Risk Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Risk Management - Research Paper Example Having seen the danger posed by this kind of storing cash within a business, strategists came up with a number of ways to prevent cash theft by employees (Fennelly 39). One of the most fundamental ways of preventing employee theft while operating a cash drawer is to employ honest and trustworthy personnel. Another crucial method of preventing employee theft while operating a cash drawer is to always be aware of the cash in the inventory, store, security, and staff behaviors at all times. In this way, an employer is able to prevent any sort of losses through employee theft since security is intensive (Fennelly 50). Thirdly, an employer can prevent employee theft by monitoring their access. Generally, managers should find it necessary to always be informed of what is happening in the business’ cash drawer. In this way, the managers are able to know which employees have codes and keys to the cash drawer; therefore, in case of any loss they know who is accountable. Fourthly, havin g cash handling processes that does not give room for mistakes can aid in preventing employee theft cases (Ramsey and Ramsey 57). Fifthly, being always present and available for the team is very substantial in preventing employee theft. ... Apart from that, maintaining employee monitoring after undergoing an intensive training is very important when it comes to preventing shoplifting when using a cash drawer. Immediately after the newly employed staff concludes its training, setting up measures that will see proper monitoring of the staff is a sure way of preventing any sort of shoplifting, especially at times when the store is using a cash drawer system. There is also the method of establishing single or simply individual cash drawers for every employee, which have similar balancing procedure at the end of every single day (Wallace and Larry 55). Moreover, initiating a management sign offs in each refund, void, and refund deposit in a store that employs the cash drawer system of storing money is relevant and can help prevent shoplifting. Such strategies are suitable for preventing large-scale losses that may result from possible â€Å"pay outs† (Fennelly 77). In addition to that, a manager can help prevent shopl ifting in a store that uses a cash drawer by putting into place a regular inspection program that goes through register journal tapes and finds out if there are any irregularities. Piecing together a system that allows advent and regular inspection of largely what goes around the store facilitates security and prevents shoplifting in places where they use cash drawers (Ramsey and Ramsey 68). Disaster and recovery plan Commonly, a disaster and recovery plan is planning of a business that seeks to ensure its continuity even after the occurrence of disruptive event that may be in the form of a hurricane, snow, and/or even a simple power outage that may occur anywhere next or close to the business. In a disaster and

Injectronics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Injectronics - Essay Example The initials IM stand for innovative mechatronics. This was the new name that was taken up since the year 2012. The merger involved four organizations namely RAE ignition and sensors, DAT equipment, Injectronics and MAP- mechatronic auto parts. Initially, Injectronics used to remanufacture and repair automotive products for resale. They then started manufacturing of automotive equipment and also embarked on extensive testing equipment to ensure they have the widest range of products in stock ready for sale. They were the first automotive company in the southern hemisphere to be given ISO 9001 accreditation. The IM group has lived up to the same expectations regardless of the mergers and still remains the only automotive organization in the southern hemisphere that is ISO certified. The remanufacturing process follows the step of a customer trading in already used automotive equipment or perhaps even a car. This equipment will be remanufactured and then the customer will be able to pu rchase the remanufactured equipment or new equipment depending on their choice. The MAP (mechatronic auto parts) is a new and exciting brand that was recently added to the IM group; it is aimed at providing unique and high quality automotive products to the southern hemisphere. ... These key rubbers usually do not have a replacement but the MAP products effectively do the trick. These products come with a duly explained replacement user manual thereby making it easy for the user to change. RAE ignition and sensors is another branch of the IM group, which deals with ignitions and sensors. They present different ignitions for various makes of vehicles in the industry, which are ISO certified. These are also replacements for defective or faulty ignitions and sensor systems. The Injectronics branch of IM group continues the initial trade of the original Injectronics. This is the initial business of buying of used automotive parts and selling of new automotive parts. DAT equipment is yet another branch of the IM group that deals with automobile diagnostics. Such equipment includes gadgets that show faults or confirm the state of vehicle parts and their efficiency. Equipments are electronically tested, with ignition spark tester being an excellent example. This elect rically checks for the ignition sparks performance. All the above products of the IM group have played a big role in finding the break -even point for the firm thereby making it continuously viable. The emergence of the above subsidiaries led to a lot of change in the market share for the firm; this played a big role in making top-level management to change the company name from Injectronics to the name Innovative mechatronics. The name innovative mechanics well suits the organization as it only deals with a very special niche in the automotive field. Not many automotive companies are exploiting the above niche, which is well favored by the Australian population. IM group however, also exports her products to other countries. This is also another avenue of

The Cognitive Models Of Ocd Psychology Essay

The Cognitive Models Of Ocd Psychology Essay The study is aimed to investigate the Quality of Life of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder patients in relation to Severity of the symptoms and Cognitive Appraisal. The study will explore the predictors of Quality of life of OCD patients from variables of Symptom Severity dimensions and Cognitive Appraisal. It is hypothesized that patients having OCD with more Symptom Severity, and Cognitive Appraisal of obsessions will have impaired Quality of life. Correlational research design and purposive sampling will be used. 60 patients with primary diagnosis of Obsessive Compulsive disorder, with age range of 18 years and above will be recruited. For assessment, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Symptom Checklist (OCDSC), Stress Appraisal Measure (SAM), and WHOQOL-BREF will be used. Pearson Product Moment will be employed to find the relationship of Symptom Severity and Cognitive Appraisal with Physical health, Psychological health, Social and Environment related Quality of life. In addition, Multip le Regression Analysis will be used to explore the predictor of Quality of life of patients with Obsessive Compulsive disorder. Introduction The study investigates the Quality of Life (QoL) of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) patients in terms of Symptom Severity and cognitive appraisal. The severity of symptomology and clinically manifested psychological distress exacerbates the functional impairment of OCDs patients. The functional impairment debilitates and gradually leads to poor treatment compliance as psychotherapy include the dysfunction area in treatment plan. The present study is intended to understand the relationship of the associated factors that will help facilitate the better understanding on etiological and therapeutic grounds. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder According to American Psychiatric Association (2000), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder OCD) is an anxiety disorder classified into Obsessions and Compulsions. Obsessions are intrusive, unwanted thoughts, id, images, or impulses that and individual experienced as senseless yet anxiety evoking. Compulsions are desires to engage in behavioral or mental acts according to specified rules or in reaction to obsessions (i.e., to lower down obsessional anxiety). However, individuals are unaware of the trigger and may perform stereotyped acts according to idiosyncratic rules (Wells, 1997). Obsessions are persistent thoughts, impulses, or images that are experienced as intrusive and inappropriate. The most common obsessions concern thought about contamination, doubting, aggressive or horrific impulses and sexual imagery (Wells, 1994; Wells Morrison, 1994 as cited in Wells, 1997). A compulsion is a repetitive behavior that is overt or covert. Overt compulsions include hand washing, checking, ordering, or alignment of objects. Covert compulsions are mental acts such as praying, counting, or repeating words. The goal of these overt and covert compulsions is to reduce or prevent anxiety or distress (Wells, 1997). Symptom Severity Severe OCD is characterized by Substantial frequency of obsessions and compulsions (from 4 hours a day to every minute of the patients waking hours), Substantial impairment from the OCD (usually in all domains of life including social, work, and family), Poor insight into the symptoms (or how realistic the patient thinks their fears are), and/or Substantial co morbidity which complicates the presentation of the symptoms (e.g., posttraumatic stress disorder or schizophrenia). Severity of symptoms, as characterized by high frequency of symptoms or significant distress, is often measured through self-report measures such as the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised (OCI-R; Foa et al., 2002). Obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms include both obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions often have themes of fear of contamination or dirt, having things orderly and symmetrical, aggressive or horrific impulses and sexual images or thoughts. However, compulsions typically have themes of washing and cleaning, counting, checking, demanding reassurances, performing the same action repeatedly, and orderliness (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2012). Studies indicate that there are clinically meaningful differences among these symptom-based subtypes. It was reported that OCD patients with compulsive hoarding report higher levels of anxiety and depression, greater impairment in occupational, family, and social functioning and poorer response to pharmacological and cognitive-behavioral treatment (Abramowitz, Franklin, Schwartz, Furr, 2003). Despite the documented detrimental effects of OCD on quality of life, evidence suggests that not all individuals with OCD are uniformly impaired. Masellis, Rector, and Richter (2003) found that severity of obsessions, but not compulsions, was related to lower overall quality of life. Similarly, Eisen et al., (2006) reported that severity of obsessions and comorbid depression predicted impairment across eight domains of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction, whereas compulsion severity was related only to impaired work functioning. In contrast, Stengler-Wenzke, Kroll, Riedel-Heller, Matschinger, and Angermeyer (2007) found obsessions to be unrelated to Quality of life ratings, but that severity of compulsions was associated with reduced physical and psychological well-being, as well as impairment in social and family life and leisure activities. Cognitive Appraisal Grinker and Spiegel (1945, as cited in Sincero, 2012), explained appraisal as a process that requires mental activity involving judgment, discriminating and choice of activity based largely on the past experiences of and individual. According to Lazarus (1984), cognitive appraisal occurs in reaction to stress. One is the threatening tendency of the stress to the individual, and second is the evaluation of the resources that is required to minimize, tolerate or eradicate the stressor and the stress it produces. According to Lazarus, appraisal takes two forms, Primary Appraisal and Secondary Appraisal. Primary appraisal has been distinguished into irrelevant, benign-positive and stressful. Irrelevant implies when experiences not stressful, it falls within the category of irrelevant (Lazarus Folkman, 1984). The appraisal of relevancies is not themselves of great concern, but the cognitive processes by which these events are appraised. Benign-positive appraisal occurs if the outcome of encounter is constructed as positive and enhances well-being. These appraisals are characterized by positive emotions. Stress appraisal includes harm/loss, threat and challenge. In harm/loss, damage to the person is suspected. Threat concerns are the anticipated harms or lose. Challenge appraisal focus on the potential for gain or growth inherent in an encounter and they are characterized by pleasurable emotions such as eagerness, excitement, and exhilaration, whereas threat centers on the potential harms and is characterized by negative emotions such as fear, anxiety, and anger (Lazarus Folkman, 198 4). The aim of secondary appraisal is to provide information about the individuals coping options in a situation. It has three components including problem focused coping, emotion focused coping and future expectancy. When an individual is deciding whether a situation is a threat or challenge, or he must do something to manage the situation, secondary appraisal becomes significant in order to figure out what might and can be done. Secondary appraisal activity is crucial feature of stressful encounter (Lazarus Folkman, 1984). When an individual is faced with adverse situation, something needs to be done to control it and avoid any subsequent consequences. Secondary appraisal follows primary appraisal of a situation. This necessarily includes evaluation of the situation and suitable reaction. The person than evaluate what can be done to cope with a particular situation. The reaction to the situation is decided by carefully analyzing what is at stake and what can be done to reduce negative consequences (Lazarus Folkman, 1984). Cognitive Models of OCD According to OLeary (2005), the number of cognitive models describing OCD phenomenon. These illustrate the rate of dysfunctions in general cognitive processing or dysfunction in cognitive appraisal and beliefs. Salkovskis Model (1985; Wells, 1997) based on cognitive and behavioral concepts in the formulation of obsessional problems. It theorized that the importance of appraisal of intrusion as the major source of distress, rather than the content of the intrusion itself. The appraisal of the significance of intrusions is determined by underlying beliefs. Once negative appraisals of responsibility occur, the second process of initiation of neutralizing responses which may be internal or external begins. When a person neutralized the intrusive thought he attempts to reduce responsibility and discomfort. Thus, the recurrences of intrusions become more likely because responses to them result in such cognitions acquiring greater salience. Studies have found significant correlations between responsibility and obsessive-compulsive behaviors in both clinical (e.g., OCCWG, 2001) and nonclinical participants (Freeston, Ladouceur, Thibodeau, Gagnon, 1992; as cited in OLeary, 2005). According to Rachman (1998; as cited in OLeary, 2005), the catastrophic misinterpretation about the importance of unwanted thoughts made by a person increases the range and seriousness of potentially threatening stimuli. In this way numbers of neutral stimuli that were insignificant are interpreted as threatening. This transfer of the neutral stimuli and situation to potentially threatening ones increases the range of threats and therefore increases the opportunities for the provocation of obsessions. This happens with both internal as well as external cues. In internal cues, the person deduces a threat from the fact of feeling anxious. Moreover, when the patient feel anxious he interpret it as if he is losing control of self and thus there is an increased likelihood that he will act upon the unwanted impulse. Hence, the catastrophic misinterpretation of ones anxiety can interact to increase the misinterpretation of the intrusion. Neutralizing prevents exposure to any disconfirming e vidence regarding the personal significance of the intrusive thoughts. This cycle remains until the catastrophic misinterpretation is changed or reduced and the internal or external stimuli are no longer interpreted as threatening. Quality of life The World Health Organization (1994) defines Quality of Life as an individuals perception of his/her position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which he/she lives, and in relation to his/her goals, expectations, standards and concerns. It is a broad-ranging concept, compromising of the persons physical health, psychological state, social relationships, and their relationship to salient features of their environment (Hollar, 2012, p.74). Obsessive compulsive disorder may significantly affect self-care, social relationships, occupational functioning, family and marital relationships, child-rearing capacities, and use of recreations or spare time (American Psychological Association, 2007). Bobes (2001) revealed that patients with obsessive-compulsive illness had definite impairment in all domains of quality of life other than physical functioning. Similar findings emerged from the studies of Moritz (2005) and Eisen (2006), also showed that as compared to general population, OCD patients have poor health related quality of life in all domains except physical health. Few studies, however, have examined whether OCD symptom dimensions are differentially associated with impairment in functioning and Quality of life. Only one study to date has evaluated the impact of different dimensions of OCD symptoms on Quality of life. Fontenelle et al., (2010) found that whereas depression severity predicted impairment across eight domains of functioning assessed by SF-36, only hoarding and washing, but not other OCD symptom domains, predicted impairment in other areas of functioning social functioning and limitations due to physical health problems, respectively. OCD sufferers generally recognize their obsessions and compulsions as irrational, and may become further distressed by this realization. Cummins (2000) suggest that it is difficult to define Quality of Life because it can be characterized in both objective and subjective terms (as cited in Barofsky, 2012). According to Spranger Schwartz (1999), Quality of life is a multidimensional and dynamic concept: perspective can change with the onset of major illness. With the onset of illness, individuals relevant cognitive or affective processes (e.g. in their health or lives) include making comparisons of ones situation, with others who are better or worse off. People may adjust to deteriorating circumstances because they want to feel as good as possible about themselves (Ayers, et al. 2007). According to Salkovskis (1985) the difference between the obsessive compulsive disorder patient who experience prominent distress and disturbance lies in the meaning they make out of their obsessions. However, normal individual tends to view these intrusions as meaningless and benign whereas OCD patient make catastrophic interpretation out to these cognitive intrusions. These maladaptive interpretations discriminates the OCD patients. Cognitive models of OCD implied that a thought will be distressing and repetitive depending on the meaning assigned to it, not because of the content of obsessional thoughts (Teachman, 2005). The Obsessive Compulsive Cognitions Working Group (OCCWG) has shown that symptom severity correlates with appraisals of intrusive thoughts among individuals with OCD. In comparison with individuals who do not have OCD, those with OCD appraise unwanted intrusive thoughts as more important to control and as conveying more responsibility for preventing harm related to the thought (OCCWG, 2001). Purdon and Clark (1994) suggested that high scores on measures of OCD suggest that the individual is more likely to believe that intrusive and unwanted thought will occur in real life and will experience more guilt in reaction to those thoughts. Appraisals that one could act on the intrusive thought as well as appraisals about control, responsibility and the significance of the thought for ones personality also correlate with the OCD symptoms (as cited in Corcoran and Woody, 2007). Thus, models of Obsessive compulsive disorder showed that cognitive appraisal of unwanted intrusive thoughts will produce significant distress in patients having OCD that in turn will affect quality of life. There is evidence suggesting a relationship between Cognitive Appraisal and Psychological and Physical well-being (Coyne, Aldwin Lazarus, 1981; Harris, Heller Braddock, 1988; Jerusalem, 1993; Nezu, 1986). There is a general Conesus among research that an individual appraisal of the significance of the situation in terms of personal well-being will be a major determinant of affect (Carver et al., 1989; Harris et al., 1988; Lazarus Folkman, 1987; Lazarus, 1991; Smith Ellsworth, 1985). The way a person evaluates the significance of an event for him/her produces different emotional reaction, making some people more vulnerable to adverse effect than other (Kessler et al., 1983; as cited in Kausar, 1994). Perceived control experienced by an individual has an effect on outcome (Partridge Johnston, 1989). Increased levels of perceived personal control are associated with more favorable psychological adjustment (Folkman, 1984) and perceived lack of control on the other hand predicts psyc hological symptoms (Prime-Emberry, 1972; as cited in Kausar, 1994). How an individual appraises and copes with the stress is important to his/her well-being (Antonovsky, 1979; Lazarus 1981). According to Lazarus and Folkman (1984), a fit between cognitive appraisal and coping strategies is postulated to produce a better outcome. Johnson and Kenkel (1991) concluded that appraisals of threat (Appraisal of self, holding self back) and use of coping strategies of detachment and seeking social support were associated with emotional distress. Moreover, Felsten (1991) suggested that appraisals of challenges and expectations of successful coping should be associated with lower distress and better well-being. Rassin et al. (2001; as cited in Yorulmaz, 2007) suggested that unwanted and intrusive thoughts are experienced by everyone and the difference between normal and abnormal lies in the appraisal process, frequency and distress. Therefore, the examination symptom severity and cognitive app raisal as the predictors of quality of life of OCD patients may facilitate the understanding if the distress and impairment faced by them. In OCD, primary appraisal occurs in conjunction with the intrusive thoughts associated with obsessions, and secondary appraisal leads to faulty coping (compulsions and avoidance). According to Carr (1971), patients with OCD typically overestimate the likelihood of an unfavorable outcome in the context of primary appraisal (during obsessions) (as cited in Stein, Hollander, Rothbaum, 2009) and they perform compulsive behaviors in order to reduce perceived threat. In term of cognitive domains, studies of patients with OCD have found an exaggerated sense of responsibility, overestimation of threat, perfectionism, over importance of thoughts, need for control and intolerance of ambiguity (Rachman, 1993; Salkovskis, 1985; as cited in Sten, Hollander, Rothbaum, 2009). Individuals with OCD report markedly reduced Quality of life and general well-being, diminished occupational attainment, impaired family functioning, and higher rates of suicidal thought attempts. According to Koran et al. ( 1996), severity of OCD is inversely correlated with social functioning (as cited in Simpson, Neria, Fernandaz Schneier, 2010). According to Teachman (2007), subjective cognitive complaints exacerbate the effects of obsessional beliefs, and promote maladaptive responses to intrusive thoughts thus increasing the severity of the OCD symptoms. In present study, it is intended to explore mediating role of Cognitive Appraisal on Quality of Life perceived by Obsessive Compulsive Disorder patients with Symptom Severity and Cognitive Appraisal of the disorder are expected to impair the patients functioning. Literature Review This section includes the review of the studies that investigated the studied variables that are Symptom Severity, Cognitive Appraisal and Quality of life. Kumar, Sharma, Kandavel Reddy (2012) examined the contribution of cognitive appraisals to the quality of life (QoL) in patients with obsessive compulsive disorder. In Cross sectional study, it was hypothesized that cognitive appraisals of obsession contribute to poor quality of life in OCD patients. Sample size was 31 consecutive patients from Behavioral Medicine Unit of the NIMHANS and 30 Normal controls. Exclusion criteria were patients having severe co morbid psychiatric, physical and neurological disorder. The assessment was done by using mini Internal Neuropsychiatry Interview (MINI), the YBOCS severity scale, Clinical Global Impression-severity, the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale-21, the Interpretation of Intrusive Inventory-31 and WHOQOL-BREF. Data was analyzed using independent t-test and chi-square test. Relationship between the domains of cognitive appraisal and the QoL after controlling for the duration of symptoms was analyzed by using Partial correlation. The resul ts indicated that all the domains of cognitive appraisal have strong negative relationship with psychological domain of QoL. Thought control and inflated personal responsibility also correlated negatively with the total QoL. Cognitive appraisal specifically contributes to poorer QoL in OCD so modification of beliefs and appraisal may be essential for better QoL. Main limitations were small size, patients were recruited from Behavioral Medicine Unit of major psychiatric hospital, and findings may not be easily generalized. Sample was predominantly male so its important to examine gender difference in cognitive appraisal and its relationship to QoL. Fontelle et al., (2010) in a study compared patients with OCD and normal on severity of different OCD dimensions and levels of QoL of patients with OCD. Further, it was also investigated the socio demographic variables and co occurring depressions and anxiety symptoms have significant contribution in impairment of QoL of OCD patient. They hypothesized that universal pattern of impairment in the physical, mental, and social aspects of quality of life of patient will be associated with more significant hoarding symptoms. The patients with the diagnosis of OCD were included; age between 18-80 years and without any other neurological, endocrinological or systematic disorder. The measures used were Saving inventory revised (SI-R), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Obsessive Compulsive Inventory- Revised (OCI-R), Medical Outcome Study 36-item short form health survey (SF-36). Chi-square and independent student t-test was used for the comparison of categorical a nd continuous variables respectively. The patient who met the inclusion criteria was 135 out of which 65 were patients, and 70 were controls. The result supported the hypothesize only partially, the decline in particular aspects of patients QoL was significantly associated with hoarding and washing symptoms for but co occurring symptoms, the most prominent determinant of the impairment of QoL of subject with OCD were depressive and anxious ones. The study had limitations that sample was taken from specialized institutions, second control group was of nonclinical individuals, rating on depression scale and QoL Instrument may be dependent on state and change during continuity of OCD, they applied generic tool for measuring QoL in OCD. Teachman (2007) studied subjective concerns about cognitive decline partially mediate this relationship between obsessional beliefs and OCD symptoms across young and older adult age group in a large community sample. The sample size was 335 including males and females. Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised, Obsessional Beliefs Questionnaire and Memory Functioning Questionnaire were used. This study attempted to evaluate the modification of cognitive model proposed by Rachman and Salkovskis. The results provide support to cognitive models of obsessions and suggest that obsessional beliefs that have been validated in younger adult samples are also important for older adults. It was shown that the relationship among subjective cognitive concerns, obsessional beliefs and OCD symptoms was consisted but older patients showed greater subjective cognitive concerns, Grant et al. (2006) carried out a study to find out the differences of OCD patients with primary OCD and sexual obsessions and OCD patients without sexual obsession on number of clinical variables. They included co morbidity, symptom severity, insight, quality of life, and social and occupational functioning under the clinical domains. 293 subjects, meting criteria for OCD, aged 19 years or older were included and interviewed. Clinical interview for DSM-IV Axis-I disorder, Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (YBOCS) to assess OCD symptom severity, Subject Clinical Global Improvement scale was used to evaluate the response towards medication. Rating on the degree to which previous treatments have proved to be effective was taken on 7 point scale. Brown assessment of Beliefs Scale (BABS) was used to evaluate the insight and current Depressive symptom and QOL by were assessed by using 17-item Hamilton Rating scale for Depression and Quality of life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionn aire respectively. The findings supported the hypothesize that earlier age of OCD, presiding entry in treatment, increased rate of aggressive and religious obsession onset was related to having OCD with sexual obsessions, and also with increaser depressive symptoms, longer duration of treatment, and higher rates of impulse control disorder. Teachman, Woody and Magee (2006) attempted to evaluate cognitive theories of obsessions and they experimentally manipulated appraisals of the importance of intrusive thoughts. The design contained both experimental and quasi-experimental elements. Implicit Association Test was used to examine the influence of instructions about the importance versus meaninglessness of unwanted thoughts on reaction time. Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised, Beck Depression Inventory, Interpretation of Intrusions Inventory III, Obsessional Beliefs Questionnaire-Short Form, State Self-Esteem Scale, and Personal Significance Scale were the part of study. Results indicated that the manipulation shifted implicit appraisals of unwanted thoughts in the expected direction, but not self-evaluation of morality or dangerousness. Interestingly, explicit self-esteem and beliefs about the significance of unwanted thoughts were associated wit the measure of OCD beliefs, whereas implicit self-evaluations of danger ousness were better predicted by the interaction of pre-existing OCD beliefs with the manipulation. Libby et al., (2004) studied Cognitive Appraisals in young people with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. The study had two aims to investigate whether the same pattern of cognitive appraisal found in studies with adults will be observed in the younger population. A secondary aim of the study was to establish the relationship between cognitive appraisal and the extent these predict obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Three groups of young people aged between 11 and 18 years old were recruited for the study. First group were of patients with OCD, second was patient with anxiety disorder and third one was non clinical group. Leyton Obsessional Inventory-Child Version, Responsibility Attitude Scale, thought-Action Fusion Scale, and Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale was used n the study. The young people with OCD had significantly higher scores on inflated responsibility, thought-action fusion, and one aspect of perfectionism, concern over mistakes, than the other groups. In addition, inflated responsibility independently predicted OCD symptom severity. The results generally supported the cognitive appraisals held by adults with OCD to young people with the disorder. Saxena et al., (2010) conducted a research to compare compulsive hoarding and non compulsive hoarding OCD patients across variety of QoL domains. They hypothesized that hoarders would be older and have lower FAF scores than non hoarding OCD patients. Secondly, hoarding patients would be less satisfied with their living situations, given their amount of clutter, and hoarders would have greater victimization/ safety concerns and finally hoarders would have greater financial problems and receive more social service assistance than non-hoarding OCD patients. To study this171 adult patients were selected (84 males, 87 females) with age aged 18-72. They were diagnosed OCD and treated openly between 1998 and 2005. Out of these patient 34 met criteria of having compulsive hoarding syndrome. 137 patients didnt report any hoarding symptoms. Patient presented with a wide range of co morbid diagnosis. Those with active psychosis, mania, dementia, mental retardation or other cognitive impairment were excluded. Standardized rating scales were used to assess symptom severity and level of functioning. YBOCS was used to measure OCD symptom severity. Severity of depressive and anxiety symptoms were measured by 28 item Hamilton Depression rating scale (HDRS-28) and Hamilton Anxiety Scale (Ham-A) respectively. QoL was assessed with Lehman Quality of Life Interview Short. Obtained scores for QoL between 2 groups were compared using Analysis of Variance procedures. ANCOVA were performed with covariates and also for secondary analysis on individual items. Results showed that compulsive hoarders were significantly older that non hoarding OCD patients. QoL scores on victimization and safety factors differed significant between 2 groups. Hoarder felt less safe in streets and less satisfied with protection. Both groups had significant occupational impairment, unemployment and disability. Discrepancy in sample size between 2 patient groups and intensive patient setting were the limitation s of study. Eisen et al., (2006) conducted a study to assess multiple aspects of QoL in individuals with OCD. It was hypothesized that all aspects of QoL would be affected, and that severity of OCD symptoms and depressive symptoms would be associated with impairment in QoL. 5 years prospective naturalistic study was conducted on 197 participants with an age 18 years or older, primary OCD. An exclusion criterion was having an organic mental disorder. YBOCS, Brown assessment of Belief scale, Modified Hamilton rating scale for Depression, Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire, Social Occupational Functioning assessment scale, Medical outcome survey 36-item short form Health Pearson product moment correlation coefficient was conducted to assess relationship between clinical features of OCD and QoL. Results showed that YBOCS score of 20 appeared to be an inflection point where QoL becomes significantly more impaired, suggesting that functioning and QoL, may be preserved in individu als with OCD until threshold of severity is crossed. Limitations of the study were participants seeking treatment and therefore finding may not apply to those individuals who do not seek treatment. Moreover, subjects were evaluated only once. It was suggested that the role of treatment in improving QoL in OCD should be further investigated along with a need to assess which aspect of QoL and psychological functioning. Guraraj et al., (2008) conducted research in which they hypothesized that patients suffering from severe OCD may have comparable level of global functioning, family burden and QoL and disability with patient suffering from schizophrenia. 70 subjects from National Institute of Mental Health and Neuroscience gave informed consent. Inclusion criteria were (a) a primary diagnosis of DSM IV OCD/schizophrenia (b) continuous illness for the previous 2 year (c) Clinical Global Impression Severity (CGI-S) score of > 4 (d) availability of a primary care giver involved in patient care for 2 years Mini-international Neuropsychiatry Interview was conducted to confirm the diagnosis. Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF), World Health Organization (WHO-Quality of life (QOL)(BREF Version), WHO Disability Assessment Schedule-II (WHO-DAS-II). Family Burden Schedule (FBS) were used to assess global functioning, quality of life and disability. ANCOVA was employed with age of onset and duration of illne ss as covariate for comparison of family burden, QoL and disability between 2 groups. Pearson correlation between socio demographic/ clinical variable, family accommodation and functioning with family burden were performed. The results demonstrated that severe OCD is associated with significant impairment in functioning and severe family burden and disability. QoL was poor and severe OCD and schizophrenia are often associated with comparable disability, family burden and poor QoL. Huppert et al., (2009) compared the QoL of OCD patients with functioning of matched healthy controls. They hypothesized that OCD patients in remission would report similar QoL and functioning matched healthy controls (HCs), while individuals with OCD would report poorer QoL and functional impairment. Additional prediction was that OCD patients and comorbid psychiatric disorder would report the worst QoL and functional impairment. Finally, Individuals with a history of OCD (current or past) increased severity of OCD would be related to decrease in QoL and increased functional impairment, even when controlling for depression. 66 comprised the current sample. 36 HCs were included. They were matched on age, sex and ethnicity. Stru

Richard P. Feynman :: biographies biography bio

Richard Feynman, born on May 11, 1918 to Lucille and Melville Feynman, is remembered for many things by many people. He was Physicist, a Mathematician, a Noble Laureate in Physics, he worked at Los Alamos constructing the first atomic bomb, he probed the Challenger shuttle disaster, made new paths into Quantum Mechanics and Electrodynamics through Path Integrals and Feynman Diagrams, he was a teacher, a husband and a father. He was all these things and more, yet he was still just a man, like everyone else, and he liked to play the bongo drums. Feynman attended MIT where he received his bachelor if science degree and then Princeton for his Ph.D. It was during his time at Princeton that Feynman married his first wife, his high school sweetheart, Arline Greenbaum. Arline was already ill with tuberculosis at the time, and the young newlyweds could not even kiss. In 1942 the young couple left for Los Alamos where 24 year old Feynman would be made group leader in the theoretical division. Eventually Arline was admitted into the Albuquerque hospital where she eventually died in 1945. Feynman was very distraught. Feynman took several teaching positions over the following years, ending up at CalTech where he would spend the rest of his career. Feynman married two more time, in 1952 he married Mary Louise Bell, and in 1960 he married Gweneth Howarth. They had a son, Carl, and adopted a daughter, Michelle. During his time at CalTech Feynman agreed to teach a two-year course of introductory physics to freshman students. The lectures were recorded, transcribed and photographs were taken of all the blackboards. From these lectures three books, The Feynman Lectures on Physics, were published. Also published were two books by Ralph Leighton,Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman! in 1985 and What Do You Care What Other People Think? in 1988, both highly enjoyable books to read that capture the personal side of Feynman that he was so infamous for. Feynman died February 15, 1988 at the age of 69 from stomach cancer. The above picture is a formal pose of Feynman after receiving the Nobel Prize in Physics, along with Sin'ichiro Tomanaga and Julian Schwinger, for his work in Quantum Electrodynamics(QED). Although Tomanaga and Schwinger had independently created equivalent theories, it was Feynman's that proved to be the most original and far-reaching. Feynman was recruited onto the Los Alamos project in 1942, where he developed many experimental devices to test his theories, without having to blow up Los Alamos.

English Language Learners Essay

English Language Learners (ELLS) are usually foreigners who composed the minority students of the country. Even if they are not native citizens of the United States there needs and rights should be properly respected and protected especially in terms of the process of their learning of the English language. The succeeding paragraphs will discuss some cases that affect the rights of these ELLs. The cases of Lau v. Nichols (1974) and Plyler v. Doe (1982) have substantial improved the education of ELLs. The unanimous decision of the Supreme Court in the case of Lau v. Nichols orders that all students should have an equal access not only to facilities, textbooks, teachers and curriculum but also in learning the English language. The court believes that difficulty in comprehending the English language deprives the student of meaningful education. Moreover, the case of Plyler v. Doe opens the doors for immigrants to enroll their students in public schools. This gives immigrant children the right for free public education regardless of whether their parents are documented or not (Legal Responsibilities of Education Agencies Serving Language Minority Students). Other judicial rulings like in the case of Serna v. Portales (New Mexico, 1974), Cintron v. Bretwood (New York, 1978), and Castaneda v. Pickard (Texas, 1981) have also contributed in enhancing the rights of ELLs as well as in addressing their needs. These are clearly shown by the bilingual and bicultural instruction programs that were implemented after the court found out that Spanish students are discriminated in the Serna v. Portales case. Equal treatment among ELLs are also further emphasize by the remaining two cases wherein it made sure that the bilingual programs would uphold both languages rather than subordinating the other one. Lastly, the Castaneda v. Pickard case has a very important role in the enhancement of the right of ELLs because it served as a basis in assuring a school’s compliance with the Equal Educational Opportunity Act of 1974 (Legal Responsibilities of Education Agencies Serving Language Minority Students). In all these, it is seen that judicial rulings are indeed important because there interpretation of the law had been a way in order to improve the situation of ELLs in their learning process. Work Cited â€Å"Legal Responsibilities of Education Agencies Serving Language Minority Students†. 1995. 28 August 2008 .

How Economics Have Changed My Life Essay

They say that if you look at it things closely, you will see the essence of economics going about its daily routine. Indeed, from the man buying his morning coffee to the woman calling for a cab, the economic system is all around us. Not many people notice it (or are just apathetic about it). But surely, it’s everywhere. Day and night – it never stops. The moment the sun sets in one part of the world, money starts circulating on the opposite side. The buying and selling of goods begins. Services now continue with their proceedings and processes. And infrastructure construction resumes. Truly, depending on how one views his or her own surroundings, one will be able to see the active nature of economics. Economics, in the simplest sense, refers to the study of the production, distribution and consumption of goods and services. As a field of study, economics aims to comprehend the daily processes of the subjects mentioned. As such, the study of economics helps people understand the never ending activity of economics within their daily lives. Apart from the study of the production, distribution and consumption of goods and services, probably one of the most important aspects of economics is the study or analysis of scarcity. Scarcity, in the economic sense, means the availability (or unavailability) of resources (insufficient) that are used to satisfy the needs and wants of the populace. As what the late Lionel Robbins – a British Economist of the late 20th century – had claimed, â€Å"Economics is the Science which studies human behavior as a relationship between ends and scarce means which have alternative uses. Using Robbins’ definition, it can be deduced that the study of economics is the study of man’s choices over how to fulfill his needs and wants through the regulation and use of scarce natural resources. In its activities, economics attempts to make full use of scarce resources efficiently. This nature of efficiency helps the adherents of economics – and in the general sense, the entire world – to understand the world around them. Simply said, it helps the person who is familiar with economics understand how or why a certain product’s price goes up or down. Likewise, a person who understands the study of economics will be able to determine the economic health of his or her own country; thus, paving the way to understanding and interpreting some possible implications to the politics of the nation, its society and its environment. Truly, people who understand economics are people who understand how the world works (at least in terms of human resources and human activity). Let us take, for example, the Stock Market. How does a stock price go up? Why does it go down? How do people profit from it? Oppositely, how do people lose money from it? Economically speaking, the Stock Market is or can be used as a determinant for the country’s economic growth and development. As such, people who understand the Stock Market will be able to understand the aggregate economy of the country. However, before everything else, one must first understand the study of economics before one can understand the working’s of the Stock Market. This statement only highlights the importance of economics in our daily lives. Personally, my study of economics has helped me advance my life in many ways. For starters, it has helped me understand the law of supply and demand. The law of supply and demand is undoubtedly one of the strongest foundations of every economy in every country in the world. As the law dictates, the higher the demand, the higher the supply and consequently, the higher the supply, the lower the demand becomes. Basically, the law follows a simple cycle of product prices fluctuating in response to the populace needs and wants. Understanding this law benefits me in more ways than one. For instance, I am able to anticipate whether a certain product’s price will go up or down. By understanding that higher demand tempts sellers to increase their prices, I am able to expect such fluctuations and then make my monthly budgeting more versatile and frugal. Likewise, I am able to anticipate whether a certain product’s price might go down due to excessive supply and low demand. In that way, I am able to make certain changes in my spending habits by carefully predicting the right time prices will go down; thus, maximizing my available purchasing power. Indeed, knowledge about the Law of Supply and Demand can make an individual more frugal and less prodigal – simply said, it makes a person more â€Å"economic†. This knowledge may seem to be irrelevant for some people. But personally, I find this knowledge an advantage against others. Being able to hold a sort of reading reference for possible future circumstances pertaining to product prices can truly serve as an edge over other consumers. And this advantage does not stop there. The more a person studies the field of economics, the more he or she will understand the workings of the economy and ultimately use it to his or her own advantage. Let us take, for example, the Banking System. In the past, I found the system of banks and their proceedings to be an intricate process that is too much for the average person to understand and take advantage of. After understanding the basic foundations of economics, however, I was able to somehow comprehend the normal workings of the Bank. By being able to do so, I am able to take advantage of the Bank’s perceived benefits without ironically putting myself within the economic damages of the Bank’s perceived detriments. Furthermore, I am able to understand the workings of borrowing and paying loans – both in its deadly and beneficial aspects. Now armed with this knowledge, I am now able to perform financially competent within the economy of the country. I am able establish businesses with the help of the bank; of which, technically, results to the creation of jobs, the stimulation of buying and selling of products and materials and the circulation of money – all done accordingly in contribution to the aggregate economy of the nation. The study of economics, as some historians and economists suggest, has been around since the time humans first initiated commercial relationships with different societies within their own kind. Indeed, humankind started out with some simple trade rules and processes. The most famous of all (and probably the most ancient) was the trade process known as barter. Barter is simply an act of exchanging one’s goods in trade for another’s. Many traders and/or merchants from different societies have used this method for centuries – trading valuable goods in exchange for the exotic, the priceless for the unique and the old for the new. It is through this type of trading process that humankind first developed a sense of importance for this activity of buying and selling of goods. For one thing, security and trust was a problem. A lot of traders mostly lie about the quality (and sometimes the quantity) of their goods. Some even resort to petty thievery and conning activities – mostly after the trade has been conducted. Furthermore, people faced problems with regards to the implications of their activities. Imagine a situation in the past where we assume that a Chinese trader decides to bring Jadestones to India. The traders of India are delighted. They then exchange their goods. The next week, the Indian traders demand to the Chinese traders to bring more Jadestones for the people of India somehow found it both exquisite and valuable. Since trade was done merely through barter, Jadestones poured into the Ancient Indian Society in exchange for more important goods such as rice, wood and other agricultural or mineral products of lesser value. The end result would be a disaster: Jadestones overwhelming the country without any way of determining its value to other foreign traders whom they wish to sell it to or who wish to acquire it. If the study of economics was prevalent back then, this situation could have never happened. Speaking of commerce, history suggests that humankind eventually evolved from barter to the use of currencies through the development of ancient coins. Initially, currencies where first developed through the creation of small metal coins that were used to represent stored values of cargo and commodities. Eventually, these coins began storing value themselves. Coins made from many different kinds of materials – ranging from plain metal to solid gold – started becoming valuable. Thus, came a different era where trading no longer requires the loss of one’s goods in exchange for another. Coins of different kinds were now used to determine the value of the goods that were being taken – or in the economic sense, sold. Purchases and exchanges were now done in accordance with the value of the coins being exchanged. For instance, gold coins were used for large purchases and the backing of State activities. Silver coins represented large transactions between traders and merchants while copper coins represented common transactions between citizens. Eventually, the era of coins was put to an end when the introduction of paper money and credit money began in as early as the 7th century in Ancient China. Being that major traders were now trading in huge volumes whilst bringing and using large amounts of coins during their trips in order to conduct their proceedings and processes, the weight of their carriages became intolerable. Thus, ancient traders and merchants resorted to putting their name and the amount of coins they had on paper – indicating to their counterparts and colleagues that that were the amount of coins they had (which, unfortunately, they cannot bring). It was less burdening for merchants and traders alike. In fact, the Ancient Chinese Emperors found it so convenient that they began establishing the act (the putting the amount on paper) as a business norm. Paper money was then regulated among the populace and among traders and merchants overseas. The rest, as they say, was history. Governments, Empires and Monarchies alike began issuing a unit of currency for their paper money and no sooner, the era of currency trading began and at present, major international organizations such as the International Monetary Fund and others now regulates the entire foreign exchange system of the world. All of these were made possible through the study of economics. And for that, I can safely say that economics have already made an impact on my life even before I was born. I can only imagine what life would be if currencies were not yet introduced in the world of business. Purchasing products would probably be a hardy task. Obtaining resources from other countries would also require intricate processes and mechanics. Ultimately, governments would probably find it hard to conduct businesses, regulate the economy and build infrastructures. The study of economics has helped me understand all these concepts and contexts (even though only in a minimal level). Indeed, though the existence of these ancient currencies may have been one of the earliest foundations of the development of the study of economics, it cannot be denied that it was the study of economics which made the nature of these currencies become more comprehensible. The creation of paper money and credit money has benefited humankind in many ways. First of all, people are now able to carry with huge amounts of money with as little weight as possible. Second, the value and goods can now be easily determined (coupled with the law of supply and demand). Finally, business transactions and salary payment can now be easily conducted. All these benefits have undoubtedly manifested themselves generally from the study of economics. The study of economics have helped me changed my life in more ways than one. Apart from making my life a lot easier (as compared to the absence of the knowledge of it), it has also made me change my view of a lot of things. Studying economics has made me understand how the country’s economy runs. It helped me understand how banks and other financial institutions work. Furthermore, it has also helped me understand the daily workings of everyday life – from the buying and selling of goods to the acquiring and paying of debts. As such, I am able to see things in a more â€Å"economic† view. And indeed, it has made my life more fascinating, if not complex. Learning economics is not an easy task. Economics, in general, covers a lot of topics and sub-topics ranging from microeconomics to macroeconomics. As such, it is important for its recipients to devote as much time as possible in order to – not necessarily master but – be adequate about it. For one thing, economics is not a walk in the park. With all its benefits and privileges comes a different set of detriments and sacrifices. I am not implying, though, that those who do master all the concepts and contexts of economics will be the ones who’ll practically lead better lives than others – that is a different issue. I am implying, however, that those who do master economics in all its wonders and intricacies will lead very different lives as compared to those who are completely ignorant or apathetic to the knowledge. As said before, economics is all around us. It never sleeps. Its processes and activities are present in every society, in every community. It is a sort of quasi-invisible force that, if viewed consciously, would guide our everyday lives. As such, it is important to note that having the knowledge of economics is better than having none.

Religious Christmas Quotes

Religious Christmas Quotes For many people, Christmas is a religious celebration. Devout Catholics attend midnight mass on Christmas Eve.  Many Christians create nativity scenes at home and shopping malls to bring alive the birth of Jesus Christ. Despite concern that the true meaning of Christmas is being lost in the gift-giving family holiday, many still celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday. Bring joy to your fellow Christians by sharing these religious quotes with them.   Christmas Quotes Martin Luther King, Jr.Ah! Dearest Jesus, Holy Child, Make thee a bed, soft, undefiled; Within my heart, that it may be, A quiet chamber kept for thee. Calvin CoolidgeChristmas is not a time or a season but a state of mind. To cherish peace and good will, to be plenteous in mercy is to have the real spirit of Christmas. If we think  on these things, there will be born in us a Savior and over us will shine a star sending its gleam of hope to the world. AugustineHe was created of a mother whom He created. He was carried by hands that He formed. He cried in the manger in wordless infancy. He, the Word, without whom all human eloquence is mute. J.I. PackerThe Almighty appeared on Earth as a helpless human baby, needing to be fed and changed and taught to talk like any other child. The more you think about it, the more staggering it gets. Nothing in fiction is so fantastic as this truth of the Incarnation. Fulton J. SheenThe simple shepherds heard the voice of an angel and found their lamb; the wise men saw the light of a star and found their wisdom. Charles SpurgeonInfinite and an infant. Eternal and yet born of a woman. Almighty and yet hanging on a womans breast. Supporting a universe and yet needing to be carried in a mothers arms. King of angels and yet the reputed son of Joseph. Heir of all things and yet the carpenters despised son. John MacArthurIf we could condense all the truths of Christmas into only three words, these would be the words: God with us. We tend to focus our attention at Christmas on the infancy of Christ. The greater truth of the holiday is His deity. More astonishing than a baby in the manger is the truth that this promised baby is the omnipotent Creator of the heavens and the earth! Stuart BriscoeThe spirit of Christmas needs to superseded by the Spirit of Christ. The spirit of Christmas is annual; the Spirit of Christ is eternal. The spirit of Christmas is sentimental; the Spirit of Christ is supernatural. The spirit of Christmas is a human product; the Spirit of Christ is a divine person. That makes all the difference in the world. Agnes M. PharoWhat is Christmas? It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future. It is a fervent wish that every cup may overflow with blessings rich and eternal and that every path may lead to peace. Rev Billy GrahamThe very purpose of Christs coming into the world was that he might offer up his life as a sacrifice for the sins of men. He came to die. This is the heart of Christmas.

ASU Academic Calendar Essay Example

ASU Academic Calendar Essay Example ASU Academic Calendar Paper ASU Academic Calendar Paper Essay Topic: Academic Spring 2018 Session A: Monday, 01/08/2018 Tuesday, 02/27/2018 Session B: Monday, 03/12/2018 Friday, 04/27/2018 (ASU Online and iCourses may end on Tuesday, 05/01/2018) Session C: Monday, 01/08/2018 Friday, 04/27/2018 (Final Exams 04/30 05/05, 2018) Schedule of Classes Available September 18, 2017 Registration and Tuition Guide Available September 18, 2017 Registration Dates Begin ASU Online students: September 25, 2017 In-Person students: October 16, 2017 $50.00 Late Registration Fee Begins  (does not apply to ASU Online students) Session A December 31, 2017 Session B March 4, 2018 Session C December 31, 2017 Suggested Postmark Date to Meet Payment Deadline January 11, 2018 Classes Begin Session A January 8, 2018 Session B March 12, 2018 Session C January 8, 2018 Academic Status Reports – Faculty have the opportunity to provide weekly feedback during each session.   Students can view ASRs in MyASU within 24 hours after each weekly reporting period closes on Sundays Session A Jan 8 Feb 18, 2018 Session B Mar 12 Apr 22, 2018 Session C Jan 8 Apr 22, 2018 Extended Hours (Registration Sites Only) TBD Last Day to Register or Drop/Add Without College Approval Session A January 9, 2018 Session B March 13, 2018 Session C January 14, 2018 Residency Classification Petition Deadline January 12, 2018 Tuition Fees 100% Refund Deadline For more information see  Tuition and Refund Policy.  Note:  If you choose to  drop a class  or  withdraw from ASU  after this deadline, you may receive a bill for the financial aid used to cover those classes. Session A January 14, 2018 Session B March 18, 2018 Session C January 21, 2018 Tuition Fee Payment Deadline – For registration from 9/25/17 through 1/18/2018. For more information see Tuition and Deadlines January 25, 2018 Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Observed University Closed January 15, 2018 University 21st Day Session A January 29, 2018 Session B April 2, 2018 Session C January 29, 2018 Deadline to Apply for Graduation (See also Grad Fair dates at Sun Devil Campus Bookstores) February 15, 2018 University 45th Day February 21, 2018 Tuition Fee Payment Deadline – For registration from 1/19/2018 through 2/18/2018. For more information see Tuition and Deadlines February 25, 2018 Spring Break – Classes Excused March 4 11, 2018 Tuition Fee Payment Deadline – For registration from 2/19/2018 through 3/18/2018. For more information see Tuition and Deadlines March 25, 2018 Course Withdrawal Deadline Session A January 26, 2018 Session B April 1, 2018 Session C April 1, 2018 Complete Session Withdrawal Deadline As part of a complete session withdrawal a student must withdraw from all classes in a session.   Beginning the first day of classes, undergraduate students are required to contact their college/school  to facilitate the withdrawal process.   For more information click  here. Session A February 27, 2018 Session B April 27, 2018 Session C April 27, 2018 Classes End/ Last Day to Process Transactions (Session B ASU Online iCourses may end Tuesday, 5/1/2018) Session A February 27, 2018 Session B April 27, 2018 Session C April 27, 2018 Study Days Session A N/A Session B N/A Session C April 28 29, 2018 Final Exams Session A Last day of classes Session B Last day of classes Session C April 30 May 5, 2018 Final Grades Due Session A March 2, 2018 Session B April 30 May 7, 2018 Session C April 30 May 7, 2018 Commencement   (Graduate and Undergraduate) May 7, 2018 Degree Conferral Date May 7, 2018 Grade Replacement/Academic Standing Processing May 8 9, 2018 Summer 2018 Session A: Wednesday, 05/16/2018 Tuesday, 06/26/2018 Session B: Friday, 06/29/2018 Thursday, 08/09/2018 Session C: Wednesday, 05/16/2018 Tuesday, 07/10/2018 Schedule of Classes Available February 6, 2018 Registration Dates Begin February 7, 2018 $50.00 Late Registration Fee Begins (does not apply to ASU Online students) Session A May 8, 2018 Session B June 21, 2018 Session C May 8, 2018 Suggested Postmark to Meet Tuition/Fee Payment Deadline May 11, 2018 Classes Begin Session A May 16, 2018 Session B June 29, 2018 Session C May 16, 2018 Last Day to Register or Drop/Add Without College Approval Session A May 17, 2018 Session B July 2, 2018 Session C May 17, 2018 Residency Classification Petition Deadline May 17, 2018 Tuition Fees 100% Refund Deadline For more information see  Tuition and Refund Policy. Session A May 20, 2018 Session B July 3, 2018 Session C May 20, 2018 Tuition Fee Payment Deadline   For registration through 5/18/18, 2018.   For more information see  Tuition and Deadlines. May 25, 2018 Memorial Day Observed No Classes May 28, 2018 Course Withdrawal Deadline Session A June 5, 2018 Session B July 19, 2018 Session C June 5, 2018 Deadline to Apply for Graduation June 15, 2018 Tuition Fee Payment Deadline   For registration from 5/19/18 through 6/18/18.   For more information see  Tuition and Deadlines. June 25, 2018 Independence Day Observed No Classes July 4, 2018 Complete Session Withdrawal Deadline As part of a complete session withdrawal a student must withdraw from all classes in a session.   Beginning the first day of classes, undergraduate students are required to contact their college/school  to facilitate the withdrawal process. Session A June 26, 2018 Session B August 9,   2018 Session C July 10, 2018 Classes End/ Last Day to Process Transactions Session A June 26, 2018 Session B August 9, 2018 Session C July 10, 2018 Final Grades Due Session A June 28, 2018 Session B August 11, 2018 Session C July 12, 2018 Tuition Fee Payment Deadline   For registration from 6/19/18 through 7/18/18.   For more information see  Tuition and Deadlines. July 25, 2018 Degree Conferral Date August 9, 2018 Grade Replacement Processing August 13, 2018 Fall 2018 Session A: Thursday, 08/16/2018   Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Friday, 10/05/2018 Session B: Wednesday, 10/10/2018   Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Friday, 11/30/2018 Session C: Thursday, 08/16/2018   Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Friday, 11/30/2018 (Final Exams 12/03/2018 12/08/2018) Schedule of Classes Available February 19, 2018 Registration and Tuition Guide Available February 19, 2018 Registration Dates Begin February 22, 2018 $50.00 Late Registration Fee Begins  (does not apply to ASU Online students) Session A August 8, 2018 Session B October 2, 2018 Session C August 8, 2018 Classes Begin Session A August 16, 2018 Session B October 10, 2018 Session C August 16, 2018 Academic Status Reports – Faculty have the opportunity to provide weekly feedback during each session.   Students can view ASRs in MyASU within 24 hours after each weekly reporting period closes on Sunday. Session A Aug 16 Sept 30, 2018 Session B Oct 10 Nov 25, 2018 Session C Aug 16 Nov 25, 2018 Extended Hours (Registration Sites Only) TBD Last Day to Register or Drop/Add Without College Approval Session A August 17, 2018 Session B October 11, 2018 Session C August 22, 2018 Residency Classification Petition Deadline August 22, 2018 Tuition Fee Payment Deadline   For registration through 8/18/2018.   For more information see  Tuition and Deadlines. August 25, 2018 Labor Day Observed University Closed September 3, 2018 Tuition Fees 100% Refund Deadline For more information see  Tuition and Refund Policy.  Note:  If you choose to  drop a class  or  withdraw from ASU  after this deadline, you may receive a bill for the financial aid used to cover those classes. Session A August 22, 2018 Session B October 16, 2018 Session C August 29, 2018 University 21st Day Session A September 5, 2018 Session B October 30, 2018 Session C September 5, 2018 Tuition Fee Payment Deadline   For registration from 8/19/2018 through 9/18/2018.   For more information see  Tuition and Deadlines. September 25, 2018 University 45th Day September 29, 2018 Deadline to Apply for Graduation October 1, 2018 Fall Break – Classes Excused October 6 October 9, 2018 Tuition Fee Payment Deadline   For registration from 9/19/2018 through 10/18/2018.   For more information see  Tuition and Deadlines. October 25, 2018 Course Withdrawal Deadline Session A September 5, 2018 Session B October 30, 2018 Session C October 31, 2018 Veterans Day Observed University Closed November 12, 2018 Thanksgiving Holiday Observed University Closed November 22 23, 2018 Complete Session Withdrawal Deadline As part of a complete session withdrawal a student must withdraw from all classes in a session.   Beginning the first day of classes, undergraduate students are required to contact their college/school  to facilitate the withdrawal process. Session A October 5, 2018 Session B November 30, 2018 Session C November 30, 2018 Classes End/ Last Day to Process Transactions Session A October 5, 2018 Session B November 30, 2018 Session C November 30, 2018 Study Days Session A N/A Session B N/A Session C December 1 2, 2018 Final Exams Session A Last day of classes Session B Last day of classes Session C December 3 8, 2018 Final Grades Due Session A October 8, 2018 Session B December 3 10, 2018 Session C December 3 10, 2018 Commencement   (Graduate and Undergraduate) December 10, 2018 Degree Conferral Date December 10, 2018 Grade Replacement/Academic Standing Processing December 11 12, 2018 Holiday Break University Closed December 24-25, 2018

Water Desalination

Water Desalination Desalination (also spelled desalinization) is the process of creating fresh water by removing saline (salt) from bodies of salt water. There are varying degrees of salinity in water, which affects the difficulty and expense of treatment, and the level of saline is typically measured in parts per million (ppm). The U.S. Geological Survey provides an outline of what constitutes saline water: 1,000 ppm – 3,000 ppm is low salinity, 3,000 ppm – 10,000 ppm is moderate salinity, and 10,000 ppm – 35,000 ppm is high salinity. Water that contains saline levels less than 1,000 ppm is generally considered fresh water and is safe to drink and use for household and agricultural purposes. For a reference point, typical ocean water contains about 35,000 ppm, the Great Salt Lake contains variations of 50,000 – 270,000 ppm, and the Caspian Sea contains an average of about 12,000 ppm. The more concentrated saline is in a body of water, the more energy and effort it takes to desalinize it. Desalination Processes Osmosis Reverse Osmosis There are several setbacks of reverse osmosis. The membranes are currently prone to gather too much bacteria and â€Å"clog up,† although they have improved since they were first used. The membranes deteriorate when chlorine is used to treat the bacteria. Other setbacks are the arguable water quality that reverse osmosis produces, along with the considerable pre-treatment that the salt water requires. Forward Osmosis Pressure gradient desalinating water The main setback to forward osmosis is that it has great potential, but is still fairly new to large-scale desalination and therefore needs funding and research to explore the possibilities that could improve it and reduce energy costs. Electrodialysis Thermal Desalination Multistage Flash Distillation Multiple-Effect Distillation Negatives of Desalination Fossil fuels Geography of Desalination Middle East Saudi Arabia is currently the world’s number one producer of desalinated water. They use multi-flash distillation in several large plants, providing water for many large cities, including the largest city, Riyadh, situated hundreds of miles from the coast. In the United States, the largest desalination plant is located in Tampa Bay, Florida, though it has a very small output compared to most facilities in the Middle East. Other states that are developing plans for large desalination plants include California and Texas. The United States need for desalination plants is not as severe as many other countries, but as the population continues to explode in dry, coastal areas, the need increases. Future Options of Desalination Desalination is a process primarily done in developed countries with enough money and resources. If technology continues to produce new methods and better solutions to the issues that exist today, there would be a whole new water resource for more and more countries that are facing drought, competition for water, and overpopulation. Though there are concerns in the scientific world about replacing our current overuse of water with complete reliance on seawater, it would undoubtedly be at least an option for many people struggling to survive or maintain their standard of living.

War 1812 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

War 1812 - Essay Example The issue of the war was multiple and mostly was concerning economic problems between the countries. Among them was economical restrictions for American merchants on British territory, complicity of trading conditions and eventually the main reason was aspiration of the United States to become free from dependency on Britain. As far as Britain was busy with paying attention to Napoleon and his actions British authorities had to give up on their fighting for American colonies and this laid the main fundamentals of the United States as a young independent country. Ever since then the economic growth of the US started increasing rapidly. First of all, the consequences of the war were quite ambivalent. On the one hand Americans had great losses and demolition on their territory but on the other hand they got huge economic compensation. Historical and economic researches stated that even though it is impossible to count certain cost of losses still the United States got great economic impulse as their market became independent from foreign colonialists (Hickey 1989). In addition, the US got the compensation from the United Kingdom which definitely increased national funds. With the opening of the boundaries between the USA and the rest of the world economic growth started increasing rapidly. American merchants increased the amount of their trading operations and it pushed the development of different industries. Thus, production of goods grew and national economy started to develop faster. Furthermore, except for the economic independence the United States got from the war, if to take a look at the consequences of the war broaden we can see some great social-economic changes. The war led to the start of the changes from feudal system with its slavery to more capitalistic formation of the state. Evidently the decrease of the

Homeland Security Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Homeland Security - Assignment Example It was upon this failure that calls for reorganizations were intensified, leading to the development of the establishment of the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Act of 2006 (CRS, 2006a). As a result of this Act, FEMA became a more independent entity. The Act also provided a framework for the qualifications, roles, responsibilities, and authority of the Director of FEMA. This included having experience of not less than five years of management and executive leadership, experience in management of crises or a different relevant field. In addition, the director ought to have demonstrated the ability to manage a budget and substantial staff. However, unlike initially, the director was expected to report directly to the Secretary of the Homeland security without going through DHS officials. The Director of FEMA was also empowered to be the principal advisor to the president, the Homeland Security Secretary, and the Homeland Security Council on matters of preparedness and response (CRS, 2006b). The Skilled Trades Second Responders Act of 2007 was established to empower construction workers in disaster preparedness and responsiveness. It followed the findings of the Congress concerning the importance of such workers in the healing process after the occurrence of a disaster. According to McGuire, Lee, and Drummond, (2014), the Act was aimed at providing funds in the sum of $35 million for training, registering, certifying, and integrating construction workers into activities related to disaster preparedness and response. The process of enacting the Act was important as it allows for the management of disasters from ground zero. Construction workers have the expertise and tools necessary to assist the first responders to disaster situations in terms of carrying out demolitions, pipe and electrical maintenance, cleanup of hazardous waste and other functions that are important to the disaster recovery process (The Library of Congress, 2008).

Understanding the concepts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Understanding the concepts - Essay Example And, thus, it ultimately assists the management to arrive at a decision. 2. According to Whittington and Delaney (2010), the primary benefit of the debt financing is that it allows the firm owners to retain full power and control over their business dealings (p.220). Debt financing does not involve complex reporting processes and, therefore, it is easy to administer. In contrast, this concept would not be beneficial for small businesses as they may find difficulty in obtaining access to potential financial sources. In addition, it would be an uneasy task for small firms to make regular monthly interest payments. Generally, organizations tend to issue stocks rather than bonds to generate funds because bonds are just debt securities while the stock is a capital asset. More precisely, bond issue would further contribute to the firm’s liability as compared to stock issue. 3. According to Harle, Luders, Pepanides, Pfetsch, Poppensieker, & Stegemann (2010), safer investments or investments having the least uncertainty may generate lower average returns, whereas investments having more uncertainty or risky investments would bring higher average returns. Hence, the level of risk a firm takes can have a great influence on its volume of revenues. Thus, financial returns are related to risk. 4. â€Å"Beta† is the blended, overall return of a particular asset type, which may be divided further by market, sector or some other organization, such as size† (Fraser-Sampson, 2011, p.164). In other words, it is the tool used for measuring and comparing the volatility of a security or portfolio against the market as a whole. â€Å"Beta† is computed by using regressions analysis. The â€Å"beta† higher than 1 indicates that the security’s price will be more volatile, while the â€Å"beta† less than 1 indicates a less volatile price compared to the market as a

Islam Advocates for Equal Rights of Sexes Research Paper

Islam Advocates for Equal Rights of Sexes - Research Paper Example According to the research paper "Islam Advocates for Equal Rights of Sexes" findings, gender imbalance and thus subordination of women cuts across every area of life and across all communities on the planet. If we look at the West, for instance, it is expected that women be given equal positions to men. The truth is, while they are now enjoying equal rights to men, this has not been the case for a long time. Their liberation, in other words, just started a few years ago. Some time back, the United Stated of America had a potential female presidential candidate. While there were chances that she could lead and had the potential to lead the country to greater heights, myriad excuses were presented just to bar her from running the race. While the US, apparently, is the developed country that is said to be the most liberal when it comes to civil rights and freedom of the sexes, it is ironical that over 50% of the country’s population are not ready to have a woman presidents, in sp ite of having over 44 presidents, all men (Streb 80). The above discussion shows that women are in general treated as lesser beings to men, in every society if we say so. While the teaching of Islam does not condone the idea, Arabic customs do and that is what most people mistake for Islam. A situation where most gender imbalance is felt is definitely in the division of labor. According to the Holy Qur’an, there are roles that are best suited for either gender. Biologically, men are stronger than women.

Program capstone IP1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Program capstone IP1 - Essay Example Planning as practice of theory of managements, used by many organizations like Microsoft Corporation, involves selecting missions and objectives and the actions to achieve them. It requires decision-making like choosing future courses of action from among alternatives. The plans range from overall purposes and objectives to the most detailed arrangements to be taken. No real plan exists until a decision a commitment of human and material resources needs to be made. In other words, before a decision is made, all that exists is study of planning, analysis, or a proposal; there is no real plan. Use of organization as the second theory of management, Microsoft Corporation management team and the whole staff usually works together to achieve some goal must have duties to take care of. Generally, these roles have to be defined and structured by someone who wants to make sure that people contribute in a specific way to efforts of group. Organizing, therefore, is that part of management that involves establishing an intentional structure of roles for people to fill in a company. Intentional in that all tasks necessary to accomplish goals are assigned and assigned to people who can perform to their best. Indeed, the purpose of an organizational structure is to help in creating an environment for human performance. However, designing an organizational structure is not an easy managerial task because many problems are encountered in making structures fitting situations, together with both defining the kind of jobs that must be done and finding the people to do them. For Leading as the third theory of management, it means influencing of employees so that they will contribute to organization and group goals is widely used in Microsoft Corporation to mention; it has to do predominantly with the interpersonal feature of management. Most important problems to managers arise from people their desires plus defiance, their behavior as groups and individuals. Hence, effective

Swedish Daddies Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Swedish Daddies - Research Paper Example In fact, contemporary American society distinguishes people who seek only for success in career and those who want to become successful in their company but not to sacrifice their family life for this aim. As Shaw (2013) assumes, this situation is â€Å"one continuing source of frustration† (p. 351) for women. Each female worker inevitably faces dilemma of her development in the company, because choosing both career and family is much harder than dedicating all the lifetime to career. One of the reasons for this situation is absence of guaranteed maternity leave that helps mothers to dedicate enough time to their newborns, and then return to work in a company. Another reason is that companies force women to choose between career and family even during their job interviews. Finally, there is no paternity-leave law in America, which will put men in the same situation as women currently are. In short, it is hard to balance between career and family in America. 2/ In my opinion, United States should require companies to provide paid maternity leave. As I mentioned above, absence of paid guarantee from company for mothers is one of the main reasons why it is hard for contemporary female workers to choose balancing between career and family life. In other words, women do not feel their financial independence in case they give birth to a child. On the contrary, they have to take care of their babies (which takes all of their time) and realize they have to find the way to earn money at the same time. This is the reason why it is common to say, â€Å"Women are just men with less money† (Shaw, 2013, p. 351). In practice, women may find jobs with flexible hours, but they commonly earn less money for these activities (Shaw, 2013, p. 351). In fact, it is not right, because woman with a child obviously needs more money than a lonely woman does. At the same time, company is not ready to pay for the time woman does not

Program capstone IP1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Program capstone IP1 - Essay Example Planning as practice of theory of managements, used by many organizations like Microsoft Corporation, involves selecting missions and objectives and the actions to achieve them. It requires decision-making like choosing future courses of action from among alternatives. The plans range from overall purposes and objectives to the most detailed arrangements to be taken. No real plan exists until a decision a commitment of human and material resources needs to be made. In other words, before a decision is made, all that exists is study of planning, analysis, or a proposal; there is no real plan. Use of organization as the second theory of management, Microsoft Corporation management team and the whole staff usually works together to achieve some goal must have duties to take care of. Generally, these roles have to be defined and structured by someone who wants to make sure that people contribute in a specific way to efforts of group. Organizing, therefore, is that part of management that involves establishing an intentional structure of roles for people to fill in a company. Intentional in that all tasks necessary to accomplish goals are assigned and assigned to people who can perform to their best. Indeed, the purpose of an organizational structure is to help in creating an environment for human performance. However, designing an organizational structure is not an easy managerial task because many problems are encountered in making structures fitting situations, together with both defining the kind of jobs that must be done and finding the people to do them. For Leading as the third theory of management, it means influencing of employees so that they will contribute to organization and group goals is widely used in Microsoft Corporation to mention; it has to do predominantly with the interpersonal feature of management. Most important problems to managers arise from people their desires plus defiance, their behavior as groups and individuals. Hence, effective

Women and marriages Essay Example for Free

Women and marriages Essay Women and marriages in Restoration comedies are satirised for being based on economic or other considerations rather than love and mutual affection. In the late seventeenth century expectations of women were that they were still meant to respect and be faithful to their husbands, but as R. C Sharma says In the latter half of the seventeenth century, the position of women in England had improved. Though legally they were still subordinate to men, the custom allowed them a larger measure of liberty and equality. In 1662, for the first time professional actress were allowed on the stage, showing that the status of women was improving and as in a lot of Restoration comedies, the heroines reflect an effort by women in Restoration society to both step up from the moral gutter and down from the pedestal. However in Act 1 of the satirical comedy, the views from the men on women are satirised. Act 1 is set at Horners lodgings late in the morning, with the entrance of Horner, the rake and Quack, Horners medical confidant. Later on, other characters enter. Horner, as the main character, shows many a time his opinion on women. He is interested in intelligent women But methinks wit is more necessary than beauty; and I think no young woman ugly that has it, and no handsome woman agreeable with out it. Here he is most probably describing the stereotypical city woman, as the women in The Country Wife have a sophisticated education. This also agrees with how he sees countrywomen, That grave circumspection in marrying a country wife is like refusing a deceitful pampered Smithfield jade. Here he is saying that to marry a country wife, must be as bad as having to turn down a disreputable woman. Women in the Restoration period, especially married women had a severe lack of rights, as on her wedding day, a woman surrendered her rights as a femme sole. As a married women, she was a femme covert. In the Country wife however because the position of women was slowly changing, the women in the play try to assert some control over the men. The men however still inferiorise women and make derogatory comment about them. Mistress are like books; if you pore upon them too much they doze you and make you unfit for company, but if used discreetly you are the fitter for conversation by em. This statement by Harcourt represents the general negative attitude of men in this play towards women, by comparing them to inanimate objects. The women are also referred to as animals by Horner, women of quality are so civil, you can hardly distinguish love from good breeding.

The theoretical perspectives in sociology

The theoretical perspectives in sociology Sociology is the scientific study of society and human behavior. Websters Dictionary defines a perspective as a view of things in their true relationship or importance. Therefore, the sociological perspective provides viewpoints used to look at human behaviors and interactions as they relate to individuals and groups within a society. The sociological perspective stresses that to understand humans, not what is inside of them, but instead the external factors influencing them, should be observed. There are several theoretical perspectives in sociology that are used to understand social relationships and behaviors. The three theoretical perspectives discussed here are symbolic interactionism, functional analysis, and conflict theory. Symbolic interactionism is a microsociological theoretical approach that examines small-scale patterns of social interaction. Interactionists focus on how humans use symbols (signs, gestures, language) to develop views of the world, others, and themselves, as well as the importance of these symbols in social interaction and communication. Interactionists also believe that humans use these symbols to define the self, by comparing themselves to others and by constantly adjusting their view of themselves. Interactionists see reality as being negotiated based on shared agreements and perceptions about events and therefore reality is not stagnant but instead fluid, ever changing. Also, symbolic interactionists try to understand how an individual feels in order to understand why they act the way they do. For example, many female babies are killed in India. To understand why they are killed, Interactionists look at what makes people kill them. Raising a girl is very expensive in India. The meaning that Indians attach to the birth of a baby girl is that of a burden to the family. However, western cultures tend to think of every child as a gift and a blessing, no matter what gender. A doctor interviewed for a TV documentary said that she does not report families that kill their infant girls, because it is a generally accepted societal practice. A lot of people are poor and few can afford the cost associated with raising a girl. When getting married, the grooms family is paid a dowry for taking over the obligation of the bride. Getting back to the doctor, comparing her own conduct to that of others, she does not find anything wrong with not reporting those murders since others do not report them either. By her own admission, however, if others were to begin reporting the murders of infan t girls, she would then adjust her own conduct accordingly and also start to report the killings. The response to the killings depends on the meaning and significance that is attached to that death, and right now the doctor sees it as insignificant and not worth reporting. Functional analysts (or functionalists) view society as a whole, a complex system of integrated, interrelated parts that work together to keep society balanced. Each part of society has a certain function that it has to fulfill in order to meet the needs of the society in which it exists, thus functionalists stress order and stability. If a part of society is in dysfunction meaning it does not fulfill its role, the harmony is interrupted and the system is weakened. Through natural and gradual change, equilibrium has to be restored. To understand how society works functionalists examine how society operates, what needs must be met and how they are satisfied. They also examine what functions the various parts of society fulfill, and what the relationships between those parts are. Take, for example, the female fighter pilot Lt. Col. Martha McSally, who fought for women stationed in Arabic countries to not have to wear the traditional head covering (abaya) and the changing roles of women in the military. Female and male service members had certain functions. Women often worked as nurses or as clerks whereas men filled combat positions. Each gender had roles assigned and the system worked together in harmony until women were allowed to serve in positions that once were meant for male service members only. Through a gradual and natural process the roles of men and women in the military will have to be redefined until previous balance is restored. Another example would be Lt. Gov. Jane Swift of Massachusetts, who was pregnant when she entered office, and the functions of a mother and a politician. As a mother society expects her to care for her children and be there when her children need her. However, in her function as politician, she is expected to fully immerse herself in State politics. The functions of mothers and politicians are clearly defined, but, she is blurring the boundaries between the two functions and society (the system) has not yet adjusted to the changes associated with mothers of young children in politics. As more and more mothers with dependant children are entering politics, the system will have to adjust to their special needs, roles will have to be redefined for balance to be restored. Like functional analysis, conflict theory focuses on large-scale patterns of society. However, whereas functionalists believe that society is composed of groups that work together, conflict theorists believe those groups are in constant disagreement with each other over limited resources. Conflict theorists also believe that societies are constantly changing and that some groups have more power then others and that norms and values of a society are made by those with power in order to keep those without power down. Conflict theorists believe that the way to change society is to change its structure and not the individuals within that society. Going back to Lt. Gov. Jane Swift, power is seen as a result of her social position and not as a result of her character. As a politician she holds certain powers that conflict with those of non-politicians. For example, she excused her use of the state helicopter with her position as an important political figure. Non-politicians disagree with her right to use the helicopter, as they could not do that. In India men and women are in a constant battle for scarce resources. In the case of the infanticides the resources are power as well as money. The only solution to that conflict would be for society to change its structure by, for example, removing dowries as a condition of marriage or removing the need for expensive ceremonies for daughters. Since those with power and money see no need to change the current structure, the only way the change would ever happens is if poor Indians stood up and protested current practices. The same is true for the military. The problems that arose for Lt. Col. McSally while stationed in the Middle East came from inequality in the treatment of male and female service members. As a woman she was required to wear an abaya when leaving the base. This caused a problem since the abaya covered her from head to toe and therefore her social location, her rank as Lieutenant Colonel, was no longer visible to others. Her powers were diminished while male service members, even those of lower rank, did not have to remove or hide the signs of their social location within the military society, resulting in a struggle for power. To summarize the three major theoretical perspectives described above it can, in most general terms, be said that structural functionalists would focus on what is common practice in a certain society and would also analyze the function of symbols used to interact and communicate in that society; whereas symbolic interactionists would try to determine how the individuals of a certain society interpret their environment or what effect others have on the development of an individuals self image; and conflict theorists would look at power differences between various groups of a society, where they come from and what effect they have on that society.

Degradation of America in All My Sons, Death of a Salesman, and The Cru

The Degradation of America in All My Sons, Death of a Salesman, and The Crucible  Ã‚     Ã‚   Arthur Miller was, as a playwright, very critical of American society.   He condemned every aspect and satirized every ideal of modern American culture, from democracy to the American dream.   He degraded every part of Western civilization down to a much more basic and much more negative idea – capitalism became greed, and rule by the people became rule by the mob.   Many people of his era saw him as anti-American, and in many ways, he was.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Each of Miller’s plays focuses on fundamental aspects of humanity.   Miller chose to represent these qualities in direct relation to American society, and contrasted the sacred ideals of democracy and capitalism with the true nature of mankind.   He blamed the faults of democracy onto mankind at an individual basis, and used the â€Å"American everyman† as an example to prove his point.   This technique was very successful in Miller’s three most important works – All My Sons, Death of a Salesman, and The Crucible.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   All three of these plays deal with different aspects of American democracy.   In All My Sons, Miller criticizes both domestic and international failures of democracy, especially in relationship to World War II.   American soldiers made great sacrifices for their friends and for their country, even giving up their lives to save that of a fellow soldier.   They were fighting to protect the American way of life, which according to Miller, was in effect nothing.   American soldiers were dying out in Europe and the Pacific so that Americans at home could buy refrigerators and new cars.   According to Chris, one of two characters Miller used to represent the American soldier, â€Å"[The A... ...btain happiness through money and fail. Larry and Proctor, along with numerous Puritans and American pilots, are all characters Miller used to demonstrate the terrible effects capitalism can have even on the innocent.   The American way of life revolves around capitalism, and capitalism is based solely on money; therefore the American way of life is faulted to the point of being unworkable. Works Cited   Hayman, Ronald.   Arthur Miller.   New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing Co., 1972.   Miller, Arthur.   All My Sons.   New York: The Viking Press, 1957.   - - -.   Introduction.   Arthur Miller’s Collected Plays.   New York: The Viking Press, 1957.   - - -.   Death of a Salesman.   New York: The Viking Press, 1957.   - - -.   The Crucible.   New York: The Viking Press, 1957.   Moss, Leonard.   Arthur Miller.   Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1967.