Why Support the Kidney Care Quality and Improvement Act

For the past years, health and health care have transformed to become the dominant economic and political issues in the United States and many other countries. Because most nations have experienced rapid rises in health care spending over the past 30 years, governments have assisted patients in their countries because the cost is simply becoming unaffordable for them.During the earlier times, provision of health care was a relatively simple matter. Doctors carried most of the equipment they used in a black bag and the same doctor was likely to attend a patient for most, or all, of her or his life. During those days the range of medical and surgical interventions was quite modest. Today, sophisticated diagnostic technology complements an extensive array of medical and surgical options making medical care a very complex, highly specialized, and costly commodity.One of the most alarming diseases that had burdened American people is kidney failure. According to a U.S. Newswire report (16 March 2005),   approximately 400,000 Americans currently suffer from kidney failure and of those, around 300,000 require dialysis several times a week, for an average of 3.5 hours per session. At the current rate of new cases — many the results of diabetes, obesity and hypertension — the number of patients is expected to quadruple to more than 2.2 million by the year 2030. Many experts recommended that early detection and better disease management is regarded as the best means to delay the onset of kidney failure.Definitely, kidney function is essential for life. Once a person’s own kidneys fail, some form of treatment is necessary if they are to go on living. Currently, there are two forms of treatment – dialysis (in which the kidney function is taken over by artificial means) and transplantation (in which another person’s kidney is used instead). Successful treatment – by dialysis or a transplant – now gives people with kidney fa ilure a new lease of life, sometimes for many years (Stein 2002, p. 122).However, death can be inevitable. Patients and families usually want to know how long a person can survive with untreated end-stage kidney failure. This too is variable, depending on the extent to which their old kidneys are working – and therefore the amount of urine that they pass. The kidneys may be able to get rid of some excess fluid, but unable to process waste products such as creatinine and urea, or salts such as potassium. It is the build-up of these substances in the blood (especially the potassium) that usually leads to death. This is why dialysis represents the success of our knowledge and skill in conquering a kidney illness. Dialysis is all about life. And, it could cost an insurmountable amount of money when someone goes to dialysis three times a week for the rest of his or her lifeIndeed, there is an immediate need to improve the government’s program that provides dialysis care for those with kidney failure. This is why the members of the U.S. House and U.S. Senate introduced bipartisan legislation to update the End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) program, which 75 percent of the nation's dialysis patients rely on to live.This is called The Kidney Care Quality and Improvement Act of 2005, sponsored by Senators Rick Santorum and Kent Conrad, and Representatives William Jefferson and Dave Camp. This legislation would update Medicare's composite rate for ESRD — which does not automatically adjust for inflationary increases — as well as provide for important education and preventative programs to help stem the rising tide of kidney failure in the United States (U.S. Newswire, 16 March 2005).The primary reason for health care is to prevent or cure diseases or attend to people with chronic or terminal illnesses. It may be possible, however, for health care costs to undermine the soundness of what our pockets can afford, and such an eventuality would be und esirable. Hence, a pressing issue entails how to achieve a situation in which expensive medical care can continue to be available while, at the same time, the total cost of health care is scaled back so as to keep this cost in line with the overall rate of skyrocketing prices.For instance, Talladega in Alabama has only two dialysis units and there are almost 100 patients that cramp the two units. With The Kidney Care Quality and Improvement Act of 2005 patients will be assured for better care among patients stricken with kidney disease through improvements in Medicare and enhanced education programs, which would prevent numbers in Talladega County from growing any more. Although the act currently sits in a Senate committee awaiting approval, that’s not stopping local doctors from offering warnings to at-risk patients.Ghayas Habash, a nephrologist, said that the main thing people need is to get the message across to people at risk for kidney failure, those with diabetes, hyper tension, black people and those with a family history. If only we address these people aggressively, we can prevent a lot of kidney failure (Casciaro, 18 August 2005).True enough, medical costs have more than doubled over the last decade, and health insurance premiums have risen nearly five times faster than wages. Americans are spending far more on health care than residents of any other industrialized country while receiving lower-quality care overall. Meanwhile, big U.S. businesses that provide health coverage to workers complain that the high costs are crippling their ability to compete with companies abroad whose workers get government-subsidized care.The Bush administration is encouraging consumers to switch to consumer-directed health plans, whose high co-payments would force them to shop for more cost-effective care. But critics argue that individuals can do little to control costs. Instead, they argue, the plans would primarily benefit the wealthy and that society must make hard choices about which care should be paid for by public and private dollars (Clemmit, 7 April 2006).The overwhelming amount of health care purchased in the United States is paid for by the government through Medicare and Medicaid or by privately owned health-insurance companies. Both Medicare-Medicaid and health insurance firms employ personnel, process claims, and issue payments. Their procedures and personnel are expensive and add to the cost of health care without actual medical benefit to anyone.Proposals have been made to dismantle the so-called third party infrastructure and change to a single-payer system in which government would provide and pay for health care. Taxes would be adjusted to cover the costs and administrative bureaucracy would be kept to a minimum so as to maximize efficiency. While a single-payer system has obvious merits, a national consensus in favor of such a system has not emerged. Thus, the problem of health care dollars paying for administrative infr astructure remains, and there is no clear indication as to how to resolve it.For kidney patients, The Kidney Care Quality and Improvement Act of 2005 is long overdue because dialysis is not an option but a necessity for them to continue living. This legislation modernizes the Medicare ESRD program by: ·    creating public and patient education initiatives to increase awareness about Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) and to help patients learn self-management skills; ·      ensuring patient quality through improvements in the ESRD payment system, including establishing an annual update framework and evaluating the effect of the new Physician Fee Schedule G-code visit requirements; ·      providing Medicare coverage for CKD education services for Medicare-eligible patients; ·    establishing an outcomes-based ESRD reimbursement demonstration project; ·    aligning incentives for physician surgical reimbursement for dialysis access to promote quality and lower costs;  ·      establishing a uniform training for patient care dialysis technicians; and ·    improving ESRD coverage by removing barriers to home dialysis and creating an ESRD Advisory Committee (RPA Website, 2006).Some critics have argue about the use of CKD education. In deeper analysis, CKD education is very crucial because people need to know the things about it prior to developing kidney failure but there is no funding for education that could have helped prolong your kidney function. This Act will be beneficial not only for CKD patients, but also for people who may be at risk. This act will definitely enable people that you (or your loved one) can get more treatments. With the current policy, most people cannot avail the dialysis they need because Medicare doesn't pay for more than 3 treatments a weekAs quality of care is everyone’s privilege, Medicare reimbursement should be updated annually for dialysis clinics just like it is for other providers. Medicare's low reimbursement could result to employer health plans paying more than their share and private companies have to pay higher. This would be a heavy burden for people with CKF because they need to pay higher premiums or their health coverage is reduced, or sometimes employees with CKF or employees that have dependents with CKF have the risk to lose their jobs because of the high costs on their part.Kidney patients need life-saving treatments that need to be improved because their lives are on the line and it is sapping them out of their funds because of the costs. Enacting Kidney Care Quality and Improvement Act of 2005 should therefore be prioritized and Congress should not think twice. Everything should be done to help CKF patients combat this lethal disease, and support them with all our efforts to get better treatments before it is too lateReferencesClemmitt, M. (2006, April 7). Rising health costs. CQ Researcher, 16, 289-312. Retrieved September 12, 2006, from CQ Researcher Online, http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/document.php?id=cqresrre2006040700.Renal Physicians Association (RPA). (2006). The Kidney Care Quality and Improvement Act of 2005 Bill #S.635. Retrieved September 12, 2006, from RPA Website at http://capwiz.com/renalmd/issues/bills/?bill=7319331&size=fullStein, A. (2002). Kidney Failure Explained. London: Class Publishing.U.S. Newswire. (2005, March 16). Members of Congress Announce Bipartisan Legislation to Update, Improve Kidney Care Quality and Ensure Access to Dialysis. Retrieved September 12, 2006 at http://www.prnewswire.com/products-services/reach-us-media-bloggers.htmlpublic-interest-newslines-2.htmlGetRelease.asp?id=44507

Hard Skills Vs. Soft Skills Essay

Introduction One million dollar question, which project and human resource management have asked for several years while doing recruitment, is whether do recruit individual endowed with hard skills or soft skills. This leads to asking the quest that between the two is the most important for an organization. Hard skills can be defined as technical know how or specific abilities that relate to the core business that an organization does to networking, machine operations among others. Soft skills, on the other hand, are subjective and undefined (Peggy, 2007).   It mostly deals with issues like communication, problem-solving, and conflict resolution among others. However, everybody agrees that both skills are necessary for the success of an organization, which between the two is most crucial? The crucial character of a manager is the ability to be flexible, a manager who can understand organization process, tools and techniques being utilized within the organization. Managers should be able to adapt to all types of organization and project process and have technical know-how on running team operation. This characteristic emphasizes on the soft skills and portrays technical skills as added advantage (Peggy, 2007) Managers spent most of their time almost 90% communicating, solving problems, negotiating planning among others. These are mostly soft skills that are being put to use. One can, therefore, argue that although both skills are essential, soft skills are being required in a higher percentage to help in coordinating hard skills for an organization success. Peggy (2007) states that whenever one wants to stay competitive and ahead of the game, one need to keep his or her hard skills sharp. However, for one to succeed faster, he needs to keep his soft skills updated. Therefore, in conclusion, soft skills always precede hard skills for an average person and training institution should ensure more soft skills in their employees. Motivation is one of the key elements for the performance of organization employees, as individuals who are highly motivated performs more than individuals who are not highly motivated. The motivation factors come from soft skills which when combined with hard skills then individuals can be in a position to achieve or reach self actualization. All employers needs employees who could deliver assignments in time and factor of time management plays very important aspect of project success. It also brings the idea of planning within organization which is an aspect of soft skills. Therefore we can conclude that even if one possess greater aspect of hard skills, without elements of soft skills the project can not be successful and always hard skills plays second place to soft skills. Good leadership calls for effective communication and without effective communication, project cannot pick off and starts operating smoothly, most researchers have argued that one with soft skills can assembly individuals with technical know-how and operates organization smoothly while individuals with only technical know-how could not manage an organization. This supports the arguments that human beings in terms of labour are the most valuable asset of an organization and if well managed then the organization will realize success. Hence soft skills are superior to hard skills. Reference Peggy K. (2007) THE HARD TRUTH ABOUT SOFT SKILLS: WORKPLACE LESSONS SMART PEOPLE WISH THEY’D LEARNED SOONER by.   Klaus & Associates, Inc.

Designing and implementing questionnaires and interviews Essay

Designing and implementing questionnaires and interviews - Essay Example The following questionnaire is for teachers, parents and students (both members of the study group and the control group) designed by just encircling the number to indicate the degree of agreement or disagreement to the statements provided: 17.) With the emergence of unethical materials and illegal and prohibited information in the internet (e.g. pornography and other clandestine ways of conducting business using the web) do you think this will affect the students’ learning process? Information and data collection are one of the exciting parts of research, though they can be tiring. But this is not to say that they are difficult. When you put a lot of effort in it, data collection can be challenging. You have to earn the cooperation of your respondents; you’ve to build a close rapport with them. In the initial part of the information gathering, some doubts and negative thoughts entered my mind as to how the whole thing can be quite successful, to say the least. Gathering all the data together, doing all the things that seemed to be countless tasks, and executing what I had in mind, seemed impossible to do all at the same time. Then, a lot of ideas also entered my mind which seemed not to point to a particular direction. Aside from the preparations for the interviews and questionnaires, I had to do a lot of research from previous studies, and opinions of experts, teachers, and parents, not only on the contents of the questionnaires but on the actual conduct of the interviews. After you have tried the techniques of brainstorming, branching, or making up journalistic questions and flowcharts, you may also find it useful to try discovery writing. This step can be helpful, especially once you have formulated a thesis statement. (69) This is putting ideas into writing without first arranging or editing them. Just put them down into writing, and then later you’ll discover what and how they’ll come out. Langosch says this is known as â€Å"free

How Lijiaxia hydropower plant disturbs Kanbula forest ecosystem Term Paper

How Lijiaxia hydropower plant disturbs Kanbula forest ecosystem - Term Paper Example Huge mountains extend from the forest with trees covered resembling a sea of forest. The are deflated hills around the Kanbula Forest that are formed due to erosion from wind and sand. The hills are called red cloud landforms (China Ecotourism 2009). Amid the mountains, the weather of the forest change frequently. The forest does not experience four distinct weathers, but the hot and cold weathers that it experience are divided into two quarters. Cold seasons at the forest features cold, windy and dry air. Warm season features monsoon and warm and humid air. The forest’s tough topographical features form a role of microclimate. According to meteorological data records, the average temperature of the forest is l-2.9. The warmest month (July) has a daily temperature of 11.5-13.4. The coldest month (January) has average daily temperature -12-10.1. 3-9 month average is temperature of 7-8.4 â„Æ'; stable over time through 0 â„Æ' for 190 days; plant growing period mean diurnal temperature 13.l â„Æ', frost-free period is about 120 1 134 days; ≠¥ 0 â„Æ', ≠¥ 5 â„Æ', ≠¥ l0 â„Æ' accumulated temperature were A 1500 â„Æ' 1800 â„Æ', 1300 â„Æ' for a 1700 â„Æ', 900 â„Æ' for a 1100 â„Æ'. 2 622-2900 hours of annual sunshine hours, global solar radiation 609-647 kJ / cm. Annual rainfall is 450-490 mm, annual evaporation 1923 mm. Annual average wind speed 19 meters / second, more concentrated in the January-April. Kanbula forest’s soil has five categories. First type is alpine shrub meadow soil that is found at the altitude between 3600 and 3900 meters. Second is the upland meadow shrub soil that is found at an altitude between 3200 and 3700 meters. Third is the grey cinnamon soil that is found at 2600 and 3400 elevation. Fourth type is the chestnut soil that is found at an altitude of 2600 and 2800 meters. Fifth is the grey desert soil that is found at an elevation below 2400 meters (Qinghai Forest Survey Records). Huge mountains extend

Six Flags Magic Mountain Theme Park Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Six Flags Magic Mountain Theme Park - Essay Example It is thus about how she manages to handle her life despite deciding to have the baby, and the kind of impact the situation has on her maturity and lifestyle. The movie has gained worldwide recognition due to it being able to address a large audience on a global scale that has been able to relate with every aspect of it. Juno has a very basic story line as well as concept attached to the tale; it is about a young girl trying to explore the nooks and crannies of intimacy and relationships without understanding the implications that might arise along with the same. The film has been directed in a very concise manner making use of pencil stylized ‘rotoscoped’ images right from the credits in the beginning, making use of animation in order to help the audience understand the maturity level of the girl and the kind of colourful life that she always wanted to live for herself. The film helps teenagers to explore the kind of curiosity that reigns within them, and how the same s hould be understood not by simply jumping in and trying things out with friends, but by reading about things and comprehending the facts about life from one’s parents first. It helps children and young adults to understand how friends might not be the best option when it comes to understanding such information about pregnancy and intercourse. These aspects of life are crucial to one’s existence and they must be understood well by every individual so that he is able to make his own decisions without falling into trouble or having unplanned circumstances crop up in his life. (Sciretta, Peter) Thus, the film achieved mass appeal because of the story telling as well as how the girl managed to learn her lesson without panicking much about the situation. The various characters within the movie have been portrayed in a very interesting manner. The director has taken his time to choose the main protagonists and provide them with a different twist. Juno is a young teenage girl who comes off a little strong on the first meeting with everyone. Full of sarcasm, she helps to put an indie spin on the movie and gives a very intense performance with her dominating nature and need to control everything that might not even be in her reach. However, she understands where she went wrong by getting pregnant but decides to bring about a change in a couple’s life with the help of her baby who she is willing to give up in order to make someone else happy. The film has been divided into various chapters, giving the film a very succinct outline. The one thing that sets this movie apart is the idea of Juno trying not to become a victim of the situation she was thrust into, and rather treat the predicament as a stepping stone and move ahead in life, having learned a lesson. Juno’s bedroom as well was a very cleverly designed set as it helped to appeal to the minds of most young teenagers, showing how most young people keep their rooms; messy as well as clean e nough to find things around. Posters helped to indicate the girl’s interests to the sub conscious mind of the audience as objects like her famous ‘hamburger phone’ helped to show hoe different and varied her interests were and that she was just another ‘random’ teenager trying to find her way through life. The rooms of Paulie as well as Juno’s friend Leah have also been designed well, depicting what other teenagers like; Leah’s room being covered with posters of older men trying to signify her level of maturity when it comes to accepting love and Paulie’s looked neat with his mother bumping in several scenes showing how she might be the reason behind his cleanliness, like most teenage boys these days. Most of the

School Report Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

School Report - Case Study Example Latin students total up to 10% (NYC department of education). The teachers that make up the staff have different levels of qualifications and varying levels of the experience. Only 38% of the teachers are those having masters or the doctorate degree, according to the statistics of the year 2007. In terms of experience; only 15% of the teachers are having three years of experience. In this case the school administration has to work on increasingly hiring the teachers with higher qualifications as doctorate and masters qualifications. The teachers with greater experiences have to be given priority over the teachers with lesser experiences' as in the end it effects the students' learning process. The progress in the case of teaching the subjects as maths and English is positive. In the case of the students' performance, average 60% of the students performed greater than the third level in the subject of English. Average 80% of the students performed greater than the third level in maths. In science 78% of the students performed well. The better performing number of students can be increased by in taking highly qualified teachers. So the better performance is noticed in the case of maths only although other subject need more work (NYC department of education). The enrollment number of the students, including the special students' enrollment has decreased over the years. This shows that the parents are more concerned about getting their children admitted in better schools with better teachers as the parents rely on those schools having the better and higher qualified staff (insideschools.org). The attendance of the students is almost the same that is around 93%. This is the only point where the school administration has been performing very well. Overall, the number of the female students is slightly greater as compared to the male students. In mathematics and English language the special students perform very better as compared to the other racial groups. In the English language subject learning, 64% of the special students out of all the racial group students performed well. In the subject of maths same was the case noticed that 44% of the special education students performed well as compared to the 28% of the black students performance in the same case (insideschools.org). In addition to the reports, there was a survey that was conducted. Out of all the parents 25% of the parents participated with 35 teachers making up 48%. Since the last year the scores in different aspects has increased which include the Academic Expectations, Communication and Safety and Respect. In every case, the satisfactions from the parents and the teachers were higher and it was above 50%. However in the case of safety and respect the school needs some work to be done. Students' suspensions have increased over the years. The satisfaction ratio of the parents and the teachers is very less which means that the discipline has to be maintained better than before. The major concern for the school should be to make changes in the ways they control the students in a disciplinary manner (NYC department of education). In the case of communication where the school administration makes the students and their parents aware of the new changes being implemented on the school's environment

The relationship between motivation and experience of Chinese tourists Dissertation

The relationship between motivation and experience of Chinese tourists to UK - Dissertation Example Keywords: Hospitality, Tourism, Culture, Outbound Tourism, Destination Image, Motivation, Push-and-Pull, Chinese Tourists; Characteristics Acknowledgements This study has been completed with the support and guidance of my supervisor, who has been of tremendous encouragement. Acknowledgements are also due to the respondents and participants to the study for their time and cooperation in sharing their feelings and experiences. The researcher also owes thanks to the friends that have helped in editing and refining the study. Table of Contents Chapter One: Introduction 1.1 Background 1.1.1 Global Outbound Tourism 1 1.1.2 China’s Outbound Tourism 4 1.2 Rationale for the Study 6 1.3 Research Aims and Objectives 9 1.4 Research Questions 9 1.5 Structure of the Study 10 Chapter Two: Literature Review 2.1 Chapter Overview 11 2.2 Hospitality Industry 2.2.1 Overview 11 2.2.2 Hospitality and culture 11 2.3 Tourism 2.3.1 Overview 12 2.3.2 Tourism and Culture 13 2.4 Motivation 2.4.1 Definiti on and concept of Motivation 16 2.4.2 Motivation to Travel 17 2.4.3 Motivation for the Chinese Tourists 19 2.5 Characteristics of Chinese tourists 20 2.6 Tourism Experience 21 2.7 Push-and-pull framework 23 2.8 Destination Image 24 2.9 Chapter Summary 25 Chapter Three: Methodology 3.1 Research Philosophy 26 3.2 Epistemology 26 3.3 Research Phenomenon 26 3.4 Research Design 26 3.5 Research Methodology 27 3.6 Data Collection Instruments 29 3.7 Sampling Strategy 32 3.8 Data Analysis 33 3.9 Reliability and Validity 33 3.10 Ethical concerns 34 Chapter Four: Findings & Discussions 4.1 Chapter Overview 35 4.2 Presentation of Findings from the Survey 35 4.3 Presentation of Findings from Interviews 39 4.4 Discussion 42 4.5 Response to research questions 49 4.6 Chapter Summary 50 Chapter Five:... Tourists’ search for novel and distinctive experiences and sensations has been the drivers of outbound tourism (Là ³pez-Guzmà ¡n and Sà ¡nchez-Caňizares, 2012). International travellers are by nature novelty-seeking, inspired by a sense of exploration and adventure (Hartman, Meyer and Scribner, 2009). As per United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO, 2008) international tourism has been experiencing consistent growth and destination diversification (cited in Hartman, Meyer and Scribner, 2009). International tourist arrivals grew from 25 million in 1950 to 903 million in 2007, as per UNWTO which suggests an average growth rate of four percent. By 2020 this number is expected to reach 1.1 billion. So far people from Europe and the Americas accounted for the largest travel but now people from several countries such as Middle-East, North-East, South Asia, and Central and South America also travel to overseas destinations. Travel has now become a mainstream activity fo r the masses. This is perhaps the reason that despite the political crises and natural catastrophes in 2011, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) predicted that international arrivals would increase by 4-4.5% in 2012 to an all-time high (ITB, 2011). Despite the uncertain economic outlook, industry experts have expressed optimism for moderate growth. Rising incomes in the emerging markets, stable employment and disposable income in mature markets are expected to drive the growth. The world travel and tourism was impacted in 2011 due to several events such as the conflicts and revolutions in Arab countries, the Tsunami and nuclear disaster in Japan, and the political and economic drama in Greece (ITB, 2011).

Credit control and charity research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Credit control and charity research - Essay Example The supplier`s background is unknown to RTE and so there is huge risk involved in making the payment early. What if payment is not done, supplier waives off from his liability, the goods promised are not provided? The above questions are examples of financial risk that the company features. To reduce financial risk RTE can do a credit check on the customer’s financial history. To verify credit worthiness these are checks on the customers financial position (Gruening, 2000). To see whether a party is capable enough of making the loan payments, these checks are carried prior to accepting loan requests. Credit Bureaus run these credit checks and to verify financial data, various financial institutions are contacted. The company`s credit score is then a measure of the company’s credit worthiness – and therefore a low credit score means high financial risk. To reduce their financial risk RTE can make use of references that are provided to them by customers. The mechanism is simple. A list of references is exchanged at or before the contract .Reference is one who confirms that the details provided by a particular person are legal or not. Verifying the details by all references prior to making the payment can actually minimize Regeneration Through Charity Limited`s exposure to financial risk. By this they will not expose themselves by paying anything that should not be paid. A true picture of the supplier can be obtained as the references are often people and companies with good reputation (Weiss, 2000). Other option on hand to the company to reduce financial risk is negotiating. In the current case the supplier asks for fifty percent initial payment. New terms can be set between RTE and supplier which are beneficial to RTE. There is an option that the supplier might agree to lower the initial amount of payment to be made if the overall contract price is increased by a little margin.

Human bioscience Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Human bioscience - Essay Example pH has a direct effect on the structure of proteins in the human body as pH aberrations lead to either excess protonation or deprotonation of the proteins. This has a direct effect on the protein structures making them less functional. Proteins form the major component of bodily structures, enzymes and chemical components, and their chemical sensitivity to pH leads to an increased demand for regulator mechanisms so that pH can be maintained within the required ranges. pH maintainence is important mainly in the blood or the extracellular compartment, however, several cells of the body and even the brain require a proper maintainence of intracellular pH levels. Intracellular compartments are mainly more acidic than the extracellular compartments because of the negative charges on the inside of the cells. Cells also contain hydrogen pumps such as H-ATPase and Na/H exchanger pumps which are crucial in maintaining the pH inside the cells and keep in metabollicaly active (Seifter, et al., 2005 pg.392). pH of the blood is susceptible to changes in response to several physiological as well as pathological processes and body mechanisms work in conjunction regulate the ranges. pH ranges are subjected to alterations after increased acid or basic food intake, excessive exercise or in conditions such as alcoholism, salicylate poisoning, diabetes or hyperventilation. These are only some of the examples which alter the pH levels and require prompt compensations. Body responds by its chemical buffering system, respiratory mechanisms and renal compensations mainly to keep the pH withing the normal ranges. The acid base homeostasis of the body is maintained by body buffers, chemosensors present in the brain as well as the circulation, the kidneys and the lungs. These components form the basic acid-base apparatus of the human body. The buffers present in the body include bicarbonate, proteins, phosphate and other

The Relationships Among the Four Functions Essay Example for Free

The Relationships Among the Four Functions Essay The four functions of management are planning, organizing, influencing, and controlling. These functions are interrelated because the performance of one depends on the performance of its predecessor. While each is equally important on its own, I believe that the functions are a part of a process that must be viewed and implemented as a whole. First, planning involves choosing the tasks that are to be performed to meet the organization’s goals. Next is organizing, which is the process of assigning the tasks to the people responsible for getting the job done. Then there is influencing which is the guiding of the activities of the people assigned toward a desired end. And finally, there is controlling the process of gathering and comparing information to determine whether a project, or organization, is on track or needs improvement. Once you have done the planning, and organized the players to complete the tasks, you must influence the players by getting them to buy-in your plan. In this function you are being more of a â€Å"coach† than anything. A manager’s influence over the personnel assigned and how they approach the organizations goals is key. How to motivate, lead, or direct them toward the goals is the primary goal. In a sense, influencing is a way you can obtain the fourth and final function, controlling. The fourth function, controlling, involves possible modification to existing plans, organizational structure, or the motivation system used to develop a more successful effort. Being able to measure the performance of the personnel who have responsibility for the assigned tasks, will enable one to compare this to expected standards, then either influence them towards more positive gains, plan additional tasks, or continue to monitor progress towards goals. As you can see, each of the functions, while separate, are inextricably intertwined and necessary for the effective management of a project, or the organization as a whole.

Analysis Of The Pharmaceutical Industry Economics Essay

Analysis Of The Pharmaceutical Industry Economics Essay The most important definition of industry was given by Michael Porter in 1979: a group of competitors producing substitutes that are close enough that the behavior of any firm affects each of the others either directly or indirectly. Later, Porter defined the term more precisely as a group of companies offering products or services that are close substitutes for each other, that is, products or services that satisfy the same basic customers needs. This new definition emphasizes the importance of industry borders and industrys role as a market supplier or producer of goods and services, as distinguished from a market, defined as a consumer of goods and services. Furthermore, inside every industry there are groups of companies that follow similar strategies, defined by Michael S. Hunt in his unpublished 1972 Ph.D. dissertation as strategic groups. Between these groups there are differences in entry barriers, bargaining power with buyers and suppliers and skills and resources . Strategic groups compete against each other within the industry as a result of these differences. 1.2 Models to Analyze the Industry and Its Environment The literature agrees that comprehension of the industry structure is essential to developing a firms strategy and has a greater effect on the firms performance than whether it is business-specific or corporate-parent. The comprehension of the structure requires analyses of the industrys life cycle. It also requires step-by-step political, legal, technological, social and economic analyses as well as the five driving forces of business, provided by Michael Porter. By utilizing these analysis techniques, it is also possible to anticipate changes in industry competition and profitability over time. 1.2.1 Industry Life Cycle Analysis There are different phases during the development of an industry. Every phases is characterized by a different environments which make competition assumes different the form. Through studying the life cycle, the industry realizes its stake in the market and its influence on consumers. The industry life cycle model includes four different phases: introduction, growth, maturity and decline. The first phase, called introduction, is characterized by a low demand, whereas prices are high as a consequence of firms inability to realize economies of scale. For this reason profits are low and losses are possible due to high amount of investments in new categories. Barriers to entry are primary based on technologies and competencies. Strategy is focused mainly on RD and production, with the goal of enhancing novelty and quality. Competitors, attracted by the rising demand, attempt to replicate the new product. In the second phase, growth, the use of the product is extended, demand grows, prices decline due to economies of scale, barriers to entry are lower and the threat of new entry is high. At this phase the technology is usually not exclusive property of one or more firms, and the primary reaction to competition is marketing expenditure and initiatives; profits are not very high because prices decline as competitors enter the market. There is a transition period, or shakeout, between the second and the third phases. The shakeout involves finding and using all investment opportunities, because the market is near saturation and demand grows more slowly. In the third phase, maturity, market growth is low or nonexistent, and the focus shifts to gaining market share; demand is represented only by the substitution of products, investment in RD decreases and there is little innovation. In this phase firms seek cost reductions, and competition is based primarily on advertising and quality because of the low differentiation between products. Big firms acquire smaller players, while others are forced to exit. As a conseguence of high barrier to entry, the threat of new entrants are low. The last phase is decline, so called because of the continued decline in demand. Industries arrive at this stage for a variety of reasons. These include a change in social behaviors, demographic changes, international competition, technological innovations and increased customer knowledge. The buying process is based primarily on price rather than innovation. As a result, profit and revenues decline, and the industry as a whole may be supplanted. 1.2.2 PEST Analysis The word PEST is an acronym of several aspects that influence business activities at any given moment. An industry operates under Political, Economic, Social and Technological conditions. These conditions are identify and analyzed using the PEST Analysis technique. Due to their independent influence on any industry, it is essential that each be considered individually. The political aspect of analysis encompasses various factors that influence business activities in a given country at several levels: national, subnational and supranational levels. These include trade policies control imports, exports and international business partners, government ownership of industry, attitude toward monopolies and competition and trade policies. Hence, failure to consider these policies may result in loss of revenue due to taxes or penalty fees. Government stability is also very important, because it eradicates the risks associated with wars and conflicts. For an industry to thrive, political stability must be uncompromised; otherwise, sales and business activities will be uncertain, and investors will lose interest. The internal political issues in any country influence the running of industries. Politics based on race or religion may define the course for certain industries, especially if an industry falls short of political expectations. Elections and changes in leadership also influence an industrys strengths and opportunities and thus should be considered during the analysis. In addition to internal issues, international pressures and influences may affect some industries, such as environmental degradation or product safety. Another factor is terrorism. Though uncommon in many countries, poor or unstable governance may attract terrorist activities, vengeful or otherwise, which can have adverse effects on the industries operating in that country. All these issues may influence industry and firm expansion and industry attractiveness from stakeholders point of view. The economic aspect of analysis includes many factors. The first factor to consider is the current economic situation and trends in the country in which the industry is based. Companies should note inflation and economic decline so that when it comes to investing, they can avoid being financially affected. Failure to do this results in an economically blind platform that may cause the industrys sudden collapse. Another factor to consider in analysis is taxation rates. When there are high taxation rates in a given country, price-based competition may affect a given industry in the international market. International economic trends are also very important, because they define currency exchange rates, imports and exports. Other factors to consider are consumer expenditure and disposable income and, finally, legal issues, including all trade legislation in a given country and other legal regulations that inhibit or encourage expansion of business activities. Also to be considered are co nsumer protection laws, employment laws, environmental protection laws and quality standardization regulations. Industrial laws regulating competition, market policies and guidelines also play an important role in influencing industrys stability and future expansion possibilities . When considering the social aspect, factors including demographic changes, shifts in values and culture and changes in lifestyle are important to note so as to strategize on expansion and growth . Certain factors, such as media and communities, influence an industrys growth and returns. Brand name and corporate image are also very important in influencing growth and returns since they shape customer loyalty and shareholder investment. The medias views on certain industrial products should be incorporated into the analysis, as should consumer attitudes and sensibility to green issues, that is, issues that affect the environment, energy consumption and waste and its disposal. A companys information systems and internal and external communications should also be analyzed to ensure that it keeps pace with its competitors. Other factors are the policies regulating education, health and distribution of income, all of which, in the long run, influence consumer use of products . The technological aspect of analysis encompasses a variety of factors. In addition to developing technologies, all associated technologies, along with their innovation potentials, speed of change and adoption of new technology, should be analyzed for a proper evaluation of the industry. Other technological factors are transportation, waste management and online business. The level of expenditure on RD should also be considered in order to secure the industrys competitive position to prevent losses and collapse . 1.2.3 Porters Five Competitive Forces Analysis Porters model, as described by Kay, is an evolution of the Structure-Conduct-Performance paradigm conceived by Edward Mason at Harvard University in the 1930s and detailed by Scherer in the 1980s. , The model aims to determine the intensity of industry competition, major issues in determining strategy and whether an industry is attractive or not. Porter identified five competitive forces that act on an industry and its environment: threat of entry, intensity of rivalry among existing competitors, threat of substitutes, bargaining power of buyers and bargaining power of suppliers. The first competitive force, threat of entry, refers to the threat of new entrants in an established industry or acquisition to gain market share. Reactions of participants and barriers to entry are the main factors used to establish whether the threat is high or low. Six major entry barriers have been identified: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ capital required to compete in the industry (especially in risky industry, such as advertising or RD) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ switching costs à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ access to distribution channels à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ economies of scale à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ cost disadvantages independent of scale, such as patents, access to know-how, access to limited resources, favorable locations, government subsidies or policies and learning or experience curves à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ product differentiation à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ expected retaliation from existing firms against the new entrants Strong barriers to the entry of new firms enable a few firms to dominate the market and thereby influence prices. The second force is intensity of rivalry among existing competitors. Rivalry takes place when one or more firms inside an industry try to improve their position using tactics such as price competition, new product introduction or new services. Rivalry depends on several factors: number and size of competitors, industry growth, product characteristics (which determine whether the rivalry is based on price or differentiation), cost structure, exit barriers, diverse competitors, operative capacity and high strategic stakes. If an industry is inhibited, then firms will experience difficulties when trying to expand. The growth of foreign competition and the corporate stakes should also be included in the analysis. Threat of substitutes is the third forces. Substitutes are those products manufactured by other industries but serving the same purposes as the initial product. These substitute products cause the demand to decline. The implications are reduced profits and reduced market command by the original capital investor. This is of particular importance when the buyer has no switching costs and can easily compare products in terms of price and efficiency. Bargaining power of buyers is the fourth force. High bargaining power positions weak firms inside the industry, forcing price down, enhancing competition between industry players and resulting in bargaining for higher quality or services. This power is particularly high under certain conditions, such as few and specific buyers, undifferentiated products, low switching costs, the possibility of backward integration and information about demand and the availability of market price to the buyers. Furthermore, bargaining power is high if product quality is not a crucial factor of decision-making and if what the buyer is acquiring is a modest fraction of his total costs. Bargaining power is even higher when the buyer is a retailer or a wholesaler able to influence the consumers purchasing decision. The fifth and last force is the bargaining power of suppliers. This can act on the industry in several ways: raising prices, lowering quality or privileging some buyers. Supplier power can be divided into several elements. One of these elements is supplier concentration. Suppliers are in a stronger position when there are few suppliers, switching costs are high, the industry they are serving account for a small fraction of their business or their products are an important part of the buyers business. The bargaining power of suppliers is low or nonexistent when there are substitute products. Lastly, purchase volume and the suppliers influence on cost are very important. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã†â€™ 2. Pharmaceutical Industry Analysis A general overview of the pharmaceutical industry is the primary objective of this chapter. First, this chapther will define the industry in order to identify the main players in the pharmaceutical market. Second, using the instruments and models described in the first section, it will highlight the main characteristics of the industry and the factors that influence it. 2.1 Definition of Pharmaceutical Industry The pharmaceutical industry is composed of companies developing, manufacturing and marketing products licensed for use as medications. Their goal is to prevent, diagnose or treat diseases. A medicinal product, also called a pharmaceutical, according to the EU, is an exogenous substance or a combination of exogenous substances that can be organic or inorganic, natural or synthetic, and able, once inside the human or animal body, to modify physiological functions or to make a medical diagnosis through physical, chemical or physicochemical action. This industry is subdivided into two sub-industries characterized by different business models and players: prescription and OTC pharmaceuticals. Prescription pharmaceuticals, also referred to as Rx, are medicines that are available to the consumers for purchase in a pharmacy or drug store only with a prescription from a physician or administered only in hospitals. These medicines target specific diseases and, therefore, are prescribed for and used by one person only. OTC pharmaceuticals are instead used by more than one person which present the same symptoms in the same or in different time. These medicines are available to the consumer at every time and the consumer dont need any prescription from a physician for purchase. Furthermore, inside this industry there are two types of firms: Big Pharma and Biotech. These two types, despite being in the same business, vary in several ways: IP, drug methodology, expenditure and productivity of RD . The primary drug RD techniques used by Big Pharma firms are chemoinformatics and in silico screenings. Biotech firms are companies that use biotechnology in RD . Biotechnology, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, is the application of science and technology to living organisms, as well as parts, products and models thereof, to alter living or nonliving materials for the production of knowledge, goods and services. Generally, Biotech firms tend to have a strong academic culture, are more risk treatment and spend less than half what Big Pharma spends on R&D; in 2004, Biotech firms spent $20 billion, versus $50 billion spent by Big Pharma. Generally, a Biotech product has multiple IP covering manufacture, formulation and stability, a s opposed to Big Pharma IP, which covers only the product, allowing generics to be produced quickly. While they may appear to have the same phenotype, their genotypes are distinct, so much so that they can be considered two industries, as stated by Arthur D. Levinson, Chairman and CEO of Genentech. Nevertheless, this distinction is not always clear, as many Biotech and Big Pharma firms are hybrids to varying degrees. The focus of this thesis are Big Pharma involved in the development of prescription pharmaceuticals to treat and prevent human diseases in the EU market. 2.2 Analysis of the Pharmaceutical Industry The purpose of this chapter is to provide a brief overview of the pharmaceutical industry lifecycle and investigate the major force acting inside it . 2.2.1 Industry Lifecycle Analysis People over the years have always tried to discover diseases causes and to find remedies against it. The most complete medical test, the Ebers Papyrus, is dated 1550 BC and it was written by Egyptians . However, the industrial production of drugs dates back to the year 1827 when Heinrich E Merck in Germany founded the first company for the production of cocaine and morphine . This event started the introduction phase of the pharmaceutical industry in Europe. In Europe, this industry was born in different way, reflecting the different strategic groups inside it. In the German-speaking countries, pharmaceutical companies were born as a branch of the chemical industry, with firms like Bayer and Hoechst in 1863, BASF in 1865 and Schering in 1871 in Germany, and CIBA in 1884 and Sandoz in 1886. Only Hoffman-La Roche in 1894 in Switzerland was originally a drug firm. On the other hand, in Italy, France and the UK companies were born from small shop pharmacies, such as Glaxo which traces it s origins to a pharmacy in Plough Court in 1715 . During the 1800s many compounds were already being isolated, but none was being synthetically produced. The first synthetic drug was Phenacetin, produced by Bayer and commercialized in 1888 . Ten years later Bayer commercialized Aspirin, which marked a milestone in the pharmaceutical industry. Many firms rose to prominence in the 1920s-30s with these kinds of pharmaceuticals, but also with a new class of pharmaceuticals: vaccines and serums . During the Second World War II the demand for drugs increased and mass production started, primarily with drugs such as antibiotics (penicillin, streptomycin and neomycin) and sulphonamide . The availability of these drugs dramatically changed the quality and the average life-span of people. In this period the German pharmaceutical industry, a leader along with the Swiss in pre-war times, was taken over by American firms who came to Europe to taking advantage of the condition of the continent after the war. The period 1950-60 was the start of the industrys growth phase , and this saw a proliferation of new drugs and high return to drug discovery. New drugs included tranquilizers such as MAO inhibitors in 1952, anti-tuberculosis drugs such as Isoniazid in 1952 and oral contraceptives in 1956. Other discoveries included Librium in 1960 and Valium in 1960. The latter was sold from 1963 and later became one of the most prescribed medicines in history before controversy emerged over its link to habituation and dependency. In the 1950s, legislation was put in place to regulate the industry, mainly touching on labelling and approval by health authorities as well as drawing distinctions between non-prescription and prescription medicines. In this apparently unstoppable process of pharmaceutical progression and optimism the industry was stalled by a drama concerning one drug sold in Europe and Japan, Thalidomide. This drug, synthesized in Germany in 1954, was introduced to the market to treat the symptoms of morning sickness and nausea in pregnant women. Between 1954 and 1960, it caused around 5,000 and 10,000 severe deformities in infants. In fact, the drug had not been sufficiently tested on animals to assess its safety, and after this revelation, in an attempt to better regulate the industry, drug oversight authorities were established to exercise control over the industry. The World Medical Association met in Finland and issued the Declaration of Helsinki, setting the standards for clinical research. Among other things, the declaration stated that pharmaceutical companies must prove the efficacy of a new drug in clinical trials before releasing it to the market, and subjects must consent to experiments done to test the efficacy of drugs in clinical studies. The industry remained small up to the late 1970s . Two events characterized the 1970s. First, chemical production for raw materials and early intermediates shifted out of Europe to low cost destinations such as India and China which later began producing active pharmaceutical ingredients and finally non-patented pharmaceuticals . Second, there was the birth of biotechnology. This new science had its roots many years before with the discovery of the double helix in 1953 by Watson and Crick, which followed the advances in molecular genetics, recombinant DNA technology, and molecular biology. Until then, drugs in commerce were produced by extraction from natural substances or chemical synthesis. These new techniques of molecular biology marked the birth of a new industry which became a competitor to and a substitute of the pharmaceutical industry. This new industry was pioneered by firms like Genentech and Amgen which introduced revolutionary drugs such as Epogen and recombinant human i nsulin. In the 1980s, legislation was passed in most European countries requiring adherence to strong patents for both the pharmaceutical products and their production processes. There were also new regulations such as the introduction of the Good Clinical Practices, which were guidelines regulating ethics and the reliability of clinical studies. In Europe, several states also initiated health maintenance organizations and managed care in an effort to limit rising medical costs, and a preference for preventive rather that curative medication took root. As the industry entered the 1990s, new discoveries and projects, such as the Human Genome Project 1990, changed the business environment. Also, there was a huge wave of MA to build on synergies. This included Ciba-Geigy and Sandoz forming Novartis, Hoechst and Roussel-Rhone Poulenc-Rorer forming Aventis and Glaxo Wellcome and SmithKline forming GlaxoSmithKline. In this way, the manufacturing of pharmaceuticals came to be concentrated in Western Europe and North America, with dominant firms and a few small companies that produced drugs in each country. The major European companies are still the dominant players not only in Europe but also in the global market. They include Novartis of Switzerland, Bayer of Germany, GlaxoSmithKline of the UK, Hoffman-la Roche of Switzerland and AstraZeneca of UK/Sweden. As the European pharmaceutical industry entered the 21st century, signs of the growth phase have become even more evident. This has been characterized by intense marketing to physicians and internet commerce. This, in part, has been facilitated by the liberalization of marketing rules requiring presentation of risks as well as the advertising message. Internet has enabled the direct purchase of raw materials by the manufacturers. The development of drugs has moved from the hit-and-miss approach to research and informed discovery. Alternative medicines and lifestyle medicines have presented new challenges and opportunities and have raised the level of competition in the industry. The aging population in western European economies has increased opportunities for raising revenues. In fact, because of the ageing population in the developed economies, drug consumption will increase since the aged have a higher frequency of contracting diseases than younger people. New epidemics, such as t he recent H1N1 flu outbreak, continue to batter the world population, and increased globalization makes them spread more quickly than ever. As the industry advances through the growth phase, companies are undertaking research and development initiatives both to develop new drugs and improve production processes. Further, the increased role of state-supported medical schemes across Europe, as well as other state-managed health programs around the world will greatly increase the reach of healthcare, extending it to more of the middle class and the poor who constitute the larger part of the population in most countries. As the medical programs continue to gain efficacy, the sales of pharmaceutical firms are expected to grow. In addition,, the emerging economies like Brazil, Russia, India, China, Turkey, Mexico, and South Korea will add to potential consumer numbers in the industry for European manufacturers. Together, these countries constitute a huge percentuage of the worlds population, meaning that their entry into the high income category will no doubt present an enormous potential market for pharmaceutical products. In fact, the growth in these markets is expected to reach 14-17% by 2014, compared with only 3-6% growth in the developed markets. Thanks to agreements signed by the Asia-Pacific and Europe governments concerning liberalization of the Asia-Pacific pharmaceuticals and investments market, many companies have already started to establish relationships with emerging markets. An example is GlaxoSmithKline, who partnered in 2009 with Indias Dr. Reddy Laboratories. GlaxoSmithKline will distribute the drugs manufactured and supplied by Dr. Reddy in Africa, the Middle East, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America. Even with these last considerations, the European pharmaceutical industry has only a limited chance of entering the maturity phase of the cycle. The barriers to entry are so great that they choke any new entrant in almost every facet of operation: in research and development, in product distribution, and in compliance with rules and regulations. In fact, this industry has complex manufacturing capabilities which are hard to replicate, and are protected by way of patent, as well as huge consumer attachment to preferred brands from specific companies, often informed by experience. Furthermore Europe generic penetration is very low (less than 10% in total). Thus the industry might remain in the growth phase for a considerable time.

Essay --

Junior Thesis Rough Draft Roland Ko Yellow 1/29/14 Research Question: How did the Great Depression affect women in both the household and in the job industry, in addition to the long-term benefits for equality for women? Through putting in hard work under strenuous conditions at the factory, in addition to maintaining their households for their families, and with built up motivation, women were able to make strides towards equality. At the workplace, women persevered through the arduous conditions of the factories and the animosity from their coworkers. At home, women had to additionally maintain as well as take care of their families after working from their jobs. Through their overwhelming contributions towards their households and jobs, women were able to gather motivation to strive for equality. Through their dedication and hard work in both their households and jobs, women were convincingly able to authorize themselves as identical. Women during the Great Depression were given the challenge of maintaining their households while financially seeking jobs in an effort to support their families. In addition to the long hours and bad working conditions women had to endure when they were working outside of their houses, women were met with the same responsibilities at home to both maintain and support their households by cooking, cleaning, and being sympathizers for their men. With women additionally maintaining their households in addition to working full time jobs, women were able to greatly show their impact on the Great Depression through their hard work and dedication, as well as prove that they were just as capable as men in providing for their families. To begin with, women had to start makin... ...s fair to say that they were successful. Not only were women able to unify more in protests by performing sit-ins, women were also being addressed at a national level, thus pushing their movement and recognition for equality even further. In conclusion, despite the fact that women were considered to be exclusively housewives and sympathizers for their men, women during the Great Depression were able to show that they were capable of doing what men could in showing they did better than men in academics and showing that they were able to equally work in labor jobs, ultimately being one of the major factors in pushing their movement for equality through their contributions in both the household and in the work industry, creating the first real steps toward women achieving equilibrium with men in both the household lifestyle and in the public working conditions at work.

Issues Raised by Use of Turnitin Plagiarism Detection Software :: Plagiarism Detection Software

Issues Raised by Use of Turnitin Plagiarism Detection Software This past week, I worked with a couple of other members of the Writing Department at GVSU to prepare a position statement on plagiarism detection software. GVSU only recently acquired a subscription to Turnitin, and myself and the other teachers were concerned that teachers in other disciplines would be unware of the issues surrounding plagiarism detection services. The following is the full text of the statement which has been distributed on our campus. Note: CCCC-IP has begun a resource page on plagiarism detection services. Issues Raised by Use of Turnitin Plagiarism Detection Software Overview Recently, Grand Valley State University purchased a site license to plagiarism detection service Turnitin.com. Faculty members who use this service can require students to submit writing assignments electronically to Turnitin, which compares student texts against Turnitin’s database of Internet sites, academic journals index, and previously student submitted papers and prepares a report indicating where in the text plagiarism has been detected. Writing submitted to Turnitin is maintained in the database for comparison against future submissions by other students. Scholars and teachers in the field of Rhetoric and Composition, as well as other academics, have discouraged the use of plagiarism detection services. We recommend that before using this service, faculty members consider several important issues raised by the use of Turnitin. Turnitin Discourages Good Pedagogical Practices Concerning Writing Because Turnitin compares student writing against a database of articles, previously submitted student writing, and web pages, it’s most easily used as a plagiarism detection service. Such use emphasizes the policing of student behavior and texts over good-faith assumptions about students’ integrity, and can shift attention away from teaching students how to avoid plagiarism in the first place. In â€Å"Defining and Avoiding Plagiarism: The WPA Statement on Best Practices,† the Council of Writing Program Administrators urges teachers to â€Å"use plagiarism detection services cautiously,† for they should â€Å"never be used to justify the avoidance of responsible teaching methods.† We recommend that teachers work toward implementing the WPA’s best practices as a long-term solution to eliminating plagiarism and building a culture of responsible participation in the creation and circulation of academic knowledge. The Writing Department and the Fred Meijer Center for Writing will be happy to host a workshop on sound pedagogical practices for eliminating plagiarism. Turnitin Can Be Ineffective for Detecting Plagiarism Experimentation by researchers and instructors has indicated that Turnitin can be ineffective in catching student plagiarism of Internet sources or can produce otherwise inaccurate results (e. Issues Raised by Use of Turnitin Plagiarism Detection Software :: Plagiarism Detection Software Issues Raised by Use of Turnitin Plagiarism Detection Software This past week, I worked with a couple of other members of the Writing Department at GVSU to prepare a position statement on plagiarism detection software. GVSU only recently acquired a subscription to Turnitin, and myself and the other teachers were concerned that teachers in other disciplines would be unware of the issues surrounding plagiarism detection services. The following is the full text of the statement which has been distributed on our campus. Note: CCCC-IP has begun a resource page on plagiarism detection services. Issues Raised by Use of Turnitin Plagiarism Detection Software Overview Recently, Grand Valley State University purchased a site license to plagiarism detection service Turnitin.com. Faculty members who use this service can require students to submit writing assignments electronically to Turnitin, which compares student texts against Turnitin’s database of Internet sites, academic journals index, and previously student submitted papers and prepares a report indicating where in the text plagiarism has been detected. Writing submitted to Turnitin is maintained in the database for comparison against future submissions by other students. Scholars and teachers in the field of Rhetoric and Composition, as well as other academics, have discouraged the use of plagiarism detection services. We recommend that before using this service, faculty members consider several important issues raised by the use of Turnitin. Turnitin Discourages Good Pedagogical Practices Concerning Writing Because Turnitin compares student writing against a database of articles, previously submitted student writing, and web pages, it’s most easily used as a plagiarism detection service. Such use emphasizes the policing of student behavior and texts over good-faith assumptions about students’ integrity, and can shift attention away from teaching students how to avoid plagiarism in the first place. In â€Å"Defining and Avoiding Plagiarism: The WPA Statement on Best Practices,† the Council of Writing Program Administrators urges teachers to â€Å"use plagiarism detection services cautiously,† for they should â€Å"never be used to justify the avoidance of responsible teaching methods.† We recommend that teachers work toward implementing the WPA’s best practices as a long-term solution to eliminating plagiarism and building a culture of responsible participation in the creation and circulation of academic knowledge. The Writing Department and the Fred Meijer Center for Writing will be happy to host a workshop on sound pedagogical practices for eliminating plagiarism. Turnitin Can Be Ineffective for Detecting Plagiarism Experimentation by researchers and instructors has indicated that Turnitin can be ineffective in catching student plagiarism of Internet sources or can produce otherwise inaccurate results (e.

Essay examples --

Eric Vaughn Biber Professor Mary Dudy Bjork English 421 Essay 2 May 1, 2008 The Miracle of Poetry. â€Å"Such ‘unnatural’ tendencies have an intimate relation to genius, and what we call ‘genius’ is, exactly, the awareness, and expression, of planes, or dimensions, beyond the biological and the temporal. That is why Shakespeare’s Sonnets are so deeply concerned with the problems of time, death and eternity† (Knight, 69-70). Maybe Shakespeare knew that true literary genius existed in the study of the relationship man has with death and certainty, so he pointed his writing in this direction for literary immortality. Maybe yet he was simply fascinated with death in general, and his genius shined through in his writing. Regardless of his motives, it is clear that Shakespeare was at some level fascinated with time and its overwhelming destructive powers. This fascination was evident in almost all of Shakespeare’s works, but most notably in his Sonnets. Not only did Shakespeare realize the fragility of life, but he found a way to overcome t he universe’s inevitability with poetry. Although most of Shakespeare’s Sonnets are dedicated to a certain young youth, this dedication is only a front to carry on one of Shakespeare’s greatest concerns; the certainty of time and death. With the use of the written word, Shakespeare found a way to overcome the power of time and immortalize all that he loved, whomever and whatever that may be, inside the power of his ink. When examining the presence of time and certainty in Shakespeare’s Sonnets, the best place to begin is with Sonnet 18. This is by far one of Shakespeare’s most famous Sonnets, and probably his most misunderstood by the common reader. Though this Sonnet seems to be a simple love poem on the... ... considered the first of the â€Å"procreation† Sonnets directed to the fair young youth, a deeper look at Sonnet 1 reveals evidence of Shakespeare’s uncanny ability to understand the nature of the universe. From fairest creatures we desire increase, That thereby beauty's rose might never die, But as the riper should by time decease, His tender heir might bear his memory: (1.1-4) â€Å"The rose embodies only the perfect moment that intervenes between fulfillment and decay. Describing it, Shakespeare makes no attempt to speak in a biographical voice, or that of a dramatically defined persona. It is simply â€Å"we† who speak, as the voice of a consensus, and our desire for preserving the flower’s beauty is no less natural than its coming decline. Such a confluence, using â€Å"we† to unite temporarily speaker, reader, and the ordinary world, has a justification of its own† (Weiser, 3).

Italy embraces Welsh Literature Essay

The Italians have fallen for Welsh literature, if the trend of publication (18 books in 9 years with more to follow) has anything to go by. However, it’s not exactly a sudden connoisseurship that this country, an inveterate contributor of Arts and literature, is bent on to prove. It has more to do with the bond that developed through the migration of a chunk of Italians to Wales in the 20th Century, besides having somewhat similar appetite for ‘Romantic’ art and culture. The latest from the Welsh stable are, The Canals of Mars (poetry collection) by Patrick McGuinness, Minhinnick (anthology of contemporary Welsh poetry), The Prince of Wales (a novel on modern Cardiff) by John Williams and Y Pla (‘The Plague’, a novel) by William Owen Roberts. Thus, translations are doing fine with experts in zone like Andrea Bianchi and Silvana Siviero, who are translating their 11th book from Wales. Bianchi’s own poetic prowess joined with Ms Siviero’s 13 years of ‘on the soil’ experience. High on success, they have branded their works as Parole dal Galles (Geiriau O Gymru). Close on the heels are six other publishers. The literary magazine from the University of Venice through its ‘Welsh Literature Section’, also provides encouragement. With three volumes of poetry by Robert in the pipe line, along with publishing prospect of the books by poets Gillian Clarke and John Barnie or the novelist Caradog Prichard, both the market and its producers are upbeat about the future. The poet, Gwyneth Lewis or Sioned Puw Rowlands, the director of Welsh Literature Abroad – all attribute this enthusiasm to the orchestrated effort produced by the parties from both the sides, save the Italian readers’ interest, which they have already proved by their rousing reception to the novelist Trezza Azzopardi.

Sport Journalism, a view of the world, or a view generated by the dominant male supremacy?

The media is a powerful tool, which shapes the views and ideas of society, ‘the print media is an influential socializing agent in that it informs and entertains the reader and encourages social integration and social change by values, ideas and attitudes it presents' (Eitzen and Sage, 1995, p78). When the media has such an important effect on society, is it right that male journalists dominate the media, in a sense serving to maintain and preserve patriarchal relationships. Although there have been many changes in the treatment of females in society in the past, many females are still excluded from numerous professions. Certain institutions frown upon the entry of females, as advancements made by females in society decreases the amount of men in dominant positions in society. This is shown by the small number of ‘male preserves' (Elias & Dunning, 1986, p268) left in today's modern society. However, one institution that seems unable to accommodate change, for the sake of protecting its ‘male preserve' (Elias & Dunning, 1986, p268) is the print media. The media is increasingly becoming more of a male preserve, due to ever-growing equality females strive for; many men's clubs have vanished, as they would rather shut than accommodate females, and erase issues of equality. Therefore the print media is an important site for this male preserve, ‘our newspapers are run like old boy's clubs' (Stratford, 1992, p130). Even when females have broken in to the sports journalism profession, it is still under the dominant ideologies of a male supremacy. Entry is possible for women, as long as no attempt is made to alter or even question the status quo' (Stratford, 1992, p130). The only way females can be involved in the sports journalism world, is to reject the issues that display feminine power, in addition they also have to adopt the dominant ideologies of a male society. ‘They wanted the jobs: therefore played by the rules in order to get them, the rules were not changed to facilitate the progress of other female journalists after them. Long hours, drinks with the boys and a disregard for childcare remain the norm' (Stratford, 1992, p130). Although females do break in to the media profession, this most commonly comes in the form if a television reporter. As sports journalism portrays the journalist's personal opinions, where television reporters are presented with scripts to shape the ideals of viewers, the only important thing on television is image, which is more often than not an attractive female. The profession of sports journalism in the print media is one of the most gender specific in modern society. ‘Sport is a male preserve and at the part it plays, relative to other sources, in the production and reproduction of masculine identity' (Elias & Dunning, 1986, p268). The print media has always been run by a dominant male supremacy producing a masculine identity, with jobs of highest priority, which shape the views of society such as journalist, more often than not given to men. This dominance of males in the media raises issues, which are constantly raised over the treatment of females in society, especially over the stereotypical coverage they receive. Therefore, sports journalism in this light can not actually be classed as sports journalism, sports journalism is all about reproducing and portraying the views of society, and giving everyone a equal voice. However, the media is so one sided it clearly cannot achieve this successfully. Although journalists, claim to be reflecting the attitudes of society rather than shaping men, recent national trends indicate that, with respect to women's lives, they lag behind dismally' (Stratford, 1992, p134). Affect of Bias In Sports One major area, which is affected by the dominance of a male hegemony is sports journalism. A large number of achievements are lost in the media concerning female athletes, due to the stereotypical coverage they receive. This negative coverage is the production of having a print media, which is run by men, as they will never be able to write about females from a female perspective. Their ownership by rich, white middle aged men, and their editorship usually by the same type of men, explains the difficulties they have in reflecting recent changes in society in any but the most stereotypical ways' (Stratford, 1992, p130). The media frequently directs the reader away from the success and the strengths of female athletes, and towards the typical stereotypes of women. Journalists achieve this by the use of narratives, which is the forming of a story, ‘narratives provide drama, human interest and appeal necessary to attract and keep viewers' (Higgs and Weiller, 1994, p234). Narratives often demonstrate traditional qualities associated with females, females successes are seen to be more challenging due to the struggles of their personal lives. ‘Women's sport is further denigrated in importance by a heightened focus on the athlete's personal lives' (Duncan, 1993, p234). Furthermore, females are repeatedly represented as being weak and depending on others, more often than not this figure comes in the shape of a man. This shows how narratives often reinforce inequalities in power and gender relations. These inequalities help to construct a hegemonic masculinity, which Humberstone (1990) labels ‘the reproduction of patriarchal gender relations in society' (Humberstone, 1990, p235). Therefore, it can be argued that the media is just a site where men are free to oppress females, and are free from criticisms. In essence, journalists can be seen as originators of patriarchy in society, as they help it develop and manifest itself on to the larger stage of society through their own accounts they present to society. People are inevitably affected by what media present them, if the writers of the media are predominately of one gender, then there is potential that another side of the story or noteworthy athletic accomplishments are being neglected' (Urquhart and Crossman, 1999, p199). Conclusion: In conclusion, sports journalism is a flawed profession. The whole concept journalism is to illustrate and construct an equal argument, giving no one group priority over the next. However, many accounts of sports journalism demonstrate that the majority of the time, coverage is biased towards men and their male perspective. This bias is especially evident when it comes to the case of females in the media, often females voices and opinions are lost and unequal arguments are created. Research into the absence of female journalists in sport has previously demonstrated that not one single article was written by a female until 1976 concerning articles surrounding the Olympics, in two Canadian newspapers. There was also only one article written by a female in the 1992 Olympics, this is one example of a male supremacy in the media. ‘Sports journalism is obviously a male stronghold' (Urquhart and Crossman, 1999, p199). In addition, a recent count showed that in two popular British newspapers, female journalists still suffer from oppression due to the dominant male operated media. With 100% of sport articles written by male journalists for the Independent, and 96% written by male journalists for the Times. This justifies the argument that sports journalism is essentially flawed, as the codes of sports journalism are rejected. ‘For example, the practice of sports journalism should revolve around a set of essentially ethical concepts: freedom, democracy, truth, objectivity, honesty, and privacy' (Belsey and Chadwick, 1992, pXi), yet sports journalism does not. Thus, sports journalism cannot be seen as a democratic and truthful process, sports journalism simply is the production of a dominant male society, trying to hold on to one of its ever-fading male preserves.

Describe the Three Different Parenting Styles and Discuss How They Might Impact on Children’s Behavior

According to Diana Baumrind, a clinical and developmental psychologist, parents will use one of three parenting styles. Baumrind based these three parenting styles on four factors; Disciplinary strategies, Warmth and Nurturance, Communication styles and expectations of maturity and control, these were identified as the four dimensions of parenting. I will now discuss the three parenting styles and the impacts these styles have on children’s behaviour. Baumrind’s three parenting style’s, based on the four dimensions of parenting are; Authoritarian, Permissive and Authoritative. Authoritarian parents set very strict disciplinary rules; they expect their children to follow strict rules and regulations with strict boundaries. They exert their control over their children by telling them what they can and can’t do, without giving them choices or options. Authoritarian parents often scold and punish their children, often in a harsh manner, for not following their rules. Words and phrases an Authoritarian parent may use might include; â€Å"‘No you can’t †¦. ’, ‘Because I say so, that’s why’, ‘Do it, do it NOW! † (2013) According to Baumrind, these parents are â€Å"obedience and status orientated and expect their orders to be obeyed without explanation† (1991) Permissive parents make very few demands on their children and rarely discipline or punish them. They have low expectations of self-control and maturity and are often communicative and nurturing with their children, preferring to be more of a friend than a parent. Words and phrases a Permissive parent may use might include; â€Å"’It’s up to you. If that’s what you really want to do then †¦. ’’The reason for wanting you to †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ is †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. ’Well, if you don’t feel like it †¦.. ’† (2013) According to Baumrind, Permissive parents â€Å"are more responsive than they are demanding. They are non-traditional and lenient and do not require mature behaviour, they allow considerable self-regulation and avoid confrontation† (1991) Authoritative parenting style is very much like the Authoritarian parenting style in as much as they also like to establish rules and guidelines that their children are expected to follow, however, this style is much more lenient as these parents realise that sometim es flexibility is required. When children fail to meet expectations, the parents are nurturing and forgiving. Authoritative parents are responsive to their children and are willing to listen to and answer questions asked by the child / children. Words and phrases an Authoritative parent may use might include;†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢This is my view†¦.. but what are your thoughts? ’, ‘Sorry, but I thought we agreed †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ ’† (2013) Baumrind suggests that these parents â€Å"monitor and impart clear standards for their children’s conduct. They are assertive, but not intrusive and restrictive. Their disciplinary methods are supportive rather than punitive. They want their children to be assertive as well as socially responsible and self-regulated as well as co-operative† (1991) Behaviour can be both good and bad, of the three parenting styles, the Authoritarian is the most ineffective as children will be obedient, but disrespectful, angry, mistrustful, defiant, withdrawn and rebellious (as they grow up) due to the strict rules and regulations set by the parents. Permissive parenting is deemed a very negligent style of parenting due to the lack of rules and boundaries, although impacts can be both negative and positive, children of permissive parents tend to be irresponsible, impulsive, immature, insecure, demanding, self-centred and will show a poor performance academically, but positive impacts are better social skills and belief in themselves. The Authoritative style has to be the best style of parenting as they exercise a balanced control over their children by setting clear standards, rules and guidelines with non-punitive punishment, whilst encouraging them to be independent individuals, they will listen to what the child has to say and is open to negotiation leading to happy, socially competent children who are independent and full of self-esteem. It is not only parenting styles that impact on children’s behaviour; other factors in a child’s life can also affect behaviour, i. e. negative or traumatic family incidents like bereavement, illness, abuse, cultural and religious beliefs, bullying and peer pressure to name but a few, for example; â€Å"Thomas found it hard to adjust to sharing his parents with Rowanna when she was first born† causing his behaviour to change dramatically. (Open University 2013, pg32) To conclude, I have shown that parenting styles vary considerably, have different impacts on children and behaviour and all have negative and positive effects and that it is not just parenting styles that impact on children’s behaviour, as children raised in dramatically different environments can later grow up to have remarkably similar personalities and also children who share a home and are raised in the same manner, can grow up to have dramatically different personalities. But of the three parenting style’s, the one deemed to be the best style of parenting is the Authoritative parenting style, as it is a well balanced style with warmth, support and acceptance. There is control over children but without being controlling. There are firm rules and guidelines set in place, but there is room for flexibility when needed leading to happy, socially competent, independent, confident high achieving children.

A fashionista

I think the most important lesson is this: no matter how hard things get or what horrible stuff happens to you, nobody's going to cut you any slack. If you have to grieve, you need repair your torn up life, or you're not perfect because you went through traumatic events in your childhood, it doesn't matter. You're held to the same standards as everyone else, even if things were tough for you. On one hand, this is kind of horrible. Grief and hardship shouldn't be the sort of thing you have to handle on your own.Everyone needs help. But really, you can't expect the world to wait for you to get better. Everyone else has tough times coming their way or things they've had to deal with before. Some have it much worse than others, but you're dealt the hand you're dealt. Have empathy and help others, but understand that pretty much nobody will cut you much of a break?and a small one if they do?if you have a hardship. You can learn on your friends and family for help, but you can't lean on th e rest of the world. You have to show strength and persevere.As someone who has gone through a lot of tough stuff, I'm not going to pretend it makes you better all- around. I'm still damaged in some ways, but I'm a lot stronger than others. Some parts of life are always going to be a struggle, but when you've struggled you don't get so intimidated by a challenge. I think the most important lesson is this: no matter how hard things get or what horrible stuff happens to you, nobody's going to cut you any slack. If you have to grieve, you need repair your torn up life, or you're not perfect cause you went through traumatic events in your childhood, it doesn't matter.You're held to the same standards as everyone else, even if things were tough for you. On one hand, this is kind of horrible. Grief and hardship shouldn't be the sort of thing you have to handle on your own. Everyone needs help. But really, you can't expect the world to wait for you to get better. Everyone else has tough ti mes coming their way or things they've had to deal with before. Some have it much worse than others, but you're dealt the hand you're dealt. Have empathy and help others, but understand that pretty much nobody will cut you much of a break?and a small one if they do?if you have a hardship.You can learn on your friends and family for help, but you can't lean on the rest of the world. You have to show strength and persevere. As someone who has gone through a lot of tough stuff, I'm not going to pretend it makes you better all-around. I'm still damaged in some ways, but I'm a lot stronger than others. Some parts of life are always going to be a struggle, but when you've struggled you don't get so intimidated by a challenge. I think the most important Essen is this: no matter how hard things get or what horrible stuff happens to you, nobody's going to cut you any slack.If you have to grieve, you need repair your torn up life, or you're not perfect because you went through traumatic event s in your childhood, it doesn't matter. You're held to the same standards as everyone else, even if things were tough for you. On one hand, this is kind of horrible. Grief and hardship shouldn't be the sort of thing you have to handle on your own. Everyone needs help. But really, you can't expect the world to wait for you to get better. Everyone else has tough times coming their way or things they've had to deal with before.Some have it much worse than others, but you're dealt the hand you're dealt. Have empathy and help others, but understand that pretty much nobody will cut you much of a break?and a small one if they do?if you have a hardship. You can learn on your friends and family for help, but you can't lean on the rest of the world. You have to show strength and persevere. As someone who has gone through a lot of tough stuff, I'm not going to pretend it makes you better all-around. I'm still damaged in some ways, but I'm a lot stronger than others.Some parts of life are alway s going to be a struggle, but when you've struggled you don't get so intimidated by a challenge. I think the most important lesson is this: no matter how hard things get or what horrible stuff happens to you, nobody's going to cut you any slack. If you have to they've had to deal with before. Some have it much worse than others, but you're parts of life are always going to be a struggle, but when you've struggled you don't struggled you don't get so intimidated by a challenge. A fashionista I think the most important lesson is this: no matter how hard things get or what horrible stuff happens to you, nobody's going to cut you any slack. If you have to grieve, you need repair your torn up life, or you're not perfect because you went through traumatic events In your childhood, It doesn't matter. You're held to the same standards as everyone else, even If things were tough for you. On one hand, this Is kind of horrible. Grief and hardship shouldn't be the sort of thing you have to handle on your own.Everyone needs help. But really, you can't expect the world to wait for you to get better. Everyone else has tough times coming their way or things they've had to deal with before. Some have it much worse than others, but you're dealt the hand you're dealt. Have empathy and help others, but understand that pretty much nobody will cut you much of a break?and a small one if they do?if you have a hardship. You can learn on your friends and family for help, but you can't lean on th e rest of the world. You have to show strength and persevere.As someone who has gone through a lot of tough stuff, I'm not going to pretend it makes you better all- around. I'm still damaged In some ways, but I'm a lot stronger than others. Some parts of life are always going to be a struggle, but when you've struggled you don't get so Intimidated by a challenge. I think the most Important lesson Is this: no matter how hard things get or what horrible stuff happens to you, nobody's going to cut you any slack. If you have to grieve, you need repair your torn up life, or you're not perfect cause you went through traumatic events in your childhood, it doesn't matter.You're held to the same standards as everyone else, even if things were tough for you. On one hand, this is kind of horrible. Grief and hardship shouldn't be the sort of thing you have to handle on your own. Everyone needs help. But really, you can't expect the world to wait for you to get better. Everyone else has tough ti mes coming their way or things they've had to deal with before. Some have it much worse than others, but you're dealt the hand you're dealt. Have empathy and help others, but understand that pretty much nobody will cut you much of a break?and a small one If they do?elf you have a hardship.You can learn on your friends and family for help, but you can't lean on the rest of the world. You have to show strength and persevere. As someone who has gone through a lot of tough stuff, I'm not going to pretend it makes you better all-around. I'm still damaged in some ways, but I'm a lot stronger than others. Some parts of life are always going to be a struggle, but when you've struggled you don't get so intimidated by a challenge. I think the most important Essen is this: no matter how hard things get or what horrible stuff happens to you, nobody's going to cut you any slack.If you have to grieve, you need repair your torn up life, or you're not perfect because you went through traumatic even ts in your childhood, it doesn't matter. You're held to the same standards as everyone else, even if things were tough for you. On one hand, this Is kind of horrible. Grief and hardship shouldn't be the sort of thing you have to handle on your own. Everyone needs help. But really, you can't expect the world to Walt for you to get better. Everyone else has tough times coming their way or things they've had to deal with before.Some have it much worse than others, but you're dealt the hand you're dealt. Much of a break?and a small one if they do?if you have a hardship. You can learn on your friends and family for help, but you can't lean on the rest of the world. You have to show strength and persevere. As someone who has gone through a lot of tough stuff, I'm not going to pretend it makes you better all-around. I'm still damaged in some ways, but I'm a lot stronger than others. Some parts of life are always going o be a struggle, but when you've struggled you don't get so intimidated by a challenge.I think the most important lesson is this: no matter how hard things get or what horrible stuff happens to you, nobody's going to cut you any slack. If you have to through traumatic events in your childhood, it doesn't matter. You're held to the same standards as everyone else, even if things were tough for you. On one hand, this is kind of horrible. Grief and hardship shouldn't be the sort of thing you have to handle on your own. Everyone needs help. But really, you can't expect the world to eave a hardship.You can learn on your friends and family for help, but you can't lean around. I'm still damaged in some ways, but I'm a lot stronger than others. Some parts of life are always going to be a struggle, but when you've struggled you don't get so intimidated by a challenge. I think the most important lesson is this: no matter their way or things they've had to deal with before. Some have it much worse than if they do?if you have a hardship. You can learn on your frien ds and family for help, struggled you don't get so intimidated by a challenge.

Leadership 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey Essay

Leadership 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey - Essay Example Deposits into someone’s account increases their trust, fondness, and confidence of their depositors. The result of these deposits is an intense relationship that allows for the tolerance of mistakes. 4. Under the proactive habit, one looks at the appropriate areas in their lives that they can concentrate on. These aspects, such as family and health on which time and energy are focused, form the circles of concern. Some of the items within these circles are controllable while others are beyond real control. The problems that all people face can be solved through the proactive approach. 6. Achieving something such as an establishment requires physical and mental dedication. Building a physical location requires the mental conceptualization of the same. This mental picture is the basis of the plan through which the physical object or item is achieved. Conceiving an excellent mental picture results in outstanding physical creation. This form of achievement is common in proactive people. Reactive people unconsciously direct the mental creation. 7. Everyone should have a purpose in life. People express their values and missions on a daily basis, either knowingly or unknowingly. One should define their personal statement so as to realize their purpose in life. Without a personal mission statement, one risks losing focus on their life’s purpose. 8. It is important to identify tasks that need to be done. Assigning priorities to tasks is essential in knowing the things that are urgent and require immediate attention. It also helps one classify items according to their importance. The tasks under one’s responsibility can be grouped in a quadrant. This quadrant relates the importance of a task to its urgency. The quadrant help’s one arrange tasks according to priority and thus manage time well. 11. A highly productive person should carefully plan their week to ensure they utilize it efficiently.