Level 6 diploma in career guidance and development Essay

Level 6 diploma in career guidance and development - Essay Example All these depict that as a career developer one needs to cultivate a healthy relationship with people. Many theories have emerged trying to explain the existence of career guidance some of these include Holland’s Trait and Factor theory, Bandura’s Social Learning theory and Donald’s Super Developmental approach theory which I’m going to discuss at length in this essay. To begin with, John Holland Trait and Factor theory also known as the Topological theory, which base its argument on the fact that people can be helped based on the human characteristics they possess. Some of these traits include intelligence, self esteem and aptitude. This theory supports the notion that people can be introduced to careers that match with the nature of their characters and a result, this theory has been nick named and criticized as the ‘square peg in the square hole ‘ theory. (Alaos.K.A, Kobiowu.S.V, Adebowale. O.F, 2010, Pg.135) This theory also support the concept of self scrutiny or screening and further stipulates that accuracy of self analysis and career development influences ones career decisions.(Zunker,1990,pg.45). In a case study-James is fourteen year old boy who is just clearing junior High but however does not know the career to pursue in college. Following the concept of self scrutiny, I am able to gather that James has been a very active student in extra curriculum activities and to some extent he has been a football Captain of his school team. Based on his interests in sports, his good leadership qualities and his love for sciences we come to conclusion that James would pursue sport medicine in college. In my career development and counseling profession, Holland’s theory has enabled me to help people to discover their potentials and career through their talents and hobbies. Therefore this theory has eased the task of career decision making most especially with the teenagers who are coupled with

The Nature of Phobia Essay Example for Free

The Nature of Phobia Essay Your heart starts beating faster. Your palms start to sweat. Youre shaking, and suddenly youre short of breath. This is fear, an emotion we all experience at some point in our lives. It warns us when something is not safe, or even when we are outside our own comfort zone. Like, for instance, some of us might be glossophobic. Not familiar with the term? Well, it means youre afraid of public speaking. According to a recent study, it affects at least 75% of the population. Glossophobia is the most common phobia, even more so common than Necrophobia, the fear of dying. But what exactly is a phobia, anyway? Well, to have a phobia of something is to have an extreme and irrational fear of something to a point where it is disabling and is considered a mental disorder. Sometimes people will say they have a phobia when theyre just afraid of something. For example, many people tend to say that theyre arachnophobic, which is the fear of spiders and other arachnids. But really, most people are just afraid of them and dont have an actual phobia for them. In fact, an American study found that only somewhere between 8.7% and 18.1% of Americans suffer from a phobia. Now Ive introduced, what, three phobias to you already? Well, thats just the tip of the iceberg. There are literally hundreds of phobias out there, and if you can name it, theres probably a phobia for it. Like theres heliophobia, the fear of sunlight; anthophobia, the fear of flowers; phonophobia, the fear of loud noises; and tetraphobia, the fear of the number four. These may seem a bit ridiculous to us, these phobias affect hundreds of people around the world. And I suppose one must wonder†¦ how is it possible for someone to develop a fear of flowers? There are a few ways. People can be taught to fear something, by predisposing someone to something specifically to frighten them or simply by telling them they should be afraid of it. For example, if a small child is told not to play by the well because its dangerous, this child could very possibly develop a fear of wells. Another way to develop a phobia is to have a traumatic experience regarding the object they fear. For instance, if a child were to fall down a well, the child may develop a fear of wells in general, aquaphobia (the fear of water), acrophobia (fear of heights) or claustrophobia (the fear of enclosed spaces). So theoretically, its possible for someone to develop an irrational fear of just about anything.

Development of Buildability and Constructability

Development of Buildability and Constructability What is buildability or constructability? Is design for buildability or constructability is approachable? Can buildability concepts and theories enhance designers awareness of construction knowledge and buildability issues and reduce rework and increase construction productivity? , or can it inadvertently limit designers creativity? At the heart of this review paper are debates about the potential of buildability concept and the usability of construction knowledge in design to sustain and develop buildable designs. Construction is the worlds largest and most challenging industry [R. L. Tucker, 1986]. In 1997, the US construction industry accounted for 10% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employed over 10 Million, making the industry the largest in the country [E. Allmon, C. T. Hass, J. D. Borcherding and P. M. Goodrum, 2000]. On the other hand, a 10% increase in construction labour productivity would yield annual savings of about  £1 Billion to the British economy [R. M. W. Horner, B. T. Talhouni and H. R. Thomas, (1989).]; a similar conclusion was echoed by Stoekel and Quirke [S. Adams, (1989).]. Several factors affect project productivity but, buildability is among the most important [R. M. W. Horner, B. T. Talhouni and H. R. Thomas, 1989)., S. Adams, (1989)]. In practice, design and construction processes are normally carried out in a sequential manner. Since 1805 the construction industry has benefited from the various advantages this approach (Dunican, 1984). It allows the different parties in the project to compete and provide the best results for the project while defending and upholding their rights and duties within their respective disciplines (Griffith, 1986). Although the separation of design and construction allows the construction processes to be managed systematically between the various stages and disciplines, the industry is still being criticised for poor performance, being under productive, lack of competitiveness, and consuming longer product development time. Various studies have revealed that since 1950, the construction industry has realised the important of analysing design for construction implications, if the production work on site is to be effectively performed (Gray,1986). To overcome this inherent problems from the separation of design and construction, a concept known as buildability in the UK and constructability in USA is established and marketed to the industry (Illingworth, 1984; CIRIA, 1983; NEDO, 1975; Griffith, 1985; Gray, 1983; Moore, 1996). By using the buildability concept as a means to improve the construction industry, many ideas have been put forward by various researchers to remove the disadvantages of separating the design and construction process (Illingworth, 1983; CIRIA, 1983; CII, 1986; Tatum, 1987). The issue of buildability and academic research in the field for that matter has been an evolving one over the last three decades; moulded by reaction to changes in the procurement environment and in the case of academic buildability research, to advancements in the science of methodology. Regarding the latter, developing techniques such as neural networks, fuzzy decision making, buildability scores system and 3d/4d technology technologies have witnessed application among a range of assessing buildabilty problems (ref.). This paper will review and synthesise the existing research efforts in order to establish state of the art collective knowledge in relation to buildability problems causes and effects. It aims to create two separate taxonomies, which are comprehensive collections of all project change causes and change effects identified in previous studies. A simple case study is presented to demonstrate how the taxonomies provide a useful framework for construction professionals to manage project changes. However, they are not management tools that can be used directly in practice. Instead, they provide a basis for developing project management solutions and toolkits. While the industry focus of this study is construction, the developed taxonomies can be modified and adopted for other project-based industrial sectors (change). Aim and objectives of this study This backcloth of evolvement brings matters conveniently to the focus of this study, the aim of which was to critically appraise academic research within the field of construction buildability, published over a time window of circa 30 years prior to 2011. Objectives related to this aim included particular consideration of: (1) the foci of that research; (2) stated research drivers; (3) favoured methodological approaches; (4) research tools employed; and (5) the products of research effort. Buildability assessment method (6) Buildability attributes Based on observation of outcomes resulting from satisfying these objectives, the contribution of published academic research is considered, and future research direction intimated. The literature review: The principal method for this study is literature review and analysis. A preliminary review found that studies on buildability assessment fall into a broad spectrum, covering buildability problems causes and effects, buildability attributes, as well as assessment methods and techniques. Given the large volume of published work, there was a need to set a limit to the scope of the review. The study was chosen to focus on buildability assessment models and the stages of its implementation, because a good understanding of buildability models is a prerequisite for effective. Such a decision excluded papers from the review. The targeted literature sources are limited to refereed academic journals, published in English. They are a good representation of the breadth and depth of research achievements; and they have been scrutinised through peer review. In recent years, most academic journals began to provide online access. The emergence of a number of publication index databases has greatly assisted the literature search task. As for the date of publication, no explicit restriction was set. However, because few pre 1990s publications were covered by the online index databases the number of papers identified for that period is very small. This will be revealed in the following analyses. Development of buildability and constructability concept: The word buildability appears to have first entered the language in the late nineteen seventies [D. W. Cheetham and J. Lewis, (2001).]. Concerns on the disparate phases in building development was raised in the early 1960s when a series of studies, such as Emmerson (1962), Banwell (1964), Tavistock (1965), EDC (1967) and NEDO (1975), were carried out in the UK. The issue of buildability and academic research in the field for that matter has been an evolving one over the last three decades; moulded by reaction to changes in the procurement environment and in the case of academic buildability research, to advancements in the science of methodology. Regarding the latter, developing techniques such as neural networks, fuzzy decision making, buildability scores system and 3d/4d technology technologies have witnessed application among a range of assessing buildabilty problems (ref.). To gain a better understanding of buildability problems, especially their causes and effects, has been a long-standing research challenge. Emmerson Report: An early attempt to address buildability can be credited to Sir Harold Emmerson (1962) when he suggested the development of a new form of relationship between designers and constructors. The point of concern was the lack of cohesion between designers and constructors and the inability of both parties to see the whole construction process through each others eyes. The report was the first that has emphasised that the inefficiencies in the construction industry stemmed from inadequacies of communications and coordination. The quality of the relationship between the professions and subcontractors was seen as affecting the efficiency of building operations. Emmerson criticised the lack of cohesion existing within the industry. Banwell Report: In the UK, since the Emmerson Report (1962), numerous researches had been carried out to identify the causes of buildability problems and search for solutions for improvement. Banwell 1964 highlighted the fragmented characteristics of the industry and inefficient designs produced by designers deficient in construction knowledge without involvement of contractors. Banwell 1964 suggested that: design and construction must be considered together and that in the traditional contracting situation, the contractor is too far removed from the design stage at which his specialised knowledge and techniques could be put to invaluable use The report called for more attention to be given to pre-contract planning and design formulation and criticised professionalism as being narrow sighted, giving rise to unnecessary and inefficient construction practices. It was suggested that: clients define their building requirements clearly at the start of the design stage; the building process should better integrate the stages of design and construction; and that traditional construction practices should be reviewed to seek interdisciplinary approach. A subsequent study (Economic Development Council 1967) reported that the recommendations made in the Banwell Report had not been successfully implemented within the construction industry and that flexible approaches to traditional procedures should be sought and new initiatives developed if meaningful change within the industry was to be achieved. The Wood Report in the mid-1970s (National Economic Development Office 1975) suggested that in the decade following the Emmerson and Banwell reports some improvements had been made in the quest for integrating better the processes of design and construction. In general however, the original problems remained and it was suggested that efforts should be directed towards increasing the level of awareness for the problems and designing measures to bring together the design and construction processes such that the construction stage might directly capitalise on design initiatives. Tavistock: Later, the report of the Tavistock (1965) highlighted that the causes of the communication problems between contracting parties could be attributable to the division of responsibilities and the pattern of relationships. Since then, the need to integrate disparate development phases has triggered a large number of studies in different countries. Griffith: Griffith (1984) suggested inviting construction expertise early at the design stage, using contractual arrangements that facilitate the improvement of buildability. Griffith (1984) further pointed out that the capability of project management embracing suitable procurement approaches would contribute to improved buildability with concomitant benefits for overall project performance. Griffith and Sidwell (1997) also maintained that decisions taken early in a projects life cycle have greater potential to influence the final outcome of the project, based on the Pareto Principle. Griffith and Sidwell (1997) highlighted that buildability must be considered from the first notional idea suggested by the client, and is quite simply a prerequisite throughout what may be considered to be a staged process. Griffith and Sidwell [17] identified several similar problems, which are lack of consideration on interrelationship between different construction elements and skills required; and less flexibility of design and leeway within design details for materials, components, plants and craft tolerances. Constructability includes number of activities during all project life cycle phases. Griffith Sidwell (1995) believe that application of these activities during early stages of total construction projects causes more influences on overall cost and value. Constructability must always remain as the ingenious thinking throughout the project life cycle to overcome project difficulties and barriers. Griffith Sidwell (1997) illustrate some of these difficulties such as low level of awareness; demarcation; lack of incentives; reticence; and competitive stance adopted by construction professionals. So identification, mitigation and review of constructability barriers and barrier-breakers, which affect directly on efficiently implementation of a constructability program, is a must during project life cycle (OConnor Miller, 1994, 1995). Griffith (1987) suggested a compromise between consciously making the design more buildable and accommodating the many factors imparting an influence upon design, including quality, aesthetics, time and cost. It is essential to consider constructability at an early stage in the total construction process, because the ability to influence project cost, and so value for money, from the client s viewpoint, diminish as the project progresses in time. (Griffith Sidwell, 1995). Construction projects can be divided into different stages as conceptual planning and briefing, design, procurement, construction and post construction (start up and use) (Alan Griffith Sidwell, 1995). Generally, there are many all-around benefits of good constructability; these are measurable not only in cost and time, but also in terms of the physiological and psychological gains for the participants in the total construction process (Alan Griffith Sidwell, 1995). Griffith (1987) suggested a compromise between consciously making the design more buildable and accommodating the many factors imparting an influence upon design including quality, aesthetics, time, and cost. Methods should be sought to improve constructability by designing for economical use of labor and widely available and versatile tools, plant and equipment. Griffith (1984 1985) also added that managerial aspects have the greatest potential to increase productivity and achieve good buildability. A subsequent research study (Griffith 1984; Griffith 1985a) was similarly narrow in scope, but recognised in its findings the fundamental weakness in focusing narrowly on the attributes of design to aid construction on site. It was suggested that concentrating on design was important, but that project site and management-based factors must also be considered. The difficulties surrounding the determination of conceptual boundaries for buildability have been discussed in further studies (Bishop 1985; Griffith 1985b).It was the narrow focus, together with the complexities of the traditional contractual processes, that led to the diminishing interest in buildability concepts within the UK construction industry during the late 1980s. Creating a building that is easier to construct cannot be the sole aim of the client (Griffith Sidwell 1995). Further research by Griffith and Sidwell (1995) presents an outline for developing a constructability strategy at each key stage of the construction process. This considers many of the factors suggested by Chen and McGeorge. This approach sought to stimulate creative thought about the nature of each stage such that important questions and considerations about the building process would not be missed and to encourage action to be taken by the respective participants to pursue constructability. In the strategic consideration of constructability it is likely that future research and practice might focus on: the more holistic view of constructability to develop more encompassing strategies to be developed for considering constructability at each stage in the total building process; the concentration on a fewer number of factors which influence constructability such that greater reliability can be built in to the strategies developed; and the formulation of management methods that are readily adaptable to the individual project situation, including non-traditionally procured projects. CIRIA: Thereafter, the Construction Industry Research and Information Association (CIRIA) (1983) in the UK introduced the concept of buildability and the Construction Industry Institute (CII) (1986) in the US developed the notion of constructability. The CIRIA (1983) defined buildability as the extent to which the design of a building facilitates ease of construction, subject to the overall requirements for the completed building. It indicates the importance of design considerations geared towards buildability improvement. Subsequently, a similar concept of constructability was introduced by the CII (1986) as the optimum use of construction knowledge and experience in planning, design, and procurement and field operations to achieve overall project objectives. It dealt with the optimal integration of construction expertise and experience at various project stages to achieve the overall project goals. Since then, numerous studies have been conducted in order to strive for better project perf ormance through improving buildability. For examples, Francis et al. (1999) found that better buildability could contribute to early completion of projects; Jergeas and Put (2001) as well as Low and Abeyegoonasekera (2001) showed that buildable designs would lead to saving in project costs and costs of change orders; others such as Trigunarsyah (2004a, 2004b) and Low (2001) pointed out that buildable designs would bring about improved quality and safety performance, as well as higher productivity levels, and mitigate the risks of unforeseen problems. Despite these developments, it has become evident that the progress of resolving buildability problems is still unsatisfactory. Construction industry review reports typically found contractors having little input into the design (Egan, 1998), or consultants putting little emphasis on buildability (CIRC, 2001). The ensuing review by Wolstenholme (2009) of the UK construction industry also points to the need for better integration of the construction supply chain using a whole life cycle approach. More specifically, some good examples of involving the contractors early in the design process have been cited, indicating the need to improve buildability. In view of these findings, a set of principles targeted at designers under the traditional procurement system was drawn up by the Construction Industry Research and Information Association (CIRIA). Following the reports of Emmerson and Banwell, the Construction Industry Research and Information Association (CIRIA) supported a major research initiative to investigate what they regarded to be, the principal problems of construction practice. Their attention focused on a concept which they referred to as buildability, suggesting that building designs were not providing value for money in terms of the efficiency and effectiveness in the way in which the building process was then being carried out (change). The report of their investigations, Buildability: An Assessment, (CIRIA 1983) presented seven categories of buildability principles to: carry out thorough investigation and design; plan for essential site production requirements; plan for a practical sequence of operations and early enclosure; plan for simplicity of assembly and logical trade sequences; detail for maximum repetition and standardisation; detail for achievable tolerance; and specify robust and suitable materials. C IRIA stated that their methodological approach provided data that were too limited to be certain that the categories identified were final and universal, although they had sufficient confidence to publish the categories as provisional guidelines. It is from this original study that buildability research and practice evolved (change). The initial CIRIA report was followed by a further study (Adams 1989) in which the original seven categories of buildability principles were further developed to present 16, more definite, principles. This study is most purposeful since, although it still focuses on design, it does begin to widen the perspective of buildability and point the way towards recognising the true complexity and multifaceted nature of the issues involved. The first CIRIA study, while laudibly raising general awareness to the concepts and principles of buildability and therefore achieving its basic objective, was unfortunately restricted in focus. Egan Report: More recently, the Egan Report (1998) awakened attentions that the general buildability performance was far from being satisfactory. Contractors were also found to have little input into the design in the UKs construction scene, thus constituting a comparatively lower productivity figure for the industry (Graham and Bird, 2001). Egan (1998) claims that too much time is spent in construction on site trying to make design work in practice. He adds that contractors have little input into the design and this is indicative of a fundamental malaise in the industry the separation of design from the rest of the project. This is mainly because the traditional procurement method of design-bid-build remains rooted within the industry (Arditi et al. 2002; Song et al. 2009; Kent and Becerik- Gerber 2010). Egan (1998) subsequently encouraged longer term procurement relationships in favour of selective methods, as a mechanism to achieving quality and efficiency improvement; while in a second report (Egan, 2003), arguably rooted the term integrated supply chains into procurement dialogue. More recently, the Egan Report (1998) awakened attentions that the general buildability performance was far from being satisfactory. Contractors were also found to have little input into the design in the UKs construction scene, thus cons tituting a comparatively lower productivity figure for the industry (Graham and Bird, 2001). Over the years since the definition of buildability has been put forward by the CIRIA 1983, lots of studies have highlighted the prospective benefits to be brought about by improved constructability Arditi et al. 2002; McGeorge and Palmer 2002; CIRC 2001; Francis et al. 1999; CIIA 1996; CII 1986; Griffith 1984; Gray 1983. With the potential benefits as incentives, methods and practices have been proposed for more efficient designs minimizing construction wastages on site. However, as time passes by, the progress of resolving constructability problems is still regarded as being unsatisfactory CIRC 2001; Egan 1998. The underlying reasons are multifaceted Ma et al. 2001; Uhlik and Lores 1998; Griffith and Sidwell 1995; OConnor and Miller 1994, which have led to the current sluggish use of pull factors in the pursuit for better design constructability. More recently, push factors have been put in place by the Singaporean Government, which has enforced a legislation to enhance constructab ility by requiring minimum buildable scores to be attained before building plans are approved. The calculation of buildable scores is based on the buildable design appraisal system BDAS, which was modeled from the in-house buildability appraisal system of a major Japanese contractor, Takenaka Corporation Poh and Chen 1998. After the implementation of BDAS, follow-up studies have demonstrated the correlations between higher buildable scores and the improvements of site productivity, construction quality, and manpower consumption Lam 2002; Low 2001; Poh and Chen 1998. Buildability is a major issue across global construction industries and in particular the UK industry.

Midaq Alley :: Naguib Mahfouz, Midaq Alley

Naguib Mahfouz is the author of the book Midaq Alley that was translated from Arabic by Trevor Le Gassick. First published in 1966, Midaq Alley displays a historical period of Egypt in the most intimate sense as it is presented through the lives of the characters that inhabit the alley. Although the book is set in the early forties it possesses a taste of eternity as the reader watches the characters struggle through questions of morality, ethics, and traditions. (The answer of which shape their behavior.) This is all perceived through the eyes of the ageless alley, which is witnessed with total indifference. Thus, inhancing the feeling of eternity within which the circle of life is forever revolving. Midaq Alley persents a diversity of chracters that creates the atmosphere that it is a whole life and a complete portray of a functioning Egyptian socity of the forties. Mahfouz successfully relates the events in Midaq Alley with the outside world by refering to politics. This is illustrated when he states that -at this period of the Egyptian history, working girls were usually jewish-they were the starting flare that began modernization. The materialistic insentive that characterized most of the inhabitants of the alley; best seen in Hamida, who in pursuite of her dreams of wealth and dresses became Titi that belongs to Ibrahim Faraj-the pimp. Another close reference to political events is through Abbas who leaves the alley to go work for the British Army in persue of material gains-regardless of the question of paterialism! furthermore, Mahfouz states the bad conditons of trade through Salim Alwan-the factory owner, as "wartime cut in imports from India". Thus, stimulating me rchantes that are personified in Salim Alwan to trade in different commodities, which perviously never interested them; for instance, tea. This resulted in the creation of black markets and subtaintial profits for merchantes. Intimate description of the inhabitants in Midaq alley gives the alley a life of it's own. Mahfouz indulges the reader in the inhabitants inner thoughts and desires; Kirsha's drug addiction and homosexuality; Zaita's sadistic nature; Hamida's untamed ambitions; Alwan's desires for Hamida; Hussain's dissatisfaction. On the other hand, there is Radwan Hussainy-the religiiou figure; Abbas the niave lover. Thus, Mahfouz created a complete sphere for a socity with the good along the bad; with the intangled destinies of the characters in Midaq Alley.

Organizational Influences Essay

_Abstract_ This paper will attempt give explanation to the organizational influences in the workplace that can cause an increase level of stress due to ethical-type decisions and technological advances. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that leadership commitment to excellence begins with the way information is outlined and how decisions directly affect the morale and overall perception of an organization. Hopefully, this paper will succeed in placing value into the critical decisions necessary to develop a strong lasting workforce that is intended to make a positive impression economically and reasonable for an effective learning business environment. _Ethics on Decision Making_ So what is ethical? This _ethical_ argument has had scholars constantly debating to find the real meaning for generations. It is not expected to  understand truly the inner-workings of ethics in this paper; however, as critical as it may seem it is something that needs constant questioning in order to bring out the best quality in everyone to support the organization’s interests. Putting this into perspective at its simplest form, asking what is right or wrong, good or bad would be a good start. Take for instance the value of integrity, an ethical influence on decision making, can affect how the organization is perceived though the public eyes and the networking impact with other organizations. To include ethical qualities in decision making is not exclusive to the private sector, it also requires participation from organizations in the public sector – as in the U.S.Army. Americans pay tribute to Soldiers everyday as they fight for the freedoms that they so much enjoy. As they make very difficult decisions everyday, concerning life or death situations, they follow what is called the Seven Army Values. Among them is integrity; which is described as _Do what’s right, legally, and morally_. This is important for Soldiers to understand this meaning because everything that is done and accomplished is in a teamwork effort that ultimately affects the organization. The success of the mission is heavily reliant to trusting and knowing each other. After working with each other for some time, they find comfort in knowing that in tough situations, individuals can count on their team members for assistance and to _pick up the pieces_. This brings out the quality that is needed to further support the spirit that needs embracing; which creates the ethical quality necessary to keep the team integrity intact. Leaders of all levels have goals and expectations of each other in the business environment which should be clearly defined to our teams. Unfortunately, this is not always the case which weakens the expected ethical quality. When establishing a plan with a clear vision, the fundamental premise of the plan is that each member has an obligation to act in the best interest of the organization and in support of its mission, and must not allow outside activities or financial interests interfere with those obligations. This is a real condition that has huge ramifications because the mere appearances if improper behavior can render unethical acts,  thus opening the door for unwelcome publicity to an organization. Take for instance the recent dealings between Halliburton and the U.S. government. Vice-President Cheney previously served as chief executive officer of Halliburton, a Dallas oil-services giant, which he is currently receiving deferred compensation which the government would not â€Å"specify how large his payment will be this year or how long the payments will continue† (Lazarus 2002). The perceived ethical conflict is clear for it de-values the principles of an organization that is wishes to uphold. This value is integrity, either legal or not, it is a principle that affects an organization’s morale which has a deeper connection of how an organization will further network with others in the pursuit of strategic growth. _Affects of Technology on Stress_ There is no question that technology has changed the way we do business- which includes communications and deliverables. As a result, there are service demands from partners and consumers that must be fulfilled in order to keep competitive and reliability in the fast paced networking environment. Therefore, the technology we rely on adds stress to any organization that wishes to progressively look into improving their efficiency and effectiveness. The advancements in technology is intended to facilitate production and minimize operations costs in order to keep up with the increasing demands. However, with the growing trends of demand and technology, valuable training to use newer forms of technology became a second priority. In addition, people are spending less time with family and working longer hours which have also increased the work-related stress levels. A research conducted by the Kensington Technology Group (1999) stated that â€Å"51 percent of them (employees) report that the possibility of losing documents due to computer crashes† is also a factor to work-related stress. Due to this trend in organizational behavior, the leadership in any organization must realize that they must proactively discuss the usage of technological practicality and not always assume employees will directly complain about work-related stress caused by technological advancements. The leadership team must establish a caring-system for its employees because it ultimately affects their productivity and bottom-line. The operations of the  organization rely on fresh-progressive minds that cannot function under immense levels of poor judgment that results in poor customer care. Some signs that include â€Å"lower commitment, increased conflict and absenteeism† (Davies, 2005) are indicators that employees are not focused on organizational goals, but rather on finding ways to survive another day. _Leadership Responsibilities_ As organizational leaders understand that technological advancements is the way of the competitive future, one of the first steps to ensure competitiveness is to furnish and properly train their employees with that technology. In doing so, initiating new systems into the workplace must be communicated in ways that explains why the changes are necessary allowing the opportunity to minimize any confusion or misinterpretation that is intended to build a stronger and more efficient organization. The importance of training employees in technological usage makes simple business sense. According to the National Small Business Association (NSBA, 2006) it estimates â€Å"one-third of companies (37%) are engaged in e-commerce, including 52% of businesses in the retail industry and 50% of those in manufacturing†; meaning that the use of technology is a critical component of networking, coordinating and marketing to the wide range of consumers. Of the organizations surveyed by NSBA, 89% of them will rely on technological advancements for strategic growth. Setting an internal training program is an option that can create an enhanced and developed employee on technical skills necessary to focus on potential organizational needs rather than reacting to increased stress levels and technological support concerns. _Conclusion_ The information provided by this paper demonstrates the necessity of competent leaders to measure influential effectiveness of a decision by creating an optimal working environment that would facilitate a long lasting impression for future opportunities. Therefore, ethical decision making and leveraging mitigating stress factors is a way to minimize negative impacts that yield high organizational costs such as reduction of effort by  employees to complete tasks, perceptions and strategic support that would otherwise be a fundamental business approach for success. Reference: Bodwell, D.J. (2002). High performance teams. Retrieved October 12, 2007, from the High Performance Teams Website: http://ptcpartners.com/Team/home.htm Davies, R. (2005). Don’t stress. Engineering Management, 15(1), p 20-23. Retrieved October 14, 2007, from University of Phoenix EBSChost Database Kensington Technology Group. (1999). Technology increases workplace stress, tipping the scales of work-life balance. BusinessWire. Retrieved October 12, 2007, from the BusinessWire Website: http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Technology+Increases+Workplace+Stress,+Tipping+the+Scales+of+†¦-a055407271 Lazarus, David (2002). Conflict of interest for vice president? Retrieved October 12, 2007, from the San Francisco Chronicle Website: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2002/11/03/BU231196.DTL McCracken, T. & Willey, G.(2007). NSBA: survey of small and mid-sized businesses. National Small Business Association. Retrieved October 14, 2007, from http://www.nsba.biz/docs/surveynewfinal.pdf

Ridleys sea turtle essays

Ridleys sea turtle essays Each species of sea turtle is distinctive in appearance and behavior, all sea turtles have certain characteristics in common the shell consist of a carapace (upper part) and plastron (lower part), which are joined together by cartilage called a bridge. in most species with the exception of the leatherback scutes cover the carapace. Like all turtles sea turtles have no external ears, they hear best at low frequencies and their sense of smell is excellent. Though their vision underwater is good, on land they are nearsighted. Sea turtles spend most of their time underwater but must come up to breath. During routine activities sea turtles can dive for about three to five minutes. Sea turtles can sleep for several hours underwater, but their ability to hold their breath is shortened by high activity and stress. This is why sea turtles drown in shrimp nets and other gear in a short time. Adult sea turtles sleep near rocks or under ledges. Hatchlings and juveniles sleep on the surface with their front flippers pulled back over the carapace. Kemp's ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys kempi) Ridleys are the smallest of the sea turtles. The Kemp's ridley is slightly larger than the olive ridley, measuring 24 - 28 inches in carapace length and weighing 78 - 100 pounds when mature. An adult is olive green on top and yellowish in color on the bottom, with a large head and powerful jaws. The carapace is circular to heart shaped. Hatchlings are dark gray and about an inch and a half long. Kemp's ridleys were first discovered and described in 1880 by Samuel Garman. But until the 1940's was not recognized as a species and was often confused with the olive ridley and the loggerhead. Confusion continued through the 1950's with many biologist convinced that the ridleys sea turtle was a sterile hybrid of the green and the loggerhead turtles. No one could find nesting beaches or an egg-bearing female. ...

Harris and Klebolds Disciple Professor Ramos Blog

Harris and Klebolds Disciple Kevin Pech English 101 8 August 2018 Harris and Klebold’s Disciples   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What do Alvaro Castillo, Seung-Hui Cho, have in common? Other than committing or attempting to commit horrible atrocities not much connect the three. They did not know each other. Their motives for committing their crimes vary as do their mental states. But what they do have in common is that all three to some degree have been inspired by the Columbine High School massacre from 1999 and its two perpetrators Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. In fact, many other mass murderers and attempting mass murderers have looked to past tragedies including the shooting at Columbine for inspiration and ideas to create their own crimes. Out of everything that has transpired by Columbine’s legacy the creation of copycat mass murderers has become one of the most serious outcomes. What made people obsessive over two monsters and what makes them monsters? This can be answered with Jeffrey Jerome Cohen’s Monster Culture (Seven Theses). According to Cohen there are seven theses that are traits that are associated with a monster but in the case of Harris and Klebold two of the theses connect to the creation of copycat shooters. The most influential is thesis six: â€Å"Fear of the monster is really a kind of desire† and is strengthen by thesis two: â€Å"the monster always escapes†. According to Cohen, â€Å"The same creatures who terrify and interdict can evoke potent escapist fantasies; the linking of the monstrosity with the forbidden makes the monster all the more appealing as a temporary egress from constraint.† (Cohen 16). Which means that a monster is desirable because it is allowed to commit acts that are considered taboo by society, when all of society is refrained from crossing that line into the taboo. The taboo that the Colu mbine shooters acted on was murder and that was accomplished with a school shooting that killed twelve students, a teacher, and wounding twenty-one others. The attack at the school was intended to be even worse than what transpired. According to an article by Slate Magazine, writer Dave Cullen stated, â€Å"Harris and Klebold planned for a year†¦The school served as means to a grander end, to terrorize the entire nation by attacking a symbol of American life†¦ They bragged about dwarfing the carnage of the Oklahoma City bombing and originally scheduled their bloody performance for its anniversary. Klebold boasted on video about inflicting ‘the most deaths in U.S. history.’ Columbine was intended not primarily as a shooting at all, but as a bombing on a massive scale.† (Cullen,  Slate) Society has taught us, â€Å"thou shall not kill† and even for those that are not religious, laws prevent people from crossing a line that should not be crossed. Harris and Klebold crossed that line and became monsters themselves. Despite the warnings there exist people that that have a desire the harm people, and they come to admire people like Harris and Klebold, they are viewed as symbols of freedom and power which encourages them to do the same. This also lead to thesis two. As Cohen explains, â€Å"We see the damage the monster wreaks, the material remains†¦but the monster itself turns immaterial and vanishes, to reappear someplace else.† (Cohen 4). In this case the Columbine shooters left a path of destruction, but rather than turn themselves in to the authorities, they â€Å"escaped† justice by committing suicide, and they â€Å"reemerged† as copycat shooters. The following are just some the examples Harris and Klebold influence reached, these are their disciples. On August 30, 2006 Alvaro Castillo of Hillsborough, North Carolina killed his father, and ensued to Orange High School where he attempted a murder spree of the students but was stopped before he could do any more damage and only injured two students. Upon further investigation it was discovered that the man had a bizarre obsession with the Columbine shooting and its two perpetrators Harris and Klebold. The day of the Alvaro’s shooting attempt he was, â€Å"dressed in a Colorado T-shirt, a black trench coat†¦ cargo pants, military-style boots and ammunition beltsHe armed himself with a sawed-off shotgun he named Arlene, the same name Columbine shooter Eric Harris gave his gun† (Karas). This demonstrates to what extent this individual went in order to emulate the Columbine shooters to the point he dressed and acquired the same weaponry as his idols. But it does not stop there, There was also a narrated video, that Castillo shot in Littleton after convincing his mothe r to take him there to see Columbine High School and the homes of shooters Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold (Karas). It is also important to point out that Castillo suffered from mental and suicidal issues an well as family problems. There were eight hours of video recordings of Castillo, ranting, yelling, whispering, singing and beating himself; journal entries detailing an obsession with a classmate he compared to the obsession would-be presidential assassin John Hinckley had with Jodie Foster; and a notebook he called Mass Murders and School Shootings of the 20th and 21st Centuries. In the notebook, he listed himself at the end of a gallery of school shooters (Karas). On April 20, 2006 prior to the shootings, Castillo attempted to commit suicide, dressed in his military uniform and was close to shooting himself with a shotgun, according toRafael Castillo [the father] wrestled the gun away and called the police on his son, who was committed to a psychiatric facility. (Karas) There ar e also claims that, Rafael Castillo tormented the family. He was described as a controlling husband and father with unconventional beliefs (Karas). All these problems culminated into creating an unstable person in Castillo, and probably related and found solace in the Harris and Klebold enough to grow an obsession and his mental stability amplified this. Castillo is not the only one that seem to have been influenced by Columbine. Seung-Hui Cho, the perpetrator behind the Virginia Tech shooting where he, slaughtered 32 studentsclaiming to have been inspired by the two teenagers who carried out the Columbine shootings, calling them martyrs in delusional diatribe he videotaped for the world (James). Cho was also reported to have mental problems as mentioned in an article by writer Dave Cullen for  Newsweek  stating, Cho was widely diagnosed as psychotic-the clinical term for a broad spectrum of deep mental illnesses including schizophrenia and paranoia. Psychotic killers are, most commonly, suffering from schizophrenia, a disease marked by delusions, hallucinations, and loss of emotion, speech, or motivation (Cullen Newsweek). The article further explained Chos thought process and motives, Do you know what it feels to be spit on your face and to have trash shoved down your throat? Cho railed in his manifesto before killing at Virginia Tech. You have vandalized my heart, raped my soul, and torched my conscience. You thought it was one pathetic boys life you were extinguishing. Thanks to you, I die like Jesus Christ, to inspire generations of the weak and defenseless people. Cho found a way to help everyone. He would be the hero of this tragedy. There was pleasure in planning such a grand demonstration of justice,' wrote Roger Depue, former chief of the FBIs Behavioral Sciences Unit, in the official report of the Virginia Tech Review Panel. His thought processes were so distorted that he began arguing to himself that his evil plan was actually doing good.' (Cullen  Newsweek) These are just two examples of people that influenced by Columbine and the list continues including people like Sandy Hook shooter Adam Lanza who possessed  hundreds of documents, images, videos pertaining to the Columbine H.S. massacre including what appears to be a complete copy of the investigation (Pearce). The amount of copycat shooters attempting to emulate what Harris and Klebold accomplished seem to increase as time progresses, some have been able to successfully surpass the body count of Columbine. If the the monsters goal was to to create a legacy of infamy and notoriety they certainly accomplished it. Annotated Bibliography Cohen, Jeffrey Jerome. Monster Culture (Seven Theses). Text distributed by outlining what defines a monster. This text will be incorporated into the essay by tying the theses to the monster and the causes or effects created the actions of the monster. â€Å"Columbines Chilling Legacy.† ABC News. 5 October 2014. https://youtu.be/C0ybj7TAxhc. A video by ABC News regarding Columbine copycats or people influenced by the events and perpetrators of the Columbine shooting enough to replicate the events. These are young men that demonstrate deep devotion and idolization to the events and is probably the most significant outcome from the incident. People having a desire for the monster. There are a good number of people featured in this video that I want to research. Karas, Beth. Man obsessed with Columbine convicted of murder.  CNN. 21 August 2009.  cnn.com/2009/CRIME/08/21/north.carolina.castillo.trial/index.html 2009 trial conviction of Alvaro Castillo. Includes information of what he did, life background, and his obsession with Columbine shooters. Article is from CNN. Cullen, Dave. The Depressive and the Psychopath  Slate Magazine. 20 April 2004.  slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/assessment/2004/04/the_depressive_and_the_psychopath.html James, Susan Donaldson. Psychology of Virginia Tech, Columbine Killers Still Baffles Experts.  ABC News.  16 April 2009.  https://abcnews.go.com/Health/MindMoodNews/story?id=7345607page=1 Cullen, Dave. What a Killer Thinks.  Newsweek, vol. 160, no. 6, 06 Aug. 2012, pp. 30-34.         EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspxdirect=truedb=a9hAN=78216273site=ehost-live. An article by Newsweek publication that explores the mentality of shooters and what causes them to commit violent crimes. The article explores the psychology of mass murderers in America following the movie theater massacre in Aurora, Colorado. Topics include the difference between psychopathic, delusional, and suicidally depressed individuals, questions regarding the mental health of alleged movie theater shooter James Holmes, and profiles of other famous serial killers, including Virginia Tech shooter Seung-Hui Cho and most importantly Columbine shooters  Dylan  Klebold  and Eric Harris. Article can be used to make ties with why copycats identify and sympathize with the Columbine shooters. Pearce, Matt. Adam Lanzas files show him as another shooter caught up in Columbine. The Los Angeles Times. 27 November 2013.  latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-lanza-columbine-20131127-story.html Image is of Alvaro Castillo admiring his gun he named Arelene.

ESOPs Essays

ESOPs Essays ESOPs Essay ESOPs Essay There are numerous studies being conducted the world over to determine the interaction of several factors. Most of the research has the objective of evaluating the performance after the implementation of some programs. The business community from time to time institutes some programs that are thought to expand the business in one way or another. Various methodologies are available in literature and researchers are always presented with the difficulty of choosing one methodology over another. The varying methodologies are appropriate for different types of research and a clearer understanding of the advantages of one methodology over the other should be well known. This will lead to valid conclusions and enable researchers to make generalizations about the whole population.In 1974, the United States Congress enacted an Act aimed at encouraging employee own stock in the firms in which they worked. This was to be attained by introducing tax measures to encourage employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs). These measures have seen the numbers of employee owned companies increase to close to ten thousand from just above 1500 such companies. The numbers of employees owning stock also have increase to over eight million (Rosen Quarrey, 1987). A recent study was aimed at finding how the ESOPs had affected the governance of the companies. The research intended to find if the plan had worked to improve profitability and performance at the companies. The study sought to cool of the debate on whether the enactment of these laws was advantageous.The objective of the study was to identify the whether the ESOP companies had recorded faster growth than the other companies. Another objective was to determine whether the employees vigorously contributed ideas that shaped the company to attain any successes. The study took a sample of 45 ESOP companies and data was collected for five years prior and after implementation of the plan. This study design could be compared to the classical experimental design in which subjects under study are divided into two groups: the experimental or treatment group and the control group. In this case, the treatment group was the companies that had implemented the plan while the control group was the other companies that did not implemented the plan.This classical design setup is the best placed design since it controls against other factors that could affect the results of the study. Due to the long duration under which the study was being conducted, there were many factors that could contribute to the success or failure of the companies. The design used in this study was therefore appropriate sine it incorporated the control group. The design also allowed for the pretest and posttest to be performed on the companies. The data collected was for the duration prior to the implementation of the plan and after. This amounts to applying a treatment to some companies and then observing the results after some t ime. The results are than compared with those of the control group. Chances of other factors being involved are therefore minimized. Internal validity test was thus fulfilled. The study controlled against external factors by comparing with industry growth.The data is the most important part of any research. The data to be collected should be relevant and in line with the set objectives. The data collected for this study was data on sales and employment rates. These were the variables to be tested and they were in line with the study objectives. The analysis of the data showed that the implementation of the plan caused a significant positive effect on the performance of the company. The growth of the companies were traced over the duration before the implementation of the plan and compared with the growth over the five years after the implementation. This comparison showed that the growth rates after the plan implementation was much higher. This was rightly concluded to mean that the plan was responsible for the growth.In the analysis of the data also, the study concluded that there were no other factors that could have contributed to the growth. This was based on the tests carried out on other factors and they did not show significant interactions. On whether the implementation of the plan improved corporate performance, the study showed positive change. The ESOP companies that implemented employee participation plans were found to grow up to four times faster than the other ESOPs that did not have such a plan. This again rightly means that encouraging employee participation cultivates better work attitude leading to success of the company overall.The analysis on the non-ESOP companies indicated mixed results when the employee participation plan was implemented. This led to the conclusion that the participation plan works best when the company has converted to an ESOP. The conclusion is valid. If the participation plan was the contributing factor alone to the success of a company, the non-ESOP companies should have equally shown similar results with those of the ESOP companies. The results should have been uniform. The conclusion that the employees participate more in the company’s decision making is therefore justifiable. The explanation that involving the employee’s decisions in the company’s management creates an enthusiasm that motivates them to work harder also holds true.The researchers identified that the companies that allow their employees to own shares with them have better chances of performing well. The companies that intend to change the attitudes of their employees to motivate them to work harder should therefore consider going the ESOP way. The research also concluded that the employees were more likely to be comfortable with their pay since they know the profits belong to them.The above study was well planned and the objectives were well defined at the onset. The variables to be measured had also been clearly defined. The data that was collected was appropriate in meeting the set objectives. The design used in this study allowed the researchers to control the effects from other factors making the results valid. The interpretations give are also based on the data and are correct.

Papers' Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Papers' Analysis - Assignment Example Economies of scale are the cost advantage that comes from a product’s increased output. They arise due to an inverse relation between fixed costs per-unit and quantity produced. The more cars produced in this case, the lower the fixed cost per unit, as the cost is shared among a larger quantity of cars. They may also reduce unit variable costs due to synergies and operational efficiencies. Economies of scale are in two major types; external that arises from industry size and other extraneous factors and internal that arises from inside the firm (Motavalli 1). While benefits of this concept are obvious, I think they also impact on such areas as finance. For instance, a company like Ford Group would have a lower capital cost compared to smaller firms due to their ability to borrow at lower rates of interest. However, I believe that, even with this advantage, I think there is a finite upper limit to how Ford Group can grow in achieving economies of scale. When the hybrid car prod uction reaches a specific number, it will be more expensive to manage due to bureaucracy, complexity, and operational inefficiency. The results from Ford Group are also hard to ignore. For instance, the model T line of production and task specialization were integrated with standardization, as can be seen in their hybrid plant. The specialization that will go with the hybrid car production will lead to productivity increase. The coupling of specialization and standardization will ensure that the model parts will be of universal size at all times, which greatly reduces costs of restoration. However, it can also be argued that the reduction of costs by specialization and increase in productivity is offset by huge human costs. While there is little evidence of how economies of scale impact organizations like Ford in the long run, the idea has become a hallmark of Ford Group and other similar companies because it can be used all manufacturing functions; for example, marketing, research and development, distribution, and sales force utilization (Motavalli 1). Analysis # 2 The Texas drought of 2011 is bound to have ripple effects across the globe, especially with regards to agricultural products. Texas produces approximately 55% of cotton crop in the US, supplying the same to mills around the world. Because of the drought’s effect on cotton, the prices are on the up. The drought has also affected beef prices with ranchers being forced to sell off their cattle due to dramatic reductions in water and animal feed. The selling of, off valuable breeding stock is expected to see a long-term increase in the price of beef. It is also expected that there will be a 50% jump in the prices of wheat in winter because of the drought, especially since Texas accounts for 20% of wheat production (Hylton 1). The FAO price index for food raised to 6% in mid-2012, which was attributed to the unfavorable conditions of weather, particularly the drought currently ravaging parts of the United States, which have driven the cost of agricultural products up. However, what is happening now is more a climatic transition than a random weather event. The consequences have been predicted to be especially dire for the poor population in the world (Hylton 2). However, in my opinion, the prices of beef, wheat, and cotton will be affected by other factors, rather than by drought alone. The use of biofuels

Purchasing & Supply Chain Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Purchasing & Supply Chain Management - Essay Example This article shall focus on the matters regarding the competitive edge in the industry with respect to the group’s purchasing and supply chain management. Body Purchasing and supply chain management entails the performance and coordination of numerous activities that takes place both inside and outside an organisation. Research reveals that besides the supply chain that exists within an organisation, there has to be at least one supply chain with another organization. Further, studies reveal that â€Å"the structure of activities within and between companies is a critical cornerstone of creating unique and superior supply chain performance† (Lambert 2005). For Blacks Leisure Group to have an effective purchasing and supply chain management, key players of the chain should be incorporated with the business processes. The company’s processes should be standardised to ensure that there is harmony in linking up processes by purchase and supply chain managers of diffe rent organisations. As earlier mentioned, Leisure industry is very competitive and like any other business in the leisure industry, it is critical for Blacks to develop and sustain competitive advantage. To begin with, Leisure companies throughout the world are now facing enormous challenges because of the globalisation as a result of the enhanced connectivity brought about by the improved technology and the use of internet in doing business. Consequently, Blacks is currently facing very stiff competition from companies from the rapidly industrialised nations like the United States and those from Asian continent. These rival companies, most of which began less than two decades ago, are now tapping into the Blacks market in their quest to spread out their operation base. This may be mainly attributed to more efficient customer service and better distribution channels, networks and transportation as well as enhanced inventory management, material handling and effective communication o n the side of the rival companies. Initially companies were mainly concerned with their customers alone. However, it is rather obvious that the markets have now evolved and Blacks need to change its approach accordingly. Considering that competition may have dire effects on the group like profit declines and being driven out of the business, efforts should be geared towards effective management of their brands and setting up proper market positions. The modern society is a â€Å"now society† in that just like other customers, leisure consumers also want services and products instantly and in the most convenient means possible. As a result, majority of the customers have opted for internet business involving online transactions and thus abandoning tangible companies such as the Blacks Leisure Group. To remain relevant and profitable in the market, Blacks should exploit more on the online business given that marketing environment has changed substantially. Companies that have v entured into online marketing are now posing real competition to Black’s market and are in fact threatening to force them out of the business. It is therefore critical for the Blacks to uphold competitive edge over the online companies by broadening its distribution base in an economical manner, a strategy which is utilised by the rival compani

Secure Webbased Application Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Secure Webbased Application - Essay Example A Research methodology is a set of underlying principles behind the collection of models, theories, ideas, and hypothesis. Collectively, research methodology is a technique of collecting data systematically (Rajeev, 2009). For this research the data was analyzed from the previous researches in the literature review section. The authenticity and contingency of this paper depends upon the validity of study data, the reliability of measures taken to collect the data, as well as the time taken to conduct the analysis. Here I would like to tell you that the data was collected from _________ number of respondents through _________(tool used). This data collection part of the research took approximately_________(time consumed for data collection). Basically Single Sign On system cannot accomplish the goals on its own. In order to triumph over the challenges in user understanding and security obstacles, security and usability professionals require putting efforts and working more strongly to gether (Connolly, 2002). In this research, the ultimate solution will be produced which will allow the creation of a "strong": password (contains letters, numbers and special characters) that will open all the authorized applications. As we are using here the Single sign on method so some of its benefits are listed over here: If an employee does forget their one password, he or she c... Frequently results in significant password help desk cost savings If an employee does forget their one password, he or she can easily reset it by using the preset authentication line. Both are factors that have need of extraordinary concerns. Our initial research was done on the internet to discover seller password synchronization tools that would fill our total requirements. We piled up a list of vendors that offer Single Sign On products. A new list of needs and wants was created to incorporate total requirements and other assessment criteria. Some of our initial requirements were that the security system must be able to synchronize password between different platforms, should be able to plot user ids from one platform to another, should provide password status synchronization between different platforms, to implement host platform password format rules across the diverse server platforms. Next step of our research methodology is to develop some evaluation criteria. Our analysis has shown that several flaws in the evaluation criterion and specifi cation can lead to vulnerable implementations (Thomas, 2003). Based on this comment of Thomas we have selected cost, Support for Tandem, Support for other security platforms, and lastly the clearness to application development as our evaluation criterions. Now these criterions were to be tested and verified. Verification of criterions (testing): As mentioned earlier the purpose of this paper is to develop a simple and secure web-based application sign-on method in order to increase the security, reduce the risk to identify theft by reducing the passwords number of the web- based applications and the tool for encryption which will be used here is ASP.net. So from the above

English Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 60

English - Essay Example One of the topics that I will be involved in research about it is microfinance. It involves providing of banking services to the low-income earners. It is evident that microfinance enables the low-income earners to be self-sufficient by providing a means of insurance, saving money and borrowing. My research on the topic will boost my marketing skills in the bank sector and I will be able to add more value. The other topic that I will be involved in research about is psychology. It entails the scientific study of human mind and its functions. It is apparent that the research on psychology will help to improve my marketing skills and I will be able to handle different people. Also, I will be able to know the reasons behind the people’s preferences in the business world. For my essay to be factual, I will refer information from the books of Sarkar and Sundaresan about microfinance. I will refer my research on the topic of psychology from McKenna book of business psychology and organizational

A Critical Review in the Contemporary Themes in Youth Work Practice, Essay - 4

A Critical Review in the Contemporary Themes in Youth Work Practice, Thematic Area Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing - Essay Example Brendtro, Ph.D, the President of Reclaiming Youth International. The main message of the article is that a crisis should be perceived as a unique opportunity that can help a student or a young person come to grips or understand an important life problem. As opposed to a glass half empty, successful management of a crisis requires looking at it as a glass half filled with water. This understanding is critical in successfully managing the crisis, therefore illuminating the pattern of self-defeating behavior of the student and providing strength-based skills. In this regard, LSCI is presented as an advanced and effective strategy of this paradigm to help promote understanding and change (Perry & Hambrick, 2008, pg. 34). In my opinion, the authors stress upon focusing upon the LSCI as opposed to other traditional approaches used to help troubled youth. Traditional approaches, or alternatives to the LSCI method, are explained and presented as reactive in nature and ineffective for solving youth problems. The LSCI, on the other hand, seeks to focus on understanding the facts and causes of counterproductive conflict styles. In support of the theories and principles presented by the authors is my own experience as well as broader research and reading on the subject. Several experts and scholars on the issue of ways of reclaiming young people who show patterns of self-defeating behavior are in favor of the LSCI approach as opposed to conventional approaches, which are seen as reactive. My evaluation of what the authors presented in this article is that it is exactly right and effective in especially the present-day challenging environments for youth growth and development. One of the major reasons why I am in support of the theories presented by the authors is with regard to the interventions for various patterns of self-defeating behavior common among young people and children. The LSCI process has been broken down into six stages

Human Rights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Human Rights - Essay Example Articles published within the convention contain numerous provisions meant to govern the conduct of state offices and authorities in relation to individuals and the society at large (Smith 65). After finalizing all articles in the convention, appropriate legal systems took over as the guardians of human rights; hence are responsible for conducting legal contentions relating to the conventions’ provisions. In this context, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights poses as a judicial body responsible for oversight and advocating for acknowledgment of human rights within American societies. In this essay, we will appraise one illustrative case conducted under the jurisdiction of Inter-American Court of Human Rights. In late 2005, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) started hearing a case of Atala Riffo and Daughters Vs Chile. The case was an appeal on a prior ruling by a Chilean court system concerning child custody. In early 2005, Chilean legal system accorded full child custody to a father of three daughters within a divorced family setting. The earlier decision resulted from the consideration that the daughters’ mother had a non-conventional sexual orientation, thus will not deserve the custody of her daughters. In 2012, IACHR gave out a verdict, which ruled in favor of the daughters’ mother. ... IACHR said that American Convention provides detailed and positive rights awarded to people belonging to non-conventional sexual orientations. In this case, the Chilean government went contrary to provisions of the convention in establishing its early ruling. With respect to the case on Atala Riffo and Daughters Vs Chile, Chilean court violated the law regarding sexual orientation envisaged within the American Convention on Human Rights. Within chapter 2, article 24 of the American convention, every American citizen should receive equal treatment before the law (Schutter 45). The provision emphasizes that all individuals, irrespective of gender or sexual orientation remains equal under the law. In addition, the article postulates that the state shall not direct any discrimination towards any individual; hence all people deserve equal protection of the law (Schutter 52). In addition, the other provision violated is found in chapter 2, article 10 of the American Convention on Human Rig hts. This provision states that every individual has a right to proportional compensation from damages suffered after a court sentence, in which the final verdict resulted from a miscarriage of justice. Finally, the third provision violated by Chilean court is regarding the rights of Children. According to article 19 of the American Convention on Human Rights, every child has a right to be heard, both at family and state levels, in order to determine whether the child has been injured by an act under deliberation (Schutter 61). With respect to Chilean Supreme court ruling, Atala, who is the lesbian mother of three daughters, received direct discrimination as a result of her sexual orientation. Chapter 24 explicitly asserts that all individuals are subject to equal treatment under

English Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 60

English - Essay Example One of the topics that I will be involved in research about it is microfinance. It involves providing of banking services to the low-income earners. It is evident that microfinance enables the low-income earners to be self-sufficient by providing a means of insurance, saving money and borrowing. My research on the topic will boost my marketing skills in the bank sector and I will be able to add more value. The other topic that I will be involved in research about is psychology. It entails the scientific study of human mind and its functions. It is apparent that the research on psychology will help to improve my marketing skills and I will be able to handle different people. Also, I will be able to know the reasons behind the people’s preferences in the business world. For my essay to be factual, I will refer information from the books of Sarkar and Sundaresan about microfinance. I will refer my research on the topic of psychology from McKenna book of business psychology and organizational

Human Rights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Human Rights - Essay Example Articles published within the convention contain numerous provisions meant to govern the conduct of state offices and authorities in relation to individuals and the society at large (Smith 65). After finalizing all articles in the convention, appropriate legal systems took over as the guardians of human rights; hence are responsible for conducting legal contentions relating to the conventions’ provisions. In this context, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights poses as a judicial body responsible for oversight and advocating for acknowledgment of human rights within American societies. In this essay, we will appraise one illustrative case conducted under the jurisdiction of Inter-American Court of Human Rights. In late 2005, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) started hearing a case of Atala Riffo and Daughters Vs Chile. The case was an appeal on a prior ruling by a Chilean court system concerning child custody. In early 2005, Chilean legal system accorded full child custody to a father of three daughters within a divorced family setting. The earlier decision resulted from the consideration that the daughters’ mother had a non-conventional sexual orientation, thus will not deserve the custody of her daughters. In 2012, IACHR gave out a verdict, which ruled in favor of the daughters’ mother. ... IACHR said that American Convention provides detailed and positive rights awarded to people belonging to non-conventional sexual orientations. In this case, the Chilean government went contrary to provisions of the convention in establishing its early ruling. With respect to the case on Atala Riffo and Daughters Vs Chile, Chilean court violated the law regarding sexual orientation envisaged within the American Convention on Human Rights. Within chapter 2, article 24 of the American convention, every American citizen should receive equal treatment before the law (Schutter 45). The provision emphasizes that all individuals, irrespective of gender or sexual orientation remains equal under the law. In addition, the article postulates that the state shall not direct any discrimination towards any individual; hence all people deserve equal protection of the law (Schutter 52). In addition, the other provision violated is found in chapter 2, article 10 of the American Convention on Human Rig hts. This provision states that every individual has a right to proportional compensation from damages suffered after a court sentence, in which the final verdict resulted from a miscarriage of justice. Finally, the third provision violated by Chilean court is regarding the rights of Children. According to article 19 of the American Convention on Human Rights, every child has a right to be heard, both at family and state levels, in order to determine whether the child has been injured by an act under deliberation (Schutter 61). With respect to Chilean Supreme court ruling, Atala, who is the lesbian mother of three daughters, received direct discrimination as a result of her sexual orientation. Chapter 24 explicitly asserts that all individuals are subject to equal treatment under

Lord Liverpool’s Government Essay Example for Free

Lord Liverpool’s Government Essay Liverpool faced many economic and financial problems, as well as some political problems. Some of these problems included national debt, unemployment, wars with France and America and popular protest groups. Each of these factors also contributed to the popular unrest which occurred during this period. Liverpool was highly effective in defeating Napoleon and also in dealing with protest groups. Additionally he was also successful in bringing about some economic prosperity as well as reducing the deficit. However he was least effective in gaining the support of Prince Regent. Liverpool was most successful in winning the war with Napoleon in 1815. Liverpool had been the only person which had been able to defeat Napoleon to date which consequently made him seem unbeatable. During the war Napoleon implemented an ‘economic blockade’. In response the British tried to stop America from trading with certain countries, this hardened American opinion of the British and they now wanted independence. This eventually led to another war, however this was resolved in a few years. Liverpool’s military success led to him gaining much support and therefore strengthening his position. Liverpool was also successful – to an extent in restoring economic prosperity. The war had disrupted British trade and economy and it had also encouraged British economy to over specialise in war industries which resulted in inflation and rising prices. The Corn Laws which were implemented in 1815 caused bread prices to rise rapidly in the poor harvest of 1816; this angered many working class people and caused a lot of popular unrest, it also made Liverpool very unpopular, the corn laws benefited the upper classes. Additionally by 1815 Britain had and  £861 million national debt and the deficit had reached  £13 million. The income tax which had been imposed in 1799 and brought in  £15 million was defeated by 37 votes and abolished in March 1816. This meant that the government lost a substantial amount of revenue therefore worsening the economic state of the coun try. Further the end of the Napoleonic war in 1815 caused depression as the economy shifted from a war economy to a peacetime one. Liverpool’s government thought lower tariffs on imported goods would mean lower prices for costumers and therefore increasing demand and stimulating trade which would mean economic prosperity. Liverpool’s main source of revenue was the indirect tax. During this time the government was also under increasing pressure gain the support of the people as in the election of 1818 they had lost seats. The government was severely embarrassed over its handling of Peterloo, the spy system and the Queen Caroline Affair. Matters were only made worse by Castlereagh’s weak defence of the government position in each of the matters. The government was in deep embarrassment and on the verge of losing support from voters. As a response Liverpool shuffled the cabinet in 1822. Canning was appointed as foreign secretary. This was highly controversial and further cabinet changes took places. This was an attempt to make the restore the people’s faith in the government and Liverpool hoped to regain some credibility. This reshuffle provided the impression of change, however this was not really the case therefore it wasn’t particularly effective in solving any problems. There was also much radical threat in Britain at the time. During this time Liverpool did several things to try and suppress radical action: introduced the six acts, suspended the Habeas Corpus and the Seditions meeting act. Also people were transported and some were executed due to Luddite protests. These acts allowed the magistrates to take action necessary in order to prevent any action which seemed revolutionary. This made the government seems repressive and reactionary. This was also the first time any government had to deal with mass protest and therefore it could be said that perhaps for the experience they had, the government dealt with matters fairly effectively. Although there are perhaps better ways in which it could have been handled the government was somewhat effective in oppressing revolutionary protest. Liverpool was clearly most effective are regards military action – winning the war with Napoleon and also restoring the peace with America. As regards to the economic and financial problems Liverpool was somewhat successful in reducing the problem rather than getting rid of it.

Overview of Sarcopenia

Overview of Sarcopenia Background Sarcopenia is age related disease with symptoms of loss of muscle mass, strength and function. Elderly over the age of 65 years are vulnerable to sarcopenia [6]. It is estimated that approximated 5-13% of older people aged 60–70 years are suffered from sarcopenia [8]. The proportion is about twice higher among elderly at the age of 80 or above [8]. Studies also found that sarcopenia is more likely seen in older men than older women [16,26]. Sarcopenia gains intensive attention from public and increasing researches indicated that it is a major clinical problem for older people. Risk factors of sarcopenia Current research found that lifestyle factors, including physical inactivity, smoking and alcohol consuming [3]; and biological factors, including older age, gender, decreased hormone level, motor unit remodeling and reduced protein synthesis [3,25], contribute to development of sarcopenia. Motor unit remodeling comes up of age and leads to replacement of fast twitch motor neuron[22,25] which results in less precise control of movements, less force production and slowing of muscle mechanics[22,23,25] as remodeled motor unit are smaller in size and slower to contract. Therefore, loss of fast twitch fibers increases risk of having sarcopenia. In addition, protein synthesis, growth hormone (GH), testosterone (T) and insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) are considered to be associated with sarcopenia as well [25]. It is well known that protein is important in muscle repairmen. And GH, T and IGF-1 are involved in protein metabolism and maintenance [23]. Different studies agreed that protein synthesis rate decreases throughout the natural aging process [24] and leads to loss of muscle mass. Thus, low protein synthesis rate, along with decrease in these hormones level provide possible occurrence of sarcopenia [25]. Consequences of sarcopenia Sarcopenia causes serious consequences not only at individual level but also at societal level. On the one hand, loss of muscle mass, strength and function lead to adverse health outcome in terms of frailty, disability, morbidity and mortality [8]. Essentially, sarcopenia is about twice as common as frailty [9]. Also, sarcopenia occurs with other morbidity in some times. Some of the co-morbidity are obesity [4,13], hypertension, osteoporosis [12] and type II diabetes [5,14,15]. Moreover, research suggests that loss of skeletal muscle strength may predict future mortality in middle-aged and elderly [2]. On the other hand, sarcopenia is linked with increased healthcare expenditure. In United States, the estimated direct healthcare attributable to sarcopenia represented about 1.5% of total healthcare expenditure in 2000 [21]. Diagnosis of sarcopenia according to different consensus panels Although research working in the area of sarcopenia is expanding exponentially, a universal definition is still under development. On average, current definitions are including muscle mass, muscle strength or even physical function. In 2010, the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) published guidelines to help identify sarcopenia [1,9]. According to the EWGSOP, a person will be classified as having sarcopenia when two of three follow criteria were statisfied: (A) low muscle mass and (B) low muscle strength and/or (C) low physical performance [1]. Low muscle mass is defined as muscle mass ≠¥2 standard deviations below the mean of reference population [8], calculating by equipment such as DEXA-scanners. Low physical performance is defined as gait speed ≠¤ 0.8 m/s in the 4 meters walk test for both males and females [8]. International Working Group on Sarcopenia (IWGS) suggested diagnosing sarcopenia when the following criteria are fulfilled: (a) gait speed was < 1 m/s and (b) low muscle mass (cutoff value is similar to EWGSOP) [8]. The European Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition Special Interest Groups carried out that the cut off values for low muscle mass is defined as percentage of muscle mass > 2 SDs below the mean of reference individuals; for walking speed is < 0.8 m/s in the 4 meters walk test [1]. Measurement of muscle mass and muscle strength Muscle strength is mainly assessed by handgrip. While physical performance can be measured using simple tests such as the short physical performance battery test, usual gait speed or the timed get-up-and-go test; it is difficult to assess muscle mass in practice. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) is recently proposed as the gold standard for muscle mass measurement. Other methods include bioelectrical impedance, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, urinary excretion of creatinine, anthropometric assessments, and neutron activation assessments can be used for measurement of muscle mass as well [8]. The process is complicated and need participation of professionals. Prevalence of sarcopenia varies as use of cut-off points relies on different instruments used for assessing muscle mass and strength and function. SARC-F, a newly developed simple questionnaire, has been regarded as rapid diagnosis test for sarcopenia. It contains five components: strength, assistance in walking, rise from a chair, climb stairs and falls. A question will be asked to assess each component variable. Scores range from 0-10, with 0-2 for each component [7]. Details of SARC-F are shown in table 1. Cut-off score A research conducted in Hong Kong tests the validation of SARC-F as a screening tool for sarcopenia in community. It found that SARC-F is able to predict future adverse outcomes with comparable power to other criteria. It also found that SARC-F has excellent specificity (94.4%) and negative predictive value but poor sensitivity. With high specificity, SARC-F is useful for screening out older adults with sarcopenia. Poor sensitivity may due to the number of participants classified as having sarcopenia represent only a small proportion of the total population studied [10]. Another research applied SARC-F in mainland China to screen sarcopenia and physical disability. It published that poor physical performance and grip strength were associated with SARC-F defined sarcopenia. But there was a very weak correlation to muscle mass in physically active outpatients. It pointed out potential explanation that the weak correlation may partly due to only small sample measured by DXA or BIA [11]. Relevance to Public Health Sarcopenia is coming of age. Elderly population is expected to remain on a rising trend in most of developed countries. In Hong Kong the proportion of the population aged 65 and over is projected to rise markedly from 13% in 2012 to 30% in 2041 []. It means that increasing population will suffer from sarcopenia. It is not surprise that sarcopenia increase the risk of physical disability. The risk of disability is 1.5 to 4.6 times higher in older persons with sarcopenia than in older persons with normal muscle. Men are at greater risk of sarcopenia related disability than women [16]. Recent estimates indicate that approximately 45% of the older U.S. population is sarcopenic and that approximately 20% of the older U.S. population is functionally disabled [21]. It is important to note that physical disability is associated with an increased risk of nursing home placement, home healthcare and hospital use [21]. And these healthcare services need extra healthcare expenditure to support. To sum up with information above, sarcopenia is becoming big challenge in public along with the rise of older population. It is cause serious health consequences in persons and make economic burden in countries.

Communication Traits of Happy Couples Essay -- Relationships

There are couples who are happy and there are those who are not. The success rate of marriages in America has fallen; fifty percent of all marriages will not make it to the end. Fifty percent of all marriages today, who enter into a â€Å"lifelong† commitment, will end in divorce. In search of a solution and an explanation researchers have turned to look at couples who are happy and those who are not, through all stages of a relationship. They have found that many of the traits that begin in a dating relationship will carry over into a marriage. Researchers have turned to the ways in which these happy couples communicate and the ways that not so happy couples communicate in order to find a common thread between couples who stay committed to one another while being satisfied in the relationship. There are communicative traits practiced by these couples who are happy. Those traits include but are not limited to successful conflict resolution, communicative responses to situati ons which threaten your relationship, the use of rituals to build relational quality and intimacy, the role of affection in relational satisfaction. There is a correlation between successful conflict resolution and relational satisfaction in a relationship. It is important to note that not only is it important for conflicts to be resolved in a relationship but the way in which those conflicts are handled has a direct effect on the satisfaction and the success of the relationship or the marriage. It often times is not the subject matter of the fight which affects the relationship the most, it is the way in which the conflict is handled, â€Å"How couples argue and disagree about issues appears to be more consequential to the success of a marriage than what they ar... ...d and Dating Relationships,† 256. Kennedy-Lightsey, Booth-Butterfield, â€Å"Responses to Jealousy Situations That Evoke Uncertainty in Married and Dating Relationships,† 256. Kennedy-Lightsey, Booth-Butterfield, â€Å"Responses to Jealousy Situations That Evoke Uncertainty in Married and Dating Relationships,† 256. Kennedy-Lightsey, Booth-Butterfield, â€Å"Responses to Jealousy Situations That Evoke Uncertainty in Married and Dating Relationships,† 258. Angela Hoppe-Nagao, Stella Ting-Toomey, â€Å"Relational Dialectics and Management Strategies in Marital Couples,† Southern Communication Journal 67 (2002): 151. Hoppe-Nagao, Ting-Toomey, â€Å"Relational Dialectics and Management Strategies in Marital Couples,† 151. Kory Floyd, â€Å"Human Affection Exchange: V. Attributes of the Highly Affectionate,† Communication Quarterly 50 (2002): 135.

Character Development in Edward Abbeys The Monkey Wrench Gang Essay

Character Development in Edward Abbey's The Monkey Wrench Gang    Search and Rescue, Utah State Police, and Bishops of the Church of Latter-Day Saints chase a group of bridge destroying, billboard burning, bulldozer mutilating eco-terrorists through the desert of the Southwest. The group known as the Monkey Wrench Gang consists of four very different characters: Seldom Seen Smith, also known as Joseph Smith, George Washington Hayduke, Doctor A. K. Sarvis, and Bonnie Abbzug. Each character has his own opinion of why nature needs to be saved. The group decides to make their mark on nature by "taking care" of the different machines, roads and bridges that are destroying it. With all the destruction the gang is causing, being caught is expected. However, the gang narrowly escapes the law numerous times. After finally giving in to the pressures of being good citizens and serving time in jail for destroying public property, the gang reunites for their final destructive mission: Glen Canyon Dam. Edward Abbey, author of The Monkey Wrench Gang (1975), uses language, appearances, actions and opinions to make each character likable to the conservative reader. Abbey uses his strong feelings about the beauty of the Southwest to shape the opinions of each of his characters. Doc Sarvis, a medical surgeon from Albuquerque, has no strong or lasting relationships. "His few close friends were always sent away, returning rarely, the bonds of affection no stronger than the web of correspondence" (12-13). Doc?s closest friend, and coworker, is Ms. Bonnie Abbzug. Doc and Bonnie spend most of their downtime destroying billboards with economic meanings, because "Somebody has to do it" (43). Such billboards worthy of destruction read "Marine Corps bu... ...ng nurse on the right buttock and shambled on shaky hind legs out the side door up the alleyway . . . into the padded darkness of the nearest bar" (213). With Smith being the logical member of the gang, "he listens with the concentrated intensity of a buck in hunting season" (337). When he finally hears something, "he stops. Suddenly. Doc, Bonnie and Hayduke stumble into his rear like the Three Stooges, three clowns in a silent movie" (336). While reading The Monkey Wrench Gang, many images appear in one?s mind. The uses of Edward Abbey?s skill of developing characters through language, appearance, actions and opinions make this novel more enjoyable to read. The shaping of each character persuades the reader to believe that, "Oh my desert, yours is the only death I cannot bear." Work Cited Abbey, Edward. The Monkey Wrench Gang. 1975. New York: Avon Books.

Describe and Evaluate two theories of the formation of romantic relationships Essay

In 1970 Byrne and Clore introduced the reward/ need satisfaction theory for the formation of relationships. They suggested that we are attracted to individuals whose presence is rewarding for us, and that naturally we find stimuli rewarding if it meets an unmet need; the more rewards someone provides for us, the more we should be attracted to them. They believed that the formation if relationships was linked with the idea of classical and operant conditioning, with operant conditioning we are likely to repeat behaviours that leads to a desirable outcome and avoid behaviours that lead to undesirable ones, so we enter the relationships because the presence of some individuals is directly associated with reinforcement, making us have positive feelings, which makes them more attractive to us. For classical conditioning, we tend to prefer people who we associate with pleasant event, so for example if we meet someone somewhere where we are having a good time, then we will associate this person with this good time and find them more attractive in the long run. Byrne and Clore believed that the balance between positive and negative feelings in a relationship was crucial as relationships where the positive outweigh negative feelings were more likely to develop and succeed. Griffitt and Guay (1969), participants were evaluated on a creative task by an experimenter and then asked to rate how much they liked the experimenter. The rating was highest when the experimenter had positively evaluated the participant’s performance on the task. This study supports the claim that we like people who are associated with pleasant events. This provides strong support that similarity is important in attraction, but also highlights reciprocal liking also is factor in the formation of relationships; however this may not be the only factor influencing this. The experiment was only of an imaginary description, the participant is unlikely to truly demonstrate how they feel towards the stranger. The experiment doesn’t demonstrate interaction of people, but rather just presents a statement about them, which reduces how far conclusions can be drawn. Although similarity may be a factor, how people socially interact is also important to how a person perceives another. In a laboratory experiment, Lehr and Gehr (2006) studied participants of both sexes to test the importance of reciprocal liking. Knowing that someone likes you is particularly rewarding and so is more likely to end up in mutual liking. Participants were given a description of a stranger, with varying degrees of similarity of the strangers attitude to the participants. In each description was a statement that the stranger either liked or did not like the participant. Researchers found significant effects for attitude similarity and liking. However this study doesn’t have ecological validity from where it was done in a lab setting and didn’t reflect real life situation or conditions However Cate et al (1982) asked 337 individuals to assess their current relationships in terms of reward level and satisfaction. Results showed that reward level was superior to all other factors in determining relationship satisfaction, however this theory only explores the receiving of rewards, the results may not be completely accurate though as some people may have picked the socially desirable answers. These studies all ignore natures influence on attraction and that it is to some extent an evolutionary need to have a partner that meets physical requirements. This model may be very culturally bound as all the studies done were in the western world’s individualistic cultures. In other cultures one partner may not expect rewards and may be entirely giving, or arranges marriages will also go against this theory as the long term is made to happen. For example, Lott (1994) suggests that in many cultures women are more focused on the needs of others rather than receiving reinforcement. This suggests that this theory is not a universal explanation of relationship formation and therefore culturally biased. However, this theory is supported by another theory on how relationships are formed Byrne, Clore and Smeatons Similarity Theory (1986) states that it is important that people are similar in order to be able to form a relationship. They theorise that there are two stages to deciding who to seek relations with first we sort out the people most dissimilar to us and secondly then seek out those who are most similar. Caspi and Herbener found that in married couples, those who were the happiest were those with the most similar personality traits.