Personal and Professional Development for Business Essay

Personal and Professional Development for Business - Essay Example The greater job insecurity and weakened right of workers have increased the level of poverty in the developing countries (Goldberg & Pavcnik, 2006). For the purpose of giving the farmers and workers in the developing countries a living wage for their work, which can sustain them and create opportunities for social and economic development, the alternative system of trade which counteracts international free trade, corporate control and global policies was established. Such system is a Fairtrade initiative, which aims are to improve the living conditions of producers in developing countries with their attempts to achieve higher prices, greater availability of financing and longer-term and sustainable buyer-seller relationships. Along with that, an organized social movement was also called to improve social goods and community development and to use the environmental friendly production through a certification process for producers and suppliers. The initiative is simple about the bett er prices, decent working conditions and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the countries that are developing. The following report will examine precisely the question of Fair Trade, will analyze who are the main consumers and who and why people buy Fair Trade products. Further the report will investigate what retailers of selling Fair Trade products can do to increase sales. A Fairtrade Foundation tends to relieve world from poverty, suffering, and distress. That is why it promotes research and education concerning the causes and effects of poverty, in particular, the relation of trade and to the conditions of employment of poor people living in the developing countries. I

Examining the Market and Operations Strategy of Tesco

Examining the Market and Operations Strategy of Tesco Introduction Human resource management  or shortly said H.R.M. is a designed  and  articulate  way to  management  of people working in the company or organization. The other term used for this is personnel management which is used instead of human resource management. It cn be defines as:- A continues processes managing people in any organizations in a way to achieve its objectives and goals. Human Resource Management is basically a study as well as a department in any organization that stands on ideas and techniques set to improve employee motivation, efficiency and performance. The HRM models makes necessary emphasizes: search for new ways and methods of working key role of managers in making progressive change treating all the workers as individuals encouragement of staff to think management as their partners instead of bosses Human capital is the important quality and capability of businesses especially in service based business. Human resources are some time major proportion of costs for many businesses. Management of such important and valuable resources is necessary for the success of business. Human resource management  means recruiting employees, arranging their training to improve their skills, utilizing these skills, maintaining their performances and paying off their services as required. Employees are a value asset for an organization. The purpose of all this arrangement is to contribute in achievement of company or organization targets. Human Resource Management practitioners have modern view about workplace management comparing to the traditional thinking. As such, HRM techniques, when properly practiced, are expressive of the goals and operating practices of the enterprise overall. HRM is also seen by many to have a key role in risk reduction within organizations. HRM and Employees Performance HRM and organisational performance, evident in improved employee commitment, lower levels of absenteeism and turnover, higher levels of skills and therefore higher productivity, enhanced quality and efficiency  . This area of work is sometimes referred to as Strategic HRM or SHRM (. Within SHRM three strands of work can be observed: Best practice, Best Fit and the Resource Based View (RBV). The notion of best practice sometimes called high commitment HRM proposes that the adoption of certain best practices in HRM will result in better organisational performance. Perhaps the most popular work in this area is that of Pfeffer  Ã‚  who argued that there were seven best practices for achieving competitive advantage through people and building profits by putting people first. These practices included: providing employment security, selective hiring, extensive training, sharing information, self-managed teams, high pay based on company performance and the reduction of status differentials. However, there is a huge number of studies which provide evidence of best practices, usually implemented in coherent bundles, and therefore it is difficult to draw generalised conclusions about which is the best way (For a comparison of different sets of best practices see Becker and Gerhart, 1996   Best fit, or the contingency approach to HRM, argues that HRM improves performance where there is a close vertical fit between the HRM practices and the companys strategy. This link ensures close coherence between the HR people processes and policies and the external market or business strategy. There are a range of theories about the nature of this vertical integration. For example, a set of lifecycle models argue that HR policies and practices can be mapped onto the stage of an organisations development or lifecycle. Competitive advantage models take Porters (1985) ideas about strategic choice and map a range of HR practices onto the organisations choice of competitive strategy. Finally configurational modelsprovide a more sophisticated approach which advocates a close examination of the organisations strategy in order to determine the appropriate HR policies and practices. However, this approach assumes that the strategy of the organisation can be identified many organisations ex ist in a state of flux and development. The Resource Based View (RBV), argued by some to be at the foundation of modern HRM, focusses on the internal resources of the organisation and how they contribute to competitive advantage. The uniqueness of these resources is preferred to homogeneity and HRM has a central role in developing human resources that are valuable, rare, difficult to copy or substitute and that are effectively organised. Overall, the theory of HRM argues that the goal of human resource management is to help an organization to meet strategic goals by attracting, and maintaining employees and also to manage them effectively. The key word here perhaps is fit, i.e. a HRM approach seeks to ensure a fit between the management of an organisations employees, and the overall strategic direction of the company (Miller, 1989). The basic premise of the academic theory of HRM is that humans are not machines, therefore we need to have an interdisciplinary examination of people in the workplace. Fields such as  psychology,  industrial relations, industrial engineering,  sociology,  economics, and critical theories:  postmodernism,  post-structuralism  play a major role. Many colleges and universities offer bachelor and master degrees in Human Resources Management or in Human Resources and Industrial Relations. One widely used scheme to describe the role of HRM, developed by  Dave Ulrich, defines 4 fields for the HRM function: Strategic business partner Change Agent Employee champion Administration Expert Human Resource Department Responsibilities Companies can have different departments, ranging from sales to human resources.   Depending on the size of a company, the human resource department may have an entire staff. Employment opportunities found in the department include human resource coordinator, assistant and director. Human resource department responsibilities can involve understanding federal, state and local  laws. Training and Development The human resources department assists companies with training and development. Companies train employees for different reasons, ranging from employee motivation to new technology. The length of training can differ from hours to weeks. Types of training can range from workshops to classroom participation. Some topics discussed in training sessions include employee safety and customer service. Benefits Companies must use different incentives to attract and maintain employees. After compensation, benefits are a common incentive to keep employees. The  Society  for Human Resource Management states benefits can involve federal and state requirements, such as unemployment insurance. Some companies offer a range of benefits. Types of benefits include dental insurance, vision insurance and paid days off. Compensation The Human Resources Department verifies that employees receive proper compensation. One form of compensation involves the amount of pay an employee receives in exchange for work performed, known as base pay. Commissions offer another form of compensation. Some companies offer only a combination of base pay and commissions, such as for a sales  job. Staffing A company requires staff to provide products and services to its customers. One human resources staffing-related activity involves advertising. Advertising allows companies to match applicants with potential jobs. Forms of advertising can take place on employment boards, specialty newspapers or business websites. Other human resource activities involve contacting applicants for interviews and confirming each applicants background. Employee Exit Interview HR Tools indicates employee exit interviews can help organizations maintain retention rates. Another benefit from exit interviews is a company can obtain  positive  feedback about its compensation, benefits or training programs. The human resources department has the responsibility of scheduling and conducting exit interviews. The employee should feel comfortable discussing employment issues, so a private office is advisable for the interviews. Business Practice Human resources management involves several processes. Together they are supposed to achieve the above mentioned goal. These processes can be performed in an HR department, but some tasks can also be outsourced or performed by line-managers or other departments. When effectively integrated they provide significant economic benefit to the company. Workforce planning Recruitment  (sometimes separated into attraction and selection) Induction,  Orientation  and  Onboarding Skills management Training and development Personnel administration Compensation in  wage  or  salary Time management Travel management (sometimes assigned to accounting rather than HRM) Payroll  (sometimes assigned to accounting rather than HRM) Employee benefits  administration Personnel cost planning Performance appraisal Labor relations HRM strategy An HRM strategy pertains to the means as to how to implement the specific functions of HRM. An organizations HR function may possess recruitment and selection policies, disciplinary procedures, reward/recognition policies, an HR plan, or learning and development policies, however all of these functional areas of HRM need to be aligned and correlated, in order to correspond with the overall business strategy. An HRM strategy thus is an overall plan, concerning the implementation of specific HRM functional areas. An HRM strategy typically consists of the following factors:- Best fit and best practice meaning that there is correlation between the HRM strategy and the overall corporate strategy. As HRM as a field seeks to manage  human resources  in order to achieve properly organizational goals, an organizations HRM strategy seeks to accomplish such management by applying a firms personnel needs with the goals/objectives of the organisation. As an example, a firm selling cars could have a corporate strategy of increasing car sales by 10% over a five year period. Accordingly, the HRM strategy would seek to facilitate how exactly to manage personnel in order to achieve the 10% figure. Specific HRM functions, such as recruitment and selection, reward/recognition, an HR plan, or learning and development policies, would be tailored to achieve the corporate objectives. Close co-operation (at least in theory) between HR and the top/senior management, in the development of the corporate strategy. Theoretically, a senior HR representative should be present when an organizations corporate objectives are devised. This is so, since it is a firms personnel who actually construct a good, or provide a service. The personnels proper management is vital in the firm being successful, or even existing as a going concern. Thus, HR can be seen as one of the critical departments within the functional area of an organization. Continual monitoring of the strategy, via employee feedback, surveys, etc. The implementation of an HR strategy is not always required, and may depend on a number of factors, namely the size of the firm, the organizational culture within the firm or the industry that the firm operates in and also the people in the firm. An HRM strategy can be divided, in general, into two facets the people strategy and the HR functional strategy. The people strategy pertains to the point listed in the first paragraph, namely the careful correlation of HRM policies/actions to attain the goals laid down in the corporate strategy. The HR functional strategy relates to the policies employed within the HR functional area itself, regarding the management of persons internal to it, to ensure its own departmental goals are met. Career and Education Several universities offer programs of study pertaining to HRM and broader fields.  Cornell University  created the worlds first school for college-level study in HRM (ILR School).  University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign  also now has a school dedicated to the study of HRM, while several  business schools  also house a center or department dedicated. There are both generalist and specialist HRM jobs. There are careers involved with employment, recruitment and placement and these are usually conducted by interviewers, EEO (Equal Employment Opportunity) specialists or college recruiters. Training and development specialism is often conducted by trainers and orientation specialists. Compensation and benefits tasks are handled by compensation analysts, salary administrators, and benefits administrators. Professional organizations Professional organizations in HRM include the  Society for Human Resource Management, the Australian Human Resources Institute (AHRI), the  Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), the International Public Management Association for HR (IPMA-HR), Management Association of Nepal (MAN) and the International Personnel Management Association of Canada (IPMA-Canada), Human Capital Institute. National Human Resource Development Network in India. Functions The Human Resources Management (HRM) function includes a variety of activities, and key among them is deciding what staffing needs to have and whether to use independent contractors or hire employees to fill these needs, recruiting and training the best employees, ensuring they are high performers, dealing with performance issues, and ensuring your personnel and management practices conform to various regulations. Activities also include managing your approach to employee benefits and compensation, employee records and personnel policies. Usually small businesses (for-profit or nonprofit) have to carry out these activities themselves because they cant yet afford part- or full-time help. However, they should always ensure that employees have-and are aware of-personnel policies which conform to current regulations. These policies are often in the form of employee manuals, which all employees have. Note that some people distinguish a difference between HRM (a major management activity) and HRD (Human Resource Development, a profession). Those people might include HRM in HRD, explaining that HRD includes the broader range of activities to develop personnel inside of organizations, including, e.g., career development, training, organization development, etc. There is a long-standing argument about where HR-related functions should be organized into large organizations, e.g., should HR be in the Organization Development department or the other way around? The HRM function and HRD profession have undergone major changes over the past 20-30 years. Many years ago, large organizations looked to the Personnel Department, mostly to manage the paperwork around hiring and paying people. More recently, organizations consider the HR Department as playing an important role in staffing, training and helping to manage people so that people and the organization are performing at maximum capability in a highly fulfilling manner. The Responsibilities of a Manager in Human Resources Planning The human resources department has many roles and functions. Historically, the department was responsible for recruitment and training within an organization. Human resources has evolved to include a wide variety of competencies that are necessary for an organizations growth and success. Managers are in constant communication with the human resources department. Effective human resources planning requires managers and company executives to identify the needs of the company and develop a strategic plan to meet those needs. Recruitment The acquisition of experienced and qualified employees is vital to the success of an organization. Managers are responsible for interviewing potential candidates and making recommendations to hire a particular individual. Managers also attend recruiting events and evaluate applicants to determine whether the candidates personality will fit within the corporate environment. Retention Employee retention is an integral part of a managers responsibilities. Managers are obligated to ensure that employee work environments are conducive to individual success. Managers are responsible for motivating employees and developing programs that encourage good employees to remain with the company. Managers communicate the feedback they receive from employees to human resources so they may expand retention initiatives. These initiatives are designed to keep existing employees happy and satisfied with their  jobs. Training Training within an organization is a work in progress. As new products are introduced or industry trends shift in a new direction, additional training and employee development will be necessary. Human resources departments watch markets closely to ensure their organizations remain up to speed on changes within their enterprise. Managers also must supervise employees to ensure that a lack of understanding of company products and services does not interfere with  job  duties. Further, managers are responsible for making recommendations that additional training be conducted if several employees fall behind on a particular objective. Employee Relations Employee relations involve many different aspects of human resources planning. Employee relations are events or situations that affect an employees well-being, such as managerial disputes or employee discrimination. Employee relations also involve employee salaries, benefits,  health  care and retirement. If an employee has a work-related issue, it is usually brought to the attention of his manager first. Managers are responsible for keeping employee relations matters confidential and referring complex issues to the appropriate department to remedy the situation. Job Duties for a Human Resource Specialist Human resource specialists provide a specific type of work in the human resources department of a  business. Even though a person may specialize in any of several areas, the responsibilities of different specialists may overlap. Employee Recruitment and Placement Specialists in employee recruitment and placement manage the applicant screening process and hiring activities for open positions. They may seek out promising applicants through  job boards or  career  fairs and help match them to appropriate jobs. Compensation and Benefits Specialists in this area design and administer employee benefit programs such as health insurance, retirement plans and flexible spending accounts. They must be knowledgeable about the various benefit programs offered by their company as well as laws that may affect these benefits. Job Analysis Job analysts determine job titles, develop job descriptions and designate position classifications. In some companies, job analysis is done by compensation and benefit specialists. Training and Professional Development These specialists provide employee training such as new employee orientation and continuing education. They often develop and present materials for professional development workshops. Labor Relations Labor relations specialists assist with the resolution of employee disputes and grievances, as well as contract negotiation and workplace safety. They negotiate with labor unions and act as liaisons between employees and management. Effective Interviewing Giving an interview is as nerve racking as having one! As an interviewer you want to get as much information from the interviewee as possible, so to do this youre going to have to be nice to them! By making the environment calm and relaxing, both you and the interviewee will get the best from the interview. Before the interview, decide what information you require. It may help you to write yourself a list of questions or keywords, which will help the interview go smoothly. It is important that you listen to the candidate carefully, as well as getting all of the information you want, it will also help you to expand on the interviewees answers. Try to avoid asking questions together as this may confuse the candidate, as well as giving them the option to avoid certain questions. Glossary Of Terms Added Value  often refers to the analysis undertaken by management of the cost and contribution made by employees involved at each stage in the process of producing a product or providing a service. Appraisal Schemes   an individuals performance is reviewed by their manager. Their past performance is examined and future goals are set. Benchmarking  measures standards of performance against others doing similar work. Business Process Re-engineering (BPR)  refers to the methods by which a company or service undertakes a thorough review of all its operations. Business Units  often have their own Trading Accounts and operate with relative autonomy from the rest of the company or service. Continuous Improvement (Kaizen)  requires employees to constantly seek ways of improving the quality of the product or service. Delayering  is the removal of middle layers of management resulting in a flatter management organisation. Dismissal  is when you are removed from employment Empowerment/Enablement  are strategies aimed to give people more control and responsibility for their work Flexibility  describes changes in the size of the workforce, depending on short-term changes in market conditions Management-by-Objectivesmeans each management team identifying its key tasks and goals and using these as a yardstick against which performance is measured. Multi-Skilling  is the increase of the skills base of the workforce, usually bringing in new technology Multi-tasking  requires for staff to take on a wider range of tasks, usually involving on-the-job training Outsourcing  occurs when management invites external contractors to undertake work that was previously done by in-house staff. Performance Indicators  measure the improvements in throughputs, outputs and outcomes. Performance Related Pay (PRP)links an individuals performance with their pay. Different schemes have been set up to measure Team Building  brings together employers and employees, with the goal of increasing performance by strengthening relationships within the workplace Total Quality Management (TQM)usually involves the introduction of continuous monitoring. It refers to initiatives designed to improve the quality of products and services to meet customers requirements. http://www.bized.co.uk/educators/16-19/business/hrm/lesson/hrm1map.gif Title Human resource management: a problem-solving approach linked to ISLLC standards G Reference, Information and Interdisciplinary Subjects Series Authors Jerry R. Baker,  Madeleine S. Doran Edition 2, revised, illustrated Publisher RL Education, 2007 Length 217 pages Title HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT Authors ROBERT L. MATHIS,  JOHN H. JACKSON Publisher Cengage Learning, 2007 Subjects Business Economics / Human Resources Personnel Management Title Human resource management: a strategic approach to employment B H contemporary business series Author Chris Hendry Edition illustrated, reprint Publisher Butterworth-Heinemann, 1995 ISBN 075060994X, 9780750609944 Length 485 pages Title A handbook of human resource management practice Author Michael Armstrong Edition 9, illustrated Publisher Kogan Page Publishers, 2003 ISBN 0749441054, 9780749441050 Length 979 pages Title Human Resource Management Authors Derek Torrington,  Stephen Taylor,  Laura Hall,  Carol Atkinson Edition 8 Publisher Pearson Education, Limited, 2010 ISBN 0273732323, 9780273732327 Length 848 pages Subjects Business Economics / Commerce Title Human Resource Management: Theory and Practice Authors John Bratton,  Jeffrey Gold Edition 2, illustrated Publisher Routledge, 2001 ISBN 0805838627, 9780805838626 Length 432 pages

Speaking From Within: A Discussion on Our Innate Ability to Learn Languages :: Biology Essays Research Papers

Speaking From Within: A Discussion on Our Innate Ability to Learn Languages For years since I moved to the United States after the age of nine, I've always been frustrated at the lack of improvement in my ability to speak English without a trace of foreign accent and my ability to write without any grammatical errors. It always seemed to me that learning languages is unlike learning anything else, I can logically understand the pronunciation of the a word or the rules of grammar, but for reasons unknown, I always found it hard to incorporate logical knowledge of language into the actual speaking and writing of English. I started to surf the web in attempt to find the reasons to why, even after spending more than half of my life in the U.S, I still cannot speak and write as well as people who were born or came here at a much younger age. At first I though the answer would be something to the extend of finding a region of the brain that is specialized for the learning of languages and that region is more developed in people other than I, who are good at linguistics. However, it turned out that the answer entails more than specialized regions in the brain, while there are regions in the brain that are specific for processing languages, what I found more interesting is that there is much evidence that supports the selectivist theory, found by Noam Chomsky that the ability to learn language is innate. Here innate means that  ¡Ã‚ °the language template is pre-organized in the neuronal structure of the brain, so that the fact of being an integral part of a given environment selects the borders of each individual neuronal structure without affecting its fine organization, which pre-exists. ¡Ã‚ ± (1) In this paper, I wish to point out evidence that supports this theory of the innateness of language, and to exam how the l anguage template develops. In conclusion, I wish to gain a better understand of my own language learning process in light of these new findings. One evidence that points to the innateness of language is the accuracy and speed at which humans process language and the accelerating rate at which children acquire language.  ¡Ã‚ °Ã‚ ¡Ã‚ ­ the average speaker produces approximately 150 words per minute, each word chosen from somewhere between 20000 and 40000 alternatives, at error rates below .1%. The average child is already well on her way toward that remarkable level of performance by 5 years of age, with a vocabulary of more than 6000 words and productive control over almost every aspect of sound and grammar in her language. Speaking From Within: A Discussion on Our Innate Ability to Learn Languages :: Biology Essays Research Papers Speaking From Within: A Discussion on Our Innate Ability to Learn Languages For years since I moved to the United States after the age of nine, I've always been frustrated at the lack of improvement in my ability to speak English without a trace of foreign accent and my ability to write without any grammatical errors. It always seemed to me that learning languages is unlike learning anything else, I can logically understand the pronunciation of the a word or the rules of grammar, but for reasons unknown, I always found it hard to incorporate logical knowledge of language into the actual speaking and writing of English. I started to surf the web in attempt to find the reasons to why, even after spending more than half of my life in the U.S, I still cannot speak and write as well as people who were born or came here at a much younger age. At first I though the answer would be something to the extend of finding a region of the brain that is specialized for the learning of languages and that region is more developed in people other than I, who are good at linguistics. However, it turned out that the answer entails more than specialized regions in the brain, while there are regions in the brain that are specific for processing languages, what I found more interesting is that there is much evidence that supports the selectivist theory, found by Noam Chomsky that the ability to learn language is innate. Here innate means that  ¡Ã‚ °the language template is pre-organized in the neuronal structure of the brain, so that the fact of being an integral part of a given environment selects the borders of each individual neuronal structure without affecting its fine organization, which pre-exists. ¡Ã‚ ± (1) In this paper, I wish to point out evidence that supports this theory of the innateness of language, and to exam how the l anguage template develops. In conclusion, I wish to gain a better understand of my own language learning process in light of these new findings. One evidence that points to the innateness of language is the accuracy and speed at which humans process language and the accelerating rate at which children acquire language.  ¡Ã‚ °Ã‚ ¡Ã‚ ­ the average speaker produces approximately 150 words per minute, each word chosen from somewhere between 20000 and 40000 alternatives, at error rates below .1%. The average child is already well on her way toward that remarkable level of performance by 5 years of age, with a vocabulary of more than 6000 words and productive control over almost every aspect of sound and grammar in her language.

Shadow Kiss Chapter 23

Twenty-three OTHERS IN THE HALL stopped and stared. I felt like I had just been hit in the face. Only it hadn't been my face. It had been Lissa's. I shifted into her mind and became instantly aware of her surroundings and everything happening to her – like the next time rocks flew up from the ground and slammed into her cheeks. They were guided by a freshman I didn't know anything about, save that he was a Drozdov. The rocks hurt both of us, but I withheld my screaming this time and gritted my teeth as I shifted back to the hallway with my friends. â€Å"Northwest side of campus, between that weird-shaped pond and the fence,† I told them. With that, I broke away from them and headed out the door, running as hard as I could toward the part of campus where they were holding Lissa. I couldn't see all of the people gathered there through her eyes, but I recognized a few. Jesse and Ralf were there. Brandon. Brett. The Drozdov guy. Some others. The rocks were still hitting her, still cutting into her face. She didn't scream or cry, though – she just kept telling them over and over to stop while two other guys held her between them. Jesse, meanwhile, kept telling her to make them stop. I only half-listened to him through her mind. The reasons didn't matter, and I'd already figured it out. They were going to torture her until she agreed to join their group. They must have forced Brandon and the others in the same way. A suffocating feeling suddenly overwhelmed me, and I stumbled, unable to breathe as water smothered my face. Fighting hard, I separated myself from Lissa. That was happening to her, not me. Someone was torturing her with water now, using it to cut off her air. Whoever it was took their time, alternately filling her face with water, then pulling it back, then repeating. She gasped and sputtered, still asking them to stop when she could. Jesse continued watching with calculating eyes. â€Å"Don't ask them. Make them.† I tried running harder, but I could only go so much faster. They were at one of the farthest points of campus's boundaries. It was a lot of distance to cover, and with every agonizing step, I felt more of Lissa's pain and grew angrier and angrier. What kind of a guardian could I ever be to her if I couldn't even keep her safe here on campus? An air user went next, and suddenly, it was like she was being tortured by Victor's henchman all over again. Air was alternately taken from her, leaving her gasping, and then slammed back into her, crushing her face. It was agony, and it brought back all the memories of her capture, all the terror and horror she'd been trying to forget. The air user stopped, but it was too late. Something snapped inside of her. When Ralf stepped up next to use fire, I was so close that I actually saw it flare up in his hand. But he didn't see me. None of them had been paying attention to their surroundings, and there'd been too much noise from their own spectacle to hear me. I slammed into Ralf before the fire could leave his hand, pulling him to the ground and punching his face in one skilled maneuver. A few of the others – including Jesse – ran to help him and tried to pry me away. At least, they tried until they realized who it was. Those who saw my face immediately backed off. Those who didn't quickly learned the hard way when I went after them. I'd taken out three fully trained guardians earlier today. A group of spoiled royal Moroi took hardly any effort. It was ironic, too – and a sign of how unwilling some Moroi were to lift a hand in their defense – that while this group had been so eager to use magic to torture Lissa, none of them had actually thought to use it against me. Most of them scattered before I could even lay a hand on them, and I didn't care enough to go after them. I just wanted them away from Lissa. Admittedly, I gave Ralf a few extra punches even after he'd gone down, since I held him responsible for this whole mess. I finally left him alone, lying on the ground and groaning, as I straightened up and looked for Jesse – the other culprit here. I quickly found him. He was the only one left. I ran over to him and then skidded to a halt, confused. He was just standing there, staring into space, mouth hanging open. I looked at him, looked at where he was staring, and then looked back at him. â€Å"Spiders,† Lissa said. Her voice made me jump. She stood off to the side with wet hair, bruised and cut, but otherwise okay. In the moonlight, her pale features made her look almost as ghostly as Mason. Her eyes never left Jesse as he spoke. â€Å"He thinks he's seeing spiders. And that they're crawling on him. What do you think? Should I have gone with snakes?† I looked back at Jesse. The expression on his face sent chills down my spine. It was like he was locked in his own private nightmare. Scarier still was what I felt through the bond. Usually when Lissa used magic, it felt golden and warm and wonderful. This time, it was different. It was black and slimy and thick. â€Å"I think you should stop,† I said. In the distance, I heard people running toward us. â€Å"It's all over.† â€Å"It was an initiation ritual,† she said. â€Å"Well, kind of. They asked me to join a couple of days ago, and I refused. But they bugged me again today and kept saying they knew something important about Christian and Adrian. It started to get to me, so †¦ I finally told them I'd come to one of their sessions but that I didn't know anything about compulsion. It was an act. I just wanted to know what they knew.† She tilted her head barely at all, but something must have happened to Jesse. His eyes widened further as he continued to silently scream. â€Å"Even though I hadn't technically agreed yet, they put me through their initiation ritual. They wanted to know how much I could really do. It's a way to test how strong people are in compulsion. Torture them until they can't stand it, and then, in the heat of it all, people lash out and try to compel the attackers to stop. If the victim manages any sort of compulsion at all, that person's in the group.† S he regarded Jesse carefully. He seemed to be in his own world, and it was a very, very bad one. â€Å"I guess this makes me their president, huh?† â€Å"Stop it,† I said. The feel of this twisted magic was making me nauseous. She and Adrian had mentioned something like this before, this idea of making people see things that weren't there. They'd jokingly called it super compulsion – and it was horrible. â€Å"This isn't how spirit is supposed to be used. This isn't you. It's wrong.† She was breathing heavily, sweat breaking out along her brow. â€Å"I can't let go of it,† she said. â€Å"You can,† I said. I touched her arm. â€Å"Give it to me.† She briefly turned from Jesse and looked at me, astonished, before fixing her gaze back on him. â€Å"What? You can't use magic.† I focused hard on the bond, on her mind. I couldn't take the magic exactly, but I could take the darkness it brought on. It was what I'd been doing for a while now, I realized. Every time I'd worried and wished she'd calm down and fight dark feelings, she had – because I was taking it all from her. I was absorbing it, just as Anna had done for St. Vladimir. It was what Adrian had seen when the darkness jumped from her aura to mine. And this – this abuse of spirit, using it to maliciously harm another and not for self-defense, was bringing the worst side effects of all in her. It was corrupting and wrong, and I couldn't let her have it. All thoughts of my own madness or rage were completely irrelevant at this moment. â€Å"No,† I agreed. â€Å"I can't. But you can use me to let it go. Focus on me. Release it all. It's wrong. You don't want it.† She stared at me again, eyes wide and desperate. Even without direct eye contact, she was still able to torture Jesse. I both saw and felt the fight she waged. He'd hurt her so much – she wanted him to pay. He had to. And yet, at the same time, she knew I was right. But it was hard. So hard for her to let go †¦ Suddenly, the burn of that black magic vanished from the bond, along with that sickening sensation. Something hit me like a blast of wind in the face, and I staggered backward. I shuddered as a weird sensation twisted my stomach. It was like sparks, like a coil of electricity burning within me. Then it too was gone. Jesse fell to his knees, free of the nightmare. Lissa sank with visible relief. She was still scared and hurt over what had happened, but she was no longer consumed with that terrible, destructive rage that had driven her to punish Jesse. That urge within her had disappeared. The only problem was, it was in me now. I turned on Jesse, and it was like nothing else existed in the universe except him. He had tried to ruin me in the past. He'd tortured Lissa and hurt so many others. It was unacceptable. I lunged for him. His eyes had only a moment to widen with terror before my fist connected with his face. His head jerked back, and blood spurted from his nose. I heard Lissa scream for me to stop, but I couldn't. He had to pay for what he'd done to her. I grabbed him by the shoulders and threw him hard against the ground. He was yelling now too – begging – for me to stop. He shut up when I hit him again. I felt Lissa's hands clawing at me, trying to pull me off, but she wasn't strong enough. I kept hitting him. There was no sign of the strategic, precise fighting I'd used earlier with him and his friends, or even against Dimitri. This was unfocused and primal. This was me being controlled by the madness I'd taken from Lissa. Then another set of hands ripped me away. These hands were stronger, dhampir hands, backed by muscles earned through years of training. It was Eddie. I struggled against his hold. We were closely matched, but he outweighed me. â€Å"Let me go!† I yelled. To my complete and utter horror, Lissa was now kneeling at Jesse's side, studying him with concern. It made no sense. How could she do that? After what he'd done? I saw compassion on her face, and a moment later, the burn of her healing magic lit our bond as she took away some of the worst of his injuries. â€Å"No!† I screamed, straining against Eddie's hold. â€Å"You can't!† That was when the other guardians showed up, Dimitri and Celeste in the lead. Christian and Adrian were nowhere in sight; they probably couldn't have kept pace with the others. Organized chaos followed. Those from the society who remained were gathered up and herded off for questioning. Lissa likewise was taken away, led off to get her injuries treated. A part of me that was buried in all that bloodthirsty emotion wanted to go after her, but something else had caught my attention: They were also removing Jesse for medical help. Eddie was still holding onto me, his grip never faltering despite my struggles and pleas. Most of the adults were too busy with the others to notice me, but they noticed when I started shouting again. â€Å"You can't let him go! You can't let him go!† â€Å"Rose, calm down,† said Alberta, her voice mild. How could she not get what was going on? â€Å"It's over.† â€Å"It is not over! Not until I get my hands around his throat and choke the life out of him!† Alberta and some of the others seemed to realize that something serious was happening now – but they didn't appear to think it had anything to do with Jesse. They were all giving me the Rose-is-crazy look I'd come to know so well in recent days. â€Å"Get her out of here,† said Alberta. â€Å"Get her cleaned up and calmed down.† She didn't give any more instructions than that, but somehow, it was understood that Dimitri would be the one to deal with me. He came over and took me from Eddie. In the brief change of captors, I tried to break away, but Dimitri was too fast and too strong. He grabbed my arm and started pulling me away from the scene. â€Å"We can make this easy or difficult,† said Dimitri as we walked through the woods. â€Å"There's no way I'm letting you go to Jesse. Besides, he's at the med clinic, so you'd never get near him. If you can accept that, I'll release you. If you bolt, you know I'll just restrain you again.† I weighed my options. The need to make Jesse suffer was still pounding in my blood, but Dimitri was right. For now. â€Å"Okay,† I said. He hesitated a moment, perhaps wondering if I was telling the truth, and then let go of my arm. When I didn't run off, I felt him relax very, very slightly. â€Å"Alberta told you to clean me up,† I said evenly. â€Å"So we're going to the med clinic?† Dimitri scoffed. â€Å"Nice try. I'm not letting you near him. We'll get first aid somewhere else.† He led me off at an angle from the attack location, toward an area still at the edge of campus. I quickly realized where he was going. It was a cabin. Back when there had been more guardians on campus, some had actually stayed at these little outposts, providing regular protection for the school's boundaries. They'd long since been abandoned, but this one had been cleaned up when Christian's aunt had visited. She'd preferred hanging out here than in the school's guest housing where other Moroi regarded her as a potential Strigoi. He opened the door. It was dark inside, but I could see well enough to watch him find matches and light a kerosene lantern. It didn't provide a huge amount of light, but it was fine for our eyes. Glancing around, I saw that Tasha really had done a good job with the place. It was clean and almost cozy, the bed made up with a soft quilt and a couple of chairs pulled up to the fireplace. There was even some food – canned and packaged – in the kitchen off to the side of the room. â€Å"Sit down,† said Dimitri, gesturing to the bed. I did, and in about a minute, he had a fire going to warm the place up. Once it was in full blaze, he grabbed a first aid kit and a bottle of water from the counter and walked back over to the bed, dragging a chair so he could sit opposite me. â€Å"You have to let me go,† I begged. â€Å"Don't you see? Don't you see how Jesse has to pay? He tortured her! He did horrible things to her.† Dimitri wet some gauze and dabbed it to the side of my forehead. It stung, so I apparently had a cut there. â€Å"He'll be punished, believe me. And the others.† â€Å"With what?† I asked bitterly. â€Å"Detention? This is as bad as Victor Dashkov. Nobody does anything around here! People commit crimes and get away with it. He needs to hurt. They all need to.† Dimitri paused his cleaning, giving me a concerned look. â€Å"Rose, I know you're upset, but you know we don't punish people like that. It's †¦ savage.† â€Å"Yeah? What's wrong with that? I'd bet it'd stop them from doing it again.† I could barely sit there. Every part of my body trembled with fury. â€Å"They need to suffer for what they did! And I want to be the one to do it! I want to hurt them all. I want to kill them all.† I started to get up, suddenly feeling like I'd explode. His hands were on my shoulders in a flash, shoving me back down. The first aid was long forgotten. His expression was a mixture of both worry and fierceness as he held me down. I fought against him, and his fingers bit in tighter. â€Å"Rose! Snap out of this!† He was yelling now too. â€Å"You don't mean any of it. You've been stressed and under a lot of pressure – it's making a terrible event that much worse.† â€Å"Stop it!† I shouted back at him. â€Å"You're doing it – just like you always do. You're always so reasonable, no matter how awful things are. What happened to you wanting to kill Victor in prison, huh? Why was that okay, but not this?† â€Å"Because that was an exaggeration. You know it was. But this†¦this is something different. There's something wrong with you right now.† â€Å"No, there's something right with me.† I was sizing him up, hoping my words distracted him. If I was fast enough, maybe – just maybe – I could get past him. â€Å"I'm the only one who wants to do anything around here, and if that's wrong, I'm sorry. You keep wanting me to be some impossible, good person, but I'm not! I'm not a saint like you.† â€Å"Neither of us is a saint,† he said dryly. â€Å"Believe me, I don't – â€Å" I made my move, leaping out and shoving him away. It got him off me, but I didn't get far. I'd barely gotten two feet from the bed when he seized me again and pinned me down, this time using the full weight of his body to keep me immobilized. Somehow, I knew I should have realized it was an impossible escape plan, but I couldn't think straight. â€Å"Let me go!† I yelled for the hundredth time tonight, trying to free my hands. â€Å"No,† he said, voice hard and almost desperate. â€Å"Not until you break out of this. This isn't you!† There were hot tears in my eyes. â€Å"It is! Let me go!† â€Å"It's not. It isn't you! It isn't you.† There was agony in his voice. â€Å"You're wrong! It is – â€Å" My words suddenly dropped off. It isn't you. It was the same thing I'd said to Lissa when I watched, terrified, as she used her magic to torture Jesse. I'd stood there, unable to believe what she was doing. She hadn't realized she'd lost control and was on the verge of becoming a monster. And now, looking into Dimtiri's eyes, seeing his panic and love, I realized it was happening to me. I was the same as she'd been, so caught up, so blinded by irrational emotions that I didn't even recognize my own actions. It was like I was being controlled by something else. I tried to fight it off, to shake off the feelings burning through me. They were too strong. I couldn't do it. I couldn't let them go. They would take me over completely, just as they'd done to Anna and Ms. Karp. â€Å"Rose,† said Dimitri. It was only my name, but it was so powerful, filled with so much. Dimitri had such absolute faith me, faith in my own strength and goodness. And he had strength too, a strength I could see he wasn't afraid to lend me if I needed it. Deirdre might have been onto something about me resenting Lissa, but she was completely off about Dimitri. What we had was love. We were like two halves of a whole, always ready to support the other. Neither of us was perfect, but that didn't matter. With him, I could defeat this rage that filled me. He believed I was stronger than it. And I was. Slowly, slowly, I felt that darkness fade away. I stopped fighting him. My body trembled, but it was no longer with fury. It was fear. Dimitri immediately recognized the change and released his hold. â€Å"Oh my God,† I said, voice shaking. His hand touched the side of my face, fingers light on my cheek. â€Å"Rose,† he breathed. â€Å"Are you okay?† I swallowed back more tears. â€Å"I†¦ I think so. For now.† â€Å"It's over,† he said. He was still touching me, this time brushing the hair from my face. â€Å"It's over. Everything's all right.† I shook my head. â€Å"No. It's not. You†¦you don't understand. It's true – everything I was worried about. About Anna? About me taking away spirit's craziness? It's happening, Dimitri. Lissa lost it out there with Jesse. She was out of control, but I stopped her because I sucked away her anger and put it into myself. And it's – it's horrible. It's like I'm, I don't know, a puppet. I can't control myself.† â€Å"You're strong,† he said. â€Å"It won't happen again.† â€Å"No,† I said. I could hear my voice cracking as I struggled to sit up. â€Å"It will happen again. I'm going to be like Anna. I'm going to get worse and worse. This time it was bloodlust and hate. I wanted to destroy them. I needed to destroy them. Next time? I don't know. Maybe it'll just be craziness, like Ms. Karp. Maybe I'm already crazy, and that's why I'm seeing Mason. Maybe it'll be depression like Lissa used to get. I'll keep falling and falling into that pit, and then I'll be like Anna and kill – â€Å" â€Å"No,† Dimitri interrupted gently. He moved his face toward mine, our foreheads nearly touching. â€Å"It won't happen to you. You're too strong. You'll fight it, just like you did this time.† â€Å"I only did because you were here.† He wrapped his arms around me, and I buried my face in his chest. â€Å"I can't do it by myself,† I whispered. â€Å"You can,† he said. There was a tremulous note in his voice. â€Å"You're strong – you're so, so strong. It's why I love you.† I squeezed my eyes shut. â€Å"You shouldn't. I'm going to become something terrible. I might already be something terrible.† I thought back to past behaviors, the way I'd been snapping at everyone. The way I'd tried to scare Ryan and Camille. Dimitri pulled away so that he could look me in the eyes. He cupped my face in his hands. â€Å"You aren't. You won't,† he said. â€Å"I won't let you. No matter what, I won't let you.† Emotion filled my body again, but now it wasn't hate or rage or anything like that. It was warm and wonderful and made my heart ache – in a good way. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and our lips met. The kiss was pure love, sweet and blissful, with no despair or darkness. Steadily, though, the intensity of our kissing increased. It was still filled with love but became much more – something hungry and powerful. The electricity that had crackled between us when I'd fought and held him down earlier returned, wrapping around us now. It reminded me of the night we'd been under Victor's lust spell, both of us driven by inner forces we couldn't control. It was like we were starving or drowning, and only the other person could save us. I clung to him, one arm around his neck while my other hand gripped his back so hard that my nails practically dug in. He laid me back down on the bed. His hands wrapped around my waist, and then one of them slid down the back of my thigh and pulled it up so that it nearly wrapped around him. At the same time, we both pulled back briefly, still oh so close. Everything in the world rested on that moment. â€Å"We can't†¦Ã¢â‚¬  he told me. â€Å"I know,† I agreed. Then his mouth was on mine again, and this time, I knew there would be no turning back. There were no walls this time. Our bodies wrapped together as he tried to get my coat off, then his shirt, then my shirt. †¦ It really was a lot like when we'd fought out on the quad earlier – that same passion and heat. I think at the end of the day, the instincts that power fighting and sex aren't so different. They all come from an animal side of us. Yet, as more and more clothes came off, it went beyond just animal passion. It was sweet and wonderful at the same time. When I looked into his eyes, I could see without a doubt that he loved me more than anyone else in the world, that I was his salvation, the same way that he was mine. I'd never expected my first time to be in a cabin in the woods, but I realized the place didn't matter. The person did. With someone you loved, you could be anywhere, and it would be incredible. Being in the most luxurious bed in the world wouldn't matter if you were with someone you didn't love. And oh, I loved him. I loved him so much that it hurt. All of our clothes finally ended up in a pile on the floor, but the feel of his skin on mine was more than enough to keep me warm. I couldn't tell where my body ended and his began, and I decided then that was how I always wanted it to be. I didn't want us to ever be apart. I wish I had the words to describe sex, but nothing I can say would really capture how amazing it was. I felt nervous, excited, and about a gazillion other things. Dimitri seemed so wise and skilled and infinitely patient – just like with our combat trainings. Following his lead seemed like a natural thing, but he was also more than willing to let me take control too. We were equals at last, and every touch held power, even the slightest brushing of his fingertips. When it was over, I lay back against him. My body hurt†¦yet at the same time, it felt amazing, blissful and content. I wished I'd been doing this a long time ago, but I also knew it wouldn't have been right until exactly this moment. I rested my head on Dimitri's chest, taking comfort in his warmth. He kissed my forehead and ran his fingers through my hair. â€Å"I love you, Roza.† He kissed me again. â€Å"I'll always be here for you. I'm not going to let anything happen to you.† The words were wonderful and dangerous. He shouldn't have said anything like that to me. He shouldn't have been promising he'd protect me, not when he was supposed to dedicate his life to protecting Moroi like Lissa. I couldn't be first in his heart, just like he couldn't be first in mine. That was why I shouldn't have said what I said next – but I did anyway. â€Å"And I won't let anything happen to you,† I promised. â€Å"I love you.† He kissed me again, swallowing off any other words I might have added. We lay together for a while after that, wrapped in each other's arms, not saying much. I could have stayed that way forever, but finally, we knew we had to go. The others would eventually come looking for us to get my report, and if they found us like that, things would almost certainly get ugly. So we got dressed, which wasn't easy since we kept stopping to kiss. Finally, reluctantly, we left the cabin. We held hands, knowing we could only do so for a few brief moments. Once we were closer to the heart of campus, we'd have to go back to business as usual. But for now, everything in the world was golden and wonderful. Every step I took was filled with joy, and the air around us seemed to hum. Questions still spun in my mind, of course. What had just happened? Where had our so-called control gone? For now, I couldn't care. My body was still warm and wanting him and – I suddenly stopped. Another feeling – a very unwelcome one – was steadily creeping over me. It was strange, like faint and fleeting waves of nausea mingled with a prickling against my skin. Dimitri stopped immediately and gave me a puzzled look. A pale, slightly luminescent form materialized in front of us. Mason. He looked the same as ever – or did he? The usual sadness was there, but I could see something else, something else I couldn't quite put my finger on. Panic? Frustration? I could have almost sworn it was fear, but honestly, what would a ghost have to be afraid of? â€Å"What's wrong?† asked Dimitri. â€Å"Do you see him?† I whispered. Dimitri followed my gaze. â€Å"See who?† â€Å"Mason.† Mason's troubled expression grew darker. I might not have been able to adequately identify it, but I knew it wasn't anything good. The nauseous feeling within me intensified, but somehow, I knew it had nothing to do with him. â€Å"Rose†¦ we should go back†¦Ã¢â‚¬  said Dimitri carefully. He still wasn't on board with me seeing ghosts. But I didn't move. Mason's face was saying something else to me – or trying to. There was something here, something important that I needed to know. But he couldn't communicate it. â€Å"What?† I asked. â€Å"What is it? A look of frustration crossed his face. He pointed off behind me, then dropped his hand. â€Å"Tell me,† I said, my frustration mirroring his. Dimitri was looking back and forth between me and Mason, though Mason was probably only an empty space to him. I was too fixated on Mason to worry what Dimitri might think. There was something here. Something big. Mason opened his mouth, wanting to speak as in previous times but still unable to get the words out. Except, this time, after several agonizing seconds, he managed it. The words were nearly inaudible. â€Å"They're †¦ coming†¦.†

Reaction Paper Of Jose Rizal Life

One note, this movie is not for the faint of heart. There are graphic depictions of violence and even torture. The opening few scenes depict some episodes from Rizal's novels. In one a Catholic priest rapes a Filipina. I guess I now know where the Mestizo mixed blood class came from in the Philippines. In the other scene a Catholic priest beats a child for alleged stealing. Strong stuff and it made me wonder how the Catholic Church could possibly retain any power in the country, if this is what the national hero thought about it. The movie tells the life story of Jose Rizal, the national hero of the Philippines. A three hour epic movie on the life and struggles of his poet and patriotisms. It covers his life from his childhood to his execution at the hands of the Spanish forces occupying the Philippines in the late 19th century. We are also thrown into the world of Rizal's novels filmed in black and white, so we get a glimpse of how he viewed Filipino society under the Spanish heal. The film also through a series of flashback showing Rizal as a genius, a writer, a doctor, an artist, a lover, a friend, a brother and a son, thus giving a rich texture of Rizal’s character. The movie introduces us to the life of subjugation of the Filipino people under the rule of the Spanish friars. From the execution of three Filipino priests in 1872 for alleged subversion to the harsh and unequal treatment of Filipino students in the schools, this film is a stinging indictment of Spanish colonial rule in the Philippines. I also commend the film for its bravery in showing the evil tyranny of the Catholic Church during that time. Considering that the Philippines is a Catholic nation that is like butchering a sacred cow but alas, Abaya works her magic in depicting the suffering of the Filipinos because of the friars. This is by far the best Filipino movie that I have seen so far. I would urge anyone reading this who likes movies, to either rent it or buy it. I particularly love the last scene of the film when Rizal fell in the ground facing the sky, having his last breath looking at a beautiful sunrise- a metaphor depicting that Rizal did not die in vain. He did not die for nothing. He did not die defeated. Rather he died victorious because his death is the torch that lights Philippine independence, which ignites Philippine Revolution. The movie tells the life story of Jose Rizal, the national hero of the Philippines. It covers his life from his childhood to his execution at the hands of the Spanish forces occupying the Philippines in the late 19th century. We are also thrown into the world of Rizal's novels. So we get a glimpse of how he viewed Filipino society under the Spanish heal. And the movie introduces us to the life of subjugation of the Filipino people under the rule of the Spanish friars. From the execution of three Filipino priests in 1872 for alleged subversion to the harsh and unequal treatment of Filipino students in the schools, this film is a stinging indictment of Spanish colonial rule in the Philippines. We see scenes both from Rizal's actual life but also from his imagination. As a young man, Jose is sent to study in Spain. This is a plan hatched by his brother Paciano. Jose will write and do everything in his power to bring to the attention of the world the abuses of Spanish power in the Philippines, while Paciano will protect the Rizal family at home and keep up the struggle against Spanish rule. Jose excels in his studies as a medical student at Madrid University and eventually earns a degree as an ophthalmic surgeon. Meantime, he becomes involved with a group of radical Filipino students who also seek to end the Spanish abuses in their country.

Japan - Golden Week essays

Japan - Golden Week essays Due to a coincidental chain of Japanese national holidays, the name Golden Week was given to one of Japans longest and busiest holidays. Golden Week starts with Midori no Hi (Greenery Day) on April 29th and ends with Kodomo no Hi (Childrens Day) on May 5th. Other holidays in between are Kenpou Kinen bi (Constitution Memorial Day) on May 3rd and occasionally Kokumin no Kyujitsu (Peoples Day) on May 4th, and May Day on May 5th. The word Golden Week was first used by movie companies as a media hook to get people to watch more movies. Excluding Oshoogatsu and summer vacation, Golden Week is the longest holiday of the year. Most companies and schools often allow additional days off in order for Golden Week to become a full week of holidays. Golden Week is an ideal time for the Japanese to travel because of the line of holidays and the pleasant weather. Thus, popular sites and transportation facilities are especially crowded during this time. Midori no Hi marks the beginning of Golden Week on April 29th and originated during the reign of Hirohito, also called Emperor Shoowa (Shouwa Tennou). Showa, meaning Time of Enlightened Peace was Emperor Hirohitos title and is commonly associated with the period of Hirohitos reign. This day was originally a national holiday honoring the birthday of Emperor Hirohito, but when the emperor died in 1989, the holiday was preserved and changed to Midori no Hi. It has been the custom in Japan since 1948 to observe the reigning emperors birthday as a national holiday and many holidays that originated from a sovereigns birthday have now evolved into holidays celebrated for a reason other than honoring the former ruler. Emperor Hirohito loved nature and in memory of his reign, which was the longest in the world, April 29th was designated as a day for all people to appreciate nature. On Midori no Hi, people all ov...

DNA Testing Essays

Biology 101 / DNA Testing Essays Biology 101 / DNA Testing Paper Biology 101 / DNA Testing Paper If someone could test my DNA and tell me what diseases I would likely to suffer from in 25 years, I would want to know the result because if I would know the result I could prepare for it and find an immediate solution or if possible have cure for it at once and also prepare for the child I would have in the future or abstain for having a child because they might have the probability of inheriting and bearing the disease. After reading the article, I’ve known that my decision is correct and of right choice. Say for example, I have a positive test for sickle cell disease which is an inherited disorder in which RBC’s or the red blood cell are abnormally shaped resulting to serious infections, chronic anemia, painful episodes and damage to the organs, and both my parents have the sickle cell trait this will mean that I will have a 25% chance of having an expressed sickle cell disease in the future. If I have an African American blood this may have also increased the probability for me of contracting Sickle cell anemia [example]. If the test is correct, after some years, symptoms may occur, and these symptoms may includes anemia, aplastic crisis, acute chest syndrome, infection, hand-foot syndrome or dactylitis, infection, splenic sequestration crisis, painful crisis, and/or stroke. Sickle cell anemia has no cure but some treatment can be given to me if my disease has been diagnosed at an early time and these are bone marrow transplant, the use of penicillin, or appropriate immunizations which can prevent serious infections like pneumonia and meningitis. After knowing that I have contracted the disease my family can help me with giving the right caring and remedies. If I would get married or have a child in the future I would prefer first to have a genetic counseling, for me to know if my child would also inherit the disease or not and also to know if my spouse have a recessive trait of sickle cell anemia which may increase the probability of my child having the disease (Pearson, 2007). References Pearson – Prentice Hall. (2007). Biology A Guide to the Natural World 3e. Retrieved December 26 2007, from prenhall.com/krogh3/

A Brief History of the Age of Exploration

A Brief History of the Age of Exploration The era known as the Age of Exploration, sometimes called the Age of Discovery, officially began in the early 15th century and lasted through the 17th century. The period is characterized as a time when Europeans began exploring the world by sea in search of new trading routes,  wealth, and knowledge. The impact of the Age of Exploration would permanently alter the world and transform geography into the modern science it is today. Impact of the Age of Exploration Explorers learned more about areas such as Africa and the Americas and brought that knowledge back to Europe.Massive wealth accrued to European colonizers due to trade in goods, spices, and precious metals.Methods of navigation and mapping improved, switching from traditional portolan charts to the worlds first nautical maps.New food, plants, and animals were exchanged between the colonies and Europe.Indigenous people were decimated by Europeans, from a combined impact of disease, overwork, and massacres.The work force needed to support the massive plantations in the New World, led to a 300 year slave trade that had an enormous impact on Africa.The impact persists to this day, with many of the worlds former colonies still considered the developing world, while colonizers are the First World countries, holding a majority of the worlds wealth and annual income. The Birth of the Age of Exploration Many nations were looking for goods such as silver and gold, but one of the biggest reasons for exploration was the desire to find a new route for the spice and silk trades. The capture and sacking of Constantinople by Turkish troops under Mohammed II, 29th May 1453. The Turkish victory marked the end of the Byzantine Empire and the rise of the Ottomans. Hulton Archive/Getty Images  Ã‚   When the Ottoman Empire took control of Constantinople in 1453, it blocked European access to the area, severely limiting trade. In addition, it also blocked access to North Africa and the Red Sea, two very important trade routes to the Far East. The first of the journeys associated with the Age of Discovery were conducted by the Portuguese. Although the Portuguese, Spanish, Italians, and others had been plying the Mediterranean for generations, most sailors kept well within sight of land or traveled known routes between ports.  Prince Henry the Navigator  changed that, encouraging explorers to sail beyond the mapped routes and discover new trade routes to West Africa. Portuguese explorers discovered the Madeira Islands in 1419 and the Azores in 1427. Over the coming decades, they would push farther south along the African coast, reaching the coast of present-day Senegal by the 1440s and the Cape of Good Hope by 1490. Less than a decade later, in 1498, Vasco da Gama would follow this route all the way to India. The Discovery of the New World Illustration titled Embarkation and Departure of Columbus from the Port of Palos, On His First Voyage of Discovery, On The 3rd of August, 1492. Ricardo Balaca/Bettmann/Getty Images While the Portuguese were opening new sea routes along Africa, the Spanish also dreamed of finding new trade routes to the Far East. Christopher Columbus, an Italian working for the Spanish monarchy, made his first journey in 1492. Instead of reaching India, Columbus found the island of San Salvador in what is known today as the Bahamas. He also explored the island of Hispaniola, home of modern-day Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Columbus would lead three more voyages to the Caribbean, exploring parts of Cuba and the Central American coast. The Portuguese also reached the New World when explorer Pedro Alvares Cabral explored Brazil, setting off a conflict between Spain and Portugal over the newly claimed lands. As a result, the  Treaty of Tordesillas  officially divided the world in half in 1494. Columbus journeys opened the door for the Spanish conquest of the Americas. During the next century, men such as Hernan Cortes and Francisco Pizarro would decimate the Aztecs of Mexico, the Incas of Peru, and other indigenous peoples of the Americas. By the end of the Age of Exploration, Spain would rule from the Southwestern United States to the southernmost reaches of Chile and Argentina. Opening the Americas Great Britain and France also began seeking new trade routes and lands across the ocean. In 1497, John Cabot, an Italian explorer working for the English, reached what is believed to be the coast of Newfoundland. A number of French and English explorers followed, including Giovanni da Verrazano, who discovered the entrance to the Hudson River in 1524, and Henry Hudson, who mapped the island of Manhattan first in 1609. Henry Hudson, his boat being greeted by Native Americans at the lakeshore. Bettmann/Getty Images   Over the next decades, the French, Dutch, and British would all vie for dominance. England established the first permanent colony in North America at Jamestown, Va., in 1607. Samuel du Champlain founded Quebec City in 1608, and Holland established a trading outpost in present-day New York City in 1624. Other important voyages of exploration during this era included Ferdinand Magellans attempted circumnavigation of the globe, the search for a trade route to Asia through the Northwest Passage, and Captain James Cooks voyages that allowed him to map various areas and travel as far as Alaska. The End of the Era The Age of Exploration ended in the early 17th century after technological advancements and increased knowledge of the world allowed Europeans to travel easily across the globe by sea. The creation of permanent settlements and colonies created a network of communication and trade, therefore ending the need to search for new routes. It is important to note that exploration did not cease entirely at this time. Eastern Australia was not officially claimed for Britain by Capt. James Cook until 1770, while much of the Arctic and Antarctic were not explored until the 19th century. Much of Africa also was unexplored by Westerners until the early 20th centuries. Contributions to Science The Age of Exploration had a significant impact on geography. By traveling to different regions around the globe, explorers were able to learn more about areas such as Africa and the Americas and bring that knowledge back to Europe. Methods of navigation and mapping improved as a result of the travels of people such as Prince Henry the Navigator. Prior to his expeditions, navigators had used traditional portolan charts, which were based on coastlines and ports of call, keeping sailors close to shore. The Spanish and Portuguese explorers who journeyed into the unknown created the worlds first nautical maps, delineating not just the geography of the lands they found but also the seaward routes and ocean currents that led them there. As technology advanced and known territory expanded, maps and mapmaking became more and more sophisticated. These explorations also introduced a whole new world of flora and fauna to Europeans. Corn, now a staple of much of the worlds diet, was unknown to Westerners until the time of the Spanish conquest, as were sweet potatoes and peanuts. Likewise, Europeans had never seen turkeys, llamas, or squirrels before setting foot in the Americas. The Age of Exploration served as a stepping stone for geographic knowledge. It allowed more people to see and study various areas around the world, which increased geographic study, giving us the basis for much of the knowledge we have today. Long-Term Impact The effects of colonization still persist as well, with many of the worlds former colonies still considered the developing world and the colonizers the First World countries, holding a majority of the worlds wealth and receiving a majority of its annual income.

PMI analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

PMI analysis - Essay Example Another positive aspect of Attia’s presentation is that towards the end of the presentation, he informs us that an effective team of medical researchers is already attempting to establish the true relationship between obesity and insulin resistance (TED 2013). Attia’s presentation is noted to have a number of negative aspects some of which include the fact that Attia does not make the use of visual aids to help the audience to better understand it. Another negative aspect of the presentation is that although Attia presents an alternative theory to understanding obesity and insulin resistance, he however does not have any empirical evidence to support his postulations. In the presentation, Attia informs us that a number of medical researchers are working on different theories to establish the relationship obesity and insulin he however fails to inform us of his actual position in the whole debate (TED 2013). The presentation is interesting as it provides more information on insulin resistance. It is also interesting as Attia suggests a different outlook on insulin resistance that challenges the current conventional understanding of the condition. At the end of the presentation, Attia takes time to apologize to the women that he feels that he let down at the start of his medical career (TED 2013). Attia’s presentation is quite interesting as it presents a different outlook into the question of the currently existing relationship between obesity and insulin resistance. However, I believe that the presentation would have been made more interesting if it had encompassed the use of a short PowerPoint presentation in addition to having some concrete evidence. Shawn Achor’s presentation on the happiness advantage has a number of advantages key of which is that it is generally a humorous presentation that is able to greatly engage the

Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Ethics - Essay Example The paper will then evaluate the relation of the first situation and then the second situation in terms of the aforementioned points of view. Later on the essay will discuss the interplay of ethical principles in both cases and how they interact with each other, and the paper will end with a conclusion that sums up the whole essay. Therefore, the paper aims to discuss the specific situations of the scientists, defines the concepts of deontology and consequentialism, as well as analyzes the situations in both points of view and from that it will ascertain which scientist is right. Ethics refers to the â€Å"code of moral standards by which people judge the actions and behaviors of themselves and others†.1 Ethics is a set of rules and regulations that define as well as govern the morality of a person’s conduct in various professional fields. Different professions demand following of different ethical theories and it is the same in case of different regions as well. Thus d eriving a universal ethics that can be applied uniformly in all fields and regions is impossible. Therefore, keeping this is mind, various ethicists have come up with ethics suitable for the respective professions and regions, which has led to the origin of several ethical theories that include relativism, absolutism, deontology or duty ethics, Kantian theory, utilitarianism, consequentialism, virtue ethics etc. The paper at hand thus deals with deontology and consequentialism in terms of the two cases given. The first case describes the situation of scientist A, where she deliberately modifies the data related to her experiment so as to achieve success in the experiment. Her act of distorting the data is against the moral code of conduct, or rather the ethics. Ethics is built upon certain values and the act of distortion here overrides these values, some of which are honesty, integrity and responsibility. She becomes dishonest by changing the data and modifying it in order to make the experiment successful, thus she does not follow the principle of â€Å"honesty†.2 By not keeping the data in its original form, she also neglects the value of â€Å"integrity,† by being untruthful to herself as well as others around her, which would later on lead to the development of a guilty conscience.3 ‘A’ further breaches the ethics of responsibility, as she does not fulfill her obligation of submitting clean and unbiased data. Therefore, it is observed that scientist A deliberately distorts data in order to create a successful scientific experiment, thus intentionally violating ethical values such as honesty, integrity and responsibility. The second case describes the situation of scientist B, where she has omitted some data due to her carelessness. But it is said that the consequences were same in both the cases, which means despite her omissions, she succeeds in the experiment. In this case, the scientist has not deliberately tampered with data , rather the data has been changed due to a state of being unaware. However, this unawareness stems from negligence or ignorance from the part of B, as she has not gone through the data again and made sure if it was completely accurate. Therefore, it can be discerned that she breaches the ethics of responsibility, as she does not cross check her data at any time of the experiment, thus unintentionally leading to distortion of data. It is natural for human beings to make

Waiting for Superman (2010) Film Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Waiting for Superman (2010) Film - Essay Example The director of the movie is Davis Guggenheim, and the producer is Lesley Chilcott. Several students are used to reflect as they struggle to be accepted in the charter school. The Audience Award honored the film in 2010 as one of the best documentary. This paper seeks to focus on ‘Waiting for Superman’ (2010) film. In the film waiting for the superman (2010), several problems are identified as an impediment to quality education standards. One of the problems is the tiresome process one is supposed to undergo  in order to get a place in the schools thought to be best performing. Those schools that are best, and have spaces depend on lottery for enrollment, hence denying chance to many students. Consequently, they are forced to go through schools whose performances rank low in all aspects of academics. The other significant policy problem identified in this issue is bureaucracy employed by the teachers union. Most of the teachers are unable to inject their knowledge to s upport students to achieve satisfactory grades. Furthermore, those teachers identified to contribute to poor performance of the student are not fired. They are protected by security of tenure, which is easily acquired after two years of teaching. The other problem identified by the movie is the issue of perception that individual background determines the level of performance. He disputes this fact and notes if such individual are exposed to formal education standards, and have exceptional teachers they are more likely to make it to the college. There is also lack of motivation of exceptional performing teachers as their payments are standardized (Participant Media and Weber 17-22). Many causes have led to various policy problems as identified by the film. The most notable is the bureaucracy of the teacher union. Even after identification of poorly performing teacher, it takes a long time, for such teacher to be expelled. In addition, the union contract is a source of impediment to school reforms. Such a teacher also continues receiving money from the exchequer. The other challenge is the issue of United States standardized test scores. This score continues to fall since the early seventies affecting performance significantly. Moreover, charter schools enjoy certain provisions that are not in public schools. They have the rights to have longer school days and schools years while this is reduced in public schools. He also identifies failure in public schools because of strict mechanism that are applied to the students. Some rules in public according to the film are conservative and retrogressive (Participant Media and Weber 17-22). According to Guggenheim film, quality education is composed of great teachers, prepared students, excellent schools and an increased level of literacy (Film). Furthermore, it claims such quality education produces outstanding graduate. There are several proposed policy instruments to quality education performance. The most important is the motivation of teachers based on their performance. He proposes such teachers should be given some form of incentives such as salary increase. The other important step is to raise education status to international standards. He also proposes that there should be an increase in literary rates. The film also calls for providing a successful school experience for all students. The movie also supports the establishment of more charter schools to increase enrollment. He also advocates getting rid of teachers union as a

Conclusion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Conclusion - Essay Example It is quite apparent from the study that Primark has indeed created a niche for itself even in these challenging times. In fact, the strategy of competitors to label Primark as a 'cheap' brand while making efforts to label their own brands as premium ones' has not worked to their advantage. Instead Primark seems to have taken a lead in understanding the requirements of the common consumer and offering them value for money. Primark seems to believe in market penetration strategy, while passing on maximum benefits to the consumer and thus playing the volume game. Primark has opened up stores in UK and Ireland at vantage points, the places most frequented by the common consumer. Thus saving on the marketing communication costs to a great extent. Today marketing communication forms an integral cost component of any business proposition. If a company can save on this expenditure to some extent while making itself visible amongst the existing and prospective customers, then it helps in lev eraging the economies of scale. These costs can be passed on to the workforce, which motivates them for pooling their efforts in a better manner, thus coming out with quality products. In fact this chain of events has been quite ably used by Primark to the advantage of its own business prospects as well as to the advantage of its workforce. Motivational theories discussed during the study clearly suggest that if the needs of the fellow human beings are taken care of, they are bound to come out with their optimum performance. Effective management of the workforce lends credence to the notion that a company is being managed professionally. Primark, while charging less from its customers, has maintained good industrial relations. As the returned questionnaire indicates, the workforce is not too unhappy with the HR policies of the company, which appear to be employee friendly. As pointed out in the study, the kind of attention paid to employees' care, by the MNCs is an indication towards the level of competition and the innovative methods devised to sail ahead in these competitive times. The higher levels of turnover of the workforce, in Parimark, could be explained by the fact that in an intensely competitive world the rival companies are always on the lookout for experienced workforce. The workforce, particularly the yout h segment, also is on the lookout for making quick bucks, so they don't attach too much importance to the loyalty part and hop on to the company with better payment packages. The higher levels of employee turnover also results in some cost escalation to the company, as it has to incur fresh costs on recruitment and training of the workforce. The newer workforce also requires some time to adjust to the working environment and this could have some effect on the efficiency of the service being provided to the customer. On the other hand, it can also be stated that the young blood brings renewed enthusiasm and more energy to the working environment. As the questionnaire points out the younger lot is there to make some quick money during their free time or vacation period. Therefore it good that Primark does attach too much loyalty strings to the job profile. This, in a way helps in offsetting the disadvantage resulting from the extra efforts being put into recruiting and retaining the work force. It goes to the credit of

Demographic Decline, Black death, and the Ottoman Turks Essay

Demographic Decline, Black death, and the Ottoman Turks - Essay Example The worst illness to strike during this time was the Black Death or the bubonic plague. Fleas that arrived in Europe from Asia spread this disease. Most people that contracted the disease died, leading to population decline. The Ottoman Turks played a peripheral role in the history of Western Europe. The loss of the Byzantine Empire and a Christian lineage stretching back to the Emperor Constantine was more psychological than anything else. Trade continued to flow through Constantinople, now called Istanbul. The Turks did press into areas in Southeastern European areas such as Bosnia, Herzegovina, Serbia and Morea. This provides much of the ethnic tension still present in the Balkan region to this day. But most of the Turkish expansion was Southwest into the lands of the Arabian Peninsula. After they captured the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, the Ottoman Turks importance was elevated throughout the Muslim world. The Ottoman Turks were important in Western European history as a peripheral

PC Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

PC - Essay Example Evidently, this will make work easy especially for persons who keep struggling to type words and take too long to edit the same paper for so long. The benefit of these computers that can actually hear sounds and type the same into words would indeed be a plus for computer technology. A positive of the same would also happen for persons who do not understand various languages as the computers will be fed all languages then the users would simply read, the computer would listen and type what the user says. For instance, persons with English problems would benefit from this development. Data will be collected from online sources especially ones that include natural reader and how these readers are useful in computers. A good example is Seo’s work that explains the functioning of natural readers and how they include natural sounding voices (115-119). The author also continues to argue that the natural readers are very easy to use and can convert all manners of files into spoken words (Seo 115-119). With the reader being termed as about 99% accurate, this move is a plus for computer technology. Data will also be collected through interviews with persons who have used this technology before and how efficient the same has been to them. A good target group would be students who have enjoyed the reader through getting their notes typed with ease. Surveys on the benefits of this technology will also be analyzed especially on the education sector. Data will also be collected through telephone interviews to assess how this assistive technology will indeed make proofreading easy especially in large documents and how the technology will allow its users save much time as opposed to the traditional PCs. Observations will also be used as a way of collecting data especially observing the users and how well the software is making work easier for them. After this collection of data, it will be possible to make

Demographic Decline, Black death, and the Ottoman Turks Essay

Demographic Decline, Black death, and the Ottoman Turks - Essay Example The worst illness to strike during this time was the Black Death or the bubonic plague. Fleas that arrived in Europe from Asia spread this disease. Most people that contracted the disease died, leading to population decline. The Ottoman Turks played a peripheral role in the history of Western Europe. The loss of the Byzantine Empire and a Christian lineage stretching back to the Emperor Constantine was more psychological than anything else. Trade continued to flow through Constantinople, now called Istanbul. The Turks did press into areas in Southeastern European areas such as Bosnia, Herzegovina, Serbia and Morea. This provides much of the ethnic tension still present in the Balkan region to this day. But most of the Turkish expansion was Southwest into the lands of the Arabian Peninsula. After they captured the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, the Ottoman Turks importance was elevated throughout the Muslim world. The Ottoman Turks were important in Western European history as a peripheral

COMMUNICATION IN BUSINESS-case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

COMMUNICATION IN BUSINESS-case study - Essay Example Cultural dimensions like Power Distance Index (PDI), Individualism (IDV), Masculinity (MAS), Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI), and Long-Term Orientation (LTO) etc can affect international business negotiation process. Most of the societies are unequal because of the variations in power possessed by them and the different perceptions about the long term and short term goals. Some societies do things collectively whereas other societies do it individually. Moreover, some societies treat males and females differently whereas some others treat them equally. The ability of some cultures or societies in avoiding uncertainty is more than other societies. Moreover, political, economical, social, technological, environmental and legal factors can also affect the cross cultural business negotiation process. The international negotiators should possess adequate knowledge about all these factors in order to conduct the negotiation process in an effective manner. They should do their homework pr operly before going for the negotiation process. Terms of Reference Business negotiation is a complex task which requires lot of preparations and planning. Cross cultural business negotiations are even harder because of the high percentage of uncertainty and ambiguity in such negotiations. Most of the organizations will seek the guidance of business consultants before actively participating in international business negotiations. I am working as an international business consultant and recently one of the biggest American firms approached me in order to seek my advice for expanding their business to the Chinese territory. My client was interested in joint venture business strategy for entering into the Chinese territory. They already short listed few Chinese companies as their future partners and asked me to submit a report about how to negotiate with them. My client asked me to give more emphasize on the cultural aspects of international business negotiations since America and Chin a have entirely different cultures. This report is prepared for my American client in order to make them aware of the role of culture in international business negotiations. Overview of the situation Both China and America have extremely diverse population. America is under a democratic regime whereas China is under an autocratic or communist regime. In other words, China and America are extremely different nations as far as politics; culture, social setups, economy, legal frameworks, etc are concerned. Language, environment, social organizations, level of knowledge and authority possessed by the people, verbal and nonverbal communication means, temporal conceptions etc are entirely different in these two countries. In my opinion, my client should have better ideas about all these things in order to conduct successful business negotiations with their Chinese counterparts. An international negotiator should possess intelligence, creativity etc and he should have flexibility and diplo macy in his approaches. He should also possess skills such as problem solving, negotiations etc. He should also possess knowledge about different legal structures, governmental policies, possibilities of natural and manmade disasters. He should be hardworking and should do the

Human Error In Maintenance Computer Science Essay

Human Error In Maintenance Computer Science Essay Human errors maybe categorized under six groups with respect to engineering: design errors, assembly errors, installation errors, inspection errors, operating errors and maintenance errors. Maintenance error is the result of the wrong preventive or repair actions carried out by the craft or assigned personnel. Base on the frequency of maintenance being performed the probability of human error increases. To reduce some human errors maintainability is important in the design phase of a component or system. Maintainability according to Ebleing is defined as the probability that a failed system or component will be restored or repaired to a specified condition within a period of time when maintenance is performed in accordance with prescribed procedures. Dhillon describes maintainability as the measure taken during the development, design and installation of a manufactured product that reduces the required maintenance, man hours, tools, logistic cost, skill levels and facilities and ensures that the product meets required intended use. The interactions with humans during the design, installation, production and maintenance phases are extremely important. In some phases these interactions may vary depending on the product, but are subject to deterioration due to human error. With respect to engineering products, Meister describes human error as the failure to carry out a specified task or forbidden action that could result in disruption of scheduled operations or damage to property and equipment. This paper looks at the human errors in maintenance practises. 2.0 General Human Factors in Maintenance Frederick Taylor was one of the earlier people to studied human factors attempting to improve design and increase productivity. In maintenance, systems may fail for numerous reasons, one key element being human factors and errors during the design phase. According to Nertney Et al, the following are a list of different human behaviours: People have a tendency to use their hands for examining and testing People get easily confused with unfamiliar things People are too impatient to take the appropriate amount of time for observing precautions People become accustom to certain colours having certain meanings People sometimes overestimate short distances and underestimate horizontal or large distances People may become complacent and less careful after successfully handling hazardous items over a lengthy period People tend to estimate speed or clearances poorly People responds irrationally in emergencies Instructions and labels are read incorrectly or overlooked Attention is drawn to loudness, flashing lights, bright and vivid colours People have little knowledge of their physical limitations People fail to recheck work for errors after performing a procedure They are reluctant to admit errors or mistakes and they do not see objects clearly People get distracted by certain aspects of a product feature People usually expect valve handles and faucets to rotate counter-clockwise for increasing flow of a liquid steam or gas People carry out task (maintenance) while thinking about other things http://www.iru.org/pix/irupolicies/graph-etac-en_1.gif Figure 2.1 Human Senses and Capabilities The five human senses are touch, smell, taste, visual and hearing. In maintenance, visual, smell, touching and hearing are the more common of the human senses being utilized. 2.1.1 Hearing The ability of human to hear is an important factor in maintenance work. When designing for maintainability, excessive noise may lead to problems such as the need for intense concentration, a reduction in workers efficiencies, lost of hearing, unwanted effects on the tasks being performed. 2.1.2 Sight Sight is stimulated by electromagnetic radiation of certain wavelengths. This is measured on the electromagnetic spectrum for visible light. The human eye is sensitive to greenish-yellow light and it sees it differently from different angles. The following are some facts about the human eye: Normally, the eye can perceive all colours when looking straight ahead. As the viewing angle increases, colour perception decreases significantly. When there is poor lighting it may be impossible to determine the colour of a small point of light source. The source usually appears white. When designing components, designers should consider colours such that weak colour people do not get confused. An example is to use red filter with a wavelength greater than 6,500 Ã…, and try to avoid placing too emphasis on colour when critical tasks are to be performed by tired personnel. 2.1.3 Touch Touch complements a human ability to interpret visual and audio. Touch maybe used to relieve the eyes and ears of the load. The sense of touch has been used for centuries in technical work. For example, touch has been used for detecting surface irregularities and roughness. 2.2 Ergonomic Principles The subject addresses human to system interface issues also called human engineering or engineering psychology. In addition to considering the human to system interface, ergonomics is also concerned with: Human dimension The working environment and its effect on humans Effects of systems on humans http://www.omron-ap.com/technical_guide/safety_component/safety_component_12.gif Figure 3.0 Maintenance Errors Human errors in maintenance occur for a number of reasons. In figure 3, a list of different reasons is shown for errors with respect to maintenance. Studies have shown a positive correlation between task performance and amount of time in a career field, ability to handle responsibility, morale and years or experience. Workers who possess these skills are ranked higher and works are generally done faster and with fewer errors. Figure Reason for Human Errors 3.1 Inadequate training and Experience Workers who are inadequately trained and lack the experience on a machine or component will most likely make errors when performing maintenance tasks. They will spend additional time trying to understand what to do rather than effective execution of the task. Errors such as correct shut down procedures, tightening of bolts, correct alignment of components may be done wrong and adversely affecting production, increasing maintenance cost as maintenance work may need to be repeated and can be a safety risk to the maintenance personnel, operator, or the equipment. 3.2 Poorly Written Maintenance Procedures Due to poorly written procedures, there could be cases of components going in wrong place or new components being incorrectly installed. This as with the previous reason can cause harm to craft personnel, operator or the machine. Tasks will take longer because the craft personnel following the procedure will have to spend more time figuring out what to do rather than carrying out the task in a timely and effective manner. 3.3 Fatigued Maintenance Personnel A fatigued maintenance personnel is a receipt for disaster. The personnel will lack concentration and will miss minor details of the work. There will be general tendency to rush the job in attempt to finish fast increasing the probability of errors. This may be influenced by the time of the day, stresses (physical, drug, social, personal) http://elsmar.com/Error_Proofing/img014.jpg Figure 3.4 Complex Maintenance Task Complex and tedious maintenance task may be subject to human errors because of the high levels of concentration required. Humans usually have a low attention span and works requiring excessive hours of concentration may have errors induced. Such jobs should be done in teams so that if one personnel makes an error it can be corrected by other members on the job. 3.5 Improper Work Tools A job requiring a specific tool should not be substituted with an inferior one. An example of this is when a specified torque may be required on a bolt or nut requiring a torque wrench or spanner to achieve a level of precision and accuracy and a regular wrench or spanner is used. This may cause misalignment, et cetera. 3.6 Poor Work Layout Poor work layout is inefficient and can cause errors to be made by the maintenance personnel. 3.7 Poor Work Environment A poor work environment will cause discomfort to the maintenance personnel such as humidity, lighting and heat. Concentration levels will be low and there will be a rush to complete the task. 3.8 Poor Equipment Design In some equipment, components may be difficult to reach to perform the necessary works. Errors may be caused in the process as the tasks may not be carried out completely. 3.9 Outdated Maintenance Manuals It will be extremely difficult for maintenance personnel to follow out-dated maintenance manuals. In such an instance, the procedure will most times be incorrect inducing a number of errors in the job. 3.10 Factors Contributing to Human Error Reason and Hobbs have studied and researched the psychological and physiological factors that contribute to inevitable human error. These will include: Differences between the capabilities of our long term memory and our conscious workspace. Attention span is limited if it is focused on one thing. Also we can only attend to a very small proportion of the total available sensory data we receive Unrelated matters tend to capture our attention Concentration is hard to maintain for lengthy periods of time The ability to concentrate depends strongly on intrinsic capability of the current object attention Habitual actions are done will less attention than normal The right balance of attention is required to correctly perform a task The vigilance decrement- inspectors miss fault because it may become redundant after doing it for a long period The level of arousal- too much or too little impairs work output Biases in thinking and decision making Confirmation bias where we seek information that confirms initial diagnosis of a problem Emotional decision making is when a situation is frustrating then an aggressive approach is induced http://www.lifetime-reliability.com/images/wrongs-humans-do-to-machines.gif Figure Human Maintenance Errors Base on the aforementioned factors contributing to maintenance errors, the following are the most common types of errors: Recognition Failures These include misidentification of objects, signal and messages and non detection of problem states. Memory failures Input failures- Insufficient attention is to the to-be-remembered item. Storage failures- remembered material suffers interference Output failures- things that we know cannot be recalled at the required time Omissions following interruptions Premature Exists- End a job before all tasks are complete Skilled-based Slips Usually associated with routines and they can include: Branching errors- an error made based on a custom and not knowing when to deviate. Over shoot Errors- having an intention but forgetting to do it Rule base Mistakes Misapplying a Good Rule- using a right rule in a wrong situation Applying a bad rule- unwanted consequences in using a rule even though the job will be done. Knowledge Based Errors It is common when someone is doing a task for the first time but not always the case. Violations Purposeful acts which violates procedures. These may be: Routine violations- done to avoid unnecessary effort, gets the task done quickly, to demonstrate skill or avoid what is seen as an unnecessary laborious procedure. Thrill seeking violations- often committed in order to avoid boredom or win peer praise Situational violations- these exist because it is not possible to get the job done if procedures are strictly adhered to. Figure Summary of main error types 4.0 Mitigation/Reduction of Hum Errors in Maintenance It is impossible to total alleviate all human errors when it comes to maintenance, but Engineers and designers have worked together and is continuing to find ways to reduce some human errors. However a lot of the responsibility is on the maintenance personnel to ensure that maintenance tasks are carried out effectively. This chapter looks at ways to reduce human errors in maintenance. 4.1 Avoid Unnecessary Preventive Maintenance Over maintaining equipment, not only wastes time and money but it also increases the risks of environmental incidents but also causes expensive and unnecessary failures. Reliability Centred Techniques such as Failure Mode and Cause Analysis, Fault Tree Analysis and others can be useful eliminating unnecessary maintenance works and optimizes and streamlines the equipment preventive maintenance. 4.2 Standardization Ankenbrandt et al noted that standardization is the attainment of practical uniformity in product design. Non-standard equipment or component lessens the reliability and increases maintenance. Standardization restricts the number of components equipment will require. The advantages of standardization according to Dhillon are: Reduction of using the incorrect parts Reduction in wiring and installation errors due to the fact of variations in characteristics of similar items Elimination for the need for special parts Reduction of incidents because of the use of wrong or unclear procedures Reduction in design time, manufacturing cost, and maintenance cost Reduction of procurement, stocking and training Figure 7 shows the goals of standardization. Figure Goals for reducing errors 4.3 Modularization Modularization deals with a production into physically and functionally distinct units to allow removal and replacement. The following are guidelines for the usefulness associated with modular units: Aim to make modules and parts as uniform as possible with respect to size and shape Divide the equipment or item under consideration into many modular units Aim to make each module of being inspected independently Design the equipment so that a single person can replace a failed part with ease and also parts should be small for mobility Module should be designed for maximum ease of operational testing when it is removed from the actual equipment or system. Consider design, modularization and material problems simultaneously For ease of disconnection, design components with control levers and linkages to allow easier replacement. 4.4 Simplification and Accessibility Design engineers should consider simplification in the design phase and it should be constant. Consideration should also be taken with the important functions of a system or a product into the design itself. Accessibility is the ease with which an item can be reached for repair, replacement or servicing. Poor accessibility will result in sub-standard maintenance. Accessibility is affected by: The visual needs of personnel performing maintenance task, The location of an item and its environment. Distance to be reached to access the component or part The types of maintenance to be performed through an access point or opening The danger associated with use of an access opening The clothing worn my maintenance personnel The task required time for execution The types of tools and accessories required to perform task Mounting of items behind the access point Work clearance to carry out task 4.5 Interchangeability and Identification Interchangeability refers to as an intentional aspect of design, that any component can be replaced with a similar item. This is achieved through standardization. There are three basic principles for interchangeability according to the Department of Defence (DOD): In items, components and products requiring frequent servicing, replacement of parts, each part must be interchangeable with another similar part Liberal tolerance must exist Strict interchangeability could become uneconomical in items that are expected to operate without replacement. The following considerations are taken to achieve maximum interchangeability of parts: Existence of functional interchangeability when physical interchangeability is a design characteristic Sufficient information in task instruction and number plate identification should be available for allowing users to decide confidently whether two similar parts are interchangeable No change in method of connecting and mounting when there are part or unit modifications Avoid or stay away from differences in size, mounting and shape Availability of adapters for making physical interchangeability possible when total interchangeability is not practical There should be and identification system for total interchangeability of identical parts 4.5.1 Identification Identification is concerned with labelling or making of parts, controls and test points to facilitate tasks such as repair and replacement. Maintenance task becomes more difficult when parts and components are no properly identified. It usually takes longer and increases the risk of human induced errors. Identification could be for parts or component or equipment identification. 4.6 Task Analysis The task analysis is a formal methodology derived from systems analysis which describes and analyse performance demands made upon humans within a system. The aim is to achieve integration of humans and machine system components. 5.0 Assessing the Risk in Maintenance Risk assessments of all human activities have great importance for the prevention of major accidents. The risk with respect to human errors when dealing with maintenance needs to be assessed and rank based on the overall impact the risk can have on the operation of the organization. The Risk Management Framework used is shown in Figure 8.0 This program was utilized to conduct a risk assessment and evaluation before and after the risk control measures have been put in place. The main aspects of the Risk Analysis procedure are: i. Identify Potential Hazards and existing risk control or safeguards. ii. Estimate the consequences of the potential Hazard. iii. Estimate the frequency of each of the impact/consequence of the potential hazard. iv. Determine the Risk without considering any new risk control or safeguards v. Determine the Risk with proposed new safeguard vi. Evaluate Economic impact of proposed new safeguard vii. Optimize and propose additional modification. Figure Risk Management Framework As indicate in the previous chapter (3), each human error identified will have to be ranked via a metric scoring system to determine the hierarchy of the error. The impact of these errors will have to be taken into consideration with respect to the employees (operators and maintenance staff), the equipment and the environment. Figure Diagram Showing Contributors of Risk 6.0 Human Errors in Maintenance in Industry Human error in maintenance exists in some form or the other in all industries. However, in some industries the consequences of human error from maintenance task can be catastrophic. Industries such as nuclear plants and civil aviation cannot afford errors. 6.1 Human Maintenance Errors in Power Generation Human factors play an important role in power plant maintenance because improving the maintainability design of power plant facilities, systems and equipment assists to improve direct and indirect plant productivity, availability and safety. According to Seminara power lost can cost between US $500,000 to 750,000 dollars a day. The following are human related deficiencies in maintenance of a power plant: Limited access or inadequate clearance to perform maintenance Equipment poorly designed to facilitate maintenance activity effectively Equipment Inherently unreliable Personnel safety hazard Impaired mobility for equipment and personnel Miscellaneous- lack of standardization, high temperature environment and poor air conditioning While maintenance activities of nuclear power plants are essential for sustaining the safety of a power plant and maintaining the reliability of plant systems and components, they also have potential of human errors leading to unplanned reactor trips or power derate (Dhillon 2006). J. Reason classifies in chapter 3 the different characteristics of human errors that will be applicable to Power Plants. According to Kim et al, incidents reports in Korea stated that most of the human related unplanned reactor trip events during the normal power operation are associated with test and maintenance activities (63%). Plant maintenance included preventive maintenance, planned maintenance and corrective maintenance. 6.2 Human Error in Aviation Due to the increase in air travels, airlines spend billions of dollars in maintenance annually. A study done in the United Kingdom has shown that between 1990 to 2000 maintenance errors per million flights has doubled (ICAO) According to the ICAO there are over 300 factors and influences that can impact the performance of maintenance personnel. Some of the human errors that are impacted by maintenance are listed in chapter 3 and range from time pressure, inadequate training to outdated maintenance manuals. There are many categories of human errors with respect to aviation maintenance and inspection. Some of the major ones encountered according to Latorella et al are: Incorrect assembly sequence Procedural defects Wrong part Incorrect configuration Missing part Defective part Functional defects and tactical defects Figure List of Errors in Aircraft Maintenance Figure 10 shows the guideline covered in aviation. Two important guidelines concerning design are: Seek relevant information on human error occurrence during the maintenance phase as inputs in the design phase Ensure that manufacturers give attention to maintenance related human factors during design phase According to James Reason based on a Boeing study which indicated the top seven causes for in-flight engine shut downs on the Boeing aircraft were as followed: Incomplete Installation (33%) Damaged on installation (14.5%) Improper Installation (11%) Equipment not installed or missing (11%) Foreign Object Damage (6.5%) Improper fault isolation, inspection and test (6%) Equipment not activated or deactivated (4%) From the statistics presented only one cause was unrelated to maintenance activities. Maintenance activities were responsible for approximately 80% of in-flight engine shut downs. 7.0 Prediction Models for Human Errors Human error can be analysed by several methods developed over the years. Some of the following methods are relied on heavily in the aviation industry. 7.1 Cause and Effect Diagrams This is a useful tool to determine root causes of specified problem in relation to maintenance errors. Related and relevant ideas are generated. The extreme right of the diagram represent effect and to the right are all the possible causes. The cause and effect can be generated in the following steps: Develop problem statement Brainstorm to identify possible causes Establish major causes categories by stratifying into natural and process steps Connect diagram to all the causes by following the appropriate process steps and filled in the effects Refine cause categories by asking What cause this and Why does this condition exists? 7.2 Error Cause Removal Program (ECRP) This was developed to reduce the occurrence of human error to a tolerable level in production operation. It focuses on preventive measures rather than remedial ones. It is composed of a team of workers with each team having its own coordinator with the necessary skills. Each team member presents a report and the coordinator discusses these reports in a periodic meeting and recommendations are made to management. 7.3 Fault Tree Analysis The fault tree analysis (FTA) is used to perform reliability and safety analyses of engineering system and can be use to perform analysis of human error in maintenance. 7.4 Markov Analysis This method is used to perform reliability analysis of engineering systems and can be used to predict the probability of occurrence of human error in maintenance. This is done through mathematical modelling. 7.4.1 Model 1 This mathematical model indicates a system that can fail due to maintenance error or other failures. See figure 11. Numerals in box, circle and diamonds represents system states. The following assumptions are made for this model. The system can fail due to maintenance error or failure other than maintenance error The failed system is repaired and maintenance is performed periodically Fail system repair rates are constant The repaired system is as good as new Figure Markov Model 1 Diagram 7.4.2 Model II This mathematical model represent a system that can only fail due to non maintenance related failures but its performance is degraded by the occurrence of maintenance error. See figure 12. The numeral in circle, box and diamonds represents system states. The following assumptions are made for this model: The total or partially failed system is repaired and preventive maintenance is performed regularly The occurrence of maintenance error can only lead to system degradation but not failure The system can fail from its degradation mode due to failures other than maintenance errors The system is repaired at constant rates from its failed and degradation states Maintenance error and non maintenance error failure rates are constant The repaired system is good as new Figure Markov Model 2 8.0 Conclusion This report gives a comprehensive analysis of human errors in maintenance. Human errors are inevitable and there are numerous factors that can influence these errors. The first step is to identify the different human errors that may be encountered in an industry, conduct an assessment on the errors and take necessary steps to reduce these errors. The traditional approach of dealing with human error, that is counselling and or re writing procedures may not be effective in dealing with the errors identified in this report. A more holistic approach for managing maintenance error and assuring maintenance quality techniques is the application of reliability centred maintenance and also designing for maintainability.