Research and Academic Skills Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Research and Academic Skills - Essay Example If anyone is doing research on experiment learning within a practical subject i.e Hairdressing, you will look around, compare your initiative with others, compare your facilities, and so on. You might look at specialist, make promotions. In other words, before you bring anything you will collect verification and appraise it before making a final decision. Research is finding out what you don't already know. No one knows everything, but everybody knows something. However, to complicate matters, often what you know, or think you know, is incorrect. There are two basic purposes for research: to learn something, or to gather evidence. The first, to learn something, is for your own benefit. It is almost impossible for a human to stop learning. Research is organized learning, looking for specific things to add to your store of knowledge (Richard, 1996). There are three types of research, pure, original, and secondary. Each type has the goal of finding information and/or understanding something. The difference comes in the strategy employed in achieving the objective. Academic skills are all about helping you learn how to be a more effective learner and develop the research skills that will help you now and in the future (University of Southampton, 2009). The skills are most appropriately viewed as multivariate. In the popular literature, a multivariate view of skills is perhaps best encapsulated in Howard Gardner's (1993) writing about multiple intelligences. He defines seven intelligences: the linguistic and logical-mathematical intelligences that are at such a premium in schools today; musical intelligence; spatial intelligence bodily-kinesthetic intelligence; and two forms of personal intelligence, one directed toward other persons, one directed toward oneself . Thus, academic Skills offer services for students who wish to develop their academic skills in any field. This service aims to help students develop independent learning strategies to maximize their academic performance. The Academic Skills usually run workshops and classes aimed at helping students develop their academic as well as practical skills. It supports the experiential learning to the students for their academic enhancement as well as career upliftment. The academic skills encourage critical thinking right from the start of the studies. It helps to build on the first skills-based assignment. The students tackle the task armed with guidelines, checklists and templates, and can consult the feedback. The academic skills will support to learn the required academic skills and are able to think critically about the issues (Bruton). c. Skills and Career: It is now commonly accepted that changes in work and the workplace are transforming the kinds of knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed for successful work performance. Evidence for new skill needs from employer surveys, for example, suggests that employers are often more concerned about soft skills or attitudes rather than technical knowledge or competencies. Empirical studies of work find that employers and workers also feel generic skills, such as problem solving, communication and the ability to work in teams, are increasingly important for workplace

Mercy Health Systems Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Mercy Health Systems - Case Study Example Mercy provides services that span four core service areas, including hospital-based services, clinic-based services, post-acute care and retail services, and insurance products. These four core service areas make up our comprehensive, vertically integrated delivery system, and integrated delivery is what makes Mercy unique in serving the full range of health care needs of our patients. As they've grown in size, they have increased the breadth and depth of care provided to our patients. They continually strive to improve the quality of care received, stretching themselves to exceed the most stringent standards. They are committed to providing patients with the latest technology; the best medical teams and expert, compassionate care as we work to fulfill their mission of providing exceptional health care services resulting in healing in the broadest sense. These powerful words encapsulate the Mercy Health System mission and organization's commitment to their patients and community memb ers. To support its commitment to service excellence and delivery of quality care, MHS incorporates customer requirements into the SPP and the PDCA improvement cycle through use of the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Model. The CRM Committee uses this model to systematically review current and potential customer feedback and determine changing customer requirements. MHS's key customers include patients, communities, and employers/enrollees. Key inputs used to determine customer requirements, maintain dynamic customer interaction, and facilitate rapid response to needs include: - Patient/Customer Satisfaction Surveys. - Service Recovery Program (SRP). - Market

Difference Analysis Between IS And IT

Difference Analysis Between IS And IT Introduction: Information technology (IT) and management information systems (MIS) are interchangeable terms (Kearns, 1997). They are a set of interrelated computerized components that work together to collect, retrieve, process, store, and distribute information for the purpose facilitating planning, control, coordination, analysis and decision-making in organizations (Laudon Laudon, 1998). In the foodservice industry IT is commonly used for order processing, marketing, accounting, and site selection of new restaurant units. Whether a small independent or part of a large chain, many restaurants use established point of sale systems and accounting packages to process financial data. The Study is running with fully computerised and IS philosophy based so that the company is controlled in IT infrastructure and IS strategy will be described here for the future benefit of the company. By adopting frameworks necessary in characterising comprehensiveness, focus and formulation, firms may be able to incr ease rationality, while inducing increased participation and enhanced consistency. Improving the planning cycles of IS and SDLC (System Development Life Cycle) activities have also been proven instrumental in enhancing planning effectiveness. In some cases, such difference manifests itself through policies to save all enterprise information indefinitely, or to delete all data after brief periods of time. Traditional approaches to information management are often designed to mitigate risk; firms respond to regulatory and compliance requirements. Information compliance investments, for example, should be cost-managed, as providing compliance in excess generally adds little value and can be an inhibitor. The information to answer such questions often exists within an organizations IT systems, and requires minimal effort to answer once the key questions are identified by the senior executive team and business leaders. Answering key questions often requires minimal information and invest ment. Using an experimental approach similar to statistical sampling can provide the answers to key business questions quickly and dynamically. Aims And Purpose Of The Study: Many firms are focusing on using integrated databases and end-user computing which some experts believe threatens the role of the information provider in organisations. However, providers of data have contributions to make associated with decision making which are beyond just interpreting or supplying information. Some common decision-making-linked roles include facilitating a common database for group decisions; supplying effort and expertise in gathering information; and providing audit trails of data associated with certain decisions. Firms interested in maximising the contributions of information providers are advised to clarify and incorporate providers roles into the development of significant information systems within firms The explosion of data is most apparent in the realm of unstructured data. As businesses strive to automate processes and extend the IT environment to the point of service, an ever increasing amount of data is being retained electronically. Lowering the overall cost of ownership associated with storing and retrieving a growing volume of structured data assets is a challenge, and requires data and content servers that enable innovation while delivering rock-solid reliability. Flexible storage options and the know-how to put it all together round out a solution that helps you leverage information — lots of information. Deploy powerful servers that scale to meet your growing needs. Reduce the time spent searching for information. Escalating information volumes put your infrastructure to the test. Delivering high performance while lowering costs requires. IBM solutions-simple, flexible and optimized-will help you find the right content and get it to the right people and business processes at the right time, so you can improve efficiencies, increase responsiveness, and gain greater insights into your customers, the market and your business. Leverage and analyze information on demand to optimize all transactions in the call centre or in the field, when helping customers or when taking orders. Overcome the complex architectural and usability issues associated with traditional data warehouse and business intelligence approaches. Leverage information for competitive advantage and get more value out of your information Understanding computer hardware When you talk about computer hardware, you have to talk about the specifications. On a given desktop systems describe the speed and capability of that particular computer. If you are about to buy a computer, you should at least understand enough about each heading below to make an informed comparison between two different machines with different configurations. CPU central processing unit At the core is the processor. Speed is measured in Mhz. One other parameter of the CPU to investigate is the L1 cache, commonly from 256 kilobytes and up. RAM random access memory This determines how many files you can open at once; also ram is a form of computer data storage. So if ram is high computer performance should be better. Hard disk capacity Hard disk is measured in MB (megabyte) or GB (gigabyte). With the advent of so many mass-storage devices (zip drive, CD-R, super drive, etc) and networks where files and applications can be archived, huge disks (many GB) are very handy, but hardly necessary for most users. No matter what size your hard drive, you should keep it clean by weeding out outdated, redundant, and useless information (files and folders). Cache memory Check the upgradeability of your cache memory to fine tune your computer. The cache memory is a special type of RAM which the processor uses to store data in while it is working. The level 1 cache (or L1) is physically located on the CPU chip (and hence cannot be upgraded, unless you upgrade the CPU), whereas the level 2 cache (L2) is located on the motherboard, and can be upgraded separately. Video card/VSA card The amount of RAM and quality (and number) of microprocessors on the video card determine things like how big a monitor you can use, how large a window you can display video on, and the speed with which large complex graphic images display. Some of the newer video cards have 4 MB, 8 MB or more. Sometimes it is possible to upgrade a video card by adding a graphics accelerator card rather than replacing the video card with another newer version. Sound card The MIDI standard is used to convey music from computer to computer, (or keyboard to computer etc) and most good soundcards will play at least 32 MIDI voices. The other aspect of a soundcard is how well it plays digital sound files (like from a CD). Most of them do this extremely well also. If you are interested in music or sound, you want to investigate the software that comes bundled with your soundcard (or whatever software you have purchased to work with your soundcard). Traditionally, the sound card also has a port on it to plug in your joystick(s) if you play games on the computer. Removable storage Choices range from 3.5 1.44MB floppy drives, 100MB zip drives, 120MB super drives, 650MB CD-R, and on up to 1.5GB removable hard drive cartridges and higher now. Of course there are thousands of other choices including tape, optical drives, and surely many more available. Remember to price the storage media per Megabyte when buying. I personally like the CD-R idea since more people have CD-ROMs to read the recorded data. A programmable machine, two principal characteristics of a computer are: It responds to a specific set of instructions in a well-defined manner. It can execute a pre-recorded list of instructions (a program). Modern computers are electronic and digital. The actual machinery wires, transistors, and circuits is called hardware; the instructions and data are called software. A computer network is a collection of computers and devices connected to each other. The network allows computers to communicate with each other and share resources and information. The Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) designed Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET) for the United States Department of Defence. It was the first computer network in the world in late 1960s and early 1970s. Computers can be generally classified by size and power; as follows, though there is considerable overlap: Personal computer: A small, single-user computer based on a microprocessor. In addition to the microprocessor, a personal computer has a keyboard for entering data, a monitor for displaying information, and a storage device for saving data. Workstation: A powerful, single-user computer. A workstation is like a personal computer, but it has a more powerful microprocessor and a higher-quality monitor. Minicomputer: A multi-user computer capable of supporting from 10 to hundreds of users simultaneously. Mainframe: A powerful multi-user computer capable of supporting many hundreds or thousands of users simultaneously. Supercomputer: An extremely fast computer that can perform hundreds of millions of instructions per second. Computer networking is the engineering discipline concerned with communication between computer systems or devices. A computer network is any set of computers or devices connected to each other with the ability to exchange data. Local area network (LAN), which is usually a small network constrained to a small geographic area. Wide area network (WAN) that is usually a larger network that covers a large geographic area. Wireless LANs and WANs (WLAN WWAN) are the wireless equivalent of the LAN and WAN. Difference Analysis Between IS And IT In a general sense, the term Information System (IS) refers to a system of people, data records and activities that process the data and information in an organization, and it includes the organizations manual and automated processes. In a narrow sense, the term information system (or computer-based information system) refers to the specific application software that is used to store data records in a computer system and automates some of the information-processing activities of the organization. Information technology (IT), as defined by the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA), is the study, design, development, implementation, support or management of computer-based information systems, particularly software applications and computer hardware. IT deals with the use of electronic computers and computer software to convert, store, protect process, transmit, and securely retrieve information. The new information technology (IT) infrastructure: The new IT infrastructure links desktop workstations, network computers, LANs, and server computers in an enterprise network so that information can flow freely between different parts of the organization. The enterprise network may also be linked to kiosks, point-of-sale (POS) terminals, PDAs and information appliances, digital cellular telephones and PCS, and mobile computing devices as well as to the Internet using public infrastructures. Customers, suppliers, and business partners may also be linked to the organization through this new IT infrastructure. Understand Computer-Aided tools Computer-Aided Software Engineering (CASE), in the field of Software Engineering is the scientific application of a set of tools and methods to software which is meant to result in high-quality, defect-free, and maintainable software products. It also refers to methods for the development of information systems together with automated tools that can be used in the software development process. The term Computer-aided software engineering (CASE) can refer to the software used for the automated development of systems software, i.e., computer code. The CASE functions include analysis, design, and programming. CASE tools automate methods for designing, documenting, and producing structured computer code in the desired programming language. This is the model for an extra net. IS (information system) design for a mobile phone company: As I have to design one companys IS design I choice the phone company. In this IS design everything is shown as far I know. This mobile company will be connected intranet system to every department. We know that intranet system will work with the internal system. With the intranet system every department will be very helpful as if they need any information they can easily get via the computer. Also they need the pc to every department. It is also connected to the internet to communicate. Using the internet they also benefitted to get the information. They need to build up a website where they can put all the information. So customer relationship will be build via the internet. Also customer can know the product and offer via internet. 1 a) What information would you require to make such decisions? Strategic planning deals with the determination of the objectives, resources, and policies of the organization. In this case, management has their planning and control of their restaurant business. The system provides up-to-the-minute information on the food items ordered and breaks out percentages showing sales of each item versus total sales. This helps management plan menus according to customers tastes. The system also compares the weekly sales totals versus food costs, allowing planning for tighter cost controls. Managerial Control is one of the managerial functions like planning, organizing, staffing and directing. It is an important function because it helps to check the errors and to take the corrective action so that deviation from standards are minimized and stated goals of the organization are achieved in desired manner. Control in management means setting standards, measuring actual performance and taking corrective action. Thus, control comprises these three main activities. In this case, this system helps management plan menus according to customers tastes. The system also compares the weekly sales totals versus food costs, allowing planning for tighter cost controls. In addition, whenever an order is voided, the reasons for the void are keyed in. This may help later in management decisions, especially if the voids consistently related to food or service. Operational control serves to regulate the day-to-day output relative to schedules, specifications, and costs. The most difficult task of management concerns monitoring the behaviour of individuals, comparing performance to some standard and providing rewards or punishment as indicated. Sometimes this control over people relates entirely to their output. For example, a manager might not be concerned with the behaviour of a salesman as long as sales were as high as expected. In other instances, close supervision of the salesman might be appropriate if achieving customer satisfaction were one of the sales organizations main objectives. In this case study, acceptance of the system by the users is exceptionally high since the waiters and waitresses were involved in the selection and design process. All potential users were asked to give their impressions and ideas about the various systems available before one was chosen. This is their Operational control part. After studying this case I find that up-to-the-minute information on the food items ordered and breaks out percentages showing sales of each item versus total sales. Whenever an order is voided, the reasons for the void are keyed in. This may help later in management decisions, especially if the voids consistently related to food or service. And all potential users were asked to give their impressions and ideas about the various systems available before one was chosen. b) What would make the system a more complete MIS rather than just doing transaction process? This business can be more MIS if management provide and use more information related to the business. This system helps management to taka decision. Its ‘out of stoke process shows that which items is doing more business and which is doing less. Then they can decide which product they need to emphasize more. End of month they can analyse the data of four week. Other features such as order void system check listing, item sales, total sales, customer opinions etc. can make this system more complete MIS rather than transaction process. c) Explain the probable effects that making the system more formal would have on the customers and the management A waiter takes an order at a table, and then enters it online via one of the six terminals located in the restaurant dining room. The order is routed to a printer in the appropriate preparation area: the cold item printer if it is a salad, the hot-item printer if it is a hot sandwich or the bar printer if it is a drink. A customers meal check-listing (bill) the items ordered and the respective prices are automatically generated. When the kitchen runs out of a food item, the cooks send out an ‘out of stock message, whenever an order is voided, the reasons for the void are keyed in. This may help later in management decisions, especially if the voids consistently related to food or service. All potential users were asked to give their impression and ideas about the various systems available before one was chosen Above mentioned functions make this system more formal on customer and the management. 2 a) What security loopholes come to the fore in the situation described? How can these be plugged? If we plunged in to this case we find that while assessing hardware and software requirements, it was found that out of the 364 desktops at the corporate office; more than half did not have their antivirus software updated with recent virus signature files. Three fourths had not changed the default e-mail password (it was the user name) and no one had installed OS patches. And one of its local mail servers seemed to be an open relay! For a fleeting moment, system manager of SystemX wondered about the situation at the seven branch offices across the country. SystemX used the Net extensively in dealing with its branches, customers and suppliers. Information like contract documents, marketing plans, Cheque and Draft numbers, bank account details and collection details were regularly transmitted by e-mail. These loopholes come into our mind. These loopholes can be plugged, if they update their antivirus which is virus signature files free. Because they use e-mail, and Net extensively so they need strong security measure in order to secure their system. b) What is the importance of a â€Å"security budget† in the context of the given situation? Security budget is one of the important parts of every business. In this context â€Å"Security Budget† is very important. They need to provide security to their system. If manager recommends for appointing a new security consultant then it may not be granted because of budget. Any how they need to provider security. 3 a) What systems propose that would serve the companys need? The multibase company limited has so many manufacturing products. It is very difficult to control the whole companys activities. On the other hand now it is the age of information technology so we should use this technology to everywhere. I propose that we can use the CBIS means computer base information system. b) Complete overhaul of the systems or add functionalities of the existing systems? Justify the line of action. This company has a CBIS which are prepared the performance of every unit though weekly and monthly reports. With this reports headquarters always analyze and make the decision such as capacity expansion, procurement of new technology involving substantial investment, etc. This helps the companies planning and control. c) Justify the requirement of chief information officer (CIO) in the context given case let. The cio of the company has thus propose to develop suitable computer base systems which might be helpful in understanding the current status of various manufacturing units in terms of their overall performance, the type of environment constraints that operate in the three business that exist for enhancing capacity in these business areas. 4 a) Is that digital systems are unreliable and carries enormous risks? Yes. It is. No digital system can be guaranteed to be _PERFECT_ and hence may have any type of problems. This is actually because human beings are not perfect in their design and work. b) Explain three situations to minimize damages due to failure of digital system. For case 1: There should be transaction logging mechanism so that it can roll back upon administrators command. A manual book-keeping can be used too for all types of transactions so that in case of failure it can be used. For case 2: There should be manual communications used when digital systems delay for some reason. For case 3: Enough communications with service users should take place before upgrade policy. In all communication channels there should be advertisements and assumed timeline for the probable disaster. Decision Support Systems welcomes contributions on the concepts and operational basis for DSSs, techniques for implementing and evaluating DSSs, DSS experiences, and related studies. In treating DSS topics, manuscripts may delve into, draw-on, or expand such diverse areas as artificial intelligence, cognitive science, computer supported cooperative work, data base management, decision theory, economics, linguistics, management science, mathematical modelling, operations management psychology, user interface management systems, and others. The common thread of articles published in the journal will be their relevance to theoretical, technical DSS issues. Group Decision Support Systems (GDSS) are a class of electronic meeting systems, a collaboration technology designed to support meetings and group work. GDSS are distinct from computer supported cooperative work technologies as GDSS are more focused on task support, whereas CSCW tools provide general communication support. Group Decision Support Systems (GDSS) were referred to as a Group Support System (GSS) or an electronic meeting system since they shared similar foundations. However todays GDSS is characterized by being adapted for a group of people who collaborate to support integrated systems thinking for complex decision making. Participants use a common computer or network to enable collaboration. Who is the typical user of the system currently? For the organization manager mainly takes the decision. Suppose to open a new account there should be some criteria (credit score). It is also used in agriculture section. Dss is well-established tradition within agriculture. Holsapple takes a different view. Decision-support systems are so pervasive in their use that people dont even think of them as DSS, he says. He points to the spreadsheet as one of the most common ones used in business today. And, he says, most executives use corporate planning tools with DSS capabilities in them. Graphical User Interface Design Process For The Decision Support System In general, the GUI design process can be split into twelve steps (Galitz, 1997): 1. Know your user 2. Understand the ‘business function 3. Use good screen design 4. Select the proper types of windows 5. Develop the system menus 6. Select the proper device-based controls 7. Choose the proper screen-based controls 8. Organize and layout the windows 9. Choose the proper screen colours 10. Create meaningful icons 11. Provide meaningful messages 12. Test, test, and retest Following the design process, a questionnaire was prepared to better understand the ‘typical environmental professional who would be using the GUI. Questions were divided into several Categories: computer hardware and software literacy, user profile, and talk analysis. Some of the questions, although basic in nature, were required to ascertain the type of computer operating system to design for and the types of support system that would be incorporated in the design. I am not using any dss system for my academic career yet. But it will be very helpful to use in my future career. Questions no Questions Answers 1 Employee name: Employer name: Work place address: Work telephone no: Job title: No of years on current job: Years of computer experience: Md. Ayub Ali Saleh Z Rahman 12th floor, national scout bhobon, kakrail,Dhaka-1000. 0088029335395 Chief software architect and developer. Five months 10 yrs 2 What kind of computer system do you use? Apple MacBook Laptop, Mac OSX Leopard, programming software (compiler (gcc) and other Unix system administration tools), printer, Scanner, Mobile phone (for Internet through it), Apple Time Capsule (for backup), etc. 3 What kind of training have you received in order to use computer system effectively? Do you find the IT technical staff in your firm to be helpful and easy to work with? I have received B.Sc. in computer science and Engineering from a reputed university. I am self learner for using computer systems effectively. Our IT Technical Staff are helpful. 4 What business processes are supported by the IT systems in your workplace? Structured model of software development. 5 How does management use the IT system to support their activities? Management use intranet and internet to support their activities. 6 Is your system part of a network? Who is the network administrator? How often do you interact with the administrator? What kinds of issues do you discuss with the administrator? Yes, my system is part of a network. We have more than one network in our office. I am network administrator. There is different system administrator. I dont interact with system administrator that much. Very rare case I need him solve problems. Mainly we discuss about Internet connectivity issues with system administrator. 7 Are your computer systems connected to your customers, suppliers or partners? Describe how the system is used to connect to these entities. Our workstations are not connected to customers. But our servers are connected to mobile operators for providing services to customers. The servers are connected to operators via the Metronet network who provides connectivity with all major mobile companies and content/service providers. 8 As your career has progressed, what changes in IT have you noticed and how have these changes in IT contributed to your performance? Every time IT is changing as the new technology comes. So there need to be trained for the new technology. 9 Has using the computer system at work influenced your life outside of work? What way? Yes, my work has influenced my life outside of work. I have learnt how the telecommunication systems work and how services are provided to customers. Also I learnt how the communication between operator and service providers are established. 10 What advice would you give to a new employee about the IT supported workplace? The new employee should have eagerness to learn the underlying system well to provide good service to customers. Also he should be hard working and should be habituated to self-learning. 11 Which service provider do you use for internet? Grameen. 12 What is internet rate of communication speed? 10-20 kbps. 13 Which search engine do you use? Google. 14 Do you like to use internet for online business transaction? Yes. But security issue is main problem here. 15 Do you think internet is essential for daily life or not? Yes. Everyday life internet is very essential. I can communicate via email trough the world. The assignment is divided into four parts. All the four parts is done in here. I have done this assignment by using the books, lectures and from websites.

Directors Notes Act 3 Scene 5 of Romeo and Juliet :: Romeo and Juliet Shakespeare Theatre Essays

Directors Notes Act 3 Scene 5 of Romeo and Juliet Following our breif meeting yesterday, I thought you may apreciate some extra information about Act 3 Scene 5. I belive you are still unsure on some of the lines so I hope you will find the following instructions helpful. Firstly it may help if I explain how this scene fits into the play as a whole. This is an important scene as it shows Juliet's relationship with her father, her father's status in the play and Juliet's views on how she is treated as a child in the sixteenth century. Before this scene happens Tybalt a member of the Capulet family is killed by a Montague, this causes a lot of stress in the Capulet household and when Capulet enters Juliet's room he notices that she is crying, Capulet thinks this is because of Tybalt being killed but the audience will know that this is because of your marriage to Paris. After this scene there will be a great deal of tension between you and Capulet. I feel this scene is very important as it shows the deterioration of Juliet and Capulet's relationship. I think that Shakespeare included this scene in the play because if it is acted correctly then it will have a huge impact on the audience. The stage will be quite simmilar to the sixteenth century stage, it will just be updated for recent technology, it will have the same basic structure including the two pillars in the middle of the stage, also the audience will still be sitting around the outside of the stage. The ceiling will not be the same ornate celing, it will be very plain as this is where the lighting and special effects will come from, also the ceiling will be higher as this way it will not be noticed as part of the scenery. The back of the stage will still have the stairway in the centre but the surroundings will be plain and more modern. I have chosen this setting for the play as I feel the role of Capulet will be stronger in a modern day setting. This will be because a modern day audience will think that the way Capulet treats Juliet and Lady Capulet is not fair and I feel this will have a huge impact on the play as a whole. As Capulet enters the room this will be a great entrance as he needs to be seen with great power, so there will be a loud slamming of a door as he enters and walks towards you. Capulet needs to be noticed

A Contribution to the Economy Turning Into a Life Threatening Situation

In this growing economy, where people are involved in a rat race for survival, there are times we do not realize that the deeds we are doing for the betterment of the economy could affect our lives. An example of such a scenario could be the toxic secretion of a leather industry into the sea.Of course when we look at the leather factory, we consider that the leather that is being created in the factory will be further used in making goods such as shoes and bags which can then be exported to other countries for sale.Such a description for the factory would mean that the factory itself has a fine intention of building the economy as a whole. However, what one does not realize is that the toxic waste which is emanating from the factory into the sea could cause a lot of diseases for those living in the vicinity.SolutionIn order to overcome this life threatening scenario into a less critical one would be by considering negotiation or mediation in the legal terms where the two parties may get together to reach an agreement. The only solution that may come in mind when in such a situation is to talk to the owner of the factory in order to convince about the difficulties being faced by the citizens. The citizens may also get together to from a public representation against the intoxication and approach the law making aspect of the country if a mutual agreement cannot be achieved between the two.ReferencesInternet. (2007). How Laws Are Made. Retrieved on January 25, 2009 from: http://bensguide.gpo.gov/9-12/lawmaking/index.html New York State Archives. Environmental Affairs in New York State: An Historical Overview. Retrieved on January 25, 2009 from: http://www.archives.nysed.gov/a/research/res_topics_env_hist_machine_toxic.shtml The Internet Movie Database. (2009). A Civil Action. Retrieved on January 25, 2009 from: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120633/plotsummary

Pre-1900 poetry and Atonement Comparison Essay

The poetry collection provides us with a myriad of examples of how many have to face barriers to love – some of our speakers struggle, whilst many prove love to be an indestructible force, mainly seen by writers during the earlier periods who followed more traditional values, believing in a more courtly style love such as Shakespeare in Sonnet 116. However, later on, for example in the Victorian period, as traditions fell to pieces and certain barriers became stronger than the idea of love, people had lost faith: such as Remember. Meanwhile, in Atonement, McEwan takes us on a journey through the love of Robbie and Cecilia who manage to overcome physical separation that many faced at this time due to the World War. He portrays a realistic, yet strong union, proving that even in the Modern times, love can overcome barriers. In the time of the 16th century, during the Renaissance, when Shakespeare famously published his collection of sonnets – including Sonnet 116 – barriers to love were almost seen as insignificant. Post plague, Shakespeare may be giving hope to those who wanted to hold onto tradition and religion, as the Renaissance marked a time of new ideas and a movement away from the typical ideas around love, which could be much alike McEwan in the sense that Robbie and Cecilia’s love was not broken through the war times. In Sonnet 116, love can overcome all; initially, Shakespeare strengthens the idea of love by naming the poem after the form it takes: a sonnet. Everything about this poem represents love, and nothing can get in its way, not even ‘tempests’, proving how powerful it is and how it can even overcome forces of nature. Society creates no boundaries in terms of love within this poem; the use of the metaphor of the ‘star’ signifies how love is not restricted and can be seen by all. Lastly, we see Shakespeare incorporating personification to illustrate the immortal aspect of love and how it overcomes the barrier of time: ‘Love is not Times Foole’. Clearly barriers of love are seen to be easily defeated, as McEwan also portrays in his novel that attempts to highlight Modern Age love, incorporating realistic scenarios such as the awkwardness in the library, and the issues faced due to war. Many lives were lost, and the story of Robbie and Cecilia could be considered a tragedy, as we discover they die at the end. However, our narrator Briony allows their love to transcend death and live on through use of metafiction: ‘the lovers survive and flourish’, and on paper they do. However, McEwan does highlight the truth and how sometimes, we can lose the ones we love and there is nothing we can do about it. Religion was a big deal prior to the Renaissance, but as soon as science and new ideas came into play, their began questioning of the churches authority. William Blake explores how the church becomes the force that prevents love and innocence in his poem: ‘The Garden of Love’. Much alike John Milton’s famous ‘Paradise Lost’, the poem sees religion in a critical manner, implying a need to move away from typical Christian convention. His use of ‘Thou shall not’ is a form of linguistic deviation to invoke a Biblical tone, and almost mocks the 10 commandments and sees religion as a denial of everything – even love itself. God, described as benevolent, has allowed ‘priests in black gowns’, with black signifying negativity, to walk their ‘rounds’ and observe us – not so loving after all. Our speaker uses internal rhyme to highlight how his ‘desires’ are metaphorically ‘binding with briars’, giving us a sense that doing the things that you love result in punishment. Here, love is faced with a barrier that society has pushed onto people and Blake is clearly trying to, along with Milton, become aware of this. Meanwhile, in Atonement, the idea of status can be a barrier to love, not only for Robbie and Cecilia, but Jack and Emily too. For higher classes, divorce was frowned upon, so although Emily ‘did not wish to be told’ about Jack and his absence, there was not much she could do. Meanwhile, Robbie and Cecilia had ‘known each other since they were seven’, yet she claimed ‘everything he did aimed to distance her’ just because he removed his shoes to refrain from dirtying the floor. Clearly, there was tension due to varying status, keeping the two apart for so long. Therefore, a clear barrier to love, and from moving on to continue to love, is status in Modern times. Finally, we have the Scrutiny, written by Richard Lovelace, who explores the barrier to love: lust and the need to expand horizons in terms of being with others. During the time, he, much alike other poets such as Donne, turned to carpe diem poetry. For the speaker, he ‘must all other Beauties’ – using imperatives to signify the importance of experience before settling down. The endless opportunities he has metaphorically pushes him to become a ‘skilful mineralist’, representing his need to collect a variety of things (women). Boredom had almost become a barrier to love, as well as selfishness. Meanwhile, we can similarly see that Jack, in Atonement, has too taken advantage of the other options and has taken to cheat on his wife. We also see Lola marrying her ‘rapist’, implying that not only selfishness, but shame can be a barrier to love due to the selfishness of others. Overall, barriers of love are seen to both insignificant, and also life changing. Love stories became ever harder to write, and McEwan has managed, by setting his novel at the beginning of the 20th century, where many barriers had to be faced, and love was challenged by war, separation of families and couples, and the struggles of status and judgements of society. Therefore, he has shown how easy it is to love in the 21st century, and how potentially love is much weaker as it does not have to overcome any significant obstacles, hence why 42% of marriages end in divorce. The poems can explore many barriers to love, and different approaches are taken on: traditional love that overcomes all, love that is stolen by new ideas such as the church, and a more selfish and arrogant take on love.

Optimal performance and appraisals

Optimal performance and appraisals Introduction Performance appraisal is the process of evaluating an employee’s performance of an employee in the dispensation of his/her duties. A performance appraisal is a strategic method of integrating human resource functions with the policies of the institution. This essay seeks to recommend a performance appraisal system that a person serving as a retail-store manager can effectively use.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Optimal performance and appraisals specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Among the responsibilities that a person in this capacity is expected to fulfill include the scheduling and assigning of duties to junior workers as well as the identification and implementation of customer needs. A retail store manager is also tasked with the responsibility of hiring employees and ensuring that the individuals who are taken on board are committed to the attainment of the company’s strat egic goals. Theoretical Framework Wayne Cascio (2013) describes performance appraisal as the systematic description of an employees job relevant strengths and weaknesses (p.331). Among the elements that are evaluated at when conducting a performance appraisal are the employee’s initiative, loyalty and regularity in comparison with their counterparts in the same position and in consideration of the company’s laid-down objectives. When conducting a performance appraisal, there are three key terms of relevance. These are rater, ratee and rating. The rater (sometimes called the appraiser) is the person who is conducting the assessment of the employees’ performance (Peretz and Fried, 2008). The ratee is the person whose performance is being evaluated, while rating is the process of a performance appraisal (Katleen, Ashford and Buyens, 2001). The techniques for conducting performance appraisals are divided into two main categories; old and modern methods of appraisal. Among the old methods of appraisal are ranking, which can be done by simple ranking, alternation ranking and paired comparison, depending on the requirements of the task. Graphic rating scales were also used in the traditional appraisal systems and these worked by rating the employees on elements such as the quality of work done and their reliability. Confidential reports, prepared by the immediate supervisor of the ratee were also used in the past to conduct performance appraisals. In presenting the confidentiality reports, the supervisors used a number of methods including checklists, critical incidents and narrative essays, all of which focus on evaluating the strength of the ratee.Advertising Looking for critical writing on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The modern methods of performance appraisal are more elaborate that the old methods. One of the popular modern methods of appraisal is ref erred to as Management by Objectives (MBO). This method is used to gauge the effectiveness of managers in the dispensation of their duties. The MBO process starts with the senior and junior managers setting common objectives and then making plans for the attainment of these objectives (Kondrasuk, 2012). The subordinate managers then put the plan into action before their performance is evaluated in comparison with the objectives. Any areas of weakness are corrected on time in order to allow the plan attain maximum effectiveness. The second method of modern performance appraisal is the usage of assessment centers. In this method, the ratees are given several psychological and management exercises, which are evaluated to help identify which individuals are ready for promotion. Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scales (BARS) are also among the modern methods of employee appraisal. The BARS method works by assessing the ratee’s attitude towards his/her job (Scott and Einstein, 2001). I ndividuals with a positive attitude towards their job tend to be interested in gaining more skills to enable them serve well in the position. They will, therefore, be ranked much-higher than individuals who have a negative attitude and are not making any effort to upgrade their skills. The other technique that is popularly used to conduct performance appraisals is Human Resource Accounting (HRA). In this method, the raters evaluate the contribution of the ratees to the overall success of the company (Scott and Einstein, 2001). If the contribution of an individual is found to be more than the cost, then the performance of the ratee is defined as positive, and vice versa. One of the primary functions of performance appraisal is the improvement of the employees work performance (Cascio, 2013). When workers know that their work will be assessed periodically, they tend to put in more effort than if they are not worried of an evaluation exercise. Performance appraisals also furnish manage rs and their juniors with information that can be used to make relevant business decisions (Cascio, 2013).Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Optimal performance and appraisals specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More By pointing out the areas that need to be worked on, senior-level managers and their subordinates can easily identify the workers that are not contributing well to the growth of the company. Performance appraisals also help to identify the developmental needs of employee in a bid to establish the objectives for training (Cascio, 2013). It is only after a performance appraisal that managers can point out the areas in which the employees need more training on. Performance appraisal for a retail store manager A retail store manager is personally held accountable for the conduct of other workers in the store. He/She is also directly responsible for handling customer complaints and demands in ways that leav es the clients satisfied and encouraged to continue shopping in the same store. With this knowledge in mind, the performance appraisal system for use by a person in this capacity needs to be handled from various dimensions. A combination of the MBO and HRA will give the rater more insight regarding the output of the manager. The primary objective for a retail store owner is to make as much profit as possibly, while incurring the least-possible expenses. In setting up an MBO for the store, retail store manager and other members of senior-level management need to hold a meeting with the junior managers, in which the objectives of the enterprise will be presented. The junior managers have to confirm that the set targets are realistic and achievable. At their stations, the junior managers are expected to implement strategies that will see them meet all the targets that were set in the meeting with store manager. This is because the store manager is expected to visit their quarters rando mly to check on the gains made. The rationale for using an MBO is that because the junior managers pre-set their targets, they are driven to achieve them in order to avoid the embarrassment of being branded failures. The other gain made by using the Management by Objectives strategy is that the regular assessment exercises can easily confirm whether or not as strategy is working well, with the possibility of scrapping it for a better approach.Advertising Looking for critical writing on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The HRA comes in handy to ensure that the store meets its primary target of making profits. The products in the store cannot sell themselves and that is why there are people working there. However, having the wrong person working for a retail store can lead to a loss in clients. It is of paramount importance that the manager of a retail store understands that each and every member of his workforce ultimately contributes to the profitability of the company. If the costs associated with keeping the junior managers and their workers in the company are much lesser than the financial gains by their presence, then they will be given a positive review. On the other hand, if retaining the workers in the company costs more than what the company gains, then they will be given a negative review and possibly recommended for release. Conclusion The discussion above has recommended the implementation of a combined MBO and HRA as the most-ideal appraisal technique for use by a retail store manager . The MBO has been selected because it has been seen as a technique that gets individuals to commit to particular strategy and are, therefore, be drawn to its implementation. The technique has also been selected because it allows for change to be implemented in a timely fashion, when a strategy does not appear to be working well. The HRA has also been selected to work with the MBO because it fits well in the nature of the business under assessment. By implementing the HRA, the retail-store manager is in a position to identify the individuals that are bringing gains to the establishment and setting them apart from those that are being burdensome. The major limitation of this combined strategy is that the two components both need a lot of time to implement and evaluate, time that may not be available when the institution is not doing well financially. Reference List Cascio, W. (2013). Managing Human Resources. New York: Mc-Graw Hill eduction. Katleen E.S., Ashford, S. Buyens, D. (200 1). Self-Regulation of Creativity at Work: The Role of Feedback-Seeking Behavior in Creative Performance. Academy of Management Journal, 84(4), 811-831. Kondrasuk, J. N. (2012). The ideal performance appraisal is a format, not a form.  Academy of Strategic Management Journal, 11(1), 115-130. Peretz, H., Fried, Y. (2008). National values, performance appraisal practices, and organizational performance: A study across 21 countries. Academy of Management Proceedings. 1(3), 1-6. Scott, G., Einstein, O. (2001). Strategic performance appraisal in team-based organizations: One size does not fit all. Academy of Management Executive, 15(2), 107-116.

Marxism Essays - Socialism, Marxian Economics, Economic Ideologies

Marxism Essays - Socialism, Marxian Economics, Economic Ideologies Marxism Marx as Modern Marxs theoretical work is the understanding of the nature of human beings and how they have constructed their historical world. Marx is considered a modernist because his views and theories fit the meaning of Modernity, which are human freedom and the right to free choice. To Marx, Capitalism is a barrier to the notion of human freedom and choice. Five aspects of his political theory which are modern is how he views human nature, effects of Capitalism on human natures with emphasis on significance of labor, class struggles within Capitalism, the demise of Capitalism and the need for the transition to Communism. Marx belief of human nature is that it changes over time; it is historical and dynamic. In understanding human nature, it is important to understand what part labor plays in human nature. To be Human is to labor, (88) therefore Marx believes that Humans work in the world with other Humans in exchange with nature to get what they desire. Thus since human nature is dynamic so are humans wants and desires. In order to achieve ones wants and desires one must labor with others around them and with nature. Since labor is the activity of a group, the ever-changing world created through the labor of those groups also creates the humans themselves and directly affects them. Through labor, humanity creates and is responsible for the world that they live in. Marx suggests that Capitalism leads to the centralization and concentration of living spaces of where people lives, means of production, monopolies and the distribution of more power to the bourgeoisie. The success of Capitalism is directly connected to capital and wage labor. Capitalisms goal is to increase profits called accumulation; profits then reinvested else where to make more capital. . . . like the buying and selling of an object in the capitalist market, but in this case the exchange is money for the ability of labor, what Marx calls labor power. (xxv) Capitalism flourishes by extracting surplus value, or profit, from the commodities produced by the working class. Without capitals and profits there are obviously no wages and a place to do any type of labor power; and without wage labor capital can not increase itself. Both are dependent on each other for the flourishing of Capitalism. Capitalism is a form of life that does not do justice to human abilities and capacities; i t is a division from basic powers to humans and the exploitations of human workers. Workers are forced to sell their labor power to capitalists and capitalists have no choice but are forced to exploit labor to gain capital; therefore the laborers are commodities themselves in the capitalist market. As the result of Capitalism, labor has been under admonition and oppression. Instead of picturing the world as it is, Capitalism pictures the world in a distorted view. A view that leads to the alienation of the true is meaning of human nature. The view that places the products of laborers more important than the laborers themselves; thus the laborers are objectified. Laborers then do not realize that they are the ones who are in control of product that they produce. Alienated labor hence turns the species-existence of man, and also nature as his mental species capacity, into an existence alien to him, into the means of his individual existence. (64) The distorted view leads to the miscognition of self of the working class who are cut off from their essential powers. They fail to realize that the world is of their own making and that they have the ability to create and recreate the world in which that they live in. Marxs theory of privileging of economic matters places an emphasis on class struggles that are related to the forces of production as well as the relations of productions. Economics is the production of the exchange of goods and services through labor arrangements. In every society there is a way to distribute goods and services called a mode of production. The mode of production is the combination of the forces of productions; like raw materials, technology or labor forces; and the relations of productions or the relationship among human beings related to forces

How to Convert Fahrenheit to Celcius

How to Convert Fahrenheit to Celcius Here is how to convert  °F to  °C. This is actually Fahrenheit to Celsius and not Fahrenheit to Celcius, though the mis-spellings of the temperature scales are common. So are the temperature scales, which are used to measure room temperature, body temperature, set thermostats, and take scientific measurements.   Temperature Conversion Formula The temperature conversion is easy to do: Take the  °F temperature and subtract 32.Multiply this number by 5.Divide this number by 9 to obtain your answer in  °C. The formula to convert  Ã‚ °F to  °C is: T( °C)   (T( °F)  - 32) Ãâ€" 5/9 which is T( °C)   (T( °F)  - 32) / 1.8  °F to  °C  Example Problem For example, convert 68 degrees Fahrenheit into degrees Celsius: T( °C)   (68 °F - 32) Ãâ€" 5/9 T( °C)   20  °C Its also easy to do the conversion the other way, from  Ã‚ °C to  Ã‚ °F. Here, the formula is: T( °F)  Ã‚  T( °C)  Ãƒâ€" 9/5 32 T( °F)  Ã‚  T( °C)  Ãƒâ€" 1.8 32 For example, to convert 20 degrees Celsius to the Fahrenheit scale: T( °F)   20 °C Ãâ€" 9/5 32 T( °F)   68  °F When doing the temperature conversions, one quick way to make certain you did the conversion right is to remember Fahrenheit temperatures are higher than the corresponding Celsius scale until you get down to -40 °, which is where the Celsius and Fahrenheit scales meet. Below this temperature, degrees Fahrenheit are lower than degrees Celsius.

Determining Causes and Effects Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Determining Causes and Effects - Essay Example Every since 2000, incidentally when China joined the WTO, the U.S. has been hit by manipulative Chinese policies which means that Chinese exports of auto parts have increased 900 percent and the U.S. is a major importer of these parts (See figure 1). The reason American automobile industries rely so heavily on the Chinese auto parts market is because the Chinese ones are much cheaper, plain and simple, a feat achieved by the Chinese central and local governments heavily subsidizing its industries for the past decade. These subsidies are direct and indirect such as low-cost or free land and infrastructure, below-cost industrial inputs such as steel and glass, and electricity provided at less than the cost of generation. Despite the fact that these subsidies have been declared illegal by the WTO (Anderson, 2012), China’s auto parts industry and consequently its balance of payments continue to thrive at the expense of the honest practice of their American counterparts. Another im portant factor in Chinese products appearing cheaper than American ones is that China is notorious for employing the most staunch currency manipulation policies so that its exports remain competitively prices as compared to American and European counterparts. This means that China artificially gives its currency a lower face value so that when converted they appear to be lower in terms of American dollars (or any other currency for that matter) and so their goods seem more appealing to the public. In fact, the disparity achieved by the artificially valued Renminbi is believed to be as much as 25 – 30%. That means Chinese exports appear 25 - 30% cheaper than they would have been otherwise in the global markets if these currency manipulations were not in place. Thus, many American businesses and industries rely on China (instead of their own local) auto parts industries. Figure 1 One other aspect involved in this tilting of the balance towards China is the fact that in China th e industries receive great support from many estates of the country. That is to say, in the auto industry, rare earth elements and provided to Chinese exporters and low cost and also, capital cost is also kept artificially low as investors and exporters are allowed to borrow from government-owned banks on sub-market rates, sometimes even given a waiver on their loans. Thus, their production cost is greatly reduced making them competitive in the foreign market. But China is not the only party to blame in this auto parts fiasco, a great part of the burden also goes on the American industries that instead of condemning, actively encourage and endorse the Chinese’ disregard of fair trade practices by purchasing Chinese imports. America and China are not the only countries with giant automobile industries; Germany, Japan, and South Korea also operate in this manufacturing niche. Seeing as Chinese manipulation and policies affect America so, it can be assumed that the other three c ountries and their balance of payments should be affected similarly, but that is not the case. In fact, Germany, Japan, and South Korea have trade surpluses with China as opposed to the heavy deficit that America has. This is because their governments have imposed laws and not operated on a completely blind free-trade practice with China, something America can take

Why do we like violence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Why do we like violence - Essay Example ours of television programming weekly.   Although the negative health affects have been a topic of much recent discussion, the expressed purpose of this research analysis will be to draw a level of inference upon the way in which violence represented in television media affects the minds, outlook, psychology, and world-view interpretation of the adolescent viewing audience.  Ã‚  From such a review, the reader will be able to understand that even though violence within the media has increased within the past several years, it is not doing so divorced from the demand by the viewer. It does not take a great deal of analysis to understand fact that this pervasive level of violence only exists is due to the fact that consumers are actively engaging with this violence and consuming it. It is the understanding of this particular author that the reason and rationale behind this has to do with the fact that violence represents one of the most primitive and basic mechanisms through which h umans have evolved. When one begins to integrate with an understanding of basic human evolution, they come to the analysis of the fact that almost all history has been dictated with respect to power dynamics and the threat and application of violence. In such a way, the exhibition of violence with regards to media, and in a boxing, and a litany of violent video games is a manner through which humans are able to connect with a more bestial and under-evolved aspect of their own evolutionary history. This appeal and violence has is primitive; almost as primitive as the appeal of sexual desire. Accordingly, one does not need to look very far within advertising, media, or any other form of societal representation to understand that the appeals to a more basic levels of humanity are the ones that integrate the most closely with the stakeholder. Violence, as with sex, is something of a vicarious experience. Whereas it is obvious that it is illegal for an individual to venture out on the st reets and engage in an argument with someone that they find offensive – eventually coming to blows and knocking out this individual – this vicarious experience can be had via the litany of different violent video games, television programs, and other representations about that exist within society. In such a manner, the angst and frustration that individuals feel at any given time is able to be vicariously experience through such representations of violence. Even though organized society has come a long way, and individuals are arguably more involved now than at any other point in the past, this basic desire to solve any and all confrontation with violent means is an innate facet of humanity that will not likely disappear anytime in the near future. The impacts of this permeation of violence is of course a society that continues to keep violence front and center within their own minds; sustaining it to a stature that it would otherwise not received. Whereas violence is a determinant aspect of human evolution and provide something of a historical recollection point through which confrontation can be solved, it must also be understood that different societies integrate with violence and different manners. It is arguable that the globalizing influence of Western media has gone a long way in negatively impacting the extent to which violence is represented within

Social Performance, Part 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Social Performance, Part 2 - Essay Example The best way through which this is done is by having a proper code of ethics for the security firm. The paper focuses on the various ethical aspects involved in a business and the manner in which they relate to the security firm. Various companies have different codes of conduct and judging from their performance in the last couple of years it is important to note that the advantages of having these codes of ethics surpass other customer ratings. These results come from numerous studies carried out during the last census bringing out this information vividly. One of the acclaimed companies with about the best code of ethics is EverFocus Electronics AG. This security company has made great strides in the technology field from the various codes of ethics that it has employed. The Everfocus Electronics AG has one of its highly observed codes of conduct being etiquette. This is one of the company’s major strongpoint when it comes to dealing with public relations. The company has an extensive training program for employees where they are taught various manners in which to handle the needs and belongings of the employees (Williams, 2011). This is always in line to produce the best out of the employees for greater satisfaction of the client. They are trained that when handling consumer luggage they should enquire from the client how delicate or rather the nature of the luggage for best handling. With this, the client is always ensured of maximum safety of personal belongings. Another company to critique from its ventures and successes over the last decade is MOBOTIX AG. MOBOTIX is one other company that has hit the security industry with a blow due to the massive profit margins that it has had the ability of making even beating long time industry leaders. The company has had its successes attributed to the high amount of emphasis accorded to the use of CCTV. Many security companies do not use their CCTV security systems in the

Feasibility of Using Linux in both the Server and Workstation Research Paper

Feasibility of Using Linux in both the Server and Workstation Environments - Research Paper Example It is also available in source codes as well as binary forms. However, most of its applications are created by governments and organizations from across the world. Notably, the Linux OS is free to be used by individual as well as industrial users playing an active role in contributing to its overall system development. Linux is also termed as open source software which offers various benefits to individual users as well as organizational users in terms of security, speed and stability (Negus, â€Å"Linux Bible 2010 Edition: Boot Up to Ubuntu, Fedora, KNOPPIX, Debian, openSUSE, and 13 Other Distributions†). In the current day context, its distributors can be observed to have much in similarities, possessing minor differences in their application forms. Contextually, some of the major distributors offering Linux server and workstation facilities currently active can be identified as Red Hat, Debain, SUSE, Ubuntu, Slackware and Mandriva. Irrespective of their high degree of similarities, each distributor has been examined to comprise their unique strengths and weaknesses when compared with other players or their rivals. Thesis Statement The paper intends to compare and contrast Linux workstation and Linux server emphasizing on the operations performed by three different vendors namely Red Hat, SUSE, and Debain. The factors to be considered when evaluating the similarities and differences based on this context can be accounted as the total cost of ownership, training, support, performance, reliability and application availability. Linux Server and Linux Workstation and the Three Vendors A Linux server can be termed as a ‘high-power variant’ of the Linux open source operating system. The Linux server has been designed with a fundamental intention to deal with the needs of modern day business applications which is becoming majorly depended on networking and systems administration, virtual database management and web services. Linux servers are often selected over available other server operating systems due to its benefits in relation to stability, flexibility and security aspects. Similar ly, workstation is commonly regarded as a high performance desktop computer used for various purposes such as for business and trade as well as for personal and educational uses. To be specific, the Linux workstation can be noted as a computer system installed with Linux server and other Linux Operating System (OS) packages (Negus, â€Å"Linux Bible 2010 Edition: Boot Up to Ubuntu, Fedora, KNOPPIX, Debian, openSUSE, and 13 Other Distributions†). Red Hat Red Hat was established in the year 1993 which has headquartered at Raleigh, NC. Currently, Red Hay has more than 60 offices located in different parts of the world. Essentially Red Hat is considered to be the largest publicly traded technology company that is fully committed to open source. Red Hat Enterprise Linux server can be identified as a high scalable system which can effectively manage the underlying systems complexities. One of the competitive features possessed by Red Hat Enterprise Linux server products over its su bstitutes can be identified as its tendency to reduce data bottlenecks. Its mechanism which allows lower power consumption can also be considered as another competitive feature. This particular Linux server system tends to improve application performance and further ensure end to end data integrity. The Red Hat Enterprise Linux server products also provide a complete portfolio of security technologies with solution to various security challenges. Red Hat

How to be a good leader Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

How to be a good leader - Essay Example Much of history is recorded through the lives of famous leaders. Names such as George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Clara Barton, Mahatma Gandhi, Golda Meir, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., and Nelson Mandela symbolize major eras of social upheaval that have had immense repercussions. Most young people today aspire to become leaders in school, athletics, entertainment, politics, industry, the military, medicine, or some other area of endeavor (Howell, 2005). The stakes for the leaders of our future are rising rapidly and daily. The demands on the role in both public and private sector, the attention from the media to the problems we face, and the increased complexity of the world with globalization and galloping technology make leadership infinitely more difficult. The game has changed -- dramatically. Strange new rules have appeared. The deck has been shuffled and jokers added. Never before have American business, education, medicine, social welfare, and government faced so many challenges. There is a mood out there that must be termed dyspeptic -perhaps even murderous -- toward institutional leaders. It's part of the American paranoid style. But it has been exacerbated by scandals, media attention, and questions about character. Uncertainties and complexities abound. There are too many ironies, polarities, confusions, contradictions, and ambivalences for any organization to understand fully. The only truly predictable thing right now is unpredictability. Most of us grew up in organizations that were dominated by the thoughts and actions of the Fords, Taylors, and Webers, the fathers of the classic bureaucratic system. Bureaucracy was a splendid social invention in the nineteenth century, as the ideal mechanism for harnessing the manpower and resources of the Industrial Revolution. Today many organizations are reconsidering the macho, control-and-command mentality that is intrinsic to that increasingly threadbare model. They are looking to leadership that is empowering, that invites participation, that is flexible and responsive to the realities of life (McShane, & Glinow, 1999). As we begin, we must raise several cautions about leadership. First of all, leadership can be a heady experience. Learning about it, pursuing it, and encouraging it can take one on a dangerous power trip. If the purpose of leadership is, as we posit in this book, to take a stand for what one believes and to bring it forth into reality, then leaders must have a check on their ambition. In the leaders we admire, ambition is always balanced with competence and integrity. This three-legged stool upon which true leadership sits -- ambition, competence, and integrity -- must remain in balance if the leader is to be a constructive force in the organization rather than a destructive achiever of her or his own ends. Effective leaders continually ask questions, probing all levels of the organization for information, testing their own perceptions, and rechecking the facts. They talk to their constituents. They want to know what is working and what is not. They keep an open mind for serendipity to bring them the knowledge they

Business Financing and the Capital Structure Assignment

Business Financing and the Capital Structure - Assignment Example The total cost of each resource has to be determined and summarized. On the basis of the summarized reports of cost of resources, a budget will be prepared by the finance and accounts department which would help the organization to determine next course of action (Summers, 2011, pp.2-11). Working Capital Management Proper working capital management is necessary to carry out day to day business operations. It is defined as the difference between current assets and liabilities. Thus, the objective of working capital management is to maintain a balance between current assets and liabilities. Positive difference or surplus funds can be used to make planned expenses such as payment of short term obligations and salaries. The working capital is negative or deficit when the current liabilities exceed current assets that would require the firms to borrow short term funds in order to manage the deficit (Ganesan, 2007, pp.1-2). When the working capital is positive, the firm would have surplus short term funds which can be invested in the money market instruments. The maturity of money market instruments are less than one year and hence investment in money market is less risky. This is because, the status of any business can be more or less accurately predicted in short term whereas the same becomes uncertain as the maturity increases due to increased chances of borrower to default. Some important money market financial instruments are discussed as follows: Commercial papers (CP) – They are issues by highly rated corporate entities and classified as short term unsecured promissory notes issued at discount and redeemed at face value. Certificate of Deposit (CD) – It is similar to ordinary time deposit differing only in maturity period and interest rates. They are issued by banks and the interest rates are generally higher than savings deposit rates. Municipal notes – Short term financial security issued by municipality in expectation of tax receipts as revenues. Treasury bills – They are debt instruments issued by the government whose maturity ranges from 3 to 12 months. Repurchase agreements – they are short term loans that are arranged by an investor to whom securities would be sold with an agreement to repurchase them back on a future date at pre-determined fixed rate. Thus, a corporate organization may park their excess generated from efficient working capital management in above discussed financial instruments that are liquid and used as marketable securities. Financial Instruments of Securities Market Every organization invests capital in business to finance its operations and generates goods and services to meet demands and earn profit. As the business expands its operations more funds are required to carry out business objectives. The financial sources may be broadly classified into equity and debt. Funds can be raised from these sources in the financial securities market. The securities market may be furthe r divided into primary or secondary securities market. In the primary securities market only those securities are issued that are participating in securities market for first time and the process is known as IPO (Initial Public offering). The secondary market is a place for traders who buy or sell differ securities.

How to be a good leader Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

How to be a good leader - Essay Example Much of history is recorded through the lives of famous leaders. Names such as George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Clara Barton, Mahatma Gandhi, Golda Meir, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., and Nelson Mandela symbolize major eras of social upheaval that have had immense repercussions. Most young people today aspire to become leaders in school, athletics, entertainment, politics, industry, the military, medicine, or some other area of endeavor (Howell, 2005). The stakes for the leaders of our future are rising rapidly and daily. The demands on the role in both public and private sector, the attention from the media to the problems we face, and the increased complexity of the world with globalization and galloping technology make leadership infinitely more difficult. The game has changed -- dramatically. Strange new rules have appeared. The deck has been shuffled and jokers added. Never before have American business, education, medicine, social welfare, and government faced so many challenges. There is a mood out there that must be termed dyspeptic -perhaps even murderous -- toward institutional leaders. It's part of the American paranoid style. But it has been exacerbated by scandals, media attention, and questions about character. Uncertainties and complexities abound. There are too many ironies, polarities, confusions, contradictions, and ambivalences for any organization to understand fully. The only truly predictable thing right now is unpredictability. Most of us grew up in organizations that were dominated by the thoughts and actions of the Fords, Taylors, and Webers, the fathers of the classic bureaucratic system. Bureaucracy was a splendid social invention in the nineteenth century, as the ideal mechanism for harnessing the manpower and resources of the Industrial Revolution. Today many organizations are reconsidering the macho, control-and-command mentality that is intrinsic to that increasingly threadbare model. They are looking to leadership that is empowering, that invites participation, that is flexible and responsive to the realities of life (McShane, & Glinow, 1999). As we begin, we must raise several cautions about leadership. First of all, leadership can be a heady experience. Learning about it, pursuing it, and encouraging it can take one on a dangerous power trip. If the purpose of leadership is, as we posit in this book, to take a stand for what one believes and to bring it forth into reality, then leaders must have a check on their ambition. In the leaders we admire, ambition is always balanced with competence and integrity. This three-legged stool upon which true leadership sits -- ambition, competence, and integrity -- must remain in balance if the leader is to be a constructive force in the organization rather than a destructive achiever of her or his own ends. Effective leaders continually ask questions, probing all levels of the organization for information, testing their own perceptions, and rechecking the facts. They talk to their constituents. They want to know what is working and what is not. They keep an open mind for serendipity to bring them the knowledge they

Political Ideologies Essay Example for Free

Political Ideologies Essay Ideology is a highly contested phenomenon used in politics, social science and philosophical discourse. Heywood (2003, p12) defines ideology as ‘a more or less coherent set of ideas that provides the basis for organised political action whether this is intended to preserve, modify or overthrow the existing system of power. ’ According to Freeden (2003) we are all ideologists in the sense that we prescribe to certain political views in our environment. He goes on to say that ideologies are competing interpretations of making sense of the worlds we live in. Ideologies look at what society should be like and why the society is the way it is. Leach (2002) states that the term ideology is quite problematic. He also defines ideology as â€Å"interconnected set of ideas which form a perspective on the world† Leach. R. (2002, p. 1) Williams (1998) defines ideology as a system of ideas and beliefs that offer a means of understanding the world. He also adds that these ideas provide a programme to shape the future and seen as a guide to action. From the above, it is clear that there is no agreed definition of what ideology is. My view of ideology is ideas or views attempting to explain how society should be. Political parties may have conflicting ideas on certain issues of society and therefore influence the policies which affect service users. From this perspective, I can suggest that ideology is related to a set or system of beliefs, ideas and values that individuals, groups and organisations hold. Examples of ideologies include communism, socialism, liberalism, conservatism, feminism and fascism. Implications to Social Work Many service users who come in contact with social workers will be experiencing poverty and deprivation. Social workers will be there to advocate and advise service users on how to apply for these benefits. According to Thompson (2005) poverty leads to other problems such as poor mental health and social exclusion. Social workers support these service users by sign posting for counselling, rehabilitation and psychotherapy. Liberalism as an ideology offers an explanation of how social problems are constructed and how families and individuals are conceptualised within this framework. Thompson, (2005) suggested that problems are constructed by society. Adams, (2002) state that as social workers we need to keep up to date with all policy changes so that we can advise service users accordingly. He emphasises that social workers should be proactive by reading informative newspapers and social work journals. Brechnin (2000) cited in Adams (2002) also state that it is vital for practitioners to grasp the policy context of the cases they deal with and thereby improve how they deal with service users complexities. Critical understanding of policies concerning children and families may help social workers improve practice. Social workers need to assess and identify the needs of a service user group for example people with disabilities and find out as much information as they can through research on how they can assist and empower service users. The question for social workers is do we challenge a belief or ideology which we think does not fit in with social work values for example Conservatism. On the other hand, we enter into another debate of social workers as agents of the state so whichever government is in power, social workers as agents of state would have to follow their beliefs. We need to be aware of the current government beliefs, and its influence on policies so that we are equipped to advise service users on services available. To conclude, the practice of social work in modern liberal society rests on liberal principles. By locating the connections between social work and Liberalism ideology, we have seen how practical social knowledge is influenced by liberal philosophical assumptions. These central tenets of Liberalism are liberty, tolerance, and a free-market economy. These core beliefs affect all areas of social life, including social work. The tensions that permeate the practices of liberal governments are present in the field of social work and valuable indicators of the complexity of the issues social workers face. Crucially, they are open to reform. There are deep social problems in liberal society such as poverty, inequality, alienation. What we can learn from these problems is that if Liberalism will succeed in its aspirations it needs to expand its scope to include more social and corporate responsibility, and a greater understanding of community. Bibliography Adams, R. (2002), Social Policy for Social work, Basingstoke: Palgrave Alasdair. D. M. (1981), After Virtue , 2nd edn, London: Duckworth. Bellamy, R. (1992), Liberalism and modern society Cambridge: Polity press. Frazer, E. and Lacey, N. (1993) The Politics of community, Hertfordshire: Harvester Wheatsheaf. Freeden, M. (2003), Ideology: A very short Introduction, Oxford: Oxford University Press Heywood, A. (2007) Political Ideologies an introduction, 4th edn, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Hills, J. and Stewart, K. (2005), A More Equal Society, Bristol: Policy press Hobbes, T. (1985) Leviathan , London: Penguin Classics. Leach, R. (2002), Political Ideology in Britain, Basingstoke: Palgrave Mullaly, B. (2007), The New Structural Social work: Ideology, Theory, Practice, (3rd edn), USA: Oxford University Press Ramsay, M (1997) What’s wrong with Liberalism London: Leicester University Press. Rousseau, J. J. (1968) The Social Contract, London: Penguin books. Rawls, J (1999), A Theory of Justice, Oxford: Open University Press. Thompson, N. (2005), Understanding Social Work: Preparing for practice, (2nd edn), Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan. Williams, A. (1998) UK Government and Politics, Oxford: Heinemann Wilson, K et al, (2008) Social Work: An Introduction to contemporary practice, Harlow: Pearson Education Limited.

Physiological Benefits Of Physical Activity Health And Social Care Essay

Physiological Benefits Of Physical Activity Health And Social Care Essay Introduction Over the past 25 years, the UK has seen an increase in individuals aged 65 yrs and over. In 2009, it was reported by the Office of National Statistics (2010) that the population aged 65 and over increased from 15% in 1984 to 16% in 2009, which is an increase of 1.7 million people. They predict that by year 2034 23% of the population is projected to be aged 65 and over compared to 18% aged 16 and under. The fact that people are living longer is associated with healthy active living, over the past 10 years health has steadily improved (ONS, 2004). It is reported that older adults who are physically active report a greater satisfaction in life (Weinberg Gould, 2007) this is due to retaining mobility and keeping their quality of life and independence (Chaudhury Shelton, 2010). In 2008, the Department of Health (2010) reported that 39% of men and 29% of women aged 16 and over met the governments recommendations for physical activity, this was compared with 32% of men and 21% of women in 1997. However, evidence suggests that with an increase of age there is a decrease in levels of physical activity regardless of the well publicised benefits of the association with good health and well being (Berger, Der, Mutrie Hannah, 2005). Retirement can be a key time to focus on physical activity and well being. It is a time where people can review many areas of their life, including their health. People make preparations for retirement in different ways but research shows that very little preparations are made for health promoting physical activity (Chaudhury Shelton, 2010). As the older adult population is rising, maintaining a healthy life is a growing public concern (Acree, 2006) in year 2002, physical inactivity was reported to cost  £8.2 billion a year (NHS, 2008). A recent study by Chaudhury Shelton (2010) formed the basis of this study, the paper explains the data analysis from the Health Survey for England (HSfE) in 2006 and 2007 which focused on physical activity participation amongst 60 to 69 year olds and knowledge of the physical participation requirement. The study highlighted that older adults had unrealistic views of their perceived activity levels and reported that there was a lack of knowledge regarding the recommended physical activity guidelines. They examined the perceived barriers to physical activity participation and reported that barriers such as work and lack of time prevented them taking part in exercise. From the study they concluded that there needs to be more focus on health promotion and education particularly in the over sixties. In order to promote healthy living firstly, we need to understand why physical activity decreases with age. The purpose of this study is to explore the attitudes and behaviours towards physic al activity with particular focus on 60- 69 year old. A qualitative study will provide the basis of this study. Qualitative methods offer the opportunity to explore an individuals experiences, perceptions, motives and barriers to physical activity (Thomas, Nelson Silverman, 2005). In addition, this study will review other studies which have been carried out associated with physical activity around retirement. Aim The aim of this study is to explore the attitudes and behaviours towards physical activity in people aged 60 69 years focusing on continuity and change around the time of retirement. Objectives 1. To explore knowledge of physical activity recommendations and attitudes to participation 2. To research continuity and change in levels of physical activity at retirement 3. To describe perceptions of sufficiency of own physical activity behaviour 4. Explore the perceived barriers to meeting governments recommended levels of physical activity, before and after retirement. Analysis from the data obtained from the interviews can be used to provide recommendations towards improving the transition to retirement in terms of achieving health promoting physical activity levels. Limitations There are limitations regarding the sample size and reliability of the information. The sample size was small and levels of activity were what participants perceived as being enough exercise however despite this the literature was consistent with our findings. Literature Review Physiological benefits of Physical Activity According to World Health Organisation (2010) globally, physical inactivity contributes to 1.9 million deaths per year and is currently the fourth leading risk factor for all deaths. It has been well publicised that regular physical activity has a huge influence on promoting good health and psychological well being and is associated with the reduction of risk factors for chronic health problems such as cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes and obesity (Martinez del Castillo et al, 1997; Sjogren Stjernberg, 2010). Physical activity can be defined as any bodily movement produced by the contraction of skeletal muscle that increases energy expenditure above a basal level (WHO, 2010) and has a range of health benefits which can be achieved through sport and exercise or activities such as walking, cycling, gardening and housework (Department of Health, 2010). Although the aging process is vulnerable to a wide range of conditions such as hypertension, back pain, osteoporosis and some ca ncers studies have shown that physical activity can reduce these and can increase life expectancy and improve bone and muscle strength (Berger et al, 2005). Stewart et al (2003) examined a group of older sedentary adults and reported that physical activity was evidently associated with a reduction of bodily pain and that small amounts of regular physical activity was associated with better quality of life. King et al, (2000) studied physical activity and physical functioning in 103 adults aged 65 yrs and over using moderate-intensity endurance and strengthening exercises and stretching and flexibility exercises. The study reported significant improvements to quality of life and mobility. Research supports the theory that exercise enhances quality of life (QOL). Berger (2009) explains that QOL is a broad construct that reflects a persons perception of his or her own position in life in relation to personal goals, standards, and expectations within the context of culture and value sys tems in which the individual lives. Therefore the relationship between exercise and QOL may be influenced by an individuals own perceptions and values. Chaudhury and Shelton (2010) explain that by maintaining independent living is the key. Improving balance and co ordination can help prevent injury from trips or falls. Cassell (2002) recommended physical activity to be the best treatment for aging. Psychological Factors and Physical activity Brassington et al (2002) explains that the strongest determinant for physical activity participation for older adults is self efficacy or confidence. If a person enjoys what they are doing they are more likely to participate in it. Physical activity can be encouraged by many factors and older adults tend to look at physical activity as how it is going to benefit them. For example if I exercise I will lose weight or if I exercise and remain fit I will be able to play with the grand children. There are many theories which can be applied to health behaviours which we will look at later on in this paper. Participation is preserved through enjoyment and social support from friends and family. One study (Cooper Thomas, 2002) used ballroom dancing as a way of keeping fit and were physically challenged by using different styles of dancing to suit the persons skills. Dancing encouraged social networks which supported participation across major life events such as loss of a spouse or friend t hrough support from other dancers .Having a social network or living with a partner has found to have a positive influence on physical activity participation (Bruce, 2002). Regular exercise can help preserve independence (Sparling et al, 2000) it can increase feeling of self worth, increase self efficacy and reduce feelings of feeling reliant family members (Chaudhury Shelton, 2010). Research suggests that the health benefits of physical activity and exercise are now well established. In 2010 the World Health Organisation reported that by 2020 depression will follow cardiovascular disease as the worlds leading cause of death and disability. Psychological disorders such as depression are commonly treated by medication or by taking part in therapy sessions however, more people are now looking at physical activity as a way of dealing with feelings of depression (Weinberg Gould, 2007). Barriers to Physical Activity The benefit and the barriers to physical activity are significant for behaviour change and its important that in order to increase participation that we understanding the barriers that older adults face. The Health Survey for England (2008) reported that 41% of men and 43% of women reported lack of time as the main barrier to exercise many older people may have caring responsibilities or may be involved in voluntary work and use lack of time for a reason not to exercise (BHF, 2010). Barriers can be classified into two groups these are intrinsic or extrinsic. Intrinsic barriers are based on an individuals belief, previous experience or self efficacy. Brassington et al (2002) explains that the strongest determinant for physical activity participation for older adults is self efficacy or confidence. Many older adults have the fear of not been able to keep up with the class or not wanting to attend the class alone. They may be conscious of their body image and fear for lack of changing f acilities. Extrinsic barriers refer to the environment for example; concerns for safety older adults may be concerned about slippery pool side surfaces, ageism, or skills of teachers (BHF, 2010). Overcoming these barriers is paramount in promoting health and independence and by taking part in regular physical activity will in turn help prevent ill health and disability. Those who understand the benefits to exercise will have fewer barriers than those who are not aware of the benefits to physical activity and those who have several barriers will have low perceived benefits. It is important that people are educated of the benefits to physical activity. Socio-economic status and physical activity Research has looked at how physical activity can be influenced, factors that have been found to be most significant amongst older adults include education, social class, participation earlier in life, social support and opportunity factors (Bird, 2009). Martinez del Castillo et al, (2005) examined the participation rates of physical activity between social classes and reported that there was a positive relationship between social classes. The results found that the percentage of those physically active were Upper class =38.2%, middle class =18.5%, lower class= 9.7%. The relationship was found with their present income; those who had adequate income participated in physical activity and those that didnt did not want to participate. Overall, the lower the social status the less old adult participation in physical activity. Those who had encouragement from a partner or a social network who wanted to take part in physical activity took part. This is not to say that people from lower cla sses would be exempt but local opportunities and encouragement may contribute to leading healthy lifestyle (Martinez del Castillo et al, 2005). Lower classes do not always get the same opportunities, the higher someones socio economic status the greater the opportunities (Berger et al, 2005). Those amongst lower socio economic groups, health has always been an issue and suggests education and health promotion focusing on low income communities (Peterson et al, 2006). The Whitehall study (2004) of British Civil Servants explored the relationship between work, retirement and physical activity. They found that different occupational grades affected health. Those in a lower employment grade had a higher mortality rate compared to those in higher grades. Physical activity was least regular with those working full time compared to those working part time or not at all. This would suggest that those working part time or not at all would have more time to exercise. Interestingly, after reti rement those who worked full time were found not to increase their levels of activity however, those who worked part time or not at all did. The frequency of physical activity amongst the different occupational grades was found to be higher with more sport and gardening done by higher occupational grades (Mein et al, 2005). Sjogren Stjernberg (2010) found that having access to areas for country walks, parks and recreational centres are the most important factors for influencing outdoor activity. Education is an important predictor of older adult physical activity; women with a low level of education compared to women with a higher level, those with a higher level were more likely to take part in physical activity. Mortality rates are lower amongst those who become physically active later in life compared to those who may have been active earlier in life but now have a sedentary lifestyle (Sjogren Stjernberg, 2010). Arguably, Berger et al, (2005) reported that education, car and de privation were not strong predictors of whether someone regularly takes part in physical activity instead other lifestyle factors such as not smoking and healthy diet were strong predictors. Continuity and Change Continuity and change plays an important role in the transition to retirement, whilst retirement is seen as a time of leisure, studies have shown that only a small amount of people make changes to their leisure activities after retirement (Nimrod, 2007). Atchley (1989) explains that the Continuity Theory is considered a key feature of post retirement leisure, the theory holds that, in making adaptive choices, middle-aged and older adults attempt to preserve and maintain existing internal and external structures; and they prefer to accomplish this objective by using strategies tied to their past experiences of themselves and their social world. Change is linked to the persons perceived past, producing continuity in inner psychological characteristics as well as in social behaviour and in social circumstances. Continuity is thus a grand adaptive strategy that is promoted by both individual preference and social approval. In recent study Nimrod (2007), explored the adaptation process to retirement, particularly changes in behaviour and the psychological benefits. The study involved examining four different groups of people (1) expanders-those who report participation in a greater amount of activities at a higher frequency, (2) reducers-those who reported participation in the same or in fewer activities at the same or at a lower frequency, (3) concentrators-those who report participation in the same, or in fewer activities, but at a higher frequency, and (4) diffusers-people who report participation in a larger number of activities but at the same or at a lower frequency. Interviews were carried out using four different questionnaires. Their finding supported the Continuity Theory that people did not tend to engage in any new leisure activities after retirement they simply spent more time participating in the activities they were involved in pre retirement. Participation in activities in early life promotes participation later in life (Martinez del Castillo et al, 2005). Government guidelines and initiatives The recommendation for how much physical activity is required has changed over the years (Berger et al, 2005). The Chief Medical Officer for England set a target that by 2020 70% of the UK population will be reasonably active (Allender, Cowburn Foster, 2006). The current recommendation for physical activity is at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity activity, 5 days per week to improve health and quality of life, this can be built up in bouts of 10 minutes or more (Berger et al, 2005; Allender et al, 2006; Berger, 2009; WHO, 2010). Moderate intensity could include activities such as gardening, swimming, house work or home improvements, the intensity should correspond to that of a brisk walk (Berger et al, 2005; NHS, 2010). Short bouts of exercise are more tolerable and more enjoyable than long or high intensity exercise (Wilson, Yilla Soloman, 2001). The issue is not being able to get people to exercise it is encouraging people to adhere to exercise (Byrne Byrne, 1993). In a rep ort by the Department of Health (2001) the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommended a programme for patients suffering from depression using structured, supervised exercise, three times a week for 45 minutes to 1 hour for 10 to 12 weeks. The programmes were rolled out through exercise referral schemes. In 2006 NICE reviewed the scheme and found that there was insufficient evidence. This was due to patients not maintaining the physical activity they had been prescribed as they found leisure facilities and gyms intimidating and adherence levels dropped. If patients are to adhere to exercise long term it needs to be an activity that they enjoy. National and local policies aim to promote independence and mobility, prevent ill health disease and disability and prevent accidents amongst older people. The following government initiatives are currently available; Free swimming for the over sixties Lets get moving Physical activity care pathway programme. Chief medical officer report at least 5 per day Choosing physical activity an action plan Heidelberg guidelines for promoting physical activity amongst older people Sport England Sport playing its part Policy on sustainable walking Policy on sustainable cycling The government is always looking for ways to promote physical activity. Theories are used in assisting with promoting health behaviours. Transtheoretical Theory and Physical Activity Over the years there has been an increasing need for more theory driven research in health behaviour change. There have been many theories developed to help understand changes to health behaiviour for example The Social Cognitive Theory (Bandura, 1977) and the Transtheoretical Model (Prochaska DiClemente, 1984) which is one of the most widely adopted models in health promotion. The components of the Transtheoretical Model that have been applied to exercise are stage of change, processes of change, decisional balance, self-efficacy, and temptation to not exercise. Stage of change refers to a persons readiness to engage in regular exercise. Pre contemplation is the stage where someone does not take part in any physical activity and is not planning to start within the next 6 months. Thee contemplation stage is where someone is considering taking part in physical activity within the next 6 months, someone may stay in the contemplation stage as long as 2 years but may never move from thi s stage. Someone in the preparation stage may have already started to exercise but nothing regular but they have taken the first steps to start. The Action stage describes someone who has been exercing for less than 6 months. This is the most unreliable stage and there is a possibility of relapse. The Maintenance stage describes someone who has been exercising for 6 months or more. It is likely that once reaching this stage that someone will continue to exercise and it becomes part of their daily routine. It is important to identify what stage a person is at before putting strategies in place to promote physical activity (Sparling, 2000). The Social Cognitive Theory (Bandura, 1977) Methodology To meet the aims and objectives of this study, qualitative research methods were used to obtain information. Qualitative researchers study things in their natural settings, attempting to make sense of, or interpret, phenomenon in terms of the meanings people bring to them. It involves the studied use and collection of a variety of empirical materials (e.g., life story, interviews, etc.) that describe routine and problematic moments and meanings in individuals lives (Denzin Lincoln, 1998). Qualitative methods aim to explore and individuals experiences, perceptions, motives and barriers (Thomas Nelson, 1996). It is inductive which enables a theory to be developed following the collection of the data. There are three different types of interviews Structured; usually with a structured questionnaire, Semi structured; Open ended questions, and un-structured; Questions are based on what the interviewee says (Britten, 1995). For the purpose of this study a face to face semi-structured interview was conducted in November 2011 and took place at the respondents homes situated in the North West England. The study was based 2 female retirees aged between 60yrs and 69yrs who retired during the past five years. Open questions were asked during the interview regarding: Previous occupation(s), leisure time activities, reasons for retirement, knowledge of physical activity and participation in physical activity. Interviews lasted between 30 and 45 minutes. Interviews were arranged by telephone. 15 women were asked if they would consider participating in the study. 2 women volunteered. Interviews were arranged at a time convenient for the participants. They were advised that no costs would be involved and were notified that the benefits for taking part in the study were that they will receive information relating to physical activity and details of the current government recommended guidelines. Sampling Criteria Consideration was applied as to who could be purposively selected for this study. Participants were recruited from a local womens group. The inclusion criteria were they should be aged between 60 69 years, working to retirement or retired within the last 5 years. Exclusion criteria included; history of psychiatric illness including depression, history of neurological illness or history of heart disease. Interviews were arranged by telephone. 15 women were asked if they would consider participating in the study. 2 women volunteered. Interviews were arranged at a time convenient for the participants. They were advised that no costs would be involved and were notified that the benefits for taking part in the study were that they will receive information relating to physical activity and details of the current government recommended guidelines. Ethical Issues Prior to this research commencing ethical approval was obtained by the University. An information sheet and a consent form was prepared and handed to the participants 24 hours prior to the interview. This enabled the participants to ask questions and to give consent prior to the interviews commencing. Participants were advised that interviews would be recorded and that all information from the interview would be kept confidential. They were free to withdraw from the study without reason at any time and that any data would be destroyed. Data Analysis Following the interview the interviews were transcribed Results and Discussion In general, both participants considered themselves to be physically active whilst at work. P1and P2 had occupations within a shop setting where they did alot of lifting and carrying. P1 worked in a florist and P2 in a supermarket both participants explained that they enjoyed their jobs but as they became older they found it difficult to be as active at work as much as they had been. P1 explains; .ill health caused me to say enough is enough because I was working 16 / 17 hours per day because we were so busy. P2 explains; .I did a lot of lifting in my job that is one of the reasons why I came off the job, I had to do a lot of kneeling, it was causing me a lot of pain on my knees. Both participants explained that they still wanted to be active but natural ageing caused them to slow down. P2 expanded on this and went onto say that in the 8 years building up to retirement she helped out in a childrens nursery, helping wash up, answering the door. After retiring from the florist she still felt that she needed to keep busy. Whilst being active in the workplace I how far participants lived away from their work and how they used to get there. P1 explained that although she only lived 5 minutes away she would drive to work. This was because she would start at 4am by attending the markets to buy the flowers for the shop and generally would not finish until 6 or 7 o clock in the evening. Deliveries would also need to be done during the day so she needed the car. P2 also drove to work however she would sometimes walk depending on the time of the shift. P2 explained that if it was evening she would definitely drive. When asked the reasons for walking whether it was to en able her to keep fit. P2 explained that it never crossed her mind that it was exercise and that it was doing good, she did it because she fancied a walk and wanted some fresh air. Their understanding of sport and physical activity was fairly accurate. It was explained that sport was something that you took part in, went out and played. Where physical activity was explained as a hobby something that was pleasurable. Physical activity does not have to be competitive. Many studies only examine leisure activities, its important that if we are to encourage healthy living that Simple housework, home improvements or going for a brisk walk are included in the daily accumulation of physical activity. When asked about what leisure activities they participated in before they retired P1 explained; I cant say I had a lot of time when I came home from the shop, apart from cooking and baking, going for a walk, going to football match, things like that, holidays theyre all classed as activities arent they P2 explained;Leisure time was a non entity, no such thing as leisure time, because I had a home and a family to look after so there wasnt really time for any leisure time, the only time was perhaps later in an evening where you would perhaps sit down and watch the television for a couple of hours before you went to bed at night. This highlights the barriers, lack of time being the primary reason for not exercising this corresponds with the English National survey where lack of time was reported as the main reason and most frequently reported barrier for not taking part in exercise. Women typically find it difficult to find time to exercise due to the demands of a family, household jobs and work, they rarely have time for themselves. Making physical activity part of your daily routine encourages physical participation throughout the life course which enhances both mental and physical well being. Those who participate in physical activity throughout their life are more likely to continue this later on in life (Castillo et al, 2005; Berger et al, 2005).P2 explained that she had never participated in any sport throughout her life as it was just not something that she was interested in. P2 explained Because im just not a sporty type of person im more into delving in history, thats my past time, which does not require much physical exertion.. . As highlighted previously exercise does not need to include sport activities but moderate intensity exercise such as going for a brisk walk, gardening or housework are all types of exercise. P1 explained I am a crown green bowler, I was the president for the North Lancs and Fylde, I was the captain of the county When asked if this was something she had aways taken participated in. P1 explained that her husband who has only just recently passed away was also a bowler this influenced her to participate in this past time together. Castilo et al, (2005); Bruce, (2002) identified that having a social network, including living with a partner encouraged participation. Both participants retired at retirement age because it was the right time, so they could start to sit back and enjoy life. Both participants could afford to retire and decided it was ready to enjoy life. This supports the theory that a persons socio-economic position continues to influence on post-retirement activities (Scherger, Nazroo Higgs, 2010). P1 explainedWhen I turned 60 he said come on lets spend some time together, lifes too short and you dont realise, you think you have years so I said right I will do so I did.. P2 explained It was retirement age and I just felt it was the right time for me to retire, id had enough of working life I just wanted to get out the rat race of working, cause I wasnt really enjoying my job at that time. I can afford to retire so thats what I am going to do and enjoy life a bit.. People make preparations for retirement in different ways but research shows that very little preparations are made for health promoting physical activity (Chaudhury Shelton, 2010). When asked about how they would consider keeping fit and healthy in retirement, P1 explained; Never crossed my mind, I knew I would still always be doing, I knew I still did things. I bowl even more now, even in the winter I do indoor bowling P2 explained; No, I knew I would go for walks, I have a garden at home, I have a grandson who id be running round after Participants were asked about their knowledge of the government guidelines for physical activity. Research suggests that very few people know how much exercise is required. P1 and P2 responses correspond with this. P1 replied .Well I wouldnt know what it was but I would imagine there was one P2 replied .no Participation in activities appears to be based on enjoyment and social networks (Allender et al, 2006) I asked P2 the main reasons for participating in bowling now whether it was for the fitness or more the social aspects? P1 replied Both really, meeting people, social side of things Chaudhury Skelton (2010) stated that those not in work reported more physical activity at home or during leisure time compared to when in employment. When asked if they thought they were more active now or before they retired both participants said that they thought they were more active now P1 explained. yes I would say now. P2 explained . I would say I have more now. Berger et al, (2005) outlined that if a person is considerably active during employment that activity is not always replaced after retirement. The study found that people in work were more likely to meet the daily levels of exercise required than in retirement. Physical activity should be measured in other activities to ensure the recommended daily levels of activity are met. P2 added that she also does volunteer work at the local church. Van Willigen (2000) reported that older people who worked as a volunteer experienced positive changes in perceived health and experienced an increase in life satisfaction Both participants were aware of local activities aimed at the over 60s however, both stated that they perceived that took part in enough activities to meet the daily target of 30 minutes per day. People make preparations for retirement in different ways but research shows that very little preparations are made for health promoting physical activity (Chaudhury Shelton, 2010). Conclusion The aim of this study was to explore the behaviours and attitudes to physical activity around retirement age. My findings are show that there are clear variations of older adult physical activity from sport related activities to general leisure time. Studies have shown to examine formal activities but there is li