Midland Energy Resources, Cost of Capital

Midland Energy Resources, Cost of Capital The case is about how Janet Mortensen, senior vice president of project finance for Midland Energy Resources, prepare her annual cost of capital estimates for midland and each of its three divisions for her company. Midland was a global energy company with operations in oil and gas exploration and production (E&P), refining and marketing(R&M), and petrochemicals. Estimates of cost of capital prepared by Mortensen were used in many analyses within Midland, including asset appraisals for both capital budgeting and financial accounting, performance assessments.Since her calculations had been widely applied in various areas and became influential, she was considering appending a sort of user’s guide to the 2007 set of calculations for reference to different applications. Mortensen used WACC formula to estimate cost of capital, compute the cost of debt by adding a premium over US Treasury securities of a similar maturity, and calculate the cost of equity by using the CAPM formula. After reviewing the case and tables given, we calculated the company’s composite WACC and WACCs for each division respectively. The company’s composite WACC is 8. 19%. The inputs we used are spread to treasury of 1. 2%, debt ratio of 42. 2%, Treasury bond yields of 4. 98% at a 30-year maturity, the 2006 tax rate of 39%, beta of 1. 25, and EMRP of 5%. However, we do not think that EMRP given in the case is appropriate. Instead, we recommend 3. 3%, which is the most recent EMRP estimate according the survey results in the Exhibit 6. Midland cannot use the same WACC for all divisions. It has three different divisions with different risk or Beta, which is given in Exhibit 5. If midland uses same WACC for all division it can accept risky investment or some time it may mislead by giving up profitable investment.It should use corporate WACC only for corporate level decision. WACC for E&P and R&M is calculated by using cost of debt by adding risk free rate plus spread to TB. From the Exhibit 5, weights for debt and Equity are calculated. WACC of E&P is 8. 82 and R&F is 9. 83. Both WACC are different to each other because they have different risk level, leverage and credit rating. Calculation Part: WACC (E&P):=rd(D/V)(1-t)+re(E/V)=6. 58*0. 2847(1-0. 39)+10. 73*0. 7153=8. 8178 rd=rf+spread =4. 98+1. 6=6. 58, re=rf+B(EMRP)=4. 98+1. 15*5=10. 73 D/E=0. 398 or V-E/E=0. 398 or E/V=0. 7153D/V=1-E/V=1-0. 7153=0. 2847 WACC (R&M)=rd(D/V)(1-t)+re(E/V)=6. 78*0. 1687(1-0. 39)+10. 98*0. 8313=9. 8253 rd= rf+spread =4. 98+1. 8=6. 78re= rf+B(EMRP)=4. 98+1. 2*5=10. 98 D/E=0. 203orV-E/E=0. 203orE/V=0. 8313, D/V=1-E/V=1-0. 8313=0. 1687 For Petrochemical division, since we don’t have sufficient information of that division. We cannot compute our Beta so that we cannot get an exact number of WACC for the division. If the managers want to have a rough estimate, they can use the overall Beta as an average for three divisions and c alculate the Beta for Petrochemical division. Then they can get the WACC.

Instilling Safety Awareness in Children

Name : Lim Xiao Pei Class : 4S1 IC No. : 971022-08-5976 Topic : Instilling Safety Awareness In Children Theme : Social Issues Children are innocent. They don’t have a clear idea of what a bad person might look like. They probably think someone with a moustache and ugly or evil facial expression is a bad person. The children do not think that women and kind-looking elderly men may be the bad person. The best people to teach children about personal safety are their parents.In view of the mounting number of crimes involving young children,parents must think about how they can protect their children from the danger that lurk around them. First of all,children need to know about their neighbours and living area. Parents should tell their children where they can visit when parents are not around. It will be great if boundaries are set outlining the areas that they can go to. If your children are invited by friends and neighbours to areas beyond the set boundaries,tell them that they should first check with you before venturing out.Then,remind your child to look out for the strangers hanging around frequently. Teach them to be aware of people who go round chatting up little kids or strangers cruising the neighbourhood. Parents must make sure that their children are aware of safety measures to take with regards to strangers,before allowing them to venture out on their own. Children should be told that if they feel uncomfortable when a stranger approaches them,they should run away without any hesitation. They should also be taught to say â€Å"No† and to shout for help when necessary.Parents should also be cautious in allowing their children to go out by themselves to meet friends at public places. Though it may be tiresome,parents should accompany their children if they need to wait for their friends. If possible,parents can pick up their friends and send them to their destination too. Furthermore,parents must always be sure where their children at all ti mes. They should make sure that their children do not accept any gifts or invitations from any strangers. Besides,parents must realize that potential dangers involving child abuse and sexual assault lurk in places where children spend most of their time.Thus,parents should teach their children the ways to protect themselves. If possible,parents can send their children to learn martial arts too. Parents must be approachable to their children. When a child confesses to wrongdoing,find out the facts of the case before punishing them. Do not forget to give them a chance to explain and see how you can help them to solve the problem. If parents are unapproachable to children,they will bias to strangers who treat them very nice. The time has came for the community to work together to prevent crimes in our neighbourhood.Creating a safe neighbourhood is everyone’s responsibility. When we help to keep all the children safe,we are protecting our own family too. *This is very important a s children are still young and cannot detect the approaching of danger. For example,the six-year-old child,William Yau Zhen Zhong was left with his siblings,Eric and Cindy in his parents’ car as they went to a shop. He apparently got out of the car to look for his parents when Cindy started crying. He was reported missing after that. Nine days later,his body was found in a river.

Discuss whether the Australian criminal court system should be based on the Adversarial or Inquisitorial model

It has been an enduring habit among legal scholars to consider in terms of families of law: civil law families on the continent of Europe, common law families in Great Britain and her former colonies. Though differences within these systems are typically often considered as incidental, those between them are seen as necessary. From a comparative angle, the stimulating question arises whether the legal systems of continental and common law countries typically portrayed as completely opposed are gradually converging.If that is certainly the case, does this entail that both systems will ultimately adopt so many of each other's description as to become no more than deviations on a theme their differences no longer important. It is also probable that the two systems are moving towards each other, but that junction beyond a definite point is out of the question for the simple reason that there is a decisive limit at which each system would start to risk degeneration.This implies and it mig ht be particularly true in the field of criminal justice that these systems are the personification of such divergent norms and values in the field of criminal justice, in their turn reflecting reflective societal values that they can never be brought as one entirely. And there is, obviously, a third and more radical prospect. Countries with diverse legal traditions like Australia, often faces similar problems, but have usually resolved them in contrasting and sometimes outwardly incompatible ways.As knowledge of, and expertise with, other systems increases, it is alluring to seek new resolutions in the experiences of others. But the feasibility and suitability of specific mechanisms and processes might often be linked to their context the norms and standards of the system as a whole. The inquisitorial system is depicted as the investigation of an occasion and the persons concerned in that event by the state with a view to ascertaining the truth–the state particularly present in the ‘fact-collecting' prosecutor on the one hand and, on the other, an unbiased and independent judge enthusiastically involved in truth finding.The adversarial system raise images of peaceful medieval folk gatherings under holy oaks, disputes solved willingly and satisfactorily by means of expletives before the elders of the tribe. The implication of inquisitorial proceedings is very much more appalling: the sinister red robes and piercing hats of an invincible Inquisition from which there is no escape, and the institution of ‘truth' by means of confessions, taken out, if necessary, under torture.Both ideas are, of course, quite preposterous when applied to modern criminal justice, and even in their conventional (i. . ideal typical) forms, the aims of adversarial and inquisitorial justice are much closer than the classical models entail. Both systems have the finding of truth as an elemental aim: the principle that the guilty must be punished and the guiltless left alone. Yet whatever the system, it is certainly fundamental that the truth in thus far as it can be established must be established in what is considered as a fair, and therefore communally legitimate, way. It is not here that the two systems differ, but in their elemental assumptions as to the best way of going about things.Thibaut and Walker (1975, 1978) initiated a significant line of research on the nature of diverse dispute resolution procedures. This research comprises public perceptions concerning which procedures were fairer than others for determining certain disputes. Thus, the inquisitorial system, and the adversarial system are alternating methods of inquiry are predominately used to hold criminal cases. In an inquisitorial system, as one attorney who is court selected and assists the judge in investigating the case and presenting the facts for both sides. Attorneys in the inquisitorial system are unbiased and are not advocates for either side.In contrast to this, the ad versarial system employs two attorneys signifying each side of the dispute. The prosecutor serves as an advocate for the state's position and the defence attorney represents the defendant. The adversarial system is found on the premise that competition will stimulate both attorneys to conduct a thorough investigation, which will result in a more systematic and unbiased presentation of the evidence. Advocates of the adversarial system state that the lack of competition in the inquisitorial system might produce a less thorough investigation of the case than that which takes place in the adversarial system.Research has tested this assertion. Lind, Thibaut and Walker ( 1978) assigned law students to either the task of adversarial attorney or the role of inquisitorial attorney. To stimulate the students to take their task seriously, the law students were told that undergraduate students were implicated in the case as disputants and decision makers and that the outcome had real consequenc es. The law students also had an individual incentive to take the task sincerely: They were informed that the extent of their payment would depend on how well they complete the task.In addition, the researchers diverse the strength of the case against the client: Either 25, 50, or 75 percent of the confirmation supported their client. To test whether the adversarial system formed a more thorough investigation than the inquisitorial system, researchers requisite the â€Å"attorneys† to acquire facts about the case (the cost of which would be taken off from their eventual payment) and examined whether the number of facts bought speckled by the role of the attorney.Adversarial and inquisitorial attorneys did not diverge in the number of facts they collected when the evidence was ambiguous (50 percent in favour of one disputant; 50 percent in favour of the other disputant) or favoured the adversarial attorney's client. However, when the evidence was more devastating against the a dversarial client's position, the adversarial attorney bought a larger number of facts than did the inquisitorial attorney. The researchers also examined the degree of overall bias in the presentation of facts to the court whether the facts accessible in court reflected the universe of facts which the attorneys had received.Inquisitorial attorneys offered an unbiased presentation of facts for all cases as their role requisite. The adversarial system, however, produced a deformed presentation of the evidence if the case was more obvious (75 percent of the evidence favoured one disputant's position), but produced an unbiased presentation of the evidence if the case was indefinite (50 percent favoured one disputant's position and 50 percent favoured the other disputant's position).For the cases where proof devastatingly favoured one disputant, the adversarial system overrepresented the sum of evidence that favoured the disputant who had more actual facts against her, but the inquisitor ial system offered an unbiased presentation of the facts. What do these findings say concerning the accuracy of the adversarial and inquisitorial systems? First, the inquisitorial system emerges to provide as thorough an investigation and as a precise presentation of the evidence for ambiguous cases.When the evidence is devastating against one disputant, the adversarial system offers a more thorough investigation, but a presentation which disfigures the overall array of evidence against the disputant. This verdict can be judged both optimistically and pessimistically. The diligent investigation, but distorted presentation could have an affirmative benefit: â€Å"[I]t would reassure that a full investigation would be conducted even if the preliminary evidence seemed, erroneously, to designate an ‘open-and-shut case'† ( Lind and Tyler, 1988, p. 5-26).Inquisitorial attorneys, however, did not impulsively stop investigations. Moreover, other researchers have found further b iasing effects of adversarial systems. Witnesses interviewed by adversarial attorneys present the proof in a biased way that favours the side for which they are confirming. These biases are much less marked when witnesses are interviewed by inquisitorial attorneys. Within the criminal justice system, however, fundamental relationships between parties and within state institutions are varying.Concerns regarding organized crime have resulted in escalating emphasis on secret undercover operations in criminal investigation–with all the dangers of set-up, cover-ups, and inherently complex verifiability and control. These developments leave a few traces in the dossier or even no map out at all. As the police gradually more come to see themselves as a party opposing (organized) crime, doubts concerning their definite commitment to truth-finding increase, and they lay themselves open to arraign of partisanship.At the same time and simultaneous to the foregoing, the other integral gua rantee that the dossier will be ingenuous is also under pressure. There are plans to hold back the truth-finding role and equivalent powers of the investigating judge (numerous countries with inquisitorial procedures have already done so), which will provide the public prosecutor the exclusive functionary accountable for the collection of evidence, with the investigating judge simply approving the use of intrusive investigative techniques by others.This corresponds with the improvement of the prosecution service as quickly becoming the central government organization where strategy decisions are made on how to contract with crime, while destabilization the quasi-judicial and objective position of the prosecutor in continuance the due administration of substantive justice. The end result might well be a more adversarial relationship between resistance and prosecution, as the possibly deteriorating reliability of the dossier as an indication of ‘pre-trial truth' inexorably invol ves the defence more in truth-finding.There is another reason why we should expect more energetic involvement by the defence in pre-trial assessments. In an ideal-typical inquisitorial system neither side has any right to let the case rest, or to bargain concerning its outcome or about the way in which it will be tried. The Dutch system has never been completely inquisitorial in this sense prosecutors have always been capable to drop individual cases for reasons of public interest pertaining to the case.In addition, modern tendencies have resulted in various ways of settling cases out of court with or without circumstances like the payment of a lawfully fixed or negotiated sum of money. subsequently the prevalence of negotiations between defence and prosecution is on the rise; even not called plea bargaining yet, the terminology has appeared in official documents. In adversarial systems, every party is accountable for developing evidence to support its arguments. Investigation is st imulated by self-interest rather than public interest.There is no investigating judge to search for ‘truth' and, despite official oratory about fairness in prosecution, the actual legal duties of police and prosecution lawyers do not extend to seeking out exculpatory evidence. certainly what constitutes the truth is subject to conciliation by the parties. Extensive plea bargaining merely produces an agreed approximation of events on which to support conviction and sentence. It is infrequent for any judicial authority to face these agreed assertions.Procedural directive and structuring of the pre-trial process is conventionally limited. The system starts from a model of challenge linking equal and private parties and therefore the supposition that the state need simply provide an arena for the declaration of the conflict. The initial reliability of this model is maintained by confrontation to the development of a state police and the use of awful inquisitorial techniques of que stioning under detention, and to the improvement of an organized public party to the pre-trial procedure equipped with restricted powers.In the lack of these state institutions and powers, the suspect, with his right to snub to confirm or to co-operate, is in a position to retain his interests devoid of detailed pre-trial procedural rules. Indeed, with both parties accepted to develop separate and challenging accounts rather than to work from a single case file, the strengthening of a dossier with evidential significance is impractical in a system where the evidence that counts is oral evidence at trial.In contemporary times the adversarial system has gradually more adopted the instruments of inquisitorial investigation: a structured police force and overt recognition of police power to restrain and interrogate so as to generate evidence against the suspect. This makes the traditional adversarial view of two equal, private parties difficult to protract. To the inquisitorial eye this moderated status of the accused is instantaneously recognizable: the suspect as objective of truth-finding in the hands of the state.Moreover, regardless of the potentially imprecise outcomes which may result from adversarial systems in definite cases, an agreement exists in terms of public opinion. People from the United States, France, Great Britain, and Germany all have a preference on adversarial procedures more than inquisitorial dealings for handling their disputes ( Thibaut, Walker, 1978; Lind and Tyler, 1988; Lind, 1994). Thus, even in countries like France where trials follow an inquisitorial procedure, citizens favour pure adversarial procedures over the inquisitorial system (Lind and Tyler, 1988).Despite of whether respondents imagined they were the destitute party or the disputant who had the advantage, they favoured adversarial procedures. The most significant perception shaping their preference was the professed fairness of the process. Yet when respondents were unawa re of whether they had the advantage or not, respondents consigned most importance to the fairness of the procedure as compared to their perceptions concerning the likelihood of receiving a constructive outcome or their observations about the amount of power over they would have over the decision making.Thus, Public preferences might be out of line with the definite accuracy of adversarial procedures. The public prefers adversarial procedures above inquisitorial procedures because they are seen as more expected to generate a fair process which consecutively will lead to a fair outcome. What is less clear is why the public think adversarial justice is more expected to generate a fair outcome. Confidence in the adversarial mode could spring from some intrinsic distrust of state-controlled adjudication.More modern cross-cultural research with United States, Hong Kong, and Germany citizens further validates the significance accorded to procedural fairness in forming preferences, and div ulges that people place significance on procedural fairness because they value association issues (Lind, 1994). More recent research, however, has extended the procedural options presented to respondents and has found that people favour initially to handle their disputes through negotiation or urging (Lind, Huo, and Tyler, 1994). Discuss whether the Australian criminal court system should be based on the Adversarial or Inquisitorial model The system of law can be a determining factor in how the citizens of a country behave towards and show respect towards the law.Many countries are always embroiled in conflicts, civil wars, and law and order there is usually a fight for survival and protecting innocent citizens. However, in a mature and developed country like ours, law and order is respected and Australia is said to be one of the safest places in the world.Our law and order system is quite mature and strong in implementation, perhaps this is the effect of the money we pour into our system along with the strict requirements we have for people who can or cannot serve on the judiciary or any of its branches.In spite of all the good work that has gone into our judicial system, there are still calls for us to change from the Adversarial to the Inquisitorial system of justice. I will talk about the systems and give an overview of their pros and cons and then talk about if we should change the system or not, what is to be ga ined, what can be lost.The Adversarial system has its roots in the idea where two opposite sides are pitted against one another. There is one side supporting the accused and the other side trying to prove him as guilty. The main idea is that the two sides being pitted against one another are going to lead to the truth.The judge has the role of facilitating the procedure of law and pit the opposing sides against one another while maintaining decorum and respect for the law. However, it is left entirely on the sides on how they want to present their case and what they do in their research. This system is used widely across the world and is prevalent in the US, UK and Australia.In the inquisitorial system, the judge is the main person and practically the whole system is dependent on how he investigates the case. If the judge is good, he can find out the truth completely and sort out the case, while if he cannot find out the fact, then the case might never be sorted out.He can take help of the law and its branches or agencies like the police etc, but the onus of solving the case and finding the facts lies on him. This kind of system is primarily used in France. The system has its benefits as you are pitting a skilled investigator to solve the case and putting the system of the law in the hands of some hand picked highly professional and competent people.However, the first thing that comes to mind is the fact that this system is easier to manipulate as its very easy for a rich person who is accused to at least ‘try’ and pay himself out of the position, as there is only one major person that he has to corrupt. While in an adversarial system, the opposition is paid to have the accused sent to jail or punished for his or her crimes.

Individual Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Individual Project - Essay Example Some other communication responsibilities entail conflict resolution, employee motivation and speaking to the public on behalf of the company Managers have to ensure they have qualified staff to perform their duties. They schedule training programs and orientation and always carry out continuous assessment to identify training needs. They work with every employee to create career objectives and plans to achieve them It is the sole responsibility of a manager to ensure the success of the organization. Managers are hired to run daily operations, maintain quality control, coach employees and make sure that company’s products and services meet the needs of the customers. Managers review the company’s financial, production and budgetary goals to ensure the success of the organization Ethics forms everything we do in day to day activities. As a manager, you continuously make decisions through the prism of your ethics and values. Ethical dilemma involves situations where it becomes difficult to ascertain whether a conduct is regarded as right or wrong. Project Management Institute (PMI) provides guidelines to be followed before making a decision. As for the case where a manager is faced with a dilemma of whether to expose the information to his friend, the following guidelines should be followed to determine whether the decision to be made is right or wrong. An organization exists in various types of environment ranging from political, economic, social, legal and technological environment. These are forces that are outside control of an organization and can cause some potential threats to the performance of an organization. Managers should therefore understand that any change in the global environment can create opportunities for them to strengthen the organization. On the other hand, managers should also understand that such changes may pose a threat to the organization if not properly handled This is the process where an organization measures

Healthy eating plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Healthy eating plan - Essay Example This paper will focus on my current eating habits, the nutritional recommendations I received from the Supertracker, and how this tool is vital for us Americans. My food groups and calories reports in the supertracker revealed that I am ‘under’ in the categories of grains, vegetables, fruits, dairy and oils. I am only ‘ok’ as far as my protein intake is concerned. Although my total calorie intake is 1608 which is ‘ok’ as the total calorie limit for a person like me with a weight of 163 lbs. and 5 ‘9’ height is determined to be 2800 calories according to the supertracker. As far as grains are concerned, my intake of whole grains is below the recommended level, which is 1 ½ ounces against a recommendation of 6 ounces, though refined grains intake is over the suggested level. I consumed only 1 cup of vegetables against the recommended level of 3 ½ cups for five days and only  ¼ cup of fruits against the suggested level of 3 ½ c ups. My intake of dairy products is also much below the necessary level (1/2 cup instead of 3 cups) and oils consumption is also lower than the required level. This analysis has revealed that there is a need to increase my level of intake in all the above food categories except protein. To improvise my food and calories intake, I shall include the following in my daily diet:†¢ Intake of whole grains like wheat and reduce the level of refined grains like rice.

A mix CD with Songs that Inspire Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

A mix CD with Songs that Inspire - Essay Example It also received a Golden Satellite Award nomination for â€Å"Best original Song in a Motion Picture†. It was nominated for the 2000 Grammy Award for â€Å"Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals†, losing to â€Å"I Still Have That Other girl† by Burt Bacharach and Elvis Costello. One of the features of the song is when Carey and Whitney Houston sing a section of the song in thirds; they have done this and still kept in tune. The lyrics of When You Believe consist of ten stanzas starting with a painful and seemingly hopeless situation gradually evolving into a more favorable one. The persona (who can be practically anyone) can begin to hope and believe in himself, thus enabling him to achieve. The first stanza goes thus: The speaker accepts that the fertile ground for miracles to happen is the presence of hope which is frail, yet hard to obliterate. He firmly states that when one believes, success is just around the corner. There are times in life when prayers remain unanswered and fear on all sides threaten to overwhelm. These are times when hope flies to other climes like summer birds before the onset of winter. But this is just a feeling as shown by the next stanza wherein the speaker wonders why he has not succumbed to failure. His heart overflows with words of gratitude that he never thought he would need to say. Of course, miracles such as these do not always take place when one asks for them. He admits that it is easy to give in to one’s fears. There are times when one cannot think straight because of the pain or see one’s way through the rain. (Rain here is used a s a metaphor meaning a state of suffering). It is then when a small but still resilient voice can be heard, saying that love can provide relief, love is the solution. The lyrics do not say whose voice it is, but the concluding paragraph hints that the voice is God’s voice. Everyone who is alive on this planet goes through difficult times. The song

Marketing Plan on E-Recycling Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Marketing Plan on E-Recycling - Essay Example of getting rid of the waste, as well as getting a reusable product in return. Hence recycling is a very powerful tool to use resources that would have probably gone to waste and would have caused a lot of damage. Recycling also plays a major role in reducing the greenhouse effect because when recycling takes place the gas emission is very small as compared to when the goods are produced for the first time, this too is because it takes lesser resources to recycle a good. For example, paper can easily be recycled and reused. ... It refers to recycling the electronic products that are no longer in use for many a reasons like outdated technology or any technical or machinery problem etc. E-recycling is becoming one of the most important area in the field of recycling nowadays as more and more electronic items like computers, cell phones etc are being used by more and more people. These devices are becoming more accessible, more affordable and more popular among people as the buying power of people increases and so does their awareness and interest in such products. Moreover, since the technology is changing much more rapidly than it has ever had, people switch to newer products after very short span of using older ones and dispose the used products off. This factor is also adding to the e-waste. Thus, the need of e-recycling is increasing day-by-day and it is time to take as many steps as possible to help solve this issue in order to help reduce pollution. Some examples of goods that are commonly e-recycled th e world over are electronic circuits and gadgets, computers, cell-phones, batteries and other such items. MARKETING PLAN A Marketing Plan is one of the most important parts of a business plan. A good Marketing Plan is a complete set of decisions, strategies and marketing techniques and tactics that would be necessary in order to market a product, brand, service or a product line in the most effective and efficient manner. It is a list of all the necessary actions needed to achieve one or more marketing objectives. The time period of a marketing plan may stretch from one year up to five years. Although listing down the necessary actions, tactics and techniques is very important while formulating a sound marketing plan, but if a marketing plan lacks relevant and

Phonetics Lab work Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Phonetics Lab work - Assignment Example say it one time in this paragraph. She say [à °Ã‰â„¢] ‘the’ at the end of the paragraph. All other times she say either /d/ or /s/. She use /d/ instead of /à °/ at the beginning of word and /s/ instead of /à °/ at the end of word. She changes the voiced dental fricative /à °/ to a voiced alveolar stop /d/ at the beginning of word and she changes the voiced dental fricative /à °/ to a voiceless alveolar fricative /s/ at the end of word. The Mandarin phonetic chart show that there is not /à °/ in the language. This maybe why speaker cannot say it. The speaker has trouble saying the front, close-mid vowel /É ª/ and say /i/ instead. /i/ is a front high close vowel. So the speaker raising the front, close-mid vowel /É ª/ to a front high close vowel /i/. The vowel chart for Mandarin show that there is no /É ª/ in the language. This may be why speaker cannot say it. Although she did use /r/ in some words such as [frÊÅ'm] ‘from’ that should be [frÉ’m], [brÊÅ'zÉÅ"] ‘brother’ that should be [brÊÅ'à °Ã‰â„¢], [rÉ›z] ‘red’ that should be [rÉ›d], and [tren] ‘train’ that should be [trein], she left it out in the words above. So she has trouble pronouncing the alveolar trill /r/ and leaves it out many times. She has trouble using the alveolar, lateral approximant /l/ and leaves it out in these words. She can use it some places such as [slà ¦bs] ‘slabs’ that should be [slà ¦bz], in [smal] ‘small’, and in [wil] ‘will’ that should be [wÉ ªl]. Same as the Mandarin speaker, the Thai speaker has trouble saying the front, close-mid vowel /É ª/ and say /i/ instead. /i/ is a front high close vowel. So the speaker raising the front, close-mid vowel /É ª/ to a front high close vowel /i/. The vowel chart for Thai also show that there is no /É ª/ in the

Song Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Song Analysis - Essay Example Buble wrote these lines when he was on a tour to Italy where the separation from his beloved pained him too much, and he wished to get back to his beloved at the earliest. A close reading of the song explores certain other poetical devises such as the repetition of some phrases, images and the usage of figurative speech that add imaginative coloring to the song. Buble begins the song with a note of pathos in his words. For Buble, even the great cities like Rome or Paris does not pacify his unquenchable thirst to reach home and share some sweet moments with his beloved. Like a child’s crossness, he repeats, ‘I wanna go home.’ The repetition of the phrase is capable of haunting the minds of the listeners who feel the intense desire of the writer to reach home. The multitude of people, ‘Another aeroplane (Line 17),’ ‘Another sunny place (Line 18), ‘Another winter’ (32) and so on, does not satisfy the writer. While reading through the lyrics of the song, one gets various images of the male narrator of the song, his journeys, alienation, and his earnestness for reunion. From the narration, it is quite evident that the narrator is a busy man, travelling from one place to another and could not find sufficient time to reach home. He himself admits that his words are cold and flat and his beloved needs more than that. This also brings to us the image of a beloved, anxiously waiting for the letters and presence of her lover. The narrator’s words, ‘I feel just like I’m living someone else’s life/It’s like I just stepped outside’ (Lines 25-26) bring out the image of a discontented person. The lyricist has resorted to some figure of speech to enkindle the feeling of the narrator in the song. One can find the usage of the figure of speech simile in the lines, ‘I feel just like I’m living someone else’s life,’ and in, ‘It’s

It ask to look critically at a contemporary social or cultural issue Essay

It ask to look critically at a contemporary social or cultural issue - Essay Example However, with societys liberalization came the dawn of a new age where homosexuals declared openly their sexual preference for same sex partners. They lobbied for social acceptance by challenging legislative statutes, and proceeded to sensitize people about their inherent right to express themselves freely. Consequentially, society remains divided on whether to accept or reject same sex couples. Discussed below includes a brief overview of the history of the gay movement detailing challenges homosexuals face and milestones they managed to overcome. This discussion also tries to analyze the context of homosexuality in contemporary society by analyzing the international reactions on homosexuality. Anthropological research on ancient societies spanning across the globe reveal homosexualitys prevalence. Murray & Roscoe (2011) advanced that homosexuality was consistent and common among African societies. According to these anthropologists, societies refrained from shunning such acts because they deemed them permissible. This explained why some of their leaders engaged in homosexuality; for example, King Mtwapa II, leader of the Baganda kingdom located in Uganda engaged in sexual relations with other men. Presently, modernization of society continues to redefine individuals perspectives on homosexuality. Majority remain ignorant of their past influences leading to irrational deductions. Moreover, religious doctrines influence peoples views on morality by differentiating between right and wrong. Therefore, issues pertaining to same sex relationships are immoral and shunned by societies built on conservative, religious values. Finally, legislative restrictions also continue to shap e perspectives on homosexuality. The laws of any country reflect the countrys cultural and religious views. Consequentially, countries with strict religious backgrounds and conservative cultures institute legislations that prohibit behaviors that deviate from

Conflicts Are Important Worksheet Essay Example for Free

Conflicts Are Important Worksheet Essay In this assignment, you must write 300 to 450 words on conflict and conflict management. Record your answers in this worksheet. Part 1: The Five Conflict Types Describe each of the five conflict types using paragraph form. 1. Pseudo conflicts: Pseudo conflicts are imaginary conflicts that are a result of faulty assumptions and false dilemmas (Cheesebro, OConner, Rios, 2010). Many times pseudo conflicts involve two parties with the same views on a subject arguing because they misunderstand or misperceive what the other person is trying to say. 2. Fact conflicts: Fact conflicts arise when two parties disagree about information that can be easily verified or the way it is verified (Cheesebro, OConner, Rios, 2010). 3. Ego conflicts: Ego conflicts usually center on status or power and occur when one party feels as though their opinion or way of doing things is far superior than anyone else (Cheesebro, OConner, Rios, 2010). 4. Value conflicts: Value conflicts usually occur in personal relationships, and arise when someone challenges another’s personal beliefs in which they hold near and dear (Cheesebro, OConner, Rios, 2010). These conflicts can be very intense and long lasting. 5. Need conflicts: Need conflicts arise when the needs of one individual are put before the needs of another or when the needs of each individual are not specifically stated and understood by both parties (Cheesebro, OConner, Rios, 2010). Part 2: The Five Conflict Management Styles Describe each of the five conflict management styles and explain the strengths and weaknesses of each. Use paragraph form. 1. Avoiders: Avoiders steer clear of conflict and simply avoid the issues because they view it as trivial, unimportant, or have no chance of winning the argument. Strengths of avoiding style is to prevent an immediate conflict and weakness is that the conflict will fester longer and remains superficial (Thomas Kilmann, 2014). 2. Accommodators: Accommodators believe conflict is destructive and allow others to determine the outcome (Cheesebro, OConner, Rios, 2010). The strength of using this style is when the issue is not as important to you as it is to the other party and the weakness is you can begin to feel taken advantage of (Thomas Kilmann, 2014). 3. Forcers: Forcers believe winning is everything and employ persuasion with emotional appeals (Cheesebro, OConner, Rios, 2010). This style is best used when your core values need to be defended and weakness is you receive less input and ideas from others (Thomas Kilmann, 2014). 4. Compromisers: Compromisers believe that those involved in the conflict must be ready to give in a little to reach a solution (Cheesebro, OConner, Rios, 2010). This style is best used to achieve temporary settlements to complex issues and weakness is no one really gets what they originally wanted (Thomas Kilmann, 2014). 5. Collaborators: Collaborators believe with hard work, both parties can and will get their needs met (Cheesebro, OConner, Rios, 2010). This style is best used to integrate both sets of concerns and weakness is can take longer to resolve the problem (Thomas Kilmann, 2014). Part 3: Collaborative Communication List two methods of collaborative communication and describe how using them can help you avoid conflicts. Two methods of collaborative communication are social media/software and boards. Social software such as blogs, instant messaging and social networks like Facebook and Twitter, are a great way to allow large groups to receive the same message when they are in many different places (Greene, Crystal, 2014). The use of chalkboards have been replaced by digital or electronic whiteboards and have been used for decades as way to visually demonstrate and communicate ideas that lead to brainstorming and other group collaborations. References Cheesebro, T., OConner, L., Rios, F. (2010). Chapter 7: Conflict Resolution. In Communicating in the Workplace. Pearson Education. Greene, Crystal. (2014). Collaborative Communication Tools. Retrieved from eHOW.com: http://www.ehow.com/list_6828701_collaborative-communication-tools.html Thomas, K., Kilmann, R. (2014). Five Conflict Management Styles. Retrieved from http://www.ntc.edu/studentlifeblog/wp-content/uploads/Handout-Conflict-Management-Styles.pdf

Teaching & Learning with Technology Essay Example for Free

Teaching Learning with Technology Essay From learning theories to technology tools, what do you find to be the most challenging aspect of teaching and learning with technology? What do you find to be the most beneficial? From learning theories to technology tools the most challenging aspect of teaching and learning with technology has been the expanding rapid modern technologies themselves. Teachers are required to learn how to use these technologies in their classroom daily. While new technologies are growing the challenge has been to insure that teachers training needs are met. Communication and information technology can provide more effective and flexible hardware/software for professional development for teachers, improve pre-and in-service training and connect teachers to the global teacher community. The most beneficial aspect of teaching and learning with technology from leaning theories to technology tools has been the integration of technology into pre-service teacher education programs from the constructivist and behaviorist perspective for the aim of improving student learning and pre-service teacher training. Technology tools allow us to better serve the diverse learning styles of our students and educate them for a wider range of intelligence. Everybody has different learning styles for meaningful learning but teachers cannot represent all the styles in a traditional classroom environment. However, with the flexibility and help of the technologies, we can design learning environments in which students are assisted in managing and constructing their own representations of knowledge in their minds. You have read about and discussed various technologies throughout this course. What technology tool intrigues you the most, when it comes to teaching and learning? Why? The technology tool that intrigues me the most when it comes to teaching and learning was the RSS feeds. I had never heard of these feeds and was fascinated at how much information can be gleaned for the Dangerously Irrelevant feed. It keeps me a breasted of the new trends and ideas that are being employed on a district-wide level and the challenges / rewards these present to School superintendents, principals as well as teachers and parents. In Week Two, you discussed principles of instructional design. Summarize briefly how these principles can support you in assessing the effectiveness of learning technologies. Instructional Design Theory provides detailed prescription on how to organize teaching and learning at the global (curricula), lesson and task level. Most work is also grounded in some learning theory. Despite and also because of the level of details these approaches attempt to formalize instruction their practical use is often debated. Some argument against reading much instructional design theory is that a good teacher with good practice intuitively knows and uses things like Gagnes steps. The Dynamic Instructional Design Model uses the elements necessary to design effective instruction. The internal feedback feature loops occur with each step of the process for continual self-examinations, feedback and corrections. You read about various learning theories in Week One. Describe how these theories influence teaching and learning with technology. There are three main categories of learning theory: behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism. Behaviorism focuses only on the objectively observable aspects of learning. Cognitive theories look beyond behavior to explain brain-based learning. And constructivism views learning as a process in which the learner actively constructs or builds new ideas or concepts. These theories influence teaching and learning with technology when by blended learning takes place. Knowing that today’s learners are wired differently at all times, teachers are directing students’ natural online proclivity towards schoolwork. The new trend of blended learning as it applies to the various theories is the combining computers and all technologies with basic teaching styles. Reverse teaching, flip teaching, or reverse instruction all means the same as student conducted research, watch video, participate in collaborative online discussions, power point presentations and the use Web. 2 tools at home and at school both in K-12 schools, colleges and universities and distance learning programs. In Week One, you reviewed the outcomes of your degree program, identified which one(s) intrigued you the most, and explained how the outcome(s) you selected would contribute to your career. I was intrigued in Week one that through technology I am able to create, design, and evolve a program that is individualized instructions so that my students can learn at their own pace. Technology becomes the means by which I can personalize my instructions daily. I will also be sure that by following the standards of the National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers Project I will meet the requirements necessary to be prepared to utilize technologies in my classrooms. Which of these your Program Learning Outcomes do you feel you’ve grown closer to achieving? Which ones do you still find unfamiliar? I have grown closer to the Flipped classroom. The flipped classroom is a technology enabled teaching technique. â€Å"The Flip† saves content creation time while delivering engaging videos, Wi-Fi and other good assessment tools. I am also closer to the Goggle maps as a learning outcome tool for teaching literature. I am most unfamiliar with the Smartphone and other tablet devices (I-Pad, I-Pod) as technology tools for learning outcomes.

Fast Food Marketing for Children

Fast Food Marketing for Children INTRODUCTION Overview and Background of the Topic Fast food came around after the after the Second World War and has come a long way since then. In the past it was a mere convenience provider and time saver, the easiest and fastest way to fill appetites, as the name suggests. It has now evolved into a premium luxury item. It is now very popular amongst all ages of people, especially children. Fast food Marketing is a necessity for Fast Food brands these days. Fast Food despite being a treat to the taste buds is hazardous to health and comes bearing a plethora of ailments. Therefore, it must essentially be advertised and marketed in order for businesses to make sales and be profitable. Fast food sales are increasing at a rapid pace mainly due to effective marketing strategy. Edwin Land rightfully said  Marketing is what you do when your product is no good which holds true in this case. Marketing camouflages the dangerous truth and sways the consumer into thinking that the temporary taste is worth more than the life-long disease. Marketers hence must undergo the pain of coming up with a successful marketing campaign using the various advertising methods to manipulate customers because this very art of creating an artificial need out of a want or a desire is what fast food marketers like Coca Cola do, for e.g. Food is askin for Coca-Cola, a thousand calories are finge r-lickin good by Kentucky Fried Chicken and the mounds of cheese that come with Im lovin it by McDonalds. Children are a very lucrative market for fast food brands because they are young and impressionable. Children are easier to target as they see color and sound and are wooed. This study will examine the various Fast Food Marketing Methods used; both above the line and below the line and explore their various impacts on childrens consumption of fast food. Importance of the Study Fast Food originated from the West particularly the U.S and spread throughout the world until it became a craze. It gained popularity in the East rapidly due to the ease of communication globally.  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  The success of Fast Food chains relies heavily on their marketing and thus they vest everything in it. The scarce information that there is available suggests that children form a large proportion of the fast food target market and a major reason for their families consuming fast food too. Also as John Scully says, no great marketing decisions have ever been made on qualitative data, thus in order to aid fast food chains this substantially quantitative research must be conducted. A few examples of the marketing methods used are television commercials, billboards, print ads like posters, banners, flyers and standees, internet ads via websites, blogs and social forums and radio ads. The topic has a lot of scope considering the number of fast food chains that exist in todays t ime and the fact that more and more keep opening every day. Fast Food is an immensely successful business in Pakistan where majority comprises of foodies. Therefore the study has relevance to Pakistan as Fast Food businesses continuously use a variety of marketing strategies and advertising campaigns to sell their products and services and reap more profits. Research Question Very few people have endeavored to undertake such a research. However in order to under why marketing of fast food has the impact that it has on children and how fast food chains can take advantage of it, this topic needs to be addressed. Therefore the study aims to answer the following Research Question: What is the most effective fast food marketing method catered to children? LITERATURE REVIEW The literature review will set the context for and inform the study by examining previous research on this topic. The aim of the literature review is to evaluate the existing literature on the importance of fast food marketing to children in order to do an analysis of the advertisements being used to fulfill the purpose. Fran Lowry (2010) in a study for the assessment of total annual exposure to food advertising for 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2007, television ratings data from Nielsen Media Research were used. Three different age groups of children were assessed using the data, i.e. 2 to 5 years, 6 to 11 years, and 12 to 17 years. Exposure to advertisements for beverages, sweets and fast food restaurants was also examined. In 2003, it was found that children aged 2 to 5 years, 6 to 11 years and 12 to 17 years were exposed to 13.3, 13.6 and 13.1 food advertisements per day on the average respectively. In all three age groups the exposure to beverage advertisements underwent a decrease from 27% to 30% with a lump sum fall in advertisements of sugar-sweetened beverages like fruit drinks and regular soft-drinks. Fast food advertisements most frequently targeted to all ages of children and seen most by children of 6 to 11 years were those of McDonalds. This showed targeted branding according to the authors. Bur ger King similarly also targeted mostly the 6- to 11-year-olds. Exposure to advertisements for Subway, Taco Bell, and KFC also rose among 2- to 5-year-olds and 6- to 11-year-olds, but advertisements seen by children in these age groups continued to be dominated by McDonalds and Burger King, according to the authors. The study also found that black children in all age groups in 2003, 2005, and 2007, saw more food advertisements per day when compared to white children. Also, the racial gap in exposure to food advertising grew between 2003 and 2007, particularly for fast food advertisements. By 2007, black children aged 2 to 5, 6 to 11, and 12 to 17 years saw 1.5, 1.4, and 1.6 times as many food advertisements per day, respectively, compared with white children of these ages and they also had more than double the rate of increase in exposure to fast food advertisements. According to the study, exposure to television advertisements for fast food among children increased by as much as 20 .4% between 2003 and 2007, whereas advertisements for beverages and sweets declined, The results of the study was that many positive changes have occurred in childrens exposure to food advertising, consistent checking of this exposure as well as the nutritional analysis is required to further appraise self-regulatory pledges. Lisa Powell (2006 ) and her colleagues from the University of Illinois in Chicago write that there has been a rising trend in total energy intake derived from away-from-home, specifically fast food, outlets and also that excess fat and sugar intake and consumption of items such as sugar-sweetened beverages and fast food have been linked with higher energy intake and obesity. Television is a major advertising medium to reach children, and there is strong evidence that television advertising influences childrens dietary intake. Jennifer L. Harris et al. (2010) in the study answered the research question: Do these actions have a positive impact? Or, does the sheer volume of fast food marketing eclipse any of these industry initiatives? They base their analysis on the twelve restaurants; McDonalds, Burger King, Wendys, Taco Bell, Subway, Pizza Hut, KFC, Dominos, Dairy Queen, Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks and So nic.They assess the marketing practices and strategies of all these and compare it with the industry in totality. The methods included analyzing the nutritional quality of restaurant menu items; analyzing data on media exposure and spending from syndicated sources (i.e., The Nielsen Company, Score Inc. and Arbitron Inc.)They studied three components of their marketing plans i.e. menu composition, external advertising and in-store marketing. The three criteria to identify marketing that were targeted to children, teens, and African American and Hispanic youth. Children were exposed to more than 1,200 traditi onal fast food ads per year and this strategy was used a lot by fast food restaurants to encourage potential customers to visit. Many fast food restaurants have expanded into newer forms of marketing that are relatively inexpensive and more difficult to give numerical value to. McDonalds and Burger King indulge in web-based marketing starts with children as young as 2 at Ronald.com, McWorld.com, HappyMeal.com, and ClubBK.com. KFC.com and Starbucks.com also appeared in the top 10 most frequently visited fast food websites in the study. Banner ads from these restaurants reached up to 70 million unique viewers every month. Social and viral media used by fast food restaurants has also increased largely. The use of mobile marketing by fast food restaurants has also begun but most restaurants placed banner ads on third-party mobile websites, eight have introduced downloadable iPhone applications, and a few have begun to conduct text message advertising to customers who opt-in to this feat ure. Fast food marketing is becoming omnipresent. These restaurants also purchased more than two-thirds of fast food radio and outdoor, there was little variation in their marketing messages and the products they promoted. Restaurants appeared to compete primarily by introducing new menu items and promoting the value of their foods. A few restaurants (Subway and Wendys) promoted their food quality. Banner advertising and social media marketing also predominantly emphasized special offers, and value/cheap and new/improved messages; and promoted new menu item introductions, dollar/value menus, and combo meals. Licensed characters were meant for children. Eight restaurants offered kids meals catered specifically to children, while four used external marketing to address children i.e. McDonalds, Burger King, Subway, and Dairy Queen . McDonalds and Burger King had maximum advertising targeted to children. Children viewed approximately one child-targeted ad per day for these two restauran ts (in addition to ads for other products not exclusively targeted to children). The McDonalds Research by Grier (1996) and colleagues demonstrated that higher exposure to fast food advertising by parents was associated with increased frequency of taking their children to these restaurants because the advertising influenced their beliefs about how often other parents took their children. The authors recommended that fast food restaurants build better standards for every item in child-targeted marketing that applies to every fast food restaurant and also in all of kids meals served. Shin Yi Chou et al. (2005) in the study shed light on the link between television fast food advertising and the consequent childhood obesity around the world especially in the United States. The aim of the paper is to utilize the 1979 Child-Young Adult National Longitudinal Survey of Youth and the 1997 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth to explore the effects of fast-food restaurant advertising on children and adolescents being overweight. The results showed that a ban on these advertisements would decrease the number of overweight children ages 3-11 in a fixed population and overweight adolescents ages 12 to 18 years by 10 and 12 percent respectively. The absence of tax deductibility of this kind of advertising would lead to lesser decreases of between 3 and 5 percent in these outcomes but would result in lower costs on children. The 1997 sample consisted of 8,984 respondents from 6,819 different households, ages 12 to 18 years. There were two sub-samples: one consisting of 6,748 respondents born between 1980 and 1984. The second comprising of 2,236 oversampled black and Hispanic respondents. A survey was conducted on them. Television watching time and advertising messages were found to be positively correlated. Results also reflected that the number of hours of messages seen on television has a long impact on both children and adolescents. It could also be seen that fast food restaurant advertising has a larger effect on the Body Mass Index of adolescents than on children, despite children being expose longer to fast-food restaurant advertising due to longer television viewing time. In totality the results showed a direct lasting effect of exposure to fast-food restaurant advertising on the body mass index for children. Lesser impact on the probability of being overweight is less important. Thomas N.Robinson et al. (2007) in his experimental study on fast food branding aimed to explore how cumulative real-world marketing and brand exposures influence young children by means of testing the effects of branding on taste preferences through extensively marketed sources. The sample comprised of sixty- three children from low-income preschools, whose average age was 3.5 to 5.4 years. They had to taste 5 identical food items with beverages in matching McDonalds packaging but were actually not branded and to compare the taste of each. A summary total taste preference score (ranging from -1 for the unbranded samples to 0 for no preference and +1 for McDonalds branded samples) was used to test the null hypothesis that children would express no preference. The results of the study showed that average total taste preference score across all foods and beverages compared was 0.37  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ±Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  0.45 (median, 0.20; inter-quartile range, 0.00-0.80) and much more than zero (P Sharon Beder (1998) in her study aims to examine four aspects of marketing to children i.e. the development of a consumer, forms of marketing, advertising on the Internet and concerns. Advertising takes advantage of individual insecurities, creates artificial needs and offers quality solutions. It leads to consumption. Children specifically are the target. In Australia, an average $31.60 is spent weekly by children below18 have and they control above 70 per cent of their parents fast food purchases. Children and teenagers between the ages of 10 and 17 spend n the US there are over 57 million school age children and teenagers who spend about $100 billion yearly of personal and family money on sweets, food and drinks. Brandweek magazine pointed out that even in China where children save most of the little income they get and their total spending amounts to $2.6 billion yearly, second only to the US. Brandweek cited a survey showing McDonalds was the favorite fast food worldwide and Cok e was the favorite drink. It argued:If it is possible to create global preferences with food productswhere obstacles like differences in local cuisine and culture existtranscending cultural boundaries with toys, clothing and entertainment products should be considerably easier. Television ads account for almost 70% of the total amount spent on advertising to children in the US. Total advertising expenditure accounts for almost 15% of the total budget for marketing to children. A new trend in advertising is the internet. The authors question the ability of the young to understand advertising and its purpose and not be impressioned by it. The study thus emphasizes Fast food marketing and how it is a vast industry. Mary Story and Simone French (2004) in a study aimed to appraise the food advertising and marketing channels used to target children and adolescents in the US, the effect of food advertising on eating habits, and current policies. The youth is a major profitable target market for food and beverage industries. Consequently children and adolescents are now marketed to extensively. Food marketers are interested in youth as consumers because of their spending power, their purchasing influence, and as future adult consumers. Multiple techniques and channels are used to reach youth, beginning when they are toddlers, to foster brand-building and influence food product purchase behavior. These food marketing channels include television advertising, in-school marketing, product placements, kids clubs, the Internet, toys and products with brand logos, and youth-targeted promotions, such as cross-selling and tie-ins. wide range of food advertising techniques and channels are used to reach child ren and adolescents to foster brand awareness to encourage product sales. Marketing channels include television advertising, in-school marketing, product placements, kids clubs, the Internet, toys and products with brand logos, and youth-targeted promotions. Experimental studies continuously showed that children exposed to food advertising prefer advertised food products more often than those not exposed to such ads. Studies with children under age 11 have found strong links between television watching time by children and number of childrens requests to parents for those foods, and availability of those foods in their homes. African American and Hispanic children watch more television when compared to white children and so viewed more food ads. Various studies have established that children under 8 years of age are developmentally unable to understand the purpose of advertisements and consider advertising claims as factual. V. Henderson and B. Kelly (2005) in their study documented the sorts of foods advertised nutritional claims made whilst advertising on African American television as well as the general market. The sample comprised of 553 advertisements that were analyzed for their content during 101.5 prime-time Television hours. This resulted in classification of advertisements according to fast food restaurant, sit-down restaurant, packaged food), specific food type, and the presence of a weight-related nutritional claim.T and Chi-square tests were used to make comparisons. The results showed that more advertisements were aired on the African-American Television than on general market. These were mostly for fast food, fizzy drinks, candy, meat, and were rarely for cornflakes, grains and pasta or fruits, vegetables, desserts or liquor. People framing policies need to have a greater awareness of the prevailing advertisements for food and their possible effect on behavior as well as knowledge and thu s should seriously work with manufacturers of food to pave way for the creation and promotion of healthy food according to the authors. Hill, J. M. and Radimer, K. L. (1998) in a study examined food advertisements aired on Australian television during programs for children below 10 years of age. Kinds of foods that were promoted linked messages and the impression of food and eating habits in comparison to current dietary recommendations. 239 advertisements were appraised, of which 25% were for fast food restaurants and 22% for chocolate. Of the main foods advertised, 11% were for cereal products, 8% for fruit and only 1% for vegetables. Main tactics used by advertisers to sell foods were give-aways (20%), taste (16%) and fun (14%). On the contrary, advertisements for breakfast cereals often used nutritional claims and often contained messages that were in line with current dietary guidelines for Australians. Generally, the complete dietary picture shown to children through advertisements was said to be poorly balanced and only included a narrow range of foods. Michele Roberts and Simone Pettigrew (2007) studied behaviors modeled in food advertising are influencing childrens diets. They conducted a food advertising audit targeted to children find out aspects that affect childrens food socialization. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used to provide (1) descriptive statistics of incidence and (2) a thematic analysis of messages contained in a sample of food advertisements screened in Perth, Australia, during childrens morning television programming. In 28.5 hours of childrens television programs, 950 advertisements were broadcasts, 212 of which were for food. The Qualitative aspect observable in the ads were the existence of grazing, the denigration of main foods, exaggerated health claims and the implied ability of specific foods to emphasize popularity, functionality and mood. The most popular advertising appeal was fantasy, present in 57% of the campaigns. The outcomes of the study are of interest to many stakeholders, including the food and advertising industries, policy makers, child health advocates and academic researchers. Driven by concerns about childhood obesity, there is escalating demand for responsible food advertising to children (McDonald 2003). According to the authors advertisers must respond to these issues. Kay M. Hammond et al. (2008) aimed to expose internationally, the balance of television advertising for healthy and less-healthy foods to which children and adolescents are exposed. The sample comprised 9-17 year old New Zealanders to explore the extent to which they were exposed to advertising for a variety of food groups over a year and compared New Zealand rates of advertising with a 13-country study. The method used was People meter data collected over three months May and September 1995 and February 1996 and food advertising from a sample week of television during hours when children were likely to be watching were also examined. The Comparison was made with a similar 1989 South Australian study and an international study covering 13 countries.The results showed that the exposure estimated for a year and the opportunities for exposure in the sample week were maximum for sweet snacks, drinks, fast food/takeaways and breakfast cereals. There were very low levels for fruit, vegeta bles, and meat/fish/ eggs and water was not advertised in any sample month. Comparisons with the 13-country study showed New Zealand had the third-highest rate of food advertising, the highest rate of confectionery and drinks advertising, and the second-highest rate of restaurant advertising which included fast food restaurants.To conclude the authors suggest that the immediate trends in food advertising create a difference in interest between public health and commercial interests. Regulation of food advertising may be required to solve this problem. METHODOLOGY Research Type I will be conducting Primary/Field or Quantitative Research, gathering first hand data from my sample population about how the fast food marketing methods used by marketers influence their children or children around them. I will later be quantifying the results. Data Type and Research Period The study is based on peoples perceptions and how they feel they are influenced by advertisements and how these fast food marketing methods are a major contributing factor in their childrens consumption of fast food. Therefore Primary or Field Research which is basically quantitative in nature is more suitable. Sources of Data The sources will be questionnaire surveys and focus groups targeted to the sample population. Operational Definitions Dependant Variable: Fast Food Consumption This variable addresses the Fast Food Purchases by consumers. It is the result of Fast Food advertising and the ultimate motive of Fast Food sellers. It basically deals with fast food sales. Therefore it is the consequence of Fast Food Marketing through various mediums. Independent Variables Television Advertisements: This variable is an integral means of marketing Fast Food to consumers considering its reach and ease of access in todays time. The more people watch Television and are exposed to advertisements of fast food, the more they consume fast food. It thus has a positive relation with fast food consumption. Billboards: This variable sheds light on yet another Fast Food Marketing medium. It is a physical medium for people to be exposed to frequently. It has a positive relation with fast food consumption as the more billboards people see the greater will be their fast food consumption. Internet Advertisements: This variable appraises a combination of official websites as well as social website mediums like Facebook and Twitter used by Fast Food marketers to reach consumers. The greater the amount of fast food advertisements people are exposed to on the internet, the more they will purchase or consume fast food, thus it denotes a positive relation between the dependant and the independent variable. Print Advertisements: This variable comprises of the various print mediums like the newspapers, posters, flyers and banners that fast food marketers use to advertise the fast food to consumers. Naturally the more peoples exposure to these is the more they end up consuming fast food, indicating a positive relation. Radio: This variable emphasizes the use of broadcasting to market fast food to consumers. It is a cheap means to reach more people. The frequency of advertisements on the radio is usually more due to the low cost. Therefore people are exposed to more fast food advertisements and thus consume more of it and this also has a positive relation with the dependent variable. Population, Working population and planned sample The target population for the research will be people living in Lahore who have children of ages 3 to 17 years, in their families who consume fast food. The working population will be targeted specifically. The planned sample will include people ranging between the ages of 20-40 years, including working adult males and females from Lahore who have kids and as well as working youngsters or students with younger siblings who consume fast food. Research hypothesis Ho-Frequent exposure to Fast Food marketing methods leads to increased Fast Food Consumption by children H1-Television is the most influential Fast Food Marketing Method for children H2-Billboards are very appealing to children and lead to frequent fast food consumption H3-Print advertisement doesnt influence childrens purchase of Fast Food so much H4-Internet is not a very effective medium for Fast Food marketing to children H5-Radio is not a very effective medium of Fast Food marketing to children Techniques Cross-Tabulation was done due to using the statistics from the questionnaire surveys. Data analysis A cross-tabulation was done using the SPSS software 17.0 and frequency charts were also made. Data interpretation After gathering first-hand information from the sample population, the data was quantified and the statistics were used to make cross-tabulations and frequency charts. The results were then analyzed using tables and charts results. RESULTS Demographics The primary research for the study comprised of questionnaire surveys that were floated amongst 50 respondents, both married and unmarried, falling in the age bracket of 20 to 40 years. 25 of the respondents were male and 25 female in order to eliminate gender bias. The people with children were targeted to find out more about their childrens fast food consumption resulting from advertising exposure. The working population was targeted to specifically because they have a need for fast food. This was done with the purpose of finding out the most effective method of fast food marketing that results in consumption of fast food by children in Lahore. Most of the married respondents were bankers, doctors, engineers and teachers who had children, whilst the unmarried respondents were mostly students at the Lahore School of Economics and had younger siblings between the ages of 3 to 17 years, who consume fast food. The target population for the research will be people living in Lahore who h ave children in their families who consume fast food. 75% fell in the age group of 20 to 29 years, whereas the remaining 25% were aged between 30 to 40 years. Most of these individuals belonged to the upper and upper middle class with lump sum pocket monies or household incomes, and had exposure to all sorts of fast food advertisements. A majority fell in the 30,000-40,000 income range. The five independent variables were separately analyzed to determine their impact on the dependant variable. The results have been analyzed below. Independent Variable: Television Ads Ho-Frequent exposure to Fast Food marketing methods leads to increased Fast Food Consumption by children H1-Television is the most influential Fast Food Marketing Method for children TVADSQ1a Frequency Percent Valid Percent Valid 1.00 21 42.0 42.0 2.00 25 50.0 50.0 3.00 2 4.0 4.0 4.00 1 2.0 2.0 5.00 1 2.0 2.0 Total 50 100.0 100.0 The above table shows the frequencies of responses when people were asked whether they thought images of food were an important element of a fast food advertisement. It can be seen that 21 people out of 50 i.e. 42% strongly agreed that images of food are important to children. 25 respondents or 50% also agreed with this.2 people or 4% remained neutral. 1 out of 50 respondents or 2% disagreed while another 2% also strongly disagreed with the statement. TVADSQ1b Frequency Percent Valid Percent Valid 1.00 11 22.0 22.0 2.00 25 50.0 50.0 3.00 13 26.0 26.0 4.00 1 2.0 2.0 Total 50 100.0 100.0 The table illustrates the frequencies of the responses for the importance that a catchy slogan holds for children in a fast food television commercial.11 out of 50 respondents i.e. 22% strongly agreed that a catchy slogan is very important to children whilst 50% also agreed with this.26% remained neutral about it and 2% disagreed and didnt think that a catchy slogan is important to children. TVADSQ1c Frequency Percent Valid Percent Valid 1.00 14 28.0 28.0 2.00 17 34.0 34.0 3.00 13 26.0 26.0 4.00 6 12.0 12.0 Total 50 100.0 100.0 As per the above frequencies 14 out of 50 respondents i.e. a celebrity endorser was very important to children according to 28% or 14 out of 50 respondents and 34% also thought the same.26% were neutral about it and 12% disagreed. TVADSQ1d Frequency Percent Valid Percent Valid 1.00 15 30.0 30.0 2.00 23 46.0 46.0 3.00 10 20.0 20.0 4.00 2 4.0 4.0 Total 50 100.0 100.0 The frequency table shows that the jingle was very important to children according to 30% of the respondents who strongly agreed along with the 46% majority who agreed with this. 20% remained neutral to it and only 4% disagreed. TVADSQ1e Frequency Percent Valid Percent Valid 1.00 3 6.0 6.0 2.00 9 18.0 18.0 3.00 11 22.0 22.0 4.00 19 38.0 38.0 5.00 8 16.0 16.0 Total 50 100.0 100.0 According to the above table, the frequencies of responses showed that 6% of the respondents strongly agreed that price matters to children in a fast food television commercial and 18% also agreed.22% remained neutral about it. However 38% and 16% disagreed and strongly disagreed respectively that children do

Mary-Rose MacColl’s Novel, Killing Superman Essay -- Killing Superman

As a new light begins to dawn on the Vietnam War era, revealing several stories about the effects of PTSD on veterans and their children, it is time that the story about Australian Vietnam veterans and their families is told. Good Morning Ladies and Gentleman of the Film Institute, today I’m going to convince you to turn Mary-Rose MacColl’s brilliant novel, Killing Superman, into a movie. Killing Superman focuses on the story of Scott, the son of a Vietnam War Hero who died in mysterious circumstances. Killing Superman is a brilliant depiction of the life of Scott whose father deserts him and then dies after a few years without contact. Scott discovers the dead man is nothing like the father he knew and without necessary closure Scott goes on a hunt riddled with lies and mysteries to find out what really happened to his father. The main themes present in MacColl’s novel are the effects of the Vietnam War on the soldiers and their children, the much larger theme of the impact a father’s absence and a lack of communication in the family can have on a son and also the hypermasculine image created by some Australian men so that they can hide behind it. The Vietnam War veterans had the highest rate of suicide of all modern day wars. When the veterans came back many were abusive to or distant from their families which had devastating effects on their psyches. The film also shows how poor communication between parents and children can have huge consequences for the children. This is evident in how the poor communication in Scott’s family and the absence of his father result in his break down. The film also highlights the men in Australian cultures who masquerade as hypermasculine individuals to impress other people and often hide... ...ll become more and more nervous until the music is broken off by the assistants voice. This music will help to create tension and fear in the audience. However the music will feature more light heartened tones than The Dark Knight music so as to fit in with the rest of the soundtrack. This scene will create a lot of tension and demonstrates to the viewer how desperate Scott is to see his father again. This film will help to push Australia’s film industry towards a different type of film where Australian larrikinism is traded in for more stories on the silences of Australian culture. This film is also very relevant to today’s society as it highlights how the effects of the Vietnam War and a lack of communication can destroy a young boy’s life. If this novel was made into a film it would reveal another side of Australian culture and hopefully further the industry.

hit and run :: essays research papers

It’s like I’m dead. But I’m not, I guess I’m just dead to my surroundings or everyone is just trying to make me feel that way. I walk through the crowed halls at my school, no one turns a head, no one smiles, it’s like I’m walking through a bunch of ghosts, or am I really the ghost? There are so many questions that I try to answer in the back of my head while I’m taking these steps to home room. Everyone usually feels sorry for the person who has no friends or is considered a freak. Not in my case, no one ever talks to me, so I never talk to them. I am what you would consider a nobody, a freak, a loner. Yet really I’m none of those, because no one even knows my name. People call it the New Year, a new year to change things you don’t like about yourself. Yet it’s really hard for me to do that, because I don’t even think I know myself. All I know is that I go to school get good grades, except in math, run cross country, go home, wash my hands, do my homework, and lay in bed, I never actually fall asleep. My parents say I have a problem, a mental one. I say it’s because I’m related to them. They’ll never understand me, and I’ll never understand them, that’s just the way it’s going to be. They have to deal with it, even if they say they can’t. JANUARY 2, 2007 I’m hesitating. I can’t feel a thing. I took something this morning. I can’t tell a soul, even though there is no one to tell. I look down the hall to first period. Seems like there’s three miles between me and the door, like I’m running a race. Breath I tell myself, just breath, stop thinking, just breath. I’ve made it, to my destination, if you call it a destination in itself. The school day is such a blur to me, nothing merely interesting. Same thing everyday, no one speaks to me, no one looks at me, nothing. My eyes hurt; I’m staring too hard at something, or someone in that matter. The only good thing about being ignored is that you can do stuff and people won’t notice but if you were normal, people would notice in a minute.

gay literature :: essays research papers

While sexual difference may not exist between lesbians all other forms of difference do. These include differences of identity: race, class origins, employment status, age, religion, physical abilities - and while we may struggle against these differences within our individual ‘spaces’ they have a material and institutional reality that cannot be wished away What, to you, seems important about the terms gay and lesbian in literature? In the face of a homophobic society we need creative and critical processes that draw out the complexity of lesbian lives and same sex choices, not a retreat into the comforting myths of heroines and unfractured, impeachable identities This quote addresses directly the primary difficulty of the issue. The terms gay and lesbian are useful in literature in that they allow a group of people who have been marginalised and even persecuted to become visible. They enable a way of life and a set of identities, harmonious or conflicting, to be presented, to be questioned, to be understood and accepted. As categories they create ‘space’ in which there may develop a more evolved understanding of texts and they also create a genre within which many lesbian and gay writers are comfortable with being placed. A gendered reading of a text can reveal undercurrents and depths which might otherwise not be apparent. These categories also make ‘space’ for the author within the text which leads to a closer tie between the author and the reader in the reading process. However the danger which this sort of terminology presents is that of homogenising ways both of reading and writing a text. In creating a category one is always not only creating an inclusive zone but in doing so also excluding certain elements. The risk is run of stultifying the creative process through the exclusion by a minority group of the minority groups within. As Bonnie Zimmerman writes in her essay ‘Lesbians like this and that’ By positing the lesbian as ‘excess’ in the patriarchal system we may fail to note the identities that function as ‘excess’ within our own newly created lesbian community. There is a risk of adopting a separatist approach, of placing the categories of gay and lesbian literature outside the mainstream and creating a gay canon but in doing so retaining the underlying values of that ‘patriarchal system.’ How does one avoid replicating the masculinist cultural error of taking the dominant for the universal

Cholecystits/Cholelithiasis

PATHOPHYSIOLOGY Medical Diagnosis: Cholecystitis/Cholelithiasis Nursing Diagnosis: Activity intolerance r/t laparoscopic abdominal incisions AEB SOB during ambulation, increased respirations at 38, O2 sat 80% room air after walking 50 ft. Normal Physiology: The gallbladder is situated inferior to the liver. The gallbladder is a structure that functions as a storage space for bile that is produced in the liver. The liver produces and secretes bile into the gallbladder from the right and left hepatic duct join together to become the common hepatic duct then into the gallbladder via the cystic duct. During the digestion of fatty food, the gallbladder releases bile that passes through the common bile duct and into the duodenum through the Sphincter of Oddi to break down fat into fatty acids to be absorbed by the small intestine to be used as energy and storage of energy for metabolic needs of the body. Pathophysiology: Cholecystitis, and inflammation of the gallbladder, is a condition which can be caused by cholelithiasis, the formation of gallstones. Most stones are formed of cholesterol. Excess cholesterol in bile is associated with obesity, high cholesterol diet and drugs that are prescribed to lower cholesterol levels. The excess saturation of cholesterol can lead to the formation of stones. This client had an elevated LDL and low HDL levels that do state the client had excess cholesterol. Biliary stasis, which is slow emptying of the gallbladder, can also cause the formation of stones. An inflammation of the gallbladder allows for excess water and bile salt reabsorption which call also lead to the formation of stones. This client did have wall thickening and distention of the gallbladder that indicates a inflammation of the gallbladder over a period of time. This is the second time the client came to the ER with pain in a 6 week period. Potential Complications: If a gallstone migrates out of the gallbladder into the ducts, it can lead to cholangitis which is an inflammation of the duct. Obstruction of the common bile duct may cause bile reflux into the liver causing pain, jaundice, and liver damage. The clients ALT, liver function test was elevated indicating liver disease process and in this clients case it is due to the back-up of bile into the liver from obstruction in the common bile duct. The client can also have pancreatitis due to the inability of the pancreas to secrete digestive enzymes through the pancreatic duct. The client had mild pancreatitis confirmed by CT scan. Complications of the cholecystitis/cholelithiasis can lead to a collection of infected fluid within the gallbladder, gangrene, and perforation resulting in peritonitis or abscess formation. A fistula into adjacent organs can for such as in the duodenum the colon or stomach. During the laparoscopic cholecystectomy, the client’s gallbladder was noted with gangrene but no perforation, peritonitis, fistula or abscess formation was noted. If this condition goes untreated, death can result from hemorrhage, peritonitis, hypovolemic shock, septicemia and septic shock. The client did not die because treatment and surgery was performed. Nursing Interventions & Rationales: Independent: 1. Ambulate with client 1:1 assist. The client should not ambulate alone. The client is at risk for falls for injury to do her activity intolerance for SOB and decreased O2 sats. This will ensure the client does not fall and if she does become weak or unstable it will reduce the injury. . Place the client in semi-fowler during resting time in bed. This will decrease orthopnea and help the client breath better by decreasing pressure on the diaphragm allowing for better expansion of the lungs. 3. Monitor respiratory status and auscultate lung sound every 4 hours. This will help assess interventions and any changes needed for their respiratory status. Dependent: 4. Monitor and assess clients client’s O2 sat level and administer O2 at 2L N C per physician’s orders. The clients O2 Sat had been at 80% room air nd after activity with O2. This will help monitor client needs and evaluate the need for any changes this client may need for a decrease or increase in O2 delivery. 5. Administer morphine sulfate 1-5 mg IV push prn q2h over 2 minutes. Administering pain meds can help decrease pain associated with the client needing to cough and deep breath and will help the client ambulate. Although the client has not indicated much pain, giving prior to activity will help the client tolerate ambulation, cough and deep breath and spirometer. 6. Administer Cefoxitin 1 gm in 100mg/NaCl 0. 9% over 1 hr q8h per physician’s orders. The administration of antibiotics will reduce the client risk for peritonitis from gangrene of the gallbladder and risk of infection form the surgery. This will also help with healing of the clients mild pancreatitis noted on CT scan Interdependent: 7. Collaborate with dietician to meet with the client regarding diet. In a client with the removal of the gallbladder, the client needs to be educated on the types of food to avoid after surgery. This will help identify what types of foods the client can continue to enjoy and those that will facilitate abdominal problems post cholecystectomy. Ensuring the family is also involved when the dietician is present will help increase the likelihood of adhering to a new diet holding the client accountable for food choices. 8. Collaborate with respiratory therapy to assess the need for respiratory assistance such as the need for nebulizer treatment or the need for portable O2 for ambulatory purposes. The client’s O2 quickly drops after taking D/C of O2. 9. Collaborate with occupational therapy to assess the ability for the client to go home. The client is an elderly lady and may need to be evaluated prior to discharge to assess ADL’s since she lives on her own. This will ensure the client can safely return home or may need to be transferred to rehab prior to going home and educate the client on throw rugs, shower use and other in home dangers that elderly clients are at risk for. Client Teaching: Instruct the client on the need to cough and deep breath and spirometry. The client has had SOB post op and decreased O2 saturation. The client has atelectasis in her right upper lobe with diminished lung sounds throughout with decreased expiratory effort. I educated the client on coughing and deep breathing every hour x10 and how to use the pillow for splinting her abdomen due to abdominal pain post operatively. Client understood and demonstrated this very well and prior to end of shift I assessed the client and had her demonstrate what I had taught her prior to leaving and she performed properly and also stated she had been doing it every hour as instructed. Textbook Signs & Symptoms . Pain, abrupt onset, severe and steady 2. Pain radiate to the back, right scapula and shoulder lasting from 12-18 hours 3. Nausea, vomiting and anorexia 4. Chills and fever 5. Abdominal guarding Risk Factors 1. Female over age of 65 2. Family history 3. Native American; northern European heritage 4. Obesity 5. Hyperlipidemia 6. Use of oral contraceptives 7. Biliary stasis: pregnancy, fasting or prolonged parenteral nutrition 8. Dis eases or condition: DM; cirrhosis; ileal disease or resection; sickle cell anemiaReferences: Domino, F. n. d. ). 5-minute clinical consult Powered by Skyscape (Ipod). Lippincott, WIlliams & Wilkins. LeMone, P. , Burke, K. , & Bauldoff, G. (2011). Medical-surgical nursing care critical thinking in patient care (5th ed. ed. ). Upper Sadle River, NJ: Pearson Education. Martini, F. H. , & Neth, J. L. (2009). Fundamentals of anatomy and physiology (Eight ed. ). San Fransisco: Pearson Benjamin Cummings. Pagana, K. , & Pagana, T. (2009). Mosby's diagnostic and laboratory test reference (Ninth ed. ). St. Louis, Missouri, United States: Mosby Elsevier.

Life Lessons Essay

A moment that will forever change my life happened two years ago during my sophomore year, I will never forget it, but I am also thankful that it happened because I have learned from my mistake and it has taught me a few valuable life lessons. Two years ago, I moved up to Eugene to live with my aunt and uncle for the year to experience a new life setting. I was thrilled to experience new things, meet new people, and learn new ways of living in a big city. It was the first day of school at Willamette High school, I was filled with excitement to be attending a new school and meet different people, I had a goal that day to make a great first impression to start my year off. When lunch time came, I was going to have lunch with my cousin and his friends to get a start on meeting people. We found out that our ride was making its way down the street already, my cousin Artees, said to me to run and jump into the car. Without fully thinking about this, I made the decision to go for it. Running to catch up to the car felt like forever, but I made it to the door that was open for me to jump in, I was able to get up inside the car and was almost fully in, I suddenly felt a tug on my backpack and started falling back out, not being able to catch myself, I fell out of the car landing underneath and have both legs ran over from the ankles down. I remember this happening very quickly and seeing nothing but the bright sun in my view. The pain I went through is indescribable, it felt as if you had your legs cut off and a burning sensation as if you were being burned. Read more:Â  Essay About Lessons Learned From Parents I wasn’t unconscious but felt as if I was in another world, everything was happening very slow and I could hear people screaming around me and Artees above me saying he was sorry and if I was doing okay. All the voices I was hearing sounded like a whisper and as if everything was a blur. It seemed like I was lying in the middle of the road for hours and fell into a little sleep, I remember opening my eyes to people circled around me looking down at me with my cousin holding me, then came paramedics breaking the crowd. I was quickly in put in a neck brace, and strapped to a board. I had my pants cut off while in the road to get to my legs, at the time I didn’t care at all how many people were watching me, but now it is weird to think how many hundreds of people saw me in my underwear. Quickly I was in the hospital was doctors all around me and my family devastated by my bed side. After many x-rays and CT scans, we discovered that I miraculously broke no bones, but fractured my ankles badly, crushed arteries and muscles, severe nerve damage and broke blood vessels that still two years later, have not grown back. I spent a week back in Bend to recover, which was a struggle all in itself. I was bed ridden for seven days and to shower or use the bathroom, I had to be carried everywhere. When I attempted to walk on my own, shooting pain would soar my entire body and my ankles would make a cracking noise. After a week, I felt well enough to try and go back to school. I wore ankle braces day and night, and used crutches. As I expected, I got many stares daily and had people whisper when I was around. I made it through with much support from my cousin. It has almost been three years now since my accident, and still I have pain in my ankles that have spread throughout my legs that I deal with daily. I am not able to stand for more than ten minutes and now have a disease called neuropathy that makes my entire leg either very cold or very hot, tingle, swell, and I am in sever pain daily. I also have nightmares and flashbacks about that day weekly, and have anxiety being in cars and walking on sidewalks. I have been told by my orthopedic doctor that I am going to live with this for the rest of my life, so I have learned to deal with this better. What I have learned from my experience is to always think things through even if you think if you do something, it is going to impress someone, the result can be bad, leave you with injuries, or even be fatal. I am thankful everyday that this didn’t turn out worse, and I am still here today.

Different Health Systems

The healthcare system of the United States is commonly associated with state-of-the-art hospitals and highly-trained physician. However, the general performance of the U. S. healthcare system has been determined to be a less than that of other industrialized countries. Such observation is mainly due to the differences in healthcare systems among states, regions and health administrations. The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is a socialized healthcare system managed by the government. It provides varied healthcare support to veterans or ex-officio military servicemen and their families.Survey shows that approximately 83% of VHA patients are satisfied with the healthcare that they have received. In addition, survey depicts that 69% of the patients were treated within 20 minutes of their appropriate appointment with their physician (DeNavas-Walt et al. , 2005). Also, approximately 93% of the patients participating in the survey indicate that they had seen a specialist within the la st 30 days. Such observations show that the Veterans Health Administration provides an exemplary system of healthcare, much better than the private sector.However, it also could mean that the VHA is associated with more costly healthcare rates than the other healthcare systems such as the Military Health system and the private sector. This characteristic compensates for the types of members that would avail of the VHA benefits, who are actually veterans, which are commonly composed of older, sicker and illness-susceptible individuals. In addition, these veterans are generally poorer, homeless and victims of substance abuse, which represents a major difference from the major population in the United States.It has been estimated that more than 50% of the VHA enrollees are above 65 years of age. The private sector’s healthcare system is mostly focused on intervention-based healthcare, which means that the physician will generally treat a patient who is already suffering from a p articular illness (Frogner and Anderson, 2006). Such system is thus less costly than the VHA system, because the patients enrolled in the private sector will only resort to requesting medical attention when the need arises.In the private sector healthcare system, health insurance is generally bought by the employer on behalf of its employees The VHA system, on the other hand, follows the prevention approach to health care, which involves providing checkups and education to its veteran patients in order to avoid more serious illness in the future. The Military Health System, on the other hand, provides healthcare to individuals who are currently active in the military service, including members of their family.The benefits of the Military Health system falls under the blanket coverage known as the Tricare, which is almost identical to that of the private sector’s system of healthcare management (Smith et al. , 2005). Here the enrollee pays a small portion of the total cost of the healthcare service, such as 20% of a surgery, for example, and the other 80% is paid for my the Military Health System. Each visit to the physician, just like the private sector’s healthcare system, is associated with a small co-payment, such as $10 per visit, regardless of specialization of the doctor to which consultation was made.The mission of a healthcare system is to provide medical services at the lowest practical price and at the same time, with the best feasible quality. The integration of electronic medical records in the Veterans Health Administration has provided a model for the other healthcare system to follow suit. In addition, the private sector has also use the VHA’s mission in providing prevention-based medical services, instead of just intervention-based services. References DeNavas-Walt C, Proctor B and Lee C (2005):   Income, Poverty and Health Insurance in the United States: 2004.   Washington, D.C.: U.S. Census Bureau. Frogner BK and Anderson GF (2006):   Multinational comparisons of health systems data, 2005.   New York: The Commonwealth Fund. Smith C, Cowan C and Sensenig A (2005):   Health Spending Growth Slows in 2003.   Health Affairs   24(1):185–94.