Palmolive - Target Market Identification Report Essay

Palmolive - Target Market Identification Report - Essay Example Marketing mix model focuses on specific parts of a firm’s marketing strategy. The product is one of the basic elements of this strategy. By promoting a particular product, a firm needs to consider primarily the following two issues: a) would be the development of existing product a priority or b) emphasis should be rather given to the increase of the firm’s share in the targeting marketing? In the second case, the firm should try to introduce new products while in the first case the characteristics of a firm’s product should be rather highlighted through appropriately customized marketing strategies. In the case under examination, the first strategy would be rather used, aiming to emphasize on the advantages of the firm’s specific product, the Palmolive natural shampoo vibrant color in regard to the targeting market, i.e. the Australian market. On the other hand, Dibb et al. (2008) note that the term ‘Product’ as part of the marketing mix mode l, refers to a series of issues, including the ‘quality awareness, the product image, the value and the quality of the product but also the product performance’. The marketing policies used by a firm in order to support the performance of one of its products have to refer to the above qualities/ needs of the product, the promotion of which is the targeting market will be attempted.In the case under examination, the marketing strategy of the firm in regard to the specific product would be additionally influenced by the following facts: the Palmolive natural shampoo vibrant color.... 2008, 94). The marketing policies used by a firm in order to support the performance of one of its products have to refer to the above qualities/ needs of the product, the promotion of which in the targeting market will be attempted. In the case under examination, the marketing strategy of the firm in regard to the specific product would be additionally influenced by the following facts: the Palmolive natural shampoo vibrant colour has been introduced in order to meet specific needs – the needs of people with colored hair for increased hair care and protection (Colgate Palmolive 2011). More specifically, the above shampoo helps towards the recovery of hair damaged by the colour treatment; in the specific product, a combination of UV filter and Avocado extracts’ (Colgate Palmolive 2011) has been used aiming ‘to ensure the quick recovery of hair damaged by color treatment but also to ensure the increase of life of colored hair and the improvement of quality of color ed hair’ (Colgate Palmolive 2011). It should be noticed that a conditioner is available by the firm in order to increase the benefits/ effects of the specific shampoo. The package of the above product can be characterized as satisfactory proving clear information on the content and the qualities of the product; moreover, the use of different color in the product’s packaging – compared to the other products of the firm – helps to distinguish the specific product among the others of the same firm but also among other products with similar characteristics. 1.2 Current Pricing The price of the particular product can be characterized as of an average to low level – compared to the price of similar products of its competitors (Leader et al. 1990).

BA (Hons) Accounting Essay Example for Free

BA (Hons) Accounting Essay Abstract In â€Å"Cost Transparency in Supply Chains: Demystification of the Cooperation Tenet† article, the authors would like to deliver the message about studies on open-book accounting to rivet on mainly on the functions and difficulties, determinants and consequences, and of interorganizational cost management. To offer a new direction, authors seek to detect and systematize applications of open-book accounting. They follow a qualitative approach to analyze why and how open-book accounting is being used in practice. Data were obtained from 59 interviews conducted with purchasing experts and analyzed through content analysis. Authors find that being used for interorganizational cost management, open-book accounting is used in price management. This includes increasing negotiation pressure on a supplier. Based on this finding, we develop a framework to systematize different open-book accounting uses according to both underlying motives for cost transparency and purchasing strategies. The research finding the following to show that cost transparency can be used to achieve to support price management and that it does not necessarily require a trusting and cooperative customer supplier relationship. The background of cost transparency A qualitative research design supplemented by quantitative analysis. Set up a three-tiered design that allows us to evaluate all of the aspects indicated above. Using an online questionnaire that was designed to either affirm or contradict the results obtained from the interviews and to allow for certain quantitative analyses. From a total of 59 interviewees, and received 46 completed questionnaires. Take into account the reverse perspective. To support the results, especially for data manipulation, authors conducted 18 interviews with sales experts. Use the data retrieved from the three step to analysis and explanation on Open-book accounting uses and the article â€Å"Cost Transparency in Supply Chains: Demystification of the Cooperation Tenet† Introduction Cost transparency in the supply chain is the ability to discover how much a particular stock costs, treatment costs or service costs, preferably before receiving the stock, treatment or service. The cost of suppliers is mostly unknown to buyer. We have no way to price in an any services or the cost of a stock, nor do we find pricing published anywhere that helps us compare prices to make better consumer decisions. Cost transparency uses are difference methods in many difference area reform efforts to understand if supplier price increases are justified. We don’t want to pay too much, but you don’t want to knock him down either Literature Review In the world, India is the fourth largest economy and expected to become the fastest growing greater economic in the next few decades. To achieve its economic and development goals, the Indian government targeted the economic growth rates of about 8-10 percent a year for the next few decades. (Rastogi, 2011) The balanced scorecard is a strategic planning and management tool that helps an organization understand and work towards, and allows monitoring the indicators. A completed scorecard system aligns the organization’s picture, with business strategy and daily operation, the fulfillment of the strategy developed by the direction. Strategic performance measures are the better way to notify the decision-making and show progress toward the desired  results. The organization can focus on the most important areas that they are needed to achieve its vision, at the same time it helps an organization make effectiveness objective. (Sharma, 2009) At present, the balanced scorecard is used as strategic analysis system, which indispensable within the strategic management field for future organizations and the competitive business environment. Although balanced scorecard is widely used, but the model has some issues are unable to supply the quantitative indicators and measure the relative important weights for each perspective contribution. The problems associated with the operations using long term strategy has difficult to found by a good number of firms. Firms as well as knowledge of its picture in the future requires more information, compared to financial operational standards that evaluates the strategies and long term view of the firm as well as strategies in operational achievement. Balance scorecard has used for designing and determining strategic operation. The model of balanced scorecard provides the artifice for comparison to obtain many kind of perspective on the strategic decisions taking into consideration for the impact on customers, employee learning, finances and customers. (Sorooshian, 2014) Research Methodology The balance scorecard approach is to improve the firm performance. From previous research, Kaplan and Norton (1992) developed an innovative corporate performance scorecard that provides a framework for selecting multiple key performance indicators that supplement traditional financial measure short term operational controls to the long term strategy of the business. The research suggested mixed results, however, the results confined only to Europe and North America. (Kothari C.R., 2004) To provide evidences to support the balance scorecard is a widely accepted tool for management to achieve different kinds of balance between short and long run operational purposes, Anand et al. conducted a questionnaire on performance scorecard and sent out to chief financial officer (CFO) in India for response. The questionnaire sent to all 579 companies included multinational corporations from a major constituent of Indian corporate  sector, however, only 9% response rate from CFOs. Based on the responses, about half of the responses using balance scorecard. (Kothari C.R., 2004) Anand et al. used field research that they mail questionnaire to each company’s chief financial officer for response. They identified the social and economic background of respondents; however, there are limitations for the methodology. According to the response rate, the survey was likely that the firm does not respond on time and may have non-response bias, which occurs in statistical surveys if the answers of respondents differ from the potential answers of those who did not answer. For example, the chief financial officer with a high workload may not answer the survey because they do not have enough time to answer it, and/or those with a low workload may decline to respond for perceive them as unnecessary. If they found is not necessary or not favorable to the firm, they will definitely ignore the survey. Therefore, non-response bias may make the measured value for the different effects of the above biases happen to offset each other. . (Kothari C.R., 2004) Data Collection The balance scorecard approach is an attempt to arrive different kinds of balance between short run and long run, different perspectives of the of the scorecard, between measuring change and the present position, and between market image and internal focus. It is useful for both strategic and operational purposes. To implement it successfully, it must enjoy widespread support from the company. The questionnaire sent to all 579 companies included multinational corporations from a major constituent of Indian corporate sector, however, only 9% response rate from Chief financial officers. It does not directly reflect those companies actual status. Chief financial officers are the most understanding to the financial situation of a company. If the questionnaire replies from an assistant, clerk or other non-important staff, it would be no more truthfulness. The data impact this research authenticity. It would be more truthful if the questionnaire replies form an important person of company. Table 7 on the research show that only 54.2 per cent of the respondents agree the initial choice of key performance indicators at the design stage of the balance scorecard has been substantially validated. Almost a half of the respondents just validates partly or validates to a limited extent. The validated of the research design stage was too low. Actually, in design stage can be change the visitor more validate to balance scorecard. It can let the research more to fit in with the purpose. Table 1 on the research show that the visitor is major in 3 types of industry(15.09 per cent on other, 13.21 per cent on consumer durable, personal care and food product, and 11.32 per cent on engineering and capital goods). The distributed of industry was not average to Indian companies. It cannot impact the situation of balance scorecard in Indian companies. Conclusion The balanced scorecard is a set of measuring and managing the performance tool. It is focus on the processes and achieving the result. The purpose of the balanced scorecard is to manage and ensure the organizations strategy will be fulfill and achieve the objective. Based on the above article, we have some of the strength, weakness and limitation of using balanced scorecard in the organization. Benefits include align the action to strategy effectively. Balanced scorecard is a powerful system through strategy map, less strategy will align with the financial perspective. By using the balanced scorecard which helps the organization achieves the target and improves the level of management. Also, balanced scorecard maybe causes business unit gain the competitive advantages leading to the benefit to the financial performance. Balanced scorecard has unable to supply the quantitative indicators and measure the relative important weights for each perspective contribution. But the method of quantitative may produce too much performance measures. It is quite difficulties in generating non-financial indicators, but the financial indicators not a certain problem. Sometimes, less highlight on  human resource maybe the greatest weakness of balanced scorecard. There have competitive factors with innovation and knowledge which is the big challenge in current organization. When the organization’s key drivers change, the balanced scorecard must be update such changed. At the same time, resources and organizational capabilities should act as limitation for small organization. Compare with specific industry, there have some limitation or maybe use the balanced scorecard frequently. Any changes in environment, customers and competitors to be more highlight the effect of using the adequate balanced scorecard. If you want to accomplish more easily, should be coordinate with four perspectives, customer, financial, internal business and learning and growth. Nowadays, balanced scorecard is commonly used in the organization. Adopt a good balanced scorecard should be state your strategies with the objective and measure which you have choose. In the organization, everyone must understand each specific strategy, help organizations to acquire full successes. The most important point is the business must maintain updated balanced scorecard and aligned with needs of today. Bibliography: 1. Rastogi, N. P. (2011) Winds of Change: India’s Emerging Climate Strategy, The International Spectator, Vol. 46, No. 2, June 2011, pp. 127–141 2. Sharma, A. (2009) Implementing Balance Scorecard for Performance Measurement, The Icfai University 10 Journal of Business Strategy, Vol. VI, No. 1, p. 11 3. Sorooshian, S (2014) Study on Unbalanceness of the Balanced Scorecard, Faculty of Industrial Management, University Malaysia Pahang, Malaysia, Applied Mathematical Sciences, Vol. 8, 2014, no. 84, 4163 – 4169

Asian Women in the Eyes of Americans Essay example -- Asian Studies Res

Introduction The history of Asian women has many facets. I am about to touch on two key monumental points over a sixty year span that have shaped the views of Asian women in the eyes of Americans. As a brief overview, from as early as the 1940s, Asian women were recruited to serve their soldiers during World War II as sex slaves. Forty years later, the dawning of the 1980s brought about the desire of Asian women into American households and sparked the mail order bride phenomenon. The beginning of a new century has altered the lives of Asian women, in parts of Asia as well as in the United States of America. I will give you a glimpse into their every day lives in their home country and site observations to their strides into the American workforce today. Let me unveil the lives of Asian women . . . past, present, and future. Comfort Women During World War II, hundreds of thousands of women from all parts of Asia were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese army to â€Å"serve† soldiers on the front lines. These poor young women, generally known as â€Å"comfort women†, were recruited, kidnapped, sold, enticed, and deceived with the promise of well-paying jobs to serve their soldiers. Eighty percent of the estimated 100,000 to 200,000 â€Å"comfort women† of WWII were Korean girls and women. These unfortunate victims were stationed in â€Å"comfort stations† throughout Asia and the South Pacific. Prisoners in these stations were subject to daily degrations such as physical and verbal abuse, repeated rapes, hard labor, and sometimes murder. The women drafted as â€Å"comfort women† had a regimented schedule. To much astonishment, each women had to serve twenty to forty men a day at a rate of a man every t... ...l reach the same level of respect in another sixty years. The past and present lives of Asian women have been unveiled, now I am anxious to see what the future reveals. Works Cited Kumar, Nita, ed. Women As Subjects. United States: University Press of Virginia, 1994. Lee, Rose J., and Clark, Cal, ed. Democracy and the Status of Women in East Asia. United States: Lynne Rienner Publishers, Inc., 2000. Stetz, Margaret, and Oh, Bonnie B.C., ed. Legacies of the Comfort Women of World War II. United States: M.E. Sharpe, Inc., 2001. â€Å"Tajik Forum Urges Laws on Violence Against Central Asian Women.† Global News Wire. 2003. 27 November 2003. (LexisNexis) â€Å"Why I Recommend Asian Women.† 2003. 05 December 2003. http://www.heart-of-asia.org/gen/whyasia.html â€Å"Women of Color Make Big Strides in the Workforce.† Star Tribune. 2003. 01 August 2003. (LexisNexis) Asian Women in the Eyes of Americans Essay example -- Asian Studies Res Introduction The history of Asian women has many facets. I am about to touch on two key monumental points over a sixty year span that have shaped the views of Asian women in the eyes of Americans. As a brief overview, from as early as the 1940s, Asian women were recruited to serve their soldiers during World War II as sex slaves. Forty years later, the dawning of the 1980s brought about the desire of Asian women into American households and sparked the mail order bride phenomenon. The beginning of a new century has altered the lives of Asian women, in parts of Asia as well as in the United States of America. I will give you a glimpse into their every day lives in their home country and site observations to their strides into the American workforce today. Let me unveil the lives of Asian women . . . past, present, and future. Comfort Women During World War II, hundreds of thousands of women from all parts of Asia were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese army to â€Å"serve† soldiers on the front lines. These poor young women, generally known as â€Å"comfort women†, were recruited, kidnapped, sold, enticed, and deceived with the promise of well-paying jobs to serve their soldiers. Eighty percent of the estimated 100,000 to 200,000 â€Å"comfort women† of WWII were Korean girls and women. These unfortunate victims were stationed in â€Å"comfort stations† throughout Asia and the South Pacific. Prisoners in these stations were subject to daily degrations such as physical and verbal abuse, repeated rapes, hard labor, and sometimes murder. The women drafted as â€Å"comfort women† had a regimented schedule. To much astonishment, each women had to serve twenty to forty men a day at a rate of a man every t... ...l reach the same level of respect in another sixty years. The past and present lives of Asian women have been unveiled, now I am anxious to see what the future reveals. Works Cited Kumar, Nita, ed. Women As Subjects. United States: University Press of Virginia, 1994. Lee, Rose J., and Clark, Cal, ed. Democracy and the Status of Women in East Asia. United States: Lynne Rienner Publishers, Inc., 2000. Stetz, Margaret, and Oh, Bonnie B.C., ed. Legacies of the Comfort Women of World War II. United States: M.E. Sharpe, Inc., 2001. â€Å"Tajik Forum Urges Laws on Violence Against Central Asian Women.† Global News Wire. 2003. 27 November 2003. (LexisNexis) â€Å"Why I Recommend Asian Women.† 2003. 05 December 2003. http://www.heart-of-asia.org/gen/whyasia.html â€Å"Women of Color Make Big Strides in the Workforce.† Star Tribune. 2003. 01 August 2003. (LexisNexis)

History of Management Thought †Elton Mayo Essay

This essay covers the life and key contributions of Elton Mayo, a renowned figure in management science, and how his theories have made a significant impact in management today. BIOGRAPHY OF GEORGE ELTON MAYO George Elton Mayo was born in Adelaide, Australia on 26th December 1880. Under heavy family influence, Mayo embarked on a course in medicine. However, he failed an examination which ended his chances of having a medical career. He went on to study philosophy and psychology at The University of Adelaide and graduated in 1911. Following his graduation, he lectured at The University of Queensland from 1911 to 1923. In 1912, Mayo married Dorothea McConnel, a daughter of a respectable Australian family. They had two daughters, Patricia and Gael (Witzel 2005). During World War I, Mayo treated shell-shocked soldiers, families and acquaintances through which he gained invaluable insights. This became the foundation of his approach to the analysis of problems in modern industries (Smith 1974). In 1923, Mayo became a researcher at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Commerce and Finance where he examined the physical and psychological factors which caused high employee turnover at the Continental Mills (Merrill 1960). Mayo was also significantly involved in the research relating to The Hawthorne Works of the Western Electric Company from 1924 to 1932. This study formed the basis of Mayo’s views on industrial settings as a social system (Pugh & Hickson 2007). Mayo died in Guildford, Surrey on 1st September 1949. MAYO’S KEY WORKS AND THEORIES Mayo’s works and theories have made significant contributions to the evolution of management in organizations. One of Mayo’s key theories was derived from the research undertaken at the Continental Mills. He concluded that the central problem underlying the high turnover rate of employees in the spinning department was due to â€Å"pessimistic reveries†. According to Mayo, the term pessimistic reveries, is the state of mind in which negative thoughts and distractions dominate the minds of individuals, interfering with their work performance (Mayo 1947). It is caused by exhaustion and monotony in work routines. This led to Mayo’s theory of implementing rest periods to ease employees’ fatigue which would dismiss these pessimistic reveries (Mayo 1924). Another key point Mayo brought up from his studies at the Hawthorne plant was the significance of work groups in creating employees’ contentment (Smith 1974). According to Mayo, there is a tendency for groups to establish their own culture and build on their own ideologies, thereby influencing the way individuals behave at work (Tillett, Kempner & Wills 1970). An intimate environment created from these informal work groups provides a sense of belonging within individuals. This resulting recognition leads to higher productivity within organizations (Roethlisberger 1949). Mayo also emphasized on the need to work towards effective human collaboration to re-establish the diminishing social function within industries. Based on Emile Durkheim’s concept of anomie, he sees the term as the cause of social disorganization in society, raising a sense of inferiority and disenchantment within individuals (Wren & Bedeian 2009). To resolve this predicament, Mayo introduced the concept of managerial elites, who were trained to manage not only the technical aspects, but also the social aspects of industrial organizations (Smith 1998). Mayo’s key publications include, â€Å"The Human Problems of an Industrial Civilization (1933)†, â€Å"The Social Problems of an Industrial Civilization (1945)† and â€Å"The Political Problems of an Industrial Civilization (1947)†. These books detailed the rationale for contemporary human relations movement and served as influential publications in the history of management theory (Wood & Wood 2004). FACTORS WHICH INFLUENCED MAYO AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF HIS THEORIES The following factors will provide insights on how Mayo was influenced in the creation of his key works and theories. Political Factors During the First World War (1914 – 1918), Mayo gained invaluable experiences which assisted him to develop a basis towards his views on the complications in industrial society. These experiences arose from his psychotherapeutic treatment on the shell shocked soldiers, resulting in his assertion that rest periods given to the soldiers would significantly improve their mental state of health and performance. Drawing on this conclusion, Mayo believed that the introduction of rest periods to industrial employees could lead to higher productivity (Mahoney & Baker 2002). Furthermore, his experience in WWI paved the way to his illustrious career as a practitioner with patients for thirty years (Mayo 1947). In 1919, the rise in conflicts and fall of civilization was apparent in Australia. Government intervention was thought to be the cure to this predicament. However, Mayo disagreed with this belief and felt that political interference would only further aggravate class conflicts, and ultimately cause the fall of society. He claimed that the best way to restore the diminishing social code was through effective collaboration (Bendix & Fisher 1949). Economic Factor The economic depression in 1929 resulted in shortened working hours at the Hawthorne plant, as well as the termination of the relay assembly test room studies. Faced with a rapidly changing society, Mayo placed greater emphasis on the need for effective collaboration and the recovery of social solidarity. This change in perspective received greater support from the public, thereby giving Mayo further recognition for his ideologies (Wren & Bedeian 2009). Social Factor The Industrial Revolution brought about a change to the management of worker relations in organizations. Managers placed greater emphasis on productivity of employees and failed to recognize their social needs. This caused a disruption to the social organization within industries (Kennedy 1998). Mayo did not oppose to this change, he simply proposed the need for individuals to adapt accordingly. This could be accomplished through studying the industrial society first hand and attaining social skills so as to enhance effective collaboration in organizations (Robinson 1946). Intellectual Factors Mayo was primarily influenced in his approach to psychology by the French psychologist, Pierre Marie Fà ©lix Janet. He was intrigued by Janet’s works on Hysteria and Obsession and this interest led him to practice psychotherapeutic treatment on soldiers returning from the First World War (Mayo 1947). Frederick Winslow Taylor, widely regarded as the father of management science, had a very different approach towards scientific management as compared to Mayo. He had workers going through a series of incessant tasks and actions. This monotonous and demanding approach left workers with very little control, and contributed to extremely high rates of worker turnover within organizations (Mahoney & Baker 2002). Mayo believed that the â€Å"Taylorist Bossism† method of management would not be as productive as compared to his therapeutic methods (Hoopes 2003). Fritz Roethlisberger was acquainted with Mayo at the Harvard University and was introduced to Mayo’s ideas and theories. He went on to write a book based on Mayo’s beliefs and efforts entitled, Management and the Worker. Roethlisberger was a popular speaker and managed to carry on Mayo’s legacy as a spokesperson to the human relations movement (Mahoney & Baker 2002). RELEVANCE OF MAYO’S THEORIES TO MANAGERS TODAY Mayo’s theories still remain relevant to managers today in spite of the ever changing nature of today’s organizational environment. The following is a discussion of this relevance. Mayo’s theory of implementing rest periods, to counter fatigue and exhaustion contributing to pessimistic reveries, is illustrated in the leading Internet search engine company, Google. The headquarters of Google, The Googleplex, provides many recreational facilities such as volleyball courts, pool tables and gymnasiums to help employees unwind. This interrupts any form of pessimistic reveries that could be experienced by their employees. With a more positive state of mind while working, the level of productivity within the company ultimately increases. The success of Google has clearly shown that Mayo’s theory, based on the need to eliminate pessimistic reveries, is still relevant in today’s society (Google 2010). In addition, the relevance of Mayo’s key theory on the importance of work groups can be showcased in the global infrastructure, finance and media company, General Electric (GE). GE developed the Work-Out process which involves bringing staff together to identify areas in need of improvements. Within small groups, employees and managers discuss the issues and develop recommendations. This process helps create a vibrant working environment and has a positive influence on the way GE employees think and behave (Beam 2002). Based on the 1995 GE Annual Report, the annual dividends significantly increased to $1.4billion due to the incorporation of the Work-Out process (General Electric 1996). This example further highlights the relevance of Mayo’s theory in modern management. Finally, Mayo also believed that effective collaboration was an essential tool for building a functioning social system in a rapidly changing industry. Cisco Systems, an industry leader in networking solutions and information technology, is one such company that sees effective collaboration as a high priority business tool for attaining success. This is supported by a study, sponsored by Cisco Systems, highlighting the successful strategies to effective collaboration (Astle 2009). This view is in line with Mayo’s theory that a socially handicapped organization would bring about negative attitudes amongst workers and hence, restrict the maximum productivity that could be attained otherwise. The call for effective collaboration is apparent in Cisco Systems, thus, showing how Mayo’s theory is still widely practiced in contemporary management. CONCLUSION Mayo’s theories and views have made a significant impact in the study of management history. In an ever changing organizational setting, which inevitably disrupts the social code within industries, Mayo stressed the need to restore effective collaboration amongst the employees through managerial elites. He also emphasized on the importance of work groups within organizations. Mayo’s influence on management science was a vital part of his legacy and his theories are still widely practiced today as they were in the beginning.

African American Identity Essay

It was a hot August day as sweat beat down on Thomas Jefferson Brown. He had been working in the field 2 hours before the hot sun had made its presence known. He looked back over the drying field, hoping that this crop would provide for his family better than last years crop had. Thomas watched his oldest son, Nathan, who worked down one row of the field while staring intently at the cotton plants as he picked the cotton. Nathan was a very inquisitive young man who had just yesterday asked his father what it was like being a slave for Mr. Walter Johnson. When his father had told him that in a lot of ways life was so much easier than now, Nathan had given him a look that allowed Thomas to know that his son could not understand. How could he understand? Nathan had not grown up a slave and seen that while it was extremely difficult, there was a feeling of stability to life then. Yes, Thomas Jefferson Brown had endured the beatings and yes he had watched as his Mother and eventually his sisters had been sexually assaulted, but how do you tell a young man such as Nathan that such was the way of life; it was to be expected, along with the comfort of knowing where your next meal was going to come from. Since Tomas had been freed after the great war, He s and his family had endured much more than that; having watched the lynching of two of his brothers and numerous friends. They were the lucky ones though, Thomas thought, while looking up at the fiery ball of heat known as the sun. They did not have to endure other hardships; their suffering was over. Yes it was hard for Nathan to know that life was indeed easier as a slave than a freed man, and maybe, just maybe, things would change during Nathan’s lifetime. Thomas Jefferson Brown wiped his brow once more and continued on picking the cotton? Even though the civil war ended in 1865, African Americans still faced an uphill battle to obtain rights that were afforded other Americans. This was in spite of the fact that 24 African American soldiers earned our Nations highest honor; the Congressional Medal of Honor, during the Civil War. Even with the passing of the 13th Amendment in 1865 banning slavery and the 14th Amendment giving African Americans citizenship and equal protection under the law, there were still so many other issues that would deprive African Americans of their lawful rights, such as having the first African American elected into the 41st Congress in 1869 continuing through 1901 with the 57th congress, which had no African Americans. This trend would continue until the election of 1929 before another African American was elected to congress. In 1873 the Supreme Court decision ruled that the 14th-Amendment guarantee of equal protection of the laws extended only to federal civil rights, thus removing southern states from the duty to protect the civil rights of African Americans, but it was just not their rights that were taken; but their lives as well. Between 1882 and the end of 1900, 1751 African Americans and 1105 white Americans were lynched for trying to further the African American cause (National). Given all of this discrimination and violence, it is hard to imagine that anyone would be willing to further the African American cause, but many stood ready to not only give of themselves, but perhaps even to give their life for this noble cause. African American writers were presented with these problems of equality and self esteem, and yet have truly transformed and continue to support a freed people, to obtain all of their rights. What follows is from three writers who each in his own way contributed mightily to the African American cause. They are W. E. B. Du Bois, Marcus Garvey, and Glen Loury. First, we have W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt) Dubois, who was born on February 23, 1868 in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Dubois was one of the most influential black leaders of the first half of the 20th Century. Dubois shared in the founding of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, or NAACP, in 1909. He served as its director of research and editor of its magazine Crisis until 1934. He was the first African American to graduate from Harvard University, which he accomplished in 1896. At first, Dubois thought that African Americans could be freed through the Social Sciences, but quickly became disillusioned with this idea and began to believe that freedoms could only come about by agitation and protest(Chew). Dubois recognized that the African American’s of his day faced many problems, not the least of which were of the life threatening variety. After his disillusionment with helping African Americans through the social sciences, Dubois thought that African Americans needed to develop their own culture, which was definitely more American than African. Dubois enjoyed the unique African American culture, particularly that of the Negro spiritual songs. Dubois thought that African Americans should not give in to what white Americans expectations were of African Americans, but to continue to develop as a people. Dubois wrote that all people regardless of their culture, heritage, sex, should be treated as equals. Dubois also thought that African Americans should not worry about competing with the world as a group, but that they should join together to help each other. He eventually was forced to leave the United States because the government considered Dubois an agent of the Soviet Union. That is why he immigrated to Ghana, first obtaining Ghana citizenship, joined the communist party and eventually died there in 1963. Dubois was there for all future African Americans to follow his example. Dubois founding of the NAACP led to many victories for the rights of all Americans, most of which he never saw. Next we have Marcus Mosiah Garvey, who was born in Jamaica on 17 August 1887. Mr. Garvey is best remembered as a pivotal figure in the struggle for racial equality, not just in the United States but throughout the world as well. He founded the UNIA (Universal Negro Improvement Association) and African Communities League in 1914 while still in Jamaica, and also championed the ‘back to Africa’ movement of the 1920s. Of the Africans who departed, Garvey thought, some had left independently while others were brutally removed for economic gain and exploitation. Garvey perceived that the main problems facing not only African Americans, but Africans as well was that they must first go back to Africa and free their African brothers before moving on to other parts of the world. Through the organizations that Garvey had formed (UNIA and ACL), he reasoned that until Africa is free and redeemed, not only in name but in reality, no one would be free, Black or White. Garvey reasoned that no matter what one’s race was we are all bound together by the Creator, which is Spirit. The Creator has a purpose for everyone and that purpose did not include being made a slave or subject to anyone for that matter. While Dubois and Garvey did not see eye to eye on the issues involving African Americans, Garvey did align himself closely with Dr Robert Love, and Dr Loves teachings that a race could progress no further than the dignity and esteem of their women and younger girls. Garvey and Love thought that the best way to plant the seeds of dignity and self-esteem would be through the woman and younger girl. Last, we have Glen Loury, who was born in 1948. Mr. Loury is a professor of economics at Boston University while also being a consultant to the Federal Trade Commission. Mr. Loury has devoted a major portion of his career to the study of race and public policy. He is the author of ‘On the Need for Moral Leadership in the Black Community’, ‘Responsibility and Race’, ‘Impact of Affirmative Action on Equal Opportunity: A New Look’, and most recently ‘A New American Dilemma’. Mr. Loury saw many problems facing not only African American, but also all Americans, including the civil rights policies of 1960-1985, which seemed to have been based on equality of outcome rather than on equality of opportunity. Mr. Loury also thought that affirmative action policies created backlash. Loury maintained that all Americans should have equal rights with none being given favorable treatment over any other. Loury reasoned that it is hard to justify denying admission to an elite college to anyone who struggled to be able to pass the admissions exam; while admitting a member of a designated minority group, who did not work near as hard to earn his score and is only admitted based on his minority status. Such actions build resentment towards these policies and are only heightened when defenders of the policies claim that to question these policies is to engage in a racist act. Mr. Loury contends that giving preferential treatment with no sound explanation only led to more heightened tensions and is a very grievous error on the part of those who merely wish to be advocates of affirmative action. Loury did see, that there was a proper use of affirmative action, such as on police forces around the country that had a significant percentage of African American citizens and yet none on the police force. These Authors present their own conclusions and reasoning’s for what happened to the African Americans previous to, and of their own time. These writers used the influences of other African Americans and were also pioneers themselves. All of these writers believed in equality for everyone and thus did share at least one common goal. In Mr. Dubois we have a writer and scholar who originally thought that through a study of Social Sciences and doing what was right could African Americans receive their rights, and yet Dubois was able to refocus and remain firm in his opinions of helping each other and thus able to help not only the African American’s of his generation, but the ones to follow as well. Mr. Dubois saw all of the problems besetting African Americans and knew that they must unite, working together, to build a culture of their own, that would allow all African Americans to have a better life. Mr. Garvey on the other hand, perceived that until the rights and freedoms were restored in the entire African continent, Africans elsewhere would always be treated as second-class citizens. Garvey along with Dr Robert Love, thought that it was through the African women, especially the younger women, that Africans had a chance to make a difference in providing a better future. Mr. Loury saw problems that came about because of the Civil Rights movement, and that African Americans should not merely rely on being a minority to get ahead in life, but instead grab the opportunity that was before them so as not to create a political backlash. Each of these writers have stood their ground for what they believe in, and our world we live in today is better for it. Each of these writers, in their own time, helped frame not just African Americans lives but has truly transformed and continues to support a freed people, obtain all, of their rights. Works Cited Chew, Robin â€Å"W. E. B. Dubois Sociologist, Author & Civil Rights Leader 1868 ? 1963†³ February 26, 2005. 6 Feb 2006 Dr Coony, Mark â€Å"Race and Affirmative Action† 6 Feb 2006 Du Bois, W. E. B. â€Å"Of our Spiritual Strivings. † Cultural Conversations The Presence of the Past. Ed Stephen Dilks, et al. Boston: Bedford/St Martin, 2001. 131-145 Garvey, Marcus â€Å"Motive of the NAACP Exposed† Cultural Conversations The Presence of the Past. Ed Stephen Dilks, et al. Boston: Bedford/St Martin, 2001. 153-154 Loury, Glenn. â€Å"Free at Last? A Personal Perspective on Race ad Identity in America. † Cultural Conversations The Presence of the Past. Ed Stephen Dilks, et al. Boston: Bedford/St Martin, 2001. 173-180 â€Å"Marcus Garvey Biography† November 2000, K. W. Spence-Lewis Consultant Researcher Community Health and Planning Plant Science. â€Å"The Making of African American Identity VOL II 1863-1917† National Humanities Center 6 Feb 06 Bibliography Chew, Robin â€Å"W. E. B. Dubois Sociologist, Author & Civil Rights Leader 1868 ? 1963† February 26, 2005. 6 Feb 2006 Dr Coony, Mark â€Å"Race and Affirmative Action† 6 Feb 2006 Du Bois, W. E. B. â€Å"Of our Spiritual Strivings. † Cultural Conversations The Presence of the Past. Ed Stephen Dilks, et al. Boston: Bedford/St Martin, 2001. 131-145 Garvey, Marcus â€Å"Motive of the NAACP Exposed† Cultural Conversations The Presence of the Past. Ed Stephen Dilks, et al. Boston: Bedford/St Martin, 2001. 153-154 Loury, Glenn. â€Å"Free at Last? A Personal Perspective on Race ad Identity in America. † Cultural Conversations The Presence of the Past. Ed Stephen Dilks, et al. Boston: Bedford/St Martin, 2001. 173-180 â€Å"Marcus Garvey Biography† November 2000, K. W. Spence-Lewis Consultant Researcher Community Health and Planning Plant Science. â€Å"The Making of African American Identity VOL II 1863-1917† National Humanities Center 6 Feb 06.

Cooling curve Essays

Cooling curve Essays Cooling curve Paper Cooling curve Paper A cooling curve is actually a line graph representing the change in the state of matter of a substance, either from solid to liquid or liquid to solid. In this graph, time is usually represented on the x axis and temperature on the y axis. The particles in the wax in the solid state slowly start to get more energy when heated and start to move more rapidly at a certain temperature and then change to liquid. When it has to change from liquid to solid, the particles in the wax start to lose energy and come close together till they become solid. VARIABLES: Independent Dependant Controlled Temperature change Time taken for wax to solidify Environmental change, amount of wax taken. APPARATUS: Boiling tube Beaker 250 cm3 (i 25 cm3) Thermometer range 10i C to 110i C (i 0. 5i C) Clamp stand Bunsen burner Tripod stand Wire gauge Paraffin wax Water for water bath (in beaker) Stopwatch (i 0. 1 seconds) METHOD (GIVEN): 1) Heat half a beaker of water to about 90i C. 2) Clamp a boiling tube with paraffin wax in it and put it in hot water with the thermometer. 3) Measure the temperature of molten wax and start your stopwatch. 4) Record the temperature at suitable time intervals till all the wax solidifies completely. 5) Present your results suitably and interpret these in terms of the concepts youve learned so far. OBSERVATIONS: Amount of water (ml) Initial Temperature (Trial 1) (i C) Initial Temperature (Trial 2) (i C) Water Temperature (i C) Time intervals (s) Temperature (Trial 1) (i C) Temperature (Tria C respectively, it started to go clear gradually, until it melted completely at 62. 5i C and 63. 0i C respectively at which point, it was completely transparent. As it start freezing, at 48. 0i C and 50. 5i C respectively, it started to gain its original greyish colour and it froze completely at 50. 0i C and 53. 0i C respectively, it was completely opaque. GRAPHS: Trial 1: Trial 2: ANALYSIS: From the above graphs, we can see that the temperature of the wax in the test tube keeps falling until a certain point where it becomes a constant value and then continues to fall. The particles of wax that are held together by weaker intermolecular forces need to a particular temperature at which all the bonds can become stronger so as to change its state. When heat is taken away from a liquid substance, the energy supplied to it drops and thus, the particles do not have enough energy to collide with each other and move far apart. Thus, the particles come closer to each other and the intermolecular forces become stronger. The temperature required for bonds to form in a particular substance is the same for all particles in that substance and thus, the temperature of the wax remains constant throughout a certain period when all bonds are formed, changing the state of the substance. This shows that the wax used in the experiment was a pure substance as it has been proven that a substance is pure only if its melting/boiling point is a constant. The temperature fell rapidly in the initial stages because very few bonds or no bonds could be formed due to such a high temperature. Later, as the temperature drops, the numbers of bonds formed become comparatively higher and thus, the temperature starts to fall slowly. Once the whole substances solidifies, all the bonds have been formed and thus, the particles of the substance have a very low energy because of which they cant collide and generate heat. Thus, the temperature of the substance continues to fall. POSSIBLE SOURCES OF ERROR: The reading taken from the thermometer may not have been completely accurate throughout the experiment. As the experiment was conducted in an air-conditioned room, this could have affected the experiment. The time taken from the stopwatch wouldnt be completely accurate. CONCLUSION: From this experiment, we can conclude that the temperature required for bonds to form in a particular substance is the same for all particles in that substance. This rule applies to all pure substances as all particles in a pure substance are the same and thus, they bond at the same temperature, as in this experiment. An impure substance would contain other substances and thus, the particles would bond at different temperatures and the boiling/melting point wouldnt be a constant.

Free Essays on The 13th Warrior Vs. Beowulf

The 13th Warrior Vs. Beowulf Michael Crichton intertwined some aspects of Beowulf with his own thoughts to produce the drama, â€Å"The 13th Warrior.† Beowulf, written down by an unnamed Christian monk in the 8th century, served as a framework for the plot of â€Å"The 13th Warrior.† Beowulf and â€Å"The 13th Warrior† have many differences but the similarities that they share are more abundant through out the two pieces. Instead of doing a direct translation of Beowulf, the writer of the â€Å"The 13th Warrior† used his creativity to fabricate a new story. To start off, â€Å"The 13th Warrior† is seen through the eyes of Antonio Banderas’ character, Ahmed Ibn Fahdlan, while Beowulf told the story of Beowulf from a third person point of view. The protagonists, Beowulf (Beowulf), and Ahmed Ibn Fahdlan (â€Å"The 13th Warrior†) are of different ethnic groups; Beowulf is Swedish and Ahmed is Arabic. In â€Å"The 13th Warrior† groups of men fight the evil which is in the form of men dressed up as bears, possibly to seem more frightening, and their mother, who is an evil witch. Beowulf generally fights the evil, which is represented by Grendel and his mother, who are both monsters, descendants of Cain, alone. The warriors of â€Å"The 13th Warrior† and Beowulf, clearly, had incongruous reasons for fighting the bear men. Beowulf wanted to be famous and with fame com es fortune. Beowulf was supercilious unlike the men in â€Å"The 13th Warrior.† Ahmed and his comrades were not offered money or any reward; they did not, necessarily, want to be remembered for their heroic deeds at Herot; they just wanted to help save the villagers. Like Beowulf and Ahmed, Grendel and the bear men had incongruous reasons for attacking Herot. Every night the men of Beowulf would stay up late laughing, dancing, drinking; celebrating their greatness. Grendel grew weary of this night after night and eventually sought his revenge. Grendel attacked because he... Free Essays on The 13th Warrior Vs. Beowulf Free Essays on The 13th Warrior Vs. Beowulf The 13th Warrior Vs. Beowulf Michael Crichton intertwined some aspects of Beowulf with his own thoughts to produce the drama, â€Å"The 13th Warrior.† Beowulf, written down by an unnamed Christian monk in the 8th century, served as a framework for the plot of â€Å"The 13th Warrior.† Beowulf and â€Å"The 13th Warrior† have many differences but the similarities that they share are more abundant through out the two pieces. Instead of doing a direct translation of Beowulf, the writer of the â€Å"The 13th Warrior† used his creativity to fabricate a new story. To start off, â€Å"The 13th Warrior† is seen through the eyes of Antonio Banderas’ character, Ahmed Ibn Fahdlan, while Beowulf told the story of Beowulf from a third person point of view. The protagonists, Beowulf (Beowulf), and Ahmed Ibn Fahdlan (â€Å"The 13th Warrior†) are of different ethnic groups; Beowulf is Swedish and Ahmed is Arabic. In â€Å"The 13th Warrior† groups of men fight the evil which is in the form of men dressed up as bears, possibly to seem more frightening, and their mother, who is an evil witch. Beowulf generally fights the evil, which is represented by Grendel and his mother, who are both monsters, descendants of Cain, alone. The warriors of â€Å"The 13th Warrior† and Beowulf, clearly, had incongruous reasons for fighting the bear men. Beowulf wanted to be famous and with fame com es fortune. Beowulf was supercilious unlike the men in â€Å"The 13th Warrior.† Ahmed and his comrades were not offered money or any reward; they did not, necessarily, want to be remembered for their heroic deeds at Herot; they just wanted to help save the villagers. Like Beowulf and Ahmed, Grendel and the bear men had incongruous reasons for attacking Herot. Every night the men of Beowulf would stay up late laughing, dancing, drinking; celebrating their greatness. Grendel grew weary of this night after night and eventually sought his revenge. Grendel attacked because he...

How a Forest Ecosystem is Defined

How a Forest Ecosystem is Defined Forest ecosystems are defined by a salient or common set of characteristics that make the forest ecology of a particular area unique. These very complex sets of forest conditions are studied by forest ecologists who try to isolate and classify the common structural patterns that continually reoccur in a particular forests environment. The perfect forest ecosystem is where simpler biotic communities live in the same approximate space with increasingly more complex biotic communities to each communities benefit. In other words, it is where many individual biotic communities symbiotically live in harmony with other biotic communities in perpetuity for the benefit of all neighboring forest organisms. Foresters have developed a somewhat limited classification based on plant climax types, or, the type of vegetative communities that would develop under idealized stable conditions over the long-term. These classifications are then named for the dominant overstory trees and key indicator plant species that live together in the understory. These classifications are necessary in the everyday practice of forest management. So, timber or cover types have been developed by forest scientists and resource managers from extensive sampling within vegetation zones that have similar elevational, topographic, and soil relationships. These forest/tree types have been neatly and nicely mapped for the largest forested areas in North America. Maps of these type classes are also created for single and multiple forests as part of a forest management plan. Unfortunately, these somewhat rudimentary forest ecosystem classifications do not completely define all flora and fauna biology that determine a true but complex forest ecosystem and certainly not the whole ecosystem itself. Forest Ecology Charles Darwin, famous for his Theory of Evolution, came up with a metaphor he called the tree of life. His Tree of Life imagery illustrates that there is but one common biological nature and origin and that all living species experience and must share space together. His enlightened studies ultimately fathered a new science called Ecology - from the Greek oikos meaning household - and following by necessity comes the study of forest ecology. All ecology deals with the organism and its place to live. Forest ecology is an ecological science dedicated to understanding the complete biotic and abiotic systems within a defined woodland area. A forest ecologist has to deal with basic biology and community population dynamics, species biodiversity, environmental interdependence and how they coexist with human pressures including aesthetic preferences and economic necessity. That person also must be trained to understand the nonliving principles of energy flow, water and gas cycles, weather and topographical influences that effect the biotic community. An Example of a Forest Ecosystem We would love to provide you with a neat description of the perfect forest ecosystem. It would be lovely to find forest ecosystems that are cataloged by similarity and nicely listed by region. Alas, ecosystems are dynamic living things and always subject to things like ecological aging, environmental catastrophe and population dynamics. Its like asking a physicist to seamlessly unify everything from the infinitely small to the infinitely large. The problem with defining a forest ecosystem is the variability of its size with a limited understanding of the systems within systems which are extremely complicated. A forest ecologists job is safe. Defining a forests size in a forest ecosystem that covers several states is completely different than one that occupies just several acres. You can readily see that there could be innumerable systems, depending on the definition of parameters and depth of each study. We may never know all there is to complete the study nor gather all the information necessary to our final satisfaction. We end with this definition of a forest ecosystem developed by the Convention of Biological Diversity: A forest ecosystem can be defined at a range of scales. It is a dynamic complex of plant, animal and micro-organism communities and their abiotic environment interacting as a functional unit, where trees are a key component of the system. Humans, with their cultural, economic and environmental needs are an integral part of many forest ecosystems.

Reaction to the AA meeting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Reaction to the AA meeting - Essay Example The people at the meeting belonged to a variety of ethnic groups. There were African Americans, whites, and a few were Hispanic. There were a number of different people that were at the meeting. Some of the people there looked intimidating. One man, in particular, really struck me. Just looking at him sent chills down my spine. He looked like one of those weirdoes that you see on TV waiting to abduct or hurt someone. Anyone who looked at him, even from a distance, could tell that he was not right. Without being too noticeable, I moved my seat. I played it off real well, as I told the group leader that I needed to sit closer to the front of the room in order to see better. She was more than accommodating, and I was elated, as I did not want to cause too much of a disruption to the meeting, nor did I want to offend the scary looking man to the point of having him retaliate on me at a later time. That was something I wanted to avoid. Aside from the scary looking man, there were others who looked rough and dirty. These ones looked as if hygiene was the furthest thing from their mind. I'm guessing that their addiction was so great that it took priority over bathing. I was so glad not to be sitting near any of them, as they did give off an unpleasant odor. I could smell a hint of the stench where I currently sat: but, I knew I'd not be able to bare it if I were sitting in close proximity of these individuals. One man looked like he had been sleeping in the garbage can or the ditch. His hair was so greasy and dirty that it was literally matted to his head. His close also had a lot to be desired, as they were stained and dirty that it was hard to tell what they looked like originally. I was guessing that, by the looks of this man, he was probably homeless. I felt so sorry for this man, as his addiction enslaved him to the point of being past decency. In my heart, I hoped that he would benefit from this program, so he will be able to be clean and presentable, have a roof over his head that wood provide him comfort and shelter from the harsh elements, and live a normal life. It is so horribly sad how an addiction can rob a person to the point of destruction. Other than the people there that made me feel uneasy, the environment was warm and friendly. This was partly due to the way that the leader of the group directed the meeting. The group was led by a woman who had overcome her own addiction. It was a struggle for her, but she wanted us to know that, through her testimony, it was definitely possible to do. She was a pleasant woman. She had a wonderful demeanor about her. Her personality was warm, and she was approachable. She carried herself in a confident fashion, and her confidence was contagious. She was so encouraging to everyone. She opened the meeting by first sharing all of her experiences. She talked bout her trials, and then she told us what she did to triumph. It was important to her that everyone knew that alcohol addiction did not have to rule one's life. After she finished speaking to the group, she then asked for everyone to share their experiences. One man talked about how his addiction first began when he was fourteen years of age. Because his father owned a liquor store, he had easy access to alcohol of all types. His alcohol addiction led to even greater addictions, as he then began to use hard drugs. To make for an interesting experience for himself, he combined the drugs and alcohol. What he'd do was that he'd first drink as much as he could handle. Then,

Sophocles, Oedipus the King ,Summary Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sophocles, Oedipus the King ,Summary - Assignment Example He assures them that this is also his pain and that he has sent Creon to ask the god Apollo for his help. From Creon we learn that Thebes can only be saved when the pollution living inside it is banished. For the murderer of Laios, Thebes’s previous king, resides in the city and was never found. The case was left uninvestigated because at the time the city was troubled by the sphinx. Oedipus also beseeches everyone to help him find this murderer and calls for the blind prophet Tiresias. When he is summoned, Tiresias tells the king that Oedipus himself is the â€Å"ungodly pollution† and that he doesn’t know what a disgraceful and filthy life he is living (Line 353). His shamefulness has caused the grief and suffering through out the city and its residents. This angers Oedipus and he retaliates by saying that he is conspiring with Creon to overthrow him and take the kingdom for himself. Here we learn that although Tiresias is blind, he sees the truth much clearer than the powerful and envious king, Oedipus. Tiresias goes on to prophesize that before the day is over, the man responsible for everything will be found to be â€Å"a resident stranger as it seems, but soon to be revealed as a native Theban† (451).

E-crime investigation. Security breach on a Linux Operation System Assignment

E-crime investigation. Security breach on a Linux Operation System - Assignment Example If we elaborate these further, the first time stamp named as ‘modify’ or the ‘mtime’ is updated when there is some change or modification. Likewise, in case of a directory, the time stamp is updated when there are changes / modifications or deletion occurs within the file in that particular directory. The second time stamp known as the ‘atime’ is updated for a file when it is executed or accessed. The third time stamp Change that is called as ‘ctime’ is updated when the data structure enclosing metadata of a file is accessed by the file system to define information of a file including owner, group name, access rights etc. are modified. However, during a forensic investigation, MAC times can provide a comprehensive clues if remains unchanged. Likewise, it illustrates the changes that occurred on the file system. Andy will use the TCT mactime program that is a part of the TCT tool kit for printing the MACtimes for a series of files to get an in depth view of what actually happened and how the hacker has compromised the system. Likewise, the mactime program develops a database of time stamps linked with the files of the system (Nemeth, Snyder et al. 2007). It was detected that on September 20 i.e. few days after the initial compromise of the system, the hacker entered in the system via a telnet command and started manipulating file system and server. The command below demonstrates evidence: Sep 20 00 15:46:05 31376 .a. -rwxr-xr-x root root/mount/usr/sbin/in.telnetd Sep 20 00 15:46:39 20452 .c -rwxr-xr-x root root/mount/bin/login ... -rwxr-xr-x root root/mount/usr/sbin/in.telnetd Sep 20 00 15:46:39 20452 .c -rwxr-xr-x root root/mount/bin/login After one hour of the system being compromised, a directory was established named as /dev/ttypq/ on the file system and soon a distrustful and unknown file starts appearing and modified on the file system. The most suspicious files were named as ipv6.0, rpc.status and rc.local. Sep 20 00 16:49:47 949 ..c -rwxr-xr-x root root /mount/etc/rc.d/rc.local 209 ..c -rwx------ root root /mount/usr/sbin/initd Sep 20 00 16:50:11 4096 .a. drwxr-xr-x operator 11 /mount/dev/ttypq/... Sep 20 00 16:52:12 7704 .a. -rw-r--r-- root root /mount/lib/modules/2.2.16-3/net/ipv6.o 209 .a. -rwx------ root root /mount/usr/sbin/initd 222068 .a. -rwxr-xr-x root root /mount/usr/sbin/rpc.status Andy’s investigation addressed the ipv6.0 file that was a modular visible string related to the suspected sockets of the network i.e. TCP port 32411 and TCP port 3457, more than one user account names, ille gitimate use of the Ethernet interface to relay all the traffic visible on the network. prover# strings ipv6.o check_logfilter kernel_version=2.2.16-3 my_atoi :32411 my_find_task :3457 is_invisible :6667 is_secret :6664 iget :6663 iput :6662 hide_process :6661 hide_file :irc __mark_inode_dirty :6660 unhide_file :6668 n_getdents nobody o_getdents telnet n_fork operator o_fork Proxy n_clone proxy o_clone undernet.org n_kill Undernet.org o_kill netstat n_ioctl syslogd dev_get klogd boot_cpu_data promiscuous mode __verify_write . . . o_ioctl adore.c n_write gcc2_compiled. o_write __module_kernel_version n_setuid we_did_promisc cleanup_module netfilter_table o_setuid check_netfilter init_module strstr __this_module logfilter_table sys_call_table In the above strings, a string named as adore.c

Analysis of Heroism of Olympic Athletes in Olympic Advertising from Research Paper

Analysis of Heroism of Olympic Athletes in Olympic Advertising from the Semiotic Perspective - Research Paper Example Introduction Olympism is a philosophy of life, exalting and combining in a balanced whole the qualities of body, will and mind. Blending sport with culture and education, Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy of effort, the educational value of good example and respect for universal ethical principle. ---The Olympic Charter (IOC,2004:9) The Olympic Games are an international sports festival that began in ancient Greece. Olympic Games, considering the fascination of viewers and spectators worldwide, are unmatched among cultural events (Alkemeyer &Richartz, 1993). Every four years, elite athletes from all over the world with coaches and officials, media representatives and hundreds of thousands of spectator have gathered for around two weeks for such a sporting event that can be spread via mass media including television, radio, print media, and the Internet by billions of people around the world. With the modernization of the Olympic Games, they are enriched as a cul tural, political and economic phenomenon, no longer just a sporting event. Particular interests see them as a media event, a tourism attraction, a marketing opportunity, a catalyst for urban development and renewal, a city image creator and booster, a vehicle for ‘sport for all’ campaigns, an inspiration for youth and a force for peace and international understanding. The report will focus on the role that Olympic Games play in inspiring the audience in terms of mass communication, particularly in Olympic advertising. Dating back to ancient Greece, the term â€Å"hero† was defined as â€Å"a superior man†, embodiment of composite idea† (Fishwick, 1985). The gods imbued the hero with exceptional human characteristics such as strength, power, and courage (Fishwick, 1985). However, as a historically and culturally delineated construct, â€Å"heroism† has evolved across time and national boundaries. (Fishwick,1985). While the ancient hero was admi red for his extraordinary physical strength and skills, the modern hero is also described in terms of social accomplishment: attractive, victorious, charismatic, individualistic, skillful, down-to-earth, a realistic role model, and a risk taker. (Fishwick, 1985). Whereas the ancient hero was generally a warrior, the modern hero is often a sports figure. As Ryan notes: â€Å"Every culture has its gods, and ours hit baseballs, make baskets, and score touchdowns† (Ryan, 1995). The Olympic games have a rich, storied reputation based on athletic competition at its highest level, not as a one-time event, but literally for thousands of years. Over the millennia, athletes have become heroes and icons, inspiring generations of fans and future athletes to work hard in pursuit of their dreams. The Olympic athletes are carrying on a tradition that has deep meaning across cultures, offering inspiration to millions of people around the world Every Olympics has had its heroes from whom many fans and observers draw inspiration. Olympic heroes succeed in capturing people’s imagination through their athletic prowess, determination, and personality. They often represent both individual and collective

Things Fall Apart (Okonkwo Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Things Fall Apart (Okonkwo - Research Paper Example Nwoye, Okonkwo’s oldest son, was a major character that accepted and embraced the new order to the disappointment of his father. Nwoye was the opposite of his father. He loathes war and violence, which Okonkwo cherishes. He embraces the new religion, which Okonkwo vows to destroy. Nwoye’s final decision to leave his father house clearly shows the cultural collapse the new religion brought to the Igboland. The Story Though Okonkwo is a respected leader in the Umuofia tribe of the Igbo people, he lives in fear of becoming his father, Unoka, an idle, poor, profligate, cowardly, and gentle man and could not even think of tomorrow. Throughout his life, Okonkwo attempts to be his father’s direct opposite. From an early age, he builds his home and reputation as the precocious wrestler, who throws Amalinze the Cat â€Å"in a fight which the old men agreed was one of the fiercest since the founder of their town engaged a spirit of the wild for seven days and seven nights † (Achebe 3) He was also a hard-working and a productive farmer. He becomes prosperous, thrifty, courageous, violent, and adamantly opposed to anything else that he perceives to be â€Å"soft,† such as conversation, music, and emotion. He marries three women and fathers eleven children among. He is stoic and tough on the outside but he was not a cruel man. Okonkwo’s life takes a turn a when an accidental murder takes place and Okonkwo was given the responsibility of adopting a boy named Ikemefuna from the village, Mbaino, where the murder took place. Okonkwo comes to love Ikemefuna like a son since the latter turns the feminine Nwoye into a man. In fact, he loves him more than his natural son, Nwoye. After three years, though, the tribe decides that Ikemefuna must die. When the men of Umuofia take Ikemefuna into the forest to kill him, Okonkwo actually commits in the murder. Although he’s just killed his adopted son, Okonkwo shows no emotion because he wan ts to be seen as courageous and not weak like his own father was. Inside, though, Okonkwo feels painful guilt and regret. But since Okonkwo was so wrapped up in being tough and emotionless, he isolated himself from Nwoye, who was like a brother to Ikemefuna. Indeed, Okonkwo never portrays emotions towards anyone even though he feels inward emotions at times as he did after killing Ikemefuna. Okonkwo wraps his inward emotions by outfits of anger express through violence, stubbornness, and other irrational behavior. He was impulsive; he acts before he thinks. Okonkwo demands that his family work long hours despite their age or limited physical stamina, and he nags and beats his wives and son, Nwoye. Later on, during a funeral, Okonkwo accidentally shoots and kills a boy. For his crime, he was sent on exiles for seven years in his mother’s homeland, Mbanta. There, he learns about the coming of the white missionaries whose arrival signals a collapse of the Igbo culture. They brin g a new political system, colonial government; and a new religious order, Christianity. The two new systems weaken the cohesive force among the Igbos and leads to eventual collapse of the Igbo culture. For instance, Igbo outcasts, the Osu, become accepted in the society. As the Christian religion gains legitimacy, more Igbo people including prominent sons became converted. Just when Okonkwo has finished his seven-year sentence and is allowed to return home, his son Nwoye converts to Christianity. Okonkwo is so bent out

Analysis of Heroism of Olympic Athletes in Olympic Advertising from Research Paper

Analysis of Heroism of Olympic Athletes in Olympic Advertising from the Semiotic Perspective - Research Paper Example Introduction Olympism is a philosophy of life, exalting and combining in a balanced whole the qualities of body, will and mind. Blending sport with culture and education, Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy of effort, the educational value of good example and respect for universal ethical principle. ---The Olympic Charter (IOC,2004:9) The Olympic Games are an international sports festival that began in ancient Greece. Olympic Games, considering the fascination of viewers and spectators worldwide, are unmatched among cultural events (Alkemeyer &Richartz, 1993). Every four years, elite athletes from all over the world with coaches and officials, media representatives and hundreds of thousands of spectator have gathered for around two weeks for such a sporting event that can be spread via mass media including television, radio, print media, and the Internet by billions of people around the world. With the modernization of the Olympic Games, they are enriched as a cul tural, political and economic phenomenon, no longer just a sporting event. Particular interests see them as a media event, a tourism attraction, a marketing opportunity, a catalyst for urban development and renewal, a city image creator and booster, a vehicle for ‘sport for all’ campaigns, an inspiration for youth and a force for peace and international understanding. The report will focus on the role that Olympic Games play in inspiring the audience in terms of mass communication, particularly in Olympic advertising. Dating back to ancient Greece, the term â€Å"hero† was defined as â€Å"a superior man†, embodiment of composite idea† (Fishwick, 1985). The gods imbued the hero with exceptional human characteristics such as strength, power, and courage (Fishwick, 1985). However, as a historically and culturally delineated construct, â€Å"heroism† has evolved across time and national boundaries. (Fishwick,1985). While the ancient hero was admi red for his extraordinary physical strength and skills, the modern hero is also described in terms of social accomplishment: attractive, victorious, charismatic, individualistic, skillful, down-to-earth, a realistic role model, and a risk taker. (Fishwick, 1985). Whereas the ancient hero was generally a warrior, the modern hero is often a sports figure. As Ryan notes: â€Å"Every culture has its gods, and ours hit baseballs, make baskets, and score touchdowns† (Ryan, 1995). The Olympic games have a rich, storied reputation based on athletic competition at its highest level, not as a one-time event, but literally for thousands of years. Over the millennia, athletes have become heroes and icons, inspiring generations of fans and future athletes to work hard in pursuit of their dreams. The Olympic athletes are carrying on a tradition that has deep meaning across cultures, offering inspiration to millions of people around the world Every Olympics has had its heroes from whom many fans and observers draw inspiration. Olympic heroes succeed in capturing people’s imagination through their athletic prowess, determination, and personality. They often represent both individual and collective

International Business (IB) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

International Business (IB) - Essay Example The main lines of production were cables, rubber and paper, while electronics unit was still relatively small. However, all this changed with the International acquisitions of several European electronics companies. Thus Nokia strengthened its position in the consumer electronics and telecommunications market. Nokia has used collaborative ventures as a strategy particularly in Europe and in Asia, especially in China. Europe being a developed market, it made sense for Nokia to enter into joint ventures to build upon the expertise and the knowledge base of the existing companies. By 1991, the bilateral trade agreements between Finland and Soviet Union were abolished and Nokia started looking for intermediaries. This led Nokia to enter into indirect exports through joint ventures in Europe. China was a promising but unfamiliar overseas market. Thus Nokia entered into joint ventures with Chinese and other Asian companies and Government to achieve the following objectives: Nokia has been using networks based on innovative ideas to keep pace with a dynamic technological environment, which evolved into mobile telephony. Nokia used mainly international innovation networks in becoming a world leader in the mobile phone industry. This is the best example of Nokia’s collaborative venture strategy as an internationalization mode. Nokia’s international business strategy gradually moved from collaborative ventures to more of exports as it gained foothold in the overseas markets. However, instead of making the home country Finland its export hub, it chose Countries like China and India as their export hubs to the rest of the world. Thus Nokia’s Export policy could be seen as a furtherance of its collaborative ventures. From China alone, where Nokia earlier pursued primarily the policy of Collaborative ventures, its exports grew by 50% to a record level in the year 2001. China, which had acquired the position of the second

Freud’s Theory of Psychosexual Development Essay Example for Free

Freud’s Theory of Psychosexual Development Essay Sigmund Freud, born in 1856 was an Austrian neurologist who would later go on to found the discipline of psychoanalysis. He is best known for his theories of the unconscious mind and repression and his concept of the dynamic unconscious suggesting that it is our unconscious mind that determines how we as individuals behave, Freud also believed that the unconscious mind established sexual drives as the dominant motivation of human life. He considered the unconscious mind as being the source of mental energy which determined behaviour, basing his findings on the results of his use of hypnosis where he found that he was able to produce and remove symptoms of hysteria. There have been numerous approaches in the field of psychology that have put forward the belief that behaviour is directed by an individual’s goals but the idea behind a goal-directed unconscious is an original Freudian concept. The main underlying belief of this theory is that any individuals’ behaviour is the direct result of the influences that prior experiences have had on them where these influences have an even greater effect if they are from our childhood. Freud believed that our early experiences formed the solid foundations on which we would build the structure of our life and that the adult personality is indeed formed in childhood according to the situations, treatment and feelings experienced as a child. Freud defined the human psyche as comprising of three parts, the unconscious or sub-conscious containing material that we are unable to bring into our conscious awareness and therefore unknowable. The preconscious which consists of information that is not at the present moment in our conscious awareness but is stored in our memory and can if need be easily recalled to the conscious level; and the conscious part of our mind which is where all current and new incoming content is processed. Within these parts operate the Id, the Ego and the Super Ego that work together to create complex human behaviours. The Id is the only part of our personality that is present from birth and is entirely unconscious, seeking instant gratification and fulfilling instinctive human needs. The Id is governed by the pleasure principle desiring the fulfilment of all desires, needs and wants. If these are not immediately satisfied this results in a state of anxiety or tension. The Id serves of great importance early on in life, a child will cry as a  result of their Id if they are hungry or in discomfort and ensures that their needs are met. Later on in life it is not always realistic or indeed possible to immediately satisfy such needs, it would be morally and socially unacceptable for us to just help ourselves to other peoples things in order to satisfy our own needs and wants and so later in childhood our Ego comes in to play. The Ego is responsible for dealing with reality and acts to ensure that the impulses of the Id are satisfied in a way that is acceptable to the real world and functions in the conscious, preconscious and unconscious parts of our mind. The reality principle weighs up the pros and cons of an action before deciding whether or not to act upon the impulse. Often the impulses of the Id can be satisfied but through delayed gratification with the Ego allowing the behaviour at an appropriate time and place. The Ego is a part of the Id th at has been somewhat modified and rounded by external factors in the environment in which we live. Freud originally used the word Ego to mean a sense of self but later revised it to represent a set of psychic functions such as judgement, control, intellectual functioning and memory. Finally we develop our Super Ego. The Super Ego is the part of our personality that holds our morals and ideals that we have acquired from our parents and environment and acts as a voice for right and wrong. As with the Ego it is present in the conscious, preconscious and unconscious parts of our mind. The Super Ego consists of two parts, the Ego ideal which sets out the rules and standards for good behaviour. Conformity to behaviours that are approved of by our parents and people in positions of authority give us feelings of pride and accomplishment. The second part of the Ego is the Conscience which holds information on all the things that are viewed as being bad by our parents and the society in which we live. Behaviours that are forbidden or at the very least frowned upon and fill us with feelings of guilt and remorse. The perfection principle of the Super Ego strives to suppress any unacceptable desires of the Id and to make our Ego act upon idealistic rather than realistic standards. One of Freuds better known theories and also one of the most controversial is that of psycho-sexual development. He proposed that an instinctual libido is present in all of us from birth and develops in five stages. First is the oral stage which occurs from birth up until around the age of eighteen months. The main focus here being the  gratification and pleasures the infant receives through feeding. Children in this stage place objects into their mouths in order to orally explore their environment. At this young age the child is entirely dependent on their carers and thus develops a sense of trust and comfort in relation to those carers. This stage is dominated by the Id as at this point the Ego and Superego have not yet fully developed and all actions are based on the â€Å"Pleasure Principle†. The key experience for a child in the oral stage of development is weaning, allowing the child to become less dependent on their caretakers. Freud said that too much or too little gratification may lead to an oral fixation, which Freud claimed could result in them developing a passive, immature, manipulative personality. This fixation could present in an adult as issues with eating, smoking, nail biting and aggression. The second stage of psycho-sexual development is the anal stage taking place between around 18 months to three years old. Freud believed at this stage that the primary focus of the libido was on controlling bladder and bowel movements. Toilet training is the key experience here which brings into conflict the Id that demands immediate gratification and the Ego that demands delayed gratification. The resulting outcome of this conflict is heavily influenced by the parenting style that a child receives during toilet training. The ideal resolution of this conflict is a gradual adjustment whereby the child adjusts to moderate parental demands, learning the values of physical cleanliness and self control. Freud suggested that if parents over-emphasized toilet training or punished accidents then the child may develop what we term as an anally retentive personality, with the potential to become obsessively concerned with neatness and order. On the other hand if the parents were too lenient then the child may develop an anally expulsive and destructive personality whereby they are self-indulgent, messy and wasteful. Faeces and money are often linked in psychodynamic literature and according to Freudian theory; attitudes to money can reveal what the individual experienced during toilet training. The third stage of psycho-sexual development is the phallic stage taking place between the ages of three and six. During this time a child begins to gain awareness of its body and also the bodies of their parents and other  children, in particular genitalia. They begin to explore their genitals and learn the physical differences between male and female. During this stage boys experience what Freud termed as the Oedipus complex whereby the child wishes to remove his father in order to gain full attention of his mother’s affections. This urge to eliminate the father is controlled by what he termed as castration anxiety and so instead the child learns to imitate the father. Girls experience what Carl Jung in 1913 termed as the Electra complex where instead she wishes to remove the mother in order to gain full possession of her father. Freud however rejected this term as being psycho-analytically inaccurate believing that the reasoning behind the Oedipus complex applied only to male children and that it was wrong to share this analogy between the two sexes. He did however believe that girls experienced what he termed as penis envy and that initially the child experiences a lot of anger towards their mother for not sharing the same appendage as their father but in time they learn to identify with their mother in order to possess their father. Freud was very much influenced by the death of his father in 1896. In the three years following the death of his father, Freud became preoccupied with self-analysis where he realised that he had repressed feelings of anger and resentment against his father. He believed that as a small boy he had been in love with his mother and was jealous of his father. Freud based his theory of early sexual development on personal theory instead of exploring further using empirical methods. The fourth stage of psycho-sexual development is the latency stage taking place from around the age of six up until puberty. During this stage the child enters into a sexually dormant period, consolidating the habits of the previous three stages. The Ego and Superego take precedence over the Id due to the childs defence mechanisms repressing its instinctual drives during the phallic stage. Now that gratification is delayed, the child is driven to derive pleasure from external activities such as friendships, education and hobbies. Any neuroses established during this fourth stage of psycho-sexual development may be due to the unresolved issues of the Oedipus complex or the Egos failure to focus on socially acceptable activities. The fifth and final stage of psycho-sexual development is the genital stage  that spans from puberty throughout the remainder of adult life. As with the phallic stage the genital stage is focussed upon genitalia but in this instance the sexuality is consensual and more often involving another adult in the form of a relationship rather than being solitary and infantile. This is due to the establishment of the Ego which shifts attention away from primary-drive gratification to secondary process thinking and to satisfy desire in a more symbolic and intellectual way through loving relationships, friendships and family. The genital stage is the time when a person is able to resolve any psycho-sexual childhood conflicts that they may have and allows psychological detachment and independence from their parents. In previous stages focus was placed solely on individual needs, now the welfare of others comes strongly into play and if all stages have been completed successfully then Freud believed that the individual should be a well-balanced and fully functioning person. Unfortunately it isnt all that simple and the Id, the Ego and the Super Ego continuously come into conflict with one another. The Ego has to work to control the demands of the Id whilst at the same time having regard for the restrictions placed upon it by the Super Ego. At times these desires and constraints cause conflict that our Ego is unable to deal with resulting in anxiety and stress. Freud identified three types of anxiety, firstly neurotic anxiety which occurs through fear that we will lose control of the Ids urges and the resulting punishment for inappropriate behaviour. Secondly reality anxiety which is a fear of external events often culminating in phobias, we are able to reduce such anxiety by avoiding the threatening object or situation. Thirdly is moral anxiety from a fear of violating our own moral principles and values that have been set down by our Super Ego. Neurosis also figured heavily in Freuds psycho-analytical theory. He proposed that neurosis occurs when the Ego is unable to deal with desires that produce feelings of guilt and a sense of wrong. Through repression these thoughts manifest themselves through symptoms that have no physical dysfunction. The mental illness acts as a replacement for the guilt ridden desires of the Id allowing the Ego to avoid the conflict between itself and the Id. Such symptoms however are worse than the conflict they set out to hide, not only stopping the individual from being accepting of their repressed desires but  also causing them to become socially incapable of enjoying a happy and healthy life. He also believed that neurosis can be triggered by a traumatic childhood event that the individual is unable to handle. Often such experiences give rise to feelings of guilt that we seek to repress through use of various displacement mechanisms. Sometimes these repressed memories make their way back into our conscious minds in a different form producing a great amount of anxiety in turn triggering psychological disorders that seek to block out the real cause. Psychoanalytical therapy has proved productive in being able to help a client uncover unconscious defence mechanisms and help them find better ways of dealing with their anxiety or removing it all together. Psycho-analysis opened up a new view regarding the treatment of mental illness, suggesting that psychological distress could be reduced through talking about their problems with a therapist. The work of Freud was responsible for bringing about a greater understanding of behaviour that was unusual and differences were no longer automatically equated as unacceptable, with understanding comes greater tolerance. He radically changed the view of sexuality making it an acceptable topic of conversation and a natural part of a healthy, happy life. The approach is also credited with highlighting the importance of childhood and our unconscious mind. Despite the influential effect of his theories Freud is open to numerous criticisms. Many psychologists have adopted his ideas but there has been a great deal of modernisation on his original views. Carl Jung who was a pupil of Freuds even disagreed with certain aspects of his theories; in particular Freud’s reliance on sex as the answer to many problems. Jung went on to develop his own theories known as Analytical Psychology. Erich Fromm rejected Freuds view that the drives of the human being are solely biological, believing instead that it was down to our freedom of choice and ability to choose our own destiny. He believed any conflict arose as a result of the fear or uncertainty which that freedom entailed. Feminists are particularly critical of the work of Freud due to the sexist nature of many of his ideas. Neo-Freudian Karen Horney proposed that instead of penis envy girls in fact developed power envy and that in their inability to bear  children men develop womb and vagina envy. Scientifically the validity of Freuds theory of psycho-sexual development is brought in to question due to his perceived personal fixation on human sexuality and the phallic stage of development proved controversial for being based upon clinical observations of the Oedipus complex. Many were critical of the fact that a lot of Freuds ideas were based on case studies or clinical observations rather than empirical, scientific research. Contemporary criticism questions the universality of Freuds theory of personality and psycho-sexual development. Anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski studied the matriarchal society of the Trobriand where young boys are punished by their maternal uncles not their fathers and thus suggested that in this case power is the source of Oedipal conflict not sexual jealousy. Contemporary research has also confirmed that although personality traits corresponding to the oral, anal, phallic, latent and genital stages are observable they are not necessarily fixed stages of childhood or indeed adult personality traits that were derived from childhood. While there is no denying that Freud is of great historical significance and he developed many ground breaking theories and ideas some of which still hold relevance today although many over time have been discredited. It must then be said that Freud’s theory of psychosexual development may in some cases offer us a limited understanding of a client’s issue it would not be ethical practice to rely entirely on this theory when working with a client. Due to its lack of credibility in many areas, Freud’s theory cannot be implemented as a full explanation or means with which to begin the process of understanding and healing. Bibliography Frankland, A. and Sanders, P. 1995. Next steps in counselling. Manchester: PCCS Books. pp.70-76 Hough, M. 2006. Counselling Skills and Theory. 2nd ed. London: Hodder Arnold, pp. 59-86. Malinowski, B. 1927. Sex and repression in savage society. [e-book] London: Routledge and Kegan Paul. http://openlibrary.org/books/OL17967917M/Sex_and_repression_in_savage_society [Accessed: 1st July 2013]. Cherry, K. n.d.. Freuds Stages of Psychosexual Development. [online] Available at: http://psychology.about.com/od/theoriesofpersonality/ss/psychosexualdev.htm [Accessed: 19 Jun 2013]. Copperwiki.org. 1950. Human Centred Psychotherapy CopperWiki. [online] Available at: http://www.copperwiki.org/index.php?title=Human_Centred_Psychotherapy [Accessed: 01 Jul 2013] En.wikipedia.org. 2013. Psychosexual development Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. [online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychosexual_development [Accessed: 01 Jul 2013]. http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/dl/free/0072969806/286620/fei69806_ch02

Benefits of Evidence Based Healthcare Practice

Benefits of Evidence Based Healthcare Practice Evidence based practice refers to clinical practices that include best available scientific evidence (Levin and Feldman, 2006) based from expert opinion, clinical guidelines and findings from researches, combined with good clinician judgement and client’s preferences (Kim and Mallory, 2011) on issues relating to healthcare. The whole essence is to ensure the best care for patients and to be able to explain why certain clinical interventions are applied. This piece of work will briefly outline the importance of evidence based practice before analysing four pieces of evidence in the care of a stroke patient, Omar Banerjee, and its usefulness other users. Oman et al (2003) states that evidence based practice started to be appreciated and recommended by the National Health Services (NHS) in the UK in the early 1990s. The reason was to have effective and less costly interventions while providing high quality healthcare system. The intervention should be based on best available evidence and provided in the best interest of the patient such as Omar in this analysis. In addition, when a particular intervention is used on a client, evidence is required to back up that particular action (Kim and Mallory, 2011). In the UK this support can come from the NICE guidelines, Care Quality Commission and the codes and practices of professional bodies like Nursing and Midwifery Council. Evidence based practice ensures accountability. Aveyard and Sharp (2013) noted that professional health carers who belong to various professional organisations are expected to comply with their standards, codes and policies. This will be enabling them to justify their actions if required to do so. The first analysis of Omar’s condition is based on Cross (2008)’s evidence on stroke care. This evidence was obtained from the UWE blackboard website. I have chosen this article because it has statistical information helpful to Omar and his carers. It identifies important areas of his care needs and why stroke research should continue to be an on-going process. Sander (2013) defined stroke as a disease caused by the disturbance of the flow of blood in blood vessels in the brain which could have been necessitated by a bursting blood vessel or blood clot. Omar’s stroke was caused by a blood clot in the brain. Stroke has become a big problem and the second main cause of death and disability in developed economies after heart related diseases (Cross, 2008). Sander (2013) emphasises out that stroke is affecting about 150, 000 people in the UK yearly. However, the article reports a decline in deaths because of improvements in stroke care, management and awareness. More resources have been put towards short to long term care of stroke patients such as admission to acute stroke units and to rehabilitation areas (Cross, 2008). The report says this evidence, among others, is being used to develop new stroke treatments and guidelines in the UK. NICE (2008) which provides tools and quick reference guide to stroke related cases could have emerged as a result of this. These developments may give hope to Omar and his distressed family. The article cited two evidence of good practice from two hospitals. It is reported that the stroke management team at Aintree University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust assess stroke patients on admission to the AE, take brain scans and admit relevant patients to a stroke unit within 24 hours. The other evidence is from Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust where patients have brain scans, swallow screens and initial dose of aspirin given to relevant patients. These practices are recommended by NICE (2008) guidelines and may reduce further risks to patients. Omar received these interventions. This shows the strength of this article to Omar’s case and how early intervention may result in positive outcome. Although the article stressed the need for nurses to continuously monitor patients during the early stages of stroke on certain variables, it did not provide guidelines to back up the checks. Locally agreed hospital policies suggested may not meet NICE standards. Despite the improvements noted in the research, caution should be taken when making decisions based on the findings. These are 2008 findings and a lot has happened since then. Omar may be interested in hearing recent studies such as that of Sander (2013) who points out that in addition to the swallow screen stroke patients should further be screened for malnutrition using Malnutrition Universal screening Tool (MUST) in line with the NICE (2008) guidelines. The second analysis of Omar’s care is based on a qualitative study of Tutton et al (2012) on ten staff and ten patients’ views on the concept of hope on a British stroke unit. The evidence was obtained from EBSCO via CINAHL database and UWE library section. I chose this evidence because CINAHL is considered as one the good sources of evidence (Levin and Feldman, 2006) and the concept may be useful to Omar to learn other patients’ experiences in a similar hospital setting. The aim and key search terms in the article relate well to Omar’s case. Hope is defined as getting better from illness and being able to do things as before (Tutton et al, 2011). This was echoed by some of the patients in the study. An in depth analysis of key terms and the codes used in qualitative study (Aveyard and Sharp, 2013) may help carers to understand how it feel to have a stroke. Omar and his family may share the same thoughts as they are finding it hard to come to terms with sudden change of things in their family. Despite taking long time on data collection and variations in stroke severity Omar may be encouraged to learn that some patients took less than a week in hospital. This result is echoed by Arnaert et al (2006) in a similar study based on ten patients in Canada. They reported that some clients were hoping for a quick recovery and self-healing. The article is good evidence as it stated what is already known about this topic and nursing implications. These aspects are echoed by Arnaert et al (2006) but Tutton et al (2011) further identify what the paper has added such as the multidisciplinary team involvement in caring for stroke patients to make hope a realistic thing. Although the article mentioned that consent was obtained from both participants, there are still some ethical issues in the article. Some of patients’ names are mentioned in the article. This is confidential information and Omar may find himself in a similar situation. Furthermore, relatives and carers of patients were not interviewed in the study. It may be necessary to hear their views as well especially after learning from Preeti how she was struggling to come to terms with Omar’s condition. Her understanding of hope would improve our knowledge on this aspect. It is generally accepted that qualitative evidence is ranked second from the bottom in the hierarch of evidence (Polit and Beck, 2012) and uses a small sample size for the purpose of in-depth analysis of topic under consideration (Aveyard and Sharp, 2013). Although a large sample size may be costly and time consuming, caution must be taken when making inferences on large population size like 150, 000 patients mentioned earlier. A third analysis of Omar’s care considers service audit and evaluation evidence from Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme (SSNAP) (2013). It is a national audit on stroke patients admitted to hospital in the first three months of 2013. The research looks at the processes of care at early stages of stroke (72 hours) from hospital arrival. I have chosen this evidence because SSNAP is a nationally recognised organisation and works with other organisations in stroke related cases. Its recent results obtainable through Google, SSNAP Audit Report (2012) and Royal College of Physicians links have strong implications on Omar’s condition. SSNAP (2013) results show the importance of using guidelines in any intervention involving stroke cases. There is strong evidence in the article that stroke patients were immediately taken for brain scans and admitted to the stroke units, as in the case of Omar, upon arriving hospital. This is in line with NICE (2008) guidelines. Most of the trusts were able to meet this standard. However, it is worrying to learn that there is a lower chance of having scan during the weekend and night times, the time of the week when Omar experienced the stroke. NICE (2012) guidelines stipulate that people who have had TIA should have first dose aspirin upon initial assessment. Although Omar received one, the outcome in the report is not very pleasing. It is clear from the research that this standard was not met by all trust as there are huge variations. The research was only focused on 72 hours upon hospital arrival. It may benefit the public and give confidence to Omar if the care he received from the ambulance crew were up to standards. NICE (2012) guidelines require people suspected to have had stroke to be screened using a FAST tool. There are no statistics regarding this in the article as the research excluded time before hospital arrival and the rehabilitation. This information may enlighten the public the importance of early intervention in stroke care. This evidence is not peer reviewed and the way data was collected is of concern. Because the SSNAP is a single source of data nationally (Paley et al, 2013) and an online web-tool was used to gather information one may wonder whether variations in results may appear if a different organisation undertakes the same research. Caution should be applied when interpreting this data. The audit results stress the importance of early intervention by multidisciplinary stroke team in the care of stroke patients. However, there are some areas that require attention if the all standards are to be fully met. The final analysis of Omar’s care is based on quantitative study by Beavan et al (2010) on whether looped nasogastric tube (NGT) feeding improves nutritional delivery to acute stoke patients with dysphagia. The evidence was obtained from UWE blackboard website. I chose this evidence because the intervention, tube feeding, helps to resolve Omar’s swallowing difficulties and improve nutritional needs. The research helps in answering questions on whether there are other alternatives and any effects associated with the intervention. The research was necessitated by the poor nutrition on patients on admission to hospital and the dislodgement associated with adhesive nasal stickers. Findings from the research reported more benefits in using the loop system than the other method. Some of the benefits include fewer checks for NGT position, less supplementary feeds required, more volume of fluids and feeds and less dislodgement of NGTs. This is vital information to Omar as it highlights why the intervention is used. However, the costs were seen to be high for the two week period. It is important to explain to Omar that studies of this nature are useful and commonly used in clinical interventions. It is a view shared by many authors like Polit and Beck (2012) and Aveyard and Sharp (2013). They rank randomised controlled trials as second best on the hierarch of evidence after systematic reviews and meta-analysis. There are some ethical issues regarding the funding for the research. Procare Ltd supplied the loops. The researchers stressed that it was not involved in any logistics or interpretation of the results, but one may wonder why the loops were sold at a bulk price. Could this have resulted in a discount? If the answer is yes then it is likely that the costs could be higher than the reported one. In addition, the aspect of tolerability was mainly based on the views of nurses and family members. Although it is understandable that most of the patients were having communication problems, the number of patients unable to communicate is alarming to the extent that caution is required when using this evidence. The study was done some years ago and the results published in 2010. A number of changes may have happened since then. Omar will be susceptible on why using such an old piece of evidence. Recent research results may be easier to convince Omar and his family than old results. To sum up, stroke is a major disease affecting many people and causing disabilities among survivors. Any nursing intervention will require evidence to back up. Four sources of evidence have been analysed in relation to Omar, a stroke patient. The strengths and weaknesses associated with each of this evidence will enable any intervention in Omar’s care to be made in rationale way and to his best interest. WORDS: 2 089 Reference Aveyard, H. and Sharp, P. (2013) A Beginner’s Guide to Evidence-Based Practice in Health and Social Care, 2nd ed. Berkshire: Open University Press. Kim, M. and Mallory, C. (2011) Statistics for Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing, Burlington: Jones and Bartlett Learning. Oman, K.S., Krugman, M.E. and Fink, R. M. 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