MICS - option 1 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

MICS - option 1 - Assignment Example Earlier on, firms used to outsource IT functions on a limited basis. Currently, most companies outsource their IT functions for the entire department. This has been used in delivering the IT functionality. Whilst there exist a considerable body of knowledge regarding IT outsourcing, the research on reasons why businesses outsource their IT functions is still limited. Therefore, this paper source to determine the reasons why organizations outsource the IT functions (Peslak 2012, p. 14). The process of outsourcing is underpinned by basic premise of whether an organization must pay or make the service. The decision to purchase a service enlists two fundamental objectives of outsourcing. These include, first, transfer of ownership of a business process to a third party, and second, to enable concentration of major competences by vendee. Based on the transfer of ownership, outsourcing significantly affects organizations productivity, cash flow, profitability, transaction costs and growth. There has been a rising outsourcing incidences worldwide to improve the strategy of the organization in lightening the workloads, saving time and trimming the costs. Studies indicate that outsourcing can turn a business with high fixed cost to one with only variable costs. This is critical for businesses with activities involving extensive variance throughout the year or the one experiencing pressures to reduce the overhead costs. The core business competencies help in maintaining a c ompetitive edge as well as increasing customer benefits and growth of business. The major functions of a business evolve through information sharing and collective learning. Such competences may not be enhanced by using huge investments; rather, they must focus on strategies and resources targeting the dominating corporate decisions (Peslak 2012, p. 15). The exact determination of core competencies contests the

Foundations of psychology Essay Example for Free

Foundations of psychology Essay (a) Conceptually, reasoning is characterized by various attitudes, emotions, feelings or even assumptions. These are the psychological factors that occur psychologically as parameters that help to develop a logical conclusion in ones reasoning. Rationality in reasoning is what yields a final resolution. However, such reasoning is brought to a state of imbalance in which the different assumptions, feelings and attitudes tend to shape the outcome responses. Perhaps however, each of the attributes could be controlled by aspects of various stimuli that respond to the three stage of classical conditioning. Initially, an aspect of anxiety of wanting to create some reflective thinking occurs. This is because of the desire to come to a logical conclusion of the problem held in the reasoning. The unconditioned stimulus before the reasoning was to arrive at a phenomenon based on the results of the reasoning. The driving force then throws an imbalance in the cognitive state of the brain senses with a basic aim of arriving towards an imperative solution based on the foundations of the question in the reasoning. A state of confusion occurs basically due to inability of making the correct choice of solutions. The solution should be independent of the external environment. Additionally, the choices to the solution also consider that reasoning may have various solutions. However, a conflict exists between the set of decisions alternatives due to the inability of making the most rational decision instantly. However, the principles of classical conditioning help to develop various stimuli corresponding to the various decision alternatives. Each stimulus (like a defensive censor) evokes one another to finally reach at an equilibrium consensus which the cognitive personality chooses as the best decision variable (Anne, 1999) A state of ambivalence follows the above stage of confusion. Ambivalence develops from the emotional perceptions and seeks to give a feeling of no specific inclination in any of the decision alternatives persuaded in the reasoning process. This is however a defense mechanism since it denies the strong efforts of strong feelings in the decision alternatives thus lessening the probable pain which one would have encountered in decision making (Michael, 1977) (b) Role of memory in reasoning The human memory is an important element in cognitive reasoning. Memory is what aligns the different aspects involved in reasoning to yield a correspondence between one another. The attitudes, feelings and assumptions ought to be construed in a dimension that brings reflective ties to one another. Memory can be said as the pivot entry between the functional relationships in all elements that define reasoning. The fundamental scope of reasoning is comprised of various complimentary processes that depend on one another. The philosophical and psychological standpoints have pinpointed on memory and reasoning as working in an integrated system and none can replace one another. Memory acts as an object that brings a tie and conjoins the various independent processes that are involved in the process of reasoning. It is also the object that provides subjective interactions and explorations among the wide scope of the cognitive processes to arrive at a balance of interest which is the defining choice/decision variable of the reasoning process (Thomson, 2001) Conceptually, the association that exists in human reasoning is brought about by the organization and content interaction of the human memory. It helps to bring about a scope of interpretation about the various processes that are involved in the human cognition. Consequently, memory is influential as a trajectory object for the integration of the various processes in the reasoning processes that finally strikes a balance in the choice of decision to follow. (c) Obstacles in reasoning There are various obstacles that could hinder the process of effective reasoning. These include; Mental entrenchment: This is a situation that occurs when the mind is framed in models that represent various problems, problem contexts or perhaps the possible procedures for use in solving a particular problem. When a person involved in reasoning has entrenched mind sets, they may develop methods that creates a solution to the problem in question but which does not provide the most optimal and effective solutions to such problems (Mark, 2007) Either, functional fixedness is an obstacle in effective thinking/reasoning. This case arises when an individual who has an ability of doing specific things extends such methods in creating the decisions in reasoning. He is unable to develop methodologies that addresses a certain problem in question but rather has to refer to what models his/her mind (Mark, 2007) Stereotypes: Stereotypes are those fundamental generalizations that are unsupported by rationality held by the members within a certain setting or the contemporary society. Stereotypes could be learned during childhood. Individuals accustomed to various senses of stereotypical thinking always make generalized choice and decisions in their reasoning process. Negative transfers: This is the condition when the procedures that are to be used in solving a current problem occurs in the future as harder problems that are perhaps unsolvable. This is a contrast of positive transfer that implies the former process for solving gone problems make the current problem easy to solve. These obstacles are highly involved in obstructing the critique of critical and effective thinking by bringing the wrong illusions and impressions in the reasoning process. (d) Types of reasoning involved in the experience Generally, there are various reasoning involved in an experience. Each differs in terms of flow of precepts and hypothetical developments. The process of reasoning within the given set of experience is important in giving the rationality behind the choice of one decision at the expense of the others. However, various types of reasoning are used in the reasoning process. These include; Abduction: This is the process through which a hypothesis statement about an experience is made. It seeks to formulate the fundamental scope of levels with which such a problem/experience occurs and the possible influential factors behind it. The cause and the effect reasoning: This is the mode of reasoning which seeks to relate the starting point of an experience or a problem of interest. It involves establishing the causes and effects and then trying to relate how each affects one another or how each is related to the other. (Manktelow, 1999) Comparative reasoning: This is the reasoning precept that seeks to draw a comparative analogy by comparing and relating one thing with the corresponding alternative. It then seeks to strike a balance of stability between such relationships. Deductive reasoning: It is the reasoning that involves establishing the generalized parameters and then moving towards a drive in the specific rules. Inductive reasoning: This is that which involves establishing the specific parameters and then driving towards the generalized rules. (e) Methods of enhancing effective reasoning in this experience. Critical thinking is that which goes beyond logical reasoning. It is that which works towards scrutinizing arguments by support of empirical evidence. Enhancing reasoning is a combination of various tools that promote the cognitive precepts of the human brain. These include; Physical exercise: Physical exercise is highly supportive in the functionality of the brain. A functional brain is a brain that has the cognitive power of critical and effective reasoning. Taking physical exercise helps to refresh the nervous system whose central context is the brain faculty (Robert, 1991) Taking adequate sleep: It is of necessity that a person takes enough sleep that brings relaxation to the reasoning and thinking autonomies. The mind set that could be infiltrated by sleep and stress is prone to inadequate reasoning. Various decisions by the human reasoning can only be ploughed in by a sober and a relaxed cognitive personality. Neurofeedback process: This is the process through which the precepts of human reasoning are controlled by reflecting back to what presumes a certain reasoning obligation. It is the sensational process of developing a raw feedback to the mind that causes fatal relaxation before engaging into fresh models of reasoning (Anne, 1999) Avoiding reasoning distracters: This is achieved through adequate payment of attention. Though a complex pattern involved in the brain function, it can be ensured by the proper payment of attention to the reasoning process that would then help to withdraw all possible abstractions and therefore driving towards concrete decisions. Reference Anne, T (1999) Critical Reasoning in Ethics. London, Routledge Manktelow, K (1999) Reasoning and Thinking. London. Psychology Press Mark, R (2007) The Psychology of Reasoning, London, Routeldge. Michael, S (1977) Reasoning. New York, McGraw Hill Robert, A (1991) Practical Reasoning. London, Routledge Thomson, A (2001) Critical Reasoning: A Practical Introduction. London, Routlege

Nicolaus Copernicus :: Essays Papers

Nicolaus Copernicus The sixteenth and seventeenth centuries were known as the Scientific Revolution. During these centuries, science was starting to answer many questions about the earth. Scientists all around the world were making their assumptions on how the universe worked. Nicolaus Copernicus was a Polish astronomer that also had a theory. The Copernican Theory changed many views and had a great effect on society. Copernicus lived his life in Poland. When he was nineteen, he decided to study at the University of Cracow. At the university he was required to study grammar, rhetoric and logic, arithmetic, geometry, music and astrology or astronomy. Edward Rosen is the author of, Copernicus and the Scientific Revolution. He says, "The subjects offered during his years there are known form university records that are still preserved. The names of the professors who taught those courses are also known. But the students’ records are missing."1 The grades that he received in college are unknown. However, it is known that he did not stay long enough to earn a bachelor’s degree.2 After Copernicus left school he returned home to his uncle, Lucas Waczendrode, who was the bishop of Ermeland.3 His uncle suggested that he enter the canonry n Frauenburg. The canonry is a group of clergymen that belong to a cathedral or other church. Entering the canonry would give Copernicus a stable and secure income for the rest of his life. While he waited for an opening, his uncle sent him for training at the University of Bologna.4 While there he studied mathematics and Greek language for three and half years. He also became more familiar with astronomy. In 1501 Copernicus returned to Frauenburg where he became apart of the canonry. He left quickly and started to study in Italy at the University of Padua. There he studied law and medicine.5 After a lifetime of studying, he is said to have mastered the concepts of math, medicine, theology and astronomy.6 As Copernicus began to study astronomy more, he came to strongly disagree with the Ptolemaic system of astronomy. This system was based on the idea that the earth was fixed in the center and all the other heavenly bodies moved around it. Astronomers believed that the earth was in the center because it was heavy. Copernicus saw many problems associated with this system of astronomy. For example, sometimes the planets appeared to be going in the opposite direction and the brightness of the planets would tend to change as well.

Team Discussi

The Broom model of leadership examines how leaders go about making decisions and the approach of assessing the situation before determining the best leadership style. (Bateman & Snell, 2011). The Broom model evaluates seven situational factors for problem analysis that include; decision significance, importance of commitment, leaders expertise, likelihood of commitment, group support for objectives, group expertise and team competence. (Bateman & Snell, 2011)Flexibility and the ability to practice situational leadership decision-making is an ideal model for an effective leader, according to the Broom leadership model. In the Broom model of leadership, leaders are able to assess different situations and determine which approach will be most effective in delivering the message to his or her team. The process includes: whether he or she will talk to his or her team individually or as a team to get input from the team; the leader also will determine whether they will facilitate or deleg ate tasks to elf accomplish the goal or task. Teammate & Snell, 2011) Depending how urgent the matter is will determine how decisive leader will have time to consult with others. All circumstances take a situational approach. Fiddlers approach explains how an employee who is task motivated seems to perform better when there is something that needs to be completed. Delegating could be the best approach for people who are motivated in this capacity. A person who is driven by the relationships of heir co workers seems to perform better in areas where there are interpersonal situation that are needed.

Ifrs Adoption in Spain and the United Kingdom: Effects on Accounting Numbers and Relevance

Tutorial questions for Topic 6 Reading exercise Read Gaston et al (2010) article â€Å"IFRS adoption in Spain and the United Kingdom: Effects on accounting numbers and relevance† and find out the answer for the following questions: Q1 What are the research objectives? (the last 5 paragraphs of section 1) The main purpose of this research is to compare and contrast the quantitative impact of the IFRS adoption on financial reporting in Spain and the UK.There are two main research objectives. First it explores the economic and financial effect of the IFRS adoption for companies in the two countries. The second objective is to examine whether or not the IFRS will improve the usefulness of financial reporting. It is expected that companies’ market value and book value will increase under the IFRS adoption in both countries (Gaston et al, 2010). If you use direct quotation instead: The first objective of our study is to analyse the impact of IFRS on financial reports issued b y companies in Spain and the UK† (Gaston et al, 2010, p306). Q2 What is the research sample size? (section 3. 1 in page 306) 100 companies from the Madrid Stock Exchange General Index (IGBM) and 74 companies from the Financial Time Stock Exchange Index 100 (FTSE 100) (excluding financial institutions, holding companies and insurance firms) are used for this research.Q3 How many hypotheses are proposed, and what are they? (section 3. 3, p306-308) There are three hypotheses are proposed in this study and they are: â€Å"H01: There are no significant differences in the value of accounting figures and financial ratios determined under local GAAP and IFRS† â€Å"H02: There are no significant differences in the relative impact of IFRS on the value of accounting figures and financial ratios in the UK and Spain† â€Å"H03:There are no significant differences in the book values (per local GAAP and IFRS) and market value of firms† â€Å"H04: There are no significan t differences in the Gap(spainlocal), Gap(uklocal) and Gap(spainifrs), Gap(ukifrs) (Gaston et al, 2010, p307). Q4 What are the research findings? (section 5, page 312) â€Å"H01: There are no significant differences in the value of accounting figures and financial ratios determined under local GAAP and IFRS† H01 is rejected (not true) in both Spanish and British companies because: After IFRS adoption, Spanish firms showing (p308):Increases in fixed and total assets, long-term liabilities, short-term liabilities and indebtedness. Decreases in current assets, current ratio and solvency After IFRS adoption, UK firms showing (p309): Increases in fixed and total assets, long-term liabilities, short-term liabilities, operating income, net income, indebtedness and return on equity. Decreases in current assets, equity and solvency H02: There are no significant differences in the relative impact of IFRS on the value of accounting figures and financial ratios in the UK and Spain† H02 is rejected (not true) in both Spanish and British companies because: â€Å"the relative impact of IFRS has been statistically different in Spain and the UK on fixed assets, current assets, long-term and short-term liabilities, operating and net income, solvency, indebtedness, return on assets and return on equity (Table 8, p309) H03: There are no significant differences in the book values (per local GAAP and IFRS) and market value of firms† H03 is rejected (not true) in both Spanish and British companies because â€Å"the market value of firms is statistically different from the book value calculated with both local standards and IFRS† (Table 11, p311). H04: There are no significant differences in the Gap(spainlocal), Gap(uklocal) and Gap(spainifrs), Gap(ukifrs) H04 is rejected (not true) in both Spanish and British companies because there are â€Å"significant differences between accounting and market values†¦ these results are the same both in Spain and U K, as well as they apply local or international standards†¦the market value is significantly higher than the book value in all cases† (p312)

Words Derived from Pend

Words Derived from Pend Words Derived from Pend Words Derived from Pend By Mark Nichol Pend, stemming from the Latin verb pendere, meaning â€Å"hang,† is used exclusively in legal terminology, as a verb meaning â€Å"be awaiting,† but it appears as the root of many other words referring to hanging or weight, which are listed and defined in this post. Something that is pending is waiting to be resolved. A pendant is a fixture or ornament that hangs; the word can also refer to a certain type of rope used in sailing, is a British English variant of pennant (a small, tapering flag), and may also refer to something complementary or supplementary, such as a companion volume to a book. A compendium (â€Å"weigh together†), meanwhile, is a collection; it is frequently used in a literary sense. To append (â€Å"weigh out†) is to attach something, and something attached to something else, such as a limb, is often referred to as an appendage. Supplemental content attached to the end of a book is called an appendix, and a vestigial organ of the body is so named because it hangs from the large intestine. (Its full name is vermiform appendix; the first word means â€Å"wormlike†). To depend (â€Å"hang from†) on someone or something is to rely on him, her, or it; the adjectival form is dependable, dependent is both an adjective and a noun, and dependence is the noun form. (Antonyms referring to freedom from reliance are independent and independence, while codependent, codependence, and codependency refer to control or manipulation of one person by another.) To prepend (â€Å"weigh before†) is to consider. To expend (â€Å"weigh out†) is to pay; the adjectival form is expendable (though it can also be used as noun). Something impending (â€Å"hanging over†) is about to occur; the basic verb form is rare. A stipend (â€Å"weigh payment†) is money given as pay for short-term work, generally a modest amount not equivalent to a salary. To suspend (â€Å"hang up†) is to hang something or cause someone to wait for something; the feeling that results is suspense, and the act is called suspension. A pendulum is a weight that swings to and fro to regulate movement; it may also refer figuratively to movement from one position to its opposite. Something that swings heavily can be described as pendulous. Perpendicular (â€Å"hanging thoroughly†) means â€Å"projecting at right angles†); it is sometimes employed as a synonym for precipitous and may refers to individuals of distinctive types. (Perpendiculum is the Latin term for a plumb line, a weighted cord that in conjunction with gravity is used to ensure that an upright structural element is straight.) Pendentive is an architectural term for a structural element that helps support a dome. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:When to Use â€Å"That,† â€Å"Which,† and â€Å"Who†45 Synonyms for â€Å"Old† and â€Å"Old-Fashioned†Neither... or?

Gradual changes of an innate knowledge base vs. radical shifts Essay Example

Gradual changes of an innate knowledge base vs. radical shifts Essay Example Gradual changes of an innate knowledge base vs. radical shifts Essay Gradual changes of an innate knowledge base vs. radical shifts Essay Gradual changes of an innate knowledge base vs. radical shifts Human beings are complex to research on and understand in their entirety. Children derive much of their knowledge from the input of others. Conceptual change entails the varying nature of relationships and concepts in the life of an individual. It put into perspective the aspects associated with getting information, associating with others and how ones adjust in each stage in life. From an analytical perspective, it makes more sense to comprehend conceptual change through gradual changes of an innate knowledge base rather than radical shifts. From their study on several spontaneous-response activities among infants, Onishi, Scott, and Baillargeon (2010) explain that when infant are two years old, they are able to subject false views regarding identity, location and false viewpoints. This ability is robust and can be demonstrated with various belief-inducing situations, with human and non-human agents and different spontaneous-response tasks. Additionally, infants can recognize that agents can hold false beliefs on the location of objects because of the misleading contextual or perceptual cues that cause an agent to inaccurately infer its likely location.; : Subsequently, understanding advanced, scientific concepts in various disciplines requires students to not only rely on simple memorization of facts but learn how to restructure their intuitive, naive theories based on their lay culture and everyday experience. They should undergo profound conceptual change, which is not achievable in the absence of systematic instructions, with both constructivist and sociocultural factors. There has been a dispute between empiricism and rationalism, which concerns the extent that people are dependent upon sense experience in their effort to gain knowledge. Rationalists argues that there are momentous ways that people gain concepts and knowledge independently from the sense experience (Onishi, ; Baillargeon, 2005). On the other hand, empiricists argue that sense experience is a definitive source of all the concepts and knowledge that are possessed by people. From their study on whether infants who are fifteen months old can attest to false beliefs, Onishi and Baillargeon (2005) explains that infants have the ability to appeal to their mental conditions such that they are able to explain the behavior of others. Contemporary psychology is undergoing rapid and far-reaching changes. The conceptual change approach in learning and development is a constructivist approach that relies on various fundamental assumptions, as the way knowledge is acquired in domain-specific theory. Coaching is an effective way of transformational change for the individuals and organizations. Engaging a coach offers a pathway for accelerated professional and personal development. Adopting a coaching mindset approach usually has a profound effect on the productivity and working culture of an organization. Rationalists commonly develop their view in the following ways; firstly, they may argue that in some cases, the content peoples knowledge or of our concepts outstrips the information that can be provided by sense experience. Secondly, they hypothesize accounts of how additional information about the world can be retrieved. Conversely, empiricists provide complementary lines of thought. Firstly, they show how experience provides information that is cited by rationalists, as it is in the first place (Croft, ; Cruse, 2004). Croft and Cruse (2004) provide an analysis of language being controlled by cognitive principles and hence putting into perspective the issue of sense and knowledge.;At times, empiricists opt for skepticism as an alternative to rationalism. Secondly, empiricists oppose rationalists reasoning that reason is a source of knowledge or concepts. In conclusion, there is a divide in educational research, with the cognitive theorists focusing on inter-mental, individual, cognitive mechanisms instead of inter-mental, social mechanisms. From a personal perspective, instructions are intended to guide children move from their actual knowledge, up to their potential knowledge that refers to the knowledge that students and teachers co-construct in learning. The distance from the actual knowledge up to the potential knowledge is referred to as the zone of proximal development. The disagreement between empiricists and rationalists about the source of individuals ideas leads to their content and subsequently the content of peoples descriptions and knowledge of the world. Also, from a personal perspective, like philosophical debates, empiricist and the rationalist debate ultimately concerns peoples position and views in the world, hence, in this case, people are rational inquirers. Works cited Baillargeon, R., Scott, R. M., He, Z. (2010). False-belief understanding in infants. Trends in cognitive sciences, 14(3), 110-118 Croft, W. A. Cruse, D. A. (2004). Cognitive Linguistics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Onishi, K. H. Baillargeon, R. (2005). Do 15-month-ild infants understand false beliefs? Science, 308(5719), 255-258 Vosniadou, Stella, Xenia Vamvakoussi, and Irini Skopeliti. The framework theory approach to the problem of conceptual change.International handbook of research on conceptual change(2008): 3-34.

For Sale vs. On Sale

For Sale vs. On Sale For Sale vs. On Sale For Sale vs. On Sale By Maeve Maddox A reader asks, When do you use the expression â€Å"for sell† instead of â€Å"for sale†? Short answer: Never. ESL learners must be puzzled when they see ads like these on the Web: I have a nice Play Station 3 drum set for sell for 35 dollars. We have a wristband for sell for $100 in the Des Moines, Ames, Carroll, Denison region of Iowa. Find out if there are other products like yours already  for sell. Cheap Authentic (unused) Cartridges for Sell Sell is a verb. Sale is a noun. Something that someone wants to sell is â€Å"for sale.† Purebred Border Collie Puppies for Sale Gently Used Clothing for Sale Reliable Used Cars for Sale The expression â€Å"on sale† may also present a little confusion to ESL speakers. Sometimes â€Å"on sale† means that items for sale are being sold at a price lower than normal: Prices slashed: all jump drives on sale at half price This weekend only: premium mowers on sale at 20% off When â€Å"on sale† is preceded by go, no drop in price is implied. â€Å"To go on sale† means â€Å"to become available for purchase†: Ticket packages offer the exclusive ability to select tickets before they go on sale (i.e., before people who don’t have ticket packages are allowed to buy them.) An iPhone with a Sapphire Screen May Go on Sale Soon (i.e., it may soon be possible to buy an iPhone with a sapphire screen) When will Google Glass finally go on sale? (i.e., when will Google Glass be available for purchase by consumers?) â€Å"For Sale† and â€Å"On Sale† have their uses, but â€Å"For Sell† is an unfortunate error. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:12 Types of LanguageThe Six Spellings of "Long E"20 Criminal Terms You Should Know

Evaluation Report on Oil & Gas Producing nations Essay

Evaluation Report on Oil & Gas Producing nations - Essay Example The trade policies help in enhancing trades for the benefit of economies. Oil and gas industry mainly ties up with the government for the development with the help of monetary and fiscal policies (Mitchell & et. al., 2012). The objectives of Oil and Gas industry is to expand and enhance security of energy and economic, re-distribution of wealth, economic development, which can be achieved by applying the policies of government of Oil or Gas producing nation. With the help of political influence, the government of the Oil or Gas producing nation indulges into commercial practices for increasing the revenues of the nation as well as the economies of scale. For improvement of the Oil or Gas producing nation the government should take the advice of the outsiders for greater expansion (Petroleum Council, 2013). Government are taking relevant advices from the outsiders to seek advice regarding the policies that are implemented by nation. The government implements various taxes and with the help of the advisers, assistance is taken regarding its applicability. The advice from the outsiders can help the government to obtain the new idea as well as strategy of the outsiders and obtain the knowledge of the new technology along with policies relevant. The new idea along with new technology can be beneficial for the economic development of Oil or Gas producing nation. Exploration and development investment is an important concept for the industry and thus considering outsiders view to a certain extent might prove to be effective in this context. Advice from the outsiders can also be helpful for the Oil or Gas producing nation for developing innovative new ideas by incorporating the same for a better market position in the global market based on the trade policies and tax system (European Communities, 2008). With the advice from outsiders, the government of Oil or Gas producing nation can obtain knowledge

The Portinari Altarpiece Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Portinari Altarpiece - Essay Example There are various subjects in the painting as on the left is Tommaso Partinari, Saint Thomas, and Anthony Abbot, while the two sons of Tomasso, Pigello, and Antonio are kneeling down. The right panel holds the images of Maria Maddalena Portinari, the wife of Tomasso and their eldest child, Margherita and alongside them is Saint Margaret of Antioch and Mary Magdalene. At the center of the art piece, Jesus is laying on the ground while shepherds and angels are kneeling before Him (Levy, Macy & Van, 2012). At the center of the art piece, there are various objects and elements with symbolic importance as well as emblematic figures. The central panel represents the Adoration of Christ as it depicts Mary in a deep prayer showing her acceptance of what her child will persevere as the savior of humanity. Consequently, the Holy Family is revealed in Bethlehem in a manger with shepherds, animals, and angels as Baby Jesus lies on the ground surrounded by an array of golden light. In the foreground, there are two urns of flowers and wheat that represent the Passion and Eucharist (Ridderbos, Hagopian, & McCormick, 2005). The wheat represents the Last Supper where Jesus severed the bread. The white lilies characterizing the smaller vase embody the immaculate and purity conception of Christ while the orange ones represent Christ’s â€Å"Passion† in his later life. Consequently, the second vase holds columbine and purple flowers that correspond to the â€Å"Seven Sorrows of the Virg in.† In the backdrop of the left pane, Joseph and pregnant Mary are seen escaping to Egypt, while the background in central panel; angels visit the Shepherds and on the right, the Three Magi are on their way to Bethlehem (Kleiner, 2012).

Equal rights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Equal rights - Essay Example In Bakke, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a college can apply preferential treatment to minority applicants for admission where the system is applied for the purpose of achieving student diversity. The Court ruling in Bakke determined that a college may award bonus points except where there is evidence of a quota-based system. There is no evidence in this case that such a quota was implemented. In the companion case to Gratz (supra), Grutter v. Bollinger (2003), the court ruled that the affirmative action admissions policy administered by the University of Michigan Law School did not violate the Equal Protection Clause because the law school had an interest in obtaining a "critical mass" of minority students. Whatsamatta University is entitled to award bonuses for minority students and to a verdict in its favor. While the holding in the Bakke case appears to permit rationally based racial preference in college admissions, it is important to note that Bakke was eventually admitted to the University of California. Cracker has strong support for a ruling that Whatsamatta U. violated Cracker's Equal Protection rights under the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. In Gratz v. Bollinger (2003), the U.S.

Rethinking Islam In The Contemporary World Case Study

Rethinking Islam In The Contemporary World - Case Study Example According to the Islamic religion, the Muslim people believe that there is only one God and the main purpose behind their existence in this world is to love and serve Allah. However, with the passing days and the increasing terrorist activities by people framing themselves to be belonging to the Islamic religion, it has forced global populaces to think negatively about the religion and its people. Muslim and Islam are viewed to have occupied a central role in the media industry especially in countries such as the UK and the US, especially after the Salman Rushdie affair, the riots that conflicted in the Middle East and the global war on terrorism (Sian, Law, and Sayyid 229-272). Additionally, issues surrounding multiculturalism, conduction of crime by the people belonging to the Islam religion, their way of gaining and providing education, the increasing immigration of the Muslim in different parts of the world and their tradition of wearing Burqa have resulted in considering Muslims as the focus of numerous public issues (Day, â€Å"Can the burqa be stylish?†). The main objective of this study is to provide a list of major issues that have been surrounding Muslim people in the West and how do they compare to Muslims living in Muslim/Arab countries. The study would also provide verses from the Qur’an which would depict that Islam does not promote any proscribed activities or support such actions as a part of the religious practices since its existence. The increasing proscribed activities along with religion politics, social and economic development in recent years are viewed to have altered the relation amid Western, European and Islamic societies. People belonging to the Non-Muslim and Muslim religions are viewed to be the prime victims of illegal activities which have resulted in aggravating the misunderstanding amid people belonging to different religions on one side and Islam on the other side.

The problem of realism in Animation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The problem of realism in Animation - Essay Example The essay "The problem of realism in Animation" analyzes he issue with Realism in the context of animation. Contemporary film production has and currently, is undergoing a rapid makeover ever since the onset of digital revolution. Film makers today, storyboard, shoot and edit their films with the assistance of computer manipulation of images commonly referred to as digital imagery. With respect to the ordinary audience, the most evident relevance of these technologies is the new wave of computer generated and computer enhanced special effects which are capable of generating outstanding graphic images – which have conquered new heights and reached the epitome of visual excellence. Examples include: the watery creature in The Alyss (1989) or the glistening, irregular shaped Terminator 2 (1991). The images viewed in these movies were unlike any of those witnessed previously. However, such swift transformations and the resultant changes is creating grave setbacks for film theory f or the reason that the digital manipulation of ordinary images is so original and the artistic potential it presents are so unparalleled, that its impact on cinematic depiction as well as on the viewer's reaction are inadequately understood. This paper seeks to analyze, explore and discuss the various aspects involved in animation with respect to its relativity to realism. Realism in visual arts and literature refers to the representation of themes, premises and characters as they appear in everyday life, devoid of exaggeration.

West indians Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

West indians - Essay Example Following the arrival of the white man, numerous African black people were shipped over to work as slaves on sugar plantations on the islands and now make up a large proportion of the population. It is estimated that there are about 36 million people living in the West Indies today, most of African heritage. This is impacted by lower infant mortality rates with increased access to health care and other services. It is also estimated that millions of people have moved from the West Indies to the United States and other parts of the world. According to the article â€Å"West Indies† (2008), at least one million Cubans have moved into the United States with equally high numbers of Puerto Ricans and other West Indians also pursuing greater job opportunities and educations for their children. Most of these people speak Spanish, but this is not the only language spoken. Other languages spoken in high density include French and English, including a creole version of these languages. Dutch is spoken on some of the islands and Hindi and Urdu can still be heard on Trinidad and Tobago (West Indies, 2008). More than half of the West Indian peoples live in urban areas and live lives that are relatively comparable to the lives of people living in urbanized areas anywhere. However, the islands are not overly abundant in their own resources, so farming plays a large role in their economy. The climate is very warm for most of the year, so clothing is generally light and loose with hats, with wide shade-giving brims, playing a significant role in fashion. Perhaps because of the heavy slave-influenced past, their attitudes toward marriage, family structure and religion are somewhat different from what is found in the Protestant-influenced United States to the north. There are four types of family organization within West Indian families, each of which is centered around different religious ideals. The Christian family follows the

The problem of realism in Animation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The problem of realism in Animation - Essay Example The essay "The problem of realism in Animation" analyzes he issue with Realism in the context of animation. Contemporary film production has and currently, is undergoing a rapid makeover ever since the onset of digital revolution. Film makers today, storyboard, shoot and edit their films with the assistance of computer manipulation of images commonly referred to as digital imagery. With respect to the ordinary audience, the most evident relevance of these technologies is the new wave of computer generated and computer enhanced special effects which are capable of generating outstanding graphic images – which have conquered new heights and reached the epitome of visual excellence. Examples include: the watery creature in The Alyss (1989) or the glistening, irregular shaped Terminator 2 (1991). The images viewed in these movies were unlike any of those witnessed previously. However, such swift transformations and the resultant changes is creating grave setbacks for film theory f or the reason that the digital manipulation of ordinary images is so original and the artistic potential it presents are so unparalleled, that its impact on cinematic depiction as well as on the viewer's reaction are inadequately understood. This paper seeks to analyze, explore and discuss the various aspects involved in animation with respect to its relativity to realism. Realism in visual arts and literature refers to the representation of themes, premises and characters as they appear in everyday life, devoid of exaggeration.

Computers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Computers - Essay Example Seeking to explore Dell Computers in holistic analysis, the following will provide a synopsis of the research undertaken on Dell Computers with an eye to the applicability and functuionalisty of this brand of PC. Perusing the site of Dell Computers and looking at the major price points, I determined that the Dell Vostro 220 was the cheapest option of available while the Dell Precision T7500 was the most expensive model on the market. What are the storage requirements for basic application such as Microsoft Office, Adobe Photoshop or Netscape Navigator? Microsoft Office requires a computer and processor of 500 megahertz (MHz) processor or higher; memory which is 256 megabyte (MB) RAM or higher1 and a hard disk space of 1.5 gigabyte (GB). Adobe Photoshop requires a processor which is 1.8GHz or faster, a minimum of 512MB of RAM (1GB recommended) and at least 1GB of available hard-disk space for installation. Finally, Netscape Navigator is no longer on the market, therefore its requirements are irrelevant. The following statement was released by parent company AOL, â€Å"Given AOLs current business focus and the success the Mozilla Foundation has had in developing critically-acclaimed products, we feel its the right time to end development of Netscape branded software. Read the history page for more details about this decision.† (Microsoft, 2009; Adobe 2009; Netscape, 2009). Looking at both the cheapest as well as the most expensive Dell models presently on the market, it is evident that both the Dell Vostro 220 and the high-end Dell Precision T7500 can support basic software applications such as the Microsoft Office and Adobe Photoshop. When you buy a new software package, why does it state the minimum RAM and hard drive space your computer must have for you to run this program? Essentially this sort of information pertains to the amount of available space

Mexican Americans in American Popular Culture Essay Example for Free

Mexican Americans in American Popular Culture Essay It is a known fact that modern entertainment media created certain images and stereotypes of Latin, Asian and other ethnic minorities living in our country. American cinema movies, TV series or even PC games mostly picture the members of Latin and Mexican cultures as aggressive tempered mustached guys, who smoke and fight a lot, and who are always involved in drug distribution or some criminal activities. This tendency had very negative effects on our minds, and many of our citizens are convinced that there are no educated, good-mannered and decent people in Mexican communities. I was always wondering why it happens this way, and studying some historic material, including the articles from the site Digital History, helped me to find some answers on this question. This tendency proved to have a long history and it was formed during the second and the third decades of the twentieth century, when Hollywood producers started expressing their concern and fears caused by the afflux of talented Mexican actors, including Lupe Velez or Dolores Del Rio, their success and public recognition in the US. That is why many performers of Latin origin were given the roles of bandits, thieves and other not attractive characters. After the World War II a number of movies were produced, in which the directors tried to restore the image of Mexican Americans, but after the 1960s, when the problems of illegal immigration from the South became topical, caricaturizing the Mexicans continued. During the last decades, negative characters of Hispanic origin have been appearing in many popular cinema movies or TV series, starting from Chico and the Man and ending with 24. Also, a great contribution to reinforcing the distorted images of the Mexicans was made by a series of popular video games Grand Theft Auto (GTA). In my opinion, this situation is really dejecting, and I am convinced that recent attempts of Mexican artists to demonstrate their true cultural identity and unique distinctive heritage must be supported in our society, and their ethnic voices must be heard.

Types of Tonsillitis: An Overview of Causes and Treatments

Types of Tonsillitis: An Overview of Causes and Treatments There are 2 main types of tonsillitis: acute and chronic. Acute tonsillitis can either be bacterial or viral in origin. Subacute tonsillitis is caused by the bacterium Actinomyces. Chronic tonsillitis can last for long periods of time if not treated, and is mostly caused by bacterial infection. Symptoms of tonsillitis include a severe sore throat, (which may be experienced as referred pain to the ears), painful/difficult swallowing, coughing, headache, myalgia (muscle aches), fever and chills. Tonsillitis is characterized by signs of red, swollen tonsils which may have a purulent exudative coating of white patches (i.e. pus). Swelling of the eyes, face, and neck may occur. In some cases, symptoms of tonsillitis may be confused with symptoms for EBV infectious mononucleosis, known colloquially as mono(US) or Glandular Fever (elsewhere). Common symptoms of Glandular Fever include fatigue, loss of appetite, an enlarged spleen, enlarged lymph nodes, and a severe sore throat, sometimes accompanied by exudative patches of pus. It is also important to understand that symptoms will be experienced differently for each person. Cases that are caused by bacteria are often followed by skin rash and a flushed face. Tonsillitis that is caused by a virus will develop symptoms that are flu-like such as runny nose or aches and pains throughout the body. Even though the infection will not cure immediately, tonsillitis symptoms usually improve 2 or 3 days after treatment starts. Acute tonsillitis is caused by both bacteria and viruses and will be accompanied by symptoms of ear pain when swallowing, bad breath, and drooling along with sore throat and fever. In this case, the surface of the tonsil may be bright red or have a grayish-white coating, while the lymph nodes in the neck may be swollen. The most common form of acute tonsillitis is strep throat, which can be followed by symptoms of skin rash, pneumonia, and ear infection. This particular strand of tonsillitis can lead to damage to the heart valves and kidneys if not treated. Extreme tiredness and malaise are also experienced with this condition with the enlargement of the lymph nodes and adenoids. Chronic tonsillitis is a persistent infection in the tonsils. Since this infection is repetitive, crypts or pockets can form in the tonsils where bacteria can store. Frequently, small, foul smelling stones (tonsilloliths) are found within these crypts that are made of high quantities of sulfur. These stones cause a symptom of a full throat or a throat that has something caught in the back. A foul breath that is characterized by the smell of rotten eggs (because of the sulfur) is also a symptom of this condition. Other symptoms that can be caused by tonsillitis that are not normally associated with it include snoring and disturbed sleep patterns. These conditions develop as the tonsils enlarge and begin to obstruct other areas of the throat. A persons voice is generally affected by this type of illness and changes in the tone of voice a person normally has. While a person may only become hoarse, it is possible for laryngitis to develop if the throat is used too much while the tonsils are swollen or inflamed. Other uncommon symptoms that can be experienced with tonsillitis include vomiting, constipation, a tongue that feels furry or fuzzy, difficulty opening the mouth, headaches and a feeling of dry or cotton mouth. Causes Under normal circumstances, as viruses and bacteria enter the body through the nose and mouth, they are filtered in the tonsils. The tonsils work by surrounding them with white blood cells which causes the body to develop a fever that can become extremely high in children. Should the infection become serious, the tonsils will inflame and become painful. The infection may also be present in the throat and surrounding areas, causing inflammation of the pharynx. [2] This is the area in the back of the throat that lies between the voice box and the tonsils. Tonsillitis may be caused by Group A streptococcal bacteria, resulting in strep throat. Viral tonsillitis may be caused by numerous viruses such as the Epstein-Barr virus (the cause of infectious mononucleosis) or adenovirus. Sometimes, tonsillitis is caused by a infection of spirochaeta and treponema, in this case called Vincents angina or Plaut-Vincent angina.[5] Although tonsillitis is associated with infection, it is currently unknown whether the swelling and other symptoms are caused by the infectious agents themselves, or by the host immune response to these agents. Tonsillitis may be a result of aberrant immune responses to the normal bacterial flora of the nasopharynx. The viruses that cause tonsillitis are often the ones that frequently affect the respiratory system or breathing. Most cases are caused by a virus and will only require treatment of sore throat remedies that can be bought over the counter. Bacteria-caused tonsillitis, however, is treated with prescribed antibiotic medication to reduce the risk for further complications. Tonsillitis most often affects children whose tonsils are responsible for fighting infections. This is also true because as we age, our tonsils become less active. Rare cases have been diagnosed with fungi or parasites being the cause. This generally takes place in persons with weakened immune systems. There is no research to state that smoking cigarettes causes tonsillitis, however it is widely accepted that smoking weakens the immune system. Also, children and adults who live in a smoke-prone environment may be exposed to factors that could result in a tonsillectomy. Treatment Treatments of tonsillitis consist of pain management medications and lozenges. If the tonsillitis is caused by bacteria, then antibiotics are prescribed, with penicillin being most commonly used. Erythromycin and Clarithromycin are used for patients allergic to penicillin. In many cases of tonsillitis, the pain caused by the inflamed tonsils warrants the prescription of topical anesthetics for temporary relief. Viscous lidocaine solutions are often prescribed for this purpose, and anaesthetic throat lozenges containing benzocaine, lignocaine, benzydamine and flubiprofen are widely avaliable without prescription. Ibuprofen or other analgesics such as aspirin or paracetamol can help to decrease the edema and inflammation, which will ease the pain and allow the patient to swallow liquids sooner.[6] When tonsillitis is caused by a virus, the length of illness depends on which virus is involved. Usually, a complete recovery is made within one week; however, some rare infections may last for up to two weeks. Chronic cases may indicate tonsillectomy (surgical removal of tonsils) as a choice for treatment. Additionally, gargling with a solution of warm water and salt may reduce pain and swelling. If you are suffering from tonsilloliths (Tonsil stones) try to avoid dairy products like milk, ice cream, yogurt etc. Complications An abscess may develop lateral to the tonsil during an infection, typically several days after the onset of tonsillitis. This is termed a peritonsillar abscess (or quinsy). Rarely, the infection may spread beyond the tonsil resulting in inflammation and infection of the internal jugular vein giving rise to a spreading septicaemia infection (Lemierres syndrome). In chronic/recurrent cases (generally defined as seven episodes of tonsillitis in the preceding year, five episodes in each of the preceding two years or three episodes in each of the preceding three years), or in acute cases where the palatine tonsils become so swollen that swallowing is impaired, a tonsillectomy can be performed to remove the tonsils. Patients whose tonsils have been removed are certainly still protected from infection by the rest of their immune system. Bacteria feeding on mucus which accumulates in pits (referred to as crypts) in the tonsils may produce whitish-yellow deposits known as tonsilloliths. These may emit an odour due to the presence of volatile sulfur compounds. Hypertrophy of the tonsils can result in snoring, mouth breathing, disturbed sleep, and obstructive sleep apnea, during which the patient stops breathing and experiences a drop in the oxygen content in the bloodstream. A tonsillectomy can be curative. In very rare cases, diseases like rheumatic fever or glomerulonephritis can occur. These complications are extremely rare in developed nations but remain a significant problem in poorer nations Bronchitis Bronchitis is an obstructive respiratory disease that may occur in both acute and chronic forms. Acute bronchitis: Inflammation of the bronchial passages most commonly caused by infection with bacteria or viruses. Acute bronchitis is generally a self-limiting condition in healthy individuals but can have much more severe consequences in individuals who are weakened with other illness or who are immunocompromised. Symptoms of acute bronchitis often include productive cough, dyspnea and possible fever. Chronic bronchitis: Chronic bronchitis is a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease that is most frequently associated with cigarette smoking (approximately 90% of cases). Chronic bronchitis may also be caused by prolonged exposure to inhaled particulates such as coal dust or other pollutants. The disease is characterized by excess mucus production in the lower respiratory tract. This mucus accumulation can impair function of the ciliated epithelium and lining of the respiratory tract and prevent the clearing of debris and organisms. As a result, patients with chronic bronchitis often suffer repeated bouts of respiratory infection. Chronic bronchitis sufferers are often referred to as blue bloaters as a result of the cyanosis and peripheral edema that is often present. Manifestations of chronic bronchitis Productive, chronic cough Production of purulent sputum Frequent respiratory infections Dyspnea Hypoxia, cyanosis Symptoms of cor pulmonale Fluid accumulation in later stages Treatment of chronic bronchitis Cessation of smoking or exposure to irritants Bronchodilators to open airway passages Expectorants to loosen mucus Anti-inflammatories to relieve airway inflammation and reduce mucus secretion Prophylactic antibiotics for respiratory infections Oxygen therapy Bronchial asthma Asthma is a condition characterized by reversible bronchospasm and chronic inflammation of airway passages. The incidence of asthma has been steadily increasing in recent years. Although the exact etiology is still uncertain, there appears to be a definite genetic predisposition to the development of asthma. A key component of asthma appears to be airway hyper reactivity in affected individuals. Exposure to certain triggers can induce marked bronchospasm and airway inflammation in susceptible patients. Individuals with asthma appear to produce large amounts of the antibody IgE that attach to the mast cells present in many tissues. Exposure to a trigger such as pollen will result in the allergen-binding mast cell-bound IgE, which in turn causes the release of inflammatory mediators such as histamine, leukotrienes and eosinophilic chemotactic factor. Some Potential Asthma Triggers Allergens Pollen, pet dander, fungi, dust mites Cold air Pollutants Cigarette smoke Strong emotions Exercise Respiratory tract infections Clinical Classification of Asthma Mild intermittent Attacks occur 2 times per week or less Mild persistent Attacks occur more than 2 times per week Moderate persistent Attacks occur daily or almost daily and are severe enough to affect activity Severe persistent Attacks are very frequent and persist for a long period of time; attacks severely limit activity The response of a patient with asthma to these triggers can be divided into an early phase and a late phase. Early phase of asthma: The early phase of asthma is characterized by marked constriction of bronchial airways and bronchospasm that is accompanied by edema of the airways and the production of excess mucus. The bronchospasm that occurs may be the result of the increased release of certain inflammatory mediators such as histamine, prostaglandins and bradykinin that, in the early stages of asthmatic response, promote bronchoconstriction rather than inflammation. Late phase of asthma: The late phase of asthma can occur several hours after the initial onset of symptoms and manifests mainly as an inflammatory response. The primary mediators of inflammation during the asthmatic response are the white blood cells eosinophils that stimulate mast cell degranulation and release substances that attract other white cells to the area. Subsequent infiltration of the airway tissues with white blood cells such as neutrophils and lymphocytes also contributes to the overall inflammatory response of the late phase of asthma. Manifestations of asthma Coughing, wheezing Difficulty breathing Rapid, shallow breathing Increased respiratory rate Excess mucus production Barrel chest due to trapping of air in the lungs Significant anxiety Staging of the Severity of an Acute Asthma Attack Stage I (mild) Mild dyspnea Diffuse wheezing Adequate air exchange Stage II (moderate) Respiratory distress at rest Marked wheezing Stage III (severe) Marked respiratory distress Cyanosis Marked wheezing or absence of breath sounds Stage IV (respiratory failure) Severe respiratory distress, lethargy, confusion, prominent pulsus paradoxus Complications of asthma Possible complications of asthma can include the occurrence of status asthmaticus, which is a life-threatening condition of prolonged bronchospasm that is often not responsive to drug therapy. Pneumothorax is also a possible consequence as a result of lung pressure increases that can result from the extreme difficulty involved in expiration during a prolonged asthma attack. Marked hypoxemia and acidosis might also occur and can result in overall respiratory failure. Treatment of asthma The appropriate drug treatment regimen for asthma is based on the frequency and severity of the asthma attacks and may include the following: Avoidance of triggers, and allergens. Improved ventilation of the living spaces, use of air conditioning. 2. Bronchodilators (Examples: albuterol, terbutaline) Short acting Î’-adrenergic receptor activators. May be administered as needed in the form of a nebulizer solution using a metered dispenser or may be given subcutaneously. These drugs block bronchoconstriction but do not prevent the inflammatory response. 3. Xanthine drugs (Example: theophylline) Cause bronchodilation but may also inhibit the late phase of asthma. These drugs are often used orally as second-line agents in combination with other asthma therapies such as steroids. Drug like theophylline can have significant central nervous system, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal side effects that limit their overall usefulness. 4. Anti-inflammatory drugs (Corticosteroids) Used orally or by inhalation to blunt the inflammatory response of asthma. The most significant unwanted effects occur with long-term oral use of corticosteroids and may include immunosuppression, increased susceptibility to infection, osteoporosis and effects on other hormones such as the glucocorticoids. 5. Cromolyn sodium Anti-inflammatory agent that blocks both the early and late phase of asthma. The mechanism of action is unclear but may involve mast cell function or responsiveness to allergens. 6. Leukotriene modifiers (Example: Zafirlukast) New class of agents that blocks the synthesis of the key inflammatory mediators, leukotrienes. Emphysema Emphysema is a respiratory disease that is characterized by destruction and permanent enlargement of terminal bronchioles and alveolar air sacs. Well over 95% of all patients with emphysema were chronic cigarette smokers. Although the exact etiology of emphysema is still uncertain, it appears that chronic exposure to cigarette smoke causes chronic inflammation of the alveolar airways, which results in infiltration by lymphocytes and macrophages. Excess release of protease enzymes such as trypsin from lung tissues and leukocytes can digest and destroy the elastic walls of the alveoli. Alveolar air sacs become enlarged and distended as their structure is affected and their elasticity lost. Levels of a protective enzyme ÃŽÂ ±-1-antitrypsin have been shown to be lacking in certain individuals who are chronic cigarette smokers. This enzyme inactivates destructive protease enzymes in lung tissue. In fact, a rare form of emphysema occurs in individuals who are not cigarette smokers but who have a genetic lack of ÃŽÂ ±-1-antitrypsin. Manifestations of emphysema: The major physiologic changes seen in emphysema are a loss of alveolar (lung) elasticity and a decrease in the overall surface area for gas exchange within the lungs. Manifestations include the following: Tachypnea (increased respiratory rate): Because the increased respiratory rate in these individuals is effective in maintaining arterial blood gases, one does not usually see hypoxia or cyanosis until the end stages of the disease. Patients with emphysema are often referred to as pink puffers because of their high respiratory rates and lack of obvious cyanosis. Dyspnea Barrel chest from prolonged expiration Lack of purulent sputum Possible long-term consequences, including cor pulmonale, respiratory failure Chronic bronchitis Emphysema Mild dyspnea Dyspnea that may be severe Productive cough Dry or no cough Cyanosis common Cyanosis rare Respiratory infection common Infrequent infections Onset usually after 40 years of age Onset usually after 50 years of age History of cigarette smoking History of cigarette smoking Cor pulmonale common Cor pulmonale in terminal stages Types of Emphysema Cough Reflex The bronchi and trachea are so sensitive to light touch that very slight amount of foreign matter or other causes of irritation initiate the cough reflex. The larynx and carina (the point where the trachea divides into the bronchi) are especially sensitive, and the terminal bronchioles and even the alveoli are sensitive to corrosive chemical stimuli such as sulphur dioxide gas or chlorine gas. Afferent nerve impulses pass from the respiratory passages mainly through the vagus nerves to the medulla of the brain. There, an automatic sequence of events is triggered by the neuronal circuits of the medulla, causing the following effect. First, up to 2.5 liters of air are rapidly inspired. Second, the epiglottis closes, and the vocal cords shut tightly to entrap the air within the lungs. Third, the abdominal muscles contract forcefully, pushing against the diaphragm while other expiratory muscles, such as the internal intercostals, also contract forcefully. Consequently, the pressure in the lungs rises rapidly to as much as 100 mm Hg or more. Fourth, the vocal cords and the epiglottis suddenly open widely, so that air under this high pressure in the lungs explodes outward. Indeed, sometimes this air is expelled at velocities ranging from 75 to 100 miles per hour. Importantly, the strong compression of the lungs collapses the bronchi and trachea by causing their non-cartilaginous parts to invaginate inward, so that the exploding air actually passes through bronchial and tracheal slits. The rapidly moving air usually carries with it any foreign matter that is present in the bronchi or trachea. CO Poisoning Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless gas that is produced during the combustion of fuels such as gasoline, coal, oil, and wood. As you know, CO is a poison that may cause death if inhaled in more than very small quantities or for more than a short period of time. The reason CO is so toxic is that it forms a very strong and stable bond with the hemoglobin in RBCs (carboxyhemoglobin). Hemoglobin with CO bonded to it cannot bond to and transport oxygen. The effect of CO, therefore, is to drastically decrease the amount of oxygen carried in the blood. As little as 0.1% CO in inhaled air can saturate half the total hemoglobin with CO. Lack of oxygen is often apparent in people with light skin as cyanosis, a bluish cast to the skin, lips, and nail beds. This is because hemoglobin is dark red unless something (usually oxygen) is bonded to it. When hemoglobin bonds to CO, however, it becomes a bright, cherry red. This color may be seen in light skin and may be very misleading; the person with CO poisoning is in a severely hypoxic state. Although CO is found in cigarette smoke, it is present in such minute quantities that it is not lethal. Heavy smokers, however, may be in a mild but chronic hypoxic state because much of their hemoglobin is firmly bonded to CO. As compensation, RBC production may increase, and a heavy smoker may have a hematocrit over 50%.

Exploring Teacher Pay Incentives Essay examples -- education reform, t

This study analyzes four articles’ study findings as well as authors’ conclusion on the teachers’ incentive pay issue based on the studies presented by the authors. Those articles include Steele, Murname and Willnett (2009) that seek to analyze the effect of incentives on teachers’ retention. In the article, a natural experiment done in California between the year 2000 and 2003 involving an incentive of $20,000 that was called the Governor’s Teaching Fellowship (GTF) analyzes the incentives’ effect on talented teachers’ attraction and retention in low-performing schools. In addition, Fryer (2011) is the other article presenting an analysis of teacher’s incentives’ effect on students’ success in terms of attendance, academic performance or graduation. The article utilizes a school-based random trial involving more than 200 public schools in New York. Further, the analysis reviews an article by Figlio and Kenny (2006) which is a documentation of students’ performance’s relationship with teachers’ performance incentives. The study utilizes United States data combining the authors’ survey that was conducted in 2000 with National Education Longitudinal Survey on students and schools in regard to teachers’ pay incentives. Finally, Nael (2011) is an article on an analysis of education incentive schemes through a review of empirical studies that evaluates educators’ performance pay programs. Thus, the article will provide a suitable review on designs of student’s achievements measures and teachers’ performance metrics. Article 1: Relationship between teacher pay incentives and student’s performance Figlio & Kenny (2006) presents the first systematic documentation of the relationship that exists between students’ performance and the ... ...g jobs at the existing pay. In addition, incentives would retain the teachers as they would not be motivated to look for alternative jobs. (Barron & Lynch, 1987) Works cited Barron, J. & Lynch, G. Economics. London: Richard D. Irwin Inc, 1987. Print. Figlio, N. D. & Kenny, L. â€Å"Individual Teacher’s Incentive Programs and Student’s Performance†. NBER Working Paper 12627, October 2006. Print. Fryer, G.R. â€Å"Teachers Incentives and Students Achievement: Evidence from New York City’s Public Schools†. NBER Working Paper 16850, March 2011. Print. Neal, D. â€Å"The Design of Performance Pay In Education†. NBER Working Paper 16710, January 2011. Print. Steele, J., Murname, R. & Willnett, J. â€Å"Do Financial Incentives Help Low Performing Schools in Attracting and Keeping Talented Teachers? Evidence from California†. NBER Working paper 14780, March 2009. Print.

Defeat in The Old Man and the Sea Essay

â€Å"As human beings, our greatest glory consists not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.† To achieve a goal in life, man must persevere through all pain and suffering and continue to search for the light at the end of the dark tunnel. The journey of The Old Man and the Sea describes struggle and the will to discipline oneself to achieve an aspiration. An old fisherman, Santiago, is faced with exactly that; he has a dream of ending an eighty-four day streak without catching a fish and has to use all of his will power to overcome the sea’s obstacles. Because Santiago successfully catches the great marlin by fighting through physical fatigue, Hemmingway, in The Old Man and the Sea, proves â€Å"a man can be destroyed but not defeated.† In the prolonged struggle between the fish and the old man his conscience questioned his justifications for battling such a great creature. Always in the back of his mind was the young boy who he valued for friendship and companionship. These ideals helped Santiago remember his discipline for fishing and his integrity for his own manhood. The pain and suffering the old man must endure to overcome the sea’s adversity help to justify Santiago’s rebirth of manhood. His legendary journey provides mental and physical altercations Santiago must survive in order to prove to himself that he is still a man capable of catching fish. Society labels Santiago as an unlucky fisherman for not catching any fish for 85 days, and yet ignore his skills as a wise, witty fisherman. â€Å"It is better to be lucky. But I would rather be exact. Then when luck comes you are ready.†(32) Santiago coordinates good luck with offerings from the sea. He also said, in order to catch the big fish I must go out far enough where the great one will be distracting death for his own adversity with the open sea. He almost distains fate into his situation with the fish by taking all the pain and suffering his body endures to complete his desires. â€Å"He did not truly feel good because the pain from the cord across his back had almost passed pain and into dullness that he mistrusted.†(74) Once both the fish and Santiago had reached the breaking point of conflict the story seemed to slow down in time to exemplify the adverse conditions that both characters were suffering from. For eighty-four days, the old man, Santiago, has not caught any fish. Because of this, the old man’s fishing partner and pupil, Manolin, whom the old man loved like his own son and taught since he was five, has not been permitted to fish with him but has been forced by his parents to fish in a more productive boat. On the eighty-fifth day Santiago sets out to the deep recesses of the sea, certain that this would be the day when he would catch his big fish. He eventually does catch a marlin, but the struggle has only begun. For two days Santiago holds the line that is attached to the fish, and he suffers though tremendous obstacles to kill the great marlin. After harpooning the fish, he straps the marlin against the skiff and heads for home, doubting if the victory was real. The obstacles, however, were not yet over. The blood drawn from the fish brought the scent into the water, and it was not long until a mako shark began to take its bite out of the marlin. In protection of his fish, Santiago hit the shark with the harpoon. With the mako dead, shovel-nosed sharks came to the fish to get their chance to devour it. Bravely, Santiago fights with all the weapons he has, thus causing him great physical pain, and an injury to his chest. Despite his courageous fight, it is to no avail for when he arrives at his town only the carcass is left The old man proves himself worthy of personal suffering with the cuts and scars on his hands and back along with all of the pulling and slipping the cords had upon his fragile body. Hemmingway shows in a big way how an out of proportioned conflict with an old fisherman and an 18 foot long marlin helps to magnify the significance of Santiago searching for his rebirth to manhood. With constant abstraction describing the fish and the sea in relation to brotherhood create interesting questions for Santiago to ponder. His rationalization for his fishing is that he was born to do it. â€Å"A man can be destroyed but not defeated.† (103) Hemmingway proves that this fish represents all of Santiago’s built up tension to total the size of a gigantic marlin that is perceived as devastating but not unconquerable. The cause of a man’s destruction is in his own hands. The free will given to man enables him choose his own path to follow. The twist and turns of the life can change man’s perception of himself, leading him only to self-destruct through his own actions. By losing, the man is not defeated; he has fallen to the ground. Is this his end, his defeat? No. Because, man is given a light that lifts up spirits in a time of need picking them up off the cold, hard earth to try once more. No matter, the depths of destruction in which a man may find himself, the light never goes out. Despite being broken down to what feels to be his destruction, the light allows him to rebuild, never being entirely defeated.

Credit card Essay

1.0 Background of credit cards The general-purpose credit card was born in 1966 by the Bank of America. Today, Master card and Visa are the well-known international credit card companies in Europe and their cards are accepted in more than 24 million outlets worldwide. Credit cards work to make attractive revenues to credit card companies, banks and retail sales. Nowadays, credit cards have such high interest that they are no longer attractive to purchases the unnecessary items. Credit cards are primarily seems to be used on important events to avoid indebtedness. The used of credit cards started up with individual firms, like oil companies as well as hotel chains, began to issue them to their customers. At first, these cards were just involves between the merchants who offer these cards to their customers and it had been proved to be a major way of ensuring customer loyalty. Later on, the companies began to accept each other’s cards to expand the uses of credit cards. The first bank issued credit card was the Charge-it, which came up in 1946. The card was introduced by John Biggins and was issued by the Flatbush National Bank of Brooklyn in New York. In this, the merchants could deposit the sales slips into the bank and it would in turn get it from the customers. Then, in 1950s, the Diners Club credit card was issued. The card was invented by Frank McNamara, who was the founder of Diner’s Club. MasterCard was then been introduced in 1959, these cardholders no longer had to make the full payment on or before the due date, it gave customers greater flexibility in managing their money. In Australia, the first credit card was issued in 1974. It is known as a Bankcard, was a shared brand credit card and was issued by the Australia financial institutions, and functioned only in limited locations such as Australia, New Zealand, and the Cook Islands. The card soon caught the fancy of the entire region and dominated the credit card market in Australia, during the late 1980’s. A report shows that Bankcards were applied by around 2.3million users in Australia and accepted by 350,000 establishments in 2004. Besides that, the earlier cards were made from metal coins, plates, as well as celluloid, fiber and paper. These days however they are mostly made of plastic.  The usefulness of credit cards and charge cards is actually similar but the only different is the credit balances due date and the amount have to be pay. A charge card is actually a type of credit card that require you to pay your total balance in full at the end of each billing cycle instead of making payment on the lowest limit of the total balances. The cardholders won’t pay any interest on a charge card balance because they are not allowed to carry a balance beyond the due date. However, they’ll face a late fee if their full balance didn’t paid by the due date, the late fee could be a flat fee or a percentage of their balance. A charge card is typically issued by one company these days, America Express such as Amex’ Zync, Green, Gold, and Platinum cards. A credit card, on the other hand, allows you to have a revolving balance that you can pay off over a period of time. Credit cards also have a late fee that’s charged when the cardholders didn’t make their minimum payment by the due date. So nowadays, people are preferred to use credit cards more than charge cards because of the due date and the amount that must pay on due date. However, credit cards may cause more terrible debts than the charge cards. 2.0 Related information 2.1 Types of credit cards There’s two types of credit cards which are variable payment cards (VPC) and fixed repayment card. The VPC is a credit card which allows users to make purchases of variable sizes but limited to the credit limit imposed by the company. The fixed repayment cards allow users access to one month’s credit but with settlement of a minimum payment, say, 15% of the balance. 2.2 Advantages of credit cards and charge cards 2.2.1 Provide a means of obtaining credit The financial institutions which provides credit cards and charge cards products is actually issue credit or loan to the cardholders because when the customers spend money by using credit cards or charge cards, they can enjoy the goods and services first before they really have to pay for it,  which means that they can buy the goods and services by credit but not cash. Although credit means that owe to the financial institution but as long as customers able to pay before the due date, it is a very convenience way to shopping with the credit cards and charge cards. 2.2.2 Interest free credit is given from a week to 4 weeks Financial institutions actually didn’t charge interest on credit to the credit card holders and charge card holders during the first 4 weeks after they spend on it, so customers may spend as much as they want within their credit card or charge card’s limit without making any burden to themselves. But the most important is they have to remember to pay the credit within the first 4 weeks, or else interest on credit will be charge by the financial institution. 2.2.3 Easier to use as payment than cheques Credit cards and charge cards are easier to use as payment than cheques because they are just a small and flat plastic cards which can easily keep in wallet compared to the cheques that need to bring along the cheque book to make payment. Cheque book is very inconvenience to bring along especially without bringing a bag, it have to be hold on hand and it can be dirty, folded and wet easily, once its messy, most probably it will be return by the financial institution after make payment by cheques. Credit cards and charge cards can be dirty too but it can be wiped by tissue or cloth easily and even if its wet also not a problem to continue use it to make payment. 2.2.4 Cardholders can also withdraw cash over the counter or from an ATM Credit cards and charge cards not only can be function on the credit card machine such as MBF machine, it also can be use to withdraw cash over the counter in the financial institution or from an ATM. Although the financial institution will charge the cardholders on withdraw cash by using the credit cards or charge cards, but when the cardholders need cash for emergency case especially during midnight, it can be easily withdraw cash from an ATM. 2.2.5 Global acceptance Cardholders can enjoy goods and services by using credit cards and charge  cards in any countries because it is acceptable in global. It will be very convenience especially during travel or a business trip, cardholders don’t have to look for foreign currency exchange, all they need is just a credit card or charge card will do. Even when they really need cash at overseas, they can withdraw cash through an ATM or over the counter, so they don’t have to scare any robbery when they take out their cash in an unfamiliar countries. 2.2.6 Easy bill payments and earn reward points Cardholders are able to make their bill payments through online banking savings account, by cash or cheque at the financial institution branches, standing instruction and Cash Deposit Machines ( CDM ) or Cheque Deposit Machines ( QDM ) easily. They just have to pay it monthly and when they spent money using the credit cards and charge cards, they will earn reward points which can be used to redeem gifts from the financial institution. So some people might think that if they spent money by cash or cheque, they get nothing extra like the reward points but if they spent money by using credit cards or charge cards they might get extra gifts, it will be more worth than spending by cash or cheque. 2.2.7 Discount on other cooperate stores Some stores will cooperate with the financial institutions, so they will give discount to the specific financial institution’s cardholders when they spend on their stores by using their credit cards or charge cards, this will encourage the cardholders to spend more on their stores to get more discount. For example, Hong Leong Bank provides GSC-Hong Leong Credit Card, the ultimate movie card. The cardholders can enjoy 50% discounts up to RM100, subsequently up to 10% discounts on movie tickets purchase at all of the GSC outlets. 2.2.8 Provide 0% interest installment plan Some of the financial institution will provide 0% interest installment plan which the cardholders can purchase from those specific stores. For example, HSBC bank provide 0% interest installment plan for their credit card holders to purchase goods and services from a lot of shops such as Canon, Gintell, SASA Cosmetic and so on. That means the cardholders who don’t have enough budget also can enjoy the goods and services through the interest free installment plan without any guarantor needed. 2.3 Requirements to apply  credit cards and charge cards There are several requirements to apply credit cards and charge cards which are minimum age, minimum annual income and latest salary slips or relevant documents. At least 18 years old and above for the supplementary and between 21 to 65 years old for principal to apply credit cards and charge cards, this is required by every financial institutions in Malaysia. For the minimum annual income, it depends on financial institutions, they have different requirements on different types of cards. For example, CIMB required RM 24,000 per annum to apply the classic card, RM 30,000 per annum to apply the gold card and RM 60,000 per annum to apply the platinum card. For the charge cards, Maybank provides three types of charge cards only. The American Express Personal Card required RM 30,000 per annum, American Express Gold Card required RM 48,000 and The Platinum Card required RM 190,000 per annum to apply it. 3.0 Current issues of product 3.1 Addicted in using credit cards and charge cards will lead to debt disaster Most of the cardholders will become addicted in spending by using credit cards and charge cards because of at the moment they use the cards they actually don’t have to pay for what they purchases, at least they get to enjoy first before they really need to pay for it. Besides that, purchases with cards and cash have the different feeling, purchases with cash will be not willing to pay for it due to consumers have a clear picture that their cash is really flowing out from their pocket while purchases with cards won’t really feel about that because when you’re not looking at your money flowing out, you won’t feel that it’s actually already been spent by credit. So, this kind of bad habit will make cardholders overspend without realize especially to the shopaholics, therefore it will lead to financial difficulties. There’s still a lot of Malaysian suffering from the credit cards’ debts, some of them just able to pay the lowest limit of th eir debts every month due to the high interest rate charged, it is quite similar to loan sharks as they just able to pay back the interest of credits every month and became a burden which they unable to bear. 3.2 High interest rate of credits Most of the financial institutions in Malaysia offered tiered interest as per Bank Negara Malaysia credit card interest rate structure. The tiered interest rate structure rewards those cardholders who willing to pay their credit card bills in time. For those who pay credit card bills in time for every month in a year will only be charged 13.5% per annum for the interest rate, those who pay credit card bills in time for at least 10 months in a year will be charged higher interest rate than pay in every month which are 16% per annum, while those who pay credit card bills in time for less than 9 months in a year will be punished on the interest rate charged with 17.5% per annum which are the highest interest rate charged in Malaysia. So, for those who pay every month consecutively for a year will get to enjoy a lower interest rate on the 13th month compared to those who didn’t pay the bills every month consecutively for a year. However, some financial institutions offer a lower interest rate. For example, Affin Bank credit card offer 9.99% per annum on the interest rate of credit card bills and AMEX gold credit card is only 9% per annum. So, cardholders will have to choose wisely before they apply the credit cards. Normally financial institutions only require cardholders to pay the lowest limit every month which is 5% or RM50 depends on whichever higher of the total outstanding balance of their credit card bills. But they will have to take a long time to clear all the outstanding balance without any new spending if they only make lowest limit payment. Apart from the high interest rate, cardholders are also subjected to finance charges which will be imposed from the day the transaction is posted to the card account if they just make partial payment or less than that on or before the payment due date. Cardholders will have to make full payments every month consecutively to avoid the finance charges and also get to enjoy the interest free credit for retail transactions for 20 days on retail transactions but it’s not including the cash advance, balance transfer and installment payment plan programs. Even the cardholders didn’t make payment on or before the due date, they also subjected to late payment charges minimum of RM5 or 1% of total outstanding balance, whichever is higher, and  it will be up to RM50. 3.3 Declared bankrupt due to credit card debts There are 41 of the Malaysian declared bankrupt every day on average and most of the reason is because of the credit card debts. The Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations ( FOMCA ) had discovered that most of those who declared bankrupt due to credit card debts were below 40 years old because of their poor financial management, they didn’t think wisely on what they’ve spent and don’t care about the consequences they need to face for the rest of their life. It is very tough to face financial difficulties too early in life and they are actually not mature enough to manage on their financial. For those cardholders who always overspend and unable to make full payment on the credit card bills, the outstanding balances will still remaining and it will become more and more expensive due to the high interest rate charged by the issuers. Usually most of the credit card debts are from the moderate income group because the financial institution only issue credit cards to those who earn at least RM 24,000 per annum, so if they didn’t settle the full payment every month, they will have to suffer from the high interest rate charged and unable to settle the credit card bills easily especially for those who owned more than one credit cards unless they stop spending by using the credit cards and they will need around 2 years to settle the outstanding balances. 3.4 Insecure in using credit cards and charge cards Nowadays there are many cases on the fraud of credit cards due to the technological advances such as exists of hackers, insecure websites during payment and so on. Some of the consumers rather use cash instead of credit cards if they lack of information on credit cards protection. The fraudsters are always creative on thinking a new way to steal the information of the cardholders. The credit card phone activation scam is to cheat the owner of the cardholders’ in order to ask them call a number to activate their new credit cards from their own home number, after the card is activated, the card can be used fraudulently. Just a phone call and the legitimate credit card owner will become a pitiful victim that have to pay the amount from spending that doesn’t recognize which may lead the victim to bankrupt. Some of the credit card scammers might steal or trick the cardholders to tell them the security code and then make purchases over the internet or the telephone. Once they know the credit card’s PIN, they could get cash advances from any of the ATM using a duplicated credit card where the legitimate cardholders’ details have been copied into the magnetic strip of another card. The most popular credit card fraud is use credit card numbers to online purchases in unknown websites which we not sure whether it is a secure website or not. Most of the cardholders didn’t check the safety of making payment with their credit card numbers during online purchases, it is a very dangerous case that will loss a large amount for the careless consequences. In addition, fraudsters also targeting the cardholders through email links and attachments. Once they click on the links or open the attachments they reveal themselves to computer viruses that can detect their keystrokes when they log on to their accounts. 3.5 Teenagers struggle to get control of credit card debt Recent laws designed to prevent young adults from running into credit card debt, it seems teenagers haven’t been doing enough on their own to find debt relief. Parents who want their teenagers to learn to use credit responsibly and effectively often try to train them by giving them a credit card of their own, co-signed by one of the parent and for only a low credit limit. Most teenagers still, however, struggle with some aspects of credit card management, including paying them on time. Few of the teenagers know how to properly manage their accounts, but most of them failed to do so. According to a study entitled Financial Literacy and Credit Cards: A Multi Campus Survey, published in the International Journal of Business and Social Science, about 36 percent of teenagers have two or more credit cards in their name. The report said, just 9.4 percent of those polled said they pay their balances off in full at the end of every month and very few actually knew the cost of their acc ount. Only 14.6 percent of them knew the interest rate on their card, while 24.3 percent and 29.2 percent claimed knowledge of their late payment and over-balance penalty fees, respectively. Altogether,  only about 10 percent said they knew all three. They pay little attention to interest rates, terms, and card features. The card they choose may set them up for failure right from the start. In addition, many young people are not adequately educated about credit cards and debt. They may know that you have to pay the money back, but they may not be prepared to understand the effect of high interest rates, minimum payments and the devastating effect that late payments can cause. And when most young people have relatively low-paying or part-time jobs, it can become difficult to keep up with credit card payments. There are some reasons teenagers struggle with credit cards. The first reason is teenagers don’t make enough money. Teenagers often have a very narrow scope of the world and of financial matters in particular. For example, they often simply don’t see that they won’t be able to pay off the expensive new sound system for their car on their Rm150 a week part time job. They also get sucked in by the minimum payment offer and don’t really consider how much interest they will be paying in the longer term. Besides that, teenagers believe that their parents will rescue them. Teenagers may not admit it, but they need their parents to get them out of trouble. Often, these young adults will spend their credit card limit foolishly because they believe that if they really can’t pay it their parents will step in and rescue them, as most parents lend a helping hand when their child is in trouble. Also, they may believe that their parents will fix their damaged credit history if they end up with a poor credit score later. 4.0 Recommendations / Suggestions / Opinions 4.1 The ways of using credit cards and charge cards intelligently 4.1.1 Choose wisely When selecting a credit card, be aware of all of the interest rate and repayment options. Compare different cards based on your needs and your ability to pay all purchases in full. There are several things that need to be consider wisely which are a low annual percentage rate (APR), which will reduce the interest you have to repay, the interest calculation method which can change how much interest you pay, low or no annual fees, which issuers might charge, all other charges such as late payment fees, transaction fees, over the limit fees and others which can add to the total cost of your charges, credit limits for cardholders should be low, and the services and  features such as cash rebates, frequent flyer miles, extended warranties, convenience checks. 4.1.2 Don’t spend more than you can afford to pay on a monthly basis You can make wise decisions about purchasing items you need versus those you simply want. We’ve all used the word â€Å"need† to describe something we really just wanted badly. Using your credit card responsibly and recognize which things you really need and which you just want. Responsible use of your credit cards will help you establish a solid credit rating and avoid financial problems. 4.1.3 Keep track of your spending It is important to monitor more often than once per month when you receive your statement of credit cards. You should check your account online frequently, save receipts and keep accurate records, consider signing up for balance notices and billing statement notifications from your credit card provider. 4.1.4 Keep an accurate record of the following in case your card is lost or stolen Keep the important informations in a secure and safe place at home such as account number, issuer’s name, phone number, and photo copy of the front and back of the card. 4.1.5 Don’t apply for credit that you don’t need Although your first few credit card accounts build and improve your credit score, there’s a point when acquiring more will reduce your score. Where that point is, no one knows, but generally, two or three cards are all you need. You should say â€Å"no, thanks† when the cashier offers 10% off your purchase in exchange for filling out the store’s credit application. In my opinion, store credit cards aren’t necessary and the interest rates are horrendous, unless there’s some overriding benefit that will offset the ding in your credit- like getting Rm500 off a Rm2000 refrigerator. 4.2 The ways to reduce credit card debts 4.2.1 Hide your credit cards The first step is to hide your credit cards in a place where you could access them in an absolute emergency, but that they’d be very difficult to find. For example, put them in a little box way in the back up in the attic, freeze them in a big chunk of ice, or hide them in the back of the cupboard at your mother’s house. Make sure it’s somewhere where you can’t easily  access them. Then, go to every online account where you use a credit card regularly and delete your credit card numbers there. For example, Amazon, PayPal, and World of War craft. Make sure that you’re not forgetting anything. If you absolutely must retain a service, use a debit card number instead of a credit card number. Why should you do this? Your credit card balances need to go down, but not up and the biggest step in doing that is to break yourself of the habit of using them without a connection to the real money you’re spending. That means going back to using cash, che cks, and debit cards. If you don’t actually have the money, you’re not spending it. 4.2.2 Write a budget plan To start reducing your credit card you need to work out where you’ve been going wrong and ensure you do not continue to mount up further debt. You can start by writing down a list of all your monthly incomings such as wages, dividends from shares or interest from savings and so on. Following this, write a list of all your regular outgoings such as mortgage or rent payments, personal loans, council rates, utility, phone and internet bills, fuel and vehicle maintenance, insurance, health and groceries. Besides that, don’t forget to you include other aspects of your life such as entertainment, eating out and clothes shopping. Once you have these figures you can calculate your monthly cash flow by adding up your total incomings and subtracting your total outgoings. Hopefully your incomings will exceed your outgoings leaving you with positive monthly cash flow. However, if you find your outgoings exceed your incomings you have negative cash flow and are pushing yourself furt her into debt each month. Next, search through your expenses for areas where you could cut back. Maybe you are eating out too often or treating yourself to more new clothes or shoes than you really need. You need some nice treats to look forward to but make a budget for non-essentials and entertainment and stick to it. You can then use the spare cash flow each month towards paying off your debts. 4.2.3 Figure out what you owe and what the interest rates are The next step is to dig out the most recent statements for all of your credit card bills and determine exactly how much you owe and what the interest rates on each of the bills is. This information should be easily found on your most recent statement, but if you’re having difficulty finding the information, call up your credit card  provider and get that information. You should be making a list of all of these: credit card name/type, current balance, and interest rate. This helps when you develop a plan, you can use this master list to figure out which credit card to pay first. 4.2.4 For teenagers’ problem, it’s still up to the parent If parents want their children to have good spending habits and resist the temptation that can come with having a credit card, it’s up to parents to educate them. Teenagers need to know the benefits of having a card and the devastating consequences that can come from misuse. As parents, they need to sit down with their sons or daughters before they head off on their own. Discuss the reasons why it’s important to have a credit card and credit history. Also, parents should help teenagers find a good credit card so they don’t end up signing up for the first one they come across. Once teenagers obtain a card, make a purchase and walk them through the process of making the monthly payment. Either by check or electronically so they know what to expect and are familiar with the process. Finally, go over the ground rules. Parents should explain exactly what the credit card should be used for and who is responsible for the payments. If parents take the time to educate tee nagers at a young age so they can establish credit in a responsible manner, they will be in a position to hit the ground running with a solid credit history and have established sound financial habits going forward. 4.3 The ways to solve unsecured credit cards Credit and charge card fraud costs cardholders and issuers hundreds of millions of dollars each year. While theft is the most obvious form of fraud, it can occur in other ways. For example, someone may use your card number without your knowledge. It’s not always possible to prevent credit or charge card fraud from happening. But there are a few steps you can take to make it more difficult for a crook to capture your card or card numbers and minimize the possibility. The best way to deal with credit card fraud is to avoid the crime altogether. Internet commerce is one of the most common places where credit card fraud occurs. Do research on the site and only give out your credit card if the transaction is secure and the vendor is reputable. To verify a site is secure, before using, check out the â€Å"security  or encryption† software used to see if is reliable. If you are unsure of a vendor, look for a physical address and be wary of temporary addresses, such as PO box es. Cardholder has to be cautious when responding to special, unsolicited email offers and to avoid overseas vendors. Besides that, by keeping a list of all your credit cards and account information will help you to avoid uncertain problems. If you notice anything suspicious, refer to your handy list, and call the authorities immediately. To prevent credit card and charge card fraud, don’t lend your card to anyone or leave it lying around. When you sign a receipt, draw a line through any blank spaces above the total. Write your account number on a postcard or the outside of an envelope. Give out your account number over the phone unless you’re making the call to a company you know is reputable. If you have questions about a company, check it out with your local consumer protection office or Better Business Bureau. 5.0 Conclusion As a conclusion, we can know more related information about credit cards and charge cards. By using credit card can make consumers more convenient yet troublesome. All are stated in advantages and disadvantages of credit cards and charge card’s part. Besides that , we have found out some current issue about credit card and charge card such as article about high interest rate of credit card, debt disaster and bankruptcy all these related articles. To solve these current issues and problems of credit card and charge card, we have recommended some ways such as how to use credit card intelligently, ways to solve unsecure credit card and ways to reduce credit card debts. Therefore, we should use credit card wisely to prevent the misuse and overuse of credit card. 6.0 References Internet The New York Times Company. ( 2012 ). The Difference Between Charge Card and Credit Card. Retrieved from http://credit.about.com/od/creditcardbasics/a/Charge-Card-vs-Credit-Card.htm. Maybank. ( 2011 ). Identity Theft. Retrieved from http://www.maybank2u.com.my/mbb_info/m2u/public/personalDetail04.do?channelId=CRD-Cards&cntTypeId=0&cntKey=CRD08.12&programId=CRD08-Utilities&chCatId=/mbb/Personal/CRD-Cards. Maybank. ( 2011 ). American Express Personal Card. Retrieved from http://www.maybank2u.com.my/mbb_info/m2u/public/personalDetail04.do?channelId=CRD-Cards&cntTypeId=0&cntKey=CRD02.01&programId=CRD02-ChargeCards&chCatId=/mbb/Personal/CRD-Cards. CIMB Group. ( 2012 ). CIMB Bank Credit Card. Retrieved from http://www.cimbbank.com.my/index.php?ch=cb_per_ca&pg=cb_per_ca_prod&ac=2&tpt=cimb_bank#. HSBC Bank Malaysia Berhad. ( 2012 ). 0% Interest Installment Plan. 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