How Can We Improve Child Care Safety in the United States Research Paper

How Can We Improve Child Care Safety in the United States - Research Paper Example As a result, children spend more time outside home rather than with their parents. Most of the child care service providers in the US operate under unlicensed and unchecked contexts where the caregivers often lack formal training in the discipline. Since these services are more convenient and less expensive for the parents, they prefer sending their children to neighborhood childcare centers. There have been many well documented cases of children getting injured while in day care centers including falls, poisoning, drowning, electric shock, and so on (Runyan and Gray et al., 1991). A large number of children attend organized group child care and a significant number of them get injuries while in the day care. Hence, the safety of children in child care has become a public health concern. After the instance of child care issues and safety concerns, several legislative efforts have been made. Although no formal federal regulations existed previously except for a few centers, regulation s and licensing procedures now exist to provide a standard for child care center and their safety. Several bodies of pediatricians and other social workers exist that work to improve the safety and standards of child care. ... egivers therefore they must be trained in order to educate and aid healthy growth of children (â€Å"Stepping Stones to Caring for Our Children†, 2013). Advocacy Efforts Several legislative efforts were made since the documentation of child care injuries and diseases in day care centers. Now child care laws and licensing regulations and standards exist. These provide specific rules and requirements for quality standards and licensing of child care centers. Each state has a different rule or procedure for child care even though most of these regulations coincide. The government of US has defined a broad set of disease and injury prevention improvements, medication requirements, and so on, as a general policy. The US government also raises child care awareness among people, aids research and publication in the field, and funds the training of child care professionals (Office of Child Care, 2013). Although the US government has been keen on financing early child care and developm ent, several public notions has inhibited the thoughtful federal government gesture. Many people believe that raising their own child is a matter between the parents and the child and therefore should involve no government intervention. Also, a public view which supports only mother care is against the federal financing of child care. Such attitudes towards government financing of child care has obstructed the consistency of federal financing. However, such values have shown a decline particularly after the increase of employed women in the US workforce (Cohen, 1996). Initially, only state governments enforced child care laws except a few federally regulated child care centers (Runyan and Gray et al., 1991). Now, the US government has its own separate Office for Child Care that provides guidelines

Managing Financial Resources Essay Example for Free

Managing Financial Resources Essay SUMMARY RESULTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS The proposed refrigerator manufacturing and sales project for Tesca Works, Inc. is a financially complicated project which on the surface, given the increase in energy costs and customer demand may seem like a winning proposition. However, when we delve further into the details of the financial projections along with projections of the future of the refrigerator market we are able to make a confident recommendation to Mr. Burton and the executive staff at Tesca Works, Inc. Using the information provided by the Tesca team we were able to create a comprehensive capital budget and cash flow analysis for the proposed refrigerator project. Through our analysis we found that the cost of capital of the project to be 13.487% and a Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC) to be at a value of 9.70%. Factoring in the WACC into our projections we found that if the demand maintains at an average rate the project will be at a positive Net  Present Value of $5,997,505.31 with an IRR of 13.21%, a profitability index of 8.84, and an approximate payback period of 6.84 years. Please see Exhibits below for a snapshot of the capital budget and NPV values. This information seemed to be very promising for the project in general. However, our continued analysis showed the project to be very sensitive to the sales price per unit of the refrigerator. We used the average demand scenario to produce a sensitivity analysis and found that with just a 5% decrease in the sales price of the refrigerator the NPV quickly dipped into a negative value thus showing the project to be extremely sensitive to the sales price of the refrigerator. Our scenario analysis also exposed a strong probability of the project giving a negative Net Present Value and giving a probable low Internal Rate of Return of only 4.01%. This is mainly due to the projects sensitivity to the sales price of the refrigerator and the potentially lower sales in the event of weak demand for the product. Because of the high probability for a very low IRR and negative NPV we are recommending that the project be rejected. The information we have uncovered through detailed financial analysis showed that the project is far too sensitive to lower demand and lower sales prices per unit. This is especially true for a lower sales price for the refrigerator. We found that even a small decrease in the sales price of just over 1% would cause the project’s NPV to become negative, even with an average unit sales demand. There may be potential for an average or strong demand in the marketplace, however there is too much risk to recommend project acceptance. A decision to move forward with the project would be mainly based on a ‘gut-feeling’ rather than on sound financial reasoning. Thus it is our official recommendation that Tesca Works, Inc. reject the project. 1) IMPORTANCE OF ENERGY COST SITUATION The question of energy cost being a factor of the decision to move forward with this project is of critical importance. This is because whether or not consumers are inspired to purchase a new appliance may be spurred by  increases in energy costs as well as possible tax benefits or rebates from power generating companies. Some consumers may be aware of the benefits of energy efficient appliances which may cause an increase in the normal demand for refrigerators. Tesca is in a unique position to be able to offer high efficiency refrigerators to the United States public at a time when the public is looking to reduce their use of electricity and other utility costs. When we look at the graph above it can be seen that the cost of electricity has steadily increased over the last 10 years. The price per kilowatt hour has increased almost 50% in 10 years (EIA, 2014). Thus to the consumer the price of energy is a big concern and the costs will most likely continue into the future. There is potential for an increased demand to replace aging inefficient appliances that are causing increased electrical bills for consumers. The energy cost and potential benefits to the consumer are of importance when determining the future of this project. The project is forecast to be of a positive value if the demand for refrigerators is at an average or strong demand from consumers. However, the realization of a high or average demand is mainly based on ‘gut-feeling’ rather than on sound financial information. There are too many variables in the marketplace that could cause demand to be weaker than projected. Such variables as a weak economy or recession could cause sales to drop which in turn would cause the project to lose its value quickly. 2) What is the project’s cost of equity? What is the appropriate discount factor to use for evaluating the refrigerator project? As seen in Exhibit I below, the project’s cost of equity (COE) is calculated to be 13.487%. We found this value by using the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) formula by adding the treasury note yield with the beta value, then taking the market return rate and subtracting the treasury note yield. We then multiply those values together to attain the cost of equity value of 13.487%. This means there is a rate of return on investment of 13.487%. The Beta for Tesca Works, Inc. is fairly consistent with their competition. Tesca’s beta value is at 1.3 which means that Tesca’s value has been more volatile than the market. While this means there is more risk when investing in Tesca there is also a greater possibility for higher rates of  return. Exhibit I also shows the table used to calculate the Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC) or discount factor which we used to evaluate this particular project. We used the following formula to calculate the WACC for this project. We know that the higher the weighted average cost of capital the less likely it is that Tesca will be creating value for its investors. The WACC helps us to determine if a company is creating value and presents the minimum return to satisfy investors and creditors. 3) Which of the two compressors should be used in the refrigerator if you decide to go ahead with the project and why? As seen in Exhibit II we determined that the CM-004 compressor should be used for this particular project. We came to this conclusion by finding the present value of the five year compressor warranty and adding that to the cost of the compressor. We used the weighted average cost of capital as the rate in our present value calculations. While the TS-L12 has a less expensive purchase price it has a more expensive warranty cost for the five year warranty period thus making it a more expensive overall compressor. When we use the present value calculations on both compressors, factoring in the warranty, we found that the present value of the CM-004 is $18.21 less expensive than the TS-L12 compressor. This makes the CM-004 compressor 4% less expensive to purchase for the warranty life of the compressor. It was important to take calculate the present values of both compressors to get an accurate comparison of the costs of the two compressors for the five year warranty costs of each compressor. While on the surface the TS-L12 may have seemed less expensive the overall cost in present dollars was higher when we factored in the value of the five year warranty on both compressors. 4) Forecast the project’s cash flows for the next twenty years. What assumptions did you use? Once we selected the appropriate compressor to use we were able to plug in  certain input values into our equations to create a cash flow projection for the entire project lifetime. We used the weighted average cost of capital value found in our earlier calculations as one of our input values. We also found the present value of the refrigerator, see Exhibit IV, by using the input values given in the financial information from Tesca such as the labor, parts, and compressor costs. We found the cost of the refrigerator to be $1,269.36, see Exhibit III. ASSUMPTIONS MADE: Certain assumptions were made when calculating the projected cash flows for the refrigerator project. We assumed inflation would remain at 2.5% and used that value to increase the sales price, variable cost, and administrative fixed costs each year. Please see Exhibit IV for a breakdown of the inputs used for the cash flow projections. This allowed us to gain a more a more realistic forecast of the project’s potential cash flows for the entire project. We also used the average demand as our base projections for the project. This is because the average demand scenario has the highest probability of 45%. We used straight-line depreciation with regard to depreciating the investment in the project over time. We detailed the first three years of the project, years zero through two with the appropriate investment amounts during each of those years. Since production and sales did not begin until year three we were able to make an assumption of potential tax returns on the invested dollars for years one and two. We used the tax rate of 25% to calculate the tax returns along with the taxable amounts for all years. See the attached spreadsheet for the detailed cash flow projections. We also assumed that since the refrigerators could be produced for a total of 20 years the entire life of the project would span from year zero through year 22. This is because the production of the refrigerators could not begin until year three, thus making the projects timeline from year zero through year 22. With this information and assumptions we found that when the units are in production and being sold the project will yield a positive annual cash flow. The working capital was found by taking the 11% and carrying it over  for each year. We used the initial Net Operating Working Capital (NOWC) found in year two then calculated the difference using 11% of the difference of the sales each year and calculated that for the entire life of the production. 5) Use the appropriate capital budgeting techniques to evaluate the project. As seen in Exhibit V we used the appropriate capital budgeting and performance measures to evaluate the life of the project. Exhibit VI displays the results of the capital budgeting analysis. We found the NPV for the average demand scenario to be $5,997,505.31 which is a positive value for the project given the average demand inputs. The Internal Rate of Return was calculated as 13.21% which, again, is a positive value and could provide for a nice rate of return on the project since it is higher than the weighted average cost of capital and the market return rate. The profitability index was found to be at a value of 8.84. Because the profitability index is higher than 1.0 that shows that the project present value is greater than the initial investments in the project. We then calculated the number of years for a payback on the initial investments in the project. We found that the simple payback of the initial investments would take 6.48 years for the average demand scenario. In simple terms, and if we only used the average demand assumptions, this project would seem to provide positive net results for Tesca. Using the average demand inputs the NPV, IRR, Profitability Index, and Payback Years are at an acceptable level. However, as we will cover in later sections, when we include probability analysis of the other demand scenarios we find that the project is less than desirable. 6) Use the average demand scenario to evaluate the sensitivity of the project’s NPV with respect to sale price of the refrigerator and the cost of the compressor.  We used the average demand scenario to produce a comprehensive sensitivity analysis of the project. We utilized three variables when conducting our sensitivity analysis, the sale price of the refrigerator, the cost of the compressor, and the project’s weighted average cost of capital. We included the weighted average cost of capital as an extra variable to get further details on the sensitivity of the project. We used a scale of 5% increments from -25% to 25% which allowed us to produce a sensitivity analysis with adequate details. Please see Exhibits VIII and IX for the numerical details and sensitivity graph for the project. The sensitivity analysis uncovered the following critical information with respect to how sensitive the NPV of the project was to the given variables. Sales Price Sensitivity We found that even a small decrease in the sales price of the refrigerator of just over 1% caused the project’s NPV to become negative. The graph in Exhibit IX shows the steep sensitivity line with respect to the change in the sales price per unit. Even with an average sales demand, if the price dropped to 15% which is approximately the same sale price of our weak demand scenario the NPV was substantially below zero at a negative value of $-57,667,920. With each 5% increment the NPV values sometimes increased or decreased at a rate that doubled or more because of the projects extreme sensitivity to the sales price of the refrigerator. The profit margin on the refrigerator of 19.41% and markup of only 24% does not leave much room for a price reduction in the sales price of the refrigerator. The data also points to a wide range in NPV with respect to the sales price of the units. There was a total range of over $212 million for the sensitivity of the sales price per unit. This d ata leads to the discovery that the project is extremely sensitive to the sales price of the refrigerator. Compressor Cost Sensitivity The project was not as sensitive to the cost of the compressor, however, it did not take a large percentage increase in the cost of the compressor to throw the NPV of the project into a negative value, just over 5%. Exhibit IX’s graph shows the sensitivity lines for the project. The compressor sensitivity is not nearly as steep as the price sensitivity per unit. Because the cost of the compressor affects the profit margin on each refrigerator the lower the cost of the compressor the better the NPV because  of the increased profit margin per unit. 7) Based on the scenario and sensitivity analysis you performed above, comment on the overall riskiness of the project. Based on the scenario and sensitivity analysis we were able to determine that the project is of a high risk nature. There are several factors that make this project such a high risk which include the narrow profit margin per unit, the uncertainty of the future market, the high cost per unit, and the high administrative costs. Through a scenario analysis we analyzed the three potential demand scenarios for this project. We used the weak, strong, and average demand scenario variables to formulate the probabilities for the project. We found that the probability of the NPV is a significant negative value of $-6,300,213, see Exhibit VII for details of the scenario analysis. We also found that the probable IRR of the project was very low at 4.01%. Given the low IRR probability of 4.01% that means it is significantly lower than the SP 500 market return of 11% and barely a point higher than the 10-year treasury note yield of 2.71%. The low probable internal rate of return is another red flag for the riskiness and viability of the refrigerator project for Tesca Works, Inc. The weak demand scenario produced significant negative values for the NPV and the internal rate of return (IRR). The weak scenario also produced a non-existent payback period within the 20 year production lifecycle of the project. With each scenario the selling price and unit sales were changed, however, the high cost of each unit and administrative costs remained the same, thus adding to the risk of the project since it is highly reliant on an average or strong demand and higher sales prices per unit. While the project has the potential of a very high NPV, IRR, and payback period with a strong demand, the projects sensitivity to price and market demand make this a very risky project to undertake at this time. If there were ways to increase the profit margin or decrease the fixed costs of the project that may help decrease the risky nature of this particular project. 8) Would you recommend that Tesca Works accept or reject the project? What is the basis for your recommendation? We would not recommend this project for Tesca Works, Inc. Our recommendation is for Tesca management to reject the project. Our analysis has shown this project to be too sensitive to market shift and too risky to undertake at this time. While there is excitement across the country for more energy efficient appliances, we feel that the project poses some significant risks for Tesca. The successful outcome of the project truly relies on the demand from consumers. Their demand will determine the selling price and sales volume of the refrigerator units. If this demand is barely below the average demand we will see a negative NPV for the project and thus a negative result for Tesca Works, Inc. Recent economic history in the United States has shown the economy to be unstable and may not provide an average or strong demand for the product. While we feel the energy costs across the country could be of significant importance for a project of this nature we do not feel that there is enough lee way in the profit margin of the project to be economically feasible should demand be lower than anticipated. Our analysis showed the project to be very sensitive to the sales price per unit value of the refrigerator. We used the average demand scenario to produce a sensitivity analysis and found that with just a 5% decrease in the sales price of the refrigerator the NPV quickly dipped into a negative value thus showing the project to be extremely sensitive to the sales price of the refrigerator. Our scenario analysis also exposed a strong probability of the project giving a negative Net Present Value and giving a probable low Internal Rate of Return of only 4.01%. This is mainly due to the projects sensitivity to the sales price of the refrigerator and the potentially lower sales in the event of weak demand for the product. The project’s profit margin is too close to allow for market demand fluctuations which would cause the project to have a negative net present  value. If Tesca were to offer the refrigerator at a higher sales price this would yield a stronger profit margin and may alter the recommended rejection of this project. As we discussed the project is far too sensitive to changes in the sales price of the refrigerators. Even with an average demand of sales volume, if we reduce the sales price we begin to see a negative NPV for the project. Thus, the project is too sensitive to minor changes in the profit margin of the refrigerators. Which is why we are recommending a rejection of this project for Tesca Works, Inc.

Cerebral Pasy vs Muscular Dystrophy :: essays papers

Cerebral Pasy vs Muscular Dystrophy Muscular dystrophy is a rare inherited muscle disease in which the muscle fibers are unusually susceptible to damage. The muscles, primarily the voluntary muscles, become progressively weaker. In the late stages of muscular dystrophy, muscle fibers often are replaced by fat and connective tissue. There are several types of muscular dystrophy. The various types of the disease affect more than 50,000 Americans. Many are associated with specific genetic abnormalities.The most common muscular dystrophies appear to be due to a genetic deficiency of the muscle protein dystrophin. These types of the disease are called dystrophinopathies. They include: Duchenne's muscular dystrophy. This is the most severe form of dystrophinopathy. Duchenne's muscular dystrophy affects young boys. Signs and symptoms of the disease usually appear between the ages of 2 and 5. Children with the disease fall and have difficulty getting up off the floor. By late childhood, most are unable to walk. Most die by their late teens or early 20s, often from pneumonia, respiratory muscle weakness or cardiac complications.  ·Becker's muscular dystrophy. This is a milder form of dystrophinopathy. It generally affects older boys and young men, and progresses more slowly, usually over several decades. Duchenne's and Becker's muscular dystrophy are passed from mother to son through one of the mother's genes. The disease can "skip" a generation until another son inherits the defective gene. In some cases of Duchenne's and Becker's muscular dystrophies, the disease arises from a new mutation in a gene rather than from an inherited defective gene. Other types of muscular dystrophies can be handed on from generation to generation and affect males and females equally. Still others require a defective gene from both parents. Signs Are:  · Muscle weakness  · Apparent lack of coordination  · Inability to elevate your arms over your head  · Progressive crippling, resulting in loss of mobility Diagnosis:  · Blood Tests-Damaged muscles release enzymes such as creatine kinase (CK) into the blood. High blood levels of CK suggest a muscle disease such as muscular dystrophy  · Electromyography- Electrical activity is measured as you relax and as you gently tighten the muscle. Changes in the pattern of electrical activity can confirm a muscle disease. The distribution of the disease can be determined by testing different muscles.  · Muscle Biopsy-A small piece of muscle is taken for laboratory analysis. The analysis distinguishes muscular dystrophies from other muscle diseases  · Genetic Testing-This can be done simply by a small blood sample for laboratory testing to see weather there is a abnormal gene Cerebral Pasy vs Muscular Dystrophy :: essays papers Cerebral Pasy vs Muscular Dystrophy Muscular dystrophy is a rare inherited muscle disease in which the muscle fibers are unusually susceptible to damage. The muscles, primarily the voluntary muscles, become progressively weaker. In the late stages of muscular dystrophy, muscle fibers often are replaced by fat and connective tissue. There are several types of muscular dystrophy. The various types of the disease affect more than 50,000 Americans. Many are associated with specific genetic abnormalities.The most common muscular dystrophies appear to be due to a genetic deficiency of the muscle protein dystrophin. These types of the disease are called dystrophinopathies. They include: Duchenne's muscular dystrophy. This is the most severe form of dystrophinopathy. Duchenne's muscular dystrophy affects young boys. Signs and symptoms of the disease usually appear between the ages of 2 and 5. Children with the disease fall and have difficulty getting up off the floor. By late childhood, most are unable to walk. Most die by their late teens or early 20s, often from pneumonia, respiratory muscle weakness or cardiac complications.  ·Becker's muscular dystrophy. This is a milder form of dystrophinopathy. It generally affects older boys and young men, and progresses more slowly, usually over several decades. Duchenne's and Becker's muscular dystrophy are passed from mother to son through one of the mother's genes. The disease can "skip" a generation until another son inherits the defective gene. In some cases of Duchenne's and Becker's muscular dystrophies, the disease arises from a new mutation in a gene rather than from an inherited defective gene. Other types of muscular dystrophies can be handed on from generation to generation and affect males and females equally. Still others require a defective gene from both parents. Signs Are:  · Muscle weakness  · Apparent lack of coordination  · Inability to elevate your arms over your head  · Progressive crippling, resulting in loss of mobility Diagnosis:  · Blood Tests-Damaged muscles release enzymes such as creatine kinase (CK) into the blood. High blood levels of CK suggest a muscle disease such as muscular dystrophy  · Electromyography- Electrical activity is measured as you relax and as you gently tighten the muscle. Changes in the pattern of electrical activity can confirm a muscle disease. The distribution of the disease can be determined by testing different muscles.  · Muscle Biopsy-A small piece of muscle is taken for laboratory analysis. The analysis distinguishes muscular dystrophies from other muscle diseases  · Genetic Testing-This can be done simply by a small blood sample for laboratory testing to see weather there is a abnormal gene

Barry Sanders :: Sports Athletes Essays

Barry Sanders Barry Sanders arguably the best back ever to play the game of football. Barry is not one of those players who is just out there to make money, he loves the game and is always trying his hardest when he is out there. Barry Sanders was born July 16th, 1968 in Wichita, Kansas. He grew up in a family being one of eleven other children. When Barry was a kid he was considered to be too short to play football well at the college level. In fact, his 1,417 yards rushing in his senior year of high school wasn't enough to impress college recruiters. One recruiter told Barry's coach, "We don't need another midget." Only two colleges offered Barry a football scholarship. Barry accepted a scholarship from Oklahoma State University and the rest is now history. Here are some of Barrys career achievements that he has done in the short time he has played the game. Which has made him such the over achiever that he is. 1988, won the Heisman Trophy Award for best player in the nation. 1989, lead the NFC in rushing and was Rookie of the Year. 1992, became the Lions' All-Time leading rusher. 1994, rushed for the fourth best NFL season record of 1,883 yards and included a 237 yards in week 11 vs. Tampa Bay. In 1996, became the first player in NFL history to rush for over 1,000 yards in his first eight seasons, won the NFL rushing title, selected to the Pro Bowl for the eighth time and became the first player to rush for over 1,500 yards in three consecutive seasons. Sanders continues adding to his extraordinary numbers on the field. He has run for 1,300 yards and now stands seventh among the NFL’s all-time rushers with 11,472, having surpassed Ottis Anderson, O.J. Simpson and John Riggins. He’s 128 yards behind Kansas City’s Marcus Allen, Sanders’ boyhoodhero when he was growing up in Wichita, Kan., and Allen was a Los Angeles Raider. Next year, providing he keeps up this trend of 1,000-yard seasons, Sanders will pass Franco Harris (12,120), Jim Brown (12,312) and Tony Dorsett(12,739) and slide into third place behind Eric Dickerson (13,259) and Walter Payton (16,726). Sanders is the first player in league history to rush for at least 1,000 yards in eight straight seasons, and Thursday he was named to his eighth straight Pro Bowl. â€Å"Anytime he touches the ball, it’s a highlight reel,† says Allen, now in his 15th NFL season.

What Makes a Good Parent

To my mind, the right answer to the question â€Å"What makes a good parent† is not easily obtainable. You should spend a lot of time in contemplation before reaching to it. And still there is no guarantee that finally you will get it. Since many people have different opinions on raising a child there may be thousands absolutely different answers to one and the same question, a rather tricky one, I would say. To tell you the truth, after I asked myself the same question, several things went through my mind. What kind of parent will I be?How will I raise a child? Can I be a good parent? What turns ordinary people into good parents? Panic overtook me and I felt an overwhelming desire to rush to the local bookstore to purchase loads of parenting books and magazines to learn how to become a good parent or call to my mom. But, after thorough thinking I looked at the problem with fresh mind. First of all it’s quite normal to wonder how good a parent you are. Perhaps you're wo rried that going out to work or being a lone parent will affect your child (if the situation is such).You may worry about whether you're being firm enough, or whether you're giving your children what they need. We all hope to get it right and give a good balance of loving care and clear boundaries. Secondly, people are not born with good parenting skills; Parenting is a skill that is learned over a period of time. A good parent learns from their environment and passes what they have learned down to their children. Thirdly, a good parent is a person who is patient, kind, considerate, understanding, and helpful, a good listener, and a disciplinarian at the proper times.Wisdom and patience are always helpful, too. Sometimes all you need to do is listen, while at other times you might have to step in and take action. And moreover, parents have their special healing powers – a kiss and calm words can soothe cuts, bruises and disappointments, (this very point I remember from my own experience, while being a child). Parenting is a twenty-four hour a day job. Anyone who has been there will tell you that it can be absolutely chaotic at times. This is when your good parenting skills are developed to their fullest potential.Being a parent means creating a loving, safe environment for your children as they grow from baby to toddler, right through to the teenage years. You'll need different skills for each stage, but at all times your child will depend on you. You'll become the expert on your child and on what they need to grow into happy, healthy adults. Loving your child, with no strings attached, is the most important thing you can do. But you'll also have to make a huge number of decisions about the best way to bring up your child. This responsibility brings joy and excitement, but it can also be overwhelming, frustrating or even boring at times.Most people manage these emotional and practical challenges with a mixture of love, help from relatives and friends, g ood advice, common sense and just luck. To my personal viewpoint, the first step in becoming a good parent is to realize that you are not perfect. No one is. You are going to make mistakes, some big, some small. The important thing is to realize what the mistake is and not repeat it. There's no one right way to parent and no perfect parent out there with all the answers. We all make mistakes. We all make bad decisions. There are times that we want to be selfish and put ourselves before our children.The sign of a good parent is one that chooses to make their decisions with their children involved. True, there are some guiding ideas – all children need love and affection, to be kept safe and given limits on how they act, to be warm, fed, clothed and to have the opportunity to learn. To tell you the truth the best resource for successful child rearing is our own parents. For example, we should ask ourselves these questions; †¢ How did my parent raise me? †¢ Do I have g ood morals and values? †¢ Did I have a happy childhood? †¢ What method of discipline was used? †¢ How attentive were my parents?These are very important questions, and when we answer these questions, one or more of the answers may be negative. However, this is where common sense takes over. There will be things about the way we were raised that we liked and disliked. The areas that we did not like about the way we were raised can be turned around when we raise our own children. This is how, I think, we can develop into a good parent. Right now I would like to give some tips on how to become a good, loving parent. To tell you the truth, I am a little bit afraid to sound superficial, as I am not a parent yet. But, from another ide, I had enough experience of being a child. So, now when I am in my early twenties I can evaluate the way I was brought up by my parents. It is true, the older we are – the more we can understand our parents. Well, let’s pass on t o the tips: †¢ Recognize your child for the individual that they are. No two children are alike, and even though they may resemble you, they are not you. You may have a child that loves sports and one that can’t stand to be outdoors. We should consider the individuality of each child as a blessing and pursue ways to expand on that. †¢ Discipline your child.That is not to say that you have to spank your child or beat them unmercifully. Choose the method that works best for your child. You are the adult in your relationship and should be the master manipulator. †¢ Be involved in the schooling. Ask questions regarding how your child is performing and interacting with other students. Make sure that you are checking homework, but not doing it for the child. Ask your child questions about his/her day and find out what he likes and dislikes about his learning experience. †¢ Celebrate the small things in a positive way. A good parent: Shows a child consistent and loving discipline.Is supportive, excited and interested in what the child is doing (and wants to do). Allows a child to dream big dreams Teaches a child how to communicate in constructive, loving ways. Teaches a child how to deal with fear. Knows that the child's safety and well-being comes first. Does hard things if it will help the family. Is willing to learn from others — including the child. Knows when to let a child become an adult. Doesn't ever stop trying to become a better parent. It goes without saying, being a good parent is a hard demanding task, but at the same time so interesting and fascinating.Being a parent means passing all the stages of your child formation, such as the early hours of the morning when small children are refusing to sleep or teenagers are still out having fun. And what is more, at all these stages you must possess different skills and be an expert for your child; that is where high tolerance and endless patience are needed. The message I want to put across to the reader is that a loving, safe environment for our children as they grow from baby to toddler, right through to the teenage years is the best tool in upbringing a complete individual with his own self.The love of a family is life's greatest blessing. A great responsibility lies on parents, as it is they who are guarantors of protection, positive emotions and safety. Being a parent will probably be the most rewarding thing you'll ever do – and the toughest responsibility. The joy of holding your newborn baby as he or she looks at the world for the first time can be magical. To my mind, having a child opens you up to emotions that are almost impossible to imagine in advance. And one more thing we should remember for ever, when we feel confident and positive, our children are more likely to feel that way, too.

True Reasons We Love Super Bowl

True Reasons We Love Super Bowl Super Bowl is the most popular show among Americans. In a bit more than a week the whole nation will be glued to the screen to see the game. And there is a number of reasons for that! Loving NFL is a long lasting tradition, so nobody actually asks questions like Why watch Super Bowl? or Why do you like Super Bowl? or (God forbid) What is Super Bowl? However, we decided to bring these wonderful Super Bowl things together to make your week of game anticipation even more exciting. This post is also for Super Bowl haters. You still time to change your mind start loving Super Bowl (because in week its going to be too late!) Bringing Folks Together Okay, maybe there’s a fair amount of other things going on in this world that need more attention. And yes, it would be nice if we saw the same passion and fervor for civil rights and personal liberties these days. But at least this magical game, when the best of the best go head to head and the commenters are flipping out, brings people together in sports bars and living rooms across the land. Chanting, cheering, stumbling around, and pretty much going quasi-insane for a few hours. It’s good fun. And listen, Super Bowl parties run the whole gauntlet from two dudes in their boxers in their dorm room eating Cheetos from the vending machine on the first floor†¦to blockbuster block parties and after-parties that literally anger the gods. It proves that whether you want it or not football is a part of our national heritage†¦a part of the DNA, to be more precise. Special Food Chips and dips, wings and BBQ feasts, casseroles galore Super Bowl food comes in many different nuances of class and sophistication. There’s your cheap and dirty munchies finished off with piss beer and then all the more â€Å"adult† parties where they take some time to make decent grub: gourmet sandwiches, tiny sirloin burgers, high-brow quesadillas, etc. If you get invited to one of these parties start counting your blessings! The food rocks no matter what though. And, while the game’s going it doesn’t matter if it’s the most fattening food in the known galaxy. Halftime Commercials Rule Corporations pull out all the stops, it’s madness! Throughout the rest of the year most commercials are like Super Villain fingernails carving words into chalk boards. Then suddenly, this one spellbinding game comes around and almost all the commercials are either super-deep thinker-pieces, or funny as hell. According to superbowl-commercials.org (yep, there’s a website for everything), here are a couple big hits from 2014: NSA – Smile, We Know When You’re Not (youtube.com/watch?v=NcAEjvT-Ri8#t=97) A commercial like this can only happen during a Super Bowl. AXE – Make Love, Not War (youtube.com/watch?v=UIecNEIaPao) It makes sense during the Super Bowl, everything does. Oh man, then you’ve got the halftime show, which, let’s be honest, is pretty hit or miss. Some years it’s dull or you’re laughing all over the place. But some years, wow, the show knocks your socks off and typically delivers some controversy to boot! In case you’re wondering, the Billboard list of the Best Half-Time shows claims these are the top 3 so far: Prince, in 2007: â€Å"But the explosive coda was Purple Rain, which had the stadium full of testosterone-pumped football fanatics waving their arms and howling in falsetto.† U2, in 2002: This was the mega-heart-wrenching tribute to 9/11 set when the wound was still very deep and fresh for the nation. Madonna, 2012: This got some pretty mixed reviews. But that’s the beauty of it, there are winners and losers in every aspect of the game, even in terms of entertainment. Rivalries Are Fun True, it’s not so cool when these rivalries get out of hand and people riot after football games. But to be honest, sports rivalries are much safer than wars, battles, revolutions, civil upheaval, geopolitical struggles, and all the other sorts of violent ways people create to release some steam. The Super Bowl let’s people who love the game really beat up a few pillows, scream at TVs, throw controllers, pull out a little hair, tear a jersey or two, and stomp around like they’ve got the last of their savings account riding on the game. Great Success Stories We follow NFL for the whole year. We know the players and all about them what coffee they drink, how their girlfriends look like and their football career, of course. We know the strengths and weaknesses of each team. And one day here they are on the field. The struggle begins. Each move counts. Each moment can be decisive. One big winning or a big failure. Fans rage. Thats the atmosphere where the legends are born. These stories are remembered and passed from generation to generation. These stories inspire. So, each Super Bowl is legendary and cant be missed for anything on earth. And that’s why we love the Super Bowl! Are there any reasons you like Super Bowl that we didnt mention! Agree or disagree with us in the comments!

Definitions and Discussions of Medieval Rhetoric

Definitions and Discussions of Medieval Rhetoric The expression medieval rhetoric refers to the  study and practice of rhetoric from approximately A.D. 400 (with the publication of St. Augustines On Christian Doctrine) to 1400. During the Middle Ages, two of the most influential works from the classical period were Ciceros De Inventione (On Invention) and the anonymous Rhetorica ad Herennium (the oldest complete Latin textbook on rhetoric). Aristotles Rhetoric and Ciceros De Oratore werent rediscovered by scholars until late in the medieval period. Nonetheless, says Thomas Conley, medieval rhetoric was  far more than a mere transmission of mummified traditions that were poorly understood by those who transmitted them. The Middle Ages are often represented as stagnant and backward . . ., [but] such a representation fails dismally to do justice to the intellectual complexity and sophistication of medieval rhetorics (Rhetoric in the European Tradition, 1990). Periods of Western Rhetoric Classical RhetoricMedieval RhetoricRenaissance RhetoricEnlightenment RhetoricNineteenth-Century RhetoricNew Rhetoric(s) Examples and Observations It was Ciceros youthful, schematic (and incomplete) treatise De inventione, and not any one of his mature and synthetic theoretical works (or the even fuller account in Quintilians Institutio oratoria) that became the shaping influence on so much medieval rhetorical teaching. . . . Both the De inventione and the Ad Herennium proved to be excellent, coherent teaching texts. Between them they conveyed complete and concise information about the parts of rhetoric, topical invention, status theory (the issues upon which the case rests), attributes of the person and the act, the parts of a speech, the genres of rhetoric, and stylistic ornamentation. . . . Oratory, as Cicero had known and defined it, had declined steadily during the years of the [Roman] empire under political conditions that did not encourage the forensic and judicial oratory of earlier periods. But rhetorical teaching survived through late antiquity and into the Middle Ages because of its intellectual and cultural prestige , and in the course of its survival it took on other forms and found many other purposes.(Rita Copeland, Medieval Rhetoric. Encyclopedia of Rhetoric, ed. by Thomas O. Sloane. Oxford University Press, 2001) Applications of Rhetoric in the Middle Ages In application, the art of rhetoric contributed during the period from the fourth to the fourteenth century not only to the methods of speaking and writing well, of composing letters and petitions, sermons and prayers, legal documents and briefs, poetry and prose, but to the canons of interpreting laws and scripture, to the dialectical devices of discovery and proof, to the establishment of the scholastic method which was to come into universal use in philosophy and theology, and finally to the formulation of scientific inquiry which was to separate philosophy from theology.(Richard McKeon, Rhetoric in the Middle Ages. Speculum, January 1942) The Decline of Classical Rhetoric and the Emergence of Medieval Rhetoric There is no single point when classical civilization ends and the Middle Ages begins, nor when the history of classical rhetoric ends. Beginning in the fifth century after Christ in the West and in the sixth century in the East, there was a deterioration of the conditions of civic life that had created and sustained the study and uses of rhetoric throughout antiquity in courts of law and deliberative assemblies. Schools of rhetoric continued to exist, more in the East than in the West, but they were fewer and were only partially replaced by study of rhetoric in some monasteries. The acceptance of classical rhetoric by such influential Christians as Gregory of Nazianzus and Augustine in the fourth century significantly contributed to continuation of the tradition, though the functions of the study of rhetoric in the Church were transferred from preparation for public address in law courts and assemblies to knowledge useful in interpreting the Bible, in preaching, and in ecclesiastical disputation. (George A. Kennedy, A New History of Classical Rhetoric. Princeton University Press, 1994) A Diverse History [A]s the history of medieval rhetoric and grammar reveal with special clarity, all the significant original works on discourse which appear in Europe after Rabanus Maurus [c. 780-856] are merely highly selective adaptations of the old bodies of doctrine. The classical texts continue to be copied, but new treatises tend to appropriate for their purposes only those parts of the old lore which are of use to the one art. Thus it is that the medieval arts of discourse have a diverse rather than a unified history. The writers of letters select certain rhetorical doctrines, the preachers of sermons still others . . .. As one modern scholar [Richard McKeon] has said in relation to rhetoric, in terms of a single subject mattersuch as style, literature, discourseit has no history during the middle ages. (James J. Murphy, Rhetoric in the Middle Ages: A History of Rhetorical Theory from St. Augustine to the Renaissance. University of California Press, 1974) Three Rhetorical Genres [James J.] Murphy [see above] outlined the development of three unique rhetorical genres: ars praedicandi, ars dictaminis, and ars poetriae. Each addressed a specific concern of the era; each applied rhetorical precepts to a situational need. Ars praedicandi provided a method for developing sermons. Ars dictaminis developed precepts for letter writing. Ars poetriae suggested guidelines for composing prose and poetry. Murphys important work provided the context for smaller, more focused studies of medieval rhetoric.(William M. Purcell, Ars Poetriae: Rhetorical and Grammatical Invention at the Margin of Literacy. University of South Carolina Press, 1996) The Ciceronian Tradition Conventional medieval rhetoric promotes highly formalized, formulaic, and ceremoniously institutionalized forms of discourse. The major source of this static richness is Cicero, the magister eloquentiae, known primarily through the many translations of De inventione. Because medieval rhetoric is so extensively committed to Ciceronian patterns of amplification (dilatio) through the flowers, or colores, of figured speaking that decorate (ornare) the composition, it often appears to be a ponderous extension of the sophistic tradition in a moralistic framework. (Peter Auski, Christian Plain Style: The Evolution of a Spiritual Ideal. McGill-Queens Press, 1995) A Rhetoric of Forms and Formats Medieval rhetoric . . . became, in at least some of its manifestations, a rhetoric of forms and formats. . . . Medieval rhetoric added to ancient systems its own generic rules, which were necessary because documents themselves had come to stand in for the people as well as for the Word that they meant to convey. By following articulated patterns for greeting, informing, and taking leave of the now-distant and temporarily removed audience, the letter, sermon, or saints life acquired typical (typological) forms.(Susan Miller, Rescuing the Subject: A Critical Introduction to Rhetoric and the Writer. Southern Illinois University Press, 1989) Christian Adaptations of Roman Rhetoric Rhetorical studies traveled with the Romans, but educational practices were not enough to keep rhetoric flourishing. Christianity served to validate and invigorate pagan rhetoric by adapting it to religious ends. Around AD 400, St. Augustine of Hippo wrote De doctrina Christiana (On Christian Doctrine), perhaps the most influential book of its time, for he demonstrated how to take the gold out of Egypt to fortify what would become the Christian rhetorical practices of teaching, preaching, and moving (2.40.60). The medieval rhetorical tradition, then, evolved within the dual influences of Greco-Roman and Christian belief systems and cultures. Rhetoric was also, of course, informed by the gendered dynamics of medieval English society that isolated nearly everyone from intellectual and rhetorical activities. Medieval culture was wholly and decidedly masculine, yet most men, just like all women, were condemned to class-bound silence. The written word was controlled by clergy, the men of the cloth and the Church, who controlled the flow of knowledge for all men and women. (Cheryl Glenn, Rhetoric Retold: Regendering the Tradition from Antiquity Through the Renaissance. Southern Illinois University Press, 1997)

Program Observation Reports Essays

Program Observation Reports Essays Program Observation Reports Essay Program Observation Reports Essay Program Observation Reports Name: Course: Lecturer: Institution: Date: Program Observation Reports Part One Observation One In the first observation, the program is called the lower back injuries. The site used for the first observations is Monterey Sports Center. The location of the site is at 301 E Franklin ST., Monterey 93940. The department where the observations are done is the physiotherapy department. The person whom the observation was done with is Gretta Williams-Lijbers. The contact address is (831)646-3700.Observation Two In the second observation, the program to be observed is called arthritis aquatics. The site where the program is offered is Simpkins Swim Center. The location of the site is at 979 17th Ave. Santa Cruz 95062. The contact person used for the observation is Lynn. The number used by Lynn as the contact number is (831)454-7946. Part Two Observation One Diagnosis: Lower Back Pains Prescription: Physical Exercises at the Gym supervised by a qualified therapists. Lower back pains are extremely common to many people all over the world. Therefore, based on the observations made, the program offers extensive physical therapy for the whole body but they concentrate more on the lower back body. This is mainly for the purposes of even bodily exercise for the body and at the same time treating the lower back injuries. During the first week of the program, the patients start with those physical exercises that are not strenuous. This ensures that, the muscles are not destroyed due to rapid expansion of the muscles. However, as the exercises progresses, the patient is introduced to exercises that are more strenuous. The first exercise includes the stretching of the lower back and whole body in general. In this case, the participants were advised to wear comfortable clothing. This is to reduce hindrances when performing the stretching exercises. Additionally, it ensures that the muscles’ soft tissues or the ligaments are not affected when a person is stretching. Secondly, participants were advised to perform the stretching exercises that are not painful. There are certain positions a person might take that would cause a lot of pain in the body instead of stretching the muscles. In this situation, the muscles might be injured causing more harm than good. When performing this exercise, it was observed that stretching should be done on a clean, dry, flat surface large enough to move freely. This eliminates unlikely mishaps that end up causing injury to the people. Moreover, it ensured that participants had enough room to perform all the stretching exercises needed. These stretching exercises included knee to chest stretch. In this case, a participant was to lay on the surface on his or her back. Fold their legs to form a position where the knees point upwards. The participant was the told to pull one of the knees towards the chest with his or her hands and hold for twenty to thirty seconds at the point him or her feels comfortable. After conclusion of stretching in the second week, the exercise that was observed was the low-impact aerobics exercise. In this case, the participants were provided with stationary bicycles where they would cycle for a period. In most case, they were cycling for forty-five minutes. The exercise ensures that there is flow of blood to the lower back of the body. Additionally, the exercise ensures that other important nutrients are also transported to the lower backside of the body. On the other hand, this exercise also helps the other parts of the body like the limbs. This is because they two increase the blood and nutrients flow. The other exercise that was observed is the hamstring stretch in the third week. In this case, the participants were expected to stand and bend down slowly while their legs were straight. Their hands were expected to touch the tip of their feet. The participants were expected to hold when they reached a comfortable place for twenty to thirty seconds. It was observed that the patients repeated the exercise ten times. As explained, this was meant to lengthen the muscles to reduce stress in the lower back pain. Finally, when the participants were shifting from one exercise to another, they were observed to jog on the spot. This was for the purposes of ensuring that there are no tissue or muscle injuries caused by the sudden stopping of the exercises. These exercises were done for more than two months interchangeably. After that, the participants stopped complaining about the back pain injuries showing that the exercises bore fruits. Observation Two Diagnosis: Arthritis Prescription: Aquatic exercises supervised by a qualified therapist Arthritis involves constant pains in the joints. The joints might become swollen while they are aching. Recently, Aquatic therapy has gained popularity in healing patients with arthritis. The observations are for seven weeks. According to the observations made in the program, participants were expected to have a qualified physician in place to supervise the exercise. According to the physician orders, the water in the pool was heated to a certain level of heat. This is to ensure that the participants do not burn while they are in the water. The participants entered the pool so that they can begin the exercise. It was noted that at every beginning of the session the participants were directly to enter into the water fully. No part of the body was to remain out side the water. This was done for twenty to thirty seconds. After that, the patients were expected to walk from one end to another while they were inside the pool. This would continue for twenty minutes as the participants take breaks while still in the water. It should be noted that this exercise was done on the shallow end of the pool. The next exercise was done on the deep end of the water where the patients were expected to stay in the middle of the pool without support for about five minutes and then rest. The exercise was repeated for about five times before the class was over. It was also observed that those participants who new how to swim were the only ones who were allowed to go to the deep end of the pool. Additionally, those who knew how to swim were encouraged to swim after the lesson. This exercise was done for more than two months. Part Three Observation One According to the guideline presented, the class was almost exact. This is because it maintained the level of professionalism and they offered the participants what was in the guideline. For instance, a clear example indicating step-by-step exercises to the back patient is given out. When one is in the program, the exercises are supervised according to what is written in the brochure .In addition, the resources used for the exercises are similar to what is written in the guideline. Therefore, money spend by the participants is worth any penny. In this case, any body who wants to try out the swimming exercises is worth doing it at the gym rather than doing it at home. The main strengths of the class were the professional physicians who were available for the class. They portrayed an amount of professionalism and they were able to offer patients the best physical exercises. Additionally, the rooms and equipments used for the exercise were excellent. The only problem was that the amount of time offered for the class session was too short. The simple back exercises were expected in the observation but the bicycle exercises were not expected. The only recommendation after the observation would be addition of time during the sessions. Observation Two In this observation, the sessions did not fully meet the guidelines presented in the beginning. This is because they did not offer many aquatic exercises as stated in the guidelines. For instance, the guideline was written that there would be physical exercises in form of games. However, after observation there were no physical exercises in form of games. The money spend by the participants is not worth. The strengths of the program were the equipments used for the exercise. The pool was large enough and it had heating equipment. The turn of the participants was the most surprising thing in the observation. The only thing that is worth the participants money is the resources used in the gym. The only recommendation was to increase the number of exercises for the participants. Part Four Observation One I learned a lot from the observation because I did not know that all the exercises are interrelated. For instance, the low aerobics is for the whole body and most people use it for slimming purposes. In addition, aerobics enable the body to relax and it becomes easier to breathe. I was shocked to learn that it is also useful for the lower back injuries. I was shocked to learn that there is a specified timetable for every exercise during the four weeks. For example, in the first week, participants were expected to perform stretching exercises to open there muscles. This ensures that they are not injured while they are performing the strenuous exercises. I would recommend this site for the students because it is educative. Therefore, this assignment was extremely valuable. Observation Two I did not learn as much as I expected. The exercises were like a common basic swimming lesson. This is because the exercises that were being offered are similar to the swimming lessons I took when I was learning how to swim. To make this experience more valuable the physician should consider adding more exiting exercises. I would not recommend any students to perform the exercises under the prevalent conditions. This assignment was not that valuable. The only way to make it more valuable is by increasing more exercises in the program for the participants. After that, I can recommend students to the site.

The Contribution of Enterprize Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Contribution of Enterprize Systems - Essay Example Effective implementation and use of enterprise systems enables an organisation to react instantaneously to orders from customers. These could be orders for products or information. Because ES avails data on order, manufacturing and delivery, it enables a company to produce only what customers have ordered and also to procure the correct amount of raw materials or components to fill actual orders. It also enables the company to stage production, reduce the time that finished products or components are in inventory. In terms of management, ES enables the senior management of an organisation to determine which organisational products are least or most profitable. At any one time, ES enables them to find out with much ease how a particular unit of the organization is performing. ES also helps the organisation on how to react to delayed shipment from suppliers. ES facilitates operational excellence in supply chain management (SCM). This applies to companies that produces a wide range of products and services hence it could have hundreds of suppliers (Laudon and Laudon, 2010). In a SC, ES enables the company to coordinate activities between the many manufacturing plants and suppliers, retail outlets, distribution centres and firms involved on in way or another in the production of their products. It leads to the provision of untimely and inaccurate information and this prevents inefficiencies in the SC, excessive inventory of finished goods and underutilised plant capacities. It also reduces the bullwhip effect. Enterprise applications involve pieces of software that are complex and expensive to purchase and implement. It might therefore take a company many years to complete the implementation of large-scale ES applications. The cost incurred for the implementation of ES in a large firm might amount to 4-5 times the initial software purchase price. These include software, consulting fees,

Web presence review. Evaluating web design Assignment

Web presence review. Evaluating web design - Assignment Example This paper will try to review the web design of Monsoon and demonstrate understanding of the theory and processes involved in the initiation, design and use of web sites in a business environment. It will evaluate and identify examples of best practice in the industry and apply them. Discussion Web Presence Web Presence is defined as the overall performance of a website and its programs or adopted strategies to sustain as well as maximize internet popularity and usefulness (Balwani, 2010). It is an indication of the maintenance and sustainability of an online business, shop, or an e-commerce entity. Monsoon (www.monsoon.co.uk) Monsoon claims to have about 600 Monsoon and Accessorize stores around the world. It was started in 1973 by a vendor named Peter Simon who sold shaggy woollen coats and block printed clothes from Rajasthan on the Portobello Road. The company background and history is short but the website provides a comprehensive detail about their store location, CSR program, terms and conditions of site use, complete and updated listing of products, online shopping, delivery information promo and free return policy, among others (Appendix B). Evaluating Web Design The Management Centre International Limited (2011) or MCIL provided 10 criteria or checklist in evaluating a website. While these criteria will not determine the overall web presence of a product, service or company, it provides the user with important information about how a company sustains web presence in its domain. It should be understood that a firm’s website is the â€Å"most important piece of the business’ web presence† (Balwani, 2010, P 1). The checklist of evaluating the Monsoon website is as follows: 1. First Impressions. The first impression encompasses the intuitive choice for URL or uniform resource locator or web address which should be short and simple that fits perfectly on the characteristic of the firm. It should consider download time, thereby the capa bility of its host and size of homepage in order to minimize time in opening the page, or quick to download (Negrino, 2006; MCIL, 2011). The look and feel of the site is determined with its readability: clear and easy to understand with text and images in harmony (England & Finney, 2001). It should not be demanding such as asking for the viewer to download a program that will allow the reader to view the page. The page should be compact and fits the screen. The homepage should indicate immediately to the user its â€Å"unique selling point† or value proposition in order for the user to determine what is in store for him or her at the site. It should contain highly visible direct links to key action points or KAP in order to engage the user but at the same time, impart a feeling of â€Å"wanting more† so that the user will either stay at the page or site to explore, or come back again. Contact details are an important part of all websites to convey approachability, open ness, and a welcome feeling for the user (Mandell, 1997; MCIL, 2011). Many users will feel comfortable to establish trust, thereby, the site should indicate credential validation through certifications or associations. A statement from the management will provide the user an opportunity to know the vision and values of the company. It should not force users to register or subscribe in order to navigate as this will scare users away. After navigation, they will feel free to subscribe or register (MCIL, 2011, 2). Monsoon was able to accomplish majority of the first impression requirements although failed to immediately impart its message of unique selling poin

Risks and Complications of Abortion Procedures Essay

Risks and Complications of Abortion Procedures - Essay Example The typical risks and complication of the surgical abortion include excessive bleeding, injury to the uterus and cervix, and infection of the uterus and the fallopian tubes (State of Alaska). Medical abortion involves the use of specific drugs to kill the unborn child. The commonly used drugs include mifepristone, methotrexate, prostaglandins, and salt poisoning. Mifepristone is an inhibitor of the progesterone hormone, and disrupts the lining of the uterus. The disruption deprives the fetus nutrition, as well as protection, and eventually the unborn child dies (American Life League). Methotrexate affects the growing cells of the fetus and other support systems. Injection of the salt to the amniotic fluid renders the child lifeless through dehydration, bleeding, and convulsion (American Life League). The possible complications of the medical abortion include hemorrhage, infection, and severe pain (State of Alaska). Chemical abortion procedures entail the use of drugs that disrupt the implantation of the baby. The method causes the death of the fetus. The common methods of chemical abortion comprise of Ortho-Evra, NuvaRing, Depo-Provera Contraceptive Injection, and Plan B. Ortho-Evra and NuvaRing suppress the gonadotropins, and make the implantation of formed baby impossible by disrupting the uterus lining (American Life League). Similarly, Plan B and Depo-Provera Contraceptive Injection cause thinning of the endometrium. The potential risks and complications consist of headaches, drug reactions, inability to conceive, vomiting, and nausea (State of

European Union Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 7

European Union Law - Essay Example This paper takes a stand that for the EU to achieve success in meeting its objectives, its laws and directives have to be supreme over the laws and directives of member states. The principles of the supremacy of the EU denote that, the laws of the European Union are supreme when compared to the laws of the member states. The European Court of Justice introduced this doctrine in 1964, however, to date; it is still controversial with some states arguing against its adoption. This is because of the concept of sovereignty, which allows member states to have a right of determining their laws, without influence from foreign powers. However, there are a number of reasons given, in support of the principles of the EU law2. One of these principles is that, there would be uneven application of laws, if this principle does not exist. This is unacceptable within the European Union, mainly because it has the capability of threatening and compromising the legal system of the European Union. Another reason is based on the doctrines of the direct effect which was created by the European Union Court of Justice. This doctrine denotes that certain provisions of the European Laws are directly applicable to the national laws of member states, without any other enactments3. This is beneficial to the member states, mainly because it creates uniformity in the application of laws, hence promoting the objectives and mission of the European Union. The concept or principle of the EU supremacy has never been expressly identified in any of the treaties that form the European Union. This concept was developed by the European Court of Justice through a series of very important rulings and judgments. However, the most important case responsible for introducing this concept of supremacy of EU laws is the case of Costa vs. ENEL4. According to this case, the judges denoted that a directly applicable, secondary or primary European law will prevail

Accounting Principle homework questions Coursework

Accounting Principle homework questions - Coursework Example Companies usually issue two different types of stock, common and preferred. The major difference between common and preferred stock is that common stock results in ownership for the buyer whilst a preferred stock does not. The common stock is traded within the stock market within a country, preferred stock, on the other hand are not traded within such markets. The basic essence and nature of a preferred stock is that it is usually considered a loan, which has to be repaid after a certain period of time. A preferred stock holder gets preference over a common stock holder with respect to the payment of dividends. A common stock holder receives dividend only after all the company’s dues are cleared off. Issuance of bond is similar in nature to receiving a loan. The par/face value of the bond is credited within the Bonds Payable account. If the market interest rate on the bond would be higher coupon rate, it would result in a premium on the bond. 4. Discuss the controversy surrounding the Fair-Value vs. Amortized Cost presentation of the value of stocks, bonds and all other investment securities on the Financial Statement. US GAAP uses Fair Value, US Statutory uses Amortized Cost and IFRS uses a mix of both depending on the security. What are the advantages and disadvantages of both approaches, and what do you feel is the best way to value this type of asset? The controversy surrounding Fair Value Accounting and Accrual accounting has been prevalent for quite some time now. The major debate is that when to record the profit or loss on any particular security. According to the Fair Value accounting, gains or losses should be recorded whenever is seems that any security has lost its value i.e. if that security is sold at the current moment. Amortized cost accounting on the other hand favors the recording of gains and losses on the actual happening of the event i.e. when the security is disposed. The major advantage of Fair Value

European Union Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 7

European Union Law - Essay Example This paper takes a stand that for the EU to achieve success in meeting its objectives, its laws and directives have to be supreme over the laws and directives of member states. The principles of the supremacy of the EU denote that, the laws of the European Union are supreme when compared to the laws of the member states. The European Court of Justice introduced this doctrine in 1964, however, to date; it is still controversial with some states arguing against its adoption. This is because of the concept of sovereignty, which allows member states to have a right of determining their laws, without influence from foreign powers. However, there are a number of reasons given, in support of the principles of the EU law2. One of these principles is that, there would be uneven application of laws, if this principle does not exist. This is unacceptable within the European Union, mainly because it has the capability of threatening and compromising the legal system of the European Union. Another reason is based on the doctrines of the direct effect which was created by the European Union Court of Justice. This doctrine denotes that certain provisions of the European Laws are directly applicable to the national laws of member states, without any other enactments3. This is beneficial to the member states, mainly because it creates uniformity in the application of laws, hence promoting the objectives and mission of the European Union. The concept or principle of the EU supremacy has never been expressly identified in any of the treaties that form the European Union. This concept was developed by the European Court of Justice through a series of very important rulings and judgments. However, the most important case responsible for introducing this concept of supremacy of EU laws is the case of Costa vs. ENEL4. According to this case, the judges denoted that a directly applicable, secondary or primary European law will prevail

-----anything you want------ Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

-----anything you want------ - Research Paper Example However, this act has done more harm to the lives of American citizens than good. There is no doubt that the U.S. Patriot Act intrudes upon the privacy of Americans, promotes censorship, initiates racial profiling, and lastly takes the issue of national security too far. First, the U.S. Patriot Act is unconstitutional because it intrudes upon the privacy of American citizens by violating their First and Fourth Amendment rights. The nature of the U.S. Patriot Act is an issue that still remains a mystery as Congress quickly passed the bill without much debate (Cornhels 1). The bill itself contains four hundred laws and expands the definition of â€Å"terrorism† drastically (Cassell 13). The First Amendment rights of freedom of speech along with freedom to assemble are rights that most Americans hold dear to their lives, but now actions such as civil disobedience, and protests, are now being defined as domestic terrorism under this legislation (Cornhels 2). A sixty-two year old e lderly man found his rights to be jeopardized as he was arrested based on his beliefs about the bombings in Afghanistan (Cassell 6). Under the Patriot Act, a clause known as Section 215 terrorizes Americans because it breaks the 4th and 5th Amendment, which ensures the privacy of individuals (â€Å"Reform the Patriot Act† 2). ... It was clear that these initiatives were an â€Å"all-out attack† against the American public itself. Peter Swire, a professor at Ohio University, reports that FBI officials are putting pressure on telecommunication companies to turn over records (Chang 49). Already concerns have been raised by the public whether sharing the information with federal agencies and local police is legal (Cassell 26). As Jim Edwards puts it, â€Å"The Patriot Act is already having a chilling effect, even in the areas where it does not apply† (Edwards 1). This law, however, does not affect US citizens only; in fact, the Canadian government has also passed legislation to â€Å"protect† its citizens. In Canada, a law has been created that prevents any public institution to store any private information in the U.S. (â€Å"Reform the Patriot Act† 1). Even Universities in Canada are striving to protect their students’ private information from USA (â€Å"Reform the Patriot Ac t† 2). Nova Scotia and B.C. legislations have set strict guidelines on public institutions when it comes to sharing information with companies outside the USA (â€Å"Reform the Patriot Act† 1).Therefore, the U.S. Patriot Act is unconstitutional because it violates the constitutional given rights of Americans. Secondly, the Patriot Act is unconstitutional because it promotes censorship. Section 215 in the U.S. Patriot Act is a fatal blow on libraries because it allows government to see records of a person’s checkout list (Smith 96). What is even worse is that the individual has no clue whether Section 215 has been used on him since the libraries can not disclose any information (Smith 98). A survey conducted in December 2001 by University of

Hotel on a corner of bitter and sweet Essay Example for Free

Hotel on a corner of bitter and sweet Essay Maintaining privacy and confidentiality for patients is a fundamental duty of care as a nurse. It is clearly stated that a nurse must treat personal information obtained in a professional capacity as confidential (ANMC, 2003, pg. 4). Although the terms privacy and confidentiality are often interchanged, they should be distinguished. Privacy refers to ones ownership of ones body or information about ones self, whereas confidentiality refers specifically to limits upon private information revealed in confidence, as a responsible promise that the information will not be revealed to others (Kerridge et al. , 1998). It is essential that the data will be used and reported in such a way that no one is able to identify the source (Behi Nolan, 1995). It is important to uphold both the privacy and confidentiality of patients whilst in nursing care to protect clients against the morally harmful consequences that can occur when unconsented disclosures are made (Crisp Taylor, 2005). For example, a clients newly diagnosed HB positive status could result in the client being rejected by family and friends and hence left without social support at a time when most needed. The Privacy Act 1988 requires Commonwealth agencies to conform to a set of Information Privacy Principles when dealing with personal information. State and territory legislation also places similar obligations on their respective agencies, which includes hospitals (Crisp Taylor, 2005). At common law, there are expectations that contracts will contain a confidentiality clause and tort will include a duty of confidentiality (Crisp Taylor, 2005). Under most circumstances information gained in the professional-client relationship should not be disclosed, however there is an exception if there is an overriding legal reason that disclosure should be made. For instance, this occurs where such disclosures help prevent harm to innocent others (Crisp Taylor, 2005), such as in a case that a client disclosed that he intended to kill someone he disliked. In conclusion, protecting privacy and confidentiality for patients is essential in the field of nursing, both morally and legally, as this ensures that the patients well-being are not jeopardized by the unwarranted disclosure of such confidential material. Reference 1. Australian Nursing Midwifery Council. (2003). Code of Professional Conduct for Nurses in Australia. 2. Behi R. Nolan M. (1995). Ethical issues in research. British Journal of Nursing. 4, 12, 712-716. 3. Crisp J. Taylor C. (2005). Potter Perrys fundamentals of Nursing 2nd Edition. Sydney: Elsevier Australia Limited. 4. Kerridge I. , Lowe M. McPhee J. (1998). Ethics and law for the health professions. Katoomba, N. S. W. : Social Science Press. 5. The Privacy Act 1988.

Microeconomic and Macroeconomic Factors Influencing Toyota

Microeconomic and Macroeconomic Factors Influencing Toyota The company that has been chosen for the purpose of this assignment is the Toyota Corporation and the product that would be highlighted during this paper is going to be the Toyota Camry 2007 model. It is necessary to differentiate the difference between what are microeconomic factors and what are macroeconomic factors, the micro level economic factors are something that the company can exercise some level of control and can influence this environment to a certain degree but macroeconomic factors are such in nature that the company is unable to influence them by any means what so ever. On the literally terms, micro means small level and macro means on a larger scale. (Wessels, 2000). There are many factors that affect any company both on the micro as well as the macroeconomic level and it is of essence that companies realize these factors and potential factors so that they can survive in the long term, these factors are divided into two parts one is the consumers and the other is the company itself. (Samuelson, 2001). The microeconomic factors that affect a company or a product are Price: price is one of the single most if not the most important factor to be considered by the company in terms of microeconomic factors that affect the company. Price of a good determines the market share, what target market the product is trying to tap in to and how much of the good is going to be demanded and how much of it is going to be supplied by the company. (Samuelson, 2001). The price of a good determines if the consumers think that the product is worth buying or even worth contemplating upon, if prices are irrational for example a pie for $250 then the demand is almost certainly going to be negligible if not non-existent for this kind of product. The price is and can be influenced by the company by managing its supply effectively. Another important consideration that needs to be taken care of is the competitive prices in the economy for example if Honda Accord is priced between $18000-$20000 then the Toyota Camry needs to be priced in the similar range because they are ve ry close competitors in the US market, if Honda Accord prices its product lower than the Toyota Camry then it is almost certainly going to be able to get a larger pie of the target market given that all other things are kept constant or ceteris paribus rule applies. Opportunity Cost: The consideration of opportunity cost is extremely important when one talks about microeconomic factors, if Toyota Camry increases its prices then people would have to give up more money in order to purchase the same good i.e. their opportunity costs goes higher. (Wessels, 2000). This is where the concept of value for ones money steps in, if Camry is charging its customers $18000 then its value or its perceived value should be worth $18000 to the customer or else the customer would spend the $18000 where he or she deems that they would be much better spent. This is where the concept of studying the consumer comes in. (Lipsey, 2002). The concepts of price elasticity comes in here as well, if a small positive change in the price of Camry decreases the units demanded for Camry then Camry is highly price elastic but if the change in price only results in a small change in the units demanded then it is inelastic and it can afford to increase its prices. (Samuelson, 2001) . Cross elasticity is where Honda Accord decreases its prices and it affects the sales of the Toyota Camry, in this case it would be highly cross elastic but if no change or only a very minute change occurs then it is not cross elastic. Consumer Behavior: Consumers are people that eventually make or break a company, this is why they need to be studied and understood because they are a very potent force as far as the business is concerned. (Samuelson, 2001). Camry should understand what the consumers are looking for when they are making a decision to buy a car, is it safety? Is it durability? Is the fuel efficiency? Or is it all of the things mentioned before? When these questions have been answered and Camry has decided what market segment it is going to be in then it needs to position itself accordingly. Once this has been taken care of the company would then need to communicate what it stands for to the consumer (Glass, 2010) so that the consumer understands what the company is offering and matches the benefits that are being offered to the prices that are being demanded and make the decision whether to buy or not. (Lipsey, 2002). Another consideration that is extremely important for Toyota is that the costs of the cars that it is manufacturing should be at the lowest levels possible so that it gets the highest possible profits from each unit that is sold. How can the costs be controlled? There are a variety of factors into consideration when costs are involved, first of all Toyota should build strategic partnerships with all its vendors so that they are on board with the company strategy and are aware of what the company is trying to achieve. (Glass, 2010). Secondly it should increase the plant efficiency and also have a look at its processes and implement cost cutting measures where ever it can but most importantly the workers have to be trained to be efficient so that they are on board with the companyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s policies as well. (Samuelson, 2001). If the costs are too high for Toyota then certainly so would be the prices of Camry and hence this would render the product unsuccessful because competi tive brand would be able to capture a larger market share and may also be able to drive Camry out of business. Competition as highlighted above always has bearings on the company and its decisions and hence in a microeconomic environment the company has to keep a tab on the competition as well and analyze what they are doing and be able to predict what their next move is going to be and try to be one step ahead of the competition at all times (Glass, 2010), although the company cannot influence its competition directly but it can take measures that can affect the competition in a positive as well as a negative fashion. (Donburch, 1988). For example if Honda announces that it would launch a an Accord in 2012 that would be extremely fuel efficient but at the same time it would be able to break the sound barrier, then Toyota has to come up with a product that is equivalent to that Accord if not better. The second part of this paper deals with factors at the macroeconomic level, these factors are beyond the control of any of the firms and these are in a way given or handed down by the state of the economy and are largely dependent on the government policies and the economic structure that is prevalent in the environment that the company is operating in, for example Toyota Corporation in the US would not be able to determine the exchange rate of the dollar because that is more dependent on the US governments policies and the decisions that are taken within the economic environment by that government. (Wessels, 2000). Interest rates: Interest rates in an economy determine whether people are going to save more or spend more, when the interest rates are high people would prefer to save rather than spend but if the interest rates are low in the economy then people would prefer to spend their money rather than save it. (Donburch, 1988). The exact inverse is true when it comes to borrowing from banks or other financial institutions, people tend to take loans when the interest rates are lower and would prefer not to loan out money when interest rates are higher. (Donburch, 1988). How is Toyota affected by the interest rates prevalent within in the economy? If Toyota is to set up a new plant it is definitely going to need a loan to set up the plant, when would Toyota prefer to take the loan? When the interest rates are on the lower side and hence this macroeconomic factor affects the strategy of the company. (Wessels, 2000). Taxes: Toyota would prefer to set up a plant where the corporate taxes are on the lower side so that it enables the company to earn higher profits for its stakeholders, however the taxes or the tax regime is developed by the government and Toyota has no say in it. Employment: Employment or the ability of the workforce to fulfill the requirements of the Toyota Corporation is another important element. Toyota cannot train the whole workforce or it cannot provide for itself employees all by itself, the government has to provide for the people basic education and training (Donburch, 1988) so there is enough work-force available to work for the Toyota Corporation. Business cycles or cyclical trends of the economy also have a bearing on the Toyota Corporation for example economy can experience growth and it can also experience stagnation and this would directly affect the sales of the Toyota Camry but this is something that the company has no control over and is not able to influence it. (Lipsey, 2002). Inflation is another important element when talking about macroeconomic factors, inflation is the general increase in the price levels within an economy (Donburch, 1988) and if prices increase then the costs for Toyota also would increase and some of these costs or in some cases all of it would be transferred on to the customers of the company. Conclusion In conclusion, both macro and micro levels have an important bearing on the company but at the micro level the company should influence the factors in its favor and at the macro level the company should be able to predict the future trends and be adaptive. (Lipsey, 2002).

The Physics of Car Collisions Essay -- Physics

Basic Concepts Issac Newton was the first to state the concepts that are necessary to understanding the physics of collisions. His three laws are used again and again in all the fields of physics: Newton's 1st Law In the absence of external forces, an object at rest remains at rest and an object in motion remains in motion with a constant velocity. This law can be best observed in space, far from the gravity of a star or planet, where there is no friction or air resistance. If, in the middle of deep space, you give a rock a little push, it will continue with the direction and velocity you gave it forever. The only way to stop it is to apply a force in the opposite direction. This law is not intuitive because we are surrounded by air and gravity - if we give a rock a little push on the surface of the earth, it won't travel far. Newton's 2nd Law The acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net force acting on it and inversely proportional to its mass. This boils down to force equals mass times acceleration, F = ma. This little equation turns out to be immensely useful, again and again. If you add together all the forces acting on an object, they equal the mass of the object (in kg) times the acceleration of the object (in m/sec^2). Force is measured in newtons. One newton is the force required to accelerate a 1-kg mass to 1 m/sec^2. Newton’s 3rd Law The force exerted by object 1 onto object 2 is equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to the force exerted by object 2 onto object 1. This law appears to make little sense and can be difficult to grasp. If you push on a brick wall, the wall is pushing back on you with an equal force. If the wall was not pushing back, then your hand wou... ... hammer hitting a concrete wall is about 3,600,000. Sources: Barr, L.C. Safety Report. 1996. University of New Hampshire. 26, Nov. 2002. Borges, Danny. The Physics in Car Collisions. 22, Nov. 2002. Braking Distance. 2002. University of Idaho. 26, Nov. 2002. Safety Fact Sheet. 1999. Airbag Testing Technology, Inc. 26, Nov. 2002. Serway, Raymond A., and Robert J. Beichner. Physics for Scientists and Engineers, Fifth edition. Thomson Learning Inc. U.S.A., 2000. Toor, Amrit, Michael Araszewski and Ravinder Johal. Technical Assessment of Seatbelt Usage and Effectiveness. 2000. Intech. 26, Nov. 2002.

The Holocaust Essay -- History, Nazy

For most people, the Holocaust evokes feelings of empathy for the victims, and anger toward the persecutors. The Holocaust, defined as â€Å"the systematic annihilation of six million Jews by the Nazi regime,† began with the rise of Nazi Germany (â€Å"A Historical Summary†). When the Germans lost World War One, the Jews received the blame. Anti-Semitism, or the hatred toward Jews, spread like wildfire throughout the nation. Hitler came to power with ideas of a master race, resulting in the persecution of many across Europe in what became known as the Holocaust. Although many contributed to the Holocaust, Adolf Hitler remains viewed as the main catalyst. Born in Austria, Hitler originated from humble roots and poor parents (Byers, Overview 23). Adolf decided at an early age to become an artist, due to the fact that he received the best grades in his primary school art class. Soon after entering secondary school, Hitler dropped out due to poor grades. After his rejection from art school, Hitler continued to live with his mother until her death. At age nineteen Hitler lacked an education, but needed money so he traveled around picking up any job available. At this low point in his life, Adolf Hitler decided to become an anti-Semite (24). With the start of World War One, Hitler became a German soldier at age twenty-five (23-25). His time in the army led Hitler to pursue a career in politics. With Hitler’s newfound goal of politics, he joined the Nazi party. Quickly working his way to the top, Hitler soon became elected the â€Å"Fà ¼hrer† or leader of the party. Adolf first attempted to gain power in the â€Å"Beer Hall Rebellion.† He led supporters to Berlin where the uprising was quickly crushed. With the charge of treason, Hitler s... ...y innocent lives were lost in vain including 5 million non-Jews (â€Å"Holocaust†). When Adolf Hitler came to power, Europe became entangled in chaos as millions of Jews and other groups endure persecution from Germans. Works Cited Altman, Linda J. The Holocaust, Hitler, and Nazi Germany. Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow Publishers, Inc., 1999. Print. Byers, Ann. The Holocaust Camps. Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow Publishers, Inc., 1998. Print. - - - . The Holocaust Overview. Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow Publishers, Inc., 1998. Print. â€Å"Holocaust.† Compton’s by Britannica. 01 Aug. 2011: n.p. SIRS Discoverer. Web. 19 February 2012. â€Å"The Holocaust: A Historical Summary.† Beyond the Wall of Remembrance. Nov. 1993: 5-10. SIRS Discoverer. Web. 19 February 2012. Yeatts, Tabatha. The Holocaust Survivors. Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow Publishers, Inc., 1998. Print.

Interpretive vs. Escapist

Interpretive vs. Escapist As defined by Arp and Johnson, commercial fiction, or escapist literature, is â€Å"fiction written to meet the taste of a wide popular audience and relying usually on tested formulas for satisfying such taste† (Arp 744). Arp and Johnson also state that literary fiction, otherwise known as interpretive literature, is â€Å"fiction written with serious artistic intentions, providing an imagined experience yielding authentic insights into some significant aspect of life† (Arp 745). In â€Å"Once upon a Time†, Nadine Gordimer uses a unique combination of both interpretive and escapist literature styles to portray a message that there is no way to absolutely guarantee a person’s safety. Although Nadine Gordimer does use some elements of the escapist literature style to develop this piece of fiction, the story is primarily interpretive literature. Arp and Johnson state that â€Å"literary fiction plunges us, through the author’s imaginative vision and artistic ability, more deeply into the real world† (Arp 4). In â€Å"Once upon a Time†, Gordimer leaves the reader to his or her own insights as to what could have been done to avoid the particular outcome. She does not point out any particular moral to the story, but instead lets the reader absorb the family’s plight. The escapist style is recognized in the bedtime story that the narrator creates—the story within the story. In this story the emphasis is on plot rather than on character development, and the characters are obviously lacking the full dynamic quality that the reader identifies in the round character. Yet, again, unlike escapist literature, the conclusion of this story is far from the â€Å"happily ever after† endings of its type, and, being that there is no real moral to the story, in this way also, it is thus rendered more interpretive. The interpretive style is also apparent in the author’s choice of plot. The plot, unlike the typical escapist piece of literature, is non-linear; the ending, as opposed to the happy ending of an escapist literature piece, is indeterminate. In the beginning, the reader is introduced to a person who is experiencing anxiety, and this person then begins her own story. The reader is never brought back to the story of the narrator. As the narrator’s initial conflict remains unresolved at the closing of the story, the ending is indeterminate. In the bedtime story also, the problem is unsolved at the end. Instead, the narrator ends the story in a decidedly sardonic mocking of the traditional â€Å"They lived happily ever after† story. Due to both of these points, â€Å"Once upon a Time† would be described as a non-linear story. Though she is the most realistic character in the entire work of fiction, the character of the narrator is also more flat than round. Her situation is described to the reader in painful detail and in such a way that the reader will identify with her. However, her behavior is very typical of a person in her position. Awakened in the middle of the night as she was and hearing â€Å"a creaking of the kind made by the weight carried by one foot after another along a wooden floor† (Gordimer 183), the reader could not expect anything else but fear. Her roundness is shown in her slight internal conflict. She believes that she should not be scared, yet she cannot make her imagination—or mind—yield to her will. I couldn’t find a position in which my mind would let go of my body—release me to sleep again† (Gordimer 184). Although she is given an element of roundness, the narrator’s character remains more flat than round. The man, holding the role of a father, a husband, a son, and an employer in the story, is just what a reader would expect of an accommodating man in his positi on—in essence, the stereotypical man. This is shown in a number of ways. He played the role of supporting husband perfectly in always acknowledging his wife’s concerns. In order to calm her fears, â€Å"he had electronically controlled gates fitted† (Gordimer 185), to provide further control of any outsiders’ access to their property, as well as having the wall surrounding their property built higher. For the reason of pacifying the trusted housemaid, he had bars affixed â€Å"to the doors and windows of the house, and an alarm system installed† (Gordimer 185). Throughout the story, the man acquiesces to one after another requests, changing little from the unafraid, doting provider that the author first introduces to the reader. In the beginning of the story, the man is clearly unconcerned about his or his family’s safety from such people as the wife worries about. On more than one occasion, he assured his wife that â€Å"there was nothing to fear† (Gordimer 185). However, in the course of events, he attains some small quality of roundness in that his concern over his family’s security evolves into an obsession, perhaps due to his wife’s influence. During times that the family would go for walks, they would no longer pause â€Å"to admire this show of roses or that perfect lawn† (Gordimer 187); instead â€Å"the husband and ife found themselves comparing the possible effectiveness of each style [of each security system] against its appearance† (Gordimer 187). In changing his mind and/or in his allowance of the circumstances to change him, a slight element of roundness is added to the father’s relatively flat character. The man’s wife does not change by the end of this story, thereby showing her to be a flat character—predictable, stereotypical, static, and, in this case, easily defined as â€Å"good. † However, in the course of the story, the reader will also see a side of her that conflicts with her fears, which gives her some roundness. Women in general are typically more concerned than men with safety issues. Danger, whether real or perceived, is seen as a threat to their well-being, as well as to that of their loved ones. Be that as it may, the wife’s actions and fears are entirely understandable and predictable in â€Å"Once Upon A Time. † â€Å"She was afraid that some day†¦people might come up the street†¦and open the gates and stream in† (Gordimer 185). Perhaps not entirely logical, but such behavior is considered the norm for women, thus displaying her flatness as a character. However, at the same time, she also has a quality of roundness to her as well. Even though she advocates every extra security measure to protect herself and her family from â€Å"such people† (Gordimer 185), from the streets, those are the very ones that she feels compassion for. â€Å"The wife could never see anyone go hungry. She sent the trusted housemaid out with bread and tea† (Gordimer 186). The fact that she feels torn over the plight of these individuals and then her very attempts to isolate herself from them shows her internal conflict, thus giving a small element of roundness to her otherwise flat character. In the little boy, Gordimer paints the picture of endearing, playful innocence as well as naivete. His naivete and playfulness is demonstrated in his â€Å"[fascination] with the [intercom] device† (Gordimer 185), as well as in his tendency to imagine himself the hero in a fairytale story, which leads to his demise: â€Å"he pretended to be the Prince who braves the terrible thicket of thorns to enter the palace and kiss the Sleeping Beauty back to life† (Gordimer 188). Interestingly enough, the boy has the smallest role throughout the story and yet he becomes the character that the narrator uses to bring his/her point home. However, due to the fact that his character never undergoes any kind of change, he cannot be labeled as a round character. The trustworthy maid is also a stereotypical, flat character. This is suggested simply by her given name of â€Å"trusted housemaid† (Gordimer 185). Despite the circumstances of the times and the distrust that the wife feels towards people of her kind, the man and his wife trusted the housemaid enough to leave her â€Å"with responsibility for [their] possessions† (Gordimer 185). Also, not unlike the typical housemaid, she was an influence on her mistress. The housemaid fed the wife’s fears of these â€Å"people of another color† (Gordimer 185), telling the wife that â€Å"these were loafers and tsotsis† (Gordimer 186). In pointing out the â€Å"loafers’† shortcomings, perhaps because of her insecurities, she redirected the wife’s attentions away from caring for these people—typical behavior from an employee anxious to keep her job. On account of this stereotypical behavior, as well as the fact that she remains a static character throughout the story, the housemaid is a flat character. The last human character, the itinerant gardener, is also a flat character. The only thing that the author mentions concerning the gardener is that he was â€Å"highly recommended by the neighbors† (Gordimer 184). The gardener’s one purpose in the story was to aid in getting the little boy out of the security coil. â€Å"†¦the itinerant gardener, whose day it was, came running†¦and tore his hands trying to get at the little boy† (Gordimer 188). Typical of a man of service, he seemed willing to help in whatever way necessary. In the beginning of the story the narrator battles to control her own fears regarding physical security. The â€Å"bedtime story† created to alleviate his or her discomfort attempts to convince the hearer or the reader of the fact that one’s fate is out of one’s control. The author uses â€Å"Once upon a Time† to illustrate that there is no real way to guarantee anyone’s safety, no matter how hard the person tries.