Cultural Interviews and Assessment Essay

I am interviewing a 32-year-old male (X) from the India who has been a resident of the San Jose in the US state of California since the last 10 years. He is employed as a Software engineer in one of the software MNCs in urban parts of California. Regarding, the Asian and Pacific Islander Americans (APIA) population in the US, they are one of the fastest growing population in the US. In the year 1999, the population was about 11 million and it is expected to grow to about 20 million by 2020. In 1999, 4 % of the US population was APIA, 12 % Hispanics and 11 % African-Americans. The APIA come from several parts of the world including India, China, Pakistan, Polynesia, Micronesia, Papua New Guinea, Hawaii, Japan, Philippines, Indonesia, Korea, Vietnam, etc. One of the favorite locations in the US, the APIA population would like to settle is in the state of California. The APIA make up for about 12 % of the California population in 1999. They come from various cultural backgrounds and have diverse needs. They are one of the most diverse groups in the US, and it is difficult to fulfill their health problems due to diverse healthcare needs. Let us now go through the entire interview process: – Socio-economic factors – Mr. X earns about 45, 000 US dollars every month. He is employed in a software-MNC. None of his other family members are working. He is married and has one child. Although he came to the US in 1997, he brought his family down to the US about a year back. Mr. X feels happy that he is able to earn a good income in the US and is more or less settled. He feels that many of the Indians in the US are earning far less and are belonging to the poverty groups. However, he also feels that the organization he is working in is a small organization and the income provided is less compared to other organizations. Lifestyle – MR. X is not leading a very healthy lifestyle. Earlier as his family was not with him, he used to eat his food in eat-outs and restaurants. Due to this, he is unable to lead a healthy life. However, once his family has come home, he is able to eat a traditional Indian meal and due to this, his nutritional status has improved. He is now able to consume a balanced diet. Mr. X and his family members consume a vegetarian diet. Mr. X smokes about 5 cigarettes a day and consumes about 2 servings of alcohol (especially whisky and rum) on Saturdays and Sundays. He is able to sleep only for about 6 to 7 hours a day. This is due to excessive workload. Although his duty timings are only 8 hours, he puts in an extra 5 hours work at home. During the weekend, he has to work from home at least for 5 hours on Saturdays and Sundays. He usually gets together in family meeting and religious ceremonies on Saturdays and Sundays. Family Values – Mr. X has not had much of a family life in the US. This is because his wife and child were staying back in India, as they were unable to come to the US earlier. However, in the last one-year his wife and child have come down to California and are staying with him. His son is an 8-year-old kid, who has just joined a US Elementary school. The child goes to school for about 4 hours in a day, from Monday to Friday. Prior to this one-year, the only members of his family in the US were his cousins, uncles and aunts, who reside about 20 miles from his home. Mr. X feels that in India, family values are given a great amount of importance. Down in India, people stay in a common house with the family members. This is especially seen in villages and small towns. Family meetings are conducted every day and usually food is consumed and prayers are said in a family. During the earlier days when he had just come to the US, Mr. X had stayed with one of his maternal aunt in California. However, as his condition began to improve and his job was settled, he shifted to a separate residence. However, he continues to meet his family members during weekends. Mr. X also makes important decisions after taking the advice of the elders in the family. This is also the case in India, where elders are given a lot of respect and value. In case of any personal problem, he would first call up his uncle, a man of 67 years, and explain his problem to him. Religious preferences – Mr. X belong to a high caste Hindu family in India, and actively practice his religion. During the weekends, he attends for prayers in a temple in California. He usually makes a trip along with family members. He does follow intricate religious practices at home and at his workplace. He consumes a vegetarian diet and would take care especially whilst eating out. During the morning and before starting work, Mr. X chants a few short prayers. This he also does after he finishes work and before going to bed. His wife and child are also religious like him. He accompanies his family members during the weekends for a trip to their local temple. The local temple is about 25 miles away from their home. They also consume a vegetarian diet. In California, the number of vegetarian restaurants and eat-outs are less, due to which he has experienced problems. Health and practices – Mr. X enjoys a good state of health compared to the other APIA’s in the US. It is also important to note that the APIA’s enjoy a much better health status compared to the Whites, African-Americans and the Hispanics. In the year 1999, Mr. X suffered a bout of malaria. He suffered from the illness for about 15 days, and required admission in the Hospital. During his earlier days in the US, Mr. X did not have health insurance. Hence, he had to pay for his hospital bills. In the year 2000, the organization he was working with provided him with health insurance, which helps him to meet with his health expenditure. As Mr. X smokes excessively and due to his work-related habits, he suffers from asthmatic attacks frequently. He uses a small pump that provides Broncho-dilators. He has to consume two puffs twice a day as suggested by the physician. He also follows the advice on food and exercises suggested by the physician. Sometimes during winter months, Mr. X requires hospitalization for difficulty in breathing. This has occurred frequently in the last 4 years. His hospital bill is now covered by health insurance. The physician has repeatedly suggested to give up smoking and to follow better work-related practices, which Mr. X has ignored. The access to health is good, as Mr. X resides in an urban area. He has a hospital providing ultra-modern facilities located about 1 mile from his residence. The hospital also has physicians, specialists and nurses who are from an Indian background. This makes him a special patient at the hospital. He does feel that his physician is able to communicate with him appropriately and understand his health problem. As Mr. X has his family come in newly into the US, they do not have health insurance. However, he plans to subscribe to health insurance for them within the next six months. So far his wife and child did not require hospitalization. However, MR. X frequently takes his son for health checkups and immunizations to the pediatrician. His wife visits a female gynecologist frequently, to ensure that problems with her periods are addressed properly. She does prefer going to an Indian female gynecologist, but is unable to do so as there is a shortage of medical staff from other cultures in the US. Due to problems with financing (uninsured), she is unable to afford seeing an Indian gynecologist from another hospital. MR. X’s physician and pediatrician both belong to the Indian community. Child-bearing/parenting practices – Mr. X has just one son, and he plan to have one more child in the near future. However, he says that during the pregnancy period, he plans to send his wife and son back home to India, as he may be unable to take appropriate care of his wife. As family values are give great importance in India, Mr. X wishes that his son stays with him even after crossing the age of 16 or 18. He wants his soon to mix about with other children in the US, but at the same time follow Indian traditions regarding religion, diet and customs. Other issues – Mr. X and is family members do understand English and do not have any problem communicating with the people in the US. Mr. X may not consider preventive medical care. However, he does visit the local physician frequently to take medical advice and go in for routine checkups. Mr. X feels that more physicians, nurses and specialists from the Indian communities should be available to fulfill the need of the Indians in California. Mr. X also feels that the local government and the Federal government have not addressed several of the problems faced by the APIA communities in the US. This is with regards to health insurance, health access, education, working conditions, immigration status, etc. References: Ro, M. â€Å"Overview of Asian and Pacific Islanders in the United States and California. † Center for Alternative Policies. 1999. 9 Nov 2007. http://www. communityvoices. org/Uploads/om3gfk55hhzyvrn00n4nerbf_20020828090003. pdf Srinivasa, S. â€Å"Toward Improved Health: Disaggregating Asian American and Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Data. † American Journal of Public Health 90. 11 (2000): 1731-1734. http://www. ajph. org/cgi/reprint/90/11/1731. pdf

Night World : Huntress Chapter 3

Jez burst through the door and turned immediately into the small library off the front hall. Her uncle was sitting there at his desk, surrounded by built-in bookcases. He looked up in surprise. â€Å"Uncle Bracken, who was my mother? How did my parents die?† It all came out in a single rush of breath. And then Jez wanted to say, â€Å"Tell me the truth,† but instead she heard herself saving wildly, â€Å"Tell me it's not true. It's not possible, is it? Uncle Bracken, I'm so scared.† Her uncle stared at her for a moment. There was shock and despair in his face. Then he bent his head and shut his eyes. â€Å"But how is it possible?† Jez whispered. â€Å"How am I here?† It was hours later. Dawn was tinting the window. She was sitting on the floor, back against a bookcase, where she'd collapsed, staring emptily into the distance. â€Å"You mean, how can a vampire-human halfbreed exist? I don't know. Your parents never knew. They never expected to have children.† Uncle Bracken ran both hands through his hair, head down. â€Å"They didn't even realize you could live as a vampire. Your father brought you to me because he was dying and I was the only person he could trust. He knew I wouldn't turn you over to the Night World elders.† â€Å"Maybe you should have,† Jez whispered. Uncle Bracken went on as if he hadn't heard her. â€Å"You lived without blood then. You looked like a human child. I don't know what made me try to see if you could learn how to feed. I brought you a rabbit and bit it for you and let you smell the blood.† He gave a short laugh of reminiscence. â€Å"And your little teeth sharpened right up and you knew what to do. That was when I knew you were a true Redfern.† â€Å"But I'm not.† Jez heard the words as if someone else was speaking them from a distance. â€Å"I'm not even a Night Person. I'm vermin.† Uncle Bracken let go of his hair and looked at her. His eyes, normally the same silvery-blue as Jez's, were burning with a pure silver flame. â€Å"Your mother was a good woman,† he said harshly. â€Å"Your father gave up everything to be with her. She wasn't vermin.† Jez looked away, but she wasn't ashamed. She was numb. She felt nothing except a vast emptiness inside her, stretching infinitely in all directions. And that was good. She never wanted to feel again. Everything she'd felt in her life-everything she could remember-had been a lie. She wasn't a huntress, a predator fulfilling her place in the scheme of things by chasing down her lawful prey. She was a murderer. She was a monster. â€Å"I can't stay here anymore,† she said. Uncle Bracken winced. â€Å"Where will you go?† â€Å"I don't know.† He let out his breath and spoke slowly and sadly. â€Å"I have an idea.†

Instant Replay Would Ruin the World’s Most Popular Sport Essay

The quarterback gets the snap, lobs it to the corner of the end zone, the wide receiver jumps up†¦.. it’s a catch! But did he get his feet in? Let’s look at the replay. Over 25 years ago on March 11th, 1986, the National Football League (NFL) introduced â€Å"instant replay† into the sports world (Wired, 2009, p.1). This recording technology has slowly worked its way into professional basketball, tennis, baseball & many other sports around the world. Soccer, often called Football outside of the United States, is one of the few sports that have resisted the temptation to introduce technology to the officiating of its games. Although the implementation may make the game more precise, this resistance has kept soccer â€Å"pure,† embracing its imperfections and old tradition. To put it in the most basic of terms, instant replay is â€Å"a recording of an action in a sports event that can be shown on television immediately after the original play happens† (Merriam-Webster, 2013, p.1). Instant replay may appear to be nothing but a tool to help officials make the right call, but with benefits comes consequences. One of the consequences of instant replay is an intense slowdown of the time it takes a sporting match to be completed. For example, in the NFL, a 2010 study breaking down a four-game playoff marathon (around 12 hours of broadcast time) resulted in fans watching on average for each of the four games: 67 mins of players standing around, 17 mins of instant replays, 11 mins of actual playing time, and 3 seconds of cheerleaders (The Wall Street Journal, 2010). When replays take up more time then the â€Å"live game,† our priorities, as players, announcers, and fans clearly need to be adjusted. Focusing on these replays often takes the attention away from what is currently going on in the game, which in my opinion takes away from the joy and passion that comes with sport. NFL football, although hugely popular, can’t compete with the fluidity and beauty of Soccer football. The word â€Å"beauty† is often thrown around loosely in describing soccer because of the games continuous ability to surprise. With soccer, the fans have two 45-minute halves sandwiching a 15-minute break. The clock never stops and in many respects, the players and ball never stops. This elegance of 11 players on each side keeping continuous play of one round ball for minutes on end, making passes and runs, and connecting 45-yard balls is where the â€Å"beauty† of the game is established. The simplicity of the game is what makes it so special. This simplicity can’t be compromised by technology, which in turn would cloud the games purity. â€Å"The beauty of sport is its humanity and the sense that it is peopled with people and not automatons.† (The New York Times, 1989, p.2). Berkow in his New York Times editorial puts this idea in the simplest of terms, stating that people play and officiate sports, and to take just a little part of that away is when sport loses its integrity. The technological advances in sport and society in the last 30 years have been unimaginable and the biggest challenge society has had is to know when to use these technologies. The first official rules of soccer were drawn-up by the English Football Association in 1863. Nothing much has changed since then. (Livestrong, 2010, p.3). There is a great source of pride and passion knowing that rules have been roughly the same since this time. The requirement of the players and referees to have the stamina to run for 45 uninterrupted minutes is truly demanding. It requires a dedication not only physical but spiritually, knowing the game has been virtually the same for over a 120 years. The biggest promoters of instant replay technology has been media companies in every sport that instant replays exist. But why? One of the key reasons is the opportunity to stop games and therefore play more commercials, which results in more profits for the networks. The New York Times commented in 2010 that its important to â€Å"never stop the game (of soccer), because that leads to television sticking its grubby commercials where they do not belong.† In fact, purists actually spit up at the thought of â€Å"The Beautiful Game† being interrupted by referees peering at replay video screens (NBC Sports, 2010, p.3). Also from a purely technical approach, there is absolutely no time periods long enough to review any calls. Referees often have 3-5 seconds to make a call. This constant demand to make a call and keep the game flowing is not only what makes soccer beautiful but is how the game needs to be officiated. â€Å"Test cricket, for instance, is made up of 540 separate moments of play — balls — each day; tennis is a series of points; rugby has regular breakdowns† (Sports Illustrated, 2010, p.1). Other sports have this segmented structured to them, which give them these constant opportunities to review or questions calls. All else aside, soccer can’t have instant replays implemented because that would mean the entire structure and rules would have to change along with them. Many soccer fanatics, particularly in the 2010 World Cup, which there were multiply questionable calls, are fed up with referees missing/making bad calls. Certainly, an argument can be made that instant replay may help change a bad officiating decision. But â€Å"indisputable visual evidence† to overturn a goal or call by a referee on the field could result in a 5 minute pause, which results in the referee returning to announce that there is no conclusive evidence, so the call on the field remains. How satisfying is that to any spectator or competitor? The â€Å"human error† element of game is sometimes an issue but also is a beautiful part of the game. If we had technology run every call, the element of surprise within the game would be lost. There is nothing better than teams fighting back from a few bad calls to come out on top; this ability of athletes to overcome obstacles (bad referees) makes watching soccer all the more worth it. Yet the controversy remains and the fans will continue to be mad at the referees. In the modern age technology is viewed as a solution to almost anything. If you have a hot room, buy an air conditioner to cool it down. But is soccer’s problem that black and white? Can we implement instant replay and we will fix the underlying issue? â€Å"The main difficulty underlying the use of technology to solve social problems is that these problems are fundamentally different from technical problems† (Society and Technological Change, 2014, pg. 31). Now many may argue that officiating mistakes aren’t a social problem, but something like soccer so ingrained into society and culture makes for a different situation. People world-wide have a loyalty and in their mind an obligation to the sport even though many never even step on a field. The implementation of instant replays could cause an absolute outcry world wide because we would be trying to â€Å"fix,† (missed/wrong calls) something that doesn’t need fixing to begin with. In many respects, Soccer is and has become a universal language. Spanning across the globe with over a thousand professional leagues, most ever country has at least one professional league for people to view. Other sports are also played worldwide but not nearly at the magnitude that soccer is at a professional level. Instant replay, if implemented in soccer, would completely change the playing field and spectator’s view of the game. Tarnishing the 100 years of soccer world-wide may cause a loss in the universal language that has been cherished and appreciated for so long. An even playing field for every professional team is just another beautiful part of the game that cannot be tampered with. Finally, I believe soccer allows fans and announcers to get lost in the game. Almost removing themselves from all external forces such as social media, texting, and technology in general and putting focus on the simple game of â€Å"football.† Other sports give you the ability to stay distanced from the game because the most critical points will always be showed over and over again between plays, sets, & points. With no stops or ability to look away, real soccer fans stay true to their selves when their team is on because otherwise they may miss something spectacular. The absence of technology in soccer is just another reason why the game is so simple, yet so beautiful. So risking an occasional bad call to retain the fluidity of the sport is something I embrace. â€Å"If one picture is worth a thousand words, moving pictures can speak volumes.† (American Journal Sports Medicine, 2007, pg. 358). The real world has mistakes and the real world doesn’t stop for a 60-second commercial. I vote yes for the real world and all its warts, particularly when it results in allowing myself and the rest of the world to watch and play in the world’s most popular and beautiful game! Bibliography Berkow, Ira. â€Å"SPORTS OF THE TIMES; Bloodless Instant Replays.† The New York Times. The New York Times, 14 Nov. 1989. 26 Sept. 2013. . Biderman, David. â€Å"11 Minutes of Action.† The Wall Street Journal 10 Jan. 2010: Print. â€Å"FIFA Shows It’s Still Leery of Instant Replay.† Yahoo Sports. N.p., n.d. 26 Sept. 2013. . â€Å"FIFA’s Plan To Quash Bad Call Controversy: Censor In-Stadium Replays.† SportsGrid RSS. N.p., n.d. 26 Sept. 2013. . â€Å"Instant Replay Controversy in Baseball Rears Its Ugly Head Again.† Bob Long Sports. N.p., n.d. 26 Sept. 2013. . â€Å"Instant Replay.† Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. 26 Sept. 2013. . â€Å"Length of a Regulation Soccer Game.† LIVESTRONG.COM. N.p., n.d. 26 Sept. 2013. . â€Å"March 11, 1986: NFL Adopts Instant Replay.† Wired.com. Conde Nast Digital, n.d. 26 Sept. 2013. . â€Å"Off the Bench.† Off the Bench. N.p., n.d. 26 Sept. 2013. . â€Å"Soccer Could Use Instant Replay, but Not at Expense of the Sport’s Flow.† Soccer Could Use Instant Replay, but Not at Expense of Flow. N.p., n.d. 26 Sept. 2013. . â€Å"Soccer Resists Instant Replay Despite Criticism.† Wired.com. Conde Nast Digital, 30 Nov. 2009. 26 Sept. 2013.. â€Å"World Football.† Bleacher Report. N.p., n.d. 26 Sept. 2013. .

Analysis paper Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Analysis paper - Movie Review Example There are similarities in Youngdal’s story and what happened between him and Baek-hwa, but there are also differences in how Youngdal and Chung found White Flower, what happened during the journey to the train station, and the ending. As for the visual aspects, the story and the film focused on the environment and how it reflects the diverse forms of attachment and detachment of the three main characters, but the film underlines more the development of friendship and love in its narrative through dialogue and sound. There are similarities in what happened to Youngdal in the story and the film. Both show that he is caught having an affair with a restaurant owner's wife and so he runs away. Youngdal is also suffering from the â€Å"nomad complex† in the text and film. He has a hard time finding that special something that can make him permanently stay in one place. It could be because of lack of economic opportunities though, which the story explores more than the film. I n the story, Youngdal shares with Chung how he separates with Okja, because he lost his job and Okja needs to work in another place. They promised to be together again, but they know that they are young and poor. Love is not enough to fill hungry stomachs. Furthermore, the story illustrates the detachment or sense of loss that workers feel, because of Korea’s rapid industrialization. In an article, Kwon Yong-min says: â€Å"The Road to Sampo sketches Korea in the 1970s well, showing its rapid urbanization and relentless industrialization. It symbolically shows the sense of loss that the â€Å"uprooted† laborers experienced†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Park 90). This sense of loss pervades in all three characters. They may not be wandering aimlessly together, but they share sentiments of uncertainty in their lives. Furthermore, there are differences in how Youngdal and Chung meet Baek-hwa in the story and film. In the film, they meet her at a restaurant in town. In the story, Youngd al and Chung meet her under a pine tree, while she is urinating. It seems that this scene was changed to avoid sexual connotations. Moreover, in the story, Youngdal and Chung did not change their course only to search for Baek-hwa. They are only heading to her direction by chance, because they are trying to catch a train to Gamchun, so that they can take a faster route to Sampo. In the film, they seek out Baek-hwa for the money. The motives are different, but they eventually find Baek-hwa in the story too through coincidence. Furthermore, in the story, Baek-hwa talks a great deal as they walk in the snow. In the film, she and Youngdal converse with each other. Despite not speaking so much in the story, Youngdal and Baek-hwa bonded well, because he had to carry her on his back after Baek-hwa sprained her ankle when she fell in a ditch. The physical actions replace the need for conversation. They do not have to speak to understand that they are similar in many ways, for they are both cold and lonely. In the film, there is much dialogue between Youngdal and Baek-hwa. It seems that they are dating. Dialogue and music play a large role in developing their romantic feelings. Both the film and story employ the environment to describe the characters and their experiences of attachment and detachment. The story often describes the environment in relation to characterization and plot development. For instance, after

Is American Government corrupt in its purchase of land Essay

Is American Government corrupt in its purchase of land - Essay Example (Walter Lynwood Fleming lectures in Southern history. Louisiana State UP. Crosby, A. W. (1999). "Ecological Imperialism: the overseas migration of western Europeans as a biological phenomenon." American encounters: natives and newcomers from European contact to Indian removal. London: Routledge. Hoar, W. P. (2003). Manifest Destiny: Many 19th-Century Americans Believed Their Young Nation Was Destined to Extend the Benefits of Freedom and Opportunity across the Continent-From Sea to Shining Sea. The New American, Vol. 19. Lubragge, Michael T. "Manifest Destiny." Revolution to Reconstruction. Department of Alfa-Informatica of the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. http://odur.let.rug.nl/usa/E/manifest/manifxx.htm Remini, R. "Andrew Jackson and Indian Removal." (1988). The legacy of Andrew Jackson: essays on democracy, Indian removal, and slavery. (Walter Lynwood Fleming lectures in Southern history. Louisiana State UP. .. Marshall, W.I. (1911). Acquisition of Oregon and the Long Suppressed Evidence about Marcus Whitman. Vol. I., pages 25-140. McClintock, T. (2003). "British newspapers and the Oregon Treaty of 1846." Oregon Historical Quarterly. Vol. 104(1), 96-109. Merk, F. (1967). The Oregon Question: Essays in Anglo-American Diplomacy and Politics Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press. Morrison, M. A. (1997). Slavery and the American West: The eclipse of Manifest Destiny and the coming of the civil war. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. Neu, C. T. (2002). Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "ANNEXATION," http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/AA/mga2.html (accessed May 30, 2006). Remini, R. "Andrew Jackson and Indian Removal." (1988). The legacy of Andrew Jackson: essays on democracy, Indian removal, and slavery. (Walter Lynwood Fleming lectures in Southern history. Louisiana State UP. Rutland, R. A. 1987. James Madison: The Founding Father. New York: Macmillan. Smith, Gene A. 1999. "Our Flag Was Display'd Within Their Works": The Treaty of Ghent and the Conquest of Mobile. Alabama Review 52 (January): 3-20. Spence, M. D. (1999). Dispossessing the wilderness: Indian removal and the making of the national parks. New York; Oxford UP. Stephanson, A. (1995). Manifest Destiny: American expansion and the empire of right (Critical Issue Book). HarperCollins. Stuart, R. (1988). United States Expansionism and British North America, 1775-1871. U. of North Carolina. de Tocqueville, Alexis. (1990). Democracy in America, vol. 1 (New York: Vintage Books. 1835. Tutorow, N. E. (1978). Texas Annexation and the Mexican War: A Political Study of the Old Northwest. Palo Alto: Chadwick House. Wilson Moore, S. A. (2003). "We Feel the Want of Protection": The Politics of

Challenges to Nonprofits Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Challenges to Nonprofits - Essay Example That is why resource-allocation decisions present nonprofit executives with their best opportunity to focus resources on activities that will efficiently achieve their organizations' objectives. (Swords, n.d, online) Considering the significance of these choices, it is worrying that the financial systems in many nonprofit organizations aren't designed to support either short-term or long-term strategic decision making. Particularly, most financial systems do not add to organizational knowledge about the true, total costs of providing services, running programs and otherwise running the organization. Working without this information, nonprofit executives frequently have to make vital resource-related decisions on the basis of instinct, the skills and knowledge of the program staff, or the priorities of the organization's funders. (Swords, 2002, pp 113-114) Consequently, they run the risk of weakening their organizations' missions by failing to assign resources to the programs and services that have the highest impact. To make resource-related decisions in a way that enhances an organization's effectiveness and promotes its mission, nonprofit leaders need to have a clear picture of the full costs of operating their programs and services. ... ata can provide valuable input to decisions about how to assign resources among programs, whether to expand into a new setting, and what level of funding is required to sustain the organization's operations (Lang, 2000, pp 57-58). That Programs to Support The most essential resource-allocation decisions concern dividing funds among numerous programs in a single department. For example, one of Bridgespan's clients provided a range of counseling, adult-education, youth, and economic development services to its clients to help them become more self-reliant. An investigation of this organization's costs revealed that within the economic-development department, the employment-services program and the resume-services program were incurring the same cost. To put it other way, it was costing the organization the same amount of money to put a client in a job as it was to help her prepare a resume. Because having a job provides a client with better economic self-reliance than simply having a resume on hand, the organization decided to center its resources on the employment-services program instead of mounting the resume-services program as it had initially planned. Full and precise cost data can be uniformly enlightening when an organization's leaders are wrestling with the best way to divide resources among numerous sites. This was the situation facing a countrywide educational organization with seven regional affiliates. (Lang, 2000, pp 67-69) Because the organization's current accounting system stated that all its financial information on a line-item basis, area cost data had never been collected. When these data were collected and examined, the organization learned that the cost of training teachers differed significantly by locality. These findings encouraged a

Drug Testing in the Workplace Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Drug Testing in the Workplace - Essay Example This approach has streamed a mix though strong reaction with or against the act. The random drug test and medical assistance is legally applicable incase of rational grounds especially when there is probability/occurrence of an accident involving the worker. Observing behavior such as alcoholic odor on breath, glassy eyes, unsteady composure, slurred speech and multiple errors while working substantiate a proper drug test without any prior notification. Incase the test results positive the employee should be granted rehabilitation epoch and permissible to return to employment following an evaluation by a Substance Abuse Professional [SAP] (Drug and Alcohol Testing). Often such an employee challenges the drug test lest if the result is positive. The victim should be elucidated that workplace drug testing is not a vindication of dismissal, it is adapted by the company to safeguard its work environment as well as to achieve the expected performances & production goals by its employees. Strict action maybe taken incase of recurring liabilities of any employee. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, "civil disobedience can be defined as refusal to obey governmental demands or commands especially as a nonviolent and usually collective means of forcing concessions from the government" [1866]. This means that the individuals responsible for civil disobedience are willingly accepting the legal consequences on behalf of their actions since they are involved in falsification of the law. The justification of severity of the legal action is dependant upon the act executed by the persons and its consequences. The mode of action and the motivation for acting must be kept in view while legally examining the act (Civil Disobedience). In terms of environmental causes or animal rights, civil disobedience is often the universal retort by the populace concerned about such issues. Such a dilemma requires action that reflects the protesters' compassion towards the egalitarian principles. The conventional environmental groups have turned believers of incorporating undeviating policies like civil disobedience so as to protect their cause. This usually occurs due to the disappointment concerning the leisurely outcomes of the governmental authorities regarding vindicated environmental issues. It so happens, that such environmentalists involved in safeguarding their root violate the law through their aggressive obliteration of the court, however justified in the other case. These concerns need to be addressed in-depth by the governmental authorities by crafting the laws in accordance to the mainstream causes of today. Ecological laws should be addressed to cater to the environment and the wild life to avoid such extremist behavior of their supporters. From a resource in the Internet find a current article regarding Deep Ecology, environmental activism, or environmental extremism. Read the article and post a short summary (about 100 words or so) of its main points as your response to this DQ. Include the reference information for your article so everyone can find it if they are interested in reading the material. 250 words The

Knowledge and Skills Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Knowledge and Skills - Essay Example This 'Knowledge and Skills Framework' is designed in the United Kingdom, to understand, and sustain personal and career development. It helps to identify the skills and knowledge individuals should apply to their jobs so that they are provided with equal opportunities of progress throughout their careers. 1. I have served many non profit and for-profit organizations over the past years of my life. These include fulfilling the duties of an administrator, director, operations manager and as a full time social worker at many organizations. This kind of massive exposure to the real world problems related to the management of these associations has led to the development of my psychosocial abilities and I have fully utilized these abilities to the best of my capabilities. I have served as a full time social worker at the Fresenius Medical Care formerly known as Renal Care Group, Inc, Wynnewood. This facility provides dialysis treatments to adults in 3 countries simultaneously. At the DaVita Dialysis also provides dialysis treatments to adults and Delware County and South Philadelphia area. Also, I have demonstrated my skills as a Director at 'Tressler Lutheran Services, West Chester' which provides clinical therapy to adolescents and families in the area. From 1995 to 1996, I was the 'Pro gram Director' to a foster child care and adoption services facility called 'Children's Choice', in Philadelphia. I also have served as a 'Family Preservation Case Manager' at 'Family and Community Services of Delaware County'. A. During my experience as a social worker at Fresenius Medical Care, I managed a caseload of 160-180 patients. This management was in regard to psychosocial issues, insurance coverage and transportation concerns. At DaVita Dialysis facility, where I handled the case load of 140 Upland and 75 Upper Philadelphia from May 2002 to November 2002, similar challenges were faced. The psychosocial needs of the patients admitted in these facilities were tremendous. They ranged from information about their therapies to possible side effects, stress, depression and other mental and emotional conditions. Patients suffering from dialysis undergo extensive treatments and also seek assistance in the normal day routines they can't perform independently. All these issues were successfully taken care of. The psychodynamic theory was greatly applied in these situations where the patient-doctor emotional relationships were encouraged. Successful documentation of psychosocial assessment and needs was do ne at both the facilities, keeping in mind the Medicare guidelines and Federal regulations. Patients were made comfortable with their treatments, by thoroughly informing them about the medical procedures. B. While working at the Children's Choice, my range and scope of experience increased as I was subjected to handle special need groups. These groups call for special attention psychosocially and are to be handled with care and devotion. The application of psychosocial theory has been the basis of my efforts in all these situations. Special attention was given to offer increased level of care both physical and emotional. Also, it was indemnified that the Child Welfare Regulations were being effective followed as required by the Department of Human

Standard drive cycle recreation from general driving behaviour Essay

Standard drive cycle recreation from general driving behaviour - Essay Example This paper documents the early stages of a research project which aims to segment the Standard Drive Cycle definitions into a series of operating characteristic windows which can then be searched for and automatically extracted from general driving behaviour of a car on the road, and thereafter concatenated to re-creating a real-world equivalent of the Standard Drive Cycle without the need for rolling road or laboratory testing. Fuel economy has risen to prominence in recent years and most automobile markets require adherence to local fuel economy standards. It has been realised that fuel economy figures importantly to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and to deal with energy conservation. Globally, the need for oil has been on the increase even though there is a global economic recession (An et al., 2011, p.1). The measurement of fuel economy takes on various different forms but the basic contention is to see what unit volume of fuel is required to travel a certain distance (GFEI, 201 3). There is however no touchstone fuel economy standard in use around the world and the large automobile markets each have their internal standards (An et al., 2011, p.4). Current fuel economy measurement systems rely on localised standard drive cycles that differ from each other in design leading to a lack of consensus. In addition, the various drive cycles in use around the world have fundamental validity concerns that further diminish their credibility

Is Dubai Las Vegas on steroids Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Is Dubai Las Vegas on steroids - Essay Example This is especially so where the front runners happen to be two great cities, with one resting in the East, that is in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the other on the West, that is the United States. The two words, that is, bug and hook have been used symbolically in the description of the mental picture that one has when the two cosmopolitans are mentioned.The mention of the two cities triggers a feeling that is more of an enticement, rather than just a mere attention. The cities are scenarios that capture one’s interests fully.The term bugging is also being used as a slang to signify bulging or growing larger in all dimensions. Dubai and LasVegas both share these two characteristics. From what could be termed as scratch, the two cities have experienced enormous developments in both structural and technological fields, though at different rates, to an alarming level. The following essay gives an outline and a partial analysis of the past, the present and the expected futur e conditions of the cities, their similarities and their differences in terms of social and cultural aspects, and in relation to the definition of freedom. It starts with a description of the history of the two cities. ... Though mainly known for its speedily expanding city, Dubai is also a home to various landscapes ranging from the sand deserts, the coral reefs to the rugged Rock mountains (Quinn, 2006). In history, the Persian Gulf was one of the most relevant trading locations dating back to 3,000BC in the reign of Sumer kingdom, which was a Muslim empire. The kingdom carried out and influenced trade along the Gulf which harbors Dubai, and began civilization with Dubai as one of the trading centers. The trading spot later became an important link between Europe and India to the Portuguese and to the British. Due to numerous attacks by pirates, Dubai and the other neighboring emirates sought protection from the British and this led to the emirates being termed as the Trucial States. At the beginning of the seventeenth century, Dubai’s ruler, who was known as Sheikh Hasher gave a tax relief to the foreign traders. This offered them an incentive to expand their trade by locating their headquart ers to Dubai leading to a boost in development. Some major ports had also been established forming linkages between the trading blocks in the region. An example is the British port which was important in enabling trade between the British and the Indians. A further boost in trade was enhanced by Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed who authorized the dredging of a creek, giving way to larger cargo ships. The city of Dubai was hence born from the trade of imports and exports. This however received a major boost when oil was discovered in 1966. The huge revenues from oil trade transformed the state into one of the richest in the Middle East. When Britain withdrew its reign from the territory,

Nike vs Puma Essay Example for Free

Nike vs Puma Essay Nike vs Puma Easily the biggest grudge match in Germany this month will not be between two of the countries competing, but between homegrown Adidas and, of course, American arch-rivals Nike. The business media is already hot on the Stripes versus the Swoosh, with the German brand reportedly splashing out double Nikes estimated ? 60m World Cup marketing spend. But what about the shirts themselves? Which ones would you want to play in, and which should be left on the backs of the die-hards down the pub? Out of the six countries theyre dressing, including hosts Germany, and also France, the best Adidas shirt has to be Argentinas (above left). Perhaps not as recognizable as Brazils famous bright yellow, the subtle sky-blue and white stripes belied how fearsome Argentina were from the late 1970s through the 1980s. Kept simple, although a bit too shiny for my liking, the current shirt remains true to the great players who have previously worn one. As does Hollands shirt (above right), one of eight nations wearing Nike. While every other colour is sported by several teams, no-one but the Dutch really wear orange, and during the mid-1970s they played some of the sexiest football ever. Though theyve never managed to lift the trophy, this jersey echoes the heyday of the Dutch game when their brand of Total Football, as its known, narrowly lost the 1974 final to Germany. It has none of the unnecessary graphics that have plagued the brilliant orange kit of previous years, but again its kept simple and low-key, complete with a nod to the 1970s in the form of the collar. Thats the big boys, but its another German brand thats kitting out the most countries. Puma has deals with no less than 12 federations, including Italy, all of the African teams who qualified, as well as Saudi Arabia and Iran from the Middle East. The brand has taken the opposite approach to its larger competitors, embellishing most of its shirts with designs that reflect that countrys heritage. The Hawks of Togo are depicted, as is the Ivory Coasts nickname, Les Elephants. For me, Tunisias shirt (above left) works best, showing the Eagles of Carthage merged with a sort of camouflage design. Elsewhere, there are a handful of smaller brands providing some of the teams with their kit. Umbros heritage as makers of England shirts is well-known. They also make Swedens, but their best World Cup-related gear is designed by Kim Jones, which is featured elsewhere on Cool Hunting today. Italys Lotto and Spanish new-boys Joma are also after a piece of the action, supplying the likes of Ukraine (above right) and Costa Rica respectively. If you want to be really obscure next time you take to the pitch though, an Ecuador shirt (right), made by little-known company Marathon, wins hands down.

Public Display of the Ten Commandments Essay Example for Free

Public Display of the Ten Commandments Essay People often find memorization exhausting and more like tiresome. All those numerous words and lines to remember tend to tire and bore most of them. Moreover, most of the time, they tend to memorize just for the heck of it and not for the benefit of understanding and knowledge. The Ten Commandments are some of the most popular lines that Christians should memorize and know by heart. These lines have long served as Christians’ guiding passages and words towards the path to righteousness and morality. However, considering the generation today—when more and more people detest the idea of memorizing and reading very thick pages—will the Ten Commandments still possess their utmost effect? Will they be able to serve their purpose of guiding the people towards goodness when not all Christians nowadays are able to memorize them? In what ways can the Christian Church assure that people are still living up to the message presented by the Ten Commandments? These are just some of the uncertainties on the effectiveness of the Holy Bible in reminding people about the Ten Commandments. Is Reading Enough? Today, as the developments in the information technologies continue to rise, the usual activities like conversing, sending messages, and even reading can be done through the use of a computer and an internet connection. Considering this reality, doubts on whether people nowadays are still grasping the idea of the Ten Commandments by reading the Bible may arise. However, this can be possible if there are numerous electronic copies of the Holy Bible available for people to access anywhere, and such copies have plenty of attractive visual designs, as humans are inherently visual beings (Pahlavan 270). Human’s visual system is supported by other sensory organs which empower and strengthen its sensitivity to stimuli. Putting these facts in simpler terms, a person is said to have a natural tendency to prefer things which are more attractive to the sense of sight above other senses. Hence, it may be understandable why people tend to read more colorful and visually attractive materials compared to the intimidating and profound words of the Holy Bible. Knowing this, it can be inferred that putting a Bible beside a person who has the access to the internet and all its wonders would assure that that person would read it and understand what it says. Furthermore, people can no longer expect most children to prioritize the memorization of the Ten Commandments when they have all those tough and demanding homework and projects to do. Thus, is the Christian Church still assured that people read The Bible and the Ten Commandments everyday? If not, then how can the Ten Commandments be further promoted? Appealing to Human’s Visual Preference At present, the huge banners, billboards, posters, and different visual advertisements are typical scenery along roads, malls, and literally almost everywhere. Various creative, artistic, and innovative ways are now used just to disseminate information better. Nowadays, these methods are typically through very visual advertisements. The message of the Holy Bible, specifically the Ten Commandments, is considered as the most important and relevant teaching of the Christian faith. Compared to the public service announcements of the government, malls’ sales promotion, introduction of a new brand of soda, and all the other popular topics of ads today, it seems that the promotion of the Ten Commandments and all the other relevant messages of the Holy Bible has become a little unmerited. It is ironic that these messages are what appears to be the most significant and relevant messages for the people, yet why are there more ads for sodas, clothing lines, celebrities, and TV shows as compared to these important reminders? Also, if the Ten Commandments appear to be the greatest instructions and guidelines the people must comply with, why are there simpler and shorter road signs and traffic rules displayed compared to these profound yet very important words to follow and live by? This seems to be the greatest irony in today’s advertisements and visual display practices. The significance of the Ten Commandments has been an eternal and undying idea among Christians. People exactly know that the Ten Commandments are the written key for salvation and freedom for sin, yet these commandments are still left unadvertised and unannounced compared to how the big ad agencies promote different products which do not actually level to the significance of the Ten Commandments in people’s everyday lives. Looking at this truth, it may seem disturbing and appalling how people value information that modern advertisements promote while they leave the message of the Ten Commandments unnoticed or disregarded. It also seems depressing, considering how the attitude of people towards these commandments has changed over the generations. This change in attitude and interest might have been caused by the technological advancements that the intelligent and creative minds of people themselves have created. Thus, it may appear necessary for the advocates of the Holy Bible and the Ten Commandments to go and ride with the growing technology in order to assure that people are not forgetting the Ten Commandments. With this effort, it can also be assured that people will always be reminded about these commandments and what they really mean. The display of the Ten Commandments can be most typically seen in churches. People seldom see these messages displayed in billboards or in freedom walls and posters. However, knowing the importance of these commandments in the lives of people, will it be improper to publicly display this message, or is it more appropriate to leave these messages in the pages of the Bible, hence leaving the choice to people whether they will choose to read it or not. Considering the abovementioned claims about human beings as visual creatures, and about the growth of very powerful advertising techniques, it may indeed be necessary for the Ten Commandments to appeal to the human sense of sight in order to keep up with the powerful advertisements people see nowadays. There could be several ways on how this special message can be promoted in order not to violate other beliefs and culture. What matters most is to send the message and assure that Christians will always remember its significance wherever they go. A variety of learning theories attest that remembering does not usually happen in the blink of an eye. In reality, it actually takes most people a certain period of time to remember something and fully understand its meaning. Memorizing and remembering the Ten Commandment are not an easy task as well. It is not also everyday that a teacher asks their students to memorize the Ten Commandments. Thus, people are not really sure as to whether the Ten Commandments are still remembered and observed nowadays. With this, it only goes to show that proper endorsement, exposure, and promotion are what these commandments really need. If public displays make a brand of soda very popular worldwide, how much more help it could do if a list of simple messages would be displayed to remind the people about moral stability and righteousness of the world? If powerful advertisements can make a politician and a celebrity known globally, how much more can it remind people about God who should be the most influential and the most popular idol above anyone else? This is not a major impossibility; people are just being hesitant to make it happen. The Bottom Line The Ten Commandments, in reality, may not be the most popular set of phrases and commands there are for people to remember. Yet, these commandments must be the most popular and the most significant set of messages that people should remember to live by everyday. While most people nowadays tend to overlook and disregard the Ten Commandments, people can never deny or refute the fact that the commandments are the simplest and the most fundamental set of laws that Christians must follow each day of their lives in order to preserve their moral stability and their positive and open connection to the Lord. The Ten Commandments are even considered as the fence which, when broken, may let a sheep out in an open field without any direction and sense of security (Frederick 1). It does not actually take a Bible genius to understand and fully grasp the message of the Ten Commandments; what someone needs is a person who is ready and willing to embrace what the Ten Commandments say in order to understand it fully. Perhaps, having these commandments displayed publicly may not violate God’s will, for it might even give Him great help in disseminating the good news. If people are able to remember the many traffic rules there are on the roads. It may not be that hard to remember these simple commandments. If people are able to internalize popular phrases and quotes from politicians, it may not be that impossible as well for them to grasp what God is trying to teach people through the Ten Commandments. People are not always reminded everyday about the importance of the Ten Commandments and how these commandments should be lived out as well. Thus, displaying these special messages for public view may appear not just as a reminder but as an eternal and unchanging message as well of how the Lord wants His people to be always righteous and be on the right track. Works Cited Frederick, Allen. â€Å"Do the Ten Commandments Matter? †. Helium. com. 13 March 2009 http://www. helium. com/items/1206086-thou-shalt-not. Pahlavan, Kourosh. â€Å"Designing an Anthropomorphic Head-Eye System. † Visual Attention and Cognition. Eds. C. Freska, H. S. Stiehl, and W. H. Zangemeister. Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Elsevier Science, 1996. 269-292.

Role Of Project Manager In Communication Management Plan Management Essay

Role Of Project Manager In Communication Management Plan Management Essay The role of a project manager in project communication management consists of Identifying stakeholders, Planning communications, Distributing Information and Managing Stakeholder expectations and Reporting performance A key role of the project manager is to create a communications management plan to analyze stakeholder communications needs and disseminate important information efficiently. Richer forms of communications should be used for important objectives The Tuckman model developed by Dr. Bruce Tuckman in 1970 describes 5 stages of team development such as Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing and Adjourning If project managers depended too heavily on money, penalty or authority, the project was more likely to fail compared to work challenge and expertise which were more influential Project Managers should set an example by leading their teams such that the team members should know how to deal with conflicts, where team members work out small conflicts amongst themselves before elevating them to the higher ups Project managers and team members could use these strategies such as confrontation, compromise, smoothing, forcing, withdrawal and collaboration Project practitioners should adhere to the PMIs Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct in dealing with conflict amongst team members. 1. Introduction: There are four core knowledge areas of project management that deal with project scope, time, cost and quality management which help in defining the specific project objectives. Human resource, communications, risk and procurement management are the four facilitating knowledge areas. These four facilitating knowledge areas are processes that help in achieving the project objectives and hence are important. The greatest threat to any project is the ineffective communication between the project manager, team and the key stakeholders. Many problems in completion of projects are attributed to unclear scope or unrealistic schedules which indicate communication problems between the project manager, team and stakeholders. It is crucial for project managers and their teams to understand Project communication management. Project communication management deals with generation, collection, dissemination and storing of project information (Schwabe, 2010) This next section deals with the role of a project manager in a communication management plan and the elements involved in it. Further sections show how project managers establish team culture, the characteristics of motivation, conflicts, strategies on conflict resolution and ethical behavior in dealing with conflicts. 2. Communication : Communication is very important for the success of any project. It is also closely related with team work and team building and hence also affects how conflicts happen. A communication management plan for the entire project is very necessary. The role of a project manager in project communication management is given as follows: a. Identifying Stakeholders : This stage identifies the people involved in or affected by the project. The project manager creates processes and manages relationships with them. The project manager must create a Stakeholder register and Stakeholder management strategy. b. Planning communications : This stage identifies the communication needs and the channel of communication required by the stakeholder. A communications management plan and project documents update are required made by the project manager. c. Distributing Information and Managing Stakeholder expectations : The Project manager makes important information available to project stakeholders efficiently and in a timely manner, such that it satisfies the communication needs and expectations of the project stakeholders. Formal or informal plans, procedures, policies are the output of this stage. d. Reporting Performance : A project manager collects and reports project performance information to the stakeholders in the form of status reports, forecasts and progress measurements (Schwabe, 2010) Developing information and making it available to all the stakeholders is an important function of the project managers and team. Project managers and their teams must decide the recipient of the information and distribution channels for the information. They should also decide on the format of the information, such as written reports or meetings etc. A key role of the project manager is to create such a communications management plan to analyze stakeholder communications needs and disseminate important information efficiently. According to the Daft and Lengels Media richness theory, the richness of the media in communication is directly proportional to the time and cost spent on it. Hence face to face communication is preferred to email because of better communication but it is more costly and more time is spent. Thus richer forms of communications should be used for important objectives (Markus L, 1994) 3. Establishing team culture Team work and people management are the most important issues in project management. Establishing and motivating teams are interlinked with communication and are important to understand before understanding conflict and the ethical issues related with conflict. Belbin observes that, The essence of a team is its members form a co-operative association through a division of labor that best reflects the contribution that each can make towards the common objectives. To establish a team the project manager can use the following graphical techniques: Work Breakdown Structures shows major tasks broken down into smaller tasks Linear Responsibility Charts shows relationships between tasks and people Organizational Hierarchy Charts shows structure of a project team or organization The Tuckman model developed by Dr. Bruce Tuckman in 1970 describes 5 stages of team development such as: Forming an important stage of introducing team members either at initiation, or as new members are introduces Storming team members have different opinions on how a team should work. Usually conflicts occur during this phase Norming team members have developed common working method and cooperate with each other Performing Team members are likely to build loyalty towards each other. Team can cope with greater change and complex tasks. Adjourning After completion of work and successful reaching of goals, this stage consists of the break-up of the team (Cadle and Yeates, 2001) This model gives a brief idea about where conflict occurs within a team and at what stage. This could be used by the project manager to handle conflicts effectively during the storming stage. Establishing the right balance of roles in any team is crucial in avoiding or resolving conflicts. In a successful team there is a good combination of different personality types. According to Meredith Belbin a successful team needs the following combination of roles: The chair calm, strong and tolerant individual The plant an individual who generates ideas The monitor-evaluator Evaluates ideas The shaper an individual who focuses on the objectives The team worker helps create a good working environment The resource investigator finds information and resources for the project The completer finisher checks details, deadlines, proof reads The company worker works hard, similar to team worker (Belbin, 1996) A good blend of different personality types in a team will help in formation of less conflicts and resolving conflicts faster. According to Patrick Lencioni, lack of teamwork could lead to a) Absence of trust b) Conflict c) Lack of commitment d) Avoidance of accountability e) Inattention to results which could lead to failure of organizations. The team consists of individuals with different needs and expectations from the team. Motivation plays a very crucial part in the development of a team and its individuals as discussed in the next section 4. Motivation : To understand the various factors that influence motivation we need to understand the hierarchy of needs of an individual. In the late 1940, Maslow suggested that people are motivated according to their circumstances. In this theory is the idea that the employees needs have to be satisfied from the bottom up as shown in Fig. 2. The bottom level consists of basic survival and safety needs. The need for belonging and to be part of a group or a team comes second. The fourth level is about the ego and esteem needs and the final level is the personal fulfillment level. Project manager and project team members need to understand their respective motivations with regards to social, esteem and self actualization (Cadle and Yates, 2001) Self-actualization Personal growth and fulfilment personal growth and fulfilment Esteem needs Achievement, status, responsibility, reputation achievement, status, responsibility, reputation Belongingness and Love needs Family, affection, relationships, work group, etc family, affection, relationships, work group, etc. Safety needs Protection, security, order, law, limits, stability, etc protection, security, order, law, limits, stability, etc. Biological and Physiological needs Basic life needs air, food, drink, shelter, warmth, sex, sleep, etc basic life needs air, food, drink, shelter, warmth, sex, sleep, etc. Fig: 2 Maslows Hierarchy of Needs Some of the methods employed by project managers to motivate or influence team members to work towards achieving a successful project are: Authority PMs right to issue orders Assignment allocating duties Budget Authorization of funds by PM Promotion Money Pay rise and benefits Penalty causing punishment by PM Work Challenge such that it motivates the team member Expertise PM commands respect from team members based on his special knowledge Friendship ability to establish friendly relations Thamhain and Wilemon found that if project managers depended too heavily on money, penalty or authority, the project was more likely to fail compared to work challenge and expertise which were more influential (Schwabe, 2010) Some of the factors that affect motivation of employees are as follows: Environment Manipulation Scheduling pressure Lack of appreciation Technically inept management Lack of involvement Low quality 5. Conflict Resolution and Ethics The possibility of conflict between team members is always possible unless good communication isnt observed. Some of the common reasons for conflict between team members are as follows Scheduling Project priorities Human resources Admin procedures Personality clashes Costs Technical opinions and trade offs Project managers should help identify and manage conflict by using their human resources and communication skills. Project Managers should set an example by leading their teams such that the team members should know how to deal with conflicts, where team members work out small conflicts amongst themselves before elevating them to the higher ups. The project manager must separate people from the problem and use negotiation to resolve dispute. Unethical behavior should be avoided by both the parties. Negotiation amongst project manager and team members such that: Focus on interests: negotiator needs should keep in mind the interest of the parties to the dispute as against the position the parties have drawn up Inventing Options for mutual gain: Negotiator should find win-win solutions such that no party compromises on the project objectives Insist on objective criteria: negotiator should determine the quality of outcomes rather than positions. According to Meredith and Mantel, negotiation skills are particularly required a) when using subcontractors b) different teams are brought together to work on a task c) during change management. In the event of a conflict, the following principles of negotiation should be adopted: Without damaging the project objectives the conflict must be resolved Honest negotiations must take place All parties should be satisfied by the solution to the conflict (Schwabe, 2010) Strategies for resolving conflict Project Managers and team members could make use of the 5 basic modes of conflict resolution as suggested by Krezner in 2003 1. Confrontation: Project managers directly face conflict in the confrontation mode by using a problem solving approach such that affected parties work through their disagreements towards a win-win solution. This is the most preferred method of conflict resolution amongst project managers (Schwabe, 2010) 2. Compromise: Project managers adopt the compromise mode to bargain and search for solutions that bring some degree of satisfaction to the parties in dispute, similar to give and take attitude. 3. Smoothing Project managers adopt the soothing mode such that they de-emphasize or avoid areas of conflict and emphasize the area of agreement 4. Forcing Forcing mode is also termed as the win-lose approach such that a competitive or autocratic project manager exerts his viewpoint at the potential expense of another team members view point. 5. Withdrawal This is the worst conflict-handling mode where project managers retreat from a potential or actual disagreement and hence called the withdrawal mode 6. Collaborating This is a fairly recent conflict resolution mode called the collaborating mode, where different viewpoints and insights are encouraged by decision makers to develop consensus and commitment Successful project managers also use collaboration and compromise to resolve conflicts. Smoothing, forcing and withdrawal are hardly used by successful project managers for resolving conflict. A standard process for resolving conflict could be detailed as follows: Identify conflict and discuss with stakeholders Gather information Analyze solution List options for conflict resolution Decide conflict resolution mode Carry out conflict resolution Ethical Behavior in dealing with Conflicts Project Managers and their team members are required to make ethical decisions in personal and professional lives. In terms of conflict resolution too, project management practitioners should conduct their jobs in an ethical manner. According to the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct present on the website, the practitioners should behave in the following manner with regards to professional integrity and conflict resolution We make decisions and take actions based on the best interests of society, public, safety and the environment We fulfill the commitments that we undertake we do what we say we will do We accept only those assignment that are consistent with our background, experience, skills and qualifications We inform ourselves about the norms and customs of others and avoid engaging in behaviors they might consider disrespectful We listen to others points of view, seeking to understand them We approach directly those persons with whom we have a conflict or disagreement We demonstrate the transparency in out decision-making process We constantly reexamine our impartiality and objectivity, taking corrective action as appropriate We proactively and fully disclose any real or potential conflicts of interest to appropriate stakeholders We earnestly seek to understand the truth We are truthful in our communications and in our conduct (PMI Code of Ethics, 2010)

Polis of Sparta Essay -- History, The Spartan Society

In this essay, I am going to talk about the main features in the polis of Sparta during the archaic period (C800 - 470BC). I will discuss factors such as the importance education, social hierarchy, military status, religious practices, and the role of women. In Sparta, the education and training system of a new-born literally began at birth. With each new child, there was to be inspection of its fitness. The first test came from its mother, the child would be bathed in wine to test its constitution. (Holland, P.81). Following this, it would be taken to the Gerousia, the Spartan council of elders. If they saw in the child any obvious deformations, or signs of weakness in response to simple gestures, it would be deemed unfit and ordered to be discarded on Mount Taygetus, the "Apothetae" (deposits). (Holland, P81). The purpose of this was to keep the Spartan population strong and free of disease. Although they would have had no idea what eugenics were, this was in fact an early form of the activity. As a result, only the healthiest of children would be permitted to live and, effectively, continue in their training. From this point on, the Spartan education and training regime, known as the "Agoge", would play a major role in the upbringing of all male Spartans. (Holland, P84). Rigorous military training would begin for males at the age of seven. To begin with, there would be an emphasis on the importance of the Spartan state, over any self-interest or desires. This continued throughout the training and ensured loyaty to the state first and foremost. (R.L.F. P.71). The boys lived in communal messes and were deliberately underfed to encourage them to steal food. With what food they did have, the Black Broth, which was a so... ...e a single arrow was fired, or a sword drawn. Such was the fear that they imposed upon their enemies, turning their blood to ice with the sight of their impenetrable wall of toughened soliders. (Holland, P76). In conclusion, I think it is clear to see that the unique approach to politics that the Spartan polis used in terms of structure had a significant influence at the time. Admired in their approach to raising respectful, sturdy citizens, they served as a model not just for the structure of a society but also for the development of one of the most important changes in the ancient world – professional soldiers. It could even be argued, I think, that the Spartan constitution was one of if not the first form of democracy, given the nature of the control over kings that the council of Elders had, who were themselves elected by members of the Spartiate population.

Greek Pride in the Individual :: Ancient Greece Greek History

Greek Pride in the Individual The culture of ancient Greece reflects the importance of the individual in society in many different ways. The Greeks used art, philosophy, and even their system of government to convey their beliefs in the importance of one single man in a society. Greek artists showed value for the individual. All people were portrayed in Greek art, from the sagging old woman to the ideal athlete. Although early Greek art focused on the human ideal, their later art shows that the Greeks appreciated all forms, and found the human body in general to be a beautiful thing. Even the gods in Greek art showed how highly the Greeks valued humanity. The gods were depicted as humans, and were made to human scale; no huge overpowering deity was ever portrayed in their art. The Greeks appreciated themselves in their art as much as they appreciated the gods. Even on the most famous temple of all time, the Parthenon, humans were portrayed. The frieze that adorned the upper face of the Parthenon depicted the human procession in honour of the god Athena. It was not just sculptures and architecture that showed Greek pride in the individual. Greek drama showed a huge appreciation for humans in all their glory. The Greeks valued human emotions; their plays covered a wide array of subjects, all the way from the tragedies of war to the comedic side of a society in the perils of war. These subjects made it possible to reveal the Greek appreciation for real life situations, showing the value they placed on human actions, but most of all on human nature. Like the various forms of Greek art, the government of ancient Greece appreciated the individual by creating an environment in which individuals were free to express themselves. Tyrants like Pisistratus and Cleisthenes came to power to try and make the polis a better place for the individual. These tyrants reformed the state in many ways; they helped make it possible for the rich and poor to have equal rights, and they created the conditions for the construction of the splendid monumental buildings ancient Greece is remembered for today. Although not all tyrants were good, they all had one thing in common: they were all citizens of Greece, and ruled to improve the lifestyle of the citizens of Greece. After the end of tyranny, Greece had a democracy; a government ruled by the people for the people.

Essay --

Child labor is the employment of children, but not all work done by children should be classified as child labor that should be eliminated. Children’s participation in work that does not affect their health and personal development or interfere with their schooling is generally regarded as being something positive. The term â€Å"child labor† is defined as work that deprives children of their childhood, interferes with their ability to attend regular school, and that is mentally, physically, socially or morally dangerous and harmful. Imagine you and I with such limited opportunities. Imagine if children like us did not know the joys of school life but rather the life of hard physical labor. Imagine if we had to struggle miles for water, work several hours a day to earn a few scraps of food that kept us barely alive. Unimaginable, yet the life of 215 million kids around the world today – child laborers. Children are engaged in the worst forms of child labor, many of them in agriculture. They use potentially dangerous machinery and tools, carry heavy loads, work long hours in extreme heat a...

Child Sex Abuse

Child Sexual abuse â€Å"All my childhood lived a dual life-when I was being abused, and the life when I wasn't. â€Å"-Harris leery, an Indian survivor of child sexual abuse, who had a tremendously shocking childhood. Whenever I think about his suffering, my soul starts to tremble with nauseating. For about 11 years of his life, he used to get raped in the place, what we call home; however†¦ For a 7 year old Harris, his home used to be worse than the hell whenever his soul used to be sucked by a Demented of his family.It's not only about Harris or Indian children; all around the world children have been victimized by inhumane abusers. â€Å"In JACK, 1 in 20 children have been sexually abused†-NSP. 18,91 5. This humongous number is the number of children sexually abused in 2012/2013 in England and Wales; imagine the number in the UK, Europe and the world. Think! May be, the person sitting next to you might was, is or going to be sexually abused. You, your friend or your family member might be one of them. Is this the modern world: the 21st century?I don't think so! These children are the future; and our future seems to be blemishing because these buds are put to sleep before they emerge and blossom as flowers. Help! Help! The children's soul screams but in the silence. Those little and pure minds are tortured, threatened and tormented till they give up. New research suggests children who are repeatedly abused, or are abused by a member of their immediate family, are at higher risk of attempting suicide in later life. Help these children. It feels nice.

Marcus Garverys Contributions

Marcus Garvey’s Contributions Marcus Mosiah Garvey Jr. , born August 17th 1887, also known as the â€Å"Black Moses† is one of those leaders most people are unaware of. It is a shame because he was a great man and through his actions, his beliefs, and the man he was he made many contributions to the Harlem Renaissance. Jamaican and US black nationalist leader. In 1914 Marcus Garvey along with Amy Ashwood founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA). After moving to the United States in 1916, he established branches of the UNIA in New York's Harlem and many other ghettos all over the country.After moving to New York, he found work as a printer by day. influenced. At night he would speak on street corners, much like he did in London's Hyde Park. It was then that Garvey perceived a leadership vacuum among people of African ancestry. On 9 May 1916, he held his first public lecture in  New York City  at  St Mark's Church in-the-Bowery  and undertook a 3 8-state speaking tour. In May 1917, Garvey and thirteen others formed the first UNIA division outside Jamaica and began advancing ideas to promote social, political, and  economic freedom  for blacks.On 2 July, the  East St. Louis riots  broke out. On 8 July, Garvey delivered an address, titled â€Å"The Conspiracy of the East St. Louis Riots†, at  Lafayette Hall  in  Harlem. During the speech, he declared the riot was â€Å"one of the bloodiest outrages against mankind†. By October, rancor within the UNIA had begun to set in. A split occurred in the Harlem division, with Garvey enlisted to become its leader; although he technically held the same position in Jamaica.Garvey next set about the business of developing a program to improve the conditions of those of African ancestry â€Å"at home and abroad† under UNIA auspices. On 17 August 1918, publication of the widely distributed  Negro World  newspaper began. Garvey worked as an editor without pay until November 1920. By June 1919 the membership of the organization had grown to over two million. On 27 June 1919, the  Black Star Line  of  Delawarewas incorporated by the members of the UNIA, with Garvey as President. By September, it obtained its first ship.Much fanfare surrounded the inspection of the S. S. Yarmouth  and its rechristening as the S. S. Frederick Douglass  on 14 September 1919. Such a rapid accomplishment garnered attention from many. Garvey was black and he was proud of it. In 1920 he convened an international convention to unify blacks and encourage trade between Africa and the US. On September 10th, 1919 the British colonial secretary authorized the West Indian governments to introduce legislation to suppress The Negro World and other publications considered seditious.Perhaps Garvey’s greatest contribution to the uplifting of our people was his ability to find a formula for organizing around the African principle: the greatest good for t he greatest number. This was reflected in the first International Convention of Negro Peoples of the World in Madison Square Garden, in New York in 1920. Over 25,000 Black people from all over the world witnessed the choosing of red, black, and green as the colors of the Provisional Government. However all of Garvey's influence and power was shattered by accusations of mail fraud. Shortly thereafter Garvey was shot and killed

Gatsby Assignment

The Great Gatsby Assignment Directions: * For each chapter (except Ch. 9), at least one of the three columns (Device – Passage – Connection to Meaning) is completed for you. Your job is to correctly and meaningfully complete any blank column. Passages should be directly cited and effectively chosen (Include page number[s]). * Each â€Å"Connection to Meaning† entry will require multiple, thoughtful sentences. * Each â€Å"Connection to Meaning† entry must include: (a) discussion of meaning in the immediate context of the device, and (b) discussion of meaning in the greater context of the novel.You are expected to complete the â€Å"a† portion of your discussion as soon as we read the chapter. You are expected to return to each completed â€Å"a† portion at the conclusion of the novel, as you attempt to find new insight and complete the â€Å"b† portion of your discussion (remember that Ch. 6 is your model for the third column, but your s should be 2-3 sentences longer and more developed). * Send me an email when you get home, and I will send you the assignment electronically. This way you can type the assignment and turn in a printed copy. My email is cecily. [email  protected] org * This is due Thursday, March 28 (TYPED! ) Chapter| Device/Strategy| Passage and page #| Connection to Meaning| 1| Juxtaposition| â€Å"There’s a bird on the lawn that I think must be a nightingale come over on the Cunard or White Star Line . He’s singing away,† her voice sang. â€Å"It’s romantic, isn’t it, Tom? † The telephone rang inside, startlingly, and as Daisy shook her head decisively at Tom the subject of the stables, in fact, all subjects vanished into air. (15)| | 2| | â€Å"But above the gray land and the spasms of bleak dust which drift endlessly over it, you perceive, after a moment, the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg. The eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg are blue and giganticâ₠¬â€their retinas are one yard high. † (23)| | 3| Allusion (41)| | | 4| | â€Å"Yeah, Gatsby’s very careful about women. He would never so much as look at a friend’s wife. † (72)| | 5| Tone shiftTone #1Tone #2Tone #3Tone #4| | | 6| | | Jay Gatsby invents parents because he does not like what his mother and father represented.Gatsby is new money and is in opposition to the old money; new money was not respected since it was earned fast and quick and not inherited or used to raise and culture those it was passed down to. So, Gatsby â€Å"creates† the image that is needed in order to fit into the society in which Daisy belongs. He creates a perfect, omniscient heritage that only can be achieved by one according to Christianity, and he became the faithful servant to that image.This allowed him to achieve the status that only his â€Å"heavenly† Daisy could complete. | 7| (a) Logos (b) Ethos (c) PathosHint: You need to provide a clear example of e ach appeal in the argument to â€Å"win† Daisy. | | | 8| | â€Å"She was the first nice girl he had ever known. In various unrevealed capacities he had come in contact with such people, but always with indiscernible barbed wire. He found her excitingly desirable. † (148)| | 9| | | |

Black Power Movement

America has seen itself change over and over again. America is the home of the free and the brave. However, this beautiful nation has not always been like this. America has had to go through many ups and many downs to beautify. Racial discrimination has played a huge role in American society. Even today, there are still racial inequalities. These racial inequalities are not as bad as they were in the early and mid nineteen hundreds though. Two of the biggest reasons that positive steps have been made towards eliminating racial inequality is the Harlem Renaissance and the Black Power Movement.These two events helped shape who Americans are today. While these two events did not totally eliminate racial discrimination, they were huge rolls in shrinking it. These two events have many things in common, but also many differences. Without the Black Power Movement and the Harlem Renaissance, America would not be where we are today. Even though African Americans were enjoying the new terrain in the United States, they could tell that there was still something missing. They did everything in their power to help stop against racial discrimination.They created new culture and went out of their ways to be viewed as a regular American. They referred to themselves as â€Å"New Negro’s† because they defined themselves by a sense of racial difference. They believed that they were living a totally different life and a whole new culture. Discrimination continued so the African Americans left the south to head to bigger and better cities with more opportunity. Many African Americans headed to New York and mainly Harlem. While here the â€Å"New Negro’s† started an uproar of their culture called the Harlem Renaissance.This event started in Harlem, the upper portion of Manhattan. The event turned Harlem in to a center of art and creativity. The Harlem Renaissance gave birth to many important African Americans. Multiple novelists and artists were born. The â€Å"New Negro’s† began to explore American blackness in America during the nineteen twenty’s and it’s origins from Africa. One of the first noticeable events of the Renaissance came after a man named Charles Johnson organized a civic club dinner.Johnson constructed this dinner for the releasing of a book that had been written by a black author that Johnson believed had potential. The dinner was a total success and white people enjoyed the book. For the first time in history, white operated publishing houses published books that were written by Negros. Better than that, some white people started to promote the books as well. The Harlem Renaissance also helped influence black musicians to perform in front of white people. The Harlem Renaissance for the first major step that Americans took on the way to becoming civilized.The Renaissance gave birth to music, art, literature, and dance throughout Harlem and America. This wonderful event however came to an end in the mid nineteen thirty’s. The great depression played a role in ending this marvelous event. Financial needs became more important than the expression of art and music. Many Blacks artists from the Renaissance had to leave Harlem to find jobs in other places. Even with having to move some of the African American writers art continued to still be published. The Black Power Movement played out in a far more violent way than the Harlem Renaissance.More than 300 race riots broke out between nineteen sixty four and nineteen sixty nine. These riots really put the gap between a great society and the reality of an African American in to perspective. More and more violence was spread throughout Harlem when a fifteen year old Black boy was shot by a white police officer in nineteen sixty four. In August of nineteen sixty five things went from bad to worse. In just five days, more than one thousand fires had been burned, and thirty four lives had been taken in Los Angeles.The Bl ack Power Movement developed a saying. Stokely Carmichael said, â€Å"What we are gonna start saying now is Black Power! †. This saying was interpreted in many different ways. The most common interpretation cam from the Black Panthers though. The Black Panthers were initially started to protect the black neighborhoods from the white officers. The group was formed in Oakland, California by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale. The Panthers also started schools and tried to promote peace. However, they ended up becoming known for their violence.Because of the Black Panthers violence, the Black Power saying became known as hostile to both blacks and whites. The Black Power Movement also sparked the freedom of speech movement at the University of California at Berkley in nineteen sixty four. Americans had not seen anything like the protests at Berkley and these protests lead to â€Å"counterculture†. Counterculture was all about rock and roll music, drugs, and sex. Countercultur e gave us bands like The Beatles, and The Rolling Stones. Students then rebelled even further to demand that dorms should be a mix between male and female.The Black Power Movement brought a whole new outlook to America. Although there was a lot of violence going on during this time, America took positive steps as well. Americans are still affected by this movement today. The Black Power Movement slowly came to and end in the early nineteen seventy’s, yet we still feel the effects today. The Harlem Renaissance and Black Power Movement have many things in common, yet have just as many differences. Both of these crucial events blossomed very important black and white people.The Harlem Renaissance focused more on the art of music and literature, while the Black Power Movement was more about the reality of an African American. They both had a huge impact on Americans, whether the impact was positive or negative. These two events were very different as well. The violence in the Har lem Renaissance was nothing compared to the violence in the Black Power Movement. The Black Power Movement killed multiple people while the Harlem Renaissance did the complete opposite. The Harlem Renaissance sparked more of an art and literature movement.Without the Black Power Movement and the Harlem Renaissance, America would not be where we are today. These two events are major in American History. America is known as the home of the free and the brave. However, America has not always been this way and even today we still suffer from racism and segregation. Racial inequalities played a huge role back during this events. If there was no racial inequalities none of these events probably would have happened. America is shaped the way we are today because of the events of our country’s past.Works Cited http://www.biography.com/blackhistory/harlem-renaissance.jsp

Abstract Health Care

MIS 6324 Business Intelligence Dr. Syam Menon Term Project SUBMITTED BY : Group 6 Swetha, Priya, Ram, Vishal, Madan Business Intelligence in Health Care Management The  health  care system is more complex than most people know. Its business model is different from most  businesses  in that its consumers dont usually come willingly. That, plus not getting paid what they bill, hurts cash flow makes health care a shaky business. With uncertain revenue, costs not entirely within their control, and regulatory issues, health care management problems arent always easy to fix. Forward-thinking healthcare organizations realize that data and, thus, business intelligence (BI) is at the center of informed and precise decision-making that will improve patient and service outcomes in addition to ensuring their organizations’ future. This paper gives an insight into which business intelligence tools are currently being used in healthcare and their effectiveness in terms of sustaining the businesses of those organizations that use these tools. The paper also deals with common problems faced while implementing these techniques to patients’ data and ways to overcome problems. Outdated information management strategies and invalid statistics cause serious problems in investigating health outcomes and negotiating reimbursements. Predictive modeling, however, goes beyond standard regression techniques, expanding advanced analytical options for better, faster decision making. Predictive models use a variety of tools to deliver more accurate, long-range views of treatments and costs. Also there are many new reporting technologies designed to improve the productivity of business analysts and preserve information consistency throughout an organization. These analytical tools, the advantages vs. problems during implementation and their ability to shape the future of healthcare industry are focus of this paper.

Systems modelling theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Systems modelling theory - Essay Example In this scenario, a system can be used to denote different entities such as software system or its different parts, hardware system, or it can be a combination of both and the relationships between these parts. Hence, a system model can be recognized as a skeletal model of the system. In addition, system modelling provides an excellent support throughout the development and maintenance large and complex systems by paying a great deal of attention to the system development phase. In this scenario, the basic thought is to capture unstable or complex elements of a design within different parts through appropriately designed interfaces showing how each part communicates with its surroundings. Later on, these separated parts are combined in order to develop a complete system (Kresken, 1996; Pidd, 2004, p. 14). It is an admitted fact that systems modelling theory is capable of improving systems’ performance and reliability and minimizing systems development expenses as it makes the system development process very simple. For instance, it allows us to make use of previously developed components and routines to develop new systems. It also allows us to make changes to systems according to changing requirements for instance platform changes and functional enhancement, and to completely understand systems. Hence, we can say that systems modelling theory allows us to deal with a wide variety of requirements as it offers a set of tools like that consistency checkers, helps with documentation of the system and even we can also use it in the design stage of system development. To cut a long story short, system modelling technique is utilized to make sure that a developing component of software develops in a constant way and that it simplifies the process of combining different software parts (Kresken, 1996; Pidd, 2004, p. 14). In addition, in order to model a system there is need of a system modelling language (this language can be either textual and/or diagrammatic) and a theoretical structure. In fact, at the present there are many tools available that support system development through systems modeling theory. The majority of these tools use textual notations such as prose or tables, diagrammatic notations like graphs. Additionally, these diagrams use different symbols to symbolize the components of the system for instance objects, entities, and groups of objects, and a wide variety of other symbols representing the relationships between these components. In the past few years, four major theoretical structures have emerged: (Kresken, 1996; Pidd, 2004, p. 14) 1. Design Methods Design methods are based on a set of three components a concept, a language, and a design process. In this scenario, the concept outlines the modules of a program that are to be symbolized by the parts of the system model. On the other hand, the language defines the system model. Additionally, the system designer would have to follow a step-by-step procedure in order to compile design of the system in accordance with the software lifecycle. Moreover, there are many design methods which can be used for different purposes such as task design that is particularly developed for dealing with processes and their interactions, and synchronized systems design (Kresken, 1996; P

Still Alice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Still Alice - Essay Example Thus, one of the first scenes shows the main character giving a lecture about her work. This is clearly a big honor for everyone who is present. However, during the lecture, Alice (Julianne Moore) forgets a word. This is rather surprising for such a smart woman as she. So, to win some time she jokes about having an extra glass of champagne. However, even after several seconds she can not remember the necessary word; so, she uses a synonym: the word she forgot was lexicon and she said word stock. This is quite an important scene as it shows that Alice is still able to use the majority of her mental resources and can fight the early symptoms. Several times during the movie Alice is seen playing a mobile application that is called Words with friends. This element serves several significant functions. First of all, it situates Alice in the environment of ‘normal’ people who are able to use their brain to its fullest to play abstract games. Later in the movie she tells her daughter that she has developed an obsession with this game. One might see a considerable amount of irony here since as her disease progresses, she will no longer be able to carry on what she liked a lot. In other words, other people who did not use their brain so much should not feel such a tragedy in the disease that she was diagnosed with. Finally, this very game might also be seen as a measurement of her mental potential. Thus, in the very beginning of the movie Alice is seen forming a word Hadj (Islamic ritual pilgrimage). There is no doubt that few people who are not Muslims know this word. This shows that Alice is quite intelligent. Ho wever, at the end of the film the best word she is able to come up with in the game is tone. This might be regarded as a clear sign of her mental degradation. During the first interview of neurologist, the latter asks Alice about her family. She reveals that her