Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome essays

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome essays I. A. Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) was originally described in 1905 by Stein and Leventhal as a syndrome consisting of amenorrhea, hirsutism, and obesity in association with enlarged polycystic ovaries. It is now realized that this relatively common syndrome is an extremely heterogenous clinical syndrome that begins soon after menarche and some authors prefer to refer to it as a syndrome of hyperandrogenic chronic anovulation. In fact, earlier studies of PCOS have focused on ovarian morphological findings and were considered to be important diagnostic criteria. However, it was found that polycystic changes of the ovaries were observed in some normally cycling women. Furthermore, polycystic changes of the ovaries were shown to be associated with other well-defined diseases such as Cushing's syndrome, and an ovarian or adrenal tumor capable of producing androgen. B. The root of PCOS is an inability to respond properly to insulin, the hormone produced in the pancreas that allows your body's cells to absorb energy from the food you eat. This means your cells don't respond to the normal amount of insulin, so the pancreas pumps out even more. That's what insulin resistance is and it happens when the body turns carbohydrates, both simple and complex, into glucose that surges into the bloodstream. Insulin travels to the muscle cells, telling them to take glucose from the bloodstream and store it in the liver. As insulin levels in the blood increase, glucose levels in the blood decrease. When blood glucose falls below a certain level, the brain, which needs glucose to function, calls out for more by telling you to eat again. If it doesn't get glucose, the result is drowsiness or lack of mental alertness. This glucose shortage is also known as low blood sugar or hypoglycemia. When hypoglycemia strikes, the liver is unable to replenish blood glucose from its stored supply because eating a carbohydrate-rich meal or drinking a sugary bevera...

How To Make Money Blogging

How To Make Money Blogging Make Money Blogging! or even better Make Tons Of Money Blogging! Whoo Whee! Isn’t that what we’re here for, to be honest? It sounds kind of crass, I suppose, to put a dollar amount on the â€Å"art of blogging†, but the truth is that bloggers invest an incredible amount of money in their blogs. Hosting, templates, social media, ad buys. Time. Oh, the time. Let’s agree that the second part of â€Å"content marketing† is marketing, implying that we are looking for a market, implying that we want to make some money. How can you make money blogging? Let’s consider a two-pronged approach, making money off of your blog directly, and how your blog can help lead you to make money off of other’s blogs. What Are The Best Ways To Make Money Blogging? via @JulieNeidlinger Writing For Your Blog Writing for your own blog, that thing you do every day, can be thought of as part of the process of making money. Just the act of creating content, if you choose to think about it correctly, has a financial reward. 1. Build your own credibility. Your blog is building your credibility (unless you write rants with nary a thought toward grammar and writing quality). Each post you write builds on the previous posts, and is telling your reader â€Å"this blogger is credible†. Why does that matter, when it comes to making money off of your blog? Brand and name recognition. Just as the propinquity effect- the state of being physically or psychologically close to another and therefore, forming a relationship- is important in determining your social media ROI, the same can be said of your blog. Your reader gets used to hearing your â€Å"voice† on the page. He gets used to your opinions, your style, your approach. He knows what you advocate. And, the more he likes your content, the more he returns. The more he returns, the more familiarity he has with your brand. Publish consistent content to keep readers coming back, getting the chance to convert.As you blog regularly, you are creating brand recognition. While your bank account isn’t directly growing each time a reader hops in to read, you are â€Å"softening† your readers into potential customers in the future. In this way, that brand recognition has a long-term financial payoff. And that is exactly how content marketing works despite it's greatest misconception (just take a look at what Rand Fishkin mentions in this fantastic video): Your expertise. What you are an expert at has value. You know something that others want to know also. They want your help. Part of being a great content marketer is being willing to help freely, giving away some of that expertise. We’re going to talk about how you can turn the rest of that expertise into money in the next section, but the expertise itself plays into how you make money in a few ways: If you’re selling other products, your expertise can reassure customers that buying from you means they won’t be left to fend for themselves if they need help. Your expertise makes your other products seem legitimate, because they were created by an expert. For example, I am a freelance writer. My writing on my own blog, the blog, and elsewhere has brought me new clients who like what they read. They have determined that I have a particular kind of expertise. Some services, like writing, need evidence of expertise. Clients need evidence that I can write, and my own blogging is that evidence. Blogging establishes expertise. Expertise establishes trust. Trust enables confidence to purchase.Blogging establishes expertise. Expertise establishes trust. Trust enables confidence to purchase. No one buys from someone who doesn’t seem to know what they are talking about. In this way, expertise is like brand recognition: It is a foundation that may not obviously impact your bank account every time you hit â€Å"publish† on a blog post, but must be there for any future attempt to make money off of your blog. 2. Sell  your own products. Every blogger has at least two products to sell: Their expertise, and the content created out of that expertise. However, there are additional products you can create using that same content as well as the brand you’ve established. Ideally, you’d focus on products that would create a passive income, meaning that money comes in regularly with little work on your part after the initial effort. Digital products that people can purchase and download or view are the best example of this. Physical products, on the other hand, require you to create, package, and ship. They are active income, requiring work on every sale. Let’s take a look at a few products you can sell on your blog, including both passive and active income. Services, teaching, and consulting. If you’ve established yourself as an expert in a particular niche or industry, you have valuable expertise. And, as we just mentioned, that’s something with actual monetary value. Whether through webinars, speaking at conferences, one-on-one consulting, or even a class on a site like Udemy, your expertise has monetary value. As a content marketer, you know the value of giving away your expertise for free, but it doesn’t hurt to consider that you ought to hold some back to make available to those who are willing to pay for it. Copyblogger, for example, gives away a lot of great content. But they also have a paid element in their Authority program for those in their audience who want to be serious and pony up some money to learn. Valuable expertise has monetary value. #bloggingIn an age where so much is free on the Internet, not everyone is pleased to be asked to pay for the cream of the crop. However, this adds value to your expertise, oddly, in that it sends the message that people are willing to pay you for what you know. Asking people to pay you for your expertise is part of teaching them how to treat you and value the knowledge you’re giving them. It is great to give away things for free. It is perfectly acceptable to also hold some behind a paywall. Books, e-books, and more. Are you a food blogger? Then you have a cookbook to sell. It’s all right there, on your blog. Package your posts up into a variety of cookbooks (â€Å"Most popular recipes† or â€Å"Breakfast dishes†). Just because it’s available for free online doesn’t mean your fans won’t jump at the chance to get a convenient hard copy of whatever it is you are an expert at. It’s easy to forget that you can actually sell e-books, because most content marketers use them as a giveaway incentive to get email addresses. But, depending upon how long the e-book is, and the quality, it is another avenue for making money from your blog. You can make money #blogging by repurposing your content.Not everyone will get a lucrative publishing contract, though, but that shouldn’t keep you from getting e-books made up from your repurposed content. There are many apps out there that will help you easily make an e-book from the content you already have. If you’d like to offer an actual physical book, there are no shortage of options. Blurb, for example, recently introduced a trade book publishing program that will help you create a book and e-book, getting it listed on Amazon and in the Ingram catalog. That opens the door to anyone who wants your book, even your local bookseller. Things you can sell: Books and e-books: Cull from your top posts or high-traffic categories and create real long-form content. Helpful guides, how-tos, or a collection of essays- all make great reading. Posters: Print high-quality versions of infographics or visual graphics your readers have enjoyed. Schwag: Stickers, notebooks, and other blog-branded items that tie into your core niche. Subscriptions: Whether exclusive content, downloads, products, or graphic designs, you can offer paid subscriptions to your readers. 3. Sell ads on your site. Selling ad space on your blog isn’t as lucrative for every blogger. If you aren’t getting seriously high traffic (around 10,000 a month), you won’t see the windfall that bigger bloggers lay claim to. In talking about his decision to sell ads on his blog, popular blogger Michael Hyatt lays out five very good steps to selling ads: Survey your readers and find out basic demographic information. This will be useful in knowing what kinds of ads will work best for your audience. Create a page dedicated to advertising. Let people know your terms for allowing their ads on your site. Create an advertising kit to provide to those interested in advertising. Sign up with an advertising service (preferably not Google AdSense) that is a good fit for your blog, both in how they run their service and in the ad output (e.g. graphic size). Pitch the advertising opportunity to those who might be interested. You have, at this point, demographics and traffic numbers. That’s the makings of a great sales pitch. Your approach may be different, but remember that in order to make money off of your blog with ads, you need a lot of traffic. Here's how to sell valuable ad space on your #blog.Writing For Other’s Blogs If the extent of your writing for other blogs is in the format of guest blogging, you probably aren’t getting paid. Guest posting, generally, is about finding a new audience and building your own reputation as an expert (which, as noted, does eventually help you make money). However, in a world hungry for content, good writers are in high demand. I know this from firsthand experience, receiving many requests from potential clients. You can make money, as a blogger, writing for other blogs. Before you can make money writing for others' blogs, you have to: Have been writing on your own blog. You need experience both in writing and what it takes to run a blog. You’ll gain an appreciation for deadlines and word counts if you’ve done it yourself first. Establish a tangible reputation, with writing samples, of what you can do. This is so crucial. Why do I have so many requests from clients? Because they’ve seen my writing elsewhere and liked it. Do the work. Write the guest posts. It will turn around eventually. Be willing (though it may not always be required) to write for free initially to establish a relationship with the blog owner. Be upfront that you are interested in paid blogging and not just guest posts. Make yourself available, but not passively. You have to pursue writing leads, unless you’ve built enough brand reputation where they come to you. Get in the practice of working hard and hitting deadlines. Nothing kills a paid blogging gig like missing deadlines and turning in shoddy work. Be prepared to write outside of your comfort zone, at least until you establish regular clients. Learn to research and write on things you don’t always know a lot about. If you intend to make a living writing for other blogs, here are some resources you ought to check out first: 12 Signs You’re Underselling Your Freelance Writing Services Is Ghost Blogging Unethical? How To Make A Living Blogging How To Avoid Writer Burnout When It’s Your Day Job 5 Steps To Make Your Freelance Clients Love Your Writing You Have To Flip The Switch All the expertise and brand recognition in the world doesn’t lead to bank deposits unless you flip the switch. What I mean is that you have to, at some point, make the move to asking for money. For startups or businesses where a sellable product came first, and the blog is the means to bring in people, it’s different. But for bloggers whose content came first, where the blog is the means to bring in money (eventually), you need to flip the switch. At some point, you have to make the move to ask for money from #blogging.You have to sell a product, or that expertise. You have to run the risk of upsetting some in your audience who truly want things for free (unless you’re making a go of it, for reals, off of ads). You have to be willing to do the work of writing for yourself â€Å"for free† and on other blogs for free until you get enough requests that you begin weeding them out by establishing a freelance blogging career. When is that moment? I don’t know. You will know. Creating endless free downloads that bring in droves of traffic and are downloaded in high numbers? Start creating something available only with a price tag. Can’t handle the deluge of writing requests? End all free writing and put a price on it and see where the chips fall. It can feel like a gamble, but if you’re overwhelmed and exhausted and aren’t seeing any income, it’s time. The danger to content marketing is to get so caught up in doing it so well and so free that you forget you’re marketing. If your blog is a hobby, fine. But if you want to make money off of it, you must eventually move away from everything being free. Don't forget to get your free infographic checklist to help you make money from blogging.

Lighting and Consumer Perception in Retail Design Thesis

Lighting and Consumer Perception in Retail Design - Thesis Example A specific example of this is how digital interaction with shoppers could be implemented in retail without constraining the use of space and movement (Manuelli 2006, p. 37). Take the case of the ‘magic mirror’ and the ‘Privalite wall’ in Prada’s Beverly Hills Epicenter Store – these examples are based on interactions driven by technology involving body movements that result in a playful, spontaneous interaction with the consumers. Another key retail technology development is the use of the RFID technology wherein tags and labels are developed as â€Å"active,† embedded with computer chips and responding to different environmental conditions. Some of the other inventions in retail system designs are reliable and secure systems based on efficient automated product replenishment and environmentally friendly and cost effective solutions (Salvador, et al., 2006). Most of these technologies help retain current customers and attract new custome rs by keeping the store well stocked. In addition, the profile of the modern shopper has also evolved and diversified. Today’s modern shopper demands more from their purchases and more from the establishments providing their merchandise. Because of this, retailers are forced to offer consumer-specific features and functions in order to gain competitive advantage. For instance, convenience stores classify areas in their store according to age groups. Generally, the two major design components a retailers store must focus on are the physical design of the interior (walls, structures, etc.) and the design of a favorable environment for effective visual communications (Retail Systems, n.d.). Thus, a good retail space must be able to create the synergy between technologies and design to achieve optimal delivery of consumer service and increased margins in the business. As previously stated, good customer service means value for the customer, a variable pivotal in attracting

Reflection papers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Reflection papers - Essay Example Many local musicians continually win international fame in the music arena owing to their sensational music that hits the global audience. For instance, the up-tempo Arabic tune of Princess Diana remains acclaimed piece of art that has influenced the nature of the Western music especially in San Francisco (Tomasino 2005). Music pervades the limits of the artistes region and receives global attention depending on the ability of the singer to coin the message of the songs in a manner that suits the diverse audience. Recent progress in the music industry however gives the impression that music artistry has become more audience-demand motivated than self-manipulative. Despite the remarkable progress made in the music industry, music piracy remains a public concern for the American music (Tomasino, 2005). Piracy takes the form of sales of illegally recorded music and general illegal acquisition of music segments without the consent of the songwriter. Furthermore, reception of global music threatens to scuttle the dominance of local music in various regions, though music domination has to be responsive to the changing audience base that has the access to a variety of international music. It is undeniable that piracy threatens the progress in the music industry yet its progress is dependent on the rewards that the artistes gain from their music. The music industry is obliged to remain manipulative and more responsive to changes in the global audience expectations in order to retain

Economics Essay Example for Free

Economics Essay Part I Introduction The Doha Development Rounds of the World Trade Organization were negotiations aimed at lowering trade barriers and facilitating healthier economic ties around the world. The rounds began with a ministerial-level meeting in 2001 which was held in Doha, Qatar. This was followed by several other rounds held in locations such as Mexico and Hong Kong with related negotiations held in other locations including Paris, Switzerland, and Geneva. In 2006, the progress of the talks were put at a standstill created by a divide which placed the developed nations such as the United States, the European Union, and Japan on one side and the major developing nations such as India, China, Brazil, and South Africa on the other. The divide was mainly over conflicting interests with regard to several pending issues. Four of those issues namely agriculture, textile and clothing, drugs, and market access for developing and least developed countries are discussed in this paper. Since the first round of the WTO talks, agriculture has taken the center stage. In fact, many critics claim that the standstill of the talks were mainly due to developed and developing nations inability to find acceptable common ground in the issue of agriculture’s three â€Å"pillars†. These were identified as market access, export subsidies, and domestic support. A prevailing argument in the matter is the issue of the necessary level of cuts in tariffs and domestic support on agriculture to allow developing nations to enter the global market. Currently, high regulatory tariffs in the first world hedge out 3rd world agricultural products such as grain and corn from successfully penetrating the market. What makes it worse is that the United States and the European Union both provide very high subsidies for their farmers. Five years since Qatar, the talks in Hong Kong led to a deal that set the deadline for eliminating all agricultural subsidies for exports by 2013. The Hong Kong talks also required developed countries to accept goods from the world’s poorest nations into their respective markets. This marked a milestone for the United Nations, which had been striving for such an achievement for several years. However, the following talks at Geneva failed to achieve a consensus for genuine policies on reducing farming subsidies and lowering agriculture tariffs (Effland et. al. , 2006). Textile and Clothing Discussions regarding the treatment of textiles and apparel in the Doha talks were a particular point of contention during the 2006 round. Originally, discussions on this area were included within the overall Non-Agricultural Market Access (NAMA) negotiations. However, developments in the talks led many analysts to suspect that the developing countries were asking far more than they were willing to give. There were also the unconfirmed reports of a hidden Chinese agenda to monopolize the world textile and clothing market with their outrageously cheap products. These led countries like Turkey to call for the sectoral separation of textile and clothing from the NAMA. However, none of the bigger players like the U. S. and the E. U. seemed to be supportive of such a move. The E. U. was against sectoring out textile and clothing from talks on NAMA while the U. S. erely acknowledged the need for â€Å"special treatment† without actually supporting Turkey’s call. The proponents of the sectoring of talks on textiles and clothing claimed that the developing countries were asking for unregulated access to 1st world markets without agreeing to the same. Some organizations such as the American Manufacturing Trade Action Coalition (AMTAC) accused countries such as India and Brazil of supporting ill-balanced tariff reductions that could severely hurt the manufacturing sector of the United States. Another issue that was raised was the prevalence of counterfeit 1st world brands manufactured in the 3rd world. Some private lobbyists contested that before countries like the U. S. would agree to such grave reductions in tariffs in the textile and clothing area, the developed nations’ governments should first demand for a 3rd World crackdown on counterfeit brand manufacturing. The 2006 talks were stalled before any relevant progress could be noted in this area (Barrie, 2006). Drug patents and distribution International debates on healthcare have always disputed the manufacturing and distribution of drugs for treating the world’s most serious diseases like malaria, HIV and AIDS. Although these medicines are easily available in the developed world, they are extremely expensive compared to the meager earnings of those in the developing world. Patent holding companies of these medicines usually charge high prices for their products primarily to cover development costs. Thus although the 1st world has the means to manage vast epidemics of say HIV in countries like Africa, the legal system on patents prevent them from doing so. A previous solution thought about for this issue was the issuance of compulsory license grants to the 3rd world. This would effectively allow them to manufacture the drugs on their own. However, since such countries usually lack the technology and resources to manufacture specialized drugs, the solution did not seem to be effective. The first Doha round had already recognized this problem and had begun on working for a solution. It released a declaration which asked for allowing compulsory licenses for the manufacture of patented drugs to be issued in developed countries provided the drugs manufactured were only to be sold to certain countries, primarily the UN’s list of least developed nations. The Hong Kong talks and the subsequent Geneva talks saw some of the participating entities heeding the declaration with concrete action. Canada had implemented the declaration by year end of 2005 while the European Commissions official journal published Regulation 816/2006 in 2006 which enforced the Doha declaration in the European Union (Gruenberg, 2007). Market access for developing and least developed countries Allowing the developing and least developed nations of the world to have better market access to 1st world economies had always been the overall thrust of the Doha talks. Trade barriers such as tariffs were contended fiercely throughout the talks. Many scheduled cuts on tariffs have been made since 2001. However by the end of 2005, the Hong Kong ministerial declaration acknowledged there should be discrimination of cuts with regards to sensitive products. Hence, countries were allowed a percentage of their original tariff lines on sensitive products. However, the Hong Kong declaration also made concessions to developing countries. Since the tariff cuts were differentially treated, the poorer countries would be subject to lower cuts and longer transition periods for implementation. The provisions on special products were also applied to the 3rd world, thereby protecting their own special products that played major roles in food and livelihood security. While the 2006 round was fruitful in providing some measure of protection for the 3rd world, it has stumbled over the means and modalities by which the tariffs were supposed to be cut especially in the context of the 1st world.  Although there were some commitments made by the end of April in 2006, these failed to materialize. A deadline set by July of that same year was also not met (Effland et. al. , 2006). Part II China a. ) The Peoples Republic of China currently has a per capita GDP of $ 7,593 (80th in the world). Since the 1980s, Chinas economic policies have undergone various reforms to make it more open to trade. The reforms have resulted to Chinas new found openness to global trade. Its main trading partners are the U. S. 21. 4%, Hong Kong 16. %, Japan 11%, South Korea 4. 6%, and Germany 4. 3%. Its main exports are plastics, optical and medical equipment, iron and steel. It imports mainly oil and mineral fuels and machinery. b. ) Two main economic issues involving China are 1. ) its stand on textile manufacturing in the world economy and 2. ) its treatment of Research In Motion (RIM) regarding the release of BlackBerry in Beijing. In the first issue, many critics have accused China of maneuvering the Doha talks on NAMA to allow itself unfettered access to the worlds textile and clothing industry. Since labor in China is so cheap and clothing raw materials so abundant, China could veritably launch a full scale monopoly of clothing and textile if given the chance (Barrie, 2006). In the second issue, China had signed a contract with RIM for the company to release its state-of-the-art PDA, BLackBerry in Beijing. However just a few months before the scheduled release, the Chinese government took advantage of the advertising efforts that RIM had previously exerted and released their own version of the PDA, RedBerry. RIM is currently assessing whether they should press charges but China seems to powerful to actually be affected (Jones, 2006). c. ) Both issues seem to point out the potential and actual abuses that China could and has made because of the great power that its vast economic strength bestows upon it. I believe that there is no other solution to such a situation other than fervent watchfulness of the international community. While Chinas entry into global trade should be celebrated, its belligerent attitude and immense resources should not be taken lightly.

Change in Perspective :: Personal Narrative Abercrombie Papers

Change in Perspective Saturday morning, time to blow through Friday's paycheck at the mall.After entering through the massive glass doors into Summerset Plaza, I am overwhelmed with the sheer size and exquisite detail of the structure.Marble covers the walls and flooring while the ceiling is masked in a network of geometric arcs that support the giant pieces of glass creating a gigantic skylight.Walking further towards my favorite store, I pass through the center of the mall where lies an elegant marble fountain with perfect symmetry pouring water off in all directions.From here all three main wings and the three stories on each wing are visible.There are more stores than I would ever want to enter, filling up every inch the mall has to offer.Now, still walking and within one hundred feet from my destination I can begin to hear the music radiating from within, over powering the mall's choice of songs.Getting closer to the store I can now see the blue awnings over each window and the words Abercrombie & Fi tch that rest just above the oak boarded glass doors.Before entering the store I take time to examine the newest styles that clothe the mannequins in the windows.From here I can easily hear each lyric of the song that echoes out the store, I am intimidated.After giving myself an idea of what there is to buy I proceed into Abercrombie. Now inside and completely intimidated by my surroundings, I do my best to get what I want and get out.Unfortunately that is not as easy as I had planned.The music is disorienting, coming very loudly from all angles, and I have not the slightest clue as to who is behind me or what he or she is saying.Then I begin to realize how bright the environment is, and I can actually feel the heat of the bulbs on the back of my neck.Feeling completely uncomfortable and out of place, I take a look around to observe how others are acting in the same situation.Peering around, I see primarily all teenagers who look identically like the mannequins on the tables.Every guy is tall, handsome, and dressed perfectly and all the girls are slender, pretty, and again dressed in the latest fashion.Now that I have developed an inferiority complex, I try to take my eyes off the people and onto the merchandise.Browsing around I see the countless stacks of perfectly folded pants covering every wall, and every swe ater, button-down, t-shirt, and hooded sweatshirt meticulously placed into stacks of ten or twelve.

Examine critically the GLA proposal to introduce congestion charging

Traffic congestion has been a major problem for many of the cities in the UK and nowhere more than in the central of the largest UK city and capital London. It is known that 50% of drivers' time going though central London is spent in queues and at peak times and that times of high amounts of traffic average speeds of vehicles are under 10 miles per hour (Transport for London, 2001, Congestion Charging: Introduction). It has been a key issue for the transport authorities for some time and many efforts have been aimed at levelling this problem. The GLA (Greater London Authority), and in particular the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, has now decided to confront this problem head on and has issued a congestion charging scheme for central London. The charge is set to come into place on the 17th February 2003. The congestion charging scheme is intended to reduce the amount of motorists taking unnecessary trips through the centre if London, and to make them think of using public transport where possible. There will be a charge of i5 for drivers who still wish to go through central London. The charge will occur on weekdays between the hours of 7am and 6. 30pm, there will be no charge on weekends and public holidays, the fee of i5 will be at a flat daily rate with no limit on the number of times motorists go through the charging zone. The fee can either be paid on the day or in advance, with passes to the zone available on a weekly, monthly and yearly basis (TfL, 2001, Congestion Charging: How the scheme will work? ) Not everyone has to pay the charge; there are a number of discounts and exemptions as part of the scheme. Residents who live within the charging zone will receive a 90% discount; providing they can give appropriate verification that they do in fact own the vehicle, they will then be subject to a i10 administration charge to register with the TfL. Disabled badge holder will receive a 100% discount but they will have to register and pay the i10 fee. Others receiving a 100% discount are certain NHS vehicles and firefighters' operational vehicles. There are also a number of exemptions from the charge, which do not have to register with TfL either. These are motorbikes, Black cabs and mini-cabs. Also exempt from the charge are Emergency Service vehicles, NHS vehicles exempt from vehicle excise duties, buses and coaches. There are a number of other types of vehicles that are exempt or receive a 100% discount for the charge (TfL, 2001, Congestion Charging: Who will pay? ). They're will be a fine for the registered keeper of any vehicle which has been caught in the charging zone without having paid the charge will be penalised by the amount of i80, this will go down to i40 for payment within the week, or it will rise to i120 if the fine is not paid on time. However, motorists will be able to pay the charge at the normal rate of i5 before 10pm on the day and at a rate of i10 from 10pm till midnight (TfL, 2001, Congestion Charging: Penalties). The scheme will be enforced by a number of powerful and highly technological camera's which will be situated a in and around the congestion charging zone. There is an initial set up budget of i200 million, and i100 million worth of traffic management measures. The scheme is set to raise around i130 million a year, which is by law, should all be spent on transport improvements within Greater London. After rounds of public consultation over a ten-week period starting in July 2001, the London Mayor has decided to go ahead with the proposed scheme, and without any glitches should go ahead on the 17th February 2003 (TfL, 2001,Congestion Charging: Fact Sheets: Basic proposals of the central London scheme). The scheme itself has many benefits along with drawbacks to road users, residents, businesses motorists and the environment. All of these will be affected and care and consideration should be taken when considering the significance of the charge on the various groups. The largest and foremost benefit of the scheme would be the reduced amounts of congestion in the key zone, i. e. Central London. Even though there are many motorists who consider their trips through central London vital, there will be a number of motorists who will avoid the zone during the charging hours, because they do not need to make that trip. The estimated level of reduction in vehicles passing inside the zone would be 10-15%, with a 20-30% reduction in the in the levels of congestion. This would then aid in the speeding up of traffic, which is estimated to increase by 10-15% (TfL, 2001, congestion charging- benefits). The levels of traffic now cause negative externalities, where Marginal Social Costs (MSC), public costs, is greater than Marginal Private Costs (MPC), costs to the individual. The motorists only take into account the cost of petrol and time taken for the trip, MPC. This does not take in to account the levels of pollution, noise and other people's time that their vehicle is effecting, MSC. With the charge leading to the above levels of reduced traffic the size of the externality is reduced as the individual driver is bearing more of the cost. The charge that the Tfl have brought in is in relation to the size of the externality caused by the driver therefore getting closer to the social optimum in road use and traffic congestion. Traffic congestion in London being at its worst ever is also costing industry in and around greater London millions of pounds every year. In a study Alan Griffiths & Stuart Wall (2001), estimate that if traffic were reduced then London's economy would be better off by i1m a day. This would be a major boost for a city that at the moment looks unattractive and is sometimes over looked in favour of other cities because of the traffic congestion and the additional costs to business because of it. The scheme would also improve business efficiency and reduce the time employees and deliverers spend on the roads, and would spend less on fuel consumption (Greens on the GLA, 2001). The TfL expect the scheme to raise around i130 million a year, with a ten year investment plan to plough it all in to transport improvements. This would no doubt improve public transport, namely buses and the underground, in many areas with improved and new routes planned and an increase in the number of buses and trains. There are investments planned in all areas in public transport, including implementing more safety regulations (TfL, 2001, Congestion Charging: Public Transport Improvements). This all has to occur fairly swiftly as the demand for the use of public transport will be stretched. The congestion charging scheme also has many consequences to it. With the reduction in congestion in the charging zone, there will be an obvious increase in traffic around the surrounding areas of the zone. The TfL are expecting there to be a 5% increase in traffic levels on orbital routes. This would raise the externalities, and the difference between MPC and MPC will increase. There is also an issue of this being like just another tax and being regressive in its cause, therefore benefiting the rich and adversely affecting the poor. The rich will be able to pay the tax with no qualms, and will actually benefit from paying it as the people less able to pay the tax will be forced, not to drive in the zone.

Turning Strategy into Great Performance

First, let me start by explaining that a lot of times executives, and some HR leadership fail to recognize that performance and potential are two completely different dynamics that get often confused when companies are trying to hire new talent or possibly promote their current talent for new roles within their organizations. In fact, today's leaders cannot assume that their current top performers are the next potential talent in the industry for future purposes. Certainly, high performers may master their specific job task at the moment, but the â€Å"potential† challenge is going to be how well they will adapt to future role changes, and the ambiguity that may follow with that new role and their current skills capability. Unlike performance, individuals showing potential are identified by how well they adapt at accomplishing new tasks quickly and effectively while learning new roles quicker than their peers. After all, performance keeps businesses running optimally at the moment, but it's potential that helps run the future state of the business and that's what's needed to bring companies to the next level. Besides, employees who have potential have the ability to grow and take on more responsibilities in the future. In short, performance keeps the business moving, while potential makes the business prosper, grow, and mature.In fact, this is where the dynamic changes to potential rather than performance. In his book on Strategy-Driven Talent Management, Silzer and Dowell, (2009) explains that Executives and human resource personnel need to be better trained at accurately assessing talent to identify both potential and behavior rather than just judging by past performance because they will need to predict and envision whether a person will be successful in the long-term or not in future new roles. In the same way, they will need to take into consideration the fact that before moving existing talent into future positions that assessment measures must be taken whether these individuals will continue to be able to perform and grow in their new roles as they did in their past roles. In particular, consider how likely they are to develop and be successful in rapidly learning, adapting, and growing into these future roles (Silzer, & Dowell, 2009). In the same way, Church and Rotolo, (2013) explain in their benchmark survey of large corporations that multi-source assessment tools are a great way for organizations to make decisions about their potential talent and performance identification within their talent pools; help aid in succession planning; and drive behavior change for those selected individuals. In addition, they emphasized that not one specific tool is perfect, but that in using many feedback assessment tools the common end result should point to the same conclusion. In fact, they found specifically that the constant feedback from executives and their peers using 360-degree feedback surveys were successful in almost 70% of the organizations researched. The 360-degree feedback survey helped executives make important decisions regarding their talents potential and performance measurements towards predicting future behavior. Similarly, they also discussed the importance of making these surveys specific to their own needs, challenges, and business strategies (Church, & Rotolo, 2013).Likewise, Dries, Vantilborgh, & Pepermans, (2012) explain the role of learning agility and career variety in the identification and development of high potential employees. Their research found that in order to help identify talent in high potential individuals those individuals needed to succeed in a variety of other roles while being subjected to tough or difficult conditions other than their current limited job tasks and their past performance alone. In fact, those select employees needed to have a high agility for continuous learning they had to be willing and able to learn new competencies. Nevertheless, they emphasized that management in the past have always depended on current job performance to identify high potentials, but have failed because not all high performers are high potential individuals. In brief, they emphasized the need for a learning agility assessment in their development and identification of high potential individuals, in order for organizations to sustain their competitive advantage (Dries, Vantilborgh, & Pepermans, 2012). Equally important, is Campbell & Smith's, (2010) article on High-potential talent: A view from inside the leadership pipeline. These two researchers found that an overwhelmingly 96% of survey participants said that both engagement and commitment were very high on their list for developing potential employees to be motivated to perform above and beyond their specific job duties. More importantly, they explained the vital role that their employee's experiences and perspectives play in identifying potential talent from within the companies talent pipeline. In fact, they believe that when companies invest in talent management to include both career pathways and support for their high potential employee developments that those processes help identify the next steps needed to advance leadership potential and performance within the organization. All the while, building employee engagement, commitment and loyalty to their organization that results in an overall business advantage (Campbell, & Smith, 2010). Nevertheless, because it's such a financial challenge to attract, develop, and support talent management policies for companies today, I believe it's vital for organizations to have in place retention initiatives, tools, and resources to help avoid any such loss of their high potential employees intellectual knowledge, skills, and abilities. Besides, there is a high cost of turnover for companies when employees leave for career advancement elsewhere. Surprisingly, Frey, & Stechstor, (2007) found in their double round of survey interviews of twelve senior human resource experts from large and medium multinational companies that in the first round of the survey, most companies had no real retention management policies or initiatives in place and that their attitudes towards retention management strategies varied greatly from some who thought it was critical to the success of the company, to some who didn't think retention tools were necessarily important at all (Frey, ; Stechstor, 2007). Subsequently, in the second round of survey questionnaires, collected from those same HR experts who were asked to then rate three specific categories of retention management tools that were deemed to be most important to them when possibly implementing them in their own retention policy strategies. The categories for the initiatives for retention were labeled as:1. ‘Must-have', 2. ‘Optional', or3. ‘Trend-setting' As a result of the data collected, in the first group of ‘must have' employee retention tools HR management of those twelve organizations thought that performance related pay, constant feedback, culture and developmental career opportunities were the highest priority for retention of high potential talent. Next, they thought that the second most important tools for retention that should be in the ‘optional' group were listed as job rotation, retirement benefits, coaching, and mentoring. Finally, in the third ‘trend setting' category the tools that they thought were good for future retention strategies were stock options, working from home, and specific job tailoring (Frey, ; Stechstor, 2007). In sum, the value of investing in employee training and development can help an organization in many ways. Namely, by having the ability to run a business leaner and more importantly, by helping to diversify the talent and potential that already exists within the organization. Certainly, when companies invest in their employee development and talent management policies it motivates employees to perform at their best, while at the same time offsetting costs associated with high employee turnover, and retention of skilled labor. All in all, in these difficult economic times when businesses are cutting costs and headcount, identifying and assessing high potential employees can help management move workers around to different areas of the business and run a leaner and cost efficient process. Finally, a company with good employee development also attracts loyal and motivated individuals. Simply put, businesses must have employees who are knowledgeable in more than one skillset to remain competitive. Altogether, training, assessments, and education help ensure that employees have the skills needed to perform their business needs. Therefore, when you invest in your employee's aspirations and abilities, it improves your business performance, efficiency, loyalty, and profit. In other words, the ROI on employee talent development is one of the best long-term investments that a company can make.

Mozart 1756-1791 essays

Mozart 1756-1791 essays Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart was born January 27, 1756 in Salzburg Austria to Leopold Mozart and Anna Maria Pertl. Leopold was the son of a bookbinder while Anna Maria was the daughter of a county official and amateur musician. Leopold himself was a violinist and worked as the Vice Kapllmeister for Archbishop Schrattenbach of Salzburg. He at the age of twenty-eight married Anna Maria then twenty-seven after a long courtship. The couple had seven children, two of which lived, the second, Maria Anna (Nannerl) and the Seventh Wolfgang. Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart is his full baptismal name; he went by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. I take it that his first name is attributed to the fact that his mother grew up near Lake Wolfgang. Amadeus is Latin for Theophilus, which is Greek and in all languages means: Beloved of God. One wonders whether he ever heard of the ancient Greek king Menander's saying: Whom the gods love dies young.?1 At age three Wolfgang began imitating his sister as she played the clavier. When he played and the music sounded good, he was happy, but if it sounded bad he would start to cry. By age four he composed his first piece, minuet in G and attempted to write a clavier concerto. Wolfgang could write music before he was able to write most words. The same year he also began playing the violin. When Wolfgang turned six he began touring Munich and Vienna with his sister to gain recognition. The empress Maria Theresa invited them to perform, when the performance was over, Wolfgang ran up to the empress and kissed her, something that was very inappropriate, but she didn't seem to mind. Wolfgang Amadeus is such a charming and gifted child,? she said. Such great talent in such a small boy!? And her husband Francis I called him a little magician.?1 After the performance Wolfgang slipped and fell while playing hide and seek. One of the Maria Theresa's daughters helped him...

History of Swaziland in Africa

History of Swaziland in Africa Early Migrations: According to tradition, the people of the present Swazi nation migrated south before the 16th century to what is now Mozambique. Following a series of conflicts with people living in the area of modern Maputo, the Swazis settled in northern Zululand in about 1750. Unable to match the growing Zulu strength, the Swazis moved gradually northward in the 1800s and established themselves in the area of modern or present Swaziland. Claiming Territory: They consolidated their hold under several able leaders. The most important was Mswati II, from whom the Swazis derive their name. Under his leadership in the 1840s, the Swazis expanded their territory to the northwest and stabilized the southern frontier with the Zulus. Diplomacy with Great Britain: Contact with the British came early in Mswatis reign when he asked British authorities in South Africa for assistance against Zulu raids into Swaziland. It also was during Mswatis reign that the first whites settled in the country. Following Mswatis death, the Swazis reached agreements with British and South African authorities over a range of issues, including independence, claims on resources by Europeans, administrative authority, and security. South Africans administered Swazi interests from 1894 to 1902. In 1902 the British assumed control. Swaziland – A British Protectorate: In 1921, after more than 20 years of rule by Queen Regent Lobatsibeni, Sobhuza II became Ngwenyama (lion) or head of the Swazi nation. The same year, Swaziland established its first legislative body – an advisory council of elected European representatives mandated to advise the British high commissioner on non-Swazi affairs. In 1944, the high commissioner conceded that the council had no official status and recognized the paramount chief, or king, as the native authority for the territory to issue legally enforceable orders to the Swazis. Worries About Apartheid South Africa: In the early years of colonial rule, the British had expected that Swaziland would eventually be incorporated into South Africa. After World War II, however, South Africas intensification of racial discrimination induced the United Kingdom to prepare Swaziland for independence. Political activity intensified in the early 1960s. Several political parties were formed and jostled for independence and economic development. Preparing for Independence in Swaziland: The largely urban parties had few ties to the rural areas, where the majority of Swazis lived. The traditional Swazi leaders, including King Sobhuza II and his Inner Council, formed the Imbokodvo National Movement (INM), a group that capitalized on a close identification with the Swazi way of life. Responding to pressure for political change, the colonial government scheduled an election in mid-1964 for the first legislative council in which the Swazis would participate. In the election, the INM and four other parties, most having more radical platforms, competed in the election. The INM won all 24 elective seats. Constitutional Monarchy: Having solidified its political base, INM incorporated many demands of the more radical parties, especially that of immediate independence. In 1966 Britain agreed to discuss a new constitution. A constitutional committee agreed on a constitutional monarchy for Swaziland, with self-government to follow parliamentary elections in 1967. Swaziland became independent on 6 September 1968. Swazilands post-independence elections were held in May 1972. The INM received close to 75% of the vote. The Ngwane National Liberatory Congress (NNLC) received slightly more than 20% of the vote and three seats in parliament. Sobhuza Declares Absolute Monarchy: In response to the NNLCs showing, King Sobhuza repealed the 1968 constitution on April 12, 1973, and dissolved parliament. He assumed all powers of government and prohibited all political activities and trade unions from operating. He justified his actions as having removed alien and divisive political practices incompatible with the Swazi way of life. In January 1979, a new parliament was convened, chosen partly through indirect elections and partly through direct appointment by the King. An Autocratic Regent: King Sobhuza II died in August 1982, and Queen Regent Dzeliwe assumed the duties of the head of state. In 1984, an internal dispute led to the replacement of the Prime Minister and eventual replacement of Dzeliwe by a new Queen Regent Ntombi. Ntombis only child, Prince Makhosetive, was named the heir to the Swazi throne. Real power at this time was concentrated in the Liqoqo, a supreme traditional advisory body that claimed to give binding advice to the Queen Regent. In October 1985, Queen Regent Ntombi demonstrated her power by dismissing the leading figures of the Liqoqo. Call for Democracy: Prince Makhosetive returned from school in England to ascend to the throne and help end the continuing internal disputes. He was enthroned as Mswati III on April 25, 1986. Shortly afterward he abolished the Liqoqo. In November 1987, a new parliament was elected and a new cabinet appointed.In 1988 and 1989, an underground political party, the Peoples United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) criticized the King and his government, calling for democratic reforms. In response to this political threat and to growing popular calls for greater accountability within government, the King and the Prime Minister initiated an ongoing national debate on the constitutional and political future of Swaziland. This debate produced a handful of political reforms, approved by the King, including direct and indirect voting, in the 1993 national elections.Although domestic groups and international observers criticized the government in late 2002 for interfering with the independence of the judiciary, parliame nt, and freedom of the press, significant improvements have been made concerning rule of law in the past two years. Swaziland’s Court of Appeals resumed hearing cases in late 2004 after a two-year absence in protest of the government’s refusal to abide by the court’s decisions in two important rulings. In addition, the new Constitution went into effect in early 2006, and the 1973 proclamation, which, among other measures, banned political parties, lapsed at that time.(Text from Public Domain material, US Department of State Background Notes.)

The nurse as a professional (mental health) Essay

The nurse as a professional (mental health) - Essay Example For instance, children who obtained psychological treatments for psychosomatic and behavioural problems experienced hardly any primary care visits and received less healthcare services after treatment (Finney, Riley, & Cataldo 1991). There are also indications that group counselling enhances the functioning of the immune system, pregnancy rates, and the quality of life of cancer patients. This fact is known to a large number of mental health nurses (Aldridge 2004). Even though the significance of the emotional health of patients and its connection to physical well being has been supported for several years, practitioners have been disappointed in determining how to enhance access to mental health (Hemmings 2000). Mental health equality, which needs insurance companies to offer reasonable coverage for mental health and physical care, has currently been the major goal for enhancing such success. Integrated Care in Mental Health Contexts Inopportunely, mental health equality may not be a universal remedy, as several professionals think. Insurance companies, for example, if obliged by government policy to give equitable coverage, will transfer the extra costs to the public through co-payments and higher premiums, which will also restrict mental healthcare access, although indirectly (Kent & Hersen 2000). Per se, the main objective of this essay is to draw the attention of mental health nurses to a materialising development, integrated care, and recommend techniques for taking part in an integrated care process. Integrated care, a new development, gives much assurance to patients and all healthcare employees. Integrated care is the enhanced cooperation of mental health practitioners within primary care contexts (Lesser 2000). More particularly, integrated care is quite successful when services are given through co-location, specifically, when mental health nurses work collaboratively with primary care physicians in the same office (McCulloch, Friedli & Parker 2002). In this form of integrated set up, mental health nurses and PCPs discuss frequently the needs and demands of patients, in several cases, visit a patient together to identify the most suitable treatment process (Keady, Clarke & Page 2007). Research on integrated care has shown major positive outcomes, such as: reduced despair and improved quality of life of adults in relation to a ‘treated’ control group, and anxiety-free periods for individuals with panic disorder, reduced in-patient admissions, and reduced patient depression levels (Knapp, McDaid, Mossialos & Thornicroft 2007). Furthermore, evidence indicates that patients choose to receive mental health care within their primary care environment, reveal fewer stigmas about obtaining psychiatric help, and feel comforted by the thought that their nurses are involved in therapy (Knapp et al. 2007). Ultimately, in a current analysis of more than 60 integrated care investigations, Blount (2003) discovered that, generally, integrated care generated enhanced medical outcomes, enhanced provider and patient satisfaction, and enhanced cost effectiveness. Grounds for the effective outcomes involve the ease of mental healthcare access within a common context, but also involve the involvement of nurses in the mental healthcare needs of patients as well as the reprieve of nurses by the thought th