 15 (12%) correlate with the 32 (26%) who do virtually no physical activity at all. Immediately one can see that there is a discrepancy here. Those who feel that they take a lot of activity tend to overestimate the amount of exercise that they actually do, equally there are a second group who, say that they are not very active when the figures suggest that the actually-inactive group is much bigger than the professed-inactive group. Professed Actual Activity (n) Activity (n) Very active 22 13 Fairly active 58 39 Not very active 25 49 Inactive 15 32 All in all it would appear that the respondents have an ability to feel that they are actually doing more exercise than they actually are doing. Equally you could argue that we are making the criteria too strict and that we are being over-ambitious in our expectations of what amount of exercise people of this age should be doing. Perhaps the best independent arbiter should be the Government’s own documents and consultation papers quoted elsewhere in this piece (Game Plan and At least five a week). It can be seen that approximately 50% of our respondents do not meet these criteria. 3b 4a 4b You have given me no information here and I have no real idea of what the results might actually show. I would suggest that you base your analysis along the lines of my previous answer (which may have to be modified in the light of whatever your figures show) 2a+b) The weight of our respondents seems to have remained remarkably steady with 103 (85%) remaining effectively unchanged. We note that in the case of the 17 (14%) where the weight has changed we did not ask them to specify whether this was up or down. If this is analysed in conjunction with 2b) where 2 respondents indicated that this was an intentional change and 15 said that it was unintentional, the normal inference would be that people who have elected to change their weight intentionally might normally have been expected to loose weight however, in this particular cohort with a strong sporting interest, it is possible that this group may have been trying to put weight on. And equally the converse may also be true, we do not have enough information to make this judgement. 5) when asked if they thought that they got enough exercise to keep them healthy 62 (51%) of our respondents thought that they did. Interestingly 10 (12%) didn’t know. This is presumably a reflection of public education issues although you could take the opposing view that the message has got through to the other 88% who felt that they did know. 88 (73%) of our respondents felt that they wanted to increase the amount of exercise that they did. We are not in a position to say whether these are the ones who felt that they did not do enough exercise to start with or whether they are the ones who already exercise and feel that they need to do more. Presumably, for those on a sports related course there is always the incentive to try to make yourself even fitter. 44(36%) of our sample visited the gym on a regular basis. We can reasonably assume that at least 24 of these will be on the sports related courses as one can assume that they would be visiting the gym regularly as part of their course so at least another 20 were actively trying to get fitter. We can see that there is a preponderance of males in this group (33m to 12f). With regard to this question you might like to see if the 32 negative respondents correlate highly with the active or non active groups. You could then draw appropriate conclusions here. For example if they were the predominantly the active group then you might conclude that they didn’t feel the need for sedentary activities or conversely, if they were the inactive group it may be that their sedentary activities precluded them from activity. 11-14 The diet related questions are perhaps better considered as one entity. The most interesting comparisons come from the pre-university and at university comparisons as one can see that there is a marked change in the eating activity of our respondents It is something of a surprise that 81 (67%) of our respondents used a fast-food outlet less than twice a week. The general perception of the student lifestyle is frequent use of such facilities. This clearly is not borne out by our survey. A worryingly large number of students eat less than the recommended amount of fruit and vegetables with 83 (69%) and 86 (71%) respectively taking less than the WHO recommended minimum. This contrasts dramatically with the results in the pre-university question where it can be seen that the amount of fruit and vegetables eaten (presumably primarily under parental influence) is much higher. In terms of health, this is an important finding as fruit and vegetables are a major source of roughage, vitamins and anti-oxidants (and of course many other essential nutrients) that are essential for health in general. A reduction in intake therefore jeopardises the overall healthy diet. 13. It is an interesting comment that 36 (30%) of our respondents said that they were concerned about their diet. One would have thought that with the independence of student life, if they were concerned that they now actually had the means to do something about it. Clearly this is a sweeping statement that does not take into account a mass of other obvious factors such as the finances involved in buying comparatively expensive items such as fruit. Conclusions There are many conclusions that one can draw from the figures presented above. Top of our list should be a consideration of the shortcomings of the survey which obviously will have a bearing on the conclusions that we feel able to draw from our figures. It is acknowledged that the survey is comparatively small. Although we can hope that it may be representative of the student body, it small size precludes rigorous statistical analysis. It is certainly possible to detect trends within our survey and many of these have been commented upon as we have looked at the figures. The mechanism of using the same sample of students as their own controls by asking their activity before coming to university, is a useful tool to gain a degree of statistical validity, and certainly has helped us to answer the original question of the effects of a student lifestyle on health. To specifically answer that question, we can point to a number of areas where there appears to have been marked changes in behaviour patterns pre- and post-university. Smoking, drinking, diet and sexual behaviour have all changed dramatically and to a lesser extent, drug taking patterns and depression levels have also changed. To some extent, a cynic might observe that this equates with the worst aspects of the typical tabloid editor’s portrayal of the â€Å"typical student†. The reality is, of course, far more complex than that We have already alluded to the major sociological changes that occur when the typical student leaves school and arrives at university. The release from the comparatively structured and dependent world of home life and school into the comparatively independent and less structured world of the university allows a sudden explosion of freedom in many cases where new experiences and activities can be tried, exploited and (perhaps) enjoyed. Can we draw any conclusions as to whether the typical university student is more or less healthy than their pre-university counterpart? Clearly we have delineated some important pointers to this question. In terms of diet (perhaps one of the most important long-term factors in deciding the criteria of health) there is little doubt that our typical student has a worse diet at university than they did before coming to university. We can clearly see the reduction in fruit and vegetable intake although it is gratifying to see that the expected transition to fast-food existence is not a major factor in most cases. The amount of exercise appears to have increased, although we have to accept that a disproportionate number in our sample have a sporting interest, so clearly that will skew the figures to a degree. As we have discussed earlier, there is a basic amount of exercise that has been shown to reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease, myocardial infarction and stroke, obesity and Type II diabetes. Our typical student just qualifies for the basic minimum target set by the Government, but the range is great. As we have seen, exercise varies from virtually minimal to enormous amounts on a regular basis. We can probably just about conclude that university has a positive effect on health as far as exercise levels are concerned. Drug taking is another area where the student lifestyle has a bearing on health. Less than a third of our respondents have used illicit drugs, so they clearly are not the majority, but this group nonetheless represents a significant group within the whole. It is a matter of intense current debate as to the effect that drugs have on the actual health of a person and therefore we cannot presume to take a firm view when there is still such controversy raging. We can say that there is probably a general consensus that there is evidence that some illicit drugs do appear to have long term implications for health and on that basis, we can point to a negative effect of the student lifestyle on health. An area that we can point to that has far more clear-cut implications for health is the explosion of sexual activity that appears to equate with the student lifestyle. We have already passed comment on the degree of promiscuity that our survey has revealed. Celibacy or monogamy is clearly the best way of avoiding the risks of sexually transmitted diseases. We have commented on the number of respondents who have already known that they have had a sexually transmitted disease, but perhaps our concern should be for those who have contracted asymptomatic disease and are therefore, unknowingly passing it on to other contacts. Again, this is an apparent negative effect of the student lifestyle on health. Recommendations It is difficult to know how to structure this section as, on the one hand, we have clearly identified areas where the student lifestyle could be changed to improve the overall health of the individual, but a much deeper and possibly more significant question remains – â€Å"should we seek to change it?† There are many significant arguments here. One is the basic freedom of choice argument. Some may say that it is appropriate to give people information on matters such as health but it is ultimately up to them as to whether they actually take or implement that advice. Equally there is the converse argument that points to the drain on the public purse of avoidable ill-health. Do people have a duty to society to keep themselves as healthy as they practically can? Should they avoid obvious factors that will cause ill-health in later life? If we follow this argument through to its logical conclusion then we would insist that everybody had a uniform healthy diet, did not smoke or drink to excess, took daily exercise and remained monogamous for their lifetime. A more balanced approach may be to conclude that, in general terms, people learn by their mistakes. Is has been said that the student lifestyle is not only about getting and education it is about getting an Education. Most students will utilise their time at university to explore and perhaps formulate their ideas and personal guidelines for their future life. Perhaps we should take a pragmatic view and observe that, although we have been able to point out some short term negative aspects of the student life style on health, perhaps it is a necessary phase of experimentation which is part of the evolution to a healthier lifestyle as an adult. PDG 25.3.05 Word count 5,572

The Old Barn Essay -- Descriptive Essay Examples, Observation

The Old Barn Having a special place is like having an invisible friend. It means the world to you, but nothing to the guy next door. It is not so often I get an opportunity to sit down and really see what is out there. I am able to sit in my special area in total peace and quiet for as long as I choose to do so. Anyone with noisy roommates knows just what I am talking about. Peace and quiet with kids in the house is extremely limited and you will usually do anything to be able to enjoy the silence. Having a place of my own is very special. It allows me to do the vast amounts of activities that I am not able to do in normal everyday life such as reading, thinking, and just being alone. I always go to a special barn when I want time to myself. No one ever knows I am out there and wouldn't even think about coming there to look for me because it is so dirty and old. The barn is quite a good distance away from the house. Making it even more secluded and empty. I can't hear or see any of my relatives from the window in the ban, which is an extra bonus for me. As I look at my barn I can tall it is very old and very run down. it hardly gets used and is full of old tractors. Relatives, now, that says a lot right there. Yes, I have them too. Those really nice relatives that tease me all the time because they still feel like I am just a little brat because I am so much younger then them. Those uncles that still talk to me like I just popped out of my mother's stomach. This is always and will always be a great reason for me to leave any area where anyone related to me happens to be. If you are in my shoes you are stuck in the middle of all of your relatives. Half of them are five or more years older then... ...communication between me and any other humans. This is my time, I do not have to live by the statement "you are on my time now", because this is my time and only my time. I can act as I please , think as I please, and be who I please. For this one single moment in time when I am in my special place I can go by my own rules. It is almost like for once you are your own boss and you live in your own little world, ruling just yourself. These are the reasons why I need my special place. Without a place to go I would probably have an ulcer. I believe that everyone needs a place to go to get away from it all. It is an opportunity to explore a new and unique world all of my own. I can enjoy activities that I once got to enjoy when I was a kid, I can think through all the problems in my head, and most of all, I can get away from those people who give me the ulcer.

St. Catherine of Siena Essay -- Essays Papers

St. Catherine of Siena Catherine of Siena was born in Italy in 1347 at a time when political and religious changes were affecting the hierarchy of the Catholic Church. Dedicating her life to the Holy Spirit from a very young age, Catherine pursued a life of purity and simplicity that served as a background to her great literary work, The Dialogue of the Divine Providence . Her work focuses on the importance of prayer and its transcendent power in human life. In the early stages of Catherine's life the surfacing modern age was bringing with it social turmoil which spread throughout Europe (Giordani 3). During Catherine's lifetime, according to Mary Ann Sullivan in her essay â€Å"St. Catherine of Siena,† the center of Catholic rule fluctuated between Rome and Avignon and contributed to a schism between popes in Italy and France (1). Catherine was born 23rd in a line of 25 children and, according to Sullivan â€Å"even at a young age, [she] sensed the troubled society around her and wanted to help† (1). While her parents were not exceptionally religious, St. Catherine's biographer Blessed Raymond of Capua discusses Catherine's early zeal for Catholic practices: â€Å"When she was about five she learned the Hail Mary, and repeated it over and over again as often as she could†¦she was inspired by heaven to address the Blessed Virgin in this way whenever she went up and down stairs, stopping to kneel on each step as she di d so† (24). Her devotion to the Virgin Mary would become especially important in a vision she had around this time while walking with her brother to visit one of her sisters. When Catherine was six she saw a bridal chamber up in the heavens with Jesus Christ who bestowed upon her the sign of the cross and his eternal bene... ...e University of Georgia Press, 1984. 252-255. Blessed Raymond of Capua. The Life of Saint Catherine of Siena . Trans. George Lamb. New York: P.J. Kennedy and Sons, 1960. Catherine of Siena. The Dialogue of the Divine Providence . Trans. Algar Thorold. 1907. 25 Feb. 2004 . www.ccel.org/c/catherine/dialog/dialog.html Gardner, Edmund G. Saint Catherine of Siena . London: J.M. Dent & Co., 1907. Giordani, Igino. Catherine of Siena: Fire and Blood . Trans. Thomas J. Tobin. Milwaukee: The Bruce Publishing Company, 1959. Meiss, Millard. Painting in Florence and Siena After the Black Death . New York: Princeton University Press, 1979. Petroff, Elizabeth Alvilda. Medieval Women's Visionary Literature . New York: Oxford University Press, 1986. Sullivan, Mary Ann. St. Catherine of Siena . 1996. 29 Feb. 2004 . www.op.org/domcentral/trad/stcather.htm

Apostrophe & Personification: Poetic Comparison Essay -- essays resea

Percy Bysshe Shelley's poem, "Ode to the West Wind" and Sylvia Plath's poem "Mirror" both employ the poetic tools of apostrophe, the address to something that is intangible, and personification, the application of human characteristics to something inanimate. However, they form a paradox in the usage of these tools through the imagery they create. Both poets have breathed life into inanimate objects, however death and aging are the prominent themes within both of these works. In "Ode to the West Wind", Shelley personifies many of nature's elements by attaching descriptions of remains of death that are typically human. He begins the poem with a simile by comparing the autumn leaves to ghosts. Though leaves are in fact, living things, the term "ghost" implies a spirit or presence from a living being who has passed on. To become a ghost, it is necessary to have a soul and this is specific to humans and other mammals. Shelley uses the idea of giving a soul to an inanimate object in the second stanza of his poem as well. In the fourth line, he uses angels as a metaphor for decaying leaves. Here, the reader is compelled to envision spirit beings falling from the sky with the rain and lightning. In another area of the poem where Shelley applies human death attributes, he states that each of the "winged seeds" is "like a corpse within its grave" (Charters, p. 871). Again, he gives us the image of a human who has died a nd is lying in he or she's burial place. In the third stanza of Shelley's poem, he uses personification by assigning emotion to some of nature's elements. In the eleventh line, Shelley declares that the "sea-blooms and the oozy woods" will "suddenly grow grey with fear". The emotions he assigns are relative to the idea of death. These are the feelings that humans develop when they feel that death is near. Shelley has again, managed to give the reader an intense image of foliage shaking in their roots at the thought of the west wind's approach. As the poem progresses, Shelley puts a new twist on the idea of personification. Or, more accurately, Shelley reverses the idea of personification by attaching inanimate qualities to the person speaking in apostrophe form to the west wind. In t... ... give the reader a picture of arms from the mirror extending outward toward the woman. In desperation of a different, younger image, the woman begins to cry. (Charters, p. 1105) The mirror acknowledges the process of age in the second to last line as well, by stating that "in me she has drowned a younger girl, and in me an old woman rises toward her day" (Charters, p. 1105). Though both poems utilize the same tools, they do so in very different styles. Sylvia Plath used personification to encompass the entire poem by allowing the inanimate object to be the speaker itself. She also gives the object various physical and emotional traits that are specific to humans. Shelley's poem, conversely, applies elements of personification to a few of the objects in his poem. Most of the human attributes Shelley gives to these objects are mainly metaphysical. The paradox of Sylvia Plath's "Mirror", is that the mirror is given life to reflect the image of aging, and the sadness of the inevitability of death. Ironically, Shelley has managed to employ the tool of personification, not by giving life to an inanimate object, but by giving it death.

Food Memoir Essay

Eating it as soon as it gets out of the oven is an amazing experience. The elation increased inside me as soon as I started to smell the juicy baked chicken. Suddenly, it feels like a irresistible need to grab a bite of it right away. Obviously you can’t resist it, so you cut a piece of it and eat it. The crunchy sensation of the baked cereal all around the chicken is wonderful, but not only the texture felt good, the gooey of the sugar that comes with the cornflake make it taste like glory. The sweet mixed with the salt of the seasonings is an incredible party inside the mouth. Adding a delicious bowl of baked potatoes with bechamel sauces makes the dish even better. I always love to cook and be creative while cooking; preparing different kind of dishes with different seasons, all natural most of the time. Cooking is not about following recipes and going by the cooking book. Instead it’s about being able to mix different seasonings to create the perfect taste. The history behind this invention comes from the lack of resources to prepare a decent dish. It was a quite night like tonight, listening to John Mayer and my roommate and I were really hungry. Then we looked at the refrigerator and cabinets to see what we could cook but we only found chicken, tomatoes, garlic, salt and pepper. Having all those seasons and been tired of eating grill chicken I decided to make it baked crunchy chicken, but sadly there wasn’t any ground bread and I figured it out late so the only thing that I could use was the cereal. So that is how it happened, a happy mistake. I used cornflakes instead of bread crumbs for the baked chicken. At the time I started to prepare the chicken, two girls came in looking for us. They reaction was priceless; they screamed â€Å"Oh my god! You guys are crazy! † at us. My roommate after he laughed for few seconds he told them that it was going to taste good and that they will want me to cook for them after they taste it. The girls said ok and stayed in our apartment all night with us having fun. While the chicken was in the oven, I put some potatoes to boil. Then when the potatoes were cooked, I prepared bechamel sauces. I took a bowl with all the potatoes and I let the bechamel sauces rain over it. Then I put the bowl inside the oven with the chicken as well. In the meantime, I sat down between the two girls and we talked about something â€Å"special†. That happened later that night. When it was time to take the chicken and the potatoes out of the oven, we all went to the kitchen to see how it looks like. First I took out the chicken and placed on the dinner table, and then I go back to the kitchen to take out the potatoes as well. When I come back from the kitchen, I found that my friends had already eaten one chicken to taste it in like 8 seconds. I told them that they attacked the chicken too fast. Therefore one of the girls said to me that it was really good, that the sugar on the chicken was delicious. We sat on the table, each of us four with 2 boneless Baked Cereal Crunchy Chicken, with baked potatoes doused in bechamel sauce and many very cold coke cans. The coke cans were so cold that I had to use my can handler while the others used a can bag that we have. Those 15 to 30 minutes that we were eating on the table, became a good memory to our brains and especially to our tongues. Even though, that like five other people came to the apartment to check out our dinner and ate from our food, it was a good. They find out about it because the girls posted some pictures on instagram. Every single people who tasted the food, at the beginning when they saw what was it, they were all like â€Å"Cornflakes with Chicken? † However they all found it very tasty. Good enough to tell me that I should do that again. After we ate, I laid down on the sofa with my head over one of the girl legs. Then my friend yelled out loud â€Å"Toy timbi†, that is a Dominican expression that people say when we cannot eat more. My roommate went to the kitchen to clean the dishes, as it was his turn. After he was done, the girls screamed â€Å"Special time! † and suddenly a bottle of Jose Cuervo appeared. They prepared some margaritas with lemon and strawberry mixer. Later on, after around 3 rounds of margaritas we started to listen and dance merengue and salsa. We dance for like hour and half non stopping. Also we were singing a bit while we were dancing. We stopped dancing when he figure out that it was 4:00 am and we had class at 8:30 am. We were all tired but we were also in a happy mood. We all went to bed right away, but sadly none of us make it through the next four hours; the one who woke up earlier was the younger girl at 10 o’clock. She nocked my door very hard, until I woke up really mad because we skipped the class at 8:30 am. When we were all ready, we talked about last night. And the first thing that came out was that the chicken was really good and when I would do it again.

Mobile phones: A blessing or a curse? Essay

It’s been years since someone had to look for spare change in their pocket to make a call out on the street from a pay phone, have we forgotten that mobile phones are somehow a blessing? The question here is whether mobile phones are a blessing or a curse. According to the â€Å"2013 mobile growth statistics† 91% of all people in the world have mobile phones and 56% own a smart phone, also according to mobile growth statistics the average age of owning a mobile phone now is 13. There are over 1.2 billion people accessing the WEB from their mobile devices and 28.85% of emails are being accessed through mobile phones. So basically humans lately have been living through their phones on a daily basis. Mobile phones have become a necessity in our everyday lives, whether for business, education, emergency, pleasure etc. Mobile phones have been under constant development and upgrade since they were first invented. Today most people have mobile phones, which don’t come close to resembling the first mobile phones, which were just a mean of communication with very little variety. A phone is no longer an electronic phonebook it’s a; mobile phone, computer, reminder, calendar, radio etc. Like any other product mobile phones have advantages and disadvantages, and this is why we ask ourselves whether it’s a blessing or a curse. However as a consumer of mobile phones I would say it is a bit of both. The advantages of having a â€Å"smart phone† are dependable, what I mean by dependable is that I can actually depend on my phone; which might seem like technology is making us into lazy human beings but its not. We educate ourselves we try to make everything as easy as possible so we can enjoy life. So what a â€Å"smart phone† does is that it helps me keep my life in order, and we do so by having applications that help with â€Å"ordering things online, having reminders, alarm clocks, social media, the news, having applications to connect with distant loved ones and of course applications that help with boredom.† We now have all of this at the tip of our fingers, at the touch of one button making life more comfortable. We also consider mobile phones a curse, mobile phones have so much to offer and having so much can become distracting and time consuming. I often find myself lost in another world with my phone pinned to my face, just jumping from one application to another surfing the web and I also get easily distracted when my phone keeps on beeping with notifications, text messages and updates. People have a lot of accidents while checking their phones for text messages, calling someone or just checking who’s doing what on social media. It has been one of the two major causes for accidents in Europe and America, just following driving under the influence of alcohol. Another big issue we are facing nowadays is the fact that we’re not facing people while having a conversation; we’re actually facing our phones. This is a problem because we seem to be caught up more in the virtual world rather than the real one, which will make us regret a lot of things in the future. One has to realize and become aware of the distractions a smart phone can offer, its meant to make life easier not more complicating. So smart phones are both a blessing and a curse it’s the consumer that decides whether it will become a distraction or a gadget that will just make things easier. The mobile phone will then be a perk to your life rather than being a burden and a time consuming device. Citations MLA format: Hepburn, Aden. â€Å"Infographic: 2013 Mobile Growth Statistics | Digital Buzz Blog.† 2013 Mobile Growth Statistics. N.p., 1 Oct. 2013. Web. 03 Sept. 2014. .

Environmental Analysis Essay

Landfill gas is generated during the decomposition of organic substances in municipal and industrial wastes. Since it is made up of powerful greenhouse gases, primarily methane gas and carbon dioxide, the prevention of escape to atmosphere is desirable and has the added benefit of being utilised as a renewable energy source (Clarke Energy, 2014). One such company focussed on dealing with this issue is Landfill Gas Industries Pty Ltd (L.G.I. Pty Ltd) they are ‘a specialist designer, supplier, installer, and operator of systems that capture, extract and burn gas produced in landfills’ (L.G.I. Pty Ltd, 2014). L.G.I. Pty Ltd has several opportunities that could impact the company’s operations in Australia, such as government regulation, the number of councils and landfills available and the fact that all landfills require a solution to the landfill gas problem. However L.G.I. Pty Ltd also has several threats potentially impacting its operations, for example from large energy generators, large waste companies and opposition to landfill gas. With the continuing pace of global environmental awareness and a general growing consensus about the potential damage of greenhouse gases, the Australian Government may introduction legislation and associated taxation such as the use of carbon credits that are designed punish landfill owners with unabated gas emissions (Department of the Environment, 2011). A company such as L.G.I. Pty Ltd is well placed to install systems that can reduce these emissions and in turn reduce the financial penalties of operating a landfill, many of which are run by local councils and therefore paid for directly by ratepayers. With 565 local government councils in Australia (The Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development, 2014) and each with a need to process its residents’ garbage, many of which themselves operate landfill sites and/or have legacy landfills within their boundaries. Whilst the market has a finite limit there is considerable appeal for councils to adapt such technologies at their landfills and has the potential to generate ‘huge savings for [councils] and the environment’ (Landfill Gas Pty Ltd, 2008). L.G.I. Pty Ltd is committed to take advantage of councils’ needs by having ‘developed successful landfill gas installations on sites of all scales across Australia’ (Landfill Gas Industries Pty Ltd, 2014). Wherever there is a landfill, there is potential dangers aside from the environmental concerns unless mitigation techniques are employed, such as the risk of fire and explosion which for example  occurred in Loscoe, England in 1986 when a nearby house was destroyed (Danish EPA, 2001). There is also the potential of gas migration to occur below the surface and in turn contaminate the groundwater (Environment Protection Authority, 2008). If a landfill site is not suitable for electricity production, gas mitigation is nonetheless desired for safety and hygiene reasons. L.G.I. Pty Ltd ‘manufactures and installs its own range of state of the art flares’ (Landfill Gas Industries Pty Ltd, 2014) allowing the flammable gases to be safely burnt off. Therefore all current and legacy landfill sites are potential business for L.G.I. Pty Ltd The first major threat to L.G.I. Pty Ltd comes from existing large energy generators, such as AGL, Origin and Energy Australia, these 3 companies have a combined market share of over 60% of the energy sector (IBISWorld, 2014). As these companies have the need to supply electricity to their customers they have the desire to source viable and sustainable generation methods, AGL for example already ‘owns and operates several renewable landfill gas and biogas (sewage) generation facilities across Australia’ (AGL, 2014). If these companies decide to expand in this sector and compete for this resource, they could undermine L.G.I. Pty Ltd’s potential simply by means of more efficient access to financial capital required to setup and by the greater potential political bargaining power they possess such as when competing for tenders. Such as with large energy generators, large waste companies also pose a potential threat for L.G.I. Pty Ltd. Many councils utilise outsourced waste collection, processing, recycling and landfill operators to fulfil their needs. Operators such as Veolia and Sita which operate landfills as part of their business must ‘manage odour across [their] landfills in accordance with the Environmental Protection Licence’ (Sita, 2014). These operators have their own equipment and methods for gas mitigation and therefore pose a threat to L.G.I. Pty Ltd if more councils outsource their waste needs to private companies, they in turn aside from environmental requirements have a commercial obligation to seek profit. There is nonetheless opposition to companies that seek to turn landfill gas into electricity, for several reasons such as its relative high costs, local air pollution but namely it suggests that it is acceptable to dump waste at landfill sites rather than pursue waste minimisa tion or recycling initiatives (Shrank, 2011). Veolia states that it ‘encourages waste  minimisation and recycling’ (Veolia, 2014), however if a financial incentive exists if it fails that endeavour then people are right to be sceptical. The threat of a change in public opinion and awareness towards waste disposal could potentially impact L.G.I. Pty Ltd, particularly if they are seen as not encouraging waste minimisation or if their operations produce an unacceptable amount of air pollution. Landfill gas is an unavoidable by-product of our modern society and it possess several risks if left unmanaged to public health and safety. L.G.I. Pty Ltd is well placed to mitigate these risks and also potentially return a financial benefit to its clients, specifically local councils. In terms of opportunities, L.G.I. Pty Ltd faces a finite barrier in terms of number of landfills in Australia, it may seek to export its expertise to markets overseas to pursue further growth. It may also be of benefit to lobby government to encourage further legislation and taxation penalties regarding greenhouse gas emissions, potentially expanding its market. Of the threats facing L.G.I. Pty Ltd, the biggest is represented by existing the large companies in the electricity generating and waste disposal sectors, who invariable have better access to capital and lobbying power to further develop this industry. Finally, public opinion could negatively impact L.G.I. Pty Ltd if they are seen to be exploiting a resource which ideally should be minimised in the first instance. Clarke Energy, (2014). Landfill Gas | Landfill gas generator. [Online] Available at: http://www.clarke-energy.com/gas-type/landfill-gas/ [Accessed 8 Aug. 2014]. Landfill Gas Industries Pty Ltd, (2014). Landfill Gas Industries – Renewable Electricity Leaders. [Online] Available at: http://landfillgasindustries.com.au/about-landfill-gas/ [Accessed 8 Aug. 2014]. Department of the Environment, (2011). Capture and combustion of landfill gas. [Online] Available at: http://www.climatechange.gov.au/reducing-carbon/carbon-farming-initiative/methodologies/methodology-determinations/capture-and-combustion-landfill-gas [Accessed 8 Aug. 2014]. The Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development, (2014). Local Government. [Online] Available at: http://www.regional.gov.au/local/index.aspx [Accessed 8 Aug. 2014]. Landfill Gas Pty Ltd, (2008). Landfill Gas Pty Ltd. [online] Available at: http://www.landfillgas.com.au/home.html [Accessed 8 Aug. 2014]. Danish EPA, (2001). Miljstyrelsen. [Online] Available at: http://www2.mst.dk/common/Udgivramme/Frame.asp?pg=http://www2.mst.dk/Udgiv/publikationer/2001/87-7944-831-3/html/kap30.htm [Accessed 8 Aug. 2014]. Environment Protection Authority, (2008). Guidelines for groundwater investigation and monitoring for landfills. [Online] Available at: http://www.epa.sa.gov.au/xstd_files/Waste/Public%20consultation/guidelines_landfill.pdf [Accessed 8 Aug. 2014]. IBISWorld, (2014). Major Companies. [Online] Available at: http://clients1.ibisworld.com.au.ezproxy.lib.swin.edu.au/reports/au/industry/majorcompanies.aspx?entid=2147 [Accessed 8 Aug. 2014]. AGL, (2014). Landfill Gas and Biogas. [Online] Available at: http://www.agl.com.au/about-agl/how-we-source-energy/renewable-energy/landfill-gas-and-biogas [Accessed 8 Aug. 2014]. Sita, (2014). Landfill Gas Management | SITA Australia. [Online] Available at: http://www.sita.com.au/facilitie s/landfills/landfill-gas-management/ [Accessed 8 Aug. 2014]. Shrank, S. (2011). Opposition to Waste-to-Energy: A Waste of Waste?. [Online] Worldwatch Institute. Available at: http://blogs.worldwatch.org/revolt/opposition-to-waste-to-energy-a-waste-of-waste/ [Accessed 8 Aug. 2014]. Veolia, (2014). Recovering Resources from Waste – Veolia Australia and New Zealand. [Online] Available at: http://www.veolia.com.au/municipal-residential/recovering-resources-from-waste [Accessed 8 Aug. 2014].

Dr. Beckett’s Dental Office Essay

Introduction: Services are more different and very complex activities. The word service originally was associated with the work servants did for their master. As the dictionary define as â€Å"the action of serving, helping, or benefiting; conduct tending to the welfare or advantage of another†. On the other word, service are economic activities between two parties, implying an exchange of value between seller and buyer in the marketplace. Furthermore, the services are described as performances that are time-based, and bring about desired result to recipients, objects, or other assets for responsibility of purchasers. Experience is the best indicator of how good the service providers are. However, since there could be probable problems with consistency of quality, it is even more risky even with some experience to account. More so if the service is quite expensive, how could the marketers, guarantee the customers will satisfy the service as their expectation. That is why analyzing the factors for service marketing is a more tedious work compared to marketing goods. More factors are taken into consideration to ensure quality and minimize the risk. But quality entails costs, and not all consumers are able, and willing to gamble paying much for something unsure. Background of the study: Dr. Barbro Beckett is a dentist who seeks to differentiate her practice on the basis of quality. She was taught in the academe all about the technical part of dentistry but nothing on the business side. She had no formal training on how to run a business or how to assess customer needs. That wasn’t a resulting from labor laws, malpractice insurance, and the constant need to invest in new equipment and staff training as new technologies were introduced, her overhead expenses skyrocketed to 70-80% of revenues exclusive of her wages and office rentals. Furthermore, there was a movement in the U.S. to reduce the health care costs to insurance companies, employers and patients through large health maintenance organizations (HMO’s) who sets prices by putting an upper limit on the amount that doctors and dentists could charge for various procedures. But then again, Dr. Beckett, as a competitive dentist wanting to offer the highest level of dental care rather than being a low-cost provider, refused to become an HMO  provider for the reimbursement rate 80-85% of what she normally charge for treatment. Quality entails costs as they say, which is why patients of Dr. Beckett sometimes had to pay fees that were not covered by their insurance policies. If the quality difference is not substantial, then patients would rather go to HMO dentist offering lower costs. Therefore, Dr. Beckett decided to redesign the dental facilities, equipment and bring the best service delivery to the customer. Redesigning the Service Delivery System 1. Facilities and Equipment Dr. Beckett’s new office was Scandinavian in design. The waiting room and reception area were decorated with modern furniture, live plants, and flower and played softly classic music. Moreover, the clinic will provide the coffee or tea and magazines as well as the playground area for the children while their waiting for their appointments. Furthermore, the treatments areas were both functional and appealing, which provide the literature to explain what patients needed to do to maximize the benefits. 2. Service Personnel The staff members were separated by job function into â€Å"front office† (including receptionist, secretarial and financial) and â€Å"back office† (hygienists and chair side assistants) workers. Dr. Beckett valued her friendships with the staff members and involved them in the decision-making process by having a weekly meeting to discuss more strategic issue and resolve any problems. Moreover, Dr. Beckett provided her staffs many training or attending classes and workshops for improving their skill. She also rewarded their hard work by giving monthly bonuses and extra incentive to improve service delivery. 3. Procedures and Patients All the office systems were redesigned under the main goals which was to standardize some of the routine procedures and all the patients would receive the same level care. Key Managerial Problems The new policy from Health maintenance organizations (HMOs) The health maintenance organizations set the upper limit price for medical charge which give the advantages to patients. That their health insurance covered virtually all costs. But the doctors and dentists may not able to provide certain/high level of services under that limit price. Dr. Beckett had decided not to become a health maintenance organizations provider. She felt that she could not provide high-quality care to patients at those rate. She wanted to offer the highest level of dental care rather than being a low-cost provider. Refer to Dr. Beckett decision, she wanted the work environment to reflect her own personality and values as well as providing a pleasant place for her staff to work. Since higher quality care was more costly. She supposed that the quality differences are visible to the patients which they can realize and discover that it is worth to pay. The biggest challenge The biggest challenge for hospital/medical business is the customers have negative attitude and feel inconvenience to be applied the services. People who is willing to use the services mostly is patient that has uncomfortable feeling with their conditions. Dr. Beckett tried to reinforce the idea that quality dental care depend on a positive long-term relationship between patients and the dental team. It could be difficult to maintain a positive attitude. The job required precision and attention to detail, and the procedures were often painful for patients. Situation Evaluations Qualitative: 1. Service attributes Search attributes. The tangible characteristics that customer can evaluate before purchase. For example, clothing and furniture, â€Å"back office staffs† wear uniform in cheerful shades of pink, purple, and blue that matched the office dà ©cor can allow prospective consumers to try out. Experience attributes. The intangible characteristics that customer cannot evaluate before purchase. Customer must experience the service before such as reliability and customer support. In this case, customer experience can refer to 2,000 active patients. Also, Dr. Beckett’s patients often had to wait for 3-4 months for a routine cleaning and exam. Credence attributes. It’s not easy for customer to determine the quality how well the dentist have performed complex dental procedures, skills, and professionalism. Refer to the case; Dr. Beckett believed that referrals were a real advantage because new patients didn’t come in â€Å"cold†. All new patients were required to have an initial exam so that Dr. Beckett could do a needs assessments and education them about her service. Thus, the first indication to patients can make customer feel â€Å"warm† and â€Å"credence†. 2. Perceived risk Perceived risk is especially relevant for services that are difficult to evaluate before purchase and consumption, and first-time users are likely to face greater uncertainty. How Dr. Beckett’s dental office handle perceived risk? Functional (unsatisfactory performance outcomes): there was a small conference room with toys for children and DVD player that was used to show patients educational films about different dental procedures. Also, the chairs in the examining rooms were very comfortable. And attractive mobiles hanging from the ceiling to distract patients from unfamiliar sounds and sensations. Temporal (wasting time, consequences of delays): office policy specified that patients should be kept waiting no longer than 20 minutes, and staffs often called patients in advance if there would be delay. Psychological (personal fears and emotions): since most people disliked going to the dentist or felt that it was an inconvenience and come with negative attitude. Dr. Beckett tried to reinforce the idea that quality dental care depended on a positive long-term relationship between patients and the dental team. This Philosophy was reflected in the waiting area â€Å"We are a caring, professional dental team serving motivated, quality-oriented patients interested in keeping healthy smiles for a lifetime. Our goal is to offer a progressive and educational environment. Your concerns are our focus†. Social (how others think and react): most active patients who came infrequently are white-collar workers with professional jobs (university employees, health care workers, and managers/owners of local establishments). She did no advertising; all her business came from positive word of mouth by current patients. 3. Service expectation Expectation may come from word of mouth comments. For example: Patients could enjoy a cup of tea or coffee, magazine and newspaper while they waited for  their appointments. The treatment areas were both functional and appealing. Hygienists, a part of a largest team that worked together to provide quality care to patients. 90% of patients’ perceptions of quality come from their interactions with the front desk. â€Å"Thank you card† and â€Å"follow-up calls†, â€Å"gift bag† to patients Staff performance had to update their skills by attending classes and workshops. Make patients as comfortable as possible. Quantitative: About 2,000 active patients and waiting 3-4 months customers