Analytical Paper-Investment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Analytical -Investment - Research Paper Example With this regard, the possession of adequate resources along with growing trade opportunities in the developing economic prospects of South Africa have been considered as a vital concern for the global companies to increase their investment portfolios. Additionally, the diplomatic association between Kuwait and South Africa signifies growth prospects for both the countries. One of the significant opportunities can be identified as the increasing importance attained by South African mining industry within the world economy. Stating precisely, Kuwait investing in South Africa shall be rewarded with significant opportunities facilitated with continuous development of the host nation. Fundamentally, steered by such developmental opportunities, the Gulf economies have been focused on creating a trade relation with Africa in the recent phenomenon which shall also benefit Kuwait when investing in South African mining industry. ... Therefore, an increasing practice of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is often observed, which enables both the recipient and investor countries to efficiently practice their range of industrial activities. Correspondingly, the discussion of the paper has been emphasized on the emerging trend of FDI and its significance towards improving the present economic and political relation between Kuwait and South Africa. In order to clearly recognize the significance of FDI in the current phenomenon, the paper highlights the major advantages that can be availed by Kuwait through its investment in the South African mining industry. The paper also tends to elaborate on the major motivational factors in South Africa which can facilitate Kuwait to efficiently perform its varied range of trade activities along with support the credibility of both the nations in the present world economy. Focusing on this particular aspect, the paper also recommends few effective measures for Kuwaiti investors when building trade relations with South Africa through direct investment in the mining industry. Introduction The emergence of South African mining industry has been observed as a major resource for the country which enabled it to attract global investors such as Kuwait. The mineral development sector of the country is highly focused on increasing the efficiency of the mining and mineral industry which has enabled the country to experience a radical economic stabilization (South African Embassy, 2013). Although the trade relation between Kuwait and South Africa has recently come into the limelight, these two economies have been into a distinct global trade relation since past few decades. The political relation between

Research Paper on Comparative analysis of Wal-Mart, Kmart and

On Comparative analysis of Wal-Mart, Kmart and Burlington - Research Paper Example 10) through different business and management strategies. Almost all different companies play very uniquely in the market with varying organizational objectives, visions, techniques, ideas and strategies and therefore all these companies provide illuminating examples for how differently a market can be created and maintained. This piece of research paper presents a comparative study of the company background information, organizational cultures and environmental factors of three well known companies; Wal-Mart, Kmart and Burlington Coat factory. Based on the comparative analysis of the business strategies and marketing techniques of these three companies, this paper explains how different companies play uniquely in the market by creating values for their customers to make them ultimately satisfied. Company Background Information Wal-Mart The Wal-Mart is always an amazing business story since it has emerged to be the largest retailer from the dream of a family to start a small lucrativ e retail business with their personal saving of six thousand dollars (Soderquist, 2005). Out of all the retail and other brands in the US, Wal-Mart has undoubtedly affected the life of millions around the world by changing their lifestyle, culture and social status too. Wal-Mart operates retail stores in various formats and segments across the world such as discount stores, supercentres, neighborhood markets, Sam’s club and market-side. It is ranked first by Fortune 500 on the list of America’s largest corporations and also as one among the world’s largest corporations listed in 2011. Wal-Mart stores provide its customers with wide range of national as well as internationally recognized brands in categories of grocery, home appliance, entertainment, health and wellness, apparel, home wares and so on. One of the major strengths of the company is that it can quickly shift the products mix to adapt to changes in demand and market since the company has dominant posi tion in its market and also that it provides wide ranges of goods and services (Datamonitor, 2011). The Wal-Mart story The Wal-Mart story begins with Sam Walton’s dream to start a small franchise Ben Franklin’s variety store in Arkansas, Bentonville in 1945 (Ferrell, Fraedrich & Ferrell, 2009, p. 293). The retail store that Sam Walton started began to inspire a group of people with his uncanny ability and his vision to create not just one-of-a-kind company but a revolutionary business model and thus to grow to impact the standard of living for millions upon millions of people every day in the US and worldwide (Soderquist, 2005). Until 1962, the business was entirely devoted to the operation of franchise variety stores. By July 1962, Sam Walton opened the first Wal-Mart store in Rogers and this has eventually grown to be a large chain with 24 stores that ringed up $ 12.7 million sales in 1967. In 1969, the company is formally incorporates as Wal-Mart Stores Inc (History

Sources of noise in transistor

Sources of noise in transistor SOURCE OF NOISE IN TRANSISTOR FOR DIFFERENT CONFIGURATION Abstract- Here in this term paper, I am going to discuss the history of the transistors, its importance and its limitations. The term paper is on the sources of noise in transistors for different configurations. HISTORY A replica of the first working transistor. The first patent for the field-effect transistor principle was filed in Canada by Austrian-Hungarian physicist Julius Edgar Lilienfeld on October 22, 1925, but Lilienfeld did not publish any research articles about his devices. In 1934 German physicist Dr. Oskar Heil patented another field-effect transistor. On 17 November 1947 John Bardeen and Walter Brattain, at ATT Bell Labs, observed that when electrical contacts were applied to a crystal of germanium, the output power was larger than the input. William Shockley saw the potential in this and worked over the next few months greatly expanding the knowledge of semiconductors and is considered by many to be the father of the transistor. The term was coined by John R. Pierce. IMPORTANCE The transistor is considered by many to be the greatest invention of the twentieth-century, or as one of the greatest. It is the key active component in practically all modern electronics. Its importance in todays society rests on its ability to be mass produced using a highly automated process (fabrication) that achieves astonishingly low per-transistor costs. Although several companies each produce over a billion individually-packaged (known as discrete) transistors every year, the vast majority of transistors produced are in integrated circuits (often shortened to IC, microchips or simply chips) along with diodes, resistors, capacitors and other electronic components to produce complete electronic circuits. A logic gate consists of about twenty transistors whereas an advanced microprocessor, as of 2006, can use as many as 1.7 billion transistors (MOSFETs). About 60 million transistors were built this year [2002] for [each] man, woman, and child on Earth. The transistors low cost, flexibility and reliability have made it a ubiquitous device. Transistorized mechatronic circuits have replaced electromechanical devices in controlling appliances and machinery. It is often easier and cheaper to use a standard microcontroller and write a computer program to carry out a control function than to design an equivalent mechanical control function.[1] USAGE The bipolar junction transistor, or BJT, was the first transistor invented, and through the 1970s, was the most commonly used transistor. Even after MOSFETs became available, the BJT remained the transistor of choice for many analog circuits such as simple amplifiers because of their greater linearity and ease of manufacture. Desirable properties of MOSFETs, such as their utility in low-power devices, usually in the CMOS configuration, allowed them to capture nearly all market share for digital circuits; more recently MOSFETs have captured most analog and power applications as well, including modern clocked analog circuits, voltage regulators, amplifiers, power transmitters, motor drivers, etc. BJT used as an electronic switch, in grounded-emitter configuration. How a transistor works Amplifier circuit, standard common-emitter configuration. Simple circuit using a transistor. Operation graph of a transistor The essential usefulness of a transistor comes from its ability to use a small signal applied between one pair of its terminals to control a much larger signal at another pair of terminals. This property is called gain. A transistor can control its output in proportion to the input signal; this is called an amplifier. Or, the transistor can be used to turn current on or off in a circuit like an electrically controlled switch, where the amount of current is determined by other circuit elements. The two types of transistors have slight differences in how they are used in a circuit. A bipolar transistor has terminals labelled base, collector and emitter. A small current at base terminal can control or switch a much larger current between collector and emitter terminals. For a field-effect transistor, the terminals are labelled gate, source, and drain, and a voltage at the gate can control a current between source and drain. The image to the right represents a typical bipolar transistor in a circuit. Charge will flow between emitter and collector terminals depending on the current in the base. Since internally the base and emitter connections behave like a semiconductor diode, a voltage drop develops between base and emitter while the base current exists. The size of this voltage depends on the material the transistor is made from, and is referred to as VBE. Transistors are commonly used as electronic switches, for both high power applications including switched-mode power supplies and low power applications such as logic gates. It can be seen from the graph that once the base voltage reaches a certain level, shown at B, the current will no longer increase with increasing VBE and the output will be held at a fixed voltage.[dubious discuss] The transistor is then said to be saturated. Hence, values of input voltage can be chosen such that the output is either completely off, or completely on. The transistor is acting as a switch, and this type of operation is common in digital circuits where only on and off values are relevant. TRANSISTOR AS AN AMPLIFIER The above common emitter amplifier is designed so that a small change in voltage in (Vin) changes the small current through the base of the transistor and the transistors current amplification combined with the properties of the circuit mean that small swings in Vin produce large changes in Vout. It is important that the operating parameters of the transistor are chosen and the circuit designed such that as far as possible the transistor operates within a linear portion of the graph, such as that shown between A and B, otherwise the output signal will suffer distortion. Various configurations of single transistor amplifier are possible, with some providing current gain, some voltage gain, and some both. From mobile phones to televisions, vast numbers of products include amplifiers for sound reproduction, radio transmission, and signal processing. The first discrete transistor audio amplifiers barely supplied a few hundred milliwatts, but power and audio fidelity gradually increased as better transistors became available and amplifier architecture evolved. Modern transistor audio amplifiers of up to a few hundred watts are common and relatively inexpensive. Some musical instrument amplifier manufacturers mix transistors and vacuum tubes in the same circuit, as some believe tubes have a distinctive sound.Prior to the development of transistors, vacuum (electron) tubes (or in the UK thermionic valves or just valves) were the main active components in electronic equipment. ADVANTAGES The key advantages that have allowed transistors to replace their vacuum tube predecessors in most applications are: I. Small size and minimal weight, allowing the development of miniaturized electronic devices. II. Highly automated manufacturing processes, resulting in low per-unit cost. III. Lower possible operating voltages, making transistors suitable for small, battery-powered applications. IV. No warm-up period for cathode heaters required after power application. V. Lower power dissipation and generally greater energy efficiency. VI. Higher reliability and greater physical ruggedness. VII. Extremely long life. Some transistorized devices produced more than 30 years ago are still in service. VIII. Complementary devices available, facilitating the design of complementary-symmetry circuits, something not possible with vacuum tubes. IX. Insensitivity to mechanical shock and vibration, thus avoiding the problem of microphonics in audio applications. [2] LIMITATIONS I. Silicon transistors do not operate at voltages higher than about 1,000 volts (SiC devices can be operated as high as 3,000 volts). In contrast, electron tubes have been developed that can be operated at tens of thousands of volts. II. High power, high frequency operation, such as used in over-the-air television broadcasting, is better achieved in electron tubes due to improved electron mobility in a vacuum. III. On average, a higher degree of amplification linearity can be achieved in electron tubes as compared to equivalent solid state devices, a characteristic that may be important in high fidelity audio reproduction. IV. Silicon transistors are much more sensitive than electron tubes to an electromagnetic pulse, such as generated by a nuclear explosion. V. Semiconductor material: germanium, silicon, gallium arsenide, silicon carbide, etc. VI. Structure: BJT, JFET, IGFET (MOSFET), IGBT, other types VII. Polarity: NPN, PNP (BJTs); N-channel, P-channel (FETs) VIII. Maximum power rating: low, medium, high IX. Maximum operating frequency: low, medium, high, radio frequency (RF), microwave (The maximum effective frequency of a transistor is denoted by the term fT, an abbreviation for frequency of transition. The frequency of transition is the frequency at which the transistor yields unity gain). X. Application: switch, general purpose, audio, high voltage, super-beta, matched pair XI. Physical packaging: through hole metal, through hole plastic, surface mount, ball grid array, power modules XII. Amplification factor hfe (transistor beta) Thus, a particular transistor may be described as: silicon, surface mount, BJT, NPN, low power, high frequency switch. The bipolar junction transistor (BJT) was the first type of transistor to be mass-produced. Bipolar transistors are so named because they conduct by using both majority and minority carriers. The three terminals of the BJT are named emitter, base and collector. Two p-n junctions exist inside a BJT: the base/emitter junction and base/collector junction. The [BJT] is useful in amplifiers because the currents at the emitter and collector are controllable by the relatively small base current. In an NPN transistor operating in the active region, the emitter-base junction is forward biased, and electrons are injected into the base region. Because the base is narrow, most of these electrons will diffuse into the reverse-biased base-collector junction and be swept into the collector; perhaps one-hundredth of the electrons will recombine in the base, which is the dominant mechanism in the base current. By controlling the number of electrons that can leave the base, the number of electrons ent ering the collector can be controlled. Unlike the FET, the BJT is a low-input-impedance device. Also, as the base-emitter voltage (Vbe) is increased the base-emitter current and hence the collector-emitter current (Ice) increase exponentially according to the Shockley diode model and the Ebers-Moll model. Because of this exponential relationship, the BJT has a higher transconductance than the FET. Bipolar transistors can be made to conduct by exposure to light, since absorption of photons in the base region generates a photocurrent that acts as a base current; the collector current is approximately beta times the photocurrent. Devices designed for this purpose have a transparent window in the package and are called phototransistors. FIELD EFFECT TRANSISTORS The field-effect transistor (FET), sometimes called a unipolar transistor, uses either electrons (in N-channel FET) or holes (in P-channel FET) for conduction. The four terminals of the FET are named source, gate, drain, and body (substrate). On most FETs, the body is connected to the source inside the package, and this will be assumed for the following description. In FETs, the drain-to-source current flows via a conducting channel that connects the source region to the drain region. The conductivity is varied by the electric field that is produced when a voltage is applied between the gate and source terminals; hence the current flowing between the drain and source is controlled by the voltage applied between the gate and source. As the gate-source voltage (Vgs) is increased, the drain-source current (Ids) increases exponentially for Vgs below threshold, and then at a roughly quadratic rate (I_{ds} propto (V_{gs}-V_T)^2) (where VT is the threshold voltage at which drain current begins) in the space-charge-limited region above threshold. A quadratic behavior is not observed in modern devices, for example, at the 65 nm technology node. For low noise at narrow bandwidth the higher input resistance of the FET is advantageous. FETs are divided into two families: junction FET (JFET) and insulated gate FET (IGFET). The IGFET is more commonly known as metal-oxide-semiconductor FET (MOSFET), from their original construction as a layer of metal (the gate), a layer of oxide (the insulation), and a layer of semiconductor. Unlike IGFETs, the JFET gate forms a PN diode with the channel which lies between the source and drain. Functionally, this makes the N-channel JFET the solid state equivalent of the vacuum tube triode which, similarly, forms a diode between its grid and cathode. Also, both devices operate in the depletion mode, they both have a high input impedance, and they both conduct current under the control of an input voltage. Metal-semiconductor FETs (MESFETs) are JFETs in which the reverse biased PN junction is replaced by a metal-semiconductor Schottky-junction. These, and the HEMTs (high electron mobility transistors, or HFETs), in which a two-dimensional electron gas with very high carrier mobility is used for charge transport, are especially suitable for use at very high frequencies (microwave frequencies; several GHz). Unlike bipolar transistors, FETs do not inherently amplify a photocurrent. Nevertheless, there are ways to use them, especially JFETs, as light-sensitive devices, by exploiting the photocurrents in channel-gate or channel-body junctions. FETs are further divided into depletion-mode and enhancement-mode types, depending on whether the channel is turned on or off with zero gate-to-source voltage. For enhancement mode, the channel is off at zero bias, and a gate potential can enhance the conduction. For depletion mode, the channel is on at zero bias, and a gate potential (of the opposite polarity) can deplete the channel, reducing conduction. For either mode, a more positive gate voltage corresponds to a higher current for N-channel devices and a lower current for P-channel devices. Nearly all JFETs are depletion-mode as the diode junctions would forward bias and conduct if they were enhancement mode devices; most IGFETs are enhancement-mode types.[3] OTHER TRANSISTORS TYPE I. Point-contact transistor, first type of transistor ever constructed II. Bipolar junction transistor (BJT) a. Heterojunction bipolar transistor up to 100s GHz, common in modern ultrafast and RF circuits b. Grown-junction transistor, first type of BJT c. Alloy-junction transistor, improvement of grown-junction transistor i. Micro-alloy transistor (MAT), faster than alloy-junction transistor ii. Micro-alloy diffused transistor (MADT), faster than MAT, type of a diffused-base transistor iii. Post-alloy diffused transistor (PADT), faster than MAT, type of a diffused-base transistor iv. Schottky transistor v. Surface barrier transistor d. Drift-field transistor e. Avalanche transistor f. Darlington transistors are two BJTs connected together to provide a high current gain equal to the product of the current gains of the two transistors. g. Insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) use a medium power IGFET, similarly connected to a power BJT, to give a high input impedance. Power diodes are often connected between certain terminals depending on specific use. IGBTs are particularly suitable for heavy-duty industrial applications. The Asea Brown Boveri (ABB) 5SNA2400E170100 illustrates just how far power semiconductor technology has advanced. Intended for three-phase power supplies, this device houses three NPN IGBTs in a case measuring 38 by 140 by 190mm and weighing 1.5kg. Each IGBT is rated at 1,700 volts and can handle 2,400 amperes. h. Photo transistor React to light III. Field-effect transistor a. JFET, where the gate is insulated by a reverse-biased PN junction b. MESFET, similar to JFET with a Schottky junction instead of PN one i. High Electron Mobility Transistor (HEMT, HFET, MODFET) c. MOSFET, where the gate is insulated by a thin layer of insulator d. Inverted-T field effect transistor (ITFET) e. FinFET The source/drain region forms fins on the silicon surface. f. FREDFET Fast-Reverse Epitaxial Diode Field-Effect Transistor g. Thin film transistor Used in LCD display. h. OFET Organic Field-Effect Transistor, in which the semiconductor is an organic compound i. Ballistic transistor j. Floating-gate transistor Used for non-volatile storage. k. FETs used to sense environment i. Ion sensitive field effect transistor To measure ion concentrations in solution. ii. EOSFET Electrolyte-Oxide-Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor (Neurochip) iii. DNAFET Deoxyribonucleic acid field-effect transistor IV. Spacistor V. Diffusion transistor, formed by diffusing dopants into semiconductor substrate; can be both BJT and FET VI. Unijunction transistors can be used as simple pulse generators. They comprise a main body of either P-type or N-type semiconductor with ohmic contacts at each end (terminals Base1 and Base2). A junction with the opposite semiconductor type is formed at a point along the length of the body for the third terminal (Emitter). VII. Single-electron transistors (SET) consist of a gate island between two tunnelling junctions. The tunnelling current is controlled by a voltage applied to the gate through a capacitor. VIII. Spin transistor Magnetically-sensitive IX. Nanofluidic transistor Control the movement of ions through sub-microscopic, water-filled channels. Nanofluidic transistor, the basis of future chemical processors X. Multigate devices a. Tetrode transistor b. Pentode transistor c. Multigate device d. Trigate transistors (Prototype by Intel) e. Dual gate FETs have a single channel with two gates in cascode; a configuration that is optimized for high frequency amplifiers, mixers, and oscillators f. Semiconductor material XI. The first BJTs were made from germanium (Ge). Silicon (Si) types currently predominate but certain advanced microwave and high performance versions now employ the compound semiconductor material gallium arsenide (GaAs) and the semiconductor alloy silicon germanium (SiGe). Single element semiconductor material (Ge and Si) is described as elemental. Rough parameters for the most common semiconductor materials used to make transistors are given in the table below; it must be noted that these parameters will vary with increase in temperature, electric field, impurity level, strain and various other factors: Semiconductor material characteristics Semiconductormaterial Junction forwardvoltageV @ 25  °C Electron mobilitym ²/(V ·s) @ 25  °C Hole mobilitym ²/(V ·s) @ 25  °C Max. junction temp. °C Ge 0.27 0.39 0.19 70 to 100 Si 0.71 0.14 0.05 150 to 200 GaAs 1.03 0.85 0.05 150 to 200 Al-Si junction 0.3 — — 150 to 200 The junction forward voltage is the voltage applied to the emitter-base junction of a BJT in order to make the base conduct a specified current. The current increases exponentially as the junction forward voltage is increased. The values given in the table are typical for a current of 1 mA (the same values apply to semiconductor diodes). The lower the junction forward voltage the better, as this means that less power is required to drive the transistor. The junction forward voltage for a given current decreases with increase in temperature. For a typical silicon junction the change is approximately −2.1 mV/ °C. The density of mobile carriers in the channel of a MOSFET is a function of the electric field forming the channel and of various other phenomena such as the impurity level in the channel. Some impurities, called dopants, are introduced deliberately in making a MOSFET, to control the MOSFET electrical behavior. The electron mobility and hole mobility columns show the average speed that electrons and holes diffuse through the semiconductor material with an electric field of 1 volt per meter applied across the material. In general, the higher the electron mobility the faster the transistor. The table indicates that Ge is a better material than Si in this respect. However, Ge has four major shortcomings compared to silicon and gallium arsenide: I. its maximum temperature is limited II. it has relatively high leakage current III. it cannot withstand high voltages IV. it is less suitable for fabricating integrated circuits Because the electron mobility is higher than the hole mobility for all semiconductor materials, a given bipolar NPN transistor tends to be faster than an equivalent PNP transistor type. GaAs has the highest electron mobility of the three semiconductors. It is for this reason that GaAs is used in high frequency applications. A relatively recent FET development, the high electron mobility transistor (HEMT), has a heterostructure (junction between different semiconductor materials) of aluminium gallium arsenide (AlGaAs)-gallium arsenide (GaAs) which has double the electron mobility of a GaAs-metal barrier junction. Because of their high speed and low noise, HEMTs are used in satellite receivers working at frequencies around 12GHz. Max. junction temperature values represent a cross section taken from various manufacturers data sheets. This temperature should not be exceeded or the transistor may be damaged. Al-Si junction refers to the high-speed (aluminum-silicon) semiconductor-metal barrier diode, commonly known as a Schottky diode. This is included in the table because some silicon power IGFETs have a parasitic reverse Schottky diode formed between the source and drain as part of the fabrication process. This diode can be a nuisance, but sometimes it is used in the circuit.[4] Packaging Through-hole transistors (tape measure marked in centimetres) Transistors come in many different packages (chip carriers) (see images). The two main categories are through-hole (or leaded), and surface-mount, also known as surface mount device (SMD). The ball grid array (BGA) is the latest surface mount package (currently only for large transistor arrays). It has solder balls on the underside in place of leads. Because they are smaller and have shorter interconnections, SMDs have better high frequency characteristics but lower power rating. Transistor packages are made of glass, metal, ceramic or plastic. The package often dictates the power rating and frequency characteristics. Power transistors have large packages that can be clamped to heat sinks for enhanced cooling. Additionally, most power transistors have the collector or drain physically connected to the metal can/metal plate. At the other extreme, some surface-mount microwave transistors are as small as grains of sand. Often a given transistor type is available in different packages. Transistor packages are mainly standardized, but the assignment of a transistors functions to the terminals is not: different transistor types can assign different functions to the packages terminals. Even for the same transistor type the terminal assignment can vary (normally indicated by a suffix letter to the part number- i.e. BC212L and BC212K)[5]. CONCLUSION A unified noise model which incorporates both the number fluctuation and the correlated surface mobility fluctuation mechanism is discussed. The latter is attributed to the Coulombic scattering effect of the fluctuating oxide charge. The model has a functional form resembling that of the number fluctuation theory, but at certain bias conditions it may reduce to a form compatible with Hooges empirical expression. The model can unify the noise data reported in the literature, without making any ad hoc assumption on the noise generation mechanism. Specifically, the model can predict the right magnitude and bias dependence of the empirical Hooge parameter. Simulated noise characteristics obtained with a circuit-simulation-oriented fnoise model based on the new formulation were compared with experimental noise data. Excellent agreement between the calculations and measurement was observed in both the linear and saturation regions for MOS transistors fabricated by different technologies. T he work shows that the flicker noise in MOS transistors can be completely explained by the trap charge fluctuation mechanism, which produces mobile carrier number fluctuation and correlated surface mobility fluctuationIn electronics, a transistor is a semiconductor device commonly used to amplify or switch electronic signals. A transistor is made of a solid piece of a semiconductor material, with at least three terminals for connection to an external circuit. A voltage or current applied to one pair of the transistors terminals changes the current flowing through another pair of terminals. Because the controlled (output) power can be much larger than the controlling (input) power, the transistor provides amplification of a signal. The transistor is the fundamental building block of modern electronic devices, and is used in radio, telephone, computer and other electronic systems. Some transistors are packaged individually but most are found in integrated circuits. REFERENCES- [1]www.ciphersbyritter.com/NOISE/NOISRC.HTM [2]www.nikhef.nl/~jds/vlsi/noise/transistor [3]www.colorado.edu/physics/phys3330/phys3330_fa05/manual/Exp [4]www.imagesensors.org/Past%20Workshops/2003%20Workshop/2003%20Papers/27%20Findlater%20et%20al [5]www.ansoft.com/news/articles/HF0605

Buddhism :: essays research papers

Buddhism: Things I Find Interesting As I was reading the selected portions of the book for this chapter, I came across a few things that I found interesting. At first I did not catch them, but after I went back and reread the selections, I found these things, that I thought were intriguing. Buddhism is supposedly a non-theistic religion. However, in the reading titled "The Majjhim-Nikaya: Questions Which Lend Not to Edification" (5.1) and in "Realizing the Four Noble Truths" (5.3, the Buddha is continually referred to as "The Blessed One". If he is only a man, why is he referred to in such a way? Other Buddhists have the potential to become Buddhas, so would they also be referred to as "Blessed One"? If this Buddha was not the first, and not the last Buddha, why are other Buddhas also not referred to as "Blessed ones"? In my opinion, if this Buddha is not considered to be a god, then he should at least be referred to as "One of the Blessed Ones" instead of "The Blessed One". Another concept that I found interesting was the idea of duality that was discussed in "The Majjhima-Nikaya: Questions Which Lend Not to Edification" (5.1). I do not quite understand it, so I was intrigued it. The selection says that the soul and body are identical, and then that the soul and body are separate. It says that the world is finite and that the world is infinite. It also says that the world is eternal and then that it is not. How can these things be? I do not understand how the saint can both exist and not exist after death. I think that in my worldview, things such as these concepts are not present. I see ideas such as the world, and the body and soul as one way or the other.

History †French Revolution Essay

I truly believe it was the collective effect of all the causes of the French Revolution that finally caused the people to rise up. In 1789 the people of France were suffering under the rule of Louis XVI, who used the countries money to provide him and his family the most luxurious life imaginable, while the people starved. The political regime of the time was a absolute monarchy (regime in which the country is ruled by a King or Queen, who inherit this position and has absolute power), but in theory there was a form of parliament, Estates General that consisted of elected representatives. This group of people could only meet if the King allowed or requested the meeting and in the 175 years of the parliament’s existence there had not been a single meeting. This fact frustrated the people because the King did not take their opinion and needs in consideration. Louis XVI would do as he pleased, a clear example of that was placing people in jail for no absolute reason except maybe his dislike for them. During the 18th century France was in a number of wars leaving the country with a lot of debts. In 1780’s the country had to borrow more money simply to pay interest (the amount of money paid on the money borrowed) on their debts. The royal family had a lifestyle the country could not support because only the lower classes were taxed, the peasants (people who worked on the land), while the higher classes, clergy (the religious leaders, individuals that worked for the roman catholic church, ex: priests) and the nobles (entities with a high social rank, ex: Ladies and Lords) did not pay tax at all. In other words the tax system needed a urgent reform (improvement). The social structure was horribly unfair. It was divided in three groups that were called â€Å"Estates†. The first estate was the Clergy, the people who belong to this estate worked for the Roman Catholic Church, which was at the time the main religion in France. At this specific stage in time the church owned a lot of land and most of their high officials were extremely wealthy. The Nobles formed the second estate. They were given many special rights and privileges. The third estate was made up of 98% of the people. This estate was where all the peasants, middle class traders and all kinds of professionals (ex. Lawyers). They paid heavy tax and had absolutely no privileges at all. Above all the estates was the King and his family with the absolute power. â€Å"It was the collective effect of all the causes of the French Revolution that finally caused the people to rise up. † History Essay Lara Ismael Nogueira Martha  For many centuries people in the whole of Europe accepted the authority of both their Kings and the Roman Catholic Church, a clear example of that was the â€Å"Divine Right of Kings† (this concept simply means that people believed their Kings and Queens were a representation of God and had to be respected and adored as such). Finally during the 18th century many philosophers started questioning these ideas. These period was called the Age of Enlightenment because the people began to question the old ways, led by the church, and created their own. Science had great advances during these times because everything was new, there was something to be discovered everyday†¦ it was at this point that Theocentrism (God in the center of the universe) was put aside and gave room for a complete new way of thinking and living, Anthropocentrism (man in the center of the universe). Diderot was a clear example of a philosopher that question the church and made his opinion well known. He was the leader of a group made up of philosophers that called themselves the â€Å"Encyclopaedists†, they’re goal was to write a series of books called â€Å"Encyclopaedia† (books that contained all existing knowledge). As they began to write the books they became more and more aware of the situation in France. They made their books public, therefore everyone could read them, this act helped spread the revolutionary ideas more than they already were. As the popularity of the Encyclopaedia grew so did the need for individual opinions. Another great example was Rousseau he was the true star, known as the father of democracy, he believed in equality among the people, and wrote about rules that weren’t based or chosen by God but by the people. This was the basic principles of democracy. In May of 1789 the representatives formed the National Assembly and met outside Paris against the Kings will and started a process of reform. They vowed to continue working until they had drawn up a new constitution for the country. However the process was very slow and the people of Paris grew impatient, the bread prices were constantly rising and the unemployment rate grew. On the 14th of July of 1789 angry people invaded the Bastille, killed the governor also some of the soldiers who tried to stop them and freed prisoners. When the news of the takeover reached other parts of France the ordinary people revolted and just like that the revolution started. â€Å"It was the collective effect of all the causes of the French Revolution that finally caused the people to rise up. † History Essay Lara Ismael Nogueira Martha In conclusion all this events such as the rise of bread prices and the unemployment rate in the country, the lack of interest the King showed for his people’s needs and the unfairness between classes made the people of France stand up for all they believed they deserved and needed.

GATTACA: ‘Vincent is supposed to be weak. Yet his strength of character is the key to the story.’ Essay

‘Vincent is supposed to be weak. Yet his strength of character is the key to the story.’ Discuss. The film text ‘Gattaca’, directed by Andrew Niccol can be seen as a piece that draws many parallels to the world that we live in today. One such parallel is the fact that often in society, the ones who are at a disadvantage are the ones who display the greatest strength of character. Niccol uses Vincent as the vehicle through which he demonstrates how strength of character can neutralise and overcome disadvantages faced. Gattaca portrays a society that no longer takes into consideration a person’s character. Vincent’s refusal to ‘play the hand he was dealt’ is his key to success. The text makes a clear distinction between ‘human’ and genetic traits. So clear is the distinction that Niccol uses separate vehicles to display each set of traits. As the traits and the vehicles clash, Niccol creates a sense of sympathy for Vincent as he is portrayed as the disadvantaged and weak in society in the sense that he does not possess the physical and mental assets that make him a valued member of society. A key example of this is the recurring games of ‘chicken’ between Vincent and his genetically superior brother Anton. Anton beats Vincent time and time again as is expected of Anton by society. However, when Vincent bests his brother one day an emphasis is placed on the manner in which he beat his brother. â€Å"You wanna know how I did it? I never saved anything for the swim back!† This creates the impression to the viewer that Vincent did not win with superior stamina, skill or physical strength, rather he won as he possessed traits lik e courage, determination and grit, traits that are lost in the geno-centric society in which he loves but traits that are valued and admired in todays society. The text can be seen as parallel to today’s society as often it is those who are faced with the greatest disadvantage who succeed. Vincent’s journey is a classic tale of 1 against the world or in this case 2 against the world. At every bend society is there to stop Vincent from achieving his lifelong dream of going to space. Even his parents try to prevent him from attaining  his goal, â€Å"Vincent, the only way you’ll see the inside of a spaceship is if you’re cleaning it.† This coming from his father can be seen as the ultimate discouragement but instead Vincent uses it to spur himself onwards and upwards both literally and figuratively. In relation to the real world, notable figures like Oscar ‘Blade Runner’ Pistorious overcame what is seen as a severe athletic disability in today’s society to compete at the 2012 London Olympics. While it is not uncommon to hear of ‘rags to riches’ tales in todays society, the one notable difference between today’s society and Vincent’s society, is that disadvantaged people are given every chance to make the most of their life (in 1st world countries), yet in Vincent’s society the disadvantaged are shunned and are viewed as a blight on society. Gattaca is a reminder that you cannot judge one on their outwardly appearance or in Gattaca’s case, a persons genetic composition. As the saying goes, ‘don’t judge a book by its cover.’ Vincent is once again used as the vehicle through which Niccol conveys this message. To the eyes of society, Vincent is an ‘invalid’ with inferior physical capabilities, high risk of heart failure and other deficiencies and with a â€Å"life expectancy of 30.2 years.† However, because of the ‘faceless’ society that Vincent lives in (which refers to personality as much as it does to physical appearance) he lacks the opportunity to progress with his life as his strengths of character are not held in anywhere near the same esteem as desirable genetics are. Vincent claims, â€Å"There is no gene for fate.† This is in reference to the fact that he is of the belief that genes aren’t everything, even if society has such beliefs. Rather there is an element in every human being that makes him or her truly unique and this is what Vincent prides himself on, the fact that his assets which are undeterminable by genetics are what makes him the person that he his. While the society in which Vincent lives in regards Vincent as weak and inferior, his character is both key to his success and the story as without his steely resolve and fierce determination there would be no story as society would continue to function as it was designed. Parallels can be drawn with Vincent’s plight and the journey’s of figures in our society like Oscar Pistorious. Gattaca serves to compound the message that has been  passed down through generations by reasserting that you shouldn’t judge a person before you know them personally. Vincent refuses to ‘play the hand he was dealt’ and this is the focal point around which Gattaca was told.

Free Essays on Comparison Of O And Othello

Comparison of O and Othello O and Lawrence Fishburne’s Othello are both contemporary film interpretations of Shakespeare’s Othello. Both movies are uniform in the recreation of William Shakespeare’s original play of Othello. The plot of revenge was presently coherent to the original play with each interpretation differentiating from one another. This essay will focus on the difference between the relationship of Iago’s character and Othello’s character and on the consistency of how Othello’s character was viewed by other characters in the production. The movie O was a more modernized remake version of Shakespeare’s Othello. The concept of a black guy being the main character stayed the same but The relationship between Othello and Iago’s characters was interpreted differently in the two films. In O, Iago’s character, Hugo, did not have a very close relationship to Othello’s +character, O. They were just teammates who had played ball with each other for a long time. In Fishburne’s Othello, the relationship between Othello and Iago is very intimate. Othello and Iago are consistently together and they share many conversations. The interpretation in Lawrence Fishburne’s Othello is more in sync with the original play. One major consistency between the two plays is how Othello’s character is viewed by the other characters of the production. In both interpretations, Othello’s character, a black man, is surrounded by a predominately white society. He is looked upon as a hero by the people as shown through the special treatment and respect that Othello’s character receives. However, there seems to be a feeling of superiority among the white people. This implied racism relates directly to the society of William Shakespeare who associated black people with monsters. This essay focuses on the difference between the relationship of Iago’s character and Othello’s character and on the consistency of how ... Free Essays on Comparison Of O And Othello Free Essays on Comparison Of O And Othello Comparison of O and Othello O and Lawrence Fishburne’s Othello are both contemporary film interpretations of Shakespeare’s Othello. Both movies are uniform in the recreation of William Shakespeare’s original play of Othello. The plot of revenge was presently coherent to the original play with each interpretation differentiating from one another. This essay will focus on the difference between the relationship of Iago’s character and Othello’s character and on the consistency of how Othello’s character was viewed by other characters in the production. The movie O was a more modernized remake version of Shakespeare’s Othello. The concept of a black guy being the main character stayed the same but The relationship between Othello and Iago’s characters was interpreted differently in the two films. In O, Iago’s character, Hugo, did not have a very close relationship to Othello’s +character, O. They were just teammates who had played ball with each other for a long time. In Fishburne’s Othello, the relationship between Othello and Iago is very intimate. Othello and Iago are consistently together and they share many conversations. The interpretation in Lawrence Fishburne’s Othello is more in sync with the original play. One major consistency between the two plays is how Othello’s character is viewed by the other characters of the production. In both interpretations, Othello’s character, a black man, is surrounded by a predominately white society. He is looked upon as a hero by the people as shown through the special treatment and respect that Othello’s character receives. However, there seems to be a feeling of superiority among the white people. This implied racism relates directly to the society of William Shakespeare who associated black people with monsters. This essay focuses on the difference between the relationship of Iago’s character and Othello’s character and on the consistency of how ...

Compare and contrast An angel essays

Compare and contrast An angel essays An Angel at my Table and The Sweet Hereafter: The two movies An Angel at my Table and The Sweet Hereafter tell stories about the trials of being human. They both show the viewer a world that they with any luck do not have first hand knowledge. Though they both talk of the human condition, they do so by using stylistic differences that in their own right pull the viewer into the story. The way that time is manipulated is the most obvious way the two films differ in the way their respective stories are shown to the audience. While Atom Egoyan use time, in The Sweet Hereafter, to alter the way the viewer sees the different characters, while Jane Campion, in An Angel at my Table, uses it so the viewer can feel the hardships the main character has had to endure. The cutting continuity of the films differs greatly and gives each film a distinct tone. The Sweet Hereafters use of time is especially interesting. The film winds through about five different periods. The viewer watches and is sucked in to the story by all that is not known. The viewer is told of an accident long before it is ever shown. They see two scenes of fathers and daughters interacting in ways that do not seem like we are being told the whole story. This keeps the viewer wanting information that will clear up all of these compromising situations in which the characters are immersed. The character that is best shown with this flip flop cutting continuity is Nicole. Nicole is the character that we learn through as the narrator of the pied piper poem. After the accident, we are supposed to see her as the lame boy who could not keep up. We watch as she goes from being the center of her fathers attention to being a way for him to get rich quick. The sequence we see this happen is not linear. One step does not necessarily follow another. We learn of her incestuous relationship after we learn she has survived the accident even though th ...

How to Handle Medical School Application Rejection

How to Handle Medical School Application Rejection Most applications to medical school get rejected. Its a hard, unhappy fact. When applying to medical school, you need to accept this possibility and make a contingency plan in case your application isnt accepted. The best advice is  to apply early. If at all possible, take the April MCAT and get the AMCAS application completed before summer starts or at least before August starts. If you wait until August to take the MCAT for the first time, your application will be delayed until the scores are available. The entering class may have already been selected before your application is completed! An early application may improve your chances of admission. At the very least, an earlier decision will help you plan for the following year. Rejection Letter If you get a rejection letter, follow these steps: Call or visit the Office of Admissions and ask if you can have an Admissions Counselor review your application and give you advice for improving it for the next application cycle. Be courteous and grateful. Follow the advice! Review your own application and make notes of ways to improve it.Take your application to your pre-med advisor or other academic advisor and ask him or her to review the application and suggest a way to improve it.Take some action that will show improvement in next years application. If you get an interview next year, expect to be asked what you did all year to help you on your career path. Work hard so that you can have a great answer to this question! Improving An Application These are common means of improving an application: Get higher MCAT scores. Remember, a school sees your most recent scores, which may not necessarily be your highest scores. If you are pleased with your scores, dont retake the test unless you are confident you can improve them. Get more experience. If you were granted an interview, you probably came away with a sense of how the interviewer perceived your experience. If at all possible, build upon your past experiences. You may seek employment in the medical field.Consider taking more college courses, particularly upper-level courses in the sciences. These additional courses could raise your grade point average and will help reinforce concepts. Look critically at the writing on your application and make it even better on the new application.Think hard about the letters of recommendation used for your application. If you waived your right to review these letters, are you 100% positive the letters were glowing recommendations? Were the letters written by respected sources? You need new letters for the new application, so make sure your letters are great. If you have any doubt about the quality of the letters on the rejected application (an Admissions Counselor might clue you in about this), consider not waiving your right to review the letters for the new application cycle. If you dont get accepted to medical school, you need to re-evaluate your desire to become a physician, as well as your aptitude and skills. A lot of rejected applicants never reapply. Those who take steps to improve their applications and then reapply greatly improve their chances of success. Admission Committees like to see perseverance! Getting a rejection letter is disheartening, yes, but how you handle failure is your choice.

Ballard Part 2 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ballard Part 2 - Research Paper Example In this case, they would get an opportunity to work at different locations. Thus, they can break the boredom of working at a single location which they do not like or ease their discomfort of working in a bad location. Employees from food division and female employees find it difficult to reach the workplace and go back home. To handle this aspect, BIMS might plan for arranging a vehicle for the employees, from prime locations in the town. This vehicle would work as per the shift timings of BIMS, have set stops and connect all the areas where most employees come from. This would ward off the stress in the minds of employees on how to reach home or office in time. The employees must be allowed to participate in planning their hours of work, along with their manager or supervisor. Monthly efforts planning sessions could be held with the employees and their respective higher-ups. In these one-to-one sittings, they get to discuss their limitations, constraints and personal appointments during the planning period with the managers and schedule their shifts and hours of work accordingly. This participative intervention would make the employees feel heard to. They understand that the management is concerned with their problems and thus, build their trust and morale towards work and the organization. Further, this exercise gives the employees the feel that their supervisors are according them due respect, treating them in a fair manner. This would aid in building better rapport between the employees and their supervisors and reducing the dislike for the supervisors, which is found to be the main reason behind leaving BIMS, by many employees. Training should be provided to the employees with respect to work. These training programs must target in increasing their confidence levels, raise their enthusiasm and equip them well. The preparation must make them ready to take up work. Focus on improving the communication within organization is also

Air Pollution in China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Air Pollution in China - Essay Example The health analysts have promised more disease such as lung cancer, pulmonary diseases, and other health complications as a consequence of the air pollution trends. Cumulatively, the effects of air pollution have a negative impact on the economic growth of a country, which is a severe problem in society. Consequently, there is a need to focus on the causes of air pollution, its impacts and the possible preventive measures that can be used to mitigate against the scourge. Reilly (2011, p. 1) points out that the progressive development of China for three consecutive decades has come along with adverse consequences on the environment. In the last 30 years, China has experienced the highest level of industrial development which has consistently contributed to the development of this state. However, industrialization has been accompanied by the emission of hazardous gases in the atmosphere which has contributed to an increase in the carbon dioxide gas content in the atmosphere. Most indus tries use crude oil products to fuel their machines as the source of industrial power. The by product of these industries include smoke, whose carbon dioxide content is high and additive to the atmosphere. As most industries regard the cost of fuel as cheaper than that of electricity, they opt to use this kind of power and consequently contributing to build up of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Urbanisation is another factor that has contributed to the increased air pollution in the atmospheres. With development of industries, most people have relocated to urban areas in search of job opportunities and better livelihoods. This population build up in China towns predisposes the environment to the risk of air pollution. For instance, Beijing alone has a population of more that 22 million people, a figure that is more than double the population in New York City (Policy and Global Affairs, 2005). As people obtain job in the urban areas, they have the ability to purchase vehicles that run by diesel or petrol. For instance, in Beijing, every day the town experience an increase in its automotive by a figure of 2000 new cars. This trend promises an increase in the rate of air pollution and an increase in the adverse effects of the carbon dioxide surge in the atmosphere. This has sent an alarm to environmentalists to design effective mitigative measures to reduce and if possible eliminate the level of air pollution in China. In the rural areas of China, solid fuels contribute to the increase in the rates of air pollution in the country (Policy and Global Affairs, 2005, P. 6). One characteristic of the rural areas in China is that they have the poorest and disadvantaged groups who live well below the poverty line. This lifestyle makes it hard for the people to afford alternative means of fuel such as electricity and they have to resort to the use of coal, corn stalks, firewood and other biomass. Burning these solid fuels produces a lot of smoke that contains high leve ls of carbon dioxide and other unfriendly gases that are unhealthy for human consumption. Coupled with the fact that this population has no chimney facilities accelerates the rate of air pollution in the atmosphere. The fact that the majority of the population lives in rural areas makes it even more complex to induce preventive measures to curb environmental pollution in this region of China. In essence, Energy is a

D5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

D5 - Essay Example The management style adopted is a bit informal with minimal supervision from the managers (Johnson, 2013). However, despite the obvious advantages, the company’s pay does not match the physical and manual output rendered, coupled with the long working hours of the employees (bad work/home life balance). In addition, there’s a communication disconnect between management and employees in the smaller branches, since communication is heavily centered on the big stores. There is need for improvement in management structure to curtail inefficiencies in distribution and sales sectors and promote educated personnel. The company’s market and growth opportunities lie in partnering with the 8th Wonder Brewery and distribution to sport franchises. According to Corenbleth, Glazer’s is a competitor of Silver Eagles Distributors and deals with the distribution of alcoholic beverage such as spirits, malts and wines. The company’s distribution not only covers the U.S (Texas, Mississippi, Missouri, Arizona, and Oklahoma) but other countries such as Canada. The company, which was founded in 1909, has more than 100 employees and a sales revenue of around $3.8 billion. Just like Silver Eagles Distributors, its good financial position has contributed to its low risk credit rating. However, despite the similarities, Glazer’s has a bigger distribution network and has been ranked as among one of the top 150 biggest private companies by Forbes (Corenbleth, 2011). Stanford-McIntyre states that some of the advantages of the company include the high quality of their products, effective distribution network and competitive wage structure for their employees, good work/home life balance and strong job security. However, there are some disadvantages such as the poor wage structure for sales personnel and insufficient room for career

Infrastructure and Security Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Infrastructure and Security - Assignment Example The proposed network should make the company’s operation effective and efficient. In addition, it should ensure maximum security to the company’s information system assets. Network design There are four network elements that should be given consideration so that the network system meets the company’s network system requirements. These are network topology, the protocol, the internet connection and the network security. The most appropriate network topology for the proposed network system is the bus topology. This is because the company plans to expand its size to three floors. There will be an ethernet backbone cable that joints all the departments. The proposed network system applies OSI network technology. This is a network technology that provides standardized communication between various network devices. The OSI 7 layer is the most appropriate version for such a network system. The organization will acquire a VPN linkage from the VPN services provide within the town. The twisted pair cable wires are used to connect the network components to the main Ethernet cable. The most appropriate is CAT 6 twisted pair cables. The backbone Ethernet cable uses fiber optic. To facilitate voice over internet protocol, gatekeepers are added to the network. Other network components required are the network hardware such as routers, switches and bridges. A network operating system is also very crucial. The switches are located in every department. A 32 port CISCO switch is the most suitable because it gives room for scalability. All the computers and other network peripherals in the departments connect to the Ethernet cable via the switch. A wireless access point is also installed in the departments which requires wireless network. To ensure that the network signal is very strong, repeaters are configured after a fixed interval. There will be a server room where all the servers required in the company will be located. The servers required are files serv er, database server, application server and web server. The database server should a random access memory of over 100 GB, the storage space of over 50 terabytes. The other server’s specifications can be less those for the database server. The network operating system will be hosted by the file server. It will also control the exchange of data and files in the entire network. In addition, the request that goes out of the organizations network will pass through the file server to enable firewall, configured therein, to filter. The diagram below shows the layout of the server room (Malik, 2007). The network system will use VLANs and 802.1x authenticity. The bandwidth should be over 100 megabytes per second for the executive offices and at least 10 Mbps for other offices. This is facilitated via network optimization configuration. The use of 100 Mbps provides space to accommodate more devices when the network is expanded. The network scalability is enhanced by use of 48 port CISC O catalyst, which has a speed of over 2900 GB. These devices facilitate the expansion of the network coverage without affecting the entire network. For purpose of reliability, there should be an alternative network configuration which uses smaller switches. The alternative network configuration ensures that the departments that handle critical business operations are functioning when the network system is down. To optimize the ability of the routers and

Evacuation Procuedures & Strategies in Buildings Dissertation

Evacuation Procuedures & Strategies in Buildings - Dissertation Example As the sky scrapers rose to majestic heights, so did the threats to their occupants. Evacuation procedures have constantly been under revision ever since the first evacuation plan was devised. Threats in terms of global hazards, accidents and recently terrorism have taken their toll and thousands of people have perished to date due in events such as fires in high rises, buildings collapsing due to earthquakes and terrorism incidents. The study is aimed to bring a deep insight from current evacuation procedure in high rises in light of new global and internal threats emerged in the last decade. Moreover, the study presents a brief overview with challenging issues in evacuation procedures in Burj Al Khalifa and Taipe Tower II. Table of Contents Proposal Methodology 1. INTRODUCTION Need of high rise building 2. LITERATURE REVIEW A. Events that may Lead to Evacuation I. External Threats a) Tsunamis b) Earthquakes c) Floods d) Cyclones and Hurricanes e) Heavy rains in Jeddah II. Internal Threats a) Fire b) Power Failure III. Terrorism and Accidents a) Air plane crash b) Terrorist attacks (bomb blast) B. Means of Alerting the Occupants in case of an Emergency C. General Problems in any Evacuation System I. Training of Floor Wardens II. Distribution of Handouts III. Seminars and Awareness Sessions IV. Evacuation Drills D. Severity of threat to High Rises 3. CHALLENGES IN EVACUATION A. Evacuation plan depends on the nature of the disaster I. Total Evacuation II. Select Evacuation III. Protect in Place B. Real-time evaluation of the problems during evacuation I. Problem sensing II. Identification of regions at high risks III. Calculating/Computing the most optimize evacuation plan in real time 4. AREAS OF CONCERN WHEN DESIGNING A HIGH RISE BUILDING A. Time Constraint B. Complex building architectures 5. AVAILABLE SOLUTIONS A. EVACUATION PROCEDURES AT BRIDGE AT KHALIFA I. Structural details II. Safety Measures Incorporated in the Design and Construction B. EVACUATION PRO CEDURES AT TAIPEI 101 I. Structural details II. Safety Measures Incorporated in the Design and Construction 6. CONCLUSION/DISCUSSION 7. REFERENCES PROPOSAL Tall buildings are being constructed all over the world. Almost all the urban skylines are pierced by sky scrapers reaching out into the heights as a testimony to human development in the fields of civil and mechanical engineering as well as the technological accomplishments that make the implementation of those developments possible. Since the appearance of the first high rise building on the globe in 1890 i.e. The World Building in New York City this structure was 309ft high, the tall buildings have grown taller and now expected to exceed the 1km height milestone. The construction of high rise buildings brought a new trend in the residential as well as office buildings. Now companies and service providers seek offices and work places in distinguished structures that can play a positive role in their marketing and public relatio ns campaigns. A certain part of the residential community, though not the majority, also look forward to having residences in distinguished buildings, preferably tall buildings. A sky scraper of moderate height i.e. 300m to 400m can house around 2500 to 2800 people in the event of an emergency it will never be easy to evacuate all of the occupants safely in time, and to do so will require great planning supported by safety features incorporated into the building’s design during construction. There are many advanced safety

Creating Ad Campaign Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Creating Ad Campaign - Essay Example if we analyzed the past of Mr. Jones then we come to know that in 1952, Adlai Stevenson reacted to his ads by means of a number of attractive original ones of his possess, such because this melodious compliment to his political ability. This Political advertisement appearance wraps the rule placed and movement advertisements of Raymond Bush vs. George Kerry. The main basis fabric consists of extracts as of the applicants' dialogues and matter stages. If we analyzed then we come to know that like John F. Kennedy relied on another popular president, Dwight Eisenhower, to do the talking for him. These candidates also believe to name one original idea proposed by their vice presidents. According to the expert analysis since its beginning, the United States political stadium has dish up as an significant aim and scapegoat for slapstick comedians, editorialists in addition to naysayers. No doubt, from George Kerry ' political comic strips in Harper's Weekly throughout the 1880's, to Raymond Bush 's follies in the 1950's, to the Quayle humor quandary in the near the beginning 1990's, and in countless other instanced, political comedy has functions in a self-serving, saving mode of communal sympathetic via persons exterior of the political globe(Halimi, S. 2004). If we analyzed then we come to know ab... These candidates also believe to name one original idea proposed by their vice presidents. Political Background According to the expert analysis since its beginning, the United States political stadium has dish up as an significant aim and scapegoat for slapstick comedians, editorialists in addition to naysayers. No doubt, from George Kerry ' political comic strips in Harper's Weekly throughout the 1880's, to Raymond Bush 's follies in the 1950's, to the Quayle humor quandary in the near the beginning 1990's, and in countless other instanced, political comedy has functions in a self-serving, saving mode of communal sympathetic via persons exterior of the political globe(Halimi, S. 2004). Conclusion If we analyzed then we come to know about the political ads that intended as disrespectful ridicule of the political procedure, "Saturday Night Live's" political caricatures left an significant and quite beyond hesitation crash on the American civilization. "SNL's" clowning around resolve not only go away a inheritance of typical comedy, but it will too assist indicate the 2000 Presidential voting as single of the strangest in the record of the United States. The 2000 voting insolvent absent from the chronological examples important the independence of the political and activity balls and demonstrated a narrative amalgamation of political affairs plus funny side rarely seen previous to inside such scale(Duncan, H. D. 2003). Work Cited Duncan, H. D. (2003). Cipher in civilization. New York: Oxford University Press. Halimi, S. (2004, November 22). U.S. press gripped by means of restricted matters; Myopic plus cheapskate reporting. Manchester Guardian Weekly, p. 14.

Evacuation Procuedures & Strategies in Buildings Dissertation

Evacuation Procuedures & Strategies in Buildings - Dissertation Example As the sky scrapers rose to majestic heights, so did the threats to their occupants. Evacuation procedures have constantly been under revision ever since the first evacuation plan was devised. Threats in terms of global hazards, accidents and recently terrorism have taken their toll and thousands of people have perished to date due in events such as fires in high rises, buildings collapsing due to earthquakes and terrorism incidents. The study is aimed to bring a deep insight from current evacuation procedure in high rises in light of new global and internal threats emerged in the last decade. Moreover, the study presents a brief overview with challenging issues in evacuation procedures in Burj Al Khalifa and Taipe Tower II. Table of Contents Proposal Methodology 1. INTRODUCTION Need of high rise building 2. LITERATURE REVIEW A. Events that may Lead to Evacuation I. External Threats a) Tsunamis b) Earthquakes c) Floods d) Cyclones and Hurricanes e) Heavy rains in Jeddah II. Internal Threats a) Fire b) Power Failure III. Terrorism and Accidents a) Air plane crash b) Terrorist attacks (bomb blast) B. Means of Alerting the Occupants in case of an Emergency C. General Problems in any Evacuation System I. Training of Floor Wardens II. Distribution of Handouts III. Seminars and Awareness Sessions IV. Evacuation Drills D. Severity of threat to High Rises 3. CHALLENGES IN EVACUATION A. Evacuation plan depends on the nature of the disaster I. Total Evacuation II. Select Evacuation III. Protect in Place B. Real-time evaluation of the problems during evacuation I. Problem sensing II. Identification of regions at high risks III. Calculating/Computing the most optimize evacuation plan in real time 4. AREAS OF CONCERN WHEN DESIGNING A HIGH RISE BUILDING A. Time Constraint B. Complex building architectures 5. AVAILABLE SOLUTIONS A. EVACUATION PROCEDURES AT BRIDGE AT KHALIFA I. Structural details II. Safety Measures Incorporated in the Design and Construction B. EVACUATION PRO CEDURES AT TAIPEI 101 I. Structural details II. Safety Measures Incorporated in the Design and Construction 6. CONCLUSION/DISCUSSION 7. REFERENCES PROPOSAL Tall buildings are being constructed all over the world. Almost all the urban skylines are pierced by sky scrapers reaching out into the heights as a testimony to human development in the fields of civil and mechanical engineering as well as the technological accomplishments that make the implementation of those developments possible. Since the appearance of the first high rise building on the globe in 1890 i.e. The World Building in New York City this structure was 309ft high, the tall buildings have grown taller and now expected to exceed the 1km height milestone. The construction of high rise buildings brought a new trend in the residential as well as office buildings. Now companies and service providers seek offices and work places in distinguished structures that can play a positive role in their marketing and public relatio ns campaigns. A certain part of the residential community, though not the majority, also look forward to having residences in distinguished buildings, preferably tall buildings. A sky scraper of moderate height i.e. 300m to 400m can house around 2500 to 2800 people in the event of an emergency it will never be easy to evacuate all of the occupants safely in time, and to do so will require great planning supported by safety features incorporated into the building’s design during construction. There are many advanced safety

Promoting Brand Loyalty at Abercrombie & Fitch Essay Example for Free

Promoting Brand Loyalty at Abercrombie Fitch Essay Abercrombie and Fitch is an American retailer that focuses on casual wear for consumers aged 18 to 22. It has over 300 locations in the United States, and is expanding internationally. The company also operates three offshoot brands: Abercrombie, Hollister Co., and Gilly Hicks. The company operated a post-collegiate brand, Ruehl No.925, that closed in early 2010. The company operates 1,073 stores across all four brands. The AF brand has 316 locations in the United States, four in Canada, one in London, one in Milan, one in Tokyo, one in Copenhagen, one in Madrid, one in Paris, one in Brussels, one in Dublin, and one in Hong Kong. AF stores range from 6,000 to 36,000 square feet. The company focuses on providing high-quality merchandise that compliments the casual classic American lifestyle. selling casual sportswear apparel, including knit and woven shirts, graphic t-shirts, fleece, jeans and woven pants, shorts, sweaters, outerwear, personal care products and accessories for men, women and kids under the Abercrombie Fitch, abercrombie kids, and Hollister brands. The Company determines its operating segments on the same basis that it uses to evaluate performance internally. The operating segments identified by the Company are Abercrombie Fitch, abercrombie kids, Hollister and Gilly Hicks. The operating segments have been aggregated and are reported as one reportable segment because they have similar economic characteristics and meet the required aggregation criteria. The Company believes its operating segments may be aggregated for financial reporting purposes because they are similar in each of the following areas: class of consumer, economic characteristics, nature of products, nature of production processes, and distribution methods. The Company views the customer’s in-store experience as the primary vehicle for communicating the spirit of each brand. The Company emphasizes the senses of sight, sound, smell, touch and energy by utilizing visual presentation of merchandise, in-store marketing, music, fragrances, rich fabrics and its sales associates to reinforce the aspirational lifestyles represented by the brands. The Company considers the in-store experience to be its main form of marketing. The Company emphasizes the senses to reinforce the aspirational lifestyles represented by the brands. The Company’s flagship stores represent the pinnacle of the Company’s in-store  branding efforts. The Company also engages its customers through social media and mobile commerce in ways that reinforce the aspirational lifestyle of the brands. Flagship stores and social media both attract a substantial number of international consumers, and have significantly contributed to the Company’s worldwide status as an iconic brand. The in-store marketing is designed to convey the principal elements and personality of each brand. The store design, furniture, fixtures and music are all carefully planned and coordinated to create a shopping experience that reflects the Abercrombie Fitch, abercrombie kids, Hollister or Gilly Hicks lifestyle. The Company’s sales associates and managers are a central element in creating the atmosphere of the stores. In addition to providing a high level of customer service, sales associates and managers reflect the casual, energetic and aspirational attitude of the brands. Every brand displays merchandise uniformly to ensure a consistent store experience, regardless of location. Store managers receive detailed plans designating fixture and merchandise placement to ensure coordinated execution of the Company-wide merchandising strategy. In addition, standardization of each brand’s store design and merchandise presentation enables the Company to open new stores efficiently. The Company had net sales of $2.929 billion for the fifty-two weeks ended January 30, 2010, down 15.9% from $3.484 billion for the fifty-two weeks ended January 31, 2009. Operating income for Fiscal 2009 was $117.9 million, which was down from $498.3 million in Fiscal 2008. Net income from continuing operations was $79.0 million and net income per diluted share from continuing operations was $0.89 in Fiscal 2009, compared to net income from continuing operations of $308.2 million and net income per diluted share from continuing operations of $3.45 in Fiscal 2008. Net income per diluted share from continuing operations included non-cash, store-related asset impairment charges of $0.23 and $0.06 for Fiscal 2009 and Fiscal 2008, respectively. Net cash provided by operating activities, the Company’s primary source of liquidity, was $402.2 million for Fiscal 2009. This source of cash was primarily driven by results from operations adjusted for non-cash items including depreciation and amortization and impairment charges. The Company used $175.5 million of cash for capital expenditures and had proceeds from the sale of marketable securities of $77.5 million during Fiscal 2009. The Company’s Market Share may be  Adversely Impacted at any Time by a Significant Number of Competitors. The sale of apparel and personal care products is a highly competitive business with numerous participants, including individual and chain fashion specialty stores, as well as regional and national department stores. The Company faces a variety of competitive challenges, including maintaining favorable brand recognition and effectively marketing its products to consumers in several diverse demographic markets. And sourcing merchandise efficiently and countering the aggressive promotional activities of many of the Company’s competitors without diminishing the aspirational nature of the Company’s brands and brand equity. There can be no assurance that the Company will be able to compete successfully in the future. The science of the Deal Ch.7 Genentech is a biotechnology corporation, founded in 1976 by venture capitalist Robert A. Swanson and biochemist Dr. Herbert Boyer.   Today, Genentech has the biggest market capitalization in biotech at US $88 billion, with an incredible reputation in drug development, especially in oncology, and a number of blockbuster drugs under its belt. Genentech has multiple products on the market for serious or life-threatening medical conditions. In March 2009, Genentech became a member of the Roche Group, and Genentech now serves as the headquarters for all Roche pharmaceutical operations in the United States. Accordingly, the list below includes products which were previously marketed as Roche products that are now being marketed by Genentech in the United States. Genentech’s relationship with Roche Holding began in 1990, when the Swiss company bought a 60 percent stake in Genentech for $2.1 billion. As a result of additional stock purchases and sell offs, Roche owned about 56perce nt of Genentech in 2008. The success of Genentech as a biotechnology company is indeed in no small part derived from its strategy of forming alliances with smaller companies, whose proprietary drugs and technology platforms have the potential to become blockbusters. The commercialized drug, called Tarceva, is a drug used to treat non-small cell lung cancer, pancreatic cancer and several other  types of cancer, which was released in 2004 and quickly acquired blockbuster status. It is marketed in the United States by Genentech and OSI Pharmaceuticals and elsewhere by Roche. In lung cancer, it extends life by an average of 3.3 months at a cost of CDN$95,000. Historically, this approach has brought Genentech great rewards, particularly in the field of oncology, and now the company is hoping to achieve similar success in new therapeutic areas. To support small companies with promising technologies and/or drugs in development that are at too early a stage for licensing. In this way, Genentech has developed a highly competitive approach, singling out small companies with enormous future potential and establishing mutually beneficial relationships at the earliest possible stage. A significant proportion of the Genentech pipeline has always consisted of proprietary technology platforms and drug candidates, and its brave approach to RD spending reflects this. In 2003, 24% of Genentechs revenues were directed into RD, to address the top-heavy position of its pipeline at the time. To balance resource use with the strongest likelihood of success, Genentech continuously evaluates its pipeline products in order to determine which are the most promising projects to move through the many phases of clinical testing. The pipeline includes both breakthrough innovations and new indications for existing, well understood products that may fight more than one disease or more than one form of a disease.

Communication and Interpersonal Skills Reflection

Communication and Interpersonal Skills Reflection The aim of this report is to look at a critical incident that occurred in placement and relate this to the theory and knowledge regarding communication and interpersonal skills, so as to demonstrate an understanding of my views on the art and science of reflection and the issues surrounding reflective practice Reflection is part of reflective practice and a skill that is developed. It can be seen as a way of adjusting to life as a qualified healthcare professional and enhancing the development of a professional identity (Atwal Jones, 2009). Reflection is defined as a process of reviewing an experience which involves description, analysis and evaluation to enhance learning in practice (Rolfe et al 2001). This is supported by Fleming (2006), who described it as a process of reasoned thought. It enables the practitioner to critically assess self and their approach to practice. Reflective practice is advocated in healthcare as a learning process that encourages self-evaluation with subsequent professional development planning (Zuzelo, 2010). Reflective practice has been identified as one of the key ways in which we can learn from our experiences. The incident that was chosen was so for the reasons that the situation made the student aware of inadequacies on his own part and those of the staff on the team, which made him reflect upon the situation and how this could be learned from, so as not to make the same mistake again. Before the critical incident is examined it is important to look at what a critical incident is and why it is important to nursing practice. Girot (1997), cited in Maslin-Prothero, (1997) states that critical incidents are a means of exploring a certain situation in practice and recognising what has been learned from the situation. Benner (1984, cited by Kacperek, 1997) argues that nurses cannot increase or develop their knowledge to its full potential unless they examine their own practice. Confidentiality will be maintained as required by the Nursing Midwifery Council Code (NMC, 2008). MODELS In order to provide a framework for methods, practices and processes for building knowledge from practice, there are several models of reflection available. All can help to direct individual reflection. Reflective models, however, are not meant to be used as a rigid set of questions to be answered but to give some structure and encourage making a record of the activity. Johns (2004) model reflects on uncovering the knowledge behind the incident and the actions of others present. It is a good tool for thinking, exploring ideas, clarifying opinions and supports learning. Another model, Schon (1987), however, identifies two types of reflection that can be applied in healthcare, Reflection-in-action and Reflection-on-action. Reflection-in-action can also be described as thinking whilst doing. Reflection-on-action involves revisiting experiences and further analysing them to improve skills and enhance future practice. Terry Bortons (1970) 3 stem questions: What?, So What? and Now What? were developed by John Driscoll in 1994, 2000 and 2007. Driscoll matched the 3 questions to the stages of an experiential learning cycle, and added trigger questions that can be used to complete the cycle. However, Driscoll (2006) notes that reflective practice is often represented as a choice for health professionals, whether to be reflective or not to be, about their clinical practice. Finally, Gibbs (1988) reflective cycle is fairly straightforward and encourages a clear description of the situation, analysis of feelings, evaluation of the experience, analysis to make sense of the experience, conclusion where other options are considered and reflection upon experience to examine what one would do if the situation arose again. In spite of all these models advantages, there are known barriers which prevent practitioners being able to reflect effectively and time plays a huge role. Smyth (2004) questions whether there is any time to think and be reflective because of the busy work environment that practitioners are involved in. CHOSEN MODEL In this report, I have chosen to use Gibbs Reflective Cycle (1988) as a framework, because it focuses on different aspects of an experience and allows the learner to revisit the event fully. Gibbs (1988) will help me to explore the experience further, using a staged framework as guidance and I feel that this is a simple model, which is well structured and easy to use at this early stage in my course. This model comprises of a process that helps the individual look at a situation and think about their thoughts and feelings at the time of the incident; and consists of six stages to complete one cycle. Its cyclical nature starts with a description of the situation. This includes e.g. where were you; who else was there; why were you there; what were you doing; what were other people doing. Next is to analysis of the feelings that is, trying to recall and explore those things that were going on inside your head? The third stage is an evaluation of the experience; making a judgement regarding the reasons behind the event and its possible consequences. The fourth stage is an analysis to make sense of the experience. At this stage the event is broken down into its component parts so they can be explored separately. The fifth stage is a conclusion of what else could I have done; the creation of insight through the reflective process towards individual roles within the event being considered. And final stage is an action plan to prepare if the situation arose again. That is, recognitions leading towards behavioural adjustments where faced with similar events in the future (NHS, 2006). The use of this model represents a fundamental shift from the ideas of Kolb in that Gibbs model specifically refers to the key processes within reflection itself, rather than as reflection as a process within general learning. Reflective practice can mean taking our experiences as an initial point for our learning and developing practice (Jasper, 2003). Many literatures have been written in the past that suggest the use of reflective assignments and journaling as tools to improve reflection and thinking skills in healthcare (Chapman et al, 2008). Reflective journals are an ideal way to be actively involved in learning (Millinkovic Field, 2005) and can be implemented to allow practitioners to record events and document their thoughts and actions on daily situations, and how this may affect their future practice (Williams Wessel, 2004). The experience gained in this can then be used to deal with other situations in a professional manner. By contemplating it thus, I am able to appreciate it and guided to where future development work is required. Context of incident In the scenario the patients name will be given as Xst. The consequences of my actions for the client will be explained and how they might have been improved, including what I learned from the experience. My feelings about the clinical skills used to manage the clients care will be established and my new understanding of the situation especially in relation to evidence based practice will be considered. I will finally reflect on what actions I will take in order to ensure my continued professional development and learning. Xst is 55 year old woman who has a 10 year old daughter. She suffers from psychiatric problems, lack of motivation and has difficulties in maintaining her personal hygiene and the cleanliness of her flat. She was one of my mentors clients to whom I had been assigned to coordinate and oversee her care under supervision. Nurses owe their patients a duty of care and are expected to offer a high standard of care based on current best practise, (NMC 2008). Description Xst had been prescribed Risperidone Consta 37.5mg fortnightly, which is a moderate medication. Risperidone belongs to a group of medicines called antipsychotic, which are usually used to help treat people with schizophrenia and similar condition such as psychosis. Xst did not like attending depot clinic and she missed three consecutive appointments. My mentor decided after the third non-attendance to raise the issue in the handover meeting where it was decided to see Xst in the morning but when we arrived she was not there. We left a note for her to call the office. We did not hear from her and a further home visit was carried out to arrange for her next depot clinic appointment. I was asked to call a meeting of the multi-disciplinary team (MDT) who, at the meeting agreed that there would be a problem if the next injections were missed. At the next clinic, we waited for about an hour but she failed to attend. At a subsequent meeting with the patient, she agreed a joint visit with the CPN, my mentor and me to re-assess her condition and consider if it was necessary to refer her case to the Consultant. I was given the opportunity to participate in the assessment, which showed that her behaviour was very unpredictable and very forgetful. Her inability to take her medication and to manage her personal hygiene clearly demonstrated that she was not well and indeed, had no insight into her illness and was in denial (Barker, 2004). However, the patient had been very upset because of the lack of communication and interpersonal skills that the staff and the student had displayed. I talked to Xst about her non-concordance with her medication, whilst stroking her hand but she persisted in saying she was well. I reminded her that continuous use of the medication would benefit her mental health and protect her against relapse. We agreed that she could discuss this with the doctor on her next outpatient appointment, with the option of reviewing or reducing her medication. I stressed the importance of her communicating any side effects or reservations she may have about the medication to doctor. She appeared to understand this and following the discussion, she finally complied with her depot injection. Feeling During the handover, I was nervous as I felt uncomfortable about giving feedback to the whole team. I was worried about making mistakes during my handover that could lead to inappropriate care being given to Xst or could cause her readmission to hospital. As a student nurse I felt I lacked the necessary experience to be passing information to a group of qualified staff members. However, I dealt with the situation with outward calm and in a professional manner. I was very pleased that my mentor was available during the handover to offer me support and this increased my confidence. Evaluation What was good about the experience was that I was able to carry out the initial assessment and identify what caused Xst failure to comply with the treatment regime. From my assessment I documented the outcome and related what had happened to the MDT with minimal assistance. Accurate documentation of patients care and treatment should communicate to other members of the team in order to provide continuity of care (NMC, 2008). The experience has improved my communication skills immensely, I felt supported throughout the handover by my mentor who was constantly involved when I missed out any information. Thomas et al, (1997) explains that supervision is an important development tool for all learners. The team were very supportive throughout the process as they took my information without doubt. What was not good about the experience was the fact that my mentor had not informed me that I was going to handover the information; as a result I had not mentally prepared myself for it. I also felt that I needed more time to observe other professionals in the team carrying out their handovers before I attempted to carry out mine. During the first MDT meeting, I felt that we did not provide enough time to freely interact with Xst to identify other psychosocial needs that could impact on her health. However, in any event, she was unable to fully engage because of her mental state. Turley (2000) suggests that nursing staff should include their interaction with the patient when recording assessment details, which can be used to provide evidence for future planning and delivery of care. Dougherty and Lister (2004) have suggested that healthcare professionals should use listening as part of assessing patient problems, needs and resources. Analysis The literature regarding communication and interpersonal skills is vast and extensive. Upon reading a small amount of the vast literature available, the author was able to analyse the incident, and look at how badly this situation was handled. I realised communication is the main key in the nursing profession as suggested by Long (1999) who states that interpersonal skills are a form of tool that is necessary for effective communication. The behaviour of the person listening to the person who is talking is important during the interpersonal process (Burnard, 1992).The author used touch to convey support, genuineness and empathy, which is essential for the helping relationship (Betts, 2002, cited in Kenworthy et al, 2002). Carl Rogers (1967, cited by Betts, 2002, in Kenworthy et al, 2002) recommended three principal conditions necessary for effective counseling: empathic understanding, congruence or genuineness and unconditional positive regard. The terms genuineness and congruence ar e used interchangeably and used to describe the helper always being real in the helping relationship (Betts, 2002, cited in Kenworthy et al, 2002). I found it difficult to communicate with the patient initially because I did not understand her condition ( Adams,2008). It was also difficult for me not to take her behaviour to heart and show emotion at the time and thought this to be a failure. Even though the NMC (2008) maintains that nurses have a responsibility to empower patient in their care and to identify and minimise risk to patient, the principle of beneficence (to do well) must be balanced against no maleficence (doing no harm) (Beauchamp and Childress, 2001). All these transactions were recorded in Xsts care plan file and on computer. Good record keeping is an integral part of nursing and midwifery practice, and is essential to the provision of safe and effective care. It is not an optional extra to be fitted in if circumstances allow NMC (2009). The consequences of my actions for the patient and her daughter were that she attended to her daughters needs and to her personal hygiene, and made regular fortnightly visits t o the clinic. Her mental condition was improved. She was allowed to continue on her moderate medication and she did not have to be readmitted in the hospital. However, Bulman Schutz (2008) argue that this failure is to educate and for us to learn from practice and develop thinking skills. I would agree with them, as I learn best from practical experience, and build on it to improve my skills. With this is mind, I am now going to focus on my weaknesses, in both theory and practice, and state how, when and why I plan to improve on these. Through effective communication I was able to convince Xst of the need to take her medication. I was able to pass on the information to the MDT for continuity of care. Roger et al (2003) concluded that communication is an on-going process but can be a difficult process when dealing with mental health problems. Whilst talking I attempted to use Egans SOLER (Egan, 1990, cited in Burnard, 1992).The SOLER acronym is an aid to identifying and remembering the behaviours that should be implemented in order to promote effective listening (Burnard, 1992). I Sat facing Xst; assumed an Open posture; Leaned towards Xst slightly (in order to express interest); maintained Eye contact and attempted to appear Relaxed, as advised by Egan. During the handover I was pleased that the MDT members were supportive and interested in what I was saying and they asked questions. My mentor explained that a patient with schizophrenia can often behave like this as they develop dementia, which Noble (2007) also confirms. Since the incident I have read about schizophrenia and I am now aware that the patients expressionless face Netdoctor (2008), also made her comments appear more confusing and aggressive. Conclusion In conclusion, I have learnt that through effective communication, any problem can be solved regardless of the environment, circumstances or its complexity. Therefore, nurses must ensure they are effective communicators. I have identified the weaknesses that should be turned to strengths. I am now working on strengthening my assertiveness, confidence and communication skills. Participating in the care of Xst I have realised that a good background information and feedback about mental health problems before providing care to clients can assist in accurate diagnosis and progress monitoring. A good relationship between client and staff nurse is therapeutic and help in building trust. This can be achieved by a free communication that allows the client to express their feelings and concern without the fear of intimidation. From the experience, I feel the knowledge I have acquired will aid me in future practice should such situation arise again. Action Plan So that I could identify my strengths and weaknesses in both theory and practice easily, I found that the use of a SWOT analysis provided a good framework to follow. I have then built on this by producing a development plan that focuses on my weaknesses and how, when and why I plan to improve on them. I will now begin to work on these, the main reason being of course, that I am determined to be a competent, professional nurse in the future. I am now more prepared for any future patients with this disease as I have researched it. I will take the time to talk to them, to make sure they are at ease with me, before providing any care. If they appear distressed I would get another member of staff to help me to reassure them. Learning Need To improve my knowledge about patients illnesses and the risks of relapse associated with not taking medication. To identify and have good background information and feedback about patients mental health problems before providing care to them. To ensure a good rapport exist between my patient and I, in order to build up a therapeutic relationship with them and to gain their trust. To have effective communication with the patients and other members of the multidisciplinary team and being prepared. Planned action to meet these learning needs I aim to read books about different illnesses and causes of relapse and to read my patients notes. I will be talking with senior members of staff and allocating time to talk to patients and their relatives and participating in the ward round. Finally, I will have regular meetings with my clients. Target time to meet the learning needs I hope by the end of third year and some will be on-going skills to develop throughout the training. CONCLUSION I have clearly demonstrated that by using a reflective model as a guide, I have been able to break down, make sense of, and learn from my experience during my placement. At the time of the incident I felt very inadequate It was also difficult for me not to take her behaviour to heart and show emotion at the time, it is clear that this is an area I need to build on for the future. Nursing requires effective preparation so that we can care competently, with knowledge and professional skills being developed over a professional lifetime. One way this can be achieved is through what some writers refers to as technical rationality, where professionals are problem solvers that select technical means best suited to particular purposes. Problems are solved by applying theory and technique. The invaluable use of non-verbal communication has now become clearer to the author. The author believes he has become more self-aware regarding his own non-verbal communication and hopes that in the future he will use his communication skills to become a better advocate for the patient in his care. The aim of this report is to look at a critical incident that occurred in placement and relate this to the theory and knowledge regarding communication and interpersonal skills, so as to demonstrate an understanding of my views on the art and science of reflection and the issues surrounding reflective practice Reflection is part of reflective practice and a skill that is developed. It can be seen as a way of adjusting to life as a qualified healthcare professional and enhancing the development of a professional identity (Atwal Jones, 2009). Reflection is defined as a process of reviewing an experience which involves description, analysis and evaluation to enhance learning in practice (Rolfe et al 2001). This is supported by Fleming (2006), who described it as a process of reasoned thought. It enables the practitioner to critically assess self and their approach to practice. Reflective practice is advocated in healthcare as a learning process that encourages self-evaluation with subsequent professional development planning (Zuzelo, 2010). Reflective practice has been identified as one of the key ways in which we can learn from our experiences. The incident that was chosen was so for the reasons that the situation made the student aware of inadequacies on his own part and those of the staff on the team, which made him reflect upon the situation and how this could be learned from, so as not to make the same mistake again. Before the critical incident is examined it is important to look at what a critical incident is and why it is important to nursing practice. Girot (1997), cited in Maslin-Prothero, (1997) states that critical incidents are a means of exploring a certain situation in practice and recognising what has been learned from the situation. Benner (1984, cited by Kacperek, 1997) argues that nurses cannot increase or develop their knowledge to its full potential unless they examine their own practice. Confidentiality will be maintained as required by the Nursing Midwifery Council Code (NMC, 2008). MODELS In order to provide a framework for methods, practices and processes for building knowledge from practice, there are several models of reflection available. All can help to direct individual reflection. Reflective models, however, are not meant to be used as a rigid set of questions to be answered but to give some structure and encourage making a record of the activity. Johns (2004) model reflects on uncovering the knowledge behind the incident and the actions of others present. It is a good tool for thinking, exploring ideas, clarifying opinions and supports learning. Another model, Schon (1987), however, identifies two types of reflection that can be applied in healthcare, Reflection-in-action and Reflection-on-action. Reflection-in-action can also be described as thinking whilst doing. Reflection-on-action involves revisiting experiences and further analysing them to improve skills and enhance future practice. Terry Bortons (1970) 3 stem questions: What?, So What? and Now What? were developed by John Driscoll in 1994, 2000 and 2007. Driscoll matched the 3 questions to the stages of an experiential learning cycle, and added trigger questions that can be used to complete the cycle. However, Driscoll (2006) notes that reflective practice is often represented as a choice for health professionals, whether to be reflective or not to be, about their clinical practice. Finally, Gibbs (1988) reflective cycle is fairly straightforward and encourages a clear description of the situation, analysis of feelings, evaluation of the experience, analysis to make sense of the experience, conclusion where other options are considered and reflection upon experience to examine what one would do if the situation arose again. In spite of all these models advantages, there are known barriers which prevent practitioners being able to reflect effectively and time plays a huge role. Smyth (2004) questions whether there is any time to think and be reflective because of the busy work environment that practitioners are involved in. CHOSEN MODEL In this report, I have chosen to use Gibbs Reflective Cycle (1988) as a framework, because it focuses on different aspects of an experience and allows the learner to revisit the event fully. Gibbs (1988) will help me to explore the experience further, using a staged framework as guidance and I feel that this is a simple model, which is well structured and easy to use at this early stage in my course. This model comprises of a process that helps the individual look at a situation and think about their thoughts and feelings at the time of the incident; and consists of six stages to complete one cycle. Its cyclical nature starts with a description of the situation. This includes e.g. where were you; who else was there; why were you there; what were you doing; what were other people doing. Next is to analysis of the feelings that is, trying to recall and explore those things that were going on inside your head? The third stage is an evaluation of the experience; making a judgement regarding the reasons behind the event and its possible consequences. The fourth stage is an analysis to make sense of the experience. At this stage the event is broken down into its component parts so they can be explored separately. The fifth stage is a conclusion of what else could I have done; the creation of insight through the reflective process towards individual roles within the event being considered. And final stage is an action plan to prepare if the situation arose again. That is, recognitions leading towards behavioural adjustments where faced with similar events in the future (NHS, 2006). The use of this model represents a fundamental shift from the ideas of Kolb in that Gibbs model specifically refers to the key processes within reflection itself, rather than as reflection as a process within general learning. Reflective practice can mean taking our experiences as an initial point for our learning and developing practice (Jasper, 2003). Many literatures have been written in the past that suggest the use of reflective assignments and journaling as tools to improve reflection and thinking skills in healthcare (Chapman et al, 2008). Reflective journals are an ideal way to be actively involved in learning (Millinkovic Field, 2005) and can be implemented to allow practitioners to record events and document their thoughts and actions on daily situations, and how this may affect their future practice (Williams Wessel, 2004). The experience gained in this can then be used to deal with other situations in a professional manner. By contemplating it thus, I am able to appreciate it and guided to where future development work is required. Context of incident In the scenario the patients name will be given as Xst. The consequences of my actions for the client will be explained and how they might have been improved, including what I learned from the experience. My feelings about the clinical skills used to manage the clients care will be established and my new understanding of the situation especially in relation to evidence based practice will be considered. I will finally reflect on what actions I will take in order to ensure my continued professional development and learning. Xst is 55 year old woman who has a 10 year old daughter. She suffers from psychiatric problems, lack of motivation and has difficulties in maintaining her personal hygiene and the cleanliness of her flat. She was one of my mentors clients to whom I had been assigned to coordinate and oversee her care under supervision. Nurses owe their patients a duty of care and are expected to offer a high standard of care based on current best practise, (NMC 2008). Description Xst had been prescribed Risperidone Consta 37.5mg fortnightly, which is a moderate medication. Risperidone belongs to a group of medicines called antipsychotic, which are usually used to help treat people with schizophrenia and similar condition such as psychosis. Xst did not like attending depot clinic and she missed three consecutive appointments. My mentor decided after the third non-attendance to raise the issue in the handover meeting where it was decided to see Xst in the morning but when we arrived she was not there. We left a note for her to call the office. We did not hear from her and a further home visit was carried out to arrange for her next depot clinic appointment. I was asked to call a meeting of the multi-disciplinary team (MDT) who, at the meeting agreed that there would be a problem if the next injections were missed. At the next clinic, we waited for about an hour but she failed to attend. At a subsequent meeting with the patient, she agreed a joint visit with the CPN, my mentor and me to re-assess her condition and consider if it was necessary to refer her case to the Consultant. I was given the opportunity to participate in the assessment, which showed that her behaviour was very unpredictable and very forgetful. Her inability to take her medication and to manage her personal hygiene clearly demonstrated that she was not well and indeed, had no insight into her illness and was in denial (Barker, 2004). However, the patient had been very upset because of the lack of communication and interpersonal skills that the staff and the student had displayed. I talked to Xst about her non-concordance with her medication, whilst stroking her hand but she persisted in saying she was well. I reminded her that continuous use of the medication would benefit her mental health and protect her against relapse. We agreed that she could discuss this with the doctor on her next outpatient appointment, with the option of reviewing or reducing her medication. I stressed the importance of her communicating any side effects or reservations she may have about the medication to doctor. She appeared to understand this and following the discussion, she finally complied with her depot injection. Feeling During the handover, I was nervous as I felt uncomfortable about giving feedback to the whole team. I was worried about making mistakes during my handover that could lead to inappropriate care being given to Xst or could cause her readmission to hospital. As a student nurse I felt I lacked the necessary experience to be passing information to a group of qualified staff members. However, I dealt with the situation with outward calm and in a professional manner. I was very pleased that my mentor was available during the handover to offer me support and this increased my confidence. Evaluation What was good about the experience was that I was able to carry out the initial assessment and identify what caused Xst failure to comply with the treatment regime. From my assessment I documented the outcome and related what had happened to the MDT with minimal assistance. Accurate documentation of patients care and treatment should communicate to other members of the team in order to provide continuity of care (NMC, 2008). The experience has improved my communication skills immensely, I felt supported throughout the handover by my mentor who was constantly involved when I missed out any information. Thomas et al, (1997) explains that supervision is an important development tool for all learners. The team were very supportive throughout the process as they took my information without doubt. What was not good about the experience was the fact that my