HIV in african country Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

HIV in african country - Research Paper Example The following are some of the cultural factors which contribute to increased rate of HIV/AIDS in South Africa. HIV in South Africa Tiruneh (2009, p.106) argues that in South Africa the rank of women is below that of men and the society is male dominated. During socialization, women are meant to the belief that women are inferior to them. Women are supposed to be submissive and have respect for men. Inequality in power between the two sexes put women at a higher risk of contracting the disease. Because of the position they hold in the society, women have no say on sexual matters. The choice of whether or not to use condoms is entirely depended on men. Discrimination against people with HIV makes it hard for prevention of the disease. Patients fear seeking medical assistance because they will be discriminated by the rest of the community members. Because of fear of signaling the HIV status, infected people fear adopting behaviors related to the disease. For instance, breast feeding mot hers continue to breastfeed their young children for fear that other people will question them the reasons behind lack of breastfeeding. Infected men fear using condom for fear of being suspected by their partners (Human Sciences Research Council, 2009, p.66). Sexuality is perceived as a source of economic benefit. Commercial sex workers are very many in South Africa, an aspect which contributes to the high rates of HIV and Aids transmission. Material possession and association with many partners is a sign of prestige among South African black men. In exchange for money and large gifts, young ladies are tempted to engage in sexual activities with aged men. The young ladies affect young men who in turn infect other women and the cycle goes on. The disease is also spread to older women by their husbands (Tiruneh, 2009, p.115). According to Tiruneh (2009, p.117), many people in South Africa, especially the illiterate ones, lack adequate knowledge concerning HIV disease, how it is trans mitted and the risks which expose an individual to the disease. Illiteracy levels are higher among girls who in most cases fail to complete basic education (Buve, Bishikwabo-Nsarhaza & Mutangadura, 2002, p.2014). The culture of South Africa requires women to undertake domestic chores which make them lack time to interact with the outside world. Lack of guidance and counseling on sexuality issues and poor access to protective devices like condoms make youths engage in unsafe sex. Other people fail to buy condoms for fear that it will portray them as immoral. Some of the cultural practices which are related to sexuality increase the prevalence of HIV and Aids disease. Many South Africans have negative attitudes toward condom use. First, it is associated to mistrust and unfaithfulness in relationships. Secondly, South African men believe that sex without condom is more pleasurable and it is good for human health (Brummer, 2002, p.12). Cultural Assessment Model Cultural assessment model s include research design, cross-cultural and panel. Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression will be used in the estimation of models used within the paper. The method will be used to determine the impacts that HIV disease has on regional, cultural, political and socioeconomic factors. Prevalence of the disease among the adult population will be used as the dependent variable. The number of infected people between the ages of 15

Management Information System Essay Example for Free

Management Information System Essay Question 1 : In the 21st century, information technology has emerged as the fundamental technology of business. Explain how it has helped business and state examples of real time situation which you have read about of experienced. Decision Support, Problem Analysis and Overall Control Business managers often need to make decisions that can affect the business fortunes one way or other. For example, a company with sales outlets or distributors spread over a wide geographic area might want to optimize the logistical operations of delivering merchandise to the outlets. The best solution might be affected by numerous factors such as demand patterns, availability of merchandise, distances involved and the option of using external carriers (who can find two way loads and might prove a lesser cost option over long distances) instead of own vehicles. While it might be possible to use complex mathematical formulas by hand to compute the best solution, computers transform the whole process into a routine task of feeding certain information as input and obtaining suggestions for best solutions as output. The task can typically be done in a few minutes (instead of hours or even days) and it becomes possible to examine several alternatives before deciding upon one that seems most realistic. Identifying problems and analysing the factors that cause them also has been transformed by modern computer information systems. In a typical MIS environment, standard reports are generated in a routine manner comparing actual performance against original estimates. The software that generates the report can be instructed to highlight exceptions, i.e. significant variations between original estimates and actual performance. Managers will thus become aware of problem areas in the daily course of their work simply by looking at the reports they receive, without having to do detailed data collection and computations themselves. Identifying the factors responsible for the problem can also be routinized to some extent by using such tools as variance analysis. Variance analysis is an element of standard costing system that splits deviations from estimates (or standards) into causative factors such as increase in price of materials used, excessive usage of materials, unexpected machine downtimes, etc. With such a detailed report, managers can delve deeper into the problem factor, such as why there was excessive usage of materials. Control is also exercised through variance analysis. Budgets are prepared for all business operations by concerned managers working in a coordinated fashion. For example, estimated sales volumes will determine the levels of production; production levels will determine raw material purchases; and so on. With good information system management, it then becomes possible to generate timely reports comparing actual sales, production, raw material deliveries, etc against estimated levels. The reports will help managers to keep a watch on things and take corrective action quickly. For example, the production manager will become aware of falling sales (or rising sales) of particular products and can prepare to make adjustments in production schedules, and purchasing and inventory managers will become quickly aware of any mounting inventories of unused materials. MIS thus enhances the quality of communication all around and can significantly improve the effectiveness of operations control. Effective MIS Involves Humans and Computers Working together The major aspect to note is that MIS provides only the information; it is the responsibility of concerned managers to act on the information. It is the synergy between efficient, accurate and speedy equipment and humans with common sense, intelligence and judgment that really gives power to MIS. As a chartered accountant with business management qualifications and decades of exposure to business in senior to top level positions, Gopinathan helps small to medium businesses with new business start-up, business performance improvement and marketing. He uses structured business modelling techniques to help with all these, and has launched a business support website to provide the help in a convenient manner irrespective of geographical distances and boundaries. Significance Information technology has grown to permeate the business world, affecting how companies make and market their products, as well as how people communicate and accomplish their jobs in modern organizations. Specialized software shapes best-practices and industry standards, continually changing the face of business in almost every way. Information technology management includes many of the basic functions of management, such as staffing, organizing, budgeting and control, but it also has functions that are unique to IT, such as software development, change management, network planning and tech support. Generally, IT is used by organizations to support and compliment their business operations. The advantages brought about by having a dedicated IT department are too great for most organizations to pass up. Some organizations actually use IT as the centre of their business. Positive Impact on Business: First off, I.T. affects how businesses go about with their usual routine. For instance: the technology allows companies to go paperless, depending only on digital databases to store important data. Many pundits see this as a risk; isn’t digital data flimsy and unreliable, they ask. But the shift offers several benefits as well—including reduction in operational cost, since the business no longer has to buy or rent space or equipment just to store data. Information Technology also affects the accuracy of business operations. When a company uses a computerized accounting system instead of relying on a real live accountant, they eliminate (or, at the very least, significantly reduce) human error. And because such systems allow for faster operations, the company’s workers can concentrate on more pressing tasks. The impact of the Management Information System The impact of MIS on the functions is in its management. With a good MIS support, the management of marketing, finance, production and personnel becomes more efficient, the tracking and monitoring the functional targets becomes easy. The functional managers are informed about the progress, achievements and shortfalls in the activity and the targets. The manager is kept alert by providing certain information indicating the probable trends in the various aspects of business. This helps in forecasting and long-term perspective planning. The manager attention is brought to a situation which is exceptional in nature, inducing him to take an action or a decision in the matter. A disciplined information reporting system creates a structured database and a knowledge base for all the people in the organization. The information is available in such a form that it can be used straight away or by blending and analysis, saving the managers valuable time. The MIS creates another impact in the organization which relates to the understanding of the business itself. The MIS begins with the definition of a data entity and its attributes. It uses a dictionary of data, entity and attributes, respectively, designed for information generation in the organization. Since all the information systems use the dictionary, there is common understanding of terms and terminology in the organization bringing clarity in the communication and a similar understanding of an event in the organization. The MIS calls for a systemization of the business operations for an effective system design. This leads to streamlining of the operations which complicate the system design. It improves the administration of the business by bringing a discipline in its operations everybody is required to follow and use systems and procedures. This process brings a high degree of professionalism in the business operations. Since the goals and objective of the MIS are the products of business goals and objectives, it helps indirectly to pull the entire organization in one direction towards the corporate goals and objectives by providing the relevant information to the people in the organization. A well designed system with a focus on the manager makes an impact on the managerial efficiency. The fund of information motivates an enlightened manager to use a variety of tools of the management. It helps him to resort to such exercises as experimentation and modelling. The use of computers enables him to use the tools and techniques which are impossible to use manually. The ready-made packages make this task simpler. The impact is on the managerial ability to perform. It improv es the decision making ability considerably. Communications Technology Leveraging advances in communications technology is imperative to surviving in the modern business world. Advances in cellular phone technology have revolutionized the way businesspeople communicate with clients, employees, suppliers and strategic partners. The Internet has revolutionized the marketing function in addition to opening up a wide range of communication options. Modern smartphones are changing the game yet again with the introduction of new and innovative applications. A small business owner can now access a web-based customer relationship management service on a smartphone from anywhere in the world, for example, allowing him to obtain vital data about contacts before making calls. Accessibility By making communication more convenient, communication technology has helped to make communication more accessible, especially long-distance communication. Through various computer-mediated communication methodscommunication done through the use of a computer, such as email, instant messages, and social networking websitesyou can easily and instantly communicate with people in other cities, states and countries. This is vastly different from early forms of long-distance communication. Early forms of long-distance communication included the use of homing pigeons and/or runners to carry a message to its destination. How long a message would take before reaching its destination depended on the distance between the person sending the message and the person receiving the message. Mass Communication Organizations, like schools and businesses, use electronic communication to share information with a large number of people. Businesses can send mass emails to employees in order to inform workers about things like rule changes and important meetings. Many academic institutions use mass communication in order to maintain a well-informed campus. In case of an emergency, such as a spreading fire or presence of an armed assailant, mass communication can quickly inform people of the situation, giving enough notice to allow people to take the necessary actions to stay safe. Computer-mediated communication can be socially beneficial. For people who are socially awkward, computer-mediated communication such as online forums and chat rooms can help create a more fulfilling social life. For example, someone who fails at personal relationships because he speaks before thinking about the consequences has more control with Internet communication. He can read back his statements before posting, which will likely reduce the number of awkward moments the person creates. Communication technology offers other benefits, as well. Dating websites, for instance, can relieve some of the frustration involved with dating by allowing you to view the profiles of potential dates so you can determine who is the best match for you. This can save you both time and heartbreak. Considerations While information technology solutions can contribute to the success of your organization, there are a number of unique costs to consider. In addition to the cost of implementing an IT solution, you must employ highly educated and specialized workers to maintain, monitor, expand and repair your IT infrastructure. Question 4 : The role of hospital has changed from medical assistance to health care. What are the important information systems required to be considered while implementing front-end application development for hospital management? HOSPITAL INFORMATION SYSTEM (HIS) A hospital information system (HIS) is essentially a computer system that can manage all the information to allow health care providers to do their jobs effectively. These systems have been around since they were first introduced in the 1960s and have evolved with time and the modernization of healthcare facilities. The computers were not as fast in those days and they were not able to provide information in real time as they do today. The staff used them primarily for managing billing and hospital inventory. All this has changed now, and today hospital information systems include the integration of all clinical, financial and administrative applications. Modern HIS includes many applications addressing the needs of various departments in a hospital. They manage the data related to the clinic, finance department, laboratory, nursing, pharmacy and also the radiology and pathology departments. The hospitals that have switched to HIS have access to quick and reliable information including patients’ records illustrating details about their demographics, gender, age etc. By a simple click of the mouse they receive important data pertaining to hospital finance systems, diet of patients, and even the distribution of medications. With this information they can monitor drug usage in the facility and improve its effectiveness. Many hospitals have as many as 200 disparate systems combined into their HIS. Hospital information systems have become very advanced and new innovations are continuously being introduced. But a HIS is useless if it confuses the hospital employees. The system must be user friendly and should include training by the vendors. A good HIS offers numerous benefits to a hospital including but not limited to the delivery of quality patient care and better financial management. The HIS should also be patient centric, medical staff centric, affordable and scalable. The technology changes quickly and if the system is not flexible it will not be able to accommodate hospital growth. COMPONENTS It can be composed of one or a few software components with specialty-specific extensions as well as of a large variety of sub-systems in medical specialties * Laboratory Information System (LIS) * Radiology Information System (RIS) * Clinical Information System (CIS) * Nursing Information Systems (NIS) * Pharmacy Information System (PIS) SOFTWARE COMPONENT Software Component is a system element offering a predefined service or event, and able to communicate with other components. It should be : * Multiple-use * Non-context-specific * Compostable with other components (inter relationship with other components) * Encapsulated i.e., non-investigable through its interfaces * A unit of independent deployment and versioning Laboratory Information System (LIS) Laboratory Information System (LIS) is a software based laboratory and information management system that offers a set of key features that support a modern laboratorys operations. Those key features include but are not limited to workflow and data tracking support, flexible architecture, and smart data exchange interfaces, which fully support its use in regulated environments. The features and uses of a LIMS have evolved over the years from simple sample tracking to an enterprise resource planning tool that manages multiple aspects of laboratory informatics. Due to the rapid pace at which laboratories and their data management needs shift, the definition of LIMS has become somewhat controversial. As the needs of the modern laboratory vary widely from lab to lab, what is needed from a laboratory information management system also shifts. The end result: the definition of a LIMS will shift based on who you ask and what their vision of the modern lab. Radiology Information System (RIS) A radiology information system (RIS) is a networked software suite for managing medical imagery and associated data. An RIS is especially useful for managing radiological records and associated data in a multiple locations and is often used in conjunction with a picture archiving and communication system (PACS) to manage work flow and billing. An RIS has several basic functions: Patient management * An RIS can track a patient’s entire workflow within the radiology department; images and reports can be added to and retrieved from electronic medical records (EMRs) and viewed by authorized radiology staff. Scheduling * Appointments can be made for both in- and out-patients with specific radiology staff. Patient tracking * A patient’s entire radiology history can be tracked from admission to discharge. The history can be coordinated with past, present and future appointments. Results reporting * An RIS can generate statistical reports for a single patient, group of patients or particular procedure. Film tracking * An RIS can track individual films and their associate data. Billing * An RIS facilitates detailed financial record-keeping, electronic payments and automated claims submission. Clinical Information System (CIS) Clinical Information System is a collection of various information technology applications that provides a centralized repository of information related to patient care across distributed locations. This repository represents the patients history of illnesses and interactions with providers by encoding knowledge capable of helping clinicians decide about the patients condition, treatment options, and wellness activities. The repository also encodes the status of decisions, actions underway for those decisions, and relevant information that can help in performing those actions. The database could also hold other information about the patient, including genetic, environmental, and social contexts. Features : * access the medical literature * ask clinical or administrative questions of aggregates of patient data, * receive automatic warnings or suggestions when the patients data satisfy certain logical rules * receive critiques when proposing therapies or ordering diagnostic tests, * access guidelines for standards of care * analyse trade-offs and the likelihood of alternative outcomes (decision analysis) * receive lists of differential diagnoses Nursing Information System (NIS) Nursing information systems is a type of health care management system. It helps nurses use their nursing skills and computer knowledge within a health care environment. A nursing information system has different features and benefits. Features Nurses can self-schedule work hours based on their work shift and departmental needs. Staff nurse managers or nursing administrators can review each nurses schedule and make approvals. Another nursing information system feature includes documenting patient care plans. Benefits One nursing information system benefit includes saving time. For instance, nursing managers can confirm a nurses work availability without contacting each nurse. Nurses can review a patients treatment plan when working outside the office, such as a home care nurse. Pharmacy Information System (PIS) Pharmacy information systems (PIS) are complex computer systems that have been designed to meet the needs of a pharmacy department. Through the use of such systems, pharmacists can supervise and have inputs on how medication is used in a hospital. Some of the activities which Pharmacy Information Systems have been employed in pharmacy departments include: Clinical Screening The Pharmacy Information System can assist in patient care by the monitoring of drug interactions, drug allergies and other possible medication-related complications. When a prescription order is entered, the system can check to see if there are any interactions between two or more drugs taken by the patient simultaneously or with any typical food, any known allergies to the drug, and if the appropriate dosage has been given based on the patient’s age, weight and other physiologic factors. Alerts and flags come up when the system picks up any of these. Prescription Management The Pharmacy Information System can also be used to manage prescription for inpatients and/or outpatients. When prescription orders are received, the orders are matched to available pharmaceutical products and then dispensed accordingly depending on whether the patient is an inpatient or outpatient. It is possible to track all prescriptions passed through the system from who prescribed the drug, when it was prescribed to when it was dispensed. It is also possible to print out prescription labels and instructions on how medication should be taken based on the prescription. Inventory Management Pharmacies require a continuous inventory culture in order to ensure that drugs do not go out of stock. This is made even more difficult when there are multiple dispensing points. When don manually it is very difficult to maintain an accurate inventory. Pharmacy Information Systems aid inventory management by maintaining an internal inventory of all pharmaceutical products, providing alerts when the quantity of an item is below a set quantity and providing an electronic ordering system that recommends the ordering of the affected item and with the appropriate quantity from approved suppliers. Patient Drug Profiles These are patient profiles managed by the Pharmacy Information System and contain details of their current and past medications, known allergies and physiological parameters. These profiles are used for used for clinical screening anytime a prescription is ordered for the patient. Report Generation Most Pharmacy Information Systems can generate reports which range from determining medication usage patterns in the hospital to the cost of drugs purchased and /or dispensed. Interactivity with other systems It is important that Pharmacy Information Systems should be able to interact with other available systems such as the clinical information systems to receive prescription orders and financial information system for billing and charging.

Coopers and Lybrand Ltd :: Papers

Coopers and Lybrand Ltd Coopers and Lybrand Ltd is a private limited company. Finance is needed throughout a company's life. The type and amount of finance required for a business depends on many factors: type of business, success of firm and state of the economy. There are two main types of money that a company needs: Capital expenditure and working capital. Capital expenditure is used for buying fixed assets where a large amount of money but not often purchased. Working capital is day-to-day money required for running the business. These are short-term finance which is usually needed to star t up a business to cover the day-to-day running costs. Long-term capital is used to grow or expand and is paid back over a number of years. There are two main types of finance: Internal and external sources of finance. Internal sources of finance come from the business’s assets and activities e.g. retained profit, sale of assets, reducing stocks and trade credit. External sources of finance come from outside the business e.g. commercial banks, building societies, factoring services, venture capital and leasing and hire purchase. The company ‘Coopers and Lybrand’ can use retained profits as an internal source of finance. Retained profits are when a business had a successful trading year and made a profit after paying all its costs. The business could then use some of that profit to finance future activities .This can be a very useful source of long term finance, as the business is generating profits. Another internal source of finance is sale of assets, where the business sells its assets such as property, machinery, vehicles etc. Sale of assets is usually used as short term finance; however it can be used as long term finance if the asset they sold is very valuable. Coopers and Lybrand are also able to use trade credit. This is when a business normally doesn’t pay for things before they take possession of it. They will place orders for supplies and pay for it after receiving

British Political Issue

Assess the impact of the media on the course and outcomes of a contemporary British political issue. You should choose one of the issues covered in the course.The Media, and its Influence on the Fortunes of Political LeadersIn a pluralist democracy, the media can have a very powerful effect upon politics, so powerful in some instances that it can shape outcomes of important political issues. Leadership of a party, therefore, is a precarious position to be in, owing to the persistent and pervasive influence of newspapers, television, radio and the internet. Events surrounding Iain Duncan Smith's reign as leader of the Conservatives illustrate the extent of this influence.Since the demise of spectrum scarcity in 1946, British politicians have been continually scrutinised by the media through television, newspapers and more recently the internet. Milton's 17th century concept of the ‘freedom of the press' has allowed independence from government manipulation and the ability to talk more honestly and freely about politicians. However, the impartiality of the information depends on the fair-mindedness of journalists and the editorial policy.In the first half of the 20th century, people used to attend political rallies where they heard the great politicians of the day. At smaller rallies other political voices could also be heard. Radio brought these debates into people's houses. With the advent of television came a completely new dimension. Not only the voice of politicians were heard but their personalities were exposed too. It was not enough to be an able politician with excellent policies but Political figures had to be ‘good on the box', in a sense ‘actors'.Kennedy and Nixon's presidential duel in 1960 first exemplified the importance of image and style; Kennedy was clean-shaven, and had a clear charismatic phraseology. Nixon looked pale, unshaven and disorientated. His poor performance contributed to his election defeat. One could say that politics has become that of a ‘spectacle', staged to the minutes detail in order to attract and persuade voters.Technology has increased the immediacy and potential of the media, with 24-hour television channels and internet sites allowing faster dissemination of news. Localised party election meetings have been replaced by intricately crafted media events where ‘self-image' and ‘sound bites' are vital for capturing the snapshot interest of the quite often-preoccupied British public. Party politics have subsequently been diluted and reduced to simple slogans that can be expressed in the shrinking time available in the evening news.After the ‘iron lady' left Downing Street in 1991, the Conservatives have struggled to regain both the image and the charisma of Margaret Thatcher. Her successor John Major was subject to the form of media scrutiny still affecting the Conservative Party today. In 1997, the normally. Tory biased Sun had this headline during the build up to the general election -The Sun Backs Blair†(The Sun,1997); although this swing in favour of Labour arose because of anticipation and previous disappointment rather than political preference.In 2001, Duncan Smith was elected after the failure of William Hague to revive the Conservative Party and improve their chances in the general election. The opportunistic media criticised Thatcher's radical poll and fuel tax policies in the 1980's and left the Conservatives with a rather burdensome shadow looming over them. Refusal to forget Thatcher's legacy has meant that tabloid papers have continued to apply lowbred anti-Conservative personalisation – increasing trivialisation and some elements of contempt towards Conservative MP's. John Major, William Hague, Iain Duncan Smith and more recently Michael Howard have all been victims of personalisation; attributed to them chiefly by tabloids. John Major was the ‘grey man'- the avuncular shadow of Margaret Thatcher's former self, William Hague was the'high school debater', Iain Duncan Smith was ‘the old-soldier', and Michael Howard is the ‘dracula' type according to Anne Widdecombe -the Shadow Home Secretary. Perhaps the main reason for the prevailing criticism is the inability to equate the archetypal figure of Tony Blair. His TV personality, combined with his great technical ability as an extempore speaker make him unrivalled.Up until Iain Duncan Smith was unseated, a number of allegations were made about his conduct within office. He was alleged to have misused the parliamentary secretarial allowance by paying his wife. However, many believed him to be on his way out of office anyway, and that the claims were inconsequential to the security of his position. This is perhaps, exemplifies an attempt to frame Smith. Budge's framing theory emphasises the way in which the media can influence politics and the way in which people see and understand it.Fast-forward syndrome is a common occurrence in modern politics due to the fast, free flowing information that is available world-wide. Issues change throughout the course of time, affected by crucial events, which can eventually be laid to rest when new information is discovered. An example of this is the perpetual real time coverage of the Iraq war. Newspapers said Conservative prospects were ‘promising' under Howard's leadership, when only hours ago under Smith, they had been ‘beyond repair'. Optimism however can be premature in politics, as Iain Duncan Smith can testify.When he triumphed over Ken Clarke in September 2001, the media claimed he was the man to resurrect the Tories' and compete with Labour; Baroness Thatcher called him a â€Å"fine young man with exceptional potential†(Thatcher,2001). Unfortunately for the Tories, September 11th distracted attention away from Duncan Smith's introductory campaign. Scotland on Sunday also revealed precautionary optimism by saying: â€Å"Any democrat, regardless of political hue, should welcome the rebuilding of the parliamentary opposition into an incisive and effective team.†(Scotland on Sunday,2003)A few months down the line, he was criticised from all quarters including by members and ex-members of the party like Anne Widdecombe, Michael Heseltine and Crispin Blunt. Blunt resigned because he believed that Smith was a â€Å"handicap† to the party; Blunt of course was unaware that his comment would lead to a bombardment of insults in his direction -even from Duncan Smith critics. Thatcher concluded by lamenting the ineptitude of Smith calling him â€Å"the worst leader in the history of the Conservative Party†(Thatcher,2003). Broadsheets and tabloids emphasised the remark, which would mark the end of Smith's reign as leader. A substantial amount of newspaper coverage in the past three months was aimed at the Conservative Party, its ministerial fallouts and declining popularity. Duncan Smith questioned party loyalty and urged MP's to â€Å"unite or die†. After the ‘overacted' performance of Smith at the Conservative Party Conference in October 2003, even right of centre broadsheets like the Daily Telegraph started denouncing him, predicting his resignation â€Å"within weeks†(Riddell, 2003). It was: â€Å"the most desperate day in the history of the Conservative Party† (Riddle, 2003). One of the papers to retain its loyalty was The Sun who criticised the ‘backstabbing' Tories for squandering time and urged them to continue denouncing the government.Left wing opposition has arisen in the form of tabloids such as the Daily Mirror, who sloganised the Conservative Party's cabinet reduction strategy -which gives double the department responsibility to some of the members. The Mirror branded them â€Å"The Dirty dozen†. The Mirror's main concern was that some MP's were given the responsibility of two departments instead of one, indicating perhaps less emphasis on important issues like Health and Education.Rupert Murdoch's media ownership could have had an impact on the Conservative leadership. Owning The Sun, The Times, The News of the World and the Sunday Times -as well as 35.4 percent of BskyB, means that he is extremely powerful. He was a staunch Tory supporter in the 80's and 90's and has shifted his opinion of the leaders recently until the recent appointment of Michael Howard. Murdoch's position was cautious, but nevertheless significant in terms of media influence. â€Å"We will have to see how the Tory front bench looks,† Murdoch told BBC television on Friday. Although he was anti Euro, Murdoch at times backed Blair's Government, exemplifying the alternating ideological influences of media moguls over issues like party leadership.Failure to project his authority in the Commons was one of Smith's natural downfalls and perhaps undermines the argument that the media were responsible for his dismissal. In comparison with new leader Michael Howard, he did not have the ability to â€Å"alter his delivery while changing the mood of the house† (Fraser Nelson, 2003). Nelson also points out the striking differences in the chamber atmosphere; Smith would encourage a few mumbled utterances from his backbenchers, whereas Howard managed to gain a rumbustuous approval in his duel with Blair Prime Ministers Question Time. Michael Howard has already claimed BBC approval for his debating skills in the chamber; for example, his fight against excessive business beaurocracy and taxes, his clash with Blair over the conduct of Children's Minister Margaret HodgeA recent Guardian poll suggested that the Conservatives still lagged behind Labour on 38%(The Guardian, 2003). The alternating and sometimes contradictory multiplicity of ‘facts' displayed by left and right wing papers will no doubt have an effect on their loyal readership. However because these statistics only represent part of our democratic society and could be manipulated, the public's attitude to the leadership of the Conservative Party could be misdirected. Instead of polls representing the public's attitude -‘Reinforcement Theory'(Budge, 1998)- they might shape it into the image presented by the media rather than by theirs -‘Agenda Setting Theory'(Budge, 1998). People's opinions are changeable. Human beings think and act in crowds as well as individually, and if newspapers give the impression that most people have a particular viewpoint their willingness to have a more open mind can be affected. If a political party then makes mistakes and gains a reputation, not only will it find it difficult to detach itself from the previous deficiencies, but also it will inevitably be further damaged with the growth of investigative journalism. The issue of Iain Duncan Smith's leadership downfall therefore was not solely influenced by the media, but was a result of perennial antagonism against an ailing party. The initial optimism of Michael Howard's leadership could diminish when he gets involved in policy confrontation, and the media continue with their routine cynicism -which can influence the publics opinion on party leadership. REFERENCES Unknown Authorship, Scotland on Sunday, 2001Fraser Nelson, Scotland on Sunday, 2003Margaret Thatcher, Daily Mail, September, 2001Margaret Thatcher, Daily Mail, September, 2003Peter Riddell, The Times,2003Budge I, 2001, The New British Politics(Second Edition), Media Theories, Longman 2001, page 294-297 Unknown Authorship, 2003, http://uk.news.yahoo.com/031114/325/edzpq.html visited on the 19/11/03WEBOGRAPHYhttp://politics.guardian.co.uk/conservatives/story/0,9061,947736,00.html visited on the 23/11/03http://politics.guardian.co.uk/conservatives/story/0,9061,1083855,00.html visited on the 23/11/03http://quickstart.clari.net/qs_se/webnews/wed/cd/Ubritain-politics-analysis.RJbq_DOT. htmlhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3225615.stm visited on the 24/11/03http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3161070.stm visited on the 20/11/03http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/2408891.stm visited on the 16/11/03http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/3223185.stm visited on the 17/11/03 http://politics.guardian.co.uk/polls/story/0,11030,1088270,00.html visited on the 29/11/03BIBLIOGRAPHYNegrine, R, (1989) Politics and the Mass Media in Britain(second edition), Routledge, LondonBudge, I., Crewe, I., Mckay, D., Newton, K., 2001, The New British Politics(Second Edition). Longman 2001, pages 299-307

Coopers Business Case Essay

1. Introduction Coopers Brewery has had a successful journey from its humble beginnings to it third tier position in duopolistic competing market. Coopers has not existed without its share of disturbances and risk of been taken over by a larger global player, however Coopers managed to defend itself. Coopers has positioned itself in a highly competitive market with a differentiated brand and product that has captured a niche market. Coopers has also successfully integrated a high value chain which in turn captures the essence of Coopers at the same time delivering value at multiple stages. In order for Coopers to stay competitive in the future, Cooper’s differentiation strategy can translate into new emerging markets and changing customer tastes for beer and deliver beer to new niche market segment. 2. Company Background Established in 1862 by Thomas Cooper, Coopers is a 5th generation family owned business that manufactures and sells beer, home brew and malt extract. In 1997, the business purchased a $40 million state of the art manufacturing, bottling and distribution plant in Regency Park South Australia. With advanced robotics and a commitment to an eco friendly plant and processes to reduce their carbon footprint, Coopers has never lost sight of their mission. Mission Statement: Coopers mission statement for its beer as stated in the case study was â€Å"to  provide natural beverages and food ingredients which satisfy tastes and nutritional needs, and create enjoyment† (Hubbard 2008, pg7) 3. Company Analysis – Porters five Forces To assess the competitive landscape and to understand where Coopers Brewery is positioned a number of assessment models or framework can be used. To assess Coopers Brewery current competitive position Porters five forces model (see Appendix 2) can be used to analyse its current state. a) Threat of the new entrants is Low. There are two types of operations i. one is the craft-brewing , also known as miro-brewing, market and the other ii. Large scale production. Entry in the Craft-brewing is somewhat increasing, however larger scale production requires large capital outlay and continuous investment whilst been maintained by significant cash flow (Kaczanowska 2010). In addition incumbent beer producers are known to the consumers due the history and the accumulated advertising of the brand. This high cost for brand awareness creates a barrier for new players (Kaczanowska 2010). Imported products are present although the threat to the Australian market appears low. b) Threat of substitute products: This can be described as medium for the beer industry. There are always beer substitutes such as wine, ready to drink mixers and soft drinks to name a few. Increasingly health-conscious and knowledgeable consumers are looking at higher quality products (Kaczanowska 2010). This can be reflected in the trend toward craft and premium beers. c) Bargaining power of buyers is Medium: Brand loyalty is strong among beer consumers as appose to wine consumers (Richardson 2012). Richardson (2012, pg 24) summed this up as â€Å"Wine consumers are driven by choice rather than loyalty and wine brands are easily substituted, but beer is a branded product and consumers drink the label.† However consumers are price sensitive and may switch to another brand if the situation is presented. d) Bargaining power of the suppliers Medium: Raw Material is the largest cost to breweries. IBISWorld estimate approximately 58.3% of industry revenue (Kaczanowska 2010), these raw materials include, cardboard boxes, glass, aluminium, packaging. Other Raw materials would include sugar, malt, hops, wheat, rice, water, barley all of which are critical ingredients for brewing. All of which have a supply risk, which in turn can have a direct impact on the cost of the supplies good. Coopers have initiated some efforts to reduce some of these risks such as: i. Water supply to the operations is from a deep aquifer, ii. Power supplied by a Gas co-generated turbine iii. Chemical and Preservative Free iv. Waste minimisation e) Rivalry among existing organisation is medium but increasing. There are three main players in the Australian beer market, Foster’s and Lion Nathan with Coopers being in third place, by market share (see Appendix 1). Foster’s and Lion Nathan are both Global conglomerates with Coopers being the Family owned Australian brewer. It could be said that Coopers is the David to the two goliaths being Foster’s and Lion Nathan (Byrom and Lehman 2009). i. Price-based rivalry: Pricing does have a part to play in rivalry, however price wars in not evident in this segment. ii. Non-priced based rivalry: The beer industry sits primarily in this space, where each company focus’s efforts in branding, packaging and quality to target their demographic. iii. Product differentiation: Cooper has a unique or niche market segment (Byrom and Lehman 2009) based on a Family owned and distinctive â€Å"cloudy† beer. In addition to the beer portfolio Coopers also has major interests in Home Brew kits and Malt extraction and has about 80% of the kit market (Byrom and Lehman 2009). Porter (1985) suggests that having a differentiated product strategy does not necessarily equate to high market share, this can been seen in the competitive market share analysis as seen in the appendix figure 1. However a point of differentiation can be replaced or replicated by a competing company and may reduce the competitive advantage Coopers currently has in the market. Continuous competitive analysis is needed to keep this a differentiated strategy. 4.Coopers Value Chain The value chain model as described by Porter (1985) indicates that gaining a competitive advantage, an organisation focuses efforts to the internal activities of the value chain and attempt to strength these activities to  add to the competitiveness of the firm. Coopers Brewery value chain could be reflected in the below diagram; Source: ISO case study 2013 Coopers have made improvements in some of the value chain as seen in the case study, malt extraction for resale, Machinery and new processing operations to brew beer in the bottle or the keg rather than the tank without preservatives and chemicals. Water supply from deep aquifers with sale extract and then reuse of salt in the brewing process. Energy, having their own power generation system that feeds non-used emery back into the grid. Coopers use energy efficient lighting to reduce consumption. These improvements form part of the value chain activities that add to Coopers achieving a competitive advantage in the market. There are many parts to the value chain as reflected in Appendix 4 (Porters Value Chain model) and efforts to manage and maintain each element is ideal. However a strategic view and focus may harness high results, it is suggested that aligning value chain efforts with the core direction of the business. In Cooper’s case by having a differentiation strategy efforts should be aligned with this strategy including product innovation, R&D and quality. 4. Current position Positioning in this paper refers to the Porters model of â€Å"Three Generic Strategies† (1985). Cooper’s can be recognised as Differentiation in the Porters model, seen in Appendix 5. In this cluster Coopers can easily differentiate itself from its competitors. Cooper’s has an Australian History with a family heritage that still exists today, additionally having a product that has a distinctive cloudy appearance separates itself from the globalised conglomerates in the Australian beer industry. Coopers leverages this differentiator and applies this to marketing campaigns. 5. Future direction for Coopers To suggest and recommend future options to Coopers, a reflection of Cooper’s mission statement â€Å"to provide natural beverages and food ingredients which satisfy tastes and nutritional needs, and create enjoyment† (Hubbard 2008, pg7). This mission statement can be used for the future direction of the  business, as marketed as a family owned business and continue to capture the premium niche market it is positioned in. The future has a changing landscape with regards to consumer’s tastes, Cooper’s also captures taste in the mission statement. With the changing taste and desire of Generation Y consumers, Coopers competitive edge could be erode by imported premium beers and or the emergence of micro breweries that specialise in premium craft beers. Options can be summarised as follows: Continue to leverage the Family owned business brand. Exporting the unique beer overseas Continually improving the value chain and seek further opportunities to capture value. Continually focusing on changing consumer tastes and reviewing whether or not to compete in those markets. This will create new product life cycles, in a declining market (Nwabueze 2001). The future challenge for Coopers would be identifying new market opportunities, both on product and geographic level, whilst still achieving the family ownership which has been seen as an advantage since Coopers started. 6. APPENDI XES Appendix 1: Competitive Market Share Australia and South Australia. Appendix 2: Porters Five Forces Model Source:Harvard Business Review(Porter 2008) Appendix 3: Beer production Value Chain: Source: (ISO 2013) Appendix 4: Appendix 5: Source: (Porter 2008) 7. Refeneces Byrom, John, and Kim Lehman. 2009. â€Å"Coopers Brewery: Heritage and Innovation within a Family Firm.† Marketing Intelligence & Planning 27 (4): 516-523. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/02634500910964074. Hubbard, Graham. 2008. â€Å"Coopers Brewery.† IVEY. Business. The University of Western Ontario. The University of Western Ontario. ISO. 2013. â€Å"Baltika Breweries-Economic Benefits of Standards -Case Study.† ISO ORG. http://eng.baltika.ru/. Kaczanowska, Agata. 2010. Beer Production in the Us. IBISWorld Industry Report 31212, http://www.ibisworld.com.au/. Nwabueze, Uche. 2001. â€Å"The Journey for Survival: The Case of New Product Development in the Brewery Industry.† JOURNAL OF PRODUCT & BRAND MANAGEMENT 10 (6): 382-397. http://www.mcbup.com/research_registers. Porter, M. E. 1985. Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance. New York: Free Press, https://www.google.com.au/search?q=Competitive+advantage%3A+Creating+and+sustai ning+superior+performance&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&client=firefox-a&channel=sb&gfe_rd=cr&ei=eAyoU5j-Gs3C8ge9v4DACA. Porter, Michael. 2008. The Five Forces That Shape Strategy. Harvard Business Review. http://hbr.org/2008/01/the-five-competitive-forces-that-shape-strategy/ar/1. Richardson, David. 2012. The Liquor Industry. 14,

5 Screenwriting Tips I Learned From Stranger Things

5 Screenwriting Tips I Learned From Stranger Things When the Duffer Brothers released Stranger Things on Netflix, no one could have predicted the massive cult following the show would receive. With the first episode airing July 15, 2016, Chapter One: The Vanishing of Will Byers, Stranger Things mix of 80s nostalgia and horror was nominated for Best Drama for the Critics Choice awards in its first year. Since 2016, the show has been nominated or has won several Screen Actors Guild Awards, and took home 2017s award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.Stranger Things Joyce Byers, Jonathan Byers, and Nancy Wheeler waiting to hear from Will Byers in the upside down.A dynamic mix of 80s classics like Firestarter, The Goonies, E.T., Stand By Me, and A Nightmare on Elm Street (among others), Stranger Things combines humor, horror and childhood in a way that hits home for its audience- especially an audience steeped in 80s pop culture. As one of my favorite examples of how to write an original screenplay, here are five screenwriting tips I learned from Stranger Things.1. Introduce characters through conflictRight at the beginning of the first episode of the series, audiences of Stranger Things meet an ensemble of major characters that are all uniquely important to the story. Were first introduced to the boys who would be the main cast. Will Byers, Dustin Henderson, Lucas Sinclair, and Mike Wheeler are playing a game of Dungeons and Dragons and there is immediate conflict in the campaign they are playing. This back-and-forth dialogue between the boys sets up their characters perfectly, allowing the audience to immediately determine which character is the comic relief, leader, follower, and pragmatic one.Throughout this first episode, all of the major characters are introduced in this way- through a point of conflict with another major character. These conflict-heavy pairings not only move the plot forward in an interesting way, they allow the audience to understand the strengths and weaknesses of each character through a simple moment of conflict with another (or others). In that way, were given a lot of characterization in a short amount of time, which also helps create immediate empathy for them.Conflict assists in characterization in the opening scenes of Stranger Things2. Dont be afraid of redemptive character arcsNo doubt, Stranger Things starts out with some very fallible, imperfect heroes. Chief Hopper is a great example, as we first see him in the role of a small-town cop who has too many vices, too early in the morning. We get the feeling that hes a wounded man from the first episode, and later find out that he lost a young daughter and is still grieving that loss.His character arc, however, is one of the most redemptive in the series. From these early scenes of Chief Hopper in the fog of depression and addiction to the most recent scenes at the end of season 2, his arc has been one of unlikely hero to decided hero to the Byers family (and Joyce in particular). He t hen redeems himself further by becoming a surrogate father for El (Eleven), who he protects like his own daughter.El is another character with a redemptive character arc, as she is ultimately responsible for the Demogorgons presence in Hawkins, yet saves the town (and Will Byers) from the same monster. In this dual role of cause and savior, Els motivation to save her friends is believable and effective as a turning point in her characters role. She is angry at the people who experimented on her and achieves justice against Hawkins Laboratory by the end in destroying its research and forcing it to shut down at the close of the second season.Then theres Steve, who is almost unlikeable at the beginning of the series but becomes one of the most heroic figures of the plot by the end of season 2. His surrogate parenting of Dustin wins him huge empathy points among fans, not to mention his honest care and concern for Nancy, despite their break-up.Another subtler, yet highly redemptive char acter arc, is that of Will Byers, whose character became much more important in season 2. In season 1, we see him as a scared little boy whose role is mostly offscreen, and a victim of the evils Hawkins National Laboratory was bringing into the area. However, by the end of season 2, he has survived a complete possession encounter with the terrifying new monster, the Mind Flayer, and is the only one who still understands at the end the possibility that the monster is not as far away as it seems. In this sense, his character arc from scared victim to courageous survivor is one of the most redemptive arcs of the series.Will Byers character arc moves from him being a scared victim to a courageous survivor.3. Sometimes less is more with dialogueDuring most scenes involving El, her dialogue is limited at best (sometimes humorously so). However, through great screenwriting and casting, the writers of Stranger Things managed to reveal a lot about her character with very few words used. Her meaningful glances, the powerful image of a nosebleed following her use of telepathic powers, and the way she participates in the narrative without saying much at all bring to mind similar characters, such as E.T. or Charlie (played by a young Drew Barrymore) in Stephen Kings Firestarter.This limited dialogue forces the audience to really focus when a character does speak, and to watch closely the physical responses that character gives. In this sense, the character maintains a sense of mystery and importance, simply by saying as few words as possible.4. Dont forget the power of kids to carry a storyThe movies that Stranger Things draws on are predominantly stories of kids in a world with mostly absent adults. These depictions of childhood friendships appeal to the nostalgic viewers who remember the confusion and harder lessons involved in growing up, particularly when adults were not available or were overworked. It another sense, it reminds viewers of a time much different than th e present, when kids could roam freely on bicycles and enjoy a level of autonomy that modern-day parents find difficult to grant.There is also an increased emotional appeal when a story is narrated through the perspective of children or adolescents. One of the screenwriters first goals is to convince the audience to feel empathy for the characters introduced, particularly the main characters. This goal is easily accomplished when the main characters are children or adolescents. Adults watching the story are automatically empathetic to most child characters out of a sense of protectiveness. Add to that the nostalgia and emotions involved with remembering what it was like to be in that childs place, and a screenwriter invites a powerhouse punch of empathy right from the beginning.Finally, telling a story from a childs point of view helps increase the horror aspect if that is the genre youre aiming for. Seeing a monster as an adult is one thing- seeing it from the point of view of a ch ild puts us right back into that primal state of fear we felt as children facing an uncertain world, and the tension is increased.Stranger Things use of the preteen and adolescent points-of-view add emotional appeal to the story (and increase the horror effect).5. Dont be afraid to mix genresIve written often about Blake Snyders Save The Cat! Series, and Stranger Things is a great example of how a genre-mixing/genre-bending screenplay can work. Anyone who is familiar with Snyders ten story patterns or every story type ever told for film will immediately recognize Stranger Things as falling in the Monster in the House category.According to Snyder, when it comes to story patterns, Monster in the House is one of the oldest†¦.and most primal. He also notes that in order for a film to fall into this category, there should be three components: 1) a monster, 2) a house, and 3) a sin.Stranger Things Demogorgon definitely qualifies as a monster. Much of the characters interaction with t he monster takes place in Joyce Byers house. And finally, there is the awful truth of experiments on children that were taking place in Hawkins National Laboratory, under the guidance of Dr. Martin Brenner (the sin).But wait†¦Stranger Things also has elements of Snyders Buddy Love pattern (between Mike and Eleven), Golden Fleece (in which a team sets out on an adventure and are transformed in the process), and even Whydunit (as Chief Hopper searches for the missing Will Byers and his search takes a dark turn). The Duffer Brothers genre-mixing storytelling approach keeps audiences engaged in Stranger Things for a large part simply because it reminds them of so many other great stories within those genres that are represented.ConclusionUltimately, Stranger Things is a lesson in what can go right in original screenplays when you draw on nostalgia- particularly pop culture references, a soundtrack reminiscent of the technology of the 80s, and references to the childhood of an audie nce that likely still pines for it in many ways. Most importantly, it gives us characters we care about- set in a time we feel a lot of emotion towards. Its this extra appeal of emotion that makes Stranger Things the valuable lesson for screenwriters that it is. So, dont be afraid to make it part of your screenplay.

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in the Mexican-American War

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in the Mexican-American War Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo Background: With the Mexican-American War raging in early 1847, President James K. Polk was convinced by Secretary of State James Buchanan to dispatch a representative to Mexico to aid in bringing the conflict to an end. Selecting Chief Clerk of the State Department Nicholas Trist, Polk sent him south to join General Winfield Scotts army near Veracruz. Though Scott initially resented Trists presence, the two men quickly reconciled and became close friends. As the war had been going favorably, Trist was instructed to negotiate for the acquisition of California and New Mexico to the 32nd Parallel as well as Baja California. Trist Goes It Alone: As Scotts army moved inland towards Mexico City, Trists early efforts failed to secure an acceptable peace treaty. In August, Trist succeeded in negotiating a cease fire, but subsequent discussions were unproductive and the armistice expired on September 7. Convinced that progress could only be made if Mexico were a conquered enemy, he watched as Scott concluded a brilliant campaign with the capture of the Mexican capital. Forced to surrender following the fall of Mexico City, the Mexicans appointed Luis G. Cuevas, Bernardo Couto, and Miguel Atristain to meet with Trist to negotiate the peace treaty. Unhappy with Trists performance and inability to conclude the treaty earlier, Polk recalled him in October. In the six weeks it took for Polks recall message to arrive, Trist learned of the appointment of the Mexican commissioners and opened talks. Believing that Polk did not understand the situation in Mexico, Trist ignored his recall and penned a sixty-five page letter to the president explaining his reasons for remaining. Pressing on with negotiations, Trist successfully concluded the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and it was signed February 2, 1848, in the Basilica of Guadalupe at Villa Hidalgo. Terms of the Treaty: Receiving the treaty from Trist, Polk was pleased with its terms and grudgingly passed it to the Senate for ratification. For his insubordination, Trist was terminated and his expenses in Mexico were not reimbursed. Trist did not receive restitution until 1871. The treaty called for Mexico to cede the land comprising the present-day states of California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, and parts of New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming in exchange for a payment of $15 million. In addition, Mexico was to relinquish all claims to Texas and recognize the Rio Grande as the border. Other articles of the treaty called for the protection of Mexican citizens property and civil rights within the newly acquired territories, agreement on the part of the United States to pay American citizens debts owed to them by the Mexican government, and the compulsory arbitration of future disputes between the two nations. Those Mexican citizens living within the ceded lands were to become American citizens after one year. Arriving in the Senate, the treaty was heavily debated as some senators wished to take additional territory and others sought to insert the Wilmot Proviso to prevent the spread of slavery. Ratification: While the insertion of the Wilmot Proviso was defeated 38-15 along sectional lines, some modifications were made including a change to the citizenship transition. Mexican nationals in the ceded lands were to become American citizens at time judged by Congress rather than in one year. The altered treaty was ratified by the US Senate on March 10 and by the Mexican government on May 19. With the ratification of the treaty, American troops departed Mexico. Besides ending the war, the treaty dramatically increased the size of the United States and effectively established the principle borders of the nation. Additional land would be acquired from Mexico in 1854 through the Gadsden Purchase which completed the states of Arizona and New Mexico. The acquisition of these western lands gave new fuel to the slavery debate as Southerners advocated for allowing the spread of the peculiar institution while those in the North wished to block its growth. As a result, the territory gained during the conflict helped contribute to the outbreak of the Civil War. Selected Sources National Archives: Treaty of Guadalupe HidalgoLibrary of Congress: Treaty of Guadalupe HidalgoAvalon Project: Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

Dissertation Plagiarism 5 Ways NOT to Break the Law

Dissertation Plagiarism 5 Ways NOT to Break the Law Dissertation Plagiarism: 5 Ways NOT to Break the Law Dissertation custom writing companies are becoming more and more popular among college students. Although they gain traction, talks about the â€Å"contract cheating† make students set sights on the legality of the writing companies. Asking such services for assistance is not all that shameful and illegal if you properly make use of them. Thus, let’s puzzle out this question. 1. Do NOT Cheat When you get a custom-written dissertation that meets all your professor’s demands, it is quite difficult to resist the temptation and not to hand in the work as your own. In this case, you have to keep in mind that the Copyright Law of the United States strictly punishes for dissertation plagiarism. And, the consequences are not the thing you would like to face being an A-student for the last couple of years. How should you act, though? Use this paper as a sample that will help you craft a masterpiece on your own. 2. Follow the Key Requirements The most beneficial way a sample dissertation can come in handy is to let you know how to meet the formatting demands. Having a properly-crafted piece in front of you, you do not need to overlook tens or even hundreds of guides to come up with the right structure of your writing. A practical example will substitute the best consultant as well as save you a lot of time. 3. Get Inspired by Ideas Sure, when you get a topic for a dissertation paper, you may have some ideas concerning the issue; do not forget to note them down! Thus, when you receive a sample paper written by a professional that discloses top issues, it would be a great bonus if you insert your own ideas into the piece. This will not only help you make the work more developed but also get outside of the problem on your own. Your professor will surely check out your attempts. 4. Paraphrase the Ideas It goes without saying that it may happen that you have no idea what can be said more concerning the issue of your dissertation, and the only source of information for your paper is the received sample. In order not to resort to any kind of plagiarism, you have to do your best and reproduce your own thoughts based on the points got from the example writing. Read the whole example paper, understand the key points, and then, retell the plot in your own words paraphrase it. As the result, you are more likely to provide a well-researched dissertation that is absolutely unique. 5. Develop the Issues to the Fullest Even if you do not have any ideas concerning the discussed problem, do your best to better discover the questions presented in the example work. When researching, you will put new information in the paper thinking through the central issue. Have a look at all the covered problems, choose those that impress you the most, and work on them. You will definitely find some useful sources on the list of references, so, make use of them and get deeper into some questions you think are important for your research. If you have ever asked yourself whether dealing with dissertation writing services is legal, hope, now you know the answer. In order NOT to be considered a cheater, remember the only thing the ordered paper, be it a dissertation or an essay sample, is just an example that should be your guide to produce a professional assignment written from scratch. Do not try to outsmart your professors as the truth will always be out of the bag somehow. Dont hesitate to buy your dissertation online written by professionals.

Geology Of The Area. Sources Of Natural Materials and Construction Essay

Geology Of The Area. Sources Of Natural Materials and Construction Problems - Essay Example It is composed of quartz or feldspar since they are the most common minerals in the earth crust. The colors of sandstone have been identified with several regions because their beds often form very highly visible cliffs. It usually allows water and other fluids to percolate; additionally sandstone is porous enough to store large quantities of fluids, therefore, are valuable aquifers and reservoirs of petroleum. It finds application in house wares and domestic construction. Structurally, they can be fragments of pre existing rock or mono-mineralic crystals. These rocks are very strong especially when mature therefore suitable for construction purposes. Mudstone-according to the map it is elbow-shaped and uniformly distributed in the map. This is a fine grained sedimentary rock. Its original constituents were clays or mud their individual size can only be identified with the help of a microscope. It has no layers due to original texture or disruption of layering by burrowing organisms prior to lithification. It may show crack or fissures depending on how it is formed. According to Dunham (1962), the classification of limestone, a mudstone is a carbonate rock with less than 10% allochens in carbonate mud matrix. Mudstone is a soft rock material therefore is not appropriate for construction purposes. ... It is the hardest rock layer among the three appearing in the map and is used for construction purposes, an aggregate for base of roads, mineral filler passing 0.075mm – 0.425mm of mineral size. It can be used in the manufacture of glass, toothpaste and cement. POSSIBLE PROBLEMS THAT MAY ARISE DURING CONSTRUCTION The following are the possible problems that may arise during the highway construction process between points A and B. As stated by Amelin et al. (2002), ‘It is important to consider that if we choose to ignore the surrounding geology in the construction of engineered works, then the surrounding geology will most certainly assert its influence on our engineered structures.’ First the material cut may be less than the required fill. Cut and fill, is a process of constructing a railway, road canal or high way whereby the total material extracted more or less is the same as the quantity of material for fill. Since the cut is less than fill, it would warrant acquiring materials from other sources for example borrow areas, importing from other areas. The material cut may be more than the required fill any excess cut above the fill would warrant an additional transportation cost. Secondly, there may be mobility problems due to the rugged and steep topography of the land which may not favor human and machine movement during the highway construction. This triggers use of special machinery in cutting, filling and compaction processes to achieve the desired objective or shape. The land’s landscape may be too rugged such that it may incur more cost especially when it as to get the materials from other areas. There is difficulty in cutting due to topography of land, stability of slopes and since any

The Importance of Strategy Process and Strategy Context in Determining Research Paper

The Importance of Strategy Process and Strategy Context in Determining Strategy Content - Research Paper Example As the paper outlines, strategy context deals with impact of macro environment in strategy formulation. Researchers have pointed out that the strategy process is complemented with three variables such as strategy formation, strategic thinking, and strategic change. They have argued that three variables of strategic process work in an overlapping manner instead of working in an individual manner. Academic scholars such as Bob De Wit and Ron Meyer have stated that strategic content can be viewed as the end product of the strategy process. Strategic content is complemented with four levels of strategy such as Functional Level, Corporate Level, Business Level, and Network Level. Bob De Wit and Ron Meyer have pointed out that strategy context can be classified as the external circumstances directing the implementation and outcome of strategy process. They have differentiated external environment into three segments such as organizational context, industry context and international context . Various research scholars have tried to create a link between triplets of the strategy process, strategy context, and strategy but unfortunately, the majority of them ended with an abstract model without much coherence with industry requirement. In 1986, Miller and Friesen have argued that strategy content is directly proportional to strategy context and strategic initiatives are more successful for electronic goods industry, manufacturing industries and paint industry in comparison to another industry environment (Miller and Friesen, 1986, pp. 37-55). In 1983, Hambrick argued that Porter’s Generic Competitive Strategies have little significance for small level firms while four levels of strategy such as Functional Level, Corporate Level, Business Level, and Network Level have importance for only firms having sufficient resources (Hambrick, 1983, pp. 213- 230). In 1989, Bryman has argued that strategy content works in accordance with organizational resources. For example, P orter’s generic strategy would not be applicable to organizations suffering from resource crisis (read human capital, financial, marketing and IT) (Bryman, 1989, p. 169). Various research scholars have agreed that the validity of three steps such strategy process, strategic content and strategic context is unquestionable. In 2005, Torgovicky’s has tested the validity of strategy content in e-business and concluded that synchronization of strategic content and strategy process can help a firm to achieve a competitive edge over other competitors (Eldring, 2009, p. 10-15).

Managing the Environment (MEWK3 DQ1) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

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Essay Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Essay - Article Example r states that the total amount of bribes was more than $24million and even the top level executives of the organization were aware about this ethical violation. These practices by the Wal-Mart are against the legal laws of its base nation. Wal-Mart had violated the legal rules that are stated within the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Under this act a local organization is not allowed to bribe officials in foreign markets. Due to this malpractice, the organization started an internal investigation and identified that during the period of 2005 the vice chairman of the organization involved in increasing the expense account of the organization and was making wrong entries in the gift cards account of the organization. Furthermore the article states that the internal investigations were not even clean and were rather conducted to clear the top officials instead of dealing with those who were involved in the unethical practice of bribing. The article even states that those individual who were held responsible for the practice were themselves investigating the case and due to this a clean investigation never took place. Barstow, D. (2012). At Wal-Mart in Mexico, a Bribe Inquiry Silenced. Nytimes.com. Retrieved 23 December 2014, from

American Women Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

American Women - Essay Example The wishes and desires of women are one of the aspects that have been significantly the least bothered and taken care emotions and feelings (Hewitt, 2002). However, by having a glance at the vogue and drift of the American history, it can come under observation that social norms and culture of United States of America has undergone a radical change in the latter half of the last century. With this change, American women experienced revolutionary variations in the behavior and approach of the general population towards women in an array of problems that includes their freedom powers and liberties (Hewitt, 2002). Family came under contemplation as the most important aspect of the American society in the early years of the twentieth century where matrimony and parenthood were the primary and fundamental elements for the American civilization. During this time, the men in the society played a strong dominant role and reached their zenith in bulldozing the women only to underscore their f amily and children as their top-most priority (Hewitt, 2002). The trend of marriage at a very early age without finishing the education came under surveillance also became an essential component of their customs and norms. In addition, the women came under coercing that husband and home is the only imperative and vital facets of life and the governing subjects did not consented women to have their dreams, desires, and objectives. The family was an essential component in the American society but large families with many children was another conventional and emblematic component of it (Kendall, 2001). The era of twentieth century portrayed and depicted a single woman in American society as a very abominable woman, while looking at the broader side of the continuum; a single and pregnant woman came under deliberation as utterly and entirely a contemptible and deplorable person by the society where nobody from the common people residing in the neighborhood welcomed her. Nevertheless, du e to increasing methods of birth control gave the initiation and rise for the need to develop the proper birth prevention medicines (Kendall, 2001). With the growing necessitate of the American women for the pregnancy prevention medicines in conjunction to the growth, expansion and innovation in the field of science, quite a lot of ways and methods have come under development that can prevent the birth control or contraception in women. Birth control pill is one of the oral or the articulated form of counteracting the birth prevention or averting the pregnancy (Kendall, 2001). The interest and the origination of the birth control methods date backs to several decades with a group of scientists’ experiment of discovering the knowledge about how to prevent the women from being pregnant when she is already having a fetus inside her. However, few years later after the development of these contraceptive pills, the authoritative body responsible for the approval of such activities granted them the permission to launch and bring into play into the market. These pregnancy prevention measures soon became accepted, admired and endorsed amongst women with the passage of time and gave rise to the women’s right of freedom (Zonderman & Shader, 2006).

Essay Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Essay - Article Example r states that the total amount of bribes was more than $24million and even the top level executives of the organization were aware about this ethical violation. These practices by the Wal-Mart are against the legal laws of its base nation. Wal-Mart had violated the legal rules that are stated within the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Under this act a local organization is not allowed to bribe officials in foreign markets. Due to this malpractice, the organization started an internal investigation and identified that during the period of 2005 the vice chairman of the organization involved in increasing the expense account of the organization and was making wrong entries in the gift cards account of the organization. Furthermore the article states that the internal investigations were not even clean and were rather conducted to clear the top officials instead of dealing with those who were involved in the unethical practice of bribing. The article even states that those individual who were held responsible for the practice were themselves investigating the case and due to this a clean investigation never took place. Barstow, D. (2012). At Wal-Mart in Mexico, a Bribe Inquiry Silenced. Nytimes.com. Retrieved 23 December 2014, from

Running my own Multinational Corporation Research Paper

Running my own Multinational Corporation - Research Paper Example For selling the product in the UK market, the company will enter into arrangements and agreements with the local retailers in the UK, particularly in the major cities. The retailers which will be considered for distribution and sales of the product will include Tesco PLC, Sainsbury’s PLC, Morrison’s PLC, ASDA PLC and other retailers. Keeping in view the fact that the consumption of alcoholic beverages in the UK and its supply has shown consistent growth, it can be therefore expected that the consumers in the UK will buy this product. As per the information provided by the World Health Organization, there has been a steady increase in the consumption of Beer during the past 45 years (45 years include years from 1961 to 2006). In addition to this, since the company will enter into arrangements with local retailers and distributors in the UK for the sale of products, there will be no need to hire labor or acquire specific supplies for any other purpose. The company, Oceana Beverages Incorporation, will dispatch its products directly to retailers at specified city destinations. The retailers will then take charge of the good upon delivery and will be responsible for handling and selling the products through their respective retail outlets. As far as the manufacturing of the product is concerned, 100 percent manufacturing will be carried out within the United States at the production facility of Oceana Beverages Incorporation. In addition, packaging for both local and export deliveries will also be done by the packaging unit of the company. In this way, all expenses related to the production of Seven Star Wine will be incurred in US Dollar only. There are numerous factors which may have an impact on the balance of trade between the United States and the United Kingdom. These factors, in relation to the business of Oceana Beverages Incorporation, mainly include the cost of production in the US as compared to UK, costs associated with raw materials and other

Culture and Formation of Culture Essay Example for Free

Culture and Formation of Culture Essay The word culture can be referred to the behavior of the human beings specifically with the objects, things and commodities around them and these objects are used as an essential part of this behavior. In this sense it is only the ability of the mankind to create a culture. And culture itself will include all the norms and behaviors of human beings like language, customs, beliefs, religions, tool, techniques, arts, rituals, ceremonies and common practice of every day life. There are numerous definitions of culture and every anthropologist has a different view about it. Some has defined culture as â€Å"learned behavior† or â€Å"ideas in mind† or â€Å"a logical construct†, but the most favored definition is that culture is â€Å"the abstraction from behavior† (Culture). Certeau (xi) states that Culture is the combination of every day practices of the societies. But instead of making the unit force an individual he has taken a more economist perspective and regarded them as â€Å"consumers† (Certeau, xi). While John Fiske produced a two economic theory and regards culture as a parallel economy against the financial economy and has named it as â€Å"cultural economy† (Fiske, 538). As every economy has a capital the cultural economy’s capital consists of pleasure and meanings (Fiske, 541). Frederick Engels while speaking in the context of history defines culture as â€Å"traditions, which haunt human minds† (Engels, 10). Speaking conclusively culture is not only behavior neither an action, but it is the combination of abstraction and behavior or a behavior explicating a concept. Formation of Culture: According the theory of evolution, the advancement of the human behavior from natural to learned and freely variable behavior, the particulars of which have the tendency to be transferred to the next generation and has the ability to evolve into a system of things. Thus culture is a man made environment brought into existence by the human ability to symbol. When a culture is established then it has a life of its own. It is a range of things and events in a cause and effect relationship (Culture). Different theorists have argued about the formation of culture in their own specific way and style. According to Bourdieu â€Å"cultural needs are the product of upbringing and education† (Bourdieu, 42). He initially states that the production of cultural goods as well as the description of different ways of appropriating these goods as work of arts as well as providing social conditions, which are considered legitimate (Bourdieu, 42). He further emphasis that all social practices, which are the core of any culture, are traced back to education or social origin (Bourdieu, 42). On the other hand Fiske says that culture is the opposite force developed in response to the producers of consumer goods. He states that culture is the parellel economic system, which runs in response to the financial economic system. According to him it’s capital is meanings and pleasure (Fiske, 538). This is a more economic perspective of rather than the anthropological perspective. Theodor Adorno while discussing the evolution of popular music culture states that the popular music culture and its hold on the masses is because of the urge to distract the individuals from the current realities to the world of fantasy, and popular music has the ability to distract the listener from it (Adorno, 80,81). Thus according to him a culture evolves as a reaction of the current cultural norms. That is the main reason that the popular culture did not evolved before the industrial revolution. Social Relations: Social relations are the behaviors of different social groups related to and in response of each other. Thus speaking about the ruling class, which is also regarded as the elite class or aristocracy is the social group, which has the means of production at its disposal Thus the ruling ideas and concepts are the expressions of dominant material relationships (Marx Engels, 8). According to Marx and Engels the historically speaking the relationship of the individual and the ruling class are reflected by the dominance of ideas and concepts during the dominance of that ruling class. For instance during the dominion of the aristocracy the concepts of loyalty and honor were dominant, while during the dominion of the bourgeoisie the concepts of equality and freedom were dominant (Marx and Engels, 8). The relation between the ruling class and the lower class has two ways. Either it leads or it dominates. The first relation is with its allies while the second is with its enemies (Gramsci, 12) Thus the social relations between the aristocracy has two conditions. If the aristocracy has friendly terms with the lower class, the lower class will follow accordingly under its leadership. But if the lower class does not consent the way the ruling class leads it will refuse to follow. As a result the ruling class will try to dominate the lower class in order to maintain its status. Marx has regarded the aristocracy as the material forces of production, which sometimes come into conflict with the property relations that is the lower class and results in the social revolution (Marx, 9). Engels says that the economic political and traditional i. e cultural factors are interrelated and they in combination play the determined role in the formation of history. Thus history is the product of the combine efforts of the economical, political and demographical factors. Thus one can very easily find the social relation between the economy, politics and cultural norms. Works Cited Adorno, Theodor W. â€Å"On Popular Music† Studies in Philosophy and Social Sciences. 1941. Bourdieu, Pierre. â€Å"Distinction and The Aristocracy of Culture†. Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgment of Taste. 1984, Routledge, London. Certeau, Michel de. â€Å"The Practice of Every Day Life† 1984, Berkley University California Press. â€Å"Culture. † Encyclop? dia Britannica. 2007. Encyclop? dia Britannica 2006 Ultimate Reference Suite DVD 8 May, 2007. Fiske, John. â€Å"The Popular Economy† Television Culture. 1987, Routledge, London. Gramsci, Antonio. â€Å"Hegomony, Intellectuals and the State† Princeton Notebooks, Lawrence Wishart, London. Marx, Karl. â€Å"Base Superstructure† A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy. 1976, Foreign Languages Press, Peking. Marx, Karl Engels, Federick. â€Å"Ruling Class and Ruling Ideas† The German Ideology. 1970, Lawrence Wishart, London. Marx, Karl Engels. â€Å"A Letter to Joseph Bloch† Selected Letters. 1977, Foreign Languages Press, Peking.

Effect of Schemas on Understanding the Social World

Effect of Schemas on Understanding the Social World Zoe Crackett WITH REFERENCE TO RELEVANT RESEARCH STUDIES EVALUATE THE EXTENT TO WHICH OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE SOCIAL WORLD IS CONSTRAINED BY OUR SCHEMAS This[p1] essay looks to assess the degree to which our perception of the social world is driven by how our knowledge is brought together and presented to ourselves. Bartlett (1932) used the concept of schema, which has been defined for this essay, to explain how people can call on subconscious categorisations. Buchanan et al (2009) claim that schematic processing is both efficient and an effective method of understanding but pre-existing schema can mean that the processing is constrained. Cognitive psychologists are concerned with how people perceive others, situations and events within their own social world. To explore the claim the essay uses studies where schema and expectations have been tested such as Bartlett (1932) ‘War of the Ghosts’ story as well as how what we expect can be wrong. Fritz Heider was one of the first psychologists to study social cognition in terms of (how) understanding how people make sense of the social world relates to (concatenation – not sure what this word is) of events. Heider and Simmel (1944) used a series of cartoons to demonstrate how cause and effect works. In the study participants were asked to describe what they saw in the cartoons. In the first group participants were asked just to describe what they saw whilst the other two groups were asked to describe what they saw as if the objects were people. The third group saw the cartoons played backwards. Heider and Simmel found that all but one of the participants in the first group described the cartoons using human terms. In this way Heider claims that people act as â€Å"naà ¯ve psychologists† by trying to make sense of events or people by looking for predictability using cause and effect (Heider and Simmel, cited in Buchanan et al, 2009, p60-61). The term schema defines a type of cognitive structure that may present itself as a typical object or event that a person has knowledge of; this allows the person to process the object or event and act or react accordingly. A person uses schema when they perceive situations and other people to aid them in responding to them. Bartlett (1932) used the term schema when describing how English people retold a Native American folk tale but each time the tale was retold it would change to be more ‘English’. Detail from the original tale would be omitted where it may be thought of as not relevant or altered to something more familiar that the teller was able to relate to (Bartlett, cited in Brace and Roth, 2009, pp131-132[p2]). Social psychologists have identified person,role and event schema. These are mental structures that a person uses that hold knowledge on different types of people, expected behaviour and social situations respectively. The knowledge allows for generalisation of the object or event. For example in Buchanan et al (2009) reference is made to a TV commercial taken with four different camera angles. In the first shot a white youth with a shaven head wearing combat trousers and Doc Marten boots is seen running. From the first shot the assumption of ‘skinhead’ can be used as the description is that which would be attributed to a skinhead. This in turn would lead to thoughts relating to criminal behaviour such as aggression and violence. The second shot shows the youth running towards a man who is smartly dressed. Through the final two shots the viewer is given two more camera angles and sees further information. By the time the viewer sees the fourth shot they may have already formed the opinion that the youth is going to assault the smartly dressed man. However the fourth shot shows the full picture to the viewer; the youth was not running towards the man to assault him but is intent on pushing him out of the way of a pallet of bricks that is about to fall and injure him (Buchanan et al, 2009 p63–64). Buchanan et al (2009) have described schema as generalised representations. In the case of the ‘skinhead’ youth in the above example the generalisation has also invoked stereotypical perceptions that people project on to others. Buchanan et al claim these generalisations leave room for some form of variation however it is not explained how stereotypes are learned. Sometimes how something is perceived can be inaccurate. Tajfel stated that it is possible to over generalise and as a result have a tendency to stereotype (Buchanan et al p66[p3]). An integral feature of schema is that the knowledge they contain is defined as shared knowledge in other words it is not just particular to a person or event. Schema needs knowledge to be shared in order that it is effective. Schema is self-confirming. By providing expectations based on what a person thinks they know or understand to be true, what is actually presented can be distorted, as in the Bartlett experiment. By self-confirming it supports the claim that schema constrain peoples understanding of the social world (Buchanan et al, 2009, pp65-68). In an experiment by Darley and Gross (1983) college students were shown a video tape of a character called Hannah and asked to critique her academic ability. The students were introduced to her as being either from a high or low socio-economic status. Some students were also shown a video of ‘Hannah’ answering a set of questions in an oral exam. Whilst there was no apparent pattern as to whether ‘Hannah’ was answering more questions correctly or incorrectly those that saw Hannah as higher socio-economic status as well as the exam judged her to have higher academic ability. Darley and Gross surmised that although the information can be the same information is processed according to expectations (Darley and Gross, cited in Buchanan et al, 2009). The Darley and Gross study demonstrates how schema can simplify lots of information, this also allows relevant information to be extracted more quickly. A person simply needs to access processing knowledge in order for that person to understand what is happening however as demonstrated by the tv commercial showing the youth if only one part is shown the subsequent response can be inaccurate and the person may look for sign posts from within their own expectations rather than taking cues from their present environment. As such that person makes a fundamental attribution error (FAE) (Buchanan et al p75). Kahneman and Tversky (1973) explored how FAEs can be made easily. They used short vignettes to describe a seemingly random person. The participants were given deliberately vague descriptions of a person and they were asked to judge the likelihood that the person described was a lawyer. Participants were told that the person described had come from a room of people where either seventy or thirty per cent were lawyers. In both conditions the participants gave the probability the person described was a lawyer was fifty per cent. The participants ignored relevant information that they had been given and focused on the descriptions they read (Kahneman and Tversky cited in Buchanan et al, 2009) In conclusion schema assists a person to cut out a lot of irrelevant information and process other detail quickly, however as a result other important information can be accidentally discarded. For schema to work they require knowledge to be shared with others so that everyone is able to respond. People make assumptions based on what they think they know and apply it to the situations they see. As demonstrated by the TV commercial unless a person sees the all the information at the same time their judgements can be wrong but also it demonstrates, through the extra pieces of information on each shot, that they can be changed. Generally schema can work well as left to their own devices it is possible for a person to make errors in judgement. The claim made by Buchanan et al (2009) is that a person is compelled to make a judgement in the social world based on pre-existing patterns of thought is to some extent correct, however the person also has the ability to change. 1329 words References Brace, N. and Roth, I. (2009) ‘Memory: structures, processes and skills’ in Miell, D., Phoenix, A. and Thomas, K. (eds) Book 1 Introduction and Chapters 6 – 9 DSE212 Mapping Psychology. Milton Keynes, Open University pp 111 – 170 Buchanan, K., Anand, P., Joffe, H. and Thomas, K. (2009) ‘Perceiving and understanding the social world’ in Miell, D., Phoenix, A. and Thomas, K. (eds) Book 1 Introduction and Chapters 6 – 9 DSE212 Mapping Psychology. Milton Keynes, Open University pp 57 – 109 1 [p1]An effective introduction which states the issue and states how you mean to tackle the essay [p2]Good use of evidence to support your point here. [p3]Good use of this example to illustrate how schematic processing can produce generalisations and stereotyping.

Defense Mechanisms :: Free Essays Online

Defense Mechanisms People use defense mechanisms so often that it is perhaps difficult to pick out individual cases to deal with. Additionally, it would be markedly easier for me to look for evidence of these mechanisms within myself. However, others do display such defenses against anxiety-inducing thoughts, memories, and impulses. In the healthy range of defense mechanisms, repression is key. Simply not thinking about something for a long period of time is often quite helpful. This particular mechanism can at times be rather obvious, as when, in a discussion, a person states that he or she would 'rather not talk about this.' Of course, repression is not always this aware, but in this case it is made manifest by a conscious effort to avoid the topic. Of the neurotic defense mechanisms, humor is perhaps most seen on this campus. Self-deprecating humor helps soften the glare of our shortcomings, especially when they surface in public. Sometimes, jokes are made specific to the situation (I tripped; I'm such a clutz!) but they are often generalized. These jokes are also often not very funny, on the order of "I'm a dumbass...hahaha!" Of the psychotic coping mechanisms, denial is much more obvious than reaction formation. I can think of one specific case, a friend who set his sights too high in sending out transfer applications. As rejections have come in, my notion that he was a non-starter for most of his choices because of grades was proven correct, but this is not something that he can seem to come to terms with. He claims not to understand why myself and several other friends, with near-4.0 GPAs have gotten into several prestigious schools, while he has not. Seems like denial: an inability to face his failings. Reaction formation also interests me a lot, because it is rather counter-intuitive as a defense mechanism. I can't really identify it in others very well, but I can see it in myself. In the case of a couple of failed friendships, in which I felt hurt by the actions of the other person, I compensate for my desire to get closer to them again (which produces anxiety because I am afraid of a repeat) by being very bitter towards them and going out of my way to avoid them.