English speeches Essay

Reading selectively or extensively Honorable judges, good morning/afternoon .I am glad to stand here and give you a short speech .Today my topic is reading selectively or extensively .I deeply hope you will like it. As we all know, reading is a tradition inherited from ancient society which has a long history. Whether to read selectively or extensively has been a common question discussed by people from very ancient time. Some people tend to choose to read selectively. Having received a book they waited for a long time, they will get started reading this book with a devout heart. What they commonly do is to dead between the lines. Of course this has its own advantages. A selective reading can contribute to a better understanding of the whole book. Furthermore, when you analyze the passage, chances are that you may have the same sympathetic visage with the author, that is, you are going into the scene that the author endeavoring to describe to all readers, which is quite a sense of achievement. On the contrary, other people prefer to read extensively rather than selectively. They are not satisfied to read just several books due to what they want is a substantial number of various books. Opinion they hold is that extensive reading is beneficial to broaden the horizons. After reading a large quantity of books, their experiences are enriched, their thoughts are more specific, their minds are more mature. So to speak, extensive reading plays a vital important role in their growth. There are a thousand Hamlets in a thousand people’s eyes. Owing to different people all have their different characteristics, people’s choices are made differently. Choosing to read selectively or extensively doesn’t mean you are true or false, what matters is whether you have chosen the choice which just properly fits yourself. That’s all. Thank you for listening. On trying to renew knowledge Honorable judges, good morning/afternoon .I am glad to stand here and give you a short speech .Today my topic is on trying to renew knowledge. I deeply hope you will like it. As the famous saying goes:† Knowledge is power.†, knowledge existed and it is inherited up till now from very ancient time. So to speak, when human beings came into being, knowledge came into being. However, at the same time, between knowledge there are both essence as well as dross. That means what we need to do now is trying to renew knowledge.  From my point of view, this process can be a complicated one. First of all, it’s of vital importance for us to sharpen our eyes to distinguish the essence and dross in knowledge, which plays a significant role in the process. Second, it matters that we ought to do it neither reluctantly nor with a special purpose. That is, on trying to renew knowledge, we should take it in accordance with its natural tendency following the development of the whole society. Last but not least, receiving enough knowledge and keeping pace with the development of culture and civilization is the final step of the process. Renewing knowledge is not a realistic process but should be done in the practical way. On trying to renew knowledge, we may undergo troubles from work and life, misunderstanding from family and friends, difficulties and frustrations from the process its own. However, never giving in to it is just the right choice. Difficult and complicated as it may be, if we don’t realize the importance of renewing knowledge, we may never do a proper job on trying to renew knowledge. That’s all. Thank you for your listening. Online shopping Honorable judges, good morning/afternoon .I am glad to stand here and give you a short speech .Today my topic is online shopping. I deeply hope you will like it. With the development of science and technology, online shopping is becoming more and more popular between young people. Because of its convenience and efficiency as well as high qualities bargains, young people tend to conduct online shopping more instead of shopping in practical malls. Having chosen commodities they want to buy and do some clicks randomly, what they need is just to wait at home and the express delivery companies will bring it to your house. Online shopping is just a symbol of social progress , which shows the development of people’s living standard secondhand. On the contrary, online shopping certainly has its disadvantages. For instance, all processes are completed on the Internet while we couldn’t see the exact commodity on our eyes, which may result in counterfeit articles. What’s worse, owing to the uncertainty of the Internet, there may be a substantial number of hoaxes you can’t even realize waiting for you, making you break the bank for the worst result. In brief, it’s of vital importance for us to improve our security awareness and take  some protective measures in the meantime when conducing online shopping. After this specific analysis, we can draw the conclusion that when it comes to online shopping, we must take its merits as well as demerits into consideration. Advantages and disadvantages as it may have, if we only treat this problem from one hand, the result we get might not impartial. Indeed, online shopping is of great benefit to our life if we can use it properly and consequently it can lead to our society becoming more harmonious, that is, online shopping can a thrust to the progress of the whole human society. That’s all. Thank you for your listening. Advantages and disadvantages of the cell phone Honorable judges, good morning/afternoon .I am glad to stand here and give you a short speech .Today my topic is advantages and disadvantages of the cell phone. I deeply hope you will like it. With the development of science and technology and the remarkable improvement of people’s living standard, cell phone is a common commodity appearing in people’s life. In the meantime, cell phone also brings some unexpected advantages and disadvantages. When it come to cell phone’s advantages, we can list as follows. It’s obvious that it can provide us with plenty of convenience and efficiency, which disposes many troubles caused by distance. Thanks to cell phone, nowadays we just contact with family and friends at anytime and anywhere we like. Furthermore, activities such as surfing the Internet, listening to music, watching TV dramas and so on are conducted portably on the cell phone instead of the computer. Recently, many cell phones are used as wallets owing to advanced information technology. However, from another perspective, every coin has its two sides, cell phone also has its inevitably disadvantages. For instance, the ring of cell pone may have a bad effect on others, which makes them distracted and disturbed. What’s worse, over using your cell phone means wasting your time, contributing to a negative and pessimistic attitude. Last but not least, you may tend to decrease your time for exercising and taking part in various activities so as to play on your cell phone, which not only is bad for your health, but also does great harm to your work and study. In conclusion, cell phone and even everything have their own advantages and disadvantages. What we should do is to take an impartial attitude towards it. Never shut the door against  it nor extremely indulge in it. Only when we truly follow this can we make a full use of it. That’s all. Thank you for your listening. No man is rich enough to buy back his past Honorable judges, good morning/afternoon .I am glad to stand here and give you a short speech .Today my topic is no man is rich enough to buy back his past. I deeply hope you will like it. When we were children, we were told that when we had done something wrong we should never regret it because no man is rich enough to buy back his past. As I am growing more mature , I gradually understand the true meaning of this saying. As the famous saying goes: where there is a will, there is a way. That is, if you can spare no effort to achieve your original goal, no matter whether you can reach it, you will get a sense of achievement because of your effort. It’s the process that you are making effort rather than the final result that really matters. Consequently, there is no need for you to regret an it’s just a waste of time to do that. In our lifelong time, we can’t avoid facing difficulties and frustrations, which are once coped with improperly only resulting in because you can never buy back the past and experience once again. What you can do is merely to cherish every moment you are undergoing and make the most of them. Eating, sleeping, studying, exercising, these unimpressive daily events just consist of our daily life. Only after earnestly going though every step of life can you never need to buy back your past. From another perspective, if you only indulge in regretting what you‘ve done, you may gradually lose heart and interest to live happily. What’s worse, your body is unhealthy, your mind is distracted, your life is irregular. It not only does harm to you physically, but also has a negative impact on your psychology. Life is not plain sailing all the time, we have to deal with numerous troubles. Meanwhile, we will undergo feelings as happy as well as angry, but never regret because no man is rich enough to buy back his past. That’s all. Thank you for your listening.

Self-Actualization

Running Head: SELF-ACTUALIZATION Self-Actualization Destini Bridgeman Kaplan College Instructor Brewer Self-actualization is a part of our nature that helps us to become better people, by expanding our creativity, and making our experiences much more intense. It is usual for us to hear someone say that, â€Å"I quit. I cannot do this anymore. † Some people do so because they are tired of what they are doing, and others may just give up on their dreams because of their own personality problem. It is not a good or healthy thing to do because in the end, people may regret for what they decided to do.They may feel unhappy or even depressed. As we can see, in the daily life we are living in, people always give up on their dreams very easily because of various problems such as not reaching self-actualization or in their streams of consciousness. A famous psychologist Abraham Maslow has a theory which is widely accepted by people. â€Å"According to Maslow, basic needs must be satis fied before we can focus on those that are more abstract† (Interpersonal Communication Everyday Encounters, 2010).Maslow came up with a pyramid that shows people have different levels of needs. Some of them are basic, and some are at a higher level. Our behavior of chasing the dreams can be understood. Maslow believed in the theory of self-actualization. â€Å"He was convinced that humans are capable of achieving high levels of intellectual and emotional existence, and he believed in human potential† (Self-Actualization, 11/08/2010). Maslow’s pyramid, a five-tiered structure, (Figure 1) represents a summary of this theory.Maslow states that in order for one to focus their attention on the ultimate goal at the apex of the pyramid, self-actualization, and one must first fulfill the needs at the subordinate levels. At the lowest level of the chart are the physiological needs, followed by the need for safety, the belongingness and love needs, the esteem needs, and fi nally culminating in self-actualization. â€Å"The state of consciousness has no simple, agreed-upon definition. Rene Descartes, a French philosopher asked: â€Å"Is the mind, or consciousness, independent of matter?Is consciousness extended (physical) or unextended (nonphysical)? Is consciousness determinative, or is it determined† (Webb, 2002)? Freud believed consciousness was unextended, and that a large portion of our brain operates completely out of conscious awareness Sigmund Freud’s theories on consciousness and unconscious awareness are being a counter theory to reaching self- actualizations. Freud looked for personality in the details such as the meanings and insights revealed by careful analysis of the tiniest aspects of a person’s thought and behavior.Freud made a strong distinction between the conscious and unconscious mind. Freud believes we can bring unconscious to conscious. â€Å"He distinguished three different levels of mental life: conscious , preconscious, and unconscious. †. People must deal with unconscious desires but also memories we put there. â€Å"Freud assumed that insight into the unconscious can never be gained directly, however, because conscious self-reports could never tap the cloaked and censored depths of the unconscious. â€Å"According to Freud, the unconscious is the part of the mind that operates outside of the conscious awareness but influences conscious thoughts, feelings, and actions. † Freud’s opinion is we can only reach self- actualization when we deal with unconsciousness. Freud believed that for us to reach â€Å"self-actualization,† we must deal with our unconscious. However, certain factors stood in our way. Defense mechanisms were used to repress unwanted desires, impulse, and memories in the unconscious mind.Freud proposed that the mind consists of three independent, interacting, and often conflicting systems. They are the ID, the Ego, and the Superego. As foll ows: â€Å"ID, which is part of the mind containing the drives present at birth and is the source of bodily needs, wants, desires, and impulses; Ego: which enables us to deal with life’s practical demands; and the Super Ego, which is the mental system that reflects the internalization of the cultural rules† (Psychology 2009). The id is the great reservoir of the libido, from which the ego seeks to distinguish itself through various mechanisms of repression† (Modules on Freud II: On the unconscious 2002). No matter how self-actualization is reached, the end result is still the same. Negative past experiences and unwanted desires are dealt with first. Peak experiences can only occur when other needs are met. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (Figure 1)References Gilbert, D. . Schacter, D. , Wegner, D. , Psychology. New York, NY. Woods, C. 2009. Viewed 11/08/2010. Modules on Freud II: On the Unconscious. July 2002. Viewed 11/15/2010. http://www. cla. purdue. edu/ac ademic/engl/theory/psychoanalysis/freud2. html Self- Actualization. Wilkipedia. The Free Encyclopedia. Viewed 11/08/2010. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Self-actualization Webb, W. (2010) States of Consciousness. Viewed 11/08/2010. http://web. ebscohost. com. kaplan. uah. edu/ehost/delivery? vid=4&hid=17&sid=fcf6a1ba-8cd7-40e7-a846-fab63a3816fb%40sessionmgr10 Wood, J. Interpersonal Communication Everyday Encounters. Boston, MA, Lyn Uhl. 2010 Viewed 11/08/2010.

The Turning Point of the American Civil War: Battle of Gettysburg or Siege of Vicksburg?

The Turning Point of the American Civil War: Battle of Gettysburg or Siege of Vicksburg? The American Civil War, also known as the War Between the States, was a brutal onslaught between the Union (the North) and the Confederacy (the South) originating in the fractious issue of slavery. The ruthlessness of this war, mostly fought in the South, lasted from 1861 through 1865, where the Confederacy was ultimately defeated, slavery was abolished, and the extremely difficult process of the reconstruction of the United States and its unity began.There were many battles fought during the American Civil War including the Battle of Fort Sumter, the Battle of Yorktown, and the Battle of Hanover, however, the most known confrontation is the Battle of Gettysburg. The Battle of Gettysburg took place in Pennsylvania from July 1st through July 3rd of 1863. General Robert E. Lee (commanding the Confederate army) concentrated his full strength against Major General George G. Meade’s Army of the Potomac (Union) at the crossroads county seat of Gettysburg.On July 1st, Confederate and Union forces collided at Gettysburg, with General Lee’s intention being to engage the Union army and to destroy it. Initially, the Union defended low ridges to the northwest of town. Unfortunately for the two corps of Union infantry and the Union cavalry division that was defending the region; two large corps of Confederate infantry assaulted them from the north and northwest. This collapsed the hastily developed Union lines of defense and sent the defenders retreating south through the streets of town and to the hills close by.On the second day of battle, July 2nd, most of the Union and Confederate armies had been assembled. Fierce fighting raged this day, figuratively and literally staining the ground crimson with blood. Despite the onslaught of the Confederacy, the Union managed to hold their lines even with the significant losses that they suffered. On July 3rd, the last day of the B attle of Gettysburg, the Union army repulsed the attack with artillery fire, at great losses to the Confederate army. General Lee led his army on a torturous retreat back to Virginia, making the Union the victor of the battle.But was the Battle of Gettysburg really the turning point of the Civil War? All that the Battle of Gettysburg accomplished was prohibiting the Confederacy from further travel into Union territory. This is where the Siege of Vicksburg comes into play. Believed to be one of the most remarkable campaigns of the American Civil War, the Siege of Vicksburg is also arguably the turning point of the Civil War militarily. General Ulysses S. Grant’s campaign on Vicksburg secured John Pemberton’s army’s surrender on July 4th, 1863 as well as the Mississippi River firmly in Union hands.With that, the Confederacy’s fate was all but sealed. Also known as the Battle of Vicksburg, this confrontation was a culmination of a long land and naval campaig n by Union forces to capture this strategic position. Abraham Lincoln (the president at the time) recognized the significance of Vicksburg. He said, â€Å"Vicksburg is the key, the war can never be brought to a close until that key is in our pocket. † There were many attempts at securing Vicksburg, the first being in the summer of 1862.It included a prolonged bombardment by Union naval vessels, but unfortunately after the ships withdrew the attempt failed. General Grant was moving his troops on land towards the town from the rear. However, his advance ended when General Nathan Bedford Forrest of the Confederacy destroyed Grant’s rail supply line, and General Earl Van Dorn of the Confederacy captured the Union supply base at Holly Springs. General Grant tried again that December, but again was met with failure. Another Union General, General William T. Sherman, led an assault against the high ground of the Chickasaw Bluffs north of Vicksburg.To the Union’s dismay this resulted in nearly 1,800 casualties of their own with only just over 200 casualties to the Confederate defenders. Because of this, Grant’s men attempted to find ways through the shallow and narrow bayous to bypass what is called the Confederate â€Å"Gibraltar of the West†. After months of trying to find a bypass, Grant finally decided that his army would have to operate south of Vicksburg, which would require the cooperation of the navy. To mask his army’s movement down the Louisiana side of the Mississippi river, Grant had Sherman administer two deceptive maneuvers north of Vicksburg.On April 16th, 1863, Rear Admiral David Dixon Porter traveled down the Mississippi River, running a gauntlet of guns firing from the Vicksburg cliff, and met with Grant’s army. In the largest amphibious operation ever conducted by an American force before World War II, Porter and Grant transferred 24,000 men and 60 guns from the west bank to the east bank of the Missi ssippi. Unopposed at Bruinsburg, Mississippi they landed and began marching toward Grand Gulf and Port Gibson which were towns that were to the north along the river.On May 1st, four divisions of the Union army clashed with a Confederate brigade near Port Gibson. This battle cost each side between 700 and 900 men. Even with the losses, the two river towns were captured without any more significant fighting between the Union and the Confederacy. With General Sherman leading the rest of General Grant’s army, they then crossed the river at Grand Gulf, bringing the force to over 45,000 men. He then turned them all inland toward the Mississippi state capital, Jackson.There were two Confederate forces in the area, one in Jackson of only approximately 5,000 soldiers and another at Vicksburg of approximately 26,500 soldiers who were under the leadership of General John C. Pemberton. One of Grant’s advancing divisions came into contact with a Confederate force at Raymond on May 12. Although this was not a major battle, it was this confrontation that sent Pemberton’s army retreating. After hours of confused conflict, the Confederate army withdrew from the battle and ran to the shelter of Vicksburg. After a few more battles, General Grant decided to besiege Vicksburg on May 25th, 1863.He devised a plan that is still studied to this day as a basis for siege warfare. Inside the town of Vicksburg, civilians were huddled in caves to avoid the artillery shells that Grant’s army were constantly bombarding the town with. Foods as well as other much needed supplies were cut off from the town. Animals like dogs, cats, horses, and sometimes even rats were reportedly becoming part of the diets of civilians and soldiers alike. Conditions for the town of Vicksburg became so unbearable that on July 3rd, 1863, General Pemberton of the Confederacy rode out to discuss the terms of surrender of his army.The next morning on July 4th, 1863 Pemberton’s men began marching out and stacking their guns in surrender to Grant’s army. The city of Vicksburg was so defeated by the surrender that they would not celebrate Independence Day thereafter until well into the 20th century. During the Siege of Vicksburg, Union and Confederate forces alike kept busy in their supporting roles on the Louisiana side of the Mississippi River. Lieutenant General Edmund Kirby Smith of the Confederacy received a telegraph form Pemberton requesting a movement against Grant’s communication lines along the Mississippi.To the Confederacy’s dismay, Grant had established supply depots at Milliken’s Bend, Young’s Point, and Lake Providence within Smith’s jurisdiction. However, Smith failed to recognize the importance of Pemberton’s situation. It wasn’t until June when Smith finally decided to act on Pemberton’s request the month earlier. To the growing Confederate activity in the area, Grant decided to res pond by dispatching troops from the Vicksburg trenches across the Mississippi River. General John G. Walker’s Confederate division on the Louisiana side of the Mississippi was of particular concern.Its presence could possibly aid Pemberton’s Confederate army’s escape from the city of Vicksburg. Therefore, the Union sent a brigade in the vicinity of Milliken’s Bend to stop the threat. Many smaller battles were fought to prevent support to those in Vicksburg; one included an artillery battery targeting an iron foundry that was recasting spent Union artillery shells as the men returned to De Soto Point. The targeted foundry was destroyed on June 25th. Additional Confederate activity occurred on June 29th at Goodrich’s Landing.The Confederates attacked a plantation and army training center run by former slaves. They destroyed the plantations and captured over a hundred former slaves before disengaging in the face of the Union army. Confederate raids su ch as these were disruptive and caused damage, but they were only minor setbacks. They also showed the Confederates that they could only cause momentary disturbances in the area and ultimately would not halt the Union. Later in the Siege of Vicksburg, Union troops tunneled under the 3rd Louisiana Redan and packed the mine with 2,200 pounds of gunpowder, then proceeded to detonate it.The explosion destroyed the Confederate lines on June 25th, while an infantry attack followed the blast. The 45th Illinois Regiment (known as the â€Å"Lead Mine Regiment†) charged into the 40 foot diameter 12 foot deep crater with ease, but unfortunately they were stopped by the recovering Confederate infantry. The Union soldiers became pinned down while the defenders also rolled the artillery shells with short fuses into the pit with very deadly results. Union engineers worked to set up a casemate in the crater in order to extricate the infantry, and soon the soldiers fell back to a new defensiv e line.From the crater left by the explosion on June 25th, Union miners worked to dig a new mine to the south and on July 1st this mine was detonated but no infantry attack followed the explosion. This attack was much more successful Due to the brilliance of General Grant’s leadership the fortress city had fallen, and with the surrender of Port Hudson on July 9th, the Mississippi River was firmly in Union hands, leaving the Confederacy effectively split into two. During the Siege of Vicksburg, the Union’s casualties mounted up to just under 5,000 men while the Confederacy lost over 32,000 men.The full forty-seven day siege claimed many lives, but in doing so many were also saved. With the Mississippi in Union hands, communication between the Confederate army was lost, which ultimately secured the fate of the war being in the Union’s favor. The Battle of Gettysburg, although a very important engagement between the Union and the Confederacy, was not the turning po int of the American Civil War militarily. After crossing the Mississippi River on April 30th, 1863, General Ulysses S. Grant’s Union army waged a fighting campaign and maneuvered to isolate the city of Vicksburg and the Confederate army defending it.The constant defeats Grant and his army inflicted gave the Confederate commander General John C. Pemberton no choice but to retreat to the defenses of the city of Vicksburg and hold out until much needed reinforcements could arrive. On May 19th and May 22nd, General Grant launched a series of frontal assaults against Pemberton’s forces, suffering heavy casualties. Finding it irresponsible to continue these frontal assaults, Grant decided to lay siege to the city of Vicksburg, ordering his men to dig a series of trenches to the Confederate standings.For 47 days, the Union bombarded Vicksburg while the Confederate soldiers and civilians alike suffered the hardships of siege warfare On July 4th, General Pemberton surrendered h is army to General Grant and the Union, ending the siege and granted control of the vital Mississippi River in the North’s hands, effectively cutting the Confederacy in half. Grant’s success here secured the South’s fate and inevitably led to the Union victory. The Battle of Gettysburg was not the turning point of the Civil War considering all that the Union achieved was prohibiting the Confederacy from proceeding north.The Siege of Vicksburg destroyed the Confederacy offensive and ultimately led to the end of the American Civil War with the North as the victors, the abolishment of slavery, and the beginning of the reconstruction of the south as well as the United States of America. Bibliography 1. Bearss, Edwin C. Fields of Honor: Pivotal Battles of the Civil War. Washington, D. C: National Geographic Society, 2006 2. Hay, Thomas Robson. â€Å"Confederate Leadership at Vicksburg. †Ã‚  The Mississippi Valley Historical Review. 11. no. 4 (1925): pp. 543-56 0 3. Hoehling, A. Vicksburg: 47 Days of Siege. Stackpole Books, 1996. 400.Print 4. Rhodes, James Ford. â€Å"The Battle of Gettysburg. † (1899): pg. 665-677 5. Sabin, Edwin L. â€Å"Vicksburg, and after: Being the Experience of a Southern Merchant and Non-Combatant during the Sixties. †Ã‚  The Sewanee Review. 15. no. 4 (1907): pg. 485-496 6. Woodworth, Steven E. Jefferson Davis and His Generals: The Failure of Confederate Command in the West. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1990 ——————————————– [ 1 ]. James Ford Rhodes, â€Å"The Battle of Gettysburg† (1899): pg. 665-677 [ 2 ]. Rhodes, James Ford. â€Å"The Battle of Gettysburg. † (1899): pg. 665-677 [ 3 ].Bearss, Edwin C. Fields of Honor: Pivotal Battles of the Civil War. Washington, D. C: National Geographic Society, 2006 [ 4 ]. Edwin C. Bearss,  Fields of Honor: Pivotal Battles of the Civil War, (Washington, D. C: National Geographic Society, 2006) [ 5 ]. Hoehling, A. Vicksburg: 47 Days of Siege. Stackpole Books, 1996. 400. Print. [ 6 ]. Bearss, Edwin C. Fields of Honor: Pivotal Battles of the Civil War. Washington, D. C: National Geographic Society, 2006 [ 7 ]. Thomas Robson Hay, â€Å"Confederate Leadership at Vicksburg,†Ã‚  The Mississippi Valley Historical Review, 11, no. 4 (1925): pp. 543-560 [ 8 ]. Edwin L. Sabin, Vicksburg, and after: Being the Experience of a Southern Merchant and Non-Combatant during the Sixties,†Ã‚  The Sewanee Review, 15, no. 4 (1907): pg. 485-496 [ 9 ]. Thomas Robson Hay, â€Å"Confederate Leadership at Vicksburg,†Ã‚  The Mississippi Valley Historical Review, 11, no. 4 (1925): pp. 543-560 [ 10 ]. Steven E. Woodworth,  Jefferson Davis and His Generals: The Failure of Confederate Command in the West, (Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1990) [ 11 ]. Hoehling, A. Vicksburg: 47 Days of Siege. Stackpole Books, 1996. 400. Print [ 12 ]. Hoehling, A. Vicksburg: 47 Days of Siege. Stackpole Books, 1996. 400. Print

Donald Marc Allens Struggle with Cancer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Donald Marc Allens Struggle with Cancer - Essay Example Marc Allen’s experience was a revelation, one that drew his attention to the importance of frequent screening among other forms of medical checkups. Marc Allen is a thirty-five-year-old American currently living in Manhattan. He works in the office of the attorney general as one of the clerks. He, therefore, enjoys comprehensive medical cover from the government among other associated benefits. Besides such, Marc Allen has additional health insurance. He sought the product soon after the formulation and successful implementation of the Obama care health act. The act made insurance services both affordable and available. He is a family man, married to Marie Marc Allen and the two have three children schooling within the New York State. He, therefore, lives as many other middle-class Americans facing similar challenges but prioritizing the health of their families a feature that validates the numerous health insurance policies he has both for himself and the other members of his family. He explains his experience with prostate cancer as one of the most infuriating. Given his young age, he did not think that he would suffer from such a disease. Prior to the diagnosis, Marc Allen lived a busy life concentrating on both his legal work and his family. Never did it occur to him that he would suffer from such a disease. He, therefore, did not go for any form of screening until he was admitted with abdominal pains. It was then that the doctors advised that he undergo a thorough screening of other types of tests. The screening proved that he had prostate cancer and was therefore to undergo a series of radiographic in one of the most sensitive parts of his body. He explains that the diagnosis was a scare since he had not anticipated such a disease. He lived in denial for a while but with the support from his family and the advice from his doctors, he opted for the radiology treatment since the doctors explained that he had high chances of surviving.  Ã‚  

Short answers-2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Short answers-2 - Essay Example Opposite of the black codes, the 14th Amendment was designed to offer more freedoms to the former black slaves after the Civil War. This amendment also ensured that due process was undertaken in the legal system for those on trial or accused of criminal behavior. This was the belief, during the middle portion of the 19th Century, that the United States was wholeheartedly destined to expand the country from the Eastern seaboard all the way to the Pacific coastline. This belief led to the America we know today in terms of size and scale. Believing that cotton was the most important crop in the Southern states during the Civil War era led to the phrase King Cotton which was used by politicians (and others) to express the importance of securing the Southern economic future in relation to agriculture. Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States, and was assassinated in 1865. Lincoln wholeheartedly opposed slavery and did not want the country to go to war against itself, issuing many publicized proclamations condemning the potential act prior to the start of the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln radically changed the face of slavery during his short stint as president, declaring slaves to be free men. During the reconstruction phase of the South after the war, Lincoln was instrumental in assisting in creating policies designed to re-integrate the South back into the country in terms of agriculture and industry. Slavery was the primary issue leading to the Civil War, with most Southerners believing that slavery was a vital aspect of ensuring a strong agricultural and industrial future, while most of the Northern citizens believed slavery to be immoral and against religiously-inspired freedoms. Further, the South believed in their own superiority in many ways, thus they thought they had a right or destiny to break free of the North (succession) and start their own political and national

Corporate environmental management (Business Subject) Assignment - 2

Corporate environmental management (Business Subject) - Assignment Example Although the history and evolution of a concept might seem unimportant, it could help us predict the future trend and flaws that will appear. If it can be remembered the 1972 conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm, Sweden, attended by 113 states and representatives from 19 international organizations, was the 1st truly international conference devoted exclusively to environmental issues. There a group of 27 experts articulated the link between environment and development stating although in individual instances there were conflicts between environment and economic priorities, they were two sides of the same coin (Reinhardt & Vietor, 1969). Another result of the Stockholm conference was the creation of the United Nations Environmental Programme {UNEP} which has the mission to provide leadership and encourage partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing and enabling nations and people to improve their future generations? It should be noted that the term corporate environment management is a means by which companies and government departments act to realize their impacts on the environment and therefore work to improve their performance in this area through encouraging their suppliers, customers and partners to act the same way. You will discover that in the world the Hong Kong Government has undertaken initiatives since 1994 to improve its green management. The private sector has also been urged to follow suit (Darabaris, 2007) . My opinion is that the Starkist managers made a right decision because it was a move aimed at ensuring sustainability as advocated for by the Brundtland commission. Sustainable utilization of the environment is one of the issues that are currently making headlines on environment issues. In the day to use of environment to meet the daily needs there is need to take into account future generation, what is described as

Idea Generation and Analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Idea Generation and Analysis - Research Paper Example OSHA official have extremely comprehensive rules that are difficult to be understood by both employers and employees. The most notable thing I believe is to ensure that a relationship is maintained between OSHA and the people they intend to protect. Forums should be put in place that employers and employees can be sensitized about safety and security around the boat yard. 2. In line with the first idea, there should be material distributed within the boat yards that would encourage safe working practices within the boat yard. Small screens could be placed in common areas that employees take their breaks, and the screens should show clips of the various kinds of hazards that the workers are exposed to. The video should show how the accidents could occur and after which show how the accidents can be avoided. 3. There should be hazard signs placed at high risk areas. The signs should indicate what risk the worker might be exposing themselves to. For instance, if the surface where the worker is working on is slippery, there could be a hazard indicating there is a wet surface ahead; making the worker more alert to the danger. These hazards could be accompanied by voiceovers since some workers might be too distracted to see signs, and they would be at risk. 4. Workers might have a common are where they go into change into their work clothes when they report to work. The management could put up check lists at exists of the changing rooms. This checklists should be both visual and textual as they would attract more attention. â€Å"Do you have you helmet on†, and beside that a picture of a hard hat. Ensuring that the workers have the right gear on would reduce the risk of injury should something go wrong. 5. OSHA should not only enforce rules but should also encourage the adaptation of safe working practices within boat yards. They could encourage employee efforts

Dangerous Liaison Vs Cruel Intentions Coursework

Dangerous Liaison Vs Cruel Intentions - Coursework Example Cruel Intentions is a modern day adaptation of the novel with love, evil, gullibility and manipulation combined with moral cynicism and lust for domination by the primary protagonists. The main characters in the novel were French aristocrats and adults, while the movie depicts the protagonists as young adults who combine manipulation and revenge to achieve their ulterior goals. The lack of social and moral authority which is denounced by Laclos in the novel is transformed into the lack of parental influence on Catherine and Sebastian in the movie. The two siblings are free to pursue their dangerous game of playing with others’ feelings and reputations. The movie also has many erotic messages which create a mental image of what the protagonists is up-to. The novel on the other hand provides the action through a veil of language. Laclos establishes the hypocrisy of the main characters by a series of letters in which they show their various facets to different recipients. The mov ie highlights the hypocrisy of the lead characters in the opening credits as they get ready to mingle with society. Both Merteuil and Catherine are respected members of their societies without anyone their true nature. In Dangerous Liaisons, Valmont dies in a sword fight with Danceny. Before dying he gives him letters which would ruin the reputation of Merteuil. Her reputation is shattered and she eventually dies of misery. Cruel Intentions provides a more heroic and tragic ending of Sebastian who is killed in a car accident. He pushes Annette out of the care before being killed. Annette and Cecile ensure that Catherine is humiliated in front of the student body. Her drug addiction becomes public which tarnishes her reputation. The subject of drug abuse amongst young adults is a major theme of the movie. The movie also portrays the independence of modern women. Cecile and Annette fight back against the manipulation and deceit of

Meaning Of Socio-Cultural Factors Involved In Education Research Paper

Meaning Of Socio-Cultural Factors Involved In Education - Research Paper Example A test score that is two standard deviation from the mean implies a Z-score of -2.0 that is associated with -2.00. The numeral -2.00 follows through the intersection of the row of -2.0 in the z column and the column associated with .00 of the table. Following protocols followed for the table of the normal curve, the numerals mentioned earlier are associated with the value of 0.0228 that gives area under the normal curve. The area of normal curve 0.0228 is associated with the probability associated with the lowest scorer with the score associated with two standard deviations below the mean. This means that more precisely the student we are discussing belong to bottom 2.28% of the grade sevens, following the association of 0.0228 with 2.28%. Meanwhile, a score of 115 given of 100 and standard deviation of 15 implies a z value of 1.15 following standard transformation formation protocols. In turn, the z-score of 1.15 is associated with the area 0.8749 under the normal curve based on Tab le 1. The student we are discussing belong to the bottom 87.49% of the grade sevens. Described in another way, only 12.51% of the students of grade seven are ahead of our student. We can also say that our student belongs close to the top 13% of the grade sevens. If there are only 100-grade sevens, our student closely belongs to the best 13 students of the grade sevens. We can say that our student is one of the â€Å"laggards† with regard to performance in reading but one of the best with regard to performance in mathematics.

Bruce Smith is a totally incompetent manager Essay - 1

Bruce Smith is a totally incompetent manager - Essay Example As we move along we will also use other theories and research to substantiate our conclusions. The interpersonal activities of a manager arise out of his status and the formal authority that he has. This category of activities supports the information processing and the decision roles which are the other two activities that manager performs. This is the role in which the manager represents the unit which he heads and becomes the one who symbolizes the unit. Duties must be carried out whether they are social, legal or inspirational. Events must be attended and documents must be signed. There is no evidence in the information provided in the case study to suggest that Bruce might not be fulfilling this role well. In fact his commitment to excellence in the performance of his unit indicates that he fulfills this role very well. This is a decisive role played by a manager particularly with respect to his relationship with subordinates. In the leadership role the manager keeps the subordinates motivated, encouraged and alert. The manager balances the interests of the organization (which he keeps first) with the interests of the employee to ensure effective functioning. I would categorize Bruce as an exceptional leader. ... These are technical skills, human skills and conceptual skills. Peterson & Fleet (2004, pp. 1299) have defined these for us: Technical skills are defined as the understanding of, or proficiency in, specific activities that require the use of specialized tools, methods, processes, procedures, techniques, or knowledge.Human skills are defined as the ability to work cooperatively with others, to communicate effectively, to resolve conflict, and to be a team player.Finally, conceptual skills are defined as the ability to see the organization as a whole or to have a systemic viewpoint Bruce would score highly on technical skills because of his ability to resolve technical issues as indicated by the feedback of his subordinate Stephen Dye who appreciated Bruce's ability to come up with solutions for technical problems like computers or paper or ink. Alex Brown another of Bruce's subordinates has complimented him on his interest in keeping his staff well trained as well as his frankness in giving feedback. Leonard Best tell us about the monthly morning tea awards which is a system that keeps the team motivated and contributes to a good spirit. These soft skills of Bruce give him a high score on human skills which is the second category of skills enumerated by Katz as necessary for managers. The time and energy he devotes to these human activities indicate the high level of priority that he attaches to these activities as well as his belief in the need to keep his team motivated. Liaison: This is the role of the manager which has to do with his networking skills. A positive equation with people with whom there may be no direct working relationship has great rewards and favor result out of these relationships. These kind of networking skills shaping internal and external

Prevention-related program Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Prevention-related program - Research Paper Example Some of these victims of bullying end up hurt with permanent scares that will always remind them of that dreadful act. Noting the significance of this act, this paper will come up with a prevention-relate program that relates to bullying, but first it will describe the substantive area of bullying and then venture into the program. Bullying has been identified widely as the systematic exploitation of power and its occurrence in schooling institutions has been established in most countries around the world. For instance, in Australia and New Zealand, it has been projected that one child out of four is bullied in one way or another on a day to day basis. Bullying can impact everyone from those who bully, to those who are bullied, as well as those who witness the act itself. Bullying is linked to countless of negative outcomes comprising of substance use, impacts on mental health, and suicide. It is significant to talk to children about and why it should be a concern to them. This bullying prevention program will not only be designed and planned mainly for elementary students, but also middle and junior high school scholars, who are aged from about 5 to 15 years. However, extensive research has also proved that some of the elements that will be discussed in this program have proved to be effective when it comes to prevention of bullying in high schools, as well. The program will require each and every student to take part in a majority of the aspects, whereas students considered as targets of bullying, or as bullying others, get extra personalized interventions. This program will be planned and designed to enhance peer relations, as well as make schooling institutions safer and more constructive places for students to not only learn, but also develop themselves. The goals and objectives of the program are: (1) cutting existing bullying problems in schools; (2) barring the development of fresh bullying problems; and (3) attaining

The Coffee Crisis Essay Example for Free

The Coffee Crisis Essay Introduction In 2011, Diego Comin, Associate Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, revised his 2009 case study on the Great Moderation (reproduced by permission for Capella University, 2011). The case explores whether or not the Great Moderation, defined by investopedia. com as â€Å"the period of decreased macroeconomic volatility experienced in the United States since the 1980’s [during which] the standard deviation of quarterly real GDP declined by half, and the standard deviation of inflation declined by two-thirds (para.1)† is still in effect. This paper will use evidence from research in a draft by Pancrazi and Vukotic (2011) that proposes â€Å"macroeconomic variables in the last thirty years have not only experienced a reduction in their overall volatility, but also an increase in their persistence (p. 2). † The 2011 research paper also purports that â€Å"by using a New-Keynesian macroeconomic model the responsiveness of output variance to changes in the monetary policy decreases with an increase in the persistence of technology (p. 2). † The result, according to Pancrazi and Vukotic, is an â€Å"overestimate† of the monetary influence and authority to â€Å"smooth out the real economic dynamics (p. 2). † The Great Moderation and the The Great Recession. Comin, in â€Å"The Great Moderation, Dead or Alive? † (Capella, 2011), quotes Ben Bernanke, Chairman of the Federal Reserve: reduced macroeconomic volatility has numerous benefits. Lower volatility of inflation improves market functioning, makes economic planning easier, and reduces the resources devoted to hedging inflation risks. Lower volatility of output tends to imply more stable employment and a reduction in the extent of economic uncertainty confronting households and firms. The reduction in the volatility of output is also closely associated with the fact that recessions have become less frequent and less severe (p. 17). † Comin points out that these conditions existed until the Great Recession of 2007 when the U. S. and other countries experienced the longest period of recession and â€Å" the largest GDP contraction in the U. S. since the Great Depression (p. 17). In â€Å"Overlooking the Great Moderation, Consequences for the Monetary Policy† (2011), the researchers hypothesize that the â€Å"Great Moderation might have been fertile ground for the recent recession (p. 3), in that technology caused an â€Å"increased persistence in the macroeconomic variables (p. 4). † Macroeconomic Observations. To summarize Comin’s (2011) account of macroeconomic activity in the U. S between 1930 and 2010, when observing the GDP during this period, he says, â€Å"it is clear that since around 1984 it has been harder to observe large deviations from the average growth rate (p.17). † When examining other macroeconomic variables, Comin says that hours worked, consumption, investment, labor productivity, and total factor productivity (TFP), have, for the most part, â€Å"experienced stabilization by roughly the same magnitude, [where] the stock market has not stabilized significantly. If anything, it has become more volatile over the last few decades (p. 18). † Pancrazi and Vukotic focus their research on â€Å"studying the behavior of the total factor productivity (TFP) before and after the Great Moderation (p.4)†¦[by] using a basic New-Keynesian model featuring imperfect completion and price stickiness, [to ascertain] whether a change in the persistence of TFP affects the responsiveness of the real variables to the monetary policy (p. 6). † Their observations include an examination of the stability of TFP and an assessment that â€Å"a higher Microeconomic impact of the coffee crisis. The case study conveys that â€Å"coffee was the main source of income for roughly 25 million farmers, mostly small land holders, in Latin America, Africa, and Asia (p.1). † The coffee crisis created immense hardship for these small producers; â€Å"in some countries, farmers had been forced to take their children out of school and put them to work (p. 1). † One of the consequences of the coffee crisis that was less publicized was how larger farms and their workers were devastated. Large farms generally do not use non-cash family workers, like many of the smaller farmers do; as a result of the crisis, many workers were laid off, subsequently putting larger farms completely out of business. (Price, 2003) Where some producers chose to get out of the coffee business and venture into unknown territory with a new crop, others either attempted to break into the coffee â€Å"niche† market or decrease their outputs. (Line Tickell, 2003) In the ICO report on the impact the coffee crisis has had on poverty, the socio-economic impact reported by the respondent countries is filled with narratives that describe families and farmers who worked in the coffee industry unable to pay for medicine, food, and other essentials. Families are also reported to have migrated to cities, where there is typically no work for skilled farmers; some countries report that workers have migrated leaving their families behind. (Osorio, 2003) Solutions for long term sustainability. The case study presents an outline of solutions recommended by the ICO, Technoserve (as reported to the Inter-American Development Bank) and Oxfam. â€Å"The Coffee Crisis† states that, according to Oxfam, â€Å"the long run solution†¦was a commitment to ‘fair trade’†¦ a system in which a buyer in the first world agrees to pay third-world producers enough to support a decent living (p.5). † Oxfam says that â€Å"the fair trade movement was designed to provide an assured income and other benefits to the farmers associated with it (Line Tickell, 2003, p. 8). † Technoserve believes the following â€Å"three areas offer the highest potential for sustainable impact: 1. Increasing coffee consumption in producer countries and emerging market countries; 2. Assisting unprofitable producers of high-quality Arabica to move into higher-priced specialty coffees; and 3. Helping regions with a high concentration of marginal coffee producers who cannot differentiate their product or compete on price to diversify into other products and industries (para. 15 16). † In June, 2004, Nestor Osorio of the ICO presented to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) a report titled: â€Å"Lessons Learned from the Coffee Crisis: A Serious Problem for Sustainable Development. † In it he outlines the economic strategies he believed would prevent a future crisis and assist coffee producer toward long-term sustainability. Two proposed policies address the supply-demand problem: 1. To use the experience of the coffee crisis to create awareness – best achieved through the ICO – in national and international bodies of the danger of embarking on any projects or programmes (sic) which will further increase supply; and 2. Working to increase the benefits accruing from value-added products rather than traditional bulk commodity exports. Osorio recognizes the importance of â€Å"the need for market development to increase demand (p. 5)† also. He says that projects intended to benefit the supply chain should include actions from farmer to consumer, as well as farmer to exporter. These include: 1. â€Å"Support for the ICO’s Quality-Improvement Programme as a means of improving consumer appreciation and consumption of coffee; 2. Action to increase consumption in coffee-producing countries themselves, which should have a number of positive effects such as providing an alternative market outlet, increasing producer awareness of consumer preferences, stimulation of small and medium enterprises, etc. as well as acting to increase demand; 3. Action to enhance knowledge and appreciation of coffee in large emerging markets such as Russia and China, following the successful ICO campaigns in the 1990s; and 4. Protecting consumption levels in traditional markets through quality maintenance, development of niche markets and dissemination of positive information on the health benefits of coffee consumption. (p. 5-6). † Conclusion The coffee market has been described as an â€Å"imperfect market; a market that in recent years has failed – both in human and economic terms (Lines Tickell, 2003, p. 8). † The coffee crisis illuminated the impact the market had on international trade, national economies, businesses and families many in underdeveloped, low income countries. Because the regions where coffee can be grown are also many times third-world or repressed countries, coffee production is considered a humanitarian concern as well as an economic issue. Where an organization like Technoserve may lean toward business partnership solutions for the coffee industry, and Oxfam may concentrate on the humanitarian perspective, the International Coffee Organization appears to have taken a balanced approach in presenting the plight of coffee producers from both altruistic and economic perspectives. Where it is understood that many depressed areas and nations depend on coffee crops for sustenance, the ICO has taken a stand that the lessons learned from the coffee crisis must be solved with the tenets of economics, coupled with social responsibility, if families, farms, businesses and coffee-producing nations are going to achieve long-term sustainability. References Capella University. (Eds. ). (2011). MBA6008: Global Economic Environment. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Lines, T. , Tickell, S. (2003, May 1). Walk the Talk, Oxfam International Briefing Paper, May, 2003. Oxfam International | Working together to find lasting solutions to poverty and injustice. Retrieved May 5, 2012, from www. oxfam. org/sites/www. oxfam. org/files/walk. pdf Osorio, N. (2002). ICO. org Documents/Global Crisis. International Coffee Organization. Retrieved May 4, 2012, from dev. ico. org/documents/globalcrisise. pdf Osorio, N. (2003). ICO. org Documents/G-8. International Coffee Organization. Retrieved May 4, 2012, from dev. ico. org/documents/g8e. pdf Osorio, N. (2004). ICO. org Documents/UNCTAD. International Coffee Organization. Retrieved May 4, 2012, from dev. ico. org/documents/UNCTAD. pdf Prince, M. (2003, December 3). CoffeeGeek Coffee Crisis:TechnoServe Releases Fact-Based Industry Analysis. CoffeeGeek News, Reviews, Opinion and Community for Coffee and Espresso. Retrieved May 5, 2012, from http://coffeegeek. com/resources/pressreleases/technoservedec42003.

Definition Of Pain And Pain Terminology Psychology Essay

Definition Of Pain And Pain Terminology Psychology Essay Pain is: An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage 1-3, as proposed by the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP). Pain is subjective. Each individual learns the application of the word through experiences related to injury in early life. Noxious stimuli are liable to damage tissue. Pain is an experience we associate with actual or potential tissue damage. It is always an unpleasant and therefore emotional experience. In several cases pain is reported in the absence of tissue damage or any likely pathophysiological cause. Usually there is no way to distinguish the experience of pain perception from that due to tissue damage. If the pain experience is reported as pain in the same way as caused by tissue damage, it should be accepted as pain. Pain is what the patient says it is, existing whenever the experiencing person says it does 4. This definition avoids relating pain to the stimulus. Activity induced in the nociceptor and nociceptive pathways by a noxious stimulus is not pain, which is always a psychological state, even though we may well appreciate that pain most often has a proximate physical cause. Pain Terminology Allodynia Pain due to a stimulus which does not normally provoke pain is termed allodynia. It involves a change in the quality of a sensation, whether tactile, thermal or of any sort. The original modality is normally non-painful, but the response is painful. There is a loss of specificity of sensory modality 2,5. Analgesia Analgesia is the term used for the absence of pain in response to stimulation which normally would be painful. Analgesia implies a defined stimulus and a defined response 2,5. Anaesthesia Dolorosa Anaesthesia dolorosa is pain in an area or region which is anaesthetic 2,5. Causalgia Causalgia is a syndrome of sustained burning pain, allodynia, and hyperpathia after nerve lesion, often combined with vasomotor and sudomotor dysfunction and later trophic changes 2. Central Pain Pain initiated or caused by a primary lesion or dysfunction in the central nervous system is termed central pain 2,5. Dysesthesia Dysesthesia is an unpleasant abnormal sensation, whether spontaneous or evoked. Compared with pain and with paresthesia, special cases of dyseshesia include hyperalgesia and allodynia. A dysesthesia should always be unpleasant and a paresthesia should not be unpleasant, although it is recognized that the borderline may present some difficulties when it comes to deciding as to whether a sensation is pleasant or unpleasant. It should always be specified whether the sensations are spontaneous or evoked 2,5. Hyperalgesia Hyperalgesia is an increased response to a stimulus which is normally painful 5. It reflects increased pain on suprathreshold stimulation. It is an increased response at a normal threshold or at an increased threshold, in patients with neuropathy. Hyperalgesia is a consequence of perturbation of the nociceptive system with peripheral or central sensitization, or both 2. Hyperesthesia Hyperesthesia is an increased sensitivity to stimulation, excluding the special senses 5. The stimulus and locus should be specified. It may refer to various modes of cutaneous sensibility including touch and thermal sensation without pain, as well as to pain. The term is used to indicate both diminished threshold to any stimulus and an increased response to stimuli that are normally recognised. Hyperesthesia includes both, allodynia and hyperalgesia, but the more specific terms should be used wherever they are applicable 2. Hyperpathia Hyperpathia is a painful syndrome characterized by an abnormally painful reaction to a stimulus, especially a repetitive stimulus, as well as an increased threshold 5. It may occur with allodynia, hyperesthesia, hyperalgesia, or dysethesia. Faulty identification and localization of the stimulus, delay, radiating sensation and after-sensation may be present, and the pain is often explosive in character. The changes are the specification of allodynia and the inclusion of hyperalgesia explicitly. Previously hyperalgesia was implied, since hyperesthesia was mentioned in the previous note and hyperalgesia is a special case of hyperesthesia 2. Hypoalgesia Diminished pain in response to a normally painful stimulus is termed hypoalgesia 5. It is defined as diminished sensitivity to noxious stimulation, making it a particular case of hypoesthesia. However, it now refers only to the occurrence of relatively less pain in response to stimulation that produces pain. Hypesthesia covers the case of diminished sensitivity to stimulation that is normally painful 2. The implications of some of the above definitions may be summarized as in table 1. Table 1: Types of pain summarized. Hypoesthesia Hypoesthesia is a decreased sensitivity to stimulation, excluding the special senses. In case of hypoesthesia the stimulation and locus must be specified 2. Neuralgia Neuralgia is pain in the distribution of a nerve or nerves 5. Common usage, especially in Europe, often implies a paroxysmal quality, but neuralgia should not be reserved for paroxysmal pains 2. Neuritis Inflammation of a nerve or nerves is termed neuritis 5. This term must not be used unless inflammation is proven to be present 2. Neurogenic Pain The term neurogenic pain is used for pain initiated or caused by a primary lesion, dysfunction, or transitory perturbation in the peripheral or central nervous system 2,5. Neuropathic Pain Pain initiated or caused by a primary lesion or dysfunction in the nervous system is termed neuropathic pain. See also neurogenic pain and central pain. Peripheral neuropathic pain occurs when the lesion or dysfunction affects the peripheral nervous system. Central pain may be retained as the term when the lesion or dysfunction affects the central nervous system 2. Neuropathy Neuropathy is a disturbance of function or pathological change in a nerve. When it occurs in one nerve it is termed: mononeuropathy. When several nerves are involved the term: mononeuropathy multiplex is to be used. The term: polyneuropathy is to be used in case of diffuse and bilateral peripheral nerve problem 2,5. Neural Plasticity Neural plasticity means the nociceptive input leading to structural and functional changes that may cause altered perceptual processing and contribute to pain chronicity 5. Nociceptor A nociceptor is a receptor preferentially sensitive to a noxious stimulus or to a stimulus which would become noxious if prolonged 5. The terms like pain receptor, pain pathways, etc. must be avoided 2. Nociception Nociception is the activation of sensory transduction in nerves by thermal, mechanical, or clinical energy impinging on specialized nerve endings. The nerve(s) involved conveys information about tissue damage to the central nervous system 5. Noxious Stimulus A noxious stimulus is one which is damaging to normal tissues. Although the definition of a noxious stimulus has been retained, the term is not used in this list to define other terms 2. A noxious stimulus is also defined as a stimulus capable of activation receptors for tissue damage 5. Pain Threshold The least experience of pain which a subject can recognize is termed the pain threshold 5. Traditionally the threshold has often been defined, as the least stimulus intensity at which a subject perceives pain. Properly defined, the threshold is really the experience of the patient, whereas the intensity measured is an external event. It has been common usage for most pain research workers to define the threshold in terms of the stimulus, and that should be avoided. However, the threshold stimulus can be recognized as such and measured. In psychophysics, thresholds are defined as the level at which 50% of stimuli are recognized as painful. The stimulus is not pain and cannot be a measure of pain 2. Pain Tolerance Level The greatest level of pain which a subject is prepared to tolerate is termed the pain tolerance level 5. As with pain threshold, the pain tolerance level is the subjective experience of the individual. The stimuli which are normally measured in relation to its production are the pain tolerance level stimuli and not the level itself. Thus, the same argument applies to pain tolerance level as to pain threshold, and it is not defined in terms of the external stimulation as such 2. Paresthesia Paresthesia is an abnormal sensation, whether spontaneous or evoked 5. It is used to describe an abnormal sensation that is not unpleasant while dyseshesia be used preferentially for an abnormal sensation that is considered to be unpleasant. The use of one term (paresthesia) to indicate spontaneous sensations and the other to refer to evoked sensations is not favoured. There is a sense in which, since paresthesia refers to abnormal sensations in general, it might include dysesthesia, but the reverse is not true. Dysesthesia does not include all abnormal sensations, but only those which are unpleasant 2. Peripheral Neurogenic Pain Pain initiated or caused by a primary lesion or dysfunction or transitory perturbation in the peripheral nervous system is termed peripheral neurogenic pain 2,5. Peripheral Neuropathic Pain Peripheral neuropathic pain is the term used for pain initiated or caused by a primary lesion or dysfunction in the peripheral nervous system 2. Psychogenic Pain Psychogenic pain is the reporting of pain attributable primarily to psychological factors usually in the absence of any objective physical pathology that could account for pain. This term is commonly used in a pejorative sense and is not usually an effective method of describing a patient 5. Referred Pain Pain localized not to the site of its cause but to an area that may be adjacent to or at a distance from such a site is termed referred pain. For example shoulder pain can be caused by an diaphragmic irritations 6. Wind Up Wind up, means the second pain induced by a slow temporal summation of pain mediated by C fibres. It is caused by repetitive noxious stimulation slower than one stimulus every 3 seconds. Consequently the subject may experience a gradual increase in the perceived magnitude of pain 5. Classification of Pain Nociceptive pain arises from the stimulation of specific pain receptors. These receptors can respond to heat, cold, vibration, stretch and chemical stimuli released from tissue injury. Non nociceptive pain arises from within the peripheral and central nervous system. Specific receptors do not exist here, with pain being generated by nerve cell dysfunction 7. Figure 1: Classification of pain. Somatic Pain Musculoskeletal pain can occur as a result of injury in tissues such as: skin, muscle, joints, bones, and ligaments. Specific receptors (nociceptors) for heat, cold, vibration, stretch, inflammation and oxygen starvation are involved. A sharp and well localised pain can often be provoked by touching or moving the area or tissue involved 7. Visceral Pain Organs can be the cause of pain. Specific receptors (nociceptors) for stretch, inflammation, and oxygen starvation (ischaemia) can be involved. The pain perceived is often poorly localised, and may feel like a vague deep ache, sometimes being cramping or colicky in nature. It frequently produces referred pain to the back. Pelvic pain refers pain to the lower back, abdominal pain to the mid-back, and thoracic pain to the upper back 7. Nerve Pain Nerve pain occurs within the nervous system itself. The pain may originate from the peripheral nervous system or from the central nervous system. Nerve pain can be caused by: degeneration (multiple sclerosis, stroke, brain haemorrhage, and oxygen starvation), pressure or strain (trapped nerve), inflammation or infection. The nervous system does not have specific receptors for pain (non nociceptive). Instead, when a nerve becomes injured, its conduction becomes unstable, firing off signals in a completely inappropriate, random, and disordered fashion. This phenomen is also termed ectopic pacemaker or abnormal impuls generated sites (AIGS). The impulses then are interpreted by the brain as pain, and can be associated with signs of nerve malfunction such as hypersensitivity (touch, vibration, hot and cold), tingling, numbness, and weakness. There is often referred pain to an area where that nerve would normally supply (neurotome). Nerve pain is often described as lancinating, shooting, burning, and hypersensitive 7. Sympathetic Pain Sympathetic pain is caused by possible over-activity response of the sympathetic nervous system, and central or peripheral nervous system mechanisms. The sympathetic nervous system controls blood flow to tissues such as skin and muscle, sweating by the skin, and the speed and responsiveness of the peripheral nervous system. Sympathetic pain occurs more commonly after fractures and soft tissue injuries of the arms and legs but can be present in the pelvic area aswell. These injuries may lead to complex regional pain syndrome. CRPS was previously known as reflex sympathetic dystrophy. There are no specific pain receptors that induce CRPS but a disbalance of the nervous system may operate in CRPS. The hypersensitivity in the skin around the injury and also peripherally is associated with abnormalities of sweating and temperature control in the area. Functio leasi occurs with muscle atrophy, joint problems, contractures, and osteoporosis as a result. It is possible that the syndrome is i nitiated by trauma to the small peripheral nerves close to the injury 7. Taxonomies Related to Pain The taxonomy of chronic pain syndromes is a difficult subject. Bonica referred the language ambiguity as a modern tower of Babel 8. Taxonomy and classification of pain is important identifying target groups, conduct research and the approach of patients 5. The classification of pain can be expert based 9, anatomy based, duration based, etiologic 10, body system based 11, mechanism based 12 and/or based on severity using a scale model (VAS)13-16. Multidimensional sytems of pain classification exist and are proposed by the International Association for the Study of Pain Taxonomy. The IASP has published an expert-based multiaxial classification of chronic pain 2,3.

The History Of Zara Information Technology Essay

The History Of Zara Information Technology Essay Zara is the most successful brand of Spanish company Grupo Inditex. Its owner, Amancio Ortega, opened first retail store in 1975 in La Coruna, a small port in Spain. Zara became the worlds largest fashion retailer by 2008 end. By this time it had stores in over 70 countries, out performing its rivals like Gap of USA and Sweden based HM (Hennes Maurits) (http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/aug/12/retail.spain). Zaras Innovative Operations: Daniel Piette, director of fashion, LVMH has described Zara as possibly the most devastating and innovating retailer in the world http://tbmdb.blogspot.com/2009/12/business-model-example-zara-devastating.html, owing to the companys innovative and unique approach in fashion retail. Zara follows the concept of a vertically integrated supply chain, in which the company has a tight control over most of the design phase, production phase and distribution system to its chain of retail outlets. The rest of these processes is handled by its sister concerns with nearby locations. Unlike its competitors Zara does not outsource its production to Asian developing countries; the proximity of production units helps Zara by giving flexibility in production so that the company can meet the ever-changing demands of the consumers more efficiently than its competitors. Zara has integrated the system of POS (Point Of Sales) and has formed a unique method that helps in the production of new designs. POS helps in monitoring what designs are bringing in maximum sales at the retail shops. The store managers are allowed freedom to decide which designs to display and which ones to keep back in the store, depending on the sales of those designs. Zaras employees at the retail outlets gather feedbacks from the customers and convey the information to the headquarters with the help of hand-held PDAs that each employee is required to carry. At the headquarters, the design teams immediately respond to feedbacks sent via PDAs and begin designing new clothes accordingly. The clothes are manufactured and distributed to the retail stores within a short period of 2 to 4 weeks owing to the vertical integration of its supply chain. While its rivals are busy finding and identifying what the latest trends might be and finally take 4 to 9 months to distribute new designs to their respective stores, Zara manages to design, manufacture and distribute new designs in a matter of just of 30 days. Taking advantage of the fast turn around time, Zara eschews the concept of producing just one collection per season, like its rivals do. Instead the designs keep on changing frequently so that Zara manages to deliver new designs twice a week to its retail shops. Zara only produces small quantities of each style so that there is continuous demand of popular designs. It cuts down on manufacturing costs as well. Thus Zara manages to deliver around 12000 different styles in a year whereas its competitors can produce only 4000-5000 per year. Hence, the company-coined phrase, fast fashion http://www.3isite.com/articles/ImagesFashion_Zara_Part_I.pdf. Current Technology in Information Communication Zaras use of technology in information technology is unique from its competitors. Firstly Zara uses much less technology, in terms of expenditure and work-force, than its competitors just 0.5% of its work force compared to 2.5% of employees that its rivals utilise. Similarly Zara spends only 0.5% of its revenue on information technology compared to expenditure of 2% by its competitors. Secondly Zara employs a unique combination of human and IT intelligence. Managers at the stores and the market survey done by the employees, form the human intelligence while IT intelligence consists of the PDA devices used to send information collected by the managers and other employees carrying the PDAs. An order form is transmitted to each managers PDA asking for information such as availability of garments and patterns of garment sales. The managers of each retail outlets then divide this order form into sections and these sections are transmitted to the PDAs of each employee to fill up, based o n customers feedback and the kind of designs sold. Employees then transmit back their respective sections to the managers PDA, after entering the customers requirements. The managers of each store are given total authority to determine and identify which sections are to be retained in the order form. The edited order form is then sent back to headquarters where the designing teams start working on the basis of the order forms. This unique hybrid of humans technology helps in managing the inventories efficiently and quick and efficient link between demand and supply, thus successfully helping in their own doctrine of fast fashion. Summing up Zaras use of technology http://leoborjblog.wordpress.com/2009/08/10/zara-it-for-fast-fashion/: Gather customer requirements PDAs Logistics and transmission of order form POS terminals and modems. Quickly designing new style CAD (Computer Aided Design) Advantages of such an Innovative System Vertical integration of supply chain and short turn around time lead to High turnover of product. Quick and efficient distribution helps to eliminate warehouse requirement, saving on additional storage costs. Searching the market for latest fashion trends and responding quickly to the consumer requirements with the help of hand-held PDAs. Complete autonomy and flexibility to the employees and managers who are in direct contact with the customers. POS terminals run on DOS operating system, which is cheap and easy to maintain and operate. Perceived limitations of this System http://www.slideshare.net/koffman/zara-case-study-2780928 Zara and its sister concerns have been using DOS as their main operating system in all the processes. It is an outdated operating system. As the POS vendor supplies DOS OS to zara only, it can always stop its supply, while continue to supply other operating systems to its other customers. Store managers are the decision makers. Zara headquarter relies solely on the experience and intuition of the managers. Instead of looking after customers, managers and employees have the time-consuming task of manually entering the garment details in small PDAs. This could result in the employees failing to assist some customers in choosing and might miss out on few garment sales. Inventory is maintained manually as well. Information transmitted is one way only. Managers have no knowledge of the inventories at headquarters and the stores distribution centre. Consequently managers cannot promise a customer if a particular garment that has been sold out, can be replenished and in how many days. Promises made to customers not kept can damage Zaras reputation, so the managers need to know about the garments inventories at headquarters and the distribution centres. There is a great demand for Zaras garments even though new designs are available twice a week. Zara may consider increase in production to meet these ever growing demands. Gathering of information therefore may need to be upgraded in terms of frequency. Its competitors can change to a better OS or software package and increase their turn around time, neutralizing Zaras edge of fast fashion over them. New IT Technology for Sustainability http://www.123helpme.com/view.asp?id=97642 Benefits: New technology may not help Zara in increasing the competitive edge over its competitors but will help in sustaining that edge. A new operating system will help in installing software packages that will help in efficient access of inventory at the stores as well as headquarters and distribution centers. Upgrading to new OS will remove the companys dependency on its current supplier of DOS. Using more than one IT supplier will increase Zaras bargaining power. A Network can be set up between HQ, production centers and retail stores. POS system can be automated so that each sale will automatically update the POS devices. If the POS system of all stores can be interlinked all the store managers can easily know the inventory online and can make and keep their promises to customers demanding a particular garment. POS automation will help reduce overall workload of the employees and managers, as they will not have to manually enter every detail required in the order form. There will not be any need of hand held PDAs. Dedicated POS software will ensure that orders will now be made on the basis of theoretical inventories and will be more accurate. Orders can now placed continually increasing the frequency from twice a week to daily. Ideal software to be used for integration would be ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning). Linking all the process in the supply chain, from HQ, design centers to retail stores, will not only help the managers in accessing inventories but will also help HQ to regulate the supplies more accurately according to the orders placed. Production will become even leaner than before. ECQ (Economic Order Quantity) can help in determining quantities of different garments that buyer can order so that there is sufficient stock for the customers. This will reduce inventory cost as well. Knowing reorder levels will streamline managing of the inventory and help in maintaining the autonomy of the managers. Managers can determine from the reorder levels whether a particular garment needs to be ordered before it will go out of stock and can transmit the same to the production centers that are now linked to the retail outlets. Of course manual checks will still be needed occasionally to check a stores real time inventory is same as the theoretical inventory in case of exceptions like garments getting stolen or gone missing. Designers at HQ will now not depend entirely on the managers discretion and can observe themselves sales of new designs due to two-way system integration by ERP. Just in case a store does run out of stock on a particular garment, the manager can easily check the inventories of local nearby stores for availability and suggest the customer to go there. Inter-store connectivity will have added advantage of shipping garments to another store that has more demand of a particular garment. This will further increase the speed-to-market. Besides HQ even managers of different stores will benefit if they know through network what is selling at other stores and what is not. Cost Analysis: Zara will have to upgrade to better OS that will support ERP like Linux, Unix or Windows NT. Implementation cost of Linux is lowest of the three OS. But recurring costs like service-contract is much higher (McAfee et al). Annual cost of using Unix is the lowest and if functionality remains more or less same, Unix will be best suited. If other costs like plans for systems failure are not taken into consideration then implementation cost will relatively much lower than prospective ROI (Return On Investment). Risk Analysis: Changing software and operating system in all retail shops world over is not an easy task. Due to location of Zaras retail outlets all over the world, there will be many extra tangible costs. Cost of replacing current POS system with the new one. Cost of installation of new cables in each store and maybe new infrastructure to support the cables. Cost of external IT support, hiring professional consultants. Cost of internal IT management and technical training of personnel. Time taken to train the personnel till outside assistance is not required cannot be determined as level of training and learning will be different at different locations around the world. Risk Reduction: Both current and new systems should operate together till the personnel of each store can run the new system smoothly; this will not interrupt any service provided to customers. Zara has a huge pilot outlet that is around 1,500 square meters. Zara can use this as training facility from its personnel from all over the world. Zara can use it to test the new system as well. Zara can hire experienced software professionals and open an in-house department for software management and development. Zara can outsource the management and development to experienced software companies. However Zara will have to trade-off between highly efficient and expensive companies. Zara should develop a contingency plan and an exit plan as well in case the company cannot continue with the up gradation for some reason. Robust data backup is required in case the new system crashes due to mishandling by inexperienced staff.

A Brief History Of The Internet :: essays research papers

A Brief History of the Internet Within our society there has been a revolution, one that rivals that of the Industrial Revolution. The Technological Revolution. At the head of this revolution is the Internet. A place full of information, adventure, and even for some, romance. In our society today everyone has heard of this technological wonder, and many use it on a daily basis, but for some the question still remains†¦ What is the Internet, and where did it come from?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Some thirty years ago, the RAND Corporation, American’s foremost Cold War think-tank, faced a strange strategic problem. How could the US authorities successfully communicate after a nuclear war? Post nuclear America would need a command-and-control network, linked from city to city, state-to-state, and base-to-base. But no matter how thoroughly that network was armored or protected, its switches and wiring would always be vulnerable to the impact of atomic bombs. A nuclear attack would reduce any conceivable network to tatters. And how would the network itself be commanded and controlled? Any central authority, any network central citadel, would be an obvious and immediate target for an enemy missile. RAND mulled over this grim puzzle in deep military secrecy, and arrived at a daring solution. The network would have no central authority. Furthermore, it would be designed from the beginning to operate while in tatters.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The principles were simple, the network itself would be assumed to be unreliable at all times (Krol 11). It would be designed from the get-go to transcend its own unreliability. All the nodes (computers hooked to the network) in the network would be equal in status to all other nodes, each node with its own authority to originate, pass, and receive messages. The messages themselves would be divided into packets, each packet separately addressed. Each packet would begin at some specified source node, and end at some other specified destination node, winding its way through the network on an individual basis (Krol 11). The particular route that the packet took would be unimportant. Only final results would count. Basically, the packet would be tossed like a hot potato from node to node, more or less in the direction of its destination, until it ended up in the proper place. If big pieces of the network had been blown away, that simply wouldn’t matter; the pac kets would still stay air born, lateralled wildly across the network by whatever node happened to survive. A Brief History Of The Internet :: essays research papers A Brief History of the Internet Within our society there has been a revolution, one that rivals that of the Industrial Revolution. The Technological Revolution. At the head of this revolution is the Internet. A place full of information, adventure, and even for some, romance. In our society today everyone has heard of this technological wonder, and many use it on a daily basis, but for some the question still remains†¦ What is the Internet, and where did it come from?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Some thirty years ago, the RAND Corporation, American’s foremost Cold War think-tank, faced a strange strategic problem. How could the US authorities successfully communicate after a nuclear war? Post nuclear America would need a command-and-control network, linked from city to city, state-to-state, and base-to-base. But no matter how thoroughly that network was armored or protected, its switches and wiring would always be vulnerable to the impact of atomic bombs. A nuclear attack would reduce any conceivable network to tatters. And how would the network itself be commanded and controlled? Any central authority, any network central citadel, would be an obvious and immediate target for an enemy missile. RAND mulled over this grim puzzle in deep military secrecy, and arrived at a daring solution. The network would have no central authority. Furthermore, it would be designed from the beginning to operate while in tatters.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The principles were simple, the network itself would be assumed to be unreliable at all times (Krol 11). It would be designed from the get-go to transcend its own unreliability. All the nodes (computers hooked to the network) in the network would be equal in status to all other nodes, each node with its own authority to originate, pass, and receive messages. The messages themselves would be divided into packets, each packet separately addressed. Each packet would begin at some specified source node, and end at some other specified destination node, winding its way through the network on an individual basis (Krol 11). The particular route that the packet took would be unimportant. Only final results would count. Basically, the packet would be tossed like a hot potato from node to node, more or less in the direction of its destination, until it ended up in the proper place. If big pieces of the network had been blown away, that simply wouldn’t matter; the pac kets would still stay air born, lateralled wildly across the network by whatever node happened to survive.

I Wish to Pursue an MS Degree in Electrical Engineering :: Graduate Admissions Essays

I Wish to Pursue an MS Degree in Electrical Engineering    During my senior year at Purdue University, I made a decision that has impacted the entire course of my education. While my classmates were making definite decisions about their career paths, I chose to implement a five-year plan of development and growth for myself. I designed this plan in order to examine various careers that I thought might interest me, as well as to expand upon my abilities at the time. As I was attaining a BS degree in Electrical Engineering, I decided to focus primarily on fields related to the VLSI (Very Large-Scale Integrated) circuits area. My main goals were either to gain work experience or to further my education by pursuing an MS degree in Electrical Engineering (MSEE). I saw an opportunity to both work and learn through employment at Xilinx Inc. Operating as a product engineer at a successful, high-tech semiconductor company has enabled me to utilize my technical and interpersonal skills in new and challenging ways. The position has also allowed me to i nteract with a multitude of departments including marketing, integrated circuit (IC) design, software/CAD development, manufacturing, reliability, accounting, and sales. I thus have gained an array of experience that extended beyond the parameters of my own responsibilities. In the workplace, I rely heavily upon the interpersonal techniques I developed as a counselor in a Purdue residence hall, as well as the organizational skills I had acquired through holding various leadership positions in cultural and engineering societies. I have also cultivated an interest in high-technology marketing that has continued to grow throughout my career.    My experiences with Xilinx have heightened my hunger for knowledge in the VLSI field. Two months after joining the corporation, I applied to several part-time programs in the vicinity that would allow me to acquire an MSEE degree within two to three years. San Jose State seemed an ideal choice, for its evening MSEE courses would allow me to pursue two independent, full-time positions concurrently. The San Jose program has complimented my Xilinx duties well; both demand large levels of energy and enthusiasm while guiding me to my ultimate goal a high degree of education in VLSI sciences. The resources that I poured into both endeavors have reaped many gains. I have been promoted to a Product-Yield Engineering position within Xilinx's Coarse Grain Static Memory (CGSM) Product Engineering division.

Strategic Plan Outline

UNIVERSITY OF BELIZE MGMT 490 – BUSINESS STRATEGY AND POLICY How to Structure The Strategic Plan Guidelines Executive Summary This is written to the scope and level of content that an â€Å"outsider† can read the summary and grasp the vision, mission of the organization, its overall goals and objectives, major strategic issues and the key strategies implemented to attain the goals. Section 1 – Current situation 1. Brief Background and History of the Company and the Industry 2. Strategic Posture: Current Mission, Current Vision Current Values Current Objectives Current Strategies Current Policies 3. Past Strategic Performance Indicators (if available): Market share Sales Growth Net Profit Margin Return on Equity Investment Other? (Depending on the type of business/industry) Section 2 – External Environment, Opportunities and Threats (EFAS) 2. 1 General Environment (PEST, Gap Analysis, etc) 2. 2 Task Environment (Porters five forces, Strategic Map) 2. 3 External Factor Analysis Summary Section 3 – Internal Environment, Strengths and Weaknesses (IFAS) 3. 1Value Chain analysis . 2Corporate Structure 3. 3Corporate Resources: Marketing Finance Human Resource Operations and Logistics Information Systems 3. 4Internal Factor Analysis Summary Section 4 – Competitive Strength Assessment based on Key Success Factors Quality/product performanceCustomer Service Capability Reputation/imageOther? Manufacturing capability Technological skills and know-how Dealer/distribution capability New product innovation capabili ty Financial resources Relative cost position Section 5 – Analysis of Major Strategic Factors SFAS . 1 Key Internal and External Factors (SWOT) 5. 2 Competitive advantages/disadvantages, Competitive position improving/slipping 5. 2 Review of Mission and Objectives Section 6 – Alternatives and Recommendations 1. Strategic Alternatives 2. Recommended Strategies Section 7 – Implementation Plan for new strategies recommended Section 8 – Evaluation and Control Plan for new strategies implemented Section 9 – Financial data and Analysis – Includes information on resources to finance the implementation of the Strategic Plan APPENDICES BIBLIOGRAPHY THE PRESENTATION OF THE PLAN Time Allowed: 30 minutes Presentation should be as follows: a) Brief History of Company (Section 1) b) Current Situation (Section -1) c) External Environment Opportunities and Threats (Section 2) d) Internal Environment Strengths and Weaknesses (Section 3 e) Analysis of major strategic factors, strategic alternatives and recommended strategies (including financial analysis) (Sections 5, 6 & 9)- 15 minutes Question and Answer Session

Net Present Value and Cash Essay

Need to consider what types and which cash flows should be included in capital budgeting analysis. D&D was producing and marketing two major product lines: 1. Lift-Off: Low –suds, concentrated powder. 2. Wave: Traditional powder detergent. Questions & Answers: . If you were in Steve Gasper’s place, would you argue to include the cost from market testing as a cash outflow? If I’m Steven Gasper’s I would not include the cost from market testing as a cash outflow. The reason is because the cost from market testing was considered as sunk costs. A sunk cost is an outlay that has already occurred, hence by decision under consideration would not been affected by the costs. Since sunk costs are not incremental cost they should not be included in the analysis. In this case initial cost for Blast, $500,000 for test marketing, which was conducted in the Detroit area and completed in the previous June was consider as a sunk cost and it will not affect Danforth & Donnalley Laundry future cash flows regardless of whether or not the new branch is built. 2. What would your opinion be as to how to deal with the question of working capital? Working capital management deals with the management of current assets which are inventories, payroll, and other cash needs and receivables from customers, account receivable, and also procedures financing these assets. In our opinion, have two basic questions involves in working capital policy: (i) What is the appropriate amount of current assets for the firm to carry both in total and for each specific account and (ii) How should current asset be financed. Therefore, the most important element in best buys working capital policy is its inventory management. Refer to the Danforth & Donnalley laundry, McDonald suggest to add another $200,000 in working capital, because they estimate this money would never leave the firm and would always be in liquid form, for the first time; it consider outflow but hence inflow. In our opinion, some additional cash is required to conduct operations in D&D laundry because additional some cash is needed in order to reserve for some contingency, or as a â€Å"parking place† for funds prior to an acquisition, a major capital investment program, or the like. That concept has been applied to more complex businesses, where it is used to analyze the effectiveness of a firm’s working capital management. Under relaxed current assets policy, D&D laundry would hold relatively large amounts of each type of current asset and under a restricted current assets policy; company would hold minimal amounts of these items. Current assets are necessary, but there are costs associated with holding them. Therefore, if D&D can manage its current assets more efficiently and thereby operate with smaller investment in working capital; this will increase D&D laundry profitability. 3. Would you suggest that the product be charged for the use of excess production facilities and building? Would this opinion change under the hypothetical assumption that needed production facilities for the current line of powdered detergents were at 55 percent of capacity and expected to grow at a rate 20 percent a year and maximum production capacity was 100 percent? What would be the present value of this cash flow given the fact that the currently proposed new plant would involve cash outflows of $5 million in three years (assuming that acceptance of the Blast project would not affect the size of the proposed outlay, only the timing, and that the new plant and facilities would be operable indefinitely). (Hint: Assume that the introduction of Blast would only move the need for a new plant ahead by one year, that the cash outflow would remain at $5 million regardless of when incurred, and that the plant would operate indefinitely. In our opinion, the excess usage of production facilities and building would not be charge into Blast. The reasons of this are:- a) When the machine was bought for Lift-Off productions the cost has been calculated; and b) In obtaining the machine and building for Blast productions no cash payment has been made. Since the production of Blast will occupy current excess capacity, no incremental cash flows are incurred; hence, none should be charged against Blast. Would you suggest that the cash flows resulting from erosion of sales from current laundry detergent products be included as a cash inflow? If there was a chance that competition would introduce a similar product were D&D to fail to introduce Blast, would this affect your answer? Yes, it should be treat as an incremental cash flow for the reduction in the sales of the Lift-Off and Wave, referred to as erosion. These lost sales are included because it a cost (a revenue reduction) that the company must bear if it choose to produce the new product (Blast). It will not affect our answer if there was a chance that competition would introduce a similar product at time D&D fail to introduce Blast. This happen due to the fact that for constructs cash flow we ignore the competitor effect. 5. If debt is used to finance this project, should the interest payments associated with this new debt be considered cash flows? No. We discount project cash flows with a cost of capital that is the rate of return required by all investors (not just debt holders or stockholders), and so we should discount the total amount of cash flow available to all investors.