Infant/Early Childhood Naturalistic Observation Essay

I observed a classroom of four-year-old students who are enrolled at the Child Development Center on the George Mason University campus. This observation lasted about fifteen minutes with a total of twelve students in the classroom. At the time of my observation the students were engaging in free playtime where they are allowed to play games, make crafts, and interact with their fellow classmates. I was seated in the corner of the classroom where the children could not easily see me or get distracted by me. I stayed seated throughout the whole observation so the students would not be affected by my presence. Many different activities were happening at the same time, but a couple standout situations reminded me of many subject areas we focused on in class. One particular observation was the various styles of play the students were engaging in. About half of the students were engaging in constructive play while the others were engaging in dramatic play. Constructive play is characteriz ed by the act of creating or constructing something while dramatic, or make-believe play, is characterized by acting out everyday and imaginary roles (Berk, 2010, p262). The two play styles are very common in children around the age of four. There were about five children playing â€Å"house.† In the family there was a child pretending to be the mommy, the daddy, the older brother, the younger sister, and the puppy. The mommy was making dinner while the daddy was watching television and supervising the children while they did their homework. The young girl who was acting as the puppy gave out a few occasional â€Å"ruffs† to make her presence known. The young girl, who assumed her role as the mother, yelled out â€Å"dinners ready.† The two young kids pretending to be the children stopped doing homework and sat down at the dinner table. The young girl playing the mom sternly said to her children â€Å"be careful, the food is very hot. It just came out of the oven.† They continued this story for the remainder of my observation with various story lines and new characters added to the story. This scenario depicts the perfect explanation of the type of play style described as dramatic play. Dramatic play permits children to fit the reality of the world into their own interests and knowledge. One of the purest forms of symbolic thought available to young children, dramatic play, contributes strongly to the  intellectual development of children. Young children learn by imagining and doing and dramatic play allows them to do so. Dramatic play also promotes the use of speaking and listening skills. When children take part in this type of play, they practice words they have heard others say, and realize that they must listen to what other â€Å"players† say in order to be able to respond in an appropriate fashion. This style of play also promotes the development of social skills through interaction with others, peers or adults, which is a necessary factor in a child’s future. While some children were playing â€Å"house† others were taking part in constructive play. In this stage, toddlers have a deep understanding of what various objects can do and will now try to build things with the toys and everyday objects they find around them. One child had a box of blocks and was building a train track. Once he finished he assembled a line of trains to ride along the track he had just built. He repeatedly made noises that trains usually make such as â€Å"choo-choo.† Other children were interlocking Lego blocks and creating various structures while some were playing with play-dough and sculpting whatever came to their mind. When toddlers play with these open-ended materials, they have the chance to build many different skills. These could include using art materials to create a picture or project giving toddlers practice using fine motor skills that they need to write and perform tasks that they will need for the rest of their lives. You may never t hink that the different styles of play a child engages in effects them or their future, but when you look deeper into the various cognitive and motor developments these plays enhance you can see that it is very important for all children to participate in these behaviors. References Berk, L. (2010). Development Through The Lifespan. (5th Edition). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Grand jury paper Essay

Explore the right to a preliminary examination and the role of the grand jury A preliminary hearing may not be held in every criminal case in which a â€Å"not guilty† plea is entered. Some states conduct preliminary hearings only when a felony is charged, and other states utilize a â€Å"grand jury indictment† process in which a designated group of citizens decides whether, based on the government’s evidence, the case should proceed to trial. Last but not least, the possibility always exists that any time prior to the preliminary hearing a criminal case will be resolved through a plea bargain between the government and the defendant. A Grand Jury determines whether there is enough evidence for the trial. Grand juries carry out this duty by examining evidence presented to them by the prosecution, and issuing indictments, or by investigating alleged crimes and issuing, presentments. A grand jury is traditionally larger and more distinguishable from a petit jury, which is used during trial. Both of these are good for both parties because it gives a chance for both parties to see what evidence and figure out how the state is going to proceed. The DA must only present enough evidence to convince a judge that he has enough evidence to go to court. The Defense may not know if the DA has much more damning evidence in the future, so it can be unknown to the Defense and be a guessing game. It offers a chance for a judge or jury to decide if the case merits going to trial, and if it doen’t then the defendant is released. But if there is very good evidence, and the Defense realizes that they perceive that the Prosecution has very good evidence, then it is a chance to plea bargain, in which both parties may wish to do, in order to avoid drawing out proceedings.

Malaysia Education Trend

Historical background of higher education Ever since the Federation of Malaya gained independence in 1957, theMalaysian education system has been developing so as to unify the nationstateand to promote economic growth. The Education Act of 1961,which followed educational reform efforts such as the Razak Statementof 1956 and the Rahman Talib Report of 1960, has governed the moderneducation system in Malaysia. These educational reforms correlated withsocioeconomic conditions.In the early 1970s, the New Economic Policy(NEP 1971), or Bumiputera Policy, was implemented. The NEP aimedto bring about a better balance in enrollment among the different ethnicgroups in Malaysia. 1 It resulted in a steady increase in the number ofBumiputera students in Malaysian universities. Furthermore, since theearly 1970s, the Malaysian government has sought to make more effectiveuse of the nation’s Malay human resources in the process of economicdevelopment, and the percentage of Malay students at ev ery educationallevel has increased steadily.Basically, the Malaysian education system follows a 6-3-2 structure,with six years of primary school, three years of lower secondary school,and two years of upper secondary school (see Appendix 1). Eleven yearsof basic education are provided to all citizens. However, the highereducationsystem has been limited to the elite citizens of the country. Performance in the public examination, known as the SPM (SijilPelajaranMalsyaia/Malaysia Certicate of Education), which is taken after theeleventh year of school, determines whether FormIV students can enterpost-secondary education (matriculation, or six Form).Until the mid-1990s,the Malaysian government encouraged students to study overseas in theU. K. , the U. S. , Australia, or Japan. The 1st phase of the establishment of public universities started in1969 under the Universities and University Colleges Act. During this time,UniversitiSains Malaysia (USM 1969), UniversitiKebangsaan Malaysia(UKM 1970), UniversitiPertanian Malaysia (UPM 1971), and UniversitiTeknologi Malaysia (UTM 1975) were established (see Table 1).Moreover,four public universities were established during the second phase (fromThe Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) was created on 27 March 2004 to take charge of higher education in Malaysia which involves more than 900,000 students pursuing higher education in 20 public universities, 33 private universities and university colleges, 4 foreign university branch campuses, 22 polytechnics, 37 community colleges and about 500 private colleges. The MOHE’s mission is to create a higher education environment that will foster the development of academic and institutional excellence.It is in line with the vision of the government to make Malaysia a centre of educational excellence and to internationalise of Malaysian education. Higher educational reform and the roles of private universities in the mid-1990sIn the mid-1990s, four educational acts were implemen ted: the EducationAct of 1995, the 1995 Amendments to the University and UniversityColleges Act of 1971 (1995 Amendments to the UUCA 1971), the PrivateHigher Education Institutions Act of 1996 (PHEIA 1996), and the NationalCouncil on Higher Education Act of 1996 (NCHEA 1996).With theimplementation of the Private Higher Education Institutions Act of 1996,the private sector increased its involvement in providing tertiary education(Malaysia 2001). The Act allowed private institutions of higher educationand foreign universities to establish franchises and degree courses. Inparticular, private-sector universities were encouraged to offer science andtechnology courses in order to increase enrollment at higher-educationalinstitutions and to produce a greater number of highly skilled graduates(Malaysia 1998: 122).Six private universities, Malaysia Multimedia University (MMU), UniversitiTenagaNasional (Uniten), UniversitiTeknologiPertonas (UTP),UniversitiTunAdbul Razak (Unitar), Internationa l Medical University(IMU), and UniversitiIndustri Selangor (Unisel), began offering degreelevelcourses in engineering, business studies, medicine, and multimedia.Since that time, the number of private universities has increased, as seenin Table 2. IT-focused universities from both public and private sectors,such as Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), UniversitiKebangsaan Malaysia(UKM), Multimedia University, and UniversitiTenaga (Uniten), operatein the MSC (see Table 2).Their challenging cases will be examined as follows:the case studies of the Malaysia Multimedia University as the newlyestablished core university of MSC at 1st; second, the Malaysia NationalUniversity as the traditional university which might have some difficultiesin attempting the new challenges; and third, University Malaysia Sarawak(Unimas) which shows a need for distance learning because of its locationon the island of Borneo. Malaysia Multimedia University (MMU) as a pioneerMalaysia Multimedia University (MMU) was established as the core institutionof the MSC in July 996, and was the 1stst private university to begiven accreditation by the government. MMU has two campuses that offerfaculty in several fields: technology, IT, creative multimedia, and administration at the Cyberjaya Campus in the MSC; and technology, informationscience technology, business, and law at the Malacca campus. There are9,000 undergraduate and post-graduate students, including foreign studentsfrom 31 countries (e. g. , Brunei, Sudan, Bosnia, Malawi, Tanzania, India,Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Turkey, China, Thailand, and Guinea 4)enrolled in MMU. MMU uses English as the language of instruction.Knowledge-Campus (K-Campus) projects of UniversitiKebangsaan MalaysiaNot only newly established universities, but also the nine historical universities(public universities established before 1994) conduct IT-relatedprojects. All nine public universities have embarked on open- or distancelearningprograms (Siowek-Lee and Rin alia 1998). UniversitiKebangsaanMalaysia (UKM, Malaysia National University), one of the most prestigiousuniversities in Malaysia, formed a special ICT committee to implementthe blueprint of ICT projects and established the Faculty of Information.Distance learning: the case of Unimas, Sarawak University Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas), which is not located on the MalayPeninsula but on the island of Borneo, established its Faculty of InformationTechnology in 1993. By July 1994, the faculty offered undergraduateprograms in software engineering, information systems, internetworkingtechnologies, computational science, and interactive multimedia. Therewere 34 students at the undergraduate level and a few at the post-graduatelevel in 1994; by July 1995, the 1st Master’s students in IT graduatedfrom Unimas.The computational science program was introduced duringthe 1995-96 academic year; the joint program in cognitive science, offeredby the Faculty of Cognitive Science and Human Developmen t and theFaculty of Information Technology, began in 1996. Unimas, in collaboration with KolejLatihan Telekom (Telekom TrainingCollege), has begun offering diploma programs in multimedia (businessand computing) and in multimedia technology, which have been accreditedby the LembagaAkreditasi Negara (National Accreditation Board) (1 March2000).Moreover, the Network Multimedia Education System (NMES) waslaunched in October 2002. In the process of achieving a developed nation status by the year 2020, one of the challenges facing thegovernment is how to provide higher education for all levels of society. One solution is to use technology as anenabler to make available education to the masses. Universities are taking up the challenge by updating thecontent of their programmes but more importantly,utilising the latest technologies to improve the deliverysystems.One of the most talked about emerging delivery systems is Open and Distance Learning that isfast becoming a viable alternative in providing education to the masses. Open University Malaysia wasestablished on 10 August 2000 in response to the government’s call for the democratisation ofeducation. Although it has the status of a private university, OUM is owned by 11 public universities inthe country.As an open learning institution, OUM subscribes to the following principles:Flexible entry requirements to provide moreopportunities for all members of the society to pursue tertiary education; A learner-friendly flexible academic system wherethe constraints and needs of working adults are well understood; and Adoption of the blended pedagogy mode toenrich learning experiences. Malaysian higher education reform is progressing rapidly because thegovernment needs to develop highly skilled human resources locally toenable the nation to move toward a knowledge society, in the era ofICT.Malaysian public universities had been traditionally restricted to theelite; however, they began to be corporatized in the mid-19 90s. Privateuniversities have taken on more important roles in expanding enrollmentand maintaining the quality of higher education in science and technologyrelated to ICT. First, higher education reforms toward a knowledge society are affectingaccess and social selection with respect to ethnic and gender equality. Educational policy implemented since 1969 has provided educationalopportunities to a less privileged population, the Bumiputera.Governmentpolicy can have an effect on aspirations and, thus, the demand forhigher education. This has clearly been the case in Malaysia, which isboth an Islamic and a multicultural country made up of the Malays,Chinese, Indians, and indigenous peoples. The implementation of the NewEconomic Policy (NEP) in 1971, or Bumiputera Policy, attempts to bringabout a better balance in enrolment among the various ethnic groupsand has led to a steady increase in Bumiputera students in Malaysianuniversities.The government of Malaysia has encouraged Bumiputera studentsto pursue science courses in particular. According to the National EconomicRecovery Plan, in addition to maintaining the Bumiputera/non-Bumiputera ratio of 55:45, the Ministry of Education (MOE) is to ensurethat at least 55 percent of Bumiputera students are enrolled in scienceand technology ? elds of study at institutions of higher learning (Malaysia1998:123). This mandate is in response to the growing need for highlyskilled human resources, both to encourage economic growth and to unifythe nation, following its independence in 1957.Female Malaysian students earn better grades, in general, than do maleMalaysian students. Yet, female Malaysian students have experienced difficulties in obtaining higher education in the past. Structural and attitudinalbarriers to the equitable participation of women at the highest educationallevels have existed during the last few decades (Aminah 1998:25). Hence,their past underrepresentation was not a result of their inability but ratherthei r cultural backgrounds.As some scholars (Jamilah 1992; Aminah 1994;Fatimah and Aminah 1994; Jamilah 1994; Kamogawa 2003b) have noted,the stereotypical Malaysian way of thinking is that arts and teaching fieldsare suitable for women and that science and technology fields are suitablefor men. Consequently, Malaysian female students have had a tendency tochoose art and educational courses. Higher Education has generated RM 2. 1 billion through 70,259 international students for the year 2008. Ministry of Higher Education came out with the target: 80,000 foreign students by 2010.As at 15 January 2009, 210 out of 434 private higher educational institutions (PHEIs) and all 20 public universities have been licensed to recruit international students. Most of the international students in public universities pursue post graduate degree courses while those in PHEIs pursue both graduate and post graduate degree courses. In 2005, there were 41,559 international students, of which 7,656 were in p ublic universities and 33,903 in PHEIs. The population of international students made up 6. 4% of the total number of students in institutions of higher education.The different divisions under the Department of Higher Education will concentrate on their respective areas in improving the quality of education services and ensuring that programmes offered by the public and private higher educational institutions in Malaysia are of high quality and international standards. In their endeavour to achieve these goals, they have established promotional offices in Dubai, Jakarta, Ho-Chi Minh City and Beijing. A Technical Committee has also been formed to make Malaysia a Centre of Excellence. This committee is chaired by the Minister of Higher Education.A Technical Committee on ‘Edu-Tourism’ was also formed. Other marketing strategies include incentives offered to institutions promoting education overseas; recognition of Malaysian degrees by foreign countries and the establishmen t of the new national quality agency for both private and public higher educational institutions, i. e. Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA). The ultimate aim of all these strategies is to make Malaysia a ‘favoured’ destination for international and local students to pursue their tertiary education besides making education an important export commodity that will generate foreign exchange for the country.

Central Engineering and Research Department Essay

Central Engineering and Research Department - Essay Example Crosby believes that the only performance measurement is the cost of quality. Here, Crosby believes that the cost of quality is always a measurable item, for example rework, warranty costs, rejects, and that this is the only basis on which to measure performance. As a practical measurement of quality this might generally be considered to be useful although it cannot be seen as the only measure of business performance, rather the only measure of quality. Juran's work also focuses very clearly on measurement and specific objectives. Again, the validity of this approach must be questioned. Many aspects of quality are difficult to accurately and reliably quantify. In contrary, Deming believes in a management approach with a long-term orientation. Deming gives explicit recognition to the need to satisfy shareholder expectations, but points out that these expectations often go beyond immediate return on capital to consider the future. Deming criticizes failure to recognize and evaluate the intangible aspects of the organization, for example, the additional sales generated through satisfied customers, the benefits to productivity and quality derived from people feeling part of a success story. Deming (1986: 123) considers that managers who believe that everything can be measured are deluding themselves and suggests that they should know before they start that they will be able to quantify only 'a trivial part of the gain'. This should be seen as a belief in intangible, invisible benefits arising from good management practice. It does however conflict with his espousal of statistical methods since the reliable measurement of intangibles is notoriously difficult (Beckford, 1998). The new distribution facility should be evaluated using Deming's approach to quality management. The short-term costs may be greater than the benefits, but in the long-term, it may lead to increased customer satisfaction and sales. The same thing applies to recommendations regarding customer se rvice not being implemented due to budgetary constraints. The method to achieving quality proposed by Crosby entails forming quality improvement teams. Crosby specifically requires multi-disciplinary teams. Juran's approach has the same weakness. Management and organizational cybernetics and human relations theory has been largely ignored (Beckford, 1998). However, each department in Canbide is responsible for developing and implementing the quality program through the corporate wide Excellence through Quality (EQ) program. Drawing on the work of the statistician Walter Schewhart-his tutor-Deming urged a management focus on causes of variability in manufacturing processes. Deming believed in the use of Statistical Process Control (SPC) charts as the key method for identifying special and common causes and assisting diagnosis of quality problems. His aim was to remove 'outliers', that is, quality problems relating to the special causes of failure. This was achieved through training, improved machinery and equipment and so on. SPC enabled the production process to be brought 'under control'. Remaining quality problems were considered to be related to common causes, that is, they were inherent in the design of the production pr

Discussion 2 Week 7 Award Fee Contracts Assignment

Discussion 2 Week 7 Award Fee Contracts - Assignment Example 2. Discuss whether contractors provide better work with an award fee. Include in your discussion on whether or not they are incentivized by the better profit potential of an award-fee contract. Support your position with an example. One strongly believes that contractors provide better work with an award fee. As defined, an award fee â€Å"is an amount of money that a contractor may earn in whole or in part by meeting or exceeding subjective criteria stated in an award fee plan† (US Government Accountability Office, 2009, p. 1). It is a form of motivation or incentive that contractors could avail for exceeding expectations or exhibiting exemplary performance. For instance, a contractor is supposed to complete a painting of a government building in two weeks’ time using total costs of materials amounting to $50,000. If the contactor is able to complete the project in one week’s time and with savings amounting to $5,000, then, the contractor could be given an award fee. The provision would enable the contractor to gain a positive image, in addition to the award fee and would be considered a plus factor for future contracting projects. US Government Accountability Office. (2009, August 3). 1. From the e-Activity, discuss whether or not the agencies mentioned took any actions that reflected the suggestions provided by the Office of Management and Budget. If you think actions were taken, state what actions were taken and explain why those act. Retrieved from gao.gov:

Trade and Lending Act Violation Class Rescission Essay

Trade and Lending Act Violation Class Rescission - Essay Example The families now want to rescind their mortgages. The clinic has already sent a letter to LFB on behalf of all the families. The KF cannot afford individual lawyers and must sue as a class, requesting rescission of the mortgages. LFB has refused to rescind the mortgages, because the three day right of rescission period had passed. Probably. Class action rescissions under the TILA will likely be permissible because while the KF may not be successful in arguing that the plain language of the TILA included class rescissions, the KF will like prevail because of the Congressional intent in protecting consumers along with the KF seeking a judgment as a class in order to then individually seek rescission justify class rescissions under the TILA. The KF will also likely prevail because their particular situation can only be remedied by class rescissions. The TILA was enacted in 1968 to ensure that creditors provide a meaningful disclosure of credit terms giving the consumer the ability to easily compare the various credit terms available to them and avoid uniform uses of credit. Truth and Lending Act, 15 U.S.C. 1601 (1995). Creditors must clearly and conspicuously disclose certain key terms such as annual percentage rates, finance charges, and the total number of loan payments due before consummating a credit transaction. Elizabeth Renuart, Stop Predatory Lending 84 (National Consumer Law Center) (2002). The TILA allows the consumer a right to rescind a transaction for non-purchase money home-secured loans if a creditor fails to make specific disclosures for up to three years. Truth and Lending Act, 15 U.S.C. 1635(f) (1995). Rescission voids the security interest in the home and eliminates the obligation to pay interest or other finance charges or closing costs. Elizabeth Renuart, Stop Predatory Lending 99 (National Consumer Law Center) (2002). Courts have not accepted the TILA class actions lawsuits lightly. Williams v. Empire Funding Corp., 183 F.R.D. 428, 435 (1998). The TILA does create a right for debtors to rescind their contracts under 15 U.S.C.A. 1635, while the TILA addresses class action damages under 15 U.S.C.A. 1640, Truth and Lending Act, 15 U.S.C. 1635, 1640 (1995). It does not address class action suits for rescission explicitly. There is no controlling precedent on this issue; consequently, courts appear divided on this matter. Some courts say that class rescissions are inappropriate, while other courts have relied on carefully drafted complaints to assist in deciding on granting rescission. Elizabeth Renuart, Stop Predatory Lending 106 (National Consumer Law Center) (2002). The factors courts consider are considered in this memo: (1) the plain language of the

History of forensic and science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

History of forensic and science - Essay Example Later on, Locard came up with his Exchange Principle which claimed ‘any action of an individual, and obviously, the violent action constituting a crime, cannot occur without leaving a trace’ (Locard, La police 8.). In fact, Locard also made significant contributions in improving dactylography, the science that deals with fingerprints. In this connection, he started the science of poroscopy, or the study of fingerprint pores and the impressions produced by the pores. One of his important studies was that if there are at least 12 specific points identical between two fingerprints, that is a positive identification. Thus, for the first time, this enabled police forces to use fingerprints to identify criminals. In the year 1929, Locard jointly with various other criminalists started the International Academy of Criminalistics in Switzerland. However, this initiative could not withstand the turbulence of the Second World War. In fact Dr. Locard is called the Father of Ridgeoscopy because advancing from the observation by Sir Francis Galton that there are variations in individual friction ridge path, he managed to define those friction ridge events successfully. This enabled the area to evolve into Ridgeology , enabling police forces to do effective fingerprint verification. According to Locard, as published in the year 1914, if more than 12 concurring points are visible and if the print is sharp, the positive identification of fingerprints is indisputable. However, if 8 out of the 12 concurring points are visible, it should be considered as a borderline case, and in such cases, the identity will have to depend on other factors like the sharpness of fingerprints, the rarity of the fingerprint type, the presence of the center of the figure and the triangle in the exploitable part of the print, the effective use of poroscopy, and the degree of clarity visible in the width of the papillary ridges and valleys followed by the line directions, and

Government price analysis of direct and indirect costs Essay

Government price analysis of direct and indirect costs - Essay Example This may be affected by a number of barriers such as their identification. Many accounting analysts and auditors claim that, in particular, indirect costs cannot be identified in a direct manner. This may affect the analysis of indirect costs within the scope of sales of service or product (Ballard, 2007). Another underlying problem with the analysis of direct and indirect costs by government for pricing and taxation is the cross-sectional relationship of salaries and overheads. The relationship cannot be estimated easily until or unless financial outlook is immersed with analytical elements. These include identification of pools of rate development, weaknesses that might be identified and capital costs associated with the cost rates (Ballard, 2007). Thus, it will not be incorrect to state that every element as noted above needs to be considered during the analysis of indirect and directs costs. Considering the barriers of identification of indirect costs, it makes it complicated to estimate the cross-sectional relationship between the salaries and

International Financial Markets Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

International Financial Markets - Assignment Example Whereas in hedging, it banks on negative linkage between assets or shorting assets that possess a positive correlation. The modest illustration of diversification is driven home by the proverb that says you should not put all your eggs in a single basket. Moreover, the placement of each egg separately in dissimilar baskets is considered to be more diversified. The risk of losing one egg is more than losing all of them. Therefore diversification aims to downplay the risks through allocating investments between different industries, financial instruments, and other categorizations. Its aims are to maximize the returns by capitalizing in diverse fields that would each respond in a different manner to the same result. Although diversification does not assure one to be free from losses, it is the most important factor that will enable an individual to achieve long-range goals financially and at the same time downplaying the dangers (Denis et al. 2002). When investing, one has to be mindful of the dangers that come along with the deed. There are two primary classes of risks that an investor confronts with while investing. They include unverifiable and diversifiable. Firstly, unverifiable, also known as the market or systematic risk is linked to every society. This case of risks is caused by things like exchange rates, war, inflation rates, interest rates and political instability. Furthermore unverifiable is not believed to be exact to a particular industry or company, and this character of risk cannot be trimmed down or be eliminated by diversification. Hence, it is a danger that investors should come into term with and learn to exist with it. Secondly, diversifiable also referred to as unsystematic risk. This risk is specific to a certain market, state, economy, industry, and market. Unlike unverifiable, this danger can be mitigated by diversification. Moreover, the main

Overcoming Barriers to Adopting and Implementing Computerized Essay

Overcoming Barriers to Adopting and Implementing Computerized Physician Order Entry Systems in U.S. Hospitals - Essay Example The central point of the study â€Å"Overcoming Barriers to Adopting and Implementing Computerized Physician Order Entry Systems in U.S. Hospitals† by Poon et al. (2004) is that implementing a Computerized Physician Order Entry system (CPOE) is not easy because the costs are high, there is opposition from various quarters of the hospital, and there may be issues with vendors. Also institutions that do not give importance to quality care and patient safety may not even plan for a CPOE. The main finding of this study is that hospitals can overcome problems during the implementation of the CPOE by having strong leaders who can administer the CPOE, realigning the approach of improving patient safety through technology, and developing strong relationships with a vendor committed to meeting the needs of the hospital and providing a customized CPOE system to the hospital. Besides, hospitals implementing the CPOE without much support and motivation from the senior management are likel y to have various problems during implementation such as physician’s reluctance to use the system, lack of training for the users of the CPOE, and poor involvement in development. Currently, different CPOE vendors use different data processes for transmitting information, and these processes may have high development costs. Consequently, vendors are likely to pass on the costs to the customers, who in turn make it difficult for the smaller hospitals to afford and implement a CPOE System. Instead, if standard data protocols such as Health Level 7 (HL7 – An interational heatlh informatics standard for interoperability) were utilized in the CPOE, then vendors would not only find it easy to incorporate HL7 or other data protocols in their system, but also lower the costs of the CPOE system; in 2009 it was found that 30% of the healthcare budget was spent on redundancies including poor technologies (Doolan, 2009). Prior Research The Poon et al. research study finds three co nsiderations that hospitals should use when planning for implementation of the CPOE system. One consideration is the number of deaths from medication error is about 98000 per year; most of these errors are preventable. Leapfrog Group (a healthcare organization involved with patient safety, healthcare technologies and financing) has considered CPOE as one of the patient goals. The current CPOE adoption rate is about 5 to 10% (Poon et al., 2004). Poon has found that previous studies have described some of the challenges that may be applicable during implementation, but have not come up with solutions. This study tries to go further by providing solutions to these challenges. A need for CPOE was strongly felt when the death rate from medical error (in hospitals in New York) was about 98000 per annum a decade back; a good portion of these errors were preventable (Kohn, 1999, p. 1). By incorporating CPOE in the healthcare system, the chances of reducing the medical errors are about 55 %. ( Doolan et al., 2004). However, as of 2004, it was found that only 10 to 15% of the hospitals in the U.S. actually use CPOE systems, and many of the hospitals are unaware of the manner of addressing challenges that can arise during the implementation of the CPOE should be addressed (Ash, 2004). To understand in greater detail regarding CPOE’s implementation, in-depth interviews were organized with the management of about 26 hospitals in the US that were in various stages of the CPOE implementation. After organizing the interview, three barriers were identified. These included resistance to the CPOE implementation from certain quarters of the hospital, high costs of implementation, and lack of vendor or product maturity. Research Question The research question in Poon et al. (2004) is â€Å"What are the different barriers to the implementation of the CPOE system in the hospital and how can these problems is addressed?† The research aimed at finding ways to identify and tackle

Starbucks Corporation Essay Example for Free

Starbucks Corporation Essay Starbucks founded in 1987 as a modest nine-store operation in Seattle, Washington and quickly became the premier roaster and retailer of specialty coffees in the world with over 17,400 store locations in more than 55 countries (Thompson, Peteraf, Gamble, Strickland, 2014). The company first got its start in 1971 when three academics all decided upon opening a coffee store in touristy Pikes Place Market in Seattle. The three academics; Jerry Baldwin an English teacher, Zev Siegel a History teacher and Gordon Bowker a writer were all coffee aficionados (Thompson, Peteraf, Gamble, Strickland, 2014). They all enjoyed, love and shared a passion for fine coffees and exotic teas as they believed they could build a clientele in Seattle that would appreciate the best coffees and teas. The case tells us that the store was an immediate success, with sales exceeding expectations. The company ordered its coffee bean supplies from a specialty coffee retailer in Berkeley, California but towards the end of the year the partners purchased a used roaster from Holland, set up roasting operations in a nearby ramshackle building, and came up with their own blends and flavors (Thompson, Peteraf, Gamble, Strickland, 2014). The case tells us that by 1980s the company had four Starbucks stores in the Seattle area and had been profitable every year since opening its doors. A few decades on, April 2012, annual sales were expected to exceed $13 billion in that fiscal year (Thompson, Peteraf, Gamble, Strickland, 2014). Howard Schultz who was vice president and general manager of U.S operations for a Swedish marker of stylish kitchen equipment and coffeemakers, decided to pay Starbucks a visit (Thompson, Peteraf, Gamble, Strickland, 2014).  The case tells us that he was awed by the violinist playing at the door, the powerful and pleasing aroma of coffees, and the wall displaying coffee beans. After just three sips of the brew, Schultz was hooked and he began talking to the owner and was intrigued by the business philosophy of the partners. After tough negotiations, Schultz was finally hired as head of marketing and oversing retail stores. Schultz was overflowed with ideas for the company and how to move the company forward (Thompson, Peteraf, Gamble, Strickland, 2014). A trip to Milan Italy allowed him to explore coffee bars and learned an immense deal about the Italian passion for coffee. The trip showed him the potential of Starbucks as he then approached the owners hopefully of improving the company. The owners reject Schultz ideas as they felt it would put the core values of the companies in shadows however they did allow him to test an espresso bar which became a huge success. At the time the owners did not share similar view with Schultz so he decided to leave to start his own coffee and espresso bar named II Giornale Coffee Company. This venture became a huge success and expansion across the United State happened immediately. After much success Schultz went back and acquired Starbucks and had numerous improvement plans for the coffee company. The first of the improvement strategy was going public, followed by making Starbucks a third place where customers could enjoy coffee, surf the internet, read, or catch up with friends (Thompson, Peteraf, Gamble, Strickland, 2014). Another Strategy was to make Starbucks a great place to work. This strategy in my opinion was one of the key strategies in the turnaround of the company. After years of success, Schultz relinquished his role as CEO and retained his position as chairmen of the companys board of directors and assumed the role of chief strategic officer. The sharp economic downturn in late 2008 and early 2009 that affected much of the worlds economy hit the coffee company hard. The company began experiencing slow customer traffic and a decline in stock prices, Schultz was asked to return to his role as CEO and lead a radical restricting and revitalization initiative. This case study focuses on Starbucks, with respect to human capital and resources in the pursuit of strategy  implementation. There will be an analysis of how effectively the company implemented its turnaround strategy and how effectively Starbucks utilized human capital to implement its strategy. In conclusion of this paper, there will be recommendations for effectiveness in future implementations at Starbucks. Implementation of Starbuck’s Turnaround Strategy The return of Schultz saw him focus on three different themes; strengthen the core, elevate the experience and lastly, invest and grow. The implementation included various strategies which involved; slowing the pace of opening new stores, closing underperforming stores, restructuring the companys store operations in Australia, creating new designs for future Starbucks stores globally, enhancing the customer experience, providing additional resources and tools for employees, undertaking a rigorous cost-containment program, and renewing attention to employee training and reigniting enthusiasm on the part of employees to customer. The case tells us that 800 underperforming stores in the United States and 100 additional stores in other countries were closed. The company even trimmed its workforce by about 6,700 employees. From further analysis it was clear to see that Schultzs investment in growth played a huge part in the turnaround. The company implemented this strategy by choosing to open new stores in Asia with Japan and China being the primary destinations (Starbucks Corporation, 2012). Japan became the biggest foreign market while China was seen as the most significant growth opportunity (Starbucks Corporation, 2012). With the implementation process in action, the company was on the path to profitability once again and long term growth. In 2010 Sales at Starbucks operated stores worldwide improved in the most recent five quarters, customer traffic increased by 3% in United States, net revenues increased by 8.6% and net income increased from $25 million in 2009 to $217.3 million in 2010 (Thompson, Peteraf, Gamble, Strickland, 2014). Utilizing Human Capital at Starbucks In any business the concept of human capital can be interpreted in many ways. One of them could be looking at the person or employees as an asset; as a resource that belongs to the company and from which they can demand all  its capacity and commitment (Marimuthu Arokiasamy, 2009). In this case it is without a doubt clearly evident that Starbucks greatest asset was Howard Schultz and through him the employees. Schultz was able to make the company profitable on a few different occasions which the case explains thoroughly. Schultz understood the concept of what coffee means to coffee drinkers. A trip to Italy where he saw how passionate Italians were when it came to coffee shops made him understand that the success of any coffee shop depended heavily on customers experience. With this in mind, he made sure that part of the companys values was to ensure every employee is well educated and knowledgeable about the companys products. They employees paid close attention to detail when preparing espresso drinks, eagerly communicated the companys passion for coffee, possessed the skills and personality to deliver consistent and outstanding customer service. The employees within the company all received at least 24 hours training on topics like coffee history, drink preparation, coffee knowledge, customer service, retail skills, and Brewing the perfect cup workshop to better prepare them for their day to day task. He was able to utilize the employees further by rewarding employees in a manner that would make them want to work for the company and generate a level of enthusiastic commitment and high levels of customer service which he felt was key to the turnaround strategy. He created a highly motivated workforce and emphasized the fact that employees can put their trust on the management team. The case gives many examples of why winning employee loyalty and commitment to the companys mission would retain employees. In one situation, he heard an employee requested to extend health insurance benefits to part-time employees which were turned down by pervious management team. He personally proposed to the board that a reduction in turnover would reduce the cost of hiring and training, the plan was then approved and part-time employees were offered health insurance. Schultzs next plan was to pursue a stock option plan for employees as he believed that it would have a positive, long-term effect on the success of Starbucks (Starbucks, 2012). The idea behind this was turning employees into partners invested in companys performance. The employees were offered stock options awards based on the success and profitability of the financial year, and the size of the employees base for the purchase of  stock through regular payroll deductions (Starbucks, 2012). He ultimately had a clear understanding that happy employees provide exceptional customer service to customers which in turn gains customer loyalty and brings in revenue. Recommendation Based on the brief analysis which was carried out on this case study it was somewhat easy to come up with recommendations which Starbucks may wish to consider for future implementation effectiveness. The companys growth strategy and objects have proven to be a huge success. I am a big believer in if it is not broken do not fix it. However with that said no matter how good a strategy may be it can always be improved upon. The company should continue to focus on customer satisfaction and ensuring customers have a positive store experience. This is what has given the company so much success over the years so a suggestion will be to build on this strategy. The company could survey customers to gain a better understanding of how they can improve customer experience within the various stores (Marks, 2014). Starbucks could even go deeper with their products by having a customer data base that allows consumers to quickly get their daily coffee once in a Starbucks. This data base can be something whereby once a customer gives their phone number a list of previous coffee which they have bought would appear to the employee (Marks, 2014). I believe this will speed up the process for some customers who would like a Starbucks but do not want to wait for it. Another recommendation will be for Starbucks to create a mega store in some big cities (Koehn, n.d). This mega store can geared towards strictly customer experience and educating customers where their coffee is from, showing how it is made and even amusement centers where customers and children can interact. This recommendation may seem unrealistic however I feel in order to maintain a competitive advantage a company must continue to think outside the box and beyond what their competitors are doing. References Koehn. N (n.d) Whats next for Starbucks. Retrieved from http://www.businessweek.com/videos/2013-04-25/what-s-next-for-starbucks Marimuthu, M. Arokiasamy, L (2009). Human capital development and its impact on firm performance. Retrieve from

Subsidiary Ledgers and Special Journals Essay Example for Free

Subsidiary Ledgers and Special Journals Essay A subsidiary ledger is a ledger that includes all of the details of a general ledger, and it holds accounts with similar attributes. The purpose is that is can contain things such as accounts receivable and accounts payable and it can show the sum total. The advantages of using subsidiary ledgers is that the sum of all the accounts is kept in the General Ledger and all of the details of the accounts are kept in the subsidiary ledger which is separate so you can keep them in different columns so to not get confused. A control account is an account that contains the total number of sales/purchases made. If you add up all of the individual accounts it should equal the control account, also known as a summary of the account. The purpose of a control account is that it doesn’t have to contain all of the details but it will have all of the financial information organized accurately. The accounts receivable and accounts payable ledgers are two general ledger accounts that act as control accounts for a subsidiary ledger. Cash receipts journal, cash payments journal, sales journal, and the purchase journal are the four different special journals of accounting. The advantages of all the journals are that transactions that occur on a daily basis can be put into a specific journal and one person can be in charge of that journal. All of the information can be tracked in one place which can make the work much easier as well. A cash payments journal can be used with any company that deals primarily with cash which is most companies. A cash receipts journal is sometimes used for the sales of a product to help track transactions. Purchase journals are used with companies that make a lot of purchases on one account while sales journals are for companies that perform purchases. The sales journal posts the sum on the general ledger at the end of the pay period/month.

A Technical Report Into Cell Phone Jammers

A Technical Report Into Cell Phone Jammers Cell phone jammer is device used to prevent cellular phones from receiving signal from base station. They can be used anywhere but mostly used where phone call would be disruptive. Cell phones are very useful because we are able to contact anyone at anytime but sometimes it become nuisance. Some cell phone users dont know when to stop talking. Jammers are used at classrooms, temples, churches where silence is required. It creates a temporary dead zone to all cell phone traffic in their air system. How Cell Phone Jammer works Disrupting a cell phone is the same as jamming any other type of radio communication. A cell phone works by communicating with its service network through a cell tower or base station. Cell towers divide a city into small areas. As a cell-phone user drives down the street, the signal is handed from tower to tower. Jamming device transmits on the same radio frequencies as the cell phone, disrupting the communication between the phone and the cell-phone base station in the tower. Its a called a denial-of-service attack. The jammer denies service of the radio spectrum to the cell-phone users within range of the jamming device. Cell phone Jamming Device Jamming devices overpower the cell phone by transmitting a signal on the same frequency and at a high enough power that the two signals collide and cancel each other out. Cell phones are designed to add power if they experience low-level interference, so the jammer must recognize and match the power increase from the phone. Cell phones are full-duplex devices, which mean they use two separate frequencies, one for talking and one for listening simultaneously. Some jammers block only one of the frequencies used by cell phones, which has the effect of blocking both. The phone is tricked into thinking there is no service because it can receive only one of the frequencies. Less complex devices block only one group of frequencies, while sophisticated jammers can block several types of networks at once to head off dual-mode or tri-mode phones that automatically switch among different network types to find an open signal. Some of the high-end devices block all frequencies at once, and others can be tuned to specific frequencies. To jam a cell phone, you need a device that broadcasts on the correct frequencies. Although different cellular systems process signals differently, all cell-phone networks use radio signals that can be interrupted. GSM, used in digital cellular and PCS-based systems, operates in the 900-MHz and 1800-MHz bands in Europe and Asia and in the 1900-MHz band in the United States. Jammers can broadcast on any frequency and are effective against AMPS, CDMA, TDMA, GSM, PCS, DCS, iDEN and Nextel systems. Old-fashioned analog cell phones and todays digital devices are equally susceptible to jamming. The range of the jammer depends on its power and the local environment, which may include hills or walls of a building that block the jamming signal. Low-powered jammers block calls in a range of about 30 feet (9 m). Higher-powered units create a cell-free zone as large as a football field. Units used by law enforcement can shut down service up to 1 mile (1.6 km) from the device. Inside Cell phone Jammers Cell-phone jammers are very basic devices. It just has an on/off switch and a light that indicates its on. More complex devices have switches to activate jamming at different frequencies. Components of a jammer: Antenna Every jamming device has an antenna to send the signal. Some are contained within an electrical cabinet. On stronger devices, antennas are external to provide longer range and may be tuned for individual frequencies. Circuitry: The main electronic components of a jammer are: Voltage-controlled oscillator Generates the radio signal that will interfere with the cell phone signal Tuning circuit Controls the frequency at which the jammer broadcasts its signal by sending a particular voltage to the oscillator Noise generator Produces random electronic output in a specified frequency range to jam the cell-phone network signal (part of the tuning circuit) RF amplification (gain stage) Boosts the power of the radio frequency output to high enough levels to jam a signal Power supply Smaller jamming devices are battery operated. Some look like cell phone and use cell-phone batteries. Stronger devices can be plugged into a standard outlet or wired into a vehicles electrical system. Cell phone Jammer Applications Cell phone jamming devices were originally developed for law enforcement and the military to interrupt communications by criminals and terrorists. The bombs that blew up commuter trains in Spain in March 2004, as well as blasts in Bali in October 2002 and Jakarta in August 2003, all relied on cell phones to trigger explosives. It has been widely reported that a cell-phone jammer thwarted an assassination attempt on Pakistani President Musharraf in December 2003. When President Bush visited London in November 2004, it was reported that British police considered using jammers to protect the presidents motorcade through London. During a hostage situation, police can control when and where a captor can make a phone call. Police can block phone calls during a drug raid so suspects cant communicate outside the area. Cell-phone jammers can be used in areas where radio transmissions are dangerous, (areas with a potentially explosive atmosphere), such as chemical storage facilities or grain elevators. Corporations use jammers to stop corporate espionage by blocking voice transmissions and photo transmissions from camera phones. There are rumors that hotel chains install jammers to block guests cell-phone usage and force them to use in-room phones at high rates. Cell Phone Jamming Legal Issues In the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and many other countries, blocking cell-phone services is against the law. In the United States, cell-phone jamming is covered under the Communications Act of 1934, which prohibits people from willfully or maliciously interfering with the radio communications of any station licensed or authorized to operate. In fact, the manufacture, importation, sale or offer for sale, including advertising, of devices designed to block or jam wireless transmissions is prohibited as well. Jamming is seen as property theft, because a private company has purchased the rights to the radio spectrum, and jamming the spectrum is akin to stealing the property the company has purchased. The Federal Communications Commission is charged with enforcing jamming laws. However, the agency has not yet prosecuted anyone for cell-phone jamming. In most countries, it is illegal for private citizens to jam cell-phone transmission, but some countries are allowing businesses and government organizations to install jammers in areas where cell-phone use is seen as a public nuisance. Armenia: legal [citation needed] Australia: illegal to operate, supply or possess Belgium: illegal to sell, possess and operate (licensed part of the spectrum). Canada: illegal, except by federal law-enforcement agencies who have obtained approval Peoples Republic of China: Used by the Education government department as a method of thwarting cheating in schools. During major end of year exams, mobile phone jammers are used in areas surrounding high schools to prevent students inside from receiving calls or text messages, which may be used for illicit purposes. In some municipalities however, rather than the use of jammers, mobile signal towers close to schools are temporarily shut down for the duration of the week as exams are in progress. Czech Republic: illegal. Denmark: illegal. Finland: illegal. France: France legalized cell-phone jammers in (movie) theaters and other places with performances in 2004.Abandoned due to complaints regarding emergency calls. Still legally used inside jails. Germany: illegal, but installation in jails has been proposed. India: Government, Religious Places, Prisons and Educational Institution use jammers. Iran: illegal to operate for civilians but allowed for police forces and military. It is however legal to own such units, which can be bought in electronic markets without a license. In most jails, libraries and university classrooms such jammers are already in use. In the 2009-2010 Iranian election protests, police forces used cell phone and Bluetooth jammers. Ireland: illegal to operate. Legally used inside prisons by the Irish Prison Service. Italy: technically not illegal to own, but illegal to operate, since the Italian law specifically prohibits disturbing radio and telephoning communications. GSM jammers are however legal to be used in places like hospitals, churches, movie theatres and other places with performances, and other buildings where and when the use of mobile telephones may result in a leak of sensitive information: on such occasions, jammers are legal as long as their operation doesnt interfere with electronic medical equipment and allows mobile phones to make emergency calls. Tri-Band Jammers are reserved to, and in use with, the police forces and are being experimented in prisons. Japan: Illegal to use, but legal to own. Buying of mobile short range versions is allowed. Use of fixed high output jammers with long range is illegal, with fines of up to max $250,000USD and/or 5 years in prison. Mexico: legal inside jails, often used also in churches and hospitals. New Zealand: legal inside jails. Norway: illegal to own and operate. The police and the military can use jammers in situations in which it is necessary. Pakistan: legal inside banks, often used also in libraries. Switzerland: illegal. Turkey: illegal. Only the police and the military use jammers. Ukraine: legal, planned to be used in schools United Kingdom: illegal to use, but legal to own. Installation in jails has been proposed United States: Cell phone blocking devices are used by federal officials under certain circumstances. Privacy rights of property owners may affect the policy and application of law within buildings. The FCC may issue a permit that waivers the law for private use. Alternatives to Cell Phone Jamming While the law clearly prohibits using a device to actively disrupt a cell-phone signal, there are no rules against passive cell-phone blocking. That means using things like wallpaper or building materials embedded with metal fragments to prevent cell-phone signals from reaching inside or outside the room. Some buildings have designs that block radio signals by accident due to thick concrete walls or a steel skeleton. Companies are working on devices that control a cell phone but do not jam the signal. One device sends incoming calls to voicemail and blocks outgoing calls. The argument is that the phone still works, so it is technically not being jammed. It is a legal gray area that has not been ruled on by the FCC as of April 2005. Cell-phone alerts are available that indicate the presence of a cell-phone signal. These have been used in hospitals where cell-phone signals could interfere with sensitive medical equipment. When a signal is detected, users are asked to turn off their phones. Cell-phone users dont know theyre being jammed. The phones just indicate that theres no service or no signal from the network. The jammer simply interrupts the phones ability to establish a link with the nearest cell-phone tower. If the battery on your phone is okay, and youd like to continue your conversation, try walking away from the area. You may be able to get out of the jammers range with just a few steps. Every technology has good aspect as well as bad aspect the important thing is, how we are using it. There are some bad aspects of mobile Jammers like, Jamming blocks all calls in the area, not just the annoying ones. Jamming a signal could block the call of a babysitter frantically trying to contact a parent or someone trying to call for an ambulance. Cell Phone Jammers are very useful to society from the antisocial elements. We can save our national leaders. We can restrict the communication network between the anti social elements. Cell phone Jammers prevent the students from carrying cell phones to the college.

Macbeth?s Supernatural Scenes Explained Essay -- essays research paper

Macbeth’s supernatural scenes explained   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In today’s rational and scientifically explainable world, it would be hard for us to believe in supernatural intervention in our every day lives unlike during the times of the Shakespearean plays. In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, there are three examples of this kind of thing: one with the witches, one with a ghost of a best friend, and one with the a few apparitions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the first nonrational scene three old dirty hags (witches) are discussing where they should meet Macbeth to persuade him into thinking he should be the nest king. When Macbeth finally meets the three witches on the heath like they had planed, him and his best friend Banquo are there. The witches kno...

us patriot act :: essays research papers

There are many issue with the Patriot Act. Yes it has prevented many attacks on us from terrorists, but would you really want to give up so much freedom in order to have better control of terrorists. Many people would support the act since it does offer more protection against those attacks. Other however, would totally disagree with the act. The Patriot Act is actually violating many of our Constitution rights. The act will allow the government rights to look into your personal life. If the government has enough proof this act will give the opportunity to look into your personal items such as phone taps, electronic communications, and even what is in your bank account. As a person would you really like to have the government go thourgh your personal life and belongings, just for a little more protection.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The government has set up a boundary that allows them the chance to go into your personal lives. The main reasons that are noted that would give them a chance to violate your rights as an American. As noted on web page http://www.epic.org/privacy/terrorism/usapatriot/, that only a certain event will allow a certain individual the chance to allow such things as wiretap. This will occur if an individual is committing one of a list of immune rated crimes, if that happens the communication concerning that offense, and the facilities in which the offender has used in connection with the offense. The only persons that came allow an interception would be only designated officials. The interception is only valid for a certain length of time. In order for a wiretap to be conducted it has to be authorized by a Judge that feels that it would be beneficial to the country. The USA Patriot Act, also known as the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001, was set up in order to offer a greater feeling of security to Americans, however, I don’t feel that the Americans really know what the Patriot Act really stands for and what it will do to our rights as Americans. The bill was passed and signed into law by President Bush on October 26, 2001. The Patriot Act was a lot like

Macbeth: Shakespeare’s Two Key Motifs Essay example -- weather, blood,

The play â€Å"Macbeth†, by Shakespeare, contains many motifs. Two very powerful motifs that Shakespeare illustrates in this play are blood, and weather. Blood is important because it shows that this play is violent, and the blood physically shows that these characters in the play are warriors. Weather plays an important role because it usually foreshadows events that are about to take place. For example, a storm usually foreshadows terrible things, like death and destruction. A major motif in â€Å"Macbeth† is blood. Blood is talked about everywhere in Macbeth. Blood is found when Macbeth kills his own relative, King Duncan, in order to gain power and to become the king himself. After Macbeth carries out Duncan’s murder, he is crowned King of Scotland. As Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s murderous journey begins, the death toll rises; and with each death, the amount of blood on Macbeth metaphorically and literally increases. Guilt starts to control Macbeth. When King Duncan is killed, Macbeth is convinced that â€Å"all great Neptune’s oceans† would not wash the blood clean from his hands. Guilt is eating away at Macbeth, and his desire and ambition for power is what leads to him to carry out many more murders. Blood is found several times in the text: â€Å"may thick my blood†, â€Å"the sleepy grooms with blood†, â€Å"Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?†, â€Å"Would to the bleeding and the grim alarm excite the mortified man.† Blood appears in â€Å"Macbeth† in two ways: It appears in the text, and it also appears literally, due to the many deaths in the play. In a lot of ways, blood symbolizes a person’s bravery. For example, In Act I, after the battle, Duncan asks the wounded sergeant, "Wh... ...re. Another Major motif in the play is weather. Sunshine and clear skies are not discussed at all in the play. Shakespeare wanted to create a dark and gloomy background. Most of the descriptions about the weather indicate storm-like conditions such as rain, thunder, and lightning. The three witches are also associated with the weather motif. Right before the first scene of the play, it is stated in the text: â€Å"Thunder and lightning. Enter three witches.† Thunder and lightning usually represents an unnatural presence. Shakespeare wrote this play with intention on giving the reader this lesson. Too much greed can consume you and make you do something that you will possibly regret. Works Cited http://intensivemacbeth.wikispaces.com/The+Motif+of+Blood http://www.studymode.com/essays/Blood-Motif-In-Macbeth-64386.html http://britlit4.wikispaces.com/Macbeth+Motif-+Blood

Restaurant Evaluation

Burger King Your Name Your School Restaurant Evaluation Walking into a fast food joint, one expects to be met by a sweet aroma of the delicious foods that are quite appealing. Considering they are supposed to serve customers as fast as they can while at the same time maintaining quality service. Upon entering a fast food restaurant, one would expect to have a view of the whole place in a glance, with counters just around the bend for customers to make their purchase. One would also expect to find people around helping customers make fast purchases as well as clearing tables for people to eat.Without such quality, a fast food restaurant cannot be up to par. Burger King is the fast food restaurant I visited a few days ago, and fortunately did not disappoint my expectations; rather, I was surprised by their smooth, fast service and tasty foods as well as the restaurant itself. Once I entered the restaurant, I was met by the aroma of grilling hamburgers and other foods, which is not usua lly the norm in other fast food restaurants, where food is mostly micro waved. The interior of the restaurant is well designed, spacious to allow many people to be served at the counter without much congestion.Their prices are well marked on the menu, which is well labeled with pictures that are just as alluring as the aroma. Just as their phrase suggests, â€Å"Have it your way,† one can ask their hamburger to be made the way they want. This makes it ideal for everybody rather than having to standardize everything to suit all, which is not possible. For instance, when ordering a whopper, you can choose what to be included in it to suit your preference. This makes it a strong point for people who want a hamburger served with what they want.On the other hand, it serves as a weakness since having to order it the way you want takes a little more time and this requires patience. The tables are well set with enough space between them and decoration is just good for a fast food res taurant. This gives space for people to have their meal easily in less congestion. However, this has its weakness considering the restaurant is frequented by many customers at one time especially during lunch hour. Many people may want sitting space but due to their spaciously arranged tables, they can only provide a few with sitting space, forcing people to carry their orders, even if they may not want to.Entering at around 2. 00 P. M. , I was already receiving my order the way I wanted it in less than five minutes after direction from one of the workers in the restaurant who offered me help with my order. The restaurant is well set with counters strategically positioned to access from any table in their restaurant with ease. After receiving my order, finding a table was not easy considering it was still a few minutes from 1 o’clock when many people are on lunch break. I ordered a Whiplash Whopper that appealed to me, first from its name. I expected quite nourishment from it .The sandwich came with a whopper meat stacked in it, with spicy crispy fried onions, mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato, ketchup, pepper and cheese. The ingredients were well balanced with the meat being standard, fresh lettuce, and the crispy onions added to the experience. The meat itself was well grilled and soft though I prefer it a little crunchy and more burnt. The other spices were on a fair balance and I could have loved a little more pepper in it as well as tomato. The hamburger was quite delicious and every single bite was an experience different from other hamburgers I have taken.Although not everything was according to my taste, most of what I look for in a hamburger was there. Going at $3. 99, it was worth the amount and most definitely, I am sure I will come again to this restaurant to try other foods. Burger King has many competitors such as McDonalds among other fast food restaurants owned by individuals. The location of the Burger King serves as the strategic point of hav ing such a facility considering the many people who want to save as much time as they can. This makes it ideal for people working around there, as it is quite convenient.This is one of its strong points but also its weak point. During the day, since there are many people working around here, it has many customers, but during the night, there are fewer customers. In conclusion, the restaurant is well above the standards and the food served is delicious and to high standards just as the restaurant itself. In the first criteria of the service delivery, the restaurant was average when it came to the sitting area. Everybody knows that fast foods are not required to have spacious, luxurious sitting spaces.Burger King can increase their table to accommodate more people. In terms of the food served, it is quality and delicious. Since it is a fast food, one expects the food to be easy to pack or take away since many people may choose to carry their food. Burger King has achieved this by cook ing their food through grilling, which ensures food does not break up when heating unlike microwave food. Finally, its locations serves them well during the day and it is at a hot point. They can only accommodate more during the day to compensate during nighttime.

Journey to the Dwarf Planet Essay

Pluto is a space object that has been mistaken for a planet and a comet in the past. New evidence has revealed that the previously thought ninth planet of our solar system is actually just an ice-dwarf, and comparable to all other objects in the Kuiper Belt. This paper explores Pluto through the vision of New Horizons, the fastest spacecraft ever launched. This spacecraft would travel to Pluto in approximately nine years and reveal much about the surface of this unusual space object that humanity feels especially attached to, given that it was â€Å"a part of our solar system† for a long time. Using S. Alan Stern’s explanation of the importance of Pluto’s surface – that, in fact, this space object carries essential information about the origins of the solar system – this paper provides a reason for humanity’s interest in the mission to Pluto. It is suggested that Pluto’s environment would provide important clues about the Earth’s environment. And even if it does not, all news is good news in the world of science. It may very well be that the mission to Pluto would teach humanity nothing new, and only renew its appreciation for the living environment of Earth. Perhaps this new awareness and appreciation would somehow help to save the Earth’s environment. JOURNEY TO THE DWARF PLANET Page # 3 Journey to the Dwarf Planet Pluto is only 1413 miles in diameter, with a surface that is believed to be made up of nitrogen, carbon monoxide, methane and water ices. Many of the moons in the solar system are bigger in size than Pluto. Moreover, Pluto is said to have its own satellite, Charon, which may or may not be considered a regular kind of satellite, given that it is almost as big as Pluto (Connor, 2006). According S. Alan Stern (2002), writing for Scientific American, the material on Pluto’s surface may sublimate â€Å"into a rarefied atmosphere when the planet is in the part of its orbit that is closest to the sun. † In addition, scientists believe that Pluto’s surface may be experiencing the eruption of geysers on occasion. Gas and ice may be shooting above the surface of the planet in plumes. Today, we understand that Pluto is a dwarf planet, not a real one. It has been called the ice-dwarf, too, seeing that this space object is far different from the planets in our solar system. The rotation of Pluto, for instance, is in the opposite direction to the rotation of the eight planets we know – Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Pluto is most unlike the Earth, which is a rocky planet. It is also unlike the gaseous Jupiter (Connor). Hence, scientists have been wondering about the real nature of Pluto for quite some time. Pluto has been referred to as a comet to boot (Wilker, 2006). It all started only ten years after Pluto was first discovered by American astronomer Clyde Tombaugh in 1930 (Connor). During the 1940s and 1950s, researchers suggested that perhaps Pluto was the brightest of a vast group of icy space objects in the area that it occupies. This JOURNEY TO THE DWARF PLANET Page # 4 concept came to be known as the Kuiper Belt, named after the Dutch-American astronomer, Gerard Kuiper, who was foremost in casting doubts about Pluto’s status in our solar system (Stern). Based on new evidence, scientists have come to the conclusion that the Kuiper Belt contains at least one hundred thousand objects that are larger than 100 kilometers across. In fact, the Kuiper Belt may very well be â€Å"the big brother to the asteroid belt,† writes Stern. This big brother of the asteroid belt has more mass, more objects, including those of larger sizes, and â€Å"a greater supply of ancient, icy and organic material left over from the birth of the solar system. † Stern adds: It is now clear that Pluto is not an anomaly. Instead it lies within a vast swarm of smaller bodies orbiting between about five billion and at least eight billion kilometers from the sun. Because this far-off region may hold important clues to the early development of the solar system, astronomers are keenly interested in learning more about Pluto, its moon, Charon, and the bodies making up the Kuiper Belt. It is not only the astronomers that are interested in learning more about Pluto. Rather, it seems that the entire humanity is longing to find out about its own origins, and how it came to occupy the environment that it lives in today. Given that greater awareness about Pluto and its environment would provide humanity with clues regarding the origin of the Earth’s environment – scientists have worked very hard to reach JOURNEY TO THE DWARF PLANET Page # 5 Pluto somehow. Explaining their efforts in his article, â€Å"Journey to the Farthest Planet,† Stern introduces to the reader the $488 million project called New Horizons. This is a mission established by the Southwest Research Institute, based in San Antonio, Texas, and the Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) at Johns Hopkins University. New Horizons is further supported by a team of scientists from various universities, research institutes, and NASA centers. The mission is, of course, for humanity to explore Pluto and its so-called â€Å"double,† Charon (Connor). According to Stern, this mission is â€Å"equivalent of conducting an archaeological dig into the history of the outer solar system – a place where researchers can get a valuable glimpse of the long-gone era of planetary formation. †

An In-depth Analysis of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” Essay

Aside from the Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet is probably also one of the most famous tragedies that William Shakespeare has ever written. Just like any other tragedies that Shakespeare has written, the story ended with the killing of many people including the main character, Hamlet. It also shows Shakespeare’s writing style with the concept of revenge, denied love, and many others. Before we can analyze the character of Hamlet, let us first take a glimpse on the story. The setting of the story is in Denmark. The story began with the late King Hamlet haunting the night as a ghost. Later on, Prince Hamlet’s friend, Horatio and the prince himself was told by the ghost that he was murdered by Claudius, the King’s brother. After murdering King Hamlet, Claudius got the throne and King Hamlet’s wife Gertrude. With all of these things being known by the young hamlet, he then plans for revenge. This plan consisted of acting mad and hiring and acting troupe to re-enact the said murder of the king. After the acting, Gertrude scolded Hamlet for being disloyal to the King unaware that Polonius is hiding behind the curtains. Hamlet accidentally killed Polonius for he mistaken him as the King. Because of this, Prince Hamlet was sent to England without knowing Claudius’ plans of killing him there. However, Hamlet manages to escape the guards and was able to go back to Denmark. But the story did not end there, with the death of his father Polonius, Ophelia lost her mind. Because of this, Laertes (Ophelia’s brother) went to Denmark to take revenge especially when he found out that Ophelia has drowned herself. Laertes planned his revenge to be done in a fencing battle and that he will stab Hamlet with a poisoned sword and that the king would give him a poisoned cup if he wins. But the plan went crazy when Gertrude drank with the poisoned cup because of Hamlet’s near victory and when Laertes stabbed hamlet with the poisoned sword. They then exchange swords and Hamlet managed to stab Laertes with the poisoned blade. Realizing that the three of them are going to die, Hamlet decided to stab Claudius and make him drink the rest of the poisoned drink (Kriszner). Analysis of Hamlet’s Character After having read these things happen and done by our Shakespearean character, we can say that Hamlet does not have a constant or fixed characteristic. Hamlet never fails to let the readers know that there is more to him that meets the eye. At first, it seemed that Hamlet is just a prince that is curious about his father’s death. But as the story progresses, the readers were seeing more and more of him. Hamlet, I must say, is a rational, truth-seeking character. If we are not to find the depth of Hamlet’s character’s it may seem that he is just a revengeful character. But planning for revenge is different from seeking the truth. Before planning his revenge, Hamlet first wanted to confirm if the Claudius is guilty. With his actions when he hired an acting group, we can see that he is being rational and that although he seemed to be very angry at the King, he still chose to see first if the King is really guilty. Hamlet is also very contemplative because all the evidence that may prove that the King murdered his father is there but still he was so eager to prove that Claudius is guilty. Although any person or reader would believe that the evidence is enough, Hamlet still shows doubt and asks questions in his mind. Aside from being contemplative, we can say that the character of Hamlet is also impulsive. A proof to this is the accidental killing of Polonius. Hamlet did not even spend time to check if it is really the king or not. Because of this impulsiveness, more revenge was triggered just like the planned revenge of Laertes which took part as the story progressed. He is also very impulsive when his character suddenly shifts to being a madman. Hamlet’s impulsiveness is also seen through his over toned speeches and allusions. The character of Hamlet also shows discontent, not just to his family but to current status of Denmark and eventually, the whole world. This can be seen when he was disappointed about his mother when he married Claudius right after King Hamlet died. It is also noticeable in the play that he executes a particular dislike for women. This can be seen when he did not like the actions of his own mother and when he denied his love for Ophelia (â€Å"Hamlet Character Analysis†). Hamlet is also a character of will and passion. His character in the play perfectly suits his being young and enthusiastic. Because of his â€Å"youngness† and being enthusiastic, it seemed to us that he does not take time to reflect. Again, an example is when he killed Polonius. He just does things that he thinks would fit the situation. He does things according to his will that is why the impression it gives the audience is that he is a character that is full of strength. Another characteristic of the Shakespearean hero is being undecided or puzzled. These are manifested with his asking about the afterlife, suicide, etc. Another part of the play wherein we can see Hamlet’s being undecided is when he changed his mind in killing King Claudius when he saw him praying. He then decided to kill him when â€Å"he is drunk, asleep, or in a rage† which could be a more lethal opportunity. Because he cannot decide on when to kill the King, he resorted to first proving that the King really murdered his father. Different emotions can also be seen in the character of Hamlet. As the play progresses, different emotions are shown by our Shakespearean hero. At some parts, we can see an angry Hamlet where there are some parts where we see Hamlet as a character of despair. There are also parts that he seemed to be affectionate with Ophelia. Hamlet also executes betrayal and commit lies when he switched the letters and when he acted as a mad man. Also, in some other parts of the story, we can see a grieving Hamlet (Mabillard). Hamlet is also a responsible character and is very willing to sacrifice. Although it is apparent that he wants revenge, we can say that he is just being responsible in seeking justice for his father’s death. He is responsible because he did not stop until he found justice for his father’s death. He sacrificed a lot of things like his love for Ophelia and even sacrificed his own life just for the sake of justice. Lastly, Hamlet shows a different lose of faith in people. One part of the play is when he lost his love for Ophelia. Also, there are some parts of the story wherein he seemed to have lot his interest in life and that he thinks of the world as impure and unclean. Hamlet became very pessimistic about the world after finding out what his father has gone through. He showed disappointment and discontent not only to Denmark but to the whole world. Character Development, Dramatic Structure, and Presentation The development of Hamlet’s character started from being vengeful, to fighting for his life and justice, then grieving for the death of loved ones and the current state of his nation. Hamlet, I must say, is one of the most â€Å"flavorful† characters that Shakespeare has ever made. His character started from being angry which resulted from planning revenge. Because of his plans, he then changes to a character who struggles from the situation he put his self into. And lastly, he shows grief with the loved ones he had lost (â€Å"Hamlet†). The dramatic structure of the play is obviously a tragedy. Of course, the dramatic content of the play includes conflict. Many of Shakespeare’s plays show order or unity. Many of them involve a group of people or society which will then be broken. This situation would seem to be unresolved until the end of the story or until everyone is killed. Another part of the structure of this drama is the existence of the supernatural. This could be seen in the presence of the ghost of King Hamlet. This was also done by Shakespeare in some of his works like Macbeth and Midsummer night’s dream. This will then cause the disturbance of the situation. In the case of Hamlet, the ghost of King Hamlet triggered young Hamlet’s emotions which resulted to seeking revenge. Since the story is a tragedy, we expect that the conflict can only be resolved with the death of the main character. However, not all tragedies end after the killing of the main character. Some tragedies end by grieving to the death of the fallen hero or carrying the hero’s dead body. This will then show the â€Å"bringing back† of unity amongst the broken society. Such dramatic structure was made by Shakespeare especially for the 18th century where in the concept of tragedies are not yet or less accepted by the public (Jhonston). Cultural Significance Hamlet has its effects on culture. It showed the people to face reality and not hide from the truth. In the century when the play was made, social hierarchy is a big deal. Social status is an important issue that is why the play addresses that we should be true to ourselves and that we should not beautify the harsh realities of life (Cook). It seems that Shakespeare wanted to show the imperfections of man through Hamlet’s dissatisfaction of the world. The play seems to whine about the current state of our culture and society and that people should not beautify the mistakes of the society and the culture they built upon. Reference: Cook, Hardy M. â€Å"The Meaning of Hamlet†. 2004. July 18 2007. . â€Å"Hamlet†. 2006. July 19 2007. . â€Å"Hamlet Character Analysis†. 2005. Absolute Shakespeare. July 18 2007. . Jhonston, Ian. â€Å"Darmatic Structure: Comedy and Tragedy†. 2007. July 19 2007. . Kriszner, Laurie G. Portable Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing. 6th ed: Thomson-Wadsworth, 2006. Mabillard, Amanda. â€Å"Hamlet Character Analysis†. 2000. Shakespeare online. July 19 2007. .

Strategic Planning, Learning Theory, and Training Needs Analysis

The five phases of the training process model include; Needs Analysis Phase; Design Phase; Development Phase; Implementation Phase, and the Evaluation Phase. The â€Å"Needs Analysis Phase† is to determine each employee’s needs and ask â€Å"What do we want our employees to get out of the program? † This phase will help identify the difference between comparing the company’s current results to the company’s â€Å"expected organizational performances. The performance gap is one way to figure out what is best needed in the training process of the company. Our text states that the â€Å"needs analysis phase begins when there is a performance problem within the organization. Examples of this problem might be: lack of quality, customer dissatisfaction, or reduced profits. If the identified problem is related to employee knowledge, skills, or attitudes, then a training need is indicated. † (Blanchard / Thacker, 2010) It is much less costly to have a gap analysis prepared; than to guess at what the needs are before the training objectives begin. The â€Å"Design Phase is where the needs of the â€Å"training objectives are created along with the factors needed to facilitate learning through content delivery. † This assessment of needs can be linked to the information and then used to â€Å"create the new curriculum of the program objectives. These provide specific direction for what will be trained and how. † The phase of design should allow us to begin to think about our â€Å"operational considerations to the program. We may ask ourselves how the delivery of the program is going to â€Å"influence the business operations† in the foreseeable future. (Blanchard / Thacker, 2010) The Development Phase is described as the â€Å"process of formulating an instructional strategy to meet a set of training objectives as well as obtaining or creating all the things that are needed to implement the training program. † In this stage the materials used can be movies, games, visual aids, etc. The trainer nee ds to be sure they keep the trainees fully engaged with activities to ensure the knowledge is retained. With updated materials and â€Å"revamping of statistical data† the trainee’s should be able to stay focused and interested in the program. (Blanchard / Thacker, 2010) In the Implementation Phase, â€Å"all the aspects of the training program come together,† and the training actually takes place. Some important things to keep in mind are what practices will be discussed; potential leadership skills; addressing classroom rules and class expectations required, and have on hand, a feedback form for the trainee’s to fill out at the end of the program. The Evaluation Phase consists of two types of evaluations. First, â€Å"the process evaluation determines how well a particular process achieved its objectives. † Like, â€Å"did the trainer follow the exact training process suggested? † Second, is the outcome evaluation, which is conducted at the end of the training to determine the effects of training on the trainee, the job, and the organization? † Furthermore, â€Å"if the outputs of the program were less than expected, then changes to the program may be necessary. Companies should establish a systematic evaluation process to enhance the effectiveness of the training. † The company really needs to determine, through the evaluation phase; whether the training enhanced employee’s performance or the company’s performance as expected. (Blanchard / Thacker, 2010) The end results focus on â€Å"both the evaluation process combined with the training unit and has a complete picture of the training from needs analysis to training techniques. It furnishes information about the trainer, and measures learner’s outcomes through reaction, learning, behavior, and results. (Blanchard / Thacker, 2010) Identify three factors that might inhibit HRD managers from developing a strategic planning approach to training. Recommend how these three factors might be overcome. Some factors that may inhibit a HRD manager from developing a strategic plan could be â€Å"the lack of motivation to participate in new learning tasks; a lack of funding available; a lack of clarity on the role of HRD; and perhaps not enough time available for new development in the company. †It is important for every Company in business to be aware of certain factors; in order to accomplish their goals successfully. Blanchard / Thacker, 2010) Overcoming some of these negative factors maybe the â€Å"HRD manager needs to ensure that their HR teams is open and committed to the highest training expectations that are available to every employee’s success. † (Blanchard / Thacker, 2010) The company should be totally â€Å"committed by financing the proper training that is needed for the future success of the company as a whole. † What a business puts into the investment of their employee’s, are most l ikely to surface motivated success for the company. The HRD should clearly clarify exactly what their role is going to entail, right from the start, so there will be full understanding of each employee’s expectations. The company needs to â€Å"dedicate sufficient amount of time each year for the proper training of its employee’s. † Dedication of the company is just as important as the employee’s dedicating their KSA to the company. Compare and contrast the behaviorist and the cognitive approaches to learning. Explain which is more relevant to training. Behaviorist approaches to learning usually are â€Å"focused on people who have specific observable behaviors or habits that they want to change. After understanding the principles of learning, they may even be able to modify their own behavior. † (Blanchard / Thacker, 2010) The Cognitive approaches are concerned with the â€Å"thought process; these people focus on changing the way they think. Our text explains that the cognitive approach suggests that the learner controls learning, and they may come to training with their own set of goals and priorities. † Whereas the behaviorist come to training with a specific goal and believe the â€Å"environment controls the learning outcome. (Blanchard / Thacker, 2010) The two definitely are different in ways, but â€Å"behavioral and cognitive approaches are being used in the same multimedia application. Both involve analysis, decomposition, and simplification of tasks in order to make instruction easier and more efficient† (Jonassen, 1991). Both use â€Å"devices to arouse, attract, and focus attention. Both force learner engagement through interactive decision-making points in the material. Both give importance to intrinsic feedback, though it may be expressed in voluntary help or advice option s in applications with cognitive design. Both value meaningful learning and realistic contexts for application of knowledge and skills† (Atkins, 1993). It is my opinion both are equally relevant to the training programs, depending on which approach one wants to take. Fully explain the purpose of a training needs analysis (TNA). Argue the conditions under which a TNA is always necessary, and offer two examples when a TNA might not be required. The purpose of a training needs analysis is to â€Å"close a gap between what the â€Å"actual organizational performances are and what the expected organizational performance should be. The TNA is represented as having a triggering event, an input stage, a process stage, and finally an output phase. † (Blanchard / Thacker, 2010) The input phase â€Å"consists of three levels of analysis; the organizational analysis focuses on organizational strategies, resources, resource allocation, and the internal environment. The analysis of the organization’s internal environment will help to identify the cause of the organizational performance gap, and will help to decide if training is the appropriate cure. (Blanchard / Thacker, 2010) The operational analysis â€Å"examines the specific jobs to determine and what KSA are necessary to get the job done. This process is known as job analysis, which is a detailed examination of all of the job tasks. Once the tasks are identified, then a decision can be made as to what KSAs are necessary to do the job competently. † (Blanchard / Thacker, 2010) The operational analysis â€Å"examines specific jobs to determine and what KSA are necessary to get the job done. This process is known as job analysis, and it is a very detailed examination of all of the job tasks. Once the tasks are identified, then a decision can be made as to what KSAs are necessary to do the job competently. † (Blanchard / Thacker, 2010) The person analysis; is the final stage that actually† focus on those in the job who are not meeting the performance requirements. Data on individual employees may come from a number of data sources, but the two most common sources are performance appraisals and efficiency tests. By incorporating the three levels of analysis, organizational, operational, and person, the identification of the performance gap should be complete. From here decisions can be made as to whether a training need or a non-training need has been identified. † (Blanchard / Thacker, 2010) The TNA is always necessary when the organization notices performance problems, because they need to know what the causes are, so they can be corrected in a timely manner. For most â€Å"training situations, use of the TNA will increase the relevance and effectiveness of the training. It ensures wise use of training funds, delivers the appropriate training to the right people, and contributes to the fulfillment of organizational goals. Diversity, language, retirement, and â€Å"turnovers are all factors that might contribute to a performance gap. † (Blanchard / Thacker, 2010) According to chapter 4 in our text; â€Å"TNA might not be necessary when an organization is trying to communicate a new vision or address a legal concern, which would include all employees to be present in the training program. † When the organization has d ecided to conduct â€Å"team building skills for a more positive performance outcome†; all employees will be trained in this case; there is no need for a TNA to be done. (Blanchard / Thacker, 2010) Reference Blanchard N. & Thacker J. (2010) Effective Training: Systems, Strategies, and Practices, Pearson Education, Inc. / Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey Martin G. L. & Pear J. (2002) Behavior Modification: What It Is and How to Do It, 7th ed. New York: Prentice-Hall, Retrieved on April 25, 2011 from http://www.ryerson.ca/~glassman/behavior.html SBI Conduct a TNA to test and find out if training is the best solution Retrieved April 25, 2011 from http://www.leopard-learning.com/tna.html Jonassen, D.H. (1991). Objectivism versus constructivism: Do we need a new philosophical paradigm? Educational Technology Research and Development, 39(3), 5-14. Atkins, M.J. (1993). Theories of learning and multimedia applications: An overview. Research Papers in Education, 8(2), 251-271.Retreived on April 25, 2011 from http://www.ct4me.net/multimedia_design.htm