Project Risk Management Essay

I.Introduction I am the Project Manager developing the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The development of this state-of-the-art airplane will include an international team of aerospace companies led by Boeing. The advances in this airplane will reduce the use of fuel by 20%, increase cargo capacity, increase nautical miles in a mid-range airplane, and improve passenger comfort. Boeing expects sales of 3,500 units over the next 20 years. (Norris & Wagner, 2009) To really understand the impact of multiple providers, along with the logistics to coordinate assembly, I will illustrate, discuss, and provide a conclusion using two decision tree analyses. The first fault tree will detail the delivery system and identify the failure that could result in delivery failure. The second fault tree details the lack of labor to assemble the airplane. Both pose results that have the potential to financially impact the project. The fault tree diagram will provide a visual representation of the risk and help analyze the cause by looking backwards to identify the root cause. II.Fault Tree One III.Discussion of Fault Tree One There are over 40 Companies/Business Units contributing to the success of developing the 787 Dreamliner. Nine of the Companies/Business Units are located outside of the United States. Given these two elements alone there are a number of faults that could cause the final assembly and completion date to be impacted. The first probable cause for missing the completion date is the supply chain. The supply chain flow ensures the material is available according to the inventory levels to continue building. Supply chain push systems help keep inventory levels set according to contractual agreements. When the quality throughput of the component is less than 95%, the demand is increased. Quality measures are in place to alert the supplier when the throughput is less than 95% as desired but additional demands with reduced quality requirements keep the supplier from delivering. Original plans called for specific manufactured items for each component yet the supplier elected to use a less expensive alternative which isn’t meeting quality requirements. To help mitigate the supplier risks, determine the supplier’s attitude to safety, quality, and environmental aspects to delivering components. Another treatment would be to appoint an onsite supplier liaison manager responsible for signing off on any supplier and/or design changes. It would also be helpful to have back to back contracts with sub-contractors. IV.Fault Tree Two V.Discussion of Fault Tree Two In the second fault tree I illustrated the impact of labor on the delivery of the 787 Dreamliner. The labor to assemble the airplane components at the Boeing facility in Everett is critical to ensure the on-time delivery of the airplane. The union labor to assemble the Dreamliner is under contract review, the contract will expire two months prior to the first assembly. The expiration of the machinist contract and failure to arrive at a new mutually acceptable contract would lead to a possible strike. Discussion between the labor union and the company would be required to mediate the dispute. The lack of a compromise would cause a significant impact on the scheduled completion date. However, negotiations to resolve this dispute are required to ensure employees feel fairly compensated and do not walk out during assembly. The use of risk treatment should provide a minimum of efficient operation of the organization, internal controls, and compliance with the laws and regulations. To assist with labor treatment risk, re-allocate internal staff and cross train non-union members to complete the assembly of the airplane. Assess the technical skills required, develop a skill requirement profile for assembly, and identify other critical skills required for replacement. Treatment could also include the establishment and maintenance of an internal/external skill profile of current, previous, and potential employees to assist should a labor strike occur. VI.Conclusions Above I only identified one risk analysis technique however there are many others available. Many are qualitative and don’t show the dependencies between events. The tree technique I used above takes into consideration the logical combination of causes that contribute to the identified failed event. The fault tree technique brings sufficient understanding to the nature of the failure and how to manage the failed event(s). Fault tree one helped me identify that an onsite supplier liaison manager would have eliminated the failure along with standard work, forms and signatures to authorize such changes to the bill of material for the component. Similarly, fault tree two identified adequate compensation as the root cause of the delivery/labor failure. Treatment of the risk could have included managing the risk earlier in the contract and/or establishing a contract bridge or extension to avoid a strike. VII.Works cited Cortez, A. (2010). The complete idiot’s guide to risk management. New York, NY: Penguin Group. Fraser, J., & Simkins, B. (2010). Enterprise risk management. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Kerzer, H. (2011). Project management metrics, kpis, and dashboards. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Norris, G., & Wagner, M. (2009). Boeing 787 dreamliner. Minneapolis, MN: Zenith Press. Schuyler, J. (2010). Risk and decision analysis in projects. (2 ed.). Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute, Inc. Turner, A. (2011). The birth of the 787 dreamliner. Kansas City: Andrews McMeel Publishing.

Education in Ireland Essay

In this essay I will argue that the Church, above all else, was to have the most profound effect on schooling in Ireland from 1922 to 1965. Firstly, it is necessary to look at the beliefs of this period that allowed the church to inform schooling. Secondly, we will look at what informed schooling in each decade. Finally, we will conclude on our findings. 1. Social, Cultural, Political backgrounds 1922-1965 In the 19th century the Catholic laity provided an all encompassing definition of reality with religion dictating the curriculum of national schools (Fuller, 2002, 2005). In 1922 the new nation emerged with this identity and an emphasis of reviving the Irish language. The emergent hegemony was Catholic and it was their social, cultural and political beliefs and hence their identity that was to prevail (O’Mahoney and Delanty, 2001). In the 1920s and 1930s Cosgrave and De Valera ensured that the Catholic moral code was upheld by legislation and cultural nationalism (Fuller 2002). Archbishop McQuaid was involved in the new constitution in 1937 which replaced the 1922 constitution. Articles 41-44 were particularly Catholic. Article 42 provided a summary of Catholic teaching on education. All sorts of forces were at work to make Ireland a more totally committed Catholic state. Mr Justice Gavin Duffy throughout the 1940s invoked new legal precedents favourable to Catholic viewpoint. In 1948 John A. Costello sent the following message to Pope Pius XII: ‘to strive for the attainment of social order in Ireland based on Christian principles’. During the 1950s Archbishop McQuaid saw the Taoiseach off at the airport as he went away to public engagements. Our devotion could be seen in packed churches and ceremonies giving the world view of Catholic Ireland in the decades following independence (Fuller, 2002). 2. Social, Cultural, Political beliefs that informed Schooling 1922-1965 By 1922 the church knew that control over education was a vital means of transmitting Catholic cultural heritage, politicians were very careful not to trespass on what the church regarded as its domain. Eoin Mac Neill, first minister of education declared that he ‘deplored statism’ in education (Fuller, 2002). This meant that children got the education the ‘Catholic Church thought that they should get’ in a church-owned but state-financed education system (Garvin, 2004). In 1924, the number of pupils in secondary schools was a mere 5% of those enrolled in primary school and by 1960 this figure had only increased to 16% (O’Donoghue, 1998). Patrick Gilligan, Minister for Industry and Commerce, in the mid-1920s stated Ireland should be ruled by level headed men, loyal to their religion and free from intellectual daftness’ (Garvin). In 1924 the Intermediate and the Leaving Certificate were introduced. The Certificates curriculum emphasised the Gaelic development of pupils. History and geography were now also to be taught with an Irish orientation and were to be compulsory. Teaching of history in particular was to be crucial to the shaping of identity ‘nationalist fervour’ (Foster in Brady 1994). In 1926 Irish became obligatory for secondary teachers and all children were compelled to attend school between the ages of 6-14. During the subsequent two years Irish became an obligatory subject for funded schools and obligatory for the Intermediate certificate. In the late 1920s and 1930s the clergy strongly expressed the fear that Irish would threaten the place of Latin and English in the curriculum both essential for future clerics and missionaries. The curriculum changes over the next thirty years to uphold the status of Latin and English (O’Donoghue, 1998). The secondary curriculum was saturated with a religious ethos. The church’s system of training its teachers was also to ensure the development of teachers who did not promote any questioning of the Church’s teachings i. e. conformity. This philosophy had implications not just for education but for all aspects of Irish Catholic culture. In 1930 Fianna Fail did take an initiative in education by introducing the Vocational Educational Act but the hierarchy was consulted. The vocational sector saw remarkable growth in the first decade which resulted in concern among the bishops (O Buachalla). The church did not approve of these schools over which they had no control (Garvin). Nor did the state agree (Thomas Derrig minister for education (1932-1948) or De Valera); in the present economic climate of emigration, inflation, teacher salary cuts and a ban on married female staff (Garvin). In 1950 Fine Gael Richard Mulcahy launched the new Council for Education in order to review and critique the primary and secondary school curricula declaring that the ‘foundation of youth’s entire training was religion and patriotism’. The council’s first report (1952) was on the primary system and it recommended formal recognition of the almost entirely denominational nature of the system. A triumph in the churches’ prolonged battle against secular education. As it transpired the report signalled the end of an era and had no formative influence on impending educational developments. Throughout the 1950s Fianna Fail Sean Moylan (minister for education and former vocational school teacher), pressure groups, critical catholic thinkers such as Professor Peter Connelly and educationalists began lobbying for educational change. Politicians such as Lemass, O’Malley, Charles Haughey, and Patrick Hillery were less concerned with abstract issues such as identity and more concerned with the future. By 1959 Taoiseach Sean Lemass did not allow the hierarchy to influence the outcome of the Intoxicating Liquor Bill. It was the first time since the foundation of the state that the government had defied the wishes of the church. Civil servants under Lemass such as Patrick Lynch and TK Whitaker were writing papers on new patterns of economic thinking. The Programme for Economic Expansion (1958) outlined a change in economic thinking whereby economic imperatives were to guide political thinking. This was to send ripples through Irish society. The report emphasised the crucial role that vocational education in particular could play in gearing the technological needs of an industrialising economy. In 1963 Dr Patrick Hillery (following OECD study into Irish education 1962-1965) stated that economic needs were calling for a review of the post-primary sector. He stated that investment in education, particularly technical education (RTC’s) was the key to bringing about economic progress and equality of educational opportunity. His objective was to bring the vocational sector to a parity of standard with the secondary system. The minister introduced the comprehensive school which would provide both technical and academic educations. The students at vocational schools would be entitled to sit Intermediate and Leaving Certificate exams. The OECD and department of educations’ report were published in 1965: An Investment in Education. Dr Hillery stated that the report would provide the state with the basis for ‘the direction of our long-term educational requirements’ (Fuller, 2002). 3. Conclusions Education policy in independent Ireland 1922-1957 appeared to have the following issues: denominational, uncritical belief that church was the holder of knowledge, language ideology, limited access to parents or finance, pressing factors of unemployment, emigration and inflation but correlation between education system and economy not initially recognised. There was still an absence of a philosophy regarding the purpose and nature of education. The contrast between the recommendations of the Council of Education report of 1952 and the Investment in Education report of 1965 is representative of the change in social, cultural and political beliefs that had began to emerge in the 1960s. The religious imperatives had been central to the Council of Education’s definition of worthwhile curricular knowledge. A department of education policy was now based on the Investment in Education beliefs that curricular emphasis should be aligned with the needs of our economy.

Bride Wars and Year One

They get the wedding planner of their dreams, Marion St Clair who turns out to be the wedding planner of their nightmares and accidently books their weddings on the same day! Neither of them will agree to change their date, so they become enemies. As the tag line quotes â€Å"Even best friends can’t share the same wedding day. † The cake knives are out, but how will everything turn out? â€Å"Year One† is an American film also released in 2009, it is an example of a romantic adventure comedy. It is about two accident-prone Palaeolithic warriors. Jack Black who plays â€Å"Zed â€Å" is a prehistoric would-be hunter he gets kicked out of the tribe in the forest for eating the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. His side kick, â€Å"Oh† played by Michael Cera is a gatherer and turns up to â€Å"try† and save him. The film is about their adventures set in the prehistoric era trying to save their two friends Maya and Eema. Both girls are from their former tribe and have been captured and sold into slavery, on their travels Zed and Oh meet Biblical characters on route to the city of Sodom. Do they succeed in saving them? Although they are of the same genre they couldn’t be more different films. â€Å"Bride Wars† is set in the 21st century, whereas â€Å"Year One† is set in Palaeolithic era, this means there is a very big contrast between them. Bride Wars gives the impression of being a comedy from the expressions on both the actors’ faces. They are both looking straight into each other’s eyes showing a devious look with a comic smirk, in a horror film there would be no trace of a comic smirk. â€Å"Year One† has the aesthetics of a comedy with Jack Black’s expression being apprehensive and confused, his eyebrow is raised. Michael Cera’s facial expression is one of worried eyes which suggests he is just merely a side kick, and doesn’t really have a say in what Jack is going to do next! â€Å"Bride Wars† gives the impression of comedy on the poster, you would never expect brides to have a â€Å"war† or the weapons to be cake knives. Year One† suggests that it is set in prehistoric times, the first year of man, but the title doesn’t really have a comic sense about it, I believe this is why the director cast Jack Black to star in it, he is a very well known for his comedy roles. People will know that a film with Jack as the main character is going to be entertaining and funny so will choose to see it on that basis. The advertising poster for â€Å"Bride Wars† implies some type of confrontation in the plot. In â€Å"Bride Wars† the actors Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway have a look in their eyes of pure distain. Anne Hathaway is a popular actress with female audiences of all ages. She has featured in many other films such as Princess Diaries, Ella Enchanted, Devil wears Prada and Brokeback Mountain, again she has a good following. In the poster both young ladies are dressed in wedding dresses this helps to emphases the term â€Å"bride† to look more potent, The actors have their hair down, which suggest a fight is about to break out, as brides nearly always have their hair up in an â€Å"updo†. The poster for â€Å"Year One† doesn’t imply a lot, being dressed in animal cloth relates to the title of the film and lets the audience know that this movie is set in pre-historic times. This leads me to think they might have gotten lost in an adventure, their body language looks like they have just seen something that is confusing or worrying to them. The colours used in each poster have soft tones, nothing potent or eye catching. Except the titles as this is what grabs the audience’s attention as they walk past. â€Å"Bride Wars† uses the colour theme of white and cream, these colours are usually associated with weddings e. g. purity, virgin brides, and wedding dresses, this again emphases the term â€Å"Bride. Year One’s theme is a desert landscape with a blue sky, this suggests it’s a hot day and they might be lost. The actors are the main focus of these posters; this suggests that the films revolve around them. The tag lines are intriguing, the tag line for Bride Wars suggests a confrontation within the film, and the tag line for â€Å"Year One† doesn’t give any clues to the plot of the film. This makes the person reading the poster want to learn more about these tag lines and what happens in the film, these help to grab the audience’s attention to hopefully go and see the film to find out more about them. The bold text in the â€Å"Year One† poster against the desert background makes the text stand out in the poster and catch people eye as they see it. The â€Å"Bride Wars† text on the word bride is similar to the text used on wedding invitations and further relates back to the film title. I think both posters have a target audience. Bride Wars is aimed at female teenagers and also would be appealing to female adults as it is about love and marriage. It is a feminine film, these are sometimes referred to as â€Å"chick flicks. † Year One is more of a teenagers film, not quite as girly as Bride Wars so might appeal to a wider audience. Teenagers are big fans of comedies and new movies that have just been released, they feel they can relate to them as they are light hearted and not serious. These posters inform their intended audience about the film, they try to entice them with intriguing tag lines that make the reader interested and wanting to see the film, and as they say â€Å"curiosity killed the cat. † They also inform people about the name, age certificate, genre, actors, and director, trying to persuade them in every way they can to see their film, to make it a success. In conclusion the posters are about as different as the films, â€Å"Year One† gives very little away about what is going to happen in the film so people will be curious to find out more, and perhaps research the film or discuss with friends what it’s about. Word of mouth is the best advert so getting people to talk about the film is a main goal for the poster. On the other hand the poster for â€Å"Bride Wars† lets you know the plot of the film, so when people see it they can make an instant decisions whether it interests them or not. Seeing two brides holding knives makes your imagination run and you just want to know what is going to happen. Both posters have a different target market, which explains why they are so different as they are tailored to appeal to different audiences. The posters have to grab and get the attention and curiosity of the people that they are aimed at and ultimately encourage them to want to go and see the film. Hopefully after seeing the film they will relay their experiences and enjoyment to other people and that will entice them to see the film too! Bride Wars and Year One They get the wedding planner of their dreams, Marion St Clair who turns out to be the wedding planner of their nightmares and accidently books their weddings on the same day! Neither of them will agree to change their date, so they become enemies. As the tag line quotes â€Å"Even best friends can’t share the same wedding day. † The cake knives are out, but how will everything turn out? â€Å"Year One† is an American film also released in 2009, it is an example of a romantic adventure comedy. It is about two accident-prone Palaeolithic warriors. Jack Black who plays â€Å"Zed â€Å" is a prehistoric would-be hunter he gets kicked out of the tribe in the forest for eating the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. His side kick, â€Å"Oh† played by Michael Cera is a gatherer and turns up to â€Å"try† and save him. The film is about their adventures set in the prehistoric era trying to save their two friends Maya and Eema. Both girls are from their former tribe and have been captured and sold into slavery, on their travels Zed and Oh meet Biblical characters on route to the city of Sodom. Do they succeed in saving them? Although they are of the same genre they couldn’t be more different films. â€Å"Bride Wars† is set in the 21st century, whereas â€Å"Year One† is set in Palaeolithic era, this means there is a very big contrast between them. Bride Wars gives the impression of being a comedy from the expressions on both the actors’ faces. They are both looking straight into each other’s eyes showing a devious look with a comic smirk, in a horror film there would be no trace of a comic smirk. â€Å"Year One† has the aesthetics of a comedy with Jack Black’s expression being apprehensive and confused, his eyebrow is raised. Michael Cera’s facial expression is one of worried eyes which suggests he is just merely a side kick, and doesn’t really have a say in what Jack is going to do next! â€Å"Bride Wars† gives the impression of comedy on the poster, you would never expect brides to have a â€Å"war† or the weapons to be cake knives. Year One† suggests that it is set in prehistoric times, the first year of man, but the title doesn’t really have a comic sense about it, I believe this is why the director cast Jack Black to star in it, he is a very well known for his comedy roles. People will know that a film with Jack as the main character is going to be entertaining and funny so will choose to see it on that basis. The advertising poster for â€Å"Bride Wars† implies some type of confrontation in the plot. In â€Å"Bride Wars† the actors Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway have a look in their eyes of pure distain. Anne Hathaway is a popular actress with female audiences of all ages. She has featured in many other films such as Princess Diaries, Ella Enchanted, Devil wears Prada and Brokeback Mountain, again she has a good following. In the poster both young ladies are dressed in wedding dresses this helps to emphases the term â€Å"bride† to look more potent, The actors have their hair down, which suggest a fight is about to break out, as brides nearly always have their hair up in an â€Å"updo†. The poster for â€Å"Year One† doesn’t imply a lot, being dressed in animal cloth relates to the title of the film and lets the audience know that this movie is set in pre-historic times. This leads me to think they might have gotten lost in an adventure, their body language looks like they have just seen something that is confusing or worrying to them. The colours used in each poster have soft tones, nothing potent or eye catching. Except the titles as this is what grabs the audience’s attention as they walk past. â€Å"Bride Wars† uses the colour theme of white and cream, these colours are usually associated with weddings e. g. purity, virgin brides, and wedding dresses, this again emphases the term â€Å"Bride. Year One’s theme is a desert landscape with a blue sky, this suggests it’s a hot day and they might be lost. The actors are the main focus of these posters; this suggests that the films revolve around them. The tag lines are intriguing, the tag line for Bride Wars suggests a confrontation within the film, and the tag line for â€Å"Year One† doesn’t give any clues to the plot of the film. This makes the person reading the poster want to learn more about these tag lines and what happens in the film, these help to grab the audience’s attention to hopefully go and see the film to find out more about them. The bold text in the â€Å"Year One† poster against the desert background makes the text stand out in the poster and catch people eye as they see it. The â€Å"Bride Wars† text on the word bride is similar to the text used on wedding invitations and further relates back to the film title. I think both posters have a target audience. Bride Wars is aimed at female teenagers and also would be appealing to female adults as it is about love and marriage. It is a feminine film, these are sometimes referred to as â€Å"chick flicks. † Year One is more of a teenagers film, not quite as girly as Bride Wars so might appeal to a wider audience. Teenagers are big fans of comedies and new movies that have just been released, they feel they can relate to them as they are light hearted and not serious. These posters inform their intended audience about the film, they try to entice them with intriguing tag lines that make the reader interested and wanting to see the film, and as they say â€Å"curiosity killed the cat. † They also inform people about the name, age certificate, genre, actors, and director, trying to persuade them in every way they can to see their film, to make it a success. In conclusion the posters are about as different as the films, â€Å"Year One† gives very little away about what is going to happen in the film so people will be curious to find out more, and perhaps research the film or discuss with friends what it’s about. Word of mouth is the best advert so getting people to talk about the film is a main goal for the poster. On the other hand the poster for â€Å"Bride Wars† lets you know the plot of the film, so when people see it they can make an instant decisions whether it interests them or not. Seeing two brides holding knives makes your imagination run and you just want to know what is going to happen. Both posters have a different target market, which explains why they are so different as they are tailored to appeal to different audiences. The posters have to grab and get the attention and curiosity of the people that they are aimed at and ultimately encourage them to want to go and see the film. Hopefully after seeing the film they will relay their experiences and enjoyment to other people and that will entice them to see the film too!

Museum Rebort Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Museum Rebort - Essay Example Artists use ceramics to develop various sculptures that criticize the social and cultural features of the society. Some of the best ceramics artifacts on display in museums today harbor rich cultural and social history of various societies. The works of Ken Price has remained on display at the Los Angeles Museum of Arts. The multicolored sculpture glows in the lights of the display thereby depicting the lustrous nature of the carvings. The smooth flowing edges and curves of the sculpture portray the malleable nature of ceramics the artist manipulates thereby developing the work. Arts provide people with effective platform on which to criticize the developments in the society. In doing this, arts provide artists with the opportunity to maintain a relative criticisms of the various cultural and social developments in the society. The feature of arts presents a daunting task to the artists who must therefore develop an intriguing work but maintain an originality in their works. Ken Price achieves this in his sculpture, which oozes both uniqueness and originality. The unique sculpture has several molten like lumps that depict the artist’s creativity. As described above, the smooth flowing curves that appear as molten lumps are carefully done curving on the ceramic materials. The artists maintain the caution capable of achieving the illusion of the curves on the ceramic material. The artist curves the intricate shapes of the artifact from the delicate ceramic materials thereby developing the artifact before heating it in order to achieve the strength and longevity the artifact enjoys at the display to date. The artist employs a combination of artistic techniques in order to achieve the finished artifact on display at the museum today. The soft ceramic clay helps with the molding process; wet ceramic clay is not only ductile but also equally plastic in nature. This makes ceramics better than clay in the creation

Film Pitch Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Film Pitch - Essay Example So, the main line of this documentary is capturing the struggles of the aborigines and their fight for self-respect and equal treatment, inter-cut with the struggles and rise of Cathy Freeman. With Cathy Freeman being the well known â€Å"Face† of the aborigines, she can take the role of the narrator for this documentary film. So, this film will start by showing in the form of photos and paintings, the life of the aborigines in the early centuries, before and after the arrival of the European settlers with the voice narration. Then the film will follow the history of aborigines, particularly in the 20th century, using photos and also interviews with the elderly people among the aboriginal population. Then through the mid way, the film would take a kind of biographical turn, focusing on Cathy Freeman’s childhood, her struggles in those period, her sporting talent, her initial mark at the Auckland Commonwealth Games (through photos and videos), her move to Melbourne, her lighting of the Olympic Flame and finally ending with her triumph in the 400mts Finals, with the shot of gold around her neck. Cast and Key Crew: With this being a documentary film, it does not need a cast of actors. All the people who are going to be featured in this film are not going to act according to any script, and will be asked to provide their experiences regarding particular events or about their life, or even asked to answer to some questions. When it comes to Cathy Freeman only, steps has to be taken to involve her in the project. Although, she is a busy high profile personality, she can be approached to taken on the narrator’s part. As mentioned above, she is the well known face of the aborigines and also as she was involving herself in various constructive activities for the aborigines, she can be involved in the project. â€Å"Catherine has a real desire to give back to the Australian community and has just established her own foundation, the Catherine Freeman Foundation. The Foundation provides pathways to a brighter future†¦using education and sport as a conduit for social change, the focus being on Indigenous girls.† (reconciliation.org.au). With the sizable part of the film focusing on her life and achievements, she can give good personal perspectives in the narration, elevating the film. Importantly, the title of this film is actually the words, which are tattooed on Freeman’s forearm. The on-location crew of the film will be minimal with mainly the cameraman, sound recordist and a translator (who has good knowledge of the aborigines culture and their language), along with the director. Then in the film and sound editing table only, others will get involved with editing labs or companies, which can do all the things in ‘under one roof’ can be, engaged. Rationale for Making: Indigenous Australians consisting of either Aboriginal people or Torres Strait Islanders, number over 500,000, making up around 2. 6% of Australia's population. But, before the advent of the Europeans, theirs’ total population was around 750,000, making up 100% of the Australia’s population. â€Å"Estimates have put the figure at over 1 million, while recent archaeological finds suggest that a population of 750,000 could have been sustained.† (Leitner 2004, p.68). The population of Indigenous

The Effect of Taking Creatine Supplementation on Exercise Performance Essay

The Effect of Taking Creatine Supplementation on Exercise Performance - Essay Example The author of the essay "The Effect of Taking Creatine Supplementation on Exercise Performance" begins with the introduction of the topic. Creatine monohydrate (Cr) is marketed as ‘nature's muscle builder’ and ‘the most legitimate sports supplement around’. Professional and amateur athletes alike are taking this alleged ergogenic aid, hoping to increase their strength and performance. Cr supplementation is claimed to increase muscle power by playing a role in the transfer of energy to help the muscle contract. Thus, it has become one of the leading sport supplements used by strength power athletes today. Reports suggest that 48% of male collegiate athletes use or have used Cr during their preparation for competition. However, the prevalence of use among strength/power athletes is much greater, and is estimated to approach more than 80% in certain sports. Cr use has also gained popularity among high school athletes, with 90% of athletes who supplement using C r. It is clear Cr is highly used but the question remains whether it actually increases strength and power leading to an improvement in exercise performance. Also the widespread use of Cr in dietary supplements does not necessarily indicate safety or advocacy, thus there is a need to evaluate the safety of Cr. Although the role of creatine in human metabolism has been understood for over a half-century only recently has its potential as a sport ergogenic been explored. A considerable number of studies have been published subsequently.

Identifying Ethical Differences in Culture Essay

Identifying Ethical Differences in Culture - Essay Example In regarding guanxi, it usually outstrips any rules and regulations that run contrary to it. In China guanxi obliges one to defer to a complex system of personal relationships and moral obligations, which may even date back generations, in all aspect of life. This certainly includes business as well. Guanxi places relationships above all other considerations and in business one may be forced to use their position to purchase products from an associate that may in fact be more expensive or of less quality than is available somewhere else. Actions like these, if detected by a company from one of its staff would usually be grounds for dismissal as well as legal action in many cases. This disparity between worlds is due to one of the major cultural differences between the U.S. and China. In the US business and even personal relationships are usually transactional, that is there is a give and take that is considered an equitable exchange between two parties. This usually holds for both bu siness entities as well as personal relationships. Chinese cultural is far more relationally oriented and is often guided by complex associations of family and friends over many generations. Based essentially upon honor and respect, it is far more important to maintain good relationships under the rules of guanxi than it is to do what is best for your company. This is of course considered treason in the U.S., while in China it is accepted and tolerated by most organizations. Although the law does limit it to some extent and the excessive.

Do countries that vote against the US trade less with the US Research Paper

Do countries that vote against the US trade less with the US - Research Paper Example The last report compiled in 2011 confirmed that these countries typically contradict US efforts at the UN. Trade relations between the US and countries, which continually oppose US initiatives at the UN, are significantly stringent. Some of the most affected countries by such stringent trade and economic relations with the US include Syria and Iran. Notably, countries, which vote against the US at the UN typically, trade less with the US. This paper will provide a succinct description of how countries that oppose the US at the UN have stringent trade relations with the US. Bilateral trade relations and tax treaties are established in order to assist countries enhance their foreign direct investment, as well as foreign affiliate activities through dual taxation relief. However, in order for countries to enjoy such benefits, they must have amiable relations, both politically and economically. These benefits are only part of the advantages enjoyed by countries having amiable political a nd economic relations that facilitate fluid trade transactions. ... As a world super power, the US relatively requires that countries support its proposals at the UN (Worlton, Reynolds, and Stinebower 215). Therefore, when countries vote against the US at the UN, the US pulls out or reduces its monetary support for such countries or reduces its trade with the nation, as well. Syria has presently voted against the US at least 67% of the time. This move has detrimentally affected Syria’s relations with the US, particularly with regard to the political and economic relations. As a consequence, trade between Syria and the US has suffered rather significantly. Prior to the 2001 September 11 terrorist attacks meted towards the US, Syria’s relations with the US were quite amiable. In fact, after the attacks, Syria provided intelligence to assist the US track Al Qaeda plans (Worlton, Reynolds, and Stinebower 219). However, Syria’s contradiction of the US efforts to initiate war against Iraq started the long progression of deteriorated re lations between Syria and the US. Another serious contention between the US and Syria emerged when the Syrian government refused to provide assistance to foreign fighters to make use of the Syrian borders to infiltrate Iraq (Elliott 58). The US is also concerned by Syria’s efforts to interfere in the affairs of Lebanon, Syria’s protection of the control of Palestinian rejectionist groups located in Damascus. Other issues of contention include Syria’s human rights record, as well as the countries pursuit of weapons of mass destruction (McLean and Whang 439). This last issue is one of the most critical areas of contention between the US and Syria, and remains a thorny issue at the UN. The US

The Project Management Process and Planning Essay

The Project Management Process and Planning - Essay Example The paper presents the project management process as an important component of all major national, international and global projects. Considering the magnitude of the Channel Tunnel project, it would be inappropriate for anyone to think that the application of basic project management processes were absent from the venture. Indeed, project management has been described as both an act and a science as the Microsoft Project Users Group notes that â€Å"project management is the science (and art) of organizing the components of a project, whether the project is development of a new product, the launch of a new service, a marketing campaign, or a wedding.† In a very broad sense, this definition brings out the essence and importance of project managing the Channel Tunnel project. Noting that the project management process has five major stages or steps namely definition of project, planning of project, execution of project, control of project and closure of project, Mathias posits that all these stages were fully covered under the construction of the Channel Tunnel. Hamilton notes that the first two phases of the project, which are the definition and planning phases started several years before the actual implementation of the project. In his estimation, talks on the project started right after the World War I and that â€Å"British strategic sensitivities did plans for the construction of a Channel Tunnel, which were brought before the Committee of Imperial Defence for discussion in the autumn of 1919†.... It was also envisioned that the project would complete in five (5) years. Furthermore, it was consented that the project would cost 2.6 billion British pounds. The execution phase of the project saw the construction of English and France portions of the channel as the project was a joint project by those two countries. More to the rail channels, there was also a vehcle shuttle terminal at Coquelles and Cheriton. The vehicle shuttle terminal at Coquelles was as part of the execution connected A16 motorway whiles the Cheriton vehicle shuttle terminal was connected to the M20 motorway (Rafael, 2009, p.22). Monitoring was taken seriously as there was a technology inclined approach to monitoring the project. Pompee (n.d. p. 4) for instance reports that â€Å"A real-time computerized reporting system allowed to monitor remotely, day by day, progress on all aspects of the project.† The project was closed and commission in May 1994. Planned Specifications The planning phase of the pro ject management process is very important and so has been set aside for comprehensive analysis under this section. Looking critically through some of the programmes outlined above, under the planning phase, it would be seen that there was indeed a lot of work committed into the planning phase of the Channel Tunnel project. This assertion has every justification that it deserves because planning serves as the anchorage for the successful implementation of the entire program. In management studies; the subject component where the construction of major projects like the Channel Tunnel falls under, the issue of planning becomes even more important and distinguishing. In management,

Wastewater Management Essay Example for Free

Wastewater Management Essay In this age of rising costs and depletion of natural resources due to over use by the ever growing population on our planet, it is absolutely essential that we find ways to recycle and conserve wherever possible. One way of doing this is by managing wastewater. The first step in the process replicates what occurs in nature; the only difference is that it is faster. In this initial step, called primary treatment, water is collected in huge tanks and the solid particles are allowed to settle by force of gravity while the remaining mixture is allowed to run off. This process removes about 60 percent of the suspended particles and is only suitable for irrigation of trees or other non consumable crops in remote areas. The secondary treatment is significantly different from the primary in that it involves the biological removal of the organic materials contained in the wastewater. The most common form is called activated sludge method, where the wastewater is placed in tanks which are aerated with oxygen to encourage the growth of microbes found in the waste. The microbes eat the organic matter and the solids are allowed to settle to the bottom. Trickling method is another option in the secondary treatment method. In this process tanks of coarse material are filled with rocks three to ten feet in depth. The rocks are used as surface area on which bacteria called biomass is allowed to grow. Next, a long arm-like distributor sprays the waste water in the air over the biomass, which feeds on the organic waste and allows the remaining liquid to trickle through the rocks. Here water is collected and then sedimentation is allowed to take place. The final method is known as Lagoons. In this method large ponds are used. Algae grows in the ponds and with the use of sunlight produces oxygen. The oxygen then is used by the microbes in wastewater to breakdown the organic material and the solids then settle at the bottom of the pond. After applying the primary and secondary methods the water then is treated with chlorine or other disinfectants. The tertiary treatment goes beyond what is done in the secondary treatment and can involve chemical, physical or biological processes to further remove contaminants, Tertiary processes include filtration, lagooning, nutrient removal and disinfection. Filtration is a common tertiary treatment method. Water is allowed to pass through sand or activated carbon, which allows the particles in water to stick to the filer material used and water to pass through. In some cases the excessive levels of nitrogen and phosphorous must be removed before releasing the water to the environment. If water is released into the environment without removal of these compounds, they can cause over growth of algae and other water plants which in turn can throw the ecosystem out of balance. Some wastewater treatment plants use one tertiary method others a combination of methods. There are many uses of reclaimed water, for example it can be used for irrigation, power generation, decorative fountains, fire control, aquifer recharge, cooling or other industrial processes. Reclaimed water contains nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and oxygen which help fertilize plants. The use of reclaimed water reduces pollution in areas which are sensitive. It cannot be used in swimming pools, or other places where it comes in contact with the body, cooking, drinking, or irrigation of herbs and vegetables. Recent studies show there may be a possible public health effect when using reclaimed water. It has been known for some time that treated wastewater effluent, or reclaimed water, contains pathogens that could be transferred to people through contact and some parasites are not killed by chlorination A water treatment plant in Lake Tahoe, California has been producing drinking quality water from wastewater and astronauts reclaim all their wastewater and use it for drinking. Using wastewater to recharge the water basin and using that for drinking is not an issue provided WHO guidelines for the quality of drinking water are maintained. This means that tertiary wastewater treatments will have to be used before the wastewater can be used to recharge the basin. Since this process is more expensive than secondary treatments, it may not be feasible in the long run.Using secondary wastewater treatments to recharge basins and using that for drinking poses health issues and is not advisable. REFENCES Primary Treatment. (2010). In Encyclop? dia Britannica. Retrieved May 24, 2010, from Encyclop? dia Britannica Online: http://www. britannica. com/EBchecked/topic/476238/primary-treatment An Introduction and Comparison of Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Wastewater Treatment Methods. (2003-2010). Conjecture Corporation. Retrieved May 24, 2010, from http://www. brighthub. com/environment/science-environmental/articles/68537. aspx Using Wastewater as a resource. By Mark Shwartz. Woods Institute for the Environment Stanford University. Retrieved May 24, 2010 from http://woods. stanford. edu/cgi-bin/index. php. Asano T, Wassermann KL (1980). Groundwater recharge operations in California. Journal of the American Water Works Association, 72(7):380–385. Cotruvo JA (1988). Drinking water standards and risk assessment. Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology, 8:288–299.

The History Of Service Management Marketing Essay

The History Of Service Management Marketing Essay Conduct a critique of the following service management ideas, theories, concepts and techniques, specifically with reference to their purpose, application and limitations and with regard to how these service management ideas, theories and techniques may contribute to the development of a successful business: Definition: The nature of the business the service in mind that the organisation wishes to create. The service concept helps the organisation focus on the value that it can provide to new and existing customers 2.1 The Purpose of the service concept The service concept can be defined into 4 parts (as defined by Clark et al. (2000), and Johnston and Clark (2001): The organising idea: The essence of the service bought, or used, by the customer. The service experience: The customers direct experience of the service process, which concerns the way the service provider deals with the customer. The service outcome: The result for the customer of the service (in particular the benefit provided, the resulting emotions and assessment of value for money) The value of the service: the benefits the customer perceives as inherent in the service weighed against the cost of the service. The purpose of the service concept is for a company to help provide a concept for its employees and customers with what they selling and buying, respectively. It should give the employees (e.g. Managers and their staff) a focus on what service they are providing and how to provide it to the customers. By defining the service concept, companies are able to deliver a higher level of service to its customer. Also, the service concept can become an important in the development of a business and further re-designing the service, to better suit their customers requirements. It is also an important element between the business strategy and delivery of its service products e.g. between a Regional Manager deciding the strategy and the floor staff implanting the service, with the strategy. An important point to make is that the service concept can help show the customers the benefits of the service to them, both tangible and intangible, which in turn can indicate the overall value of the service possibly provided to them. 2.2 Application I am going to apply the service concept to Subway. The organising idea Providing its customers with sandwiches and meals, with a quick service and value for money. The service experience Multiple choices of meals, multiple food outlets, long queue/waiting times around meals times e.g. lunchtime, efficient service The service outcome Healthy food, positive feeling of fulfilment, value for money Value of the service Quick service, with a cheap meal for the customer 2.3 Limitations One limitations of the applying the service concept within a business is that different sectors or departments of the business will have different and conflicting views, especially on how to make improvements. For example, a financial executive of McDonalds might suggest that to cut costs that they should cut down on staff. However, the managers of the actual stores might go against that suggestion, and say that the service to the customer would suffer if they had less staff. Different departments of the business are concerned about different issues and as a result applying a service concept that everyone is happy with is not possible. Another limitation of the service concept theory is that it include service strategy issues e.g. the positioning of the business in the market with its competitors and type of customers that the business has. This can have a big effect on how a business decides on its strategy, and sometimes cannot be applied to all businesses. One more limitation is that the service concept theory is based on (or parts of) a business being profitable, which is not always the case with all business. For example, with a car hire company, the sales sector is based on how many revenue and profit is made, whereas the warranty/repair sector is a cost-based, and cannot be measured on the performance on how much profit is made. To add this point, not all businesses are about making profit. Some businesses/organisations are about non-profit, so it can be hard to measure the successful of the change is the service concept, if the measures were based on profit. Concept Profiling Tool 3.1 Purpose of Concept Profiling Tool Service concept profiling as a strategic tool can be used to: Help create and give organisational structure Help (assess) the significance of a potential change of the service To push for strategic advantage The purpose of service concept profiling is to apply service concept to the business and help improve its services e.g. It can help managers and executives view their business in a new way to be stand out from it competitors. Through service concept profiling, a business can examine its current service(s) that it offers and look at the possible options for changes and see what improvements can be made, or redesign the service. Once the service concept has been agreed, it can help provide all departments/sectors of a business guidance on what the service is offering, and how to make those improvements to provide the customers of the business with a better service. An important part with applying the service concept is implementing the strategy into the service delivery e.g. interaction with the customer. Lastly, assessments and evaluation are needed to put in place to measure the successfulness of the new service concept compared to previous results. Application Limitations One limitation of the service concept profiling tool is that just a diagnostic tool. One issue is that it doesnt take into the macroeconomic environment. For example, one part of the macroeconomic environment is legal factors. A service company like Starbucks might find it hard to use and adapt a new service concept, which involves needing to employee more staff, if new laws have been passed which have raised the minimum wage, it can affect the costs of the these new staff, and ultimately affect whether it possible to apply the service concept profiling tool, with the extra costs. The SERVQUAL Model 4.1 The purpose of the SERVQUAL Model The purpose of the SERVQUAL model is a method for measuring service quality. It is a strategic tool, which helps discover if there is any gaps between the perceptions of the service offered, by the business, and that of the customer idea or views of the service. Below is the SERVQUAL Model: C:UsersAlex ThimayaDesktoppicture_zeithaml_servqual_gaps_model.gif 4.2 Application 4.3 Limitations

Accounting :: essays research papers

Preface Financial statements are prepared and presented for external users by many enterprises around the world. Although such financial statements may appear similar from country to country, there are differences which have probably been caused by a variety of social, economic and legal circumstances and by different countries having in mind the needs of different users of financial statements when setting national requirements. These different circumstances have led to the use of a variety of definitions of the elements of financial statements; that is, for example, assets, liabilities, equity, income and expenses. They have also resulted in the use of different criteria for the recognition of items in the financial statements and in a preference for different bases of measurement. The scope of the financial statements and the disclosures made in them have also been affected. The International Accounting Standards Committee (IASC) is committed to narrowing these differences by seeking to harmonise regulations, accounting standards and procedures relating to the preparation and presentation of financial statements. It believes that further harmonisation can best be pursued by focusing on financial statements that are prepared for the purpose of providing information that is useful in making economic decisions. The Board of IASC believes that financial statements prepared for this purpose meet the common needs of most users. This is because nearly all users are making economic decisions, for example, to: (a) decide when to buy, hold or sell an equity investment; (b) assess the stewardship or accountability of management; (c) assess the ability of the enterprise to pay and provide other benefits to its employees; (d) assess the security for amounts lent to the enterprise; (e) determine taxation policies; (f) determine distributable profits and dividends; (g) prepare and use national income statistics; or (h) regulate the activities of enterprises. The Board recognises, however, that governments, in particular, may specify different or additional requirements for their own purposes. These requirements should not, however, affect financial statements published for the benefit of other users unless they also meet the needs of those other users. Financial statements are most commonly prepared in accordance with an accounting model based on recoverable historical cost and the nominal financial capital maintenance concept. Other models and concepts may be more appropriate in order to meet the objective of providing information that is useful for making economic decisions although there is presently no consensus for change. This Framework has been developed so that it is applicable to a range of accounting models and concepts of capital and capital maintenance.

The Death Penalty Is Needed In Our Uncivilized Society :: Pro Capital Punishment Essays

Introduction: Capital punishment is the most severe form of corporal punishment as it requires law enforcement officers to kill the offender. It has been banned in many countries, in the United States, an earlier move to eliminate capital punishment has now been reversed and more and more states are resorting to capital punishment for serious offenses such as murder. An Eye for and eye, a life for a life, who has never heard of the famous lex talionis? The Bible mentions it, and people have been using it regularly for centuries. We use it in reference to burglary, adultery, love and many other situations. However, some people use it on a different level, some people use it in reference to death. One steals from those who have stolen from him, one wrongs those who have wronged him, but do we really have the right to kill those who have killed. Today, there is a big controversy over capital punishment whether or not it works, or if it is morally right. We have a certain privilege on our own lives, b ut do the lives of others belong to us as well? Do we have the right to decide the kind of lives others can or cannot live? We find someone guilty of murder and sentence him to death, does that not make murderers out of ourselves? Can justice justify our acts? Those who assist in the death penalty are they not partners in crime? Is the death penalty a "Cruel and Unusual" punishment or is it now a necessary tool in the war on crime? With the increase in crime and violence in our society, how does the death penalty affect a North American family. History of the Death Penalty: Use of the death penalty has declined throughout the industrial Western World since the 19th century. In 1972, movement in America to have the death penalty declared unconstitutional during the landmark case of Furman v. Georgia, which declared the death penalty cruel and unusual punishment. However, after a supreme court decision in 1975, Gregg v. Georgia, which stated capital punishment did not violate the eighth Amendment, executions commenced again under state supervision. (Van der Haag, 1975, 3-4) The debate: Deterrence: There are four major issues in the capital punishment debate, the first being deterrence. A major purpose of criminal punishment is to deter future criminal conduct. The deterrence theory suggests that a rational person will avoid criminal behavior if the severity of the punishment outweigh the benefits of the illegal conduct.

Mandatory Physical Education I :: essays research papers

Current high school students are becoming fatter, slower, and less motivated than past students. Many of these young people would prefer to be sitting passively in front of the television rather than to do something physically active. Most high school students believe they do not have sufficient time, opportunity or guidance to participate in physical activities. The ideal place in which students would be able to find adequate time, opportunity and guidance are in the high schools themselves. Politicians and educators responsible for the mandatory physical education program at the junior high school levels (grades eight to ten) should be applauded for this, but frowned upon for not enforcing it on senior high school students (grades 11 and 12). Physical Education is defined as â€Å"the process of education that develops the human body, specifically fitness and movement skills† (Baker, 1990, p. 14). This teaches students valuable skills that would be applicable to life, present and future. Students also learn how to work and interact with others to pursue goals in a way which academic subjects, such as mathematics and science, may not provide. Physical Education should be a requirement for all British Columbia high school students because it provides physical skills necessary for effective social functioning, offers educational value and teaches healthy habits reducing health risks. Opposition of mandatory Physical Education in high schools believe that if a student has not developed a desire for voluntary physical exercise by the time he or she reaches high school , he or she may not ever (Eberhardt). It is true that individuals should not be forced into something they don’t want to participate in, but if these students don’t get any exercise outside of school, where will they receive an appropriate amount of fitness? Paul Eberhardt, athletic director, intramural director and head coach of the McNair Marlins basketball team in Richmond, B.C., believes â€Å"that students don’t care about participating in P.E. anymore and we have to educate students on the benefits of Physical Education†. In the 1994-1995 school year there were 1,133 students enrolled at McNair High School but there were only four P.E. classes available, which meant approximately 120 students attended in these classes. The remaining 1013 grade eleven and twelve studen ts had no Physical Education at all. This is an astonishing figure. â€Å"Many students participate in sports and recreation activities outside of school, but most of them get hardly any exercise at all. Mandatory Physical Education I :: essays research papers Current high school students are becoming fatter, slower, and less motivated than past students. Many of these young people would prefer to be sitting passively in front of the television rather than to do something physically active. Most high school students believe they do not have sufficient time, opportunity or guidance to participate in physical activities. The ideal place in which students would be able to find adequate time, opportunity and guidance are in the high schools themselves. Politicians and educators responsible for the mandatory physical education program at the junior high school levels (grades eight to ten) should be applauded for this, but frowned upon for not enforcing it on senior high school students (grades 11 and 12). Physical Education is defined as â€Å"the process of education that develops the human body, specifically fitness and movement skills† (Baker, 1990, p. 14). This teaches students valuable skills that would be applicable to life, present and future. Students also learn how to work and interact with others to pursue goals in a way which academic subjects, such as mathematics and science, may not provide. Physical Education should be a requirement for all British Columbia high school students because it provides physical skills necessary for effective social functioning, offers educational value and teaches healthy habits reducing health risks. Opposition of mandatory Physical Education in high schools believe that if a student has not developed a desire for voluntary physical exercise by the time he or she reaches high school , he or she may not ever (Eberhardt). It is true that individuals should not be forced into something they don’t want to participate in, but if these students don’t get any exercise outside of school, where will they receive an appropriate amount of fitness? Paul Eberhardt, athletic director, intramural director and head coach of the McNair Marlins basketball team in Richmond, B.C., believes â€Å"that students don’t care about participating in P.E. anymore and we have to educate students on the benefits of Physical Education†. In the 1994-1995 school year there were 1,133 students enrolled at McNair High School but there were only four P.E. classes available, which meant approximately 120 students attended in these classes. The remaining 1013 grade eleven and twelve studen ts had no Physical Education at all. This is an astonishing figure. â€Å"Many students participate in sports and recreation activities outside of school, but most of them get hardly any exercise at all.

Deviance and Social Control Essay

Deviance is part of every culture and society, it is the border line between acceptable and intolerable behavior. Each micro society holds it’s own definition as to what deviant behavior actually is. The deviant is one to whom that label has successfully been applied, deviant behavior is behavior that people label. Through out history, there is no doubt in my mind that deviant citizens have been a contributing part to each generation. It is all relative, a label of deviance remains a label of deviance; the question that remains really is â€Å"what is deviance?†. Being labeled as an outside is not foreign for some people. Matter of fact it is acceptable and a norm to be labeled as deviant for some people. No matter what group of people you deal with through out history or life today, there are social rules written and sometimes unwritten, nonetheless meant to be broken. For example, freshman year I attended St. Rose High School and got caught texting my mom on my cellphone while switching classes. Getting to the point, I ended up losing my phone for a month and getting in a whole load of trouble (I was then silently labeled as â€Å"deviant† for the rest of my time there) for something as simple as texting. If I whipped my phone out in Manasquan High School 99% of the time teachers do not even say anything at all because they could care less. Such a backwards wrong act of defiance should be nationally recognized through out schools everywhere, but it’s not like that. Deviance is defined in so many different ways it not only differentiates from school to school, it changes in the eyes of parents too. For example, Johhny came home at 12:05am on Saturday night, and as a result got grounded for Saturday. Jessie strolled in at 12:30am on Friday night, and came home at 1:00am on Saturday with no troubles at all. What I’m trying to say is deviant behavior is not even a real thing, it is just defined by your surroundings. Am I the victim or the crime for getting all of these detentions? Am I really doing anything that terrible compared to everyone else? A lot of questions come up to me that are so simply understood by me I don’t even want to take the time to write about them or use my breath to express my opinion. In Mr. Roach’s class I wrote a paper in pen instead of typing it because my printer had malfunctioned (affirmed by a note from my dear mother) and Mr. Roach gave me a 0%, even though I did the entire paper by hand. Knowing me, Mr. Marden, of course I then acted deviantly by releasing the word F#@#$. I didn’t even say it towards Mr. Roach or loud so the class could hear it. I just said F%$#*. My act of defiance led to 2 days suspension. Since then, I have been counting every curse word I’ve heard by students and teachers in Manasquan High School sinc e then, and have seriously counted 647 curse words. Not one of those times did another student get F$%&ing suspended for two days. It’s all backwards. Fifty years ago if a girl wore a skirt that showed her knee caps people would assume she was a deviant girl. Nowadays girls wear skirts that show just about everything, and hey I’m fine with that and it seems everyone else is too. Deviant acts are just a definition by each generation. Things that were once unacceptable are now norms. Being gay 200 years ago was the same as being the devil. But now people generally accept it. All around the world deviance behavior is being redefined and rewritten but one thing always stays the same, and that is simply the fact that people will remain being deviant, no matter what the definition actually is. The idea of deviance would not even exist if it wasn’t for those types of people. (probably me too, but I’m just a deviant idiot that has no idea what I’m doing†¦)

Paragraph About Elasticity and Inelasticity

Elasticity is the degree to which demand for a service or a good varies from its price. What happens most of the times is that when there are price decreases, sales increase and viceversa. This is known as elastic demand. For example, bicycles, sodas, jeans, cars have elastic demand because when they are cheap everyone wants to buy them, but when the price increases, people stop doing so (demand depends on the price). This happens with products such as this because they are not totally essential on people? s lifes (one can live without it); instead of gas (which is a product classified in inelastic demand) because people will always need it.Elasticity is important because it helps organizations decide on the best course of action regarding the service or the product. Also, it helps the government impose a new tax (when a new tax is imposed, the prices rise). If the demand is very elastic it will considerably fall when the price has risen and the government will not be able to earn ex pected revenue. Affects monopoly as well, If demand is very elastic, the effect of monopoly on prices is quite limited. In contrast, if the demand is relatively inelastic, monopolies will increase prices by a large margin.Hence, elasticity helps both companies and government understand is what is being done produces results or not. In order to measure the rate of response of quality demanded due to a price change, there is the Price Elasticity of Demand (PEoD): (% change in quality demanded)/(% change in price). Factors that can influence this calculation include costs of switching between products, and the importance of the good (is it necessary? ). Moreover, we have what is known as price elasticity of supply, measuring the relationship between change in quality supplied and a change in price.The formula for calculating: is (%change in quality supplied)/(%change in price). There are also factors that can influence this calculation, such as spare capacity, stocks, time periods, etc . Therefore, the income elasticity of supply is the response of quantity demanded and supplied due to a change in consumer disposable income. Also, it is very important to have in mind the cross elasticity of supply. This is the acceptance of the supply of good A to the change in price of the good B. For example: a farmer grows potatoes and carrots.The cross elasticity of supply of carrots against potatoes is how much supply of carrots will change is the price of potatoes changes. Furthermore, inelasticity is a situation where the supply and demand for a good are unaffected when the price of that service or product changes. Even if the price goes higher, the demand will remain the same because people need of thee in order to survive. As I mentioned before, this is the case of gas since people need it, even if they complain about it prices they would, still need to buy it. Other examples of products with inelasticity are bread, medicines, milk and water (most of them are recurring).

Students Participation in Co-Curricular Activities

Group Discussion| October 29 2012 | John Cheok, Wai Wai and Sin Ping| Sorry, If your name are typed wrongly and please voice out if you have any problem. TQ| John: Well, we shall discuss our task given to us by Ms. Low today. So do you have anything to bring up? WW: Sorry for the interruption, but I did not pay attention during English class last week. Do you mind to explain what are we supposed to discuss? John: Everyone in the class is divided into groups and we are supposed to discuss the question that are given and present it to the class.WW: I’d appreciate it if you could enlighten me further on the question given. SP: Wai Wai, the question given to us is about students participation in co-curricular activities has not been encouraging. We are must discuss the reason and implications and not to forget, the ways to overcome it. John: I’m glad someone actually listens in class. Co-curricular activities are non-academic activities that are conducted in schools or coll eges. Furthermore, the objective of these activities is to help prepare the physical strength and mental state of students.These activities may vary from football to public speaking. WW: From my point of view, these activities help the students a lot, so I can’t understand why are their participation discourage? SP: In general, college students have not enough time. They have to juggle around with many things. Students not have many lecture and tutorial classes to attend. For example, I finished my lecture at 10am, my next tutorial class is at 10. 30 and I have to race all the way to the class that is situated so far. Let alone co-curricular activities, I don’t even have enough time to finish up my homework.John: I think we share the same opinion on this matter, there are so many assignments that I have to pass up. And the deadlines are all right next after the previous. I don’t think 24 hours for a college student is enough. I think I need 30 hours a day to joi n a co-curricular activity. WW: I agree with you on that, but if we manage our time properly, we will find out that we spend a lot of our time on unnecessary matters, for example many students are now addicted to Facebook. They log on to Facebook like every hour. And also many are addicted to Korean dramas.Instead of wasting time streaming for an episode. Why not join a co-curricular activity? SP: I’m afraid I’m not really convinced by you. One of the reasons is activities in co-curricular are not interesting. Students are learning what they have learned in secondary school again and again. The repetitive and common activities will not attract the students to participate. John: I think it is fair to say that the way to overcome this problem is by adding more interesting activities that can attract many young adults to participate and most important have fun while doing certain activity.WW: It suddenly rang in my mind that many of my friends told me this before, the act ivities conducted in co-curricular are not helpful in their future career. On one hand it may not be helpful but on the other hand it may also be less encourage because of parents objection. SP: I totally agree with you. If students take part in these activities, they will have to stay longer in college. It is normal for the parents to be worried. I understand this because my mother will also get worried of me. They are afraid that I will mix with the wrong group or even play truant.John: I rather blame student themselves to be lazy than blaming parents for not letting us join the co-curricular activities. WW: May I interrupt you for a moment? John: If I may just finish, As I was saying, if a student is hardworking and responsible, I am sure that their parents will believe them and not worried that they will mix with the wrong people neither will they play truant. WW: In that case, I’m sorry to say that I may not be able to accept that. SP: Let’s not argue further but discuss about ways to overcome this problem. John: I think a campaign will help.WW: Could you explain this matter further? John: What I was thinking just now is that the college should held a campaign to encourage the students to take part in co-curricular. In that campaign, students should be given with more details and they can also ask questions about the activities that they are keen to join. By doing this, the students might gain more interest or even be exposed to new things. SP: I see eye to eye with you about this. Besides organizing a campaign, the college can also make it compulsory to join co-curricular activities.If students refused to join, they will never graduate. WW: I concur with you on this issue, but if the college forced their students to take part in the co-curricular activities, they students will not enjoy themselves but it will even male them more stress. From my point of view, the college should reward students with credit hour. For example in Tar College, i f you join the co-curricular units, at the end of the semester, you will earn two credit hours. John: Wow, by doing this, students will gain more knowledge and also do something for them to graduate by earning those credit hours.I’m sure students in TAR College are all willing to take part in their co-curricular units. I think students will gain more experience by participating in co-curricular activities. I believe, Co-curricular activities will expose students to many new things, hence it have many benefits. To conclude our discussion, the main reason for students not to take part in the co-curricular activities is lack of time or has bad time management and to overcome it, students must learn to distribute their time not only for their academic but also for some co-curricular activities.

Pakistan Elections Essay

Whilst the tenure of a democratically elected government comes to an end, political parties in Pakistan are gearing up for elections. Almost all significant parties have ruled the country one way or the other during the past five years. Perhaps, Elections 2013 are going to take place at the most critical time in the history of country. On the verge of selling their story to the public, the anti-status quo parties will have to produce a revolutionary and out of the box solutions to people’s problems, or to befool the masses yet once more. The energetic and aggressive media in its present capacity remains a major factor to influence minds. Still there is a big question mark on whether media can play their role positively and constructively. At the moment, media is the only institution which has the power to make or break the future of the country. Now when elections are just around the corner, any possible equation hinting at the postponement of elections is out of questions. Several attempts have been made and number of rumors has been floating but recent developments suggest that any such effort to derail the electoral system will not be supported by establishment. It is believed that three major factors will decide the outcome of the upcoming elections. First and foremost is an international issue, i.e. withdrawal of US and ISAF troops from Afghanistan. Three major parties (PPP, PML (N) and PTI) are on a serious quest of convincing US officials that their leadership will be the right choice to handle Afghan borders when US withdraws their troops. Two other factors will be internal but international community is keeping a close eye on it, namely economy and energy crisis. These elections will be dominated by these issues and any party who can provide solution for these problems can ultimately dominate the election results. This is slightly an idealistic statement; given the electoral process in Pakistan has its own dynamics. Yet these issues will affect the outcome of these elections a great deal. Country’s economy is severely jolted by poor economic decisions and terrorism. IMF has already declined any further assistance on economic revival. Terrorism and mismanagement of resources have coupled to shatter the economy of the country. More alarmingly, next budget is to be prepared by care taker government which is not likely present a popular budget. They will also be hesitant of making any tough decisions with little mandate. Looking for a next installment in terrorism support fund or Kerry-Lugar package will be the ultimate desire as the care taker government will not be in a position to bargain for a bail-out package from the international community. No political party has been able to assure USA that they have the most viable strategy to facilitate US exit from Afghanistan, establish peace in the region, resolution to the border issues with Afghanistan & India and controlling the growing militancy in the country. Other issues that will be of immense importance for next government include controlling the law and order situation in Karachi, de-weaponiza tion in the country, establishing the writ of state in Balochistan and FATA, a cohesive national agenda, new provinces, minimizing corruption, land reforms, farmer-friendly agricultural policy and importantly for a common man; the inflation. It will be little unfair not to discuss Tahir-ul-Qadri factor for electoral reform in these elections. Regardless of what TUQ achieved with this entire exercise, it is imperative that he certainly had an impact on pushing election commission for strict electoral reforms. All of a sudden, election commission approved rules of qualification for contesting elections and party elections etc. This is more for self-survival than for any sincere efforts for transparent elections. Elections in Pakistan have their own dynamics. This is why parties enchanting slogans of change have to get the ‘electable’ candidates in each constituency. Not only PML(N) has to embrace the once Musharraf’s supporters and PPP has to break into PML(N) and PML(Q) but a party like PTI also had to get the feudal lords, Musharraf’s supporters and infamous politicians. Fortunately for the people and unfortunately for the political parties, there has been significant awareness about electing the right candidate regardless of any party, race, prejudice, cast or other factors. In this tricky scenario, parties are trying to portray themselves as righteous and honorable entities; at the same time, they are playing their cards on the other front very effectively, i.e. dirty politics! Thanks largely to vibrant electronic and print media in Pakistan. Next few weeks will give a clearer picture of which political party is going to utilize this opportunity. But one thing can be stated with conviction that these elections will be unlike all previous elections in Pakistan. As mentioned earlier, media have the most crucial role to play. These are no doubt the most crucial elections in Pakistan after 1970. These elections will decide Pakistan’s destiny in next few decades.

Causes for World War 1 Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Causes for World War 1 - Term Paper Example Accordingly, the increased tensions led to the formation of alliances such as the Triple alliance (1882) that was formed among Austria-Hungary, Italy and Germany for the sole purposes of defending each other in case of attacks. In response, Britain, Russia and France formed the Triple Entente alliance (1907) thus encircling Germany and Austria-Hungary. In addition, Germany started competing with Britain in building modern battleships and with Russia and France in terms of expansion of the armies (Duiker and Spielvogel 666). One of the long range immediate causes of WWI was imperialism since European countries had divided Asia and African countries in to territories with the aim of strengthening their economic and political influence in European continent. Such countries believe that they could be superior by conquering the others. Britain conquered Africa from north in Cairo while France tried to conquer Africa from the Western Atlantic Sea. The two countries almost went in to War af ter meeting at Fashoda in Sudan thus prompting Germany to demand a share of colonies too. Austria desired to dominate Balkans in order to control Serbia propaganda and German supported Austria in exploiting rich resources of Asia Minor through Balkans policy (Duiker and Spielvogel 667). ... Nationalism led races ruled by Turkey such as Bulgarians and races ruled by Austria-Hungary such as Serbs to demand their won freedom. Nationalism led to disintegration of Austria-Hungary but subsequently resulted to unification of Germany and Italy. Nationalism weakened the existing empires such as Ottoman Empire and Slavic people in Balkan region started demanding for freedom from the authoritarian Ottoman control. Serbia finally declared its independence and allied itself with Russia thus increasing the tensions with Austria-Hungary (Duiker and Spielvogel 661). Another long range immediate cause of the War was increased militarism by the main powers. The countries perceived war as a means of entrenching foreign policy and started building large armies and battleships. For instance, Germany had 2,200,000 soldiers and about 100 warships in 1914 while Great Britain had about 711,000 soldiers and about 200 warships. Other countries like Austria-Hungary, France, Italy and Russia starte d strengthening their military in preparedness of any eventuality (Duiker and Spielvogel 668). Another factor that can be attributed to the War was alliances that were formed between nations in order to protect the territories and ensure economic stability of the alliance members. Germany kept close ties with Russia in 1894 while Britain entered in to a friendly relationship with France in 1904. In 1907, Britain entered in to Triple Entente alliance that comprised Russia, Great Britain and France. In addition, Britain had a naval alliance with Japan that had been formed in 1902. The Triple Entente threatened the superiority of Germany thus leading to aggressive military posturing against the neighboring countries (Duiker and Spielvogel 665). The assassination of

Private Schools for ethnic minorities in Alberta, Canada Essay

Private Schools for ethnic minorities in Alberta, Canada - Essay Example The state can create a community that would be a single ‘cultural ghoulash’; or it can also create separate units/ghettoes for each ethnic group that would later be coerced to form a political unity. Thus, it would be â€Å"melting down the citizenry into a nation of â€Å"Americans† or â€Å"Canadians,† people who will largely share nationally defining characteristics and attributes, and, on the other hand, balkanizing them into officially structured units within the state, each with their own defining characteristics, attributes, and values†( Dickinson & Dolmage, 364). However one has to keep in mind that modern society does not function on such simple guidelines. It is not possible to bulldoze all the members and mould them into one cultural frame; and this is very apparent in the numerous leaks that have appeared in the so called ‘American cultural melting pot’; nor does ‘balkanization’ work, as we see in the failure of the former state of Yugoslavia.The ethnic groups in Canada fall broadly under a category of the population as those citizens who are not English or French in their origin and also not a member of the native Canadians. Young in his article speaks of 4 ways in which such a diverse and ethnic cultural racial group, can coexist peacefully within a social order. First, these groups can ‘assimilate’ and become a part of the host country’s culture, in this, they will have to forsake their own cultural origins.

Evaluation Methods Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Evaluation Methods - Coursework Example t will first provide a brief overview of evaluation design and methodology followed by discussing the importance of strategic questioning, interview techniques, and evaluation design. Eventually, the student will examine the different types of research evaluation designs and methodologies by comparing and contrasting each of the widely used research evaluation and methodologies. Based on the scope and limitation of each research evaluation design and methodology, the type of research study wherein each of the research evaluation design and methodology is proven to be effective will be discussed prior to the conclusion. There are a lot of evaluation design and methodology to consider when conducting a research work. In order to develop a good research study, the researcher should be able to effectively mix-and-match the methodological designs which can either be (1) experimental; (2) quasi-experimental; or (3) non-experimental evaluation with the use of either descriptive, normative, or causal methodological approaches (Grosshans & Chelimsky, 1991); together with the different available evaluation approaches like: (1) theory-based; (2) goal free; or (3) constructivist. (Weiss, 2005) When conducting a sample survey, researcher may chose from evaluation designs like cross-sectional or panel. (Grosshans & Chelimsky, 1991) Depending on the main goal of the researcher, other approaches like quantitative, qualitative methods or both can be used when conducting a sample survey. In general, the type of evaluation design and methodology used in a research study is highly dependent on the main purpose of the study. (Rutman, 1980) For example: A quasi-experimentation design and analysis is highly recommended for field settings. (Campbell & Cook, 1979: p. 405) Other types of evaluation design suitable for field experiment includes: (1) true experiment – also known as the experimental approach; (2) non-equivalent comparison group; or (3) time-series. (Grosshans &

Astronomy123 assignment2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Astronomy123 assignment2 - Essay Example All this was proved during the study of the Milky Way Galaxy. The astronauts believe that the things that exist in the universe are all within the perimeters of our galaxy. With the measurements, the galaxy is proved to be of a 300000 light years in diameter. This also was proved that the sun was not at the center. The galaxy also had spiral nebulae that was seen by the use of the telescopes and the clouds which were just like gases were seen in the Milky Way. In his points, he argued that the Milky Way was large as the star clusters. The distance between the clusters was 13m and they were all of the same size. This made him to know their actual distance and said that the objects diminished in size as the distance within them increased. The clusters also had a halo on the other body of the galaxy making the galaxy to be 300000 light years in diameter and the sun was 50000 light years away from the sun. He believed that the spiral nebulae was within the galaxy’s boundaries and he came up with a theory that the spiral were formed from the late solar forming systems. This confirmed that the galaxy is the one which forms the entire universe. 3. The discovery of the microwave background was explicit by the fact that Europe had a sociological problem and it was in a disastrous war. Since the war were also to be extended to the United States, the discussion of the theory was not possible because of the disaster. The discovery was to be discovered after the end of the Second World War but unluckily, the world recovered very slowly until in the year 1952 when the discussion was discussed at the IAU meeting although the files had been

The supreme court does not have the power to execute its decisions and Essay

The supreme court does not have the power to execute its decisions and interpretations. how then, does the supreme court obtain compliance with its interpretations of the constitution - Essay Example We will also seek to understand the challenges with regard to such compliance. In United States (US), federal government is divided into three separate branches i.e. The Legislative branch governed under Article 1 of the Constitution, The Executive Branch governed under Article 2 of the Constitution and The Judicial Branch governed under Article 3 of the Constitution. As per Article 3, The Judicial Branch is headed by US Supreme court. Supreme Court has original jurisdiction in certain cases i.e. Issues involving Ambassadors, treaties by federal government and issues where two or more states are parties. Every state has its own Supreme Court as well and cases related to a particular state are dealt in the respective state’s Supreme Court. However, the US Supreme Court works as appellate court for such cases if there is a federal issue involved. Separation of power leads to the concept of check and balance. In US all the three branches of state not only facilitate each other in completing the desired goals under the constitution but also ensure check and balance over each other. Supreme Court does not derive its force through administrative means. The decisions of court are enforced through other branches of the system i.e. legislative and executive. So the compliance of court decisions is a matter of supremacy of Constitution. The Constitution safeguards balance among organs of state where one organ does not interfere with the rights and powers of other. On the other hand, the system of check and balance provides the court with powers to interpret constitution. The most important of them is Judicial Review. Political Backing and Continued nature of service of Supreme Court Judges also help the Court to enforce its writ. Judicial review is a process through which executive and legislative decision can be questioned by the judiciary and if they are found against the supreme law of the

Instrumentation systems assignment Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Instrumentation systems assignment - Lab Report Example Single-point adjustment allows for the linear characteristic curve to be shifted in positive or negative direction over the entire measuring range. The large selection of pressure units of up to 6 different units is possible. It is far more than any complicated dual-scale, or multi-scale gauge can offer. The digital pressure gauge has a selection point for the required display unit to be posted on the screen. The desired value can be read directly eliminating the need for conversions (Kobata, Kojima and Kajikawa, 2012). Pressure is applied to the pressure sensors within the equipment. These sensors can either be resistive, capacitive or piezoelectric crystals. A pressure on the crystals causes a generation of electric current due to the piezoelectric effect. Since the generated voltages are slight, an amplifier is used to amplify the output to a readable value. The output is in analog form due to the analog sinusoidal voltage output from the transducers. The analog to digital converter is thus used to convert the analog output to produce its digital counterpart for ease of reading. The final output is displayed on a digital display screen (Morris, 2001). There are two operating keys on the Reference Type E. The left key turns the instrument on while at the same time used to execute its functions. Contrarily, the right key helps in switching between the MAX and MIN-value. The device displays the pressure range after turn-on for two seconds before changing into measuring mode. The functions of the device include: An indication on the display shows if the ZERO- and/or CONT-function is activated. By pressing the left key until ZERO and/or CONT disappears, the zero is reset to factory settings with the possibilities of reactivating the automatic turn-off function. It the actual pressure goes beyond the measuring range, OFL (overflow) appears on the display (Quinn, 1970). Pressures of known values were

Hormones and the Stressed Brain Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Hormones and the Stressed Brain - Essay Example One, the mineralocorticoid receptors ( MR's) that control the genes for stabilization of neural activity produced in response to the stress due to the release of corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH)-1 receptor. The glucocorticoid receptors (GRs) which unlike the MRs have low affinity induce agitation in the genes in response to the stress level produced by cortisol. GRs along with CRH-2 receptors, and parasympathetic system of behavioral alteration, aid in storing energy and information for any future occasions. Coordination and balance between the two is important for mental and physical health. Imbalance may occur due to genetic defect, individual experience etc altering the neural signal route controlling memory, emotion etc. Understanding the mechanism of corticosteroid help to find causes behind various stress related ailment like depression. The individuals response to his/her environment is determined by the stress mediators or management hormones like corticosteroids mostly concentrated in the brain. In a healthy human being with perfectly balanced stress system the response operates is synonymous to the switch on and off responses of an electric fan. Sometimes these mediators may not operate in a balanced and coordinated way as in normal healthy humans.

Students’ fitness and their academic achievement Essay Example for Free

Students’ fitness and their academic achievement Essay Running Head: Discussion Investigations into the relationship between academic achievement and physical fitness have produced mixed results. Weber (1983) correlated fitness, using the Iowa Physical Proficiency Profile (including sit-ups, pull-ups, running), to entrance exam scores and grade point averages for 246 male college students. Fitness level had a significant positive relationship with grade point average (r = . 41), but did not relate to performance scores on entrance exams. Hart and Shay (1994) examined mathematics and verbal SAT scores and the Physical Fitness Index in 60 college women. When the relationships between verbal scores and mathematics scores and fitness index were examined, the r values were . 068 and . 146, respectively, although neither was significant at the . 05 level. A battery of fitness tests (e. g. , flexed arm hang, curl-ups, and step test) were administered to 827 female freshmen and subjects were placed in one of three categories of fitness: high, fair or poor (Arnett, 1988). Arnett (1988) found significant differences in grade point average between the groups, with participants with higher fitness levels having higher GPAs. Using various academic measures and fitness measures on school-aged children, studies have also resulted in inconsistent findings. Clarke and Jarman (1991), examining 217 boys (aged 9, 12 and 15), found that there was a consistent, and for some fitness measures, a significant tendency for the students in the high fitness group to have higher means on both standard achievement tests and grade point average. Current studies have used standardized achievement and fitness tests as measures. A study involving 1,767 students in second, fourth and sixth grades examined the relationship between performance on the Georgia Criterion Referenced Test for Reading, Mathematics and Career Education and performance on a variety of physical fitness tests from the Minnesota Performance Test, the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD) Health Related Physical Fitness Tests, and the Texas Physical Fitness-Motor Ability Test (Harris Jones, 1982). For the boys and girls, multiple regression analysis demonstrated a low, but significant, relationship between reading and mathematics ability and the combination of eight motor performance measures examined, five of which were fitness measures. Winn (1993) studied 302 fourth and fifth grade children and examined the relationship between scores on the California Test of Basic Skills (reading, mathematics) and performance on the AAHPERD Presidents Challenge. Using national norms, total fitness and total academic achievement scores were determined. The overall correlation between the total scores was . 213. When each test item was correlated with scores in each of reading, mathematics and language, the correlations ranged from . 043 to . 462, although none of the correlations were significant at the . 05 level. An examination of 7,961 youngsters from 7 to 15 years of age in Australia was conducted by Dwyer, Sallis, Blizzard, Lazarus and Dean (2001). School ratings of scholastic ability were compared with performance on a variety of fitness measures including sit-ups, push-ups, and a 1.6 kilometer run. Across the age groups, there were significant, but weak, correlations (ranging from. 1 to . 27) between fitness (cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular force and power) and academic performance. Most recently, the California Department of Education (2002; 2005) reported the results of two studies that examined the relationship between scores on achievement tests and the Fitnessgram. In the first study, performance on the Stanford Achievement Tests and scores on the Fitnessgram for 884,715 students in grades 5, 7, and 9 were investigated. A composite score, ranging from zero to six, was created for physical fitness, in which a student obtained one point for each of the six test items for which the student was determined to be in the healthy zone. In each of the three grades, higher levels of fitness were related to higher academic achievement. The relationship was stronger for math achievement and fitness, especially at higher fitness levels. This study has yet to be published. As a result, no statistical measures are available. Nevertheless, the results were cited by professional sources, such as the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (no date) and the PE Central web site (no date) as evidence that there is a direct relationship between physical fitness levels and academic achievement. In the latter study (California Department of Education, 2005), performance on the California Standards Tests and the Fitnessgram for 1,036,386 students in grades 5, 7 and 9 were compared. Again in this study, students were awarded a composite score, representing the number of fitness test battery items in which they were in the healthy zone. Results were similar to the 2002 study, with higher fitness scores associated with higher scores in English-language arts and mathematics (p . 05). In this study (California Department of Education, 2005), however, only means were reported; thus, no standard deviations were given for the groups compared, nor were effect size measures made to quantify the practical significance of the differences observed between groups. Conclusion In summary, research examining the relationship between academic achievement and physical fitness has produced mixed results. Of these, one study has been published only as a press release in which no statistical analysis was reported and a second study had incomplete statistical information to effectively interpret the results (California Department of Education, 2002; 2005). In the remaining investigations the interpretation of the results focused on whether a statistically significant finding was observed. A number of statistical researchers, however, have emphasized that the correct interpretation of research results requires that not only the statistical significance of the data be considered, but also the practical significance of the findings (Sterne Smith, 2001; Thomas, Salazar Landers, 1991; Vincent, 1999). This is particularly important in studies such as the present one, and the ones discussed above, which typically involve very large sample sizes of hundreds to hundreds of thousands of subjects. Due to the effect of sample size on the calculation of statistical significance, with large sample sizes it is possible to calculate statistical significance on a result that has no practical significance (Vincent, 1999). As evidenced by the history of investigations, the importance of understanding the relationship between physical fitness and academic performance in children and youth is relevant, and increased by recent evidence from studies conducted on animals and elderly humans that increased physical activity results in improved cognitive function (Colcombe et al., 2004; 2004; Rhodes et al. , 2003). References Almond, L. , McGeorge, S. (1998). Physical activity and academic performance. British Journal of Physical Education, 29(2), 8-12. Arnett, C. (1988). Interrelationships between selected physical variables and academic achievement of college women. Research Quarterly, 39, 227-230. Clarke, H. , Jarman, B. O. (1991). Scholastic achievement of boys 9, 12, and 15 years of age as related to various strength and growth measures. Research Quarterly, 32, 155-162. Colcombe, S. J. , Kramer, A. F. , Erickson, K. I. , Scalf, P., McAuley, E. , Cohen, N. J. , et al. (2004). Cardiovascular fitness, cortical plasticity, and aging. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA, 101, 3316-3321 Creswell, J. W. (2002). Educational research. Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research. Upper Saddle River, N J: Merrill Prentice Hall Dustman, R. E. , Emmerson, R. , Shearer, D. (1994). Physical activity, age and cognitive function. Journal of Aging and Physical Activity, 2, 143-181. Dwyer, T. , Sallis, J. F. , Blizzard, L. , Lazarus, R. , Dean, K. (2001). Relation of academic performance to physical activity and fitness in children. Pediatric Exercise Science, 13,225-237. Fraenkel, J. R. , Wallen, N. E. (2003). How to design and evaluate research in education (5th ed. ). Boston: McGraw Hill. Harris, D. I. , Jones, M. A. (1982). Reading, math and motor performance. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, 53(9), 21-22. Hart, M. E. , Shay, C. T. (1994). Relationship between physical fitness and academic success. Research Quarterly, 35, 443-445 Hopkins, W. G. (2001). New view of statistics: Effect magnitudes. Retrieved July 10, 2004 McAuley, E. , Kramer, A. F. , Colcombe, S. J. (2004). Cardiovascular fitness and neurocognitive function in older adults: A brief review. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 18, 214-220 National Association for Sport and Physical Education. (2002). 2001 Shape of the nation report. Reston, VA: Author. Nutrition and physical activity. Overweight and obesity.. Retrieved July 15, 2004 Ogden, C. L. , Flegal, K. M. , Carroll, M. D. , Johnson, C. L. (2002). Prevalence and trends in overweight among U. S. children and adolescents, 1999-2000. Journal of the American Medical Association, 288, 17281732. Presidents Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. (1992). Normative data from the 1985 school population fitness survey for use with the presidents challenge youth physical fitness program. Washington, DC: U. S. Government Printing Office. Plato, The republic,Book III, 412A-B. Translated by Conford, 1945, pp. 101-102 Rhodes, J. S. , van Praag, H. , Jeffrey, S. , Girard, I. , Mitchell, G. S. , Garland, T. Jr. , et al. (2003). Exercise increases hippocampal neurogenesis to high levels but does not improve spatial learning in mice bred for increased voluntary wheel running. Behavioral Neuroscience, 117, 10061016. Sterne, J. A. C. , Smith, G. D. (2001). Sifting the evidence whats wrong with significance tests? British Medical Journal, 322, 226-231. Symons, C. W. , Cinelli, B. , James, T. C. , Groff, P. (1997). Bridging student health risks and academic achievement through comprehensive school health programs. Journal of School Health, 76, 220-227. Thomas, J. R. , Salazar, W. , Landers, D. M. (1991). What is missing in p is less than .05? Effect size. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 62(3), 344-348. Vannier, M. , Poindexter, H. B. (1964). Physical activities for college women. Philadephia: W. B. Saunders. Vincent, W. J. (1999). Statistics in kinesiology. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. Weber, J. R. (1983). Relationship of physical fitness to success in college and to . rsonality. Research Quarterly, 24, 471-474. Winn, K. L. (1993). A study of the relationship between physical fitness levels and the academic achievement of fourth and fifth grade students. Unpublished masters thesis, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA.