Saturday, August 31, 2019

Ambitions

Bamboo is about a system of corruption and oppression brought about by the triangle of power that we are now living In. In the Philippines, the effects of this â€Å"triangle† can be vividly seen throughout the country; murders, stolen funds, mistaken identities and poverty-stricken people because of corruption.The song gives a clearer sound to what the country Is crying for and why the people of this country are suffering and being punished with Injustice every day. People are blinded with the notion that racism Is the enemy and color and birthplace Is the enter for Injustice but we are gravely mistaken because as long as there Is poverty to be seen, and Justice to be given only to the rich and powerful, nothing good will come to our country and to our people.I am growing up In a country with officials that are like wolves where they stalk on the easiest prey at the blink of an eye, it would surprise me if one of them would do something out of pure charity, â€Å"being truly generous† is starting to be extinct, with the way our system is progressing. The true nature of this â€Å"triangle† is that it all favors to who is on top and respectively, it all saviors to who is at the bottom and because of this; we are continually being pulled down by our own wrongdoings.A country that lives with two faces, a face which does everything to help the people, and a face that works in the dark to pull strings in self- favor. I have seen how this triangle works and I can personally say that as time passes, the gap between the top and bottom is starting to distance further, which can mean only one thing; the prosperity of the people and the economy is determined by the battle between the two faces of a nation that thrive in a triangle of power.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Claire Fahys’s ‘Over There’ Essay

Fahys’s work ‘over there’ is part of her depiction for the new metropolis, a series of work portraying the overcrowded, polluted urban life. The work is representational of urbanization and the dehumanized materialism of the modern society. The composition is a striking combination of bold color strokes against a black and white backdrop. Bright red, orange and streaks of highlighter green are combined with black, white and shades of grey to achieve a distinguished tonality of color for the frame. A three dimensional perception is created with the contour lines of the buildings vanishing in perspective. The artist has used mixed media to create a unique effect on cardboard. The artwork conveys a very gloomy image and represents chaos and destruction in the very composition or depiction. The buildings are distorted at unruly angles and the general composition is deliberately disorderly conveying the intended message to the viewer. The main content is the confusion and the chaos surrounding the urban landscape. The work portrays a concrete jungle in contortion posing an analogy to the mechanical unearthly life pattern of the urban society. The subject matter is urbanism; gigantic cities, towering skyscrapers and expansion of human population. Cities and vertical expansions were once considered to create a communal environment however â€Å"these giant cities that aim at developing human relationships do have a dehumanized aspect. In the transition from the old real world to the new virtual world, human beings will make the scaring experience of their smallness relative to the mass† (‘Claire Fahys and the new Metropolis’, n . d) . Art here is used as a convincing medium of communication to convey a message, on the fearful aspect of dehumanization, to the community. Iman Maleki’s ‘Memory of that house’ Image from http://imanmaleki. com/en/Galery/wish. htm Iman Maleki is a contemporary realist artist. The image chosen here does not fit into the conventional sense of art, as it looks more like a photograph than a work of traditional art. The image is a three dimensional work of art with depth, perspective and an interesting play of light and shade. The medium used is oil on canvas. The various objects and forms are combined creatively rendering a well balanced organized outlook to the composition. The texture is soft and natural. The reflection of light on the wall is captured well. The openness of the house and its relationship to the various elements of nature represented in the work is conveyed clearly through an objective rendering of the sky, the greenery and the building itself. The woman portrayed is seemingly well absorbed in world of her own. The frame rekindles memories of a house with the many remembrances associated with it. The work has the effect of transporting the viewer to another plane of imagination, to another space altogether; a space that comes refreshingly alive in memory. The rendering of the brick, cement mortar, the weather marks on the brick and cement mortar, the woman in her traditional clothing, the exposed part of her skin and every other element is captured to the finest detail. The image is objective and is representational of the house that is depicted in the framework. The main subject matter is the house itself detailed brick by brick and fond memories of that house conveyed visually. The colors used are soft, subtle and natural. References Claire Fahys and the new Metropolis, n . d. www. thefrenchartstudio. com. 26 July 2009

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Importance of Advance Directives Essay

The Importance of Advance Directives Tara J. DiDonato Axia College of University of Phoenix The Importance of Advance Directives While most people do not speak about end of life issues either because of their background or religion, it is not only for the elderly, we should all make our wishes known. According to the Pew Research Center, (January 2006), â€Å"42% of  Americans have had a friend or relative  suffer from a terminal illness or coma in the last five years and  for a majority of these people , the issue of withholding life sustaining treatment came up†. Although many people feel it is taboo, all adults over the age of 18 should think about what their healthcare wishes would be if they could not speak for themselves. These wishes should be documented in an advance directive, so that loved ones know what they are. Power of Communication According to the Mayo Clinic (2005), â€Å"The issues surrounding serious illness and death are not easy to discuss. Decisions are much easier on our loved ones if we have an advance directive in place before we are faced with a serious illness or accident†. Without communicating our wishes, we might find ourselves in a condition that we are unable to communicate the medical treatment we wish to receive, such as resuscitation or life support. Having a conversation with loved ones is important to clarify medical wishes. We should explain our wishes and explain how our values have shaped our decision. Types of Advance Directives According to the Mayo Clinic (2005), â€Å"Advance Directives are written instructions regarding your medical care preferences†. There are various types of advance directives, such as; a Living Will, Durable Power of Attorney, Healthcare Proxy and Do Not Resuscitate Order (DNR). Durable power of attorney and living wills have limitations, they do not include instructions for every situation, which means that we need to trust that the person we have named will make the decisions which are in our best interest and are what we would have wanted. A DNR order is a form that is commonly discussed with a physician. A DNR order alerts physicians and emergency medical personnel that if a patient’s heart stops beating or if the patient stops breathing, there should be no attempts to revive them. Another advance directive is a Healthcare Proxy (HCP). This document allows patients to choose an agent to act on their behalf if they are temporarily or permanently unable to make healthcare decisions on their own. According to Fell, Kukula and Taylor (2005), as with other advance directives, â€Å"it is very important to discuss, in detail, all of your wishes with your surrogate and make sure they clearly understand and are willing to make these decisions on your behalf† (p. 4). Everyone should have a voice, not just the elderly Advance directives are not just for the elderly, anyone over the age of 18 should have one. Unexpected situations can arise at any age and there might be end of life decisions that needs to be made. In the event that a person does not have an advance directive in place, according to Fell, et al. (2005), â€Å"you will receive medical care to the fullest extent appropriate for your condition†. Without an advance directive the patient might receive more treatment than he or she would have wanted. The biggest misconception about an advance directive is that people think that having one means â€Å"do not treat†, this is incorrect. Frequently used medical terms

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Burberry Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Burberry - Case Study Example However, in 2005, General Universal Stores divested their stake in 2005. The current CEO of the group is Angela Ahredts, who replaced Rose Marie Bravo. (Burberry Official Website, 2010) From its inception, the brand has experienced massive growth and now owns thousand of outlets and franchises throughout England. The company specializes in menwear, womenwear, childrenwear and non-apparel garments. Out of these, the largest share of its revenue comes from womenwear. Burberry is also a household name in the international market. This feat was achieved with the recent trend of globalization and this is where the company pays most attention. The company has no distinctive mission statement. However, reading on from their annual reports it can be seen that the company wants to maximize its revenues in order to increase the business profitability. This is what the entire team and the management of Burberry plc works for and for many years now. In order to achieve their mission of maximizing revenue the company is trying to streamline their operations by moving towards focused collection. Although, this is a generic term but it implies that the company is moving toward more balanced collection in terms of design, style and quality. The company is doing this through constant innovation strategies. They have increased the frequency of new designs coming to retail outlets. The brand also aims to achieve its objective by increasing productivity, streamlining store operations, by adopting a policy of quick expansion and by making use of the latest technology to make their operations more and more efficient. (Burberry Annual Reports of 2008, 2009) From our discussion about Burberry plc Group, we can see that it has been doing brilliantly since its inception. However, in the recent years, the firm is facing some challenges in the form of recession and fierce competition in the industry due to entry of a lot of new firm in this market to cater the needs of the consumer. In the next part of this report, we are going to look at some of the strategies that Burberry has adopted to counter these challenges. Burberry has been greatly affected by the ongoing recessionary phase in which we find global economy in. Economic recession has affected Burberry indirectly in an adverse way. As a result of economic recession, people's purchasing power has been deteriorating and now they have to think twice when buying a luxury item like Burberry. As a result of this, Burberry's profits are fast falling and irked the top management of the company for sometimes now. One example of how Burberry is been affected by continuing recession can be seen in the Burberry Group's income statement for the year which shows a profit of 99.8m as compared to 170.9m that were earned a year before. This was decline of approximately 41%. This shows how badly the firm is affected by the current recessionary wave that the world is experiencing. Another thing that worries Burberry's management is the structure of supply-chain of the company. The company finds that in few of the firm's product categories, it relies on small number of supplier. As a result, these suppliers command more authority over Burberry and this over reliance on few suppliers can cause a lot of trouble to Burberry. However, the only way the situation can be improved is by restructuring the supply-chain management of the company, which the company is trying to undertake with some success. Similarly, most of the firm's

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Business Ethics in the Business World Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Business Ethics in the Business World - Essay Example However, the aim of business ethics is to encourage the business leaders to strive to achieve ethical perfection and to not be put off by the fact that ethics could not be always 100% applied in every area and decision-making process. This essay aims at scrutinizing the role played by business ethics and illuminating multiple ways by which it works to enhance a business’s functionality. Essay Acknowledging the importance of ethical standards in the business world is highly important because ethics form the foundation of all successful and reputable businesses around the globe. Any business lacking ethical principles is bound to crash sooner or later. It is critically important that business organizations take maximum advantage of this ideology. The role of ethics in every way of life is indisputable which is why discussing it also remains highly important in the context of business. General consensus is that even businesses started with a prodigious sum of investment could dra stically fail if decisions are made without paying considerable attention to the role of ethics. Therefore, it is crucially important to acknowledge the role of ethics while designing business strategies, managing workforce, and satisfying customers because it is the ethical principles which primarily direct businesses in the right direction and illuminate which elements need to be curbed in order to avoid failure. Most of the business practices and changes fail to be incorporated seriously because the responsible people do not know much about the ethical rules which should be followed as a way of ensuring foolproof implementation. This essay is primarily based on contemplating the nature of role played by ethics in the business world in addition to evaluating the extent to which it regulates the solidarity and strength of a business. (Texans Credit Union, n.d.) The above figure demonstrates different components of Texan's Credit Union's business ethics strategy which promotes one u nified message: "Do the right thing" (Texans Credit Union, n.d.). Texans's Credit Unions is a successful company based in Texas and it is easy to appreciate from the above figure that business ethics promote shared values, organizational commitment, motivation, good conduct, positive leadership and operating practices, communication hotline, and vision in an organization. It also helps in eliminating the excessive use of power by the employers because it makes them realize that employees form one of the most important stakeholders for the business who invest long hours of gruel work to manage the consequences of every decision and policy. In the absence of ethics, businesses are readily exposed to both internal and external chaos. The leaders who reject the notion of ethics prefer to lead employees with force and violence and often act as tyrants depending on the use of intimidation and threats. Such a negative attitude rips the talented workforce off of motivation, dedication, and work commitment and business ethics work to just reverse this condition. Much research has been done to evaluate the nature of influence exerted by authoritativeness on ethics and it is revealed that negative leading styles tend to kill the function of ethics in every business area. Unhealthy use of power in a business settlement not based on ethics leads to corrupting the workforce most

Models of Instructional Design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Models of Instructional Design - Essay Example The main models of instructional design are conceptualizing instructional design, a stimulus-response-reinforcement model and cognitive learning theory. Conceptualizing instructional design was developed by Gagne and Briggs during the 1970s. Thos theory incorporates cognitive theory popular during this period of time. Gagne and Briggs defined a set of requirements for instructional design systems, including that the system (a) must be designed for the individual, (b) should include immediate and long-range phases, (c) should substantially affect individual development, and (d) must be based on knowledge of how people learn (Gagn & Briggs, 1974). Their theory was based on a set of capabilities, or learning outcomes, that students would acquire through instruction. These outcomes were classified into five categories: verbal information, intellectual skills, cognitive strategies, motor skills, and attitude. The second theory of instructional design is based on behavior characteristics and behavior patterns. A stimulus-response-reinforcement model was developed during the 1960s and was based on behaviorist learning theories. Studies sought to determine the most effective means of implementing a stimulus-response-reinforcement model to ensure that the prescribed learning outcomes would be achieved. A major goal of research centered around a behaviorist task analysis and the development of behavioral objectives for learning (Tennyson, 1972 cited Jonassen et al 1989). The third theory selected for analysis was developed during 1980s and influenced by new concepts and investigations in the field of cognitive psychology. Tennyson and Rasch (1988) offered a theory of instructional design that directly attaches specific allocations of instructional time to desired educational objectives and goals. They prescribed an instructional design theory that links cognitive learning theory with appropriate instructional strategies. By allocating time across a range of objectives they blended the structured and discovery approaches. In the acquisition of knowledge both structured and discovery strategies are employed. Although their goal was improving employment of knowledge, they specified both group and individual situations to help learners elaborate and extend their individual knowledge bases and cognitive processes (Scandura & Scandura 1980). In contrast to two previous theories, cognitive learning theory explains mental processes and takes into account thinking and perception processes. In contrast to this theory the goals of the behavioral analysis were on identifying small, incremental tasks or subskills that the learner needed to acquire for successful completion of the instruction, designing specific objectives that would lead to the acquisition of those subskills, and sequencing subskill acquisition in the order that would most efficiently lead to successful learner outcomes (Scandura & Scandura 1980). Also important to researchers' investigations was the search for variables of individual differences. The goal from this perspective is the development of instructional programs that would enable the majority of students to achieve levels of performance that were predetermined in terms of behaviorally defined objectives (Jonassen et al 198

Monday, August 26, 2019

Stress Management in the Workplace Research Paper

Stress Management in the Workplace - Research Paper Example By finding out the common reasons of job related stress, companies can identify likely â€Å"trouble spots† (Maslach & Leiter, 1997, p. 72) in their own business. The more extensive the application of the term ‘stress’, the more indefinable its meaning. Well known meaning of stress, that is identified by everyone, is a personal experience due to anxiety or burden on a person, and negatively affects the person’s capability to handle or rather, his/her viewpoint regarding that capability. Bad teamwork and ineffective management were the two important reasons behind job related stress, with bad teamwork concerns having the â€Å"most powerful influence† (Maslach & Leiter, 1997, p. 81) on work-related fatigue, physical fitness problems, and performance issues. Job related stress is associated with fatigue, physical as well as psychological wellbeing issues, and performance issues, such as absence, high employee turnover and mistakes. At this point in time, main worry of workers is to find a way for having stability in responsibilities of professional as well as personal life. Taking into consideration the fact that flexibility is a very crucial concern for employees, having insignificant flexibility in the job will be a significant factor contributing towards stress. â€Å"The more practical as well as uncompromising a company is about taking time off, looking for professional agendas, and so forth, the more the level of stress of its staff† (Maslach & Leiter, 1997, p. 87). Stress affects people by at least two ways. â€Å"First, prolonged stress makes people to regress† (Stranks, pp. 23-24). Their mental growth upsets, and they are likely to act in an immature manner. They promptly turn out to be more careless as well as irresponsible. A simple, common everyday example is a sick person who is unhappy and suffering from a number of days. His family members will agree that he has become self-centered, loud, and

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Consumption and its effects on the environment Essay

Consumption and its effects on the environment - Essay Example As members of a family under God, we have to be aware of the environmental decay that is going on because of so-called development. There are many adverse consequences we face because of our use, or abuse, of the environment, and one of these is global warming. Global warming is the biggest threat to our mother Earth and even to our own existence. Our world has gone to the extreme, or, we have excelled in everything. We have invented so many things, we have built wonders and huge structures and buildings never before imagined, and yet we have abandoned proper care for the resources to which we owed our inventions and creations. It is time everyone must be involved in fighting abuse of our environment. Students, artists, workers and everyone should encourage awareness of the environment through art or writing, in school and in our homes. Floods, typhoons, the "el nio" and "la nia" phenomena, global warming, and many other natural calamities are caused by indiscriminate cutting of trees, disposal of garbage and waste, chemicals, factories, and many things. The theme "Consumption and its effects on the environment" can have a broad meaning, but consumption and environment go together. We use our environment, our natural resources for our daily living. can not survive if we don’t make use of the things around us for food, shelter, clothing, and everything for our survival. There is one very interesting about the environment and that is if we know how to take care of it, it replaces itself. Our environment or natural resources do not just disappear from us without a cause, it has the means to multiply. We only have to help in replacing what we have consumed, and not be a tool for its extinction. "Consuming" means taking or possessing, but it doesn't mean throwing away after possessing, and in the process of throwing, we destroy. If we have to throw away because we don't want them anymore, we have to be responsible in disposing of the materials used.

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Excelsior Dating Service Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Excelsior Dating Service - Essay Example First f all I don't think that they are good for everyone to use. There are certainly a lot f precautions you must take when dating but that applies to all dating. You need to use common sense and do not be nave when it come to meeting new people. Also I think that the best kind f dating service is the internet type. The news papers and professional dating services seem to be a little "cheap" if you ask me. I would never want to try to post my profile next to one that says 300 lb. man looking for gay lover. It just doesn't seem right. Not that I'm against that sort f thing but it just sounds too cheap. Also, professional services tend to introduce you for dates as soon as possible. (Browne 1-7) It seems too fast for me. Are the men are expecting a little too much after they purchase that steak and lobster dinner But back to the subject at hand, yes I would participate in the internet dating service type program. Actually, I have been a member f a few on-line services and never dated any f the gentle men I've met but I have made a few good friends to chat with anonymously. There are over 1.5 million sites on the internet and I must say I was shocked to see that most services are free to join but there is a catch, you must pay if you want to contact or answer an inquiry, oh- these guys are smart! Some f the pros f the internet type dating services are as follows in the next few paragraphs. The large volume f ads or personality profiles to look through, are great. You would not believe how long it takes just to get through the ones that meet your criteria! This is not something you can do with such anonymity at a night club, don't you agree Anonymity in placing your profile under a screen name, and a great way to meet the honest character is to leave out the photograph. The ability to get to know someone by chatting for hours before you meet them is a great pro f the dating services. Not only will you not judge a book by its cover but the personality click is very important to a woman. Well for myself more than sex appeal I think. You also get the opportunity to meet people from all around the country or even the world and the kicker is most guys write "will relocate for the right woman" sounds like a job ad, silly but effective. The cons or bad points f these services can be dangerous if the wrong type f people use a service such as this. Just recently a girl, age 19, was kidnapped and barely escaped with her life. Now why is a young girl using this service I think they should limit people to age 25 years and up. However, some folks lie about themselves on-line! You must be very careful. People lie about who and what they are including their ages and their intentions. There are many predatory people that use the internet to find naive people to use. Just recently there was an arrest f a man who has meet and stolen millions f dollars from lonely women using a service! There is really no way to check up on the truth behind the chat and what someone is saying they are, IE: married or not There are however some safely use the internet dating services such as following

Friday, August 23, 2019

To what extent is social class relevant in relation to those who make Essay

To what extent is social class relevant in relation to those who make the law and those who break it - Essay Example There are four main a social classes, such as â€Å"upper class, middle class, working class and the lower class† (Murray, 1995). In order to discuss relation of a social class to lawbreakers, it is relevant to consider a a social class of Britain as the biggest class of lawbreakers. Law breakers in Britain are often accused of avoidance of tax payment, are undercharged in shops etc. A dishonest behavior was admitted by more than 50% of Great Britain inhabitants. A paradoxical behavior of British society is defined in the following terms: â€Å"While nine out of 10 people demand action against those committing these offences, the majority actually admit to committing one of them† (Carrabine&South, 2000). In America there is no strict and intense relation between representatives of different classes. Nevertheless, American constitution was developed in the eighteenth century, but in the modern time there is a lack of special social and economic rights (Carrabine&South, 2 000). A social class is more objective entity in relation to the society than race. A social class has been shaped under the influence of economic relations, symbolic systems and other external factors. Therefore, it is relevant to claim that representatives of a social class are shaped under the influence of education, surrounding people, family traditions, income rates and many other factors. As a result, representatives of lower class have fewer possibilities to realize themselves as successful politicians. It can be supposed that they will become criminals or lawbreakers sooner than lawmakers. Lawmakers/breakers and social class Symbolic context of a social class has been influenced by politics freight. The western considerations about the nature and the culture and thus further considerations about what class is, is usually conducted in terms of â€Å"binary oppositions†. In the theory of criminology, social class considerations in terms of â€Å"binary oppositions† have remained relevant to the modern society. On the one hand, in accordance with criminologists, it is impossible to differ between â€Å"criminals† and â€Å"non-criminals†. Nevertheless, starting from the XXI century it has been claimed that nature of criminals is related to gender, race and class. More often criminals are accounted for representatives of an underclass, i.e. the most disadvantageous people who are unemployed or neglected by the society (Andersen and Collins, 1998). It is relevant to trace these interrelations in terms of four main sociological approaches: â€Å"quantitative studies; time and place studies; ethnographic studies, and social construction studies† (Andersen and Collins, 1998). In quantitative studies individuals’ misbehavior leads to a crime. A representation of certain socio-economic groups is usually questioned in this approach, because very often data collection for such kind of researches limits background data of c riminals. Some analysts claim that â€Å"The lack of both significant class effects and any race effects in our general crime scale may suggest a possible interaction effect between a social class and race† (Ibid, p. 607). Therefore, in making their judgments lawmakers often take into account an interrelation between a social class and a crime or between who may be potential lawbreakers or lawmakers. Gender, age and family income are often influential factors of crime’

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Major Educational Challenges Assessment for Kenya Education System Essay Example for Free

Major Educational Challenges Assessment for Kenya Education System Essay With a total population of over 43 million, Kenya is the biggest and most advanced economy in the east and central Africa. It is well-known for its natural resource and the vast variety of wildlife, which contribute a large proportion to Kenya’s GDP in agricultural and service sectors. It’s prosperous capital Nairobi is also given the name â€Å"East African Paris†. But behind the misleading impression of affluence left by a minority of urban population, Kenya is still a poor developing country with half of the population living in total poverty. Even though with a GINI index of 42. which is only medium, the economic status inequality of Kenyans is relatively high: The rich has a condo with four private cars and two maids while the poor in shabby clothes are living in slums just two miles away. The economy of the country also leads to problems in the education sector in Kenya. The objectives of this memo is to identify three most important issues that may be challenges for Kenyan Government and Kenyan education sector, and come up with potential solutions and strategies to address them. 1, Educational inequality between urban and rural areas There’s been a significant educational inequality between urban and rural Kenya. From the data provided by â€Å"Exploring Kenyan Education† site, School Location Density (2007), most schools distributes around big cities in the southern and southwestern Kenya where the majority of the population lives in. These cities includes Nairobi the Capital, Nakuru, Kericho, Kisumu, Eldoret, Kakamega, Meru and Mombasa. Since the school density does not show any problems because it follows the demography theory, but the enrollment rate and the educational investment may tell a part of the story. In big cities like Nairobi, the gross enrollment rate of primary education is as high as 103% and the net enrollment rate is 91% (2009). But as of northeastern and northwestern Kenya the ratio is as low as 35% or even 25%. Even though the primary education is free and uniform in Kenya, there are still extra costs. One that blocks the way of education for children is the school uniform. Students drop out of schools simply because they don’t have school uniform, the situation is even worse in those tribe territories and extreme poor areas. The school uniform costs almost a thousand Ksh that many families cannot afford. Even though there has been official regulation noting that no student ought to be turned away for not having uniform, uniform is such an ineradicable â€Å"culture† in Kenya schools that either schools or parents keep students away from school for not having schools uniforms. Lacking of resources becomes another. Lacking of sufficient textbooks and necessary stationaries makes students in rural areas hard to study. Students normally depend on what their teachers can provide to them and most of the time a textbook is shared by two plus students. Even there are articles saying lacking of teachers is another problem, but according to the data by Kenya Open Data, the Pupil-Teacher Ratio in rural areas is not significantly higher than that is in developed area) -Possible solutions Providing free school uniforms targeting economically challenged students (application by student or their parents). Education ministry should also take responsibility to make sure every single student can have the textbooks they need. Unified and organized studying necessities delivery should be arranged at the start of each semester. 2, Primary-to Secondary Bottleneck The primary education in Kenya is free and an average of over 90% of eligible school-age children are enrolled into primary schools, but the net enrollment rate only ranges from 3%-50%, that means even in the best conditioned area, nearly half of the students quit studying at the age of 15. Tuition Fees remains the largest barrier for going secondary school. Data shows that a primary student cost around 3,000 Ksh (32 USD) per household per year (2005), but surges to 25,000 Ksh (270 USD) for secondary education, which accounts for more than half of Annual income per household. Despite government subsidies for secondary schools, some national and top provincial schools charge fees as high as 73,600 Ksh for one year. Such excessive education expense may be totally fine for students from privileged families, but for kids from middle class or poor families who fight all the way to those schools, that becomes a disaster. The other factor that creates the bottleneck is the poor education quality in most of the public primary schools. Primary school students need to reach over 250 points in KCPE (Kenya Certificate of Primary Education) to be qualified to continue secondary education. There are better teachers teaching in private schools and students are receiving â€Å"elite† education. 77 percent of private primary school students (2007) score over 250 compared to only 45 percent among public school students. This really reveals the poor teaching quality which fails students in public schools, thus most economic privileged families send their children to private schools. -Possible solutions: More government subsidies Though the secondary education receives governmental subsidies, more subsidies are needed to help those students with economical difficulties. Document students who need tuition aid and set up foundation targeting those students. Thus the resource can be concentrated to those in need. Further more, more money should be invested for better teachers, better infrastructures in public schools. Strengthen subsidy usage supervision Kenyan Ministry of Education spends more than 10,000Ksh per secondary student annually. This amount of money is controlled by schools instead of directly by the students, and the tuition gets even higher each year. Many secondary schools charges suggested annual tuition standard by MOE for only one semester, and most of them cannot explain the subsidies usage. Having government nominated supervisor sent to schools regularly to make sure the subsidies are in proper use would be a potential solution. Heath problems that contribute to the dropout and poor education quality Health problem has been a huge challenge for students in Kenya and the country’s heath system has been always in a difficult time trying to provide accessible heath care for its population. Poor nutrition, underweight, intestinal worms, malaria, HIV, unexpected early pregnancies, etc. have greatly influenced students’ academic performance. In some areas such as Naivasha and Thika, own illness/disability becomes the biggest reason for not attending school. The ratio may be as high as over 70% and some time reaches over 90%. Also, early pregnancy is also a main contributor to the high dropout rate among girls. -Possible solution School heath program: a school based heath system should be set up to secure students’ health condition. Since families may not be able to provide enough food supply especially for those poor families, government should help schools provide at least one meal per day to ensure students’ nutrition supplement. Also, 3. 6 million children were dewormed in 2009 and continuing implementing deworming program has been proved to be an effective way to increase attendance. Then schools should also take responsibilities for sex knowledge education which most children could not receive at home.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Explanation as to why projects fail Essay Example for Free

Explanation as to why projects fail Essay Lack of staff expertise Having the right members of staff is very crucial when running a project. Project mangers have to be extremely careful when employing members of staff, hiring people that do not know how to use tools during the development of a project can result in time consumption. Going over the budget If the project manager wastes more money then necessary, then how their project going to be able to continue, how will members of staff get paid, and where are they going to get the money for the tools that are needed. Project managers have to always be wary about how much money is being spent and to always keep track of their budget and avoid spending too much money. Insufficient details from client It is extremely important for the project manager to find out as many details as possible in order to create the product for them. If there are not enough details and the product is made, the client may not be satisfied and therefore the project has failed as well as the project manager. There are projects out there that do not give enough requirements which have led to cases where the developers of the project having no input from the client, and create a project that they believe is needed without them knowing anything about the business itself. When the project has then been given to the client, business users will then say that it does not do what is needed to be done. This is also connected to a lack of user involvement; a user has to always know exactly what they want and have the ability to specify it precisely. Not enough proper time to research and plan Before any project starts, planning has to always be taken place in order to prepare for the unexpected so that we can react quicker minimising any problems as much as possible. But if not enough time has been given to properly plan and also to research a product, that will only increase the risk of the project failing. Using the wrong kind of tools There are many different kinds of softwares that can be used for many different kinds of things. Using the wrong software can be almost impossible or difficult to do the project. For example to create a spreadsheet, Microsoft Excel will be needed. But if Microsoft FrontPage is provided, then it would be impossible to create the spreadsheet because FrontPage is used to make websites and WebPages, not spreadsheets. They can over-run (passed the deadline) If a project has passed its deadline, it has failed and the client will probably not be able to afford the project any longer and will terminate the project. Projects can pass the deadline simply because certain problems may have been very difficult to overcome and therefore time-consuming. Other things can also include members of staff not working full time or not working properly in the project. Poor communication People have to communicate with each other in order to know what is happening and what is going on. If people do not communicate with each other then how they will know if they are doing everything in the correct order and if everything is working perfectly in order for them to continue. It is extremely important that members of staff tell each other when to apply certain things or when to start creating little bits in order to make the project. Lack of User Involvement Everyone that has been hired to carry out the project must always be involved so that project can run as smoothly as planned. A lack of user involvement can prove to be fatal for any kind of project. Every user has to be involved otherwise nobody in the business will be committed to a system and may be also hostile to it. In order to have a successful project every single user has to be involved from the start of the project and continue to be involved throughout the whole development. Changes in the requirements. While a project is being developed, what can sometimes happen is that the client can suddenly decide to add more details to the production of the project, because of this happening many projects has failed simply because there was not enough time to finish the project due to the amount of time that it took to add those extra details. Long or Unrealistic Time periods Sometimes clients give project managers a ridiculous amount of time to finish a project when it is impossible because there maybe few members of staff, or not enough money to pay for tools that are needed to create the project. Project managers have to plan carefully how much time is needed to create a whole project, a manager will have to take in consideration how much members of staff are needed and for how much time. Managers have to also be aware of any unrealistic time periods, for example for a product to arrive or a specific tool or software. Waiting for tools to be delivered could take a week or more which could have an impact over the whole project. It is recommended that project managers review all project plans so that they will be able to see if they are all realistic before they proceed with anything. Poor Testing People that are developing projects will have to carefully test them and also test to see if it meets the business requirements. But testing can sometimes fail because of many faults, these can include:   Poor requirements   Tests not done properly or not at all   Trained users that do not know the purpose of the system   Insufficient time to perform tests as the project is late Bad decisions being made This can involve wrong decisions that have been made by the project manager. Bad decisions can normally happen if no planning has taken place and the project manager does things without any meaning or thinking about it, managers will need to carefully make any decision. An example of this could be hiring more staff then needed or buying more softwares then needed for the project. Reference details: http://www. adaptivepartners. com/projfailb. htm 22/09/09 http://www. coleyconsulting. co. uk/failure. htm 22/09/09 http://www. carlosconsulting. com/downloads/Reasons_why_projects_fail. pdf 06/10/09.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Social Work With Maori Clients in New Zealand

Social Work With Maori Clients in New Zealand Task 1 : Explain how Te Tiriti O Waitangi applies in the social services, you must include an overall explanation as well as giving at least three(3) specific examples of how Te Tiriti impacts in the area of assisting people to resettle in the community following residential care. One of the important concepts to emerge is that Te Tiriti O Waitangi is a living document this means that it was never meant to freeze iwi and their aspirations at the time of signing, but was intended to continue to protect their interest and status as tangata whenua into the future. Another important concept is that Te Tiriti applies not just to Maori and the crown but to all new Zealanders, guaranteeing us all the right to live here peacefully as actives and develop New Zealand together. The Treaty ensured that Maori, would be given full authority status and prestige with regard to their possessions and interest, the treaty also states that their possessions would be protected, and also the ‘’Mana’’ to control them in accordance with their own customs and having regard to their own cultural preferences. The treaty established a partnership, and the treaty partners are under a duty to act reasonably and in good faith with one another, the needs of both cultures must be respected, and compromises may be needed in some cases. Te Tiriti O Waitangi applies in social services by ensuring that all social services have a bi – cultural perspectives e.g. physical environment, protocols and practises. Partnership applies in social services by respecting Maori traditional spiritual rites, it describes a relationship between two parties, the concept of partnership applies to all Maori, and it describes the way in which Maori can relate to each other. Partnership means enabling the Maori voice to be heard and Maori perspective to influence the type of health services delivered to Maori people and the way in which they are delivered. It also ensures that social services have a bi – cultural perspective. Consultation with Maori leadership and management when organisational policies are being discussed in order to ensure Maori have rangatiratanga rights over taonga,they have equity rights’, to full participation in decision making ,treaty follows that Maori should expect to achieve this outcomes and participate in society . In good faith between two sides (Maori and Crown) social services organisations ensure needs of Maori are pritorised when engaging with Maori or when creating policy that could affect Maori. Protection Is also an other principles which can apply in social services .For Maori, a secure cultural identity depends on access to the cultural social and economic resource of tea o Maori (the Maori world),especially te reo /tikanga the Maori language ,whanau, their lands and natural resources. Protection of Maori identity is likely to be positively correlated with good health, better educational outcomes ,and greater employment we have to ensure that our work practises and environment are culturally appropriate and comfortable for Maori ,and that Maori have opportunities to pursue their employment aspirations and interest, Maoris to have protected rights to make choices that best serve their culture, that line with tika and kawa,their traditions and customary practises, work in environments that feel safe and nurturing. Maori should be allowed to exercise their Tino Rangatiratanga overall of their taonga and benefit from these taonga, social service worker must respect the right of Maori where Maori can enjoy their taonga in social service settings. Participation Maintaining active lines of communication amongst there people family, participating in the karakia, koranga, kai, Whanau-Hui. Embracing the four corner stones of health i.e. Te Taha Wairua (spiritual) Te Taha Hinegaro (Mental) Te Taha Tinana (Physical) Te Taha Whanau (the family). Providing freedom for Maori to speak Te-Reo and to participate in any Maori spiritual or cultural practises. Permission Consultations of all levels with MÄori perspectives, allowing them to speak in their own language Te reo/Tikanga, involve them with kaumatua’s, families support. Let them participate in any MÄori spiritual or cultural practises, also involvement of MÄori models of health i.e. Te Whare Tapa Wha to be applied rather than western models when working with MÄori. Services accessibility for the Maori should be permitted. While engaging with Maori clients we can involve a translator who can translate Te reo with Maori clients, allowing them to practise their own culture. Task 5 Application of social service theory Explain how your actions throughout the process of assisting people to resettle in the community following residential care were guided and supported by valid theory for social service practise. Include examples. As a social worker you have to apply all four principles of Treaty O Waitangi. The four principles are Partnership, participation, protection, and permission A social worker should ensure that the needs of Maori client are taken into account when interacting with Maori or when creating policy that could affect Maori consultation or having Maori representative on the steering committee or their board while creating organisation policies and procedures to ensure that they allow Maori to rangatiratanga over their Taonga. Social workers must consider cultural values, principles or beliefs under the guidance of Te Tiriti O Waitangi for Maori. Working together with whanau Hui, involve families for support, allowing client to do her karakia, mirimiri, and involve the client in Maori culture. A social worker we should always provide safety and confidentiality for the client, respecting clients dignity and integrity, values and beliefs, social worker should build a trust with understanding each other and should have a holistic approach at all times. Te Reo/Tikanga and Development of Iwi and Maori Social workers should provide appropriate cultural supervision ,allowing the client to involve in their maoridom ,events like karakia, mirimiri, Maori community, peer group members, providing clients right to speak their language (Te Reo) involving whanau-hui,engaging the client into marae activities, providing the safety and reassuring the client that he or she is the part of facility. Social worker need to provide appropriate cultural supervision and training so all social workers provide culturally appropriate and safe practise when working with Maori, they should have integrated approach towards Maori wellbeing models and traditional knowledge within the framework of engagement. Social work ethics Social worker should be professional ,always provide clear information’s to the clients and following the ANZASW code of ethics ,promoting the clients wellbeing, involving the whanau, and always maintaining their professional boundaries ,showing respect and all relevant information’s should be kept confidential and provide safety to the client. Maori models of Practise Maori models of practise should have a holistic approach, we as social worker have to develop good relationship, understanding health, and wellness of whakapapa, have to understand the Maori models of health, e.g Te WhareTapa Wha-four corner stones of Maori health. Taha Tinana (physical health) provides safe environment, basic needs and inclusiveness. However for Maori physical well-being is intertwined with spiritual, emotional and family well-being.an example of the connection between Te taha wairua and Te taha Tinana is how for Maori the body and things associated with it are tapu. The concept of tapu (meaning sacred) was the basis of law and order and health in traditional Maori society. Taha Hinegaro-(mental health) provide education ,brochures in Maori language about the sickness, if possible translate, involve Kaumatua,whanau,friends for support. We need to consider the bigger picture retains the essence of the individual while addressing the needs of the whole, Maori think can be described as being holistic, healthy thinking for many Maori is about relationships, communication through emotions is important and more meaningful than the exchange of words and is valued just as much. We need to consider Te Taha hinegaro, be aware of the different cultural values and beliefs around health and the individual and whanau. Being respectful and open to these different beliefs and values will ensure meaningful engagement and connections can occur. In considering chronic care conditions, need to change the focus from individual management to whanau self – management. Taha Wairua(spiritual health)-practising culture, going to marae, performing karakia, mirimiri, healing body and mind, using herbal medicines. Te Taha Wairua is more on spiritual wellbeing. We need to consider the spiritual wellbeing and health of Maori people, breakdown of relationship could be seen in terms of ill health or lack of personal identity. Taha Whanau (family health) consultations at all levels of Maori, they must have equal access to all levels of services provided to Maori’s always have to provide care nurturance, which relates with Maori identity and sense of purpose. Within all whanau there are roles and responsibilities, families contribute to a person’s well-being and most importantly a person’s identity. The challenge for practitioners will be in supporting the change from an individual focus to that of a whanau focus. Referencing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Wait http://www.thefreelibrary.com/THE+TREATY+OF+WAITANGI+AND+SOCIAL+POLICY.-a054024005 http://whakapapa.maori.org.nz/archives/viewthread.php?TOPIC_ID=3532Page= http://www.maori.org.nz/papapanui//archives/viewthread.php?TOPIC_ID=3532 http://moodle.unitec.ac.nz/mod/page/view.php?id=162

The Influential Power of Oprah Winfrey Essay -- essays research papers

How can one person, whom most people have never met, influence the lives of people in the world today in such positive ways? Oprah Winfrey has been able to persuade and inspire many people around the world today because she has simply believed in herself and the good of the people. Oprah once said, â€Å"Create the highest, grandest vision possible for your life because you become what you believe† (Lowe 170). The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Angel Network, and Oprah’s Book Club have been some of the most indoctrinating pieces of work by Oprah. Moreover, these creations have been the ultimate techniques Oprah has used to reach out to the people of the world. Oprah Winfrey, one of the most influential, dynamic, and powerful women of today’s society, has devoted her life’s works to influencing the people of the world. Millions of viewers tune in daily to be educated, entertained, or simply enlivened by Oprah as she visits them in the company of their own home. Oprah’s show has been so successful because of the ways in which she thinks and believes. Oprah said, â€Å"†¦ a good talk show will stimulate thought, present new ideas, and maybe give you a sense of hope where there wasn’t any-a feeling of encouragement, enlightenment; inspire you† (Lowe 151). The Oprah Winfrey Show has provided people with symmetrical, lucid, and comprehensive information on various topics. For example, money management and family finance issues were subjects for discussion during an episode on the show. Furthermore, shows need multidimensional aspects to keep the audience aroused, so a celebrity hour has energized the show. Such celebrities as Tom Cruise or Julia Roberts have been ostentatious guests of the hour. Moreover, the majority of viewers seemed really invigorated and motivated by Oprah with one particular topic of weight loss. For instance, society has battled with the issue of weight and Oprah’s own success with weight loss really encouraged her viewers to do the same. Here is one inspirational thought Oprah has stated â€Å"The bottom line is, you cannot lose weight until you make yourself enough of a priority to do the things you need to do to make it happen† (Winfrey). In conclusion, Oprah’s diversity on her talk show has empowered people through television by educating, entertaining, and inspiring. Oprah has continued to stick to her guns about keeping The Oprah Winfrey Show on higher... ...he Book Club have been the very reasons Oprah has become such a dominant reinforcement of character and morale in today’s society. Oprah has created several resources of communication in order to influence, inspire, educate, and strengthen others. Oprah’s own determination and perseverance has inspired her to give back to others. Oprah stated: Don’t complain about what you don’t have. Use what you’ve got. To do less than your best is a sin. Every single one of us has the power for greatness, because greatness is determined by service-to yourself and others (Lowe 167). All her works and creations have had one mission: the desire to improve the world and empower people. This simply stated mission has been the key to Oprah’s influential impact on people she has never met and in return, millions of people have remained loyal to her. Works Cited Lowe, Janet. Oprah Winfrey Speaks: Insight From The World’s Most Influential Voice. New   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  York: Wiley, 1998. Oprah.com Live Your Best Life. Ed. Harpo Productions, Incorporated. January 2005. Harpo   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Productions Incorporated. 16 January 2005 Winfrey, Oprah. â€Å"Lose Weight with Oprah.† The Oprah Magazine   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Feb. 2005: 109-114.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Use Irony and Magic Realism in One Hundred Years of Solitude Essay

Use Irony and Magic Realism in One Hundred Years of Solitude  Ã‚         In Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude, the realistic description of impossible events is an example of both irony and magic realism. Irony is the use of words, images, and so on, to convey the opposite of their intended meaning. Garcia Marquez employs irony on several levels. Sometimes a single word, such as a character's name, suggests something opposite to the character's personality: for example, Prudencio Aguilar, who is not the least bit "prudent".    Sometimes a character's style of speech is ironic. For example, in the chapter on the banana workers' strike, the court uses very stiff, pompous language to state something that is ridiculous: that the banana workers do not exist, because they are technically not "employees" of the firm - an evasion of the government's responsibility that has tragic consequences. Another example is Fernanda's long-winded proclamations of her religious devotion. These are obviously expressions, not of Christian love, but of extreme self-centeredness and rigidity. The apparently patriotic declarations of Liberals and Conservatives alike also have nothing to do with loyalty to the country, but are really about the narrow ambitions of the politicians.    More subtly, what the narrator or the characters say may sometimes contradict what the reader knows to be true. There are many examples in the solemn announcements of Jose Arcadio Buendia, including his finding that ice "is the great invention of our time." Much later, the apparent progress brought by the banana company to Macondo turns out not to be progress at all, but a prelude to devastation.    Still more subtly, Garcia Marquez has reserved a... ...ecise figures for things. Thus, the heavy rains that fall on Macondo-a perfectly normal, but impressive, event in northeastern Colombia-are said to last precisely four years, eleven months, and two days. To a child watching it rain, it might seem to last that long. Three thousand workers are massacred by troops during the banana strike. Colonel Aureliano Buendia fights, and loses, precisely thirty-two wars, and so on.    When we read of such amazing events told in such an objective and naà ¯ve voice, we realize it is up to us, the readers, to interpret their meaning. Whoever is narrating is simply too literal-minded and simple to have trustworthy opinions.    Works Cited    Drabble,   Margaret   The Oxford Companion to English Literature, Oxford University Press 1995 Marquez, Gabriel Garcia One Hundred Years of Solitude, HarperCollins      

Sunday, August 18, 2019

What Factors Control Carbon Mineralization and Flux in Bog Soils and Ho

I. Introduction: What is a Bog? The word "bog," from the old Gaelic "bogach," is commonly used to refer to any stretch of waterlogged, swampy ground. The words, fen, moor, muskeg, peatland, and mire are also used to describe these areas, which can lead to some confusion over terminology. Specifically, a bog is "a peat accumulating wetland that has no significant inflows or outflows and supports acidophilic mosses, particularly sphagnum" (Gosselink and Mitsch 1993). The vast majority of bogs are located in the moist, cool boreal regions of North America and Eurasia. Bogs are also called "peatlands" because of the peat they accumulate, but "peatland" is a more general term that includes "minerotrophic" and "transition" peatlands. These wetlands also accumulate peat, but they differ topographically and hydrologically from bogs. True bogs (ombrotrophic peatlands) are characterized by peat layers higher than their surroundings; they are often called "raised bogs." They also receive nutrients and minerals exclusively by precipitation, i.e. they are hydrologically isolated (Gosselink and Mitsch 1993 p.374). They form in a variety of ways, but once ombrotrophic (rain-nourished) peatlands develop they are stable under "fairly wide environmental fluctuation" (Gosselink and Mitsch 1993 p.372). This discussion will be limited to the true bogs, and they will be referred to as bogs or peatlands. II. Peat Soils and Carbon Mineralization Peat is the name for the soil that forms in bogs and other peatlands. It is an organic soil (Histosol), composed almost entirely of partially decayed plant matter. The high percentage of organic fibers in peat makes it a fibrist, which is a Histosol containing less than one third decayed organic matter... ... the peat." Journal of Ecology 81 (1993), 615-625. Siegel, D. I. et al. "Climate driven flushing of pore water in peatlands" Nature 374 (6 April 1995), 531-533. Singer, Michael J. and Donald N. Munns. Soils: An Introduction. 3rd ed. New Jersey, Prentice-Hall 1991. Soil Taxonomy USDA Soil Conservation Service Agricultural Handbook No. 436. 1975. T.R. Knowles and R. Moore. "The influence of water table levels on methane and carbon dioxide levels from peatland soils." Canadian Journal of Soil Science 69; 1 (1989), 33-38. Woodwell, George M. "Biotic feedbacks from the warming of the earth." Biotic Feedbacks in the Global Climatic System. New York, Oxford University Press 1995, p3-19. Yavitt, Joseph B. et al. "Control of carbon mineralization to CH4 and CO2 in anaerobic, Sphagnum-derived peat from Big Run Bog." Biogeochemistry 4; 2 (1987), 141-157.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Kolb’s Learning Theory Essay

Experiential Learning Kolb’s experiential learning theory is a holistic perspective that combines experience, perception, cognition, and behaviour. The theory presents a cyclical model of learning, consisting of four stages shown below. One may begin at any stage, but must follow each other in the sequence: * Concrete experience ( or â€Å"Do†) * Reflective observation ( or â€Å"Observe†) * Abstract conceptualization ( or â€Å"Think†) * Active experimentation ( or â€Å"Plan†) Kolb’s four-stage learning cycle shows how experience is translated through reflection into concepts, which in turn are used as guides for active experimentation and the choice of new experiences. The first stage, concrete experience (CE), is where the learner actively experiences an activity such as a lab session or field work. The second stage, reflective observation (RO), is when the learner consciously reflects back on that experience. The third stage, abstract conceptualization (AC), is where the learner attempts to conceptualize a theory or model of what is observed. The fourth stage, active experimentation (AE), is where the learner is trying to plan how to test a model or theory or plan for a forthcoming experience. Kolb identified four learning styles which correspond to these stages. The styles highlight conditions under which learners learn better. These styles are: * assimilators, who learn better when presented with sound logical theories to consider * convergers, who learn better when provided with practical applications of concepts and theories * accommodators, who learn better when provided with â€Å"hands-on† experiences * divergers, who learn better when allowed to observe and collect a wide range of information.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Exploration of the themes in the play “Legal Weapon”

Considering Andy's past. We worked in small groups to devise a short piece to reveal one of he triggers in Andy's formative years which has led to the character as we see in the play. We used similar techniques used in the play. Our instruction was to devise a short piece of drama which would explain Andy's present character. In order to achieve a successful piece of drama we needed to plan our performance carefully. We began by brainstorming and trying to accumulate ideas which we could develop or incorporate in our drama. I eventually came up with the chosen idea. I knew that the piece had to convey an extremely influential event in Andy's history and I suggested a life changing experience in his child hood. The idea was really simple but had a lot of hidden complications which needed to be considered. My suggestion was hat Andy as a child had been given a toy car by his grandfather who inevitably dies but as a result of Crime. My suggestion involved Andy being bullied as a child and having his toy car stolen by the bullies, as a result of the teasing he vowed never to be slow. The torment the bullies gave him scared him for life and the most memorable remarks for Andy were â€Å"You're too slow† or â€Å"You're not fast enough†. When we finally began developing the piece it was important to emphasize these points in the drama because they explained a great deal about the whole story. We used things like repetition volume and levels to create a greater affect and to capture the audience's attention. The diagram below shows the transformation from the bully scene to the last scene where Andy crashes into the girl on the moped. It shows clearly how we merged the bully scene with and as a child with the final scene. We split the play into four scenes and they were as follows: 1. Andy's granddad giving him the toy car. 2. Andy going to school and being confronted by the bullies. 3. Andy in the playground being tormented and teased by the bullies whilst begging for his car back. 4. Andy shouting whilst taking position on a chair conveying the idea of a flashback. I had the role of Andy and I think the reason for this was because it was my idea and therefore I understood the story the best. The piece came together accordingly and we accomplished the task well. Our transformation from scene 3 to 4 was a lot more successful than we expected and the audience's reaction was encouraging. After this we then watched a short video of young people who enjoy joy-riding. We discussed what motivates people and began to observe the possible similarities with other crimes. The video we watched helped us a lot to understand the reasons which people have as there motivation to joy ride. We began discussing the affect of the community and environment and that sometimes its just because there's nothing else to do. I never felt happy with our discussion so I decided to do some research on my own and see if I could find any relevant information which could account for joy riders. Offender Profile: Motivation There are many different reasons for vehicle crime. Vehicles may be stolen: * For casual use – usually temporary for joyriding or to get from a to b * For systematic financial gain – i.e. in an organised way for export, resale or breaking into parts. * For insurance fraud by owners. Studies such as that by Spencer (1992) show that: * Fun, excitement, status/showing off and financial gain are significant motivating factors for young male car crime offenders; * Involvement in a police chase is often seen as adding to the thrill; and * Peer groups have a powerful influence. Motivational factors may change as criminal careers evolve. The desire for excitement may be replaced by a financial dependence on auto crime. The very last thing we done was hot seating. Post prison Andy sat in the hot seat and Answered a number of quick fire questions. I was Andy for a short period of time and I think the exercise was extremely helpful because it allowed thinking on the spot and begin to sculpt a more detailed version of Andy. It was interesting being asked and asking questions because it allowed Andy to explain him self rather than us having to assume. A few examples of the questions I was asked are as follows: If you could change the past would u still have speeded? Do you wish it was the man who robbed your grandfather that you killed instead of Andy? Do you blame the bullying in your child hood as the cause for your speeding problem? My answers to the questions differed form those of the other to Andy's and it was interesting comparing the different versions of the character Andy which we had. Everyone took on a role a someone involved either directly or indirectly. Our relationship with Andy had to be conveyed through our posture and face expression. I was a shopkeeper who disliked Andy because he was a thief. Although my relationship with Andy was indirect this still had to be conveyed to the audience. This had to be suggested in the way I moved around the space and my reaction when I saw Andy. We then moved into a still image reflecting the neighbourhood and wider society. We created a still image to represent out relationship with Andy in comparison to each other. The main focus of the tableaux was Andy and all of our attention had to be on him rather that the camera. Thought tracking was used to aid the audiences understanding of our characters. This gave each of us an opportunity to express more literally our feelings towards Andy. This was then repeated the difference being Andy's recent release from prison. Also Kelly's parent were now involved. It was interesting to see how our perception of Andy was affected by his imprisonment. I think peoples actions definitely contribute to there characteristics and personalities. We then had a discussion based on differences and grievances felt by individuals which was useful. We acknowledged the truth of how and ex convict is treated by society and decided that this was an inevitable reaction of imprisonment. We all felt that rehabilitation is not present in prison and that prison seems to have only one purpose keeping criminals away from the public. The idea of once you're a criminal you remain a criminal was mentioned several times. In a line with Andy at one end, characters had to reveal their trust in post-prison Andy by there proximity to him. We then improvised in pairs a discussion between Andy and hi Parole Officer. The teacher would stop and start different groups using the technique of cross cutting to highlight issues concerning the central character. The reason this exercise was good was because we were improvising. The improvisation meant tat we had to think on the spot about our arguments and comments. We got to put our entire preparation work o practise by exercising our opinions and ideas through the improvisation. Development Use the style and technique of Legal Weapon to devise a presentation highlighting one of the themes covered in the workshop. After exploring Legal weapon to such a great depth we were ready to begin constructing our own presentation which some how incorporated some of the ideas present in Legal weapon. We started to think about the different possibilities of drama which we could explore. We sat down for a good 15 minutes trying to conjure up any appropriate ideas but we were not succeeding. We knew that our drama had to have some of resemblance or relationship to legal weapon and it was this restriction or criteria which made it harder. Eventually we came up with several ideas and this now became confusing and made it harder to make a decision about which one we would use. Then one of us suggested a really good idea of a loop in our play. This triggered all of our imaginations and we began to pour with suggestions. We finally came to an agreement about which ideas we would use. The idea of a dream becoming reality excited all of us and we began to develop an actual plot around it. We decided the main character would have a dream about and event which would actually happen in the future, a premonition, but he wouldn't be aware of its truth until it actually started to tae place. We knew that if it was to work it would have to be well organised and well thought through so we began breaking it apart and concentrating on smaller sections rather than the whole piece. The piece was to start in the dream and then only show glimpses of the dream. Our intention to achieve the affect of glimpses was to use lighting and keep changing places every so often to suggest movement and differences in time movement and differences in time. The reason we wanted this affect was because we wanted to keep the audience in suspense so that when the dream actually come to life they are not aware of its reality straight away. Another reason was because usually in dreams people never actually remember the whole dream the only usually remember bit and pieces. The idea was that Ross would have a dream about robbing entering a shop with two fiends and then sees the shop keeper with a gun pointed towards his friend. The next glimpse of the ream would be his friend dead on the floor suggesting to the audience that he was sot by the shop keeper. We never wanted to show the actual shooting happen and the reason for this is evident in the last scene. Towards the end of the dream when Laurie (the friend who got shot) is lying on the floor with Ross on top of him shouting â€Å"wake up† we had the lights go off for the final time for the duration of the dream. However Ross still continued shouting â€Å"wake up wake up† and the shop keeper who now became Ross's father began shouting it as well. The lights came back on and Max (Ross's dad) was on top of Ross shaking him and shouting â€Å"wake up wake up†. By this point me and Laurie and moved positions and were sitting on two seats which were supposedly in one of our houses. We then began a long sequence of cross cutting between us and Ross and Max. Me and Laurie we talking about how we needed money soon and then eventually came to the conclusion we would rob this shop on Sunnydale which had no CCTV footage. Ross was asking his father (Max) for money whilst eating breakfast. Me and Laurie decided we needed one more person who needed money as much as we did and then I said â€Å"What about Ross† and as I finished saying it max said â€Å"Ross I don't have any money for u†. The overlapping of Ross in the two scenes created a good affect. Ross stormed out of his house and said he going to the shop then me and Laurie left the house also going to the shop. We met Ross in the shop and then the lights went off and we froze to suggest the idea of us explaining to him what we were intending to do. The loop now began and Ross noticed some similarities with his dream and we conveyed his awareness y a brief soliloquy where Ross said â€Å"wait a minute† and then continued. This time there were no lights going off because it wasn't a dream it was reality and but the only difference was at Ross was aware of where the shop keeper kept his gun. This changed everything and created suspense for the audience. They were unaware of what would actually happen. Seeing as Ross knew where the gun was kept and had realised that his dream was actually happening he thought he could avoid Laurie being shot so he grabbed it and pointed it at the shop keeper. We thought that it would be too simple for Ross to ill the shop keeper so we ended the performance with a twist and had the shot keeper grab Laurie and Ross shoot Laurie. The presentation ended with Ross in despair and me shaking Laurie and shouting â€Å"wake up wake up†. Our inspiration for the loop came form the play Legal Weapon and another performance we were taken to see last year. I think we succeeded in portraying our idea accurately and I was really pleased with our final performance. However had we been given more time I think we could have made it a lot better by possibly involving more characters and using music and better lighting but it was still excellent taking into account our time limit. Evaluation We spent a lot of time on this section of drama and the text for Legal weapon influenced a lot of the drama that followed. We started off by exploring the text and gaining strong understanding of what exactly was happening and then began to explore it physically by actually devising a piece of drama which evolved around it. The play legal weapon was written in a very unique way which was often confusing a times. We often could interpret the text in more than one way and this sometimes led to shirt debates about the endless possibilities of what the author actually wanted to portray. We were given the task of creating a piece of drama which explained the reason for Andy speed and subsequently killing a girl. This task was aided with the research and preparation we had done which included a sort video on Joy riding. This gave us a lot of ideas but our chosen idea was completely different. We decided that out drama was going to show that Andy's excuse or reason for speeding was subsequently due to his child hood experiences. Our drama showed how as a child Andy was given a toy from his granddad that died soon after. He took this car too school with him and one day he was face with a group of bullies who stole it off him and began to tease and torment him. The bullies yelled and shouted at him that he wasn't fast enough and he never would be and Andy kept shouting back saying â€Å"I am fast enough I am fast enough! This scene involved a lot of movement and eventually flowed swiftly to the last scene as I previously explained in the response with Andy pushing the accelerator in his car and still shouting I am fast enough suggesting the idea that it was all a memory. I think that this was a very well planned response to the play and we achieved exactly what we wanted to. This however was only the penultimate stage to another performance. Our next drama was completely open to all possibilities the only criteria we were given was that it had to evolve around the theme of crime. I explained in detail in the development section what drama we done and how we responded to this task but I never explained our views and the audiences. After the performance we spoke to the audience (our fellow classmates) and discussed the good and bad elements of our performance. This was extremely helpful because it helped us understand how well we communicated our ideas. Our drama was extremely detailed and very well organised. We often tried to consider all the minor details in order to certify a professional performance. Little things like timing and positioning were rehearsed repeatedly until perfect. One part in particular was when I and Max had an overlap in our lines. This was intentional and it created a great effect when perfected. I feel that in both our performances we performed strongly and equally expressed our characters appropriately. I also feel that from the audiences' response and reaction we succeeded both times in generating entertaining and interesting pieces of drama.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Nokia Market Analysis

The roots of Nokia go back to the year 1865 with the establishment of a forestry industry enterprise in South-Western Finland by mining engineer Fredrick Idestam. While in the year 1898, witnessed the foundation of Finnish Rubber Works Ltd, and in 1912, Finnish Cable Works began operations. Gradually, the ownership of this two companies and Nokia began to shift into hands of just a few owners. Finally, these three companies were merged to form Nokia Corporation in 1967. [1] Nokia Corporation engages in the manufacture of mobile devices and mobile network equipment, as well as in the provision of related solutions and services worldwide. The company has four main business functions or segments: Mobile Phones, Multimedia, Enterprise Solutions, and Networks. The Mobile Phones segment provides various mobile voice and data devices. This segment offers mobile phones and devices based on GSM/EDGE, 3G/WCDMA, and CDMA cellular technologies. The Multimedia segment offers mobile devices and applications with multimedia connectivity over GSM, 3G/WCDMA, WLAM etc. Strategic Management of Nokia The External Analysis examines opportunities and threats that exist in the environment and I will be discussing the fallowing. . P. E. S. T Analysis 2. Porter’s Five Forces/Market Trends 3. Types of Market 1. P. E. S. T Analysis: PEST identifies the political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and legal factors that of which directly affect a company. In this case Nokia. Political – As markets are deregulated, both operators and manufacturers are free to act independently of government intervention. In Countries like India and China where Partial regulations exist, government intervention does take place. Economic – With incomes rising, people have more disposable income, which enables consumers to be more selective with their choice of mobile phone, looking to other factors rather than fulfilling the most basic of user needs (text messaging and phone calls) and price being such a key factor. Social – The rise of the so-called information society has made telecommunications increasingly more important to consumers, both in terms of work and leisure. Users are more aware of mobile phone handset choice and advancements due to increased information availability. Strategic Management of Nokia Technological – There have been much global advancement in technology such as MMS, Bluetooth, WAP, GSM, GPRS, cameras etc. The Asian markets are more technologically advanced than their European counterparts, for example in 2002, just 4% of phones had cameras, whereas in Asia 90% did. It uses concepts developed in Industrial Organization (IO) economics to derive five forces which determine the competitive intensity and therefore attractiveness of a market. It consists of fallowing factors. Power of New Entrants:In any market arrival of a new product is not always welcomed. In mobiles world it’s not different a mobile phone or an online service is launched by Nokia it has as 50 percent chance of success. It’s like the launch of Nokia’s N95 Smartphone which was much appreciated by buyers then the launch of N96 Smartphone. Power of Buyers:Due to recent down fall in the economy, the demand of consumers buying new mobiles has come to a halt. Due to which companies everywhere are thinking of strategies to increase the demand of their products. Strategic Management of Nokia Threat of Substitute:There are substitute for everything out in the world. So goes for the mobile, and the services provided by Nokia but the problem lies in consumers switching to the substitute. The main reason is that most people don’t like to change to something new because they might find it hard to use or switch over. Power of Suppliers:If the suppliers change the price then company in this case Nokia has a direct impact on the pricing of their products. If there are more suppliers then it is easy to change from one to another if the first one is not able to provide the services a company needs. Competitive Rivalry:Business is good where there are competitors because it gives more chance to improve and go ahead of your rivals. Nokia keep their product catalogs up-to-date and keep looking for better technologies to update its mobile and services. 3. Types of Market : There are different types of markets on which a company makes strategies to fallow and consider before releasing products. Which are discussed as below. Monopoly:Nokia as a mobile manufacturer has dominated mobiles market with its high end N-series Smartphone to its low end mobiles. It was Nokia’s intentional strategy to keep ahead with the technology to keep customers interested in its products. Duopoly:It’s a market state when two companies dominate the market. In this market Nokia is challenging HUAWEI technologies in producing 3G technology dongles because at present time there is no other company in the world expect Huawei producing 3G dongles. Oligopoly:It’s a type of market where small numbers of companies in the market collude to take control of the market prices and products. In Nokia’s case it is colluding with Sony Ericsson and Samsung to make phones which use Nokia’s mobile operating system (Symbian S60). This eliminates the use of Window’s mobile operating system and newly introduced Google’s operating system Android. Perfect Competition:It’s a market where all Companies are on a same level. Nokia as a leading manufacturer still have Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Motorola, and LG give a tough competition with products ranging from every low end user to high end tech loving customer. Internal analysis : Strategic Management of Nokia â€Å"It’s a management technique developed by Bruce Henderson for Boston Consulting Group in 1970 for assessing the long-term viability or profitability of products and market sectors. Categories include cash cows, dogs, stars, problem child or a question mark companies. †[1] Problem Child/Question mark:When a new product is launched in a promising market but it has a low market share but got potential to be a Star then a Cash cow or if everything fails it could become a Dog. In Nokia’s case its latest product from N-series Smartphone N96 is struggling to get the market share like its predecessor N95 Smartphone. Cash Cow: When a certain product’s market matures and its demand slows but it has a large market share is known as Cash Cow. Nokia has many products that reached their maturity and died away in recent days its high end Smartphone N95 reached its market demand and is slowly dying away because new technology is introduced every day. Star:It’s a new product when launched has a high market response and its sales rise. Companies like Nokia are in a search of new products which can be turned into stars and they invest money in Problem Child and Dogs to turn them in to a Star and then hope to turn them in to Cash Cow. Dog:A Dog is a product new or old market shares and sales decline very fast. In mobile industry technology changes very drastically so even a Star with bad strategy and marketing can be turned in to a Dog just as easy Strategic Management of Nokia Core competencies are activities and process performed by a company to keep ahead of the market and its competitors. â€Å"Business professors Bateman and Snell offer this answer: Simply stated, core competence is something a company does especially well relative to its competitors. †[4] Competencies of a company are things that are hard to imitate like customer loyalty etc. These Core Competencies change from time to time. In today’s market where every company is in a lose Nokia is thinking of new ways to get an edge on its competitors by introducing new services and products that are harder to imitate and trying to give most for consumers money. SWOT Analysis: Strengths: 1. Nokia has largest network of distribution and selling as compared to other mobile phone company in the world. 2. The financial aspect is very strong in case of Nokia as it has many more profitable businesses. 3. The product being user friendly and have all the accessories one want. 4. Nokia with wide range of products for all classes. . The re-sell value of Nokia phones are high compared to other company’s product. Weakness: 1. Some of the products are not user friendly. 2. Some of the weakness includes the price of the product offered by the company. 3. Nokia does not like to adopt change very quickly. 4. The service canters in third world countries are very few. Opportunity: 1. Nokia is also thinking of moving from mobile manufacture to personal computer manufacture. 2. As the standard of living in third world countries has increased the purchasing power of the people has increased as well 3. Nokia has to target right customer at right time to gain the most out of the situation. Threats: 1. The threats like emerging of other mobile companies in the market. 2. The new mobile operating systems from Google and Microsoft. 3. The biggest threat is not adopting new technology and putting in good use. 9 Conclusion: After writing this article I came to a conclusion that in any business successful or a newly established if not managed well and cannot take advantage of its opportunities can come to its knees. So for a business to run successfully have to man age its Competitors and threats that may affect the performance of a business.

Conoco Report Essay

Last week I attended Forrester’s Content & Collaboration Forum 2011. Forrester notes that in five years, almost half of US workers — about 63 million people — will work virtually. I am already one of them. This will change everything in workplace IT support from designing workplace information strategies for collaboration, to delivering content experiences tothe firm. For this international, integrated energy company with thousands of job sites (often quite remote) spread across 30 countries, the challenge of sharing knowledge was very real — and the potential payoff was large. Facing fierce competition on all fronts, ConocoPhillips knew that to continue on its success trajectory, it needed to rapidly and effectively harness the knowledge of its highly skilled but geographically distributed workforce. Instead of assuming that technology either was the solution or was irrelevant when creating online communities, senior managers understood that effective glo bal communities required new processes, roles, cultures, and technologies. Moreover, they recognized that each had to be focused on solving difficult business challenges. Seven years later, the ConocoPhillips’ knowledge-sharing program is ranked as best-in-class across industries.† Dan mentioned that Conoco Phillips is fourth largest traded company in US with 30,000 employees around the world and many contractors who also participate in their knowledge sharing. They have been many changes in the last 12 years as a number of companies were acquired, along with the merger of Conoco and Phillips. This activity has triggered a big need for knowledge sharing. He likes the term knowledge sharing rather than knowledge management. I completely agree. Dan said it is about getting people to talk to each other. Trust is important for this. They are now going to reorganize and the solid state of their knowledge assets will help with this effort. Dan said that more than 70% of their good ideas have come from their employees. Good things happen when employees talk to each other. Dan said that his boss is the SVP of Planning and Strategy and he reports to the CEO so people listen to him as where you sit in the org chart matters within his firm. I think this is true for most firms. The most successful KM efforts I have seen all have a senior sponsor of rank and respect in the organization. Most KM groups are placed too far down the hierarchy to be effective. Their KM effort started when a senior executive felt they were re-inventing things too much. The focus was always connecting people more than collecting  documents. They grew by sharing success stories. Sharing these success stories was connected to their variable compensation plan and this really triggered response. They started the Archimedes Awards to knowledge sharing. Categories are: Give, Grab, Gather, and Guts. Dan gave some examples about safety improvements that also led to big financial returns. They have documented over 9 billion dollars in gains through the program. Dan said that they have functional excellence models that give specifics for improvements. They promote purposeful collaboration. Dan said serendipity can be useful at times but being purposeful works best in their firm. He said that knowledge accumulates in networks and their firm has a matrix organization. Leadership behavior is important for knowledge to flow and manager support for knowledge sharing is critical. They now have 150 networks of excellence. The first few were launched in 2005. They had 20 by the end of the year. These networks were built on trust and relationships, not technology. Prior efforts failed because they were technology focused. He showed an example covering upstream rotating equipment. A big problem is lost production opportunity. There is a group that addresses this issue to keep equipment running safely. Networks are open to all employees, not just group members. Related networks are connected because issues are related across networks. Their Ask and Discuss component has led to 100,000 exchanges. He does not believe in formal lessons learned. It takes too much time. Informal connections work better. I would agree and add the formal lessons learned become out of date very quickly and talking with people gives the most current ideas. People want to help each other but they also want answers quickly. Dan showed a diagram of all the cross-connections. They are massive. Knowledge silos do not seem to an issue for them. They have three main tools: Ask and Discuss, Knowledge Library, and One Wiki. The wiki is the first place to look for content. Ask and Discuss was covered above. All of their success stories have an economic impact. One had 87 million dollars of benefits. Sharing this is important. Giving credit to the employees is critical. Getting middle managers on board was done through conveying business value of knowledge sharing. It was fun for me to hear about a successful knowledge management effort as I used to be involved with many in the 90s and early 2000s.

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Casual Layered Analysis

Casual Layered Analysis Casual Layered Analysis is an effective mechanism of developing a wide range of strategic alternatives to achieve a specific goal. A Pakistani researcher called Sohail Inayatullah developed the mechanism. The Casual Layered Analysis tool breaks down the issue under scrutiny into four different divisions in an effort to shed sufficient light on the possible outcomes that the issue might yield. Through this undertaking, the tool is able to facilitate the consideration of a larger amount of scenarios that might result when applying a specific strategy. The four levels utilized by Casual Layered Analysis are Litany, Social Causes, Discourse or worldview and metaphor or myth. Description of Casual Layered Analysis Layers The litany is the first layer in Casual Layered Analysis. As illustrated by Sohail Inayatullah, litany involves the description of a certain issue through the use of quantitative techniques. The projections of current societal problems through the use of figures are often unauthentic in the view of Sohail Inayatullah. Little problems are exaggerated to seem big to ordinary people so as to create an atmosphere of fear. This has been used to draw political influence and prompt members of society to conform to the current conditions. Problems can be anticipated more accurately working back and forth through the different levels of Casual Layered Analysis (Inayatullah, 2009). The second level of Casual Layered Analysis is the social causes. In this level, the various factors that influence the issue under scrutiny are evaluated. The forces that affect the issues can be political, cultural, economic or historical. The environmental conservation issue can be used as an example to clearly describe this level of Casual Layered Analysis. Environmental conservation activists who try to come up with strategies to counter its effects believe that the main causes of environmental pollution are indecent behavior from people in terms of careless dumping and excessive toxic waste from industries. The main purpose of this level is to evaluate the sources of the issue under scrutiny (Inayatullah, 2009). The third level of Casual Layered Analysis is the discourse or worldview. The main focus of this level is the universal perception about the issue at hand. By evaluating the universal perception about the issue, an individual can get a deeper understanding of the issue by looking at the various assumptions that people old about the issue. For instance, in the case of environmental pollution, there is a concurrence among most members of society that the root of the issue is increased industrial activity. The perceptions held by various people can differ based on a persons culture, religion or amount of knowledge about the issue. For instance, a person with rich information about environmental conservation can say that global warming has caused the recent extreme weather cases. Oppositely, a person who is extremely religious will say that the recent cases of extreme weather are signs of the end of the world (Inayatullah, 2009). The fourth level of Casual Layered Analysis is myth or metaphor. These are beliefs and perceptions about the issue under scrutiny that have been existence for a long time. The focus of this layer is to evaluate a persons beliefs about the issue at hand. This layer uncovers the emotional attachments and various aspects of the unconscious mind that have an effect the way a person views the problem. The Casual Layered Analysis enables people to clearly understand the issue from numerous viewpoints. It breaks down the problem into multiple facets so that people can have numerous alternatives when trying to come with strategies geared towards the achievement of objectives regarding the issue. By going back and forth through, the layers provided by this tool, individuals can be able to come up with innovative strategies to achieve their future goals (Inayatullah, 2009). The new layers in the Casual Layered analysis should be geared towards the achievement of a specific goal. The new metaphor will be an adjustment of the previous myths that contributed to the creation of the current situation. The new myth should be full of possibilities and hope in order to give the individual the energy to conceptualize the most effective strategy to achieve his or her future ambitions. The new worldview will then be derived from the new myth. The new worldview should be encompassed of new possible mechanisms that can be utilized to achieve the future goals. The new litany and social causes will have changed to coincide with the new myth (Inayatullah, 2009).

Tuesday, August 13, 2019

Case study for the Nutrition Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

For the Nutrition - Case Study Example Subcutaneous fats insulate the body against the adverse effects of cold temperatures while carbohydrates are normally broken down in the cell to readily provide energy for bodily functions. Question 4: Olive oil has various therapeutic qualities which include reduction or prevention of diseases such as blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, reduce the probability of stroke and certain cancers. Research also proves that it counters aging and promotes positive immune and inflammatory responses to certain conditions such as stroke hence reducing risk of occurrence. Question 7: Since it is winter I would suggest a steamy bowl of macaroni and cheese; brightly coloured fruits, vegetables and healthy fats such as the ones found in nuts and fish which can actually strengthen the body to fight the seasonal depression. He may also microwave frozen raspberries and eat with topping for yogurt; he may also prepare vegetables and a change to whole-grain pasta as healthy alternative. Question 8: You avoid saturated fats found primarily in red meat and dairy products. Eliminate trans-fat which is generally found in fried foods and commercial product such as snack cakes, crackers and