Business Concept

Business Concept 1. 1 The Company Siomai You Like is the newest food cart franchising business of this generetion. As its name suggests, it offers siomai one of the most popular Chinese snack products known to Pinoys. This foodcart will served the newest taste of siomai in town. Siomai You Like offers foodcart concepts to aspiring and start-up entrepreneurs who are looking for affordable business of their own. The company will keep growing and improving with the ever increasing market demand through a good comprehensive and good system both franchise and consumers.To be the best service to their clients among Food cart Franchise Business Industry in the Philippines. Mission: †¢ We aim to place ourselves in the A, B, C, and D market. †¢ We provide excellent service to our clients and consumers with the right product on time and a well-trained service staff. †¢ To increase our competetence, we developed Tuna Siomai to give the conventional product a totally different but flavorful twist. †¢ A key to help Filipino engage to a business without having a hard time decision making in Franchising. †¢ To be competitive and we dare to be different.This is the concept of Siomai You Like, for that we will roll more innovative product that the market will readily embrace in the future. 1. 3 The Product The brand name of this is Siomai You Like. Siomai You Like offers variety of siomai such as pork siomai, beef siomai, japanese siomai, and shrimp siomai and also serves tuna siomai and chicken siomai. How does it work? PORK,SHRIMP,BEEF,CHIKEN SIOMAI,TUNA SIOMAI| * 1 kg Lean ground Pork   or 1 kg Prawn (shrimp) peeled or ground beef/chicken chicken breasts or ground tuna * 1/3 cup chopped water chestnuts or turnips (singkamas) 1/3 cup chopped carrots * 2 medium or 1 large minced onion(s) * bunch of spring onions or leeks * 1 egg * 5 tablespoons sesame oil * 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper * 1 teaspoon salt * 50 pcs. large or 100 pcs. small wanton or siomai wrapper * soy sauce, calamansi (lemon or kumquats), sesame oil and chilli paste (for the sauce) Wrapper: * 1/4 cup water * 1 egg * 1 tablespoon vegetable or corn oil * 1/4 teaspoon salt * 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour Chilli Paste: * 1/8 kilo Chillies (Siling Labuyo) * 3 tablespoons cooking oil * 2 cloves garlic, peeled and mincedSiomai Cooking Instructions:| * Mix all the ingredients for the filling in a bowl. * Spoon 1 tablespoon of mixture into each wrapper. Fold and seal. * Meanwhile, boil water and brush steamer with oil. * When the water gets to a rolling boil, arrange the siomai in the steamer and let stand for 15-20 minutes, longer for larger pieces. * Serve with soy sauce, calamansi and sesame oil. Chilli paste is optional. Wrapper: * Beat egg and mix with flour till free of lumps. * Bring water, cooking oil and salt to a boil, then pour in flour. Remove from heat and beat until mixture forms a ball. * Divide the dough into 1 1/4 -inch balls. * Roll each ball on a fl oured board until paper thin. Set aside. * Simplest version of chilli sauce would be to chop chillies well and fry them in oil, sesame or vegetable oil, never olive oil if you want it to have a Filipino taste. Chilli Paste:Combine chopped chillies and minced garlic then simmer for around 20 minutes or till most of the water has evaporated. Add oil, simmer and stir well. Table 1 Product Value Product | Description| 1.Newness| A high-quality in an affordable price in franchising. | 2. Functionality/Performance| Help Filipino engage to a business without having a hard time decision making in Franchising. | 3. Flexibility/Customization| Provide excellent service to our clients and consumers with the right product on time and a well-trained service staff. | 4. Quality| Fit for the consumer’s taste buds in an affordable price as well as the franchising system. | 5. Price| Affordable price. | 6. Brand| Siomai You Like| Table 2 Product Description Product Description| Description| . Styling| Steamed, always served fresh and hot. | 2. Quality | Its mouthwatering pork, shrimp, Japanese, tuna and chicken siomai welcomes its loyal customers due to its freshness and fantastic taste. It is always served fresh and moist, always served fresh and hot, we make sure that the steamer is always there to keep the freshness and hotness of the siomai. | 3. Safety| Always served fresh and hot and the ingredients used are always keep refrigerated. | 4. Packaging| Served in an elongated paper plate, with lemon or with hot and spicy paste. | Business Concept CRITIQUE THE BUSINESS CONCEPTS, AND MAKE SUGGESTION IMPROVEMENT 1. The Company Goal Are To Provide A High Quality Dry Cleaning Service That Is Both Reliable And Convenient. Cities targeted are those surrounded by the suburbs where people commute via mass transit. With the ease in which customers will drop-off and pick-up dry cleaning they will be placed at the site where passengers meet their train or bus into the city (i. . , park-and-ride locations and commuter train station). Due to only a few locations can be rented, for other locations that may not have existing facilities and pick-up and drop-off booths will be built to facilitate this service. Improvements must be made in the amount of room in the station building or just need to be wide to accommodate racks for hanging dry cleaning are completion. 2. Hub-And-Spoke System. 3.Most of The Hiring Will Be Targeted To Area College Student. In terms of quality time, college students are the best candidates to be employees, this is because college students have different schedules and classes are sometimes held at noon, 10:00 to 3:00. Thus, the service offers same day service can be implemented. But disadvantages if college students are targets for recruitment, they can only work for 3 hours.To improve the business concept, the supply will get overtime pay and the provision of additional accommodation for the students who want to work overtime. 4. The First Shift Of Drop-Off Station Workers Will Begin At 6. 00 Am And Finish 9. 00 Pm. In the beginning, two shifts of workers will be needed to facilitate the transit station. Only a van driver at any time will be given. In expand their business, additional vans are available and additional drivers will be hired to launch a business.

Critique on against gay marriage Essay

The modern world is experiencing transition in all aspects of life. This change is being experienced in marriage whereby some people are moving a way from the belief that marriage should only take place between people of same sex. They have gone to an extent of pushing for marriage between people of same-sex to be accorded the same treatment and recognition just like the case with the heterosexual marriage. Some people believe that marriage should be heterosexual while others believe that even homosexuals have a right to marry and live with their partners just like a husband and wife in opposite-sex marriage. This paper presents a critique in support of gay marriage. The society especially in the current state is crippling with many social problems emanating from heterosexual marriage. One of these problems is unwanted pregnancies which arise from irresponsible relationships. This is an incident which can only happen in a marriage between two people of opposite sex. Embracing same-sex marriage would offer a remedy to this problem because there is no chance of pregnancy in a marriage between gays and lesbians. This would also help in reducing the high cases of deaths and abortion which are being witnessed in the society today. Incase homosexuals decide to adopt a child, the possibility of neglect is very low as this would be a decision between two independent people. Same-sex marriage reduces the dominance by one partner which is associated with union between a man and a woman. For fear of victimization, most gays and lesbians are forced into heterosexual marriages against their will. However, they still continue to live their homosexual lives by secretly relating to other homosexuals while staying in the same-sex marriage. Therefore, accepting same-sex marriage will help reduce this unfaithfulness and promote marriage to one partner (Sullivan, A. , 2004). Since the society allows all kinds of people and groups to marry including murderers, thieves as well as marriage between people of different races. Condemning same-sex marriage is discrimination of the minority who are supposed to be protected by the constitution just like any other group. As opposed to what Bennet believes, it would not be the first time that the institution of marriage is experiencing change; Marriage between different races which are happening today never happened several years ago (Bennett, J. W. 1996). The strong position against homosexuality which is adopted by the church is an intrusion into private business. This is because marriage is a personal commitment between the two people involved in the relationship. This marriage therefore hurts no one who is not part of the relationship (Bennett, J. W. 1996). Every element of the society is transforming hence disregarding same-sex marriage is simply refusing to accept the natural changes in the institution of marriage. The acceptance of homosexuality as evident among school pupils is an indication that homosexuality is a thing of the current generation hence nature should be allowed to take its course. Bennet should not argue against adoption by gay and lesbian couples as this would be better that single parenting. The long-term repercussions of same-sex marriage talked about by those against gay marriage are baseless and coming out of fear of the unknown; accepting same-sex union would only serve to create more choices concerning marriage and people would be guided by individual choices. (Bennett, J. W. 1996). Conclusion From the accounts given above, same-sex marriage should be allowed and homosexuals do not deserve the harsh criticism and victimization that they are undergoing in the society. Legislation and rules governing marriage only needs to be adjusted to provide for same-sex union. Reference Bennett, J. W. (1996). Gay Marriage: Not a very good idea. The Washington Post. OP-ED; Pg. A19 Sullivan, A. (2004). Same-sex Marriage, Pro and Con: A Reader. New York: Vintage Books.

Kidney Transplant

In life a person may do something that he never expected he will do, or that he may ever imagine he will have the courage to do.   However, life as the poem â€Å"You mustn’t Quit! aptly said,     is full of many â€Å"twists and turns,’’ and   a person may   find himself in a place where he   had to make a decision at the risks of his own life   in order to save others ( Anonymous 2001).This may sound heroic but I never thought it that way, all I knew was that it was my dutyWhen I was 2 years old, my father was diagnosed with glomerulonephritis, which is a type of kidney disease.   Due to the fact that we lived in Scranton Pasadena and they did not have dialysis machines to treat my father, we moved to Bronx, New York.   The year was 1968.   My mother, father, brother and I packed up and flew the coop to the Bronx.   There we were informed that my father’s condition was grave and he was not expected to live very long which was quit e tragic considering that he was only in his mid 20’s. As days progressed, the     glomerulonephritis caused his blood pressure to soar so high resulting in the detachment of retina in both eyes, leaving him blind. Just imagine how hard it must have been for my mother who was still young and was forced to face with being in a new city, with a very sick, blind husband and two small children.My father had a brother, who was a priest, and a twin sister.   Both were tested for a kidney transplant for my father, and both were great matches.   For some reason, they both declined to donate to him.   Which, was quite cruel, considering they had been tested and type matched.   I remember him calling them, begging for a kidney, but they both refused.   My uncle the priest claimed it was too risky for him.   My aunt, my father’s twin, said she wanted to have more children, and felt the risk was too high for her. We were angry and at the same time disappointed over their decision.My father was on dialysis 4 to 5 days a week for 6 to 8 hours at a time at the VA (Veterans Administration) Hospital in Bronx.   He was a big man. At 6’4† he was about 240 pounds before his illness but then he was becoming thinner and thinner.   Yet he remained optimistic and happy.   He learned to make his way around the Bronx.   That is no small feat for the seeing person, let alone a blind man.My brother and I, on the other hand, were in school while my mother spent most days taking care of my father.   We were lucky enough to find an apartment right next door to the hospital.   Our relatives from Scranton visited often.   My father got progressively worse.   In 1974, the Moses Taylor Hospital in Scranton opened their own dialysis unit.   My father was thrilled!   We packed up and moved back to Scranton.   It was quite and adjustment, but worth it to be close to family!Thankfully, my father was a veteran.   He was in the Army N ational Guard before his illness.   The VA paid for all his treatments and care.   Being blind, they knew he could not drive himself to the hospital, so they paid a taxi company to take him anywhere he wanted to go even driving him to Old Forge to visit my grandparents. He was always assigned the same cab driver. One Saturday in 1977, the taxi cab my father was in was hit and it crashed into a telephone pole.   Everyone survived, except my frail father who was hurt badly.He broke nearly every bone in his body.   We did not think he would make it through the night.   Thanks to the grace of God, he did live.   However, he never fully recovered.   As a matter of fact, he spent the next three years in the Moses Taylor hospital long term care unit.     Ã‚  The VA hired full time, around the clock nurses to take care of him.   They became like family.   They cared for my father from 1977 to May 20, 1980, when my father’s poor body finally gave in and he died.I t was around that time that my brother Andrew started to lose weight.   He went to the doctor and went through a series of tests.   We worried, but were not out of control with fear.   Then the horrible news came, Andrew also had glomerulonephritis.   My poor mother was heartbroken!   I was petrified and my brother was numb when he learned he had the same disease that took my fathers life.   No immediate action was needed.   Andrew was told to live normally until his condition became worse. Imagine being told that! However, I made it through my junior year of high school without any real trauma.  Then in the beginning of my senior year, Andrew’s condition worsened.   He now needed dialysis.   It was the worst thing that could have happened to our family.   Andrew was on dialysis only 2 days a week for only 2 to 4 hours.   Still a draining experience, Andrew suffered.   When I turned 18, I called my brother’s doctor and asked about donating a k idney to my brother.   I was told it was a long process, but it indeed could be done if we were a match.   I approached Andrew with my idea and he was scared but thrilled.We made a â€Å"secret† appointment for a blood test.   We were a perfect match as far as blood type was concerned.   When we told my mother, she was not sure whether to be happy or scared!   She had one sick kid and one healthy kid and now they were both about to be operated on!   It took about 4 months for the testing to be completed at Geisinger Hospital in Danville PA.   We were a perfect match!   I was thrilled!   Andrew was thrilled!   My mother was petrified!   The operation was to take place on July 17, 1984.   They said the greater risk was for the donor-me!   I was 18!   I was healthy and full of life!   I was a bold and brazen kid!   I was full steam ahead!   The transplant went off without a hitch.I was out of the hospital after a week.   I had 32 staples in my stomach and I felt great!   By the end of the second day, Andrew looked great!   His color had returned!   He was energetic!   His was urinating like a champ!   He was required to stay in the hospital for 3 weeks, until they regulated his anti-rejection medication.   That was 23 years ago.   Andrew is still on anti-rejection medication, but leads a full life.   He is 45 years old.   Andrew is married and has two wonderful little boys.   He has a brand new house in Yatesville and his own mortgage business.It was the greatest thing I could ever imagine doing in my life.   My father was on dialysis for 17 years.   It not only kept him alive, but it also sucked the life out of him.   Andrew was on dialysis for only 7 months.   My mother is still a nervous wreck, but we are all doing fine.   We are quite the family.   Imagine seeing both of your children being wheeled away for an operation at the same time!   I am surprised she survived.   Just for th e record, my aunt and my uncle the priest not only cried when my father died, but they also came to visit me and Andrew in the hospital after the transplant.   I harbor ill feelings toward them.   I suspect I always will.Work CitedAnonymous. 2001. Poem,   â€Å"You Mustn’t Quit! Quoteland. Retrieved). Retrieved October 2, 2007 .

How Brian Imaging Could Help Predict Alzheimers Essay

How Brian Imaging Could Help Predict Alzheimers - Essay Example To date there is a lack of reliable drug that can be used to decelerate the progress of Alzheimer’s disease. Although many drugs have been tested scientists and drug manufacturers blame the timing when these drugs have been administered to patients of the disease. They claim that many of the drugs are administered at a time when the progress of the disease makes it difficult for any significant improvement to take place. The pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly developed gamma secretase inhibitor but this drug didn’t prove successful. Sangram Sisodia, director of the Center for Molecular Neurobiology at the University of Chicago explained that the drug was tested on the wrong group of patients. New studies, however, have shown that there is hope for Alzheimer’s patients. Recent presentations at the Society for Neuroscience conference recently held in San Diego showed that brain imaging may help in the prediction of the disease. Researchers believed that changes in the brain will help to qualify patients to undergo clinical tests of new drugs. They are also hopeful that brain imaging will help in the selection of persons for clinical testing before dementia is developed. Reliable drugs testing can become possible if persons found with mild cognitive impairment are used for clinical testing as indicated by recent researches. Not everyone who has this condition will develop Alzheimer’s as revealed by a graduate student of Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. The study highlighted the substantia innominata section of the brain. Of the 47 persons who had mild cognitive impairment, 22 developed Alzheimer’s over a six year period. They were found to have significant thinning in three connected areas of the cortex involved in memory, attention, and integration of sensor and motor integration. A second study revealed that the caudate nucleus section of the brain shrunk significantly in elderly persons diagnosed with

In the Spirit of Crazy Horse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

In the Spirit of Crazy Horse - Essay Example What drives Matthiessen to write this novel is that twenty two years thereafter, one of them Leonard Peltier is still serving two consecutive life sentences. This is because he believes that Peltier is innocent forming the core of the story thus a classic work of investigative reporting. Metthiessen brings forth the larger picture of the Pine Ridge shooting. He shows us the systematic discrimination by the white people in power, determination by corporate agencies to exploit the uranium deposits in the Black Hills, dishonoring of treaties, the F.B.I hostility towards the American Indian Movement and finally the rampant corruption and ineffective judicial system (Matthiessen, 6).This makes the readers to inadvertly rationalize and justify the murder because it is a representation of the repeated historical injustices done to the Native American people in the US. Discussion According to Metthiessen (231-278), he argues that justice is around the corner. This arises because many a times has been disappointed when he sees justice is to be administered only to be denied basing on a technicality in the legal appeals. Everyone had deposited their hope in the legal system only to be betrayed at the last minute. This is because the jury never made the effort to listen to the testimony of the witnesses only to sentence Peltier to life imprisonment without witnesses. The jury based the judgment on the evidence fabricated and manipulated by the FBI. This just shows how the corrupt and discriminatory the FBI is with the back up of a very an inefficient judicial system. This Spirit of a Crazy Horse is a spirit of being on total resistance to the wrongs directed towards the community, the people and ourselves. This provides the back drop of constant subversion of justice for Native Americans and it is perceived as a metaphor to depict the history of injustice against the entire race of people other than an isolated incident of the Peltier’s case. Most of the time the F BI have been an opposing force in bringing to the table the real issues that are affecting the Native Indian community and other people, but they continue to base their argument on the American Indian Movement in the 1970’s. When Peltier serves more than two consecutive life imprisonment times he is actually deprived his constitutional right. Therefore, if Petlier’s rights are to be respected he is entitled to be freed but this is not the case. The string of injustices directed towards the Natives through corruption of the fundamental legal practices and fairness and many other cited ways tries to keep the Native Americans from ever making steps forward with low levels of education, corruption of legal frame work, inadequate food supplies and racist leaders. This is evidenced through Peltire’s case and many others not mentioned. The American justice system and other related government agencies are unjust in the way they undertook issues particularly those affect ing the Natives. Matthiessen easily moves the audience to rationalize and justify murder. He utilizes historical events and figures such as the creation of Mount Rushmore to poke holes in our sight of the superiority of the American legal system when he likens the President’s victorious dedication of the monument with utterances of Standing Bear who says, â€Å"

Environmental Legislation Report Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Environmental Legislation Report - Coursework Example The various environmental laws and legislations include several restrictions that the site must follow in order to operate in a hassle free manner. Since the power station between the estate and the landfill site served as an intermediary, the problems were comparatively lesser. The increase in the number of industries led to litter, pest and pollution. When considering this situation, the board of directors of Ambrosia must ensure that they follow the environmental laws and legislations. They must also modify their operations to avoid problems in the future. Environmental laws are different in each country and the country expects the industries to abide by the legislations. The environmental laws of a country aim at protecting the environment from hazardous chemicals. The environmental laws in U.K and the European countries are more severe when compared to the other countries. The environmental laws came into existence only when the protection and preservation of environment was considered as the major issue. These environmental laws include legislations for pollution, protection of wildlife, litter and other environment related issues. One of the major environment laws is the one that deals with the wastage of a factory. Factories fail to dispose their wastes in a proper manner. Instead they tend to leave it unattended where they get into river fields and water reservoirs. The law was passes in the year 1972 and it was named, Poisonous wastes Act. When considering this landfill site, air pollution is the major problem and most of the Claimants complain about the dust that is exerted from the landfill site. The landfill site is surrounded by several industries which include silver factory, gas works and liquorice industries. All these industries emit certain amount of gases and dust which create a problem to the residents. This report aims at helping the authorities of the Ambrosia

Preventive measures Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Preventive measures - Assignment Example The company offers or provides the employees with adequate and quality training to enable them to transform their visions into reality. The company in question owns and also operates the Sizzler restaurants. The worldwide Restaurant Concept Inc was anciently known as Sizzler International Inc but later the name was changed to the worldwide Restaurant Concept Inc. However the worldwide concept inc. like many other companies around the globe has also been facing legal challenges due to a series of factors. There are main challenges that have become a menace to the World-wide restaurant concept Inc financial prosperity. The challenges are as follows. The main Legal issues/challenges facing the World-Wide Concepts, Inc. Company The first and the most head aching issue is the issue of disgruntled workers. This is greatly becoming a major head aching legal issues to the worldwide concept Inc. this is in the sense that, the employees have been granted by its law more freedom than in other c ompanies and business firms. The freedom in particular is in the form of; they are allowed to form unions the unions fight for wrongful termination from this company. This has made it very difficult for the employers to fire the underperforming individuals in the company in order to avoid facing the law. This is because of the stiff laws set to defend the employees. For example there is a law that states that, if an employer terminates or fires an employee, he/she should make sure that the employee has signed the regal documents which have been cautiously drafted by an attorney upon the termination of the employee to make the terms for termination very clear. If an employee is terminated without the signing of the document, it leaves the door open or rather paves away for a legal action against the employer in of the firm. The second and also one of the fears issue is the issue of discrimination and harassment cases. The company in question has been facing these challenges for a lon g period of time, it seems that the more the company ventures into different nations, the problems grows bigger and bigger. These discriminations of all kinds from the sex, age or even age and many others have lead to very serious legal problems. The company’s CEOs have been arrested due to such related cases and have also lead to loss of money through the court fines. The companies should make sure that their human resources and also the legal team is well prepared to be able to handle these issues if in any case they occur. For the period of the hiring procedure, the firm’s CEO should ensure that he/she is prepared for all applicants resumes incase discrimination cases arise, this is in order to make sure that they hire the best and also the most qualified individuals in regardless of their gender, their ethnicity or even their age. The sufferers of pestering and discrimination likely have drawn attention from the media which in turn have tarnishes the companies†™ reputation as well as draining their legal budgets. The third issue is the copyright and also the patent issue. This has greatly affected the designing field and partners of worldwide restaurant concept Inc who are based in Russia and India. The companies are often faced with aggressive patent legal action. This has lead to loss of m

The Possibilities of Progress in International Politics Research Paper

The Possibilities of Progress in International Politics - Research Paper Example â€Å"The Possibilities of Progress in International Politics† Therefore, data will be collected from secondary sources. The qualitative research methodology will correspondingly include three approaches of research. These would incorporate the grounded theory, historical research and critical social research approaches. In this regard, grounded theory research approach suggests of a research based on grounded data from secondary sources as well as primary sources. Based on the collected data obtained from the sources, the research approach will lead to the generation of relevant theory to suffice the determined goal of the study. This approach is highly important in the current context, as it would lead to the establishment of relevant theories related to international political conflicts and resolutions (Leavy, 2014). Another research approach will be used in the study is the historical research approach, wherein the researchers use historical data for conducting the research. These historical data will both be primary and secondary. Primary data will be collected from archaeological evidences and others, while the secondary sources will be collected from several scholarly articles and books (Leavy, 2014). The third approach used in the research study will be the critical social research approach. Through this approach, data collected from social and cultural evidences will be critically analyzed. Applying this approach, the concepts of humanities and social sciences will also be simultaneously used.

The Feasibility of Implementing Continuous Decent Approaches in Highly Research Paper

The Feasibility of Implementing Continuous Decent Approaches in Highly Congested Airspace - Research Paper Example y higher for longer, and then to descend continuously from the level of bottom of stack, intercepting the 3 degrees grid path to runway (Civil Aviation authority, 2009). This method does not require any additional engine power. The approach involves much less noise and reduces environmental pollution. Therefore, though not widely embraced in aviation (Shresta, Neskovic & Williams, 2009), CDA promises much better environmental sustainability in the future of aviation industry, due to significantly reduced fuel consumption and much less noise pollution. However, CDA in densely populated and congested airspace my not be reality due to space constraints and the requirements of a clear flight path for each landing plane. Alam et al (2010) in a study on dynamic CDA methodology of noise and emission reduction observed that there are 64 possible dynamic CDA routes at the Sydney airport. This implies at any one time, 64 airplanes can land on the airplane at different CDA routes. This was found to have a reduction of 14.6% noise, 11.6% nitrogen oxides, and 1.5% reduction compared to standard CDA trajectory route. Such a model offers approach in highly congested airspace. However, Robinson & Kamagarpour (2011) stressed that traffic separation demands and airspace restrictions should not in any way interfere with flight decent path. On the other hand, Dinges (2007) explains there are only a few studies on involving large numbers of flights in an individual airport. Alcabin et al (2009) extrapolated a small number of flights to the entire NAS, to portray effect of mass decent by planes in different airports in both congested and uncontested periods. Tong (2006) investigated the benefits of new approach proc edures using dual runaway operations at IAH airport. Moreover, Wat using flight recorder data estimated the benefits of about 150 continuous descent operations at Schipol (Wat, 2006). Reynolds (2009) while using flight recorded data tried to separate the vertical path and

Dual Identities Essay Example for Free

Dual Identities Essay What is identity? We know from intuitive self-awareness that personal identity exists. It seems to be a fact of conscious life, as common as the word I. But the real question is how to define it? I have come to realize that there is no set definition on what makes an identity, so if my understanding is correct anything and everything can make an identity. There is no wrong answer. It varies from person to person. For example Andre Dubus, the author of Witnessmakes his identity clear through stories in which he shows his disability. In his case having a disability is part of his identity I cannot stand or walk . . . I cannot live as normals do. As for myself, I can relate, although not to the extent as Dubus, I can understand the anger that goes along with a disability. My disability is anemia, and while most people that suffer from anemia do not see anything other than minor side effects, I do. I am severely anemic, and so it affects my everyday life. I have trouble getting up in the morning because I am too tired, even after a good night sleep. I have to take iron pills and I eat red meat almost every day. Furthermore, I have seen more doctors than I wish to remember and they all tell me the same thing youll grow out of it. Really, thanks Doctor, youve been so helpful, I reply sarcastically. Few people know about my sickness, which I plan to keep that way. For some reason I feel that if many people knew about it they would feel bad for me, and could possibly think I was weak, which is the last thing that I want. Part of my identity is being strong and un-afraid, which is a difficult thing to pull off for a girl. Dave Barry the author of Guys vs. Men thinks that a lot of men give guys a bad name. Just like Barry I think that a lot of girls give females a bad name. Let me explain. I think that a lot of girls are overly dramatic, way too emotional, and acted dumber than they really are, for reasons that are very unclear to me. I know that I am feeding into the stereotype, but some girls fit the stereotype too well to not comment on. I refuse to take guff from anyone, unless I deserve it, and I speak what is on my mind. I have heard that I can be very threatening, but I do not believe that I should refrain from speaking my mind when I see it necessary.  In Keith Bradshers essay Reptile Dreams Clotaire Rapaille describes teens very well by commenting that They want to give the message, I want to be able to fight back, dont mess with me.' Clotaire seems to sum up the thoughts of the American youth very well, or at least me. I think that I acquired that aspect of my identity from when I lived in Los Angeles. Zora Neal Hurston explains it well I left Eatonville, as ZoraWhen I disembarked on the river boatShe was no more, in her essay How if feels to be Colored Me.She expressed exactly how I felt when I moved to Sacramento. I felt like I wasnt myself anymore. When I lived in Los Angeles I developed an eclectic personality; because I was friends with so many different types of people I took on other aspects of my personality. Unfortunately because I lived in LA I always had to have my guard up, im not sure how to explain it correctly other than, if you lived there you would understand. For the most part everyone had to fend for themselves, and if you werent able to do that than you were a follower of someone who did. I later came to realize that ones sense of self, or ones identity is developed through, among other things, external influences including friends, family, and situations. Now looking back I can see where I have gotten my attitude. Im smart mouthed, sarcastic, and blunt. Through those traits I have also acquired nicknames. A recent nickname as of this summer was, Ms. Attitude. This summer I went wake-boarding with some family friends, their friends, and my best friend. So basically it was my friend and I, and 7 guys. What I came to realize though this summer, is that most guys arent used to girls that talk back. Because I am very sarcastic the guys were very surprised, which is why I developed the nickname. They thought it was hilarious, and I was recently told by one of them that they miss my attitude, so I guess I left an impression. What is shocking to me though, is that I usually get that reaction from most guys, which leads me to believe that they have never met any girls from LA. I moved last summer before senior year to Granite Bay, and attended Granite Bay High School my senior year. I moved from my moms house to my dads house,  willingly, to avoid a lot of un-necessary drama. The move was quite unexpected for everyone but myself. I left because I came to realize that my friends were no longer my friends. Many of my friends had begun to do some very hard drugs, and so I no longer wanted to be around them. I knew it was a bad environment, so I left. I have always been very independent and have never relied on anyone else to make decisions for me. I only did what I thought was right, yet after sharing my story with a few new friends in Nor*Cal I witnessed a lot of jaw-dropping, everyone thought that it was such a big deal. My identity quickly developed, I was the girl from L.A. I valued that identity, I almost felt like superman, I was Clark Kent when I was home in LA, and Superman when I was in Sacramento. I say Superman because a lot of people kind of looked at me like that, like I was invincible. I was like nothing any of them were used to. Other than being influenced from where one lives or lived, I believe that family can have a huge impact on ones identity. For instance, because I was raised by my mom, I turned out differently than if I was raised by my dad. If I was raised by my dad I think I would have turned out much more emotionally detached, and much more independent. I say this because my dads a guy, he doesnt seem to care about anything other than himself and definitely shows no sign of emotion or feeling, that means no hugs. If I was raised by him Im sure I would have had a job at thirteen and would probably be living on my own now. But because I was raised by my mom I grew being very spoiled, because my mom believes that school is more important than work so I was never allowed to get a job. Unfortunately I grew up having everything handed to me. Which is good because I got everything that I wanted very easily, but bad because I got used to having everything handed to me. In addition, because I grew up living with my mom I became more compassionate and caring because thats what I was taught. I consider the way I was raised part of my identity, I grew up with very strong ties to my family and thats part of who I am. In conclusion, I believe that there is no one way to decipher where an identity can come from. So once again what is identity? humans are the only animal that can be aware of oneself, and so we are also the only animal to  contemplate who we are, and why we are that way. Through this constant mission of self discovery everyone seems to have an ever-changing view on their personal identity. It is a fact of conscious life, as common as the word I, to want to know who we are. I have come to realize that there is no set definition on what makes an identity, so if my understanding is correct anything and everything can make an identity. There is no wrong answer. It seems to vary from person to person and if any given event, person, action, etc, has effected someone greatly enough it can become part of their identity, even unknowingly. For me writing this paper was a mission of self discovery, I have never really considered who I am other than the obvious. I now know who I am and why I am the way I am. To me that was the hardest thing to answer. Why?

Dipole Moment of 5- Fluorouracil Molecule

Dipole Moment of 5- Fluorouracil Molecule Computational Term Paper: Theoretical studies on 5- fluorouracil to calculate its dipole moment, and how the values compare with other pyrimidine analog (namely uracil and thymine) and that of literature. Name: Farzana Nushin Rezvi Abstract: In this experiment, the dipole moment of 5- Fluorouracil molecule was determined using the Gaussian software, and compared with literature values. The dipole moments of other pyrimidine analogs, namely Thymine and Uracil, were also calculated and compared with literature values. The experiment gave insight to typical dipole moment values of uracil derivatives, and how the dipole moment of aromatic molecules can be influenced in the presence of –F, or -CH3 substituent. Introduction: The purpose of this experiment is to calculate the dipole moment of the anticancer drug, 5- Fluorouracil, and compare the numerical value with that of two other pyrimidines, Thymine and Uracil. Fig 1: Molecular structure of 5- Fluoro uracil (drawn by ChemBioDraw). 5- Fluorouracil is apyrimidine analog (nucleoside analogs that mimic the molecular structure of pyrimidines) of uracil molecule that functions as an anti-cancer drug; it is used in the treatment of several types of cancer, including that of rectum, colon, head and neck cancer.10 5- Fluorouracil belongs to the family of drugs called theantimetabolites. Antimetabolite drugs function by impeding vital biosynthetic processes or by being assimilated into macromolecules, and inhibiting their normal functioning. The fluoro pyrimidine drug, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) does both.9Cancer cells often use more uracil than normal cells, which indicates that uracil metabolism is a potential target for antimetabolite chemotherapy.9 â€Å"The mechanism of cytotoxicity of 5-FU has been ascribed to the misincorporation of fluoronucleotides into RNA and DNA and to the inhibition of the nucleotide synthetic enzyme thymidylate synthase.†9 Thymidylate synthase is an enzyme that catalyzes the conversion o f deoxyuridine monophosphate (dUMP) to deoxythymidine monophosphate (dTMP). dTMP is one of the three nucleotides (dTMP, dTTP, and dTDP) that eventually produce a thymine molecule. With inhibition of Thymidylate synthase, an imbalance of nucleotides results and increased levels of dUTP arise. Both of these factors cause DNA damage, therefore ultimately inhibiting cell replication. 5 FU is also seldom found in skin creams used for other conditions. However, it should be used in moderate/regulated amounts since the side effects of unregulated exposure can be severe.10 5-Fluorouracil is a derivative of Uracil. Another structural analog of Uracil is Thymine. As can be seen from the figure below, the molecules only differ in what substituent each has on C-5. Fig 2: Molecular structures of Uracil, 5-Fluorouracil, and Thymine. Thymine is one of the four nucleobases of DNA. Uracil is the RNA analogue of Thymine. Unlike Fluorouracil, these bases are regularly used by a healthy cell to construct new nucleotides (for multiplication, repair, etc.) The dipole moment is considered to be an elementary physiochemical property of a molecule. Interpretation of dipole moments by electronic charge distribution contributes to the understanding the molecular electronic structure and helps us gain deeper insight. The numerical values of the dipole moments also help us in evaluating the quantum mechanical calculations of electronic charge distribution, particularly in a series of homologous compounds, as in our experiment. Our experiment helps us understand the effects of substituents at C5 dipole moment of uracil. The dipole moment is a of these three molecules is an interesting study because in each case, the dipole moment is primarily influenced by the presence of electronegative atoms. The dipole moment of a molecule influences many of its properties and features (such as its colligtaive properties, how it interacts with other molecules, its behavior in compounds, etc.) In the molecules under consideration, the dipole moment(s) work as in the following figure (the dipole moment of uracil directed inbetween N3 and C4, with the substituent ‘X’ either strengthening, or weakening the dipole in the illustrated vectors)6: Fig 3: Vector scheme of dipole moments in uracil and in its derivatives6 (reproduced using ChemBioDraw) Experimental: For this Lab, the Gaussian software was used in calculating the dipole moment. At first, the molecule of concern was drawn using the software. Then ‘Edit’ option is selected to ‘Symmetrize’ our subject molecule. After that is done, we perform Gaussian Calculation Setup, by selecting Job Type as ‘Energy’, and under Methods changing the Basis set. The numerical value of the dipole moment is obtained from the ‘Results’ of the .chk file. The Gaussian calculation is repeated by selecting other Basis sets. The whole process is repeated for the molecules Thymine and Uracil. The molecule is drawn using Gaussian, and the Gaussian calculations repeated by selecting different ‘job types’ and ‘basis sets’. Results: The results obtained are represented in tabular form. The screenshots of the molecules as drawn in the Gaussian software are also given. Tables: Table 1: The theoretical and Literature values of 5-Fluorouracil dipole moment Table 2: The theoretical and Literature values of Uracil dipole moment Table 3: The theoretical and Literature values of Thymine dipole moment. Images obtained from Gaussian: 5-Fluorouracil Fig 4: Image of 5-Fluorouracil molecule as drawn using Gaussian software Uracil: Fig 5: Image of uracil molecule as drawn using Gaussian software Thymine: Fig 6: Image of thymine molecule as drawn using Gaussian software Discussion: The purpose of this experiment was to calculate the numerical values of dipole moments of the anticancer drug, 5- fluorouracil, and two other pyrimidines, thymine and uracil, and compare the obtained values with that of literature values. The dipole moment of a bond is defined as the mathematical product of the magnitude of the charges and distance between atoms under consideration11. The numerical value of the dipole moment can be calculated for each bond, as well as for the entire molecule. In this experiment, we use the Gaussian software for the calculation of dipole moments. The calculation of dipole moment is based on the allocation of atomic charges to the atoms in the molecule in a reasonable way.4 In the hands on experiment, this consists of assigning electronegativity values to the atoms and experimental structural information of the bonds. Topological methods, however, do not take in information about the molecular geometry or the conformational status of the molecule. The topological method currently in use is the Gasteiger-Hà ¼ckelmethod, which has the disadvantage of omitting the validation procedure. This renders the study impractical.11 The method of computation of partial charges employed in this experiment is based on the quantum mechanical calculation of wavefunction.11 For this report, wavefunctions were obtained using the ab initio method. Ab initio means based on first principles, these methods are based on quantum mechanics and attempt to solve the Schrà ¶dinger equation. â€Å"Ab initio methods use no experimental parameters in their calculations, although they use some mathematical approximations. The major disadvantage of Ab Initio quantum chemistry is the heavy demands on computer power.†12 The choice of basis set is one of the most important aspects of this computation, as our results depend vastly on the basis set employed. Basis sets are quantum chemical units of energy; basis set contains mathematical functions that can be used to determine the dipole moment, energy, and other quantum mechanical properties of an atom/molecule of study. Basis sets are considered to represent the wavefunctions of the electrons in the species.12 On the basis of atomic point charges, a molecular dipole moment can be calculated in a quite simple and fast way, and compared with literature values. To get reliable results using this method, one must select small and rigid structures.11 As the dipole moment is a property defined by quantum mechanics, wavefunctions can be used to directly calculate its values. Results derived with large basis sets (such as those reported in this paper) are in good agreement with experimental values. As we can see, our calculated values of the dipole moment align quite closely with the experimental values. One fact, however, stands out: the values of dipole moment get closer to the ‘literature values’ as the basis set is increased. However, quantum mechanical methods are not very useful when obtaining information about larger molecules.11 The dipole moments of uracil, as well as of its respective derivatives are listed in Table 1, Table 2 and Table 3. First of all, it can be noticed that all these molecules have pretty high values for dipole moments, compared to other aromatic molecules.4 This increase seems to be mainly due to the large electronegativity of the O atoms (resulting in large numerical values of the dipole moments of carbonyl groups) which amount to 4 Debye units in thiouracils, according to Schneider and Halverstadt 13 This value can be contributed to the relatively high polarity of the secondary amide carbonyl group in these compounds, as compared with the generally observed value of 2.23 Debye units.4 A pronounced change in the dipole moment is observed only upon the introduction of a substituent of a different polarity, such as Fluorine and Methyl group. In order to examine the effects of substituent on C5 on the electronic charge distribution in greater detail, many factors have to be taken into consideration. The first is that of electronegativity. Halogens are famously electronegative, with F atom being the most. The electronegativity of Fluorine atom pulls away electrons towards itself (and away from the ring) (Refer to Fig 3). As the dipole moment direction of –F atom is directed towards itself, it somewhat cancels the dipole moment of N3. This explains why 5-Fluorouracil has a lower overall dipole moment compared to uracil. Thymine differs from uracil in having a methyl group (-CH3) on C5. The main chemistry to understand here is that of the inductive and mesomeric effect. â€Å"Methylation at C5 and C6 mainly causes changes in the polarity of the C5C6 bond by way of increasing the ~-electronic charge on the atom at which substitution takes place.†6 Due to the positive inductive effect of the –CH3 group, electrons are pushed towards the aromatic ring. This adds to the ‘electron pull’ of N3 and contributes to the overall polarity of the molecule. It can be noted that substitution at C5 does not alter the dipole moment of uracil as much as a substituent on C6 would. (Since the substituents at C5 and C6 are differently oriented). For uracil, the dipole moment is directed in the N atom inbetween the carbonyl groups (as shown in Fig 3). However, the dipole moment is a more complicated calculation than can be inferred from a diagram as simple, lots of other data (such as bond angles) also have to be taken into account. Conclusion: The purpose of this experiment is to calculate the dipole moment of the anticancer drug, 5- fluorouracil, and compare its value with that of literature, and two other pyrimidines, thymine and uracil. Based on the data obtained with 5 FU, the experiment can be deemed to be successful, as it contains about 1-2 % error with respect to literature. In summary, we have demonstrated that these Gaussian calculations is an easy and convenient way to determine many physical and spectroscopic properties of these molecules in solution and can give an additional insight into their in vivo properties.1 Citations: Theoretical DFT and experimental NMR studies on uracil and 5- fluorouracil , B. Blicharska, T. Kupka / Journal of Molecular Structure 613 (2002) 153–166 Frisch, M. J.et al. Gaussian Development Version, Revision D.02. In Gaussian Development Version, Revision D.02; Gaussian, Inc.: Wallingford CT, 2005 5-Fluorouracil and thymine form a crystalline solid solution, Sarah A. Barnett, Ashley T. Hulme* and Derek A. Tocher, Acta Crystallographica Section CVolume 62, Issue 7, Article first published online: 10 JUL 2006 L.A. Curtiss, M.S. Gordon Computational Material Chemistry: Methods and Applications, Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2004 Structures of the Molecular Components in DNA and RNA with Bond Lengths Interpreted as Sums of Atomic Covalent Radii Institute of Biophysics of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Krà ¡lovopolskà ¡ 135, 61265 Brno, Czech Republic. Dipole moments of 2,4-diketopyrimidines: Part II: Uracil, thymine and their derivatives I. Kulakowskaa, M. Gellerb, B. Lesyngb, K.L. Wierzchowskia, Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) Nucleic Acids and Protein Synthesis Volume 361, Issue 2, 29 August 1974, Pages 119–130 Chapter chemotherapy cancer http://www.oncoprof.net/Generale2000/g09_Chimiotherapie/Complements/g09_comp11.php (accessed Nov 19, 2014) Cole Parmer http://www.coleparmer.com/Product/5_Fluorouracil_99_5g/EW-88244-97 (accessed Nov 19, 2014) 5-Fluorouracil: mechanisms of action and clinical strategies, Daniel B. Longley1, D. Paul Harkin1 Patrick G. Johnston, Nature Reviews Cancer 3, 330-338 (May 2003) Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluorouracil (accessed 3rd December 2014) Hans-Dieter Hà ¶ltje, Gerd Folker, Molecular Modeling: Basic Principles and Applications, VCH Publishers, 1997 Vol. 5 Samakhvalov A, Lab Manual for Physical Chemistry I, Rutgers University Camden 2014 Schneider, W.C. and Halverstadt, I.F. (1948) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 70, 262626 1

Social Phobia and Perfectionism: Theories, Types and Models

Social Phobia and Perfectionism: Theories, Types and Models Contents (Jump to) Abstract Chapter 2 – Epidemiology of Generalized and Specific Social Phobia Chapter 3 Etiological Hypotheses and Findings Chapter 4 The Behavioral Models of Social Phobia Abstract Derived from the Greek word for ‘fear’, a phobia represents a ‘fight or flight’ response that is described by the American Psychiatric Association as â€Å"†¦ an uncontrollable, irrational and persistent fear of a specific object †¦ situation †¦activity† (Phobia King, 2006). Social phobia, which is known as ‘phobia des situations socials’, was first termed by Pierre Janet (1903) whereby he described patients that demonstrated and or had a fear of being observed as they were either speaking, writing or performing other functions. Hurka (1993, p. 3) tells us that perfectionism is a â€Å"†¦ moral theory (that) starts from an account of the good life † Hurka (1993, p. 3) goes on to add that the ‘good life’ develops humanity properties to a high degree and or thus realizes what is important as well as central to human nature. The history of perfectionism can be traced back to Aristotle’s conception of eudaimonia, the good life, and his belief that political structures and politics should thus promote this in its individuals (Aristotle and Irwin, translator, 1999, pp. 1-4). Other notable individuals throughout history noted for their devotion to perfectionism in varied forms are Thomas Aquinas, Francis of Assisi, Clement of Alexandria as well as Jesus who stated in his Sermon on the Mount said â€Å"Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect† (MainBelieve.com, 2006). The dictionary defines ‘perfectionism’ as â€Å"a tendency to set rigid high standards of personal performance† (free dictionary.com, 2006). In psychology, perfectionism represents the belief that this is something which should be strived for and in its pathological sense it represents the unhealthy belief anything that is not perfect is unacceptable (coping.org, 2006). It also represents not making mistakes and striving to be the best, as well as the attitude that what one attempts needs to be done perfectly and a habit that is developed in one’s youth keeping one consistently alert to imperfections as well as weaknesses and failings in one’s self as well as others (coping.org., 2006). This paper shall examine these two areas, delving into their individual specificities as well as linkages and commonalities, revealing opposing views concerning the diagnosis and causes of these afflictions and the views which seemingly share many similar aspects. The term, phobia, is generally classified by psychiatrists and psychologists into three basic categories (Bourne, 2005, pp. 33-42) (Kessler et al, 2005, pp. 629-640): Social Phobias Specific Phobias Agoraphobia Isaac Marks (1969, p. 362) advises that the syndromes representing shyness, social anxiety along with social avoidance had been described as early as Hippocrates. Marks (1969, p. 362) reported that individuals with this affliction â€Å"†¦ through bashfulness, suspicion, and timorousness, will not be seen abroad, †¦ he dare not come in company, for fear he should be misused, disgraced, overshoot himself in gestures of speeches †¦ he thinks every man observed him †¦Ã¢â‚¬  Mark’s (1969) views and analysis is amplified by Heimberg et al (1995, p. 96) who state that individuals having this affliction â€Å"†¦ experience excessive fear of being humiliated or judged negatively in social or performance situations.† Juster et al (1996, pp. 403-410) state that perfectionism is linked to social phobia and is also related to anxiety as well as depression. Frost et al (1990, pp. 449-468) ‘Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale assesses perfectionism in terms of it being a phenomenon that consists of three segments: Self oriented, is described as the tendency for a person to seek as well as set high self standards concerning performance, Other oriented, is the tendency for a person to expect others to be perfect in their performance(s), Socially prescribed represents the tendency that a person expects others to think and or believe others expects them to be perfect in their performance. Frost et al (1990, pp. 449-468) define perfectionism as a malady that entails excessive self criticism that is associated with the setting or belief in higher personal standards and the allied concern of meeting expectations on a social level. The preceding also includes the tendency for excessive self criticism that is associated with their higher personal standards as well as their concerns for meeting what is, in their internal view, social expectations, along with the excessive focus concerning organization as well as neatness and doubts with regard to their effectiveness in their actions (Frost et al, 1990, pp. 449-468). The preceding describes the inter relatedness between social phobia and perfectionism that will be explored herein which shall examine each aspect and their links. Perfectionism has roots in aspects of social phobia, as well as the reverse being true. These two afflictions sometimes are present in individuals having social anxiety and are generally conditions that have their roots in early childhood. In examining these two areas, attention shall be paid to their individual diagnosis areas, signs, conditions and foundations, as well as the linkages between the varied forms of social phobia and perfectionism. This examination has been organized to set forth the preceding via segmenting the foregoing into areas that identify and explain the aspects of social phobia as well as perfectionism revealing the foregoing linkages and commonalities. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (2000, pp. 154-156) defines social phobia as a persistent and marked fear of one or more performance and or social situations whereby an individual is exposed to people that are unfamiliar and thus subject to scrutiny by others whereby the person in question thus feels (fears) that they might or will act in such a manner, and or exhibit anxiety, which will either be embarrassing and or humiliating. The preceding concurs with Heimberg et al (1995, p. 96) who stated that individuals having this affliction â€Å"†¦ experience excessive fear of being humiliated or judged negatively in social or performance situations.† Social Anxiety Disorder represents the third highest mental health care problem globally and afflicts an estimated seven percent of the world’s population at any given point in time, with a thirteen percent chance that it will affect any one of us during our lives (Social Phobia / Social Anxiety A ssociation, 2005). The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Social Anxiety Institute, 2006) defines social phobia as: A persistent fear of either one or more performance and or social situations whereby an individual is exposed to potential scrutiny by unfamiliar people and that they, the person in question, will act in a manner, and or show anxiety symptoms, which will be either humiliating and or embarrassing. That the exposure to the situation in almost all situations results in anxiety that can and usually does take the form of what is termed as being based upon situations and thus pre-disposed or bound Panic Attack. The individual experiencing the symptoms of social anxiety recognizes that they have a fear that is excessive and or unreasonable. The feared situations are thus avoided by this type of individual or are endured under intense distress and anxiety. The individual’s avoidance, distress and or anticipation of the feared situation thus significantly interferes with this person’s normal routine, functioning and an occupational and or academic manner, their social activities /relationships, and or they experience a marked distress concerning having the phobia. In those persons 18 years of age or less the general period of the duration of such an experience is generally six months. That the fear and or avoidance of the aforementioned is not due to the direct physiological effects of either drugs or medications, and or a general medical condition which could be accounted for by virtue of another mental disorder. The preceding diagnostic criteria provide a guideline, however they do not substitute an analysis and or visit to a mental health practitioner (Ohio State University, 2005). Examples of diagnostic criteria historical facets are described as (The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (2000) : patients having a hypersensivity to criticism, along with a difficulty in being assertive, and or low self esteem as well as potentially inadequate social skills. They avoid speaking in front of groups of people, with the preceding potentially leading to difficulties in either work or education. In order to reach a diagnosis concerning social phobia in children the situation calls for observing their interactions with peers as opposed to observing them with adults, which represents a different context. In reaching and or considering a diagnosis, clinicians should seek to consider what is termed the co-morbid diagnosis represented by avoidant personality disorder when an individual exhibits generalized social phobia. It has been determined that a high percentage of individuals with social phobia have or have developed alcohol and or sedative abuse that aids them in tolerating social situations, however the preceding is not universally true. Symptoms and characteristics of social phobia consist of one, some or all of the following (Helpguide.org, 2006): Avoidance, Whereby an individual will go to great lengths to avoid the prospect of socializing based upon the fear that they will by either perceived in an adverse manner or be humiliated. If left untreated this condition can accelerate or develop into the condition known as agoraphobia. Low Self Esteem, Represents a condition which most individuals who are afflicted with social phobia experience and it is marked by the fact that the longer one remains in this condition the more it affects one’s sense of self worth. Depression, A common outgrowth of having a social anxiety disorder is that the feelings of extreme anxiety as well as the sense of the lack of control over one’s life can very well lead to depression. Alcohol and or Drug Abuse, It has been estimated that one fourth of the individuals with this condition abuse either alcohol and or drugs usually starting to alleviate the pain and then accelerating into wholesale abuse. Academic and Occupational Difficulties, The condition has been known to interfere with one’s ability to function at work as well as academically and can as well as has presented obstacles in these regards. Interpersonal Difficulties, Statistics and studies have determined that as a result of this condition, individuals are prone to be less likely to marry and also have fewer friends as well as social support. The symptoms represented by social phobia defer in respect to children and adults as generally represented by the fact that in the earlier stages children tend to fail to achieve their levels, and adults show declines from prior functioning levels (Biederman et al, 2001, pp. 49-57) (Stein, 2001, pp. 28-39). The symptoms as manifested by children frequently are observed as temper tantrums, clinging to parents, crying and interactive aspects such as the refusal to talk to others (Biederman et al, 2001, pp. 49-57). In adults, the symptoms include a number of physical anxiety signs along with behavior and attitude manifestations (Bruce and Saeed, 1999, pp. 2311-2322): blushing, nausea, dry mouth, sweating, tremors and other similar types of anxiety indicators, difficulty as represented with self assertion, an extreme sensitivity concerning criticism, negative evaluations and or rejection, an intense preoccupation and concern regarding the responses as well as reactions of other individuals, increased fears regarding the prospect of being either humiliated and or embarrassed, and the avoidance of situations that cause or create fear and or anxiety Olfson et al (2001, pp. 521-527) advise that the diagnosis of social phobia is generally based upon the history of the patient, along with reported symptoms. In keeping with an accurate diagnosis the physician may also utilize what is termed a diagnostic questionnaire which aids in ruling our other possible phobias, anxiety orders as well as major depression (Olfson et al, 2001, pp. 521-527). Screening and testing procedures for adults suspected of suffering from social phobia represents a problematic assessment as some general screeners, for example the Structured Clinical Interview does not include questions that are related to social phobia and such a test can take upwards of twenty-five minutes (Bruce and Saeed, 1999, pp. 2311-2322). In addition to the foregoing there are instruments such as the Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale as well as the Social Avoidance and Distress Scale which are long and in general are useful more in the measurement of therapy progress (Bruce and Saeed, 1999, pp. 2311-2322). Interestingly, physicians have found that the utilization of a selected group of questions added to a general screening questionnaire has proved helpful in their detection of this condition; examples of the preceding are as follows (Olfson et al, 2001, pp. 521-527): Are feeling embarrassed or feeling as if you look stupid among your worst fears? Does the fear of embarrassment cause you to avoid doing certain things and or speaking to people? Do you avoid situations where you could be or are the center of attention? The diagnosis of children takes into account additional factors as a result of their age. Such includes the fact that they do not have the options of avoiding most situations which frighten them (Bogels and Zigterman, 2000). The preceding provides an explanation as to why children are less likely to be able to provide why they are thus anxious. Bogels and Zigterman (2000) advise that thus it is important for physicians to therefore evaluate their capacity concerning social relationships with individuals the child knows, as well as assess their interactions with those in their peer group for signs of social phobia indications in addition to their behavior with and around adults. Examples of the procedural aspects for the preceding entail the utilization of what are termed the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for Children, the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents and Children, the parent completed Child Behavior Checklist and the Teacher’s Report Form (Bogels and Z igterman, 2000). Social phobia differs from shyness in that the former condition causes individuals to avoid the anxiety producing situations by all means, whereas shyness can be attributed to a number of broad classifications as it represents different things to differing individuals. Crozier (1990, p. 2) states that â€Å"†¦ shyness is not a precise term. It refers to feeling awkward or uncertain in social situations.† Crozier (1990, p. 2) continues that shyness is associated with being and or feeling self conscious, the â€Å"†¦ excessive monitoring of one’s behaviors and over rehearsal of potential utterances† â€Å"The shy person feels anxious and often †¦ appears anxious to others† (Crozier, 1990, p. 2). Berent and Lemley (1994, p. 9) state that the word itself is â€Å"†¦ too general to be of much help in identifying a problem and solving it† and that shyness has varied degrees of complexity and intensity from extremely mild and applicable in a few situations, to more perverse whereby it can thus be termed as a social phobia. Berent and Lemley (1994, p. 10-11) advise us that shyness and social anxiety are closely related and in both instances as they represent a â€Å"†¦ learned response to social interaction†. They go on to explain that shy and or socially anxious individuals â€Å"†¦ may hesitate to pursue the things he or she is interested in, or even begin to avoid situations that cause nervousness or anxiety†. Thus, the spectrum entailing shyness ranges from relatively few instances to actual social phobia. Shyness is not necessarily a criterion for social phobia in that individuals having a social anxiety disorder can be comfortable with certain types and or many differing people; however, they feel intense regarding certain specific situations (CNN.com, 2006). Social anxiety disorder is termed as a social phobia, and or as a psychiatric anxiety disorder which entails overwhelming anxiety as well as excessive self consciousness concerning everyday situations (Crozier and Lynn, 2001, pp. 18-24). Individuals with this affliction often exhibit an intense, chronic as well as persistent fear that they are being watched along with being judged by others, thinking that they might be either humiliated and or embarrassed as a result of their own actions (Crozier and Lynn, 2001, pp. 18-24). The distinction between generalized and specific social anxiety is indicated as those having the generalized type have significant distress with most, if not all social type situations, whereas specific, as the word implies, refers to such situations with specific connotations. Examples of the preceding are evidenced by glossophobia, which is the fear of speaking or performing in public, scriptophobia, which is the fear of writing in public, or paruresis, the fear of utilizing public restrooms (Bruch, 1989, pp. 37-47). Sometimes referred to as anxious personality disorder, avoidant personality disorder is recognizable as a result of a pattern of social inhibition that is pervasive (Mental Health Matters.com, (2006). The foregoing description includes feelings of inadequacy as well as an extreme sensitivity regarding negative evaluation, and people with this affliction very often consider that they are socially inept and or unappealing on a personal level, thus they avoid situations entailing social interaction due to a fear of either being humiliated and or ridiculed. In general, avoidant personality disorder is usually first noticed in one’s early childhood and is usually associated with either a real or perceived rejection by one’s parents and or peers in that period (Dayhoff, 2000. pp. 29-38). The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (2000) is widely utilized in diagnosing avoidant personality disorder and is identifiable by four or more of the following (Rettew, 2 006): Avoidance of occupational activities which involve degrees of significant interpersonal contact as a result of fears regarding criticism, rejection and or disapproval. Being unwilling to get or be involved with someone unless being certain that one will be liked. Through showing restraint in intimate relationships as a result of fearing shame or ridicule. Being preoccupied in social situations with being criticized and or rejected. By being inhibited in new situations entailing interpersonal relationships due to feelings of being inadequate. Viewing one’s self as inept socially, being unappealing and or inferior to other people. Being reluctant to take on personal risks and or to engage in new activities as such could or might thus prove embarrassing. Comorbidity is defined by the American Heritage Dictionary (2006) as â€Å"A concomitant but unrelated pathological or disease process† with in the context of social phobia means the presence of either one or more such disorders as well as the primary disorder. Schuckit et al (1990, pp. 34-41) state that it represents the disorder that occurred first or the one representing the symptoms that are most dominant, which Klerman (1990, pp. 13-17) refers to as the primary disorder. The critical issues in dealing with comorbidity represents the proper and correct analysis of the varied disorders and understanding which one is the prevalent or primary one as well as the order, and impact of the associated disorders in which there are combination and their influences on the patient. Biederman et al (1991, pp. 565-577) indicates that there are several hypotheses which may be utilized to account for the true patterns of comorbidity and critical issues: that comorbid disorders are not distinct entities, they represent expressions termed phenotypic variability in the same disorder, that each comorbid disorder is a distinct as well as separate entity, that these disorders share vulnerabilities that are common, represented by genetic and or psychosocial, that these disorders have a distinct subtype, or genetic variant, and a heterogeneous disorder, that one syndrome represents what is termed an early manifestation, and that the development as represented by one syndrome can increase the risk of comorbid disorder. Caron and Rutter (1991, pp. 1063-1080) advise that the failure in understanding and attending to comorbidity patterns can thus cause researchers and physicians to come to misleading conclusions thereby creating negative intervention results. Achenbach (1990. pp. 271-278) warns us that the appearance of comorbidity might develop as a result of varied conceptual and or diagnostic models which can result in boundaries between disorders that are inappropriate and can potentially lead to the tendency for comparison of one diagnosis against normal individuals as opposed to other diagnosis. He warns that there is a need for well defined diagnosis in the instance of this occurrence, comorbidity (Achenbach, 1990. pp. 271-278). Chapter 2 – Epidemiology of Generalized and Specific Social Phobia Termed the study of the scientific factors which affect the illness and health of populations, epidemiology serves as the logic and foundational basis for interventions that are made in the interests serving public health, along with preventive medicine (Rothman and Greenland, 1998, p. 29). The field is regarded as a cornerstone in the methodology of health research for the public sector and has the reputation of being highly regarded in the field of what is termed evidenced based medicine for the identification of disease risk factors and the determination of optimal treatment in the approaches representing clinical practice (Rothman and Greenland, 1998, p. 29). Morabia (2006, p. 3) explains that epidemiology, in terms of the public, represents a medical discipline dealing with the â€Å"†¦ large scale outbreaks of infectious diseases†. Chronicled in â€Å"Epidemiologia Espanola† spanning a period of thirteen centuries, Villalba, a Spanish physician, complied a li sting of epidemics as well as outbreaks which helped to define the term (Morabia, 2006, p. 3). Even though the practice extends back to the 16th century, as a scientific discipline it is relatively recent. The mission of epidemiology has â€Å"†¦ historically been to identify determinants of human diseases †¦ mostly at the population level† (Morabia, 2006, p. 3), and this holds true today. Epidemiology is prevalent in today’s communities under the term ‘Community-oriented primary care’, or COPC) and represents a systematic health care approach that is based upon principles of epidemiology (Rhyne et al, 1998). Usage has demonstrated that COPC, representing primary care, health promotion and preventive medicine has positive community benefits on a global basis (Rhyne et al, 1998). The methodology, ‘Community-oriented primary care’, entails the process of seeking to improve the health of a community utilizing the aforementioned principles, public health, primary care and epidemiology, which traditionally has been used to describe the health care system whereby a community and or targeted population is thus the focus (Wright, 1993). The American Public Health Association description of Community-oriented primary care states that it represents a â€Å"†¦ systematic process †¦ identifying and addressing †¦ health problems of a defined population† and that it thus can be implemented via the resources which are already available within most communities (Rhyne et al, 1998). It, COPC, represents a team comprised of health professionals, along with community members, who work in partnership over a long duration in treating and diagnosing patients in a community in a similar manner as does a primary care doctor, and while primary care physicians are not needed for or in every project, they nevertheless need to be involved in the process (Rhyne et al, 1998). The availability of epidemiologic studies from Europe, Asia and the United States over the past twenty years has permitted a clearer and sharper picture of social phobia with respect to its incidence, severity, prevalence and other correlations (Zucchi et al, 2000, pp. 17-24). The preceding historical base of epidemiologic information helps to provide a comprehensive reference point concerning the age of onset and incidence of social phobia from a broad population cross section. Studies conducted indicate that social phobia is the most prevalent of anxiety disorder (Carta et al, 2004), as shown by the following: Table 1- Lifetime Prevalence of Social Phobia in the General Populations of Europe and the United States (Carta et al, 2004) The preceding show the lifetime prevalence of Social Phobia of 2.2% across the board, representing 1.5% for males and 2.8% for females. Table 2 – Lifetime Prevalence of Social Phobia According to Age and Sex (Carta et al, 2004) The preceding Table represents studies conducted in Europe and the United States for the countries indicated with OR representing the degree of associated disorders that were observed regarding frequency in the populations that were not affected by social phobia. Table 3 – Lifetime Comorbidity of Social Phobia (Carta et al, 2004) * Where p is less than 0.001 The preceding Table represents the rate of comorbidity concerning major psychiatric disorders which were observed in the overall general populations of Europe and the United States, along with the degree of associated disorders (OR) in the reported populations which were not affected by social phobia. The mean age representing the onset of comorbid DE represented 6.5 plus or minus 6.6 years, whereas GAD represented a mean of 4.3 plus or minus 7.8 years later (Carta et al, 2004). In a study conducted by the Johns Hopkins Medical Institute, they found six regions in the human genome that very well could play a role with regard to the susceptibility of obsessive compulsive disorder (Johns Hopkins Medical Institute, 2006). The study added to the growing evidence of a genetic basis for obsessive compulsive disorder and thus its inheritability through the finding of genetic markers, or what are termed similarities, in the genomes of individuals with obsessive compulsive disorder as represented by six significance regions within the genome that are on five differing chromosomes which appeared to be linked to obsessive compulsive disorder (Johns Hopkins Medical Institute, 2006). Dorak (2006) advises us that genetic epidemiology is related to and overlaps molecular epidemiology and that the epidemiological evaluation aims to seek the detection of the inheritance pattern regarding a disease, localize it and find the marker that is associated with its susceptibility. D orak (2006) states that the steps in genetic epidemiologic research are: the establishment of the fact that there is a genetic component concerning the diso

Summary and Analysis of The Knights Tale Essay -- The Knights Tale E

Summary and Analysis of The Knight's Tale The Knight's Tale, Part I: The Knight begins his tale with the story of a prince named Theseus who married Hippolyta, the queen of Scythia, and brought her and her sister, Emelye, back to Athens with him after conquering her kingdom of Amazons. When Theseus returned home victorious, he became aware that there was a company of women clad in black who knelt at the side of the highway, shrieking. The oldest of the women asked Theseus for pity. She told him that she was once the wife of King Cappaneus who was destroyed at Thebes, and that all of the other women with her lost their husbands. Creon, the lord of the town, simply tossed the dead bodies of the soldiers in a single pile and refused to burn or bury them. Theseus swore vengeance upon Creon, and immediately ordered his armies toward Thebes. Theseus vanquished Creon, and when the soldiers were disposing of the bodies they found two young knights, Arcite and Palamon, two royal cousins, not quite dead. Theseus ordered that they be imprisoned in Athens for lif e. They passed their time imprisoned in a tower in Athens until they saw Emelye in a nearby garden. Both fall immediately in love with her. Palamon compares her to Venus, and he prays for escape from the prison, while Arcite claims that he would rather be dead than not have Emelye. The two bicker over her, each calling the other a traitor. This happened on a day in which Pirithous, a prince and childhood friend of Theseus, came to Athens. Pirithous had known Arcite at Thebes, and on his request Theseus set Arcite free on the promise that Arcite would never be found in Theseus' kingdom. He now had his freedom, but not the ability to pursue Emelye, and lamented the cruelty of fate... ...ructure of the tale gives priority to certain values. Theseus, the arbiter in the conflict between Arcite and Palamon and thus the character in the tale who determines the moral significance of the characters' actions, places great emphasis on honorable codes of conduct; he sets specific rules for the battle meant to ensure justice, and even orders that no soldier shall die in the battle (which then descends from a contest among gladiators to a rough approximation of modern sports). Compounding these values is a tendency toward displays of wealth and power. Each of the final events in the story are punctuated by great pageantry. On the orders of Theseus, the simple duel between Arcite and Palamon transforms into a gala event requiring the construction of a massive coliseum for two armies to wage war on one another, even bringing in the kings of two foreign nations.

The First Monster at Heorot in Beowulf :: Epic of Beowulf Essays

The First Monster at Heorot in Beowulf When Grendel monstrously bursts into Heorot, tears down the heavy door with his beastly hands and instantly devours a Geatish warrior, it immediately tells us that the first climax of the epic Beowulf has arrived. As Beowulf carefully watches Grendel take action, Grendel reaches out to snatch Beowulf as his next meal. Surprised, Grendel becomes extremely frightened to discover that there is another being stronger than himself when Beowulf, using his vice-like grip, pulls Grendel’s arm from his socket. The monster, Grendel, howls with pain and runs out of Heorot leaving his blood-spattered arm still in Beowulf’s hands. An enormous celebration is thrown to record Beowulf’s victory by reciting and singing stories about the past kings. A Danish scop recites the story of Sigemund, a great hero who slays a horrible dragon. The dragon is a keeper of a treasure chest that Sigemund wins by slaying the dragon. The treasure won by Sigemund resembles the gold rewards earned by Beowulf from the ring-giver, King Hrothgar. This Norse myth is obviously recited at Beowulf’s celebration to compare both Sigemund’s and Beowulf's heroic acts. The Danish warriors want to show their appreciation to Beowulf with such mythology: â€Å"This man undertook with his art to recite in turn Beowulf’s exploit, and skillfully to tell an apt tale, to lend words to it† (Tuso 16). What is so remarkable about the epic Beowulf is that the narrator contrasts Beowulf's super-heroic accomplishments with Heremod. Heremod is known as an evil Danish king who turns against his own people. This is clearly a symbol of the reverse of Beowulf’s characteristics. By comparing and contrasting Beowulf to two different kings, the narrator is indicating that Beowulf will be king later in the epic. Yet we readers shouldn’t immediately think that Beowulf will be an evil or a good king. This leaves us to carefully observe more of Beowulf's character throughout Beowulf. During the celebration, King Hrothgar delivers an appreciation and dedication speech to Beowulf and his victory. From Hrothgar’s speech, we understand that he feels himself to be bound in a new relationship with Beowulf by his great service. He states, â€Å"Beowulf, best of men, in my heart I will love you as a son† (Tuso 17). Beowulf readers should start taking careful notice as King Hrothgar gradually becomes a mentor and a father-like figure to Beowulf. To some extent, Hrothgar even gives advice to Beowulf about how to act as an intelligent ruler through his own experience.

Budget Management Analysis Essay

Cost variance is a way of showing the financial performance of a project. It is the mathematical difference between budgeted cost of work performed, and the actual cost of work performed. Both budgeting and forecasting are financial projections. Looking at the differences between forecasting and budgeting, forecasting is broad in scope and part of strategic planning whereas a budget is more specific and detailed, with expenditure heads specifically matched to sources of income. Cost variances may be either positive or negative figures. Negative figures happen if you spend more on a project than you allowed in your budget. Positive figures result if you spend less on a project than the budget predicted. Negative cost variance figures are almost always a bad thing for a business, as companies cannot always guarantee they can come up with the funds to cover the excess cost. However, positive cost variances are not always good for a company, either. For instance, if customer service or good quality parts are sacrificed for a positive variance, a business may not sell lose clients. Cost variance figures must be examined in the context of the business to determine the true impact those numbers will have. Managers use budget management analysis as a device to make sure that all resources available are being used efficiently. The budgets are determined yearly and are based upon the previous year’s budget and variances. Benchmarking gathers information of the performances and processes from similar organizations and compares the data to help with making improvements. Cost Variance in Budget Management Various strategies are used to control budgets; managers and the chief financial officer of most healthcare organizations have the tools needed to manage the budget. By managing the budget the organization will be better prepared for the financial forecasts, which are the company’s future expenses. Some strategies and tools that will assist with managing the budget are zero based, activity based, performance based, cost variances and benchmarking. Zero based budgeting analyzes every expense within an organization and justifies the need and cost of each. Activity based costing is the gathering of the operating cost data, which is assigned to specific activities such as engineering. The performance dashboard uses the metrics of performance and analyzes the root cause of financial problems. Cost variance analysis looks at the differences of the actual cost and expected cost of an expense. Motivating the staff and informing them of the budget goals is another strategy that may be used to help the organization succeed (Nayab, 2011). Expense Results The expense reports show the difference between the budget and the actual amount spent and the result is called the variance. Variances may be within the budget which is favorable, or over the budget which is unfavorable. The variance is used to predict the budget for upcoming years, help with spending during the current year, and help with evaluating the managers and their departments. To determine the cause of variances the managers must investigate and justify to upper management why the variance occurred. There are a variety reasons for variances, which must be identified and controlled if possible. While analyzing the nursing expense results from various units for a pay period, there were some favorable and unfavorable variances. While reviewing the expense record the paid productive hour’s variance was within the budget and the paid nonproductive hour’s variance was 60 hours over the budgeted hours. The unfavorable variance of paid nonproductive hours may have occurred due to some staff being on modified duty, sick leave, meeting time, or education time, which means they are getting paid with no patient care involved. The overtime percentage of hour’s variance was 7. 5% over the budget and the registry percentage of hour’s variance was 8. 0% over the budget, both are unfavorable. The overtime may have been caused by bad time management, late arrival of the next shift, or working past shift hours due to not enough staff. The increase in the registry hours may have been due to not enough regular staff due to hiring freeze or staff being off for personal or illness reasons. The hours per patient day (HPPD) licensed productive hours was . 13 over budget, the direct product hours was within budget, and the total productive hours was within budget. The hours per patient day over budget may have been caused by the unit being over staffed or also due to the overtime and registry hours. The average daily census (ADC) per unit varied from being within budget to 7. 50 over the budget. The daily census is very unpredictable and depends on the time of year, the admissions from ER or the clinic, and transfers from other hospitals or facilities. Strategies to keep the results aligned with expectations may be done by performance budgeting, which will analyze key areas such as staffing, cost control, increased productivity, and indirect and direct patient care. The activities affected by analyzing these performance areas would be daily staffing calculations, reduced cost to the unit, working more efficiently and better time management, patient care planning, and time spent on patient charting. Offering incentives could also be a good way to involve the staff by informing them of the budget goals. Benchmarking Benchmarking helps to identify performance gaps and identify where improvement is needed. â€Å"Benchmarking is used by large health systems and smaller practices alike as a tool to identify targets and set goals enabling staff to compare the operation’s service, process, and outcomes with those already attaining †best practice† goals† (Borglum, 2008). There are many benchmarking techniques; for the purpose of this paper three will be discussed, financial, performance, and operational. Financial benchmarking is performing a financial analysis and comparing the results in an effort to assess your overall competitiveness and productivity† (Cimasi, 2006). â€Å"[Financial benchmarking is among the more effective techniques for extracting information from a health care enterprise’s historical operating performance and presenting it in a form that facilitates informed judgments that help predict the subject entity’s future operating performance and financial condition]† (Cimasi, 2006). Performance benchmarking involves comparing the performance levels of organizations for a specific process, this information can then be used for identifying opportunities for improvement and/or setting performance targets† (Business Performance Improvement Resources, 2011). â€Å"Performance levels of other organizations are normally called benchmarks and the ideal benchmark is one that originates from an organization recognized as being a leader in the related area† (Business Performance Improvement Resources, 2011). [Performance benchmarking may involve the comparison of financial measures (such as expenditure, cost of labor, cost of buildings/equipment, cost of energy, adherence to budget, cash flow, revenue collected) or non-financial measures (such as absenteeism, staff turnover, the percentage of administrative staff to front-line staff, budget processing time, complaints, environmental impact or call center performance)]† (Business Performance Improvement R esources, 2011). Operational benchmarking embraces everything from staffing and productivity to office flow and analysis of procedures performed, this technique performs a comprehensive assessment considering different aspects of operational and business performance† (iCognitive, 2011). â€Å"Consequently, this model will help companies to improve from decision-making at the strategic level to implementations at the operational level† (iCognitive, 2011). These benchmarking choices were made based on the fact that all three techniques together will focus on the organization as a whole and not just one area, and might improve budget accuracy in future forecast. Covering finances, operation, and performance will incorporate every aspect of the budgets involved in the organization and give mangers the appropriate tools needed to justify and correct variances throughout the year and future years. Conclusion Strategies to manage budgets are used to maintain the actual cost predicted for budgets and to correct variances in cost. Variances may occur at any time, may be internal or external, and in most cases are correctable once investigated by the mangers. Benchmarking is used in strategic management and compares processes and performance to help improve organizations. The use of financial ratios and benchmarking is critical to understanding an entity’s overall historical performance and to the forecasting function of valuation analysis† (Cimasi, 2006). This paper has discussed specific strategies to manage budgets within forecast, compared five to seven expense results with budget expectations, described possible reasons for variances, gave strategies to keep results aligned with expectations, recommended three benchmarking techniques, and identified what might improve budget accuracy, and justified the choices made.

The American Military Government in Germany during World

The World War II was a significant chapter in the history of Germany. It was a global military conflict that took place between 1939 and 1945. It brought considerable changes in the geographical, social and economic aspects of the country. Germany's main allies in the war were Japan and Italy, while the United States, Britain and the Soviet Union were on the opposite side. The World War II had a devastating impact on Japan, one of Germany's main allies. The outcome of the war resulted in the division of Germany into four military occupation zones.â€Å"France was given the charge of southwest, while the British forces controlled the northeast. The Soviet forces assumed the control of the east and a US military government was established in the south† . The main objective of the allied forces was to end the Nazism in Germany and put the country on the way to democracy. Although four military occupation zones were created after the end of World War II, the US military government in Germany had begun its work in 1994. Background of the US Military Government in Germany The plan to establish a military government in Germany began much earlier.â€Å"Following the outbreak of World War II in 1939, the officials of the Department of State in the United States, began their assessment on the post-war initiatives. They believed that the United States would have a decisive influence on the peace settlement and post-war construction activities† . It was very clear from the beginning that the US Army had to face difficult tasks of governing war-ravaged Germany. The leaders and troops of the United States were called upon to deal with a series of challenges in political, social, economical and financial affairs besides maintaining law and order in the country.â€Å"The State Department set up its first research unit for the preparation of post-war foreign policy. The unit was known as the Division of Special Research. Economist Leo Pasvolsky led the research u nit† . When the United States entered the war in 1941, the unit began developing a comprehensive planning and policy development strategy. The strategy addressed the key problems to be experienced by the military government in Germany and Japan. Foundation of the Military GovernmentThe military government established in Germany during World War II performed elementary functions such as relieving the tactical troops of concerns and carrying out customary and legal obligations of a military occupation. It formulated a national policy in order to serve a range of political, social and economic purposes. The primary objective of the military government was to ensure stability in the war-torn Germany. It also had the aim of undertaking necessary measures for the benefit of people.â€Å"The occupation of Germany by the US military forces began on September 15, 1944, when a small town called Roetgen on the German-Belgian border was detached by Detachment D8B1† . D8B1 was a civ il affairs detachment. It was trained to work in liberated territories. â€Å"The military detachments finally entered Germany on September 28, 1944 with Detachment I4G2 taking control of Monschau near Roetgen. Aachen, the western province in Germany was captured within a few weeks and Detachment F1G2 was installed there† . F1G2 was designed to administer cities and territories around them.The military government detachments were organized in England and in the United States. The â€Å"E† detachments were the largest ones. â€Å"Each â€Å"E† detachment had twenty-six officers and thirty-five enlisted men. Those detachments were designed to take over the government of all German states. They were also assigned the supervision of other detachments â€Å"F† and â€Å"I† that were installed within them† . The smallest detachments were the â€Å"H† and â€Å"I† detachments. â€Å"H detachments had five officers and ten enlisted me n, while the â€Å"I† detachments had four officers and six enlisted men† .The small detachments had been assigned the control of rural districts and small municipalities. Although only a small part of Germany could be brought under control of the US military forces, the occupation laid the foundation of the military government in Germany. Officers of the US Military Government The US military government in Germany was a result of effective planning and training for years. â€Å"The training of the military government officers and enlisted men began at the Military Government School, Charlottesville, Virginia in 1942.The military government officers who were sent to Germany were the product of service schools and they were more efficient than other army personnel in the United States† . The average age of the officers, who joined the military government was forty years. They comprised of both in-service officers and civilians. Most officers had long experience in handling civilian work. They had expertise in law, teaching, engineering, police or social work. They were trained and well-prepared to run the military government in Germany. Advancement of the US Military Government in GermanyWhen the first detachment moved into Germany in 1944, many people had doubt on the success of the mission. A lot of groundwork was done to convince people about the real objective of the mission. â€Å"The Moscow Foreign Ministers conference held in October 1943 had decided that the entire German territory would be occupied and put under the control of the military government. The European Advisory Commission (EAC) was created for determining the boundaries of the zones and devising control machinery for the proper administration† . When the military detachments entered Germany, they did not have any approved guidance or policy.After entering the German territory, they were given instructions from the US government. The military government detachments had many things to do in the field. â€Å"The military government appointed mayors and administrators. Registration of people was done on a priority basis. To restore law and order in the cities, curfews had to be enforced† . After the occupation of the territory, the military government experienced another problem of providing food and ration to the affected people. Food supplies and rationing systems were organized. Weapons and other prohibited articles were seized by the military government.The military government felt the need for adequate public health and safety for the people and Germany and made necessary arrangements on that regard. The war had devastated building and other public utilities. The military government tried its best to restore those utilities and operate them. The public utilities included schools, medical units and public transport system. The military government realized that it had to maintain a balance between the Nazis and common German people. Wh ile it had to deal with the Nazis, militarists and racists with an iron hand, it also had to restore faith among people about its mission and objectives.The World War II brought the German economy to a standstill. The Nazis disappeared with the retreating German troops. However, they left a series of problems to be handled by the military government. The US military government in Germany took tough measures against Nazis and Nazi sympathizers. At the same time, it focused on construction and rehabilitation measures. â€Å"Aachen was a strategic point for the US military forces. That served as the gateway to the occupation of whole German territory. When the Battle of the Bulge took place with German Ardennes offensive, the civilians became terror-stricken† .The military government officials properly maintained the concentration camps and ensured that the civilians were least affected by the horror of the war. The US military government in Germany even recruited some prisoners of war as policemen. Their job was to restore law and order and ensure safety of people and their properties. Throughout the battle, the US troops and supplies passed through the occupied areas without any hindrance. The military government had organized the occupation. It also demonstrated tactical moves in critical situation.â€Å"By April 1945, the US Sixth and Twelfth Army groups held the entire assigned US zone in the German territory. They also captured additional areas in German territory. It was the peak time for the military government to spearhead its detachments. The â€Å"H† and â€Å"I† detachments advanced with the front line troops by removing Nazi officials. Nazi officials were replaced by non-Nazis. â€Å"E†, â€Å"F† and â€Å"G† detachments established themselves in the occupied cities† . â€Å"By the end of March 1945, at least 150 detachments were deployed in Germany. That was almost two-thirds of the military governme nt strength† .In April, the military government exhausted its allotments of trained detachments. It resorted to organizing provisional detachments using anti-aircraft artillery, field artillery and signal personnel. After crossing the Rhine River, the military government undertook another responsibility of rehabilitating the displaced persons. There were over five million liberated prisoners of war. They belonged to France, Belgium, Holland, Russia, Poland and Yugoslavia and were detained by the Nazi forces of Germany. â€Å"The displaced people were to be taken care of by the UNRRA (United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration).The UNRRA did not have adequate manpower or the resources to carry out the responsibility efficiently. Hence, the military government took the charge of the displaced people† . Those people were victims of Nazi tyranny and German aggression. They were provided all the basic amenities such as food, clothes and houses by the military go vernment. Their safety and security was the main concern of the military government. â€Å"The displaced people from Western Europe were sent home. However, the Russians and the Poles were not received by their respective governments.Thus, they became long-term guests of the military government† . The Governance of the US Military Government The American military government in Germany was a result of the America foreign policy. The US government did not want an administration failure in Germany that would complicate its position on the global arena. The US government knew that its military government in Germany was sitting over hunger, chaos and confusion. It also did not want to manage an expensive overseas operation. However, it was well-aware of its responsibilities and the strategic importance of installing the military government in Germany.The US government provided financial and material assistance to the military occupation forces. It also provided relief and rehabili tation supplies from Germany to countries that were devastated by Nazi aggression. The US military government in Germany was provided a free hand to undertake relief and rehabilitation measures. Germany was used by the US military government as a main center to pass relief materials to the war-affected countries. The Handbook Implementation The German Country Unit founded by the United States had the writing of a military government handbook for Germany.It was believed that the handbook was the only document for the working military government officers. â€Å"The handbook was comprehensive and incorporated all guidelines required for good governance. The German Country Unit worked on the handbook. The final draft was distributed within SHAEF (Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force) and to civil agencies in Washington and London† . The handbook was different from the standard policy and procedures. It dealt with all the military government problems anticipated before the German occupation.The main objective of the handbook was to save the work-load of the military government officials and protect them from stressful procedures and policies in German conditions. â€Å"The first section of the handbook provided descriptions of the probable conditions in Germany and working procedures of the military government. The second section was the heart of the handbook. It contained chapters on the twelve primary civil affairs and military government functions. The third section contained basic information on the Supreme Commander’s proclamation, ordinances and laws† .â€Å"The proclamation was addressed to the people of Germany in the name of General Eisenhower as Supreme Commander of Allied Expeditionary Forces. It declared the Supreme Commander's authority on the legislative, judicial and executive power within the occupied German territory† . The proclamation also suspended German courts and educational institutions. It required all officials and public employees not to relinquish their posts until further notice. The first three ordinances made under the Handbook were very controversial. â€Å"The first ordinance defined crimes against the Allied Forces punishable by death.There were nineteen crimes that came under the list. The second ordinance established military government courts in Germany under the supervision of the US officials. The third ordinance made English the official language of military government† . â€Å"The laws were divided into two classes. One set of laws were necessary to establish and maintain military government control. Another set of law was to deal with National Socialism. The fundamental Nazi laws and their subsidiary decrees were abrogated† . Any interpretation of German law in accordance with Nazi doctrine was prohibited.There were other laws that abolished the National Socialist Party and the use of its symbols. Functioning of the US Military Government According to the war veterans, the US military government in Germany was better than the British and French military administrations. When the military government was planned to be established in Germany, its main objective was to convert enemies into friends. However, at a later stage, the focus was shifted to obtain co-operation of people, minimize fear and suspicion among them and change the attitude of ordinary Germans towards the US and its allies.â€Å"In August 1944, the Civil Affairs Division proposed a post-surrender directive, which had the goal of maintaining a firm and humane administration. The directive provided specific guidelines to the government on key issues. Those key issues included destroying Nazism and Fascism, preserving law and order and restoring normalcy among people† . The economic policy of the military government focused on preventing the inflation rate from growing up further. The war had a negative impact on the country's economy and it was heading for a financial crisis.The Nazis cared a little about the economic stability in the country. They always pursued their own agenda and prosecuted people who did not abide by the rules defined by them. Price control was another important task to be handled by the military government in Germany. The military government focused on controlling prices, reducing unemployment and providing emergency relief and housing facilities to people. The war generated a large scale of unemployment in the country as many offices, administrative bodies, basic utilities, public and private properties and business establishments were either closed or destroyed.Providing employment to people was one of the difficult tasks performed by the military government. It did its level best to include Germans in the construction, rehabilitation and other administration work. Key US Policies â€Å"The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) 1067 was an approved US policy for the post-war Germany. It was a comprehensive document that focused on three important issues. Those were denazification, demilitarization and decentralization† . Some of the top officials in the US and in Germany had reservation on the implementation of JCS 1067.According to them, the policy did not have a clear idea of the conditions in Germany asked for a few changes that would make it flexible. Germany had political hegemony in Europe because of its military and financial capabilities. However, the war completely reversed its position on the global forum. Throughout the war, people in Germany lived under fear and horror. The military government was assigned a nearly impossible task of organizing the people of Germany and motivating them to join the mainstream without fear and suspicion.â€Å"In 1942, President Roosevelt maintained that governing civilians was a civilian task and it was endorsed y his successor, President Harry S Truman. In 1945, Truman declared that the military should not have governmental responsibilities† . He believed that the military must perform only military operations. Despite all the arguments and debates, the military government stayed in Germany for a long time. Detachments were distributed across all of the US zones and major parts of other zones of the Allied Force. â€Å"The governments of the US, Britain and France negotiated for the establishment of quadripartite control.However, the Russians did not agree to the proposal and made it clear that they would not enter into any agreement unless they had full possession of their assigned zone† . In the absence of a consensus, JCS 1067 remained an exclusive US policy. Problems Faced by the Military Government The establishment of the US military government in Germany was intended to serve the real purpose of people. However, the military government had to face several problems to implement its key policies. While expanding its base through the German territory, the military government had observed large stretches of unplowed and unplanted fields.At the same time, it was estimated that there might not be enough food stocks in Germany to maintain the people for a long period. â€Å"As the agriculture of the country had been destroyed to a large extent, the military government imported thousands of tons of seeds. It also released Wehrmacht horses for farm work. The military government also set up farm machinery to repair shops† . Priority was given to plantation, as food production was very essential for the war-ravaged nation. However, the seeds could not be sown in time because of the continued warfare and the yield was likely to be reduced.At least 60 to 70 percent of the SHAEF-occupied territory was not agriculturally self-sufficient. With the limited food production, it was not possible to sustain the German population for a long time. The military government was determined to prevent a serious problem like starvation. It provided small quantity of food materials to people so that enou gh food could be stored for their future use. â€Å"In June 1945, the SHAEF imported 650,000 tons of wheat for Germany. Besides food, the possibility of a firewood shortage also became a concern for the military government.In July 1945, the military government urged the Germans to cut and store firewood for the coming winter† . There were several basic problems faced by German people in the wake of the World War II and foreign occupation. The US military government in Germany took effective measures to address all the problems. The Military Government laws excluded Nazi party members from both private and public employment. As a result, the military government offices were overwhelmed with loads of work. The military government asked the business establishments to purify themselves. That made the task of the military government much difficult.â€Å"Many business owners and managers changed their job titles and made deals to hide their real identity from the military governme nt. When the law took effect, military government property offices became trustees for thousands of establishments† . â€Å"During the process of denazification, the Germans were given a crash course in democracy. Orders were given to the German state governments to write election codes. The military district commands were asked to prepare for election to be held in future. Investigations were carried out to identify the potential candidates in future elections and their antecedents† .The voters had to be registered after proper examination as the elimination of Nazis and other ineligible people was very crucial from the military government's point of view. Military Government Courts â€Å"Military government courts were established in Germany in September 1944. They had a significant impact on the democratization of the German people. The military government courts addressed key issues such as civil rights, privileges and immunities† . An independent judiciary w as available to dispense impartial justice according to law. The US military occupation courts had a long experience in dealing with major occupations.Hence, they did not face major hurdles in Germany. Their main objective was to maintain law and order and protect the interests of the occupying force. Major changes were implemented during the World War II planning for Germany. The German judiciary was reduced to an institution of corrupt practice because of the policies of the Nazi regime and disturbances during the five years of war. It was no longer a trusted institution for the people in Germany. The US military government acknowledged the need for the reconstruction of a denazified German judicial system based on democratic principles.A more elaborate system of military courts was established. Those courts had the goal of brining substantial changes in the judicial functioning besides performing the traditional functions. â€Å"The judicial procedures followed in the military g overnment courts were a combination of the US Army court martial, the German legal system and the Anglo-American system† . The entire judicial process witnessed complete innovative ideas. In the beginning, the courts did not have enough lawyers and had to be manned by officers who were not legally trained. Later it was made mandatory for all the intermediate and general courts to have at least one lawyer.â€Å"The ordinance promulgated by the US military government provided certain fundamental rights to all persons appearing before these courts. Details of those rights were printed on the reverse side of every court summon† . All the accused were given a fair chance to be present at their trial to examine or cross-examine the witnesses. â€Å"Between 1944 and 1945, 343 military government courts had tried more than 15 thousand cases in the US zone† . The US military government courts helped the military government to win the trust of the German people. The promul gation of ordinances failed to delight the average German.However, the court procedures provided them the opportunity to test their fundamental rights and judge themselves whether those rights provided them real protection or not. Roadmap for the Future The military government considered denazification and democratization of Germany as its ultimate goal. It prepared its officers and enlisted men to stay longer in Germany even after the end of war. It feared an uprising against the occupation. The military government asked its detachments to warn all German officials that they and their people would be responsible for any revolt against the United States forces.The military government knew that it would be difficult to suppress any future rebellion launched by hungry and displaced people. It made adequate arrangements to prevent starvation and provide necessary help to people in the bitter winter cold. â€Å"The State Department made specific policies in Germany and the military gov ernment administered that policy. The American military government moved quickly to establish the agencies as per the Potsdam agreement. The American military government created German central administrations headed by German state secretaries.The proposal was first made in the Allied Control Council (ACC) and was implemented later. The secretaries performed functions under the general directives of the ACC† . The US Military government began recruited German personnel for the central agencies. There were several functioning areas for the Agencies. They included finance, transport, communications, international trade and agriculture. Identifying efficient German personnel was not an easy task as the military government was determined to remove Nazis from the system. â€Å"A ministerial collection center in Kassel was established.At the collection center, personnel, records and documents related to the central agencies were assembled† . The military government desired to reduce its day-by-day supervision of German affairs by establishing central German administrations. It prepared for the transition from military to civilian control. â€Å"Generals Dwight D. Eisenhower and Lucius D. Clay planned to transform the military government to a civilian organization by July 1, 1946. The United States Forces European Theater (USFET) document outlined a plan for administrative reorganization and prepare for the ultimate transfer of military government to the US civilian agencies† .Conclusion There is no doubt that the World War II brought significant changes in the social and political structure of Germany. There was a desperate attempt made by the Allied Forces to completely eliminate Nazism from Germany. The autocratic Nazi regime forced the world into a deadly and expensive war. Military governments by occupation forces usually fail to win the trust of the common people. However, situation in Germany was completely different. The US military govern ment in Germany did an excellent job in maintaining law and order and providing food, relief materials and shelter to the affected and displaced people.While they severely punished the Nazis and their sympathizers, they provided every possible help to the civilians who wanted to see their country on the right track. 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