Evaluation of Human Resources Essay

Businesses have to control their resources closely, this is because Human resources are needed in the business and is also monitored because if some staff are not doing their work correctly then they are likely to be replaced with someone that is better. If the business is to expand then the business needs to employ staff with certain ability that will benefit their business. The Human resources can improve the businesses performance in many ways. There are two main processes which are looked at when managing human resources. The most important is to employ the correct people for the job, people that will carry out the job role correctly. Then the correct resources have to be provided for them so that they can carry this process out to the best of their standards. Treating these employees with care and sensitivity is important. They are not like physical or technological resources; humans need to be dealt in certain ways, as they are protected by legislations and laws. In some businesses, there will be a constant change of different demand of products that the customers wish to purchase, for this reason the staff will have to be trained for any of these occasions. This is how they improve there human resources. They also look at how many skills the employee has when they are searching for new employees. They will check whether that person can be used in more then one job position of that store, how many skills they consist of. Coordination of the teams in different types of businesses is very important in ensuring that they meet the targets that the company sets them. When all employees of the team complete their assigned roles the team will run more smoothly. It is also important that a manager is always there so that they can supervise his staff and also if there is a problem that they might not be able to handle the manager will defiantly being trained to deal with the situation. Monitoring the performance of a team and letting them know of there good work is a good way to keep the staff motivated. There are certain ways to monitor the way that businesses monitor their staff. Firstly they can make sure that the staffs are reaching the targets that are assigned to them. Also sales figures can be looked at, seeing whether the team has overspent or under spent the budget that was assigned to them. Finally last way to monitor the performance is to record the number of compliments, or complaints that that member of staff has received from the customers. Individual and team appraisals are also a good way to keep the team motivated. Liaising within departments in a business is very important in keeping the employees on talking terms with people in other departments. It is essential that they work with each other so that they can coordinate with each other and progress is completed rather then slowed down. One way to make sure that the teams work together is to encourage team building exercises, so that the employees can get to know each other more. Many people from the same level within the organisation are told to meet with other people from other departments, not necessarily physically, but through the internet. To ensure that the employees know how the business works, and what there job role entitles, they should know about the background of their organisation. There will have to be good communication and respect shown when the people of the company are talking to each other. People will talk to others in a different way depending on there role, or what they have achieved. With there superiors there will be more respect shown then others like people below them in the organisation. In some businesses managers will refer to each other using there titles but many others, they will be referred to on first name bases. It is also important to communicate with the employees, make sure that they know the terms of there contract with the job that they have with you, whether they are allowed to have a second job or not, these little things. If they choose to have a second job, they should tell their role manager about it, and also the job should be in a non-related company. Managers can use incentives to keep the workforce encouraged to work harder and harder. There are many ways in which employees can use these incentives to keep them working, they can be rewards, little things that will make the workforce feel that that are being appreciated. These incentives also have to be worth of value to the employee that is earning them, or they will not want to earn them. It is always good to offer a variety of choices for the employees to choose from. This way they can have different things every time that they work hard. Businesses usually encourage there employees to be creative, and use their initiative. This is to adapt with any change in the market, so that the company is easily adaptable, and these companies are more likely to succeed. Because companies can compete all over the world using the internet, these companies’ encourage their employees to think creatively and use their imagination. Many small businesses become successful by being creative and using their initiative. Organisations can get their work done in two different ways, one in-house, where the employees that they employee do the work for them, or the organisation can outsource their work, where they pay some other company to do the work for them. Evaluation of Technological Resources: When looking at resources which are technological, there are many improvements that can be made in a business. Technological resources would not be hardware; they would fall under the category of software. They are managed in similar ways to other resources to ensure that they are not damaged, and if there is a newer version an update can be made. Intellectual property is the right in which people can own idea’s and decide what happens to them. This is similar to having a patent to an idea or an item, where the person will decide what will happen to the item or ideas. The longer that people work in a job, or different jobs they will start to gain accumulated experience, they will start to learn how to deal with certain issues that may come up in their job. This is a major benefit to the company, as more and more people stay at the company, gradually gaining more experience. The people with experience will be placed as mangers so that they can have an influence on their own sector or department. It is very important for the organisation to build up the skills of peoples so that they can deal with certain issues that arise in the business. It would be wise to train more then a few people at certain things, for instance in their absence, there should be somebody to handle that specific area. If an experienced person was to leave the organisation it would be hard to find another person that would be able to fulfil that job role with the same amount of skill as the previous person. Cascading training is the process in which training is passed on throughout the workforce, so that a backup is available when another individual is needed. Software is used in businesses a lot, and the businesses spend a lot of money on software for its business. Specially made software is sometimes very important to businesses; the reason for this is because it is a piece of software that is specifically designed for a business. Software that isn’t specially made, but owned by people is also used, and to use these businesses must pay a fee for the software license so that they can distribute it to all of their stores. When companies buy these licenses, they usually get a discount due to the amount of computers that they wish to install the software onto. Some companies run the software on more computers they claim to be, and in these cases they are breaking the law, although this can work both ways, as the companies can charge too much. Software reviews can save a vast amount of money for the company, to see which computers need new software and which don’t. Using legislation to protect the technological resources of the company is very important although it is always hard to tell whether people have taken your idea, it is always hard to find the perpetrators. Patents and Copyrights are different area’s which fall under intellectual property law. Patents are protection for inventions, new or improved. Evaluation of Physical Resources: When looking at the physical resources of business, businesses should look at the procedures that it undertakes to carry out its activities. Improvements can be made to make sure that these resources are maintained, refurbished and secured. All businesses need premises where they can operate from. These buildings can have a strong affect on the people that either work there, or the customers of the company. Having buildings located in strong economic areas is also very important for the business, so that many people will be attracted to it, as well as see it as an important building in the area. Importance of how businesses layout their stores all over the country, no doubts show in its success. Businesses have to find ways into attracting the attention of the customers. In businesses that deal with clothing, shoes or accessories, they would need to be aesthetically pleasing to the customers, being attracted to the building will naturally result in them proceeding into the building. Improvements should be made in the materials and waste in businesses. Undoubtedly this would both save the economy as well as money for the business. Different types of buildings within each business will all need to cope with different activities that will need to be completed. The plant will be the place where the machinery for these places will be placed. Although some companies take there machinery on lease, some businesses see it as best to buy the machinery as they can be used in the long run. The correct equipment is essential for a business to operate smoothly. If the necessary equipment is not given then this can result in the incompletion of the task which was required, this can have more impact on the company then some may think. IT is one of the most important, many businesses fail without it. Businesses must consist of both hardware and software, which carry out their main jobs of looking after the amount of stock in the stores, the day’s cash intake, and many other important functions that the company needs. Hardware is the physical items, computers, monitors, things that are visible to people. Software would be the systems that the computer runs on, Microsoft and other applications. All of the factories will always have their premises checked. If the correct maintenance does not take place then the machinery or the buildings can break down, leading to much more large cost with replacing them. Cleaning of the buildings is important in keeping it safe to work in and healthy for the people who work there. Refurbishment of the company consists when the company seems to want to change the appearance of their stores whether it is to the customers in the stores, or for the workers in the other associated buildings. Keeping the buildings fresh will encourage people to enjoy their workplace and result in people working harder. Refurbishment can also have an impact on the environment as well as people, as old resources can be replaced with eco-friendly or energy saving ones. To ensure that the workers and the customers are safe at all times Emergency Provisions will be there in case of an emergency. Evacuation training must be given to all of the employees, so that they know exactly what to do in case of a fire or any other incidence. Other equipment to prevent harm will be placed in the store, such as, fire alarms, smoke detectors, fire escapes and fire extinguishers. To ensure that these are working at all times, regular checks will need to be made. Insurance is a must with all building, whether there leased or owned by the company. This is to cover any damages. Protecting the assets of the company is very important because if any of these were vandalised, they can claim the damage costs back. The building must be made secured at all times, when the employees finish their shift at night; they must lock the premises up so that no intruder can enter. Although this is not always the case, people still somehow find a way in, this is why security guards are hired. The company can also get advice from big security companies about how they can keep their business locked and secure. Evaluation of Financial Resources: Financial resources are needed in the businesses because they have to monitor their finance because; they need to insure that they have enough money in order to buy products and to pay their employees. They then also have to make sure that they have enough money so that they can pay off their bills as well. Financial resources are the cash or loans that a business has, or has access to. A business’s non-financial resources are their employees, technology, equipment, buildings, warehouses and information systems. Within the financial and non-financial category come two more types of resources: internal and external. Internal resources are financial or non-financial resources that a company owns, or has in-house. External resources are financial or non-financial resources that a company does not own, but may be able to use externally. When businesses evaluate their internal environment, they are analysing the areas of their work that they have control over. Internal environments may include, but are not limited to, the organisational structure, purchasing behaviours, research and development and manufacturing processes. Within the internal environment are internal resources, such as finances, staff, equipment, and machinery and information technology. Businesses should perform environmental scans of their internal environments and resources, they should document their findings, examine the trends in their environment, review and analyse the inventory and use the information for decision-making techniques. External business environments are the areas that a business does not have control over, but can still be impacted by. Common external environments can be categorised as environmental, political, economical, technological, legal and social. Within these external environments businesses can identify external resources. Technological advances, for instance, are operated external resources. By knowing what is available to businesses in the external environment, decision makers can analyse risk potential and understand how their business can be progressed or slowed down by external resources. Monitoring Budget Costs: At the beginning of a businesses year, the business will start to start formulate a budget which is their objective to forecast what their profit will be at the end of the year in the assumption that the budget will remain the same through out. The budget will be monitored quarterly or monthly to see if the profit they projected at the beginning of the year is still realistic. Monitoring their budget will give them the flexibility to adjust their wants, needs and must have so that the projected profit is realisable at the end of the year. Profit is the measure of a business performance. Ideally, the process of budget planning for the next financial year should give everyone in the organisation an opportunity to reflect on what they’ve achieved, what the external environment is telling them and where they want to go next. In times of recession, businesses will aim to increase revenues or they may maintain them, they could specifically target a certain market, or invest more in a profitable area. Businesses will focus on these specific areas by everyone in the business. Unfortunately, hardly any business gathers the full rewards of focused engagement with the budget process. Too often businesses are facing the future with budgets that are reluctantly thrown together by cost centre managers with other things on their mind.

Moral Theology of Health Care

Bioethics is a recently coined word. It comes from â€Å"bio† which means life and from â€Å"ethics† which is morality. Bioethics is that branch of Ethics which deals directly with the problems of life and dying, of health and of healing. It focuses attention to the need for a healthier world in accordance with the dictates of reason.As a health care provider, they are face with many ethical issues left and right. These issues sometimes question our integrity as humans with compassion and concern for others. They say that health care providers are sometimes called an accomplice whenever they have done an unlawful thing which is not legal for their chosen profession. Respect for persons, justice, and beneficence, autonomy has been a major workhorse in bioethical analysis over the past several decades.First, let us discuss the respect for persons, justice, beneficence and autonomy. This entails the dignity that we have as human beings. That as human, we have every right to do things and that we should be respected for it. We should respect individuals as well as their lives. As a health care provider, it is our duty to preserve life and not to destroy it. Health care providers often deal with critical situations where human life us at stake, both in the community and in particular health settings. Thus, it is very important that they understand and respect the sanctity of human life. During such situations they may be forced to decide whether or not to perform clinical procedures to preserve health and save the lives of people in a community.Abortion, we all know that Life is precious. It is our main concern and duty. Health is our personal responsibility. This requires that we adopt a style of life that fosters health. We owe it to our family and society to be healthy. The cost of health care is becoming expensive everyday. It is a crime of gross injustice when, because of our reckless habits, we force our family to suffer financial losses and ind ebtedness.But do we really care about the life which God has bestowed in us? Yes, certainly we do but there are some women choose to abort the life that is in them for some irrefutable reasons. Many agree to abortion depends to the circumstances but how about the women who just do not want to have kids? Is it reasonable that they just abort the â€Å"life† because they want to avoid responsibilities? Absolutely, not! Human life is sacred because conception, from the beginning, already involves the creative action of God.As human beings, we remain forever in a special relationship with the Creator. Human life is endowed with majesty and dignity which call forth for an equally dignified response. We owe human life respect and reverence. Such reverence, respect, and concern for life is a way of saying â€Å"yes† to God’s concern for human life in all its forms. In this complex world that we live in today, abortion and contraception are two of the most hotly- debate d issues. They pose a serious moral challenge particularly to medical practitioners and health service providers who are supposed to preserve and protect human life.Thus a thorough understanding of these issues is necessary to arrive at logical and moral solutions. Still the fact remains that neither abortion nor contraception are desirable in human society. Their prevention should be a shared task that rises above the debates on the morality of abortion or contraception. The sanctity of human life demands that it must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of a conception. From the first moment of her existence, a human being already possesses the rights of a person and that as health care providers we should greatly respect, among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being.This alienable right must be recognized and respected by civil society, political authority and health care professionals. Abortion destroys life and violates the right to life. As such it is morally evil and it should not be in any way legalized and liberally permitted in the laws and constitution of the nation as well as in the ethics of the health care professionals.Euthanasia is one of the most debatable issues of our society today. Many disagree with this practice but others say that it is the only way of ending the agony of the patient. So if this issue is still argued, in what circumstance it becomes right? Euthanasia is the killing, for reasons of mercy, of a person who is suffering from an incurable illness or hopeless injury. Euthanasia is an ancient concept that has in the past been an acceptable practice in certain societies; for example, in ancient Greece. In modern times, however, euthanasia is generally considered murder by the law and also is most of the world’s organized religions.Passive, or negative, euthanasia does not involve the act of killing. It consists of the withdrawal of, or the deliberate failure to initiate, life-sustaining tre atment in hopeless initiate, life-sustaining treatment in hopeless cases. Instead of being kept alive for days or weeks through various kinds of machines and drugs, the patient is simply allowed to die.Moreover, â€Å"euthanasia† derives from the Greek words Eu which means good and Thanatos which means death. It etymologically signifies â€Å"good health,† a pleasant and gentle death without awful suffering. Euthanasia may be defined as an action or omission that by its very nature, or in the intention, causes death, for the purpose of eliminating whatever pain.Furthermore, the issue of death has become more complicated than it is used to be because of ethical conflict. The moral issue of euthanasia revolves around the preservation of human dignity in death even to the individual’s last breath. This issue has both its positive and negative sides.The positive argument states that euthanasia aims to preserve human dignity until death. Not only does one have a duty to preserve life but one also has the right to die with dignity. To die with dignity means that one should be better than to go on living with an incurable and distressing sickness.The negative argument, on the other hand, declares that euthanasia erodes human dignity because it means cowardliness in the face of pain and suffering. People who have faced the realities of life with courage die with dignity.Whereas the positive side insists that mercy killing preserves human dignity, the negative side claims the opposite since the act hastens the death of an individual. Furthermore, others consider euthanasia to be morally wrong because it is intentional killing which opposes the natural moral law or the natural inclination to preserve life. They even argue that euthanasia may be performed for self-interest or other consequences. Also, doctors and other health care professionals may be tempted not to do their best to save the patient. They may resort not to do their best to save the p atient. They may resort to euthanasia as an easy way out and simply disregard any other alternatives.Physician assisted suicide is the type of suicide assisted by a physician. The physician prescribes or administers a drug that could lead the patient to death. One way to distinguish between euthanasia and assisted suicide is to look at the last act, the act by which death occurred.Using this distinction, if a third party performed the last act that intentionally caused a patient’s death, euthanasia occurred. For example, giving a patient a lethal injection or pulling a plastic bag over her head to suffocate her would be considered euthanasia.On the other hand, if the person who died performed the last act, assisted suicide took place. Thus it is assisted suicide if a person swallowed an overdose of drugs provided by a doctor for the purpose of casing death. It is also assisted suicide if a patient pushed a switch to trigger a fatal injection after the doctor inserted an intra venous needle into the patient’s vein. A lot of people think that assisted suicide is needed so patients will not be forced to remain alive by being â€Å"hooked up† to machines. There are laws that permit patients or their surrogates to withhold or withdraw unwanted medical treatment even if that increases the likelihood that the patient will die. Thus, no one needs to be hooked up to machines against his or her will.Neither the law nor the medical ethics requires that â€Å"everything be done† to keep a person alive. Insistence, against the patient’s whishes, that death be postponed by every means available is contrary to law and practice. It is also cruel and inhuman.There comes a time when continued attempts to cure are no longer compassionate, wise or medically wound. On such situations, hospice, including in- home hospice care, can be of great help. That is the time when all efforts should be directed at making the patient’s remaining time co mfortable. Then, all interventions should be directed to the alleviation of pain and other symptoms as well as to the provision of emotional and spiritual support for both the patient and the patient’s loved ones.Medicine is at the service of life. Since the beginning medical practitioners have struggled to conserve health, alleviate suffering and as much as they can, prolong life. Nobody escapes death, as death as inevitable. It is a fearful reality. However, acceptance of death would â€Å"perhaps be easier and more meaningful if one lives life to the fullest and strive to give meaning to his/ her existence.’Today, the span of human life has considerably lengthened than during the past decades, thanks to significant achievements in the medical field. However, life will remain a journey and man will continue his pilgrimage towards his final destiny. Surely, man will reach a point when neither the physician nor modern medicine can do more for him. As one poet states: â€Å"It is sheer madness of a man to cling to his life when God wills that he die.† Nurses play a vital role in a patient’s struggle against illness. Are nurses allowed to cut the thread of life when the weight of pain, suffering and hopelessness has become too heavy for the patient to bear? Can we â€Å"plan† for our death, just as we plan for our future?While health providers strive to render the best care for patients, situations arise when the patients themselves demand for assistance to have their lives ended. During such situations, health care providers and medical practitioners are expected to act morally and justify their stand.Reference:Drane, James F. Clinical Bioethics. Kansas City: Sheed & Ward, 1994. Higgins, Gregory C. Where do you stand? New Jersey: Paulist Press, 1995. Hughes, Gerald J. Authority in Morals. London: Heythrop Monographs, 1978. Kippley, John & Sheila Kippley. The Art of Natural Family Planning. Cincinnati: The Couple of Couple Lea gue International, Inc. 1975..

John Keats when i have fears 2 Essay

John Keats’ poem â€Å"When I have Fears that I may cease to be† is about the poet’s contemplation of his own mortality. When Keats woke one day with blood on his pillow, the doctor in him knew that stain to be the mark of his own undoing by consumption. This poem is one way of dealing with that knowledge by asserting that the things that seem the most important at the moment—poetic fame and love—are really nothing compared to the great wide world. The poet has finally come to accept his place in the grand scheme of things, so the tone shifts from questioning hesitancy to peaceful acquiescence. Lines 1-2 discuss how the poet’s brain is filled with possibility—ideas not yet written down by his pen in mounds of important books—and his fear that he may die before he is able to reach his poetic potential. This idea is compounded by the use of both imagery and alliteration in the first quatrain of the poem. The description of the â€Å"full-ripen’d grain† in line 4 compares his poetic imagination to a grainery; that is, a place chock full of ripe food that will nourish the body the way his poetry will fulfill the mind. His use of repeated sounds in â€Å"glean’d,† â€Å"grave’d,† â€Å"garner,† â€Å"garner,† and â€Å"grain† show just how fertile his imagination can be and raise the question of how tragic it may be if he dies before he has reached his peak. Lines 5-8 continue this contemplation of his poetry by considering the raw materials of his work—â€Å"night’s starr’d face† and â€Å"high romance† in the â€Å"huge cloudy symbols†Ã¢â‚¬â€in other words, Keats is seeing everything that he would render into meaningful poetry given the time, but without that chance, he can only mourn the loss of the possible poem that exists in his mind. He also gives a glimpse as to his view of composing poetry when he claims that â€Å"the magic hand of chance† could aid him in rendering mystical nature into a poem. Keats is using the mystery of nature as a symbol for the mystery of his future poetry, poems that will be lost if he ceases to be before committing them to paper. Lines 9-12 move beyond his poetic potential to consider the possibility of love lost in the event of his untimely death. These lines are halting, a nod to the â€Å"faery power of unreflecting love†; it is almost as though Keats worries more over the loss of his future poetry moreso than any chance at love. Love itself is a sham here, an attempt at happiness that, when compared to the power of harnessing nature, loses any real chance at success. This section is only three and a half lines long, not even a full quatrain, a rhythm that gives the reader a sense of rushing; this is the same quality felt by Keats, and it reinforces the essence of the poem—time is running out. The repetition of the word â€Å"when† also conveys the sense of time passing; with each moment, death approaches. Yet for all of these considerations, Keats realizes in the last two and half lines that the things he seeks the most, Fame and Love, are really nothing when compared to the grand scheme of things. The image of the shore is crucial here; when compared to the ocean, Keats’ personal struggles are meaningless, but beyond that, the shoreline represents a boundary line. Just as Keats fears crossing the lines between life and death, he can come to terms with mortality when he finds himself in another in-between zone. Overall, â€Å"When I have Fears that I may cease to be† is a poem about accepting the limitations placed on one by life and time. Though material gains like fame or spiritual experiences like love may seem like all-encompassing purposes for a life, Keats shows that, upon reflection, these things pale in comparison to the larger issues in the world. Through the clever use of specific words and rhyme schemes, Keats conveys his message using poetic techniques.

Eropean Union Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Eropean Union - Essay Example The European Union operates through a system of supranational institutions. These institutions include a variety of prominent branches, including the European Commission, the Council of the European Union, the European Parliament, the Court of Justice of the European Union, and the European Central Bank. This essay examines these branches and considers the most critical barriers to further EU integration. The different branches of the European Union have distinctly different functions. The European Commission is the recognized executive body of the European Union. This body has a broad variety of functions that includes developing legislation, decision implementation, upholding EU treaties, and running the daily measures of the union (Staab). While the United States executive branch has a single president, the EU operates with twenty-seven commissioners and a Commission President. The European Commission notably is the sole branch with the power of legislative initiative. The Council of the European Union is, along with the European Parliament, the legislative body of the European Union. ... Another prominent power of these legislative branches is their authority over the budget (Leonard). Both of the legislative bodies have equal power over the budget. If there is a disagreement between these powers there is a conciliation committee that arbitrates these disputes. Finally, the European Parliament has the power of supervision (Leonard). This means that they can establish supervisory council over issues such as natural disasters or disease. The final two branches of the European Union are the Court of Justice of the European Union, and the European Central Bank. The Court of Justice is the European Union’s judicial branch. The purpose of this branch of the EU is to ensure that treaties passed by the EU are followed and observed in the proper interpretation (Staab). This branch contains the European Court of Justice, the General Court, and the Civil Service Tribunal. The European Central Bank oversees the monetary policy of the members of the European Union (Staab). The overriding purpose of the European Central Bank is to ensure price stability through developing measures to fight against inflation. The ECB also has the notable power of issuing euro banknotes (Staab). While the European member states are able to issue their own euro bank notes, they must first receive the permission of the ECB. While the European Union has witnessed tremendous integration in recent decades there still remains prominent barriers to integration. Within this context of investigation the most prominent barriers to integration relate to trade and financial matters. While seventeen member states have adopted the Euro as their predominant currency there remains objection to full-scale implementation of this currency. One considers the current European

Horizontal Bullying in Nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Horizontal Bullying in Nursing - Essay Example The essay "Horizontal Bullying in Nursing" represents various violent activities taking place in the nursing workplace, these include horizontal bullying, verbal and nonverbal attacks, violence that is horizontal and lateral in nature and anger. Such actions take place at different levels within the profession of nursing. These activities are experienced at the level of the nurse to nurse, physician, to nurse, nurse to physician and patient to nurse. Bullying can be verbal in nature; this takes place when the receiver of a message interprets the message to be harsh and aggressive in nature. Ample amount of research has been conducted in the field of nursing in the nation of Australia regarding the subject of violence and bullying, researchers in these nations denotes workplace aggression with the term bullying. The term bullying comprises of three elements, firstly an act is referred to as bullying in nature only when the person being treated feels that the act was bullying like and the act does not depend on the intention of the person who has conducted the act. Secondly, if an action needs to be referred to as bullying, it should negatively impact the victim. Lastly, an act is regarded as bullying when the same act is continuously carried out even knowing that the act is negatively affecting the victim. Bullying can arise at different levels such as the supervisor, the subordinates or coworkers can all indulge in the act of bullying. Therefore, horizontal bullying can be of both physical and vocal in nature.... Kind Horizontal bullying can be of both physical and vocal in nature and in the field of nursing, the prevalence of verbal bullying is more witnessed. Farrell states that verbal horizontal bullying consists of any kind of ill treatment that is verbal in nature and this kind of treatment makes the victim feels that he has been attacked either in personal or professional manner and the victim might experience humiliation (Vessey, 2010). This kind of treatment can take both overt and covert forms, researchers state that the highest percentage of communication that arises is nonverbal in nature and this causes ambiguity and may have much more impact on an individual than attacks that are overt in nature. Overt bullying and covert bullying can take several forms, over bullying may include criticizing, shouting and name calling for another individual and covert bullying may consist of ignorance, whining and sarcastic behavior against another subject (Hutchinson, 2010). Intention The intent ion that one nurse has for attacking another nurse by finding faults in them and their working and by complaining behind their back is to conduct an attack, ensure that a coworker is devalued and punished in the organization and to make him/her look bad in the eyes of others (Ferns, 2009). Several times the nurse who conducts the act of horizontal bullying is not conducting the act intentionally and the reason for conducting the act provided by them is because they feel that they are maintaining high standards of quality care by their actions. Nursing is a profession that is based upon the concept of caring and in such a profession, behaviors such

Visual analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Visual analysis - Essay Example Dockers.com presents a webpage that is bold and straight-to-the-point, characteristics associated with being purposeful, one of Dockers’ lifestyle promises. Once on the site, consumers can already feel a sense of intention. Calibri and Arial fonts in basic colors of black and white dominate the page, consistent with a no-nonsense attitude Dockers portrays. Even the language on the site speaks of decisiveness as Dockers does not describe its clothes. Rather, it tells the consumers to take action by utilizing verbs such as make, explore and get. Black, a common color for formal clothes, presents a picture of solidity, another lifestyle promise from Dockers, and also classic elegance. This promise of solidity is again reinforced by the Dockers’ logo – an anchor that appears in full each time a user moves from page to page. The anchor, symbolizing steadiness, is also defined as a ‘person†¦ that can be relied on for support, stability, or security.† ( Anchor) With its taglines like â€Å"Dockers has your back† or â€Å"We’ve got you covered†, the brand reiterates once more its promise of dependability. Orange may not be a color associated with men. However, Dockers employs the color on its page for two reasons. For one, it is in line with the company’s lifestyle promise of a go-getter attitude. The orange links stand out making them easy to find and click. Consumers can readily know the current page because the orange is such a contrast to the black and gray letters that dominate the site. The second reason the orange works is because Dockers makes men feel confident in themselves to wear any color, even those usually utilized for females. In fact, if one is to browse the khaki section by color, the selection includes khakis in honey mustard and another in electric blue. In their Spring 2013 collection, khakis are offered in yellow and orange. The first page of the site features a set of pictures verti cally arranged on the center of the page. These have lines or two on each of them. Consumers will see that Dockers has anticipated the consumers’ needs and is prepared to satisfy these with messages such as â€Å"We’ve got you covered†, â€Å"Quality gifts that keep giving, at any price† and â€Å"Dockers has your back†. Again, these shows Dockers’ promise to make the consumer feel dependable. Dockers is able to make male consumers easily associate themselves with the male models on its site. The models in the pictures and videos are not overly handsome or muscular. They can be a father, brother, husband, uncle or friend, the very same consumers who visit the site. A commonality among them is their confident stance which emphasizes Dockers’ promise of determination. For the videos, Dockers chose to feature inspirational males who are enjoying the life they have carved out for themselves. Examples include Michael â€Å"Bear† Gry lls who is an adventurer, writer and television personality; Danny Hess, who makes environmentally-friendly surfboards; and, David Burnett, a teacher and architect who now helps make homes for Habitat for Humanity. By employing these personalities and having them share their passions on the site, Dockers is able to tell its audience that their clothes are the suitable partners of people who are confident, reliable and have a sense of purpose in their lives. The array of videos and pictures make the site visually appealing, especially since most audiences who shop for clothes do not take time to read blurbs and paragraphs but do enjoy clicking

American Civil War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

American Civil War - Essay Example These polarized objectives constructed the value system of the two Generals and their respective armies. More so, they shaped the history of America; and gave a blueprint of its future - the American life. On April 9, 1865, when Lee surrendered at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, the Civil War came to the edge of end. It was a moment in history when a nation was going to be born sans slavery, sans right of succession, and abiding everything 'freedom' and 'equality' meant in essence. However, the constant collision of ideologies that had preceded this conclusion for about five years of Civil War (1861-65) is an interesting phenomenon to observe. Lee came from Virginia, and family-values, culture, traditions, chivalry, knighthood, were the elements around which his people and his life revolved and evolved. That stratification was a convenient and apt way to construct the social order - he firmly believed in. That 'land' is the primary and only source of wealth and influence - was the motivation behind all his actions. That the privileged who owned the land shoulder responsibility towards the rest of the community as well as possesses the power to monitor the actions and occupations of the community - he upheld it. Slavery and right to succession were corollaries to the beliefs of the 'land lord'. And the belief in 'landed nobility', was the guiding factor for thousands of elite men from the Southern states who plunged into war, willing to die, willing to sacrifice their everything for the cause that Lee believed in. However, the day Lee surrendered at Appomattox, it was the culmination of 'landed nobility' and the cause was lost. (Catton, pp. 17-44) On the other hand, Grant, who came from the Western front, was the son of a tanner. His background signified everything he was, and believed in - in living life the tough way, in self-reliance, in forgoing past, and in focus on future. He turned down the social order based on privileges that ran down the traditions and land-ownership. He stood for democracy, equality, and competition. If privileges meant anything to him - those were the privileges that a man earned by virtue of his competitiveness. However, along with these beliefs, ran a strong sense of nationalism. He believed in living and working in a country where nation supported the individual and individuals supported the nation - prosperity of both being complementary to each other. To Grant and his people (the Westerners), 'community' meant the whole of United States of America as against the Southerners, to whom 'community' meant only their region. This is the striking line that sets apart General Lee and General Grant and their respective people. (Catton, pp. 47-59) Lee and Grant: Two Similar Leaders Though Lee and Grant were as different as two men could ever be, yet the aspiration that ran beneath everything that they did made them strikingly similar to each other - it was the aspiration to lead their people towards a future they believed in. The two leaders were no better fighters than each other - none gave up in the face of adversity. While in spite of his army's and his personal handicaps Grant fought his way down the Mississippi valley, Lee hung on in a trench at Petersburg even when defeat stared him in his face. They both moved with resourcefulness and speed. Due to this, Lee won at Second Manassas and

Comparing and Contrasting Diverse Roles Research Paper

Comparing and Contrasting Diverse Roles - Research Paper Example These common roles are as follows; Role as a Leader A project manager has to lead, manage and administer the resources of a project (U.S. Office of Personnel Management, 2003). These resources are both tangible and intangible. For instance, tangible resources are finances and materials of a project. Intangible resources are people’s skills. The nature and diversity of these resources makes the role of a project manager very demanding. A project manager needs to lead the team. Projects are not completed without a competent team. In order to get the best out of the people working on a project, they need to be lead and often they need to be lead from the front. That is why the project manager needs to be equipped with the right leadership skills. The role of a leader often requires developing, modifying and implementing project plans. Along with these qualities, a leader also has to bring in the necessary interpersonal skill set to effectively lead the team towards the goals. The re is hardly any contrast in the roles of a project manager and the role of a leader. Every step of the management requires appropriate leadership skills. ... That is why continuous improvement and learning is mandatory for a super job at project managing. Whatever skill and education the project manager has, the manager needs to pass it on to the project team members. The manager needs to show team members how to do certain things. That is where a project manager needs to be a mentor for team members. Mentoring for the project manager involves teaching team members right on the job. This type of mentoring can be related to on the job training. Here comes the contrast; the job of a project manager is to manage the project and not teach the team members new skills. If the project manager is busy teaching the team members about their job skills, project managing can suffer. This is a tough thing for the project manager to balance both these aspects. Role as a Manager This is the prime role of a project manager, to manage. There is no contrast between this role and the main task of a project manager. Team building for a project is also the jo b of a project manager and especially when there are different types of teams. These various types of teams depends on the task at hand as well as the resources available (WHO, 2007). Team building also requires managing the individuals that make up the team. The manager needs to know which individuals are best with their specific skill sets and how to best utilize them. As stated earlier, there is no contrast between the work of a project manager and the role of a manager. These tasks go hand in hand, reinforcing each other. The managerial roles require managing all variables of a project; time, cost, resources. Facilitator roles Sometimes a big project requires more than one project manager for its successful completion. In such scenarios, a project manager needs to play the role of

Shard Tower Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Shard Tower - Essay Example Designing of the Shard tower was done in 2000 by Renzo Piano and in 2007 construction begun. In July 2012, the project was completed and opened by Prime Minister of Qatar, Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani. The opening ceremony was also attended by Prince Andrew, Duke of York (Mace Group 2010). The tower is serviced and maintained by central London’s amenities, facilities and transport infrastructure. The tower is located next to London bridge station thus making it easier for people to connect from the station to work place (Sellar Group 2011). This paper will focus on the Shard tower project and the project management. The core objectives of the Shard project was to; make positive changes, improving one’s life chances, ensure development in growth areas and deliver quality and standard public service This paper aims to look at project management in the construction industry and the relationship between the levels of risk management and the different stages of a cons truction project. The conventional techniques of project management will be mentioned as well as the current innovations in the field. Moreover, the paper will discuss the benefits and costs, barriers, of the trends and finally discuss relevant recommendations. Projects within Shard programme 1. Southwark tower demolition Stephen Furnell assisted by Len Abbott in the year 1969 to 1970 designed the Southwark tower. The tower was the head quarter of price waterhouse. The tower had 25-storey office (The Rubble Club 2009). The building was demolished to allow construction of Shard tower. It was the tallest building to be demolished in the United Kingdom. They demolition was done behind acoustic screen so that they could reduce noise pollution levels. 2. Fixing glass The Shard tower is also known as the shard of glass. The reason behind the name it is because the tower is covered in glass, which makes it crystal. The developers designed a glass roofed, which was done by Renzo Piano build ing. The design included both the ceiling and floor, which brought light to the offices during dimmest days. 3. Sensors The sensors activate grey blinds on each glass panels. In 2009, Claxton gave advice operational and budget for developing blind control system. The blind system control was to take and avail readings from sensors. The sensors would communicate to shreds to either lower or raise heat entering the tower. The solar track servers were installed in the basement while photometer and radiometer sensors we installed on the roof. The sensors positioned at the roof are called level 96. Claxton were able to successfully install solarTrac system, which is a product of Mechoshade. 4. Kone jump lifts The first Kone jump lift was installed in Shard Tower in August 2010. The jump lift is a self-climbing system developed by Kone. The lift uses the building shafts during construction. The lift can accommodate 21 people and 1600kg. Its main use was to carry Shard site workers up and down the construction site. Mace, the Shard principal contractor, collaborated with Kone to ensure the jump lift meets the standards and quality of the delivery program. Tony Palgrave, the Mace construction director, suggested that the jump lift was a solution to transporting materials and people effectively and quickly. It has been the safest way to move up and down the building. Michael Williams, KONE U.K. managing director, said feel privileged working together with Mace in the Shard tower project. They ensure that the lifts were well installed to unsure they ran smoothly (Chatham 2010). Project management Robert Deatker was the project director at the London Bridge quarter and Shard Tower. Robert says the work of the project management is to knot thing

Hypoactive sexual desire disorder in women Essay Example for Free

Hypoactive sexual desire disorder in women Essay Female hypoactive sexual desire disorder is a condition which affects the sexual desire and performance of females. The loss of sexual desire, for men or woman, may not be a welcome experience. For some women loss of sexual desire can present serious problems and therefore it is important to advance understanding of the possible causes of HSDD in order to develop effective solutions and treatment options. Description of Female HSDD Corona et al (2005) identify sexual motivation, sexual desire and libido as terms representative of the desire to engage in sexual activities. The makeup of the body makes it possible for humans, once all is in proper working order, to respond to internal and external sexual stimuli by feeling the urge and/or seeking to engage in sexual activities. The processes at work in creating sexual desire are quite complex. According to Corona et al (2005) the way a person responds to sexual stimulus is usually affected by biological, emotional, cognitive, neurological and physiological factors. The loss of sexual desire can prove to be a very depressing condition. The Wall Street Journal, in an empirical study, highlighted the close correlation between sex and happiness, suggesting that an unsatisfying and unhealthy sex life contributes to decreased happiness (as cited in Warnock, 2005, p. 45). Among women there are a range of sexual disorders that may arise as a result of various biological, environment, individual or physiological factors. General sexual disorders in women are termed female sexual dysfunction (FSD), the most prominent of which is hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD). According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) female HSDD refers to the persistent or recurrent lack or absence of fantasies about or the desire to take part in sexual activities (as cited in Clayton et al, 2006, p. 116). This absence of sexual interest is considered a disorder when it proves to be problematic for the patient and their relationship or self concept. This clarification is extremely important since the mere absence of sexual desire is not considered dysfunctional if it is not perceived as such. Corona et al (2005) highlight, therefore, that â€Å"HSD is not always perceived as problematic† (p. 47). In fact some individuals may have little or no objection to the loss of sexual desire for any personal or ethical reason. On the other hand where continued sexual functioning is of considerable importance then the loss of sexual desire would pose serious issues. Another clarification that must be emphasized is that the condition must be recurrent and persistent, that is, it must be sustained over time, before it can be categorized as HSDD (Nappi, Wawra Schmitt, 2006, p. 320). It is only since the early 1980s that sexual disorders were given much attention and this may be as a result of the ethical issues that traditionally surrounded public discussions on sex and sexuality. It was only at this time that the American Psychiatric Association began including ‘inhibited sexual desire’ as a diagnostic category for disease (Corona et al, 2005). In females HSDD is usually demonstrated in a lack of arousal or problems with orgasm (Warnock, 2002, p. 747). Similarly it is not strange for HSDD to be presented along with or as a result of other sexual disorders. Clayton et al (2006) reports that about 40% of patients that develop HSDD also develop secondary sexual disorders such as arousal or orgasm disorders (p. 116). What becomes evident also is that the distress caused by the absence of sexual desire in women can be considerable and overwhelming and may result in the development of unrelated psychological conditions as a result of the distress that the condition may cause. According to Hurlbert et al (2005) women who present with HSDD tend to be more easily disposed to higher rates of psychological distress including depression, than other healthy females (p.25). Even though the presence of HSDD does not automatically presume depression, these women are at a greater risk. This is why proper and effective diagnosis and treatment should be provided promptly to sufficiently ease the condition to a satisfactory level. Prevalence Generally problems of sexual desire have been noted to be the most widespread sexual issues that clinicians have to deal with on a daily basis (Hurlbert et al, 2005, p. 16). Hurlbert et al (2005) points out that HSDD is the most prevalent sexual dysfunction that comes to the attention of physicians when dealing with couples (p.15). Estimates of the prevalence of HSDD are not very specific because of the very touchy nature of sexual dysfunction. Corona et al (2005) gives a rough estimate that the overall prevalence of HSDD in the general U. S. population for men is somewhere between 0% and 16% while for women this rate is between 1% and 46% (p. 48). It is quite evident that the disorder either affects considerably more women than men or that more women than men are willing to approach their physicians about sexual problems. Corona et al (2005) attempts to explain this variation by suggesting that sexual motivation is usually higher among men and therefore women are more likely to be at risk of developing HSDD. Whatever the factors that contribute to HSDD affecting women more unequally than men, it is important to consider the possible factors that may put a woman at risk of HSDD. Determining the causes or aggravators of HSDD is an important step in diagnosis and later treatment of the disorder.

Analysis of Migration Patterns in Afghanistan

Analysis of Migration Patterns in Afghanistan Migration in Afghanistan: 1. Introduction Afghanistan is home to the largest refugee crises experienced since the inception of the UNHCR. Decades of war have led millions to flee their homes and seek refuge in the neighboring countries of Pakistan and Iran, and for those who were able, further abroad. The number of refugees spiked in 1990 at 6.2 million. They began to decrease in 1992 with the fall of the government, but began to increase again in 1996 with the rise of the Taliban. In 2002, with the fall of the Taliban and the US-led invasion, record numbers of Afghan refugees returned to Afghanistan. An international reconstruction and development initiative began to aid Afghans in rebuilding their country from decades of war. Reports indicate that change is occurring in Afghanistan, but the progress is slow. The Taliban have regained strength in the second half of this decade and insurgency and instability are rising. Afghanistan continues to be challenged by underdevelopment, lack of infrastructure, few employment opportunities, and widespread poverty. The slow pace of change has led Afghans to continue migrating in order to meet the needs of their families. Today refugee movements no longer characterize the primary source of Afghan migration. Migration in search of livelihoods is the primary reasons for migration and occurs through rural-urban migration in Afghanistan or circular migration patterns as Afghans cross into Pakistan and/or Iran. Afghans utilize their social networks to find low-skilled work in the cities or neighboring countries. The highly skilled in Afghanistan often seek to migrate to Western countries, as the opportunities in Afghanistan are limited. Afghans transnational movements have led to the development of the Afghan Diaspora, which has been essential in providing remittances to families in Afghanistan to meet their daily needs. The Afghan Diaspora has been involved in the reconstruction effort and is a key contributor to development in Afghanistan. The continued engagement of the Diaspora is important to the building of Afghanistans future. This paper seeks to provide an overview of migration and development in Afghanistan. It will begin with a country profile on Afghanistan (Chapter 2), followed by a review of historical migration patterns in Afghanistan (Chapter 3) and a synthesis of current migration patterns in Afghanistan (Chapter 4). The paper will then move to discuss migration and development in Afghanistan (Chapter 5), the Afghan Diaspora (Chapter 6), policies regarding migration in Afghanistan (Chapter 7), and the migration relationship between the Netherlands and Afghanistan (Chapter 8). The paper will conclude with an examination of future migration prospects for Afghanistan (Chapter 9) and a conclusion (Chapter 10). 2. General Country Profile Afghanistan is one of the poorest countries in the world and has been inundated by decades of war, civil strife and poverty. Today, Afghanistan is central in media attention due to the US led invasion post 9/11, however the country has been in turmoil for much longer. This section will provide a brief overview of the recent history of Afghanistan, the current economic situation, the current political situation, a cultural overview, and the current status of women in the country. Historical Overview The modern history of Afghanistan can be divided into four essential periods: pre 1978, 1978-1992, 1992-2001, and post 2001. Pre 1978 Afghanistan was founded in 1774 by Ahmad Shah Durrani who unified the Pashtun tribes in the region and created the state (CIA, 2009). The country was ruled by a monarchy and acted as a buffer between the British and Russian empires until it received independence from conjectural British control in 1919 (CIA, 2009). The last King, Zahir Shah, reigned from 1933 to 1973, when he was overthrown by a coup detat led by his cousin and ex-premier President Mohammed Daoud (Jazayery, 2002). Opposition to Daouds Government lead to a coup in 1978 by the Peoples Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) (Jazayery, 2002). 1978-1992 Soviet Invasion The PDPA was a Marxist regime and from 1989 was supported by the Soviet Union. This was the first major flow of refugees from Afghanistan. The occupation by the Soviets was viewed in the west as an escalation of the Cold War. The West began to fund millions of dollars, which became billions of dollars, to the resistance forces known as the Mujahideen (Jazayery, 2002). The resistance forces operated primarily from Pakistan. In 1986 when Mikhail Gorbachev came to power in the Soviet Union, the Soviets began the process of extraditing themselves from Afghanistan and by 1989 the Soviets had left Afghanistan. 1992-2001 Taliban Rule In 1992 the Mujahideen forces overthrew Najibullahs Government. A failure of consensus of the new Government led to a civil war from 1992-1996 (Jazayery, 2002). Afghanistan became divided into tribal fiefdoms controlled by armed commanders and warlords (Poppelwell, 2007). The country was in a state of anarchy and Afghans lived in a state of constant fear of physical and sexual assault (Poppelwell, 2007). During this time, the Taliban emerged in 1994, claiming that Afghanistan should be ruled by Sharia (Islamic law) (Jazayery, 2002). The Taliban received support and funding from Saudi Arabia and Arab individuals in the quest to establish a pure Islamic model state (Poppelwell, 2007). The Taliban swept through Afghanistan encountering no resistance by the Mujahideen and were welcomed in many areas as they established relative security in the areas they controlled (Jazayery, 2002). By 1998, The Taliban had captured the majority of the country and established the â€Å"Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan† (Jazayery, 2002). A Northern Alliance that arose in opposition to the Taliban maintained a Government of the â€Å"Islamic State of Afghanistan† with Burhanuddin Rabbini as president (Jazayery, 2002). The Taliban Government was only recognized by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, while the Government of Rabbini maintained an officially represented seat at th e UN (Jazayery, 2002). After the bombings of the US Embassys in Kenya and Tanzania the Taliban were asked to stop harboring Osama bin Laden (Poppelwell, 2007). At their refusal, the UN imposed sanctions against the Taliban and Afghanistan in 1999 (Poppelwell, 2007). By this time the Taliban were known for disregarding international law and human rights (Poppelwell, 2007). During this time, killing, pillaging, raping, and ethnic cleansing of individuals occurred across Afghanistan by the Taliban regime (Jazayery, 2002). Post 2001 The events of 9/11 2001 led the US to lead Coalition Forces to invade Afghanistan on 7 October 2007. Within months the military forces had taken control of Afghanistan and declared the fall of the Taliban. The International Security and Assistance Forces (ISAF) in Afghanistan began with 5,000 troops. In 2003, NATO took over the ISAF, which now, due to increased security concerns, is comprised of approximately 50,000 troops coming from all 28 NATO members (NATO, 2009). In December 2001 a UN led interim administration was established under the Bonn Agreement. The Bonn Agreement established a new constitution and the first democratic elections in 2004 (Poppelwell, 2007). Hamid-Karzai, became the leader of a broad based thirty-member ethnic council that aimed to be multi-ethnic and representative of Afghan society (Poppelwell, 2007). The new administration faced many challenges and in 2005 the Taliban began to regain strength in Afghanistan. The increased security challenges led to the London Conference in January 2006 to address the end of the Bonn agreement and the current challenges in Afghanistan. The result of the London Conference was the Afghanistan Compact, which identified a five-year plan for Afghanistan. The Afghanistan Compact is based on three key pillars: â€Å"security, governance, the rule of law and human rights; economic and social development; and the cross-cutting issue of counter-narcotics† (Poppelwell, 2007, p. 8). Western Governments have taken on specific areas as a country lead for areas in which they will focus. The reconstruction process in Afghanistan has been extensive. A total of $14,775,000,000 US dollars has been contributed to the reconstruction process since 2001 (Livingston, Messera, and Shapiro, 2009). Despite the development efforts, insecurity has increased since 2005 with the Taliban regaining strength. The overall situation in Afghanistan continues to be characterized by conflict and poverty. Demographics A census has not been conducted in Afghanistan since prior to the Soviet invasion in 1978. Thus, all demographic information is estimates. In 2009, the CIA World Factbook estimated the population of Afghanistan to be 28.3 million. This was a significant decrease from the previous estimate of 33.6 million. An Afghanistan census is scheduled for 2010. The population growth rate in Afghanistan was estimated by the United Nations to be 3.9 percent 2005-2010 (UN Data, 2009). Economic and Poverty Overview Economic progress in Afghanistan is occurring through the reconstruction effort, however, Afghanistan continues to be one of the least developed and poorest countries in the world. Table 1 provides an overview of key economic and poverty indicators for Afghanistan in 2007. Real GDP growth for 2008-09 decelerated to 2.3 percent from 16.2 percent in 2007-08 (World Bank, 2009). This is the lowest GDP growth has been in the post-Taliban period and was due to poor agricultural production (World Bank, 2009). In 2009, however, growth is expected to increase due to a good agricultural harvest (World Bank, 2009). Table 1: Key Indicators GDP Per Capita (PPP US $) 1,054 Life Expectancy 43.6 Adult Literacy Rate (% aged 15 and above) 28.0 Combined Gross Enrolment Ration in Education 50.1 Human Poverty Index Rank 135.0 Probability at birth of not surviving to age 40 (% of cohort) 40.7 Population not using an improved water Source (%) 78.0 Children underweight for age (% under age 5) 39.0 Overseas Development Assistance per Capita (US$) 146.0 Source: UNDP, 2009 The latest poverty assessment in Afghanistan was conducted in 2005 through the National Risk and Vulnerability Assessment (NRVA). The findings indicate that the poverty rate was 42 percent, corresponding to 12 million people living below the poverty line (Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, 2009, p. 14). In addition, 20 percent of the population was slightly above the poverty line, suggesting that a small economic shock could place them below the poverty line (Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, 2009, p. 14). It is evident that widespread poverty continues to be a challenge in Afghanistan. Political Situation In August 2009, Afghanistan held it second democratic elections (World Bank, 2009). The incumbent President Hamid Karzai, was re-elected with 50 percent of the necessary votes, however, since the election there have been over 2,000 fraud allegations lodged with the Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC). The Independent Election Commission announced in October 2009 that its final results indicated less than 50 percent of the votes for Karzai. Thus, a run-off election was scheduled for November between Karzai and the lead opponent. Before the election, however, the opponent withdrew from the race leaving Karzai as President (World Bank, 2009). The United Nations Mission to Afghanistan has continued to coordinate international assistance and support the Afghan government in developing good governance. The key aspects of the UN Mission political mandate include: â€Å"preventing and resolving conflicts; building confidence and promoting national reconciliation; monitoring and advising on the political and human rights situation; investigating and making recommendations relating to human rights violations; maintaining a dialogue with Afghan leaders, political parties, civil society groups, institutions, and representatives of central, regional and provincial authorities; recommending corrective actions; and undertaking good offices when necessary to further the peace process† (UNAMA, 2009). The political situation in Afghanistan continues to be complex. In 2009, Transparency International rated Afghanistan 1.3 on the Global Corruption Perceptions Index (Transparency International, 2009). This was the second lowest ranking with only Somalia receiving a lower score. This suggests a high lack of trust in the Government of Afghanistan. Culture/ Ethnic Groups Afghanistan is a traditional and conservative society with large ethnic divisions. Table 2 shows the percentage of the population that belongs to the different ethnic groups. Table 2: Ethnic Groups in Afghanistan 1970s 2006 Pashtun 39.4 40.9 Tajik 33.7 37.1 Uzbeck 8 9.2 Hazara 8 9.2 Turkmen 3.3 1.7 Aimak 4.1 0.1 Baloch 1.6 0.5 Other 1.9 1.4 Source: The Asia Foundation, 2006; Encycopedia Iranica, 2009 The Pashtuns have generally been the majority in Afghanistan. They occupy land in the South and the East and are divided amoung tribal lines. The Tajiks are primarily Sunni Muslims who are Persian and occupy the Northeast and West of Afghanistan. The Tajiks are often well educated and landowners. The Uzbecks are descendents from the Turks and are primarily involved in agriculture. The Hazaras are primarily Shiite Muslims who occupy the infertile highlands in central Afghanistan. The Hazaras are subsistence farms that have used migration routes for survival for centuries (Robinson and Lipson, 2002). The vast majority of the population in Afghanistan is Sunni Muslim (87.9 percent). Shiia Muslims account for 10.4 percent of the population and the remaining ethnic groups are negligible in numbers. Shiia Muslims are thus a minority and have faced persecution in Afghanistan. Status of Women Afghanistans GDI (Gender Development Index) value is 0.310, which is 88.1 percent of its Human Development Index (HDI) (UNDP, 2009). The HDI does not account for gender inequality, and the GDI adds this component to the HDI. Afghanistan ranks 155 out of 155 countries measured in the world for its GDI. Indicators, such as literacy, illustrate this; 43.1 percent of adult males are literate, compared to 12.6 percent of adult females (UNDP, 2009). The culture of Afghanistan is a based on traditional gender roles. Traditionally, women are seen as embodying the honour of the family (World Bank, 2005). As such, women are given as brides to create peace, or to honour a relationship. The role of a wife is to maintain the household and support the husband, which includes domestic and sexual services. In general, a wife meets the husbands needs and if the wife does not she has dishonoured her family and community (World Bank, 2005). The legal rights of women in Afghanistan have changed with the political structure. Prior to Taliban rule, the Constitution of Afghanistan guaranteed women equal rights under the law, although local tribes may have had different customs. Under Taliban rule womens rights were severely hindered as they were not permitted to leave their homes unless accompanied by a close male relative, receive education, and had restricted access the health care and employment. Women were frequently raped and abused during this time. With the fall of the Taliban the situation has improved for women, however there are great differences between the rural and urban situation (World Bank, 2005). The Ministry of Womens Affairs (MOWA) was established in the Bonn Agreement to promote the advancement of women in Afghanistan. MOWA works in an advocacy role to ensure that policies are implemented for both men and women. In addition, MOWA works with NGOs to ensure programs for women are implemented. Womens rights remain to be a primary concern in Afghanistan. At present, approximately 60 percent of women are married before the age of 16 (IRIN, 2005). At 44, women in Afghanistan have one of the lowest life expectancies in the world (UNDP, 2009). Women who are widowed are ostracized in rural communities, but are often able to make a living in the cities to support themselves and their families. However, female-headed households tend to be primarily represented in the poorest quintiles of Afghan society (World Bank, 2005). The situation for women in the urban centres such as Kabul is becoming more liberal. Education rates of girls in the urban centres are high than rural areas and these indicators suggest changes are occurring for women in urban areas. Womens rights are high on the international policy agenda for Afghanistan and a key goal of development aid. 3. Historic Overview of Migration Migration in Afghanistan has had a long history and has significantly shaped the countries social and cultural landscape (Monsutti, 2007). Historically, Afghanistan was a country of trade between the east and the west and a key location on the Silk Road trade route. Thus, migration is a part of the historical identity of the country. The following chapter presents an overview of the complex migration patterns, with a historical perspective. Migration Patterns from Afghanistan to Pakistan and Iran Prior to 1978 Migration between Afghanistan and Pakistan and Iran has a long history. The migration relationships are rooted in the ethnic ties that span the borders between the countries. For instance, Pashtuns make up 20 percent of the population in Pakistan and 30 percent in Afghanistan. The Pashtuns are separated by the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, which is referred to as the Durand Line. The Durand Line was established during British colonialism to demarcate British India from Afghanistan, and has been acknowledged to be an arbitrary divide of Pashtun land (Monsutti, 2005). Thus, cross-border migration of the Pashtuns between Afghanistan and Pakistan has been a way of life. Similarly, the Hazaras of Afghanistan are Shiites Muslims, which is the majority religion in Iran (Monsutti, 2005). Hazaras regularly engaged in migration to and from Iran via religious ties. These ethnic and cultural ties led to cross-border migration for decades prior to the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan. The poor economic position of Afghanistan prior to 1978 led to further economic migration to the better off states of Pakistan and Iran. Stigter states, â€Å"The economic differences between Afghanistan and Pakistan and Iran have long led Afghans to migrate to these countries to find employment and, for Iran, enjoy the benefits of a higher income† (2006, p. 117). In the 1960s and 1970s industrialization in Afghanistan was minimal and there were limited opportunities for the newly educated and growing rural population (Stigter, 2006). A widespread drought in the 1970s led to large-scale crop failure and further migration of many Afghans from the north and north-western Afghanistan into Iran (Monsutti, 2006). In addition, the oil boom of 1973 caused further increasing numbers of Afghans to cross into Iran and other Middle Eastern countries to capitalize on the labour opportunities (Stigter, 2006). Studies have also confirmed that prior to the war migrants from Northern Afghanis tan travelled to Pakistan during the winter, illustrating that seasonal migration occurred between the two countries (Stigter, 2006 from CSSR, 2005). These pre-established migration movements reveal that social networks were established between Afghanistan and Pakistan and Iran prior to the Soviet Invasion and proceeding wars. Monsutti states that â€Å"Channels of pre-established transnational networks exist between Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran- the movement of individuals to seek work, to escape drought or to flee war has been a common experience in Afghanistan† (Monsutti, 2006, p. 6-7). Thus, it can be deduced that migration to Pakistan and Iran was a natural option for many Afghans. International Migration Post 1978 International migration movements from Afghanistan from 1978 have primarily been comprised of refugee flows. The vast majority of refugees fled to Pakistan and Iran in the largest refugee crises of the late 20th Century. 1 shows the number of Afghan refugees in Pakistan and Iran from 1979-2001. 1 illustrates that refugee outflows from Afghanistan began in 1979 with the Soviet Invasion. The outflows continued to increase during the Soviet occupation when there was civil war between the US funded Mujahideen and the Soviet backed Najibullah. Flows during this time spanned social classes and ethnic groups as the initial reason for migration was primarily protection led. However, reasons of a lack of economic opportunities, devastation of infrastructure and trade networks, limited access to social services such as healthcare and education, and political and social reasons also contributed to migration flows (Stigter, 2006). Migration was thus not only refugee protection, but also the need to make a livelihood (Stigter, 2006). The peak of the refugee flows occurred in 1990 with 6.2 million Afghan refugees. This was after the Soviet withdrawal and when the Najibullah remained in power (Jazayery, 2002, p. 240). In the 1990s drought contributed to continuing refugee flows from Afghanistan (Stigter, 2006). The fall of the Najibullah in 1992 led to large-scale repatriation. However, with the Taliban gaining power in 1996, the number of refugees began to increase again to approximately 3.8 million refugees in 2001. During the initial refugee outflows in 1979 both Pakistan and Iran warmly welcomed the refugees under a banner Muslim solidarity (Monsutti, 2006). Iran is a signatory and Pakistan is not a signatory to the 1951 Convention of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol, however both countries welcomed the refugees. In Iran the refugees were given identification cards, allowed access to work, health care, food, free primary and secondary education, and were free to settle where they chose (Monsutti, 2006). Pakistan created an agreement with the United Nations to provide services to the Afghan refugees and received financial support from the international community (Monsutti, 2006). The era of welcoming Afghan refugees began to change in 1989. In Pakistan refugees were still welcomed from 1989-2001, but were not provided with the same level of services and facilitation (Monsutti, 2006). In Iran support also decreased and by the 1990s refugees no longer received identity cards and assistance (Monsutti, 2006). The position of the host countries became increasingly unfriendly post 2001, which will be discussed in the next chapter of this paper. Return Migration The Mujahideen took over the government in 1992 and as a result nearly 2 million refugees returned to Afghanistan. By 1997 an estimated 4 million refugees had returned from Pakistan and Iran (Stigter, 2006). Simultaneously, however, conflicts between rival Mujahideen groups dissuaded many refugees from returning, and created new refugees and IDPs. Internal Migration The primary source of internal migration in Afghanistan was Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). Internally Displaced Persons Internal displacement flows have followed a similar trajectory as refugee flows. The exact number of IDPs is not known and 3 shows estimated number of IDPs in Afghanistan from 1985-2001. Generally those who are internally displaced do not have the means to cross an international border. IDPs in Afghanistan had access to very few services during this period. The UNHCRs capacity in Afghanistan began to increase after 1992 as is illustrated in 3 by the red line. From 1995 the two lines start to converge as the number of IDPs assisted by UNHCR increases and the total number of IDPs decreases. By 2001 the number of IDPs has significantly increased to 1.2 million. The number of IDPs in Afghanistan will be further examined in the next chapter. 4. Current Migration Patterns- 2001- Present Current migration patterns in Afghanistan are complex and multifaceted. Since 2001 Afghanistan has witnessed the largest movement of refugee return in UNHCRs history (Monsutti, 2008). These flows have been a mixture of voluntary and forced return of refugees who had been outside of Afghanistan for varying periods. The majority of returnees are from Pakistan. Afghan refugees have maintained ties with Pakistan and now cross-border labour migration between Afghanistan and Pakistan is increasing. In addition to international flows, the numbers of IDPs have decreased in Afghanistan since 2001 as IDPs return to their regions of origin. Finally, within this picture there are large flows of rural-urban migration as returnees and non-returnees find limited opportunities in rural areas and move to the cities in search of work. All of these flows are occurring simultaneously and present a complex picture of current migration patterns and flows. Each of these areas will be addressed in the follo wing section. Internal Migration Internal migration flows in Afghanistan have been increasing in the post-Taliban period. As refugees and migrants return to Afghanistan they do not necessarily end their migration cycle. Returnees may continue to migrate internally in search of livelihoods and opportunities. The internal migration flows in Afghanistan are comprised of IDPs, rural to urban migration, and trafficking. Internally Displaced Persons Internal displacement in Afghanistan has been understudied and information is limited to availability from the UNHCR. In 2004, the UNHCR conducted a data profiling of IDPs in UNHCR assisted camps and in 2008 the UNHCR created a national profile of IDPs in Afghanistan. Statistics regarding IDPs are estimates[1]. Table 3 shows the number of IDPs and IDP returnees from 2001 to 2008. At the fall of the Taliban in 2001 there were approximately 1.2 million IDPs in Afghanistan, of which many returned spontaneously in 2002 (UNHCR, 2008, p. 6). In 2008, IDP returns were negligible due to continued insecurity, inter-tribal and personal conflict, landlessness and drought, and lack of job opportunities and basic services in rural areas (UNHCR, 2008). Table 3: IDPs Total and Returns: 2001-2008 IDPs IDP Returnees Year Total Assisted Total Assisted 2001 1,200,000 2002 665,200 753,300 2003 184,300 2004 159,500 27,400 2005 143,000 17,000 8,600 2006 129,300 129,300 10,400 10,400 2007 153,700 153,700 8,000 8,000 2008 230,700 230,700 6,500 4,000 Total 2,865,700 513,700 822,600 31,000 Source: UNHCR Global Reports, 2001-2008 Of the current IDPs (235,000) the UNHCR identifies 132,000 as a protracted caseload (2008). Table 4 shows the reasons for displacement of the current IDP population. These numbers do not include those who are invisible IDPs or urban unidentified IDPs. UNHCR estimates that the actual number of IDPs in Afghanistan is substantially larger than the numbers suggest (2008, p. 18). Table 4: Reason for Displacement of Current IDPs (2008) Reason for Displacement No. of Families No. of Individuals Protracted 31,501 166,153 New Drought affected 1,083 6,598 New Conflict Affected 1,749 9,901 Returnees in Displacement 8,737 52,422 Battle-affected 127 759 Total 43,197 235,833 Source: UNHCR, 2008 Since 2007 the return of IDPs has continued to decrease due to increased instability in the country, drought, landlessness, and the spread of conflict and insurgency areas (IDMC, 2008). Disputes are arising between IDPs and locals as in Afghan culture if you are not born in the region you do not belong there (IDMC, 2008). Options for IDPs appear to be limited as they are not welcomed in the regions where they are seeking protection. Rural to Urban Migration Urbanization is rapidly occurring in Afghanistan as returnees settle in the cities and people migrate from rural communities to urban centres. Approximately 30 percent of returnees settle in Kabul (Stigter, 2006). The population of Kabul in 2001 was roughly 500,000 and it had grown to over 3 million by 2007 (IRIN, 2007). The urban centres do not have the infrastructure or resources to meet the needs of the large inflows of migrants, however, research suggest that the difficult situations in the cities are better than rural areas. In 2005 the Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit conducted a study on rural to urban migration (Opel, 2005). A total of 500 migrants were interviewed in the cities of Kabul, Herat, and Jalalabad. The majority of migrants were male (89 percent) and the average age of migrants was 31 years (p. 4). Males tend to migrate to support their families, and females migrate when they have lost their husbands or have been ostracized by their community and have no means of supporting themselves in rural areas. The majority did not own productive assets in their village (71.2 percent), although 43 percent owned a house in their village (p. 8). The primary reasons for migration were the lack or work in the village and better opportunities in town (42%), followed by lack of work in the village (38.2%) and insecurity (16.3%) (p. 11). The majority of migrants made the journey on their own (70.7%) and paid for the journey from their savings (p.14). Migration to urban areas is expensive and the poor est of the poor cannot afford the journey. Once in the cities, the majority were employed in low skilled day labour work and on average respondents reported working 16 out of the past 30 days (p. 20). Social networks were essential in people finding work as 89 percent of skilled workers and 60 percent of unskilled workers reported receiving assistance from a relative, friend or neighbour (p. 20). Incomes in the cities were low, but were higher than what individuals could earn in the rural areas. The majority of urban migrants remitted money to their family in rural areas, which they carried with them when they returned or sent through family or friends. None of the urban migrants use the Hawala (see Chapter 6) system, which was reported to be too expensive for them. The majority of migrants reported planning to settle in the city (55%) (p. 26). Overall, the majority did improve their economic situation through migration (61.9% for males and 80.9% for females) (p. 27). The large-scale migration to urban centers appears to be a trend that will continue. It is estimated that urban centers are now accounting for 30 percent of the population in Afghanistan (Opel, 2005). The rapid urbanization has shifted rural poverty to urban poverty (Stigter, 2006) and many challenges remain for the cities in managing the rapid growth. National Trafficking In 2003 the IOM in Afghanistan conducted a study on trafficking of Afghan women and children. Research on trafficking in Afghanistan is difficult due to the lack of data inherent in all areas of Afghanistan, but increasingly so due to the fear of reporting trafficking related crimes and the shame associated with such

Effectiveness Between Visual Learning And Auditory Learning

Effectiveness Between Visual Learning And Auditory Learning This experiment was performed to compare the effectiveness between visual learning and auditory learning on short-term memory. Forty subjects were required to read a passage while another forty subjects were asked to listen to a recording of the same passage. After a three-minute filler task, the subjects were required to answer a set of ten questions relating to the passage. Most subjects had higher score for visual learning rather than auditory learning. A statistical z-test was used to compare the mean of these two sets of result. Calculation showed that at 5% significance level, visual learning was more effective in building short-term memory than auditory learning, concurring to the experimental hypothesis. There was sufficient evidence from statistical testing to show that the mean score in memory quiz for visual learning was greater than auditory learning. NULL HYPOTHESIS There is no significant difference between the score for visual and auditory memory test. EXPERIMENTAL HYPOTHESIS The score in visual memory test is higher compared to auditory memory test. RESEARCH AND RATIONALE The purpose of this experiment was to compare the effectiveness of both visual learning and auditory learning on short-term memory. Memory is defined as the power or process of reproducing or recalling what has been learned and retained especially through associative mechanisms, which include encoding, storing and retrieving. According to Atkinson-Shiffrin Model (1968), human memory can be divided into three major groups, namely sensory memory (SM), short-term memory (STM) and long-term memory (LTM). [4] Figure 1: Atkinson-Shiffrin Model (http://www.audiologyonline.com/articles/article_detail.asp?article_id=1403) (251 words) Sensory memory is a buffer that captures, for just a moment, all that you can see, hear and feel. In general, sensory memory is the ability of sense organs such as eyes, ears and skin to retain sensory information for a very brief period (less than a second). It can be divided into iconic memory (vision) and echoic memory (hearing). When we focus attention on sensory memory, this moves sensory information into conscious memory which is known as short-term memory. Short-term memory can hold a limited amount of information for about 30 seconds, but it stays longer under continual rehearsal and will eventually converted into long-term memory. [1,5] Short-term memory is the temporary memory store used to store and manage information needed to perform complex cognitive tasks. It is formed by brief changes in the synaptic transmissions. It involves the firing of neurons which depletes the Readily Releasable Pool (RRP) of neurotransmitter vesicles at presynaptic terminals. After the firing slows down, endocytosis causes the short-term memory to decay. The memory will disappear if it is not re-activated. Thus, periodically repeated information is needed so that information can retain for a longer period. [8] Figure 2: Baddeleys model of working memory (http://www.thefullwiki.org/Baddeley%27s_model_of_working_memory) (448 words) Alan Baddeley proposed a more complex working memory model for short-term store. It is an active three-part memory system that temporarily holds information which consists of an executive control central that coordinates the phonological loop (storage for language sound), visuo-spatial sketchpad (storage for visual and spatial information), and the episodic buffer. Working memory is very significant in helping us to solve problems that require reasoning and multitasking. [2,6] Long-term memory is the storehouse of the brain where its capacity is enormous and virtually permanent. It can be divided into declarative memory (consciously available) and procedural memory (unconsciously available). However, long-term memory distorts the facts and tends to become less reliable as we age. [1,7] Figure 3: The activation of specific sensory cortices during memory retrieval (http://www.pnas.org/content/97/20/11125.full) A study by Randy L. Buckner aimed to study whether the retrieval of sensory-specific information will reactivate the regions of sensory cortex. The outcome revealed from functional MRI showed that secondary areas in auditory and visual cortex were reactivated when sound and image memories were recalled respectively. Since different regions were activated during information retrieval, visual memory should be different from auditory memory. Figure 3 shows the activation maps during perception of visual objects (ac) and sound (e) as well as the recall of visual memory (bd) and auditory memory (f). [9] (660 words) A study by Michael A. Cohen examined the inferiority of auditory to visual memory using recognition measure. The experiment was done by testing the ability of subjects to recall the stimuli, for instance sound clips, verbal description, picture or combination of both. Comparison of data showed that recall for picture is better compare to other stimuli. [10] Besides, Cohen also compared auditory and visual memory in musicians who have far better auditory recognition memory. However, the results showed that the memory for auditory stimuli was still inferior to visual object. Thus, it is clear from these results that auditory recognition memory performance cannot be on par with the levels of visual recognition memory. [11] The outcomes of this experiment could be significant in education, working place and business strategy. Educators should focus on visual teaching by preparing more visual stimulus such as diagrams, slideshows or mind maps to make the lessons more effective and enhance the student memory. Managers should provide a copy of information rather than giving instruction verbally to prevent employee from making error. Moreover, companies should provide visual effect when advertising through television or poster rather than via radio so that consumers can remember better of that company. (859 words) VARIABLES Manipulated variable : Type of stimulus (visual or auditory) Responding Variable : Score in memory test (degree of memory) Constant Variables : Age and education level of the subjects, period of the test PLANNING As stated above, assumption was made that both visual and auditory learning have the same effect on short-term memory, thus all these trials were conducted using only one type of stimulus which is visual stimulus. Trial 1: Length of the passage This trial was conducted to find out the most appropriate length of passage for the memory tests. Four subjects were given a passage of 234 words while another four were given a passage of 843 words to read. After that, the subjects were required to answer a set of ten questions related to the passage. Length of the passage Memory test score 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 234 words 10 10 10 9 843 words 5 4 4 5 Table 1: Results of first trial experiment From Table 1, subjects performance is almost perfect in the memory test when dealing with the short passage of 234 words. On the other hand, subjects who deal with the long passage of 843 words answered less than half of the question correctly. Therefore, I decided to use a moderately long passage of around 500 words to obtain an ideal result in the real experiment. (1086 words) Trial 2: The necessity of filler task This trial was done to find out whether a filler task is necessary and its duration before proceeding to the memory quiz. First two subjects ware not required to do any filler task (Sudoku puzzle) while the remaining subjects were asked to do the filler task within 2, 3 and 4 minutes respectively. Duration of Filler Task (minutes) Score 1st 2nd Without 8 8 2 7 8 3 6 7 4 5 5 Table 2: Results of second trial experiment From Table 2, subjects who answered the question without distraction task was slightly higher than those who had done the Sudoku puzzle. Besides, it was noted that the last few questions where the answers were found on the last part of the passage were answered correctly for those without filler task. Thus, a distraction task is necessary to distract the subjects from rehearsing the information they had just received and answering the question directly without having the information converted into short-term memory. Besides, the duration of filler task was fixed at 3 minutes as it seemed long enough to prevent subjects from rehearsing the newly received information but not too long to cause memory decay. (1293 words) Trial 3: Suitable Timeframe This trial was conducted to investigate the perfect timeframe for the subjects to complete the memory test. Six subjects took part in this trial, with two in a group. They were given a passage that later used in the actual experiment to read and answer ten questions within time limits. The three groups required to answer within 1, 2 and 3 minutes respectively. Time limit (min) Score 1st 2nd 1 3 4 2 5 6 3 8 7 Table 3: Results of third trial experiment From Table 3, the longer the time limit, the higher the score each subjects obtained. The subjects were debriefed after the memory test regarding the time limit given. Those who underwent time limit of 1 and 2 minutes claimed that the time given was too short for them to complete all the questions. Subjects who did the test within 3 minutes claimed that they only manage to complete the questions on time. They felt stressed during the experiment and this might limit the subjects performance. Hence, I decided to leave out the time limit so that subjects can answer the question in a stress-free condition. The visual stimulus administered was a one-page printed passage that I get from the reference book Cambridge Practice Test for IELTS 2, Test Four, Section 2. On the other hand, the auditory stimulus used was a three-minute recording of the same passage taken from the CD-ROM. A passage was used instead of simple words, number or image recall to mimic real-life situation in work place or in classroom where people were bound to lots of information which they have to remember. This passage consisting of 551 words was chosen as it was designed by an experienced author who written for IELTS reference book and IELTS is a recognised international English testing system. The passage was clear, concise and contained a lot of information and there were questions provided. Besides, the person who produces the tape script has high proficiency in English, thus there will be no complain about the clarity of the tape script. (1645 words) METHOD Random sample of 80 subjects were selected from the Advanced Level students in Intec Education College. The subjects were divided into two groups that carried out visual and auditory test respectively. For visual test, each subject was given three sheets of paper beforehand. (A passage, a memory test of ten questions and a Sudoku puzzle) For auditory test, each subject was given two sheets of paper beforehand. (A memory test of ten questions and a Sudoku puzzle) The subjects were instructed to read the passage and listen carefully to the recording played by a radio inside the classroom once only and try to memorize as much information as they can. Immediately after the presentation of stimuli, the subjects were asked to complete the Sudoku puzzle as a filler task in 3 minutes to reduce rehearsal. After that, the subjects were required to do the memory test without a time limit and hand in the answer sheet after they had done. The scores of each subject from each group were calculated and recorded in a table. A box-plot and a bar chart were drawn to represent the data. Z-test was used to compare the mean of visual and auditory memory test at 5% significant level. RISK ASSESSMENT All subjects personal details were kept anonymous for confidentiality purpose. They were instructed not to disclose any information regarding the quiz to anyone who had not taken the test. Besides, subjects were told that this experiment was not done on testing the individuals intelligence or memory power to avoid any unnecessary stress which could affect the subjects performance. The volume of the recording played over the radio was set at an acceptable volume so that everyone could hear clearly and did not cause any impairment on hearing. Otherwise, this was a low-risk procedure. (1942 words) RESULTS Number of people, f Memory test scores, X Visual, X1 0 0 1 0 2 0 3 0 4 2 5 4 6 8 7 11 8 10 9 5 10 0 Mean xÃÅ'„1 = 6.95 Table 4: Results for memory test of visual and auditory learning (2005 words) Graph 1: Box plot for memory quiz score of visual and auditory learning (2018 words) STATISTICAL ANALYSIS X1: Visual memory test Memory quiz scores, x Visual, f fx x2 fx2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 4 0 3 0 0 9 0 4 2 8 16 32 5 4 20 25 100 6 8 48 36 288 7 11 77 49 539 8 10 80 64 640 9 5 45 81 405 10 0 0 100 0 n = 40 à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ fx = 278 à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ fx2 = 2004 Table 5: Statistics for visual memory test Mean, xÃÅ'„1 = = = 6.95 Variance, à Ã†â€™Ã‚ ² = xÃÅ'„12 = 6.952 = 1.7975 Standard Deviation, à Ã†â€™1 = = = 1.34070877 (2138 words) X2: Auditory memory test Memory quiz scores, x Auditory, f fx x2 fx2 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 2 3 6 4 12 3 5 15 9 45 4 8 32 16 128 5 10 50 25 250 6 7 42 36 252 7 4 28 49 196 8 2 16 64 128 9 0 0 81 0 10 0 0 100 0 n = 40 à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ fx = 190 à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ fx2 = 1012 Table 6: Statistics for auditory memory test Mean, xÃÅ'„2 = = = 4.75 Variance, à Ã†â€™Ã‚ ² = xÃÅ'„12 = 4.752 = 2.7375 Standard Deviation, à Ã†â€™2 = = = 1.65453921 (2258 words) Z-test is a statistical test extended from t-test. It follows a normal distribution where the data have the same mean, median and mode. It is used to handle large samples when n à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¥ 30 and standard deviation is given. In this experiment, there was one variable (type of stimulus), two samples (visual and auditory memory tests) and 40 observations for each sample. The data was unmatched as each subject sat for the test once only. The difference between variances in the two samples is small (0.94). Thus, a z-test was applied. [3] Number of samples, n Mean, xÃÅ'„ Standard Deviation, à Ã†â€™ Visual, xÃÅ'„1 40 6.95 1.34070877 Auditory, xÃÅ'„2 40 4.75 1.65453921 Table 7: Basic statistics for both memory test scores Hypothesis Test for Two Population Means H0: ÃŽÂ ¼1 = ÃŽÂ ¼2 (The mean scores in both visual and auditory memory test are equal) H1: ÃŽÂ ¼1 > ÃŽÂ ¼2 (The mean score in visual memory test is greater than that in auditory memory test) Given the null hypothesis and à Ã†â€™1 = 1.34070877, n1 = 40, à Ã†â€™2 = 1.65453921, n2 = 40 xÃÅ'„1 xÃÅ'„2 ~ N (0, + ) By Central Limit Theorem, the test statistics is: Z = Since under H0, ÃŽÂ ¼1 = ÃŽÂ ¼2 then in this case ÃŽÂ ¼ visual = ÃŽÂ ¼ auditory and thus Z = = 6.53615718 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‹â€  6.5362 (2483 words) According to the Table for Critical values for two-tailed z test, the critical value for a two-tailed test when p = 0.01 will be the critical values for p=0.05 for a one-tailed test. Thus, the critical value for Z is z = 1.647. From the result above, the value of z at 5% probability level is 6.5362 which are higher than the critical value of 1.6449. Therefore, the null hypothesis, H0 is rejected. There is sufficient evidence that the mean score in memory quiz for visual memory is greater than that for auditory memory. This agrees with the experimental hypothesis and matches with the two studies stated earlier which were done by Michael A. Cohen proving that auditory memory is inferior to visual memory, yielding better short-term memory recall. Since Z calculated is a lot higher than Z critical, there is much less than 5% chance that the results occurred by chance, and more than 95% chance that the mean for visual memory test is higher even if the experiment is repeated on the similar population. (2659 words) Graph 2: Bar chart for memory quiz score of visual and auditory learning (2672 words) DATA ANALYSIS Graph 2 shows that the score range of visual test is within 4 to 9 whereas the score range for auditory test is within 1 to 8. The modes for visual and auditory memory test are 5 and 7 respectively. It is a huge contrast as most of the subjects scored less than half of the total marks for auditory test while most of the subjects scored more than half of the total marks for visual test. Thus, it is obvious that subjects tend to forget the information more quickly when it is presented by oral compared to visual. There were anomalies in this investigation, especially in the auditory test group. One subject gets only one answer correct in the memory test and it had been reconfirmed that there was no marking error. This might be due to the particular subject was tired and lack of sleep the night before. This explanation was supported by the research of Polzella and Donald J. that stated sleep deprivation increases the occurrence of lapses, periods of lowered reactive capacity, which prevent the encoding of items in short-term memory. [12] Likewise, two of the subjects get eight questions right in the memory test. This might be due to both subjects are Grade 8 pianist who have a better listening ability and are good auditory learner that can remember the auditory information outstandingly. This was stated in Michael A. Cohens research that musicians have far better auditory recognition memory. [11] However, I found out that some subjects with high scores in the memory test did not even complete half of the Sudoku puzzle. This may be due to the fact that they kept recalling what they had read during the distraction test but not concentrating on the Sudoku puzzle. During the real test, they were just rehearsing the information they read a few minutes earlier. (2980 words) The superiority of visual memory can be explained according to the way the information is perceived and stored as memory. Auditory verbal information enters automatically into the phonological store whereas visually presented words are transformed into phonological code by silent articulation first and subsequently into the phonological store. Thus, the visual information stored twice as visual code rather than auditory code. [6] From the study by Buckner, we know that visual and auditory memory retrieval involves the activation of different brain region. The sensory-specific regions are activated most robustly during recall of visual memory whereas auditory memory represents a distinct subset of those activated during perception. The reason behind may be the capacity for visual memory is larger than auditory memory, thus complex visual memory can be converted into memory more rapidly and easily. [9] The properties of auditory and visual information are different. In terms of physics or psychophysics, auditory information is said to be less memorable than their visual counterparts. It could be that the remarkable ability to rapidly encode and remember meaningful stimuli is a feature of visual processing. [12] Eberman and McKelvie proposed that a person was more prone to form vivid images, particularly if the original source was visual than if it was auditory. [13] Visual stimuli are seen and heard through rehearsal maintenance in the brain while auditory stimuli are only heard, making it more difficult to perform. When the brain is processing a visual image, the cognitive functioning requires the discovery of a mental image, but when the cognitive functioning is the process of an auditory stimulus, the brain needs to hear the word and then create a mental image in order for a correct recall to take place. Thus, auditory learning seems slower compare to visual learning. [14] (3271 words) EVALUATION There might be variation in memory capacity between individuals, thus a large sample of eighty subjects was used in the experiment to ensure sufficient replicates were produced to support the conclusion. Besides, random choosing and grouping of subjects and consistency of gender will help improve the reliability of the results because there will be no bias in terms of subjects selected to participate in which test. The age of the subjects was kept constant (20) because capability to memorise varies with age. For example, older people were more prone to develop dementia and were less effective in memorising information, thus giving an unreliable result. Moreover, subjects must have the same level of education as people who weak in English and understanding might not be able to answer the questions properly, be it in visual or auditory form. Subjects must not have any problem related to their eyes (reading) and ears (listening) to ensure the experiment done smoothly. In addition, the period of the test conducted must be fixed as the effectiveness of learning varies throughout the day. Subjects might feel hungry at the noon and tired around the evening after whole day of academic session. Thus, the entire test was conducted in the morning as it is the golden period for the subjects to learn and memorising information effectively. Participant who were physically sick or mentally tired were excluded from this investigation as their condition might deteriorate their memory performance. In conclusion, the results can be considered to be valid and reliable as the whole experiment was conducted with minimal errors and a large sample size. (3537 words) LIMITATIONS AND MODIFICATIONS In this experiment, since the same subject cannot sit for both test due to same passage used, it has been assumed that the individual variations amongst the subjects do not affect the results of the study. However, different people might have different memorising power, thus one modification that could be made is by having the same subjects doing both visual and auditory memory test but on different passage which are closely similar in terms of length, information and standard of English. Although the subjects involved in this experiment are selected randomly, it is only representing the population in International Education College but not whole general college-aged students. Therefore, the experiment can be modified by having a larger sample size from other colleges to obtain a more conclusive, representative and reliable results. However, it was difficult for a person to memorise all the information in the long passage. They may miss out some points which will affect the outcomes of the investigation. Thus, the passage can be replaced by 30 phrases so that they know exactly what to remember. FURTHER INVESTIGATION Further research can be done by investigating the efficiency of visual and auditory learning method in varying age cohorts. Besides, other types of memory measures such as recognition of image and words can be carried out for further study. Lastly, a comparison between genders in terms of both types of memory can be conducted as the memorising power between males and females could be different. (3780 words) SOURCE EVALUATION Source 1 is an e-book that written by psychology experts while source 2 and 3 are published books so the information in it should be facts. They are all credible sources as their content would have been reviewed by other experts prior to publication. Source 4 is a website from Indiana University while source 5 is a website supported by Bryn Mawr College and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, thus the information are reliable. Source 6 and 7 is from Wikipedia where most of the data and information obtained are cited and linked to many literatures and academic research. Sources 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 are scientific journals that written by experts from renowned universities. Their research papers consist of experiments similar to my scientific investigation topic. The results obtained are widely recognised and have been peer-reviewed by other scientists before being published, thus they are trustable. CONCLUSION It is clear that visual learning is more effective than auditory learning on short-term memory. It is proven by the mean score in visual test which is 6.95, which is greater than the auditory test which is 4.75. The z-value, 6.5362 is higher than the critical value at 5% significance level. Experimental hypothesis is accepted. (4984 words) APPENDIX TEXT PASSAGE Great. Well, hi, everyone! My names Jody and Im one of the four recreation officers here at Rainforest Lodge. My job is to make sure that you all have a great stay here with us and go away feeling relaxed and refreshed. As you can see, were literally in the middle of nowhere at the Lodge. There are no newspapers or TVs and theres only one phone and thats in the office. The Lodge is a complete get away from it all experience: a place to unwind and appreciate the world without a lot of interruptions and distractions. From your cabin balcony youll find that you cant see anyone else and the only noise you should hear is the birds. When the luggage comes, one of the guys will take it across to your cabin for you and make sure you know the way back here to the main centre for dinner in the restaurant. Dinner will be served in about an hour or so. All the times of each days activities are printed on the blue sheet you should have got in the information guides that were handed out on the coach. Each Explorer trip has a different focus, so it doesnt matter how many you do or on what day, because theres always something new to discover in the rainforest. Tomorrow I think weve still got places on the Orchid and Fungi Tour. This is on foot and takes you to different parts of the rainforest. Or, if youd prefer, theres the Four- Wheel-Drive tour to the waterfalls, or the fishing trip where I promise you well catch some lunch, and last but not least, the famous Crocodile Cruise that leaves at 11 am each day. (Just in time for the crocodiles lunch!) Plenty to choose from here at Rainforest Lodge or just sit on your balcony relax and unwind and enjoy the views. In the evenings there is the Spotlight Tour, one of my favourites. The Spotlight Tour leaves at sundown and lets you catch a glimpse of some more of the rainforests wildlife as it comes out at dusk to feed. Thats a great trip and if you can, Id really try to make sure you do it during your stay. (4359 words) Youve chosen to visit the rainforest in March, which is just at the end of the wet season, so youll soon notice how well the waterfalls are running and also how damp the ground is. Things can tend to get a bit slippery, too, so if you didnt bring any walking boots Id advise you to hire some from the office. Youll also be much better off in long trousers rather than shorts because they will give your legs more protection and socks are a good idea too. Theres no need to be nervous of the rainforest provided that you treat it with respect and common sense. Most of the animals and wildlife are gentle and harmless. There are some venomous snakes to beware of, but really theyre much more frightened of you than you are of them. The other thing is that certain plants can cause irritation if you touch them with bare skin. Well, thats about all for the time being. The guys are here to take you and your luggage to the cabins . . . (4538 words) QUESTIONS At Rainforest Lodge there arent any telephones or TVs. newspapers or TVs. telephones or newspapers. The guests are told to carry their luggage to the cabin. go straight to the restaurant. wait an hour for dinner. TOUR NAME DETAILS Orchid and Fungi walking tour Four-Wheel-Drive tour to the 3)_____________ Fishing to catch lunch Crocodile Cruise departs at 4)_____________ daily 5)_____________ departs at sundown What THREE items of clothing does the speaker recommend for the rainforest? 6) ______________________________ 7) ______________________________ 8) ______________________________ Which TWO things in the rainforest does the speaker give a warning about? 9) ______________________________ 10) ______________________________ (4636 words) DISTRACTION TASK 8 2 8 7 6 4 3 1 9 5 8 4 9 6 1 8 1 3 5 4 7 2 7 4 7 6 4 3 5 6 CRITICAL VALUES FOR A TWO-TAILED Z TEST Probability value Z 0.10 1.647 0.05 1.960 0.01 2.576 0.02 2.326 0.002 3.10