Ancient Egyptian Math

In the ancient times, Egypt was a very large, complex nation. The ancient Egyptians did many things, but did they use Math? There are several evidences that the Egyptians, indeed used mathematics. Most of our knowledge of Egyptian math comes from two mathematical papyri: The Rhind Papyrus, and the Moscow Papyrus. These documents contain many ancient Egyptian math problems. We also know the Egyptians used math just by looking at their architecture! The Great Pyramid at Giza is an incredible feat of engineering. This gives us one clear indication that the society had reached a high level of achievement.Another indicator is that early hieroglyphic numerals can be found on temples, stone monuments and vases. Beginning with the basics, here is how the Egyptians used math: Number System: The Egyptians had a base 10 system of hieroglyphs for numerals. This means that they had separate symbols for one unit, one ten, one hundred, one thousand, one ten thousand, one hundred thousand, and one m illion. For example, to make up the number 159, fifteen symbols are required:1 â€Å"hundred† symbol, 5 â€Å"ten† symbols, and 9 â€Å"unit† symbols. Over time the Egyptians came up with another form of numbers. These numbers were called â€Å"hieratic numerals†.These numerals were much more detailed, but more memorization was needed to remember all the symbols. The Hieratic Numerals included the numbers: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9,10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70,80, 90, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900, 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000, 6000, 7000, 8000, 9000 With this system, only a few symbols were needed to form large numbers. For example, the number 777 only uses 3 hieratic symbols, instead of 21 hieroglyphs. Adding and Subtracting: Adding and subtracting was a very simple process. All you would do was take the two numbers you were adding together and put the same symbols into the same group.For example, say that P stands for 1, and M stands for 10 . All you need to do is add the numbers 15 and 27 together. PPPPP M = 15 PPPPPPP MM=27 To add those together we simply combine them. PPPPPPPPPPPP MMM= PP MMMM (42) The same process is used for subtraction. Multiplication: To multiply 2 numbers of any size, all you need to know is how to add. To multiply 2 numbers you would write them in a column form. Let’s multiply 36 and 21. We write the equation like this: 36 x 21 Below the two numbers each make 2 columns. The first column always begins with the number 1, and each number in that column doubles each time you write it. o your first column would look like this: 36 x 1 2 4 8 16 32 64 128 For the 2nd column, under the 21, begin with the number you are multiplying, and double that number each line. 21 21 42 84 168 336 672 1344 2688 In the end you should have two columns that look like this: 36 x 21 1 21 2 42 4 84 8 168 16 336 32 672 64 1344 128 2688 You then take numbers from the first column that will add up to 36: 32+4 = 36 Ne xt plug in the corresponding numbers in the 2nd column to the equation that makes up the first number (in this example the number is 36).For example, the corresponding number to the number 2 is 42. The number across from the number 32 is 672, and the number across from the number 4 is 84. All I have to do is add those 2 numbers together: 672+84= 756 36Ãâ€"21=756 And there is your answer! Division is a reversal of the multiplication process: 300/25 1. 25 2. 50 4. 100 8. 200 16. 400 32. 800 64. 1600 200 + 100 = 300 Match the corresponding numbers: 8+4 = 12 The answer is 12. These multiplication, division, addition, and subtraction methods are all found on the Rhind and Moscow papyrus. What are these Papyri?They are ancient documents from around 2000 BC that have many advanced math formulas and problems on them. The Rhind Papyrus: The Rhind Papyrus is named after the British collector, Alexander Rhind, who found it in 1858. The Rhind Papyrus is located in the British Museum, and conta ins mathematics problems and solutions. There are 84 math problems including simple equations, geometric series & simultaneous equations, determining, geometric series, and simple algebra found on the papyrus. The Moscow Papyrus: In the 19th century, an Egyptologist- Vladimir Golenishchev, found the apyrus and brought it to Russia.The Moscow papyrus contains only about 25 math problems. Of the 25 math problems, 7 of them are geometry. The papyrus is now located in the Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow The Ancient Egyptians obviously had a very good understanding of mathematics. They looked for patterns and found ways to add, subtract, multiply and divide. They came up with many formulas and tricks they helped their societies become more advanced. They have contributed much to our modern math world. So, the lesson to learn from this? Don’t underestimate math. Math is in everything!

Negotiation Strategy Analysis

The first article is retrieved from Bloomberg. com â€Å"Saudi Oil Tanker Owners in Negotiations with Pirates† where the Saudi Arabian supertanker hijacked off the coast of Somalia. The supertanker belongs to Saudi Arabia's state-owned shipping line, Vela International Marine Ltd. The negotiation is between the pirates that have captured the Sirius Star and the owners of the Saudi Arabian supertanker. The pirates have the advantage in the negotiation because they have the 25 crew with different nationalities as hostage, and the tanker carrying more than 2 million barrels of crude oil worth $110 million. Saudi Arabia is unlikely considering an armed response because it may endanger the crew, and would require a great deal of international agreement and cooperation. The ship is carrying Liberian flag, owned by a Saudi company, in Somali waters, with so many nationalities onboard. The owners have to pay ransom money for the safe delivery of the supertanker. The hijackers can actually force the owners into paying large ransom money (Alexander, & Krause, November 19, 2008). The second article is retrieved from the Eagle Tribune: â€Å"Fate of Detroit's Big 3 will trickle down locally†, where the CEO's of the big three automakers, General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler have united to lobby Congress for a 25 billion loan. The negotiation is between the big three automaker companies and the government. The arguments is if their companies goes under, and one of them declared bankruptcy, an estimates of as high as 2. 5 million U. S jobs losses and more than 730,000 workers will be unemployed. This is a pressure tactic utilized to force the government to give the $25 billion loan (Kirk, November 26, 2008). The two negotiation articles describe a negotiation situation that employs different negotiation strategies. The first article, the pirates uses distributive bargaining strategy which is characterized by mistrust and suspicion, designed to beat the other party (Lewicki, Saunders, & Barry, 2006). The pirates have the advantage over the owner by intimidating or threatening to eradicate the crew and the supertanker. While on the other hand, the three car automakers and the government uses integrative negotiation strategy which is characterized by openness and trust, designed to achieve the best possible solution for all parties involve (Lewicki, Saunders, & Barry, 2006). The US government cannot be forced to provide a loan to the three auto companies, the only possible way to persuade them of giving $25 billion dollars to the three automakers is the possibility of loss of millions of jobs and the increase of unemployment in the event the automakers goes under or declared bankruptcy. The comparison between the two situations is both negotiation disputes are used to influence the other party to part with money. The first scenario is the owners of the supertanker, and the US government on the second scenario. In both scenarios, the stand taken by the negotiators is â€Å"pay or otherwise†. Each situation involved, terms, counter offers, and demands placed by the parties from which the payment is claimed.

The Statute of Fraud Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Statute of Fraud - Essay Example The Wikipedia definition further explains that traditionally a Statue of Fraud has been required in circumstances where the contract relates to Marriage, or cannot be performed within one year, or where it concerns transfer of interests in land, or where it relates to a contract by the executor of a will to pay a debt of an estate with their own money, contracts for the sale of goods above a certain value and finally in contracts where one party becomes a surety or acts as a guarantor. In the Free Dictionary by Farlex, the Statue of Fraud is described as a type of state law that was modeled after an old English Law. This further goes on to add the Statue of Fraud has been adopted by the US from English Law dating back to the year 1677. This US Law acts as a defense in a breach of contract lawsuit. "This has been designed to prevent the possibility of a nonexistent agreement between two parties being proved by perjury or fraud". Therefore, under this law, it is necessary that a writte n note or memorandum of agreement be drawn up if a particular contract is to be enforced. Simply said, that Statue of Fraud ensures that a written agreement exists between two parties in certain types of contracts described previously in this paragraph. Larson (2003) has described that the Statue of Fraud requires that certain contracts be in writing and that they are to be signed by all parties to be bound by the contract. Contracts involving the sale or transfer of land, contract to answer for the debt or duty of another and contract by its term which cannot be completed within a year and the contract for the sale of goods under the uniform commercial code fall under the category of the Statue of Fraud. The origins of the Statue of Fraud can be traced back to 1677 and to the English Statutory law passed during the said period. The Statue of Fraud was established with intentions to prevent injury from fraudulent conduct. Stuckey (2003) has related the statute of fraud to the presen t era of the information age and said "It is important to note at the outset that the Statute of Frauds is one of the most important legal issues for electronic contracting. The Statute of Frauds designates which types of contracts are not enforceable unless memorialized in a signed writing. Most states have enacted some version of the Statute of Frauds, either in its common law or Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) forms". This highlights the importance of the Statute of Frauds and its relevance to the modern day where a bulk of the contracting may be done using the electronic media. According to Raysman, Pisacreta, Adler, and Seth (1999), "Both the UCC and UCITA require a signed writing or in UCITA's terms, an authenticated, record in connection with agreements beyond those specified by the common law. For instance, the UCC imposes the requirement on contracts for the sale of goods of a price of $500 or more of for lease contracts whose total payments are $1,000 or more while UCITA requires an authenticated record of contracts requiring payment of a contract fee of $5,000 or more".  

Six Sigma Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Six Sigma - Essay Example Etc. This concept is also focusing on TRIZ, a problem solving methodology widely adopted in Russia. In this concept, brain storming (random Idea Generation), problem formulation, systematic analysis etc are used. The main aim of Six Sigma is customer satisfaction and product improvement, then only profitability and reduction in cost will sustain. It is providing the product which is ‘defect free process and products’. Six Sigma process is defined as the series of steps and activities that take inputs provided by the suppliers and value provide output for their customers. The Management tries to identify the most important 20 to 30 processes in their business. After identifying these process, the management tries to measure the sigma performance of these processes. The management then tries to identify the lowest performing processes that is having a direct impact on company’s performance. A project team is being formed for improving the poor performance processes. They will retained for a period of 4 to six months wherein they will be having a thorough study on these poor performance processes and taking corrective steps for its improvement to achieve effectiveness and efficiency. â€Å"Unlike other quality initiatives, Six Sigma has a strategic component aimed at not only developing managements commitment to Six Sigma, but their active involvement.† (George Eckes. Wiley, 2003. p.16). Six Sigma as a management strategy is a method for obtaining the objectives of the business. The five major Strategic business objectives are 1. Revenue 2. Profit Margin 3. Customer Satisfaction 4. Growth 5. Employee Satisfaction. In order to implement a Six Sigma strategy the responsibility of management is to identify the important process of the organization and measure their effectiveness and efficiency and to make further improvement for the worst performing process. Six Sigma tactics helps to accomplish greater

Why People Organize Into Unions (Employee Labor and Relations class) Assignment

Why People Organize Into Unions (Employee Labor and Relations class) Human Resource Management - Assignment Example This statement by the President somehow summarizes why people organize into unions. Organized labor has several core functions which include safety, security, pay and benefits; ensuring jobs remain in the U.S.; having job security; and ensuring adequate pay and benefits (Strata Research, Inc., 2009). These are the main reasons why employees choose to organize into labor unions. Workers believe that joining a union means a protection for their welfare. There are however some workers who choose not to join labor unions in the view that it may force American companies to just outsource job overseas and be free of the headaches brought about by labor unions (Strata Research, Inc., 2009). In the research conducted by Strata Research, their findings show that for employees who choose not to join unions, they believe that current employment laws are adequate to protect their rights while those who join unions view current employment laws as inadequate; thus, the need for additional protecti on through labor unions (2009). The study further revealed that some workers perceive labor unions have become overly protective of employees’ rights by asking for higher salaries and more benefits, making American companies less competitive in the global market. There is strength in numbers. This is another reason why people organize unions. Most people are of the belief that they can get important protection and gain improved conditions better if they join together (Woodley & McGillivary, 2010).

Assume that you have been newly Appointed as a Services Marketing Essay

Assume that you have been newly Appointed as a Services Marketing Consultant - Essay Example Thus, the fast food restaurant is found to abstain from beef and use mutton while producing and selling non-vegetarian products like hamburgers in India. Such working on continuous innovation helps the company fit into the tastes and likings of the consumers of different regions. Place In terms of location, the fast food restaurant focuses on enhancing its market share pertaining to a particular region through the opening up of large number of outlets in different parts. Thus it has been able to open up numerous restaurants around the globe which in turn help the company to gain on its profits and market revenues. Price In regards to the price mix it is found that McDonald’s works continuously in revising its pricing strategies based on the social, competitive and business environment of a particular region. ... The company, in relation to advertisement activities, works in engaging celebrities to enhance its brand image through visual and print advertisements. Similarly, the company invests largely in active sponsorships of different sporting events ranging from Olympics to other international sporting agendas. People In regards to employing people, the company largely focuses on gaining the advantage of skilled labour sets from the local communities while closely following the legislations pertaining to employability of people in the region. Further, the company also works in developing the skill sets of the employees to fit to local tastes by working on the development of adequate training programs. Process Though McDonald’s works on a global plane in meeting the fast food requirements of people belonging to different regions, yet it renders the main focus on meeting the aspirations of the local consumers. Thus, the organisation has worked in developing standardised rules that woul d help the company largely control the actions of the suppliers and other such stakeholders in meeting the quality needs of the local people. Physical Evidence The fast food restaurant working on an international plane closely focuses on providing a clean space wherein the customers can relish and enjoy the ready-to-eat products by sitting with their friends and families. Moreover, the company works towards providing the customers a large variety of food products that are produced in a quick fashion while focusing to sustain the quality of the produces as well (Vignali, 2001, p.99-110). This discussion thus reflects on the aspects that how McDonald’s works on gaining the advantage of aligning the seven service marketing mixes to help enhance on the parameters of consumer and

Globalization and Economic Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Globalization and Economic Development - Essay Example However, extra legal means of bringing products into a country normally result to an increased in smuggling activities. These practices will eventually corrode if not slowly disintegrate the economy of the country. â€Å"Corrosion in the system of trade relations does not produce a blow-up from one day to the next. When nations find the rules too constraining and no longer appropriate to their needs they find ways of flouting them. The effects tend to be more subtle and show up over time in a gradual retreat from the cornerstone principles of multi-literalism and non-discrimination† (Rodrik). Trade in a globalized economy provides equal opportunity for all players as provided for by the WTO and the GATT. Goods can now be produced in another country without too much impact on the price and in fact can be lowered since products from another country can be produced or assembled locally and be given the same benefits as that of the local brand. Adverse effects of short cuts and ot her extra legal means of trading is not only avoided but governments earn the advantage of taxing the goods. Healthy trade between countries are assured by the WTO and GATT for member nations providing equal opportunity for the products with that of the local products. ... However a move towards ensuring that making each country a member of WTO and compliant to GATT, BASEL and other UN directives remains a challenge. WTO and other agreements prevent several archaic trading imperatives that existed and accepted in the better part of the last century. These trading practices sometimes result to war or conflicts because of its predatory nature. Equal opportunity is given to all players that wish to transact with the other WTO members preventing favouritism and preferential treatment. Globalization in its purest form makes it more efficient for trade to be concluded by moving manufacturing plants to where the market is. Long are the days where waste in the manufacture, shipment and distribution of goods are left not only to normal market forces but also to the devices of the elements and environmental factors because of the lag in shipment and distribution. Positioning for better prices due to a more efficient manufacturing process within the country where the market is if not where the actual raw materials are manufactured will also be more competitive. A more sustainable manufacturing process that will safe guard the environment if not reduce carbon emission. Corporate strategy that could include reduction of operating expense while increasing the level of quality is due to globalization. Technology as an enabler of globalization makes it easier for company to monitor and manage their remote facilities or offices that could be on the other side of the globe. In sum, decrease operating cost, immediate response to market forces that dictate price and supply under an economic environment that do not discriminate between local and imported products when it comes to tax will make the global economy more prudent. Another

Electric circuits and devices prototyping Lab Report

Electric circuits and devices prototyping - Lab Report Example [3] A BJT is a current controlled device and has three terminals i.e. base, collector and emitter. The base determines the current in the emitter and the collector output. Actually BJT is a piece of silicon with three regions that have two junctions namely n and p. [3] An NPN transistor and the PNP transistor are examples of the two types of BJTs. The charge carriers in these two types of BJTs differ i.e. a PNP has electrons as its primary carrier, while NPN has holes as their primary carriers. NPN and PNP transistors practically have identical operation principles with the only difference being in biasing and in the polarity of the power supply for each type. [2] Typically, BJT has four distinct regions of operations; these are the forward active, reverse active, saturation and cutoff. Therefore, a BJT can operate in different modes depending on the junction bias. For instance, when base-emitter junction is forward biased and the base-collector junction is reversed biased, then the device is in the forward active region mode of operation. [3] The device is in reverse active region of operation when the base-collector junction is forward biased while base-emitter junction is reversed biased. The saturation mode occurs when there are forward bias potentials in both base-emitter and base-collector junctions. However, when both junctions are reverse biased then the device is in cutoff region of operation. [2] Since a BJT is three terminal device, it can be connected in three possible ways with one terminal being common for both input and output. These three configurations include common base, common collector and common emitter configurations. The common base configuration has high voltage gain with no current gain while the common emitter has gain for both current and voltage. The common emitter configuration has a current gain with no voltage gain. [3] This is a voltage-controlled device and has

Anything related to Security systems, police, prosecutors, courts, Scholarship Essay

Anything related to Security systems, police, prosecutors, courts, correction, and juvenile justice - Scholarship Essay Example Critics, however, often point to research that indicates the assurance of results of punishment in deterrence, rather than its severity (Simpson, 1976). Criminal behavior in the youths or the juveniles is a relentless and invasive problem in the society of United States of America. Crimes by the juveniles comprise of about 42% of the individuals arrested for major crimes, including burglary, murder and rape with an increased rate of juvenile incarceration that reflects that of the adults.   The youths comprise a predominantly disadvantage sector of the population in America which has greatly been neglected by the society and the written law and eventually creating a social and economic costs implications to the economy of America.   The core sources of juvenile delinquency need an immediate addressing, funds should be availed, mechanisms of effective rehabilitation should be devised and these programs provided to the severely underserved youth population (Hinton et.al 2007).   Ã‚      Many crimes are committed by the minorities and the crimes incline more to the people of low incomes compared to the same case with the wealthy individuals. With the high rate of poverty and unemployment, insufficient family and neighborhood support has resulted to juveniles opting for crimes to attain means of survival. Time spend in the prisons just accounts for the credibility in the streets of US instead of segregating the youths from their society (Fox, 1996). The juvenile justice system in US has responded to legislative decisions that have made a shift from an emphasis on rehabilitation, to a more punitive focus, characterized by stricter laws and harsher punishments. During the Progressive Era back in 1860s, a separate juvenile justice system was established in US that emphasized on rehabilitating specific needs of the individual youth. However, cases of juvenile crime became rampant over time and in 1980s

Planning your Call Assigment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Planning your Call Assigment - Assignment Example With regard to the past actions by others regarding my chosen policy issue, it is worth noting that a number of legislative actions have been previously undertaken with regard to my chosen policy issue. There are a number of key strategies, messages as well as recommendations involved under in the current policy issue plan. Generally, the proposed policy will largely focus on increasing the number of palliative care workforce in the US local health facilities, investing in technologies related to the provision of palliative care services as well as improving service availability in order to ensure increased equitable access to optimal hospice and palliative care. In the past, a number of individuals, policy makers and organizations have sought to introduce policies that guarantee increased funding for palliative and hospice care services. For example, in the year 2008, the National Priorities Partnership identified improving palliative care as one of the top national policy priorities that should be addressed in order to improve the health care delivery to Americans particularly those with life threatening illnesses. Additionally, the Affordable Care Act of 2010 enacted into law many provisions related to improving access to quality palliative care through a number of ways including increased federal and state funding of the services. However, there is still a significant policy gap in the funding of palliative case services as evidenced by the current inequalities of such services (Longest, 2013). The main federal, state or local policy makers that I will involve in my chosen policy mainly include the local member of congress, local members of the healthcare regulatory organizations like the joint Commission as well as other leaders who have the ability to shape laws and regulations. Although I do not have the exact addresses and phone numbers of each of the policy makers, I intent to visit their

Night of the Living Dead Essay Example for Free

Night of the Living Dead Essay American  independent  black-and-white  horror film  and  cult film  directed by  George A. Romero   Night of the Living Dead  was heavily criticized during its release because of its explicit content, but received critical acclaim and was selected by the  Library of Congress  for preservation in the  National Film Registry  as a film deemed culturally, historically or aesthetically significant. reviewers cited the film as groundbreaking. Pauline Kael  called the film one of the most gruesomely terrifying movies ever made — and when you leave the theatre you may wish you could forget the whole horrible experience. .  . . The films grainy, banal seriousness works for it — gives it a crude realism. [62]  A  Film Daily  critic commented, This is a pearl of a horror picture which exhibits all the earmarks of a  sleeper. Since the release, critics and film historians have seen  Night of the Living Dead  as a subversive film that critiques 1960s American society, international  Cold War  politics and domestic  racism. Elliot Stein of  The Village Voice  saw the film as an ardent critique of American involvement in  Vietnam, arguing that it was not set in  Transylvania, but Pennsylvania — this was  Middle America  at war, and the zombie carnage seemed a grotesque echo of the conflict then raging inVietnam Pauline Kael,  5001 Nights at the Movies  (Henry Holt and Company, 1991 Elliot Stein, The Dead Zones: George A. Romero at the American Museum of the Moving Image,  The Village Voice(New York), January 8–14, 2003 http://www. filmsite. org/posters/psyc2. jpghttp://www. filmsite. rg/reddot. gif  Alfred Hitchcocks powerful, complex psychological thriller,  Psycho  (1960) is the mother of all modern horror suspense films it single-handedly ushered in an era of inferior screen slashers with blood-letting and graphic, shocking killings The master of suspense skillfully manipulates and guides the audience into identifying with the main character, luckless victim Mari on (a Phoenix real-estate secretary), and then with that characters murderer a crazy and timid taxidermist named Norman (a brilliant typecasting performance by Anthony Perkins). Hitchcocks techniques voyeuristically implicate the audience with the universal, dark evil forces and secrets present in the film. Psycho  also broke all film conventions by displaying its leading female protagonist having a lunchtime affair in her sexy white undergarments in the first scene; also by photographing a toilet bowl and flush in a bathroom (a first in an American film), and killing off its major star Janet Leigh a third of the way into the film . Film reviews, for instance, will sometimes take up political or sociological concerns in the course of issuing formal-aesthetic judgments. Night of the Living Deaddramatizes the bewildering and uncanny transformation of human beings into non-human forms. Indeed, like all metamorphosis narratives, the film carries uncomfortable messages about identity — about what it means to be a human being and about the terror of alienation. The films power to unsettle its audience also derives from its focus on the taboo subject of cannibalism (which it depicts far more graphically than previous zombie films). In the eighteenth century, the English ironist Jonathan Swift (1996) wroteA Modest Proposal,a darkly satirical attack on the privations suffered by the Irish people at the hands of the English in which the author ironically proposed that infants be killed and eaten in order to solve the problem of poverty in Ireland. Night of the Living Deadalso uses cannibalism as a metaphor for exploitative power relations. Thus, while it deals with a quite different set of social problems, Romeros film can also be seen a sinister satire that exploits an outrageous premise in the interests of social and political critique. In his book  Understanding Popular Culture,  John Fiske writes: It is not violence per se that characterises popular culture, but only that violence whose structure makes it into a metaphor for the distribution of power in society. Fiske, 1989: 137) According to Fiske, then, violence is a metaphor for inequitable (and presumably unjust) power relations in society. It is important, however, to understand this point in historical context. Violence became more commonly depicted in films and on television in the late 1960s, during a socially turbulent period when social hierarchies were being challenged   Night of the Living Dead  draws on Alfred Hitchcocks  Psycho  (1960), especially in its film craft: the use of shadow and camera angles. Night of the Living Dead  (and, indeed, its worthy equels) reminds us of something that the recent outbreak of zombie films may have caused us to forget: the oppositional potential of popular culture. In this sense, the film is an undead classic that can still tell us something about who we are — and warn us about what we might turn into. Waller, Gregory A. (1986),  The Living and the Undead  (Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press) Swift, Jonathan (1996),  A Modest Proposal and other Satirical Works  (New York: Dover) like most genre movies, reflect the values and ideology of the culture that produced them. Don Siegels  Invasion of the Body Snatchers  (1956), for example, about an invasion of alien seed-pods that replace people with emotional replicas, is typically discussed in relation to American contemporary culture in the 1950s. Unlike earlier horror films,  Invasion of the Body Snatchers  imagines infection on an apocalyptic rather than personal scale, as in the vampire myth, a clear reflection of Cold War fears of nuclear destruction. But even as Americans felt threatened by possible nuclear war and Communist infiltration, the film also expresses a fear of creeping conformism at home. Invasion  makes the commonplace seem creepy, and in the climax a mob of plain-looking townsfolk pursue Miles and Becky out of town in a horrific evocation of the kind of witch-hunting mentality witnessed in the United States just a few years before the films releaseRead more:  Critical debates Horror Films actor, children, cinema  http://www. filmreference. com/encyclopedia/Criticism-Ideology/Horror-Films-CRITICAL-DEBATES. html#ixzz1qab4D5B2

Salad Bar Financial Plan And Objectives Marketing Essay

Salad Bar Financial Plan And Objectives Marketing Essay The salad bar financial model will be based on the business concept of managing for the best, and planning for the worst. The projections of the first year will anticipate for a sales volume below average, salad cost above average, and seat turn below average. This will help us ensure adequate financial planning to cater for a ramp-up period that is reasonable, success of the business, and ensure that the business is not under-capitalized (McKeever 2008). Financial Pro Forma Besides the $70,000 of owner investment and $90,000 grant monies, The Salad Bar is seeking $150,000 in loans that are long-term and $100,000 in renovation investments, kitchen equipment, furniture catering license, legal fees, working capital, , food restaurant supplies, personnel and marketing. Investment Opportunities The Salad Bar Investment Program assigns equity position of 30% for a $100,000 total in investor capital. Investment Opportunity Total Investor Grant Opportunity:     $100,000 Minimum Amount of Investment $5,000 Investment Term 2-4 Years Maximum Total Equity Offering 10% Starting Year 2 Silver: Projected Annual IRR on Investment of $15,000 $49,000 10% Gold: Projected Annual IRR on Investment of $50,000 $99,000 11% Platinum: Projected Annual IRR on Investment of $100,000 or more 12% + Residuals Our financial plan is based on the assumptions that there will be a slow-growth economy that will be recovering from an economic decline. It also assumes that the business will experience a modest growth in the future. The Salad Bar business intends to increase profit margins per day. The businesses aims at reducing the variable operation cost as well as achieve a double growth rate annually. The Salad Bar marketing strategy will be aimed at developing visibility among the members of the community. This strategy will be achieved through a targeted advertising campaign. There will be advertisements placed in various newsletters. Its hoped that the advertisements will yield a reasonable amount of product enquiries since they are beleaguered toward the target population that uses Salad Bar products/services (Young 2007). The Salad Bar Marketing Objectives Salad Bar aims at reducing market costs as a sales percentage. The business intends to maintain steady and positive growth every month. In addition, Salad Bar plans to experience new customers increase and consequently have them as long-term customers. Marketing Strategy The Salad Bar marketing strategy will be aimed at developing visibility among the members of the community. This strategy will be achieved through a targeted advertising campaign. There will be advertisements placed in various newsletters. Its hoped that the advertisements will yield a reasonable amount of product enquiries since they are beleaguered toward the target population that uses Salad Bar products/services (Abrams Kleiner 2003). Target marketing The Salad Bars target population includes the middle class clients and the upper-class clients. The middle-class population has minimal disposable income. It recognizes that its expensive to get salad from a salad bar but its prepared to incur expenses though they will attempt to minimize them. On the other hand, the upper-class clients are characterized by high income level and its willing to have salad from a bar. This strategy will require a different menu for the two groups since the upper-class salad menu will be cost prohibitive for the middle class population (McKeever 2008). Positioning The Salad Bar will position itself as a high quality, innovative salad business. The members of the society will recognize the high quality and unique service/product offerings of The Salad Bar. The Salad Bar competitive edge will be founded in  its customer inventive and customer approach to members of the society. The Salad Bar customer attention will make it different from other salad bars that have a lot of demand. The disadvantage of having a high demand is that the business experiences a decreased pressure to accommodate extra clients. When The Salad Bar will start having plenty of customers, we will modify our business plan in order to handle them effectively McKeever (2008). The Salad Bar will approach the market as if there is considerable competition between the different product providers. We aim at making customer satisfaction our priority, and through this, local clients will come to be pleased about the attention given to their need and establish long-term relationshi ps with The Salad Bar. The main objective is to position The Salad Bar as the premier Salad business within the area, authorizing a market share majority in four years. The marketing strategy will aim first at creating customer awareness concerning its products, build up a customer base, and focus on building customer referrals and loyalty (Young 2007) Marketing Mix The Salad Bar marketing mix will consist of pricing, distribution, advertising and promotion approaches. The pricing scheme of the business is based on per person or per bowl charge. The Salad Bar aims at making product deliveries for customer far from the shop. On the other Hand, advertising and promotion will be done through television and radio adverts as well as brochures (Young 2007). Marketing Research Several focus groups were established and held during the initial marketing plan development phase so as to gain insight into a number of potential customers. The groups provided useful insight into potential customers decision making. Additional dynamic market research source is a feedback system based on a proposal card system. The proposal card will have numerous statements that clients are asked to rate as per a given scale. There will be numerous open ended questions that will enable a client to offer constructive criticism freely. The Salad Bar will focus on implementing suggestions that are reasonable so as to improve its product offerings as well as demonstrate its commitment to customer suggestions (Abrams Kleiner 2003).

Grays framework is an extension of Hofstedes societal values

Grays framework is an extension of Hofstedes societal values Culture is said to be an identifying mark of any group of persons. The impact of this identifying mark is felt in everything that is done in that environment such that it is reflected in their daily and operational activities. In explaining the impact of culture on activities, Hofstede (1980: 26) defined culture as the collective programming of mind that distinguishes the members of one group from another. This distinguishing factor belies characteristics that are distinct to that particular group and can be found in all aspects of life. One aspect that is not left out is the field of accounting, the impact of culture is felt such it is reflected in the accounting practices of particular environments and it defines the systems that guide the practices done in that environment. This results in huge differences in international accounting practices even though the definition of accounting has one aim- to provide decision useful information to users and to give evidence of stewardship. Outside the culture factor, other reasons have been put forth to explain the differences in accounting systems where they include legal, tax, financing system (Nobes, 2006), political ideology ( Ezzamel et al, 2007). However, Gray argues that cultural values can better explain the differences in accounting system and he bases his argument on Hofstedes theory. Going by his argument, if cultural values as posited by Hofstede are reflected in societal activities, then there should be an existing relationship such that a close pattern that between these societal values and the accounting systems practiced in those environments can be identified. He puts forward four significant accounting concepts/values (professionalism, uniformity, conservatism and secrecy) that he links with Hofstedes societal value constructs (individualism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance and masculinity/femininity). In other words, the accounting values as given by Gray can be seen as a connective point betwe en Hofstedes societal values and accounting practices. In explaining these links, he put forward four hypotheses. This paper seeks to assess the validity of the accounting concepts as put forward by Gray, seeking to establish their relationships with Hofstedes societal constructs. Grays Theoretical Reasoning. It is a well known fact that the strength of a building lies in its foundation, where the foundation is faulty, then the building itself cannot be said to be strong. Applying this fact to Grays hypotheses means that the strength of his hypotheses lays on its basis which is the Hofstedian societal value constructs. Though Hofstede collected his data over the period of 1967 to 1973, giving him enough time to incorporate changes in what he terms societal values, it has undergone criticisms in research papers. These criticisms weaken in turn weaken Grays accounting values. Some of these criticisms include the fact that the Hofstedian value framework is outdated and a weak basis on which to base the accounting values framework (Jones, 2007). In addition to this, there is the issue of measurability of the societal value constructs, the equation of national states with cultures, status of the observer, cultural homogeneity and political influences ( Baskervillle, 2003; Jones, 2007) Based on the fact that Grays framework is an extension of Hofstedes societal values, it can be said that the above criticisms apply to his accounting value theory as well, weakening the validity of his theory. Patterned after Hofstedes two dimensional societal value constructs, Gray put forward two dimensional accounting concepts as both ends of a continuum. He argues that a link exists between these concepts and each of Hofstedes societal values, where Hofstedes values are -Individualism vs Collectivism, Large power distance vs Small power distance, Strong vs Weak uncertainty avoidance and Masculinity vs femininity. The fundamental issues as regards these constructs are the degree of interdependence maintained in a society, human inequalities and relationships with authority, reaction to uncertainties and role differentiation of gender respectively. As an extension of these values, Gray puts forward these accounting values-Professionalism vs statutory control, Uniformity vs Flexibil ity, Conservatism vs Optimism and Secrecy vs Transparency where the fundamental issues in these concepts are individual judgements as opposed to statutory judgements, consistency in reporting standards as opposed to optioned standards, cautious measurements as opposed to optimistic measurements and a cautious approach to disclosure respectively. Critique of Grays Hypotheses All of Grays hypotheses imply that accounting values have a stationary nature as is also implied by Hofstedes societal values and just as Hofstede used nations to equate culture, Gray used countries as a basis for comparison, thereby generalizing as country based on accounting values that can be subject to change. Baskerville (2003) notes that the use of nation states as units for comparison is wrong, stating that this has been the case in international accounting research. A further analysis of Grays hypotheses is given below to assess its validity. Hypothesis One Gray hypothesized that the higher a country ranked in terms of individualism and the lower it ranked in terms of uncertainty avoidance and power distance then the more likely it is to rank highly in terms of professionalism. Though empirical studies carried out on this hypothesis have found support for it (Salter and Niswander, 1995 and Sudarwan and Fogarty, 1996), it can be argued that this hypothesis does not hold fully, especially when cognizance is given to the constant changes that occur even in these environments with distinguishable cultural values. In addition to this, empirical studies focused on the relationship that exist between the value construct picked out by Gray, but considering that the values given by Hofstede are two dimensional, it is also possible that the relationship posited by Gray to exist between professionalism and weak uncertainty avoidance can also exist between professionalism and strong uncertainty avoidance. This argument is based on the fact that the fundamental concept of uncertainty avoidance as given by Hofstede to be reaction to uncertainties and ambiguities. Strong uncertainty avoidance societys deal with uncertainties through the established and rigid rules and it can be argued that high levels of professionalism can be found in such societies. An example is Indonesia. Though the country is among the group classed as collectivist, strong uncertainty avoidant and large power distanced, Askary (2006) finds that Indonesia tops the list for professionalism in his study of developing countries. In the case of Germany, Heidhues and Patel (2011) finds that the Grays proposed relationship between low uncertainty avoidance and high professionalism does not hold. This is because Germany is seen a medium uncertainty avoidant country but it scores high on professionalism. This means that Grays accounting values and Hofstedes societal values can hold on some countries but not in some and this limits the generalizability of hypothesis one. In addition, going by the definition of professionalism which means independent judgement, the findings of Braun and Rodriguez (2008) does not support this hypothesis. Earnings management which requires independent judgement is meant to be related to professionalism but in their study, it is related to statutory control. Hypothesis Two The higher a country ranks in terms of uncertainty avoidance and power distance and the lower it ranks in terms of individualism then the more likely it is to rank highly in terms of uniformity. Empirical studies on Grays argument for this hypothesis are mixed in that not all the purported values given by Gray can be linked to uniformity. The issue of applicability limits this hypothesis. Gray defined uniformity as a preference for uniform accounting practices and countries in the western world are said to have a preference for flexible standards according to their perceived needs. However, the strength of this hypothesis is invalidated when the accounting standards used in the developed countries are considered. Though they are classed as countries that prefer flexible standards, the countries tend to use uniform standards in the name of enhancing their comparability. In addition to this, there is the issue of global reporting standards, which the UK and the US are founding members. The desire by both countries for a uniform accounting standards via global reporting standards reflects the weakness of the Hofstede-Gray framework. In line with this argument, Roberts and Salter (1999) test the relationships on the big 6 at that time and find that uncertainty avoidance (reaction to ambiguities) is not positively related to uniformity. The strength of any given hypothesis is in the positive relationships of all variables used in forming the hypothesis. Given that one of the relationships for this hypothesis does not hold, it can be argued that there are other values which result in uniformity of accounting practices. This means that not all of the relationships as hypothesized by Gray hold. Gray states that both hypotheses are most relevant to the authority and enforcement, however, the definition of the terms limits the extent of relevance that can be established. Gray defines the accounting values as a preference and not an exact activity carried out by accountants (Baydoun and Willett, 1995; Heidhues and Patel, 2011). For example, professionalism is defined as a preference for individual professional judgement and how this preference relates to the exercise of authority is not clear. Who exercises the authority? How many authoritative sources are there? Given the fact that professionalism belies opinionated judgement, this could refer to a number of individuals. Hypothesis Three The higher a country ranks in terms of uncertainty avoidance and the lower it ranks in terms of individualism and masculinity then the more likely it is to rank highly in terms of conservatism. Empirical studies support Grays reasoning on this hypothesis (Salter and Niswander, 1995; Sudarwan and Fogarty, 1996, Doupnik and Ritcher, 2004) especially for the strong link but I would argue that the fact that a country dislikes ambiguous situations does not mean that it would be highly conservative, this is based on the fact that situations change and changing situations bring about a change in accounting methods used. This is a fact that the Grays framework does not take into consideration. In line with this argument, Arnold et al (2001) finds that an increase in uncertainty avoidance leads to an increase in materiality estimates. This supports the fact that changes in situations are incorporated into accounting activities and that a country that is highly conservative today would not nec essarily be conservative the next day. Regarding the relationship between conservatism and individualism, masculinity and uncertainty avoidance, it can be argued that these relationships are also subject to change. Going by the definition of masculinity, a high desire for quality of life can also lead to flexibility in accounting standard. Along this line of thought, Sudarwan and Fogarty (1996) found no relationship between masculinity and conservatism. This means that the accounting value of conservatism as defined by Gray limits the extent of connection that can be made between the relationships. For example, the word cautious approach can be seen to be a little muddy. Is it possible for the level of cautiousness taken by accountants to be placed on a continuum such that the varying levels can be used to seek for a matching relationship between the variables? Hypothesis Four The higher a country ranks in terms of uncertainty avoidance and power distance and the lower it ranks in terms of individualism and masculinity then the more likely it is to rank in terms of secrecy. Empirical support for this hypothesis is inconclusive; Sudarwan and Fogarty (1996) find that the relationship between uncertainty avoidance and secrecy is negative and a non significant relationship between power distance and secrecy (Salter and Niwander, 1995). This can be viewed as rendering the practicability of Grays argument as quite unfit and therefore invalidates the hypothesis. The relationships as argued by Gray is vague and can be argued to have a different meaning. Gray states that hypotheses three and four relate to measurement and disclosure. As noted in the first two hypotheses, the relationship between the conservatism and measurement or secrecy and disclosure remains unclear. Baydoun and Willett (1995) argue that the interpretation of this relationship is tenable owing to the fact that secrecy can be seen as a social characteristic and that its importance in determining accounting values is not evident. Other problems with Grays theory include measuring the terms used in the hypotheses, the fact that it applicable in some countries and not in others as well as the implied presence of other values in determining accounting practices (Baydoun and Willett, 1995; Doupnik and Tsakumis, 2004; Heidhues and Patel, 2011). Applicability of Grays Theory in the Use of IFRS Grays theory can be seen as a contribution to the literature on the harmonization of accounting and the essence of most literature in that line of research aim to help the easy adoption and increasing use of the international financial reporting standards. Furthermore, a lot of countries are adopting the international financial reporting standards (herein after referred to as IFRS) despite the differences in culture. The successful adoption and implementation of the IFRS in countries means that Grays theory of cultural influences is outdated in that culture is no longer deemed to be a barrier to international accounting systems. However, to assess the usefulness of Grays theory in assisting with the increasing use of IFRS, Spain will be used to check the applicability of Grays theory. Spain is a country whose accounting system is defined as that of a Continental European standard, this is as a result of the fact that its legal system is Roman law and that its accounting laws are embe dded in its legislation. Going by Hofstedes classification, Spain has a medium individualist culture, medium power distance, low masculinity and high uncertainty avoidance. Using Grays framework to classify their accounting systems places them as a country with more emphasis on uniformity, more emphasis on conservatism, less emphasis on professionalism and less emphasis on secrecy. Going by Grays framework, one major problem with Spains accounting systems is the preference for conservative measurements and reporting as opposed to the true and fair value methods of the IFRS. Moreover, the adoption of IFRS is meant to improve the quality of financial information, enhance comparability, and strengthen the integration and competitiveness of capital markets (Zeghal and Mhedhbi, 2006). Though the country has adopted IFRS, it has come across a few problems. Callao et al (2007) notes that the adoption of IFRS in Spain has not improved comparability of accounts, it has worsened it. They also find out relevance of financial information has not improved. This invalidates Grays theory in that the cultural differences in accounting systems as identified by his framework, though logical, it seems to have been ignored by the International Accounting Standards Board. An application of Grays hypotheses is tabulated for Spain to check its overall validity and practicability. Societal/ Accounting Values Medium Individualism Medium Power Distance Low Masculinity High Uncertainty Avoidance Strength of the Hypotheses Professionalism ns ns Pos. Weak Uniformity ns ns Pos. Weak Conservatism ns Pos Pos Semi- strong Secrecy ns ns Pos Pos Semi-strong Where ns: no relationship and pos. : positive relationship From this table, the practicability of Grays theory is not strong. Hofstedes values make room for moderating along the continuum as can be seen from Spain been a medium individualist culture. Gray did make provision for countries like Spain who fall in the middle of the continuum. Splitting Grays hypotheses into bits shows the weaknesses of his framework and implies an impracticability of the framework. This also implies that Grays theory is country specific and as noted by Heidhues and Patel (2011), the values were constructed using the US and the UK as a base. Conclusion The practicability of Grays hypotheses has been argued above; the problems have been highlighted alongside the impact of the framework for the applicability of IFRS. As noted above, there is room for improvement if the theory is to be valid. In addition to this, Heidhues and Patel (2011) note that Grays framework was accepted in the academic world without criticism and they point to the fact that this might be as a result of his being seen as one of the leading international accounting researchers. The impact of changes was not incorporated into the framework and this is very important considering that societal dynamism is constant. This alone reduces the reasonability behind Grays framework.

Smile Molds :: essays research papers

Slime Molds   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are over 500 different types of slime molds, or myxomycetes as the scientific world calls them. Slime molds have been difficult to classify for years do to the fact that they exhibit characteristics of both fungi and animals. In the feeding stage, the slime molds moves about as a mass of protoplasm(the plasmodium)feeding on bacteria, spores, and other organic matter, much like an amoeba does. When conditions become unfavorable , the plasmodium changes, taking on the appearance of a fungus.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are two major types of slime molds in the Protist Kingdom. The first kind are the Plasmodial slime molds or true slime molds. They are a rather large singled celled mass with thousands and thousands of nuclei called a plasmodium. They form when individual flagellated cells gather together in a bunch and fuse. This results in one large cytoplasm. The second kind of slime mold spends most of its life as single celled organism that lives alone. It is also known in the scientific world as acrasiomycetes. They release of a chemical signal, gather together, and become a mass called a pseudoplasmodia and eventually multicellular slug. They have different reproductive means and are often separated from plasmodial by scientist.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many kinds of slime molds reproduce by means on spores. The spores drift along in the wind or are carried about by animals and insects much like seeds are. Also, like seeds the spores wait until conditions are favorable before developing. The spore are unable to move on there own. If smile molds reproduced sexually they may be considered to be an Animal instead of an Protist. However, not all slime molds reproduce exactly the same way.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The slime mold has a simple environment. They can be found in cool, damp places were they can easily find food. Most species that feed on decaying organic matter, bacteria, protozoa, and other minute organisms, which they engulfs and digests. They may live on plants, but do not try to kill the plant to eat. They do not mean to harm the plant, although they sometimes smother the plant in which they are living on by not allowing sun light reach the leaves.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A slime mold may be either bright colored or inconspicuous. They come in many different shapes and forms. They can be found in different sizes ranging from less than an inch to several feet wide. They also come in many different colors.

Southwest Marketing Strategy Essay -- essays research papers

Southwest Airlines is the industry leader in low cost airfare. They began its operation in 1971 with three Texas based routes and began interstate routes in 1978. When Southwest entered the market in 1971 they employed a market penetration pricing approach. They wanted to provide the best service for the lowest possible price. They saw that if they cut out certain unnecessary benefits they could lower their ticket price to a level far below that of the competition. They do not have in flight movies, meals, or first class sections. This strategy has been very cost effective and Southwest passes the savings on to the customer. They chose to focus on pleasure travelers and low-income travelers opposed to business travelers. This allowed them to take advantage of a market, which was often ignored by other airlines. Southwest is not concerned with the prices of other airlines. They do not engage in pricing to meet competition, or pricing below competition. CEO Herb Kelleher stated, â€Å"We’re not competing with other airlines. We’re competing with ground transportation.† This philosophy has led them to be very successful because they are priced below the competition, but don’t raise their prices when the competition does. Cost controlling is very important in the airline industry. Southwest is very good at controlling their costs. They offer a no frills service for people who want to get to their destination for as little as possible, and are not concerned about the bells and whistles like in-flight movies. Southwest also realized that when their planes are on the ground, they aren’t making money. They decided to keep their planes in the air as much as possible and have worked hard to keep a low turnaround time. They manage to unload passengers and load new passengers for the next flight within twenty minutes, which is shorter than the industry average. Southwest also uses only one kind of plane, the Boeing 737, in order to reduce costs of parts and training employees to use different types of planes. All of these methods have lowered the cost of operations for Southwest and allowed them to have a profit of $4.7 billion, which is twice that of United Airlines. And because they are so efficient they can pass the savings on to customers. There is no first class at Southwest and therefore all the customers are treated the same. They all receive the same level of atte... ...ly buy Southwest’s inexpensive tickets. College students also aren’t concerned about in-flight movies, meals, or other perks. Southwest would crush the competition in that route and make a large profit. Even families going on vacation would fly Southwest Airlines to Mexico. It is cheaper than other major airlines and it is a respected airline, unlike some no name airlines that run flights to Mexico. Advertising would be best done on television because America has become lazy and watches too much TV. They should advertise their great customer service by having customer testimonials and pictures of smiling customers and employees. They should also advertise during family oriented shows, because they are a form of inexpensive travel that a family could take advantage of. In conclusion, I feel that Southwest has taken advantage of its inexpensive flights and family oriented atmosphere to prevail despite the September 11th tragedy. Southwest has been a profitable business for 26 consecutive years and has twice the profits of United Airlines. They have been doing a great job providing customer service and will continue to be successful as long as they continue with their current plan.

Importance of Setting in A Rose for Emily :: A Rose for Emily, William Faulkner

Importance of Setting in A Rose for Emily In William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily," Faulkner's details about setting and atmosphere give the reader background as to the values and beliefs of the characters, helping the reader to understand the motivations, actions and reactions of Miss Emily and the rest of the town, and changing the mood or tone in the story. The setting in "A Rose for Emily" is Faulkner's fictitious post- civil war Jefferson, a small town in the deep south of the United States. Faulkner's use of this particular time-period or genre, is successful in giving the reader an understanding or background to the values and beliefs of the characters in the story. The town of Jefferson is a fallen legacy. The hierarchical regime of the Griersons and the class system of the time where by ordinance of the mayor- Colonel Sartoris, a Negro women could not even walk the street without an apron, had changed into a place where even the street on which Miss Emily lived, that had once been the most select, had now been encroached and obliterated, her house an eyesore among eyesores. Both the town and Miss Emily herself, now looked upon Miss Emily as the only remnant of that greater time. This fact gives the reader an understanding of the mindset of the "town," who is narrating Miss Emily's story to us in a form resembling a gossip circle, where stories of various townspeople are pieced together and of Miss Emily, the protagonist who lived alone except for her lone servant. The actions of Miss Emily range from eccentric to absurd but it is the readers understanding of the setting that keep the story believable. Miss Emily becomes reclusive and introverted after the death of her father and the estrangement from the Yankee- Homer Barron. It is also revealed at the end of the story that she went as far as poisoning Homer, keeping his dead body in his house, and sleeping next to him as well. She is doing what she feels necessary in response to the pressure placed on her by the town.

Financial position Essay

1. One of the apparent reasons for the failure to pay off the debts by the due debt is the continuous decline of the sales over the period of time due to overall sick performance of the industry. However, on the other hand, it is also imperative to understand that the firm has not been able to accurately forecast its cash flows as accurately as possible because there were not only frequent requests for revision of the funds required but also company was undertaking modernization in times where sales were declining. Supporting the long term as well as short term repayment of bank loans largely depend upon the ability of a company to generate sales and cash flows and in this case it has completely failed to achieve its targeted sales figures which basically force the firm to default on its payments on the due date. Apart from some seasonal and industry wide factors, company has also not been able to accurately forecast its financing needs. Though the sales declined but the forecasts based on which the debt was obtained did not included any externalities which could have basically hampered the ability of the firm to repay its debts on time. It is also important to understand that one of the main reasons behind the failure to pay off the debts on time is the inability of the management of the firm to ill plan at the wrong time as due to the seasonal nature of the business, they were expecting consistent and historical results however it did not turned up to be right. 2. Mr. Fischer was probably not been able to forecast the correct repayment of the loans as he based his forecasts on the historical trends and the company’s seasonal needs for the external financing. It was because of this reason that he forecasted zero banks loan payable during the period from Dec 1995 to May 1996. This assumption was correct if we observe it from the historical perspectives however as it lacked the inclusion of risk based assessment of what may go wrong i. e. as in this case, the company’s sales were consistently forecasted however they declined against the expectations. Such decline in sales therefore has put pressures on the cash flow position of the firm which basically forced the firm to not been able to pay its debts on time. It is also important to note that overhead forecasted at constant rates however they have shown greater volatility in actual that basically decreased the profitability of the firm as well as straining the cash flows of the firm as more funds were being diverted in paying off higher overhead and other expenses. Further, the assumption of producing at an even rate was also flawed specially considering the fact that the business has the seasonal demand patterns therefore assuming such production patterns may be gross mismanagement of the firm’s resources. 3. Overall, the firm’s financial position has not worsened as it is because some external factors which seem to be of short term nature and company can easily overcome once the seasonal impacts on the business decline. Further, firm’s working capital management seems to have worsened which may be the actual cause of concern as there is not only an increase in inventory but in receivables also.

How an organisation communicates Essay

Introduction The aim of this assignment is to relate how an organisation communicates its core values and mission to the public, shareholders and employees. This is an objective that can easily get overlooked in the rush to master environmental analysis, strategic choice and outsourcing decisions. However it is important in practice and it is a challenge that many organisations take very seriously. Setting of organisational objectives is the starting point of managerial actions. An organisation’s end results for which an organisation strives is termed as mission, purpose, objective, goal, target etc. Many times, these terms are used interchangeably as all these denote end results. This unit is about providing direction to people in the organisation and enabling, inspiring, motivating and supporting them to achieve what the organisation has set out to do. It is expected to apply different styles of leadership appropriate to different people and situations. For the purposes of this unit, an organisation can mean a self-contained entity such as a private sector company, a charity or a local authority, or a significant operating unit, with a relative degree of autonomy, within a larger organisation. Task 1 Relate the organisation’s purpose, values and vision to people across the organisation (1.1, 1.2, and 1.3) An organisation’s mission is its basic purpose: e.g., what is it for? Why does it exist? A mission statement formalises the organization’s mission by writing it down. Johnson Scholes and Whittington define a mission statement as ‘a statement of overriding direction and purpose of an organisation’. Some companies refer to ‘vision statements’ instead of mission statements. Below is an example of Tesco’s mission statements; Tesco (a UK supermarket chain) their vision is to be the most highly valued by its customers. Their core purpose is to create value for customers to  earn their life time loyalty. This objective sits right at the heart of their business as one part of their values – ‘No one tries harder for customers.’ For Tesco to be considered a force for good, they must be a good neighbour and a responsible member of society. They know that if they look after their staff, they will look after their customers. Work can be a large part of their lives so people deserve an employer who cares. That’s why one of their values is ‘Treat people how we like to be treated’. They are committed to providing opportunities for their people to get on and turn their jobs into careers and across all of their markets they offer a wide range of competitive benefits. According to Michael Hyatt, the author of the New York Times bestseller, Platform; Get noticed in a Noisy World, it is crucial to translate the core values into behaviours that are easy to understand by your employees. He has identified 6 ways to communicate the core values to every member of the organisation. Living the values; leading by example is the best communication tool any leader possesses. A survey conducted by Deloitte has found that 70% of the employees who agree that their companies had performed well financially said their executive management team speaks to them often about the core values associated with the culture of the company.  Hiring new people based on values; recruiting people who already have values that are in alignment with the company’s core values. You can always easily train a person on how to do the job, but it becomes much harder to train a person to have the same values as your organisation.  Reviewing people based on values; incorporating core values as part of performance management process. Reviewing people based on values is interrelated with rewarding people for demonstrating the values.  Business objectives are the ends that an organisation sets out to achieve. A business creates business plans to enable it to achieve these ends – thus plans are the means to the ends. The objectives and plans that an organisation creates are determined by balancing the requirements of the various stakeholders in the organisation. The stakeholders are those individuals and groups that are affected by and have interest in how the business is run and it achieves. Every business has a range of stakeholders including: The  objectives that a company establishes are based on blending the various interests of these stakeholder groupings.  For example; an objective to be the market leader, will benefit all stakeholders because customers will receive high quality products, shareholders will receive high dividends, and employees will receive good wages and so on. Organisations create a hierarchy of objectives. At the top level, an organisation will often create a ‘mission’ setting out the purpose of the organisation. This will be followed by a set of objectives relating to such aspects as: Objectives about employee satisfaction Objectives about cutting pollution Objectives about customer satisfaction Objectives about market share Objectives about return to shareholders.  A business plan will then enable an organisation to achieve its objectives. The business plan must be set within a time frame and set out how the organisation and the various components of the organisation will work towards meeting required objectives. Responsibilities for delivering various parts of the plan will be allocated to key individuals and performance targets will be established which enabled the plan to be delivered. The business will create a series of polices, programmes and budgets to enable it to achieve planned targets. It is also essential from the outset to clarify how the plan will be evaluated on an ongoing basis. (businesscasestudies.co.uk) Motivation in Virgin Media, the word motivation could be defined as the driving force behind actions and behaviour. It leads individuals to take action to achieve a goal or to fulfil a need or expectation. Understanding what motivates employees at work ensures that a business not only has employees that have the knowledge, skill and ability to do the job, but who are also committed to achieve a high standard of work. There are much positive behaviour that indicates employees are motivated including taking responsibilities, helping colleagues, a commitment to achieving company targets and goals as well as interest and concern of the business. Virgin Media recognises that reward is one of the many motivating factors for a lot of its people and offers competitive salaries. It also offers bonus schemes such as it’sASPIRE field  pay and reward scheme. The scheme rewards every Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 9 or 10 with  £10. However, as a forward thinking business, it understands the importance of different motivational factors. It offers additional benefits including private health care, life assurance, company pension scheme and staff saving scheme. The opportunity to progress within the organisation is also an important factor. All virgin media technicians are managed through the ‘Your Story Framework’ for career progression. This includes regular meetings to discuss performance, review progress against set objectives to enable progression within the company. (businesscasestudies.co.uk) One theorist whose studies became influential is Elton Mayo. Mayo’s research concluded that motivating factors include recognition, a sense of belonging and involvement as well as social aspects of the workplace. In 1943, Abraham Maslow published his theory of a hierarchy of needs. Maslow identified that as individuals, we have five set of needs. At the first level, basic needs are those of food, water, warmth and shelter with wages that meet those needs. Safety needs include protection from danger, for example; health and safety at work as well as job security. Social needs include a sense of belonging in work teams. He identified esteem needs as those of self-confidence, feeling useful and needed by other people. Maslow proposed that having satisfied all the lower needs an individual would then be able to realise their own potential for self-actualisation. (businesscasestudies.co.uk) Task 2 Explain the skills necessary to provide support and advice to people during periods of setbacks and change. (2.1 and 2.2) Change is something that happens in businesses all of the time. Change can occur in an organisation’s internal or external environment. As a result, this process of change is constant. Effective managers are proactive in creating solutions to improve the organisations performance. They must then manage employees through the change process. Managers have to plan and drive change initiatives. This involves managing the change process and making it part of an organisations strategy. Strategies a business achieve its aims and objectives. This helps businesses to develop in a more focused way to the environment in which it operates, whilst facing new challenges with more certainty.  Organisations  require skilled and well qualified managers and leaders to drive change initiatives and effectively manage employees through the process. (businesscasestudies.co.uk) When business is booming, employee morale usually soars. It seems like everyone’s getting bonuses, hiring assistants and basking in the company’s success. But when bad news rolls in, the collective mood of employees can plummet. This can happen when the firm looses a big account, suffers a severe downturn or experiences regulatory of legal setbacks. Employees will then look to managers for guidance and reassurance. During trying times, the manager becomes more than the business owner. They must lead employees by setting an inspiring example. When managers’exhibit strength in the face of adversity, they assure the troops that they are able to steer the company through a rough patch and prevent it from sustaining lasting image. Managers must delegate freely to manage a fast-growth business. But boosting employees’ morale during tough times is one job no one can pass off. (Democratic Leadership style) Managers should make themselves visible when setback occurs. They should start attending staff meetings they normally skipped. Help clerks do filing, answer the phone alongside customer service representatives or relieve exhausted workers on the assembly line or loading dock. By pitching in with a positive attitude, they will lift everyone’s sprit. There is no single best way to build morale in the midst of organisational setbacks. While some employees will shoulder crisis without much complaint, many others will react negatively. Managers can customise behaviour to address those employees’ personality. Here’s one morale booster that will work for all employees; see out their advice and act on it. By soliciting their suggestions and implementing as many of them as possible you make them feel like problem solvers who can exert at least some control over an unpredictable situation. This in other word will be identified as the democratic leadership style which is also known as participative leadership. It is a type of leadership style in which members of the group take a more participative role in the decision-making process. (psychology.about.com) Example; if a country zoning board imposes a steep fine on your business, ask employees for ideas on how to cut costs. Approve even modest proposals  to save office supplies; this will help employees take ownership of the crisis and work together to outlast it.(edwardlowe.org) There are different types of support and advice people may need and this could be provided in many ways.(www.invo.org.uk) Personal/Professional Development; to review people’s progress and performance and provide positive feedback and encouragement and/or to see if they need any additional pointers to further develop their skills. For example, members of the public who take on research roles such as peer interviewing, may need feedback and guidance when they first put their skills into practice. Practical Support; to help people to familiarise themselves with a new research environment, for example, all research team members might need help with finding their way around a new location or building. Members of the public may need support with meeting their practical needs, such as payment of fees and expenses, making travel arrangements, parking, and assessing childcare. Emotional/Psychological Support; to help people to cope with any distress that arises as a direct consequence of being involved in research, for example, if they become upset after discussing a sensitive or emotional topic, or from hearing about other people’s bad experiences, or from returning to an environment that has been traumatic in the past. Some people may also be challenged by others about the benefit of public involvement in research and may be helped by being prepared to cope with professional or criticism. Emotional/Psychological Support is often as relevant to researches as it is to involve members of the public. On-the-job-Support; to allow people to let off steam or raise any concerns after a difficult meeting or frustrating experience. Some of these types of support can be provided through informal mechanism that develops organically as colleagues start to work together and form a team. Others may be better provided through a more formal approach that will need to be properly resourced. Communicate with Customers and Employees; do not be reluctant to confront bad news. Develop a strategy to disseminate information. It may not be customers you need to talk to, but suppliers and vendors. Managers also have to engage their employees. Listen to staff and address any specific challenges they face. ‘Keep them up to par with what is going on; even you don’t have all of the answers’. Conduct overall cost Analysis; as a manager, look at where you can reduce overhead. Negotiate with suppliers for a better price, find ways to save money. If the company has a bunch of products that doesn’t sell, cut back on inventory. ‘Companies think that because headcount is the biggest line, item on their budget then that is where they should cut costs. Getting rid of employees is the easiest strategy but it might not be the right one’. ‘Layoffs are generally a reaction versus a well thought out strategy. As a manager, you don’t want to cut so deep it hurts the company’. Empower Employees; find ways to increase moral and empower employees to be the best that they can be, their inputs and opinions should be valued. ‘Happy employees, take care of customers’. Employees are an important asset because they are in direct communication with customers. Motivated employees attract more satisfied customers which in turn, lead to increased profits’. Embrace Change; ‘Most people are not good at taking risks when they are threatened, we have a tendency to react by fright or flight’ says James.By becoming too defensive, it could reduce chances which could lead out a set of crisis situations. When face with a company setback, it is necessary to stay positive; look at what is working, be proactive, find new growth opportunities, preserve-hang in there and ride out the storm. (www.inc.com) Task 3 Analyse the need for integrity, fairness and consistency in managerial  decision making. (3.1, 3.2, 3.3 and3.4) Decision-making is a crucial part of good business. It is good information and experience in interpreting information. Decision-making increasingly happens at all levels of a business. The board of directors may make the grand strategic decisions about investment and direction of future growth (www.tutor2u.net) Often, association leaders must make decisions that members do not agree with but maybe greatly affected by. Members may feel they have little to say over the actions implemented by their leaders. Association staff members are often charged with implementing decisions made by leadership, including communicating the decisions to members and helping members understand that the decision will ultimately result in good. Recently, the Interior Design Educators Council (IDEC) leadership increased annual membership dues. This change alone would help to fund the association better and also provide new opportunities and means for future development. This single alteration has expanded the parameters of this organisation dramatically. They are now considering additional functions, retreats, scholarships programs and resources etc.  It is no secret that economic times are difficult, we find ourselves suddenly in a world of hopeful get-rich-quick strategies, and ‘’extreme couponing’’ champions. Asking people to give more when they have less is not a decision that is considered to be popular. Although the actions and decisions of our leaders are sometimes confusing to others, we must have confidence in the leadership in place, and in the decisions that they make more times than not, members voted them into the position of leadership. (www.raybourn.com, 2012) I think that for unpopular decisions, the more personal the communications method, the better. The scale and geographic spread of an organisation will have a big influence, but the nearer one get to a face to face communication, the better. So, phone is better than email. Video conference is better than phone, in person is better than video conference.  It is useful to think about unpopular decisions from the point of view of the decision itself (unpopular outcome) the process of coming up with the decision (fair process), and the opportunity to deal with the consequences of the decision (work grounds).(www.changingorganisations.com) Different types of communication styles could be used to communicate difficult and unpopular decisions. In business world, communication is necessary for conducting business in an  efficient manner. Any business involves two types of communication; external communication that is directed to the actors in the business environment, and internal communication or organisational communication that is directed to employees. In addition, it is not possible to imagine organisational communication without conflicts. Conflicts are normal in any organisation, because people have different opinions. People communicate their thoughts, idea, knowledge and fears differently in conflicts situations. Managers and team members should know and understand these different styles of communications to avert conflicts. Oral communication is one common form of internal communication for example, in a group or one to one meeting. Nowadays, electronic communication is growing in importance. This can involve written communication, such as an email, text or tweet or oral communication via video conferencing. Intranet; enterprise has recently developed a new intranet system called ‘the hub’ this replaced a purely information based system. It enables input from employees at enterprise’s locations across Western Europe and North America. This channel of communication supports enterprise’s core values. When the outcome of a decision is not known with certainty, a manager faces a decision-making problem under either conditions of risks or conditions of uncertainty. A decision is made under risk when a manager can make a list of all possible outcomes associated with a decision and assign a probability of occurrence to each one of the outcomes. The process of assigning probabilities to outcomes sometimes involves rather sophisticated analysis base on the manager’s extensive experience in similar situations or on other data. An example of a decision made under risk might be the following; a manager decides to spend  £1000 on a magazine ad believing there are three possible outcomes for the ad, 20 percent chance the ad will have only a small effect on sales, a 60 percent chance of a moderate effect and a 20 percent chance of a very large effect. This decision is made under risk because the manager can list each potential outcome and determine the probability of each outcome occurring. Accommodation Style; people prefer to keep their emotions in control and to speak indirectly, using metaphors or other techniques to prevent a conflict from escalating and damaging the relationship. Discussion Style; most managers’ keep their emotions controlled but try to speak clearly and accurately about their disagreements  to the other person. Engagement Style; people in this group are more comfortable with feelings and express them openly. They try to be direct about what their concerns are and are often passionate in their conversations.(psychosocial.actalliance.org) There is no normal style of communication. It simply varies between people and cultures. Communication styles can vary between people in an organisation. As we work with people from different communities and countries, it can be expected we will meet people whose communication styles may differ from our own. It is therefore, important to clear up misunderstandings and misinterpretations early on and to be open to different styles of communications. In contrast to risk, uncertainty exists when a decision maker cannot list all possible outcomes and cannot assign probabilities to the various outcomes. When faced with uncertainty, a manager would know only the different decision option available and the different possible states of nature. The states of nature are the events or conditions that can influence the final outcome or payoff of a decision but cannot be controlled or affected by the manager.  My suggestion is to use the following as a starting point; Summarise the issues relating to the decision Outline the process you went through to arrive at the decision Say what the problem is   Provide opportunity for people to tell you the implications of the decisions from their perspective Ask them to identify possible action or solutions in response to the implications they raise.  Conclusion It is more powerful if top senior managers and directors in every work place get to their people (employees) before the decision is finalised, they need to tell workers what they are contemplating and ask them what the implications are from their own perspective. (Don’t assume you know what their perspective is, even if you know them well and used to do their job yourself). You can then problem solve with them about how to alleviate the negative implications they have identified. And you never know, they might identify some positive implications or opportunities the organisation has not thought of. Bibliography (n.d.). Retrieved March 4th, 2014, from businesscasestudies.co.uk: http://businesscasestudies.co.uk/business-theory/strategy/business-objectives-planning-and-stakeholders.html#axzz2v2QsaooB (n.d.). Retrieved March 4th, 2014, from businesscasestudies.co.uk: http://businesscasestudies.co.uk/teacher-resources/#axzz2v2QsaooB (n.d.). (K. Cherry, Producer) Retrieved March 5th, 2014, from psychology.about.com: http://psychology.about.com/od/leadership/f/democratic-leadership.htm (n.d.). Retrieved March 5th, 2014, from edwardlowe.org: http://edwardlowe.org/digital-library/maintaining-employee-morale-during-setbacks/ (n.d.). Retrieved March 6th, 2014, from www.invo.org.uk: http://www.invo.org.uk/different-types-of-support/ (n.d.). (R. Bowett, Producer) Retrieved March 7th, 2014, from www.tutor2u.net: http://tutor2u.net/business/organisation/decisionmaking.htm (n.d.). (C. M. Brown, Producer) Retrieved March 8th, 2014, from www.inc.com: http://www.inc.com/guides/2010/10/7-tips-for-dealing-with-a-company-setback.html (Ducham)

Dissociation Constant Weak Acids Essay

Introduction: The dissociation constants of weak monoprotic acids were determined with the aid of a buffer and pH meter. Experiment: This experiment was performed according to the procedures as provided in the Chemistry 111B laboratory manual: Po, Henry and Senozan, N. â€Å"General Chemistry Experiments Chemistry 111B†, 8th Ed., 2004 Hayden-McNeil Publishing, pp 80-88. To determine the dissociation constants of weak monoprotic acids (HX and HY), a buffer was needed to calibrate the pH meter. According to the manual, all four solutions to the experiments had to be carried out first before the calibration was performed. The following materials were obtained to conduct the parts of the experiment: 1) several 10-mL and 50-mL graduated cylinders to measure the volumes of acid and base, and 2) a thermometer to record the temperature of the solution. In the first half of the experiment, the Ka of HX had to be used and determined and in the second half, the Ka of HY was utilized and established using the same procedure. In the first part of the experiment, the pH and temperature was to be measured of a 10 mL sample of 1.02 M HA (when conducting the second half of the experiment, the concentration of HY was 1.00 M). The second part of the experiment was to add 20 mL of 1.0 M NaA to 10 mL of 1.00 M HA, and to draw 10 to 15 mL of the solution to measure the pH and temperature. For the third part of the experiment, 10 mL of the  remaining buffer from part 2 was diluted with 50 mL of distilled water. The pH and temperature was measured for this part of the experiment. The last part of the experiment was to mix 10 mL of NaOH to 25 ml of HA (both HX and HY had a concentration of 1.00 M, and the NaOH concentration was 1.00 M), and to measure the pH and temperature of the solution. When all the solutions were stirred and measured for, the pH meter was to be calibrated. The first step was to obtain a packet of perpHect pH 4.01 buffer  and set up the open packet in a beaker. The next step was to place the pH meter into the buffer and calibrate the reader that was connected to the meter. When the reader was calibrated to a pH of 4.01, the solutions were ready to be determined. After each measurement in the solution, the pH meter had to be cleaned with a few drops of distilled water and calibrated back to 4.01 in the buffer pouch. Results and Discussions: In the first half of the experiment using HX, the pH reading for the first part of the experiment was 2.36 and the temperature was 26 C. When equilibrium was reached, it was calculated (on data sheet) that the Ka was 2.03 X 10 .In the second part of the experiment, the pH was 4.94 and the temperature was 28 C. The Ka was found to be 2.07 X 10 . For the third part of the experiment, a 4.47 pH was measured from the solution and a temperature of 27 C. The Ka for this part was 2.57 X 10 . Lastly, the pH of the solution for part 4 was 4.47 and had a temperature of 27 C with a Ka reading of 2.29 X 10 . For the second part of the experiment dealing with HY, readings of 1.95, 25 C, and 1.27 X 10 were measured for pH, temperature, and Ka, respectively. In the second part of the experiment, the pH reading was 2.94 with a temperature of 26 C and a Ka of 2.31 X 10 .In the third part of the experiment, a pH measurement, temperature, and Ka values were found to be 2.95, 26 C, and 2.32 X 10 , respectively. In the last part of the experiment, the pH reading was 2.58 with a temperature of 27 C. The Ka for this particular solution was 1.78 X 10 . Assumptions that were made from this experiment was that the Ka values for HX and HY were similar except for part 1. Part 1 was excluded in the averages in the data sheet because since no base is present in the solution, a different Ka value will be given then the other solutions which had base in the solution. Also, since the solutions of the experiment were prepared first before calibrating the pH meter, the group received a better pH reading because the pH of the solutions were measured one after the other. Conclusion: In the experiment, it was seen that the dissociation of weak monoprotic acids were constant for HX and for HY given from the Ka values.

Behavioural Approach Essay

The behavioural approach suggests that all behaviour is learnt. This includes abnormal behaviours. Behaviours can be learned through classical conditioning, operant conditioning or modelling. Ivan Pavlov discovered classical conditioning, where learning results from the association of stimuli with reflex responses. Classical conditioning can be used to explain the development of many abnormal behaviours, including phobias, anxiety disorders and taste aversions. An example of how classical conditioning might result in a phobia is the case of Little Albert. In an experiment carried out by Watson and Rayner, a 11 month old boy called ‘little Albert’ was taught to fear a white rat through associating it with a loud noise, a symbol behind his head. Each time he played with the rat the symbol would be hit which caused him to cry. Eventually he would do so even without the noise due to the classical conditioning theory. This research however, would not receive approval from an ethics committee today because it would be seen as unethical. Making the baby cry deliberately and teaching him to fear the rat would be seen as wrong because it could cause distress and would go against ‘little Alberts’ human rights. The theory of operant conditioning was proposed by Skinner. Operant conditioning involves learning from the consequences of actions. Actions which have a good outcome through positive reinforcement (reward) or negative reinforcement (removal of something bad) will be repeated. Actions which have a bad outcome (punishment) will not be repeated. Operant conditioning explains how abnormal behaviours might be maintained. This could be through positive reinforcement; behaviours which have a good outcome by bringing some sort of reward are said to be positively reinforced. On the other hand it could be down to negative reinforcement which is behaviours which have a good outcome by removing something unpleasant are said to be negatively reinforced. Finally, abnormal behaviours could also be learnt through modelling or social learning, which is learning through observation of an individual. What happens is simply an individual models the behaviour and the observer imitates the model. A strength of the behavioural approach is that it can be experimentally tested. The principles of learning have been and continue to be tested empirically in a laboratory. The focus on observable behaviour means it can be objectively measured. A further strength is that unlike the psychodynamic approach, it doesn’t require delving into the past, which is problematic because it could unearth traumatic experiences which can produce unreliable data. However, those who support the psychodynamic approach suggests the behavioural model only focuses on symptoms, not on the underlying causes of abnormal behaviour. Freudians claim it treats the symptoms while ignoring the root cause of the problem. Therefore it cannot work as the problem will just represent itself with different symptoms. Whereas, the biological approach cannot explain cultural differences in abnormality such as culture-bound syndromes, a strength of the behavioural approach is that it can account for this because It accounts for cultural differences because it recognises the importance of the environment in shaping behaviour. While behavioural treatments are often effective for certain disorders such as obsessive-compulsive disorder and phobias, they have not been found to be effective for many other disorders and have also often been criticised for being unethical because treatment is often painful and uncomfortable and is sometimes imposed on individuals without their consent. The behavioural approach is accused of being reductionist and simplistic. This is because it’s a simple approach with connections of stimulus. It neglects the influence of cognitions (The mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought and experience). A further limitation is that much behaviourist research involves animal studies. While behaviourists argue that humans are fundamentally the same as non-human animals, others would argue that the greater complexity of the human mind makes it difficult to generalise findings from animal studies to humans. Overall the behaviourist approach shows all behaviour to be learnt through our experiences. It states that this learning can either be learnt through classical or operant condition and also the social learning theory. It can be experimentally tested and proven which makes the approach credible however it can be seen just to treat the symptoms of a abnormal behaviour rather than looking at the cause.