Saturday, August 31, 2019

Pharmacy Sales and Inventory System Essay

Chapter I The Background and its Setting Introduction Time is very important in every people especially when we do our job. We have done all at the correct time so that we can meet the quota of the company every day. It is difficult in doing all things manually particularly when you’ve lack of time to do this, like counting the number of items that are already sold, how much is the total amount and determinable number of the stocks of each medicine. The problem in manual is that, a pharmacy assistant has a great chance to make some errors and fraud in inventory because in the processing of sales and inventory usually begins when a customer bought a medicine over the counter and sometimes they have made a wrong total amount of medicine by means of confusion and crowdedness of the customers. They couldn’t determine faster the number of stocks of each item and the out of stock. Since it is often times that the managers do not have enough time or information to check the items sold and remaining, they don’t even know the exact quantity of stocks of the medicine. For the customer, the main problem is that they are waiting for the pharmacy assistant that is looking for the medicine they intended to buy, if they have the particular brand of medicine that they are buying or are they still have a stock. It is also a waste of time to the part of customer. So the main focus of the study is on how can be easily know the amount and quantity of medicine with less effort to the employee and improve the accurate information in a receipt. This paper shows about the inventory system. The Pharmacy Sales and Inventory system is accessible by an administrator. They can customize the interface which can add, edit, filter, and monitor all stock of medicines in the pharmacy. This system will show all the changes made by the administrator. Background of the Study Today, computer has become a part of life. It is evident that most of the country’s institutions still do not use the high technology. Particularly in  pharmacies, daily transactions, inventories and record of sales are still done on paper. People know that modern pharmacies are now operating at great pace striving to serve as many customers as possible with the best of their abilities. But as the years goes by, the number of customers has grown and various cases arise that the manual method of managing customers’ transactions, inventories and updating sales, is no longer practical. In this study, researchers hope to develop a system that will minimize all works of manual methods, therefore allowing owners ease in updating inventory – a system that is fully automated, user-friendly, time effective and efficient. Owner knows that number of customers continually increase, managing a pharmacy can also become increasingly difficult, especially if everything is done manually. The researcher will tend to make a system for the easier way of providing information about the product bought, sold, and stored. In addition, the system will attempt to provide receipts using the new system to show the effectiveness of modernizing the company’s current system. This system tends to improve the accuracy and efficiency of the process done by the company. The convenience of this new system will help to promote the company as well as to help its employees do an easier task for the enhancement of the system process. Statement of the Problem The study will enhance the existing inventory control system for pharmacies for a better inventory management and to eliminate/reduce risks of errors and fraud. It will seek to answer what enhancement and design the pharmacy can adopt for a more effective and efficient inventory system. The researchers aim to answer the following: 1.Will the system provide satisfaction to pharmacies in terms of: a.Reliability b.Maintainability c.Portability d.Functionality e.Security 2.Does Pharmacy Sales and Inventory System helps pharmacist in their management processes and sales? a.Time Efficiency b.Accuracy c.Convenience 3.Does the system will provide correct and reliable information to the pharmacy? a.Information accuracy b.Data consistency 4.Does the system will help provide good quality of service to customers in terms of: a.Quality of products b.Faster transactions Significance of the Study This system provides more efficient and faster transactions to pharmacies. It will also provide better service to the customers. †¢Pharmacist- improves stock management, because the system automatically tells what products are lacking and expired. †¢Customer- provides faster transaction and less time of waiting because the pharmacist can give all the information of the product. †¢Administrator- enables to improve the control of the system and also enables to improve the design, the efficiency of the system. Theoretical Framework This Inventory System is important for any business particularly in Pharmacies. An inventory system must balance having enough inventories on hand to meet the demand of customers while investing as little money as possible in inventory. The scope of an inventory system considers which needs the inventory system addresses. These include valuing the inventory, measuring the change in inventory and planning for future inventory levels. The value of the inventory at the end of each period provides a basis for financial reporting on the balance sheet. Measuring the change in inventory allows the company to determine the cost of inventory sold during the period. The inventory level and changes allow the company to plan for future inventory needs. This Pharmacy Information System is a computerized system that handles many one of many outpatient functions, such as taking prescription orders, prescription entry, and pricing of the medications, to fill and refill medication, medication inventory, and the financial management and purchasing Conceptual Framework Scope and Limitation This system will focus on the list of the medicine in the pharmacy that will keep the computerized record of the medicines, it will also store the details of the medicines and can print all the records, and all the sales will be stored in the sales history and the changes will be recorded at the change log, so that the community in the place/city will assure in this system. Only the IT personnel can edit the prizes and the stock of medicine and only the pharmacist can access this system. Definition of terms Sales and Inventory System- software-based solution used to simultaneously track sales activity and inventory Pharmacy- a store where medicinal drugs are dispensed and sold Data- fast and statistics collected together for reference or analysis Medicinal Drugs- something that treats or prevents or alleviates the symptoms of disease Pharmacist- a person who is professionally qualified to prepare and dispense medicinal drugs Customer- a person that buys goods or services from a store or business

Friday, August 30, 2019

Organizational Profile Pfizer Company Essay

Prior to a corporate wide restructuring effort, the Pfizer Corporation operated with a divisional structure. This divisional organization prevented realization of full organizational efficiency and effectiveness. Although this organizational structure provides for defined accountabilities, creation of professional development opportunities, and cultivates the process for local performance management, the divisional structure can create extreme inter-organizational competition, while requiring a duplication of functional specialists and inter-division personnel throughout each divisional area (Iqbal, 2008). Pfizer recently transitioned to a new structure which created an opportunity for clearly defined responsibilities and accountabilities, while eliminating the duplication of functionalities throughout divisional areas (Pfizer, 2007). The new structure promotes well defined objectives and additional organizational efficiencies (Iqba, 2008). The Matrix structure is, however, much more complex. Unlike the previous divisional structure, the organization now operates within an integrated model. This new structure creates multi-channel accountability through sharing of authoritative powers and a general decrease in organizational clarity (Iqba, 2008). Although the Matrix provides many advantages not seen through the Division structure, the organization must resolve structural deficiencies in order to achieve their defined objectives. Problem Selection and Rationale Pfizer’s new organizational structure is conducive to their company. The Matrix structure is an ideal structure within project-focused organizations (Johnson, 1990). For the Pfizer Corporation, who is driven by consumer demand, the Matrix structure creates an opportunity for flexible use of corporate resources. Within the Matrix environment, personnel may transition from one project to another, as needed (Johnson, 1990). Because Pfizer’s routine business activities involve research leading to the development and market introduction of new medicines, the demand for human capital within the company varies. The Matrix structure provides opportunity for efficient use of human resources within the organization. The introduction of the Matrix structure resulted in several problematic areas. Within the new environment, the functional manager assumes the ultimate roll of authority for the project at hand (Johnson, 1990). Unlike alternative structures, this is based on the project at hand rather than functionality; delays in processing, approvals, etc. are likely to arise through having narrowed executive leadership. Additionally, priorities can become variable leading to misalignment within the team. Pfizer Corporation has identified a problematic situation in which team members carry conflicting priorities (McKinney Rogers, n. d. ). The integrated structure has caused some concern within the functional teams. While the project manager’s priorities remain with the project at hand, the functional manager has often utilized time for training which has been known to consist of several consecutive days (McKinney Rogers, n. d. ). In these instances, the company’s authority has conflicting objectives of what should be done first. While the manager’s priority has been training, the leader’s priority remains completion of tasks related to the project (McKinney Rogers, n. d. ). This problem has paved the way for ineffective organizational leadership. Use of a matrix structure within Pfizer has significantly impacted organizational leadership. Within the matrix structure, the project manager provides direct oversight of the project at hand while the functional manager maintains authoritative powers (Johnson, 1990). This can cause confusion amongst the team, as the chain of command becomes diluted. The project manager’s main concern lies with the big picture of the project itself while the functional manager is accountable for the functionality of completing the job (Iqba, 2008). While the perception seems that these two aspects go hand in hand, the reality is that the seemingly diluted management can create chaos and discontent amongst the team. Identifying these problematic areas is the first step towards enhancing the organizational structure. Each of these areas negatively impacts the organization’s productivity, quality, and efficiencies. While the foundation of the matrix structure aligns with Pfizer’s company, the manner in which it is utilized should be examined. Minor modifications to promote effective operations will result in higher levels of productivity, employee satisfaction, and overall efficiency of operational processes. Recommended Solutions and Rationale When enhancing an organizational structure, determining solutions to identified challenges is a critical piece of the overall process. Identifying solutions consist of examining current practices, determining challenges, researching solutions, testing hypothesis, and then implementing recommendations. In an effort to overcome the above challenges, research was conducted and solutions uncovered. To overcome the delayed response time in things such as decision making and approvals, we recommend the implementation of management maintenance through regularly scheduled meetings. In doing this, it is our hope that Pfizer will be able to maintain a consistent stream of communication, efficiency, and execution. By having regularly scheduled meetings, employees and the management team will have specific time set aside for things such as decisions needed to be made and approvals needing to be signed off on. To overcome inconsistent priorities throughout the organization, we propose that Pfizer establishes a clear definition of goals and expectations through management. The project manager of who is technically working under the authority of a product and the functional manager should both be given the authority to make critical decisions (Thomas, 2006). This would ensure that all involved with the project as well as those working in a functional capacity would have a clear vision set and know that decisions are made based on that vision. By showing a united team between the two management roles, it should alleviate confusion within the team and priorities should remain consistent if in line with the overall vision. To overcome decreased effectiveness of organizational leadership due to multiple managers overseeing the same project from a different aspect we believe that training is needed at the managerial level. This training should be targeted at increasing the managers’ emotional intelligence in order to increase their leadership abilities effectively (Harmer, n. d. ). Ilard & Findlay (2006) found that emotional intelligence contributes to team effectiveness and productivity. With Pfizer working in a team environment, this training would provide managers with the tools to assess the emotional intelligence of their team and tap into the different personalities they are working with. A team’s probability of success is believed to be reliant upon having members of the team who work well together and each contribute to the overall purpose, goal, or task at hand (Ilard & Findlay, 2006). The usage of emotional intelligence would be beneficial to Pfizer because it would have with everyone being on the same page and be able to flex their personality style based on the team member that they are working with. The challenges described can all be overcome through dedication to improving Pfizer’s organizational structure by all employees. In an effort to overcome these challenges, Pfizer will build a strong bond between employees through a process that provides timely responses, consistent priorities throughout the organization, and increased effectiveness of organizational leadership. Solution Evaluation Metrics and Rationale It is common belief that â€Å"the companies that are best able to manage projects, programs, and portfolios align them with strategic goals† (PMI, 2008). In terms of a company’s ability to practice this type strategizing in its â€Å"every day† practice is referred to its project management maturity level. Obviously, the companies that are better at predicting their ability to execute are better at meeting their key business objectives. Therefore, â€Å"Companies with greater maturity should expect to see tangible benefits that include better-performing project portfolios, efficiencies that come with better resource allocation, and increased process stability and repeatability† (PMI, 2008).

HR Training Class

Organizations are continuously seeking to improve quality in which there is more focus on their customer service and relations. In most organizations the customer service skills contribute to the success of the organization. Individuals with good people skills are the foundation to excellent customer service. The skills associated with good customer service are problem solving, team work, leadership selection is not an effective way to improve productivity in situations where only a few applicants compete for a large number of openings, or a business involves only easily learned tasks (Brown, 1996).Employees have many options to improving their performance In the event an organization encounters these situations, selection techniques would not be used but training would be used. In any organization, when employees have interactions with customers it represents the organization. The perception held by the customers experience will influence how they will perceive the organization and its products. When determining the training needs of organizations employees and filling positions are important factors in the HR management processes.Having the right number of people with the right training in the right jobs to meet its sales goals for the new product is essential in a viable organization (Kusluvan, 2003). A job analysis needs to be completed to know the skills needed for each position. The job description will lay out the skills and abilities of an individual needed to fill a job will come from the job analysis. The needs assessment role is to give answers to such commonly asked questions such as the when, who, and why.Conducting needs assessment protects the assets of an organization and facilitates conservation and proper utilization of resources set aside for training. A needs assessment helps to know whether training is the ideal solution to a performance deficiency (Barbazette, 2006). If training does not help resolve a deficiency in skills and knowledge, t here would be no need for the training. Organizations should know the reason training to avoid wasting resources in training materials. Needs Assessment PurposeAltschuld and White (2010) point out training needs assessment serves several multiple purposes only if proper implementation takes place. The needs of the organization is the most important when it comes to the training offered. Serving the business needs with training adds value only when it is  needed. Lastly, it will help correct the issues that the clients may present. The clients know what they want but do not know the way to correct issues concerning human performance. A needs assessment can communicate distinctive information given by the client, also give other reason on the clients original feeling.The other reason for the assessment is to match up with the employee’s performance needs ultimately meeting the needs of the organization. A major role of the assessment is to gather the information that will bac k the design of the training, which best fits the needs of the employee’s job description. Also, it results in recommendations regarding non-training issues that are affecting the achievement of the desired organization and employee performance goals (Barbazette, 2006). It is equally as important for the individual assessor to know the issues and give suggestions as to how these issues could be addressed. In addition, training needs assessment helps protect the continuance of the training functions in an organization.During hard times the risk will not be so high if the training provided adds value to the organization. In the process of a needs assessment one should consider the needs of the business, employee performance, and individual learning. The evaluation methods consist of different factors such as organization needs, learner reaction, job performances and learning. The goal in training is to be able to identify positive changes in each of the four needs assessment pr e-measures when post-measured during evaluation (Lenan & Bailey, 2006). The evaluation measurement can cause the organization to begin a new needs assessment. A needs assessment uncovers the existing performance deficiencies. The assessment will address the following questions: Need of training?Organizations need to compare the deficiency to the business needs and confirm that the positive outcome of training employees outweighs the problems inherent in performance deficiency (Tobey, 2005). In order to answer this question, one will have to complete an alternative analysis along with a feasibility analysis. Individual training?Individuals that can provide a solution to the deficiency should be involved in the training. The targeted population should be analyzed to acquire the knowledge of their deficiency. The analysis will also help design the  training program needed and that would be of interest. Unstable Performance ResolvedThe best way to solve performance issues is by offeri ng training or if training is not feasible offer was to solve the issues. A performance analysis will identify the deficiency of skills; this can be solved by training. Best Performance Ways?To achieve the best results there is a better way to accomplish the task. Job performance standards such as Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) should be set by the organization (Tobey, 1987). Government regulations should also be considered when completing the task in a required manner. Conduct task analysis to identify the best way to perform. Training Timing?Organizations have to consider the best time to complete the training due to the holiday schedules and business cycles will impact the employee attendance.Improvement of the organizations performance is done through the performance and commitment of the employees as well as training. Training will aid employees in their current roles and help develop them for possible future added responsibilities. Some of the purposes of training are to update employee skills, preparation for promotion, and success in management while satisfying the employee needs. Some organizations provide apprentice training.The implementation of a training program being successful depends on more than the organizations ability to identify the needs. The success depends on the ability to obtain information to design a training program to fit the need. Some experts think that the design of the training programs should be focused on objectives of the instructional training’s willingness of employees, instructor’s characteristics and principles of learning. There are many methods of training employees, these methods consist of presentations, role play, on the job training, case study, online web base seminars and simulations.The method of training chosen is online web- based training because it is very convenient to use. If ones company is not  already using it, then there should be plans to implement online training as a part of th e overall plan for education. Web-based training has several advantages. †¢Provides employees access to training materials twenty four hours a day so, they can learn and complete on their own schedule †¢Management can track employees progress†¢Expenses are cut due to not having to provide instructors, venue or materials †¢It enables staff members from various geographical settings to take the training at their convenience without the time or expense of traveling. Since the introduction of the internet, organizations now have virtual online training. This is a way that the company can offer training on various subjects in an online environment. Some organizations offer certificate programs for the completion of the courses employees complete. Ways to motivate employeesThe most indisputable way to motivate employees into attending a training session is to make it a requirement to attend training on scheduled work hours. There are ways to motivate employees that are not interested in attending training sessions are as follows (Tobey, 2005; Rossett, 1987).Provide incentivesThe most common incentives for employees to attend training will include opportunities for promotion, college credits, certificates and monetary compensation. Relate the training to an employee’s immediate jobEmployees are more willing to attend training when the material covered will be directly related to their immediate job performance. Employees would be more motivated to attend a training session on a computer program that the organization will be using in two months than a training session on â€Å"Future Trends on Office Automation† (Rosset, 1987). Therefore, training should be provided before the implementation of the product instead of with the thought of we may use it. Make the training interestingEmployees are more interested and willing to go to training if the session are interesting and they gain useful information associated with their position. I ncrease employee buy-in in the trainingIf the employee has a say in the information covered and the type of training given they will be more likely to attend these sessions. Provide the food.The organization provides lunch during the training session for the employees as the presentation is carried out. This would be the highest possibility that the employees would attend this training. Reduce the stress of attending the trainingOften times, employees are willing to attend training but their schedule constraints keep them from taking the time away from their schedules. The organization can assist employees with attending training by reducing their workload or giving assistance with workload. Customer feedback is significant to respond to customer needs and issues to ensure satisfaction of the Company’s products and services (Brown, 1996). Feedback in training is important in helping make improvements for future training sessions. Sample of survey used to collect feedback.1. O verall how would you rate the training class? ExcellentGoodFairPoor*2. Please rate the following aspects of the training classExcellentGoodFairPoorn/a Did your trainer actively ask questionsDid your trainer have a professional demeanorPlease rate the qualifications of the instructor3. Based on your experience at this training class, how likely are you to attend future training class with this instructor? Very likelySomewhat likelyNot likely4. What did you learn from the training?ExcellentGoodFairPoorn/a5. What do you think about the quality of training?ExcellentGoodFairPoorn/a6. Were the training materials enough?7.Suggest other methods of training8.What did you learn from the training?In conclusion, all organizations should place training employees on customer service at the top of their priorities. Customers will continue to come back when they receive good service and back service will drive customers away. Therefore all organizations need to continue to enhance the customer serv ice skills of their employees through customer service training.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

BHS 420 Mod 1 SLP (Quantitative Reasoning) Essay

BHS 420 Mod 1 SLP (Quantitative Reasoning) - Essay Example mental health, with one author asserting that a â€Å"remarkable transformation has been witnessed in public mental health services over the past thirty years" (Vega & Murphy, 1990, p. 1). I picked the topics listed above because they are four areas of significant research in the scientific community, and I am confident that I will be able to locate a large amount of books, articles, and clinical studies so as to find enough that will provide both strong and weak examples of good research methods and quantitative reasoning. For example, in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, it was found that â€Å"Iraqi Gulf War (GW) veteran refugees or those who fled the Hussein regime and were subsequently granted refugee stated by the United States are at high risk for the same mental health maladies that afflict U.S. GW veterans (Jamil, Nassar-Mcmillan & Lambert, 2004, p. 295). I find it interesting that both the combat veterans and the refugees from the regime find themselves in the same position. The intricacies of the human brain, and all of the scientific studies performed so far, indicate that there is still much to learn in this area of study. The same is true for the other topics noted above. Given my interest in the human mind and the ongoing research in mental health studies, I believe one of these topics will be both interesting and informative. I look forward to the opportunity to do further research. Jamil, H., Nassar-McMillan, S.C. (2004). The Aftermath of the gulf War: Mental Health Issues among Iraqi gulf War Veteran Refugees in the United States. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 26, (4),

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Personal Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Personal Development - Essay Example The person interviewed was a middle-aged African American who was born in America. The interviewee shared his experience of life and how things going around him developed his personal characteristics. He confessed that he faced many problems in life because of his different ethnicity, culture and social values but all the challenges he faced developed him personally. The interviewee shared his views on socialization, interpersonal behavior and language and cognition. In addition to it, self and personality, family, gender and sexuality and illness and health helped him in developing good characteristics. The interviewee shared his childhood and adulthood moments and discussed the support he got from people and the difficulties he faced in his life. He mentioned that everything that occurred with him in his lifetime helped him as he took everything positively. He was determined that a positive attitude can change his life and he can come over with all his problems if he takes everythi ng that happens to him positively.

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Capitalism - cause of Global Economic Crisis Essay

Capitalism - cause of Global Economic Crisis - Essay Example Roubini has little doubts about the fact that capitalism is being doomed because the governments have failed to find out solutions to the problems caused by the system of market economy. The governments and policy makers took a number of different steps to bring the economy back on track but all policy measures taken to prevent the downfall of economic system failed one after the other. As the last resort the governments are trying to bring stability to the economy by cutting the expenditures however this will not be able to bring the economy back to track until new taxes are levied or the previous raised. Most of the countries that are following the principle of market economy have failed to restore the living standard of the public despite giving salary raises and subsidizing commodities because the effect of raised taxes is much higher as compared to the monetary assistances provided by the governments. Injecting more money into the failing economy in the form of bank bailouts is not an available option now for most of the countries because of the increasing political and public pressures because such measures are taken at the expense of public welfare expenditures which is totally unacceptable to the already suffering people, moreover another series of bank bailouts is also economically unfeasible. Currency depreciation is an option because a weaker currency and better trade balance can restore the economic growth but rendering the currencies weak is not an option for economically advanced countries therefore currency wars are currently in order. The Eurozone countries managed to help their cause a bit by the establishment of the European Financial Stabilization Facility but in the current circumstances the ESFS will not be able to pay bailouts for countries as big as Italy or Spain because of the limited assets whereas adding to the assets of ESFS is not possible because currently no country in Europe could sponsor such a move and this will receive resista nce from countries like Germany. In effect, the capitalist system of economy has stuck itself in a circle of self-destruction as suggested by Karl Marx where jobs are being cut because of the lack of demand in the market and this cutting of jobs is further adding to the lack of demand resulting in more job cuts and so on and this is the approach which has been adopted by the followers of the Keynesian system. The world currently is facing the problems which were predicted by the critics of capitalism hundreds of years ago such as poverty, unemployment, hopelessness, lack of basic facilities of life and the most important of all which can be considered as the root cause of these problems is the increasing inequality between people (Roubini, 2011). In the end Roubini suggests that there is a need of â€Å"investing in human capital, skills and social safety nets to increase productivity† and this can surely be the only possible solution to the present economic crisis. According to Roubini the present economic system based on market economy has essentially failed to provide effective solution the problems faced by man therefore a modified capitalist model is required to take over. Sen on the other hand gives prime stress to find out what exactly is the problem with the economic system of the present time and put forwards

Monday, August 26, 2019

Organizational Behaviour Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Organizational Behaviour - Coursework Example This is because; it is the behaviour and attitudes of the human resources of an organization that directly affects its level of performance and reputation in the entire world. Thus, the impact of the behaviour and attitudes of the individual over the effectiveness of the organizational performance is described as ‘motivation’. Discussion Motivation is described as a psychological attribute that arouses within an individual to achieve a desired objective such as organizational goal or individual performance. Moreover, to accomplish the goal or objective, desired behaviour is presented by the individual. Thus, it might be described that an unsatisfied need of an individual generates tension within the body that stimulates the driving force to gratify the requirement. Hence, it may be stated that motivation acts as the determining power that helps an individual to achieve the desired needs. So, motivation is described as one of the most essential approach for an entrepreneu r or a manager of an organization. This is because, without the knowledge of motivation, managers might fail to analyze the behaviours and attitudes of the subordinates working under him or her. Moreover, if the managers fail to understand the needs or the underlining requirements of the employees, then he might not be able to design the activities or responsibilities in desired way. As a result, the employees might not be stimulated to achieve the requisite objective in order to fulfil his or her inner wishes. Other than this, if the manager fails to motivate the employees, then their level of performance might not be improved thereby hampering the productivity and brand image of the organization. Side by side, the level of profit margin and distinctiveness of the organization might also get reduced to a significant extent as compared to other rivals operating in the similar segment. So, it might be clearly depicted from the above mentioned points that motivation acts as the medium to satisfy the needs. In this age of stiff economy and tough competition, performance is the only medium to cope up with challenges and rival players. However, to improve the level of performance of the employees and the organization, managers need to analyze their requirements i.e. basic or secondary needs. This is because; each and every employee gets motivated in different way and so the managers need to analyze their desires (either hygiene or motivators) in different way. Only then, the level of dedication of the employees might get enhanced in order to accomplish such inner desires in a significant way. By doing so, the level of efficiency and performance of the organization might also get improved thereby amplifying its growth rate. Apart from this, the total sales and brand loyalty of the organization might also get enhanced thereby amplifying its dominance among the existing players. Along with this, the rate of retention of the experienced employees might get enhanced the reby reducing the ratio of attrition. Therefore, motivation acts as a medium to enhance the level of satisfaction and performance f the organization.

Sunday, August 25, 2019

The Rise and Fall of LTCM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Rise and Fall of LTCM - Essay Example On the other hand, there are differences between hedge and mutual funds, whereby the hedge funds are managed more aggressively compared to the mutual funds, hence making it possible to take speculative positions in derivative securities like decisions to short sell stock. Moreover, this increases leverage and risk of the funds hence are making it possible for the funds to gain profits when the market is declining. On the other hand, mutual funds are not allowed to be involved in highly leveraged positions; hence, they are considered safer than the hedge funds. Main sources of LTCM initial success The main sources of success for LTCM were associated with a complex mathematical model that the company had established in order to benefit from fixed income arbitrage deals within the bonds of U.S.A, Japanese and European governments (Dunbar, 5). They applied the fundamental idea of the changes in the values of the long dated bonds issued a short time apart, which becomes similar. Neverthel ess, the bonds were approached at a different rate, and they were more traded bonds like the US Treasury bonds, whereby the long-term prices are approached more effectively, though they are less heavily traded and liquid. The other main of success factor was the financial transactions, which related to purchasing cheaper bonds, short selling them more expensive and liquid, hence generating profit from the difference in the value of the bonds. In fact, their capital grew, and they were willing to invest the capital somewhere; hence, they run out of outstanding bond-arbitrage bets leading to LTCM to apply strategies that were beyond their expertise (MacKenzie, 349). Nonetheless, their trading strategies were nonmarket directional, whereby they did not depend on the overall market interest rates or fluctuations of stock prices, since they had no convergence trades. Main reasons for LTCM collapse The success of the LTCM in the financial markets occurred within a short period, and this w as attributed to informational asymmetries by the fund managers, hence resulting to a downfall before the establishment of the East Asian financial crisis, in 1997. The downfall began with a reduction noted on the net returns in 1998 for the period between May that had 65% and June, 10.4%, resulting to a reduction of their capital by $461 million, in fact, when the Salomon Brothers withdrew from the arbitrage business in July 1998, the downfall was escalated. The losses were accentuated by crisis experienced in Russia during the month of August and September in 1998, when the bonds were defaulted in Russia by their government, leading to investors’ decision to sell European and Japanese bonds in order to purchase the treasury bonds in U.S.A due to their worries. Profits anticipated as the value of the bonds purchased in U.S.A resulted to losses due to convergence of bonds while their value diverged; consequently, the LTCM had incurred losses worth 1.85 billion dollars by the end of August. LTCM could no longer provide investors with annual returns of 40%; instead they were they went through a Flight–to-Liquidity, and in the beginning of September, their equity reduced from 2.3 billion dollars to 600 million dollars with no dwindling portfolio, and this resulted to a further increase in

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Db5 team and leadership Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Db5 team and leadership - Research Paper Example Other factors that might contribute to the teamwork failure include lack of open-mindedness and progressive thinking among team members (McCallin & Mike, 2009). However, this is opposed to another experience I had with another team that was very successful from the start to end. Among the main factors that contributed to the success of the team was commitment to the goals of the project, good interpersonal skills and interdependence among team members. According to Tarricone & Luca (2002), interpersonal skills such as open discussions among team members, honesty, trust and respect are some of the most important factors that can enhance effective teamwork among members. However, the most crucial factor that helped the team become successful was communication among members. Open communication and positive feedback among the team members are important attributes for a successful team (Tarricone & Luca, 2002). All members of a particular team need to learn teamwork and be committed to targets, timelines and responsibilities set for the project. Such effectiveness can only be achieved through proper communication among team

Friday, August 23, 2019

Brand Management - Create a new sub-brand for Ted Baker plc (new make Essay

Brand Management - Create a new sub-brand for Ted Baker plc (new make up range) - Essay Example bulences within the British and the international market, the firm needs to prepare in advance a careful plan for the relevant initiative estimating the effectiveness and the feasibility of this project in the long term. In order to design the plan related with a specific product, we should primarily examine its potential market in terms of the customers’ preferences as they have been observed in relation with similar products. In this context, it is suggested by Henderson et al. (2000, 112) that ‘the building of a brand starts with a precise definition of the target customer group and its needs and expectations and proceeds to a realistic assessment of how well the brand currently meets them’. From a similar point of view, Dennis et al. (2002, 355) noticed that ‘branding is well known for consumer products but power has shifted from manufacturers brands towards retailers while the term image is more common than brand in the context of shopping centres, but branding may become more important’. In accordance with the above, the design and the development of a brand can be a challenging task especially when the targeted market is a competitive one (like in the case of UK). The proposed product will include a series of sub-products. More specifically, the firm is interested in launching a series of make up products including: a make up crà ¨me, a make up powder, a mix – make up product (crà ¨me and powder in one product) and a compact make up product which will be characterized for its long duration. The careful examination of the British market – especially of the specific sector – showed that this market is offered for the specific product. More specifically, in accordance with a series of statistics published by Market Research Portal (2006) the value of British cosmetics market is estimated to approximately 1.5 billion Euros for 2006. On the other hand, it is noticed that ‘over the past five years the make-up market has seen vibrant growth of

Thursday, August 22, 2019

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

Mrketing - Essay Example My concept of mrketing is close to the definition by CIM tht looks not only t identifying customer needs, but lso stisfying them (short-term) nd nticipting them in the future (long-term retention). In its most generic form, I define mrketing s mrketing seen s reltionships, networks nd interction or mrketing bsed on interction within network of reltionships. In the brodest sense of mrketing, ll mngement, the whole society, nd even life itself, form networks of reltionships within which we interct in our roles of business executives, employees, consumers, citizens nd humn beings. Collbortion. The core contribution from mrketing is its emphsis on collbortion. In nrrow sense it comprises the collbortion between customer nd supplier. This hs lwys been prcticl necessity for services nd for the development, production, mrketing nd purchsing of complex products in business mrketing. Its prctice, however, is often unprofessionl nd guided by legl-bureucrtic vlues nd lck of empthy. Its introduction in theory nd eduction is long overdue. Tody, severl sources independent of reltionship mrketing stress collbortion. Collbortion is the very reson for forming n orgniztion; you collborte inside nd compete outside. In totl reltionship mrketing you both collborte nd compete, inside s well s outside the orgniztion. Long reltionships. Long reltionships. series of studies clim tht the longer the reltionship with customer, the higher the profit will be. This is primrily due to two effects of customer loylty: reduced mrketing costs when fewer customers defect; nd incresed 'customer shre' or 'shre of wllet' ( higher shre of the customer's purchse of product or service goes to single supplier). Long reltionships re lso needed inside the orgniztion. Win-win. Effective collbortion in long-term reltionship cn only tke plce if the prties feel like winners, or t lest tht they gin from the reltionship nd tht it is their best option under current circumstnces. It requires ech prty to think of the other prty s prtner rther thn s n

A Critical Analysis of Company Q’s Social Responsibility Essay Example for Free

A Critical Analysis of Company Q’s Social Responsibility Essay Abstract This essay is a critical analysis of the behaviors that Company Q has demonstrated with regard to social responsibility. In essence, Company Q’s behaviors, while reasonable reactions to maintain financial viability and avoid contribution to employee malfeasance, actually demonstrate a profound solicitude that results in a negative public image that will end up costing it more in the long term. I will offer solutions that will provide a cost savings while keeping Company Q from making further embarrassing errors. A Critical Analysis of Company Q’s Social Responsibility Unfortunately, Company Q has not made wise decisions as it relates to social responsibility. There are reports that the company 1) chose to close much-needed grocery stores in economically depressed (read: minority-occupied) parts of town, 2.) chose to start offering health-conscious food items only after it could locate the highest-margin products it could find; and 3) ashamedly refused to provide day-old food to the local food bank under the auspices that it was concerned that its employees would steal the food instead of donating it. The goal of this analysis is not only to highlight this absurd behavior and reasoning but also to offer solutions that are conducive to meeting social-responsibility concerns and maintaining financial viability. With any hope, Company Q will heed the counsel and institute immediate changes. Scenario 1 The news recently reported the shuttering of two of Company Q’s grocery stores in Neighborhood A and Neighborhood B. Although the company gave no public statement about the nature of these closings, public financial disclosures indicate the rationale: The stores were not profitable. Of course, in a free-market economy, companies have the option to close unprofitable stores. But in addition to being a free market, we are also an economy that operates on high social principles—or, at the very least, we  should be. Company Q apparently missed this memorandum when it was sent 30 years ago. With these stores removed from both neighborhoods, where are the residents of those neighborhoods supposed to shop? And with the removal of the stores, what impetus do the few other grocers have to keep prices reasonable for people of that socio-economic level? Scenario 1—Resolution I recognize that a possible rebuttal to any of the aforementioned questions is, â€Å"If the residents are not shopping there and putting money into the store, why would we be expected to stay open?† I would offer that such a rebuttal is wrongheaded. Perhaps a better question may be, â€Å"What are we doing to cause residents to shop elsewhere or to not spend more money with us?† Does Company Q offer the food choices these residents want? Is the layout of your stores conducive to these residents? Are the prices too high? Do the staff you employ in these stores look like the residents who shop there? If the answer is â€Å"no† to any of these questions, we will have unlocked one of many possible reasons why the store is unprofitable. It is then Company Q’s responsibility to address these issues instead of packing up shop and moving to the more affluent areas of town, where they are not concerned that a jar of pickles may cost $40. Scenario 2 With a weight epidemic ravaging the country, Company Q made its decision to offer health-conscious food fare only after it could find the foods that provided the highest margin of profit for it. That is probably why there is a dearth of health-food options in its store, and probably why the prices are nearly twice those of its competitors. This message translates to the community as: â€Å"If Company X can profit obscenely from offering health-food options to its consumers, it will then be concerned with offering healthy options. Otherwise, let the American obesity epidemic rage on unfettered—not our problem!† Scenario 2—Resolution The above message is a clear problem, and it does not have to be. It is possible for Company Q to offer plenty of health-food options while still making a profit, though the profit may not be as obscene as the one it is currently making. Company Q can engage in more impactful negotiations with its suppliers or can shop the market for health-food competitors who would  be willing to supply its sizable consumer base with its food. In our previous reference to store closings, Company Q could also offer more health-food options in more of its stores as opposed to select ones. Or Company Q could offer the same food products but initially make less of a profit on it by offering discounts on it initially as a sort of enticement to customers to become interested and promote the food to their network of friends and family. This possibility could theoretically create increased demand for the healthy food and allow more profitability for the company in the long run. Company profitability and meeting social-responsibility obligations as it relates to our country’s obesity epidemic need not be at variance. Scenario 3 A local food bank—one that serves the indigent—requested the donation of day-old food from Company Q, but Company Q responded that it was concerned that it would lose revenue because it was concerned that its employees would purloin the food instead of donating it. Scenario 3—Resolution This response is insulting to its own employees and to the food bank. If Company Q is concerned that its employees are miscreants, the company’s bigger concern should be the integrity of its employee-verification process. There are many solutions available: have the food-bank employees collect the food themselves, designate a specific employee to handle food donations, make a tax-deductible donation in the amount of the destroyed food instead. Almost any response is better than what Company Q provided. Conclusion There is no question that every company has a right to pursue profits, and I recognize that Company Q is ultimately attempting to do just that. However, it is imperative that Company Q realize that it has a responsibility to contribute to society something other than products and services. Consumers are interested in doing business with forward-thinking companies who recognize their responsibility in propelling the â€Å"soul† of our society forward. With the counsel provided, Company Q can bring itself in line with many other companies in being truly customer centric.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Two Parts to a Double Dissociation

Two Parts to a Double Dissociation Organisms, at one level, are obviously collections of parallel systems that are potentially independent, although normally interactive. (Weiskrantz, 1990) The argument of separate visual processing streams is a long and turbulent one, which stems largely from Ungerleider and Mishkins (1982) early work with monkeys. Following this research, Mishkin, Ungerleider, and Macko (1983) suggested two streams of processing. They characterised the ventral stream as the what route, used to analyse visual characteristics of objects, and the dorsal stream as the where stream, which calculated the spatial relations of the object. However, in 1992, Milner and Goodale proposed a reinterpretation of the dual pathway model (Goodale Milner, 1992, 2004; Milner Goodale, 1993, 2006). In this new model, the ventral stream was concerned with the visual perception and processing of object form and object recognition, to transform visual information into a perceptual representation of the world (Goodale Milner, 1992). Importantly, it also encoded spatial relations of objects in an allo-centric sense. This allows us to think about our world, its objects, and t he placement of objects. In contrast, the dorsal stream was involved in the controlling actions interacting with the goal object. The dorsal stream calculates spatial relations in an ego-centric view, using accurate and precise measurements. In more general terms, it can be stated in short, that this new model suggested that differences between the two streams should be evaluated, not in terms of visual inputs, but as the output systems which the two streams serve. Both streams receive the same visual information, but they interpret it in different ways (Milner Goodale, 2008). In their study of this model, researchers searched for the ideal complementary double dissociation which would unequivocally support Milner and Goodales claim that these streams are completely separate entities, which receive visual information, and then interpret and react to this information in very different ways. They found support for these claims by the flagship double dissociation studies using neuropsychological patients. The key conditions in these case studies and experimental research studies are Optic Ataxia (OA) and Visual Form Agnosia (VA). These neuropsychological disorders are, to Milner and Goodale, the quintessential case for a double dissociation. The term of double dissociation is an elusive idea in neuropsychology, with clear and concise dissociations difficult to come by. In a single dissociation, damage to a particular brain region interrupts one function, but not another function. This implies that these two functions are independent of each other in some form. The most commonly referenced single dissociation is the condition VA, in which the patient perceptual abilities are impeded, but not the visuomotor abilities. Furthering on from single dissociations, interest has turned to finding double dissociations. These double dissociations, as originally described by Teuber (1955) are seen as powerful tools in neuropsychological research, to discover and study the separate functional modules and to strengthen the evidence for a single dissociation. However, double dissociations can be very difficult to prove, as to be a true double dissociation it must be shown that two different external manipulations will affect two patients differently. That is, the first manipulation will affect patient A, but not B, whereas the second manipulation will affect patient B, but not A. This can be used as a starting block to make inferences of the modular functions of brain areas. The dual visual systems double dissociation of OA and VA, or perception of objects with mis-reaching and inability to perceive with successful grasping became the workhorse of Milner and Goodales model. They based much of their early findin gs upon studies carried out with patient D.F which showed a single dissociation (James, Culham, Humphrey, Milner, Goodale, 2003; Goodale, Milner, Jakobson, Carey, 1991). Patient D.F. is the most researched neuropsychological patient in the study of dual visual streams, and it is from research carried out with her that led to the fruition of Milner and Goodales model (Goodale et al., 1991). D.F. suffered bilateral lesions of the occipito-temporal cortex, considered to be the ventral stream area, which resulted in a profound case of Visual Form Agnosia (Milner et al, 1991). That is, she was incapable of visually perceiving the form of objects and yet she could accurately make visually guided movements and grasp objects (James et al., 2003; Goodale et al., 1991). It was argued that this research indicated that D.F.s visuomotor skills were left intact, implying firstly, that there was evidence for a single dissociation, and secondly, that D.F. could show pure visuomotor skill with out the interference of perception. In other words, she could show what the dorsal stream in Milner and Goodales model was capable of achieving (Milner et al., 1991). This original study was quickly followed by a stream of research which investigated the visuomotor capabilities of D.F (Goodale, 1994b; Milner et al, 1991) and a second VA patient; S.B. (Dijkerman, Le, Demonet, Milner, 2004). The further research illustrated that D.F.s visuomotor skills allowed her to scale her grip and orientate her wrist correctly, similarly to controls (Milner Goodale, 1995). In matching orientation tasks D.F. failed, appearing to choose orientations at random, yet when asked to reach towards a slot and post an item she performed at a similar level to controls (Goodale et al., 1991). Studies illustrated her ability to use visual information involving the orientation and shape of a particular object for online corrections of hand movements and in an object grasping task for regular shapes, (Dijkerman, Milner, Carey, 1996; Carey, Harvey, Milner, 1996), and irregular shapes (Goodale et al., 1994c). These findings were later replicated with S.B. (Dijkerman, McInto sh, Schindler, Nijboer, Milner, 2009; Dijkerman et al., 2004). The interpretation given to D.F.s visuomotor abilities suggested that the undamaged dorsal stream was controlling the visuomotor abilities, without the input of the damaged ventral stream. This was a powerful argument for Milner and Goodales model as it emphasised the functional dissociation within the visual system. On the opposite side of this dissociation, researchers studied patients (I.G. and A.T.) with Optic Ataxia (OA); a visuomotor disorder. This involves gross mis-reaching for visual targets, usually most severe in the peripheral visual field, can manifest in the contralesional visual field and the contralesional hand (Perenin Vighetto, 1988). However, patients can identify objects normally; unlike patient D.F., OA patients can discriminate the size, shape, and orientation of objects. However, these patients have difficulty in grasping objects correctly or in a functionally correct manner. OA patients will not appropriately scale their grip during reaching; they open their finger grip too wide, and close it once they reach contact with the object (Jeannerod, Decety, Michel, 1994). In addition, their reaching duration is increased, their peak velocity is lower than controls, and they misplace their fingers when they have to visually guide their hand towards a slit (Grà ©a et al., 2002) . Similarly, in reaching tasks with target jumps, both A.T. and I.G. failed to show online adjustment of movement like healthy controls (Pisella et al., 2000; Grà ©a et al., 2002). This indicates a feed forward and feedback deficit in OA. More simply, OA patients do not possess the capabilities to quickly alter their movements; they rely on the involvement of slower and later visual and motor feedback. However, does all this research lead onto the conclusion of a classic double dissociation? Milner and Goodale argue that no clearer evidence could be shown; one condition (VA) leads to inability to perceive items, yet can act on these items, and the other condition (OA) shows an inability to grasp an item, and yet they can perceive all their features. The problem is, this case of double dissociation may not be as straight forward and concise as Milner and Goodale assume. There is a new stream of research showing the exceptions and difficulties in the dual visual system assumption. A classic dissociation calls for one function to be within normal performance range and the affected function to be far below normal performance (Shallice, 1988). In relation to D.F.s visuomotor abilities, more recent research has highlighted difficulties in claiming a classic dissociation. Although D.F. does manage to grasp items in most cases, this is not to the level of normal range; she makes semantic errors in grasping tools in non-functional ways (Carey, Harvey, Milner, 1996). However, she also fails to grasp neutral laboratory blocks using the most comfortable grasp (Dijkerman, et al., 2009), and she fails to complete visuomotor guiding or grasping tasks with any shapes of significant complexity (Goodale et al., 1994a; Carey et al., 1996; Dijkerman et al., 1998; McIntosh, Dijkerman, Mon-Williams, Milner, 2004). In fact, more recent research has found restrictions to D.F.s grasping abilities, showing that she does not automatically select a grip posture which minimises awkwar d and uncomfortable grasps, like control subjects (Dijkerman et al., 2009). Furthermore, even in successful completion of simplistic tasks, D.F. may not use the same visual cues that healthy controls use. When prisms were used to perturb D.F.s vision, it was found that D.F. relies almost exclusively on vergence angle and vertical gaze for establishing object distance in reaching tasks (Mon-Williams, McIntosh, Milner, 2001; Mon-Williams, Tresilian, McIntosh, Milner, 2001). In fact there have been reports of the daily difficulty in carrying out actions for VA patients, namely S.B. showing at times greater peripheral misreaching than OA patients (Là © et al., 2002; Pisella, Binkofski, Lasek, Toni, Rossetti, 2006). VA patients use compensation techniques such as, moving their head to focus the target in central vision and slowing their goal directed movements (Rosetti, Vighetto, Pisella, 2003; Pisella et al., 2006). Dijkerman and colleagues found that patient D.F. could perform a grasping task well when she could use binocular viewing, even when her head po sition was fixed on a chin rest. However, she could not complete the task under monocular viewing unless she could tilt her head to compensate (Dijkerman et al., 1996). Specifically, D.F. needs to use either binocular disparity or motion parallax to recover the depth of an object and successfully carry out a grasping task. The empirical evidence illustrates that patients with VA struggle with many visuomotor tasks and in many cases can only complete simple tasks. Therefore, their performance is far from within the normal range, shown by control tasks with uninjured brains. Firstly, this puts into question the strong single dissociation thought to be illustrated by VA. However, even more importantly and secondly, these findings cast doubts on the pure dorsal abilities, suggesting that even with an uninjured dorsal stream visuomotor skills are affected, which in this case prevents the possibility of a double dissociation. The past research of OA has equally been viewed only through the eyes of the dual processing model, excluding the finer details. For example, clinically, a diagnosis of OA requires for all other perceptual deficits to be excluded. Specifically, issues with visual acuity, visual neglect or injury to the eye itself must be ruled out as explanations for misreaching with visual guidance. However, these diagnostic guidelines have not always been followed, and assessments of such issues have been absent or carried out in approximations (Schenk McIntosh, 2010). Stricter assessments have recurrently shown impaired discrimination of object location or orientation, particularly in the extra-foveal visual field where OA symptoms are most severe (Michel Henaff, 2004; Pisella et al., 2009). It has been argued that in truth, OA is more closely linked to attentional disorders, such as visual neglect or visual extinction (Michel Henaff, 2004; Pisella et al., 2009; Streimer et al., 2007, 2009). A.T.s attentional visual field was described as being narrowed to a functional tunnel vision (Michel Henaff, 2004). The confusion of OAs true origin comes from the fact that misreaching occurs in extra-foveal vision, when patients cannot fixate on the object. The visuomotor abilities of OA patients in central vision show little to no deficits in carrying out visually guided grasping tasks under normal conditions, unlike the misreaching that is present in the peripheral visual field (Grà ©a et al., 2002; Pisella et al., 2000). More recent studies have suggested that misreaching also affects proprioceptive targets which are not in the direction of gaze (Jackson et al., 2009; Blangero et al., 2007). Jackson et al. (2009) argue that this indicates a difficulty in representing several locations simultaneously, indicating that OA is not simply a visuomotor problem. Similarly, recent papers have shown that perception itself is also impaired in the peripheral visual field (Michel Henaff, 2004; Rosetti et al., 2005). These findings plunge the status of OA as a visuomotor disorder into uncertainty; and it unquestionably casts doubts on optic ataxia being considered as evidence of a dissociation of perceptual and motor functions within visual processing. Furthermore, with a growing number of researchers questioning the clarity of OAs strict visuomotor deficits, the argument of a double dissociation loses even more conviction. Many years of research have emphasised an impairment of actions in OA, and an impairment of perception in VA. However, are the differences between these two conditions and the empirical evidence strong enough to support a case for a double dissociation? As Pisella and colleagues (2006) highlights, looking over past research on the vision for action studies on OA patients and VA patients; it becomes obvious that these sets of patients have not been tested in identical settings. As previously noted, vision guided grasping movements are impaired in the peripheral vision of OA patients; however, these same abilities have only been tested in the central vision for VA patients (Pisella et al., 2006). As indicated earlier, OA patients have been shown to deal with visually guided grasping to a successful level in central vision and ecologically valid conditions (Grà ©a et al., 2002; Pisella et al., 2000). Without empirical evidence to indicate the true abilities of VA patients reaching in p eripheral vision, it cannot be concluded that their reaching is unaffected. Similarly, OA patients perceptual abilities have not been significantly studied. It is assumed that their perception is at normal levels, however, this same assumption was given to VA reaching until it was more closely studied. Thus, this major fault in the claim for a double dissociation does not take into account the fundamental assumption for double dissociations; that testing of the function must be carried out in the same conditions (Teuber, 1955). Given the arguments presented, it seems unlikely that OA and VA are a complementary double dissociation reflecting the inner workings of a separate vision for action and vision for perception processing routes. This suggestion is much too simplified. It is much more likely that the vision for perception and vision for action streams interact a great deal, and thus both streams have an effect upon each of these two conditions. We are unclear of VA patients peripheral visual abilities, and thus they cannot be truly compared to OA patients extra-foveal misreachings. In fact, with doubt mounting about OAs actually link to the vision for action stream, the argument becomes even more clouded. Diagnostically, this must be cleared up before any conclusions of its involvement can be made. In a comparable trend, patients with VA do not perform as well in visually guiding grasping tasks as originally claimed; they in fact perform well below normal levels (Goodale et al., 1994a; Carey et al., 1996; Dijkerman et al., 1998; McIntosh et al., 2004). Furthermore, under normal conditions and in central vision, OA patients actually perform better than previously claimed, due to their compensatory techniques (Grà ©a et al., 2002; Pisella et al., 2000). This coupled with recent findings of OA patients perceptual difficulties in peripheral vision, (Michel Henaff, 2004; Rosetti et al., 2005), it becomes an extremely difficult task to claim a double dissociation. Although, it may be extreme to claim no interaction between these conditions, they are not completely separate entities either. The fact remains that both conditions allow us to learn a great deal about the visual system under the Milner and Goodale model, and there is certainly a complementary divergence of symptoms in p art. However, the issue lies in attempting to construct these components into a complementary double dissociation; the components just do not add up. Hence, it is necessary to move beyond the rudimentary dichotomy of vision for action and vision for perception, and consequently the supposed double dissociation and simplification of OA and VA. Despite previous conventions on the unification of these deficits as one dissociation, as has been shown deeper research is beginning to highlight the cracks in this dissociation. It is necessary to advance the Milner and Goodale model beyond the research reliance on the OA and VA double dissociations. It is important that the assumptions made of OA and VA being clear and concise indicators of each visual streams abilities is eased. Although individually, patients such as D.F. and S.B., who have perceptual deficits as found in VA, can be useful indicators of the most basic abilities of the dorsal stream, this cannot be guaranteed to indicate workings of the ventral stream. As shown previously, the interaction between the two streams may be greater than previously thought. Thus higher function s of the dorsal stream may fail in patients with VA without the necessary interactive involvement from the ventral stream. Similarly in cases of OA, moreover, this may be in even more doubt with the disagreement of attention deficits playing a vital role in OA symptoms. In essence, the fixation on a double dissociation between OA and VA is hindering future research and the advancement of the dual visual processing model. This simplistic idea of the absolute double dissociation must be abandoned, and a more interactive approach taken to achieve research advancement.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Precision Teaching: Theories, Implementation and Research

Precision Teaching: Theories, Implementation and Research Tiffany Elmore Introduction to Precision Teaching Precision Teaching (PT) has been applied in many settings and has been greatly successful in increasing learning performance in learners with a wide-range of abilities (White, 1986). It is an approach that measures whether an instructional method is successful in achieving learning goals. It focuses on directly observable behavior, monitors the frequency of the behavior performed in time and analyzes the behavior on a uniform visual display called a Standard Celeration Chart (SCC). Precision Teaching does not determine what curricula should be taught but offers a systematic approach as to the instructional tactics to apply (White, 1986). It bases the curriculum on the child’s performance, in other words, the learner knows best (Lindsley, 1971). The learner’s progress demonstrates whether the program is appropriate for the learner or if changes need to be made to the program. In order to gauge a learner’s progress, the target behavior must directly observable. For example, reading a book aloud can be directly observed to determine the reader’s skill level of the words and comprehension. However, there has been some recent support for using Precision Teaching on inner behaviors. Although, it has been shown to be effective in reducing feelings of depression (Kubina et al., 2006), it is widely used on observable behavior. In Precision Teaching, a learner’s performance is based on behavior frequency which is the average number of responses during each minute of the assessment period (White, 1986). Behavioral fluency is that combination of accuracy plus speed of responding that enables learners to function efficiently and effectively in their natural environments (Binder, 1996). Accuracy alone is not the best gauge of learning progression as it may show skewed improvement in performance. Essentially, by only assessing the accuracy of a learner’s response, an improvement in the learner’s performance is not truly reflected because the responses may be correct but the lack of speed in providing those responses also demonstrates a lack of mastery. Frequency is measured by counts per minute. The speed of a learner’s performance of responding and the accuracy of the responses indicates the learner has either mastered the material, in other words, achieved fluency, or the progress has stalled and the instructional program must be altered. Fluency applies three learning outcomes associated with fluent behavior: Retention, endurance and application (Binder, 1993, 1996 as cited by Kubina, Morrison Lee, 2002). Retention is the ability to perform the behavior after the intervention is terminated. Without retention, the learner loses the ability to perform the behavior. Endurance is the ability to perform a behavior at a specified level over a duration of time (Binder, unpublished doctoral dissertation; Binder, 1996, Binder, Haughton Van Eyk, 1990 as cited by Kubina, Morrison Lee, 2002). For learners who lack endurance may find it difficult to perform behaviors within a 30-second or 1-minute intervals and may ultimately stop performing the desired behaviors. Application is applying some element of a behavior to the entire behavior. For example, if the learner has difficulty in basic writing techniques then the application of increasing fluency in writing spelling words quickly cannot be achieved. The progress of a learner is recorded on a visual display called a Standard Celeration Chart (SCC). The chart is called a standard celeration chart since it always depicts rate of change or progress in a standard manner, regardless of the initial frequency of the behavior (White, 1986). The SCC utilizes a ratio scale which means that all changes in performance will be measured in equal ratios regardless of where they are marked on the chart. The change in frequency from 1 to 2 is the same ratio as 50 to 100 on the SCC. The charts shows whether there is an acceleration, deceleration or no change in behavior. When a behavior frequency doubles, or moves from 1 to 2, it is considered a â€Å"times 2† acceleration. Likewise, when a behavior is halved, or moves from 2 to 1, it is considered a â€Å"divided by 2† deceleration (Lindsley, 1990a). Implementation of Precision Teaching Five steps are involved in the implementation of Precision Teaching: (1) select a task, (2) set an aim (3) count and teach, (4) develop a learning picture and (5) decide what to do (McGreevy, 1983). The first step of implementation is selecting a task for the learner to learn. A task has five parts: (1) a movement that can be counted often each day, (2) a counting period, (3) a correct/incorrect pair, (4) a learning channel set, and (5) a movement that is â€Å"hard to do† (p. II-1). A movement is an observable, physical movement, something that the learner is doing. To make sure the movement occurs often, the learner should have 8-10 learning opportunities per day (p. II-5). If the movement is too hard, then the movement can be changed to a slice back, a step back or a tool movement and, conversely if a movement is too easy it can changed to a leap up movement (p. II-11). A slice back is a smaller movement of the original movement. A step back is an easier movement than the o riginal movement. A tool movement is the prerequisite body movement required to perform the original movement. A leap up movement is a movement that is harder to perform than the original movement. A counting period is amount of time spent each day counting the movement (p. II-12). The period should be long enough so the movement can occur at least 8-10 times. The counting period should not be so long that it proves difficult to count the movement. However, adjustments can be made if the counting period is too long or too short to count the movement. Similarly, Kubina and Yurich (2012) incorporated these two parts into their analysis PT. They suggested that the first step of PT is pinpointing. Pinpointing applies focusing observable behavior and measuring behavior based on frequency. Consider the Dean Man rule that states if a dead man can do it then it is not behavior. The idea is that any directly observable behavior should involve some physical movement. For example, instead of observing a child sitting still in a chair, the teacher can observe the number of times the child gets out the chair. A correct/incorrect pair involves counting the correct movements and incorrect movements (McGreevy, 1983, p. II-15). Instead of focusing on eliminating a movement without adding a replacement movement. For example, rather than decreasing screaming, it best for the learner to increase talking in softer voice. A learning channel set outlines the input channel (received) and output channel (sent). The input can vary from hearing, touching, seeing, smelling, etc and output can include saying, writing, doing, pointing, etc. The learning channel sets â€Å"tells [others] how we are teaching a task† and â€Å"reminds us that are many ways for a [learner] to learn the same movement (McGreevy, 1983, p. II-18). Lastly, the movement must be hard to for the learner to perform (p. II-20). The objective is to learn a new task rather than working on previously learned tasks. By selecting tasks that are hard to do, the learner, provided with ample learning opportunities, will hopefully achieve more corrects and fewer corrects over time and ultimately reach or come close to the aim. The next step in implementing precision teaching is to set an aim (p. III-2). The aim is final chosen objective of the performance likely achieved by a high frequency of correct responses and low to zero frequency of incorrect responses. It is critical that learners learn to perform correct movements in a prompt, smooth and decisive manner. If the learner is having difficulty reaching aim, it may be necessary to change the way the movement is taught, change the learning channel or change the movement as indicated above as a step back, slick back or tool movement. The third step in implementing precision teaching is to count and teach (p. IV-1). This steps requires counting the correct and incorrect responses and teaching the task to the student (p. IV-1). A movement is learned when the learner knows what the correct and incorrect responses are. Each task will be counted and taught daily until the learner reaches aim or the learning picture reflects a need for change. The fourth step in implementing precision teaching is to develop a learning picture. Utilizing the Standard Celeration Chart, the charts displays the correct and incorrect responses provided daily by the learner (p. V-1). The trends of the chart develop the learning picture. The learning picture shows how quickly the responses are increasing or decreasing and predicts whether the learner will achieve aim. The final step in implementing precision teaching is to decide what to do (p. VI-1). Once a learning picture has been revealed, a decision can be made as to whether to continue the current program or make a change. If the learner is not learning or not learning quickly enough, it may be necessary to make changes to the movement (i.e. a slice back), the counting period (i.e. increase 10 seconds to 20 seconds), the learning channel set (i.e. see-write to see-say), the aim (i.e can be lowered), or how the task is taught (i.e. lessons, untimed practice). Precision Teaching in Research Precision Teaching has been applied in a variety of settings and environments. It has proven useful in improving fluency in learners of all ages and all learning abilities. Precision Teaching has been implemented in professional environments as well as classroom settings. In 2002, Binder analyzed the fluency performance in a customer call center. After attending a FluencyBuilding workshops, the manager and supervisors of customer service call center decided to modify their traditional new hire training program. They focused on increasing fluency of the core fundamentals required to perform the job well. Within the fluency-based training, trainees were given lecture and tested on lecture material with a 2-minute quiz (see-mark), a 3-minute hear or see-say providing verbal responses to questions in addition to other fluency-based activities. Daily fluency goals for each exercise were set and each trainees’ performance was monitored against those goals. Trainees recorded their ow n performance and reported their performance to the training coaches. As a result of the fluency-based training, correct performances tripled each week and all participants performed within the fluent range. The participants mastered the core material much faster than in previous training programs and thus reduced the required training during from three weeks to two weeks. New hire trainees were much more fluent in the fundamental skills and knowledge than their veteran counterparts. The dramatic improvements within this program demonstrate that fluency-based programs to be successful in education, training and coaching programs involving all ages of participants within various skill sets. Precision Teaching applied within a classroom setting has proven to increase reading ability, maths skills, and improving academic interventions overall. Chiesa and Robertson (2000) utilized Precision Teaching and fluency-based training to enhance maths skills in five primary school children. The students were selected because their maths skills were not improving at the same pace as their peers. They were in jeopardy of being referred to a remedial program. The training program focused on one observable behavior, the division of two-digit numbers by one-digit. Pre-tests were taken on both multiplication and division skills to determine each student’s skill level. The students were taught how to use digital timers, plot scores and understand learning pictures on the SCC. The students were responsible for completing their maths practice sheets without teacher instruction or assistance. The five students sat together as a group during the maths period and had a personal folder t hat contained the practice sheets, answer key and charts. They completed their practice sheets within a one-minute time probe, each completed sheet was marked by a peer and the correct and error scores were recorded on the SCC. Each week one of the researchers met with the students during maths period while the teacher was working with the rest of the class. The researcher reviewed each student’s progress and determined what changes would be taken. Students that met the aim, moved on to the next level, those who did not meet the aim were provided with skills that were further reduced, or sliced back until they were able to improve to a satisfactory level. At the conclusion of the 12-week training program, the PT group had significantly improved their fluency in the maths skills task. Their responses ranged from 10 to 15 correct in one-minute which was an increase of 10 to 15 responses per minute before the program was implemented. The PT group surpassed all but one of the students in the entire class on the maths skills task. The results show that children performing at a low academic level can improve their learning significantly through Precision Teaching and fluency training. The training program did not require any more time than the allotted maths period and did not provide more instructional assistance or interaction from the teacher. This shows that PT can be beneficial and effective in the mainstream classroom and offers an alternative to expensive and time-consuming academic programs. Precision Teaching has proven to be effective in improving skills in participants with intellectual disabilities as well (Kubina, Morrison Lee, 2002). Schirmer et al. (2007) examined the effectiveness of precision teaching on teaching storytelling to child with autism. The child began working on a hear information-say story program for 10 minutes per day in order to increase the frequency of syllables used. The teacher would describe a scenario to the child and the child would create a story based on the information provided to him. After goals of increased syllable use were met, the teacher moved on a timed practice where the number of correct syllables produced in one minute was recorded. The number of corrects syllables produced increased from 21 per minute to 90 per minute in 5 days. In the last phase, the teacher changed the child’s learning channel from hear-say to see-say. The child was given a photograph and would create a story based on the photograph. Although there was an initial drop in the frequency of correct responses, the child reached the set aim very quickly. Precision Teaching and Practical Application As previous studies have shown, Precision Teaching can be applied in various learning environments with learners of diverse learning abilities. It is an instructional approach that can be applied to any established program or curricula. The main directive guiding success of the learner’s performance IS the learner. Fluency is key to the learner’s progress and any deficits in learning can be easy ascertained with the Standard Celeration Chart. This visual display allows the teacher to easily determine the learner’s progress and either continue with the program on course or make adjustments to program that are most beneficial to the learner. The SCC also helps teacher to predict future progress as to whether the learner will achieve aim or the number of incorrect responses will reach 0. Studies have shown that Precision Teaching can be used in conjunction with other instructional programs and can be effectively applied in both professional and classroom settings wi thout requiring additional time to perform the program in the workplace or classroom. Precision Teaching daily timings are recorded on the SCC but no other data is required. Also, it does not require management or teachers to provide additional instruction outside of the program or curricula already in place. Its versatility in practical application makes Precision Teaching a favorable approach to utilize. References Chiesa, M., Robertson, A. (2000). Precision teaching and fluency training: Making maths easier for students and teachers. Educational Psychology in Practice, 16(3), 297–310. Kubina, R. M., Morrison, R., and Lee, D. L. (2002). Benefits of Adding Precision Teaching to Behavioral Interventions for Students with Autism. Behavioral Interventions, 17, 233-246. Lindsley, O. R. (1971). From Skinner to precision teaching: The child knows best. In J. B. Jordan L. S. Robbins (Eds.), Lets try doing something else kind of thing (pp. 1-11). Arlington, VA: The Council for Exceptional Children. Lindsley, O. R. (1990) Precision teaching: By teachers for children.Teaching Exceptional Children, 22, 10-15. McGreevy, P. (1983).Teaching and learning in plain English(2nd. ed.). Kansas City, MO: Plain English Publications. Schirmer, K., Almon-Morris, H., Fabrizio, M. A., Abrahamson, B. and Chevalier, K. (2007). Using Precision Teaching to Teach Story Telling to a Young Child with Autism. Journal of Precision Teaching and Celeration, 23, 23-26. White, O. R. (1986). Precision TeachingPrecision learning.Exceptional Children, 25, 522-534.

Monday, August 19, 2019

The Contrasting of America and Italy in A View from the Bridge :: English Literature

The Contrasting of America and Italy in A View from the Bridge Arthur Miller's A View from the Bridge presents many different views of America, not only do you see America through the eyes of an Immigrant but also through the eyes of the regular working people, for instance the longshoremen. Within Alfieri's speech, we get our first ideas of what America was like for Eddie, Beatrice and Catherine. The speech highlights, cultural connections 'Frankie Yale himself was cut precisely in half by a machine gun on the corner of Union Street' this shows the influence and grip the Mafia had over American Culture in the 1950's. When describing the area, where Eddie and Beatrice live, he describes it as 'the slum that faces the bay' which gives the impression, of a run down area where only the poor live. He uses the simile 'the gullet of New York, swallowing the tonnage of the world.' Which gives image of a place that has boats coming from all over the world laden with cargo and more. It gives Red Hook, the image of an unsightly place, where people have to work to their limit to feed and support their families. In my opinion Eddie, Beatrice and Catherine are there to show the typical Italian American family of the 1950's. Their house is what most of the longshoremen and their families would live in. It is only a small tenement flat. In the early section of Act One, Miller contrasts the flat, to the living conditions in Sicily and Southern Italy, he voices the comparison through Eddie's response, to Beatrice's worries about needing a new table cloth and cleaning the flat, which is 'listen, they'll think this it's a millionaire's house compared to the way they live.' This is showing, why there were so many immigrants coming into America, the living conditions were so much better than in their countries, even the poorest were living like Kings in the eyes of the immigrants. Catherine, I believe is symbolising the future, because she is the one, who wants to move on with her life, and become a stenographer and work for a company. But Eddie, who still believes in the archaic ways that the man should do the working, tries to discourage her from taking the job. In a way, Catherine being offered the job is showing the 'American Way' that anyone can get a job in America, even an immigrant. But soon the conversation turns back to Beatrice's immigrant cousins and about the American Immigration Bureau. This gives the image of a country full of rules and regulations, a place where there is law and

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Wilsons 14 Points vs. the Treaty of Versailles :: World War I History

Wilson's 14 Points vs. the Treaty of Versailles When the peace processes were to start after the finishing of World War One, there were four people who were major components in the treaty of Paris: Clemenceau, George, Orlando, and Wilson. Clemenceau wanted revenge on the German's by punishing them through the treaties because he believed that they were at fault for the war; George was in agreement with Clemenceau although he did not feel that Germany should suffer severe punishment; Orlando who wanted the irredenta to be re-established; and President Wilson of the United States of America wanted to create a mild peace with Germany in a fair way. In view of this, Wilson created fourteen points that he wanted accomplished in full as a result of the peace treaties. His fourteen points were his plan for a world peace and included plans for the end of secret treaties, freedom of the seas, free trade, arms reduction, the just settlement of colonial claims, the establishment of a League of Nations, and the evacuation of occupied territor ies and national self-determination. Many of his points were carried out in the Treaty of Versailles, although not all of them were successful or followed completely. Wilson's fourth point in his plan was the reduction of national armaments. He stated that there should be "adequate guarantees given and taken that national armaments [would] be reduced to the lowest point consistent with domestic safety." In the Treaty of Versailles, it was stated that the German army was to be limited to 100,000 and that Germany was not allowed to draft its citizens or to have an air force. Also, Germany was no longer allowed to operate submarines because of the unrestricted submarine warfare that they had displayed during the war, and their naval ships were limited in size and in the amount that they were permitted to own. Furthermore, the Rhineland was to be permanently disarmed and occupied by the Allies for fifteen years to ensure that there would be no attacks against France that might start another war. In addition to this, it was stated that Germany would never be allowed to unite with Austria because they would form an incredibly strong fighting force. This resulted in much complaining by the Germans on the account that they believed they were being left without a military force significant enough to protect themselves. Also, the treaty did not require any of the other countries to perform even the slightest demilitarization.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Illustration Paragraph Essay

So, let’s suppose that you have done some brainstorming to develop your thesis. What else should you keep in mind as you begin to create paragraphs? Every paragraph in a paper should be Unified—All of the sentences in a single paragraph should be related to a single controlling idea (often expressed in the topic sentence of the paragraph). Clearly related to the thesis—The sentences should all refer to the central idea, or thesis, of the paper (Rosen and Behrens 119). Coherent—The sentences should be arranged in a logical manner and should follow a definite plan for development (Rosen and Behrens 119). Well-developed—Every idea discussed in the paragraph should be adequately explained and supported through evidence and details that work together to explain the paragraph’s controlling idea (Rosen and Behrens 119). top Read more:  How many sentences in a paragraph for college. How do I organize a paragraph? There are many different ways to organize a paragraph. The organization you choose will depend on the controlling idea of the paragraph. Below are a few possibilities for organization, with brief examples. Narration: Tell a story. Go chronologically, from start to finish. (See an example.) Description: Provide specific details about what something looks, smells, tastes, sounds, or feels like. Organize spatially, in order of appearance, or by topic. (See an example.) Process: Explain how something works, step by step. Perhaps follow a sequence—first, second, third. (See an example.) Classification: Separate into groups or explain the various parts of a topic. (See an example.) Illustration: Give examples and explain how those examples prove your point. (See the detailed example in the next section of this handout.) 5-step process to paragraph development Let’s walk through a 5-step process to building a paragraph. Each step of the process will include an explanation of the step and a bit of â€Å"model† text to illustrate how the step works. Our finished model paragraph will be about slave spirituals, the original songs that African Americans created during slavery. The model paragraph uses illustration (giving examples) to prove its point. Step 1. Decide on a controlling idea and create a topic sentence Paragraph development begins with the formulation of the controlling idea. This idea directs the paragraph’s development. Often, the controlling idea of a paragraph will appear in the form of a topic sentence. In some cases, you may need more than one sentence to express a paragraph’s controlling idea. Here is the controlling idea for our â€Å"model paragraph,† expressed in a topic sentence: Model controlling idea and topic sentence— Slave spirituals often had hidden double meanings. Step 2. Explain the controlling idea Paragraph development continues with an expression of the rationale or the explanation that the writer gives for how the reader should interpret the information presented in the idea statement or topic sentence of the paragraph. The writer explains his/her thinking about the main topic, idea, or focus of the paragraph. Here’s the sentence that would follow the controlling idea about slave spirituals: Model explanation—On one level, spirituals referenced heaven, Jesus, and the soul; but on another level, the songs spoke about slave resistance. Step 3. Give an example (or multiple examples) Paragraph development progresses with the expression of some type of support or evidence for the idea and the explanation that came before it. The example serves as a sign or representation of the relationship established in the idea and explanation portions of the paragraph. Here are two examples that we could use to illustrate the double meanings in slave spirituals: Model example A— For example, according to Frederick Douglass, the song â€Å"O Canaan, Sweet Canaan† spoke of slaves’ longing for heaven, but it also expressed their desire to escape to the North. Careful listeners heard this  second meaning in the following lyrics: â€Å"I don’t expect to stay / Much longer here. / Run to Jesus, shun the danger. / I don’t expect to stay.† Model example B— Slaves even used songs like â€Å"Steal Away to Jesus (at midnight)† to announce to other slaves the time and place of secret, forbidden meetings. Step 4. Explain the example(s) The next movement in paragraph development is an explanation of each example and its relevance to the topic sentence and rationale that were stated at the beginning of the paragraph. This explanation shows readers why you chose to use this/or these particular examples as evidence to support the major claim, or focus, in your paragraph. Continue the pattern of giving examples and explaining them until all points/examples that the writer deems necessary have been made and explained. NONE of your examples should be left unexplained. You might be able to explain the relationship between the example and the topic sentence in the same sentence which introduced the example. More often, however, you will need to explain that relationship in a separate sentence. Look at these explanations for the two examples in the slave spirituals paragraph: Model explanation for example A— When slaves sang this song, they could have been speaking of their departure from this life and their arrival in heaven; however, they also could have been describing their plans to leave the South and run, not to Jesus, but to the North. Model explanation for example B—[The relationship between example B and the main idea of the paragraph’s controlling idea is clear enough without adding another sentence to explain it.] Step 5. Complete the paragraph’s idea or transition into the next paragraph The final movement in paragraph development involves tying up the loose ends  of the paragraph and reminding the reader of the relevance of the information in this paragraph to the main or controlling idea of the paper. At this point, you can remind your reader about the relevance of the information that you just discussed in the paragraph. You might feel more comfortable, however, simply transitioning your reader to the next development in the next paragraph. Here’s an example of a sentence that completes the slave spirituals paragraph: Model sentence for completing a paragraph— What whites heard as merely spiritual songs, slaves discerned as detailed messages. The hidden meanings in spirituals allowed slaves to sing what they could not say. Notice that the example and explanation steps of this 5-step process (steps 3 and 4) can be repeated as needed. The idea is that you continue to use this pattern until you have completely developed the main idea of the paragraph. Narration, description, process, clasification, illustration  topics sentence,controlling idea,give example,explain,complete,transition