Success of Singapore Airlines Essay Example

Success of Singapore Airlines Essay Since its official formation dating back to 1947, Singapore Airlines have founded its business on world-class service quality in the airline industry. Such a reputation is built on core aspects of the airlines service delivery which includes features like the friendly service, prompt flights and in-flight entertainment system. As consumers, we only see these final outcomes and therefore, often forget that these qualities are a product of much planning, trial and of course teamwork. The efficient, continuous use of teams throughout the business is a fundamental tool in which Singapore airlines is able to deliver `quality to its customers. More specifically it is the way that the team operates and the values instilled within those teams that make them so effective. By designing and training these teams to be highly motivated, creative, able to communicate and equipped with comprehensive decision making skills, Singapore Airlines are able to achieve high performance. Team Design First and foremost lets examine how SIAs team is designed. Firstly, the issue of task interdependence can be applied. Task interdependence is the degree which a task requires employees to share common inputs or outcomes, or requires them to interact in the process of executing their work. We will write a custom essay sample on Success of Singapore Airlines specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Success of Singapore Airlines specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Success of Singapore Airlines specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer In relation to how SIA operates we can certainly see a high level of interdependence. For example, when customers arrive at the airport they have to check-in through the counter. If there are delays at this stage, personnel in customs and onboard the plane may have to deal with agitated customers and subsequently run into difficulties. The check-in staff sets the foundation for the service provision to begin and therefore employees from that point onwards are dependant on its efficiency. It is also important to note that Singapore airlines staff have aligned goals of providing top quality customer service. Such an outcome is made possible by the utislisation of various training centers within the company which unifies employee direction and motivation (Cabin Crew, Flight Operations, Commercial and Management Development). Team Size and Composition is also relevant. IN terms of team size SIA is able to achieve efficiency by appropriately building `right size teams. What this implies is that the team size is optimal for efficiency in that they are large enough to perform the necessary tasks and small enough to maintain efficient coordination. An example of this is the 15-20 onboard hosts/hostesses who are onboard the B777-200 aircraft. This allocated team size is appropriate for the environment in that it allows for the employees to be able to communicate with each other effectively and also perform all the tasks needed. Singapore Airlines also promotes team diversity. One of their most notable team design characteristics is how they effectively use both homogenous and heterogeneous teams. For example, heterogeneous teams are utilised in their Product Innovation Department which requires more complex decision making whereas homogenous teams are used more on the operational level (onboard) as they tend to be more effective in the response time and emergency problems. COMMUNICATION Singapore Airlines attaches a very high priority to the concept of communication in their operating activities. This stance predominates because they view their employees, contractors and agents as critical components of their success. The application of communication in regards to this company can be broken into two parts, external and internal. External communication refers to the airlines ability to influence its reputation and its portrayal to customers. It also refers to improving customer relations with innovations in physical communication. External communication has been as integral to Singapore Airlines success, if not more, than internal communication. Singapore Airlines prioritised in consistent brand image to the public. This strategy has been used by the company in all its communication vehicles to the public. They achieved this through the iconic `Singapore Girl. The primary message Singapore Airlines A Great Way to Fly has been consistently conveyed in exclusive print media and also in selected TV-commercials of very high production value to underline the quality aspirations of brand. But all these messages are featured through the iconic Singapore Girl in different themes and settings. The result of this is reduced information overload. By simplifying their message, and introducing non-verbal cues like the smiling Singapore girl, the message has less chance to be affected by noise, and becomes universal, transcending cultures. Everyone understands a smile. The Girl is the personification of the great service, and is the brand identity. The Airline also makes a concerted effort to stay in touch with customers through in-flight surveys, customer focus groups and rapid replies to every compliment or complaint they receive. The company then consolidates this input with other key data to create a quarterly `Service Performance Index that is very closely watched throughout the airline. This increased communication with the passengers increases relation, in the sense that passengers identify more with the company. Frequent flyers are also distributed, connected with special messages, attractive offers and publications sent regularly to Priority Passenger Service members. Overall, the airline makes an effort to always communicate with passengers, to ensure the right message is conveyed, and that any feedback received is clearly understood and worked on. Internal communication refers to Singapore Airlines ability to facilitate effective feedback and integration between employees and management. They do this by exploring various channels and mediums in which to communicate, and making an effort to raise stakeholders awareness of the workings of the company. The company itself, subsidiaries included, is a large organization, with more than 28,000 staff located around the world. To facilitate communication between employees, regular dialogue sessions between management and staff keeps communication flowing. They rely on both verbal and non-verbal communication. These sessions take the form of regular meetings and briefings. They also actively encourage the use of intranet to communicate regularly. The company holds semi-annual business meetings, as well as end of year meetings. This means that situations concerning rich medium, non-routine, ambiguous information can be transmitted and discussed through the regular meetings, whereas the routine, clear information can be sent as documents through email. Employees have direct access to management through the intranet, making it easier for information to circulate around the organisation. The intranet also erases the social status of employees relative to management, which has the effect of empowering them. Management also seems very responsive and attentive to issues relating to employees, becoming in effect, very active listeners. This ensures that whatever message is being debated between persons is clarified and understood, minimising conflicts and negative issues. Of the things discussed between management and employees include sharing and evaluating results in sales, marketing, yields and customer satisfaction levels. The company also initiates a program called `Staff Ideas in Action. This scheme ensures that new suggestions for improvement are constantly put forward by employees, for management to review. Singapore Airlines recognises that its employees are the `sensors of the organisation, and that they are the ones who are on the ground floor who know how things work, and how to improve it. The company pays a particular interest in maintaining effective internal management because they recognise that it is a key organisational concept, integral for success. Because of the size of the company, and the reaches it has over the globe, the airline is immensely rich in cultural terms. For example, the company currently has pilots from 25 different countries. Although the cross cultural diversity may hamper communication in normal circumstances, Singapore Airlines have countered the problem with by creating more opportunities for employees to communicate. To keep everyone on the same wavelength, the company publishes a variety of department newsletters, websites and a monthly company-wide magazine. These publications ensure that employees from different cultures all understand how the company is run, its outtake on the future, and how to further work together to produce a seamless and consistently positive customer experience. DECISION MAKING Effective decision-making is integral in achieving organisational success. Singapore Airlines demonstrates how a coherent team environment fosters innovation and ultimately maximises the effectiveness of decision-making. The key to SIAs success is their high level of employee involvement despite the size of the organisation. Employee involvement in decision-making is beneficial in that it enables better problem identification, diverse choice generation, increases probability of selecting the best alternative and increases commitment to the decision. In regard to the `model of employee involvement in decision-making, the contingencies of employee involvement in SIA facilitate participative management thus SIA is able to reap the benefits of employee involvement. Due to the often-unpredictable nature of the airline industry, many decisions that need to be made are non-programmed. The Senior Vice President responsible for cabin crew, Mr. Sim Kay Wee, emphasises the importance of individual employees decisions in optimising customer satisfaction and encourages employees to make innovative decisions, as opposed to following guidelines regimentally, in order to overcome unforeseen problems. The `Deputy Chairmans Award has been introduced as a prestigious annual reward for outstanding individual or team response to a `unique customer situation. This emphasis on the importance of employee involvement in decision-making motivates employees to continuously strive for excellence. As SIA is operating within a service industry, the source of decision knowledge is often subordinates who have more intimate contact with customers, rather than those in management positions. Mr. Yap Kim Wah, Senior Vice President responsible for product and service asserts that employee feedback is one of the most valuable inputs to decision-making as they have the most direct interaction with customers and can help identify problems that may otherwise be overlooked. It is this willingness to address problems at all levels that has enabled SIA to achieve seamless consumer satisfaction. SIA has also acknowledged that decision commitment is improved by participation. Accordingly, they encourage employee participation through corporate newsletters, regular staff meetings and recognising staff members who have actively contributed in decision-making processes. Employee involvement also reduces the risk of conflict over a decision made. A common issue that arises in organisations is that employee goals conflict with organisational goals. SIA have worked to ensure that this is not a risk factor within their organisation as they constantly strive to align employees with the organisation as a whole. This can be seen in the values underpinning SIAs mission statement whereby staff are described as valuable and there is a focus on providing them with fulfilling careers, there is also an emphasis on viewing the organisation as a `worldwide team. Such a corporate culture reduces the likelihood of conflict when decisions are made. As already mentioned, SIA succeeds in promoting a high level of creativity in their organisation. Such a creative work environment is made possible through various initiatives from upper management which is filtered down through the business. Firstly, SIA has achieved organisational support through tolerating mistakes. The corporate culture encourages giving new ideas a try and if they dont work out they are removed from service. They place more value on amending mistakes made than not taking any risks at all for example the introduction of fax machines was unsuccessful. Additionally, the aforementioned emphasis on communication within the organisation and job security (through performance appraisal, training and development, and promotional opportunities) also enhance organisational support. Another factor in achieving a creative work environment is providing intrinsically motivating work. The `team concept was developed in order to achieve this. The concept is concerned with viewing each cabin crew as a team unit in order to develop camaraderie between members. This also enables more individual evaluation and means good performance can be rewarded with ease. The concept aims to increase empowerment and a sense of belonging to the organisation. SIA also encourages informal pressure, which has resulted in increased levels of discussion between various levels within the organisation leading to new ways of approaching problems and ideas. Evidently, Singapore Airlines is a prime example of how the encouragement of a team environment facilitates decision-making within an organisation. Employee involvement in decision-making has been a major contributing factor in SIAs success. Additionally, such involvement also serves to foster innovation and divergent thinking thus enabling SIA to continuously meet and exceed consumer expectations and maintain a competitive advantage. CREATIVITY Singapore airline is successful in Asians fiercely competitive airplane service industry because it relies on creativity for innovative new services. Creativity is the development of original ideas that make a socially recognized contribution. Such a concept is integrated into the company through its Product Innovation Department which focuses on anticipating needs consumers didnt even know they had. An example of this is SIAs have pioneering of the in-flight experiential and entertainment systems. Their in-flight entertainment system (IFEs) `Krisworld was developed in 1997 and significantly raised the standard in that department. Prior to that, only Emirates and Virgin airlines had IFEs and they were expensive and had limited options. Singapores Krisworld offered a significantly broader entertainment experience including Krisvision which offered over 50 different viewing options SIA was also the first to introduce hot meals, free alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, hot towels with a unique and patented scent, fax machines on board, telephones in every seat, personal entertainment systems, and video-on-demand in all cabins. Furthermore, they were the first to introduce the alert service, which sends short text message informing the customer of flight arrivals and delays. In addition, Singapore Airlines introduced its Suites in a class beyond First, together with cabin improvements in all other classes while still providing excellent service. The company keeps driving innovation as an important part of the brand, and the cabin ambience and combined experience are key factors of SIA success. Organizational conditions supporting creativity SIA leaders also maintain a work environment that supports the creative rocess for everyone. SIA has the task of trying to create esprit de corps among its cabin crew, cabin crews, as a unit, flying and working together, allows them to build camaraderie, and crew members feel like they are part of team, not just a number, they tend to be more creative when they believe that their work has a substantial impact on the organization. Cabin crew can directly gather information from customer to know what their needs and wants. They pursue novel ideas, which can improve and sustain service excellence through understanding customers and anticipating their needs, In addition, the team leader will get to know cabin crews strengths and weaknesses well, and will become their mentor and their counsel, when team member get new idea about improving services. The team leader support authority and encourages team members to take initiative and â€Å"have a go†. They encourage team members to try-it-out, make-it-work and see-it-through. Not every innovation succeeds, and some are eventually removed from service (the fax machines are long gone), team leader tolerate mistakes and recognize the reasonable mistakes as part of creativity process. Even if unsuccessful, the leader insists no one should be punished for taking initiative and trying new services. Singapore Airlines recognizes that each innovation has a relatively short life span. Once other airlines adopt it, it is no longer considered innovative. Therefore, the airline continues to invest heavily in R, innovation and technology as an integrated part of the business strategy to further differentiate itself. MOTIVATION Based on MARS model, motivation is one of the four important elements that contribute or influence individual behavior. Motivation is the cognitive, decision making process through which goal-directed behavior is initiated, energized and maintained. It will determine direction, intensity as well as persistence. How SIA staffs can achieve such a high motivation? These can be explained by a number of motivation theories. If we look at historical approaches, SIA does not follow the traditional approach such as scientific management which only emphasizes on wage incentive and management control. Instead, it uses the human relation approach in motivating its staffs. It believes that fulfillment of individuals needs and making them feel useful and important are more important than giving out monetary incentive. It belief, the illusion of involvement and importance will motivate its staffs more in performing their jobs. In SIA, staffs are regularly appraised for their performance and potential. Furthermore, high- flyers are identified and given opportunity to learn and grow. This make them to feel valued, thus, motivated to work harder. Basically, theory of motivation can be divided into two parts. First, the content theories of motivation which identify the motives for our behavior and second is the process theories of motivation which explain the reasons why we are motivated to act in certain way. For the content theories of motivation, by referring to the four drive theory, SIA staffs are motivated to join SIA, to perform their job very well and to achieve the company goals due to their drive to acquire, drive to learn and drive to bond. SIA lets its staffs to deal with customers on a one-to-one basis. By dealing with different type of customers in different circumstances, they will be able to gain a lot of experiences, thus, meet their drive to acquire. They will also be able to satisfy their drive to learn in SIA since in SIA, training is not a `one time affair. In meeting customers increasing expectation, SIA provides four training centers within the organization. These centers offer a wide range of educational programs whether in classroom, on the job or through full scale simulations. On top of that, SIA also could meet ones drive to bond that is form relationship and social commitment. SIA is a large company with more than 28000 staffs which located all over the world and comes from different background. This enables its staffs to mix around and work together in giving their best service to customers. All these drive motivate them to remain in SIA and perform well. For the process theories of motivation, expectancy theory can be applied in SIA context in explaining the reason why its staffs are motivated to do their job very well. This theory says that motivation depends on how much you like or want something and how likely you think you are able to get it. In SIA, its staffs believe their efforts will increase their performance which then will be recognized and rewarded by SIA. And most of the rewards are valued and liked by these staffs which include increased pay, increased position and the annual `Deputy Chairmans Award. Therefore, they are always motivated to work towards SIA goal. Apart from that, referring to goal-setting theory, specific goal lead to higher level of motivation and performance. SIA fundamental mission or goal is clear to its entire staff which is to provide high quality service to their customers. This is why its staffs are always on the right track. Apart from that, SIA also motivate its staffs through job design. According to Herzbergs motivator-hygiene theory, job design can affect staffs satisfaction or dissatisfaction and in turn affect their motivation. SIA does job rotation whereby there is frequent rotation amongst top positions in the organization. As a result, there is management team with great and shared understanding of the `big picture of the organization and with the commitment to do what is best for customers and the business as a whole. It also uses the job enrichment strategy where it establishes client relationship and put the staffs in direct contact with clients. Last but not least, SIA motivates its staffs through training and investment. For example, SIA undertakes a teamwork project. The objective of this project is to develop specific skills associated with effective cross-functional working across the airlines Flight Operation, Cabin Crew, Engineering and Airport Management department and to avoid `silo mentality within the organization which personnel in one department take little consideration for the requirement of other departments. PERFORMANCE/CONCLUSION Now, I am going to talk about applied motivational practices used by SIA. As mentioned before, SIA has a financial rewards system as one means of motivating its staff. Bonuses are paid according to the profitability of the company, which is employed throughout the entire company, no matter the level of seniority. As a result there is a lot of informal pressure for each other to perform from everybody. SIA has also adopted a Performance-based Reward system in the form of recognition, which is used to encourage good service. The â€Å"Deputy Chairmans Award† is given yearly to teams or individuals for responding to unique customer situations with an exceptionally positive, innovative or selfless act of service. This award carries no financial benefit, but is considered as the most prestigious of all awards in the airline. Winners and their families are flown to Singapore for a special dinner celebration, the story of their unique efforts is published in the monthly Outlook magazine, and their personal status as a Deputy Chairmans Award Winner remains a badge of distinction for life. The company considers recognition as being essential to functioning of a successful company, believing â€Å"a good pat on the back, a good ceremony, photographs and write-ups in the newsletters. They also award a special badge for those individuals who have received a lot of passenger compliments. They recognise our heroes and heroines. † The performing stage of team development is critical to the accomplishment of tasks. Singapore airlines is an example of a high-performance team, and this is exemplified by the airline being named as winner of the prestigious â€Å"Airline of the Year† title not once but twice, and most recently last year. A high performance team is one where members are highly co-operative, have a high-level of trust in each other, are committed to the group objectives and identify with the team, all of which are demonstrated by SIA. Their successes may be attributed to their team concept a workforce of 6,600 members is divided into small units of 13 people, with a team leader placed in charge. These teams can be thought of as Self-Directed Work Teams. The teams are rostered to fly together as often as possible which creates camaraderie The team leader plays an important role in establishing the Self-directed work team structure they get to know all team members well, including their strengths and weaknesses. This assists in the assignment of tasks whilst on board a flight. For example a team member with stronger speaking skills or more experience will be given the duty of announcing the in-flight emergency procedures at the beginning of the flight. The team leader is also a mentor and counsel to the members of the team, and, someone to whom they can turn if they need help or advice. A team leader is also essential in providing team-level feedback and rewards their staff appraisals are meticulous and detailed of each staff member. This is important in identifying the need for re-training in some areas and if a member has performed particularly well, the possibility of a promotion. As discussed before, Singapore Airlines has been internationally recognized as one of worlds leading carriers. Not only making profit every year (the group made $675 million in the third quarter of the financial year 2007-2008), SIA also frequently wins international awards for top flight quality and service including the 2007 Skytrax Airline of the Year Award voted by over 14 million travelers. Basically, there are many different factors that lead to their success today as a high-performance team, including sound team design, a high priority towards both external and internal communications, cohesive team decision making processes, creative innovations, and most importantly a high motivation among SIA staff.

buy custom Chronic Disease essay

buy custom Chronic Disease essay Chronic conditions and diseases are considered to cover a large spectrum of illnesses including injuries and mental problems. Chronic diseases and conditions often have persistent effects. They are usually long lasting and have a very wide complication range. Many patients who suffer from such conditions experience significant side effects which last for more than six months. The severity of chronic diseases and conditions calls for proper management and measures to be put in place to check on the symptoms and impacts experienced by both individuals and communities. Common examples of chronic diseases and conditions include diabetes, cancer, asthma, HIV/AIDs, Acne, blindness, diabetes, disabled elderly, epilepsy and hepatitis. Thesis Statement This paper focuses on the disabled elderly in the United States. The number of the disabled elderly in the United States is predicted to rise by more than three hundred percent by the year 2049 (Falvo, 2009). Disabilities at old age are often caused by chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer and cognitive impairment. It is these alarming figures that have given rise to several programs and projects which are set to manage or prevent the affected patients. These programs include the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP) and National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP). Psycho-social challenges and far reaching consequences More than seventy five percent of the elderly people in the United States are suffering form at least one chronic disease or condition. These Chronic conditions result in immediate and severe disabilities like stroke and hip fractures, eventually leading to progressive disability rendering the elderly unable to take care of themselves. The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey has it that more than four and a half million elderly Americans require assistance when it comes to dressing, shopping, preparing meals and shopping. The costs associated with the treatment of chronic conditions and diseases have in the recent past proved to be high and are continuing to grow. Of all the out-of pocket costs on health, functional impairment and chronic health conditions records the highest percentage In 1997, the expenses covering the elderly totaled to twenty seven million (Guralnik, 1997). Concerned Research Projects One of the research programs that have come out strongly to help managing disabled elderly in United States is the CDSMP. The project was founded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) at the Education Research Center of Stanford University. The project is charged with the responsibility of educating patients on better ways of managing symptoms, maintaining functional abilities and how to adhere to regimes on medication. The projects settings in the affected communities are staged din churches, senior centers, libraries, and hospitals all over nation. The AHRQ through CDSMP also funds investigations on comparisons between health status, health behaviors and health services. The project has so far ensured that participants experience fewer emergency room visits, significant improvements in health status, energy, role and social activities, and less health or fatigue distress. In two years only, the project had ensured that health distress had greatly reduced. Partici pants had increased their self efficiency leading to stronger motivation, perseverance and better decision making. In addition, there was no further disability among the participants. By the end of the year 2000, the participants enrollment had risen to 2,500. To get more funding opportunities, the AHRQ has come up with patient-centered care which is meant to customize care in order to meet patients needs. Through the program, the project will be well fiscally placed to evaluate and redesign developing processes of care that lead to improved patient interaction, greater patient empowerment and improved quality, access and outcomes (Lorig and Holaman, 2006). The NCCDPHP on the hand was a nation-wide research project that was intended to promote well being and good health through control and prevention of control diseases. The project was set up with the aim of detecting and controlling chronic diseases, to contribute and apply research results to effective and practical intervention strategies and to eliminate ethnic and racial disparities to achieve health equity. The project is aimed at providing leadership and expertise that are crritical in the intervention geared towards prevention of chronic diseases and conditions. It is also aimed at promoting the health of communities and individuals. It forms part of the public infrastructure in United States federal public health agency, working together with the public health professionals, policy makers, providers and educators. The project also collaborates and partners fully with local and state health, community groups, education agencies, private organizations and voluntary associations which support them both financially and idea wise. NCCDPHP extends its scope to include collaborations in housing, transportation, education, labor and justice in order to achieve health services that are optimal to all (Falvo, 2009). Interventions In order to improve and manage the disabled elderly in United States, more focus should be put on lifestyle change and education. Comprehensive counseling and education interventions impact on health behaviors positively. Behavior techniques such as personal communication, self monitoring and viewing materials that are audiovisual lead to successful change of behaviors such as weight control, smoking and drinking. Education also promotes exercised changes thus reducing the prevalence of chronic conditions such as heart failure. Careless lifestyles are a major contributor to some of the chronic diseases and conditions such as HIV/AIDS and diabetes. Such behaviors should be highly discouraged especially at old age (Lorig and Holaman, 2006). Conclusion Chronic conditions and diseases are currently regarded as the leading cause of disability and death in United States, accounting for approximately more than seventy percent of all the deaths recorded in United States. This is about 1.7 million deaths annually. Despite the costs and health problems associated with chronic diseases and conditions, they can be affectively and easily controlled and prevented. Several research projects and programs have responded to this possibility by coming up with initiatives expected to manage patients of chronic conditions and diseases. In addition to these programs and projects, other interventions should be put in place so as to minimize the impact of chronic diseases and conditions. Buy custom Chronic Disease essay

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

Hamas - Essay Example There are many causes of this violence and brutality that is happening from the both sides but three of the most important reasons are discussed below: 3) Occupation of oil resources: the recent surge in the violence in the region is also directed at the notion that US is after the oil resources of the region and by occupying them, West will deprive the region , its rights on its own resources. I believe that the occupation of Palestine is the root cause of the violence in Middle East and in order to bring in peace to that region, West has to come up with a solution of recognizing the due rights of each party to the region and based on that decide to provide the right political as well as diplomatic support. Hamas is an Islamic militant and political group working in the Palestinian region. Founded in 1987 by Sheikh Yaseen Ahmed in Gaza, Hamas soon emerged as one of the most robust terrorist organizations in the region with Israel as its main target. Listed as terrorist organizations by many countries including Canada and US, Hamas is now considered as the leading political party in Palestine also after the failure of PLO and demise of Yasser Arafat. (Hajjar, 1993). It was also believed that the success of Hamas as political as well as terrorist organization largely depended on the failure of PLO and Yasser Arafat and that the Oslo agreement between Arafat and Israel, brokered by US, provided Hamas necessary political support in the region to flourish and strengthen its roots. (Kristianasen, 1999). It is also believed that Hamas, having an Islamic Brotherhood beginning, emerged as a new militant movement in the region colored with the Islamic hue and it was because of this that Hamas wa s able to won the elections. Hamas is an organization which seems to be combining the Islamic fundamentalism with the Palestinian Nationalism. With the basic aim of the destruction of Israel, Hamas is also intending to replace the PA with an

The Rationale of the Supreme Court's Decision in Citizen United (The Essay

The Rationale of the Supreme Court's Decision in Citizen United (The Majority Opinion by Justice Kennedy) - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that in the course of 2008 election, Citizens United, a conservative non-profit organization, produced Hillary: The Movies, a documentary criticizing Senator Hillary Clinton by then. The movie was considered by Federal Election Commission (FEC) as an electioneering communication due to the political nature of the movie and because Citizen United aimed at purchasing airtime on a video-on-demand service on a cable television. Thus, this movie was subject to laws governing the production of political advertisements as well as limitations on who may fund them. Citizen United prosecuted in federal court to capsize decision lost and appealed to the Supreme Court. When pronouncing their verdict, the majority maintained that political speech is crucial to a democracy, which is not less than truth due to the fact that the speech originated from a corporation. The majority also asserted that disclosure requirements of BCRA were constitutional as appl ied to Hillary: The Movie, with a reason that a governmental interest justified disclosure by offering the electorate with information regarding election-connected spending resources. They also maintained the disclosure rules for political advertising sponsors and it maintained the outlaw on direct contributions to candidates from organizations and unions. Books Llc asserts that in a separate compatible opinion, Justice Steven stressed the manner in which the court handles constitutional issues and its efforts to shun constitutional issues when at all probable. He asserted that here, the court lacked narrower grounds upon which to rule, apart from handling issues of the First Amendment personified in the case. Steven also argued that corporations are not members of society and that there are convincing governmental interests to control ability of corporations to spend money in the course of local and national elections. Even though majority rationale was right when it said that poli tical speech is crucial to a democracy as it influence electorates, it was not right for them to rule against Citizen United. This is because as far as First Amendment has to be observed, all citizens have constitutional rights to express themselves freely and freedom of speech.

Rapid Freight Analysis Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Rapid Freight Analysis - Case Study Example One of the most critical requirements for Rapid Freight is to provide additional bandwidth amongst its offices in the US and the chief data center. In order to fulfill this need, Rapid Freight needs to augment its Ethernet provisions to Gigabit Ethernet. This move is bound to improve the company’s Internet access speed significantly. This is because Gigabit Ethernet grants greater bandwidth for enhanced performance and practically eliminates the event of bottlenecks. In addition, the Ethernet provides full-duplex capabilities, which essentially magnify the efficacy of the bandwidth (Jain, Bakker & Anjum, 2004). With regard to cost-benefit analysis, the acquisition of the Gigabit Ethernet entails low cost, as well as low ownership costs since the bandwidth will have the capacity to transmit massive quantities of data over a single network quite quickly. Gigabit performance facilitates ample file sharing capacities over high bandwidths. This ultimately increases employee product ivity by enhancing access speed to databases, as well as messaging applications, which are all attuned to the existing network. This will reduce expenses such as those incurred in running new wiring, control standards of networking to attain tremendously effective networks and add network management to cope with environments having enormous network comprehensively. In addition, Rapid Freight has a significant requirement to guarantee that the numerous Rapid Freight locations within large metropolitan cities coordinate amongst themselves. In order to achieve this requirement, Rapid Freight should put into operation technologies that provide high speed internet between offices within a single metropolitan location. For instance, the established of WIMAX 802.16a technology is a vital move in the correct direction given that it provides an avenue for the transmission of data up to 70Mbps over a 30 miles radius (Jain, Bakker & Anjum, 2004). The technology is a standard 2-11 GHz wireless metropolitan area network technology that is bound to endow broadband wireless connectivity to nomadic and fixed devices. More to the point, while the 802.16a is the perfect solution for metropolitan area networks, WIMAX allows users to obtain broadband connectivity without necessarily being in direct line of sight with the central station. In addition, the technology provides complete data rates reaching 280Mps for every base station. This is essentially sufficient bandwidth to take care of the needs of hundred of business having either T1 or E1 connectivity, as well as thousands of households having DSL connectivity models from one base station. With regard to connecting cities such as Baltimore, Chicago and Los Angeles, the company can establish a satellite microwave connection. This is the best option since such technologies allow for easy connection over vast distances that separate the cities. Normally such distance causes inefficiency to position ground cables to connect the metro regions. Satellite microwave technology is highly beneficial compared to its costs since the signals travel from the ground station based on earth to a satellite then revert to another ground station, thereby covering enormous distances (Jain, Bakker & Anjum, 2004). Another requirement is the need to establish a secure and highly reliable network to contain its planned development, as well as the unpredicted events. This

History and Applications of Matrices

History and Applications of Matrices Matrices find many applications at current time and very useful to us. Physics makes use of matrices in various domains, for example in geometrical optics and matrix mechanics; the latter led to studying in more detail matrices with an infinite number of rows and columns. Graph theory uses matrices to keep track of distances between pairs of vertices in a graph. Computer graphics uses matrices to project 3-dimensional space onto a 2-dimensional screen. Example of application A message is converted into numeric form according to some scheme. The easiest scheme is to let space=0, A=1, B=2, , Y=25, and Z=26. For example, the message Red Rum would become 18, 5, 4, 0, 18, 21, 13. This data was placed into matrix form. The size of the matrix depends on the size of the encryption key. Lets say that our encryption matrix (encoding matrix) is a 22 matrix. Since I have seven pieces of data, I would place that into a 42 matrix and fill the last spot with a space to make the matrix complete. Lets call the original, unencrypted data matrix A. There is an invertible matrix which is called the encryption matrix or the encoding matrix. Well call it matrix B. Since this matrix needs to be invertible, it must be square. This could really be anything, its up to the person encrypting the matrix. Ill use this matrix. The unencrypted data is then multiplied by our encoding matrix. The result of this multiplication is the matrix containing the encrypted data. Well call it matrix X. The message that you would pass on to the other person is the the stream of numbers 67, -21, 16, -8, 51, 27, 52, -26. Decryption Process Place the encrypted stream of numbers that represents an encrypted message into a matrix. Multiply by the decoding matrix. The decoding matrix is the inverse of the encoding matrix. Convert the matrix into a stream of numbers. Conver the numbers into the text of the original message. DETERMINANTS The determinant of a matrix A is denoted det(A), or without parentheses: det A. An alternative notation, used for compactness, especially in the case where the matrix entries are written out in full, is to denote the determinant of a matrix by surrounding the matrix entries by vertical bars instead of the usual brackets or parentheses. For a fixed nonnegative integer n, there is a unique determinant function for the nÃÆ'-n matrices over any commutative ring R. In particular, this unique function exists when R is the field of real or complex numbers. For any square matrix of order 2, we have found a necessary and sufficient condition for invertibility. Indeed, consider the matrix Example. Evaluate Let us transform this matrix into a triangular one through elementary operations. We will keep the first row and add to the second one the first multiplied by . We get Using the Property 2, we get Therefore, we have which one may check easily. EIGEN VALUES AND EIGEN VECTORS In mathematics, eigenvalue, eigenvector, and eigenspace are related concepts in the field of linear algebra. The prefix eigen- is adopted from the German word eigen for innate, idiosyncratic, own. Linear algebra studies linear transformations, which are represented by matrices acting on vectors. Eigenvalues, eigenvectors and eigenspaces are properties of a matrix. They are computed by a method described below, give important information about the matrix, and can be used in matrix factorization. They have applications in areas of applied mathematics as diverse as economics and quantum mechanics. In general, a matrix acts on a vector by changing both its magnitude and its direction. However, a matrix may act on certain vectors by changing only their magnitude, and leaving their direction unchanged (or possibly reversing it). These vectors are the eigenvectors of the matrix. A matrix acts on an eigenvector by multiplying its magnitude by a factor, which is positive if its direction is unchanged and negative if its direction is reversed. This factor is the eigenvalue associated with that eigenvector. An eigenspace is the set of all eigenvectors that have the same eigenvalue, together with the zero vector. These concepts are formally defined in the language of matrices and linear transformations. Formally, if A is a linear transformation, a non-null vector x is an eigenvector of A if there is a scalar ÃŽÂ » such that The scalar ÃŽÂ » is said to be an eigenvalue of A corresponding to the eigenvector x. Eigenvalues and Eigenvectors: An Introduction The eigenvalue problem is a problem of considerable theoretical interest and wide-ranging application. For example, this problem is crucial in solving systems of differential equations, analyzing population growth models, and calculating powers of matrices (in order to define the exponential matrix). Other areas such as physics, sociology, biology, economics and statistics have focused considerable attention on eigenvalues and eigenvectors-their applications and their computations. Before we give the formal definition, let us introduce these concepts on an example. Example. Consider the matrix Consider the three column matrices We have In other words, we have Next consider the matrix P for which the columns are C1, C2, and C3, i.e., We have det(P) = 84. So this matrix is invertible. Easy calculations give Next we evaluate the matrix P-1AP. We leave the details to the reader to check that we have In other words, we have Using the matrix multiplication, we obtain which implies that A is similar to a diagonal matrix. In particular, we have for . Note that it is almost impossible to find A75 directly from the original form of A. This example is so rich of conclusions that many questions impose themselves in a natural way. For example, given a square matrix A, how do we find column matrices which have similar behaviors as the above ones? In other words, how do we find these column matrices which will help find the invertible matrix P such that P-1AP is a diagonal matrix? From now on, we will call column matrices vectors. So the above column matrices C1, C2, and C3 are now vectors. We have the following definition. Definition. Let A be a square matrix. A non-zero vector C is called an eigenvector of A if and only if there exists a number (real or complex) such that If such a number exists, it is called an eigenvalue of A. The vector C is called eigenvector associated to the eigenvalue . Remark. The eigenvector C must be non-zero since we have for any number . Example. Consider the matrix We have seen that where So C1 is an eigenvector of A associated to the eigenvalue 0. C2 is an eigenvector of A associated to the eigenvalue -4 while C3 is an eigenvector of A associated to the eigenvalue 3. It may be interesting to know whether we found all the eigenvalues of A in the above example. In the next page, we will discuss this question as well as how to find the eigenvalues of a square matrix. PROOFS OF PROPERTIES OF EIGEN VALUES::: PROPERTY 1 {Inverse of a matrix A exists if and only if zero is not an eigenvalue of A} Suppose A is a square matrix. Then A is singular if and only if ÃŽÂ »=0 is an eigenvalue of A. Proof We have the following equivalences: A is singular à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ã¢â‚¬ there exists xà ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚  0, Ax=0 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ã¢â‚¬ there exists xà ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚  0, Ax=0x à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ã¢â‚¬ ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ »=0 is an eigenvalue of A Since SINGULAR matrix A has eigenvalue and the inverse of a singular matrix does not exist this implies that for a matrix to be invertible its eigenvalues must be non-zero. PROPERTY-2 Eigenvalues of a matrix are real or complex conjugates in pairs Suppose A is a square matrix with real entries and x is an eigenvector of A for the eigenvalue ÃŽÂ ». Then x is an eigenvector of A for the eigenvalue ÃŽÂ ». à ¢- ¡ Proof Ax =Ax =Ax =ÃŽÂ »x =ÃŽÂ »x A has real entries x eigenvector of A Suppose A is an mÃÆ'-n matrix and B is an nÃÆ'-p matrix. Then AB=AB. à ¢- ¡ Proof To obtain this matrix equality, we will work entry-by-entry. For 1à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤ià ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤m, 1à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤jà ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤p, ABij =ABij =à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬Ëœnk=1AikBkj =à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬Ëœnk=1AikBkj =à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬Ëœnk=1AikBkj =à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬Ëœnk=1AikBkj =ABij APPLICATION OF EIGEN VALUES IN FACIAL RECOGNITION How does it work? The task of facial recogniton is discriminating input signals (image data) into several classes (persons). The input signals are highly noisy (e.g. the noise is caused by differing lighting conditions, pose etc.), yet the input images are not completely random and in spite of their differences there are patterns which occur in any input signal. Such patterns, which can be observed in all signals could be in the domain of facial recognition the presence of some objects (eyes, nose, mouth) in any face as well as relative distances between these objects. These characteristic features are called eigenfaces in the facial recognition domain (or principal components generally). They can be extracted out of original image data by means of a mathematical tool called Principal Component Analysis (PCA). By means of PCA one can transform each original image of the training set into a corresponding eigenface. An important feature of PCA is that one can reconstruct reconstruct any original image from the training set by combining the eigenfaces. Remember that eigenfaces are nothing less than characteristic features of the faces. Therefore one could say that the original face image can be reconstructed from eigenfaces if one adds up all the eigenfaces (features) in the right proportion. Each eigenface represents only certain features of the face, which may or may not be present in the original image. If the feature is present in the original image to a higher degree, the share of the corresponding eigenface in the sum of the eigenfaces should be greater. If, contrary, the particular feature is not (or almost not) present in the original image, then the corresponding eigenface should contribute a smaller (or not at all) part to the sum of eigenfaces. So, in order to reconstruct the origi nal image from the eigenfaces, one has to build a kind of weighted sum of all eigenfaces. That is, the reconstructed original image is equal to a sum of all eigenfaces, with each eigenface having a certain weight. This weight specifies, to what degree the specific feature (eigenface) is present in the original image. If one uses all the eigenfaces extracted from original images, one can reconstruct the original images from the eigenfaces exactly. But one can also use only a part of the eigenfaces. Then the reconstructed image is an approximation of the original image. However, one can ensure that losses due to omitting some of the eigenfaces can be minimized. This happens by choosing only the most important features (eigenfaces). Omission of eigenfaces is necessary due to scarcity of computational resources. How does this relate to facial recognition? The clue is that it is possible not only to extract the face from eigenfaces given a set of weights, but also to go the opposite way. This opposite way would be to extract the weights from eigenfaces and the face to be recognized. These weights tell nothing less, as the amount by which the face in question differs from typical faces represented by the eigenfaces. Therefore, using this weights one can determine two important things: Determine, if the image in question is a face at all. In the case the weights of the image differ too much from the weights of face images (i.e. images, from which we know for sure that they are faces), the image probably is not a face. Similar faces (images) possess similar features (eigenfaces) to similar degrees (weights). If one extracts weights from all the images available, the images could be grouped to clusters. That is, all images having similar weights are likely to be similar faces.

Africans in Colonial Mexico Essay -- Research Papers Anthropology

Africans in Colonial Mexico The history of Africans in Mexico is an oft-neglected facet of the cultural complexities of that country. In 1519, Hernando Cortes brought 6 African slaves with him to Mexico; these individuals served the conquest as personal servants, carriers, and laborers.[1] In the years to come, slavery would become a critical component of the colonial economy with approximately 2,000 slaves arriving each year 1580-1650; it is estimated that a total of 200,000 Africans were brought to Mexico during the colonial period.[2] Given this large number of slaves, the lengthy period of their importation, and the inevitable mixing of races, which took place throughout the colony, the historical and cultural significance of bozales, criollos, mulattoes, and zambos is far-reaching. The colonial period provides an excellent starting place for an examination of the significance of these groups not only because the institution of African slavery was introduced to New Spain at that time, but also because t he regular influx of native Africans combined with the close attention paid to color-based castas in official records allows historians to trace the influence of African culture more readily during that period. The early years of colonial Mexico were a time of great change, as the native Indian populations were decimated by disease and increasingly dominated by the Spanish social and economic structure. Under the encomienda system, the initial flood of Spanish immigrants were provided with a support structure in New Spain, as the Indians’ land and labor were put at their disposal in exchange for moral guidance.[3] As Spain sought to reap the benefits of its new colony, the need for dependable labor in Mexico’s agr... ...Andrew L. â€Å"Yellow Fever and the Late Colonial Public Health Response in the Port of Veracruz.† Hispanic American Historical Review 77, no. 4 (1997): 619-644. 6. Love, Edgar F. â€Å"Negro Resistance to Spanish Rule in Colonial Mexico.† The Journal of Negro History 52, no. 2 (1967): 89-103. 7. MacLachlan, Colin M. and Jamie E. Rodriguez O. The Forging of the Cosmic Race: A Reinterpretation of Colonial Mexico. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1980. 8. Meyer, Michael C., et al. The Course of Mexican History, 7th ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. 9. Palmer, Colin A. Slaves of the White God: Blacks in Mexico, 1570-1650. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1976. 10. Richmond, Douglas. â€Å"The Legacy of African Slavery in Colonial Mexico, 1519-1810.† Journal of Popular Culture 35, no. 2 (2001): 1-17. Africans in Colonial Mexico Essay -- Research Papers Anthropology Africans in Colonial Mexico The history of Africans in Mexico is an oft-neglected facet of the cultural complexities of that country. In 1519, Hernando Cortes brought 6 African slaves with him to Mexico; these individuals served the conquest as personal servants, carriers, and laborers.[1] In the years to come, slavery would become a critical component of the colonial economy with approximately 2,000 slaves arriving each year 1580-1650; it is estimated that a total of 200,000 Africans were brought to Mexico during the colonial period.[2] Given this large number of slaves, the lengthy period of their importation, and the inevitable mixing of races, which took place throughout the colony, the historical and cultural significance of bozales, criollos, mulattoes, and zambos is far-reaching. The colonial period provides an excellent starting place for an examination of the significance of these groups not only because the institution of African slavery was introduced to New Spain at that time, but also because t he regular influx of native Africans combined with the close attention paid to color-based castas in official records allows historians to trace the influence of African culture more readily during that period. The early years of colonial Mexico were a time of great change, as the native Indian populations were decimated by disease and increasingly dominated by the Spanish social and economic structure. Under the encomienda system, the initial flood of Spanish immigrants were provided with a support structure in New Spain, as the Indians’ land and labor were put at their disposal in exchange for moral guidance.[3] As Spain sought to reap the benefits of its new colony, the need for dependable labor in Mexico’s agr... ...Andrew L. â€Å"Yellow Fever and the Late Colonial Public Health Response in the Port of Veracruz.† Hispanic American Historical Review 77, no. 4 (1997): 619-644. 6. Love, Edgar F. â€Å"Negro Resistance to Spanish Rule in Colonial Mexico.† The Journal of Negro History 52, no. 2 (1967): 89-103. 7. MacLachlan, Colin M. and Jamie E. Rodriguez O. The Forging of the Cosmic Race: A Reinterpretation of Colonial Mexico. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1980. 8. Meyer, Michael C., et al. The Course of Mexican History, 7th ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. 9. Palmer, Colin A. Slaves of the White God: Blacks in Mexico, 1570-1650. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1976. 10. Richmond, Douglas. â€Å"The Legacy of African Slavery in Colonial Mexico, 1519-1810.† Journal of Popular Culture 35, no. 2 (2001): 1-17.

Sitting System For People Health And Social Care Essay

Appropriate posing positions are varied, it depends on activity taken ; working at a desk, computing machine, driving or eating. However, these actions have a same rule to concern: stable and comfy. Human sitting is asymmetrical and dynamic, when Sitters feel non comfy with their seats they will brace themselves. And ever has changeless motion at least every 5-10 proceedingss to diminish the force per unit area on the contact points, avoid terrible pressing on any portion of the organic structure until cause hurt.1.3.1 Biomechanics of sitingBiomechanics utilises the Torahs of Physicss and the constructs of Engineering to depict the gesture formulated by assorted organic structure sections and the forces moving on these them ( Chaffin and Andresson, 1984 ) . Appropriate posing positions are varied, it depends on activity which taken ; working at a desk, computing machine, driving or eating. However, suited sitting place in biomechanics is the balance of forces and minutes. balance plane1.bmp F = Force M = Moment Balance of forces and minutes in all planes Biomechanics has emphasised the relation between the organic structure ‘s Centre of force per unit area ( COP ) and its Centre of mass ( COM ) . The COM is a point equivalent of the entire organic structure mass and is the leaden norm of the COM of each organic structure section in all planes while the COP corresponds to the point of application of the force under the country of contact with the place surface ( Lacoste et al. , 2006 ) . In order to equilibrate the organic structure over a stable sitting base, the COM is straight over the sitting base. Stability of sitting position is able to better when the country of contact between the organic structure and the support surface are increased. The relationship of the stableness with country of contact and forces is following: Stability Therefore increasing the size of the base of support will increase the stableness ( Ham et al. , 1998 ) . For some postural malformations, the country of the support base is reduced therefore the stableness is improved by addition the support country such as supplying the chest support bole support or buffering on the seating. The balance of sitting encourages the right form or position of spinal. In sidelong position, alliance of spinal is looked somewhat S- form. The key of stable base is the pelvic girdle. In the basic of normal posing, the pelvic girdle is centred and rotates rearward as a consequence of the tenseness in hamstrings ( posterior thigh musculuss ) . For maximal stableness and minimal musculus attempt when keeping an unsloped position ( every bit same as in the erect standing place ) , the Centre of mass of the upper organic structure should be maintained over the ischeal tubercles ( Zacharkow, 1984 ) balance plane2.bmp The contact points of the seated position are ischial tubercles, thighs and pess. By supplying support through the thighs, legs and pess, force per unit area is reduced over the ischial tubercles. The thighs are parallel to each other and in the natural place. For the ground that thigh musculuss span the hip and articulatio genus, the grade of hip flexure and knee extension on the seating should be avoided to pull of hamstrings. A upper limit of 100 grades of hip flexure and 105 grades of articulatio genus extension is advised ( Mayall and Desharnais, 1995 ) . The pelvic girdle rotates somewhat forward promotes flexure of the lower dorsum or lumbar hollow-back. It will be curved concave to the forepart to back up the weight of the upper portion: bole, weaponries and caput. However, for the people with physical disablements who are lacking in postural ability and postural dissymmetries can besides take to orthopaedic malformations, uncomfortableness, decreased physiologic maps, self-image, and quality of life ( Trefler et al. , 1993 ) . Consequently, users with a motor disability need a seating which can counterbalance for the stableness and besides back up the functional and postural ability that each person has. There are many ways to depict the assortment of siting systems for people with physical disablements. However, in this survey, the seating system will be categorised by 3 characteristics of the chair as shown in table Twenty.Siting system for people with physical disablementsFeatureCategorizationFunctional of utilizing Wheelchair Particular seating Beginning of energy Manual Power Feature of traveling Rigid Dynamic1.3.2 Wheelchair populationA wheelchair is one of the most common devices used to help users who have limited abilities to walk or travel. The wheelchair user population includes kids, grownups, and aged individuals. There are many grounds for their disablements: birth defects ( kids who have motion upsets ) , accidents ( an hurt to legs or the spinal column, which controls leg motion ) , infirmity diseases and old age. Harmonizing to Wheelchair foundation, â€Å" over 100 million people with physical disablements worldwide need wheelchairs. It is estimated that the figure of people who need wheelchairs will increase by 22 per centum over the following 10 old ages, with the greatest demand bing in developing states † ( Behring. , 2009 ) . In UK, there are an estimated 10 million handicapped people, about 20 % of population ( Office for National Statistics, 2010 ; Statisticss, 2008 ) and 5 % of people with disablement are a motor damage ( NHS, 2004 ; Wray, 2005 ) . The proportion of wheelchair population additions with age. Separate into three age groups: kids under 18 old ages of age, grownup 18-64 twelvemonth and aged 65 and older, the highest rates are found among the aged population so working age and non many in kids. There are assorted wellness conditions and damages doing a individual demand to utilize wheelchair and these grounds are diverse in different age group of users. In table Twenty shows the wellness conditions and damages reported as the chief cause of functional or activity restriction. Stroke 11.1 % Arthritis 10.4 % Multiple induration 5.0 % Absence lower appendage 3.7 % Paraplegia 3.6 % Orthopaedic lower appendage 3.6 % Heart disease 3.3 % Cerebral paralysis 3.1 % Rheumatoid arthritis 3.0 % Diabetess 2.4 % ( LaPlante et al. , 2009 ) Manual seating system is the chair that needs self impeling by users or health professionals. The users of manual wheelchairs by and large have lower appendage failing, palsy, or amputation doing walking insecure or hard at best. They may include persons with spinal cord hurts, unilateral paralysis and other types of palsy, multiple induration, intellectual paralysis, spina bifida, arthritis, and lower limb amputations. Typically, the user is a paraplegic or quadriparetic individual who desires to manually impel himself every bit much as possible for the exercising and ensuing wellness benefits. For the wheelchair dependent individual who has to impel by his or her ain, the most common country of musculoskeletal is the shoulder. This is because users normally have overload on their upper organic structures to turn the wheels of the wheelchairs. In 2008, Desroches et Al. published a paper in which they studied the relationship between the effectivity of the attendant force at the handrims and the mechanical burden by the net shoulder minutes. They found that more force demands are more at hazard of shoulder hurts on the land that overexploitation. Furthermore, elbows, carpuss and custodies are besides injured because they are non designed to get by with the insistent contact with the wheelchair pushrims. This frequent insistent burden may be one of the possible causes of the incidence of carpal tunnel syndrome. Powered wheelchair theoretical accounts are controlled by the user ‘s manus with a little control stick. Users who unable to utilize a manus for maneuvering and control may be capable of a oral cavity control or breath control device. These power wheelchairs are much safer to run with a computing machine inadvertence. However, serious accidents sometimes result from feeling or computing machine system failures. ( N.I.R.E. , 2004 ) . The failures may be elusive 1s non recognised by users. Otherwise, they can be in the signifier of a sudden, unexpected entire failure of the wheelchair computing machine system, which may ensue in an accident when happening at a critical clip.1.3.3 Particular SeatingParticular seating designed for people with physical disablements considers demands like phase of development, disablements and other upsets. At the same clip, ought to see as position, force per unit area and comfort. The mobility and position jobs that motor impairment people face may be due to muscle failings, musculus instabilities and cramp or hapless esthesis. There are many grounds for their disablements like birth defects ( kids who have motion upsets ) , accidents ( an hurt to legs or the spinal column, which controls leg motion ) , infirmity diseases and old age. Siting is a work of complex coordinating of human constructions. The form of the pelvic girdle is unstable by nature in sitting place. It can non be kept stable without the cooperation of organic structure musculus and limbs. In add-on, a proper design of constituents such as place backrest, armrest, footrest, etc. , is encourage stableness in the sitting place and the comfort of the place. First and the foremost for handicapped posing is the importance of stable posing, it is achieved if there is a balance of forces and minutes in all planes ( Letts, 1991 ) . An unstable sitting non merely makes upper organic structure hard to command balance but besides non keep the good place of physiology. A particular place base with a back support can be used which would assists the patient who is being positioned for physical therapy. The supports are made from stuffs such as plyboard, froth and polymer. These stuffs provide postural support and alleviate the force per unit area for patients who have unbalanced organic structures. Nevertheless for kids who have the spasticity CP, they will do their organic structure imbalanced and unstable when have extensor cramp. This in bend makes the patient uncomfortable and impairs their functional ability. Furthermore, CP kids need more seating demands than a broad assortment of people with disablements because of their overactive stretch physiological reactions and irregular stableness. The force per unit area sores are besides considered because this frequently occurs when sitting for a long clip without traveling. A considerable sum of literature has been published on biomechanics of siting system with spastic CP patients, they have investigated the force per unit area forces in sitting place and strong forces of extensor push in patients which impart onto their wheelchairs and they found that high forces can besides do hurts for the kid ( Dawley and Julian, 2003 ; Hahn et al. , 2009 ) . The force per unit area ulcers that suffer from force per unit area force in sitting have been concerned for many decennaries. Harrison et Al. published a paper in which they reviewed the literature of sitting biomechanics in normal organic structures. The thought of dynamic seating has been designed in Germany since 1884 for mills that had adjustable backrests and place undersides with rounded forepart borders to cut down force per unit area on the under-thigh part ( Harrison et al. , 1999 ) . The chief aim of presenting the dynamic seating to the design of the chair is to avoid the force per unit area ulcer. Dynamic siting systems have been available on the market since 1989 ( Hahn et al. , 2009 ) by including spring loaded, elastic constituents or powered devices, in the outlook that it will react suitably to the users with strong musculus cramp, cut down the hurting and cut down force per unit area from restricted position. For people with physical disablements particularly patients who have strong extensor spasticity the dynamic design ease them non merely to forestall the force per unit area ulcer and hurt to the user but besides prevent breakage of the chair. Dynamic seating constituents are designed to travel as a consequence of forceful motions exerted by a client ( Magnuson and Dilabio, 2003 ) . The dispute of the effectivity and impact of the surrogate design has been discussed. Several surveies have attempted to explicate that to repair a place would be more goo d for patients ‘ physical therapy than to change the sitting position every clip of extensor cramp ( Barnes, 1998 ; Herman and Lange, 1999 ) . However, the surrogate design is presumed that when musculuss stretch, the forces produced between place ‘s parts and their organic structures would diminish with usage of the dynamic constituents. Furthermore, this system can be approved and it does non hold any negative consequence for the long term use. The basic apprehension of physical features of the user is indispensable for the design and consideration of postural support. Furthermore, it is really indispensable to understand the scope of the forces that are being applied to the user ‘s organic structure when using postural support within a seating system. Barnes M.R. ( 1998 ) Reappraisal: Management of spasticity. Age and Ageing 27:239-245. Behring. K. ( 2009 ) Wheelchair Distribution Project: Serving the World, Wheelchair foundation Wetherby, UK. Chaffin D.B. , Andresson G.B.J. ( 1984 ) Occupational Biomechanics John Wiley & A ; Sons, Inc, the United State of America. Dawley J. , Julian R. ( 2003 ) Purpose, Use And Fabrication Of A Custom Made Dynamic Backrest, 19th International Seating Symposium, Florida, USA. pp. 145-147. Hahn M.E. , Simkins S.L. , Gardner J.K. , Kaushik G. ( 2009 ) A Dynamic Seating System for Children with Cerebral Palsy. Journal of Musculoskeletal Research 12:21-30. Ham R. , Aldersea P. , Porter D. ( 1998 ) Wheelchair users and postural siting a clinical attack Churchill Livingstone, New York, USA. Harrison D.D. , Harrison S.O. , Croft A.C. , Harrison D.E. , Troyanovich S.J. ( 1999 ) Siting biomechanics Part I: Reappraisal of the Literature. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 22:594-609. Herman J.H. , Lange M.L. ( 1999 ) Seating and positioning to pull off spasticity after encephalon hurt Journal NeuroRehabilitation 12:105-117. Lacoste M. , Therrien M. , Cote J.N. , Shrier I. , Labelle H. , Prince F. ( 2006 ) Appraisal of Seated Postural Control in Children: Comparison of a Force Platform Versus a Pressure Mapping System. Archivess of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 87:1623-1629. LaPlante M. , Kaye S. , Kang T. ( 2009 ) Wheelchair Use in the United States, UCSF Disability Statistics Center Institute for Health & A ; Aging. Letts R. ( 1991 ) General rules of siting Boca Raton: CRC Press. Magnuson S. , Dilabio M. ( 2003 ) Dynamic Seating Components: The Best Evidence and Clinical Experience, 19th International Seating Symposium, Florida, USA. pp. 109-111. Mayall J.K. , Desharnais G. ( 1995 ) Positioning in a wheelchair: a usher for professional health professionals of the handicapped grownup 2nd erectile dysfunction. erectile dysfunction. Thorofare, NJ N.I.R.E. ( 2004 ) Mobility Training for User and Public Safety, The National Institute for Rehabilitation Engineering. NHS. ( 2004 ) Bettering Servicess for Wheelchair Users and Carers: Good Practice Guide, Executive sum-up, NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency rehabilitation squad. Office for National Statistics G.R.O.f.S. , Northern Ireland Statistics & A ; Research Agency. ( 2010 ) , Office for National Statistics, General Register Office for Scotland, Northern Ireland Statistics & A ; Research Agency. Statisticss T.O.f.N. ( 2008 ) Registered Blind and Partially Sighted People England twelvemonth stoping 31 March 2008, Department of Health, The Office for National Statistics. Trefler E. , Hobson D.A. , Taylor S.J. , Monahan L.C. , Shaw C.G. , Zimbleman C. ( 1993 ) Seating AND MOBILITY: For Persons with Physical Disabilities San Antonio: Therapy Skill Builders. Wray M. ( 2005 ) Bing Inclusive in the Creative and Performing Arts, BICPA, the eight spouses of CADISE ( The Consortium of Humanistic disciplines and Design Institutions in Southern England ) Zacharkow D. ( 1984 ) wheelchair Posture and Pressure Sores Charles C Thomas Publisher, Illinois, USA.

Free Essays on Phenomenal Woman That’s Me

The poem, â€Å"Phenomenal Woman†, written by Maya Angelou has touched the lives of many women. The title itself has the ability to grasp the interests of the reader. The word phenomenal means outstanding, excellent and extraordinary, therefore making it the perfect word to describe a woman who is as magnificent as she is. This four stanza poem expresses the thoughts and feelings of a proud and confident woman. These days women are judged by their exterior and the values of what is inside seem to be forgotten. The theme of this poem is very evident. In the first line, â€Å"Pretty women wonder where my secret lies†, lets us know that the beauty described through out the poem is internal. The second line says, â€Å"I’m not cute or built to suit a model’s fashion size†, a woman’s outside doesn’t have to be perfect if her personality makes up for that. Beauty on the outside does not always get you what you want. Angelou uses explanations of a woman’s physical body to describe the amazing woman that is really on the inside. Although her body may not be perfect or even attractive she uses it to describe femininity. Confidence is a perfect display of inner beauty. The line, â€Å"The stride of my steps†, gives a mental picture of a courageous straight postured woman walking with her head held high not caring about the way others t hink about her. This shows that she is not ashamed of her looks and is very proud of who she is. She leaves a bit of mystery about herself by not giving in to every man that approaches her. Her gracefulness and positive feminine ways get her what other women are envious of, which is respect. These physical characteristic that she describes gives the image of a beautiful woman when in reality it’s not that way at all. The confidence that she expels would only leave one to assume that she was raised in a very loving and nurturing environment which have installed good mora... Free Essays on Phenomenal Woman That’s Me Free Essays on Phenomenal Woman That’s Me The poem, â€Å"Phenomenal Woman†, written by Maya Angelou has touched the lives of many women. The title itself has the ability to grasp the interests of the reader. The word phenomenal means outstanding, excellent and extraordinary, therefore making it the perfect word to describe a woman who is as magnificent as she is. This four stanza poem expresses the thoughts and feelings of a proud and confident woman. These days women are judged by their exterior and the values of what is inside seem to be forgotten. The theme of this poem is very evident. In the first line, â€Å"Pretty women wonder where my secret lies†, lets us know that the beauty described through out the poem is internal. The second line says, â€Å"I’m not cute or built to suit a model’s fashion size†, a woman’s outside doesn’t have to be perfect if her personality makes up for that. Beauty on the outside does not always get you what you want. Angelou uses explanations of a woman’s physical body to describe the amazing woman that is really on the inside. Although her body may not be perfect or even attractive she uses it to describe femininity. Confidence is a perfect display of inner beauty. The line, â€Å"The stride of my steps†, gives a mental picture of a courageous straight postured woman walking with her head held high not caring about the way others t hink about her. This shows that she is not ashamed of her looks and is very proud of who she is. She leaves a bit of mystery about herself by not giving in to every man that approaches her. Her gracefulness and positive feminine ways get her what other women are envious of, which is respect. These physical characteristic that she describes gives the image of a beautiful woman when in reality it’s not that way at all. The confidence that she expels would only leave one to assume that she was raised in a very loving and nurturing environment which have installed good mora...

January Thaw essays

January Thaw essays Science has always been a subject that I found interest in, but I never put that interest to use. Ive taken many science classes in my life, but I can honestly say that I have not learned much. I do know, from my two days in Biology 100, that I am on the verge of learning more about science and becoming more enthusiastic about it. When I first bought A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold, I thought that it was for a literature class that I was taking this semester. It did not really seem like the kind of book to be used to teach Biology, or so I thought. I flipped through the book the weekend before classes started, and I actually read January Thaw at that time. Like I said previously, I did not know that the book was for my Biology 101 class. I found January Thaw to be a great read. I was very surprised when, on August 27, 2001, my professor said that A Sand County Almanac would be the primary text for the class. I already knew that I would be interested in the book from my pre-reading, so I was delighted to begin my journey in science. In this essay, I will discuss my responses to the essay January Thaw. When I read the essay January Thaw for the first time, I thought that it was merely a story about a persons love for animals. I thought that Leopold loved animals so much that he wrote a whole essay about his observations of them. Well, I figured that my initial response to the essay was too simple and not quite right. I begin to ask questions about the text in order to come to a more educated response to the essay. Why would someone write a whole essay about the actions of animals without having a point? Why is this essay, by Leopold, still read and discussed after so long, if it was merely about the lives of wild animals? I thought very deeply about those questions and could not really answer them, but I did de ...

Police Details in Massachusetts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Police Details in Massachusetts - Essay Example Rather, you live in Massachusetts and see a police officer directing traffic. No big deal, right In theory, police officers would be the most qualified for directing and influencing drivers. However, by analyzing accident statistics as well the cost of having police officers direct traffic, one may find that the cost is simply too high. In short, the possible benefit of police details simply does not outweigh the actual cost to businesses and consumers. For the people of Massachusetts, it seems like detail work has always been done by police officers. Whether a road is being paved, a pothole being filled, or any type of construction that may affect the roadways, police officers have been the most likely candidate to direct traffic. Many people believe that using police officers is safer than using flagmen. However, there are many different things to consider when making this argument. In 2004, extensive studies were performed in order to measure how much safer roadways are with police officers rather than flagmen. By comparing the accident rate between Massachusetts and other states that do not use police for details, one finds that it is no safer to drive in Massachusetts than any other state (BHI Policy Study.) Despite the use of police details, the accident rates in Massachusetts are some of the highest in the nation. Property damage and bodily harm due to accidents is the highest in Massachusetts than any other state. Interestingly, from the years 1994 to 2003, Massachusetts ranked third of all states in terms of lowest fatality rate in highway work zones (BHI Policy Study.) These statistics show that although police detail work is beneficial in the safety of high-speed road construction, the safety in lower speed road construction does not prove to be any better. With this data, it is not surprising that state officials and politicians are now looking into r egulating when and where police details should be used, and when and where flagmen would be suitable. As many people know, the state of Massachusetts is suffering from financial strain. Since 2001, the state has been going through a deep recession, losing about 11 percent of employment and over 200,000 jobs (Gavin.) It is projected that Massachusetts will continue to lose jobs until around 2010, and this year alone, there is a projected job loss of 4 percent (Gavin.) Due to the state's financial strain, state officials are eager to find ways to cut back expenses and improve job growth. One of the most obvious ways to cut back on expenses is limiting the use of police details. State leaders are already targeting the use of police details in order to restore economic growth. For decades, police have been used for construction projects without question. The practice that was once seen as necessary and just a fact of life is now being questioned by some of the highest-ranking state officials. On March 27th of this year, Governor Deval Patrick, Senate President Therese Murray, and House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi met together at the Beacon Hill press conference, announcing the agreement to create new regulations that would encourage officials to use civilian flaggers during low-risk construction projects (Viser.) This plan would focus on low traffic areas such as dead-end

Shaping Marketing Decisions Based on Consumer Behavior Essay

Shaping Marketing Decisions Based on Consumer Behavior - Essay Example It is important to note that the buying process originates in the mind long before a customer has made a conscious effort to make a purchase, and such a decision shall be affected by personality and social-cultural factors (McKenna 2000). Consumer behavior thus is a study that attempt to assess why consumers buy where they buy, the influence that affects their purchase decision, how they view your products or services relative to those of your competitors, and most importantly, why they should stick to your products in the face of a market awash with similar products and services from your competition. It also involves an assessment of the attitudes that consumers have towards a service or a product and the role that they play in their households, as this shall affect their purchase decisions (Lele 1002). Consumer behavior is both a dynamic and complex process. It is also multidimensional and tends to greatly impact on all the marketing decisions of a firm. An evoked set is that subset of brands within a product category that is often considered by individuals when they wish to make a purchase (Campbell, 1969). Given that there is a large number of brands that are contained in each of the individual product categories, consumers thus resorts to the use of evoked sets with a view to making their purchase decisions easier. From a consumer's perspective, an evoked set could as well be regarded as an awareness set made up of particular brands within a product category that a given set of consumers are aware of (Narayana & Markin 1975). In other words, an evoked set could be viewed as those handful of choices that will often pass through our minds when we are just about to arrive at a buying decision. For instance, when someone is purchasing say, a personal computer, such brands as either Sony or Dell may come to mind. In this case, this is an evoked set. For a marketer, it is crucial that his/her products be aligned so as to constitute a valid evoked set in the minds of customers. This is all about creating a brand image of your products and services that appeal to the market. According to Lele (1992), only those brands that form an evoked set within the consumers' minds get to be purchased. Lele Further opines that if a brand or supplier is not part of an evoked set, then such a brand will either be rarely purchased by a consumer or be ignored altogether. A majority of consumers' evoked sets have at most five differing brands. Consequently, it often becomes quite tricky to have more that a similar number of firms having a widespread acceptance as being distinguished and exceptional. Owing to the multiplicity of opinions, it would not be easy to have to say, three firms or brands being a part of the perception of quite a sizable proportion of the consumer market. Due to this, most of the marketers for packaged goods often fight viciously to obtain a share of the consumers' mind, and hence their attention. When a firm fails to familiarize itself with a buyer groups' evolved set, then the achievement of its overall strategy through the use of differentiation is jeopardized (Lele 1992).