Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Why, You Reckon Essay - 759 Words

Harlem Renaissance Works Langston Hughes was an African-American writer in the 1920s. He was best known for his stories in the Harlem Renaissance about the Black Culture. Hughes emphasized the theme that â€Å"Black is Beautiful.† In Hughes short story, â€Å"Why, You Reckon,† he writes through the main character, the narrator, a poor, hongry Black. Hughes uses character and scene description, symbolism, themes, and dialogue to set his story up and make it more interesting and historical to the reader. In â€Å"Why, You Reckon,† Hughes establishes a setting through direct characterization and word choice. In the beginning, the narrator says, â€Å"Depression times before the war plants opened up and money got to circulating again and that Second†¦show more content†¦Wealth is a symbol because the two Black men think of wealth as security, not being hungry anymore, warmth, and HAPPINESS.† But wealth is a two-way street. The white man, Edward, thinks of wealth as something to waste, and UNHAPPINESS. The different view of wealth from the Edward and the narrator ties into the main theme of the story: People are never satisfied with what they have. This was shown throughout the story with the symbol of wealth. Some other themes in this story is â€Å"lack of power and desperation leads to violence. This theme is shown when the narrator and the other Black Man decide to nab the first white man that â€Å"looks like bucks.† They are powerless, no money, starving—they resorted to violence because of it. Another theme that takes place in this story is money does not buy happiness. Neither the narrator nor Edward are happy. One is rich, the other, is dirt poor. A big theme in this story that applies to a lot of history is that by breaking the law and envying the rich there will still be one left empty handed. Whether it is something small like robbing a rich person or something big by overruling a government there is still going to be someone who is not benefiting. Even i f it is for a good cause. Dialogue was important to this story as well. But one line was so important to the story that it made the title. â€Å"What do you suppose is the matter with rich white folks? Why you reckon they aint happy?† The meaning to this phrase startedShow MoreRelatedStrategic Information Systems : Australian Accounting Software963 Words   |  4 Pages4 Absence of precision 4 Recommendations and suggestions 5 Bibliography 6 Introduction Reckon accounting software is well recognized as the most affordable cloud accounting software in Australia. Through the interface of the payment process of the platform (Reckon Pay) you can accept payments by credit / debit card via your phone. For companies that perform Australia point of sale (POS) transactions, Reckon provides a system of point of sale complete and detailed that connects sales transactionsRead MoreWhat Can You Know About Ham Sandwiches, And The Correspondent853 Words   |  4 Pagesoiler and the correspondent, agitatedly. â€Å"Don’t talk about those things, blast you!† â€Å"Well,† said the cook, â€Å"I was just thinking about ham sandwiches, and – â€Å" â€Å"How ‘bout you stop thinking about food,† said the correspondent, â€Å"and start thinking ‘bout what you’ve done.† â€Å"I only told you about it ‘coz I thought we were dying. With the house of refuge comin’ up an’ all, that doesn’t seem as likely an occurrence. Can’t you just†¦forget about it?† â€Å"Forget about it? I’m not likely to ever forget aboutRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain Essay1492 Words   |  6 PagesHow to Be a Hypocrite for Dummies INTRODUCTION: Quote/Lead: Look at â€Å"Post-It† notes. Don’t forget to cite! (1-3 sentences) – William Shakespeare once said, â€Å"God has given you one face, and you make yourself another†. TAG (Title, author, genre): The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain, satire full of adventure Context/Background: The story follows a teenager boy as he sets off on an adventure with Jim, a runaway slave. Together, they overcome a variety of obstacles and experience whatRead MoreScarlet Letter Discrimination Essay922 Words   |  4 Pagesraces which is given irrationally and causes a harm full impact for them. Through this statement, Hester indirectly shows us the form of discrimination toward African-American as follows: â€Å"....Reckon they’ll try him for murder?† â€Å"Manslaughter, I should think† â€Å"Oh.† Hester was disappointed. â€Å"Yes, I reckon that’s right. He didn’t mean to do it.† â€Å"No, he didn’t mean to do it.† Hester laughed. â€Å"And I thought we’d have some excitement.† Hester was saying, â€Å"—hasn’t been a good trial around here in tenRead MoreThe Adentures of Huckleberry Finn1524 Words   |  7 Pagesetc., shown by when he states that Miss Watson would say, Dont put your feet up there, Huckleberry; and Dont scrunch up like that, Huckleberry—set up straight; and pretty soon she would say, Dont gap and stretch like that, Huckleberry—why dont you try to behave? Then she told me all about the bad place, and I said I wished I was there. She got mad then, but I didnt mean no harm. All I wanted was to go somewheres; all I wanted was a change, I warnt particular. Well, I couldnt see no advantageRead MoreGender Inequality in India in Brain Caswell ´s The Best Boots in the World1255 Words   |  5 Pagesdon’t think a wimp like you deserves a pair of boots like these, I think I do† . This sentence is used by the youth to introduce us his thoughts in depth by the use of dialogue. The main character changed emotionally within the text by the circumstances that the author had created for him. The author has used character development to change the characters over the course of the story. One example of character development is when Mikey says â€Å"They’re just boots. Something you wear on your feet† . AtRead MoreThe Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain1335 Words   |  6 PagesShepherdsons. No one in either family can remember why or how this feud started, but they continue killing each other nonetheless. When Huck asks the Grangerford’s boy, Buck, how long this has been going on, Buck replies, â€Å" Well I should reckon! It started thirty year ago, or som’ers along there. There was trouble ‘bout something and then a lawsuit to settle it; and the suit went agin of the men, and so he up and shot the man that won that suit†¦ I reckon maybe- I don’t know†¦ Laws, how do I know? It wasRead MorePrejudice And The Dark Abyss Of Prejudice By Harper Lee1297 Words   |  6 Pagesunderstanding of prejudice in the following quote, â€Å"(Courage is) when you know you licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win but sometimes you do† (116). Atticus knew from the onset that because Tom Robinson was a negro, his trial would not be fair. He understood that taking this case would decrease his integrity, especially if he actually tried to win, which he did. People questioned why he would do such a thing as to defend the man who was portrayedRead MoreThe Aboriginals Essay1071 Words   |  5 Pagespowerless against the oppressing white society Jimmy continues to treat the white authority with contempt, voicing the discrimination he feels: â€Å"You reckon blackfellas are bloody mugs. Whole town knows why we’re goin. ‘Coz Wetjalas in this town don’t want us’ ere, don’t want our kids at the school, with their kids, and old Jimmy Mitchell’s tight’ coz they reckon Bert ‘Awke’s gonna give him a hidin’ in the election.† This illustrates the animosity towards Aboriginals throughout white society, through JimmyRead MoreAnalysis Of Mark Twain s Adventures Of Tom Sawyer1273 Words   |  6 Pagesunited nation. First, sepulchral imagery plays a significant role in characterizing the children. In the following passage Twain mentions: Why, you take your cat and go and get in the graveyard ‘long about midnight when somebody that was wicked has been buried; and when it’s midnight a devil will come, or maybe two or three, but you can’t see’em, you can only hear something like the wind, or maybe hear ‘em and say†¦(45) After this Huck and Tom goes to the graveyard at midnight, where they first

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Menards E-Business Plan - 3782 Words

Fundamentals of e-Business Menards e-Business Plan Company Description Menards is a chain of home improvement stores in the Midwestern United States. Menards sells building materials, hardware, electrical, wall coverings, plumbing, housewares, floor coverings, cabinets, appliances and much more. Menards is a privately held franchise headquartered in Eau Claire, Wisconsin; the company has 252 stores in 12 states: Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota and Wyoming. While the company does not release sales figures, it is believed to be the third largest home center chain in the United States behind The Home Depot and Lowes. The trade publication Home Channel News†¦show more content†¦The two most common reasons customers ask for assistance are for help locating a product or for additional information about a product. If these encounters are negative they will no doubt have an adverse impact on company image and bottom line. (www.jdpower.com) Opportunities that Menards have are they have been revamping its old stores to better compete with its rivals. The company is increasing its average store size to more than 220,000 square feet. It opened its largest store in Minnesota and is expanding from 30 to 40 stores in this region. This is larger than an average Home Depot store, which has 102,000 square feet of space. The company has also built two new distribution centers (Howell, 2004). Expansion and remodeling initiatives would improve the company’s competitive position in the home improvement market. Another opportunity for Menards is their testing of an online store for three special order categories: kitchen and bath; lighting and fans; and window treatments. According to CNN Money, online retail spending is up 4.7% from last year. Furthermore, in 2010 71% of online users are likely to shop over the internet as compared to 65% in 2005. Total retail sales will be largely influenced by the internet. The company’s online store would boost revenue growth. (Ellis, 2010) Menards main threat is their intense competition. The US home improvement industry is aShow MoreRelatedEssay on Lowes and Information Technology Management1748 Words   |  7 Pagespaper is to evaluate the information technology management systems used at Lowe’s. It will look at Porter’s Five Force Model, supply chain management; data base management system, five agent-based technologies, e-commerce and system development lifecycle. Furthermore, it will look at business continuity planning, emerging trends and security vulnerabilities relates to the organization to remain competitive. Information Systems Remaining Competitive Lowe’s employs more than 260,000 people in more thanRead MoreHome Depot Essay4369 Words   |  18 Pages | | |†¢ Professional Customers: These customers are professional remodelers, general contractors, repairmen, small business | | |owners and tradesmen. | | | Read MoreRNA Interference in Biotechnology and Pharmacetics Essay1200 Words   |  5 Pagescompany, Sanofi. Sanofi plans on using antibodies to target PCSK9 which could lead to an alternative to the commonly used statins drug. Out of the 32 patients in the most recent trial, 24 received a single dose of the RNAi drug. The results showed that the expression of PCSK9 dropped to a staggering average, 70% and a 40% decrease of LDL cholesterol levels. If the PCSK9 inhibition drug deems successful it is still not sure whether the drug will perform well from a business aspect. Another applicationRead MoreEssay on FranklinL BUSN635 Assignment86107 Words   |  25 Pagesï » ¿ Submitted to: Dr. Chambers Instructor Business Plan Development BUSN 635 – D001- Win 13 Prepared by: Lucretia J. Franklin April 28, 2013 Table of Contents INTRODUCTION 1 MISSION STATEMENT 2 THE BUSINESS PLAN PHASE I 3 Description 3 Required Licenses and Permits 3 Insurance 4 Reasons 4 Potential 4 Outside Resources 6 THE BUSINESS PLAN PHASE II 7 Service 7 Benefits 7 Demands 8 Different 8 THE BUSINESS PLAN PHASE III 9 Location 9 Physical Facility 9 Office 9 Restrooms 9 BreakRead MoreLowes Case Essay7372 Words   |  30 Pagesinstallation processes. This is a big shift from our current product-driven approach in the kitchen space. While kitchen remodeling solutions was a promising opportunity for Lowe’s, it also posed difficult marketing challenges for Simpson and his new business development team. In the past, Lowe’s had mostly relied upon traditional marketing media, such as television ads, flyers, and point-of-sale displays, to promote its offerings. With the move toward an end-to-end service- centric offering, howeverRead MoreStrategic Management and Lowe25663 Words   |  103 Pages............................................................................................. 18 Change Resistance..................................................................................................................... 18 Contingency Plans ..................................................................................................................... 19 IX. Epilogue .................................................................................................................Read MoreDisaster Planning: Why Do We Keep Repeating the Same Mistakes?4502 Words   |  18 Pagesrole of disaster planning in organizations. Disaster planning in organizations represents an important part of the strategic plan. Many techniques and tools are available to organizations, but even so, many organizations find disaster planning to be a daunting task. Many factors affect disaster planning and its success within an organization. An organization can have a sound plan and procedures, should a disaster occur. However, cultural factors, managerial knowledge and experience, workforce attitudeRead MoreEnvironmental and Industrial Analysis of Home Depot6707 Words   |  27 PagesFinancial Strategy 6 II. BUSINESS MODEL ANALYSIS 7 Step 1: Value Proposition: (Advantage: Home Depot) 7 Step 2: Target Segment: (Advantage: Lowe’s) 8 Step 3: Determine Competitors 9 Step 4: Evaluation of Value Chain and Cost Model: (Advantage: Lowe’s) 9 Step 5: Evaluate the Value Network: (Advantage: None) 11 Step 6: Determine the Revenue Model of the firm: (Advantage: Home Depot) 12 Step 7: Critical Success Factors: (Table 3) (Advantage: Home Depot) 12 Business Model Analysis GridRead MoreSuccession Planning for Multi-Faceted Enterprises and Organizations9891 Words   |  40 Pagesme has watched over me on this journey. ABSTRACT This descriptive research study explored the succession planning in small business entrepreneur of a multi-faceted entity. The purpose was to ensure the continued success and sustainability of small business entities despite their complexity and diversity. Review of the literature discussed indicated that small business enterprises are lagging behind other businesses and organizations in their succession planning endeavors. In assessing the effortsRead MoreAce Hardware Store Entering Bahrain Market8989 Words   |  36 PagesIntroduction 5 2.0 Industry Business Description 6 3.0 Company description 6 3.1 Type of business 6 3.2 Legal Structure 8 3.3 History 8 3.3.1 Mission 8 3.3.2 Goals amp; Objectives 9 3.4 Company Structure 10 4.0 Ace Product analysis: 10 4.1 Customer profile/demand analysis: 13 4.2 Competitive situation: 14 5.0 Environmental factors 16 5.1 Host Country Business Climate: 16 5.2 SWOT ANALYSIS: 17 5.3 Government constraints in Bahrain 20 5.4 PEST ANALYSIS 21 6.0 Business Strategies 24 6.1 Product

Monday, December 9, 2019

All the Pretty Horses Discussion Questions free essay sample

All the Pretty Horses Complete the first three questions and then choose three of the five following topics and answer the corresponding questions. Theme definitions and examples 1 . What is the dictionary definition of theme? 2. What specifically does that mean for a literary work? 3. To avoid being too narrow in applying the term theme, what precaution must the reader take? The following are examples of thematic topics followed with questions to those specific themes.Use these examples and questions to help you come too thematic choice for your presentation project. Inhumanity 1 . Define what you see as the meaning of the phrase mans inhumanity to man 2. Find and record examples of inhumanity as practiced by one individual against another in the novel. 3. Find and record examples of a group against an individual or group. 4. Find examples of that principle as applied to society at large 5. Construct a theme statement based on Inhumanity as found In the novel The Initiation 1. We will write a custom essay sample on All the Pretty Horses: Discussion Questions or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Find and record examples of John Grady to be a naive but sensitive young man 2.Find and record the crisis experiences that change him into a sadder but wiser individual 3. What knowledge has he gained about himself and life? 4. Construct a theme statement based on the initiation as found in the novel Microcosm vs. Macrocosm 1. Define the above two terms 2. What are the microcosm and the macrocosm of this novel? 3. What do these two worlds have In common? 4. Who are the opponents of the main characters in these two worlds? 5. What characterizes the actions of these opponents? Give examples from the text. 6.Construct a theme statement based on microcosm vs. macrocosm as found in the novel Conformity vs. Nonconformity 1. In what ways is JAG a nonconformist? Does he remain one, or change? What actions support your opinions? 2. Is what ways Is Rawlins a nonconformist? Does he remain one, or change? What canons support your opinions? 3. How does Believing show his nonconformity? With what consequences? What actions support your opinions? 4. How does Alphorns show her nonconformity? What past nonconformity changed her life? What have been the consequences for her and others? How does Alexandra show her nonconformity? What price has she paid for it? 6. Construct a theme statement based on conformity vs.. Nonconformity as found In the novel The Picaresque Novel 1. Define picaresque novel 2. Apply that term to the plot of the novel 3. Apply the term to the protagonist 4. How do his companions and the details with which the story is told fit the pattern? 5. Usually this type of story Is satirical. Has the author conformed to that part of the pattern?

Sunday, December 1, 2019

The Relationship Between Accounting And Bookkeeping Accounting Essay Example For Students

The Relationship Between Accounting And Bookkeeping Accounting Essay Like all the other of import facets of life, accounting has its ain history. The procedure of accounting can be traced back to at least 3600 Ancient Civilization, even back so, people kept records of the cost of stuffs and labor that is used for edifice constructions. Subsequently, come the development of Commerce in the 1400 s ( Mercantilism in Italy ) . However, the first publication of dual entry bookkeeping system of accounting is due to Monk Luca Pacioli in 1494 AD in Venice Italy. We will write a custom essay on The Relationship Between Accounting And Bookkeeping Accounting specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Today s dual entry accounting remains the same as Monk Luca Pacioli s dorsum so. Due to the uninterrupted development in the concern society, fiscal accounting has evolved enormously. As a consequence of the rapid growing in concerns and the ownership of big corporations, there was a demand to divide the proprietor s equity from directors. Consequently, directors had to do history for the usage of proprietor s capital and the extent of wealth creative activity. Over the old ages at that place has been an accelerated growing in the profession of accounting. During the twelvemonth of 1904, 50 old ages after the coming out of the accounting profession, the persons who really held the rubric of hired comptrollers was about 6000. As the twelvemonth base on ballss by, the figure of hired comptrollers increased. On one manus, it is said that accounting came approximately as a consequence of the alterations in the environment and social demands. While on the other manus, it is said that accounting came approximately because of the development of commercialism. Throughout the mediaeval period, harmonizing to the historiographer, Michael Chatfield observation, he believed that mediaeval accounting bureau laid the foundations for the philosophies of stewardship and conservativism, and the medieval epoch created the conditions for the rapid progress in accounting engineering that occurred during the Renaissance. Yet during the 1000s of old ages that has passed between the autumn of the Roman Empire and the publication of Monk Luca Pacioli s work, there was a period of accounting stagnancy occurred and any patterns of accounting exterior of Italy were by and large omitted from the history of accounting. For the period of the mediaeval clip, clerking was localized and centered on the specialised establishment of the feudal manor. In the class of that clip the treasury gave the preparers and users of the belongings instead than the existent proprietor the authorization to transport out activities. In those times the chief ground for such act is so that they can supervise the persons from the lesser portion of the socio-economic background. At some point in the 1086, the Conqueror, William took precedency of all belongingss in the name of his male monarch. William subsequently took up the duty of ciphering revenue enhancements due on the belongingss and this is known as the Domesday Book. The Pipe Roll besides known as the Great Roll of the Exchequer is the oldest English accounting record and this reflect the revenue enhancements, rent and mulcts collectible to the King of England from A.D. 1130 to 1830. During that clip wooden tally sticks were used for history maintaining. Whenever an single wages off his debt a wooden run stick would be cut and prepares by the financial officer as a dealing. And that would be their sort of reception. The financial officer would usually cut the tally stick harmonizing to the sum paid by the creditor. For case if the individual is paying 1000 lb, so the financial officer would cut the tally stick the size of a human manus as his reception. .uac835cb559e1b3fcf9d9a1ce1125dbe5 , .uac835cb559e1b3fcf9d9a1ce1125dbe5 .postImageUrl , .uac835cb559e1b3fcf9d9a1ce1125dbe5 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uac835cb559e1b3fcf9d9a1ce1125dbe5 , .uac835cb559e1b3fcf9d9a1ce1125dbe5:hover , .uac835cb559e1b3fcf9d9a1ce1125dbe5:visited , .uac835cb559e1b3fcf9d9a1ce1125dbe5:active { border:0!important; } .uac835cb559e1b3fcf9d9a1ce1125dbe5 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uac835cb559e1b3fcf9d9a1ce1125dbe5 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uac835cb559e1b3fcf9d9a1ce1125dbe5:active , .uac835cb559e1b3fcf9d9a1ce1125dbe5:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uac835cb559e1b3fcf9d9a1ce1125dbe5 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uac835cb559e1b3fcf9d9a1ce1125dbe5 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uac835cb559e1b3fcf9d9a1ce1125dbe5 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uac835cb559e1b3fcf9d9a1ce1125dbe5 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uac835cb559e1b3fcf9d9a1ce1125dbe5:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uac835cb559e1b3fcf9d9a1ce1125dbe5 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uac835cb559e1b3fcf9d9a1ce1125dbe5 .uac835cb559e1b3fcf9d9a1ce1125dbe5-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uac835cb559e1b3fcf9d9a1ce1125dbe5:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Sin And Virtue Used In Stephen EssayThe lone manner concern of today s society could turn, flourish and respond to the demands of their stakeholders is by utilizing more precise accounting methods. Besides, the accounting brings forth the concern and economic history, as the development of accounting aid concern in doing more economical determinations. A small background has merely been given about accounting and when clerking was foremost recognized. Now we will take a expression at clerking and accounting and their relationship. But first, allow s take a expression at what clerking and accounting really are. Bookkeeping besides known as record maintaining is the procedure of roll uping, forming, hive awaying, and accessing the fiscal information base of an entity, which is needed for two basic intents ; easing the daily operations of the entity and fixing fiscal statements, revenue enhancement returns, and internal studies to directors. Those fiscal statements include gross revenues, purchases, income, grosss and payments by an person or administration. The individual responsible for clerking is referred to as a bookkeeper. At the same clip accounting is the systematic recording, analysing, sum uping and coverage of fiscal information for a concern or an administration over a period of clip. An comptroller is the single whom is responsible for accounting within a concern or an administration, and that individual is expected to follow the regulations and ordinances of the by and large accepted accounting rule. Bookkeeping and accounting are related in some ways as they both trade with the fiscal information of the concern or an administration. Bookkeeping is an indispensable portion of the accounting procedure and without bookkeeping the accounting procedure can non get down. That is, the readying of the concluding fiscal statements ( income statement and the statement of fiscal place ) . Bookkeeping by and large ends at the readying of the test balance and that statement is used to pull up the income statement and the statement of fiscal place which is done by the comptroller. In a nutshell, where the clerking procedure ends, the accounting procedure begins. Bookkeeping and accounting goes manus in manus as bookkeepers have to enter fiscal information harmonizing to a set of fiscal systems under a set of guidelines which are known as internal controls. These internal controls are developed by comptrollers and they manage and monitor the system every bit good. Internal controls were created to minimise mistakes that would hold been made by bookkeepers due to the fact that they would be entering a big figure of activities for the concern within a given clip span. Accountants design the clerking system in such a manner that they can easy acknowledge larceny, fraud, peculation and other endangering activities to the concern. Accountants depend on dependable and accurate fiscal information from bookkeepers to decently measure the fiscal place of the concern. If the bookkeeper fiscal information is wrong so the accountant fiscal statements would be wrong as good. Though, the accountant usually examines the bookkeeper s work before really describing it. In general the bookkeeper of the concern or administration is frequently referred to as the accountant helper. Bookkeeping and accounting depends on each other systems to efficaciously analyze, summarise and describe fiscal information of an administration or concern to the assorted stakeholders.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Organ Donation Save Lives

Organ Donation Save Lives Free Online Research Papers Death is often an unpleasant thought, even though it is a simple fact of life. For some it is a welcome event that can alleviate pain and suffering and can sometimes save the life of another. A simple decision to become an organ donor can save lives and improve the quality of life of recipients. Receiving a needed organ facilitates a restoration of physiological functioning and often means the difference between life and death. Many people have misconceptions regarding organ donation and simply do not understand the facts. Some do not realize the vast numbers on waiting lists and how simply becoming a donor could save the life of another. Others may be apprehensive about making a decision about their bodies after death. In this paper we explain the origins and history of organ donation, the process by which organs are donated, the ethical implications behind organ donation and discuss many of the proposed solutions to solve the organ shortage issue. HISTORY OF ORGAN DONATION The origins of organ donation arose with several experimental transplants. The first successful transplant was a bone transplant in 1878, which used a bone from a cadaver. (14) Experimentally, bone marrow transplants began by giving patients bone marrow orally after meals to cure leukemia. This had no effect, but later when they used intravenous injections to treat aplastic anemia, there was some effect (14). One development that largely aided organ donation was the discovery of blood groups in the early 20th century. The first recorded kidney transplant was in 1909 and was a rabbit kidney inserted into a child suffering from kidney failure. The child died after two weeks (8). The first human to human kidney transplantation was in 1936 and failed. The first successful kidney transplant wasnt until 1954 and was between two identical twins. Soon after, heart transplants began, but originally consisted only of valves and arteries (8). The emergence of bioethics came about in the 196 0s and became at the core of transplantation issues. It wasnt until 1967 that the first successful heart transplant took place. With this new development, the donor card was established as a legal document the next year (8). In 1984, National Organ Transplant Act was passed; this established the Organ Procurement and Transplant Network. This fundamentally guaranteed fairness in distribution of donated organs (5). Three years later a new drug to suppress the immune system was developed. It was not approved until 1994. Technology for organ donation has come along way. Science has even been able to transplant a full hand. Many articles suggest that the future of transplantation is stem cells. That is in using stem cells to grow tissue and organs. Many researchers are also studying how to use genetically modified animals for transplantable organs. So why is it so important to develop other ways to receive organs? Why then are we still researching this area? The largest difficulty with Organ Donation is the immense shortage. As of November third of this year, there are 100,372 people on the waiting list for organ donation, in the United States (13). Approximately one person is added to that list every 11 minutes (9). It is also estimated that on average, between 16 and 17 people die per day due to lack of an organ transplant (1). Some studies indicate that rate may be higher. The rough facts are that they dont need to. It is estimated that 10,000 to 14,000 people who die each year qualify for organ donation, but less than half of them become donors (1). In 2001, 2,025 kidney patients, 1,347 liver patients, 458 heart patients and 361 lung patients died waiting for organ transplants due to the shortage of organ transplantation (1). These numbers include young people; nearly 10 percent waiting for liver transplants are under 18 years of age (1). PROCESS OF ORGAN DONATION There are many steps to take during the organ donation process. The procurement process differs for the type of organ being donated, and whether or not the donor is living. For a deceased donor, the organs and tissues that are in good condition are removed in a surgical procedure and all incisions are closed so an open casket funeral can take place. After the organs have been removed, the patient is taken off artificial support. Organs must be used between 6 and 72 hours after removal from the donors body (depending on the organ), tissues such as corneas, skin, heart valves, bone, tendons, ligaments, and cartilage can be preserved and stored in tissue banks for later use. Some organs and tissues can be donated while the donor is alive. Living individuals can donate one of their two kidneys and the remaining kidney provides the necessary function needed to remove waste from the body. Single kidney donation is the most frequent living donor procedure. A living donor can donate one of two lobes of their liver. This is possible because liver cells in the remaining lobe regenerate until the liver is almost its original size. Living donors can also donate a lung or part of a lung, part of the pancreas, or part of the intestines. Although these organs do not regenerate, both the donated portion of the organ and the portion remaining with the donor are fully functioning. Surprisingly, it is also possible for a living person to donate a heart, but only if he or she is receiving a replacement heart. Tissues donated by living donors are blood, marrow, blood stem cells, and umbilical cord blood. A healthy body can easily replace some tissues such as blood or bone marrow. Blood is made up of white and red blood cells, platelets, and the serum that carries blood cells throughout the circulatory system. Bone marrow contains stem cells. In addition, stem cells found in circulating blood in adults and from the umbilical cord of a newborn also can be donated. Both blood and bone marrow can even be donated more than once since they are regenerated and replaced by the body after donation. Each potential living donor is evaluated to determine his or her suitability to donate. The evaluation includes both the possible psychological response and physical response to the donation process. This is done to ensure that no adverse outcome, either physically, psychologically, or emotionally, will occur before, during, or following the donation. Generally, living donors should be physically fit, in good health, between the ages of 18 and 60, and not currently have or have had diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure, kidney disease, or heart disease. After death, a person can choose to donate their whole body to a medical school or other scientific research facility. People who wish to donate their entire body to medical science should contact the medical school or willed body program of their choice and make arrangements to do so before they die. Medical schools need bodies to teach medical students about anatomy, and research facilities need them to study disease processes so they can devise cures. Since the bodies used for these purposes generally must be complete with all their organs and tissues, organ donation is not an option. Some programs, however, make exceptions. A person making this decision can inform their family that organ donation is the first choice, but if it is found that the organs are not medically suitable for organ donation, the family can carry out the wishes for whole body donation. To begin the transplantation process, those in need of organs are placed on a registry list. All patients accepted onto a transplant hospitals waiting list are registered with the United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS) Organ Center, where a centralized computer network links all organ procurement organizations (OPOs) and transplant centers. Staffed 24 hours a day throughout the year, the Organ Center assists with the matching, transporting, and sharing of organs throughout the U.S. When donor organs are identified, the procuring organization typically accesses the UNOS organ matching system, enters information about the donor organs, and runs the match program. For each organ that becomes available, the program generates a list of potential recipients ranked according to objective criteria (i.e. blood type, tissue type, size of the organ, medical urgency of the patient, time on the waiting list, and distance between donor and recipient). Ethnicity, gender, religion, and financial status are not part of the computer matching system. The procurement coordinator contacts the transplant surgeon caring for the top-ranked patient to offer the organ. If the organ is turned down, the next listed individuals transplant center is contacted, and so on, until the organ is placed. Once the organ is accepted for a potential recipient, transportation arrangements are made for the surgical teams to come to the donor hospital and surgery is scheduled. For heart, lung, or liver transplantation, the recipient of the organ is identified prior to the organ recovery and called into the hospital where the transplant will occur to prepare for the surgery. The recovered organs are stored in a cold organ preservation solution and transported from the donor to the recipient hospital. For heart and lung recipients, it is best to transplant the organ within six hours of organ recovery. Livers can be preserved up to 24 hours after recovery. For kidneys and typically the pancreas, laboratory tests designed to measure the compatibility between the donor organ and recipient are performed. A surgeon will not accept the organ if these tests show that the patients immune system will reject the organ. The role of the organ procurement organization (OPO) is very important in the matching process. OPOs become involved when a patient is identified as brain dead and is therefore a potential donor. The OPO coordinates the logistics between the organ donors family, the donor organs, the transplant center, and the transplant candidate. OPOs provide organ recovery services to hospitals located within designated geographical area of the U.S. OPOs are non-profit organizations and are members of the OPTN. Each has its own board of directors and a medical director on staff who is usually a transplant surgeon or physician. OPOs employ highly trained professionals called procurement coordinators who carry out the organizations mission. From the moment of consent for donation to the release of the donors body to the morgue, all costs associated with the organ donation process are billed directly to the OPO. ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS Organ donation and transplantation carry with them some unique ethical implications. According to Veatch, â€Å"it is clear that choosing an ethical principle [to guide decisions in organ donation and transplantation] determines some very practical matters, including who lives and who dies† (15). There are many elements of organ donation and transplantation that create ethical dilemmas. The difficult resolution of these questions is largely attributed to the discrepancy between the number of potential recipients and the scarcity of available organs. Issues related to organ donation create a number of unique and intriguing challenges that are not easily resolved. Along with the allocation of organs, there are myriad ethical considerations when dealing with organ donation, procurement and transplantation. Some of these other considerations include variations in, and the standardization of, the definition of death, ethical differences between living and deceased donors, transplant tourism, the buying and selling of organs and xenotransplantation (cross-species transplantations). Each of these presents unique circumstances that need to be considered and addressed. This issue touches every level of society regardless of socioeconomic status or any other dividing factor. Everything from the black market of human organs to animal rights creeps into ethical decisions of this type. There is no easy way to make these choices, especially those that often mean the difference between life and death. Numerous ethical models are used to support and detest certain practices regarding organ allocation. The most pervasive ethical theories that guide de cision making are social utility and justice. Social utility is a principle based on the maximization of social utility. It holds that those who will receive the most social benefit should receive the organ. Social utility favors the best HLA (Human Leukocyte Antigen) match. The consideration of the likelihood of success based on donor-recipient compatibility is of utmost importance in this view. Also, this is generally the preferred guiding principle of medical professionals. Because of the availability of immunosuppressive drugs, the difference between poor matches and good matches is marginal at best (15). Because of the negligible difference between good and poor HLA matches, many people assert that justice should be the guiding ethical principle in allocating organs. The view that everyone should be treated equally, regardless of the odds for a successful transplant, is called justice. It is often favored because skewed donor demographics can reduce a person’s chance of receiving organs based on a good HLA match or other genetic differences (race, gender etc.). Those in favor of justice advocate equal access based on criteria such as blood type and time on the recipient waiting list. Proponents of the justice approach are often non-physician decision makers who try to focus on fairness instead of medical or social benefit. How can seemingly conflicting ethical principles be considered and applied? What is the best course of action? Ethics committees for organizations such as UNOS try to combine ethical principles when making organ allocation decisions. In his book, The Basics of Bioethics, Veatch asserts that ethics committees â€Å"endorsed a policy of giving half the weight in the allocation to considerations of medical utility and half the weight to considerations of justice† in order to appease both parties (15). Finding an effective and universal method for making ethical decisions that will please everyone is unlikely because of the discrepancy between general policy and individual cases. Unfortunately, not everyone will be treated fairly all the time or agree with policies in which only generalizations can be made because of personal biases and experiences. Therefore, committees such as the UNOS Ethics Committee do not review individual cases, but focus on general policy instead. Ethics committees must do the best they can to be fair and provide social utility simultaneously. SOLUTIONS FOR THE SHORTAGE Despite the advances in medicine and technology, the demand for organs drastically outnumbers the number of organ donors. According to The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) the chronic shortage of organ donors is the most critical issue facing the field of organ transplantation. The current approach to acquiring organs for transplantation relies on the voluntarism of live donors and the altruism of deceased donor families. Increased educational expenditures have frequently been used as a way of motivating people to become donors. The Organ Procurement Organizations (OPOs) have launched substantial promotional campaigns. The campaigns have been designed to both educate the general public about the desperate need for donated organs and educate physicians and critical care hospital staff regarding the identification of potential deceased donors. Over the years, a substantial sum has been spent on these types of educational activities. Recent evidence, however, suggests that further spending on these programs is unlikely to increase supply by a significant amount.3 As a result, there are many new proposed solutions to solve the organ shortage problem. One of the most controversial proposals is to provide individuals with some type of incentive to become a donor. It is currently illegal to compensate donors or their families for organ transplantation. The National Organ Transplant Act (NOTA) of 1984 states: â€Å"It shall be unlawful for any person to knowingly acquire, receive, or otherwise transfer any human organ for valuable consideration for use in human transplantation. â€Å" Due to the increasing shortage of organs many groups, including The American Medical Association, The American Society of Transplant Surgeons, and The United Network for Organ Sharing, have come out in favor of testing financial compensation. Financial incentives can be divided into forward looking approaches and on the spot approaches. Forward approaches involve offering some type of incentive for people to become part of an organ donor registry so that if they die under circumstances where they can donate, their organ will be recovered. An advantage of this type of approach is that the donor is in control, taking the burden off the family to have to make a decision in that most difficult situation. On the spot incentives would be offered only to the families of people who are suitable deceased donor candidates. The American Society of Transplant Surgeons has said that it would be ethically acceptable to offer to make a charitable contribution on behalf of the deceased donor to cover the funeral expenses.2 This kind of payment could be given as a way of saying thanks for the sacrifice the family has made, and would be similar to the death benefit offered to families of servicemen who die in the line of duty. It is impossible to know in advance what effect such polices would have on increasing organ supply. One of the greatest objections to financial incentive plans is that they risk creating tensions and divisions between surviving family members at the bedside about whether or not to take the money; and that it changes the character of organ procurement from giving to selling. 4 Critics also argue that payments for organ donation could lead to a black market for human organs. Reciprocity plans are another approach to motivate people to donate their organs. One such proposal is a â€Å"no- give, no- take† policy. Under this system, in order to receive an organ you must have previously signed your organ donor card. A variant of this plan could be implemented within the current point system. Organs are currently allocated according to a point system which is based on factors such as quality of life, match between donor and recipient, or the amount of time a recipient has been on the waiting list. Under this type of plan, those who have previously signed their organ donor card would receive extra points that would move them higher up on the list. Another proposal is to reverse the current system in which doctors must obtain a patient’s (or his or her family’s) consent in order to remove organs after death. Under this policy, known as â€Å"presumed consent†, all patients would be presumed to want to become organ donors unless explicitly stated otherwise. This approach is followed in different forms in several European countries and has had varying levels of success. While it has resulted in significant increases in organ donation rates in Austria, Belgium, France and Spain, other countries that have presumed consent laws such as Switzerland, Greece, and Italy have organ donation rates that are lower than those of many voluntary consent† countries. This type of proposal has consistently been met with opposition on the grounds that it violates an individual’s right to make medical decisions for them self. Critics of presumed consent also warn that there may be a public backlash against orga n donation as a result. They state that individuals may be more likely to donate if they feel free to exercise a choice rather than being compelled to do so by the law. Less extreme approaches to presumed consent are â€Å"mandated choice† or â€Å"required response† policies. Rather than waiting for people to volunteer for organ donation, hospitals or government organizations could require individuals to state their preference about organ donation when they get their driver’s licenses or file tax returns. Their wishes would be considered legally binding unless they had a documented change of mind before actually dying. In 1991, Texas enacted a law requiring citizens to make a yes or no choice about organ donation when they renewed their drivers license. The law had to be repealed in 1997 because the implementation of the mandatory choice resulted in a refusal rate of 80%. This high rate of refusal was attributed to the lack of public education about organ donation.(16) Researchers are also working on developing artificial organs. As of February 2002, five people have received fully self –contained artificial hearts. The artificial heart has rarely been used because it is still highly experimental and because recipients must be willing to have their own heart removed. Although there are many technical hurdles to overcome in the field of artificial organs, researchers are hopeful. Various laboratories in the United States and around the world are developing artificial hearts, lungs, livers, and pancreases. Perhaps the simplest approach to significantly reducing the demand for organ transplantation would be the sustained, committed, long-term emphasis on disease and injury prevention. Preventing disease before it begins would shrink the number of people on transplant waiting lists and reduce the demand for human organs. However, there is reason to doubt that these measures would have a significant impact. Preventive medicine cannot ultimately stop the natural aging of the body, which leads to organ failure. Also, many Americans will not follow the strict regimen of diet and exercise necessary to get and stay healthy, and even for those who change their ways, the disease processes set in motion by years and decades of poor health habits are often not readily reversible. In light of these constraints, we can expect only so much from preventive medicine. Most people do not consider what happens to their bodies after death, so they do not often think about organ donation. They do not consider that after their own death they can save others from reaching the same fate prematurely. A simple decision about giving away organs no longer needed for a lifeless body can save lives, restore lost body function, and improve the quality of life. 1. 25 Facts About Organ Donation and Transplantation. United States House of Representatives. February 2002. Congressional Kidney Caucus. 4 November 2008. house.gov/mcdermott/kidneycaucus/index.html. 2. Arnold, R. et al. 2002. Financial Incentives for Cadaver Organ Donation: An Ethical Reappraisal. Transplantation 73 (8):1361-67. 3. Beard, T. Randolph, John D. Jackson, and David L. Kaserman. The Failure of U.S. Organ Procurement Policy. Regulation Winter 2008: 22-30. 4. Crowe, Sam. â€Å"Increasing the Supply of Human Organs: Three Policy Proposals† bioethics.gov/background/increasing_supply_of_human_organs.html 5. Donation and Transplantation. The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network. 3 November 2008 optn.org/about/. 6. Etzion, Amitai . Organ Donation: A Communitarian Approach. The Communitarian Network. 1 November 2008. gwu.edu/~ccps/Organ_Donation.pdf. 7. Guy, Bonnie S and Aldridge, Alicia. â€Å"Marketing Organ Donation Around the Globe,† Marketing Health Services [Winter 2001]: 31). 8. History of Organ Transplantation. New York Organ Donor Network. 12 November 2008 donatelifeny.org/transplant/organ_history.html. 9. Howards, Lawrence A.. Ethics of organ donation. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 20 June 1999. 7 November 2008 http://www2.jsonline.com/alive/column/jun99/howards62099.asp. 10. Sundwall, David N. Utahns committeed to organ donation . Deseret news 17 January 2008 12 November 2008 deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695244690,00.html. 11. Torr, James D. Introduction. At Issue: Organ Transplants. Ed. James D. Torr. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2002. August 2004. 4 November 2008. enotes.com/organ-transplants-article/38952 12. Truog, Robert. â€Å"The Ethics of Organ Donation by Living Donors.† The New England Journal of Medicine. 2005 Aug 4;353(5):444-6. 13. Types of Donation. Department of Health and Human Services. 15 November 2008 . 14. Understanding Donation. Donate Life America. 12 November 2008 donatelife.net/UnderstandingDonation/Statistics.php. 15. Veatch, Robert M. The Basics of Bioethics, Second Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc., 2003, 2000. 16. Verheijde, Joseph L., Rady, Mohamed Y., and McGregor, Joan. Recovery of transplantable organs after cardiac or circulatory death: Transforming the paradigm for the ethics of organ donation. PubMed Central 22 May 2007. 7 November 2008. pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pubmedpubmedid=17519030#B64. Research Papers on Organ Donation Save LivesGenetic EngineeringArguments for Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS)Capital PunishmentMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm XIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesMoral and Ethical Issues in Hiring New EmployeesPersonal Experience with Teen Pregnancy

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Insects That Defend Themselves by Playing Dead

Insects That Defend Themselves by Playing Dead Insects use many defensive strategies to protect themselves from predators, from chemical sprays to bites or stings. Some insects take a more passive approach to self-defense, though, by simply playing dead. Thanatosis Predators quickly lose interest in dead prey, so insects that employ the strategy of playing dead (called thanatosis) can often escape unharmed. The act of feigning death often looks like a demonstration of stop, drop, and roll, as threatened insects let go of whatever substrate they happen to be clinging to and drop to the ground. They then stay still, waiting for the predator to give up and leave. Insects that evade predation by playing dead include certain caterpillars, ladybugs and many other beetles, weevils, robber flies, and even giant water bugs. Beetles of the genus Cryptoglossa are known by the common name death-feigning beetles. When trying to collect insects that play dead, its often easiest to place a collecting jar or beating sheet beneath the branch or substrate where youve found the insects.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Strategic Management Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Strategic Management - Case Study Example Tim-BR-Marts need to develop a combative strategy and develop it fast. Any company do not have a strong strategy will lose the competition. To start the planning the analysis of the problem is most vital way to solve it. Management Processes: Tim-BR-Marts Ltd has management process, which is a process of planning and controlling the performance or execution of their business. This include: 1. Decision making processes A decision-making arises in Tim-BR-Marts because a manager is faced with a problem and another courses of action are available. So manager do study the following: a. Type of information used in decision making In deciding which option to choose, the information is very important to choose which decision to fallow. Also manager do have information relevant to his decision, and manager must have some principle on the basis of which he can choose the best alternative. Tim-BR-Marts know how many competitors are there in the market? What are the strong properties and what we ak area that they have? 1. Firm overhead Time-BR-Marts managers know overhead which all non-labor expenses require to operating such business. How many stores, electricity bills, and phone bills. All these expenses are knew by the manger. 2. Negotiation prices Negotiating on price became a factor in getting the scene to agree to deals. Tim-BR-Mats have competitive advantage of negotiation price. 3. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). This agreement gives good advantage to all component of lumber market. 4. Tim-BR-Marts has defensive strategy Defensive marketing warfare strategies are a type of marketing warfare strategy designed to protect a company's market share, profitability, product positioning, or mind share. Many companies in Tim-BR-Marts territory have attacked Tim-BR-Marts. There is many ways that Tim-BR-Marts to defend their market by principles involved: Always secure an attack with equal or greater force. If Tim-BR-Marts competitor plans to open more stores, Tim-BR should find better places to open new stores. Defend every important market. Be forever vigilant in scanning for potential attackers. Assess the strength of the competitor. Consider the amount of support that the attacker might muster from allies. The best defense is to attack you. Attack your weak spots and rebuild yourself anew. Defensive strategies should be the exclusive domain of the market leader. 5. Market Share Market share analysis is an important part of market analysis and indicates how well Tim-BR-Mart is doing in the marketplace compared to its competitors. b. Decision time frame Competitors are expanding quickly into Canada market. Price negotiated yearly. c. Level of inclusiveness in process autocratic Reduce the stress among managers and employees A more productive group while the leader is watching the growth. 3.Tim-BR-Marts has only two who make the decision. 4. Employees need quick and accurate action instead of obstacles and delays and wait only for two m anagers to make decision. 5. Employees with decision-making permission, save company time and increase client satisfaction. To solve that by 1. Local meetings 2. Business and the mission need of inclusiveness, employees help to achieve the mission, all member of the firm should adapt to the changing. E. Bounded rational model Use the knowledge that they have to the best of their abilities. Define the situation/decision to be made Identify the important

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Psychology - Self Esteem Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Psychology - Self Esteem - Essay Example Materialistic people believe that possessing physical things or property will lead to their satisfaction, content, and happiness. Apparently, studies have found this to be the opposite, such that, with the increase in material wealth, people tend to be unhappier. Caprariello and Reis in their study identified that people who spend more on life-experience events were happier than those acquiring material possessions. Having been identified as two important factors in defining human character, research has also been carried out to identify the correlation between self-esteem and materialism. Some of the findings have identified that there is an inversely proportional relationship between self-esteem and materialism; people with low self-esteem tend to use material possessions to satisfy their self-consciousness and insecurities (Park and Roedder 73–87). People’s self-esteem and need for materialistic possession are the main causes of societal problems. One of the problems associated with individual’s self-esteem and materialistic needs is poor health. As we have identified in earlier statements, individual’s character is mostly defined by their desire to achieve attain happiness, and this can be achieved through high self-esteem or use of material possessions. However, since nothing is perfect in this world, those unable to cope with the realities of life will likely fall victim to various health problems such as anxiety and depression. In a study carried out by Sowislo and Orth, they identified that low self-esteem was strongly related to depression. The results showed that, low self-esteem contributed to depression and depression was found to erode an individual’s self-esteem. The study further identified that low self-esteem was also a determinant for anxiety (Sowislo and Orth 214). People experiencing low self-esteem are known to seek material possessions in order to fulfill their desire for content and

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Obesity Statistics Essay Example for Free

Obesity Statistics Essay Obesity statistics in Malaysia are getting scarier by the day. The World Health Organization (WHO) survey in 2010 ranked Malaysia as sixth in Asia with the highest adult obesity rate. Obesity statistics from the Malaysian National Health and Morbidity Survey in 2006 showed that 43% of Malaysian adults were obese or overweight at that time. And these obesity statistics showed that overweight children were 38% of the child population in Malaysia. The recent WHO results of 2010 showed that 60% of Malaysians aged 18 and up, had a BMI over 25. A BMI of more than 25 means the person is overweight. In 2008, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) did research on the ‘prevalence of obesity among children’. The results were astounding, showing an increase of obesity of 30% in the 6 to 12 years old age group. In 2007, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) did a nationwide, all Malaysian states study on obesity, on Malaysians aged 15 years old and above. A person with a BMI of more than 30 was considered to be obese. Those overweight with a BMI reading of more than 25 were excluded. The UPM researchers found that females were more likely to be obese at 13.8% while men were at 9.6%. Malays and Indians had higher cases of obesity at 13.6% and 13.5%, while Chinese came in 8.5% of their population groups. Sarawak natives had 10.8% cases of obesity while the Sabah natives had the lowest at 7.3%. The data obtained were statistically significant (p 0.0001). All these obesity statistics have rung alarm bells at the Malaysian Ministry of Health. The Malaysian government is concerned on the health effects, productivity and the healthcare costs implications of an obesity epidemic in the country. The government notes that this obesity and overweight issue is far more serious in Malaysia than in other countries in the region. The Malaysian Ministry of Health had planned for another survey in 2011 to update these obesity statistics. This would have included a study on the incidences of diabetes and kidney diseases in Malaysia. But no results are available as of now.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Capital Punishment Essay - America Needs the Death Penalty :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays

America Needs the Death Penalty      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ever since the death penalty has been declared constitutional in 1976, thousands of people have been placed on death row and 314 of them have been executed.( Yaffe,1)   Thirty-eight states now allow the death penalty, with New York being the last to adapt this legislation last March.   Massachusetts and Iowa have been trying to pass a law that would to allow the death penalty to be used in their states.   Capital punishment is most often saved for murder and sometimes arson, treason, burglary, and forcible rape of a 14 year old or under from a 18 year old or older, but it varies within each state. There are many politicians who are trying to pass laws banning the death penalty.   There are around 3000 people on death row across the country right now and if these politicians get their way, then 3000 lives will be spared.(Matthews,1)   The rage of this issue continues to persist   with many people questioning if capital punishment is really the answer to solving the problem of crime.   The death penalty sh ould beallowed because it is not inhumane but rather fair and it's continued use will end up helping out society in many ways.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Many people who oppose the death penalty say it is inhumane and unfair. These people who oppose it say that all human life has the right to be respected. All human life does have the right to be respected but there is a point when that right can be lost, if someone takes the life of another human being then they have given up that right.   Another claim the opposers to the death penalty make is that the death penalty encourages more murders because if people see the authority taking someone's life, then they will think they can do it too.   This is not true, if criminals see that more and more people are getting the death penalty, this will cause them to think their actions over. The United Kingdom abolished the death penalty in 1965 and since then, violent crime has more than doubled.(Matthews,2)   The death penalty is not inhumane because it can be done painlessly and quickly.   In most cases when the execution was performed the process that was most often used was lethal injection. Out of   the 314 executions that have taken place since 1976 the majority of them, 179 have been done by means of lethal injection.   The electric chair has been used 123 times, the gas chamber: 9 times, a firing squad: twice, and hanging: once.(Rodriquez, 4) Lethal injection is a quick, non-suffering way to execute the death row

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

My Antonia Imagery Essay

Willa Cather, an American author, achieved much recognition on her frontier works. She earned much acknowledgement in her work of My Antonia. Raised on a primitive farm in Nebraska, Cather uses her experiences of the landscape to transform the senses of her readers. Cather demonstrates her ability to capture the feeling of the prairie at the end of the â€Å"Hired Girls. † (â€Å"Presently we saw†¦ somewhere on the prairie. † Page 146-147) Not only is this scene an important image of the moment, but the representation of this plow amongst the setting sun as well. The image of the plow in front of the sinking sun is very prominent throughout the book. Though the plow could simply represent a plow or the sun just a sun, Cather puts much more depth into it. She creates a mental picture that appeals to the readers senses. Cather emphasizes the â€Å"gold-washed sky† and â€Å"horizontal light. † She creates vivaciousness into the mind. The warmth that the sun gives off made Jim feel joy and the love for his country. Cather includes how the setting sun embellishes a red hue around the plow. Red makes Jim feel the passion and affection he has for Antonia and the land he grew up on. It reminds him of the fire and life he had as a kid and remembers the love of life itself. The plow as a silhouette against the setting sun shows its enormity and massiveness. The plow casts a shadow along the fields, creating the impression of a much larger plow than in reality. The plow has changes not only Antonia’s life, but the fields as well. It transforms the ground, from something hard and tough, to fertile soil used for farming to create something new and beautiful. If the plow was not placed in front of the sun, the plow would still look smaller and irrelevant. As the sun continues to set, the shadows diminish. Although the symbolism of the plow is significant, it pales in comparison to the endless fields. The plow settles â€Å"back to its own littleness. † It is no match to the beauty of Mother Nature. Towards the beginning of the book, Cather includes Virgil’s quote, â€Å"Optima dies†¦ prima fugit,† which translates to â€Å"the best days are the first to flee. It represents a reoccurring theme in the book. The sun rises and falls each day, and this moment with Antonia stood out to Jim most of all. As they both grow older and move in their separate ways. Aware of the approaching end, Jim leaves for college shortly afterwards. The setting of the sun at night means a new day will dawn soon, and a new chapter of Jim and Antonia’s life must begin. Antonia leaves her life on the fields behind to move onto a life of a â€Å"Hired Girl. † Cather transforms this spectacular novel into a Bildungsroman. Antonia and Jim develop from children to young adults. She continuously reminds the readers of the American Dream, which is also referenced to by the plow. From the outside, the plow and sun- or the American Dream, looks beautiful in combination. But when the sun sets, all that is left behind is a regular plow that still requires hard work and dedication. Shortly before the end of Jim’s statement, Cather includes â€Å"heroic in size, a picture writing on the sun,† Heroic stands for the plow, something bigger than itself. When put into use, the plow is a quintessential element for farming, but when not, it takes up space and could get in the way. Irrelevant and unnoticed. The hard work that Willa Cather put into My Antonia did not go unrecognized. She portrayed her talent to capture the reader into the book. The simple words she uses helps to constrain the actual complexity she can not express. The symbolism ties into the story to make clear to the reader of the American Dream and all the other reoccurring themes throughout the story.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Functional Roles of Human Resources Essay

Functional Roles of Human Resources One of the most important departments in a company is the human resources department. This department is charged with finding, screening, recruiting, and training job applicants, as well as administering employee-benefit programs. As companies reorganize to gain competitive edge, human resources play a key role in helping companies deal with a fast-changing competitive environment and the greater demand for quality employees. The purpose of this paper is to describe the functional roles of human resources. Roles There are many different roles that the human resources department possesses. The major functional areas are: (1) planning, (2) staffing, (3) employee development, and (4) employee maintenance. These four areas and their related functions share the common objective of an adequate number of competent employees with the skills, abilities, knowledge, and experience needed for further organizational goals (Scribd, Inc. , 2011). Planning In the human resource planning function, the number and type of employees needed to accomplish organizational goals are determined. Human resources are able to make transitions as quick as possible by always anticipating a company’s staffing needs. This ensures that companies do not fall behind while searching for the right person to fill an opening. Research is an important part of this function because planning requires the collection and analysis of information in order to forecast human resources supplies and to predict future human resources needs (Scribd, Inc.2011). Staffing This is one of the most fundamental roles of the HR department. Human resources must work to ensure that a company has the right number of employees, placed in the positions that best utilize their talents. This function involves evaluation of ability and competency of potential employees in relation to what the Company needs. If this function is performed well, then the organization will increase va lue consequently being on the right pathway to achieve its organizational and departmental goals and objectives (Hyde, 2004). Employee Development Development programs help prepare employees for higher level responsibilities within the organization and train new employees by giving them information to be valuable assets to the company. This function provides useful means of assuring that employees are capable of performing their jobs at acceptable levels (Scribd, Inc. , 2011). This helps employees feel empowered and motivated, which keeps them from looking into positions at a competing company. Employee Maintenance This function monitors employee performance to ensure that it is at acceptable levels (Scribd, Inc. , 2011). A large part of maintenance is performance appraisal. Besides providing a basis for pay, promotion, and disciplinary action, performance appraisal information is essential for employee development since knowledge of results (feedback) is necessary to motivate and guide performance improvements.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Free Essays on Politics And The Media

In America, the media holds a powerful and effective position in politicizing and socializing the general populace. The main political function of the media is to inform and analyze while being accountable. However the question of whether the media produces a pluralist democracy, or fosters a â€Å"one dimensional society† still remains unanswered. Many contemporary philosophers conclude that the media does contribute to both, some even postulate other drawbacks, for instance they posit that the media maintains elite power both in the corporate and political sector. On the other hand, some intellectual thinkers have theorized that the media, especially advertisement, is a major influence to substantiate the economy. One common belief shared by all contemporary media critics is that the media reflects and produces values of its own, even though their onus is initially to inform. In America the media has become a corporation in a corporate dominated society, it has become a bias agency of politicization. Powerful business corporations and politicians intertwine, both using the media to indoctrinate the mass populace in order to consummate a political and social consensus. This in turn maintains their elite positions. â€Å"Hollywoodism† and advertisement contributes to American imperialism by generating a desire among oversea consumers to buy American products. The impact of the American media has politicized a pluralist democracy among the majority by creating a marginilized society, leaving the corporations, including the media, and the American politicians at the top of the pinnacle concerning political decisions and elite power. Mass communications used to be, in itself, an autonomous solely owned corporation. However, this changed by the 1980’s, the majority of all major American media- magazines, televisions, radios, books, newspapers, and movies- were controlled by fifty giant corporations. Today, only twenty-three conglomerate cor... Free Essays on Politics And The Media Free Essays on Politics And The Media In America, the media holds a powerful and effective position in politicizing and socializing the general populace. The main political function of the media is to inform and analyze while being accountable. However the question of whether the media produces a pluralist democracy, or fosters a â€Å"one dimensional society† still remains unanswered. Many contemporary philosophers conclude that the media does contribute to both, some even postulate other drawbacks, for instance they posit that the media maintains elite power both in the corporate and political sector. On the other hand, some intellectual thinkers have theorized that the media, especially advertisement, is a major influence to substantiate the economy. One common belief shared by all contemporary media critics is that the media reflects and produces values of its own, even though their onus is initially to inform. In America the media has become a corporation in a corporate dominated society, it has become a bias agency of politicization. Powerful business corporations and politicians intertwine, both using the media to indoctrinate the mass populace in order to consummate a political and social consensus. This in turn maintains their elite positions. â€Å"Hollywoodism† and advertisement contributes to American imperialism by generating a desire among oversea consumers to buy American products. The impact of the American media has politicized a pluralist democracy among the majority by creating a marginilized society, leaving the corporations, including the media, and the American politicians at the top of the pinnacle concerning political decisions and elite power. Mass communications used to be, in itself, an autonomous solely owned corporation. However, this changed by the 1980’s, the majority of all major American media- magazines, televisions, radios, books, newspapers, and movies- were controlled by fifty giant corporations. Today, only twenty-three conglomerate cor...

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

A Beginners Guide to the French Revolution

A Beginner's Guide to the French Revolution Between 1789 and 1802, France was wracked by a revolution which radically changed the government, administration, military, and culture of the nation as well as plunging Europe into a series of wars. France went from a largely feudal state under an absolutist monarch through the French Revolution to a republic which executed the king and then to an empire under Napoleon Bonaparte. Not only were centuries of law, tradition, and practice wiped away by a revolution few people had been able to predict going this far, but warfare spread the revolution across Europe, changing the continent permanently. Key People King Louis XVI: King of France when the revolution began in 1789, he was executed in 1792.Emmanuel Sieyà ¨s: Deputy who helped radicalize the third estate and instigated the coup which brought the consuls to power.Jean-Paul Marat: Popular journalist who advocated extreme measures against traitors and hoarders. Assassinated in 1793.Maximilien Robespierre: Lawyer who went from advocating an end to the death penalty to the architect of the Terror. Executed in 1794.Napoleon Bonaparte: French general whose rise to power brought the revolution to an end. Dates Although historians are agreed that the French Revolution started in 1789, they are divided on the end date. A few histories stop in 1795 with the creation of the Directory, some stop in 1799 with the creation of the Consulate, while many more stop in 1802, when Napoleon Bonaparte became Consul for Life, or 1804 when he became Emperor. A rare few continue to the restoration of the monarchy in 1814. In Brief A medium-term financial crisis, caused partly by Frances decisive involvement in the American Revolutionary War, led to the French crown first calling an Assembly of Notables and then, in 1789, a meeting called the Estates General in order to gain assent for new tax laws. The Enlightenment had affected the views of middle-class French society to the point where they demanded involvement in government and the financial crisis gave them a way in to get it. The Estates General was composed of three Estates: the clergy, the nobility, and the rest of France, but there were arguments over how fair this was: the Third Estate was far larger than the other two but only had a third of the vote. Debate ensued, with a call for the Third getting a bigger say. This Third Estate, informed by long term doubts over the constitution of France and the development of a new social order of bourgeoisie, declared itself a National Assembly and decreed the suspension of taxation, taking French sovereignty i nto its own hands. After a power struggle which saw the National Assembly take the Tennis Court Oath not to disband, the king gave in and the Assembly began reforming France, scrapping the old system and drawing up a new constitution with a Legislative Assembly. This continued the reforms but it created divisions in France by legislating against the church and declaring war on nations which supported the French king. In 1792, a second revolution  took place, as Jacobins and sansculottes forced the Assembly to replace itself with a National Convention which abolished the monarchy, declared France a republic and in 1793, executed the king. As the Revolutionary Wars went against France, as regions angry at attacks on the church and conscription rebelled and as the revolution became increasingly radicalized, the National Convention created a Committee of Public Safety to run France in 1793. After a struggle between political factions called the Girondins and the Montagnards was won by the latter, an era of bloody measures called The Terror began, when over 16,000 people were guillotined. In 1794, the revolution again changed, this time turning against the Terror and its architect Robespierre. The Terrorists were removed in a coup and a new constitution was drawn up which created, in 1795, a new legislative system run by a Directory of five men. This remained in power thanks to rigging elections and purging the assemblies before being replaced, thanks to the army and a general called Napoleon Bonaparte, by a new constitution in 1799 which created three consuls to rule France. Bonaparte was the first consul and, while the reform of France continued, Bonaparte managed to bring the revolutionary wars to a close and have himself declared consul for life. In 1804 he crowned himself Emperor of France; the revolution was over, the empire had begun. Consequences There is universal agreement that the political and administrative face of France was wholly altered: a republic based around elected- mainly bourgeois- deputies replaced a monarchy supported by nobles while the many and varied feudal systems were replaced by new, usually elected institutions which were applied universally across France. The culture was also affected, at least in the short term, with the revolution permeating every creative endeavor. However, there is still debate over whether the revolution permanently changed the social structures of France or whether they were only altered in the short term. Europe was also changed. The revolutionaries of 1792 began a war which extended through the Imperial period and forced nations to marshal their resources to a greater extent than ever before. Some areas, like Belgium and Switzerland, became client states of France with reforms similar to those of the revolution. National identities also began coalescing like never before. The many and fast developing ideologies of the revolution were also spread across Europe, helped by French being the continental elite’s dominant language. The French Revolution has often been called the start of the modern world, and while this is an exaggeration- many of the supposed revolutionary developments had precursors- it was an epochal event that permanently changed the European mindset. Patriotism, devotion to the state instead of the monarch, mass warfare, all became solidified in the modern mind.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Financial management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Financial management - Essay Example These ratios describe that how many current assets are required to fulfill the current liabilities. By using the data from each company’s financial statement we find out the current ratio of both companies. As in company A there is a large amount of assets to fullfill the liabilities of the company more efficiently as compared to the company B, so the current ratio of company A is 1 and a current ratio of company B is 0.4, the same situation is in the case of quick ratio. Quick ratio of company A is 1.02 and of the company B is 0.2. Quick ratio specifically measures the liquidity so the result shows that company A is more liquid as compared to the company B. (â€Å"HITSTELEC: Financial reports†) What do the accounts receivables turnover and inventory turnover of your company (Company (A)), compared with the other company, suggest about the company (A)’s ability to convert AR and Inventory accounts into cash? We compared account receivable turnover between company A and B, we know that account receivable turnover show that how many times companies receive payments from debtors. As the result show company A has the turnover of 8.8 times and company B has the turnover of 10.7 times, so it is clearly shown that company B has a high turnover as compared to company A. As we know inventory turnover means the cost of goods sold on an inventory recovered at a specific time. Again the company B has a high inventory turnover as compared to company A. Company A can convert account receivables into cash when it receives the debts from the debtors and this happen only when company issue debts on some specific terms and conditions or compensate the debtor that they can return their debt by their willingness. Company A can convert an inventory account into cash from the sale of inventory as possible as they can for this purpose it is necessary to reduce the cost of that inventory that every person can easily afford it. (â€Å"DU:

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Proposal Argument I Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Proposal Argument I - Essay Example Meet the Parents† was made on this topic in which a male nurse fell in love with a girl and when they go to visit the parents of that girl everything become a nightmare just because the profession owned by that guy was nursing. The movie represents a true picture of our society because today, millions of people have a perception that nursing is only a field for females and they believe a man cannot fit in a feminine field. I believe this is totally wrong and unfair because the issue of inequality of male nurses is exactly the same to the issues of discrimination in other professions. To understand the reasons for inequality facing men in nursing, it is crucial to have an insight into the past of this profession. In the 3rd century, nursing was founded as an attractive profession in ancient rime and at that time it was dominated by men. In the 20th century, women dominated nursing and had kicked out men from this profession by creating a perception that nursing is a â€Å"feminine† profession. The biggest support with women was the foundation of the American Nurse Association in 1913, which banned the entry of men. Later, somewhere in 1930’s men were welcomed to nursing, but just in papers and documents because they were discriminated by teachers in school and later on by peers, patients and society in their workplace. I have been interviewing many registered male nurses and most of them complained about unequal treatment by teachers in school. Johnson is a registered male nurse and he told me that the course contents, class environment and teaching style were women centered, which compelled me to feel uncomfortable during classes (Johnson). Many authors also participated in making the issue of inequality in the field of nursing for male nurse by referring nurses as women in their books and text books which further discouraged males from choosing nursing as a profession. This is not the limit, as patients usually demand to have female nurses to take care of

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Effect of Advertising in Brand Promotion Dissertation

Effect of Advertising in Brand Promotion - Dissertation Example with Established Businesses 34 4.3 Analysis and Discussion 37 5.CONCLUSIONS, IMPLICATIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS 43 5.1 Conclusions 43 5.2 Recommendations and Implications for Businesses 45 5.3Revisiting Aims and Objectives 47 5.4 Research Limitations 48 5.5 Areas of Future Study 48 5.6 Concluding Remarks 49 References 50 Appendix-I 55 1. INTRODUCTION In today’s competitive world, businesses can only survive if they communicate well to their customers. In the time when every other company is bombarding messages to the customers, one must not stay behind in the race of communication. There are several ways to communicate with the customers and where the product itself, the price and the place too communicates with the customers there are some specific communication tools available for companies to reach the target audiences. Promotion mix elaborates different ways via which a company can target its current and potential customers. These specific communication tools include advertisi ng, sales promotion, publicity / public relations and personal selling – the promotion mix. This paper focuses on advertising as a way to reach audiences where the major focus is on brand building and how it may help in promoting a business. The distinction between new and established businesses and the impact of advertising and branding on both a new and an established business is presented. 1.1 Background and Context Businesses focus on advertising and branding more than ever before; this is partly because of the increased competition. It has become important to stay visible in the time when every other business is advertising and promoting itself. Advertising and branding is the most beneficial and extremely vital for businesses. It is true that advertisements affect businesses; several authors and researchers have concluded that advertisement has the power to have an effect on businesses. Though not same, there is a close link between advertisement and brand promotion. Br ands are created over a period of time and advertising plays a crucial role in brand promotion; a common marketing strategy used for creating awareness of products, increase in sales and ensuring customer loyalty is brand promotion. Many businesses instead of promoting individual products focus on promoting the brands as a part of their corporate strategy; this is called corporate branding. Grime (2012, p. 146) defined corporate branding as â€Å"a consistent effort centered on the company as a whole†. The prime motive of brand promotion is to create customer awareness (Trehan & Trehan 2010); once established, the customer tends to purchase that product again and again which leads to customer loyalty. Brand promotion also

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Introduction To Cricket In The 21st Century History Essay

Introduction To Cricket In The 21st Century History Essay When considering the extensive amount of research that has been directed toward the sporting world from a mathematical, statistical and operational research perspective, the Duckworth/Lewis method (Duckworth and Lewis, 1998, 2004) perhaps stands alone as the most significant contribution to sport. The common practice in dealing with interrupted one-day cricket matches until 1992 was to compare the run rates (the total number of runs scored divided by the number of completed overs) of the competing teams; the team with the higher run rate was declared the winner. However, this rule tended to benefit the team batting second (Team 2) at the expense of the team batting first (Team 1), leading to the common practice of inviting the other team to bat first if rain was expected. The difficulty with run rates is that targets are determined by taking the remaining overs into account, while ignoring the number of lost wickets. As is well known, batsmen tend to bat less aggressively and score fewer runs when more wickets have been taken. The first team does not have the same strategic options as the second team and, in that sense, the rule does not provide both teams with equal opportunities. Realising that this rule is biased towards the side batting second, the Australian Cricket Board introduced its most productive overs rule during the 1992/93 season. This rule calculates the target for Team 2 by taking the n highest scoring overs of Team 1 where n is the number of played overs (for example, 40 if 10 overs are lost due to rain). Ironically, this rule was now considered as tending to favour the side batting first and transparently unfair to the team batting second. To illustrate, Suppose that Team 2 requires 20 off 19 balls to win, when a short shower takes three overs away. The reset target would now be 20 off 1 ball since the three least productive overs are deduced from the original target (which we may believe were three maiden overs in this case). However, this seems to be unfair and even ironic: the second teams excellent bowling (three maiden overs) in the first innings is now turning against them; it would have been better for Team 2 in this case if Team 1 had reached the same total score without any maidens. The Duckworth/Lewis method was utilised and gained prominence during the 1999 World Cup, and since that time, it has been adopted by every major cricketing board and competition. In one-day cricket, the Duckworth/Lewis method is based on the recognition that at the beginning of a match, each side has resources available (typically 50 overs and 10 wickets). When the match is shortened, the resources of one or both teams are reduced and the two teams usually have different resources for their innings. In this case, in an attempt to be fair, a revised target for the team batting second is set. The determination of the target using resources is known as the Duckworth/Lewis method. What makes the adoption of the Duckworth/Lewis method remarkable is that the method is widely perceived by the public as a black box procedure. Generally, people do not understand how the targets are set but they do agree that the targets are sensible or at least preferable to the approach based on run rates. Although the Duckworth/Lewis (D/L) method was designed for one-day cricket, it has also been applied to Twenty20 cricket. Twenty20 is a relatively new version of limited overs cricket with only 20 overs per side. In contrast to the one-day game and first-class cricket (which can take up to five days to complete), Twenty20 matches have completion times that are comparable to other popular team sports. With the introduction of the biennial World Twenty20 tournament in 2007 and the Indian Premier League in 2008, Twenty20 cricket has gained widespread popularity. Although Twenty20 (t20) cricket is similar to one-day cricket, there exist subtle variations in the rules (e.g. fielding restrictions, limits on bowling, etc) between the two versions of cricket. The variations in the rules, and most importantly, the reduction of overs from 50 to 20 suggest that scoring patterns in t20 may differ from the one-day game. In particular, t20 is seen as a more explosive game where the ability to score 4s and 6s is more highly valued than in one-day cricket. Since the D/L method (and its associated resource table) is based on the scoring patterns in one-day cricket, it is therefore reasonable to ask whether the D-L method is appropriate for t20. With the rise of Twenty20, an investigation of the D/L method applied to t20 is timely. Up until this point in time, such an investigation might not have been possible due to the dearth of t20 match results. Now analysts have at their disposal nearly 200 international matches, and through the use of efficient estimation procedures, the question may be at least partially addressed. Also, since t20 matches have a shorter duration, to date, few matches have been interrupted and resumed according to D/L. Consequently, if there is a problem with D/L applied to t20, it may not have yet manifested itself. This was true before the third editon of the World t20 in May 2010 when a controversial outcome occurred in a game between England and the West Indies. The criticism directed at the usage and appropriateness of the method by players, commentators and fans provide sufficient motivation to adjust the table in this project. In Section 2, the construction of the Duckworth/Lewis resource table is reviewed as well as its effective inception relative to past rain rules. Some comments are provided on aspects of the table and the limitations of the method. In Section 3, an alternative Twenty20 resource table is obtained using a non-parametric approach based on Gibbs sampling. The data used in the construction of the new table consist of all international Twenty20 matches to date involving Test-playing nations as recognised by the International Cricket Council (ICC). The project concludes with a short discussion in Section 4. A heat map is provided to facilitate comparisons between the two tables. 2. For their eyes only: Evaluation of the current method and its appropriateness A condensed version of the Duckworth/Lewis resource table (Standard Edition) is shown in Table 1 (taken from the ICC Playing Handbook 2008-09). In an uninterrupted innings of one-day cricket, a team starts batting with maximum resources available, equivalent to 50 overs and zero wickets taken. Reflect now on a one-day match where Team 1 scores 276 runs at the end of its 50 overs, as a simple example of the use of the Duckworth/Lewis resource table. Before Team 2 has a chance to start their chase of Team 1s total, it rains and they only receive 30 overs for their innings. A look at the resource table shows that Team 2 has only 75.1% of their resources in hand and, consequently, their target for winning the match is set at 276(0.751)=208 runs. Contrast the Duckworth/Lewis target with the unreasonably low target of 276(30/50)=166 runs based on run rates. Table 1. Abbreviated version of the Duckworth-Lewis resource table (Standard Edition) Overs available Wickets lost 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 50 100.0 93.4 85.1 74.9 62.7 49.0 34.9 22.0 11.9 40 89.3 84.2 77.8 69.6 59.5 47.6 34.6 22.0 11.9 30 75.1 71.8 67.3 61.6 54.1 44.7 33.6 21.8 11.9 25 66.5 63.9 60.5 56.0 50.0 42.2 32.6 21.6 11.9 20 56.6 54.8 52.4 49.1 44.6 38.6 30.8 21.2 11.9 10 32.1 31.6 30.8 29.8 28.3 26.1 22.8 17.9 11.4 5 17.2 17.0 16.8 16.5 16.1 15.4 14.3 12.5 9.4 1 3.6 3.6 3.6 3.6 3.6 3.5 3.5 3.4 3.2 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 The table entries indicate the percentage of resources remaining in a match with the specified number of wickets lost and overs available. The D/L method has several advantages, which make it undoubtedly preferable to all previously used retargeting rules: completeness (it is able to handle all kinds of interruptions, even multiple interruptions and other unusual situations); the underlying mathematical model is internally consistent; tables are easily accessible/the computer programme is user-friendly; and the method compared to previous rules preserves the chance of winning by providing a relatively realistic reset target. Duckworth and Lewis (1998) only make available incomplete information relating to the creation of the resource table. Nevertheless, they do reveal that the table entries are based on the estimation of the 20 parameters Z0(w) and b(w), w=0, †¦, 9 corresponding to the function where Z(u,w) is the average total score obtained in u overs in an unlimited overs match where w wickets have been taken. While the utility of the Duckworth/Lewis table in one-day cricket cannot be questioned, a number of questions arise based on (1) and the estimates found in Table 1: Is (1) the best curve when considering that there are several parametric curves that could be fit? Is there any benefit in using a non-parametric fit to derive the table entries? The function (1) refers to unlimited overs cricket but is formed from a basis of one-day rules. Since one-day cricket is limited overs cricket, is there an advantage in taking the structure of the one-day game into account? How are the parameters estimated? If the 10 curves corresponding to w=0, †¦, 9 are fit separately, there are little data available beyond u=30 for fitting the curve with w=9. Also, the asymptotes for the curves with w=0,1,2 (see Figure 1 of Duckworth and Lewis (1998)) fall beyond the range of the data. In Table 1, the last two columns have many identical entries going down the columns. Although very few matches occur under these conditions, is it really sensible for resources to remain constant as the available overs decrease? This is a consequence of the asymptote imposed by (1). Although the D/L method maintains the margin of victory, it does not preserve the probability of victory. The resource table employed by the D/L method, and throughout its several updates, is based on detailed information from a large number of first innings scoring patterns. Therefore, the method assumes that the expected proportion of overall scoring for a particular over when a given number of wickets have been lost is the same in both innings. The validity of this assumption (that scoring patterns are the same in both innings) can be questioned. It has been found that there are a greater relative proportion of runs scored in the early and late overs of second innings, than in the first innings. The rule assumes that run-scoring accelerates right from the beginning of the innings so that runs come at a faster rate for every over completed; an exponential relationship between runs and overs is assumed. Although this captures the fact that run-scoring accelerates at the end of an innings, the moment of stabilisation somewhere after the relaxing of fielding restrictions is overlooked. 50 overs has been the standard format for a One-day International (ODI) for so long (over 20 years) that there is a period between the end of the fifteenth over and the start of the 41st where the batting side keep the scorecard ticking over through nudged and nurdled singles whilst the fielding side are perfectly happy to concede. Furthermore, no consideration is given to powerplay overs in which fielding restrictions are in place. Losing two overs during a period of fielding restrictions reduces a teams resources more than when a team loses the same couple of overs somewhere between, say, overs 25 and 30. The D/L method does not reflect the fact that the first period has a much higher run-scoring capacity than the second. The asymmetry between the equations for resetting targets impairs the quality of impartiality and may even lead to strategic options which are not equally open to both teams. When the target is large and Team 2 forsees a substantial reduction of its innings, Team 2 could take the strategic option to keep as many wickets as possible in hand, even if the scoring rate is less than required: a score of 99/1 (or 110/2, 123/3†¦) after 25 overs in the second innings against a target of 286 for 50 overs would win if no further play is possible. This distorted result is not merely due to the scaling of limited early data but also stems from an idealised assumption of how batting sides deploy their resources during an innings. The D/L method, like other (target) prediction algorithms, tries to fit historical data into a function curve, and uses this to predict future match states. Although this approach is generic and scales well, the specificity of the match is lost. For example, say in two instances a match is interrupted in the first innings with the score at 100/3 after 25 overs. The prediction (extrapolation) for both the matches will be the same. However, if one of the teams were 90/0 after 15 overs and the other team were 40/3 at the same stage, it is highly probable that the second team would have gone on to score more than the first. 3. Turn the tables: A new model for Twenty20 matches For ease of discussion, it is convenient to convert the Duckworth/Lewis resource table to the context of Twenty20; the resource table is shortened to 20 overs and the entries scaled so that an innings beginning with 20 overs and zero wickets corresponds to 100% resources. Table 2 gives the full Duckworth/Lewis resource table (Standard Edition) for Twenty20 where the entries are obtained by dividing the corresponding entry in Table 1 by 0.566 (the resources remaining in a 1-day match where 20 overs are available and zero wickets taken). Table 2. The Duckworth/Lewis resource table (Standard Edition) scaled for Twenty20 Overs available Wickets lost 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 20 100.0 96.8 92.6 86.7 78.8 68.2 54.4 37.5 21.3 19 96.1 93.3 89.2 83.9 76.7 66.6 53.5 37.3 21.0 18 92.2 89.6 85.9 81.1 74.2 65.0 52.7 36.9 21.0 17 88.2 85.7 82.5 77.9 71.7 63.3 51.6 36.6 21.0 16 84.1 81.8 79.0 74.7 69.1 61.3 50.4 36.2 20.8 15 79.9 77.9 75.3 71.6 66.4 59.2 49.1 35.7 20.8 14 75.4 73.7 71.4 68.0 63.4 56.9 47.7 35.2 20.8 13 71.0 69.4 67.3 64.5 60.4 54.4 46.1 34.5 20.7 12 66.4 65.0 63.3 60.6 57.1 51.9 44.3 33.6 20.5 11 61.7 60.4 59.0 56.7 53.7 49.1 42.4 32.7 20.3 10 56.7 55.8 54.4 52.7 50.0 46.1 40.3 31.6 20.1 9 51.8 51.1 49.8 48.4 46.1 42.8 37.8 30.2 19.8 8 46.6 45.9 45.1 43.8 42.0 39.4 35.2 28.6 19.3 7 41.3 40.8 40.1 39.2 37.8 35.5 32.2 26.9 18.6 6 35.9 35.5 35.0 34.3 33.2 31.4 29.0 24.6 17.8 5 30.4 30.0 29.7 29.2 28.4 27.2 25.3 22.1 16.6 4 24.6 24.4 24.2 23.9 23.3 22.4 21.2 18.9 14.8 3 18.7 18.6 18.4 18.2 18.0 17.5 16.8 15.4 12.7 2 12.7 12.5 12.5 12.4 12.4 12.0 11.7 11.0 9.7 1 6.4 6.4 6.4 6.4 6.4 6.2 6.2 6.0 5.7 The table entries indicate the percentage of resources remaining in a match with the specified number of wickets lost and overs available. To build a resource table for Twenty20 (t20), it is imperative to consider the scoring patterns specific to the shortest version of the game. Hence, consider the 141 international t20 matches involving ICC full member teams that have taken place from the first in 17 February 2005 through to 14 January 2011 (details of these matches can be accessed from ESPN Cricinfo). The shortened matches where the Duckworth/Lewis method was present have been excluded along with the t20 matches involving non-test playing nations (ICC Associates); the latter disqualification is in place to ensure matches are of a consistently high standard. Since scoring patterns in the second innings show a level of dependency to the number of runs scored by Team 1, consider first innings data only in the examination of t20 scoring patterns. Note that in their development of a simulator for one-day cricket match results, Swartz et al (2009) consider batting behaviour in the second innings. Match summary results are obtainable from ESPN Cricinfos statistics website but this study calls for ball-by-ball data. For this, Stephen Lynch (statistician) took pains to compose the associated commentary log for each match and store the data in a tabular form for easy access. For each match, define z(u,w(u)) as the runs scored from the point in the first innings where u overs remain and w(u) wickets have been taken until the conclusion of Team 1s innings. Calculate z(u,w(u)) for all values of u that occur in the first innings for each match beginning with u=20 and w(u)=w(20)=0. Next calculate the matrix T=(tuw) where tuw is the estimated percentage of resources remaining when u overs are available and w wickets have been taken. Calculate (100%) tuw by averaging z(u,w(u)) over all matches where w(u)=w and dividing by the average of z(20, 0) over all matches; the denominator is the average score by a side batting first in a t20 match. In the case of u=0, set tuw=t0w=0.0%. Table 3 displays the matrix T, an initial attempt at a resource table for t20. Note that t20,0=100% as desired. Although T is a non-parametric estimate of resources and makes no assumptions concerning the scoring patterns in t20, it is less than ideal. First, there are many table entries where there are missing data for the given situation. In addition, Table 3 does not exhibit the monotonicity expected. Logically, there is a requirement for a resource table that is non-decreasing from left to right along rows and a requirement for a resource table that is non-decreasing down columns. Also o bserve some conspicuous entries in Table 3, particularly the entry of 110.2% resources corresponding to 19 overs available and two wickets taken. This entry is clearly misleading and should be less than 100%. It arises due to the small sample size (three matches) corresponding to the given situation. For this non-parametric resource table (upcoming), the estimation procedure is robust to observations based on small sample sizes as the surrounding observations based on larger sample sizes have greater influence in the determination of the table. Therefore, there is retention of conspicuous observations such as 110.2%. This investigation of Duckworth/Lewis in Twenty20 should be viewed as one of discovery rather than an attempt to replace the Duckworth/Lewis table. Table 3. The matrix R=(r ow) of estimated resources for Twenty20 Overs available Wickets lost 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 20 100.0 19 93.6 83.0 110.2 18 90.4 85.8 78.3 17 86.7 80.5 82.8 53.7 16 81.7 74.5 81.9 70.7 32.8 15 76.5 71.4 71.5 65.9 59.9 14 68.3 69.1 67.6 66.2 58.4 13 63.8 68.2 62.4 62.9 59.0 24.3 12 62.1 62.3 60.6 57.3 58.8 44.1 11 60.5 56.3 57.0 53.6 61.0 39.7 10 57.6 49.6 52.1 52.8 48.1 38.6 41.0 35.2 9 54.9 52.1 43.6 49.0 44.1 33.8 35.0 29.7 8 51.0 46.4 41.7 42.2 41.2 36.7 27.5 28.7 7 48.6 45.8 38.9 35.9 39.1 34.8 24.1 25.5 6 54.0 37.9 36.6 30.3 36.2 31.3 20.9 21.4 26.7 5 44.0 32.5 25.4 28.7 29.4 23.9 17.1 14.9 4 28.2 23.4 22.5 22.2 20.9 14.3 10.6 3 20.6 19.9 16.9 17.8 15.8 12.4 7.6 2 21.2 17.6 11.9 13.4 10.6 11.0 7.2 1 8.7 5.2 7.3 6.0 5.5 6.0   The table entries indicate the percentage of resources remaining in a match with the specified number of wickets lost and overs available. Note: Missing entries correspond to match situations where data are unavailable. To impose the monotonicity constraints in the rows and columns, refer to the general problem of isotonic regression. For these purposes, consider the minimisation of with respect to the matrix Y=(yuw) where the double summation corresponds to u=1, †¦, 20 and w=0, †¦, 9, the quw are weights and the minimisation is subject to the constraints yuwgreater than or equal toyu,w+1 and yu,wgreater than or equal toyu−1,w. In addition, impose y20,0=100, y0,w=0 for w=0, †¦, 9 and yu,10=0 for u=1, †¦, 20. Although the fitting of Y is completely non-parametric, there are some arbitrary choices that have been made in the minimisation of (2). First, not only was the choice of squared error discrepancy in (2) convenient for computation, minimisation of the function F with squared error discrepancy corresponds to the method of constrained maximum likelihood estimation where the data ruw are independently normally distributed with means yuw and variances 1/quw. Second, a matrix Y: 20 10 based on overs is chosen. Alternatively, a larger matrix Y: 120 10 based on balls could have been considered. The overs formulation is preferred as it involves less missing data and leads to a less computationally intensive optimization. With a matrix Y based on overs, it is possible to interpolate on a ball-by-ball basis if required. Third, a simple choice has been made with respect to the weights quw. 1/quw is set equal to the sample variance used in the calculation of ruw divided by the sample size. The rationale is that when ruw is less variable, there is stronger belief that yuw should be close to ruw. Table 4 gives a non-parametric resource table based on the minimisation of (2). An algorithm for isotonic regression in two variables was first introduced by Dykstra and Robertson (1982). Fortran code was subsequently developed by Bril et al (1984). An R code implementation has been used that is available from the Iso package on the Cran website (www.cran.r-project.org). The programme requires 27 iterations to achieve convergence. What is unsatisfactory about Table 4 is that it suffers from the same criticism that was directed at the Duckworth-Lewis resource table. There is a considerable number of adjacent entries in Table 4 that have the same value. Again, it is not sensible for resources to remain constant as available overs decrease or wickets increase. The problem is that in the minimization of (2), various fitted ys occur on the boundaries imposed by the monotonicity constraints. Table 4 is also unsatisfactory from the point of view that it is incomplete; missing values corresp ond to match situations where data are unavailable. To address the above criticisms, it is necessary take a slightly different approach to estimation. As previously mentioned, it can been seen that (2) arises from the normal likelihood Therefore, consider a Bayesian model where the unknown parameters in (3) are the ys. A flat default prior is assigned to the ys subject to the monotonicity constraints. It follows that the posterior density takes the form (3) and that Gibbs sampling can be carried out via sampling from the full conditional distributions subject to the local constraints on yuw in the given iteration of the algorithm. Sampling from (4) is easily carried out using a normal generator and rejection sampling according to the constraints. Although in statistical terminology, (3) takes a parametric form, the approach is referred to as non-parametric since no functional relationship is imposed on the ys. Table 4. A non-parametric resource table for Twenty20 based on isotonic regression Overs available Wicket lost 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 20 100.0 19 93.6 85.5 85.5 18 90.4 85.5 80.8 17 86.7 80.8 80.8 64.7 16 81.7 77.4 77.4 64.7 55.9 15 76.5 71.5 71.5 64.7 55.9 14 68.8 68.8 67.6 64.7 55.9 13 66.6 66.6 62.6 62.6 55.9 38.4 12 62.2 62.2 60.6 57.3 55.9 38.4 11 60.5 56.8 56.8 54.8 54.8 38.4 10 57.6 52.1 52.1 52.1 48.1 38.4 34.1 29.3 9 54.9 52.1 46.5 46.5 44.1 36.3 34.1 29.3 8 51.0 46.4 42.0 42.0 41.2 36.3 28.6 28.6 7 48.6 45.8 38.9 37.3 37.3 34.8 25.3 25.3 6 39.7 39.7 36.6 32.8 32.8 31.3 23.0 21.4 21.4 5 39.7 32.5 28.0 28.0 28.0 23.0 17.1 15.5 4 27.9 23.4 22.5 22.2 20.9 14.3 10.7 3 20.7 19.9 17.4 17.4 15.8 12.4 7.7 2 20.7 17.6 12.5 12.5 10.8 10.8 7.2 1 8.7 6.6 6.6 6.0 5.7 5.7 The table entries indicate the percentage of resources remaining in a match with the specified number of wickets lost and overs available. Missing entries correspond to match situations where data are unavailable. In Table 5, the estimated posterior means of the ys obtained through Gibbs sampling are given, and these provide an alternative resource table for t20. The computations pose no difficulties and the estimates stabilize after 50,000 iterations. For cases of missing data, the Duckworth/Lewis table entries are used to impute the missing rs. The imputation is in the spirit of a Bayesian approach where prior information is utilised. Unlike Table 4, Table 5 is a complete table. Also, there are no longer adjacent table entries with identical values and this is due to the sampling approach. Finally, it can be stated that the methodology allows the input of expert opinion. For example, suppose that there is expert consensus that a table entry yij ought to be tied down to a particular value a. To force this table entry, all that is required is to set rij=a and assign a sufficiently small standard deviation Unfortunately we are unable to provide accessible alternative text for this. If you requi re assistance to access this image, please contact [emailprotected] or the author Table 5. A non-parametric resource table for Twenty20 based on Gibbs sampling Overs available Wickets lost 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 20 100.0 96.9 93.0 87.9 81.3 72.2 59.9 44.8 29.7 19 95.6 90.9 87.7 83.0 76.9 68.3 56.5 42.0 27.2 18 91.7