The Analysis of the Assessment of the Overall Status of the Firm Case Study

The Analysis of the Assessment of the Overall Status of the Firm McDonald's - Case Study Example There are three steps in the general approach to capital budgeting. First, the decision maker must make a list of possible long-term investments. Second, the decision maker shall study the advantages and disadvantages of each alternative capital investment, taking into consideration the variance of each project’s net cash inflows. Third, the decision maker must choose the best alternative (McGuigan, 2010). Incremental cash inflow is the list of the company’s cash outflows as well as a list of the company’s cash inflows. The cash outflow represents all payments for purchases of capital investments as well as operating expenses. The cash inflow includes the revenues from the project. The net cash flow is the difference between the cash inflows and the cash outflows (McGuigan, 2010). Payback period indicates how long the business or entity will recover its investments or capital budgeting amount. In terms of the payback period decision rule, the project that has the shorter payback period is better than another project having a longer payback period (McGuigan, 2010). The net present value method in capital budgeting shows the variance between two amounts. The first amount is the cash inflows. The second amount is the cash outflows. The net present value is the difference between the total cash inflows and the total cash outflows. The decision maker should invest in a project if the total present values exceed the total cash outflows (McGuigan, 2010). In economic terms, the net present value represents the contribution of the investment to the firm’s value, and to shareholders’ wealth maximization. The present value is the value today of a future amount cash amount or series of cash payments computed using the appropriate discount interest rate (McGuigan, 2010). The Internal rate of return is used to determine whether the decision maker should choose the one project over the other alternative projects. If the internal rate of return of a project is lower than the capital investment costs, the decision maker must drop the project. The internal rate of return is the interest rate used to arrive at a net present value of zero.  

Alwaleed Bin Talal’s Leadership Essay Example for Free

Alwaleed Bin Talal’s Leadership Essay Prince Alwaleed bin Talal is one of the world’s wealthiest investor and businessman. He has been able to gain connection in politics through entrepreneurship and international investments as an entrepreneur. He is a citizen of Lebanon and a member of the royal family, House of Saudi, in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Though not a member of the executive charged with ruling, he usually gets involved in politics of Lebanon for instance in the case of President Emile Lahoud against claims assassinating Lebanese billionaire Rafik Hariri and usually criticizes both local and international political issues in the media. He has so far been unsuccessful in his efforts to lead the Lebanese Sunni community. During Alwaleed’s early ages, his Father Prince Talal Abd al-Aziz, a known activist and modernizer, actively engaged in matters concerning the political issues that existed in the traditional governing system in Saudi Arabia in the early 1960s. He opposed Modern pan-Arabism that was led by the then leader of the United Arab Repulic, Jamal Gamal Abdel Nasser, which resulted to the suspension of his passport. He was forced to seek exile in Egypt. During this period, Alwaleed lived with his mother, Princess Muna al-Sulh who was the daughter of Riyadh al- Sulh, the first Prime Minister of the Independent Lebanon. In his early education, he attended elementary and middle schools in Beirut and returned to Lebanon in 1973 to attend King Abdul Aziz Military Academy to gain more discipline skills. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business administration from Menlo College California in 1979 and later enrolled for a masters Degree in Political Science from Syracuse University (Khan 2005). He rose to international fame in the early 1990s by purchasing a substantial amount of Citicorp shares when then firm was undergoing financial difficulties. He is an established investor and owns a chain of investments worldwide in the major industries such as banking, building and construction companies, telecommunications, broadcasting and media, entertainment, hospitality and involvement in charitable activities across many regions of the world. He also owns a lot of luxurious assets (Khan 2005). According to Machiavelli (2005) leadership qualities must be practical and not ideological in their application. In chapter 15 of The Prince, that leadership quality should be determined through consideration of personality traits, character and how a person conducts himself. A successful ruler must know when, where and in what way an upright person will act when confronted with different situations. Alwaleed has been able to demonstrate all these leadership qualities which are evident in the different criteria’s he employed in his investment activities throughout his life. He invested in shares of America’s Citicorp at the time when every investor was pulling out their capital from the firm and at a time when it neared its collapse due to bankruptcy, a decision that elicited mixed reactions across the world. Machiavelli talks of qualities that a leader must posses on those things which politicians or Princes must do that might either be praised or blamed in the end. He clearly differentiates the two categories in which a leader must apply specific ideologies. Machiavelli identifies the world that we live in as a kind of world of forms and which contains imperfect alternatives that are required in the world of ideas. Alwaleed seemed to recognize the world of ideas and did things that other people in the world of forms thought that they were impossible to happen. Upon his return after completion of his Master’s degree, he invested in the banking sector by purchasing shares in the United Saudi Commercial Bank. This move enabled the bank to gain enormous returns in terms of market value and also enabled the Bank to merge with Saudi Cairo Bank. His fortunes increased immensely through these risky but strategic business ventures. These elicited admirations from financial strategists across Asia and other parts of the world. Economic observers in the Saudi Kingdom and from other parts of the globe recognized his efforts and Alwaleed was thus chosen by the King as an advisor on economic matters. This enabled him improve on his unique strategic approaches to expansion of his business empire (Khan 2005). Â  Alwaleed’s character has been influenced through his grand father King Abd al-Aziz and the first prime minister of independent Lebanon who were all honest, upright and generous in their actions. They got a lot of respect and loyalty from the entire kingdom. All these characters can be displayed through his successful ventures and the ways in which he related to the people. His sudden amassment of wealth in a short period of time has led certain institutions to question the source of his wealth. According to the Economist online, Alwaleed is suspected to be a front man of other investors in the Saudi Arabian kingdom. All his sources of income are questioned and an account of his possible worth is calculated and the conclusion is that the source of his wealth is unquestionable because his business could not be in a position to accumulate such volume of wealth in a short period of time. Machiavelli’s leadership principle requires that a leader must engage in activities that may seem inappropriate, eliciting malicious interests and those that will require him to commit unethical ethics so long as it leads him to obtain success and power. What matters is the end result, the means doesn’t apply. Alwaleed was able to achieve success and power irrespective of the means he employed to achieve his success. His experience from the risky venture has enabled him to acquire riches and build business empires in addition to gaining international respect and recognition through investing in long-term projects (Machiavelli 17). Machiavelli on chapter 13 and 14 in the Online Literature Library the character of a Prince on matters concerning mercenaries and armies is discussed. They should be loyal to the ruler in fighting for the battle. In chapter 14, Machiavelli advises the prince to focus on the war and avoid other issues that pertains military matters. He should gain knowledge to enable him to maintain power stronghold throughout the battle. Prince Alwaleed was prepared in military matters after having attended King Abdul Aziz Military Academy and was prepared to lead incase he found his chance to the throne. He was therefore armed to be safe lest he is threatened by opposing forces to his power. This enabled him to gain trust from the King and thus he found a position in the cabinet and became the Kings Economic advisor. Bridging the East and Western Worlds Alwaleed fame is recognized internationally through his involvement in bridging the Arab world and the Western worlds. He has been involved in Islamic studies programs across Universities in the United States and other parts of the Globe. According to Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Islamic Studies Program at Harvard University, prince Alwaleed is committed to the fostering the importance of peace and tolerance. They assert that the best way to achieve this is through the bridging of the understanding between the East and the West. He is also committed in making the world a better place. He is the champion representative of UNESCO and also supports charities for children. Â  He engages in cultural activities aimed at promoting mutual understanding. The prince also has funded an educational centre at Georgetown University that aims at improving understanding between Islamic and Christian religions. Other initiatives include cross cultural educational institutions in Europe, Africa and the Middle-East. This shows a connection with the qualities of a leader cited by Machiavelli. On generosity and miserliness, a leader is supposed to spend excess amounts of his fortune on things that will improve or heighten his publicity but by doing so keep in mind the consequences that might befall him in the event that his fortune dwindles (Machiavelli 14). Chapter 18 tells the things that a politician must do which concerns his faith. Alwaleed has been able to extend his religion to the western world through funding foundations that touch on his Islamic religion. In this chapter Machiavelli asserts that private morality should prevail over public life and in order to be successful, praise must come from other human beings even if it means doing things are wrong in different perspectives. Rulers must therefore be generous in utilizing their wealth and appear tough on running their businesses even if it means using cruelty. He has stood strong on his word of Bridging the east and west and has stood strong in his faith.

The Rock :: Essays Papers

The Rock He is a three-time world wrestling federation champion and a two time intercontinental champion. He was born on May 2, 1972 is 6’5 and weighs 275 pounds. He goes by the name Dwayne Johnson, calls himself the â€Å"People’s Champion† and otherwise known as â€Å"The Rock.† Other than having the pretty face that Hollywood was looking for, The Rock had to go through many steps as an â€Å"actor† before he became well known. However, the rock graduated from the University of Miami as an all -American Football player. Right away, he was entered into the realm of entertainment. This in turn was called a secondary effect because The Rock being a football player was entertainment and attracted the media’s attention. He was as Gabler states, â€Å"a performing artist.† (Gabler pg. 4) He was ready to enter the world of a celebrity and a star. Inside Wrestler magazine says that The Rock has the â€Å"same ‘X’ factor† as the Phantom of the Opera, â€Å"able to choreograph a rowdy mass of wrestling fans with a simple catch phrase, a dramatic pause, or a little lift of the eyebrow†(March 2001). The public considers the Rock to be a celebrity being that he has gone from music, to commercials, to sports, and journalism. He has starred on Saturday Night Live, That 70’s Show, and will soon be featured in the sequel to â€Å"The Mummy† as the Scorpion King. He is an entertainer who loves performing for the crowd. As he himself said, â€Å"Always entertaining the fans and knowing that I’m entertaining them-that’s the goal, to entertain the fans and nothing compares to that.† Each time he appears somewhere knew it adds to his popularity more and more. You start to conform to this so- called â€Å"reality.† The Rock plays many different roles and has many different names, that one might wonder which he really is. When he is wrestling, he is the Rock and when you research about him, as we did for this paper, we found out his birth name being Dwayne Johnson, and then of course, what he likes to refer to himself as, the â€Å"People’s Champion. These are just a few examples. He takes upon the role of an â€Å"actor† in so many different aspects that he himself becomes comfortable with what he is playing, and eventually this in turn takes over parts of him as a person.

12 Hours Without Technology Essay

Those who identify themselves as technological determinists believe we as humans have remarkably little control over technology and the effect it has on the world. Just two months ago, I passionately denied this point of view and identified myself as a social constructivist. Perhaps it is the idea of not being in complete control of my decisions that I did not want to accept. However, after completing the challenge of going twelve hours without technology, I quickly learned that my thoughts on technological determinism were not in line with my experiences. The fact is technology has become an integral part of day-to-day life. Truly understanding the effects and dare I say, control, that technology has on life, twelve hours without it will certainly enlighten each one of us. In the following pages, I will attempt to describe the challenges of my day without technology. Furthermore, I will attempt to interpret how my experiences relate to my relationship with technology and society. Ultimately, my purpose is to identify events which support or defy the view of technological determinism and understand the driving factors behind them. See more:  First Poem for You Essay With a career that heavily relies on technology, I reasonably challenged myself to refrain from using technology on a Sunday. What I learned was quite surprising and honestly, quite stressful. First, to appreciate the challenges I endured on this Sunday, it is crucial to know a little bit about my professional background. As a licensed mortgage loan originator, I have a fiduciary duty to all of my clients that are purchasing a home. While my career requires a large set of professional requirements, the most valuable aspect to being successful is to be available nearly 24 hours a day every day of the week. Going into this project, I knew that refraining from using technology, specifically my phone and the computer, would prove to be challenging but at the same time I figured everyone deserves a day off every now and then†¦I soon learned that this would come with a cost. My Sunday morning started off much the same as any other. I woke up early to tend to my e-mails that had made their way to my inbox from potential homeowners throughout the evening. Responsibly, I made sure to reply to every e-mail, voicemail and, text message prior to 9:00AM. Completely disconnecting from the internet and shutting down my phone was just as nerve racking as I had anticipated it to be. Knowing that this day would be a challenge for me, I had previously arranged a few things to do to keep my mind and attention away from my business. Depending on how one would define technology, someone could argue that I instantly failed to avoid the use of technology within just an hour of starting my project. My wife and I left the house in the technological wonder of a Chevy Tahoe Hybrid around 9:30AM to attend regular church services. I recognized right away that avoiding technology entirely for twelve hours would be impossible for me to accomplish. Instead, I switched my focus to avoiding my phone, internet or computer use for the remainder of the day. My wife and I proceeded to attend church and then went to lunch. When we returned home, I decided to take each of the three dogs for a run. Normally, I opt to take one of them each day on a rotation, but it was a beautiful day and the small blinking light on my phone begging me to check my text messages, e-mails and voicemails were not within reach. This was my first insight into a day without technology. Almost immediately I was able to find more time to do things that are more valuable to me. While I was enjoying the extra time with my beloved pets, I also recognized that as the day progressed, I was growing more and more anxious from not being able to use my phone. Little did I know that by the time I had finished taking the last four-legged child for a run, I was not the only anxious person affected by vacation from technology. There was a storm brewing that would hinder my goal. When I returned home, my wife frantically met me at the door with her phone in hand. My managing sales supervisor had called her because he had received a few phone calls from upset potential clients. Notably, this was just five hours into my twelve hour challenge on a Sunday afternoon. Reluctantly, I took the phone from my wife and proceeded to field the onslaught of exploratory questions as to my whereabouts and reasoning for not answering my phone or promptly replying to my e-mails. It is crucial to remember that I’m essentially self-employed, so I had no obligation to answer to a supervisor for an issue such as this but the fact that I had chosen not to use an ordinary technology such as my phone, I found myself in an awkward and rather challenging position. After taking some time to put out some proverbial fires with my sales manager and a few clients, I put my phone down and resumed my challenge of avoiding technology. Before doing so, I noticed that I had received several text messages throughout the day from friends and family. Reflecting upon the nature of the texts as I read through them, I noticed one general recurring theme. Many of the initial text conversations had begun with an unassuming â€Å"hello† and â€Å"how are you. † Just five or six hours after not receiving a response from me, many of the one-sided conversations had progressed to worry about my safety. At this point, I dismissed the idea that I had control when it came to technology. As I reflected on these events, I could not help but be reminded of Neil Postman. We need to proceed with our eyes wide open so that we may use technology rather than be used by it (Postman, 1998, p. 6). Suddenly, I realized that I have been interacting with technological development in a way where technology was using me more than I was using it. By definition, social constructivism â€Å"presumes that social and cultural forces determine technical change† (Johnson & Wetmore, 2009, p. 143). On the flip side, technological determinism â€Å"is the claim that the introduction of new technologies produces direct and unalterable social changes† (Johnson & Wetmore, 2009, p. 93). I acknowledge that refraining from technological use for twelve hours was an extremely small scale task in terms of the technology available at hand. Despite that, it was surprising how disturbed my friends, family, co-workers and clients alike had become by my avoidance of a phone. â€Å"Technological change creates winners and losers† (Harris, 2012). These disturbances certainly support this idea, and I would argue that this is at the foundation of the technological determinism theory. The introduction of the smartphone into my personal and professional life has set an expectation which has had a direct and unalterable affect. While this reliance on the phone may put me on the loser side of this equation, my clients are certainly on the winning side. My choice of career has brought new technology into my life that may have not been necessary with different decisions on my part. In closing, I should repeat that the main point of this paper and this experiment was to describe the challenges of a day without technology while interpreting my experiences in terms of the relationship between technology and society at a personal level. My experience with this project may have been more extreme than others given the expectations of my profession. However, by the end of my unsuccessful day without technology, it was clear that the technologies I have brought into my own life on a personal and professional level unmistakably dictates how I interact with the world and more importantly, how the outside world expects me to interact with it.

Fashion History of Womenswear (1900~1950)

To inform Specific purpose: To inform my audience fashion history of Homeowners between 1900?1950 Central idea: Western fashion history of Homeowners between 1900-1950 were highly influenced by history event such as World War I and II Main idea: l. WWW brought Asia culture to Europe and Japanese dress are one of the major influence II. WWW brings women to workplace therefore shape and length of dress had huge change, Channel were raised up this time Ill.After WWW was another twist point, fancy comes bad and Door's The New look were published Commentary were highly influenced by history event such as World War I and II Method of organization: Chorological Introduction: The introduction of Fashion consists at the beginning. We begins with a brief our feeling towards fashion. Body: The body of the speech Chocolate provides an idea of how the society, economic and culture change the influenced the fashion style in Western culture. The first point is about how World War 1 brought Asia cul ture to Western culture in fashion.A transition to World War 2 marks Vanessa move to the second point, in which how World War 2 affect the use of fabric, and shows the evidence by photo on the visual ads. Vanessa ends the second point by how the people at that time solve their problem fashion. After the transition, Chocolate bring the subject to 1947 which mention about the change after war, and Dior' The New Look published. Conclusion: Consisting at the end of the speech, the conclusion reminds listeners of the significance of the topic and summarizes the main points. Also, it provides a sense of feeling for audiences that they are a part of the fashion history too.

Free Essays on Emirates Airlines

Introduction Ryanair is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland and operates a low-fare, no-frill scheduled passenger airline. Ryanair serves short-haul, point-to-point routes between Ireland, the United Kingdom, and continental Europe, making Ryanair Europe ¡Ã‚ ¦s largest low-fare airline. It has destinations in 13 countries with 76 low-fare routes. Its fleet consists of 21 Boeing 737-200s and 21 737-800s. Launched in 1985, Ryanair ¡Ã‚ ¦s growth has been extraordinary. Ryanair currently employs a team of 1500 people and will carry over 13 million scheduled passengers in the current year (2002). In 1986, Ryanair broke the high fare cartel, which was then operated by the two state airlines Aer Lingus and British Airways in the Dublin-London route. The first four years Ryanair was carrying 600,000 passengers annually, but had managed to lose 20million pounds. Under a new management team, headed up by Michael O ¡Ã‚ ¦Leary, a major overhaul of the airline was undertaken in 1990/91. With Ryanair re launched as the very first new breed of  ¡Ã‚ ¥Low-fare, no-frill ¡Ã‚ ¦ airline, adapting the formula so successfully pioneered by south West Airlines in the U.S, non profitable routes were eliminated, the network was cut back from 19 to just 5 routes and air fares across the remaining network were substantially reduced. For example, on Dublin-London route, a new promotional fare of just 69 pounds returns was launched which stimulated a whole new era of growth for Ryanair. The company ¡Ã‚ ¦s goal was to be profitable on new routes from their inception, by pitching their fares to be low enough to attract new customers but high enough to provide a satisfactory operating margin. By 1991 Ryanair recorded its first ever profit despite the damage done to the Airline industry by the Gulf war in 1991. Over the next couple of years Ryanair substanti ally slashed its fares further and managed to open up many new attractive routes. The new formula effected a turnaroun... Free Essays on Emirates Airlines Free Essays on Emirates Airlines Introduction Ryanair is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland and operates a low-fare, no-frill scheduled passenger airline. Ryanair serves short-haul, point-to-point routes between Ireland, the United Kingdom, and continental Europe, making Ryanair Europe ¡Ã‚ ¦s largest low-fare airline. It has destinations in 13 countries with 76 low-fare routes. Its fleet consists of 21 Boeing 737-200s and 21 737-800s. Launched in 1985, Ryanair ¡Ã‚ ¦s growth has been extraordinary. Ryanair currently employs a team of 1500 people and will carry over 13 million scheduled passengers in the current year (2002). In 1986, Ryanair broke the high fare cartel, which was then operated by the two state airlines Aer Lingus and British Airways in the Dublin-London route. The first four years Ryanair was carrying 600,000 passengers annually, but had managed to lose 20million pounds. Under a new management team, headed up by Michael O ¡Ã‚ ¦Leary, a major overhaul of the airline was undertaken in 1990/91. With Ryanair re launched as the very first new breed of  ¡Ã‚ ¥Low-fare, no-frill ¡Ã‚ ¦ airline, adapting the formula so successfully pioneered by south West Airlines in the U.S, non profitable routes were eliminated, the network was cut back from 19 to just 5 routes and air fares across the remaining network were substantially reduced. For example, on Dublin-London route, a new promotional fare of just 69 pounds returns was launched which stimulated a whole new era of growth for Ryanair. The company ¡Ã‚ ¦s goal was to be profitable on new routes from their inception, by pitching their fares to be low enough to attract new customers but high enough to provide a satisfactory operating margin. By 1991 Ryanair recorded its first ever profit despite the damage done to the Airline industry by the Gulf war in 1991. Over the next couple of years Ryanair substanti ally slashed its fares further and managed to open up many new attractive routes. The new formula effected a turnaroun...

Free Essays on Japanese Education System

Understanding the Japanese people and culture requires understanding the factors that mold them. Particularly important are those components which influence them in their formative years. The Japanese education system is one of the most influential agents molding Japanese youth. Given the large amount of time that Japanese students spend in schools, it is little wonder that the education system plays a tremendous role in determining the fabric of Japanese society. An examination of the "typical" high school experience illuminates the function of the education system in Japanese society. Getting to School Japanese high school students do not drive cars. Many either walk or ride bicycles if the distance is not too great. In other cases, students must take public buses and trains, often changing lines several times in order to reach their destinations. It is not uncommon for students to spend two or more hours each day on public transportation. After junior high school, students attend schools based on standardized high school entrance examination scores. As a result, some students travel a great distance to attend the school determined by their test scores. The school day begins at 8:30, so students may leave home as early as 6:30. While some students sleep or study during their long commute, public transportation also provides a chance for socializing with peers. Student behavior on the way to school is regulated by school policies. These policies may prohibit certain activities in publicchewing gum, consuming snacks, reading books while walkinganything that might reflect badly on the reputation of the school. Each school has a unique uniform that makes its students easily identifiable to the public. School policies often require students to stand on buses and trains, leaving seats open for other passengers in order to demonstrate consideration. In practice, however, the behavior of students tends to relax as they move farther away... Free Essays on Japanese Education System Free Essays on Japanese Education System Understanding the Japanese people and culture requires understanding the factors that mold them. Particularly important are those components which influence them in their formative years. The Japanese education system is one of the most influential agents molding Japanese youth. Given the large amount of time that Japanese students spend in schools, it is little wonder that the education system plays a tremendous role in determining the fabric of Japanese society. An examination of the "typical" high school experience illuminates the function of the education system in Japanese society. Getting to School Japanese high school students do not drive cars. Many either walk or ride bicycles if the distance is not too great. In other cases, students must take public buses and trains, often changing lines several times in order to reach their destinations. It is not uncommon for students to spend two or more hours each day on public transportation. After junior high school, students attend schools based on standardized high school entrance examination scores. As a result, some students travel a great distance to attend the school determined by their test scores. The school day begins at 8:30, so students may leave home as early as 6:30. While some students sleep or study during their long commute, public transportation also provides a chance for socializing with peers. Student behavior on the way to school is regulated by school policies. These policies may prohibit certain activities in publicchewing gum, consuming snacks, reading books while walkinganything that might reflect badly on the reputation of the school. Each school has a unique uniform that makes its students easily identifiable to the public. School policies often require students to stand on buses and trains, leaving seats open for other passengers in order to demonstrate consideration. In practice, however, the behavior of students tends to relax as they move farther away...

Properly Using Je Suis Plein in French

Properly Using Je Suis Plein in French Its common for non-native French speakers to make mistakes in conversation, especially if theyre using a phrase like  je suis  plein.  Imagine this scenario: Youre at a bistro and have just had a delicious, filling meal. The waiter comes by to ask if youd care for dessert. Youre stuffed, so you politely decline by saying youre full. The waiter smiles awkwardly. What did you just say? Understanding Je Suis  Plein The French translation of full is plein, except when it comes to your stomach.  Correct ways to say Im full include jai  trop  mangà ©Ã‚  (literally, I ate too much), je  suis rassasià ©Ã‚  (Im satisfied), and je  nen  peux  plus  (I cant [take] anymore). But if youre new to the language, you may not be aware of this subtle nuance. Although it may seem logical to use je suis plein to mean Im full, most people in France interpret the phrase as meaning Im pregnant.Its not a very nice way to say it,  either, because the phrase à ªtre pleine is used to talk about pregnant animals, not people. Many visitors to France have anecdotes involving the misuse of this expression. Whats interesting is that if a woman actually says je suis pleine to a native French speaker, he or she will probably understand that to mean shes pregnant. And yet if you talk about this expression in the abstract with a native speaker, s/hes likely to tell you that no one would ever take it to mean youre pregnant  because its only used for animals.Note: Je suis plein is also a familiar way of saying Im drunk. In Quebec and Belgium, unlike France, its perfectly acceptable to use this phrase to mean Im full.

The Effect TV Has on Children Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Effect TV Has on Children - Essay Example According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), kids in the United States watch about 4 hours of TV a day. According to the AAP guidelines, children under age 2 should have no "screen time" (TV, DVDs or videotapes, computers, or video games) at all. During the first 2 years, a critical time for brain development, TV can get in the way of exploring, learning, and spending time interacting and playing with parents and others, which help young children, develop the skills they need to grow cognitively, physically, socially, and emotionally. There is no doubt that TV can be an excellent educator and entertainer. But despite its advantages, too much television can be detrimental. Several types of research around the world have shown that children who consistently spend more than 4 hours per day watching TV are more likely to be overweight. In earlier days before the television, children played outdoors more and used their minds to be more creative. Excessive television viewing promotes inactivity. Health experts have long linked excessive TV-watching to obesity - a significant health problem today. While watching TV, children are inactive and tend to snack which contributes to poor nutrition. They're also bombarded with advertising messages that encourage them to eat unhealthy foods such as potato chips and empty-calorie soft drinks that often become preferred snack foods. According to the AAP, children in the United States see 40,000 commercials each year. From junk food and soft drink advertisements, children persuade t heir parents to buy them. This leads to major health problems and is a serious concern around the world (Dowshen and Gavin, 2005).     

Helvetica and Objectified Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Helvetica and Objectified - Essay Example Design of objects has some of the same factors as document design. It is aimed at a particular audience. If text is also displayed the two together, object and text, carry a meaning made from the combination. There are wonderful ideal of design to which many designers adhere, but ultimately, those designers who must earn must design for production, with the needs of the target audience and the process of its use taking a secondary role. Good design needs no marketing. Marketed design is fashion. Therefore, design for production is aimed at marketing the final product with the highest profit margin possible. Good design should have lower prices, but fashion pushes the price up. Therefore, designs which can be mass produced in factories manned by untrained labor and sold as fashionable gets the most attention of many companies. Apple computers capitalized upon the hunger for fashion (status symbol) in the western public for years, designing first for the look and second for function. This resulted in products that have an avid following and are useful to most. However, they are proprietary, more expensive and they sometimes miss the mark by a mile, as in the first Apple Air, several small desktops and some of the music players. Consumers see Apple as exclusive and somehow better, but most do not realize that this â€Å"better† is bought at the price of variety. Anyone designing for Apple must do it their way and be licensed by Apple. Designing for PCs or Android devices only requires complying with the system requirements. This produces better Apple products, since all must pass their rigorous tests, but more variety for other systems with a number of flaws in many products, but lower prices and more availability over all. One point was made very clearly in the documentary, Objectified (2009): that designing for mass production and fashion and designing

Changes in Accounting Due to Globalization Assignment

Changes in Accounting Due to Globalization - Assignment Example Financial accounting refers to information that describes the financial resources, obligations, and activities of the business organization. Management accounting involves the development and interpretation of accounting information designed to assist management (Wiliam and Haka, 2005, p. 5-6). These two accounting systems differ in the dimensions of users to whom the information is produced, the structure of the information, sources of principles for both, report entity, purpose, need and time orientation etc. Financial accounting is basically concerned with producing financial information and reports like financial statements for external users including investors, creditors, government agencies, customers, and banks etc. But, managerial accounting is concerned with producing and providing accounting information for all internal users including managers for decision making, planning and controlling (Heitger and Mowen, 2007, p. 6) Khan (2007) emphasizes that the users of information produced by financial accounting other than management are often a faceless group. Normally, the managers of many companies do not personally know the shareholders or creditors etc. But, users of management account are within the organization like managers and those who help managers produce this information (p. 7) The information is presented in a different structure in management accounting and financial accounting. Financial account must follow a single and unified structure as the information related or presented in different organizations must be more or less in a uniform structure. Balance sheet, profit, and loss account or income statement and cash flow statements are the end products of financial accounting. The balance sheet is a financial position statement of the business for a particular period of time, generally for a financial year.  

Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Reflection - Essay Example Like every religion, Catholism has certain mythical background to which there is no commendable proof when looking back in to the history. Some people still debate on the life of Jesus and the miracles he performed to revive people of his times. Christianity is not abundant with rituals, however to certain extend rituals does decorate the religious practice. However, ethics is of great importance in Catholism as the teachings of Christ are entirely based on a moralistic and ethical life. Moreover, the emotional experience in Christianity is exaggerating as the death of Jesus to eradicate the sin of people has been focused to soften the mind of people. In Christianity material expression is notable as preaching gospels and signing gospel hymns is an integral part of the religion. As a Christian I can affirm that Christianity is a sacred religion with belief system as its strongest element. Recently ,there are many religious movements which have emerged in this world which is centered on distinctive belief system and rituals. One of them is Rastafarian religion, practiced mainly in Jamaican society. This religious has a strong belief system, where they believe that the last Emperor of Ethiopia is a messiah of the world. Rastafarians practice their religion in a community and propagates that African community is the haven of human origination. They nuture certain myths as God is black and that salvation can be attained only by Black people. With regard to rituals, Rastafarianism is unique as it place music as its ritualistic practice. Unlike other religion, Rastafarians does not have religiously inculcated ritualistic practice or customs. This religion has a valid ethical system as it refers to biblical texts and parables to propagate high moral standards of living. Rastafarians are strict vegetarians and abhor alcohol in an attempt to be spiritual and pure. This religion

State Counter Terrorism Strategy and Plans for Japan Essay

State Counter Terrorism Strategy and Plans for Japan - Essay Example Aum Shinrikyo is an indigenous terrorist group arising in Japan (Hidaeki, 2003). The group also carried out certain marginally successful attacks on the Diet and the Crown Prince’s wedding with botulin toxin and attempted an anthrax attack on the people of streets of Tokyo (Branscomb, 2004). This paper primarily deals with the counter terrorism strategies and action plans for Japan in current context and also for future. Defining Counterterrorism Counterterrorism is a difficult concept to define, especially in the context of western democracies. Paul Wilkinson writes that, â€Å"There is no universally applicable counter-terrorism policy for democracies. Every conflict involving terrorism has its own unique characteristics†. Both Paul Wilkinson and Louise Richardson and many others argue that, Western democracies must have respect for the rule of law and civil liberties should be followed in maintaining their counterterrorism strategies. Counterterrorism operations are subject to continuous change according to the nature of the threat (Rineheart, 2010). Counterterrorism as defined by the U.S. Army Field Manual stands as â€Å"Operations that include the offensive measures taken to prevent, deter, preempt, and respond to terrorism† (Rineheart, 2010). This definition of counterterrorism is more concrete but has its own weaknesses and strengths. Though it correctly explains that counterterrorism is an all-inclusive doctrine including prevention, preemption, deterrence, and responses which would require bringing all aspects of the nation’s power to be exposed both domestically and internationally, yet essentially it differentiates nothing. If an effective counterterrorism doctrine is meant to follow the principle that ‘whatever is needed, whenever we need it,’ then this could create problems with developing effective counter strategies, allocating resources, and determining accountability – it might make the concept o f counterterrorism rather worthless. There are advantages to an all-encompassing approach to counterterrorism. It allows the governments to recognize the complexities of responding to terrorism; it also provides a rhetorical tool that reinforces the notion that there is no simple fix to a nation’s terrorism problem (Rineheart, 2010). International Counter-Terrorism Policy of Japan There are a number of dimensions to the counter-terrorism strategy of Japan. The government’s paramount responsibility is to guard the security of Japan’s territory and citizens against terrorist acts (Hideaki, 2003, p. 55). The basic policy of Japan to counter terrorist activities is by strengthening the national counter terrorism measures. International cooperation and capacity building assistance to countries in need is also enumerated in the list of counter terrorism activities for Japan. The Japanese government in December 2004 adopted the "Action Plan for Prevention of Terrorism" which included taking16 ‘Urgently Needed Terrorism Prevention Measures’. In lieu of this certain urgent measures were taken. Japan has actively committed to the negotiations on relevant treaties in the UN and other international bodies. It has ratified and implemented all of the 13 international counter-terrorism conventions and protocols, most recently, the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism in August 3, 2007. Japan has also been participating in the ongoing negotiations of the Comprehensive

Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Reflection - Essay Example Like every religion, Catholism has certain mythical background to which there is no commendable proof when looking back in to the history. Some people still debate on the life of Jesus and the miracles he performed to revive people of his times. Christianity is not abundant with rituals, however to certain extend rituals does decorate the religious practice. However, ethics is of great importance in Catholism as the teachings of Christ are entirely based on a moralistic and ethical life. Moreover, the emotional experience in Christianity is exaggerating as the death of Jesus to eradicate the sin of people has been focused to soften the mind of people. In Christianity material expression is notable as preaching gospels and signing gospel hymns is an integral part of the religion. As a Christian I can affirm that Christianity is a sacred religion with belief system as its strongest element. Recently ,there are many religious movements which have emerged in this world which is centered on distinctive belief system and rituals. One of them is Rastafarian religion, practiced mainly in Jamaican society. This religious has a strong belief system, where they believe that the last Emperor of Ethiopia is a messiah of the world. Rastafarians practice their religion in a community and propagates that African community is the haven of human origination. They nuture certain myths as God is black and that salvation can be attained only by Black people. With regard to rituals, Rastafarianism is unique as it place music as its ritualistic practice. Unlike other religion, Rastafarians does not have religiously inculcated ritualistic practice or customs. This religion has a valid ethical system as it refers to biblical texts and parables to propagate high moral standards of living. Rastafarians are strict vegetarians and abhor alcohol in an attempt to be spiritual and pure. This religion

Buisness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Buisness - Essay Example Furthermore, such a management style of Dr. Kair was constantly leading to losses of sales due to the artificially prolonged sales process and sales people’s having no power over their work. 2 Identify and fully describe the management style (Chapter 7) that your would prefer to use as the CEO of the company. Choose the one that fits you best. The most popular management style of today is, probably, participative, or democratic, management. Since the employees of We Care Ambulatory Devices have low internal morale, trust, sharing of responsibilities and empowerment would, I believe, improve the overall situation. Employees should have a right to use own initiatives and express their ideas, which, in their turn, may contribute to the success of the organization. Delegation of tasks to the subordinates, as well as giving them freedom to take certain decisions independently will raise the morale of the staff and increase sales though speeding up the process. 3 Using your manageme nt style, how would you change the company? What would you do to increase internal morale, customer satisfaction and profitability? This is very hard to do and there is no one way of moving the company forward.

Year of Wonders Essay Example for Free

Year of Wonders Essay Background of the novel: 1. William Shakespeare wrote most of his known plays between 1589 and 1613, and died in 1616. 2. Elizabeth I was succeeded by James VI of Scotland (becoming James I of Great Britain upon his crowning), in 1603. 3. Between the years of 1649 and 1660, during the English Civil War, England had no monarch; instead, the country was temporarily ruled by Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell as a military/parliament. 4. In 17th Century England, many people believed that witches were abound and were the cause of a variety of otherwise difficult-to-explain behaviour amongst people; if a person were found guilty of witchcraft, they were sentenced to death by hanging. 5. Puritans were those of a particular division of the Christian faith, differing notably from other branches in mostly their views on morality, which they believed to be incredibly important – and pursued down to the finest level of detail – and the structure and manner of their worship (shunning the interference of outside sources, such as rulers of the land, into religion, and not seeking happiness by normal means, taking it instead from their belief that they were acting according to God’s will). 6. (I couldn’t answer the first part of this question, as after seeing multiple versions of the book’s cover there seems to be no recurring phrase to consider as a ‘subtitle’.) Historical Fiction: 1. While some people may hold the expectation that historical fiction would be based on facts and research, painting a realistic picture of its setting, I would say that such an assumption is not, or at least should not be, usually present; historical fiction is labelled as ‘fiction’ for a reason, and as such is grounded too much in alternate reality, aiming too much to provide entertainment rather than information, to be considered an accurate, researched portrayal of its setting. Of course, there are exceptions – Year of Wonders, in part, being one – but even that does not provide a realistic enough picture of its time and place to make the emergence of such an expectation of factual provision becoming commonplace in the genre seem a good idea. 2. I believe that an author’s ability to shape their material into an effective and engaging narrative holds a higher position of importance than their willingness to adhere to historically accurate occurrences; if the author aims to engross their audience in the story, then every other aspect of the book is secondary to that goal. In the same way as one would be unwise to attempt to write a good book about a purposefully boring premise or character, there is little point in maintaining historical accuracy if such maintenance detracts from the entertainment of the piece. Even if the aim is not entertainment, but rather the conveyance of a particular theme, the same reasoning applies – there is little to no reason in maintaining historical accuracy if the themes being presented could be done so far more effectively without such accuracy. 3. Although it is obviously important in any medium to avoid anachronistic occurrences that could detract from the story, I do not agree that the ‘anachronisms’ in Year of Wonders could be classified as such, in that they do not seem to be truly anachronistic at all. By this, I mean that the attitudes of the main characters do not seem unbelievable, even considering the book’s setting, as any era will always have those who think differently – indeed, if not for this, this emergence of individuals going against the status quo who may obtain the rare chance to influence others, mankind’s common values would never have changed since its inception. Each of the characters in question seems to have been written with enough explanation of their own values and attitudes that they are justified, even within the context. While these circumstances are certainly unlikely, they are not impossible, and attempting to call those two things one and the same is akin to labelling day the same as night by the mere fact that they lie next to each other in the cycle of time. Reading the Novel: 1. It would seem that the reason for which Geraldine Brooks gave the name Year of Wonders to her novel is that, despite the devastating effects of the plague on Anna’s life, there truly were ‘wonders’ that happened for, and around, her in that year. She grew closer than she ever may have expected to a good friend; she salvaged many an innocent life with her (albeit shaky at first) willingness in being a midwife, which eventually led to her finding what she believed her true calling; she witnessed her town’s sacrificial act of goodness, sparing innocent bystanders from sharing in Eyam’s wretched fate; and, ultimately, she managed to find happiness, emerging from that most trying year scathed but still very much alive, restarting her life anew and settling down with two healthy, happy children to call her own. 2. Here is a list of my initial impressions of the characters in Year of Wonders: * Anna – A girl whose innocence was taken from her by that which she has experienced, seeming embittered and disillusioned with the world around her but standing as a strong pillar of kindness in spite of that. To those familiar with the terminology – for I can think of no better term for Anna’s character – she seems at first (and throughout the story) to be a ‘Mary Sue’. * Michael – A once-great man driven into an almost catatonic state by the events of the plague. * Elizabeth – An unpleasant woman, spoilt to the point of incredible greed and selfishness by the circumstances of her upbringing. * Jamie – A child like any other, energetic and inquisitive. * George – Good and kind-hearted, to the level that these qualities become suspicious. * Jane – A prudish and serious young girl, putting her religious views above all else in h er life to a perhaps obsessive extent. * Sam – Dull, yet kind; a simple man, content with his life. * Tom – A typical baby; along with Jamie, he is the subject of his mother’s devotion and love, and much of her reason for living now that Sam is dead. * Elinor – Kind and carefree, yet contemplative and devoted; Anna’s picture of perfection. * Mem – A woman weathered by the world, showing inherent goodness behind a more grumpy exterior as she remains to tend to a village of people who think none too highly of her. * Anys – A young girl showing the same world-weariness, temperament and awareness as her aunt, though whose morality is perhaps more tarred due to her selfishness, her bluntness and her disregard for typical values. * Stanley –Similarly to Jane, a person who treats worship and morality as being almost synonymous with life itself. * Aphra – Self-absorbed to the extreme and paranoid towards any outside forces in her life. * Lib – A representation of a typical girl of the Middle Ages, serving as a foil to Anna’s more progressive character. * Colonel Bradford – A selfish, rude man, having grown accustomed to abusing the power granted to him. * Miss Bradford – A typical rich woman of the times, considering her wealth as a token of superiority. * Robert – A wandering young man of high-class birth, seeking simple entertainment after leaving his home town of London. * Mary – An unremarkable woman on face level, wanting only a plain and happy life. * Surgeon(s) – [Grouped together because they are of indistinguishable temperaments] Fearful men, seeking not truly to aid others at critical points but rather to gain a stock of money from their work and remain in safety themselves. * The sexton – A hard-working old man, trying merely to do his duty in a most difficult time. * Brad – Though not particularly evil, a superstitious, desperate and stupid man. * Faith – Much the same as her father, Brad. * Urith – The same as Brad. * Martin – Same as above. * Maggie – A hard-working, honest peasant woman. * Jenny – Same as above. * Brand – A cautious man, but one who has goodness within him. * Jakob – Kind and accommodating, despite his difficult lot in life. * Josiah – A cruel and angry man not afraid to use his strength to get his own way; like his wife Aphra, he seems to reject anything other than the concept of self. * Sally – An entirely innocent victim, her death seeming representative of that which makes the villagers start to abandon their faith. * Kate – Another desperate, simple peasant woman, seeking safety but throwing away reason in an attempt to reach it. * Merry – Like Sally, Merry is a unfairly victimised child, but unlike her, Merry appears to represent hope and strength. * Alun – A gruff man, set in his ways, but with a good sense of right and wrong. * Randoll – A simple villager with a good heart. * Henry – Another plain villager, of a gruff and unpleasant temperament himself, but angered back into caring about morality by Josiah’s actions. * Lottie and Tom – Desperate parents who have suspended their disbelief of the supernatural in a vain attempt to protect their child. * John – A man whose already-fragile mind snapped from the fear and grief of the plague, spurring him to reckless action. * Urith – Meek; locked up in hiding due more to fear of her husband than of the plague. * James – A saddening old figure, his faith tested by his continued survival while more meaningful lives pass away in front of his eyes. * Mrs. Bradford – A fearful woman, whose subservience to her husband is so great as to surpass her care for her child’s life. * The Innkeeper – An honest, fair-minded man with a good sense of justice. * Ahmed – Refined, kind and accepting. 3. Brooks’ descriptions of the village and countryside are used to create suspense by portraying the change from a normal, perfectly functional town to a broken wreck; mentions of laughter, of playful children and of the sounds of work, are replaced by a foreboding silence, while the town itself becomes overgrown and filled with decay. The reason that these scenes – scenes of a once-lively town reduced to an image of death – create suspense is that, no matter where the characters focus, they will be presented by a reminder of the ruins around them, showing them just how close they are to that fate themselves. 4. The views developed by Brooks throughout the narrative seem to combine into one main theme – a willingness to question the status quo, to show that the current state of things may not always be for the best. This is shown through class divides (questioning whether the wealthy truly deserve their privileged status, as evidenced by the selfishness of the Bradfords), relative gender equality for the times (as both men and women play a crucial role in stopping the end situation from being even worse; if, as was typical of the times, only the men had been allowed to decide on issues – and, for example, Anna and Elinor had not been able to choose to act as midwives – the death toll may well have been higher), and the steadfast determination to perceive the plague as a religious occurrence rather than a natural one (which, by focusing eyes in the wrong direction, likely caused the loss of many lives; if the true reason for the plague had been discovered earlier, more effective countermeasures could have been taken). This general theme, and its components, reflects contemporary attitudes rather accurately – recent society has certainly become more open to changing the status quo, and such things as gender equality and reduced expectations of religion seem to have worked rather well in changing society for the better. 5. Contrast between characters can be seen between multiple pairs in Year of Wonders. Anna seems to have four main contrasting characters, each of a different kind – firstly, she and Aphra are contrasted in their desires, with Anna’s being largely for the wellbeing of other people while her stepmother’s are selfish. Michael Mompellion could be considered the second contrast to Anna, as he is an initially strong man weakened by his trials and losses while Anna’s seem to serve only to strengthen her resolve in the end. Anys is the contrast to Anna’s third defining characteristic; while Anna is a rather traditional girl despite her individual ways, and hides much of her true self and her opinions inside, Anys’ views would not seem entirely common in our day, and she has little reservation about speaking her mind bluntly. Finally, Anna’s situation – that of a strong, outgoing woman, hidden behind the mask of a cautious, unglamorous girl – is opposite to that of Elinor, who appears in Anna’s eyes to be a near-flawless woman radiating energy but is internally scarred and in turmoil. Elinor, with her constant kindness and equal treatment despite her high-class family background, has another contrasting character of her own in Elizabeth, the rich daughter of the Bradfords who abuses her power and thinks only of her own desires. One more prominent contrast is between Colonel Bradford and Michael – while both being intelligent men, the Colonel seeks to employ this intelligence only to protect himself, whereas Michael aims to aid those around him. The Structure of the Novel: 1. It seems that flashback has been used here for a multitude of reasons; it allows for a more direct before-and-after contrast to show the development of her character throughout the year (by virtue of snapping from one to the other; in a gradual build-up, the changes would be less noticeable), it reveals the inevitable end of the story so as to place an emphasis on the book’s characters and setting rather than its plot’s ramifications, and it creates a sense of curiosity as to just how events transpired within the focused-upon year to create such change as can be seen. 2. While beginning with a flashback is, as previously explained, effective in setting up a variety of paths to set the foundation for telling a tale, it is not a solve-all solution for storytelling; some aspects of the story cannot be satisfactorily fleshed out without the reader having some pre-established knowledge of the characters, setting and such things, and so I imagine that is for this reason that Brooks decided to revisit this time. 3. While I am not certain on this fact, it would seem that the middle thirteen chapters of the story were indeed narrated in chronological order; if this is not the case, then I would perhaps say that the signposting to show this anachronism was insufficient. Leaf-fall, 1666: Apple-picking Time: 1. Key character interactions and quotations in this opening chapter are: * Anna’s devotion to the deteriorated Michael Mompellion, rousing curiosity as to what led to the situation. * Michael’s grief and bitterness over the loss of Elinor. * The cold, vengeful attitude held towards Elizabeth as a member of the Bradfords. * The mention that Josiah ‘loved the pot more than his children’. * Elizabeth being ‘sour-faced and spoiled’. * ‘His hand is on the bible, but he never opens it’ – Michael’s religious habits contrasting with his shattered faith. * Anna’s motives in caring for Michael, showing her idolatry of Elinor: ‘I do it for her. I tell myself I do it for her. Why else would I do it, after all?’ * Michael’s frigid recital of a passage from the Bible, showing further his grief from the loss of Elinor and his feeling of betrayal from God: ‘Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 2. I think that Brooks chose to use first-person narrative because it would seem that the story she seeks to tell is primarily one of a single girl’s character development; while third-person writing allows for a greater scope of focus on multiple characters or a wider story, the first-person perspective tends to allow the writer to more accurately portray the nuanced thoughts of an individual, and so it seems more fitting for this purpose. Another possible reason is that this subjective first-person story, shown through the imagined eyes of Anna Frith, paints the emotions and feel of the setting better than a first-person narrative may manage to easily do. 3. Archaic and dialect words contribute to the story by creating a more realistic setting; in a similar way to the aforementioned example of anachronism (an ancient Roman wearing a watch), the story’s sense of realism would be broken if the residents of a small, 17th century British town were to speak just as we do today. 4. Aside from the stated phrases, notable signs of decay, loss and disillusionment in this chapter are: * ‘The courtyard hadn’t been swept in a sennight. It smelled of rotting straw and horse piss.’ * ‘If there’s one thing I couldn’t stand anymore, it’s the scent of a rotting apple.’ * ‘†¦sometimes I feel that I’m tending just another in that long procession of dead.’ * ‘My neighbours’ cottage was empty, the ivy already creeping across the windows and the grey lichens crusting the sills.’ * ‘[Nature] has taken less than a year to begin to reclaim its place.’ 5. Some examples of parallels between the physical desolation of the garden and the spiritual desolation of Michael are: * The idea that Elinor would be sorry to see what had become of her garden; just as it has been dirtied with weeds, so too has Michael’s spirit been corrupted by his anger and grief, and Elinor would be most saddened to see what had become of this once-strong man. * In relation to the previous point, Anna remarks, ‘I expect she would understand why it is so’. * Anna also remarks on how nobody could truly restore Elinor’s garden back to its former glory, drawing comparisons to how – no matter what efforts Anna or any others may make in improving Michael’s state of depression – they could never tend to him with the same skill as his wife could have; he could never return to being the steadfast bastion of strength that he was when he stood with Elinor’s support. 6. It does not, to me, seem that Anna’s relative stability in the face of Michael’s mental collapse indicates a message of feminist resilience; regardless of Brooks’ intention, the two simply seem to be different people, defined in this aspect by their characters rather than their genders. This view is supported by Aphra’s fall into depraved insanity, which certainly contained no message of women being inherently strong. 7. Examples of the complexities of Anna’s character shown in this chapter are: * Her prioritising of compassion above tradition – ‘A servant has no right to stay, once she’s dismissed. But I did stay†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (Page 4) * Her hesitance to let any life be in need, unhappiness or danger – tending to the horse (‘I kept prattling, softly, as I used to with the children when they were scared or hurt.’ (Page 5)), not wanting to pull out the plant (‘like me, so brimful of endings that they cannot bear to wrench even a scrawny sapling from its tenuous grip on life.’ (Page 12)).

Reflection on Demand and change in Nurse Manager

Reflection on Demand and change in Nurse Manager Over the last decade management in nursing has become increasingly demanding (Hyrkas et al 2005). The role of nurse managers has undergone significant change as nurse managers have taken on more administrative roles. Restructuring and specialization of healthcare organizations has had an impact on the role of the nurse manager. If preparation of nurse managers is inadequate, potential for role confusion and role stress increases, undermining role effectiveness in this key position (McCallin Frankson, 2010). Within the hospital and specialized clinic setting a synergy between business practice and clinical practice is vital to the success of the organization. In my experience as a nurse manager, while attending monthly management meetings, I have experienced hospital administrators (CEOs and CFOs) that understand that nurses are essential for a hospital or health clinic to function, and to maintain a high quality of care. But at the same time these administrators express concerns tha t department managers are not as responsive as they would like in relation to alignment with organizational resource management and objectives. In these instances it appears that the administrators and department managers are out of sync in what they understand the job role to be. This perception does not negate the clinical expertise of the manager but may demonstrate a lack of business skill, or understanding of the business objectives and expectations of the role for the clinical manager. Healthcare is a business and, like every business, it needs good management to keep the business connected and running smoothly. The aim of this paper ..As part of my personal development plan, using the example of cardiac care clinics, role challenges are discussed, and implications for nursing management that present a new approach to nurse manager development I will explore the challenges that face nurse managers to better understand the integration of business expectations and the role of the nurse manager in the setting of cardiac care and identify possible improvements that could close perceived training gaps being experienced. I see this knowledge as being helpful in my personal development but also in developing templates to assist other managers to improve as they embark into managing specialty clinics. Healthcare organizations are working to provide optimal care in cost effective ways. The tension between these two objectives is challenging for all levels of management. In my experience with cardiac care, I see nurse managers being challenged to develop optimal planning algorithms, patient satisfaction surveys, or building new clinical paths, such as cardiac care service lines for focused cardiac management. Choices ultimately have to satisfy clinical objectives of optimal care, outstanding communication, collaboration and transparency of information. At the same time organizational issues need to be addressed in order to deliver products and services in a sustainable way (cost effective, evidence based, and state-of-the art). Nurse Managers are required to become experts in the fundamentals of business management which often is beyond the education and experience of a registered nurse (Wright, Rowitz, Merkle, 2000) (Mathena, 2002) (Douglas, 2008). To address these concerns within the setting of a specialized clinic, specialized training and support could be designed to develop the skills and models to support the development of effective nurse managers. As nurses, much of how we learn to manage and lead is learned informally as we advance in our careers. However, this does not mean that it cannot be done better. Management skills may be learnt on the job but are also skills that should not be left to chance. The gap in management and business preparation among nurse managers is an area that could be improved (Noyes, 2002). One argument is that these skills are acquired in the University of Life (Pedler, Burgoyne, Boydell, 2007, p. 13). Education and support of clinical nurse managers received considerable attention in the 1980s, with accounts of preparatory courses which were considered to have been effective at the time (Gould, Kelly, Goldstone, Maidwell, 2001). In the years since much has changed in healthcare. Continuing ill preparedness for nursing management and leadership continues to be documented (Douglas, 2008). As the span of the role has expanded, nurse manager workloads have increased (Lee Cummings, 2008). This can lead to role fatigue that threatens individuals, the role itself, along with the clinical objectives of the cardiac program. The situation is sustained when nurses are promoted into management roles without any formal management training at all (Platt Foster, 2007). In my experience, the cardiac specialty clinic has intense challenges; the scope of the role is wide-ranging. A nurse manager enters a cardiac specialty role with advanced clinical expertise and must promptly become a strategic planner, human resource authority, quasi-business manager, financial analyst, risk manager, operations manager, quality specialist, and clinical expert (Crowther, 2004). Other competencies include staffing management, performance evaluation, team development, delegation, conflict re solution, change management and problem solving (Mathena, 2002). Research suggests that nurse managers receive little management support and little is done to set expectations, track performance, or offer feedback (Tuglan, 2007) Poor access to formal organizational support suggests that a nurse managers management skills are learnt utilizing trial and error methods (Paliadelis, Cruickshank, Sheridan, 2007) To better understand the integration of business expectations and the role of the nurse manager in the setting of cardiac care, I conducted semi-structured discussions with key stake holders and support experts (CMO, CFO, DON, Purchasing Manager, and Nurse Managers). With the permission of the individuals I documented field notes to later review and analyze systematically, to identify recurrent themes and understand perceived gaps existing between the clinical and the business aspects of management within the specialized cardiac clinic. A simple thematic approach was utilized where the notes were coded according to similarities and differences that were grouped into categories and then arranged into themes. Three themes emerged from the notes namely, understanding of the managerial role, management and business training deficits, and a general feeling of management overload. The discussions were structured based on clinic management, operational management, value proposition, market segment, strategic position, and clinical strategy. This structure provided a framework to categorize the differing responses to identify the applicability of clinical and business theory to establish a clearer understanding of the elements required to build a nurse manager development strategy. In understanding the cardiac clinic managers role, administrators acknowledged Within the cardiac arena, healthcare knowledge that nurse managers must possess has changed and continues to change dramatically, these changes are more complex, frequent and rapid than ever before CEO. The clinic managers themselves identified a lack of clarity; comments indicated that the managers role is diverse when compared to the job description. Within the cardiology specialty, the cardiac managers role has become more challenging today than in the past, mainly due to the numerous changes that are occurring in cardiac care today Cardiac Clinic Manager. The lack of preparedness for the role was an area that reinforced what the literature stated. Common comments included: Not all nurse managers are successful in the transition from staff nurse to management. The successful nurse managers achieve results through their ability to develop leadership skills, critical thinking skills, and over time, a development of mutual respect. Director of Cardiac Services. I was the go-to person for the cardiology step down unit; I had good clinical skills, and was promoted into a management position. You could describe my transition as baptism by fire Cardiac Clinic Manager. When asked what a successful nurse manager would look like, the majority of answers indicated that success was interpreted as maintaining staff satisfaction, avoiding patient complications, and dealing with the day to day problems associated with the patient flow through the clinic. Integrating specialized cardiac clinical experience with management skills is identified as challenging, management role descriptions need to be supported and aligned with organizational objectives. I see this as having implications for the development of cardiac clinic nurse managers because if roles are vague managerial communication and leadership will be challenging. The second theme evident was a business management deficit. Business and financial management was identified as being an area of nurse management that made the role demanding. As a manager I have had to manage information technology, finances, human resources, business strategies and organizational operations. This is a very wide subject potentially requiring knowledge of many aspects of business as it relates to, health economics, quality, value, reimbursement, and strategy. Although some nurse managers identified a familiarity with budgeting and performance improvement, they also expressed that these were areas that they had no formal training, and that were viewed as outside of their control. There was no formal business training. My problems are figures, budgets and reports. I was completely computer illiterate, and am not much better today Clinical Manager. Situations were also described where nurse managers dont speak up, or attend organization planning, or strategy meetings, and as a result the organization bypasses them when making key decisions. Nurse Managers are not taught how to influence business practices within a healthcare organization. Many clinic nurse managers dont seem to take ownership of the operational management of their departments Purchasing manager, Several hospital administrators identified that the Nurse Manager are rarely considered experts in the logistics associated with the supply, operational, and fiscal management. Administrators agreed that nurse managers have a difficult position, in that they have 100% accountability for quality care, and productivity within the specialized clinic, but not 100% authority. Connecting the clinical aspect of cardiac services to funding is essential for financial managers to select appropriate working capital strategies to support the overall business strategies and objectives (Marsh 2009). As I consider the nurse mangers role in todays specialized healthcare environment, it is important to place the subject into context of what has happened and what is happening in our field of work, because managers in todays cannot simply emulate managers of the past (Ellis, 2005, p. 3). Key stakeholders (administration, CEO, CFO) interviewed identified that trends in cardiac healthcare are being affected by such things as: the global market place, the impact of information technology, demands for higher quality and faster service, shorter implementation times on healthcare initiatives, increasing specialty focus and disease management customization, external relations: consumers and industry. High expectations challenge managers asked to stretch resources and time beyond what can be effectively managed. Managers speak of feeling overwhelmed. Common comments included: There are not enough hours in the day, to complete the report, budgets, planning and meetings Cardiac Service Line Manager. And Its about what is achievable and what is not you have to deal with it Cardiac Clinic Nurse Manager. Quality management was a phrase that was identified by all, and appears to be a priority in todays healthcare arena, describing a level of management or service. Some philosophers Plato 2500 years ago to Robert Pirsig in 1975, in Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance, argue that quality cannot be defined, that we just know it when we see it. In striving to provide, and document proof of quality services nurse managers are pressured to manage and identify the key performance indicators that would be most valuable and then report formats that would be most useful to users, all with little or no training in this area. The role of todays specialized healthcare manager is seen as even more complicated due to the rapidly changing environment surrounding cardiovascular services. Literature supports the fact that managers of previous generations did not have to deal with the rapidity, complexity, and frequency of change that managers are faced with today (Ellis, 2005, p. 13). As new management roles are created, in response to change, the clinician, transitioning to management must give up their role as an individual contributor. As an individual contributor success is measured by the accomplishments of the individuals work. As a manager, you are no longer responsible for what you alone accomplish. You must now work with your direct reports to achieve the goals of the department and the organization. Specialized clinics should not have to reinvent the wheel, with the adoption of methods, tools and techniques the specialized clinic could evaluate current strategy and test future scenarios. There must be a perceived need for change with decision makers. During informal field discussions I discovered many instances that indicated a need for change as well as the need for inclusive ways of framing seemingly complex problems. This was verbalized through feelings of frustration and inadequacy; these situations could be categorized as general inadequate knowledge and preparation. Understanding the role of the manager, is important and in broad terms, I see this as achieving results through, and with others, to help their healthcare team be productive and effective in providing quality care. To do this, competencies such as guiding, supporting, and development of others to higher levels of performance are needed. Managers need to create an environment that encourages and motivates individuals to perform (Chief Nursing Officer) When you create the right environment, achieving results through others becomes much easier. (Boyette Conn, 1992) Data from the interviews indicated that clinical nurse managers appeared to feel clinically competent but generally experienced lack of concordance when dealing with a range of issues, in particular; human resources, managing budgets, communicating at a business level and using information technology in everyday practice. The most effective nurse managers are identified as those who accept full accountability for their own training and development within the clinic and for the outcomes that the clinic achieves. This paper has attempted to explore the issues affecting a nurse manager, specifically as it could relate to a specialized clinical area. I have found that the need for educational support is compounded by a business management deficit and high expectations (possibly unrealistic) that may be causing work overload among nurse managers. It can be stated that the nurse manager role encompasses both management and leadership, and that managers are appointed without the essential organizational management skills or support, making these managers vulnerable in their positions. Obtaining, training, and retaining nurse managers who have the skills and knowledge to manage specialized cardiac clinics is extremely important. Management development is a highly necessary pursuit (Tanner, 2002) (Srsic-Stoehr, Rogers, Wolgast, Chapman, 2004) for nurse managers to assist in addressing the challenges in their positions. Drucker 1967 on developing managers believes that development is not about identifying talent for todays requirements, but it should embrace developing managers to manage the future. It is important to ensure that a policy of developing the management and leadership potential in all and particularly of newly appointed managers. Individuals should also ensure that they focus on developing their own management skills through training, reading, analyzing, and following the example of good managers and by assessing, monitoring, and improving their own performance. The best managers increase the health of the workers whom they manage (Maslow, 1998, p. 94). There are a number of possibilities in up skilling nurse managers, self development or personal development, with the nurse manager taking primary responsibility for their own learning and for choosing the means to achieve this. Ultimately it is about increasing your capacity and willingness to take control over, and be responsible for, ones own development. Self development can mean many things, developing specific qualities and skills, improving performance in your job, advancing your career or, achieving your full potential as an individual. The question here is can an individual be willing and disciplined enough to identify and complete the ambitious goals that would be required here? There are many suggestions in the literature that guide and recommend models and methods to train and develop nurse managers; one suggestion is to develop in-house leadership through a Nurse Leadership Academy, as outlined in appendix II. Once a hospital initiates this kind of program, it can expand it to other leaders in the organization, and also begin developing an internal cadre of coaches and mentors. It has been suggested that one way to manage and assist the specialized cardiac clinic organizations improvement process is by implementing concepts such as Lean Six Sigma to improve performance, core process or quality service (Womack and Jones 1996, 2005). These programs assist in organizational development but not the individual. Six Sigma courses are designed to teach employees and management ways to eliminate wasteful processes, automate processes, minimize error and better utilize resources. Training of managers in Lean Six Sigma can facilitate positive change but the process has also been likened to trying to build a plane while trying to fly in it. There have been many suggestions on training needs for the nurse manager, from information gathering and design specific programs to meet areas of concern such as communication, finance, information technology, leadership and quality, to subsidizing formal academic education through higher education, but sometimes these pathways are over engineered and do not designed with a supportive structure that facilitates practice adoption. Higher education is essential for managers to further branch out and develop professionally, programs such as MBAs, Informatics, Masters programs in hospital administration offer much opportunity, but are also often not supported or backed up with mentoring programs and resources from within the managers clinical workplace. Passionate as I am about the potential contribution of specialized cardiac care programs and management education of the leaders for tomorrow, I remain convinced that a supportive approach is the foundation within this specialty area. In the foreseeable future specialized clinics are going to own the problem of training and developing managers, a component of this will involve support and encouragement of nurse manager personal development, with the nurse manager being encouraged to take primary responsibility for their own learning. Tertiary healthcare education programs, rightly or wrongly, are not about to relieve healthcare of this burden or, I should say opportunity, but has the potential to support an individuals quest for professional development as a manager. Much of this can be supported with the initiation of individual development plans IDPs (Appendix III). This is not what I had envisioned as I started this evaluation looking into new approaches to nurse manager development and education. I see that a personalized approach is needed for both my own development and the development of other managers; the approach would not necessarily incorporate a generic formalized education plan, but would encourage the goals, with the support of organizational resources, backed up by an E-learning capability and personal mentor. I see clinical management in specialist centers is not merely for the intellectually curious. Management should be for those who are not content to follow, for those who believe that the best way to win is to rewrite the rules, for those who are unafraid to challenge orthodoxy, for those who are more inclined to build than cut, for those more concerned with making a difference than making a career, and for those who are absolutely committed to staking out the future first. David Roffe the CIO of St Vincents Hospital group in Sydney identifies the goal for managers may be identified as enlarging their personal development to fully encompass the emerging healthcare reality. Appendix I In many instances a cyclic self evaluation has us going back to evaluate how to move forward. Boydell 2003 doing things well, doing things better, doing better things, Sheffield interlogics Appendix II Nurse Leadership Academy Outline The program could include but is not limited to the following elements: 1. Selection of high-potential candidates. Many hospitals start with the existing Nurse Managers to create a common language and way of thinking about leadership. Then they involve a second group of high-potential Assistant Nurse Managers and Staff Nurses. 2. Initial welcome, orientation, and content delivery. A two or three day retreat grounds participants in the key elements of being a successful leader in the hospital. At the same time, participants choose ambitious goals to improve quality, service, and cost at the organization. Note that time must be reserved to prepare for this retreat. For instance, we will assess an organization in order to tailor our existing Nurse Managers Performance Leadership Program to the specific needs of the organization. Also, we will work with leadership to determine key areas for improvement. 3. Monthly follow up meetings to discuss progress on goals, hear presentations from hospital leadership (e.g., a board member might discuss the role of the board), and learn additional content. 4. Ongoing one-on-one coaching as needed. 5. Some form of recognition after a year. Appendix III

A Comparison of the Divine in Gilgamesh, the Old Testament of the Bible

The Divine in Gilgamesh, The Old Testament, and Metamorphoses       Along with different languages, customs and traditions, ancient Hebrews, Middle-easterners and Romans had very different beliefs about the divine. For example, Hebrews are monotheistic, while Middle-easterners and Greco-Romans of early time periods believe in many gods. Writings from the ancient time period sketch these differences, as well as the many similarities between religious beliefs. The Old Testament is an excellent reference depicting Hebrew beliefs, while Gilgamesh outlines many Middle-eastern beliefs, and The Metamorphoses shows readers many ancient Greco-Roman beliefs about the divine.    The Hebrew God as depicted in the Old Testament is omnipotent and omniscient. He creates perfect and harmonious order in the universe, as depicted in Genesis 1, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the Earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters," (51) which was created by Him in six days (47), "Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made" (52).    Though the Hebrew God is all-powerful, He creates human kind to have free will (47). This free will can be seen in the story of Adam and Eve. Gods warns both Adam and Eve that they can eat anywhere they want, except from the Tree of Knowledge, and they do anyway (53). Along with free will came disobedience (47). The story of Jonah shows this disobedience when the Lord told Jonah to go to Ninevah to tell its inhabitants that they would be punished for their wickedness. Instead, Jonah decides to flee from th... ...rough inspection, because there are also many differences in the religions, such as how many gods citizens may believe in and what their powers are. However similar or different, these texts provide readers with insight into the different cultures throughout the world and offer a basis for the religions that are popular throughout the world today.       Works Cited    The Bible: The Old Testament. The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. Ed. Sarah Lawall et al. Vol 1. 7th ed. New York: Norton, 1999. 47-97.    Gilgamesh. Trans. N.K. Sandars. The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. Ed. Sarah Lawall et al. Vol 1. 7th ed. New York: Norton, 1999. 16-47.    Ovid. Metamorphoses. Trans. J.P. Sullivan. The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. Ed Sarah Lawall et al. Vol 1. 7th ed. New York: Norton, 1999. 895-943.   

Key Aspects of PIES in Different Life Stages Essay

Explain what is meant by PIES: Physical- it refers to things to do with your body. It includes the development of each of your body systems and affected by inherited and genetic and lifestyle. Intellectual- it is to do with the growth of the brain and the development of your thought processes. Emotional-it is about the growth and understanding of feelings. Social- making connections with family, friends and community. Life Stage/image Key aspects of growth and development p1 – m1(for merit explain in more detail) Conception to birth Physical Development Intellectual Development Emotional Development Social Development Infancy 0-3 Physical Development When babies are born they are quiet helpless and dependant. To survive they have lots of reflexes: Rooting, sucking, swallowing, grasping, stepping and startle reflex. Babies develop really fast through out the first three years of their life. When they are born they have lots of physical reflexes. A reflex is an uncontroable response e.g. moving your hand away from a hot plate. Rooting Reflex is when the baby turns its head in the direction of the touch, to find the nipple of its mother’s breast to obtain food. Moro Reflex is when a baby throws out its arms and legs then pulls them back curved. Grasp Reflex is when a baby will grab an object in the hand. Walking Reflex is when a baby is held with its feet touching the ground, and then the baby will make forward movements. Intellectual Development Intellectual development means a complete theory about life and growth of human intelligence. We also build up communication skills which allow us to make ourselves understood and to extend relationships. Development of the mind allows us to recognise, remember, reason, know and understand things around us. Language development is also another part of it. At the age of 18 months the child should know at least six words. At the age of one they should start to name objects and two and three year olds put words into little sentences. Sensorimeter Stage: this stage is found between birth and two year old children. During this stage, knowledge about objects and the ways that they can be manipulated is acquired. Through the information about self and the world, the people in it, the baby begins to understand how one thing can cause or affect another, and begins to develop simple ideas about time and space. They have the ability to build up mental pictures of objects around them. Preoperational Stage: children usually go through this stage between the ages of two to seven year olds. In this stage, children’s thought processes are developing, they are still considered to be far from â€Å"logical thought† in the adult sense of the world. The child’s vocabulary is also expanding and developing in this stage. They change from babies in to ‘little people’. Concrete Operational Stage: this period is found between the ages of seven to eleven year olds. In this  stage, the child has the ability to develop logical thoughts about an object, if they are able to manipulate it. Formal Operational Stage: this stage begins around the age of eleven to sixteen. This stage begins to permit adolescents to reason beyond of a world of concrete logically to a world of possibilities and to operate logically on symbols and information that do not necessarily come up with a general theory of all possible factors that might affect the outcome and r educe from the specific hypotheses that might occur. They can focus on verbal assertions and evaluate their logical validity without making references to real-world circumstances. Emotional Development Emotions are feelings e.g. happiness, anger, fear, frustration, jealousy and many more. When infants and children grow up, they will learn to express their feelings. They also learn how to control their feelings. 1 year olds are able to learn about the effect of their behaviour that has on care givers and can communicate their feelings through their facial expressions. 2 year olds are recognized for their tantrums as they put great effort in to their emotions. 3 year olds are more sensitive to feelings and they are willing to share toys and take turns to play with them. When babies are three months old they enjoy cuddles and activities like bath time. When they are six months they laugh and like to be played with. When they are nine months they start getting scared of strangers and they show likes and dislikes of food. When they are 12 months old they try to get attention from their parents and they show affection to parents. They learn about the effects of their behaviour has on care givers and can express emotions. When they are 15 months old they are more adventurous and they have loads of mood swings. When they are 18 months old they are strong enough to show their emotions. At the age of two babies want everything their way and they have lots of temper tantrums. They are able to show a degree of empathy which is expressed through play. At the age of three they are more sensitive and willing to share toys and take turns playing. Social Development Social development is like emotional development. Relationships with the peers become more important as the child gets older. Young children form friendship and tend to show preferences to particular people. When infants start nursery they have an opportunity to spend time with other infants. Language skills are also important in the development of relations, as children develop they can express their feelings in words. There are other social developments like: Solitary play which normally occurs during infancy when the infants will play by themselves. Parallel play is when the children will play next to each other, but not together. Co-operative play is when children play together. Pretend play is that allows the child to learn about their word. Childhood  4-10 Physical The physical development begins to start when the child grows older. They start to lose their body shape and grow into a little adult. The fast rate in infancy begins to slow down in childhood. The child can develop their balance and become good at running, climbing, jumping and many more. Growth continues to be really fast but not as fast as infancy. Gross Motor Skills: large muscle and body control and coordination development of skills like head control, rolling, standing and walking movements primarily require the larger, more proximal muscle groups. Fine Motor Skills: coordination of small muscle movements which occur in the fingers, usually in coordination with the eyes. In use of motor skills of hands and fingers. Activity Gross Motor Skills Fine Motor Skills Both Tying shoe laces Making and decorating a cake Playing football Building a brick tower Playing a musical instrument Throwing a ball Gymnastics Intellectual Gross Motor Skills: large muscle and body control, development of skills like head control, rolling, sitting, crawling, standing and walking movements primarily require the large, more proximal muscle groups. Fine Motor Skills: the coordination of small muscle movements which occur in the fingers, usually coordination with the eyes. To motor the skills of the hand and the fingers. At the same time as the child’s intellectual development grows, the child can do difficult activities, such as: Reading, writing their name, learning the rules of a game and many more. They begin to learn between right and wrong: They have interest in reading and writing. Progress through this stage, they become fluent in language and may develop a good vocabulary. Become less ego centric (meaning: self- centred, selfish, basically it’s always me, I and etc.) Moral develop (meaning: many parents want to raise their children, to be good of moral values. Morality is a critical part of human development, moral means good, honest and all them  words you can describe a well- mannered child.) At the age of three, children have attained a vocabulary of 1,000 words, they know the concepts of big and little and they can count to 5 or more. They know their first name and surname and they can answer simple questions. At the age of 4 they know at least double of words they knew before. They can identify colours and count till atleast 10 or more than that. At the age of five, they start to ask too many questions like what happened, what they are doing and many more. Six to eight year olds develop their ability to understand perspectives or wishes of others and are able to think in reasonable ways. At the age of reading to do more complex tasks like writing, reading and performing mathematics. Pre-operational: when a child wants to say something and he or she doesn’t know how to say it, so they are learning the language and they are learning by listening and looking around them. Concrete Operational: in this time, the child gains a better understanding of mental operations. The child begins thinking logically about concrete events, but has difficulty understanding abstract concepts. Concept Conservation: refers to a ability in logical thinking according to the psychologist Jean Piaget who developed four stages in cognitive development. Emotional Children develop through this period when they start to release the bonds with their main carers although they still need their support. They begin to be more independent and start to develop a sense of ‘self’. Emotional responses are learned from our most important caregivers. They learn to be in control in their emotional responses and to decide conflict and care givers them when this occurs while trying to understand the temper tantrums of frustration that do occur. They begin to show signs of compassion and empathy and again, carers need to give them encouragement. In this stage the child develops the ability to talk about their feelings. Social Social development in children is simply clear as a child’s interaction with others. In this stage, the child depends on her/ his parents. The child’s  interaction is mainly limited to these people. The child begins interacting with other kids and adults. A child stays a lot upon love, safety and care provided by their parents and caregivers. The child finally leans to pass on love and care and shows signs of kind-hearted behaviour. Solitary Play 0-2 years Young children like to explore and play wide range of toys by themselves. They also like games of imagination and make-believe. Parallel Play 2-3 years Toddlers will play alongside others and will even watch what they do but do not play together. Simple Co-Operative 3-5 years Children join in many different activities with others and learn to share and take turns. Complex Co- Operative 5 years onwards Children make up complex games with others, organising themselves and making up their own rules. Adolescence 11-18 Physical Puberty is a period in adolescence where the body develops and matures sexually. This is the stage when teenagers move from childhood to adulthood. At this time they have lots of physical changes which include puberty. During puberty, chemicals in the body that are called hormones. In physical development girls and boys begin to change and look different as they grow into young women and men. Physical changes Female changes: Gains weight Grows body hair Starts periods Breast develops Shape changes Skin and hair change They become taller Hips becomes rounded Male changes: Gains weight Grows body hair Penis and testicles develop Sperm Voice ‘breaks’ Shoulders broaden Skin and hair change They become taller Intellectual This stage is about the structure of development they become abstract, logically organized system of adult intelligence. When it is faced with it creates more complex problems. They are moving out of concrete intellectual stage, into operational. These are the following changes that happen in adolescence: Arguing skills improve The ability to apply concepts to precise examples Learns to reason though problems even in the absence of concrete events or examples Begins to independently differentiate right from wrong and develops a conscience They may challenge the statement and solutions presented by adults, and many more There are two major characteristics of formal operational period. The first one is â€Å"hypothetic- deductive reasoning†. When it is faces with a problem, adolescents come up with a general theory of possible factors that might affect the outcome and deduce from specific hypothese that might occur. The second important characteristic of this stage is that it is ‘propositional’ in nature. They can focus on spoken statements and estimate their reasonable strength without making reference  to the real- world’s situations. Emotional This is an important period of adult personality. Teenagers develop an individual identify and emotional intelligence. Teenagers would rather spend time with friends than with family, they also would like to spend time by yourself in your bedroom or somewhere on their own. Teenagers don’t get on well with their parents as this is the time teenagers want their freedom and independence and this can cause tension and arguments, but these feelings will not last forever and soon they will be able to control their emotions as they get older. Teenagers have a hard time expressing emotions. Teenage boys don’t think about emotional ease of use like girls may do. All teenagers get very moody on small things and they get very emotional on small things. They have lack of self-confident and self-esteem and this could be a problem at this age. Teenagers also start to speak slang language. There are more negative things about teenagers than positive because of the changes that occur f or example: smokings, alcohol, cause anti-social behaviour. Most parents cannot control their teenage children. During this hormones can get out of balance easily and can lead to mood swings and violent behaviour. As teenager they become fewer dependants on family for emotional support, and turn to friends and get influenced by their peer group. This is a negative effect on teenagers because they get put under peer pressure, you get put into situations that are uncomfortable and that you don’t want to get caught in to. When girls are on their periods they often get very stressed out and they might have mood swings. Social As teenagers gain independence, they spend more time with friends. This permits them to practise social skills. Some adolescent’s factors such as living in poverty, living in a dysfunctional family makes this period more difficult. Teenagers turn more to their peers they often struggle because  they want to be liked. Peer pressure can present difficulties as it can challenge many ideas learned from families. Often a period during which issues as experimenting with alcohol, sexual orientation and attitudes towards education. Adulthood  18-65 Physical People in their twenties and thirties are usually at the peak of their physical development. They are fully mature at this stage. Athletes perform their best in their twenties and to think about retiring after this. Good exercise system and healthy lifestyle can help to extend many decide to start to develop their fitness after this age. From the age of 30 the physical development starts and they begin to notice a lot of changes. They are: Wrinkling of skin Greying and thinning hair Hearing and sight decline Bones lose calcium Circulatory system not as efficient Flexibility reduces The menopause for women over 50. Some people have trouble agreeing with these changes. Intellectual Intellectual development doesn’t stop after the age of 18. Getting a job involves new skills. When a person leaves home and living independently also needs lots of skills. In the skills, it includes, managing the house, the budget and other things to do with the house hold. Raising children is also new skills. As adults age they react more slowly and find it more  difficult to remember things under pressure. To balance this they have learned from experience and are better at problem solving and making decisions. This compensates for any decline in intellectual ability over this life stage. They continue to develop problem- solving and decision- making skills. Some adults return to formal education if situations have prevented them from achieving all this when they are younger. Intellectual development is as important as physical development. It includes creativity, general knowledge and common sense. Emotional When we leave home and we can be independent and self reliant on ourselves. Young adults often make sacrifices, such as a lower standard of living, fro the opportunity to leave home. This allows them a new level of freedom and self- confidence. Most young adults move back home after a time away. Career development has a major impact on emotional changes in adulthood. They leave their parents home and become financially independent. Men are more likely to put a heavy investment into these goals, although women are more often to split between family and career development. These savings, tends to effect emotional development and high self-esteem, particularly in men. Social In new types of relationships, they may have a partner or get married, this means they are making decisions, accepting responsibilities and sharing them. Relationships with parents may start to change. Young adults start to relate to their parents more as equal. Their parents start to realise that their children now may take responsibility for themselves. Then they start a job that has a lot of developing working relationships. Formal relationships like those at work where they have rules that have to be followed and informal relationships like friends, causal and social relationships. Old Age 65 plus Physical At old age they start to have lots of physical developments like: Skin wrinkles because of the loss of elasticity. Hair thins and goes grey; men often have hair loss.  Bones are more fragile as thinning makes them lighter and more brittle, especially in women. Body organs are less efficient, including the heart, lungs, kidney and liver. Sights get worse as the eye’s lens stiffens and is less able to focus on close objects, making reading more difficult. The retina becomes less sensitive to light, so an older person may need a brighter light. Hearing get worse. Mobility, may be affected as joint stiffen. Sense of taste and smell is reduced. Older people are less sensitive to cold, making them more at risk of hypothermia. Balance becomes poor and fall more likely. Intellectual They have difficulty remembering things, their reaction time are also slower.Old age people are more experience and more experienced then younger people, they always make better decisions. They are some old people that are puzzled to handle their own relationships. Confusion is quite different from dementia. Dementia is when brain cells stop working and this is everlasting. Confusion is only for some time and passes when a person is less confused. Emotional With all aspects of development in older age there are both positive and negative aspects to emotional development. In many societies the knowledge and understanding of old age is respected so those persons they that they are making a contribution to their communities. If this not the case it can make people feel that they just a burden. Many older people are pleased to  have more free time and are able to spend their retirement visiting family and friends and having time with their hobbies. Older people have come in terms with their lives and have a sense of satisfaction with that they have achieved. Social This is a time of great social change for some people. The official age of retirement is 65 for men. As soon as men have retired then women will retire at the same age. As the lifespan increase, people become increasingly active in later life, they will spend a massive part of their lives in retirement, only if the retirement age has increased. Some old age people miss contact with their workmates at regular bases, other old people like having time to spend on their hobbies and interests The old age people’s children will probably be adults, they will be living their own lives. The old person may feel as they are not needed any more. They have the pleasures of grandchildren, without being responsible. They may endure the deaths of their close friends, partners and relatives. *development chart/poster *stages of pregnancy poster