Others Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Others - Case Study Example nge, entry or exit of key competitors, globalization, the Internet and the new dynamics it creates, decline in business risk and uncertainty, changes in efficiency and cost, changes in the long-term growth of the industry, changing societal issues and concerns, changes in product acquisition and use, influx of technical knowhow in more companies and countries, changes in government policy and regulations, and rising preference among consumers for differentiated goods rather than commodity goods (Hill and Jones 61). Industry key success factors (KSFs) are the forces that have the biggest influence on companies’ ability to flourish in their respective industries. They include core competencies, product features, business outcomes, specific strategic factors, resources, and competitive capabilities that determine the difference between profit and loss and, eventually, between competitive ability and failure (Hill and Jones 48). By their true nature, KSFs are so important that all industry stakeholders must be wary of them; they are the determinants of market success. They are also the doctrines that define whether a firm will be financially and competitively capable. When identifying any industry’s KSFs, three questions can be used to guide the process. These are: Competitor A has more financial resources compared to other companies, but it has huge debts that have lowered its investor appeal and affected its ability to secure financing for key projects. Other firms post average profits but have managed to reduce their debt and achieve slow but stable growth. Colin’s alternatives include reinventing products in order to achieve differentiation. Other options include targeting new markets in which competition is not as stiff (Hill and Jones 26). There is also the option of adopting more aggressive marketing strategies that ensure the market share does not decline. This will facilitate direct competition with rivals and maintain relevance despite prevailing

Piaget Stages of Development Essay Example for Free

Piaget Stages of Development Essay Child development undergoes various stages from infancy to adulthood. This process of development is called by various psychologists as â€Å"progression through development† to which, age is often attached on each developmental stage. The first stage is called the infancy stage which is from birth to one year during which the physical and psychological occur most rapidly. In Piaget’s developmental theory, the child’s development during this stage is called â€Å"sensorimotor† because the child’s behavior at this stage is mostly simple motor responses to sensory stimuli† (Kalat 170). The stage of toddlerhood which is from one year to three years old is partly connected with infancy stage because as Olga Drebben asserts, â€Å"in these early childhood stages, the infants and toddler’s growth and development include very multifaceted processes of physical, cognitive, and psychosocial transformations. Drebben affirms that the primary modes of infant and toddler are sonsorimotor. The childhood stage or as Piaget calls it, the â€Å"preoperational stage of development† is the stage in which children are subject to externally imposed rules and adhere unquestioningly to rules and the directives of powerful adults. In this stage, peer relationship is an important factor towards constructing a self separate from others and towards developing the capacity to think in terms of other peoples’ attitude one self. Deutsch, Coleman and Marcus stated, â€Å"Equal peer relationships give children a chance to experience reciprocity which greatly assists them in perspective taking and problem solving† (Deutsch, Coleman, and Marcus 359). Adolescence stage on the one hand, is seen to takes place at the beginning of puberty or from 10 to 12 year for girls and 12 to 14 years for boys and end and at the age of 18 for girls and 21 for boys. While psychologist admits the lack of precision as to age limit, this stage â€Å"assume more responsibility for personal attainment and well being† (Arnett 168). It is also the stage to earn a living and a time when interest in fun increased. The stage of adulthood on the other hand are divided into three; early, middle and senior adults. The early adulthood which starts at age 21 up to 34 years, is concern on being able to engage in intimate relationships and in finding more satisfying work. This stage is also period of focusing on long term goals, nurturing other physically, finding a meaning in life, and developing a tolerance for delayed gratification to meet long-range goals (Corey and Corey 88). The middle adulthood ages 34 to 49 is regarded as the period of reassessment of one’s work satisfactions, of involvement in the community and of accepting choice made in life. According to Gerald and Marianne Corey, this period of life is a time for â€Å"solidifying one’s philosophy of life. The senior adults 50 to 64 are regarded as the beginning of the wisdom years. This period is characterized as the time for serving the community and planning for work transitions and retirement. Finally, the elderly, 65 years onward is the time â€Å"to find new levels of meaning in life and to appreciate what one has accomplished† (Corey and Corey, 89). This stage is a period of physical weakness because it is a time of diminished strength and increased dependence on others. Of all these stages, the development stage that is more susceptible to schizophrenia are the early adulthood ages 21 to 24 for men, while 40 and above for women. This is because the vast majority of the onset of this disease â€Å"falls within the interval of 15-54 years of age (Hirsch and Weinberger, 215). Steven Hirsch and Daniel Roy Weinberger noted that onsets of schizophrenia in men â€Å"peak steeply in the age group 20-24† (215), and it slowed down at lower level thereafter. This onset for men is the reverse for women above forties. The stages that are more prone to Alzheimer are definitely middle adults, senior adults and the elderly because this disease takes place during these stages of life. Question 2. Two of Piaget’s universal developments are the sensorimotor stage and the preoperational stage. The sensorimotor development stages starts from birth up to the end of the second year. Also called the neonatal stage, it is the period of development when the infant where simply a passive being that acts with out any systematic goal. Sensorimotor stage is the development of the child that includes intelligence based on perceptual experiences such as reflexes from 0-1month, primary circular reactions from 1to 4 months which is a repetition of certain pleasurable behaviors and formation of habits, secondary circular reactions 4 to 8 months, the coordination of secondary schemata and so forth. An example to this is the hand exercises. The child can follow simple instruction to close or open his or her hands as this is pleasurable exercise, during the infancy stage. But when the child is over one year old he can already follow basic instruction with basic understanding. Preoperational stage on the other hand begins at 2 up to 6 years of age. Salkind implies that Piaget’s preoperational stage of universal development is the progression of the infant from a reflexive organism to towards understanding of the symbolic world (248). Michie Swartwood and Kathy Trotter pointed out that in Piaget’s preoperational stage, the key feature of children’s thinking â€Å"is symbolic representation† (69). Swartwood and Trotter cited that during this stage, the child is able to use symbol, an object, or a word to stand for something else (69). Thus, though preoperational stage occurs right after the sensorimotor stage terminates, the child experiences tremendous progress during this stage. An example to this is the ability to follow simple instruction not to touch this or that, or that, on the ground that it will harm him or her, or that it will hurt him. In comparing both stages of development the child acquires certain degree of progression before each stage terminates. Both stages also display some degree of intelligence as the child now learns a lot of things through his or her experiences. But these stages also differ on some grounds. First, children in the sensorimotor stage do not think symbolically, while in preoperational stage they do think symbolically. Second, in the sensorimotor stage, the â€Å"child is limited to direct interaction with the environment, while in the second stage, the children learns to â€Å"manipulate symbols that represent the environment (Salkind, 248). In general however, both these stages show the child’s remarkable and development. Question 3. Some of the major stress that I am dealing with in my everyday life are first and foremost are the pressures from deadlines that must be met. This creates tension in me especially when I am running short of time. Biased treatment and sexism are also a great source of stress because it angers me. I really hate these things and I felt stress every time I encounter it. Some minor stressors however that I encounter everyday are the peer pressures. Peers insistences of something I do not like create pressures on me. Stern and unsmiling faces also s a source of stress especially those I meet daily. Some of the coping skills that I learned over time to keep the minor stressors from becoming major issues are; first, to ease my self of being too competitive. I learned this skill after I realized that I do not actually need to compete with my self. I simply need to make a list of priorities and take things at a time based on the priority list. Second, is to be friendly. I just realized that there is nothing wrong to great people with a smile regardless of how they would respond at me. I realized that by doing this, I could prevent the minor stress from becoming a major stress as I actually overcome it. Question 4. Schizophrenia is a disease. It is a chronic disease and severe mental disorder with a typical onset in adolescence and early adulthood and a lifetime prevalence of 1%. Dwight Evans cited that on average â€Å"male have their illness onset 3 to 4 years earlier than female† (78). Schizophrenia is not a developmental disorder but a chronic mental disease. The four type of schizophrenia are the following, paranoid, disorganized, catatonic, and undifferentiated. The characteristic and symptoms of paranoid are hallucinations and delusions. In the disorganized type, it symptoms and characteristic are reflected by disorganized speech, disorganized behavior, and inappropriate affect. The catatonic type manifest clinical syndrome such as excessive purposeless motor activity, extreme negativism, peculiar voluntary movements and so on. The undifferentiated sub type is diagnosed when the patient â€Å"does not meet criteria for the previous type yet does meet the criteria for schizophrenia† (Maddux Winstead, 182). It is more likely that schizophrenia has a genetic cause than environmental. It is quite common that when there is schizophrenia in the family, it is passed down to another member. Thus this disease is called â€Å"psychobiological† illness amenable to chemical intervention and modification of the environment. An example to this is when a person is exposed to violence and all other abuses since birth, he has the tendency to have psychological trauma which causes schizophrenia. Question 5. One incident that happened in my lifetime was when I read the story about a plane crash killing all the more than two hundred passengers. After I read the story, I was shocked and I developed psychological fear regarding boarding an aircraft. Psychology fit in this scenario because I knew pretty well that it was simply an accident. In this experience, I developed some fear as it would always come to my mind that this plane might crash too. But as I came to realize, accident happens anywhere to anybody, at any given time and cause. Since I cannot prevent it nor predict it, the best thing to do is to just be very careful and avoid those that I can, but those that I cannot; I just leave my fate in the hands of God. The connection here between psychology and life is that, life is real; we should rather be practical and realistic than be overcome by fear and anxiety about our bad experiences. Question 6. I have incorporated in my work of art elements of psychology through my use of colors and designs. In using bright colors, I usually expressed strong emotion such as anger, or fear, or other emotions. I also incorporated psychology in my designs such as shapes that expresses meanings like lovely ideas or joyful situations. I will incorporate them in the future in the same way I incorporated it the last time with perhaps some improvement or modification. I could connect the process that I go through as an artist with psychology through putting meaning on my experiences in the light of what I have learned about psychology. That is, I must seek the context of what I am trying to portray to which I labor so much. It means that my work of art should be reflective of what life is, of the emotions, such love, fear, and other strong feelings that we often encounter or should I say, that always experience on a daily basis. Finally, one influence that will mesh with my future work of art is those that wear green colors, or things that are green. I am fascinated by this color and this influence in me can help meshed up with my future work of art. Work Cited Arnett, Jeffrey Jensen. International Encyclopedia of Adolescence, Volume 1 USA: CRC Press, 2007. Corey, Gerald Corey Marianne Schneider. I Never Knew I Had a Choice: Explorations in Personal Growth USA: Cengage Learning, 2006 Deutsch, Morton; Coleman, Peter T. ; Marcus, Eric Colton. The Handbook of Conflict Resolution: Theory and Practice USA: John Wiley and Sons, 2006 Drebben, Olga. Patient Education in Rehabilitation USA: Jones and Bartlett, 2010 Evans, Dwight Treating and Preventing Adolescent Mental Health Disorders: What We Know and What We don’t Know New York: Oxford University Press Hirsch, Steven Weinberger Daniel Roy. Schizophrenia Great Britain: Wiley-Blackwell, 1995 Kalat, James W. Introduction to Psychology USA: Cengage Learning, 2008. Maddux, James Winstead, Barbara. Psychopathology: Foundations for a Contemporary Understanding USA: Routledge, 2005. Salkind, Neil J. An Introduction to Theories of Human Development USA: Sage Publications, 2004 Swartwood, Michie Trotter, Kathy. Observing Children and Adolescents: Student Workbook USA: Cengage Learning, 2004

Practice of Therapy Essay -- Counseling

Practice of Therapy The actual practicing of therapy is a scary step for beginning therapists, although the education has been received and after practicum there will some experience in practicing with clients, doing therapy on your own seems intimidating. However, I am sure like most other experiences in life, the more you do something, the better you get at it and the more comfortable you feel in knowing what you are doing as well as doing it the proper way. With therapy, an individual can learn all about theories, models and assessments but the rapport and confidence from clients can only come after practicing therapy. Protocol For Initial Telephone Contact I will begin by introducing myself and then explaining my qualifications, I want the client to feel at ease in knowing I am not only capable but educated and trained specifically in marriage and family therapy. The next step would be asking the client to specify the issue that has caused the couple or family to seek therapy and then to determine all family members as well as any other individuals or public agencies that are connected to the couple or family. Next would be determining if the situation is a crisis situation and then deciding if I am able to help with the family or couple’s issues. Then I would talk about fees, payments and ensure the family has adequate transportation to attend sessions. After that, I would set up an appointment date and time, preferably within the next 24 hours. Who Comes To First Meeting? If the clients are a couple, I would prefer both individuals attend the first interview, although I realize this will not always be agreeable. In a family interview I would also prefer all members of the family present, this way each member can expre... ...ions. It has often been said there is no substitute for experience and it appears to me that practicing therapy is one of those situations. Works Cited Grewal, Daisy. (2012). In Atheists We Distrust. Scientific American. Retrieved from http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=in-atheists-we-distrust Hayslip, Bert., and Schneider, Lawrence. (1985). Effects of Counselor-Client Age Similarity and Presenting Problem Intimacy on Client Satisfaction. Retrieved from http://eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED259254.pdf Locke, H.J., and Wallace, K.M. (1959). Short-term marital adjustments and prediction tests; Their reliability and validity. Journal of Marriage and Family Living. Nichols. (2010). Family Therapy; Concepts and Methods. Patterson, J., Williams, l., Edwards, T. M., Chamow, L., & Grauf- Grounds, C. (2009). Family Therapy; Concepts and Methods.

Lukes Three Dimensions of Power :: Power Society Symbolism Culture Essays

Luke's Three Dimensions of Power   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  "Power serves to create power. Powerlessness serves to re-enforce powerlessness"(Gaventa,1980:256). Such is the essence of the on going relationship between the Powerful and the Powerless of the Appalachian Valley where acquiescence of the repressed has become not only common practice but a way of life and a means of survival. In his novel Power and Powerlessness, John Gaventa examines the oppressive and desperate situation of the Appalachian coal miners under the autocratic power of absentee land-owners, local elites, and corrupt union leaders. His analyses is based on Lukes three-dimensional understanding of power from his book Power: A Radical View. Gaventa applies the three notions of power to the politics of inequalities in the Appalachian Valley and, while demonstrating the inadequacies of the first or 'pluralist' approach and the merits of the second and particularly the third dimensions, asserts that the interrelationship and reinforcing affect of all three dimensions is necessary for an in depth understanding of the "total impact of power upon the actions [or inactions] and conceptions of the powerless"(Gaventa:256)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This essay will examine Luke's three power dimensions and their applicability to Gaventa's account of the inequities found in the valleys of the Cumberland Mountains. Reasons for the mountain people's submission and non- participation will be recognized and their nexus with the power relationship established. In this way, Gaventa's dissatisfaction with the pluralist approach will be justified and the emphatic ability of the other two dimensions to withhold issues and shape behaviour will be verified as principal agents of Power and Powerlessness.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The one dimensional view of power is often called the 'pluralist' approach and emphasizes the exercise of power through decision making and observable behaviour. Robert Dahl, a major proponent of this view, defines power as occurring in a situation where "A has power over B to the extent he can get B to do something that B would not otherwise do"(Dahl as cited in Lukes, 1974:11). A's power therefore is defined in terms of B and the extent to which A prevails is determined by its higher ratio of 'successes' and 'defeats' over B.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Observable behaviour then becomes a key factor in the pluralist approach to power. Dahl's Who Govern's? expresses the pluralist belief that the political arena is an open system where everyone may participate and express grievances which in turn lead to decision making. Those who propose alternatives and initiate issues which contribute to the decision making process are demonstrating observable influence and control over those who failed all together to express any interest in the political process.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Pluralist approach assumes that in an open system, all people, not

The poem Beowulf, edited by Daniel Donoghue and translated by Seamus Heaney, is a masterful piece of poetry

The poem Beowulf, edited by Daniel Donoghue and translated by Seamus Heaney, is a masterful piece of poetry. By looking at the roles that women played back in Anglo-Saxon times, one can get a better understanding into the function of Grendel's mother in the poem. By examining specific examples of other women in this time frame to Grendel's mother it helps to compare the differences from the expected behavior. In one of her essays, Jane Chance investigates some of the possible meanings behind the importance of Grendel's mother and her societal acceptance. Many people still debate the actual function of Grendel's mother, but in previously written words of Jane Chance some answers may be found. Jane Chance, one of the many people who have examined the poem Beowulf, wrote an essay that provided an explanation of the important role played by the women in Beowulf. She states: â€Å"The role of women in Beowulf primarily depends upon ‘peace making' either biologically through her marital ties with foreign kings as a peace-pledge or mother of sons, or socially and psycho-logically as a cup passing and peace-weaving queen within a hall† (p. 156). Chance also goes on to establish how each of the women in the poem are used to prove her point about their symbolic presence. The women of pagan history, mostly notably the queen, portray a symbolic gesture of peace in the form of bringing the mead cup to the men of the hall. Chance believes that as the mead cup is passed around, the people who drink from the cup are tied together. This is a symbol of weaving men and families together. The Beowulf poet also mentions that the women's role is to create a â€Å"peace-pledge between nations† (2017). The standard practice to perform this was to give away daughters, or sisters in arranged marriages to order to bring strong ties with neighbouring or feuding families. Hildeburh, wife of the Frisian king Finn, sister of the Dane Hnaef (249), was given in marriage to fuse both the Danes and the Frisianes together. Freawaru is betrothed to Ingeld for this same reason; to renew alliances within families and countries. A line from Beowulf proves this point, â€Å"The friend of the Shieldings favors her betrothal: the guardian of the kingdom sees good in it and hopes this woman will heal old wounds and grievous feuds† (2026-2029). The expected role of women in this era was to provide harmony and become the symbol of peace in the hearts of men. Women also had an important responsibility to speak for her people during events; a prominent speech was the one that Wealtheow gives to the hall after the death of Grendel. She gives of blessings to the warriors, and speaks of her own children and their importance to the future as the next of kin: Take delight in this torque, dear Beowulf, wear it for luck and wear also this mail from our people's armory: may you prosper in them! Be acclaimed for strength, for kindly guidance to these two boys, and your bounty will be sure. You have won renown: you are known to all men far and near, now and forever. Your sway is wide as the wind's home, as the sea around cliffs. And so, my prince, I wish you a lifetime's luck and blessings to enjoy this treasure. Treat my sons with tender care, be strong and kind. Here each comrade is true to the other, loyal to Lord, loving in spirit. (1216-1229) Wealtheow ‘s responsibility is that of a mediator to make everyone happy and yet ensure that she and her people survive. In comparing the women and their purpose in society to the events concerning Grendle's mother, one can see a female does not usually take action but Grendel's mother does despite her gender. Feeling â€Å"grief-racked and ravenous, desperate for revenge† (1278) Grendle's mother goes on the attack in order to redeem her son who was killed. In doing this she consequently exhibits more masculine traits than other women of the time. She displays quite a different reaction than the one that Hildeburh gave when she lost not only her brother but her son as well. Hildeburh did exactly what was expected of her at the time. She mourned and â€Å"Then Hidleburh ordered her own / son's body be burnt with Hnaef's, / the flesh of his bones to sputter and blaze / beside his uncle's. The women wailed / and sang keens† (1115-1119). Comparatively Grendel's mother does not have a problem in reacting to the wrongs she felt that were done to her: â€Å"monstrous hell-bride; brooded on her wrongs† (1259). Unlike the women of the time she fights her own battles: â€Å"she has taken up the feud because of last night when you killed Grendel† (1333). This is the main difference between the women of the time and Grendel's mother since dealing with grudges was typically a job left up to that of the males in the family. Chance also believes that women's expected place in society at that time was one of non-aggression and they become the ones to make the peace as opposed to men who fight. Chance goes on to explain, â€Å"the idea is stressed that a kinwoman or mother must passively accept and not actively avenge the loss of her son† (p.157-158). Females do not usually take action other than in a peaceful or symbolic sense in this Anglo-Saxon time period. Though Grendel's mother proceeds like a man by acting out her revenge she is referred to in the poem as a: â€Å"ghastly dam† (2120) reflecting that she is still seen as a lady in that time period: Her onslaught was less only by as much as an amazon warrior's strength is less than an armed man's when the hefted sword, its hammered edge and gleaming blade slathered in blood, razes the sturdy boar-ridge off a helmet. Then in the hall, hard-honed swords were grabbed from the bench, many a broad shield lifted and braced; there was little though of helmets or woven mail when they woke in terror. The hell-dam was in a panic, desperate to get out, in mortal terror the moment she was found. She had pounced and taken one of the retainers in a tight hold, then headed for the fen. (1282-1295) These lines from the poem help to show that even though some of the actions taken by Grendel's mother are masculine by nature, she does have some female traits. These traits include not being as strong as the men and fleeing or not staying to put up a fight once confronted. Women stereotypically were seen as being fearful of danger once it has been provoked. The function of Grendel's mother in the poem seems to be quite different from the function that the monsters of Grendel and the Dragon play. She seems to be a symbol of the blood feuds and displays an unwillingness to act as the peace-pledge, which was the normal female role after an injustice. In her essay Jane Chance states: â€Å"As a monstrous mother and queen she perverts a role more important socially and symbolically than that of Grendel† (p. 167). The devoted mother or the feminine side of Grendel's mother comes out in her anger and her sense of loss at the killing of her son. But Grendel's mother's actions are not accepted by the people of this time, as a result there is a conflict between her actions and her purpose. Chance writes about how the poet wishes to â€Å"stress this specific inversion of the Anglo-Saxon ideal of women as both monstrous and masculine† (p. 155). As Grendel's mother changes roles between mother and vengeance seeker through the story one might think that the poet is against women from acting in the same manor as Grendel's mother. By making Grendel's mother feminine but also powerful and ruthless she is then referred to as a â€Å"swamp thing from hell, the tarn-hag in all her terrible strength† (1518-1519) and â€Å"hell-dam†(1292). Grendel's mother seems to be desiring revenge over peace and her contemporaries viewed this as horrible, since women are the symbols of peace, as explained by Chance. The essay written by Jane Chance looks at the women and the roles that they played in that time period and then comparing their behavior to Grendel's mother's ever changing role as mother to vengeance seeker. It also evaluates the function that Grendel's mother occupies in the poem. Grendel's mother in the poem seems to have the most challenging role in the poem itself. She does not seem to agree with the view of women in the time period that the poem was written. By exploring the differences of behavior in Beowulf one can see that Grendel's mother is an important addition to the poem.

Journal#6 Example

Journal#6 Example Journal#6 – Assignment Example Physical and Cognitive Development in Adolescence Question Adolescence is the transition from childhood to adulthood, and it lasts from age 11 or 12 until early twenties or late teens. Puberty marks the end of childhood and it is triggered by hormonal changes. These changes can affect behavior and moods. Puberty usually lasts for four years, and it begins earlier in girls than boys (Kail & Cavanaugh 243). During this stage, both boys and girls undergo growth spurt. They begin to develop primary characteristics, which include the reproductive organs, and secondary characteristics such as growth of pubic hair around their genitalia. The leading characteristics of sexual maturity include menstruation, for females, and production of sperms, for males (Kail & Cavanaugh 296). Menarche occurs between the age of 12 and 13 while spermarche occurs at age 13. The adolescents are often concerned with their body images that lead to obsessive dieting, especially in girls. Peer pressure is more inf luential than parents’ pieces of advice and guides, and this leads to drug abuse and indulgence in criminal activities. Depression is also highly prevalent among the adolescent especially girls. Question #2First, the social environment significantly affects the onset of puberty. I have since known that the onset of puberty is standardized in spite of a teenager’s social environment. According to Belsky, Draper and Steinberge, girls whose mothers use harsh punishment on them usually experience their first menstrual cycle at a younger age. Additionally, Menarche occurs in younger girls who experience depression or chronic stress (Kail & Cavanaugh 298). I also learnt that early maturation varies across ethnic or racial groups. For instance, sexual activity, of early-maturing Latinas, was directly linked with having older boys, in the peer groups, who influence them to engage in negative activities such as smoking, drinking and sex. Question #3 From the leadership perspect ive, I learnt that adolescents’ working memory almost has the same capacity as adults’ working memory (Kail & Cavanaugh 246). This means that they are capable of storing information required for a cognitive process. The processing speed is also sufficient to process information more efficiently. Additionally, early maturing boys are likely to become leaders because of self-confidence and high self-esteem, unlike early maturing girls, who are unlikely to become leaders because of the indifferences they have in social situations. Kail, Robert V, and Cavanaugh, John C. Human Development: A Life-Span View. Australia: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2010. Print.

Services Marketing

Services Marketing Australian Telecommunications Company has continued to expand to address the demands of the market. It has remained a key player in the country’s economic growth, having generated close to $37 billion in 2008 and $98 billion revenue in 2009. The industry has over five hundred thousand employees across the country, working in various capacities (IBISWorld, 2011).Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Services Marketing specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It has arguably been considered as a stimulant for employment in almost every sector of Australian economy. It has local and international companies which contribute to this tremendous global recognition. Among these are Optus and Vodafone which are considered as key players in the market. This paper gives a critique of the performance of these companies based on their weaknesses and threats with reference to the entire telecommunications industry in Australia. Vod afone is a UK-owned company and the leading telecommunications company around the world operating in more than twenty five countries including Australia. Vodafone Australia is the third largest Telecommunications Company in Australia, behind the giants Telstra and Optus. The company runs a GSM mobile network which is approximated to cover 92% of Australian market (Vodafone, 2011). It also boasts of a Globalster satellite which enables it to cover the entire population. Even as the company continues to thrive in an ever-expanding economy and market, it has had its fair share of weaknesses and threats triggered by intertwined factors in the telecommunications market. Vodafone Australia has experienced one of the worst network problems in the Australian market. Towards the end of 2010, the company registered pitiable quality in its calls, data speed, SMS reliability and voicemail services. It was faced with a class action suit for demonstrating incompetence in serving Australian people . To maintain its business reputation, the company responded by blaming customers for using faulty software on their handsets and use of Smartphones (Vodafone, 2011). Although Vodafone CEO offered an apology, the interruption saw several customers terminate their contracts with the company to seek better services.Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Additionally, expansion of the company has been achieved by direct regulation of its operations. Through mergers and acquisitions, the company has not realized organic growth. As a result, the company has a stable customer base at the expense of proper management of its subsidiaries (Vodafone, 2011). With its operational structure centered in UK, Vodafone Australia has failed to address needs of the market allowing effective competition from smaller companies. Moreover, Vodafone Australia continues to experience severa l threats as permitted by market trends and its ability to effectively serve Australians. Competition from major players and upcoming companies is seen as a major threat for the company. Telstra which is the leading player in the market, previously possessed by the government runs most of the copper network, offering landline, broadband and mobile services (Vodafone, 2011). Immense global penetration of internet companies further threatens Vodafone’s ability to penetrate the market in future. It is important to note that though saturated, the market still offers opportunities in terms of the aging population and changing needs for customers. Through strategic plans like simple phones and friendly pricing plans, the company stands a chance of favorably competing in market (IBISWorld, 2011). On the other hand, Optus is ranked second in Australian telecommunications market and is owned by Singapore Telecommunications Company. Headquartered in Sydney, Optus has retained SingTel s ervices and products like Boost Mobile, Virgin Mobile Australia, Uecomm and Alphawest (Optus, 2011). In serving its customers, the company runs its own network infrastructure together with the use of other companies’ services like Telstra Wholesale. It has two channels of service delivery where it directly serves customers in the market and as a wholesale agent for smaller companies.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Services Marketing specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The company also provides internet services through dial-up and broadband services. It mainly serves the government, business owners and residents of Australia. Like other players in the Australian telecommunications market, the company has weaknesses and continues to experience threats from a wide range of areas. Being owned by Singapore Telecommunications Company which has concentrated its operation in Australia, Optus is exposed to high co mpetition from local players and other bigger players in the market. In addition, Optus is faced with management issues manifested through labor strikes experienced before (Optus, 2011). This affects its reputation in maintaining a competitive advantage and customer base. Lastly, service delivery has not been up to date with customers complaining of low network connection speed and Cable TV services. Even though the company is ranked second in Australian telecommunications industry, it faces stiff competition from Telstra and Vodafone among other key players and upcoming companies. It therefore suffices to mention competition as the company’s major threat. Nevertheless, Optus prides on a number of opportunities in the telecommunications industry. With ever-changing technology, the company has a chance to expand its service and product delivery in order to address the needs of its young customers. It also plans to increase its customer base through TV mobile services by the en d of 2012 by use of FetchTV (Optus, 2011). Additionally, the company seeks to access government license to offer provisional satellite services that will cover Australian Broadband Network. This will win new customers across the country including remote regions which are not well covered by its competitors. In general, a survey of Australian telecommunications market indicates various viewpoints with regard to the performance of companies like Vodafone and Optus. It is evident that the two companies have weaknesses which have continued to affect their performances. Nevertheless, there are countless opportunities to be utilized in maintaining competitive advantage.Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More References IBISWorld. (2011). Mobile Telecommunications Carriers in Australia: Market Research Report. IBISWorld. Web. Optus. (2011). Media Center. Optus. Web. Vodafone. (2011). Vodafone Company. Vodafone. Web.

The History and Evolution of Suburbs

The History and Evolution of Suburbs Suburbs are generally spread out over greater distances than other types of living environments. For instance, people may live in the suburb in order to avoid the density and untidiness of the city. Since people have to get around these vast stretches of land automobiles are common sights in suburbs. Transportation (including, to a limited extent, trains and buses) plays an important role in the life of a suburban resident who generally commutes to work. People also like to decide for themselves how to live and what rules to live by. Suburbs offer them this independence. Local governance is common here in the form of community councils, forums, and elected officials. A good example of this is a Home Owners Association, a group common to many suburban neighborhoods that determines specific rules for the type, appearance, and size of homes in a community. People living in the same suburb usually share similar backgrounds with regard to race, socioeconomic status, and age. Often, the houses that make up the area are similar in appearance, size, and blueprint, a layout design referred to as tract housing, or cookie-cutter housing. History of Suburbs Suburbs are not a modern concept, as this 539 BCE clay tablet letter from an early suburbanite to the king of Persia makes clear: Our property seems to me the most beautiful in the world. It is so close to Babylon that we enjoy all the advantages of the city, and yet when we come home we stay away from all the noise and dust. Other early examples of suburbs include areas created for lower class citizens outside of Rome, Italy during the 1920s, streetcar suburbs in Montreal, Canada created during the late 1800s, and the picturesque Llewellyn Park, New Jersey, created in 1853. Henry Ford was a big reason why suburbs caught on the way they did. His innovative ideas for making cars cut manufacturing costs, reducing the retail price for customers. Now that an average family could afford a car, more people could go to and from home and work everyday. Additionally, the development of the Interstate Highway System further encouraged suburban growth. The government was another player that encouraged movement out of the city. Federal legislation made it cheaper for someone to construct a new home outside of the city than to improve upon a preexisting structure in the city. Loans and subsidies were also provided to those willing to move to new planned suburbs (usually wealthier white families). In 1934 the United States Congress created the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), an organization intended to provide programs to insure mortgages. Poverty struck everyones life during the Great Depression (beginning in 1929) and organizations like the FHA helped to ease the burden and stimulate growth. Rapid growth of suburbia characterized the post-World War II era for three chief reasons: The economic boom following World War IIThe need for housing returning veterans and baby boomers relatively cheaplyWhites fleeing the desegregation of urban cities brought on by the civil rights movement (the White Flight) Some of the first and most famous suburbs in the post-war era were the Levittown developments in the Megalopolis. Current Trends In other parts of the world suburbs do not resemble the affluence of their American counterparts. Due to extreme poverty, crime, and lack of infrastructure suburbs in developing parts of the world are characterized by higher density and lower standards of living. One issue arising from suburban growth is the disorganized, reckless manner in which neighborhoods are built, called sprawl. Because of the desire for larger plots of land and the rural feel of the countryside, new developments are infringing upon more and more of the natural, uninhabited land. The unprecedented growth of population in the past century will continue to fuel the expansion of suburbs in the coming years.

Curriculum redo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Curriculum redo - Essay Example The reason being, unlike older times, today’s industrialized world is heavily based on sectors of industries run by qualified individuals. This means that, only a person with sufficient acumen of business can run successful merchandise and only a qualified doctor can provide medical care to the sick. The reliance of this industrial matrix on the notion of transmission of specific quanta of knowledge from one generation of employees to the next ensures a continued, long-term importance of the profession of teaching. Like any other discipline, the discipline of pedagogy is full of theories and principles that provide groundwork for the educators, researchers and the teachers to develop effective classroom environment and lesson plans (Wiles, 2010). This does not only help the teachers in imparting knowledge to the learners in the most conducive environment but also help the learners to accumulate this knowledge and reflect upon it, thereby broadening their intellectual horizons (Weimer, 2002). One of the theories that arose in the past decade in this regard was the Curriculum Theory, which brings together the elements of theory and practice on one avenue. ... This paper examines the efficiency of two such ideologies in an instructional setting. It then merges these two ideologies in forming a personal philosophy of curriculum, which then forms the guiding principle for the personal teaching practice (Wiles, 2008). It is important here to establish few observations about the instructional setting in which the ideology implementation will take place. The setting here is a high school for at-risk teenagers at an adult county jail where the curriculum will be taught to English Language Learners. The setting is different from most high schools because of its students. The learners are mostly from the minority groups with poor financial background, susceptible to drugs, street crime who little no exposure to a proper school system before. To begin with, let us look at the Social Reconstructive curriculum ideology in detail and examine its appropriateness to the instructional setting. The social reconstructive ideology holds that the purpose of education is to reform the values of the society (Weimer, 2008). This ideology perceives curriculum as a tool of social reconstruction. This is important because this explains why this ideology is significant to the development of curriculum for ELL learners in adult county jail. The learners in this setting are not only materially disadvantaged but have also been victims of aggression, violence, and abuse. As psychology dictates, such adverse living conditions and unhealthy lifestyle not only affects the physiological health but also disrupts the psyche and the personality of the subjects making them more pessimistic and violent. Thus, the protocol of Social Reconstructive ideology influences this very aspect of their lives and plays a

Rear Window Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Rear Window - Assignment Example Bear in mind that this is a different issue than thinking about what happens in the film (though they are closely related of course). What are the bigger ideas to which the film is pointing us? Fear of marriage and Voyeurism form the principal themes in the film the Rear Window. As the audience, we should not be fearful of marriage and the imagined state of life and understanding each other. For instance, we see Jeffries fears marrying his girlfriend because of an imagined perception that she will not adapt with his lifestyle. Jeffries through his voyeurism finds marriage to be a complicated thing (John, 25). For instance, when he follows up Thorwalds’ marriage, which ends abruptly, he gets discouraged and resolves to denounce the idea of marriage. 4. Identify a number of different analytical positions from which we can approach any film. Define each of them briefly and explain why a feminist perspective has been used so frequently to explain Rear Window. The feminist perspective is used in the film the Rear Window to reflect the gender role stereotypes. The display of gender roles is best understood through the embracing of the relationship amid the primary characters Jeffries and Lisa (John, 24). 5. Rear Window is now nearly 60 years old. To what extent has it maintained is ability to create fear, panic, and tension in an audience? Do you think it would be a â€Å"better† film if Hitchcock had had access to the kinds of seamless special effects we see in modern movies? The ability to sustain fear, panic and tension for over 60 years since the production of the Rear Window film is possible because of the setting and the realism expressed in the primary characters throughout the film. Jeffries expresses fear when he makes a decision of not marrying his girl friend (John, 22). The fear that marriage is a difficulty institution attributed to his experience with the neighbors trickles down to the audience in form of panic and tension. Sigmund

Mid-term question Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Mid-term question - Assignment Example The two main factors that many authors have identified to affect the United States national security have been the non-state actors and the transnational organizational crimes. Non-state actors refer to organizations that have power and influence on both national and international level. The non-state actors do not associate themselves with any particular state. According to Hough, in his book â€Å"Understanding the global security† he discusses the non-state actors and the trouble and turmoil they have caused to many states around the globe for many years.1 Hough identifies non-state actors as the major issue that has threatened the global security.2 The national security of the United States has been affected by the emerging non-state actors around the globe. Most of these non-state actors are military-oriented thus being referred to as non-state military groups. The most common non-state military groups include nationalists, religious groups with strong beliefs, Marxist, fascist and armed pressure groups. The United States has fallen victims of some of these groups such as nationalists, religious groups such as Christianity and Islam and armed p ressure groups. According to Hough, these non-state actors have impacted the national security of the United States negatively by killing the American people, destroying the Americans property.3 This has led to the destabilization of the United States government since it exposes the security loop holes and the incompetence of the leaders. The United States gained its independent through the battles fought by the nationalists, and they gained the independence. The spirit of nationalism has never died in the United States, and this poses a threat to the national security. The religious groups such as Islam and Christianity related have affected the security of the United States and caused a

What Does It Take To Lead Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

What Does It Take To Lead Change - Essay Example It is the process of exploring one's own self-evaluation, thinking whether the way they acted in a particular situation is correct or not. Reflecting on one’s own actions is important for business development. It is a must to improve our communication style, clarify our expectations and put into practice the various theories learnt. In fact there are many programs like the Ignatius exercises which use role modelling to focus on various critical issues, kindle the emotions of a person, get a response and help them reflect on the same. These exercises give a person a chance to act with more maturity and calmness if they face the same problem in real life (Moberg & Calkins, 2001, p. 257 - 270). The project we selected to do was ‘Eliminating Job Satisfaction’. Our team believed it will help us to understand the work environment in the corporate industry better and enable us to act as better managers because we will get to know what different types of workers expect fr om their management and superiors. My group project enabled me to talk to various types of people. What we found out was that, nearly half of the people excelling in today's corporate world do so because they did not have a chance to excel in their field of choice. I realized the meaning of the word 'identity workspace' (Petriglieri & Petriglieri, 2010, p. 44 - 60) only by working in this project. The experience made me wonder if these people are so productive and capable in a field they have no like or dislike, how much they would contribute if they were only given a chance to work in their field of choice. Surely, the world would be a much better place with many more inventions then. The aim of our project was to reach out to at least a few people who are totally dissatisfied with their job and make them pursue their passion for their own happiness and the betterment of their passionate field. My team attended a workshop at the end of the project, which enabled us to reflect on wh at we have done so far. I got a chance to reflect on several incidents which took place throughout the project. The workshop instilled in me various reflections regarding the way I communicated to my peers, how I failed to make them understand some of my views and how I acted as a self-elected leader in some instances. The workshop did not teach us anything new, but helped us reflect on the way we acted throughout the project and question ourselves what would have been the outcome, if we have acted differently. There is a general notion that management studies will not be much useful, if a person does not have prior management experience. The idea was stressed by Mintzberg (2004) in his work. No matter how many hours you study volumes and volumes of management theories it isn’t equivalent to one day's experience of managing a team in the real world. Managing this project helped me understand this practically. I tried in every possible way to help my team but it only resulted in building more tension within the team. â€Å"Communication within a group deals with the spoken and the unspoken, the verbal and the non-verbal, the explicit and the implied messages that are conveyed and exchanged relating to information and ideas, and Feelings† (Group Dynamics, 2004). I understood where I went wrong and how communication was limited in our team while playing the reflective exercises in this workshop. I strongly felt the way I acted

Letter Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Letter - Assignment Example The first speech I would like to share with you is a commencement speech that was presented at Kenyon University (Wallace, 2005). This speech calls for the understanding of education from a broader sense, which goes beyond taking classes, passing exams, and looking for a job. The second speech is a New York Times’ article, which explores the author’s experiences in a technology-driven society (Foer, 2013). The connection between the two speeches is critical. You and I enrolled in different colleges, but we have maintained our close friendship through technological platforms. Voice calls, texting, emailing, and instant social media messaging has kept us close yet so far. As we strive to achieve our career goals, it is difficult to maintain long-distance friendships. However, the use of technology has proved vital in this case. Moreover, I have continuously shared my academic experiences with you from time to time, an aspect that promotes learning from one another. Following these observations, I am sure you will find the two speeches worth to read because their connection resonates with our friendship. Even though communication technology has not worked the same way for everybody, I contend that it has maintained the liveliness of our friendship as we pursue our respective academic and career

What Does It Take To Lead Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

What Does It Take To Lead Change - Essay Example It is the process of exploring one's own self-evaluation, thinking whether the way they acted in a particular situation is correct or not. Reflecting on one’s own actions is important for business development. It is a must to improve our communication style, clarify our expectations and put into practice the various theories learnt. In fact there are many programs like the Ignatius exercises which use role modelling to focus on various critical issues, kindle the emotions of a person, get a response and help them reflect on the same. These exercises give a person a chance to act with more maturity and calmness if they face the same problem in real life (Moberg & Calkins, 2001, p. 257 - 270). The project we selected to do was ‘Eliminating Job Satisfaction’. Our team believed it will help us to understand the work environment in the corporate industry better and enable us to act as better managers because we will get to know what different types of workers expect fr om their management and superiors. My group project enabled me to talk to various types of people. What we found out was that, nearly half of the people excelling in today's corporate world do so because they did not have a chance to excel in their field of choice. I realized the meaning of the word 'identity workspace' (Petriglieri & Petriglieri, 2010, p. 44 - 60) only by working in this project. The experience made me wonder if these people are so productive and capable in a field they have no like or dislike, how much they would contribute if they were only given a chance to work in their field of choice. Surely, the world would be a much better place with many more inventions then. The aim of our project was to reach out to at least a few people who are totally dissatisfied with their job and make them pursue their passion for their own happiness and the betterment of their passionate field. My team attended a workshop at the end of the project, which enabled us to reflect on wh at we have done so far. I got a chance to reflect on several incidents which took place throughout the project. The workshop instilled in me various reflections regarding the way I communicated to my peers, how I failed to make them understand some of my views and how I acted as a self-elected leader in some instances. The workshop did not teach us anything new, but helped us reflect on the way we acted throughout the project and question ourselves what would have been the outcome, if we have acted differently. There is a general notion that management studies will not be much useful, if a person does not have prior management experience. The idea was stressed by Mintzberg (2004) in his work. No matter how many hours you study volumes and volumes of management theories it isn’t equivalent to one day's experience of managing a team in the real world. Managing this project helped me understand this practically. I tried in every possible way to help my team but it only resulted in building more tension within the team. â€Å"Communication within a group deals with the spoken and the unspoken, the verbal and the non-verbal, the explicit and the implied messages that are conveyed and exchanged relating to information and ideas, and Feelings† (Group Dynamics, 2004). I understood where I went wrong and how communication was limited in our team while playing the reflective exercises in this workshop. I strongly felt the way I acted

Case Study UAE Academy Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

UAE Academy - Case Study Example The risk management process includes: Risk Management Process The risk manager of UAE Academy will align with the key stake holders to ensure that risks are actively identified, addressed, and managed throughout critical assets, networks and databases. It is better for UAE academy to address risks as early as possible in order to limit the impact of a threat afterwards. However, along with risk management, the risk manager will also implement a periodic risk management program that will address risks on continuous basis. Identifying Risk Risk identification is a joint effort, as UAE academy wants to protect the data network, email services, protection from the WWW and external sources and protection of shared storage resources. Likewise, this process will incorporate key stake holders or system owners to identify risks pertaining to their systems and applications. Moreover, a risk management log must be maintained that will be maintained electronically at a specific location. Risk An alysis This process involves the measurement and calculating the impact of identified risk based on quantitative or qualitative risk analysis. Quantitative risk analysis includes numeric values such as costs of information assets. Qualitative risk analysis is associated with organization reputation and customer satisfaction such as intangible assets i.e. university rankings of ‘UAE academy’. However, data classification scheme must be defined at this point so that effective risk analysis can be conducted. Likewise, data classification scheme is defined by application and system owners, as they have insights of their systems and applications. Risk assessment is carried out on the basis of the three fundamental triads of information security i.e. Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability. However, risk assessment comprises of four options i.e. Risk transfer, risk acceptance, risk avoidance and risk mitigation. A comprehensive risk assessment template is demonstrated bel ow in fig 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, and 1.4 respectively. Asset Valuation Scheme Scale 1 2 3 Definition Loss of C/I/A is acceptable Loss of C/I/A is acceptable. If it occurs, workaround can be arranged Loss of C/I/A is acceptable. Need preventive measures on immediate basis Figure 1.1 Risk Assessment Threat Name Affected Assets CIA Asset Value = C+I+A Likelihood of Occurrence Level of Impact Risk Exposure Counter Measures Controls Poor System Performance Virus Attacks Unauthorized Access Figure 1.2 Likelihood of Occurrence Levels 1- Very low 2- Low 3- Medium 4- High 5- Very High Figure 1.3 Impact Classification Levels Potential Business Impacts Business Operational and Financial Impact Legal and regulatory obligations Loss of Reputation Personal Information 1- Very low 2- Low 3- Medium 4- High 5- Very High Figure 1.4 Risk Calculation Formula: Risk Exposure = Asset Value x Likelihood x Impact Level Disaster Recovery Plan Description Likelihood and Impact Detection Immediate Action Later Action Effect on Users Mitigation and Contingency Single Disk Failure Medium Warning Replace failed disk Order new disks. Have existing disks destroyed. No effect Monitoring of RAID volumes. Keep replacements drives available. Unauthorized Access Low Periodic Auditing of logs along with application logs Restore modified content. Repair security breach. Determine root

How Soccer Could Positively Affect America Essay Example for Free

How Soccer Could Positively Affect America Essay There is a sport out there that people can put aside their problems, hatred, and differences and instead put in all their passion and love for the sport on the field. This sport has changed the world in many ways and has now become more than a sport. It has become an instrument of peace, unity, and business. It has brought many positive cultural, business, and economic effects in this world. It’s the beautiful sport of soccer; the universal language of the world. Soccer reduces gang related violence and has become a tool of peace. Soccer for Peace is a non-profit organization aiming to unite children of war-torn nations in their shared love of soccer (Soccer for Peace). It was founded by a German graduate student Jurgen Griesbeck in 1996 and it is one of the most successful anti-violence organizations in war-torn cities (Lawrence). Originally conceived as a one-time fundraiser, benefiting the youth soccer team of Israel’s only Jewish-Muslim-Christian village, Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam, Soccer for Peace has since become an ongoing peace-building effort (Soccer for Peace). One of the places where one can observe the positive impact the Soccer for Peace organization has brought to is in Medellin, Colombia, South America. Soccer for Peace arrived in Medellin in 1996. Soccer for Peace is one of the most successful anti-violence organizations in this war-torn city of 1. 5 million, which suffers nearly 5,000 murders each year. Young players, who are or used to be part of a gang, meet every Sunday in San Blas, one of Medellin’s hillside slums. About 300 teams in Medellin wear Soccer for Peace uniforms, and each weekend there are 60 games. In Medellin, where gang rivalries pushed young people apart, most could still agree on only one thing, their love for soccer. Griesbeck says that before he here came to Medellin, he never would have thought of soccer as a tool for peace, but he says that for Medellin it is obvious (Lawrence).

Emerging Technologies Of Century Computer Science Essay

Emerging Technologies Of Century Computer Science Essay This paper outlines the two emerging technologies and their impact on society and on business. Emerging technology, the name it self implies the technologies that are emerging or growing with time as result of researches in those technologies. Some of the emerging technologies are nanotechnology, cloud computing, biogenetics, robotics, artificial intelligence etc. Here we are discussing two prominent emerging technologies of 21 century, * nanotechnology and * Cloud computing. Nanotechnology is a dominant technology in all areas in coming decades. It will have revolutionary changes in health sciences, energy resources such as water etc. Many business organizations are interested in investing nanotechnologies to gain the fruit of the technology Cloud computing is a virtual emerging technology that increases the speed of the computing applications at lower costs. It permits us to perform unlimited applications and data storage either with in organization or over internet. Now we discuss these two technologies in brief. Introduction: Emerging technologies are bringing revolutionary changes as because of growth in technology. In the present paper we are discussing brief about the two emerging technologies, cloud computing, nanotechnology. And in each technology a brief explanation of technology, its growth and applications is presented. And the discussion leads us to social and business impacts of both technologies in positive and negative faces with the evidence from statistical data. Lets start with the cloud computing. Cloud computing: The idea about the cloud computing is very complex. Of the several meanings, Lets go with one of the meaningful definition. What perfectly is a cloud computing? From its easiest form, the terminology, â€Å"cloud† will be a metaphor which originates from the symbol of cloud on a flowchart of the network designer, which is indicating that the information about the packet will be sent over the Internet. â€Å"The term ‘cloud computing encompasses many areas of tech, including software as a service, a software distribution method pioneered by Salesforce.com about a decade ago. It also includes newer avenues such as hardware as a service, a way to order storage and server capacity on demand from Amazon and others. What all these cloud computing services have in common, though, is that theyre all delivered over the Internet, on demand, from massive data centers.† While the cloud computing has been move into IT jargon in the most recent days, the market at the consumer point of view is using more longer. More people in the united states are connecting to the Web services over the some variety of service with cloud service, containing web based emails. In the same manner, Google and Amazon are the largest companies which are using â€Å"cloud† from so many years. And as The Economist (Oct. 25 2008) notes, â€Å"Firms that provide enterprise software as a service (SaaS) over the Internet, such as Salesforce.com and NetSuite, have grown steadily.† Fresh businesses, without any legacy funds to protect, and with the easiness which are presented by Information Technology resources which are being provided over the off-premise position in metered quantity (as much or little as needed) and quality which are likely to find out the cloud facilities which are mainly appealing. Upton now the conclusion is very clear for the customers in the enterprise. They are hesitating to invest large investments and want to have services from outside. Some of the barriers which may be needed to overcome are data availability, security, geographic location of programs, having small support of commercial ISV. Now days many MNC companies are struggling with old hardware, requirements of power and with very complex data centers. To overcome this situation they have to adopt a hybrid computing model called cloud computing. How to make cloud vision to reality â€Å"cloud computing† means the computing which dynamically facilitates access to the measurable services, which are shared to each other in a network that may be private or public. These services takes place from IT services which are basic ( like storage, power for computing etc. to computing services which is specific for industry (like logistics, healthcare and finance). In this cloud computing the storage is infinite and programs can be accessible anytime, anywhere. What could Cloud computing enables: 1) Previously new and fresh business models which were not implemented because of technical limitations in existing system. 2) Business ideas which may need less consumption of computing power and preventive measures. 3) Information sharing without the very high coordination costs, reductions of cost and increase in some IT service responses to companies, governments and mostly for individuals. 4) According to some studies cloud computing have good effect on economic progress. 5) In future millions of new jobs can be get through Cloud computing because of the development of many of tiny business. There are many doubts to develop cloud in any disruptive technology. Some doubts are about the delays to develop the cloud, and some doubts are the effect of privacy laws and restrictions. 6) Some are concerned about the possibility of long delays or problems in the development and deployment of cloud. Four types of cloud players are emerging:  § Providers of Cloud Amazon, Google and also dozens more and more; they have their own set up of the hardware.  § Publishers of Cloud Vendors contribution web services ,SaaS, and application expansion platforms for making cloud applications  § Enablers of Cloud Companies that make platforms, standards, tools, etc. enabling continuous grid computing in the cloud by providing the groundwork for inventiveness (SLAs) Service Level Agreements. GRAPH 1: MEMORY BENCH MARK DISK AND PERFORMANANCE Impact on business: Mediation is a secret weapon The importance of a intercession layer is not distinctive to cloud computing. From the provider changes the mediation of the is created by the enterprise. This is the most single perilous architecture improvement a company could make when the cloud is using, because that permits the inventiveness to alter on their self-terms and which is not be given by the exterior provider. Continue to consider service level management Mediation also helps a secondary key advantage, which of policy and control enforcement. Addition of mediation layer which offers the enterprise with the perceptibility into how the cloud computing will be used and and also controls to declare enterprising of standards. To determine optimizing business and determining the risk Visibility is critical. Mediation permits watching of the vendors servicing level contracts to authorize that theyre transporting as assured in methods that are significant for the business. Keep a focus on security: Reasonably, security has the information technology executives largest protest linked with the cloud computing. All most all the noticeable mechanisms of safety with an external dealer apply, but the cloud computing enlarges the problem, and also the fear. To address the security over the cloud, the data safety must change up the load, the similar way that Information technology value will be done. Information technology wants to the attention on the data layer safety, meanwhile the subordinate layers are outside its controlling. Corporations that twitch the change to the cloud would find where security is being strongly combined with their setup stack at the network layers primarily, to the socket where it converts hard to mocker infrastructure and security apart. However, by touching to the cloud, the well level of mechanism through the network will be lost, and the security at the upper layers should take over. That should go without any aphorism that cloud computing is motionless immature. As a result, corporations should evade putting the information which is in the cloud without having a facsimile elsewhere. Which is Just similar all the things else, stock in a possibility plan, plus testing the plan, is very critical. Impact on society: Cloud computing which will have the considerable impact on the step of economic progress. Cloud computing might possibly donate almost a million fresh jobs from the expansion of numerous hundred thousand minor businesses in the next years. Cloud might also offer leap fogging growth chances to emerging nations. Nevertheless, as with any disorder technology, there persist so many questions and doubts about the environment in which cloud will develop. Some are troubled about the likelihood of extended stays or problems in the expansion and deployment of cloud. Others are worried about the possible control of cross border privacy laws or other controlling limitations. A strong, multi investor dialogue to measure together areas of risk and promise. Nano technology: Nanotechnology makes use of materials of size less than 100 nanometers. In practical the width is about 1/800 of human hair and 1/70th of red blood cell diameter. The purpose of nanotechnology is to produce the materials in atomic scale. In coming decades nanotechnology brings revolutionary changes in computers in terms of speed, data storage. â€Å"Nanotechnology is the principle of atom manipulation atom by atom, through control of the structure of matter at the molecular level. It entails the ability to build molecular systems with atom by atom precision, yielding a variety of nanomachines† (Mick Wilson and et.al 2002 NANOTECHNOLOGY ) Characteristics of nanotechnology: The materials formed by nanotechnology exhibits different properties compared to conventional material. According to the arrangement of nano partials in a material, they exhibit different properties physically, chemically and biologically. In general, we cannot predict the material properties by physics and chemistry. Electricity laws which hold good for big materials may not work for nonmaterial. For example a material acts as a conductor at its normal size and it may act as insulator at nano sizes. Rapid Development: Nano technology is emerging rapidly in 21 century. It was not in use until the year 1959.a magazine of science named the year 2001 as â€Å"break through of the year†. At present nanotechnology is involved in hundreds of different applications. NSF(national science foundation )expected nano services and materials will have $1 trillion market in business by 2015. Many countries are depended on nano technology because of its ability to produce products in different areas using nano technologies. Applications: It has a wide range of application areas, which will help in increasing human life standards in developing countries. Some important nanotechnology applications are * Energy production, storage and energy conversion * Agriculture productivity * Construction * Food storage and processing * Health applications such as diagnosis disease * Water purification systems * Health monitoring * Vector and pest detection control * Drug delivery system * Air pollution control. Impacts of Nanotechnology on society Each technology has good and also adverse impacts on society. When coming to nano technology, it has potential to make revolutionary changes in people lives across the world. It helps in reducing global warming; Fuel consumption is decreased by the fuel additives and water purification system with greater efficiency. Military services use these technology for detecting enemies and producing advanced weapons. In negative, it act as a weapon for terrorism. Terrorists make use of nano technology to produce toxic weapons. In medical sciences, diagnosis disease can treated by this technology. If the growth of this technology fallows the same flow, in future computer think as a machine. The life span of human will be increased as a result of DNA repair, improved improved drugs and medicines. ( Mihail C.roco and William sims binbridge,2001) Impact of nanotechnology on business: Innovations of new technology and developments in existing technologies will affect the economy of the country. As because of its demand and applications in wide areas such as medicine, electronics, computers etc., all countries around the world investing massively in nanotechnology. * In 2006, the amount spent globally for research and development in nano technology reached $12.4 billion, which is 13% more than invested in 2005. * The amount spent by the governments of all nations in the world is about $6.4 billion for the year 2006 where as for the year 2005 is $5.9 million. From the year 2005 to 2006 the investment growth is 10%. * Established business organizations spent $5.3 billion for research and development on nanotechnology in 2006. The growth is 19% from the past year 2005. * As because of growth, the nanomarket is expected $1 trillion for the year 2015. Conclusions: The two emerging technologies namely cloud computing and nanotechnology is attracting the attention of the world by its rapid growth. In future cloud computing makes great changes in computer world. Internet and computer applications in future may be come simple than now. In coming decades we can expect revolutionary changes in the world which leads to nano size electronics instead of chips now we are using , medical nano applications increasing the lives of people. And it also shows impact on social life of human. References: Mihail C.roco and William sims binbridge,2001 NANO SCIENCE AND NANO TECHNOLOGY. Mick Wilson, et.al 2002 NANOTECHNOLOGIES Mark ratner, Daniel ratner ,NANOTECHNOLOGY Dr. james canton 1999, â€Å"The statagic impact of nano technologyon the future of business and economics.† http://www.mediaplanet.com/ http://www.lifeissues.net/writers/irvi/irvi_32biotechnology.html

Human Nature in The Prince by Machiavelli and Utopia by Thomas More :: Papers More Machiavelli Prince Utopia Essays

Human Nature in The Prince by Machiavelli and Utopia by Thomas More It is difficult to determine Niccolo Machiavelli?s and Thomas More?s view on human?s nature. Each took a different approach to the topic. Through Utopia, Thomas More attempted to change man?s thinking by creating an ideological society. Niccolo Machiavelli, through The Prince, attempted to teach man how to deal with human nature. With this in mind, Machiavelli?s concept is much more realistic than More?s; therefore Machiavelli better represents human nature. Machiavelli?s view of human nature in The Prince, presents, on the surface, a view of governing a state drastically different for his time. Machaivelli believed that the ruling Prince should be the sole authority determining every aspect of the state and put into effect a policy which would serve his best interests. With this, Machiavelli uses the prince as man, and the state as the man?s life. These interests were gaining, maintaining, and expanding his political power. Though in some cases Machiavelli may seem harsh and immoral , one must remember that his views were derived from concern of Italy?s unstable political condition in the 1500s. Machiavelli seems to be teaching the common man how to live his life so that their life is good and prosperous. Machiavelli generally distrusted citizens, stating that since men are a sorry lot and will not keep their promises to you, you likewise need not keep yours to them? (Machiavelli 651). Furthermore, ? a prince never lacks legitimate reasons to break his promises? when, ?such an observance of faith would be to his disadvantage; and when the reasons which made him promise are removed? (651). Machiavelli did not feel that a Prince should mistreat the citizens. This suggestion once again to serve the Prince?s best interests. If a Prince can not be both feared and loved, Machiavelli suggests, it would be better for him to be feared by the citizens within his own dogma. He makes the generalization that men are, ungrateful, fickle, simulators and deceivers, avoiders o f danger, greedy for gain; and while you work for their good they are yours? (649). He characterizes men as being self-centered and not willing to act in the best interest of the state,? and when it (danger) comes nearer to you they turn away? (649). Machiavelli reinforces the Prince?s need to be feared by stating: men are less hesitant about harming someone who makes himself loved than one who makes himself feared?

Great Essentials for Happiness Essay

Joseph Addison â€Å"The great essentials for happiness in this life are something to do, something to love and something to hope for.† Joseph Addison, a pre-twentieth-century essayist, was an impressive writer. Within his lifetime, he wrote numerous essays and plays, compiled a book on the lives of seven authors, and translated Virgil’s Georgic. While he was alive, the Battle of Blenheim was fought, inspiring one of his most famous and poems. Much of his works were shaped by the contextual influences all around him. Addison was the oldest son of a reverend. He was born on May 1, 1672 in Milston, Wiltshire, England (Joseph Addison 1). His family was very supportive of his writing, and often listened to his latest scribblings proudly. This attention and support is surely what started his successful writing career. Joseph Addison attended Lichfield Grammar School in Salisbury until he was fourteen years old. It was at that age that he was enrolled in the Charterhouse (an English independent school founded in 1611) in London (Joseph Addison 1). While attending the Charterhouse school, he met Richard Steele, a man who became a great friend of Addison’s. In 1687, he moved on to enter Queen’s College, Oxford along with his friend Richard Steele (Biography of Joseph Addison 1). In college, he set himself apart by his scholarship and his shyness. After showing exceptional skill in Latin verse, he won the election for a position as a Demy (a scholar) to Magdalen College in 1689. He was a fellow there from 1697 to 1711, meaning that although he had graduated, he stayed on to work with some of the other graduates and professors in the pursuit of mutual knowledge (Joseph Addison 1). Addison lost no time after his graduation, immediately publishing a book on the lives and works of several of the great English poets. This book, along with a commemorative poem on the Battle of Blenheim, caught the attention of a few very influential people. In Addison they saw a writer whose works could be potentially used in service to the crown (Biography of Joseph Addison 1). Through Lord Keeper Somers, an influential Whig statesman, and Charles Montague, later known as the earl of Halifax, Addison obtained a royal pension. This pension allowed him to travel abroad while studying politics and continuing to write essays (Joseph Addison (1672-1719) 1). His travels lasted from 1699 to 1704. During these five years abroad, Joseph Addison made the acquaintance of several English diplomats and European men of letters, one of which Addison himself had studied to become (Joseph Addison (1672-1719) 1). He started out in France and continued on to Italy, the place that was inspiration for his essay â€Å"Remarks on Several Parts of Italy† (1705) and the rhymed epistle â€Å"A Letter from Italy† (1704). Below, a brief excerpt from Addison’s essay â€Å"Remarks on Several Parts of Italy† (1705) boasts of his luminous writing style and trademark lively personality while writing: THERE is certainly no Place in the World where a Man may Travel with greater Pleasure and Ad|vantage than in Italy. One finds something more particu|lar in the Face of the Country, and more astonishing in the Works of Nature, than can be met with in any other Part of Europe. It is the great School of Musick and Painting, and contains in it all the noblest Productions of Statuary and Architecture both Ancient and Mo|dern. It abounds with Cabinets of Curiosities, and vast Collections of all Kinds of Antiquities. No o|ther Country in the World has such a Variety of Governments, that are so different in their Constitu|tions, and so refined in their Po|liticks (1). When writing, Joseph Addison’s shy, unassuming personality hides away to release a much brighter and more amiable side of him. From there, his travels continued to Switzerland, where he came to an abrupt, albeit temporary, stand-still (Biography of Joseph Addison 1). His travels were interrupted by some rather unfortunate news. While in Geneva during the March of 1702 he learned of the death of King William III, which resulted in his financial backers, Somers and Montague (the earl of Halifax), losing their positions (Joseph Addison (1672-1719) 1). This loss of income, however, did not prevent him from continuing his adventures abroad. He spent the next two years wondering through Austria, the German states, and the Netherlands before finding his way back into England in 1704 (Biography of Joseph Addison 1). Following his return to England, Joseph Addison was made (thanks in part to the publication of his poem The Campaign) the Under-Secretary of State. He kept this position for two years before becoming secretary and the keeper of records for the lord-lieutenant of Ireland (Joseph Addison (1672-1719) 1). In 1711, a change in the ministry lost him yet another government position, and he turned his eyes yet again towards writing as a means of occu pation (Joseph Addison 1). With renewed vigor he once again took to writing essays, this time doing the work for his old friend Steele’s paper, the Tatler. Joseph Addison contributed 42 works to the Tatler, which ran for about two years. Following the discontinuation of the Tatler in January of 1711, Joseph Addison and Richard Steele began publishing the periodical The Spectator (Joseph Addison (1672-1719) 1). One of his first essays published in The Spectator, â€Å"West Minister Abbey† is a beautiful example of the characteristic ease and elegance prose of his lifetime. Many of his essays during this time were a call to arms for the people of England, calling for them to rise to â€Å"higher levels of living and thinking† and aiming to awaken in them a passion to restore their great nation to its old glory. The essay is gloomy, reflecting Addison’s own reflections on death and acknowledging it as the great provider of equity, for as he so eloquently states: Upon this, I began to consider with myself what innumerable multitudes of people lay confused together under the pavement of that ancient cathedral †¦ how beauty, strength, and youth, with old age, weakness, and deformity, lay undistinguished in the same promiscuous heap of matter (2-3). The Spectator was published daily, and it grew to great popularity among the people of England. The Spectator’s political quips and insights into life and the state of their nation lent it a great deal of influence over the people of that time. Of the 555 or so essays featured in the periodical, Addison composed 274 (Biography of Joseph Addison 1). The Spectator lasted 3.5 years and was one of the few bright spots in Joseph Addison’s rather uneventful life, which was filled with personal disappointments (Joseph Addison (1672 -1719) 1). One such disappointment was his marriage to the Dowager Countess of Warwick. They were wed in 1716, and with his bride came a step-son who he had previously tutored. However, all was not bliss in the life of the newlyweds. His wife was said to be arrogant and unsatisfiable; constantly belittling him and pointing out his every short coming (Biography of Joseph Addison 1).. To make matters worse, he lost his position in Parliament due to his painfully overbearing shyness. He died a year later on June 17, 1719 (Joseph Addison (1672-1719) 1). Ironically, Joseph Addison wrote an essay titled â€Å"Defence and Happiness of Married Life† in 1712, four years before his unhappy marriage to the Dowager Countess. In this essay, he writes through the persona of Philogamus in support of marriage, listing the many advantages and enjoyments a married man may experience. After taking a look at his life and then rereading â€Å"Defence and Happiness of Married Life† (1712) one finds it quite ironic to realize that one of the greatest joys of marriage as put-forth is one that he himself was denied in his own marriage: You must have observed, in your Speculations on Human Nature, that nothing is more gratifying to the Mind of Man than Power or Dominion; and this I think my self amply possessed of, as I am the Father of a Family. I am perpetually taken up in giving out Orders, in prescribing Duties, in hearing Parties, in Administering Justice, and in distributing Rewards and Punishments. To speak in the Language of the Centurion, I say unto one, go, and he goeth; and to another, come and he cometh; and to my Servant, do this, and he doeth it. In short, Sir, I look upon my Family as a Patriarchal Sovereignty, in which I am my self both King and Priest (1). Joseph Addison took anything life happened to throw at him and managed to twist it into a delightful essay or haunting poem. Though his life was filled with disappointments, both in his personal life and in his political career, Addison managed to produce numerous essays and poems as well as a book and to top it all off, he co-produced three separate periodicals along with his friend Richard Steele. His writing hints at the contextual influences all around him. Bibliography Addison, Joseph. â€Å"Defence and Happiness of Married Life†. The Spectator. 03 October 1712. Web. 06 May 2013. Addison, Joseph. â€Å"Remarks on Several Parts of Italy†. 1705. Web. 06 May 2013. Addison, Joseph. â€Å"Westminster Abbey†. The Spectator. 30 March 1711. Web. 06 May 2013. < http://addison.classicauthors.net/WestminsterAbbey/> â€Å"Biography of Joseph Addison†. PoemHunter. Web. 06 May 2013. â€Å"Joseph Addison (1672-1719)†. Luminarium. Web. 06 May 2013. â€Å"Joseph Addison†. Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica Online. Web. 06 May. 2013 .

I will Design and Carry Out my PEP on the Basis of me Being a Football Player Essay

I will design and carry out my PEP on the basis of me being a football player. I am 14 years and 6 months old and have been playing football since about the age of 5. I enjoy the game and I am quite good at it. Although I am quite good I would like to train to become better at the sport and increase my overall fitness level. I am generally fit but there is definitely room for improvement and I will look to do so. When I leave school I plan to join the British Army so I would like to become fit so that I can fulfil my plans. Over the 6 weeks that I carry out the training regime I will give it 100% and really try to improve my fitness and footballing skills. I want to make the best of my ability at football so I can enjoy what I do and hopefully it will benefit the Sunday league club that I play for. I play for Aspull Juniors. I have done so for 5 years now and enjoy playing for the team. I play in the centre of midfield and play in more of a defensive role. This position allows me to put a lot of effort in and influence the game. I am a good tackler of the ball and can pass good as well. For the job that I do on the football pitch I need to have a good stamina (so I can cope with the demands of the football math), good flexibility (so I don’t stretch my muscles when making tackles), good balance (to pass the ball and make vital tackles), strength (to out muscle opponents and kick the ball far), speed (to get to the ball quicker than the opponent), and good reaction time (this is so I can react to the ball quicker than an opponent.) My PEP should help me to improve all of these skills and as a result I will become a better football player. I have never suffered any long-term injuries of any kind and have no recurring injuries. Other sports that I enjoy to do are fishing, golf, tennis and table tennis. Although I do none of these sports competitively I am interested in them and have done for fun. PEP For my PEP I will use a pyramid session to gradually increase my fitness during the 6 weeks. I will use a badminton court as my guide and say that double the length of the court is equal to one length. I will increase the lengths as the program progresses to create an overload required to increase my fitness. I chose a pyramid session because I feel it is the most reliable way of increasing my fitness. Also I know that it will be easier to create an overload in either the amount of lengths or exercises that I do if I use a pyramid session. From when I have used this session in the past I have found that it always gives me a good workout and can be used to good effect. I will start and progress my PEP over the weeks using the FITT principal. I will increase the frequency by doing more exercises and by doing more running more often. I will increase the intensity by increasing the amount of exercise that will be done. I will do this by adding more lengths onto my pyramid session and more exercise in between. I will increase the time by putting more time into the exercises in between runs. The type will also be changed. I will change the fitness test that I will do after the pyramid sessions each week. The PEP that I have designed is one that I think will improve my overall fitness the most and also improve the skills that I need as a football player. It will start with a 5 minute jog. This jog will warm up my muscles so that they are not too stiff to stretch otherwise I will increase the chances of a ripped or torn muscle. After the jog I will move on to my stretches. They will be thoroughly carried out so not to allow any muscle injury whatsoever can occur. The stretches are one of the most important parts of the PEP and must be done with care and thought. If these are not done correctly than I will run the chance of pulling or tearing a muscle. The Pyramid Session starts by running the maximum amount of lengths you are wishing to do and then gradually working your way down until there are no more lengths to complete. In between lengths you are required to do exercises. For example, if I was planning to do 16 lengths I would do 16 lengths then a chosen exercise. After the exercise you then do 15 lengths then the exercise, then 14 lengths then a exercise and so on until there are no more lengths to complete. This Pyramid Session will progress throughout the 6 weeks of the PEP. Week 1 I will be doing 10 lengths, Week 2 and 3 I will be doing 12 lengths, Week 4 and 5 I will do 14 lengths and for the final week I will do 16 lengths. As the weeks progress an overload is created which will help me improve my fitness. The Warm Up For my warm up I will be doing a 5 minute jog around the All Weather pitch. The warm up is to warm the muscles up before stretching so I do not pull a muscle. I will time myself and be sure not to strain myself as this too could result in a pulled muscle if not careful. The Leg Exercises – Squats, Burpees, Switch Overs, Star Jumps These exercises will build up my leg muscles and allow me to put more power into a shot or long pass. These exercises will build up the strength and power in my legs and will allow me to hit a ball further and this will improve my skill as a football player. I have done more leg exercises than arm and body exercises because I feel that my legs are needed more on a football pitch. The Body Exercises – Sit Ups, Crunches The body exercises that I will do will allow me to build up my middle body muscles and will help me to become stronger and flexible in that area. This will help me when I play football because I will be able to adjust the middle part of my body easier and this will help me when I am playing. The Arm Exercises – Bench Press, Press Ups By doing these arm exercises it will improve my upper body strength and this will make it easier to shrug off opponents when challenging for a ball in a game. The exercises will build up the muscles in my arms and this can help when taking a throw-in. The Cool Down For the cool down I will do a light jog and then stretch. The cool down is to prevent lactic acid from settling in the muscles and producing cramps. This is just as important as the warm up and is needed to prevent injury after the PEP. Stretches Hamstring- I would sit on the ground then bend over front wards and touch the top of my shin, I would hold this for 10 seconds. Then I would sit up rest and then bend over front wards again only this time touching the toes rather than the shin. Quads- I would stand and balance myself against a wall with one arm then I would grab the left leg bend it backwards so the foot is touching my bum and hold for 10 seconds. Then I would stop rest and change legs. Groin Stretch- I would sit on the ground and put the soles of each foot together in a yoga sort of position. Then slowly put pressure on the inside of each leg to stretch the groin. Upper Arm- Place one arm in front of me and place the other arm underneath the arm that is held out and grab the shoulder. After this swap arms and do exactly the same. Hold each stretch for 10 seconds. Week 1 The warm up and the stretches went well and I then began my Pyramid Session. I had planned to do 10 lengths this week. I found that the Pyramid Session worked well. I completed the 10 lengths with ease but the exercises were quite challenging. At the end of all the lengths and exercises I found myself out of breath but I was pleased with the work I had done. I then went out onto the all weather pitch to do a 50 metre sprint. I did the sprint in 8.12 seconds which was a personal best. After the sprint I did a 5 minute jog and then stretched for 5 minutes. Evaluation I was very pleased with what I did this week but thought that I could handle more lengths than what I had done. The exercises that I did were quite demanding but I thought they would be easier to handle next week and was looking forward to the challenge. I was extremely pleased with the speed that I achieved in the 50 metre sprint and although it wasn’t a huge amount of time I did beat my personal best. Week 2 This week I had set myself 12 lengths to do but I wasn’t particularly worried about the task ahead. I started off with the 5 minute jog and a thorough stretch and then I began my Pyramid Session. The session went well again this week. Similar to last week I found that the exercises were again quite tough and challenging but the lengths were completed without much difficulty. After the Pyramid Session this week, I had set my self the throw/catch ball test. This was not physically challenging but I had to concentrate to get the 35 score that I got. This was not the best score I had ever had but I was pleased with the result. Evaluation I was again pleased with this week. The increase in lengths never really affected my performance this week. They were more challenging than the previous week but never caused a major problem throughout the session. The throw/catch ball test that I did was more about finding a rhythm and concentrating rather than a physical test. Week 3 After the initial warm up and stretch I moved onto another week of the 12 length Pyramid Session. This week it again never caused a huge problem but I was still tired towards the end of the session. The exercises still caused similar problems as they did in the first week and were tiring. It was this week when I began to feel an improvement in my fitness. After I completed the Pyramid Session I then went and did the muscular endurance test in the hotel foyer. My previous best at this test was 100 seconds but this week I nearly doubled that score with 190 seconds. I was extremely pleased with this result. At the end of the session I did a 10 minute cool down. Evaluation I found that the 12 lengths didn’t pose too much of a problem for me this week and I was looking forward to the challenge of 14 lengths next week. I think that the exercises again provided a challenge for me and I began to feel the improvement in my fitness. I was extremely pleased with the score I achieved in the muscular endurance test. I think that I did well this week and was looking forward to the next few weeks ahead. Week 4 Due to a Dentist appointment I was unable to complete the regime at school. As a result I set up a training course on a football field behind my house and carried out my session to the best of my ability taking the environment and lack of equipment into condition. I worked hard for 1 hour and was pleased with the workout I had. Week 5 This week was my first attempt in school of attempting the 14 lengths I had set. Firstly, I did the warm up and stretches then got started with the Pyramid Session. It began like the others had but towards the end I found that this session was a lot more tiring than the previous weeks. At the end my legs were aching and I was really tired. I had created the overload and felt the affect. Although I was tired I was pleased with the task I had done and was looking to the week ahead. The test this week was a standing broad jump. I managed to get a score of 1 metre 52 centimetres. I was quite pleased with the score although it was not a personal best. After the test I went outside where I did a 5 minute jog and stretched off to avoid cramped muscles. Evaluation I was pleased with the effort that I put in today and could feel a definite improvement in my fitness. I thought that 14 lengths were very challenging and along with the leg, arm and middle body exercises produced a Pyramid Session which would challenge me. The standing broad jump that I did was not spectacular but I was pleased with the result. Week 6 For this week I was supposed to do 16 lengths, but because I missed week 4 I decided that I would carry on with 14 lengths. I went outside and did the warm up followed by the stretches then went inside to carry out the Pyramid Session. The 14 lengths were challenging but I felt an improvement in my fitness and they were easier to complete than the lengths last week. The test for my final week was a repeat of the throw/catch ball test. I carried it out in the Sports Hall and beat the score I had gotten previously. I got a score of 33, beating the score of week 2 and equalling my personal best. Evaluation I was pleased with the work that I had done in my final week. I found that the 14 lengths in the Pyramid Session were easier to complete than the previous week. I was pleased with the level of my fitness and was pleased with the score I achieved in the throw/catch ball test. Final Evaluation Throughout my PEP I have seen my overall fitness gradually increase from week to week. I would definitely say the regime has been a success and recommend it to people wishing to improve their fitness. The Pyramid Session provides a challenge from week to week and the exercises between the lengths make it a very demanding regime. I was pleased with the work that the exercises did and at the end of the 6 week program saw an improvement in my leg muscles, middle and upper body strength. I am extremely pleased with the improvement and success that the PEP has had.