Answer the questions Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Answer the questions - Research Paper Example In other words, the term ‘paradigm shift’ is used to show a considerable change in a basic model or perception. Nanomachines are still an emerging field of technology. Governments and large corporations are spending huge sums on research and development in the field of nanorobots. The first stream of research is nanomedicine that aims to utilize nanobots for cellular level operations. An example is the work by the Harvard and MIT researchers who attached chemotherapy drug to nano-particles which are able to identify cancer cells and release the drug into them. Another area is the use of robot organisms for space and planet exploration and colonization. For this purpose, Symbrion and Replicator projects are going on under the Seventh Framework Program of the European Union. Also, efforts are undertaken to incorporate distributive intelligence, programming and control. The success of this research will lead to the development of nano-swarms which are capable of computing and collaborating intelligently. In the field of molecular computing, researches are taking place in two directions. The first direction is using DNA computers to analyze the human genome with the intention to get accurate data that can be utilized for medical diagnosis. The second direction is the application of evolutionary computation to molecular evolution. An example is the application of the genetic algorithm to molecular evolution. Mills’ utilitarianism is based on the ‘greatest happiness principle’. According to him, one should select such an action that offers the greatest degree of happiness to the greatest number of stakeholders. The first argument against Doomsday Argument is the posteriori observation that claims that the chances for the extinction of a dominant species like humans are less than once in a million years. Another argument is that the people of a heavily populated future are not yet alive. So, it is not

Treatment of Unipolar Depression Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Treatment of Unipolar Depression - Essay Example Overall, 5-HTP appeared to be slightly better tolerated than fluvoxamine, although the results did not reach the level of statistical significance. What personal interests and/or short or long term goals lie behind this - not strictly required for a proposal but it is usually helpful to think this through as it can help you focus [one paragraph] What aspect(s) of theory / knowledge is/are behind this What are the gaps in the research or what parallels are there in adjacent fields (ie a short literature review to set up the purpose and question) - 5-HTP has also been compared in a few studies with conventional tricyclic antidepressants (chloripramine and imipramine) - the most effective drugs for treating depression until the development of the SSRIs. The studies found 5-HTP to be at least as effective as these drugs in treating severe depression, while displaying fewer side effects. In severe cases, 5-HTP dosages as high as 1200 mg daily were used What objectives, steps, sub-questions, angles of inquiry or sections of your paper would you break your question or inquiry aim into - CCDANCTR-Studies was searched (carried out on 12/1/2005) using the following search stategy (Diagnosis = Depress* or Dysthymi* and Intervention = tryptophan or 5-htp or 5-hydroxtryptophan or Hydroxytryptophan and Intervention = Placebo). Reference lists, book chapters and conference proceedings were checked. Experts and triallists were contacted for unpublished studies Section B -Study design and method / methodology What type of study would help with your question and focus Please bold underline to identify It is OK to use "other" and briefly explain - but otherwise no explanation required here. You should read up on these if you don't know what they are, but we assume you know what the one you pick is) survey1 experiment evaluation trial case study reflective self-study academic paper2 other - please identify take advice Why / how will this design work with your question and focus - Trials were included if they were randomized, included patients with unipolar depression or dysthymia, compared preparations of 5-HTP or tryptophan with placebo, and included clinical outcomes assessed by scales assessing depressive symptoms take advice If you intend to use a particular methodology, briefly explain how it works and why you want to use it. - Eg - reflective self study, controlled trial, grounded theory, ethnography. This must be appropriate for the way you have worded your research question / inquiry. Please note that it is not essential that you have this for an undergraduate project. For an academic

The Service Excellence Management Report Research Paper

The Service Excellence Management Report - Research Paper Example It is clear from analysis that the management of Cathay Pacific Airlines is operating with the vertical organizational structure. Moreover, the organization is focusing on too much centralization in its decision making and strategy development process. Employee management has become one of the biggest challenges for the management of the organization. Too much centralization and flatter organization structure is affecting the motivation level of employees, which can reflect in the customer service management process. The organization has adopted old industrial model. Therefore, they are failing to retain their skilled employees. Some recommendation plans have been provided in the report to overcome the contemporary issues. Service excellence can be considered as an attitude that engrained in each and every organization. It begins and ends with people within the organization. Global business environment has become highly competitive as several organizations within the industry are trying to implement unique strategies in business operation process in order to gain potential competitive advantages over the competitors. Customer experience, customer expectation level and customer satisfaction level are the three major aspects in service excellence. In this present era of globalization, consumers always expect better service from the organizations beyond high quality products. It is true that, demand for high quality and differentiated services is increasing significantly among the consumers around the globe. Therefore, several organizations in this contemporary global business environment are looking to provide effective customer service in order to gain potential competitive advantages over the competit ors. Effective customer service and service excellence of organizations highly depends upon the knowledge and skill of

Standard Costing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Standard Costing - Essay Example This paper considers the other side or the side in which standard costing has found its inappropriateness and unsuitability. Furthermore, the outcome of the critical analysis of how standard costing works is also evaluated in terms of its effectiveness as a means of control in the global industry and the increase in consumer wealth. As a general idea, standard costing is a system of cost ascertainment and control in which predetermined and preset standard costs and income for products and operations are set. This standard costs and income for products and operations are periodically and from time to time compared with the actual costs incurred and income generated for the purpose of establishing any variances. Standard costing system is used by many organizations as a management tool in estimating the overall and general cost of production with the assumption of normal operations. While it has standard costing has been widely used by most production and manufacturing companies, the system has found its great importance and appropriate significance in most organizations and firms whose operations involved are common and repetitive. Standard costing generally involves the development of a product or service cost wit the use of estimates of both the resources consumed as well as the prices of those resources. In producing a standard selling price, the standard cost may then be increased by an estimated profit margin. These estimates of cost and revenue then provide and build up a foundation for additional and supplementary planning and control (Mitchinson 2000 July 1). Traditionally, standard costing is often and frequently associated with manufacturing though it also can be used in other area like the service sector. In support to Drury's (2004) claim that standard costing is appropriate and suitable in common or repetitive operation of an organization, Mitchinson (2000) asserted and alleged that the system, as a method, is essentially apt and fitting to task which is repeated many times. To provide a rationale for this allegation, repeated tasks or operations give organizations and firms the means to estimate the nature of how tasks will be performed in the future and upcoming operation. Information gained previously in a repetitive operation can be used in predicting the income and expense for any period. 1. Problems with Standard Costing The reported setbacks and inappropriateness of standard costing have been spotted in the part of lean companies. Baggaley (2003) strongly argues that the system's measurements motivates and encourage behaviors that are harmful and inappropriate to lean environments. Additionally, standard costing does not provide reliable cost information for decision-making that is important in a lean situation. As a result, Baggaley (2003) suggested an alternative costing approach that goes in line with the goals of lean that also provides the basis for sound management decisions. There are problems with standard costing when used as a system of control in a lean environment that Baggaley (2003) has identified. First predicament is the problem regarding the people and the workforce. Naturally, standard costing sets standard performance that cause people on the shop floor to do the wrong things when just to meet the preset performance level. In further illustrating his contention, Baggaley (2003) specifies the in-depth reason for

Wal-Mart. Workplace report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Wal-Mart. Workplace report - Essay Example The company encouraged through its business policies the consumers to save money and also lead an enhanced lifestyle. In the current era, Wal-Mart has enhanced its customer servicing initiatives through the incorporation of applications via mediums like websites and mobile phones. These activities contributed to the development of concepts related to online shopping. The company operates internationally through its branches spread over 27 countries under different retail formats. Strategic leadership, innovation and commitment to the stakeholders are some of the right keywords that can be effectively related to Wal-Mart operating in the international retail paradigm (â€Å"Our Store†). The organisational structure of the company available in the Appendix shows that it has a hybrid form and operates based on the creation of specialised units that take care of corresponding and related operations based on a global scale. In each department, specific heads are deputed that take c are of the legal, merchandising, sourcing, and electronic and web commerce and also financial and corporate affairs of Wal-Mart. Pertaining to the regions, effective decentralisation is practiced by creating heads and deputy heads for international regions relating to Asia and European countries (â€Å"Walmart†). Analysis of the Management of Wal-Mart The analysis of the management of Wal-Mart will be done based on the different management models related to decision-making and team building activities. Decision-Making Models The Rational Model The Rational Model related to decision-making functions rests on four main steps identified as follows. Firstly, the implementation of the model starts from identifying a potential problem; secondly, the model endeavours to generate effective solutions to the problem identified; thirdly and fourthly, the model probes to select a solution from the list of generated ones and tends to evaluate its feasibility in meeting desired ends respec tively. Thus, the Rational Model is based on a series of logical steps that aim at finding an optimal solution to the problem identified. The Rational Model is also based on some assumptions according to which the manager takes decisions in a well informed environment (Kreitner and Knicki 337). Simon’s Normative Model The Normative Model, as rendered by Herbert Simon, stands in contrast with the Rational Model and tends to operate in an environment of uncertainty. This model, being non-rational in nature, tends to follow assumptions according to which the manager is does not work in an informative work environment. Further, Simon’s Normative Model also reflects that decision-making activities of managers are largely bounded by a set of constraints generated from the personal and work atmosphere levels of the individual. These constraints, generated from the personal and work atmospheres of the individuals, create hindrances for the manager in retrieving the right amoun t of information for optimal decision-making functions. The manager, owing to the inability to identify and evaluate different alternative solutions to the problem, happens to take resort to the satisficing approach that appears to be good enough in the light of the problem identified. Through the process of satisficing, the solutions that are satisfactory enough are gained, in contrast to being optimal in addressing the problem (Kreitner and Knicki 340). The Nominal Group Technique (NGT) The Nominal Group Technique (NGT) is a decision-making process where decisions are gained from involvement of people in groups rather than acting in an individual manner to come up with solutions. In this process, firstly, a group is convened in an organisational set up so that the problem is aptly discussed between the people in the group constructed.

Higher Education in Contemporary Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Higher Education in Contemporary Society - Essay Example With more and more businesses turning to overseas labor, the job market in America is suffering. We need a public that is educated and capable of contributing significant economic skills to the development of our systems and institutions. More competition in any given market means that candidates for positions need to be knowledgeable and capable of ingenuity. As globalization spreads, jobs are demanding more than primary education can offer; a key factor in obtaining a well paying career path is obtaining some form of higher education. Employees and applicants need to be ahead of the times, ready to interact with people of different languages and customs in a business manner and achieve successful relationships. Entrepreneurial engagement is also important to a society, it allows for new markets to open up and eventually new jobs to come about. Higher education is essential to the success of any entrepreneurial business especially in today's rapidly growing marketplace. Another reason that higher education is so important today is the simple fact that without an educated public, democracy cannot thrive. Believe in or not those fancy schools and education institutions were founded in service to us as citizens of a free country. They may fuss and moan about reputation and status; but when you get down to it they are here to allow us the pursuit of knowledge. A pursuit that is not only a human right but also a civic responsibility; "The schools of a country are its future in miniature." Tehyi Hsieh, a Chinese philosopher said that and has proven to be true. From the ancient Maya and Egyptians to the Greeks and Romans every outstandingly powerful and accomplished society has had a well developed education system. As funding for primary public education dwindles and its accomplishments seem less profound with every year, higher education may be our only option to pursue knowledge within an institutional setting. Aristotle said, "To learn is a natural pl easure, not confined to philosophers but common to all men (Samovar, Porter, McDaniel, 2007 pg. 267)." Let us uphold this idea and consist ourselves of well educated, adaptable and resourceful people. "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind" Neil Armstrong's famous quote as he stepped onto the surface of the moon drives home my next point. Higher education is important in contemporary society because it is important for our country to push technological and scientific boundaries. In one year we made it from just breaking free of our earths atmosphere to landing on the moon and returning successfully as the fist country to accomplish the task. America would never have been eligible for this position without higher education. With diseases like Aids and Cancer growing out of the control; global warming threatening to change life on earth forever and populations rising into the billions it is important more than ever for us to be experimenting with new ideas. We need to attempt to right some of the environmental wrongs we have done our planet; we need to find alternative fuel sources and ask why our globe is heating up. The questions of why, where,

Behaviour Self Management Essay Example for Free

Behaviour Self Management Essay Behaviour Self-Management Project to Increase Studying Behaviour Behaviour Modification is a technique or approach used by behavioural psychologists to modify a particular behaviour and is largely used in a clinical or educational setting, particularly with those with learning disabilities (Atherton, 2011). Moreover, it also considered to be a treatment approach, as it substitutes undesirable behaviours with desired ones through the process of positive or negative reinforcement (Gary, 1988). Furthermore, behaviour modification has been used to treat numerous mental problems such as obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), phobias, enuresis, generalised anxiety disorder, separation anxiety disorder and many more. Subsequently, this technique has also been used to correct maladaptive behaviours by changing undesirable behaviours such as smoking, overeating, nail biting and others, as it aims to encourage the substitution of good behaviours such as studying, weight loss and etc (O’Donohue and Ferguson, 2006). The principles of behaviour modification were first developed by B. F Skinner, who had formulated the concept of operant conditioning. Skinner, had developed the concept of positive reinforcement or punishment, whereby behaviours are changed or encouraged through a reward system. Furthermore, the operant conditioning theory also states that for learning to occur, it is important that the subject is an active participant (Sheldon, 1982). In addition, behaviour modification was also formulated by Ivan Pavlov and is famously known as classical conditioning, as it is merely based on a stimuli-response formula. Besides that, Albert Bandura also contributed to behaviour modification principles, through his theory of social modelling (Baldwin Baldwin, 1981). The theory states that learning occurs as a result of copying or imitating other people, and is termed as vicarious learning. Additionally, the theory also states that external reinforcers are important because it enables learning to occur independently of the reinforcements. Consequently, behaviour modification underlies a number of theoretical positions such that human behaviour can easily be influenced by the presentation of consequences and could be strengthened if the behaviour is followed by rewards, as well as substandard if followed by negative consequences (Guez Allen, 2000). Moreover, human behaviour is not only controlled by internal factors, but is also driven by external factors such as social rewards like praises or gifts. Thus, the principles of behaviour modification is different compared to other techniques in changing behaviours, because it addresses the surrounding factors as well as individual factors that can promote or derail behaviour change. Additionally, behaviour modification has also proved its effectiveness in increasing student’s appropriate classroom behaviours. A study had employed behaviour modification in two second grade Negro girls in a demonstration school for the culturally deprived (Wasik, Senn, Welch, Cooper, 1969). Data collected in the study was based on type, duration, and frequency of teacher’s verbal interactions with the student. The study also had implemented an ABAB design, whereas treatment included positive social reinforcement when appropriate behaviours occurred. Punishment had included the use of timeout from social reinforcements, as these behaviours were contingent on inappropriate attention getting behaviours. It was observed that after 25 days, desirable behaviour in the classroom had increased remarkably from 80. % in baseline to 99. 20% in treatment and continued to remain high even after three months. Therefore, this shows that behaviour modification is an effective method to increase desirable behaviours. Target Behaviour It is essential and important that the target behaviour an individual wants to change is operationally defined. The particular behaviour would also require assessment, through collection of the baseline data. Furthermore, the behaviour that I want to change is to increase my studying behaviour, which is a behavioural deficit. Ever since I was in school, I was always known to study towards the end of the semester and could generally be considered as last minute studying. Subsequently, I would tend to be easily distracted by external stimuli such as watching movies or series on the computer, calling up friends and talking for hours as well as easily persuaded to go out. I have been known since young to be very outgoing, thus whenever friends call and ask me to meet up with them, I am bound to go. Therefore, it usually delays my ability to follow my studying schedule that I have created before the semester starts. Moreover, my main antecedent that unable me to complete my suggested two hours studying per night every weekday is also because I have a tendency to download movies or series on the computer and wasting 4 hours or more watching it. There are also consequences that I face because of my procrastination to study, because after watching these series, I would only tend to study less than an hour or not at all if I am tired. Consequently, I would cram all the materials during study week and end up being exhausted. This also is a reason as to why I tend to get ill during exam week, because it causes me to have high level of stress and in turn would affect my health. Hence, these are valid reasons as to why I feel like I need to change my behaviour and start studying more hours as I should so that I would not be stressed out during exams. Besides that, stress could also cause ulcers and the common cold, which in turn could be a setback to me during exam week as I am prone to get ulcers. Additionally, it would also allow me to focus more to improve my grade ratings to my expectations as I will soon complete my undergraduate program. Other than that, increasing my studying behaviour would also allow me to get sufficient sleep and rest for the upcoming exam and it would also benefit me in terms of managing my time efficiently. Method Design The design that I have chosen for this particular self management project is the ABAB reversal design. This design represents the attempt to first measure the baseline, the treatment that follows the initial baseline, the introduction of the second baseline as well as the reintroduction of the treatment again. Additionally, this method of application helps identify the effects of treatment and measure what happens when treatment is removed. Hence, this research design would help establish whether functional relationship exists between the target behaviour and intervention. Materials The materials used in this project include a structured diary that is recorded in the computer, behaviour contract, handphone, post-it notes, playing cards and reminders. Procedure Additionally, for this particular behaviour modification project, the operational definition is first defined as reading pages from the textbook and underlining as well as understanding sentences in the text and reading notes from the lectures for two hours. Furthermore, the behaviour would be recorded through self monitoring during baseline and treatment period as the behaviour does not occur frequently throughout the day and it only occurs during the period when no one else is around to observe. The observational period is recorded in the natural setting, which is in the study room at my home, and it is where studying behaviour typically occurs. The type of behavioural recording used is the duration recording, whereby studying behaviour is observed for two hours, between 8. 30p. m to 10. 0p. m on weekdays only. Next, in order to increase studying behaviour during weekdays, a generalised conditioned reinforcer, which is the token economy system is used because it reinforces the behaviour and minimises the need to use reactive strategies to deal with setbacks as well as it enables the ability to pair up with a variety of other reinforcers. In addition, the token economy is a playing card with my housemate’s signature on it, and one card would be given each day, whenever the desired behaviour occurred at least 2 hours a day. Furthermore, the acquired tokens would be eligible to trade with certain privileges and would be forfeited if the behaviour does not meet the expected requirements. Hence, a variety of backup reinforces are used in exchange with the accumulated playing cards on every Friday to determine the type of privileges that would be given and further information is provided in the behavioural contract (Appendix A). Besides that, punishment would be provided if I fail to meet the expected requirement. Additionally, the schedule of reinforcement chosen for this particular project is fixed interval, whereby studying behaviour is reinforced only if it occurs for at least two hours. The behaviour occurrence would also be recorded in the computer, as the behaviour occurs at home in the study room. Besides that, during the treatment period, my friends and housemate have also promised to give me social support and reinforcements. In addition, various types of response and stimulus prompts are also used in this project. Verbal prompts such as reminders to study are used by friends and housemates to evoke the desired behaviour in myself. They will do this by not persuading me to go out with them and reminding me to study instead. Furthermore, environmental prompts are also used in this project such as post its on the mirror, computer in the study room and class file that I carry to class every day, as well as using the hand phone to set alarm to study. In addition, within prompt fading was used in the second treatment period, for response prompts, whereby friends and boyfriend provided fewer verbal prompts as the week progressed during treatment period. Next, stimulus fading was also used in the second treatment period for environmental prompts, whereby on the first day, removal of alarm clock would be used and for subsequent days, one post its would be removed from either the mirror, computer or class file until the last day of treatment. Results The baseline and treatment data was collected for a period of four weeks and intervention was applied during treatment 1 and treatment 2. Figure 1: Studying behaviour in baseline and treatment weeks. Figure 1 shows that during the first baseline, studying behaviour did not occur at all for the first two days, one hour for the third, again none on the fourth and two hours on the fifth day. Hence, the average studying hours for the first baseline week is 0. 4 hours or 24 minutes. Furthermore, this could be clearly seen in the structured diary attached for the first baseline (Appendix B). Next, intervention took place in the second week, whereby various strategies were used to increase studying behaviour. Results showed that studying behaviour had occurred for two hours for the first and second day, one hour for the third day, two hours for the fourth day, and none on the fifth day. This shows that studying behaviour had increased to an average of 1. 4 hours a day and that there was an increase of 50% from the initial baseline to the treatment period. Moreover, the self management project had returned to baseline on the third week and results showed that studying behaviour had occurred for 2. hours on the first day, one hour on the second, none on the third and fourth and two hours on the fifth day. Thus, the average studying behaviour was 1. 1 hours a day for the second baseline period. Although the average hours were less compared to the treatment period, however, there was definitely an increase compared to the first baseline period, whereby average hours were only 0. 4 hours. Next, intervention was again applied and the second treatment results showed that studying behaviour occurred for one hour on the first day, 2. hours on the second, two hours on the third, one hour on the fourth, and two hours on the fifth day. Hence, the average studying hours is approximately 1. 7 hours a day. Thus, this also shows that there is an increase of studying behaviour between the second baseline and second treatment period. Besides that, there is also a staggering increase from the initial baseline and second treatment period, that precedes to fluctuate in the second baseline, when intervention was removed. Discussion  The behaviour modification project to increase studying behaviour was definitely a success because the graphs showed an increase in hours of studying as compared to the baseline data, thus indicating that there us a functional relationship between the target behaviour and the procedure. Furthermore, it is clear that the token economy system was a contributor to the success of increasing studying behaviour because once token economy was removed in the second baseline; the target behaviour had decreased tremendously. In addition, the target behaviour had increased when the second intervention was applied in the fourth week. Moreover, the use of reinforcements and punishment also helped me to keep myself motivated and determined to achieve the weekly goal that was set. Besides that, the use of within stimulus fading helped me generalise my behaviour to the subsequent weeks ahead, hence I had gradually adjusted myself with getting used to having less and less prompts throughout the week. However, there were also some limitations in this project, whereby, the duration of treatment intervention is too short to allow the behaviour to fully adjust and be generalised without the use of prompts. In addition, self monitoring was used during observation of behaviour for the baseline data. Observer may not be trained enough to record her own behaviour, hence data may not be as reliable as compared to having an inter rater observation. Moreover, the implementation of reinforcement contingency was my housemate, and sometimes the reinforcements were given a day later because she is not around. This has affected the effectiveness of the token as a reinforcing consequence as some deliveries of the token did not occur immediately after the response occurred according to the expected schedule. Furthermore, due to the delay between the response and token, it could have also affected the connection strength of the behaviour. In conclusion, behaviour modification is definitely an effective treatment method to help increase, decrease or develop new behaviours and it is applicable to use in a variety of problematic behaviours.