Puritan Elements in Young Goodman Brown essays

Puritan Elements in Young Goodman Brown essays In an article on this short story, literary critic D. J. Moores quotes Alexander Solzhenitsyn as saying, "'If only it were so simple! If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being'" (Moores 4). This is the central idea in "Young Goodman Brown" all people have evil in them, and Goodman Brown discovers this the hard way on his trip though the forest with the Devil. He sees some of the most pious and respected townspeople engaging in Devil worship, and he cannot contend with the thought that they could possibly have evil inside them. Hawthorne writes, "'That old woman taught me my catechism!' said the young man; and there was a world of meaning in this simple comment" (Hawthorne 65). The main theme of this story is this good and evil that lives within us all. It is Goodman Brown's Puritan m orals and beliefs that do not allow him to accept this, or forgive it, in himself or those around him. Throughout the story, Hawthorne blends many elements of Puritan society and belief to create an aura of faith and faithlessness, or good and evil. Critic Moores continues, "Young Goodman Brown experiences in the Salem woods his other self, his inner demon. He has the opportunity, which he fails to exploit, to assimilate such psychic energies and to be made whole, but his Calvinist Puritanism prevents him from doing so" (Moores). For example, the story is set in Salem, Massachusetts, the notorious setting of the Salem witch trials where numerous men and women were condemned as witches and sentenced to death by Puritan judges. In another element, Hawthorne equates the Devil with Indians. He writes, "'There may be a devilish Indian behind every tree,' said Goodman Brown to himself; and he glanced fearfully behind him, as he added, 'What if the d...

Katharine Burr Blodgett Invents Non-Reflective Glass

Katharine Burr Blodgett Invents Non-Reflective Glass Katherine Burr Blodgett (1898-1979) was a woman of many firsts. She was the first female scientist hired by General Electric’s Research Laboratory in Schenectady, New York (1917) as well as the first woman to earn a Ph.D. in Physics from Cambridge University (1926). She was the first woman to receive the Photographic Society of America Award, and the American Chemical Society honored her with the Francis P. Garvin Medal. Her most notable discovery was in how to produce non-reflective glass. Early Life of Katharine Burr Blodgett Blodgetts father was a patent lawyer and head of the patent department at General Electric. He was killed by a burglar a few months before she was born but left enough savings that the family was financially secure. After living in Paris, the family returned to New York where Blodgett attended private schools and Bryn Mawr College, excelling at mathematics and physics. She got her masters degree from the University of Chicago in 1918 with a thesis on the chemical structure of gas masks, determining that carbon would absorb most poisonous gasses. She then went to work for the General Electric Research Lab with  Nobel Prize winner  Dr. Irving Langmuir. She completed her Ph.D. at Cambridge University in 1926. Research at General  Electric Blodgett’s research on monomolecular coatings with  Langmuir led her to a revolutionary discovery. She discovered a way to apply the coatings layer by layer to glass and metal. These thin films naturally reduce glare on reflective surfaces. When layered to a certain thickness, they completely cancel out the reflection from the surface underneath. This resulted in the world’s first 100 percent transparent or invisible glass Katherine Blodgett’s patented film and process (1938) has been used for many purposes including limiting distortion in eyeglasses, microscopes, telescopes, camera, and projector lenses.   Katherine Blodgett received U.S patent #2,220,660 on March 16, 1938, for the Film Structure and Method of Preparation or invisible, nonreflective glass. Katherine Blodgett also invented a special color gauge for measuring the thickness of these films of glass, since 35,000 layers of the film only added up to the thickness of a sheet of paper. Blodgett also made a breakthrough in developing smoke screens during World War II. Her process allowed less oil to be used as it was vaporized into molecular particles. In addition, she developed methods for deicing airplane wings. She published dozens of scientific papers over the course of her long career. Blodgett retired from General Electric in 1963.  She did not marry and lived with Gertrude Brown for many years. She acted in the Schenectady Civic Players and lived on Lake George in the Adirondack Mountains.  She died at home in 1979. Her awards include the Progress Medal from the Photographic Society of America, Garvan Medal of the American Chemical Society, American Physical Society Fellow, and Boston First Assembly of American Women of Achievement honored scientist. In 2007 she was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Patents Granted to Katharine Burr Blodgett U.S. Patent 2,220,860: 1940: Film Structure and Method of PreparationU.S. Patent 2,220,861: 1940: Reduction of Surface ReflectionU.S. Patent 2,220,862: 1940: Low-Reflectance GlassU.S. Patent 2,493,745: 1950: Electrical Indicator of Mechanical ExpansionU.S. Patent 2,587,282: 1952: Step Gauge for Measuring Thickness of Thin FilmsU.S. Patent 2,589,983: 1952: Electrical Indicator of Mechanical ExpansionU.S. Patent 2,597,562: 1952: Electrically Conducting LayerU.S. Patent 2,636,832: 1953: Method of Forming Semiconducting Layers on Glass and Article Formed Thereby

Outsourcing and offshoring Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Outsourcing and offshoring - Essay Example which in fact are expensive and time consuming in dealings. The corporate headquarters of Dell Inc. is located at Round Rock, Texas. This is where the company was first started. Dell has regional headquarters in Bracknell, England, for Europe, Middle East and Africa and in Singapore to serve the Pacific Rim, including Japan, India, China, Australia and New Zealand. The company manufactures its computer systems in nine locations: Austin, Texas; Nashville, Tenn.; Winston-Salem, North Carolina; Eldorado do Sul and Hortolandia, Brazil (Americas); Limerick, Ireland (Europe, Middle East and Africa); Penang, Malaysia (Asia Pacific and Japan); Chennai, India (India) and Xiamen, China (China). Dell sells its products and services worldwide. The company started its international activities in the year 1987 by opening a subsidiary in United Kingdom (Dell). The reason for any company to open a subsidiary in a different country is the ability of the company to capitalize on low cost labor, easy access to raw materials, low transportation costs, and avoidance of import duties. Usually, firms which aim for a high market share in international markets opt for this kind of strategy (Research). Dell Computer Corporation has got a global supply network which helps the company in its overall product quality along with lowering the costs. Though the company's principle headquarters and design centers are located at Austin, Texas, the company has managed to expand its operations worldwide. Each one of the company's establishments is specialized uniquely. The main headquarters of the company situated in Austin, Texas deals with software development and documentation alongside handling the system development of notebooks, desktops and servers. The company has got two global lines of business namely Dell Imaging and Dell Displays. Singapore center of Dell which was started in the year 2005 is the home for both these global business lines of the company. The entire portfolio of displays along with projectors and Televisions are taken care at the Singapore center. These global lines also include Dell printers and other associated software of the company. The company established a design center in Bangalore, India in the year 2001. The company's design center at Bangalore focuses on software development, server development, international product support, Test engineering and documentation along with enterprise solutions. In the year 200, the company established a design center in the city of Shanghai in China. This center focuses on the system development for desktops along with client system testing and other services related to notebooks and desktops. The company also started a design center in Taiwan in the year 2003 which takes care of data center solutions and notebook and server development. Each of the design centers of the company located at various destinations specialize in different areas. Each center focuses on different activities depending upon the market in which the center is located. The manufacturing units of the company located at various parts of the world manufacture products and the sale of those products is done in those respective regions and they also re-import the products to other places depending on the need and demand. Over the years, Dell has developed the capacity to integrate

Statistics Coursework Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Statistics Coursework - Essay Example t in this study, there is a bias when it comes to the representation of gender in such a way that only 5 females were selected and participants were only restricted to university students ages between 18 and 25 years old. Devane et al (2004) noted in their study that health care researchers should consider carefully the inherent aspect to estimate the sample size of the study. This consideration is important to avoid possible errors in the study. Inappropriate techniques employed by researchers provide the risk of misinterpreting the findings due biased samples. The previous research study was restricted by time, sample size and volunteers, it is therefore necessary to use a large sample size population composed of 200 male and female populations (100 male and 100 female). The test population should be randomly selected. To equally distribute the test population and to avoid any biases, the population should include 50 female ranging from 18 to 49 years of age and 50 female population ages 50 years old and above as well as 50 male population ranging from 18 t0 49 years of age and 50 male population ages 50 years old and above. The conclusion of the research study will be greatly affected if there is a big difference in proportion than the one that is used in the power calculation. As the power increases, the chances to have an error will decrease. Hence, studies with bigger difference are statistically significant. In contrast, studies having smaller difference may not be statistically significant. In a typical manner, research design evaluations must have an 80% - 90% power, and this would mean that the data gathered and the statistical method that would be used allows one to conclude that the intervention employed by the researcher is effective. Moreover, it was noted that the larger the sample size, the larger is the power and the variation in the outcome measure will be less (Larsson 2001). The test population who will volunteer for the study are the locals

Dell Essay Example for Free

Dell Essay 4. Is Dell’s strategy working? What is your assessment of the financial performance that Dell’s strategy has delivered during fiscal years 2000-2008? Use the financial ratios presented in the Appendix of the text (pages 240-241) as a basis for doing your calculations and drawing conclusions about Dell’s performance. Selected Financial Statement Data for Dell Inc., Fiscal Years 2000 – 2008 (in million, except per share data) | February 1, 2008| February 2, 2007| February 3, 2006| January 28, 2005| January 30, 2004| February 1, 2002| January 28, 2000| Results of Operations| | | | | | | | Net Revenue| 61,133| 57,420| 55,788| 49,121| 41,327| 31,168| 25,265| Cost of Revenue| 49,462| 47,904| 45,897| 40,103| 33,764| 25,661| 20,047| Gross Margin| 11,671| 9,516| 9,891| 9,018| 7,563| 5,507| 5,218| Gross Profit Margin| 19. 1%| 16.6%| 17.7%| 18.4%| 18.3%| 17.7%| 20.7%| Operating Expenses| | | | | | | | + Selling, general and administrative| 7,538| 5,948| 5,051| 4,352| 3,604| 2,784| 2,387| + Research, development and engineering| 693| 498| 458| 460| 434| 452| 374| + Special charges| -| -| -| -| -| 482| 194| Total operating expenses| 8,231| 6,446| 5,509| 4,812| 4,038| 3,718| 2,955| Total operating expenses as a % of net revenues| 13.5%| 11.2%| 9.9%| 9.8%| 9.8%| 10.4%| 10.9%| Operating Income| 3,440| 3,070| 4,382| 4,206| 3,525| 1,789| 2,263| Operating profit margin| 5.6%| 5.3%| 7.9%| 8.6%| 8.5%| 5.7%| 9.0%| Investment and other income (loss), net| 387| 275| 226| 197| 186| (58)| 188| Income before income taxes extraordinary loss, and cumulative effect of change in accounting principle| 3,827| 3,345| 4,608| 4,403| 3,711| 1,731| 2,451| Provision for income taxes| 880| 762| 1,006| 1,385| 1,086| 485| 785| Net Income| 2,947| 2,583| 3,602| 3,018| 2,625| 1,246| 1,666| Net profit margin| 4.8%| 4.5%| 6.5%| 6.1%| 6.4%| 4.0%| 6.6%| Earnings per common share: Basic| 1.33| 1.15| 1.50| 1.20|  1.02| 0.48| 0.66| Diluted| 1.31| 1.14| 1.47| 1.18| 1.01| 0.46| 0.61| Weighted average shares outstanding: Basic| 2,223| 2,255| 2,403| 2,509| 2,565| 2,602| 2,536| Diluted| 2,247| 2,271| 2,449| 2,568| 2,619| 2,726| 2,728| | | | | | | | | Cash Flow and Balance Sheet Data| | | | | | | | Net cash provided by operating activities| 3,949| 3,969| 4,751| 5,821| 3,670| 3,797| 3,926| Cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments| 7,972| 10,298| 9,070| 9,807| 11,922| 8,287| 6,853| Total assets| 27,561| 25,635| 23,252| 23,215| 19,311| 13,535| 11,560| Long-term debt| 362| 569| 625| 505| 505| 520| 508| Total stockholders equity| 3,735| 4,328| 4,047| 6,485| 6,280| 4,694| 5,308| Profitability Ratios | January 28, 2000| February 1, 2002| January 30, 2004| January 28, 2005| February 3, 2006| February 2, 2007| February 1, 2008| Gross Profit Margin| 20.7%| 17.7%| 18.3%| 18.4%| 17.7%| 16.6%| 19.1%| Operating Profit Margin| 9.0%| 5.7%| 8.5%| 8.6%| 7.9%| 5.3%| 5.6%| Net Profit Margin| 6.6%| 4.0%| 6.4%| 6.1%| 6.5%| 4.5%| 4.8%| The chart shows the Profitability Ratios of Dell from 2000 to 2008. In general, from 2000 to 2008, the profit of Dell was quite stable. As we can see, Dell’s strategy is still working and makes a lot of money for Dell every year. However, there was no remarkable increase. The net profit margin has been about 5% during Fiscal Years 2000 – 2008. | January 28, 2000| February 1, 2002| January 30, 2004| January 28, 2005| February 3, 2006| February 2, 2007| February 1, 2008| Return on total assets (ROA)| 14.4%| 9.2%| 13.6%| 13.0%| 15.5%| 10.1%| 10.7%| Return on Stockholders Equity (ROE)| 31.4%| 26.5%| 41.8%| 46.5%|  89.0%| 59.7%| 78.9%| Return on invested capital (ROI)| 28.6%| 23.9%| 38.7%| 43.2%| 77.1%| 52.7%| 71.9%| The chart indicates ROA, ROE and ROI of Dell from 2000 to 2008. From 2000 to 2008, ROA has been stable because Dell built a lot of manufactory. However, ROE and ROI had very impressive increase since 2000. In 2006, ROE reached the peak 89% and ROI reached the peak 77.1%. It proved that Dell has used the monetary capital invested in its operations and the returns to those investments very effectively. | January 28, 2000| February 1, 2002| January 30, 2004| January 28, 2005| February 3, 2006| February 2, 2007| February 1, 2008| Long term debt to capital ratio| 0.09| 0.10| 0.07| 0.07| 0.13| 0.12| 0.09| Long term debt to equity ratio| 0.10| 0.11| 0.08| 0.08| 0.15| 0.13| 0.10| The chart shows 2 leverage ratios of Dell: Long-term debt to capital ratio and long term debt to equity ratio. These ratios are quite important because they measure creditworthiness and balance sheet strength. As we can see, all the ratios were very low, under 0.2 which had very good effect to the creditworthiness and balance sheet strength. Besides that, they could also help Dell to borrow additional funds if needed. In conclusion: Through the analysis, we can say that Dell’s strategy is still effective. It helps Dell to earn a lot of money every year. However, although Dell has gained profit during Fiscal Years 2000 – 2008, there was no remarkable increase in profit and it seemed to be stable. Dell’s strategy has been very successful when it helped the company to control the cost very well and run the company very smoothly. 5. What does a SWOT analysis reveal about the attractiveness of Dell’s situation in 2008? Dell SWOT analysis Strengths: * World’s largest PC maker. * One of the best known brands in the world. * First PC maker to offer next-day, on-site product service. * Direct to customer business model. Uses latest technology. * Dell has remarkably low operating cost relative to revenue because it cuts out the retailer and supplies directly to the customers. * Dell’s Direct Model approach enables the company to offer direct relationships with customers such as corporate and institutional customers. * Dell’s direct customer allows it to provide top-notch customer service before and after the sale. * Each Dell system is built to order to meet each customer’s specifications. Reliability, Service and Support. * Dell boasts a very efficient procurement, manufacturing and distribution process allowing it to offer customers powerful systems at competitive prices. * Dell is able to introduce the latest relevant technology compared to companies using the indirect distribution channels. * Dell is not a manufacturer; Components are made by the suppliers and Dell assembles the computers using relatively cheap labor. The finished goods are then dropped off with the customer by courier. Dell has total command of the supply chain. * Dell turns over inventory for an average of every six days, keeping inventory costs low. * Dell is enhancing and broadening the fundamental competitive advantages of the direct model by increasingly applying the efficiencies of the Internet to its entire business. Weakness: * A huge range of products and components from many suppliers from various countries. * Computer maker and not the computer manufacturer, making DELL unable to switch supply. * Dell lacked solid dealer / retailer relationships. * No propriety technology * Not attracting the college student segment of the market. Dell’s sales revenue from educational institutions such as colleges only accounts for a merely 5% of the total. * Dell’s focus on the corporate and government institutional customers somehow affected its ability to form relationships  with educational institutions. * For home users, Dell’s direct method and customization approach posed problems. For one, customers cannot go to retailers because Dell does not use distribution channels. * Customers just can’t buy Dell as simply as other brands because each product is custom-built according to their specifications and this might take days to finish. Opportunities: * Diversification strategy by introducing many new products to its range. * Personal computers are becoming a necessity now more than ever. Customers are getting more and more educated about computers. Second-time buyers would most likely avail of Dell’s custom-built computers because as their knowledge grows, so do their need to experiment or use some additional computer features. * The internet also provides Dell with greater opportunities since all they have to do now is to visit Dell’s website to place their order or to get information. * Since Dell does not have retail stores, the online stores would surely make up for its absence. It is also more convenient for customers to shop online than to actually drive and do purchase at a physical store. Threats: * Competitive rivalry that exists in the PC market globally. * New entrants to the market pose potential threats. * The threat to become outmoded is a pulsating reality in a computer business. * Price difference among brands is getting smaller. * Dell’s Direct Model attracts customers because it saves cost. Since other companies are able to offer computers at low costs, this could threaten Dell’s price-conscious growing customer base. * With almost identical prices, price difference is no longer an issue for a customer. They might choose other brands instead of waiting for Dell’s customized computers. * The growth rate of the computer industry is also slowing down. Today, Dell has the biggest share of the market. If the demand slows down, the competition will become stiffer in the process. Dell has to work doubly hard to differentiate itself from its substitutes to be able to continue holding a significant market share. = Technological advancement is a double-edge sword. It is an opportunity but at the same time a threat. Low-cost leadership strategy is no longer an issue to computer companies therefore it is important for Dell to stand out from the rest. 6. Which company is competitively stronger—Dell or Hewlett-Packard? Use the weighted competitive strength assessment methodology shown in Table 4.2 of Chapter 4 to support your answer.

threats to Families :: essays research papers

Threats to Families A force threatening today’s families in America is strictly the society in which we live. Society has become more and more of a problem. The problem seems to be universal no matter what age you are. The influences of society seems to be changing and is very debatable. Violence, music, and traditions being broken are three key factors of society threatening families in today’s day and age. Values truly come from the family you were raised in and how you, personally, were brought up. Outside influences can have a positive or negative impact on the family as a whole or as an individual member of a family. The main threatening force is violence. Not only is it in movies and T.V.shows, but now it has gotten to the point where it is displayed in schools. For example, the Columbine shooting was totally unexpected; no one seemed to know about it. There’s not much a family can do in that particular situation. No matter how much a parent discusses the dangers of violence, a child still could be tempted by outside influences. A way to prevent this type of problem is to engage in a variety of community activities all together as a family and stress the importance of family values such as love and respect to the children being raised.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Music is a key factor on influencing a family unit today. The influences of music affect children in different ways. In the 1950’s, the attitude of music was very different than it is now. The music was much more innocent. Today, children relate to each other and are setting different standards for themselves in a negative way. Kids hear explicit lyrics which then encourage some of them to get involved in sexual activity or relationships that they are not ready for because they are too young. Children should not be influenced by lyrics of words, but sadly enough it is proven that they take lyrics literally and try and imitate that individual. Not only do children listen, but they also watch and learn from elders. A threatening force are all of the young pop stars who dress inappropriately and the children, once again, try and mimic them which is a very negative concern. The only way to prevent children from being negatively influenced is to monitor what the y are watching and what type of music he or she is listening to.

Reflective Account Essay

Introduction This assignment will show a detailed account based on an experience in my second year community placement. The framework I shall be using to reflect is Gibbs’ (1988) model of reflection. Within this model are six phases incorporated into a cycle. Each phase will allow me to think systematically about the experience and identify areas where improvement is needed. This reflective account will incorporate the Scottish Patient Safety Programme (SPSP) aim to ‘Prevent Pressure Ulcers’ (SPSP, n.d.a). Pressure ulcers are defined as â€Å"an area of damage to the skin and underlying tissue that is caused by unrelieved pressure, friction and/or sheer forces† (Posnett and Franks, 2008). The SPSP is co-ordinated by Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) and aims to improve patient safety and reduce adverse events. (SPSP. n.d.b). This aim is relevant to the patient involved in this experience as they are a high risk of developing a pressure ulcer therefore preventative measures need to be addressed. To ensure privacy and confidentiality in accordance with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC, 2012a), I have renamed this patient Mathew for the purpose of this assignment. Description Mathew is an 82 year old man who recently suffered a fall within his home and was admitted to hospital with a fractured hip and subsequently had to have a total hip replacement. Mathew was discharged from hospital back to his home with the care of District Nurses visiting him on a daily basis to administer his Clexane injection. Due to Mathew’s injury his mobility has been compromised and has subsequently become incontinent. During our first visit with Mathew my mentor asked me to carry out a ‘Waterlow’ assessment with him. This tool is a scoring system which identifies if a patient is at risk of developing a pressure ulcer (HIS, 2009). As the score was above 10 Mathew was deemed ‘at risk’. Both my Mentor and I discussed with Mathew regarding his risk level, we suggested a pressure†¦ In this assignment, I need to reflect on the situation that taken place during my clinical placement to develop and utilize my interpersonal skills in order to maint ain the therapeutic relationships with my patient. In this reflection,  I am going to use Gibbs (1988) Reflective Cycle. This model is a recognized framework for my reflection. Gibbs (1988) consists of six stages to complete one cycle which is able to improve my nursing practice continuously and learning from the experience for better practice in the future. The cycle starts with a description of the situation, next is to analysis of the feelings, third is an evaluation of the experience, fourth stage is an analysis to make sense of the experience, fifth stage is a conclusion of what else could I have done and final stage is an action plan to prepare if the situation arose again (NHS, 2006). Bairdand Winter (2005, p.156) give some reasons why reflection is require in the reflective practice. They state that a reflect is to generate the practice knowledge, assist an ability to adapt new situations, develop self-esteem and satisfaction as well as to value, develop and professionalizing practice. However, Siviter (2004,p.165) explain that reflection is about gaining self-confidence, identify when to improve, learning from own mistakes and behavior, looking at other people perspectives, being self-aware and improving the future by learning the past. In my context with the patient, it is important for me to improve the therapeutic relationship which is the nurse-patient relationship. In the therapeutic relationship, there is the therapeutic rapport establish from a sense of trust and a mutual understanding exists between a nurse and a patient that build in a special link of the relationship (Harkreader and Hogan, 2004, p.243). (Peplau 1952, citedin Harkreader and Hogan 2004, p.245) note that a good contact in a therapeutic relationship builds trust as well as would raise the patient’s self-esteem which could lead to new personal growth for the patient. Besides, (Ruesch 1961, cited in Arnold and Boggs 2007, p.200) mention the purpose of the therapeutic communication is to improve the patient’s ability to function. So in order to establish a therapeutic nurse-patient interaction, a nurse must show up caring, sincerity, empathy and trustworthiness (Kathol, 2003, p.33). Those attitudes could be expressed by promoting the effective communication and relationships by the implementation of interpersonal skills. Johnson (2008) define the interpersonal skills is the total ability to communicate effectively with other people. Chitty and Black (2007, p.218) mention that communication is the exchange of information, thought and ideas via verbal and non-verbal which both present simultaneously. They explain  that verbal communication is consists of all speech whereas non-verbal communication consists of gestures, postures, facial expressions, tone and level of volume. Thus, in my reflection in this assignment would be discussed on my development of therapeutic relationship in the circumstance of the nurse-patient relationship using the interpersonal skills. My reflection is about one patient whom I code her as Mrs. A, not a real name(Appendix I) to protect the confidentiality of patient’s information (NMC, 2004).In this paragraph I would describe on the event takes place and describe that event during my clinical placement. I was on the female psychiatric ward having a 2 weeks clinical placement for mental health care in semester 3.Generally, there were two separated psychiatric wards which were male psychiatric ward and female psychiatric ward but both wards were sharing the small cafeteria in the area of psychiatric ward. The psychiatric wards were locked up from one main entrance. In the ward, the female psychiatric patients were encouraged to walk out from the female ward and combine with the male psychiatric patients at the small cafet eria during their meal time. During lunch, I noticed one lady was still sitting on her bed. She was Mrs. A, 76 years old been diagnosed a schizophrenia. She was unable to control the muscle also called tremor due to lack of the chemical as she was having a side effect of antipsychotic medication which was a Parkinsonism (Sahelian, 2005). She could not walk herself and need to be assisted if she wanted to stand or walk. So I took the Mrs. A’s lunch meal and fed on the bed. This old lady was unable to feed on her own. So I checked her diet and served her meal. I fed her meal until finished. In this paragraph, I would discuss on my feelings or thinking that took place in the event happened. Before I started to feed her, I introduced myself and approached Mrs. A. So I tried to build a good rapport with her as I do not want her to feel strange as I was not her family members or her relatives. My first approached was to her was to ask whether she wanted or refused to take her lunch. She was on soft diet as she was having a difficulty in swallowing or dysphasia. Then I asked her permission to feed her. She looked at me and looked like blur. In this situation, I showed up my emphatic listening as I put myself in her shoes and assuming I was having a hearing problem. According to Wold (2004, p73) the emphatic listening is about the willingness to understand the other person not just judging the person’s  fact. Then, I touched her shoulder, kept saying, and raise my tone a bit because I was afraid if she had a hearing trouble. At the same time, I did somebody gesturers which could be interpreted an action of eating. I paused, repeated my actions but this time I was using some simple words in the patient dialect. Then she looked at me again and nodded her head. Fortunately the body gesturers also helped me in the conversation with her. In the meantime, I was thinking whether the first language was not her mother tongue but I kept myself communicate verbally with her including using my body gesturers and facial expression. Body gesturers and facial expressions are referred as a non-verbal communication (Funnellet al , 2005, p.443). In my thinking, I needed to speak louder and know more words in her language so that she could understand and interpret of my actions towards her. I thought of the language barrier that breaks our verbal communication. Castledine (2002, p.923) mention that the language barrier arises when there are individuals comes from a different social background use their own slang or phrases in the conversations. Luckily, those particular body gesturers could make her understand that I was going to feed her lunch. During the feeding I maintained the eye contact as I do not want her to feel shy. This is because; my eye contact could show up my interest to help her in feeding. This is supported by Caris-Verhallenet al (1999) which mentioned that the direct of eye contact could express a sense of interesting the person to the other person involves in that communication. In the meantime I communicated with my best with her do that she felt comfortable. As a result, she gave a good cooperation and e njoyed the meal until finished. In my evaluating, I feel I make the right decision to accompany and assist Mrs. A in feeding. Furthermore, I could develop my nurse-patient relationship. Although McCabe (2004, p.44) would describe it as a task-centered communication as one of the element caused the lack communication among nurses, but I think my nurse-patient relationship communication both involved a good patient-centered communication and task-centered communication. In my personal opinion, I attended to Mrs. A as a patient to show my empathy because she was unable to feed herself. It was also as my duty to feed her so that I could make sure the patient get the best care in the ward. So my involvement in this nurse-patient relationship does not only restrict to the task-centered communication because (Burnard 1990, and Stein-Parbury 1993,  cited in McCabe 2002, p.44) define attending as a patient-centered process as wells as to fulfill the basic conditions as a nurse to provide the genuineness, warmth and empath y towards the patient. I was able to improve my non-verbal communication skills in my conversation with her during the feeding. As she was having a hearing problem and could not communicate in the first language properly, so the non-verbal communication plays a role. Caris-Verhallen et al (1999, p.809) state that the non-verbal communication becomes important when communicating with the elderly people who develop a hearing problem. Hollman et al (2005, p31) suggests some effective ways to maximize the communication with hearing impairment people such as always gains the person’s attention before speaking, visible yourself to prevent them feel frighten and try to use some sensitive touch. I feel this is a good experience to me because I learn to develop my non-verbal communication. I used most of the body gesturers because of the language barrier was being a gap in my conversation with Mrs. A. She could speak very limited in the first language so I tried to speak in her dialect. Furthermore, Wold (20 04, p.76) mention that gesturers are one specific type of non-verbal communication intended to express ideas and are useful for people who cannot use much words. However I also used my facial expressions to advise her to finish the meal. It might be not so delicious because she withdraws the meal after few scopes but I smiled and assured Mrs. A that it was good for her health to finish her meal. In addition, the facial expressions are most expressive which are not limited to certain cultural and age barriers (Wold, 2004,p.76). Therefore my facial expression worked out to encourage her to finish the meal. Although I could not explain detail to her about the important nutrition diet that she should take, but I could advocate her to finish the meal served because the meal was prepared according to her condition. In order to analysis of the event, I could evaluate that, my communication skills are very important to provide the best nursing care to Mrs. A. My communication with Mrs. A was the interpersonal communication. This is because the interpersonal communication is a communication which involved of two persons (Funnell et al 2005, p.438). I realized that my nonverbal communication did help me a lot in my duty to provide the nursing care to Mrs. A. Even though she could understand few simple words when I was asking her but I noticed that one of the  problems occurs within the communication was the language barrier. As the patient was not using the official language and the second language, I tried to speak in her language. I still could manage the communication in our conversation. However, it was quite difficult to promote the effective verbal communication with the patient. Besides, White (2005, p.112) recommend that a nurse should learn a few words or phrases in the predominant second language to put a patient at ease for better understanding. Although it was quite difficult but using the nonverbal simultaneously with the verbal communication did encou rage her to speak on her best to make me understand her words. In the event showed that, there was a response from Mrs. A. when I was asking her questions. Funnel et al (2005, p.438) point out that a communication would occur when a person responds to a message received and assigns meaning to it. She nodded her head to assign that she agreed with me. Delaune and Ladner (2002, p.191) explain that the channel is one of the component of the communication process which act as a medium during the message is sent out. In addition, Mrs. A also gave me a feedback that she understood my message by transmitting the message via her body gesturers and eye behavior. Thus I could consider that the communication channels used in my conversation were visual and auditory. Delaune and Ladner (2002, p.191) state a feedback is that the sender receives the information after the receiver react to the message. However, Chitty and Black (2007, p.218) define feedback is a response to a message. In my situation, I was a sender who conveyed the message receiving the information from Mrs. A, the receiver who agreed to take lunch and allow me to feed. Consequently, I could analyze that my communication with Mrs. A involved of five component of communication process which are sender, message, channel, receiver and feedback (Delaune and Ladner, 2002, p.191).In a nutshell, for my reflection of this event explores about on how the communication skills play a role on the nurse-patient relationship in order to deliver the nursing care towards the patient especially the adult. She needed quite some time to adapt the ability changes in her daily activities living where I was trying to help her in feeding. I was concerning my feeling and thoughts during the feeding so that I could improve more skills in my communication. I successfully communicated with her effectively as she enjoyed finishing the meal. So it  is vital to build rapport with her to encourage her ability to speak up ver bally and non-verbal. Moreover, this ability could help her to communicate effectively with other staff nurses. Later, she would not be neglected because of her age or her disability to understand the information given about her treatment.(Hyland and Donaldson 1989, cited in Harrison and Hart 2006 p.22) mention that communication express what the patients think and feel. In order to communicate with adult, it is important to assess her common communication language and her ability to interact in the other languages. As I used some words in her dialect, I essentially encouraged the patient to speak out verbally and communicate non-verbal so that the message could be understood and do not break the nurse-patient communication. In my opinion, I evaluated that it does not a matter whether it was a patient-centered communication or task-centered communication because both communication mentioned by McCabe (2004) actually does involves communication to the patients. So it was not a problem to argue which type of communication involves in my conversation with my patient. After I analyzed the situation, I could conclude that I was be able to know the skills for effective communication with the patient such as approach the patient, asking questions, be an active listening, show my empathy and support the patient emotions (Walsh, 2005, p.34). Actually helping the adult was a good practice in delivering the nursing care among adults. My action plan for the clinical practice in the future, if there were patients that I need to help in feeding or other nursing procedure, I would prepare myself better to handle with the patients who would have some difficulty in communication. This is because, as one of the health care worker, I want the best care for my patients. So in related to deliver the best care to my patients, I need to understand them very well. I have to communicate effectively as this is important to know what they need most during warded under my supervision as a nurse. According to my experience, I knew that communication was the fundamental part to develop a good relationship. Wood (2006, p.13) express that a communication is the key foundation of relationship. Therefore a good communication is essential to get know the patient’s individual health status (Walsh, 2005, p.30). Active listening could distinguish the existence of barrier communication when interactions with the patients. This is because, active listening means listening without  making judgment to listen the patients ’opinions or complaints which give me chances to be in the patients’ perspective(Arnold, 2007, p.201). On the other hand, it also crucial to avoid the barriers occurs in the communication with the patients. I could detect the language barriers by interviewing the patients about their health or asking them if they needed a ny help in their daily activities living. However, I would remind myself for not interfere my communication with barriers such as using the open-ended questions, not attending to non-verbal cues, being criticizing and judging, and interrupting (Funnell et al, 2005, p.453). Walsh (2005, p.31) too summary that making stereotyping and making assumptions about patients, perceptions and first impression of patients, lack awareness of communication skills are the main barriers to communications. I must not judge the patients by making my first impression and assumption about the patients but I have to make patients fee devalued as an individual. I should be capable to respect their fundamental values, beliefs, culture, and individual means of communication (Heath, 2000,p.27). I would be able to know on how to build rapport with the patients. There are eleven ways suggest by Crellin (1998, p.49) which are becomes visible, anticipate needs, be reliable, listening, stay in control, self-disclosure, care for each patient as an individual, use humour when appropriate, educate the patient, give the patient some control, and use gestures to show some supports. This ways could help and give me some guidelines to improve my communication skills with the patients. Another important thing to add on my action plan list is to know which the disabilities of the patients have such as hearing disability, visual impairment and mental disability. Once I could know the disability that a patient has, I could well-prepared my method of communication effectively as Heath(2000, p28) mention that communicating with people who was having some hearing impairment, sight impairment and mental health needs required the particular skills and considerations. Nazarko (2004, p.9) suggest that do not repeat if the person could not understand but try to rephrase and speak a little more slowly when communicating with the hearing difficulties people. Hearing problem commonly occurs among adults because of ageing process (Schofield,2002, p.21). To summarize for my action plan, I would start a communication with a good rapport to know what affects the patients’ ability to communicate well and  to avoid barriers in effective communication in future. In conclusion of my reflective assignment, I mention the model that I chose, Gibbs (1988) Reflective Cycle as my framework of my reflective. I state the reasons why I am choosing the model as well as some discussion on the important of doing reflection in nursing practice. I am able to discuss every stage in the Gibbs (1988) Reflective Cycle about my ability to develop my therapeutic relationship by using my interpersonal skills with one patient for this reflection. Reflection on a Clinical Skill The purpose of this assignment is to reflect upon a clinical skill that I undertook whilst on my second year community placement. I have chosen to use Gibbs (1988) model of reflection. In accordance with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), The Code of Professional Conduct (2008), confidentiality shall be maintained and all names changed to protect identity. The clinical skill I have chosen to reflect upon during this assignment is the monitoring of capillary blood glucose (CBG). I have chosen this skill as during my previous acute placements as a student I was not permitted to undertake them, and whilst in the community the Primary Care Trust (PCT) allows it. Having yet to develop this skill I thought that by reflecting on carrying it out would help me to gain the knowledge and confidence needed to perform it in the future. According to Siviter (2004) reflection is about gaining confidence, identifying when you could have improved, learning from your mistakes and about your beha viour, viewing yourself as others do, self awareness and changing the future by learning from the past. Description During a routine daily visit with my mentor Jane, a District Nurse, to Nisha, an elderly Asian lady who was Diabetic, Jane asked me whether I would like to take Nishas CBG. As I had only started doing CBGs during this placement I thought it would be a good learning opportunity so I agreed to do it. Jane asked Nisha whether she minded me doing her CBG and although she did not speak very much English she understood and consented for me to do it. I went into the kitchen and washed my hands. I returned to the living room where  Nisha was and asked her whether her hands were clean, to which she answered yes. I then assessed that Nisha was sat down on a low sofa, and thought it best to kneel down and lay my equipment out on the coffee table so that they were all to hand. Once checking that the blood glucose monitor had been calibrated and that the test strips were in date I opened a test strip and placed it into the monitor. I then put on gloves and asked Nisha whether she was comfortable and ready and which finger she wanted me to use, she said yes and held up her right third finger so I got the single use lancet and pricked the side of Nishas finger, disposing of the lancet into the sharps box. The blood came immediately and I applied it to the test strip and waited for the result, in the meantime I held a clean cotton wool ball to Nishas finger to stop the bleeding. I discarded the test strip and my gloves and recorded the CBG.I then washed my hands again. Once we had left Nishas property my mentor commented that I had done very well, but should have asked Nisha to wash her hands before commencing the CBG test. Feelings When Jane, my mentor, first asked me if I wanted to do Nishas CBG I felt slightly nervous as I had only done a few previously and was aware that she would be observing me through the procedure which also gave me reassurance that if I were to do anything wrong she would be there to highlight it. Once Nisha had consented to me doing the CBG I felt pleased that she trusted me to carry out the process, which allayed my nerves. During the procedure I was aware that my mentor was watching me, which once again made me anxious, but she was encouraging me the whole time and totally supportive. When I instantly got blood once pricking Nishas finger I felt a sense of relief that I had done it correctly. Once the whole process was over Nisha held my hand and smiled and in broken English said â€Å"thank you, thank you†, I was humbled by her response as I felt I was just doing my job. Overall I was satisfied with my performance and felt positive that I wouldn’t be so nervous next ti me round. Evaluation On the whole performing this clinical skill went really well, and having not had much practice at doing this particular skill I was glad to have had the  opportunity to do it whilst under direct supervision from my mentor. I think that my communication with Nisha, even though she spoke little English was very good and that I had formed a strong therapeutic relationship with her. I feel that on reflection I should of asked Nisha to wash her hands before the procedure, and that my mentor should have ensured this, to guarantee that the reading was not contaminated. Analysis I will start by looking at the skill and the evidence supporting it. CBG monitoring is part of many diabetics daily routine. If a patient’s CBG goes up (hyperglycaemia) or down (hypoglycaemia) it can cause the patient to become unwell (Baillie, 2009). Dougherty & Lister (2008) state that in the short term CBG monitoring can prevent hypoglycaemia and ketoacidosis and in the long term can considerably lower complications arising that could affect the patient both vascularly and neurally. Patients can control their condition through diet, oral hypoglycaemic agents, insulin therapy or a combination of the above, (Higgins, 2008). By asking Nisha whether she minded me performing the CBG my mentor had gained informed consent in accordance with the NMC (2008), who say that consent must be gained before any treatment is commenced. I washed my hands following the Ayliffe (1978) technique in order to prevent the spread of infection, Pratt et al (2007) state that hands must be decontamina ted between each and every episode of patient care. I asked Nisha whether her hands were clean, as one of the main causes of inaccuracy of CBG readings are fingers that are contaminated with foodstuffs (Alexander et al, 2000). I assessed that Nisha was sat comfortably on a low sofa, Jamieson et al (2007) says to ensure patient comfort and prevent any injury occurring should the patient feel faint during the procedure . I then knelt down and laid my equipment out on the table, as Baillie (2009) suggests that all equipment needed for a procedure should be within easy reach, and avoid any twisting or stooping which could cause me injury, in line with the PCT Moving and Handling Policy and Procedure (2006). I then checked the CBG monitor had been calibrated and that the test strips were in date, to prevent false positive/ negative readings (Hastings, 2009). I then put on my gloves and asked Nisha whether she was ready and which finger she wanted me to use, Jamieson (2007) says  that gloves should be used to prevent the patient and nurse from any potential blood borne infection. The NMC (2008) state that you must allow patients to make decisions about their care, and also that patients should be treated indiv idually and with dignity. Suhonen et al (2007) conclude that individualised patient care leads to positive patient outcomes, such as patient satisfaction, patient autonomy and patients perceptions on health related quality of life. I used both verbal and non-verbal communication, which involved speaking slowly and clearly so that Nisha could understand what I was saying. I also used non-verbal communication through touch, eye contact, facial expressions and body language, (Funnell et al, 2009). I then using a single use lancet, in accordance with PCT (2005) policy on blood glucose monitoring, pricked the side of Nishas right third finger and disposed of the lancet into the sharps box. Baillie (2009) suggests that the third, fourth or fifth finger should be used as the thumb and index finger are important for touch, and to use the side as it is less painful. To prevent injury sharps and unused drugs must be placed in disposal boxes at the point of use, (Dougherty and Lister, 2008). I applied cotton wool to stop any bleeding and then disposed of the test strip and my gloves, washed my hands again using the Ayliffe (1978) technique and recorded my findings. Hastings (2009) recommends applying pressure briefly to the puncture site to prevent painful extravasation of blood into the subcutaneous tissues. The Department of Health (2007) state that to reduce the risk of cross infection any waste must be disposed of appropriately. Flores (2006) maintains that it is important to wash your hands after removing gloves as bacteria can contaminate them through small defects in the gloves or during removal. Records should be completed as soon as possible following an event (NMC, 2008), and as a student all documentation needs to be countersigned (Siviter, 2004). My mentor said that I should have asked Nisha to wash her hands, not if they were clean the rationale being the same as previously stated, (Alexander et al, 2000), and also Cowan (1997) also agreed that patients hands should be washed to ensure a non-contaminated result. Conclusion In conclusion I now appreciate how in depth a â€Å"simple† CBG procedure actually is, when done correctly. I have looked further for evidence stating that patients hands should be washed before the CBG test is performed and realise that I should have asked Nisha to do so as the result could potentially have been wrong. On reflecting on undertaking this skill I have developed my learning of the need to carry out this procedure and the importance of it to a Diabetic. I have also found that following guidelines is vital to accurate results. Action Plan In future when I carry out this procedure I will continue to practice as I have done as long as this is in line with local trust policy and supporting evidence. I will always ensure that the patient washes their hands before commencing the process, as this is what evidence suggests is good practice and also important for an accurate result.

Negative Views Concerning Video Game Violence

There are many different views about video games and the effects violence has on children and society as a whole. Many feel that games are harmful and have no purpose but to serve as an unintelligent and wasteful medium of entertainment. Others feel that games have plenty to offer and will one day be as respected a medium as television, radio or books. Input from both sides of the issue was gathered and a conclusion was drawn based on various studies and opinions. Throughout The course of this report, the issue of violence in video games and the overall worth of games in general will be addressed. There are a lot of negative views concerning video games, particularly of the violent variety. Critics say that violent games are a pretty poison for society, fancy blood and fireworks with no redeeming value. They say that video games take innocent young children and taint them with images of fiery destruction. Many of these critics also see that most of the games on the market are violent and bash the industry for it. Video games are one of the most engaging form of media on the market, there's no denying that. But does the immersiveness of games make them more apt to blur the line between fantasy and reality? Some people say so. At the very least, it is desensitizing, so there can't really be anything good about it. And yet, marathon sessions of Quake have not made the author of this essay into a raging mass murderer, or even any less squeamish at the sight of real violence. Perhaps one may become desensitized to artificial violence, but at the same time not to real world violence. Just how do games effect impressionable young children? Do they effect them at all? No studies seem to be decisive on this issue, but it would seem that upbringing plays a major role in how a video game effects a child's life. Other important factors are the kind of game that is being played, and how â€Å"wholesome† the motives and rewards for killing are. How a parent raises a child really determines everything about a child's young life, and much of what that child will grow to become. If the child can't determine fantasy from reality because they haven't been taught the difference, it doesn't matter whether there is a single video game on the face f the Earth. It is inevitable that some form of media will eventually have the same sort of effect on them that video games would. Rich Fleider of Rogue Entertainment puts it this way: â€Å"Video games are only an extension of human's innate desire to play. Without video games, that desire would only express itself in a different fashion in another medium. † There is no excuse and no remedy for poor parenting and it is wrong to use games or movies or anything else as a scapegoat. Mark Dochtermann of Ritual Entertainment believes that â€Å".. he only thing that can corrupt a young mind is an unhealthy environment in which to grow. Parents who blame their problematic children on Dungeon and Dragons and video games are just beating down the wrong door. † Paul Jaquays, a level designer for gaming industry superpower id Software had this to say about the types of video game violence: â€Å"Although I'm certain I'm doing my share of rationalizing here, I tend to categorize it into two distinct classes: A) Violence against the enemy: War in the name of self defense, necessary actions against violent criminals. B) Violence against the innocent: Acts of violence against non-aggressors, bystanders, children, or those committed as a part of a game which glorifies crime, etc. The former, in game terms, is acceptable to me. The latter is not. Some recent games such as Carmageddon, Postal, and Grand Theft Auto fall into the latter. † Most people find the irreverent treatment to innocent people in these games quite offensive, and for good reason. If any kind of video game violence is harmful â€Å"Type B† violence is definitely that kind of video game What is the worth of video games? â€Å"I just don't understand the point of those games,† many say. Well, that's a valid comment from someone who has never played a game. Anyone who had played a game for any decent amount of time would understand their appeal. They provide hours of entertainment, improve hand-eye coordination, act as a form of communication and help people learn helpful skills. On top of that, many people believe that games provide a positive way to purge anger and frustration. The entertainment value of some video games is tremendous. Just ask anyone who has played Threewave Capture the Flag for Quake, or spent sleepless nights feeding their chronic addiction to Civilization. Raven Software's Jon Zuk had this to say about video games as entertainment: â€Å"Some games are time-wasting entertainment, and that's not a bad thing. The people who complain loudest about games should probably sit down and play one. They might (GASP! ) actually enjoy it,†. Games are a good way for kids to develop good hand-eye coordination and good timing. Without killer reflexes and good aim, one will find some difficulty trying to conquer any action game. Killer reflexes and good aim not only serve to make you better at video games but can help in sports Video games are a good way for people to communicate and make friends. In the words of Dave Taylor, owner of Crack dot Com, â€Å"You can make friends. Ever played a net game and then told stories about how you managed to sneak the commando in unseen and blow up their power plant in C&C? Or retold the beautiful long-range kill you made with a rocket from high atop a ledge in Quake? You can also make friends by going out and drinking beer, smoking cigarettes and partying all night, which can lead to liver disease, lung cancer and depression. As stupid and worthless as some people make games sound, I think games are a more intellectual alternative than the standard way to make friends. † Games can also provide a lot of valuable skills that are transferrable to every day life. With the exclusion of learning how to circle strafe and rocket jump, games can teach you a variety of useful tidbits. Dave Taylor has this to say about the kind of things you can pick up by playing games: Adventure games can teach problem solving skills, useful for learning how to research and how to â€Å"get things done†. Strategy games can teach the value of resource management a skill valuable in all sorts of leadership positions. Action games can improve your reflexes, a skill valuable to the military and to athletics. † Games are a method of eliminating stress and anger in a productive and harmless way. Video games may actually be part of the solution rather than the problem. Richard P. Gray a. k. a Levelord says â€Å"†¦ I don't take any grand pride in enjoying the misfortune of others, even if â€Å"they† are â€Å"evil†, but I can not deny this passion is there and I think ignoring it may even be worse than riding it down abstract, non-damaging avenues. † There are many different types of games, and not all of them are violent in the slightest. Why then, do violent games make up the majority of games on store shelves? The reason is not necessarily that game companies are trying to capitalize on violence (Although sometimes that is the case), but that they are limited by design to create violent games. In the words of master game designer Warren Spector, â€Å"We're doing the best we can with the tools available to us in an infant medium. The fact is, it's insanely hard to mimic human behavior on a computer. Heck, it's almost impossible to make a character walk in a convincing manner. It's really hard to create a world simulation deep enough to allow players much freedom to choose how they're going to react to a situation – it's pretty much limited to kill that thing over there, or talk to it (And even talking is way hard†¦ ). On the other hand, it's really easy to put a monster on the screen, tell it to dodge around a bit and let the player kill it†¦ † â€Å"†¦ I guarantee you will see games where the layer can do more than kill things – we're getting closer every day. † In conclusion, the research done in this project suggests that games are slightly more (To paraphrase the old Transformers cartoon) than what meets the eye. Like Shakespeare was persecuted for his works and like movies and television took their share of heat, video games are simply the newest thing to have all of society's ills piled on top of them. In the future, things will change.

Human Computer Interaction Essays

Human Computer Interaction Essays Human Computer Interaction Essay Human Computer Interaction Essay The study of how people interact with computers and to what extent computers are or are not developed for successful interaction with human beings. What is HCI? â€Å"Human-computer interaction is a discipline concerned with the design, evaluation and implementation of interactive computing systems for human use and with the study of major phenomena surrounding them† (ACM SIGCHI definition of HCI). Creating usable systems (1) HCI investigates interaction between Human (1 user, a group, sequence of users) Computer (any computer big or small, process control, embedded, etc) used to perform various tasks in particular environments. Creating usable systems (2) The human factors †¦ different users different conceptions or mental models about their interactions different ways of learning, keeping knowledge and skills cultural and national differences user preferences change as they gradually master new interfaces Creating usable systems (3) The com puter factor †¦ different devices Smart phones, Touch Screen Kiosks, †¦ different capabilities and limitations Computing power, Input/output devices, †¦ different operating systems user interface technology is changing rapidly it offers new interaction possibilities to which previous research findings may not apply Visual, Tactile, Gesture based, †¦Also read about  Knowledge of PC boot processCreating usable systems (4) What about the interaction? Communication between user and computer Direct interaction Dialogue with feedback Control throughout performance of the task Indirect interaction Batch processing Intelligent sensors controlling the environment Creating usable systems (5) It aims to achieve 1. Usability (Useful, Usable, Used) 2. Safe 3. Effective 4. Efficient 5. Enjoyable system Creating usable systems (6) User compatibility Product compatibility `Task compatibility Work flow compatibility Consistency Familiarity Simplicity Control Creating usa ble systems (7)HCI focuses on user needs by assessing interface design amp; implementation according to usability criteria. ? Makes use of new, novel techniques amp; technologies. It applies usability design principles to achieve more productive amp; usable systems and more satisfied users. Creating usable systems (8) EC Directive 90/270/EEC Requires employers to ensure the following when designing, selecting, commissioning or modifying software: suitable for the task easy to use where appropriate, adaptable to user’s knowledge amp; experiences Creating usable systems (9) provides feedback on performance displays information in a format amp; at a pace that is adapted to the user It must conform to the principles of software ergonomics (Ergonomics is the science that deals with the interaction between people/work/environment/psychology.It considers the functions of the human body in the design of tools, equipment, etc. ) Designers amp; employers can no longer afford to ign ore the user!! Question †¦ Have you ever used a system that exhibit good HCI with the users? Give a few examples †¦ What systems have you used that exhibit bad HCI with the users? Name a few †¦ and why do you think they were bad? Historical basis of HCI (1) Second World War †¦ Study of interaction between humans amp; machines in order to produce more effective weapons (Bletchley Park, Enigma, Colossus) Ergonomic Research Society formed (1949) Research in Man-Machine Interaction began to spread Historical basis of HCI (2) Historical basis of HCI (3) Historical basis of HCI (4) Basic Interaction (1) Graphical Objects 1963 (MIT) Graphical Objects manipulated by a pointing device (light pen) Objects could be selected, moved, resized, etc. 1966 (Imperial College, London) Icons, Gesture Recognition, Dynamic Menus, etc. 1970 (XEROX PARC) Object selection and manipulation WYSIWYG Basic Interaction (2) Mouse 1965 (Stanford Research Lab [SRI]) Created to be a cheap re placement for light pens 1970 Adopted at Xerox PARC First appeared commercially as part of The Xerox Star (1981), The Apple Lisa (1982), The Apple Macintosh (1984). Basic Interaction (3) Windows 1968 (Stanford Research Lab [SRI]) 1969 1974 (Xerox PARC) Smalltalk System 1974 (MIT) EMACS Text Editor 1981 (Xerox PARC) The Cedar Window Manager 1981 Xerox Star 1982 Apple Lisa 1983 (Carnegie Mellon University funded by IBM)) Andrew window manager 1984 Apple Macintosh The early versions of the Star and Microsoft Windows were tiled, but eventually they supported overlapping windows like the Lisa and Macintosh. Applications (1)Drawing programs uses a mouse for graphics (1965) uses a tablet (1971) handling of lines and curves (1975) Text Editing first word processor with automatic word wrap, search amp; replace, user-definable macros, scrolling text, amp; commands to move, copy, and delete characters, words, or blocks of text (1962) screen editing amp; formatting of arbitrary-sized strin gs with a lightpen (1967) mouse-based editing (1968) first WYSIWYG editor-formatter (1974) Applications (2) Spreadsheets initial spreadsheet was VisiCalc (1977-8) for the Apple II HyperText the idea where documents are linked to related documents (1945) Ted Nelson coined the term hypertext (1965) NLS system was one of the first on-line journals, and it included full linking of articles (1970) HyperCard from Apple (1988) significantly helped to bring the idea to a wide audienceTim Berners-Lee used the hypertext idea to create the World Wide Web in 1990 at the government-funded European Particle Physics Laboratory (CERN) Mosaic, the first popular hypertext browser for the World-Wide Web Eg: Cosmic Book Applications (3) Computer Aided Design (CAD) first CAD systems similar to drawing programs (1963) pioneering work on interactive 3D CAD system (1963) first CAD/CAM (manufacture) system in industry was probably General Motors DAC-1 (about 1963) Video Games first graphical video game was probably SpaceWar (1962) the first computer joysticks (1962) early computer adventure game was created (1966) first popular commercial game was Pong (about 1976). Up ;amp; Coming Areas (1) Gesture Recognition first pen-based input device used light-pen gestures (1963) first trainable gesture recognizer (1964) a gesture-based text editor using proof-reading symbols (1969) gesture recognition has been used in commercial CAD systems since the 1970s came to universal notice with the Apple Newton (1992)Multi-Media multiple windows with integrated text and graphics (1968) Interactive Graphical Documents project was the first hypermedia system which used raster graphics and text (1979-1983) Diamond project explored combining multimedia (text, spreadsheets, graphics, speech) (1982) Up ;amp; Coming Areas (2) 3-D first system 3-D CAD system (1963) first interactive 3-D system used for molecular modelling (1966) the late 60s and early 70s saw the flowering of 3D raster graphics funded by the government the military-industrial flight simulation work of the 60s 70s led the way to making 3-D real-time Virtual Reality original work on VR funded by Air Force (1965-1968) study of force feedback, early research on head-mounted displays and on the DataGlove (1971) Up ;amp; Coming Areas (3) Computer Supported Cooperative Work remote participation of multiple people at various sites (1968)Electronic mail, still the most widespread multi-user software, was enabled by the ARPAnet (1969) and by the Ethernet from Xerox PARC (1973) an early computer conferencing system (1975) Natural language and speech Speech synthesis Speech recognition HCI as a business necessity Can the users be ignored? (Linux, Windows,†¦) NO HCI + Usability engineering are a crucial business necessity Good Interface ;amp; Interaction Design should not Be added after system is built Supporting users is an integral part of the design. To do this one must consider †¦ International Standards in HCI and Er gonomics User population is growing (size, diversity, etc. ) Expanding awareness amongst users of what can be achieved Case Study (1) A mechanical syringe was once being developed. An input device had to be created in order to enter the injected dose. Design such a device †¦ Case Study (2) A prototype was developed by the manufacturing company and demonstrated to the hospital staff.Happily they quickly noticed the potentially fatal flaw in its interface. Case Study (3) The doses were entered by a numeric keypad: an accidental keypress and the dose could be out by a factor of 10! The production version had individual increment/decrement buttons for each digit . Safety-critical systems (1) Poor designs Very common in Safety Life-critical Which all depend on computer-control We need to understand why Disasters Accidents Frustrations happen? Can you mention some examples? Safety-critical systems (2) Computer failure hits post office Lancashire,  UK   Sep 5, 2006 A VILLAGE post office has been struck by a technical glitch, leaving customers unable to pay bills and collect benefits. Edgworth 999 Ambulance Computer Failure Putting Lives at Risk International News Service,  Australia   Aug 23, 2006 LIVES are being put at risk because of a crisis with London Ambulance Services computer-controlled 999 system. US Department of Energy sponsors storage research CTR,  CA   20 hours ago The data storage institute will focus its efforts in three areas: collecting field data about computer failure rates and application behaviors, disseminating Temporary failure hits Houston 911 center abc13. com,  TX   Sep 8, 2006 system. This past July, the Houston Emergency Center experienced a computer failure which knocked out the automated dispatch system. Warning on need for super reserves The Australian,  Australia   Sep 10, 2006 must maintain 4 per cent of assets in liquid form to meet any immediate needs, rising from banking and operational risks, such as computer failure or staff Book on IT debacles urges caution Stuff. co. nz,  New Zealand   Aug 27, 2006 That is the central theme of Dangerous Enthusiasms – E-Government, Computer Failure and Information System Development, a 160-page book just published by Search is on for escaped McMinn inmates Chattanooga Times Free Press,   USA   Sep 8, 2006 A computer failure that left 225 inmates under supervision of just four corrections officers may have contributed to the 4:59 pm | Computers delay Charlotte flights Charlotte Observer,  NC   Sep 6, 2006 two dozen US Airways Express flights going in and out of Charlotte were canceled Wednesday after a thunderstorm in Ohio led to a computer failure that affected Homes facing night without water BBC News,  UK   Aug 20, 2006 and Powys. The Pant storage tank ran dry after the water firm was not alerted to the problem because of a computer failure. She Safety-critical systems (3)Air-traffic control Aircraft crash due to problems pilot had to interpret information on cockpit display Manned spacecraft On June 4, 1996, the maiden flight of the European Ariane 5 launcher crashed about 40 seconds after takeoff. Media reports indicated that the amount lost was half a billion dollars. The error came from a piece of the software that was not needed during the crash!! Safety-critical systems (4) Nuclear power plant (The Meltdown at Three Mile Island 1979) â€Å"As alarms rang and warning lights flashed, the operators did not realize that the plant was experiencing a loss-of-coolant accident. They took a series of actions that made conditions worse by simply reducing the flow of coolant through the core. Medical Institutions Break down in the scheduling system led to delays in reaching seriously ill patients. (UK) Disaster examples 1988 USS Vincennes shot down an Iran Air A300 Airbus with 290 people aboardAegis weapon system had Sophisticated software to identify potential threats BUT Was una ble to provide up-to-date altitude information on its large display (this could be read from other screens) In the confusion, the Airbus which leveled off at 12,500 feet was taken to be an F-14 fighter descending to attack! ‘User Hostile’ example Poor HCI can lead to User Hostile systems rather than User Friendly ones †¦ John has a stereo system with a matched set of components made by the same manufacturer: a receiver, a CD player, and a cassette deck, stacked in that order. They all have the on/off button on the left side. Every time John goes to turn off all three components, he presses the top left button on the receiver, which turns it off; then he presses the top left button on the CD player, which turns it off; then, naturally, he presses the top left button on the cassette deck which pops open the cassette door. It’s obvious †¦It seems obvious that the manufacturer could have improved the interface putting all three buttons in the same locatio n But it clearly wasnt obvious to the systems designers!! Most actions used to accomplish tasks with an interface are quite obvious to people who know them, including, of course, the software designer. But the actions are often not obvious to the first-time user. Another example †¦ Imagine a first-time user of a computer 1. he has been shown how to login to the system 2. has done some work 3. is now finished with the computer for the day ? Experienced computer users will find it obvious that a logout command is needed. But it may not occur to first-time users that a special action is required to end the session. People dont log out of typewriters or televisions or video games, so why should they log out of computers? Learning to predict problems like these by taking the users point of view is a skill that requires practice. Who studies HCI? (1) Multi-discipline field †¦ Who studies HCI? (2) Conclusion (1) HCI studies Interaction between users amp; computer systems In order to build systems which are: Usable Safe Efficient Effective Enjoyable Conclusion (2) Important points to keep in mind †¦ 1. You need a lot of common sense 2. You must be ready to accept criticism 3. Think ‘user’ 4. Try it out (They know what they want! ) 5. Involve the users 6. Iterate Exercise If we take a toaster Describe: the users the machine seems to be designed for; the tasks and subtasks the machine was evidently designed to support; the interface part of the machine; the part of the machine that is NOT the interface. What about an electric drill

10 Ways to Turn Writing a Paper into a Drinking Game

10 Ways to Turn Writing a Paper into a Drinking Game College students have long suspected that universities and individual professors must buy stock in paper companies. For some, its the only explanation as to why college seems to be just one paper assignment after another. Conspiracy theories aside, writing papers can be tough. But when the grind wears you down, injecting a bit of fun can help get you over the hump. When it comes to paper writing, its time to turn to the same tactics employed by such literary luminaries as Ernest Hemingway, Raymond Chandler, Tennessee Williams and Hunter S. Thompson: Booze. However, college students cant just kick back with a snifter of brandy and mull over their literary choices. Thats way too pedestrian. Of course, the answer is to turn it into a drinking game. After all, its practically a college tradition. Before you begin, be sure to save a copy of your paper in a completely separate file, preferably on a flash drive. Better safe than sorry. Inspiration may strike during your game, but its always good to have a back up. You dont want to have to reconstruct full pages that fell apart because you got off on a tangent about the therapeutic properties of cat videos. Once you have a backup file saved, pick your poison. You can pick a selection of brews and assign each rule a specific brand or type or you can just pick one and stick with it the whole way through. Chances are it wont matter what you drink – the end result will be the same. For extra fun later, turn on Track Changes in your Formatting menu so you can follow along the next morning and see how your editorial decisions changed as the night wore on. Rules of The Paper Writing Drinking Game Every time you run into a 404 tracking down a source, take a drink. If you were tracking it down from Wikipedia, take two drinks. Each time you write yourself into a corner, take a drink. Every time you catch yourself writing in circles, take two. Take a drink for each syllable in any words you have to pronounce out loud in order to spell correctly as you type. If a page has more footnotes than actual text, take two drinks and toast Flann OBrien. Each time you stretch out a single paragraph idea into two or more, take a drink and pat yourself on the back. Take a drink and give yourself a slap for every time you catch yourself on Candy Crush Saga, Farmville or any other pointless FaceBook game. Have another drink each time to catch yourself randomly scrolling down a page and realize you completely forgot what you were looking for. Any time you find yourself in need of a friend with a subscription to JSTOR or LexisNexis, take a drink and hit up any journalism majors who happen to be online. Take another drink every time you catch yourself calculating how many words per minute youll have to write in order to get the paper done tonight. Every time you ask yourself how much bigger you can make the font or contemplating formatting changes to make your paper appear longer, take two drinks. Bonus Shots Any time you re-write a sentence more than 12 times For every set of Block Quotes you use to bulk out a few pages. Every time you say out loud Okay, down to work now. Each time you search around for single words you can stretch into more (i.e. changing it to the field of robotic psychiatry) Every FaceBook status update or Tweet about the progress youve made on your paper. Chances are youll end up with a screen filled with plenty of red squiggly lines and a few good ideas. If you managed to actually finish the paper – or this version of it anyway – during the game, that earns you a bonus round of whatever quality alcohol you have stashed away. Dont forget to save the fruit of your labor before drinking some water and passing out face first on the keyboard. But the fun isnt over yet! In the morning youll be eligible to play the super fun Bonus Morning After Game! Brew a pot of coffee, wipe off the keyboard and open the file from the night before. Re-read what you wrote and edited the night before. Every time something makes you laugh out loud, take a sip of coffee. Take two every time you read something that makes you wince. Finally, take a big gulp for any sections so inspired you leave them nearly intact in the final version of the paper. Heres also a guide on How to Cure Hangover for those who drank too much yesterday. Did you ever write drunk? Tell us your own story in comments!

Perfume Advertising Adaptation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Perfume Advertising Adaptation - Essay Example Beauty has taken many forms, the perceivers describe it as cute, elegant, sexy etc, and they try to relate it with the person’s lifestyles and personalities. If the product’s image is associated with the model’s beauty type then the message would be consistent in the perceivers mind and it shall enhance the acceptance of the advertisement. The article also describes that the editor while considering a model for its product studies nineteen different properties of beauty and its significant impact on the mind of the perceivers. Successful models despite blessed with beauty, they try to be more different with respect to the quality personified. It is the critical process for the advertisers in shaping the product is positioning strategy and communicating effectively. In 2009, a study by Dr. Khanfar explored the impact of culture on TV advertising behavior in GCC countries. In this published report, the author suggested that globalization and internationalization has a direct influence on the marketing activities of organizations. Marketing activities have become highly complex and companies are increaingly involved in gaining knowledge and understanding ways how cultures restrict ways in which they can advertise their businesses, products, and services. The dynamics of the market place demand companies to understand the impact of continuously evolving culture within one country or a group of countries. Over the years, GCC countries have experienced greater economic activity and individuals from broader cultural backgrounds have settled in these countries. In GCC countries, adveritising through TV is considered an important medium for marketing communication dvertising. Drawing from a detailed literature review on strategic choices the study cond ucted a research based on the positivistic paradigm and deductive approach and