Thursday, December 26, 2019

Dna Digestion and Electrophoresis - 728 Words

DNA DIGESTION AND ELECTROPHORESIS In this experiment we will be doing a process called as DNA digestion or also known as restriction digest. A restriction digest is a procedure used in molecular biology to prepare DNA for analysis or other processing. It is sometimes termed DNA fragmentation, scientists Hartl and Jones describe it this way: This enzymatic technique can be used for cleaving DNA molecules at specific sites, ensuring that all DNA fragments that contain a particular sequence have the same size; furthermore, each fragment that contains the desired sequence has the sequence located at exactly the same position within the fragment. The cleavage method makes use of an important class of DNA-cleaving enzymes isolated primarily†¦show more content†¦One of the most important reaction conditions which varies between different restriction enzymes is the salt concentration. Enzyme buffers are specifically formulated to provide the salt concentration for optimal enzyme activity. It is important, therefore, that the correct buffer solution is used for a particular restriction enzyme. [3] For this experiment we also made use of agarose gel electrophoresis, which takes a lot of time. Electrophoresis may be the main technique for molecular separation in todays cell biology laboratory. In spite of the many physical arrangments for the apparatus, and regardless of the medium through which molecules are allowed to migrate, all electrophoretic separations depend upon the charge distribution of the molecules being separated. Electrophoresis can be one dimensional or two dimensional. One dimensional electrophoresis is used for most routine protein and nucleic acid separations. Two dimensional separation of proteins is used for finger printing , and when properly constructed can be extremely accurate in resolving all of the proteins present within a cell. The support medium for electrophoresis can be formed into a gel within a tube or it can be layered into flat sheets. The tubes are used for easy one dimensional separations, while the sheets have a larger surface area and are better for two- dimensional separations. In electrophoresis, proteins are separated on the basis ofShow MoreRelatedIsolation, Restriction Digestion, And Electrophoresis Of Plasmid Dna1827 Words   |  8 PagesIsolation, restriction digestion, and gel electrophoresis of plasmid DNA Prathyusha Gudapati, BIOL 304, spring 2015. Abstract The purpose of the experiment was to isolate plasmid DNA, followed by restriction digestion using restriction endonucleases and then visualizing the digested fragments after subjecting to gel electrophoresis. Plasmid DNA (pSP72 DNA) was isolated from Escherichia coli KAM32 (E.coli) cultures using the QIA prep miniprep kit and then subjected to restriction digestion by EcoRI and HindIIIRead MoreMethods Of Restriction Mapping Site Essay730 Words   |  3 Pages Discussion In this experiment two methods of restriction mapping site were used i.e. double digestion method and the comparison of fragment pattern to a known sequence. In the double digestion method, the fragments produced by the enzyme Hind III andXhoI independently and concurrently were compared so that it can produce an estimation of relative postion of cleavage site The drawback of restriction mapping is that the technique cannot be directly used for eukaroyotes because of difficulties associatedRead MoreRestriction Enzyme, Alkaline Phosphatase Digestion And Gel Electrophoresis1195 Words   |  5 PagesMMR Report 1.3 Restriction Enzyme, Alkaline phosphatase Digestion †¨and Gel Electrophoresis By Naga Srilekha Somu Chemistry - 429 Spring 2016 Western Illinois University Materials and Equipment: Pure plasmid pET28a, amplified 2-alcohol dehydrogenase gene (a PCR product), 10x bovine serum albumin, 10x neutralization buffer, EcoRI, nuclease free water, pET28a plasmid digested with EcoRI, calf intestinal alkaline phosphatase, agarose gel (1% agarose + 0.3ÃŽ ¼L ethidium bromide), 1x TAE bufferRead MoreA Research Study On Scar Markers1635 Words   |  7 PagesSCAR markers are PCR based primers that represent genomic DNA fragments at genetically defined loci, that are identified by PCR amplification using sequence specific oligonuceotide primers (Paran and Michelmore, 1993; Me Dermott et al., 1994). Inception of SCARs involves cloning the amplified products of arbitrary marker techniques and then sequencing the 2 ends of the cloned products. The sequence s therefore used to design specific primer pairs of 15-30 bp which will amplify single major bandsRead MoreEssay on Using PCR and Gel Electrophoresis to Determine Genotype583 Words   |  3 PagesUsing PCR and Gel Electrophoresi s to Determine Genotype In certain situations, it is necessary to identify DNA retreived from a sample. When there is a small sample in need of identification, Polymerase Chain Reactions are used to multiply the DNA in the sample in to many identical samples. The DNA retrieved from the reaction can then be imported into an aparatus using gel electrophoresis to compare the sample of DNA to other samples. In our experiment we learned the how to replicate tinyRead MoreOptimization of Asymmetric PCR for Generation of a Single Stranded DNA Library690 Words   |  3 PagesAptamers are short DNA or RNA oligonucleotides with high, specific affinity to a special target. The name was originated from aptus that means to fit and meros that shows the polymer identity of oligonucleotides (1, 2). Aptamer characteristics provide prominent potential applications in multiple fields.These nucleic acid ligands are completely generated through in vitro process for a wide range of targets from small molecules and ions to large proteins and cells and even whole organism or tissueRead More1.3.1 response Essay624 Words   |  3 Pagesï » ¿ Activity 1.3.1: Student Response Sheet PART A- Restriction Enzymes Restriction enzymes are a tool that allows us to pinpoint human identity down to single differences in our DNA. Work through the following simulation so you can see these molecular scissors in action. Find out more about restriction enzymes by viewing the animation and reading the article listed below. DolanDNALearningCenter: Restriction Enzymes http://www.dnalc.org/ddnalc/resources/restriction.html Access ExcellenceRead MorePlant Viruses : A Large, Unique Family Of Plants Viruses1458 Words   |  6 Pagesworld. [1, 2] Geminiviruses consist of four genera, Mastrevirus, Curtovirus, Begomovirus, and Topocuvirus based on host ranges, vector specificities, and genome organizations. Characteristics of geminiviruses include their circular, single-stranded DNA genome and geminate-shaped virus particles. These viruses-- exhibit both prokaryotic and eukaryotic features-- replicate in the nuclei of the host cell and depend on host machineries for transcription [1]. The majority of the Old World begomovirusesRead MorePcr Rflp Report : Pcr1166 Words   |  5 PagesPCR-RFLP Report PCR What is it: The Polymerase Chain Reaction is a method that uses the capability of DNA polymerase to synthesize to new DNA strands which are matching to the template strand. A primer needs to be added to the first nucleotide due to the fact that DNA polymerase only can add a nucleotide only onto a 3 -OH group that already exists. Because of this condition, we are able to define a chosen region of template sequence which we can then generate millions to billions of copies. ThisRead MoreSite Directed Mutagenesis ( Sdm ) Technique942 Words   |  4 PagesSite-directed mutagenesis (SDM) technique is commonly used to induce desired change in DNA plasmid sequence by mutation, insertion or deletion with oligonucleotide primers (1). This SDM usually cooperate with ploymerase chain reaction (PCR) as to amplify the concentration of mutated template (2). PCR, a temperature-based cycle reaction, is completed with three initial steps including denaturing the DNA template, anneal the mutated oligonucleotide primers and elongating the mutated primer with ploymerase

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Truman s Decision On The Dropping Of The Atomic Bomb

Aldrin Ubaldo HIS 218-03 Atomic Bomb Paper Presidents Harry Truman’s decision on the dropping of the atomic bomb was the best decision he could make because having another land invasion similar to D-Day of June 1944 would risk more resources and soldiers’ lives on either side. Paul Fussell article states that in PFC E. B. Sledge memoir With the Old Breed at Pelieu and Okinawa. As the U.S military fights closely to the mainland of Japan, the fighting in the surrounding islands in Iwo Jima and Okinawa was getting more vicious than in previous fights and that having a new land invasion would be a â€Å"ghastly bloodletting† and would shock the American public and the world ( Fussell, pg. 16). The Japanese were ruthless fighters and would never give up and would die for their country. It was said that every Japanese soldier, woman and children would fight from coast to coast (Fussell pg. 17). The Japanese code bushido meaning â€Å"the way of the warrior† meant that surrendering was absolutely dishono rable to the Emperor and the country and most soldiers would prefer to take their own lives rather than surrender to the enemy (Correll Enola Gay). The Japanese were prepared to take as much casualties as possible with an estimation of commitment of 2.3 million troops (Correll Enola Gay). Yes the atomic bomb would kill thousands of civilians but these civilians may have been trained to commit suicide runs against the allies if an invasion was put through (Fussell pg. 17). With theShow MoreRelatedTruman and Atomic Bombs649 Words   |  3 Pagesto take a side and then write an editorial on Harry S Truman’s decision to order the dropping of the atom bomb. HARRY S TRUMAN amp; THE DECISION TO ORDER THE DROPPING OF THE ATOMIC BOMB Boom! Boom! Seventy thousands Japanese citizens were perished instantly after the first atomic bomb was dropped in Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. Japanese still refused to surrender to Allied forces. On August 9, 1945, with the dropping of the second atomic bomb in Nagasaki, where eighty thousands people were vaporizedRead MoreThe Dropping Of The Atomic Bomb1207 Words   |  5 PagesThe dropping of the atomic bombs in Japan was a very helpful source for the United States during the WWII. President Truman, took the responsibility of dropping and creation of the atomic bomb. For the reason that The United States was seeking revenge on Japan for the attack at Pearl Harbor. The atomic bomb caused a high number of innocent Japanese deaths and also awful sickness. The atomic bombs left a big impact in the Japanese empire; also effected the Japanese at the time of the atomic bomb andRead MoreThe Atomic Bomb Was A Revolutionary Invention1528 Words   |  7 Pagesreached its peak with the US dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August of 1945. The atomic bomb was a revolutionary invention that raised many questions, most comprehensively, why? Why did we drop the atomic bombs? This question regarding the motivations behind dropping the atomic bomb has been mostly buried by the actual event. While Truman himself stated in an August 1945 radio address and further emphasized in his 1955 memoirs that the atomic bombs were dropped in order to â€Å"shortenRead MoreEssay Pres, Truman Atomic Bomb Decision1421 Words   |  6 PagesPresident Trumans Decision to drop the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki During World War II the war in Europe ended after the unconditional German surrender at General Eisenhowers Headquarters in Reims, France, May 7, 1945. After the unconditional German surrender in Europe the war shifted to Asia and the Pacific. As the war continued against Japan the Allied forces captured islands such as Iwo Jima and Okinaawa close to Japan brought the Japanese homeland within range of naval and airRead MoreThe Atomic Bomb Of Truman s Diary Entry From The Potsdam Conference867 Words   |  4 Pagesmilitary advisors, President Truman had several people s opinions in mind, with many opinions present it made the decision on whether to or not to drop the bomb difficult to decide for the president. Many can agree or disagree with what would have happened if Truman hadn’t had ordered the first atomic bomb dropped. If the bomb hadn’t been dropped, there is no telling on what would have happened in the war with Japan. President Harry S. Truman s intentions of the atomic bomb were to bring an end to theRead MorePresident Truman And The Dropping Of The Atomic Bomb1280 Words   |  6 PagesThroughout history there have been many important decisions made by our presidents that have affected our country for the better and for the worse. Even though people claim that they could have made better judgement calls than what have been decided, no one knows exactly what circumstances the president is under when the decisions have to be made. In the case of President Harry Truman and the dropping of the atomic bomb, many speculators say that it was a great way to resolve the war with Japan whileRead MoreDropping The Bomb Of Hiroshima And Nagasaki During World War II921 Words   |  4 PagesDropping the Bomb In 1945 America committed an act that some consider to be one of the most destructive acts in the world. It has been questioned why America would execute the devastating dropping of the bombs, nicknamed fat man and little boy, on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War two. One of the first and probably main factors for dropping the bombs was to end World War two as soon as possible. The cost of the war was steadily increasing and Truman wanted keep the cost as low as possibleRead MoreAtomic Bombs And Its Effects On Japan1369 Words   |  6 PagesCan you imagine how many atomic bombs that have killed many Japanese during, World War II in Japan? On August 6, 1945, a new weapon with a significant explosive power known as the atomic bombs just has been dropped on Japan. The dropping of this weapon on Hiroshima and Nagasaki there were 262,020 civilians were killed. The United States to chose the atomic bomb in order for Japan to surrender and end the war quickly. Likewise, President Truman as the duty as president and Commander in Chief to protectRead MoreThe Dropping Of The Atomic Bomb853 Words   |  4 Pagesall have diverse opinions on the dropping of the atomic bomb. Varying from, it should be dropped to bring an end to the war with Japan, to it is i nhumane to use such a power weapon on the Japanese military. Having so many diverse opinions on the newest found weapon, made the decision difficult for President Truman. There is no found proof that the war would have ended shortly after if it hadn’t been dropped. It was an uncertain factor on what would happen if the bomb wasn’t dropped, as well as whatRead MoreThe Atomic Bomb : A Significant Period Of Time That Molds The United States980 Words   |  4 PagesThe Atomic Bomb in Japan President Truman, decision over booming Japan is a significant period of time that molds the United States. The crucial decision that was made on August of 1945, brought World War II to an end. While bringing the WWII to an end, it attracted a lot of debates over the use of the atomic bombs in the war. Even though the WWII has ended decades ago debates still lingers to this point. Having people in both sides of the debates, makes people wonder if the use of the first atomic

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

ICT A case of Knowledge and Critical Thinking

Questions: 1. Briefly describe the business processes supported by a Supply Chain Management (SCM) information system. In a global business like Emerson what are the advantages and disadvantages of using a SCM information system? With Emersons many divisions using different suppliers, what would be the benefits of using a single SCM information system for all of its divisions? 2. Global companies like Emerson have suppliers, manufacturing, distribution, and retail operations. List and briefly describe the technologies and devices (used for input, output, and communication) that are used with SCM information systems. Choose two different input devices and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each. Discuss the benefits that they provide to the business? 3. Consider that you have to implement a new SCM information system for Emerson. Describe each of the different implementation options. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the different implementation options. Make a recommendation and justify? 4. Modern SCM information systems and with the use of other technologies have supported businesses in improving environmental sustainability by reducing carbon emissions. Research and find an example. Briefly describe the system and how it works and how carbon emissions where reduced. Discuss what decision making is performed and how does the SCM information system contribute to the decision making. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages to the business? Answers: 1. Before understanding the various business processes supported by a supply chain management, it is important to understand the concept of SCM. Supply chain can be defined as interlinked set of business procedures and business providers, through which flow of goods and information related to it is managed, initiating from point of design till the delivery of the product or service to the end consumer. A simplistic view of supply chain management is displayed below: Figure 1: Overview of SCM In this context, there are several business processes which are supported by a SCM (Handfield Nichols, 2009). This can be understood by example of Emerson case study as well. It can be clearly understood from the case study, that following business processes are supported: Sales Production Logistics Purchasing Above mentioned are the core processes which supports the SCM. A hierarchy of the business processes in a company like Emerson has been displayed below: Figure 2: Business process hierarchy Hence, from above diagram it can be understood, that how several business processes and their sub-processes supports the SCM (Bowersox et al, 2002). In a global business like Emerson, use of supply chain information system has its own share of advantages as well as disadvantages as follows: Advantages Use of SCM information system can help company like Emerson to generate and analyse information related to demand, supply, inventory and shipment and other aspects in real time. SCM information system helps in increasing the manufacturing throughput or in other words, productions at all levels of organisation. Through use of SCM information system, organisations can generate better return on assets. Internet based SCM, take the advantage a step further, as it helps in connecting all the suppliers and other related entities through a common link over information network. SCM information helps in improving the responsiveness and efficiency of the business. Disadvantages Inability to implement the SCM information system can rapidly increase the cost of implementation, further increasing the operational cost of the business. There can be issues such as increase in the lead time in the procurement processes, as in many cases real time update of inventory can trigger this situation, between supplier and the buyer. Implementation of SCM information system can be capital intensive for the business, as it might require assigning human, financial, and material resources to fulfil the requirements of SCM in the business. Considering the case, where different divisions in Emerson, are coordinating with different suppliers to fulfil their requirement, in such case, single SCM information system can be of tremendous benefit (Gunasekaran Ngai, 2004, pp.269-295). Firstly, it will enable to provide a consolidate view of entire supply chain management within organisation. Hence, instead of segregated view through the supply chain, Emerson can have better control over its supply chain, and will enable it manage its relationship with suppliers in a better way. SCM information system will also enable Emerson to save operational cost which it used to spend due to breakup of supply chain at multiple levels, leading to operational inefficiency, redundancies and delay in supplies and procurement of materials required for manufacturing. 2. Technology has played major role in improving the efficiency and productivity of existing organisations. In this regard SCM information systems has played major role, especially for organisations in manufacturing segment. An integrated supply chain model is displayed below: Figure 3: Integrated supply chain model In a supply chain model there are various input as well as output channels from where there is in-flow and out-flow of information which takes place continuously. This information can be related to scenarios such as, punching in of a purchase order, generation of PO, PO being extracted by supplier, and then supplying the requested material to the supplier, resulting into update of the inventory (Lee et al, 2004, pp.1875-1886). In order to facilitate such processes in a SCM information system, there are various technologies and devices which are used such as: EDI (electronic data interchange): This has been mentioned in the case study of Emerson as well. EDI as a technology enables transactions and information exchanges in a supply chain information system. EDI is defined as computer to computer exchange of structured data which enables automatic processing of information (Thomas Griffin, 1996, pp.1-15). Bar Coding and scanner: Bar codes can be defined as representation of a number or code in a format which can be read by a machine like bar code scanner. Every bar code helps in encapsulating various information about the item. Bar codes are generally used across the supply chain to identify and track goods (Stock Lambert, 2001). Inventory management systems: These information systems, enable end-to-end management of the information related to inventory. Such systems basically work in a circular process, which includes stages such as purchase tracking, inventory monitoring, and re-ordering (Cooper Ellram, 1993, pp.13-24). Transportation management systems: This information system mainly helps in providing visibility to the supplier and the buyer about the shipments and the orders. Such systems also helps in scheduling related issues (Cooper et al, 1997, pp. 1-14). Two different input devices are: Bar coding and scanner: Bar codes as discussed in above section specifies name of the product along with other information such as manufacturer etc. its advantages are: It eliminates human error which might happen due to incorrect information input in database. Reduces training time for the employee, as barcode scanner is a handheld or desktop devices which hardly requires any special training to be used. Inventory control improves, as barcodes helps in precise tracking of inventory. Promotes better decision making, as data is obtained rapidly and accurately. Speech recognition: Speech recognition is another popular and upcoming way of hands-free data entry in a supply chain operations. Unlike other devices which required keying in data, speech recognition provides the individual at any point in SCM to input the data based on voice, which has enabled in saving lot of efforts and time for organisations. Advantages of such input technology is: Speech recognition based data entry eliminates any possible case of human error due entering due to typing issue. Such technology, helps in boosting the overall productivity of the employee as he can perform other tasks in parallel as well. Can be beneficial for disabled person who are present in the supply chain operations. Input devices provide numerous benefits to the business like Emerson. Firstly, it helps in automation of the input process in the supply chain operations, hence reducing the margin of error which might come up due to incorrect information. Secondly, such devices helps in better monitoring and tracking of the inventory, as all the information related to inventory is updated within seconds and real time, which might not be possible in case of manual process (Lambert Cooper, 2000, pp.65-83). 3. In order to implement a SCM information system, there can be various approaches which can selected for Emerson. However before selection of an approach it is important to focus on following aspects associated with the organisation: Size of the organisation Geographical spread of the organisation Number of people who are expected to use the system Timeline by which the system is expected to be live for use There are two possible approach are: Big bang approach: under which complete organisation will be covered for the rollout of the SCM information system. Hence each and every location where Emerson has its operations will be covered, and there will be a global rollout of the entire SCM information system. Phased approach: Under this approach of implementation. Instead of going for a global rollout of SCM information system, focus will be on rollout in a phased approach. Which means, that either few specific locations can be selected where SCM information system will be rolled out, followed by other locations. After analysis of the two possible implementation approach for SCM information system, it can be said that Emerson as an organisation is spread across globe with complex business process in the organisation facilitating day-to-day transactions (Holland, 2005, pp. 117-133). Also there are thousands of users spread across globe who will be potential users of the proposed SCM information system. In such circumstances, it is logical to opt for phased implementation of the SCM information system. Reason behind opting for phased approach is, that this approach will enable implementation of SCM information system in a controlled manner. Secondly, this approach will allow management to observe and analyse the benefits of first phase of implementation. If some further improvement is required then it can be done, before moving towards the next phase of implementation. This approach will also enable the business to evaluate the overall performance of the SCM information system, and map the exis ting business process with the proposed SCM information system in a seamless manner. Phased approach will allow Emerson management to identify the core business areas where they first want to implement the system, before moving on to other business areas. This pre-planning, understanding of current business processes, identification of gaps and designing of to be processes can be achieved in an efficient manner only through a phased approach, as phased approach will give enough bandwidth to analyse each business process and understand the required outcome expected from the proposed SCM information system. Overall, it can be said that as an organisation Emerson is not suited well for big-bang approach, especially due to scale of operations it has, and number of geographical regions it exists. In such situation, Emerson should opt for a phased implementation of the SCM information system. 4. Modern supply chain management information systems have created far reaching impact on the environment sustainability mainly by reducing the carbon emission drastically at various levels of supply chain. Supply chain are critical links that connects an organisations input to its output. Traditionally, supply chain management has focused on aspects such as just in time delivery, cost reduction, inventory control etc. However over a period of time, role of SCM has become important in environment sustainability, especially its role in increase of carbon emission. The supply chain can be characterised as the production of raw materials, their transfer to and through various processing steps, and finally the final product shipping and receiving. Each step requires a review of combustion/energy emissions, waste disposal emissions, transportation energy costs and emissions, and packaging related emissions. With use of SCM information system this entire lifecycle of procuring material for production and shipping it back has reduced to a large level. This can be understood by example of Emerson as well, which combined the shipments from various suppliers through one container. In such situation it becomes obvious that fuel combustion and carbon emission in a case where two different ships would have carried supply from suppliers would have been much higher as compared to a situation, where a consolidated shipment is being sent, resulting into reduction of carbon emission and improving overall environment sustainability. This has been possible due t o SCM information system, because it has allowed business organisations like Emerson to consolidate its supply chain business processes in a single view, where the organisation has tight control over its inventory, and material being procured from different suppliers. In a way it can be said that SCM information system has helped the organisation by improving the view of overall supply chain, resulting in much better coordination with suppliers, which could not have been possible with traditional way of handling the supply chain. References Handfield, R. B., Nichols, E. L. 2009. Introduction to supply chain management (Vol. 183). Upper Saddle River, NJ: prentice Hall. Bowersox, D. J., Closs, D. J., Cooper, M. B. 2002. Supply chain logistics management (Vol. 2). New York: McGraw-Hill. Gunasekaran, A., Ngai, E. W. 2004. Information systems in supply chain integration and management. European Journal of Operational Research, 159(2), 269-295. Lee, H. L., Padmanabhan, V., Whang, S. 2004. Information distortion in a supply chain: the bullwhip effect. Management science, 50(12_supplement), 1875-1886. Thomas, D. J., Griffin, P. M. 1996. Coordinated supply chain management. European journal of operational research, 94(1), 1-15. Stock, J. R., Lambert, D. M. 2001. Strategic logistics management. Cooper, M. C., Ellram, L. M. 1993. Characteristics of supply chain management and the implications for purchasing and logistics strategy. International Journal of Logistics Management, The, 4(2), 13-24. Cooper, M. C., Lambert, D. M., Pagh, J. D. 1997. Supply chain management: more than a new name for logistics. International Journal of Logistics Management, The, 8(1), 1-14. Lambert, D. M., Cooper, M. C. 2000. Issues in supply chain management. Industrial marketing management, 29(1), 65-83. Holland, C. P. 2005. Cooperative supply chain management: the impact of interorganizational information systems. The Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 4(2), 117-133

Monday, December 2, 2019

Lyme Disease Essays - Medicine, Clinical Medicine, Rheumatology, RTT

Lyme Disease The National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD), P.O. Box 8923, New Fairfield, CT 06812, (203) 746-6518 Lyme Disease Lyme Arthritis General Discussion -------------------------------- ** REMINDER ** The information contained in the Rare Disease Database is provided for educational purposes only. It should not be used for diagnostic or treatment purposes. If you wish to obtain more information about this disorder, please contact your personal physician and/or the agencies listed in the "Resources" section of this report. Lyme disease is a tick-transmitted inflammatory disorder characterized by an early focal skin lesion, and subsequently a growing red area on the skin (erythema chronicum migrans or ECM). The disorder may be followed weeks later by neurological, heart or joint abnormalities. Symptomatology -------------------------------- The first symptom of Lyme disease is a skin lesion. Known as erythema chronicum migrans, or ECM, this usually begins as a red discoloration (macule) or as an elevated round spot (papule). The skin lesion usually appears on an extremity or on the trunk, especially the thigh, buttock or the under arm. This spot expands, often with central clearing, to a diameter as large as 50 cm (c. 12 in.). Approximately 25% of patients with Lyme disease report having been bitten at that site by a tiny tick 3 to 32 days before onset of ECM. The lesion may be warm to touch. Soon after onset nearly half the patients develop multiple smaller lesions without hardened centers. ECM generally lasts for a few weeks. Other types of lesions may subsequently appear during resolution. Former skin lesions may reappear faintly, sometimes before recurrent attacks of arthritis. Lesions of the mucous membranes do not occur in Lyme disease. The most common symptoms accompanying ECM, or preceding it by a few days, may include malaise, fatigue, chills, fever, headache and stiff neck. Less commonly, backache, muscle aches (myalgias), nausea, vomiting, sore throat, swollen lymph glands, and an enlarged spleen may also be present. Most symptoms are characteristically intermittent and changing, but malaise and fatigue may linger for weeks. Arthritis is present in about half of the patients with ECM, occurring within weeks to months following onset and lasting as long as 2 years. Early in the illness, migratory inflammation of many joints (polyarthritis) without joint swelling may occur. Later, longer attacks of swelling and pain in several large joints, especially the knees, typically recur for several years. The knees commonly are much more swollen than painful; they are often hot, but rarely red. Baker's cysts (a cyst in the knee) may form and rupture. Those symptoms accompanying ECM, especially malaise, fatigue and low- grade fever, may also precede or accompany recurrent attacks of arthritis. About 10% of patients develop chronic knee involvement (i.e. unremittent for 6 months or longer). Neurological abnormalities may develop in about 15% of patients with Lyme disease within weeks to months following onset of ECM, often before arthritis occurs. These abnormalities commonly last for months, and usually resolve completely. They include: 1. lymphocytic meningitis or meningoencephalitis 2. jerky involuntary movements (chorea) 3. failure of muscle coordination due to dysfunction of the cerebellum (cerebellar ataxia) 4. cranial neuritis including Bell's palsy (a form of facial paralysis) 5. motor and sensory radiculo-neuritis (symmetric weakness, pain, strange sensations in the extremities, usually occurring first in the legs) 6. injury to single nerves causing diminished nerve response (mononeuritis multiplex) 7. inflammation of the spinal cord (myelitis). Abnormalities in the heart muscle (myocardium) occur in approximately 8% of patients with Lyme disease within weeks of ECM. They may include fluctuating degrees of atrioventricular block and, less commonly, inflammation of the heart sack and heart muscle (myopericarditis) with reduced blood volume ejected from the left ventricle and an enlarged heart (cardiomegaly). When Lyme Disease is contracted during pregnancy, the fetus may or may not be adversely affected, or may contract congenital Lyme Disease. In a study of nineteen pregnant women with Lyme Disease, fourteen had normal pregnancies and normal babies. If Lyme Disease is contracted during pregnancy, possible fetal abnormalities and premature birth can occur. Etiology -------------------------------- Lyme disease is caused by a spirochete bacterium (Borrelia Burgdorferi) transmitted by a small tick called Ixodes dammini. The spirochete is probably injected into the victim's skin or bloodstream at the time of the insect bite. After an incubation period of 3 to 32 days, the organism migrates outward in the skin, is spread through the lymphatic system or is disseminated by the blood to different body organs or other skin sites. Lyme Disease was first described in 1909 in European medical journals. The first outbreak in the United States occurred in the early 1970's in Old lyme, Connecticut.

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

All About Chinese Wedding Flowers

All About Chinese Wedding Flowers Chinese wedding flowers are used mostly as a decoration on tables at Chinese weddings and large bouquets of colorful flowers (typically pink and red) are often given to the bride and groom as gifts. These elaborate bouquets usually line the hall leading to the wedding reception. Some brides opt to carry a small bouquet though this is usually just for wedding photos. Lilies are popular Chinese wedding flowers because the word lily (ç™ ¾Ã¥ Ë†, bÇŽi hà ©) sounds like the ç™ ¾Ã¥ Ë† ( bÇŽi hà ©) part of the proverb ç™ ¾Ã¥ ¹ ´Ã¥ ¥ ½Ã¥ Ë† (BÇŽinin hÇŽo hà ©, happy union for one hundred years). The flower also represents bringer of sons. Orchids are another popular Chinese wedding flower. Orchids symbolize love and a married couple. Orchids also represent wealth and fortune. The lotus is also a popular Chinese wedding flower. A lotus bloom with a leaf and bud symbolizes a complete union. Two lotus blooms or a lotus and a blossom on one stem represent a wish for shared heart and harmony because è  · (hà ©) means union.

Saturday, November 23, 2019

We have finished it! cried Mr John and Mr Adam. We have finally created the biggest scam of the century! Essay Example

We have finished it! cried Mr John and Mr Adam. We have finally created the biggest scam of the century! Essay Example We have finished it! cried Mr John and Mr Adam. We have finally created the biggest scam of the century! Essay We have finished it! cried Mr John and Mr Adam. We have finally created the biggest scam of the century! Essay Essay Topic: Notes From Underground Andrew Smyth and his family were living in absolute poverty; all they had was a pre 2010 terraced house and an ancient colour television. In a time when electronics and gadgets had become part of everyday life, this was not much.The family only made a small income too. Granny Smyth was lucky as she was old enough to claim an OAP, but America managed to conquer the world and the Republicans were the leaders.They kept OAPs to a bare minimum and banned the over 60s from working. Time was going forward, but freewill was going back. It was a time when everyone had to speak fluent American-dialect and all other languages were permanently aborted. The electric chair had returned and was worse than ever.Andrew was working in the family orchard, which was doing terribly. They had several months of drought, making the apple yield very small. The only thing that kept them alive was the Universal lotto. It was a lottery that all of the countries in the world had to contribute to, so the Jackpots were always ridiculous. This week though was even more ridiculous, the Jackpot was a staggering $40 billion. And that is where our story begins.Its Friday night for Andrew Smyth. A time when families come together, have a nice meal and sit in front of the television to watch the Universal Lotto. Each member of the Smyths sits patiently to see if the dream will become a reality. The Jackpot total appears.Wow! $40 Billion thought Andrew. Granny Smyth fainted because it was so much. The family helped her whilst Andrew was waiting for the big numbers to appear on the screen.When watching the lotto, you know you are not going to win, Andrew was clever, and he worked out that the chances of winning were over 1 billion / 1 but he still watched it, just in case the inevitable might happen.The T. V was babbling and then 6.Granny became conscious. Weve got that! then she fainted again.Look, there is no way that the numbers are going to follow a sequential order, especially our one!18We selec ted that didnt we Andy! answered Mrs Smyth with Granny in one arm and a cigarette in the other.Yes, mum in an I dont care kind of tone.30 said the televisionWere gonna win a tenner said Mr Smyth.30No, more! At least a 10012Andrew noticed that if the bonus was a 36, then he would be the richest man in Britain.And the bonus ball is, 93Andrew fainted, in one second, his dreams had been crucified.Sorry, its upside down. It is actually, 36Wake up, Andrew, our life of poverty is over!How much, mum, how much did we win?100, 1000, one million?We, we won, all of it! Stuttered Mrs SmythTe-n b-bill-ion e-achhh! She was flabbergasted! Her whole family never had any money and now she had enough money to live for 1 million years. She fell.The whole family was now semi-conscious and lying on the floor in absolute shock.But this story isnt about them, it is about Andrew. The rest of the family leave this story and never come back.A week later when Andrew bought everything he wanted, he decided to g o to the local market, as he wanted to find something else to buy.The market was filled with beautifully shaped coloured bottles, useless but useful junk and a large wall where all of the men were. The wall leads to Andrews old orchard (the family sold it as they didnt need it). Andrew now knew why his garden smelt so badly. There were many sellers of all different shapes and sizes, but they could all speak the same language: business. They knew what people wanted and stocked it. The stalls were all very similar. Place after place sold exactly the same things. It wasnt for Andrew though. He wanted something different. New, exciting, adventurous, something that he could enjoy for years to come, and he had found it.It was a small stall but had a lot of space. No items, just people and a middle-aged man who seemed to know every trick in the book. A trust worthy face, red jacket, silver pants (trousers) and a keen eye for the wealthy. Andrew was carrying lots of shopping bags from place s in London: Harrods, Selfridges, Libertys and even Macys. He was also wearing his fine real leather jacket and a pair of Armani suit trousers.The con-man knew that Andrew was not used to money, besides he had been in the business for years.He started his speech again, but this time he focused mainly Andrew but still managed to project his Mona Lisa eyes across the whole crowd.Roll up, roll up. Anywhere, anytime! Thats right you can travel to any era today, by time machine now! Only a quarter of a million dollars!The con-man noticed Andrews eyes speak. Wow, only they said.The con-man replied with his eyes too. Come, overAndrew was hypnotised into going forward, towards the con-man.I would like a ride said Andrew excitedly with a fat wad of cash in one hand and all of his shopping in the other.How much? 250No, it is half a million.Andrew was sure he heard 250,000 before, but he didnt want to sound stupidAndrew opened up his Liberty bag carefully, as to not ruin his expensive ceramics and took out a slightly smaller bag. Inside of this, was $1,000,000s of cash. He gave the con-man 2 fat wads of the notes. The con-man held the notes in a way so that it seemed as if this just happens every day.Well then, follow meThe con-man took Andrew to a large warehouse style room, which Andrew had never seen before in his life. It was a fresh creamy colour, but quite grotty too. The paint had been cracking.When Andrew saw this, he felt very uncomfortable and just thought that they could have just moved premises.Him, the con-man and Andrews shopping walked straight through the doors. The door wasnt even locked. Inside, it was empty except for a massive silver egg shaped object. It was so shiny and clean that it looked completely unused. Another person stood next to this egg. Hi, he said. I am going to take you to your chosen year. But! I warn you, you are only allowed to visit an indoor area and you are not allowed to leave this area otherwise there will be consequences. The m an was tall with silvery-grey hair, a tall, long St Nicholas beard and dirty white jacket. Andrew presumed that he was the inventor of this time machineWhat is your chosen year?2002, I want to see freewill. Replied AndrewOk, 2002, it is. Anywhere in particular?The old UN, I want to see what it was like before a single country of power!By this point, the con-man had mysteriously disappearedThe inventor and Andrew stepped inside the massive egg. The inventor, pressed on a load of buttons, yet he didnt seem to know what he was doing.He felt like he was fallingWow! He thought. I never knew that the past was underground.Were here! cried the inventor.Andrew felt like he was in the UN building, but there was something not quite right.There were all the representatives from all the countries debating war but still something did not feel just quite right.He was there at the back listening to all the speeches made by the figureheads of countries but the language seemed to be quite cluttered. For example all the representatives spoke English and he could have sworn that the British representatives spoke American-dialect.4hrs later, after Andrew understood the debate, he returned to the warehouse but did not feel like his money went a long way. He decided though to ask for their names encase he felt like going again one day though.Andrew decided to ask the inventor:I am Mr John and he is Mr Adam He replied.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Enterobacter Aerogenes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Enterobacter Aerogenes - Essay Example In the meantime it becomes imperative for physicians and surgeons to be vary of selecting the right antibiotic to combat these rogue organisms which play tantrums with them, at times, to the detriment of the patients. One of the most notorious groups of organisms is the Gram -ve bacteria, the most prominent among them being the Enterobacteriaceae. Enterobacter is a gram-negative bacillus that belongs to the Enterobacteriaceae family. Other members of this family include Klebsiella, Escherichia, Citrobacter, Serratia, Salmonella, and Shigella species, among many others. Enterobacteriaceae are the most common bacterial isolates recovered from clinical specimens. Enterobacter aerogenes is a species found in water, soil, sewage, dairy products, and the faeces of man and other animals. Organisms previously identified as motile strains of Aerobacter aerogenes are now placed in this species. They also have a synonym as Klebsiella mobilis. As part of the Enterobacteriaceae family, Enterobacter aerogenes is related to E. coli and salmonella. In terms of size, E. aerogenes is smaller than many of its microbial cousins, but its occurrence in hospitals and resistance to antibiotics have made it of particular importance. As E. aerogenes continues to evolve new strains, it will continue to pose challenges to the biomedical community. As a facultative anaerobe, it thrives in environments with little or no oxygen, such as soil, sewage and feces. Enterobacter aerogenes is a Gram negative rod-shaped bacterium in the same family as Esherichia coli. It can grow on many of the same selective media as Esherichia coli, including: MacConkey Agar, EMB agar and Lauryl-Tryptose broth. E. aerogenes ferments lactose, producing acid and gas like Esherichia coli and is classified as an example of coliform bacteria. E. aerogenes grows better at temperatures between 34 - 40 degrees C. E. aerogenes carries out 2,3-butanediol fermentation and thus give a positive test in the Voges-Proskauer test while E. coli is negative. E.coli is positive for the indole test while E. aerogenes is negative, this is a very reliable test. 5 E. aerogenes can grow on Simmon's citrate agar while E. coli does not. There are a lot of similarities between Enterobacter aerogenes and Klebsiella pneumonia. The urease test is one of the few tests that distinguishes E. aerogenes from K. pneumonia. . Klebsiella is positive for urease production while Enterobacter is negative. In the microbiology laboratory, colonies of Enterobacteriaceae appear large, dull-gray, and dry or mucoid on sheep blood agar. All Enterobacteriaceae ferment glucose and, consequently, are able to grow in aerobic and anaerobic atmospheres. MacConkey agar is a lactose-containing medium that is selective for nonfastidious gram-negative bacilli such as Enterobacteriaceae. Using the enzymes beta-galactosidase and beta-galactoside permeases, the most frequently encountered species of Enterobacter strains

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Analyse and discuss the advantages and disadvantages, pros and cons, Assignment

Analyse and discuss the advantages and disadvantages, pros and cons, of group decision making. What aspects should be avoided in multi departmental decision making in order for them to be effective - Assignment Example the success of any organisations are denoted by the strategic decisions made through initiatives such as group decision making and other strategic positioning plans. Nevertheless, specific aspects of decisions should be avoided in order to make departments effective. Stone (2013) articulated on core aspects that touches on sensitive matters and which should be avoided for effective running of organisations. In fact, Freeman (1999) further argued that group decision making can only yield good results if a set of conditions pertaining the group chemistry are met. It is evident that group members have different skills and competence. Thus, sharing of ideas and information on a particular issue can lead to more information and more comprehensive. The ground for the argument is many alternatives are provided and the most appropriate one is chosen from the list. This is unlike in situations where one individual is left to make decisions that affect a whole company or department. Chances of getting the best outcome are minimal when compared to individual decision making. In addition, the whole process becomes effective since issues related to revising the decisions made are minimal especially because the whole group is present or representatives are present during decision making. Thus, group decisions are acceptable by all since everybody is represented during the process. DuBrin (2012) conversely observed that, with group decision making, biases are eliminated especially those that come in as a result of lack of inclusion of the target individuals. In a broader sense, group decision making acts a training ground for subordinate and new members. They learn skills of articulating on matters as well as the importance of collaborative workforce. Further, group decision making is viewed as a democratic style of leadership, which is inclusive and accommodates views from all the parties and consolidate them before arriving into a single decision that suits everybody. Since

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Social Class Differences in Education Essay Example for Free

Social Class Differences in Education Essay The claim that social class differences in education through school factors is supported by the interactionists such as George H. Mead. They believe that labelling theory encourages the educational achievement in different social classes. The labelling theory is when the teacher identifies major characteristics of a student. Research shows that teachers are more likely to label middle class children as bright and well behaved but working class children as naughty and disruptive. Following the label being attached on the child is self fulfilling prophecy, this is when the child will respond and act according to the label being placed on them, so a middle class student will act well behaved and complete the work that is set whereas the working class student will disrupt and not complete the work set and therefore not do well in exams. This shows that labelling working and middle class students affects the educational achievements because of their social class. However George H.  Mead can be criticised by material/cultural deprivation. Material deprivation is when the child doesnt have the right equipment for school e. g. books, and cultural deprivation is when the children havent been given the correct norms and values for attitudes to education. This shows that it is not only school factors that affect the differences in education achievement but it is also home factors. Marxists such as Willis would argue that counter school subcultures are the reason why different social class are achieving and underachieving. He claims that working class boys reject the whole idea of school and see school as a place of laughs and a matter of amusement because they do not have the correct norms and values, the see schools as boring so the disrupt lessons and breaking school rules. This behaviour will lead to low grades and therefore low pay jobs in the future. This shows that difference in social class results to different educational achievement. It can be argued that the working class children do not think about the uture also known as cultural capital, working class children only see how they should enjoy themselves in the present time and not what the rewards of education will be later on in life, this could be due to the rise in lone parent mothers and boys do not see a role model father and therefore do not value education, this shows that it is not only school factors that affect the educational achievement but it is home factors as well. Gillborn and Youdell argued that examination sets are split into two tiers, foundation and higher. Pupils that are entered for the foundation paper can not achieve higher than a C, pupils who are entered in for the higher paper are able to achieve A*. middle class students are more likely to be entered in the higher paper and working class are placed in the foundation. This shows that educational achievement is because of school factors and that working class pupils are not given a fair opportunity to education. However Sugarman would argue that educational achievement is not only because of school factors it is also home factors this could be due to class subcultures. He describes working class pupils as fatalistic and that they accept their position rather than trying to improve this. Pupils are not given the motivation for parents to try and improve. Evidence shows that there are may reasons why difference in social class leads to different educational achievements so therefore evidence remains inconclusive.

Friday, November 15, 2019

The Impact of The Media Throughout History Essay -- The Media

Media has a huge impact on the shaping of the world. For centuries, in all parts of the world, media has been the main source of transporting news and great use for public out cries. Media has helped shaped the modern world since the 1400’s until today. The media comes in many different sources from books, to radio, to television. I will focus on the effectiveness the media has on the world throughout history in religious, political and social context. The first printing press was invented by Johannes Gutenberg in 1436. Johannes Gutenberg was a goldsmith and businessman from a small town Mainz in southern Germany. This printing press had adjustable wooden or metal letters and was called the Gutenberg press. It wasn’t completely finished until 1440. This press helped the production of books but it also helped with communication with the sciences, arts and religion departments through text. The Gutenberg Bible was the first book to be printed from this printing press in 1452. In 1517, Western Europe there was controversies in religion between Catholics and the Protestants. Martin Luther was a Christian theologian and Augustinian monk who inspired the Protestant Reformation with his teaching. He had intolerance for the Roman Catholic Church’s corruption of Halloween during this period. He used the printing press to create the 95 Theses of Contention to the Wittenberg Church. He believed in finding peace with God and prayer for others souls. The 95 Theses of Contention challenged the views of religion within the Roman Catholic Church. It mentions the nature of the Catholic’s amends for wrong, it questioned the authority of the pope and the convenience of gratification. He eliminated some practices of the Catholic Church by onl... ...re. Act of Uniformity 1559. 8 May 2010. 3 May 2012 . Kipling, Rudyard. The White Man's Burden. England, 1899. Locke, John. The Second Treatise of Government. Macmillan Publishing Company, 1952. Paine, Thomas. "Common Sense." Kramnick, Isaac. Penguin Books. England, 1774. 71-100. Williams, Ernest E. "Global Competition." Henemann, William. Made in Germany. London, 1896. 1-18. http://www.greatsite.com/timeline-english-bible-history/martin-luther.html http://inventors.about.com/od/gstartinventors/a/Gutenberg.htm http://www.whplibrary.org/newandnoteworthy/2011/02/first_magazine_published_in_am.html http://massmoments.org/moment.cfm?mid=278 http://merriam-webster.com/info/noah.htm http://inventors.about.com/od/rstartinventions/a/radio.htm http://inventors.about.com/od/tstartinventions/a/Television.htm

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Generalist Intervention

Abstract This paper explores the topic of the disenfranchised population of the African American Culture, how the Generalist Intervention Model will be effective in my intervention, how African Americans were impacted by past situations, oppression and discrimination, resources available to this group, problems with this group, and social justice and social welfare. Introduction This paper examines the African American culture and how the social worker as a Generalist can intervene on their behalf. African Americans were used for slavery and denied any civil rights for many years of human history.African Americans experienced racism and discrimination but it did not impact their determination to seek freedom. Many people in US History fought for Civil Rights and failed many times. It was not until the revolution war that changes were attempted. Historical Background The struggles of the African American culture have existed for almost all human history. During the 17th century, Europ ean settlers in North America turned to slaves as a cheaper labor source. The first slaves arrived in Virginia around 1619 and slavery existed in America for the next 250 years.Many African Americans were captured during African wars and raids, and then sold to white traders (Williams, 2005). African Americans were treated poorly and striped from many rights. It was not until the revolutionary war that the cease of slavery was attempted. Some blacks were freed but were still mistreated in several ways. Blacks were not allowed in most public places and attended their own schools. The fight to end slavery was difficult, but abolitionists finally won. Slavery ended in the United States in 1865, but the people who were once slaves didn't get treated fairly after slavery ended.Therefore the Civil Rights Movement continued (Williams, 2005). African Americans have been the victims of both institutional and individual racism in ways that have left almost indelible imprints on every man, wom en, and child (Kirst-Ashman ; Hull, pg. 457). Problems for African Americans African Americans experience discrimination in employment, housing, health care, and education (Kirst-Ashman ; Hull, pg. 456). Job opportunities offered to African Americans are usually the lowest paying ones. This problem tends to lead to a higher poverty rate in the African American culture.Almost 24 percent of African American families live in poverty, according to the U. S. Census Bureau (2006) (Kirst-Ashman ; Hull, p 456). In 2003 the U. S. Census Bureau reported that African Americans have been said to have the highest rates of disability. Also, African-Americans tend to have a higher percentage in mental disorders. African Americans are often incorrectly diagnosed with having a mental disorder because they are often prone to use the emergency room for medical attention (Kirst-Ashman ; Hull, p 456).Some other problems seen in the African American culture are communications patterns and family experien ces. Many times the African American language is misunderstood for a lack of education. In all cultures grammar and speech are different but can be translated as the same meaning. As a social worker we must understand the different cultures and their way of communication. Another issue that a social worker should be educated in is family experiences. African American churches have played a big role in the history of the civil rights movement (Kirst-Ashman ; Hull, p 457).A major part of the social worker knows the background of the client’s religious views. Religion has a major impact on the history, decisions, and values of the client. Knowing the problems, experiences and historical background of any client can help the intervention process. The African American culture has had many obstacles and setbacks as they tried to gain Civil Rights. In today’s society African Americans have the same rights as other cultures in the United States. However, bitterness from past a ctions against African Americans is still an issue in today’s society.The purpose to analyze social policies such as Civil Rights are to specify the rights of specific groups such as women, men, persons of color, persons of every national origin, persons with mental and physical challenges, older persons, children and youth, persons of all faiths, and persons with specific sexual orientations (Jansson, 2009, p 7). Violation of the Civil Rights can be declared as unethical from an outcomes perspective (Jansson, 2009, p. 41). When people are denied the rights enjoyed by others, they are less likely to be an asset to society (Jansson, 2009).African Americans were stripped from having the same rights as others. First-ethnical principle views include honesty, due process, fairness, and not killing (Jansson, 2009). Many African Americans were killed from hatred acts and unfairness. The relativist approach views of what constitutes unacceptable violations of civil rights are powerfu lly shaped by culture and politics (Jansson, 2009, p 42). African Americans were denied the right to vote. The Civil Rights Acts have allowed the vulnerable population of African Americans to enjoy the rights that they were once stripped of. InterventionWhat is Generalist practice? Generalist practice knows a wide array of skills, working with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities, and the work in based on a body of knowledge, practice skills, and professional values (Kirst-Ashman ; Hull, p 3). The social worker links people with programs or services through a process of careful assessment. The advocate presents and argues for services for a single client who otherwise would be rejected, as well as fights to modify rules, regulations, or laws on behalf of a class or group of clients who usually might be discriminated against.The evaluator carefully collects and evaluates data to assess client or community need to formulate a plan of intervention. The outreach worker actively reaches into the community to identify people who need services and to help them meet their needs (Gibbs, Locke, Lohmann, 1990). When practicing the generalist approach the Generalist Intervention Model is the foundation. The GMI is a practice model that provides step-by-step directions concerning how to undertake the planned change process, which is general, directed at addressing problems (Kirst-Ashman ; Hull, p 32).There are three major features of the GMI, 1) eclectic knowledge base, 2) core seven-stepped planned process, 3) generalist approach. Eclectic knowledge base is when a wide range of skills to target any size system, and professional values are used. A social worker should be aware of the different cultures and values of individuals. When assessing a client the seven-step planned process should be used. These processes consist of engagement, assessment, planning, implementation, evaluation, termination and follow up. Using the planned process can help t he success in a client’s outcome.Using the generalist approach means that any problem can be looked at and evaluated from many levels of intervention. (Kirst-Ashman ; Hull) Another aspect to be considered when using the generalist approach is the level in which you will practice on. There are three levels that can be used in social work practice, macro, mezzo, and macro interventions. The practice of macro social work is the effort to help clients by intervening in large systems. Examples include lobbying to change a health care law, organizing a state-wide activist group or advocating for large-scale social policy change.Macro practice is one of the key distinctions between social work and other helping professions, such as psychiatric therapy. Macro social work generally addresses issues experienced in mezzo or micro social work practice, as well as social work research. Macro practice empowers clients by involving them in systemic change (Jansson, 2009). Mezzo social work practice deals with small-to-medium-sized groups, such as neighborhoods, school, or other local organizations. Examples of mezzo social work include community organizing, management of a social work organization or focus on institutional or cultural change rather than individual clients.Social workers engaged in mezzo practice are often also engaged in micro and/or macro social work. This ensures the needs and challenges of individual clients are understood and addressed in tandem with larger social issues (Jannson, 2009). Micro practice is the most common kind of social work, and is how most people imagine social workers providing services. In micro social work, the social worker engages with individuals or families to solve problems. Common examples include helping individuals to find appropriate housing, health care and social services.Family Therapy and individual counseling would also fall under the auspices of micro practice. Many social workers engage in micro and mezzo pract ice simultaneously. Even the most ambitious macro-level interventions have their roots in the conversations between a single social worker and a single client. Conclusion In conclusion the African American Culture had many struggles with obtaining their civil rights. Generalist social work can be a major benefit in helping the African American culture. The generalist practice engages in all walks of life.The generalist approach can help individuals gain needed resources and gain an equal opportunity in today’s society. References Gibbs, P. , Locke, B. L. , ; Lohmann, R. (1990). Paradigm for the Generalist Continuum. Journal of Social Work Education, 232-243. Jansson, B. (2009). The reluctant Welfare State: Engaging History to Advance Social Work in Contempory Society. Belmont: Brooks/Cole. Kirst-Ashman, K. , ; Hull, G. H. (2012). Understanding Generalist Practice. Belmont: Brooks/Cole. Williams, G. (2005). History of the Negro race in Maerica. New York: Putman's Sons.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Christian moralists Essay

According to Freud, they are â€Å"fulfillments of the oldest, strongest, and most urgent wishes of mankind; the secret of their strength lies in the strength of their wishes† (Pals 72). For him, the only way to test something is by the scientific method (Pals 72). The believers of religion draw their religion from feelings and emotions (Pals 72). He mentioned that it was a given that religion may have helped build civilizations however, since civilizations were already built, superstition and repression should not continue to be the foundation (Pals 72). According to Freud â€Å"Religion would thus be the universal obsessional neurosis of humanity† (Pals 73). In his perception, mature people are those guided by reason and science and not by mere superstition and faith (Pals 73). God, for this thinker, was not a being that was real (Pals 73). In fact, he saw God as an illusion that was nearly projected by the self because they had a deep longing to overcome guilt and to lessen their fears (Pals 73). Religion may be something that is rooted from the ego to be able to make sense of the struggles that are present in the world. But it is more than just a bunch of feelings and emotions because those fade. Religion has been around for centuries and that cannot be because most of the people around the world have felt like believing in God for all these years. Hope has in fact been seen to be built on nothing but illusion; in reality, it exists because of faith (Palmer 279). Faith cannot exist without religion. However, Christian moralists would still stay true to the fact that with hope in their lives, it would be significant and have moral worth (Palmer 279). Critics of religion would say that morality would depend on the need of a â€Å"psychologically realistic foundation† that calls for human purposes (Palmer 279). Going back to the question posed earlier, if it was about feelings and emotions, then religion should have been replaced by money or by other things. Even though in this secular world, most of religion’s areas are penetrated by such things, it still prevails for a reason; because people have faith. Majority of the people in the world believe in God, does this mean only a part of the human population are mature people? If the strength of religion lies in the â€Å"strength of its wishers,† how come faithless people have come to know God because of the things that happen in their own lives that they would consider nothing short of a miracle (Pals 72). If everything can be tested by the scientific method, it should have tested why people fall in love or why people can risk their lives to rescue someone else. How come students from the direst of neighborhoods can graduate from high school despite everything that could hinder him or her? Was it determination and hope? Where did those qualities come from? Is it the illusion of the people that God had always been able to provide for them even if they felt that all is lost and has ended? Is it an illusion that the sun rises in the morning and that planets are held in their axis and revolve around there orbit? If religion is just something for a person to overcome guilt, how come people have to place such emotions of God while there are a whole lot of other things that are more tangible that people can turn to? Why not you rely on something can see if that means having to have a better concept of that â€Å"illusion. † Religion from Society Following Emile Durkheim’s point of view relating religion with sociology, morality was perceived to be the obligation of each other to others wherein it cannot be separated from religion (Pals 95). Religion and morals mesh together in a social framework (Pals 95). Under his views, the success of the religious leader does not lie in the number of converts he had brought in the congregation but the event that has reinstated a sense of community amongst the people (Pals 95). Durkheim believed that â€Å"Religion is a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things, that is to say, set apart and forbidden† (Pals 99). When he talked about sacred things he referred to â€Å"unite in one moral community called church and those who adhere them† (Pals 99). Sacred things referred to the issues of the community while those that are not sacred referred to the private things and the everyday things a person encounters (Pals 99). Under Durkheim’s view of religion, it was more like a society. â€Å"The idea of society is the soul of religion† because the concept of religion needed the society in order to exist. It was based on creating a sense of belongingness. Society was formed by the collective commitment of the individuals because without such commitment the society would fail to exist. In the same way, religion exists merely because a lot of people are committed to the fact that it does exist. Like Freud, he referred to Totemism as an example of how society gave birth to religion. Freud saw how religion is exactly just like society, in comparison, the rituals and the rites and the church leaders can be seen as a mere superficial or surface part of religion because it is just a body of collective beliefs and practices that are endowed by such some kind of authority. This thinker also believed that there was nothing neither divine nor supernatural because he saw that it was just society that produced this concept in order to keep people in line and to give emphasis on certain things that the society should value as a whole. Society had survived from civilizations that have started in the past. The question whether how religion was formed was important to answer because defines the further need for it. Is it a mere creation of man that humanity exists? If not, then why did it exist; because of the perseverance of the human spirit? Where did this perseverance come from, more than that, where did the spirit come from? These are things the society cannot really provide for them if the premise is society gave birth to religion. Alienation Karl Marx, of all the thinkers in the past may have presented one of the most scornful and sarcastic contempt at religion (Pals 139). Most of the discussion about religion from this philosopher referred to religion as alienation. He never really just concentrated on discussing religion alone but his works have shown how he had pretty much a heavy opinion about it and that influenced the structure of Communism. It was plain and simple for Marx, â€Å"religion is pure illusion† (Pals 138). Similar to how Freud saw religion, Marx saw it more than an illusion but something that was dangerous and something that should be eradicated from society (Pals 138). He considered religion as the worst kind of ideology because of how it expressed a perceived bunch of excuses dressed as reasons in order to keep society in the manner that their oppression would like them to stay as (Pals 138). Religion is then related to a tool of oppression instead of being a liberating factor that most Christian ideals adhere to. Since he was consumed with how he taught a capitalist society brought about oppression he saw religion as merely another factor to keep people in line and to prevent them from having to go against the leaders of society. Since most of his arguments fall upon his hatred for the Capitalist society, he attacked religion saying it was fully determined by economics that made all the doctrines that was attributed to it to have no merits of their own (Pals 138). Since he had no respect for that kind of system, he did not see much of the structure and nature of religion as well (Pals 138). Marx found a profound parallelism between religion and socioeconomics wherein he saw how both areas of society alienated people from important parts of who they were (Pals 140). While religion took moral values; socioeconomics took productive labor (Pals 140-141). Religion took a way a part of the people, the morality part as humans and attributed it to a wholly imaginary being (Pals 141). Marx saw how it took away the credit from the people and awarded everything to God (Pals 141). On the other hand, socioeconomics took away the fruits of the labor of the people and awarded it to whoever had the money to pay, mostly to the rich (Pals 141). Marx saw how these two concepts were too much alike because of how they were related to each other. Like Durkheim, he saw that the capitalist society created religion as economics was the base for everything. He then moved for the abolition of religion under the Communist ideology as this was considered an illusory happiness (Pals 141). According to him, the abolition of religion was actually required for real happiness to occur (Pals 141). He saw that religion did not help the people, most especially the poor. For him, religion only created fantasies for the people that enabled them to ease the pain they felt from the oppression of society (Pals 141). He saw religion as the opium of the poor (Pals 140). He illustrated religion as nothing more than being addiction to any form of drug (Pals 142). It may be a form of escape that would make a person worry-free for a while but it does not serve anything (Pals 142). He saw religion as pure escapism (Pals 142). Religion, for Marx, only shifted the gaze of the people and their reliance on God instead of having to rely upon themselves for their own well-being (Pals 142). However, he also said that it blinded the people from the real injustice of the material, physical situation they had in society because they were much to focus on fixing their second life or their eternal life in heaven to be worried about their current stature on earth (Pals 142). The fact that religion was seen to oppress can be reflected in erroneous leadership on the part of the Church in the past but it cannot generalize the whole body of believers. If a person works for this current life with disregard for the consequences of the next life, what is he to gain? Is he to be satisfied? No person had ever found the ultimate satisfaction, no matter how hard they work or how wealthy they are, this cannot be attained in the present life. Whoever says he or she can must be fooling him or herself. Reliance on a supreme being is placed in the fiber of human nature for a reason, because they need God. It is not to oppress them to being helpless beings. It actually empowers them to be the best that they can become with the help from their creator. Conclusion No matter what such thinkers present regarding the false hopes and the perception of believers regarding religion, there are still so much areas that remain undisputed. There are still areas in the field of religion that remain to be untouched and simply ignored. The areas that cannot be explained cannot be test by scientific explanation. There are areas that can be denied that they exist even if they dispute that religion does not. If religion was birthed out of society, and there are a lot of atheists that can almost form a community out of themselves, how come they do not just create their own society that could affect the society of believers in the world? The argument about faith and the existence of God had been a long withstanding debate for centuries now and still, the world still contain a large body of believers that are willing to put faith first before reason. Does this make these people unintelligent beings? There had been thinkers as well who had defended the faith that had chosen to believe because they saw how reason cannot overcome everything, only faith can do that. The existence of religion cannot only be out of the desires of the leaders to keep society in line. It takes more than human power to be able to sustain this for centuries. If it was placed in the hands of mere humans, then there must have been a time wherein atheists have struggled for power and took the reigns of society to reverse the mindset. The protection around the concept of religion speaks tons for itself. It takes divine power to be able to stay significant for centuries for different peoples all over the world. Works Cited Pals, Daniel L. Seven Theories of Religion. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996 Palmer, Michael. The question of God: An introduction and Sourcebook. New York: Routledge, 2001.

Friday, November 8, 2019

The Universe Essays - Physical Cosmology, Big Bang, Universe

The Universe Essays - Physical Cosmology, Big Bang, Universe The Universe It is always a mystery about how the universe began, whether if and when it will end. Astronomers construct hypotheses called cosmological models that try to find the answer. There are two types of models: Big Bang and Steady State. However, through many observational evidences, the Big Bang theory can best explain the creation of the universe. The Big Bang model postulates that about 15 to 20 billion years ago, the universe violently exploded into being, in an event called the Big Bang. Before the Big Bang, all of the matter and radiation of our present universe were packed together in the primeval fireballan extremely hot dense state from which the universe rapidly expanded.1 The Big Bang was the start of time and space. The matter and radiation of that early stage rapidly expanded and cooled. Several million years later, it condensed into galaxies. The universe has continued to expand, and the galaxies have continued moving away from each other ever since. Today the universe is still expanding, as astronomers have observed. The Steady State model says that the universe does not evolve or change in time. There was no beginning in the past, nor will there be change in the future. This model assumes the perfect cosmological principle. This principle says that the universe is the same everywhere on the large scale, at all times.2 It maintains the same average density of matter forever. There are observational evidences found that can prove the Big Bang model is more reasonable than the Steady State model. First, the redshifts of distant galaxies. Redshift is a Doppler effect which states that if a galaxy is moving away, the spectral line of that galaxy observed will have a shift to the red end. The faster the galaxy moves, the more shift it has. If the galaxy is moving closer, the spectral line will show a blue shift. If the galaxy is not moving, there is no shift at all. However, as astronomers observed, the more distance a galaxy is located from Earth, the more redshift it shows on the spectrum. This means the further a galaxy is, the faster it moves. Therefore, the universe is expanding, and the Big Bang model seems more reasonable than the Steady State model. The second observational evidence is the radiation produced by the Big Bang. The Big Bang model predicts that the universe should still be filled with a small remnant of radiation left over from the original violent explosion of the primeval fireball in the past. The primeval fireball would have sent strong shortwave radiation in all directions into space. In time, that radiation would spread out, cool, and fill the expanding universe uniformly. By now it would strike Earth as microwave radiation. In 1965 physicists Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson detected microwave radiation coming equally from all directions in the sky, day and night, all year.3 And so it appears that astronomers have detected the fireball radiation that was produced by the Big Bang. This casts serious doubt on the Steady State model. The Steady State could not explain the existence of this radiation, so the model cannot best explain the beginning of the universe. Since the Big Bang model is the better model, the existence and the future of the universe can also be explained. Around 15 to 20 billion years ago, time began. The points that were to become the universe exploded in the primeval fireball called the Big Bang. The exact nature of this explosion may never be known. However, recent theoretical breakthroughs, based on the principles of quantum theory, have suggested that space, and the matter within it, masks an infinitesimal realm of utter chaos, where events happen randomly, in a state called quantum weirdness.4 Before the universe began, this chaos was all there was. At some time, a portion of this randomness happened to form a bubble, with a temperature in excess of 10 to the power of 34 degrees Kelvin. Being that hot, naturally it expanded. For an extremely brief and short period, billionths of billionths of a second, it inflated. At the end of the period of inflation, the universe may have a diameter of a few centimetres. The temperature had cooled enough for particles of matter and antimatter to form, and they instantly destroy each other, producing fire and a thin haze of matter-apparently because slightly more matter than antimatter was formed.5 The fireball, and the smoke of its burning, was the universe at an age of trillionth of a second. The temperature of the expanding fireball dropped rapidly, cooling

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Guidelines for Using Abbreviations in Formal Writing

Guidelines for Using Abbreviations in Formal Writing Provided they are not obscure to the reader, abbreviations communicate more with fewer letters. Writers have only to ensure that the abbreviations they use are too well known to need any introduction, or that they are introduced and explained on their first appearance. - From The Cambridge Guide to English Usage by Pam Peters Despite what you may have heard in school, abbreviations, acronyms, and initialisms are commonly used in formal writing (though youll find them more frequently in business and the sciences than in the humanities). Exactly how they should be used depends on your audience, the country youre living in (British and American conventions differ), and the particular style guide youre following. 10 Tips for Using Abbreviations Correctly Using Indefinite Articles Before Abbreviations, Acronyms, and Initialisms: The choice between a and an is determined by the sound of the first letter in the abbreviation. Use a before a consonant sound (for example, a CBC documentary or a U.S. official). Use an before a vowel sound (an ABC documentary or an MRI).Placing a Period at the End of an Abbreviation: In American usage, an abbreviation that includes the first and last letters of a single word (Doctor, for example) is usually followed by a period (Dr.), while In British usage, the period (or full stop) is usually omitted (Dr).Abbreviating the Titles of Doctors: For medical doctors, write either Dr. Jan Jones or Jan Jones, M.D. (Dont write Dr. Jan Jones, M.D.) For nonmedical doctors, write Dr. Sam Smith or Sam Smith, Ph.D. (Dont write Dr. Sam Smith, Ph.D.)Using Common Abbreviations: Certain abbreviations are never spelled out: a.m., p.m., B.C. (or B.C.E.), A.D. (or C.E.). Unless your style guide says otherwise, use lower case o r small capitals for a.m. and p.m. Use capital letters or small caps for B.C. and A.D. (the periods are optional). Traditionally, B.C. comes after the year and A.D. comes before it, but nowadays the abbreviation commonly follows the year in both instances. Abbreviating Months and Days: If the month is preceded or followed by a numeral (14 Aug. or Aug. 14), abbreviate months as follows: Jan., Feb., Mar., Apr., Aug., Sep. (or Sept.), Oct., Nov., Dec. Dont abbreviate May, June, or July. As a general rule, dont abbreviate the month if it appears alone or with just the year- and dont abbreviate the days of the week unless they appear in charts, tables, or slides.Using the Abbreviation Etc.: The Latin abbreviation etc. (short for et cetera) means and others. Never write and etc. Do not use etc. at the end of a list introduced by such as or including.Placing a Period After Each Letter in an Acronym or an Initialism: Though there are exceptions, as a general rule omit the periods: NATO, DVD, IBM.Punctuating an Abbreviation at the End of a Sentence: Use a single period when an abbreviation appears at the end of a sentence. The single period does double duty- marking the abbreviation and closing the sentence.Avoid RAS Syndrome: RAS syndrome is a humorous initialism for Redundant Acronym (or Abbreviation) Syndrome syndrome. Avoid redundant expressions such as ATM machine and BBC corporation. Avoid Alphabet Soup: Alphabet soup (a.k.a. initialese) is a metaphor for using an overabundance of abbreviations and acronyms. If youre unsure whether the meaning of an abbreviation is familiar to your readers, write out the entire word.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

The Basis Of The Contract Between The Company And Its Members Case Study - 2

The Basis Of The Contract Between The Company And Its Members - Case Study Example Enforcement of contract arises when one of the parties commits a breach of terms and conditions of the contract. Section 14 of the Company Act 2006 (CA) makes the articles of association, on registration of the company, to become a contract between the company and members and it has been observed by Stein LJ in Bratton Seymour service Co Ltd v Oxborough1that â€Å"it is a statutory contract of special nature with distinctive features†2 Within the perspective of company law, it is of special nature because the terms of contract can be varied by special resolution and its enforcement by the members is limited to a certain extent and no outsider has any rights. And section 33(1) of the CA provides for a number of ways to be different from a normal contract. The provisions of the constitution of a company bind the company and its members in a manner as if there are covenants on the part of the company and on the part of each of its members to comply with those provisions. This position emerges once the company is registered as set in section 33 (1) of the CA. It, therefore, follows that prov isions in the articles are enforceable by the company against its members, by a member against another member, and by a members against the company limited to their membership rights of attending meetings, voting, eligibility for dividend and to assert the rights to ensure that the company is managed as per the constitution. Usually, there will be a condition in the articles to provide for referring by the company to arbitration disputes between the company and members. A company can enforce compliance of this obligation. This is supported by the decision in Hickman v Kent or Romney Marsh Sheep-Breeders’ Association where the court upheld the relevant clause in the articles for arbitration.

Friday, November 1, 2019

New Product Introduction Processes. ( Engineering Strategy ) Coursework

New Product Introduction Processes. ( Engineering Strategy ) - Coursework Example Protection is better than treatment and even if it is expensive because here the cost we pay is through money but when we have to treat a disease we pay it through both our health and money. In this new era where health research has got to a point where a vaccine is available for all the difficult and resistant disease why not just avail it. â€Å"Although many successful antiretroviral drugs have been developed with enormous impact on HIV-associated morbidity and mortality, access to antiretroviral therapy remains limited to only 5% of the total population of HIV-infected subjects in developing countries† (Schwartlà ¤nder, 2434–2436). There are antiretroviral and a few more new vaccines developed by two pharmaceutical companies. These vaccines have a lot better efficacy and safety profile that has been tested and made sure through animal models first and then through clinical phase III trials. â€Å"Over the past 10 yr there has been a progressive increase in resourc es for vaccine research, allowing the generation of several candidate vaccines capable of stimulating anti-HIV immunity (Bart, 286–293. & McMichael, 227–255. ) These vaccinations need to be advertised in such a way that people get to know the facts of their productions and more importantly their good impact on health. These are T cell based vaccines, which have proven to be the most promising one out of all the other categories so that point should be the point of focus to get the customer’s trust in this new product. â€Å"T cell vaccines are unlikely to prevent infection but may control HIV replication after infection, leading to attenuation of HIV disease†(Desrosiers, 221–223& Pitisuttithum, 1160–1165). It is hard to accept a new thing easily and specially when it is dealing with human being’s health but in order to take care of these viruses that are merging day by day and

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Strategic management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Strategic management - Essay Example New York Times has identified that Zara has the capacity to replenish stocks twice a week (Lutz, 2012). What Zara Really Do Zara has crafted their value chain in a demand flexible manner with an intention of enhancing forward and backward integration in the operation (Lancaster and Massingham, 2010, p. 195). The company has implemented integration in various value chain activities such as managing lead time, stock replenishment, incorporating latest fashion in designing and raw material tracking with an intention of achieving sustainable business growth. The company has decreased steps of value chain in order to decrease total turnaround times. More than two hundreds fashion professionals supervise the product designing phase in order to offer customer superior quality cloths and decrease probability of getting outdated in contrast to latest fashion trend. Zara emphasizes on establishing stable relationship with value chain partners in order to decrease lead time in product offering. The company has decreased turnaround time to only 14 days with the help of superior synchronization between forward and back integration. Zara offers fashion apparels for three types of customers such as men, women and children. Currently the company is offering products in more than five hundred cities across the world. External Analysis PESTLE Zara is a Spanish company hence it will be viable to do macro environmental analysis of the company in their home ground. The report will conduct PESTLE analysis of Spain in order to understand strategic position of Zara. Political PP is running the government of the country and public has rejected for ruling party PSOE in last year election. The country is suffering from various problems like high unemployment rate, high public debt and low GDP growth. Spanish government has implemented austerity measures of â‚ ¬65bn in order to reduce the financial deficit to 3% within next two years. Zara is facing a financial tumultuous period in hom e ground hence it will be interesting to see effect of austerity measure in their business. Spanish government structure can be understood by the following diagram. (Source: Market Line, 2012a) Economic Research conducted by Marketline shows that annual GDP growth of Spain will be reduced by 1.07% within next one year and other factors like retail sales, domestic consumption and industry output will be decreased by more than 3.5% within next one year. Economic recession has triggered the unemployment rate of the country to 20 year high 24.4%. All these factors are indicating that Zara will face a demand crunch in the home country. Stagnant GDP growth rate of the country can be explained by the following diagram. (Source: Market Line, 2012a) UNCTAD or United Nations Conference on Trade and Development has pointed out that FDI in Spain has decreased from $40.8 to $29.5bn in last two years. Dwindling FDI condition of the country can be understood by the following diagram. (Source: Mark et Line, 2012a) The country is suffering from increasing inflation rate which is hampering overall growth rate. Fluctuating nature of inflation can be analysed in the following manner. (Source: Market Line, 2012a) Staggering unemployment rate of Spain can be explained by the following diagram. (Source: Market Line, 2012a) Social Government has reformed the existing pension scheme and which can increase savings 3.5% of GDP by 2050. Spanish labour market reform will provide flexibility and competitiveness to retailers

Monday, October 28, 2019

Burger King HR Essay Example for Free

Burger King HR Essay Burger King is a Fast food restaurant first opened on December 4th 1945 in Miami, Florida by two gentlemen James McLamore and David Edgerton. However the first Burger King was not known as we know it today as it was firstly launched as Insta Burger King. Although it started off as a simple fast food service it is now a large international chain of fast food restaurants. To this day there are now more than 11,200 restaurants in 91 countries worldwide. Up until 1989 Burger Kings biggest competition was Wimpy until they were bought out by the largely growing Burger King. At present, Burger King is a major franchise across the world, also owning over two hundred Hungry Jacks restaurants across Australia. With over fifty years of experience Burger has vastly grown in the Fast food Industry and dominates a large market share along with other Fast Food restaurants such as McDonalds and KFC. Roles and Responsibilities In this section I am going to explore the different roles and responsibilities of the different positions available in Burger King. Roles and Responsibilities of a Manager A manager runs the business on a day-to-day basis and is responsible for specific tasks such as organising resources for the business. A Burger King Manager ensures Burger King runs smoothly and that employees are working well through monitoring their work and motivation. There are five key business areas that Burger King believe their managers need to focus on in order for their restaurants to be run efficiently and achieve high standards. These are: * Operations: Delivering top quality products and restaurant cleanliness * Financial Control: Maximising profits, controlling cash * People Management: Driving results through people; providing development training * Sales Building: Maximising sales at every opportunity * Customer Service: Delivering the Customer Promise 1 Burger King looks for people with passion for their work. Some of the key things Burger King looks for in their managers are: * Outstanding customer service * Great communication skills * Energy, enthusiasm and a hands-on approach * Ability to thrive in a team build working relationships * Responsible flexible 2 * The ability to problem solve Roles and Responsibilities of a Supervisor A supervisor has the power to give instructions, administer disciplinaries and is responsible for the work and conduct of other employees For Burger King supervisors this ensures employees are monitored and that Burger King runs smoothly. A supervisor is usually the first step away from management and can be promoted to management easily. However a supervisor does not have the authority to hire fire employees or the authority over budget. The role of supervisors at Burger King is to promote excellent customer service and that all brand standards are reached. They have to have the ability to motivate their workers and encourage team work especially at busy times throughout the day. Also a Burger King supervisor would need to carry out the instructions of managers and ensure that employees are working well and completing all tasks to the highest standards but in the quickest time possible. When talking to a Burger King employee he spoke about the five minute rule. This means that all food order had to be done in the period of five minutes otherwise a refund could be requested. This benefits burger king as it keeps the waiting time down to a minimum of 5 minutes and keeps the customers flowing in and out of the restaurants. Supervisors need to ensure that this rule is being met through motivation of workers so that profits are not lost. Roles and Responsibilities of an Employee An employee tends to complete the main day-to-day tasks of a business. Employees can either be working full time or part time. Full time workers usually work more than 40 hours a week and get certain benefits such as health insurance and a higher wage. Part time workers usually work less than 40 hours a week and get paid less than that of full time workers. Many people who work part time tend to do other activities during the week such as other jobs or higher education. Whether being a full time or part time employee both should receive the same benefits such as receiving same pay per hour and health plan. Burger King employees tend to do a variety of tasks such as serving customers, working in the kitchens and operating the tills. Employees of Burger King who operate the tills and take orders need to ensure they present themselves in a respectable way and are friendly and helpful as they will be interacting with customers on a daily basis. This helps Burger King to uphold their well known brand and business for themselves as they need to ensure that it is portrayed in the right way. Qualities for Burger King For every position in Burger King there are qualities that you will need to suit it. In this section Im going to explore the different qualities needed for the positions at Burger King. Qualities needed for a Manager To be a successful manager at Burger King you need to ensure that you are adaptable in all situations and have initiative needed to deal with tricky situations. Burger King looks for managers who have good communication skills and customer relations as they will be working with customers daily. Managers need to make sure that employees are enthusiastic and have energy as theyll be dealing with main aspects of the fast food restaurant such as cleanliness and the production of top quality products. Qualities needed for a Supervisor Burger King looks for commitment and responsibility in their supervisors. This is because they need to be there to supervise their employees to ensure that they are working well. Also make sure that all resources are available so that employees have the materials they need in order to work. Also a supervisor needs the confidence to be the voice of the employees and voice any worries to the manager so that customers do not bombard Burger King. Also, they need to be respectful and courteous when handling situations and motivating the employees as if not they will not be providing a good role model. Qualities needed for an Employee An employee needs to have a number of qualities in order to succeed at working at Burger King. Some of these qualities consist of: * Common Sense * Urgency * Flexibility * Customer Focus * Respect for others * Teamwork * Honesty * Pride in performance3 Employees will be either working with customers or in the kitchen. They need to ensure that their service is fast but of the best quality to withhold the Burger King fast food name. Employees on the tills have to make sure that they are friendly even when dealing with tricky customers and learn to be patient. Staff in the kitchens needs to be hygienic and be able to work under pressure when complying with the five minute rule. Qualifications needed for Burger King In this section I am going to explain the qualifications needed to fulfil the different job positions available for Burger King. Qualifications for an Employee For a new employee applying for a job at a Burger King fast food restaurant there is not any specific qualifications needed. As there is no true skill to being a till operative or part of their kitchen staff, Burger King focus more on the qualities and personalities of their employees, rather than what qualifications they may or may not have. I dont think it is essential for Burger King to have highly qualified till operatives and kitchen staff, as before they begin working in their specific area, they undergo extensive training. This training will teach all new employees how to get the most from their job and also how best to represent Burger King. Qualifications for a Supervisor For a Supervisor there are also no specific qualifications needed to carry out this position. However, Burger King does look for someone with previous experience of supervising a team. In the hierarchy of jobs in Burger King we can see that supervisors are only just above employees. This means that is only a small step to be promoted from an employee to a supervisor, or which their skills would already be from working in Burger King previously. I believe that Burger King should look for at least five A-C grades at GCSE level when recruiting a supervisor, as this shows that not only are the candidates good in these specific areas, but also have the drive to succeed and achieve highly. Burger King needs to have an enthusiastic supervisor who would be able to motivate a team to work well, not just someone looking for higher pay than a lower employee in the hierarchy. Qualifications for a Manager Like the employee and supervisor roles, managers also are not required to have any specific qualifications. However, similar to the supervisor position Burger King looks for previous experience of managerial work. This is essential as they need someone who would be able to deal with tricky customers and also a leader to motivate their team. Without experience, candidates may not be able to cope under pressure or realise the initiative theyd need to use in complicated areas. I think that it is essential for a manager to withhold at least five A-C grade GCSEs as it shows dedication and enthusiasm for their work. It may also benefit Burger King to advertise for people with a specific qualification in a managerial subject, such as Business Studies. This could only improve the running of the largely expanding fast food chain, as with more knowledge on businesses, more improvements can be made. Training Employee training is a necessity as it is a way in which your skills can be developed and motivation to be increased. Training relates to employees gaining specific skills and abilities to perform well in their jobs. Training at Burger King can vary depending on the position that is being fulfilled. For each member of the management team the fast food restaurant expect a minimum of 12 weeks on-job and off-job training. The usual on the job training programme for a manager during this period is shown below: Weeks 1-3 * Gaining Product Knowledge * Leaning the job of a crew member * Counter Service * How to make a whopper * Equipment Knowledge * Supervisory Skills Weeks 4-5 * Basic Food Hygiene * Supervisory Skills Course * Supervisor Evaluation (observation on the job) Weeks 6-8 * Shift Control Skills * Loss Control * Shadowing Manager * Daily Administration * People Management Week 9 * Food Safety and Product Quality * Basic Management Training Course * Roles and Responsibilities * Team Work * Customer Service Weeks 10-12 * Shift Running (Under Supervision) * Feedback on management Skills All employees who undergo training at Burger King are not charged however they are expected to fund for the normal living expenses such as commuting and accommodation costs. For new employees such as till staff and kitchen staff Burger King has a Right Track Training Programme to ensure they have the best start to Burger King. This training programme is a comprehensive induction and training programme covering everything from Health Safety and Food safety through to working in the dining area, front counter or kitchen and how to make each product. Through providing an induction to all new staff it allows new staff to see how theyll be working, where theyll be working and who their fellow employees are. Also how things are done to help them fit in. Burger King believes that all their employees will learn what they need to know by shadowing which is when they work alongside others as well as using their new interactive DVD Programmes. It would be beneficial for Burger King to carry out an appraisal system but instead of annually it may be more favourable for them to be carried out every few months. This would then help employees to see what they are working well at and what things to improve on; these could then be made into targets which success could result in promotion or pay rise. The quicker employees feel wanted, the quicker they are earning money for Burger King. From reviewing staff progress more frequently it may give employees more motivation to stay working at Burger King for a longer period as they now have aims and goals which could improve their career. This would mean less training costs for Burger King and also in the long run a low staff turnover. At present I believe the techniques that Burger King is using to train their employees and managers, such as shadowing and induction programmes are effective in what they are doing. However, if Burger King want to ensure that employees stay in the job for a longer period it may be beneficial for them to do other training techniques such as training weekends away. This will build team skills and also allow employees to interact with staff from other sectors in which they work in. Motivation in Burger King In this section I am going to explore the different motivational theorists and see how their theories affect Burger King. Motivation is having the desire and willingness to do something. A motivated person can be reaching for either a long-term goal or a short term goal. Motivation is important as if employees are motivated to work; it increases the quality of products and therefore the reputation of a business. This is a major factor within Burger King as they are known for a high staff turnover. However, if their staff were more motivated and saw the long term opportunities for working for Burger King, they may be more willing to stay on and try for promotion. Abraham Maslow- Maslows Hierarchy of Needs Maslows theory mainly revolved around psychology and stated that, As humans meet basic needs, they seek to satisfy successively higher needs that occupy a set hierarchy. This is Maslows hierarchy of needs: Maslow believes that when the first stage is completely fulfilled only then will an employee be motivated enough to step up to the next level and complete it. For example only when an employee has basic needs such as food drink and sleep will they then be able to progress onto their safety needs such as security, limits and protection. In terms of Burger King Maslows theory wouldnt largely affect them. However for all people to work well certain needs need to be fulfilled such as sleep, food and drink. For Burger King Employees I believe that they only really need to concentrate on the first two stages as many employees do not stay long and are only there for the short term. Burger King does provide good hygiene conditions and security. Belonging and Love needs arent really met as although they work in teams Burger King do not provide team building activities such as weekends or any social events. This theory mainly addresses the needs of employees. Frederick Winslow Taylor Taylors primary idea was that workers are mainly motivated by pay. Therefore his theory was that if you break down production into a set of small tasks and only pay for the amount of product each employee produces, this would motivate staff and increase productivity. At the beginning this seemed like a good idea as productivity increased and workers were only paid for how hard they worked. They began to build specialised skill for the specific area and businesses were more efficient as less staff were needed. However, employees soon became to dislike Taylors approach to motivation as they were given boring, repetitive tasks and were being treated no better than human machines. Certain aspects of this theory do apply to Burger King. Burger King pays their employees hourly, not piece rate, and has set areas in which people work- these can either be tills or kitchen staff. This provides competition between the two areas which can build motivation as to which area can work the best. However Burger King wouldnt realistically be able to pay employees on their productivity as each area has different tasks, some of which cant be measured, such as working on the tills. This theory addresses mainly the performance of employees. Frederick Herzberg Herzberg believed in a two-factor theory of motivation. Job Enlargement- Workers would be given a greater range of tasks to perform (not essentially more challenging) which should make the work more interesting. Job Enrichment- Involvement of workers being given a wider variety of more intricate, interesting and demanding tasks surrounding a complete unit of work. This should then give a greater sense of achievement. Herzberg used a survey to investigate what people liked and disliked about their jobs and with these results he put them into two categories; motivators and Hygiene Factors. His two factor theorem is shown below: Motivators Hygiene Factors Achievement Company Policy Recognition of achievement Supervision Meaningful and interesting work Pay Responsibility Interpersonal Relations Advancement Working Conditions For Burger King they need to ensure that all hygiene factors are covered so that workers feel safe and happy to be working in a clean environment. For example clean work surfaces and floors. Burger King does already achieve highly good hygiene factors however theyre not providing the best motivation. With this they dont have any achievement within their working days and simply work for pay. This lacks fun and could mean that employees would work better if they had something to look forward to. This theory addresses both the needs and performance of employees. PEST In this section I am going to explain how PEST affects the recruitment process in Burger King. From identification of a role to managing change inside the company PEST influences how Burger King plans and responds to these influences as it effects the entire recruitment cycle. Pest analysis is concerned with the environmental influences on a business. PEST is an acronym which stands for: P- Political E- Economy S- Social T- Technology When referring to pest you need to think about the following: POLITICAL Local Authorities Central Government Parliament Minimum Wage Base Rates Privatisations ECONOMIC/ LEGAL Laws Health and Safety Dismissals Monopolies Mergers and Takeovers Consumer Protection SOCIAL Trends Laws Habits TECHNICAL ICT Telecommunications Production Human Resources Marketing PEST can be used by businesses to review a strategy or position, direction of a company, a marketing proposition, or idea. Many businesses use PEST analysis for business and strategic planning, marketing planning, business and product development and research reports. PEST analysis is most helpful before completing a SWOT analysis (Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats). PEST can essentially be useful when a business is expanding into new countries and markets as it helps guide a company from making costly mistakes, unfounded assumptions, and help effectively adapt well into a new environment, when considering recruitment and selection. Pest in terms of Burger King Political Minimum Wage- At present Burger King do comply with the national minimum wage, however if they were to expand into new countries the minimum wage may be different. If it were increased it would mean that Burger King would be paying more for staff and may have fewer funds for other factors of the business such as new technology. If the minimum wage was decreased then this would mean more funds for other factors of the business. Laws- Burger King needs to take into consideration different laws in different countries. In some countries the consequences of breaking these laws could be ominous especially in China where they use capital punishment. Also laws that in force who can be employed by Burger King, for example women and children. Economic Health Safety- Burger King need to ensure that their health and safety is of the highest standards. If Burger King were to expand into less developed countries it may mean that they need to improve their health safety aspects. Therefore they would need to consider training within their recruitment process. Monopolies Mergers Takeovers- If Burger King where to expand into other countries they need to ensure that there arent other fast food restaurants who dominate the fast food market as they are less likely to build there own customer base. Also less people would be willing to work for them compared to competing restaurants, which would mean Burger Kings recruitment levels would fall. However, if other countries have fast food restaurants that are not well known, Burger King may be able to takeover these smaller restaurants and expand the Burger King brand. Social Trends- Burger King needs to take into account what the favourite foods are in certain countries. For example the Whooper Burger may be favourable in certain countries but in others it may be the Cheese Burger. Habits- As Burger King operate in a number of countries they need to be aware of the language barriers which will occur. To ensure these are fulfilled Burger King needs to employee staff who speak the language of the country they are operating in. Therefore training aids would have to be converted into the chosen language. Technical ICT- As technology is always changing and more developed in certain countries, Burger King needs to ensure that they are up-to-date if they want to be the best fast food restaurant. For instance they need the best till operations so that transactions are fast and comply with the five minute rule. Also as technology changes it will affect the job training that Burger King offers employees. Production- If Burger King used advanced technology it may mean that they could produce their products in bulk and therefore save time and reduce the costs of their production. With production being affected Burger King would have to look at how to ensure consistency in training and staff development. Through using PEST Burger King can evaluate what areas they need to consider when expanding into new countries. It would be beneficial to use PEST as it would be easier for Burger King to adapt to new surroundings if they knew the trends and laws they need to abide to. This means that in the future they could expand into new countries with less difficulty. Recruitment Documents In this section I have created my own personal specification and Job description and will evaluate individually. Job Description Post Title: Manager Responsible to: Director External Contexts: Members of public and other stakeholders Internal Contexts: Other managers and all general staff Salary: à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½12,600 Job Purpose To take responsibility for your section by making key decisions, ordering goods and leading, motivating and training your team. To enthusiastically lead and motivate the restaurant team to achieve the highest standards levels of customer service satisfaction. Main Duties and Responsibilities * Manages all daily operations of Burger King to maximise sales and a positive customer experience. * Motivating and training your team to ensure the very highest standards are maintained. * Ensures great food is promptly delivered in a clean and inviting environment. * Take full responsibility for your section to ensure that all transactions run smoothly. * Ensures that each visit by a customer results in a friendly and personalised service. Rewards In return for your dedication and hard work we offer a competitive salary as well as the following benefits: * Medical and Dental insurance * Paid holidays * Vision Care * Life insurance * Bonus Program * Career Advancement Opportunities Analysis of Job Description A job description is a written statement of what a job holder does how it is done, why it is done and the skills needed to perform the job. These include the purpose, duties, equipment used, qualifications, training, physical and metal demands and working conditions. I have created a job description for a managerial position at Burger King. I believe that my job description is effective as the main purpose of it is to describe the roles and duties that the job position undertakes. These need to be in a job description so that the potential employee knows what duties they will be carrying out if they apply for the job. Also in my job description I have added in the rewards of working as a manager in Burger King so that new recruits can see what they will get in return for their dedication to the job. This is effective because it could persuade them to take the job as there are many benefits. I have chosen to layout my job description with headings and sub-headings for each section as it brakes down the information and provides a well ordered recruitment document. Also I researched into the types of job descriptions that Burger King use and used this as a template. Also, I have used the Burger King logo at the top of my document so that all candidates can see what the job is for, before actually reading it. By creating a job description it ensures that only people who believe they can complete the duties of a manager apply to the job and therefore do not waste the time of Burger King. Personal Specification Job Title: Burger King Manager Responsible to: Director Salary: à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½12,600 There are a number of qualities that we look for in our manager. These consist of: * Adaptable in all situations * Initiative to deal with tricky situations * Good communication skills * Good Customer Relations * Enthusiastic and energised * Flexibility * Team work * Respect for others * Pride in performance Burger King takes pride in being one of the leading fast food retailers. Our managers need to have the skills to motivate their team and the assertiveness to ensure all work is done smoothly. Also both written and communication skills will be required as you will be working with people daily and also need to write reports on your employees, to ensure that their progression is recorded. The relevant work experience that we look for is four or more years in a management or supervisory capacity in a restaurant or in the retail/ hospitality industry. Qualifications The qualifications we require for our managers are: * High school diploma or equivalent, with two years of college or equivalent preferred * Strong math and Windows-based computer literacy * Reliable Transportation * Open/Flexible Schedule Analysis of Personal Specification A personal specification is drawn up from the job description and describes the knowledge, skills and attributes that are essential to perform jobs. The criteria must be specific, measurable, and justifiable in relation to the job requirements. I have created a personal specification for a managerial position at Burger King. I have created my personal specification so that it relates to my job description and reflects the skills required for competency in the role, as directed in the job description. I believe that this is effective so that the skills on my personal specification relate to the job in hand. My personal specification is successful as is it contains both the skills and qualifications needed to comply with the job. These are needed in a personal specification so that potential employees know what they need to have a chance with getting the job. Without these, Burger King would get too many people applying for the job who are not suitable. I have chosen to layout my job specification with headings, sub-headings and bullet points for key information as this brakes down the information and provides a well ordered recruitment document. Also I researched into the types of job descriptions that Burger King use and used this as a template. Also, I have used the Burger King logo at the top of my document so that all candidates can see what the job is for, before actually reading it. By creating a personal specification it ensures that only people with the given qualities and qualifications apply to the job and therefore do not waste the time of Burger King. Interview Process In this section I am going to explain the preparation of an interview, what a good interview consists of and analyse an interview that was carried out. An interview is a conversation between two or more people where questions are asked by the interviewer to obtain information from the interviewee. Interviews can be divided into two rough types, interviews of assessment and interviews for information. Preparation for an Interview Before an interview can take place there are a number of factors that need to be considered. Firstly, a business needs to have already produced a job description and personal specification, to which they can compare the candidates qualities and previous work experience to. Not only can these documents help identify a candidates personality traits but also a guide to base the interviewers questions around. Before an interview can take place it is essential you know you are going to ask the candidate. These questions need to relate to all recruitment documents including the personal specification, job description and job advert as they focus on the type of employee needed for their company. The questions need to test the candidate on whether their skills are the best suited for the job in hand and to see how they compare to other potential employees. Questions for Interview It is vital that the right sorts of questions are asked during an interview as these will determine whether the candidate suits the job or not. To get the most potential from a candidate it is in the best interest of the business to ask both open and closed questions. A closed question limits responses to a set number of options, such as yes and no, however these could be used at the beginning of an interview to create a more welcoming atmosphere, for example, How are you? Open questions require the person answering to provide a response in their own words, for example, How would you motivate a team? These questions are essential to find out the most about a person including key areas such as skills, qualities and personality. The key to any good interview is to develop on the answers given by the candidate and extend the knowledge of that area, i.e. What examples could you give me of when you have carries that out? The questions asked need to be relevant to the position advertised which is why relating them to the recruitment documents are so important. If you are interviewing for a managerial position you wouldnt ask, How would you deal with difficult customers? as it is unlikely for a manager to spend much time communicating with customers. The Interview Task For this task we were put into groups and carried out a panel interview for a managerial post at Burger King. Before we carried our interview out for a managerial position at Burger King there were a number of factors we needed to consider: * What questions would be suitable and relate to the recruitment documents. * What were the main skills we were looking for to fulfil the position. * How did their personality reflect their interest in working for Burger King. * How were we going to judge their: Appearance Attitude Body language As the interviewers we decided that it was a necessity for us to dress smart as we would be representing Burger King. On our panel we had three people, all carrying out the same role of asking the candidate questions in turn. We used three people as we were interviewing for a managerial position, which we believe would require more than one opinion on the candidates. This way the interview is less biased towards the potential employee as there is more than one opinion. The type of questions we decided we were going to ask was: * Did you find us ok? This helped to create a welcoming atmosphere, to calm any nerves of the candidate. * How have leadership skills benefited you in your previous job? This helps the interviewer get a greater understanding of a candidates previous work experience. This could also be checked up on through references. * How do you think your managerial skills can help our business? This helps the interviewee voice the skills and qualities they could potentially bring to Burger King. This is an open question which candidates could go into depth with and best promote themselves. * What do you know about the history of the company? This allows the interviewer to see how much a candidate actually knows about the business of whom they may be soon working for. The more they know about the business suggests the more interested they of having a long-term career there. * If one of the workers was not working to the full of there potential, how would you motivate them? This is an essential question to be asked for a managerial position as they would be in charge of a team, or which they will need to motivate to work well. * If there was an unsatisfied customer, how would you deal with them? This can help the employer get a fuller understanding of how the candidate would work on the spot and in tricky situations. * If one of your employees were late more than once, how would you deal with this? This is a good indication of how the potential employee would discipline their staff. Analysis of my Interview During our five minute interview we were able to ask a variety of questions relating to the role of manager as Burger King. For this position, we were looking for a candidate with previous managerial experience, who had a keen interest in the history of Burger King and presented themselves well. Whilst carrying out the interview there were a number of things that our group did well: * Asked questions relating to the position of manager. * Asked both open and closed questions. * Kept eye contact with candidates whilst answering and asking questions. * Showed a keen interest in what the candidate had to say. * Had an open body posture, i.e. Arms on the desk not crossed. 1 http://www.burgerking.co.uk/CompanyInfo/careers/index.aspx 2 http://www.burgerking.co.uk/CompanyInfo/careers/index.aspx 3 http://teenzone.monster.co.uk/articles/fastfood/page4/