Marketing Implications of Product Life Cycle Essay

1. New strategies for new times The changed economic conditions are affecting consumer behavior and attitudes. Can the marketing strategies based on the understanding of the consumers in the prosperous times still hold water now? Consumers are changing their behavior in several different ways and various underlying attitudes and values govern these changes. It is critical for us to re-look at the consumer and refresh our understanding to fine tune the marketing strategies. 2. Segment and decide Not all the consumers react to the environmental changes in the same way. Different consumers have different reactions to the financial challenge – ranging from an extreme tightening of the purse-strings, to a nonchalant continuation of the current indulgences. Tightening may be reflected in different tangible and psychological ways. Manufacturers also need to offer a range of different solutions and propositions to meet these changes in behavior. Additionally, different consumer segments may be affected to different extent – and growth may vary from segment to segment. In luxury goods, for example, connoisseurship and indulgence segments may grow more as compared to the pure status segment, as these consumers’ relationship with luxury segments is not only emotional but also very tangible. 3. Find new pastures In these times, growth may be easier to come about through geographical expansion, than competitive fight in the current markets. The impact of the slowdown is more pronounced in larger cities – though the smaller towns and villages are also affected if they relied on export based industries. Hence while growth may be challenged in the larger cities, it may be a good time to set forth and explore new markets in county towns, townships and villages. These are the markets which are growing at a faster pace and offer greater return for investments. 4. Emphasize value – re look at your brand portfolio It does not take rocket science to conclude that in these times the consumers will look for value. The challenge is to offer value without compromising the image. There are different strategies to deliver value – some are appropriate and some ill-advised – some will damage the brand equity permanently, some will keep the image intact but still help adjust to the times. Research shows that direct price reductions are likely to damage more than temporary discounts and decreasing pack sizes more harmful that increasing pack size at the same price. 5. Look at your distribution channels A strained economic situation not only changes the consumer, but also changes the shopper. Consumers are normally more attached to the brand than the retail store, hence their first choice is not to change the brand, but try to locate the same brand at a cheaper price at another store. With more time at hand and greater incentive to economize, more consumers are likely to shop at hyper markets than the more ubiquitous but pricier supermarkets and convenience stores. The search for value and bargains will also turn the shoppers to internet shopping–the only channel that will grow even faster than hypermarkets. 6. Help the consumer – teach her, train her, comfort and reassure her. Research indicates that Chinese consumers’ response to the economic challenge is cerebral. When opportunities are fewer and the competition more fierce the Chinese consumers will want to further enhance their skills and knowledge. Clearly it is very good news for companies teaching English or computer programming. But the opportunity is not confined to these firms – the FMCG industry could also take a more educative communication stance – wine makers could try to educate the consumers about appreciating fine wines, cosmetic companies could offer lessons on skin care and food companies could coach on diet and nutrition. 7. Family, home and security When the going gets tough, the consumers tend to take comfort at home and in the arms of the loved ones. Recession is the ideal time to catch up with friends, take the children to the park and visit the parents, and in the process enjoy emotional warmth to compensate for the coldness of the economic climate. The children are likely to pay a heavy price for this, with parents having more time and inclination as well as a renewed determination to help their children with their studies. This offers opportunities to promote in-home consumption, rather than out of home consumption – which in many categories such as alcohol, is much more expensive. 8. Communication It is not just the product but also the message which needs to reflect the current consumer mind. The communication messages of today needs to reflect sentiments of care and protection, rational and considered behavior and performance and value these tones of communication, which always appealed to the Chinese consumers, are likely to find even greater resonance in these times. 9. Go digital For the largest internet population in the world, internet has so far been a tool of entertainment and information – less so a tool for commerce. However the initial barriers are being overcome and consumers are discovering the joys of internet shopping. The attributes consumer associate with internet shopping are variety, enables detailed evaluation and comparisons and competitive prices. These are the attributes the consumer will be looking in the times of economic slowdown. 10. Keep a permanent hand on the pulse of the consumer These are dynamic times. Things are changing at a phenomenal pace. As a result, so is the consumer mood and sentiment, which will have an effect on her decision making and the brands and products that she buys. If marketers don’t feel her pulse all the time, they could go wrong. One cannot just listen to the consumer once a year – marketers need to put their ears firmly on the ground and listen to every change of beat, every nuance of the consumer mood and continue to fine tune the strategy.

Models Of Recovery After Injuries Health And Social Care Essay

It has been suggested that it appears that no research or scientific country progresss significantly without an explicit or inexplicit set of metatheoretical premises ( Suls & A ; Rothman, 2004 ) . Therefore, several theoretical theoretical accounts have been proposed to account for the construction, nature and consecutive ordination of the reactions observed in hurt patients. The undermentioned subdivision of this chapter will present and discourse these different theoretical accounts of recovery after hurt. There are five theoretical accounts covering with recovery from hurt ; these are: the traditional medical theoretical account, the generic theoretical account, the patient-centred theoretical account, stress-centred theoretical accounts, and the psychosocial procedure theoretical account. Of these, the traditional medical theoretical account, stress-centred and generic theoretical accounts are simple attacks, while the patient-centred theoretical account and the psychosocial theoretical account are more concerned by the complexness of psychosocial procedures ( Cohen, 1998 ) . The traditional medical theoretical account ( or biomedical theoretical account ) is the basic theoretical account of heath attention and rehabilitation, suggesting a additive relationship between biological scientific discipline ( i.e. marks and symptoms ) and the physical damage ( Mattingly, 1991 ) . Basically, the theoretical account is based on four elements: Designation of forms of marks and symptoms ( i.e. scrutiny and medical history ) ; Inference of the implicit in pathology and doing a diagnosing ; Application of intervention and rehabilitation to the patient, if required ; and Bracing patient status and discharging ( either by full recovery or with staying damage ) ( Waddell, 2006 ; HWCA, 2009 ) . However, this theoretical account has several restrictions. First, it focuses entirely on biological facets and ignores the other parts of other scientific disciplines. Second, it assumes a straight causal relationship between disablement and damage ( HWCA, 2009 ) . Third, the theoretical account fails to affect societal and psychological factors related to disablement and/or damage, particularly since it has been proven that the success of several biological interventions are straight linked to psychosocial factors ( e.g. the alleged ‘Placebo Effect ‘ ) ( Borrell-Carrio et al. , 2004 ) . Finally, the traditional medical theoretical account does non take patient penchant or outlooks into consideration. High-quality medical attention from the point of position of a doctor may non needfully be perceived in the same manner from the point of position of a patient ( Kirch, 2004 ) . The restrictions of the biomedical theoretical account have been known since World War II ( WW II ) , when soldiers suffered from â€Å" shell daze † . Harmonizing to the Oxford English Dictionary ( 2010 ) , shell daze is a term used to depict the psychological perturbation after drawn-out service in active warfare ( besides known as post-traumatic emphasis upset ) . Its prevalence has raised consciousness of the effects of psychological and societal factors on the patient ‘s wellness position and recovery during intervention ( Sahler & A ; Carr, 2007 ) . However, despite these restrictions, it should be noted that the traditional medical theoretical account has played an indispensable function in progressing cognition about the mechanisms of diseases, and in developing and researching effectual methods of intervention ( Mai, 1995 ) . The generic theoretical account of psychotherapeutics was developed several old ages ago by Orlinsky and Howard ( 1995 ) . The theoretical account outlines six different aspects or features of the psychotherapeutic procedure which are shared by most clinical psychologists ( Coetzer, 2006 ) . These features represent several variables, including curative operations, the curative contract, self-relatedness, the curative bond, stages of intervention, and in-session impacts ( Orlinsky & A ; Howard, 1995 ) . In add-on, Coetzer ( 2006 ) stated that â€Å" The theoretical account possibly besides has the potency for supplying us with the theoretical underpinnings of psychotherapeutic pattern needed to inform intercessions†¦ † ( p.48 ) . However, this theoretical account suggests that societal support is merely linked to disablement or unwellness through its consequence on any of the biological responses that affect disease ( i.e. the immune response, the neuroendocrine response or the hemodynamic response ) , or through behavioral forms that decrease or increase the hazard of disease ( e.g. a sedentary life manner may increase the hazard of cardiac disease ) ( Cohen, 1998 ) . Furthermore, as pointed out by Prigatano ( 1999 ) , psychotherapeutics might be really appropriate and utile for some people, while for others it might be a waste of clip and energy. Therefore, the generic theoretical account of psychotherapeutics can be used merely as a generalized method of intervention. The patient-centred theoretical account, or patient-centred medical specialty, is a theoretical account introduced by Michael Balint in 1970 to offer a new manner of interaction between patient and clinician. Balint ( 1970 ) argued that patients and clinicians live in two different universes: the universe of the patient as an person, with his or her ain experience of unwellness ; and the clinician ‘s universe of biomedical cognition and clinical expertness. The patient-centred theoretical account efforts to cover with each patient as a alone person, and to understand the ailments, jobs, troubles and concerns expressed by them. Besides, in footings of communicating, patients are expected to play a more active function in decision-making with respect to their intervention options and the ends of clinical attention ( Kirch, 2004 ) . Although the patient-centred theoretical account has frequently been advocated in penchant to other theoretical accounts, because it views health care in a significantly different manner, it has been criticised widely in the literature. The theoretical account focuses on doctor-patient relationship and communicating within that relationship, without taking into history a figure of other factors such as the patient ‘s instruction degree and cognition, differences in cultural experience, spiritual facets, gender differences and so on. For illustration, if the patient ‘s degree of instruction or understanding are low, this will present more stressors for the patient, particularly when it comes to take parting in their ain health care determinations. In add-on, patients enter the doctor-patient relationship with widely diversified belief-systems and outlooks ( Kirch, 2004 ) . Furthermore, in the patient-centred theoretical account, the patients play the function of co-producers. However, this demand does non distinguish whether the relationship occurs in an acute infirmary attention, in primary attention or in rehabilitation, and neither does it distinguish between different intervention scenes and intervention state of affairss. For case, the patient ‘s function is more active and obvious during rehabilitation and wellness publicity than it is in intensive attention units ( Kirch, 2004 ) . Finally, it should be noted that the complexness of different intervention state of affairss and modern medical attention requires a pooling of the accomplishments and cognition from different professions and specializers to heighten inter-professional communicating, teamwork and co-ordination, and the development of cross-professional guidelines ( Kirch, 2004 ) . The stress-centred theoretical account is a comprehensive socio-economic theoretical account that was foremost introduced by Scudder and Colson in 1982. The theoretical account suggests that unwellness is chiefly a consequence of emphasis, and as such it can be buffered by societal support ( Jackson, 2009 ) . Cohen ( 1998 ) stated that societal support apparently works by forestalling behavioral, short-circuiting and biological responses to emphasize, all of which are damaging to well-being. There are two possible mechanisms by which the stress-centred theoretical account might be runing. First, societal support may interfere between the potentially nerve-racking incident ( or the expectancy of the nerve-racking incident ) and the emphasis reaction itself by forestalling or rarefying a emphasis assessment response ( Cohen, 1998 ) . Second, it might be that societal support interferes between the patient ‘s experience of emphasis and the pathological oncoming by extinguishing or cut downing the emotional reaction to the event, which can be achieved by â€Å" straight stifling physiologic procedures, or by changing maladaptive behaviour responses † ( Cohen, 1998, p.278 ) . However, although the stress-centred theoretical account was introduced in the early Eightiess, it has seldom been discussed or applied in the literature. Therefore, it is hard to measure the theoretical account. The psychosocial procedure theoretical account is a theoretical model that attempts to measure and analyze the elements of the emphasis experience ( Marziali & A ; Donahue, 2001 ) . The foundation of this theoretical account is the impression that human existences are surrounded by assorted structural agreements, such as chronic life strains, life events, ego constructs and societal support. These constructions all act together to act upon the emphasis procedure and its effects ( Pearlin, 1989 ; Marziali & A ; Donahue, 2001 ) . The structural agreements are thought to set up the stressors to which persons are exposed ( Pearlin, 1989 ) . The psychosocial procedure theoretical account embraces three elements: the go-betweens of emphasis, beginnings of emphasis, and response manifestations of emphasis ( Figure 1.4 ) ( Pearline, 1989 ; Marziali & A ; Donahue, 2001 ) . Figure 1.4: The psychosocial procedure theoretical account. Adapted from Marziali and Donahue ( 2001 ) . From Figure 1.4 it can be seen that the theoretical account hypothesises a direct nexus between the nature of psychosocial mediation and the biological procedure. One of the strengths of the psychosocial procedure theoretical account is the designation and clear definition of the possible go-betweens of the emphasis procedure ( Marziali & A ; Donahue, 2001 ) . However, although the theoretical account is multiconceptual in its attack, it addresses each construct individually and moves in merely one way ( i.e. from societal support to biological wellbeing ) without sing other waies or feedback cringles ( Cohen, 1998 ; Salovey & A ; Rothman, 2003 ) . In add-on, the psychosocial procedure theoretical account focuses chiefly on support, and respects this as the primary booster of wellness. The theoretical accounts presented in this subdivision have different conjectural foundations and different positions of recovery. However, much of what has been discussed may besides be applied to the holistic construct of medical specialty. Each of the five theoretical accounts has its ain restrictions, and all focus either on support as the primary supplier for wellness, or on a deficiency of support ( i.e. in instances of unwellness that require isolation ) ( Cohen, 1998 ; Salovey & A ; Rothman, 2003 ) . Therefore, it could be suggested that these theoretical accounts are recursive in nature ( Cohen, 1998 ; Salovey & A ; Rothman, 2003 ) . The following tabular array ( Table 1.3 ) summarises the five theoretical accounts, foregrounding the strengths and failings in each theoretical account.PresentationDiagnosisTreatmentTraditional medical theoretical accountThe chief focal point of this theoretical account is on the physical causes of the disease. Physicians are expected to inquir e inquiries merely about the oncoming, causes and history of the disease. Physical scrutinies, X-rays and/or other lab trials. Medical program ( short and long term ends ) for the patient depending on the biological aetiology of the disease.Generic theoretical accountDoctors aim to determine the psychotherapeutic attack. In add-on to a physical scrutiny, doctors may inquire about behavioral forms and forms of relationships between the psychotherapeutics procedure and the result may emerge. Considerable attending to psychological and societal facets, associating these to biological responses. Available medical intercessions are discussed, concentrating on the psychological and societal facets environing the patient.Patient-centred theoretical accountDoctors aim to understand the patient and to develop an effectual doctor-patient relationship. Based on doctor-patient communicating, in add-on to physical scrutinies, X-rays and/or other lab trials. Treatment intercession is a reciprocally agreed determination between the patient and the doctor.Stress-centred theoretical accountFocus on societal facets. Patient communicating and physical scrutiny. By supplying societal support to buffer physical unwellness.Psychosocial procedure theoretical accountEvaluate and analyse the elements of the emphasis experience. Concentrating on go-betweens of emphasis, beginnings of emphasis and response manifestations. In add-on to physical scrutiny. Concentrating chiefly on support and see it as booster to wellness. Table 1.3: comparing between the five theoretical accounts act uponing recovery from hurt. Adapted from Burton et Al. ( 2008 ) .

Estimate a Population Parameter

Estimation is a procedure by which a numerical value or values are assigned to a population parameter based on the information collected from a sample. The assignment of value(s) to a population parameter based on a value of the corresponding sample statistic is called estimation. In inferential statistics, _ is called the true population mean and p is called the true population proportion. There are many other population parameters, such as the median, mode, variance, and standard deviation.The following are a few examples of estimation: an auto company may want to estimate the mean fuel consumption for a particular model of a car; a manager may want to estimate the average time taken by new employees to learn a job; the U. S. Census Bureau may want to find the mean housing expenditure per month incurred by households; and the AWAH (Association of Wives of Alcoholic Husbands) may want to find the proportion (or percentage) of all husbands who are alcoholic.The examples about estimat ing the mean fuel consumption, estimating the average time taken to learn a job by new employees, and estimating the mean housing expenditure per month incurred by households are illustrations of estimating the true population mean. The example about estimating the proportion (or percentage) of all husbands who are alcoholic is an illustration of estimating the true population proportion, p.This article explains how to assign values to population parameters based on the values of sample statistics. For example, to estimate the mean time taken to learn a certain job by new employees, the manager will take a sample of new employees and record the time taken by each of these employees to learn the job. Using this information, he or she will calculate the sample mean, then, based on the value of he or she will assign certain values to _.As another example, to estimate the mean housing expenditure per month incurred by all households in the United States, the Census Bureau will take a sa mple of certain households, collect the information on the housing expenditure that each of these households incurs per month, and compute the value of the sample mean, Based on this value of the bureau will then assign values to the population mean, _. The sample statistic used to estimate a population parameter is called an estimator.The estimation procedure involves the following steps. 1. Select a sample. 2. Collect the required information from the members of the sample. 3. Calculate the value of the sample statistic. 4. Assign value(s) to the corresponding population parameter. Remember, the procedures to be mentioned above assume that the sample taken is a simple random sample. If the sample is not a simple random sample, then the procedures to be used to estimate a population mean or proportion become more complex. Estimate a Population Parameter Estimation is a procedure by which a numerical value or values are assigned to a population parameter based on the information collected from a sample. The assignment of value(s) to a population parameter based on a value of the corresponding sample statistic is called estimation. In inferential statistics, _ is called the true population mean and p is called the true population proportion. There are many other population parameters, such as the median, mode, variance, and standard deviation.The following are a few examples of estimation: an auto company may want to estimate the mean fuel consumption for a particular model of a car; a manager may want to estimate the average time taken by new employees to learn a job; the U. S. Census Bureau may want to find the mean housing expenditure per month incurred by households; and the AWAH (Association of Wives of Alcoholic Husbands) may want to find the proportion (or percentage) of all husbands who are alcoholic.The examples about estimat ing the mean fuel consumption, estimating the average time taken to learn a job by new employees, and estimating the mean housing expenditure per month incurred by households are illustrations of estimating the true population mean. The example about estimating the proportion (or percentage) of all husbands who are alcoholic is an illustration of estimating the true population proportion, p.This article explains how to assign values to population parameters based on the values of sample statistics. For example, to estimate the mean time taken to learn a certain job by new employees, the manager will take a sample of new employees and record the time taken by each of these employees to learn the job. Using this information, he or she will calculate the sample mean, then, based on the value of he or she will assign certain values to _.As another example, to estimate the mean housing expenditure per month incurred by all households in the United States, the Census Bureau will take a sa mple of certain households, collect the information on the housing expenditure that each of these households incurs per month, and compute the value of the sample mean, Based on this value of the bureau will then assign values to the population mean, _. The sample statistic used to estimate a population parameter is called an estimator.The estimation procedure involves the following steps. 1. Select a sample. 2. Collect the required information from the members of the sample. 3. Calculate the value of the sample statistic. 4. Assign value(s) to the corresponding population parameter. Remember, the procedures to be mentioned above assume that the sample taken is a simple random sample. If the sample is not a simple random sample, then the procedures to be used to estimate a population mean or proportion become more complex.

The Impact of the OECD Standard on the Swiss Banking Industry Dissertation

The Impact of the OECD Standard on the Swiss Banking Industry - Dissertation Example The developments were of strong influence in the actual economy and as the year 2008 came to an end the whole economy had gone through the ensuing crisis (Gugler & Siebert, 2007). Despite the fact that, the Banking industry was one of the most regulated industries within the country, the ongoing financial crisis could not be curbed. More often than not, the financial crisis uncovered different imperfections in international regulation. Before this crisis, the whole banking system had been assumed to be secured for as long as each unique bank satisfied the requirements in terms of capital reserves (Brissimis & Papanikolaou, 2008). This enabled it to absorb the upcoming negative economical developments. In many cases, one theory explains that it is sufficient in supervising the banks at a micro-level, and this supervision would prevent a crisis within the entire banking system namely at the macro level. This theory holds in a non-globalized or less globalized world (Brissimis & Papanik olaou, 2008). Consequently, the current globalised world quest for new requirements for the banking sector. The recent developments in the current financial crisis emphasize the need for international regulations within the banking sector. The financial crisis made the affected banks appear to act unfavorable making an adverse impact on the refinancing mechanism with other financial institutions. This meant that, during the crisis, banks were forced to increase their capital requirements so as to prevent their defaults and as well to fulfill the new capital requirements (Gugler & Siebert, 2007). As a consequence, the banks were forced to reduce their lending to other financial institutions. The shortage in interbank lending brought about a liquidity crisis within the whole financial sector. In this respect, it was extremely vital to coordinate new international regulations at a national and international level in order to strengthen the domestic and the international financial syste m( Gugler & Siebert, 2007). Additionally, the financial crisis made the public debt increase. Many governments were forced to bail out system relevant financial institutions (De Bandt & Davis, 2000). Different governments spend out a considerable amount of money to stimulate their economies. This forced many governments to reduce their governmental spending and at the same time generate new revenues (Molyneux & Thornton, 2004). Having the requirement of raising new funds, many governments including the US and EU, promoted the repatriation of cross border assets. Switzerland is one of the world leading financial centers in terms of offshore and international banking (Tyndale, 2009). As a consequence, the Swiss banking sector was targeted by these economies. Besides the financial interest of the EU and US, it is also vital to consider the legal aspect of tax management by Switzerland. It is also crucial that Switzerland was the main target as a tax haven by the EU and US (Iwata, 2004) . The Swiss law has in many instances made a distinction between Tax fraud and Tax evasion. Tax fraud has always been a crime in Switzerland. In contrast, tax evasion is not a crime in Switzerland. Specifically, the latter assist in explaining why the EU and the US put pressure on more transparency of the Swiss tax management (Jimenez, & Saurina, 2007). However, the EU and Switzerland pursued the interest of harmonizing their tax management. The loosening of the banking secrecy made the attractiveness of the Swiss banking

Market Failure and Government Failure in Europe Essay

Market Failure and Government Failure in Europe - Essay Example For several decades, a debate has been raging in development economics on the relative virtues of the free market as opposed to state intervention. With the help of analytical models of a market economy, the interventionists have demonstrated what they have considered as serious instances of market failures. That is to mean, the inability of a market economy to reach certain desirable outcomes in resource use. The protagonists of the free market on the other hand, compile impressive lists of ill-covered and counterproductive policy measures implemented by the governments of different nations at different times. As a result, there has been serious wastage of resources in the economies of these countries. This debate has inevitably remained inconclusive. The analytical results on market failure do not disappear in the face of the evidence that most governments have performed rather badly. In cases where there appears to be scope for improvement over the market outcome, the search for corrective measures continues. Some protagonists of government failure tend to question the significance of such market failures. Some have voiced skepticism about the ability of governments to take any action in the economy which is not counterproductive. However, none of them has been able to explain why less developed European countries failed to grow during the first half of the 20th century.

Nature vs. Nurture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Nature vs. Nurture - Essay Example s relating to the surfacing and control of behavior, but neither side sufficiently explains many of the more complicated behavior seen in the myriad of diverse species present on this earth, including humans. (Long, 2003, p. 29) Many behaviors have strong learning components, and others seen not at all influenced by experiential factors. The recent view in developmental biology suggests that the emergence of simple and complex behaviors is a result of interplay between gene expression, pre- and post-birth development, and environmental influences, including, but not limited to, sensory experience (Long, 2003, p 31) Although the beginning of life takes place in the womb, once the child begins to breath on his or her own (some would say even before), the dance between nurture and nature begins to take place. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory clearly explains the connection and relationship among living things and the environment they experience. He sates that personality and change are proximal interrelated processes, â€Å"These are reciprocal interactions between an ‘active, evolving, biopsychological human organism and the persons, object, and symbols in its immediate external environment’† (Broderick & Blewitt, 2006, p. 14). His model illustrates how social influences impacts human survival and one’s ability to thrive and reproduce. Human development is inseparable from the environmental contexts in which a child develops. His study illustrates how the four levels of environmental influence (microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem macrosystem ) impacts the full range of human development including mentally, psychologically, emotionally as well as socially. (Vander Zandan, 2000, p. 181-183). However, knowledge that is displayed at birth is most likely to be innate. Most mammalian infants have instinctive behaviors to seek out warmth, and sustenance. A human infant will be able to imitate expressions, such as a smile or sticking out their tongue in mirror

Treating breast cancer with Radiographic therapy Essay

Treating breast cancer with Radiographic therapy - Essay Example The therapy refers to the use of specific rays in imagining thus monitoring the progress of the treatment. Additionally, the therapy includes the use of high-energy radiation to kill the cancerous cells thus eliminating the cancer. The therapy is effective since it destroys the DNA of the cancer cells thus discouraging the growth of such cells. While the use of radiation is efficient in killing the cancer cells, the radiations can destroy the normal body cells a feature that explains the extreme caution that doctors and patients must take during such therapies. The book investigates the nature of manifestation of the disease thus investigating the numerous methods of treatment key among which is radiographic therapy. The therapy begins with an equally effective diagnosis of the disease. The book explains that early determination of the cancer helps increase the effectiveness of the radiographic therapy. The book encourages self-inspection as a way of ensuring early detection of cancer â€Å"physical examination of a patient with breast cancer should begin with in inspection of breasts† (Winchester, David, Clifford and Larry 237). Such personal inspections of the breast investigate any irregular development in the breast. Inspecting the breast with the view to determining any anomalies is always an easy process especially for those with the tendency of doing so since they easily identify the varying types of anomalies that may hint cancerous growth. Effective early detection of the cancerous growth enhances the success of radiographi c therapy. The book explains that Radiographic therapy is essential even in other forms of cancer treatments such as surgical operations. After physical examination discussed above, patients should always seek radiography in order to validate the existence of cancerous cells in their breasts. The mechanism provides effective ways of capturing images of the internal parts of the body such as

Assignment c Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

C - Assignment Example Leadership must develop a sense of vision and encourage, inspire and motivate team members so that all share the common goal of achieving organizational success (Kleinwort, 2014). Jeff Bezos of Amazon is one business leader that been successful in revolutionizing the manner in which business is done with his concept of predictive analytics. Business acumen encompasses working a lot of keenness and right speeds when responding to and making decisions in unique business situations. individuals with business acumen those who are smart when it comes to business decisions; they have the capabilities of obtaining necessary information regarding situations in a timely manner, focusing specific objectives, recognizing all available alternatives for the solution, settling on the most appropriate actions and setting in motion plans of getting it done. Acumen requires the individual to think in a manner that focuses on most critical components, appreciation of possible consequences of their actions recognizing close monitoring and adjustment of plans are crucial in defining the future. An example of an entrepreneurial personality is Steve Jobs; he was successful in combining functionality, convenience and accessibility to give value for customers in the iPad product. Teamwork involves working in collaboration with members of a group towards achieving common objectives. Teamwork is a very essential element of business since most of the time colleagues are required to work together which is sometimes not easy. It calls on members of the team to cooperate with one another and give constructive feedback even with the conflicts that may arise due to personal differences (Scouller, 2011). To achieve the vision and business goals, leaders must therefore be able to cultivate the spirit of teamwork and get people to share the same vision. John Mackey has successfully cultivated a culture of teamwork and achieved tremendous business success at Whole Foods

Plagiarism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Plagiarism - Essay Example In simple terms, the use of another person’s work without giving due acknowledge to the source constitutes plagiarism. The first step towards avoiding plagiarism is to admit that adhering to the strategies for avoiding plagiarism makes a person no less of a great writer. The following paragraphs of the essay are used to lay out how students can strategized their writing to avoid cases and instances of plagiarism in a wake of an era when plagiarism is gaining more and prominence throughout universities in the world. Strategies for avoiding Plagiarism One of the first strategies to avoiding plagiarism is to identify the appropriate mechanism instituted in the selection of a group of words belonging to another person. By academic provisions, a student is expected to either paraphrase a group of words belonging to another person or bring quotation marks when the words are taken verbatim (University of Michigan’s Scholarly Publishing Office, 2006). ... An example can be cited with the same example above to read as ‘plagiarism remains a critical component of academic dishonesty’. From the structure of the paraphrased sentence, it can be seen that the central theme of the original message is maintained while keeping about the same number of words. It is in light of this that the Durkin University (2012) states that â€Å"a paraphrase is the rephrasing of a short passage from a text, in about the same number of words.† The next strategy to paraphrasing and using quotations is much related to paraphrasing and using quotation and this has to do with using in-text citation. In-text citation simply refers to a provision whereby the writer states the name of the original owner of any quotation or paraphrase made Durkin University (2012). In most jurisdictions, it is expected that the writer will also state the date of publication of the said source. The general idea behind in-text citation is therefore for the writer to state the name of original owner and the date of publication. However, depending on the referencing format or style being used by the writer, there are difference ways in which in-text citations will be made. Some of the referencing styles are APA, Harvard and Oxford. It is very important for a student who wants to avoid problems with plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty to have a fairer idea of how to use in-text citation for the different referencing styles. In a typical APA referencing style, a write who indicates the name of original owner and date before the quotation or paraphrase will be expected to write the surname of the owner and put the date in parenthesis. Example is Gardener (2011). If the source is an institution, it is expected that the

Method police used to solve robbery with violence Assignment

Method police used to solve robbery with violence - Assignment Example Method police used to solve robbery with violence The following day the police began reconstructing the event that led to the shooting, which the officials of the event believed was an aberration in the tree canopied park behind the New York public library. Reaching midday, the police said they had one boy age 16 as a suspect held at a Midtown station. The boy has been charged before with attempted murder, assault and weapon possession. It was said that the problem began at 11pm on Saturday, when some people hoping to grab atleast a few minutes of nighttime skating stood in a snaking line by a temporary tent on the south side of the park. When police officer arrived during the shoot-out they rushed towards the scene accompanied by paramedics. They found the young boy lying down covered with a lot of blood. The first approach the police considered to use was to involve the community/individuals around the scene in helping the wounded victims. The leaders and the organizers of the event participated in the cleaning the problem by first taking the wounded victims to the hospital and then rescheduling and cleaning the scene for the event to continue. The use of involving the community and people around the scene always build some strength of believe that the police alone cannot substantially impact crime and advocate for the community to be a full partner in preventing and responding to crimes. The community also assisted in identifying the suspects and the way the problem began. Witnesses said that the robbers were heading to the library when a young boy started yelling of having scene guns. To divert the attention the robbers started shouting.

The Servant Leadership Essay Example for Free

The Servant Leadership Essay What does servant leadership mean to you, and how can you practice servant leadership in your college community?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In my own humble view, servant leadership may be defined as a person who lives in the service of others even as he strives to lead them towards the fulfillment of certain objectives and goals. A servant leader is usually embodied in a person who epitomizes the 10 principles of servant leadership as listed by Larry Spears of Greenleaf Center. These 10 principles are listening, empathy, healing, awareness, persuasion, conceptualization, foresight, stewardship, commitment to the growth of people, and lastly, building community.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I believe that since I am a gay man living in a homophobic world, I will be able to use and develop the aforementioned skills that I know I possess, in my quest to help the homosexual community. I can help them learn how to gain social and personal acceptance in the world just as I did. We live in a world that claims to be accepting and tolerating of the third sex. With all the various cause oriented groups and gay rights advocate movement that abound, this would certainly seem to ring true. But the truth of the matter is that the world is still homophobic of people that they deem to be different from what is traditionally dictated to be normal. This is why I want to be a servant leader in my college community.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I will make it my personal crusade to insure that the gay and heterosexual communities in my future college will learn how to co-exist in peace through my example. As a servant leader, I will make it my personal duty to listen to the heterosexuals and explain to them about where my fellow gay people are coming from. I will empathize with both parties and make sure that they will listen and understand the reality of a homosexual life and why we are just like any other normal people. These things have to be accomplished in order to heal the wounds caused by decades of sexual ignorance and bigotry. A servant leader must always be self aware and generally aware of his surroundings. It is also my duty to insure that my fellow students and servant leaders are aware of important matters that will be of importance to our organization and community and insure that these are dealt with speedily and accordingly.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I plan to serve my college community by using my foresight and skills in conceptualizing and creating relevant activities that will foster camaraderie amongst all the students and faculty on campus. I will insure that everyone participating in the activity will be very keen on helping develop the personal, professional, and spiritual growth of each participant. Such activities can be in the form of fundraisers, sports and music festivals, as well as other activities as suggested by the organization members.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The reality if the situation is that servant leaders, most specially those who begin in their local community college or corporations hold the future of human lives in their hands. As a servant leader, I have the ability to shape the world and affect the lives of the people around me in a highly positive manner.   In a way, a servant leader is in charge of building a community that can co-exist regardless of differing beliefs and perceptions. What is important is that I will be given a chance to lay the groundwork for a strong community composed of cooperative heterosexuals and homosexuals that will serve as the model organization for the others in my college community.

Reading Fluency and Its Effect on Reading Comprehension Essay Example for Free

Reading Fluency and Its Effect on Reading Comprehension Essay As an elementary teacher, I have often thought reading fluency plays a large role in a child’s reading development. Few reading programs give fluency the recognition it deserves. Reading fluency has been a prominent and reliable benchmark for me, even when students have comprehension difficulties. Once fluency is assessed, the results were used to place students in their reading ability group. Often times, the fluent readers were placed in the high ability reading groups. In the past, our district used a reading program that gave very little focus to reading fluency and few strategies for improvement. It assessed fluency based on rate and accuracy—not prosody. The previous reading series also failed to assess the students’ comprehension after they read independently. The non-fluent readers spent so much effort on word identification; it is difficult for them to enjoy reading the selection. I believe this is one reason they enjoy being read to. Students can comprehend a story when it is read aloud to them, but it is their lack of fluency that inhibits comprehension when it is their turn to read. A current goal in our school improvement plan is to improve reading fluency; therefore, in this review of literature, I will examine reading fluency by focusing on how it affects comprehension. Literature Review The attention given to reading fluency has fluctuated throughout the years in education. It is currently gaining recognition and once again becoming an advertised component in most reading programs. According to Avanchan (2010), fluency is a critical element of reading and should be taught in every school. This Literature Review will focus on the following research questions: 1. What is reading fluency? 2. What strategies can be used to improve reading fluency? 3. How does reading fluency affect reading comprehension? What is reading fluency? Reading fluency is defined as the ability to recognize words rapidly and accurately. Under the reading fluency umbrella, there are three main components of fluency: accuracy, rate, and prosody (Nathan Stanovich, 2001). Reading accuracy is the ability to decode and recognize words correctly. Without reading accuracy, a young reader cannot interpret the author’s intent (Evanchan, 2010). To be considered an accurate reader a student has a strong knowledge of the alphabetic principle, ability to blend letters, and a significant bank of high frequency words (Hudson, Lane, Pullen, 2005). Reading rate refers to the speed one can read at with fluidity (Evanchan, 2010). This component of reading fluency is often described as a reader’s automaticity. With automaticity, a reader can effortlessly identify words in text (Evanchan, 2010; Hudson et al. , 2005); however, accurate word recognition alone is not a strong indicator of fluency. Speed also needs to be heavily considered. (Evanchan, 2005). Hudson et al. (2005) describe prosody as â€Å"the music of oral language† (p. 704). Prosody is what makes a reader enjoyable to listen to, because it includes appropriate phrasing, intonation, stress patterns, and duration (Hudson et al. , 2005). Prosodic reading suggests the reader has connected to the literature and understands what is being read (Hudson et al. , 2005). What strategies can be used to improve reading fluency? Numerous strategies can be used to improve reading fluency (Evanchan, 2010). One strategy that continues to hold valor is repeated reading, which is when students continuously read the same passage until they have reached a level of fluency (Mastropieri, Leinart, Scruggs, 1999). Once they have reached the predetermined level of fluency, they move to a more difficult passage. Hudson et al. (2005) suggested repeated reading is highly recommended for improving of fluency because it concentrates on all components of fluency: accuracy, rate, and prosody. Reader’s theater is another strategy where children practice repeated reading (Evanchan, 2010). Reader’s theater brings a new, more exciting approach to repeated practice. Like repeated reading, reader’s theater focuses on all three elements of reading fluency. Reader’s theater requires students to reread, memorize, and perform the text, which are key components to improving fluency. Adding dramatic performance to a student’s reading experience will positively affect the student’s expression, or prosody, a key component to reading fluency (Nathan Stanovich, 2001). Modeling fluency is essential so students can better understand what reading fluency sounds like. Proper modeling focuses on accuracy, rate, phrasing, and prosody (Worthly Broaddus, 2001). Evanchan (2010) suggested proper modeling gives students exposure to vocabulary above their independent reading level. Modeling allows students to be engaged with text they may wrestle with independently, and comprehension is also enhanced (Worthly Broaddus, 2001). The student’s engagement and evidence of comprehension suggests students’ listening comprehension level is at a higher level than their independent reading levels (Evanchan, 2010). How does reading fluency affect reading comprehension? There are five essential components to reading. They are phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Evanchan (2010), referred to the components as links in a chain, and comprehension is the link that secures the chain; however, if one of the four other components are missing, the ultimate goal of comprehension cannot be obtained. Before a higher level of reading can be obtained, a student must be able to decode the words in text (Nathan Stanovich, 2001). Without word recognition, a reader is likely to misinterpret the author’s intent. Misinterpreting the text can develop a barrier for comprehension (Hudson et al. , 2005). When looking at fluency on a larger scale, developing automaticity forms the bridge between reading fluency and comprehension. (Pikulski Chard, 2005). Although reading comprehension is not solely achieved through reading fluency, it certainly reflects upon it (2005). Automaticity and comprehension are intertwined and should not be separated during instructional modeling (2005). Doing so may affect the ultimate goal of developing meaningful responses to the text (Applegate, Applegate, Modla, 2009). Nathan and Stanovich (2001) and Hudson et al. (2005) agreed non-fluent readers have a difficult time focusing on comprehension because their cognitive capacity is limited, and they use all of their energy to decode words. Students who have efficient word identification and have achieved automaticity free up processing space so their cognitive resources can be used for comprehension and higher order thinking (Hudson et al. , 2005). Conclusion. There is a significant amount of information that acknowledges reading fluency’s effect on reading comprehension. Through automaticity and prosody, a bridge can be built between reading fluency and comprehension. Reading fluency needs to become an instructional focus in the classroom. While rate seems to get most of the focus, all three components of reading fluency need and deserve to be addressed equally. The earlier reading fluency strategies are administered, the greater chance the student has to becoming a reader who can respond to literature thoughtfully and with meaning, which is the ultimate goal. References Applegate, M. , Applegate, A. J. , Modla, V. B. (2009). Shes my best reader; She just cant comprehend: Studying the relationship between fluency and comprehension. Reading Teacher, 62(6), 512-521. doi:10. 1598/RT. 62. 6. 5 Evanchan, G. (2010). Fluency is a vital link in the comprehension chain. Ohio Reading Teacher, 40(1), 11-18. Retrieved from http://search. proquest. com/docview/577071584? accountid=28680 Hudson, R. F. , Lane, H. B. , Pullen, P. C. (2005). Reading fluency assessment and instruction: What, why, and how?. Reading Teacher, 58(8), 702-714. doi:10. 1598/RT. 58. 8. 1 Nathan, R. G. , Stanovich, K. E. (1991). The causes and consequences of differences in reading fluency. Theory Into Practice, 30(3), 176. Pikulski, J. J. , Chard, D. J. (2005). Fluency: Bridge between decoding and reading comprehension. Reading Teacher, 58(6), 510-519. Worthy, J. , Broaddus, K. (2001). Fluency beyond the primary grades: From group performance to silent, independent reading. Reading Teacher, 55(4), 334.

History Of Conducting Polymers Engineering Essay

History Of Conducting Polymers Engineering Essay Dr H. Letheby was the one to first initiate the study of conducting polymers, who was a known professor teaching at the College of London Hospital. In 1862, he first attempted to analyze the behaviors of the chemical reaction and to select them accordingly. His study of electropolymerized aniline sulfate was published in the Journal of the Chemical Society. The results showed the aniline sulphate turning to a bluish black solid layer, formed on a platinum electrode after its electropolymerization (1). It was between 1907 and 1911 that the Nobel Laureate Richard Willstatter characterized the oligomeric oxidation products of aniline through his methodic way of research (2). By using a starter Al(Et)3/Ti(OPr)4, the polymerization of acetylene in hexane rendered a polyacetylene for the first time in 1958 in the form of a polymer with a highly crystalline and a heavy molecular weight produced by Natta et al. The method did not attract any attention owing to the highly air sensitive, infusible and the insoluble properties of the compound obtained(3). The concept of iodine doping was established in the same time period of 1960s by the Czechoslovak researchers for polyaniline. This resulted in the conductivity of 1 S/cm for Polyaniline-iodine complexes. The attention of researchers was diverted towards organic conductors, in spite of the discovery of the inorganic explosive polysulfurnitride (SN)x in the 1970s, with its additional properties of conductivity at low temperatures. A silvery film of polyacetylene was created in 1974 by the usage of Ziegler-Natta catalyst which was not conductive although it was found to be the closest to metals in terms of appearance (5). The electronic conductivity of polyaniline was reaffirmed in 1974, a few years before the publishing of the polyacetylenes progress. The paper demonstrated interesting results of a parallel study with another conductive polymer also known as polypyrrole. The conductivity obtained was ranging from 5 to 30 S/cm (6). One of the important moments was the publishing of the doped polyacetylene in 1977. The modification of the polyacetylene film via a partial oxidation treatment with the oxidizing agents such as the halogens and the AsF5 was obtained by MacDiarmid, Shirakawa and Heeger which resulted in the film becoming conductive (5). Molecular Orbital and Molecular Structure of Conducting Polymers All the valence electrons are utilized in covalent ÏÆ'-bonds of the saturated polymers such as polyethylene. The material will show typical insulating properties owing to the gap between the valance band and the conduction band. Along the polymers supporting structure, a Ï€ system is formed in the conjugated polymers (8). A restricted alternation of double and single bonds is required in the conjugated bonds which is also apparent in the conducting polymers structure. The carbon atoms create 3 ÏÆ'-bonds with the adjacent atoms and the remaining p orbitals which is also explained as the pz orbitals. Nitrogen atoms are found to be involved in the conjugation path such as the polyaniline in some of the conjugated polymers (11). High energy orbitals are created as a result of this configuration in which the electrons are loosely bonded to their respective atoms. The conducting, semiconducting or the insulating properties of the material are determined by the distance lying between the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and LUMO( the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital). The carrier movement or the jump from the HOMO to the LUMO creates the conduction mechanism. This becomes convenient if the distance between the HUMO and the LUMO energy is small. The sp2 hybridized linear carbon chains partially determines the conductivity of polyacetylene, which is the simplest form of semiconducting and metallic organic polymer. Six electrons are present outside the nucleus of the carbon atom, out of which 4 are valence electrons such as 2s and the 2p electrons, which takes part in the chemical bonds. The 1s and 2s orbitals of the carbon atoms are filled and the 2p orbitals are filled as well with 2 electrons in case of free space or where there is an existence of spherically symmetric distances. The creation of 3 sp2 and 1 p orbital is the result of hybridization. The bonding of 2 out of 3 sp2 orbitals on each carbon atom to another carbon atom adjacent to it and the bonding of last sp2 orbital with hydrogen or any of the side groups is the result. Covalent bonds are created between these atoms which in this case is referred to as ÏÆ' bond. It has a cylindrical symmetry around the internuclear axis. A Ï€ bond [10] is formed by the over lapping of unhybridized p orbitals of the adjacent carbon atoms. The fig 2.1 shows both the ÏÆ' and Ï€ bonds in the conjugated polymer structure. There is weak interaction between them creating weak bonds of the Ï€ electrons which exposes them to the risks of delocalization thus causing electrical conductivity of the polymer (10). According to Hà ¼nkel and Blochs simple free electron molecular orbital model theory, in case of a lengthy molecular chain showing metallic transport properties, the delocalization of Ï€ electrons over the entire chain forming a small band gap is seen. A conjugated polymer which has an alternation of double and single bonds, as a result, can be conductive in the right conditions. The delocalized electrons over the conjugated space are evenly distributed creating equivalent bonds (12). Differing bonding lengths of 1.54 nm, double bond: 1.34 nm) [9] are observed under simple conditions. The alternation of double and single bonds can also be observed. A typical conducting polymer matches an insulator in conductive properties without the need of doping or the orbitals being filled with electrically conductive particles. The transformation of the conductivity of a conjugated polymer from the insulating level to the conducting level is seen through the doping process. By the process of electrochemical oxidation and reduction doping can be obtained or it can also be attained by the direct exposure of the polymer to a doping material. Atomic or molecular species have been used as dopants which are either electron acceptors such as I2, Br2, AsF5, and LiClO4 or electron donors like Li, Na, and K (9, 10). 2.3. Conductor, Semiconductor and Insulator Solids such as metals have continuous orbitals. The electrons which are nearest to the filled levels can be excited and therefore move to the unoccupied levels without the requirement of any energy. As the temperatures increase the metals lose their conductivity in spite of the electrons being more excited. The electrons and the atoms colliding with each other result in the thermal motion of the atoms. The electrons lose their efficiency in transporting charges owing to the collisions. An energy gap separates the bands for transporting charges in semiconductors and insulators. Certain electrons gain enough energy as the temperature is increased, to move into the next unoccupied orbital. The metal becomes a semiconductor as the electrons are now mobile and create the electrical conductivity of the metal. In case of a large energy gap, the electrons may never be able to reach the conductive bands that will result in zero conductivity, such types of materials are known as insulators. Wh ile in semiconductor metals, the increase in the temperatures will also increase the conductivity as more electrons have the ability to reach the valence bands. 2.4Conductivity Mechanism High electron affiliation or low oxidation potentials are the characteristics of conducting polymers. This means that the polymers can be reduced and doped with electrons donors (n-type) and also have the potential to be oxidized and doped with electron acceptors (p-type). The HOMO-LUMO energy gap which has the semiconductor property of conjugated polymers as compared to conventional inorganic compounds, are owing to the additional charges associated to the creation of new and unfilled electronic energy states existing within the original HOMO-LUMO energy gap. A dopants role is either the removal or the addition of electrons. For instance in the case of iodine (I2) an electron will be taken for the formation of I3 ion. If the relocation of an electron in a semi conductor polymer by moving the electron from top most valence band such as the polyacetylene or polypyrrole, then as per the classical band theory, the creation of the vacancy hole as such will not be delocalized. A radical cation would be obtained in the case of the removal of an electron from a carbon atom. Owing to the Columbo attraction to its opposite ion (I3- ), the localization of the radical cation also known as the polaron takes place which in normal cases would be considered as having low mobility. This would be due to the local change in the geometrys equilibrium of the radical cation to the neutral molecule. The charge is moved along as shown in the fig 2.5 while the mobility of the polaron along the polyacetylene chain may be high. But a high concentration of opposite ions is necessary as the opposite ion (I3 -) to the positive charge is not very mobile, so that the polaron can move in the field of close opposite ions. The polymer which are mobile enough to conduct electric charges have the dopants generate polarons and bipolarons. The ionization of the conjugated polymer chain to a positive polaron (radical cation) is done by the dopants which is taken as an electron acceptor. These will further emerge as bipolarons or in some cases the two polarons may reversibly combine to create a bipolaron (16). Owing to its highly disordered structure the PPy can be given as an example for bipolaron formation. The formation of a bipolaron happens when two polarons are created on one similar chain (see fig 2.5)(17). 3.Poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) 3.1. Introduction of PEDOT The research in 1967 indicates polythiophenes for the first time as a potential conducting polymers. Furan, pyrrole, and thiophene heterocycles acids catalyzed polymerization was studied by A. G. Davies. In 1982, Tourillon and Garnier first observed true electronic conductivity in polythiophenes. In the presence of perchlorate or tetrafluoroborate opposite ions, Thiophene was electropolymerized on platinum electrodes in acetonitrile. A conductivity of 10-100 S/cm was obtained in spite of the fact that highly conductive polythiophenes were possible from the start with Garnier and Tourillons fundamental work. It has gained long term stability against air and humidity while it failed to fulfill one of the requirements expected of as a truly conductive polymer not as a semiconductor. In 1930s was initiated the EDOT (3, 4-ethylenedioxythiophene) chemistry when the corresponding 2, 5-dicarboxylic acid esters were synthesized. Thus biheterocyclic EDOT system consisting of one 1, 4-dioxane r ing and one thiophene moiety was explained which was annelated over the carbon single ([c]-) bond of the thiophene. The good chemical properties, high conductivity and good electro optical properties, the PEDOT has emerged as a promising compound (22). It has been used as an antistatic coating, photovoltaic technology, electroluminescent devices and biomedical sensors, etc (23). Electrochemical polymerization of PEDOT PEDOT was fabricated for the first time by Jonas et al (24) through anodical polymerization where the products showed high conductivity with enhanced chemical and thermal stability as compared to other polythiophenes. The polymerization occurs at the electrode in an electrochemical oxidative polymerization of a monomeric precursor of the conductive polymer. The ionic dopants in the process of polymerization, forming the electrolyte are induced in the polymer (25). The electrochemical polymerization is utilized in the case of EDOT monomer to create highly transmissive sky-blue, doped PEDOT film at the anode. The compatibility provided by the broad range of electrolyte solutions creates high stability of PEDOT films in different electrolyte solutions(26) Flexible PEDOT films were obtained, by Yamato et al in the presence of polyanions in the electrolyte solution, with an electrical conductivity as high as 400 S/cm. Several electrolytes were used in this research such as sulfonated poly (ÃŽ ²-hydroxy-ethers) (S-PHE), 1,3 bis(4-t-butylphenoxy)-2-propysulfate (BPS), poly (4-styrene sulfonate) (PSS), sulfated poly (ÃŽ ²-hydroxy-ethers) having trifluoromethyl groups (S-PHEF), sulfonated poly (ÃŽ ²-hydroxy-ethers) (S-PHE) and sulfonated poly (butadiene). However PEDOT film was deposited on the anode, in the presence of S-HPE, S-PBD and S-PHEF electrolytes. Numerous advantages are present in the electropolymerization technique such as: Materials required in small quantities. Characterizations and speedy analysis. Control of reactions is accurate. While the disadvantages are: In convenience in conducting standard analytical procedures owing to the small quantity of resultant with insoluble property. The electrical conductivity can be increased to a large extent through the electrochemical polymerization while the product obtained has poor transparency and the process must be applied on conducting substrates which will restrict the application purposes (28). 3.2.2 Oxidative chemical polymerization The deposition of a conjugated polymer by in situ oxidative polymerization on the surface is seen. Electrochemical polymerization has limited applications as compared to the chemical oxidation, which is more versatile. By coating the surface with a mixture of monomer and oxidant, chemical oxidation can be carried out with a mixture of the monomer and an oxidant where it enables the spreading of the mixture onto the surface first, owing to the suppression of the spontaneous reaction. These mixtures will have flexibility in their designing of the coating process with the separate application of the monomer and oxidant. These mixtures have a restricted pot life (29). A PEDOT with black, insoluble and infusible properties is obtained with the utilization of oxidizing agents such as the FeCl3 in the oxidative chemical polymerization (21). De Leeuw et al. [20 used iron(III) tosylate (FeIII(OTs)3) as oxidizing agents in the presence of imidazole as a base leading to the conductivity of PEDOT of 550 S/cm.(30). The classification of the reaction of EDOT with Iron (III) tosylate leading to in situ polymerization of PEDOT by Kirchmeyer and Reuter (31) into two categories were as: The monomer subjected to Oxidative polymerization to form neutral polythiophene. The neutral polymer subjected to oxidative doping to conductive polycation. The addition of Lewis acids or protic acids to the polymerization system will cause catalysis of the equilibrium reaction of EDOT to the relevant dimeric and trimeric compounds in the absence of further oxidation, (see fig 2.9)(31). Vapor Phase Polymerization Mohammadi et al(32) did the initial experiments named as Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) process for polypyrrole polymerization. The oxidants used were FeCl3 and H2O2. In 2003 to 2005, J Kim et al first attempted to establish a new route for the highly conductive PEDOT layers with the process of vapor phase polymerization (VPP) (24). The evaporation of the EDOT and its polymerization on the substrate were done in the polymerization chamber where the deposition of the oxidant iron(III)-tosylate was found by bubbling the various types of gases like nitrogen, air and argon through the EDOT reservoir. FeIII tosylate was used as an oxidant and pyridine as a base-inhibitor, through the VPP process. By using oxidant, e.g., a butanol or ethanol solution of FeIII tosylate mixed with pyridine, the substrate coated with PEDOT film was covered. In a chamber flushed with air, nitrogen or argon gas, the EDOT monomers were heated into vapor phase. The polymerization process began and formed the PED OT coating, once they react with oxidizing agents on the substrates. To prove the concept of using a base inhibitor, pyridine, Winther-Jensen et al conducted the experiments. The compound was applied to PET and Pt coated PET substrates after mixing the ferric tosylate solution with pyridine in the respective molar ratio of 1:0.5. Winther et al investigated some of the liquids such as pyridine, pyrazine and quinoline. The materials and Fe (II) were void of any sort of crystal formation. The VPP of EDOT was best suited to pyridine (pKa 5.14, boiling point 115 C °) as the base, owing to quinolines low vapor pressure and the insufficient base characteristic of pyrazine [24]. Winther-Jensen et al measured the conductivity of PEDOT films as a function of temperature. A similar behavior as the semi conductors was observed as with the increase in temperature on which the conductivity also increased. Winther-Jensen et al studied the stability of conductive PEDOT layers in air and aqueous solutions. The creation of PEDOT layer on glass substrates was conducted in this experiment, and the examination carried out in the environments mentioned earlier. Till the constant point a speedy reduction in the water conductivity was seen. A slow paced decrease in the conductivity of air as compared to the water environment was observed. The pH level determines the conductivity of PEDOT. Lower pH values resulted in highest conductivities. The products acidity was observed in the range of pH 1, during the base inhibited VPP of EDOT. In water of pH7 the long term stability is lower as compared to air which takes more time to reach equilibrium with carbon dioxide (34). There is no aqueous transport medium in VPP process. During the PEDOT layer formation no agglomeration was seen. The need for dispersants and stabilizer additives is negated in high processability. The process of polymerization is fast and simple (35).

Essay --

Personal Behavior Change For this paper I decided to take a second and evaluate my life and think about what were some of my current lifestyle habits and behaviors and which out of these habits would I like to change. After sitting down and evaluating all of my main habits I categorized them into groups of which ones were helping to lead me to a long healthy lifestyle and which ones were likely to lead me to an unhealthy life and lifestyle. After narrowing these unhealthy habits down to my top three I decided to focus this paper and my attention on my current nutrition and most of all on my negative eating habits. After evaluating my lifestyle and all of my unhealthy habits I felt that my current nutrition level and eating patterns were in need of the most improvement and change. One of the reason’s why I felt my nutrition needed to changes is because nutrition is a huge part of a healthy lifestyle, the way that we eat and what foods we consume can have a huge impact on our everyday lives. Nutrition plays a huge role in multiple facets of a person’s life energy, health, skin, weight, confidence, and more making having a good control on your eating habits extremely important. How we eat over the years and what foods we routinely choose to eat can eventually have a lasting effect on use and what we consider to be most appealing and appetizing at any given moment. Having these craving and routine habits makes eating, diet, and nutrition both a behavior and a lifestyle choice that can be changed over time with help from the theories learned in this class. I felt that with the behavior that I was trying to change the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) would be most effective for me. The reason I decided to choose this model was because... ... currently in. By reassesses your progress and where you are currently you allow yourself to keep from relapsing and falling from one stage back down to another. In this particular article they reassessed their participants commitment and current stage every six and twelve months (Geoffrey 2012 p.256) I feel for me moving forward reassessing my current commitment every three months would be most effective. Reason for this is at the 60 days is when you need to start making a move from preparation into the action stage, also after 6 months of being in the action stage you can consider yourself within the maintenance stage. By evaluating every three months I can have a solid idea of when I have left my preparation stage and finally entered action and after two assessments in the action stage I can start to consider myself firmly within the maintenance stage of change.

Viscocity of Alkanes Essay examples -- Papers

Viscocity of Alkanes Introduction When dealing with fluid/mechanical systems, it is important to know what affects the rate of descent of an object through a liquid. There are many factors that affect the descent of an object through a liquid such as: 1) Temperature of the liquid 2) Mass* of object 3) Size/surface area of object 4 Viscosity of liquid 5) Angle of descent Temperature I would like to investigate the correlation between temperature and time of descent. Reading suggests that the colder the liquid the longer it will take for the object to reach the bottom. Mass*& Surface area/size Gravity accelerates at 9.81 ms-1 independent of mass. Hence increasing the mass will not affect the experiment of surface area. Thus using an object of various sizes it would be possible to investigate the proportionately of size on the descent of the object. Viscosity I feel it is important to investigate the affects of how a more viscous liquid would impede the progress of an object descending through a liquid. Therefore I have included this factor into my investigation. Angle of descent I would like to observe the affects of the object descending at an angle. Such at sediment in a bottle is there a way in which bottles should be stored that may hasten descent? Aim To investigate the rate of decent of an object falling through a liquid (simulated by a ball bearing) and investigate some of the factors that will affect this. Summary I have completed this investigation by using many simple experiments to reach a firm conclusion on the rate of decent of a ball beari... ...ment 2 this was also 40-60. Therefore I would be able to conclude with a third liquid that it may be possible that the liquid does not effect the point in which a ball bearing reaches its terminal velocity. However I can conclude that the size of the ball bearing and also the mass does not effect where it reaches its terminal velocity. As you already know, if two objects of the same size but with different masses are dropped from the same height they will descend and hit the ground at the same time. It is only air resistance that will affect the descent if the objects size is slightly different. I can relate this to my experiments in finding the terminal velocity of the ball bearings through the liquid, and therefore explain why the occurance happened with only a slight varience with the very large ball bearings.

History of the Origins of Environmental Ethics Essay -- Ethics Philoso

History of the Origins of Environmental Ethics The inspiration for environmental ethics was the first Earth Day in 1970 when environmentalists started urging philosophers who were involved with environmental groups to do something about environmental ethics. An intellectual climate had developed in the last few years of the 1960s in large part because of the publication of two papers in Science: Lynn White's "The Historical Roots of our Ecologic Crisis" (March 1967) and Garett Hardin's "The Tragedy of the Commons" (December 1968). Most influential with regard to this kind of thinking, however, was an essay in Aldo Leopold's A Sand County Almanac, "The Land Ethic," in which Leopold explicitly claimed that the roots of the ecological crisis were philosophical. (Although originally published in 1949, Sand County Almanac became widely available in 1970 in a special Sierra Club/Ballantine edition, which included essays from a second book, Round River. Most academic activity in the 1970s was spent debating the Lynn White thesis and the tragedy of the commons. These debates were primarily historical, theological, and religious, not philosophical. Throughout most of the decade philosophers sat on the sidelines trying to determine what a field called environmental ethics might look like. The first philosophical conference was organized by William Blackstone at the University of Georgia in 1972. The proceedings were published as Philosophy and Environmental Crisis in 1974, which included Pete Gunter's first paper on the Big Thicket. In 1972 a book called Is It Too Late? A Theology of Ecology, written by John B. Cobb, was published. It was the first single-authored book written by a philosopher, even though the primary focus of the b... ...n environmental phenomenology. On the theoretical level, Taylor and Rolston, despite many disagreements, can be regarded as objective nonanthropocentric intrinsic value theorists. Callicott, who follows Aldo Leopold closely, is a subjective nonanthropocentric intrinsic value theorist. Hargrove is considered a weak anthropocentric intrinsic value theorist. Sagoff is very close to this position although he doesn't talk about intrinsic value much and takes a Kantian rather than an Aristotlian approach. At the far end is Bryan Norton who thought up weak anthropocentrism but wants to replace intrinsic value with a pragmatic conception of value. The anti-intrinsic value pragmatic movement includes such philosophers as Anthony Weston and Andrew Light, although Ben Minteer has recently indicated that intrinsic value could be included in an environmental pragmatism. History of the Origins of Environmental Ethics Essay -- Ethics Philoso History of the Origins of Environmental Ethics The inspiration for environmental ethics was the first Earth Day in 1970 when environmentalists started urging philosophers who were involved with environmental groups to do something about environmental ethics. An intellectual climate had developed in the last few years of the 1960s in large part because of the publication of two papers in Science: Lynn White's "The Historical Roots of our Ecologic Crisis" (March 1967) and Garett Hardin's "The Tragedy of the Commons" (December 1968). Most influential with regard to this kind of thinking, however, was an essay in Aldo Leopold's A Sand County Almanac, "The Land Ethic," in which Leopold explicitly claimed that the roots of the ecological crisis were philosophical. (Although originally published in 1949, Sand County Almanac became widely available in 1970 in a special Sierra Club/Ballantine edition, which included essays from a second book, Round River. Most academic activity in the 1970s was spent debating the Lynn White thesis and the tragedy of the commons. These debates were primarily historical, theological, and religious, not philosophical. Throughout most of the decade philosophers sat on the sidelines trying to determine what a field called environmental ethics might look like. The first philosophical conference was organized by William Blackstone at the University of Georgia in 1972. The proceedings were published as Philosophy and Environmental Crisis in 1974, which included Pete Gunter's first paper on the Big Thicket. In 1972 a book called Is It Too Late? A Theology of Ecology, written by John B. Cobb, was published. It was the first single-authored book written by a philosopher, even though the primary focus of the b... ...n environmental phenomenology. On the theoretical level, Taylor and Rolston, despite many disagreements, can be regarded as objective nonanthropocentric intrinsic value theorists. Callicott, who follows Aldo Leopold closely, is a subjective nonanthropocentric intrinsic value theorist. Hargrove is considered a weak anthropocentric intrinsic value theorist. Sagoff is very close to this position although he doesn't talk about intrinsic value much and takes a Kantian rather than an Aristotlian approach. At the far end is Bryan Norton who thought up weak anthropocentrism but wants to replace intrinsic value with a pragmatic conception of value. The anti-intrinsic value pragmatic movement includes such philosophers as Anthony Weston and Andrew Light, although Ben Minteer has recently indicated that intrinsic value could be included in an environmental pragmatism.

With Close reference to Broagh, Anahorish and Anew Song, write about Heaney’s use of language as a way of celebrating his Irish identity

In all three of the poems the first line has a very significant link with either the Irish language or the geography of Ireland. For example in Anahorish the first line explains what the title means. He says † my ‘place of clear water' â€Å", the reason he uses the word my during this is so that the poem is seen through his eyes and gives the reader a first person view of what he is seeing and doing and why what he has written is so significant to him. It also shows by using this that he feels comfortable in this place and it is as if it was a safe haven for him, thus showing how he feels when he is in Ireland, safe and secure. But in Broagh the same thing happens he firstly shows what the title of the poem means and in this case it means riverbank. This way of writing is significant because it is showing that he is proud of Ireland and that he is proud to teach others about his culture and what it means to be Irish. In ‘A New Song' the first line again has a direct link with Ireland, but this time it is not linguistic as in the other two poems but it is geographical. He states † I met a girl from Derrygarve†, this obviously being a place in Ireland. But notice must again be shown to the way in which the sentence is written. The use of â€Å"I† showing that it is again in first person, the significance of this is therefore that he is proud to tell others about where he comes from and what it is like in Ireland for those who have never been thee before. Much of the content in all of the poems is about how Heaney perceived the world around him, especially the geographical world when he was a child. Examples of this in Anahorish are â€Å"the first hill†, â€Å"springs†, â€Å"Shiny grass† and â€Å"vowel – meadow†. These are all ways in expressing his identity and are about him growing up, for example â€Å"vowel meadow† is used. I believe that this has a dual purpose in the poem, firstly it is used to show how his use of language progressed as he grew older and also how Gaelic has many different uses for vowels therefore contrasting it with the English language which has a fairly regular vowel pattern. An example of this in Broagh is â€Å"The garden mould†, this shows Heaney's sense of belonging to Ireland, as mould is something, which belongs to the garden, and with out it would not feel correct. So therefore it is a metaphor, Heaney representing the mould and the garden representing Ireland. This meaning that he was so much a part of Ireland that it would not seem right if he was not there. A piece of geographical imagery in ‘ A New Song', which shows Heaney's Irish identity, is † But our river tongues must rise†. This is about how the Irish language must keep on going and not be forgotten. He says this because if it does the Irish will not be able to be identified any more and might as well just be English which he would not want as Heaney wishes to remain separate from the rest of the United Kingdom. Also during the poems he often hints and metions how people who are not Irish i. . the English find it very difficult to speak the Gaelic language. This is most outstanding in Broagh, † like that last gh the strangers found difficult to manage†, here it is evident that Heaney is proud of his language and puts forward the point that not many people are able to speak it correctly. This therefore separates the Irish from the English. You can also clearly see this in ‘A new song' when it says â€Å"to flood with vowelling embrace', this means that he would like to see Gaelic spoken more widely maybe through out the world or maybe just Ireland.

Effect of Art Essay

Traditionally, we have believed that art imitates life. The painter represents what he or she sees by producing a scene on a canvas. The sculptor does the same with bronze or stone. A photographer or film maker does it even more directly. A writer describes life in his or her books. This simple concept is known as mimesis. But some have questioned the one-way nature of mimesis by arguing that art also changes the way we view the world, and in fact, life sometimes imitates art rather than the other way around. The person who first articulated this belief effectively was Oscar Wilde. Speaking about the foggy conditions in London in the late 19th century, he wrote that the way we perceive them changed because of art. Referring to the â€Å"wonderful brown fogs that come creeping down our streets, blurring the gas lamps and turning houses into shadows† he argued that â€Å"poets and painters have taught [people] the loveliness of such effects†. According to Wilde, â€Å"They did not exist till Art had invented them.† And you don’t have to look too far to see anti-mimesis in our lives. To what extent is our outlook on life altered by ideas we read in books? The portrayal of people in films? The styles we see in fashion photography? One great example of this is the TV series The Sopranos, and how it affected both the Mafia in the USA and the FBI. Art’s influence on society: propaganda and censorship Throughout history, it has always been the case that art has the power to change society, especially when new media are used to express an idea. During the First World War, for example, movie cameras were used for the first time to record trench warfare – when the film was shown in cinemas in Britain, audiences ran out screaming. This led to the government censoring further such use of such a powerful medium. And in government censorship, and use of art as propaganda, we see how seriously governments take the effect of art. All of the major dictators of the C20th understood the power of art to influence the population. In Nazi Germany, Hitler set up the Ministry of Propaganda and National Enlightenment. It was headed by Goebbels, who made sure that nothing was published, performed, or exhibited without his approval. When this happens, you know there isn’t going to be a happy ending. And what Goebbels approved, of course, only fit in with Nazi ideology and ideas. In terms of art, this meant no modern and abstract art, certainly nothing hostile to the regime, and nothing that featured images other than the stereotypical blonde-haired, blue eyed set in idyllic pastoral scenes of blissful happiness. In Stalinist Russia, there was also a keen understanding of the power of art. Art portrayed contented peasants, industrious workers, and Stalin himself. In fact, Stalin was shown god-like in many paintings, a phenomenon known as the Cult of Stalin. Just as in Germany, gigantic architectural projects expressed the power of the state. However, there is no doubt that in Russia there were greater artistic achievements than in Nazi Germany. Composers worked with fewer hindrances – as seen in the works by Prokoviev and Shostakovich, and film-makers such as Eisenstein emerged. Art’s influence on society: the trial of Lady Chatterley’s Lover But even under less oppressive governments, the artistic expression of certain ideas can be subject to control. One great example is the book ‘Lady Chatterley’s Lover’ by DH Lawrence, which was deemed offensive on many levels. In this book, Constance Reid, a woman from a progressive liberal middle class family marries a minor member of the aristocracy, Lord Clifford Chatterley, and takes the title ‘Lady Chatterley’. But her husband is injured in the First World War, confined to a wheelchair, and left impotent. Despite this, he becomes a successful writer and businessman. It is more his obsession with financial success and fame rather than any physical difficulties which come between him and his wife, and she begins an affair with their gamekeeper, Oliver Mellors. The largely aristocratic ‘establishment’ of Britain at the time – the book was published in Italy in 1928 – were shocked by many aspects of the book. First, there was the fact that the book was ‘obscene’, in the way it went into explicit detail the affair that took place (see below). Second, there was the fact that a women was breaking her marriage vows, something considered far worse than a man behaving in the same way. Finally, it represented an intimate relationship between a member of the ‘lower’ classes (although it emerges during the story that Mellors is actually well-educated, and became an officer in the army during the First World War) and the ‘upper’ classes, a concept that was totally taboo in Britain at that time. The book was duly banned. But the book was republished by Penguin books in 1960. The attorney general, Reginald Manningham-Buller (dubbed ‘Bullying-Manners’ by the journalist and author Bernard Levin) had to read only four chapters to decide to prosecute Penguin books for publishing it. What annoyed him was not just the content, but the fact that the price of the book meant it was affordable to women and members of the lower classes (remember that only few women worked at this time, and husbands were generally in charge of family finances). The trial was a disaster for Manningham-Buller and the prosecution. They had failed to find any experts to support their case, in stark contrast to Penguin’s defence team, which had brought in authors, journalists, academics, and even members of the clergy to defend the book. Manningham-Buller and his team had very little idea of what Lawrence had been trying to express in his book, regularly being caught out by the superior insight of the witnesses they were trying to catch out. And although they tried to shock the jury – in his opening speech, Manningham-Buller announced: â€Å"The word ‘fuck’ or ‘fucking’ appears no less than 30 times . . . ‘Cunt’ 14 times; ‘balls’ 13 times; ‘shit’ and ‘arse’ six times apiece; ‘cock’ four times; ‘piss’ three times, and so on.† – they were unable to prove that the book would have a negative influence on the readers it was aimed at. According to the Guardian: No other jury verdict in British history has had such a deep social impact. Over the next three months Penguin sold 3m copies of the book – an example of what many years later was described as â€Å"the Spycatcher effect†, by which the attempt to suppress a book through unsuccessful litigation serves only to promote huge sales. The jury – that iconic representative of democratic society – had given its imprimatur to ending the taboo on sexual discussion in art and entertainment. Within a few years the stifling censorship of the theatre by the lord chamberlain had been abolished, and a gritty realism emerged in British cinema and drama. (Saturday Night and Sunday Morning came out at the same time as the unexpurgated Lady Chatterley, and very soon Peter Finch was commenting on Glenda Jackson’s â€Å"tired old tits† in Sunday Bloody Sunday and Ken Tynan said the first â€Å"fuck† on the BBC.) Homosexuality was decriminalised, abortions were available on reasonable demand, and in order to obtain a divorce it was unnecessary to prove that a spouse had committed the â€Å"matrimonial crime† of adultery. Judges no longer put on black caps to sentence prisoners to hang by the neck until dead. Can we say, though, that it was art in this case that changed society, or was it an interaction between human sciences (ie, the law) and the arts (the book) that led to change? This is from the same Guardian article: †¦the message of Lady Chatterley’s Lover, half a century after the trial, is that literature in itself does no harm at all. The damage that gets attributed to books – and to plays and movies and cartoons – is caused by the actions of people who try to suppress them.

Evaluate Learning Activities Essay

After any learning activity it is important to evaluate how the activity went. This is because it gives both the children and staff members a chance to reflect on the learning which has taken place and establish whether or not the learning objective was achieved. To evaluate effectively you should refer to the original learning objective to see what you set out to achieve and then reflect on the outcome and whether or not this outcome was satisfactory and that the targets you set have been met. In order to evaluate accurately you must be sure to make learning objectives very clear at the planning stage. This must be done in a way that ensures learners fully understand what the outcomes mean and the outcomes must be achievable for everyone in the group regardless of ability and within the time that you have available. The learning objective should be set out in a way which makes it easy for you to assess pupils against it. A good knowledge of the success criteria is also important when evaluating learning as children may not necessarily achieve the learning objective despite fully involving themselves in the lesson and showing real enthusiasm. Where this is the case you should record how hard the child worked and take a look at the reasons they did not meet the objective and see how you can help them the next time. The resources you have used also play an important part in how successful an activity is so you should evaluate the resources you used and whether or not they were used correctly and decide if there were other things you could have used that may have been more relevant and beneficial to that particular task. Continual assessment is important to monitor a Childs progress and while you should share the information with other teaching staff it is also important to share it with the child. This allows the child to share with you any concerns they have, things that they find difficult and things they enjoy which allows you to plan activities accordingly. It also gives you the chance to give them praise and encouragement by telling them which things they are doing really well at, how proud you are of what they have achieved and offer reassurance that they should not worry about things they find hard because you can do extra work on these areas and help them to understand. While it can sometimes be difficult to find time during the school day to give feedback to the teacher you must find a way to do this whether it is in a written report brief discussion or phone call. Not only do you need to report on the pupils progress and weaknesses you should also inform them of any difficulties you experience during an activity, such as disruptive pupils so that the problem can be addressed and resolved. It is important to be careful when giving feedback that while you are honest you are also tactful and do not lay blame for the activity on the teachers inadequate planning or the fact that the activity was not stimulating enough. The better the relationship you have with the teacher the easier it will be for you to put your point of view across and work well together to improve the learning environment and achieve better results. Always be positive when making your suggestions or giving feedback. Providing the teacher with feedback on the learner’s progress and participation can be done in various ways. If a child has not been participating you may just need to briefly mention it to the teacher and try and come up with strategies to help them get more involved in future activities. When a child is disruptive you can either discuss this with the teacher or make a written record of how the child was behaving, if you think there was anything that caused the behaviour, the effect it had on the rest of the group, how you tried to resolve the issue and manage the behaviour, whether you were successful in disciplining the child and what you think you could do to avoid the problem arising again. Hopefully the teacher will then respond and give you feedback on whether they have experienced similar problems with that child and how they dealt with it. Keeping records on how a child is progressing is also essential as it allows all staff involved to see which areas the child is ma king progress in and where they need to improve, it also lets everyone know the level that the child is at so that the appropriate level of work can be set. In order to support learning activities effectively it is important to reflect on what you have done and consider how you managed different activities. When an activity is finished you may feel disappointed with the outcome. Activities don’t always go to plan or achieve what you wanted them to and this can be for a variety of reasons When you feel that things didn’t work out the way you expected you have to reflect on the session and ask yourself how it went? Which aspects were you pleased with? What did not go as well as you planned? What would you change if you had to do the activity again? By doing this you can improve the way you plan activities which will benefit yourself and the children. To be able to effectively teach various areas of the curriculum you must ensure that your own knowledge of the subject is of a high standard and if you are out of practice and unsure of some subjects ask for help or update your qualifications. Many establishments provide refresher courses to bring Maths, English and ICT up to an acceptable level for working in a school setting. If you are unsure of a subject or a teaching method your uncertainty will be apparent to the children and your lack of knowledge will confuse them. You cannot possibly teach a child something you know nothing about so you should find out about the subject matter ahead of the lesson by doing some research. You should make sure you communicate with other members of staff to find out the strategies they use and information they pass on to the children so that they do not receive conflicting advice or information and become unsure of what they are supposed to be learning. While I feel that my basic English, Maths and ICT skills are at an acceptable level I realise that it has been quite some time since I studied them and intend to familiarise myself with the curriculum and strategies that schools at the present time use to educate the children so that I feel more confident in helping and advising the pupils that I work with. I intend to do this by accessing the resources the school uses and familiarising myself with them while also asking for advice from other teaching assistants.