Importance of islam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Importance of islam - Essay Example By gaining an understanding of the history, the students will know how Allah’s almighty law works in the lives of people. Islam is derived from an Arabic word meaning peace and teaches that in total submission to Allah, the creator, one finds peace. Muslims believe Allah is the only God and He is the only one who deserves worship hence any praise of saints or human beings is perceived as idolatry. The five pillars of Islam are prayer, fasting, testimony of faith, alms giving and pilgrimage and help to strengthen the obedience and faith of Muslims. Islam religion is a daily way of life which organizes the social, political and economic aspects of life including relations with God, families and other brethren. Islam maintains that Archangel Gabriel relayed messages to Prophet Muhammad from the year 610AD to 632AD. Muhammad is the final messenger of God and the revelation he received was called Quran. In 633AD, the first Islamic ruler, Abu Bakr commissioned the production of Quran since there was no Quran that was completely written and approved. The sacred task that Mohammad was entrusted was important a nd the Quran has glorified and exalting Allah. Therefore, it is crucial for students to a have knowledge of the Quran and the origin of Islam (Sonn, 2004). The legitimate basis for a person to adopt a religion should be that the claims of the religion are true. The Quran and Hadith are important because they are the legal sources of Islam. The Quran is also a book of guidance therefore it is important for the religious studies students to know and be able to prove who composed it. The Quran explains the challenges accusations and attacks of different prophets who were sent to nations. In writing the brief history of the Quran, the students will also have to explain how the seven versions of Quran came about since God expressed it in Arabic only. Another

Asignment Performance Management Essay Example for Free

Asignment Performance Management Essay Weiss and Hartle (1997) â€Å"A process for establishing a shared understanding about what is to be achieved and how it is to be achieved, and an approach to managing people that increases the probability of achieving success† * In my experience performance management means different things the different people. In the company I currently work for performance management is thought of in the negative as being a process by which managers are able to take employees to task over bad performance and ultimately get rid of them. This may seem archaic and it is the most negative example I have come across in my work life so far, however, even in more forward thinking companies’ employees are often skeptical and suspicious of the performance management process. Conversely I have been fortunate to see performance management at its best. For me performance management is all about taking the core goals of the organisation and ensuring that departmental, team and individuals tasks and behaviors link to and support these goals. In this way employees understand what is expected of them, why the work is important and how it links into the overall performance of the organisation. They are engaged and feel confident in their work knowing that they are contributing to the success of the company. Performance management assists oganisations in motivating and empowering their employees by setting clear goals and rewarding them not only for what they achieve but also the way in which they achieve. In doing this organisations can focus on what is really important to the success of the business. They can recruit and retain the best employees, and motivate and develop by training and challenging the workforce. Performance management allows succession planning so that job roles can be filled with skilled, motivated, experienced employees. Components of Performance Management Performance management is a cyclical process involving a number different components. Goal setting is a key component of the Performance Management process. The organisation’s overall goals should start the chain and depending of the size and structure of the organization these goals. The process should start with the organisational goals which are designed to ensure the performance of the organisation leads to successful business. These goals cascade down to business areas, departments, teams and individuals. For individual employees their job description and the team’s  goals will form the basis of their individual goals. It is important that they understand how their own goals link into those of the organisation, why the work they are doing is important and how it contributes to the overall success of the organisation. There must be agreement on individual goals if they are to be embraced by the individual and they must be SMART if they are to be effective. Specific Measureable Achievable Results Orientated (Relevant) Time bound It is important that individuals are clear on what is expected of them, that they feel the goals can be achieved and that they that they are challenging and interesting. Key to the achievement of goals is regular communication. Communication may be formal or informal but can include updates from the individuals, feedback from colleagues, managers and clients, one to ones or team meetings. This communication is invaluable in employees on track to achieving their goals and making changes when necessary. Performance appraisals are another important component of performance management. These events are often undertaken annually and provide a formal appraisal of the individual’s competence in their role. Individuals and their managers have the opportunity to discuss, provide feedback and evidence of the individual’s achievements (against goals) and, in some organisations, the way in which those achievements were met (behaviours). Some companies also undertake half yearly reviews or appraisals with the view to making sure that that performance stays on track between annual appraisals. This is also an opportunity to review existing goals and set new ones. Performance improvement or development planning is another part of performance management. Areas for improvement or development may be identified at any time during the performance management process but typically come out of appraisal discussions. As with goals it is important that there is agreement on development plans and that activities to develop individuals are varied and effective. If employees are going to achieve their goals and develop their skills, knowledge and delivery within their role they must have access to the appropriate training and coaching. Whether employees require  development because they do not meet their current performance requirements or in order to progress to the next level, training and coaching are also key elements within a comprehensive performance management process. Motivation and performance Management This relationship between motivation and performance management can be complex and individual to each employee. There are numerous motivational theories all of which have elements of authenticity to them. I have looked at two motivational theories, McGregor and Vroom. Douglas McGregor’s theory ‘details two contrasting models of workforce motivation’ ** Theory X suggests that the average person is basically lazy and don’t like work. They prefer to be told what to do and don’t want responsibility. As such there needs to be tight control of the individual and threats of loss or punishment are the best ways to motivate them. Theory Y is the opposite, assuming that most people enjoy work, that they are happy to take responsibility under the right circumstances and that they can be self-motivated to do a good job. This motivation can be enhanced when managers are able to appreciate the employee and develop their trust. Victor Harold Vroom’s theory, to me, has links to the ‘Y Theory’, the theory suggests that factors such as personality, skills, knowledge, experience and abilities drive an individual’s performance. It proposes that employees are motivated by what they expect to receive in return for their effort and what that expected reward means to the employee. This is referred to as ‘Expectancy theory’ and links together in the following way: Expectancy: Does the individual feel the effort they put in will lead to high performance. What is their levels of confidence in what they are capable of doing? Do they have the appropriate resources, knowledge and training to carry out their role? Instrumentality: If the individual achieves a high level of performance is there reward for their efforts and can they be sure they will receive it. Employees must be able to trust that they will. Valence: Is the reward offered/expected one that the individual values. For the reward to motivate it must have importance for the individual, be it financial, recognition, promotion and so on. For me the key to Vroom’s theory and its success in motivating employees is that every individual is different, each has their own needs, wants, expectations and values based on the individuals frame of reference. Management must know and respect the individual and what they want. Reward within Performance management: I have already discussed reward in relation to motivation and how the reward on offer may need to bespoke to the individual in order to be effective. There is, however, a far wider aspect to reward with a performance management process. Reward to attract and to motivate Pay is usually the first thought when talking about reward in employment. It is important that a realistic but attractive salary is offered initially when recruiting new employees. Pay continues to be important for most individuals throughout their employment, however it is not the only way in way employees can be rewarded. Within my current organization pay is only increased annually, across the board, which has little to do with performance except for acknowledging that employees are rewarded for working for the company in line with cost of living rises. Currently there is no performance management process within my organization other than dealing with poor performance in a ‘theory X’ style, employees are serviced with a notice of improvement linked to termination of their contact. Outside of the annual pay increase financial reward is only given if a good employee threatens to leave. Practice is known to all employees via the grapevine and acts to demotivates those who don’t wish to take this approach. I have, however, worked within another organization where annual increases were calculated on performance throughout the year based on a truly robust appraisal system. Engaged and motivated employees were encouraged to collect factual evidence of their achievements and to present and rate this evidence at their appraisal. Ratings were discussed and agreed and then, then to ensure fairness, underwent cross calibration at departmental level. Employees felt they were treated fairly and rewarded not just for their efforts over the year but for their ownership of managing their own performance. Another type of reward for performance, which is being rolled out currently by my employer, is to provide opportunity for high performing  individuals to their knowledge of the business through a shadowing scheme. This has raised employee’s morale as they feel they will be able to perform more effectively and this could, in turn, lead to better opportunities and perhaps promotion. It has also encouraged other individuals to improve their performance in order to be able participate in the scheme. As I have discussed an employee’ perception of the value of reward will vary from one to another. values The need to provide a variety of rewards in line with employee’s expectations and personal preference is supported in the concept of Total Reward schemes. These scheme look at all the rewards and benefits that are or could be provided to employees recognition work/life balance company culture employee development environment, including job design and the physical workspace. *Management and Motivation, Vroom, V.H., Deci, E.L., Penguin 1983 (first published 1970) ** Wikipedia 3 x components of total reward system 1 of which should b non financial Weiss and Hartle (1997)

Violence On The Tube :: essays research papers

Violence on the Tube One Saturday morning many years ago, I was watching an episode of the ‘ Roadrunner' on television. As Wile E. Coyote was pushed off of a cliff by the Roadrunner for the fourth or fifth time, I started laughing uncontrollably. I then watched a ‘Bugs Bunny' show and started laughing whenever I saw Elmer Fudd shoot Daffy Duck and his bill went twirling around his head. The next day, I pushed my brother off of a cliff and shot my dog to see if its head would twirl around.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Obviously, that last sentence is not true. Some people believe that violence on the tube is one of the main factors that leads to real-life violence, but in my opinion, television is just a minor factor that leads to real-life violence and that it is the parents responsibility to teach kids the difference.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  According to Rathus in Psychology in the New Millennium, observational learning may account for most human learning (239). Observational learning extends to observing parents and peers, classroom learning, reading books, and learning from media such as television and films. Nearly all of us have been exposed to television, videotapes, and films in the classroom. Children in day- care centers often watch Sesame Street. There are filmed and videotaped versions of great works of literature such as Orson Welles' Macbeth. Nearly every school shows films of laboratory experiments.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  But what of our viewing outside of the classroom? Television is also one of our major sources of informal observational learning. According to Sweet and Singh, viewing habits range from the child who watches no television at all to the child who is in front of the television nearly all waking hours. They say that on average, children aged 2 to 11 watch about 23 hours of television per week, and teenagers watch about 22 hours per week (2). According to these figures, children spend less time in the classroom than they do watching television. During these hours of viewing, children are constantly being shown acts of violence.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Why? Simple: violence sells.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  People are drawn to violence in films, television dramas, books, professional wrestling and boxing, and reports of crime and warfare. Does violence do more than sell, however? Do media portrayals of violence beget violence in the streets and in the home?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It seems clear enough that there are connections between violence in the media and real violence. In the 1990's, for example, audiences at films about violent urban youth such as Colors, Boyz N the Hood, and Juice have gotten into fights, shot one another, and gone on rampages after the showings.

How Literature Displays Positive Character Trait Through Characters Essay

Traits Through Its Characters It is known that a piece of writing can do more than tell a story, but can also portray indirect ideas to the reader. A narrative piece is able to show positive traits, presented through its characters. Literature can display a variety of positive attributes, through different characters, and situations. This is demonstrated in the story, â€Å"The Blue Bead,† through Sibia’s acts of selflessness, and again in the text â€Å"Long, Long, After School,† through Miss Tretheway’s acts of kind-heartedness. In the story â€Å"The Blue Bead,† an example of how literature shows positive raits through its characters, is composed by Sibia’s displays of selflessness when saving a woman from an attacking crocodile. In the text, the narrator states, â€Å"Sometimes it had seemed difficult to cross these stones, especially with the big gap†¦ But now she came on wings†¦ and in a moment, she was beside the shrieking w oman (pg. 61). † This shows selflessness because Sibia, usually hesitant on the slippery stones, flies across them making rapid footing decisions, throwing herself towards to woman being attacked, aware of the fact that if she falls, she could harm herself severely. Another piece of evidence is shown when the narrator states, â€Å"Its eyes rolled on to Sibia. One slap of the tail could kill her. (pg. 61). † This shows selflessness because the young girl willingly put her life at risk, to save one that was not her own. Through the young girl’s displays of selflessness, one can see how the text, â€Å"The Blue Bead† portrays a positive trait through Sibia. Throughout the text, â€Å"Long, Long After School,† Miss Tretheway shows kind- heartedness through acts presented in the story. An illustration of this is when a flashback occurs, back to when Miss Tretheway states, â€Å"Why, Marilyn, Wes’s hands re much cleaner than yours. Maybe Wes doesn’t like to get his hands dirty†¦ (pg. 114). † This shows kind-heartedness because though Miss Tretheway is Wes’ teacher, she stood up for him when his classmate insulted him in front of his peers. Another illustration of how Miss Tretheway shows ki nd-heartedness is when a character states, â€Å"She gave me a whole quart, just as soon as she found out that hers would match. † This shows kind-heartedness because one was willing to give up blood, an element that signifies life, almost immediately to save someone who with the woman shared a student-teacher relationship. Through the acts of kind- heartedness displayed through the story, â€Å"Long, Long, After School† shows that literature shows positive attributes through its characters. A piece of writing can portray positive traits through its developed characters. Sibia shows selflessness through her acts of saving the woman being attacked by the crocodile, putting one’s own life at risk. Miss Tretheway displays kind-heartedness by standing up for a student, and giving the aforementioned student a much needed blood transfusion. These examples show that positive traits can be demonstrated through characters presented in literature.

Outsourcing To India And China Essay

Outsourcing can be defined as transferring the jobs from the UK to India, China and other third world or low –wage countries. There are many advantages of outsourcing. The following paragraphs explain the relationship of outsourcing and the supply and demand economics theory(Cooke, 2005; pp 173 -180). BODY It is good business senses for multinational companies now outsource from many developing countries (like China and India). In fact, many organizations in the United Kingdom have outsourced their operations, set –up, maintenance of their computer systems and networks and production to other countries. A survey done on 162 European firms showed that half of the interviewed companies had outsourced most of their information technology jobs. These outsourced contracts form only 24 percent of Information Technology jobs. Definitely this had climbed up to 36 percent in 1998 in the United Kingdom alone. The main reason for the increase in outsourcing is the corporate priority to reduce labor and material costs. For, it costs higher to pay a European worker to do the same jobs in the United Kingdom (Bounfour 2003; pp. 84 -92). Likewise, production, call center and other jobs outsourced to China or India would cost less in terms of labor and raw materials (Richardson 1999; pp. 74-94). Evidently, it is good business senses for multinational companies now outsource from many developing countries. (Domberger 1998; p. 84 -90). It is good and bad for the UK economy for multinational companies now outsource from many developing countries (like China and India). Outsourcing is good because the public can buy the same quality products at lower prices. It is also good because lower labor cost will increase net profits. It is bad for the UK labor sector. Outsourcing has changed the labour demand in the UK. Outsourcing has caused the labour jobs especially in the manufacturing sector to decline in the UK and other European Union member states such as France and Germany according to the study by Hijzen et al in 2005. Thus, the imported products and raw materials from low –wage third world countries has greatly affected the UK companies’ demand for European manufacturing and Information Technology workers for the period 1995 to 2000. Also, outsourcing has caused a . 6 percent employment in the European Union countries. Obviously, it is good and bad for the UK economy for multinational companies now outsource from many developing countries (Barrell, Choy and Kirby 2006; pp 63 -67). There are gainers and losers from outsourcing UK jobs. First, the people hired to do the outsourcing jobs in India, China and other third world and low –wage countries will gain from outsourcing contracts. The companies that outsource the jobs will gain because now they will pay lesser labour wages for the same quality job. And, it costs lesser to outsource to China, India and other countries because the raw materials there are definitely cheaper. Further, the biggest gainers here are the entire UK and EU market because they can now buy the goods at lower prices as a result of some outsourcing companies’ reduction of their selling prices brought about by the lower labour and materials costs and expenses(Lever, 1997; pp. 37-42. The losers are the workers in the United Kingdom and the European Union member states because they are fighting a losing battle to the low wage workers in outsourcing country recipients. But the biggest losers are the competitors in the UK and EU market because the UK company that has outsourced production and IT jobs can now lower their selling prices and still earn the same old profit margins which their competitors in the same industry cannot afford to for fear of losing money(Maromonte, 1998; pp. 13-25). Economics’ supply and demand theory states that as the prices of goods decrease, then the demand for the products will increase. Glaringly, there are gainers and losers from outsourcing UK jobs. Outsourcing has many advantages and disadvantages.  The supply and demand theory explains that outsourcing jobs will increase demand for products being sold because prices of goods will decline. The competitors and UK work workers are the greatest losers from outsourcing. The UK and EU market(customers) and the company that have outsourced jobs are the greatest winners from outsourcing. Conclusively, outsourcing will benefit more people (market) than if it is not implemented. UK business, including the competitors must now jump into the boat of outsourcing to survive until the next century.

Defining Autism from a Clinical Standpoint.

Defining Autism from a Clinical Standpoint. Free Online Research Papers Autism is a disorder of perplexing nature that enivitably has impairments that last into adulthood for the afflicted and lifelong implications for their families. (`Asgeirsd`ottir et al, 2006, p.1361) Autism is not only difficult to understand clinically and behaviorally in relation to the person with the disability but also diagnostically, in terms of inconsistency of classification. This paper intends to investigate the history of autism, explain the currently accepted clinical definition and description of the disorder and the recognized related condition along the autism spectrum disorder or ASD, Asperger’s disorder, and finally to attempt to explore the changeability of terms associated with autism. (Volkmar et al, 2005, p.2) Autism has an interesting and varied history, reaching farther back, as some researchers have theorized than the pioneers who first published accounts of the disorder; Leo Kanner and Hans Asperger. (Frith, 2003, p.5) The inquiry into the history of autism leads one to believe that the disorder has been around undiagnosed for centuries before. Uta Frith (2003) reflects on cases of people with the probability of having some degree of the disorder, throughout history. She discusses, among others a Franciscan monk, Brother Juniper whom in his various encounters with fellow brethren and community, proved to be a person that lacked the ability to be aware that others had their own thoughts about things and occurances. This is indicative of the essence of autism as claimed by Baron-Cohen et al (2006). They assert that children with autism â€Å"have delays in the development of theory of mind†, (p.716) which is what Frith is drawing attention to above. Namely, the inability to comprehend the idea that people have their own thoughts and emotions outside of oneself. Further exploration into the historical roots of autism is cited by Happe (1999). She reviews folktales of young men who are of an innocent nature and misinterpret advice given to them by literally comprehending it. One example given is from a traditional Malta story about a boy named Gahan. As the story goes, Gahan was late getting up on a Sunday morning and was not able to accompany his mother to church. Before she left she reminded Gahan to â€Å"pull the door behind [him]†. Gahan understood this statement literally, not figuratively. Poor Gahan subsequently then pulled the entire door by the door handle all the distance to church to meet his mother and the congregation, aghast at his action. (p.8) Though there are possible historical accounts, autism was not thoroughly conceptualized until Leo Kanner and then a year later, Hans Asperger published their initial papers. In 1943, Leo Kanner offered clinical insight in his published work of 11 children who shared common threads of behavior. These attributes support the development of his concept of â€Å"early infantile autism†. (Fitzgerald and Lyons, 2007, p.2022) Included here are the features of his findings through his research: extreme autisitc aloneness, anxiously obsessive desire for the preservation of sameness, excellant rote memory, delayed echolalia, oversensitivity to stimuli, limitation on the variety of spontaneous activity, good cognitive potentialities, and highly intelligent families. (Happe, 1999, pp.9-10) A year later, Hans Asperger unaware of Kanner’s work published a dissertation concerning autism. Amazingly, the two clinicians individually, came up with the term â€Å"autistic†. (Happe, 1999, p.10) Originally, the word came from Eugen Bleuler who coined the term to describe the social extraction in adults with schizophrenia. Both Kanner and Asperger also believed that the nature of this affliction was inborn. They both noted finding the children not flexible with changes, socially detached, having strange idiosyncratic interests, and generally highly enjoyed routines. (Happe, 1999, p.11) In 1979, Wing and Gould (Dodd, 2005) suggest there was a way to explain autism in a more broad and social fashion. They named this framework the â€Å"triad of impairments†. (p.2) They claim there are three areas of deficits as documented by their research; the impairment of social interaction, of social communication, and of social imagination. Later, they introduced a broader term of â€Å"autistic spectrum† (p.2) which is meant to represent a linking or continuum of autism that serves to describe mild to severe cases including Asperger’s disorder. This shift signifies a progressive move in the direction of the currently accepted definition of autism, also known as ASD. The spectrum construct includes cases today that would not have met Leo Kanner’s criteria. Autism now, has the basis to form the clinical diagnostic criteria used by the American Psychiatric Association in the DSM-IV (1994) and the World Health Organization in the ICD-10 (1992) to aid medical practioners in the diagnosis process with much gratitude for Kanner and Asperger as well as for Wing and Gould. The diagnostic term â€Å"pervasive developmental disorder† or PDD was introduced into the DSM-III in 1980 along with a specifically designed example of autism, autistic disorder. In 1992 the ICD-10 was published and included a broader range of categories of autism. Finally, in 1994, the DSM-IV redefined criteria for autism and added three new classes of PDD, including Asperger’s disorder. (Volkmar et al, 2005, p.2) Asperger’s disorder, as defined in the DSM-IV is juxtaposed with autistic disorder and the areas of lesser deficits in Asperger’s disorder are in â€Å"language aquisition† and â€Å"cognitive development†. (1994, p.8 0) Though the DSM-IV and the ICD-10 are the universally recognized manuals for diagnosing autism being partially based off the â€Å"triad of impairments†, they individually contain different classifications under the umbrella of PDD. The ICD-10 classifies what is known traditionally as classical autism, as â€Å"childhood autism† and the DSM-IV with the same criteria, names it â€Å"autistic disorder†. This trend of inconsistency is continued throughout both manuals. (Volkmar et al, 2005, p. 6) There is a growing body of evidence that suggests the current trend of classification for both autistic disorder and Asperger’s disorder is more likely to be considered ASD versus PDD. The works include Berckelaer-Onnes and Noens (2005), Shattock (2005), and Bolt et al (2006). To add to the confusion, there are also terms used by professionals and lay people alike within the spectrum to designate varying levels of cognitive and adaptive ability of persons with A SD, chiefly high-functioning and low-funtioning autism. (University of Cambridge, 2007) In addition, there is evidence of controversy of clarity of the definition of high-functioning autism. Dissanayake and Macintosh (2004) state there is â€Å"insufficient evidence to establish the validity of Asperger’s disorder as a syndrome distinct from high-functioning autism†. (p.421) These issues of variability of terms associated with autism allows for possibly a too flexible framework of labels. The evidence seems to point in the direction that due to the varying display of classifications within autism after the â€Å"triad of impairments† was accepted, the trend affected the varying display of classification within both the DSM-IV and the ICD-10. Using the evidence of the irregularity of presentation, a point can be made of the continual enigmatic nature of autism in this respect. If the two authoratative authors of the DSM-IV and the ICD-10 are not in agreeance of the classification of autism, one may speculate equal puzzlement among professionals in the field diagnosing the disorder. Extrapilating further, recounting the history of the definition of autism, one may say fairly the confusion surrounding autism may be the impetus for yet another more singular and universal set of classifications and descriptions. What is known is further research and collaboration in this area will be needed. Reference List AMERICAN PSYCHIATRIC ASSOCIATION. 1994. Diagnistic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 4th edn (DSM-IV). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association. A ´SGEIRSDO ´TTIR, B. B., A ´SMUNDSDO ´TTIR, G., HJARTARDO ´TTIR S., JO ´NSDO ´TTIR, S. L., SAEMUNDSEN, E., SIGURDARDO ´TTIR, S., SMA ´RADO ´TTIR, H. H., SMA ´RI, J. 2006. Follow-up of Children Diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorders: Stability and Change During the Preschool Years. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders [Online journal], 37 (7), pp. 1361–1374, Available from SpringerLink at http://springerlink.metapress.com ( October 13 2007). BARON-COHEN, S., COLLE, L., and HILL, J. 2006. Do Children with Autism have a Theory of Mind? A Non-verbal Test of Autism vs. Specific Language Impairment. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders [Online Journal] 37 (4), pp.716-723. Available from SpringerLink at http://springerlink.metapress.com (October 10 2007). BERCKELAER-ONNES, I. V. and NOENS, I. 2005. Captured by Details: Sense-Making, Language and Communication in Autism, [WWW] awares.org/conferences/home.asp?conferenceCode=00020001 (October 10 2007). BOLT, D., GREENBERG, J. S., KRING, S., LORD, C., LOUNDS, ORSMOND, G. I., SELTZER, M. M., SHATTUCK, P. T. 2006. Change of Autism Symptoms and Maladaptive Behaviors in Adolescents and Adults with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders [Online journal], 37 (9), pp. 1735-1747, Available from SpringerLink at http://springerlink.metapress.com (October 10 2007). DISSANAYAKE, C. AND MACINTOSH, K. E. 2004. Annotation: The Similarities and Differences between Autistic Disorder and Asperger’s Disorder: A Review of the Empirical Evidence. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry [Online journal] 45 (3), pp. 421-434. Available from EBSCO host at http://search.ebscohost.com (October 16 2007). DODD, S. 2005. (Lorna Wing and Judy Gould as cited in) Understanding Autism. Marrickville, Australia: Vaughn Curtis. FITZGERALD, M. and LYONS, V. 2007. Asperger (1906–1980) and Kanner (1894–1981), the Two Pioneers of Autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. [Online Journal] 37 (10), pp. 2022-2023. Available from SpringerLink at http://springerlink.metapress.com. (October 16 2007). FRITH, UTA. 2003. (Leo Kanner and Hans Asperger as cited in) Autism Explaining the Enigma. 2nd edn. New York: Blackwell Publishing. HAPPE, FRANCESCA. 1999. (Leo Kanner and Hans Asperger as cited in) Autism: An Introduction to Psychological Theory. London, England: Psychological Theory Press, Ltd. SHATTOCK, P. 2005. The Role of Biomedical Interventions for People with Autism. [WWW] awares.org/conferences/home.asp?conferenceCode =00020001 (October 10 2007). UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE. 2007. Autism Research Centre. [WWW] autismresearchcentre.com/autism/as_hfa.asp (October 15 2007). VOLKMAR, FRED., PAUL, RHEA., KLIN, AMI., and COHEN, DONALD. 2005. Handbook of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorders. 3rd edn. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley Sons, Inc. WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION. 1992. Classification of Mental and Behavioural Disorders: Clinical Descriptions and Diagnostic Guidelines. 10th edn. (ICD-10). Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization Library. Research Papers on Defining Autism from a Clinical Standpoint.Three Concepts of PsychodynamicMind TravelInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesHip-Hop is ArtResearch Process Part OneThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UsePersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductComparison: Letter from Birmingham and Crito

How Are AP Exams Scored

How Are AP Exams Scored SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips If you’re studying for an AP exam right now or are thinking about taking an AP class in the future, you might be wondering: how are AP exams scored? In this post, we'll break down the scoring process, all the way from the raw scores you earn on the multiple-choice section and essays to how you get a final score on a scale of 1-5. Knowing how AP exams are scored can help you do your best on them- especially if you want a perfect 5! The AP Scoring Scale Each AP test is given a score from 1 to 5.According to the College Board (the group that administers AP tests), these numbers translate in the following ways: 5: Extremely Well Qualified 4: Well Qualified 3: Qualified 2: Possibly Qualified 1: No recommendation Any score that's 3 or higher is considered a passing score, though some colleges only accept 4s and 5s for credit. (See AP’s college database for specific policies at each university.)Getting a 5 is especially desirable because, for most exams, it puts you in the top 10-20% of scorers. See our list of AP classes for more info on passing rates. Your 1-5 score is a scaled score,converted from a composite score.Your composite score is calculated from the total number of raw points you earned from your correct multiple-choice answers and your free response. It’s a bit confusing, but we will guide you through the process! Want to get a perfect 5 on your AP exam and an A in class? We can help. PrepScholar Tutors is the world's best tutoring service. We combine world-class expert tutors with our proprietary teaching techniques. Our students have gotten A's on thousands of classes, perfect 5's on AP tests, and ludicrously high SAT Subject Test scores. Whether you need help with science, math, English, social science, or more, we've got you covered. Get better grades today with PrepScholar Tutors. How Are AP Tests Scored? The majority of AP exams consist of two sections: multiple choice and free response. On some exams each section is weighted equally, whereas on others one section is worth slightly more. You can look up the specifics for each exam on the officialAP courses pages. The multiple-choice section is graded by a computer. There are no deductions for incorrect or blank answers, so your raw multiple-choice score is simply the number of questions you get correct. The free-response section is graded during the annual AP Reading held in the first two weeks of June. The AP Reading is basically a huge convention. Tons of teachers and college professors gather to grade thousands and thousands of student-written responses for each exam. This is why you don't get your AP scores until July even though you take the test in May:the written portion of your exam isn't graded until mid-June. After that, the College Board has to calculate the composite score and final scaled score for each exam, equating the test so the scores stay even from year to year. (For example, they want to make sure a 3 on the AP US History exam means the same thing from one year to another, even if one version of the test turned out to be more difficult for students.) (Side note:There is a good chance that an AP teacher at your school goes to the AP Reading each year. It can be interesting and helpful to talk to them about what happens at the convention, how quickly free responses are scored, and the best and worse free responses they’ve seen. These are answers that will vary a lot from subject to subject but could ultimately be helpful to you!) This is a picture from the English Literature Reading from this blog post over at AP Central. It's worth taking a look at if you are curious about what the AP Reading is like! Each free response is given a "holistic" score, meaning it's evaluated for its overall effectiveness or correctness. Typically, points aren’t deducted for the occasional small error, such as a spelling or grammar mistake. Most tests grade their free responses between 1 and 9, with 1 being least effective and 9 being nearly perfect. Your raw free-response score is the total of the scores you get for each response. How to Get a Scaled AP Score Between 1 and 5 After your multiple-choice section is graded by a machine and your free response is graded by a human, your essay and multiple-choice scores are combined to give you a composite score. This score is just a way of combining the two section scores so that they are weighted correctly. For example, for AP English, multiple choice is worth 45% and free response is worth 55%. Often, composite scores are between 0 and 100, or 0 and 150. The composite score is then converted to a number on the scaled score range 1-5. This means that for each scaled score, there is a range of possible composite scores that could earn it. For example, a 5 could be any composite score between 0 and 150 on one exam. Since scaling varies year to year, there are no exact cutoff numbers for scores for AP tests, and the College Board does not release detailed scoring data. Furthermore, you will not see what your composite score was on your AP score report- you'll only get the final number between 1 and 5. However, many teachers, prep books, and websites have come up with formulas to predict the scaled score for each AP test, which can help when you are grading your practice tests and trying to come up with a target score. Scoring Example: AP English Language and Composition As we've seen, AP test scoring is not exactly straightforward. To help clarify the process, we will walk through a scoring example using the most popular test, AP English Language and Composition. Also known as the class in which you annotate every. Single. Thing. Here are the basics of the AP English exam: it has 55 multiple-choice questions, worth 45% of your score, and three essays, worth 55% of your score. Each essay is graded between 1 and 9. Before we get into the scoring example, remember that this guide is an estimation since score conversions can vary year to year based on test difficulty. While it's impossible to precisely predict an AP test score before you get your score, you can still get an idea of how the process works. Step 1: Add Up Your Correct Answers to Get Your Raw Scores There are 55 multiple-choice questions on the AP English exam. Let's say you get 40 right, get eight wrong, and leave seven blank. Your raw multiple-choice score would be an even 40 points. Out of the three essays, let's say you earn the following scores from the graders: 4, 7, and 8. This gives youa total raw essay score of 19 (4+7+8). Step 2: Convert Your Raw Scores to a Single Composite Score Now, this is the tricky part in which we will convert each of those raw scores to a single composite score between 0 and 150. The maximum converted essay score is 82.5, or 55% of 150. The maximum converted multiple-choice score is 67.5, or 45% of 150. To figure out your composite score, use this formula: (Multiple Choice Raw Score x 1.23) + (Essay Raw Score x 3.05) = Composite Score In this example, your multiple-choice composite score would be 49.2, and your essay composite score would be 57.95. Thus,your total composite score would be 107 (rounded down). Step 3: Use the Chart to Estimate Your Scaled Score The last step is easy. Use the chart below to estimate your final AP score (on a scale of 1-5): Composite Score (0-100 or 0-150) Scaled Score (1-5) 104-150 5 92-103 4 76-91 3 50-75 2 0-49 1 As you can see, your score of 107 would earn you a 5- but just barely! Again, these numbers are estimates and will shift from year to year based on test difficulty. Since 107 is just over the mark of 104, it's possible that in some years it could net you a 4 instead of a 5. What About Scoring Other AP Tests? We’ve learned how to score an AP English Language and Composition exam. However,you can’t use this exact same process for every AP test. Most AP tests have slightly different section weights and question totals, so the scoring formulas are different. For example, AP Calculus AB has fewer multiple choice questions (45), more free responses (six total), and weighs each section at 50%. Each AP subject is a unique challenge ... and has its own scoring formula. So how can you figure out how the AP tests you are taking are graded? First, if you’re taking the AP class for the test you want to take, ask your teacher if he or she has a formula for converting practice test scores to scaled scores. Most AP teachers have a formula they use with their students for practice exams. If you’re not taking the class or your teacher doesn’t have a formula, either find a prep book for your specific test or search online. Remember that all formulas are estimates. Soif you really want a 5, you shouldn’t aim for the lowest possible composite- you should aim for perfection, or very close. That’s the only way to guarantee you'll get a 5 on test day. On the other hand, if you just want to make sure you pass, try to aim for a 4 so that even if you make more mistakes than you're hoping to, you’ll still get at least a 3! Want to get a perfect 5 on your AP exam and an A in class? We can help. PrepScholar Tutors is the world's best tutoring service. We combine world-class expert tutors with our proprietary teaching techniques. Our students have gotten A's on thousands of classes, perfect 5's on AP tests, and ludicrously high SAT Subject Test scores. Whether you need help with science, math, English, social science, or more, we've got you covered. Get better grades today with PrepScholar Tutors. What’s Next? Curious about the benefits of taking an AP Exam? See our in-depth guide about what AP tests are and why you should take them. Also studying for the SAT? Get tips from our resident 1600 full scorer, and check out how to improve a low SAT Math score. Studying for the ACT instead? Get tips on the essay, read a guide to the daily ACT question, and learn how you can score a perfect 36. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Share Your Skills with Schools †and Get Paid!

Share Your Skills with Schools – and Get Paid! Writers like you possess special, sought-after skills. You have gold dust to offer! Literacy ranks high on school agendas, and teachers often find creative writing a stumbling block. No wonder that many schools gladly pay experts to come in and inspire their youngsters. Could this be you? I’ve been running workshops in schools for years, and find them an ideal accompaniment to writing. Not only can they provide a healthy income boost, but the work is enjoyable too, and the children’s enthusiasm fires up my own.   It’s a win-win all around! Promotion Opportunities What’s more, school visits provide excellent promotional opportunities. If you have a book to sell, mention it to the schools you approach, with price and links, and take an armful along on every visit, whether for children or staff. If its a kids book, ask your school if they can notify parents in advance, so their children can bring requisite money. I sell lots of books this way. A discount helps, and for a further incentive, I set a simple price requiring minimal coins or notes for child-handling. Fee Fees widely vary. Set it low to start with and build up. I’ve reduced mine to about $200 plus travel to accommodate tightening school budgets in the UK; your schools may have more funds. You might like to apply to an agency or organization that specializes in such appearances, and let them arrange everything. In any case, agency websites provide useful information, including an insight into the range of workshop content authors offer. Here are a few to browse (selected and listed randomly), in Canada, the US and the UK: 1. Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia, Writers in the Schools Program: http://writers.ns.ca/programs/writers-schools-wits.html 2. Seattle Arts Lectures: Writers and Schools, https://www.lectures.org/wits/writers_n_schools.php 3. Writers in the Schools, Houston: http://witshouston.org/ 4. Pen/Faulkner Foundation, Washington DC, Writers in Schools: penfaulkner.org/writers-in-schools/wins-blog/ 5. Authors Abroad, UK: authorsabroad.com An online search under â€Å"authors for schools† will reveal many others in these countries and around the world. Boost Your Bookings To earn more, consider widening your age range or content. I drew fresh interest Fit to Suit Fit your bookings round your writing, using the lulls in one to take advantage of the other. Opportunities may be intermittent at schools as their diaries fill fast and even big budgets run dry sometimes, or you might be between book releases. Here are few tips to see you on your way: Arrangements: Confirm booking details in writing, including content (poetry/story-writing/drama/journalism) and fee. Lesson plan: Prepare a mix of activities to keep kids on board, including some physical ones like artwork, singing, drama, or an outdoor performance, depending on age, space, time and facilities. In the classroom: You’ll have a staff member with you, so don’t panic! Keep calm, and maintain a lively pace. If you enjoy it, they will as well. Working with children: Check requirements in your area for working with children. You may need a criminal history record check to confirm you are eligible. Oh, and one more thing: Get a good night’s sleep before that alarm goes off! Children are energetic!

The economy today Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The economy today - Essay Example In a closed economy, if the government raises its budget deficit in the short run, both prices and GDP will rise. In the new equilibrium the real income is unchanged but the nominal is higher. The demand for money, then, increases. This means that with a fixed money supply the interest rate will rise so reducing the investment. Thus, the new equilibrium has lower investment demand and lower national savings. This is known as the crowding-out effect. In the case of a large recessionary gap the crowding out effect is much less important because with the rise of GDP determined by the government the volume of private savings will increase and will finance the deficit. By reducing private investment, the crowding out effect implies that the stock of capital to pass on to the future generation will be smaller and smaller will be the output as well. This is the long-term burden of the debt. If government spending crowds out private investment and reduces the wealth of a country, deficits ar e not eliminated or reduced because of short term stabilization policy that reduces the deficit involving real costs today, in higher taxes and lower government services, in exchange for benefits in the future. Such exchange does not appeal to everyone. However, there is little evidence to back up the idea of government borrowing "crowds out" private borrowing and thus reduces private investment and increases interest rates. ... In the new equilibrium the real income is unchanged but the nominal is higher. The demand for money, then, increases. This means that with a fixed money supply the interest rate will rise so reducing the investment. Thus, the new equilibrium has lower investment demand and lower national savings. This is known as the crowding-out effect. In the case of a large recessionary gap the crowding out effect is much less important because with the rise of GDP determined by the government the volume of private savings will increase and will finance the deficit. By reducing private investment, the crowding out effect implies that the stock of capital to pass on to the future generation will be smaller and smaller will be the output as well. This is the long-term burden of the debt. If government spending crowds out private investment and reduces the wealth of a country, deficits are not eliminated or reduced because of short term stabilization policy that reduces the deficit involving real costs today, in higher taxes and lower government services, in exchange for benefits in the future. Such exchange does not appeal to everyone. However, there is little evidence to back up the idea of government borrowing "crowds out" private borrowing and thus reduces private investment and increases interest rates. This has not been the eff ect in Japan, and cannot be shown to be the effect of deficits in the United States. Private savings and investment are reduced by government expenditures--regardless of whether they are financed by government borrowing or by taxation. Either way the private individual is left with less money, and ultimately with fewer resources. The attempt to replace

Marketing concept Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Marketing concept - Assignment Example It will then examine why Beats Electronics used this particular concept and the extent to which it has been forced to accommodate changing trends in consumer trends and the resources that were deployed in marketing this concept and finally the analysis will consider how this concept enabled the firm to enhance on its business performance. Increasingly, firms are placing more emphasis on retaining their customers and often it takes a significant amount of effort, time as well as money in both attracting a new customer. Creating long term customers are seen as most beneficial (Gronroos & Voima, 2011). Relationship marketing is one of the theories which can be used to not only develop but also to liquidate the relationships that firms have with their customers in a manner that not only creates value, but also enhances on the firm’s level of competitiveness (Gronroos & Voima, 2011). Service quality is also another theory that seeks to explain customer value and here the quality of the provided service or product is exactly how the customer wishes it to be. In many instances, customers have a significantly wider speculation of quality which means that firms have to determine the quality in the same manner as their customers (Shamim & Ghazali, 2014). In the case of Beats Electronics, both Dr.Dre and Jimmy Iovine wished to provide the customer with similar headphones to the ones Apple had in the market but with better sound quality (Helm, 2014). Service quality in this instance is made up of two distinct parts which is the expected and perceived service. The perceived quality is made of two aspects: one is technical which is what the customer gets and customers often look to this aspect since it provides an overview of how the firm’s products can provide a technical solution to the problem (Shamim & Ghazali, 2014). The other aspect is functional which strives to examine the

Case discussion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Case discussion - Essay Example The approach however conveys high levels of commercial risks because of the momentum that RAN has been gaining and the possible negative effects of the campaigns. The media’s involvement is likely to propagate RAN’s objective to the global society that is also Citigroup’s consumers. Similarly, students’ subscription to RAN identifies its developing potential to influence the society. RAN may therefore succeed in convincing the public that Citigroup is destroying the environment, and therefore the people’s lives. This would harm the bank’s corporate image and reduce its marketability, especially for consumer services. The result will be a reduced revenue level. Ignoring the campaigns with the assumption that they do not succeed will however allow the bank to benefit from project financing besides retaining its consumer market control. It is however a risky assumption (Stanford Graduate School of Business 1- 11). Delaying RAN’s objective by negotiating over few and minor changes to the group’s project financing initiatives is another option. It offers benefits of reducing the group’s proactive campaigns and its effects on the bank’s corporate image and demand for the bank’s consumer services besides sustaining project financing in the short run. The option’s disadvantage is however the already impaired corporate image and its associated effect on demand for consumer products. RAN may decline to the delayed tactics and proceed with the campaigns towards compromised corporate image and reduced demand for consumer services. Its benefits are however average revenues from both consumer services and project financing services. Entering into negotiations over changes that are more significant is another option for the bank. This offers potential benefits of the group’s withdrawal of its campaigns and informing the public of the bank’s interest in corporate

REDUCING HIV RISK AMONG YOUNG MINORITY WOMEN & A HEALTH CARE TEAM Research Paper

REDUCING HIV RISK AMONG YOUNG MINORITY WOMEN & A HEALTH CARE TEAM HELPS REDUCE HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE AMONG INNER-CITY BLACK MEN - Research Paper Example Dr. Martha developed a program that provided free health facilities to black men diagnosed with High Blood Pressure in the inner-city. In his analysis, a group of 300 black men recruited for the experiment indicated that one out of five had accomplished adequate blood pressure control. Human immune deficiency virus is another deadly disease that can be controlled through a change in attitude. The virus is spread through heterosexual activity. The theory to the control of a spread in the virus is, ‘The key to defeating HIV lies with protection’ (Jemmott 1998). The black youth women are the most targeted group as they are prone to the contraction of HIV activities due to their activities and interaction among each other. Education has been identified as a method to prove this theory. This is because it fosters awareness by implicating the dangers of negligence towards the use of protection as the key to defeating HIV spread and its resultant effects (Kendall 2012). Dr. Loretta Sweet Jemmott has carried out an experiment on the theory by developing an educational intervention that delivers eight modules on safe sex practices and abstinence to inner-city black middle school student (Jemmott 1998). The program was successful as it helped in the reduction o f risky sexual behaviour. As a result sexual education was introduced in the education curriculum of the United States of America as well as internationally. The conceptual basis of the two cases of study is to present the logical argument that prevention is better than cure thus there is need to control the spread and effect of various dangerous diseases in order to enhance health practices and population growth of Africa Americans in the United States. Jemmott L, S. (1998). Journal of the American Media Association: Abstinence and safe sex HIV risk-reduction intervention for African American Adolescents: A random controlled trial. New York. National Institution of Public

Select a Film and Analyze Relationships in the Film Essay

Select a Film and Analyze Relationships in the Film - Essay Example The Phantom hails from a cave found beneath opera house in Paris meant for dance performance. On the other side, Christine is a dancer in the opera house; a situation which hints on their possible encounter. In his cave, the Phantom dreams of controlling the way Opera house operates and this leads him to making attempts of frightening the residents in the opera house. Initially, the Phantom had escaped his master after murdering him then meeting the French girl who brought him to the cave. Since she was a resident at opera house, the film brings out several incidences in which the phantom had taught her to sing perfectly. In this case, the main reason for having a close relationship with Christine was to use condition her to changing the running of the opera house. In personality, his face was full of deformations making him more embarrassed and in dire need for an intimate relationship. This leads him to developing obsession and lust with Christine as he continued teaching her how t o sing. At the instance when new owners took over the control of the house, the Phantom fought for Christine to be put as a lead singer. This shows his sacrifice for the relationship since he ends up causing destruction in the house. The sacrifice and the growing relationship makes Christine believe that her father’s dream for an angel to protect her was coming true through the Phantom. The following is a quote made by Christine, which served as a turning point in their relationship: In most of the cases, the Phantom makes use of non-verbal communication in his relationship with Christine. A mutual attraction arises in the relationship between the two. Phantom manages to teach Christine how to sing and brings her to the limelight, while the latter makes the former more powerful because of the company. The beautiful voice of the Phantom makes Christine attracted besides the chaos he creates at the expense of bringing her to limelight. The Phantom goes to the the

Childrens nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Childrens nursing - Essay Example Telephone: 91-080-26995200, 26995255 Email : ms@nimhans.kar.nic.in Website : www.nimhans.kar.nic.in Part B and Case Study: Childrens NursingChildren's Nursing refers to nurturing children from the stage of infancy, till the stage of adolescence. Along with case study, this topic discusses emotional problems faced by children and role of parents, family, nurses, schools, society and government in nurturing and helping them to become good citizens. The captioned subject ' Children's Nursing ' throws light on the poor emotional state of mind of children - a product of present day nuclear family system, wherein the working couple has no time to give personal attention to the child's needs and usually entrusts the same to a care taker. In the event of separation / divorce, the child has to adjust to the new circumstances without much choice. In all these situations, the child is the worst affected person whose emotional needs are least cared for by parents and the surrounding people. As a result, it becomes a victim of depression, insecurity, hatred, addiction and no wonder; it becomes a 'threat' to the society in the long run. The significant issues involved in the subject are : 1. Children's poor mental health and the resultant insecurity , hatred ,emotional disorders, and suicidal tendencies 2. Role of Parents , Family, Nurses , School and Government 's role in developing child's mental health 1. Children's poor mental health : A child's poor mental health can be recognized by symptoms like excessive anger, fear, sadness , depression and anxiety. Sudden changes in the child's behavior, exercising too much , hurting (Charlotte's act of...In the event of separation / divorce, the child has to adjust to the new circumstances without much choice. In all these situations, the child is the worst affected person whose emotional needs are least cared for by parents and the surrounding people. As a result, it becomes a victim of depression, insecurity, hatred, addiction and no wonder; it becomes a 'threat' to the society in the long run. 1. Children's poor mental health : A child's poor mental health can be recognized by symptoms like excessive anger, fear, sadness , depression and anxiety. Sudden changes in the child's behavior, exercising too much , hurting (Charlotte's act of hurting herself), destroying things. Some of the mental disorders commonly seen in children are depression, ADHD, and conduct disorder. As many as one in ten children between ages six and twelve experience persistent feelings of sadness - the hallmark of depression. Since children may not be able to express or understand many of the core symptoms that would indicate depression in adults, parents should be aware of some key behaviors-in addition to changes in eating or sleeping patterns-that may signal depression in children: Treatment is essential for children struggling with depression so that they can be free to develop necessary academic and social skills.

Select a Film and Analyze Relationships in the Film Essay

Select a Film and Analyze Relationships in the Film - Essay Example The Phantom hails from a cave found beneath opera house in Paris meant for dance performance. On the other side, Christine is a dancer in the opera house; a situation which hints on their possible encounter. In his cave, the Phantom dreams of controlling the way Opera house operates and this leads him to making attempts of frightening the residents in the opera house. Initially, the Phantom had escaped his master after murdering him then meeting the French girl who brought him to the cave. Since she was a resident at opera house, the film brings out several incidences in which the phantom had taught her to sing perfectly. In this case, the main reason for having a close relationship with Christine was to use condition her to changing the running of the opera house. In personality, his face was full of deformations making him more embarrassed and in dire need for an intimate relationship. This leads him to developing obsession and lust with Christine as he continued teaching her how t o sing. At the instance when new owners took over the control of the house, the Phantom fought for Christine to be put as a lead singer. This shows his sacrifice for the relationship since he ends up causing destruction in the house. The sacrifice and the growing relationship makes Christine believe that her father’s dream for an angel to protect her was coming true through the Phantom. The following is a quote made by Christine, which served as a turning point in their relationship: In most of the cases, the Phantom makes use of non-verbal communication in his relationship with Christine. A mutual attraction arises in the relationship between the two. Phantom manages to teach Christine how to sing and brings her to the limelight, while the latter makes the former more powerful because of the company. The beautiful voice of the Phantom makes Christine attracted besides the chaos he creates at the expense of bringing her to limelight. The Phantom goes to the the

Movie and a media article comparison Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Movie and a media article comparison - Essay Example She is not educated and does not speak any language except Bengali l and lived a poor life. As the movie proceeds the Nazneen have lived 16 yrs with her husband in London city and is also shown to have two daughters. She is now a woman who speaks English, and is a housewife in London city. However, her mind and soul is still in her village, remembering her loving sister with whom she had spent her childhood in joy. Life has changed for Nazeen but her emotions are numb because she is married to a person, she does not love. As a young woman, her passions are still unquenched and are living a life of frustration. Her love life with her husband is bland and she has no emotional connection with him. While comparing to her young age, she is much silent, unhappy and nostalgic. She lives in her childhood, even after leaving the village at a young age. The only best time in her life is one which she has spent in the village and she is holding on to it to give her happiness and joy. As days pa ss by she gets acquainted with the clothing worker Karim. She buys a sewing machine and starts stitching clothes and tries to become engaged in some productive work. In due course, she romantically gets involved with Karim and this gives her a new life. Every day she waits for him and they spent some lovable movements at her home and ultimately physically get involved. After getting intimate with Karim, a new energy sparks in Nazneen and she perceives life in a different way. She discovers herself after coming in contact with the handsome and young Karim. Nazneen become more lively, energetic and even her family notices the positive change in her. As they love prosper, her husband comes to know about her liaison with Karim and sarcastically threaten her. At the same time , event of 9/11 strikes America and the Muslim community experiences a threatened environment in London. Upon this news, Nazneen’s husband decides to leave London and go back to Bangladesh. But towards the en d of the movie, Nazneen transforms to a strong- willed, bold woman who has ideas and principles of her own. She confesses to her husband she wants to liven in London and stays back there with her children as an independent woman. The article â€Å"Geographies of Inclusion/Exclusion: British Muslim Women in the East End of London† by Halima Begum throws light upon the life of Bangladeshi women and their gender identity in context to Islam community in East London. The article talks about the life of Bangladeshi women in London who come from rural areas of Bangladesh. These women get caught in the atmosphere of cosmopolitan cities and suffer identity crisis. In the article author writes that† The promise of inclusion for young, working-class Muslim Bangladeshi women remains an unfulfilled project in contemporary Britain†. This could be related to the scene in which Nazneen looks at the sewing machine and feel helpless in buying it. It shows the kind of atmosphere in which Bangladeshi women live where they have no right to get employed and contribute to the society. According to Begum â€Å"For many young British Bangladeshis, Islam in the United Kingdom is more about bringing the ‘modern’ back from Bangladesh into East London’s communities†. This could be associated with the scene where Karim persuades Nazneen to stay back in London as an attempt to make her modern and independent.Karim being a person born and brought up in London is also religious man. He

One Flew over the Cuckoos Nest Response to Literature Essay Example for Free

One Flew over the Cuckoos Nest Response to Literature Essay Society is a judgmental and rejecting place. It only allows uniform individuals to be in this society which discards anyone’s individuality and pride. In the novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, by Ken Kesey, Nurse Ratched alienates the patients’ individualities which only allows them to never progress in their mental health. The society rejects the people who are not normal. In this case, the people are the ones with mental disorders. Kesey’s anti-establishment point of view against society portrays that the government misuses power to manipulate society which leads to the suppression of individuality through the literary devices analogy, metaphor, and symbolism. Ken Kesey conveys his theme by vividly explaining the â€Å"pecking party†. As one of the treatments, Nurse Ratched holds group therapy for the patients. During the group therapy session, McMurphy notices that the Nurse ignites all the conflict at first so he explains, â€Å"The flock gets sight of a spot of blood on some chicken and they all go to peckin’ at it† (Kesey 57). McMurphy is trying to explain the abusiveness of Nurse Ratched’s power. This analogy supports Kesey’s message of how society rejects and leads to the suppression of individuals. Kesey uses the chickens to represent the patients and the â€Å"first peck† would represent Nurse Ratched because she manipulates an individual which causes uneasiness to the patient which will never be the cure for one who is mental to get better. After McMurphy goes on about the pecking party, he says one more thing to Harding about the pecking party, â€Å"You want to know who pecks that first peck? † (58). McMurphy’s rhetorical question signifies his opinion even more. This allows not only Harding, but the rest of the patients to see how Nurse Ratched is just another person and how they should not let her take complete control over them. Kesey furthers his analogy after the pecking party image because it reveals and justifies who really does â€Å"peck that first peck†. This relates to the theme because Nurse Ratched represents the government while the patients represent society; concluding that the government continuously pecks at the individuals who feel that they are not a part of society. Overall, the pecking party is an analogy of how society suppresses one’s individuality because to be an individual one must â€Å"get better† like the patients attempt to do; but all they are doing are taking steps back due to Nurse Ratched. In One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Kesey demonstrates his use of metaphors through machinery comparisons to portray the theme of suppression of an individual. When Bromden characterizes Nurse Ratched he says, â€Å"So she really lets herself go and her painted smile twists, stretches to an open snarl, and she blows up bigger and bigger, big as a tractor, so big I can smell the machinery inside the way you smell a motor pulling too big a load. † (5). Bromden sees Nurse Ratched as machinery and not as a human being. This supports the fact that the ward is like a factory, just waiting to make patients into â€Å"products†. Kesey uses metaphor to compare Nurse Ratched to machinery because this describes her persona perfectly. Like a machine, Nurse Ratched is very smooth and calm about things at first but like every machine there are flaws. When Nurse Ratched meets her flaws, that is when things begin to go haywire like a machine. It can either breakdown or malfunction but it is always repairable. When Bromden has the dream about Blastic, he thinks â€Å"†¦I was looking to see – just a shower of rust and ashes, and now and again a piece of wire or glass† (88). The significance of Bromden’s dream is that it represents how the ward is inhumane because â€Å"a shower of rust and ashes† fell out of Blastic’s body instead of human organs. Kesey exemplifies metaphor through Bromden’s dream by explaining how society’s standards of being â€Å"accepted† can transform one to be inhumane and to lose their individuality. Overall, these comparisons relate to the theme having the machines represent a form of government, standing in the way, or suppressing, the individual, or society. This can support the main theme that society abuses their power to manipulate and suppress the individuality of others. Fog is used by Kesey to demonstrate them and to symbolize the aloneness and individuality of a patient. Bromden describes the effects of fog when he thinks, â€Å"I don’t have to end up at that door if I stay still when the fog comes over me and just keep quiet† (132). This explains how much control Nurse Ratched had over the patients. It demonstrates how something like fog takes away their individuality be they â€Å"just keep quiet†. The fog symbolizes a safe zone and aloneness for the patients because Nurse Ratched had so much authority over the patients that it was like a crib holding them while she was out. Kesey’s theme is supported in this because society takes away individuality as well as fog does. One characteristic they both share is the way they manipulate and abuse their power. Bromden also thinks about fog when he said, â€Å"You had a choice: you could either strain and look at things that appeared in front of you in the fog, painful as it might be, or you could relax and lose yourself† (131). Bromden describes how the patients were almost forced to be in the fog because â€Å"you could relax and lose yourself† and that the time that is all the patients really want. The fog also symbolizes a scapegoat for the patients so they don’t have to face all the challenges ahead because â€Å"you had a choice†. A simple break from everything, especially Nurse Ratched. This furthers Kesey’s message of how the fog is another form of control from Nurse Ratched, in which she abuses her power by manipulating her patients so they cannot get better. Ken Kesey uses analogy, metaphor, and symbolism to demonstrate how society uses their power to manipulate others which leads to a suppressed individual. He uses examples from the ward to compare the real outside world with a mental asylum. This world and society focus too much on how to fit in and it has become more of a moral thing to fit in than to be one’s self. Kesey blames it on the establishment that people are suppressed of their individuality, but is that really true? It has become a custom rather than a rule and that needs to change; and it starts from being a leader and an individual rather than a follower. The real story of individuals is not within the establishment, but it is within a person. To express that is to depending on the person and that is the problem in our society, no one likes to be that person to step up and be the first to go. But if someone were to do it, our society would change instantly.

Auto Parts and Service Company Business Plan

Auto Parts and Service Company Business Plan ABC will be participating in a growing market. After China join in the WTO, the price of cars keep going down. Since 2005, the price of cars has declined 10%-50% in China. It has become one of the largest-growing markets in China.  A recent survey indicates that over 20% factories and customers have suffered the problems that the lack of auto repair services. If we consider the whole auto market as a giant whose left leg is new cars or used cars market and right leg is auto-parts and auto repair services market. The left leg of the giant has stepped in China. However his right leg is still out of the country. Because the auto market is increasing in such high speed, it will help the auto-parts supplies and auto repair services market grow. The Organization Gaining the unsatisfied customers is the first mission of the organization. With this in mind, ABC will be working hard and produce the impressive services that are exceeded in customers expectations. To gain and maintain those customers, to build up close and stable relationships to customers, and to expand the market, ABC is going to offer supplies to auto factories, including body shops, to offer auto repair services to individual customers through participation and .inviting 3-5 local auto supply business partners to fund a corporation by offering advanced technology from the U.S. 1.1 Mission Firstly, ABC will offer high-quality auto repair services with all kinds of auto parts. ABC will proffer its convenient and rapid service. Secondly, ABC will set up a computer system to make sure that parts are available. Lastly, ABC will build strong relationships with the local towing companies and body shops. Keys to Success Relitionships with local towing service companies, body shops and workshops. A wide range of auto parts inventory. Proffering website which answer customers questions whenever they have a problem with their cars and make them be able to order auto parts on line. Rapid delivery of major auto parts. Uperior customer service, and systematic operation More advanced technology and more technical employees The idea of fixing customers cars in their own gagrages is one of our main operational cencept. 2.0 Company Summary The Chinese economic have been growing and it had resulted in the Chinese peoples increased income, since 2000. Nowadays, many Chinese have chosen to spend their money on their automobiles in order to declare they have become the members of middle class. As a result, the need for reliable and convenient auto services will increase with the help from the booming economy and the strong ideas of having own cars. ABC is going to enter Chinese market to fill up the need of the middle and upper class market for quality auto service in Qingdao. 2.1 Company History ABC was found by several local 4S shops in Seattle 2008. Besides the ABC has combined the successful experience of marketing, sales, management and operation, ABC also has developed its technical advantage. In 2008, due to ABC had seen the blight future of the application of composite materials in auto repair market and the corporation in the technical communication between Boeing Company and the local community colleges and universities, the company hired 30 employees from University of Washington and North Seattle Community College to put this technology in use for auto repair in order to improve the companys competitive advantage. These made ABC successful and generate the net profits which have exceeded $50000 in Seattle area in this year. However, ABC realized the advanced position in the competition will not last for long. Also, considering extending its size and influence and exploring a more valuable market, ABC is going to enter Chinese market. Past Performance 2010 Sales $600000 Gross Margin $500000 Operating Expenses $50000 Balance Sheet 2010 Current Assets Cash $200000 Inventory $100000 Other Current Assets $50000 Total Current Assets $350000 Long-term Assets Long-term Assets $290000 Accumulated Depreciation $10000 Total Long-term Assets $300000 Total Assets $650000 Current Liabilities Accounts Payable $50000 Total Current Liabilities $50000 Long-term Liabilities $1300000 Total Liabilities $1350000 Paid-in Capital $500000 Retained Earnings $50000 Total Capital $550000 3.0 Services 3.1 Auto services ABC will offer superior customer services with systematic operation. 3.2 Online services ABC has a free website where our employees will answer the questions and try to help our customers online. If the customers think they can fix the problems of their cars in their own garage with the help of our employees or somebody else, these customers will be welcome to order our parts through our website. Also, ABC allows their customers make appointment online. Lastly, our customers will be able to check out the record of their automobiles online. 3.3 Door to door services, fix your cars in your own garages! ABC will have a door to door services for some VIP customers to slove some problems which are not necessary to come to our shops, such as oil change. 4.0 Market Analysis Summary ABC highly focuses on the demand of local customers. At the same time, ABC also is going to establish relationships with the major local towing companies, and body shops. 4.1 Market Segmentation and Stategy Towing companies After traffic accidents, the towing companies usually are called to take their damaged cars away. However, the companies in China dont usually give the repair service. In this way ABC can make approximate 20% revenue, if we can successfully build up the relationships with the major towing companies. The Body shops The young people like to go to body shops to race their cars for vary reasons. They are more likely focus on the look of their cars and usually require very quick services as well. After we establish and strengthen the relationships with the body shops, we can reach that target market segment so that we can offer the body shops the rapid delivery services and make it available to ship the designed auto parts for each individual since we have an online booking service. Local regular customers The local regular customer base is the largest market of ABC. Based on the fact that not too many repair issues happens daily among the local customers and some owners of new cars prefer to take their cars to the dealers if there are really serious problems with their cars, ABC will also focus on the other services of automobile, such car wash, oil change, and so on. 4.2 Competition and Buying Patterns The exsiting market in China already have had 10 major auto repair and auto parts companies in the local area, so ABC will have 10 major competitiors. Nevertheless, ABC get the advantages that they dont have or not as competitive as ours. Firstly, these companies usually are not large enough, or do not have uperior customer service and systematic operation. Secondly, none of these competitors a computerlized systerm and online service. Thirdly, none of these competitiors have the technical superiority as ours. ABCs key to win the game is gaining and remaining customers by using the technical advantage, focusing on the convenienct high level customer service, and establishing and strengtening the relationships with lacal major body shops and towing companies. 5.0 Strategy and Implementation Summary ABC will be successful by offering its systematic operation by adapt the technology from the U.S. 5.1 Sales Strategy ABC will focus upper and middle class customers. To reach the target market and promote the customers, the company will employ direct sales staff. At the same time, the company will further strengthen its relationships with the towing companies, and body shops. 5.2 PromotionMarketing Strategy Direct sale employees, online helping, door to door services, coupons will be our promotion. On the ABCs free website, our employees will answer questions and try to help our customers online. On asking question section, we will put the quick link to the booking page. These researchers will be more likely to order our parts through our website so that they can make it in their own garage. ABC also can send our employees to help them. Fix your car in your own garage! will be one of our marketing strategies. Additionally, ABC will give coupons to customers for 10% off. 5.3 Sales Forecast Sales Forecast 2011 2012 2013 Sales $50000 $150000 $250000 Direct Costs $10000 $10000 $10000 6.0 Management Summary ABC will be successful by combining the 3-5 local auto supply business partners experience of sales, marketing, orperation and management. In order to keep organization stable and keep all of the partners, the ABC will keep the core of the technology. 6.1 Personnel Plan Thank to the low average salaries in China, ABC will be able to hire more employees in the technology department in the U.S. Personnel Plan (Not in including investment from partners) Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Owners $10000 $50000 $90000 Managers $5000 $15000 $25000 Mechanics $4000 $12000 $20000 Technology improment $20000 $60000 $100000 Sales Administrative $1000 $3000 $5000 Total People 25 75 125 7.0 Financial Plan ABC will be a corporation. The funding is from 3-5 local auto supply business partners by offering advanced technology from the U.S. Each partner will invest an equal amount. 7.1 Partners investment Summary ABC is looking for four local partners which meet the requrements to corporate.Each of the four partners which means to join ABC have to invest an equal amount. Table: Investment from partners (Requriements) Requirements Start-up Expenses Legal $1000 Other $5000 Total Start-up Expenses $6000 Start-up Assets Cash Assets $3000 Other Current Assets $15000 Long-term Assets $100000 Total Assets $130000 Total Requirements $130000 (ABC will be more likely to accept partners which are able to meet those requirements.) 7.3 Break-even Analysis Break-even Analysis Monthly Revenue Break-even $25000

Oral Care in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Essay -- Preventing Ventila

In clinical experience, it is seen that many patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) are on mechanical ventilation. These patients range from having head trauma, heart surgery and respiratory problems yet there is no clear, concise systematic standard oral care procedures noted on the different floors in the hospital. Oral care is a basic nursing care activity that can provide relief, comfort and prevention of microbial growth yet is given low priority when compared to other critical practices in critically ill patients. The Center for Disease Control reveals that Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia (VAP) is the second most common nosocomial infection that affects approximately 27% of critically ill patients (Koeman, Van der Ven & Hak, 2006). The purpose of this paper is to explore Lewin’s change theory in the clinical setting by implementing standard oral care on preventing VAP thereby improving patient care. According to the American Association of Critical Care Nurses, Ventilator-associated Pneumonia results in high mortality rates, increases the number of mechanical ventilation days, increases the number of additional days in the hospital and critical care by 4-9days and costs approximately $40,000 per VAP case (Ames, Sulima, Yates, McCullagh, Gollins, Soeken, Wallen, 2011). Munro, Grap, Jones and McClish & Sessler conducted a study in 2009 which collected data on oral interventions reported by nurses, the frequency and the documentation and found that despite the evidence that sponge toothettes are ineffective in plaque removal it remained the primary tool for oral care in intubated patients whereas the use of toothbrushes were used more in non-intubated patients. It was also found that nurses reported frequent oral care, y... ...J., McCurren, C., Carrico, R. (2004) Factors Affecting Quality of Oral Care in Intensive Care Units. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 48(5), 454-462. Institure for Healthcare Improvement (2011). Implement the IHI Ventilator Bundle. Retrieved from http://www.ihi.org/knowledge/pages/changes/implementtheventilatorbundle.aspx. Koeman, M., Van der Ven, A., Hak, E. (2006). Oral Decontamination with Chlorhexidine Reduces the Incidence of Ventilator-associated Pneumonia. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 173, 1348-1355. Munro, C.L., Grap, M.J., Jones, D.J., McClish, D.K, Sessler, C.N. (2009). Chlorhexidine, toothbrushing and preventing Ventilator Associated Pneumonia in Critically Ill Patients. American Journal of Critical Care, 18(5), 428-437. Yoder-Wise, P. S. (2010). Leading and managing in nursing. Philadelphia, PA: Mosby, Inc.

Commentary: An Advancement of Learning by Seamus Heaney Essay

In An Advancement from Learning by Seamus Heaney, he describes a retrospective childhood experience. The narrator compels himself to face a deep-seated and preposterous fear which he consequently conquers. He shares his terror and revulsion by implementing vivid and vibrant imagery presented in nine quatrains. The conquest of an irrational fear depicted in this poem is perhaps a metaphor for overcoming greater fears in life. As the title suggest, this poem is about An Advancement of Learning- facing and subsequently conquering sometimes strong and private fears. Heaney describes a lone stroll along a polluted, ‘oil-skinned’ river bank. The almost sombre introspective tone of the opening two stanzas rapidly changes into one of revolt and terror as a rat emerges from the river. In a moment of panic, the poet attempts to escape, only to find another on the far bank, which encouraged a deeper impact. The second rat provoked the author to question his response to and fear for these animals. He then ‘incredibly’ decides to courageously maintain his ground and face the rodent. Despite Heaney providing the reader with a vibrant image of the animal to reinforce his contempt, he almost battles the rat until he ‘stared him out’. Eventually, as if the narrator won the ongoing battle, the rat retreats into a sewage pipe. Heaney then advances his way and triumphantly crosses the bridge, as he conquered a fright which has bedevilled him since childhood. An Advancement of Learning is written in nine quatrains consisting of short and sharp lines, which almost present the reader with a succession of flashing images. Heaney employs a loose and alternate rhyming scheme- stanzas one, three, six, eight and nine follow the pattern abcb, whereas stanzas two and four follow the abac pattern. Where the seventh stanza follows the abab pattern, Stanza five has the different but effective rhyming scheme abbc. The regularity of the rhythm in this stanza contributes to the reader’s sense of the poet’s rising self control. Heaney makes active use of enjambment and caesura to emphasise many of his emotions and sentiments. The astute use of enjambment from lines ten to sixteen increase the tempo and excitement of the poem, which in turn aid to convey the poet’s  fright and aspiration to flee. Furthermore, the writer applies enjambment between one stanza and the next to allow his descriptions to flow smoothly, which appropriately reflects the fluidity of the river described. Interesting is that the verses reflect the writer’s gradual gaining of self control. The main entity in the poem is the bridge as it symbolises the tree stages in the writer’s conquest of fear. At the sight of the first rat, the poet initially refuses to cross the bridge. Once faced with his ‘enemy’, he establishes a ‘dreaded Bridgehead’ which in military terms means to hold a defensive position. He is fearful but determined. Finally, as the poet defeats his foe and fear, he, with a vestige of triumph, ‘walked on and crossed the bridge.’ The bridge is mentioned at these three key stages of Heaney’s experience as well as structurally in the first, central and closing stanzas to emphasise the stages of overcoming his fear gradually. Heaney’s most striking feature in terms of style and language are unmistakably his effective use of alliteration and sibilance, as well as the appealing use of lexis. The repetition of the sharp consonant sounds s and c, especially conspicuous in the third stanza, contribute to both the sickening nature of the rat and the writer’s feelings towards it. An example of words carefully chosen to enhance and reflect the meaning of the poem is ‘Insidiously listening’, which is despite its impact, neither alliteration nor assonance. The narrator also employs extraordinary and emotive vocabulary, such as ‘slimed’ and ‘nimbling’ to describe the rats, allowing the reader to accurately experience the fear and loathing which he suffered. Remarkable about this poem is that as the writer overcomes his revolt and fright, the description of the animal becomes more forgiving. Where at the beginning the rodents were Insidious, ‘slobberedâ€℠¢ and ‘slimed’ around, they are, less forbiddingly, observed as animals with ‘the raindrop eye’ and ‘the old snout’ towards the end. This indicates how the writer’s fear and terror disappears with the rat into the sewage pipe, and how he now views the rodent in its proper perspective. An Advancement of Learning successfully conveyed the writer’s feelings and  emotions while conquering a lifelong phobia. The use of enjambment and caesura as well as the alternating rhyming patterns, which reflected the increasing order of the situation, all contribute to the vibrant image the reader is provided with. Furthermore, the poet employed the motif of the bridge as a foundation for the poem’s structure while adding more dimension to the text by enforcing it as a symbol of the poet’s route to overcoming his deep-rooted fears.

Massage Therapy

Annotated Bibliography and Critique: Massage Therapy September 19th, 2012 Introduction The alternative therapy I chose to research was Massage therapy. The Oxford Dictionary of Psychology defines massage therapy as â€Å"manual manipulation of soft tissue to promote physical and mental health and well-being. Forms of massage therapy can be traced back to ancient Chinese, Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Hindu, and Japanese civilizations† (â€Å"massage therapy†, 2008).I chose to do this topic for my annotated bibliography because I am interested in learning more about the benefits of massage and to understand ways of healing pain and discomfort through touch and manual manipulation. I believe that massage therapy is not only helpful in the relief of pain and discomfort but also helps in the emotional maintenance of romantic relationships. Article One Ho, Y. , Lee, R. , Chow, C. , & Pang, M. (2010). Impact of massage therapy on motor outcomes in very low-birthweight infants: Rand omized controlled pilot study.Pediatricsinternational, 52, 378-385. The purpose of this randomized trial was to â€Å"investigate the efficacy of massage therapy on stable preterm VLBW infants in promoting motor development, weight gain, and earlier discharge from the hospital† (Ho et al. , 2010, p. 378). Ho et al. suggest that â€Å"it is generally accepted that infants at 32 weeks gestational age and beyond may benefit from massage therapy† (Ho et al. , 2010, p. 378). This was a randomized controlled intervention pilot trial that studied infants whose gestational age was between 25 and 34 weeks with VLBW.Two types of massage interventions were performed on separate groups of infants for 15 minutes in duration. One intervention being 5 minutes of massage therapy with tactile stimulation in the first and third phases and physical activity phase in the second phase and the other therapy (sham treatment) consisted of gentle still touch producing no indentation in the ski n. Each treatment was done an hour after feedings. Daily caloric intake was recorded as well as bodyweight before intervention, at 36 weeks PCA, and after intervention.The results of this study were shown to be that out of the 24 infants that were involved, the â€Å"infants with poor initial motor performance had significantly more improvement in motor outcomes and shorter length of hospital stay following massage therapy than sham treatment† (Ho et al. , 2010, p. 381) Article One Critique Strengths of this article were the thorough explanation of the therapies done with the infants. This allows for easy replication of the study should anyone try and implement these types of massage therapies in hospital NICU’s.This article also outlined implications for future research suggesting that a large sample size would be beneficial for another study to have more accurate results. The author’s use and interpretation of the evidence lead to the same conclusion as was gi ven in the conclusion. Appropriate methods to gather evidence was used and measurements were done at appropriate growth stages. I believe that the results of this study were congruent with what the conclusion stated in the end.Shortcomings of this article are stated within the article saying that â€Å"the effect of massage on preterm infants’ motor developmental outcomes thus remains uncertain, and a study with a more rigorous study design is warranted† (Ho et al. , 2010, p. 378). Excluding certain infants from the study I believe was also a short coming in this article. They limited infants that had maternal drug addictions, congenital abnormalities, and genetic disorders. This was a limitation to this study because it didn’t allow for results to show if massage therapy could benefit these types of conditions in newborns.Limiting infants such as ones with congenital abnormalities may have allowed the results to show better growth in the overall group. For futu re studies infants with conditions such as congenital abnormalities or maternal drug addiction could be included as a third subgroup for testing of massage therapy to see if the benefits of this alternative therapy aids in their growth and development. Article Two Munk, N. , Kruger, T. , & Zanjani, F. (2011). Massage therapy usage and reported health in older adults.The Journal of Alternative and Complimentary Medicine, 17(7), 609- 616. A randomized study was done to examine the impact of massage therapy in older adults with persistent pain compared to persistent pain clients who have not sought out the use of alternative therapies such as massage therapy. This article suggests that â€Å"high rates of persistent and acute pain have been reported by users of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) including recipients of massage therapy (MT), with pain being the primary reason some adults utilize CAM treatments† (Munk et al. 2011, p. 609). Participants of this study were 60 – 92years from Lexington, Kentucky either from 500 randomly selected Feyette County voters or from surveys given out at massage therapy clinics. Surveys and questions were dispersed to each participant and answers were recorded. The results of this study were â€Å"mean annual income and years of education were significantly higher for those who utilized MT in the past year compared to those who did not indicate MT usage in the past year† (Munk et al. , 2011, p. 611).Furthermore, â€Å"participants who utilized MT in the past year had significantly higher incomes, more years of education, and greater cumulative CAM usage than those who did not report massage usage† (Munk et al. , 2011, p. 612). Article Two Critique The strengths of this article were that it suggested future studies to look into things such as policy change that would help with older adults being able to afford massage therapy or be covered under their benefits. Another strength of this artic le was that it lists its limitations, allowing future studies to build off of the limitations they had and continue with the study.Shortcomings of this article were that it didn’t talk much about the positives that older adults experience from massage therapy. I would have found it more beneficial to understand how older adults benefited from massage therapy in regards to their persistent pain. Another shortcoming of this article, as stated on page 609, is that â€Å"due to the limited existence of evidence-based studies, the benefits of MT are not well understood for older adults, especially in regards to pain† (Munk et al. , 2011, p. 609).As well, a wider variety of patients could be used to see how different types of people or conditions could benefit from massage therapy. This article was limited to only the Kentucky population rather than a wider variety of people. With this study being centered around a survey and data analysis I feel that surveys could have been sent out worldwide to get a better understanding of massage therapy and its benefits on a wide variety of conditions. More shortcomings were that there was no real measure of pain or how long it lasted for in the participants.This makes me wonder about the authors’ conclusion of massage therapy being â€Å"associated with self-report of less limitation due to physical or emotional issues† (Munk et al. , 2011, p. 614). The last short coming of this article was that there was no actual controlled massage therapy taking place, rather it was just assumed through self reports that massage therapy aided in the management of persistent pain. Article Three Sefton, J. , Yarar, C. , Berry, J. , & Pascoe, D. (2010). Therapeutic massage of the neck and shoulders produces changes in peripheral blood flow when assessed with dynamic infrared thermography.The Journal of Alternative and Complimentary Medicine, 16(7), 723-732. The objective of this repeated-measures crossover experimen tal design study was to â€Å"determine the effect of therapeutic massage on peripheral blood flow (Yarar et al. , 2010, p. 723). It is suggested that â€Å"MT may improve circulation to damaged or painful tissues, and thereby improve the delivery of metabolic fuels and gas in addition to accelerated waste removal†( Yarar et al. , 2010, p. 724). â€Å"Thus, massage treatment may improve tissue function and potentiate tissue repair by removing barriers to healing processes† (Yarar et al. 2010, p. 724). 17 volunteers were chosen for this study. â€Å"Using a blinded, randomized crossover design, each subject completed the control (C), light touch (LT) and massage (MT) conditions on 3 separate days, at least 1 week apart† (Yarar et al. , 2010, p. 724). The participants were then scanned by dynamic infrared thermography (DIRT) and anterior, posterior and lateral thermal images were taken. â€Å"The key finding of this investigation was that the MT condition produc ed significantly higher skin temperatures when compared to the control condition in five zones† (Yarar et al. , 2010, p. 27). â€Å"Importantly, significant changes were found in zones 9 and 13, areas adjacent to the massaged areas that did not receive massage treatment† (Yarar et al. , 2010, p. 727-728). â€Å"These results suggest that a 20-minute MT protocol can increase skin temperature and peripheral blood perfusion to both the areas receiving massage treatment as well as areas adjacent to the treatment† (Yarar et al. , 2010, p. 728). â€Å"The second key finding in this investigation was that the LT condition did not differ significantly from the C condition† (Yarar et al. , 2010, p. 728). Article Three CritiqueThe strengths and shortcomings of this article were that it was, to me, very difficult to read with the abbreviations throughout. There was only one method used for measuring the temperature of the skin following massage treatment after a few different methods were mentioned in the beginning. The strengths were that it outlined the changes in every zone after treatment, making it clear what areas benefited from treatment. Much time was taken into the discussion part to better understand the results that came of this study. The graphs on pages 729 and 730 are a great way of showing readers the different affects each treatment had on the zones.The use of DIRT to measure the surface temperature without touching the skin was beneficial to this study because it does not require direct touch to the skin. This allows for accurate results because contact with the skin could possibly increase temperature readings. However, I think further study into other methods of taking temperature could have been done to have more options and a wider variety of results. Different variety of massage therapies, such as relaxation massage versus deep tissue massage, could bring about different results as well. Perhaps with deep tissue massage ar terial blood flow would be encouraged throughout the body.The final shortcoming of this article I thought to be the small sample size of 17 participants. However, results were rather accurate due to each participant experiencing each of the 3 treatment types. Application to health care I believe these articles are all applicable to health care because each one is related to a type of condition or illness that could benefit from massage therapy. Low birth weight infants are born every day and finding an alternative therapy to helping with growth and development would help in reducing medical costs and helps in shortening hospital stays for the families affected.Aging adults are often affected by persistent pain from ware on their bones and joints. As an alternative of using harsh prescription medications, massage therapy would help with medical costs as well as lessen the complications and undesirable side effects that come with taking pills all the time. And lastly, massage therapy being used to help with peripheral blood flow to areas that may have little to no circulation can help with lessoning the chance of DVTs, decrease medical costs and improve healing time. ConclusionIn conclusion, massage therapy is effective in helping low birth weight babies with gaining weight and having shorter hospital stays as well as improvement in management of persistent pain and increase in peripheral blood flow. More studies could be done in regards to other positive effects that massage therapy has such as, mental and emotional health and well being. The articles reviewed in this annotated bibliography showed that very low-birth weight infants can benefit from massage in regards to promoting motor development and weight gain.Massage therapy in older adults experiencing persistent pain, according to self reported findings, improves limitation due to physical or emotional issues. And therapeutic massage helps with increased surface temperature aiding in peripheral blood flow . References Ho, Y. , Lee, R. , Chow, C. , & Pang, M. (2010). Impact of massage therapy on motor outcomes in very low-birthweight infants: Randomized controlled pilot study. Pediatrics international, 52, 378-385. Massage therapy. (2008). In A. Colman (Ed. ), A Dictionary of Psychology (3rd ed. ). Retrieved from http://library. troyal. ca:2139/view/10. 1093/acref/9780199534067. 001. 0001/acref- 9780199534067-e-9168? rskey=9C7gUq&result=1&q=massage%20therapy Munk, N. , Kruger, T. , & Zanjani, F. (2011). Massage therapy usage and reported health in older adults. The Journal of Alternative and Complimentary Medicine, 17(7), 609-616. Sefton, J. , Yarar, C. , Berry, J. , & Pascoe, D. (2010). Therapeutic massage of the neck and shoulders produces changes in peripheral blood flow when assessed with dynamic infrared thermography. The Journal of Alternative and Complimentary Medicine, 16(7), 723-732.