Saturday, November 30, 2019

Nobody Goes Through Life without a Scar free essay sample

â€Å"Want to see a cool trick?† my fourteen year old brother, Jeff asked, swinging a plastic coated metal broomstick in the air. â€Å"I can be just like a Ninja. Just watch.† â€Å"Okay!†, I exclaimed, sitting down on the hardwood floor across from him expecting some kind of spectacular show to take place. He started spinning the broom in the air between his fingers. Then he switched the broom from his left hand to his right hand and started twirling it behind his back. I giggled and clapped in amazement at my big brother’s tricks. Impressed by my amusement, Jeff smiled and started spinning the broom a little faster and began walking around the room and parading around me in a circle. Before I knew it, the tip of the broom hit me in the face and I fell back onto the floor and began crying. My brother looked at me strangely as I wept on the floor and then looked at the broom to see that the plastic cap on top of the broom was missing and that it was nothing but a razor sharp edge on top. We will write a custom essay sample on Nobody Goes Through Life without a Scar or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page He dropped the broom and quickly came to my side. â€Å"I am so sorry! Are you okay? You won’t tell Mom will you?† he asked, frantically, as I continued to sob. I shook my head and raised my eyes. My brother gasped and looked at me with widened eyes. I looked at the ground in shock to see a little puddle of blood slowly seeping into the cracks in the floor. I felt a stinging pain by my eye that continued to throb and ache. I lifted my hand and touched the source of the pain to feel warm blood trickling along side the right portion of my face from my eyebrow. I had never seen so much blood before. Warm tears came to my eyes again as blood continued to flow down my cheek. â€Å"Please don’t cry! I am sorry†, he said, as he tried to cover my mouth before I cried. â€Å"I’ll let you play Sonic on my Sega Genesis all you want.† he offered. I shook my head and pushed him away. At that moment I heard the jingle of my mom’s house keys and the creak of the front door open. Voices quickly filled the air as she and my dad began a conversation. At that moment, Jeff ran off to find a place to hide because he knew he would be punished for what he had done. I continued to sit on the floor and weep as the blood mixed in with my tears. I picked myself up and slowly made my way into the hallway and down the stairs to the area where my mom and dad were talking. M-mommy, I stuttered, standing in the middle of the stairs. She turned and looked at me in horror. With her motherly instincts she picked me up off the few remaining steps and pulled me close to her as her eyes followed the gash in my eyebrow to the drops of blood on my shirt. What happened to you? Who did this to you? she asked me in Creole, choking on her words. J-Jeff I stuttered as I pointed to the stairs indicating that he was somewhere in the house hiding. She frowned. She pulled out a handful of tissues and tried cleaning up the blood, but no matter how many times she wiped it, the wound continued to bleed. She decided to take me to the doctor. We left Jeff at home alone because he wouldnt come out from wherever he was hiding; my mom and dad had no time to look for him. Upon arriving at the doctors, they rushed me into the examination room and examined me and bandaged my wound with a gauze pad that was glued on so my eyebrow would heal in the next few days. I never had such a terrifying doctor visit before. Arriving back at home, my brother was scolded for doing something so childish and quickly apologized to me and I took up his offer to play his video games for the next few days. The next day at school I expected my friends and classmates to make fun of me but to my surprise they were all concerned about what happened and wanted to know my story. I never had a story to tell before so I decided to share it. I never talked so openly before about something so personal that happened to me. That day, I might have walked around feeling a little embarrassed about wearing a huge pad on my face, but I wore it with a smile and pride. After a few days, the bandages were removed. I examined my face in the mirror and noticed a thin scar. The hair in my eyebrow on that scar line never regrew. Through the years, I have continued to explain the story behind my scar to whoever I meet. I am reminded of the accident that I went through because of something Carol Brunett once said, Nobody goes through life without a scar. I look in the mirror and admire my thin scar because it reminds me of how much people care about me. Through my story, I was able to open myself up a bit more to the people around me and break out of my shyness into the outgoing person I am today. I realized how fortunate I am to have a family that can help me when I need it. Not many children and teens a kind and loving family like I do. Even when you think that something terrible has happened, it can have a great outcome. Every scar has a story; and my scar is one of the many things that make me who I am.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

how Alfred changes in the contender Essays

how Alfred changes in the contender Essays how Alfred changes in the contender Paper how Alfred changes in the contender Paper How Alfred changes what kind of changes does Alfred go through in the book The Contender by Robert Lipsyte. what he does to change himself throughout the book. the first change that he makes is that he disciplines himself. How Alfred disciplines himself is that he gets up at five A. M every morning. Then he goes out to train by Jogging around his neighborhood every single day. He then gets ready for work which is something he did before. The second change in Alfred is that he is more confident, and he stands up for himself when he is getting bullied. He finally says no to Major,when he asks Alfred to disable the burglar alarm. MaJor was shocked that Alfred would say no to him,He was shocked because Alfred never talked back to Major and never said no to him before for anything. MaJor then says to Alfred that he will give him a few days to change his mind. The third change that Alfred becomes a well rounded person with many new friends to help him out. Also (its the Effort and not the win that makes the man). Alfred has now found a purpose in life and he considers going back to school instead of being a chool dropout. His goals are now to go back to school and try to graduate and become more successful throughout his life. In conclusion Alfred has evolved into a mature,selfless adolescent who seems destined to apply what he learned from being a boxer. And to know what it means to have a bright future ahead of him while trying to save his best friend from dying or killing himself from some stupid decisions from doing drugs without knowing the side effects from them. And from continuing a life of drugs and being self destructive.

Friday, November 22, 2019

Homeschool Myths and the Facts Behind Them

Homeschool Myths and the Facts Behind Them There are many misconceptions about homeschoolers. The falsehoods are often myths based on partial truths or experiences with a limited number of homeschooling families. They are so prevalent that even homeschooling parents start to believe the myths. Skewed homeschool statistics  that dont reveal accurate facts about homeschooling sometimes serve to further the misconceptions. How many of these homeschooling myths have you heard?   1. All homeschooled kids are spelling bee champs and child prodigies. Most homeschooling parents wish this myth were true! The fact is, homeschooled children range in ability level just like kids in any other school setting. Homeschooled students include gifted, average, and struggling learners. Some homeschooled kids are ahead of their same-age peers and some, particularly if they have learning struggles, are behind. Because homeschooled students can  work  at their own pace, it is not uncommon for them to be asynchronous learners, This means that they may be ahead of their grade level (based on age) in some areas, average in others, and behind in some. Because homeschool parents can offer their students one-on-one attention, its easy to strengthen weak areas. These benefits often allow kids who started out â€Å"behind† to catch up without the stigma associated with learning challenges. It is true that homeschooled students often have more time to devote to their areas of interest. This devotion sometimes results in a child displaying greater than average talent in those areas. 2. All homeschooling families are religious. In the early days of the current homeschooling movement, this myth may have been true. However, homeschooling has become much more mainstream. It is now the educational choice of families from all walks of life and a wide variety of belief systems. 3. All homeschool families are large. Many people think that homeschooling means a family of 12 children, huddled around the dining room table doing their schoolwork. While there are large homeschooling families, there are just as many families homeschooling two, three, or four children or even an only child. 4. Homeschooled kids are sheltered. Many homeschooling opponents share the opinion that homeschooled children need to get out and experience the real world. However, it is only in a school setting that kids are segregated by age. Homeschooled children are out in the real world every day  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ shopping, working, attending homeschool co-op classes, serving in the community, and much more. 5. Homeschooled kids are socially awkward. Just as with ability-level, homeschooled students are as varied in their personalities as kids in traditional school settings. There are shy homeschool kids and outgoing homeschool kids. Where a child falls on the personality spectrum has much more to do with the temperament they were born with than where they are educated. Personally, I’d like to meet one of those shy, socially awkward homeschooled kids because I sure didn’t give birth to any of them! 6. All homeschool families drive vans – mini- or 15-passenger. This statement is largely a myth, but I do understand the perception. The first time I went to a used curriculum sale, I knew the general location for the sale but not the exact spot. This event was way back in the ancient days before GPS, so I drove to the general area. Then I followed the line of mini-vans. They led me straight to the sale! Anecdotes aside, many homeschool families do not drive vans. In fact, crossover vehicles seem to be the mini-van equivalent for modern homeschooling moms and dads. 7. Homeschooled kids don’t watch TV or listen to mainstream music. This myth applies to some homeschooling families, but not the majority. Homeschooled kids do watch TV, listen to music, own smartphones, participate in social media, attend concerts, go to movies, and participate in any number of pop culture activities just like kids from other educational backgrounds. They have proms, play sports, join clubs, go on field trips, and much more. The fact is, homeschooling has become so common that the biggest difference in the daily lives of most homeschooled students and their public or private schooled peers is where they are educated.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Social Studies Native Amercian Group Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Social Studies Native Amercian Group - Essay Example They therefore had to migrate to regions where food was in plenty and follow migrating animals too. Climatic changes affected how communities lived and built houses in the past, and the main purpose of shelter was to get cover from harsh weather and wild animals. Winter created the need for Iroquoians to build longhouses, which were houses that had greater length than width, had no window and hosted around 30 – 60 people depending on their size. Each family had their section in the longhouse. They used wood from woodlands and elm bark to build these houses. The Algonquians also built longhouses during winter, although they also built the lighter wigwams during the warm seasons. The Iroquoians main source of food was agricultural products. They grew and ate corn and vegetables, although they also hunted animals, for example deer, and also fished in the nearby lakes and rivers. Examples of water animals they went for are the eels. Contrary to them, the Algonquians were mostly hunters and gatherers, hunting mostly the white tailed deer during winter. In summer, when the lakes were no longer frozen, they would fish for food and also kill seals for meat. They left their inland settlements during spring and built others at ocean fronts, depending on sea food and also gathering some fruits and wild vegetables (Hirschfelder, 2000). The two tribes used bows and arrows to hunt animals, although the Algonquians also used techniques such as traps and snares on small animals. Meat was eaten communally, cooked by either men or women depending on the time and occasion. Skins and fur were the main raw materials for making clothes among the Iroquoians, and these were sewn together using needles made from animal bones. Deerskin was a favorite and could be sewn into leggings and tunics. Shells and porcupine quills were dyed and used to decorate the clothes. They wove mats and baskets from tree barks and used clay for cooking

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Marketing Strategy WH Smith Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6250 words

Marketing Strategy WH Smith Case Study - Essay Example WH Smith (WHS) was established in 1792 and went public in 1949. The retail division presently operates 542 retail stores and 127 travel stores across the country. In addition, the division operates e-retailing business through the website. The news division of WHS is UK’s largest wholesaler of newspaper and magazines. The company’s key product portfolio includes books, stationery, travel guides, greeting cards and gift packaging, art materials, entertainment products such as music and video CD’s, DVD’s, computer games and confectionery. The company derives a majority of its revenues from the UK, having divested itself of the Asia-pacific arm.Major competitors that need to be considered, looking at the diverse range of products offered, may be identified as Amazon.com, Borders Group, Barnes & Noble, Bertelsmann, Lagardere, HMV, Virgin, Woolworths, Asda, Tesco and a number of specialist small retailers.The most obvious strength of the company is its 542 reta il outlets on every high-street in the country and 127 travel stores at railway stations and airports, allowing the company to reach a wide customer base – 70% of the British public visit a WHS store at least once every year!Travel Retail is a strong performer within the retail division and recorded growth rates of 3% in revenue (Â £311 million) and an increase of 24 % in its profits in 2005 compared with the previous year. While passenger growth at airports was 2%, the sales at airport outlets grew by 7%. (Datamonitor, 2006). Distribution: WH Smith News has 47 distribution centres across the UK and delivers up to 50 million newspapers and magazines every week. All distribution centres employ state-of-the-art technology, such as 'Pick and Pack' machinery, to help to improve customer service and reduce costs. I.T. Systems: The company is in an excellent position to exploit the cutting edge Information Technology

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Child Labor Paper Essay Example for Free

Child Labor Paper Essay Child labor reached new heights during the Industrial Revolution. Due to this, it lead to an increase in the â€Å"percentage of children ten to fifteen years of age who were gainfully employed. Although the official figure of 1.75 million significantly understates the true number, it indicates that at least 18 percent of these children were employed in 1900. In southern cotton mills, 25 percent of the employees were below the age of fifteen, with half of these children below age twelve† (History). Businesses forced children to work excessive hours in dangerous factory conditions with minimal payment. At an attempt to combat child labor a few steps were taken. The creation of new technologic machinery limited the need for children to fulfill tasks. In addition, businesses required higher levels of education in order to be even considered for the job. Congress created the child labor law in 1938 as another way to combat this issue. Although child labor has mostly been eliminated it still poses a problem in other areas throughout the world, especially in developing countries. For example, in China children between the ages of 5 and 17 are being taken advantage of through what their government calls â€Å"Educational Labor.† This means that schools would have the ability to make their students grow and harvest crops, but instead most schools â€Å"abuse this law and they end up forcing the children to do a heavy amount of labor† (Sites). The ILO’s Statistical Information and Monitoring Program on Child Labor recently submitted their estimates that 211 million children, or 18 % of children aged 5-14, are economically active worldwide. The two major components of this statistic is Asia, which consists of 60% those working children and Africa, which has 23% child labor. Non-governmental organization, commonly referred to as NGO’s, strongly disapprove of child labor and engage in strong efforts in order to give the children their freedom. They view it as a just act and most people would agree, but they do not think of the negative aspects that arise when the children are no longer employed. As a result, the children and family members go hungry, since they heavily rely on their employment to contribute to the family’s well-being. Additionally, once the NGO’s shut down the sweatshops there are no further actions taken afterwards. Meaning nothing is done in order to ensure the children are taken care of, go back to school, or financially compensated. They simply celebrate the factory closing as a victory and do not realize the big picture. history.com/topics/child-labor sites.google.com/a/tapa.tp.edu.tw/modern-day-slavery/child-labor/child-labor-in-china

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Exploration Of The Matthew Shepard Event Essay -- Homosexuality Crime

Exploration Of The Matthew Shepard Event The human body is an object in which one lives and the medium through which one experiences oneself and the world. Claims on ideology and space are ultimately vested in the human body, and thus conflicts about belief systems and territory are often contested violently on physical bodies. Gay bodies become entangled in violence when they enter into arenas that combat certain ideas. Gay bashing illustrates incidences all in which bodies experience physical injury. In modern U.S. communities various militant conservatives target homosexuals in "gay bashing." Mathew Shepard's brutal murder in 1998 illustrates a relatively recent incident in which the human body becomes politicized. What is the process by which the pain and death of Shepard's body transform the personal to the political? What does "gay bashing" mean to attackers, victims and their communities? If gay bashing is about violence and being gay is at least partially about sex, then what is the relationship between them? What framework attends to both the sexual and nonsexual activities among contemporary American males? In Between Men, Eve Sedgwick sleds light on the boundaries separating sexual and nonsexual male relationships. According to the author, homosocial and homosexual do not necessarily have to occupy two different, non-overlapping spheres. " 'Homosocial desire', to begin with, is a kind of oxymoron. "Homosocial" is a word . . . [that] describes social bonds between persons of the same sex; it is a neologism, obviously formed with analogy with "homosexual," and just as obviously meant to distinguish from 'homosexual'" (Sedgwick 1985:1). Sedgwick contends that it would be more useful to view homosocial and homosexu... ...riarchy is the right of men to "hit on" women while remaining safe from not being "hit on" by anyone else, especially another man. Patriarchy, imbued with hierarchical meanings, gives heterosexual men something to loose. As practiced in contemporary America, patriarchy uses homophobia as structural support. Gay bashing exemplifies homosocial behavior's contribution to US patriarchy. The human body is both an object in which one lives and a site of political articulation. The struggles within many societies begin and end within the terrain of the human body, which though has no referential meaning becomes embodied by meaning within context that ultimately has a stake in the body. . Works Cited: 1. Kaufman, Moises. 2001. The Laramie Project. New York: First Vintage Books. 2. Sedgwick, Eve Kosofsky. 1985. Between Men. New York: Columbia University Press.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Dressen Case Study Essay

#1)I believe one major factor was how appealing Dressen had become during 1995, as opposed to previous years. It appeared that new management had turned the company around. Management stated Dressen was looking good for future growth during the end of 1995. I think management felt it was the opportune time to sell. They wanted to sell Dressen while they were making money and being successful, as opposed to hemorrhaging money from Westinghouse. Dressen was Westinghouse’s star performer in the Q3 of 1995. Sales increased 10% over the year-prior quarter. EBIT reached 12% of sales as well. Their growth strategy as well as technology and work processes lead management to believe that there was even greater growth potential. Dressen was now headed in the right direction. Management was trying to strike while the iron was hot. Another factor was the cash acquisition of CBS in August 1995 for $5.4 billion. The large purchase price had strained an already weakened balance sheet. There was also a $2 billion bridge loan that was due in February 1996. Businesses are meant to earn economic profit and mitigate the cost associated with them. Without effective and timely cost strategy, a business cannot climb the stairs of economic prosperity. Organizations have to be aware of how much cost they are incurring over a certain period of time, as most of the time, high operational costs can devastate the entire financial structure of an entity. Apart from the cost, it is also important for a company to be consistent in their earnings momentum because it is something that shareholders, as well as analysts, are looking for in a company. There are certain ratios that can be taken into account to analyze why Westinghouse would want to sell Dressen. Mentioned below are some calculations that justify why Westinghouse was intending to sell Dressen at the end of the fiscal year 1995: 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 Net Sales 671 577 508 563 621 % Change -14.01 -11.96 10.83 10.30 Gross Profit 200 151 122 153 203 Gross profit margin 29.81 26.17 24.02 27.18 32.69 Net Income -40 -60 29 Net Profit Margin -7.87 -10.66 4.67 Dressen recorded a net profit of $29 in 1995, as compared to the net loss of $60 a year before, but the net profit margin of the company in 1995 was only 4.67%, which is still very low. The Gross Profit Margin in the same year was 10.30%, which shows that around 90% of the sales come under the net Cost of Goods Sold. This is a very high figure that businesses cannot sustain for a long period of time. Total assets of Dressen also showed a net decrease from fiscal year 1994 to 1995: Year 1994 1995 Assets $ in Million 705 657 Proportion -6.809 A decrease in the operational assets would not be acceptable for the company as a whole. Therefore, Westinghouse was willing to sell Dressen because the company was not doing well in its jurisdiction. #2)There are a number of valuation tools which could be used for the purpose of analyzing the effectiveness of a company as a whole. Warburg is considering paying $585 million for Dressen and we must analyze if this is a fair price for Warburg to pay. Price to Earnings is a ratio that is usually applied by investors on the entire investment in order to anticipate the expected dividend.  Specifically, it refers to the ratio evaluation of an entity’s price of shares in relation to earnings for each share. Price to Earnings ratio is generally symbolized as an earning multiplier or investment multiplier. However, there are some probability flaws in the P/E ratio, but it is still the most widely accepted technique to measure potential speculations. Market price to earnings is one of the most vital tools used to analyze the stance of investors while investing in the company. Five-year period analysis has been taken into consideration for Dressen: Question-2 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 Share Price Average 32 32 15 15 15 Earnings Per Share 0 0.00 -0.87 -1.31 0.60 Market Value to Earnings 0 0 -17.175 -11.45 24.88 The computation of Dressen’s Market Price to Earnings is showing that the  company did a good job in the fiscal year 1995, as its Price to Earning (P/E) or Market Value to Earning (MV/E) ratio had increased tremendously to a level of $24.88. The higher the P/E, then the higher the net worth of the company. Enterprise Value to Sales is a valuation method that is applied to assess the ratio of enterprise value to its market share price. The Enterprise Value to Price ratio allows investors to make a decision on whether the market share of the company is expensive or cheap. The ratio has also considerable influence on the company’s sales as it is utilized by many market analysts to avoid any manipulation over the turnover of an entity. The Enterprise Value to Sales analysis is mentioned below: 1994 1995 Market Capitalization $ in Million 458 481 Total Debt in $ million 247 176 Total Worth in $ Million 705 657 Less: Cash in $ Million 5 2 Net Worth in $ Million 700 655 Annual Sales in $ Million 563 621 EV/Sales 124.33 105.48 The Enterprise Value to Sales is high in both years 1994 and 1995. This shows me that the net worth of the company is high. EBIAT is a financial appraisal technique which is used to figure out the operating performance of a company. It refers to how much resources have been utilized to generate revenue within a given span of time. The financial evaluators are most likely to consider this ratio as an indicator of a company’s performance within a defined accounting cycle. This will allow them to set a point of time within the operating cycle that they can focus on. EV/EBIAT 1994 1995 Market Capitalization $ in Million 458 481 Total Debt in $ million 247 176 Total Worth in $ Million 705 657 Less: Cash in $ Million 5 2 Net Worth in $ Million 700 655 EBIAT in $ Million -2.5 10.4 EV/EBIAT (28,000) 6,298 The company recorded a net loss in the year 1994 of $-28,000, but it is a positive figure of $6,298 in the year 1995. My calculation for the Dividend Discount Model is as follows: P = Dividend / WACC – g WACC = 12% G = Growth rate = 4% = 1.2 / 12 – 8 1.2/ 0.08 P = $15 The average Share Price in the year 1995 was also $15. Taking all of this analysis into consideration, I believe that $585 million is a fair price to pay for Dessen. The net worth of Dressen in terms of financial value and share valuation are strong. I believe that Warburg is underpaying for Dressen. I believe Warburg got Dressen for a good price. I feel that Warburg should have paid more for Dressen, so with a purchase price of $585 million I believe Warburg got a great value. #3)Financial Forecasting is an important metric to use because it can estimate the future financial outcomes of a company. Analysts have to forecast the cash flows and debt obligations to analyze the financial competitiveness of a company as a whole. Two different ratios could be used to analyze Dressen’s ability to generate sufficient cash flows to service its debt. The two ratios I used for Dressen are the Cash Flow to Sales Ratio and Debt to Equity. The Cash Flow to Sales ratio is an important ratio which analyzes what percentage of the company’s sales are on credit, and how much of the sales are on cash. The computed ratio for the next five years is below: Operating Cash Flow to Sales 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 Forecasted Operational Cash Flow 77 83 99 101 95 Forecasted Sales in Million $ 658 698 740 784 804 Operating Cash Flow to Sales 11.70 11.89 13.38 12.88 11.82 Average 12.33 The forecasted figure of the cash flow to sales is showing that the company is not efficient in getting their cash sooner as related to sales. The amount of operating cash flow to sales ranges from 11.70% to 13.38%, with an average of 12.33%. This shows that over 80% of Dressen’s sales are on  credit, which is not a good sign from the viewpoint of the company. The risk in generating sufficient cash flow will remain with the company for the next five years (1996-2000) as well, because the cash generating cycle of the company is too low and it has to be increased accordingly. The Debt to Equity ratio of Dressen for the next five years is below: Debt to Equity 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 Total Debt in $ Million 530 501 455 409 357 Equity in $ Million 178 208 247 294 345 Debt to Equity 2.98 2.41 1.84 1.39 1.03 Average 1.93 The Debt to Equity ratio for Dressen (Forecasted) is showing that the level  of debt is twice that of the equity. This is against the restrictive covenants. A high debt/equity ratio generally means that a company has been aggressive in financing its growth with debt. This can result in volatile earnings because of the additional interest expense. Average Debt to Equity of the company is showing that the proportion of debt is nearly 68%, while the proportion of equity is 32%. This is very near to the restrictive covenants, in which debt should not be higher than 70%. There is a risk that this ratio will increase in the upcoming years. #4)For the Debt Rating analysis I decided to examine the Debt to total Capital and the liabilities to total assets. I wanted to figure out these ratings for 1994 and 1995, before the buyout. Question-4 Debt Rating 1994 1995 Average Subordinate Debt in $ Million 165 Capital 458 481 Percentage of Debt/Capital 36.03 34.30 35.16 Total Liabilities in $ Million 247 176 Total Assets in $ Million 705 657 Proportion 35.04 26.79 30.91 The Total Debt to Capital of Dressen on average is 35.16%. This would represent a rating category of â€Å"A.† Along the same lines, liabilities to assets have a figure of 30.91%. The bond rating in this particular scenario is also â€Å"A.† The coverage ratio is a measure of a company’s ability to meet its financial obligations. The higher the coverage ratio, the better the ability of the company to fulfill its obligations to its lenders. Analysts and investors perform coverage ratios to determine the change in a company’s financial position. The findings of the coverage ratio I performed on Dressen are below: 1994 1995 EBIT -2.5 10.4 Interest Expense 3 1 Coverage Ratio -0.83 10.40 This analysis shows that Dressen generates enough cash flow to pay its interest, specifically in the year 1995. Taking all of this information into account, I would assign an â€Å"A† rating to Dressen. #5)In order to analyze the level of business risk for the buyout, I decided to use the current ratio and the gearing ratio. The current ratio is a liquidity ratio that measures a company’s ability to pay short-term obligations. The higher the current ratio, the more capable the company is of paying its obligations. A ratio under 1 suggests that the company would be unable to pay off its obligations if they came due at that point. This is an important ratio for Warburg because they need to make sure they can meet their short-term obligations after the buyout. Current Assets in Million $ 183 Current Liabilities in Million $ 95 Current Ratio 1.926 Dressen has a current ratio of 1.926. The current ratio can give a sense of the efficiency of a company’s operating cycle and its ability to turn its product into cash. This ratio shows that Dressen is doing a good job as far as meeting its short-term financial obligations and promises. The gearing ratio is a financial ratio that compares some form of owner’s equity to borrowed funds. It is a measure of financial leverage that demonstrates the degree to which a firm’s activities are funded by owner’s funds versus creditor’s funds. A company with high gearing (high leverage) is more vulnerable to downturns in the business cycle because the company must continue to service its debt regardless of how bad sales are. If a company has more equity, then there would be more of a cushion, which would show financial strength. Debt 420 Equity 160 Assets 705 EBIT 10.4 Interest 1 Debt to Equity 2.625 EBIT/Interest 10.4 Equity/Assets 22.70 From this analysis, it can be determined that the Debt to Equity of the company is still high at 2.62%. Total Equity to Assets is relatively small at only 22.70%. This shows that most of the assets in Dressen have been bought using debt. From this analysis, it is found that the company is not risky when it comes to short-term financial obligations, but it will be in a dangerous situation in the long-term.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Placebo Effect

Feda Aziz Amy Blitchok ENG 1060-0013 April 30, 2012 Placebo over Mind For years, scientists and researchers have sought to find an explanation for the placebo effect. What many scientists and researchers do not realize is that placebo or â€Å"fake medicine† has been used as early as the revolutionary period in the seventeen hundreds. The mind is a powerful organ, in which controls all our body’s functions and thoughts. Everyday functions such as breathing and walking relies heavily on the most important part of our organ: the mind.However, through the use of placebos, it is becoming clear that the mind may have an even greater influence on our daily lives, influencing our perception of well- being. The placebo, which is Latin for â€Å"to please,† is a sugar-pill that can be taken in many different forms such as injection, liquid intake or by pill. Research conducted by physicians and scientists on placebos revealed that patients who receives treatment for asthm a, irritable bowel syndromes, knee surgery and much more showed improvements and are symptom free which in turn demonstrated how mind is more powerful than the body.The Placebo effect is when the administration of some entirely harmless or inactive drug or pill seems to make people better. It can also reduce the experience of pain by blocking pain signals in the spinal cord from arriving at the brain in the first place. When patients expect a treatment to be effective, the brain area responsible for pain control is activated, causing the release of natural endorphins. The endorphins send instructions down to the spinal cord to suppress incoming pain signals and patients feel better whether or not the treatment had any direct effect.This article explained how the mind and placebo work together in sending messages from the brain to the area of pain. Other problems exist in testing placebos' effectiveness. They cannot be used in studies on life-threatening or degenerative illnesses, si nce taking an inactive treatment rather than a real one could do patients real harm. Tests in which patients know they may be taking placebos show different results from tests in which they are given only a drug.Patients have been shown to react less to real medicine if they know there is a fifty percent chance they are actually getting sugar pills (Amaral) . Very few doctors are this open about prescribing placebos, but most of them do not outright lie to their patients, either. In general, doctors who prescribe placebos often say that they have something that they believe can help, but they do not know exactly how it will work, either. Supporters of the use of placebos point out that this is not lying; placebos are known to be beneficial in some cases.The American Medical Association (AMA) policy suggests that doctors could explain the placebo effect to their patients and receive consent to prescribe them in the course of treating any illness. This way, the patients don't know exa ctly when they might be prescribed a placebo and they could still benefit from the placebo effect (â€Å"http://www. ama-assn. org/†). The Placebo effect refers to the situation where patients feel better after taking a medication even if the drug is ineffective. A study proved the effectiveness of placebo medicine in patients diagnosed with heart failure.When given the placebo to heart failure patients and they took it whole heartedly and faithfully they showed a thirty four percent decrease in death rate. The researchers are unsure about the results but some theories are; mind is as powerful as any organ in the body. People who took their placebo faithfully, and believe it would help, may actually have gotten real help. Also patients who have heart failure have to exercise and cut salt intake so that may have had an important role in the placebo succeeding (Amaral). The placebo effect is a powerful effect that can consistently induce a perceived benefit.Once the placebo was identified as a valid medication able to create a response, such as becoming symptom free, became more widely used as a control in clinical trials. As a result, the placebo effect has been extensively studied throughout history. In a study; four groups of asthma patients were given albuterol inhalers, placebo inhalers, sham acupuncture, or no treatment. When the researchers tested the patients' lung function, the albuterol, a standard treatment for asthma, showed improvement, whereas the placebos had no effect. On the contrary, half of those who used the albuterol reported feeling better.But so did nearly half of those who got the placebo inhaler or the sham acupuncture. Doctors may not fully understand the cause of it but what they do know is two inert pills can work better than one, colorful inert pills can work better than plain ones, and injections can work better than pills (Bates). The perception of the benefits was recognized due to the perceptions of the mind, and not to th e ingredients that makes up the fake treatment. The placebo effect shows us that the mind heavily influences our perceptions of wellness and health.The placebo was also used during the Civil War; nurses often ran out of medicine, in order to keep the soldiers moving they injected them with saltwater, and believed it was morphine. Many scientists began wondering how the solider can feel better and become symptom free without taking the actual morphine. Thus, the scientists came to the conclusion that before simply thinking you can feel better you actually will. However, there is the nocebo effect in which the opposite occurs. A patient thinks he will feel bad, and he then will feel symptoms and pain.Also when a doctor proclaims that the medicine will cause symptoms or pain, the patient is more likely to feel the symptoms (Cloud). While the mind may be labeled as an organ easily fooled by placebos, whose benefit has no physical basis, it is clear that the mind may have an even greater role in behavior. Throughout the world, it is widely believed that the placebo effect simply is of random chance or it temporarily works on symptoms or diseases. To prove the skeptics wrong, a test was conducted with one hundred and eight patients that were divided in half.Half of them received arthroscopy knee surgery, and the other half received fake knee surgery. Arthroscopy knee surgery requires only three tiny incisions through the skin and the fake surgery received a small cut on their knee. The results were astonishing placebo surgery turned out to be just as effective as real surgery. Many people think it is irrational to be cured by fake medicine, but the truth is patients who were successfully healed by fake surgery were in fact healed by the power of their own minds (Easton).Placebos can no longer be thought of as a blind fold covering the eyes. These sugar pills induce the mind to create a very real and physical response that may be specific to the placebo; as a result, use of a placebo can become a very seductive treatment option for many. With the ongoing use of placebos, both as a control, and potentially as an alternative treatment, several issues emerge: Such as if the placebo is ethical or not. Furthermore, can it be guaranteed that placebos will generate a safe, and effective, result.While these pills may seem nonthreatening by being less active than experimental drugs, the risk for harmful and unethical consequences still does exist. Dr. Sobel ,co-author of The Healing Brain, explains â€Å"doctors spend a lot of time prescribing and giving medicine when improvement can be just by giving positive reinforcement†. Dr. Sobel also clarifies that if giving positive feedback made patients feel better then why give a placebo or sugar pill at all when you can prescribe yoga or meditation.For example when a child gets hurt, the compassionate parent would say â€Å"a kiss will make it better† and the child walks away tearless because m ommy made it feel better. Carefully, studies were conducted and on average, if you take one hundred people with certain illnesses and give them a sugar pill; about a third would be expected to improve (Friend). Some doctors believe that instead of ignoring the placebo effect, it may help to enhance it. A study was conducted in which the placebo effect worked on patients who had irritable bowel syndrome or IBS. In 2008, Harvard's Ted J.Kaptchuk wanted to treat IBS but in a safe way. He devised a fake remedy which contained fake acupuncture with no needles and plenty of soft talk. Kaptchuk experiment showed sixty-two percent of them actually got better and for the patients who had fake acupuncture and no soft talk saw a forty two percent improvement. Many mainstream medicine and drug companies try to minimize conducting clinical trials, but Kaptchuk argues that instead of minimizing they should enhance it and use placebos more often because it will lower costs of medicine and produce fewer side effects (Herper).Anesthetist, Henry Beecher, published an article on the use and effects of placebo in treatment of different diseases. Since then, many studies have shown that situations can also trigger the human mind to generate placebo effect. Kaptchuk explains that rituals of treatment activate brain areas in the same way as done by drugs. The newest neurobiological theories on placebos suggest that in some situations the appearance and rituals of treatment activate brain areas similar to when one takes drugs. So, for the drug to work, you may not need the drug at all (Marglin).Freed and his associates conducted a study examining the outcomes of forty patients, ages thirty four through seventy five, who had severe Parkinson's disease. In this study, the patients either underwent neuronal transplantation surgery or sham surgery (placebo). These patients were randomly assigned to the different groups. In the patients who underwent the sham surgery, holes were drilled i nto their skulls, but not penetrated. While all of the patients had hoped to receive this neuronal transplant, only half actually did. The rest had the placebo surgery (Amaral).Freed found that although there was no notable effect among the older patients in either transplantation or placebo surgeries, the younger transplantation recipients showed much improvement as compared with the placebo surgery group. No one from the placebo surgery group benefited from the procedure. Results were measured using the standardized scoring system of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS). They measure symptoms of Parkinson's disease including mentation/mood and performance in the activities of daily living, respectively.Freed, further analyzed results for growth of transplants by using the PET scans. PET scans use nuclear medicine imaging to produce 3-dimensional color images of the functional processes within the human body. These tests all concluded that the only group that benefi ted from the study was the younger transplantation group, leaving many concerned due to the lack of improvement in their condition. Half of those in the placebo group experienced additional pain, and some experienced trauma. In addition to not benefiting from the procedure, many experienced significant pain from the placebo surgery.In this case, the mind could not be induced into generating the type of physical response that is desired from this surgery. And further, the potential for pain as well as harm are also clear in this example. It is clear that the ethics behind placebos, given that they are active substances that can induce very real physical responses need to be taken seriously. The mind is a complex organ that may not always respond in the way that we hope it will (Amaral). The placebo effect has shed great light on the complex functions of the mind. The mind has the remarkable ability to generate a physiological and real response to placebos.Furthermore, the mind can di scern a placebo from an experimental drug, as we see through the specific activation of the prefrontal cortex by the placebo. The mind has functions and capabilities that are larger than just thinking, breathing and walking. It not only controls our perception of our well-being, but may control the physicalitys of our well-being more extensively than was previously thought. While the placebo effect has yielded important information on the powers of the mind, we need to think more responsibly about the use of placebos, and the potential effects of these active stimuli on the brain.Given that placebos do activate the brain, we need to re-address our notions of these pills as inactive sugar pills. What if placebos could have the potential to affect the mind in a way that is not positive? What if placebo pills, and furthermore surgeries, could be harmful to the patient? The ethics of placebos, and the role of the mind in responding to them, should not be underestimated as we move forwar d in our studies of how the mind works. Our well-being depends on it. There are several recent studies suggesting that placebos themselves are beneficial.According to a paper presented to the American Psychological Association's (APA) 104th annual convention, the placebo effect accounts for fifty percent of improvements in depressed patients taking antidepressants. Listening to Prozac but Hearing Placebo: A Meta-Analysis of Antidepressant Medication, a controversial study done on the effectiveness of using pharmaceuticals in treatment of depression. According to another study, when placebos are given for pain management, the course of pain relief follows that of an active drug The Placebo Prescription, comprehensive non-scientific article on the placebo effect.For both the placebo and the active medicine, peak relief comes about an hour after administration. The placebo effect seems to be acknowledged, perhaps unwittingly, by most medical doctors when one considers that until recent ly prescribing antibiotics for viral colds and flus was a common practice (Ammaral. ) A patient's belief in the treatment and the placebo response are dependent upon a variety of factors. First, the patient's expectations of treatment effects clearly influence the responses.For example, a study in England was done where a hundred men were told that they were taking chemotherapy, when in actuality they were taking inactive saline solution. Twenty percent of these men lost their hair, demonstrating the power of the belief of effects of the treatment. Second, the relationship between patient and care-provider is quite important in determining treatment or placebo results. If there is a positive rapport between the two, then most often there will be a positive enthusiasm for the treatment, and therefore a positive outcome, no matter if a placebo or pharmacologic treatment was used.The friendliness, interest, sympathy, prestige, and positive attitude of the care- provider toward the pati ent and toward the treatment are associated with positive effects of placebos as well as of active treatments. For example, in a double- blind study of dental extractions, two groups were compared: the first, where the doctors knew they would administer a narcotic analgesic, a placebo, or a narcotic antagonistic and the second, where the doctors knew they would administer either a placebo or narcotic antagonist. The patients from the first group who received placebo had significantly less pain.Since the two placebo groups were only different in the doctors' knowledge of possible treatment, this knowledge must have resulted in differences in behaviors by the doctor that influenced patient responses. Third, placebos have time- effect curves and peaks, cumulative and carryover effects after end of treatment which is quite similar to those of pharmacologically active medications. For example, â€Å"when varying doses of analgesic followed by a placebo are administered, patients' placeb o responses correspond in degree of pain relief over time to their original dosage of analgesic† (Turner).In addition, dose-response effects have also been documented where two placebo pills were demonstrated to have more pronounced effects than one. In recent decades studies have confirmed the efficacy of various sham treatments in nearly all areas of medicine. Placebos have helped alleviate pain, depression, anxiety, Parkinson’s disease, inflammatory disorders and even cancer. These studies show that people’s perception of their treatment plays an important role in healing. In other words, people not only think that a drug or procedure will benefit them, but over time, they unconsciously associate the taking of medicine with relief.This essay has stated what the placebo effect is, how it will be used to care for a patient with given evidence and the restrictions of the placebo effect. Up to now medical science has not fully explained what is the cause or causes of the placebo effect. But it seems that it is the result of the patient’s expectation of an effect. The debate will continue concerning what constitutes a placebo, but whether doctors and researchers should continue to use them. Even some supporters of placebo use claim that it is such a loaded word that perhaps we should start using terms like â€Å"mind-body medicine† or â€Å"integrated healing† instead.But as long as many people believe that the placebo effect works, they're not likely to go away anytime soon. Work Cited â€Å"AMA American Medical Association. † http://www. ama-assn. org/. N. p. , 2012. Web. 29 Apr 2012. . Amaral, Julio Rocha and Renato M. E. Sabbatini. Placebo Effect The Power of the Sugar Pill. February 5,the Mysterious Placebo Effect, an article from Modern Drug Discovery Bates, Stephen. â€Å"Nothing helps: a placebo a day. † The Wilson Quarterly 35. 4 (2011): 15. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context.Web. 11 Mar. 2012. Clo ud, John. â€Å"How A Sugar Pill Can Heal (Or Hurt) You. † Time 174. 17 (2009): 59. TOPIC search. Web. 9 Mar. 2012. Easton MD â€Å"The placebo effect an amazing reality. † Sunday Star (Easton, MD) 1 Jul. 2007, Supplements HealthWise: NewsBank. Web. 12 Mar. 2012. Friend, Tim. â€Å"The placebo effect: Gauging the mind's role in healing. † USA TODAY 15 Jun. 1993, FINAL, LIFE: 6D. NewsBank. Web. 11 Mar. 2012. Herper, Matthew, and Robert Langreth. â€Å"The Nothing Cure. † Forbes 185. 5 (2010): 24. TOPICsearch. Web. 11 Mar. 2012. Marglin, Elizabeth. The PLACEBO Effect. † Natural Health 40. 5 (2010): 68-95. Health Source – Consumer Edition. Web. 15 Mar. 2012. â€Å"The Powerful Placebo. † Harvard Men's Health Watch 12. 11 (2008): 4-6. Health Source – Consumer Edition. Web. 15 Mar. 2012. â€Å"Therapeutic Placebo Effect:A Mind/Body Connection. † placeboeffect. com 10 Apr 2012 . Turner, et al, â€Å"The importance of placebo e ffects in pain treatment and research†, JAMA, 1994: http://www. ovid. med. virginia. edu/ovidweb/ovidweb. cgi

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Nursing Care Within Mental Health Role Social Work Essay Essays

Nursing Care Within Mental Health Role Social Work Essay Essays Nursing Care Within Mental Health Role Social Work Essay Essay Nursing Care Within Mental Health Role Social Work Essay Essay This assignment will allow the writer explain an facet of nursing attention within mental wellness function. As it is stated in the NMC ( 2008 ) as a wellness professional, you are personally accountable for actions and skips in your pattern so this is taking into consideration when treating any intercessions with service users. The writer is traveling to critical discuss and examine in item the assisting attacks used in the intervention of intoxicant maltreatment and draw decisions from them as what is seen as best grounds pattern. The facet of nursing that the writer is traveling to discourse is motivational questioning from the pattern of handling alcohol addiction. This is where that writer foremost seen Motivational Interviewing being used in a Community Drug and Alcohol arrangement. Miller and Rollnick ( 1991 ) defined motivational interviewing as a directive, client centred counselling manner for arousing behaviour alteration by assisting clients to research and decide ambivalency and stated in the Oxford University Dictionary ( 2005 ) ( internet ref 1 ) motive is described as the ground or grounds behind one s actions or behavior and this is the extreme importance for a service user to be at a phase of desiring to alter for themselves and non for others such as household members. This thesis will be looking at the rule of motivational interviewing ( MI ) and the client centred attack that was produced by Carl Rogers in ( 1951 ) which has provided the underpinning of MI. Besides, it will discourse the usage of Motivational Interviewing when a client wants to go abstainer from intoxicant and the phases of alteration theoretical account set up by Prochaska, Norcross and DiClemente ( 1982 ) that has become a tool used when looking at the different alterations in which a client could be placed in. The thesis will besides look at the positive and negative utilizations of MI in alcohol addiction. Introduction of Motivation Interviewing Motivational interviewing ( MI ) was developed to handle job drinkers and was foremost described by Miller ( 1983, cited by Rollnick and Miller 1995 ) in an article discoursing Behavioural Psychotherapy. Subsequently in 1991 Rollnick and Miller characterized Motivation Interviewing as a directing, client-centred guidance manner for arousing behaviour alteration by assisting clients to research and decide ambivalency . It was in 2002 where they subsequently explained that Motivational Interviewing was an assistance to ease the motion through decisional analysis and behavior alteration . Furthermore, LA Lawendowski ( 1998 ) ( Internet ref 3 ) provinces that motivational interviewing is a client-centred therapy and has phases of alteration in the natural recovery from dependence. However, the theoretical account has been used for assortment of other jobs such as Drug Abuse ( Scott et al, 1996 ) Smoking ( Rollnick, S et Al, 1997 ) Gambling Problems ( Diskin and Hodgins 2009 ) Drug Dependence ( Saunders, B et Al, 1995 and Miller, W et Al, 2003 ) Excessive imbibing ( reexamine see Vasilaki et Al, 2006 ) ( Arkowitz, H and Miller, W.R 2008 ) . Motivational interviewing is a psychotherapeutics method which lets the service user to influence and enables alterations in their lives ( Hussein Rassool, G and Kilpatrick, B.1998 ) . Motivational interviewing is a type of reding which allows the service users to discourse helpfully about altering their behavior within alcohol addiction ( Obert, JL 2005 ) ( Internet ref 2 ) . This type of intercession is exceptionally helpful for those service users who are disinclined to alter their life style and open about altering. It s designed to decide ambivalency as it will take the service user to come on following to the way of alteration. Rollnick, Miller and Butler ( 2008 ) states that if a patient appears to be unmotivated to alter that there is nil anybody can make to alter this. They suggest that this statement is normally wrong. They believe that the attack a professional should take is to speak with the patient about their wellness. This can significantly rock their personal motive for behaviour alteration. Arkowitz and Miller ( 2008 ) states that motivational interviewing Is to increase intrinsic motive to alter that which arises from personal ends and values instead than from such external beginnings as others efforts to carry, cajole or hale the individual to alter . By professional organic structures or even household members supercharging the client to alter this can hold an opposite consequence and do that individual have a lessen aspiration to alter. Brehm and Brehm ( 1981 ) reported that when a client is placed into this state of affairs they become loath to alter as they perceive a menace to their personal freedom. Miller and Rollnick ( 2002 ) have mentioned that there is a difference among the technique and the spirit of Motivational Interviewing. If the professional organic structure gets engrossed by the technique, they likely risk the loss of the overall spirit of Motivational Interviewing. Miller and Rollnick ( 1995 ) mentioned that We believe it is critical to separate between the spirit of motivational interviewing and techniques that we have recommended to attest that spirit. Clinicians and trainers who become excessively focussed on affairs of technique can lose sight of the spirit and manner that are cardinal to the attack . Rollnick, Miller and Butler ( 2008 ) characterized the spirit as the following header Collaborative, redolent and honouring of patient liberty: Collaboration. Is where there is a joint decision-making procedure. This is of import in the wellness behavior alteration as it is merely the patient who can originate alterations. Evocative. This happens when the client triggers their ain motives and resources to alter. The client will hold their ain ends and aspirations and dreams so they do non necessitate the way from the professional organic structure. Honoring patients liberty. This is where MI accepts that the clients have a pick about the alteration in their lives and the professional organic structures still can rede, inform and on juncture can warn but their picks it is finally the clients pick ( Rollnick, S et al 2008 ) . They describe this manner of interaction as non-directing but steering, dancing and non wrestling, listening at least every bit much as stating. Phillips and Callaghan ( 2009 ) agrees with this statement and describes motivational interviewing as the following the nurse must avoid lecture, faulting and arousing guilt as this is of import as these places are likely to take to patient defensiveness and the nurse will follow the impersonal place in relation to the person s substance usage . As mentioned before that motivational interviewing is a client-centred attack which needs a curative relationship between the client and the professional organic structure as it is needed for alteration harmonizing to Carl Rogers ( 1951 ) . Three of these to reference that are linked to the spirit of motivational interviewing are therapist genuineness, empathy and unconditioned positive respect. Miller and Rollnick ( 2002 ) mentioned that motivational interviewing is a client-centred or individ ual centred in its focal point on the concerns and positions of the person, every bit good as in our heavy trust on and liability to the work of Carl Rogers and his co-workers. In this sense, motivational interviewing is an development of the client-centerd attack that Rogers developed. Arkowitz and Burke ( 2008 ) province that Motivational Interviewing is different than Carl Rogers attack as the importance of the intensifying intrinsic motive to alter, deciding ambivalency about alteration and the increasing alteration talk through selective responding. It is non uncommon for people to experience ambivalent about alterations in their lives. It is said that it a normal and common constituent of psychological job. Rollnick and Miller ( 1991 ) province that ambivalency is a province of head in which a individual has coexisting but conflicting experiencing about something. Clients who have an habit-forming job who so proceeds with reding will experience conflicting experiencing about their motive. A client can go non-cooperative with the counselor and back once more in a few proceedingss. Orford ( 1985 ) province that when it comes to habit-forming behavior struggles clearly plays a cardinal function. Clients who have imbibing jobs most times acknowledged that the hazards, cost and injury implicated their behavior. The clients are invariably traveling back and forward as they are non certain what to make about their state of affairs. Miller and Rollnick ( 1991 ) explain ambivalency as non a bad mark but to see it to be normal, accepta ble and apprehensible. Once the counselor understands this of ambivalency the counselor will cover with the client in a wholly different manner. Once the counselor realizes the normalcy of ambivalency and the manner in which it works. There will be a noticeable addition of verbal communicating and less opposition between the client and counselor. Their curative relationship will better. Motivational Interviewing is said to back up the client preparedness to alter and supply them with the accomplishments, helps and schemes for alteration ( Miller and Rollnick 1991, Hester and Miler 1989 ) . When looking at the client s ambivalency it can be place on the phases of alteration by Prochaska and DiClemente ( 1982, 1984, 1985 and 1986 ) . Miller and Rollnick ( 2002 ) describe Motivational Interviewing as a tool to help clients through decisional analysis and behavioral alterations. However, in 2001 Bishop refers to Motivational Interviewing as a method adjusted from the theoretical account called Cycle of alteration that was developed by Prochaska and DiClemente ( 1982, 1984, 1985 and 1986 ) . The client varies with respects to where they are on the rhythm of alteration. There are six phases in which the client can put themselves on. The phases of alteration are: Pre-contemplation this is where the client has non recognized that there is a issue with their behavior that needs to be changed Contemplation this is where they have recognized that there is an issue but non yet prepared or convinced ofA desiring to do a alteration Preparation/Determination the clients fixing for alteration where planning and committedness are secured Action/Willpower the client changes their behavior Maintenance client keeping the behavioral alterations Relapse this is where the client returns to their older behavior and renounce the recent alterations ( Internet ref 4 ) This rhythm is non fixed, it is unstable. The client is able start and coating anyplace within the rhythm. As like most alkies if they are non committed to alter their behavior sing their imbibing so relapses do happen. Prochaska and DiClemente ( 1983 ; 1983 ) province that wheel theoretical accounts approach allow the client to travel in and out of assorted phases of alteration. Prochaska and DiClemente ( 1991 ) suggest that people move both forwards and backwards round the rhythm of alteration, and spend changing sums of clip at each phase. Peoples pass through all phases. An illustration of this could be a client in the action phase into backsliding and so develop into pre-contemplative about alteration. Furthermore, the client could travel to preparation phrase from the backsliding phase. This could assist the client in taking obstructions that may hold disallowed them efficaciously keeping the yearning to alter their behavior ( Schulz, J. and Floyd, M.R 2002 ) . Prochaska and P rochaska ( 1991 ) suggested that if there is a mismatch between phases and procedures so the motion through the phases will be impeded and the individual will look immune or non-compliant. Equally good as the phases of alteration Motivational Interviewing has four guiding rules. Miller, Rollnick and Butler ( 2008 ) province that these are the guiding rules: Resist Understand Listen Empower This is merely a touch on what Motivational Interviewing is approximately and on the following chapter it will discourse the research for and against Motivational Interviewing in alcohol addiction. Critical discuss Motivational Interviewing in Alcoholism

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

How to Recycle Different Types of Plastic

How to Recycle Different Types of Plastic Plastic is a versatile and inexpensive material with thousands of uses, but it is also a significant source of pollution. Some worrisome emerging environmental issues involve plastics, including gigantic oceanic garbage patches  and the microbeads problem. Recycling can alleviate some of the problems, but the confusion over what we can and cannot recycle continues to confound consumers. Plastics are particularly  troublesome, as different types require different processing to be reformulated and re-used as raw material. To effectively recycle plastic items, you need to know two things: the plastic number of the material, and which of these types of plastics your municipalitys recycling service accepts. Many facilities now accept #1 through #7  but check with them first to make sure. Recycling by the Numbers The symbol code we are familiar with - a single digit ranging from 1 to 7 surrounded by a triangle of arrows - was designed by The Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI) in 1988 to allow consumers and recyclers to differentiate types of plastics while providing a uniform coding system for manufacturers. The numbers, which 39 U.S. states now require to be molded or imprinted on all eight-ounce to five-gallon containers that can accept the half-inch minimum-size symbol, identify the type of plastic. According to the American Plastics Council, an industry trade group, the symbols also help recyclers do their jobs more effectively. PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) The easiest and most common plastics to recycle are made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and are assigned the number 1. Examples include soda and water bottles, medicine containers, and many other common consumer product containers. Once it has been processed by a recycling facility, PET can become fiberfill for winter coats, sleeping bags, and life jackets. It can also be used to make beanbags, rope, car bumpers, tennis ball felt, combs, sails for boats, furniture and, of course, other plastic bottles. However tempting it may be,  PET #1 bottles should not be re-purposed as reusable water bottles. HDPE (High-density polyethylene plastics) Number 2 is reserved for high-density polyethylene plastics (HDPE). These include heavier containers that hold laundry detergents and bleaches as well as milk, shampoo, and motor oil. Plastic labeled with the number 2 is often recycled into toys, piping, truck bed liners, and rope. Like plastic designated number 1, it is widely accepted at recycling centers. V (Vinyl) Polyvinyl chloride, commonly used in plastic pipes, shower curtains, medical tubing, vinyl dashboards, gets number 3. Once recycled, it can be ground up and reused to make vinyl flooring, window frames, or piping. LDPE (Low-density polyethylene) Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) is number 4 and is used to make thin, flexible plastics like wrapping films, grocery bags, sandwich bags, and a variety of soft packaging materials. PP (Polypropylene) Some food containers are made with the stronger polypropylene plastic (number 5) as well as a large proportion of plastic caps. PS (Polystyrene) Number 6 goes on polystyrene (commonly called  Styrofoam) items such as coffee cups, disposable cutlery, meat trays, packing â€Å"peanuts† and insulation. It can be reprocessed into many items, including rigid insulation. However, the foam versions of plastic #6 (for example, cheap coffee cups) pick up a lot of dirt and other contaminants during the handling process, and often just ends up being thrown away at the recycling facility.   Others Last, are items crafted from various combinations of the aforementioned plastics or from unique plastic formulations not commonly used. Usually imprinted with a number 7 or nothing at all, these plastics are the most difficult to recycle. If your municipality accepts #7, good, but otherwise you will have to re-purpose the object or throw it in the trash. Better yet, do  not buy it in the first place. More ambitious consumers can feel free to return such items to the product manufacturers to avoid contributing to the local waste stream, and instead, put the burden on the makers to recycle or dispose of the items properly. EarthTalk is a regular feature of E/The Environmental Magazine. Selected EarthTalk columns are reprinted here by permission of the editors of E. Edited by Frederic Beaudry.

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Project Portfolio Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Project Portfolio Management - Research Paper Example It is the duty of the executives to regularly look after the complete portfolio as well as programs, determine the significance of the project, allotment of the funds, staging the start of the new project and thus continuously monitor its progress (Wisconsin School of Business, 2011). Automotive Industry Apart from housing, the most significant possession for an America is the motor vehicles. One of the biggest automotive industries in the global economy has been recognized as the US automotive industry. None other sectors or industries have been argued to generate the business as much as the US manufacturing industry does and thus it is the US automotive industry that plays a vital role in the GDP structure of the economy. The productivity of the automotive industry in the US has been higher in comparison to other industries and thus there has been significant growth in the level of output with the pace of time (McAlinden, 2003). Company The company chosen for the study is Mercedes which was established by Gottlieb Daimler together with Carl Benz in the year 1886. Presently, the entity is operating under the parent company as Daimler AG which is one of the leading automobile companies in the global market (Daimler, 2011). Mission Statement and Strategies The mission of Mercedes Benz is to demonstrate the purpose of the company in clear stated terms. The company is committed to provide excellent services thus establishing value for its brands, dealers as well as customers. The company’s mission is to assist in the overall success of its parent company Daimler and further to create numerous opportunities for its employees. Notably, Mercedes-Benz has been successful at achieving higher profitability and market position in the year 2010. The company aims at making the future mobility less risky as well as sustainable. The activities performed by them are completely focused upon the needs of the customers. Therefore, they tend to inspire the customers with p remium automobiles featuring proper design, perceived value, reliability as well as comfort. It provides its customers with the commercial cars that are competitive. The company also provides service packages in order to delight its customers (Daimler, 2010). SBU Mission and Strategies It is to be mentioned that the strategic business unit (SBU) is different from other business segments that is engaged with serving an external market whereby the management is capable of conducting planning in relation to products and services. SBUs have their particular strategies as well as objectives related to their sole purposes. It has been observed from the annual report that there are four main classifications of the DaimlerChrysler AG such as DaimlerChrysler Services, Commercial Vehicles Division, Mercedes Car Group and Chrysler Group. There are three different SBUs of Mercedes Benz such as passenger cars, trucks and buses and vans. The mission of each of the SBUs at Mercedes Benz is to beco me the most successful manufacturer of the car in both premium as well as luxury segment. Its portfolios also include cars that make use of hybridization and locally emission-free electric engines (UBS Paris Auto Show Investor Conference, 2010). Organization Structure of Mercedes Benz The CEO