Alzheimer s Disease A Progressive And Neurodegenerative...

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a progressive and neurodegenerative form of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking, reasoning, judgement and decision-making, recognizing, as well as behavior, and is serious enough to interfere with daily life and activities, that eventually leads to profound physical as well as mental disabilities, resulting in the need for institutional care (Hoyer Roodin, 2009). AD is most widespread in senior population aged 65 and over, which constitutes approximately 85-95% of the cases, in the rest of 5-15% of the times Alzheimer’s Disease can have an early-onset (before 60 years of age) (Hoyer Roodin, 2009). According to Alzheimer’s Association, today Alzheimer’s Disease is at the forefront of biomedical research, as it is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States (alz.org). Researchers hope that better understanding of Alzheimer’s and related dementias can lead to discovering new and effective treatmen ts. United States is not the only country that is facing this issue, this problem is global. According to the recent epidemiological studies, the worldwide prevalence of Alzheimer’s Disease will rise from 27 million people worldwide in 2006 to 66 million in 2030, and 115 million in 2050 (Werner, 2012). The main risk factor for developing AD is chronological age (Hoyer Roodin, 2009). This means that by 2050, one in three persons over 80 years of age will most likely suffer from some sort of dementia, most likely from ADShow MoreRelatedAlzheimer s Disease : A Common Neurodegenerative Disease1110 Words   |  5 PagesAlzheimer’s disease is a common neurodegenerative disease. It is the most common form of dementia which is a general term for memory loss and other intellectual abilities serious enough to interfere with daily life (Alzheimer’s Disease Dementia). Dementia and Alzheimer’s have been around for centuries, but Alzheimer’s disease wasn†™t first described until 1906 by Dr. Aloysius Alzheimer. In the past, there was a stigma for elderly people with the disease. People with dementia and Alzheimer’s wereRead MoreAlzheimer s Disease : A Progressive Disease925 Words   |  4 PagesAlzheimer s disease is a progressive disease that destroys memory and other vital mental functions. Alzheimer s disease is the most common cause of dementia, a group of brain disorders that cause the loss of intellectual and social skills. AD can eventually render a person unable to function in society and to even care for themselves. Since the disease is the 6th leading cause of death in the United States constant research is being done to try to prevent it and to find a cure. Alzheimer s diseaseRead MoreAlzheimer s Disease And Its Effects On The Lives Of Millions Americans Essay1714 Words   |  7 Pages â€Æ' Introduction Neurodegenerative diseases continue to affect the lives of millions Americans each year, with incidence and prevalence rates ever increasing. These diseases cause degeneration or death of nerve cells in the brain. These diseases can cause a financial and emotional burden on not only patients themselves, but also family members and care givers as well. Molecular mechanisms that underlie these diseases have remained relatively unclear, despite much research. Understanding the mechanismsRead MoreThe Mystery Of Alzheimer s Disease1537 Words   |  7 PagesAlzheimer’s Alzheimer’s is a type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking, and behavior. The purpose of this paper is to discuss medical definition, etiology, signs and symptoms, stages of disease progression, risk factors, diagnosis, and treatment. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia. Alzheimer’s disease is Ultimately fatal. Medical Definition. Alzheimer s disease is a progressive, degenerative disorder that attacks the brain s nerve cells, or neurons, resultingRead MoreDealing With Dementia Essay979 Words   |  4 Pagesmemory and performance issues were due to a disease. (Life with ALZ)† This disease causes the loss of brain function that occurs with certain diseases. Dementia, is one form of this disease that gradually gets worse over time. It affects memory, thinking, and behavior. (WebMD, 1995) â€Å"Changes that take place in the brains of people. These brain changes may cause the memory loss and decline in other mental abilities that occur with Alzheimers disease. Alzheimer’s generally affects the brain makingRead MoreCase Study: Alzheimer’S Disease. Mary Wipf. Phgy 220- Gerald1252 Words   |  6 PagesStudy: Alzheimer’s Disease Mary Wipf PHGY 220- Gerald McGraw April 2, 2017 In the world, there are new cases of dementia for somewhere between 10 and 15 people per 1000. Five to eight per 1000 are cases of Alzheimer’s. Dementia is a term that simply defines a mentally deteriorated condition. Alzheimer’s is a type of dementia. Alzheimer’s disease is a chronic, progressive neurodegenerative disease and is the most common cause of dementia in older people. Alzheimer’s is a disease of the brainRead MoreMedical Management Decisions And The Plan Of Care Decisions Essay1102 Words   |  5 PagesAlzheimer’s is a chronic medical neurodegenerative disease, therefore is a neurological illness which departures the brain cells, causing it to act in memory loss and mental failure. Early-onsets Alzheimer’s can be noticed in an individual beginning from ages 40-50s. Statistics show that of the 5.4 million Americans with Alzheimer s, an estimated 5.2 million people are age 65 and older, and approximately 200,000 individuals are und er age 65 (Alzheimer’s Association, n.d.). The course of this disorderRead MoreEffects Of The Brain On Alzheimer s Disease1467 Words   |  6 PagesChanges in the brain may a play role in Alzheimer’s disease Introduction â€Å"Alzheimer’s disease is an irreversible, progressive brain disorder that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills, and eventually the ability to carry out the simplest tasks individuals with AD may start having symptoms their mid-60s† (nih.gov). AD is a multifactorial and progressive neurodegenerative disease. â€Å"Parts of AD, for example, increased oxidative state, amyloid plaque deposition, and neurofibrillary tangle of tauRead MoreIs Dementia A Cure For Dementia?1814 Words   |  8 PagesDementia is a neurodegenerative, progressively deteriorating and terminal clinical syndrome characterized by a loss or decline in memory and other cognitive abilities. Most recent scientific thinking is that dementia may be caused by various diseases and conditions affecting over 5 million Americans and 27.7 million worldwide. It is projected that the number of Americans with dementia will exceed 7.7 million by the year 2030 and from 11 to 16 million by the year 2050. Ther e is presently not a cureRead MoreNot Only Is It Detrimental To The Social Development Of1604 Words   |  7 Pagesdegeneration. Individuals with dementia who maintain active lifestyles will ultimately be happier, while also increasing their physical strength (Shaikh). Another piece of evidence that found to support the ideology that recognizing these symptoms and intervening early is important states that, â€Å"Many of these lifestyle changes have been shown to lower the risk of other diseases, like heart disease and diabetes, which have been linked to Alzheimer s† (Alzheimer s Association Organization). Even

Hannibal Ancient And Modern Interpretations And Perceptions

In both ancient and modern interpretations and perceptions, Hannibal is infamous for leading the Carthaginian army and a squadron of elephants athwart the Southern European region and the Alps Mountains against the Roman Empire, who were manifested as the most powerful army, in the Second Punic War. Hannibal is overly expressed and given light to throughout his career and conquest in Italy by prominently well-renowned historians, including: Titus Livy, who was considered as the least reliable source as he was tremendously reliant on other eyewitness accounts of contingency, and was greatly one-sided toward the Romans. Polybius, who was ultimately much more detached, and perceived sources objectively with balance. And modern historians,†¦show more content†¦Another ancient one-sided perception of Hannibal is in the source: â€Å"Hannibal turned back once more towards Placentia, and after marching about ten miles went into camp. The next day he advanced against the enemy with twelve thousand foot and five thousand horse. [2] Nor did the consul Sempronius, who had now returned from Rome, decline the combat. That day there were only three miles between the two encampments. On the following day they fought, with great spirit and with shifting fortunes. At the first encounter the Romans had so far the best of it that not only were they victorious in the battle, but they pursued the beaten enemy to his camp, and were soon attacking the camp itself. Hannibal stationed [p. 177]a few defenders on the rampart and at the gates1 and received the rest in a crowded throng within the enclosure, where he bade them watch intently for the signal to sally forth.† [2] This written source perspicuously outlines the chronology of the Second Punic War, and Livy’s one sided perception, on how they fought with ‘great spirit and shifting fortunes’, in order to embellish the Roman Empire’s image, ultimately resulting into him going into great len gth to demonise Hannibal. A final source to quintessentially exemplify the ancient Roman depiction of Hannibal is: â€Å"Hannibal moved out of his winter encampment. He had tried before this to cross the Apennines, but had failed because of the intolerable cold. [2] And the delay had beenShow MoreRelatedRastafarian79520 Words   |  319 Pagestruth of how religions grow and sustain themselves, but Edmonds realizes that models that have been used to explain other religious phenomenon dont always apply comfortably to the peculiar developments of Rastafarianism. For instance, very few modern religions have assumed such a signiï ¬ cant place in the mainstream of popular culture through the use of music. Marley is not seen as a religious ï ¬ gure; rather he is seen as a rock star, a pop hero, an icon. And yet his faith is at the core of hisRead MoreContemporary Issues in Management Accounting211377 Words   |  846 Pagesacademic spheres in accounting, I sense that the two worlds have less and less to do with one another. It is therefore ever more important to reflect on the contributions which Michael Bromwich has made. He played an important role in the diffusion of modern practices of capital investment appraisal in the United Kingdom. He has been constantly open to the insights which advances in economic theory can provide into the accounting art, in many areas pushing at the frontiers of international knowledge in

Industry Analysis

Question: Analyse the electric operated vehicles sector in order to determine the feasibility of entering into the new industry. Discuss the size of industry, and the value factors affecting b2b business environment. Answer: Introduction Intel is the largest manufacturer of semi conductors in the world. The business model adopted by Intel is based on business to business (B2B) i.e. it sells its products primarily to other computer manufacturing companies. However, the management of the company has decided that it would enter into the battery operated vehicle segment as a part of its strategy to increase revenues and diversify business (Grosjean et al. 2012). Therefore, the purpose of this report is to undertake the analysis of electric operated vehicles sector in order to determine the feasibility of entering into the new industry. The report also discusses the size of industry, and the value factors affecting b2b business environment. In addition, the report also undertakes the analysis of key competitors and customer buyer relationships in order to successfully develop marketing plan. Further, the report has also discussed about the future growth potential of the company through forecasting techniques followed by a brief implementation plan. Electric vehicle industry Electric car manufacturing industry is in nascent stage, the industry comprises of various companies that manufactures electric vehicles, superchargers, and other spare parts specific to the need of the industry. Intel as a part of its growth strategy has decided to enter into the electric car manufacturing industry to develop high-end vehicles systems that would be marketed primarily to other business and organizations (Carley et al. 2013). Electric vehicle industry is expected to grow at a rate in next decade and by 2026 it is furcated that the industry would comprise 12% of the overall automobile industry. Currently, Tesla motors have 70 % market share in the electric vehicle segment, but with the entry of major automobile industry such as Ford, Hyundai, BMW, etc. the industry is experiencing greater investment and growth. Intel to establish would require strategies such as product differentiation or cost leadership. Competitor analysis A through competitor analysis for Intels new business plan would be completed by undertaking following steps discussed below Competitor Identification: The major players in the electric car manufacturing industry are Tesla Motors, Toyota Prius, Toyota Rav4 Hybrid, Chevrolet Volt, Zapworld, smart cars, etc. Competitor analysis is a crucial component of industry analysis as it provides information about the industry in which Intel is planning to operate i.e. electric vehicle manufacturing segment. Strengths of Competitors Weaknesses of Competitors Most of the competitors of Intel are well established automobile manufactures Economies of scale Large production capabilities Better inventory management and supplier relations Due to first mover advantage and brand equity among the customers competitors have greater market share that Intel would have to chip in to establish itself in the industry. Over dependence on gasoline operated cars to maintain and develop market share Moved into the electric vehicle to mark their presence in the industry Lack of desired level of investment in Research and Development activities exception being Tesla Motor Therefore, it is evident from the above analysis of competitors that Intel would have to heavily invest in research and development activities, devise better supply chain capabilities and also in marketing communications to spread awareness about the brand and create positive image in the market (Calabrese 2012). Customers Customers are very crucial factor that need to be considered before developing a marketing plan as it is the customers for whom the company produces or manufactures its products. For Intels battery operated vehicle segment would be the government (Wesseling et al. 2014). Key business consumers The main customers can be primarily consists of three broad sectors as Government: Intel aims at selling its electric vehicles to government as the company plans to capitalize on government commitment to support and implement environmentally vehicles. Commercial enterprises: Intel can also sell its vehicles to other commercial organization that can market its vehicle to different markets and to different end users. Since Intel would require huge investments to implement its own supply chain to meet the demands of the various customers that are geographically spread, selling its products to commercial enterprise would enable the company to enter into different markets more conveniently. Environmental analysis Environmental analysis is a strategic tool that enables to identify various internal and external elements that affects business operation of an organization discussed as PESTLE analysis Political factors: The political factors affecting the business preposition of Intel to manufacture and market electric cars are positive as the Australian government is committed to generate employment in the country. In addition, the proposed business is expected to bring Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into the country and with successful implementation of business plan would be a source of revenue generation for the country (Afroditi et al. 2014). Economic factors: For Intel to foray into the battery operated vehicle segment, this an appropriate time as the company would be benefited by various firefighting approach adopted by government to stabilize the economy such as lower interest rates, special economic zones and other infrastructural support and also the fast pace of economic growth (Al-Alawi and Bradley 2013). Social factors: The standard of living in the Australian population is high and people are well educated. In addition, automotive vehicles are seen as necessity rather than luxury, therefore, it can be inferred that the social factors would contribute positively for the development of electric cars by Intel (Hamilton and Webster 2015). Technological factors: Intel can have an upper hand in the industry as the company is known for providing cutting-edge technology to its customers. Additionally, the company has an opportunity to establish itself in the market as the concept of electric cars is still in development stage and Intel with its drive for innovation can dominate this segment (Moritz et al. 2015). Legal factors:. The various laws that needs to be complied are environment protection law, privacy laws, employee protection act, workers health and safety, anti discrimination laws, etc. (Hollensen 2015). Environmental factors: Intel is in favorable position as it plans to manufacture and market battery operated vehicles that runs on cleaner energy as opposed to gasoline operated vehicles that emits pollutants and degrades the environment (Vitali 2012). Porters five forces Porters five forces is a tool that enables a business to determine the level of competition in the market and overall attractiveness of the market (Ambec et al. 2013). Threat of new entrants (LOW): battery operated vehicle is in nascent stage and have fewer players. Therefore, the battery operated vehicles poses little barrier to the new entrants as no company is well established and any organization that have financial capabilities and well devised business model that can be effectively implemented by the business (Barringer 2012). Threat of substitutes (Medium): The substitutes of battery operated vehicles are many as for customers the benefits or utilities is similar whether they are using battery operated or gasoline operated vehicles. Therefore, the battery operated vehicle also faces competition from gasoline-operated vehicles and also public transport mediums (Rothaermel 2015). Bargaining power of customers (High): The customer have ultimate power that determines the success (or failure) of a business, the reason being that there are many options available for the customers to choose from. Therefore, it is customers who dictates their expectation and demands that has to be taken into consideration by any company to succeed in the market (Cuellar and Gomez 2013). Bargaining power of suppliers (Medium): Battery operated vehicle manufacturing segment is highly dependent on its suppliers as the manufacturing industry requires various components to manufacture the end product. However, this dependency is reducing as many supplier companies have entered the market and the battery operated vehicles have various options to source its parts and components (Magretta 2013). Industry rivalry (High): The battery operated vehicle industry is marked by high level of inter industry rivalry as size of this sector is relatively small and many major automobile manufacturing is trying to increase their market share by targeting the same customer groups (Upson et al.2012). Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning (STP) Segmentation: In order to identify the potential customers, the company needs to segregate the target market into different categories to identify the most profitable segment of customers. Customer segmentation can be discussed in context of Intels proposed business as Macro segmentation Geographic: the buyers of electric vehicles are vastly segregated in terms of geographical distribution. The major customers of the Intel are government and private commercial enterprises that can be segment based on their geographical location or area of their operations. Customer type: the customers of electric cars can be divided as business-to- business customers that includes government agencies, institutions and other business organizations. Other customer type includes b2c customers that the company is not planning to target, as it will require developing its own chain of suppliers. Micro segmentation Purchasing criteria: b2b customers are more concerned about the value they derive from products purchased as b2b businesses involver bulk purchase of items. Other purchasing criteria that influence customers are quality and speed of service delivery, customization of products as per the unique need of the buyers, and ability of the seller to respond as per the changing demands of the customers. Purchasing strategy: electric vehicles are a newer concept in the market and Intel would require persuading its customers about the benefits that the company provides. Therefore, Intel can segment its buyers on the basis of their purchasing strategy i.e. whether they purchase items as one time purchase or systematically places their order as per their requirements. Targeting: Intel can target government agencies as its customers to take advantage of the governments commitment to move towards cleaner or greener forms of energy consumption. Apart from that large institutional customers can also be effectively targeted to take advantage of increase presence in the market and increase revenues. Positioning: is a premarketing concept that aims at creating a favorable impression of the business in the minds of the customers. Positioning of companys product can be achieved through educating the customers about the benefits of the products through seminars, conferences and other forms of presentations. Appropriate brand or product positioning enables the organization to attract more customers and creates a positive brand image of the company in the market (Fleisher and Bensoussan 2015). Growth potential and feasibility There is huge growth potential for battery operated vehicles in the near future as most of the vehicles that are running on the road today is fuelled by petroleum products (gasoline, petrol, diesel). However, the petroleum products are depleting at a rapid rate as these are non renewable sources of energy. It is predicted that by the end of 2050 petroleum products would be completely exhausted if its consumption remains at the current levels In this context, it can be said that in the future battery operated vehicles would dominate the market as they run on renewable sources of energy and does not degrade the environment (Kolios and Read 2013). Intel being one of the most reputed brands in innovation and technology sector can take advantage of the situation by developing high performing battery operated cars. Therefore, by successful development of battery vehicles and appropriate positioning and marketing can grow in this sector and increase its revenue as well as help in sustainable development of the society. There it would be profitable for the company to enter into this segment and take advantage of the opportunities present in the business environment (Aithal 2016). Implementation From the above discussion, it can be said that there is huge opportunity in the market for Intel to grow. But it would require proper implementation of the marketing plan, this can be discussed as The marking mix of the company includes product, price, place, promotion. The product of the company is the electric vehicles that has the USP of being environmentally friendly and operated by battery. The pricing is the other important marketing that affects the success of the company. Intel can adopt cost leadership strategy to by providing value added products at cheaper cost then the competitors, other pricing strategy can be price differentiation. The distribution channel of the company can be outsourced to third party service providers before the company establishes itself in the market. Promotion is the last but most important aspect of the marketing mix. The company can engage with the customers by online advertising, social media management, and sponsoring events. Other important part of implementation is the estimation of financial requirements, budget scheduling and evaluation of the current performance and taking appropriate actions in case of deviations. Conclusion From the above discussion, it can be concluded that electric car industry is in growth stage and there is huge opportunity in the market that is expected to grow at the annual rate 12% and gain 20% of the overall automobile industry that can be utilized by the Intel to convert them into its own advantage. From the analysis of inter.nal and external environmental forces it is clear that the overall environment is supportive of electric car industry as petroleum products are depleting at a faster rate and the world requires such cars that can run efficiently on renewable energy sources. In addition, Intel Company has all the resources and organizational competency to manufacture and market high-end electric cars, that would be beneficial for both the company as it allows them to diversify their business and provide solution to the environment degradation by gasoline fuelled cars. References Afroditi, A., Boile, M., Theofanis, S., Sdoukopoulos, E. and Margaritis, D., 2014. Electric vehicle routing problem with industry constraints: trends and insights for future research. Transportation Research Procedia, 3, pp.452-459. Aithal, P.S., 2016. Study on ABCD Analysis Technique for Business Models, business strategies, Operating Concepts Business Systems. International Journal in Management and Social Science, 4, pp.2321-1784. Al-Alawi, B.M. and Bradley, T.H., 2013. Review of hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and electric vehicle market modeling studies. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 21, pp.190-203. Ambec, S., Cohen, M.A., Elgie, S. and Lanoie, P., 2013. The Porter hypothesis at 20: can environmental regulation enhance innovation and competitiveness?. Review of Environmental Economics and Policy, p.res016. Barringer, B., 2012. Entrepreneurship: Successfully Launching New Ventures, (2012). Calabrese, G. ed., 2012. The greening of the automotive industry. Springer. Carley, S., Krause, R.M., Lane, B.W. and Graham, J.D., 2013. Intent to purchase a plug-in electric vehicle: A survey of early impressions in large US cites. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 18, pp.39-45. Cuellar-Healy, S. and Gomez, M., 2013. Marketing Module 4: Competitor Analysis Example (No. 186568). Cornell University, Department of Applied Economics and Management. Fleisher, C.S. and Bensoussan, B.E., 2015. Business and competitive analysis: effective application of new and classic methods. FT Press. Grant, R.M., 2015. Contemporary Strategy Analysis 9e Text Only. John Wiley Sons. Grosjean, C., Miranda, P.H., Perrin, M. and Poggi, P., 2012. Assessment of world lithium resources and consequences of their geographic distribution on the expected development of the electric vehicle industry. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 16(3), pp.1735-1744. Hamilton, L. and Webster, P., 2015. The international business environment. Oxford University Press, USA. Hollensen, S., 2015. Marketing management: A relationship approach. Pearson Education. Kolios, A. and Read, G., 2013. A political, economic, social, technology, legal and environmental (PESTLE) approach for risk identification of the tidal industry in the United Kingdom. Energies, 6(10), pp.5023-5045. Magretta, J., 2013. Understanding Michael Porter: The essential guide to competition and strategy. Harvard Business Press. Moritz, M., Redlich, T., Krenz, P., Buxbaum-Conradi, S. and Wulfsberg, J.P., 2015, August. Tesla Motors, Inc.: Pioneer towards a new strategic approach in the automobile industry along the open source movement?. In Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), 2015 Portland International Conference on (pp. 85-92). IEEE. Rothaermel, F.T., 2015. Strategic management. McGraw-Hill. Upson, J.W., Ketchen, D.J., Connelly, B.L. and Ranft, A.L., 2012. Competitor analysis and foothold moves. Academy of Management Journal, 55(1), pp.93-110. Vitali, G., 2012. Agreements and Joint Ventures in the Electric Vehicle Industry. In The Greening of the Automotive Industry (pp. 225-239). Palgrave Macmillan UK. Wesseling, J.H., Faber, J. and Hekkert, M.P., 2014. How competitive forces sustain electric vehicle development. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 81, pp.154-164.

Proximity Is Everything Implementing free essay sample

While I do not condone are even rebuke any that pursue their own peppiness in this life, I do caution and forewarn those that do not take heed of the Word of God whilst proceeding in their own pursuits first. To delve farther into the background of family theology and how one can implement a strong foundation in their perspective congregations, family theology must be defined and refined to meet our current cultural needs. I do not mean the needs of your local town, area, or region. I mean the cultural needs of the Church. The Church and body of Jesus Christ, His chosen bride to accompany Him into eternity. The first word in the phrase, family, is in fact the first sanctioned union given to an by God, through Adam and Eve. Once God had Adam name all of the animals, Adam realized that, while all the other animals in the kingdom had opposites, he did not. We will write a custom essay sample on Proximity Is Everything: Implementing or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page God created woman from man and wed them on the first day, charging them to be fruitful and multiply, to fill and subdue the world and all in it, and to always and forever be faithful to Him, who created and protected them. Family was around before sin fell on man and Earth. The marriage of man and woman was sanctioned before any other in time. It falls before any youth program, any counseling, any bible school class and is truly only second in attention to God Himself. Families are close to Gods heart (Uniting and Uniting, 2006, Para. L). Uniting and Uniting add, Even after they fell into sin, (Adam and Eve) God continued with His plan for families, and even spoke prophetically of the salvation that would come through the seed of the woman in Genesis 3:1 5 (Uniting and Uniting, 2006, Para. L). The second word of the title is theology. Family theology is parallel and synonymous with family ministry. Family ministry, according to Stations and Jones, describes how a church partners with parents so that the Christian formation of hillier occurs not only at church but also in the household (Stations and Jones, 2011, p. 15). Theology, broken down by Elmer Towns, takes place, Anytime someone takes several Scripture verses and synthesizes them into one sermon or Sunday school lesson, he is constructing a theology (Towns, 2008, p. 5) He further explains that theology is similar to someone saying, I know where you are coming from when you make a statement. Theology describes an approach to a topic trot the point to view of the instructor. We identify these principles, categorize them, see how they fit into consistent pattern and how they relate to life. This is the role of theologize (Towns, 2008, p. 9). Theology is simply the process of taking the Word of God and His works, in both the supernatural and natural, and rationally inquiring, using faith and the scientific method of demonstra ting with a purpose of organizing the results into a complete expression that can be translated and defended. Systematically we can conclude that family theology is the study of the Bible and its teaching on family. We culminate a constructive and plausible set of teachings designed around what Gods word says about the family. We then inject these biblical truths and ideas by any meaner necessary. Most commonly, the median in which the information is translated is sermons, bible studies, and occasionally modeling. As one looks around, however, and examines the current status of our nations families and its declining ability to fulfill the great commission biblically, it is clear that the current methods are no longer appropriate for secular and church culture. Thusly, we as family minister must take drastic and radical shifts to realign our theologies back to the bible and centering on the family at its core. Too often, if a church even has a family ministry, it is centered around secular entertainment with an occasion scripture insertion to keep the elders and staff content with their purpose. Our ministries do not need more entertaining ideas, we need to re-root into our biblical ideas. We, as family ministers, do not need another DVD with attached fill in the blank handouts, we need families making their own DVDs together and constructing their own theology as such. We, as family ministers, do not need more programs and events to go attend together. We need to create our own events, entered first around God in worship and praise, then around each other in our perspective families. We, as family ministers, do not need to split up the teens from mom and dad, and then mom from dad, we need to be ministering as a whole family at the same time, and teaching dads and moms to minister to each other and their children. It is time for the first sanctioned union to come back to the first position in the family, instead of last or a close second-last. It is time for family ministers to begin swimming against cultural flow and cut a path for other families to follow and disciple with. Life Way, out of Nashville, Tennessee, has created a great study guide and material plan for minister attempting to re-center their church culture around the family instead of individualism. They break out a system of five steps to help churches build families. First is evaluation of the current family ministry. For some, this will be an easy task as many churches do not have a family ministry. Others have a limited ministry, or a ministry that may be similar, but not exact, such as marriage and family counseling, or a youth group that incorporates all members of the family on occasion. Life Way goes so far as to give you a free, printable evaluation sheet to fill out to assist in the effort. This form is easily found on the website listed in the bibliography of this paper. This writer does not condone or condemn the effectiveness of this evaluation nor have any affiliation with Life Way, only applauds them tort their generous Otto arts and ease to access and use. Secondly, they describe creating a plan for ministry based on the actions and activities identified from the evaluation. The evaluation may reveal that you already have the pieces in place to minister effectively to all age groups However the evaluation may reveal gaps in your plan or ministries that need to be strengthened (Anonymous, n. D. P. 3). Third is to communicate a comprehensive strategy. In this section, Life Way states to make regular updates regarding the family ministry page on your church website, make regular announcements in the services, and any other opportunities that come to pass. I would strongly add that the primary method be face to face, person to person. In this way, by word of mouth and face to face, the message is personal to the recipient. Forbes Magazine posted an article on their website titled, 5 Ways To Make a Killer First Impression. The author, Forewoman, gives some great secular pointers to follow that flow effortless for any minister as well. First, is to set an intention. This involves work on your part before you even enter into the event or meeting. Think about the kind of people you want to meet and what kind of interactions you want to have (Forewoman, 2011, Para. 4). Next, is to think about your ornaments. This is, of course, not pertaining to the Christmas Tree, but rather your own apparel, such as shoes, Jewelry, watches, and even make-up (ladies). Forewoman suggests getting several outfits together and having friends and colleagues Judge them for you in accordance with the particular event or occasion. Make sure the way you look is app ropriate to the portrayal of our Father and Lord, Jesus Christ. Next, be conscious of your body language. Forewoman challenges you to simply be aware of the body language you present. If you find yourself having a hard time doing this, video tape yourself giving a sermon or lesson, or simply watch yourself in a mirror. She reminds us to notice where we point our feet, the position of the shoulders and the way you shake hands. Fourth, is to avoid bad days. Forewoman says that if you are having a bad day, stay home if at all possible. If you cannot stay home, find a way to snap yourself out of the bad mood. For ministry, going home is rarely an option, therefore, we must find what motivates and encourages us. For myself, it is usually listening to certain songs of worship, such as the Revelation Song, by Kari lobe, or Lead Me To the Cross, by Hellions. For you the reader, that is something that you must prepare for well in advance of starting this process, and involves you and God. Lastly, is to be interested and interesting to he group and person. This goes hand-in-hand with the whole idea of servant-hood and obedience to Christ. As effective ministers, we must take interest in the lives of our disciples. A very easy way to bridge the gap on the first impression or first introduction, is to serve the people, in some way, you will be ministering and administering to. The fourth item on Life Ways list is to make their specific magazine part of your strategic resource. Again, I am not affiliated with this group, so I will alter this item by stating that as family ministers, we must use any and all resources at hand to be detective and nougat ministers. Witt the advent to the internet, so many phenomenal resources are now available to all ministers and teachers. With the good comes great evil, however, and one must use a high level of caution when choosing what sources he will accept as true and appropriate. A minister must always put information and instruction to the test, the test of the Word of God. The last step in the Life Way list is to allow yourself to become a channel for Christian families and help them on a daily basis. This is done by including a family emphasis in the congregation, such as a minute, comment or complete update urine worship times, asking members to share testimonies about the church and their family, starting a productive blob keeping families updated to new things happening with the ministry, have family based small group studies and sessions, have family geared outings that bring all members together, and other great ideas such as visiting the homes of each family and ministering to them there emphasizing things like eating meals together around the table, family prayer time, constructive TV viewing, praying for each other, and servant-hood. A recent survey conducted by Life Way Church Consultants polled several of their gained church participants as to what the top five concerns of their congregations were. They were, with percentages: 65% Finances, Economy; 50% Family, Family Relationships; 27% Time Management (work and home); 26% Discipleship; 10% Illnesses (Anonymous, 20 11, p. 10). After examining several other surveys, very similar results are concluded . The top four concerns are all things that stem around and from the family and that we have direct control over. The last is simply a fact of life and must only be endured through. It should be very clear and evident that the church is yearning for a change. It is yearning to be reconnected with its families. It should also be apparent that we, as family ministers, have at our disposal an arsenal of tools and ideas to assist in our efforts, let alone the most important key to all ministry, the personal backing of our Lord, Jesus Christ, whose purpose is so much greater than our own in our ministries. One of the most important ways to reach out to these families is a matter of which I have already brushed up upon. It is that ministers need to get into the trenches down and dirty with these families in their own territories. This meaner that we have o be in the homes and dwellings of the lives of the families. Jesus Himself did most of His miracle and discipleship in small groups and processions. Instead of working the crowd, Jesus invited a handful of men to Join Him in a three-year mentoring relationship (Early and Guttering, 2010, p. 274). By this method alone, we are able to multiply ourselves. We show them what it meaner to follow and obey the Lord biblically in their natural environment. Eating at the table, praying together, worshiping together, loving and supporting each other, encouraging each other, and training each other to be better servants, all as a family. We show them the pitfalls from our enemy and the most common problem starters, such as finances, employment issues, school and education of the children, fights with outsiders and each other, sibling rivalry, and media corruption. By snowing an active and personal interest in their family, they learn about true servant-hood, discipleship, and most importantly, the relationship a true man/woman of faith has with Christ. Multiplication may be costly, and in the initial stages, much slower than addition, but in the long run, it is the most effective way of accomplishing Chrisms Great Commission And the only way. (Early and Guttering, 2010, p. 276). Investing time in our families with multiply themselves over and over again and only exponentially increase the Kingdom and your personal Heavenly rewards. Another great and inspiring aspect of family ministry is gratitude. This is true with all ministry, but especially important to family ministry. If we are truly grateful ministers, then gratitude will be a common anthem in our sermons, writings, publications, e-mails, and conversations. Grateful ministers beget grateful worshippers! (Early and Guttering, 2010, p. 90). We want to be grateful for what the Lord entrusts to us, as well as mentor others to do the same. Our own example is the greatest way to show this. Ryan Rush, author of Walls, why everybodys stuck (and nobody has to be) makes many great and enlightening points in his book. He shows that we all face walls that separate and isolate us from each other and from God. He defines, A wall is an unhealthy mind-set that keeps you from living life as God intends (Rush, 2011, p. 22). The point I want to add to this is that a family as a whole can also construct a wall that divides them from the rest of the world, especially the church. Many times without even knowing it. For example, many families quite simply deny that they need any assistance at all from anyone, even though they fight constantly, yell and scream at each other, or even get physically abusive. Or one parent is completely neglectful to the other or their children. This wall would be of pride. Family ministers are faced with exposing these walls and getting the family all on the same page as to what God tells us about these walls to begin to tear them down, brick by brick. I encourage any ministry pastor, leader, and even volunteer to take the Walls Evaluation online to get to understand their own walls and learn of the others that exist that will be encountered. The last, greatest, and sometimes hardest portion of family ministry is proper, biblical discipleship of our youth. With youth, and teens especially, proximity is everything. Research is quite unanimous, parents matter most in shaping the religious lives of their children. (Dean, 2010, p. 1 12). Youths ability to imitate the attitudes and Mind of Christ depend, to a daunting degree, on whether or not the parents do. But, many parents lack conviction and the confidence to provide and live out this faith, let alone teach it to their children. Therefore, we as family ministers, must yearn and strive to equip them to do so. We also must equip parents to be bi- lingual. By this I mean they must speak the unadulterated Word of God to their children and be able to explain it, but they must also speak the language of the youth, in a way that the youth can relate back and connect with their parents and mentors. In conclusion, Tamil ministry is not dying in this world, it is changing. Like the ancient Roman civilization, if we do not adapt the Church culture, we too will fade into history. Our commission is both so very simple, yet impossible without the trench, conviction and motivation that the Holy Spirit gives to us. The family is the key element to the church. It is the backbone to the Church of Christ and the Kingdom of Heaven. It was the first sanctioned union on this Earth and will be the final sanctioned and eternal union in Heaven, between Christ and His bride. Let us not only endure forward but blaze forth a new path into uncharted waters.

Problem-set Essays - Mathematical Finance, Actuarial Science

Problem-set Essays - Mathematical Finance, Actuarial Science 1. Three teachers have different accounts in the same bank. Use the information given below about each teacher to find the missing variable. Mr. Draft: Invested $450 in savings plan A with annual interest rate 11.4%. After time, he ended up with a total of $629.55 in her account. How long did he invest? Mr. Callahan: Invested in savings plan B and earned $25.26 in interest on her investment of $867.26. He started his investment in January and ended it in June. What was his interest rate? Fr. Moeller: Invested in savings plan C with an annual interest rate of 12%. After two years she earned $124.50 in interest. How much did she invest? Answer the question asked for each teacher. 2. On a credit card you charge $200 with an annual interest rate of 15%. Find the amount of interest that you owe if it takes you the following times to pay the credit card. 6 months: 1 year: 2 years: 5 years: 10 years: 20 years: What happens as you take longer and longer to pay off your bill? 3. Accumulate P20,500 for 110 days at 11.5% simple interest 4. What is the principal invested at 8.125% simple interest on May 21, 2007 that will amount to 14,615 on November 18, 2007? 5. Accumulate P15,800 for 4 years and 9 months at 6.875% simple discount. 6. Discount P16, 400 for 5 years and 3 months at 9.875% simple discount. 7. If 25,000 accumulates to 26,700 in 2.5 years, find the (a) interest rate (b) discount rate A 4 month note dated July 4, 2004 with face value of P25,000 bears interest at 13.6%. The note is discounted on September 13, 2004 at a bank whose discount rate is 12.375%. Find the proceeds. 8. How long will it take P4,500 to amount to P6,100; if interest rate is compounded quarterly. 9. How long will it take for P7,350 to amount to P18,500, if invested at 8% compounded monthly? 10. If P3,050 accumulates to P8,660 in 5 years. What is the interest rate compounded monthly? 11. Find the rate compounded quarterly if P745 accumulates P786 in 3 years and 9 months. 12. What nominal rate compounded monthly, will yeild the effective rate 4%? 13. If interest is compounded quarterly find the nominal rate if thge effective rate is 9% 14. Find the effective rate corresponding to the rate 5% compounded quarterly 15. When interest is compounded monthly, find the effective rate corresponding to the nominal rate 3% 16. Find the compound amount and compound interest on principal P20,000 borrowed at 6% compounded annually for 3 years. 17. Find the compound amount, which would be obtained from an interest of P2000 at 6% compounded quarterly for 5 years 18. Find compound interest on P2500 invested at 6% per annually, compound semi-annually for 8 years. 19. Find the interest using the four methods on P8,000 at 11.5% interest from August 2, 2006 to Novemeber 27,2006. 20. Find the interest on P12,000 at 9.875% from NOvember 20,2007 to April 6, 2008.

5 Ways to Get Back on Track After the Holidays

5 Ways to Get Back on Track After the Holidays It’s the first workday in January. You’re back at your desk after a rough back-to-normal commute, and you may even be a wee bit hungover from New Year’s shenanigans (we don’t judge). Your office will be back to business-as-usual, which means you need to be too. Here are some ways to make that transition from Holiday You back to Everyday You with minimal stress and fuss. 1. Don’t expect to go full-throttle at 9 a.m.Remember, many of your officemates will be in the same situation, easing back to normal after travel or down time. It’s likely that no one is interested in a 9 a.m. meeting or expects you to have everything sorted and addressed right away. Before you even get to work, think about what you want to accomplish that first day back. Pick one or two main goals for your day. If you have standard daily tasks, give yourself a little more time to do those so that you can get used to the routine again.2. Do some triage before you dive in.Inste ad of responding to emails in the order they came in while you were out, dig through your inbox first. Urgent, red-exclamation-point emails should get priority of course, but after that figure out what needs to be addressed right now versus items that can wait until later in the day (or even tomorrow). This way you’ll get some control over your day, instead of being a slave to the inbox.3. Schedule some breaks.Even if it’s five minutes to grab a coffee or just to take a quick walk, make sure you’ve given yourself the opportunity to take breathers. Don’t tether yourself to your desk for eight hours. If possible (and it’s not too cold), step outside for some fresh air, especially around lunchtime.4. Bring a snack.This might sound a little juvenile, but it’s just as valid for adults as for kids. If your workplace is anything like mine, the place has been full of candy and holiday treats for the past month. Now that the holidays are over, the of fice will likely go back to being a sad, candy-less place. Yet your brain and your body may have become conditioned to get treats at various points during the day, so bringing a small snack to keep at your desk can help calm those expectations of goodies. Double bonus points if you pack something healthy.5. Try to leave on time.Unless there’s a very specific project or reason to stay beyond your normal work hours, peace out on time- especially on the first few days back. This can help you mentally reset your routine. Plus, it sets a boundary for the upcoming year, especially if work-life balance was one of your resolutions.The first day back can be a challenge. Remember that you’re not alone, and there are things you can do to make it easier on yourself. There’s no need to be a hero on day one. After all, it’s a long way until the next big holiday weekend! Aiming for â€Å"calm and productive† is a solid start to 2016.

Selling Poor Steven Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Selling Poor Steven - Essay Example Many others, however, bought slaves for the same reason that white men did, which was to make a profit. This was done as a form of assimilation in a mistrustful social atmosphere (186). Slavery for freed black men was a different affair from the slavery invoked by white men. Black slaveowners bought family members as slaves to protect them and to free them a few years later. Similarly, black slaveowners would marry a slave, start a family, and then offer to purchase them from the original slaveowner. After the black slaveowner bought his family, he would free them. However, being able to buy and sell family members also had its downsides, being used as more of a threat if a family member were to get out of line or misbehave. All the same, freed black men were able to use their power to own slaves for humanitarian purposes, bringing an end to slavery for many others. Then there were the black slaveowners that treated their slaves no differently than white slaveowners treated their own . Black slaveowners still exploited the people that were lesser than them, regardless of having the same skin color. This caused great mistrust between slaves and freed black men alike. It was assumed that these prior slaves would understand what it felt like to be slaves to cruel and vicious people, which would prompt them to treat their own slaves with kindness and respect. This, however, was not always the case, and not all of the slaves were treated with compassion (192). A journal left by black slaveowner William Johnson revealed a resentment towards white slaveowners, but also revealed the need to fit in among them, which is why slaves were treated as they were by black slaveowners. â€Å"The story of black slaveowners gives powerful evidence that slavery was just as complex an institution for them [...] as it was for whites (192).† When the Civil War approached, life became difficult for slaveowners of all color. When the Emancipation Proclamation was signed and implem ented in 1863, which freed all slaves, every slaveowner had something bad to say about it. Even the black slaveowners who bought their families for protection were unhappy at the thought of losing their servants despite the reason they had boughten them to begin with. Though the concept of black slaveowners was short lived, it still caused a great impact on the institution of slavery while it lasted. The purpose of Philip Burnham’s article is to show the many reasons that black slaveowners kept slaves in comparison to the reasons that white men kept slaves, all of which were previously stated. Burnham uses historical evidence, such as journals kept by black slaveowners and records about which slaveowners bought which slaves, to support his thesis. Also included were snippets from some of the wills of these slaveowners, which often mentioned the freeing of their slaves after the death of the owner. Or, if slaves were to be passed on to family, some of the wills declared that t he slaves must be treated kindly and released after a certain amount of years. Some of the information provided by Burnham may have been simply assumptions, but they were still backed up by the historical facts and documents that were left by others. Burnham proved his theory to my satisfaction, and I agree with his statements as to the conditions and reasons that black slaveowners bought slaves. Newly made black slaveowners

Finance and Financial Markets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Finance and Financial Markets - Essay Example The supporters of efficient capital market theory claim that the stock prices are efficient enough to fully represent information. But, the efficient capital market theory remains silent when the median revenue before the 1987 crash were $18.6 million, and right after the two years of crash, the median revenue increased to $34.7 million. Before the market crash of 1987, the standard deviation of revenue was $276 million, but after two years of crash, the standard deviation of revenue increased to the level of $327 million. On the one hand, capital markets crashed; on the other hand, the median revenue and standard revenue were steadily increasing. In this paper, a critical evaluation of efficient capital market theory is carried out in the following parts of the essay. Besides, types of capital markets, technical analysis and fundamental analysis are incorporated into this piece of writing. Definition An efficient capital market is such type of stock market where the current stock pr ices fully reflect information, including the information of risk (Schweser, 2004). In the year of 1970, Eugene Fama (1970) introduced the concept of ‘Efficient Capital Markets’. In which, efficient capital markets are clearly defined. ... And, this theory is less relevant to small and medium sized companies. As the small and medium sized companies do not have sufficient volume and sufficient size of capitalization in stock markets, the application of this theory would not serve any of their major objectives. An efficient capital market is based on certain assumptions: first, this theory assumes that the market participants fully understand stocks. And, on the basis of this understanding, they value stocks. Second, a piece of information appears in a random fashion; all pieces of information are independent of each other with regard to timing. Third, fund managers instantly start evaluating the prices of stocks as soon as a new piece of information arrives. In order to make appropriate investment decisions, they carefully monitor the stocks movements. Types of efficient market Weak-form efficient markets In this type, stock prices reflect the historical market information. This type of efficient market is based on the assumption that stock prices reflect currently available historical market information. Consequently, no relationship exists between past and future stock prices. The historical value of information is already incorporated into the current prices. Hence, it would be of no value to study the previous stock prices. Additionally, this type of efficient market hypothesis may be implausible in many situations (Poterba and Summers, 1988; Pesaran and Timmermann, 1995,2000). Semi-strong form efficient market In the semi-strong form, stock prices rapidly adjust to information that is publically available. This stock price adjustment can be upward or downward. It depends upon the nature and type of information available publically.

Raid Research Essay Example for Free

Raid Research Essay The word RAID stands for redundant ray of independent disks. Raid is usually used in environments with servers or at a business with large file servers, transaction of application servers, where data accessibility is critical, and fault tolerance is required. There are 8 types of raids, Raid 0 is technically not a raid level because it offers no fault tolerance but, it operates by providing data stripping which takes the information and spreads it out over all the disk drives. However, if one drive fails than the entire raid fails. Raid 1 is also referred to as disk mirroring; it basically takes the information from one disk and stores it on multiple disks, this is great for fault tolerance because if one disk fails the information is on another disk. The only drawback to raid 1 is data access speed and the cost because there are more disks involved. Raid 5 is considerably the most commonly used Raid level simply because it provides both stripping and parity. The parity block is distributed to all of the drives making it easier to access the information or have a balanced access load. The parity in raid 5 is used if one of the drives happens to fail, to recover that drive which makes the raid 5 the most common however the only drawback to this raid level is that it has a relatively slow write cycle. Lastly, RAID level 6 which is very similar to raid level 5 but provides two parity functions rather than just one. A minimum of four disks is required to create RAID level 6. Raid level 0, even though it offers no redundancy, is still of use mainly to those who use applications that require high bandwidth such as data streaming or video editing software. Raid level 0 is also used because it’s most simple to implement. Raid level 1 is most expensive because it requires more disks to implement. It also requires heavy software manipulation and configuration to implement Raid level 1. If I were to purchase raid it would absolutely be raid level 0 simply because its easy to implement and it would be efficient for my personal usage.

Article Of Confederation Essay -- essays research papers

Government under the Articles of confederation could not deal effectively with many issues that arose during the 1780’s. Despite it’s many weaknesses, the new government accomplished a great deal. The western lands became the prize and treasure of the new government. Since the Articles of Confederation could only request financial support form the states instead of demanding taxes, these western lands replaced taxes. The so called “public domain'; or unsettled land were larger than all the established states put together. Therefore, by selling the land, the weak new government received money that it couldn’t find in any other way. Instead of using this vast area like the European did with the thirteen colonies we made an “Empire for Liberty.'; The Empire was built by adding new states. This was an extremely unique idea among people during the time. The charting of the vast western public domain was one way the government under the Articles of Confederati on was praiseworthy. It was the greatest single achievement in domestic policy for the Confederation   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Under the Articles of Confederation each state was given the power to regulate their own currency. Each state issued it’s own money. As a result nobody knew exactly how much a New York dollar was worth compared to a one from New Jersey or Virginia. The more money there was in circulation, the less a dollar was worth. Finally, there was j...

Life Without Technology Essay

If someone told me that I would have to be technology-free for 24 hours I would probably have asked them for a tranquilizer so I could sleep through the horrid day. From the moment my alarm clock goes off in the morning to the time I set it at night I am using some sort of technology. I couldn’t even eat lunch at school without the help of those little machines that take our meal plans. Last week I did my best and tried as hard as I could to be free from technology. Obviously, being at college made it impossible but it was a good experience nonetheless. After my alarm goes off, it’s time to take a shower. The lights aren’t necessary so I leave them off. I come back from my shower with sopping wet hair and decide to suck it up and leave the blow dryer in the closet. It’s Monday so I only have one class, which means I have more time to torture myself. On the way to lunch my roommate and I take the stairs; I live on the 7th floor so we know this won’t last long. On my way out I contemplate whether or not the lock on our mailboxes is too technologically advanced for me to use. Honestly, I would have to admit that my day was not all that bad. My wet hair eventually dried itself from running up and down the seven flights of stairs. There is so much that we take for granted it is unbelievable. Even if I wanted to be absolutely free from technology I couldn’t. Lights are on everywhere you go and someone always wants you to listen to the message on their cell phone from their boyfriend. There are unavoidable motion sensor lights and unavoidable automatic doors. Car trips, if driving in the car were even allowed, would be extremely boring not to mention dangerous. Without traffic signals there would be a lot of accidents; for some reason I don’t think people would pay attention to little men in bright orange vests  waving flags. I am convinced that without technology smoking and drug use would increase and people would be fat. While people would be forced to walk most places I think that they would just choose to stay closer to home. Sleeping would probably take precedence over most activities, except maybe those associated with reproduction. So basically if you think about it the world would literally be one big, fat, high, drunk family. On Mondays I have geography and my teacher lectures with the help of PowerPoint. Since there is no way I can copy notes from just listening I once again must give in to the machine. On the way back from class my roommate and I cut through the Science building to make our trip shorter. It isn’t until I am through the second door that I realize the doors are handicapped accessible and automatic. It’s amazing the little things we take for granted. When I get back to the room, seven flights later, automatically the first thing I do is flick on the lights. I then shake my head and turn them off.

A Divided World and a Divided Self

Synge’s Playboy of the Western World is essentially a play of opposites. The tension between tradition and individualism is the active force that drives the characters toward the comic conflict.Shawn and Christy embody the masculine half of this equation while Pegeen Mike and the widow Quinn exemplify the feminine. Interestingly, the conflicts of the characters in isolated situations throw a brighter light on their motives than when secondary characters are present in the scene.While much of the play’s actual humor derives from the chorus-like responses of subordinate characters (notably when the pub patrons question Christy about his father’s supposed murder), the inner lives of the four main characters are explored in greater detail in direct dialogue exchanges.For this reason, it is important to consider Playboy of the Western World as a psychological as well as a social inquiry into the early 20th century Irish mind.The moral, social and familial institutions at work in the lives of the characters are inseparable from the behavior of the characters themselves and their behavior, in turn, affects the ways they perceive and challenge the institutions that establish a collective social identity. Synge’s satire, then, is fundamentally subversive. By undercutting a prevalent strain of Irish romanticism Synge effectively exposes the difference between the real and the ideal in Irish opinions about their own history and customs.The influence of religion is at the heart of Synge’s concern. Shawn’s reluctance to stay with Pegeen Mike overnight testifies to his fear of the priest’s, and by extension, the community’s censure. This is confirmed when he admits, â€Å"I'm afeard of Father Reilly; and what at all would the Holy Father and the Cardinals of Rome be saying if they heard I did the like of that?† Shawn is unable to take the passionate leap in terms of his affection for Pegeen Mike, being overly con cerned with outward appearances.Though his presence at the pub overnight will not be breaching social etiquette in any way immediately revealed by the opinions of the pub house patrons, he worries about the possibility that some vague â€Å"other† will entertain harsh opinions. For this reason, Shawn is repeatedly unable to take a stand for what he purportedly desires—marriage to Pegeen Mike.While religion is key, Shawn also demonstrates a pronounced avoidance to action of any kind. He is fearful of what he perceives as Christy’s passionate and unpredictable nature. The threat of violence is abhorrent to Shawn. However, his pacifism is not the result of moral objection but rather a product of physical cowardice.Christy, in contrast, is not concerned with the price of taking extreme action. Despite his meek exterior, his story of parricide is told with earnest, and he behaves first in such a way that he seems shell shocked by committing the murder. Later, of cour se, this turns into something else, when he begins to celebrate his action as proof as his own manliness.This is an important turn in the play because he moves from a fear of the social judgment of his illegal and immoral action into a defiant assertion of his own individualism. This shift occurs because he senses the positive (and perverse) effect his reputation as a murder has on the members of the community in general and on Pegeen Mike in particular.Once Christy recognizes the advantages he has when perceived as â€Å"dangerous† he quickly adopts a romantic and celebratory posture. His pride in the matter is exactly what sets him up for his serio-comic fall when his father, the elder Mahon, appears miraculously â€Å"raised† from the dead.Another pair of characters defined by their opposing views is that of Pegeen Mike and the Widow Quin. Their pronounced division is related to domesticity. While the Widow Quin is perceived as an outsider and generally shunned by t he community, she is more of a realist. This is evidenced when Mahon arrives and the widow does not reject Christy as a potential love interest.As an older and more mature woman, the Widow Quin is not as easily swayed by the romantic appeal Christy’s story of murder offers. She is more interested in his companionship and status as a help-mate. She is eminently practical.Pegeen Mike, however, is far different. For the twenty year old barmaid, the idea of a savage killer for a husband is alluring. Shawn’s proposal disgusts her when compared to that of Christy because he lacks the essential brutishness that defines her idea of an appropriate mate.Consider the hastiness of her words when she says, â€Å"Wouldn't it be a bitter thing for a girl to go marrying the like of Shaneen, and he a middling kind of a scarecrow, with no savagery or fine words in him at all?† She is not concerned with the pragmatic reality of what it means to be married to a man who has defied t he law. Her head is full of high romance and flattered by Christy’s sentimentally poetic use of language.

Economic Boom of the 1920s Essay Example

Economic Boom of the 1920s Essay Example Economic Boom of the 1920s Essay Economic Boom of the 1920s Essay Merely those who know small or nil about economic sciences and the really naif did non cognize in the twelvemonth 1925 that economic difficult times follow good times as economic roars and slacks are cyclical. Still. there were assorted grounds why even seasoned economic experts may hold speculated that economic prosperity of the 1920s would go on forevermore. Machinery. fabrication workss and the procedure of standardised mass production were the chief grounds for the exhilaration of the 1920s ( Schultz and Tischler ) . In fact. the economic system of the United States continued to turn until 1929. The First World War had encouraged industry to spread out. Labor deficits coupled with the demand to increase production had stimulated the development of efficient manners of production. Taylorism or scientific direction to streamline procedures of production in order to increase production capacity had been introduced around the state. With new machinery and direction tools. worker productiveness was raised. This rise in productiveness increased rewards. thereby increasing ingestion. Americans were besides encouraged to utilize recognition to fuel ingestion at the clip. The installment program was an invention of the 1920s. What is more. the authorities supported concerns by raising duties on foreign goods. cut downing personal income revenue enhancement and corporate revenue enhancement. revoking revenue enhancements on net incomes. and looking into unjust trade patterns as a agency to promote concerns to spread out ( Schultz and Tischler ) . The consumer psychological science in 1925 was another ground why many may hold reasoned that economic slacks are a thing of the yesteryear. Americans had the wireless at the clip. in add-on to a turning gesture image industry to maintain their mentalities positive. They besides had electric contraptions at place and a turning car industry doing them believe their lives had changed forevermore in a positive way ( Schultz and Tischler ) . Then once more. all those who know about the economic roar flop rhythm were cognizant in 1925 that a slack is certain to follow a roar. Plants Cited Schultz. Stanley K. . and William P. Tischler. Civil War to the Present. American History 102. 1999. 1 Mar 2009. lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //us. history. wisc. edu/hist

Battle of Aspern-Essling - Napoleonic Wars Battle of Aspern-Essling

Battle of Aspern-Essling - Napoleonic Wars Battle of Aspern-Essling Conflict Dates: The Battle of Aspern-Essling was fought May 21-22, 1809, and was part of the Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815). Armies Commanders: French Napoleon Bonaparte27,000 increasing to 66,000 men Austria Archduke Charles95,800 men Battle of Aspern-Essling Overview: Occupying Vienna on May 10, 1809, Napoleon paused only briefly as he wished to destroy the Austrian army led by Archduke Charles. As the retreating Austrians had destroyed the bridges over the Danube, Napoleon moved downstream and began erecting a pontoon bridge across to the island of Lobau. Shifting his troops to Lobau on May 20, his engineers completed work on a bridge to the far side of the river that night. Immediately pushing units under Marshals Andrà © Massà ©na and Jean Lannes across the river, the French quickly occupied the villages of Aspern and Essling. Watching the Napoleons movements, Archduke Charles did not oppose the crossing. It was his goal to allow a sizable part of the French army to cross, then attack it before the rest could come to its aid. While Massà ©nas troops took positions in Aspern, Lannes moved a division into Essling. The two positions were connected by a line of French troops stretched across a plain known as the Marchfeld. As French strength increased, the bridge became increasingly unsafe due to rising flood waters. In an effort to cut off the French, the Austrians floated timbers which severed the bridge. His army assembled, Charles moved to attack on May 21. Focusing his efforts on the two villages, he sent General Johann von Hiller to attack Aspern while Prince Rosenberg assaulted Essling. Striking hard, Hiller captured Aspern but was soon thrown back by a determined counterattack by Massà ©nas men. Surging forward again, the Austrians were able to secure half of the village before a bitter stalemate ensued. At the other end of the line, Rosenbergs assault was delayed when his flank was attacked by French cuirassiers. Driving off the French horsemen, his troops encountered stiff resistance from Lannes men. In an effort to relieve pressure on his flanks, Napoleon sent forward his center, consisting solely cavalry, against the Austrian artillery. Repulsed in their first charge, they rallied and succeeded in driving off the enemy guns before being checked by Austrian cavalry. Exhausted, they retired to their original position. At nightfall, both armies camped in their lines while French engineers worked feverishly to repair the bridge. Completed after dark, Napoleon immediately began shifting the troops from Lobau. For Charles, the opportunity to win a decisive victory had passed. Shortly after dawn on May 22, Massà ©na launched a large-scale attack and cleared Aspern of the Austrians. While the French were attacking in the west, Rosenberg assaulted Essling in the east. Fighting desperately, Lannes, reinforced by General Louis St. Hilaires division, was able to hold and force Rosenberg out of the village. Seeking to retake Aspern, Charles sent Hiller and Count Heinrich von Bellegarde forward. Attacking Massà ©nas tired men, they were able to capture the village. With possession of the villages changing hands, Napoleon again sought a decision in the center. Attacking across the Marchfeld, he broke through the Austrian line at the junction of Rosenberg and Franz Xavier Prince zu Hohenzollern-Hechingens men. Recognizing that the battle was in the balance, Charles personally led forward the Austrian reserve with a flag in hand. Slamming into Lannes men on the left of the French advance, Charles halted Napoleons attack. With the assault failing, Napoleon learned that Aspern had been lost and that the bridge had again been cut. Realizing the danger of the situation, Napoleon began retreating into a defensive position. Taking heavy casualties, Essling was soon lost. Repairing the bridge, Napoleon withdrew his army back to Lobau ending the battle. Battle of Aspern-Essling - Aftermath: The fighting at Aspern-Essling cost the French around 23,000 casualties (7,000 killed, 16,000 wounded) while the Austrians suffered around 23,300 (6,200 killed/missing, 16,300 wounded, and 800 captured). Consolidating his position on Lobau, Napoleon awaited reinforcements. Having won his nations first major victory over the French in a decade, Charles failed to follow up on his success. Conversely, for Napoleon, Aspern-Essling marked his first major defeat in the field. Having allowed his army to recover, Napoleon again crossed the river in July and scored a decisive victory over Charles at Wagram. Selected Sources Historynet: Battle of Aspern-EsslingNapoleon Guide: Battle of Aspern-EsslingBattle of Aspern-Essling

Island of stone money Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Island of stone money - Essay Example When the Germans gained possession of the island, they ordered the chiefs of the districts in the island to repair the paths that had been neglected and were in poor condition. When the chiefs declined to administer the repair of the roads, the Germans sought a way of imposing fine on them. A person was sent to each disobedient district to mark the most valuable Fei with a black cross to indicate that the government now owned the stones (Friedman 3). The people then felt impoverished, repaired the roads, and the government then sent its agents to erase the marks. Consequently, the people regained possession of their Fei. Despite these people’s apparent lack of knowledge on how monetary systems work, the article compares their beliefs with an incident in the U.S where the Bank of France requested the Federal Reserve Bank to store its gold in its account. Consequently, the Federal Bank put French gold in separate drawers and put a label to indicate that it belonged to the French. The two incidents illustrate how important myth is to monetary matters. People tend to believe that their own money is more real and rational than those used by other societies. Because of these myths, people fail to realize that money from other countries may have high purchasing powers than theirs (Friedman 5). One of the characteristics of Fei that qualified it as money was its use by these people as a medium that could be exchanged for goods and services. The durability of these stones, another characteristic of money, ensured that they performed their duty as a medium of exchange and store of value. Durability as a feature of money is critical since it develops confidence that an item can be exchanged later for other goods. Fei can be classified as commodity money because its value was independent of regulatory forces but dependent on attached value on its material. Act of the Germans to mark the stones illustrates this because of the adverse effects that it

Viral Marketing Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 11250 words

Viral Marketing - Thesis Example This essay discusses how this kind of marketing is theorised and viewed. It considers various components of this marketing practice that organisations use, citing thriving e-commerce companies, like Amazon, while the opportunities and threats are also examined. The essay concludes that virtually all organisations, even in tradition-oriented marketing companies in the Czech Republic, can employ viral marketing as a productive organisational tool. This essay discusses the various components of viral marketing, such as buzz advertising, word-of-mouth, e-communications, and others, in order to show how viral marketing really works. This essay examines the appeal of viral marketing and the problems linked to viral marketing efforts. With a consideration of how the opportunities and threats of a viral marketing vary from those of a traditional method, the essay discusses why viral marketing is an appropriate tool for organisations in the Czech Republic. This essay reviews viral marketing a nd argues that it is created so that promotional materials and messages will be spread quickly in a cost-effective way. It thoroughly described different major components for a productive viral marketing technique. *images taken from Google pictures Thesis Statement: Because of the remarkable growth in e-communications, such as mobile phones and the Internet, viral marketing have become an important component of the marketing communications strategy in numerous organisations. Buzz advertising, word-of-mouth, e-mail direct marketing, wireless or mobile advertising, and online advertising and promotions are useful strategies to strengthen and improve viral marketing communications instruments. Viral marketing can improve awareness, enhance customer response, motivate product trial, and build brand equities. The natural interactivity of viral marketing grants them a powerful position in marketing communications strategy. Undoubtedly, in the future the role of viral marketing will becom e increasingly essential, and new media and technologies will come out. Yet, marketers should always bear in mind that a new media and technology can only be effective when potential customers are capable of and eager to use, accept, and understand it in their buying preferences. Indeed, viral marketing is just beginning to be recognised in the Czech Republic, although it is certainly the suggested and chosen standard in current marketing practice and communications. Understanding of the theory and discipline of viral marketing is now a matter of rigorous and wide-ranging research as there is a great deal of information about it. I. Introduction This dissertation will discuss the theoretical and practical features of viral marketing and review several of the methods and successful campaigns that have sped up the recognition of connected marketing. A brief discussion on the development of viral marketing in Czech Republic will be presented in the concluding part of the paper. Viral m arketing, particularly when applied in an integrated manner, can both enhance brand awareness and develop brand support (Arndt, 1967). And it is a quite cost-effective way of marketing, even for product, brand, or service that has no ‘memorable’ or ‘buzz’ (Brown, Barry, Dacin & Gunst, 2005) features. There are some people, when reflecting on marketing research, tend to visualise research instead of marketing itself. In fact, marketing research is officially identified as locating and

BMW expansion in China Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

BMW expansion in China - Research Paper Example It is said that the global wealth is slowly shifting from the European and American region to the more heavily populated Asian region at present. Many of the prominent companies in the world are now looking towards Asian region for growth or expansion prospects. China and India seem to be the number one and two targets of prominent American and European companies. China is the most heavily populated country in the world at present. Moreover, China is growing more rapidly than any other country in the world now and many people believe that China may replace United Sates in near future as the topmost economic power in the world. According to Keidel (2008), â€Å"China’s economy will surpass that of the United States by 2035 and be twice its size by midcentury† (Keidel, 2008). â€Å"The inflation rate in China was last reported at 4.4 percent in October of 2010. From 1994 until 2010, the average inflation rate in China was 4.25 percent reaching an historical high of 27.70 percent in October of 1994 and a record low of -2.20 percent in March of 1999† (China Inflation Rates, n. d) (See Appendix for more details). Moreover, â€Å"during 1997–2005, the PRC’s average annual growth rate in real GDP was 8.9%. During the forecast period of 2005–2010, it was assumed that the PRC continued its historical growth trend of 8.9% per year† (Mai et al, 2010, p.5). ... Even though huge population was a big barrier in front China’s march towards economic growth, they succeeded in converting this barrier in to a blessing and economists forced to rewrite many of their economic principles. Now China is a prominent labor supplier for the rest of the world. Even though Mao is still believed as a prominent leader in Chinese history, Deng was the actual leader who put bases for China’s rapid economic progress. Mao was adamant about communist principles whereas Deng succeeded in giving practical definitions to communism in China. In short, China is the most rapidly growing country in the world at present and most of the prominent companies are now focusing more on China for expansion prospects. The BMW Group in the US reported March (2009) sales of 21,125 vehicles, a decrease of 22.9 percent over the 27,404 vehicles sold in the same month of 2008. For the first quarter, The BMW Group also reported a year-to-date sales volume of 51,244 vehicles , down 25.2 percent, compared to 68,529 vehicles sold in the same period a year ago (BMW Sales Remain Low Down 26.8% - Mini Sales Decline 15.9% In March) BMW was a leader in automobile manufacturing till a couple of years before. However, same thing cannot be said about BMW at present because of the huge competition it faces from other automobile manufacturing companies along with the technical problems of tis vehicles. America and Europe were the most important markets for BMW earlier. However, the financial problems in these regions forced BMW to shift its focus towards more prosperous Asian region. This paper analyses how BMW was developed and is evolving in China, focusing more on areas like Positioning for Greater Global Competitiveness, Improving Globalization of Markets and

Developing Evaluative Skills Through Critiquing Quantitative Research

Developing Evaluative Skills Through Critiquing Quantitative Research Nursing is becoming a progressively evidence base profession. Arguably, Nightingale first popularised the link between nursing theory, nursing practice and research to inform an appropriate evidence base, and progress towards this goal has been ongoing ever since (Graham 2003). In nursing, a critique is often seen as a first step in learning the research process. However, conducting a critique is not a basic skill (Burns and Grove 2004). The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC, 2008) ruled it mandatory for the pre-registration nursing curriculum to teach EBP as a fundamental principle of proficiency. Research has become a priority for nurses of all specialities. This paper seeks to demonstrate how these evaluative skills can be developed by critiquing a quantitative research study. An acknowledgement of the credibility of the authors, the publishing journal, and the methods used the data collection and analysis, findings, ethical issues and the strengths and weakness of the research is made. The paper will be considered using the CASP critique tool for methodological consistency and ease of presentation (CASP 2000); shown in appendix 1; a copy of the tool is enclosed. The article, on which this critique research is made, was published in the journal of Advanced Nursing. The title of the article is, Tablet-splitting: a common yet not so innocent practice. The title of this article outlined above, is seemingly clear and explicit, although not as concise as Frances et al,(2007) would prefer; between ten and fifteen words. The title of this paper suggests that tablet splitting is a common practice, which is probably true, but it suggests that it is not so innocent, which smacks more of journalism than an academic paper. It is possible that the original Belgian text does not translate perfectly into English and this may be a translational syntactical inaccuracy. The article was accepted on 6 August 2010 and it was published in the Journal of Advanced Nursing 67(1), pages 26-32. Elsevier (2009) State that they only print manuscripts that have been peer reviewed with any necessary revisions made. This is favourable for the credibility of the article as the reader is assured that it has been scrutinised by an independent body of a similar field to the author/s. Elsevier also clarifies that the author must have the appropriate clinical and educational credentials for the research study. The four authors are all highly qualified, each with a PhD, three in academic pharmacology and a fourth who is a professor of geriatrics. A substantial literature search does not show any other publications by these authors. Quantitative research is formal and objective research that is concerned with collecting and analysing data that focuses on numbers and frequencies, rather than meaning or experience, it examines cause-and-effect interactions among variables using a systematic process (Burns and Grove, 1997; Ogier, 1999). The research that has been carried out for this published paper is an example of quantitative research and has been carried out using a randomised control trial method. A randomised control trial (R.C.T.) is a true experiment characterised by the manipulation of the independent variable, random assignment of individual subjects to the conditions and all other factors being controlled (Ogier, 1999). The R.C.T. was carried out as a small study in which five volunteers were asked to split eight tablets of different sizes and shapes, including medicines for Parkinsons disease, heart failure and arthritis. Participants used three different methods to split their pills: a splitting device , scissors or manual spitting for scored tablets, and a kitchen knife. In the article under scrutiny, the authors point out the fact that it is observed to be common clinical practice, particularly in nursing homes, to split tablets so that a proportion of the tablet dose can be conveniently given. This can be for economic or purely practical reasons as tablets are often supplied from stock and not always in the exact form or dose prescribed. They cite a German study in support (Quinzler et al 2006) which found that nearly 25% of administered drugs were split. It should however, be noted that on closer inspection, the Quinzler study is not particularly relevant to the UK situation, has a number of serious methodological errors and also did not consider a wide spectrum of clinical applications, nor is it in close agreement with other studies in this area. Its findings therefore are not particularly generalizable and are a poor choice of evidence in support of this paper. There is no doubt however, from taking a further overview of the available literature, that tablet-splitting does occur with a degree of regularity in clinical situations, and as such, the authors consider this investigation justified. The Abstract in this case is perfectly adequate, outlining the main points of the study. The main contentious issue is a comment in the Abstract conclusion which states that Large dose deviationsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. occurred when splitting tablets (Verrue et al 2011, p.26), a comment which is not actually borne out by the findings of the study. Close inspection of the results suggest that deviations of more than 25% of the original tablet mass occurred in 19% of cases, but the authors included those cases where one half spontaneously split further, and therefore would have no real clinical or practical significance. It has also to be noted that there is no indication in the abstract, of the methods of sample selection or whether this was in any way a controlled trial. It does however; serve the prime objective of an Abstract, which is to offer the reader sufficient information to determine whether further reading of the article would be appropriate (Robson 2006). The Introduction is comparatively short. The point about the citation of the Quinzler study has already been made, but the rest of the Introduction effectively sets out the rationale for the study, together with the justification for clinical relevance. It has to be observed that the literature review is comparatively brief with some comparatively old papers being cited (Barker et al 1982 and Babbington 1997) when there are a number of perfectly respectable authorities to make the same points that are much newer and would therefore be considered both more relevant and appropriate (Coombes et al 2009). The aims of the study are clearly stated, although the actual study design is not. It requires further reading through the paper to actually determine the methodology used (this is found under data collection), the sample selection, (this is found under Discussion which is really quite inappropriate) and also the means of determining the results (also found under data collection). It is also the case that the clinical significance of the rationale for the study is neither explicitly set out nor addressed. This is very relevant to the issue of tablet-splitting as if, as the cited literature suggests, there is a 25% variance in actual dose administration after splitting, then the degree to which it could be clinically important should be presented. One could suggest that in all but the most extreme cases, a 25% variation in the dose of Aspirin given is not likely to be hugely clinically significant, whereas a 25% variation in the dose of a cytotoxic drug may have profound consequences for the patient. There is no real consideration of this point, nor any concession to its absence (Polgar et al 2000). This element of the review of the literature in the introduction therefore has major deficiencies. The study design is quantitative in nature. The authors have used five healthcare professionals for the task of tablet-splitting. One has to read through to the study limitations segment to determine that the authors used an administrative co-worker, a laboratory technician, a pharmacy student and two pharmacists as the study cohort. On reflection, this seems a strange choice, as it is neither homogenous nor rational, as none of these groups are likely to be involved in tablet-splitting in the situation of the nursing home, which the authors have chosen to investigate (nor many other clinically relevant situations, in all probability). This choice seriously weakens both the generalizability of the findings and also the applicability of the study to the clinical evidence base for nursing. Another major shortcoming of the methodology of this paper is the fact that the authors included cases where the tablet split into more than two pieces as deviations from the mean. In most clinical situations the administration of a tablet, which has split into two halves, and one half has then broken further, is no less accurate if the pieces are administered as one piece or as several. The authors make no concession on this point and therefore are likely to significantly overestimate the inaccuracies in their findings. (Schulz et al 2005) Issues of sample selection have already been addressed above. Sample size appears to be completely arbitrary with a total of 1,200 operations spread over the group being considered a reasonable sample size. It is usual, in academic studies such as this to see calculations of minimum sample size to determine the power of significance. Its omission further reduces the applicability of the study (Rosenthal 2004). The ethical considerations are explicitly addressed, as ethical committee approval was not required because patients were neither involved nor personal details recorded (Bowling 2002). Some of the elements of bias and limitation have already been addressed. The results obtained have been subjected to a modest degree of statistical analysis with a one way ANOVA and a Turkeys post hoc analysis being carried out. One has to observe however, that the nature of the study is such that a more sophisticated data analysis is not really appropriate (Argyrous 2000). The results are presented in a clear and logical fashion, with 5 tables showing how the results were distributed. It is clear from the presentation of the results exactly what the authors have found; for example using a splitting device was the most accurate method. It still produced a 15 to 25 per cent error margin in 13 per cent of cases, but this was lower than the 22 per cent for scissors and the 17 per cent for the knife. Further critical reading is not necessary in this respect. An interesting feature of the study is the fact that weight loss of the tablet occasioned by the splitting process has also been determined, for example some tablets were much easier to split accurately than others. The easiest to split produced an overall error margin of 15 per cent deviation or more and the most difficult tablets produced an error margin of 19 per cent. Closer examination of the results however, shows that this does not just reflect the amount of material lost as powder or small fragments, as one might initially consider, but also the amount of the tablet that was inadvertently dropped on the floor. The authors rationalised this on the basis that a tablet, once having been on the floor, would not be subsequently given to the patient, which although undoubtedly true, does rather distort the results that are presented (Rosner 2006). The discussion element of this paper is something of a disappointment. The first element is a consideration of the study limitations, which entirely appropriate (Gomm et al 2000). The authors spontaneously point out the fact that the clinical effects or consequences of their findings are not presented (Verrue at el 2011 p. 29). This is a major detraction from the usefulness of this paper and would make the interpretation of the results by a non-clinician more difficult. The authors also concede that no nurses were selected for the experimental splitting group. This is quite remarkable, as one could intuitively suggest that it would be nurses, of various grades, who would actually be responsible for tablet-splitting in the vast majority of clinical circumstances. It is actually of little practical relevance for nursing homes to be able to understand how effective a Professor of Pharmacology is at splitting tablets. The authors go on to compare and contrast their findings with other work in the area (Mcdevitt et al 1998,Birton et al. 1999, Peek et al. 2002, Teng et al. 2002, Cook et al 2003) and point out the similarities and differences in their findings. This is an entirely appropriate and useful segment with the authors pointing out the specific fact that this type of study has not been done before and also that much of the similar work in this area is already a few years old (Verrue et al 2011 p.30) The discussion segment also notes that we aimed at providing nursing homes with advice for the best tablet-splitting technique in daily practice (Verrue et al 2011, p.30). One would suggest that this is not in congruence with the stated aims of the study (although it is tangentially relevant). One could also observe that the one thing that this study does not do, is to offer nursing homes a suitable evidence base on which to base their practices, as no clinically relevant staff were involved in the study. Some of the participants are unlikely to have a concept of the clinical significance of exactly halving the dose of the medication. This is a low grade study which had the potential to make an impact on the evidence base in an important clinical area. The methodological shortcomings and a lack of generalizability, greatly reduce any possibility of such an impact. The paper, although superficially well presented, with an admirable display of tables and easy to interpret data, has major flaws which become apparent on even the most superficial levels of critical analysis. The initial interest generated by a reading of the Abstract, did not translate into clinically useful data which could be applied into everyday nursing practice. An overview of the methodology suggests that the authors might have made a significant contribution to the evidence base in this area with a little more forethought and pre-study design consideration. This belief is given credence by the fact that the authors criticise themselves in the Study limitations segment, in areas which could quite reasonably have been considered before the actual investigation took place. This study does not materially contribute to the evidence base in this area. Appendix 1 Quantitative Research Papers Critiquing Tool A Framework for Critiquing Quantitative Research Papers Include full reference of paper here: (i.e. Author/s (date) Title of article. Journal title. Volume, Number, page numbers.) Critiquing Framework Title of Paper Is the aim or purpose of the study clear? Are the main variables of interest indicated? Is the study design or research method clear from the title? Is there any reference to the population from whom the data are collected? The Abstract/Summary Does this summarise the whole study? Is information provided regarding background, literature, aim/and objectives, hypotheses (if RCT), methods, sample size, measures used etc, results and conclusions? Does it suggest that a more detailed reading of the rest of the paper would be worthwhile? Introduction/Literature Review Background/rationale Why was the topic chosen, what is the background to the study? Is there a critical review of previous literature and related theoretical concepts? Are gaps in the literature identified? Aim and objectives What problem or issue is being investigated? How clearly is this problem or issue defined or explained? Is there a clearly stated aim? Do the research objectives or research questions support this aim? Are the variables of interest clearly defined `and are relationships between these evident and clearly stated? Which are the independent and dependent variables? Are hypotheses (if RCT) stated in a way that makes them testable? Method Research design What is the study design and is it clearly explained and appropriate for the research questions? Could the design be improved? Was there a pilot study? Research questionnaires What measures are used? Are validity and reliability reported for these measures either in the paper or clearly referenced? Have the authors dealt appropriately with any unreliable questionnaires or scales? Sample Is the population appropriate for the research question? How were the sample chosen? What is the sample size? Are statistical power considerations discussed? Are inclusion and exclusion criteria described? Can the results be reasonably generalised on the basis of this sample? Ethics Are ethical considerations presented. Is it suggested that ethical approval was granted? Results/Findings/Data analysis Does the paper explain clearly how the data are analysed? Are statistical techniques clearly and adequately described? Are the statistics presented at a simple descriptive level or are inferential statistics also included? How are the results presented? Does the text adequately explain any tables or graphs? Have any tests of significance established whether differences, or associations, between groups could have happened by chance? What p values are used? Are non-significant results clearly indicated? Discussion Is the discussion an accurate account of the results? Could there be other ways of interpreting the data? Does the discussion address the research aim and objectives? Are all the research questions answered? Conclusion Are the conclusions of the study consistent with the results of the statistical analyses? Are alternative conclusions suggested? Are theoretical and practical implications of the results adequately discussed? Are the recommendations suggested feasible? Limitations What are the limitations and are these acknowledged by the authors? Overall impression (CASP 2000)