Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Auditing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Auditing - Essay Example In fact seasonal interruption are routine and regular and even after such interruptions business continue in normal course and thus entities pursuing seasonal business may be called going concern despite periodic seasonal interruption In this write up the issues relating auditors’ responsibility to assess the substantial doubt arising out of normal auditing procedures is considered in order to produce independent and effective reporting to the stakeholders. The assumption under the concept of going concern is continuity in normal course and such â€Å"continuity of entity operations is usually assumed in financial accounting in the absence to contrary† (Michael J Ramos, page 285)ii Auditors assess the going concern concept whenever substantial doubt is created while following regular and normal audit procedures.†If there are no doubt neither directors nor auditor need refer specifically to going concern in the financial statements or audit report. However, the Combines Code states that directors should report that the business is a going concern with supporting assumptions and qualifications as necessary. â€Å"(Lain Gray and Stuart Manson, page 674)iii Going concern concept assumes an atmosphere of normalcy. Under the going concern concept â€Å"the enterprise will continue in operational existence for a foreseeable future.† (Nexia International, page 137)ivWhenever auditors have substantial doubts about the going concern concept it underlies that financial statements have not been prepared under normal circumstances. This is because â€Å"the going concern concept is unlikely to be compatible with the intention or necessity to enter into a scheme of rearrangement with the company’s creditors, or make an application for an administrative order, or place the company in administrative receivership or liquidation.†(Saleem Sheikh and William Rees, page 349)v In other words results or status shown by

Monday, October 28, 2019

Analysis of Ethical Dilemma Essay Example for Free

Analysis of Ethical Dilemma Essay Natural calamities are unpredictable phenomena’s where the damage may be countless and immeasurable examples of natural calamities are earthquakes, floods and famine. In situations like this relief operations are challenging even though many organizations and nations extend their resources to overcome the disaster. We often face issues and concerns in a massive disaster which may lead to ethical-dilemma and criticism. When we analyze disaster situation ethical concerns arises. Here I would like to present the ethical dilemma involved in the rescue operations in Haiti disaster and analysis of the issues. Event and ethical implications One of the biggest and most recent disaster world encountered is the Haiti disaster in January, 12, 2010. It was a massive earthquake with 7.0 magnitudes, wiped out thousands of lives and affected millions of people (Haiti earthquake, 2010). The earthquake ploughed the main city Port-au-prince just into rubbles. Many people were trapped in the collapsed buildings. Many important buildings were damaged including parliament, schools, hospitals and main jail (Haiti earthquake, 2010). It resulted in lack of food, water, shelter and medical services. Many wounded were waiting for immediate medical help and many died without prompt treatment. In natural disasters people from all over the world offer humanitarian aid in the form of donations, medical care team services, food and other necessary supplies. The U.S Government and many other nations extended their hands for rescue operations. The Israel Government sent a military task force consisting of 230 people within 48 hours (NEJM, 2010). Their ultimate goal was to provide lifesaving treatments to the injured to the level it was possible. Other troops and volunteer workers on the scene also tried their best to deliver the best possible care to the causalities. Ethical concerns and ethical dilemma The troop’s mission was to provide help to as many people as possible. But the limited resources fell far short than the demands. This put the medical team in various ethical issues. Haiti is one of the poorest countries of the world with minimal facilities. The disaster left millions of people homeless and in urgent medical needs. The Israeli Field Hospital extended their hospital capacity to 72 from 60 and added one more operating room to accommodate increased causalities (NEJM, 2010). In a normal triage system we are setting priorities among patients depending on their clinical conditions and assuming that we will be able to provide care to all. In Haiti disaster it was impossible for them to provide care to all who needed. Here the health care workers as well as the victims faced ethical dilemma. The medical team was forced to recognize the fact that the clients who need most urgent care may consume the majority of their resources. So they had to set up priorities according to the resources available, the severity of the problem and can they be saved. Another ethical dilemma the medical team had to encounter was those come with severe injuries needed prolong rehabilitation and that may run out all of their supplies. So they planned to accommodate patients who can be stabilized in 24 hours.† The practical implication of this prioritization resulted in people those who have small chance to survive were not likely to be treated in the ICU† (NEJM, 2010). In addition to that discharging the patients were also challenging since no homes left and children without parents, there was no place for them to go. Personal ethical values and position using ethical principles In a massive disaster plan in an ethical aspect I believe the theory of Act- utilitarianism works best to that situation. Act-utilitarianism states, the actions people choose will produce over all good in any given circumstances. This theory also allows different actions in certain circumstances. Their decision on triaging the patients based on the resources and the possible outcome of the intervention in a humanitarian aspect. The ethical principles of beneficence and justice applied in this scenario. According to the principle of beneficence the health care workers were trying their best to provide care to as many as people possible. The ethical principle of distributive justice emphasis on fair and equitable distribution of goods and services (Burkhardt Nathaniel, 2008), but in certain situations it is impossible for all people to have everything that they might need. In such cases they can formulate and enforce policies for fair and equitable distribution of the available resources. Possible alternatives for resolving the problem I.Ask for more medical supplies from organizations like, World Health Organization, Red Cross et. II.Make arrangements to send patients who need more complex care to the nearest available medical centers or hospitals. III.Call for more volunteers to help there by reducing the cost and request for funds from charitable organizations. IV.Since geographically U. S. is the closest country, request for airlifting the patient to the nearby states hospitals for advanced care. V.Even though insurance can be a hindrance to accept the patients, U. S. Government can offer tax exemptions and grants for the accepting hospitals. VI.Airlift the patients to the accepting countries for advanced care. Examine and categorize the alternatives When we categorize the alternatives from 1-6, the first five options are possible alternatives. The 6th option can be possible, but it will be more expensive, time consuming and unsafe for unstable patients. Since many organizations started their rescue operations, if the military task force can receive more supplies, they will be able to continue with their life saving measures. Possible consequences for the acceptable alternatives When other hospitals can accommodate more patients, it may reduce the burden on a single group. Since they already have disaster plan set up, more supplies from other organizations will help them to continue their task without time delay. With tax exemption and grants, more hospitals may take initiative to involve in the health care delivery and if the patient can be airlifted on time many lives can be saved. Prioritize acceptable alternatives I.Provision of more supplies to the functioning units. II.Make arrangements to transfer patients with complex issues to the nearest hospitals. III.Call for more volunteers for additional help IV.Airlift patients to the nearby countries at the earliest possible V.Request for more funds, grants, donations from the federal governments and common wealth countries. Plan of actions The plan of care is to provide care to as many people as possible with added resources. Transferring of patients to the nearest available hospital for complex care and management. Through financial aid rebuild the health care infrastructure to provide continued care to the Haiti people. Evaluation Natural disasters are unpredictable and every effort needs to be taken to overcome such situation through voluntary support. In this situation the ethics committee from a group of physician had to prioritize the cases according to the availability of resources and the chances of survival. In a humanitarian aspect it is necessary to provide fair and equitable distribution of health care as much as possible for a healthy recovery. We often see the best of humanity in moments of extreme calamity. In every disaster situations people who directly involved often faces some sort of ethical issues and dilemma. The best possible way to overcome such situations through mutual effort, ethical decision making and appropriate action plans. Fair and equitable distribution of health care is the best approach to every mankind.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

A Woman Indefinitely Plagued: The Truth Behind The Yellow Wallpaper

A Woman Indefinitely Plagued: The Truth Behind The Yellow Wallpaper In The Yellow Wallpaper, a young woman and her husband rent out a country house so the woman can get over her â€Å"temporary nervous depression.† She ends up staying in a large upstairs room, once used as a â€Å"playroom and gymnasium, [†¦] for the windows are barred for little children, and there are rings and things in the walls.† A â€Å"smoldering unclean yellow† wallpaper, â€Å"strangely faded by the slow-turning sunlight,† lines the walls, and â€Å"the pattern lolls like a broken neck and two bulbous eyes [that] stare at you upside down.† The husband, a doctor, uses S. Weir Michell's â€Å"rest cure† to treat her of her sickness, and he directs her to live isolated in this strange room. The nameless woman tells the reader through diary entries that she feels a connection to the yellow wallpaper and fancies that an imprisoned woman shakes the pattern. The narrator’s insanity is finally apparent when she writes, â€Å"The re are so many of those creeping women, and they creep so fast. I wonder if they all come out of that wall-paper as I did?† When the story first came out in 1892, the critics saw The Yellow Wallpaper as a description of female insanity instead of a story that reveals society’s values. A Boston physician wrote in The Transcript after reading the story that â€Å"such a story ought not to be written [. . .] it was enough to drive anyone mad to read it,† stating that any woman who would go against the grain of society might as well claim insanity. In the time period in which Gilman lived, â€Å"the ideal woman was not only assigned a social role that locked her into her home, but she was also expected to like it, to be cheerful and gay, smiling and good humored.† By expressing her need for independence, Gilman set herself apart from society. Through her creation of The Yellow Wallpaper, Charlotte Perkins Gilman wrote a personal testament of the emotional and psychological anguish of rejection from society as a free-thinking woman in the late nineteenth century. The life of Gilman revolved around troubled and loveless relationships that sparked the gothic tale of her descent into madness. Relating to Gilman’s situation and appreciating The Yellow Wallpaper for how it exemplifies the women’s lives of her time proves difficult today. Before the reform of women’s rights, society summed the roles of the woman in a sim... ...ions far surpassed her time. The honesty of emotion in The Yellow Wallpaper sends a chill through any backbone, whether literal or metaphorical, and reveals how a simple testament can create a revolution of any type. From: . See 1. See 1. Lawell, Jeannine. â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper: The Rest Cure as a Catalyst to Insanity.† From . See 1. Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. â€Å"Why I Wrote 'The Yellow Wallpaper'?† The Forerunner. To Herland and Beyond: The Life and Work of Charlotte Perkins Gilman. New York: Penguin, 1990. Lane, Ann J. â€Å"The Fictional World of Charlotte Perkins Gilman.† The Charlotte Perkins Gilman Reader. New York: Pantheon Books, 1980. â€Å"The Cult of True Womanhood.† Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia Deluxe. Microsoft Inc, 2004. â€Å"Charlotte Perkins Gilman.† Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia Deluxe. Microsoft Inc, 2004. See 7. See 7. Ceplair, Larry. â€Å"The Early Years.† Charlotte Perkins Gilman: A Non-fiction Reader. New York: Columbia, 1991. â€Å"Depression (Psychology).† Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia Deluxe. Microsoft Inc, 2004. â€Å"Hysteria (Study and Treatment).† Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia Deluxe. Microsoft Inc, 2004. See 13. See 7. See 7. See 7. See 7. See 7. See 6. See 6. See 6. See 8.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Interpersonal Communication Skills Essay

Emotion: The word emotion includes a wide range of observable behaviors, expressed feelings, and changes in the body state. Emotions are feelings. Emotional communication, then, refers to the act of communicating your feelings. This is also known as â€Å"emotional intelligence† or â€Å"social intelligence.† There are six principles of emotion and emotional messages. 1. Emotions may be primary or blended: A primary emotion is a basic emotion. These would be the eight basic emotions: joy, acceptance, fear, surprise, sadness, disgust, anger and anticipation. Emotions that are close to each other on this wheel are also to close to each other in meanings. In this model there are also blends. These blended are the combinations of primary emotions. They are noted at the outside the wheel. For example, according to this model, love is a blend of joy and acceptance, whereas remorse is a blend of disgust and sadness. 2. Emotions are influenced by body, mind, and culture: Emotions involve at least three parts: bodily reactions, mental evaluation and interpretations and cultural rules and beliefs. Bodily reactions to emotions are pretty obvious and include things like blushing when you’re embarrassed, nervous habits, or sweaty palms. The mental and cognitive part of emotion experiences involves the evaluation and interpretations you make on the basis of what you experiences. For example, you may feel angry if someone is rude or insensitive to you on purpose. Culture also dictates how we should express and interpret our emotions as well. For example, Chinese students show respect by being quiet and passive. Asking questions would imply that the teacher was not clear on the lecture. 3. Emotions may be adaptive and maladaptive: Emotions are often adaptive that is, they can help you adjust  appropriately to situation. For example, if you’re worried you won’t do well in something, you’ll work harder to prepare for that situation. Emotions may be maladaptive and may get in the way of your accomplishing your goals. For example, if you are so anxious about a situation that you don’t prepare for it. In other ways emotions can create problems is in a tendency that some theorists have cleverly called catastrophizing â€Å"taking a problem even a minor one and make it in to a catastrophe. 4. Emotions are communicated verbally and nonverbally: According to DeVito (2009), â€Å"Theorists do not agree over whether you can choose the emotions you feel. Some argue that you can; others argue that you cannot. You are, however, in control of the ways in which you express your emotions†. In some instances you determine whether you want to express your emotions in full, but with other times you censor your emotions. 5. Emotional expression is governed by display rules: We’ve talked about display rules before, but to refresh your mind it is what is and is not appropriate to do. The differences we see are in the emotional expression. Men and women also have gender display rules for what is and isn’t appropriate to express within his or her culture. For example, it’s appropriate in our culture for women to divulge a lot of their emotions and feelings; however, it is not seen in the same light when men divulge all of their emotions to other men. 6. Emotions are contagious: Emotions can be contagious. If you think of a time where one person starts laughing, and then the people around start laughing, you can see this theory working. Emotional contagion is defined as emotions passing from one person to another. Another form of emotional contagion deals with persuasions utilizing emotional appeals.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Global Warming And Its Many Ramifications Essay

The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (U. S. EPA) supports all ordinances involving environmental protection and the abatement of natural resources degradation. These laws aim to restrict people from abusing the environment and destroying the natural habitats of numerous species. The CATO Institute in Washington believes that the government is not doing enough in terms of environmental protection. The institute emphasizes that government intervention needs to exert more effort in pursuing environmental preservation. The government is essential in pursuing this goal since this endeavor requires a huge amount of monetary and human resources and may not be achieved by a small number of people only (439-440). With the population continually increasing, natural resources are quickly dwindling, and with the loss of natural habitat, the flora and fauna also perish. Currently, the government pursues strategies that aim to protect the plants and animals affected by heightened human development. Better laws and ordinances need to be passed for the government to effectively preserve the ecosystem. If not, the world risks the possibility of humans satisfying only their own needs and satisfaction, without thinking of the long-term effects of development (U. S. EPA) Crucial Environmental Issues The emergence of numerous environmental issues, including the extinction of several plants and animals as well as changes in weather patterns, caused the government to implement restrictions on the activities of man affecting the environment. However, despite the efforts on the part of the government, environmental problems still occur. According to the U. S. EPA, fragmented tactics are not expected to be effective in protecting the environment as only the obvious problems are being undertaken, while the complex and less obvious environmental issues still remain. The U. S. EPA believes that it is important for the government to change the fundamentals of environmental policies. More restrictions need to be incorporated whenever development is envisioned. This is because with the current rate of development, plants and animals are in danger of not continuing to live in their natural habitats. Population explosion depletes the natural resources, which include plants and animals, which humans consume for their survival. In addition, human settlements also destroy the natural habitats of numerous species. Howard M. Singletary, Director of Plant Industry of the North Carolina Department of Agriculture, believes that biological diversity is essential in environmental protection (Evaluate the Social). Conserving biological diversity involves the protection of the entire ecosystem. Humans may see themselves as important or more important than the plants and animals that get destroyed as a result of increased population, but it should be noted that the environmental issues that man is facing at the present time are due to the absence of preventive planning. The short-term economic and monetary gains have frequently been treated as more important than the ecosystem. Yet, the destruction of plants and animals as well as their habitat contribute much in global warming and extreme weather situations. (Evaluate the Social). Humanity needs to see the impact of overdevelopment. People also need to realize that they need to invest and sacrifice certain conveniences and luxuries in order to achieve long-term environmental goals. The scientific community and several advocacy groups are supporting government efforts to preserve the environment. The global movement is for the greater good and is based on the fact the earth and everything in it is not owned by a single individual, group or corporation. The scale of the human economy is now such that the wilderness areas that sustain much of the world’s remaining biological diversity are shrinking fast. The rates of wildlife habitat takeover and of species extinctions are the fastest they have ever been in recorded history, and they are accelerating. Tropical forests, the world’s richest species habitats, have already been 55 percent destroyed, and the current rate exceeds 168,000 square kilometers per year. (Evaluate the Social). Stabilizing populations Stabilizing population is more important in industrial countries than in developing countries, since the former overconsume and hence overpollute and are thereby responsible for the greatest increase in the impact of human activities on the already overtaxed environment. The richest 20 percent of the world consume over 70 percent of the world’s commercial energy. Thirteen countries have already reached a fertility rate required in order to achieve zero population growth, so it is not utopian to expect others to follow. The population growth-rate of developing countries of course must also be reduced dramatically. Their population is now 77 percent of the world’s total, and they are responsible for 90 percent of the world’s annual population growth. (Evaluate the Social). The poor must be helped and will justifiably demand to reach at least minimally acceptable living standards by obtaining access to the remaining natural resource base. When industrial nations switch from input growth to qualitative development, more resources and environmental functions will be available for the poor in the South. Scientists observe that as the planet warms up, a great deal of ice and snow near the poles will probably start to melt. That will expose dark tundra and dark seas. That will warm things up – like painting a white roof black. The darker the terrain gets, the warmer those parts of the world will get. More snow will melt there, making the terrain even hotter. All these explanations fill more than thirty pages of rather small print in the Philosophical Magazines, and every one of the calculations had to be solved by hand. To make a greenhouse forecast, experts now build what amounts to a working scales model of the Earth inside a supercomputer. They start with a blank globe, divided into a grid like the grid of latitude and longitude. Typically each box in the grid covers several hundred miles on a side. These boxes are stacked from the surface of the planet high into the atmosphere – a dozen layers of giant boxes of air. Public concern over environmental policy was minimal until the end of the nineteenth century. As the United States expanded westward, the horizon seemed to present an unlimited supply of land, water, mineral deposits and timber. Farming techniques reflected little concern for minimizing soil depletion. Forests were cleared without concern for reforestation or the devastation of soil erosion. Minerals were mined and metals smelted without concern for their effects on fresh-water supplies; when contamination did result, it seemed a minor problem, because alternative sources of water seemed endless. (Royan, 2001). Despite a history of conservation policies, fundamental concerns over environmental protection were still absent from the policy agenda as late as the 1950s. The publication of Silent Spring in 1962 drew attention to the dangers of pesticides such as DDT, in the food chain. The sense of social responsibility that emerged in the 1960s also moved environmental policy from the background to the forefront of the policy agenda. Energy made it to the headlines once again in the year 2000; a shocking power crisis hit the state of California (Royan, 2001). Companies had realized once more that the horrors brought about by serious energy problems over the past three decades had not gone away. The California electricity crisis could potentially fan out towards other states; not only impact would it impact the profitability of a company, but could certainly put many out of business. As the new century fast approaches, the world has slowly realized the synergy between energy conservation and global economic competitiveness. Energy conservation entails the elimination of wastes through the improvement of industrial facilities and processes. Energy conservation also implies environment preservation through pollution prevention, and mitigating the trends toward global warming. Global competitiveness goes hand in hand with energy conservation, and many industrial firms from all over the world have realized that. Worldwide energy consumption in recent years has continued to escalate not only in developed countries but also in developing countries, primarily as a result of rapid industrialization and improvement in the standard of living. In a recent survey conducted by the Association of Energy Engineers, about 22 percent among those surveyed claimed to have reduced accumulated costs by $5 million or more by implementing energy conservation strategies (Cornforth, 1992). The potential for additional savings is still great. Thirty-six percent among those surveyed indicated that further savings that amount to over 10 percent are possible. Thus, investment in protocols that promote energy conservation has proven to be effective in saving costs by reducing waste materials resulting from industrial processes. As the next century approaches, the economic world has gradually come to realize that energy conservation offers the most profitable competitive advantage. Marked improvements in the efficiency of industrial processes or facilities to save fuel consumption reduce wastage. HiTAC has been a significant energy conservation development in recent years, and is now applied to industrial furnaces in many factories worldwide. A positive consequence of saving energy is minimizing greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming. Because of the increased efficiency in combustion using HiTAC, nitrogen oxide and carbon dioxide-byproducts of incomplete burning, are reduced. Therefore, HiTAC saves on operational costs by making fuel consumption more efficient; and consequently, efficient fuel consumption minimizes waste products, among which are greenhouse gases that trigger global warming. (Hotel & Sarofim, 1967). Major Changes Taking Place in the US Population and Projected Problems Due to the Climate Changes The US is said to have the highest population of the developed nations, and one of the highest population growth rates at one percent, equivalent to 2. 5 million new Americans every year (Haub). Three national population trends that have been identified in a recent US census are changes in geographic distribution, changes in ethnic composition, and the effect of immigration on population (Haub). With regard to the changing geographic distribution of the population, the population is said to be shifting from the Northeast and Midwest to the South and West, both because of internal migration and immigration from other countries (Haub). With regard to ethic composition, while ethnic minorities are said to comprise 25 percent of the population currently, that percentage will increase to 50 percent in 50 years, with Asians rising in numbers from 7. 1 to 40 million by 2050, and Hispanics rising in numbers to 90 million in 2050, constituting 22 percent of the population (Haub). Immigration, on the other hand, presently accounts for a third of the population increase yearly, and is expected to be a major contributor to population growth in the future (Haub). It naturally follows that the South and West will have to deal with the attendant problems of the shifting geographic distribution in its favor, while the change in ethnic composition can be predicted to contribute its own set of problems. Problems Causing the Decline in the Quality of Life in Cities, Possible Solutions It is said that more than a billion urban dwellers, out of a total of three billion, are located in slum areas, with half living in Asia (Whelan). This is indicative of the mammoth problems of governments with regard to the provision for food (Sustainable Development Networking Program), opportunities for employment, environmental degradation, sanitation, and general quality of living in cities. Another problem causing the decline in quality of life is said to be urban sprawl, whose effects range from over-congestion to pollution (Goodwin). In the US, the states that are the destination of internal and external migration and immigration in the ongoing shift in geographic distribution of the population that will have to deal with these issues. Proposed solutions include the revision of federal laws to limit immigration, the creation of boundaries that will redirect urban growth to places where urban services can be provided, and tighter control on allowable density and housing (Goodwin). There are many environmentalists like Senator Hillary who had been bold about her support on the Supreme Court’s Global Warming Decision. She states that the scientific consensus is that global warming poses a serious threat to human activities (Statement of Senator Hillary Clinton on the Supreme Court†¦2007, par 1). She challenges President Bush to address this pressing global environmental threat as soon as possible. Issues on the Ozone In the discussions on the ozone hole, it is but apt to provide a brief explanation on what exactly is the ozone and how it is formed. The ozone, according to the Centre for Atmospheric Science, â€Å"forms a layer in the stratosphere, thinnest in the tropics (around the equator) and denser towards the poles†. More specifically, â€Å"[O]zone is a toxic, strong reactive compound consisting of three oxygen atoms† (Francois). As explained by the Centre for Atmospheric Science, the ozone is formed â€Å"when ultraviolet [radiation coming from the sun], strikes the stratosphere, dissociating (or splitting) oxygen molecules to atomic oxygen†¦[that] quickly combines with further oxygen molecules to form ozone† More commonly, the ozone is known as the layer that protects human beings and other living things from the harmful rays of the sun, more specifically, the ultraviolet rays-shielding us from being stricken by skin cancer. This common conception of the ozone layer, which provides a good notion of what ozone is, is just one side of the coin. Scientists refer to this more commonly know ozone as the stratospheric ozone (Centre for Atmospheric Science). On the other side of the coin is the tropospheric or the ground level ozone, which is considered as a major health hazard, is a â€Å"major constituent of photochemical smog† (Centre for Atmospheric Science). It is referred to as a pollutant because of its being lethal if inhaled (Newman). Ozone Facts According to the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the story of the ozone hole has its roots from the chlorofluorocarbons or CFC’s, â€Å"a family of most commonly used industrial compounds†. CFC’s was invented by Thomas Midgley in 1928 which later on was called as a â€Å"miracle compound† due to its proven useful for man’s convenience (NRDC). Since then, it was effectively â€Å"used in refrigeration systems, air conditioners, aerosols, solvents and in the production of some types of packaging† (Francois). However, decades after the â€Å"miracle compound† was invented and used in many industries and households as effective refrigerants, it was found out that it had caused a serious damage to the environment, more particularly to the ozone layer. It took American scientists Mario Molina and Sherwood Rowland to prove that the â€Å"miracle compound† turned out to be damaging to the environment as they hypothesized in 1974 that CFC’s â€Å"possibly played an active role in the depletion of the ozone layer† (NRDC). This announcement had sparked heated debates not just among scientists but also among policymakers, environmentalists and industry players on the â€Å"whys and wherefores of ozone depletion† (NRDC). It was explained by Newman that CFC’s became harmful to the ozone because of its chlorine make-up and â€Å"it turn[ed] out that CFC’s are an excellent way of introducing chlorine into the ozone layer†. This happens as the ultraviolet radiation coming from the sun strikes CFC’s that go up into the altitude of the ozone layer, this UV radiation breaks down CFC’s and frees chlorine (Newman). After chlorine has been freed, this â€Å"has the potential to destroy large amount of ozone† (Newman). Francois also provides connection of the thinning of the ozone layer to the introduction of large amount of chlorine in the atmosphere through the use of CFC’s. The Centre for Atmospheric Science stated that â€Å"Evidence that human activities affect the ozone layer has been building up over the last 20 years, ever since scientists first suggested that the release of CFC’s into the atmosphere could reduce the amount of ozone over our heads†. But prior to the hole being discovered, the negative effects of the CFC’s were never taken seriously by the majority of the people as they were not convinced on the connection between CFC’s and the depletion of the ozone layer (NRDC). In 1985, a major discovery had brought great alarm to the whole world as it was discovered by Joseph Farman and his colleagues that there was a hole in the ozone layer (Newman [b]). In fact, the severity of the discovered ozone depletion made the English scientist in the Halley Bay station in Antarctica, who discovered the hole, to think that the equipment he used to measure the extent of the hole was broken (NRDC). He sent the equipment back to England to have the equipment repaired but when he tried to measure the depletion again, his initial finding that the ozone layer had been depleted was confirmed (Francois). Another theoretical attempt, which later on was proven to be correct, was the â€Å"recipe of the ozone loss† as summarized by the Centre for Atmospheric Science as follows: †¢ â€Å"The polar winter leads to the formation of the polar vortex which isolates the air within it. †¢ â€Å"Cold temperatures form inside the vortex; cold enough for the formation of Polar Stratospheric Clouds (PSCs). As the vortex air is isolated, the cold temperatures and the PSCs persist. †¢ â€Å"Once the PSCs form, heterogeneous reactions take place and convert the inactive chlorine and bromine reservoirs to more active forms of chlorine and bromine. †¢ â€Å"No ozone loss occurs until sunlight returns to the air inside the polar vortex and allows the production of active chlorine and initiates the catalytic ozone destruction cycles. Ozone loss is rapid. The ozone hole currently covers a geographic region a little bigger than Antarctica and extends nearly 10km in altitude in the lower stratosphere. â€Å" Basically, the preceding enumeration of the â€Å"recipe of the ozone loss† is similar to the Heterogeneous Chemistry Theory that proposed chemical reactions occurring within the ozone layer. This also explains why the hole is over Antarctica and not over the other continents. The atmospheric conditions prevailing in Antarctica, which is its having ultra cold temperature, suits the chemical reactions that take place resulting to ozone depletion. Consequences of Depleted Ozone The most common knowledge as to the adverse effects of the depletion of the ozone layer is that it increases the penetration of the ultraviolet radiation resulting to more skin cancer. As Francois puts it, â€Å"[W]hen this protective layer is reduced, it has dramatic consequences on life† such as slower photosynthesis among plants as increased radiation results to less metabolism; destruction of micro-organisms which play a vital role in the food chain; and, the increase in cases of skin cancer. Basically, the depletion of the ozone layer can result to an enormous change in the ecological balance. It is a universal fact, based on the studies and researches that have been made, that a little tip in the ecological balance could result to a mammoth change in our environment that could adversely affect the way people live. The slight increase in temperature can cause destructive floods to countries surrounded by oceans. In the case of the increase in the ozone hole, it can results to unfavorable changes in our environment starting from the destruction of micro-organisms and the instability that it causes to the metabolism of plants responsible to changes in photosynthesis. These changes may not be visible in the present time, which makes many people complacent and insensitive as to their roles in the protection of the ozone layer, but catastrophic results can be felt in the near future.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

1984 Vocabulary

'1984' Vocabulary George Orwells 1984   tells of a dystopian future where the totalitarian government (called the Party) seeks to control not only language, but thought as well. Orwell created a whole new set of language rules with his Newspeak in 1984, showing how by reducing the ability to express oneself creatively, the Party could control how people spoke, and ultimately, know their thoughts. Instead of very good instead one using Newspeak would say plusgood and doubleplusgood. Orwell was particularly interested in nuances in language, and bemoaned what he viewed as   the loss of critical thinking and metaphor. 1984 - Terms and Vocabulary Heres a list of some unusual vocabulary words from 1984, by George Orwell. Use these terms for reference, study, and discussion. inscrutable: of an obscure nature discountenanced:  embarrassed gamboling:  playing boisterously or loudly multifarious:  having many aspects venerate:  regard with feelings of respect and reverence aquiline:  curved down, as an eagles beak stratum:  layers of material or divisions, or social classes in society palimpsest:  a manuscript on which more than one text has been written fulminate:  cause to explode violently and with loud noise anodyne:  capable of relieving pain sinecure:  an office that involves minimal duties niggling:  petty, trivial proletarian:  belonging to or characteristic of the working class wainscoting:  decorative paneling or woodwork fecundity: fertility, or cleverness (as in a fertile imagination) spurious:  not genuine, inauthentic oligarchy:  a form of government in which all power is in a few people or a dominant class truncheon: a club carried by a law enforcement officer forlorn: unhappy or miserable, hopeless More 1984 Resources Questions for Study and Discussion On 1984:Orwell Review

Monday, October 21, 2019

Financial Analysis of Google Research Paper Example

Financial Analysis of Google Research Paper Example Financial Analysis of Google Paper Financial Analysis of Google Paper An Analysis of Google It is rather difficult to think about web browsing without thinking about Google. Many people rely on Google to search and find any information they may be looking for. It is quite frequent you hear people say Just Google it to help find solutions. Many people rely on Google for many different aspects of learning and information. Google is a convenient and has many attributes that they offer to their users. One Googles many attributes that is helpful for college students like us, is their scholarly browser. This browser has come in handy in the many papers we have prepared for lasses over the years. With more and more professors asking for scholarly sources, Google makes it a hassle free to provide those sources. Some of Googles other attributes that it offers its users are maps, image searches, web searches, email, shopping, and much more. Another reason we like Google is that they are a growing company. In a world full of information and data that vastly growing, we are in need of a speedy and up to date search engine to keep people informed and content. Google, who recently did a 2-for-l split in 2014, has stock symbols of AGOG and GOOGOL, which are classified as A shares. They two stocks are currently trading for $525. 5 (Google A Shares) and $534. 14 (Google Inc. ) on May 5, 2014. In the last four years Googles business conditions have continued to become better, showing consistent increase in stock prices each year. On May 6, 2010 the stock price was $249. 09 compared to one year later on May 6, 2011 the stock was $267. 38. Over the next year the stock price increased $30. 81 to $298. 19 on May 6, 2012. From the year 2012 to May 6, 2013 the stock price Jumped a shocking amount of $132. 15 to $430. 34. The stock price has recently increased by $103. 80 from the year 013 to May 6, 2014 to a current price of $534. 5 (Google Inc. NASDAQ). Google takes into much consideration its users satisfaction of its services and products. Google does this by having an easy to run customer service page. This page offers its users direct help with their Google accounts, Gamma, Docs or any other Google product. Also listed on this helpful support page is all of Googles policies and principles, privacy and security tips, Google Headquarters, and telephone numbers to customer service help lines. Google frequently uses this information and feedback to analyze their products and services (Contact). : Googles Business Operation and Corporate Development teams work on global, cross-functional projects that help the companies global business strategy. The teams at Google deliver insights to leaders that drive decision-making, execution and investments for some of Googles most critical initiatives (Business). Google is currently available in 144 countries and holds 60% of the market share in worlds search engines. Google reaches a global business strategy by having twenty American based offices, thirteen Asia Pacific Region based offices, and five Middle East based offices, and many complex global partnerships (International). Google has recently Just made a $2. 25 billion investment on data center and infrastructure spending, which is a huge area of costs for the company. Google is the most aggressive in advancing a clean energy agenda, and has mage fifteen wind and solar investments totaling more than $1 billion. Google and many other large companies like Apple, Backbone, and Microsoft are all gigantic consumers of energy, and is the reason that top companies such as Silicon Valley are in a race to be the leader of clean and renewable energies (Google makes). One of the most important strengths of Google is its brand equity. Google is one of he most well-known and well-respected search engines. Another key strength for Google would be their customer responsiveness. Their customer responsiveness is a key element that will help increase their user base. One of Googles biggest weaknesses is that you need a device and Internet to access Googles features. Google wants to be mobile and easy to use, but still cannot be accessible to everyone, everywhere. They could solve this by making some features downloaded, but it is hard to make a search engine accessible without Internet. A huge opportunity for Google is its overseas markets and advertising. Google can increase their capital by advertising in overseas markets to increase their user base. Google is also in a market that is constantly technologically growing. A great threat Google may face is other search engines. With a variety of search engines to choose from on the Internet, Google has to stay ahead of their competitors and offer as much as they can to their users. Another threat for Google recently has been social media. With Backbone and Twitter surpassing Google with Internet usage it has become an aspect that threatens Googles future. Backbone and Twitter are one of the main leaders in Internet advertisement (The Makes). Financial Analysis In this section, we will be taking a look at Googles financial performance in recent years. All figures will be given in billions of dollars, with the exception of figures given on a per share basis. Given the recent uncertainty within the business community due to the economy, Google has done exceptionally well over they past four years. Their business continues to grow each year, and there is not much information that indicates a change in this trend anytime soon. You do not need to look any farther than Googles balance sheet to see what direction the company is moving in. In 2010, Google had total assets of $41. 6. By 2013, this figure had risen by $31. 33, to $72. 89. It may be surprising to know that Googles long-term debt has not substantially grown over the past four years compared to most other large companies. Google had no long-tern debt in 2009, maintained debt at $2. 99 till 2013 when it had decreased by $. 75 to a current $2. 24 in long-term debt (Google Inc. CLC). By looking at Googles income statement, their financial performance becomes even more impressive. Moving forward, Google appears to have solid financial positioning. The above figures are very helpful in getting an idea of where the company sits, but in order to get an even better picture, it may also be worth taking a look at a few of the common financial ratios. One ratio that is especially telling about Googles operations is its net profit margin. In 2010 Google had a net profit margin of 29% and decreased 8. 6% to a final net profit margin of 20. 4% Another important ratio used to determine a companys ability to generate income is return on equity. Google has recently seen roughly a one percent decrease in this regard. During the 2010 to 2014 period, their returns on equity were 18. 4%, 16. 7%, 15%, and 14% respectively. Another relevant measure to consider in the financial analysis of Google is the firms price to earnings ratio. Their price to earnings ratio has relatively remained the name during the four year time period. Googles price to earnings ratios was 20. 3% starting in 2010 and 24. 6% ending in 2010 (Google Value Line). Googles price to book ratio went from 72. 03 in 2010 to 130. 12 in 2013. This is a 58. 09 increase in their price to book ratio (10 Year). Once again, Google does not issue dividends, so there are no dividend payout ratios or dividend yields for us to report on. Our figures are summarized below. Net Profit Margin 29% 25. 7% 21. 5% 20. 4% Return On Equity 18. 4% 16. 7% Price to Earning Ratio 20. 3 19. 1 19. 8 24. 6 Price to Book Ratio* 72. 03 89. 57 108. 7 130. 12 Figures given by Googles Value Line Report Figures with * given by: Gracious. Com/financial/AGOG These figures show a positive trend for Google. With a relatively stable net profit margin, it is a promising indicator for Googles future performance. A higher profit margin indicates that a greater percentage of their sales are being turned into income. This information, along with other data listed, suggests that Google is seeing consistent improvements in operating efficiency. With the information above, it is certainly possible to evaluate the financial position of a company. However, if we take the figures and ratios from Google and compare to their competition, we will more than likely find ourselves with an even greater idea of the companies performance. In order to reach this goal, we decided to compare Googles performance to one of their key competitors: Yahoo! Although Yahoo! May seem to have the advantage over Google in some areas, the recent trends tend to suggest that Google is making great progress in closing the gap. Although Yahoos net profit margin ends slightly higher than Googles, it is safe to say that Googles has been higher and more consistent over the four-year span from 2010-2014. While Googles net profit margin went from 29% to 20. 4% in 2010 to 2014, Yahoos increased from 19. 5% in 2010 to a current margin of 27% in 2013 (Google Value Line). We also noticed that Googles return on investment decreased from 18. 4% in 2010 to 14% by the year 2013. On the other hand, Yahoos return on investment increased from 9. 8% in 2010 to 10% in 2013. Although Googles return on investment decreased over the four-year span, their ending percentage was still four percent higher than Yahoo! (Google Value Line). Google saw a huge increase in their earning per share starting at $26. 31 in 2010 and ending at $36. 5 in 2013. On the other hand Yahoos earnings per share increased by $. 36 starting at $. 90 in 2010 and ending at $1. 26 in 2013. The last two financial ratios that will help to compare the two companies are price to earnings ratio and the price to book ratio. The price to earnings ratio for Google had a 4. 3 increase from 2010 to 2014, while Yahoo had a . 8 decrease over the same four-year time span. Google shows a remarkable increase in their price to book ratio from 2010 to 2013 with a 58. 09 increase starting at 72. 03 and ending at 130. 12(Google Price). Yahoo did not show such a huge Jump, unlike Google, with only a . 88 increase over four years starting at 1. 839 in 2010 and ending at 1. 927 in 2013. A summary of our comparison, along with two graphs depicting the net profit margins and earnings per share of Google and Yahoo, are below Wahoo! Price). Based on Googles figures, we determined their internal growth rate by calculating their retained earnings, which are $61. 26, divided by their total assets of $72. 89 for an internal growth rate of 84. 04% as of 2013 (Google Inc. CLC). Yahoos internal growth rate was calculated the same with retained earning of $4. 27 divided by their total assets of $16. 8 for a rate of 24. 2% (Google Inc. NASDAQ:GOOGOL). In calculating both Google and Yahoos sustainable growth rate, both companies do not offer dividends leaving them with no dividend payout ratio. With this information the companys sustainable growth rate is equal to their return on equity. Googles return on equity is 14% compared to Yahoos return on equity of 10% (Google Value Line). Based on the internal growth rate and the sustainable growth rate, Googles rates are both higher than Yahoos, which leads us to conclude that Google is on a good trend for the future compared to their major competitors. Investment Analysis Over the past four years, Google stock has seen a considerable increase in value. Just recently in 2014 Google had issued a 2 for 1 stock. One main investment risks for Google is the secular shift to mobile from desktop. With more and more people choosing to invest their money in cell phones and tablets instead of desktop computers, more ads are being displayed on mobile devices. With this being said, Google does not earn as much money with advertising on mobile devices compared to desktop computers. This is because of the ad size being significantly smaller. Although Google is still the leader of the web search engines, it is a risk that investors should consider. Another one of the investments risks for Google is the Motorola Division. This division is a threat to Google because it is a motivational $12. 5 billion Motorola acquisition for the intellectual property and the build-out of a better mobile computing platform on Android. This is an investment risk because Motorola offers features that Google does that could potentially take over their place (Google Investment). Using the market multiple approach, we can see that now is a great time to buy into Google stock. Given Googles current PEPS of $18. 35, along with a PIE ratio of 28. 48, the projected stock price for Googles turns out to be $522. 61. Since Googles current price per hare is $522. 7, it looks to be that Google stock is currently undervalued by 4 cents. If this strategy was to be implemented, and Googles stock was to reach $522. 57, the expected rate of return would be a minimum of . 01%. A great time to invest in Google stock would be if the stock price per share were under $522. 57. An advisable time to sell stock would be if it above $522. 57 per share. Risk is always going to be a huge part of the stock market. With Google, however, our analysis has shown us to conclude that they are a strong and growing company that has the ability to provide retreat returns on investment. They are innovative, in a great financial position, and are one of the worlds most known web search engines. We foresee Google being a dominant force within their industry for many years to come. 10 Year Financial Data of Google Inc (AGOG) Gracious. Com. 10 Year Financial Data of Google Inc (AGOG) Gracious. Com. N. P. , n. D. Web. 6 May 2014.. Business Strategy Google Careers. Business Strategy Google Careers. N. P. , n. D. Web. 6 May 2014. Google (A Shares) Stock Quote. . NASDAQ, n. D. Web. 5 May 2014.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

3 Problematic Parentheticals

3 Problematic Parentheticals 3 Problematic Parentheticals 3 Problematic Parentheticals By Mark Nichol Each of the following sentences is muddled because a parenthetical phrase is incorrectly punctuated. Discussion of each example explains the problem, and one or more revisions resolve it. 1. This phase consists of a management experience whose intensity and scope has few, if any rivals. The phrase â€Å"if any† is a parenthetical- a sentence element that is not essential to the sentence but provides additional information or otherwise modifies the main clause. Parenthetical phrases must be set off with a pair of punctuation marks (parentheses, dashes, or, most commonly, commas): â€Å"This phase consists of a management experience whose intensity and scope has few, if any, rivals.† 2. The operational risks of widespread automation, for example loss of service and technical problems around delivery, could lead to wholesale firms being unable to transact. The parenthetical phrase â€Å"for example† must be set off from the stated example, which itself, with the parenthetical, must be set off from the main clause: â€Å"The operational risks of widespread automation- for example, loss of service and technical problems around delivery- could lead to wholesale firms being unable to transact.† (Parentheses can replace the dashes, but to introduce a pair of commas would obscure the hierarchy of parenthesis within parenthesis.) 3. Smith, the superintendent of the park who has studied the history of the colony, said the photos are a reminder of the state’s rich and influential past. The parenthetical phrase that describes Smith includes a phrase singling him out as one of two or more superintendents and identifies him as the one who has studied the history of the colony. However, Smith is the only superintendent, and the reference to his studies is additional, parenthetical information, so that phrase must be set off as a parenthesis modifying a parenthesis: â€Å"Smith, the park’s superintendent, who has studied the history of the colony, said the photos are a reminder of the state’s rich and influential past.† Alternatively, the sentence can be reworded so that â€Å"the park’s superintendent† is the only parenthetical; â€Å"has studied the history of the colony† becomes the balance of the main clause, and the wording about his comment becomes an additional independent clause preceded by a conjunction: â€Å"Smith, the park’s superintendent, has studied the history of the colony, and he said the photos are a reminder of the state’s rich and influential past.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Exquisite Adjectives25 Russian Words Used in English (and 25 More That Should Be)Titled versus Entitled

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Fascism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Fascism - Essay Example typical authoritarian political ideology is about maintaining the social class and economic status quo, Fascism was initially a revolutionary ideology and movement that wanted to change the status quo in favor of purification of the national race and cultural heritage. This was apparent during the Second World War in the nations of Germany, Italy, and Spain. Fascism grew popular in these countries due to several factors. The world economy was undergoing the Great Depression and many nations were trying to maintain themselves from slipping into total economic downfall. This led to the mentioned nations to focus more on their own national development and forego foreign trade and free enterprise for a more nationalized and regulated economy. Another factor would be the result of the Treaty of Versailles after the First World War, which especially hurt the national pride of Germany. Germany was stripped of its military strength and its position in world affairs. This led to the rise of the Fascist Nazi party which wanted to restore the pride of Germany while forwarding the glory of the Aryan race. Most of the people in these countries were drawn to Fascist rule because it appealed to their sense of national pride and beliefs during a hard time. Fascis t ideology inspired people because it made them believe that they can be strong as long as they are united as a race and group without the taint of outside or contrary political and cultural

Friday, October 18, 2019

Criminal justice comprehensive exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Criminal justice comprehensive exam - Essay Example The perpetrators of such crimes have been known to create and distribute viruses that have been known to disrupt a company's daily operations. Cybercrimes vary in their nature; there are those criminals who use the internet to accomplish other traditional crimes like drug trafficking while there are those who utilize this technology to carry out the technological crimes like bank fraud and identity theft (Ponemon Institute, 2012). Compare your findings above in (a) to previous years. In 2011, the average cost of cybercrime was estimated at $8.4 million which represented a 6 percent increase in cost from a previous study (Ponemon Institute, 2012). The number of attacks also increased by 42 percent from 72 successful attacks per week to 102 successful attacks per week (Ponemon Institute, 2012). The Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) reported that there was a decrease in data breech in 2011 (n=419). It was also reported that this decline came after there had been an increase in 2006 (n=662) of breeches which characterized a wide range of cybercrimes (Finklea & Theorhary, 2013). Apply a criminological theory (just one!) to describe why this particular crime problem exists to the extent that it does, The psychoanalytical theory of crime was developed by Sigmund Freud to explain some of the causes of crime in the world. In his theory, the human personality has three psychic structures commonly referred to as the identity, the ego and the super ego (Toch, 1979). Through the identity, one seeks to pursue instant needs without any thoughts or analysis. Through the ego, one seeks to pursue needs that are influenced by their educational status and socialization processes. The super ego on the other hand results from all lessons that individuals have learned from their parents. Therefore, crime will often result when a person's identity surpasses their super ego resulting in actions that are only fueled by apparent need without further thought of their consequences. The refore, the hacker will perform the classical psychological crime because of their apparent need for social rewards in the form of fame or money. They do so without paying attention to the obvious consequences like punishment by the law. The structures of education and family lessons have failed to take root in this person's identity because they are still driven by material needs. It is because of this that programs to prevent hacking are developed that focus on administration of computer ethics education at the early stages of life of a child (Ponemon Institute, 2012). According to the theory in (c), explain the changes in the pattern of the crime from previous years compared to today There has been a significant increase in the costs that have been incurred in cybercrime in 2011. This can be attributed to the policy that was introduced to enhance cyber space security. This was the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace: Enhancing Online Choice, Efficiency, Securit y, and Privacy that was released in April 2011 (Finklea & Theorhary, 2013). this policy was meant to create an identity ecosystem whereby individuals were to authenticate their on-line identities and the identities of their digital devices. Through the establishment of these laws, hackers perceived a challenge presented by the President and sought to connect with their identities (Sigmund Freud's theory). Hence in order to seek fame and powers that had been denied by the enactment of this policy, hackers increased

New Venture Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

New Venture - Assignment Example Once the market is there everything can be steamrolled to make the plan work. It would be better if she could conduct market segmentation so as to narrow down her target market to a small niche of consumers who she can supply adequately and profitably, and then slowly expand her clientele. The three points form the first assumption, which is that there is an opportunity which the entrepreneur (Olivia) can take advantage of. There are already plenty of coffee houses in Frankfurt, but Olivia’s decision to focus on flavored gourmet coffee is both strategic and realistic. Does Olivia understand the coffee industry/business well? Does she have a good understanding of the coffee industry in Brazil and that of Frankfurt in particular? These are very important questions because although she may have the capital and the market, the coffee business requires hands-on management and skills. It is not enough to just assemble the materials/resources required for the business. For instance, Olivia needs to understand that just like other industries the coffee retail industry has trends (Langen, 2013). Whether she like it or not those trends will affect her business; this is through aspects like climate changes, demand, market volatility, competition, hoarding, production/supply, and government policies (taxation and regulation). Olivia must have or develop an understanding of these issues because they will have a huge impact (positive or negative, depending on how she addresses them) on the success of her business. As such, we make two assumptions here. One is that she understands how the coffee retail industry works and the dynamics involved. Two is that if she does not understand how it works, she knows people who will support her until she does, and she is willing to learn. It has been mentioned that DC would ship to Olivia on receipt of payment for each order. This comes with its

Thursday, October 17, 2019

The Biome of Hawaii Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Biome of Hawaii - Essay Example In addition, the website provided the average temperature: 75 degrees to 88 degrees Fahrenheit from April to November, and 68 degrees to 80 degrees Fahrenheit from December to March, with an average water temperature of 74 degrees Fahrenheit. According to Encarta Online Encyclopedia (2007), eight main islands, namely Hawaii, Maui, Lanai, Molokai, Kahoolawe, Oahu, Niihau and Kauai take almost the state's entire area of 28,311 square kilometer, with 98 sq. m. of inland water. The other part is composed of islets, coral reefs, and shoals. Thus, it is considered to be one of the smallest state in America. Hawaii did not escape the bad effects of deforestation, pollution, global warming, and human selfishness. The Nature Conservancy (2008) cries, "Climate change is already affecting our lives and the places we live, and has the potential to dramatically impact the lives of future generations." The plant life in the islands are mostly sets of coconut palm trees which are usually seen near the beaches, uncommon plants such as mesquite, koa haole, cactus, drought resistant grasses, wiliwili, naio, bastard sandalwood, niihau, kahoolawe, kukui, lantana, and alien weeds.

Research Case 3 - Operating Segments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Research Case 3 - Operating Segments - Essay Example North America and Eurasia/Africa segments accounted for the highest revenue growth registering increases of 36% and 23% respectively. The two leading segments in profit margins were Europe and Latin America with 67% and 62% profit margins respectively. In 2010, the most important segments for GE were Technology Infrastructure and GE capital as they accounted for 26% and 31% of the total revenue respectively. NBC universal and Home & Business solutions recorded the highest revenue growth of 9% and 2% increases respectively. Energy infrastructure and Technology Infrastructure were the most profitable segments recording 20% and 17% profit margins respectively. In 2010, the two most important segments for Oxford Industries were Tommy Bahama and Lanier Clothes as they accounted for 66% and 17% of the total revenue. Tommy Bahama and Corporate/Other segments had the highest changes increase in revenue with growths of 10% and 64% respectively. Tommy Bahama and Lanier Clothes were the most profitable segments with 13% and 14% profit

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

The Biome of Hawaii Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Biome of Hawaii - Essay Example In addition, the website provided the average temperature: 75 degrees to 88 degrees Fahrenheit from April to November, and 68 degrees to 80 degrees Fahrenheit from December to March, with an average water temperature of 74 degrees Fahrenheit. According to Encarta Online Encyclopedia (2007), eight main islands, namely Hawaii, Maui, Lanai, Molokai, Kahoolawe, Oahu, Niihau and Kauai take almost the state's entire area of 28,311 square kilometer, with 98 sq. m. of inland water. The other part is composed of islets, coral reefs, and shoals. Thus, it is considered to be one of the smallest state in America. Hawaii did not escape the bad effects of deforestation, pollution, global warming, and human selfishness. The Nature Conservancy (2008) cries, "Climate change is already affecting our lives and the places we live, and has the potential to dramatically impact the lives of future generations." The plant life in the islands are mostly sets of coconut palm trees which are usually seen near the beaches, uncommon plants such as mesquite, koa haole, cactus, drought resistant grasses, wiliwili, naio, bastard sandalwood, niihau, kahoolawe, kukui, lantana, and alien weeds.

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Freshwater fishing is more difficult than saltwater fishing Essay

Freshwater fishing is more difficult than saltwater fishing - Essay Example This body constitutes just three percent of the earth's water while the rest ninety seven percent constitutes saltwater and includes water in the oceans. Only about one-fifth of the world's total fish catch comes from fresh-water fisheries, while the rest comes from saltwater. Going by simple arithmetic, freshwater fishing has a lower input to the fishing industry than saltwater fishing. Commercial freshwater fisheries have never been as economically important as commercial saltwater fisheries, with exception in certain local areas like the Mekong River Basin. Furthermore, the economic importance of fresh-water fisheries worldwide is diminishing because depleted fish populations and various other threats continue to make the harvesting of wild stocks uneconomical. In view of the above, along side other information, one would be able to make a line of argument on which kind of fishing is more difficult than the other. The line of argument taken for this paper is based on the assumptio n that both kind of fishing are being carried out for commercial purposes, and as such the degree of difficulty/ease would depend on the following: avenues for expansion and growth, availability of fish, regulations governing the practice of each method, as well as other. My interview and information search revealed that freshwater sources have limited species diversity compared to saltwater sources. With this limitation in species, it becomes difficult for business engaging in freshwater fishing to provide the market with a wide range of fish choices. This means that a rival company engaging in saltwater fishing would be able to thrive in the business with its diverse fish species availability, hence making business difficult for the freshwater fishing company. Secondly, over-fishing has always been seen to hamper continuous freshwater fishing compared to saltwater fishing. Overfishing rapidly depletes the resources in freshwaters than in saltwater. In this regard, expansion of freshwater fishing is limited by the availability of, and access to, wild resources. But this is not the case in saltwater fishing where the vast nature of the ocean waters means over-fishing appears to be a less worrying problem. Added to this dilemma is the reality that rudimentary netting techniques in freshwaters leads to by-catch of non-target species, including other native fish and mammals, some of which may be vulnerable to local extinction. Accurate recording of catch and equipment is not always undertaken by commercial fishers in freshwaters. This, combined with changes to data-recording systems and turnover of staff of the regulator, reduces the accuracy and value of the industry monitoring. One of the most obvious consequences of the above for freshwater fishers would be the implementation of control procedures for temporary fishing bans, catch limits, size limits. Such would be the case too when authorities want to stem over-fishing. This therefore partly explains why freshwater fishing is difficult than saltwater fishing. Apart from the above, most freshwater fishing activities use net and line methods rather than trawls and are therefore lighter in construction than their seagoing counterparts. The smaller nature of these freshwaters dictate that the nets and lines used would be generally small such

Monday, October 14, 2019

Consultant’s Skills Essay Example for Free

Consultant’s Skills Essay In the corporate world, there is always a need to structure the best possible process of production. In this integral approach, a consultant’s skills can be utilized in order to provide a different or better insight about the needs of the company as well as to guide it for a better path of development.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A consultant is someone who has gained expertise about a particular field of study, research or work. He provides an advice in order to proceed with a particular action (Wikipedia, 2007). In this aspect, consultants are invited in most company functions to share his thoughts and assumptions about a certain business dilemma. Of course, these assumptions do not always reflect that of an enterprise solution but can also be used for some research and development principles.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are several responsibilities that a consultant needs to accomplish for a company. First, he needs to provide the most effective ways of dealing with a problem to the fullest of his knowledge. Second, he should communicate in the best possible way, probably in layman’s terms, what he thinks is the best approach in getting a resolution for a particular concern. Third, he must have quite a number of credible materials or resources that he can present to support his claims. Of course, there should be minimal questions about his skills since the company has hired him to become a consultant. But in order to gain a wider perspective of his talents, supporting materials must be available.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There is a general classification of consultants, the internal and external ones. The main difference between the two can be identified on the way their skills are used for the company processes. It may be thought that external consultants work as freelancers who may then be regarded as a â€Å"contractor† (Friedl) while the internal counterpart is an in-house consultant engaged in direct company decisions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On the aspect of contributions, there might be a slight difference between the two categories. Internal consultants are more exposed to company operations which is of great advantage in sending information efficiently and in a faster way. They can utilize the core skills needed for a resolution (Robertson). On the other hand, external consultants may also provide the same quality of logical problem solving but it would probably take longer since he needs to first see the big picture of the problem before coming up with a solution. References Friedl, S. N.D. â€Å"So you want to be a consultant?† Unixwiz. Retrieved January 11, 2008 from http://unixwiz.net/techtips/be-consultant.html. Robertson, S. N.D. Experiences in Growing Internal Consultants with Object-oriented Skills. The Atlantic Systems Guild. Retrieved January 11, 2008 from http://www.systemsguild.com/GuildSite/SQR/internal_Consultants.html. Wikipedia. 2007. Consultant. Wikipedia-The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved January 11, 2008 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consultant.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Behavoural changes ie smoking censation

Behavoural changes ie smoking censation Behavoural Changes ie smoking censation This essay will discuss the Behaviour Change Model of Health education or The Trans-theoretical Model, (TTM) in relation to smoking cessation. As G. K. Chesterton once said, â€Å"It isnt that they cant see the solution. It is that they cant see the problem.† Families, friends, neighbours, or employees, however, are often well aware that the pre-contemplators have problems. Stages of Change Prochaska DiClement`s transtheoretical model (1984,1986; Prochaska et al 1992) is important in describing the process of change. The model derived from their work on encouraging change in addiction behaviours, although it can be used to show that most people go through stages when trying to change or acquire behaviours. American psychologists, Jim Prochaska and Carlo Di Clement, Termination. Process of change. Downloaded By: [Glasgow Caledonian University] At: 14:49 12 July 2009 4 ADDICTIONS NURSING NETWORKNOLUME 5, NUMBER 1,1993 In our studies using the discrete categorization measurement of stages of change, we ask whether the individual is seriously intending to change the problem behavior in the near future, typically within the next six months. If not, he or she is classified as a precontemplator. Even precontemplators can wish to change, but this seems to be quite different from intending or seriously considering change in the next six months. Items that are used to identify precontemplation on the continuous stage of change measure include â€Å"As far as Im concerned, I dont have any problems that need changing† and â€Å"I guess I have faults, but theres nothing that I really need to change.† Resistance to recognizing or modifying a problem is the hallmark of precontemplation . Splral Pattern of Change. Many New Years resolvers report five or more years of consecutive pledges before maintaining the behavioral goal for at least six months (Norcross Vangarelli, 1989). Relapse and recycling through the stages occur quite frequently as individuals attempt to modify or cease addictive behaviors. Variations of the stage model are being used increasingly by behavior change specialists to investigate the dynamics of relapse (e.g., Brownell et al., 1986; Donovan Marlatt, 1988). Because relapse is the rule rather than the exception with addictions, we found that we needed to modify our original stage model. Initially we conceptualized change as a linear progression through the stages; people were supposed to progress simply and discretely through each step. Linear progression is a possible but relatively rare phenomenon with addictive behaviors. Figure 1 presents a spiral pattern that illustrates how most people actually move through the stages of change. In this spiral pattern, people can progress from contemplation to preparation to action to maintenance, but most individuals will relapse. During relapse, individuals regress to an earlier stage. Some TERYINATION a YAHTENANCE PRECONTEYPLATIOW CONTEYPLATKJN PREPARATKJ relapsers feel like failures-embanassed, ashamed, and guilty. These individuals become demoralized and resist thinking about behavior change. As a result, they return to the precontemplation stage and can remain there for various periods of time. Approximately 15% of smokers who relapsed in our self-change research regressed back to the precontemplation stage (Prochaska DiClemente, 1986). Fortunately, this research indicates that the vast majority of relapsers85% of smokers, for example- recycle back to the contemplation or preparation stages (Prochaska DiClemente, 1984). They begin to consider plans for their next action attempt while trying to learn from their recent efforts. To take another example, fully 60% of unsuccessful New Years resolvers make the same pledge the next year (Norcross, Ratzin, Payne, 1989; Norcross Vangarelli, 1989). The spiral model suggests that most relapsers do not resolve endlessly in circles and that they do not regress all the way back to where they began. Instead, each time relapsers recycle through the stages, they potentially learn from their mistakes and can try something different the next time around (DiClemente et al., 1991). On any one trial, successful behavior change is limited in the absolute numbers of individuals who are able to achieve maintenance (Cohen et al., 1989; Schachter, 1982). Nevertheless, in a cohort of individuals, the number of successes continues to increase gradually over time. However, a large number of individuals remain in contemplation and precontemplation stages. Ordinarily, the more action taken, the better the prognosis. Much more research is needed to better distinguish those who benefit from recycling from those who end up spinning their wheels. Arguments for and against Conclusion Influencing the people to change behaviours such as how they eat,excersice ,drink, smoke requires a long term commoitment but it is a process that they can sucseed. Nurses have a key role to play in influencing behaviour of their patients, and health promotion should be embed MAINTENANCE: practice required for the new behaviour to be consistently maintained, incorporated into the repertoire of behaviours available to a person at any one time. ACTION: people make changes, acting on previous decisions, experience, information, new skills, and motivations for making the change. PREPARATION: person prepares to undertake the desired change requires gathering information, finding out how to achieve the change, ascertaining skills necessary, deciding when change should take place may include talking with others to see how they feel about the likely change, considering impact change will have and who will be affected. CONTEMPLATION: something happens to prompt the person to start thinking about change perhaps hearing that someone has made changes or something else has changed resulting in the need for further change. PRECONTEMPLATION: changing a behaviour has not been considered; person might not realise that change is possible or that it might be of interest to them. Source: The Behavior Change spiral from What do they want us to do now? AFAO 1996 ded in daily practice. E following review explores and considers some of the major theories of behaviour and behaviour change that may be pertinent to the development of effective interventions in travel behaviour, including theories and concepts from mainstream psychology, and the associated sub-disciplines of health, leisure, recreation, physical activity and exercise psychology. For many years conceptual models of behaviour change, such as Banduras Social Cognitive Learning Theory (1986), Beckers Health Belief Model (1974), Azjen and Fishbeins Theory of Reasoned Action (1975); have been applied across a wide variety of disciplines, including travel and road user behaviour. Considerable attention has been given in the literature to models of individual behaviour change per se but much less attention has been given to models or theories that attempt to understand behaviour change within groups, organisations and whole communities. The design of programs to reach populations requires an understanding of how those communities work, their barriers and enablers to change, and what influences their behaviours in general. Stage Theories of Behaviour Change Mounting evidence suggests that behaviour change occurs in stages or steps and that movement through these stages is neither unitary or linear, but rather, cyclical, involving a pattern of adoption, maintenance, relapse, and readoption over time. The work of Prochaska and DiClemente (1986) and their colleagues have formally identified the dynamics and structure of staged behaviour change. In attempting to explain these patterns of behaviour, Prochaska and DiClemente developed a transtheoretical model of behavioural change, which proposes that behaviour change occurs in five distinct stages through which people move in a cyclical or spiral pattern. The first of these stages is termed precontemplation. In this stage, there is no intent on the part of the individual to change his or her behaviour in the foreseeable future. The second stage is called contemplation, where people are aware that a problem exists and are seriously considering taking some action to address the problem. However, at this stage, they have not made a commitment to undertake action. The third stage is described as preparation, and involves both intention to change and some behaviour, usually minor, and often meeting with limited success. Action is the fourth stage where individuals actually modify their behaviour, experiences, or environment in order to overcome their problems or to meet their goals. The fifth and final stage, maintenance, is where people work to prevent relapse and consolidate the gains attained in the action stage. The stabilization of behaviour change and the avoidance of relapse are characteristic of the maintenance stage. Prochaska and DiClemente further suggest that behavioural change occurs in a cyclical process that involves both progress and periodic relapse. That is, even with successful behaviour change, people likely will move back and forth between the five stages for some time, experiencing one or more periods of relapse to earlier stages, before moving once again through the stages of contemplation, preparation, action and eventually, maintenance. In successful behavioural change, while relapses to earlier stages inevitably occur, individuals never remain within the earlier stage to MAINTENANCE: practice required for the new behaviour to be consistently maintained, incorporated into the repertoire of behaviours available to a person at any one time. ACTION: people make changes, acting on previous decisions, experience, information, new skills, and motivations for making the change. PREPARATION: person prepares to undertake the desired change requires gathering information, finding out how to achieve the change, ascertaining skills necessary, deciding when change should take place may include talking with others to see how they feel about the likely change, considering impact change will have and who will be affected. CONTEMPLATION: something happens to prompt the person to start thinking about change perhaps hearing that someone has made changes or something else has changed resulting in the need for further change. PRECONTEMPLATION: changing a behaviour has not been considered; person might not realise that change is possible or that it might be of interest to them. Source: The Behavior Change spiral from What do they want us to do now? AFAO 1996 which they have regressed, but rather, spiral upwards, until eventually they reach a state where most of their time is spent in the maintenance stage. Further work undertaken and reported by Prochaska et el (1992) suggests that behaviour change can only take place in the context of an enabling or supportive environment. Prochaskas and DiClementes model has received considerable support in the research literature. Their model has also been shown to have relevance for understanding, among other things, patterns of physical activity participation and adherence and would have relevance in bringing about change in travel behaviours. Consistent with the above perspective, Sallis and Nader (1988) also have suggested a stage approach to explaining movement behaviour, particularly in family groups, with research aimed at understanding better the cyclical patterns of movement activity SOCIAL FEATURES nature of personal elationships; expectations of class, position, age, gender;access to knowledge, information. CULTURAL FEATURES the behaviours and attitudes considered acceptable in given contexts eg. relating to sex, gender, drugs, leisure, participation. ETHICAL SPIRITUAL FEATURES influence of personal and shared values and discussion about moral systems from which those are derived can include rituals, religion nd rights of passage. LEGAL FEATURES laws determining what people can do and activities to encourage observance of those laws . POLITICAL FEATURES systems of governance in which change will have to take place can, for example, limit access to information and involvement in social action. RESOURCE FEATURES affect what is required to make things happen covers human, financial and material resources; community knowledge and skills; and items for exchange Source: The Behavior Change spiral from What do they want us to do now? AFAO 1996 involvement, including adoption, maintenance, and relapse, and interventions aimed at minimizing the amount of time individuals spend in the relapse stage as well as maximizing time spent in action or maintenance. This stage approach is contrasted to the all or none approach to physical activity participation that often characterized early research on exercise adherence. Such a staged approach sits well with any school based program that is focussed on travel behaviour change given that the context in which the program is to be applied would see fluctuations in the positive and negative influences according to such things as work and time demands of family members, weather, events or incidents in the local neighbourhood that may influence perceptions of safety. Parallel with the work of Prochaska and DiClemente, Rogers, (1983) also developed a stage-based theory to explain how new ideas or innovations are disseminated and adopted at the community and population levels. Rogers identified five distinct stages in the process of diffusion of any new initiative or innovation. These are knowledge, persuasion, decision, implementation, and confirmation. Rogers argued that the diffusion of an innovation is enhanced when the perceived superiority of an innovation is high compared to existing practice (i.e. the relative advantage), and when the compatibility of the innovation with the existing social system is perceived to be high (i.e. compatibility). Other important influences on the diffusion process are said to be complexity, triability, and observability, with innovations which are of low complexity, easily observed, and that are able to be adopted on a trial basis, being associated with greater adoption and swifter diffusion. Building success and comfort during the early stages of the implementation of the TravelSMART Schools program will be paramount to its success. Rogers classifies individuals as innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, late adopters, and laggards, dependent upon when during the overall diffusion process they adopt a new idea or behaviour. While this model has not been tested empirically to date, it has been adapted and applied in health promotion settings usually in conjunction with social learning theory and/or self-efficacy theory, with some success. It certainly warrants attention in the development of the TravelSMART Schools program. In summarizing the various stage models of behaviour change that have been proposed over the past two decades, Owen and Lee (1984) highlighted a number of commonalties they share. These authors propose an integrated stage-based model in which behaviour change is viewed as a cyclical process that involves five stages of: awareness of the problem and a need to change motivation to make a change skill development to prepare for the change initial adoption of the new activity or behaviour, and maintenance of the new activity and integration into the lifestyle. In terms of a TravelSMART program this may mean: Five stages of behaviour change Examples of content and processes Awareness of the problem and a need to change Provision of, or ways to seek information on the dependence on motorised travel; evidence of the greenhouse effect; issues relation to building relationships and fitness Motivation to make a change Benefits of increased personal fitness; benefits of leaving the car at home eg. environmental and social Skill development to prepare for the change Mapping of the local area to identify alternative forms of travel, ways to negotiate with reluctant family members or peers to manage the need to carry; strategies for trip chaining and travel blending Initial adoption of the new activity or behaviour Self monitoring of newly adopted behaviours to, opportunities for reflections and comparisons Maintenance of the new activity and integration into the lifestyle Provision of feedback on how the change is going, and an injection of new ideas or strategy An important aspect of both Prochaskas and DiClementes approach and that suggested by Owen and Lee is that each of the five stages of behaviour change is said to involve different cognitive processes and require different treatments or intervention strategies for the overall change process to be successful. Prochaska and DiClemente (1992) outlined a number of cognitive change processes that have been found to be associated with each stage. Other researchers also propose that different stages in the change process require different intervention strategies, and generally recommend a multifaceted, community-based approach to intervention in which all stages are addressed so that individuals at all stages of readiness for change can potentially be influenced. This sits well with the overall TravelSMART programs TravelSMART Communities, TravelSMART Workplaces and TravelSMART Schools. A major insight offered by stage theories of behaviour change, then, is the emphasis they place on matching interventions to the stage of readiness of the individual. This kind of approach provides an excellent framework for understanding and examining individual differences in motivation for, and involvement in, change in travel behaviours over time, including patterns of initiation, maintenance, relapse, and resumption. In summary, theories that conceptualise behaviour change in terms of a cyclical process through which individuals move in stages, have received empirical support in the research, and appear to offer much promise for understanding travel behaviours and curricula to bring about changes in travel behaviour. A major strength of the Stages of Change model is that it has also been used in conjunction with a variety of other theories and models that are relevant to different levels of influence at an intrapersonal, interpersonal, institutional, community or public policy level. (Glanz and Rimer (1995) as reported by Oldenberg et al (1999)) Social Cognitive-Behavioural Theories and Similar Theories Social Cognitive Theory explains human behaviour in terms of a triadic, dynamic and reciprocal model in which behaviour, personal factors, and environmental influences interact. It addresses both the psychological dynamics underlying behaviour and their methods for promoting behaviour change. It is a very complex theory and includes many key constructs. Self-efficacy is one of the key concepts. Self-efficacy refers to ones confidence in the ability to take action and persist in action. It is seen by Bandura (1986) as perhaps the single most important factor in promoting changes in behaviour. Measures of self-efficacy and some of the other key concepts from Social Cognitive Theory have also been identified as key determinants of movement through the stages of change, (Oldenburg, 1999). Self-efficacy expectations have been found repeatedly to be important determinants of: the choice of activities in which people engage how much energy they will expend on such activities and the degree of persistence they demonstrate in the face of failure and/or adversity. In general, higher levels of self-efficacy for a given activity are associated with higher participation in that activity. Similarly, and closely aligned to Social Cognitive Theory, Attribution Theory proposes that individuals generally view their performance (and thus, their successes and failures) as dependent upon ability, effort, task difficulty, and luck. In addition, causal influences are seen as either internal to the individual (e.g. personal ability), or external (e.g. barriers to community safety, lack of convenient and attractive travel alternatives). The distinction between internal and external attributions is an important one, in that how we attribute our personal successes and failures has been shown to be related to not only our behaviour, but our self-esteem, our perceptions of personal control, our self-efficacy for different tasks and/or performance situations, and our ongoing involvement in different activities. For example, a person who attributes their failure to change their dependence on motorised travel to their inherent lack of ability to identify and use alternatives will be less likely to continue with the alternative modes of travel after the educational program has ceased. A persons attributions for personal success and failure in a given situation, then, determines how that person feels about the task, as well as the amount of effort he or she is likely to invest in the task the next time around. When failure is attributed to low personal ability and a difficult task, individuals are more likely to give up sooner, select easier alternatives, such as using personal motorised travel, and lower their goals. Conversely, when failure is attributed to external factors such as bad luck, individuals are likely to have higher motivations to continue and to try again for success. Attitudes and their potential relationship to behaviour also have been studied extensively. In general, attitudes have not generally been found to be consistently related to behaviour. This failure to demonstrate a consistent relationship between attitudes and behaviour may be because situational factors also exert a powerful influence on behaviour. In addition, how attitudes have been defined and measured in different studies varies considerably. Research has demonstrated consistently that an attitude is likely to predict behaviour when: the attitude includes a specific behavioural intention when both the attitude and the intention are very specific and when the attitude is based on first-hand experience . These aspects of the behaviour-attitude relationship have been addressed in the Theory of Reasoned Action, which focuses on the role of context-specific attitudes in defining behaviour. In this model, behaviour is seen as a function of a persons intention, which in turn is comprised of the individuals attitudes towards performing the behaviour and the influence of perceived social norms concerning the performance of the behaviour. Attitudes are affected by the persons beliefs about the perceived consequences of performing a given action, and his or her subjective evaluation of each of the consequences. Drawing this together, any published individually focused and community based health behaviour change and health promotion programs have generally been based on Social Cognitive theories utilising techniques that emphasise the cognitive and social mediators of behaviour. Interventions based on cognitive learning theory emphasize self-management principles and strategies. Other Theories to Consider Personality Theories Personality theories explain behaviour largely in terms of stable traits or patterns of behaviour which are viewed as resistant to change and inalterable. Rogers, (1985), classification of individuals into the five categories of innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, late adopters, and laggards is an example of this kind of approach to understanding behaviour. A major limitation of personality theories is that they do not take account of important aspects of the physical, social and economic environments, or the previous experiences of the individual, which also are known to strongly influence behaviour. For this reason, personality theories alone now are generally considered inadequate to explain behaviour change. Learning and Behaviour Theories Learning theorists have demonstrated that behaviour can be changed by providing appropriate rewards, incentives, and/or disincentives. In learning or behaviourist approaches, these rewards and incentives are typically incorporated into structured reinforcement schedules, and the process of behaviour changes is often termed behaviour modification. While effective in bringing about behaviour change, such approaches require a high level of external control over both the physical and social environment, and the incentives (or disincentives) used to reinforce certain behaviours and discourage others. This kind of control is hard to maintain in real life settings, and thus, strict behaviourist approaches are subject to a number of limitations. Social Learning Theory Social learning theory is similar to learning and behaviour theories in that it focuses on specific, measurable aspects of behaviour. Learning theories, however, view behaviour as being shaped primarily by events within the environment, whereas social learning theory views the individual as an active participant in his or her behaviour, interpreting events and selecting courses of action based on past experience. Again, one important theory deriving from social learning theory which has had a major impact on many current models of behaviour change is that of self-efficacy. As stated earlier, self-efficacy expectations have to do with a persons beliefs in his or her abilities to successfully execute the actions necessary to meet specific situational demands. Such expectations have been found to be consistently related to behaviour across a wide range of situations and populations sub-groups. Social Psychological Theories Social psychological theories are concerned with understanding how events and experiences external to a person (i.e. aspects of the social situation and physical environment) influence his or her behaviour. Emphasis is placed on aspects of the social context in which behaviour occurs, including social norms and expectations, cultural mores, social stereotypes, group dynamics, cohesion, attitudes and beliefs. A number of useful concepts have emerged from social psychological theories, including attribution, locus of control, and cognitive dissonance, to name a few. Social Cognitive Approaches Social cognitive approaches combine aspects of social psychological theories with components of both social learning theory and cognitive behavioural approaches. Social-cognitive approaches emphasize the persons subjective perceptions and interpretations of a given situation or set of events, and argue that these need to be taken into account if we are to understand adequately both behaviour and the processes of behaviour change. A number of social psychological concepts have been found to be consistently related to behaviour change across a wide range of situations. For example, the social reality of a the group (e.g. peer group, school group, family group etc.) will affect an individuals behaviour. All groups are characterized by certain group norms, beliefs and ways of behaving, and these can strongly affect the behaviour of the group members. Expectations of significant or respected others can also have a strong influence on a persons behaviour. This phenomenon has been most consistently demonstrated in the early research on self-fulfilling prophecies, which showed that teachers expectations of their students were consistently related to the students subsequent performance, even when these expectations were based on falsified information. Thus, support and encouragement, or conversely, low expectations from significant or respected others, can affect and bring about, (or not), changes in individual behaviour. Health Belief Model The Health Belief Model attempts to explain health-behaviour in terms of individual decision-making, and proposes that the likelihood of a person adopting a given healthrelated behaviour is a function of that individuals perception of a threat to their personal health, and their belief that the recommended behaviour will reduce this threat. Thus, a person would be more likely to adopt a given behaviour (e.g. walk or cycle regularly) if non-adoption of that behaviour (e.g. unclean air or confused traffic situations) is perceived as a health threat and adoption is seen as reducing that threat. To date, the Health Belief Model has not received consistent or strong support in explaining behaviour change. When the concept of self-efficacy is added to the model, however, prediction of behaviour increases. Social Marketing Another approach that has been used to bring about behaviour change is that of social marketing. The concept of social marketing is based on marketing principles and focuses on four key elements, including: development of a product the promotion of the product the place the price. As such, this approach is not so much a theory of behaviour change but a proposed framework, which situates people as consumer who will potentially buy into a certain idea or argument, given the appropriate selling techniques are applied. It is then assumed that the buying in to that idea by individuals will result in behaviour change. Theory of Interpersonal Behaviour Habit strength is another concept that has been found to be important in predicting or changing behaviour. Habit is an important element of the theory of interpersonal behaviour, which proposes that the likelihood of engaging in a given behaviour is a function of: the habit of performing the behaviour the intention to perform the behaviour conditions which act to facilitate or inhibit performance of the behaviour. In turn, intentions are said to be shaped by a cognitive component, an affective component, a social component, and a personal normative belief. The theory of i