Thursday, October 31, 2019

Promotion Strategy for Lululemon Research Paper

Promotion Strategy for Lululemon - Research Paper Example Over the years the segment of women’s athletic wear has been majorly neglected. Just like any other form of clothing women sports-wear is very different from men’s. The Lululemon logo depicts the consumer’s health consciousness and their affinity to an elite club of enlightened people who wear similar clothing. According to Nelson (2011) Lululemon’s real genius relies on their Blue-Ocean strategy, which means to create demand in markets where competition is low instead of fighting for a share in a competitive market. So Lululemon emerged as a retailer that targets this niche of women’s athletic wear, and over the years has managed to grab a notable share in the 15 billion USD market for women’s fitness clothing (Helliker, 2010). Lululemon is the first clothing retailer to have adopted the Salon Business Model—which implies that like-minded body and fashion conscious women get together (Nelson, 2011). The main purpose of such a model is to bring together like-minded people who would work together for mutual benefit that would transcend the benefit from the economic transaction. Lululemon started off with niche marketing and was not intended to be mass marketed. The target market of the brand is the affluent, figure-conscious and stylish women (George, 2006, para. 7). Direct Marketing and Personal Selling Lululemon spends very little on promoting the brand through mass media, perhaps occasionally in magazines and newspapers. Lululemon has used â€Å"brand ambassadors† for the promotion of their brands, these ambassadors and not salaried employees but in fact peers or opinion leader that are given $1000 worth of free apparel in exchange for modeling the brand for their clients (Helliker, 2010). Lululemon calls it a stealth strategy not marketing—that has minimum cost and maximum impact. This is a very unique marketing strategy that clearly distinguishes Lululemon from competitors like Nike and Adidas, who spend million in celebrity endorsements. Lululemon has included ambassadors in areas of running, weight-training and men. The men’s fitness wear is also a very rapidly growing segment for Lululemon but still accounts for less than 20% of total sales (Helliker, 2010). According to Kurtz, MacKenzie and Snow, each Lululemon store across the globe has its own promotional strategy which is specific to that area. This could be in the form of painting their store front or covering their windows with slogans. The store hosts their own free yoga classes and store employees are referred to as educators. The company invests extensively in the recruitment and training of these store employees, because eventually these employees play an important role in the promotion of the brand. Personal selling has been greatly influenced with the emergence of e-commerce and the internet. It enables the manufacturer to establish databases and CRM systems to better meet the needs of the customers a nd gather extensive data about them at the same time (Kerin, p253). Internet plays a vital role as consumer promotions are deeply integrated with online product offerings, this can be done so using micro-sites and even email marketing approaches that reach directly to customers at almost no cost (Kerin, p253). Customers can sign-up for

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Does the homecoming of Chinese students who completed higher education Dissertation

Does the homecoming of Chinese students who completed higher education abroad have an effect on the employability of the Chinese - Dissertation Example The present economic crisis that affected the western countries worse also contributed in the change of the trend in recent period. Contents Page 1. Introduction 3-6 1.2 Research Points 7 1.3 Aims and Objectives 8-9 2. Theoretical Framework Literature Review 10-19 3. Hypotheses 19 4. Empirical Research Literature Review 20-28 5. Methodology 29-32 6. Findings 33-41 7. Conclusion 42-43 Appendix Bibliography 1. INTRODUCTION With increased globalization international trade across countries, have increased increasing business opportunities and investments and contracting boundaries between nations across the world. However, it has also resulted in stiff competition among the business organizations and hence created barriers for the entrance of new potential business firms. Despite these drawbacks, globalization has brought about huge improvements in the sector of information, technology, and communication and with the advancements in the Internet connections people are being able to gathe r information on any field and for any country of the world. Thus with increased globalization the Chinese students are also being increasingly aware of the educational and employment opportunities in the developed countries of the world mainly the European and the American countries. ... China remains a leading civilization outstanding the other countries in arts, science, culture etc for the recent years. The single party controlled political state experienced a market-oriented approach of development after 1978 and since then output and the pace of the country’s development quadrupled. The living standards of many families experienced a drastic improvement as the country is increasing its reach and participation in international organizations. The phenomenal economic growth of the country and its increasing contribution to the world’s aggregate trade is making it famous in the international community. In the year, 2010 China has been the largest exporter in the world trade. The double-digit growth rate of the economy in the last 10 years has made it the second largest in terms of the Gross Domestic Product of the country just after the United States of America. The country went ahead of Japan in the year 2001 with its economic development. The economi c downturn of 2009 for the first time reduced the demand for the country’s exports in many years but the country again hold back the economy rebounding quickly with a GDP growth rate of 10% in 2010 exceeding all countries (The world fact book, 2010). After the establishment of the Republic of China, the communist party of the country and the central government decided to send the students and the scholars of the country to different socialist states of the world like Soviet Union. The main aim was to bring home knowledge from the foreign countries that would in turn help to develop the country in terms of science, technology, and managerial skills to compete with the western countries. Thus, policies and regulations were made to support the scholars going abroad and encourage

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Mixed Solvent in CO2 Capture Technology

Mixed Solvent in CO2 Capture Technology Research Proposal Development of mixed solvent in CO2 capture technology with chemical absorption Xingye Fan Objectives: This project mainly aims at developing mixed solvent in chemical absorption to achieve goals of increasing mass transfer rate, CO2 loading capacity, and reduce processing cost. 1.1 Short term objectives: During the first five years, this project tends to test different mixed solvents to compare their property and performance in laboratory-scale. Mixed solvents with different components will be tested by a designed experiment in the laboratory. Advanced engineering process simulation will be performed by using Aspen plus software. By analyzing experiment and simulation data, the most suitable solvent for chemical absorption can be achieved. 1.2 Long term objectives: If the solvent with promising property is obtained and the project continues beyond five years, performance of novel absorbent for CO2 capture can be tested in pilot-scale. If the application of the novel solvent in pilot-scale is proved to be feasible, this absorbent can be tried to be commercialized. 2 Literature review: Chemical absorption processes are widely used to separate CO2 in coal fired power plants and chemical industries. Chemical absorption process is built on the reaction between the CO2 and chemical solvent. A typical chemical absorption process involves an absorber and a stripper. In this process, the flue gas which contains CO2 enters an absorber from the bottom and contacts with a CO2-lean absorbent counter-currently, after absorption, the CO2-rich absorbent flows to a thermally regenerator. In this method absorber and regenerator are working continuously. After regeneration, the CO2-lean stream is sent back to recycle for further use. The pure CO2 released from the regenerator is compressed and forwarded to storage or transportation. Due to the maturity of chemical absorption technology, it has been commercialized for a long time. Chemical absorption CO2 capture technologies are best utilized in post combustion because of its applicability for low CO2 concentration in the inlet gas stream. Chemical absorption is also considered as an efficient technique due to its low energy cost. By using individual type of solvent the absorption process has several drawbacks such as, the degradation of solvent, solvent regeneration efficiency, corrosion etc. which impact the efficiency of CO2 separation. To address the above problems, so much research has been conducted to improve solvent, modify gas-liquid contact device and prevent solvent degradation. Currently, to reduce the regeneration energy and further curtail the cost of absorption process, the operation of stripper is improved. Evidence shows that the operation of higher stripper pressure and alkanolamines concentration can be adopted to reduce energy consumption in regeneration. Volume of conventional absorption apparatus such as a packed bed, spray column, and a bubble column, is generally quite large. Therefore, small sizes of absorber and stripper with a lower equipment cost are expected. A rotating packed bed (RPB) was proposed which can also increase mass transfer rate between gas and absorbent. CO2 capture technology with chemical absorption strongly depends on the performance of a liquid solvent. Thus, selecting a suitable solvent is the most effective method to improve the efficiency of this technique. So far, many researchers have focused on developing novel mixed solvents. Cullinane and Rochelle (2004) raised CO2 reaction rate by using potassium carbonate and amines with piperazine as a promoter. Rodrigo and Chakib (2010) improved the reaction rate by adding small amount of monoethanolamine or methyldiethanolamine into ammonia. Jeong Ho Choi and Seong Geun Oh (2012) increased CO2 reaction rate and CO2 loading capacity by mixed liquid solvent with 2-methylpiperidine as a promoter. Although so much research regarding to mixed solvent has been carried out, development of mixed solvents is still an essential research direction to improve absorption technology. 3 Method and proposed approach: In order to measure the mass transfer rate of CO2 by using different solvents, we need to utilize a wetted wall column. Vapor-liquid equilibrium method is also used to evaluate the CO2 loading capacity. In addition, a simulation of the CO2 capture system can be developed by Aspen Plus software. Work plan 1: measure mass transfer rate of CO2 with different mixed solvents (years 1-3) In order to find a suitable combination of solvents, different kinds of absorbent mixture should be involved in the experiments. As the mass transfer rate of CO2 is a core parameter to determine property of absorbents, graduate students will carry out a wetted wall column experiment to measure CO2 mass transfer rate by using different mixed solvents. Solvents selection is of great significance. Various solvents are suitable for CO2 absorption such as monoethanolamine, diethylaniline, and methyldiethanolamine, K2CO3, Na2CO3, NaOH, NH3, Adenosine monophosphate. Alkanolamines are common absorbents for CO2 capture, and amines with different structure have various properties. Traditionally, alkanolamines can be classified into; primary, secondary, and tertiary amines. Among these three categories, the primary amines, for example monoethanolamine are considered the best solvent for flue gas cleaning because of the low partial pressure of CO2 in the flue gas. Monoethanolamine is a suitable solvent at low partial pressures of CO2 in the gas stream since it reacts quickly, and the cost of the raw materials is lower than secondary and tertiary amines. However, the operating cost of chemical absorption processes with monoethanolamine is high due to high energy cost in regenerating and operational problems such as corrosion, solvent loss, and solvent degradation. In addition, loading capacity of monoethanolamine can only be up to about 0.5mol of CO2/mol of monoethanolamine because of the formation of stable carbamates. Loading capacity of Tertiary alkanolamines such as methyldiethanolamine can reach 1mol of CO2/mol alkanolamine, and the energy consumption for regeneration is lower. However, the rates of CO2 absorption are low which make them not feasible for CO2 capture. A wide variety of alkanolamines that have proven to be commercially suitable for acid gas removal by chemical absorption are monoethanolamine, diethylaniline, methyldiethanolamine, and diglycolamine. The r eaction of CO2 with primary and secondary alkanolamines to produce carbamates increases the CO2 interfacial mass transfer rate dramatically compared to the mass transfer rate without the chemical reactions and under the same driving force. However, because carbamate formation leads to the requirement of large amount of heat, the regeneration energy is significantly high. On the other hand, the slower reaction of tertiary amines with CO2 produces only bicarbonate and carbonate with a lower heat of reaction. Nevertheless, reaction with tertiary amines cannot raise the interfacial mass transfer rate to an ideal extent. Diglycolamine is also a primary amine that can be used at 50–70 wt% amines, leading to greatly lower circulation rates and energy requirements. The reactivity of diglycolamine is similar with monoethanolamine, but diglycolamine has a much lower vapor pressure. Thus, diglycolamine can be used in a more concentrated solution with less solvent flow rate. Therefore, a ccording to the property of individual solvents, graduate students are required to select a diverse combination of solvents with different concentration and to measure their CO2 mass transfer rate with a wetted wall column. The construction of wetted wall column apparatus is described as the follows. The gas–liquid contactor in the center is constructed by a stainless-steel tube. The column is enclosed by a thick cylindrical wall glass and the whole chamber is surrounded by a second glass wall. Water flowing between the two glass walls can be used as a heat transfer medium. The absorbent is pumped into the column and flows down from the top and forms a thin liquid film along the outside surface of the column. Feed gas enters near the base of the chamber, counter-currently contacts with liquid and then exits from the top. During the experiment, the temperature in the chamber needs to be controlled to constant, and inside the reactor pressure is also maintained constant. The ga s concentrations are measured with the non-dispersion infrared sensor continuously. Measurement of CO2 content in the inlet and outlet gas stream provides CO2 partial pressure and CO2 flux between gas and liquid. Other physical properties are analyzed by the different equipment such as density and viscosity is measured by density meter and viscometer respectively. In the process of CO2 absorption, the molar flux of CO2 from the gas stream to the absorbents can be expressed as: (1) In addition, =+ (2) is the gaseous molar flux of CO2. KG is the overall mass transfer coefficient, PCO2 and PCO2* are partial pressure of CO2 in the gas stream and at equilibrium in the liquid respectively. kG and kG’ are gas and liquid mass transfer coefficient respectively. kG is a function of both the physical diffusion of the reactants in the liquid and the effect of the chemical reaction. In addition, the flux can be calculated if the contact area between the gas and the liquid as well as the amount of CO2 absorbed per unit of time is known. The flux can be calculated from equation (3): (3) PCO2,in and PCO2,out are the partial pressure of CO2 in the inlet and outlet of the chambers which can be measured, P is the pressure in the chamber which can be measured by a pressure transducer, Qg is the flow rate of gas at the entrance of the chamber (m3/sec), including the water and solvent in the gas phase. The flow rates of water and solvent in the chamber are calculated with the thermodynamic model. Vm is the molar volume at the experimental conditions (mol/m3) and A is the contact area between the gas and the liquid. Therefore, by measuring the absorption flux at different partial pressures of CO2 and by using equation (1), it is possible to determine the overall mass transfer coefficient KG by plotting the flux as a function of the partial pressure of carbon dioxide in the chamber. After this part of experiment, we are able to screen some promising mixed solvents and carry out subsequent experiment with them. Work plan 2: evaluate CO2 loading capacity of different mixed solvents (years 3-4) In this section, graduate students need to measure CO2 loading capacity of the left mixed solvent with vapor-liquid equilibrium system. The vapor–liquid equilibrium system includes a CO2 supplier, a reactor, a measuring device that indicates temperature and pressure, and a computer that records CO2 pressure immediately. The reactor is batch reactor with a magnetic stirrer at the bottom to increase the gas–liquid contact area. Equilibrium partial pressure of CO2 in the reactor can be expressed as follows: P*CO2=P*-P0 (4) P* is the equilibrium pressure at the absorption equilibrium and P0 is the initial pressure. The mole of the CO2 entered can be calculated by the ideal gas law as follows: nSCO2= (5) PSi is the initial pressure of supplier. PSt is the pressure of supplier after injection of CO2. VS is the volume of supplier, TS is the temperature of supplier and R is gas constant. The mole of gaseous CO2 in the reactor at equilibrium can also be determined by the ideal gas law. nRCO2= (6) In the above equation, PRi is the initial pressure of reactor. PRt is the pressure of reactor after equilibrium VR, TR are volume of reactor and temperature of reactor, respectively. Eventually, the total amount of absorbed CO2 can be determined by Eq (7). nabsorbedCO2=nSCO2-nRCO2 (7) The loading capacity can be expressed by molar solubility which is the mole of the CO2 absorbed divided by the mole of absorbent: NCO2loading= (8) By comparing CO2 loading capacity, we are able to get rid of some mixed solvents with poor CO2 loading capacity. Then, left mixed solvents are selected for further research. The concentration of mixed solvents is also very important. In order to get the specific concentration at which mixed solvent can work best, wetted wall column experiments and vapor-liquid equilibrium experiments are required to conduct repetitively. Work plan 3: Simulation of process (years 4-5) In case, we can obtain suitable mixed solvents from above sections and according to the kinetics study in work plan 1, graduate students will be assigned to simulate the process of CO2 capture pilot plant using chemical absorption method. The simulation is manipulated with Aspen plus Software. The objectives of this work are as follows: Firstly, by carrying out the simulation, we can collect the data of CO2 removal efficiency. Besides, the simulation can help to determine the energy consumption in the CO2 capture pilot plant. Based on these data, we can screen the mixed solvents which can reduce the processing cost. Moreover, the simulation of the process is also an efficient way to evaluate a capture process and to optimize the process in order to reduce the heat, water and electricity consumption. At last, when further research is done such as test the solvent performance in a pilot plant, we can compare the data collected from the pilot plants with simulation data to perform the v erification. 4 Anticipated significance of the work After devoting over five years to this project, we hope to find a better absorbent by developing mixed solvent in CO2 capture technology. This outcome will not only increase the efficiency of the chemical absorption CO2 capture technology but also reduce the energy consumption of this technology. Since the chemical absorption technology is widely used for CO2 capture, the discovery of an innovative solvent will definitely make this technology more competitive. 5 Training for graduate students and researchers This project will develop graduate students’ skills of carrying out wetted water column and vapor-liquid equilibrium experiments as well as the ability to calculate mass transfer rate and CO2 loading capacity. In addition, graduate students will also obtain the skills of processing and analyzing data. This project also requires students have skills of using software related to chemical engineering such as Aspen plus. The working experience on the project will provide students ability of performing multi-task, creativity, critical thinking ability, detail-oriented characteristic. The ability will be significantly helpful for their future career and will make them competitive among peers. Reference [1] Jinzhao Liu. Study on mass transfer and kinetics of CO2 absorption into aqueous ammonia and piperazine blended solutions [J].Chemical Engineering Science, 2012, 75: 298-308. [2] Hendy Thee, Yohanes A. Suryaputradinata, Kathryn A. A kinetic and process modeling study of CO2 capture with MEA-promoted potassium carbonate solutions [J]. Chemical Engineering Science, 2012, 210: 271-279. [3] Victor Darde. CO2 capture using aqueous ammonia: kinetic study and process simulation [J]. ScienceDirect, 2011,4: 1443-1450. [4] Dey A, Aroonwilas A. CO2 absorption into MEA-AMP blend: mass transfer and absorber height index. Energy Procedia 2009. [5] Mondal MK. Solubility of carbon dioxide in an aqueous blend of diethanolamine and piperazine. Journal of Chemical Engineering Data 2009;54: 2381e5. [6] Lepaumier H, Martin S, Picq D, Delfort B, Carrette PL. New amines for CO2 capture III, effect of alkyl chain length between amine functions on polyamines degradation. Industrial Engineering Chemistry Research 2010; 49:4553e60. [7] Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). Post-combustion CO2 capture technology [8] Yaser Khojasteh Salkuyeh. Reduction of CO2 capture plant energy requirement by selecting a suitable solvent and analyzing the operating parameters [J]. Energy Research, 2012, 37: 973-981.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Free Essays on A Dolls House: Manipulation :: A Dolls House Essays

Manipulation in A Doll House The mark of a mature person is the ability to make rational decisions for oneself.   Complicated choices are what make maturity so hard.   Sometimes, even good intentions can lead to a bad decision.   In Henrik Ibsen's A Doll House, decision-making is clouded by the manipulation caused by certain characters.   Blackmail, trickery, and tyranny, each a form of manipulation are all used to make seemingly positive decisions by the characters.   These decisions lead to complicated situations for these characters where nothing is gained.   Manipulation is a form of control over another person without either their consent or knowledge.   Examining Torvald, Krogstad, and Nora, one can see that manipulation of others leads to irrational decisions for them.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Torvald is the typical husband of the time of the play.   He tries to control his wife and expect her to submit to him.   He manipulates her through many different ways.   First, he calls her pet names such as "little lark" (3) and "squirrel" (4) and speaks to her in a condescending tone, as if she is a child.   He then tries to control her habits so he will not let her eat sweets or spend too much money.   In fact, all the money she gets comes from him.   He demands that she is subservient and treats her as almost a dog later on in the play.   At the end, when Nora's secret is out, he lashes out at her and kicks her out of the house.   When he wants her back after he realizes that he will no longer get into trouble for what she did, she does not want to come back, he finally realizes that she does not love him anymore and that his manipulation of her is over.   This leaves him in a pickle because he now has to take care of his children without Nora, hardly a good position for him.     Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Krogstad is different from Torvald because he is not as well off economically and socially and this leads him to try an extremer form of manipulation.   Krogstad is desperate to keep his job at the bank and tries to get Nora to secure the job with her husband through blackmail.   Since he was once found to be forging documents, his reputation has been flaky, so in order to regain his reputation for his sons: "For their sake I must win back as much respect as I can in the town" (22), he needs to keep his job at the bank.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Remember the Titans

Remember the Titans Directed by Boaz Yakin, Remember the Titans explores racism in the community of Alexandria and the struggles of dealing with an integrated society, school and football team. Remember the Titans makes evident that ultimately the community of Alexandria are the real winners after the Titans gain victory at the Championship and the public learn to accept the opposite race and treat them with newfound respect. The creation of friendships, their attitudes towards each other and realising opportunities are all positives that came from the gradual acceptance of change.Characters in the film form friendships within the community whether they’re African-American or Caucasian, subsequently to the good example set by the Titans’ Championship team. This is seen through Julius Campbell and Gerry Bertier when they are placed in a room together on football camp causing agitation between the two. Julius and Gerry first meet when they are seated together on the bus a nd Coach Boone announces â€Å"the person I have you sitting next to is the same one that you’ll be rooming with for the duration of this camp†.The two characters show their hate for each other in many ways, the first being on the bus Julius tells Gerry he â€Å"can shut-up†, causing more conflict between the two. Together with the encounter over a poster in their room, it’s clear the two are far from friends. Although as the team starts pulling together and begin to win their games of football this changes dramatically. Gerry listens to Julius and lectures one of the team members, Gerry’s best friend about his terrible blocking for one of the African-American players.This results in Julius and Gerry shouting â€Å"left-side† â€Å"strong side† at each other, being the start of a close friendship and unity. This great friendship develops over time and they soon become so close they call each other â€Å"brother[s]† and Gerry in vites Julius over to meet his â€Å"mama† which is a big deal, considering at the start of their friendship Gerry’s mum didn’t agree with it. Sheryl and Nicky become friends after the Titans work as an integrated team and they gradually grow to have similar interests instead of being totally opposed to spending time with each other.In the beginning of the film the two girls were totally different, Sheryl not putting in any effort to â€Å"play dolls† or Nicky refusing to play basketball because she â€Å"just did [her] nails†. Ultimately they get excited with each other about the Titans winning streak and celebrate by hugging and jumping around together. This shows friendship formed because of the Titans and the team’s victory. The success of the Titans is a positive reflection on the relationships formed within the team, where their cohesion allows the rest of the Alexandria community to see the benefits of amalgamation and inter-racial res pect.Conclusively the whole town of Alexandria benefitted and were the winners after all, due to the Titans helping form friendships. In the film, Remember the Titans the town of Alexandria was disadvantaged by being segregated, where not only were the people in the community missing out on friendships opportunities, but also business and team opportunities. They were missing out on a different, more helpful and compassionate way of life. An example of this is the business that turns away Petey and Blue to eat there because they’re African-American.The diner misses out on a sale not only then, but from all the other hundred or more Negro people that would purchase food there if they were accepted. But instead they were told â€Å"to head out back and pick it up from there† as if having a person with a different appearance in their diner would affect business sales. â€Å"in Virginia, high school football is a way of life,† and throughout Remember the Titans the team are significant social leaders, to both races; black and white.Especially after the Titans win the Championship, the audience sees Alexandria realise that their people are all the same, and finally start to treat each other with some respect. â€Å"You taught his city how to trust the soul of a man, rather than the look of him†¦Ã¢â‚¬  If Alexandria was still segregated the friendships wouldn’t be the same: the Titans might not have won the Championship game, Coach Yoast could have received a place in the â€Å"Hall of Fame†, Gerry wouldn’t have had the car accident, they wouldn’t have accepted change, and they would still be as close minded, biased and prejudiced as they were the year before the game.The town showed a real change after the Titans won the Northern Regional Championship Game, all the people of the town whether they were black or white were there to cheer and congratulate the team on their victory. This was a huge change in the a ttitudes of the township. Although the change was hard, the town is better of being integrated due to the transformation after the win thanks to the Titans. It is the tragedies and mistakes within Remember the Titans that cause the community of Alexandria to learn and develop in order to ultimately benefit from the example of the Titans.Even though the town eventually advanced greatly from the example set by the Titans not everybody in the film was a ‘winner’. Ray Budds was part of the Titans, but as the team advanced in their acceptance Ray did not change in the way he felt about integration. Eventually he was removed from the team by the person who used to be his best friend, Gerry, after he â€Å"missed the block on purpose†. This consequence for Ray helps the team move forward together after gaining more unity and helping each other more, with no negative relationships in the team.Coach Yoast also had to sacrifice something to help the Titans; willingly Yoast gives up his spot in the â€Å"Hall of Fame† so that the team can fairly win one of the games of football they play. Even though he had worked extremely hard for that spot, he realised that it was not right to let the other team cheat on his behalf to acquire the Hall of Fame place. Coach Yoast understood that the people choosing the recipient were a â€Å"bunch of rednecks† and that himself and his daughter Sheryl would work just as hard to be the receiver of the Hall of Fame place next year, once the judgemental people realised he was a worthy recipient.Ultimately the town and the people in the town had to sacrifice some important things in their lives after they realised it was the right thing to do, making the town of Alexandria a better, happier, integrated town. Throughout Boaz Yakin’s Remember the Titans people change, to overall make the town of Alexandria a better place to live and work. No matter what race, people in Alexandria are accepted. Being abl e to accept something different is a difficult task and the Titans set the example and helped Alexandria as a whole to be winners. Remember the Titans Sherry Holloway Analysis Essay Remember the Titans Based on actual events that took place in 1971, this movie is about the racial and social tensions of the South. Alexandria, Virginia is a community torn apart by racial hatred and the order to integrate their public high schools. Reluctantly, the school board replaces Bill Yoast (Will Patton), the popular white coach, with Herman Boone (Denzel Washington), a reputable black coach, as head coach of the T. C. Williams Titans football team. Yoast, under an invitation from Boone, accepts the position as coach of the defensive line.Together they inspire, not just the team, but the town to â€Å"Trust the soul of a man rather than the look of him. † This is a brilliant movie that not only entertains, but teaches a life changing lessons. Remember the Titans shows its viewers to look further than a person’s outward appearance and look at a person’s soul. Racism and football is the backdrop for the clash of leadership st yles and personal perspectives that each man must learn and understand in order to become a winning team.Furthermore, this movie goes beyond the lesson of racism, it also teaches unity, trust, loyalty, and integrity. First, while they are at football camp the racial tensions come to a head and cause an outpour of hatred as the coaches integrate the all-white team with the all-black team. It’s not until one white player is partnered with one black player and forced to find out personal information do they start to realize they are all somewhat the same on the inside. Another lesson that came out in this part of the film is that not all prejudices occur between different ethnic groups.Ronnie Bass (Kip Pardue) arrives at football camp, with long blonde hair, just having moved from California. The team quickly nicknames him â€Å"Sunshine† because they assume that since he is from California and has long hair, he must be gay. Next, unity is brought to light when the captai n of the all-white team, Gerry Bertier (Ryan Hurt) confronts the captain of the all-black team, Julius Campbell (Wood Harris) about his team playing as individuals and not a team. Things start to turn around when Julius tells Gerry â€Å"Actions eflect leadership, captain†, that’s when Gerry realizes he is not being a good leader and letting the team down. Additionally, when the team gets back from camp they quickly realize the town does not share their newly unified team loyalty and some of the team members start to regress and lose their trust in unity. Once the team rallies and shows the town that they are working together and are loyal regardless of skin color most of the town follows the lead of the football team and accepts the new coach and team members.Unfortunately, not all the town is so accepting and some try to sabotage a football game, with the officiating, to cause the team to lose. Coach Yoast sees what is happening and stops it, showing his loyalty is t o the team and not the school board. Finally, the team is losing in the State Championship and Coach Yoast is still letting his pride stand in the way of asking Coach Boone for help with the defensive line.It takes Coach Yoast’s nine year old daughter, Sheryl (Hayden Panettiere), encouraging him to trust a man’s soul rather than his looks to finally unite the two coaches. All in all, Remember the Titans shows how reverence is a stern antidote for racial hatred and bigotry. The sport of football became a workshop for teaching the young and old about racial harmony, trust, and loyalty. People said that it could not work, black and white, but the Titans made it work every day. Remember the Titans Remember the Titans Directed by Boaz Yakin, Remember the Titans explores racism in the community of Alexandria and the struggles of dealing with an integrated society, school and football team. Remember the Titans makes evident that ultimately the community of Alexandria are the real winners after the Titans gain victory at the Championship and the public learn to accept the opposite race and treat them with newfound respect. The creation of friendships, their attitudes towards each other and realising opportunities are all positives that came from the gradual acceptance of change.Characters in the film form friendships within the community whether they’re African-American or Caucasian, subsequently to the good example set by the Titans’ Championship team. This is seen through Julius Campbell and Gerry Bertier when they are placed in a room together on football camp causing agitation between the two. Julius and Gerry first meet when they are seated together on the bus a nd Coach Boone announces â€Å"the person I have you sitting next to is the same one that you’ll be rooming with for the duration of this camp†.The two characters show their hate for each other in many ways, the first being on the bus Julius tells Gerry he â€Å"can shut-up†, causing more conflict between the two. Together with the encounter over a poster in their room, it’s clear the two are far from friends. Although as the team starts pulling together and begin to win their games of football this changes dramatically. Gerry listens to Julius and lectures one of the team members, Gerry’s best friend about his terrible blocking for one of the African-American players.This results in Julius and Gerry shouting â€Å"left-side† â€Å"strong side† at each other, being the start of a close friendship and unity. This great friendship develops over time and they soon become so close they call each other â€Å"brother[s]† and Gerry in vites Julius over to meet his â€Å"mama† which is a big deal, considering at the start of their friendship Gerry’s mum didn’t agree with it. Sheryl and Nicky become friends after the Titans work as an integrated team and they gradually grow to have similar interests instead of being totally opposed to spending time with each other.In the beginning of the film the two girls were totally different, Sheryl not putting in any effort to â€Å"play dolls† or Nicky refusing to play basketball because she â€Å"just did [her] nails†. Ultimately they get excited with each other about the Titans winning streak and celebrate by hugging and jumping around together. This shows friendship formed because of the Titans and the team’s victory. The success of the Titans is a positive reflection on the relationships formed within the team, where their cohesion allows the rest of the Alexandria community to see the benefits of amalgamation and inter-racial res pect.Conclusively the whole town of Alexandria benefitted and were the winners after all, due to the Titans helping form friendships. In the film, Remember the Titans the town of Alexandria was disadvantaged by being segregated, where not only were the people in the community missing out on friendships opportunities, but also business and team opportunities. They were missing out on a different, more helpful and compassionate way of life. An example of this is the business that turns away Petey and Blue to eat there because they’re African-American.The diner misses out on a sale not only then, but from all the other hundred or more Negro people that would purchase food there if they were accepted. But instead they were told â€Å"to head out back and pick it up from there† as if having a person with a different appearance in their diner would affect business sales. â€Å"in Virginia, high school football is a way of life,† and throughout Remember the Titans the team are significant social leaders, to both races; black and white.Especially after the Titans win the Championship, the audience sees Alexandria realise that their people are all the same, and finally start to treat each other with some respect. â€Å"You taught his city how to trust the soul of a man, rather than the look of him†¦Ã¢â‚¬  If Alexandria was still segregated the friendships wouldn’t be the same: the Titans might not have won the Championship game, Coach Yoast could have received a place in the â€Å"Hall of Fame†, Gerry wouldn’t have had the car accident, they wouldn’t have accepted change, and they would still be as close minded, biased and prejudiced as they were the year before the game.The town showed a real change after the Titans won the Northern Regional Championship Game, all the people of the town whether they were black or white were there to cheer and congratulate the team on their victory. This was a huge change in the a ttitudes of the township. Although the change was hard, the town is better of being integrated due to the transformation after the win thanks to the Titans. It is the tragedies and mistakes within Remember the Titans that cause the community of Alexandria to learn and develop in order to ultimately benefit from the example of the Titans.Even though the town eventually advanced greatly from the example set by the Titans not everybody in the film was a ‘winner’. Ray Budds was part of the Titans, but as the team advanced in their acceptance Ray did not change in the way he felt about integration. Eventually he was removed from the team by the person who used to be his best friend, Gerry, after he â€Å"missed the block on purpose†. This consequence for Ray helps the team move forward together after gaining more unity and helping each other more, with no negative relationships in the team.Coach Yoast also had to sacrifice something to help the Titans; willingly Yoast gives up his spot in the â€Å"Hall of Fame† so that the team can fairly win one of the games of football they play. Even though he had worked extremely hard for that spot, he realised that it was not right to let the other team cheat on his behalf to acquire the Hall of Fame place. Coach Yoast understood that the people choosing the recipient were a â€Å"bunch of rednecks† and that himself and his daughter Sheryl would work just as hard to be the receiver of the Hall of Fame place next year, once the judgemental people realised he was a worthy recipient.Ultimately the town and the people in the town had to sacrifice some important things in their lives after they realised it was the right thing to do, making the town of Alexandria a better, happier, integrated town. Throughout Boaz Yakin’s Remember the Titans people change, to overall make the town of Alexandria a better place to live and work. No matter what race, people in Alexandria are accepted. Being abl e to accept something different is a difficult task and the Titans set the example and helped Alexandria as a whole to be winners.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Good Manger

Chapter 1 Summary Laura Chase is killed instantly in a car accident. Laura's sister must go to the morgue to identify the body, and readers are given an idea of the woman Laura's sister is. She is careful, deliberate, and knows that she must dress appropriately in case newspaper reporters are nearby. She must do anything fitting her position as the wife of Mr. Richard E. Griffen. Especially since the car in which Laura Chase died belonged to Mrs. Richard E. Griffen.Laura's sister decides to wear black, of course, and she must also wear gloves, a veil, and should bring a handkerchief. When Laura's sister opens a drawer in her dressing room, she comes across a stack of school examination notebooks that have been bound in kitchen string. When she lifts the notebooks out, the shock of Laura's death hits her. Chapter 2 Summary Sub-Novel There are two main characters in the sub-novel: the man and woman. Clandestine meetings occur between them and the relationship is in its infancy. The wom an is described as â€Å"nervous. She is married but he is single. Details are dropped into the narrative like toppings on an ice cream sundae – the color of the woman's dress, the kind of tree that sits outside her bedroom window – and these things will be clues to the identities of the man and woman later on. Additionally, news clips, interspersed between vignettes, keep readers on a linear time path with the main novel. Also in this chapter are stories within stories. The woman and man meet several times and in varied places: over lunch, in a park, at night under a bridge.Chapter 3 Summary Main Novel It is June, 1998 and Iris Chase Griffen is about to present the Laura Chase Creative Writing Award to a graduating senior at Port Ticonderoga High School. Readers get to know Iris a bit better throughout the narrative. The death of her sister Laura, which she describes as being as close to a suicide as the word damn is to swearing, is an old wound that still bleeds. He r representation of the Chase family in the presentation of this monetary award is very difficult for her.Iris reminisces about her sister's life, how the story in the sub-novel created a town furor worthy of book banning, and how Iris has withstood the worst of this upset for the past 50 years. Yet, Laura is also seen as a genius taken in the prime of her life – a genius that Iris wears like a hair shirt. Chapter 4 Summary Sub-Novel The man and woman continue to meet in secret. At a cafe, she is uncomfortable because of the part of town in which it is located, and he is uncomfortable with the â€Å"fancy† way she is dressed.Their togetherness, for him, is about sex; their togetherness, for her, is about what is missing in her marriage: love and respect. The two of them leave the cafe and go to a room he is borrowing from a friend. It is threadbare, worn, and shabby. The woman is again uncomfortable in this environment but is so needy for what the man can give her that she stays. They make-love and he continues telling her the science-fiction tale about the residents of Sakiel-Norn. In another instance, at another time, the man and woman meet in a friend's apartment where they again make love, and again, he continues telling the story. Chapter 5 SummaryMain Novel This chapter volleys between present-day and the mid-1920s through the late 1930s in the history of the Chase family. Readers are permitted the chance to know Iris as an old woman and also get to know how Iris came to be that old woman. It is 1925 and Liliana Chase has died after the premature birth of her third child. Iris is saddled with caring for Laura and knows that it is going to be a full-time job. Even though Reenie acts in a motherly fashion toward both girls, it is Iris who tends to Laura's everyday needs. They must be each other's best friend, because they are not permitted to go off the grounds of Avilion alone.It is during this time that Iris tries to figure out why her moth er died as well as how to explain to Laura what happened to the â€Å"unfinished† baby t Chapter 6 Summary Sub-Novel The man and woman continue to meet in a variety of borrowed places: a dingy room, an opulent apartment and a janitor's storeroom in the basement of a building. The woman is clearly out of her element and comments so to herself while she goes to meet the man. She feels out of place in body and spirit: her clothes are too fancy, her walk is too refined and her attitude is too uptown for the downtown surroundings.However, she clearly loves this man, or certainly loves the image of him. He tries to appear nonchalant, but even he grows restless when he thinks she is not coming to meet him. Theirs is a relationship that starts out purely physical but melds into one of need. In addition, as the book continues, readers are left to wonder who this woman is: Laura or Iris? Chapter 7 Summary Main Novel More of Iris's mystery begins to unravel with the opening of Chapter 7 . She possesses a steamer trunk – one from her 1935 honeymoon trip to Europe with Richard Griffen – full of handwritten text and a couple of first edition books.It is hinted that Laura wrote these, but the question does arise: did Iris actually write stories, including the sub-novel? Many have written to Iris in hopes of interviewing her about her dead sister but she has steadfastly refused. She keeps the existence and contents of the steamer trunk a secret from the world. On a trip into Toronto to see her lawyer, Iris asks Walter to drive her past her old home – the one she shared with Richard as a newly married woman. It is still there, and now has tendrils of ivy fingering up the brickwork. Chapter 8 Summary Sub-Novel The man and woman continue meeting and telling each other stories.They debate over the ending of the story of the blind assassin and the tongueless girl. The woman wants a happy ending, where the two will live out their years together; the man w ould like to see everyone, including the lovers, annihilated. The storytelling between the man and woman is intellectual foreplay. At another rendezvous, the man tells a nicer story, at the urging of the woman. It is about the Lizard Men of Xenor and their coupling with women of Earth to create a super race. The woman tells the man that she is going away on the maiden voyage cruise of the Queen Mary.It is becoming clearer that the woman is Iris Griffen. Chapter 9 Summary Main Novel The elderly Iris is losing the battle all older people fight: to maintain independence at home. Iris's mind is still sharp but her body is letting her down. She cannot even do her own laundry in the basement without fearing she will fall and be hurt. Elderly Iris is also fighting off the ministrations of Myra who dotes on her as though she inherited her from her mother, Reenie. Myra means well but smothers Iris all the same. Her latest idea is to hire someone to clean Iris's house and do laundry for her.H owever, Iris does not want a stranger touching her underwear. It is the spring of 1936; the Civil War had begun in Spain, King Edward had abdicated the throne for the Duchess of Windsor, and Laura had headed off to school. T Chapter 10 Summary Sub-Novel The woman misses the man desperately and looks high and low for some sign of him; something to tell her that he is safe. She finds their story, The Lizard Men of Xenor, in a newsstand at a train station. She secretly sneaks it home and cherishes it as though he were reaching his hand out to her and her alone.Waiting for him to return from Spain seems interminable and, to pass the time, she imagines him imagining her. In her mind's eye, she sees him on trains, in stations and in diners. Her salvation is that he is on his way home to her, only her, and that he will soon emerge through the mist of a departing train to save her from her own life. Chapter 11 Summary Main Novel As the story progresses, readers are treated to little hints, tiny secrets here and there. Iris likes to visit the middle stall in the washroom of a local doughnut shop.That is where the best graffiti is written (including some about Laura) — and where she would like to add some of her own. She checks into that stall regularly to see what has been written there, as one would get a weekly update to a news item. Laura was sent to a different school — same temperament, different uniform — and plans were laid by Winifred for Laura's debut the following year when she turned eighteen. Laura grudgingly attended school but hated it. Once Laura started to be a bigger burden than Winifred wanted Richard to bear, it was decided that Laura should be married.Chapter 12 Summary Sub-Novel The man returns from the war in Spain and is greeted at the train station by the woman. Because he has not yet rented a room, they go to a seedy hotel to be alone together after such a long time apart. The room in the hotel is the worst place they have ever been together. It smells bad, the furniture is tacky and ripped and there is no fresh air. She tells him that she found The Lizard Men of Xenor and waited, impatiently, for the next episode so that she knew he was all right. She had worried about him dying in the war, and he tells her that nearly happened.Chapter 13 Summary Main Novel, the 1930s Just before World War II, Iris' marriage to Richard was getting worse. She had suffered two miscarriages and learned that Richard had enjoyed his share of mistresses. She assumed these dalliances were with his secretaries who were always very young and very pretty. They kept up marital appearances by going to parties and gatherings and Iris was grateful that Richard was no longer bothering her for marital obligations. Once World War II broke out, Richard and his business were in a bad place.He had been too friendly with the Germans prior to the war and stood to lose a lot of money. Following the end of the war, Iris receives a call from Laura. Back in Toronto, Iris sees Laura at Diana Sweets, one of Iris's favorite shops. Chapter 14 Summary Main Novel, the late 1940s Iris finds old school exercise books after Laura dies. In the mathematics book, there appears a long column of numbers with words opposite some of them. Iris recognizes the numbers as dates. The first date coincides with Iris's return from Europe and the last day was just a few months before Laura was sent to Bella Vista.Iris concludes that these are the dates Richard raped Laura. Iris was grateful that Laura had never seen Aimee because she would have known right away that Aimee was Alex Thomas's daughter and not Richard's. Iris keeps all of Laura's notebooks, bound together with string, plus other manuscript pages in the steamer trunk once used in her wedding trousseau. After Laura's funeral, Iris leaves Richard. She sends the steamer trunk out to Port Ticonderoga and then takes Aimee away while Richard is gone on business. Chapter 15 Summary Sub-No velIris is seen cherishing the photo of her and Alex Thomas at the Button Factory picnic that hot, humid Labor Day in the mid-1930s. The picture was of happiness, but the ensuing story was not. Just before her death, Iris has one last daydream. It is of reuniting with Sabrina, one in which Sabrina does not blame her for her fate. Sabrina calls Iris, comes to her house and sits with her. On May 29, 1999, Iris Chase Griffen dies at the age of 83. Shortly thereafter, Sabrina returns from traveling abroad to see to her grandmother's affairs

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Why Some Parents Won’t Vaccinate Their Kids Professor Ramos Blog

Why Some Parents Won’t Vaccinate Their Kids While vaccines have been preventing death and injuries for hundreds of years against diseases like measles, deadly diseases still show up all around the world. The clear answer on why is that some parents either cannot afford to pay for vaccines or simply don’t believe in them. Financial status had affected children not getting vaccinated, not only in the united states but also â€Å"Measles vaccination remains sub-optimal, particularly in Bauchi. Efforts to counter negative perceptions about vaccination and to ensure vaccinations are actually provided free may help to increase vaccination rates. Parents need to be made aware that vaccination should be free, including for children without a birth certificate, and vaccination could be an opportunity for issuing birth certificates. The study provides pointers for state-level planning to increase vaccination rates.†(Cockcroft et al). Measles outbreaks have been recently popping up everywhere around the world, in Madagascar , and places in the United States like Washington, New York, Oakland County, and many more cities and counties. Though some anti-vaccinators approve of the vaccines against measles and other deadly diseases and use them, they still don’t approve on other vaccines and believe they make the patient worse or don’t have an effect at all. There are many variations and inputs on why parents don’t vaccinate, as listed above, but the main reasons why parents don’t vaccinate their kids can fall into these categories, safety concerns, religious beliefs, or personal views and/or ethics (Mckee and Bohannon). Many parents often think that vaccines frequently lead to autism, and some even know its a low percentage, but still, don’t want to jeopardize the risks. However many doctors’ have debunked this rumor, with research and statistics. Religious views, on the other hand, cannot be debunked because people’s faith sometimes doesnt give a clear reas on, and rather just an answer. Personal views and/or views are the category for everything else, meaning they neither come from a persuasive source nor a religious one, or sometimes they are a mix of both but, they surely come from what peoples’ own opinion. Parents claim that science has provided information that links vaccines to autism. However recent studies say otherwise. An online textbook called â€Å"Clinical Infectious Diseases† states that â€Å"Although child vaccination rates remain high, some parental concern persists that vaccines might cause autism. Three specific hypotheses have been proposed: (1) the combination measles-mumps-rubella vaccine causes autism by damaging the intestinal lining, which allows the entrance of encephalopathic proteins; (2) thimerosal, an ethylmercury-containing preservative in some vaccines, is toxic to the central nervous system; and (3) the simultaneous administration of multiple vaccines overwhelms or weakens the immune system. We will discuss the genesis of each of these theories and review the relevant epidemiological evidence.† (Plotkin, Gerber, and Offit) This states that autism doesnt necessarily relate to vaccines and the textbook goes into more detail claiming, and debunki ng the original article that persuaded theyre linked, it critiques the study by saying â€Å"Although no data supporting an association between MMR vaccine and autism existed and a plausible biological mechanism was lacking, several epidemiologic studies were performed to address parental fears created by the publication by Wakefield.† (Plotkin, Gerber, and Offit). The authors explain how it wouldnt make sense to believe that the two are linked in any way possible. Even though clear evidence proves correlation from vaccines to autism, that still remains one of the main reasons today, why parents refuse to vaccinate their children. Religion is a sensitive topic when it comes to whats allowed and whats not, some religious people even feel offended or disgusted when someone of their religion, sins or breaks a rule. Therefore in religion, it becomes tricky when it comes around science because you cannot decide for yourself unless you plan on going against your religion. But in the articles â€Å"Heres Where Major Religions Actually Stand On Vaccines: Almost all U.S. states allow religious exemptions to immunization. But the issue has almost nothing to do with religion.† By Antonia Blumberg, it goes through all the major religions and manages to capture their views on vaccines. It shows that the majority of people who decline vaccines come from Christian orientated homes, like how the Catholic church as a whole opposes vaccines, while Muslim and Jewish homes openly accept vaccines, and actually encourage it. It also states that many Christians still do vaccinate as a whole. (Blumberg). Blumberg also acknowle dges that â€Å"Hindu, Sikh and Buddhist texts and doctrine contain no teachings in opposition to immunization† (Blumberg). Religious-based declines for vaccines cannot be debunked however, because if a religion says its impermissible, then for that religion it is. It is not a science-based question, where we can answer it with research, experiments, and conduct of extreme information. With religion, you always have to respect ones wishes, but to what extent is the question. Personal views usually sprout from the media, of friends and family, but nonetheless, they still are your views, and opinions you’ve gained yourself. Some parents just dont think its right for their child on numerous reasons, while others dont trust the hospital, doctor or even vaccine. There can be many concepts that personal beliefs can fall into, and it can even be linked up with safety concerns or religious beliefs. Its actually stated that â€Å"There is more than one way to understand paren ts views about immunization. Some parents have virtually no information, and when provided with data about harms and benefits, they usually (anecdotally) give permission for their child to be vaccinated. Other parents may have limited information or incorrect information that can be corrected by the physician, and yet others have a great deal of information and a firm philosophical stance that immunization is not what is best for their child. There are also divisions between complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practitioners and some physicians about the merits and risks of vaccination.† (Gilmour et al). The article claims the physician should provide the best and more truthful information they can into helping the parent decide, being honest about side effects, risks and debunking false claims. The parent can then decide based on their personal beliefs on whether or not to vaccinate their child. (Gilmour et al). Everyone has a right to chose to vaccinate or not, but what poses a possible threat and an uprising question, is at what extent? Bibliography Stanley Plotkin, Jeffrey S. Gerber, Paul A. Offit; Vaccines and Autism: A Tale of Shifting Hypotheses, Clinical Infectious Diseases, Volume 48, Issue 4, 15 February 2009, Pages 456–461, https://doi.org/10.1086/596476 This article describes the concerns for that parents have in the connection between autism and vaccines. It debunks the main source of credibility that parents who refuse vaccines look to. This article. This article was published by the Infectious disease society of america, who work with scientists and doctors, and therefore are credible. I’m using this article for my report because its useful information on my analysis of why some parents refuse vaccines. Anne Cockcroft ,Muhammad U Usman, O’brian F Nyamucherera,Henry Emori,Bong Duke, Nisser Ali Umar and Neil Andersson Archives of Public Health The official journal of the Belgian Public Health Association 201472:48 https://doi.org/10.1186/2049-3258-72-48 This article explains why some parents don’t vaccinate their children. Its credible because doctors wrote it, and its credited by the public health association of belgium. Im using this article because it describes exactly what the title of my paper is about. I’m also using it to furthermore explain my point, and plot it. McKee, Chephra and Kristin Bohannon. â€Å"Exploring the Reasons Behind Parental Refusal of Vaccines† journal of pediatric pharmacology and therapeutics : JPPT : the official journal of PPAG vol. 21,2 (2016): 104-9. This journal identifies the factors of refusing vaccines and why it had been going on. This article is very credible because its a journal written for people in the medical field. Its a team of professionals narrowing down the outcomes and explaining why parents refuse from a more up front point of view. Im using it to see further into my thesis, and understand what the problem is. Blumberg, Antonia. â€Å"Here’s where major religions stand on vaccines† Article of huffpost magazine, reporter of huffpost magazine, Lydia Polgreen (03/31/17) https://www.huffpost.com/entry/heres-where-major-religions-actually-stand-on-vaccines_n_58dc3ef0e4b08194e3b71fc4 This article says what religions have to say about vaccines and the problem at use. This article is credible because it has been published on a magazine with editors and hundreds of thousands of readers. Im using this article in my report to understand what role religion plays in deciding to take the vaccine or not. Joan Gilmour, Christine Harrison, Leyla Asadi, Michael H. Cohen, Sunita Vohra. Childhood Immunization: When Physicians and Parents Disagree Pediatrics Nov 2011, 128 (Supplement 4) S167-S174; DOI: 10.1542/peds.2010-2720E This article describes the four reasons why parents disagree to vaccines and debunking their theories or excuses. It also helps to see where the rumors came from and the misinformation interpreted. Its credible because its written by a physician, on a scholarly website. Im using this journal in my report because it has useful information to structure my paragraphs and explain the issue.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Factors influence an individuals self-concept The WritePass Journal

Factors influence an individuals self-conceptï » ¿ Abstract Factors influence an individuals self-conceptï » ¿ AbstractSelf-concept and factors of influence Outline of factors that can influence the development of an individual’s self concept Description of the factors that can influence the development of an individual’s self-concept ConclusionReferences Related Abstract Self-concept is usually defined, in a generic sense, as the set of images, thoughts and feelings that an individual has of himself/herself. Most authors interpret self-concept as a series of attitudes towards the self, globally integrated by three factors: cognitive, behavioral and affective. Self-concept includes assessments of all parameters that are relevant to an individual’s development: from physical appearance to social and intellectual capacities. This essay will look at some factors that influence the development of an individual’s self-concept: age, gender, education, media and culture. Self-concept and factors of influence Robert B. Burns (1979) interprets self-concept as a conceptualization that the individual made of her/his own self, being elaborated by powerful emotional and evaluative connotations. Moreover, the subjective beliefs and factual knowledge that the individual attributes to himself/herself are highly personal and intense, varying thereby in degrees to its unique identity. With regard to self-esteem, Burns describe it as the process by which the individual examines his actions, skills and attributes compared to criteria and values that are internalized from society and significant others. However, self-esteem and self-concept are usually considered as interchangeable notions (Byrne, 1996; Harter, 1999). In general terms, it can be distinguished three main characteristic of an individual’s self concept (Bracken, 1996): It is not innate: The individual’s self concept is constantly being formed by experience. Moreover, it also depends on the symbolic language. It is an organized whole: The individual tend to ignore perceived variables that are not adjusted to his/her conceptual whole, conforming thereby his/her own hierarchy of assessments. It is dynamic: It can be modified by a reinterpretation of the own personality or external judgments. Self-concept includes all the parameters that are considered relevant by an individual: from physical appearance to sexual capacities, social and intellectual abilities, age, media, culture, appliance, education, gender, income, environment, etc. Outline of factors that can influence the development of an individual’s self concept As a dynamic attribute, an individual’s self concept is characterized by being in a constant feedback (positive or negative) with the social environment, in which the opinions and assessments of the persons we establish intimate relations with (family, couple, friends), are determinant factors. From the various factors that influence an individual’s self-concept, the focus will be directed towards the following: Age: Self-concept changes during the individual’s life span, being its maximum peak of permeability from seven to twelve years old. It then begins to be formed during childhood and starts to decrease at adolescence. Gender: Although it exists considerable studies about gender differences in self-concept, it seems that there are no conclusive results regarding this issue. Overall, the study of gender differences in self-concept in adolescence has generated considerable interest in recent decades. Despite the fact that the results of these studies are varied, most of them conclude that there are clear gender differences in self-concept, so that girls, particularly after the age of twelve, tend to have worse self-concept than boys. Thus, according to research, age acts as a moderating variable of the differences between girls and boys (Orenstein, 1995). Education: Education is a vital feature for interpersonal development. Academic achievements in the school as well as parental guiding and social interaction, are factors conforming the individual’s self-concept. Media: In contemporary society, the media is a vital factor of influence in the development of individual’s self-concept. Perhaps the most relevant of its effects is on the conception of the body image. In this respect, advertising and marketing has been producing and reproducing a dissociation between ‘ideal body image’ and ‘real body image’. Such dissociation might have pathological effects on individuals (i.e; from eating disorders to anxiety and depression). Culture: Majority of the studies focus on the divergence between Western culture, characterized by a more dependent auto-conception of the self, and Asian culture, in which interdependence stands as the fundamental factor in the development of self-concept. Description of the factors that can influence the development of an individual’s self-concept AGE The definition of oneself from 5-6 to 7-8 years provides an ability to discriminate between different domains of experience. Between 7-8 years and 11-12, there are significant changes in regard to intellectual abilities and social environment, having remarkable implications for both self-concept and self-esteem. During this range of age, children have the ability to compare themselves to others, but the information extracted from such comparisons is just in service of self-evaluation (Byrne, 1996). At the end of childhood, there is an increase in the permeability to social values, so the prototypes of each culture become another valuable source of comparison, which, in most cases, contribute to the discrepancy between the ‘real self’ and ‘ideal self’ (Harter, 1999). GENDER According to current research, age acts as a moderating variable of the differences in girls and boys. In this respect, there are empirical evidence showing that girls have a positive perception of themselves during primary education and yet around twelve, it is produced a decrease in self-confidence and acceptance of body image (Orenstein, 1995). The role of women in society may be among the factors behind this decline in female self-esteem. Thus, the observation of what happens in their surroundings, take the girls to infer that their social role is secondary to that played by men. By contrast, Crain (1996) insists that it is indispensable to remember that the gap between boys and girls about the different facets of self-concept is not exceedingly large, and thus such theories have a limited clinical and educational significance. Girls and boys are more alike than different, and the divergence between male and female are fairly consistent with gender stereotypes. EDUCATION Fundamentally within the field of Educational Psychology, there has been a constant preoccupation regarding the links between self-concept and academic performance. However, there is a lack of evidence indicating the precise nature of the relationship between both variables (Marsh and Seeshing, 1997). What it is clear about the role of education in the development of an individual’s self-concept is that it not only intervenes the relationship teacher-pupil, but also the rest of professionals within the educational system. Importantly, since education does not end in the school, family is key for a positive development of self-concept. MEDIA The media has been played a fundamental role in how individuals perceive themselves. Importantly, marketing and advertising have been contributed to a general attitude of compulsive consumption as well as to the creation of an ideal body image as a way to personal and professional success. Such strong pressure from the media about unattainable aesthetic models has as its immediate result an increase of personal dissatisfaction along with a rise in metal pathologies, such as depression, anxiety or eating disorders (Cash, 2011). However, research shows that subjects with a positive self-concept are less vulnerable to the influence of the media than those with a lower self-esteem CULTURE Majority of research on cultural differences in self-concept is focused on the comparison between Asian and Western culture. The former, collectivistic and vertical societies (high power distance), report higher belief in cognitive-behavioral consistency, share more belief related to dependent affiliation, but also agree more with belief related to achievement, self-direction and distinctiveness motivation (Smith and Bond, 1998). By contrast, subjects from Western culture, vertical individualistic societies, report higher agreement with need for uniqueness and higher level of behavioral flexibility. Some authors state that such characteristics of individuals from Western culture are due to a higher importance of positive self-representation (Worchel et al, 1998) Conclusion An individual’s self-concept undergoes notable changes during development, evolving from a structure in which diverse dominions of experience are distinguished to another stage in which the fundamental aspects are integration and high-level abstractions. In summary, the development of the self-concept during the life span of an individual is subjected to multiple factors of influence. References Ashmore, R., y Jussim, L. (1997). Self and identity. Fundamental issues. New York: Oxford University. Bracken, B. (1996). Handbook of self-concept. New York: John Wiley y Sons. Burns, R. B. (1979). The self-concept: Theory, measurement, development and behavior. New York: Logman. Byrne, B. M. (1996). Measuring self-concept across the life span: Issues and instrumentation. Washington, DC: American Psychologist Association. Cash, T. F. (Ed.). (2011). Body image: A handbook of science, practice and prevention. New York: The Guilford Press. Crain, M. (1996). The influence of age, race and gender on child and adolescent self-concept. In B. A. Bracken (Ed.), Handbook of self-concept. (pp. 395-420). New York: Wiley. Harter, S. (1999). The construction of the self: A developmental perspective. New York: The Guilford Press. Marsh, H. W., Seeshing, A. (1997). Causal effects of academic self-concept on academic achievement: Structural equation of longitudinal data. Journal of Educational Psychology, 86, 439-456. Orenstein, P. (1995). School girls: Young women, self-esteem and the confidence gap. New York: Anchor. Smith, P. B. Bond, M. H. (1998). Social Psychology across cultures (2nd ed.). London: Prentice Hall Europe. Worchel, S. Morales, J.F., Pez, D. Deschamps, J-C. (1998). Social identity. International perspectives. London: Sage.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

History of Golf and Golf Equipment

History of Golf and Golf Equipment Golf originated from a game played on the coast of Scotland during the 15th century. Golfers would hit a pebble instead of a ball around the sand dunes using a stick or club. After 1750, golf evolved into the sport as we recognize it today. In 1774, Edinburgh golfers wrote the first standardized rules for the game of golf. Invention of Golf Balls Golfers soon tired of hitting pebbles and tried other things. The earliest man-made golf balls included thin leather bags stuffed with feathers (they did not fly very far). The gutta-percha ball was invented in 1848 by Reverend Adam Paterson. Made from the sap of the Gutta tree, this ball could be hit a maximum distance of 225 yards and was very similar to its modern counterpart. In 1898, Coburn Haskell introduced the first one-piece rubber core; when professionally hit these balls reached distances approaching 430 yards. According to The Dimpled Golf Ball by Vincent Mallette, balls were smooth during the early days of golf. Players noticed that as balls became old and scarred, they traveled farther. After a while players would take new balls and intentionally pit them. In 1905, golf ball manufacturer William Taylor was the first to add the dimple pattern using the Coburn Haskell ball. Golf balls had now taken on their modern form. Evolution of Golf Clubs Golf clubs have evolved from wooden shaft clubs to todays sets of woods and irons with durability, weight distribution, and graduation utility. The evolution of clubs went hand-in-hand with the evolution of golf balls that were able to withstand harder whacks. History of Carrying and Caddies During the 1880s, golf bags first came into use. The beast of burden is an old nickname for the caddie who carried golfers equipment for them. The first powered golf car appeared around 1962 and was invented by Merlin L. Halvorson. Invention of Golf Tees The word tee as it relates to the game of golf originated as the name for the area where a golfer played. In 1889, the first documented portable golf tee was patented by Scottish golfers William Bloxsom and Arthur Douglas. This golf tee was made from rubber and had three vertical rubber prongs that held the ball in place. However, it lay on the ground and did not pierce the ground like modern golf tees. In 1892, a British patent was granted to Percy Ellis for his Perfectum tee that did pierce the ground. It was a rubber tee with a metal spike. The 1897 Victor tee was similar and included a cup-shaped top to better hold the golf ball. The Vicktor was patented by Scotsmen PM Matthews. American patents for golf tees include the first American patent issued to Scotsmen David Dalziel in 1895, the 1895 patent issued to American Prosper Senat, and the 1899 patent for an improved golf tee issued to George Grant. Rules of the Game In 1774, the first standardized rules of golf were written and used for the first golf championship, which was won by Doctor John Rattray on 2nd April 1744 in Edinburgh, Scotland. You must tee your ball within one clubs length of the hole.Your  tee  must be on the ground.You are not to change the ball which you strike off the tee.You are not to remove stones, bones or any break club for the sake of playing your ball, except on the fair green, and that only within a clubs length of your ball.If your ball comes among water, or any watery filth, you are at liberty to take out your ball and bringing it behind the hazard and teeing it, you may play it with any club and allow your adversary a stroke for so getting out your ball.If your balls  be  found anywhere touching one another you are to lift the first ball till you play the last.At  holeing  you are to play your ball honestly for the hole, and not to play upon your adversarys ball, not lying in your way to the hole.If you should lose your ball, by its being taken up, or any other way, you are to go back to the spot where you struck last and drop another ball and allow your adversary a stroke for th e misfortune.No man at  holeing  his ball is to be allowed to mark his way to the hold with his club or anything else. If a ball  be  stoppd by any person, horse or dog, or anything else, the ball so stoppd  must  be played where it lyes.If you draw your club in order to strike and proceed so far in the stroke as to be bringing down your club; if then your club shall break in any way, it is to be accounted a stroke.He whose ball  lyes  farthest from the hole is obliged to play first.Neither trench, ditch or  dyke  made for the preservation of the links, nor the Scholars Holes or the soldiers lines shall be accounted a hazard but the ball is to be taken out,  teed  and  playd  with any iron club.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Preliminary Search Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Preliminary Search - Assignment Example Such factors, coupled with high integration and maintenance costs, training, and redesign of business processes, disrupt organizational operations (Grabot, Mayere, and Bazet, 2008). Scalability is an integral concept for organizations that seek to protect their software investment. Functionality, platform, usability, and user account are the four integral dimensions of scalability. Utilization involves such factors as data storage limitations and reliable performance. Platform is the ability of an ERP system to function in multiple computing environments. User account is about the ability to add users in the system in a cost-effective and easy manner. Functionality is the ability of the system to adapt to organizational changes (Grabot, Mayere, and Bazet, 2008). For ERP installation, scalability of a product determines the success of an ERP system. All the dimensions are necessary considerations before installation of a system. In terms of functionality and security, a three-tier client server model provides ease in control because its middle tier (application servers) is centralized and is manageable as compared to two-tier client server models. There are less vulnerabilities in a three-tier model, and data recovery is easier in comparison to a two-tier model. A two-tier model runs two integrated ERP systems simultaneously at the corporate and subsidiary level, and is beneficial for organizations with several branches or multiple sites. It is also useful when organizations merge or if there is, a newly acquired operation that does not match the current ERP an organization uses. In contrast, a three-tier is for small businesses because of its ease in installation. Even so, they are not as easy to customize as the two-tier client server model (Grabot, Mayere, and Bazet,

Friday, October 18, 2019

Introduction to Communication-Emotional Responses-discussion Personal Statement

Introduction to Communication-Emotional Responses-discussion - Personal Statement Example I vividly remember a situation when a colleague of mine tried to load me with a job, which actually happened to be his responsibility. It being a hard day, I really got angry. I had an interaction with my colleague regarding this issue. Though I didn’t use rude language, I managed to convey my resentment and anger through my bodily gestures. My face was flushed red and I was leaning slightly forward, in a way violating the personal space of my colleague, during this talk. While talking, my eyebrows happened to be down and close to each other and I must admit, I had a rude glare in my eyes. My lips were narrowed and quivering all through that short talk and I was sweating a little. My colleague was able to notice my anger by seeing my body language, though I spoke a little, and he apologized for his mistake. Though I managed to get what I wanted, in retrospect I think that my bodily gestures were a way too aggressive during this interaction, and I could have acted more restrain ed and

NAT and PAT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

NAT and PAT - Essay Example ccounting Theory (PAT) is an objective theory aiming at predicting accounting practices and policies that are chosen applied by firms as well as the effects of such, on the firms after the implementation. Under this theory, available data and statistics in the firm are analyzed to enable the firm to derive applicable conclusions based on the results. The main purpose of the results of the analysis is to create an understanding when predicting accounting policies across differing firms. On the other hand, Normative Accounting Theory (NAT) is a subjective kind of theory with an aim to describe the economic future of a given firm or investor. This is the theory that usually attempts to tell economists what they should do. This theory does not solely use predictive values to make evaluations, but it also considers the logical consistency of the rationality of individuals. Therefore, as positive accounting theories tend to make predictions of the events of the real world, normative accoun ting theories tend to inform people about what they should do (Coetsee, 2010). PAT has two different perspectives that include the efficiency perspective and the opportunistic perspective. Under the opportunistic perspective of PAT, there are three elements including the bonus plan hypothesis, debt covenant hypothesis as well as the political cost hypothesis. The bonus plan hypothesis of PAT has the assumption that the manager with the bonus plan has a high likelihood of using accounting methods intended to increase the current period reported income. As such, this makes a prediction that a manager will be rewarded on the basis of their performance. Debt covenant hypothesis, on the other hand, tries to put a limit on the managers ability to transfer assets to new creditors, themselves or new shareholders. Political cost hypothesis, on the other hand, refers to how a firm would react to the possibility of regulation of other regulators as well as other interest groups and how these

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Language Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Language - Essay Example Furthermore, code switching is a very common behavior among multilingual speakers. Thus, policymakers on education stress that switching from one language to another may affect proficiency of the speaker as code switching limit language development of the speaker or learner (Berko-Gleason 1993). The multilingual situation in the Philippines, for instance, presents an interesting case as the country is an archipelago and is made up of many islands. English is a second language in the Philippines and about 50 percent of the population comprehend and speak English but 87 languages and dialects also exist in different islands. Some of these languages do not seem to be related to each other. Although a national language exists, government policies on the use of national language, the Filipino - an amalgamation of languages composed of both Tagalog and English - confuses the population rather than help the public become proficient in the learning of the language required in school. Tagalog is used in some subjects such as history but science subjects are mainly taught in English. The consequences of this policy are quite detrimental to those whose first language is neither Tagalog nor English. A majority of Filipinos who live in the provinces and underlying islands had to learn three languages in order to survive school and be able to find work. Many of those whose first language is not Tagalog or English are usually discriminated against in work places because of their 'accents.' Marked cultural differences also exist in terms of food, way of life, religious beliefs and many other aspects of culture. Furthermore, like other multilingual countries, the Philippine government faces challenges because of its language-learning program on multilingualism. As two languages - Tagalog and English - are used, educators are concerned that learners may not learn any of the language with greater proficiency as code switching is seen as a hindrance to achieving high-level language proficiency. Language experts argue that bilinguals and multilinguals cannot achieve similar language proficiency similar to those of monolingual speakers. Code-switching is defined as the 'utilization of two languages simultaneously or interchangeably' (Valdes-Fallis, 1977). Most experts view that speakers use two languages if 'bilingual fluency is not yet stable' (Valdes-Fallis, 1977). Speakers employ this method in order to attain two things: one is for the speaker to fill a linguistic or conceptual gap and secondly, it is for the attainment of multiple communicative functions (Gysels, 1992). In many countries and territories, code switching is avoided, but in majority of multilingual and bilingual areas of the world, it is viewed as the 'norm' (Swigart, 1992; Goyvaerts & Zembele, 1992). This is true in the Philippines, Singapore, India and Nepal where speakers usually move from one language to another to communicate. In Singapore and the Philippines (Chinese or Malay and English in Singapore, and Tagalog and English in the Philippines), the use of two languages or the mixing of both in communication and even in literature has become the norm. Views on code

Strategic Management Unit 2 DB SA Fourth Week Essay

Strategic Management Unit 2 DB SA Fourth Week - Essay Example Brian Moore is an example of good strategic management that can be emulated by other industries. Although it was unethical for him to stretch the truth to get the job at Footlocker, his hard work was quite apparent. At Saucony, for instance, he resettled the strategy of performance running and classic business strategy (SGB, 2009). Even more encouraging was his belief in teamwork to accomplish organizational tasks successfully. To Moore, an individual is as good as individuals around him (SGB, 2009). Furthermore, he favors consistency and creativity for success. These are fundamental, sincere and valid beliefs that can see the management of different industries successful. Like Footlocker, Finish Line is a company dealing in shoes. The company considers shoes as very important assets in everyone’s that should be at the heart of every person. Shoes go with people to and from various places and are central to customization culture in America. Now, more than ever, consumers need custom-made shoes (Creamer, 2004). Besides, they want original and not counterfeit products which are of high quality. The company realized it was lagging behind and signed the Heavy, a co-opt New York Boutique Branding Agency in an attempt to see it improve to heights of success. This was a bold step on the part of Finish Line. Creamer, M., (2004). Footlocker Shoe Store-Sneaker Maker Takes to Tuners. Retrieved from AIU Online Library-EBSCO, Vol. 75, Issue 43, pg. (6). http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.proxy.cecybrary.com/ehost/detail?vid=6&sid=b59cb214-2192-4012-940441caac93a90f%40sessionmgr4001&hid=4205&bdata=JnNpdGU9Z Whvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=buh&AN=14881951 SGB, (2009). Footlocker Shoe Store-Brian Moore. Retrieved from AIU Online Library-EBSCO, Vol. 42, Issue 4, pg. (40).

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Memory Activity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Memory Activity - Essay Example Alphabet technique could also be of help, in this strategy, you need to identify a word which begins with the same sound as each letter in the alphabet and then associate the word's image with the item to be remembered. Encoding information in an elaborate, meaningful way helps in retention. When possible convert verbal information into mental images, when learning about events and facts, try to focus on their meaning rather than their superficial characteristics. Another example is when you are memorizing for numbers, it is easy to memorize letters or words than numbers, put some codes in your number to have some meaning, for example, 5=L (because there are five fingers on our left hand). It takes time to fully memorize everything that is needed to memorize. For example you are about to memorize 20 words, divide it by 5, memorize each 5 items one at a time until you can remember all of them without looking, then memorize the next group and so on. Take your time in memorizing because, patience is a virtue especially if you are going to memorize lone lines. Take time out Our brains need also to rest to function very well. Study at night and get plenty

Strategic Management Unit 2 DB SA Fourth Week Essay

Strategic Management Unit 2 DB SA Fourth Week - Essay Example Brian Moore is an example of good strategic management that can be emulated by other industries. Although it was unethical for him to stretch the truth to get the job at Footlocker, his hard work was quite apparent. At Saucony, for instance, he resettled the strategy of performance running and classic business strategy (SGB, 2009). Even more encouraging was his belief in teamwork to accomplish organizational tasks successfully. To Moore, an individual is as good as individuals around him (SGB, 2009). Furthermore, he favors consistency and creativity for success. These are fundamental, sincere and valid beliefs that can see the management of different industries successful. Like Footlocker, Finish Line is a company dealing in shoes. The company considers shoes as very important assets in everyone’s that should be at the heart of every person. Shoes go with people to and from various places and are central to customization culture in America. Now, more than ever, consumers need custom-made shoes (Creamer, 2004). Besides, they want original and not counterfeit products which are of high quality. The company realized it was lagging behind and signed the Heavy, a co-opt New York Boutique Branding Agency in an attempt to see it improve to heights of success. This was a bold step on the part of Finish Line. Creamer, M., (2004). Footlocker Shoe Store-Sneaker Maker Takes to Tuners. Retrieved from AIU Online Library-EBSCO, Vol. 75, Issue 43, pg. (6). http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.proxy.cecybrary.com/ehost/detail?vid=6&sid=b59cb214-2192-4012-940441caac93a90f%40sessionmgr4001&hid=4205&bdata=JnNpdGU9Z Whvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=buh&AN=14881951 SGB, (2009). Footlocker Shoe Store-Brian Moore. Retrieved from AIU Online Library-EBSCO, Vol. 42, Issue 4, pg. (40).

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

The Dispositional and Learning Theories Essay Example for Free

The Dispositional and Learning Theories Essay An individual’s personality is his/her distinctive pattern behavioral tendencies or psychological process that defines how he/she reacts with the environment. Personality manifests itself in one’s behavior towards others people and situations in the surrounding. While some aspects of personality are genetically inherited, others are picked from one’s environment. Personality that is influenced by the environment is developed by the context of the family or culture of the close society (Carver et al, 2000). Psychologists who study personality characterize personality traits and scrutinize their influence on and prediction of one’s behaviors. In addition to comparing and contrasting dispositional and learning theories of personality, this paper discusses the role of personality in influencing one’s behavior. The personality theories of disposition and learning and the resultant characteristics are used to explain interpersonal relations in individual. The Dispositional and Learning Theories Psychologists have developed many approaches to human personalities such as existential, humanistic, biological, or genetic, descriptive, and psychodynamic theories. The dispositional theory that regards personality to be composed of behavioral tendencies, traces its roots to ancient Greek Philosopher, medicine guru, and psychologist Hypocrites. The dispositional theory explains that psychological characteristics remain stable in an individual over a long period of exposure to a given situation. Learning theories stresses the concept that behaviors are a consequence of one’s encounters with the environment and his/her reactions to different life experiences. An individual’s experiences shape his/her behavior in different situations. The classical conditioning and punishment one receives while growing up tend to shape the way they react to similar or related scenarios in future. The learning theory may be divided into a sub-class called the Cognitive social learning that expounds on the role of cultural values and related ways of facing situations borrowed from the society. The traits are learned and internalized without any pressure applied to an individual. Personality Characteristics and Interpersonal Relationship The theories discussed above explain the origin of certain traits or characteristics upon which one’s personality is based. These traits are vital in dictating the interpersonal relationships of a person. The main characteristics include emotional stability, conscientiousness, agreeableness, extroversion, and openness or intellect. Extraversion entails being assertive, excitement seeking and state of seeking high levels of activity. The individual is always filled with positive emotions and warmth. Agreeable persons are always straightforward in their actions and are generally trustworthy. They also profess to altruism, carrying out acts that are beneficial to others while the actor forgoes comfort and happiness. These individuals are not only yielding but are also more likely to agree to other’s desire and demands. In addition, they are modest in their actions towards others and different situations. Conscientiousness on the other hand refers to positive traits such as self-discipline and dutifulness in an individual. This trait is mainly explained by the learning theory where discipline is instilled in a person by a learning process. Such people are in most cases orderly in their handling of different situations, making them develop healthy interpersonal relationships. Those with this trait tend to deliberate a lot when faced with new situations and they always strive for achievements (Carver et al, 2000). In addition to these features, such individuals are in most cases competent in their actions. Neuroticism is another characteristic attributed to the personality theories. Neuroticism refers to impulsiveness in actions, anxiety, and vulnerability of an individual. Besides being generally hostile, the person is always prone to depression when faced with unfamiliar situations. Exposure to environments of depression or cruelty enhances one’s risks of adopting such traits. Neuroticism is thus attributed to dispositional theory of personality. Openness refers to being welcoming and accommodative to new ideas, feelings and values. Such an individual easily welcomes new types of experience in his/her life. Their personality traits allow them to adjust and effectively manage unfamiliar situations. These individuals learn pick up new modes of action necessitated by interaction with new environments. Openness, which fosters good interpersonal relations, is attributed to dispositional theory of personality. Personality and Situational Behavior Debate rages on whether one’s behavior towards certain situations is controlled by the personality or the situation itself. The debate has however been productive, as an approach that is more dynamic has been adopted regarding the role of personality in facing different situations. The two approaches widely contrasted are the personality view and the situational circumstance. While the personality approach argues that one’s personality styles dictate the behavior, the situational theory stresses that behavior depends on the immediate situation. Are there situations where one’s personality surpasses the immediate situation so that he/she make rational judgment on the situation? Individuals should apply their personality to control situations and not the other way round. A person’s conduct towards a situation should not be controlled by the situation at hand. The main psychological variables upon which one’s behavior in different situations hinges are personality traits. An individual’s behavior in face of a situation is predicted by his/her personality (Carver et al, 2000). One’s behavior is influenced by the interaction between his/her personality traits and the immediate situations. However simplistic this view seems, there is always a mutual existence between the situation, and one’s personality in developing a behavioral inclination. Different situations may affect an individual in different ways. While some situations make an individual to express his/her personality traits, others limit their choices or behavior in relating with the situation. People also vary in how they allow their personality to react to different situations. While others have a high tendency to adapt to the situation, others have a consistent personality-situation relationship. This dependency on their personality is due to their inability to adapt to different situations. Personality also most often show up in situation where they are needed to help solve a problem. People also tend choose situations depending on their personalities. Personality however does not predict how one will react to a specific situation that lasts for a short/specific time. Personality therefore only predicts one’s general or overall behavioral trend towards general situations. Some individuals show behavior that is more consistent and their personality traits only emerge in some situations. Research has also shown that the influence of personality on handling of situations wanes with time. Whatever people do in life and the situations they are comfortable with are dictated largely by their traits. These choices may be in relation to careers, relationships, and lifestyle in general. Conclusion Personality, which refers to the psychological classification of people results from the different traits/characteristics inherent in individual. Among the theories that explain personality are the dispositional and the learning theories. These theories explain how individuals interact with different situations in their environment. While some people use judgment to interact with the environment, others use the approach of perception in developing a behavior towards situations. There are various characteristics attributed to these personality theories, namely emotional stability, conscientiousness, agreeableness, extroversion, and openness or intellect. Reference Carver, C. S. , Scheier, M. F. (2000). Perspectives on personality. Needham Heights