Saturday, August 31, 2019

Demonstrative Communication Essay

Provide examples showing how demonstrative communication can be effective and ineffective, positive and negative, for the sender and receiver.   Demonstrative Communication is the process of people’s thoughts and messages of communicating by actively listening in verbal and nonverbal communication. Depending on how a message is communicated, â€Å"can be effective and ineffective, either positive or negative† (Juancho24, 2012). Communication is used everywhere for instance all over the world. There are many forms of communication by applying communication process model for example; â€Å"sender/receiver, encoding, decoding, message, channel, and feedback† (Cheesbro, O’Connor, and Rios, 2010). Learning to develop communication skills can help individuals to carry appropriate conversations and to interpret the connection with one another. There are many ways to communicate verbal and nonverbal for example, a parent tells his child how proud he is to be his parent and then gives him a hug, the parent expresses verbal communication by using positive words and applies nonverbal communication with a hug, body language. Individuals express verbal communication through oral or written skills. Verbal communication is the tone of voice that indicates how engaged the topic is and the ability to realize the emotions perceived. A person’s tempo in a conversation can be understood with the ideas being communicated. When sending a message in verbal communication the words accustomed to, can convey differently then how the receiver defines the context. Nonverbal communication is unstoppable and significantly valuable as much as speaking with a loud tone of voice and communicating verbally. In nonverbal communication, â€Å"All types of communication do not involve the exchange of words,† is defined as nonverbal communication† (Rogers & Steinfatt, 1999, p. 67). A facial expression is the most common skill used in nonverbal communication for example; a smile or frown, eye contact, body language, and gestures. Overall, nonverbal communication can be effective positively and can be negatively ineffective in two different points of views. First example, husbands and wives communicate with each other by observing each other’s body language. This is a positive way of communication by effectively knowing each others thoughts. Second example, Children know as soon as their parents turn to look at them, the meaning is to stop misbehaving and could mean they are in trouble. The second example used is both effective and ineffective. Third example, a smile or frown can interpret a person to be happy or angry. The person could also be interpreted as approachable or would rather be left alone. This is positively effective and negatively ineffective. Fourth example, an individual waving or a hand shake in America, can be interrupted as a friendly sign or a strong individual but can also be interrupted as insulting and rude in other countries. This example is both effective and ineffective with positive and negative communication. However, verbal communication consequently has similar negatively ineffective as positively effective. First example, the lack of listening leads to misconception and when listening carefully the outcome becomes essential to the receiver. Both examples are ineffective and effective. Second example, is the choice of vocabulary and taking into consideration who will be receiving the information. This is used by effectively positive. Third example, the lack of verbal speech and failing to interpret the proper speech causes misunderstanding. In another way the proper use of speech can help the receiver to understand what is being interpreted. Example is used by ineffective with negative outcome but if used correctly can be effective with positive outcomes. Explain how demonstrative communication involves listening and responding. Listening and responding is used in demonstrative communication to engage the active communication skill from sender to receiver. This process is very important to both sender and receiver, by actively listening and ready to respond. One example is a sender and receiver must be willing to communicate properly. â€Å"Accurate listening efficiency promotes retention of important information, resulting in fewer misunderstandings and on-the-job errors† (Wilson, n.d., p. 1). Once a sender is ready to send out a message it is important for the receiver to receive the correct information by evaluating the message sent, this way the receiver can respond back with feedback and a solution. Applying the steps in the communication process model, mentioned in the first paragraph of this essay will go hand in hand with the practice of listening and responding which will help by demonstrating communication through the steps being practice. An example of listening and responding with children is, â€Å"monkey see monkey do† (Uebergang, 2006, Dec.20). Listening and responding is a process to be learned as individuals who continues to repeat the process with a good attitude. Conclusion Communicating can never be avoided no matter how hard we try and cannot solve every issue. Demonstrative communicate is an ongoing process of how we interact within one another every day, in different settings of environment such as professional, at home, work, and community. Verbal and nonverbal communication is deceiving if misunderstood. Therefore, communicating can be a lifelong advancement. References Cheesebro, T., O’Connor, L., & Rios, F. (2010). Communicating in the workplace. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Juancho24 (2012, 02). Demonstrative Communication. StudyMode.com. Retrieved 02, 2012, from http://www.studymode.com/essays/Demonstrative-Communication-914632.html Rogers, E. M., & Steinfatt, T. M. (1999). Intercultural communication. Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland Press. Uebergang, J. (2006, December 20). Teaching your child listening skills. Improving our â€Å"signals† and â€Å"beings.† Retrieved January 9, 2008, from http://www.earthlingcommunication.com/blog/teachingyour-child-listening-skills.php Wilson, B. (n.d.). Practical benefits of better listening forleaders and teams. Retrieved April 6, 2007, from www.businesslistening.com/leadership_listening-skills.php

Friday, August 30, 2019

Reflective Piece †“Why?” Essay

Cast away in the distances, abandoned some may call it searching for a better life, others may utter. Trying to find a better way, Parents may justify. Truly, did you think it would make it any better? Financially†¦ the world you seek to provide an answer? Where’s your justification? Does money make the world go round or does a household make it? You see the fine line drawn, A child thrown into the dark to search for the dim light. On the brink, some may survive Fallen, some never saw the light again, But for both their days were always dark. What does a man left in the wild to be raised by animals become? Nothing– physically, an animal mentally. Who can love a child more than a parent can? Anyone . . . but what’s its value? Just naught for the heart will forever be digging for The original source of love. For the mother, from the father, And when abandoned, the heart will still dig, Digging on a hardened floor, Searching for the light, searching for love, Searching for care and attention, In the wrong place, in the cold ground, Where the humanity sheds, and a lustful soul craves destruction. Depression creates a shell, Suicidal tendencies take the roles of demons And seduces like a brightly coloured snake. Ropes become an attraction, Death becomes a consistent thought Violence becomes a an expression of goodwill, Goodwill that is not even there, How can the unwanted love? How can the empty live unless he has a strong heart And once again, who’s there to love And what do you love with but the heart? Language Analysis The reflective piece, ‘Why?’ is a poem written from a teenagers point of view and it serves to inform the reader of how a teen may feel when their parents have migrated leaving them in the care of somebody else who is incapable of caring for them. Language registers and dialectal variation can be seen throughout the passage and they will be analysed. Language registers refers to the perceived attitude and level of formality associated with a variety of language. A formal register is seen in the piece and this is due to the fact that the writer is talking to a mature audience. This formal tone is appropriate as the subject matter being discussed is one of a serious nature. The stage from childhood to adulthood, that is, teenage years is of paramount importance as this defines what type of person they will become when they are adults. This could be the difference between becoming a juvenile delinquent and a model student. An example of this can be seen in lines 30 – 35. Where the persona speaks of being depressed to the point where hanging one’s self would be the only right thing to do Dialectal variation refers to the spoken and written differences within a speech community. Throughout this reflective piece Standard English is used. The writer may have chosen to use Standard English due to the fact that it they are addressing a mature audience to whom the message is being delivered and in most instances are not au fait with the trending teenage slang. On the other hand the fact that the persona is addressing a mature audience using a formal tone may lead to them using  Standard English. This is so as when addressing persons older than them, teenagers usually speak English. An example of a situation like this could be the classroom setting and the target audience of the poem are persons in authority and parents. Another reason could be due to the fact that the persona sees English as being superior to Patois and as such does not use it.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Doubt in Macbeth Essay

Doubt in Macbeth The play Macbeth contains doubt in many different ways. In the beginning of the play, we are struck by a very insecure Macbeth. He is indeed curious about what would happen if he were to take Duncan’s place and become the king of Scotland. If it were done when ’tis done, then ’twere well †¨It were done quickly. If th’assassination Could trammel up the consequence, and catch †¨With his surcease success: that but this blow Might be the be-all and the end-all, here, But here upon this bank and shoal of time, We’d jump the life to come. But in these cases We still have judgement here, that we but teach Bloody instructions which, being taught, return To plague th’inventor. This even-handed justice Commends th’ingredience of our poisoned chalice To our own lips. He’s here in double trust: First, as I am his kinsman and his subject, Strong both against the deed; then, as his host, Who should against his murderer shut the door, Not bear the knife myself. Besides, this Duncan Hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been So clear in his great office, that his virtues Will plead like angels, trumpet-tongued against The deep damnation of his taking-off, And pity, like a naked new-born babe, Striding the blast, or heaven’s cherubin, horsed Upon the sightless couriers of the air, Shall blow the horrid deed in every eye That tears shall drown the wind. I have no spur To prick the sides of my intent, but only Vaulting ambition which o’erleaps itself And falls on th’other. (1.7.1-28) We find Macbeth really struggling whether to kill Duncan is the right thing to do or not. He does feel that murdering a man is a great sin, and the fact that this man, Duncan, is someone who trusts him, and also someone that Macbeth himself has showed loyalty to, makes it even worse. /I am his kinsman and his subject/ (1.7.14). Even though this is the case, Macbeth is not completely reluctant towards the idea of killing Duncan. I find that what really haunts him is that it’s more than just the act of murdering Duncan; it is the aftermath that bothers him. What he really is afraid of is that him doing a bad deed, will do come back to him in the end. The thought of becoming king is however tempting, but he is insecure about whether or not this ambition of his is enough to justify the murderer of another human being. This shows very much self-doubt, and in this particular quote Macbeth is really dealing with some ethical problems. On his one shoulder, is the angel telling him tha t it is not the right thing to do, but there’s also the devil who feels that perhaps it could work out. Although, he the angel takes over and he decides that his motives are not enough to kill Duncan. Something that is very interesting is how fast he changes his mind about this. As soon as he announces his decision to the one that I find is the one who is really willing to do anything in order to become the Queen of Scotland, his wife Lady Macbeth that is. Her doubt lies more in the ambitions and morals of her husband, because they are /are too full of the milk of human kindness/ To catch the nearest way/ (1.5.13). It is as if she feels that she is more of a man than her husband is. When Macbeth tells her he will not be murdering Duncan, knows him well enough to know which buttons to push in order to get what she wants. She questions his manhood immediately, and even though he at first stands up for himself by saying /I dare do all that may become a man:/Who dares do more is none/ (1.7.50-51). Lady Macbeth does not experience the antagonist, protagonist discussion in her head that Macbeth does. Her ambitions and morals are a lot clearer, and her single-mindedness ends up being wha t really convinces Macbeth that murdering Duncan is what he must do. This makes Macbeth characteristic of being incredibly full of self-doubt even more obvious. He is easily persuaded by his wife, into doing something that he deep down knows will end up leaving him with feelings of guilt and anxiety. M: One cried ‘God bless us’ and ‘Amen’ the other, As they had seen me with these hangman’s hands. List’ning their fear. I could not say ‘Amen’, When they did say ‘God bless us’ Lady M: Consider it not so deeply. M: But wherefore could not I pronounce ‘Amen’? I had most need of blessing, and ‘Amen’ in my throat. (2.2.32-39) Macbeth has murdered Duncan. Before killing him, he expressed a worry of this giving him bad karma. In this particular quote, I find that his worry has almost developed into paranoia. It is almost as if he starts to question his belief, and whether or not he can rely on God for guidance, the way he may have done before. He realizes most certainly that this deed will be on his conscience for the rest of his life, and I think that wishes he had not done it. His wife on the other hand still shows no signs of doubt, regret or any other feelings one may expect to feel after a murderer. However, I feel that she must doubt the action too. If she had been completely convinced that it was what they had to do, she could have done it herself. In Scene 5 of Act 2, she claims she cannot commit murderer because she is a woman. The era in which this play takes place is definitely different in many ways from the way we live today, but I believe that would not have been impossible for Lady Macbeth to murderer Duncan herself. I believe that it is an ethical dilemma for her as well, she wants to be Queen, but she doesn’t want a murderer on her conscience. Therefore she decides that she can persuade her husband to do it. Out, damned spot! Out, I say!- One: Two: why then, ‘tis time to do’t.- Hell is murky.- Fie, my lord, fie, a soldier, and afeard? What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our power to account? Yet who would have thought the old man to have so much blood in him? (5.1.36-41) Lady Macbeth’s doubt and regrets regarding the murderer really become obvious. She’s sleepwalking, and she is filled with guilt and doubt in whether or not she will actually be able to let go of the crime committed. Earlier on, as mentioned, she was the one convincing Macbeth that the blood, or the guilt that is, would go away /with a little water/ (2.2.65). Now she is not so sure anymore, saying /Here’s the smell of blood still. All the/ Perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand/ (5.1.51-52). She feels doubt that she will ever be able to live her life as she did before, even though she is now the queen. Is a title really enough to protect her and her husband from what they have done? She is starting to realize that they have created a hell of their own, filled with regret, doubts, sleepless nights that will never end. I feel a lot of desperation in this part of the play, as the consequences of her actions is catching up to her, and her soul is eaten b y doubt. Doubt really is one of the great themes of Macbeth. Throughout the novel one finds both small and large elements of doubt. Besides from the quotes and parts that I have chosen to analyze, there are a lot more to find. There is a doubt going around about who committed the murderer, and if there is such cruelty and hunger for power as it seems Macbeth has. What it all comes back to, is his self-doubt and that I really believe is a message from Shakespeare. One must trust their instinct, or a lot of things could go terribly wrong.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Television Programming Violence that Causes Real Violence Essay

Television Programming Violence that Causes Real Violence - Essay Example For over thirty years this has been an issue. There have been several advocacy groups that have attested to the fact that children will emulate that which they see. They have presented many examples, such as: children believing that they were Superman and threw themselves from roofs, thinking that they could fly; other children using their father ´s gun believing they were playing and killing other children; and, other children modeling the behaviors they watch on television and becoming aggressive, thinking that that is the way to have solved a problem, thus violence causes higher crime rates. Today the topic is still fresh. The heated discussion relating to both the youth violence and media has continued to grow. It is still a debatable issue of whether or not television influences the behaviors of the viewers or not. In the media bloc, the public impugns the television networks, which in turn chastise the writers and producers, who sequentially hold the advertisers accountable, who in the end turn to blame the public. In the violence bloc, the federal government holds the youth responsible for their own actions, who charge the commune, which censures the schools, which points the finger at the parents, and who ultimately blame the government (Caldwell, 1995). This is a vicious circle and no one wants to take the blame for it, yet we see violence increasing every day and the advocate groups continue defending their point that television influences the viewers ´ lifestyles. These viewers may learn positive models, such as through programs like Sesame Street, Electric Com pany, Zoom, 321 Contact, and REBOP. These were programs that taught children how to read and write, how to learn about different cultures, and how to become interested in science. These shows obtained awards for excellence and influenced the youngsters positively. If these shows demonstrated that they were able to influence youngsters around the  world (they have been dubbed into many languages), then why should we think violent programs do not influence the youngsters in a negative way as well?  

Project managment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Project managment - Essay Example Organization â€Å"Y† is a small company with 15 employees working in the financial sector and providing financial services to organizations, businesses, and individual customers. The company was established in 1999 and since then has been gradually expanding its presence in the financial services market. The organization constantly increases the range of available financial services and provides its financial advisors with additional workplace opportunities. The company seeks to increase job satisfaction among its employees and considers job satisfaction as the critical component of its business success. The topic of job satisfaction is not new. In the current system of organization studies, job satisfaction occupies one of the central positions. Job satisfaction is defined as â€Å"feelings or affective responses to facets of the situation† (Fichter & Cipolla, 2010). Here, facets of the situation imply the workplace situation and environment in which employees are bound to perform, while feelings and affective responses may vary from the quality of workplace performance to the emotional and cognitive balance that result of the workplace pressures and overloads. The â€Å"facets† of job imply intrinsic and extrinsic features of particular jobs and the extent to which they influence the level of job satisfaction across various professions. Since the end of 2006, the organization adopted a new strategy, aimed to expand its market presence, to change its approaches to brand management, and to attract new customers. The strategy has become the determining feature of the organization’s success, and more and more customers came to develop cooperative relations with the professional financial advisors working for the company. Since that time, however, the company management noticed that financial advisors displayed lower motivation to work and did not always cope with their basic workplace obligations. Work absenteeism rose dramatically,

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Movie Spider-Man Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Movie Spider-Man - Essay Example There are intriguing questions to argue with. First, is the scenario where Peter Parker, the main character played by Toby Maguire, allowed a criminal to escape carrying loads of cash in return to the bitterness that his prize money was not awarded to him when he won in the wrestling match. Is it morally advisable to let a criminal escape' Realising afterwards that the criminal who escaped was the same person who happened to kill his uncle, a great remorse hounded Peter until the third instalment of Spider-Man was released. What if his uncle spared the death' Would the situation be reversed' Would he finally think that it's alright to let the criminal go' Next, Peter's strange powers because of the bug-biting scene made his nerdy personality made him even more shut from the world and he had more reasons to hide his identity. Perhaps that is one reason why some people misunderstood him. But Maguire was able to furnish his character until the end with the innocent face that captured th e hearts of its viewers especially mothers and young girls. A marvel counterpart to DC's Superman is Spider-Man. In real life, Spider-Man is Peter Parker, who is a freelance photographer for the Daily Bugle. (Anderson, Howard, 1997, p.104) Spider-Man is a story of a not-so-nerdy teenager who happens to snatch the admiration of his best friend Harry (portrayed by James Franco) because of Science quiz bee champ personality. He was the kind of a guy who's being bullied in school and couldn't confess his love for Mary Jane who from the start of the movie has already captured the heart of the young hero. His life is an ordinary school guy who has been orphaned by his aunt and uncle in a suburban housing project. He met his luck on a laboratory runaway when a radioactive spider bit him. (IMDB, 2002) Then, no one could ever imagine how his life changed. He gained his confidence, willing to woo to his dearest one whom he loved since he was six. The girl, MJ was just living next door. It took him years for him to be able to find chance to display his affection by beating the bullies which happen to be one of them is the boyfriend of MJ. The physical changes such as clear eyesight and bigger physique, the ability to crawl on walls and jump over buildings do not change him mentally and emotionally. Peter acquired a superhuman strength and super-fast reflexes, and he developed a precognitive sense that warned him of approaching danger. (Hammer2Fall, cited in IMDB, 2002). Peter realised that with such powers he can win MJ so he used it to make money. But after his uncle is killed, Peter promised to stop the criminals that killed his uncle. Later on, he devised a suit to continue chasing after evildoers by using his powers. But the domination of good over bad didn't last long. An eccentric millionaire Norman Osborn administered a performance enhancing drug on himself and his maniacal alter ego Green Goblin emerged. The twist emerged when Peter was unaware that Goblin is Norman Osborn, portrayed by Willem Dafoe, the father of his best friend, Harry. Here, Peter faces a dilemma. Peter must now juggle three things in his life: his new job at a local newspaper under a

Monday, August 26, 2019

Final paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

Final paper - Essay Example There are some claims from the essay which I do not agree with because they are misleading. The claim about uniting Muslim and Christian can be fruitful is not true. The two religions have been different in the past and can not interact. Muslim sees Christians as enemies while Christians sees Muslims as they do not know the truth as they regard Jesus a prophet (Paul II, 2003). The Christians-Muslim dialogue is carried out in different perspectives. The dialogue focuses on uniting the two religions and makes the believers to live together in harmony. The dialogue is aimed in doing away with the difference and encouraging the Muslims and Christians to live in peace, love and respect. The dialogue focuses on the practice, believes and faith of the two religions (Paul II, 2003). From the class I learned about the Muslim and Christians. I have learned about the religious practices of Muslims and Christians and the difference and similarities between the two. From the class I have learned the two religions had differences in the past as it is today. It is difficult to solve the difference and fights between Muslims and

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Intoducing my self to the class Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Intoducing my self to the class - Essay Example We arrived with the impression that we would be brainstorming about getting industrial hemp more widely used as a renewable resource. Even the government knew that it doesn't make people high, it doesn't have enough THC in it.1 But faced with the reality that the major powers that be are against renewable resources in this way, from a lawyer who was supposed to be working on our side, was like a slap in the face. I thought about all of the hours I'd devoted to the cause of renewable resources, seeing the need, the desperate need of our planet for our help. I thought of all the times I had enjoyed the splendor of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the sheer force of Nature with a tenuous balance that is being tipped out of kilter. I have fought for what I have thought is right; but what do I know, I'm just another 20 year old! And now, here is Lance, needing his diaper changed as I think about this meeting gone wrong and what it could implicate. I reach for a fresh cloth diaper, feeling its softness in my hands as I look at my little son. His eyes meet mine and I wonder what he will be like when he is my age.

Saturday, August 24, 2019

HR Current Event (workplace discrimination) Article

HR Current Event (workplace discrimination) - Article Example Owing to workplace discrimination, employees are often found obstructed to attain their deserved rewards and accreditations in terms of wages or career growth opportunities and hence, act as a cause of de-motivation for employees apart from being unethical and illegitimate. Concerned authorities of almost every nation of the world have regulations that aim to abolish the discrimination practices among employees within an organisational setting (International Labour Organisation, â€Å"Workplace discrimination†). THESIS STATEMENT This discussion paper emphasizes a global Human Resource (HR) concern related with workplace discrimination malpractices and its consequences. In order to obtain an in-depth understanding of the selected issue, the example of Wal-Mart has been considered in the discussion henceforth. DISCUSSION Irrespective of strict policy enforcements to promote anti-discrimination within workplaces, many large-sized companies have been highlighted in media publicati ons, being alleged to conduct malpractices in terms of employee discrimination. Illustratively and more disappointingly, one of the leading retail giants of the world, Wal-Mart was found guilty of committing workplace discrimination based on race and gender, which made the company face several criticisms around the world. Wal-Mart’s conduct of workplace discrimination began to be reported in the media since 2009 and was able to attract considerable attention from its global stakeholders by the fiscal year of 2011-12. Among the several cases registered against Wal-Mart on the grounds of workplace discrimination, the issue concerning sex-discrimination was found to be quite long stranded in the organizational operations, as per media reports. For instance, according to Shapiro in â€Å"Walmart Faces Long Battle on Sex Discrimination, Despite Supreme Court Ruling†, Wal-Mart has the largest number of cases registered against it on the grounds of gender biasness in the work place. Hines in â€Å"Walmart Sex Discrimination Claims Filed by 2,000 Women† also provides clear information about the rising cases of employee discrimination in the workplace of Wal-Mar

Friday, August 23, 2019

Death Penalty Pro's Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Death Penalty Pro's - Essay Example A number of organizations have gone against death penalty, with convincing arguments surrounding its ineffectiveness in preventing future crimes, its cruelty and various other reasons. Listening to their arguments would make one think that the supporters of death penalty are nothing but cruel and inhumane individuals devoid of compassion and willing to kill, which is the very crime that they abhorred in the first place. One of the most vocal of all the activists is Amnesty International, which made a public declaration that "death penalty is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment." The group also believes that this type of punishment is a form of human rights violation, irrevocable, may be inflicted on the innocent, and does not certainly stop future crimes to be committed. Abolitionists back their claim with statistics and studies, although most of these studies have been misrepresentation of the truth. They have succeeded in their quest in a number of nations around the world. Amnesty International states that from the time that it started the movement against death penalty, the number of nations that have abolished death penalty from the judicial system has risen from 16 to 86 nations. Notwithstanding the strong opposition to death penalty, however, the American public continues to quietly support this form of punishment for heinous crimes. This support was even reinforced after the September 11 attack on the United States. It is reported that one-fifth of those who usually go against the death penalty feel that the terrorists who execute such crime against humanity deserve death sentence (Cable News Network). This goes to show that people feel that it is necessary to punish those who are willing to kill numerous others and still justify their murde rous actions. First among the arguments of opponents of the death penalty surrounds its ability to deter crime. They state that there is not enough statistical basis to say that the imposition of death penalty prevents further crimes from happening. Opponents even think that crime rates are higher for those states with death penalty statutes than those which do not adopt capital crime punishment. While it is difficult to convince people who have already made up their minds against death penalty, it should be emphasized that deterring crime is not solely the reason for exacting death penalty on those who committed heinous crimes. John McAdams aptly states that execution of murderers even without deterrent effect, would still be better as this will diminish the number of criminals in society than if they were left to live and with that inaction, people expect future crimes to be prevented (American Bar Association). Even as opponents of death penalty believe that the punishment does not ensure the d ecline in crime rates, they also do not provide enough evidence that inaction against doers of heinous crimes warrant the decrease the occurrence of crimes. George E. Pataki believes that death penalty is effective in preventing future crimes from happening, and that the government should use every action possible in order to protect

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Semesters to Trimesters Essay Example for Free

Semesters to Trimesters Essay At the high school level trimesters are more effective than semesters. So why do most high schools use a semester four quarter system rather than a trimester system? The teachers seemed to be the most concerned about this at Pineview High School, and they are trying to make the switch. The reason that trimesters are more effective is that it allows more time to the class period so teachers can get into detail about the topic. With a four quarter semester system, the classes are short and there are two more classes in one school day. This argument occurs all over the place where high schools are trying to switch from semesters to trimesters. Currently Pineview High, in Chewelah is using a semester system with quarter terms and is trying to change the system to trimesters, in which a block schedule would then be used. The good side to this would be that it would change a forty-five minute class to a seventy minute class. This would allow the teachers plenty of time to go in depth on a topic and plenty of time to fully explain. The lengthening of classes would mean that classes would be cut so instead of seven periods the students would have five blocked periods. In a short class period teachers have a hard time getting the attention of the students and then when they finally do the class is over. Then they have to start all over again. With longer class periods it would allow the teacher to get the attention of the student and then have their attention for a longer period of time. Trimesters seem to be better than semesters and the switch would be rather appropriate because of these reasonings. After researching this topic, I found that the changing of semesters to trimesters is happening all over the USA. So this would show that maybe trimesters are a little more effective than semesters. I researched that a high school in Portland had recently changed systems and that it took about five years of discussion before the change was made. The article stated That the teachers and administrators thought the new schedule would reduce the assembly-line feel of the current school day. In the event students shuttle from class to class, absorbing disconnected lessons in history,  foreign language, literature, math, and science.(The Oregonian) This would be a good thing and be more effective for the students. At this school instead of two, eighteen week semesters, the school year would be split into three twelve week trimesters. Another article stated how the change would allow students to earn more credits. The problem with most districts is that some teachers and administrators do not want to change the system. In the research studied I found that some teachers argued the idea, saying that other schedules provide less class time and make it harder for students to retain what they learn.(The Oregonian) People do disagree with this but in reality more and more school districts are switching to trimesters to benefit students. All of this shows why trimesters are better than semesters, and if a school district is thinking about switching systems then it would appropriate to do so because it is proven to be more effective. If a school district is concerned about the academics of the students then it would be smart to switch systems as well. It will ensure that the students will get the best out of their education and that is what is most important.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Phytochemical Screening and Extraction Essay Example for Free

Phytochemical Screening and Extraction Essay Plants are a source of large amount of drugs comprising to different groups such as antispasmodics, emetics, anti-cancer, antimicrobials etc. A large number of the plants are claimed to possess the antibiotic properties in the traditional system and are also used extensively by the tribal people worldwide. It is now believed that nature has given the cure of every disease in one way or another. Plants have been known to relieve various diseases in Ayurveda. Therefore, the researchers today are emphasizing on evaluation Prashant Tiwari*, Bimlesh Kumar, Mandeep Kaur, Gurpreet Kaur, Harleen Kaur Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Lovely School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Phagwara, Punjab and characterization of various plants and plant constituents against a number of diseases based on their traditional claims of the plants given in Ayurveda. Extraction of the bioactive plant constituents has always been a challenging task for the researchers. In this present review, an attempt has been made to give an overview of certain extractants and extraction processes with their advantages and disadvantages. INTRODUCTION extracts. Such preparations have been popularly called Plant-derived substances have recently become of galenicals, named after Galen, the second century great interest owing to their versatile applications. Greek physician [2]. Medicinal plants are the richest bio-resource of drugs Extraction methods used pharmaceutically involves of the separation of medicinally active portions of plant traditional systems of modern folk tissues from the inactive/inert components by using medicines, pharmaceutical intermediates and chemical selective solvents. During extraction, solvents diffuse entities for synthetic drugs [1]. Into the solid plant material and solubilize compounds Extraction (as the term is pharmaceutically used) is the with similar polarity [1]. separation of medicinally active portions of plant (and The purpose of standardized extraction procedures for animal) tissues using selective solvents through crude drugs (medicinal plant parts) is to attain the standard procedures. The products so obtained from therapeutically desired portions and to eliminate plants are relatively complex mixtures of metabolites, unwanted material by treatment with a selective in liquid or semisolid state or (after removing the solvent known as menstrum. The extract thus solvent) in dry powder form, and are intended for oral obtained, after standardization, may be used as or external use. These include classes of preparations medicinal agent as such in the form of tinctures or known extracts, fluid extracts or further processed to be incorporated tinctures, pilular (semisolid) extracts or powdered in any dosage form such as tablets and capsules. These as decoctions, food medicine, supplements, infusions, fluid products contains complex mixture of many medicinal   plant metabolites, such as alkaloids, glycosides, terpenoids, flavonoids and lignans [3]. The general techniques of medicinal plant extraction include maceration, infusion, percolation, digestion, Internationale Pharmaceutica Sciencia Jan-Mar 2011 Vol 1 Issue 1 Prashant Tiwari, et al: Phytochemical screening and Extraction: A Review decoction, (Soxhlet), part of the plant like bark, leaves, flowers, roots, fruits, aqueous-alcoholic extraction by fermentation, counter- seeds, etc i.e. any part of the plant may contain active current extraction, microwave-assisted extraction, components. The systematic screening of plant species ultrasound extraction (sonication), supercritical fluid with the purpose of discovering new bioactive extraction, (with compounds is a routine activity in many laboratories. hydrofluorocarbon solvents). For aromatic plants, Scientific analysis of plant components follows a hydrodistillation techniques (water distillation, steam logical pathway. Plants are collected either randomly distillation, water and steam distillation), hydrolytic or by following leads supplied by local healers in maceration followed by distillation, expression and geographical areas where the plants are found [5]. enfl eurage (cold fat extraction) may be employed. Fresh or dried plant materials can be used as a source Some of the latest extraction methods for aromatic for the extraction of secondary plant components. plants include headspace trapping, solid phase micro- Many authors had reported about plant extract extraction, protoplast extraction, microdistillation, preparation from the fresh plant tissues. The logic thermomicrodistillation and molecular distillation [3]. behind this came from the ethno medicinal use of fresh The basic parameters influencing the quality of an plant materials among the traditional and tribal extract are [1]: people.

Criminology Essays Ecological Crime Criminal

Criminology Essays Ecological Crime Criminal Ecological Crime Criminal Are ecological approaches to criminality appropriate to help preventing crime? For some years, a small group of criminologists have been attempting to understand crime using the ecology of crime (Brantingham, 1993; Stark, 1987; Taylor and Covington, 1988). This is about how criminal opportunities are created in neighbourhoods. Crime prevention seeks to reduce the frequency of criminal behaviour by means that operate outside the Criminal Justice System. Crime pattern theory is particularly important in developing and understanding of crime and place, because it combines rational choice and routine activity theory to explain the distribution of crime across places or locations. In this essay, I aim to evaluate the different ecological approaches and to see how useful they are as a deterrent or actual crime preventer. This will be achieved my looking at the models and theories that make up the ecological or environmental approach. Jock Young identifies a series of linked processes that transformed the way crime was viewed or perceived. Although it was assumed that improved conditions and economic restructure would lead to a drop in crime, it was found that the opposite happened. Despite increasing the size of the police and the capacity of the prison system, crime had been increasing year after year. (Newman, 1972). According to Young, the volume of criminal activity grows in all parts of the world, especially countries where economic development was more vigorous. But following a steady and seemingly harsh rise in recorded crime in England and Wales between 1955 and 1992, the last thirteen years has witnessed an almost unprecedented decline in both police recorded crime and estimates of crime from the British Crime Survey. Jock Young referred to the growth in recorded crime during the years of the Keynesian Welfare state in the UK as an aetiological crisis for criminology. The expectation had been that with rising living standards and increased welfare provision crime would fall. Criminologists have become so used to explaining rising crime that they might now face a second aetiological crisis – explaining falling crime rates Essentially the ecological, or holistic, view is that a neighbourhood is like an ecosystem. An ecosystem has many parts to it, which fit more or less together to give that system some form of balance. The same with safe neighbourhoods. Everything has its own place, just as everyone should feel to some extent that they belong, or are part of, some place. When that ecosystem experiences changes that are too rapid or too extensive, then the system often becomes dysfunctional and out of balance. This might happen when a few extra bars open up that start to create disorder and noise problems in the neighbourhood. It might also occur when large proportions of traditional residents move rapidly out of a neighbourhood and the tenure of local tenancy drops too quickly. Perhaps the number of abandoned buildings in a neighbourhood increased beyond a certain point, a tipping point, and crime begins to climb dramatically. These are all examples of a neighbourhood out of balance. In such neighbourhoods, a niche is created for crime opportunities. (Brantingham, 1993; Stark, 1987; Taylor and Covington, 1988). According to Jacob (1961), the neighbourhood diversity and social mix influences the opportunities for crime, this began the work of CPTED. CPTED is an approach that looks at those who engage in criminal, or nuisance behaviour in public. By watching them carefully you will see they prefer some areas over others, they choose certaintimes of the day and week, and they focus on specific targets while ignoring others. It can reduce the social and psychological impact of crime in neighbourhoods. Most importantly, it improves the liveability and safety of urban places. (Newman 1972). A policy-oriented explanation of crime that states that minor signs of disorder in a neighbourhood, left unchecked, can result in more severe disorder and ultimately serious crime.   This idea was known as the broken windows theory. The term comes from an influential 1982 article in The Atlantic Monthly by James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling. The theory implies that if the first broken window in a building is not repaired, then people who like breaking windows will assume that no one cares about the building and more windows will be broken. Soon the building will have no windows. The theory endorsed the belief that crime was the result of lax police efforts and that stricter law enforcement policy is the primary ingredient to promoting safer communities. Wilson and Kelling theorized that if rude remarks by loitering youth were left unchallenged, they would be under the impression that no one cares and their behaviour will likely escalate to crimes that are more serious. Ever since Durkheim, many social scientists have subscribed to the premise that deviance and crime are normal properties of naturally functioning social systems. When trying to explain the causes of these behaviours, however, many social scientists typically resort to the idea of pathological origins. Overall, social scientists have yet to explain how and why normal individuals operating in unexceptional social environments deviate and commit crimes; recent developments in behavioural ecology and evolutionary biology provide new insights that promise to explain how deviance and crime arise naturally in populations of interacting individuals without necessarily implying genetic influences. We interpret criminal behaviours by which offenders expropriate goods or services from others as expressions of diverse behavioural strategies that derive from normal patterns of population-level social organization and interaction. This view accommodates both explanations that focus on individual causes of crime and those directed toward social factors. Our approach permits the generation of novel hypotheses and fully accommodates, simplifies, and helps unify important and diverse insights and findings amassed by a wide range of disciplines and theories that have tried to account for the nature and distribution of crime. A routine activity approach for analyzing crime rate trends and cycles. Rather than emphasizing the characteristics of offenders, with this approach one can concentrate upon the circumstances in which they carry out predatory criminal acts. Most criminal acts require convergence in space and time of likely offenders, suitable targets and the absence of capable guardians against crime. (Cohen and Felson 1979). Human ecological theory facilitates an investigation into the way in which social structure produces this convergence, hence allowing illegal activities to feed upon the legal activities of everyday life. In particular, the dispersion of activities away from households and families may increase the opportunity for crime and thus generates higher crime rates. (Hope, 1995). A variety of data is presented in support of the hypothesis, which helps explain crime rate trends in the United States 1947-1974 as a by-product of changes in such variables as labour force participation and single-adult households. Also the notion of absence of a capable guardian such as, police or security guards, locks or barriers, alarm systems and CCTV were thought to have also increase the likelihood of crime in that region or environment. The capacity of communities to prevent violence can be examinedfrom three perspectives: youth violence, child maltreatment,and intimate partner violence. The analysis suggests that communitysocial control and collective efficacy are significant protectivefactors for all three types of violence, but these need to befurther distinguished for their relationships to private, parochial,and state controls. It is argued that strong interpersonal tiesare not the only contributor to collective efficacy and violenceprevention. Weak ties, including those outside the community,and organizational ties are also seen as necessary. Violenceprevention programs should be structured in ways that contributeto the communities’ own capacity to prevent violence. Shaw and McKay argued that any city (in this instance they cited Chicago) could be divided into various concentric zones emanating from the centre of the city. You can visualise these zones by thinking about an archery target, for example, with the centre of the target (the Bulls-eye) being Zone 1 and each successive ring being named successively. The middle zone (Zone 1) is the central business district in any city. The next is the inner city (Zone 2), sometimes called the Interstitial Zone or Zone of Transition. This Zone is surrounded, respectively, by: Respectable working class housing (Zone 3), then by the (middle class) suburbs (Zone 4), the city fringe (rural / semi-rural areas) inhabited by the rich (Zone 5). Concentric Zones (Diagrammatic view) (Park and Burgess 1925) In examining crime rates in relation to each zone, Shaw and McKay found that one zone in particular (Zone 2) exhibited higher rates of crime than any other zone. This zone (which Shaw and McKay termed a zone of transition because it was to this area of cheap housing that successive waves of immigrants Irish, Italian, Polish and so forth came), had a consistently higher rate of crime than any other zone, regardless of which immigrant group dominated the cultural life of the area. This led Shaw and McKay (1969) to argue that the high crime rates were not a consequence of the behaviour of any one particular ethnic group (since it did not really seem to make much difference which ethnic group was dominant at particular times). Rather, they argued that something about the fact of living in such a zone was the root cause of the high levels of crime. This something was, according to Shaw and McKay, the fact that no settled community could establish itself in this zone because of the repeated waves of immigration into and emigration out of the zone. In effect, the high turnover of people in the zone of transition resulted in the idea of social disorganisation the idea that a lack of clear, moral, guide-lines deriving from a settled, stable, community structure resulted in a lack of informal social controls and hence a high rate of crime. However, as Felson and Clark (1998) suggest, there are 10 principles of crime opportunity theory. The first being that opportunity plays a major role in all crimes, not just property related crime, for example, studies of bars, and clubs show how their design and management play an important role in generating violence or preventing it. Their concept also notes that crime opportunities are specific (i.e. the theft of cars for joyriding has a different pattern for opportunity than theft for car parts). In addition, crime opportunities depend on everyday movements of activity and that one crime produces the opportunity for another. (Home Office, 2004). But they do suggest that reducing opportunities does not usually displace crime – Wholesale displacement is very rare and many studies have found little if no crime displacement, also focused opportunity reduction can produce wider declines in crimeas prevention measures in one area can lead to a reduction in another nearby, a diffusion of benefits. This is because offenders might overestimate the reach of those measures. To conclude, it is clear that ecological approaches to crime draw on the many different approaches such as, urban planning, decision making models, design, fear of crime and many more. As with many other approaches, they look at how and why is committed, and give the general understanding and in-look to crime but cannot it is not fully known whether such approaches can help to reduce crime. Although we know that crime is committed for many reasons, (e.g. money or gain, revenge, reputation etc.), even with the full understanding and application of ecological approaches, crime may be one of those things that can never be completely eradicated. References Crawford, A. (1998) Crime Prevention and Community Safety: Politics, Policies and Practices. Harlow: Longman. Eck. J.E., Weisburd. D. (1995). Crime Place: Crime Prevention Studies. Volume 4. Criminal Justice Press. Garland, D. (2001) The Culture of Control: Crime and Social Order in Contemporary Society. Oxford: Oxford University Press Felson Clark. (1998) cited from http://www.crimereduction.homeoffice.gov.uk/learningzone/scpprinciples.htm Accessed 12th January 2005. Hesseling, Rene B.P. (1994) Displacement: A review of the empirical literature. In Crime Prevention Studies, Vol. 3. R.V.G. Clarke, Ed. New York: Criminal Justice Press. pp. 197-229. Hope, T. (1995) Building a Safer Society: Strategic Approaches to Crime Prevention in Tonry, M. Farrington, D.P. (eds) Crime and Justice: Volume 19. Chicago: University of Chicago Press Jacobs, Jane. (1961). The Death and Life of Great American Cities. New York: Vintage. Kaplan, H.M., K.C. OKane, P.J. Lavrakas, and E.J. Pesce. (1978) Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design. Final report on commercial demonstration in Portland, Oregon. Washington, D.C. Westinghouse Electric Corporation. Newman, Oscar. (1972) Defensible Space: Crime Prevention Through Urban Design. New York: Macmillan. Sherman, L.W., Gartin, P.R. and Buerger, M.E. (1989) Hot spots of predatory crime: routine activities and the criminology of place. Criminology. 27:27-55 Stark, Rodney. 1987. Deviant places: A theory of the ecology of crime. Criminology. 25:893-909.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Jim Jarmusch’s Film Deadman, as a Manipulated Western Essay -- Movie F

Jim Jarmusch’s Film Deadman, as a Manipulated Western Director Jim Jarmusch’s film Deadman displays many of the accepted conventions for Western genre films, but manipulated in such a way as to create a revisionist, rather than a classical, western. The most obvious example of this manipulation are the characterizations of the hero, William Blake, and his Native American partner, Nobody. Blake is an awkward easterner who travels westward unaware of the different rules governing western life, instead of the rugged, knowledgeable outdoorsman who â€Å"does what he has to do† to defend justice and honor. Nobody’s character is unusually independent, educated, and kind towards Blake, instead of the traditional Western genre’s violent, unintelligent Indian. The viewer is first introduced to Blake as he takes the long train ride from Cleveland to Machine. As the characters around him become more rugged and â€Å"western,† the viewer sees that Blake is clearly from the east, and out of place among the westerners. As he enters the town of Machine, he stands out like a sore thumb with his plaid... Jim Jarmusch’s Film Deadman, as a Manipulated Western Essay -- Movie F Jim Jarmusch’s Film Deadman, as a Manipulated Western Director Jim Jarmusch’s film Deadman displays many of the accepted conventions for Western genre films, but manipulated in such a way as to create a revisionist, rather than a classical, western. The most obvious example of this manipulation are the characterizations of the hero, William Blake, and his Native American partner, Nobody. Blake is an awkward easterner who travels westward unaware of the different rules governing western life, instead of the rugged, knowledgeable outdoorsman who â€Å"does what he has to do† to defend justice and honor. Nobody’s character is unusually independent, educated, and kind towards Blake, instead of the traditional Western genre’s violent, unintelligent Indian. The viewer is first introduced to Blake as he takes the long train ride from Cleveland to Machine. As the characters around him become more rugged and â€Å"western,† the viewer sees that Blake is clearly from the east, and out of place among the westerners. As he enters the town of Machine, he stands out like a sore thumb with his plaid...

Monday, August 19, 2019

Personal Narrative: Almost Drowning :: essays research papers

Have you ever had a moment in time that seems like minutes or hours even though it was only a few seconds? Have you ever seen everything before you play out in slow motion, where you are aware of everything around you, yet not knowing what was going on? I have, and as I look back on it, I feel very blessed and protected. On December 22, 01, I decided to take a little swim in our swimming pool and almost drowned. I still can remember it like yesterday. This incident almost cost me my life, I was disobedient and it still has a big effect on me now. It all started when it was my seventh birthday party. There was a certain girl I liked. So I decided to show-off and do crazy stuff to impress her. First I tried drinking soda off the bottle but I spilled it on the rug. Everyone laughed so hard that their heads fell off! The girl I liked just sat there, not smiling. For my next attempt, I tried to wrestle my friends but I ended up breaking a lamp. Everyone laughed again. I thought about what I could do to impress the girl I liked. It was finally time to swim. I finally came up with a plan and decided to swim in the deep side of the pool even though I didn’t know how to swim. I knew it would work but I was also scared. As I walked to the swimming pool, everyone laughed at me again for wearing a speedo. I dived into the deep side of the pool and noticed everyone was staring at me in amazement. Then I swam up and hung onto the side of the pool. Everyone was shocked and puzzled. Even the girl I liked looked surprised. When everybody left to get cake, I had to clean up the swimming toys. Because one toy was in the middle of the deep end of the pool, I dived into the water. I picked it up and tried to swim up. My hair was stuck to the ladder! I didn’t know what to do! Running out of oxygen, I tried to yell for help.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

The Frying Pan :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The metaphors that Conrad Hilberry stated in his poem â€Å"The Frying Pan†, expressed some of the feelings that some women encounter throughout their life. In this poem I believe that Hilberry related this poem to a female that was in a relationship with a very controlling guy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the first stanza it says â€Å"I am another long-necked girl with the same face.†, a girl that has the same face makes me think of a girl that has no expressions, and hardly ever shows emotion, and this could be because she was controlled by her boyfriend or husband.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throughout the first stanza it states â€Å"I am emptiness reflected in a looking glass, a head kept by a collar and leash†, the first thing that comes to my mind when I read that is that there is a girl that feels empty inside, and that she is kept on a leash by her significant other. Some examples of this could be that her significant other could have beaten her, or verbally abused her by telling her that should could not do certain things, and that can relate to being on a leash. Also in the first stanza it says â€Å"a round belly with something knocking to get in†, this could refer to her boyfriend or husband. From saying a round belly this might mean that he is over weight, and saying that something is knocking to get in could mean that all he wants to do is to have sexual intercourse with her, as in the â€Å"something knocking† refers to his penis, and â€Å"to get in† could refer to her vagina.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the Second Stanza when it says to cross the handle and she would become Venus could refer to breaking up with her significant other and having the confidence of being attractive because Venus is the goddess of love.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Air Pollution Essay

Introduction The earth’s atmosphere, at or near sea level, consists approximately of 78 percent nitrogen, 21 percent oxygen and 1 percent other gases. If it were possible to remain in this state, 100 percent clean air would result. However, many varied sources allow other gases and particulates to mix with the clean air, causing our atmosphere to become unclean or polluted. Some of these pollutants are visible while others are invisible, with each having the capability of causing distress to the eyes, ears, throat, skin and respiratory system. Should these pollutants become concentrated in a specific area and under certain conditions, death could result due to the displacement or chemical change of the oxygen content in the air. These pollutants can also cause great damage to the environment and to the many man made objects that are exposed to the elements. To better understand the causes of air pollution, the pollutants can be categorized into 3 separate types, natural, industrial and aut omotive. Natural Pollutants Natural pollution has been present on earth since before man appeared and continues to be a factor when discussing air pollution, although it causes only a small percentage of the overall pollution problem. It is the direct result of decaying organic matter, wind born smoke and particulates from such natural events as plain and forest fires (ignited by heat or lightning), volcanic ash, sand and dust which can spread over a large area of the countryside. Such a phenomenon of natural pollution has been seen in the form of volcanic eruptions, with the resulting plume of smoke, steam and volcanic ash blotting out the sun’s rays as it spreads and rises higher into the atmosphere. As it travels into the atmosphere the upper air currents catch and carry the smoke and ash, while condensing the steam back into water vapor. As the water vapor, smoke and ash travel on their journey, the smoke dissipates into the atmosphere while the ash and moisture settle back to earth in a trail hundreds of miles long. In some cases, lives are lost and millions of dollars of property damage result. Industrial Pollutants Industrial pollution is caused primarily by industrial processes, the burning of coal, oil and natural gas, which in turn produce smoke and fumes. Because the burning fuels contain large amounts of sulfur, the principal ingredients of smoke and fumes are sulfur dioxide and particulate matter. This type of pollutant occurs most severely during still, damp and cool weather, such as at night. Even in its less severe form, this pollutant is not confined to just cities. Because of air movements, the pollutants move for miles over the surrounding countryside, leaving in its path a barren and unhealthy environment for all living things. Working with Federal, State and Local mandated regulations and by carefully monitoring emissions, big business has greatly reduced the amount of pollutant introduced from its industrial sources, striving to obtain an acceptable level. Because of the mandated industrial emission clean up, many land areas and streams in and around the cities that were formerly barren of vegetation and life, have now begun to move back in the direction of nature’s intended balance. Automotive Pollutants The third major source of air pollution is automotive emissions. The emissions from the internal combustion engines were not an appreciable problem years ago because of the small number of registered vehicles and the nation’s small highway system. However, during the early 1950’s, the trend of the American people was to move from the cities to the surrounding suburbs. This caused an immediate problem in transportation because the majority of suburbs were not afforded mass transit conveniences. This lack of transportation created an attractive market for the automobile manufacturers, which resulted in a dramatic increase in the number of vehicles produced and sold, along with a marked increase in highway construction between cities and the suburbs. Multi-vehicle families emerged with a growing emphasis placed on an individual vehicle per family member. As the increase in vehicle ownership and usage occurred, so did pollutant levels in and around the cities, as suburbanites drove daily to their businesses and employment, returning at the end of the day to their homes in the suburbs. It was noted that a smoke and fog type haze was being formed and at times, remained in suspension over the cities, taking time to dissipate. At first this â€Å"smog,† derived from the words â€Å"smoke† and â€Å"fog,† was thought to result from industrial pollution but it was determined that automobile emissions shared the blame. It was discovered that when normal automobile emissions were exposed to sunlight for a period of time, complex chemical reactions would take place. It is now known that smog is a photo chemical layer which develops when certain oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and unburned hydrocarbons (HC) from automobile emissions are exposed to sunlight. Pollution was more severe when smog would become stagnant over an area in which a warm layer of air settled over the top of the cooler air mass, trapping and holding the cooler mass at ground level. The trapped cooler air would keep the emissions from being dispersed and diluted through normal air flows. This type of air stagnation was given the name â€Å"Temperature Inversion.† TEMPERATURE INVERSION In normal weather situations, surface air is warmed by heat radiating from the earth’s surface and the sun’s rays. This causes it to rise upward, into the atmosphere. Upon rising it will cool through a convection type heat exchange with the cooler upper air. As warm air rises, the surface pollutants are carried upward and dissipated into the atmosphere. When a temperature inversion occurs, we find the higher air is no longer cooler, but is warmer than the surface air, causing the cooler surface air to become trapped. This warm air blanket can extend from above ground level to a few hundred or even a few thousand feet into the air. As the surface air is trapped, so are the pollutants, causing a severe smog condition. Should this stagnant air mass extend to a few thousand feet high, enough air movement with the inversion takes place to allow the smog layer to rise above ground level but the pollutants still cannot dissipate. This inversion can remain for days over an area, with the smog level only rising or lowering from ground level to a few hundred feet high. Meanwhile, the pollutant levels increase, causing eye irritation, respiratory problems, reduced visibility, plant damage and in some cases, even disease. This inversion phenomenon was first noted in the Los Angeles, California area. The city lies in terrain resembling a basin and with certain weather conditions, a cold air mass is held in the basin while a warmer air mass covers it like a lid. Because this type of condition was first documented as prevalent in the Los Angeles area, this type of trapped pollution was named Los Angeles Smog, although it occurs in other areas where a large concentration of automobiles are used and the air remains stagnant for any length of time. HEAT TRANSFER Consider the internal combustion engine as a machine in which raw materials must be placed so a finished product comes out. As in any machine operation, a certain amount of wasted material is formed. When we relate this to the internal combustion engine, we find that through the input of air and fuel, we obtain power during the combustion process to drive the vehicle. The by-product or waste of this power is, in part, heat and exhaust gases with which we must dispose. The heat from the combustion process can rise to over 4000 °F (2204 °C). The dissipation of this heat is controlled by a ram air effect, the use of cooling fans to cause air flow and a liquid coolant solution surrounding the combustion area to transfer the heat of combustion through the cylinder walls and into the coolant. The coolant is then directed to a thin-finned, multi-tubed radiator, from which the excess heat is transferred to the atmosphere by 1 of the 3 heat transfer methods, conduction, convection or radiation. The cooling of the combustion area is an important part in the control of exhaust emissions. To understand the behavior of the combustion and transfer of its heat, consider the air/fuel charge. It is ignited and the flame front burns progressively across the combustion chamber until the burning charge reaches the cylinder walls. Some of the fuel in contact with the walls is not hot enough to burn, thereby snuffing out or quenching the combustion process. This leaves unburned fuel in the combustion chamber. This unburned fuel is then forced out of the cylinder and into the exhaust system, along with the exhaust gases. Many attempts have been made to minimize the amount of unburned fuel in the combustion chambers due to quenching, by increasing the coolant temperature and lessening the contact area of the coolant around the combustion area. However, design limitations within the combustion chambers prevent the complete burning of the air/fuel charge, so a certain amount of the unburned fuel is still expelled into the exhaust system, regardless of modifications to the engine.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Kondracke and Vidal Evaluation Essay

In the article, â€Å"Don’t Legalize Drugs† by Morton M. Kondracke, writes on the pros and cons of the legalization of drugs in a convincing way to help the reader understand the ultimate downfall of our society if the legalization of drugs does come into effect. His convincing tone is brought together by his logical, outside resources, and predictions from credible doctors. His use of pathos also helps the reader have a deeper understanding of the serious problems of legalizing drugs. As Kondracke states in the beginning, â€Å"†¦ if the advocates of legalized drugs do have their way†¦there will also be more unpublicized fatal and maiming crashes, more job accidents, more child neglect, more of almost everything associated with substance abuse: babies born addicted or retarded..† hoping to touch the hearts of the many. Kondracke uses outside resources such as Dr. Robert DuPont who is the former director of the National Institutes of Drug Abuse and his predictions to help further his argument and give credibility. Not only does he share with the reader outside sources and studies, but he mentions many examples by comparing the predictions of legalizing drugs and the actual result of alcohol in America and what effects it would have on our society if alcohol has already done so much to change America. The only real flaw I see with this article is that it is old and much in our society has changed. In the article, â€Å"Drugs: Case for Legalizing Marijuana† by Gore Vidal, his case for the legalization of marijuana is not quite convincing enough to even call it a case. Nothing in his article seems to be believable because he uses no real statistics except for his own when he says, â€Å"†¦I have tried—once—almost every drug and liked none disproving the popular Fu Manchu theory that a single whiff of opium will enslave the mind.† which doesn’t help his case at all seeing that he could have made up that side story on the spot. Not only does he share no real believable evidence, but the article is also over forty years old and things have definitely changed. The seriousness of this article is not well developed enough which gives the reader more of a laugh than deep thinking reasoning.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Cause and Effect of Social Media Essay

The 21st century is defined by its obsession and advancements in technology, the younger generation in particular. Technology plays as a key factor in most lives, social media especially. Among the most popular of social media are Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, all with the main purpose to share or view personal information and experiences, communicate with others and meet new people on social or professional grounds. There are several positives and negatives effects associated with social media, making it a topic of debate whether it is creating more good or harm for today’s society. see more:positive and negative effects of social media We use technology as the number one means of communication, and social media has made communicating with each other even easier. We have the ability to stay linked to the world and available at all times with a simple email, text message or social media post. Because most of our conversations are through a tablet, cellphone or computer, face to face interaction is decreasing. More and more people are isolating themselves and losing the ability or desire to interact with real people in real life. It is becoming easier to go through life with less personal confrontations and conversations. This is a problem because we are social creatures and as human beings, that face to face, in person interaction is necessary. One of the main reasons social media was created was to link up with old friends near and far. In present day times we also use social media to form connections with new people. Through the use of forums and specialized pages on Facebook, you can connect with people who have interests similar to your own that you would not necessarily meet in real life and business connections also. Many people go on to build real friendships and even relationships with people they have met on social media. Only negative to this is that you never really know who you are talking to. Someone can claim to be one person, but in reality are lying to you about their identity the whole time. This has become such a common practice that the term â€Å"catfish† was created. A catfish is a person who invents a persona, or impersonates a person online through social media. There have been situations where people have been lured to meet up with who they’d consider a friend under false pretenses. Getting catfished can put one in a dangerous situation. Facebook, twitter and instagram are all methods used to share your life with others. You’re able to post pictures and type statuses to inform your friends, followers, etc., what you have been up to and how you have been living your life. Adults usually post pictures and statuses focusing on their family, trips and special events in their lives, while the younger generation takes social media a lot more serious. Every moment of their lives are put out there for the world to see, sometimes without the realization. Teenagers on social media are always trying to impress and one up each other. They sometimes post inappropriate material to try to look as cool as possible without realizing that ultimately employers, teachers, parents, law enforcement and strangers all have the ability to see. The problem is once something is on the internet it is there forever, and if caught you can find yourself in major trouble. Often when we’re bored we turn to social media for entertainment. We can check up on family friends or see what the hottest celebrity is up to. Then before we know it, our simple amusement becomes a huge distraction. The amount of people we can connect with on social media is endless and they are all so unique, we can spend an infinite amount of time browsing social media without getting bored. Many people have become addicted to social media and find themselves online way more often than they should. This creates a problem when it comes time to do schoolwork and study and even in the office for some. When trying to tackle tedious tasks, it is easy to get distracted and venture onto Facebook, twitter or Instagram. You may not have the intention to stay on for long, but before you know it hours have passed and no work has gotten done. For social media junkies they may have to turn off their phone and block these websites to focus all their attention on the task at hand and get anything done at all. Endless positive and negative effects of social media affect our society today. On one hand social media creates an easy way to communicate with one another, connect with people on a social and business level, share our lives with others and entertain us when we need it. While on the other hand social media comes with the possibility of causing isolation in many situations, putting ourselves in danger when we don’t know who we’re talking to, causing  trouble for ourselves and distracting us from school and work related tasks. Every person who uses social media needs to set limits for themselves to ensure their experience is much more positive than negative. Once that is completed social media can be used as a tool to do great things.

Online Therapy Paper Essay

This paper is related to an online therapy. This paper consists of the elements and contents of the information that is found on any online therapy website along with the information of the professionals that are involved in that therapy. The paper also outlines the way in which most of the communication relating online therapy. The paper will also highlight the policies and regulations that provide fundamentals to run an online therapy. The paper also comprehends the state regulation authority to observe and scrutinize online therapy. The paper will also present the information relative to the ethical and security issues like confidentiality along with informed consent. The paper will end up with a small discussion regarding the benefits and risks of the online therapy. The first selected website of online therapy that retrieved was www.lzcybershrink.com where the services are advertised by Elizabeth Zelvin. Elizabeth Zelvin is acknowledged as a licensed clinical social worker along with a psychotherapist. All services are provided by the single person that is her. Ms. Zelvin as retrieved from her biography holds 20 years of experience and was involved in a private service in New York State. Ms. Zelvin handled communication relating online therapy through implication of a chat room setting. This chat room provides opportunity to clients to arrange a schedule of treatment and appointment with Ms. Zelvin before actual arrival through employing email. The professional involved provide a password for her patients and start conversation through signing in at same time through online setting. The cost is offered based on  ½ hour, hour and email exchange. The cost of a 30 minute chat is set at $65 while a 60 min chat is priced at $100 while a single email exchange costs $45. The service accepts most of the online payment systems and credit cards but the payment have to be done before the actual schedule of therapy. The website also shows advertisements regarding the books and songs she has written along with the poetry. The website is whole relating the promotion content of the Ms. Zelvin. (Zelvin, 2009) The other website that was retrieved as an online therapy website is www.live-counselor.com. This website provides services of online therapy employing a chat room for communication purposes. The website involves 200 different professionals that are therapists, counselors, along with some social workers available. The website consists of live counselors who provide a mediating service to make connections of the clients with the  required therapist, counselors and the social workers. The site provides support with addictions, coping with crisis or physical conditions, eating disorders, parenting, personal development, personality and emotional disorders, and relationship issues. The service provided is charged per minute. The rates range from $1to $1.89. Registration of credit card is done before starting of conversation. Live-counselor is just a moderator and has not required setting appointments yet the clients may sign-in anytime their service provider is available. The profile of professionals shows a mark on them while they are online. The site does not have any other content besides service providers’ biographies, disclaimers in regard to not taking responsi bility for anything that occurs on the website, and the billing process. (Live-Counselor, 2009) The third website relating an online therapy was retrieved from www.serenityonlinetherapy.com. The website provides the information regarding the therapy via email or a chat-room set-up. The website centralizes on a single service provider that is â€Å"Carl Benedict, a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) in the State of Maryland†. He got the experience of 12 years as therapist and provides services in mental health clinic along with a hospital. Mr. Benedict counts for a three years experience in online therapy. The price of chat is charged as $50 for 60 minute chat along with a discount offered as a package for the clients of online therapy. Many categories of articles are uploaded by Mr. Benedict regarding various issues clients might be experiencing like as, depression, childhood trauma, addiction, parenting, grief and loss, and duel diagnosis. The website also shows some inspirational poems along with some sayings to motivate the clients by Mr. Benedict. (Benedict, 2009) â€Å"All states in the US, except California, license professional counselors. The state counselor licensure boards administer the application processes and procedures that have been established by law in each state.† The National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) website lists the contact information for each state’s, except California, Board of Mental Health Practice. The website empowers and enables clients the ability to check the credentials of professionals who are offering online therapy and make an informed decision of whether or not to hire that particular professional. (NBCC, 2009) For the reason of advancement in technology and science there do arise some ethical and security issues. It is depicted that online therapy give rise to issues  like; security, which concerned that either online therapy is safe and effective, either there is chance that clients provide true information relative to the consent, along with the confirmation of clients and professionals as real who are involved in communication process while in chat rooms. All three websites retrieved for this paper provide disclaimers on them to make clients and professionals on safe side while online therapy like â €Å"If you have serious thoughts of hurting yourself or others, dial 911 or if you have a chronic mental illness requiring intense treatment online therapy is not an option for you†(Benedict, 2009). The three websites visited all use chat room settings for communication purposes. A password is provided to the client who registers himself by making payments through credit card. That specific password is then used by the client whenever he wants to sign in not only in chat room but also for the therapy session. The client has no way of knowing what type of security software or measures the online therapist is using to protect their personal information. Nothing guarantees that the client is who he or she claims; in a traditional setting the client and the therapist know who is present. Online therapy present some barriers regarding the options of making payment and the client is also going through a risk to pay for an online therapy session. All three websites involve a credit card payment which provides risks to clients in terms of leaking of their credit card and personal information because of providing information online. On other hand in physical setting the credit card is only swiped or the payments can be done through cash and cheques. The client holds every control regarding his personal information while in a physical office or clinical setting along with having every possible payment option for making payments. Some of the ethical issues also arise because of the technology advancements, like as is it ethical to provide online therapy when there no guarantees that the client and therapist say he or she is. In an office setting at least the client and the therapist can use ids to ensure identity. Online therapy does not require medical records; how is the therapist supposes to know the physical and mental health of a client? The therapist has to rely on self-disclosure which is taking a big risk on the therapist’s behalf. How can a therapist tell if the client is fully participating in therapy? In a traditional setting the therapist can rely on body language which is how most human communication is made. This part of  report presents some risks that are involved while involving oneself in online therapy. A traditional therapy session allows for a therapist to get a full picture of the client’s well-being by having access to medical records and being able to read a client’s body language. Another uncomfortable element with online therapy is because clients likes to know who is helping him, what he or she looks like for security reasons, and the inability to read body language is upsetting. Some benefits that are derived from online therapy in terms of clients are discussed in this part. An example of advantage is anonymity; this helps those clients who face some social difficulties in a traditional therapy setting and hence can find it advantageous to be in their comfort zone while at their own home. Clients having difficulties to approach a regular and dependable transportation can be benefited by the online therapy. This technology also facilitated those clients who lack the presence of any local therapist and thus can get the opportunity to find someone online for tha t help and assistance. Online therapy is an alternative for clients and is the client’s choice to decide what works best for him or her. After going through an in-depth study of the online therapy it is recommended that the client has to measure the both sides of the online therapy before deciding for himself what to implement. Individual needs vary from person to person so we cannot say what work best for whom. It is also depicted that the technology on one side is exciting as well as controversial at the same time. References Benedict, C. (2009). â€Å"Services†. Retrieved from: http://www.serenityonlinetherapy.com Live-Counselor. (2009). â€Å"Services†. Retrieved from: http://www.live-counselor.com The National Board for Certified Counselors(NBCC) . (2009). Retrieved from: http://www.nbcc.org. Zelvin, E. (2009). â€Å"Elizabeth Zelvin†. Retrieved from: http://www.lzcybershrink.com.

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Balanced Scorecard

Since the Market downturn in October 2007, a challenging set of economic events has been rocking the financial services industry and AXA equitable has since experienced major changes to keep the company competitive. A well-developed balanced scorecard is what AXA Equitable needs in order to remain a worldwide leader in the financial services industry. In the past, management have believed that the factors critical to the success of a company were based solely upon financial measures; this is why the Balanced scorecard was developed. The BSC has gained increasing popularity as an effective management tool that aligns employee actions and goals with corporate strategy since first being introduced in 1992 (Davis Albright, 2004). Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton proposed the balanced scorecard (BSC). The Balanced scorecard is a widely recognized tool to support decision making at the strategic management level which improves the satisfaction of the strategic objectives (Kaplan Norton, 1992). The BSC provides feedback on internal business processes, performance, and market conditions in order to review the trategy and future plans and  Large U. S. companies, such as General Electric and Federal Express, and non-profit and public organizations have implemented the BSC approach (Creamer Freun, 2010). According to the module, â€Å"financial measures are inadequate, however, for guiding and evaluating the journey that information age companies must make to create future value through investment in customers, suppliers, employees, processes, technology, and innovation (Baltzan, Phillips, Haag 2010). The balanced scorecard deals with a proposed model that embraces both financial and non-financial aspects to measure performance of an organization in the financial services industry (Wu, Tzeng, Chen, 2009). The  balanced scorecard[pic](BSC) is a multi-criteria evaluation concept that highlights the importance of performance measurement, and it recognizes that performance measurement should be incorporated in both of financial and non-financial measures; it captures not only a firm’s current performance but also the drivers of its future performance (Tseng, 2010). The balanced scorecard would be a positive force for AXA Equitable as it is a vital part of an overall strategy to become and remain an industry leader. Since times can be unsettling and while no company is immune from the challenges of a volatile market, management should strive to identify the factors that are critical to the success of the company. AXA Equitable needs to implement the measures listed on the balanced scorecard to achieve the company’s critical success factors. This will strengthen the company and continually improve AXA Equitable’s ability to manage through turbulent market conditions when necessary. The Balanced scorecard has four main parts. The balanced scorecard is developed along the four well-known perspectives of Financial, Customer, Internal Business Process, and Learning and Growth Performance, which, at any point in time of measurement, characterize the current status and future potential of organizations (Craig Moores, 2010). The financial perspective includes the measure of an organizations financial performance. For instance, it measures revenue growth, shareholder’s value, assets under management, and cash flow. This perspective links the company to its shareholders with main attention to the question: â€Å"How do we look to our shareholders and those with a financial interest in the organization? † Financial goals include achieving profitability, maintaining liquidity and solvency both short term as well as long-term, growth in sales turnover and maximizing wealth of shareholders (Asosheh, Nalchigar, Jamporazmey, 2010). The customer perspective includes the measure of an organizations market share, customer satisfaction, customer retention, customer referrals and value added activities. This is the second external oriented perspective that takes a look at the organization’s customers, who are the crucial factor for financial success generating revenue by buying products and services. The question is: â€Å"How do our customers perceive us in term of products, services, relationships and value-added? † (Asosheh, Nalchigar, Jamporazmey, 2010). The internal process perspective includes the measure of an organizations productivity, research and development, customer complaints and returns, and operational speed. This Measure focuses on the internal processes that will have the greatest impact on customer satisfaction and achieving an organization’s financial objectives. Firms should decide what processes and competencies they must excel at and specify measures for each of them (Asosheh, Nalchigar, Jamporazmey, 2010). The learning and growth perspective includes the measure of an organizations turnover ratio, hiring goals, education and training of new and existing employees, and number of new and improved products or services. This perspective identifies the infrastructure that the organization must build to create long-term growth and improvement. Intense global competition requires that organizations continually improve their capabilities for delivering value to customers and shareholders. Thus the question remains: â€Å"To achieve our future vision, how will we continue to improve and create future value for our stakeholders? † (Asosheh, Nalchigar, Jamporazmey, 2010). The best way to measure AXA Equitable’s financial performance is the shareholders value. This shows the value that the shareholders perceive AXA Equitable to be worth. There is strong evidence that the balanced scorecard is an effective strategic management tool that leads to improved shareholder returns (Crabtree DeBusk, 2008). The primary objective of management should be maximizing its shareholder’s value. Since the turbulent economy, AXA Equitable shareholder value is back on the up rise again. This can be seen with the stock price. AXA Equitable stocks, just like most other companies, were not immune to the highly volatile market conditions; However with the market getting back together, the stock price is gradually rising again. The management decisions at AXA should be geared towards maximizing the wealth of AXA Equitable shareholders, which means increasing the value of shares owned by existing shareholders. A good measure of AXA Equitable’s superiority over its competition would be the ability to generate consistent and high total returns that it gives to its shareholders over time. Major company issues will exist with AXA Equitable if management interests are not aligned with those of shareholders. When managers pursue self-serving behavior rather than the maximization of shareholder wealth, several symptoms may become apparent: low stock returns, below-average operating performance, and suboptimal investment decisions. The likelihood of company problems is higher when managerial incentive systems do not coincide with shareholder wealth maximization (Manry Stangeland 2003). It is very important that AXA Equitable management put the interest of the shareholders first. Research suggests that firms with management that pursues its own interests at the expense of shareholders will perform comparatively worse than firms with management whose interests are aligned with shareholders (Manry Stangeland 2003). When a company like AXA Equitable is able to generate wealth for its shareholders year after year, it is able to differentiate itself from the competition and creates better value for its shareholders. Investors who purchase AXA Equitable shares hope that the returns they get on their investments would be higher than what they could get from putting those funds in a risk-free savings account. This shows that the investors are definitely willing to tolerate more risk of ownership in AXA Equitable because of the chance of making higher returns. Assets under management are a measure of the total market value of client assets with the company. AXA as a whole has 1. 46 trillion dollars in assets under management, making it the 13th largest company in the world. One of the biggest advantages of having assets under management as a critical success factor on the balanced scorecard is that focus on increasing the total value of assets under AXA demands continuous efforts and improvement by the management and employees of AXA. This financial measure is not only obvious to AXA management and employees but also those outside the company, i. e. the public. Ranking organization like Fortune 500, use the figures for assets under management as a financial success measure to rank companies against their competition and industries. Constantly increasing the sale of financial products or services is a very important aspect of a company especially one in the financial services industry. AXA Equitable offers a wide range of financial products and services like fixed income investments, equity investments, individual retirement accounts, education planning accounts, life disability insurance and annuities to its clients. The products or services is used to address their needs and help shape their financial futures. The sale of AXA Equitable’s financial products or services is crucial in measuring the financial success of the company. The product or services sale is exactly how the company makes money and becomes profitable. Employees of AXA Equitable earn production credits after each sale of its products or services. Production Credits are the total amount of compensation that AXA Equitable pays to its employees in form of commission for the sale of its products or services. The total amount of production credits earned by each employee is the best way AXA uses to measure employee performance. The Production credits can also serve as a measure of financial performance that AXA Equitable uses as a requirement for other benefits other than commission for its employees. Benefits such as medical plan eligibility, stock options, stocks appreciation rights, AXA Share plan and AXA Equitable Advantage. AXA Equitable should strive for consistent and positive investment results for its investment portfolios. This is very important to a company that deals with attracting new prospects and retaining existing clients. An AXA Equitable client, for example, with a portfolio with poor investment results will not remain with the company if that client can get better results with other financial companies outside of AXA Equitable. AXA Equitable financial advisors manage the managers. Portfolio managers manage the investment portfolios and financial products inside AXA Equitable. Those managers are in turn, managed by the financial advisors that make these investment portfolios available to the clients. The portfolio managers are responsible for picking the equities and bonds available in each portfolio, making changes and the investment results for the portfolios they handle. Clients can benefit from a professional allocated portfolio of AXA Equitable funds that delivers automatic diversification, risk management benefits, quarterly rebalancing, and consistent investment results. The customer perspective section of he balanced scorecard cannot be effective if customer satisfaction is not the number one focus. The first and most important rule for any company in the financial services industry is that the client is of the utmost priority. Financial advisors should learn to put the interest of their clients first before any other interests. Companies in a service industry should understand that customer satisfaction is a great measure of performance. Banks and other companies that deal with providing financial services to the public must first put more emphasis on customer satisfaction, and then on financial return. These companies must ensure that their customers remain loyal to them and develop new markets to attract new customers (Wu, Tzeng, Chen, 2009). A crucial part of maintaining client satisfaction is understanding the clients and their needs. AXA Equitable and its advisors are responsible for making financial recommendations and providing its clients with financial products and services, and financial education to address their needs and help the clients create the retirement of their dreams. AXA Equitable should take sending out client satisfaction surveys to every client on the anniversary date of purchasing a financial product or service very seriously. This Client Satisfaction Index survey is a true measure of customer satisfaction and has helped the company identify the key drivers of client satisfaction. AXA Equitable uses this survey to get client feedback on their financial products and the level of service that their advisors showed the client throughout the year. Value added activity is an important way a company can separate itself from the competition. Companies in the financial services industry primarily offer financial products or services to their clients. Why would a client want to use AXA Equitable’s products and service versus another financial company like American International Group (AIG)? What can AXA Equitable offer that client that no other company can? For example, every financial advisor is required to provide the clients with a contract after every sale of a financial product or service. This contract usually contains copies of signed forms and prospectus. It is better to hand deliver these contracts instead of mailing it to the clients. AIG, a major competition for AXA Equitable, usually sends out thank you cards and client referral forms after every new sale of the company’s financial product or service. This is very effective because it showed that AIG appreciates the client and their business. Value added activities can be as simple as remembering a customers’ favorite drink. Whatever the activity is, managers must find a way to capitalize upon it, as doing so will enable them to gain a competitive advantage. AIG uses this service-oriented strategy to get additional referrals and establish relationships with their clients. BSC is an effective performance measurement tool in performance improvement, which positively affects service quality (Ghani, Said, Laswad, 2010). Exceeding client expectations is another critical success factor on the balanced scorecard that AXA Equitable and its employees should incorporate. When this strategy is taken seriously and done correctly, the clients are satisfied; they stay with the company longer, purchase additional financial products or services and most importantly, refer others to the company. Customer satisfaction offers an immediate, meaningful and objective feedback about clients’ preferences and expectations (Mihelis, Grigoroudis, Siskos, Politis, Malandrakis, 2001). AXA Equitable has provided several tools like eRelationship ® for its financial advisors for client contact. The eRelationship ® platform is a good way for the advisors to have continuous contact and build strong relationships with their clients all year long. For example, doing the simple things like remembering and sending out birthday cards, wedding anniversary cards, seminars invitations, could go a long way in building and maintaining credibility, trust and satisfaction with the clients. When the financial advisor is compassionate and is always willing to help, the clients can now see the true value of the advisors. AXA Equitable needs to generate clients constantly to be successful in the financial service industry. To be successful in this business, the financial advisors have to constantly be in front of their clients. Activities that drive the success of AXA Equitable financial advisors include prospecting and meeting new clients, number of appointments set, running appointments and appointments closed. AXA Equitable uses to 5-3-1 weekly matrix to guide our advisor activities They will be successful every week if they can have five prospecting visits, run three client appointments and sign up one new client†. Internationale Nederlanden Groep (ING), another major competition in the financial services industry uses a performance management strategy to keep track of employee activities. The financial advisors are required to submit their performance goals, development plans, and action plans at the beginning of every quarter to their managers. At the end of the quarter, performance reviews are conducted by the managers to measure the activities and production of the financial advisor. The balanced scorecard will help enhance communication between the client and the organization to ensure favorable organization performance (Wong, Lam, Chan, 2009). The internal business process perspective measures efficiency and productivity level within the company. During the client appointments, after the recommendations have been presented to the client, how quickly and efficiently can AXA Equitable provide the financial products or services needed to the client? This can be done with a software called eDox ®. eDox ® is an online database software that the financial advisor carries with him to every appointment with clients. eDox ® contains information about every product that AXA Equitable offers to its clients as well as links to products from other companies that AXA Equitable advisors can also offer to its client. Intra-industry trade (IIT) has been central to increasing the variety of products available to consumers (Moshirian, Li, and Sim. 2005). eDox ® also serves as a tool that top management uses to send out memos, journals, sales ideas, and information on new product launches to every employee of the company. When the client agrees to go ahead with the advisors recommendation and get the financial products; all the applications and forms necessary to make the sale can also be found on eDox ®. A continual review and constant improvement of eDox ® would be very important to keep productivity levels high to become an industry leader. AXA Compliance department is faced with the task of keeping AXA Equitable and its financial advisors compliant with the governing rules made by the Security and Exchange Commission. The Security and Exchange Commission set rules, regulations and guidelines that govern all the companies in the financial services industry. The SEC draws up new regulations periodically that sometimes make business very difficult in the financial services industry, for example, the 90-24 transfer rule, which involves more documentation for transfers of funds between one financial companies. Meeting these guidelines and standards set by the Securities and Exchange Commission is important to eliminate client complaints, trading malpractice, and negative internal and external audit for AXA Equitable Growth within a company like AXA Equitable does not always have to mean more profits because it is in the financial services industry. To become a leader in this industry, the financial company would have to hire more financial advisors to acquire more clients, which in turn leads to more productivity within the company. AXA Equitable should set hiring goals for its managers each year that the company expects to be met because an increase in the number of financial advisors every year will cause an increase in the amount of business written in that year. AXA Equitable and other companies in the financial service industry are constantly rolling out new financial products or services to keep pace with market volatility and unlimited client needs. The companies equip these products with better features and benefits to make them more attractive to the clients and stand out from the competition. AXA Equitable should be committed to providing its financial advisors with the resources necessary to build a lifelong career. Companies facing intensive competition also have a greater impetus to find ways to differentiate their products and services from those provided by competitors, this frequently results in a greater number of product and service lines and differentiation sought through increased customization of products and services in order to meet specific customer desires. (Guilding and McManus, 2002). The Learning center at AXA Equitable is set up to train and support new and experienced financial advisors. For example, when a new financial advisor is hired, the advisor is required to take some necessary courses on AXA Advisors Virtual University (AAVU) to learn everything about the company, its policies and financial product or services. American International Group (AIG) is another company that has a similar new employee development strategy. AIG developed a New Branch Employee Orientation Program where new employees receive online orientation sessions that include information about AIG, as well as company policies and benefits. AXA Equitable should require additional sessions for training and development for their financial advisors. These sessions should include experiences and accomplishments of experienced licensed financial advisors to keep the all other financial advisors motivated and knowledgeable about everything going on with the company and the industry as a whole. Introducing a balanced scorecard in an organization and implementing the critical success factors identified on it will not be an easy task. When firms develop a  scorecard they often start with a strategic performance measurement system which includes a set of financial and non-financial measures. Afterwards, the cause and effect relationships between the different (sets of) measures are developed further to translate the firm strategy to operational activities (Wiersma, 2009). AXA Equitable’s Management and employees will have to cultivate a change initiative. The increasing use of balanced scorecards is changing the way top managers run their companies. When envisioning a firm’s future development, they no longer focus chiefly on monetary success indicators in the financial area, Instead balanced scorecard is designed to complement financial measures of past performance with their measures of the drivers of future performance (Asosheh, Nalchigar, Jamporazmey, 2010). Companies need to address issues to help assess competition in their industry. The Balanced Scorecard is generally implemented at the corporate, business unit, and individual level, and also becomes a powerful tool for the directors to monitor the implementation of the corporate strategy.