Which reflections of Islam are in the tale of Maruf the Cobbler Essay - 2

Which reflections of Islam are in the tale of Maruf the Cobbler - Essay Example Maruf is a virtuous man. He tries to keep the peace and fulfill his responsibilities to his wife according to the requirements of the Islamic law. He does this even when his wife is senseless and cruel (Holy Quran 30:21). Moreover, when Maruf hands over alms to the poor, he goes to the mosque at the hour of prayer. It reflects Islamic beliefs since it is the Muslims who go to pray in a mosque (Kritzeck 307). Third, when a person is offended by another, he/she takes the dispute to the Kazi or the high court according to the Muslim culture. This happens in the story when Maruf’s wife goes to accuse her husband falsely to the Kazi after a domestic dispute over the cake with bee honey (Kritzeck 300). Fourth, the story refers to Allah as their Supreme Being and creator of heaven and earth. This reflects Islamic belief since it is the Muslims who call their God Allah (Kritzeck 300). Fifth, in the marriage ceremony between Maruf and the king’s daughter, the king calls the sheik Al-Islam to write the marriage certificate. It is according to the Muslim culture whenever there is a marriage between two people (Kritzeck 311). Sixth, when the king heard about the richness of Maruf, he gets greedy and decides to give his daughter in marriage to Maruf. He does this with the aim of bringing the wealth of Maruf into his family. It is according to the Muslim culture when he a man marries the king’s daughter, all that he owns becomes part of the king’s family wealth (Kritzeck 308). Seventh, according to the Islamic culture, a woman once given into marriage to a man, she is supposed to stand by him whether he was in the wrong or the right. It is considered her duty to her h usband. We see this happening when the princess sides with Maruf even after he reveals the shameful secret to her (Kritzeck 314). Eighth, Muslims believe in a jinni, a powerful spirit being. When Maruf escapes from the palace, he meets a farmer tilling his farm. On the man’s land, Maruf

Famous Creative Thinkers Essay Example for Free

Famous Creative Thinkers Essay Column A: Steve Wozniak (computer engineer, Apple) (University of Phoenix, 2012) Steve Wozniak was born in San Jose, California in 1950 the son of an engineer. Wozniak developed a love for electronics in his early years. His grades never showed his intelligence, he was just good at building electronics from scratch. While attending the University of California at Berkeley he worked for Hewlett-Packard, and then he met Steve Jobs. Wozniak and Jobs together started Apple in 1976. Wozniak quit his job with Hewlett-Packard to work on the Apple project full time. Wozniak worked on the computer while Jobs did the marketing. Wozniak built from scratch the Apple I and Apple II computers; by 1983 Apple stock was around $985 million. Due to personal reasons he ended his position with Apple in 1987. The reason behind the resignation was an injury in 1981. While piloting his private plane crashed near Santa Cruz City Park. The crash created several injuries including amnesia. Even though his injuries were vast he was responsible for the first programmable remote control. He has written several books on technology, assisted in establishing the Electronic Frontier Foundation in 1990. He also was the founder of WoZ, â€Å"Wheels of Zeus† to attempt wireless GPS technology. Wozniak works as a chief scientist for the Fusion Company since 2008. Column B Grace Hopper (computer scientist (University of Phoenix, 2012) Grace Hopper was born in New York City in 1908. She studied math and physics at Vassar College. She received a master’s degree in math from Yale in 1930. After marriage she continued her education at Yale receiving a PHD in math in 1934. She is the first women to achieve this degree from Yale. In 1943 Hopper joined the Navy Reserve. Due to her mathematical degree she was assigned to the Bureau of Ordnance Communication Project at Harvard. Harvard is where she learned the programming of the Mach I computer. Hopper also worked on the Mach II and Mach III. Hopper helped to make the term â€Å"computer  bug† popular when a moth shorted out the Mach II. In 1949 she began working with Remington Rand after a short time with Eckert-Mauchly Computer Corporation. While working at Remington Rand she was over the programming of the UNIVAC. In 1952 COBOL was born, a brain child of the Hopper team. COBOL is a program to where one computer can talk to another. Even though Hopper did not invent it she pushed it to be used by all computer companies. COBOL stands for â€Å"Common Business Oriented Language.† Hopper returned to the Navy for 19 years to assist in programming and standardizing communication with other computer languages. Hopper retired as a rear admiral in 1986 at the age of 79. She was the oldest serving officer in the Navy. After retiring from the Navy she became bored and coming back to the computer industry. In 1991 she received the National Medal of Technology. Hopper was the first women to receive such honor. The Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in a Computing Conference is a technical conference to bring women together to learn programming. Hopper also encourages young people to learn the technique of programming.

Voltaires Candide Character Analysis Essay -- Voltaire Candide Essays

Voltaire's Candide Character Analysis Voltaire's Candide seems to display a world of horror, one filled with floggings, rapes, robberies, unjust executions, disease, natural disasters, betrayals and cannibalism. Pangloss, the philosopher, has a constant optimistic view throughout the entire novel even despite all of the cruelty in the world. While looking back on the book I couldn't think of many characters that displayed admirable qualities. Even though Pangloss stuck to his views that everything is for the best in this best of all possible worlds, which is admirable, he is stupid and naive to still believe this after everything he and his family goes through. It was quite hard for me to find admirable characters within Voltaire's Candide, all of the characters seemed to do harm to one another in some way. Although as soon as James or Jacques, the Anabaptist, is introduced to us he seems different then any other character so far. Most of the people Candide meet throughout his journey are mean and cause him harm but Jacques is kind right from the beginning. In Chapter three Jacques carries Candide, someone who he had never met, into his home, washed him, gave him food and employs him in his rug factory. Jacque?s kindness revives Candide?s faith in Pangloss?s theory that everything is for the best in this world. Candide was so moved by Jacques he threw himself to his feet and cried, ?Now I am convinced that my master Pangloss told me truth when he said that everything was for the best in this world; for I am infinitely more touched by your extraordinary generosity... ? (Ch. 3 Pg. 19).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jacques seems to be the only good-natured character in the whole book. His actions are kind and most admirable. Jacques finds a doctor to cure Pangloss, who loses an eye and an ear to syphilis. He even hires Pangloss as his bookkeeper and takes Candide and Pangloss on a business trip to Lisbon. Jacques disagrees with Pangloss?s belief that this is the best of worlds and claims that ?men have somehow corrupted Nature.? He said God never gave men weapons, but men created them ?in order to destroy themselves.? Mankind, must in some things have deviated from their original innocence; for they were not born wolves, and yet they worry one another like those beasts of prey. God never gave then twenty-four pounders nor bayonets, and yet they have made cannon and ba... ...sery (Ch. 12 Pg. 50). Out of all of the characters Candide came across only Jacques and the Old Woman had truly admirable qualities. The Old Woman only really seems admirable because she has endured and survived so much cruelty in her life. She is strong and still decided to live life even though it has been so horrible. She is wise and has learned from her awful experiences. If it wasn?t for this I don?t think she would be seen as admirable. Jacques, the Anabaptist, helped anyone that needed it, whether he knew them or not. Even in a world full of betrayal and evil he wants to take the chance and reach out to those who need help. He cares for Candide, without even knowing him, he gives employment to both Candide and Pangloss, and he even saves a sailors life that he never met before. His death shows how good does not win out in the end and despite his kindness to the sailor he in turn does not reach out and give Jacques the same courtesy. Unfortunately, the only true admirable person in the book dies so soon into it. He was the only hope we saw that Candide?s world had. Works Cited Voltaire. Candide. 1759. Ed. Henry Morley. New York, New York: Fine Creative Media, 2003. Voltaire's Candide Character Analysis Essay -- Voltaire Candide Essays Voltaire's Candide Character Analysis Voltaire's Candide seems to display a world of horror, one filled with floggings, rapes, robberies, unjust executions, disease, natural disasters, betrayals and cannibalism. Pangloss, the philosopher, has a constant optimistic view throughout the entire novel even despite all of the cruelty in the world. While looking back on the book I couldn't think of many characters that displayed admirable qualities. Even though Pangloss stuck to his views that everything is for the best in this best of all possible worlds, which is admirable, he is stupid and naive to still believe this after everything he and his family goes through. It was quite hard for me to find admirable characters within Voltaire's Candide, all of the characters seemed to do harm to one another in some way. Although as soon as James or Jacques, the Anabaptist, is introduced to us he seems different then any other character so far. Most of the people Candide meet throughout his journey are mean and cause him harm but Jacques is kind right from the beginning. In Chapter three Jacques carries Candide, someone who he had never met, into his home, washed him, gave him food and employs him in his rug factory. Jacque?s kindness revives Candide?s faith in Pangloss?s theory that everything is for the best in this world. Candide was so moved by Jacques he threw himself to his feet and cried, ?Now I am convinced that my master Pangloss told me truth when he said that everything was for the best in this world; for I am infinitely more touched by your extraordinary generosity... ? (Ch. 3 Pg. 19).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jacques seems to be the only good-natured character in the whole book. His actions are kind and most admirable. Jacques finds a doctor to cure Pangloss, who loses an eye and an ear to syphilis. He even hires Pangloss as his bookkeeper and takes Candide and Pangloss on a business trip to Lisbon. Jacques disagrees with Pangloss?s belief that this is the best of worlds and claims that ?men have somehow corrupted Nature.? He said God never gave men weapons, but men created them ?in order to destroy themselves.? Mankind, must in some things have deviated from their original innocence; for they were not born wolves, and yet they worry one another like those beasts of prey. God never gave then twenty-four pounders nor bayonets, and yet they have made cannon and ba... ...sery (Ch. 12 Pg. 50). Out of all of the characters Candide came across only Jacques and the Old Woman had truly admirable qualities. The Old Woman only really seems admirable because she has endured and survived so much cruelty in her life. She is strong and still decided to live life even though it has been so horrible. She is wise and has learned from her awful experiences. If it wasn?t for this I don?t think she would be seen as admirable. Jacques, the Anabaptist, helped anyone that needed it, whether he knew them or not. Even in a world full of betrayal and evil he wants to take the chance and reach out to those who need help. He cares for Candide, without even knowing him, he gives employment to both Candide and Pangloss, and he even saves a sailors life that he never met before. His death shows how good does not win out in the end and despite his kindness to the sailor he in turn does not reach out and give Jacques the same courtesy. Unfortunately, the only true admirable person in the book dies so soon into it. He was the only hope we saw that Candide?s world had. Works Cited Voltaire. Candide. 1759. Ed. Henry Morley. New York, New York: Fine Creative Media, 2003.

Formation of Asean Essay

The formation of ASEAN was mainly driven by the desire to improve on diplomatic relations between Southeast Asian nations so that they could focus more on nation building efforts. The 1960s was the decade of tumult, where Southeast Asian nations faced various external tensions and conflicts from one another. During then, it was of utmost importance for SEA nations to improve multilateral diplomatic relations so as to promote peace in the region. This peace would refer to ensuring political stability and diminishing animosity among SEA nations so as to allow them to build their nations collective as a whole. Should the territorial disputes and racial tensions between SEA nations escalate to armed conflict between SEA nations, it could greatly affect SEA nation building. There were a few key events which highlighted this fear. Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation during 1962–1966 expressed Indonesia’s political and armed opposition to the creation of Malaysia. In 1963, President Sukarno ordered Indonesian paratroopers to instigate a military attack on Malaysia and to initiate acts of sabotage in Singapore. This situation and events subsequently strained ties between the two nations. To make matters worse, Malaysia’s relationship with Philippines were soured due to dispute ownership over Sabah. These SEA countries had to deal with conflicts with its neighbours while tending to their own domestic problems. Indonesia, embroiled in conflict with Malaysia, suffered internal discontent due to Sukarno’s mismanagement of the economy and the implementation of guided democracy. As SEA nations wanted to concentrate fully on nation building efforts, they first had to settle regional disputes so as to be able to allocate time and resources for domestic improvement. Thus, ASEAN was set up by the desire to improve diplomatic relations. Although the main impetus for the formation of ASEAN was political in nature, economic cooperation was also high on the agenda of the organisation. The economies of the SEA nations were still developing in the 1960s and were largely dependant on their foreign colonel masters. As such, the SEA nations wanted to form ASEAN so as to promote regional trade and economic links. In this way, they can cut dependence from western countries but instead tap on resources from within. In the 1960s, intra-regional trade was a mere 12% to 15%. With the formation of ASEAN, economic cooperation blossomed as new agreements were signed. These include the ASEAN Free Trade Area, whose objective is to increase the region’s competitive advantage as a single production unit. It was a way to help boost the burgeoning industries of SEA. It is important to develop the economy of these young SEA nations as it ensures peace, progress and prosperity in a nation. Thus, one of the other reasons for the formation of ASEAN was to promote economic development. However, although the formation of ASEAN was spurred by various reasons, the desire to improve diplomatic relations among the countries proved to be the greatest motivation source. Strong diplomatic relations and trust among SEA nations will allow countries to develop their society and economy. If no trust exists between countries, there can be hardly any economic activity as countries would be skeptical of each other. Thus improving diplomatic relations would be more important than promoting economic activity. Bibliography www. wikipedia. org www. worldscibooks. com/eastasianstudies/4689. html

Organizations as Open Systems – China Star Chinese Restaurant

Relationship: worked as an order taker five years ago. Responsibilities included taking and packing the orders, end-of-the-day bookkeeping. Introduction China Star is a fifteen-year old, mid-size Chinese restaurant serves common Chinese dishes. It has a dinning area, and a smaller bar/administrative area that has a back door where customers come to pick up their telephone orders. The staffs include the owner/manager, an order taker, a waiter, two busboy/girl, four chefs, two part-time delivery drivers, and one cleaner. The restaurant is in an excellent location: very close to the Reston Town Center, surrounded by numerous high-tech companies and rich residents, but has been carrying its flat revenue for the past decade. It opens seven days a week, yet its most profit comes from the $5 range lunch combination during weekdays and carryout dinner orders. The dine-in dinner business had slowed down after several years of its opening, the average table that the waiter serves each night is about five. Carryout orders constitute about one half of the restaurant's total sales. Its customer base has shrunk into office workers and residents within several miles. Analysis As an open system organization, China Star's inputs are the workers, the raw food, and the facilities. Enough workers, the skill of the workers, the quality of the raw material, and the states of the facilities are all important in producing the satisfying output—fresh, delicious food and excellent service. But China Star was far from inputting enough: a) The skills of the chefs were just so-so, and it always had only one waiter. During the busy lunch hours, all the customers came at once; it was impossible for the waiter to take care of each table well and give each customer full attention. Often the customers got impatient, started to call the bus boys, and found that they hardly speak any English. Sometimes when the customers were happy they'd try to talk to the Chinese busgirl and asking her questions about China and Chinese food, but the girl wasn't able to continue the delightful conversation, and the customers were disappointed, even embarrassed. b) In order to save time and costs, restaurants mass process their wholesale ordered raw food once a while. Large restaurants have state of the art refrigerators and freezers for them to separate and preserve the food accordingly. But China Star has only one large walk-in refrigerator for almost everything and the storing wasn't done in a very pleasant manner. Inevitably the food tasted funny several times. c) The restaurant's decoration was old and it looked rather messy and stuffy. The drawings on the wall looked cheap and the Great Wall embossment was coarse. It was not a pleasant place to sit and enjoy a formal meal at all. With various stylish restaurants opening in the area, and the Chinese food rivals developing in every shopping center offering chicken-fried rice of $4.75, China Star has neither product nor price to compete with. It soon entered the Negative Entropy state of an open system. The restaurant failed to take advantage of its surrounding office buildings and residents, most of all, the excellent economy during the late 1990's. Its business fell into the typical â€Å"cheap carry-out Chinese food† image. The dine-in customers felt bored sitting in a typical Chinese restaurant, while they can hang out in a lively place with TV and live band just 3 blocks away. People came to China Star for cheap food only, and carryout orders save tips. But even carryout orders declined soon. During the peak lunch time the telephone order volume is extremely high. Customers often have to be put on hold since there is only one person responsible for taking the orders, send them to the kitchen, pack the orders, and sometimes phone the customer back— again the input is not sufficient. It's easy to make a mistake with disastrous result: one, sometimes two if the orders are switched, very angry and hungry customers that would never recommend this restaurant to others, and food that cannot be resold. Although this system was obviously moving toward its death in a highly competitive environment, the owner wasn't actively seeking solutions. The waiter and other employees were often telling him customers' comments, giving him advises–which applies the â€Å"feedback† principle in the open system theory, but he had ignored them all. (the restaurant was finally redecorated a few years ago, other changes unknown) It's actually not very hard for China Star to start a better cyclic. Restaurants are relatively less-complicate organizations. The most important principles are inputs and feedbacks. The restaurant could increase the human, material, information inputs, and adapt more the changing environments, for example, revise the menu and serve one-of-a-kind Chinese appetizers with Chinese wines and expensive, authentic green teas; hire more waiters and a few performer play soothing music with Chinese traditional instrument for the exhausted people at the end of the day; construct a website for the restaurant and make the carryout ordering web-enabled. And of course, listen to the feedbacks, both from the outside and inside of the organization. As these changes apply, the restaurant will also increase the price on its menu, without worrying about irritating its customers. As mentioned before Reston is a high-income area where people are more into â€Å"style† and willing to pay more to have a good time or feel special. Once the restaurant has established its reputation and attracts certain group of loyal customers, its sales will become stable and the organization enters the steady state until the environment changes again.

Ryanair low cost airline

Ryanair low cost airline Introduction This case study highlights some aspects of Ryanair low cost airline operation. The company was the largest airline carrier by passengers and market capitalisation in the year 2009. The company based its operational model on the low cost strategy in order to increase its market shares and reduce costs. This model proved suitable during the economic crisis of 2008. The company also has a huge potential for growth as the EU low fare airline markets expand.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Ryanair low cost airline specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Ryanair has also introduced ancillary services to increase its revenues. However, some these strategies are not popular with customers. In addition, the company also suffers from negative publicity due to its treatment of customers and persons with disabilities. Still, Ryanair also has challenges related to legal issues, fierce competition, EU ban, regulatory me asures and costs, and fuel costs among others. The company needs a new strategy for its future operation. This should focus on reducing its risks and improving its market share. Current mission/objectives and strategy Low fare Ryanair operates on a low cost strategy. Customers and competitors know Ryanair for low prices. The company underwent restructuring in the 1990s and changed policies that eliminated free services. Ryanair has been operating as no frills passenger airline. The company has relatively low fare in relation to its competitors. However, Ryanair also has some of the most controversial charges in the airline industry. For instance, Ryanair has additional charges for passengers using wheelchairs, infant fees, baggage charges, check-in fees, and onboard toilet fees among others. Such fees related to wheelchairs, and how the company treats persons with disabilities have attracted controversies and negative publicity among stakeholders. In all, the low price strategy has positioned the airline as the cheapest in the European markets, and it constantly changes its strategy to match the European market (HOggins 618). The company also has some serious challenges from both inside and outside. These include poor customer services, legal challenges, fierce competition, regulation requirements, and poor relations with unionists among others. Low maintenance cost The low cost model has also resulted into low maintenance cost strategy. For instance, the company reduced its operating costs by 4 percent. The company maintains its costs as low as possible due to its fleet and staff. This approach also covers environmental area as the company strives to invest in environmental friendly fleets. These fleets are also fuel-efficient. The companys low maintenance cost also includes staff training. Ryanair also reduced flight frequencies in loss making routes in the UK and Ireland.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Ancillary services Ancillary services are also core parts of Ryanair strategy. This strategy aims at increasing the airline’s revenues. The company has in-flight beverages, food, online and onboard gambling, mobile phones, ‘fat tax’ for overweight customers, and sale of merchandise for extra revenues. In addition, Ryanair also has accommodation, car rental and travel insurance services. According to Ryanair financial statements of accounts, revenues from ancillary services have been growing steadily for the past three years, i.e., from  £3.6 million in 2007 to  £5.9 million in 2009. However, not all these ancillary services, such as gaming and entertainment console were successful as they met resistance from passengers. Expansion strategy Ryanair also has an aggressive expansion strategy. For instance, the company expects to operate 300 fleets by the year 2012. Meanwhile, Ryanair has inves ted in new and environmental friendly flights. The company reduced operation in loss making routes of the UK and Ireland, but replaced them with profitable routes in Germany, France, and Spain. The company took advantage of diminishing carriers and planned to open 146 new routes in 2010. At the same time, Ryanair also focused on increasing its market shares. This was also evident in the failed takeover attempt of Aer Lingus. Productive Employees Productive workforce strategy is also a strategy in Ryanair, and this starts from the CEO. The company nearly doubled its staff during the last three years of operation. Ryanair claimed that it paid its crew better than any other airline company. For instance, in 2009, the company Annual Report claimed that it paid an average of  £45,333 higher than other companies. In addition, pilots and other cabin crews negotiated new pay deals with the company. These negotiations aimed at maintaining a healthy workforce and complying with the EU regul ations. Web site advertisement Ryanair marketing strategy aims at positioning it as a low cost airline company. Ryanair has exploited Internet marketing opportunities and in turn eliminated travel agents. The Web site has been the primary tool that the company uses to advertise its low cost services. Consequently, Ryanair promotes its Web site on newspapers, radio, and television. This effort has ensured that 99 percent of the booking takes place via the Internet.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Ryanair low cost airline specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Ryanair is sensitive to costs. Consequently, it relies nearly on free and controversial publicity. These include topical advertising, press conference and publicity stunts. In addition, the company also relies on distributions of promotional and advertisement materials, cooperative advertisement with other travel organisations and tourist boards. Internal and ext ernal environment Economic factors Michael O’Leary commented that â€Å"an economic recession is good for Ryanair, as it can survive it better than airlines with higher pricing models† (HOggins). The globe recession of 2008 was the major economic factor that Ryanair faced. Economists like McConnell, Brue, and Barbiero claim that shifts in the economic patterns influence organisations operation (McConnell, Brue and Barbiero 34). The prevailing economic conditions influenced how passengers, sellers, and other stakeholders in European markets behaved. Airline companies diminished because their business models could not withstand recession challenges. However, as we have seen above, the recession created opportunities for low cost airlines like Ryanair. Ryanair was able to exploit the vacuum that other companies created. As a result, the company did not experience thorough effects of recession due to its business strategy of low cost. Instead, the company increased its ope ration to become among the best airlines in the region. From this observation, we can conclude that Ryanair business model was recession proof. However, tough economic conditions also had its effects on Ryanair. For instance, the company share prices dropped, revenue plummeted and it cancelled expansion decisions due to costs. The UK and Ireland routes became unproductive and forced the company to cut its operation in those routes. Ryanair was also able to exploit the favourable fuel prices in order to offer low fare fleets that no other company could achieve. In 2009 to 2010, the company managed to hedge 90 percent of its fuel costs and saved  £460 million. Political factors These are mainly regulations, taxes, and other related political factors. In this case, Ryanair must abide by EU regulations on airline operation. For a long time, Ryanair CEO has engaged in high-profile wars with the EU and British Airport Authority (BAA). For instance, the CEO accused the EU commission of b ias towards low fare airlines.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The company noted that the EU Commission prevented its agents from booking low cost airlines. This is a case of regional regulations affecting activities of Ryanair. At the same time, the Commission’s fixed charges also discriminate low cost airlines (Ryanair 2012). According Ryanair, this is discrimination against low fare airlines. At the same time, BAA has also imposed charges that affect the company’s revenues. For instance, the UK government planned to raise passenger charges from  £10 to  £11. Social factors The CEO can control the company’s image and its relationship with customers. This is because such factors affect consumers’ emotions, attitudes, opinions and interests about Ryanair services. Some of these social factors have generated negative publicity for the company. These may include relations with disabled and overweight passengers. At the same time, passengers who prefer service-oriented flights may not find high quality services in R yanair. Brassington and Pettitt note that social factors are priority concern to marketers (Brassington and Pettitt 24; Solomon 39). Technological factors Ryanair is technologically evolving company. The company conducts its 99 percent of bookings through its Web site. Ryanair noticed convenience that online services provided to its customers and the company. Therefore, the company advertises its Web site in different media. Technological developments have transformed the way airlines conduct their management processes (Kotler, Wong, Saunders and Armstrong, 2005). Legal factors The company has some of the most expensive lawsuits in the industry. Consequently, its operation costs have increased. The company has faced charges from regulators, competitors, passengers, and it is also in poor relations with trade unionists, politicians, and people with disabilities. Environmental factors Environmental factors also influence activities of Ryanair. The company embarked on using modern airc rafts and maximised usages in order to reduce emissions. At the same time, Ryanair also claimed that its decision to eliminate free food, beverages, and newspapers had reduced waste products from the company fleets. Ryanair SWOT Analysis Strength Low fare strategy Environmental friendly fleets Ancillary revenues generation Web site booking Few flights cancellations Weaknesses Poor customer services Overreliance on CEO Negligence on security issues Opportunities Growing EU markets Provisions of ancillary services Expansion of marketing strategies Investing in environmental friendly flights Using hedge to save on fuel costs Threats Expensive lawsuits Competition from other low fare flights and large flight companies, alternative modes like train EU ban on low fare flights Different states regulations and charges Unproductive routes like Ireland Customer resistance to some revenue generation strategies Negative publicities Map and determine the organizational stakeh olders’ expectations power and influence Shareholders High Power hareholders of Ryanair have significant power and control over the future of the company strategies (Roloff 233). Shareholders expect returns from their investments. However, since the year 1996, the company had never declared or paid dividends on shares. The company believes in retaining earnings for future expansions, acquisition of new fleets, and expansion of current services (Svendsen 85). However, shareholders of the company expect their dividends after 2012. We can also see how shareholders influenced Ryanair’s strategic decision to takeover Aer Lingus. Employees The company’s management team and employees have been responsible for its current position. Ryanair believes that it pays its employees relatively well above the average of other airline companies. For instance, the company report of 2009 claimed that the staff cost was  £45,333 above other European airlines. Employees can also n egotiate for favourable pay with the company, but their power is low. However, Ryanair also expects its employees to deliver positive results. Lenders Lenders have high interest in the company because of business advantages. However, their power to control the company’s decisions is low. Government /Regulators These groups influence all the company’s policy, charges, and decisions among others through their regulatory and tax measures. The company cannot consider decisions that go against governments’ wishes. Thus, their interest and power in the company remain high. Customers In a world of fierce competition, Walker and Marr believe that customers are key stakeholders for success (Walker and Marr 13). The company is favourable among low fare airlines in European markets. Customers expect fair treat and quality services for charges they pay. Though Ryanair is a low fare airline, the company has formulated some of the most controversial methods of charging custom ers extra fees. Some of these methods are not popular among its passengers. Ryanair charges persons with disabilities who use wheelchairs onboard. This move has generated debate on how the company handles its disabled customers. At the same time, the company also targets overweight passengers with its ‘fat tax’ charges. However, the ‘fat tax’ led to wastage of time and the management eliminated it. Some of these ancillary services for extra revenues have generated negative publicity for the company. In fact, critics of the airline believe that passengers use it because it is a low fare airline available in most routes. Competitors and Suppliers Competitors and suppliers are also important elements of Ryanair. We can look at fierce competitions among airline companies of Europe. These companies have based their battles on prices. Ryanair uses different media to compare its prices with its competitors. In turn, competitors have accused it of misleading passen gers. Competition among these organisations is responsible for the growth of the airline industry in Europe particularly the growth of Ryanair. The relationship between Aer Lingus is also crucial as it affected profits of Ryanair. Aer Lingus is a fierce competitor of Ryanair. However, Ryanair has 25.2 percent stake in the company. The deteriorating fortunes of Aer Lingus meant losses to Ryanair shareholders in the year 2009. As a result, Ryanair CEO admitted investment in the company was a mistake. In this case, the company could have sold its shares before accruing further losses (Lock 67). Another relationship of significance is the interaction between Ryanair and its suppliers. Ryanair attempted to expand its fleets in 2009, and the company invited Boeing and Airbus. The invitation of Airbus was a strategy that the company wanted to apply in order to get a massive discount from Boeing. Airbus declined because the process would be expensive and time-consuming. On the other hand, t alks with Boeing collapsed. These cases show how Ryanair management use different strategies in order to keep costs as low as possible. Formulation of new strategic direction for the organization This was the largest airline carrier by passengers and market capitalisation in the year 2009. In fact, the airline and its management have won several awards. In addition, its low cost strategy proved recession proof in 2008. However, the company must address some concerns for future growth by balancing its strategic direction with revenue generation, legal issues, market dynamics, and industry relations among others (Kaplan and Norton 56). Home Business Ryanair should emphasise weekend travel and last-minute travel and provide the best packages for such travellers. The company can rely on such strategies for improving its customer base. However, home business strategy for Ryanair can lead to poor services as customers may increase beyond the company’s capacity. This strategy may al so affect perceptions of customers about the quality of services Ryanair offers. As a result, some customers may use alternative means like rail transport. Holiday packages Ryanair should introduce free seat campaigns for a given period of time, especially during winter seasons. The company should use this approach as sales strategy particularly in unpopular routes so as to increase the number of customers. The company should offer few seats in popular routes. The company should also inform its customers about tax charges with free seat campaigns. Such holiday packages should save customers on costs and improve experiences of their holiday. This shall enable Ryanair popularise itself among travellers and attract many travellers. Promotional strategies can only improve the number of customers who need free seats or discounted services. Thus, Ryanair must restrict such offers to a specific number of customers for its fleets. Frequent traveller loyalty programme Ryanair should introduc e loyalty programmes for its frequent travellers. The company can reward its frequent customers through free flights or reduced charges. Every travel should earn redeemable credits. The best method to capture such data is through the use of smart card. The company must also give specific periods for expiry of such credits. Loyalty schemes should not target blackout dates. Thus, customers can redeem their free flights at any time. However, loyalty programmes can severely affect the profit of the company (Pocket Mentor 12). Referral discounts The industry is still competitive (Bache and Freeman 3). Thus, Ryanair should work with local travel and accommodation companies so as to promote its flight. In turn, customers who also book through the Internet can also get discounted rates in hotels rooms and car hire among others. However, the company must apply policies such as nonrefundable and advance payment in order to discourage cancellations after booking (Madison 233). Referral discoun ts also shall affect the company’s profit margins. Baggage and Saving Ryanair should encourage its customers who have baggage to check while booking in order to avoid extra charges while boarding. Customers can check the option and determine the number of baggage they can carry in different flights. This means that customers can purchase the baggage depending on their travel requirements. This option should also give customers opportunities to save flight costs instead of incurring extra charges when boarding. Web Booking and Check-in Ryanair should continue exploiting Web booking, and it should also introduce Web check-in before with or without luggage before a given deadline for check-in expires. This should also allow customers to choose their ideal seats depending on availability. This is a method of improving customer service for Ryanair that has poor customer service. Conclusion Ryanair has used low cost strategy to increase its market share and reduce costs of operatio n. This model protected the company from recession of 2008 and increased its competitive advantages. As a result, its customers have cost advantages. However, Ryanair also has some charges that customers oppose. Ryanair has huge potential for growth as EU market is growing, and it has not fully utilised the low cost model. The company must also address challenges that threat its operation, increase costs, and reduce profit margins. Bache, Alan and Mike Freeman. Is Our Vision Any Good? Journal of Business Strategy, March-April (1999): 1-3. Print. Brassington, Frances and Stephen Pettitt. Essentials of Marketing. Essex: Pearson Education Limited, 2005. Print. HOggins, Eleanor. Ryanair: the low fares airline future destination? Dublin: University College Dublin, 2010. Print. Kaplan, Robert and David Norton. The Strategy-Focused Organization: How Balanced Scorecard Companies Thrive in the New Business Environment. Boston: Harvard Business Review Press, 2000. Print. Kotler, Philip, Ver onica Wong, Saunders John and Armstrong Gary. Principles of Marketing. 4th ed. Essex: Pearson Education Limited, 2005. Print. Lock, Dennis. Project Management. Hampshire: Gower Publishing Limited, 2007. Print. Madison, Dan. Process Mapping, Process Improvement, and Process Management. Chico, CA: Paton Professional , 2011. Print. McConnell, Campbell, Brue Stanley and Barbiero Thomas. Microeconomics: Canadian Edition. 9th ed. Toronto: McGraw-Hill/Ryerson, 2002. Print. Pocket Mentor. Improving Business Processes. Boston: Harvard Business Review Press, 2010. Print. Roloff, Julia. Learning from Multi-Stakeholder Networks: Issue-Focussed Stakeholder Management. Journal of Business Ethics 82.1 (2008): 233-250. Print. Ryanair. Ryanair condemns EU Commission bias against low fare airlines. 2012. Web. Solomon, Michael. Consumer Behavior. New Jersey: Prentice Hall Europe, 2006. Print. Svendsen, Ann. The Stakeholder Strategy: Profiting from Collaborative Business Relationships. San Francisco: B errett-Koehler Publishers, 1998. Print. Walker, Steven and Jeffrey Marr. Stakeholder Power: A Winning Plan For Building Stakeholder Commitment And Driving Corporate Growth. New York: Basic Books, 2001. Print.

Historical Developments in Nursing essays

Historical Developments in Nursing essays Nursing research and nursing research utilization-A historical overview Nursing began as a relatively undefined profession. A nurse was once a doctors helper at best, or even a mere tender of children in some uses of the world, like the nursemaid who was the nanny of a Victorian home. As the demands of modern warfare and the institutionalization of the 19th century hospital environment began to place additional demands upon the medical profession, more and more women sought to become nurses as a calling, not merely as a way of making money in one of the few suitably feminine occupations open to women. Over the course of the 20th and now the 21st century, nursing has become a more scientifically respected profession, and the unique ability of nurses to be both caring as well as psychologically and scientifically astute observers of a patients condition has made nursing a respected profession, and allowed nurses to make a vital contribution to modern healthcare. First Key Event: Nursing Becomes a Profession When Florence Nightingale informed her parents that she wanted to become a nurse, her parents were totally opposed to the idea as nursing was associated with working class women (Florence Nightingale, 2004, Cybernurse). Nightingale persevered and sought training. Towards the end of her education, in March of 1853, the Crimean War broke out. Soon after British soldiers arrived in Turkey, nearly 8,000 Englishmen were suffering from malaria, dysentery, or cholera. Nightingale volunteered to take a group of thirty-eight nurses to help her countrymen. The military hospitals left the soldiers in unwashed, filthy uniforms, and were breeding grounds of disease. During these early formative experiences Nightingale began to create what later she later called canons of nursing, as described in her works Notes on Hospital (1859) and Notes on Nursing (1859). These canons detailed the prop...

Insects and Other Arthropods That Make Galls

Insects and Other Arthropods That Make Galls Have you ever noticed unusual lumps, spheres, or masses on trees or other plants? These strange formations are called galls. Galls come in many sizes and shapes. Some galls look and feel like pompoms, while others are hard as rocks. Galls may occur on every part of plants, from the leaves to the roots. What Are Galls? Galls are abnormal growths of plant tissue trigger in response to an injury to or an irritation of the plant, usually (but not always) caused by some living organism. Nematodes, bacteria, fungi, and viruses can all cause the formation of galls on trees, shrubs, and other plants. Most galls, however, result from insect or mite activity. Gallmaking insects or mites initiate gall formation by feeding on a plant, or by laying eggs on plant tissues. The insects or mites interact with the plant during a period of rapid growth, such as when leaves are opening. Scientists believe that gallmakers secrete chemicals that regulate or stimulate plant growth. These secretions cause rapid cell multiplication in the affected area of the meristematic tissue. Galls can only form on growing tissue. Most gallmaking activity occurs in the spring or early summer. Galls serve several important purposes for the gallmaker. The developing insect or mite resides within the gall, where it is sheltered from the weather and from predators. The young insect or mite also feeds on the gall. Eventually, the mature insect or mite emerges from the gall. After the gallmaking insect or mite leaves, the gall remains behind on the host plant. Other insects, such as beetles or caterpillars, may move into the gall for shelter or to feed. Which Insects Make Galls? Insects that make galls include certain kinds of wasps, beetles, aphids, and flies. Other arthropods, like mites, can cause gall formations, too. Each gallmaker produces its own unique gall, and you can often tell which kind of insect made the gall by its shape, texture, size, and host plant. Psyllids  -  Some jumping plant lice, or psyllids, produce galls. If you find galls on hackberry leaves, theres a good chance it was caused by a psyllid. They feed in spring, triggering the formation of two well-known leaf galls: hackberry nipple galls, and hackberry blister galls.Gallmaking aphids  -  Aphids  belonging to the subfamily Eriosomatinae cause gall formations on the stems and petioles of certain trees, most notably cottonwood and poplar. Aphid galls vary in shape, from a cockscomb-shaped growth on elm leaves to a cone-shaped gall that forms on witch hazel.Gallmaking adelgids  -  Gallmaking adelgids target conifers, for the most part. One common species,  Adelges abietis, causes pineapple-shaped galls on Norway and white spruce twigs, as well as on Douglas fir. Another, the Cooley spruce gall adelgid, makes galls that look like cones on Colorado blue spruce and white spruce.Phylloxerans  -  Phylloxerans (family Phylloxeridae), though tiny, do their sha re of gallmaking, too. The most notorious of the group is the grape phylloxera, which produces galls on both the roots and leaves of grape plants. In 1860, this North American insect was accidentally introduced into France, where it nearly destroyed the wine industry. French vineyards had to graft their grape vines onto phylloxera-resistant rootstock from the U.S. to save their industry. Gall wasps  -  Gall wasps, or cynipid wasps, comprise the largest group of gallmaking insects, with over 1,000 species known globally. Cynipid wasps produce most of the galls on oak trees and plants within the rose family. Some gall wasps oviposit in galls created by other species, rather than induce the growth of their own. Cynipid wasps sometimes develop within galls that have fallen from the host plant.  Jumping oak galls  are so named because they roll and bounce around the forest floor as the larva inside moves.Gall midges  -  Gall midges or gall gnats make up the second largest group of gallmaking insects. These true flies belong to the family Cecidomyiidae, and are quite tiny, measuring 1-5 mm in length. The maggots, which develop within the gall, come in strangely bright colors like orange and pink. Midge galls form on various parts of plants, from the leaves to the roots. Common galls formed by gall midges include the pinecone willow gall and the maple leaf spot. Gall flies  -  Some genera of fruit flies produce stem galls.  Eurosta  gall flies develop and overwinter within goldenrod galls. Some  Urophora  gall flies were introduced into North America from their native Europe, as biocontrols for invasive plants like knapweed and bull thistle. Gallmaking sawflies  -  Sawflies produce some unusual galls, most commonly on willows and poplars. The leaf galls induced by  Phyllocolpa  sawflies look like someone crimped or folded the leaves. The sawfly larva feeds within the crinkled leaf.  Pontania  sawflies produce strange, globular galls that protrude through both sides of a willow leaf. Some  Euura  sawflies cause petiole swelling in willows.Gallmaking moths  -  A few moths make galls, too. Some micromoths in the genus  Gnorimoschema  induce stem galls in goldenrod, where the larvae pupate. The midrib gall moth produces an odd leaf formation in buckthorn. The center of the leaf is rolled tight, with the sides joining to form a pouch in which the larva resides.Beetles and weevils  -  A handful of metallic wood-boring beetles (Buprestridae) are known to produce galls in their host plants.  Agrilus ruficollis  induces galls in blackberries.  Ruficollis  translates to redneck, a specific name that refers to this insects red  pronotum. Another species,  Agrilus champlaini, creates galls in Ironwood. Long-horned beetles of the genus  Saperda  also produce galls, in stems and twigs of alder, hawthorn, and poplar. A few weevils also cause swellings in their host plants tissues.  Podapion gallicola, for example, causes galls in pine twigs. Gall mites  -  Gall mites of the family Eriophyidae produce unusual galls on leaves and flowers. The mites begin feeding on their host plants just as buds are opening in the spring. Eriophyid galls may form as finger-like projections or warty bumps on leaves. Some gall mites produce a velvety discoloration of the leaves. Will Galls Damage My Plants? Insect enthusiasts and naturalists probably find insect galls interesting or even beautiful. Gardeners and landscapers, though, may be less enthused to discover insect galls on trees and shrubs and may be concerned about insect gall damage. Fortunately, with few exceptions, insects galls do not damage trees and shrubs. While they may look unsightly, particularly on specimen trees, most healthy, well-established trees and shrubs will be unaffected by galls in the long run. Heavy gall formations may slow growth. Because the negative impact of galls on plants is largely aesthetic, control measures for galls or  gallmaking insects  are rarely warranted. Leaf galls will fall off, either with the leaves themselves or from the leaves once the insect or mite has emerged. Galls on twigs and branches can be pruned out. A gall that has already formed cannot be treated or sprayed to eliminate it. The gall is part of the plant itself. Gallmaking insects, it should be noted, will attract their own biological controls in the form of  parasitoids  and predators. If your landscape is riddled with galls this year, give it time. Nature will restore the balance in your ecosystem.

Op-ed paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Op-ed paper - Essay Example Thank you for considering my opinion article. Respectfully yours, Beyond the Pink Slip With pink slips comes the slipping away of our educational system as well. This country boasts of technological breakthroughs and researches in the field of genetic engineering, space exploration and in almost every field of science. Our country have led the world into new inventions and incomparable advancement, never been seen in human history. Thanks to the persevering grade school teachers to university professors who have guided scientist, physicist, economist, military tactician, and artist that have steered this country’s prowess in the economic politico-military and socio cultural life of the world. This is what America owes to its excellent educational system. Teachers are at the heart of our country’s excellent educational system. But where are we pushing our teachers now? Where are we pushing our whole educational system? At the moment, the recent distribution of nearly 3,0 00 pink slips in Bay Area alone is generating a great stress not just to public school teachers, but to the whole academic community. Along with looming joblessness comes the lost of morale and deep anxiety for the teachers which eventually will lead them to poor teaching performance,(unconsciously). Students, on the other hand are left disillusioned on the importance of education, amidst on the situation of their teacher’s job instability. Are we to blame the teachers? Teaching remains one of the noblest professions around the world. I believe every teacher has a sincere and purest desire to impart knowledge and skills to every learner. Behind every doctor, engineer, or even the president of this nation is a persevering teacher, who had painstakingly taught the first stroke of writing and the sound of each letter in an alphabet. The job insecurity hounding their way it’s like executing the soul and pillar of our educational system. Pink slip snatches away the noblenes s of teaching profession. It strips off our teachers of their self worth and sense of dignity. In the long run, it will be stripping off our society with talented and devoted individuals who are committed to passing on knowledge to current and generations to come. Pink slip is not just a pink slip. It’s a manifestation of a declining state budget to education. At a glance, budget cut is equivalent only to massive lay off of public school teachers along with other non teaching staffs. But at the end of the day, who really suffers at the impeding new round of budget cut to education? Parents have to brace themselves for additional expenses in sending their children to school. Students have to contend with overcrowded classrooms .Teachers that luckily did not received pink slips this year are left anxious on who’s next on the pink slip list in the coming school year. Unconsciously, this vicious cycle has pitted teachers against one another in the race called survival of t he fittest which can become very stressful. Moreover, teachers are burdened with more workload and cheap salary. Pink slips reflect the current values of our state. They can afford to send bombs to Libya and Iraq through the UN Security Council. There is budget in so called â€Å"peacekeeping† measures and â€Å"national security†. There is budget for war while we have budget cut for education. Are we not in effect? Actually not securing our society with the declining

Education in America Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Education in America - Personal Statement Example Moreover, they do no hold enough strong financial background to support my education. Therefore, I am facing two problems at a time, my family resistance not to study more across the border as it is not in our family traditions and financial background. The only support that I have is my father who loves to see me as a high educated girl. These problems are affecting my studies as I can't give my full coverage over my studies. Not only I have to support my education but also I have to realize my family member that how important is my studies in this era. To finance my studies I am trying to earn through job that is consuming much of my time, more often I also face cultural problem at my work place. As I is Chinese born and my culture, language and traces are completely different from Americans. Though, this is a secondary problem but still this problem is also contributing in my tensions. But now as time passes, my father has contributed a lot in supporting my education, not only thi s he also realized my family that I ma on the right path. As time passes, my family when seek positive enhancements and augmentations in my personality, and when they see people respecting me as I am highly educated, they are no more criticizing my education and my stay in USA. Moreover, as I pass different levels of my education I get better jobs that support my education in better way. Though different problem aris... This cultural difference becomes a great hurdle in my social life. This enables me to restrict within a small social group who also belong to Chinese culture. But still face problem in finding such friends and groups who have Chinese culture and this pressurize me to get involve in this new culture so that life in the future become easy. Though, I accept this culture because I was compel to accept this to make the life easier in future but still I accept those things from this culture which my tradition can allow. Later on with time, when the American culture fully exposed to me, I do not accept the culture fully as I know that I have to return to my country after completing my job. But to make the journey of my education in America easy, I accept the culture of America and try with time to accept different things and this directly affect my socialization. The more I become social, the more I interact people, the more I learn from them. I have joined a student campaign that helps the other students who arrived from different culture, this campaign or organization actually help such students in their initial stages. Leading such campaign was not a problem for me as I already face all such problems and know that how I have to handle them. Therefore, I have introduces different small programs within the campaign that directly help those who are new to USA and arrived for their further studies. My leadership qualities remain my strength as I know that how I have to agree and realized my co-follows for such programs. When you know that you are on the right path and you are right in your rights than this actually enhances your leadership character because when you are internally strong than you not only lead yourself but you

A Catholic Cardinal and the One God of All Assignment

A Catholic Cardinal and the One God of All - Assignment Example The second parallel is difference in opinion regarding suitable approach to the attacks. In both cases, war and dialogue were proposed following the attacks (Volf 40- 44). The positions are very different, to the point that they conflict. Appropriate response to the Constantinople attack is the real difference. Pope Pius II’s letter advocated for violence and was based on the belief that Christians are ready for war while Nicholas’ letter supported dialogue (Volf 40). The statement means that it is impossible count the trinity because God is incomprehensible. An attempt to comprehend God, through counting the Trinity only leads to deviation from the truth that is a mystery (Volf 40). Nicholas of Cusa expected to achieve religious unity in which both Muslims and Christians would worship one and true God. This is because of his belief that the interreligious violence was a result of differences in faith and that dialogue into forging a single faith would attain the unity and prevent further violence (Volf 46,

Future Crime Scenario Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Future Crime Scenario - Essay Example These issues affect all of us in one way or another. Genetic engineering is a public health issue as well as a criminal justice issue. It is a religious issue as well as an ethical issue. This essay will discuss whether there are victims of this type of crime, advocate a technology screening procedure for innovations of this sort, and suggest a few strategies to allow society a breathing time to evaluate these types of innovations prior to implementation. Victims: A Speculative Consideration The identification of victims in this scenario is complicated. It is complicated because people approach the issue from different points of view. As a preliminary matter, there are certainly potential victims. Whether these potential victims will ever become actual victims is unknown. These potential victims can be broken down into the following categories: (1) the organism itself, (2) animals subjected to testing, (3)humans subjected to testing, (4) the environment, and (5) the human being receiving the transplant. Initially, there is debate as to whether the organism created is entitled to the status of a human being. Is the organism, in short, a victim To the extant that the organism is engineered for a very specific purpose, human organ growth, attempts to characterize the organism as a victim are not persuasive. Animals subjected to testing are clearly victims. They suffer physical and emotional pain. That said, animal suffering can be minimized through a careful technology screening process. Human test is a different situation. To that degree that human beings volunteer for testing they are not really victims. This assumes, however, that they are well-informed of all possible risks at the outset and not suffering from any duress which might affect... This essay declares that genetic engineering is a field that excites many passions. To be sure, it also instills many fears. One of the doctor’s main objectives in this scenario is to genetically create and improve an organism for use in human organ growth and transplant. On a superficial level, this sounds reasonable. The potential benefits of human organ growth and transplant are substantial and, potentially, far-reaching. It has been noted that â€Å"the human diseases treatable by transplantation are diverse†. This paper stresses that the identification of victims in this scenario is complicated. It is complicated because people approach the issue from different points of view. As a preliminary matter, there are certainly potential victims. Whether these potential victims will ever become actual victims is unknown. To the extant that the organism is engineered for a very specific purpose, human organ growth, attempts to characterize the organism as a victim are not persuasive. Animals subjected to testing are clearly victims. They suffer physical and emotional pain. That said, animal suffering can be minimized through a careful technology screening process. Human test is a different situation. To that degree that human beings volunteer for testing they are not really victims. The most complicated issue is the effects of these genetically created organisms on the environment.

Racial Profiling Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Racial Profiling - Essay Example More recently the word racial profiling has been attached to that activity. The thought is to single out blacks and other racial groups in a hope of preventing crime. It later became an accepted practice and racial profiling was actually invested in by some police agencies. It did not become a cause for alarm until around 2002 when the first legal suits were perused by those who felt they had been discriminated against. This led to the need to take a second look at the practice. With all of the legal action that was taking place came the outrage of citizens who believed that minorities were being treated badly by police. This led to police keeping track of the race of people that they pulled over. Study of that data showed that truly there was a problem. Further study by others followed, including the study done by George Higgins and team (2009) on the influence of race in traffic stops. "By the time police Sgt. Robert Motyka responds to the disturbance call at a local hospital emergency room, the man at the reception counter is clearly agitated. His speech is unintelligible. He becomes frantic as the officer slowly approaches, urging him to calm down. In a blur of flailing arms, the man reaches for something in his back pocket. Motyka has no time to consider the possible consequences of one of the most potentially combustible scenarios in America: a confrontation between a black man and a white officer. When the man pulls a knife and lunges forward, Motyka drops him with four quick pops from his 9mm Beretta. But there will be no public second-guessing of the 13 year veteran's actions. In this case, Motyka was reacting to a large-screen video simulation."(Johnson, 2009). This department has a shooting range realistic demo that allows decision making to take place in a few seconds just like on the street. What can be done to improve the racial profiling that is built into police business today This is a possible partial solution. The rest is cultural training that needs to take place in the departments. People somehow feel more threatened when a couple of black students are standing on a corner than white students. Is the dress or is it lack of cultural understanding. Fear comes from lack of understanding and fear leads to wrong decision. Conclusion In conclusion, racial profiling is unfortunately a part of our culture, not just that of the police department. To overcome it, we must overcome our lack of understanding of the other culture. This is happening at some level although it still has a long way to go. In the meantime, like the simulations above practice at a better response is important. Is there ever a time when racial profiling is ok. This writer says probably not, while you are watching the black guy in the car, the white guy will shoot you. When it comes to doing police work all suspects deserve suspicion. References Higgins, G., Gabbidon, S., Gennary, V., Exploring the influence of race relations And public safety concerns on public support for racial profiling during traffic stops. Journal of Police Science and Management. Vol. 12. 1 Johnson, Kevin (2009). In a switch, police invite scrutiny of racial profiling USA Today. Retrieved

Future Crime Scenario Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Future Crime Scenario - Essay Example These issues affect all of us in one way or another. Genetic engineering is a public health issue as well as a criminal justice issue. It is a religious issue as well as an ethical issue. This essay will discuss whether there are victims of this type of crime, advocate a technology screening procedure for innovations of this sort, and suggest a few strategies to allow society a breathing time to evaluate these types of innovations prior to implementation. Victims: A Speculative Consideration The identification of victims in this scenario is complicated. It is complicated because people approach the issue from different points of view. As a preliminary matter, there are certainly potential victims. Whether these potential victims will ever become actual victims is unknown. These potential victims can be broken down into the following categories: (1) the organism itself, (2) animals subjected to testing, (3)humans subjected to testing, (4) the environment, and (5) the human being receiving the transplant. Initially, there is debate as to whether the organism created is entitled to the status of a human being. Is the organism, in short, a victim To the extant that the organism is engineered for a very specific purpose, human organ growth, attempts to characterize the organism as a victim are not persuasive. Animals subjected to testing are clearly victims. They suffer physical and emotional pain. That said, animal suffering can be minimized through a careful technology screening process. Human test is a different situation. To that degree that human beings volunteer for testing they are not really victims. This assumes, however, that they are well-informed of all possible risks at the outset and not suffering from any duress which might affect... This essay declares that genetic engineering is a field that excites many passions. To be sure, it also instills many fears. One of the doctor’s main objectives in this scenario is to genetically create and improve an organism for use in human organ growth and transplant. On a superficial level, this sounds reasonable. The potential benefits of human organ growth and transplant are substantial and, potentially, far-reaching. It has been noted that â€Å"the human diseases treatable by transplantation are diverse†. This paper stresses that the identification of victims in this scenario is complicated. It is complicated because people approach the issue from different points of view. As a preliminary matter, there are certainly potential victims. Whether these potential victims will ever become actual victims is unknown. To the extant that the organism is engineered for a very specific purpose, human organ growth, attempts to characterize the organism as a victim are not persuasive. Animals subjected to testing are clearly victims. They suffer physical and emotional pain. That said, animal suffering can be minimized through a careful technology screening process. Human test is a different situation. To that degree that human beings volunteer for testing they are not really victims. The most complicated issue is the effects of these genetically created organisms on the environment.

Phonetics Lesson Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Phonetics Lesson - Essay Example Phonics lessons generate the best results for enhancing language. This paper will focus on one aspect of phonetics, Articulatory Phonetics, and create a lesson plan for English Language Learners (ELLs) with regards to this aspect. In learning articulation, phoneticians elucidate how people produce speech sounds through the interaction of diverse physiological structures (Bickford, 2006). Normally, articulatory phonetics is related to the conversion of aerodynamic energy into audio energy. Aerodynamic energy is the air that flows in the vocal tract. Aerodynamic energy’s potential structure is air pressure. Its kinetic structure, on the other hand, is the actual active airflow. Acoustic energy refers to the variation in the air pressure, which can be characterized as sound waves that are then professed by the human acoustic system as sound (Robertson, 2009). The key focus of this article is to offer educators a practical way to assist English Language Learners (ELLs) make little progress in literacy, especially ELLs who experience complexity in being aware of and differentiating the sounds in words (Robertson, 2009). This focus-grade of this paper will be students of the lower grades that are first to fifth grade. English language learners in these grades will benefit from improved exposure to language and print material. A print-rich classroom should include access to reference materials and books, labels and posters, and student works put on notice boards (Robertson, 2009). Speech walls are also a significant way educators could use to assist ELLs develop the phonetics skills. The speech walls should be organized around a variety of concepts, comprising of the alphabet and phonetic sounds, sight words, new vocabulary words, grammar rules, writing structures and conversational phrases (Bickford, 2006). A student's native language will also most probably have a strong effect on the manner, which the student learns English. Considering how this language is comparable to or diverse from English will assist educators to center on difficult areas in the lessons. This control can offer extra assistance, such as the case of Spanish and English cognates (educacion and education). The influence also might lead to some enduring faults in English that will become clear with time and frequent use by learners who have a similar native language. Languages might be different in a number of ways, such as pronunciation, phonetic sounds, word order, sentence structure or grammar (Robertson, 2009). For instance, in Spanish, the adjective frequently follows the noun, therefore an ELL might write, "We are a couple happy." In Somali, b and p have the same or similar sound. Somali students, therefore, need to be trained on these sounds clearly as two separate sounds. If not, they might ask for a tin of pop and it appears like they have asked for "bob." Native language might also influence learners’ vocabulary as they interpret phrases or words from one foreign language to another. Maybe a vocabulary word has numerous meanings, a diverse meaning in every language, or the idea is not present in one of the languages (Bickford, 2006). Even though, many educators do not know their learner's native language, being conscious of the effect of native language will allow educators to target their instruction successfully. A phonetics class that has ELLs should incorporate models of how to use structures, sounds, and language appropriately in English (Bickford, 2006).

Skinner and his Contributions to Psychology Essay Example for Free

Skinner and his Contributions to Psychology Essay Burrhus Fredric Skinner is an American psychologist and behaviorist. He has made many contributions to psychology and most are still used today. They are used to treat some phobias and addictive behaviors in humans. He also thought of radical behaviorism which is his own philosophy of science. Skinner believes that the best way to understand behavior is to look at the causes of an action and its consequences. He believes that behaviors are depending on what happens after the response this is what Skinner calls Operant conditioning. Skinner invented the Operant conditioning chamber which is known as the Skinner box. The Skinner box was invented to study animals such as rats. This box contained a lever and food or water which they will receive as a reward if they press the lever. Skinner also used the box to study superstitious behaviors by the response of animals. Burrhus Fredric Skinner also had ideas on reinforcement. Skinner had ideas that positive reinforcement provides a consequent that is rewarding. It can modify behavior longer then punishment because it is rewarding. Negative reinforcement strengthens behavior because it stops or removes an unpleasant experience. Punishment is the opposite of reinforcement because it weakens or eliminates the response. Punishment can work by directly applying an unpleasant stimulus or removing a rewarding stimulus. His contributions to psychology have made an impact on the world. His theories on positive and negative reinforcement as well as punishment are used in schools, workplaces and many other aspects of life itself. Unlike any other psychologist Burrhus Fredric Skinner had his own way of thinking. Reference http://www.simplypsychology.org/operant-conditioning.html http://www.nndb.com/people/297/000022231/ Understanding Psychology, Ninth Edition, by Charles G. Morris and Albert A. Maisto. Published by Prentice Hall. Copyright  © 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc.

Solving Problems And Making Decisions

Solving Problems And Making Decisions SitesPower is a training institute specialized in providing Technical courses in IT and courses in Business Management fields. It is based in Dubai and with a branch in Sharjah. It has been approved by the UAE Ministry of Education and it is an approved and accredited institute from awarding bodies like ILM, Autodesk, and Microsoft etc. whose courses and trainings are delivered in the institute. As a trainer in SitesPower, I provide training courses in ICDL, Microsoft Office Applications (2007-2010), and a wide range of certified courses in Business Management to deliver specific skills that students need. Also, I accomplish a lot of tasks assigned to me by my manager, and that requires a lot of time, effort and preparation to complete those tasks on time. Trainers face many problems in training programs, but some of these problems are frequent and sometimes worrying, such as: problems of students failing in the ICDL Exams, and delay in receiving the certificate due to students repeating the course or not being able to complete the course. Before talking about this issue, I will explain through the following chart: the administrative and organizational structure of the training centre SitesPower Sharjah branch in which I work there Present situation (Analysis of the problem) The International Computer Driving License Course (ICDL) is the most important certificate for a large number of employees or job seekers, particularly in government jobs in the United Arab Emirates. For this reason, the demand for this certificate has increased over many years and has become a key requirement for employment in many companies. Because of its importance, the candidates enrol in our training centre programs and attend ICDL classes for the preparation for ICDL Exams so as not to be an obstacle to access to jobs or losing their current jobs. The main problem that we face with these courses is the failure of some students in the ICDL exams, and therefore they will not get the certificate or causing a delay to obtain the certificate due to repetition of the course or the exam, which leads to a major embarrassment and might lose job opportunities. First of all, I will explain the components of the ICDL sessions, rules and how to obtain the certificate in order to understand the causes of students failure in the exams. ICDL Course consists of the following Modules: IT (Information Technology) Using Computer and Managing Files (Operating System) Word Processor (Microsoft Word) Spread Sheets (Microsoft Excel) Database (Microsoft Access) Presentations (Microsoft PowerPoint) Web browsing and Communication (Internet Explorer Outlook Express) This course duration is seven weeks, i.e. average of 9 hours for each module. The candidate must pass the exam assessments for each module to obtain the certificate. Exams are provided on the web through a software program, and its files contains exercises shown on a computer screen and questions bar shown on the screen with a time calculator to calculate the time required to complete the test. The Exam timing prescribed for each subject is 45 minutes. Questions are categorized into groups according to the exam module, but the numbers of questions for each module are 36 questions. The Candidate should answer these questions within 45 minutes and has to get the rate of 75% or more to pass in the exam. Based on the above, the main problem I encounter during teaching and training students for the exam is some repetition in these certification exams and this will affect negatively on the students and also on the training centre and its employees. There are many reasons that I will clarify them later, some of these reasons are: Inefficient trainee using the computer Inability to concentrate during the lecture and thus no interaction with the instructor. Lack of opportunity to review the material and training tests on these exams. The student may not be able to answer all questions within the time allocated for the exam. Student may face a problem in understanding the wording of the question. There are reasons linked to the technical aspects of the ICDL Exams online, hardware and software used may affect the result of the exam and cause the failure of the student. We can classify the above mentioned problems into two categories: First: Expected problems Problems associated with weak efficiency trainee in using the computer, Exam system, and inability of the trainee to answer all questions within the limited time. These problems occur continuously, and we face them in every training session including: Number of students enrolled in the training course. Difference in the level of competencies and comprehension of the trainees in using the computer. Second: Unexpected problems The technical problems associated with the exam system, the computer used by the trainee during the exam or software used by trainee to answer questions. These problems occur few and only appear during the exam, but may cause either postpone the exam or failure of the trainee and thus give him a chance to repeat the exam again. The problems that I mentioned earlier, both expected and unexpected adversely affect everyone. First of all The candidate will be affected by these problems due to the failure and delay in receiving the certificate, which means losing job opportunities or may lead to termination of employment. Other candidates will also be affected by these problems because of their fear from making the same mistakes and problems that have occurred with their colleagues and thus will affect their self-confidence and possibly lead to failure as well. Secondly these problems might also affect the training centre, as it may lead to bad reputation of the training centre as it was unable to address the problems of the trainees and its inability to help the candidate solve these problems and ensure their success in the exam. Thirdly These problems will also affect the trainer in taking part of the responsibility for the failure of the trainee. One of the most important goals that I am trying to achieve through solving these problems mentioned above and in cooperation with the management is to help the trainees to achieve their objective to be certified by developing their computer skills to ensure getting that certificate. Through achieving the objective of the trainees, training centre will achieve its goal and gain a special position among the other accredited training centres in the region. The failure to take any actions to address these problems that I have mentioned above and solve them, will lead to increase the gap between the trainees and the training centre and unable to achieve the training centres goals and the trainees objectives. Investigation and identification of possible solutions to the problem When I started my job at the centre in 2006, as a trainer, I was assigned to give ICDL courses and train candidates on the ICDL practice exams. A lot of candidates joined our training centre programs at that time to get the ICDL certificate. Some of them faced many problems in the exams and failed to get the certificate. During that time, I didnt realize the reasons of those candidates who were failing in the exams. Gathering the information After a few months, the management asked me to start monitoring ICDL exams due to lack of exams testers. But I had to be qualified first in order to be authorized as a tester to monitor these exams. Therefore, I took a training course in the ICDL office in Dubai Internet City on how to monitor and solve problems that might occur during the exams. After taking this course, I had started to understand and analyse the reasons for why candidates were failing in these exams and also to know the nature of ICDL questions. And analyse historical records of exams and result reports. After knowing this, I decided to help candidates to overcome all problems of the exams plus for being an exam tester. In Summary, I gathered the information about the problem from the following sources: My evaluation of the candidates skills during the lectures. Monitoring the Exams Reports of the Exams Evaluation of Possible Solutions Fishbone is a way of analysing problems Super Series from ILM Based on the information gathered above, I have decided to use the Fishbone Tool to analyse this issue by identifying the main reasons and the subsets as shown in the diagram below: Problems in the Network system Difficult terms set out in some exam questions Lack of maintenance of devices before the exam by computer technicians Errors in the booking of exams for candidates Problems in the live exam system Problems in the hardware and software in the users computer The difference between the candidates in their skills The number of candidates in the ICDL course no interaction with the instructor during the lecture No preparation prior to exam Lack of practicing on mock exams Lack of computer skills Causes of student failure in ICDL Exams Candidates ICDL Course Equipment Employees Live Exam System By using the Fishbone analysis tool, I managed to collect all the reasons that might cause the students failure in the exams. After that, I conducted a survey among the candidates in a scale of impact and importance from (1-5), where (No.1 is very weak) and (No. 5 very strong): Identify the areas of improvement that can enrich the overall performance of the candidate in the exam. To know the level of impact on the students failure in the exams No. The Reason of student failure in the ICDL Exams 1 2 3 4 5 1 Weakness in skills, and incompetence and inability to use computer by trainee 31.58% 10.53% 21.05% 15.79% 21.05% 2 No enough time allocated for training on the practice exams at home or at office 15.79% 10.53% 15.79% 31.58% 26.32% 3 Less time of training on the sample exams in the classroom 47.37% 10.53% 36.84% 5.263% 4 The inability to interact with the instructor and the inability to understand his explanation of the modules 31.58% 31.58% 15.79% 21.05% 5 Uncertainty, and lack of understanding of examination program and not knowing how to use it during the exam by the student 26.32% 26.32% 31.58% 5.263% 10.53% 6 Lack of understanding of exam question because of the difficulty of the terms used in the exam 26.32% 21.05% 21.05% 21.05% 10.53% 7 Exam time is not enough 36.84% 15.79% 31.58% 5.263% 10.53% 8 Technical problems associated with the exam software 21.05% 15.79% 31.58% 26.32% 5.263% 9 Technical problems related with the computer user in the exam or technical problem in its software. 36.84% 26.32% 21.05% 10.53% 5.263% 10 Lack of the trainer experience and skills 89.47% 10.53% 11 ICDL Books and materials 47.37% 21.05% 5.263% 10.53% 15.79% Depend on the result shown in the table above I discovered that the most important reasons of student failure in the ICDL Exams were: Weakness in skills, and incompetence and inability to use computer by trainee No enough time allocated for training on the practice exams at home or at office Technical problems associated with the exam software Lack of understanding of exam question because of the difficulty of the terms used in the exam Recommended implementation plan to solve problem According to the results mentioned above, I have recommended to management the idea of taking the advantages of some features that we got form ICDL office, like booking for candidates ICDL exams at convenient and also provide them with practice exam cards. In addition, I have determined some other actions that would help solving these problems. These actions consist of the following points: Determine the number of candidates in each session with maximum number of 12 candidates. Increase the number of scheduled hours for each subject if necessary, and making more practices in the class. Provide each student with practice exam cards with 20 hours training to conduct the necessary training before the exam either in their offices, homes or even in the training centre. Explain the exam system for students at the beginning of each session, providing them with important advices and guidelines to ensure their success in the exam. Aware candidates of the importance of the exam timing, and the importance of answering the questions quickly. Getting help from the computer technician during candidate taking the ICDL exams, to resolve any technical problem that appears during the test. Update the computers and replacing the old one with new one. Making a routine and regular check on the computers, and especially before the ICDL exams. Print the result report of the student after taking the exam when necessary, in order to study the wrong answers with the student to avoid these mistakes next time. After applying these recommendations, and monitored its effectiveness and impact, we managed to: Increase the success rate of the ICDL exams. Reduce the percentage of the problems appearing in these exams to the minimum. Improve the performance of the candidates using of computers. Raise self-confidence of trainees in the exams. Following table show the different between ICDL Results through three years 2011 2012 -2013 2011 2012 2013 (January) Pass 42.85714% 70.58824% 71.42857% Fail 57.142857% 29.411765% 28.571429%

Merchant of Venice - Portia Outwits Shylock in Act IV Scene I :: Free Merchant of Venice Essays

Merchant of Venice - Portia Outwits Shylock in Act IV Scene I "Portia: Have by some surgeon, Shylock, on your charge To stop his wound, lest he do bleed to death. Shylock: Is it nominated in the bond?" Act 4 Scene 1 lines 255-257 This is the time that Portia traps Shylock into a corner and saves the life of Antonio at the same instance. Portia builds up her defences as Shylock lets his down as he believes that he is going to gain his pound of flesh from Antonio's breast nearest the heart. As soon as Portia enters the court room she applies herself to try to cunningly outwit Shylock. When she initially enters the court room she performs the relevant actions performed in the court and automatically turns to interact with Shylock. She highlights that the course of action and the hearing is that of an odd one but she also begins to gain Shylocks trust by stating that "Portia. . . the Venetian law Cannot impugn you as you do proceed." Act 4 Scene 1 lines 176-177 This is the beginning of her already constructed action plan to bring Shylock down and to also remove as much of his cruel ways from him. As Portia weaves her way into Shylock's trust she, at many points, reassures herself that the proceedings are going as she wants them to be. She asks Shylock on line 181 if he wishes to show mercy to Antonio, but he avidly says that he will show no compassion. Portia then goes onto speak about why Shylock could show mercy and for what reason but with0out pressuring him into this act. He declines the offer. He states that he "Shylock: . . . I crave the law The penalty and the forfeit of my bond." Act 4 Scene 1 lines 204-205 Portia takes this into account and also makes sure that the clerk that should be writing the proceedings is recording the current events. This gives Portia a fall back and also allows her to later reinforce her point that the Jew showed no consideration for the victim and also that he expresses his want for his bond and forfeiture many times over.

Ethical Use of Assessment Essay

Abstract In this report Julia has selected an assessment instrument that will be used in the mental health counseling field area of professional practice, the Beck Depression Inventory-II. Reviews of the assessment will be read to ensure that the assessment measures what it purports to measure and that the article reviews will also establish an appropriate use of that tool. Julia has also analyzed the theoretical basis of the article choice for the chosen assessment tool. In addition, Julia will compare who the test developers or publishers and independent reviewers to discuss the applicability of the assessment tool to diverse populations. Julia will provide information cited by the publisher where applicable. Along with this information, Julia will discuss how the comparison of the BDI-II to other assessments can help the counselor make an ethical judgment of the applicability of using the tool within diverse groups of clients. Finally, Julia will cite any relevant sections of the code of e thics for mental health counseling within the American Counseling Association as well as the Mental Health Professional code of ethics. It is also important to state that the names of participants used are fictional due to privacy of certain individuals. Ethical Use of Assessment Psychological Testing Ethics Ethics are an essential part of administering psychological tests and it is necessary that all test users follow the ethical guidelines for assessment when using any type of psychological test. Psychological tests are an important tool in terms of many professions in an array of settings such as in clinical psychology, education, and even business. However, misuse of psychological test by the administrators is a constant and troubling issue that has the potential to harm the individuals who are taking the test and even society as a whole. For test takers, the misuse of a psychological test could result in improper diagnoses or inappropriate decision making for their therapeutic process. The misuse of tests reflects very poorly on the  professional organizations along with highly trained test users. Overall this will result in poor decisions that may harm society in both an economic and mental fashion (Beck, Steer, & Garbin, 1988). Usually test administrators do not intentionally misuse tests, but rather are not properly trained within the technical knowledge and overall testing procedure involved in administering the test. In an effort to prevent the misuse of psychological tests, psychologists developed a set of professional and technical standards for the development, evaluation, administration, scoring, and interpretation of all psychological tests. Professionals can overcome the misuse of tests simply by understanding these professional and technical standards involved in using psychological tests (Beck, Steer, & Garbin, 1988). Beck developed a manual to help the administrator of the BDI to interpret the results of the inventory, which includes fifty reviews within a thirty page manual (Conoley, 2012) In any situation in which a professional offers advice or intervenes in a person’s personal life in any way, issues regarding fairness, honesty, and conflict of interest can exist. The term ethics dire ctly indicates any issues or practices that have the potential to influence the decision making process that involves doing the right thing. Therefore, ethics refers to the moral aspect of right or wrong in regards to various things such as an entire society, an organization, or a culture. Among many professions, there is a set of practice guidelines which are known as ethical standards in which each member of those professions elect on such codes after debating and discussing their various concerns of these particular guidelines that would make the process of testing more effective and ethical (Beck, Steer, & Garbin, 1988). However, it is exceptionally difficult to achieve universal agreement when it comes to ethics. For example, numerous psychologists disagree with each other in terms of the proper way to interpret a client’s right to privacy. Issues such as whether knowing a client may be a danger to themselves and others should be protected from legal inquiry poses what is known as an ethical dilemma. Ethical dilemmas are problems that will arise in which there is no clear, direct, or agreed upon moral solution. While ethical standards are not government appointed laws, violating ethical standards of an organization or profession can have numerous and varied penalties as well which can include expulsion from the organization. Testing is an essential  part of the psychological network, and if used improperly, can cause harm to individuals without their knowledge. Therefore, it is necessary that an ethical use of psychological tests is provided to anyone who relies upon them (Beck, Steer, & Garbin, 1988). Psychological Testing and Privacy Ethical standards indisputably cover a large amount of ethical concerns and issues with a common purpose involving protecting the rights of any individual that becomes a recipient of any psychological service including testing. The Ethical Principles have a goal to respect individuals, safeguard individual privacy as well as dignity, and censure any unfair or discriminatory practices. There are many issues of concern when it comes to ethics, one such issue being the right to privacy (an enormous issue in the mental health counseling profession). The concepts of individual rights and privacy are a fundamental part of any society. The Ethical Principles affirm individual rights to privacy and confidentiality as well as self-determination, meaning that each client has the right to be able to discuss any presenting issue with their therapist and the discussion stay within the bounds of the office and to participate in the decision making of the therapeutic process. The term confidentiality indicates that individuals are guaranteed privacy in terms of all personal information that is disclosed and that no information will then be disclosed without the individual’s direct written permission. There are times however, that confidentiality is breached because counselors within a business setting, for example, will seek out psychological information about their employees. Another example of confidentiality being breached in a professional setting is when teachers may seek prior test scores for students, however, with the good intention of understanding issues of performance (Beck, Steer, & Garbin, 1988). Counselors will also disclose any information the client discusses with them if the client intends to harm himself/herself and or others and when any type of abuse is indicated during the session. Psychological Testing and Anonymity Another term involved with an individual’s right to privacy is known as anonymity. Anonymity refers to the practice of obtaining information through  the use of tests while concealing the identity of the participant involved. Anonymous testing is more commonly used in double-blind studies in which the researchers are completely unaware of the identity of the participants of the study. It is suggested that anonymous testing may provide more validity in terms of accurate and truthful information about participants because participants will be more likely to answer questions truthfully about themselves when their identity is not revealed (Beck, Steer, & Garbin, 1988). Psychological Testing and Informed Consent Another important issue is the right to informed consent which means that the client has the right to know exactly what is happening at all times during the testing and therapeutic process during therapy. Self-determination is a right to every individual which means that individuals are entitled to complete explanations as to why exactly they are being tested as well as how the results of the test will be utilized and what their results mean. These complete explanations are commonly known as informed consent and should be conveyed in such a way that is straight-forward and easy for examinees to understand which is most of the time done in a language in which the client understands what is being explained to them. In the case of minors or those with limited cognitive abilities, informed consent needs to be discussed with both the minor examinee themselves as well as their parent or guardian (Beck, Steer, & Garbin, 1988). However, informed consent should not be confused with parental permission. Counselors have a responsibility to ensure that the minor examinee as well as their parent or guardian understand all implications and requirements that will be involved in a psychological test before it is even administered. In addition to the issue of informed consent, participants are also entitled to be prompted with an explanation of the test results in a language structure that they understand. However, due to the fact that some test results may influence the participant’s self-esteem as well as behavior, it is crucial that a trained professional explain the results to the participant in a sensitive and understanding manner so that the participant responds to the items on the test with accuracy (Beck, Steer, & Garbin, 1988). Psychological Testing and Stigma Another issue that involves ethics in terms of psychological tests is the right of protection from stigma. In conjunction with the participant’s right to know and understand their results, researchers need to be careful not to use any labels which might be interpreted as a stigma when describing the results in terms of and to the participant. Counselors and researchers must refrain from using terms such as â€Å"insane,† â€Å"feebleminded,† or â€Å"addictive personality†. Therefore, the results that the client receives, along with the parent or guardian in cases involving minors, should be describe in a positive way so that the growth and development of the participant is not disrespected in any way (Beck, Steer, & Garbin, 1988). Beck Depression Inventory versus Beck Depression Inventory-II Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) was designed to evaluate the possibility and severity of depression along with suicidality issues. The BDI was developed by Aaron Beck and his associates back in 1961 as a structured interview. Even though Beck is known for using a cognitive therapy methodology, the BDI is not designed in that fashion. Beck used language that was conducive of a fifth grade level to develop twenty-one items from which the participant can choose a level of severity from four option with each particular item. Cautions that Conoley (2012) mentioned in the review are those of fakability and social desirability. The individual participant may not be entirely truthful when choosing the severity of his or her level for items on the inventory. He or she may score higher or lower depending on how the individual responds to the inventory. Julia has also found that sometimes a participant has suffered from depression for a length of time in which makes responding to the items difficult since this individual may feel as though what is normal for him or her may not be normal for another individual. For example, Elka may score lower but has been presenting with depression much longer than Norma who scored higher due to the adult onset of depression versus the early onset of depression. Even though the BDI has been used extensively for about twenty-five years prior to revision in 1987 and again in the 1990s. Many articles touted the use of the BDI causing psychologists and therapists to use the origin al version created by Aaron Beck. The most recent BDI revised the original version with the rewording of fifteen out of twenty-one of the items due to discriminatory wording. The most recent revision also took into account the changes that were made to the Diagnostic Manual for  Mental Illness which correlate with the criteria for depression on a much higher level. It is plausible to have a more recent version created due to the Diagnostic Manual revision this past year in 2013. All versions of the BDI are designed to evaluate the probability of depression and suicidal tendency for individuals aged thirteen and over for a timeframe of five to ten minutes of the participant choosing the criteria associated with each item. The most recent version of the BDI has also revised to avoid sex and gender discrimination. These factors make the BDI-II a much stronger assessment tool which the counselor uses to evaluate the client’s presenting symptoms of depression (Arbisi & Farmer, 2012). Psychological Testing and BDI-II All of the ethical issues discussed above come into play when the counselor tests for depression of a client including the severity and longevity of the presenting symptoms of depression. Mental health counselors use the BDI-II to evaluate the possibility and severity of depression with which the client presents, in which it does. Usually the client will make a statement concerning the longevity of their presenting symptoms of depression which gives the counselor an idea of how long the client has been feeling depressed. Both are helpful in not only appropriately diagnosing the severity of the depression but also knowing what steps to take in the way of a treatment plan. Beck Depression Inventory-II and Diversity BDI-II has been modified and or translated into several different languages to address diversity in several cultures, such as Mexican-American, Chinese, as well as the elderly and older women groups. The items are modified in a way so that each group understands what the item is addressing as well as the ethnicity of each diverse group. Depression presents itself differently across cultural groups. What displays as depression in a Caucasian is most likely not display in an identical way with another culture group, such as African-American, Hispanic, Latino, Norwegian, etc. (Joe, Woolley, Brown, Ghahramanlou-Holloway, & Beck, 2008). The BDI-II has also been modified to address differences between adolescents, adults, and elderly. The elderly population has a much different presenting issue with depression. BDI-II and Counselor Judgment The counselor must make a sound judgment in choosing the BDI-II for use in evaluating a client’s presenting issues concerning depression, which includes comparing the BDI-II to other depression inventory assessments such as the CAD (Clinical Assessment of Depression) or the PHQ-9 (Patient Health Questionnaire-9). While the BDI-II is comparable to the PHQ-9 in statistical analysis, the CAD seems to be more accurate in evaluating clinical depression. However, the CAD consists of fifty questions which take about ten minutes or more to complete. For this factor alone the client may not accurately respond to the items on the CAD due to the length even though studies show that it results in a more accurate evaluation of depression (Arbisi & Farmer, 2012; Faxlanger, 2009; Kung, Alarcon, Williams, Poppe, & Frye, 2012). Even though the cost of the BDI-II cost much more than the CAD, the CAD is a relatively new assessment that has not had the longevity that the BDI-II has. The PHQ-9 does not have a cost connected to the assessment, but it is not as well-known as the BDI-II. Once Julia has established herself as a mental health counselor, she will explore the three tests further to see the effectiveness of each test compared to the other so that she can make a judgment on which test is more accurate and effective in diagnosing her clients (Arbisi & Farmer, 2012; Faxlanger, 2009; Kung, Alarcon, Williams, Poppe, & Frye, 2012). Summary In conclusion, the BDI-II seems to be the most effective assessment tool in diagnosing clinical depression. The American Mental Health Counselors Association Code of Ethics (2000) reports that the counselor is responsible for ensuring that each client is assessed appropriately including using the most appropriate test for the client’s presenting issues for diagnosis. The Code of Ethics also cautions the counselor in privacy, interpretation of the results, and to be trained for the assessments in which he or she will use in practice. As before stated, Julia will explore all options for testing for diagnosing clients as well as continued training in testing and interpretation of the results of each test used in practice. References American Mental Health Counselors Association (2000). Code of ethics. Retrieved March 9, 2014 from www.amhca.org/assets/content/CodeofEthics1.pdf Arbisi, P. A., and Farmer, R. F. (2012). Beck depression inventory-ii. Mental Measurements Yearbook and Tests in Print. Accession Number: TIP07000275. Mental Measurements Review Number: 14122148. Beck, A. T., Steer, R. A., & Garbin, M. G. (1988). Psychometric properties of the Beck Depression Inventory: Twenty-five years of evaluation. Clinical Psychology Review, 8, 77-100. Cappeliez, P. (1989). Social desirability response set and self-report depression inventories in the elderly. Clinical Gerontologist, 9(2), 45-52. Dahlstrom, W. G., Brooks, J. D., & Peterson, C. D. (1990). The Beck Depression Inventory: Item order and the impact of response sets. Journal of Personality Assessment, 55, 224-233. Gatewood-Colwell, G., Kaczmarek, M., & Ames, M. H. (1989). Reliability and validity of the Beck Depression Inventory for a White and Mexican-American gerontic population. Psychological Reports, 65, 1163-1166. Joe, S., Woolley, Ghahramanlou-Holloway, M., Brown, G. K., Beek, A. T. (2008). Psyc hometric properties of the Beck Depression Inventory-II in low-income, African American suicide attempters. Journal of Personality Assessment Volume 90, Issue 5, 2008. Retrieved March 8, 2014 from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2729713/ Kung, S., Alarcon, R. D., Williams, M. D., Poppe, K. A., Moore, M. J., Frye, M. A. (2012). Comparing the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) depression measures in an integrated mood disorders practice. Journal of Affective Disorders, Volume 145, Issue 3, Pages 341-343, 5 March 2013. Retrieved March 9, 2014 from http://www.jad-journal.com/article/S0165-0327%2812%2900586-1/abstract Faxlanger, L. (2009). The clinical assessment of depression vs. the Beck depression inventory. Retrieved March 9, 2014 from http://lisamarie1019.blogspot.com/2009/09/clinical-assessment-of-depression-vs.html Steer, R. A., Beck, A. T., & Brown, G. (1989). Sex differences on the revised Beck Depression Inventory for outp atients with affective disorders. Journal of Personality Assessment, 53, 693-703. Steer, R. A., Beck, A. T., & Garrison, B. (1986). Applications of the Beck Depression Inventory. In N. Sartorius & T. A. Ban (Eds.), Assessment of depression (pp. 121-142). Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization. Talbott, N. M. (1989). Age