A Brief History of Prosthetics

A Brief History of Prosthetics The history of prosthetics and amputation surgery begins at the very dawning of human medicine. In the three great western civilizations of Egypt, Greece and Rome, the first true rehabilitation aids recognized as prostheses were made. Early use of prosthetics goes back to at least the fifth Egyptian Dynasty that reigned between 2750 to 2625 B.C. The oldest known splint was unearthed by archaeologists from that period. But the earliest known written reference to an artificial limb was made around 500 B.C. During the time, Herodotus wrote of a prisoner who escaped from his chains by cutting off his foot, which he later replaced with a wooden substitute. An artificial limb dating from 300 B.C., was a copper and wood leg that was unearthed at Capri, Italy in 1858. In 1529, French surgeon  Ambroise Pare  (1510-1590) introduced amputation as a lifesaving measure in medicine. Soon after, Pare started developing prosthetic limbs in a scientific manner. And in 1863, Dubois L Parmelee of New York City made a significant improvement to the attachment of artificial limbs by fastening a body socket to the limb with atmospheric pressure. While he was not the first person to do so, he was the first to make it practical enough to be used in medical practices. In 1898, a doctor named Vanghetti came up with an artificial limb that could move through muscle contraction. It wasn’t until the middle of the 20th century that major advancements were made in the attachment of lower limbs. In 1945, the National Academy of Sciences established the Artificial Limb Program as a way to improve the quality of life of World War II veterans who suffered the lost of limbs in combat. A year later, researchers at the University of California at Berkeley developed a suction sock for the above-knee prosthesis. Fast forward to 1975 and  the year an inventor named Ysidro M. Martinez took things a major step further by creating a below-the-knee prosthesis that avoided some of the problems associated with conventional artificial limbs. Instead of replicating the natural limb with articulated joints in the ankle or foot which tended to lead to poor gait, Martinez, an amputee himself, took a theoretical approach in his design. His prosthesis relies on a high center of mass and is light in weight to facilitate acceleration and deceleration and reduce friction. The foot is also considerably shorter to control acceleration forces, further reducing the friction and pressure. New advances to keep an eye involve the growing use of 3-D printing, which has allowed for the fast, precise manufacturing of artificial limbs that traditionally have been custom-built by hand. The U.S. government’s National Institutes of Health has recently established the 3D Print Exchange program as a way to provide researchers and students with the necessary modeling and software tools to fabricate prosthetics using 3D printing machines.   But beyond prosthetic limbs, here’s another fun fact: Pare could also have laid claim to be the father of facial prosthetics, making artificial eyes from enameled gold, silver, porcelain and glass. Thats your fun fact of the day

Sweden Politics

Sweden Politics The first words of Sweden's constitution, the Grundleg, state that all public power in Sweden comes from its people. This is very obviously saying that Sweden is a democratic nation. This democracy is based on parliamentarism, meaning that confidence and support from the parliament, the Riksdag, are required for making all major decisions. If the cabinet (sometimes called simply the Government) does not receive support from a majority in the Riksdag then it may be forced to resign before its term has expired. This parliamentary system has been unicameral since 1970 and contains 349 members. These members are elected every four years. These three details (Grundleg, Riksdag, and the democratic system) are the basis of Sweden's political system. Nearly all of its politics can be traced back to these basic principles.The Grundleg is split into four different laws. They are called the Instrument of Government (Regeringsformen), the Act of Succession (Successionsordningen), the Freedom of the Press Act (Tryckfrihetsforordningen), and the Fundamental Law on Freedom of Expression (Yttrandefrihetsgrundlagen).A commemorative coin of the 150th anniversary of t...These laws serve as a basis for how Sweden is ruled. They also serve to protect the citizens' freedoms and rights and were revised from their original rendition in 1975 in order to keep up with changed issues.The Instrument of Government contains much valuable information. As I have stated it starts with the statement, "All public power in Sweden proceeds from the people." Another statement in the Instrument of Government is, "The king or queen who occupies the throne of Sweden in accordance with the Act of Succession shall be the head of state." This tells us that Sweden is still technically a monarchy and the king is the Kreifels 2 head of state but he no longer holds any authority in the governing of the state. His task...

Liberty and democracy in Marx and Kant. What is the contemporary Essay - 1

Liberty and democracy in Marx and Kant. What is the contemporary relavance of their ideas - Essay Example nduct as purposeful and lasting rather than unintended and short-term, bringing to history, in Hegel’s personal design, â€Å"the belief and conviction that the realm of the will is not at the mercy of contingency† (Michaelis 1999, 537). The grand design of principle of history for Marx and Kant is of more direct importance. It becomes, undeniably, a requirement of action, devoid of which the concern in the future, so significant to their interpretation of modernity, cannot be persistent. Their works on the philosophy of liberty and democracy, occasioned by the disturbance of revolutionary anticipations, stand witness to an open effort either to control the experience of discontentment or to disallow it completely in the purposes of preserving the future configuration of modernity and the militant devotions that go behind (ibid). Writing in the repercussions of the French Revolution, when the processes of philosophy of history were merely starting to overpower political theory, scholars have charted their own distinctive path between the linear certainties of Kant’s insight of development and the dialectical certainties that Marx borrowed from Hegel. Marx and Kant respond to the catastrophic course of revolution through establishing the political as a dimension in which the species in its entirety trundles in the footsteps of the gods even as people endure the destiny of simple mortals (Fine 2001). Indeed, the more powerful the state, and hence the more political a nation is, the less probable it is predisposed to view in the state itself, that is in the contemporary structure of society whose dynamic, self-aware, and official articulation is the state, for the origin of social immoralities, and hence appreciate their common nature. Political intellect is political merely because it deliberates within the restrictions of politics. The sharper and more active it is the less competent it is of understanding social immoralities (Tate 2004). Therefore, it is

Medecine Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Medecine - Essay Example Every disease has a cause, although the causes of some remain to be discovered. Every disease also displays a cycle of onset, or beginning, course, or time span of affliction, and end, when it disappears or it partially disables or kills its victim. An epidemic disease is one that strikes much person in a community. When it strikes the same region year after year it is an endemic disease. An acute disease has a quick onset and runs a short course, an acute heart attack, for example, often hits without warning and can be quickly fatal. A chronic disease has a slow onset and runs a sometimes years-long course. The gradual onset and long course of rheumatic fever makes it a chronic ailment. Moderate exercise is necessary to health, but athletes who do vigorous exercises have not been noted for longevity. Fresh air is stimulating, but, where actual breathing is concerned, it's no better than the air in most rooms. General quality of air affected by pollution is indeed a concern. A balanced diet containing correct amounts of the basic food substances is essential, but there is no evidence that when or at what intervals one eats makes the slightest differences -unless one is a sufferer of stomach ulcer, in which case the interval between meals should be narrowed down. The concept of having meals at fixed intervals is nothing but a social convention and in a modern life obviously a matter of convenience. Sleep, too, is a necessity. But different people require vastly different amounts of sleep. In a number of studies of men and women who lived to a ripe old age it was found that the commonality they had was balanced diet of healthy food, contented minds, their interest in something which gave them a focus in life and partly their heredity. Health is defined as a state of complete physical, mental and social well- being and not merely the absence of diseases or infirmity. The main rules of health are- (a) Do not abuse your body -i.e., exercise, it, feed it sensibly and in moderation and don't poison it with cigarette smoke (your's or anyone else's), with alcohol or with other drugs (b) Think positively about health-make it a purpose for living (c) Turn your thoughts away from those bodily functions (digestion, circulation, breathing and so on), which can look after themselves. Introspection leads to hypochondriasis, and Social Medicine Medicine has come a long way from the time when disease was considered as punishment from the gods to a time where the society is looked on as the patient (society being responsible for them). Its treatment requires lot of tenderness and care. The field of medicine became more and more truly scientific, and the 20th century saw the-most rapid advances ever known, marked by the discovery of germs by Pasteur, of antiseptics by Lister, of vaccination by Jenner and anaesthetics by well sand Scot Simpson, the use of the microscope by Vuirchoe (German) brought great advance in the understanding of diseases and Ehrlich (German) conceived the brilliant idea of 'magic bullet' -drugs aimed at the real cause of the disease which would attack the germs at the root of the disease without hurting the patient. Edwin Chadwick, one of the greatest names, revolutionised the social control concept by so dealing with the causes of disease (like proving safe drinking water, controlling pests, lice, files , mosquito, etc.) that they were prevented form arising at all. A population riddled with

Assessment of an enterprise-level business system Essay

Assessment of an enterprise-level business system - Essay Example At the end this write up would set forth the criteria for establishing the acceptability or otherwise of the business process mapping tools and suggest any improved tools. In fact all this considerations can be answered in the concept of business process reengineering. It was in the early 1990s that many US corporations, and subsequently companies all over the world, began to adopt the concept of business process reengineering (BPR) to obtain long lost competitiveness that they had lost during the previous decade. The primary feature of BPR is the sole focus on business processes, rather than functional organizational structures. Davenport (1993) defines a (business) process as "a structured, measured set of activities designed to produce a specific output for a particular customer or market. It implies a strong emphasis on how work is done within an organization, in contrast to a product focus's emphasis on what. A process is thus a specific ordering of work activities across time and space, with a beginning and an end, and clearly defined inputs and outputs: a structure for action. ... Taking a process approach implies adopting the customer's point of view. Processes are the structure by which an organization does what is necessary to produce value for its customers." 1 Hammer & Champy's (1993) definition can be considered as a subset of Davenport's. They define a process as "a collection of activities that takes one or more kinds of input and creates an output that is of value to the customer." Whereas Johansson et. al. (1993) defines a process as, "a set of linked activities that take an input and transform it to create an output. Ideally, the transformation that occurs in the process should add value to the input and create an output that is more useful and effective to the recipient either upstream or downstream." This definitions lead us to chief feature of a business process viz. Definability, Order, Customer, Value adding, Embeddedness and Cross functionality. In order to gain an understanding of the various processes involved in the organization which completes its business system information pertaining to above features of the business processes needs to be collected. There can be essentially two approaches to collection of such data-one , the primary data collection and, two, the secondary data collection. With in these approaches primary data could be collected through face to face interviews with key personnel responsible for such processes and a broader based questionnaire approach can be used for the operative employees. Secondary data sources can be rich and can range from industry publications to in-house examination of manuals, sales and marketing registers, financial accounts, accounting vouchers to Board minutes to minutes of the various committees of the Board and other executive committees. 2 The process of business process mapping can follow two approaches. Davenport and Short (1990) have identified two basic methods for process identification, which they termed "targeted" and "comprehensive" methods. Targeted methods take their starting point in the identification of a relatively small number of processes being critical to the business, which are

Change during the introduction of new system to control attendance

Change during the introduction of new system to control attendance The control of staff attendance has been a problem for Co-operative Food, a UK retail organisation, and it has been looking to improve its systems to monitor attendance of its employees. Co-operative Food wants to bring effectiveness in their work, e.g. through procedures and systems, for actively delivering their services to the consumers. That is why it is ensuring that they are efficient enough to do that. In order to pursue this, Co-operative emphasises on time management of its staff by bringing in a new system for the control of staff attendance. In the UK retail sector, Co-operative is one of the pioneers to introduce such a new generation system for control of staff attendance as compared to other big supermarkets like Asda, Tesco, Sainsburys and Morrisons. More specifically, Co-operative has introduced a biometric system which became operative in 2010, and requiring Co-operative staff to touch their finger at identification points to get verified. The new attendance recording system is a technological change to monitor employees attendance, when they start and finish their shift, by giving their finger print. If an employee leaves the premises of the company he signs out and then sign in again when he returns to the premises. This system has benefited the company to control its wastage of time and labour cost. Originally, an older system was being operated at Co-operative Food till two years ago by signing manually the attendance register. This register was usually placed near the managers office and the employees had to sign in and out before and at the end of their shift. This system was seen as a failure as employees gave little importance to this system. For example, they got paid even if they missed to sign in by requesting the manager at the next day that they forgot to sign in. This manual system was replaced in 2008 by a swipe card system to monitor staff attendance, which also had some drawbacks. In the swipe card system someone else, other than the employee, could also swipe it for him/her, without the knowledge of the supervisor. This is an important issue because such a change affects employees to a great extent if it is not planned and implemented properly. For example, due to the frustration employees could abuse the system by taking long tea or lunch breaks. Or they might waste companys time to do unnecessary activities e.g. they could go up in the canteen and sit there hiding without the knowledge of the managers or supervisors. Or if they havent accepted the change their way of work could be slackened, which will affect the performance of the organisation. It will be studied in the dissertation how this change has affected employees attitude towards their organisation. The research will look into employees perceptions of this change. Do they feel a sense of distrust from the organisation being monitored in a way that they have to give the finger prints to get recognized by the system or are they happier than before due to this innovation? 1.2 Research aim This study will focus on the effectiveness of change management practices and procedures in the organisation and will find out how these have helped in smooth implementation of this system. This research will help to understand how new staff management system was implemented in the Co-operative organisation, and if any issues like dissatisfaction or behavioural problems among employees have occurred and how these issues were dealt with. 1.3 Objectives 1: To find out at what extent has Co-operative achieved the objectives planned with the introduction of a biometric staff attendance system. 2: To analyse what issues evolved among employees. 3: To study the effectiveness of the implemented change. 1.4 Research Questions What are the issues that a new staff attendance system brings in the organisation? How can change management procedures deal with those issues? To what extent has Co-operative achieved the objectives planned with the introduction of a biometric staff attendance Chapter 2. Literature Review This chapter will review literature about change management procedures and implementation issues. 2.1 New technology and the related issues There is a major issue of human resistance attached to the introduction of new system. Gregson(1994, p. 23) gives an example of the introduction of new technologies and the human resource issues related to the implementation process. He depicts that when automatic teller machines (ATM) were launched in banks, it gave huge benefits to customers but at the same time the bank employees were discouraged by this new technology and its usage by the staff posed a threat to their job by this new technology. 2.2 Resistance to Change Skarlicki (1999, p. 36) has defined resistance to change as, employee behaviour that seeks to challenge, disrupt, or invert prevailing assumptions, discourses, and power relations. Deloitte and Touche has carried out a study of 400 companies about the resistance to change which is cited by Prochaska (2001). They found out that resistance to change causes the change process to fail or not completing. Hauschildt (1999) carried out a study of 151 companies in Germany which concludes that the resistance or opposition to innovation in these companies benefitted the organisations. This benefit includes the criticism of the new system by pointing out the defects of the system which is a way forward for organisations to improve it. Employees by pointing out defects in the new system get more involved in the organisations. Proctor and Doukakis (2002, p. 268) point out that resistance to a change could be because employees fear the new change will put their job safety at risk, or they fear of unknown, or it might be the lack of information and knowledge about the advantages attached to this change. Another example of innovation in organisations and its effects is the Bemmels and Reshef study in 1991 which is cited by Zwick (2002). Bemels and Reshef studied 206 Canadian companies which introduced innovation over a specific period, and found out that the employees generally accepted and supported the innovations, but it was resisted from personnel just because of the presence of Union and the technological advancement clauses in the employees contract. Another main concern of employees regarding innovations in organisation is that it could lead to the reduction in staff. Effective innovations could cut down the staff in the organisations. 2.3 Biometric System A biometric system is an automatic system which requires the physical characteristics of a user to recognise him/her. These physical characteristics could be finger prints, hand prints, facial expressions or iris pattern of eyes. According to Braghin (1998), the biometric system performs authentication process in two different stages. 1: Enrolling stage In this stage a specific biometrics characteristics is given to the system data base which could be located centrally or distributed. The scanning of the biometrics is performed, and then the system creates a digital representation called template, which is then recorded into the data base. This process is performed only once. 2: Identification stage In this stage the system scans the biometric characteristics and then creates an optimized digital representation, which it then matches to the template to identify the person. Biometric system is a new technology which also brings issues that are linked to this system. Braghin (1998) depicts that a biometric system is not good at handling problems. If someones template is stolen, the system cant provide any help for that. These are the characteristics of a person which is not easy to get back if lost and biometric system is not helpful in order to deal with the problem. It is not like a password which you can change. So it means if you lose it, you lose it forever. Advantages of biometrics OGorman (2003, p. 2037) highlights the advantage of the biometric as, the details are hard to get stolen of a user using the system as compared to other authentication system, like ATM. The token system which stores the identity of a user should also be a used by a user as a second option to make it more secure against stealing and thefts of the details. 2.4 Change Management Kotter and Schlesinger (2008, p. 4) have explained how to diagnose resistance (2008, p. 4) caused by the change. They point out that every change brings some human resistance to the change process. In order to deal with the resistance it is important to find out about the causes of potential resistance. By analysing the situation managers can come across the factors of resistance when the change is being introduced. 1: Parochial self interest People can be resistant to change because they feel less concerned about the organisation and see their interests coming first before the interest of the organisation. 2: Misunderstanding and lack of trust Misunderstanding can develop among employees if they dont understand the implications of the change. Or if they perceive it wrongly. It is essential for change to be effective that all employees understand the change process and its implications, and for managers or change agents to interact with employees to clear potential misunderstandings. 3: Different assessment Employees could assess the change differently than the change agent or managers due to lack of information. Because both the employees and the change agent think that the information that they have is right and they assume about each other of having the same information. So it is very important that both the change agent and employees have up to date information because otherwise this could lead to resistance. 4: Low Tolerance Sometimes it is very hard for people to give up their old habits or working style which they are used to. For example, if the implemented change requires some new skill and behaviours and employees are not catching up with those behaviours or skills it would be problematic. 5: Old beliefs People are reluctant to change because they dont want to be disturbed in their daily routine. For example an employee working 9 am to 5 pm shift, who is required to change shift from 3 pm to 11 pm two days a week will be resisting because it will disturb his/her daily routine. Kotter and Schlesinger (2008, p. 6) have suggested several ways of how to deal with resistance when it emerges as a reaction to change. 1: Communication Communicating about the desired change could really be helpful as it will make employees to embrace the change. Communication both with individuals and to a group is very essential as employees want to know about activities in the organisation. If the employees are put in dark about their organisation they feel a sense of ignorance. All sources like audio or video can be used to communicate. 2: Support Organisations can offer training about new skills or support to the employees where the managers find the employees are struggling to overcome resistance. This training can be in the organisation or out of the organisation as well. 3: Involvement Employees involvement in designing and implementation of the change process is another way to stop resisting powers being emerged. Involvement of employees will make employees feel that they are a value to the organisation. 4: Negotiation Negotiation is a way to offer benefits to resistors to accept the change. Its a process of luring the employees who are resisting. For example negotiations could involve dealing with unions as offering them pay rise in the lieu of acceptance of change. Negotiations are an expensive way of dealing with resistance as the change initiator has to give something to resistors for the acceptance of the change. The disadvantage of the negotiations is that people who take part in the negotiation process could use it as blackmailing. 5: Manipulation or Co-optation This process is also called Co-optation, when employees who are potential resistors are given an attractive role of their choice to involve them in the change process. This is not considered as participation of employees because the employee who is co-opted, his/her advice doesnt mean much to the change initiators. 6: Coercion Here the employees dont have many choices as if they dont accept the change they are threatened or warned of taking disciplinary action against them or being fired or by stopping their promotion. In this way they would worry about their job security and would show the acceptance of the new changed system. Caluwe and Vermaak (1994, p. 49) explain that the change process is a step by step process of learning. It cant be enforced on someone as it takes time and learning cant be enforced. According to Bovey and Hede (2001) change in an organisation is often implemented in a way that the whole process of planning and implementation takes all the time and the human factor who will be dealing with this change after implementation is ignored. They argued that the consideration of a new system and its rationalization for the company gets importance leaving behind the people who will be affected by this new system. Aladwani (2001, p. 268) gives a comparison of marketing and implementing an information system based change. He holds the view that both marketing and implementing change in the organization are change processes and reflect the exchange process between two parties. Therefore, as the marketing policies and procedures are developed and communicated, organizations should communicate with their employees for the required results and to overcome the resistance to change. In marketing these communications are between seller and buyer, while in an organisation it should be between employer (the person who is brining the change) and the employees who are getting affected by this change. The above literature has discussed about introduction of staff attendance measurement in organisations and related issues, biometric system and related human-resource issues, and finally change management. Kotters(1996)Change management model Create sense of urgency Create a guiding coalition Develop a vision and strategy Communicate the vision for change Empower broad-based action Generate short-term wins Consolidate gains and produce change Anchor new approaches Source: Kotter 1996 Kotters model (1996) is the 8 phase change management model which deals with the change through a systematic way. It takes the top down approach from creating a sense of urgency to anchoring change in the culture. It produces good results by dealing with the resistance issues caused by the change. Kotters model deals with the resistance in the best way for smooth implementation of change. Although this model has met with a lot of criticism as in its step 5 encourages risk taking and not traditional ideas and activities, and change in the structure of organization but Kotter explains that it is the essential part of the organizational change. As he explains that the structure which undermines the change vision by becoming a hurdle needs to be rid off. Kotters model is focused on communicating the vision to employees and provides good guidance. I like to use Kotters model for my research because it is a systematic method, a top down approach and is more effective than other models. It deals with the issues of resistance properly. Chapter 3. Conceptual Framework The literature review in Chapter 2 is a critical activity resulting in a conceptual framework. This research will use the change model of Kotter (1996) as a conceptual model. It is assumed that the eight phases proposed by Kotter are a useful model to compare the change at the case company. The following table shows in an exemplary way how the phases of change at the Co-Operative can be mapped on Kotters eight phases. Phases of Change at the Co-Operative 1 2 3 4 5 6 1. Create sense of urgency 2. Create a guiding coalition 3. Develop a vision and strategy 4. Communicate the vision for change 5. Empower broad-based action 6. Generate short-term wins 7. Consolidate gains and produce change 8. Anchor new approaches Table 1: Mapping Change at the Co-Operative on Kotters Leadership Steps Source: Kotter 1996 Each of the eight phases has its own dynamics and challenges. For example, in the first phase, organisations need to look at the competitive market, trends are traditions which need to be updated, profit margins to start the change process, if enough urgency is not established there is a risk of process to fail. The 2nd phase is appointing a team to carry out the change process together energetically. Then comes the 3rd phase which is about the development of proper vision and strategy to implement the change. It is about, where would the change lead to and how. The 4th phase is about communication of the vision to all employees by interaction. The 5th phase is to remove barriers which are obstructing the process of change. The 6th phase is about bringing more improvement in the performance, and rewarding the employees who maintain the required standards. The 7th phase is about producing more change by promoting the employees or hiring new one to carry out the change process with more determination and persistence and the final one is about to make the change permanently stick to the organisation. These phases will be tested to analyse the change process which Co-operative food has carried out by comparing the eight phases of Kotters model. Kotter (2007, p, 99). All the phases of the model from establishing a sense of urgency, Kotter 2007, p,97) to anchoring change in the culture (2007, p,103) will be compared to find out, have they been taken into the account for successful change at the case study company. Chapter 4. Research Design A deductive case study approach will be applied for this research. This case study is deductive because it uses existing concepts in the field of change management and theory about resistance caused by the introduction of new staff attendance control system. Furthermore a qualitative case study will help to attain insights and detailed viewpoints of the employees and managers. Yin (2003) suggests using a case study approach when How and why questions are being addressed and it tells about what could be extracted from a single situation. According to Bryman (2001) case study approach is used for in depth findings and to associate it with the theory. A case study approach is suitable for the interpretation of this subject because it will investigate the change management processes in the organisation by the help of existing theory of Kotters model in the case study organisation. Qualitative approach I intend to use a deductive qualitative approach for this case study. Bryman (2001) highlights the characteristics of the qualitative approach as dealing with issues by exploring them, e.g. through counter questions to understand the phenomenon. Kaplan and Maxwell (1994) give a briefing of qualitative approach that it is the study of a particular situation by exploring peoples attitude in which they react by means of interviewing, observing or documenting rather than by a data of numbers. As this research is about the perception of employees about this change, the philosophy that will be used in this research will be constructivist. This philosophy has been selected because I intend to test the Kotters model of change management in Co-operative case study. Chapter 5. Methodology For this research, the following case study organisation was chosen: the Hackney Branch, London, of the Co-Operative Food unit of Co-operative Group Limited, Manchester/UK. Furthermore employees and managers are accessible for interviews that are essential for accomplishment of the study. Data will be collected with the help of semi structured interviews by mono method. Semi structured interviews are flexible in approach, and are good in finding the insights of peoples. An understanding will be developed in the perspective of employees natural settings, about perceiving change in the organization by employees, their behaviour towards this change, and their thinking about change management practices in the organisation to minimize the effect of this change. I have talked already with the local branch managers, and they have told about their interest to take part in this research. An official letter will be written to the case company when the research starts, e.g. in September 2010. The interviews will be conducted after the work is assigned or the proposal for the research is accepted in the Hackney branch of Co-operative food. Interviews will be conducted by asking all type of questions like open question, Probing or specific questions, closed questions to cover all the aspects of the aim and objectives of the research. Employees will be asked about their point of view about change, their participation, experience and effects of the change on them. Moreover a comparison to Kotters change model will be developed by looking into eight phases of the model. Pattern matching technique will be used to analyse the data. Because I am using Kotters conceptual framework for this research, I will test the adequacy of the Kotters framework to reveal the findings. Pattern matching is the method which involves two variations, depending on the dependent and independent variables. In the first variation we relate the proposition from the relative literature to the results of data collection and analysis. If it matches to the predictions then we confirm the theory. At this moment the researcher has no pre defined variables, but when the work is assigned. If one or more outcomes that have not been predicted by the explanation, there is a need to seek an alternative one. (Yin, 2003) In the second variation the variables are independent of each other. Here we put forward a number of alternative explanations to explain the pattern of outcomes that we expect to find. When the predicted explanation matches with the pattern of outcomes it provides evidence that it is indeed an explanation of the findings. The method will be chosen when the work is assigned after the acceptance of proposal. 5.1 Limitations This research will set its limits by contacting Co-operative Food employees in the case study organisation, Co-operative Food which is a supermarket or a retail industry in the Hackney branch London. The employees contacted will belong to the Co-operative. Therefore the findings of this research can not be generalised outside the case study organisation. 5.2 Ethics The ethical issues involved in this research could be the fear of employees about their names being used in this research. If the employees dont understand the purpose and aim of the research, it is also an ethical issue. Employees could also have discomfort or stress in answering the questions. Employees will be provided the information about the purpose of this research, and its aims, and the issue of anonymity that that their names will be kept anonymous if they wish. The data collected will be used by the consent of the employees. I will inform the employees by speaking to them about their right to withdraw from the interviews and also about withdrawing their permission to use this data before I finish the interview. The collected data will be analysed by the researcher and the dissertation will be submitted by honest means. 5.3 Resources The resources that will be used to conduct semi structured interviews are audio and video equipment. Before conducting the interviews I will get the consent of employees. Should there be any rejections about being recorded, then I will make notes of the interviews. 5.4 Transcription I will document the interviews in text processing files with interview numbers, like 01ME, and 02FE, and so on, where 01 represents 1st interview and M is for male, F is for female and E is for employee. RQ1, and RQ2 will be used for myself representing the first and second of the researchers questions and MEA1 or FEA 2 would be used for male employee answer 1 and female employee answer 2 respectively. 6 Appendix 6.1 Time Table Gantt chart for a research project Activity September October November December January week number 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Review Literature Meeting with supervisor Read Methodology Literature Data Collection Analysing data Enter data in computer Update literature reading Complete the remaining part Submit to supervisor Revise the work Holidays Print, bind Submit

history of lacrosse Essay -- essays research papers fc

Lacrosse is the oldest team sport in North America, having been played by Native American tribes long before any European had even set foot on the continent. A century after European missionaries discovered the game played by Native Americans, they began to play it themselves, starting in the 18th century. From there, it evolved and grew in popularity from a very savage game that resembled war, into what it is today, a recreational sport played widely in America and other countries. As U.S. Lacrosse literature aptly puts it "Lacrosse is a game born of the North American Indian, christened by the French, adopted and raised by the Canadians, and later dominated by the Americans.† When the first people of America started playing lacrosse centuries ago, the game served many purposes. It was played to amuse the Creator, to train young men for war, and to settle disputes between tribes (Source B). The game was played by tribes in all parts of the United States and Canada; it was played by the Mexican Kickapoo in Texas, the Seminole in Florida, the Bungi in Manitoba, the Cherokee in Tennessee, and the Passamaquoddy in Maine (Source B). The game was called Baggattaway, meaning they bump hips by the Algonquin tribe, and Tewaarathon, meaning little brother of war, by the Iroquois tribe (Source B). In the earliest times of American Indian lacrosse, the game had few rules, if any. Lacrosse games would last for days, stopping at sunset and continuing the next day at sunrise. The fi...

Steven Spielberg

I’m Steven Spielberg and I was born in Cincinnati on December 18, 1947, but I was mainly raised in New Jersey and Arizona. When I was 12 years old I used my dads 8mm camcorder and made a movie. I continued to make films with the camcorder for five more years until I went on a trip to Universal Studios. I was 17 years old and I broke away from the main tourist group to see the sound stages. I bumped into the head of Universal’s editorial department, Chuck Silvers. We talked for about an hour and he wanted to see some of my 8mm films. When I showed them to him he said they were good but he could only wish me luck. So the next day I put on a suit and borrowed my fathers suitcase and walked in the front gate of Universal Studio’s like I did it every day. One reason I got away with this is because the guard thought I was the owners son. I bought some plastic name tags at a camera store and I found an empty office. Then I put my name in the building directory. Everyday that summer I hung out with directors, writers, and editors. After talking to all of these movie makers I found out that nobody really liked my movies. The next fall I asked some of the executives at Universal how I can get my films noticed. They said I hould put my films on 16 or 35mm film. So I did. I made a 20 minute movie about a boy and a girl hitch-hiking from the dessert to the Pacific. The day after it was shown at Universal, Sidney Sheinberg, the head of Universal’s T. V. production department, gave me a seven year contract to work on T. V. series. The first few years of the contract were fun, but after a while I didn’t want to direct T. V. shows. In 1971 I got a chance to make my first real movie. It was Called Duel and it was about a salesman who was harassed by a truck driver. Even though the movie didn’t make much money and wasn’t popular, it was my first ovie and I had a lot of fun. During the next 10 years I directed 4 of the top 10 movies ever made, including Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and E. T. which is number one. E. T. – The Extra Terrestrial made $720 million dollars worldwide in the theaters and over a billion dollars total with video sales. Some other movies I directed were, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Jurassic Park, Always, and The Sugarland Express. Even though my most famous movies I made I directed, I also produced quite a few movies, including Poltergeist, Gremlins 1 and 2, all 3 Back to the Futures, and The Goonies. After my success at the movie theaters, I wanted to do a program on television. I chose Amazing Stories which allowed me to put my childhood stories on T. V. The show didn’t get very good reviews and people didn’t watch it. So the series was canceled after 24 episodes, 20 short from what was planned. I’ve been very successful in my career. The films I’ve made in the past have been entertaining to both children and adults. I now plan to start making more adult films. I hope to continue to amuse and entertain my audiences for many years to come.

Human Tragedy and Cruelty

Human Tragedy and Cruelty Human history is full of various dark spots. Contemporary people often contemplate events which took place years ago. These people often argue that all those horrors could never have happened if people had been wiser. However, these very ‘thinkers’ do not understand that their ‘right paths’ are far from being realistic. Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Human Tragedy and Cruelty specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Of course, there are many who understand that what is done cannot be undone, and what has been done could not have been done in any other way. Many understand that history cannot be ‘judged’ as there can be no right and wrong. Primo Levi (2000) stresses that there is no line between the good and the bad, and there are no two camps. Hannah Arendt (2000) and Primo Levi (2000) provide bright examples which confirm that such viewpoints are right. Arendt (2000) reveals the sto ry of a man who made a lot of controversial deeds in his life. However, it is possible to note that the author presents the story in a one-sided manner. Eichmann is depicted as a silly man who was in position which let him send thousands of people to death. Sometimes the author does reveal positive aspects of Eichmann’s character and deeds. For instance, it is stated that he did a lot to help Jews leave the Nazi country when it was possible. However, the general tone of the writing is judgemental. Clearly, the author does not believe the man was forced to act in the way he did. Nonetheless, no one can judge a person if he/she was not there, in that person’s shoes. Levi (2000) provides other insights in a similar discussion. The author notes that even such negative figure as Chaim Rumkowski was not to be judged. Levi states that the man did a lot of horrible things, but he also did some good things. More importantly, Levi claims that it is unclear what contemporary â⠂¬Å"judges† would do should they be put in the same position. The author stresses that people who were in concentration camps (both inmates and guards) were gradually losing their best qualities. It is important to note that Levi’s position should be exploited when analysing historical events. It is crucial to take into account all details. It is essential to avoid any judgment. Clearly, Arendt’s method is wrongful as it can lead to mere distortion of facts. Notably, this judgemental method has been often used throughout people’s history. Ironically, the Nazis made use of it as well. This one-sided presentation of facts becomes a part of ideology and propaganda. People have witnessed what propaganda can do as such leaders as Hitler and Stalin exploited these means extensively. Of course, people have no right to make the same mistake and focus on one side of the matter.Advertising Looking for report on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Besides, it is necessary to remember that even the â€Å"judges† cannot be sure they would not have done the same if they had found themselves in similar conditions. Obviously, Eichmann did not wake up one morning to accept the fact he was to send thousands of people to die. He was rather a victim of circumstances. To sum up, people should learn their lesson while analysing the darkest events in the history of humanity. It is important to take into account all possible details and listen to all parties involved. The truth can be quite unpleasant, but people still should know the truth about themselves to try to avoid conditions which make people do horrible and inhumane things. Reference List Arendt, H. (2000). The portable Hannah Arendt. P. Baehr (Ed.). New York, NY: Penguin Books. Levi, P. (2000). The gray zone. In O. Bartov (Ed.), The holocaust: Origins, implementation, aftermath (pp. 251-273). New York, NY: Rou tledge.

8 Steps to Landing a Job By Graduation

8 Steps to Landing a Job By Graduation Graduation can be terrifying, especially if you haven’t yet set up a job. But there are a few sure fire things that you can absolutely do to set yourself up to be employed right out of college. Follow these steps and you’ll set yourself up very well. 1. Network, Network, NetworkYou know it’s all about who you know. And the more people you know the better. If you haven’t built your massive web of connections yet, don’t panic. It’s never too late to start. Start shaking hands, dusting off your LinkedIn page, tweeting, joining professional organizations, getting mentored. Play the student card while you have it. Hit up your alumni database and milk your college career department for everything you can. Then just water your contacts and watch them grow!2. Hone Your Soft SkillsYour resume may be maxed out to the gills with valuable skills and experiences, but there are a few things you can’t necessarily acquire in the same fashion. People s kills, emotional intelligence, self-awareness†¦. these are things you can dig deep to work on gradually, but will serve you immensely in the end.3. Focus on Your PassionHiring managers can tell if you’re not really all that keen to work at a certain company. The best way to project the kind of positive attitude you need is to make sure you’re focusing on interviewing for the jobs that make you most excited. This will also help you make sure you’re well prepared for every interview. Remember: interviewers will be reviewing your application and every inch of your online presence they can find. You should expect to do the same. Do your homework, get the job.4. Hone Your Hard SkillsNo matter how well you’ve prepared for your first job market during your college years, there will be some holes in your resume that you wish you could fill to land your top jobs. Take a course, or a series of webinars, and start developing those skills you’ll need to g et where you most want to be.5. Sell YourselfYou’re not merchandise, but as far as landing a job goes, you sort of are. Embrace the shameless self-promotion now. It’s a lesson you have to learn early in your career if you want to have one. Make sure your LinkedIn profile is up to snuff, build yourself a web site, and take your resume and business cards with you- everywhere. Push your comfort zone and build yourself a reputation that will get you hired.6. DiversifyDon’t put all your eggs in one basket. Spread your net a little wider. Seek out a wide variety of experiences and opportunities to learn. See what you like while you have time to make a go at anything.7. Be EntrepreneurialMaybe you don’t have to be the goody-goody with five internships under your belt. You could be the college kid that started her own business and so wowed the interviewer that you got the job over the candidates who looked better on paper. Show that you’re gutsy and a self -starter and that can go a very long way.8. Sharpen Your Job SearchLearn the tricks of job searching early. Figure out what kind of company you want to work for, do your research, get your foot in the door. Seek out people who have worked there for intel, or mentorship. And keep an eye out for the really cool opportunities.

Legal Brief Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Legal Brief - Assignment Example In addition, Sullivan accused four black ministers named in the advertisement of erroneously accusing the police actions on protesters in Alabama. The New York Times said the suit was a way of intimidating new publishing houses, and a way of averting them from exposing unlawful actions of workers in relation to the segregation. Sullivan won the case in the trial court. The famous case of New York Times vs. Sullivan was a cry of the black people about the segregation and liberty of speech. The laws state that ‘A municipal official litigating for libel must attest that the statement in question was made with actual malevolence, rather than ordinary sense of malicious intent’ (Justia.com). Assuming that Sullivan was acting on behalf of the Alabama state and the police department of Alabama, the key issue here is, ‘Does the suing of a newspaper and black ministers who are attempting to end segregation qualify for defamation suit? Additionally, a key issue here is, ‘What constitutes actual malice, and what are the standards of speech freedom or defamation? The court ruled in favor of the New York Times as the Alabama court laws were found to be deficient. This is because there was failure to provide confines to speech defamation and freedom (Justia.com). The United States Supreme Court states clearly that the facts provided by Alabama court, even if presented under the preserve of verbal communication, were still inefficient constitutionally in the case of Sullivan (Packard, 241). The law states’ proof of actual malice was necessary in order for compensation to be honored (Justia.com). There were no dissidents as all the judges were for the ruling in favor of New York Times. The consequences of the United States verdict in favor of New York Times led to new organizations writing and reporting freely about civil rights violations, and the

Saponification of Triglycerides Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Saponification of Triglycerides - Lab Report Example In this process the triglyceride is reacted with a strong base such as sodium or potassium hydroxide to produce glycerol and fatty acid salts (Whitten et al., 2007). The saponification of glyceryl tristearate is illustrated in Figure 1. The commonest soaps are the fatty-acid salts of sodium and potassium. Hard soaps are sodium salts while soft soaps are potassium salts. The fatty-acid salts of ammonium are also sometimes used for cleansing. Only a few other soaps are of practical importance, for example lead soaps which are used in medicinal plasters, zinc soaps which are used in ointments, and aluminum soaps which are used in waterproofing. Very few of the salts of fatty acids have the properties of common soap. Most of them are but slightly soluble in water, and therefore do not yield suds and have little or no detergent (i.e., cleansing) action. All are nevertheless termed soaps by chemists (Lewkowitsch, 1904). The saponification number (S) is the number of milligrams of potassium hydroxide required to convert one gram of the fat completely into glycerine and potassium soap. It gives information concerning the character of the fatty acids of the fat and in particular concerning the solubility of their soaps in water. Table 1 lists the saponification number of the common fats and oils. Table 1 shows that butter ranks with palm kernel oil and coconut oil as having a very high saponification number. ... Mutton tallow 192 - 195.5 Menhaden oil 190.6 Peanut oil (arachis) 190 - 196 Corn oil 188 - 193 Horse oil 195 - 197 Olive oil 185 - 196 Beef tallow 193.2 - 200 Soy bean oil 193 Palm oil 196 - 205 Cacao butter 193.55 Butter 220 - 233 Linseed oil 192 - 195 Palm kernel oil 242 - 250 Cottonseed oil 193 - 195 Coconut oil 246 - 260 Lard 195.4 (Lewkowitsch, 1904: 400) Table 1 shows that butter ranks with palm kernel oil and coconut oil as having a very high saponification number. This is due to the fact that its triglycerides contain appreciable quantities of fatty acids (myristic acid and small quantities of lauric acid) which when they form soap combine with relatively more sodium or potassium than the more common acids of fats. These acids occur in undecomposed butter in chemical combination as triglycerides. Their sodium or potassium soaps are quite soluble in water. The high saponification number of coconut oil and palm kernel oil is due to the large proportion of fatty acids (lauric acid and myristic acid) that they contain. In this laboratory exercise, saponification as the hydrolysis in basic solution of fats and oils to produce glycerol and salts of fatty acids, and determination of saponification number of sample fat and oil were evaluated. II. Method Triglyceride (2 g) was accurately weighed and was placed in a dry round bottom flask. The prepared ethanolic potassium hydroxide solution (50 cm3) was added to the flask using a pipette. Few anti bumping granules were added to the stirring solution. After setting up the reflux condenser, the solution was boiled for at least 30 minutes. A blank experiment with identical volume as the sample solution was also carried out. After refluxing, the solution was allowed to cool. After cooling, a few drops of